WE ARE BACK...In time for Nebraska Football

…. 1 YEAR LATER ….


Although it has been almost a year since we have blogged, I have kept up with all the other blogs; so we are not totally out of touch. Now it’s the Face Book that everyone wants me to keep up. Reality check here - seems like I can do only one and have decided this is it. (Besides the girls are still trying to teach me how to add pictures!)

The summer started off great. We had been planning a family reunion for over a year as a gift to my parents. Our families have spread out enough that even our own kids had not been all together in several years. The real timing on this was to be together before Brian and Jeremy left for Afghanistan. We all met in Nebraska over Memorial Day weekend. Jeremy’s family drove in from Fort Lewis, WA; Jessica’s family drove in from Little Rock AFB, AR; Jennifer’s family drove in Salt Lake City; and we flew in from Alaska. My youngest brother‘s family came in from Manhattan, KS and my other brother lives near my parents. My nephews and nieces all live near enough that they could drive in for the day or weekend. Jennifer’s husband, Alan, took family photos. He spent an entire morning getting groups, family and just candid shots. I will add the link to my blog (with help from Jennifer) so that you can see the many faces. To see photos click here. Of course it also gives us time to brag about the Grandkids….our almost favorite thing to do these days. In addition to having these 25 people together for several days we planned a day with my Dad’s only sister, her kids + spouses, and all the cousins. The whole group was less than 60 people and a wonderful day in the park. For my brothers and I it was a chance to catch up with all of our cousins.

Brian left for Afghanistan in late June and Jeremy followed July. As always , keep them and all Soldiers in your in your prayers.

We finally got our trip to Scotland in late July! We had planned this couple of times, made it to Scotland and then had to return after only a few days for either military duty or personal reasons. We had decided that it would be fun to take a holiday with Dennis and Margaret and this turned out to be the perfect opportunity. The planning was going good, until we tried to book hotel rooms. We had planned our trip at the same time that the Scots (Clans) were planning “The Gathering” of the Clans. It was the first in 750 years. Blessing and curse – hotels were too expensive and not easily found – so we decided to rent a motor home (caravan to European friends). This made it easier to plan our route, major attractions, distillery visits, etc, but harder to get on group tours. We managed OK….adventures all along the way.

We started out from Anchorage around 10 PM on July 21; had a layover in Seattle, time to sleep at the Airport USO then on to Newark to meet up with Dennis and Margaret. The fun begins….their plane did not arrive on time from Omaha. We were at the gate and were called for boarding. We finally got them on the phone. Their plane had just landed and they were sitting on the tarmac. Fred talked to the gate personnel and they said they were holding the plane for several people on that flight. The people from Omaha were on a bus to be taken directly to our flight; however the bus driver left and they just sat there! All ends good…..they rushed to the plane and we took off for Edinburgh. The overnight flight got us into Edinburgh around 10AM and our first call was to the Caravan Company. The owner met us at the parking lot within the hour. He drove to his home to finish getting all the supplies and teach the guys about the vehicle. (We had paid for bed linens and towels…..bit disappointed that it was very minimum and smelled like smoke.) Next move was for us to find a grocery store, get some maps and our first caravan park! As we followed directions from various locals…..we never got more than six miles from the airport and it seemed that we always ended up in the same cul-de-sac. After a couple of hours we registered at a local campground and went for groceries. As Dennis was driving, he started having trouble shifting. The clutch gave out on the side of the road, less than three miles from our campsite. Many attempts to reach the company failed and we were stuck. The people whose yard we were stuck in were wonderful and very helpful. We were less than a mile from a local pub and had our first taste of local beer with our fish & chips!

The next morning the van owner sent a tow truck and we rode with them to the garage. What was a promised two hour fix turned into seven and lots of frustration. We found out that garden centers have quaint little coffee shops to draw in business. We spent two hours there for breakfast and exploring. Back to the garage and the vehicle still waiting for parts. The garage owner paid for cab fare to and from a local mall! We are still trying to get the issues resolved with the caravan company.

Meanwhile, we called our NATO friends – George and Dorothy – and they just happened to be stuck in harbor at the River Clyde, just past Glasgow. We were able to park for free, had dinner reservations at the local restaurant and great entertainment on their sailboat – Pleasant Winds. The stories of old times, good times, great wine and true friendship made for a perfect late night. The next day they took us sailing on the Firth of Clyde. It was some beautiful and each of us got a chance “hold the controls.” Some of us, like Dennis, did much better than others, like me. He won the speed race and did some great maneuvers that had us all sitting on one side of the boat and Dorothy in the cabin wondering if she would have to start bailing water. Once we were back in port, we headed back to Edinburgh and Morton Hall camp site.

Morton Hall turned out to be a mediocre caravan park, but convenient to the bus stop for our next two days in the city. The Gathering (July 25 & 26) was at a large park at the end of the Royal Mile and near Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the Royals stay when in town. As we were waiting at the bus stop, we met some folks in for the Gathering. Mary turned out to be a bit crazy, but full of fun and information. Her son was a drummer in one of the Pipe bands and would be marching in the Grand Parade. We spent the next two days enjoying Pipe bands, the Highland Games World Championship, Scotch tasting, clan history tents, current military clan traditions and many other activities. Saturday night highlight was the dramatic presentation in the Castle of the history of the Clans and relationships to events of Scotland. It was cold and crowded. We waited for almost two hours for the event to begin after the march of the Clans into the Castle.

The Highland Heavy Events games were a special interest because the reigning champion, Sean Betz, is from Omaha. The games consist of Tossing the Caber, Putting the Stone, Throwing the Hammer, Throwing the Weight for height, Throwing the Weight for Distance and Strongman Events. We saw as many of the grandstand events as possible and cheered the amateurs as they took the field for fun. Mary tried every event…she was great! As we waited for the opening events, the crowd parted and the Scottish version of the Secret Service created a wide path …. Prince Charles, and company, arrived to make opening remarks. He passed less than ten feet from us, talked to a Texan, and of course we have the pics to prove it! Consider us almost famous! Back to the Highland Games – Sean placed second is a close contest. Second and third place were also Americans. After two days, we were tired of the Pipe and Drum bands and they had begun to all sound alike to us.

The clan tents were of special interest. Dennis found the Thomas Clan, part of the more famous McTavish Clan and a part of our ancient family history. We looked for Clans that our friends were part of – Campbell, Kerr and several others. It was all interesting as were the people manning the Clan tents. More people were from out of country than Scotland at times. Of special interest to Fred and I was the Golden Thread – Scottish Military History since Fred had served with several their members in NATO assignments. They have gone from six units to one with their designations identified by the color of the feather in their hat. Talisker (Scotch) had an opportunity for tasting. We discovered that we liked the smoky, peat flavored Scotch that had been aged in oak barrels from the US. The ones that tasted like pepper and others that had aged in wine barrels were left to someone else! One of the demonstrations was how the eight yards of tartan were wrapped around the body to hold food, draped so that weapons could be used, draped again to provide warmth and how it eventually became the kilts that we see in the formal settings of the current day.

Monday morning we were off to see battlefields and castles. (The locals that we met thought we were a bit crazy driving long distances each day to see Scotland. Of course 60 to 80 miles a day for Alaskans and Nebraskans is so close.) Our first adventure was crossing the Firth of Forth in rush hour traffic, stopping at Bannockburn Heritage Center and getting to Stirling. Charlie, our castle guide, was dramatic – Boom! Boom! - accented every battle. Although not a stronghold castle, it was the place for the Stewart Kings and Mary Queen of Scots. We explored the city and found a campsite. We stayed the next morning to tour Holy Rude Church, just outside the Castle, and the Old Towne Jail. The prison housed locals 1847 – 1888 and was a military prison from 1888 – 1935. The tour included era clothed guides that spoke in true characters of the days/times they represented. History of floggings, deprivations and all other prisoner abuse was accentuated with pictures and demonstrations. We all decided that one Scottish Jail was enough for this tour.

Next stop was Crieff - home to The Famous Grouse (Scotland’s oldest distillery) and the history of Highland Drovers. The latter was a short film and small museum. We had seen the Highland cows at Morton Hall and knew that they were making a comeback in Scotland. Fred brought back “ me wee he-land coo” in stuffed animal form. (Actual translation is “my small Highland Cow.”) For the sake of the grandchildren the hi-land coo also moos! We heard it many times on the remainder of the trip. The distillery tour and tasting was the best we were to experience. It also turned out to be one of our favorite Scotches. It is also associated with Chevis Brothers (Chevis Regal Scotch).

We found a campsite close to Pitlochry for the night. We found the dam and fish ladder on the river. It is an Atlantic salmon river and we were told the Salmon are running. Margaret saw a couple jump, but the rest of us did not see any. Guess the salmon have bigger runs in Alaska. It was after six, so no tours, but we decided on a small dinner and theater performance. Dinner turned out to be one menu, expensive, that was set to meet the theater crowd. After we had ordered, one of the locals at the next table declared that he was not about to pay those prices and wanted the regular meal. He and his guest enjoyed local fare while we moped about not knowing there was another menu. We enjoyed the “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” although there were parts where all of us had trouble keeping the eyes open. We walked the ½ mile back to the caravan in the pouring rain.

Day 9 in Scotland. In route to Blair castle and Atholl we stopped near Killecrankie to see the famous forge that was jumped by Scots in the height of battle. The jump was over 13 feet and many did not make it. Problem was, neither did we. There was no road back and the walk was a couple of miles. So we moved on to Blair Castle. We thought it would take a couple of hours. It turned out to be filled with so many artifacts that it took about five hours. The longest drive was going to Glen Livets Distillery. We did not make it for the final tour, but took the self guided and of course the tasting! (Second favorite Scotch, if you are keeping count.) We drove through the Cairngorm Mountains both to get there and back to head to Inverness. It was beautiful. However, once we found our campground, no local pubs for supper! First time ever we stood in line for a table a Pizza Hut. Our other choice was Burger King.

Just a bit about the roads in Scotland. M9 and M*8 are similar to our interstates to include circle routes around the major cities. The A roads are generally two lane roads, some four lane divided, and in great shape. Then there are B roads; all two lane and sometimes narrow. Then there are the one lane B roads that resemble cow paths where vehicles must pull over to let another pass. Laugh as you want, but I did navigate Dennis on one as we tried to find Culloden.


This was the Culloden tour that the guys were really looking forward to. Of course they can read and study the battle scenes twice as fast as Margaret and I, so they relaxed in the coffee shop for an hour. We took the battlefield tour – site has been restored as much as possible to the April 1746 time and presents a 360 degree view of where troops staged for the fight. The guide discussed in great detail the events that lead up to the battle from the perspective of both the government troops/leadership and the Jacobites. The battle left 1200 dead in just an hour. He followed this with the aftermath of murdering clansmen as they tried vainly to escape over the next weeks. It was the only time that it poured rain on our entire tour where we were cold and somewhat drenched. However, it added so much reality to the tour because that was the weather of the battle day. The guide discussed the military tactics of thinking of the leadership. It was somber experience. There were several people from a local clan on the tour who paid tribute at the site of the battle where their clan had stood. When the rain was at its worst, out came the flask with liquid to warm the soul. Can you believe it, my brother turned it down!

After the battlefield, we headed to Cawdor Castle; one of the fortress castles. This is one of Fred’s favorite European castles. It is from the Campbell Clan and privately owned. The resident family is the 7th Earl Colin Cawdor and Lady. The castle was crowded with too many pieces from too many eras in each room, so it was hard to understand some of the history. The best part was the geometric gardens. Flowers in bloom, manicured trees and lots of birds.

The first campground we found, near Lewiston, was full and the owner told us there was a “quaint little place just a wee bit down the road near the equestrian stables.” It had beautiful views overlooking Loch Ness. So off we went. Well folks, let me tell you what we found. Scots lie about a “wee bit.” It was about 5 miles away. It was on the Equestrian estates…loose term for a horse farm and stables. The campsite was not exactly level, our noisy Italian neighbors partied very late and the “facilities” were four converted stables! Flushing toilets were OK and were in one stall; the shower was in the next stall. The guys decided it wasn’t too bad, but we girls decided we could forgo the shower one night. We knew we were near Urquhart Castle (ruins) and asked the owner about going there the next morning. He tells us “it’s just a wee bit stretch of the legs” and points off giving us general directions. He also says, “don’t wait ‘till the morning, just jump the gate and enjoy the setting sun with the locals.” So off we go. We see several other walkers and they tell us they just came from the castle and they were all walking from Loch Ness thru the farmer’s sheep field. We found the view of Loch Ness – after we navigated the pasture with thistles and briars. It was a muddy shore and no castle. Back up to the road and knocked on the door of the farmer. It’s just “a wee bit up the road and around the corner.” The wee bit turned out to be another mile. There were about 20 locals inside the castle walls and we joined them! (Probably caught on tape, too!) This was also a fortress castle and on Loch Ness. We searched Nessie, but no luck in finding her. The waters were calm and it was a beautiful sunset.

July 31 we were set to tour Fort Augustus and the Abbey. After searching for the Abbey, we found out that it was turned into an apartment house. The Fort was a short visit. We decided to move on to Fort Williams. We took a short tour of Invergarry Castle and drove onto Fort William. We found lots to see and do so decided to spend two days. This area has the highest peaks in Scotland; Ben Nevis range. We took a gondola ride up to a neighboring ridge and hiked for a couple of hours in both directions. Awesome views of the range, towns and the Lochs below. We drove to Inverlochy Castle – turned out to be a hotel. So off to another adventure. (The real Inverlochy Castle is some ruins.)
The next day we toured downtown Fort Williams and the local clan museum. Lunch was fish & chips and a local beer. Gee whiz, the Scots charge $1.50 just to sit in a chair. No kidding, charge extra for eating in! Fred had to send in his time card and was having no luck at the local library. Turns out the best access to internet in Scotland is at McDonalds. Wi-Fi at its best. After lunch we found Neptune’s staircase. It is the longest series of locks in Scotland. We watched a large sailboat move up the lock system and then two started back down. It takes about 2 hours for a boat to go through all the locks. We were pressed for time, so could not wait to see the highway and rail bridge turn like clock hands to allow access to Loch Lochy. We wanted to tour Ben Niven Distillery. After the tour and purchase of a small bottle….Back to the campground and a night of tasting Scotch. But first a stop the local café. The food was incredible dishes of haggis, trout and beef. The guys reminisced about early military life, which led to the singing of marching jodies.

Sunday – Day 13 – started out slow. We went to Inverarary, along Loch Flynn. There we tour a bell tower in an old church and learned about the art of bell ringing. These are the second largest in the world and are rung once a month. Next was the castle and Maritime museum; on board an old ship. The next stop was a short ride to the Botanical Gardens that boasted the tallest Redwoods outside of America. We were a bit disappointed – no flowers and limited signs on our walk. We covered about five miles and looked at lots of trees. The most interesting was a tree that had leaves that felt like cat fur on the back. There were also monkey trees that seem to spread endlessly.

We called George and Dot – they were still stuck in port due to weather. So we decided rather than drive to Edinburgh, we would take the ferry crossing at Dunoon and spend the evening with them. There was plenty of wine, scotch, and food for twice the crowd. It was nearing the end of our vacation and celebrated the great time we had. The next day would be our last day in Edinburgh. We toured the castle, made our purchases and packed for the return trip. August 4 we were back in New Jersey; Dennis and Margaret headed to Nebraska and we to Alaska.

As we close this note…..a promise to keep up with news and to add pictures.

VETERNS DAY SALUTE

DoD gives us the day off to support our Service Members, remember those who have served and those who gave their lives defending the rights we enjoy today. Each day I have a job because there are Service Members and families who need the services of all of us. I see the faces and know exactly how I have helped a Soldier today; for that I am blessed. While you, my readers, may contribute more indirectly to meet their needs. The prayers we say for those dear to us, the Care packages we may send, the quilts we may sew or a myriad of other projects we may support all come back to one thing – Salute those who serve and whose patriotism of the heart we may never truly understand. I cry for each Soldier we lose from Fort Richardson and Fort Wainwright, tears of joy stream down my face as well as the Soldiers walk off the plane for their homecomings. I may not see Brian or Jeremy as they come and go, but I see their face in every Service Member here. As always, I pray that God will protect them as they defend us and our beliefs. As our country accepts new leadership, I also pray that he will be lead to understand the patriotism of the heart and soul of our Service Members and why they serve. God bless our Troops!

I have finished my first two Warm Window Quilts and Fred dutifully hung them in the north facing windows. I vowed to take pictures all through the project but never figured out how to advertise them on this space. So as the dutiful Mom – I will email them to my daughter(s) and they will do the magic to allow you to view and sigh in admiration!! Fred has given me some limited moments to update the Blog – oh, yes he has been harassing me that I do not write as often as our Gen-X and Gen-Y readers do. I will teach him how to add to the blog in his own style. BTW – two moose and two bears now wander on the sills the surround the fireplace. (It is warmer, too!)

The bright yellow and dark blues of the 50th anniversary of Alaska Statehood license plate was spotted in Arkansas. It does seem a bit strange to celebrate Statehood when I am older than the State. It also brings back wonderful memories of the year Nebraska turned 100 – I was just a young teen! The relatives in the AR area chastised me (again) about not sharing a photo of that and the Jeep it resides on! My lame excuse was the care was covered in road slime. My wonderful husband made it all beautiful and shiny and I thought I will just take the picture the next day. Soon a week has gone by and it has rained again. It’s a holiday, so I will have the picture on the same email as the quilts!

Pumpkin carving took on a “life of its own” for us this year. A dear friend invited us to a fundraiser for Special Olympics. The host has a special affection for (construction) engineer designers. (And I always tease the engineers I work with that none of them are socialites and never color outside the box!) Back to the story – The host invited local companies to have teams of 3 people, bring your own tools, carve a pumpkin on site in 51 minutes and then auction them off! Great plan, except for the team who did not read the part about bring your own tools! The Petroleum Club (popular elite room of the oil industry) was the place and we started off with some good wine and food. Unknown to all invitees at the beginning, the buffet line would become the “pickings” of the carvers later. The carvers grouped around their assigned pumpkins trying to determine if the plan they had would work, or if creativity of the moment would have to be invoked. At the appointed hour, the carving began. The ingenious team with no tools managed at first with table fork, spoon and manicured fingernails. As the crowd encouraged them, one fine chef found seafood knife to help them. The creations that emerged were incredible. Pumpkin #1 became a T-Rex with flaming eyes and claws. On the reverse side was an erupting volcano spewing “pumpkin” colored lava with cauliflower clouds. (Thanks to the buffet line.) Pumpkin #2 evolved into a geometric hanging lamp reminding everyone of a Japanese garden. The third on was bouncy Betty Boop with glowing eyes and other body parts! Governor Sarah Palin graced the next orange orb. It looked like a pen and ink drawing with backlighting – common to the editorial cartoon pages except that it was a beautiful, delicate full face view. The next carvers took great delight in making several small cutouts that are common to Alaska Statehood anniversary. These included the bear, moose and the logo for all those memory items we and the tourists will buy. The last great pumpkin became a flaming eyed Birch Bark Beetle emerging from a tree trunk with broccoli mold and lichen along the tree trunk. Fall leaves that once decorated the buffet table became the leaves for the Beetle to crunch. This was the creation of the team with no tools! The lights were dimmed, the candles lit and our Halloween spirit soared as we applauded the artists and their creations. The auctioneer began his chant just as the “ahhs and ohhs” became whimpers in the crowd. As we thought of our grandchildren, we raised our bid on the T-Rex. He came back to Chugiak, but found a home on the steps of a five year old neighbor girl. Her belly full of giggles erupted like the volcano on the pumpkin when she spied the adornment to the porch. The highlight of the auction – the carvers of the Birch Beetle bought their own creation for triple the amount of every other jack-o-later! The parting comment, “My manicured nails are buried somewhere in that orange thing and I want to admire them for at least another week!!

As our Blog indicates, we will always be Nebraskans first and Alaskans just because we live here. Each Saturday we try and find the favorite team on the tube and more often than not find that it is not a regional game in our area. The past few weeks we have cheered and/or screamed as our team inched out a win or spotted the opposers 28 points in the first four minutes of the game. We call the Jaybird fans when they lose to us or my brother to brag about the score. The Husker flag waves to passer-bys from our front porch and the mailbox is adorned with the logo as well. We will raid the neighbor’s yard who dare to put up character cut-outs of their favorite team, especially on Husker game day when they are the opponent. Still, at the end of the day, the tailgate party remains the favorite part of all these armchair quarterbacks. GO BIG RED!!!

Halloween Package

The day finally arrived! Anya has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of her wonderful, amazing Halloween package sent with TLC from her favorite Grandma. As soon as she saw the box, she started jumping up and down and of course she had to try it on right away...





Mom--You are wonderful! Thanks for always making Anya's dreams come true!

The End of Summer – It Really Never Was

It’s no longer Termination Dust on the distant Bear Mountain; it’s snowing large flakes that melt instantly on the driveway. The trees look like someone was baking and sifted powdered sugar hap-hazardly across the branches and the lawn trying to cover the turning and falling leaves. Fred has worked all summer on the yard to make it a lush green surrounded by newly planted trees. Now the long wait to see if it all comes back. :-]

The chastising has become outright criticism from my lovely daughters! Hear the screams – “Mom is delinquent – her Blog is missing serious updates.” So here is my redemption piece. I need forgiveness for the following: making the emergency trip to Nebraska in July; staff training in August; a trip to see the new grandson in Washington; year-end closeout for DoD in September; trying my hand at quilting, for months, to get the art of Warm Window Quilts; and yes – making sure the important grandchildren all have their favorite Halloween characters in full regalia!

At last, a chance to brag and boast about the favorite things in life. My honey has kept the vigil of studying books and acing practical exams by marking another milestone, errr Skymiles, in his race for the Alaskan skies. Last week he passed his instrument tests and practical flight with the FAA. He then passed the flight test for night flying and mountain flying. He has taken several night flights – to Homer, Soldotna, and places unknown. He left for Hawaii Sunday and arriving on Monday were the books for his commercial license! Gee – I’m sure it just a few more dollars, a few more flights, and a few more tests…..a few more days where he talks to his flying partner more than his wife.

My next project is teaching my grandkids the art of asking Grandma around Easter for Halloween Costumes. Of course they will change their minds a dozen times, grow at least a couple of inches and the Grandma will just end up sewing like crazy in the last month to make their wishes come true. I can hardly wait to see Mary Ingalls, Indiana Jones, a Medieval Princess and Tinkerbelle. Dale even prospered as I found a Pirate costume for him. (It doubles as a sleeper!) Poor Aaron, the little guy will be wearing something unknown for the moment! I loved shopping and sewing; only Opa thought he was first in line for me to finish the windows. AHH – that remains a work in progress, as does the Blues Clues blanket. I took leave this week to work in my cave, but even that has not happened. I will be there tomorrow!

It has been over two years since the Hoochies got together for a girl’s weekend and much has changed in our individual lives. We have kept close in prayers and in our hearts as one of our crew dealt with the conviction and jail time of her daughter (24 years old) on a charge of “guilty by association” with someone who hid drugs in her purse. A couple of them had serious health issues and these same friends have held us up in the last year with our personal trauma. It’s with celebration in our hearts that we welcome two to Grandma-hood next weekend. The big surprise – a friend that lives in South Carolina flew in for the event. It was two nights at the Copper Whale (owned by an old buddy from the Fly By Night Club), a day of touring art galleries, boutique shopping and an evening at the local theatre. Friday night events started with Jell-O Shooters, stories and lots of laughs. We walked Fifth Avenue admiring the works of local artists. It’s a monthly event called First Friday and comes with food and beverage samples. We then gathered at Gingers for dinner. It’s a new place and had lots to offer. I had the chicken curry with a dry Italian wine that Mary recommended. Of course we all tried every entrée that someone else ordered and a few bites of dessert before heading back to the rooms for a long night of giggles and stories! Saturday we toured the new convention center. Unknown to us, there was a political rally for McCain-Palin for youth of Alaska. We avoided the crowds as we admired the stained glass window depicting the Native heritage of Alaskans. The main room can seat 5,000 – not sure if that is with or without tables! Hobo Jim was in concert – so that was fun. We window shopped boutiques – no fabric for me- then to an Irish Pub for lunch. Unfortunately for them we won’t be back. The food was good, when we finally got our order, but the service was seriously lacking! I stopped at JC Penney on the way back to the room for a couple of pairs of black pants for work – big expenditure for the weekend. I had intended to go to the Spa for a Hot Rock massage, but could not get in. We all met back at the Copper Whale - some for naps, others for quiet time in a hot bubble bath! The Clean House was playing at Cyrano’s. It’s a very small theatre that does a new production every month. This story was about four women who are dealing with individual issues but bound together as sisters, mother and housekeeper. It was an awesome play written by a local artist. The main group went to Rum Runners afterwards to meet up with their favorite guy for late night dinner. I met up with mine by going home. Fred had to be at the airport by 0930 on Sunday. The rest went back to Copper Whale – ending the weekend with a late night stories and a morning breakfast. Husbands and lovers are wonderful and I have the best in one man – but girlfriends are the understanding that men just do not understand!

Alan can relate to this – my self-appraisal is due today. Only people in the new pay system of NSPS can relate to the 10,000 character limitation of trying to tell your boss what you accomplished and then not knowing until January if he agrees since he is not allowed to talk with you about it. It is then forwarded to a committee who does not know what your job is and compares it with (in my case) all other supervisors on the installation. The entire review process is 13 pages – the employee (me) gets to fill out the first half. The real defeat is the award system – there is none! I will be lucky to get an inflation raise.

I am taking the week off to prepare for another major event. Fred is on the Board for Safari Club International. He intends to resign after this year for personal reasons. Meanwhile, as a board member, he volunteered to host the fall event. We chose Oktoberfest as our theme for a quarterly general meeting. We decided the menu and then asked the Hoochies to help put it on. We will be serving 80 people brats, rotisserie chicken, German potato salad, red cabbage, sauerkraut, and apple strudel. This will be combined with German music, traditional beer and wine, door prizes of German cakes and books and finally the Chicken Dance! We are doing a practice run at the house on Sunday to give everyone a taste of the menu and assign duties. We have never catered before, should be interesting! The Hoochies will make it work!

I can feel the forgiveness flow as I have caught up with everyone near and dear. Again the promises of trying to keep pace with the professional bloggers in my life!

Memories Tag

Here's a little "tag" going around...

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

THE ALASKAN SKIES

Once again I am sitting in my cave, as Fred calls it and catching up with the mail and notes that I owe my family and friends. It is really my sewing room and I am resisting the urge to turn off the computer and just sew the day away. It is perfect for that: the sky is cloudy and threatening to drench me if I even open the window more than two inches; the wind is gently blowing the smells of wild flowers and wood smoke from the surrounding neighborhood; and the quiet mood of Miss Jane Marple solving a another murder on audio book fills the room. It is the simple life I wish I could maintain throughout the weeks of summer.

Reality hits! I really enjoyed the time in Nebraska. I spent more time on the road than expected due to the trips to Norfolk to visit Grandma Lehman. Those are important and I was pleased to see her steadily in recovery from the heart surgery. Unfortunately, she has had a couple of setbacks due to blood clots in the lungs. She was returned to the hospital and seems to be recovering, but is struggling. We get almost daily updates from Fred’s older sister, Barbara. She travels about 2 hours every few days to see her. Fred’s younger sister, Pam, lives in the same town and is with her daily. Pam is very optimistic that she will be home by mid-July. She will need constant companionship when she does return. Decisions about her long term recovery have been very difficult for the family, but all seems to be going well.

The rest of the trip resembled a roller coaster ride with escalating rises, sharp turns and just the silliness of being with friends on the carnival rides. One must just keep going back to the ticket booth for another adventure. That would be Mom and Dad’s place. The heavy rains and numerous weather warnings for tornadoes followed by gorgeous sunny days reminded me that life is just as unpredictable. My Mom, Aunt and two sister-in-laws met up with my good friend Cindy, her Mom and sisters in Omaha. We “ lunched” on a roof-top café in the Old Market area and then hurried off to the theater to see Menopause the Musical. We laughed ‘til our sides hurt tears stained our faces. Margaret, Kathy and I extended the evening by finding a hotel room, sharing a couple bottles of wine and regaling each other with stories and secrets of motherhood and marriage. For those in the know – “Ya-Ya Sisterhood” is alive and well!

It would be the only trip to Omaha due to the storms and highway closures. Dennis ended up spending lots of time trying to farm and rescue cattle and fences between the storms. I spent my last evening in Nebraska eating HIS food and drinking HIS wine…..always good to eat off the relatives. Margaret and I spent a girl day spoiling Megan with lunch and a movie. The waitress asked the question if we were celebrating anything special and so we pretended it was it birthday! The afternoon just got crazier after that. (Actually, it made me miss my own girls even more. You guys just need to move closer so that I can spoil you with these fun moments!) Bruce and his family “blew in” from Kansas, minus Toto, to spend a little over a day. We rarely get the three siblings together, let alone the extended family. My niece Sarah has bloomed into a lovely young woman and will start college this fall.

The quiet evenings, and occasional days, spent with Mom and Dad were very relaxing. Instead of cotton candy & carnival peanuts, we settled for Rough Necks and many card games. They mowed lawns; I trimmed. They picked up branches and I climbed the tree to knock them down. Good times come to an end and I returned to Alaska.
I was back for only three days and then off to Washington DC for a conference. At the conference I met up with a professional friend from Germany and several others from across the nation. The meeting was set to “solve” challenges that resulted from law changes and Congressional hearings as they apply to military housing. We had two free evenings. I spent one walking through Georgetown and eating at Martin’s Tavern. (Several Presidents made that their favorite meeting place.) Another evening was spent on historical Fort Meyer and watching a military tattoo with the Old Guard. Always impressive!

Back to work, but always at the hectic pace. June to August is always the heaviest turnover in military housing. We have added to the pace by moving troops in /out of the Gulf area. Normal days, long past, we saw about 75-100 walk-in customers a day, plus all regular appointments and 20+ inspections a day. Since mid May a normal day is 150 to 180 walk-ins. It’s a pace that just makes your brain hurt to think about. Around the first of August our customer base will increase by about 3,000 as we take on the management of barracks spaces. We all have our moments of stress and unhappy customers. Everyday I ask the question, “Have I made a difference in the life of a soldier or his family?” Each day I say yes and know that I love what I do.

Fred has had the most fun the summer. His favorite question today – “Do you know the difference between a ditch and a swale?” The first is $500 and the latter is $2000. Both look the same when they are done. We had to put in a swale to help the drainage in the front and northeast parts of the yard. It was draining toward the house. Now it should drain into the northeast green belt. Fred planted grass, trees and a few flowers and spend hours watering and nurturing. (i.e. swearing and counseling them if they do not respond.) He has built a retaining wall, 4+ feet high on the southwest corner. He is adding spiral stairs to the back yard that will curve along the wall. The built up area is the chosen space for a small shed for the snow blower, mower and gas cans. That remains to be built.

In between projects and “his regular job,” he has found the time for his hobby, FLYING. We celebrated with impromptu beer/pizza party another achievement Friday night; he passed the written instrument test. He still has the oral and the test ride, but he says they will be much easier. Kelcie, our 4 1/2 year old adopted granddaughter found the perfect airplane to adorn the cake. It had large comical eyes for the windows and a cheeky smile.

Although I have spent some time in the yard, my mission is to get the window quilts finished for the family room by September. No pattern here, just my vision of a finished product. I have chosen a muted yellow-brown for the background. The “framing” strips for each window is a scattered pine bough print. The quilts will be made in the design of a Roman shade and will roll up in 12” sections. I chose to decorate with simple pine trees, bear and moose along the bottom twelve inches. Everything will be in silhouette so there is no detail. Four windows are 35” x 58” and the large center window is 94” x 58.” I decided to make the large windows into three panels that will resemble the other windows. The scene will be Denali and the reflecting lake. In the foreground will be a Cache with a sled dog on one side and a musher’s sled with a couple of dogs on the other. In-between this quilt, the Grandma in me has taken special requests from the audience under the age of 5. This includes orders for Halloween costumes, Blue’s Clues Cuddle quilt, and whatever else can be thought of. Sure hope that they are all easy this year. Now is the time to catch up on your blogs as well.

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE

I cannot believe that it has been a month since I wrote. Even more unbelievable, the girls have not called and complained!

We had a tribute to all those who have served or are currently serving in the military. There are about 30 people in our congregation who were honored. I walked away feeling pretty good about the tribute; but then I read something that made me really stop and think about the time these people give. Our daughter, Jessica, wrote a note in her blog that I just had to share. It can bring tears to your eyes……..I pray that God gives him safe on his next Iraqi trip!

We signed into LRAFB November of 2002. In that time Brian has had 13 deployments/TDYs; including the current one in Alaska. His TDY days number 53 and his deployment days number 719. Since there are 365 days in a year, that puts him 11 days shy of having spent 2 full years in the desert. Let's break those 719 days down even further to put it into perspective. A soccer game lasts 90 minutes. That's equal to 11,504 soccer games. It takes about 10 minutes to read Houston a bedtime story. Brian has missed out on 7,190 minutes worth of story time. 719 days is the same as 17,256 hours, or 1,034,360 minutes, or 62,061,600 seconds that Brian has spent in a war zone.
Fred and I are actually spending lots of quality time together these days. The Alaska sun is finally staying up late and we are trying to match the hours. The longer days means the trees and shrubs are greening overnight; a sign of spring that still marvels us. We wake in the early morning hours to view the mountains across Cook Inlet from our balcony. I enjoy the warm morning coffee brew and Fred has his usual – the Coke. It seems such a shame to waste the day going to work.
The local nursery, AKA Lowes Hardware and Home Depot, have got our dollars these days. We have cleaned out the front yard, including all the dead bushes and leaning spruces. so far we have planted 12 spruce bush pines and still have another twelve to go! Fred has started the rock wall, more commonly known as Winsor red pavers, which will line the front of the house. It’s decorative, but really serves the purpose of diverting water to the drainage ditch, which will be constructed by the Engineering firm that put the septic system in last spring. The company should start in the next couple of weeks. We also got large blocks to make stair steps from the back of the RV parking area to the back yard. Right now it is a very steep incline. We are going to build a small shed for the snow blower, lawn mower, assorted gas cans, etc so that they are not in the garage. One of my co-workers also works for a construction company. The company is digging for a development in Eagle River. They have lots of fill dirt they want to get rid of and we want to level out our back yard. Best part of this deal – no charge; just have to hire the local kid to use his Bobcat to move it around.

As Jessica noted, Brian is spending 10 days in Alaska on a mission for the Army. He has worked the 1 PM to 1 AM shift, so we saw little of him for a week. However, since Friday evening we have had a great time. His birthday is coming up so we took him to Indiana Jones, the top of Alyeska, and Fred has taken him one two flights. Father Bluett will join us for steaks on the grill tonight. Brian has to report at 3 AM for departure.

I leave on Wednesday morning for Nebraska. So I had better pack…..