Category Archives: Family

Rest in Peace Brother Bob

20181122-140248-15 — When Bob wasn’t in uniform he was wearing a race shirt.

Last week my brother Bob was laid to rest, with full military honors, at Pikes National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He passed away in November from complications of Parkinson’s Disease after a six year illness caused by viral encephalitis.

Bob’s marker in the foreground and Pikes Peak in the background.

The military honors were very moving and emotional and I was teared up all the way through the ceremony. The Navy Honor Guard, the Rifle Team, and the Honor Bell crew performed their jobs perfectly and with great precision. I am sure Bob would be happy with how they did it. The Cemetery workers who were almost all volunteers were very soft spoken and gentle with the families and explained how everything would go. I didn’t take any photos of the ceremony. I wanted to be fully in the moment to honor Bob and show my appreciation for the service members and volunteers in the ceremony and there and taking photos requires stepping back (at least for me it does.)

I talked about a little bit about Bob and recounted a few stories of events in his life. My sister, Ellen, the verbal one in our family gave a heartfelt talk. The VFW Chaplain gave a wonderful message as well.

Brother Bob, Sister Ellen, and me way back when.

And a more recent photo of the three of us. Ellen and her husband live in town so Bob will have family visit him from time to time.

And here is Bob and I on Tulsa’s RiverParks Trails. You knew when he visited there was going to be running going on. We would take off and he’d leave in the dust, he’d run back from time to time to make sure I was okay and then take off out of sight again. He ran over 50 marathons and over a hundred half marathons.

Here is his spot. He’ll have a marker in a few weeks.

He is going to be under the big Colorado Sky and have a great view of Pikes Peak in the distance, and he’ll be in the company of thousands of veterans from all branches of the service. He loved the Navy. He served twenty years as an enlisted man and after he retired, he worked another ten years as civilian employee.

Pike’s Peak National Cemetery puts wreaths on every grave every December. The wreaths are donated and volunteers do the work. It’s one of the prettiest things I’ve ever seen.

The US Olympic Marathon team trains in Colorado Springs not so far from the cemetery. I know in spirit he’ll be lacing up his shoes to go run with them and trying to talk his fellow vets to go with him. He was a great running ambassador.

Bob joined the Navy and his first assignment was to be on the first crew on the rebuilt USS Missouri Battleship back in the 1980’s. He sailed around the word with her and was with the Missouri the Middle East during the Gulf War. He maintained his running by circling the helicopter deck endless times.

So long Bob, you will always be remembered.

Memphis Sights

While sitting with my sister while our brother was in the hospital in Memphis I would get up and walk around the area around the hospital and take photos.

I am back in Tulsa now for a short while. My sister is still with our brother at a rehab facility.

Memphis Cotton Field-1-Edit — Cotton Field near where we are staying

I’ll be heading back in a few days.

Memphis Cotton Field 2-Edit — According to Google, cotton harvesting still goes on this late in Tennessee

So keep all three of us in your thoughts and prayers.
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Brother Bob’s Birthday – Celebrating 66 on Route 66

_DSC0370 — The great photographer of the family tells them, you guys stand here and I will go across the street. Well, that didn’t work out well.

Brother Bob came over from Tennessee to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. His birthday is right around that time as well and he was talking about Turning 66 on Route 66. That sounded good to me so on Black Friday we including son Logan went on a phototour

_DSC0373 — So I moved in closer, and no sign of the Meadow Gold sign and what’s worse is that I cut off their feet!

We went to a few Route 66 sites in Tulsa.

_DSC0374 — Okay, I will take this at Cyrus Avery Plaza. Note how Logan towers over his uncle.

_DSC0376 — Poor guys, I cut off their feet again.

_DSC0381 — The eternal debate, stand together? or flank the sculpture? I don’t know.

On to Route 66 Village in west Tulsa. A gigantic locomotive on display there. Logan is taller than the wheels! I can still take him though. I just hope I don’t have to prove it some day.

In front of the train. Not too bad. Not too good. It is what it is.

So Bob, Logan, and I had our #OptOutside black Friday on a stretch of Route 66 in Tulsa. We also ate some Chili Cheese Coney Dogs and ventured to the Philbrook Museum of Art to kind of balance things out. Later on some birthday cake.

Shopping with Heather

I guess that I am a little different that some husbands. When Heather goes shopping, I almost always go with her if I can. She is my best friend and I am rarely bored especially with my phone and my various camera and filter apps. So this is a recent trip.

We went to Sprouts. Sprouts used to have these stern signs at the entrance to the store that photography was strictly forbidden. Yeah, you gotta be kidding me man. So I took pics of everything in sight. They don’t have the signs any more but I still take pics of lots of stuff. I love these pears.

And their flowers! I love them also. I was using the Hipstamatic App to take photos. I love Hipstamatic.

And then we went to Steinmart. I found these bears.

And these purse chains.

And these bears!

And these little knick knacks.

I found these shorts. I love them, but I have way too many clothes. Should I go back and get a pair?

I loved this shirt also. Should I get I go back and get this one. The slightest encouragement would cause me to do so. I think Logan has this same shirt. Maybe he will let me borrow his.

Anyway, so much for shopping trip today.

A Barn and Beyond

This is a barn in Osage County that I have passed a bunch of times on my way to Woolaroc, Pawhuska, or Osage Hills State Park. I think it is beautiful and appears to be reasonably well taken care of by whoever owns it. I’m sure that it is full of mice, snakes, bats. What barn isn’t?

Earlier this month, my wife took me to her new place where she is going to teach Zumba classes. Titan Sports Performance Center in Jenks, OK. It is ginormous. Lots of indoor volleyball and basketball courts, two indoor soccer fields, a Martial Arts Academy, a Sports Performance Center, and of course a huge space for Zumba and other exercise classes. Plus it has a bunch of outdoor soccer fields. It also has a huge area upstairs where parents can sit and watch their kids play or practice whatever sport they are in.

I met her boss when I was there. Really, really nice guy. I told him it was a great facility and he did the karate of thing of putting his hands together and bowing to me. My yoga teacher does a similar thing at the end of her class. Puts her hands in “heart position” and says “Namaste.” I put my hands together but hadn’t yet said “Namaste.” I don’t know why. I’m a guy, and an engineer, and a Republican. I’m not sure I’m allowed to say such a thing.

Look at all those air conditioning ducts. Don’t you know the electric meter about spins off the wall during a hot summer day.

Here is one of the indoor soccer fields. It is all enclosed. Is that like some sort of Mad Max Thunderdome death cage kind of soccer they play in there or what?

And acres of outdoor fields. Out in the sun.

The Health Club that we belong to has smoothies. One day they had a blueberry smoothie on special so I signed up. It was just as good as it looks.

Anyway, a wide ranging post today. I hope your day is going great.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

It is Saint Patrick’s day and I am ashamed to admit that the only photos I have out of 67,000+ in my archives are for a 5K run Logan and I ran a couple years ago and this crappy photo of some green beer. That’s alright I guess.

We had big family plans to head off to a resort today for Spring Break but I got sick yesterday and Logan got sick so we’ll just have to see how everybody feels this morning. I hate being sick. I was planning on taking lots of pics. I feel better this morning. Yesterday I was at maybe 70% and today maybe about 85%. Yesterday was the first day in years where I didn’t have a cup of coffee. That hasn’t happened in decades!! Today I’ve already had two. No green beer for me today. That would be a mistake. I had a piece of toast yesterday and a baked potato. This morning I was starving so I fried a couple eggs.

No bike rides for me today either. So we’ll have to see, we are not packed and we are not ready for the house sitter and I have yet to see how Logan is feeling.

Finally, Rain

We finally had some rain today. Not a whole lot and it brought some cold weather along but things were getting very dry.

I just now noticed the nativity piece located in the prime position below the monitor and above the power strip.

Logan is doing well with his new job at a grocery store. He worked in the deli for a while and is now working maintenance and appears to be doing well. He is getting all growns up it seems. I took him to a medical lab for some blood work and he checked himself in.

I love taking photographs of refineries and other industrial stuff. I read that in Japan indusrial tourism is a thing. They call it Kojo Moe. People try and visit factories and other industrial facilities. I can understand that. I think I would have a hard time getting the other two in the family to join me.

LJ the cat is happy. It got cold enough for us to turn the fireplace on. Sometimes I think he is going to burst into flames.

We are having a little bit of a toned down Christmas this year. We have had lots of distractions but I am taking a few days off and my brother is driving in to visit. We’ll eat good and maybe watch a movie or two. My main problem with Christmas is that I can’t turn it off as fast as many people can. I always want to stay on the vibe for a week or so. Lots of people seem to be done with it the day after. Too quick for me. I love the time between Christmas and New Years.

Emily and Libby get Hitched

This past weekend we ventured to Oklahoma City with the world’s greatest MIL, Nana, to attend the wedding of our sweet friends and family, Libby and Emily above. No they didn’t get married in a swimming pool!! This is from earlier.

It was a classy affair. Instead of a guest book they had this thing. You signed a little wooden heart and put it in a slot at the top. Being the classy guy I am, I not only signed it, I went ahead and put a Dallas Cowboys star next to my name. Not that they are Cowboys fans, but they should be!!! Right!!?? I don’t see my name. Some Eagles fan probably took it out.

The wedding party was very attractive. I stole this pic from Cheri Lou’s facebook. She is probably going to sue me for doing that. So I need you to contribute to my legal defense fund. Just send me your credit card number including that four digit supernumber that unlocks all sorts of good things and your billing address. I anticipate ongoing needs so dont’ be cheap with me.

And this is a Yogi original photo. I mean what is up with this group of people, they are ll over the place. Look at them. That is Sweetie on the left, then Nana, then Cheri Lou, and behind her is her husband, Sweetie’s cousin, Joe, and the kid in the back is Logan. Quite a group wouldn’t you say, and the bar isn’t even open. This is my photo but Cheri Lou is probably going to sue over this picture as well. So double up on the legal defense fund. And Sweetie is going to dump me so I need an extra donation for that also. And you will never guess it from this photo, but The BAR WAS NOT EVEN OPEN yet!! Yep, they are all stone cold sober.

And here is me with the kid and Heather aka Sweetie. Doesn’t she have a sweet smile?

And here is Nana and bored grandson.

And here is the cake, You can tell the bar still isn’t open.

Things are looking up though. Heather and I found a shuffleboard table. We do shuffleboard!! We courted playing shuffleboard. That is our thing. We also found a cooler. At least I did.

More selfies, you can tell the bar isn’t open yet!!

After the ceremony, the bar opened!! And Sweetie danced. She loves line dancing. I can’t do it.

Logan wouldn’t dance with his Mom, (this is awkward he said). But he cut a rug with his Aunt Cheri Lou.

And next thing I knew, Heather is leading the Conga line. Why not?

Yep, Emily and Libby got hitched and it was a heck of a party.

Skywatch Friday – Anniversary Edition

On Sunday Heather and I went for a bike ride. We drove 14 miles in nice weather under a beautiful blue sky.

And because I’m such a nerd, here is a video of the route we took.

Saturday night we celebrated our Anniversary in style at a trendy restaurant downtown. The Bull in the Alley, only ten tables in the place. But it is deluxe.

We had lots of real estate to ourselves. We had a nice leisurely dinner. We’ll be going back.

The entrance is in an alley. Who’d of thought. No sign or anything.

We also have a new member of the family. A nice little female kitten. She has taken over the house. We are trying to name her. The vet we got her from calls her Wendy. We think Windy might be more apt because she is kind of gassy. We are thinking Izzy or Lizzy or Chloe sounds good. What do you think? She is very sweet and not scared of our goofy dogs at all.

Nana kind likes her also.

Heather is already hooked, and so am I.

Anway, that is what is up with us. I did post a bit of the sky so this is my Skywatch Friday post.

Dad, RIP

My father passed away last week at 89 years of age. He was active almost right up to the end. He had a long full life and touched a lot of lives. I will never forget that twinkle in his eye.

He was preceded by Mother who passed away thirteen years ago. They made quite a team.

Dad always had a great sense of humor, especially with his grandkids.

He and Mom did a great job raising their three kids.

He is buried next to Mom near Mom’s birthplace in Dubois, Idaho.

His passing, funeral, and burial are of course sad affairs but it gave us a chance as a family to gather together, and get reacquainted. And that is satisfying. Here is his obituary.

RIP Dad

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

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