Okay Mark, I have to ask -- what did you mean by "they payed so I got an iPad?" Who paid what? Kiddo's and wife?
Are iPad's starting to take over the world? Stephanie has hers and loves it and has kindly let me play with it, actually it is easy enough for me. I'll probably get mine in about the year 2020, not exactly cutting edge am I. I am better at eating out.
While Kathy was here we became interested in restaurants featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We didn't go to a single one, but it was fun listing them. Now, I'm ready for a new different restaurant excursion. Georgia's Greek, Pam's Kitchen, Bizzarro Italian Cafe, Bobby's Hawaiian Style, Voula's Off Shore Cafe, Slim's Last Chance Chicken, Mike's Chili Parlor, but today it was The Portage Bay Cafe, not on the Dives list
Lynn and I went to breakfast at a place Roger loves. He highly recommended The Portage Bay Cafe, trendy, organic, pricey and worth the wait, so he said.
There are several locations scattered around the Seattle area with one in Ballard. I figured that would be easy to park at and I could also say hi to Christian, have a misty morning drive and eat organic pancakes, but the Ballard location proved to be, well, difficult. So off we went to The Portage Bay Cafe on Roosevelt. I noticed several things on my drive through the city towards the University district for a mighty fine breakfast, the first was a bumper sticker that said;
"Honk if you don't exist."
Then "Eschew Obfuscation."
Then "Stop bitching and start a revolution." Yep, we are in the U District...
We walked into the busy crowded restaurant and was seated in about thirty seconds, just long enough to read the restaurant's logo on the back of their t-shirts, "Eat like you give a damn."
Yep, we are in Seattle.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
They Paid So I Got An IPad
I got an IPad for Father's day, so I hope to be posting here much more often. Yes, I have a mobile devices, I am now Mobile, however not so much since I stll need my walker, which I hope to be permanantly trading in on a cane very soon. It is so neat and pretty much does whatever you want -- and you can spend millions of dollars for IPad/Iphone aps if you have the means, which I don't, so I'm resisting the temptation.
If any of you are also considering such a purchase, I'd be happy to give you a chance to play with my IPad next time I see you (but not over night). I'm sure I'll have it with me at the lake in October, so please don't hesitate to ask.
Jeff, hope you are having a jolly time in England.
Dad and Mom, glad you had a great time, but great to have you back home.
Jan, I love reading your posts. Most often, when I'm reading what you write, tears don't just well up, they fill up and spill over. You should put them all together and publish them in a book. I'm so glad you had a great time with your visitors and I hope to come there some day soon.
Jean, come for dinner any time.
Julia, Amber got a convertable and wants to challenge you to see who can go the slowest around lake green leaf drive.
Janice (and Art) -- I here you are doing well and I pray for your continued better health
All, send me your T-Shirt ideas for TFR #26
Hope to see you soon, Mark (and Family)
If any of you are also considering such a purchase, I'd be happy to give you a chance to play with my IPad next time I see you (but not over night). I'm sure I'll have it with me at the lake in October, so please don't hesitate to ask.
Jeff, hope you are having a jolly time in England.
Dad and Mom, glad you had a great time, but great to have you back home.
Jan, I love reading your posts. Most often, when I'm reading what you write, tears don't just well up, they fill up and spill over. You should put them all together and publish them in a book. I'm so glad you had a great time with your visitors and I hope to come there some day soon.
Jean, come for dinner any time.
Julia, Amber got a convertable and wants to challenge you to see who can go the slowest around lake green leaf drive.
Janice (and Art) -- I here you are doing well and I pray for your continued better health
All, send me your T-Shirt ideas for TFR #26
Hope to see you soon, Mark (and Family)
Father's Day, Am one, Have one, Lost one.
Some random thoughts about what it means to be and have a dad.
Am one
First, being a dad myself, I thought of my own children and the miraculous means by which they came to be mine. At 42 I met Amber, thanks to my Cupid brother-in-law (born on Valentine's day), and immediately recognized that, what other men might think of as baggage, I thought of as blessings. I can still remember little Hannah and Blaine playing in the driveway as I drove up to their house on Clearcreek the first time. Posing as small children playing they were actually miniature spies on the look-out for some man coming to their house for dinner. They were so small and cute and innocent, not knowing what they were getting into with this funny looking man courting their mother. The vision of them makes me tingle and when I look back I almost giggle thinking about them with their sometimes shy, sometimes brash behavior. As for Taylor, I had met him a few days earlier when he came with his mom for a Coke at Johnnies. He had a special role in his immediate family of "little man" and as such was charged with accompanying mom to scope out her suitor. He did then and has always since related well to adults. His mom told me he related better to his grade school teachers than he did to his fellow students. Today after over 9 years of knowing them I am comfortably, proudly their dad. Knowing well that God's purpose for us as parents is that we truly only learn to be selfless though having and caring for children... we also learn patience, laundry, cooking, laundry, delivery and pickup, and oh yeah, did I mention laundry? Unlike being an engineer, or whatever I am at work, being a dad matters infinitely more and therefore deserves infinitely more of my attention. I’m not there yet, some day soon, maybe. But however I am doing, I believe that it is with God’s help that I do it. I truly believe that when I prayed to God for a soul mate, he told me that I could not have one without patience. So he also gave me a way to get that... Taylor, Hannah, and Blaine!
Have one
One of my favorite books of the Bible is Job. And one of my favorite passages in that book is (paraphrasing) " Behold my servant Job, for he is a perfect man". People talk about someone having "the patience of Job", I would also add, "or Jerry". And many of you who know him would also perhaps put him well up on the list of men who might be considered perfect dads. Now I'm sure there are some sisters and brothers out there who might argue that he has not always been this close to perfect, and I know his wife might take issue with this as it pertains to some of the self incriminating stuff that sometimes slips out, but as dads go, Amber and I would say he' pretty close to perfect. My father-in-law is the personification of patience and is pictured in Wikopedia under the phrase: "mellows with age". Maybe it’s the 20 year old single malt scotch he drinks, or maybe it's the wine. Whatever it is, he's mastered it well, and all of us are the benefactors. Happy father's day Dad. When I grow up, I want to be just like you!
Lost one
Some of you reading this have lost their Dad. Some of you are grandparents, or even great-grandparents, and thus it is a natural occurrence. Some of you are young and some are just not so old, but our time with them is finished. My allotted time ended when I was just 35. As a result, none of you ever met my dad, Gary, but knowing me, and having met my Mom, you have part of the picture. Amber says that if he were alive today, she'd hug him, and then she’d also probably punch him. The hug would be for the stuff he instilled in me that has made me a good husband and father. My Dad taught me so many things, not on purpose, but just by being who he was and making sure I knew what he stood for. Among those were: be frugal, the store brand is just as good; do the job right, don't quit until it’s done; work comes before play, pay your bills first; you can't eat atmosphere; family comes first; don't worry about what others who do not know you think of you; take care of your family, be dependable, stay... no matter how bad it gets, stay. (Do you see a pattern here?) --Thus the reason for Amber's need to punch him. There’s not very much in the compassion department, at least outwardly. Flawed as he was, he was always my Dad and good or bad, much of who I am comes from the example he set for me. As a dad myself, that kind of scares me. So, if you're watching, Dad, happy father's day.
Am one
First, being a dad myself, I thought of my own children and the miraculous means by which they came to be mine. At 42 I met Amber, thanks to my Cupid brother-in-law (born on Valentine's day), and immediately recognized that, what other men might think of as baggage, I thought of as blessings. I can still remember little Hannah and Blaine playing in the driveway as I drove up to their house on Clearcreek the first time. Posing as small children playing they were actually miniature spies on the look-out for some man coming to their house for dinner. They were so small and cute and innocent, not knowing what they were getting into with this funny looking man courting their mother. The vision of them makes me tingle and when I look back I almost giggle thinking about them with their sometimes shy, sometimes brash behavior. As for Taylor, I had met him a few days earlier when he came with his mom for a Coke at Johnnies. He had a special role in his immediate family of "little man" and as such was charged with accompanying mom to scope out her suitor. He did then and has always since related well to adults. His mom told me he related better to his grade school teachers than he did to his fellow students. Today after over 9 years of knowing them I am comfortably, proudly their dad. Knowing well that God's purpose for us as parents is that we truly only learn to be selfless though having and caring for children... we also learn patience, laundry, cooking, laundry, delivery and pickup, and oh yeah, did I mention laundry? Unlike being an engineer, or whatever I am at work, being a dad matters infinitely more and therefore deserves infinitely more of my attention. I’m not there yet, some day soon, maybe. But however I am doing, I believe that it is with God’s help that I do it. I truly believe that when I prayed to God for a soul mate, he told me that I could not have one without patience. So he also gave me a way to get that... Taylor, Hannah, and Blaine!
Have one
One of my favorite books of the Bible is Job. And one of my favorite passages in that book is (paraphrasing) " Behold my servant Job, for he is a perfect man". People talk about someone having "the patience of Job", I would also add, "or Jerry". And many of you who know him would also perhaps put him well up on the list of men who might be considered perfect dads. Now I'm sure there are some sisters and brothers out there who might argue that he has not always been this close to perfect, and I know his wife might take issue with this as it pertains to some of the self incriminating stuff that sometimes slips out, but as dads go, Amber and I would say he' pretty close to perfect. My father-in-law is the personification of patience and is pictured in Wikopedia under the phrase: "mellows with age". Maybe it’s the 20 year old single malt scotch he drinks, or maybe it's the wine. Whatever it is, he's mastered it well, and all of us are the benefactors. Happy father's day Dad. When I grow up, I want to be just like you!
Lost one
Some of you reading this have lost their Dad. Some of you are grandparents, or even great-grandparents, and thus it is a natural occurrence. Some of you are young and some are just not so old, but our time with them is finished. My allotted time ended when I was just 35. As a result, none of you ever met my dad, Gary, but knowing me, and having met my Mom, you have part of the picture. Amber says that if he were alive today, she'd hug him, and then she’d also probably punch him. The hug would be for the stuff he instilled in me that has made me a good husband and father. My Dad taught me so many things, not on purpose, but just by being who he was and making sure I knew what he stood for. Among those were: be frugal, the store brand is just as good; do the job right, don't quit until it’s done; work comes before play, pay your bills first; you can't eat atmosphere; family comes first; don't worry about what others who do not know you think of you; take care of your family, be dependable, stay... no matter how bad it gets, stay. (Do you see a pattern here?) --Thus the reason for Amber's need to punch him. There’s not very much in the compassion department, at least outwardly. Flawed as he was, he was always my Dad and good or bad, much of who I am comes from the example he set for me. As a dad myself, that kind of scares me. So, if you're watching, Dad, happy father's day.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
They Came, They Saw, They Left
They came in the deluge and left in the mist.
They came by car, truck, plane, boat and foot and left the same way. Jan drove the chase car, Jerry drove his truck, Kathy and Mike flew in, we took the ferry to Friday Harbor/San Juan Island with Roger and Mike jogging up the pedestrian ramp to make the ferry -- talking to us driving on under the ramp -- with the ferry attendant telling them to HURRY. Remember Cathy when you hurried me and Ian onto the ferry at the crack of dawn? I don't think Mike wants to make that jog again with his thirty-five pound camera pack. Check out his pictures on facebook and be envious of his talent -- both with a camera and a computer.
They came to see the whales and saw WHALES. All three domestic pods, J, K and L pods, appeared, swam, glided, frolicked and posed for the kayaking team. They came to cool off and the weather barely reached 70 degrees. When cousin Mayme commented she was drinking eight glasses of Texas air, Kathy just chuckled an evil laugh.
Jerry made coffee after the kayaking trip while Jane and Kathy huddled under blankets trying to keep warm, Mike was off taking sunset photos and Roger had already been delivered to the ferry dock. Roger went home at the end of the kayaking day with a big ole'smile on his face and a toy Tonka truck tucked into my car. Thank you Jean for the Tonka gift.
They came to see whales, mountains, rivers, sounds, ferries, islands, trolls and me. While Mike tootled around with his photography tour, Kathy and I slept late, drank coffee, ate good, took small drives, did a little shopping in preparation of the kayaking venture and talked, then talked some more, and then some more.
I watched her leave to walk down to the Mukilteo ferry, but she only hiked up one time, she said Jerry was her hero for taking that hike every day. I reminded her of the other heroes, besides Jerry; Jane, Julia and Nora have all schlepped up that hill. Kathy kept asking herself "where is that damn cross-walk" three curves in the road before she actually came to it. She decided walking around the school track was a fine alternative to hiking up the hill.
I loved to see them come, hated to see them go, but that's life. My laundry is almost caught up, I took a four hour nap then got up and went to bed. Not that this fat old lady was tired or anything. I sent the troops home with only minor cuts, scraps, bruises, numbness and tumbles.
Kathy's fiftieth birthday kayaking trip was a success. The weather was spectacular. It is over.
Jeff has started another London adventure, Jean is mended, Mark is mending, Jerry and Jane are driving the Oregon coast, Roger is off to San Francisco for a mountain biking tour with his friend Dennis, he and Stephanie just got back from a trip to Colorado to see Stephanie's grandmother, Cathy is retired or soon will be, Brittany is a senior, Ian is starting his annual sidewalk sale at work, I'm going to baby sit today for a feeling-poorly Connor.
Christian repaired my car hours before Mike and Kathy arrived -- it takes three sons to keep me going.
Jean I love, love, love your post. Thoughtful and beautiful.
Life isn't always a full cup of coffee.
They came by car, truck, plane, boat and foot and left the same way. Jan drove the chase car, Jerry drove his truck, Kathy and Mike flew in, we took the ferry to Friday Harbor/San Juan Island with Roger and Mike jogging up the pedestrian ramp to make the ferry -- talking to us driving on under the ramp -- with the ferry attendant telling them to HURRY. Remember Cathy when you hurried me and Ian onto the ferry at the crack of dawn? I don't think Mike wants to make that jog again with his thirty-five pound camera pack. Check out his pictures on facebook and be envious of his talent -- both with a camera and a computer.
They came to see the whales and saw WHALES. All three domestic pods, J, K and L pods, appeared, swam, glided, frolicked and posed for the kayaking team. They came to cool off and the weather barely reached 70 degrees. When cousin Mayme commented she was drinking eight glasses of Texas air, Kathy just chuckled an evil laugh.
Jerry made coffee after the kayaking trip while Jane and Kathy huddled under blankets trying to keep warm, Mike was off taking sunset photos and Roger had already been delivered to the ferry dock. Roger went home at the end of the kayaking day with a big ole'smile on his face and a toy Tonka truck tucked into my car. Thank you Jean for the Tonka gift.
They came to see whales, mountains, rivers, sounds, ferries, islands, trolls and me. While Mike tootled around with his photography tour, Kathy and I slept late, drank coffee, ate good, took small drives, did a little shopping in preparation of the kayaking venture and talked, then talked some more, and then some more.
I watched her leave to walk down to the Mukilteo ferry, but she only hiked up one time, she said Jerry was her hero for taking that hike every day. I reminded her of the other heroes, besides Jerry; Jane, Julia and Nora have all schlepped up that hill. Kathy kept asking herself "where is that damn cross-walk" three curves in the road before she actually came to it. She decided walking around the school track was a fine alternative to hiking up the hill.
I loved to see them come, hated to see them go, but that's life. My laundry is almost caught up, I took a four hour nap then got up and went to bed. Not that this fat old lady was tired or anything. I sent the troops home with only minor cuts, scraps, bruises, numbness and tumbles.
Kathy's fiftieth birthday kayaking trip was a success. The weather was spectacular. It is over.
Jeff has started another London adventure, Jean is mended, Mark is mending, Jerry and Jane are driving the Oregon coast, Roger is off to San Francisco for a mountain biking tour with his friend Dennis, he and Stephanie just got back from a trip to Colorado to see Stephanie's grandmother, Cathy is retired or soon will be, Brittany is a senior, Ian is starting his annual sidewalk sale at work, I'm going to baby sit today for a feeling-poorly Connor.
Christian repaired my car hours before Mike and Kathy arrived -- it takes three sons to keep me going.
Jean I love, love, love your post. Thoughtful and beautiful.
Life isn't always a full cup of coffee.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Life often not a tidy experience
"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned the hard way that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next." Glida Radner
We know from experience life is not tidy. And yet, how many of us live as though we have all the time we need to do what we want with our lives? Jason Lehman of Universal Press Syndicate said it this way:
"It was spring, but it was summer I wanted, the warm days and the great outdoors.
It was summer, but it was fall I wanted, the colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.
It was fall, but it was winter I wanted, the beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter, but it was spring I wanted, the warmth and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted, the freedom and the respect.
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted, to be mature and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted, the youth and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle age I wanted, the presence of mind with limitations.
My life was over, but I never got what I wanted.
I've asked some of my favorite people what we should remember so we won't waste what time we have.
We all make mistakes, so learn from them.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
Quit being surprised when life takes an unexpected turn and don't waste your time saying, "Why me?" As quickly as you can, get the help you need to meet the challenge.
If you cannot have a wonderful week or a wonderful day, look for wonderful moments.
We know from experience life is not tidy. And yet, how many of us live as though we have all the time we need to do what we want with our lives? Jason Lehman of Universal Press Syndicate said it this way:
"It was spring, but it was summer I wanted, the warm days and the great outdoors.
It was summer, but it was fall I wanted, the colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.
It was fall, but it was winter I wanted, the beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter, but it was spring I wanted, the warmth and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted, the freedom and the respect.
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted, to be mature and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted, the youth and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle age I wanted, the presence of mind with limitations.
My life was over, but I never got what I wanted.
I've asked some of my favorite people what we should remember so we won't waste what time we have.
We all make mistakes, so learn from them.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
Quit being surprised when life takes an unexpected turn and don't waste your time saying, "Why me?" As quickly as you can, get the help you need to meet the challenge.
If you cannot have a wonderful week or a wonderful day, look for wonderful moments.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sink into Bliss
A movie I was watching about Antarctica mentioned the phrase "Sink into Bliss." Isn't that a lovely phrase. Bliss as in joy, spiritual or secular. Bliss as a part of our everyday life. Bliss as an alternative to entitlement, grandiose pronouncements, disdain.
When I hear people say I would never eat what ever it is that they would never eat, I figure they have never been hungry.
When I hear people say I would never wear what ever it is that they would never wear, I figure they have never been cold.
When I hear people say I would never live where ever it is that they would never live, I figure they have never been homeless.
I don't sleep under a bridge, I don't scavenge my food, and I ain't too particular about what I wear so bliss comes easy for me. An everyday sort of bliss, as in joy, secular or spiritual. Bliss as in company is coming.
The house is tidy and the toilet scrubbed. I bought meat, fruit, bagels, spam, ketchup, picante and coffee, lots of coffee. Plans have been made and reservations completed. The car is gassed up, the grandson is all shined and sparkly, the excitement is mounting, I'm ready.
And Kathy and Jerry will soon be doing the kayaking thing. Bliss
People don't remember what you owned, they remember what you did. Think of mother and try to name seven prized possessions. And then think of all she did. Think of all she loved. Think of all her bliss.
Life isn't always an instant message.
When I hear people say I would never eat what ever it is that they would never eat, I figure they have never been hungry.
When I hear people say I would never wear what ever it is that they would never wear, I figure they have never been cold.
When I hear people say I would never live where ever it is that they would never live, I figure they have never been homeless.
I don't sleep under a bridge, I don't scavenge my food, and I ain't too particular about what I wear so bliss comes easy for me. An everyday sort of bliss, as in joy, secular or spiritual. Bliss as in company is coming.
The house is tidy and the toilet scrubbed. I bought meat, fruit, bagels, spam, ketchup, picante and coffee, lots of coffee. Plans have been made and reservations completed. The car is gassed up, the grandson is all shined and sparkly, the excitement is mounting, I'm ready.
And Kathy and Jerry will soon be doing the kayaking thing. Bliss
People don't remember what you owned, they remember what you did. Think of mother and try to name seven prized possessions. And then think of all she did. Think of all she loved. Think of all her bliss.
Life isn't always an instant message.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
