email -- revisited

Early last month I wrote about email. Today has been one of those days when I really love having email. Yes, I received and forwarded the requisite number of jokes. The jokes of late have been somewhat stale. Today, they were all fun and fresh. I also received a couple of notes from old friends. These notes made me feel good for the whole day. That's all, just had to say again why I like email.

Millions of Others and Me

Yes, I have to admit that I am big fan of Harry Potter. Like millions of others (lots and lots of adults), I stole time since Saturday when my copy of the last book arrived to read it. What fun these books have been.

I have to admit that I stayed away from the books in the beginning. I had friends, mostly teachers, tell me how wonderful they were. I continued to think that they were just for kids. Then I saw more and more adults reading these books. I couldn't get onto an airplane without seeing someone usually older than 30 deeply involved in one the books. I would see them in hotels, at meetings, on the street. They were coming out of backpacks, computer bags, and handbags. Then my sister-in-law told me how good she thought they were. Still, I resisted. It was a couple of young girls on a cold day walking to the bus stop with their noses firmly into their reading that finally made think that I needed to see for myself what had so many actually reading.

The summer of 2000 was when I first started reading about Harry. My sister-in-law and her son's family sent me copies of the first three books to read as I recouped from a total knee replacement. As soon as I finished the first book I was hooked.

In a recent Time essay the writer, Lev Grossman, says that unlike other famous series the Potter books are devoid of God and in that place is left love. I am not sure that I totally agree but there is something there. I did not get into these books because they wonderful literature or "I can't put down" mysteries. I got into them because of the well told tale of the adventures and misadventures of a boy growing up to be a decent person in spite of all that fell in his way. The stories of Harry Potter are not so much about good versus evil as they are about the power of love, and yes, even unrequited love. In many ways, these tales remind me of Twain's Sawyer and Finn and how deeply the bounds of friendship are.

J. K. Rowling has done more than just get kids reading again. She instilled in her books values that are often missing in our lives today. It is not in greed and its accumulations that there is power but power comes in trust and learning and caring. Power comes with love. I don't mean to be maudlin but I think that is pretty cool. We need a whole lot more of that today. Fame and fortune do not make a decent person. An outreached hand, a broad shoulder and a bended ear are more valuable than the wealth you can amass. As a child I remember reading and having to memorize a poem whose phrases I still hear in mind today. That poem, Abu Ben Addhem by James Leigh Hund reminds of Harry Potter. For it is "love of fellow man" that makes Harry strong.

Old lesson, new twist, some things still remain true.

Carol

This is my sister Carol. She is the 2 1/2 years younger than I and today is her birthday. Yep, she is creeping right up there with the rest of us. She came into this world at a whopping 10.5 pounds with thick dark hair. By the time she was a year old she weighed in between 14 and 15 pounds and was a curly haired blond. I don't remember much about her when she was tiny except that she was very pretty, small, somewhat fragile and quite feisty. I also remember her stealing the hearts of our uncles. She still has a way with all of the relatives.

Here we are when I just about 4 and she was 15 or 16 months. Even then it was evident that I was more the "tomboy" and she was the tinier more delicate type. She was charming. Sunbeams would dance off of her. She was also a bit of sickly child with allergies and she had numerous bouts of pneumonia. I remember wanting to throttle her when she coughed at night. In spite of that she was a giving and loving sister who often was in my shadow.

This not quite two year old grew into a wonderful woman. She and her husband Tim have been married now for 39 years. Carol is the mother of three beautiful children -- Tracy, Max and Melissa. She is all so the grandmother of nine. I am pretty sure that that makes her older than I since I do not have any grandchildren.

Grandma Hicks, Carol, Mom

Carol is the one of us who keeps us to connected to our past. She is the one who makes the older relative connections and who like our mother never forgets a face or a name. She is a very talented seamstress. She is a gentle, loving caregiver as was so evident with her help with our parents. She is loyal. She is honest. She has the shortest eyelashes in the world. She loves her family unconditionally. She is my sister and I am proud to say I love her very much.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROL!!!

Prime Hook and Beaches

Last Sunday it was very warm and we really needed to get out of the house and do something. That something for Bill is almost always a visit to the beach. A summer day, a summer Sunday and he wants to go to the beach in southern Delaware -- Oh, my. It is not smart to go south so we decided to go over to Broadkill Beach. It is the closest to us but it was very crowded and so we decided to roam through the roads of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge and check out a couple of other beaches.

Before arriving at Broadkill Beach we have to pass through part of the wildlife refuge. We go here often and I have taken numerous pictures of shore birds there. On this day we were surprised to see water on one side of the road had filled in with marsh plants and the other side was mostly mud flats. In the winter the ponds on both sides of the road are filled with water and sometimes thousands of birds.

This is a picture of the marshy area on the north side of Broadkill Road. In the winter this area is more muddy and there is a lot more water.

While the north side of the road has abundant growth of marsh plants, the south side has turned into these mud flats. Ironically, this past winter this was side that had the most water and where the most birds were seen.

Since Broadkill was so crowded we made our way north to Prime Hook Beach and found that there was literally no public access to the beach. That's a bummer. But on our way there I got this picture of a heron in another area of the reserve.

We proceeded along Thirteen Curves Road to Fowler Beach Road and Fowler Beach. There were only a couple of people there. The beach is not as large or as clean as those to the south. We got out and walk to an observation deck so we had a better view of the area.

Bentley was with us and he enjoyed getting out of the car. He was still a bit gimpy from our tumble earlier in the day.

This a view of Fowler Beach looking south. You can see that it is much narrower than the beaches in earlier posts.

This photo of the Atlantic from Fowler Beach shows how hot and hazy it was.

I always have to have at least one picture of a seagull when we go to the beach. Actually, I have to take several. Here is my seagull picture at Fowler Beach.

A little dune grass for your viewing pleasure.

More dune grass.

Some shell fragment and other stuff in the grass and sand.

More of the Prime Hook area from the Fowler Beach observation deck.

Some of the wildflowers along the way.

More shore birds.

Still more shore birds.

A Favorite from the Pacific Northwest

You cannot possibly imagine how pleased I was yesterday to bite into a delicious Lambert Cherry from Yakima -- one of my favorite summertime treats. I have to admit that I was plenty surprised that they were available here and that they came through shipping in quite good shape as can be seen in the photo.

When I was growing up in Eastern Idaho we would get dark Bing cherries. They became the cherry standard for me for I loved the sweet juiciness. I didn't care for the brighter red and sour Monarchs which were used for pie cherries. While in Spokane, I got brave and tried the very red and quite tart looking Lambert. What a surprise!! These cherries are not heavy sweet like the Bing but refreshingly sweet.

Too bad they are only available for a short time each summer.

One of Those Days

For some reason today has been one of those days. Not a lazy day although it is very warm outside but one of those summer days that I can't decide whether it is a good day or not. I stepped back and stepped on the dog and that caused me to totally lose balance and fall on him. Poor puppy, he is limping around worse than me. I think he will be alright. We went to the beach and he was energetic enough but gimpy. He is moving around much better as the day progresses. The good from this is that maybe he will finally not stay so close to my feet. But, I think it is more than that that has me in the not so comfy range today.

This is one of those days that are firsts. You know, the first holiday, anniversary and stuff like that happens after you lose someone. Today is my mother's birthday. She would have been 82. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of her and wish she were still here to talk with me. This picture is one I believe was taken when she graduated from high school or shortly thereafter. I have said this in earlier posts but I think she was very attractive.

I have been working on a project of scanning old photos so that my sisters and brother and I can all have copies. Doing this has made it easier to deal with those feelings of loss. There are some great and not so great pictures of all of us. It has helped me deal with the discomfort and to cherish the love we all had for each other.

So, what are the fun things I remember about Mom. For one, she could be downright belligerent. She was uncompromising in so many ways. She was a very good neighbor and friend. She did not like baby girls dressed in dark colors. She abhorred tattoos on girls and women (good girls don't do that). She loved the water. Her language could put many a teamster to shame but she was lady. She was very much a Democrat but could say very nice things about some Republicans not named Bush. She always pushed us to be strong sometimes through tears but always with love. She said that it is fine to be different. She was too critical. She was not critical enough. She loved us all. She and Dad would always have what their grandchildren called "Max and Margaret fights" -- you know, sorta like Fibber Magee and Molly. She missed him so much after his death. She loved him very much.

Today's here and she would have delighted in having a steak and some birthday cake. She would have loved hearing from her four children and all their children. She would have been happy that another great grandchild has come into the family since November. I guess that all I can say now is that the day is not so uncomfy. Just doing this has let me remember the good times.

Happy Birthday, Mom. We will have a piece of cake for you.

What I Really Hate of the East Coast

Pretty dramatic title, huh? Well, there are lots of things I haven't gotten used to yet like warm ocean water and high humidity and why some houses have cellars and others have basements and none have egress windows. As long as I am here I will never get used to the highest point in the state being less than 450 ft. But all of that is nothing when compared to the time difference between the east coast and the west coast. It's enough to turn a person into a regular screech owl.

In the past couple of weeks I have had occasion to contact offices in Seattle. The calls have been those I would usually make during the early part of the day. Is Seattle open for business at 9:00 am east coast time? Heck no!! It is only 6:00 am there. By the time it is reasonable to call there it lunchtime here and then other things have gotten in the way. Before I know it is dinnertime here and when I call Seattle I am put on hold and then forwarded to voice mail without a return.

I often think about calling friends or associates around 3:00 pm here. Geez, Louise! It's lunchtime there. I have always delighted in calling family and some friends early on Christmas morning. I mean before 7:00 am. With most of our family based in other times zones that favorite activity had to go by-the-by this past Christmas. I guess, I should act my age (why now?) and let it pass but this really ticks me off.

Oh well, off to other things.

Fun with Camera

For the 4th of July we drove over to Arlington. On the way we stopped at one of the many vegetable stands that are along the roadside. We picked up some fresh corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and one of these beautiful geraniums for Erica. As we were just leaving I noticed around the geraniums a butterfly making the rounds.

That's her in the upper left of the first photo. It was fun trying to catch an image as she fluttered about and I was not particularly successful but did get a couple of good views that I could use. This next picture is a cropping a zooming of the previous one.

As she continued to flutter, I was able to get this shot. I think I will go look for more butterflies.

Major Birthday X 4

At this place in time we are in the summer of the 30's. Thirty years ago last October my niece Melissa was born, 30 years ago last month my niece Robin was born, 30 years ago come early August my nephew Josh was born and 30 years ago come late August our daughter Erica was born. When these four entered our family my parents grandchildren count went from five to nine in short order. A tenth would come five years later.

Getting these four in the same place at the same time has not always been easy. In fact, when they were young they would never smile at the same time as is evident with this picture.

Melissa (arms always folded), Robin, Josh, Erica

This 4th of July family reunion is something the three year olds did not want interfering in their lives of play. This is one of the better early photos since all are not crying. There are some when they were babies with the girls crying and Josh sleeping.

It is unfortunate that we have not gotten them together more as the years have come and gone. The last time they were all together was at my my niece Wendy's wedding when the foursome were just finishing the 8th grade.

Josh, Melissa (check arms), Robin, Erica

In the time that has passed since then they have all become responsible, caring and good people. Melissa is the mother of three active children and is working to become a nurse. She has done very well with EMT training and loves helping folks in need. She and her family live in Malad, Idaho. Robin married last November. She is a banking manager in Denver. Josh continues his pursuit in auto sales in Tallahassee, Florida. He is the father of a beautiful daughter who enjoys playing golf with her parents. Erica is a senior consultant and works in the Washington, DC area. She and her husband enjoy travelling.

This is a pretty abbreviated post on the wonders of these four, but I wanted to let them know how special they are to all of us.

Happy 30th!!! Melissa, Robin, Joshua & Erica!!!