Again with the Email

It must seem that I am obsessed with email. Truly, I am not but I find some things that happen to be pretty amazing. There are days when I feel the world is huge and I am very insignificant in the scheme of nature and such. Then there are days when I am in wonder of how small the world is. Email is one of the vehicles that keep me wondering. Here are couple of examples that have entered my mailbox in the last few days:

• I received an email which had a cartoon of "Michael Vick's Jury." It was as you can guess a jury of famous cartoon dogs. I thought about forwarding it but decided to wait. That was probably a good decision because I have since received four more of the same cartoon from friends across the country. The folks who sent these are very different. Besides being friends of mine and animal lovers, the commonality here is that each is or has been in an education profession. I find that quite interesting. I also believe that I will received the cartoon at least two more times within the next month when other folks return from vacation and others opt to forward.

• Last night I opened an email from a childhood friend. I love getting hers because they are usually very humorous. I clicked the forward envelope and before I clicked on the very amusing attachment I was drawn to the forward trail by a name I recognized. So, I peered down the page and was amazed at the people (5+) whose identities I recognized. This was not like people I see or have seen in the last few years. This moment was seeing names of people I knew 45-50 years ago. The true irony of the moment was that the attachment was a humorous but sad political one. I had a great feeling that in the heart of uber Republican Idaho there are still some free thinking Democrats or a few least social liberals.

Jack Is How Old?

Today is my brother's birthday. He is, shall we say, moving right along in his 50's. Jack was born Russell Lewis but I kept telling my parents that we would name the baby Jackie whether it was a girl or a boy. Well, Jackie he was and Jack he became.

Jack was always a tiny, wiry and almost always in trouble little guy. He would blame it on his sisters but I swear there was nothing quite like him. I searched through some old items left at our mother's for some of the priceless pictures of him in just his underwear and cowboy boots (that was his favorite attire) but it seems that he had cleaned them out. Keeping an eye on Jack was Mom's primary activity on any given day as he was growing. You could find him just about anywhere (always in cowboy boots and most often sans clothes) -- in a neighbors chicken coop, pushing a doll buggy down the road, climbing the city water tower, hiding under the church steeps or fishing in the deepest of mud puddles. He introduced himself to a Sunday school teacher as "Roy Rogers."

He was never bad as in delinquent. He was full of energy and full of mischief. He loved to tease us and he still does. When they were little, he and our youngest sister Connie, would have nightly wrestling matches and "Jon and Con" would then ride the arms of the couch as their make believe horse. These activities seemed to go on for years.

Once after we were all grown and had moved onto our separate lives Mom told me that she missed we three girls very much when we left but she thought she would go crazy when Jack left. You see he had filled every waking minute with his noise and activity. You could always tell when he was trouble by the absence of noise.

I always thought that our dad was the world's craziest person about grandchildren. That is, until Jack became a grandfather. He is absolutely nuts. He has three beautiful grandchildren, Rusty, Gavin and Caralynn. If you don't believe they are beautiful, just ask him.

Jack is still a tease but he is also one of the hardest working people you could ever meet. He is loyal, proud, loving and caring. He is dedicated husband to his wife Linda. He is a loving father to Stacy and Josh. Oh, and did I say, proud grandfather.

He is my crazy bother and I love him. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACK!!

Erica is 30 Today

"...Thursday's child has far to go...." Those words from Mother Goose certainly describe this child born Thursday, August 25, 1977. Erica Ellen entered this world bright eyed and ready to go as, I believe, can be seen in this picture taken at 3 months.

As an infant one of her favorite things was to have Daddy walk her and talk with her. She especially loved being read to. I preferred reading poetry. Bill thought that she would benefit greatly from the Wall Street Journal. There is a photo of a 6 week old Erica being held by Bill and he is reading an article from the Journal to her. He likes to think that this led to her being a voracious reader. I am not quite sure of that.

What I do know is that this daughter of mine has always been a planner with her eyes on other places and cultures to explore. Her love of travel seemed to blossom early. At three or four she was convinced that all you had to do in order to speak another language was to simply set foot on foreign soil. She was interested in languages early on and studied French, German, Spanish and a little Italian.

Erica has always tackled the task at hand with intensity. We often had to interrupt her "planning mode" before she got too carried away. Her favorite way to inform of her plans was at the dinner table. One evening as she sat by Bill and directly across from me she said, "Mom, for my six year old birthday on August the 25, 1983 (she really talked like that) you can buy me an Apple 2e computer and Dad, you can get me a Barbie." Bill and I composed ourselves and told her we would have to discuss it further. She got a camera and a Barbie.

Erica and my mother share the same middle name. They enjoyed a very special relationship. Erica loved visiting her grandparents and sharing special time with them. She and Mom especially loved time together when Erica graduated from Johns Hopkins and then when Erica and Geoff were married in Washington, DC. Mom delighted and sometimes with wonderment at Erica's travel and anchoring in the DC area. This picture of them was taken as they shared a few moments before Erica's wedding.

Bill and I as parents have been blessed with a child who caused very little ruckus or trouble but kept us on our toes nonetheless. She danced into our hearts and stayed there. She has become a beautiful woman with strong goals and aspirations--still a planner. She is a kind and loving person, a loyal friend, a responsible being, a genuinely good person. What more could a parent ask? I truly believe that God's gift to parents is adult children.

Here are Erica and Geoff toasting at the conclusion of their wedding ceremony. What a wonderful day that was. Together, they soar. Yes, Thursday's child still has far to go.

Happy Birthday, Erica!! We love you!! Here's to you!!

Update

There has been a request for a photo of the "Frizzies." Here is one after they had been smoothed down some.

Frizzies

Ever since I discovered that my short hair was only masking another wonder -- lots of curls, I have been learning how to deal with things like "frizzies." On a day like today I can actually feel the little buggers start popping up all over my head. No foolin', I gained four to five inches of head volume since I combed my hair this morning. It's probably a good thing I am not working right now because this could scare the wits out of someone. Oh well, maybe it will be hot and humid tomorrow and I will have more to complain about like wet head and limp frizzies.

Dog Days of Summer

Summer has never been my favorite time of year. Sure I like not having to wear a coat but I cannot stand the feeling of energy being sapped from me. That is what heat has always done to me. It is no wonder to me that "mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun." That has not been the case since late Friday. We enjoyed a gloriously beautiful day on Saturday with clear skies and the temperature hovering around 75 -- just about perfect. Clouds moved in Saturday night and it has been cloudy since then but the temperature has remained comfortable. What's more, the rain that has come is needed so much. The lawns are brown and patchy, flowers are exhausted and crops are wilted.

Cloudy days are not always uplifting but after the heat and high humidity I have to admit that the gray clouds and the cooler temperatures have energized me some. I think that it is time to get back to some projects and prepare for the fall and winter. I wish that I was either a poet or and an artist so that I could express myself in imaginary ways but I will have to resort to some of the old stand-by's like needle crafts, computer stuff and new things I might pick up sometime.

I should probably take the dog out for a walk if he wakes up anytime soon.

Hazy August Sunset and a Belated Birthday Wish

We went to Rehoboth late yesterday and on our way home we seemed to follow the setting sun. It had been a hazy day and the weather watchers said we could have thunder and lightning later on in the evening. All making for this eerie sight. The photo shows the sky well but I could not capture the the intense orange of the sun. The weather guessers were right, we had a significant light and rumble show later last night.

And now to another August subject.

Happy Belated Birthday!! Carolyn!!

I knew there was something I was forgetting last weekend but that is not out of the ordinary since I no longer carry my Palm Pilot. Our friend, Carolyn celebrated a another birthday. Carolyn and her husband John have been friends of ours for a long time. She is blessed with a wonderful sense of humor, impeccable taste, devote faith, intense drive, deep family loyalty and love of travel. She always has maintained the most beautiful of homes while never mastering the use of hand tools (just the opposite of me). She is passionate about almost everything she does. Before she travels she studies and while gone she studies even more. This from a person with a lousy sense of direction. You might say the GPS was invented just for her.

This picture of Carolyn was taken December 20, 2000 in San Francisco. John and Carolyn joined Bill and me for our 25th wedding anniversary there. It was also a celebration of John's and my shared birthday. What a fun time that was like so many of the other celebrations we have shared. Yep, she is one of very few folks that comes in and leaves a wonderful lasting mark on your life.

Cheers!! Hope it was a wonderful day.

Out and About Around Milton

Most of the past week the weather was downright miserable. The heat index was exceeding 100 degrees daily. Wednesday morning all of our windows were fogged over almost reminiscent of winter except with the reverse reason. Even with all of the humidity which we are reminded has not been bad this summer, the area is experiencing drought conditions. Saturday we drove to Seaford and saw field after field of brown, dead corn. I don't know the extent of the loss but a emergency was declared earlier in the month for neighboring Maryland.

I was out early last week to run several errands including having Bentley groomed. Here are a few pictures of more sites. The first is of a dragon fly who was too hot to get off of the sidewalk that runs from our steps to the driveway.

On the way to the other side of town and Hwy 1 we cross Wagamons Pond as it dumps into the Broadkill. At either side of the bridge is a warning sign I had never seen before coming to Delaware.

I have to admit that I keep looking but have never seen a turtle crossing the road. I have seen some in the pond and a few weeks ago I saw one alongside the road. I guess I will just keep watching.

When you see this next sign you will know why it is one of my son-in-law's favorites. This is a little lane just outside of town. You might have noticed how hazy it is in these pictures. That is pretty much what it looked like early last week -- looked cool out but was very, very warm.

I wonder if Christopher Robin lives at the end of the lane.

Starting around 3-3.5 weeks ago we started seeing these beautiful bushes blooming. Some of the bushes were completely laden with blossoms. The bushes ranged in color from white, to light pink, to deep rose, to lavender. I kept think that they looked like lilacs but knew better since we were in the middle of summer. Also, I do not remember ever seeing such bushes before now. I finally learned last week that they are known as crapemyrtle.

This is not a real good example of how lovely these plants are but once I finally found out what they were and remembered to have my camera, they were on the lasts days of their blooms. The color here is the most common I have seen around here.

A day out and about here is not complete without passing at least one or two farm fields. I have shown pictures of corn and wheat and barley. Now here are some pictures of beans. I have to admit that I am not sure whether they are soybeans or lima beans. They have to be one or the other. The interesting thing for me is that the fields are turned from one crop to another very rapidly. These bean fields were wheat or barley fields just a few weeks ago. We passed a field on Saturday that had been corn, has been cleared and there are small new plants already growing.

200th Anniversary Celebration & Parade (Last Installment)

Anniversary Saturday was a very activity filled day. Besides the parade there were boat races on the Broadkill, a garden show, vendors in the park, two concerts and fireworks. Sunday included more games, a community picnic and more concerts. This post includes three collages of Saturday's happenings.

This collection shows how close everything was in the park, the busy, busy train, and illustrates a bit of how hot it was.

People, horses, floats and dogs

Tractors, carriages, old cars, new cars, 4 wheelers and library carts

200th Anniversary Parade

All must be patient with me as I am just learning how to use "Movie Maker." Anyway, click on the play button below to see a montage of what I believe is part of the very soul of "Small Town" America -- the Volunteer Fire Department. This was all part of the Milton 200th Anniversary Parade. More pictures and commentary will follow.

200th Anniversary Kick-Off Party

Friday, we spent an enjoyable evening attending the town's anniversary "Kick-Off" party. It was a dinner and show held at the Milton Theatre. It was a good dinner which was followed by a very entertaining show.

First, a little about the Milton Theatre. The theatre sits in the center of town. There were 200+ people at the event on Friday so my guess as to its sitting capacity is somewhere near that number. The theatre was built circa 1910 and has lived through many incarnations such a a fire station, several restaurants, retails shops, social center, etc. One article I read said that it has survived three fires and numerous storms. It was closed following the Great Storm of 1962. It suffered major flood damage then. It has enjoyed a rebirth in the past seven years. Now Milton and Sussex County enjoy a place for great theatrical performances and other gatherings.

I took some pictures during the event and chose not to use the flash (used museum setting). These will just give you an idea of the great work that has been done to the structure.

Image on wall(stage right).

This is picture of some of the equipment and the stage. We will have to make a point to attend many more functions here.

A toast to Milton.

The toast was followed by the show which was the story of Milton told by three readers and singers. It was certainly a fun presentation. I have included a few moments in video at the end of this post.

The show lasted past the time for us to see the hot air balloon glow but we enjoyed the comraderie of others who did after the show outside the theatre.

Celebrating 200 Years

This past weekend the town of Milton celebrated its 200th anniversary. We participated in some of the many activities making up the celebration. It is not an understatement to say that there was a whole lot going on in the little town last weekend.

Thursday evening Bill and I assisted in the construction of the Milton Historical Society's float for Saturday's parade. Although the evening was very warm it was fun to engage in an activity I remember well from high school, college and then other similar community events. Here are a few pictures to mark the activity.

This photo is of the tall, marshy grass used as a backdrop on the float. This grass abounds around here.

Here is the banner and name of the float -- S.S. Lydia B. Cannon. The Historical Society is housed at the Lydia B. Cannon Museum. Here are some of us hard at work and putting the float together.

After leaving the float detail we enjoyed dinner at the "just opened" Iguana Grill. It was a very fun evening experiencing more of the area.

America the Beautiful

The Today Show is doing a series that is featuring 10 of the most beautiful places in America. The series is appropriately called "America the Beautiful." So far it has featured Niagara Falls, Charleston, SC, Arlington National Cemetery and today the spotlight was on baseball parks. I have found the selections interesting and I have to say that I cannot disagree with them so far. On the website they asked viewers to share their pictures and I submitted a couple. One of them is featured. I took that picture (bottom right of page 3)when we visited the Washington, DC to see the cherry blossoms.

When the segment for today's feature aired I was reminded of special day Bill and I spent late last August in Seattle. We had never been to a Mariners game, let alone any major league baseball game. It was a very enjoyable evening. Looking again at the pictures from that night I related to the segment on the Today Show. There is something magical about going to the baseball park and watching the game, win or lose. You do not have to be a real fan of the game to enjoy the experience. In many way it is simply a night or afternoon out to share a few hours with those around you. We'll do this again but probably in Baltimore or Philadelphia.

This is a collage of some the pictures I took that night. Safeco Field is unique in design for it has a retractable roof. Rain was threatening the night we were there and so we were able to see the roof go through its maneuvers. Fortunately, as the game started the clouds parted and were watched the game in open air.