Teddy Roosevelt

I have long admired Theodore Roosevelt.  (I highly recommend Edmund Morris' trilogy The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex, and Colonel Roosevelt.)  So when I had a chance to visit Long Island on a business trip, I made it a point to visit his home on Sagamore Hill.

I visited on a Sunday in April 2012, and at the time, there were sequestered cutbacks so the house was closed.  Mildly disappointed, I wandered the grounds virtually alone.

As I walked around the house, I climbed on the porch to look in the windows.  I was enjoying the nice spring day and noticed the rocking chairs.  As I saw them rock, I could picture Teddy and Edith sitting on the porch in their old age watching the Roosevelt clan climbing down the hill to the bay.  It was almost as if their spirits were reaching out to wish me peace.

The feelings that I had that day reinforced my belief that the National Parks and Historic Sites are a treasure and that they can give us a bridge back to a time a hundred years ago.

To My Valentine - Sunset

Last year, Valentine's weekend synced up with President's Day so Gail had a couple of days off.  We decided to go someplace warm, and visit a few National Parks, so we flew into Albuquerque and spent a long weekend.

We arrived mid-afternoon and hadn't planned much for that day.  On the way to the hotel, we noticed an advertisement for the Sandia Peak tramway.  Having nothing else planned, we decided to spend Valentine's Eve watching the sunset from the top of the Sandia Mountains.

What we really didn't know is that at the top of the tramway is a ski area, which still had snow.  We only brought light jackets because we really didn't expect to see much snow this trip.  So, cold and shivering, we wandered around the top of the mountain until the sunset.  We had a much better weather than in Hawaii and got some really bad quality photos with our iPhones.

Warm or cold, I will go just about anywhere to be with my lovely bride.

To My Valentine - Sunrise

In 2003, I rescued the love of my life from raising the kids and escaped to Hawaii for a week.  I planned it so that we would be on Maui on Valentine's Day.

One of the "bucket list" items people talk about is sunrise over Haleakala, the dormant volcano on Maui.  We figured going on Valentine's Day would make it even more special.

Sunrise in February is about 7am, and the road to the top is about a 90 minute drive.  It's so popular now that they are taking reservations.  We woke up at about 4am to start the drive up the steep, windy road in the dark.  We were not alone, there were many others making the trek as well.  We were all hoping that we could get above the weather and see the sun above the clouds. 

By the time we got to the top, it was cold (over 10,000 feet from sea level), and raining.  We put on our rain gear and took a picture to the east at sunrise.  (Notice the little orange stripe through the raindrops on the lens.)  We also noticed a group of bicyclists strapping on rain gear and getting ready for the ride down the mountain.  (Apparently, that's a thing too!)

On the way down, we stopped and grabbed a bite for breakfast and headed back to the resort for a morning nap.

Among my favorite things in life are the days I get to spend with my lovely wife.  We have spent many Valentine's Days together.  Some with flowers and cards, others on trips, still others with the family.  Looking forward to the Heart-shaped Pizza for supper.

I Love You, Gail. 

Happy Birthday

Today is my oldest daughter Maria's 30th birthday.   After her daughter was born, we were going through a box that said "Maria's Mementos" and came across many things.  There were cards from baby showers, letters and cards after her birth, her first shoes, and these from the hospital.

The hospital where she was born no longer exists, we've long since sold the house where we took her home and virtually everything else from that time has been trashed, given away or recycled.  

But we still had the card and the wristbands from that day, one of the best days of my life (and there have been many). 

Requim for a Tree

Earlier this week, a storm in Northern California blew down a tree in Calaveras Big Trees State Park.  (Drive-Through Tree Felled by Winter Storm)  In 2009, we took a vacation to the Sierra Nevada's and happened to stay at Angel's Camp. 

One of the days, we visited Calaveras Big Trees State Park, and found the famous Drive-Through Tree.  Although you could not drive through the tree anymore, just standing inside the tree was pretty impressive. 

Although cutting a hole through the tree probably hastened it's demise, I don't judge those who did it.  Death is just another part of the cycle of life.  The remains of the tree will decompose and become nutrients to the next generation of Sequoias.  

Gifts from Travels.

In some families, it is a tradition to buy gifts for those left at home when on business trips, particularly children.  I know that when my father would travel away on conferences, he would bring small gifts back from places he visited.

I recall when I was young, my father brought this sign back from New Orleans.  I don't believe I was a big fan of pirates at the time, but I thought it was cool and had it in my room while I was growing up. 

A few years ago, I stumbled across this gift again.  Coincidentally, the owner of the company I currently work for was into pirates, so I brought it in and put it on his office door.  He has since passed away, but Pirate Alley is still used to test products he was involved with. 

I don't think my father would mind. 

Back to School

Long ago, I left home for college.  It was 700+ miles away, and I had a car, so my Mom and I got in the car and started driving.  We drove for awhile and stopped the night at a motel somewhere along the way.  I do remember that instead of going with me all the way to Blacksburg, she flew back to Milwaukee from Charleston, WV, about 100 miles short. 

I made the remaining portion of the trip without incident, and at some point during my freshman year, my family visited to see how I was doing.  And as part of that visit, my mother bought me the laundry bag that you see on the left.   If you look very closely, you can see the remnants of Virginia Tech on the bag.  Apparently mothers can look at their son's dorm rooms and quickly identify something they need. 

The drawstring doesn't work very well anymore, but the bag is still sturdy and still holding dirty laundry upon occasion, mostly when we are traveling.