Giving Thanks for the Thanksgiving Posts

Thanks to everyone for the T-giving posts! It was nice to see them and think about where everybody is scattered around the globe. We made it to Durango and back safely thanks to a couple of windows of nice weather. Thank god for the internet to help you get reliable local weather information for trip planning! The kids had a great dose of cousin time and we all relaxed and hiked and ate did some geocaching (look it up- it's fun! It's basically a worldwide game of hide-and-seek played with the internet and GPS units. It's a great way to get kids hiking around!) We're back at the grind for three more weeks before winter break- there was a little melancholy all around about heading off to school today.

Important Question: Do people want me to organize and notify about a Secret Santa? I'd be happy to if it would ease the holiday pressure, but let me know soon!

Happy Thanksgiving from Block Island

Happy Thanksgiving! Sarah surfed - BRRR! We played ninja, football, and cricket. Reconnected with our newly forming BI "family".

Last weekend downunder

After a nice Thanksgiving with turkey on trhe barbie we enjoyed the usual Friday morning at the pool followed by coffee at the library. This is Elli's routine and she regularly meets friends for coffee and one swims with her while others walk. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED BUT I FIND I CAN'T MAKE CORRECTIONS FROM MHERE ON SO TRY AND TRANSLATE THE MEANING. SORRY.

Today Mom and I got a ride to town and with Elli and Ken. We all strolled through the open markets - mainly clothes, a few books, and lots of suglasses - in Fortitude Valley. The Blackwells then dropped us off at the Botanic Gardens and we had lunch and walked around a bit. In places it was as lovely as I recall - great variety of trees with palms interspersed with deciduerous trees whose leaves vary greatly in their basic green color. There were a few flowers but the great flower ddisplay I was looking forward to was disappointlky - about half the beds were covered wtih black plastic to control fungus and weeds - hopefully it is a short term matter. We walked thru the Garden Point campus of Queensland University of Technology. It is attractive with open areas with large trees and tables with umbrellas. The buildings vary from 100 years old brick to very modern glass and concretre. It is not one that Rachael has applied for. However, she has applies for the Kelvin Grove campus of QUT. The campuses vary as to subject areas taught and a shuttle bus connects them.

We got the city cat down river to a conveninet pick up location and so received a ride home. We mwent out to dinner at the Returned Servicemen's Club. Iwas admitted as a guest on the basis of a USA address and a card I had showing I had seved in the US Army. Elli is a member and can take us a a guest but this was fun having my service recognized.

A big cricket match started Thursday. We watched some yesterday and have today's game on tape. I plan to wqtch it now. I understand just enough to enjoy it, particularly on a lovely sunny day which we have had the last two days after very heqvy showers early in the morning. I mhave a very fond memory of a cricket match in England in 1948 in a town near Oxford sitting on the grass with a member of Parliament and several of has friends mand a mclassmate from Princeton with whom I was traveling. It was a wonderful introductin to them game.

Hope everyone is homew safe from Thanksgiving rtravels. We'll be home on Wednesday.Christmas comes in four weeks - the Mall is fully decorated, carol;s sing out constantly, and I saw a Christmas tree in a home on the drive back from the club tonight. The season is upon mus.

Missing photos

Here are two a photos I had planned to include and found they were upside down. Mom was awake! She didn't swim as it was windy and cloudy but I had to get in the Pacific surf at least once if I was down here. I'm holding a bottle of Hemp - a caffeine loaded drink made in NZ and Australia - I wonder if the customs would let me bring a bottle back. We haven't drunk it yet! Mom is holding a finger lime - an unusual citrus that grows in the caldera and is very rare. They use it on raw oysters and in some special dishes - referred to as the cavier of citrus.

Happy Thanksgiving Morning

Our Thanksgiving started with beautiful sun which got Mom and Elli all excited about laundry - there is no dryer here. By the time the first load was done the clouds had arrived and we again have a day of mixed clouds and sun - mainly clouds. The temperature is so much cooler than what we expected we will not complain - nor will we after we read the Rockies Storm article on the web. We trust the stateside travelers are all safe - hopefully at their desired destinations. Rico's report of the coming storm seems to have been fulfilled. The number of accidents reported in Washington seemed very high and the winds everywhere rather strong. We're thinking of you all wherever you are.

We are going into the West End - an area we rarely visit as it is not convenient by bus or train - but an attractive area of shops and restaurants on the south side all with a 'hippie/yuppie' aspect. We'll have turkey on the barbie along with fresh corn and pecan pie for dinner tonight. Elli thought the corn and turkey were representative of the first event at Plymouth. (Incidentally, we saw a flock of bush turkeys along the beach in heavily built up Coolangatta last weekend - they look very much like the U.S. bird - I don't recall having seen them before. The Wakefields said they are becoming a nuisance. Also, the coirn was picked fresh down there.)

Rachael, thankfully, due to pneumonia, did not go to schoolies. She has spent some time with friends who did not go. Two of the girls she was going to be with came back yesterday - original plan was to stay all week returning Saturday. Will be interested to hear why. Elli heard a stroy yesterday of one girl from Rachael's class at Hillbrook who wanted to come back Tuesday after a boy in her group was rushed to the hospital choking on his own vomit and a girl in the group had wandered off to"walk" home - about 35 miles. The paper reports the time is going well except for riots between schoolies and locals at Byron Bay. You can tell I don't think much of the event. I guess I have never known what Spring Breaks in Florida have been like - very similar I guess. However, one good side of schoolies is they try to confine it to one age group - this year's high school grads. Of course. there are always some older gate crashers.

I think Rico's photos have been spectacular. The latest scenes amazing and the family group a real coup. We just worked on some photos. They show why we like it down here. Mt Warning is the remaining core of a huge volcano that exploded centuries ago leaving a massive caldera, maybe 35 miles across. Terrnorra sits on one edge. Sugar cane is growing in the foreground, some has just been harvested. The beach is one we have often gone to. The fence is blocking access since last year's storms washed some of the shore including the road away. The missing area had been built up by humans and as Bo said,"Nature is reclaiming its own." Certainly confirms the power of water.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Terranorra continued

(hit a wrong key but here we go again) worked and is still working at 75 in air freight in Brisbane. We met them first 17 years ago and enjoy them. He is brusque, interrupts conversations with his own agenda, is very opinionated, but very thoughtful and kind at heart. (Right after we arrived he came by with a bouquet of gardenisa for Mom.) He reminds me of a puppy and we have some great conversations. When Kathereine is talking, I have learned to tune him out til she finishes, and he shuts up. She is a delightful person, excellent cook, sharp, with her own ideas, and gives Bo some line but keeps him from hanging himself with his very open, frank, approach to relationships. I always enjoy the visits; they are so different from other friends.

We didn't have beach weather so we spent alot of time in the car touring around to local tropical farms, tea plantation, winery, beaches for viewing, and finally, a short swim late in the day on Monday - we went down by train late Saturday and Bo drove us home after a pizza supper Monday. (He has a small townhouse near the airport where he stays four nights a week.) The water was delightful, the surf moderate where I swam sheltered by some large rocks, the sun came out to dry me off. All day we had alternating rain showers and bright sun with lots of wind - sound like Colorado?

The tea plantation was very interesting thanks to Aussie engineering. They had designed a tea leaf picker that is amazing to me. It is like a lawn mower raised 3 feet off the ground by large rubber tires. The photo shows it better than I can describe it. It reminded me of the cartoon Fred Brodaq sent about cutting heges - hold a riding lawn mower up in the air by a construction crane! It replaces hand picking of the new leaves which has been done for centuries - very efficient, but destroying employment for many. One of the machines was in use while we were there. Neither Bo nor Katherine had ever seen it operate before so we were lucky.

This week is schoolies week on the Gold Coast. We thought we might be overwhelmed but found they are heavily concentrated in several places - Surfer's Paradise and Byron Bay - Terranorra is in between the two locations. Schoolies is like the SPS/Andover party week after graduation but the kids go without parents to rented houses and hotels, drink alot, have lots of concerts, etc provided, and try to avoid the police and the older crashers who try to join in the fun. Rachael had been hot and cold about going, finally planned to go with a few friends for half the week - she didn't want to miss Thanksgiving. Pneumonia slowed her down so she cancelled, but has been to several parties in the city after which she can get some sleep.

Mom and Elli are walking Chai while Ken is preparing steak and kidney pie - one of our favorites. Emily's school ends Friday so she has been taking tests and doing last minute studying. She just came in from school and said she'd gotten an A- on a 500 work English comp she wrote last night until 10:30. Rachael is at a party. Such is life in Australia.

Weekend in Terranorra

Mom and I had a nice visit with friends down oin the New South Wales border. He is Lee Protor's first cousin, served in the US marines in interesting places like Kabul in the 1960s and has w

Good Pictures and Thanksgiving Limbo

Those pictures of Rachael are fantastic- they sure do grow up fast! I know it's just around the corner for us. As soon as kate ordered a Christmas card with a montage of photos of the kids, we managed to get a decent shot of the three of them together. We went for a hike up Sunshine Canyon and we got a very cool close up view of the Fourmile fire burn area. We hiked around the edge of the burn area, crossing from the areas that weren't burned into areas that had clearly had a very intense fire. It was a day where there was fog and clouds stuck down low in town and we were above the cloud layer- it made for some great atmospheric photos- the kids even cooperated for some group shots. Our plan was to head to Durango tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with the Bowers, but there's been a huge storm that's been hammering southern Colorado- Wolf Creek Pass is supposed to get 4 feet of snow over the next 48 hours, and the NOAA website has posted a traveler's advisory stating that travel conditions will be "life-threatening". For now, we're sitting tight in Boulder and seeing what shapes up with the storm- if it clears up by Tuesday, we'll head out. For now, we're relaxing at home and enjoying the rec. center pool and the nascent "Dellwood Freeride Park" My first attempt at emebedding a video- it's short, so I hope it works! Congratulations, Rachael!

Finished high school and all grown up!

My first baby has grown up into a beautiful young woman, as these photos of Rachael on her formal evening will attest.

She had a wonderful night, and enjoyed the "after-party as well, even though it meant sleeping a large part of the following day!



A photo of "the moment" from last Friday night:

It's been a BIG week! My head is still spinning...

Beds and Lenticular Days

I feel like I've been a little lazy with the posting because I haven't had anything really interesting to add, but I'm compelled, nonetheless. I'm on break for 10 ten days- that's something exciting!

The weather geeks tell us that because of the "El Nina" ocean current pattern in the Pacific this year, it will be a windier winter than usual. With the winds, which are always a big minus, comes the added benefit of more spectacular sunrises and sunsets. This is what I was greeted with when I went out to get the paper this morning. We get these spectacular displays because of the lenticular clouds that form when there are high altitude winds over the front range.

The father of Kate's best friend from childhood, Pammy Johnson, passed away recently, so we were honoring Tom Johnson in our own strange way here. Kate and Pammy had a favorite game that they played with Tom; it's called "Beds". Essentially, it's tag where beds in the house are home base and the parent is always "It". We played a several family games of beds over the last week and it was a hit! It's well-suited to Reid's default level of energy. Another thing that Tom Johnson did frequently (according to Kate) is make breakfast for dinner because that was the limit of his culinary skills. We had a delicious scrambled egg and bacon dinner in his honor.

It's so exciting to hear about Rachael's big graduation activities and it brings me back to my own high school days. Her health challenges remind me of walking with a cane in my graduation procession because of the laceration on my foot. I'm glad she's doing better and I hope she can fully enjoy the well-earned celebrations with her buddies. Dad- I loved the description of morning in Brisbane. It felt like the beginning of a novel, but perhaps I've been having too many writing conferences with 5th graders (not that your writing is that level!) As winter starts to squeeze its fist tighter around us, it's nice to think of warmer climates and the people I love who are enjoying them. We're off to Durango again and we're all looking forward to family, food and enjoying the great outdoors!

Australian Morning

We are finding waking up a very different experience in this Aussie neighborhood compared to mornings in Boulder or Niantic. The sky begins to lighten about 4:30 andthe light is greeted by the first birds, often an unusal one that whistles in a rather deep tone and then gargles to a higher pitch. A half dozen crows respond with loud caw-caws that pierce the ear for several minutes before they fly on to another yard where they repeat the message. Various assorted voices then join in, often a cooing dove or two who provide a continuo for ten or fifteen minutes. Finally the chickens make themselves heard with low guttural gurgling. Soon a footstep is heard upstairs - a soft movement as activity returns to the house. Crows continue to add their frantic calls as the chickens quiet down. Gently running water is a reminder that the school day will be starting soon. A muffled rumble announces the first departure as the gate adds a brief squeak, the motor bike exits, and near quiet descends sometimes broken by a growl or whimper as Chai seeks attention. The chimes send out their first notes of the day as a slight breeze stirs after the calmness of the night. The notes are mellow and rich providing rich sound without melody. A swish announces the sliding door is opening as the next departure looms. A moment of metal grinding metal punctuated by a few words in Vietnamese assures that the neighbors will be at work on time. The doves provide another chorus of gentle cooing, a bark punctuates the ear piercing call of the magpies arriving for their morning bath, then silence descends as the soft purr of the engine says the house is now empty except for the stay in bed guests. A look at the clock reveals 8, time to begin another day with exercises and breakfast on the deck. Another warm, cloud and sun filled day has begun.

From there the days have been filled with a wide variety of things from swims to today's visit to Rachael's school where she gave gifts to several teachers and we toured, by car, Queensland University of Technology - one the colleges to which Rachael has applied. We then drove to the other end of the city to deliver some after prom clothes to a boy's home where tonight's "after the prom" party will be held. Several girls will be arriving here in the late afternoon to dress and be delivered to the event by Ken. The seniors had no school today - time to prepare for the event! Actually, this week is basically marking time til exams are corrected and diplomas prepared for handout after the senior breakfast on Friday - the last offical day of school. Of course, graduation, where 'certificates' were distributed, was last Friday so it is all rather confusing.

We have had several very interesting discussions on college and I learned some things this morning when I just walked in to the counselor's office at Kelvin Grove while Rachael was saying thank you to teachers. As I keep saying, the two systems are so different it makes it very interesting comparing what grandchildren are/will go through.

We understand there is snow in Boulder - we'll see that soon enough. Meanwhile, we've been enjoying some lovely weather here. We hope it holds for the weekend when Mom and I are going to visit friends on the Gold Coast and get in the ocean.

Chai and buddy in the "Puppy Park"

Bath time.

May 12, 2010

GRADUATION DAY FOR THE PNEUMONIA PATIENT

Quiet pizza lunch on deck before a nap.

With a few friends before the ceremony.

Gelati with family after the event.

Done by Dad after session with Emily.

It was a good day - enjoyed by all. Amazing what antibiotics and pain killers can do. R is being guided to take it easy but she feels much better so wants to move about as we all do in a quick recovery.

Oh my!

Mom just pointed out it is Thursday - not Friday. Show how relaxed we are. Dad

Hillbrook Celebration Ceremony

Its Friday morning - Elli and Ken are at work, Emily's at school, Rachael is in bed ( I have not seen her, only heard a few weak words to Mom) and Mom and I have finished breakfast on another nice Queensland day. Showers are predicted for the next week so we have a mix of sun and clouds with temp in the upper 80s with a breeze - very nice.

Last night Mom and I went to the Hillbrook school wide celebration of the year, i.e awards for acheivement, effort, and commitment for all the classes. It was held at the Anglican Cathedral - an impressive gothic structure completed a few yars ago. It confirms that the great gothic cathedrals are great for vocal music - the school choirs did two numbers that were very nice, one accompanied by powerful drums and trumpets - but not for speaking. When the first ones were built the Mass was said in Latin which few understood and often chanted. Even with the latest technology, the acoustics were awful - I came out with stressed shoulders from straining to understand. Fortunately, most of the ceremony was devoted to names being called out and students walking up to get awards. That was easy - just looking. They had a TV screen inplace of the altar and several cameras trained on the recipients. What a contrast between the beautiful dresses and careful grooming of the girls and the grubbiness of most of the boys. Occasionally boys wore kahki slacks and a white dress shirt, a few times with tie, but most were in t-shirts, jeans, a few shorts, and very sloppy. My sexist reactions were negative and I would have them all in school uniform if that is the way young men dress for an evening of celebration - I see it as a sexist put down of the girls reflecting an attitude of, "Its their role to dress up and look nice for me but I can do anything - no need to show the girls, or anyone else, any respect - I can do whatever I want." I'm gald to see Matt has a 'preppy' wardrobe - it may be just as sexist but he does have a nice style of dress for many occasions. Enough from the old generation on that.

There were two talks - the head gave an interesting but totally inappropriate, too long speech on passion and its role in success. One clever point at the end compared fast food chains - conformity, identical food world wide, same logos, etc. with the Michelin Restaurant Guide which sets out criteria for excellence and then encourages individuality and passion in each restaurant in a competition to achieve Michelin's famous and prized four star status. The highlight of the evening were three speakers - an Aussie that worked to get street kids in Hanoi off the streets and two women -20 year olds - who had been rescued and were now passionately following an education - inspiring,

With all the turmoil of the night before and the day and the need to have someone stay with Rachael, Elli and Ken decided not to go after Emily announced she had two assignments to complete and did not want to attend. She had been saying that since we arrived but we assumed she would come with us but the undone homework trumped attendance at the celebration. For us it was a treat seeing Hillbrook on display. They have the ceremony down well but no one can rein in the Head - the result instead of ending at the scheduled 9, we left at 9:30 -with still two things to come but Ken was going to pick us up at the train station. He had driven us in which was such a help.

We'll keep you posted on the next developments. We'll go to graduation even if Rachael isn't able. She sure looked awful last night and the cloudy area on her lung looks huge to me although it isn't very dark - from a medic's view I recall the very dark spots are the most dangerous.

Love to all. Enjoy the Boulder snow. Hope our leaves were raked but if not, they can be done when the snow melts. We did make arrangement for it to be done by Recession Yard Work. Also, Keith Donohue and Karen had a baby girl on Nov. 4th so hopefully he can get to the deck building after mid-month.

Health update

Ironic last words Rico - I've spent today in hospital with Rachael, who came down overnight with a case of pneumonia! Thanks to all of you for your congratulations - she doesn't actually graduate until Friday, but as you know it's all "done and dusted" already. She will miss 2 final exams tomorrow (maths and English), but that won't prevent a diploma. We're keeping our fingers crossed that she will actually get up to school for the ceremony on Friday night. At the moment it doesn't look likely, but we're hoping the wonder drugs do their thing! She's been so healthy lately that this seems cruel - just in time for her "week of fun", including her formal next Tuesday evening and 4 days with friends on Stradbroke Island for "Schoolies". We'll keep you updated. I, too, am loving this blog!

Congratulations, Everyone!!!

I've just got time for a quick post because I'm under the ol' report card deadline crunch! I have to make the effort to say a heartfelt "Well done!" to Rachael for her graduation, to Sarah for her license to Mom and Dad for getting down to Oz to celebrate another grandchild milestone and to everyone who's been so diligent to posting on the blog. I'm feeling the energy and I love logging on and seeing all the new posts!

Winter is finally here- first snow that stuck on the ground today. We went to Ian Bower's soccer game for the state tournament quarterfinals and sadly they lost to the eventual champions. They were an inspiring underdog story, coming in ranked 17th and knocking out the top seed. Ian is 2nd from left in the picture. Going to watch the CU Buffs continue to suck on Saturday and Les Miserables at Fairview High School this weekend. We'll keep you posted!

Stay well!!

Congratulations to Rachael! I'm assuming graduation was this past Friday?, Nov. 5?

Glad Mom and Dad are there - sounds like an "easiest flight yet" status.

Loved Reid's drumming.

Views of Lexington - Drew and Duke on Pi Phi lawn, mountains and "God".

Had a fun weekend with Matt and the frat. Saw a rugby game, went to a class on Hinduism, walked a lot through town and campus, small talked at high volume at a number of Pi Phi sponsored parties, watched Sarah get lots of attention, managed Duke through the weekend - too much car time. I don't think we will take him again.

Home with an infected head (sinus, throat,...) Don't think the September version of this ever really left. So, I'm on some new serious antibiotics and missing the third day of school in a row. Will be out tomorrow, too. My class will now have exposed itself to more school personnel so I may have more sympathy/empathy when I get back. I love my class this year and they are live wires. Got a call on Thursday that somebody had thrown a chair across the room and bolted - just another day in Room 1!

Flight, Arrival, and Settling In

Thanks to Elli you know we are down under. We had a good trip - everything went smoothly and it was 24 hours door to door. That included 2 1/2 hours at the Denver airport during which we had a nice hight tea of sandwich and coffee and 4 hours in LA during which we picked up bags, walked in soft eveing air to the next terminal, checked in easily, got through security in 10 minutes and read for 2 hours. Virgin Australia is a nice airline - good food and large servings, mood lighting, a 3 -3- 3 seating, and good service. We had 2 seats in the middle 3, I took a big pillow and was comfortable sleeping without putting my feet in Mom's lap! A sleeping pill gave me 8 hours of sleep out of the 13 3/4 hour flight. Saw some of Deliverance - enough to know I couldn't understand it - and watched several MTVs. Lady Gaga's was pure pornography by the definition I grew up with - how times have changed.

Elli and Rachael met us at the airport at 8 after we had a slow but pleasnt exit through customs. We declared we had been on a farm, the Pumpkin Patch, and had food to bring in. Ann had her shoes washed and they were very pleasant about the food and let us take it all in.

The drive to the house went through familiar territory that was unrecognizable in some ways. The road building is incredible both by the airport and on the edge of town where new roads, tunnels, and busways are being built. Looks like Boston during the 'big dig.' The house was very welcoming with flowers, new flooring, and bedside rugs in "our " bedroom. The trees have stopped blooming but they have grown a lot. We unpacked and were in the swimming pool in three hours on a glorious, Quuensland spring day - sunny, cool, and clear.

We have settled into the Aussie life. Two nights of sleeping pills ended any jet lag and we are doing full active days. Sunday Elli, Emily, Mom and I went to the South Bank markets and had lunch. Then we went to Roma Parklands -fairly new replacement for the old railroad yards in the center of downtown and beautiful - for a concert. The Brisbane Army band played for an hour and then the US Airforce jazz band from Honolulu played for an hour. They wre great and played some familiar jazz tunes including Route 66 - a favorite of Ken's. Home for grilled chicken. Most of the meals are done on the grill which is just outside the back door on the deck right next to the table - so well planned.

Today the paper's had a headline on the increasing cost of water in QLD over the next 8 years. Thirty minutes after I read it, a truck pulled up to deliver Elli and Ken's new water tank. Ken was here and has been installing it during the day. It will hold 750 liters of rainwater to be used for the laundry and that could be used for shower and toilet - a timely move. Getting it down to the backyard between the house and fence was incredible. The was about 2 inches of leeway until the area of the gas meter where the tank was 4 inches too wide until Ken and the delivery man were able to lift it up six inches and it got through thanks to the curve of the tank.

We've been to Chermside for shopping which included a Starbucks Mocha Latte - can't get too far away from Boulder habits! Have watched the NZ vs Australia rugby match and Mama Mia - what a great movie. I guess I should have paid a bit more attention to ABBA - I liked the music.
Rachael is taking final exams - I think she has only one more and graduation is Friday night. Next week is mostly fun and games including the graduaton formal. Emily had a test today and has a few more before she finishes just before Thanksgiving.

That brings you all up to date. I will try to proofread this - it sure needs it. If Emily gets home in time, I might add a photo but I can't handle it with out assistance on this machine (or probably any machine.)

Love to everyone. Dad

Bravo Reid!

Hey, what fun! We had to come to Australia to see it, and it was worth the trip! Have been replaying it ever since we arrived. You're a natural! Can you put drums on a surfboard and do two natural things at once??? High five! Yia-Yia

Mom and Dad in the Land Downunder

Mom and Dad had a safe and easy trip and arrived to a beautiful Brisbane spring day on Wednesday. We've had a few quiet, adjusting days and they seem to be in good spirits. I'm sure they'll have some words of their own to post soon. Here's proof of their arrival:

Great drumming, Reid!!

Drum Recital Link

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm8t3iKgZ8M

Enjoy!