Mt. St. Helens Climb

(View of Mt. St. Helens from our camp)

Yesterday a group of us climbed Mt. St. Helens. This was my fourth time, the first being a glorious experience about a decade ago, with perfect weather. Each time, being exhausted at the finish, I assure myself that I won't do it again. But, time has a way of softening the hardship and bringing the exhiliration and accomplishment into the foreground.

Bridget and Jeremy are visiting and they wanted to do the climb, so we got a group of 13 together, including family and friends. We drove up the night before and camped at Climber's Bivouac. We sat around the campfire telling stories and keeping warm. Some were up and on the trail at 5:30AM, and others (including me) at 7:45.

The wind was blowing a bit at the camp, so that was a concern for the mountain. As usual, it was a pleasant start, with two miles of gentle climbing through a forest. Then we emerged at timberline and started climbing through and over a long stretch of boulder fields.

Towards the top of the boulder field we could see our destination, the crater rim.

It got very windy at this section of the climb, and it appeared iffy whether we could finish. But once we got up on the final stretch it subsided a bit.

The views at the top are amazing, with Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and other volcanic peaks all over the horizons.

This is looking to the north into the crater, with Spirit Lake and Mt. Rainier.

The descent is always agonizing, and goes on forever. The footing is treacherous for much of it, due to loose sand/gravel. I actually prefer the climbing part. What a welcome sight the forest trail is emerging from the final boulder section.

Now, I have completed my last Mt. St. Helens climb. And it was another marvelous experience, especially to climb with Suzanne, Bridget, Jeremy, Emily, and others.

Altima -- R.I.P.

Sorry about all the car and travel posts lately. When Steven went away to college early this summer I took over the '94 Nissan Altima, cleaning it all up and buying new tires for it. It was looking so sharp and I was definitely feeling pride of ownership.


I composed a blog post previously about the Altima:

http://acraigwalker.blogspot.com/2009/11/driving-stick.html

Well, yesterday Steven was driving the Altima and it overheated on him. Last night I replenished all its fluids and after it cooled down I nursed it over to the auto repair shop. Today they took a look at it and the preliminary diagnosis is a blown gasket or cracked cylinder, so $1000 best case to fix it, with $1500 or so more likely.

I have been agonizing over whether to invest more in the car. It has served us so well and so economically the past 2.5 years. Emotionally I want to fix it, but rationally it doesn't make sense, as we really don't need the car anymore.

We'll take another day or two to decide, but it is almost like losing a member of the family.

Update: Indeed we decided to scrap the car. I was pleased to get $280 for it from a salvage yard. I swapped the original steel wheels and winter tires back onto it so I can sell the nicer alloy wheels and almost new tires on craigslist. Still sad to see it go.

Swagger Wagon

Our trusty Toyota Sienna minivan carted us all over Utah and did a swell job of it.



Nice having all that room in the back.

This picture actually inspired this post, as it kind of looks like a shot you might see in the product brochure. (Near the Colorado River crossing.)

And for those men who feel emasculated owning a minivan, here's a hip video about the Sienna "Swagger Wagon". You can feel proud.

Utah Road Trip -- Part 4

Our campsite in Bryce Canyon was the most primitive on our trip. No internet, no showers, no grass. But it was very convenient, and we were glad to have it. And we loved the refreshing cool temperatures at 7000 ft. elevation or more.

I remember how much I liked Bryce Canyon from our brief family visit there in 1993. So I was looking forward to this stop. The hiking brochure from the visitor center recommended the most scenic three mile hike in the world (Queen's Garden and Wall Street loop), so off we went. At the overlook to start the hike we were greeted with these other wordly views.

And we got the obligatory photo of us. Are we enjoying our vacation or what!

I wish we had more time to hike more trails, but we were anxious to get back on the road to Provo and home. We'll definitely make another trip to Bryce Canyon.

We drove up through Provo, taking Steven out for an early dinner and bidding farewell once again. We spent the night at a campground in Snowville, UT. The following morning I hit some complimentary golf balls on their driving range.

We encountered so much green landscape all along our trip. Areas that are normally rather brown and arid were pleasantly green. I think all that spring rain made a difference.

We arrived home around 6:30PM Wednesday, June 23, and it was back to the grindstone. But what marvelous memories!

Utah Road Trip, Part 3

We departed Hanksville and drove 40-some miles to Capitol Reef National Park. The scenery was fantastic once again, though perhaps a step down from the previous two days. We decided on a hike up to Cassidy Arch, and started up a fairly steep canyon wall.



We got a good view of what we thought must be the arch.



But somehow we hiked on and on, well past the 0.5 miles a previous sign indicated. We did enter a scenic valley on the other side before turning around.

We encountered another couple hiking up on our way back, and warned them it must be the wrong trail, so we weren't the only ones who went astray. We studied the sign and the fork in the trail on our way back. You can see a trail on each side of the sign, and we took the left trail. However, the correct trail was actually behind my left shoulder. (We gave feedback to the park ranger later that they should improve the signage.) So I figure we got a bonus two miles added to our hike of around five miles.

We hiked over some interesting rocks out to the arch. In fact, it reminded me a lot of some of the Yosemite domes we hiked on. It was a bit windy and precarious looking down into the arch. I walked out on the top of the arch for this picture--it wasn't as scarey as it might appear.

We did another short hike out to some ancient petroglyphs and some pioneer autographs. Then we headed south on highway 12 towards Escalante and Bryce Canyon. I had heard this highway was spectacular, and it was indeed. It was only completed within the last few decades and traverses some seemingly impossible terrain. At one point I felt like we were driving on one of those canyon blades. There was a steep drop off on either side of the road. We also reached pretty high elevations (9,000 feet plus or minus), and the air temperature was in the 60's (so refreshing!).

In Escalante we ate a steak dinner at the only restaurant in town, and got some groceries at the only store, then headed on into Bryce Canyon National Park, and were fortunate to snag the 2nd to last campsite in the park just before dark.

Next up, Bryce Canyon!

Utah Road Trip, Part 2

Here is a picture looking out the "front yard" of our campsite near Moab.



We headed south from Moab towards the southern entrance of Canyonlands National Park. I was thinking Canyonlands would be a step down from Arches, but the scenery began its buildup soon after entering the park.


We then got recommendations at the visitor's center for hikes and chose one from Elephant Hill Trailhead, which we reached after driving a while on a gravel road. The hike was through varied terrain in the Needles area, and about 4 or 5 miles in length. Temperature was about 80 with a little wind, so very pleasant. In fact, the combination of outstanding scenery and interesting trail made me think this hike was about as good as it gets. It inspired a blog post I will write soon on my top ten hikes (this one makes the list, and ranks right up with Yosemite hikes).

Here is a photo of a very narrow canyon we hiked through.


More photos of needles and canyons.








We continued on driving through Monticello (pleasant, high altitude town in a green setting) and Blanding before turning east and driving through Natural Bridges National Monument. I have to say the outstanding scenery was unrelenting the entire drive today. Even outside the parks on the normal highway the views and colors were interesting and remarkable.

This picture is after crossing the Colorado River/Lake Powell at the end of the day.


We drove on to Hanksville to get some elevation and cooler temperatures for our camp (it was 90's near Lake Powell), arriving before dark around 8:00 or 8:30. We quickly set up our tent, checked the internet, read for a while, and then early to bed.

Next stop Capitol Reef National Park, some hiking trail misadventures, and scenic Highway 12.

Utah Road Trip

For many years now I have been looking forward to a vacation to scenic southern Utah. Last week we dropped Steven off at BYU, then Suzanne and I headed southeast from Provo, through Price and Green River, to Arches National Park. We arrived late afternoon but still had time to drive the length of the park (stopping at scenic points a few times), and do a couple of hikes to view various arches and scenic formations. The first hike was about four miles, and the second only a couple of miles, which we finished at sunset. The scenery was so dramatic and otherworldly I felt like we were in a cartoon! Here are just a few pictures.

We had a tent and sleeping bags, so just stayed in campgrounds each night, with the first one a few miles outside Moab.

Next stop, Canyonlands National Park!

bike crash

Well, I have been very fortunate to have logged tens of thousands of miles riding my bicycle, and never had a real accident. Until last Saturday.

The weather was perfect. No wind, cool temperatures, and sunny. So I joined a group of fellow cyclists to ride the Pioneer Century--100 miles through the scenic and historic Willamette Valley. I have done this ride in years past, but not for the several recent years.

Three of us were clipping along at a good pace on an open, low traffic road at about mile 35. I was second in the line and without warning the rider in front of me braked and swerved to avoid a dog that ran out at us. I did the same, wildly trying to avoid crashing into the dog or rider, and just about made it through okay when the rider behind crashed into me. We both went down on the pavement and gravel.

I ended up with some scrapes on my knee and a chest injury, which I thought might be cracked ribs (it hurt to breath deeply). And my rear wheel was wobbly. The other rider also had scrapes and a ruined front wheel. We had to call a sag wagon to pick up the other rider, but I was able to open my rear brakes enough to continue riding. At the next rest stop a mechanic was able to true my wheel somewhat and the bike rode fine.

At 55 miles I was back at the start/finish and could have gone home, but, since I had paid my money and the day was beautiful, I continued on the 45 mile second loop and completed the full century.

Interestingly, about mile 80 a bee flew into my helmet and sunglasses and started stinging me multiple times. I stopped quickly and flung it out. Man, that hurt like the dickens. But there was nothing to do but keep riding, and the pain subsided after a few minutes. That's another thing I don't recall ever happening to me on a bike ride.

Coincidentally, I had my annual physical exam scheduled for today, so the doctor checked out my chest (which is already much improved from Saturday) and diagnosed just some strained muscles.

So, with the double misfortunes was the ride worth it? Of course! And what memories it created! And a feeling of accomplishment!

Opera Music

It was almost 30 years ago (just before Bridget was born) when I “discovered” opera.

I had always liked classical music, even in high school, but never listened to opera. It must have been 1981 when I got a sampler album from Maxell (makers of cassette tapes), with various musical selections on it, and one was the closing movement from Verdi’s Requiem. I liked it so much that I wanted to find more music like that, so I checked out some Verdi opera music from the library and liked it. I watched Puccini’s “Tosca” on Boise’s public TV station about this time, and really enjoyed it (it may be my favorite opera to this day). So I graduated from Verdi to Puccini. I liked the Pilgrim’s Chorus from a Mormon Tabernacle Choir tape, so I picked up some Wagner opera music as well. These were my three main composers, as well as some Mozart. I belonged to a classical record club so I added some opera LPs to my collection.

Over the years I’m sure the girls remember going to productions of the Portland Opera downtown. But in recent years I haven’t listened to opera much.

A few weeks ago Steven showed us some music on youtube (“Saul”) that their choir was performing, and it reminded me of Verdi’s Requiem. So I dusted off my old LP and listened to it a bunch. That started the ball rolling again so I have been listening to many of my old LPs and have begun the process of transferring my collection to mp3. Ah, such glorious music!

Here is a link to the beginning of Verdi’s stirring and powerful Requiem.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVjDP0vlem4

and the conclusion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLn2pA5b1lM

Here is the exquisite finale from Wagner’s “Parsifal”. The goosebumps start kicking in at around 1:55 to 2:55.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPn3JV3GHRE

Puccini composed so much beautiful music how do I pick one sample? But here is the heart wrenching finale of La Boheme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WotXAD9iDI

Enjoy!

More spring

It is a typical spring in the Pacific Northwest. A couple of days of marvelous warm sunny weather, followed by several days of unsettled cool weather. I was riding my bike in shorts and shirtsleeves the other day, luxuriating in the novelty. And then it turned back to winter-like weather. Stormy, windy, cold.

Here is the view today looking west outside my window at work. I take note of the snow on the Coast Range peaks. Granted, it wasn't cold enough to snow down here, but this is an indication of the colder, wet weather we've had the past few days.

My memories of spring weather go back to T-ball games with our smaller children, then high school track meets and tennis matches. I remember watching these one day in warm sunshine, and another in the most unpleasant cold and wind.

Ah, but I love spring. The ever increasing daylight hours and prospects of nice weather (not to be reliably realized until July). The newness of life all around. The blossoms, the many shades of green. And soon the annual planting of flowers in our front yard.

Spring arrives early

We had a couple of very cold weeks in early December, and one day of snow later in December (when we were out of town). In January it never got below 35 degrees all month, and of course no snow or ice. Now here it is mid-February and the trees are already in blossom! I'm sure we are two or three weeks ahead of schedule for Spring.

Amazingly I've continued riding my bike to work every day but two or three since late November. Though it has been wet several rides it has been very tolerable.

I love our winters. Not warm like Tucson or Riverside, and not cold like Ithaca or Idaho. Just right. And I really love the increasing daylight each day as Spring descends on us.

Exotic vacations

I don't want this post to come across as boastful, but I'll take the risk.

I was reflecting on the many marvelous vacations and trips I and we have been blessed to take. I made a list and then attempted to pare it down to the top ten. Here they are, in chronological order.


1976 – England, Ireland, Germany, France, Austria, more: Suzanne and I were poor college students, and Suzanne was six to eight months pregnant during this two month vacation. We had a home base with my brother, Barry, for several weeks in Germany where he was stationed in the Air Force.

1990 – Ireland: I tacked this on the end of a business trip to England, and Suzanne and I spent several days in the western part of the country.

1990 – Family vacation back east: My first sabbatical from Sequent, and I think this was three weeks duration. We rented a van and drove from Vermont to South Carolina, with four kids in tow.

1996 – Alaska vacation: 2nd Sequent sabbatical, about three weeks. We started in Anchorage in a rented RV to drive the interior, then sailed the inside passage on Alaska ferries. So memorable for the adventure and exotic nature, but also for how good the four kids were.

1997 – Hawaii: An employee reward trip for Suzanne and me, compliments of Sequent, five days. Oh, to be so pampered on Maui.

1997 – Slovakia and Austria: Suzanne and I went to Europe to pick up Blair after his mission. Not all that long after the iron curtain dropped, and Slovakia still had a communist feel. Adventure and memories—at the time I thought it was the best thing ever.

1998 – Trip back east with the family and my mom. Flew to Kansas City (exciting thunder storm!), drove east through Nauvoo, Kirtland, Palmyra, Gettysburg, DC, Williamsburg, Jamestown, and more.

2002 – Russia, Czech Republic, Berlin, Poland, Slovakia: 3rd Sequent sabbatical. Wow! So exotic to visit Bridget and Jeremy in Moscow, and travel with them. Visited Teresa in Germany.

2005 – Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon: Exotic and adventure step up a notch! Suzanne and Steven went a couple of weeks ahead of me, then I joined them for a couple of weeks. Bridget and Jeremy provided home base and tour guide services from their Damascus base.

2007 – Jordan, Israel, and (for me) Germany: I joined Suzanne and Steven for a week or so in Amman (courtesy of B&J again), then returned through Germany for a few days to pick up a new BMW and drive the Autobahn.

2008 – Montana road trip; Suzanne and I took off in the BMW for a road trip through Idaho (hello, Teresa!) and Montana. Great scenery and a trip down memory lane for me.


Okay, so that makes 11, if you are counting. And I didn't include the Mexico cruise, since that got its own post. What incredible experiences and memories these trips have given us! I really do count my blessings.

Atlas Shrugged

While searching for books to read I came across a list showing Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand, to be the most read (or 2nd most read) book behind the Bible. I also checked some reviews on Amazon and many commented it was the most influential book they have read. So I checked out the mp3 version.

It was a huge investment in time. It is a very lengthy book, over 1000 pages or over 50 hours listening. While presented in the form of a novel, it is really a presentation of Ayn Rand's philosophy, called objectivism. I'm not a big fan of philosophy, so I was hoping the story would carry the book, but it really doesn't. A few times during the reading I considered bailing, but since I had already invested so much time I wanted to finish it.

Rand presents her arguments in such black and white terms, often oversimplifying the antagonist argument. For example, I didn't care for her arguments against religion and belief in God, as she presented a stereotype of a simple minded believer. I also didn't care for her depiction (or lack of) of marriage and family. There were no children present anywhere in her world of 1950-ish USA. Her philosophy doesn't seem to accommodate love, compassion, altruism, service, or selflessness. Who would care for the sick, elderly, or handicapped? Her idea of sexual intimacy is pretty crass. All the characters are smokers (an artifact of when the book was written, I'm sure).

One reason the book is so long is that characters drone on and on in monologues spouting philosophical beliefs. It seems to me they keep stating and restating and restating the same ideas. Okay, Ms. Rand I get it already. At one point in the story a protagonist usurps a national radio broadcast and drones on for a three hour speech (or 60 pages in the book). What average person would listen to a three hour espousing of philosophical beliefs on the radio?

There is much of the philosophy I do agree with, though. Free markets, capitalism, less government interference, limiting "moochers" and "looters" from government dependence and manipulation.

Anyway, Atlas Shrugged wouldn't make my top ten list. I'm glad I read it, since it is such an influential book. You don't have to agree totally with a philosophy to benefit from learning about it. Would I recommend it to others? Conditionally, especially if you have time and patience, and enjoy philosophy and political science.

Cruise Adventure

Suzanne and I returned last week from a four-day cruise (Long Beach, CA, to Cabo, Mexico). We had never been on a cruise before (assuming you don't count riding the ferries around Alaska), so this was a real adventure and treat for us. It all came about when my mother and my siblings latched onto a really good deal, then we decided to all go along as sort of a family reunion. Four spouses joined my mom and her six kids, so there were eleven of us.

We were looking forward to an exotic few days in warmth and sunshine, but it didn't quite work out that way. A huge winter storm hit southern California, dumping record rains and wind. Carnival (the cruise line) decided to change the itinerary to Cabo so we would go further south to get better weather. That part worked out great, as Cabo was sunny and 70's. We all hopped into a van in Cabo and got an interesting tour of the area, plus a water taxi ride out to the arches.

The long trip out and back in the ship (about 40 hours each way) encountered stormy and unsettled seas, so there was a lot of movement. Suzanne got a little seasick one day, but everyone was taking medication to combat that. Everyone experienced what some call "cruise head" for a couple of days after getting home, where you continue to experience swaying and slight dizziness even though back on solid earth. I found that more amusing than troublesome.

We also didn't spend as much time out on the deck as we had planned, even though we brought clothes for some cold and wet. Suzanne was still on crutches, so getting around on the swaying boat was a challenge. We rented a wheelchair to help.

We all ate dinners together at the nice onboard restaurant. As expected, there was lots of food and we enjoyed that aspect. Some of us visited the karaoke lounge a couple of evenings and we sang several songs.

But even with the rough seas and some sickness we all had such a great time together. We are all talking about when we can plan our next cruise!

Books read in 2009

I read 39 books in 2009. As I've noted previously, most of these I listened to on my mp3 player, which is how I get through so many.

I'll list the first four as the ones that I enjoyed the most, or found most enlightening or inspirational. For most of the others I'll include brief comments.


A Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson
The title is pretty accurate. It seems to cover about everything, as it recounts the history of scientific discovery of a very wide range of topics. I found it exceptionally interesting.

Guests of the Ayatollah – Mark Bowden
The Iran hostage crisis was an agonizing and frustrating world event for Americans, and those of us who lived at that time may find this book even more interesting than it already is.

Black Hawk Down – Mark Bowden
I was pleasantly surprised at how informative and moving this book was, in addition to the action and suspense. I found myself thinking about it and many related things for days afterwards, the true mark of a good book.

Stalin, Breaker of Nations – Robert Conquest
I don't know if the book itself is all that great, but the subject matter was astounding. I came away convinced that Stalin was the most evil man, the greatest mass murderer of the 20th century. Hitler was a Boy Scout in comparison.


The Fall of Troy – Peter Ackroyd

Flags of our Fathers – James Bradley

In my hand, memories of a holocaust rescuer -- Irene Opdyke

Mountains Beyond Mountains -Tracy Kidder
Inspirational account of a doctor making a difference in disadvantaged areas of the world.

The Mormon Way of Doing Business – Jeff Benedict

Blood Diamonds – Greg Campbell
I count my blessings living in the USA.

Moscow Rules – Daniel Silva

My Detachment – Tracy Kidder
I've read several books by Kidder, and, though good, I've grown somewhat weary of the excessive profanity.

In Plain Sight – Box

Hunger Games – Collins
Wow, what a creative writer! Couldn't put it down.

Mornings on Horseback – McCullough
Interesting account of Teddy Roosevelt's early life.

The Best Game Ever – Mark Bowden
Ahhh, the Colts win the championship game. Pro football and athletes in a different era.

Stars in their Courses – Shelby Foote
I love listening to Foote's southern accent as he narrates his books.

Shiloh – Shelby Foote

Follow Me Down – Shelby Foote

Alive – Piers Paul Read
This account, along with those of the Donner Party, really makes me appreciate each meal.

The Host – Stephanie Meyers
I think I liked it more than Twilight.

Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
My first foray into Tolstoy, and some reviewers regard this as the greatest novel ever written. I enjoyed the time and setting (19th century Russia), and it was insightful in several ways. Didn't make my top books list, though.

Andrew Jackson – H.W. Brands(?)
What a violent time in American history, and what a violent man!

Ablaze – Piers Paul Read
USSR in its twilight. And what a monumental disaster Chernobyl was.

The Templars – Piers Paul Read
I actually got into this account of crusades, knights, and interesting historical figures.

The Brothers Karamazov – Dostoyevsky
Another account from 19th century Russia in a highly acclaimed book. I think I liked it better than Tolstoy.

A. Lincoln – Ronald White
Great book, but it just didn't work for me this read (listen).

One Minute to Midnight – Michael Dobbs
Fascinating inside look at the Cuban Missile Crisis, which I lived through.

Massacre at Mountain Meadows – Ronald W. Walker
How is such a thing possible? And perpetrated by God-fearing men? This book does help answer the questions by setting the context. But still.

The Coldest Winter – David Halberstam
Interesting account of the first months of the historically neglected Korean War. And all the politics behind it, and short bios of all the key players. Actually, a prelude to Vietnam.

The Virginian – Owen Wister
Great book.

The Count of Monte Cristo – Dumas
Long, long book, but still hard to put down.

1984 – Orwell
The most depressing read imaginable.

The New Testament

The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
Thought provoking and insightful. Perhaps should be in my top list.

The Worst Hard Time –Timothy Egan
Unimaginable hardships on the high plains during the Depression.

Deep Survival – Laurence Gonzales

Collision – Jared Diamond
I found some accounts of failed civilizations fascinating. Scary implications for modern societies.

The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
I enjoyed the German setting.

Winter road trip

We drove from Beaverton to the Idaho Falls area and back this past week. I'm not a fan of driving in snow or ice, so I was a bit apprehensive about this winter road trip.

Fortunately, two years ago I found some near new studded snow tires on steel rims on craigslist and bought them for about $150. Even though they are noisy and ride a little rough on the highway, they provided peace of mind and we put them to good use on this trip.

Leaving 6AM Tuesday morning we hit just a bit of pre-dawn snow and some wind just a few miles east of Portland in the Columbia Gorge. This slowed us down for five or ten miles, but after that the roads were clear and we made great time, arriving in Idaho Falls about 7PM. We had a full van, with Jeremy, Bridget, Miriam, Magdalena, Suzanne, Steven, and myself. The girls behaved very well all those hours in the car confined to their car seats. I was glad to share the driving with Bridget and Steven.

I think it snowed a bit each day we were in Idaho, and though the highway remained mostly clear, we drove on snow packed roads a number of times. On New Year's Day we drove a couple of hours in snow to get to our snowmobile destination and back. This was the most use I have ever gotten out of those snow tires, and it felt good driving on them.

We left Rigby, ID, about 7AM Saturday for our trip home. An inch or two of new snow had fallen, and now the highways around Idaho Falls were snow packed. So it was a bit of a slow start (about 45 mph), but as we drove south on I-15 the roads began to clear within 20 miles or so. From there we had dry or wet roads the rest of the way. In Boise it was a warm and sunny 45 degrees, with not much snow in sight. Ontario turned foggy and 33, with lots of snow around, but the summit in the Blue Mountains was 40 and dry. We arrived home around 7:30PM.

So we felt fortunate to encounter good weather and roads this trip. And it was fun spending time with all my kids and five grandkids (but that should be another post).

Oh, I should mention that later on Tuesday, after we left town, a surprise snow storm hit Portland with about 3 inches and totally shut the place down, with hundreds of people leaving their cars stranded on the roads. I guess we were lucky to leave town when we did.

In search of the Holy Grail . . . of cycling jackets

I'm an avid cyclist, doing long Saturday recreational rides, and often commuting to work. Living in the beautiful, cycling-friendly Pacific Northwest also means I need some rain and cold protection while riding. I've been on a long quest to find the optimum cycling jacket, which would have the following characteristics:

1. Rainproof
2. Wind protection
3. Breathes well, so you don't overheat and sweat too much underneath
4. Light/bright color for visibility (but not too wild)
5. Reasonably priced, or at least available at deep discount somehow

The most difficult item for me has been #3. There have been a number of nice jackets I have tried that just leave me soaked inside after moderate exercise, including expensive GoreTex models. I have an old, low-tech jacket that is perfect for #3, but provides no rain protection and very little wind protection. Still, on a cool, dry day it works well.

But for those wet or cold days the best I've been able to do is use a fairly expensive, hi-tech jacket with pit zips. I recently bought a Mountain Hardware jacket at the Columbia employee store which is probably the best so far of all the jackets I have tried ($185 cost was half of retail!!). Yesterday I picked up another Mountain Hardware jacket at that store which is a very lightweight shell, but since it has no pit zips I was pretty skeptical about adequate breathability. I tried it today on my wet commute to work and I was actually pretty pleased with it. I may have found a good jacket for cool, wet days, or days with risk of wet and I can just stuff this little jacket into my back jersey pocket. I'll have Suzanne put it under the Christmas tree for me (along with several other "toys" I have procured for myself, but that is worthy of another blog post).

Riding in the cold

Last month I wrote a post about riding my bike home from work in the dark. My current adventure is commuting on my bike in cold weather. We are having a cold spell this week. My car reported 18 degrees this evening--I'm sure the lowest it has ever registered (in the 2+ years I have owned it).

I was up for the challenge and decided to ride every day this week (no snow in the forecast). Yesterday there was a cold east wind, which provided a fun tailwind on the ride to work, so it went just fine. But I knew the ride home would be a bit grim. It was in the 20's, and who knows what the wind chill factor was. My face froze pretty quickly. My hands took a while, through two layers of gloves, but they got pretty cold. And my toes. With the headwind my ride was about 40 minutes. But I made it!

Today may have been a bit colder, but not so much wind. Tomorrow should be colder still. What fun!

I know--those of you who live in colder climes are thinking I'm a wuss!

Busy day

Well, I shouldn't have gloated about how well tithing settlement went last week. Today was hectic, beginning with Sunday School time, when I was bombarded with people who needed something from me, plus three interviews. I had hoped to go into the Primary for a bishopric message to the children, but just didn't make it (at least to the Junior Primary--I did for the Senior Primary).

Then I mistakenly allowed a PPI to go 15 minutes over, forgetting I had another appointment before starting tithing settlement sessions at 2:00, so right off the bat I was 20 minutes behind. There were no breaks in the schedule so I just plowed away, and was only five minutes behind towards the end.

But, once again, I felt sustained and energetic, even on fast Sunday (someone brought me food but I had to set it aside). After coming home around 4:30 I helped Daniel fix dinner, then I was able to rest a bit.

So cold and windy today, but no snow. But it still reminds me of our magical snow week (or two) last year this month.

What a difference a month makes

Here is the picture I posted at the beginning of November showing the fabulous fall colors looking out the window at my work.

And here is the same view yesterday.



Colors are pretty much gone. And there is a fog about to settle in. It is that time of year. Of course, we do get nice sunny days from time to time. But I confess I kind of enjoy the fog. Just gives a cozy, quiet feeling. I even rode my bike home in it yesterday. I have a new bike light that shines very brightly, so riding at night is markedly improved for me.

By the way, I was successful posting to my blog every day in November (thank you, Bridget, for the challenge). I'm not sure how regular I will be in December, we'll see.

Tithing settlement

We had our first tithing settlement session today (Sunday) for 2009, my fourth year as bishop. The clerks and my counselors divide up the sessions to share the load, but I am there for each session, for the entire session. And these come on the tail end of long Sundays (without a break), or after a full day of work on weeknights. It would be reasonable to assume I do not look forward to it, and it is a hard thing to do, physically and emotionally. But this assumption would be wrong. This is one of those counterintuitive things, like paying tithing itself.

Today about an hour or so into the session, one new family in our ward arrived at their appointed time and was pleasantly surprised to be ushered right into my office, that we were running right on time. I could see how his family, with five small children, would be inconvenienced by delays. I run on six minute intervals, so ten families per hour. The family comes in, I briefly review their callings to see if everything is okay, then we review tithing status for each member, I thank the family for their contributions of money and time, thank them for all their service in the ward, and read my annual "tithing scripture" (Ether 12:4 this year) and bear short testimony. I do not engage in additional discussions, but do take notes for any follow up interviews that might be needed. I don't count or reconcile any additional contributions--my counselor and clerks do that (or my "elves", as I refer to them).

Last year we had two Sundays that were snowed out, where church was cancelled (extremely rare here in Oregon). We had the unique experience of doing "house calls" for tithing settlement, so we could salvage as much of the session schedule as we could. What a memorable time that was, driving around with my counselor in deep snow and visiting homes.

I'm sure this is one example where I am strengthened and sustained in my service. I find I am energetic and upbeat the entire session. I am humbled and awed by the good people in my ward, and feel it a unique blessing to sit amongst them in this capacity. After I am released I know this will be one experience I will miss, and will look back on fondly.

Things change

Friday there were only a couple of stores I wanted to go to to pick up sale items. I went to Michael's to buy some picture frames and matt for putting together some more temple pictures that we give as gifts (see photo above). It has been four or five years since my last such purchase at Michael's, and I was dismayed to find they no longer carry the particular frame I always buy. In fact, there were hardly any frames at the size I needed (12X16). And they changed matt companies so they didn't have my colors. Bummer.

I then swung over to the Oroweat bread outlet store, and for the second time in a row they didn't have my favorite Country Wheat bread. When I asked the checkout lady she informed me they have discontinued that kind of bread. Oh, I was so disappointed as I loved it. Back to plain old whole wheat (or "black bread" as Daniel calls it).

This reminds me of another great disappointment. For years I loved Tillamook Ice Cream, and rejoiced that they persisted in selling the full 2 quarts while other brands dropped to 1.75 quarts. A couple of years ago we were visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory and I was telling the manager there how much I liked their ice cream and was so glad they sold 2 quarts. She got a strange look on her face, then confessed they were also switching to 1.75 quarts. Their marketing types said it was by "customer demand". Yeah, right. Well, at least they are still 1.75 quarts, and I see Dreyers is now 1.5 quarts.

Things change, and you just have to roll with it. In fact, I found a different frame (white, instead of gold) which I'm excited about and may be an upgrade for my temple picture. It costs twice as much, but with the 60% off sale, and further 20% off total purchase, we did just fine buying eight of them today (Saturday).

The miracle of birth

I was fortunate to be present at the birth of each of my five children.

Our first, Blair, was born in Provo, UT, and after a long and difficult labor, and after being sent home after our first trip to the hospital. How discouraging that was. But what a thrill to be new parents!

Daniel came five weeks early in Ridgecrest, CA. I was at work and my home teacher found me during lunch and told me to rush to the hospital, that Suzanne was in labor and delivery was imminent. (We didn't have cell phones in those days.) I didn't think this was possible and figured it would be a false alarm. When I arrived at the hospital they led me right into the room where Daniel had just been born and the doctors were working frantically to get him breathing (which he did, but what a scare!).

Bridget threatened to come early (Boise, ID), so Suzanne was confined to bed the final few weeks. When Suzanne went into labor I said "let's go!". Good thing we wasted no time because it was a wild rush to the hospital (I don't recall how many red lights I ran)--it was all Suzanne could do to hold off giving birth in the car. She delivered just a few minutes after getting to her room.

Teresa came a couple of weeks early, if I remember right (Portland, OR). We knew by now not to dilly dally once labor started, so we avoided the wild drive to the hospital, but she was still born not long after getting there. I think Teresa may have been our first ultrasound, and the doctor thought she was a boy, but we felt she would be a girl and were glad.

Steven was at risk of being born quickly, so the doctor arranged to induce right about the due date. Just a normal early morning drive to the hospital, and Steven arrived later that morning (Portland, OR).

There is nothing like the euphoria you feel after a newborn arrives in your family. It is one of the top wonders of the world.

348

The Vietnam War dominated my generation growing up. I knew a couple of young men who were drafted and went to war. I knew only vaguely one who was killed in the war. My older brother, Barry, joined the Air Force at this time. As I graduated from high school I was concerned about the draft. The government instituted a lottery system about this time, so I was anxious to learn what my number would be. The system drew lots based on birthday, so there were numbers from 1 to 365, with the lower numbers being first to go.

I was exploring my options, including signing up for the National Guard or Reserves. As I recall, I even took a test to start down that road. I don't recall the exact situation with college or missionary deferments, but they must have been in jeopardy for me to be so worried.

Well, my number was drawn, and it was 348! I felt so relieved and lucky. The deal was that you were only exposed to the draft for one year, so I went ahead and listed myself as 1-A and eligible for the draft, even at school and on my mission for that year, so I could get it out of the way. My year passed and I was scott free. It was about this time that the draft started slowing down, anyway. But the number 348 will always be emblazoned in my memory.

Thanksgiving Eve

There are a few predictable magical times each year. Christmas eve is obviously one of them, as well as Christmas morning. Thanksgiving eve is another, at least for me.

Each year I look forward to the extra time off work with the extended weekend. The Wednesday workday itself has a little tingle to it, as people are in a pleasant mood, and the numbers, already diminished due to people taking vacation days, thin out further as the day progresses. I can remember several times (at Sequent in particular) when I felt like one of the few left in the building at the end of a full day (or a bit longer, as the work may have required). Things are so quiet, and when you leave for the parking lot it is dark and peaceful outside.

Often there are weekend projects to look forward to. At HP at least a couple of times I brought a computer home to play games on. This was before the days of PC's, so a computer at home was a novelty, though the games were very rudimentary. Sometimes Suzanne and I had wallpaper projects in store. Sometimes we would have shopping plans for early morning black Friday, or a visit to the temple. I often organized extended tennis play for Friday, or a bike ride, or a run. Sometimes we have taken trips--a couple of times to Boise to visit the Juhasz family, or Teresa. We have hosted family (I remember Barry's family visiting us in Meridian, and the snow storm when they left) or friends.

Today will be a bit different. Suzanne is incapacitated with her foot surgery recovery, so we are having a simpler Thanksgiving. Blair will cook the turkey and each of us will have other food preparation assignments, but nothing will be elaborate.

But, as with each Thanksgiving, we are so mindful of our countless blessings. What a wonderful life we lead! And I wish all you readers a marvelous Thanksgiving as well.


Thanksgiving 2008

Ideal age?

Suzanne, Steven, and I were discussing this evening what the ideal age would be.

A child has the advantage of innocence, minimal world concerns, toys and games for play, and, perhaps, an awareness of continual growth and improvement. But, lots of negatives, too.

As a teenager I so much looked forward to age 16 when I could get a license to drive a car. Not a bad age, but also too many negatives with the teen years.

Early twenties, a full time mission under my belt, a bride, a newborn son. But college years were tough and stressful.

New college graduate, (relatively) lucrative job, beginnings of a family. Definitely a fun and rewarding age, mid-twenties. Perhaps near optimum physical body. And a sharp mind capable of learning and comprehending quickly. But in retrospect, later years were better.

I specifically remember talking to my mother when I was about 32 and remarking that this was the best period in my life. Strong, healthy, good career, wonderful young family. A definite candidate for the ideal age.

Forties weren't bad at all. Age wise it seemed like I should be starting to feel old, but health, vigor, energy, activity, mental acuity--all still very good. A notch below thirties to be sure, but offset by maturity, stability, wisdom, self confidence, financial means and security, and really interesting family activities with older children. In my case, I may have been more physically fit, due to ambitious cycling. I think forties were the best so far.

At age 50 I definitely felt like I should be feeling detrimental effects of aging. But I honestly felt like this could be the ideal time in my life, for many of the same reasons as listed above for the forties, but even more so. I was still very active physically and felt so happy and fulfilled, and excited about life. My mother warned me that after age 50, which is still a very good age, that I would definitely start experiencing a downhill trend.

Now I am 57, and my mother was right. The slow decline in mental acuity, eyesight, and physical abilities and ailments are becoming more pronounced. Though I remain very active playing tennis and riding my bike, I no longer run and my athletic skills are in decline. Still, 57 is not a bad age at all, due to further increases in all those positive attributes mentioned above.

Looking ahead, I anticipate late 50's and 60's will be more of the same trend, and these will be good years, too, with the added bonus of increased discretionary time and (hopefully) increased financial means.

I don't know, tough call. I think, in my case, I will vote for age 50. Does that surprise you? It is a good compromise of reasonable mental and physical abilities with all the bonuses of knowledge, wisdom, experience, self confidence, judgment, etc.

What do you think the optimum age is?

My earliest memory

When your family has home movies of when you were a child it can be difficult to separate real memories from what you have seen in the movies. I'm not sure which of my foggy memories would be the earliest but I can at least pinpoint the timeframe of one.

I was born in California but moved to Germany when I was about 6 months old as my father was stationed there in the Air Force. About a year later we moved to England, then when I was about 3 we moved back to the states. My parents tell me I was very concerned about leaving England because I was worried there wouldn't be Grape Nuts Flakes breakfast cereal in the USA.

My memory is of being in some public place, and running up and down a gradual ramp or incline. The consensus is that this was at a restaurant or airport during our trip back to the USA. It is a happy memory, and an activity that is characteristic of a small child.

What is your earliest memory, and is it a pleasant one?

By the way, the picture above is of Wendie and Barry, my two older siblings, and me, presumably around 3 or 4 years old.

Roxorg

Daniel wanted a dog. Daniel always wanted a dog. Dad (me) didn't want a dog, and would never get one. But in late 1990 somehow we bought a black Lab puppy at the pet store (Daniel used to love going in that store all the time). I guess it was Daniel's Christmas present, but it ended up being a family project. Daniel named her Roxie. We sometimes referred to her as Roxorg--I believe some variation of a comic book monster--I don't recall the exact origin. We would sing "Roxanne...Roxanne".

Roxie did all the usual puppy things, like chewing up everything in sight, pooping on the floor, jumping all over visitors, and barking all night. But we all loved her. We would go to the pet store and buy her toys, food, and other things.

Roxie was an exceptionally stupid dog, if good natured and hyper. We wondered why we bothered buying her the premium dog food when she didn't mind eating her own feces in the back yard. When we had the choke chain around her neck she never seemed to figure out that obedience and restraint would avoid the choking sensation. We tried and tried to train her (sit, heel, stay), with very little success. We would try to play fetch with a ball, but she would play keep-away after bringing the ball back to you so you had trouble getting it back to throw again. Someone told me that's why you don't buy just any dog at a pet store.

I (mostly) enjoyed taking Roxie on runs with me (with a leash, of course--otherwise she would run wild). At the beginning she would run ahead of me, straining on the leash in all her enthusiasm, then tire at the end and I would be dragging her to keep up. One night I took a risk and let her run with me without a leash. She mostly stayed in the general area with me, but upon arriving back home she would not go into our fenced backyard where she normally stayed. I commanded and coaxed and bribed and tricked -- nothing worked. In exasperation I finally gave up and went to bed. Roxie must have had a wild night, because the next morning she had gathered up a number of random shoes from the neighborhood. How embarrassing. We placed them on the curb so the neighbors would find them. Roxie slept all the next day.

After three or four years we finally decided to find a new home for Roxie. Ironically, the very day the prospective new owners were going to check her out Roxie got loose in the front yard, and, in her trademark unruly fashion, would not come back when we called or coaxed. She ran out into the busy street near our home and was struck by a car. What a sad day that was, as we took her to the vet and, due to severe injuries, they put her to sleep. Daniel and I were by Roxie's side as she breathed her last, and I confess I shed a few tears, as much for Daniel as for her.

Wild ride to the hospital

Taking Suzanne to surgery Friday morning and hanging out at the hospital reminded me of another trip we made earlier this year.

During our kitchen remodel Suzanne was working hard painting and staining the cabinets. We brought in some Chinese food for dinner and worked on into the evening (or at least she did--I was downstairs on the computer). About 9PM I heard a soft voice call "Craig, can you come up here?". I sat bolt upright. There was something alarming about the voice. I came upstairs and Suzanne was lying on the floor in significant discomfort. Her face was ashen colored, she had pains in her chest and arms, was clammy, and I don't remember what else. Her mother died of a heart attack in her 60's and this had all the classical symptoms. I asked if I should call 911 and she said let's just drive to the emergency room.

I quickly helped her into the car and drove very fast the 5 miles to the hospital. I only had to run one red light. I pulled up to the emergency room curb, jumped out, announced to the staff I thought my wife was having a heart attack, and rushed back out with a wheelchair.

They took her right into a cell and hooked her up to machines and a doctor checked her out. Her skin still had no color and symptoms persisted. They gave her oxygen and ran the usual tests. Gradually her color returned and the symptoms subsided.

To make a long story short, she spent the night at the hospital as a precaution but her heart tested out just fine. One theory was that the Chinese food caused it (acid reflux), another that the paint fumes did. But for a few hours there we were quite alarmed, and we count our blessings more readily these days.