Snow

It snowed here yesterday. All of school kids were home before 1:00 p.m. It did not snow much but it did snow just enough to require some sidewalk and driveway shoveling to make sure they do not ice. It snowed a little more during the night. I know that the above picture does will make my friends in the west think that the snow here is nothing at all. We still think that but I guess we have to remember that snow removal is not a big item when local and state budgets are prepared. There is little to none in the line of snow removal equipment here. They do salt the roads when there is indication of ice. This happens especially when there is freezing fog.

Lamp Post through the fog.

Anyway, we know that it could snow more here but this is the most we have had here in the two years we have been here. The two photos I have posted were taken about 11:00 a.m. today. It is now 1:15 p.m. The temperature is approaching the high 40's, the wind is blowing and the snow is rapidly melting. The big problem is that it is supposed to be much colder this evening and tomorrow. I sure hope the huge puddles left by the melting snow will have drained away before that or there surely will be an icy mess.

Our Inaugural Trip

On November 2, two days before the election, we got a call from our daughter and son-in-law saying that we were going to the Inauguration. They were very confident about the outcome. They had it all figured out how we were all going to embark on this journey. It included getting a wheelchair for me so they and Bill could make good progress. I would hold the (yet unborn) baby so a stroller would not be required. That was before it became evident that the swell of humanity attending would make those plans unfeasible. We also were unsuccessful in attaining tickets to the event. Geoff did receive an official commemorative invitation to the event. Although we were not going to the actual event we wanted to be in the area anyway so we went to Arlington last Saturday.

Besides wanting to be close to the action, this gave us an opportunity to get in some good grandparents' time hugging our grandson. While Erica and Geoff headed off to a Clinton/Gore alumni function Bill and I got to sit with precious baby boy.

On Monday Bill and I drove to the Manassas Battlefield. This was our first visit to the site. It is a beautiful spot but also a sobering monument. Being there at the site of the first battle of the Civil War seemed to be the right place to be on January 19, 2009. It is difficult for me to articulate my feelings here but when we got back to Arlington and looked at the photos I had taken I was taken aback by the image below. I had been snapping a photo of just the Stonewall Jackson statue or at least that is what I thought. I did not realize that anyone else was there. The gentleman also taking a picture somehow seems so symbolic of the day. Perhaps we have reached a point where we will (to paraphrase Dr. King) "…no longer be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character."

I awoke very early on Inauguration Day. Geoff had decided he was going to the ceremony and would catch the Metro at 4:00 a.m. I heard him upstairs and knew he left around 3:45 a.m. I worried about him because it has been so cold and it was still at least seven hours before the ceremony would start. I got even more concerned after I turned on the TV to see that some Metro stations had very long lines that early in the morning. I continued to watch the news shows and was glad I was not among the throngs. It was very cold and there was no place to sit. Then, once the ceremonies began and the sea of people and flags were shown I was regretful. I got chills as President spoke and there were images of people my age and older with tears running down their faces. A barrier once thought impenetrable had been moved aside.

Geoff got home in the late afternoon cold, tired, sore and completely excited because he had been there. That enthusiasm that exists in spite of the incredible obstacles we are facing today gives me every reason to hope and that there will be a better day.

Enjoying the Morning

I haven't posted much about our grandson. I really have been trying to keep our "beaming" to a minimum. But, I do have to say, "He is a keeper!" His parents are doing well and seem to be adjusting to "Jacob's world" quite nicely. This is the photo Erica emailed today.

We get to see him this weekend for the first time since he was about 10 days old. Yep, we are looking forward to it!

911 Center

The program for last night's Milton Lions Club meeting was a road trip. Following dinner we drove to the nearby town of Georgetown where we were given a tour of the new 911 Center. I was not sure what to expect except that it was not what we saw. This center is the 911 Center for the entire county and is certified for excellence. Perhaps the easiest way to describe it would be a "high tech modern day civil defense command center."

This center is what I would imagine a large city to have even if it is probably smaller. I know that a whole lot of what this center is is because of the emphasis of Homeland Security. However, I like to think that it has more to do with "good old common sense'" with common sense solutions -- maximize efforts with sometimes the minimum of resources. The design of the place makes it difficult for turf wars to get in the way of solutions to the problem(s) at hand.

While I was impressed with the functionality and purpose of the center, I was blown away with the technology. It made me think of what I believe the most technical of "situation room" should be. Dispatch stations were equipped with at least six monitors, two or three keyboards and the stations were electronically adjustable to fit the operator and to allow the operator to change positions during a shift. There are several of these stations and then there is in the same room a giant monitor capable of bringing six channels at the same time. All of this was like a "Bond" movie.

It was reassuring to find out about this center. If you have the opportunity, you should visit your local center. You will appreciate more what is done there.

As an aside, I could not find a good link for the center but will update when I do.

Spokane Snow

On several occasions while I have been writing this blog I mentioned snow in the Pacific Northwest. I cited the beauty of it, the frustration of it, the normality of it, almost always with a longing to be back in it. That has changed this year!! First, let me say, at my best I have never been sure-of-foot in the snow. Yes, I know there are many snickering and saying, "That's an UNDERSTATEMENT if there ever was one!" But, I always managed to somehow get around through the annual deluge. The snowfall in Spokane this season has convinced that too much is too much!! A fork lift on trax is probably only way I could navigate about this year. I am glad to be living away from it and will probably keep my visits to the warmer less difficult to maneuver about in months, like May through October.

Welcome 2009

The sun set on 2008 late yesterday afternoon. What a year of extremes it was. We all had our own "highs and lows." We each know what they were and should probably keep it at that and move on to this new year with eyes forward, heads held high, warm hearts and open arms. Let's do this while not forgetting the difficult lessons of the past year. This is my prayer.

It is said that "Hope springs eternal." My hope was surely refreshed in late 2008 with the birth of our grandson. So, it is with hope for the future, a better future, that I say "Welcome 2009."

Congratulations Coeur d'Alene

(Note: This post should have some wonderful photos but because of distance and you will understand circumstance it does not. Instead, please go to the links to appreciate what these young women accomplished.)

Every morning is started with the reading of the newspaper. Whereever we have been the paper of choice is usually the one that most likely captures the regional news. I could go on for sometime about the choices we have made when it comes to newspapers like choosing the Oregonian over the San Francisco Chronicle when we lived in Crescent City, CA but let's just say that we try get the best and most comprehensive view of the area. For our daily paper in Delaware we have chosen The News Journal. Now, with all of that said, you can only imagine my surprise this morning when glancing over the sports section I saw this headline: "Winning Tourney Easier than Trek for Idaho Team."

Reading the article I believe the difficulty in getting to the tournament especially in light of the vast amount of snow that has fallen on northern Idaho and eastern Washington this month. the article served the team well but I do not think the writer fully appreciated the situation given the short distance between Coeur d'Alene and Spokane. The fact that this team got out of the Inland Empire at all is significant let alone surviving the other airline snarls and then making it to the tournament just in time to play.

Congratulations to Coeur d'Alene High School Girls' Basketball Team for the Avon Cup Tournament win. This Delaware based Idaho native is very proud of your accomplishments in winning the tournament and making the journey.

I wish I had known this team was playing in a tournament so close to us. I would have made the effort to go and support them.

Can It Be? Christmas has Come and Gone

Bent and Bill strolling the beach

Here it is December 29. It is 20 degrees cooler than yesterday, the sky is clearer and the wind is not blowing as hard. It reached 72 yesterday. It was off to the beach time for us and several hundred, I am sure, other water loving souls. We went to a beach we have not been to since we moved here. It is one of the nicer areas in Cape Henlopen State Park. Herring Beach appears to be the beach where surfers congregate if yesterday is any indication. It also has distinctive rock out-croppings that make for more a secluded feeling of the area. It is very difficult for me to get down to the beaches here because the sand at the accesses and to the shoreline is so deep. That was a problem at this beach also but because of the great overlook I was able to enjoy the wind and the view without the sand. Bill and Bentley got in their requisite time walking the beach. I think we will return to this beach soon because I want to spend more time exploring some of the history, flora and fauna.

"T'was the night..."

Our Christmas was a very quiet affair. Bill and I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day opening gifts and talking with family and friends on the telephone. The most special time was when Erica called on Christmas Eve and read The Night Before Christmas to her Dad and baby Jacob. Bill read Erica the poem every year from her first Christmas (she was four months old) until she started reading it to him sometime between the time she was 8-10. That has continued each year since and even the years when she is away she telephones and reads through the wires. Now Jacob is part of the tradition. I do not know about Erica but I do know that Bill probably looks forward to that moment more than any at Christmastime.

Our decorating frenzy this year was quite subdued when compared to other years. I think that was wise. The tree held all of the eclectic ornaments collected through the years and has been a comfort to have in this season. It will be up for a few more days and then all the ornaments and other decor will be carefully stored away for another year. Getting them all out and up and then down and stored is a whole lot like opening an old family album, full of precious memories to share and recapture year after year.

Merry Christmas

We have been trying to follow the snow stories out of the Pacific Northwest through media and via friends and family. Except for our California family and friends, all of our west coast connections are enjoying a white Christmas. Not so for us in Delaware. So, I thought I would share our little bit white Christmas through my expanding snowman(woman) collection. Thanks to those who have added to it this year already. I truly appreciate it.

Whether your Christmas is white or not may it peaceful and warm. May you share the love of those around you both far and near. Know that we are wishing you the very best of the season and the year.

We offer our prayers for peace, love and understanding in this blessed season.

George Ann

George Ann Preston

March 15, 1993 -- December 23, 2008

Our black cat, George Ann, quietly passed away this morning. She was a member of this family for almost 16 years.

Georgie was born a in a barn near Frenchtown, Montana. I do not know how many siblings she had but do know that she had a brother Ike. George Ann was a very small black cat and Ike was a very large black cat. Georgie came home to live with Erica and Ike joined the family of one of Erica's dear friends. We adopted George not long after we lost a cat to a coyote. Thus, our goal was to make our newly acquired barn cat an indoor cat. That worked with some success. George loved to go out on the second story deck, jump to a gable and climb over the roof to the little roof over the front step where she would stay and cry until we would rescue her. She would look at us with a "Where have you been?" look and then run off to hide in a closet when we released her inside.

She hated change and our frequent moves always set her in a dither. She would assume her "chicken walk" and find a cupboard to take up residence until we found her. She loved living in Spokane where she was able to live as an indoor/outdoor kitty. She especially like going out in the summer sun. She also like to walk with Bill and our old dog Samantha on their walks.

Georgie did not like strangers coming to the house. When there was a knock at the door she was off like a flash not to be seen until the visitors were gone. She did, however, love Erica, my mother, Bill, Sammie, sometimes Bentley and me.

We will miss her jumping from the top of the refrigerator, crawling out of a cupboard, swatting the dog, knocking things off the dresser at night for attention, crying when she got her insulin shots, and snuggling on our laps for her special attention.

Rest well old friend. We loved you and will miss you.

All is Groovy

We got back from Arlington late yesterday afternoon. I spent the week with Erica, Geoff and baby Jacob. Bill and Bentley came back over on Friday evening. Bill and I spent our 33rd anniversary at Anca's holiday party. The party participants sang a wonderful rendition of the 59th Street Bridge Song in honor of our special day. That was the song played as the recessional for our wedding on a cold, foggy and snowy day in Boise, Idaho all those years ago. Thanks to all and especially Erica who requested Alexandra do it.

We are starting to get used to this grandparenting thing and look forward to more times with Jake as he grows and develops. Like her father who read the Wall Street Journal to her when she was a very tiny baby, I overheard Erica reading young Jacob The Economist one day last week. Goodness!! What's a grandmother to do?

All my Christmas activity was put on hold while I was away so today I will try to make more order of the place. In the meanttime, "Slow down, you move too fast..."

Welcome Jacob Elijah!

Friday, December 12 at 1:10 p.m., Jacob Elijah was delivered via c-section. He weighed 9lbs 5oz and was 21 inches long. He is our first grandchild and as you can imagine we are quite taken with him. We saw him last night for the first time.

Jake is doing well. His mother is tired and comfortable but improving each day. Geoff is most pleased and is not leaving Erica or Jacob's sides until they come home probably tomorrow.

Bill and I getting used to all of this and can hardly wait to spend more time with our new grandson.

Still Waiting for Our December Delivery

Santa came to Milton but didn't have a delivery for us.

The due date has come and gone and the wait is still on. Erica and Geoff are not parents yet which means we are not proud grandparents yet. So, instead of going something productive like get the Christmas tree and put it up, address cards, and finish gifts, I am in wait mode. It's sort of like being in a holding pattern in airplane. Today, I must do something to amend this situation.

More on our status as soon as we know.

Update -- Still Waiting

Thanksgiving came and went and I spent a few days under the weather. We have done a couple of community things since then but mostly we have been waiting. That little one is not in any hurry at all to make her/his appearance.

Just to prove we haven't been total bumps on logs. Here are some photos of a recent outing to Prime Hook Game Refuge and Broadkill Beach. The amazing thing about Prime Hook this time of year is the number of migratory birds making a stop. On this particular day there were what seemed to be thousands of snow geese in one of the waterways. There were so many that the perspective was distorted.

Snow Geese Making a Stop

Heron & Duck butts

Bill & Bentley Back from the Beach.

More on the happenings in this part of Delaware later in the week.

Mac 'n Cheese

The long weekend is starting to wind down and I hope that you had a beautiful Thanksgiving. Ours was quiet, just Bill and me. I sometimes miss the huge family dinners we would sometimes enjoy when I was a kid and then there are times that I am happy for the solitude. This year was quiet because we are all eagerly awaiting arrival the baby, sometime in the next few days now.

In the time we have been in Delaware we have come across what is to us an oddity, macaroni and cheese served very frequently and always as a side dish. At first I thought it the potluck nature of a couple of events we attended and then we noticed it showing up at buffet dinners we were attending. After a while we started noticing it with great frequency on restaurant menus not as a main dish but as a side dish.

My history is one where mac 'n cheese is a main dish. It has always been a family favorite and has been elevated to a "special dinner" status. It is always fun and, of course, very fattening. We serve it with salad and a beverage.

That's not the case when we go to other places here in Delaware. For example, it is most often the case to have turkey or chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, mac 'n cheese, corn, a sweet potato dish, rolls, and dessert. Often, there is a dish of canned peas and dumplings. These are a thin, almost clear, noodle like concoctions that are smaller but resemble won tons. So many of the dishes served here are traditional. But, I sure would like to know how the tradition of so many starches came to be. It kind of takes that joy out mac 'n cheese.

The good thing for me is that Bill does not request macaroni and cheese as often as he did. But, there are times that hot, sticky dish can't be beat.

Channeling Mom

My mother has been the focus of many posts. She passed away two years ago this month. Not a day goes by that I do not think about her and my dad. Sometimes as I remember them I just ache because I miss them so. There are the times I am filled with joy because they are always with me. And, then there are the times I just shake my head in wonderment. Take the day in September when I went to Dover to purchase flannel for receiving blankets for our soon to be grandchild. I wanted to make sure that Erica and Geoff had some of these over sized, double thickness blankets. My mother made each of my siblings and me several of these when our children were born. They were especially useful as the baby got bigger. Erica used her for her dolls, her pets and covered herself when she took naps. We still have a couple of those originals around here.

I waited to start this project because Erica was hesitant about whether or not she wanted them until one of her friends told her she need LOTS of swaddling blankets. I had originally thought I would purchase fabric on-line until I realized that shipping costs would make the whole process unreasonable. So it was off to a fabric store. Dover is 30 or so miles away and is the closest area for a fabric store. While there I found several really cute boy possibilities and some very sweet girl possibilities. The problem I was having making my selection was that we do not know the gender so I had to select viable gender neutral pieces. I found several that I liked and selected them making sure that I had a complimentary piece for the other side. This is where my mother comes into the story. My mother was a very good seamstress. My mother had a taste for outrageous fabric. The louder or busier the better as far as she was concerned. While I selecting fabrics I was in a section where there were several pieces of the same color palette and I was trying to pair two or three pieces. Anyway, I made my selections and came home.

When I got home I eagerly showed them to Bill. The problem was that I could not effectively match the fabrics as I remembered them when I purchased them. In fact, I got home with at least one piece I do not remember selecting. There was one piece that was of the color palette of a couple other pieces but it just did not match. I tried several different combinations and after a few days decided that I needed to match that piece and another with other fabric. This trip was to Salisbury where I found a few more pieces I liked and a solid to match my strange piece still at home. It was while I was selecting new matching fabrics that it dawned on me what happened earlier. My mother had selected that fabric and put it into my cart. I remember selecting another but do not remember it getting into the cart.

Well, after all of that I ended up having to get a new sewing machine (my old one just pooped) and finally finishing 10 large receiving/swaddling blankets. A couple of them are very sweet, one is very wintery with snowmen one side and snowy trees on the other, a couple feature many of the animals that seem to be making up the theme of the nursery as it progresses, one has a nursery rhyme theme, some have fun patterns, and then there is one that Erica proclaimed, "Oh, my gosh, that looks just like what Grandma would have done!"

This photo taken by Erica using her i Phone shows all of the blankets over the edge of their bright blue crib. If you look closely to the right you will see the channeled blanket. It is not the prettiest by far but it will be used with lots of love and remembering. Mom will be in the nursery looking over another of her great grandchildren.

Our Own Saturday Night Disco

"Happy Labor Day" is the Message

In the last post I mentioned we had spent the weekend in Arlington for a baby shower for Erica and Geoff. It was great fun and would not have been possible without the incredible hospitality and hostessing (my word) job of Anca and Alexandra. Thanks also to John and Kiki.

Erica & Alexandra -- Fast Friends.

Wonderful, wonderful Anca

Erica has always marched to a different beat and this shower was no different. The disco theme brought out the "ham" in her and Geoff's friends and family. Erica covered her baby belly with a shimmering silver fabric to indicate a disco ball and Geoff donned a truly awful leisure suit. It is hard to believe they were ever in style. Most of the attendees wore something reminiscent of the late 70's.

Disco Baby

Leisure Suit?

Instead of regular shower games we had one where the invitees had previously (some brought Saturday) sent me photos of themselves "Then and Now." These were placed on a board and then the trick was to match "Then and Now." It was much harder than expected. Winners were given CD's of disco music.

This post is to show some of the fun and frivolity.

Enjoying the Company

Then & Now

Radiant Mother-to-Be

Showing the Gifts

Oh, yeah!!

Resting Today

The past few weeks have been very busy ones for us. Today, I am mostly doing nothing before I get everyday things done that have been pushed aside for the past few weeks. Lord, what happened to the energy of days past?

For some reason, probably traditions developed over harvesttime, there a tons of activities planned by almost every civic group in Delaware and Maryland during October. Bill and I belong to the Milton Lions Club and it seems like there is no time to breathe once October 1 arrives until November 1.

We had commitments with Lions and I was fitted with a new brace which required several trips to Salisbury, Maryland during the past month. We went to Arlington one weekend for Erica's band concert. The following weekend we went to Philadelphia to visit an old friend Blackfoot, Idaho. She opened her home and provided a quiet lovely time. Then, this past weekend we went to Arlington for a baby shower for Erica and Geoff. This was a major event and I had a project that had to get done as well as finishing some items I made for the baby. The shower was great fun. Our thanks to Anca, Alexandra, John and Kiki for all that the did. It was wonderful and beyond expectations.

Erica and Geoff had breakfast for Geoff's parents and us on Saturday morning. Geoff took his parents to a museum, Erica took Bill off on errands and I finished my shower project. Yesterday, Erica, Geoff, Geoff's parents, Bill and I had a brunch in Palisades area of D.C. From there, his parents headed back to NYC and Bill and I went to get Bentley before heading back to Delaware.

Now, I am wondering just when the baby will arrive. I am thinking, sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Vote

Whatever you do today, make sure you voted or have voted. This privilege of our democracy carries with it the responsibility to exercise that privilege.

Complacency is not an excuse. The strength of the republic is in the hands of the voter. So, please exercise that vote.

I Was So Excited I Missed It

Today I came across something that initially was a curiosity and upon closer observation it was amazing. I was going to get Bill from work and had decided to go another way because it was early and I was on a quest to get a photo of a sassafras tree. There is supposed to be one of the largest in Delaware right here in Milton. I made the turn onto the back road and saw what I thought to be a large turkey vulture by the side of the road. Since the traffic was non-existent I drove slowly and pulled off the road beside the bird. To my utter amazement it was a bald eagle feeding on some road kill. He was just standing there in all of his glory. I pulled my camera out of the case, took off the lens cap, pushed the button for the wrong window, raised the back window so the dog would not bark, and missed the shot. By the time I got the view finder to my eye I was shaking so badly I missed the shot. Never had I been so close and yet so far.

The ironic happening was that earlier in the day I had been out and took several pictures of the beautiful autumn leaves and changing countryside. When looking through my photos I saw a bird in a few taken very close to where I saw the eagle. I am sure I caught the eagle in flight earlier in the day. That's him right above the tree line.

I know several people saw this majestic animal because several cars on our return visit were pulled alongside the road in the same place all with eyes peeled to the sky and then down on the field. Maybe another time now that I know he is here.

By the way, I could not identify the sassafras tree.