Sixteen

December is almost over and that only means one thing at our house. Jacob has turned sixteen and can now legally drive on his own.

This month has been hectic, as usual. I shopped. I wrote cards. I wrapped. Jim and Adam came to town. We were invited to parties - a birthday bash, several holiday get-togethers, and even a graduation celebration thrown in for good measure. We attended the Jersey Boys play at the Fisher Theater. (Loved it!) The world didn't end. Christmas came and went. It snowed - yay!

Then the 27th arrived. We woke up bright and early on the big day in order to get to the Michigan Secretary of State office as soon as it opened. After filling out and signing what seemed like an overabundance of forms, we were on our way back home with our brand-new, legally-licensed driver in tow. Jake has only driven a few times on his own so far, but I suspect he will be doing a lot more of it, and I feel perfectly comfortable when he goes off by himself. By the way, we also enjoyed what has become somewhat of a tradition - open bowling on Jacob's birthday. This year ten bowlers and four spectators showed up for the festivities at Oak Lanes.

Tonight we will gather at Wayne and Carol's house for their annual New Year's Eve party. Happy 2013 to all!

Sixteen candles.

We made an early morning trip to the Secretary of State office to pick up Jake's long-anticipated and coveted license.

Thanksgiving

I can't believe that another month has just zipped right on by! It is almost December, Christmas is right around the corner, and before we know it 2013 will be here. Really, where did November go?

Jim came to town the week before Thanksgiving and Adam flew in the Friday prior. It was wonderful to have the whole family together for the holiday. Thanksgiving Day was fun and festive, as usual. Twenty-six of us gathered at Nancy's house and enjoyed the yummiest turkey & fixings ever. The day was actually very warm - I think the high was at least 60 degrees - and some of the group spent time at the park. Jacob even wore shorts! We had another spirited game of guys vs. girls Taboo, with the guys pulling out a (lucky) victory at the very last minute.

On Sunday, the 25th, we celebrated the November birthdays at our condo. Adam turned 24 and Nancy turned 60-something. In between all the partying, we shopped for and bought some new living room furniture. In order to make room for it, we had to haul our old couches down to our tv room, and that included descending two sets of stairs while negotiating several tight twists & turns. It is a good thing that the delivery guys carried in our new sectional because Jim and I are getting way too old to be moving furniture. (To be honest, I didn't do anything except open doors. Jim, Adam, and Jacob did all of the heavy lifting.) Jim went back to work in Texas and Adam jetted off to Colorado earlier this week. Before long, though, they will be back for Christmas vacation!

My first-born is 24!

The birthday duo. They had quite the pile of presents this year!

Riders on the Storm

Jim, Adam, Jacob, and I just spent an exciting weekend being windswept and bounced around by Hurricane Sandy on land, in the air, and at sea. A few weeks ago, I made reservations for a three-day cruise out of the Port of Miami knowing full well that it was nearing the end of hurricane season. There had not been any tropical systems in south Florida this year, so, really, what were the odds that something would develop for the few days that we would be there? Pretty good, as it turned out.

The four of us planned to meet in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday evening - Jake and I were coming from Detroit, Adam from Denver, and Jim from Houston. Adam's flight was scheduled to leave at 1 a.m. MDT. He drove to the airport in a snowstorm and departed two hours late due to deicing issues. Despite the fact that he missed his connecting flight enroute, Adam arrived in Florida a few hours before the rest of us. The hurricane was offshore when we all flew in and it made for bumpy landings in 45 mph crosswinds. Our ship embarkation on Friday was delayed two hours due to the storm, but we were delighted when we finally got onboard and underway.

I assumed that Sandy would quickly head north and our sailing would only be in rough waters for a very short time. Bad assumption. The ship was really rocking on Friday night, and the wind & waves only increased on Saturday. Passengers were getting sick all over the ship. Even though the crew placed throw-up bags in strategic places, we saw people vomiting everywhere - in the buffet, on the stairs, in public restrooms, even in their own hands. And, though Jacob has been on eight cruises, he began to feel queasy and had to take some motion sickness meds for the first time. (Which worked well, he was fine after a couple of hours.) The dining rooms were almost empty and the showrooms were only half full. The captain announced that he changed our course and purposely cruised south towards the Florida Keys since the forecast there was for 20 knot winds. The Norwegian Cruise Line meteorologists were very inaccurate as we encountered 50 knot winds (59 mph) and 20-25 foot seas. The ship bobbed up & down and listed side to side in these conditions for the first 36 hours of our cruise, lifting the bow up high and then crashing it back down into the ocean with a loud thud. I honestly never felt unsafe, though, and I was happily surprised that my stomach was actually fine & dandy the entire time.

The port of Nassau was open for us to visit on Sunday despite the fact that the hurricane had passed near it and did leave some minor damage behind. We went on a fun tour of the city on Segways, then did some shopping. When we got back to Miami on Monday morning, the storm was far to the north and ready to make landfall in New Jersey. The hurricane wind field was huge, however, and was affecting flights up & down the east coast and inland as far west as Michigan. Luckily, even though the winds were high in Detroit, the airport stayed open. Our 757 was tossed around in 45 mph crosswinds during the last 30 minutes of our flight, but we landed on time.

Now I am ready for these winds to calm down because, among other things, my hair has been a horrible mess ever since last Thursday.

Our ship, the Norwegian Sky.

I love the pretty blue water of the Bahamas.

This was Adam and Jacob's cabin. Jim and I had the connecting room next door.

My favorite towel animal.

The four of us on our Segways.

Jacob and Jim standing on the back deck. The stern of the ship is up on a wave crest, the bow is down.

I am standing in the very same spot. Now the stern is down and the bow is up. Up and down. Up and down. I wish I had a movie camera!

September

It has been busy, busy, busy around here the past few weeks. Jacob began 10th grade on the 4th of this month and has already been bogged down with homework almost every night. We have had to completely readjust our bedtime/wake-up schedule to accommodate the hideous early-morning start time of our local high school. Ugh.

Two weekends ago, Jacob and I spent Friday and Saturday nights up in Kaleva with Nancy and Irma. While we were there, we visited a unique store named Punzel's that had an eclectic collection of Scandinavian items, in addition to an outdoor pathway filled with hand-carved trolls & gnomes. The place definitely had a different atmosphere, but I found it very interesting nonetheless. Last week, both Jim and Adam flew to town to join the family for the monthly birthday shindig. It was great to have all my boys here, especially because, among other things, we were celebrating my big day. We had a fun weekend!

Unfortunately, we have also had a couple of vehicle issues this month, beginning with a flat tire on the CRV. After a few attempts to fill the flat using an air pump & an entire can of Fix-a-Flat, we eventually ended up just buying four new tires. We also ran into a dilemma when the front passenger tire of the Jeep rolled over an errant skunk who scampered unexpectedly into our path on Ann Arbor Road last week. The resulting stench was overwhelming and is taking forever to fade away despite our numerous efforts to clean it. We have had to leave the Jeep out of the garage in order to keep the smell from seeping into the condo. Pretty gross. I figured that driving around and splashing through some puddles would hasten the de-stinking process, but, naturally it has not rained since our skunk encounter.

I ripped out all of my impatiens from the front yard already, not because there has been a frost (although we have come close to 32 degrees a few nights), but rather because some sort of critter had been walking or jumping on them and had smashed & broken them all. I replaced the flowers with some hardy fall mums that haven't actually proven to be all that hardy. I never have had a green thumb. Bring on the winter and the snow! I'm ready for that instead!

Waiting Rooms

Other than traveling this summer, I have spent much of my time accompanying Irma to numerous doctor appointments - internists, a neurosurgeon, and several different specialists. While she is pretty healthy for an 88-year-old woman, she does complain about a myriad of small issues and always insists on seeing a physician whenever she discovers a new ache or pain. What I find unsettling is that even though Irma always has appointments, her doctors never see her at the prearranged times. Ever. And the latest excuse that these professionals give for being tardy is that "there was an emergency earlier in the day." I have heard this line so many times lately that I realize now that it is the standard explanation used in the medical field whenever a doctor is simply running late.

Last week, Irma and I sat in her gastroenterologist's office for two hours waiting to be called back. The receptionist apologized over and over that the doctor was running late due to "an emergency." When we finally did go into the examining room, we waited for another 30 minutes before the doctor came in. He was friendly and chatty for three whole minutes before he declared that Irma was fine and that we could leave. Two and a half hours of hanging out just to talk to the guy for three minutes! In July, after sitting for an hour in Irma's neurosurgeon's overcrowded waiting room, we were chatting with each other about the delay. Some other patients chimed in that the standard wait at this particular office has always been about three hours. Three hours? Really? Other physicians that we have visited this summer have been just as bad. What in the world has happened to promptness? Or even almost-on-time-ness?

In my opinion, doctors that continually make patients wait for hours and hours to see them are just inconsiderate. In the case of a true "emergency," I think that receptionists could call patients to let them know that there may be a lengthy delay. After our repeated experiences this summer, I have come to the conclusion that physicians - and particularly Irma's physicians - are always going to be extraordinarily late. I don't agree with this practice and I certainly don't like it, but I have come to expect it. Sad that this is normal for so many doctors.

Yellowstone in Pictures

Last week, Jim and Richie flew to Colorado to join me and Jacob at Adam's apartment. On Wednesday, the five of us set off to visit Yellowstone National Park. We had a fabulous time! There were dazzling landscapes & wild animals galore! (Everything except bears. Where were all the bears?) We stayed until Saturday night, then returned to Adam's place for a couple more days of playing tourist out west. Here are some photos from our trip.

 On our way to the park, we stopped at an auto parts store in Wyoming so Jim and Richie could use some special goop to fix a chip in our windshield. A truck traveling in the opposite direction on a two lane highway in Colorado rudely shot some rocks up at our Jeep.

 We arrived last Wednesday evening.

 There were tons of waterfalls throughout the park.

 We hiked a lot. The scenery was stunning everywhere we looked.

 We saw herds of bison.

 Sometimes the bison would walk along the road. This fella caused quite a traffic jam.

 We were only about ten miles from Idaho, so we went to see what the potato-growing state was all about. We also passed the Continental Divide about fifty times on this trip. The roads were very winding.

 Our hotel was in West Yellowstone, Montana. It was a nice, little western town. It was warm during the day, but the temps dipped into the 30s at night.

 I especially liked seeing the geysers in the park. They gurgled and erupted all around us. We were advised to always stay on the walkways because the ground in the area had a "thin crust." We made a lot of pizza jokes.

 Old Faithful lived up to its name.

 On our way back to Michigan, we stopped by Mt. Rushmore. We walked along a trail (a "strenuous" trail with 250 steps, I might add) and found ourselves up close & personal with the presidents.

While cruising past Battle Creek on the drive home, we saw a gazillion hot air balloons. Apparently there was some sort of festival in progress.

Perseid Meteor Shower

Last weekend was the peak of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. During this event, meteors supposedly appear at a rate of over 60 per hour! I know that the best viewing conditions are away from city lights, and even though I am usually in a well-lit area, I spend time outside each August hoping to catch a glimpse of a meteor. Year after year I am disappointed.

On Sunday night, Jacob and I were on the road traveling from Houston to Fort Collins. We knew that we would be in a perfect location for meteor spotting after the sunset - in rural, pitch black southern Colorado. We were heading north on I-25 from the New Mexico border towards Wyoming from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. As expected, there were few lights to be found, the sky was clear, and the stars were out. I was beyond excited that I would finally see some Perseids. Probably many. Maybe even one hundred. Our situation could not have been more ideal. I never thought that we would actually see one meteor every minute, but I was confident that we would most likely witness ten or more per hour. We carefully scanned the sky for 260 miles. Guess how many meteors we counted?

Zero.

I have no idea why I have such bad luck when it comes to meteor viewing, but if you ever want to enjoy a meteor shower, do not hang around me. I do hope that someday my luck will change and I will be fortunate enough to catch some Perseids because I sure was dismayed that I missed out on them again this year.

Graceland

On our drive from Michigan to Texas last week, Jacob and I detoured off the freeway in Memphis long enough to visit the home of Elvis Presley. The Graceland admission price included tours of the mansion, an automobile museum, and the King's two private airplanes. The house would certainly not be considered a mansion by today's standards, but Jake and I both had a wonderful time wandering around the 70s inspired rooms while our audio headsets explained everything in detail. I knew that Elvis was buried somewhere on the Graceland estate, yet I was surprised when we were allowed to view his grave. After checking out the 13+ acre property, we were shuttled across the street to see the cars and planes. The automobile collection was funky & interesting and the airplanes were impressive. Overall, Jacob and I really liked our tour of Graceland, and we are both happy that we finally decided to stop in Memphis.

Jacob stood on the front steps of Graceland.

We checked out the King's pool.

The "Lisa Marie."

Welcome to Houston

The Airbus 380 is the world's largest passenger airliner and it has been flying commercially for less than five years. No American airline owns one, so the only time an A380 is in the U.S. is when a foreign company uses this behemoth on a routing between their country and ours. Six airports in the United States have runways that can handle the jumbo jet, and I had heard that Lufthansa German Airlines planned to start using one of their A380s daily between Frankfort and Houston. I had no idea when this service was scheduled to begin until Jim informed me on Wednesday morning that Lufthansa's inaugural A380 flight was going to arrive at IAH that very afternoon and that the airport was hosting an "A380 Houston Party." Luckily, I was in Texas, and I knew that I just had to zip over to the airport to watch the plane land there for the very first time. Jacob agreed to accompany me and we got to the staging area about 40 minutes before the flight was due in. There were thousands of other airplane geeks waiting on the grassy field just north of runway 26 right, which totally surprised Jake, who was sure that there would only be about five or six people there. Naturally, the weather was hot and humid, and we stood around sweating under the blazing Houston sun while listening to a local band play German music. Eventually, the Airbus 380 came into view, the crowd cheered wildly, the wheels touched down, then the aircraft taxied slowly to its gate. It was an impressive sight for me to see, though not quite as exciting for Jacob. I think I may head back over to IAH sometime soon to watch the giant plane land and take off again.

The huge jet has an upper deck that spans the entire length of the aircraft.

Camping

Jim and I joined 21 friends and family members last Thursday for our annual camping trip. We all met at the Kaleva farm this year, set up tents, built a campfire, and proceeded to have a great time. I ordered a port-a-potty to be delivered to the property for the weekend because - despite valiant efforts by Richie, Steve, and others - the water pump in the old house would not work. The toilet rental company promised that the unit would be "aesthetically pleasing and enhanced with a mountain breeze fragrance," and they did not disappoint! One thing we noticed, however, was that as the days wore on, the "waste" piled up higher and higher in a hill directly underneath the toilet seat, while fresh, blue water stayed empty on the sides. Cobra and I joked that port-a-potties should come equipped with some sort of shaker, or at the very least a stirrer stick, to more evenly distribute the "waste" in the bowl.

Our group spent Friday at a beach on Lake Michigan soaking up the sun. Some of the more hardy souls actually ventured into the not-so-warm water to swim. During a walk on the "back forty" of the farm in the evening, eleven of us encountered a neighbor's growling dog and I, for one, was quite intimidated. At night, Marilyn's boyfriend, Pat, raced their car at the Northern Michigan Dragway near the farm. Always looking for ways to be thrifty, a bunch of us were able to view the competition for free from a deserted country road at the end of the race track. On Saturday, most of the gang opted to go canoeing, which ended up turning into a (very popular!) kayaking trip instead. Some of us watched a fireworks display in town at 10 p.m., and then we rounded off our busy night by sitting around the campfire until the wee hours.

Jim and I, along with our passengers, Cobra and Charlie, had to leave the farm at 10:30 on Sunday morning so that we could drop Jim off at Flint's airport in time for him to catch a 3:30 p.m. flight back to Houston. While we were tooling down M-115 south of Cadillac, Jim abruptly pulled the CRV over to the side of the road and casually announced, "The roof box just blew open." Cobra immediately burst into a bout of laughter and Charlie worriedly inquired as to whether any of his belongings had been riding in the "Rocket Box." Our huge, green tarp and an old blanket had flown up & away, and were distant blobs in the center of the highway behind us. I hopped out to fetch our stuff, happy that most of the items in the roof box had been heavy enough to stay put. Fortunately, there were only a few other cars whizzing by and I was able to grab the tarp and blanket off the pavement while Jim secured the box shut - this time properly. Luckily, we had built in some extra travel time in case we ran into traffic jams enroute to the airport, and we got Jim to FNT with time to spare. And, just as I predicted to Cobra, when Adam heard about the roof box mishap, he assured me that there was no chance that any of his things would ever be transported up there again.

Jim and Jake shared a kayak.

People sat in the shade a lot because it was so hot.

Jim posed at Arcadia beach.

Here and There

Jim, Jacob, Irma, and I cruised home from the Upper Peninsula on Monday. Adam continued his vacation with his friends, stopping at Mackinac Island & the Sleeping Bear Dunes on his way back to the condo. We all had a wonderful time up north, especially Irma, who at 88-years-old kept up with the rest of us just fine. And, by the way, after five fruitless trips to the Calumet cemetery, our sixth was not in vain, as we finally found the elusive grave of Irma's friend who had passed away in April.

Jim flew to Houston on Tuesday morning and Adam arrived back in Colorado on Thursday after putting some 8,000 or so miles on his Jeep during his 4-week-long road trip. Jacob and I are hanging out in Michigan this week, searching for and preparing the gear for our upcoming camping trip.

 Look at the gas prices we found in Tennessee two weeks ago!

 Jim, Jacob, and cousin Dave teed it up at the Calumet Golf Club. 

Jacob made a hole at the beach. We forgot to bring shovels from home, so we borrowed the ice bucket from our hotel to use for digging. It worked just fine.

Adam hid his face from the sun - or maybe he just didn't want to look at us?

U.P.

Jim, Jacob, and I made the trek from Texas to Michigan last weekend. Our drive was fairly uneventful, with the exception of the fire alarm going off at our hotel in Kentucky, and then having to halt our drive in Ohio for 20 minutes due to a severe thunderstorm. (And, by the way, why is it that during the fire alarm fiasco, the hotel hallway was filled with women checking things out, while all the men - Jim included - slept right through the piercing noise?) On Wednesday, we picked up Irma and continued north to the Upper Peninsula for our annual Calumet trip. Adam joined us in the U.P. and we have enjoyed getting together with our cousins every day. The boys have gone golfing twice, while Irma and I have spent entirely too much time tooling around the local cemetery trying to find the graves of some recently-deceased friends and relatives. Tomorrow we plan to visit our little cabin on Lake Superior and dip our toes into the probably-freezing-cold water. We'll then be heading back to southeast Michigan on Monday. Time to park the Grand Cherokee for a while and give it a break from the 200-250 miles per day that the poor thing has averaged since we bought it 19 days ago.

A Taste of Texas

Jake and I arrived in Houston last week to typical hot and humid summertime weather. We continually whine about the southern heat, but enjoy swimming in our pool, which boasts lovely 86 degree water. Even though that may seem too warm for some people, it is the perfect pool temperature, in my opinion. It is, after all, almost 20 degrees below the air temp, and I actually feel chilly when the 105 degree breeze hits me as I emerge from the water. The relentless heat does wear thin after a while, though, and both Jacob and I usually look forward to getting back up north to cooler weather after spending an extended period of time in Texas. But - whoa - now the temperatures in Michigan have also been at the century mark and above. What is going on with this heatwave? We do plan to head to the U.P. around the 4th of July, so hopefully we will find a reprieve from 90 and 100 degree temperatures up there.

Texas in the shade - temperatures that only Norm could appreciate.

I'm Sirius

After searching for a new SUV for a few months, Jim and I finally decided to purchase a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It has tons of room and I was delighted to find that it got over 25 miles to the gallon on my recent drive from Michigan to Texas. Even though we didn't buy the fancy-schmancy model, our version has many awesome standard features that typically cost extra in other vehicles. Besides things like 4-wheel-drive and rear seat air/heat vents, our Jeep came with free Sirius satellite radio for a year. I must admit that not only was I underwhelmed when our sales guy informed us about this service, I also did not really know what it entailed. When Jake and I were cruising through the boonies of Kentucky the other day, we were annoyed that we couldn't find a radio station without static. I clicked on the Sirius button and things have not been the same since then.  I scanned through many of the available channels - including music from the 40s, 50s, 60s, every kind of rock or talk, weather, traffic, show tunes, country, etc. - and became "siriusly" transfixed. I fell in love with the songs from the 70s station and reminisced for hours while listening to familiar tune after tune after tune. I hadn't heard "Chick a Boom" for decades! I am now a sucker for Sirius and only time will tell if this is just a phase I am going through or if I am hopelessly hooked on satellite radio.

Plumbing 101

I was sitting at Jacob's computer the other night and began to smell a disgusting sewer stench permeating the air. I walked into the adjacent bathroom, but could not pinpoint exactly where the odor was coming from. Retreating back to the computer, I hoped that the smell would just go away. Unfortunately, it only became worse. I sniffed around the bathroom again and discovered that the offensive odor was coming from the bathtub drain. This seemed odd to me because we never even use that particular tub - everyone at the condo always uses the shower in the master bathroom. I assumed that I would have to call a plumber in the morning to assess the issue. Puzzled and annoyed, I went to the internet and looked up "sewer smells coming from bathtubs." It surprised me to find numerous articles all recommending the same quick fix to my stinky dilemma. The solution? Simply run a quart of water into the drain. Apparently, the curvy pipe underneath sinks and tubs actually has a purpose. After you use water, some of it stays in the curvy part, thus forming a seal that keeps sewer gases and crawling vermin from coming up through the pipe. When a fixture goes unused for a month or more, the water seal evaporates, allowing a gross stench to enter your room. They say that this phenomenon is most common in guest bathrooms and other seldom-used areas.

I couldn't really believe that the solution to this mess would be as easy as a quart of water, but I decided to give it a try. I overcompensated and ran a few gallons of H2O down the drain. Thirty minutes later, the odor was indeed dissipating. After an hour had gone by, any remaining sewer-y smells had pretty much disappeared. When two hours had passed, the bathroom was fresh and clean with no remaining hint of the putrid problem. (Okay, it wasn't really fresh and clean because it is, after all, the bathroom that a 15-year-old boy uses.) I went to sleep that night patting myself on the back for a job well done. Now I just have to remember to run water in the tub - and every other unused drain - every month or so to avoid a repeat of the matter.

Angry Birds

When Jake and I were getting ready for school early one morning, we noticed a plethora of geese outside the condo window. The critters occasionally wander around our little court area, but typically they stay in the pond across the street. I am not fond of them, mostly because they peck around in the neighborhood flowers and leave behind icky goose droppings. When Jake and I went outside to leave for school, I told him to stomp his feet to shoo the feathered fiends away, assuring him that they would just scamper off. On this particular day, the adults were obviously teaching the youngsters how to be intimidating & annoying because as soon as we stepped onto the driveway, the geese all ran towards us. Fast. Jake and I freaked out and jumped into the CRV with dozens of the birds uncomfortably close behind. The flock moved aside as we backed into the street, but I was concerned that they would still be mingling when I returned home after dropping Jake off. It was garbage day and I had no intention of tangling with the varmints while I hauled my trash to the curb. Thankfully, they were gone when I got back, and I brought my bags & recycling out without being attacked. They did leave eleven piles of poop in our driveway, which I cleaned up and deposited into a trash bag. So gross. I have been wondering ever since that day why we need geese in the world. They brought down Sully's airplane, for goodness sake. Decades ago, Canadian geese were near extinction, but they made an incredible comeback due to conservation programs. Experts today admit that efforts to save the huge birds have been too successful and the results are not good. I don't have any answers to this dilemma. I only know that I don't really like geese.

Twenty-seven or so trouble-makers were on the prowl at 6:00 a.m. (That is our neighbor's trash. I hadn't put ours out yet.)

Holiday Weekend

On Saturday morning, Jim, Jacob, Nancy, Norm, Irma, Richie, and I hopped into a couple of vehicles and headed up to the farm in Kaleva. Since the farmhouse is no longer inhabitable, we checked into connecting rooms at a nearby, small-town motel. We have stayed at this particular place many times in the past, and, while the units are generously sized and the owners are very friendly, it also leaves a bit to be desired. Nancy, Norm, and Irma's room had a malfunctioning doorknob, and when they tried to open it to get out, the handle would just spin around in circles. If not for the door to our connecting room, the three of them would have been trapped inside. We gave them a key for our door, and kept the deadbolt unlocked so they could come and go as needed. During a thunderstorm early Sunday morning, a gust of wind blew our door completely open and wind & rain whooshed into our motel room. As the deluge continued, Jim, Jacob, and Richie all glanced up from their slumber and went right back to sleep. I had to clamor out of bed, push the door shut against the 40 mph breeze, then attempt to secure it well enough so it would stay closed. Fortunately, none of us are high-maintenance travelers, so between the door issues, dirty carpeting, and some visiting ants & crickets, we found things at the motel to be comical rather than annoying.

We did have a great weekend, despite some bouts of rain each day. (And despite having orange juice spilled all over me by our young "waitress" at breakfast on Sunday!) The guys dodged the showers and golfed both Saturday and Sunday. We met up with some cousins several different times at various restaurants, decorated graves at the cemetery, had a barbecue with relatives, and hit up the local casino. We went to a Memorial Day program at the VFW hall on Monday, where the current members display flags honoring their deceased veterans. My dad's flag from his funeral flies there each year. We were then concerned that we would encounter heavy traffic on our drive south yesterday afternoon, but were pleasantly surprised to cruise straight on home with no problems. It was a fun weekend, and was nice to visit Kaleva again after not being there for a couple of years.

Better Late than Never

Jake and I managed to get a few pictures when our CRV odometer turned from 99,999 miles over to 100,000 last week. We pulled onto a side street and snapped some exciting photos. It was around that time when Jacob noticed that the oil change reminder sticker on our windshield stated that our previous service visit had been at 93,500 miles. I couldn't believe that we had possibly gone that long without bringing the poor CRV in for an oil change. Was I really that careless? Jim checked his "vehicle maintenance spreadsheet," and advised me that - sure enough - over 6,000 miles had elapsed since our last trip to the service center. Oops. It is a good thing that the 100,000 hullabaloo brought our attention to the mileage. The CRV is happily sporting new oil and rotated tires as of yesterday afternoon.

Almost there!

There!

Segway Spin

Recently, Steve discovered a business near his house that rents Segways. He invited Jacob to try out the personal transportation gizmos with him, and Jacob was very eager to give it a whirl. They made reservations for an hour-long tour this afternoon. Both Jake and Steve got the hang of riding the Segways rather quickly and soon they were zipping around the practice area like skilled professionals. Their guide said that they did such a good job that he was even able to bring them on some advanced trails. The two had a great time and now highly recommend the Segway as a fun & entertaining way to get from one place to another.

Jake and Steve on their Segways.

100,000

Jim, Jacob, and I have begun looking for a new car - well, actually a small SUV. We visited numerous dealerships this weekend in an attempt to narrow down our choices. Our stops so far have included the showrooms of Honda, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Kia, Ford, Subaru, and Hyundai. We always get a good chuckle from car salesmen, and this shopping trip was no exception. We came across two sales people - both women - who, despite saying that they had many years of experience, didn't know some fairly basic facts about their particular brands. The funniest guy we encountered, however, was at a Honda dealer. He asked us tons of questions, even though we explained that we were just beginning our search and simply wanted to check out the sizes & colors of CRVs. We started to walk outside to the lot, and, in an attempt to make us stop, he told us to just sit back and "circle some of your favorite colors" in the brochure until he returned with some keys. Jim, Jacob, and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. I don't think any of us have been asked to circle our favorite colors since first grade.

Soon our 2006 CRV will hit 100,000 miles, which is one of the reasons that we are shopping for something new. During our drive from Michigan to Texas in January, Adam, Jacob, and I traveled in Adam's Jeep Liberty. We knew "Libby" the Jeep would hit 100,000 miles sometime on our journey, and vowed to pay attention so we wouldn't miss the milestone. Adam wondered exactly what we should do to mark the achievement, and I suggested that we take a picture of the odometer. Sarcastically, I added that maybe we could also pull over to the side of the road, get out of the vehicle, jump up and down, and shout woo-hoo. The first time we passed a car broken down on the side of the freeway, Jacob quipped, "They must be celebrating 100,000." I found the "celebrating 100,000" line absolutely hilarious and each time we passed a vehicle pulled off the roadway, I kept the joke going. Much to the chagrin of Adam and Jacob, I repeated it over and over again - all the way to Texas. By the way, we missed seeing "Libby" turn 100K by two miles, so we have no pictures of the event. Hopefully, I will get a shot of the CRV odometer when it reaches 100,000!

What's in a Name?

When Jim's job was transferred to Houston, his company required him to establish a legal residence there. That included getting a new driver's license and registering his car in the state of Texas. He complained endlessly about the horrible lines he encountered at the Department of Public Safety office when he first went to get his license two years ago. In Michigan, everyone grumbles about long waits at the Secretary of State office, but seldom have I actually been there more than 30 minutes. Jim said at the Texas DPS, the lines were out the door and it took him almost two hours to reach the counter. To make matters worse, once he made it to the front of the line he didn't have all of the proper identification he needed so he had to make a second trip back to the over-crowded and under-staffed DPS. He did have his passport with him the first time, but the workers insisted on seeing his birth certificate, which is odd because in order to obtain a passport you need to present your birth certificate. Anyway, after two attempts and four hours of waiting time, Jim received his Texas driver's license and new plates for the car.

Fast forward to six months after the DPS debacle. Jim was at a blood drive at work making a donation. When it was his turn to head to the table, the nurse called out, "Anthony." No response. Again, "Anthony." Jim realized she was speaking to him and told her that his first name was James and his middle name was Anthony. The nurse said that, nope, his driver's license had his name listed as Anthony James. When Jim double checked, sure enough it was backwards. I have to admit that even I had peeked at his Texas license and didn't notice the error. Jim didn't think too much about it and, though I urged him to get it fixed, he had no desire to stand in line at the DPS again. Luckily, he had his passport to use every time he flew somewhere. Whenever he needed to show his driver's license, however, he was Anthony. It apparently posed no problems when Jim was selected for jury duty in Houston. At the casinos in Vegas, his player's club cards were printed out with the name Anthony. I even started calling him Tony. When we attended the "Price is Right Live" show, his name tag was written as Anthony. Time and time again, he was referred to by his middle name. Finally yesterday, Jim - aka Anthony - returned to the DPS and waited the seemingly-requisite two hours to have his name corrected on his license. I'm sure it was a fun ride having an alias, but today he is back to being James Anthony.

Jetway Jinx

On our recent flight from Detroit to Las Vegas, Jacob and I had to change planes in Houston. During our layover at IAH, Jim planned to meet up with us and join us on the Houston to Vegas leg of our journey. We were scheduled to leave Detroit at 5:30 p.m., but our departure was delayed when the maintenance crew had to board our aircraft to "fix a seat." Luckily, the workers were pretty speedy and we took off at 6:00 p.m. I was a bit concerned about making our connection in Houston, though, because we only had 40 minutes between flights. When the captain announced the flying time between Michigan and Texas, I did the math and figured that we would have about 22 minutes to deplane and run to our next gate after landing. I was relieved when we finally arrived in Houston and I assured myself that we would be able to make it to our Vegas flight without any trouble. Jacob and I jumped up as soon as our plane was parked at gate C21 and patiently waited for the throngs of other passengers to get the heck out of our way. We waited. And waited. The aircraft aisle was clogged with people, but nobody was moving. After 5 minutes, an announcement was made that the jetway was broken and the maintenance crew was on its way to take a look. We had made it to Houston with minutes to spare, only to be foiled by a jetway. We were stuck on the plane; so close and yet so far away. Long story short - the jetway was eventually fixed and we made it to the Vegas flight as it was in the final boarding process. Jim was waiting for us there, unaware of our quandary and the mad dash that we had to make through the humid halls of IAH's United concourse.

Following our return flight from Las Vegas to Houston, we pulled up to gate E8 to deplane. Lots of folks were catching connecting flights, but we were staying in Texas for a few days so we were in no rush to get off. Everyone hopped up and waited for the door to open. They waited. And waited. The aircraft aisle was clogged with people, but nobody was moving. In a wacky coincidence, an announcement was made that the jetway was broken and the maintenance crew was on its way to take a look. Of the hundreds of flights I had taken prior to these, I had never before come across a damaged jetway. I don't know what that says about United's jetways at Houston Intercontinental, but I found it slightly strange to encounter two broken ones at the same airport within days of each other.

Drought Results

The 2011 drought in the south was pretty devastating for farmers and ranchers throughout the Lone Star state. The final tally of agricultural loses in Texas alone amounted to around 10 billion dollars. It was really sad to see completely dried-up fields while driving through the state last year and to hear stories of livestock dying of dehydration right out in their pastures. With over 300 miles of Gulf coastline, I would think that the state would look more into seawater desalination. I don't claim to know a lot about the subject, but I do know that Texans are not eager to build desalination plants because they are quite costly - about 1 billion dollars each. Perhaps some young whipper-snapper college students will figure out how to lower the price of desalinating seawater so future droughts won't have such tragic results.

The lakes and rivers around our house in Houston are beginning to refill since there has been a normal amount of rain this spring. Last year's drought took a heavy toll on the trees and plants in our area, though. Many large, mature trees paid the ultimate price and had to be cut down. This is especially evident along our community's "Greenbelt" walking/biking trails. While strolling down the paths this week, I was dismayed to see that about one third of the trees have been chopped down. In addition, almost all of the beautiful fan palms that adorned the trails have turned brown and/or shriveled up. Hopefully this summer will bring average rainfall so we don't lose any more trees. Besides looking nice, the foliage provides much needed shade when the temperatures reach 100 degrees around here.

I was shocked to see how many trees were actually affected by the drought.

The poor Greenbelt trails look almost barren this year.

What Happens in Vegas . . .

Jacob and I met up with Jim, Adam, and Richie in Las Vegas late Thursday night. The five of us have been having a blast here the past few days. On Saturday afternoon, we had tickets for "The Price is Right Live" show. Although none of us were beckoned to "come on down," we had a great time watching the chosen contestants play games and win prizes. Last night we went to see the Australian Bee Gees, an awesome "tribute band" who not only sounded like the real Brothers Gibb, but they looked like them as well. In between, we have been swimming, eating, drinking, shopping, etc. Oh, we have done a little gambling, too - Richie much more than the rest of us. Adam has to head back to Colorado tonight and Richie is off to Michigan Tuesday morning. Jim, Jacob, and I fly to Texas tomorrow afternoon, so our Easter break will continue at our Houston house.

We received a photo of our group in front of the Price is Right wheel. Notice anything amiss in this picture?

Richie and Jacob next to the Price is Right stage.

The view out of our hotel window - New York New York's roller coaster, Excalibur, the tip of Luxor's pyramid, and Mandalay Bay.

I love the dancing fountains outside of Bellagio. So pretty!

The boys posed with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

The bums around here are quite the characters. This guy's sign read, "Why Lie, Need Beer." A few years back, another Vegas hobo shouted at Adam, "I thought I told you to get a haircut." Street people are always so entertaining!

Back to Normal

I ventured back to the doctor's office recently to see how my hypothyroidism was doing. It had been seven weeks since I first started taking generic Synthroid in order to lower my extremely high thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level. I donated a vile of blood, then waited patiently while my numbers were evaluated. Much to my surprise, my TSH had returned to normal. The doctor recommended that I remain on my current dose of medication and have my blood rechecked in three months to make sure that I stay in the correct range. Strangely, I feel pretty much the same as I did when my TSH was super-high. After reading tons of information about under-active thyroids, however, I have discovered some minor symptoms that I could actually attribute to the disease. I suppose I can be thankful that I never felt the awful fatigue and some of the other nasty things that are so often associated with hypothyroidism. I just hope that the meds keep my thyroid regulated and that I again test normally when the end of June rolls around.

The Winter that Wasn't

The weather for much of March has been just crazy in Michigan. We broke many high temperature records, even reaching the mid-80s one day while the calendar said it was winter. It was so warm and sunny and beautiful last week that I have finally abandoned the idea that it might actually still snow this year. We kept the condo windows open for 7 or 8 days straight. Everyone dusted off their shorts and flip-flops, and the weather here seemed like March in southeast Texas. In fact, Detroit's temps were even higher than Houston's for a few days. I suppose if we can't have snow, it might as well be warm outside.

Ironically, now that it is officially spring, the temperatures have started to drop. Last night we dipped into the mid 30s and tonight the forecast calls for a low of 27 degrees. Jacob has not worn his winter coat yet in Michigan, although he did wear it during our ski trip in Colorado. I have not put on boots for over a year, and only needed gloves a few times in January. This was one of the strangest winters I can remember and, to be honest, I was disappointed - especially in the lack of snowfall. Unfortunately, this also meant that Jacob got very little driving experience on slippery roads. Maybe we will get a bit of ice or something this spring so he can practice in hazardous conditions with me in the car before we set him loose on his 16th birthday in December.

Whirlwind Weekend

Adam was on break from school last week and came to town from Colorado on Wednesday. Jim flew to Michigan from Texas late on Thursday night, and Adam graciously offered to pick him up from the airport. The two got back to the condo at exactly midnight and came clamoring up the stairs at 12:01 a.m. I missed seeing my husband on our 26th anniversary by only minutes. So close!

Jim, Adam, Jacob, and I spent the long weekend visiting with friends & family, and attending parties. Adam saw some of his old group on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday evening, all of us headed out to Char and Hollie's place for a St. Patrick's Day party with our "Bear" friends. Baby Marley made an appearance there and met some people for the very first time, including Adam. On Sunday, we gathered at Jean's house for the March birthday celebrations. In between, we managed to go out to dinner a couple of times, take some long walks, play tennis, shop, etc. Adam went back to Denver this afternoon and Jim flies down to Houston tomorrow morning. (Early in the morning - we are waking up at 3:55. Ugh!) It's back to work and school for everyone after some incredibly fun days!

Bundle of Joy

On February 10 - after 37 hours of labor (Yikes!) - Cobra's daughter, Marilyn, gave birth to a darling baby girl. I have been in such need of a baby fix lately that it was just wonderful to go to the hospital to meet precious Marley. Last Tuesday, Jacob had the day off of school so the two of us headed over to Cobra's house to spend some more time with the little peanut. Marley is simply adorable and, on top of everything else, she is a happy and content child, too. Now if only the nine twenty-and-thirty-somethings in our family would get a move on, we could all enjoy even more baby time. Meanwhile, Marilyn, thanks for letting us play with your Marley. She is such a beauty!

Grandpa Fatty snuggled with Marley at the hospital.

Marley waited patiently for Jacob to make some more silly noises for her.

Marley snoozed in her beautiful circular bassinet.