On and On . . .

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2012-01-24T21:35:00.008-05:00

It has certainly been a strange winter in southeast Michigan so far. Officially, we have received only 12 or 13 inches of snow, and whenever we do get some it doesn't stick around for a very long time. Which is too bad, because I really do love snow. In addition, we have had more wind and rain than usual this winter. Icky, cold, driving rain. I just hope that we at least reach our normal snowfall total by the time spring arrives. We have a lot of catching up to do.

Below is a picture of Irma at her birthday party last week. Following that are a few pix taken at our New Year's Eve bash at Wayne & Carol's house. I really need to stay a bit more up-to-date with downloading my photos. There's nothing like looking at New Year's Eve pictures when Groundhog Day is right around the corner.

Irma's 88th birthday.

Jacob got sweaty during the New Year's Eve air hockey tournament.

Muffin was decked out in a party hat and his snazzy, new glasses.

After beating numerous opponents, Steve came out as the annual air hockey victor and took home the "Millennium Cup."

Showers of Fun

2012-01-17T22:54:00.005-05:00

We have been plenty busy around our house lately, and, luckily, it has not been all work and no play. Last weekend, we were invited to several parties and had an awesome time at each of them. On Saturday afternoon, I attended a baby shower for Cobra's daughter, Marilyn. Marilyn was just as cute as a button waddling around with her own little girl ready to pop out any day now. She received so many adorable baby clothes that if her soon-to-be-born child isn't named to the baby best-dressed list something is seriously amiss. Following the shower, we went over to Cobra's house to party with the guys who had been hanging out there with Cobra's hubby. We continued to consume the leftover shower grub until we could eat no more. Everyone had a great time chatting, drinking, and watching football. On Sunday, the family met up at Nancy's house to celebrate Irma's 88th birthday. I actually have photos from all of these shindigs and will add some to the blog as soon as I get a chance!

Jim was in Michigan for the long weekend and flew back to Texas this morning. While he was at the condo, we managed to finally put away our Christmas tree and holiday decorations. We are hoping to clean out our "basement" room next week when Jim is in town so we can think about moving our very old furniture down there from the living room. While our couches are still quite comfy, if we did not have rugs and blankets underneath the cushions they would probably sag right through to the floor. I think it is about time to replace what Adam mockingly refers to as the "garish blue" furniture.

Next week, Jacob has his mid-term exams at school. He has so much studying to do for those, yet his teachers insist on giving him tons of additional homework. What are they thinking? Besides his regular school work, he has a formal essay for world lit and a history project (10 pages - ugh!) due on Friday. And, he was just given those two assignments last Friday. Could they not have squeezed them in earlier in the semester instead of right before mid-terms? Oh well! It will be work, work, work for a few more weeks, then Jacob gets a week off for his mid-winter break in late February. Nobody is looking forward to that more than him!

This and That

2012-01-09T20:59:00.010-05:00

When Jacob, Adam, and I arrived in Houston last Tuesday, I was delighted that the temperatures were above normal and the sun was shining. I spent a lot of time outdoors, wore t-shirts & flip-flops, and marveled at the fact that none of our neighbors opened up their windows to let the lovely 77-degree air into their homes. I threw open our windows, went for some walks, worked a bit in the yard, and played 18 holes of disc golf with Jacob and Adam. On a negative note, we were annoyed that the internet at our Texas house was once again not working - that happens far too often - and we had to have a repair person over both Wednesday and Thursday before it was finally fixed. On Friday night, Jim, Jacob, Adam, and I went out to dinner, then to a Houston Aeros hockey game. The Aeros are the minor league team for the Minnesota Wild, and one of Jim's co-workers was able to score us some awesome seats. It was a fun evening despite the fact that the team lost pitifully to the last place Rockford IceHogs.

On Saturday morning, Jacob, Adam, and I hopped back into Adam's Jeep to begin our drive to Colorado. After 10 hours or so on the road, we were finally out of Texas and crossing the border into New Mexico. We got a room for the night in Raton, NM and hoped that the weather forecasters were wrong about a winter storm headed for that area. Luckily, we woke up on Sunday to find everything clear and dry, although Adam assured us that even if there had been snow he had the utmost confidence that the Colorado road crews would have no problem keeping the freeways open. We drove from Raton to Denver in three-and-a-half hours, enjoying the beautiful Rocky Mountain scenery enroute. Adam dropped Jacob & me off at the airport for our flights back to Michigan, then he continued on to his apartment. Jake and I had a 40 minute layover in Minneapolis on our way from Denver to Detroit, and, even though we landed in MSP on time, after taxiing and deplaning, we ended up with only about 10 minutes to bolt from gate C9 to gate F10 to catch our connecting flight. Who is the genius in Delta's scheduling department, anyway, who makes flights with short connection times and puts them three concourses apart? Thankfully, Nancy and Steve offered to venture out at midnight to pick us up from DTW, and Jacob managed to squeeze in about 5 hours of sleep before waking up for school today. Now it is back to the old grind!

At the Disc Golf Course, Jacob's first throw landed his Frisbee about 12 feet above our heads in a tree. Adam was able to eventually knock it down with a really long stick.

Unlucky in Kentucky

2012-01-04T23:39:00.009-05:00

I brought Jim to the airport on Monday morning for his flight from Michigan to Texas . Shortly after that, Adam, Jacob, and I hopped into Adam's Jeep to begin our 20-hour drive to join Jim in Houston for the week. Despite a few snow showers and an unexplained traffic jam that slowed us down a bit, our cruise through Ohio was not too bad. We crossed the border into Kentucky just before 3:00 p.m. and everything went quickly downhill.

We had endured snow squalls while tooling through Michigan and Ohio, but other drivers were competent and the roads were treated with salt where necessary. A few miles into Kentucky we came to a complete stop and did not really move again for over an hour. We later found out that the jam we were in was caused by at least one - and possibly several - multi-car pile-ups that had closed the freeway. As we sat waiting for the traffic to clear, it started snowing. When at long last we were able to creep forward a bit, the roads had become very slick. Jacob was our driver at the time, and even though he has had limited experience operating a vehicle in winter weather, he did a wonderful job maneuvering on the slippery freeway. At 5:30, we stopped for gas and dinner, and I took over the task of driving. Sporadic snow squalls continued and the roads alternated between safe & dry and treacherous & icy. Whenever we came across a stretch of ice-covered roadway, all the cars slowed to about 20 m.p.h., which was actually a good thing because even at that speed the Kentuckians managed to skid, slip, and slide into the ditches on both sides of the expressway. Right before our very eyes. Over and over again. In all honesty, the freeway was very perilous at times, but with more experienced drivers and a little bit of salt, everything would have been fine. Throughout it all, however, Kentucky road crews were nowhere to be found. At least not on I-71 or I-65. What should have been a 3-and-a-half-hour drive through the state took us over 7 frustrating hours. We didn't get to our Monday night Arkansas destination until 2:45 a.m.CST instead of our planned 11:30 p.m. arrival. Ugh.

Our ride on Tuesday was much smoother and we reached our Texas house in time for dinner. The Houston weather today was warm and lovely, and it is very odd to hear lawn mowers buzzing and air conditioners running in January. It also seems strange to see our neighbors' houses decorated & aglow with Christmas lights right next to blooming petunias and impatiens. Just typical life in the south, I suppose.

Bowling

2011-12-30T23:13:00.008-05:00

Twelve bowlers and five spectators showed up at a local bowling alley on Tuesday to help Jacob observe his 15th birthday. Despite a few, um, fairly low scores, everyone had a fab time. (And some people actually did quite well.) I just love the automatic scorekeepers that are now standard at all bowling establishments. I only wish they would have had those back when I was on a league!

Steve, Jacob, and Muffin prepared to roll a frame.

There was a lot of smart-alecky hugging going on - especially between Jacob and Adam.

Soon others joined in on the hugging thing and numerous group hugs ensued.

On the Go

2011-12-26T23:13:00.006-05:00

We have been as busy as bees this past week preparing for, and then celebrating, Christmas. All of our hard work paid off handsomely, as our holiday ended up being tons of fun. Jim has been in Michigan for ten days now, and Adam showed up at our doorstep on Friday morning just as we were all waking up to get Jacob off to his last day of school in 2011. Adam's solo drive from Colorado was filled with one obstacle after another, including some inevitable snow squalls and a stop by an over-ambitious Iowa state trooper, who asked him to unzip his snowboard bag to prove that it did not contain a gun. Adam was let go by the officer with a "warning" for going 3 miles per hour over the speed limit. Whoa - slow down, Speed Racer!

Tomorrow is Jacob's 15th birthday and the plan is to meet up with a group of family & friends at a local bowling alley for some fun on the lanes. The rest of the week will be filled with more parties, get-togethers, and general end-of-the-year hoopla. Then it will be on to Texas for some southern-style delight before returning to the old grind in January. Giddyup!

More Birthdays and Such

2011-12-18T23:09:00.009-05:00

This afternoon we gathered at Richie's house to celebrate the birthdays of Richie and Jacob. Jake does not officially turn 15 until the 27th, but seeing as the next few weekends are both kind of busy, we had his party today. Everyone ate KFC, cake, & ice cream, and had a grand time. Jake received a few of his presents, but Jim & I saved most of them to give him on his actual birthday. It is certainly a gift-filled time of year for him. He opened a few packages at the bash, will get more loot on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, then will get the rest of his birthday presents next week. For Jacob, it really is the most wonderful time of the year!

The almost-birthday boy.

Richie holding a gift card and some empty candy wrappers.

Last, but not least, a shot of Adam at his party two weeks ago.

Chicago

2011-12-12T23:56:00.003-05:00

For the past couple of weeks, Nancy's son, Steve, has been working in Texas and Arkansas. He is employed by a land surveying company that is based in Michigan, but has contracts all over the U.S. When he flew off to Dallas, he brought clothes with him appropriate for working outdoors in southern weather. To his surprise, Steve was informed last Thursday that he was needed at a job site in Wisconsin on Sunday. Yes, Wisconsin. Land of cheese and cold.

Since Steve would be driving a company vehicle from Texas to Wisconsin, he would be passing through Illinois. Nancy and I came up with the idea to rendezvous with Steve west of Chicago to pass on his much-needed winter surveying clothing to him. How nice of us, right? Our ulterior motive, however, was to spend the weekend shopping and playing tourist in the Windy City. We did just that.

When we arrived in town, Jacob, Nancy, and I stopped at the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and spent an hour or so at the Skydeck on the 103rd floor. The weather could not have been more cooperative and we could see for what seemed like forever. We ate lunch there, then headed to the "Magnificent Mile" to shop. I cannot remember ever seeing so many pedestrians out and about in freezing cold temperatures happily walking around their city. The downtown Christmas decorations were beautiful and the atmosphere was indeed festive. By the time we were done shopping, it was evening so Jacob, Nancy, and I jumped back into the car to drive to our suburban hotel. Apparently, many of those other holiday shoppers decided to depart the city at the same time because the freeways were at a total standstill. Armed with a map of Chicagoland (that is what the locals call the area, I did not just make that up), the three of us successfully maneuvered our way 30 miles from Lake Michigan to the western suburb of Shaumburg via city streets. After checking into our hotel, we ventured out to purchase a carry-out pizza from the world-famous Uno. We completely stuffed ourselves, watched some TV, and fell asleep.

On Sunday morning, we were all up bright and early, and grabbed a quick breakfast from the hotel lobby. We had arranged to meet Steve in Rockford at 9:00 a.m. for the clothing hand-off and everything went well with that. Later, Jacob, Nancy, and I swung by the largest mall in Illinois - Woodfield Mall - and did a little more shopping. We were on the road again by 2:00 p.m. and back at the condo Sunday evening. What a great, impromptu weekend trip!

Birthdays and Such

2011-12-07T00:08:00.004-05:00

Adam showed up in Michigan on his birthday after spending most of the day in the air, plus a few unexpected hours on the ground in Tokyo when the baggage-compartment-loading-contraption on his 747 malfunctioned. He was supposed to arrive from Singapore last Wednesday in time to go to dinner with a group of us, including the other birthday person, Nancy, but his flight was delayed too long. He finally winged into town around 9:00 p.m. - sans one of his suitcases, which was later found in Chicago - and I whipped him up some birthday macaroni and cheese. We did enjoy dinner out on Friday, and Nancy was able to join us for her second restaurant celebration of the week. On Sunday, we had the family birthday party at the condo and everyone had a merry, ol' time.

Adam is now back in Colorado, where it dipped to a bone chilling -4 degrees the other night, and Jim is back in Texas, where the low temperature is predicted to drop into the upper 20s. Adam says while he was on Diego Garcia and in Singapore that he never felt a temperature lower than 74. In fact, the temps usually hovered in the 80s and 90s. I suppose it was a good thing that he spent a few days in Michigan's 30 & 40 degree weather, as that served as a nice buffer between hot Asia and cold Colorado. A 90+ degree temperature change? Nice if you are heading to the warmer climate, but icky to be going from tropical-hot to below-zero conditions. Brrrr!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-29T23:39:00.004-05:00

We had an absolutely lovely Thanksgiving this year. I spent the morning peeling, cooking, and mashing potatoes while Nancy toiled over the turkey and stuffing and lots of side dishes. We had a plethora of pies, with cousin Chris actually making some with his own hands! (Definitely not the norm for us!) Yum! The food ended up being delicious and all 25 of us had a wonderful time. We later played one of our most nail-biting games of Taboo ever, with the girls pulling out a last-minute victory and winning by one point!

Adam was still on Diego Garcia on Thanksgiving Day and, apparently, the U.S. military folks put out quite a spread for everyone. Then, as if one huge meal wasn't enough, the British police hosted a shindig on Thursday as well. I believe that they called it a Thanksgiving dinner, even though those silly Brits don't even celebrate the holiday. Adam said that they use any excuse to party out there at their Indian Ocean outpost.

I completely forgot to take any pictures at our bash, but one of Adam's fellow grad students snapped a picture of him. Adam is currently winging his way home from southeast Asia and, after traveling for some 24 hours, he will arrive in Detroit tomorrow evening - his birthday. With all of the time zones he is passing through, and by crossing the international dateline, his birthday this year will last for around 37 hours.

Adam enjoying his second Thanksgiving meal of the day with a British (I think) police officer.

The Accent Wall

2011-11-23T23:59:00.007-05:00

Jim, Jacob, and I painted the living/dining room of the condo this week. We have been discussing this for over a year now and were finally - for some unknown reason - motivated enough to tackle the job. The three of us pored over scores of paint swatches and samples until we found the perfect colors. We agreed on a medium brown shade for most of the room, applied a thick coat yesterday, and were very pleased with the result. We then chose a darker brown hue for the wall with our fireplace on it to serve as an "accent wall." Yes, we do occasionally watch HGTV, and, yes, that is where we learned the term "accent wall." (Jim and Jacob have also spent the last few days speaking with cheesy French accents each time I utter the words "accent wall" - as in, "Oui, oui, vee vill paint zee wall madam." So goes my life with wannabe stand-up comics.) We rolled the darker paint onto the fireplace wall this afternoon and waited patiently for it to dry. Nothing quite like watching paint dry. The supposedly darker shade appeared almost identical to the one on the rest of the walls. The paint swatches promised contrast, but there was little to be found. The "accent wall" looks lovely, as do the other walls. I just feel that people will think we ran out of paint or something, hurried back to the store to try to pick a shade similar to the other walls, then mistakenly came home with a color close, but not quite right. It doesn't really look like an "accent wall." It looks more like an "accident wall."

Lessons in Lunging

2011-11-19T23:54:00.010-05:00

On Tuesday afternoon, Jacob sent me a text from the school bus that he had just hurt his leg during 6th hour gym class. His physical education course recently switched over from swimming to running and Jacob has come home fairly sore some days. This time seemed more serious, though, so I drove to the bus stop to pick him up. Jacob was in quite a bit of pain when he hobbled into the car. He complained that something had "pulled or popped" in the area of the hamstring on his left thigh. I wondered how he would be able to complete his required running the rest of the week if he really had a significant injury. I decided to call the doctor to see if Jacob could go in to have everything checked out. In the meantime I asked Jacob to describe exactly what had happened, and he replied that the class had done their usual stretches, then gone upstairs to run on the elevated track. After running 10 minutes or so, the teacher told everyone to stop and lunge. Jacob said that the kids all came to a halt and confusedly looked at each other saying, "What's a lunge?" The teacher instructed the class how to lunge, the runners lunged, and Jacob evidently lunged with much gusto because that is when his muscle stretched too far. When he could barely make it up the condo steps, I gave him some ice for his injury, then phoned the doctor's office for some advice. To make a long story short, Jacob's hamstring was not "pulled" but rather was "strained." His treatment consisted of rest, ice, elevation, and ibuprofen. He was given a doctor's note to forgo running in gym on Wednesday so as not to further aggravate the strain. By Thursday he felt a lot better and was able to work out with the class. On Friday Jacob completed his compulsory 12 minute run. I told him to take it easy from now on because each Friday the mandatory running time will be going up by two minutes. He does not need more lunging injuries - or any injuries for that matter - especially with all of the stairs we have to climb at our three-story condo.

Skype

2011-11-16T23:02:00.011-05:00

The leaps and bounds that technology has made in the past two decades never cease to amaze me. I was excited to get my first microwave oven in the late 80s. When I bought a computer in the early 90s, it was awesome. I was thrilled when I finally owned a cell phone in the late 90s - it felt just plain crazy to be able to make a call from anywhere I chose. When the internet came along, I was smitten. In love. How did I ever manage without it? This past summer I finally got a data plan for my cell phone. Internet on my phone? It doesn't get much better than that!

Now I Skype, too. I find it astounding to be able to chat with and see someone on my computer when they are actually very far away. Jake and I have had Skype accounts for a year or so. We initially set them up to talk to Jim while he is in Texas and we are in Michigan. We all see each other so frequently, though, that we haven't really used it for that purpose. When we do Skype, it is usually with Adam from his Colorado apartment. Since Adam took off to Diego Garcia last month, we have Skyped with him twice. It still seems miraculous to me that we are able to talk to, and see, Adam live when he is 10,000 miles from here.

I took pictures of Adam while I was chatting with him on my little - and apparently very dirty - netbook the other night. Adam picked up his laptop and walked over to the beach near his DG office so I could check things out.

My screen doesn't do justice to the beauty of Adam's beach and lagoon. Notice the Navy ships anchored off in the distance.

When It Rains, It Pours

2011-11-12T20:55:00.013-05:00

A few weeks ago, we discovered a damp spot on the dining room ceiling at our condo. We called our management company to send someone out to check the problem. A construction guy showed up the next day and told us that a sprinkler line appeared to be leaking. He said that he could not work on sprinklers and we would have to notify our management people to arrange for someone from the "fire protection" group to do that. As he walked out the door, he smirked, "Hope your pipe doesn't burst!" A week later, a worker from the "fire protection" firm was finally available to come check our now-dripping ceiling. He cut some holes in the drywall and found that there was no sprinkler line anywhere near the leak. Naturally, he was only authorized to work on sprinklers, so he recommended that we call our management company to arrange for a licensed plumber to repair what seemed to be a dripping pipe. As he walked out the door, he quipped, "Hope your pipe doesn't burst!" Six days later, a plumber came to the condo. He peeked at the leak, declared that the problem originated at an upstairs toilet, and proceeded to fix what he called an improperly-installed commode. I now have a new respect for licensed plumbers because - after one construction worker, one sprinkler man, and two weeks of the management company passing the buck - this guy diagnosed and fixed the problem in about 45 minutes. Jake and I had used the upstairs bathrooms sparingly throughout this whole ordeal, and I can assure you that it is once again nice to be able to go to the restroom during the night without trudging down the stairs.

Believe it or not, the dining room ceiling in the Texas house now also has a leak. The issue down there is a roofing problem which was repaired earlier this year, but apparently was not quite patched up correctly. Jim noticed the drip there after two-and-a-half rare (for this year) inches of rain fell the other day. Hopefully any more precipitation will hold off until a worker can mend the roof.

I really started to worry when the condo ceiling actually started dripping water.

We will have to live a while longer with our hole-y drywall since the wood is slightly damp up there. Things should dry more quickly if we leave the ceiling open.

Pictures from Afar

2011-11-08T22:24:00.014-05:00

Adam has finally managed to send some photos from his post in the Indian Ocean. To be fair, he said that the internet connection is slow and it took almost an hour to upload these pictures. The weather certainly looks pleasant out there, which I believe is not in the best interest of the DYNAMO climate study. I'm sure it is making for some delightfully fun days for the scientists, though.

Adam ready to launch a balloon.

This "shipping crate" serves as the DYNAMO office.

The inside of the office appears to be in a state of organized chaos. Notice the cot leaning against the far wall. Apparently it was not nap time when this shot was taken.

A Diego Garcia beach. This one is a hop, skip, and jump from the office.

The exterior of the Navy Gateway Inn and Suites.

Adam's digs as seen from one direction.

The room from another direction. I know Adam has become somewhat of a neat freak lately, but - really - where is his stuff?

Radiosondes and Recreation

2011-11-05T21:26:00.007-04:00

Things seem to be going well over on Diego Garcia for Adam and his research partners. The three grad students and their technician have divided up their work days into three shifts. During each shift, a number of weather balloons are launched and then monitored for up to two hours each. The balloons carry an instrument pack called a radiosonde that transmits atmospheric data back to a computer. Once the balloon reaches 80,000 feet or so, it bursts and everything just falls back to earth. I asked Adam how they can be sure that their meteorology junk doesn't interfere with passing planes and he assured me that the radiosonde & balloon are so lightweight that an aircraft would annihilate them on contact. Plus, they do contact air traffic control prior to each launch. Weather balloons are deployed twice each day - every single day - at over 800 locations around the globe, so I suppose if they were problematic to aircraft we would have heard about it by now.

The area where the DYNAMO office is set up on Diego Garcia was previously a "tent city" for troops during the height of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is empty now except for several work trailers and some probably-high-tech and necessary scientific weather devices. Adam said that curious Navy and Air Force personnel have dropped by to visit, and some friendly military guys gave them a cot for napping during their overnight shifts. (Napping? Are they in kindergarten? Geez, I'm glad they are not the air traffic controllers!) There is a beautiful beach steps away from their work place and Adam said he has gone for a dip or two, maybe between balloon launches? He eats meals at the Officer's Club, cruises around the island in some sort of nice-looking Ford truck, and has even attempted to windsurf. Hopefully some pictures will arrive any day now, as I am looking forward to seeing what this Shangri-la looks like. I'm sure Adam will send some as soon he gets a break from the horribly laborious life he is leading there.

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Around the World

2011-10-30T22:19:00.018-04:00

Adam departed his Colorado apartment eight days ago just prior to 6 o'clock in the morning. Twenty-eight hours, three flights, and two continents later, he found himself at a snazzy hotel in Singapore. Adam's stay in southeast Asia was brief, as it was merely the point where he had to rendezvous with a U.S. military aircraft in order to reach his destination of Diego Garcia. He did make the most of his short visit to Singapore, though, by taking a tour of the city. And, thank goodness he knew not to chew gum there because it is against the law and punishable by a fine of up to $1,000. I am assuming that Singapore must be one tidy city!

Adam and his atmospheric science colleagues met up with their transportation to DG - a U.S. Air Force C-17 - on Tuesday afternoon at a Singaporean air base. Apparently, the huge military plane provided an interesting ride. While snapping photos of the outside of the aircraft was prohibited, pictures could be taken inside. Diego Garcia houses a U.S. Navy base that has graciously allowed (or been monetarily compensated to allow?) the DYNAMO climate project to operate from there. Upon arrival on the island, Adam and the others settled into their hotel rooms, then went through some training with the grad students that had already been there for the past month. While chatting with Adam on Skype this afternoon - and our Skype connection was less than perfect; actually it was not very good at all - Jim, Jacob, and I learned more about the research work that is going on in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Adam's weather balloon launches sound quite intriguing and I will post more about them in my next DG update.

Student of the Month

2011-10-27T16:32:00.005-04:00

Jacob was recently chosen as one of the "Students of the Month" for October at the high school. Around 60 kids out of 6,300 are given the honor each month. To be eligible, Jacob had to go to class prepared, participate and contribute, treat teachers and peers with respect, etc., etc. We were invited to an early morning ceremony last week where Jacob received a couple of certificates, a hearty handshake from his vice principal, and some enthusiastic applause. And a bagel and juice for breakfast. All in all, it was a nice little reception and we are, of course, very proud of Jacob.

The Maize

2011-10-24T17:35:00.005-04:00

On Sunday afternoon the weather was unusually nice in southeast Michigan. Jacob, Nancy, Richie, Jean, Jenna, and I decided to take a trip to a local corn maze. This particular maze is one of the largest and most difficult in the state. In fact, they sell maps in sealed envelopes for $1.00 in case you get hopelessly lost among the corn stalks. If you make it to the exit without opening your envelope, they will refund your $1.00. We walked up & down row after row of corn. We passed the same groups of people over and over again. We probably traveled through the same intersections repeatedly. We contemplated peeking at our map, but resisted the urge. Fifty-five minutes after entering the maze, we triumphantly emerged with our envelopes unopened. We sure were proud to get our map money back.

Jacob sauntered down a path.

Jenna got up close and personal with some stalks.

Lost, but not too worried.

Focused

2011-10-20T20:52:00.004-04:00

Jacob had his final 80-question driver's ed test this afternoon. He passed. As soon as class was over, he bounded out of school and hopped into the car. We then zipped over to the Secretary of State office and arrived five minutes before they closed. Luckily, that gave us just enough time to pick up Jacob's learner's permit. (And, oddly, none of the other 21 kids from his class showed up to get their permits today.) Once he was legal, Jacob climbed behind the wheel and, after taking an abnormally long time backing out of our parking space, proceeded to drive us home. He did a great job!

Jacob cruising down Cherry Hill Road.

South of the Equator

2011-10-17T19:20:00.008-04:00

This weekend, Adam will be taking off on a five-and-a half week long expedition to the other side of the world. From Denver he will fly to Singapore via San Francisco and Hong Kong. After spending two days in Singapore, he will hop onto a U.S. military aircraft for a six-hour flight to the island of Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia is a small atoll in the middle of the Indian Ocean that has no commercial airport, just a U.S. military base. Adam and two other atmospheric science graduate students are going there to participate in a climate research project called "Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation," or DYNAMO. Diego Garcia is tropical, hot, & humid, and appears to be quite scenic. If I can persuade Adam to send me some pictures while he is there, I will post them.

Flea Market Fracas

2011-10-13T21:55:00.007-04:00

Last Friday and Saturday, Nancy and I booked a table at the Finnish Center Flea Market to sell some of our old stuff. Nancy had a lot of nice things for sale, I had a few items, and Irma donated several pieces of jewelry. When the doors opened Friday morning, lots of shoppers came pouring into the flea market. Not very many stopped at our table despite the fact that we had awesome items at very reasonable prices. Luckily, Nancy was able to sell some of her pieces of fancy crystal, or we might not have even made enough money to pay the price of our table. After buying lunch for myself, any profit that I earned had disappeared. We looked forward to the next day, as Saturday shoppers typically come in droves and make big purchases.

The next morning, flea market customers were few and far between. Nancy and I walked around a bit and discovered that the lady in charge of the sale had decided to lock the front doors of the Finnish Center for the day. We found a sign outside telling people to use a side door. We were confused. It ends up that a few of the Finnish Center bigwigs had set up flea market tables - free tables, I might add - in a side room and wanted to corral shoppers past their wares before they went into the large, main selling room. The problem, however, was that most customers just tried the front doors, found them locked, and then left. Or, if they did find their way to the side door, they thought that the whole sale was in that small room, and exclaimed, "This is all there is?" I can't tell you how many people walked away. Nancy and I spoke to "Lady-in-Charge" and politely asked her to unlock the front doors. She refused. We talked to her husband, who is an executive on the FC board and who also had a selling table in the side room. He agreed to unlock the doors. "Lady-in-Charge" saw her husband opening the front doors and all hell broke loose. After she screamed at him, she screamed at us. She wanted those doors locked and that was that. There was no reasoning with her and she proceeded to rudely tell everyone that she had the right to make that decision. Word spread through the flea market like wildfire and many vendors were so frustrated with her decision that they vowed never to come back. At the end of the day, the doors stayed locked and we made very little money. If nothing else, though, it was definitely the most interesting flea market in which we had ever participated!

Beware of Student Driver

2011-10-07T21:41:00.006-04:00

After waiting 14 years and 9 months, Jacob finally reached the legal age to take driver's education in Michigan. His class began this week and, besides sitting through 8 hours of lessons, he has also driven twice. In an actual car. On real roads. For a total of 120 minutes. Driving has always been one of Jacob's dreams, so, as you can imagine, he is beyond thrilled. His driving instructors - or "coaches," as they are called at this school - say that he has done a great job on the road so far. Hopefully he will keep up the good work because soon they will be taking him on the freeway and letting him accelerate a two-ton vehicle to 70 miles an hour. Jacob has a few more weeks of classroom work and 4 more hours behind the wheel with a "coach" before he earns his learner's permit. I have a feeling that once that happens, I will be sitting in the passenger seat and Jacob will insist on driving everywhere.

East of the Border

2011-09-30T20:09:00.006-04:00

My birthday present from Nancy this year was a day-long bus trip to a casino in Canada, just across the St. Clair River from Port Huron. Nancy, Richie, and I met up with the bus early Tuesday morning at the Finnish Center. We were definitely the youngsters on board the coach, surrounded by a crowd of old Finns. We picked up another group of gamblers enroute to Canada, most of them elderly women who apparently felt that wearing massive amounts of perfume would make them appealing or attractive or something. Or maybe they had just become hard-of-smelling in their old age.

The casino was great. It was just the right size - not so big that you got lost, yet not small, either. The place had a nice variety of slots and was pleasantly uncrowded. We all played a long time with the comp money given to us by the casino. We ate lunch at a lovely restaurant overlooking the river. At the end of the day, Nancy and Richie actually won some cash and I was happy to break even.

On our bus ride home we ran into rush hour traffic and rain. Fortunately, the previously overly fragrant ladies had lost most of their scent during the day. We arrived back at the Finnish Center around 6 p.m. and headed home. We all had a fun time and look forward to another casino bus trip in the future.

September Shindig

2011-09-26T22:31:00.008-04:00

Yesterday we had the family celebration for those of us with September birthdays. Nancy hosted the bash and everyone had a boatload of fun. The weather was nice so we were able to party both inside and out. All in all, it was a great day!

Julia and Muffin strategically placed the candles on the cakes. Pattye and I were unable to blow out all of our candles in one breath. Laura, on the other hand, was successful.

Lights Out

2011-09-22T22:41:00.003-04:00

I was leaving Richie's house the other night and flicked the CRV lights on as I backed out of his driveway. Richie was standing in his garage and I absolutely could not believe it when he waved his arms and told me that my right headlight was not working. Back in May, three head lamps burned out within a week on the CRV. What is going on with that? Jim is flying in from Texas tomorrow so I decided to once again leave the bulb-changing task for him. Hopefully this next headlight will stay lit for more than four months. Oy.

Hay Fever Season

2011-09-18T15:37:00.004-04:00

I don't know about anyone else, but my allergies have been on the warpath recently. I was pretty congested when I was in Texas in early August and things did not improve (as I hoped they might) when I arrived back in Michigan a month ago. The congestion, headaches, scratchy throat, goopy eyes, sneezing, and coughing have just gone on and on. I have checked out allergy reports online and discovered that both weed pollen and mold spores have been in the high to very-high range around here. Ugh! My allergies had not been too bad the past few years, so I suspected that maybe I was "outgrowing" them; something my mother told me would happen eventually. Ha - no such luck! Now all I can do is take allergy pills as I wait patiently for the first good freeze that will kill most of the ragweed in southeast Michigan. Hopefully that day will come sooner rather than later this fall. This week would be fine with me.

North of the Border

2011-09-12T21:49:00.008-04:00

This past weekend, Jim and I jetted off to Alberta, Canada. Jim's company's headquarters is located in Calgary and the company was throwing a shindig for their "Long Service" employees. (Jim has in 30 years!) We departed Detroit on Friday morning and stopped in Chicago enroute. While at O'Hare Airport, we needed to get from one concourse to another, so we followed signs to the "Gates E & F Shuttle." Both Jim and I were amused to find that in order to reach our connecting gate, we had to schelp our luggage down two flights of stairs in a dingy, concrete stairwell, walk outside to the ramp between two aircraft, and climb into an old van, where we then proceeded to be driven across the the bustling tarmac dodging taxiing planes and speeding luggage carts. We found it difficult to believe that in this day and age, at the world's 4th busiest airport, that there was not some sort of tram or train to whisk us between concourses. Odd. When we finally arrived at our gate, we discovered that our flight would be taking off about an hour late because a tire on the main landing gear of our airplane needed to be replaced. The captain was so chatty, amiable, and friendly that no one even minded the delay. His words of wisdom were, "we'd rather be on the ground wishing we were in the air than in the air wishing we were on the ground." Very true!

Jim and I arrived in Calgary to find much warmer-than-usual temperatures and beautiful blue skies. We spent the remainder of Friday walking around downtown, eating, drinking, and spending a few dollars at the local casino. On Saturday morning, we were signed up for a tour of Banff and had to meet our group at 7:45 a.m. in our hotel lobby. The 8-hour bus trip to the Canadian Rockies was simply wonderful and included numerous sightseeing stops, a gondola ride to the top of a mountain, an amazing lunch, and time for shopping. We arrived back at the hotel with an hour and a half to get ready for the "Awards Dinner" that night. There were company people from all across the U.S. and Canada in town for the weekend and Jim reconnected with some other "Long Service" employees that he hadn't seen in years. All in all, Jim and I had a great time and realized that it has been almost 20 years since the two of us have traveled anywhere without at least one of the boys in tow. Yesterday, Jim flew to Houston and I flew back to Detroit. Our flights were uneventful, which is a good thing considering it was the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and security was extra tight. The next time we will be eligible to attend the "Long Service Awards Dinner" will be in 2016 when Jim logs in 35 years. I hope he is still with the company then because it sure was a fun couple of days!

At the top of Sulphur Mountain. The little building at the peak above Jim's left shoulder is a weather station. We would have hiked over to it if we had more time.

Jim and I posed near a waterfall in the Rockies.

The town of Banff as seen from the gondola.

Curious Climate

2011-09-07T23:38:00.004-04:00

The weather here in Michigan has been downright wacky lately. Our typical high this time of year is in the upper 70s. On Friday I was at Norm's pizzeria and - holy moly - I cannot remember ever feeling so hot. The temperature outside had risen to 99 degrees and the combination of heat, humidity, and 550 degree pizza ovens opening & shutting caused me to sweat more than I ever had before. I was not a pleasant sight.

It cooled off considerably over the weekend, and on Monday the high temps had dropped 30 degrees from Friday's oppressiveness. Yesterday and today, as Jacob walked to the high school bus stop at 6:10 a.m. (Eeew, too early!), it was in the low 50s. Today's high was only 64.

The weather in Texas has cooled off somewhat, too. Well, at least they are having normal highs of 91 or so instead of highs in the 100s. The horrible drought continues there, though, and the forecast does not call for any rain in the near future. The tropical storms this year seem to make landfall to the east and to the southwest of Houston, but never close enough to drop any precipitation at our house. Some of the numerous Texas wildfires have reached the county that neighbors ours and, in my opinion, that is a bit too close for comfort. It is weird that so much of the country is deluged with floodwater, yet the Lone Star State is dry as a bone. What's up with that, anyway?

Slipping Through my Fingers

2011-08-31T23:40:00.006-04:00

Last Friday Jacob picked up his 9th grade schedule. Yes, that's right, my baby is starting high school. It was weird enough that my firstborn entered his second year of grad school last week, now my youngest is officially a high school freshman. Where have the years gone?

Anyway, Jacob got a pretty good schedule. Our local high school is huge and is situated on a 305 acre "campus" that includes three large, separate buildings housing over 6,200 students. Five of Jacob's six classes are in the same school, but his fourth hour is in one of the other buildings, which will require him to trudge back and forth outside in all kinds of weather - rain, shine, hot, cold, snow, ice, etc. Adam managed to do that when he was a student there, so no biggie.

School begins next Tuesday and, hopefully, Jacob will not only be successful, but he will somehow be able to enjoy himself, too. Do any teens really love doing schoolwork, though? I doubt it.

Week in Review

2011-08-27T22:13:00.005-04:00

Another week has zipped right on by. On Monday morning, Jim, Jacob, and I dropped Adam off at the airport for his return flight to Denver. We then drove to the Detroit Zoo where we met Nancy, Carey, Barb, Abey, and Josh. We all stayed for hours and I am happy to report that a lot of animals were actually up and active, which seems to be an unusual occurrence whenever I visit a zoo. Early Tuesday, I brought Jim to the airport so he could catch a plane back to Houston. Naturally, his flight was delayed, and, as a result, he was late to work. There was also a small earthquake on Tuesday that was felt by lots of people in Michigan, but not by anyone that I know. On Wednesday, there were severe storms around town. Thursday morning, Jake and I had to wake up at 6:10 so he could get to the 9th grade high school orientation at 6:45. In addition, he had his dyslexia tutoring in the afternoon and managed to stay awake despite getting very little sleep the night before. On Friday, we rolled out of bed at 6:30 a.m. in order to get to the high school for Jacob's 7:30 time slot to pick up his fall schedule. (Whose great idea was it, anyway, to make teenagers and their parents rise at such horribly early hours during summer vacation? Bad idea. Yawn.) This afternoon, Jacob, Nancy, Steve, Richie, and I tried our luck at our local 9-hole Disc Golf Course. Steve was the victor and we had a lot of fun until the mosquitoes began swarming us around the 7th hole, forcing us to spend more time swatting them than throwing our frisbees. I talked to Jim a few times today and felt sorry for him in Texas, as the high temperature there reached 109 steaming-hot degrees. Geez. I am now watching the Weather Channel to keep tabs on Hurricane Irene, as we have nine family members in the path of the storm. Hope everyone stays safe and dry!

Abey and Josh popped their heads up to get a close up view of the prairie dogs at the zoo.

This guy - or gal - amused me. Can't remember if it was a gorilla or an ape or a baboon.

Happy Days

2011-08-21T21:27:00.012-04:00

We have had a hectic few days ever since we left Texas on Tuesday. Family members arrived in Michigan from far and wide all last week in anticipation of Laura's wedding. Yesterday's nuptials, originally scheduled to take place outdoors, had to be moved inside due to a passing thunderstorm. The couple's vows were punctuated by an extremely loud clap of thunder at a very appropriate time during the ceremony. Mother Nature works in strange and mysterious ways. We had a great time at the reception and were excited to have all but one of our clan in attendance. (We missed you, Kim!)

The newlyweds left for their honeymoon cruise this morning and the rest of us gathered at our condo for the family's August birthday celebration. The weather cooperated nicely today. We enjoyed temperatures in the upper 70s and a lovely brisk breeze. (So refreshing after enduring that scorching Houston heat the past few weeks.) Tomorrow people start heading back to their home states and by Thursday all should be back to work. Looking forward to the next family shindig.

A blurry family picture. I'm sure the official wedding photographer got some better shots!

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Laura and Rob cutting their awesome cake.

Grandma with (almost all of) her grandkids.

Jacob dancing with Samantha.

The five August birthday peeps.

Birthday Weekend

2011-08-15T23:17:00.010-04:00

Jim celebrated his birthday on Friday. He had to work - and he said it was a very busy day at the office - but we did manage to get out to dinner in the evening. On Saturday, we were signed up for a boat tour of the Houston Shipping Channel. The 90-minute cruise was quite interesting. It was not overly informative, but was fun nevertheless. Since the whole area is government-owned and secure, we weren't allowed to take any pictures. On Sunday, we had some of Jim's work friends and their families over to the house. One guy is into brewing homemade beer and he brought along numerous samples, which we all enjoyed. The merriment will continue next weekend in Michigan when we have a party for all of the family members with August birthdays.

Jim received some yummy homemade beer as a gift.

Jake and I surprised Jim with some nifty presents.

The pool is as clear as it has ever been. The water temperature hovers between 88 and 93 degrees.

Six Months

2011-08-09T22:26:00.005-04:00

What began as a delightful spring in Houston has turned into a downright unpleasant summer. Rainfall has been well below average and temperatures have been far above normal for a very long time. Here is my month-by-month synopsis of the past half year at our Texas house.

March - Temps were lovely, 60s and 70s. Neighbors turned on their air conditioners, even though it was absolutely perfect weather for opening windows.
April - Warmed up nicely. Pool water jumped into the 80s. Spent lots of time walking, biking, swimming, and working on the yard. Really enjoyed wearing shorts and flip-flops here while it was still below freezing in Michigan.
May - Weather really heated up. Highs in the 90s, humidity climbed. I perspired whenever I left the house, sometimes even inside the house. Became more and more intolerable for outdoor activities.
June - Temps were super hot. Felt sorry for anyone working outdoors in the sizzling heat. I don't know how they managed. Pool water soared to 90 degrees, but it still felt good compared to the 98 degree air.
July - Just sweltering outside. I broke out in a sweat every time I had to walk the few feet from one air conditioned venue to another. Wouldn't even consider making the grueling trek to the street to check the mailbox.
August - Unbelievably miserable. 100 degrees every stinking day. Why anyone chooses to live in this state is beyond me. Too hot to walk or bike ride without risking heat exhaustion. Seriously. Ugh.

Jacob, Jim, and I are all heading back up north soon for Laura's wedding. Summertime in Texas has certainly given me a new appreciation for midwestern weather. I am so used to stepping outside here and feeling as if I am walking into a blast furnace that anything below 90 degrees will seem cool. Remind me of that when I start whining about Michigan's heat and humidity next week.

The Best Man

2011-08-04T23:49:00.015-04:00

Last month, Adam's U of M roommate, Mike, married Andrea, Adam's friend from elementary school. The bridal party consisted of all of Adam's pals, including one girl he first met when they were only 4-years-old. The childhood chums all became so close over the years that another parent and I referred to them as "the group." When Andrea first began dating Mike during their freshman year of college, he quickly melded with the posse and was welcomed with open arms. To make a long wedding story short, the big day was simply lovely, the kids (sorry, I mean the adults) all looked fantastic, and the whole idea that someone from "the group" was old enough to get married stirred up a lot of emotion among the parents. I mean, wasn't it just yesterday that we were helping them with spelling words and multiplication tables? Sigh - where does the time go?

The best man and the groom.

Adam escorted the two maids-of-honor after the ceremony.

Adam gave his best man speech at the reception.

The wedding party staged a fake-fighting pose for the photographer.

Travel Woes

2011-07-31T19:15:00.002-04:00

Adam, Jacob, and I left Michigan on Tuesday afternoon to drive to Colorado. The traffic jams we encountered on the road were simply hideous, including a stretch in Illinois where it took us 55 long minutes to crawl five miles on I-80. We eventually stopped in York, Nebraska to find a place to stay for the night and were disappointed that every hotel at the exit was booked. We ended up at a dingy-looking Super 8 that had vacancy, and were pleasantly surprised that our room was actually quite nice. On Wednesday morning when we set out for the rest of our drive, we were dismayed to discover that the battery was dead in Adam's Jeep. After no one in the hotel lobby would agree to jump start the vehicle, I called AAA and used my road service for the very first time. The battery was so far gone that I had to keep my foot on the accelerator to keep the motor from dying. I drove two-footed - left foot on the brake and right foot revving the engine - out of the Super 8 lot and across a major highway to a Walmart where, fortunately, the mechanics were able to replace the battery in about 10 minutes. Whew. We arrived at Adam's apartment six hours later.

Jacob and I stayed in Colorado until Friday, when we were scheduled to fly to Houston. We carefully monitored Tropical Storm Don, which was due to hit the Texas coast Friday evening. Sure enough, we arrived at Denver's airport and found all the flights to Houston delayed. Luckily, the storm ended up striking far south of Houston and we arrived there only an hour late. Naturally, it is as hot as blazes here in the Lone Star state, but we are having a fun time running from the air-conditioned house to the air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned stores. And we're doing lots of swimming to keep cool in the 100 degree heat. We still have an exceptional drought going down here, so a bit of rain would be welcome. But, please, no hurricanes for our poor, unprepared house.

Camping

2011-07-24T23:19:00.008-04:00

Jim, Adam, Jacob, and I just returned home from our annual friends-and-family camping trip. We had a big crowd this year - 26 people in all. The weather was the warmest it has been in a long time, and the only rain that fell came in the form of a quick shower while everyone was sleeping on Saturday night. We had a blast frolicking on the beach, cooking over the campfire, playing frisbee, canoeing, walking, talking, eating, drinking, and telling anecdotes of past trips. (One of the more popular stories was of the time our group walked in a parade. Most of the twenty-somethings & younger had never heard about this rather embarrassing venture from long ago.) It was nice to welcome back Char this year, who has missed the "Bear" trip for the last decade or so due to work commitments. Hooray for her recent retirement! Unfortunately, there were also some very aggressive ground bees hanging around our campsite and 11 - yes, 11 - people were stung by the pesky critters. Luckily, the stings were minor and no one had a reaction - other than a few choice words for the annoying insects.

The group cavorted on a beautiful Lake Michigan beach.

Adam and Hollie tried to beat the heat.

Seven hardy souls started out on a grueling 4+ hour hike across the sand dunes. Three dropped out early. Four completed the trek.

Adam and Julia assessed the coastline.

Lots of digging and building took place at the lakeshore.

Upper Peninsula

2011-07-17T22:55:00.009-04:00

Jim and Adam drove from Colorado to the U.P. last week to meet up with the rest of us. We visited our little cabin on Lake Superior, where - despite the fact that the black flies were out in full force & the water temperature was 55 bone-chilling degrees - we had a great time. We also toured the very interesting Quincy Copper Mine in nearby Hancock. After several days of eating pasties and roaming around the area, we headed back to the Lower Peninsula to prepare for the wedding of Adam's old roommate. Pictures of that event will follow soon.

Adam and Jacob built a sand neighborhood on our Lake Superior beach.

Jim had a unique way of keeping the pesky black flies off his head.

The boys posed at the beach.

The entrance to the Quincy Mine. We ventured in about a half mile.

Our mine guide showed us an old fault line that went through the wall.

Christmas in July

2011-07-09T23:11:00.005-04:00

Jacob, Nancy, Irma, and I are meandering through the Upper Peninsula, making our way towards Calumet. We left Detroit this morning and, although we could easily make the 570 mile drive in one swoop, we always stop overnight when Irma is with us. Something about 87-year-olds not enjoying sitting in the car for long stretches at a time. We traveled about three quarters of the way to our destination today and ended up in the town of Christmas for the night. We have breezed through this little city many, many times in the past, but - with the exception of dropping in on their local casino for short stints - we never really took the time to check out the area. There are decorated Christmas trees, colorful lights, and holiday displays everywhere. It is quite gimmick-y and cute. I like the atmosphere a lot.

Notice Jacob standing by Santa's boot. The picture is a bit dark because it was taken around 10 p.m. and there were clouds everywhere as well.

The streets in Christmas all have holiday-themed names.

This display is outside of the Christmas casino, where Irma won almost $80 and Nancy & I each dropped $10.

Brushes with Beasts

2011-07-07T23:47:00.005-04:00

I have been doing a lot of walking lately. I usually wait until dusk to go out since the temperature is much more comfortable at that time of day than it is in the middle of the afternoon. The mosquitoes have not been too much of a problem yet this summer and the bats that inevitably appear around twilight are not nearly as plentiful here in Michigan as they are in Texas. (Bats are, in my opinion, the absolute creepiest creatures ever! YUK!) I come across the occasional frog in the neighborhood, or maybe the critters are toads - I don't know if I will ever learn the difference. Typically, though, my walks are uneventful. Jim and I did encounter a fox while on a stroll near Adam's apartment in Colorado in May, but evidently foxes are common to the area. I didn't like that at all.

This evening while walking, I had a chance rendezvous with a skunk. I'm not sure if the weaselly varmint is a regular resident of our condo complex, as I have never smelled any skunk aroma around here. What I do know is that I was really surprised when I spotted the animal right out in the open moseying along on a neighbor's lawn. I'm just relieved that, while I was shocked to see it, I apparently did not frighten or agitate the skunk at all because, happily, I am odor-free. I will have to ask Norm what types of wildlife he comes across while out on his nightly treks, as he walks more than anyone I know. Ever since 2006 he has gone for a walk almost every single day. I'll bet he has some interesting stories about confrontations with animals.

Stormy Weather

2011-07-02T23:22:00.005-04:00

The oppressive Texas heat has found us in Michigan. The "official" temperature reached 98 degrees today at Metro Airport. It climbed to 100 degrees at nearby Willow Run Airport. I checked the Houston temps from this afternoon, and, naturally, they recorded a high of 100. It would have been rare for Detroit to top Houston. Everything is bigger in Texas.

I filled in for Eric tonight at Amico's and it was pretty hot in there. I was unbelievably sweaty & sticky until a wind storm whizzed through around 8 p.m. and the temperature dropped about 20 degrees. Jacob was at Richie's house at the time and they had quite a thunderstorm that produced hail over an inch in diameter. The storm knocked out electricity at Pattye's apartment, as well as at 100,000 other residences in the area. Fortunately, the upcoming week looks as if it will be much more tranquil. And cooler - if you consider the mid 80s to be cool. Sounds good to me.

Fun & Frolic

2011-06-26T23:53:00.003-04:00

Jacob and I arrived back in Michigan on Wednesday evening and have been going nonstop ever since. We spent Thursday and Friday helping Nancy shop, clean, cook, and decorate for Laura's bridal shower. On Saturday afternoon, we took a break from party-prepping and ventured to a nearby park to celebrate the 60th birthday of my good friend, Cobra, and her twin sister. The park bash ended up being tons of fun, the weather cooperated nicely, and lots of friends showed up to join in the carousing.

Today was Laura's wedding shower, and everything went swimmingly with that as well. Pattye was the only guest to correctly answer every question on the "How Well Do You Know Laura and Rob?" quiz - no one else even came close. We all ate lots of food and Laura received many beautiful gifts.

We will continue our partying tomorrow when we head over to Jean's house to belatedly wish Julia a happy 9th birthday. After that, I need to get back to the old grind and complete some of the chores on my lengthy "to do" list. There are no more parties planned in the near future, so hopefully I'll be checking off some of the items from the list this week.

Hot Enough to Fry an Egg

2011-06-20T23:39:00.009-04:00

Adam came to Texas for a Father's Day weekend visit. We had an action-packed few days that included lots of swimming. Adam is not a fan of heat and humidity, so he spent much of his time fussing about how high the dewpoint was in Houston.

Jean and Jenna came over on Sunday for a BBQ and we all complained about how scalding the brick patio was around our pool. If we didn't wear flip-flops while walking to and from the water, our feet felt as if they were on fire. We thought that it was certainly hot enough outside to fry an egg. We tried. It wasn't. In the evening, Jim, Adam, Jacob, and I went to a local frisbee golf course. Although it was still a bit muggy out, we had a blast.

Today, Adam, Jacob, and I went downtown to take an official tour of the Houston Astros ball field, Minute Maid Park. In addition to learning a lot of interesting tidbits about the stadium, we got to see many "backstage" areas, including the press box, the dugout, the bullpen, etc. I inquired as to why their flagpole is actually on the playing field and I received a surprising answer. The pole came from the old Tiger Stadium, where they say it was also in the field of play. I sure don't remember that. Do any of you recall the flag being on the field at Tiger Stadium?

After having lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, we drove Adam to the airport. He is now back in the cooler and less humid air of the Rocky Mountain State.

Jake and Jenna waited patiently for the eggs to fry. The yolks got a bit hard after about an hour, but they never really cooked.

The boys posed at the "green" area of the frisbee golf course.

Jacob on the fairway getting ready to throw his frisbee.

Jacob in center field of Minute Maid Park. It is a looooong way to home plate from out there.

The boys in the Astros dugout.

Parched

2011-06-14T19:16:00.007-04:00

It is still dry as a bone in Houston with no precipitation in the forecast. Our rain gauge has actually accumulated a layer of dust on the bottom. There is one advantage to the lack of rain, however, and that is the absence of insects. Most bugs, and especially mosquitoes, need water to breed. Other than that, though, I see few benefits to this terrible drought.

Here is the boat launch at Lake Houston. There haven't been too many boats out recently. The water is usually to the top of the dock.

This is the San Jacinto River near our house. Last year the water was right up to the wooden boardwalk.

The Rockets Red Glare

2011-06-11T23:46:00.004-04:00

On Friday night we went to watch the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. The ballgame was a bit of a blow-out for the last-place Astros. There were lots of hits and runs - unfortunately most of them were for the Atlanta Braves. The home team ended up losing 11-4. Following the contest, the retractable stadium roof was opened and we enjoyed a pretty impressive fireworks display.

Today we drove over to Jean's apartment. We swam, ate, and went to a nearby park to shoot off model rockets. Jean is a whiz at readying these things for launch. After sending a couple rockets soaring high into the sky, we all agreed that if we stayed outside in the oppressive Texas heat any longer, we would probably collapse from heatstroke. Yes, it was really that hot. The rocket fun will be continued in the future - quite possibly in a field somewhere in the more temperate state of Michigan.

Jake, Jenna, and Jean at the Astros game.

Jean preparing a rocket for launch.

What's Up With That?

2011-06-07T21:36:00.003-04:00

People in Texas have a different way of life than people in Michigan. For example, I have mentioned previously that folks down south never open the windows of their homes, which I find especially odd in the late fall and early spring when the weather is perfectly lovely. And, then they don their winter coats, scarves, and knit caps when temps dip into the upper 50s - yet their air conditioners are cranking when it is 60 degrees outside.

Anyway, Houston this past week has been hot. They haven't issued "heat advisories" or anything like they do up north, but I have been doing my fair share of sweating. Several times, our highs have climbed over 100 degrees. We haven't had any rain. It is just sweltry.

Yet the people in Texas continue to wear long pants. In stores. At restaurants. While walking through the neighborhood. Everywhere.

We were at a casual restaurant on Sunday afternoon and over three quarters of the patrons had on blue jeans. Yes denim jeans. And it was 105 degrees outside. I wonder what the temperature would have to be in order for folks to slip on some light-weight slacks or - gasp - a pair of shorts? I even saw one man come into the restaurant wearing a long-sleeved sweatshirt. Jim says that, outside of work, the only time he is not in shorts in Texas is when the lows slip into the 30s or 40s, which happens maybe ten times during the winter. Just another quirky difference between north and south, I suppose.

It's a Scorcher

2011-06-02T23:37:00.005-04:00

Jim, Jacob, and I left Colorado on Tuesday and flew to Texas. The Houston area is still very dry - in fact we are in what is officially known as an "exceptional drought." It just never seems to rain around here anymore. To add insult to injury, the region has also been experiencing higher than normal temperatures, which increases the evaporation rate. The fact that no one was at our house over the holiday weekend to water the plants and bushes did not bode well with our foliage. I am going to have to devote the next few weeks to nursing the browning shrubbery back to health. In the meantime, we have all been spending a lot of time in our pool, where the water is delightfully warm - around 90 degrees. Swimming is the only type of outdoor activity that is feasible when the temperature reaches the century mark.

The forecast - hot and dry.

Our thermometer reached 100 in the shade today.

Chasing, Cheering, and Chalupas

2011-05-29T23:49:00.007-04:00

Jacob and I spent Wednesday and Thursday hanging around with Adam in Fort Collins. We had hoped to do some storm chasing while out west, but the weather has not been very cooperative for that venture. The three of us did take off for southern Wyoming on Thursday afternoon when Adam's fancy-schmancy computer radar program indicated the slight possibility of severe storms there. Even though we didn't see any tornadoes or thunderstorms - or even a bolt of lightening for that matter - we had a fun time learning the ins and outs of storm chasing. I certainly understand why the Vortex 2 project operated in the Great Plains the past two years. With no hills or trees in your line of sight, you really can see for miles and miles and miles . . .

Jim flew up from Houston to join us on Friday. We all went to the Colorado Rockies game in Denver on Saturday. The match up between the Rockies and the St. Louis Cardinals was quite exciting. The first inning lasted about 40 loooong minutes with Colorado scoring six runs. In the end, the home team won 15-4 and there was never a dull moment since the batters just kept on hitting and hitting. As an added bonus, the Rockies have a promotion that offers discounted Taco Bell food whenever they score 7 or more runs in a game. Needless to say, we enjoyed tacos and nachos this evening. Dinner for four was less than $9.00.

Jacob posed for me as we waited for storms to develop on a rural road in Wyoming.

Adam, Jacob, and Jim at Coors Field. The temperature was chilly - in the low 60s. Jim said that it felt like wintertime in Houston.

A row of these purplish-blue seats goes completely around the stadium to signify the mile-high mark. The seats are empty here because we arrived over an hour before game time.

Up, Up, and Away

2011-05-24T22:45:00.006-04:00

Jacob and I flew from Detroit to Denver this afternoon to visit Adam. Security screenings at the airports that we have been to lately all include those new-fangled full-body scan machines. I have no objection to them and have always stepped in, been scanned, then been sent on my way. I don't know what I did differently this time - in fact I was wearing the same pair of jeans that I had on the last time I flew - but I somehow raised the suspicions of the TSA. An agent asked if I had on a belt and when I said no, she informed me that I would need a pat down of my mid-section. It is definitely time to lose weight if my waistline appears on a body scanner as a belt. Yikes!

Our westward flight was bumpy, with a few minutes of fairly severe turbulence. As the aircraft pitched wildly about, I glanced at Jacob. I knew I had raised a good flyer when he smiled at me and exclaimed, "This is fun, it's like a roller coaster!" We landed in Denver right on time and sent Adam a text to let him know that we had arrived. Imagine our surprise when he replied that he had overslept and was still at his apartment in Fort Collins - an hour north of Denver International. Adam blamed his alarm clock for the mix-up, and he also missed a morning presentation at school that he had intended to attend before picking us up. After hanging around, walking around, and sitting around the airport (Jacob and I now know that place very well), Adam's Jeep came zipping into the passenger pick-up area. We made it to his apartment a few hours later than expected.

Rain and Shine

2011-05-18T23:35:00.005-04:00

I don't mean to dwell on the weather in all my posts, but - geez - the rain just never stops in southeast Michigan. I'm sure there is a way to check the exact statistics, but I don't think there have been more than five days or so where the sun has been out for any extended period of time this spring. That leaves over 50 days of dismal gray-ness, often with precipitation. There have been a few warm days, though overall, our temperatures have been running around 20 degrees below normal. In April, I was certain that the ever-present clouds would disappear in May and the sun would return. I was wrong.

On the flip side, it never rains at our house in Texas. Each day brings warmth and sunshine, which seemed wonderful until the effects of the resulting drought became apparent. Greenery is turning brown, wild fires are popping up, and ranchers are actually watching their cattle die in their fields from lack of food & water. I'm pretty sure that when hurricane season begins next month, Texas will see at least a few tropical systems move through, which will bring a gullywasher or two to Houston.

I have no idea when Michigan will ever see more than a peek of sunshine, though.

Muddy Waters

2011-05-13T23:21:00.005-04:00

I woke up Wednesday morning at our house in Texas with every intention of swimming some laps in the pool before heading back to Michigan that night. The weather was hot and I was looking forward to hanging around outdoors. I must say that I was less than thrilled when I peeked out back and saw that the pool appeared a bit, um, murky. Something had obviously gone awry with the filter and the water was eerily similar to Fishy's tank when it hasn't been cleaned in a very long time. Disgusting. Jim had taken the car to work that day, so I wasn't able to run a water sample over to the pool store for evaluation. (Which is a handy service that they offer free of charge - bring in your water, they test it on the spot, and tell you how to remedy your situation.) As soon as Jim got home from downtown we had to immediately leave for the airport. So, we were forced to abandon our normally beautiful, blue, sparkling-clean swimming pool in a state of total gross-ness until Monday when Jim returns to Houston. I'm sure that with a few magical chemicals and/or an adjustment of some pool equipment dials, the water will once again clear up nicely. I only wish that I had thought to snap some photos of the pool in all its muckiness because, hopefully, it will never be that scummy-looking again.

Dry Spell

2011-05-09T23:52:00.005-04:00

The Texas weather has been just lovely ever since Jacob and I arrived in the state. The temperatures - while average last week (low to mid 80s) - have been above normal this week. The sun has been shining and our pool water is up to 84 degrees. We have been swimming and enjoying the summer-like conditions. Unfortunately, the lack of rain is beginning to take its toll on the grass, plants, and bushes in the area. In the past three months, Houston has received just a little over an inch & a half of precipitation, which is less than the Mojave Desert typically receives in the same time period. Kind of ironic, too, that there is such an over-abundance of water in other parts of the country. Too bad things always seem to work out that way - too much of something in one spot and not enough in another.

While checking on an out-of-town friend's house yesterday, we found this unusual red and blue chameleon. Usually, the little buggers are green or brown.

Headlights

2011-05-05T23:54:00.006-04:00

While driving the CRV in the dark last month, Jacob and I noticed that one of our headlights was burned out. We were in Michigan at the time and Jim was due to fly up from Texas the next week, so we decided to leave the repair for him. Night after night I felt like somewhat of a criminal, stealthily cruising around town with only one working head lamp. Luckily, Jim showed up and fixed the headlight, claiming that it was one of the most annoyingly-located bulbs that he has ever had to replace.

We were pretty surprised when, the very next day, the other headlight burned out. Perturbed, Jim went back to the auto parts store, bought another bulb, and changed it.

After Jim flew back to Texas, I was happy that I no longer had to sneak about with a malfunctioning headlight while driving the CRV in the dark. I was especially glad that both bulbs hadn't gone kaput at the same time. A few nights later I was picking Jacob up from Richie's house. Richie walked outside with us when we left, and began waving his arms as we backed out of his driveway. I rolled down the window only to be informed that the original burned out headlight was again not working. What's with that? Since we were leaving for Texas the next day, we once more decided to leave the stupid headlight repair for Jim's next visit to Michigan.

Dixie

2011-04-30T18:35:00.009-04:00

Jacob and I flew to Houston on Thursday. About an hour after taking off from cool, overcast, and windy Detroit, the clouds cleared and we were able to see the ground. We were shocked by the sight of extensive flooding below. Rivers that typically appear as ribbons cutting through the landscape looked like huge lakes overflowing their banks. We weren't able to get a good picture of the floods because the setting sun was shining directly into our westerly-facing window. Who would have thought to choose seats on the east side of the plane when on a mostly north-to-south flight in the evening? Lesson learned.

Jim and Jacob went golfing this afternoon. They had a great time, despite the fact that a bird snatched their baggie of cookies right out of their cart while they were on a green putting. Houston has been very dry & drought-y lately, and everyone here is hoping for rain. In the meantime, I am enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures. As usual, the humidity feels like it is about 900%. Jim has managed to hold off on turning the house air conditioning on this year, even though the neighbors have been using their units since February. I think I will have to crank it on tomorrow, as it is predicted to climb to 90 degrees.

This was taken somewhere over southern Tennessee. I wish it had come out better because the flooding was really quite spectacular-looking.

While out and about today, we saw several groups of people selling puppies on the side of the road. This is not unusual in Texas, as there are very few zoning laws. Sometimes the folks display their dogs in playpens or in the beds of pick-up trucks. These breeders must have been classy ones - they actually had their puppies in cages.

Our lilies are abloom in the yard. Unfortunately, this palm tree seems to be a goner.

Our banana tree is being eaten by squirrels this year. Yes, we have seen the pesky critters climbing up the stalks and chewing on the leaves. Crazy. Luckily, this palm tree has come back to life after the brutal winter. And these pretty, unidentified purple flowers are starting to grow again.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T23:51:00.004-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter celebration today. Despite the holiday falling later in April than usual, the weather was far from ideal. We did get a peek of the sun this afternoon, but the ever-present clouds and rain lingered on, too. With all of the precipitation we have had lately, the May flowers ought to be absolutely gorgeous around here this year.

Jim, Jacob, Irma, Nancy, Richie, and I went to church in the morning. Afterwards, we rendezvoused at Irma's house with the rest of the family. (Minus Adam, Jean, and Jenna, who were out of town.) We ate, chatted, and engaged in a lively game of girls vs. guys Taboo, where the girls came out victorious thanks to our shrewd recruitment of Norm onto the ladies' team. All in all it was a very enjoyable day.

April Showers

2011-04-19T21:17:00.005-04:00

When I woke up Monday morning it was snowing. This was not unexpected - in fact the local meteorologists were fairly accurate with their predictions. We received about 2 inches of wet snow, which could have piled up to 5 or 6 inches had the ground not been so warm. (Warm meaning above freezing, not actually 60 degrees or anything like that.) I must say that I was excited to see the white stuff. It has been cold and cloudy and dreary in Michigan lately and the snow brightened the gloom somewhat. Unfortunately, it didn't stick around for long and we are right back to cold and cloudy and dreary.

Snow on our balcony. The wind had tipped over the chair.

The view out front as the snow was beginning to melt. Notice that the neighbors had already planted some pansies around their trees over the weekend. Amazingly, the flowers survived.

No Substitutions

2011-04-15T23:46:00.009-04:00

Almost every Saturday morning I go out for breakfast. If I am in Michigan, Jacob and I meet up with Nancy and Richie at a local eatery. If I am in Texas, Jim, Jacob, and I visit some nearby restaurant. One of our favorite places to dine in both states is Denny's.

The $4 "Everyday Value Slam" is one of my preferred breakfast choices. It includes eggs, meat, and pancakes. Unfortunately, I am not a big fan of pancakes, so I always ask if I can substitute toast for the flapjacks. Usually my request is granted, no questions asked. One particular waitress at our Michigan Denny's, though, is a stickler for rules and is very adamant about not allowing any substitutions. For me, anyway. When I informed her last weekend that other waitresses in the restaurant have let me switch the pancakes for toast, she gave me a rambling lecture about why she is not able to do it. Sighing, I gave her my alternate breakfast choice, then she turned to Jacob to take his order. He picked a lunch item and told the girl that he did not want the cole slaw that was included with his sandwich. Smiling sweetly, she asked him if he would like a salad instead of the slaw. Huh? Next, Nancy was allowed to substitute hash browns for her pancakes. What?

I wrote to Denny's public relations department last week, but have not heard back from them yet. I certainly understand if their policy states that they cannot offer substitutions (and it does not say so anywhere on the menu), but they should really be more consistent. If I had never been able to get toast in lieu of pancakes, I would have accepted defeat long ago. But, 80% of the time the waitress will happily respond, "No problem at all." And, just for the record, my appeal for toast has not been turned down at our Texas Denny's. Only at our Michigan location.

Forever Young

2011-04-11T22:43:00.003-04:00

My friend, Tree, called me one day last week to invite me to Sunday's Rod Stewart/Stevie Nicks concert in downtown Detroit. Tree does a lot of work with Joe Louis Arena and was given some complimentary tickets. I am so glad that she thought of me when deciding who to bring to the concert because it was awesome. Really awesome. Stevie is still a beauty and Rod has more energy than most guys half his age. The two sang exquisitely and put on quite a show.

Tree and I found this sign to be hilarious! Each girl in our group took a turn holding it, snapping a picture, then texing the photo to her husband. I was amazed that - as technologically incompetent as I am - I was somehow able to transfer the shot from my phone to my computer.

Plateau

2011-04-08T20:48:00.003-04:00

Back in November, I became aghast at how much I weighed and decided to do something about it. The week before Thanksgiving I started riding my exercise bike for 30 minutes a day, at least six days a week. The bike sits in front of our upstairs tv and, although I usually find any sort of exercise incredibly mundane, I eagerly hop on and pedal away while watching something on the tube. I was pumped and motivated when I lost 10 pounds before Christmas and was certain that if I continued my routine, I would easily drop another 10 in the next six weeks or so. January came and went and my weight stayed the same. Jacob and I went to Texas in February and the weather was so nice that I was able to walk or bike outside every day. At the end of February I had not lost any more weight. March. Still not a pound. A week into April. I am very frustrated. Jim - always full of diet and exercise advice for me - tells me that I have to "take it up a notch." I guess I'll start riding for 45 minutes a day to see what happens. But, UGH! Working out is so much more exciting when you actually see results.

Side note: Even though I have failed miserably with my weight loss efforts since December, my blood pressure and cholesterol numbers have both dropped dramatically in the past four months. A bonus benefit of regular exercise, I suppose.

The Grass is Always Greener . . .

2011-04-01T22:44:00.003-04:00

When we were in Texas last month, flowers were blooming, trees were green, and grass had to be mowed. Many of our neighbors were already using their air conditioners back in February - which I found to be weird because the weather was perfect for opening windows & enjoying the fresh air. In our 17 months as southern homeowners, one thing we have learned is that people in Houston do not open the windows of their homes. Ever. In Michigan, after enduring cool autumns and downright frigid winters, we look forward to any hint of spring and fling our windows open as soon as the outside temperatures reach 60 or so. And, unless it is over 85 degrees and we need our air on, we keep our windows open through September.

So, it was nice to be able to work in the yard in Texas. In February & March. Wearing shorts. Now I am eager to tend to our tiny garden at the condo. I plan to plant a shrub or two and prepare a new area for my flowers. Unfortunately, the average last frost in southeast Michigan is not until late May, so my annuals will have to wait another 6 or 7 weeks to be planted. The ground is not too frozen anymore, but it is still a bit cold to work in the dirt. Besides, it is supposed to snow tonight! Only an inch or so, but snow nevertheless. I am kind of excited and hope that we get even more of the white stuff than predicted, although most folks around here do not share my enthusiasm. If it is going to be cold and look dreary, I would just as soon see the brown grass covered with pretty white snow.

Ship to Shore

2011-03-27T23:47:00.009-04:00

When we disembarked from our cruise ship in New Orleans last Sunday, we had 4 or 5 hours to spare before we had to drop Adam and Richie off at the airport. Since our car was still in the week-long pre-paid parking garage, we simply stowed our luggage in it and walked to the "Aquarium of the Americas." It was a great place to spend a couple of hours.

Jim, Jacob, and I returned to Houston to find a pool full of seeds that had fallen from our annoyingly large Live Southern Oak trees and a creepy, dead critter carcass in the yard. The temperatures in Texas were very warm - hot actually - but the three of us were only there to enjoy them for a few days. On Thursday, we headed back to Michigan where the low temperature dipped to 18 degrees - about 65 degrees cooler than the lovely high we had just experienced down south. Brrrr!

The kiddie area was awesome on our ship. We had no use for it, other than standing over it and admiring the beautiful blue wake.

Jacob liked the ship's driving range. Jim offered him some unsolicited advice.

Some cute penguins at the aquarium. They were very playful and animated.

Check out the schnoz on this guy at the aquarium!

I think it was a squirrel that met its demise on our deck.

Every spring we get zillions of these seeds in our pool. Luckily, the seed season only lasts about a month. This particular batch gathered only an hour after I had skimmed the water.

Vacation Photos

2011-03-22T23:09:00.019-04:00

Here are some pictures taken on our cruise last week. We stopped at Costa Maya, Mexico, Belize City, Belize, Roatan, Honduras, and Cozumel, Mexico.

Our pretty ship. Go away clouds!

The iguanas apparently grow to be quite large in Central America. And I thought the critters in Texas were big!

One of our cute towel animals - was it a dog or a pig?

Jacob hung out on his balcony on a day at sea.

Adam found a place to catch a few zzzzzs.

A view of Mahogany Bay from our balcony at Roatan, Honduras.

Flamingos and Scarlet Macaws were right out in the open.

Jake, Jim, and Adam floated down an underground river. I wouldn't go because I thought the water would be too cold. I now wish I wouldn't have been so wimpy.

Jacob and Jim posed at a beautiful beach.

I finally saw a manatee! Two actually, but they would never swim near each other. The photo does not do this guy justice - he was huge!

Relaxing at our palapa (little hut with thatched roof) near Cozumel. We ate authentic Mexican nachos and drank Coronas.

Rolling Down the River

2011-03-20T01:42:00.003-04:00

It is 12:45 a.m. and we are currently entering the mouth of the Mississippi River enroute to the port of New Orleans. It will take our ship 6 or 7 hours to chug up the river. I can't believe that our cruise is almost over. We had a great week and it definitely went by too fast. I had every intention of posting photos tonight, but the internet on the ship had other ideas. Service is terribly s-l-o-w, so the pictures will have to wait until we arrive back in Houston.

Cruisin'

2011-03-17T01:52:00.004-04:00

Jim, Adam, Jacob, Richie, and I arrived in New Orleans on Sunday, eager and excited to start our week-long cruise. Unfortunately, our ship was delayed getting to the port due to the medical evacuation of a passenger on the inbound cruise. The ship had to divert off course to meet up with a Coast Guard helicopter from Key West, then it experienced engine problems as it tried to make up the lost time en route to Louisiana. Norwegian Cruise Lines did call to inform us of the change in schedule, but the day ended up being very long and, when all was said and done, we walked onto the ship about nine hours after we had anticipated.

Monday started off on a happier note, as we were at sea and enjoying everything that our ship had to offer. We ate, went to a magic show, ate, played ping-pong, ate, played shuffleboard, ate, sunned, ate, drank, ate, saw a Broadway show, and ate some more. On Tuesday we docked in Mexico, albeit quite a bit later than scheduled. Besides spending the day eating and going to shows, we also went ashore for a while. Jim and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary that day and our waiter at dinner sang "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" to us and gave us a small cake. Since we were already eating desserts, he offered to have it delivered to our cabin so we could enjoy it later. Well, the cake never arrived and we joked that the waiters tell every couple the same story, then just use the same cake over and over again. With all the food at our disposal, we didn't really mind losing our cake, even though it did look delicious and we all had a running debate going over what flavor it was.

On Wednesday, our ship anchored off Belize City. We hired a driver to take us to see the Belize Wildlife Sanctuary and show us around the area. It was an interesting port, yet very poor and quite run-down. We were happy to spend our tourist dollars there to support their troubled economy. Our tour guide was a 60-ish, knowledgeable man who actually was an old buddy & former schoolmate of the current Prime Minister of Belize. Talk about having friends in high places!

On Thursday we will be in Roatan, Honduras, where we intend to just relax in the port area and hang out on the ship. We have an all-day shore excursion planned for Friday in Cozumel, so it will be nice to take the day off Thursday to bum around. Our weather has been great - well if you consider 80s and humidity to be great. (I do!) We lost a few dollars in the casino this evening, and are off now to watch a late-night comedy show. I have taken lots of pictures and will post some when I update next.

Spring Break

2011-03-09T23:57:00.004-05:00

Next week is Spring Break from school and we are hitting the high seas. Adam is flying from Denver to join us in Houston on Saturday, and with his recent overwhelming academic workload, it sounds as if a vacation is just what he needs. On Sunday morning, the four of us will drive to New Orleans, pick up Richie from the airport there, and board a ship. Among other things, I will not have to cook a single meal for anyone for seven whole days! Jim and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary while on the cruise. I will try to post some pictures during the week, but with the high price of shipboard internet - and the slow service provided - I will be happy if I am able to update even once. We will be traveling to several ports that we have never visited before, so I will be taking lots of photos that I can share after we return home.

Did I mention that I won't have to cook any meals for seven whole days?

Rodeo

2011-03-06T21:19:00.007-05:00

Tree and Emily flew to Texas on Friday for a long weekend visit. After 10 days of sunshine and temperatures in the 70s, the weather turned rather bleak as soon as their plane landed in Houston. We had planned to spend some time sunning at the beach that afternoon, but found thick fog and chilly temps in Galveston. Jim fired up our hot tub in the evening and we really enjoyed our soak in there - until the electricity went out. We had tickets to the Houston Rodeo for Saturday, so we weren't too disappointed that the forecast called for thunderstorms and a cold front that day since the festivities were held indoors. This was the first rodeo that any of us had been to and we didn't know quite what to expect. The price of the admission included all of the exhibitions, shows & events, an actual rodeo competition, and a concert. We had a blast and can't wait to return next year.

We walked through a huge convention center filled with vendors and livestock. And rope makers. The building was a bit stinky.

After the bull riders were bucked off their animals, the wild critters had to be lured back into their pens by some apparently non-intimidated rodeo clowns.

The cutest and most interesting rodeo event was the "Mutton Bustin'." Five and six year old children competed to see how long they could ride on the back of a running sheep.

This little cowboy made it a long way before falling off. Luckily, none of the children were ever trampled by the sheep.

Miracle Grow

2011-02-27T23:53:00.004-05:00

We spent the weekend at our house in Texas clearing dead plants and leaves from our yard. The Houston area had a "harsh" January, with many consecutive days in the mid 20s. As a result, a number of our more delicate tropical trees & bushes bit the dust, including one of our beautiful 12-foot-tall palms. Our neighbors had informed us last year that the winter of '09-'10 was unusually severe, and we wouldn't see temperatures that low again for a decade. Oddly, the winter of '10-'11 proved to be just as cold.

Late February in south Texas is like late May in Michigan. The daytime temperatures are finally warm and people are out working on their yards, planting flowers, etc. Since our banana trees once again fell victim to some freezing weather, we cut back their trunks, hoping that they would regrow as they did last year. Imagine our shock when, only an hour after chopping them down on Saturday, new sprouts already began to shoot up. If they keep flourishing at this rate - an inch or two a day - the banana trees will be 15 feet tall by the time summer even starts. There are some real advantages to a long growing season!

We couldn't believe how quickly these new banana shoots shot up out of the cut-down trunks.

Along the Road

2011-02-22T22:52:00.006-05:00

Jim, Jacob, and I hit the road on Sunday morning to drive to Texas. If you ever need to know when the next winter storm will bear down on Michigan, just find out the date we are planning a road trip into or out of the state. Inevitably, the weather will be nasty that day. Fortunately, we were able to beat the latest snow storm, and were cruising hundreds of miles south of Detroit in balmy temperatures before the precipitation even began up there.

Our drive was fairly uneventful - which was a good thing. We stopped for the night near Little Rock, where the area has recently been hit with a "swarm" of small earthquakes. I thought that, after visiting many quake-prone states in the past, it would be pretty funny to feel my first earthquake in Arkansas. Even though there were actually 12 tiny tremors while we were at our hotel overnight, I never even felt a quiver.

Once in Texas on Monday, I was, as usual, on the lookout for interesting things. I was not disappointed. First, we passed a hobo-type man walking on the shoulder of the road pulling an 8-foot-tall cross on wheels. Next, we saw a 20-foot-high statue made completely from flower pots. Later, we were surprised to come across a large group of people on horseback clomping along the highway, escorted by the police with a sign that read "Old Spanish Trail Ride." We later learned that over 3,000 riders are currently en route to southeast Texas to participate in the annual "Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo."

The weather in Houston was absolutely beautiful today. While the northern girl in me loves the snow, I must say that I really enjoyed puttering in my yard this afternoon with the 76 degree sun warming my face. In February! At one point, I checked the temperatures in both Michigan and Texas, and it was 56 degrees warmer at our Houston house. I wore a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops, which is standard garb for here, but unheard of this time of year up north.

Tour Guide

2011-02-18T21:42:00.007-05:00

Meijer is probably my very favorite store in the whole world. They sell just about anything you could ever need, all under one roof. Meijer stores were the first hypermarkets/supercenters in the U.S. Unfortunately, they are only located in Michigan, Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. It is one thing that I really miss when I am at our house in Texas. Target and Walmart are fair substitutes, but when it comes down to it, nothing really compares to Meijer.

Jim is also a fan of Meijer. Whenever he is in Michigan, Jim visits Meijer every single day. He always thinks of something that he needs - from some yogurt to a pair of shoes to a set of windshield wipers. And everything in between. He probably knows our local Meijer store better than most of their employees. Last week, when Jim was in Texas, I went to Meijer to pick up a few things. I was having a difficult time finding the Q-Tips, but I kept wandering around the pharmacy area, certain that by the process of elimination, I would eventually come upon the right aisle. Luckily, Jim happened to call while I was there and guided me - from 1,300 miles away - directly to the ear swab section. I thought that I knew that store pretty well, but Jim definitely knows it better than I do. If you are ever shopping at Meijer and having trouble finding something, just phone Jim. I guarantee that he will be able to lead you to your item before you can even find an employee to assist you.

Warming Up

2011-02-14T23:44:00.004-05:00

After a nasty stretch of sub-zero temperatures in Michigan, the weather has finally warmed up. It has been nice to feel 30 and 40 degrees again! So nice, in fact, that many people who venture outside don't bother to wear jackets around here. I even saw some folks in shorts yesterday and today. Our snow is melting, but the grass is still covered and we are still up to our ears in huge snowbanks. We are supposed to get rain later this week, though, and it will make me sad to see the rest of the snow disappear. I'm sure, though, that more wintery weather will return, as March is typically cold and often snowy in this neck of the woods.

Houston seems to be over its freezing conditions, at least for now. They reached a balmy high of 75 degrees today. I am heading there next week, so I'm sure the temperatures will probably take another dip while I'm in town. I am anxious to assess the damage that was done to my plants and trees during their atypical cold snap this winter. If only the weather would stay average, I would be most appreciative. It is the wild extremes that I can do without.

P.S. Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! The fact that Jim and I were 1,300 miles apart did not really affect us because we normally do not celebrate Valentine's Day or Sweetest Day. True romantics!

Deer Tracks

2011-02-09T23:55:00.004-05:00

Our neighborhood deer were back to visit recently. I'm sure they are probably around almost every day, but I only notice them occasionally. This time there were four of the cute critters frolicking in the brush behind our condo. I kind of hope that they don't decide to hang out here in the summertime, though, because I have heard many horror stories about deer destroying flowers and plants.

Speaking of flowers and plants being destroyed, the weather in Houston has not been at all kind to my prized tropical trees and bushes. Jim has kept a lot of our outdoor foliage covered during the many, many nights of "hard freeze warnings." Our banana tree will need to be cut back again this year and it sounds as if our new palm trees are dying, also. The Texans tell us that weather like this is extremely unusual. It seems pretty typical to us, though, since both winters we have owned our house in Houston have brought well-below-normal temperatures.

I was able to snap a photo of the deer, although it is difficult to see them behind the trees.

Storms Interrupted

2011-02-04T23:44:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday night and Wednesday of this week, the National Weather Service issued a Blizzard Warning for southeast Michigan. They predicted at least 18 inches of snow and Jacob & I were beyond excited! The snow began falling around 6:00 Tuesday evening, schools canceled classes for the next day, and everyone hunkered down for the big storm. By midnight, we had several inches on the ground and it looked as if we were on target for another foot or more. Then, abruptly the snow stopped and sleet started to clatter against the windows. I knew that sleet would cut down on our snow totals, but the local weathermen promised that it would only last a very short time. Three hours later, sleet was still pounding the outside of the condo. The snow did begin again a short time later, only to pause for an hour or two early Wednesday morning. When all was said and done, we had 9 new inches of snow - far short of the prediction of a foot and a half. One local meteorologist reported that EVERY single computer model had been wrong about the storm. Apparently, the extended period of sleet was unexpected, as well as the dry pocket that turned off the precipitation for a couple of hours in the morning.

Jim was due to fly from Houston to Detroit on Thursday night, and, luckily, DTW was plowed and up & running normally by Thursday morning. Southeast Texas, on the other hand, was due to receive some unusually cold weather with freezing rain and light snow. Airlines began canceling all flights out of Houston from Thursday afternoon through midday Friday. Jim was able to switch his 5:30 p.m. flight to an earlier one, which was fortunate since his original flight ended up not operating. In anticipation of their one inch of snow, they canceled school in all of southeast Texas for Friday and many businesses were closed as well. The snow never materialized, but the area did end up getting icing on bridges, overpasses, and elevated roadways. Strange weather for Houston, and not at all beneficial for my outdoor tropical plants down there.

The view out our window before our "blizzard."

After the storm.

Animal Crossing

2011-01-30T20:31:00.006-05:00

I was sitting in the condo living room a few days ago when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something moving around in the snow out back. We have a nice space beyond our backyard that consists of trees, shrubs, and undergrowth, as well as a small wetland area that boasts a plethora of frogs (or maybe they're toads, I don't know) during warmer months. I figured that it was most likely the neighbor's dog dashing around outside, as the mutt has recently begun to use our yard as a toilet - which is kind of gross, but, in the neighbor's defense, they do clean it up. I was surprised that "Peanut" was so far back into the brush, though, so I took a second look. After closer review, I saw that it was not actually the dog bounding around, but a deer. When I saw a second deer, I ran to get my camera so I could capture a picture of the creatures. I rushed back to the window just in time to see both deer lope away. I've kept my eyes open, and my camera close by, but they have yet to return for a photo shoot.

Update: Jacob and I were driving from Richie's house to the condo Monday evening when we noticed a large pile of something in the middle of the road. As we slowed and swerved around the clump, we saw that it was the bloody, recently-hit carcass of a deer. Bummer.

Tweeter's Trek

2011-01-25T21:28:00.005-05:00

Whenever we go out of town, we bring Jacob's parakeets, Peter & Tweeter, to Irma's house. She spoils them rotten - well, as much as one can spoil birds. Irma talks to them and sings to them, then leaves the radio on for them if she is unavailable for bird-human interaction. She even discouraged us from picking the critters up last week when we returned home from Colorado because, in her opinion, "it was way too cold outside" for them to be brought the ten steps from her house into our car. Well, it was cold and they are tropical birds, but, geez, we do have heat in our vehicle.

Since the temperature rose to a balmy 30 degrees today, Jacob and I headed over to Irma's to fetch his pets. I refuse to lift Peter & Tweeter's super-sized, heavy cage anymore because a few months back I pulled a neck muscle picking it up and I was in pain for weeks. Unfortunately for Jacob, this means that he has to hoist the bulky thing himself. He is far from graceful, and when he hauls the birdcage, the parakeets and everything else inside get jostled and bumped around mercilessly. This evening, as Jacob was carrying the cage up the stairs at the condo, he tripped and fell onto it, jerking everything forward and thrusting the door wide open. After the jolt, Peter sat stunned on his perch, but Tweeter saw a rare opportunity and hastily made his escape. He flew across the living room and ducked behind the tv. In the mayhem, Jacob began to yell and I rushed upstairs to grab a laundry basket. I know that some parakeet owners allow their birds to fly freely around their houses, but ours have never been out of their cage and I assumed that Tweeter was most likely very frightened. If I could have left the cage door open, I think he would have flown right back in, but in the meantime, I didn't want Peter to test his wings, too.

Jacob was freaking out and screaming during the entire ordeal, and I was shrieking at him to calm down. Tweeter flew confusedly around the living room, occasionally hiding in what had apparently become his favorite spot - in back of the tv. When he finally stopped swooping and diving, and landed on the stairs, Jacob smashed the inverted laundry basket over him with such gusto that it would have surely injured the bird if it had accidentally hit any part of him. We maneuvered the basket next to the cage, opened the door, and Tweeter flew eagerly back into his home. I'm just glad that we were able to corral him before he inadvertently buzzed into the sliding glass door, where so many of his feathered friends have met their demise.

That's Entertainment

2011-01-20T22:42:00.007-05:00

After our Copper Mountain ski trip, Jim, Jacob, and I bunked at Adam's Colorado apartment for a night before heading home. Jacob and I flew from Denver to Detroit on MLK Day. I must say that I certainly enjoy all of the delightful electronic perks that are now available on airplanes. Our last few flights have offered live television, movies, music, games, and the internet. I am a huge fan of in-flight trivia and the live maps that show your current location, altitude, etc., but I haven't yet checked out the aerial wifi. It sounds very intriguing to me, though. Jim winged back to Houston for work, and, unfortunately for him, he traveled on a commuter-sized aircraft with only his iPod and noise-canceling headphones for amusement. Adam stayed put in the Rocky Mountain state to begin his second semester of grad school. Now that the holidays are over, it is back to the old grind for all of us.

Skiing

2011-01-16T21:57:00.008-05:00

Jim flew to Colorado on Wednesday night. Adam, Jacob, and I picked him up from the airport and drove to Copper Mountain for a few days of skiing. The weather warmed up perfectly for us after the frigid temperatures we had endured earlier last week. We enjoyed sunshine and above-freezing conditions the entire time we were in the mountains.

Our ski condo had a view of both the village and the mountain.

Jacob and Adam at 12,000 feet.

If you look closely, you can see Adam on his snowboard in the distance.

The boys going up a chairlift.

Both Jacob and Jim bent a ski pole while on the slopes. Jim's pole-mishap occurred during a collision with Adam.

Snow Trip

2011-01-11T23:55:00.008-05:00

Jacob and I left Michigan on Sunday to drive with Adam back to Colorado. We were annoyed to discover on Saturday night that a winter storm was heading across not only our preferred route through Nebraska, but also along our second choice through Kansas. After much debate, we agreed to try an untested (for us), northern route through South Dakota in an attempt to avoid the heaviest bands of snow. We did hit snow squalls - about 6 hours of them to be exact - but the freeways always had at least one plowed lane. Since we were heading west on I-90 and passing close to Rapid City, we chose to stop by Mount Rushmore. Adam had been there before, but it was the first time for me and Jacob. It was a very worthwhile decision and we were duly impressed. After leaving the monument, we took some occasionally-harrowing back roads through the Black Hills to meet up with southbound I-25. The only thing that worried me was that the outside temperature was 14 degrees below 0 and the towns were far and few between. Luckily, Adam's Jeep performed admirably and we arrived at his apartment safely on Monday night.

Mount Rushmore looked awesome covered with snow.

Adam and Jacob posed with the presidents.

It was amazingly cold while we trudged around Mt. Rushmore. I'd like to return in warmer weather sometime.

And, last but not least, Irma enjoyed her big day last weekend.

Birthday Shindig

2011-01-07T23:37:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow we are having a birthday extravaganza for Irma. She is turning 87-years-old. I remember being at my Grandpa's 90th party when I was quite small, but other than that, I haven't attended too many celebrations for octogenarians. Irma, on the other hand, was reminiscing just recently about a party she went to for her 100-year-old friend. Besides a few aches and pains, Irma is in incredibly good health. Luckily, her mind is also sharp, and she can recall details of things that happened decades ago. She still manages to do her own shopping, laundry, cooking, etc., and keeps herself pretty busy. I'll be sure to snap some pictures of the birthday girl during the festivities tomorrow!

December to January

2011-01-03T23:55:00.013-05:00

We took our Christmas tree down this afternoon. Typically we leave it up longer, but Jim is flying back to Houston tomorrow morning and I did not want the responsibility of dismantling & cleaning up all of the holiday decor later this week by myself. Jim is a workhorse when it comes to tidying, so it only made sense to me to get the job done while he was available.

You would think with the end of the Christmas season and the dawn of the new year that our partying would slow down a bit, but we will jump right back on the celebratory bandwagon this Saturday to observe Irma's 87th birthday. 2011 - start it up!

Here are some of the bags that we packed at the food pantry back in mid-December.

The December birthday boys.

Muffin watched his ball roll down the lane during our recent bowling extravaganza.

Adam concentrated on his air hockey game at the New Year's Eve party.

Young New Year's Eve revelers. And Jason.

Ups and Downs

2010-12-30T23:42:00.007-05:00

Monday was supposed to be a day filled with presents and treats and a fun bowling outing to celebrate Jacob's birthday. Instead, Jacob rang in his 14th year by throwing up repeatedly, beginning around 8 a.m. and ending with a final upchuck at 11 p.m. The poor kid spent his entire birthday on the couch moaning and vomiting and looking downright miserable. And I spent the entire day emptying and cleaning his puke bucket, and notifying everyone of the bowling party postponement. Fortunately, the birthday boy felt much better on Tuesday morning and was finally able to open his gifts and eat again. The flu-type bug was most likely passed on to him from Norm and/or Eric who were both, unfortunately, under-the-weather on Christmas. Boo stomach viruses!

On Wednesday, I visited my dentist to have two teeth yanked out and have prep work done for a bridge. Unbelievably, both teeth came out very quickly and easily (even the dentist expressed surprise), and I have experienced almost no pain since the extractions. I wish all of my dental surgeries would go so well.

Today we were able to gather a group of 13 bowlers and 4 spectators at a local establishment for our much-anticipated, but 3-day-late birthday bowling party. Everyone had a great time, and 5-year-old Muffin seemed to have the best time of all. He was eager and animated and actually rolled a 104 on his first game - with the aid of bumpers in the gutters. I would have posted pictures, but I discovered a few minutes ago that my camera cords were outside in the car, and I was definitely too lazy to venture out to retrieve them. I will snap some more photos at tomorrow night's New Year's Eve party, then post a plethora of pictures (well, 5 or 6 anyway) in a few days.

Happy New Year!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-12-26T23:52:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful holiday this year. We spent Christmas Eve at Irma's, then went to the late-night service at church. On Christmas Day, Jim, Adam, Jacob, and I opened presents in the morning and went to Irma's for dinner in the afternoon. There was the usual crowd of 23 or so people, and we had a rollicking good time. In a girls vs. guys game of Taboo, the girls came out victorious. In a very lengthy game of Candy Land, a few of the younger players became distracted so there was no clear winner. Later that night, some of us ventured out to see the movie, "Little Fockers."

Tomorrow, the fun continues with an afternoon bowling bash to celebrate Jacob's birthday. A group of us will gather at a local establishment to try our luck on the lanes. I hope that all of my Wii bowling practice will pay off because I have not thrown a real bowling ball in many years. I can only imagine how sore I will be on Tuesday.

Snow Day

2010-12-21T17:58:00.010-05:00

After a pleasant, though hectic, weekend, Jim, Adam, Jacob, and I hopped into the car and headed north yesterday. On our way out of town we stopped at a local ski shop where I was insulted by a young salesman who informed me that the boots that I expressed an interest in buying were "too high performance" for me. I felt like telling him that I have been skiing for 40 years - almost twice as long as he has been alive - and I know what kind of ski boots I can handle. Whippersnapper.

We arrived at Boyne Highlands Resort last evening, in plenty of time for the boys to partake in some nighttime skiing/boarding. (I was too wimpy/lazy to don my ski wear and head out with them.) I did join everyone on the slopes today. The weather was wonderful - nice temperatures & many feet of snow - and, unlike some previous years, there were lots of trails open for us to enjoy. We will ski again tomorrow before cruising on back home at night. On Thursday, I will return to my frantic pre-Christmas chores & preparations, which include chauffeuring Irma to a doctor appointment very early that morning and completing my shopping in the afternoon. Hopefully, I will finish up with everything and be able to spend the weekend relaxing with the family. I am beginning to see the light at the end of my busy holiday tunnel, just in time to tackle Jacob's birthday (fun) and a double tooth extraction (not so fun) next week.

Adam, Jacob, and Jim posed on the slopes.

No one would stop to pose with me next to this pretty tree.

The Cavalry is Coming

2010-12-17T23:42:00.004-05:00

Jim flew to Denver from Houston last night after work. Adam fetched him from the airport there and brought him back to his apartment. This morning they jumped into Adam's Jeep and, after 12 or so hours on the road, are currently sleeping in Moline, Illinois. Well, Jim is probably sleeping, but I'm pretty sure that Adam is still awake. Tomorrow they will be arriving at the condo and I could not be more excited because I will be able to delegate some of my chores to them. For some reason, I really overextended myself this month, and I have been so incredibly busy that I have not even had a second to spare. After spending the week hustling around, I am going to be just as swamped this weekend. Tomorrow morning, Jacob and I are once again volunteering at our local food pantry for five hours. In the afternoon, I am going to prepare for Jacob's and Richie's birthday party - from ordering the food to decorating to baking a cake, not to mention finishing up some very important shopping. On Sunday, we will be feting the December birthday boys, then I have to pack for our mini Michigan ski trip. And that will require not only finding my suitcases, but locating all of our ski equipment as well. We are due to be schussing up north Monday through Wednesday. Then, it'll be back to the hustle of the holidays at home. Never a dull moment around here, anyway!

Here is the view out the condo window on Thanksgiving. This is what it looked like around here the last time Jim and Adam were in town.

This is the current view out the condo window. Much prettier now!

Lost and Found

2010-12-12T19:29:00.009-05:00

I love making lists. If not for my lists, I would probably forget to do half of the stuff that I am supposed to do and would only remember half of the things that I need while out shopping. Last week, I wrote a very extensive list of items that I have to purchase before Christmas. It contained many clever gift ideas that I had come up with for everyone - including some for Jacob's birthday - and numerous other things that I had to buy at the store.

I stopped at CVS on Friday night to pick up some sinus pills, and pulled out the list to see what other drugstore merchandise was on it. After checking out, I hopped into the car and drove over to Target to continue my shopping. Once inside the store, I reached into my pocket to retrieve my list. It wasn't there. I checked my purse, but couldn't find it in there, either. I began to worry, convinced that I would never, ever be able to remember everything on the list if I had to duplicate it. I recalled seeing the list in the CVS shopping cart next to my purse, and wondered if I had inadvertently left it there. Panic! I rushed out of Target, jumped into the car, and hightailed it back to CVS, praying that their employees had not been ambitious enough to clear my shopping cart out of the parking lot in the 15 minutes that had passed since I departed. I spotted a buggy near the space where I had been parked, and screeched up to it. I could see a paper being blown around in the back of the cart. You can imagine my relief when I saw that it was indeed my precious list, a little damp and crinkled, but intact enough to read. Big whew!

I started cleaning out the garage and downstairs room at the condo recently, and in the process, I located almost all of the winter coats, hats, boots, and gloves that had been misplaced in our move. I was also able to make enough room inside the garage to fit both of our vehicles, although it is a fairly tight squeeze trying to actually get into and out of the cars. I was happy that they were in the garage today, though, when I watched the neighbors scraping ice and snow off their vehicles that were parked outdoors in the blustery conditions. I am finding condo life pretty sweet right now since the roads got plowed, our driveway was cleared, and the walkway & steps were shoveled right up to our front door. It kind of takes the challenge out of winter, not having to dig out. Our official snow total at DTW for today was 6 inches and the white blanket looks beautiful out there!

Misplaced

2010-12-07T17:07:00.003-05:00

If you have ever moved, you realize that some things will inevitably get lost in the shuffle. If you have ever moved during the spring or summer months, you just know that your winter garb will be difficult to find once the weather turns freezing in December. When we brought our stuff to Houston last March, we purposely did not take any of our cold weather clothing because, regardless of what the Texans think, it does not actually get cold down there. Not for any extended period of time anyway. If you try to convince the southerners that temperatures in the 50s are not hat & glove weather, though, they will laugh at you.

Anyhow, I vaguely remember seeing my heavy coats, gloves, and boots here in our condo as recently as October. I wish that I had put them aside somewhere obvious because, despite how much I search, I cannot locate them. I refuse to buy new gloves when I already own about fifteen pairs. And I really hope to come across my boots - yes, I have two pairs of those somewhere, too - before the snow starts to fly.

In Houston the other day, Jim was returning home from a jog when he stopped to chat with the couple next door who were outside decorating their yard with Christmas lights. Jim was wearing his running shorts & a t-shirt. He said that the neighbors were bundled up in long pants and sweaters, and the man had on a winter hat. I couldn't stop laughing as I visualized Mack sporting a ski cap in 58 degree weather. Neither Jacob nor I have even donned gloves yet here in Michigan, even though our temps have dipped into the upper teens. (Ok, maybe we would have if we knew where they were.) At any rate, I hope it stays seasonal in Texas this winter because I certainly don't want my precious tropical palms or my banana tree to suffer any damage from frost. I like it when temperatures remain near their averages. Adam - can you arrange that?

Time Flies

2010-12-03T22:14:00.005-05:00

I can't believe that there are only three weeks until Christmas! Even though our tree is up & decorated, I am feeling quite unprepared. I spent a few hours this afternoon stringing lights in our front condo window, using about 200 strips of tape in the process to make sure that the twisty wires would stay in place. I also have our Christmas cards sitting on the kitchen table waiting to be written out and mailed so people will have our new address this year. I still have to do all of my shopping, not only for Christmas, but for Jacob's birthday as well. And I have to bake cookies. And make sure that Jacob stays on track with his schoolwork. And get some major dental work done. And finish cleaning out the condo garage so we can pull two cars into it at the same time, preferably before we have a significant snowfall. Et cetera.

Jim and Adam will be back in town on the 18th. We are having a birthday party for Jacob & Richie the next day, then we are heading up north to ski on the 20th. So, really, that leaves a mere two weeks to get everything ready for the holidays. And the birthday party. And our out-of-town trip. I suppose the smart thing to do would be to get off the computer now and write out those Christmas cards. Off I go - expect your card in a few days.

Party Time

2010-11-27T21:55:00.005-05:00

Jacob and I have had a fun week with both Jim and Adam in town. We've been to a hockey game, played heaps of Wii, and enjoyed lots of visits with family & friends. On Thursday, twenty-seven of us gathered at Nancy's house and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Today we invited everyone over to the condo to celebrate Adam's and Nancy's birthdays, and, once again, a great time was had by all. Adam is heading back to Colorado tomorrow and Jim back to Texas on Tuesday, but both will return to Michigan in only three weeks.

The birthday boy waiting to open his presents.

Together

2010-11-22T23:44:00.007-05:00

Jim flew to Detroit from Houston tonight. Adam flew in from Denver on Friday. Jacob and I flew to Texas last month and back to Michigan last week. Nancy and Richie both flew round trips between Detroit and Houston within the past few weeks. Luckily, none of us encountered any of those nightmarish scenarios with airport security that have been popping up regularly in the news recently. The six of us flew on three different airlines, so we went through several different TSA checkpoints. Richie and I were the only ones who got to experience the full body scan machine, and it was not a big deal at all. I don't know how I would feel about undergoing an "enhanced" pat down, though. I have received regular pat downs several times, and, again, those were not big deals. Unfortunately, I doubt that there is an easy answer to this difficult security question. On a lighter note - airline entertainment is certainly reaching new highs. With the availability of Direct TV, I was able to watch Wednesday's episode of Survivor at 39,000 feet at the same time that it was airing at home.

Since Jim arrived in Michigan tonight, it marks the first time that he, Adam, Jacob, and I have been at the condo concurrently. We have owned the place for almost six months, yet the four of us have not been here at the same time. It isn't as if we haven't been together in the past half year, because we have stayed in hotels, at Adam's apartment, and at the house in Texas simultaneously. Not surprisingly, the thrill of this lovely family togetherness didn't last long for Jim, and a few hours after getting to the condo, he went to bed.

Texas Troublemaker

2010-11-18T23:49:00.005-05:00

Jacob and I flew back to Michigan last night. When we were still in Texas last week, we repeatedly caught a squirrel chewing on the swing cushion in our backyard. I can't be certain, but I think it was taking the stuffing out of the seat to create a winter lair. No matter how many times we chased the furry fiend away, it inevitably returned for more nest material. At first Jim thought we could just repair the cushion, but it soon became apparent that we were no match for a determined squirrel. We caught the critter in the act numerous times, but it always scampered away before I could take a picture. I was eventually able to snap a photo of the destructive thief from inside the house.

The initial damage to our swing cushion.

If you look closely, you can see the culprit on the seat having a great time.

Out and About

2010-11-14T23:38:00.009-05:00

Before Nancy headed back to Michigan, we played tourist at some more Texas attractions. Jacob and I brought both Nancy and Jim out to Galveston one afternoon to revisit the Ocean Star offshore oil platform museum. It is such an intriguing place! Another day, we went to check out the Houston Galleria because I had heard lots of hype about it, but had no idea what was there. It turns out that the Galleria is a very huge, really upscale, and mostly unaffordable shopping mall, alongside office buildings and hotels. On Friday, we didn't venture far from the house because the weather was beautiful and we wanted to enjoy the 81 degree temperatures. We basked in the sun, ate lunch outside, and swam. By the way, the one bunch of bananas that was growing on our tree ripened last week, then quickly rotted. We peeled one and were surprised to find that it actually looked and smelled like a banana inside. I'm sorry to say that no one volunteered to be a guinea pig and taste it. Maybe next year!

Jacob and Nancy jumped into the hot tub on Friday afternoon.

Remembering

2010-11-09T23:36:00.005-05:00

Nancy flew to Houston on Saturday, and we have been busy as bees ever since she arrived. On Sunday, we drove to San Antonio to see what the city had to offer, and, I must say, we were not disappointed! Jean and Jenna met us at the Imax Theater there and we watched a movie about the battle of the Alamo. After that we all wandered around the River Center Mall and peeked at the famous San Antonio Riverwalk. Our highlight of the day was visiting the Alamo, which was actually bigger and more impressive than I imagined. Jim, Jean, and Jenna headed back to Houston later that afternoon, and Nancy, Jacob, and I went to a hotel for the night. Before leaving San Antonio the next day, we strolled around the Riverwalk and took a ride on a tour boat. Besides being informative, the tour was also really interesting. Our guide was witty and quick, which came in handy for him when dealing with the frequent, slurred comments of a loud, but friendly, drunk guy on our boat.

Today Nancy, Jacob, and I went to the Houston Zoo and had a blast. The weather was beautiful and the animals were unusually active. I was pleasantly surprised to actually witness critters up close, personal, and moving around. We would have stayed even longer if the zoo hadn't closed at 5 o'clock.

Jim and Jacob outside of the Alamo chapel.

Jacob sitting on our river tour boat, which was coincidentally named "Ms Linda."

Handlers watered the elephants at the zoo. That cute baby was only a month old.

This spectacled bear seemed pretty comfortable.

DTE vs. CenterPoint

2010-11-06T01:12:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, we had to have someone from the gas company over to both our condo in Michigan and our house in Texas recently. I don't know what it is about us and natural gas leaks, but I don't like it.

A few days before Jacob and I left for Houston last month, we noticed a faint smell of gas in the laundry room of the condo. I hesitated calling DTE Energy because the odor was not very strong. I decided to call, though, since we would be out of town for several weeks and would not be around to check it on a daily basis. The technician arrived a short time after we contacted the company and could not have been nicer. He stressed over and over that if I ever smelled gas to be sure to call DTE. No big deal. No charge. No problem. By the way, the tech guy did find a leak in one of our pipe connections and fixed it. He repeated that I should never feel bad about calling them. Ever. Always better to be safe than sorry.

Fast forward to last weekend. Jim and I had been smelling gas near the meter in the backyard of our Houston house for a couple of days. Since the odor was slight, we ignored it and hoped that it would go away. It didn't. I remembered what our friendly DTE employee had told me, so we called CenterPoint Energy to come check it out. The technician arrived and pretty much told us that our meter was fine, nothing was leaking, they often emit small amounts of gas, blah, blah. He proceeded to tell us stories about people who overreact to "normal" smells and hinted that we may just be that type. He was packing up his things when Jim opened the wooden gate to our pool equipment area and a gassy odor whooshed out towards us. We had the pool heater on at the time and the tech guy decided that, hmmm, maybe something was leaking after all. His sniffer wand did indeed detect gas coming out of the exhaust on the pool heater, so he turned off that gas line and recommended that we have a pool repair company look at it.

The pool guy came to the house on Thursday. Even though the smell of gas was definitely present, he assured me that it was "normal," and all was well. He never even opened any doors or panels on the heating unit until we switched it to the off position and a gassy stench came spewing out of the exhaust. At that point he could not deny that something was wrong, but since it was late in the day, he promised to return on Friday to service the heater. When he did come back, he found some gunk in the orifice, cleaned it, and assured me that we were good to go. The pool heater now only smells gassy when it is turned on and turned off, but not while it is running. The pool guy insists that it is perfectly "normal" and everything is fine, but I intend to keep my eye on things around here. My nose knows.

Around Town

2010-11-03T22:35:00.009-04:00

Richie flew back to Michigan yesterday, but not before hitting a few more tourist attractions in the Lone Star State. Last week, he and Jacob spent a day at the Houston Zoo and found it to be large, impressive, fun, and entertaining. The three of us - Richie, Jacob, and I - also went to the Museum of Natural Science one day and really enjoyed that. It housed quite a variegated mix of exhibits, from dinosaurs to oil production to sea life to chemistry to early America. Jacob's very favorite display was, interestingly, the gems & minerals. We only intended to spend a couple hours at the museum, but ended up staying much longer.

On our travels around town last week, we came across some intriguing signs. The office-seekers here in Houston really went overboard with their posters, banners, and placards. I have never seen so many political ads in my life. I drove around a few different polling places just to gawk at the glut of signs. Colorful, yes, but definitely overkill.

Local groups have promised to recycle all of these election signs, which is great because recycling is not typically a big thing here in Texas.

Check out the wacky hours at my favorite doughnut shop here in Houston.

I never have figured out how much things actually cost at this store. Either way, the price isn't bad.

Dum-Dum Dismay and a Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T23:44:00.009-04:00

I purchased some Dum-Dums yesterday to throw in with the candy bars that we were giving out to trick-or-treaters here in Houston. I decided to sort through the lollipops and keep all the cherry and strawberry ones for myself. I was shocked to discover that out of a package of 150, there were no cherry suckers and only one strawberry one. The bag consisted of numerous stupid flavors like "Cotton Candy," "Banana Split," and the ever-abundant "Mystery." Since when did cherry become obsolete? I am beyond disappointed in the Dum-Dum company.

Jean and Jenna came over this afternoon for a BBQ. The weather today was, without a doubt, the best I have ever experienced on Halloween. Jacob went trick-or-treating with only shorts and a t-shirt under his banana costume and Jenna wore a summery, sleeveless cha-cha dress with flip-flops. It was so different from our Halloweens in Michigan where the kids usually needed to wear coats over their costumes to fend off near-freezing temperatures. Candy hand-outs in our Houston neighborhood were fairly similar to those up north, with the exception of the huge individually-wrapped dill pickles that Jake and Jen came home with. I've seen some odd things given out to trick-or-treaters before, but never pickles!

Shortly after I took this picture, Richie walked through the room and

accidentally kicked the rows of suckers awry.

We carved our pumpkins poolside this year.

Jacob in his banana costume.

Sealife

2010-10-27T23:58:00.011-04:00

We have been on the go ever since we arrived in Texas over the weekend. On Monday, Jacob, Richie, and I zipped down to Galveston for a few hours. We toured a retired offshore oil rig and then frolicked on the beach. On Tuesday afternoon, the three of us met up with Jim downtown and visited the Houston Aquarium. Despite some iffy reviews, we were pleased to find the aquarium to be fun and entertaining. Besides the marine life exhibits, they also had a talking parrot, four white tigers, and - oddly - rides. We had a great time, stayed for hours, and took advantage of everything that the aquarium had to offer.

The offshore energy center museum in Galveston was both educational and fascinating.

We dipped our toes in the Gulf of Mexico. The air temp was close to 90 and the water temp was around 80. It would have been a lovely day if the gusty winds hadn't continuously blasted us with sand.

The Carnival Ecstasy was in port on Monday.

We were able to watch the caretakers feed lots of the creatures at the aquarium.

We all touched some baby stingrays. They felt like velvet.

Jacob did his best to appear frightened.

Autumn in Texas

2010-10-24T22:26:00.013-04:00

Jacob, Richie, and I flew to Houston from Detroit yesterday morning. None of us got more than a few hours of sleep Friday night because we had foolishly left our packing until the last minute. We arrived in Texas to find above-normal temperatures (upper 80s!), so not only were we tired and sluggish, we were hot as well. We were all much perkier today after getting a decent amount of sleep last night.

Jim, Jacob, Richie, and I drove out to Jean's place around noon today. Jacob and Richie helped her set up her new Wii game system, which has been sitting idle for almost a week. Even though Jean is an IT specialist at work, she could not quite figure out how to connect all of those troublesome wires & sync all of that pesky equipment. Later, we went to a farm in the rural western Houston suburbs to check out a corn maze and pumpkin patch. After almost collapsing from heat exhaustion while wandering through the corn field in the blazing sun (wimpy me - not the others), we rushed to buy snow cones. We also enjoyed a hayride, pig races, and a host of other fall farm activities.

There was a wacky "Goat Bridge" at the farm where the critters walked up, over, and around 20-foot-high catwalks and platforms. They were lured up the walkways with treats.

The corn maze was not the biggest we have ever seen, but not the smallest either.

Jen, Jake, and Richie ventured into the corn.

Jenna worked on her biceps.

The gang on the hay wagon.

Pinheads

2010-10-19T21:06:00.003-04:00

Jacob has gone bowling a few times in his life, but only once without using those bumpers in the gutters. His score for his solo non-bumper-aided game was 17.

Jacob ventured over to Cloverlanes last week with some friends. Now that they are all teenagers, the group is way too cool to even consider bumper bowling. All of the kids started off with numerous gutter balls - in fact most of them were even worse at the sport than Jacob. After a few frames, some of the gang began to catch on a little bit and even knock down some pins. Jacob ended up with 54 the first game and 72 the second, and believe it or not, that was the highest total for all of the bowlers.

Despite their low scores, the teens had a fun time with lots of laughs. Bowling with an actual ball and real pins was an eye-opener compared to the virtual bowling that Jacob has done recently with our Wii. And now I know why the senior citizens at our local community center love that Wii bowling so much - picking up those heavy bowling balls at the alley is way too strenuous!

Another One Bites the Dust

2010-10-14T23:25:00.006-04:00

Jacob and I were sitting in the condo the other day when we heard an all-too-familiar thump on our doorwall. We hurried over and noticed that a bird had flown right into the glass of our second-story sliding door. Upon examination, it appeared that this feathered friend was still alive, but either injured or in a state of shock. When I peeked onto the deck later, it was gone, and I was relieved that I woud not have to touch or dispose of any bird remains. Unless, of course, it just tumbled off the balcony onto the patio one floor below, in which case I will come across it the next time I venture out there . . .

Flying creatures used to routinely bump and bounce off the windows at our old house, and it seems as if nothing has changed since we moved. This is the second victim in four months at our condo. Plus we have found at least one dead bird outside of our house in Texas. Does this happen to other people or just to us?

I don't know what kind of bird this latest one was, but it was an attractive little thing.

Speed Racer

2010-10-10T20:05:00.004-04:00

Jacob recently went to a local go-kart track with a group of friends. They drove some pretty nice mini-sized Formula One style cars. The track was was a twisty Grand Prix type circuit and Jacob had a blast! He drove in two separate sessions, so he completed about 30 laps. It looked like so much fun that I was tempted to hop into one of the snazzy little vehicles myself. Look out Danica Patrick!

Jacob zipped around the track over and over again.

Spring has Sprung

2010-10-06T23:31:00.008-04:00

When we first moved into our condo, we were delighted to discover that the previous owners had left a remote control garage door opener in the unit. We changed the code and used it without incident, always intending to buy an additional one but never getting around to it. A few days ago, the remote stopped working. I purchased new batteries, and of course it did not take the regular type, but rather those pricey flat, circular ones. Even with fresh batteries, the opener still wouldn't work. I decided it was probably time to just replace it. Jacob and I spent this week manually punching in numbers on our outside garage keypad in order for the door to open and close. We joked about how spoiled we were with the remote door opener always at our fingertips in the car, and how much we didn't really appreciate it until it wasn't available for our use. We planned to shop for new ones on Saturday.

We were leaving the condo this evening and Jacob pushed the opener on the wall inside the garage to let us out. We heard the familiar humming sound, but the door stayed shut. After some brief observations and a few more tries, it appeared that the the arm-thingy (technical word) that normally pulls the door up and along the track up above us, was no longer attached to the actual door. Long story short - an obviously very important spring had broken, making the door too heavy for the opener to lift, and causing the arm-thingy (technical word) to just snap off. This had happened to us once before at our old house, so we were all too familiar with the problem. Luckily, the vehicle that I intended to drive was out in the driveway, so I abandoned the garage, walked back through the condo, and out the front door. Well, it wasn't quite that simple, as Jacob needed his bike out of the garage, too, so we first maneuvered that through the clutter in our downstairs room and wheeled it out through the rear doorwall. Then I went out the front door.

Tomorrow morning will be spent contacting garage door repair companies so hopefully we will be able to utilize the garage again soon. And, wouldn't you know it, tonight happened to be our garbage night, too, so the recycling bin and garbage bags had to be hauled through the condo and out the front door. I will never take my garage door - or remote control garage door opener - for granted again.