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Monday, 02 January 2012

  • December 2011

    Compared to December 2010, I’d say the best way to describe December 2011 is that “no news is good news”. Unlike last year, when dad was either in a hospital bed or bedridden at home and feeling miserable for most of the month, dad was healthy and feeling fine this month, which was the best gift we had this Christmas season.

    Besides that notable exception, December last year was much like December this year for me with similar highlights. These included:

    Marching in the Lafayette X-Mas parade with the ski club (warmer and wetter this year)

    Visiting family and friends in my hometown for several days during the X-Mas season

    Work X-Mas party (I was schooled in the foosball tournament but did the schooling in the euchre tournament.)

    New Year’s Eve/Morning at Kyle and Kristen’s: It’s always a fun way to end the previous year and start the new one.

    January has all of the makings of a fun, eventful month. Why? That’s a topic for next month’s update. Like I said in a previous update, always keep ‘em wanting more …

    Happy New Year!

Thursday, 01 December 2011

  • November 2011 ...

    … was a month of 3’s. Three things came to an end for me this month, and all of them were good. 1. End of leaf cleanup--with 3 maple trees, a honey locust, 2 apple trees, and a huge sycamore tree in the yard, this is almost a part-time job.  I enjoy being outdoors, but leaf cleanup wears out its welcome when you have to do so much of it. 2. End of apple tree maintenance-- namely, turning all of the bruised apples into applesauce. Again, I don’t mind doing it, but it gets tiresome. 3. Last and most important, I now own my car after making the last payment. My goal is to drive it for a long enough period of time--hopefully until the time when electric cars will be a viable, affordable option when the time comes to get a different one, but I’m not betting on that.

    The weekend of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Tippecanoe (11/5-11/7) was a memorable one. Since I won’t be around for the 300th anniversary, I milked it for all it was worth. I spent all 3 days at the either the battle site or Prophetstown (the Native American village) and took in the sights, sounds, displays, and presentations of the living history event. Organizers and spokespersons were quick—and correct—to note that this was a time for reflection and not a celebration of a battle, so no battle re-enactment took place. While it’s a shame that both 9th Street and railroad tracks split the museum/battle site and Prophetstown State Park instead of going around them, it’s good that the battle site is in good condition and plans have been made to make a Woodland Indian-style replica village. http://www.prophetstown.org/ 

    I heard many interesting speeches and presentations that weekend from both European and Native American descent, including George Blanchard, the governor of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. I was impressed with how respectful everybody was, their abilities to see the good and bad in both the colonists' and natives' ways of life, and their emphasis on learning from the past and using it in the present and future instead of living in it.

    The trip to Jasper-Pulaski to see the sandhill cranes was a fun, albeit cold one. I’ve never seen so many birds (several thousands), let alone ones that stand 3.5 feet tall with a wingspan of 7 feet, in one place. It was quite a sight and sound experience. What’s more, I’ve also never seen so many deer in one place. Since hunting is prohibited there, it has become a haven for them. If you live within a couple of hours drive of the place, it is definitely worth the spring or fall trip. Video: http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3109.htm

    Thanksgiving weekend: visiting old friends in Champaign en route to Quincy, visiting various family members on different days, visiting an old friend in Mt. Sterling on the way back to Lafayette, fishing on Friday, 2 good weather days for jogging, and no shopping. All of this made for a good weekend.

    Comedian Lewis Black on holidays: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP2aFBFXgD4&feature=related

Tuesday, 01 November 2011

  • October 2011 ...

    was in most regards a business as usual month for me. We have lots to do at work, and I have lots of leaf clean-up to do in the yard. I tried to milk the autumn season for all it is worth by taking advantage of the weather—especially the first week, which was sunny with 50’s-80’s temperature range all week.

    Farewell: To Dr. Erich Klinghammer, the founder of Wolf Park. No trip to Greater Lafayette is complete without a visit here on "Howl Night". There aren't many places where you are not only allowed but encouraged to howl like a wolf in public. http://blog.wolfpark.org/?p=522

    Quality time with co-workers and other friends: surprise birthday party at the Isaacs, house parties both hosted and attended, laser tag in the woods, leisurely hike in the woods followed by a potluck dinner with several people from my church, and closing down the Neon Cactus with friends (3:00 AM—haven’t done that for a long time).  Also, a personal record 57 trick-or-treaters showed up at my place on Halloween, and Lincoln felt the need to greet every one of them.

    Quincy visit: for my niece Erica’s 3rd birthday (already?!). Trip included pizza from both Papa Del’s in Champaign en route and Tower of Pizza in Quincy, a family trip to a winery (http://www.spiritknob.com/), and Hibachi grill at Mt. Fuji ’s. The meal was very good, and the family, especially, the nieces and nephews, really enjoyed the show the chef put on. If you haven’t been to one of those types of places, it’s worth the trip. During that weekend, I also had the chance to visit with the mother of an old friend (who is also an old friend) who is soon moving to Idaho to be closer to her son. Hopefully all goes well with the move.

    Go crazy, folks! Go crazy!: As a lifelong baseball and St. Louis Cardinals fan, this was a year like no other. A sportswriter aptly called them the “Zombie Cardinals” because they just wouldn’t die no matter how many bad things happened to them. They lost their best pitcher to injury  (Adam Wainwright) before the year started … had injuries to several key players (Pujols, Holliday, and Friese among others) throughout the year … trailed the nearest playoff team (Atlanta) by 10.5 games with 31 games left to play on August 25th and came back thanks to getting hot at the right time and Atlanta collapsing. Then they entered the playoffs … beat the team with baseball’s best record and one of best pitching staff’s ever assembled (Philadelphia) … beat the team that won the Cardinals’ division (Milwaukee) … and then came within 1 STRIKE of losing the World Series TWICE (in the 9th and 10th innings) of Game 6 vs. Texas before coming back to win that game and eventually the Series in what is already being called one of the most exciting World Series in baseball history.

    Sports fans and writers are notorious for overhyping sporting events and do so on a regular basis, but in their case, the publicity was merited. The odds of them even making the postseason on August 25th were 500 to 1. I dislike using the term “never”, but it’s not a stretch to say I’ll never have so much satisfaction watching the Cardinals as I have for the last two months. They even coined 2 catchphrases: “rally squirrel”, which refers to the incident when play was stopped when a squirrel ran on the field in St. Louis and “happy flight”, which Cardinal players chanted as a result of having an amazing 17 consecutive wins on travel days during the season and postseason. As for Tony LaRussa, you can't blame him for pulling a George Costanza and deciding to leave on a high note. The last night of the season, when I had 16 people at the house enjoying and celebrating with me when they won the whole thing, made it even better. Definitely one for the ages—and that’s not hyperbole.

Tuesday, 06 September 2011

  • August 2011:

    This review is late not because it was an eventful month but because the first 5 days in September were. However, that’s a story for next month. Always keep ‘em wanting more …

                This August is notable for me not so much because of what I’m doing but because of what I am not. This is the first fall season since 1998 that I am not coaching youth soccer. For the last 12 years, I’ve spent ¼-1/3 of Saturdays every year coaching. While I enjoyed the experience, the time commitment —not so much in the number of hours as much as the timing—has caused me to look elsewhere for a community-oriented activity (ies) that are weekday and weeknight instead of weekend-centered. I'm not the couch-potato type, so it'll probably be sooner than later.

                August was a month of … high heat (again) … mowing the lawn (unlike July) … working the equivalent of a part-time job picking up, storing, and cooking apples from my tree … house birthday party with friends … playing pool at the Isaacs’ house while Lincoln, Tater, and Boo (kind of sounds like a folk trio, doesn’t it?) were chasing each other around and under the table … Lafayette Ski Club kickoff party (go to www.lafayetteskiclub.org for details) … starting BBBS mentoring at Sunnyside this year.

                My most memorable day of August was a Sunday spent at Indiana Dunes. I made a long overdue trip to Indiana Dunes State Park http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2980.htm on the shores of Lake Michigan . With sandy trails in the woods, a nature center, and a big beach available for swimming just a couple of hours from Lafayette , it makes for a great day or weekend trip. Highlights and lowlights of the trip include:

    Great scenery, both woods and beaches; near-perfect water temperature for a warm summer day

    Being caught in the woods in a 30-minute downpour—I actually felt cold.

    Walking along the beach and finding a nice shade hat washed up on shore

    Walking back to the nature center from the beach and being swarmed by insects after the rain ended and the heat and humidity returned. I actually ran over half of the 2-mile trail because they were so bad. Wearing that hat really helped.  

    Listening to “Heaven’s Here on Earth” by Tracy Chapman while walking through the woods on my IPod. http://www.about-tracy-chapman.net/1995-new-beginning-lyrics/ to read; to hear, go to http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0SO8ZwthmZOyjUAGyP7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBncGdyMzQ0BHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEdnRpZAM-?p=you+tube+tracy+chapman+heaven%27s+here+on+earth&ei=utf-8&n=21&js=1&tnr=20

    Taking the scenic route on the way home and seeing several Indiana Dunes-related sites including Mt. Baldy on the way. http://www.nps.gov/indu/index.htm  While on the route, I had a “welcome to Gary ” experience when I saw officers arresting and handcuffing a suspect on U.S. 20 near train tracks. The road was blocked off by 2 police cars, and I was allowed to proceed only after an officer started directing traffic. That part is conspicuously absent in the brochures.

    Fair Oaks Dairy for ice cream and cheese on the drive home. If you’re traveling between Chicago and Indy, that place is worth the detour. http://www.fofarms.com/en/home

    September is already off to a good start--Cards/Brewers game in Milwaukee and a great Labor Day weekend at Camp Saukenauk with the family. More details will follow ...

Tuesday, 02 August 2011

  • July:

    This may seem like an odd comparison, but the month of July—or at least, the ongoing heat wave part of it—has had a “Groundhog Day” type feel for me. Every day seems like the same. High heat and humidity, staying indoors except early mornings and dusk, and light workloads on the job are monotonous. The line from the Police song “King of Pain” that “there’s a little black spot on the sun today, it’s the same old thing as yesterday” also comes to mind. I’m looking forward to lower temperatures and increased workloads on the job. The latter is coming to pass, but it looks like at least one more week of high heat.

    “Groundhog Day” notwithstanding, July still had its highlights. They include:

    Another show-stopping family Independence Day weekend party and fireworks display. I’m happy to say we didn’t cheat death or at the very least, serious injury, this year. Only 1 firework fell off the stands, and it fell toward the woods and not the spectators. (Note: we installed a wall behind the launching pads this year for safety.)

    A fun weekend of camping, river canoeing, lake swimming and camaraderie spent with the Champaign Ski Club at France Park in Logansport. http://www.francepark.com/ Since I started skiing, winters have been prime vacation time for me whereas summers are generally spent searching for and visiting places close to home. So I was surprised that I hadn’t known about France Park (an hour’s drive for me) despite having lived in Lafayette for 10 years, and when I did find out about it, it was from … people from Champaign. Better late than never, but it is humbling. I know that geography, time, money, and physical health are all significant, but whenever I hear someone say, “There’s nothing to do around here”, I wonder how hard that person has looked. … Two more items from the “do things I should’ve done by now since moving to this area” files: I saw a show at the Tippecanoe Amphitheater (“Rent” on a full moon that was also the last night before the heat wave came—it was great) and went to the Tippecanoe County Fair.

    Lincoln’s obedience school training has its ups and downs, but he’s making improvements. He has always been friendly and good-natured, but his enthusiasm sometimes gets the better of him, especially when he sees other animals. Despite the much-needed haircut he received, he’s probably looking forward to cooler temperatures even more than I am.

    Closing thought: I could say this every year, but it is especially true in 2011--this would have been a good year to take that summer ski trip to Argentina/Chile (it’s winter there and plenty cold in the Andes) I’ve been wanting to take for years.