Tieing my old blog entry record...

This may be a cheesy way to tie a record for second place, but since I was so close to having another good year in terms of the number of entries, I thought I would just throw a couple of things together to let you know how we spend our days here when it gets cold and snowy  --  bird watching.  One of my old Army buddies who checks in every once in a while is probably saying -- "Oh, no, not another bird story!"  Well, "hang in there" (hint:  this will be further explained later in the article).  There's more to come.

It seems that we have gotten into the habit of sitting in the pentagon room in the mornings to watch the birds as we drink our morning coffee or juice.  It really is a nice place as the sun generally fills it with warm sunlight and we can look out over the feeders, the pond and fields and watch the birds come and go, fuss and fight over seed, and explode in flight as the pesky neighborhood red-tailed hawk comes to try to get a tasty breakfast.  Of course, when it comes around, Pam yells at it and tries to chase it away before it can complete its mission.

This red-headed woodpecker is fun to watch.  He comes in, gets a sunflower seed from the feeder and then climbs up the side of the tree and starts whacking the seed up against the tree in order to crack it open.  It's funny to watch its routine...it is the same every time.

So it was a good insight into how these animals react to weather when I looked out and saw it just clinging to the side of the tree as it is here, just hanging on and not moving.  Then I realized that the cold winter winds were out of the west (which would be to the left of this picture) and they were really cold and blustery.  I checked the weather station and saw  that the winds were about 15 m.p.h.sustained with gusts to 25.  There was also a wind chill at 2 to 3 degrees.  Pretty smart bird staying in out of the wind behind the tree.  We often tell people to "just hang in there" when something is pretty bad.  Do you suppose this is where that saying came from?  Yeah, I doubt it too.

So this is the official end to the 2014 blogs.  I hope you have enjoyed them.  Feel free to leave a comment.  And if you too have noticed that I have kinda settled into a routine and have written about some of the same things as the seasons turn, you are very observant.  But that's what happens when we get older -- we settle for routines because at least we're vertical to see them and that is still better than the alternative.

Now, having said all that, I am going to go public with one of my New Year's resolutions (actually, the only one I have made so far) -- I am going to try to write more entries, write about some different things, and get more deeply involved with the things around me on which I might repeat an article. The way I look at it, there is nothing wrong with revisiting something, but the challenge is to "resee" it, to scratch a bit deeper and keep going.  So that is my resolution -- and I'm sticking to it!! (At least for now.).  In this entry I kinda got a better insight in to the phrase "just hang in there."  So maybe the next golf article, grandkids entry, and so on will get into that next level.


When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of unfinished writing left, not a thing I yet need to see, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."

Hooah

Christmas wrap-up...

Christmas 2014 was pretty good.  We got to spend time with some of the family at my brother's house and most everyone was there (Brian, Doug and Danika and their children were unable to attend -- too bad).

So, as Christmases go, this one wasn't really out of the ordinary, but one thing did stand out when I looked back at pictures of previous years -- we're all getting a bit older.  You know how I can tell?  There is a distinct absence of hair on the guys.  And if that is happening to the guys, well, let's just say the women are experiencing similar milestones (but being a gentleman, I'll let you come up with your own estimates of these "milestones."). Another measure of just how old we all seem to be getting is that everyone was pretty much partied out by 6:00 p.m.  That could have been because none of us got our naps, and it could have been because some of us don't like to drive after dark.  That might be a good case for those self-driving cars, huh?

Oh, well, at least most of us were there and we had a good time.

Trying to decide if anyone can bend over to pick up a present for the exchange.

I can't remember if this was the ladies lining up to begin singing carols or begin a line dance or maybe the "Can-Can."

No, this is it -- Jessica is leading them in carols from her I-pad.

I kid around with them a bit, but at least we were together.  And Luke and I were really there, just incognito. I can remember one year (the year I was gone for Desert Storm) when we didn't have a gathering -- or at least they didn't tell me about it if they did.  And just like this one, I wouldn't have been in any of the pictures anyhow. Hummmmphh!!

So ........ this closes out 2014.  Overall, it was a good year -- successes, failures,  good and bad times came to all of us in some fashion or another.  Fortunately no major health issues.  We are, indeed, blessed to still be all together.  Now to see what blessings, trials and mysteries await us in 2015.

Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life! (Albert Einstein)


Hooah

A funny thing happened at the movies...

Pam and I went to see the movie, Intersteller, last night in Piqua.  It was a long movie, but the concept was pretty interesting and had some great cinematography.  But that isn't the subject of this entry.

When the movie ended, we walked out to the parking lot and got in the Jeep, started it up and I was ready to back out of the parking spot when I noticed a paper on the windshield, under the wiper blades.  I suspect my first thoughts were the same as the ones you might expect -- someone hit the car and left a "fake note," someone was being a wise guy and pranking me, or someone left a note for a person who drove a Jeep like mine.  So I got out and pulled it our from under the blade.  I couldn't wait to see what this was (you got the sarcasm there, didn't you?).

This was the part I first saw on the windshield.

There was no white powder falling out of it, and it wasn't wet, so I went ahead and opened it.  Yep -- I was pretty surprised when I read it.

I have heard of stories about things like this in the past, but have never had such a note put on any of my vehicles. Pam and I were very surprised.  And the two young men are correct -- I have no idea who they are, but -- Thanks, Guys. Thank you for taking the time to go back to your car and actually write this out and then take it back to my car.  Thanks.

One can pay back a debt of gold, but most men go to their graves forever in debt to those who gave them their freedoms.

Hooah

Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame...

Last week, I had the extreme honor of being inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame ( Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame 2014 Inductees) as a member of the Class of 2014.

My son, Doug, drove all the way from NY to be there with my wife, Pam and me.

The Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

I am receiving my plaque from Ohio Lt. Governor, Mary Taylor (r).  Looking on is the Director of the Ohio  Department of Veterans Services, Tim Gorrell (l).

I am sure that there are a whole bunch of people who have never heard of this organization before now, and I must admit that I only heard of it a little while ago. Per the write-up on the Ohio Department of Veterans Affairs website:
"The Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame has inducted more than 400 veterans since its inception in 1992. Each year, an executive committee, made up of representatives from Ohio's veterans organizations, selects up to 20 inductees from applications received from across the state and nation. Our inductees are leaders in a variety of areas including business, entertainment and education. Most importantly though, they all have made significant impacts on their communities.
Inductees into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame served their country honorably in a branch of military service and continued to serve their communities, state and nation after discharge. We are proud of the accomplishments of our many members and hope you will enjoy learning more about them in the pages and pictures that follow."

Being curious about what all this consisted of, I went back through some of the earlier classes of inductees to see who all might have gone before me.  It seems that there were six Ohio military veterans who were later elected to be President of the United States.  All 330 Medal of Honor recipients from Ohio have also been inducted into the Hall.  There are a number of astronauts (including John Glenn and Nancy J. Currie Sherlock -- who was a student of ours at Troy High School when I was there), and an assortment of other politicians and movie stars (Paul Newman, Bob Hope, etc.).  But then, there are the real Heroes -- they men and women 99% of us have never heard of who found a way of helping, honoring, supporting Veterans in their own quiet way.  These are the stories I would encourage you to read if you have the time to visit the Hall of Fame web site.

There is also another site, the  Ohio Military Hall of Fame (Ohio Military Hall of Fame)  that you can visit to see the classes of those honored for their Military service.  These are service members who were inducted into their Hall of Fame based on Valor while in service and their induction is solely based on their military achievements.  I know a few of these gentlemen (Mike DeHart, Dennis Thatcher) and I can certainly attest to their valor in the service.

The induction event is actually spread over two days.  On Wednesday evening they have a dinner which was hosted by the Hall of Fame Foundation for inductees, family members and current members of the Hall of Fame.  This is where we got to talk to the other inductees and listen to their stories of their service and why it was that they were being inducted.  As I said before, if you want to learn about ordinary, everyday heroes, just read some of the bios of the inductees over the years.  I told the audience about our Vets to D.C. trips and how rewarding it was to see the Vets go there to see (and in some instances "confront") their Memorial.  I also told them that I may be the "inductee" but the true "honorees" are the members of the Vets top DC committee, the Vets themselves and the good people of Sidney and Shelby County who support and pay for these trips.  I received some speaking invitations to come address some groups who might be interested in doing something similar in their counties.

Ohio Lt. Governor Mary Taylor, who gave the main address for the induction,  had one of the best lines I have ever heard when it comes to honoring heroes.  She said we shouldn't look to movie stars or to rock stars, certainly not politicians or sports figures -- we need only look at people like those inducted into this Hall over the years for role models and life examples because they are the real heroes.  

So again -- go to the web site and read about some of the inductees -- inductees from all of the classes.  Some of the greatest chapters of our history have been written by these people.  You will not be disappointed.  

One of the most recurring questions I have asked myself over the years is Why am I here?  What is it that God has in mind for me to do?  I'm not sure I have the answer yet, and probably won't have it for a while. Lots of smarter people then me have worked on this question for a long time without coming up with a clear answer either.  Sometimes I would tell myself that being the best husband, father and person I could be was all there was to it.  Then sometimes I say maybe I was specifically put here to coach and maybe influence one or two of the wrestlers I once had.  Maybe it was to make an impression on one of my students to motivate them to go beyond.  Perhaps it was to mentor and lead one of my troops or young officers to something big, something special.  And then I thought maybe it is to help to make life a bit brighter for a few days for some of our Vets.  I am not sure any of these qualify as the final answer.  Guess I'll just keep working on it.  Thoreau probably had the right idea when he said: "One is not born into the world to do everything, but to do something."  So yes, I guess I'll keep plodding along.

The secret of happiness is to find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it.  (Anon.)

Hooah 

We lost a couple of the good guys...

Pam and I have been on the road quite a bit the last few weeks.  Her sister, Doy, passed away October 4th and her husband, Hank, passed on October 25th.  That was two trips to Georgia, but they were really good people and we really feel an emptiness with their passings.

Hank, (born Francis W. Barks) was a retired LTC in the Air Force.  He was an electronics warfare officer on B-52s and very good at his job.  He was a Vietnam veteran, a dedicated husband and father, and tremendous volunteer in the Lions International organization.  He and his wife dedicated many hours and dollars to the Georgia Lions Camp for the Blind in Waycross, Georgia. After his family and his career in the Air Force, this was his life.

Doy was a mirror image of Hank.  She supported him in the Air Force, was a loving mother and great sister to my wife, and totally dedicated to the Lions Club mission of helping the blind kids of Georgia.

When you hear stories about grandparents spoiling their grand kids rotten, they were probably written about Doy and Hank.  I suspect that if you look up doting in the dictionary you would likely see a picture of the two of them and the story would be one of pride, giving, and love. The four of them are fortunate indeed to have had Doy and Hank in their lives as grand parents, role models, and heroes.  I know they weren't always easy to live with, but nobody is.  But even if you scratch more than a few inches off the top, you'll still find that they loved their kids and grand kids, would do anything for them (even at great personal expense), and could hardly wait to tell people about them and their accomplishments.

Hank and Doy -- Doy and Hank-- however you say it, they will both be missed -- by their family, by their friends, by the kids who benefited from their generosity at the Lions Camp.  I counted Hank as one of my heroes.  I know I will miss him, talking to him about how bad the Reds and Braves are, and about how superior the Army is to the Air Force (does this count as getting in the last word, Hank?).  And I know Pam will miss the weekly/daily phone calls, the cards, the Christmas "Sister" ornaments, and those "sister" talks that I cannot even begin to understand.  She will miss her in a way only sisters can understand.

I am reminded of this old Irish saying,  "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, a memory no one can steal."

Take care you two -- until we meet again.

While we are mourning the loss of our two friends, angels are rejoicing to meet them behind the veil.

Hooah

Finally getting to redeem our Christmas present...

On our way home from visiting Doug, Danika, Quinn and Heath (and "Flower"), we took a side trip to the Akron-Cleveland area to take a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway train that they bought for us as a Christmas present last year.  We had planned to take this trip several times but things kept jumping up and causing us to reschedule.

This time, however, it was a "go" and we were looking forward to traveling through the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  The official description of the train is as follows:  The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is a Class III railroad operating diesel-electric and steam-powered excursion trips through Peninsula, Ohio in the Cuyahoga Valley, primarily through the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  But if that is all you were expecting, then you would greatly undersell your experience.

This is the Rockside train station from which you depart.

While we were waiting for the train to arrive,  we talked to the conductor who told us about not only the ride we were about to take, but also some of the other ones that would be coming up.  It seems that they have a very popular winter season capped off by some of the evening trips when it is snowing out.  He said these are some of the more unique trips they make because it is dark, you can see lights off a ways in the houses, and snow falling.  He suggested the observation car (we were ticketed for that one for this trip) because it really gets you up higher and gives you a better view.  Maybe it's just me and because we just came from visiting our grandsons, but does this guy look like one of the conductors for "Thomas the Train" or what?  He's just one of the many, many volunteers who donate countless hours to running this train and keeping it alive for train enthusiasts -- young and old.

 

So finally the train is "...coming around the mountain when she comes"... well there is not really a mountain, but it is finally coming.  And right on time too.  This is a shot of the top of the car in which were going to ride.

The train car was obtained from a line in Texas called the Silver Bullet.  I think I once heard about this and recall it was a pretty famous train in those days.  It has been restored and refurbished and offers a very nice ride through the Park. 

 I ran into this pretty lady on the train platform waiting for the same train.  Coincidence?  She said she was just in from New York!!

Pam looks pretty good here next to the train cars -- kinda like being from a movie of some sort. 



This is a sample of some of the more picturesque buildings we saw along the route.  Lots of little stations -- kind of like going through some little New England countryside.

One nice thing about sitting in the observation dome car was how we could see longer views down the line, how the cars wound down the tracks and the scenery played out as we went through the Park.

I think I saw just enough of this to want to come back again, especially for the winter nighttime ride.  I also think I will invite my brother and his wife, my sister and her husband and my Pam's brother and his wife.  I know they would all enjoy it too. 

It's only a 26 mile ride each way.  The train has two engines on one end and one on the other.  The two are needed because the ride out (toward Akron) is slightly uphill and ends up with a climb up a decent hill into the Akron station.  The weight of the train dictates that it must have two engines to make the climb.  There is only one engine on the other end as it is downhill on the way back to the Rockside station.  The conductor said the train's engines consume 48 gallons of gasoline per mile!  He also said the weight of the train we were on (12 cars and 3 engines) was 250,000,000 pounds.  We were not entirely full, but that is still a whole bunch of iron.  The weekend before we rode, their peak leaf watching trip, had them at 3,500 passengers for the weekend.  And remember, this is run by all volunteers (with the exception of the guys who drive the trains).  This is one pretty cool experience.

We also got to sit next to some pretty nice people.  One couple was a WWII veteran and his wife and another was his son (an Army Vet) and his wife.  We really enjoyed the afternoon with them, conversing about this and that.  I think it was the train and the swaying of the car on the rails that brought the friendliness of those in the dome car.

I used to use this poem when I taught English Literature in Troy and Anna.  I talked a good story, but never really knew what the author meant until I actually got to ride a train.

“My heart is warm with the friends I make,
And better friends I'll not be knowing,
Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take,
No matter where it's going.”  (Edna St. Vincent Millay, The Selected Poetry)

Hooah

A fall visit to D,D,Q, H and Flower...

We managed to squeeze a trip to NY in this past month so we could spend some time with Doug and Danika and our grandsons -- and, oh yes, Flower.  We are expecting another grandchild in March and it just so happens that this one will be a girl.  Doug and Danika asked Quinn what he thought they should name her and he said "Flower" so that is what it is for now. 

The weather was really very pleasant and we got to spend quite a bit of time outdoors, going to parks, taking walks, going to a Farmers' market at the Prospect Park, etc. 

One thing we have learned about Heath is he doesn't like to have you hold his hand when you are walking somewhere.  The exception is when crossing a street, and then it's "aaauuuuuugggghhhh" (which we have learned to translate as "Let me go.  I can do this.").  Even in a crowded farmer's market, he wants to do it his way.

We had a good time with Quinn too.  He is a pretty deep thinker and really likes to experiment with his science kit (especially doing messy ones).  Here is a couple of shots of him making a volcano and getting it to erupt.  Good thing we had a plate under all of that.

And of course, Heath is just like all kids -- he likes to watch Elmo on Grandpa's phone.  All kids are that way aren't they?


It really is fun getting to spend time with them.  And it's good to know that Doug and Danika are raising two fine boys.  We can't wait to take our turn at spoiling a granddaughter.  What fun that will be.

My family is an ice cream sundae, and our grandkids are the cherries on top!

Hooah

A little bit of color...

We got home from Georgia the other night and saw that the geraniums Pam had planted this spring had still survived, and looked really healthy and bright red.  This was despite a couple of light early frosts we had had here in the outbacks.

These sure gave us a lot of bright red color against the green grass all of the spring, summer and fall.  Then, unfortunately, we got a pretty good freeze here last night as temps dropped down to about 23 degrees.  This morning, they were all bent over and withered.  What a shame -- it's too early for such a freeze. We'll see you again next Spring.

“October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.”  (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)


Hooah

45th Anniversary (Part I)...

This is the first in a series of articles about a recent vacation Pam and I took as we celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary.  Even though we are retired now, we are not the kind who take vacations all the time so we pack as much into one as we can.  I hope you enjoy the articles and get a sense of what a fun time we had.

Actually, this article will highlight the final thing we did on our trip -- we canoed the Platte River.  I can't remember if one of Pam's friends told us about it or if we just picked it up on a vacation flyer, but however we got wind of it, it was pretty fun.

This was another one of those drives to the actual canoe livery that stumped our GPS.  It seems there are lots of these going on lately -- maybe "Doris" (my name for the voice that so aggravates me -- "recalculating!!") needs a vacation.  We sure saw a lot of pine trees and winding roads on the way to the starting point. 

  

The gal who greeted us at the rental stand said we might have a better experience if we rented a kayak rather than a canoe.  We have a canoe back at the pond where we live, and know a bit about them but we've never been in a kayak and were a bit unsure at first.  It worked out great.  The river was very shallow in places and a lot of the people who were in canoes had to get out and walk their craft past the sandbars.  We just kinda scooted on through them.

The trip was 17 miles (I think), but we probably made it 20 miles by going back and forth a lot.  

With temperatures hovering around 80 degrees, there were lots of people taking advantage of this beautiful, tranquil river on such a pleasant afternoon.  Canoes and kayaks were scattered all over the whole length of the Platte, but the groups who seemed to be having a "we've been here before" experience were the ones who took several inner-tubes, tied them together, put a piece of plywood on top of one or two of them and placed their coolers and music players on top, and just floated down the river with mother nature supplying the movement forces.  I was also puzzled why the people in the canoes and kayaks were the 50-60 yr. old set or the people with young kids, while the "rafters" were the 20-35 year old set.  Hmmmmmmmmmm.  Maybe they have something there!!

The ice cream cone I am eating was my reward for completing the trip and not dumping us out in the river.

I must say, this was a really fun thing to do on a trip such as this.  Although, I will admit, I never quite figured out how to keep the water from flowing down the paddle-thingey and down my arms.  I am sure there is a trick to this, but I must have missed it in the instructions we might have gotten back at the rental place.

The mark of a successful trip is having spent an entire day between the banks of a river without feeling guilty about it.

Hooah

45th Anniversary (Part II)...

This entry will highlight a couple of other unique places we visited while on our trip to Traverse City for our 45th. 
 The first is a place just on the outskirts of the city called "Grand Traverse Commons"  The following is an excerpt from a website that describes local attractions.
"The former home of the Northern Michigan Asylum is now being redeveloped into a unique “village” of shops, restaurants, apartments and galleries in what may be the country’s largest historic re-use project. Developers are preserving both the castle-like 19th century buildings that once housed staff and patients, as well as the 480-acre wooded campus that surrounds them – now a favorite place for hikers and cyclists." 

From what we could see as we walked the area, the shops were located in the basement area (See two pictures above).  They were nice, bright and very welcoming.  I think all of the rest of the buildings are apartments and condos.  There were pictures documenting the history of the building and grounds, and all of them were very interesting.  I couldn't help but wonder to myself -- I am sure that all of the newness and warmth certainly don't reflect the past, and possibly the horror faced by the staff, patients and families.  As I looked at the artifacts like the old wooden wheelchairs (shown above), and the scenes depicted in the black and white pictures, I couldn't help but wonder about all that went on here.

Also on the grounds was another of the Veterans' Memorials we saw throughout our travels.  This one was well done and depicted the sacrifices of those who took place in wars from WWI to Afghanistan.

The second place I want to highlight is a site we visited called Bay Harbor.  We had been here before, on our last trip and, since it was on our way one day, we decided to drive through and see if anything had changed.  It had not -- it was still very, very exclusive and way out of our price range. 

 

It was OK to go and see how the other half lives, but we didn't stay long.

Vacations are kinda fun like that -- you can go see places that are comfortable, like home or someplace you have been before.  And then there are places you can "drive thru" that make you uncomfortable but glad that you at least saw them.  I think the key is that when going to these places one feels thankful for the comfortable places and the things you have , and knows the difference between these places and the "make-believe" places. 

I can only speak for myself here, but three lessons or "morals to the story" I have learned about things, experiences and places we've stayed or been to on a vacation are:
It is always more expensive than it looks; it is always farther than it looks; and, it is always better remembered on a cold winter night than it might have been at the time.

Hooah