Visitors from Down South

 Meg graduated from Sitka High and we had visitors help honor her.

  My mom joined us from southern California and Anneka and Mike brought 

our wonderful granddaughter from Idaho.

     Samantha is now 1 1/2 years old and just fun.  We got lots of hugs.

Meg and Samantha had fun together.

Mike and I got to go fishing one day and we each caught a nice king salmon. 

 It tasted really good that evening for dinner....yumm.

Waterlogged Dog

Apparently poodles are water dogs.  Labs of course are.  Well, it must be an enhanced trait in the labradoodle.  D'Artangan will get in any water anywhere.  This has become his new favorite spot.  This is the Indian River here in Sitka.  It is a major salmon stream in the fall.  One of the hiking trails in town... the Cross Trail... ends at the river.  Usually D'Artangan stays within a 100 feet or so of Lori when they are hiking.  By the time they get within a 1/4 mile of the river Lori won't seem him until she reaches the water.  Having sticks thrown is a favorite of his...but he never brings them back.  He hasn't grasped the concept of what to do when the stick gets past him and is headed downstream...just kind of looks at it.  He would stay in here all day if we let him, but we eventually run out of sticks since he doesn't get the bring back part...

Missing Dad

Today has been one year since my dad died.  In a way I'm glad he is gone.  Now wait, before you think that is a terrible thing to say...hear me out.  In a way Dad died several years ago.  As the Alzhiemers progressed he forgot more and more.  At one point he didn't recognize me or my brothers.  When the time came when he didn't know who Mom was at least he knew that she was someone special and he would light up just seeing her.  Everyonce in a while Mom said that he would start crying and say he couldn't do it anymore.  It seems those were moments where he broke through the disease and had an understanding of what he was becoming.  So by saying that it would have been better to have died sooner is for his sake, not mine.  And for my mom's sake.  She worked so hard, held so much in.  Yeah, she probably made some mistakes, but then like raising kids, there is no manual to tell us what to do, say, or think.My mom misses him.  I'd like to spend more time with her.  I got to go down in February and help her out.  We didn't do much.  Watch TV, talk, go to Taco Bell or In-n-Out, but I hope that just being there helps.  She understands that the Lord wanted her to learn something by taking care of Dad.  She hopes she learned whatever it was.  The biggest blessing of Alzhiemers that I see is the victim probably doesn't have a clue that they are suffering, unlike a cancer patient who is aware of all the pain and inconvience.  The caregivers are the ones who have trouble dealing.  I guess in a way it prepares them for the death and allows them to spread out the grieving process.  I just had a friend die that I had grown up with.  He was 2 years younger than me.  He did have heart problems.  He died while riding a motorcycle in the mountains and the aren't sure if he had a heart attack and crashed or just crashed.  But it was sudden.  All the grieving is taking place now.  His mom is still alive and I really feel for her. 

From an "what is life all about" perspective my dad had a great life.  He had a family, grandkids, a career, and gave and received lots of love.  So I really miss Dad, but from an eternal view he is just one step ahead of the rest of us.  I guess he and my friend can catch up on old times.  

Love you Dad.

Not a 6 Foot Turkey

In Sitka when we refer to the raptor center we aren't talking about the big-toothed, huge-clawed things from Jurassic Park.  No, we are talking about the cool facility that rehabilitates birds of all kinds, but specializes in eagles and other birds of prey.  According to their website they take care of 100+ birds a year.  Most are able to be released back in to the wild.  When a release happens the public is invited to attend.  Yesteday we got to see 2 bald eagles released.  One was an adult and the other a 1 yr. old juvenile.  Today they did 3 more.  These birds are so cool and majestic.  This is a video from my regular digital camers of the juvenile being released.

Monet...Manet...Picasso...Samantha

Just a proud gramps moment.  We just received this from Anneka... Samantha's first coloring.  Notice how she can't stay in the lines like her uncles.

I CAN SEE...(turn and bump into tree)...NEVER MIND!!

My mom had cataract surgery 3 weeks ago.  I got to go down and make sure she got there, got to her follow-ups, and took her drops.  She did very well and even commented that it was pretty easy.  No bruising; just a little lightheadedness due to the valium.

Her glasses now are not correct, but she is seeing much better.  First night after surgery she asked me if I had changed the lights in the kitchen...they looked much brighter.

While there I got to eat at In-n-Out, Bob's Big Boy, good Mexican food.  The first week I was there by myself and the second week Lori flew down and joined me.

I got to play golf twice.. once with my aunt's husband Bill and then with my cousin Josh.  Lori did a dinner for my aunt's birthday.

It was fun to watch the Californians be cold with temps in the 60s.  I was nice and warm.

Lori and spent some time at IKEA and got some stuff for the house up here.  

One of the coolest things...besides spending some great time with my mom... was seeing the musical at the high school where both Lori and I went.  They did Sound of Music.  When I was a senior in 1976 we did the same show.  I participated by having a couple of small parts.  Via FaceBook I got reconnected with a friend whom I have known since kindergarten.  Karen played Leisel...the eldest girl.  The show was fun and it was really nice to see Karen again.  Lori and I also got to have dinner with friends Melinda and Carl.

Mom will be able to do the other eye in the next few months if she wants.  The only negative thing she has noticed is the wrinkles she claims weren't there last month.  It was kind of funny.

Lori and Rick Sitting in a Tree....

My wife / best friend / sweethart is the the love of my life. I will gladly give her credit for making what I am today. Of course, my overweightness is a bit my fault. Lori has become such a good cook that it dominates my will power.

She helped me find a profession which I liked and encouraged me, helped me, worked her tail off, and taught me how to be a bit adventurous...which has let us to Alaska for one thing. We are approaching 28 years of being married and still find time to be best friends amid all the "stuff" life throws at us.
Here are a few pictures of just the 2 of us in the past few years. I'll have to find some old ones to scan later.

On the Yukon River and next to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.

This is where it all began.. 20 June 1983. Wow...that guy is skinny and the chick was and is a fox!!!

Fairbanks at 10:30 pm. June 2006

Disneyland Feb. 2005

Disneyland Feb. 2005

Sitka Thanksgiving Day 2008. A really nice day so we took a hike on the Mosquito Cove trail.

Crater Lake Sept 2008. Part of the trip we took with Meg and Charles to let them look at colleges. This natural wonder is still not as beautiful as my sweethart.

Disneyland March 2008. Yes, we like the place.

Fanning Island Dec. 2003. This was part of our Hawai'ian cruise for Richard's 16th birthday.
About 200 miles north of the equator.

Sitka Alaska Nov. 2005. This was during the site visit SEARHC did for us when I was being hired. This shot happens to be at Silver Bay and is about 2 miles from our current house.

I look forward to another 50 years or so with my wife in this life and an eternity beyond.

December Delights

December is such a busy time, but we still tried to get out and relax. Lori worked hard on her school/work, Meg and Charles studied, and Richard put up with holiday shoppers. Our little lake in town.. Swan Lake.. froze over mid-month. Once the ice is thick enough (monitored by the fire department) it becomes a busy place for young, old, and dogs. There is hockey, skating, walking (Lori and I don't have skates so we just walked around), people on bikes, sleds, etc. A local rental company donates a large light that allows use of the lake until 11pm or so. In December, dark occurs by 3 or 3:30 so it really makes a difference.

Christmas found us just enjoying warmth and family. As one of Richard's presents we brought his girl friend.. Abbey.. up from Utah (she was by herself...family back east) and she got to see how crazy our family is. The kids got some silly string and Lori just didn't understand that you don't tease someone with a can of that stuff. We had our traditional rolls for breakfast.. they must be pretty good since Richard, Charles, and Meg are smiling.
Even D'Artagnan got spruced up for the holidays. He isn't too keen on getting a bath, but he puts up with it and he ends up so "floofy" and soft afterwards.
New Year's Day was cold but sunny. Lori and I took D'Artagnan to Totem Park for a walk. The picture here is about 2pm and even though we are gaining daylight each day you can see how long the shadows are.

Christmas Letter 2009

Christmas 2009

This year we have felt we should change our name to Duncan…as in Yo-Yo. It has been an up and down year with time down (like a sleeping trick) and up time (rock-the-baby). We traveled a bunch, but not quite around-the-world. Lori tried to spend a lot of time walking-the-dog, but overall we are healthy, alive, and still spinning. We have watched our granddaughter Samantha turn one-years-old, waited for Richard to deal with some legal issues, taken a few trips, said goodbye to Rick’s dad, sent Anna back to Germany, and had some visitors. After over 10 years of Alzheimer’s, Rick’s dad died in May; he was 77. It was in many ways a relief. We will all miss him greatly, but won’t have the sorrow of seeing this great man be so helpless. Last Christmas she came up for a week to visit and found out first-hand that we do have daylight in the winter. Our traditional “16 year-old picks-a-trip” trip to go back east and visit some historical sites was Charles’ choice. We toured Boston and New York City with a brief stop in northern Vermont to visit one of his friends. It was while we were on this trip that Rick’s dad passed away. Lori and Rick went to the funeral in Long Beach. We also went to Long Beach for Spring Break (D’Artagnan went with us with his new mohawk haircut) and in the fall did a “college” trip for Meg and Charles (and a friend of theirs - Emma) to Portland, Southern Oregon, and Humboldt. We got to see some really BIG redwoods and had a good time. Rick and Lori were in Idaho in January to see Anneka, Mike and Samantha. We actually got to see Samantha 4 times this year. In January, during spring break, at the funeral, and for her 1st birthday. Rick and Lori also went to Maui so Rick could attend an optometry meeting. Rick also went up to the Alyeska ski resort outside of Anchorage for another meeting. Charles, Meg, and Anna traveled to Juneau, Ketchikan, and Anchorage for drama/debate.
Rick is staying busy at SEARHC. 6 trips to Klawock/Prince of Wales Island and 1 to Yakutat plus a full schedule most days in Sitka. The meeting in Girdwood/Alyeska was for a new part of the optometry law. A very intense course and Rick didn’t even get to ski. Yes, He is still Bishop at church.Lori was fired by WSU after making a fuss about an unfair policy, but was quickly rehired because of a technicality in her contract. It is unlikely that her contract will be renewed again, so it was time for a new plan. She is back in school to get a teaching credential so she can teach high school. We see little of her as she is teaching full time AND working toward finishing an 18 month program in 9 months. Now if we can keep her sane for a few more months….
Richard has had a rough year. He had to spend some time in jail, but is out and serving his probation here in Sitka. He is working at one of the grocery stores and was promoted to a manager position within a month of starting. Meg (she prefers Marg now) is really ready to be out of high school. She turned 19 in November and is taking some classes at the local Univ. of Alaska campus as well as making sure she has all the high school credits she needs. She still works at Highliner Coffee and has decided that she will attend Humboldt State University in Arcata, California next fall and be a music education major. She is currently taking voice lessons too.
Charles is a junior and in choir and vocal jazz. His voice has really matured and he loves being on stage. In fact, he had a duet/solo at this years Jazz Fesitval. In addition he participated in the All- State Choir in Anchorage. He, along with Meg and Anna got to go to the State Drama/Debate meet in Anchorage. Charles is planning on attending Humboldt State after he graduates in 2010 as a music education major. He wants it known that he decided to go to Humboldt first, so he is NOT following his sister.
Anna ended her exchange with us in June. While still here she participated with the track team doing shot put, long jump, and some relays. She “graduated” from Sitka High, but still has a couple of years left of German high school to complete. It was sad to see her go. Yet it is nice to know that we have 3 other children that are part of us… Annika, Jo, and now Anna. AFS has been good to us.
Anneka, Mike and Samantha are all doing well. Samantha is now 1 year old, Mike finished his journeyman’s school and passed his test for a Journeyman license (after only one try). They are planning to come up for Meg’s graduation in May.
We are all on Facebook now… I manage Lori’s for now. We all have our dumb cell phones that don’t let us ever be alone, so give us a call or text us. We are looking forward to a new year full of love, blessings, friends, and family.
Rick: 907-738-1159, Lori: 907-738-9068, Richard: 907-738-3112, Meg(Marg): 907-738-3826, Charles: 907-738-3123, D’Artangan-unlisted

College Road Trip

No, not the movie (not that I have seen it), but a family trip the last part of September for Meg and Charles (and their friend Emma) to look at some schools for their future plans.

Both Meg and Charles want to go into music education and be high school music teachers. The two main places the checked was Southern Oregon Univ. and Humbolt State Univ.

 Both are WUI schools, which means that they can be from out-of-state, but not have to pay the higher fees. They don't get in-state, but a split of the two... 1.5x the in-state. A really good deal. It is actually cheaper to be on WUI for 4 years than to do out-of-state for 2 and then in-state for 2. Plus being from Alaska they don't have to give up their residency which allows them to keep receiving the PFD (Permanent Fund Distribution) each year.

We flew into Portland, picked up our car and spent a couple of days in Portland. As we have done recently we rented a place while in Portland and Ashland. The kids visited Univ. of Portland, and Reid College. Emma looked at an art school too.  We experienced Powell's Book and VooDoo Donuts. They knew several people at Reid who were from Logan, so they hung out with them. Charles and I got to play golf.

Then we drove to Ashland, Oregon. On the way we went to Crater Lake. I had been there once before with my folks/brothers in 1975. Lori and the kids had not but were very impressed. When God makes something it is REALLY something!!

The music program at Southern Oregon looked pretty good, but the kids... and Lori and I thought the program and its resources was better at Humbolt. 

While in Ashland we took in a Shakespeare play as they have a 9 month festival. We saw "Comedy of Errors". We had some incredible weather too. At both So. Ore. and Humbolt the kid (and us) had tours given by current students on campus. 

 On the way to Arcata / Humbolt / Eureka, California the highway goes through some huge areas of redwoods. We got to see some HUGE trees.

 Makes you feel very small. 

In Arcata we drove around the area and enjoyed the views.  I played golf again in Arcata. Again great weather.

We finished off by driving to San Jose to fly home. On the way we drove the Avenue of the Giants in another redwood area.

End result: Meg will be heading to Humbolt next year and Charles the next year.

Thanksgiving

Last year I got to kayak on Thanksgiving thanks to great weather.  Well, this year we had another sunny "warm" holiday.

  Meg, Lori, D'Artagnan, and I hiked the Mosquito Cove trail.  

The great weather gave us just one more reason to be thankful.  We had a couple of guests for dinner... Meg's friend Amy and her mom.  We had a great dinner (Lori and the kids had their veggie "turkey".. dressing wrapped in a turkey flavored tofu) and then played Apples to Apples.

All in all a really nice day.

Samantha's Lament

Samantha apparently really misses her Gramps.. i.e., me.. Here she is standing at the window waiting for me to return...Anneka took this. Sam likes to watch the traffic go by and the window is a good height for her to stand and watch. She is apparently standing up next to all the furniture and "walking" to the other end. Still I think she is just pining for dear old Gramps!

Gramps' Favorite Picture

This is now my favorite picture.  I have always enjoyed the kids when they were small and so snuggley.  OF course Richard wasn't much of a snuggler and Meg wouldn't let you hold her in a traditional way.  At this age a child is so completely trusting and just loves you.  Besides they are really warm and comfortable.

Gramps at 1

OK, so it is Samantha Moya Smith 

who is 1 year-old, but Lori and I got to be with her for her birthday.

Lori and I flew down to Idaho Falls to be with 

Anneka /Mike /Samantha for a week.

Between looking at my computer clock instead of my cell phone we missed our flight from Seattle to Idaho Falls, so we had to spend the night in Seattle.  

Samantha has been growing 

faster lately, but she is still a very petite 

1 year old.  She crawls all over, but dosen't have much interest in standing much less walking. 

 Mike and Anneka just moved in to a new apartment which allowed us to help put a few things away.

Samantha's birthday party was a Mike's parents' house and there were a bunch of the relatives there.  They are a fun bunch. 

 Samantha did very well with our tradition of letting the birthday 

kid destroy/devour

 their own cake.  Sam's was a butterfly made with one 9" cake.  She had no problem digging in and mangling the thing. 

 When she was finished 90% was inside of her as there wasn't much on the floor or on her lap.  

Anneka made 3 cakes

 with a butterfly 

theme and did a great job.

We got to spend time going places with Anneka and Mike.... with Sam of course.  

Grams and Gramps enjoyed being quite silly.  Lori and I even got to attend the Idaho 

Falls temple.

The only downside to the trip was

 my dental experience.  It had been 3 years since I had been to the dentist... before we moved to Alaska.  

I am a whimp and have to have gas (nitrous oxide).  

No one in Sitka uses it so Anneka got me an appointment with her dentist.  Yes, with gas.  As it turned out I spent Tuesday, 

Thursday, and Friday mornings in the chair getting 8 cavities taken care of.  Ouch!

We really had great time with Samantha and I really miss her hugs and snuggles.

A Cute Little Pumpkin

My little granddaughter Samantha is getting to enjoy her first Autumn.  She seems to be enjoying herself.  Now 11 1/2 months her personality is really showing.  Enjoy.

Bearly Safe

During my work trip to Yakutat last week I took an opportunity to view some brown bears (grizzlies).  The city dump is the place to be.  Whether it is good or bad for bears to hang around a dump, it is good for us geeky city types to get a view of these incredible animals.  The first day the gates were closed so I walked in... OK not too bright.  They were hanging out in a specific area and I got within about 100 feet, then one of the bears would stand up and glare at me.  The next day we had the car and stayed in it.  I'm not the sharpest tool, but I can learn.

Richard's Home to Roost

We have just made reservations for Richard to come home.  The process had to go from the Utah people to the Alaska people back to the Utah people.  But he will be home on September 30.  It will really nice to have him close by again.

Charles Piccaso

Charles has gone wild with painting his room.  Not in a Meg sort of way... random/ reproductions ..., but in being very bold.  This too from one of my 2 color deficient sons.  Charles picked the colors, Lori mocked him, and the 3 of us painted it.  Personally I like the colors and it does make the room much more cozy/ warm. The "smudged" lines where the color goes to the tan are Charles' idea.

BLUEBERRIES!!

One of the cool things about living basically in a wilderness is there are treats to be found.  Here in Alaska we have bears.  Since we have bears we also have berries for them to munch on (besides the salmon).  A unique berry is the salmonberry.  Size wise they are bigger than a raspberry and smaller than a blackberry.  They come in a yellow and a salmon orange /yellow /red.  We also have huckleberries, gooseberries, and best of all BLUEBERRIES.

The berries are very accessible.  Sometimes just off the road, next to the driveway, along trails, etc.  Last month Lori and I went up to Thimbleberry Lake (I have no idea if there is such a thing as a thimbleberry) and spent an hour picking blueberries and ended up with about 2 quarts.   Pancakes, cookies, pie... good stuff.

  The drawback is that these are wild and need to be checked before eating... some have worms.  We are told the process is easy:  put them in water and the ones that float have worms.  

Yesterday Charles, Lori and I went up Harbor Mtn. and hiked a bit.  On the way down Lori noticed soda cans on branches of bushes on the roadside.  She figured they marked areas with berries.  Sure enough, we found a huge amount of blueberries at one location.  In just a short time we had another 2 quarts.

According to a couple of neighbors this has been very good year for berries.  The first summer we were here even the locals were complaining about the lack of berries.  We had several bear problems with them looking for other things to eat.

What a great way to get some good nutrition that tastes great.

Bewitched by Samantha

No this isn't referring to the Will/Nichole version.. thank goodness. My dear little grandaughter Samantha Moya is almost 10 months old. Her mom (my Anneka) had these pictures taken for when she turned 9 months. She is still very petite, but growing steadily. She really loves yogurt and is now doing the commando crawl. Can't quited get that body off the ground to really get going. She should be getting some teeth soon as she is fussier and her gums have "lumps". Lori and I will try to get down south to see her for her 1st birthday in November.

Down South Visitors

Last Sunday we had a huge amount of visitors from the lower-48. Lori's Aunt Kathy(her mom's sister) took a bunch of her family on a cruise to Alaska. Sitka was one of their stops so we arranged to meet them and spend a bit of time showing them our town. Kathy was joined by her daughter Cheryl. Cheryl's husband Rick and his daughter/son-in-law/grandson; Lori's cousin Terri with husband Tony and daughter Erin; another cousin Cody rounded out the party. Charles and I took the biggest bunch on a hike to Mosquito Cove while Lori took Aunt Kathy and Cheryl to the Russian Church. Then we had a bunch of really good food... halibut, cheesy potatoes, etc. We didn't get much time with them as they had to get back to their ship, but it was really nice to see them. In addition, Aunt Kathy had a hip replace 3 weeks prior to this trip and Rick(not me) had a heart attack less than two week ago. Thanks for coming!!

Choices and Tough Times for Richard

This is a very tough post to write. We always hoped this would never happen, but now that it has...

We think a blog should share all the things in our lives. Sometimes they are fun and positive, worthy of kudos. Others are a reality check of our struggles with the implication of requesting prayers and virtual hugs.

In mid-December right before Richard was to start finals at Utah State University he was arrested on drug charges stemming from a police investigation involving Richard and his 3 roomates. The charges involved the distribution, possession of pot. Richard was on audio tape by a police plant arranging for the sale of drugs to someone.

Generally this would be a misdemeaner, but their apartment was right across the street from a school, putting them in a "drug-free zone" and creating a felony situation.

After several months of waiting Richard finally had a court date at which he plead guilty to 2 of the 6 counts against him. Then it was another couple of months before he began his sentence of 60 days in the Cache County Jail. He went in the end of April and was released the end of June.

Now he has fines to pay. Once that is taken care of his probation will be transfered here to Sitka and he will be able to live at home.

The jail time was a pain for all of us. Sending him mail was brutal with the myriad of rules about what you could send in what with what on the card/letter etc. Getting a phone call was even worse as you have to go through a company that handles correctional places. First it wasn't activated and then we wouldn't be home. Of course we couldn't call him.

Meg visited him a couple of times when she was in Utah. She had to fill out an application and be on the list that he provided and her name had to match what he had written.... BS after BS.

We also found out through all of this that he had 2 prior arrests that were not felonies and did not require any jail time.

We sincerely hope that he as learn some things. Yes, jail was boring with bad food. Is it worth the risk of being sent to a state or federal prison? Was it worth creating a situation where he would be unable to get certain jobs because of his record? How did this affect the rest of us? Only time will tell. Richard's attitude toward us... his family... has been improving. He is trying to be more open and honest with us. We're looking forward to enjoying these changes when he gets here.

Richard, we love you and hope that you or us ever has to go through this again.

As the Sun Pulls Away from the Shore and Our Boat Sinks Slowly in the West... Maui Part 2

OK, so this should be part 1, but I just had to get that video up.

Lori and I went to Hawai'i so I could attend a cont. ed. conference. Part of my work benefits include help with getting the hours I need for my license.

OK, the sun and the warmth played a part in deciding where to go.

The conference was on the island of Maui, in Ka'anapali. Although it is nice to stay in the hotel where the conference is, it is also expensive.

Lori found us a small condo about a mile from my meetings for about 1/3 the cost of the hotel. Very close to the beach and nice and quiet.

We actually got there a few days before my meetings started.

We tried to used our time to the fullest. We did the Road to Hana and although June is the dry part of the year, the waterfalls were still cool. The black sand and red sand beaches near Hana were really nice.

We would have breakfast on the beach.

No waves on this sided of the island in the summer, but the water was SO clear and warm!

We rented snorkel gear for the whole week. Ka'anapali beach right where were has a reef that is really good for snorkeling. We went out there several times. We also went up the coast a little to a "reserve" bay that was pretty good too. We didn't see any sharks, but did see 3 large sea turtles. No pictures though... the are so cool and are so graceful.

I got to play golf twice. One was the Dunes which is "inland" and the other was the Wailea Gold (the LPGA and Senior Tour each play there. My brother, David, played there once. Both were really nice and fun. I didn't play great, but that wasn't the point.

My conference was nice in that we had class from 7am to noon. Then it was our own time! Very nice.

We ate lots of really fresh fish and tropical fruit. Lori wanted to get sick and tired of tropical fruit.. she tried, but failed... bummer.

The pineapple was SO good. At least the prices didn't seem bad... not much different than here in Sitka.

A tour book Lori got was great at helping out... "Maui Revealed". It is written from a local point of view. We had some great meals for cheap. One of the best was the Aloha Lunch Plate. We also had some hand made pita with Ahi caught that morning (this was at lunch time).

We visited a valley famous for a huge battle for control of island. The valley looks like something out of Jurasic Park. The main feature is a "needle". This is the Needle of Ioa.

There is a really good magic show in Lahaina called "Warren and Annabell's". Warren is a close up magician. He even invites you to take pictures during the show. Annabell is a ghost... there is a story behind the whole thing..., but the thing that haunts me are the tricks Warren did!! Whew! Not only is it good magic, but it is funny too.

Maui had a lot more to offer than I expected. Summer may be "low season", but it was also a bit less crowded. Besides, those of us living in Sitka need all the sun and warmth we can find.

As the Sun Pulls Away from the Shore and Our Boat Sinks Slowly in the West... Maui Part 1

This is actually from our last day in Hawaii.  We had bought a boogie board, but never got to beach with waves.   The beach where we were (Ka'anapali) has great snorkeling, but no waves.  We saw a little kid skimming on his boogie board and decided to try it.

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble-Salem-Charles' B-Day Trip Part 3

We took a side trip up the coast to Salem, MA... yes, home of the infamous witch trials in the 17th century. But also famous for its maritime history and Nathaniel Hawthorne (House of the 7 Gables). We had beautiful weather and just wandered around. The Kids went to the presentation at the Witches Museum while Lori and I walked. She and I had seen this many years ago and felt it was a bit too creepy for us... the kids didn't think so, though.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...Charles B-Day Trip Part 3

Well, this is the 3rd time I've been to Boston during baseball season and the 3rd time the Red Sox have been out of town.. grrr. So this time I compromised and went to Fenway Park for a tour. Eventhough I was the big baseball fan Lori, Meg, Charles, and Anna enjoyed the tour also.

This was no tour for weak Yankee fans.

Our guide made comments about their intelligence,
the evilness of their team and city, etc. He has been in Boston and a fan of the Red Sox since 1949. We got to see just about everything but the locker rooms.

The past few years there have been seats on the Green Monster. The only way to sit there is through a lottery that is held online.

You register at the Red Sox site and if you are picked you can buy 2 tickets at

$150 each for 1 game. The view from there is really good. In fact, everywhere we went was a good seat.

The is a section below the press box that in order to get tickets there you have to commit to 2 seats every home game for like 7 years. End cost is about $350,000.
Don't worry there is a waiting list.

Fenway still has some wood seats.. not benches though. The owners from the 20s to the 60s want to be immortalized at Fenway. You can see in this picture dots and dashes on 2 of the vertical lines. Those are the initials of the owner and his wife. Pretty cool.

The person who runs the totally manual score board on the bottom of the Green Monster makes about $60 a game. He has been doing it about 16 years and there is a 400 person waiting list for this job. The room back there is very narrow with no heat or air conditioning or water or toilet...

Charles' 16th B-Day Trip Part 2

After a red-eye flight from Seattle to Boston we arrived in Beantown. Considering the nutrutional suppliments you get now-a-days on flights we were to say the least FAMISHED when we arrived. The guy at the rental place gave a tip on a good local diner at which to have breakfast. This is one of the old train cars that has been converted in to a eating establishment. Food was really good. The atmosphere was very authentic north-east. We added a GPS to our rental car so we could get around. Well, it got us to our apartment, but more on the GPS later.

As in England last year we rented condos/apartments for our stays instead of doing the hotel thing. We were in the blue building

With 5 of us it made more sense. This one on the east side of Boston was on the 3rd floor...no elevator... and had 2 bedrooms, our own bath, kitchen, satalite TV, and internet.. including an actual computer. The landlords of this apartment also let us use their game room in the basement which incuded a Wii, 2 pinball machines, and a slot machine. It was quiet, near a "T" station and very comfortable.

Good-Bye to the Old Fart-Dick Hart 1930-2008

As many of you know my dad Richard Harold/ Dick/ Spaz passed away on 9 May 2008. He had been dealing with Alzhiemer's for many years and had been in a nursing home since last summer.
I saw him last Sept and he was still able to walk around, but when we saw him in March he was wasting away fast. The good thing about Alzhiemer's is that the person afflicted probably has no clue as to what is going on. The care givers, ie, my mom are the one's that really struggle. For both of them this passing into the next life is a blessing for both of my parents.
The services were held on 17 May. It was a good day for all of us, especially Mom. She got to see just how well liked Dad was and how much she is loved. Lori and I were able to attend after cancelling part of our vacation to get there. Anneka and Samantha flew down from Idaho. My brothers came in from Utah and Seattle. My cousin Mathew flew out from North Carolina. Friends came from northern California and Utah. Mom was pretty amazed with the response.
We were able to get a military color guard to present a flag to Mom and play taps. It was really cool. Anneka kept a promise she made long ago, by playing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at the luncheon. We also sang the Navy Hymn although most of us just muttered random words since we didn't know anything but the tune. My sister- in-law Laurie sang during the service and she played with Anneka.. playing cello.
For all those who knew Dad knew that although he was a grouch and very loud, he was a big softy inside and we loved him all the more.
I feel very lucky to have had my dad around for so long. I love him and will miss him, but I'm so glad he is free of his failed body and can now enjoy his time in the spirt world while he waits the Resurrection. Till we meet again Dad, Love you.

Charles' 16th B-Day Trip Part 1

We started a tradition with Anneka that when the kids get turn 16 they get to have a trip to celebrate it. For AJ it was a cruise with Mom and Dad. Richard did a Hawaiian cruise and last year we did Meg's to England. This year Charles turned 16 and he decided to do an American History trip. So for the next few posts we will explore our travels in Boston, New York, and Washington DC.

Before we even got back east we had a long layover in Seattle. My brother David and his family live there. They picked us up a

t the airport and we spent the afternoon with them. My cousin Luke joined all of us for a very nice time.

On the couch l-r is Anna, Charles, Meg, Debbie

On the floor l-r is Lori, Cristina, Me, Darlee, David

Track Star Anna

Anna competed in the Sitka High track meet this weekend. On Friday she won the girls' shot-put. Today, Saturday, she did the discus(one of her throws was almost 67 feet), long jump, and participated in the 4x100m relay. Today our weather changed a bunch. No sun, but wind, cold, and rain. Anna has been working hard every day after school for track. She has even developed shin-splints. She apparently would have qualified for the State meet next month, but we will be back east on our vacation.

Springtime for....Sitka

We have had a full week now of clear skies and normal temps.  In fact, yesterday was 58 degrees.... Lori left last Thursday and was delayed 3 hours because of heavy snow here and in Juneau.  At about 2pm it cleared up and we haven't hardly seen a cloud since.  It will end Sat. p.m., but it has been absolutely gorgeous.  I have ridden my bike at least part way to work each day this week (I'm too out of shape to go too far).  The kids and I have cleaned out the flower beds for Lori and got the yard looking nice.  At least we will only have to put up with a week of this...when it ends...before heading back to Boston and the east coast.  The eagles have been out in force.  Sometimes you can see 50-100 of them in one place.  This one was about 20 feet away from me.  I walked right by the tree it was sitting in and he didn't even flinch.  Really cool.