Not exactly according to plan

Well, let's not do that again.  

Weekend started out with lots of promise.  Summer has arrived down here in full force.  Predicted to be hot & steamy with a chance of showers.  Great conditions for a run, right ShadowRun?  That was my plan.  Time once again for the Annual Father's Day 5K run downtown.  This is my yearly attempt to give myself heatstroke.  And what better way to prepare for the run than to smash your little toe stepping over a recumbent dog?  Not as spectacular as ShadowRun's road rash, but hurt like heck.  Thought I might have broken it (been there, done that) but just was bruised. 

And this little piggy went wee-wee all the way home.

     

Post race mingling.  

Looking for course times.
Mine was on the sheet to the right - survivors. 

Temps at race time was in the low 80's.  Lots of cloud cover, but not brutally hot like last year.  I did about as well poorly as I expected.  I haven't been running much in the last three months and I could tell.  At least I beat out little miss TuTu this year (tripped her up at the halfway point).  

Spend the rest of Saturday prepping for my long road trip coming up next week.  I fielded call from Stephen late in the afternoon.  He has just been in a accident.  Got hit while making a turn.  Rebecca was not with him at the time.  Sounded shaken up but was ok.  The family in the other car were shaken as well but no serious injury.  From his description of the scene, sounded like both cars were pretty beat up.  He went to the local doc-in-the-box and got checked out.  No damage, just sprained.  Sent him home with some muscle relaxers.  On top of that, his Camry is in the shop for a radiator problem so the they are without a set of wheels in the interim.  I tried to instill my fatherly wisdom, albeit from a distance.  Cars can be fixed/replaced, as long as he was ok, that is all that mattered.  This saga will play out for the next few weeks until they can straighten out their auto problems.  

Was attempting to have a quiet Father's Day yesterday.  Hit the dog park early in the morning before it got hot.  Pretty sparse at the park but the dogs weren't complaining.  They got lots of field time and got to play with the other mutts.  Was mowing the yard with my wife told me that Shannon (owns our storage yard) called and said several trailers had been broken into at lot and my rig was one of the ones hit.  I cannot tell you the exact words that when through my head but they weren't pretty.  Ran up to the yard to check out my trailer.  Busted a window out and opened up the door from the inside.  Ransacked the trailer looking for things they turn quickly for some cash.  The good news is that I don't keep a lot of expensive electronics in the trailer (paranoid) so the only thing they got out of my rig was an old DVD player (gift from SIL) and a broken pair of binoculars.  I think they may have gotten a voltage meter as well but I need to recheck my tool kit.  The main thing is that they pulled out everything out of the cabinets/drawers.  They did damage one drawer trying to open it - it has a road lock that keeps it from opening when travelling and they couldn't get the drawer open so they ripped the cover off.  That and the busted window were the only things damaged.  The window I can replace easily - it is hinged and I can put a new one on in under an hour.  The drawer facing is the real pain to fix.  Splintered the wood and will be hard to glue it back together.  I may have to get a new drawer (if they make those anymore).  

Spent most of the afternoon picking up glass and sealing up the window.    

The one minor consolation was that the guys (there were 6 of them) came into the yard from an adjacent field.  They cut the fence and crawled into the yard and hit about 12 rigs looking for electronics (tv's, dvd players, etc.) - things they could turn quickly for a profit.  To get to the yard, they had to cross a field/retention pond area and come through the backside where it is heavily wooded.  According to Shannon, that entire area was completely covered with Poison Ivy.  Karma.  

Not exactly how I wanted to close out the weekend.  

Long weekend epilog

Whew!  Even though I had no real agenda, no real objective, I got a lot chores knocked out over the weekend.  


Bugs taken care of.  Shower fixed.  I got some quality time with junior Saturday.  Stephen was in town this weekend for various wedding tasks.  Needed to meet with the minister this weekend, working on invitations.  On Saturday, I offered up to take him to St Arnold's Brewery downtown.  Now, for those not familiar with St Arnolds, please allow me to elaborate.  St Arnolds is a local Houston brewery that has been around for about 18+ years.  Started by a Rice University graduate, it has grown from a local home brewer to a regular craft brewer.  I have been in love with St Arnolds ever since we went to visit Stephen in Seattle.


While enjoying the moment with my son, I was given a mission - I was supposed to work the target to explore on their wedding plans, discover where they were registered, and determine what they wanted for wedding gifts.  I was able to get more intel on their plans, where they were going, where they were registered (nowhere).  It was good to get a beer into him to open up for a few of the details.  This is new territory for us.  We have been to a few weddings, even had one of our own although it was a few years decades ago, so we are trying to figure out what is our role as parents of the groom.  We have offered up to help certain aspects of the wedding.  Tradition has it that the bride's parents cover the wedding costs and the groom’s parents cover the rehearsal dinner, but we don't feel right with that.  So we are offering up to help with the shindig.  Since the kids have decided to get married at our church, we are covering the chapel and minister.  I think the bar tab at the reception is going to be ours (St Arnolds beer will be available).  Rebecca’s dad and I offered that the beer hall at the St Arnold’s Brewery would make a great place for the rehearsal dinner, but I don’t think the moms are quite down with that plan.  My son has not asked for help, but I did offer up my assistance with a few of the wedding logistics.   I proposed to arrange a limo to take them from the chapel to the reception (don't worry about transportation).  After the reception, said limo would whisk them away from the reception to an undisclosed location.  Since they won't fly out on their honeymoon until Sunday evening, we were going to put them up in a local hotel for the night.  That way they could relax and unwind from the day’s excitement and they could make the rounds the following day before heading off to the airport.
  

On Sunday, I drove up north of town to Rummy’s Beach Club.  This is the place that I visited last fall where they specialize in water training/exercise for dogs.  Lisa runs the place and built a custom pool for dogs to learn how to swim and dock diving.  Despite being two full blooded Golden Retrievers, neither one of them seem to have the aptitude or inclination for swimming, so I elected to take them to Rummy’s to get in the water with them and work their skills.  They did it last time, but they were very nervous.  This time was much better.  Claire has taken to swimming pretty well, and will swim out to the deep end, but I still cannot coax her to jump in from the side of the pool.  Grayson is still uncertain about the whole deal.  He did do much better this time, but needs more time in the water for practice.  I am planning to take them back again this summer for a couple more lessons while the temps are warm.  A number of the Golden Beginnings people have pools at home, so a lot of fosters/adoptees get to spend time in the pool.  

Jump?  Are you crazy?

Yesterday we hit the dog park again, took the kids out for BBQ lunch, cleaned out the breezeway and mowed the yard.  I took some time to tour the Memorial Day service at the local park where they had a mock up display of the Vietnam Memorial Wall.  Sobering display with lots of details/information, but it doesn't compare to the real wall in DC (seen it).  Was a full throttle weekend.  I need to go to work to catch up on my rest.    

Dang, I'm good.

You tell me.  Is it wrong to feel some sense of manliness/accomplishment?

Friday night, I was home from a very long week of work kicked back trying to unwind and starting to enjoy the weekend.  Dogs have been walked and fed, garbage is posted to the curb, dishwasher emptied.  I'm sitting down and enjoying a single malt and Pulp Fiction when my cell phone chirps in from the son.  Junior's calling me on a Friday night at 1930.  That normally does not bode well.  He talked with me earlier in the day, but it was about insurance coverage with his new company.  This call sets off my internal alarm.  He is calling me from the garage at work and informs me that his car won't start (one of my  parental angst - child is stranded somewhere and I am unable to help).  This is my old '93 Camry that he inherited going to college.  163k miles, in excellent shape for an 18 year old car (I'd drive it to work if it was still at home).  I've worked on this car many times so I know it's quirks/issues, but, since it has been parked in Austin for most of the last 5 years, I am not as in tune with any problems.  Anyway, he is trying to seek my advice on how to get it started so he can make it home.  Immediately, dad mode kicks in.  I try to diagnose the symptoms and give him some pointers that I would do if I were there (hard to do via cell phone).  A couple of tricks/tests are of no help.  It's hard to diagnose a problem from 165 miles away, but I try.  Make sure it is fully engaged in park - nope, that doesn't work.  Battery ok - check.  Turn off the transaxle (neutral) safety switch - nope, no help.  All the little tricks I've learned over the years did not seem to help him.  At this point I was resigned to have the car towed in to check it out but told him to check the fuses to see if there were any that might have blown or gotten old/brittle.  This is hard to do via phone and having no visual reference, but he insisted to try it out.  He located the fuse box, scoped out one of the possible circuits and pulled the fuse and checked it out (looked ok).  He reset the fuse and tried to start the car and, shazam, it worked!   He was happy and grateful to have it running and able to drive home.  I was overwhelmed/amazed that this simple "swag" method even worked!   

I felt like I've definitely earned a few extra cool dad points this weekend. 

So, was it wrong to do the happy dance?  The dogs seemed to enjoy. 

And just for those curious minds out there, here's a close up of Blaze....



Always a lady



Turning the page

World travelers

Junior's come and gone.  It has been whirlwind week with him from when he arrived back in town from his world tour until he left to go back to Austin in Wednesday.  One day later than he planned, but momma was happy for the extra time.  We got to spend time with my parents for a some Mexican food (in short supply in Europe) and a post birthday celebration.  I even got to spend some valuable windshield time with him mano-a-mano on our trip across town.  I don't like to grill him for details, momma likes to pry on his plans but I was able to get some intel out of him (without resorting to waterboarding).  He is heading back to Austin to start his new job next week right after Labor Day and is excited/nervous to join the workforce.  Nothing confirmed, but I was able to glean some info out of him and I think that the two lovebirds might be planning a June/July event (but don't quote me).  

Terri has an excellent post to her kids about taking the next step.  Given her exceptional writing skills and ability there is no way I could ever hope to match her soliloquy on leaving the nest.  I agree with her comments/thoughts 110%, even though we are on the other side of the fence.  5 years ago, we drove our only son up to college and helped him set up his room/college life.  It doesn't really seem that long ago.  He has changed over the last 5 years.  Grown up.  Found his own personality.  Got an education.  Earned a degree.  Discovered the love of his life.  When he pulled out on Wednesday, it struck me that he was not leaving for school anymore.  He was heading out to start his new career/life.  This has been long in coming and we are ecstatic that he is doing what he wants to do, but there is some kind poignant moment here.  To paraphrase Terri, he opened the door and stepped through it.  Oh sure, he may be back on the weekends and he will always have a warm bed and cold beer here, but in my mind, he has now embarked on his next big adventure.  Something we have been preparing for for a long, long time, but we are still not ready to accept it. 

Just to drive home the point tonight, when I got home to a pair of needy dogs, I found this on my doorstep...

I guess this makes it official

The nut doesn't fall far from the tree

The world traveler's back.  Lots of stories, lots of pictures.  He was up for almost 24 hours traveling back stateside (I can relate), so he crashed upon impact once he hit the doorstep.  Not expecting a lot out of him this weekend.

One thing he did show me was his souvenir from his travels in Europe.  Nothing says German like a good bier stein....

Eine bier, bitte!

Somehow, here I am thousands of miles away and my darling bride is blaming me for this one...

When in Rome

One day left on the world tour. 

The gypsies took the train back to Zurich so that girlfriend could catch the return flight back home on Monday (she starts school this week).  Junior and his friend then hopped the train down to Rome where they've been exploring the old city.  The Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Vatican, St Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel - you know all the touristy spots.  A lot of ground to cover in two days and they were duly impressed.  

Somehow, we never made it down into Italy when we were over in Germany.  We never had the time or opportunity or inclination to make that road trip.  We are glad they made the trek over there to see some of history up close & personal.  He is slated to catch a return flight tomorrow back home to the land of no rain and 100+ degree temps. 

Oh, and I probably should note that it is the 24th anniversary of the arrival of our little tax deduction/financial investment.   



Happy Birthday, Explorer!

Let them eat cake



Travel abroad

Just an update on the traveling pair. 

Junior and fiance are having a blast in Europe.  No post cards or pictures yet (much to momma's dismay), but we do get snippets of information as they find a WiFi signal or as he updates his facebook status.  Started out in Zurich, took the train up to Paris where they met up with their friends and  spent several days touring the various sights/spots (Eiffel tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Versailles).  Took an overnight train down to Munich and have been touring the local haunts & bier gardens of Munich.  They are enjoying the culture and lifestyle of Europe.  His facebook comment from earlier this week:  got into Munich at 7am and saw a guy enjoying a beer with his breakfast. I guess this is how things roll in Germany.


They took a side trip down to see Neuschwanstein - an incredible castle in alps of southern Germany.  If you have time to see only one castle, Neuschwanstein is it.   This is the story book castle that Walt Disney based his Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland upon. 

A castle fit for an opera

My son, a man of few words, simply commented - awesome.  I would agree.

Whirlwind

Stephen blew in last night (and I mean blew in).

The last month has been a flurry of activity for all of us.  Stephen finished up his last required course in early July and got the official notice that he is done.  Kaput.  Finito.  He is now, officially a college graduate.    After all the hoopla and celebration back in May & June, to me, it is kinda anticlimactic.  He pretty much finish up his last class and quietly fades into the sunset.  Been way to hectic down here to ponder this milestone.  One part of his life (and ours) is over and he is now stepping out into the real world on his own.  

But is he all introspective and melancholy?  Noooo.  He is been busy jumping from one project/task into another.  Monday, he and his roommates got the keys to their new apartment and began the process of moving out.  Over 2 days, they transferred everything from their 5 bedroom house to a 3 bedroom apartment (1 guy is not going with them).  Basically two wild days of packing/hauling/loading/moving in 100+ heat.  Unfortunately, I was tied up at work so I could not enjoy that experience with them this year (I did the last two moves).  On top of that minor task, right after he moved his stuff, he jumped in his car and headed south to home to repack for his two week trip to Europe.  As part of his "graduation" gift to himself, he and and girlfriend/fiance are going to fly to Europe and hit the high spots of the EU.  Zurich, Paris, Munich, Rome.  One of those two weeks, 5 country road trips, but on a college student's budget.  He has their plans mapped out to the infinite degree.  Trains, Eurail pass, hotels, hostels, castle tours, even restaurants (gets that a/r planning skill from me).  Shaping up to be a memorable road trip.  I know momma is nervous, but I remind her that back in the stone ages, when we were about their age, we packed up everything and moved to Germany for 5 years and look how we turned out.  And that was before iPhones, iPads, Skype, Starbucks, and WiFi.  I am keeping an eye out for them but feel they will do fine.  Although, I will admit I am a wee bit jealous...

Update: 

Hitting the trail

And to answer the questions from previous post:

1. Reliant Dog Show (Claire on the floor)
2. Vineyards in Malsch, Germany
3. Casa Grande (Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California)
4. Store display for one of a myriad of pet stores in San Luis Obispo, CA (yes, they do pamper their pooches out there) 
5. Old tyme fire engine from a funeral processions in San Luis Obispo (but I do like Abby's idea)

I always keep my camera handy when I travel.  You can always find something interesting to pass along.

Celebrations

Spent most of yesterday prepping and executing our little celebration for the kids.  Since a number of the family could not make the graduation ceremony in Austin two weekends ago and they got engaged last weekend, I invited everyone over to our casa for a small gathering.  Most of my family (sans the brother in Seattle and nephew in Jamaica) and Rebecca's parents for some steaks, snacks & beer.  

Was a great gig, but way hot.  We are still in a drought (no rain since January) and the yard is starting to look like an old sandlot baseball field.  Put up a couple of shelters and several fans to provide a breeze to help keep it cooler.  Everyone had a great time, way too much food, lots of conversation. 

One highlight was my nephew and his wife brought their 1.5 year old daughter (Julianna) over.  We don't get to see her that much.  I was worried on how she would take to the dogs.  Big dogs tend to scare little kids.  Like most Golden Retrievers, Claire and Grayson can be a bit overwhelming.  They are very loving & gentle dogs with a serious center-of-attention deficit problem (they crave attention).  Grayson in particular is the younger boy and tend to be a wee bit overly exuberant in his actions.  He is my "paws on" dog.  When he wants more attention (which is always), he will put one paw up on your leg.  He can be a bit overwhelming at times and I am working on that habit.  Claire is my "licker".  She has that sweet disposition and will park herself at your feet and lick your hand/elbow/knee/face or whatever is within reach.  Given those traits, I tend to watch over the two dogs to make sure they do not cause problems.  What amazed everyone was how Grayson acted around Julianna.  First, Julianna had never dealt with dogs up close before, so we were worried she might freak out or their excitement might scare her.  Au contraire.  She thought these dogs were big horses for her enjoyment.  She showed no fear of the dogs and they did not overwhelm her.  Grayson, for all his lanky exuberance, was incredibly gentle and patient around her.  She played with him and he was very calm and reserved around her.  Even when she bopped him in the nose, he was still licking her.  When she got up and explored the yard, Grayson laid there waiting for her to return.  Everyone told me they were amazed with Grayson's patience with Julianna, I just keep telling them that it was the Golden personality.  Regardless, the dogs were well behaved.  The steaks were good, the beer was consumed, a good time was had by all. 

I probably spent more money than I should have on the party, but it was an excellent time to congratulate the young couple upon their pending union (date TBD).  We were just  ecstatic to see them, if only for a short while.  


Happy couple



A new chapter

Happy Memorial Day! 

Hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend and enjoys the day off! 

What did I say in my last post about turning the page? Something boastful about being a proud dad over his graduation? Well, buckle up, Dorothy.  

We got back from Austin last Sunday and been busy with family and work. The week has flown by and the weekend has been a good break from the hectic pace. Since a number of my family could not make the trek to Austin to see Stephen walk, I offered up to have a party next Saturday to invite over the local family. Grill up some steaks and enjoy some cold Shiner Bock. Spend most of yesterday rebuilding my grill. It's my annual chore - replace the burner, clean the grill box, scrub the grating. I always do it around May before the start of summer. Of course, I'm planning on dropping a few brats this afternoon just to break her in.

Yesterday afternoon, while out getting parts for the grill, my son calls me. Remember, he usually never calls me unless there is some sort of car issue or something that will cost $$ or there is some problem that he is seeking my input/wisdom. As I cruised through isles of Wallyworld picking up dog food & treats, he casually mentions that he proposed to his girlfriend last night. Of course, being a bright, level headed girl, she accepted. Those two have been going steady (can you call it that anymore) since High School and they’ve pretty much been dating each other throughout college. Given their travels together over the past 4 years, momma and I had an inkling that they might get hitched one day, but we did not think it would be right after graduation. We were hoping that they would tie the knot, just didn’t expect it this soon. No date, yet, but I am betting it will be sometime next spring. Rebecca is a great kid. Talented, bright, funny. She’s been around with us for many years and I warned her that she knows what she is getting into joining this tribe. 

I may have mentioned last weekend on how we were proud of his achievements.  Now we are just plain giddy, ecstatic, elated, cock-a-hoop over the news.  We were debating having the party next weekend since we already had one in Austin, but this just gives us a whole new reason to celebrate – a college grad and a daughter-in-law.

It's got a nice ring to it

Turning the page

Definitely an interesting weekend in Longhorn Country.

Junior's officially a graduate. Well, sort of.  He couldn't walk the graduate ceremony (lacks one class) but got to walk the undergrad ceremony in the Erwin Center.  Really sadistic start time for a bunch of computer science geeks. Students had to be there at 0700 for an 0800 ceremony. Since Stephen had originally been set to walk the graduate ceremony, his name wasn't in the program, but he DID get to walk. Sound system sucked. We couldn't hear the dean making her comments and barely heard the names getting announced. We did not spot Stephen on the floor until they announced his name. We were kinda perplexed on the order of the students - not sure what system they were using to recognize students, but it was definitely not alphabetical. We figured it was just another way to "Keep Austin Weird". 

I did make the evening university wide commencement hoop-tee-do.  Nice ceremony but the closest we got was Littlefield fountain (about 200 yards away). They had the upper areas pretty much roped off.  The entire upper and lower plaza was packed with people. Looked a bit like a Mardis Gras celebration but with a bit more Burnt Orange and less boobage.  Had one of our senators as speaker. From our vantage point, you could not see the mall area where all the graduates were sitting, but the university had erected several giant projection screens throughout the plaza. I was told that, unless you had a specific ticket to the seating area (not easy to acquire) or got there 4 hours early, you were pretty much stuck with the streets. The streets that run up to to main tower were filled with folding chairs so that people could see the procession of graduates and the ensuing fireworks.  The whole thing started late 2000 and ran until 2130 when the fireworks went off.  Since I hail from the rival school, I tend to see things in a different shade (maroon), but I will admit the fireworks show was pretty darn good, for that Austin crowd.  Lots of explosions and gianormous star clusters being shot off the top of the tower. Of course, seeing how that entire area tends to lean on one certain direction, I am sure there were people all around Austin complaining about the noise or mayhem. Blowin' stuff up and setting things on fire is more of an Aggie thing. Of course, I kept wondering how "Earth friendly" all those fireworks were.  

I could go on about the festivities we attended or celebrations we enjoyed or the congratulations passed our way, but this wasn't about us.  It was Stephen's time to shine, his turn in the spotlight, his achievement.  As much as we enjoyed our short time this weekend, it was mixed.  He is finishing up one chapter in his life and on the threshold of a new adventure.  One part of me is happy to see the last tuition check cut.  One part of me is proud. 

Terri is way better at verbalizing it than me.  Kids grow up too fast and they are on the horizon of their adults life and you want to hold on as long as you can.

Ready to conquer the world



Gathering of the tribes before the grand procession



Fireworks from the top of the university tower

Changing dynamics (revision 1)

Thanks, Mel, for keeping me straight. 
-----------------------------------------
Life's not interesting unless there is a little drama involved.

A few turns back, I mighta mentioned that junior is getting ready to graduate and we're making plans to head north to help him celebrate (and to make sure it sticks). I might have glossed over a few "minor" details, so for the record, let me clarify the issue. 

Stephen has been going to school for 5+ years. He is getting a BS Computer Science. About 1/2 way through the program, he got a chance to enroll in the Master's Degree program which would let him take classes in tandem with his undergrad courses and enable him to get a graduate degree with just one additional year of school. He applied and got accepted and has been working towards that goal ever since.

This spring, he lacked a few courses to finish up. He elected to push through the graduate courses and leave one final class for the summer session. According to his advisor and college, they told him he could walk come spring with the caveat that he would have to complete the final class before he got any papers. At my insistence, he reconfirmed this note with the admin of his college and thus proceeded to order invitations and regalia. So far, so good. We are on track to see him walk with the understanding he had to finish up one course to make it legal. My parents and brother are booked into the RV park to go to Austin at attend. My parents are 87+ years old and have been to all the various graduations for their sons and grandsons and this is probably their last one they will attend. Does that get everyone up to date?

Now for the drama, a week ago Friday afternoon, junior calls me on my cell.  Keeping in mind that he normally doesn't call me unless there is some financial requirement or car problem or crisis, I tend to pucker up until I know the subject.  Friday's call fell into the latter category. It turns out that the information he was given was wrong. The Graduate School gently informed him that they do not, as a rule, allow students to walk unless they have completed all courses. Even though he had what he thought was clearance, it was non-negotiable. He could attend the big mass ceremony at night that acknowledges the graduating students, but would not be able to walk and get individual recognition. To put it mildly, he was highly disappointed. Momma was even more upset and wanted me to call the school and straighten them out (yea, sure, they'll listen to the parent of one of their 100,000+ students - especially one who attended the rival school). As much as we wanted to help, he did not want our assistance and was going to work through the issue. Needless to say, everyone was a bit bummed but we were still planning on going up to attend the mass ceremony. So, this past Friday, he called me back late in the afternoon and told me that he had petitioned the dean of the undergrad school and they accepted his petition and he can walk with the undergrad class and get recognized for his Bachelor's Degree. He will still get his Graduate degree in July as planned, but he won't be able to walk as a Graduate Student until sometime next year. So, the roller coaster graduation ceremony is back on. We're loading up the wagons and heading north into Longhorn country. And I need a bigger bottle of scotch.

Who ever said being a parent was easy?

One of the seven sins

OK.  I gotta admit, I've got mixed feelings here. 

On one hand, the tightwad in me is glad to have this at an end. 

On the other hand, it marks a new chapter in my son's life.  

One door is closing while another one opens.  

 

If Pride is one of the seven deadly sins, I guess I am guilty.

I feel like a Harry Chapin song. 

Homestretch

As a part time runner, I've always liked that term. 
Homestretch.  According to Webster's, it is that part of the track between the final turn and the finish line.  The end is in sight.  My favorite part of a run.  Sweating like a horse, heart rate up, legs tired, knee complaining, but somehow, the site of the finish line seems to spur me on for one final sprint to the end.  That last burst of adrenalin that pushes you across the line.  If you ever look at finish line photos, a lot of people (like me) look ragged/beat.  Some people are able to cross the finish line looking like a model, not me.  But, Lord knows, I'm not in it for the looks.  At the end, mixed in with feeling tired/sore is the feeling of accomplishment.  Another milestone achieved, another challenge overcome, another obstacle conquered.

But I tend to ramble on.  It is with mixed emotions that I read my son's facebook page the other night.  Yes, we do try to keep up with our little offspring via various means.  He has granted us permission to a small peek at his life.  He friended us on facebook and we can see some of his activities.  I still maintain a very low profile on facebook.  Rarely do I make a comment.  My wife, however, has come out of her shell on facebook and has a regular commenter on a lot of friends' pages (Including her son's).  To me, having your mom or dad make comments on your facebook page is tantamount to having one of your parental units drive you to school as a senior (or be a chaperon for the prom).  

My son is an infrequent poster on facebook, but he does, on occasion, add some comments about what he is working on or where they have been or what show he was watching.  What got my attention this week was his short post that basically said:  "Last first day of school".  Very prophetic.  After 4.5 years of college, the end is in sight.  Just  as with a race, I have a mixed set of emotions on this.  Pride, melancholy, relief (no more tuition payments!!!), sadness (he is about to embark upon the world).

23 years young

One year to go.  Stephen starts his 5th & final year of college tomorrow.  He's already completed most hours to earn a bachelor's degree, but he was given an opportunity to earn a Master's degree with just an additional year of classes.  I have mixed emotions about the whole deal.  On one hand, my checkbook would love to see that little expense over & done with.  On the other hand, I am elated to see that he has done so well and will graduate with tremendous potential.  As parents, we tend to worry about our children as they grow up.  Will they do well in life?  Will they be successes?  Will they find love?  Will they ever move out?  I've always been a closet worrier about him and how he will do out in the real world.  Did we teach him enough?  Did we shelter him too much?  Momma is constantly worried about her baby and how he is doing.  

It was during Stephen's first stint as an intern in Seattle three years ago that I stopped worrying about him.  Oh sure, he was only 2440 miles from home living in an apartment with four other college students for the entire summer.  No car.  Half a country away.  No direct parental support.  Not sure who grew up more back then.  At one point during this gig, his girlfriend flew up to visit with him for a week (her parents really like him).  Boat tours, duck rides, climbed Mt Rainer.  The trip went very well for the both of them and they got to see a lot of the Pacific Northwest region.  It was during the departure to the airport that chaos ensued.  Seems that girlfriend left her purse on the bus which contained such minor items like her driver's license, plane tickets, credit cards, etc. on the bus to the airport.  She had no ID, no money, no way to get on the plane to Houston.  Normally, this could have been a minor inconvenience, but Stephen was also due to fly out of town to Minneapolis for a company trip.  This is a situation that with my experience all sorts of back up plans would have kicked in, but I was in Milwaukee on an audit and totally out of the loop and they were on their own.  Between the two of them, they came up with a plan.  He gave her his apartment keys and his credit card and put her back on the bus to the apartment and got on his flight to Minnesota.  She was able to regroup, call the bus company and discovered they had found her purse with nothing missing.  She was able to catch another flight home the following day safe & sound.  Of course, just to give me more gray hair, the same time I was flying out of Milwaukee, Stephen was heading to the airport to fly back to Seattle on the same day of the I35 Bridge collapse.  After all that drama, I figured that those two had a pretty darned good bead on life and didn't need my help. 

Tomorrow marks his 23rd year on this rock.  We were planning a road trip to Austin next week to visit with him, but some issues have arisen to keep us close to home.  In the meantime, we have mailed him a gift and called in a decadent delivery of cookies/brownies from Tiff's Treats.  My suggestion was a basket of beer but that idea got voted down. 

Happy birthday, son.  Make the most out of life.   

Welcome to Texas summer. Hot days, warm nights. A/C running nonstop.

This weekend started out in the low 80s and was pegging 98 each day.  Was out trying to run at noon yesterday when it was near 92.

I took both dogs to the dog part Sunday to let them cavort and swim in the pond and there wasn't anybody there. I don't think I have ever gone to the dog park where wasn't some hyperactive lab chasing balls in the pond or a horny German Shepard. Was kind of strange that the two had the entire park to themselves for a while. OF course, it was sweltering in the shade so I bet the smart people were staying home in the a/c. Claire finally got in the pond and started swimming, but Grayson still only goes in up to his chest. Wore out both dogs, but they had a blast. Claire's getting a bit shaggy and I am going to take her in this week for a trim. Mom & I are debating how much to cut off and she may wind up with a Chihuahua hairstyle. I may post before & after picts.

Father's Day was pretty low key. I talked with my dad out in Wyoming for a good long while. They are doing well and enjoying their rally. Temps are way better than down here. My son called me several times to wish me a happy Father's Day, but he was busy moving into his new temporary house. I would have been happy to lend a hand (or back), but glad I wasn't tied into that deal this time (Been there. Done that.).

I have always found Father's Day (from my perspective) to be out of sync with my plans. Over the past 12 years, we've never been home for Father's Day. Ever since we joined the scouts, we have been out on the trail or in camp during during Father's Day. Many times we are either on the way to or coming home from camp. Unlike Mother's Day, we never planned campouts or held activities on that weekend. A few years back, as the troop camping coordinator, I made the mistake of booking a campout over Mother's Day (no choice - all other weekends/camps were booked) and I'm still getting hate mail over that one. Father's Day doesn't quite seem to have the same limitations and I prefer it that way. Probably one of the most memorable ones was back in 2004 when we were on the trail at Philmont. We were 6 days into a 12 day expedition covering an 80 mile trek of the northern New Mexico mountains. Father's Day found us camped out on Mount Phillips at 11,900 feet eating freeze dried lasagna and pemmican bars. I was one of 4 dads on the crew of 12 boys and each one of the boys came up and wished us a happy Father's Day. One wanted to borrow my cell phone to call his dad back in Texas  (Sorry, Brad, but lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part).  Besides, I'm not carrying a phone all over the Sangre de Christo Mountains for 12 days just so someone can call home to momma.

Back from the dark ages

We're alive!  Was going to blog about last weekend's adventure but the cable router got fried early on Tuesday and we've been living sans Internet for several days.  Finally, Comcast (Bless Their Hearts) granted us an audience Friday afternoon and replaced the router and, Voila!  We have Internet!  It was not pretty.  Suffering under inhumane conditions.  We had to read a paper to get our news.  I could not read the shenanigans of my favorite bloggers.  The wife and I actually had to engage in conversation during dinner!  Turned out to be rather nice & quiet for a while.  Although we did kinda feel like we were living back in the 80's.   

Long week.  Spent my Memorial Day weekend in Austin helping my son move out of apartment.  Was able to get most of his junk transported into some remote storage unit somewhere north of town (1/2 way to Dallas, I believe).  Took a few trips and some heavy lifting and creative stacking, but everything he owns fits in a 5-10 storage room.  It's one of those skills I picked up way back in the stone age when I was a poor, innocent college student was how to pack a 1969 Plymouth Fury III with an entire dorm room/apartment and cram it in a tiny space.  

Short week at the office.  Monday was a holiday, and Friday was a our company picnic/Family Fun Day.  I said that I like the style of the new management.  They kicked in for a family style party with burgers and dogs and all sorts of games for kids to play at.  Big hoop-te-do that even included a dunking book for the big dogs.  Nice to see they are humble enough to allow people to make fun of them.  The CEO & CFO and many of our esteemed VPs spent a lot of time in the dunking tank (all for charity).  My contribution?  I offered up an idea that, in hindsight, might have been left on the table.  Way back in my Army days, we had limited ways to generate funds for the company (bake sale, raffles).  One idea that generated a serious amount of coin was a "pie in your face" auction.  You could bid on a pie to put it in the face of your favorite Company Commander, XO (me), Lieutenant, First Sargent, Platoon Sargent.  If you got the highest bid, you won the chance to put a pie in the face of your intended victim.  There were a few privates & PFCs who dropped a whole month's paycheck to pie the First Sargent.

Anyway, I made the suggestion thinking that it would not get any interest but the CEO thought it was a great idea and was willing to do it first hand.  Needless to say, since this was kinda my idea, I had to be willing to take one for the team.

     

Got a wee bit messy.  I can't complain since a number of people higher up on the food chain than I took a lot more abuse.  Besides, we garnered another $2,315 for the Epilepsy Foundation. 

Up to no good

Been another busy week.

Junior was home on spring break all last week and left on Sunday to go back to school. Was great to have him here, even if for a short while. Even though he is 3 hours away from home, with all of today's technology, he is a simple e-mail/text message/phone call away. We actually converse with him on a regular basis way more that we did when we were in college many moons ago. It is good to have that kind of close communication with him, even if it electronic. Still, we get so much more when he is home. We are finally figuring out what his plans are for summer this year. Staying in Austin, working for a small software company. After working for da man the previous summers (Microsoft last summer), this is more of a smaller venture. Still not sure where his career will land him, but I no longer worry that he will not be able to find his niche in life. The boy has a level head and pretty keen bead on life at this point. Don't know where he got that from.

Dog update - took both dogs into the shop on Monday. Grayson was in to get his teeth cleaned. We have it nice with our dentist/hygienists. To clean dogs' teeth (and cats I imagine), they have to sedate the dog (gee, I wonder why) for the process. That makes them a bit groggy afterwards. This is the first time we have done it for our dogs, so I am not if it is worth it, but he does have a some nice gleaming fangs now. Claire went in for HW treatment round 2. They kept her overnight to make sure there were no problems. I picked her up Tuesday and she is a bit slow/tired. 4 more weeks of restricted duty before she can cut loose. Already she is feeling better and wants to play with Grayson. She is depressed right now because she doesn't get to go on the walk when I take Grayson out (sits by the back door waiting for us to return), but I explained it was "doctor's orders". Still, she is in good spirits and doing well.

Played golf on Monday. Actually it was a charity tournament for the company. Since my company provides a device for the treatment of Epilepsy, we are big time supporters of the Epilepsy Foundation. We are always holding raffles or fundraisers to collect money for the foundation. Every year in spring, we participate in the annual Epilepsy walk and, through all of these drives, we have typically been able to raise some serious coin for the cause. Not to be a noodge, but sometimes is is annoying to be barraged with all of the different fundraisers at the office, but it is for a good cause. Next week is the company wide garage sale. Anyway, we organized a golf tournament at the local country club. I haven't played in about 4 years but, since I have been "encouraging" my suppliers to participate, I felt slightly obligated to play along with them. Played with one of my suppliers and I played about as lousy as I remembered. Having a dislocated shoulder from last year did not improve my game, but it did not make it any worse. I used to play golf years ago, but life got in the way (family, scouts, work, school, band) and I fell out of the habit. I never was a good player and just never could improve my game so I wasn't gunning to get back into the game. I held my own, but definitely was not the A (or B) player in the foursome.

Tried to work on the yard last weekend, but a front blew in around 1100 and I just about drowned in the back yard. Ever try to mow a yard in a downpour? Kinda hard to pick up the leaves that way. Spent the rest of the day trying to stay dry and deal with typical adult chores (vehicle registrations, depositing checks, dropping off payments, picking up supplies/dog food). Was busy, but in a good way.

And, oh, yeah, somewhere along the way I had another birthday. Spent a part of the day on Sunday helping my son prep to leave back to school and then we all migrated over the the parent's house for dinner/birthday pie (butterscotch). There's a story there that I will save for a later blog, but suffice it to say, the family tradition for birthdays and celebrations has been butterscotch pies. I am still amazed that my poor old 87 year old mother makes them the same way she did when we were pups. Not only did she do a butterscotch pie, but she did a chocolate one as well. My older brother (his birthday is next week but he is on the road) and I enjoyed the pies. Pretty low key affair, but we did take cell phone pictures of the pie and send it to the middle brother in Seattle just to make him jealous.

I'll keep an eye on it for you! Trust me!

Happy Pi Day!

Beautiful weekend. Weather is fantastic. I am trying to spend as much time outside before the temps get hot. Been working on momma's car door, helping my neighbor replacing a back fence. Off to the brother's house to give him a file cabinet I bought from work.


Claire is finishing up her 1st month of HW treatment. 1 month down, 1 month to go and she is doing well. I can tell that she is going to be trouble (just like a red head). She is supposed to not get excited or too agitated, but whenever Grayson gets into hyper mode, she kinda eggs him on. Gray will sometimes start playing with me and Claire wants to join in. She'll start nipping at him and that just winds him up more. I can't wait to see her off restriction. I've already nicknamed them Chaos & Pandemonium.

Trouble? Us?

The prodigal son has not yet returned, but we expect him tomorrow. He is attending the South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin which is a huge music/film/interactive technology festival held every spring in Austin. It started out years ago as a 3 day music festival but has morphed into a week long event for bands and films and technology shows. There are shows/concerts/parties/seminars throughout Austin all week and the place is sold out. Don't confuse this with some sort of grunge or farm aide kind of event. This has become mainstream with tickets to venues running from a few bucks ($100) to a bit more expensive ($500++) to attend all events. Some big name bands play alongside of a lot of indies. Junior should be home tomorrow. Today he is attending the Facebook workshop.

And in deference to all of the geeks out there, Happy Pi Day (3.14). In case you did not catch it last year, our distinguished House of Representatives voted on a nonbinding resolution (H RES 224) last year to officially recognize 3-14 as National Pi Day. Go out and make a circle somewhere!

Hope you moved your clocks forward.