Tuesday

Last week this time we were at the campground in northern Minnesota. Today we are getting ready to fly to the State of Virginia. The rapidity with which we can change our spot on the earth is amazing.

A few years ago a pastor recounted his trip to speak to us at a pastor's wives retreat. He had flown from the State of Washington to Minneapolis, hired a car and driven to central Minnesota, all within a few hours. His location was completely changed so quickly. He could remember when, as a child, his father would hitch up a team of horses and they would travel several miles into town, do some business, and then travel back home. It might take them the whole day... but during that time, they had an opportunity to look at the nature around them, talk to each other, and think about things. Life at a slower pace had many advantages.

When do people have an opportunity to just THINK and PONDER? So many people seem to be constantly connected to some form of technology. I don't even know what all these plug in things are called. Of course, there's the phone. The cell phone is a wonderful invention, but some people find it impossible not to stay "plugged-in" every minute of every day.

I have always been a "ponder" sort of person. So much so that I would drive my spouse completely crazy at times wondering what in the world I was doing! Hard to explain that you are just thinking as you stare into space.

Well.. off to my day of packing and getting ready for a trip to the coast. Talk to you as soon as I can get to a computer. Might be a few days. Take care.

double oofta

Okay. We had a wonderful few days camping and are home. Lots of work for just a few days, but this view should give you a small taste of why we go. Naomi and Tony are here overnight to say good bye before they move to Portland, Oregon. The sun is setting on an era.

Now, George and I are setting out on a trip to the state of Virginia to see John, Beth and Matthew, so we have to whip ourselves into shape by EARLY Wednesday. When I say early, I mean early. We have to leave the house about 3 am and travel to Fargo. Embark for Chicago and then Richmond... on stand by, yet. So you can see why I call this double oofta.

More another time. Take care.

The picnic

We are at the Foster Street Beach in Chicago. Both Dianna and Mary are about to go swimming. The others of us are just content to look at all of the other people at the beach, take in the skyscrapers in the distance, and veg out. Wonderful. The thing I liked best about it was not only getting to know these members of my family better but also to take in the wonderful vista. Wow. To think this is right in the city of Chicago.

Today is Saturday. It is raining. We are preparing for our camping trip to Northern Minnesota. I will attempt to take pictures of our camp to share with you. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Everybody around here needs rain so I hesitate to hope for a rainless week, but I hope for some rainless days, at least. We'll see how it goes. It will all be wonderful because the company will be the thing that makes it so.

I was so amused by Karen's telling me about her encounter with Izzy and Enid at the super market. She looked up and there was our blogger and his girl friend in the living flesh and pink t-shirt in Alexandria, Minnesota. Note Izzy's comment on the last blog. Izzy is large even here in Minnesota. Izzy is hard to miss. I still have difficulty wrapping my mind around what his impact must have been on the Japanese kindergartners. We are glad you are back, Izzy, and await your blog from Texas. Thanks for your comment! Hi to Enid, too.

Off to the packing. Take care.

Millenium Park

I have a sort of foggy remembrance of this spectacular fountain and the great park which leads up to the ART MUSEUM. Fantastic outdoor restaurants and statuary. As it was a very hot day, I was too eager to get inside to fully appreciate it. Ahhhhhhhhhh. Air conditioning... and ART. Now we're in the right place.

Naomi and Steve took very good care of me that day in Chicago. We looked at paintings and other forms of art until I was obviously starting to fade away, and then they steered me to a restaurant. A lovely restaurant right in the museum. We were waited on with all the obsequiousness necessary in a first class place, and by the time we were done I was ready to rock and roll once again! Not only were the waiters attentive, but the food was also good. Great!

We saw some great art and about four pm my eyes started to glass over and we headed back to the el and the bus. Fantastic day. Thanks to you, Steve and Naomi, for your great care of moi. I had a blast. And we had another day to look at art in the galleries! More yet! Wow.

Take care

Would you believe it?

This is a photograph of my picture in the 1956 yearbook from Roland. I am listed as the English, Speech, Journalism and Dramatics teacher. As I remember it, I did everything but sweep the floors. Five preparations, plays, newspaper and yearbook. I think I took care of the library, too, when it was also a study hall.

The kids were great. I looked through the book and had very distinct memories of many of them. What a wonderful bunch!

Memories are great. They enrich our activities in the present. I think one has to be careful not to become enmeshed in memories to the point that one has difficulty returning to the here and now. I can remember my mom taking photo albums from dad because he would become too involved in them and not be able to return to the present. This was when he was about George's age. It is rather interesting to attain ages that compare to the ages of your memories of your parents.

One of my clearest memories of mom and dad in Florida is their reclining in their recliners watching TV. They would both be asleep, so I would turn off the TV, which would wake them up and then they would protest that they had been watching a favorite show. The show was no longer on, though, and they would laugh at themselves. What a picture of us, now, that is. We in our recliners, watching TV. We have become our parents. It's inevitable, I think, if one lives long enough.

I do have one claim to fame, however, that is mine alone. I have a rowdy group of friends at the gym. They will never let me lapse into the past! Right, girls? See ya soon! Take care.

happy day

Life never ceases to amaze with its twists and turns. One day this week I received a visit from a student I had over 50 yeats ago! Turns out that she and her guest were also graduates of St. Olaf College. Naturally I took them down to the Coffeehouse Art Center and we had a picture together. Carolyn also has a connection to the MaeSae Lutheran School in Tanzania where Naomi and Tony spent three months recently. The connections are amazing. We all had much in common.

I was amazed at how much Carolyn still looked like her highschool yearbook picture. Because I taught in Roland only one year, their junior year, there was no picture of me in the year book. I can testify, however, that I do not look much like I looked back then. I should dig out a picture from that time for you to compare. I was so saddened not to be able to attend their highschool reunion in early June because of my health adventure, but her visit to me was very invigorating. It was amazing how many things I recalled from that one year.

Fran: do you recognize the jeans I have on in this picture? That is your green paint spot on the leg! The jacket is one that went with the dress I had for Naomi's and Tony's wedding up at Scenic State Park. The T Shirt is one Naomi had in highschool.

The necklace is a style statement that I have recently adopted from memories of my teaching years. I never seem to have a pen when I need one although I am sure I own about 2000 pens which are distributed around the house... so I have begun wearing one! Along with a marker for marking down dates IMMEDIATELY on my calendar and the nifty small Swiss Army Knife I got from George at Christmas. You never know when you might need a small scissor, a screwdriver, a toothpick or a tweezer. Many times a day I use one or another of the instruments I wear hanging on my neck. I feel it is a method of minimizing frustration. At my age that can only be good.

Take care.

At the beach!

This is the fabulous Foster Beach in Chicago. It is quite a contrast to the Lake Moses access, or throwing a stick to JYY at Moon Lake. I especially like the skyscrapers in the distance. Do you recognise them, Karens?

This is where we had our great evening picnic in Chicago. Both Mary and Dianna went swimming. As the note from Fran pointed out, Dianna is a rabid athlete! She has even encouraged her mother to begin swimming, biking and running. The swimming part I can document! Kudos to these valiant ladies! Steve goes at it in his own way. He is a dedicated walker! I really liked the atmosphere of the city, and the beach sealed the deal.

Of course, the art stuff didn't hurt, either. We took buses and the el to go to the art museum. I managed all the walking and returned to the apartment happy and ready to lay in the movie sac chair which is not difficult to get out of at all. The second day Andrea and Steve picked us up and drove us to a spot in the city where there was a gigantic art store. I DIDN'T BUY ANYTHING!!! One of the high lights of the trip was my control. It's interesting when you have all the supplies you need at the present moment and the only thing you want they don't have! Wow.

Then we began a series of visits to art galleries. Wow. I loved it. We stopped for lunch and visited more art galleries until my energy level bottomed out. Andrea drove us back to Dianna's apartment. I went in and took a nap to prepare for the above mentioned picnic. One of the best parts of my trip was getting to know my relatives better. They are the bomb!

I thank God I was able to enjoy this trip and have the energy to do all of the things we did! The memories I have are the greatest. Thanks to all who provided the wherewithall.

Take care.

All relaxed!

This is a picture of me on the movie sac chair that Dianna had in her apartment. What a fabulous chair. It is covered with corduroy and fits the sitter perfectly. Both Naomi and I became fans. It is also so large that it would take up the better part of any room you decide to put it in. Fantastic but large!

I am slowly recovering from the trip. I have painted a bit, read a bit, done a bit of acrostics, cooked a bit, cleaned a bit ( a very little bit), and slept a lot. George has a very painful leg - from the hip to his foot - so we are trying to find out what to do about that. Tomorrow he goes to a doctor that his doctor referred him to, to look further into the causes of the pain.

I received a phone call from Caroline (Carolyn?) in Iowa. She will be dropping by for a chat tomorrow, too. She was a member of the class that I taught mega years ago in Roland, Iowa. I was planning to attend their reunion but had to cancel the plan when I had my health adventure. I hope to get news of their get together from her and catch up on old times.... It is always a surprise to realize how old the times are getting. Ooofta. Take care.

What fun!

As we walked down the street in Chicago, there was the road sign that heralded the beginning of Route 66! Friends of Naomi's are going to take a ride on Route 66 (or what remains of that historic Route) for their honeymoon, so we took this pic to show them where to start!

Chicago is a beautiful city. It has great buildings, along with a gorgeous lake shore with at least four open public beaches. We looked at the art in the art museum, ate at a fancy dancy restaurant in the museum, and when I started to fade, made our way back to the public transportation. We were furnished a great apartment by family, and I was glad to get back and collapse in a heap. I expended just the right amount of energy. I'll tell you what we did the next day tomorrow!

Take care.