1. Our time in Battle Ground, Indiana wound to close Monday morning, but Aunt Suzy, having observed how much we enjoyed breakfast at Lisa's and breakfast at the Eye Opener, fixed us a fried egg and hash brown breakfast with leftover sausage gravy from Saturday's breakfast at Lisa's. We ate, were properly fueled, and hit the road for our drive to Williamston, Michigan.
2. Why, you might ask, Williamston? The Deke's Mom and Dad divorced and the Deke's Dad remarried. His new wife, and now widow, Phyllis, lives in Williamston and we drove to see her and two of Phyllis' daughters, Nella and Gwen. This means the theme of family reunion continued on our trip to the midwest and so Phyllis, Nella, her daughter, Cecie, Gwen, her husband, John, and son, Jake, and Phyllis' daughter-in-law, Gwen all gathered around a big bowl of spaghetti and sausage sauce and we had great reunion dinner together at Nella's house.
3. The Deke and I reserved a pretty lousy room at a Super 8 near East Lansing and we had a terrible time finding it for a variety of reasons, but after about an hour of driving hither and yond, I've never been so happy to see the words "Super 8" lit up as a sign along a city street!
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/28/15: Eye Opener Cafe Steak and Eggs, Matinee at the Fiddlers' Gathering, Lisa Fixes Heavenly Ribs
1. I love few things more than an authentic small town diner/cafe, especially for breakfast. Well, I was one very happy man this morning when Suzy, the Deke, Donna, Lisa, Ted, and Sally and I walked into the Eye Opener Cafe in Battle Ground, Indiana. I ordered steak and eggs with a side of hash browns and sourdough toast -- AND, I helped Ted eat his bowl of grits. It was a peak experience enjoying this meal. Here it is:
2. I attended the entirety of the entirety of the last concert of the Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering this afternoon and listened to some superb string band music and saw some superb clogging. Here's a list of the bands I got to enjoy: The Whipstitch Sallies, The Fiddle River String Band, The Battle Ground String Band, and Bahler's "Golden Age" Band. Superb lineup and exhilarating music.
3. Wow! As if Lisa had not fed us superbly enough on Saturday morning, she fixed the Deke and Aunt Suzy and me the best meat falling off the bone tender bbq ribs I've ever eaten along with various bread rolls, green beans and bacon and buttery mashed potatoes. Absolutely heavenly.
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| Steak and Eggs at the Eye Opener Cafe |
3. Wow! As if Lisa had not fed us superbly enough on Saturday morning, she fixed the Deke and Aunt Suzy and me the best meat falling off the bone tender bbq ribs I've ever eaten along with various bread rolls, green beans and bacon and buttery mashed potatoes. Absolutely heavenly.
Three Beautiful Things 06/27/15: Breakfast at Lisa and Donna's, Beer Tasting, Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering
1. So all the cousins and their spouses and Aunt Suzy and the Deke and I drove up to Suzy's daughter's house with the huge screened in porch in back and I met Aunt Suzy's daughter Lisa and her partner Donna and we dove into the most extravagant Indiana breakfast I had ever laid eyes on: plain pancakes, pecan pancakes, blueberry pancakes, tons of bacon, biscuits, sausage gravy, white gravy, grits, watermelon, a separate bowl of mixed fruit, scrambled eggs, coffee peculated on the store, orange juice, and maybe there was more. Honestly, I could have sat at Lisa's and Donna's on their screened in porch and eaten this food for the rest of the weekend.
2. Debbie's brother, Brian, and his daughters Allison and Danielle arrived at Lisa and Donna's and they brought an ice cooler bag with them crammed with premium beer from Greenbush Brewing in Sawyer, MI and Burn 'Em Brewing in Michigan City, IN. A beer tasting party got underway at Lisa and Donna's and shifted into high gear back at Aunt Suzy's. From Burn 'Em, Brian brought us cans of Creamed Corn Cream Ale. It was refreshing and popular among family members. He brought a growler of Distorter Porter and another of Juice Box Hero Citrus Ale and two howlers Atomic TaunTaun Overdrive Strawberry Habanero Ale from Greenbush. OH MY!
3. The rains cleared. The music was on and,with several members of the Deke's extended family, I sat under a huge leafy tree in a lawn chair in the park and listened to some marvelous music played by these ensembles: Solas, The Barefoot Movement, Red Tail Ring, The Whipstitch Sallies. Earlier in the day, I sat of a flat surfaced stump and listened to circles of stringed instrument players play in impromptu groups together. It was all awesome.
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| Lisa and Donna's Screened In Porch |
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| Lisa and Donna's Screened In Porch |
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| The Deke's Aunt Suzy and Lisa's Dog Named Alice |
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| Aunt Suzy |
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| Family Reunion for the Deke |
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| The Deke and Aunt Suzy Surrounded by The Deke's Cousins and Brother Brian |
2. Debbie's brother, Brian, and his daughters Allison and Danielle arrived at Lisa and Donna's and they brought an ice cooler bag with them crammed with premium beer from Greenbush Brewing in Sawyer, MI and Burn 'Em Brewing in Michigan City, IN. A beer tasting party got underway at Lisa and Donna's and shifted into high gear back at Aunt Suzy's. From Burn 'Em, Brian brought us cans of Creamed Corn Cream Ale. It was refreshing and popular among family members. He brought a growler of Distorter Porter and another of Juice Box Hero Citrus Ale and two howlers Atomic TaunTaun Overdrive Strawberry Habanero Ale from Greenbush. OH MY!
3. The rains cleared. The music was on and,with several members of the Deke's extended family, I sat under a huge leafy tree in a lawn chair in the park and listened to some marvelous music played by these ensembles: Solas, The Barefoot Movement, Red Tail Ring, The Whipstitch Sallies. Earlier in the day, I sat of a flat surfaced stump and listened to circles of stringed instrument players play in impromptu groups together. It was all awesome.
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| Fiddle Gathering Vendor |
Three Beautiful Things 06/26/15: Twelve Hours of Driving, Indiana Feast, Screened In Porch
1. The Deke and I piled into the newly lubed Sube at about 7 a.m. and twelve hours later drove into Aunt Suzy's driveway in Battleground, Indiana. I wish we'd had an ark. The last three hours of our trip were a workout with severe rain pounding Ohio and Indiana, at times blinding me as I drove, but, we got through it and were ready for the margaritas awaiting us, thanks to the Deke's cousin, Sally.
2. Yes! Margaritas, a variety of beers, braut dogs, sloppy Joes, potato salad, ham salad, pasta salad, potato chips and dip, brownies, cookies, and carrot cake awaited us and I was a glutton, eating like a man who who had just finished driving twelve straight hours, a quarter of it in a treacherous rain storm. (Oh! Julie! No fired catfish...dang!)
3. As the rain continued to pound the township of Battle Ground, the first night's concert on the main stage of the Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering, in Tippecanoe Battlefield Park, across the street from Aunt Suzy's house was canceled. So, all of us gathered at Aunt Suzy's got to know each other better. It was a family bonanza for the Deke. Joining us at the Deke's Aunt Suzy's house were her cousins Bill, Bob, and Sally along with Bob's wife, Nini, and Sally's husband, Ted. More would join us on Saturday, but on this night we all sat on Aunt Suzy's lovely screened in porch, protected from the rain, but enjoying the cool night air, and just shot the breeze, leaving whatever might be troubling us far away.
Recently, I've been adamant about never wanting to be a homeowner again, but the one thing that might TEMPT me back into a mortgage would be a house with a screened in porch. I love screened in porches.
2. Yes! Margaritas, a variety of beers, braut dogs, sloppy Joes, potato salad, ham salad, pasta salad, potato chips and dip, brownies, cookies, and carrot cake awaited us and I was a glutton, eating like a man who who had just finished driving twelve straight hours, a quarter of it in a treacherous rain storm. (Oh! Julie! No fired catfish...dang!)
3. As the rain continued to pound the township of Battle Ground, the first night's concert on the main stage of the Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering, in Tippecanoe Battlefield Park, across the street from Aunt Suzy's house was canceled. So, all of us gathered at Aunt Suzy's got to know each other better. It was a family bonanza for the Deke. Joining us at the Deke's Aunt Suzy's house were her cousins Bill, Bob, and Sally along with Bob's wife, Nini, and Sally's husband, Ted. More would join us on Saturday, but on this night we all sat on Aunt Suzy's lovely screened in porch, protected from the rain, but enjoying the cool night air, and just shot the breeze, leaving whatever might be troubling us far away.
Recently, I've been adamant about never wanting to be a homeowner again, but the one thing that might TEMPT me back into a mortgage would be a house with a screened in porch. I love screened in porches.
Three Beautiful Things 06/25/15: Jarvimakis in Bethesda, Cory's Gratitude, Liz!
1. The Deke and I piled into the newly lubed Sube and drove to Bethesda to meet the Jarvimakis, friends from Seattle we hadn't seen for years. We ate at the Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery and suddenly I was transported back to October 20, 2012 when Byrdman and I drove to Rock Bottom in downtown Portland and made friends with a couple pool shootin' gals, Bethany and Sarah. Bethany was terminally ill with intestinal cancer and was doing all she could to enjoy herself before she couldn't any longer. I had a great time with the Jarvimakis in Bethesda, and, at the same time, I thought back to Bethany and the pictures she insisted on having taken with me and Byrdman and I thought about the kiss on the cheek she asked each of us for because we we were there and we were fun and we helped her live the way she wanted to live as she neared the end of her days. I couldn't help but wonder how much longer Bethany lived and whatever happened to the pictures -- but, most of my attention was on the fun yakkin' we did with the Jarvimakis and the fine food and refreshing beers we enjoyed at Rock Bottom in Bethesda.
2. I was checking Facebook messages and noticed that a couple had come into my "Other" box, a box I check all too infrequently. One of the messages was from Cory, a student of mine at LCC twenty-four years ago. He had taken time to express his gratitude for how I had inspired him in an English Composition course back in 1991. His note staggered me. I regained my equilibrium and wrote him a most grateful note in return. In retirement, it slips my mind that my work as a teacher mattered a lot to some number of my students and it was deeply gratifying to be reminded.
3. The other message filled me with joy. I hadn't heard from Liz since the spring of 1974 -- possibly around the time she got married. Over the years I've thought of Liz often -- we spent a lot of time together as being more than just friends back in 1973. I hope that the messages we sent back and forth will put us more frequently in touch with each other so we can find out more about what's happened in our lives over the last forty years or so. It's funny. Even though 1973 was the year I was seriously injured and nearly died at the Zinc Plant, overall it was one of my favorite of my 60+ years and the times Liz and I talked and laughed and were part of a fun group of friends and drank beer and listened to music and hung out in Cd'A and held each other close -- and the many times she came to the hospital to visit and comfort me -- were the best times I had during that memorable year.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/24/15: Busy Garage, Lots of Walking, Dizzy with Gratitude
1. Turns out the shop where I take the car for routine maintenance is very popular and right now is packed with customers. I tried to get the car in on Tuesday morning and was turned away and told to come back at 8 a.m.on Wednesday. I arrived at 8, filled out the ticket detailing what I wanted done, and was told about 10,000,000 cars were ahead of me -- it turns out customers were bringing their cars in the night before and leaving them overnight. I called the garage about noon, found out that it was unlikely they'd get to to it, so I took the bus down to the garage, retrieved the Subaru, and, this evening, shortly before 8, I took the car in and left it in the nearby Co-op parking lot overnight. We'll see if they get to it on Thursday in advance of our trip to Battle Ground, Indiana on Friday.
2. The good news about not getting the car right in to be maintained is that I got a lot of walking in today and that the temperature was about 10-15 degrees cooler, making the walking pleasant. I hadn't expected a longish evening walk after I dropped of the car, but I boarded to wrong bus to get home and got off the bus about a mile from our apartment home and hoofed through the surprisingly comfortable evening air back to our apartment home.
3. Gratitude. Having the car back in the early afternoon opened the way for the Deke and me to drive to Groveton/Alexandria. In an immeasurable act of generosity, Molly and Hiram are minding the corgis while we travel to Indiana -- and maybe Michigan -- , even though their lives are in great disorder as they prepare to move this weekend out of their townhouse and into the new house in Silver Spring they recently purchased. So we took the dogs to the Diazes and we all shared in a pizza/salad dinner and as we returned to Greenbelt, I felt kind of dizzy with thankfulness.
2. The good news about not getting the car right in to be maintained is that I got a lot of walking in today and that the temperature was about 10-15 degrees cooler, making the walking pleasant. I hadn't expected a longish evening walk after I dropped of the car, but I boarded to wrong bus to get home and got off the bus about a mile from our apartment home and hoofed through the surprisingly comfortable evening air back to our apartment home.
3. Gratitude. Having the car back in the early afternoon opened the way for the Deke and me to drive to Groveton/Alexandria. In an immeasurable act of generosity, Molly and Hiram are minding the corgis while we travel to Indiana -- and maybe Michigan -- , even though their lives are in great disorder as they prepare to move this weekend out of their townhouse and into the new house in Silver Spring they recently purchased. So we took the dogs to the Diazes and we all shared in a pizza/salad dinner and as we returned to Greenbelt, I felt kind of dizzy with thankfulness.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/23/15: Friendly Heat, Grooming Day, Quinoa Salad and Refreshing Drinks
1. Normally, people I don't know don't talk to me around Greenbelt. There's nothing unique about that. But, today, with temperatures pushing the 100 degree mark and with the heat index higher than that, about a half a dozen people I didn't know asked me if it was hot enough for me or remarked that it was brutal outside or told me they guessed it could be worse -- we could live on the desert.
2. I went to Hair Cuttery today after I dropped the dogs off at the groomer. A woman waiting for her stylist had seen me about ten minutes earlier with the corgis and asked me if I left the dogs in my car in this hot weather. I assured I don't do that and told her they were getting groomed. She laughed and remarked, "I guess it's grooming day in your house!" Ha! I said, "You're right!" and laughed along with her. Then, after one stylist turned down the opportunity to trim my hair, Angela stepped up to the task and, later in the day, I passed the Deke eye test.
3. Once home, the Deke and I enjoyed the cool, refreshing, and tasty quinoa salad I made with quinoa, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, almonds, Kalamata olives (and some juice), fresh mint leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, cumin, and cinnamon. I refreshed myself before and after eating the salad with a couple of bottles of the stellar Yeungling lagers, brewed by the nation's oldest operating brewery. For a nightcap, and as a tribute to the hot weather, I enjoyed the finest of all hot weather drinks, a gin and tonic.
2. I went to Hair Cuttery today after I dropped the dogs off at the groomer. A woman waiting for her stylist had seen me about ten minutes earlier with the corgis and asked me if I left the dogs in my car in this hot weather. I assured I don't do that and told her they were getting groomed. She laughed and remarked, "I guess it's grooming day in your house!" Ha! I said, "You're right!" and laughed along with her. Then, after one stylist turned down the opportunity to trim my hair, Angela stepped up to the task and, later in the day, I passed the Deke eye test.
3. Once home, the Deke and I enjoyed the cool, refreshing, and tasty quinoa salad I made with quinoa, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, almonds, Kalamata olives (and some juice), fresh mint leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, cumin, and cinnamon. I refreshed myself before and after eating the salad with a couple of bottles of the stellar Yeungling lagers, brewed by the nation's oldest operating brewery. For a nightcap, and as a tribute to the hot weather, I enjoyed the finest of all hot weather drinks, a gin and tonic.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/22/15: Marie Was Patient, Computer Delivery, Lazy Night
1. I needed to drink some water before my monthly blood draw this morning. Marie was very patient with my veins and slowly but surely drew a sample out of my slightly dehydrated veins. This has never happened before, but usually I drink water before going, so I'll remember to hydrate before my blood draw in the future.
2. It's often good I'm home during the day: the Deke left her school computer behind this morning and I was home to make the delivery.
3. We were lazy tonight. Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's my nature. I don't know. The result? We settled for cheese and crackers and popcorn as our nourishment this evening. Hiram and Molly bought us some Fresh Squeezed IPA (my favorite, I think) in Virginia -- it's not available yet in MD) and I enjoyed a bottle with some stout cheddar cheese and saltines before diving into the popcorn.
2. It's often good I'm home during the day: the Deke left her school computer behind this morning and I was home to make the delivery.
3. We were lazy tonight. Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's my nature. I don't know. The result? We settled for cheese and crackers and popcorn as our nourishment this evening. Hiram and Molly bought us some Fresh Squeezed IPA (my favorite, I think) in Virginia -- it's not available yet in MD) and I enjoyed a bottle with some stout cheddar cheese and saltines before diving into the popcorn.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/21/15: Honoring and Remembering Dad, U. S. Open Golf, Stay at Home Salad
1.For Father's Day, Christy and I both posted pictures on Facebook to remember Dad by. I posted one of me apparently taking a swig of Oly as a way of hoisting a cold one in memory of Dad. Christy posted one of Dad about to go to an American Legion baseball game as one of the Kellogg team's coaches and one of Dad, me, and a box of good old Lucky Lager beer. Here they are:
2. When Dad was alive, we either watched the final round of the U. S. Open golf championship together or talked about it on the telephone, when we could. Today, I remembered doing this as I went online and watched several hours of the U. S. Open. The Fox network's online live coverage ended about an hour or so before the tournament did. Go figure. So, I had to imagine the riveting final hour or so of the tournament by reading Twitter tweets. Fox's online broadcast was crappy to begin with, but to have it just end with so much golf to be played bewildered me and struck me as bizarre.
3. It's hot and humid here in Greenbelt, especially with all the moisture in the ground after last night's series of thunder storms, so I stayed indoors and did one of my favorite things: make dinner with whatever is on hand. I cooked up chickpeas, drained them, and combined them with leftover brown rice. Ah! We had a package of cherry tomatoes, a bunch of mint, cilantro, a head of garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, a tin of almonds, lemon juice, black pepper. All of these things mixed together in a big bowl resulted in a great meal that kept me inside and made the Deke and me very happy.
2. When Dad was alive, we either watched the final round of the U. S. Open golf championship together or talked about it on the telephone, when we could. Today, I remembered doing this as I went online and watched several hours of the U. S. Open. The Fox network's online live coverage ended about an hour or so before the tournament did. Go figure. So, I had to imagine the riveting final hour or so of the tournament by reading Twitter tweets. Fox's online broadcast was crappy to begin with, but to have it just end with so much golf to be played bewildered me and struck me as bizarre.
3. It's hot and humid here in Greenbelt, especially with all the moisture in the ground after last night's series of thunder storms, so I stayed indoors and did one of my favorite things: make dinner with whatever is on hand. I cooked up chickpeas, drained them, and combined them with leftover brown rice. Ah! We had a package of cherry tomatoes, a bunch of mint, cilantro, a head of garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, a tin of almonds, lemon juice, black pepper. All of these things mixed together in a big bowl resulted in a great meal that kept me inside and made the Deke and me very happy.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/20/15: Takin' Care of Business, Grandpa Ghost Closet, Flashlight Fun
1. If you'd dropped by our apartment home this morning, you would have found me going through a stack of papers sorting,filing, scanning, recycling, writing a check: in short, takin' care of business.
2. Hiram and Molly attended a party in Del Ray (Alexandria) and so the Deke and I invited David and Olivia over for a sleep over. We have a closet just off our dining area and David and Olivia decided to sit in it and then I acted scared to death when they pushed their fingers and toes under the closet door and this grew into a game called "Ghost in the Closet". Olivia and David thought of all kinds of ways to scare me, turning their hands into a claw, a spider, a gaping jaw, and other monstrous beings that came out of the closet and both of them perfected ghost noises. I did my best to express my terror and tell them my night was going to be haunted by bad dreams, so they created benevolent creatures, like their fingers became "nice worms", out of concern for my dreams. David was the most concerned with my "terror". Periodically, from inside the ghost closet, he reassured me that "it's just me". This was a great relief to Grandpa.
3. Olivia couldn't find her stuffed animal, Lenonata, so I handed them flashlights and David and Oliva got a full search and rescue effort underway. Nana (The Deke) didn't have a flashlight, but she found Leonata wrapped in a blanket on the couch. With the search ended, Oliva took some time to use her flashlight to cast her shadow puppets on the wall. David used his flashlight to continue to shine light on things room to room. He didn't need an objective. He just liked shining the light. And looking.
2. Hiram and Molly attended a party in Del Ray (Alexandria) and so the Deke and I invited David and Olivia over for a sleep over. We have a closet just off our dining area and David and Olivia decided to sit in it and then I acted scared to death when they pushed their fingers and toes under the closet door and this grew into a game called "Ghost in the Closet". Olivia and David thought of all kinds of ways to scare me, turning their hands into a claw, a spider, a gaping jaw, and other monstrous beings that came out of the closet and both of them perfected ghost noises. I did my best to express my terror and tell them my night was going to be haunted by bad dreams, so they created benevolent creatures, like their fingers became "nice worms", out of concern for my dreams. David was the most concerned with my "terror". Periodically, from inside the ghost closet, he reassured me that "it's just me". This was a great relief to Grandpa.
3. Olivia couldn't find her stuffed animal, Lenonata, so I handed them flashlights and David and Oliva got a full search and rescue effort underway. Nana (The Deke) didn't have a flashlight, but she found Leonata wrapped in a blanket on the couch. With the search ended, Oliva took some time to use her flashlight to cast her shadow puppets on the wall. David used his flashlight to continue to shine light on things room to room. He didn't need an objective. He just liked shining the light. And looking.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/19/15: Postponed Outing, Jordan Spieth's Response, A Simple Meal
1. I had an outing planned to the Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, but as I gathered myself to go, I realized that both of my camera batteries needed charging. I postponed my outing. Instead, I went back to reading articles and commentary related to the killings in Charleston, SC and the story of Rachel Dolezal.
2. As I was reading away, a text message came to me from Byrdman marveling at Jordan Spieth. I think Byrdman was marveling at his play at Chambers Bay in the U. S. Open, but now I know how Spieth responded with one of his playing partners, Jason Day, blacked out thanks to vertigo on the players' 18th hole (the course's 9th hole) and Spieth's concern, care for, and protectiveness of his fellow player transcended his marvelous play in Round 2. I'm sure when I return to Kellogg in a couple of weeks, Byrdman and I will have some premium discussion of this dramatic episode.
3. It was a simple request: broccoli, zucchini, and onion served with brown rice. I made a quick trip to the Co-op and the Deke and I agreed: this simple meal hit the spot.
2. As I was reading away, a text message came to me from Byrdman marveling at Jordan Spieth. I think Byrdman was marveling at his play at Chambers Bay in the U. S. Open, but now I know how Spieth responded with one of his playing partners, Jason Day, blacked out thanks to vertigo on the players' 18th hole (the course's 9th hole) and Spieth's concern, care for, and protectiveness of his fellow player transcended his marvelous play in Round 2. I'm sure when I return to Kellogg in a couple of weeks, Byrdman and I will have some premium discussion of this dramatic episode.
3. It was a simple request: broccoli, zucchini, and onion served with brown rice. I made a quick trip to the Co-op and the Deke and I agreed: this simple meal hit the spot.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/18/15: Shakespeare and Nixon, *All the President's Men*, The National Arboretum
1. I watched the last segment of the documentary, Watergate: A Third Rate Burglary. Nixon's story became Shakespearian to me. Shakespeare builds certain of his tragedies around the growing confinement of his tragic characters. Macbeth comes to think he can secure the throne he has killed for by commissioning more widespread killing and as he has these murders carried out, he comes to see that he is "cabin'd, cribb'd, confined bound in/To saucy doubts and fears". Nixon's world, similarly, grows smaller and smaller as he nears his resignation. Within himself, he is bound in emotionally by paranoia and physically he is confined to the White House. It reminds me of how Othello's world also closed in on him. Once occupied by jealousy, a primary feeling, by the way, of Nixon, Shakespeare shows us that whereas he once traveled the expanse of the world, both the northern and southern hemispheres, now his world is confined to a citadel and within that citadel to a small bedroom where he murders Desdemona, cannot escape, and kills himself. Exploring and portraying murder, murder prompted by paranoia and jealousy, is a way that Shakespeare magnifies what destroys the soul. It helps us see that a man like Nixon, who politically destroyed rivals with dirty tricks and crimes, confined himself in the futility of covering up these deeds, and used the office of the presidency as an instrument of revenge, was eventually suffocated by the pressure and confining consequences of his actions, making him, to me, a man who can be understood, in part, by these stories of Shakespeare.
2. I finished the documentary and immediately went to amazon.com and rented All the President's Men. I first saw this movie toward the end of my senior year at Whitworth in Spokane at the Garland Theater and it riveted me, no doubt because it's a thrilling work of art and because the story was so fresh. Now, nearly forty years later, the movie thrills me even more. More now than forty years ago, I am thrilled by the cast and the brilliant acting of the entire cast, no one plays a prominent lead role, but all play character roles in scintillating support of one another. Yes, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman lead the cast, I suppose, but the rest of the cast is equally compelling and memorable whether it's Jane Alexander or Jason Robards, Jack Warden or Lindsay Crouse, Martin Balsam or Hal Holbrook, Stephen Collins or Robert Walden -- for starters. It's among my favorite movies ever made.
3. Earlier in the day, I drove down the Baltimore Washington Parkway and exited onto New York Avenue and entered the gates of the National Arboretum. I left much unexplored, but I walked to the Grove of State Trees and then to the Fern Trail. The Fern trail took me into a heavily wooded and shaded area, perfect for a day where the temperatures were rising into the high 80s. I took pictures at the Arboretum. Here are a few of them:
2. I finished the documentary and immediately went to amazon.com and rented All the President's Men. I first saw this movie toward the end of my senior year at Whitworth in Spokane at the Garland Theater and it riveted me, no doubt because it's a thrilling work of art and because the story was so fresh. Now, nearly forty years later, the movie thrills me even more. More now than forty years ago, I am thrilled by the cast and the brilliant acting of the entire cast, no one plays a prominent lead role, but all play character roles in scintillating support of one another. Yes, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman lead the cast, I suppose, but the rest of the cast is equally compelling and memorable whether it's Jane Alexander or Jason Robards, Jack Warden or Lindsay Crouse, Martin Balsam or Hal Holbrook, Stephen Collins or Robert Walden -- for starters. It's among my favorite movies ever made.
3. Earlier in the day, I drove down the Baltimore Washington Parkway and exited onto New York Avenue and entered the gates of the National Arboretum. I left much unexplored, but I walked to the Grove of State Trees and then to the Fern Trail. The Fern trail took me into a heavily wooded and shaded area, perfect for a day where the temperatures were rising into the high 80s. I took pictures at the Arboretum. Here are a few of them:
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/17/15: Watergate Again, Grandpa Pasta, Dick Cavett Again
1. Back in 1972-74, as the story of the break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Headquarters at the Watergate Complex in Georgetown developed, I had trouble keeping it all straight. It didn't help, I suppose, that I was drinking a lot of beer in those days and that I was hospitalized following the accident I had at the Zinc Plant. While in the hospital, I remember Mom being a little put out when the Watergate hearings were shown in place of All My Children.
Back then, I thought that I'd wait until the whole situation came to a conclusion and then I'd try to understand it by looking back, rather than trying to comprehend it as it happened. Today, over forty years later, I once again dove back into the story. I watched the first two thirds of the 4 1/2 hour documentary, Watergate: A Third-Rate Burglary (1994) and I am arriving at a better understanding of who was involved, the gravity of their actions, and how crazy some of the stuff that happened was.
For me, G. Gordon Liddy, sounding in the interviews disarmingly like Maxwell Smart, personifies the craziness. The craziness, to me, was also expressed in how matter of fact Howard Hunt, Bernard Barker, Bob Haldeman, John Erlichman, and the others sounded about the schemes they worked up and carried out. In tone, they sounded like they were talking about picking up their kids from school or what they had for dinner the night before.
This entire documentary is available in three installations on YouTube.
2. Much to my surprise and delight, Molly brought Olivia and David over and we had a simple and delicious pasta dinner together. The "grown-up" pasta was dressed with olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Very simple and mighty tasty.
3. I had forgotten that Dick Cavett had many of those involved in the Watergate situation on his late night talk show. Not long ago (unknown to me) an hour long documentary entitled Secrets of the Dead: Dick Cavett's Watergate was filmed. It's a compilation of clips from Cavett's show and contemporary interviews with him and others looking back forty years. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are prominently featured. I watched Dick Cavett most often when his show was on PBS and when I was sleeping on the couch at the end of my first marriage. Back then, I found it a satisfying way to end my day of studies and teaching and to relieve myself of the stress of a failing marriage. Tonight, the impact was less dramatic, but it was fun to, once again, have Dick Cavett help me end a day of contemplation, house cleaning, and some cooking.
Back then, I thought that I'd wait until the whole situation came to a conclusion and then I'd try to understand it by looking back, rather than trying to comprehend it as it happened. Today, over forty years later, I once again dove back into the story. I watched the first two thirds of the 4 1/2 hour documentary, Watergate: A Third-Rate Burglary (1994) and I am arriving at a better understanding of who was involved, the gravity of their actions, and how crazy some of the stuff that happened was.
For me, G. Gordon Liddy, sounding in the interviews disarmingly like Maxwell Smart, personifies the craziness. The craziness, to me, was also expressed in how matter of fact Howard Hunt, Bernard Barker, Bob Haldeman, John Erlichman, and the others sounded about the schemes they worked up and carried out. In tone, they sounded like they were talking about picking up their kids from school or what they had for dinner the night before.
This entire documentary is available in three installations on YouTube.
2. Much to my surprise and delight, Molly brought Olivia and David over and we had a simple and delicious pasta dinner together. The "grown-up" pasta was dressed with olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Very simple and mighty tasty.
3. I had forgotten that Dick Cavett had many of those involved in the Watergate situation on his late night talk show. Not long ago (unknown to me) an hour long documentary entitled Secrets of the Dead: Dick Cavett's Watergate was filmed. It's a compilation of clips from Cavett's show and contemporary interviews with him and others looking back forty years. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are prominently featured. I watched Dick Cavett most often when his show was on PBS and when I was sleeping on the couch at the end of my first marriage. Back then, I found it a satisfying way to end my day of studies and teaching and to relieve myself of the stress of a failing marriage. Tonight, the impact was less dramatic, but it was fun to, once again, have Dick Cavett help me end a day of contemplation, house cleaning, and some cooking.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/16/15: No Hearburn!, G and T at the Blue M Bar, Cool Pasta Salad
1. I now have 400 sodium bicarbonate pills to last me for three months as I work to elevate the levels of carbon dioxide in my blood and lower the potassium. There's another upside to this: I guess I'll be living in a constant state of heartburn relief -- before the heartburn has a chance to start burning!
2. The Deke called and said she'd like to go for a drink after work and I really didn't want to get in high volume traffic driving to Hyattsville or Beltsville to Franklin's or Old Line, so I thought...hmmm...that Marriott is really close to our apartment home and it has a hotel bar so let's give it a try. Aside from being overpriced (oh, well), it was a perfect place to relax and have a gin and tonic. It's quiet, making it easy for the Deke and me to shoot the breeze and we had a long conversation with a J'American (his word) name Ki about everything from what it means to be flawless to how the English language is changing every single day (not everyday).
3. I had the pasta cooked and cooling before I picked up the Deke and when we got home I chopped up the broccoli, red pepper, purple onion, and tomato, mixed it with the pasta, and the Deke made a killer dressing for our delicious and cool pasta salad on another very hot day.
2. The Deke called and said she'd like to go for a drink after work and I really didn't want to get in high volume traffic driving to Hyattsville or Beltsville to Franklin's or Old Line, so I thought...hmmm...that Marriott is really close to our apartment home and it has a hotel bar so let's give it a try. Aside from being overpriced (oh, well), it was a perfect place to relax and have a gin and tonic. It's quiet, making it easy for the Deke and me to shoot the breeze and we had a long conversation with a J'American (his word) name Ki about everything from what it means to be flawless to how the English language is changing every single day (not everyday).
3. I had the pasta cooked and cooling before I picked up the Deke and when we got home I chopped up the broccoli, red pepper, purple onion, and tomato, mixed it with the pasta, and the Deke made a killer dressing for our delicious and cool pasta salad on another very hot day.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/15/15: Kidney Update, Hodge Podge Salad, Sylvia Telford Seeks a Job
1. I drove to Bethesda for my appointment with Dr. Fahim Malik. He greeted me with a broad smile and a friendly handshake and we talked about my chronic kidney disease, our favorite topic. Over the past year, my numbers have remained mostly stable, so, for the present, it's good news that my failing kidneys continue to fail slowly. My blood pressure and heart and lungs were all good. I've lost four more pounds. That's good. Dr. Malik took me off the diuretic I've taken for many years out of concern for dehydration (and my black out incident) and started me on a course of medicine to raise the bicarbonate levels in my blood and, hopefully, lower the potassium. That's good. The decrease of the one and the increase of the other are common effects of kidney disease.
2. It was time to use up the lettuce here, the leftover rice there, the odd red pepper, an apple, as well as the last slices of bacon and bits of chicken left from previous meals. So I made a salad, combining all these things and asked the Deke to dress it. She added almonds to the salad along with the splendid dressing she made and we had a great meal.
3. I watched episode #3 of Telford's Change. The Telford's marriage is at the center of the program's drama. Mark Telford's decision to leave international banking and his office in London and manage a branch in Dover was unilateral. His wife, Sylvia, loves London. She does not want to live in Dover at all. She has decided that rather than use her many talents on volunteer theater committees, she'd like to join the work force and, much to Mark Telford's chagrin, is pursuing a position working for a theater director in the West End. The episode ends with Mark Telford raising a toast of sherry to his wife's pursuits, but is hardly convincing as he lifts his glass, making a weak toast: "To whatever will make us both happy."
2. It was time to use up the lettuce here, the leftover rice there, the odd red pepper, an apple, as well as the last slices of bacon and bits of chicken left from previous meals. So I made a salad, combining all these things and asked the Deke to dress it. She added almonds to the salad along with the splendid dressing she made and we had a great meal.
3. I watched episode #3 of Telford's Change. The Telford's marriage is at the center of the program's drama. Mark Telford's decision to leave international banking and his office in London and manage a branch in Dover was unilateral. His wife, Sylvia, loves London. She does not want to live in Dover at all. She has decided that rather than use her many talents on volunteer theater committees, she'd like to join the work force and, much to Mark Telford's chagrin, is pursuing a position working for a theater director in the West End. The episode ends with Mark Telford raising a toast of sherry to his wife's pursuits, but is hardly convincing as he lifts his glass, making a weak toast: "To whatever will make us both happy."
Monday, June 15, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/14/15: Mustard Seed, Ordinary Shopping, I Found *Telford's Change* Online!
1. In the Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Communion, we are all settling into the long season of Pentecost, also known as ordinary time. Today, in the gospel reading from Mark, Jesus did what he often did: he invites his listeners to see the Kingdom of God in terms of an ordinary earthly thing. Today it was a mustard seed. It's subversive and a bit bewildering that he compares the mighty Kingdom of God to something so tiny, so scattered, so unimpressive -- well, something so ordinary. These seeds grow into bushes, the largest of garden (not forest) plants -- not like the mighty cedars of Lebanon -- large enough for birds to perch in their shade, but hardly extraordinary in the ways we think of grandeur. Consistently, this is where Jesus goes when he speaks of the Kingdom of God. Like ordinary things -- say a lost coin -- the Kingdom of God is in our midst, so everyday, so ordinary. What's profound about God's presence isn't necessarily to be understood in terms of grandeur, but in terms of how mundane it can be.
2. The Deke and I took a little trip up to the Laurel Corridor Marketplace and bought a few articles of clothing and couple of pillows. Very ordinary.
3. My first marriage was annulled by the Roman Catholic Church just over thirty years ago. While the Church ruled that that marriage never happened, my memories of that marriage (1976-82) have not been annulled. A favorite memory was a week to week one in the early months of 1979. A ten week series, Telford's Change was playing in England while Eileen and I were touring the country. On Sundays,we stayed in bed and breakfasts based on whether there was a tv room where we could watch the next installment of the series. I don't remember at what week of the series we picked up Telford's Change, but I know we saw several episodes right to the end. We loved it. Over the last several years, I've tried to find DVDs of the series but haven't been confident that the disks I've found would play in the USA. Over the weekend, however, I discovered that someone downloaded all ten episodes on YouTube back in November and I watched the first two episodes tonight. Mark Telford has succeeded in his request to be transferred out of the international branch of the bank he works for to a become a most ordinary branch manager in Dover, a significant step down the corporate ladder. His very gifted wife wants to stay in London and is about to land a theater job there. The conflicts are established -- the Telfords' marriage is in peril and we will see if Mark is fit to perform the tasks of a small town banker. I'm eager to get going on Episode 3. I'm very happy to be able to watch this series again.
2. The Deke and I took a little trip up to the Laurel Corridor Marketplace and bought a few articles of clothing and couple of pillows. Very ordinary.
3. My first marriage was annulled by the Roman Catholic Church just over thirty years ago. While the Church ruled that that marriage never happened, my memories of that marriage (1976-82) have not been annulled. A favorite memory was a week to week one in the early months of 1979. A ten week series, Telford's Change was playing in England while Eileen and I were touring the country. On Sundays,we stayed in bed and breakfasts based on whether there was a tv room where we could watch the next installment of the series. I don't remember at what week of the series we picked up Telford's Change, but I know we saw several episodes right to the end. We loved it. Over the last several years, I've tried to find DVDs of the series but haven't been confident that the disks I've found would play in the USA. Over the weekend, however, I discovered that someone downloaded all ten episodes on YouTube back in November and I watched the first two episodes tonight. Mark Telford has succeeded in his request to be transferred out of the international branch of the bank he works for to a become a most ordinary branch manager in Dover, a significant step down the corporate ladder. His very gifted wife wants to stay in London and is about to land a theater job there. The conflicts are established -- the Telfords' marriage is in peril and we will see if Mark is fit to perform the tasks of a small town banker. I'm eager to get going on Episode 3. I'm very happy to be able to watch this series again.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/13/15: Spiderman Upside Down, Chef Lou's Desserts, Skooterpalooza
1. The Deke bought David a Spiderman figure and David slept with his Spiderman last night. When David woke up this morning, the first words out of his mouth were that Spiderman "fell off my bed and was upside down on the floor."
2. Before returning to the Beltway today, about 12:30, to drive down to Ft. Washington, I made my first ever visit to Chef Lou's Desserts and hoped I could get a box of brownies to take to Skooterpalooza. When you walk into Chef Lou's dessert shop, there's only room for about two people to stand in front of his dessert case. Chef Lou greeted me with "I'm just now getting my case set up." He was way behind for the day because he freshly baked a cake earlier in the morning for a Saturday wedding. I asked him about getting 10-12 brownies, he checked his fridge, said yes, but he'd need some time to cut them up and frost them. That was no problem for me, I took a walk, came back, he got tied up with a couple and a baby ordering little bowls of ice cream, but, before long, he had the brownies, cut, frosted, packed in a box, and he sold them to me for a little less than the posted price. The brownies were gorgeous, moist, super chocolate-y and fudge-y, and were a perfect contribution to the party. I'll be heading back to Chef Lou's tiny shop any time I might want cupcakes, pie, brownies, or other sweets for any occasion.
3. Skooterpalooza: A party to get a handful of Facebook followers of Rick Wainright's together. On Facebook, Rick's dog Skooter is a legend. So attendees (Friends of Rick) got to meet Skooter and see him in action, as well as enjoy a relaxed and delicious afternoon together. I arrived way early for Skooterpalooza. Rick and the party's host, Lorna, were out picking up ribs and crabs, but Lorna's Italian nanny, Sara, and her friend visiting from Italy, were at the house and we visited for a good spell until Rick and Lorna returned. Soon, other guests arrived, a lot of fun yakking got underway, and we all dug into a generous feast of crab, ribs, and plentiful and delicious side dishes. In case you are reading this and don't recognize the name Rick Wainright, we were great friends in our teenage years and go back together even farther than that to when Rick was in Mom's second grade class at Silver King Elementary in about 1958-59.
2. Before returning to the Beltway today, about 12:30, to drive down to Ft. Washington, I made my first ever visit to Chef Lou's Desserts and hoped I could get a box of brownies to take to Skooterpalooza. When you walk into Chef Lou's dessert shop, there's only room for about two people to stand in front of his dessert case. Chef Lou greeted me with "I'm just now getting my case set up." He was way behind for the day because he freshly baked a cake earlier in the morning for a Saturday wedding. I asked him about getting 10-12 brownies, he checked his fridge, said yes, but he'd need some time to cut them up and frost them. That was no problem for me, I took a walk, came back, he got tied up with a couple and a baby ordering little bowls of ice cream, but, before long, he had the brownies, cut, frosted, packed in a box, and he sold them to me for a little less than the posted price. The brownies were gorgeous, moist, super chocolate-y and fudge-y, and were a perfect contribution to the party. I'll be heading back to Chef Lou's tiny shop any time I might want cupcakes, pie, brownies, or other sweets for any occasion.
3. Skooterpalooza: A party to get a handful of Facebook followers of Rick Wainright's together. On Facebook, Rick's dog Skooter is a legend. So attendees (Friends of Rick) got to meet Skooter and see him in action, as well as enjoy a relaxed and delicious afternoon together. I arrived way early for Skooterpalooza. Rick and the party's host, Lorna, were out picking up ribs and crabs, but Lorna's Italian nanny, Sara, and her friend visiting from Italy, were at the house and we visited for a good spell until Rick and Lorna returned. Soon, other guests arrived, a lot of fun yakking got underway, and we all dug into a generous feast of crab, ribs, and plentiful and delicious side dishes. In case you are reading this and don't recognize the name Rick Wainright, we were great friends in our teenage years and go back together even farther than that to when Rick was in Mom's second grade class at Silver King Elementary in about 1958-59.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/12/15: Video Village, Rick and Skooter, Grandpa Popcorn
1. In its brand newness and perfectly laid out streets and style of buildings and store signs and stuff, when I drove into National Harbor, MD, I thought I had entered the world of Monty Hall's game show, Video Village.
2. I was in National Harbor to have lunch with Rick Wainright and to meet, after lunch, his intrepid beagle, Skooter. Rick and I have known each other for over fifty years and it was a lot of fun to shoot the breeze again over a meal and then to head over to a dog park in Alexandria so Skooter could stretch his legs. On Saturday, Rick's hosts in Ft. Washington, MD are hosting a party, known as Skooterpalooza, bringing together people in the area who hang out and make wise cracks on Rick's Facebook page. I look forward to a really good time.
3. I got to play the role of Grandpa Popcorn this evening. David and Olivia were spending the night and got to eat popcorn while watching a movie together before going to bed. Grandpa Popcorn is a pretty good role to play.
2. I was in National Harbor to have lunch with Rick Wainright and to meet, after lunch, his intrepid beagle, Skooter. Rick and I have known each other for over fifty years and it was a lot of fun to shoot the breeze again over a meal and then to head over to a dog park in Alexandria so Skooter could stretch his legs. On Saturday, Rick's hosts in Ft. Washington, MD are hosting a party, known as Skooterpalooza, bringing together people in the area who hang out and make wise cracks on Rick's Facebook page. I look forward to a really good time.
3. I got to play the role of Grandpa Popcorn this evening. David and Olivia were spending the night and got to eat popcorn while watching a movie together before going to bed. Grandpa Popcorn is a pretty good role to play.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/11/15: Steamy Walk, Deal Closed, Pictures in *Moonrise Kingdom*
1. I enjoyed a walk around Greenbelt Lake late this morning in the building humidity of northern Prince George's County.
2. I met with Dilon at the Marriott Starbucks and we had fun non-business conversation while also closing out a transaction we've been working on, one way or another, since about February.
3. I watched the 2012 Wes Anderson movie Moonrise Kingdom. It's a topsy-turvy fantasy movie. It portrays two children in love behaving with maturity and devotion while the adults are often childish, prone to panic tantrums, grudges, and rigidness. All through the movie, one thought consistently popped up: I would love, with any of my cameras and lenses, to take pictures in the style of Robert Yeoman, the movie's Director of Photography. My interest in the story of this movie often flagged, but the thrill of the movie's pictures never did, whether the frame featured the two young lovers discussing whether to get married with a champion trampolinist doing awesome acrobatics next to them or featured a far away shot of a mob chasing Sam in a pasture in the mist, just to name a couple. I sometimes think I could enjoy Wes Anderson's movies as silent movies so that almost all my attention would be focused on the movie's beautiful and unusual and often thrilling frame by frame pictures.
2. I met with Dilon at the Marriott Starbucks and we had fun non-business conversation while also closing out a transaction we've been working on, one way or another, since about February.
3. I watched the 2012 Wes Anderson movie Moonrise Kingdom. It's a topsy-turvy fantasy movie. It portrays two children in love behaving with maturity and devotion while the adults are often childish, prone to panic tantrums, grudges, and rigidness. All through the movie, one thought consistently popped up: I would love, with any of my cameras and lenses, to take pictures in the style of Robert Yeoman, the movie's Director of Photography. My interest in the story of this movie often flagged, but the thrill of the movie's pictures never did, whether the frame featured the two young lovers discussing whether to get married with a champion trampolinist doing awesome acrobatics next to them or featured a far away shot of a mob chasing Sam in a pasture in the mist, just to name a couple. I sometimes think I could enjoy Wes Anderson's movies as silent movies so that almost all my attention would be focused on the movie's beautiful and unusual and often thrilling frame by frame pictures.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Three Beautiful Things 06/10/15: Peggy to the Rescue, Intro to Wegman's, Eulogy for Dad and Friends the Turnbows
1. I bought groceries at the Co-op. Peggy was my checker. I left a bag behind when I left and she grabbed the bag and came outside, tracked me down, and made sure I left with my entire order. Peggy was the checker who reassured me over a month ago that my cart of groceries had to be somewhere in the store when I lost track of it. She was right.
2. Betsy announced on her Facebook page that the grocer Wegman's was opening a new store in Alexandria. I've been hearing nothing but great things about Wegman's since I moved out here, so I looked up where it is in Alexandria and, lo and behold, there's a Wegman's within about twelve miles or so of us, down in Woodmore Towne Center. I drove there today and after surveying the four or five crowded eateries, the expansive fresh seafood counter, the mammoth produce section, and after walking up and down countless aisles of products, I decided that if the Deke and I wanted to go out on a culinary safari one day south of here, we might go down to Wegman's for a visit. When I told the Deke about Wegman's, I had to be honest and tell her in one section of the store there was a toy train on tracks running overhead, tooting. Silence. A few minutes later, the Deke said, "I'm never going to Wegman's."
3. I spent a good part of the afternoon writing a blog post about friends of ours in Kellogg, the Turnbows, with focus on the historic 1966 NCAA basketball tournament final between Texas Western and Kentucky. Texas Western was the first team ever to start five black players in an NCAA championship game. All of this led me to think about what I enjoy most about being a man. If you'd like to read what amounts to a eulogy about my dad, his good friends, why they rooted for Texas Western, and a few of my thoughts about being a man, just click here.
2. Betsy announced on her Facebook page that the grocer Wegman's was opening a new store in Alexandria. I've been hearing nothing but great things about Wegman's since I moved out here, so I looked up where it is in Alexandria and, lo and behold, there's a Wegman's within about twelve miles or so of us, down in Woodmore Towne Center. I drove there today and after surveying the four or five crowded eateries, the expansive fresh seafood counter, the mammoth produce section, and after walking up and down countless aisles of products, I decided that if the Deke and I wanted to go out on a culinary safari one day south of here, we might go down to Wegman's for a visit. When I told the Deke about Wegman's, I had to be honest and tell her in one section of the store there was a toy train on tracks running overhead, tooting. Silence. A few minutes later, the Deke said, "I'm never going to Wegman's."
3. I spent a good part of the afternoon writing a blog post about friends of ours in Kellogg, the Turnbows, with focus on the historic 1966 NCAA basketball tournament final between Texas Western and Kentucky. Texas Western was the first team ever to start five black players in an NCAA championship game. All of this led me to think about what I enjoy most about being a man. If you'd like to read what amounts to a eulogy about my dad, his good friends, why they rooted for Texas Western, and a few of my thoughts about being a man, just click here.
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