Mike's Musings

New Blog Address

2010-02-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

I've moved the blog to my own server and am now using different blogging software. Mike's Musings can now be found at http://www.thatscottclan.com/mikesmusings/ or by clicking on one of the blue links. I hope you enjoy my revised blog.

Mike

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

Jamie Oliver at TED

2010-02-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching the video that I'm posting below. I've been following Jamie as a chef for about 10 years now and wondered why he had disappeared from the Food Network a few years ago. The following is what he's been doing. TED, for those who don't know, is the best source of high quality educational videos that I know of. I use them in every course I teach. I'd be interested in knowing what you all think about his presentation and message.

Another Anniversary

2010-02-11T10:57:00.000-08:00

On this date in 1968 I joined the Marine Corps. To say that it was a life changing event is an understatement. When it all washes out in the end, it was one of the smartest things I've ever done. Almost as smart as marrying Cheryl.

This picture comes from www.layoutsparks.com/myspace-layouts/usmc_0

Sarah is 12!!!

2010-02-07T15:15:00.001-08:00

Cheryl at OSU

2010-02-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

As many of you will remember Cheryl got her Ph.D. at Oregon State a few years ago. This weekend she is at the Silver Falls Conference Center teaching one of the OSU classes in the Doctoral program. She will be back late tomorrow afternoon. This is her first invitation to teach there. I'm guessing it won't be her last. Either way she'll be here for Super bowl Sunday where my heart will be with the Saints but my money will be with the Colts. We'll see......

Greetings from Mt. Angel

2010-02-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

ed- For those who don't know Alex (our eldest son) has been exploring entering the monastery at Mt Angel. He is currently spending 10 days there living as a monk. The following is an email from him today.
Mt Angel Abbey

I hope this letter finds everyone well, and I pray that you are all enjoying this day, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. If you are unfamiliar, this day commemorates the day that Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the Temple to offer him up to God (as was the Jewish tradition). It was there that Simeon, a devout man, recognized the baby Jesus as the Messiah.

The two novices, Brother Joshua and Brother Stephen, and I just finished with our daily work early (Tuesdays we finish and deliver laundry), and I am now sitting in the monks computer lab, a rather plain room with three Macs on one wall with a printer on the opposite. The clash between modern culture and monastic tradition is so relevant here, sending email through a cable modem on a very modern mac in a room that is close to a hundred years old, a Brother in his Habit sitting next to me reading from some website.

Mom, the monastary is always hot. You would love it in the mornings. I have to sleep with my window open just to stand it. Speaking of sleeping, last night was the first night that I was able to sleep throughout the night, awaking exactly at five AM. I guess that means I am starting to integrate. Walking outside this sunny morning, the fog low creating the illusion of a monastary in the clouds, I grumbled at the fact that the day seemed to never be heating up. I stopped and laughed at myself; it was 9 AM. Just because I had been up for four hours already doesn't mean the day had. That will take some getting used to. Thankfully (or perhaps not) coffee appears like magic in what seems like every room and every meal.

The retreat went well, though we stayed very busy with conferences, chats with brothers, both Novitiates and Juniors, and of course the office of the hours. The silence I was looking for was not to be found in the weekend, where I was surrounded by 5 others, then four, then three. I discovered that I had been introduced last year to one of the fellow retreatants, Jesus. This was his seventh, and he, Jesus, had found out the week before that his application had been accepted. He will be beginning his postulancy on March 21st. He is a great guy and I plan on coming back here for the initiation service. He and I stayed in the monastary. The halls are enormous, 175 of MY paces from one side to the next, with a communal staircase in the center opposite the church. Sound magnifies and intensifies, you can quite literally hear a pin drop, and a whisper from one side can be heard to the other. For most of the week 'quiet' is observed during the day, and 'silence' at night. Heading back into the monastary one night I accidentaly let a door slam shut behind me. I am positive that everyone on three floors heard it, and it was extremely embarassing, although not uncommon. The building is ancient, and these old doors seem to each have individual personalities.

I am being VERY well fed, but I am careful about carbs (as careful as I can) and I am watching portions. A set meal schedual is a blessing, and even though I am eating more here than I was outside, I am always hungry when the next meal approaches. With the exception of feast days (like today), Lunch and dinner are served to us in groups of four. We eat in silence while a brother reads first from the Bible, and then from a book of interest to the monks. Currently we ae listening to a book co-authored by a Benedictine monk and and businesswoman of some sort. I'm not really that interested, but we have barely gotten through the introduction. When the meal is over we pray the litany of St. Joseph. For what reason exactly I am not sure.

Have I mentioned all of the stairs? I have become a stair master. Three floors up to my room, four floors down to the basement, one more to the laundry facilities, back up, three floors to the basement of the guest house, one to the dining room, four down to the parking lot, back up, down, up, down. It is not an overstatement when I say that I walk at least one mile in stairs every day. My legs are constantly sore, but it is nice, it helps you remember that everything is a gift from God, and to be thankfull for both what you have, and what you receive.

The wildlife continues to astound me. During a break from a conference I chanced to see a hummingbird less than a yard away. It was a male known as Anna's Hummingbird. I don't know where that name came from but it is a real species. I decided one night to take a drive (there is a housebridge very close), and at the very bottom of the property, sitting on the side of the road, an owl. This is the first time I have seen an owl in the wild, and it was stunning. Mostly white with a dusting of grey, must have stood to nearly my knee. With the limited resources I have here I came across the name Eastern Screech Owl, but I am not necessarily convinced that is what I saw. The poster said it is native, though. Who knows.

The work is fine. Monday and Tuesday are laundry day. I have never seen so many pairs of underwear at the same time. They have a laundress here that washes three days a week. It is up to the postulants and novices to fold, separate numerically, and deliver the fresh laundry for the week. Tomorrow will be "museum" chores. We will be moving some artwork around, some of which is priced at over $5,000. I am a little nervous, but glad for the opportunity to see and share the artwork. Thursday we work outside, and who knows how that will go. Someone mentioned wood chopping. I hope I am better at it than I am at home.

'Now this is all fascinating,' you are probably saying, 'but what about YOU? What are you feeling? What is going on in that head?" I cannot answer much now. This experience continues to be a blessing as I meet the current and former abbot, the fathers, the brothers, the laity (I even met the priest from Silverton, who is well informed about baby Jack). I pray the rosary nightly, and practice Lectio Divina daily with a journal. I would hope that by now I don't need to gush anymore over the office of the hours and how I cherish that. I am taking it slow, learning, praying, working. As for right now, with three days left, things are as they should be. I love you all, will talk to you when I get back. Thank you for your prayers and pass this around if you care to, (just make sure to spellcheck it first, I don't know how to use it on a fancy mac)

Love,

Alexander Scott

Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now.

More Photos from Sunday

2010-01-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

As promised here are a couple more pictures from Saturday's Party for Jack.

Bob proposes a toast to his Grandsons.

Proud Mom and Pop enjoy the fun while Jack sleeps on. According to Katrien Jack chose not to sleep that night. I think he enjoyed the party a bit too much.

Baby Jack Meets his Great Grandparents

2010-01-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and Grandma Stai (Bob & Karen) invited us all to a dinner to celebrate the introduction of Baby Jack to his Great Grandparents.

Great Grandpa Jack is introduced to his namesake and seemed quite happy about it.

Great Grandmother Marilyn inspects her newest Great Grandchild and approves.

Although is was a loud and boisterous crowd, Baby Jack slept through in all. He has his priorities in order. I'll post more photos of the party later.

A Brave New World?

2010-01-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a dose of what the real world looks like right now.

The Big Run

2010-01-20T18:02:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Jake and Bethany (nephew & wife) ran a half marathon. They had been training for weeks (months) for the big event. A few days before the run Bethany came down with a cold and wasn't sure she could make it. My money was on her and here's a photo of the two of them after the run.

Do you believe how good they look? By the way a half marathon is 13.2 miles. Of course the weather was perfect. This is Oregon, after all. (Bethany gave me permission to use the photo from her Facebook).

Great Weekend at Home

2010-01-19T20:43:00.001-08:00

This blog is an experiment writing a blog post in Word 2007. I've had the feature for a while but never used it before.

Andrew, Brandie and Calaya were supposed to spend part of the weekend with use but Brandie woke up sick Saturday morning and they had to cancel. Cheryl and I hung around the house doing those little things that seem to take up a lot of time but not amount to much. We both had Monday off so we got to extend out weekend to three days. That was very restful. We decided four day work weeks were a good thing although we both got some work done. Not much going on other than work this week. I'm regularly attending my cardiac rehab program and have started looking for a gym to use once it's over. I really don't know when that will be but probably not for another month or so. We'll see.....

More Photos of Jack

2010-01-16T09:55:00.000-08:00

Brant sent these out yesterday so I thought I post them here for everyone to see.

Jack and proud mommy!

Here's a close up of Jack.

I would guess that there will be a lot of photos and information on Katrien's blog in the next few days. I believe they came home from the hospital yesterday evening.

Baby Jack

2010-01-14T14:39:00.000-08:00

OK, here's the photos. Brant sent them to me this morning.

Jack and his folks are looking pretty good after a 22 hour long ordeal to get here.

I'm sure he will be a popular subject on Katrien's blog for the next few years. Thanks Brant for allowing me to post these.

Welcome Jack Donald Stai!

2010-01-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

My latest Great Nephew was born at 5:30 this evening and weighed in at 9 lbs and 9 oz and is 21 3/4 inches long. I will post a photo as soon as I can get a hold of one. I'm thinking his grandpa probably has some already. Congratulations Katrien and Brant!

Getting Started Right

2010-01-06T17:26:00.001-08:00

Well we're off to 2010 with a bang. Cheryl and I have made our resolutions, even if I've forgotten most of them already. Live better, loose weight, get healthy, win the lottery (this is really #1 on the list) and oh yea... loose weight. I have an entire medical team rooting for me on this one.

As you can see I'm playing with the design of the blog. I'm trying to learn how to use Photoshop better so I'm trying out some of the things I learn here on the blog. If you really hate something, don't worry I'll probably change it eventually.

With the new year came a new term and and all the craziness that goes with that. This term is no exception as I help instructors figure out how to teach online while I teach my own classes. And Cheryl does something or other at her campus. Nothing too drastic yet but a lot of students who forgot to register early are now trying to get into overfilled classes. Students out there REGISTER EARLY!

On a more domestic note our dishwasher broke down. It's 2 years old and was one of the best we could get according to Consumer Reports. Of course it's out of warranty. I tried to repair it so now we really have to get a repair person in to fix it. I told Cheryl it might be better to just replace it. That was not what she wanted to hear.

We had a quiet New Year other than my comments about the Ducks performance (or lack there of) in the Rose Bowl. Drake hates fireworks and we live in an area that resembles Baghdad on a bad day when it comes to any reason to celebrate. I finally got up and spent some quality time trying to calm him down around midnight. He recovered eventually and I slept in the next morning.

Well that fulfills one of my resolutions, which is to blog more, even if I don't have anything to say. Keep on reading and I'll keep on blogging.

Y2K Plus 10

2009-12-31T20:54:00.001-08:00

It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since we thought the world as we knew it was coming to an end. Maybe it did but not in the manner projected. May the next year bring you joy and happiness beyond measure.

Happy Hogmanay!

2009-12-30T19:00:00.001-08:00

What is Hogmanay?

Hogmanay is celebrated on New Year's Eve, every year, usually in a most exuberant fashion in Scotland as hundreds of thousands of revellers take to the streets to see in the New Year. In the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh it has become a huge ticketed festival. Celebrations start in the early evening and reach a crescendo by midnight. Minutes before the start of new year, a lone piper plays, bells chime at the turn of midnight, lots of kissing, and everyone sings Auld Lang Syne. And then there is more kissing.

Elsewhere in Scotland, particularly in more remote parts, customary first footing and Scottish dances, or ceilidhs (pronounced "kayli"), take place. For centuries, fire ceremonies -- torch light processions, fireball swinging and lighting of New Year fires -- played an important part in the Hogmanay celebrations. And they still do.

Did you have a First Footing?

What is a First Footing? Traditionally, it has been held that your new year will be a prosperous one if, at the stroke of midnight, a "tall, dark stranger" appears at your door with a lump of coal for the fire, or a cake or coin. In exchange, you offered him food, wine or a wee dram of whisky, or the traditional Het Pint, which is a combination of ale, nutmeg and whisky.

It's been suggested that the fear associated with blond strangers arose from the memory of blond-haired Viking’s invasions and pillaging Scotland circa 4th to 12th centuries. What's more likely to happen these days is that groups of friends or family get together and do a tour of each others' houses. Each year, a household takes it in turn to provide a meal for the group. In many parts of Scotland gifts or "Hogmananys" are exchanged after the turn of midnight.

(The above paragraphs adapted from

www.hogmanay.net where you can find out more about these Scottish traditions.)

Christmas Weekend & our Snow Storm

2009-12-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

As you know from my last post, we went to Coos Bay the day after Christmas. On our way we swung by Roseburg to visit with our Son Andrew, Brandie and Calaya. Calaya showed us her present: a new puppy named Rajah (the tiger in Aladdin). She is regal but anything but a tiger. She is a King Charles Spaniel and a beautiful and loving puppy. She thought Drake was great. He wasn't sure how to relate to a small puppy but he treated her OK.

She and Calaya are already great buddies. Calaya knows how to pet her properly and they have bonded quite fast. Rajah loves to be held and loved. That's what she was bred for. When you see a photo of The Queen and her lap dog: that's a King Charles Spaniel. I guess if It's good enough for her then it's OK for Calaya.
After our visit in Roseburg, we headed on to Coos Bay, arriving in time for dinner ( an accident, I assure you). We had two days of fun with Cheryl's folks and got to visit with some old friends (they are not old, the friendships are). On Monday morning Calaya and her folks showed up with the puppy to show the Great Grand Parents. Great Grandma was smitten by the puppy.

On both Sunday and Monday we took both Drake and Roxie, (Cheryl's folks yellow lab), out to the dunes for a run. The weather was great, sunny and 55 degrees with almost no wind.

We came home on Monday afternoon and by early afternoon on Tuesday it was snowing hard. This storm was unexpected and has created the usual snow crisis in Portland. The weather person, who didn't predict the storm, has predicted it will be over by 8:00 PM this evening. A bold prediction as it's 6:30 and still snowing hard. The predicted (last minute) 1 inch is now approaching 3 inches. We'll see..... Oh by the way, Drake is excited about the Rose Bowl.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T18:37:00.001-08:00

Well it's Christmas Eve again. What a wonderful time. Cheryl and I want to wish each of you a joyous and holy Christmas. We will celebrate this evening by going to Mass at our church, continue with a breakfast in the morning with our son Alex and culminate with a big family dinner party later tomorrow evening. We will then go to Roseburg and Coos Bay to spend time with our other son, Andrew and family, daughter, Anita and family and Cheryl's folks Jack and Marilyn.

This has been an interesting and even challenging year for us with many blessings and even a few health issues. As usual the blessings far out weight the challenges. Of particular note has been the reestablishment of friendships with members of my family and old Army friends that somehow have slipped away over the years. It seems the older I get the more important these relationships become. The presents under the tree are fun but they never last. The relationships are what I remember and cherish. I read those Christmas cards and letters more carefully now than in years gone by.

So, God Bless Ye Everyone.

Love,

Mike & Cheryl

Cheryl, Sister and Mother

2009-12-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday the 23d Cheryl met up with her sisters, Karen and Jacque and drove down to meet their mother in Cottage Grove and visit their Great Aunt Clara and exchange presents.

They had lunch at The Covered Bridge restaurant which they thoroughly enjoyed. Aunt Clara is in a nursing home and they wanted to be sure and say Happy Holidays. They had a surprise at the nursing home, their Aunt Gloria and Uncle Don were visiting as well. So everyone had an opportunity to catch up on the latest news. Karen, Jacque, Cheryl and Marilyn asked to be featured on the blog - so here it is!

Mike's in Rehab

2009-12-21T20:34:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of my Cardiac Rehab program. I think it is designed to give you a heart attack if you've never had one. One hour of work on all the machines you find at a normal fitness center except here they watch you like a hawk. I was hooked up to a remote cardiac monitor and had my BP taken every few minutes. After an hour they sit you down and watch you again for a while. Then they tell you "good job" and send you home. I will be doing this 3 times a week for several months. After that I should be rehabilitated. Oh ... did I mention diet. I won't depress you with that. With any luck you will be seeing less of me in the future.

Home to the Rain

2009-12-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

We got back home last night about 6:00 PM. It was about 50 degrees and raining as it still is today. We had several things we were scheduled to do today but were both so tired we chose to take it easy. It's hard to believe Christmas is Friday. We both work Monday-Wednesday with Thursday off. We'll be having a family dinner here on Christmas day with 20 some folks.

I still have some photos from our vacation I want to post on the blog. I promise not to wait so long between posting again.

Joshua Tree National Park Again

2009-12-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

Today we spent all day exploring a small but beautiful part of the Joshua Tree National Park. We drove up to the west entrance and entered from there. The first photo is from the 29 Palms entrance which is where we exited after our loop. We drove over 140 miles today.

This area brought us quickly to the center of the high Mojave Desert where the Joshua Tree is most abundant. These are part of the yucca family but are very tree like with wide spread shallow roots. They mostly grow at over 3000' in elevation so we dressed for cool weather today.
These photo's are in no particular order. This is in the area just a few miles inside the park. Looking to the west and north. We eventually went up to over 5100 feet where it was about 50 degrees with a high wind, it was very cold.
Cheryl and I hiked about a mile into Hidden Valley. This is an area that was once used to hide stolen cattle and horses while they were re branded. The trail in is steep and very difficult. It's hard to believe they actually got cattle in here. The valley is about 55 acres and is beautiful with steep walls all around it.
Besides the interesting vegetation the huge rock formations were spectacular. Some of them reminded us of scenes from old westerns and we wonder if we have seen this area in the movies. Many climbers come here to try their skill. We saw several climbing formations that are well known.
Trees and rock formations are everywhere. This is on the trail into Barker Dam, a hand built dam used to store rainwater for a nearby ranch. Several old ranches are in this area. They now are part of the park. Next trip we hope to tour one.
The trail into the dam was another mile or so hike. This was a much easier hike than into hidden valley.
I took dozens of pictures of rock formations like this one. The photos really don't do them justice.

The Joshua Tree National Park

2009-12-16T16:41:00.001-08:00

Well we had an interesting morning visiting the Joshua Tree National Park. We did however slightly misjudge the size of this park. A couple of hours here is like trying to see all of Yellowstone in a morning. It's apx 800,000 square acres of mountain desert. We went in from the east entrance as it is the closest to where we are staying. We also misjudged the elevation and so a balmy 68 degrees here in the valley quickly became a windy 52 degrees at the visitor center.
We did drive over and hike in to the Cottonwood Spring Oasis. That green tuft if palms in the distance is it. The elevation there was about 3000 feet. While in the photo it looks warm, it wasn't.The only cottonwood tree I saw was down this side canyon as we hiked up beyond the oasis.

We took the trail to the top of these steps. The trail actually led another 3 miles to Lost Palms Oasis but once we heard the recommended hiking time to there and back was 6 hours we decided to let this one go. We would normally schedule half that amount of time so we felt there was more to this hike than we knew.

So, what about the Joshua Trees? We were a long ways from the area they are in. In fact they are in the northwestern part of the park. We decided to try again on Friday and take the highway around to the western visitor center. The trees also grow at much higher elevations than we were at so we want to dress warmer for these hikes. This will be an all day adventure for us.

The Coachella Valley Preserve

2009-12-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

Just a few miles from our resort is the Coachella Valley Preserve. Home of one of the rarest lizards in the United States; the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard. After our great success with the mountain sheep yesterday, I thought we might get lucky two days in a row.

The preserve is 22,000 acres of desert with several oasis and valleys in it. We hiked to the Hidden Palms Oasis, about 2 miles round trip. The area is beautiful and the weather was about 68 degrees.

As we discovered last year, the oasis are easy to spot by the palm trees growing out of the desert. We just followed the trail until we got there. They always are further away than they look.

This oasis houses an important pond which was quite picturesque as you can see. The pond was full of the desert Pupfish, a small guppy looking fish who survives in the harshest of conditions. I shot a lot of photos of them yesterday but just think of a mud colored guppy and you'll have a good image of them.
So... what about the rare lizard? Well, even the volunteer at the visitor's center had never seen one. They are in a protected area that no one is allowed to go to. And they seem to spend most of their time buried in the sand. This guy may (or may not) be related to the aboved named rare lizard. He was quite happy to be photographed so I obliged him (or her). All in all we had a great time.

Tomorrow we are going to visit the Joshua Tree National Park which is a few miles north of here.

Anzo-Borrego Desert State Park

2009-12-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

Today Cheryl and I drove about 70 miles down to Borrego Springs. A small community in the mountains of east San Diego County. This is high desert country that has bragging rights as the largest state park in the United States.

While there are many good reasons to visit this park, mine was to maybe get a chance to photograph one of the most elusive animals in the country, the Big Horn Sheep. I had only caught a fleeting glimpse of a couple of them once a few years ago as we drove through the mountains of Idaho. Normally they live in the most inaccessible areas possible.

This is the Palm Canyon trail where numerous sighting of the sheep are made.

About 3/4 of a mile up the trail we ran into a small flock of 7 sheep. They were quite used to being watched and photographed. We got to within 50 yards of them. Many hunters pay thousands of dollars to get within a quarter of a mile of these guys. This 1000 square mile park is home to about 600 Peninsular Big Horn Sheep. There obviously is no hunting permitted here. This group of sheep is totally isolated due to urban growth in every direction.Each of these sheep are carefully studied. They are not very shy. We kept our distance as they are known to be quite aggressive if provoked. Both males and females had horns and they know how to use them.

This one was quite happy to pose for me. I got quite a few photos of her. You can see the ear tags that are used to track them.

There are also a lot of other wildlife in this part of the desert. This is a Black-tailed Jackrabbit that was near the visitor's center. Cheryl spotted it while I was shooting a picture of a cool looking bush. We also saw quite a few quail. The recent wet weather here has made the desert very green and lush. The critters are enjoying it.

WorldMark Indio

2009-12-13T15:15:00.000-08:00

We made it to our resort without any problems. We got out of Portland before any serious weather hit and other than a little rough weather coming in to Palm Springs everything was great. We got our rental car, did some grocery shopping and arrived at our resort before 5:00 PM. The resort here is beautiful as you can see from the photos below. Last year we visited family members who were staying here (you know who you are). We stayed at another resort about 10 miles from here that was much older and not nearly as nice. The weather here is great. It rained a little before we got here yesterday and there were a few clouds still hanging around when I shot the first picture about 7:00 AM this morning.

The second shot shows one of the fairways with part of the resort in the background. The temperature was 68 degrees when I took the photo about 2:00 PM.
Cheryl and I got a nice walk in this afternoon and enjoyed the hot tub .

While leaving Portland we met a couple who split their time between Portland and a small town south of here, Borrego Springs. They told us about a large state park near their home where you can hike in and occasionally see mountain sheep. I guess there is a flock of about 40 still living in the mountains down there. We hope to go tomorrow and get a few photos if we can find them. The hike ought to be fun.

Last year we explored the eastern side of the Salton Sea, this years it's the west side. I'll keep you posted.

Birthdays in November

2009-12-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

While most people only celebrated Thanksgiving in November two of my grand daughters celebrated their birthdays. Amanda turned 10 this year and can be seen below blowing out the candles on her cake. She celebrated her birthday with family and friends on Saturday, Nov 28.

Calaya turned one this year and celebrated with her family and friends on Friday the 27th. Below is a photo of her and her folks Andrew and Brandie.
How about two proud grandmothers and Calaya. She's getting ready to open presents and dive into her cake. She's a real party girl!
We all had a great time this Thanksgiving with multiple dinners and parties. It was great to celebrate with family from as far away as Seattle and the California Bay Area. We got back home late on Saturday evening and spent Sunday recovering from all the fun.

As you can see I'm working on a new format for my blog. I felt it was starting to look dated so I'm making some changes. I'm still not done.

Cheryl and I will leave for Palm Springs on Saturday for a week in the sun (we hope). Alex will be here to pet sit and gather the mail. You may remember last year we went down with a group of family members. This year it will just be Cheryl and myself. It appears a new baby is about to arrive and no one wants it to be born in California.

As usual I'll be blogging while on vacation. It seems I have more to say then or maybe just more time.

GO DUCKS!

2009-12-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Has it really been since September since I posted a blog? Several of you have reminded me of that. I promise I'll do a real blog posting soon. Right now I'm watching the civil war game and it's the beginning of the second half. Oregon is behind 23-21 so it is close.

I am recovering from the flu. Been out of work all week but able to do a little from home. It seems that a lot of the family is sick. I guess it's our turn. I did teach my last class of the term this afternoon. I took them Crispy Creme donuts to make up for the missed classes. They seemed to enjoy them.

As many of you know I had heart surgery earlier this month with the surgeon placing 4 stents in my coronary arteries. I think this lowered my resistant a little. The surgery went very well and I'm recovering nicely.

We went to Coos Bay for Thanksgiving and had a great time. Lots of family from California Bay Area to Seattle. Good food and great conversation. I got to play with the grand daughters and nieces and nephews. We have a whole new crop of little guys and they are great fun. It helps keep me young. I took lots of photos as usual and will post some soon. Take care.

Kelso Highlander Games

2009-09-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

The Scott Clan gatherered for our annual reunion at Kelso, Washington on Saturday. The weather was wonderful and the venue was great. The folks at Kelso go out of their way to make sure everyone has a great time.

We had the largest gathering so far this year. The age spanned from almost 10 to over 60. We were pleased to have so many kids and young adults there. The youngest (Nika) is also one of the most experienced Scottish event goers. She's been attending since the first reunion in Kelso.

The photo is missing several folks who had to leave early including my step mother Leigh and her daughter Carol. This year we included a larger showing of the Salvedorian branch of the clan. They added a lot of class, not to mention beauty to the group. Even though I'm the only one you can see wearing a kilt, there were actually five of us in kilts. We expect Austin and Ron to get on board next year. I wouldn't be surprized to see the young guys in front in kilts next year also.

New Posts Coming

2009-09-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

I realize its been a couple of weeks since I posted but I'm setting up my new computer, trying to end summer term while preparing for a busy fall term and painting the house. None of which are close to being finished. I've got some great new photos to share and will soon. I promise! I also reorganized my office to create the illision of being better organized. Anita and family will be here tomorrow, Andrew and family next weekend and the annual Kelso Scottish event next weekend. The new lens is working well and the tomatos and chilies and going wild. You sorta get the point I hope. And the Ducks embarassed us all.

Birthday Golf and Dinner

2009-08-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for wishing me a Happy Birthday yesterday. Bob (bro-in law) took me golfing at Elkhorn Valley Golf course yesterday. We had a great time on a very challenging and beautiful course. If we set any records it wasn't for anything we want to be remembered for. It got pretty warm by the time we finished.

Later last evening Cheryl and I went to dinner with Alex (son) and his girlfriend Chris at Todai's Japanese Buffet and Sushi Bar in down town Portland. It was a great meal and we had a good time.

My new camera lens came this week and I hope to try it out this weekend. I'll post a photo or two if I get anything worth while. I bought a Tamron 18-270 mm zoom lens for my Nikon. It's gotten good reviews and will allow me to do most of my shooting without changing lens. It also reduces what I have to carry around. I just hope it lives up to it's reviews.

Back Home Again

2009-08-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

We spent a good portion of Friday returning home. It was a good flight with a half hour delay in Seattle when we were changed from a cancelled Horizon flight to an Alaska flight. The real delay came from the people who didn't get the word and went to the wrong terminal.

Needless to say we really enjoyed our vacation, although we both agree we needed more than a week to see all the sites we wanted to visit. I guess we'll have to go back again.

I mentioned that we were having guests for dinner last Wednesday night but failed to post photos. Our nephew Jake, wife Bethany and their son Noah were in Washington D.C. at the same time we were. While they only live about an hour from us at home, we still decided we had to have them to dinner. As usual, we had a great time and Jake and I hardly talked about politics at all. I took a lot of pictures of the three of them but the one's of the whole family were all out of focus. Fortunately I got some good ones of Noah.

This is the photo I put on Facebook and I think it does a good job representing how he looks. He's a happy guy!

This is my favorite photo of him. I'm not sure what was going on but I think Aunt Cheryl mentioned dessert.

You got to love a state that celebrates Parrotheads. For those of you not in the know, a Parrothead is a Jimmy Buffett fan, of which Cheryl and I definately qualify.

I'll keep bloggin' if you'll keep reading.

Mt. Vernon

2009-08-13T15:17:00.001-07:00

Today we took the Metro and then a bus to George and Martha Washington’s Plantation at Mt Vernon, overlooking the Potomac River.

What a beautiful working historical museum. We arrived early and beat the crowds. The weather was perfect for walking several miles around the plantation. I think we saw it all. If we didn’t it wasn’t from lack of effort.

While this is a working historical plantation, the history displays inside the museum and the visitor center focuses on George and Martha’s life.

Photos aren’t allowed inside the mansion so I was limited to mostly outbuildings and views. There are 6 or 7 theaters that provide nice historical views of their life.

I got up close and personal with the General in his tomb. I, along with another veteran were asked to enter the tomb and place a wreath between the sarcophagus’ of the Washingtons. The wreath can be seen in this photo. Behind the black door to the rear are another 20 or so family members.

This is a chair cart that was commonly used in this area and time to move easily about the plantation. It was horse drawn.

The grounds are beautifully kept and abound with flowers, shrubs and trees.General Washington experimented with a number of plants and farming experiments. He saw himself first and foremost as a farmer. The plantation includes 4 separate farms also.

These photos are from the river farm.

The eight sided barn on the right is an experimental thrashing barn that was used to separate the wheat from the straw. Wheat, by the way, was the main cash crop grown here on this plantation.

This is a reproduction of a slave cabin. Those working this farm lived here. Others lived near the main house and on the other farms.

Well our time here in Washington D.C. has almost come to an end. We fly out early tomorrow morning to return home. This has been one of the best (if not restful) vacations we've had. We both agree that we need a few more days to see all that we wanted to see. The weather has been great. We had a couple of days that were too hot but we spent them inside museums so we didn't notice much. Alexandria is a pretty town with plenty of history right out our front door. We found the area clean, friendly and not expensive as we had feared. Most of the museums were free and food costs were generally less than we pay in Portland, including restaurants. The Metro is an excellent and inexpensive public transportation system that connects pretty well with the bus system. All in all we like it!

We Had Lunch With George Washington

2009-08-12T18:54:00.001-07:00

Today we explored Old Towne Alexandria by walking out the front of our condo and heading down King Street towards the Potomac River which is 16 blocks away. I know as I counted every one of them several times.

We had lunch at Gadsby’s Tavern and sitting across from us was George Washington. He cheerfully allowed me to take his picture.

This was George’s lunch.

Actually Gadsby’s Tavern saw the first 6 United States presidents eat here at one time or another as well as most other notables of the first 50 years or so of our country. The tavern still serves great food. Cheryl and I decided we had to try it. She had the French Dip and I had the Reuben. I can highly recommend it.

We then took the tour of the tavern, which is actually in two adjacent buildings. The tavern once included sleeping areas and still boasts a large and active ballroom. For many years George Washington’s birth night was celebrated here.

In those days all music was live music. This balcony was entered by climbing a ladder in the hallway and entering through the small door in the rear.

George and Martha’s townhouse is about a half block away. They attended church at Christ Church as did Robert E Lee a few years later.

The panels on each side of the altar were originally white and are hand lettered. There has been no restoration done to them, they have naturally turned this color with time. Christ Church is still an active and vibrant Episcopal church with about 2500 members. You can sit in George Washington’s pew or Robert E Lee's if you like. We did!

These last photos are street scenes from King Street in Old Towne Alexandria. It is a beautiful and well preserved city that was first chartered in 1748 (I think).

We had special guests for dinner guests this evening. I hope to get some photos of them up soon.

Tomorrow we’re off to Mt Vernon which we hear we can’t miss.

Two Awesome Museums

2009-08-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

We thought today might be an easy day with a quick trip through the American Indian Museum followed by a couple of hours in the Aviation Museum with a stop by the Iwo Jima monument. Back to the condo early for a long rest. Wrong!

The National Museum of The American Indian is Wonderful. It is very modern and not at all what I had envisioned. Each individual display is put together in collaboration with the various native tribes and communities represented. It was very well done. The docents were mostly Native Americans representing a very wide range of Native American cultures. The food court was a mixture of about six different geographical areas including cedar plank salmon from the Pacific Northwest. This is by far the best Smithsonian restaurant area we’ve run across. I had an excellent Indian Taco and Cheryl had fry bread with honey.

Unfortunately most of the displays were hard to photograph because of the glass enclosed displays. If you visit Washington D.C. this is a must.

The National Air and Space Museum

This place is so large that entire airplanes get lost in the displays. I took as many photos as I could but without a wider angle lens (remember mine is broken) it’s hard to take a photo of a large or even small plane. There are entire rocket ships here as well as space capsules.

The famous Ford Tri-plane

The first sucessful fighter plane.

WWI German Bomber

WWII B-17

My personal favorite is the first successful jet fighter plane, the German WWII fighter ME 262. I was surprised at how small it was compared to contemporary jet fighters. What brave men to fly in them and especially to fight against them. It’s a good thing for the Allies that production came at the end of the war.

German V1 rocket (I think)

I told you “Night at the Museum” was everywhere. This is in the Air and Space Museum entrance.

Actually this was our first stop this morning and involved a walk of several miles. No ex-marine can miss the statue of Iwo Jima. It is beautiful, meaningful and represents everything the U.S. Marine Corps holds dear.

Tomorrow.... who knows?

The Museum of Natural History

2009-08-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today was another museum day. We spent all of it in the Smithsonian which consists of 17 DC museums. Today we hit the Museum of Natural History as well as the Castle (original museum) and a short time in the Arthur M Sackler Gallery and the National Museum of African Art. These places are huge and free. What a natural treasure.

I have wanted to visit the Museum of Natural History most of my life. It seems that almost every kid in the Northeastern U.S. had the same idea today. I was impressed at how many people they could get in to the place and how many of them were kids. I will admit that they did a great job with the crowds and rarely did we have to stand in line. The real fun was trying to take a photo of something without including someone’s head.

The movie “Night at the Museum” was filmed here and in case you forgot, there are reminders in every direction you look. All the museum stores have just about everything you could want as collectables for the movie.

This guy greets you when you come in.

If you saw the movie you know this guy. He loomed over us in the main entrance to the dinosaur exhibit.

There is a special display of Korean folk history.

This is a traditional Korean wedding dress.

I did not know the Hope Diamond was on display here. Getting a shot at a moving display in low light with about 100 other people was a challenge. While this isn’t the best photo, it was the best I got.

This is an African mask from a huge collection of masks in the Museum of African Art.

This is a reconstruction taken from a body found in a lead casket in Virginia. It was buried about 1640 and nothing is known about her identity.

I took about 100 photos today and this small selection really doesn't do it justice. Some of you may notice that all my photos are close up. I actually broke my short lens a couple of weeks ago so I can't shoot any wide angle shots. That's a huge liability when photographing tall wide buildings. Oh well.... this is an opportunity to buy that lens I really want.

The Wall & The Mall

2009-08-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great day today (by the way, Cheryl is writing most of today’s blog). We started the morning at the Mall. Our first stop was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I had been to it before, but Mike had not. We spent time researching a cousin of his that had died in Vietnam. We then walked the wall.

This is a statue that is near the wall and pays tribute to those who served in Vietnam. (This is my favorite Vietnam memorial. It reflects the Vietnam I knew. – Mike)

Mike - I love this photo of a daughter helping her Dad make an etching from the wall.
Mike - The wall is large and covers the dead from 10,000 days of war.

This is the Korean War Memorial and is stunning. Pictures do not do justice to this large memorial that includes a pool of water and a granite wall with sandblasted pictures. It is the best memorial that I have seen. (Mike - What an appropriate memorial to the men and women who fought in an almost forgotten war).

Our next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. As you can tell from the picture, there were a lot of people there. The last time I visited the Lincoln Memorial, I was the only one there!

The Washington Monument. After my experiences in China, I said I did not want to go up into the Washington Monument. Luckily, Mike readily agreed.

The WW II Memorial was built in 2004, so I did not see it on my last visit. It is beautiful and also has a pool of water in the middle. This photo is just a small piece of it and does not do it justice. Mike - It's really too big to photograph well when it's crowded.

We visited the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History. These are the shoes Dorothy wore in the Wizard of Oz. Yes, they are beautiful!

There is an extensive collection of posters from WW II. Some are very appropriate for today.

A picture of Roy Rodgers and Dale Evans. Mike - If you’re of my era there’s no need to explain.

Michelle Obama, from the First Lady’s exhibit. Mike - Each First Lady's photo or portrait is there and many other's items along with Martha Washington's silk gown.

All in all this is a wonderful museum to visit. Very interactive and able to easily handle large crowds. The amazing thing is that it's free.

Arlington National Cemetery

2009-08-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here's where we're staying. Cheryl and I love all the brickwork in town. It reminds us of our years living in Georgia.

While we have many reasons for wanting to visit the Washington D.C. area one of my main ones was to visit Arlington National Cemetery. We got up late (by local standards) and jumped on the metro to go to this beautiful shrine. We were not alone. Even though the cemetery was packed it was peaceful and serene. We really had no idea how big it is.
In size it's only 640 acres but the rolling hills and beautiful trees makes it look and feel like it goes on forever.
This photo give you a small feel of how vast it is.
I didn't check to see how many people are buried here but the number goes up weekly. We saw several fresh grave sites as we walked around through the cemetery. We were surprised at how many wives and children are buried here.
This is the eternal flame that burns in front of John F. Kennedy's grave.
My main reason for wanting to visit Arlington National Cemetery was to see the Tomb of the Unknows (unknown soldiers). The tomb is guarded year around, 24 hours a day, by members of the 3rd Infantry (Old Guard). They are also responsible for guarding the President and other dignitaries in Washington D.C. We got to see the changing of the guard, a very formal ceremony that takes place every 30 minutes on summer days and hourly at night and in the winter.
I've darked the photo of the tomb a little so you can see the inscription on it.
While in the cemetery it seems as though you're miles from the city but this view is only about 50 feet from JFK's grave.

We spent the rest of the day walking around old town Alexandria and relaxing. Tomorrow we may head for the mall. THE MALL!

Washington D.C.

2009-08-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

We arrived safe and sound in Washington D.C. this afternoon thanks to Alaska Airlines. It was a good, if bumpy, flight but no hassles. It seems that there was bad weather across the United States. Oh well.... The weather here is beautiful and not too humid. I hope to start taking pictures tomorrow and will post as often as possible. Tonight we ate supper, although our bodies thought it was lunch, at Joe Theismann's restaurant. Joe wasn't there tonight so we may have to go back. Actually about every 3d building here is a restaurant.

Girls Just Wanna Shop!

2009-08-01T20:49:00.001-07:00

After only five hours of shopping today eveyone was happy. We had a great lunch at Taco Time and lots of fun at the Mall. Grandpa even got some new shoes. The girls will be the envy of their class come September!

Granddaughters. I recommend them. I'll get to see the third Granddaughter tomorrow. She's not into shopping yet but I think it's only a matter of time.

Sarah & Amanda are here!

2009-07-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

I drove down to Salem today to meet Anita, Jerry and the girls. Anita and Jerry are attending the annual country music festival in Brownsville this weekend. They have been regularly attending for a number of years. It seems that Tim McGraw is headlining this year and even I've heard of him.

When possible, Sarah and Amanda come up here and spend the weekend with us, even though I think Sarah would rather be at the concerts. This provides a great opportunity for Grandma to take them back-to school shopping. It's a highlight for everyone's summer with the possible exception of Grandpa. His idea of fun shopping does not include thousands of pieces of girls clothes. However he gets plenty of Starbucks coffee and time to wander aimlessly about the mall. Tomorrow's the big shopping day and I'm searching for excuses already. It's to bad there's no computer stores close by. How many women's clothing stores can they cram into one mall anyhow? All in all everyone that counts will be happy and I'll be wired with caffeine. Hopefully I'll get a good lunch out of it. I'll let you know.

Collins' Reunion

2009-07-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

Over 100 members and spouses of the Collins family got together last Sunday to celebrate our family reumion. This has been an annual event since 1945 or was it 1946 when the family gathered to celebrate the return of the service men and women from WWII.

I won't even try to identify everyone. If you're a Collins you probably know them and if you're not you probably don't care. We were happily joined by a fair representation of the Wisconson branch of the family also.

The connection here for everyone is through my maternal grandparents who had 13 children, 10 girls and 3 boys, one who died shortly after birth. So with all these Collins folks only a couple actually carry the name. The rest of us are related through our mothers.

Here Dennis stands behind 2 of his nieces to show the birthday card he's going to give to his mother. When opened it plays "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".

Sonja, our non-resident English lady, is having a good time. She travelled from England with my cousin Warren and their 2 adult children to join us. They get the award for coming the furthest.
Even the fifth generation had fun. Did someone say dessert!
Mother and daughters? We had a bunch.
Brad, who was rummoured dead, came from Texas with his wife Lupe. He was surprised that he was dead! I suggested he show up more often!

The Hickey clan.

The Bentley's, including royality.

Collins' Kids

2009-07-25T20:17:00.001-07:00

Today 20 of us gathered for the first annual Collins Kids Reunion. We've talked about it for several years and now it's finally happened. Sorry the picture is a little out of focus but so were we. For those without a clue this is primarily for those of us born between 1950-1960's who's mother's were Collins' sisters. The full family reunion will be held tomorrow and we'll be there also.

Oh yea.... Several of the folks in the photo may look a little young to qualify. They're children of Collins' Kids. (I had to edit this a little today, Sunday as several errors were pointed out to me.)

Cheryl is Home

2009-07-21T16:57:00.001-07:00

Cheryl and Usha arrived home from China this morning about 8:15 after a 15 hour flight from China. This includes a 1 1/2 hour layover in Toyko. She had a great time but is very tired as you can imagine. She took over 650 photos with her Nikon. The following is an example. I hope to place many of them in online galleries as I get them sorted and photoshopped.

The Great Wall of China

2009-07-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Once you've hiked along the Great Wall of China you've pretty much set some pretty high standards. If you're not familiar with this GREAT WONDER OF THE WORLD then you need to ask your parents about it.

Cheryl and Usha establish a "location shot".

These to photos are for Jack. A Chinese grocery store.

The Beijing International Hotel where they are staying.

For Sarah - Harry Potter is alive and well in China!

As I write this Cheryl and Usha are getting ready to board a plane to return to the USA. They should arrive at 8:30 tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Imagine the jet lag!

I'm sure there will be many more pictures to post in the coming weeks. Thanks for all the great comments.

The Forbidden Palace - Beijing

2009-07-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

To get you in the mood...Here's Cheryl and Usha in front of Mao's Tomb in Tiananmen Square.

Cheryl arrived today in Beijing a little after noon (remember it's already tomorrow there) had lunch and then set off for the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Cheryl's travelling partner is her friend and co-worker Usha who is in the photo below eating watermelon. Watermelon signals the end of the meal.

The Temple of Heaven.

The following photos are from The Forbidden Palace.

Musicians in the park.

Tomorrow (today really) they are visiting the Great Wall of China and whatever other things they can find to do.

The Orential Pearl TV Tower

2009-07-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

Not sure if you can read this sign, but basically it says that if you are not of sound mind you cannot go up in the tower. (these were taken yesterday before she left Shanghai)

I received an email from Cheryl about 8:00 this evening saying they just arrived in Beijing. They left the hotel in Shanghai this morning at 4:30 (about 1:30 pm for us on the West Coast of the US.)

For those of you who don't know, I'm not with Cheryl in China, I'm at home in Beaverton. This lack of communication was the source some hilarity yesterday and today. Cheryl is travelling with a group on Business for Portland Community College and Spouses were forbidden from going. (But I'm not bitter!)

From Columbia to The Bund

2009-07-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

I just had to snap this photo as I was riding in a cab in the French district. This one is for Katrien (hope your new job is going well).

A view from the hotel. The iPhone doesn't do this justice. You can't even see the McDonalds!

This morning I had an opportunity to go shopping at the Antique Market. It was a great experience especially since I am enjoying bartering. I have now officially finished shopping.

Yes, these are real birds in the cages.

Tammy and I traveled to "M" on the Bund this morning. A friend who had previously traveled to Shanghai had recommended it. Unfortunately they were not open for business but asked us to come in and go to the balcony. The pictures are not very clear with the iPhone, but the view was beautiful.

The Bund is part of the old international district of Shanghai. Once very famous, it's still a great tourist destination. I think! (Mike)

I fly to Beijing tomorrow morning. I will leave the hotel at 4:30 am.

Jade Buddha Temple

2009-07-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

Cheryl sent these pictures tonight so I decided to include them in today's post.

No photos were allowed in the Jade Buddha Temple. The following photos are from the rest of the complex. Please note that the statues are very large. Unfortunately everything is in Chinese so do not have dimensions and additional information to share.

From the Travel China Guide

In the western part of Shanghai, a very modern and flourishing city, there is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple, Jade Buddha Temple. In 1882, an old temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Fortunately the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928. It was named the Jade Buddha Temple.

The two precious jade Buddhist statues are not only rare cultural relics but also porcelain artworks. Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with whole white jade. The sparkling and crystal-clear white jade gives the Buddhas the beauty of sanctity and make them more vivid. The Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters high and encrusted by the agate and the emerald, portraying the Buddha at the moment of his meditation and enlightenment. The Recumbent Buddha is 96 centimeters long, lying on the right side with the right hand supporting the head and the left hand placing on the left leg, this shape is called the 'lucky repose'. The sedate face shows the peaceful mood of Sakyamuni when he left this world. In the temple there is also another Recumbent Buddha which is four meters long and was brought from Singapore by the tenth abbot of the temple in 1989. Furthermore there are many other ancient paintings and Buddhist scriptures distributed in the different halls of the temple.

Although the history of the Jade Buddha Temple is not very long, the old-time and classical architectural style makes the temple unique and inimitable in this modern city. Devajara Hall, Mahavira Hall and the Jade Buddha Tower make up the main structure of the temple and at sides are the Kwan-yin Dian Hall, the Amitabha Dian Hall, the Zen Tang Hall, the Dining-Room and the Recumbent Buddha Hall. The Sitting Buddha is in the Jade Buddha Tower and the Recumbent Buddhas are in the Recumbent Buddha Hall. More than 7,000 Dazang sutras are kept in the Jade Buddha Tower; these are all the inestimable culture relics.

The Jade Buddha Temple is a good place to go whether you are a Buddhist or not, the peaceful and transcendent atmosphere adds a kind of richness to our busy modern society.

The proceding information is from The Travel China Guide.

Birthday Bash in China

2009-07-16T15:48:00.001-07:00

(Todays photos & comments courtesy of Kate Dins)

Cheryl and I (Kate) celebrate her bday and checking into HoJo - Shanghai.

On the way to pizza - Cheryl and Sam

Cheryl and Tammy at Pizza Hut

At Haagen Dazs!

Cheryl with Cole, her work out buddy!

(from Cheryl) I am sure you have received several photos from Kate. We went out to Pizza Hut and then to Haggen Das for ice cream. The Haggen Das is a sit down ice cream parlor and was fun and delicious.

We finished our formal lectures today. Our last speaker was especially dynamic. She teaches at Peking University in Beijing (probably the most prestigious college in China). Her topic was Consumer Market and Behavior in Shanghai. She was very knowledgeable about the US since her doctorate was from Penn State. She compared and contrasted Shanghai with other cities in China and could speak knowledgebly about the US as well.

Tomorrow morning I am going to the Jade Budha Palace and then in the afternoon to a law firm.

Happy Birthday

2009-07-15T17:19:00.001-07:00

While her Birthday is really tomorrow, it's already tomorrow where she is. So.... have a wonderful day and enjoy the Chinese pizza!

Love, Mike

Steak in Shanghai

2009-07-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

These two photos are of Fudan University in Shanghai where the group has been visiting.

After 12 days, we finally win the reward challenge and had our steak!

Do I see knives and forks?

Cheryl and Kate with Hai Bao, the symbol of 2010's World Expo in Shanghai. Hope our groupies are pleased! (Photo thanks to Kate Dins).

Cheryl and Sam Hopf in lobby before leaving for morning lecture.(Photo thanks to Kate Dins).

Shanghai City

2009-07-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today (Tuesday) I arrived in Shanghai in time for another banquet lunch. We traveled to Yuyun gardens and old town Shanghai in the afternoon. We also visited the 2010 Chinese World Expo preview. For dinner we ate another banquet, this time at a floating restaurant across from the Bund. The following photo is taken from the restaurant .

There are new buildings being constructed everywhere.

It is a beautiful city.

2009-07-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Kate and Cheryl in front of the "Future of China".

With officials from the foreign affairs office of Suzhou. I am on the right of the Vice Director (woman in white in front row).

Looking at the plan for the park (both future and what has already been built).

I purchased some tea from this shop. The young woman pictured here is performing a tea ceremony so I can try the tea before my purchase. It is a green tea and called "Suzhou" tea.

After another huge dinner tonight, we went shopping at a Walmart style store. It was the largest store I have ever seen. It was packed and difficult to move down the aisles. The pictures will not do it justice, but I will let you use your imagination. There was a full grocery store (Mike and Alex would have been in heaven). There were clothes and household items as well.

The place was so large that we were paired up with an intern so we wouldn't get lost and also so we could have an interpreter.

Today (Monday) they are headed for Shanghai for the next part of their adventure.

Cheryl says that she can't stand the idea of more food. They have been fed and overfed to the point that nothing is appealing. Other than the eel, Cheryl has had no complaints about the food, other than there is so much of it.

Tongli - An Ancient Water City

2009-07-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Leaders of the U.S. Delegation!

While most of you know Cheryl, Kate has not appeared in my blog until this trip. She and Cheryl were in the PhD program together at Oregon State and became friends. Kate also is a Dean at PCC and together they are the co-leaders of this group who are in China to learn about education in China (party). If you're not convinced look at the next 2 photos as evidence.

I'll turn the blog back over to Cheryl now.

Kate and I started the day with a great walk around part of the city. We kept trying to get to a park and instead were walking over bridges and couldn't find the way. We will try again tomorrow. We did see some people out exercising and fishing. We also saw quite a few people walking their dogs. Dogs are quite popular here.

I spent several hours at Tongli. For some reason most of the pictures are on my Nikon camera instead of my iPhone. It was very very hot so was difficult to do much looking around. I did go to a museum (sex museum) and watched an opera and a musical performance by an elderly gentleman. Some of the pictures of the people in the shops are priceless, just can't believe I didn't get any on the iPhone! (We'll post those when she returns).

The following 2 photos were taken by Bonnie Starkey.

I found quite a lot of information about Tongli on the internet. The following is a little:

Tongli is a small water town about half an hour from Suzhou with a history of over 1,000 years. Forty percent of the houses date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties (that 1368-1644 for those of you who aren't up to date with your Chinese history) It was built around 5 lakes, divided into 7 islands by 15 rivers and connected back together by 49 bridges. Canals everywhere. Water still forms a major role in the lives of its inhabitants. From: Aaron and Ely. (back to Cheryl).

Since today was Sunday, we asked to cut the day short. We did have a huge lunch and of course they wanted to provide us with dinner tonight, but we asked for a little rest. We will be back at it with formal events tomorrow and a farewell banquet.

I can't believe that my trip is 1/2 way done. The group that I am traveling with is wonderful. I am so pleased to be able to get to know all of them. It seems like most of the time when I have been with a large group, there is always someone who is "needy or annoying". That is not the case, everyone is a professional and a lot of fun to be with. Again, I will say that it has been an incredible experience.

Love, Cheryl

Another Day in Paradise, Chinese Style

2009-07-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

We started the day with a visit to Master of Nets Garden. Sorry, you will need to look it up. It is a very old traditional home, but I can't remember the specifics.

The next stop was to a silk factory. It was fascinating. I even was able to touch some of the worms. They are incredibly soft and the process to make silk is incredible. It is amazing that someone ever figured it out.

Mom, thanks for the birthday money. I purchased a beautiful silk blouse/jacket. It has short sleeves so will be perfect to wear in the summer.

We then had another banquet. Kate and I always sit as the honored guests. We are certainly getting spoiled. Again, the food is incredible although I am not trying all of it. I need to pick and choose because there are seriously over 30 dishes per meal. I am also serious that I am NOT loosing any weight.

The last stop was the Suzhou Museum. We spent several hours looking at the exhibits. We were to have one more stop, but it was too hot for another outdoor tour. Instead we returned to the hotel for an hour. During that time I was able to schedule a foot massage. It felt good when it was over! Must mean I need them more often.

We had another formal dinner and then went on a cruise along the ancient canal (from Xumen Water Gate to Midu Bridge).

By the way, I can't access Facebook from the business center so haven't been able to check or respond to the comments. They have the settings configured where no one has been able to access it. It is so interesting to talk to other guests from all over the world and find everyone complaining because they don't have access to Facebook.

I am off to bed now so I will be ready for tomorrow. Kate and I have a morning walk planned so we can observe (or participate in) morning exercises in the nearby park.

Love, Cheryl

July 10th Report from China

2009-07-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

I have had an incredible day again. Today we started at the Hong Kong Space Global College. It is a two-year institution that was built in 2005. They currently have about 2000 students and hope to grow to 5000. Eventually they would like to become a 4-year institution. The faculty and administration was high energy and very appreciative of our visit. Their faculty is extremely international. The faculty and staff live across the street from the institution and basically work 7-days a week, although they do go shopping etc on the weekend. We are being treated like royalty and being escorted by government officials. Kate and I (being the "senior" members of the US delegation) are expected to enter the room first and sit in certain places. We also are expected to lead with the "thank you" and also provide the gift at the end. Very interesting.

Each meal (beginning with last night) has been a formal affair with Kate and I sitting to the left and right of the host. There are at least 30 - 40 dishes being served and I can't even begin to tell you what all of them are. Tonight the "eel" was brought to the table live and then cooked and returned to the table. I am doing pretty well with the food, but must admit that I was not up to trying the eel.

There was a mix up today and a few members of the group thought it was my birthday. Luckily they told me about the mistake in advance and I was able to "pretend" that it was my birthday when the host presented me with an incredibly beautiful and delicious cake.

Please let everyone know that I am very safe. Yes, I have heard about the riots, but don't worry, I am very far from anything like that.

By the way, the humidity and the heat today was horrible. I normally don't complain about humidity, but it even got to me! Here's a few street scenes I took along the way.

Again, I am having an experience of a life-time and am also enjoying everyone on the trip. What an incredible group - all are professionals and delightful to spend time with.

Tomorrow I am off to museums and gardens since it is the weekend. It will be very fun! Love, Cheryl

Map of China

2009-07-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to post a map of China so you could get a feel for where Cheryl is at any given time. She has left Hong Kong (Southeast corner) for Shanghai (half way up East coast) and from there will take a bus to Suzhou (just Northwest of Shanghai). As she travels I'll update you on the map.

(You can click on the map for a larger view) If this isn't enought for you; go to China Maps and poke around.

Shopping in Hong Kong

Somehow I forgot to add these to the blog. So here's a couple of shots taken Tuesday nioght before they flew to Shanghai.

Tuesday from China

2009-07-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

These are Cheryl's photos and comments from today (yesterday for her).

I am thoroughly enjoying Hong Kong. This is a beautiful, clean and modern city.

This photo is from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. While I know it is kind of goofy, it was the only image I could get of the trading floor since photos are not allowed.
Tonight I finally went out to dinner. Kate, Tammy (from the

Small Business Development Center) and I went to a Japanese restaurant. What an incredible treat. I had shrimp and tempura sweet potatoes. They melted in my mouth and I couldn't even eat all of them. It was worth every cent and yes, it was expensive! Good thing I saved up for it.

I am so happy that I was able to come on this trip. I am so fortunate. Just wish you all were here. Cheryl

Our First Work Day in China

2009-07-06T15:27:00.001-07:00

This morning we started the real purpose of the trip - the educational lectures and discussions. We began with the mandatory visit to the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's health clinic to have our temperature taken and to receive our masks. The swine flu threat is being taken very seriously. We all passed through with no fevers!

The first event for the day was the opening ceremony. Kate and I were seated at a front table with two individuals from the University and we all made opening remarks.

The first lecture was from Cheung, Kai Chee, Associate Professor, Department of Management and Marketing. He spoke on the Structure and the Role of the Hksar Government. He had a wonderful sense of humor and was passionate about the subject. He is Chinese and originally "swam" to Hong Kong (many years ago).

We had another delicious lunch. This was held at the University in a

private restaurant. There were at least 15 dishes of food served.

What a wonderful selection.

In the afternoon we visited the House of Innovation on the campus.

The University has many innovative departments working on everything from new fabrics to cures for cancer. The center had many great displays and we learned so many things about the University.

The last stop for today was at Li & Fung. Chang, Ka Mun, Managing director, spoke on Regional Developments of Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta and their implications. Once he warmed up, his passion for the subject was fun and informative.

Mr. Chang also took us on a tour of the research department. It was closer to a think tank. Each room is set up with a product theme and look more like a store. As an example, they had "stores" like Dusney, Toys'R us, and Avon just to mention a few. The rooms were totally decorated with products made for that company. In addition there was a table and chairs in the room for the team to use. It was fascinating.

The following photos were taken yesterday during the harbor tour.

This was another wonderful day! Cheryl

Message From Cheryl

2009-07-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday, July 5, and we spent it sight seeing. Our real work begins tomorrow at the PolyTechnic University.

It was great to have a day to recover from the long flight and see many exciting and interesting places.

We began the day at the Chilin Nunnery (Budhist) followed by the Nanlin Garden. I sent pictures of each earlier. (see yesterday's blog)

We went on a boat ride in the South China Sea and had a tour of the local fishing vessels and some boathouses as well. The woman that steered the boat stopped to buy some fish for lunch from a local fisherman. It was fascinating. She then dropped us off at the Jumbo Floating Restaurant. They serve Cantonese Cooking which meant that all of the food was very fresh and delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, so much for loosing weight in China!

After lunch we traveled to the Stanley Market and I was able to purchase a purse/backpack. Somehow in all of my packing I forgot to bring a backpack which I really need to have for both safety and convenience. It was a fun market, I could have spent a lot of money, but didn't.

The last stop was at Victoria Peak. We drove up in a bus, but took the tram back down. It was fairly hazy and cloudy (it has been raining off and on all day) so the pictures I took did not come out very clear.

We made it back to the hotel around 5:30 p.m. I am getting ready to exercise and then call it an early evening. If you want to see the hotel where I am staying, you can view the website at

Harbour Plaza Hotel

Cheryl

First Photos From Hong Kong

2009-07-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

Cheryl is on a tour of Hong Kong as I write this. She just sent the following photos from her iPhone.

Happy Independence Day

2009-07-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July. Alex and Christina will be over this evening for a BBQ.

Cheryl arrived safely in Hong Kong after a long but eventless flight. She sent me an email from the plane just after they landed. They are 15 hours ahead of us (PDT) in Hong Kong.

Everybody's Flying Away

2009-07-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Cheryl took Andrew, Brandie and Calaya to the airport. They flew back to the Carolinas to visit with Brandies Grandfather.

Andy called as they landed and sent us this photo of Calaya looking out the window. He said she did great and played or slept the entire trip. How come we never got that lucky?

This morning I'm taking Cheryl to the airport so she can fly to China for about 2 1/2 weeks. This is a simular trip to the one she made to India a couple of years ago.

I, on the otherhand, am staying home with the dog, cat and rats. Go figure!

Glasgow????

2009-06-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

As long as I've know my Father-in-Law, Jack, he's been the self-appointed Mayor of Glasgow, Oregon. His long and often bizare tenor bore fruit this week when he received a visit from an ambassador from the other Glasgow. The one in Scotland. Rather than copying someones else's story, you can read about it in "The World", the local North Bend/Coos Bay daily newspaper which was there to cover the event. Just click on the following and enjoy.

The World.

Calaya & Parents Come to Visit

2009-06-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Andrew, Brandie and Calaya came to Portland for the weekend to visit. We had a great time and I got a lot of photos.
If Andrew looks a little tired in this photo it's because he'd only had a couple of hours sleep when I shot these. Calaya is teething and likes to smile and talk,

She's a very happy girl and loves to be teased and played with.

Grandma has no trouble at all getting a big smile.

Two Curries & a Vindaloo

2009-06-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well it's been well over a month since my last post and several of you have mentioned that to me. So I thought I'd get started again by letting you know whats going on right now and then maybe in the next couple of days catching up on the past month or so.

Cheryl is off with her friends Barbara and Pemmie for their annual retreat to a spa on the central coast. Hot rocks, melted wax and all that sort of thing. Sounds like torture to me!

Tonight Alex and his friend Christina came over for dinner. I chose to cook Indian tonight so I made a Vegetable curry as well as a Fish curry and a pork vindaloo. They were all very good, if I do say so myself. Much to my surprise the vindaloo was the favorite. It is a spicy pork dish from the Goa region of India. I've eaten it before but never made it. I ment to get photo but forgot until it was too late. Maybe next time. Sorry Carrey, I promise pictures next time.

Back Home Again!

2009-05-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

We had a leasurly drive in the pouring rain from Redding to Portland today, arriving home about 5:00 PM. We immediately went and got Drake who was, as usually, very happy to see us. We had lunch at the Wolf Creek Tavern, just north of Grants Pass. This is one of the historic stage houses that has become a favorite lunch stop for us. As usual, the food was excellent. So, we had a great vacation culminating in a two day drive in the rain. Most of the Californians were happy with the rain; most of us in Oregon .... well we're waiting for spring.

Sunset for Sarah

2009-05-01T20:45:00.001-07:00

I had promised Sarah (Granddaughter) that I would try to get a picture of a sunset for her. Not an easy thing as each evening the fog came in and the sun disappeared early. On Wednesday I was able to get this shot. Sarah has been home sick all week and is looking forward to returning to school on Monday.

One afernoon as Cheryl and I were walking I stopped to shoot a photo and as I was standing there this little guy came out to see what was going on. He was actually watching Cheryl and allowed me to take a number of shots of him.
OK, Cheryl and I are spending the night in Anderson, California on our return trip home. We found a great little motel and restaurant. Anderson is just a few miles south of Redding and about 25 miles north of Corning, home of the Olive Pit. The Olive Pit is a place no Oregonian can pass by without dropping a significant amount of money. We continued the tradition today. We hope to be home by mid afternoon tomorrow and start to get back into the swing of things. It's been a great little vacation and we feel recharged and ready to get back to work (sort of).

Mission San Juan Capistrano

2009-04-30T20:05:00.001-07:00

Today we visited the beautiful Mission San Juan Capistrano. It's easy to forget that while our founding fathers were working to establish the United States of America, a group of Spanish missionaries were establishing a mission in what would eventually become one of the most influential states in the union.

The mission here is well cared for and preserved. While we were visiting over 750 4th grade students from the local area were also there learning about California history. They were great fun to watch and to talk with.
The mission grounds are well cared for and very accessible. The school children are considered an important part of the park and were made very welcome as we were. We very much enjoyed their enthusiasm and excitement. What a treat!
I think we enjoyed the children as much as the old mission itself. I can only imagine how much history these old buildings have seen.
The swallows are back and while the numbers may have decreased over the years the importance of the mission has not.
It was so nice to see all of the historical renovation that has occurred here. We spent about 3 hours wandering about and listening to the history. After the visit we had lunch in one of President Nixon's favorites restaurants nearby. It was superb.
These photos really don't do it justice but the grounds are beautiful. Everything we saw was easily accessible and tourist friendly. Another great place to visit.

Wild Animal Park

2009-04-30T07:27:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's visit to the San Diego Wild Animal Park was a lot of fun. The park is operated by the San Diego Zoo for the duel purpose of breeding endangered animals in a natural setting and providing people access to animals in a more natural setting.

The following are about 10% of the photos I took. The weather was perfect for the animals and for the visitors. We were able to see just about everything on display. Almost all the animals are from Africa.
This parrot posed for me while he was eating.

A very rare type of antelope.
More African antelope. I can't begin to remember the names of most of these species.
This guy is from the mountains of Northwest Africa.
This is one of the baby giraffes. This is a rare spiecies.
Grooming!
These birds were flying around the park also.
A White Pelican.
Nesting
More nesting.
An African stork.
Cape Buffalo, considered one of the most dangerous animals on earth.
A California Condor. Part of a breeding program for endangered California species.
Rare Masai cattle.
Their bull elephant.
He's really bigger than the photo suggests.
Part of a family group. There is a new baby hidden behind then. I never did get a good picture of it.
Giraffes eating. These are the ones we would normally see in a zoo or animal park.
A silverback Forrest Gorilla and his pregnant female.
A first we didn't think these lions were real. So we had to get closer to check them out.
They sleep about 20 hours a day.
Thinking about a snack.
She was quite alert.
A meercat. This guy posed for as long as I wanted to photograph him.
The ostrich was sorting her eggs, pulling out dead ones. This is a community nest.
White Pelicans waiting to be fed.
A rebok, I think.
The park is helping re-establish the population of several rare rhinos. These are white rhinos who live in the savanahs of Africa.
This warthog was charging towards the wall when I got this photo.

We spent 5 hours at the park and could have stayed longer. If you get down in this area it is well worth a visit.

Good Bye Sean

2009-04-29T21:47:00.000-07:00

I just got word last night that my brother David's good friend Sean died yesterday. I had the pleasure of meeting him several times and getting to know him slightly. He was a great guy and will be missed by many.

Easy Going Day

2009-04-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today was a rest day of reading and walking along the beach. We got some much needed rest and I caught up on some work.

This is the view to the south of us towards San Diego. The morning was cloudy, then the sun came out in the afternoon. Sorry Sarah but the clouds came back in during the late afternoon so there was no sunset.
There were a number of people surfing, as is to be expected in Southern California. This guy tried hard but never made it up on his surfboard. The closest I've ever come to drowning was a surfing attempt just a few miles north of here when I was a young Marine. I have great respect for surfers.
Tomorrow we plan on going to the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. It will be a day long adventure that we are looking forward to. I hope to have some great photos for tomorrow's blog. We've put off the mission until Thursday.

Oceanside on Monday

2009-04-27T17:12:00.001-07:00

Today we spent shopping for food and getting the lay of the area. Below is a photo of the Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort where we are spending the week.

Here's why they call it the Oceanside Pier Resort. This is a photo out the front of the resort. Last night we walked out to the end. It is a quarter of a mile to the restaurant at the end. Lots of folks just walking or fishing.
This is a photo looking north from our condo. Today Cheryl and I walked up to the harbor that is just past the jetty in the distance. Tomorrow we'll go the other direction.
These are some cute rental cottages we walked by. They look out over the beach.
After a trip to Costco for food etc., we drove over to Mission Del Rey. I believe it was built in 1798. The tour lady told us that they were not allowed to have church services there anymore because it is not up to earthquake standards. I pointed out that it had stood over 200 years without damage. She said that several people had mentioned that to the earthquake commission but they were not convinced. Gotta love a bureaucracy.
These are the stairs that lead down to the mission laundry area. This mission was walled and provided refuge and living space for the local indians. There was a barracks and a small detachment of Spanish soldiers in residence there.
This is the ancient laundry area. Water would flow from the gargoyle into the bottom, where the ladies would wash their clothes.
That's it for today. Tomorrow we hope to go over to Mission San Jaun Capistrano and see if the swallows made it back yet.

On The Road Again!

2009-04-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well, Cheryl and I are in Oceanside, California for a week of relaxation and fun. We drove down and arrived about 5:00 this afternoon. This is a long anticipated vacation and designed just for relaxation.

As you're likely noticed I've not been blogging much lately but I hope to get motivated again. We've had a lot going on, I just haven't written about it. In March my blog celebtated it's first birthday with a quiet glasss of wine. I hope to go back and fill in the blanks with some fun and interesting stuff.

Oh yea, the photo. Well it has nothing to do with our vacation but deserves a blog posting of it's own. So I'll get to it soon. In the meantime take a good look at it.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Have a Happy and Blessed Easter!

Calaya Comes to Visit

2009-03-01T16:28:00.001-08:00

Andrew and Brandie come up this weekend for Bethany's baby shower. While they were here we got to spend a lot of time with Cayala, including a couple of hours of babysitting while Mom and Dad went shopping.

Calaya chats with Grandma during a diaper change.

This is my new outfit for the baby shower I'm attending.

Grandpa is teasing me!

Sitting with Grandma.

Grandpa is sooo funny!

Calaya and Grandpa also enjoyed watch a soccer game on TV and played with the pet rats. Mom was less than thrilled with the rats but Cayala thought they were great. Her visit also was in celebration of her 3 month birthday. Hard to believe!

Calaya's Shower

2009-02-21T19:41:00.000-08:00

Cheryl is in Coos Bay this weekend to attend Calaya's baby shower. Her and Monica (Brandie's Mom) have been working hard on it for several weeks. Cheryl took a few photos on her iPhone so here they are.

Calaya with Aunt Anita and proud cousins Sarah and Amanda

Calaya with Geat Aunt/Cousin Lynda who looks ready to be a Grandmother to me.

Proud Grandmother and her sisters Karen and Jacque. Both who are Great Aunts. No pun intended!

New Technology Idea

2009-02-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

This is a video from one of the most innovative organizations in the world. Enjoy and think about the future.