Saturdays in September

What a glorious time of year. Saturday afternoon in the shade of the mature maple tree, while all around luxurious, warm sunlight bathes the neighborhood. A cool breeze from the west makes even common outdoor tasks a pleasure. A good day to take Jack on the single speed Hawthorne, in the seat behind the saddle, not in the trailer. Wear the bright yellow, reflective safety vest to increase visibility. Turn east out of the drive onto Powhattan. It's one of the sections between north and south streets that is gravel, and it crunches beneath the tires. Adjust the rearview mirror on the helmet so cars can be seen approaching from behind.

Then, at the intersection turn north onto Sycamore. A smoothly paved gradual incline leads to the a main artery out of town in Wilson street. A right turn goes east again. It descends gradually all the way to a Franklin Co. road, Davis street. The bicycle picks up speed gradually to where the single speed Hawthorne hits top end and pedaling is impossible. Few cars and pickups are out and about, and they're generally respectful of the space the bicycle requires. Hold your line and keep straight. Give them a wave as they pass if they gave the bike room. Not everyone gives room.

On Davis street, turn left again and head north past the American Eagle distribution center and its campus. Between the two massive cream colored buildings is a walkway above a paved delivery road. It's enclosed for employees to walk between the two addresses.

The road levels out and at the stop sign where the road intersects with Franklin Co.,Sand Creek

road. Schuff steel is on the corner where they hundreds of massive dark steel I beams and channel iron and different arches stacked neatly beneath a football field size bridge crane. A mistake made in handling one of those steel beams is unforgiving. Men have died on a half dozen different occasions there through the years of its operation.

Stay north on Davis and a quarter mile section of the road turns to gravel. Keep going up to the newly paved approach to the viaduct over what will be the new section of Kansas highway 59. Do a U turn and look at the dozen or so different five ton trucks with their unique tanks and hoses and boxes and each one a red cab with a white business logo on the door.

Get a drink from the canteen as thousands of small flat bottomed, puffy topped clouds race by above. Drink in the deep blue of the September sky. Smell harvest on the wind.

Back down the overpass, retrace the path onto the gravel and stop beside a field of feed corn still on the stalk. Get off the bike and walk around beside the corn. Listen to it. It sounds like people talking in a convention, or in the intermission of a play. It rattles, chatter. It whispers. Thumb off a dozen kernels into the palm. Pour ten into Jack's pocket and let him carry two in his hands.

It's getting on toward supper time now. Ride along and keep the eyes on the side of the road for pliers and rope and bungee cords, and reflectors. Listen to Jack ask about the chasing dogs and the cows in the dairy farm. Listen to the train pass a ways off, then see the long line of rail cars through a break in the trees. Thank God for prosperity and family, and his creation. Ride home without incident and cook chicken out on the grill. Heat canned corn on the rangetop.

For your enjoyment: my interesting family

Greetings! I don't have much to report. Last weekend was the big car show in Ottawa. Saturday night we walked downtown to watch the vintage cars and customs cruise up and down main street. There were an estimated 1200 cars entered in the show. Downtown Ottawa was packed! I was genuinely surprised. It's an annual event, but we'd never attended. We took the boys in the double stroller, the side by side one. That was a mistake. It made it very difficult to maneuver through the throngs of people crowding the sidewalks. Food vendors set up booths on the courthouse lawn,with all the usual fare. That's what we had for supper. Seeing all those old vehicles made me want to have an antique truck to putter around on and in. No more than I drive and need a truck, I figure I might as well have one with some character.

School is going along. The play is going along. It's a little cold on my bike ride to school these days in the morning. We're already only a few weeks away from completing our first quarter.

I've began a graduate class on multicultural literature. I'm reading some interesting books with that label in common. One is a graphic novel, a book length comic, which is an autobiography of a

girl growing up in revolutionary Tehran, Iran. It's informative and helps simplify the conflicts taking place over there.

I have some pictures that are really quite random, and that I am not responsible for taking. They show my family members (mom, dad, and sister) doing some different things. Enjoy!

This Clarie competing in a "mini-triathlon". Yes, that's right, a triathlon! My dad David took this picture. I was not present. Clarie's hard core!

Below is a picture of my dad David standing in front of a "longboard" in Hawaii. Mom and dad visited Hawaii last year (the bums!) and dad tried his hand, er . . . feet, at surfing. He's standing next to his surfing coach, Russel Risch. He married Chika Hiwatashi. She was a Japanese student who stayed at our house for a period when I was in elementary school. Hang ten dad!

On the right is my mom Terry and her sister, my aunt Debbie, tap dancing in a show. They've got the step-ball-change down. The bling! Look at that bling! Hot feet, hot feet!

Above is mom and Debbie again, and I think that's the third sister, my aunt Becky. The Trifecta! You can't defeat them, you can only hope to contain them.

A great weekend; now for a great week!

I don't have any pictures for the blog entry today. I hope everyone was well enough to get out and enjoy the great weather we had (at least it was great in Ottawa). The days are getting shorter and before too long I expect it'll begin to frost in the night. But, it's getting on to be my favorite time of year: autumn. I love the smells of fall, and the colors. I like the cool weather, too. I'll miss the longer daylight, but I won't miss the humidity and heat (which we seemed to be spared from this summer). Plus, autumn is the season for going back to school; Biblesta; and my wedding anniversary. We have two sons to costume for Halloween this year. I know Marian is looking forward to that. I guess I don't get too excited about football anymore, but I sure did when I was in high school and fall was the time of year for all those previously mentioned things, as well as high school dances and dove hunting.Anyway, you don't need me to tell you all the things that arrive with fall.

So, a report on what I did this weekend: Friday night, the four of us ate at Poncho's and I had to rub it in a little by sending Clarie a text message saying so. We rented a movie from the Redbox at Walgreen's: "Slumdog Millionaire". It's interesting. Takes place in Mumbai, India among this entire city of homeless people living among a landfill and cardboard shacks. The main character's parents are killed by Mumbai's residents who wish to banish the squatters from the temporary city. He somehow gets on "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" and he . . . well, you'll just have to watch to learn the outcome. Beware! It contains alot of subtitles.

Saturday, I got Jack around as quickly as possible and took him on the bicycle down to the park where they had the weekend long Power of the Past antique engine and tractor show. We couldn't possibly look at all the tractors and engines they had. Jack looked at tractors and played on the playground equipment. We returned to the house for a catfish lunch and to see Mare and Leo. For supper, all of us returned to the park and Mare and I had a hog roast dinner complete with homemade pie and homemade ice cream.

Sunday morning, again I got Jack around as quickly as possible and took him, you guessed it, to the park again for an outdoor church service. Then, playtime on the equipment with other kids. We watched an old, old thresher at work. Those old time belt driven machines sure look like they'd take an arm off without even thinking about it. Jack was a good boy, so he got sunday morning homemade ice cream.

In the afternoon we watched a little bit of the Chiefs game. Then Jack and I rode the bike to Wal-Mart with our trailer and picked up some necessities before returning home for a supper of homemade chicken pot pie. That Marian is sure getting to be a good cook!

So, that's it. There were lots of little details about the weekend I could go on and on about, but you all have lives you might want to get to, so I won't. It was a gorgeous weekend, and I didn't do one productive thing, aside from investing in my family with our most valuable resource: time.

I hope your week goes well, all of you. We're thinking of you.

Happy holidays! 9/4/09

Happy holidays! That is, enjoy your labor day holiday and three day weekend. I hope everyone gets to enjoy a three day weekend. I know some of you out there don't get the privelege of a three day weekend, but I do and I'm very grateful for it. If you have to work over the weekend let me just say I respect and admire your work ethic. This world would not go 'round if everyone kept the same schedule as us spoiled teachers!

We had a big annual campout planned for the weekend, but with the forecast calling for rain and low temps., we decided against it because Jack and Leo both have snotty noses and coughs. Mare and I have camped in the rain before plenty and gotten along just fine, in fact enjoyed it. But, it's not fair for the little ones to be expected to wear rain gear the whole time or be stuck in the tent, so we'll break tradition and stay home. After all, we musn't be bound by tradition, now should we? Instead, I'll try to strike a few "honeydos" off the extensive list I've let accumulate.

I have successfully secured a role as Judge Andrews in the community theater's production of "To Kill a Mockingbird". It's to be shown in mid October. I hope all of you will consider coming up to watch it. I'll be shamelessly promoting it and equally shamefully asking you to buy tickets from me. It's not a big role, but not a small one either. I kind of like the authority I feel sitting in the judge's chair behind the bench. Overruled! or Sustained! Which is it? I don't know, but it feels good just to say it in a commanding voice.

Mare had her birthday on tuesday. We had a nice dinner date at El Mezcal for it. She fed Leo some rice cereal on that day. I think he's ready for some food containing more substance. He wakes up about three times a night to feed. I'm (we're ) ready for him to sleep a little longer through the night.

I've just got to brag a little here. I think I've been blessed with the best family and in-laws a guy can have. All of my relatives have played such an important role in making me who I am. (For that, you may take credit, or share the blame; depending on how you think I came out!) But, seriously, I love all my family: aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, of course parents and sister, and my in laws I've grown very fond of as well. When I see some of the horrible relationships some of my students have with their families, or when students don't have that stable home life, like I was blessed with, I'm doubly thankful for all of you. I'm very proud of every one of my relatives. You've overcome obstacles and adversity and have thrived in a world that tries to bring you down. Keep on fighting the good fight!

Try to do something for yourselves this weekend. It's okay. You deserve it. Stay healthy, avoid that swine flu, that mad cow disease, and beware of angry old goat syndrome too!

I'll leave you with this truly bad joke: A man went to a psychiatrist for help. He said, "Doctor can you help me? One night I dream I'm a wigwam. The next night I dream I'm a teepee. What's the matter with me?"
The doctor said, "I know what your problem is. You're two tents!"