The Racine Strep Carwash Blues

Until today, everything has gone to 'plan.'  (Actually we don't have a plan, other to be in Lennox, MA by the 15th and start heading home on the 22nd.)  We're staying in a beautiful county park north of Racine, and things have exceeded our expectations so far.

Cliff side County Park, Racine, WA

However, Kathy has not felt well for the last couple of days, but she rallied for a 1.5 hour driving shift yesterday and was excited to tour the famous home of H.C. Johnson designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  The tour featured a video by the two children (now in their 80s) who grew up there, which made it interesting.  Frank was a very flawed genius, and we learn more about his brilliance and peccadillos every time we tour one of his buildings.

Wingspread, by FL Wright

The expansive interior

The tour exhausted her.  Suspecting strep throat, we found an urgent care clinic, and yes, she does have strep. Fortunately, it's easily cured with four days of antibiotics.  It's great to be alive in the 21st Century!

While there, I spotted a car wash across the street and started drooling.  I couldn't wait to get pounds of grime and bugs cleaned off and the grit and crumbs vacuumed off the carpets.  It was so nice!

Then, at the vacuum station, I couldn't find my wallet.  I searched high and low--I even found some ancient Cliff Bars under the seat.   The manager and I searched the bowels of the car wash with a flashlight, but no luck.  She later viewed the surveillance videos and saw that it fell off my lap and out the door as I inserted my credit card into the pay station.  She called in a maintenance crew and they couldn't find it directly below the pay station either.  They figured it bounced off a rail and ricocheted into the pool below which starts six inches deep and descends to an eight-foot depth!

So, if it rains heavily in days ahead--when business is slow--they will pump out the liquids until they find it and mail it to me.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast looks pretty sunny.  But all wasn't lost.  I got to meet a very nice woman who took it upon herself to try to solve my inconvenient problem.We drove through some historic neighborhoods, and  I got in a nice 15 mile bike ride in along a dirt path, which was smoother than most of Racines bone jarring streets.

Tomorrow morning, we'll tour the SC Johnson Wax building also designed by Wright. I may post my own photos later.  Interestingly, Frank Lloyd Wright submitted a scaled down version of these plans for the Oregon Statesman (now the Statesman-Journal in Salem).  He was turned down because of his reputation for vastly exceeding budgets.  He recycled the plans and won the bid for Johnson Wax, now SC Johnson, makers of Drano, Saran Wrap, Off, Glade, Pledge, and much more.

Then we'll head off toward Chicago and beyond-- with one good credit card in a nice clean VW, pulling a very dirty Airstream, with a much healthier Kathy as our navigator. If I don't get pulled over by a cop or try to buy booze, I should be fine.  (I got carded at the grocery store yesterday!)   

The Green Black Hills and the Good Badlands

It's one thing to fly across the country in four or five hours to appreciate its vastness.   Driving takes it to a whole new level.  So far, we've covered only 2,015 miles from Salem to Rochester, MN, and we are in awe, especially today, Independence Day.  One of the songs on our play list as we crossed into the verdant prairie of Minnesota was the Boston Pops' rendition of "American the Beautiful."  So appropriate, beautiful, and emotional.  It should be our national anthem.  

Devils Tower Ntl Monument

After our first night in Umatilla with friends, we traced part of the Lewis & Clark trail over the Lolo Pass, MT, where we camped.  It took nearly two days to get across Montana and NE Wyoming, but it was beautiful every inch of the way.  

We must return and spend more time there!  South Dakata, especially the western part, was a delightful surprise.  We were expecting sagebrush, sand, and desolation.  Instead, we were wowed by lush greenery, majestic scenery, and unbelievably friendly people.  

In the Wind Cave NP & Custer Area

We spent four nights in a rustic and beautiful campground in the 73,000 acre Custer State Park, and it wasn't enough. One or two weeks would have been more appropriate.  We rode part of the George S. Mikelson rail-to-trail,  We saw Crazy 

       

 saw the Cazy Horse Monument (from a distance on the trail), saw lots of bison, 

toured one of the longest and unusual caves in the world at Wind Cave National Park, 

Inside Wind Cave

Cave formations in the rock before the cave was formed

saw Mt. Rushmore, drove the Needles Highway and hiked in the granite cathedral-like spires.

                                 

The Needle

One of the tunnels on the Needles Highway

Heading East past Rapid City and the kitchey Wall Drug, the stunning Badlands arose from the desolate prairie.  They weren't the Badlands, they were the Greatlands!

The Minuteman National Monument and interpretive center was right afterward.  Built on the site of a former nuclear missile silo, it reminded us of what it was like growing up in the Cold War and how much danger we still face in a highly-armed world.  

As the SD license plate tagline says, "Great faces, Good places."  We couldn't agree more!  Plus the people, roads, and rest stops are good, too.

After a long day, we found one site in a crowded RV park near the Missouri river and a Lewis & Clark campsite.  We were treated to a parade of decorated golf carts and ATVs from the residents who spend their entire summer there.  All in all a good day, and a nice trip so far.

Tanglewood, Here We Come!

After 39 years plus one day of marriage, we're finally embarking on a cross-country road trip on Sunday.  The Airstream is loaded, and newly outfitted so that we can each work remotely every few days.

Our first stop today is an easy trip to Hermistan, where we'll spend the evening with friends.  Our ultimate destination is Stockbridge, in the Berkshire hills of western MA and the home the Tanglewood festival.

The ultimate tail gate party, but without pick up trucks,
 generators,  & barbecue grills

The Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops, and various guests artists perform there all summer long.  We spent a long weekend there last summer and absolutely loved it. Skyler's boyfriend, Spencer, sings in the chorus so we get lots of free tickets.  This time we'll spend a whole week.  Shanti and her boyfriend, Alan, are flying in from London to join Skyler, Spencer and us.

Getting there will be something else.  It's 3,025 each way. We did the math and realized it was 10 days of straight driving if we drove 300 miles/6 hours per day.  That's when we decided to make it a five-six week trip so that we can stop along the way.  High on our list is visiting Hyde Park on the Hudson, and cycling parts of the Erie Canal, the Hudson River Valley, and the George Mickelson Trail in South Dakota.

Crazy Horse monument from George Mikelson Rail to Trail

Portion of the Erie Canal in Ohio

We'll post a few updates along the way.  Best wishes for a great summer!

Two Mid-Life Rights of Passage

Our seasonal doorman

At the Rotary Auction

Getting older is a mid-life right of passage. We are constantly being reminded of that in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.  First it’s the aches and pains, reading glasses, ‘senior moments’ and many of the other aging symptoms noted in Atul Gawande's best seller,  Being Mortal.   However, few things confirm the fact that you are getting older than two cards in the mail.

First it’s the AARP card at age 50.  “Me?  They must have made a mistake.  I’m not even retired yet.” Oh well, I reason, “I still feel 10 years younger than my chronological age.” 

But nothing is more unmistakable and definitive than getting a Medicare card.  “Holy Medicare, Batman—I really am getting older!”  Hopefully I won’t need to take advantage of it for a long time.  I can also take some consolation that Medicare, now 50, is also eligible for an AARP card.

Controlled chaos (Before)

So that’s the main mid-life adventure for this blog post.  In other news, my transition to working from home has gone much better than we expected.  However, it was quite a chaotic process to move and get settled in.  I actually get more done than before, and I stop by the office (3 blocks away) almost daily for meetings, mail, etc.   Kathy’s conference calls are often when I’m gone.  When we're both here we enjoy working away at our computers together, often with classical music and the comforting sounds of each other's keyboard clicks in the background. 

Our "cubicles"  (After)

Kathy’s technology projects for the local and national Assistance League are making steady progress, but probably not fast enough for her.  Even though the new website is launched, she spends unbelievable hours on follow-up details, questions from members, and tweaking the site. 

I received my first court order as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for two teen siblings placed in foster care just before Christmas because of mom/boyfriend meth issues.   So far, after two court hearings and a lot of time and emotional involvement, I like it, and everything up to now in my life has prepared me for it.  The teens are so resilient and outwardly normal considering their difficult past.  

DNA kits

In our last blog we reported that we got DNA kits to explore our ancestry.  The results are finally in and we’re WASs (White Anglo-Saxons).  I’m 98.6% European with a hint of East Asian and Native American; Kathy is 99.7% European, with a dash of North African.  I’m more French, German and East European; she’s more British and Irish.  Contrary to stories of Kathy's orphan father, she has no native American DNA.  Neither of us, fortunately, are carriers of identified genetic diseases.

Feeling my age on New Years Day

Sub-zero  Mt. Bachelor 

So what else has been keeping us busy? Plenty! As you can see by the photos, 

Doris Ellis 91 Years young!

Community reception for Brenna and Katherine

2011 Rotary India GSE reunion

Linda, my Pilates coach, and Josh my
performance trainer keep me moving

Nick keeps Kathy moving

I love Turkish Get-Ups!

Fondue with our mentee, Nati Zavala

A dyslexic birthday.  It's great to be 56!

4" snow, 10 runs and
the senior discount!

So even as the aging process marches relentlessly on, life continues to be good.  Looking back to my 60th birthday in India, we can honestly say it's been the best five years of our lives.  Here's to the next five years!

A surprise birthday dinner with best friends

Home for the Holidays

Thanksgiving weekend at Yachats

Happy Holidays!  No, we haven’t died or gone off the grid.  We’ve been busy and didn’t have much to share in photos or words.  So that’s why we haven’t posted anything in over two months.  It’s been pedal to the metal since we got home in early October, and it feels good. 

Kathy is still working (in her words) too many hours a day to hold the website developers’ feet to the fire get the new national Assistance League website functional.  But at least it is launched and almost merged with their donor management system. I think it’s cool! Click here to see it.  We’re both so glad we stayed home this Christmas, as any trip would have been very stressful without good bandwidth and the time to enjoy a warm sunny place.  

The Share "Shark" Tank 

My favorite shark

Kathy was one of five "sharks," (including the retired justice of the Oregon Supreme Court) on the Swim with the Sharks Share Tank to raise money for area non profits.  She was a nice & generous shark, but with good questions, and she drew some applause here and there  You can  see her in action here. 

Brenna Baucum CFP, newly minted CFP

Yes, I’m still ‘working,’ at the Salem office of The H Group, Inc., but it doesn’t seem like work to me.  When the weather is bad, I’d just as soon be productive among fun co-workers and clients.  I’ll be there for three more years part-time, maybe more at my option.  Brenna Baucum, who joined us 2013, makes it possible for me to do this.  She just earned her CFP certification, and we're really proud of her.  

We hired another advisor, and there is no room for me at the office until one of our other associates retires next year at this time, so I'll be working from home, right next to Kathy (and not too many steps from the refrigerator). Not bad, huh?   Well, we'll see.  We married each other for better or worse, but not for lunch every day.

Capital Manor towers

Meanwhile, other opportunities are finding things for me to do.  I was invited onto the board of Capital Manor, a 400+ resident continuing care retirement community, complete with a 10-story building, numerous villas, a memory care unit, and more complexity than I could have possibly imagined.  It’s fascinating learning opportunity, and perhaps a glimpse into our future years from now.

I'm official!

The newly-sworn in CASAs

Most of all, I’m excited to have finally completed my training and been sworn in as a CASA (court appointed special advocate) for abused and neglected children.  I should have the 200-page file on my first case in a few days. I am so pumped, and I hope this enthusiasm can carry me through the frustrations and emotions I will surely encounter.  

At a Christmas ships party

Wine tasting in late October

In between all of this, we’re trying to stay in shape and have managed to squeeze in a couple of camping trips and lots of cultural events and social gatherings.  

DNA kits

Kathy’s almost 91-year-old mother is spending Christmas with us.  She’s doing relatively well, all things considered. We got each other DNA kits as gifts, not for paternity or forensics, but for ancestry and health curiosity.  

Our Christmas Doorman

The girls won’t be here, but expecting them to travel from London, Boston, and New York at this time of year is a bit much.  They’re all happy, gainfully employed--with benefits--and have serious boyfriends.  In fact, we just learned today that Feruza, our Uzbek high school exchange daughter living in New York just got engaged today. Maybe we'll be going to Tashkent this summer!

Feruza & Ali

We’re going to Bend over New Years weekend, and I’m hoping to snowboard—my aching back and weather conditions permitting (I no longer do ice, crowds, really deep powder, and poor visibility on the slopes). 

While things aren’t going well for others here and abroad, we continue to be unbelievably  blessed with good health, family, friends, travels, abundance, and each other.  We hope all of you are similarly blessed.  Best wishes to for 2016!