Thanksgiving Day 2010

It's just after 5 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. I'm a little put off that I'm awake so early, but I guess its true that you need less sleep as you age. I'm sitting here in Amy's house waiting for the family to wake up. The girls and I did a little (read: 'lot of') shopping yesterday so I came up early. Bruce will be here a little later this morning. It's cold an icy outside.

Steve and his family will celebrate at home in San Jose and Kevin and his family will celebrate in Austen. Stephanie's parents and some of her siblings are visiting with them in Texas. I'm sorry we won't all be together today, but I'm thankful they have jobs in our current tough economy.

Our plans today are a little different for us. Instead of cooking ourselves into a frenzy all day, we are going out to dinner. There won't be the leftovers we usually have, but that's better in the long run for us...at least this year. Besides, it's not about the meals...its all about the plan for Black Friday...(sort of kidding here, but not really...)

Later in the afternoon: O.K....erase what I said earlier about no leftovers. We ate at Claim Jumpers and had a ton of leftovers. We brought home those plus our dessert because we were too full to eat them there. Shane made a couple of pies here at the house and Bruce brought a cobbler and a pie from home to share. Amy put together a lovely appetizer tray earlier today and we snacked on that. In other words, I may never eat again.

I've been on a diet the last few months. I put on a lot of weight this year. It seems my thyroid was out of whack, plus it was just a bad year overall. But that is back on track. I've lost nearly all the extra weight and I feel a lot better.

Back to Thanksgiving. I think one of my best ever memories of Thanksgiving was back around 1966. Mom and my sister-in-law Gloria were cooking the meal. It was a pretty big production back then because there were so many people to feed, so many children running about and so much confusion. Everyone was starved and waiting (im)patiently for the meal. Mom and Gloria consulted each other and declared the huge turkey was cooked to perfection. With the precision only time and experience can give, they each took a side of the bird and began to lift it out of the pan onto the platter to rest. The memory gets a tad hazy at this point as to who or what failed. Suffice it to say they both had a look of total horror as the lovely brown and juicy bird fell and slid across the kitchen floor. I observed this activity and can still recall the look they gave each other. The look said more than a thousand words could have. Without missing a beat, they swooped up the turkey, dusted it off, and placed it on the platter. There was an unspoken agreement between all of us that no more was to be said about the matter. The meal went on without another hitch and was declared the best turkey EVER by the family.

I'm thankful for memories like those. I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to be close to my dear sister-in-law Gloria. She passed away a few years ago, and this year would have been her and my brother Jim's 50th wedding anniversary.  He had a party with family to recognize the date, but it was nothing like they would have had if Gloria was still here to enjoy it with him. The whole town would have been invited and the party would probably go on for days. She was one in a million and I was blessed to have had her in my life for most of it.

I think the tryptophan is kicking in from my turkey dinner and I'm getting sleepy. It may be nap time, so I will close this for now. I can't do so without saying how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family and extended family. I love them all.

Amy Catherine

One of Amy's Senior pictures. She wanted to inclue her little brother and sister.

Amy and Shane just before they got married.

Amy and her little cousin Ian, just after returning from Thailand.

Amy and Shane on their wedding day

Would you look at that red hair and those adorable freckles!

Top left: Deb and baby Amy; Amy being pulled by Steve in his wagon; Amy on vacation.

Amy and Steve in their Sunday-best.

About this time of night 37 years ago I began noticing the unmistakable signs that I would soon be giving birth. I was excited and more than a little nervous. I remembered the feeling I'd had just before Steve was born...that I had changed my mind and didn't want to have a baby after all that day. A slight panic was all it was. We were living in San Luis Obispo, California at the time and Bruce was in school (carrying a 4.0 gpa, I might add.) We called my parents to come and take care of Steve while we did what we needed to do. We didn't take into consideration the fact that I would need to go to the hospital in the middle of the night (its always in the middle of the night, isn't it?) and my parents lived about 2-1/2 hours drive away. Add in time to dress and get ready for the trip and we had a problem. I wasn't going to be able to last that long. We ended up calling Bruce's buddy Henry to watch Steve until my parents arrived. Henry was not a 'kid person' but Steve didn't seem to notice.

Things progressed as they should and soon I was in the delivery room pushing like crazy. I remember someone saying "it's a girl!" and my response was 'oh! That's JUST what I wanted!" We were delighted to have a daughter. When she was brought to me a short time later, she was wrapped tightly in a pink blanket and she looked like a tiny pink peanut. We felt like the tiny little girl needed a tiny little name so we named her Amy. Her middle name is Catherine after her Aunt Katherine. She didn't have much hair, but what we could see seemed to be red. My dad was SO excited to have a little red-headed granddaughter. He called her 'red-in-the-head'. Steve seemed to accept this new addition to our family without a lot of problem, so that was good. We settled into our life as a family of four. We installed seat belts in the tiny back seat of my 1956 Nash Metropolitan so the kids would be safe. It wasn't a law back then, but I was always diligent when it came to my children's safety. We would pile the two kids in the back of the Metro and head south to Ventura on most weekends.

Amy was a good baby, and very mild mannered (especially in comparison to Steve). When Bruce graduated from college and went to work for the Federal Highway Administration we began a 2 year training program, moving our family 4 times to 4 different states in those first 2 years. By necessity, long car trips were a big part of her early years and Amy took it all in stride. She was a trouper from the get-go.

We didn't have much money in those early years so I made a lot of the kids clothes. T-shirts and shorts were my specialty. For recreation we would go to parks and for special occasions we would go to McDonald's. Amy's hair was a little slow in coming in so I made her a shirt that said "NO! I'm a girl!". I thought it was hilarious.

Amy is more like her dad than she is like me. She is sensitive and smart and a true athlete. Sometimes we've clashed a little over the years but I think that's normal for mom's and daughters. She does have some of my traits like my 'just do it' nature. If she needs to make something or do something she never has before, she just thinks it through and then goes for it. I got that from my mom and I believe Amy got it from me.

One of the big joys of her life has been sports. She plays tennis, soccer, swims and can exercise in the gym for long stretches without getting tired. Even when her weight was up she was still in better shape than most people. She has had to curtail her sports somewhat since having knee surgery last year, but I don't count her out. She'll figure out a way to keep active.

She has a gift for languages and speaks Thai very well. She also speaks a good amount of Spanish.

She's a great mom to Ben and Ryann. They are both exceptional kids and Amy and her husband Shane are the reason why. She goes to nearly every game the kids have (they are both in soccer and basketball) and supports them in every way. She has taught her children well and I'm proud of her for that.

My daughter Amy has grown into a beautiful, strong and thoughtful woman. I'm very proud of the person she is. Happy Birthday, my sweet little peanut.

Nelscott Reef Classic

So I was wrong about where the event I referred to earlier was to take place. I thought the reef was just north of town, but its just about dead center. (only about 20 blocks from my house.) There were tons of people there (and little parking) so by doing a little snooping, I found a place high on a hill that only a few people had found. I set up my spotting scope and my folding chair. I had my cooler with water and a diet shake, and my handy little camera. The activity took place too far out in the ocean for my camera to capture any of it, but my spotting scope was perfect. It was awesome to see the big waves and people actually out on them! That doesn't happen often here in Oregon.
I didn't have the means to take any long range photos or video, but this was on utube from someone else that was there. It was an amazing day.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGMoFSO-cIw

Aparently the Brazilians were the best surfers of the day. Who knew?!

All the Beautiful Children...

And all of them are attached to me! Love it!

Halloween 2010

From the left: Cedric Rory as "Max" from Where The Wild Things Are ; Madeline Eilonvy as "Haurio", an Asian Anime' character; Pierre Genieve as "Repunzel"; and William Stewart as "Neo" from The Matrix.

For reference, this is the character Maddie was portraying:

This is a photo of Sophia Brynn and Juliet Rose as "Rosetta" and "Silvermist" from the new animataed Tinkerbell movies

And last but certainly not least: Benjamin Michael as a Roman warrior; Kerry Elizabeth as a Grecian Goddess; Kerry Ryann as a shorter and younger Grecian Goddess; and Amy Catherine as a Warrior Princess.

'And finally, I have to add the following excerpt from an email from my daughter-in-law Beth. I think its hilarious and will always be a great family story.

We had an interesting time trick-or-treating this year. Or rather it was pretty typical except for one house that handed out a very unusual treat. We went down our own street first. There aren't very many houses there because of the high school that takes up over half the length of the street. So kids often skip our street altogether. A few doors down we were greeted by an Asian man. As occasionally happens, he was unprepared for Trick-or-treaters, but instead of simply telling us he had no candy, he asked us to wait for a minute. He left the door open. If he had closed it, we would have just moved on after a minute. Instead we stood there awkwardly (holding Ceddy back so he would stop sticking his head in the house) while an extensive conversation played out in Mandarin. I assume it went something like this:

"Honey, there are some kids at the door. They want candy."


(footsteps coming near) "We don't have any candy"


"Why not? It's Halloween, isn't it?"


(exasperated sigh) "We never get trick-or-treaters; why would I buy candy when nobody ever comes?"


"Well, do we have something else to give them? They're waiting out there."(His voice is getting quicker and a little panicky now.)


"I don't think so" (rummaging around in drawers) .."Wait, what about these? They came in the gift basket from your cousin last New Year's."


"Lemme see... Is is okay to give these to kids? They probably won't even like them"


"It's fine. Just give it to them and get them out of here."


The man returns and plops a small object into Pierre and Cedric's buckets. He kind of shrugs at Maddie and Wills because there isn't anything else. We move on.

Maddie gets a little suspicious (and possibly a little jealous) so she rummages in Ceddy's bucket to see what she is missing out on. She stops in her tracks. "Um, mom, That guy gave them whiskey."


"What?" I ask, "Did you say whiskey?"


By this time Maddie has also confiscated Pierre's "treat" and hands them over to me. "It says whiskey."


In my hand are two little bottle shaped objects labeled Jack Daniels brand old no. 7 Tennessee Whiskey. I blink. I flash back to when Steve and I were in Paris and I bought a chocolate cherry cordial confection at Michel Cluizel. It was a wonderful little chocolate filled with a Kirsch-soaked cherry. Very good, but definitely STRONG. Not a flavor profile for kids. Later that night I cut one chocolate open and out oozed a syrup and the potent reek of alcohol. It was less than two teaspoons; not enough to affect anyone but it might have put them off candy for a while. Hmm...maybe that's not such a bad thing after all. Jack Daniels, anyone?"

Weather, Surf, and the What-ifs

Ok, so my title is a bit random, I'll admit that. I couldn't think of anything catchy and a title is required.

The weather is the big thing this morning. The wind and rain are coming down in torrents and sideways. its actually kind of exciting. I'm glad I finished my weather-proofing of the house on one of the nice days last week. The storms bring other things-high surf. World-class surf. At least that's what's happening in Nelscott, just north of Lincoln City. The annual Nelscott Tow-in Classic has been scheduled for tomorrow. Surfers from all over the world make the Oregon pilgrimage to ride the 20-30 foot waves....conditions permitting. It's really kind of cool...there is only a few days warning that it will happen so people watch for it. I'm thinking seriously of going and trying to catch a glimpse. I suspect it will be difficult though. There is very little access to the area. It's rather remote. But...hey....I got that kinda time. I watched a movie about it last year, and I have to admit I'm curious.

In the past the surfers have been towed out past the breakers with jet skis since its so treacherous, but this year they have changed the rules and the surfers will have to paddle out. Only the strongest (and luckiest) will be able to make the grade. I have to wonder what kind of people take those kind of chances. The water in Oregon is VERY cold. Very few people swim in it, especially during storms. Of course they'll all have on wetsuits, but that doesn't protect the hands and face, and I can't belief they are actually 'warm'. The very thought makes me put on another blanket.

Anyway, other than that today is my library volunteer day, so I'll be heading out to do that in a little while. I'm really proud of the fact I only have to sing the ABC's song in my head when I put away the fiction books and not out loud.

I hope the world has a good day.