We are famous

Terry and I arrived in Atlanta Monday evening with two of the Archbold children, Tory and Josh.  Zach had flown back Sunday so that he would not miss school and Sam remained in Cozumel with the flu.  Daughter Kim and husband Dave will return tomorrow after enjoying some time recovering from their successful Ironman race.  If anyone does not know what an ironman is they swim 2.4 miles, get out of the water and onto their bikes for a 112 mile ride and then finish with a 26.2 mile run!!!!  Dave finished in just under 14 hours and Kim in just over that.  They were in the water at 7:00 AM and crossed the finish line around 9:00 PM.  Oh my I can not imagine what toll it takes on the body.  As we watched during the day it took me back to the days of bike races.  It is interesting how each activity such as biking or ironman or many other events take on their own flavor, their own culture etc.  Anyway the race was Sunday and we flew back on Monday.  Will be here in Atlanta until Saturday and then fly back to Naples. 
We are looking at a different Christmas this year.  We will fly to St. Paul December 20th and back to Naples January 1st so I doubt there will be any Christmas decorating, no tree up and maybe the Christmas spirit will be there but the trimming will not.  We are excited to have Cynthia and Mike's baby arrive and that will be the highlight of the month. 
In January I have plans to build a seating area in the kitchen in Naples.  I have the wood already but will not start it until after Christmas.  It should be fun but challenging too as my woodworking tools are in St. Paul.  I am looking at it as a fun time of doing woodworking without all the tools I would like to use.  I will have to find ways to get things done differently and it should be a good challenge.
I will load pictures onto our computer when we return to Naples so will post some then.  For pictures the highlight was the scuba dive as the fish and underwater colors were wonderful.  I do not know if I will scuba dive again.  It was fun but I always have liked to be "not confined" and it seems strange to be free in a huge ocean but confined to a mask and breathing tube one can feel enclosed and ???   Anyway if I do it again or not is to be seen but it was fun and I have to say that it feels good to have done it and been successful. 
Oh yes----Terry and I are famous.  Every where we went people wanted to take our picture.  At the resort one night they took our picture, at the dolphin place they took our picture, scuba diving they took our picture and the list goes one.  Well I guess it is not really true we are famous of coures they just wanted money!!  For the dolphin place there were 7 of us so they would give us a GREAT deal on the pictures for $279:( :(   Well it took us a nanosecond to so no to them but interesting just the same.
I think Terry and I will do a little shopping today as Terry knows her way around Atlanta a bit because Kim and family have lived here for 14 years and she has spent much time caring for the kids as mom and dad have enjoyed vacations etc.  We will not see them at Christmas time so would like to take care of Chistmas items and leave them here.  Christmas gifts will not be a big thing this year but will do some small gifts.
One bit of wisdom---Kim and Dave have a golden retriever and golden lab that have the run of the house so if you ever are in this kind of situation be sure and wear light colored clothes:)
Enough for now and will not blog until we are back in Naples and have pictures to share.

43 minutes!!!!!!

After a 45 minute tutoral in the pool we waded into the gulf and were under water for 43 minutes  When we started I thought I may not want to but 43 minutes later, hundreds of colorful fish, wonderful underwater things and 2400 pounds of air I surfaced to the satisfaction of being a new scuba diver.  The only bad things is snorkeling will not be accepted in the future as what one sees at 20 feet down far out shines floating on the surface.
We are in day 3 of our trip, one day traveling to Atlanta, one day traveling to Cozumel and one day in cozumel.  I have never experienced an "all inclusive" kind of things.  It boggles my mind that all the games, all the food, all the drinks and everything is in the price of the room.  I think we will take a half day tomorrow and swim with the dolphins--that should be fun. 
The weather is nice (85?) and the sun has been out all the time.  As Dave, Terry's son in law, remarked the vacation would be perfect if he did not have to do that darn ironman race on Sunday.  Of course for Terry and I we can just have fun, relax, eat and soak up the warm temps and sun.
Enough for now.  I am thinking of A/A leaving for MN tomorrow and for sure everyone will enjoy a delicious meal on Thursday--happy Thanksgiving.

Getting ready

The new picture is of John/Mary/Henry/Liam and Audrey.  I will change out pictures of the kids as the weeks go by.
Here is my sister Joan and husband Ron.  You see Ron talking and explaining as he gave Joan a beautiful diamond ring for the occasion.  At our Lee Family Reunion last July they celebrated their 50th.  Brother Dave and Marlys have 4 years to go.  Of us 6 kids they most likely will be the only 50s unless Helen and Mike live to be into their 90's and Terry and I live to be 114!!!!!!! 
Terry and I had a great time yesterday.  I played tennis at 7:30 in the 74 temps with very humid conditions.  My glasses kept fogging up because of the humidity.  I have been playing with a friend from Hudson WI who has come to love tennis this fall.  He has improved so much in the last 2 weeks it is fun to see.  We spent some time together Wednesday too.  I think the last time I smoked a cigar was perhaps a year and a half ago.  Well we met at the Tikki bar at the club and had a beer and a cigar.  I think it will be at least another year and half before I have another one!!  Anyway it was kind of a fun time.  I can not remember ever doing that kind of thing.  Even when I was teaching I would not stop at Plums on Friday for a beer with the rest of the staff.  I always was in a hurry to get home and to this day I would rather be home than sitting someplace visiting and having a beer.  I remember when I was 22 and got a job at Lake Ready Mix in Devils Lake for the summer.  I started on a Monday and on Friday the guys just assumed I would stop at the local tavern with them before going home.  I asked why?? and they said they did it each week.  Well I did stop and I just could not believe guys did that every week.  I remember I was the first to leave and they made fun of me for leaving so soon.  Saturday morning (we worked half days on Saturday) half of them did not show up for work because they had too much fun Friday.  That had a lasting impression on me as I just could not believe that guys did that kind of thing.  I know, it took me a while to really get to know the real world.
Back to yesterday.  Terry and I have tickets for a series of 6 book reviews and the first was yesterday.  It was something I had never experienced and it was fun.  Dr.Elaine Newton, who has a most impressive resume, talked for 90 minutes about the book, the author etc.  A different but really fun time.  My thoughts drifted at one time during the talk to the contrast of the day with a day maybe 54 years ago.  Back then I was in the middle of the Dakota prairie running around most of the time with no shoes, no shirt and using the lake for a bath tub and the wonderful three holer for other needs--today here I am sitting with khaki shorts, a knit shirt, slip on shoes and listening to a world famous professor explain how this book reflexes our culture of the day.  One person, two different worlds and they merge over the span of most of a life time--interesting.
In the afternoon we drove to an outlet mall to get a few things for the trip.  We spent most of the afternoon walking and watching people purchase things they most likely don't really need but they do because they can!  We did get a few things and for sure we NEEDED everything we purchased!!
I think we will spend much of today and tomorrow deciding, packing and just getting things ready for being gone for 2 weeks.  I am excited to experience Cancun and Cozumel as so many people I know have spent time there and I have never been there.  I remember how much fun was had in Hawaii snorkeling so hope we can do some of that.  I got myself a new hat and Travis send the sunglasses we forgot so I should be set. It is hard to believe that we will be gone for 2 weeks and when we return it will be December 3rd.
Ed Schwab called yesterday to make sure we knew about Anne Pinc's death.  I tried to explain how nice the weather is down here but he kind of cut me off--not really but I do hear it is getting chilly in MN.  I know that I always figured that anything in the garage that I did not want to freeze needed to be in the house by Thanksgiving.
We talked to Grandma Saunders last night.  We shared with her that we just ate the last of the tomatoes from the plants she gave Terry last spring.  I shared with her that we are now eating oranges from our tree just like she and grandpa had oranges from their tree in CA.  Of course grandma knows that CA oranges are the best and we know FL oranges are the best--kind of funny I would say.
Once again the french press is near the bottom of the cup and God is waking up the world with a bright sun which says time to get tome things done.

Put your left hip in

Here is Uncle Travis and Faustina on her birthday last May.  Tomorrow Travis will be that number 3 + 37.  He was born in Mercy Hospital in Devils Lake ND at about 6 AM.  As I was thinking about that day my first thought was wow Travis will be 40 and then I thought wait a minute when he was born I was 24.  That was a long time ago and oh my gosh how much has transpired in the last 40 years.  Life certainly has a way of zooming ahead and with it God's hand is in so so many changes in families, in individuals and maybe as much as anything inside of a person. 
I have been thinking much about the inner person lately.  Mainly thinking about myself and how I perceive myself, how others may see me and then who or what is the real me.  I have thought about how one gets married and works so hard at melding two into one, then when that marriage is ended how a person tries to be that one again.  Now for me I have entered into another marriage and am trying to be that one again but wait things are different now.  There actually is two different people trying to become a new "one" and how may that play out and what may that appear to be to other people.  An example would be the fact that I am not deer hunting this weekend.  I have hunted in the past and I have had such a great time with or without a deer.  Well here I am going on bike rides, swimming, playing tennis and enjoying temperatures in the 80's.  Have I changed, is there a new me, is it just a time in my life, does the new "one" that I am trying to become make it impossible to hunt deer, have I grown old and lazy.  WOW I have found that these questions are good ones to ponder.  I have also come to realize that a person really does not change their inner self at my age.  I struggle each day to become a better person, to become a better friend, to become a better husband, to become a better dad, to become a better grandpa but the core, the inner self is the same as when I was little.  One example is a book I am reading for a series of book forums Terry and I will take in.  The book is not a bad book but the content is, well I will not mention the book here because, more on the raw side than any book I have read.  I find myself really not liking the kind of content is often has.  It may be a very well thought of book in literacy circles but for me I say it is not my kind.  Why, I know it is my growing up.  For the most part it goes back to the ideas and the morals my mom impressed to me.  Now I want to say that much of what my mom believed was a bit on the edge because she had such a narrow life but for sure the morals and the beliefs she gave me have stayed with me and for that I am very very thankful. 
I want to say that with Travis' birthday tomorrow I have been thinking about him a lot.  Of course he has pretty much been on his own since he left for college and for sure I have no idea of many of the things he has done or things he has been part of but to me he is such a good person and I am so proud to say he is my son.  I have come to know that it is not possible to know the "inner person" of someone (perhaps not even self) else but I believe that Travis has an inner person that comes only from God.
I have begun to keep track of things that tell me what are signs that I am maturing!!!  Here are the ones I have come up with so far:

• When you go shopping at the mall you make sure you park so you can enter through the door closest to the restrooms.
• Each day you eagerly flip through the mail to see if your medicare card came.
• One of the first things you do in the morning is go to your phone or your calendar to see if today is the day you have that weekly meeting.
• When the paper comes you scan the headlines and then search for the obits.
• When you get a new phone you ask your kids or your grand kids to show you how to use it.
• When you walk on the beach on a hot sunny day you roll up the sleeves of your T shirt but leave the shirt on.
• You make reservations at the restaurant based on the menu for early bird specials.
• You  decide to forgo Christmas presents and give money instead because it is too hard to keep up with what grand kids want these days.
• You and your wife can sit at home and enjoy each other without saying a word.
• When it is easier to read the news in the paper the next day than stay up through the 10 o'clock news.
• When a walk to the corner store becomes a joy ride.
• When you sit on the front steps hoping someone will come by to talk to you.
• You decide to drive 5 more miles to the other gas station because you are sure you can save a penny a gallon.
• The freeways now seem to you like you would have imagined the autobahn(sp?) in Germany.
• When you get a coupon in an e-mail for "buy one get one free" and you print out half a dozen.

Now I have not experienced many of these but I think they may come with age!!
I will end today by saying that I am very thankful for my life today.  There have been many detours in my life over the last 8 years.  For sure there have been many happy times and many difficult times too.  Today, 11-13-2012 I am happy and thankful for my life and for what God has allowed me to enjoy at this time.  Is it totally full--no.  There are things I desire, things I miss, things I wish I could change but life is good.  Terry is such a wonderful person, I am perhaps healthier than I have been for a long time (my BP at the store this past week was 127/79 and my weight has stayed down a bit :):) and I am able to enjoy things I have never done in the past.     My life has gone in directions and ways I never imagined but it is good, it is exciting and I am so thankful.  Over the last two weeks in Naples the tennis, the bike rides, the walks and much more have been soothing, restful and wonderful.
 Thank you Lord.

A detour but a good one

Terry and I walked down to the dock yesterday at 9:25 excited to spend the next hour walking the beach.  As we arrived there was NOBODY there.  We finally realized that this early in the fall the shuttle does not run on Monday and Tuesday.  Well we needed to punt so we went home, put on biking clothes and biked to clam pass park which is on the beach.  I had not been there so it was a fun place to see.  From the parking lot it is a quarter mile to the beach and the bridge is entirely through a water way.  We took a ride there (they give people rides in large golf type of carts as many people bring their chairs, coolers and things) but  on the way back to the bikes we walked.  While there we had a light lunch as they have drinks and eats to buy.  By the time we arrived home it was 1:30 and we realized we had not planned to bike that far (18 miles).  I realize that is not too far but our ventures on the bikes lately have been few and far between so these old legs felt a bit tired. 
I have tennis this morning at 7:30 andTerry will play at 10:30,  My play has been limited the last few days and my legs actually feel like they are alive again.    I am hoping to get a call from the lumber place so I can go get my lumber that they are cutting for me.  Perhaps there will be time to stop at Costco on the way back.  Actually I am not that into Costco as it seems to be a place where you are encouraged to buy things you do not really need.  That goes for food as well as material things.  Well if you buy material things you don't need you can easily get rid of them but that food stuff, it tends to stay with you even when you want to get rid of it!!!!
No I think I am going to get my tennis shorts on and walk over to the courts.  I have played with this same guy three times now and he has been the first one there so I will try to be there first today.  Terry has a thing she wears on her wrist that helps her arm from getting sore.  I will try it today to see if  it makes a difference.   My elbow is a bit sore but I am kind of sure it is from all the work I am doing :)

Progress

Here is the gas pump that was on our farm.  Many many memories of it.  When mom would put a white towel on the south barn door I would be home shortly and stop the Ford tractor by the pump.  I would then see how close I could come to pumping the right amount of gas into the glass cylinder as I put gas in.  After I filled with gas I would hurry into the house where mom would have lunch ready.  You can also see the area beyond the pump which for some reason dad never did anything with.  I would lose my golf balls in the weeds but never worry because when I lost the last one I would roll a barrel over the weeds and presto each bump would turn up a ball!!  I am thinking the gas barrel is still underground even though the pump is not there any more and the entire area is now farm land.  I wonder if that affects the environment????
Progress is related to the seating area I will make in the kitchen.  I have decided that a table saw is just not in the cards for Naples.  I just do not need to duplicate my wood shop.  Because of space and also cost so I need to find ways to do things with less tools.  To start with I ordered lumber yesterday and am having it cut and planed to 1/2" for the facing of the plywood.  I will be able to cut the angles etc with a compound mitre saw that I do need to buy.  We will see how things turn out and it should be a challenge but fun too.
Terry and I are planning to take the boat shuttle to the beach this morning.  We have not gone there since we came down so it should be fun.  We will get off the shuttle, walk for 30 minutes along the beach, turn around and walk back in time to get the shuttle back.  As we walk I look down hoping to see a shark tooth but have not found one yet.  People find them but I have had no luck. 
The weather may be perfect this next week.  I saw this morning the temps for the coming week are 82,82, 83, 77, 81,82 and 82.  It almost sounds boring but really it is not.
I got in 90 minutes of tennis yesterday at 7:30 with a friend who is from Hudson WI and then in the afternoon Terry and I played for about an hour or more.  Also was able to get on the bike after tennis and rode to meet Terry as she finished a meeting.  When we got home I saw that the bag under the bike seat was open and the contents were gone.  Not too important but I do keep a $20 bill in there for emergency.  Back on the trail again and about a mile down the path there it was on the path--wow.  I also lost a wrench but told Terry I was not going to ride farther to look for that as she had a conference call at 10:30.  As we arrived home there the wrench was in the driveway!!  Lucky day I guess.
Terry finished the book that we are going to go to a lecture on so I started it yesterday.  It is good to get into reading a bit more as I have not done much for some time. 
No it is off to the beach soon so will go.

The weekend is here

As I walked out to get the paper this morning I thought of our September camp fires and felt it would be nice to have one in the driveway this morning!!  The temp is 59 which I believe is chill for here.
I survived my fourth straight day of tennis yesterday morning even if it was shorten by Terry's, my opponent, tweak of his hamstring so we quit before the 90 minutes. I could not move very well for the first couple of points as my body seemed to resist activity but after warming up I was able to get into it.  We always play doubles but yesterday was singles and it was kind of fun to rev up those old competitive juices to a level they have not been for a long time.  I have claimed for some time now that most of the "I want to win" is out of me and I get the most fun just playing for the fun of it.  I really do think that is true but yesterday the engine got going a bit and that was exciting.  I did win 5-3 and for sure that makes it more fun.
Yesterday I moved the kitchen table and chairs and taped the outline of a kitchen seating area on the floor.  I was able to find a place that has cabinet grade plywood for a decent price and they are more than happy to make some cuts for me.  There is just not a lot of wood stores in the area.  I do not think there is any store close to a Woodcraft or Rockler.  Anyway I plan to get the wood Monday and then I will have to decide what saw to purchase.  A difficult decision as I could use 2 or more but that would be crazy to have 2 here so I just have to decide what will serve me best.
I am not sure what Terry and I will do today.  However it should be a glorious weekend as we do get an extra hour of sleep tonight!!  This evening we will make like a paper route drive and pick up 3 other couples.  There is a restaurant gala thing in down town Naples so we will go to that.  It should be fun but am not sure of getting 8 adults in our van.  We do have 8 seat belts but at least 2 of the guys are well just let me say there is a lot of guy there so seating may be a challenge. 
Last night we watched "Lean on me" on TV.  I really do not think I have seen the movie before but have heard of it.  It stars Morgan Freeman who I really like and it is based on a true store of a high school in Philadelphia that is run down and he brings it back to life.  I am not much for sitting and watching but I sat through the whole thing. 
I decided to forgo my morning french press coffee this morning as Terry is still sleeping and the coffee grinder might wake her.  We have several packets of Viva, an instant Starbucks coffee, which is light years better than my mother's instant Folgers which always had foam on the top!!!  So go for it Carmen--another cup of Viva coming up.

Arrive-sit-take pictures-toast-leave

This time of the season in Naples is not the busy season as that comes after the holidays but still the numbers of people who come to see God's artistry at sunset are many.  This sunset, Tuesday, was not the greatest color show but still beautiful.
The new picture is the license on our car.  We have not been able to ride much lately but still the plates goes well with the car and is neat.
I have now played tennis twice and my calf is fine so far.  The rest of my body is not so great as two days of tennis after not playing for six months tells me the old body is not what it used to be but of course I could look in the mirror for that too!!  Terry and I had fun on the court yesterday as we played doubles with a couple.  We won and that is always a bit more fun too.  The play is doubles all the time so maybe 10% is "I would like to win" 40% is "this exercise is good" , 40% is "social" and the last 10% I can not decide.  Anyway we have another tennis time today at 10:30 and I will see how my body moves for the third straight day.  Terry is also playing with girl friends Friday.
We do not go out to eat much but both felt like it yesterday.  There is a place here that has lobster specials ($10.95) on Wednesday.  We arrived at about 6:00 and there was a 45 minute wait.  Thirty minutes later as we sat outside they came and wiped out the special---out of lobster!!  Well we turned in our beeper and drove a short ways to a place called steamers.  Wonderful seafood sandwich and chowder.   Actually I did not miss the lobster at all.  
The weather here has turned nice this week.  Most of the week it is supposed to be about 80 with full sun.  With time and good weather I am beginning to get into the "relax" mode and that is good.  We are signed up for a series of book reviews and I finished one of the books.  It is "The tigers wife" and very different and fun to read. 
We need to do some serious shopping today as the next door neighbors are coming over for dinner tonight.  I am thinking I may ask him (John) if he needs help in taking off the hurricane shutter of his house.  John had a hip replaced this summer and I am not sure if he can get up on the ladder.  They are from Ontario and spend the winter here.
Once again that French press coffee is at the bottom of my cup so time to get on with life today.

Happy birthday CYNTHIA

Thirty-one years ago Gail and I pulled into the parking lot to go to a People of Praise Saturday teaching.  As I stopped the car Gail said you had better keep going to the hospital.  We hit a red light near the hospital, her water broke, we pulled into the emergency entrance and I went to park the car.  I just barely got into the hospital in time to see Cynthia arrive.  I kind of wanted the name Heidi but Gail had worked with a little Cynthia Held at the School for the Deaf in Devils Lake and came to love her.  So the name Cynthia was it.  As one can see now, 31 years later, she is the model of a wife, a mother, a homemaker and much more( actually more to come in December).  Faustina wants to do everything her mother does, Jude wants to make his mommy laugh all the time and I know that Mike is proud to say he is her husband.  So happy birthday Cynthia and may this day of the year be the best day of the year for you and may God's blessings and peace be in your life forever.
Terry and I are going to play tennis for the first time this morning.  I have not played since I pulled a muscle (see I still have some) in my right calf last March.  I will warm it up and stretch before we start and we will see how it works.  Terry has played for several years now and is good, I played only a little last spring and if you were to see me play there just may be a bit of grin on your face as this 64 year old guy tries to start a new activity.  BUT it was fun and I am looking forward to playing this morning.
I was so excited before we left as I signed up for Medicare--I know I do not look old enough for it but :)))  I was happy that I could go into St Paul Schools and get all the paper work completed.  I was able to retire when I did because after working for St. Paul Schools for 30 years they will pay part of my health insurance forever.  So starting January 1 Medicare will kick in (hope it does not kick me in the leg) and my current health plan (Health Partners) will be the supplemental part.  Now lets hope I do not need to use it very much.
One last thing.  Twenty years ago I woke up at 3:30 and 5 hours later had delivered 200+ papers in twenty some inches of snow.  Most of the carriers that morning did not deliver but of course my motto was the paper most be delivered even if I have to be crazy to do it.
Time to look at the paper, finish that delicious french press coffee and then get ready for tennis.