Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Sarah with her

license!

One Morning Glory made it! Fire two streets over last night. Everybody out and safe - parents, two kids, and a dog - phew!

Play That Funky Music!

Reid, AKA 'The Master', as his drumming teacher, Larry calls him, had his drum recital today and totally slayed it! I had no idea that our shy child had such a gift for showmanship and rising to the occasion. He was really dialed in and the whole audience was very impressed with the performance, especially considering he was the youngest participant. I tried to embed the video, but it wouldn't up load into Blogger, so I've uploaded it into Youtube, and I'll post the link as soon as they finish processing it.

As mom mentioned, Friday was a little crazy as we oncee again saw a big plume of smoke coming over the ridge above Sanitas Valley and got the word that there was another wildfire burning- this time in the mouth of the canyon very close to town. The dry, windy conditions we've had this fall don't bode well for the rest of the winter. We went to the park in the afternoon to catch some photos of the smoke and sunset.
We're having a little 'quiet time' as we prepare for the candy gluttony and ensuing mayhem that will be coming later. Reid is going in Kate's Camplbell's soup can costume from a couple years ago when I was Andy Warhol, Boden has decided to be a witch, and Alden was going to be a butterfly, but changed her mind at the last minute and decided to go with the bee costume. I'm thinking she should have just gone as Muhammad Ali and covered both.

Happy Halloween!

More Gold!

Hi, it's Mom again---same day, different gold.
At breakfast this am, Dad remarked that there was a peculiar golden light in the back yard, and when we looked out at the sun, it was a blurry orange ball. When we turned west toward Sanitas, the mountain was etched in white with an orange cast. Not the white of snow, but of smoke. Soon the smell of smoke was unmistakable, and we began to realize that we had another wildfire on our hands. From Weather Channel TV and city emergency postings on the computer, we learned that 130 some acres of open park land were ablaze, and this fire was near Boulder Canyon, much nearer to our house than the September one.
As the day progressed, (mostly windless, thankfully), the evacuation line edged closer and closer to both Kellogg houses. School was still in session at Foothill, and the Hallowe'en costume parade that was scheduled for 1:30pm went on, although in the gym instead of outdoors---smoke was the deterent. But Hallowe'en was not to be denied, and the kids were terrific in their costumes---Boden was a witch in red-collared long black cape with the requisite black pointed hat. There were room parties after the parade.
We had tickets for the symphony tonight, a special program of spooky music with acrobats from the Cirque de Soleil, and after we determined that it was still "on", we picked up Boden (still in his costume) and joined a full house celebrating this weird and wonderful holiday. On the way to and from the auditorium, passing North Boulder Park, we looked up and saw myriad little red-gold spots where normally the Christmas star shines in December. We know the firefighters are there, working, and it is a windless night at the moment, so we will turn in with faith that we will sleep well and be taken care of. Goodnight to all.

GOLD

An inner longing that recently became more conscious surfaced recently---Wagner operas!! I don't recall ever having seen one, but now that the Met is doing the entire Ring Cycle, and putting them out for all of us in high definition on the huge screen, I ran to get tickets! The first in the cycle, Das Rheingold, was shown here in Boulder this past Wednesday, and we were there, for every minute of its 3 1/2 hours. And what a show!
First I have to say that opera today is nothing like what it was in my youth---a few fat people standing around, staring into space, and singing unintelligibly. Action and looks are right up at the top of the menu, and the singing is as glorious as ever. The words appear discretely in English at the bottom of the screen, and it's all happening right there in front of you, larger than life. And if you have the bladder of a camel, you don't miss a thing!
The set was amazing---some stage-sized panels that are turned in various directions to represent flowing water, (with undulations), stairs and pathways, buildings (like the palace of Valhalla) among other things; characters floating through space (thanks to thin strong wires);lighting that makes people look on fire and shows the gold at the bottom of the Rhine in cascades of molten yellow. The actors were realistically chosen, and in good voice. It was a fabulous show.
In April or May the next Ring opera (Die Walkure), will open---and we will be there!

October in Colorado

I wish I could remember what I pushed to drag pictures to different locations when I did my last entry! Can't get them to move today.

We got our camera set for travel yesterday so we now have a few good photos of our October activities in Colorado. It has been a busy but interesting month that has gone very quickly. There have been a lot of annual doctor visits as we get checked for another year. So far good results. I saw my back surgeon yesterday after a two hour wait - a bigger pain than the back! - and got some relaxing pills that will help a lot I think. The spine is so much better than before the operation but the muscles have a tendency to tighten if I do a lot of standing or walking. My chief doctor says I'm in good shape. I'm getting stitches in the hand removed tomorrow. It seems to be healing well and the little finger is straighter than it has been for 20 years. I can also type with more than one finger now that the bandage is down to a small wrap around the hand. My heart doctor says I'm in good shape and my leaky valvbes have improved over the last year - swimming does do wonders.

There have been several shows, musical events - one tonight as we are going to the'encore' of Das Rheingold from the Met at the local movie house - lectures, and discussions to monitor including one tomorrow. Last Sunday I was involved in a celebration of UN Day at the library. We had a fine performance by a woman actress portraying Eleanor Roosevelt at the UN where she chaired the committee that wrote the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. It was followed by a reception with birthday cake - the UN's 65th - and lots of displays by UN connected organizations. Everyone seemed pleased with the result - we had almost 200 people attend.

The dramatic sky photo is a view of Estes Park in mid-October. We went up hoping to hear the elk - they were still around but not around us. However, we heard a very good lecture on the elk in the park and are all set to try again during the fall mating season. We went up with friends and had dinner on the way back at an inexpensive but tasty Italian restaurant. It was a lovely trip on an overcast day with new snow on the highest peaks. Friends drove so we got to enjoy all the views.

The pumkin patch was visited on a Saturday with some clouds and sun. The maze built of hay bales provided many smiles, screams, and quick turns as the three Kelloggs raced about. After lots of excersie it was time to choose the pumpkins, the results of which appear in the second photo. There were a few animals in pens and the watching of goats and sheep brought back many mind-pictures of Thanksgiving in West Simsbury. After one such visit we flew to Australia, were asked if we had been on a farm recently, and after replying, "Yes.", were ddirected to a special entry where our shoes got extensive checking. We were wondering if it will happen again when we arrive next Wednesday.

The fianal photo shows a bit of our Halloween decorating - we also have something on the door but no real pumpin. Our black cat has been around for many years. I brought it from Mother's and I'm sure it was at home when I was a kid. We also have a witch made in the same style and material flying on the door. The orchid is quite amazing. I had always been told how difficult they are to raise, but we have had great luck with several of them in the corner window. This is the third year of blooming for this one. We had it repotted last year. I give it fertilizer for extended periods and keep it moist. I thought it would be too cold in the window but it thrives. It gets six to seven hours of sun and provides us an attractive corner. The only negative is we have the same plant(s) all the time - however, for someone without a particularly green thumb or knowledge of plants, I think it is a good situation to be in.

The bed in the study is slowly disappearing as we organize for packing this weekend. The weather today is brilliant - still a little wind but strong sun and wonderful clarity so that each rock, pine, and blade of grass on Mt. Sanitas is sparkling. We hope local snow will wait until our return in December after the month in summery Australia.

Spring Has Sprung in Brisbane

Okay, okay - point taken! The news from downunder:

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the older generation. House cleaning and maintenance jobs are underway. Mother Nature has been washed beautifully clean by the recent rains, as witnessed by these shots of a couple of our trees:

Rachael is hard at work on her LAST HIGH SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT EVER!!!!!! (Chemistry - a research paper on Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals). She is fast approaching THE END with 2 weeks of classes, a week of exams, and then a final week of "fun stuff" - her formal, a day at Dreamworld, and graduation. Whew!!

Emily has been busy with her music - after completing her Grade 4 exam with Honors, she has been playing in school concerts and going to a few to enjoy the music! And of course the puppy keeps us all busy - she's all grown up, but no less boisterous...

Fruita Rocks

We (the boys and I) took a long weekend to go visit Fruita, a spot in the far west of the state that has gained a reputation as a must-do for mountain biking. Locals have built a huge network of trails on the rimrock above the Colorado River and in the desert mesas north of town that are designed to be fun and challenging to ride. Our crazy string of 5-day weeks mandated a hooky-day long weekend for mental regrouping. Reid has been working his butt off to keep on top of the middle school Spanish and bring his grades up from the basement. This trip was the carrot to motivate him- he loves to camp, he's gotten passionate about mountain biking and two of his friends who went off to other middle schools were signed up to come. He rode impressively (he's as fast as me on the downhills now!) and it turns out he made the honor roll for the 1st quarter. Boden came along with a 1st grade buddy and his dad, and they were as fired up about the riding as the rest of the crew- check out the face of pure aggro bliss! (He's going as fast as it looks!)

It was nice to be able to help dad through the operation and good that we left him feeling well and independent- very happy that it went well! It's a little overwhelming to realize that October is almost over and another school year is whipping by! So glad to hear that the Coburns are all behind the wheel and the Blackwells are safe and dry- although I'm sure that there is some more recent Blackwell news that we're not aware of yet ( a little blogging peer pressure even though it's been a scramble to get in the weekly post for me!)

Here's some more shots from the weekend:

A One handed week

The big bandage came off yesterday which allows me to type a little easier. The operation last week was rather chaotic. My pre-op appointment was at 10:30 rather than the week before when my doctor was away. I drove down for the 30 minute visit with the operation scheduled for 2, Kate was going to pick me up at 11:45 for the noon check-in. At the office I was told the operation was at 1 but I could arrive at 12 - fine. Then the wait began. I finally saw the doctor at 11:40 and we rushed through. He assured me it was OK - the operation wouldn't start until we both arrived - big help to Kate who by then was at the house getting into a frantic state with no answers to the phone and the door locked. At five of 12 I pulled in - what a look of relief appeared on her face. She got me to the surgery center by 12:10 and, after signing more papers, I waited. About 12:25 a nurse appeared and the nurse said, "Oh! we need to move quickly." We did until they couldn't find a vein for the needle - that slowed us down but one was found. My arm, however, got its usual red bruises. The anatheseologist came and we had a pleasant and relaxed chat which was a relief. I got directions - a relaxing drug through the inter-venous line, a tourniquet on the arm to stop blood flow, and a shot to deaden the arm - interesting combination. Dr. Fry arrived, said, "Hi." and we were wheeled away.

I was vaguely aware during part of the operation hearing murmurs but seeing and feeling nothing. Then I was out and the next thing I knew it was 3 o'clock, I was awake, offered crackers and juice, and asked when my ride was coming. We'd arranged for a 4:30 pickup as Kate had a school appointment. I thought it had been put on my records but apparently not and they had called Kate saying I was ready for pickup at 3:15. Fortunately she said she'd be there at 4:30. They put me in a lounge chair where I snoozed until she arrived, signed me out, and took me home. She stayed around and I relaxed then Kate got dinner for herself, Boden, and me - a pleasant interlude in a hectic day. Rico came for the night and got me breakfast in the morning and Ann got home from Baltimore about 6:30 I was doing fine except one handed living takes adjustment.

I could move three fingers and the thumb a tiny bit. The fingers stayed numb for 36 hours - a bit of a worry. Once in a while I did a twisting move with my hands that gave a shock of pain but overall it went well except for the little things one cannot do with one hand. These included tying shoes, pulling the belt tight, fastening buttons, driving and washing the armpit on the side with a usable hand, and drying after a shower (showers were allowed without wetting the hand so a big plastic bag kept me dry - tied on by Ann!) Thank heavens for a partner. Ann was great and is still doing the driving and helping in the shower as I still shouldn't get the hand very wet.

Now I have a small bandage with a splint at night to keep the fingers straight. I am supposed to exercise hourly making fists and putting the hand flat on the table - it all hurts more than anytime last week but I'm assured I'm healing well and the goal is to keep a wound open so new skin will fill in and give me more hand flexibility in a few weeks. It will be good to be in Australia where I won't be tempted to drive.

Philosophically, I find it hard to adjust to being fine and active one moment then handicapped the next due to a conscious decision. Was the operation really needed? Did I have to put myself and others into this situation? Certainly last year's back surgery says it is worth it and I trust I'll feel the same about the hand in six weeks. In the meantime, I deeply appreciate the support from Kate, Rico and Ann. Without them it couldn't have happened in that tiny window of opportunity I had for the operation - one day Oct 14th - operation day for the second year in a row.

Washington & Lee Reading Days

Mid-term break brought a visit from Matt. He brought Ramona (Palo Alto, CA), Jon Hale (London), Joanie Rosenhan (Chicago), and Jack Gallagher (Marietta, GA). There was some reading, paper writing, visiting the city, and visiting us. The wlu group saw a soggy soccer game of Sarah's, as well. We miss Matt terribly now that they are en route back to Lexington and it was wonderful to see the crew.

Graduation Plus 57

Hello to all you young things!
I have just returned from a fabulous get-together with six other of my 1953 Wellesley classmates. We spent last week in Chestertown, MD, on the Eastern Shore (of Chesapeake Bay) where the weather was fall-glorious and the marshes golden. There was only one day of Brisbane-type rain, and that did not dampen our spirits or activities.
We scrambled around in the mornings to get our own breakfasts, read the NY Times, took shopping trips and walks to town, assembled photo albums of previous reunions, wrote about our remembrances of college and dorm life, went out for dinners, took MORE photos, watched BBC movies in the evenings ("The Ladies Number 1 Detective Agency") and talked, and talked, and TALKED. We are so much more interesting people than we were in 1953, and even in 2009! It is good to be home, and to find Dad/Babbo in excellent recuperative shape, holding his arm up in the air, and still doing most everything for himself, but I am very grateful to have had this special time with special friends and find myself hoping that there will be many more in the future. So that's it from the Wellesley Geriatric Post!

From Fires to Floods

What will Mother Nature come up with next for all of us? After the Colorado wildfires come the Queensland floods - fortunately we, too, have been spared (so far!) As I write this blog, the sun is shinning for the first time in 4 days. (It was pouring rain up until about an hour ago!) The weather report is for a few days of drying out weather, then back to the rain and wind. I will be madly washing clothes and TOWELS - needed to clean floors, feet, dogs, and used as water barriers for leaking downstairs walls. So far, no damage - we're keeping our fingers crossed! Lots of people aren't so lucky. Here's a photo from the front page of today's Courier Mail, showing Shaw Road yesterday morning (about the time I was driving Rachael to school!!), which is a mile or so from our house.
We'll keep you "posted"!

Ultimate Christmas Photo

Rico's latest blog addition brings back many memories. It is a long lasting problem and gets even more frustrating as you get older. As the children's mugging gives way to muscle shots and the latest in 'fashion' the parents have to pick among the bragging photos. Finally, the day comes that the kids are off struggling with their own Christmas shots. Then it dawns that now its only two of us mature, good looking adults that need to be photographed. What a relief until the first shots are developed. The agony goes on and finally the idea of using the scenery to replace the smiling photos of aging supplies enough shots to fill a Cchristmas letter. Along with scenery one can add a few action photos of the grandchildren in which expressions won't be noticed. that produces a record of happy grandparenthood. Still, a thought hangs on that maybe a shot could be found that would convey the way you see yourself when mirrors aren't around. The camera comes out and smiles, or if you don't like your teeth, what goes as a smile, appear. Of course, the glasses come off for one never sees oneself as wearing those things. Everything goes well until the shots are viewed on the latest version of Picasa. The response? "When will they produce a computer camera program that shows one the way they 'really' look?"

Wedding Anniversary #55 - Sept 3, 2010

Anyway, on that cheerful note for the future I enclose our two latest efforts. The only good aspect is Mom has a decent smile in one and the one of me alone illustrates the glory of a truly mature hair style - it includes everything a young man dreads - baldness and white hair revealed in an attempt to keep abreast of the latest youthful cut, the shaved head. However, it is the most practical arrangement I have ever had. No worries on brushing, messy hair especially after swimming, paying 25 bucks (my first haircuts were 25 cents) every ten days, or trying to pull the few dark strands across that gapping space on the top of the head where your brains have pushed the roots out of your scalp. I really do enjoy this present style.

Reality Show Idea; Ultimate Photographic Challenge

October is here, and with it comes the futile dreams that Kate and I have of getting a great photo of our children for a Christmas card. We took a nice hike this morning up near the Flatirons and the fall colors were just starting to brighten the landscape around town. We thought that if we bring the camera along, this might be a good chance to capture that classic photo that has eluded us since we have had more that one child. We got some great settings and backdrops, but our children came through every time with the utterly ghastly expressions that we've come to expect from them when a camera is pointed their way. I thought that it would be a good idea to pitch this as a reality TV show concept. Take the best photographers from around the world, put them together with our kids for one week, and give them the challenge of taking a single decent photo of all three of them at the same time. I can just imagine the drama and frustration, because I've lived it! Don't hold your breath for a really cute Christmas card from us, but we'll keep trying!

WEEKEND AT HOME

photos. Brainard lake and the Indian Peaks, picnic site, and the stream.

I'll have my 82 year perspective on the hair business later but the focus of this message is the weekend. Saturday there was a lecture on immigration that was very interesting. The speaker is a 40 year old resident, free lance writer, and teacher at Naropa University. He has been investigating the topic for four years and had many anecdotes to illustrate his main point - the immigration issue has been seized by the military/industrial/congressional complex and used a a scare tactic against the general public. For instance, Boeing got the contract to build the 'fence' with no experience. They bought radar in Israel - the fence experts - but found it ran on Hebrew not English so bagged them all - result cost has doubled and time for completion is 2018 not 2012 - feel safe? Then he reported on the immigration stock portfolio - those companies involved in fence building, radar, prison managememnt, etc. It has run way ahead of the market. Local prisons can collect between $82 and $120 a head for detained immigrants and work hard to keep them - no outside phone calls, no cell phones, no web, so no way to contact friends to pay for the passage home. etc. etc.

After that typical Boulder event, we headed to the mountains for a short walk and picnic. It was a great time and very upbeat. It combined many of the reasons we made the move. Family, location, and the outdoors full of sun. (We just had a 30 minute sprinkle - the first sign of water falling since we got back!) I still haven't figured out all this photo business but I did put the summer photos on the computer last night and I hope to add couple of shots of the outing to complement Rico's. I did but they ended up at the beginning - how do you place them in the text?

Sunday we vegged - I used our apples to make a pot of applesauce and some apple butter - yum! and finally unpacked the last items. Why do we cart so much stuff back and forth? It is good to be home. The pace of life is picking up which is fine with me after my 2 1/2 hour COMPLETE physical this morning. I got an excellent report except for a slightly elevated choresterol level - too much good living. I guess we'll cut back a bit on some items but I don't see the level as a real worry.

I want to contribute my bit to this hair thing, having had a cut after two months. Dad says he likes it better short as it is not so "saggy"---more "perky". That's OK, but I like more VOLUME, and then the interesting question of geography comes in. Volume is possible in the humidity of the east coast, and Australia, but not out here in this skinny, dry air---so the topic becomes ever more complex! Unfortunately you will not see my recent cut, as I have not yet learned how to post a photo on the blog. But rest assured, I have not yet resorted to head-shave!
I'm taking my semi-fat-head to Maryland for four days next week, as one of my Wellesley classmates is opening her house for a Beebe reunion, and I think at least six of us will be there, including three of the four of us that went to Europe together after graduation. Will I get a swelled head??? Stay posted!

Hair Today, Go(o)ne Tomorrow

Welcome Back Babbo & Yia-Yia

We had a great picnic trip up to the high country today with everyone. A little hike and a nice lunch break by a stream in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Just in time to get a little of the fall colors. Reid and I rode the Sourdough Trail back down- I'm so impressed by his bike skills and his passion for the sport- it's nice to have a riding partner in the family!

Boden finally got the cute haircut and he's out of Rod Stewart mode. The head shaving was what started this whole issue in the first place! As I've said to many friends- "I'd rather be gray than bald!"

or,...you could just shave your head and be done with the entire hair question.

Speaking of hair...

I sympathise with Rico and Kate's struggles with Boden's haircutting issues, but you might just think yourselves lucky when you see what we're dealing with down here! We have a daughter who, far from being shy of the scissors, has gone through 3 hair colours and 1 cut in the past 2 weeks, as witnessed below (unfortunately I do not have photographic proof of the platinum blonde phase, which occured between the blue and the reddish blonde of the moment):

Rachael applies for university - possibly a good thing no interview was required!!! The current cut and colour (as we go to press - wonder how long this will last?!)

On the other end of the scale, we have Ken with his conservative haircut and a very handsome tee shirt!!