Sharing Shower Weekend Pictures

I'm really falling behind on my postings. I took pictures at the baby shower and am only now getting around to sharing them. Mostly, it is an excuse for me to share pictures of my cute grandchildren.

For example, here is Clara enjoying her uncle's hammock. Actually, I'm not sure how much enjoying was going on. As I recall, she wasn't sure about the sensation. But she's cute!

Then there are these two wild and crazy guys, Henry and his friend Zach, who would be a cousin-in-law, I guess. They loved playing with this big blue ball. I wish I had a movie of the time Henry was running behind it and had his momentum roll him right over the ball and onto his back on the ground.

There was lots of fun and eating going on in Will and Sandy's back yard that weekend. The first night involved mass quantities of pizza. (Can the weather be any better than it is this year for outdoor fun?)

One uncle, who shall go unnamed, may have taught my grandson that showing off what he is presently eating can be funny (the first time or two). Also, Henry may be tiring of having a camera in his face all the time.

Meanwhile, Clara and her cousin-in-law Andrew got to know each other.

Here are those wild and crazy guys again. I was guilty of thinking that this would make a cute picture, which it did, but failing to realize that if they tried to get out on their own the hammock might simply dump them out on the ground, which it did. My bad! No crying or bruises though, so I didn't get in trouble with any of the parents.

Zach loves his Uncle Will. I think the feeling is mutual. It is easy to believe that someone is going to make a great father.

Oh, and there was a shower that weekend. Males were banned from the house during this time, but Kathie got several nice pictures of my lovely daughter-in-law opening gifts. There is another cute grandchild in there somewhere too.

I suppose I've overdone the balance of grandchild shots with this extra one of Clara, but she was just too darn fashionable for me not to post this one.

Eleanor was there too, of course. Here she is spending some time with her Aunt Betsy. ("Aunt Betsy" has a nice ring to it, don't you think?) By the way, I was the happy recipient of two babysitting opportunities with Eleanor these past two Wednesday evenings!!! That's Kathie's mother in the background. She sure looks like she was having a good time.

OK. Another picture of Clara and my darling daughter. We are into "so big" now. A couple mornings ago, Clara and I had a "so big" exchange via video conference. Wow--have things changed. Thinking about what was possible when I was that age and what is possible now. My folks might have tried to get me to talk to my aunts or grandparents or other relatives over the telephone, but a long distance call was relatively expensive, and so that would have been rare. Also, most relatives were very close by, so we saw them in person. Now many live hours away and we use the Internet to communicate in real time and with video. My profession involved me in these changes on a first-hand basis, but I'm still amazed by it all.

My daughter is pretty good at holding a camera out, pointing it back at herself/us and getting a decent picture. Witness below.

Finally, here's Betsy, Clara, and Eleanor in that hammock, which saw lots of use during this weekend.

Leach Endorses Obama

Jim Leach, one of Iowa's most respected Republicans and a long-time former Congressman, yesterday came out in support of Barack Obama. You can read about it here as well as in a number of other Iowa online newspapers. Mr. Leach is someone with whom I interacted frequently when I served as part of the UI's administration, including meeting with him in his office in Washington. He is among a very small number of Republicans for whom I have regularly voted. I have great regard for him. He is a genuinely nice person, is always thoughtful, and brings great intelligence to his work.

I find this endorsement exciting and very good news. Although I usually try to stay away from politics and similar issues on this blog site, I urge everyone who regularly reads this blog to study this endorsement and to further consider voting for Mr. Obama. I am very deeply distressed about the state of this nation and the prospects for my children's and my grandchildren's futures. Some say Mr. Obama has too little experience. I say it is time for us to break the chain of "same thinking" that so many politicians with too much experience keep in Washington--a fresh approach can do us a world of good, and I mean that both literally and figuratively. The Bush administration has been a huge disaster for us, and I cannot find any hope in the candidacy of John McCain. Perpetuation of a conservative, intolerant, Republican administration will only further weaken the position of this nation in this world and threaten its very existence. Though it may have become trite to say so, it is time for change.

Recently, At the Lake

The Klopf family, along with Vicki's college friend, Katie from Calgary, Canada, visited us at the lake recently. ("Katie from Calgary, Canada"--has a nice ring to it, don't you think?) Thanks to Gail for sharing her photos with me, several of which I use below. Evidently, Vicki and Katie were in some kind of mood while on their way to the lake.

Kathie's mom spent all of our July stay at the lake with us. Here she is with Gail and cousin Sandy, who stopped by for a visit.

Kathie put Greg to work splitting wood for an evening fire.

Meanwhile, the girls decided to take up fishing. Here is one of Vicki's first catches.

Greg and the girls took a ride up the river in one of our canoes.

Later, Kathie took everyone out for a boat ride,

including more serious fishing time. There is a good-sized Northern in that net.

Gail got a pretty nice shot of a Bald Eagle.

Here are the three fish that the girls brought home. All of them and a couple of others that Kathie and I had previously caught made up that evening's dinner.

Some time was spent in the hot tub. Here are Mom and her girls.

Later, I took the girls out for another fishing trip. Vicki caught a decent-sized bass.

Katie caught quite a large bluegill.

A Sad Day

Two posts ago, I described a book and a lecture by Randy Pausch that I had found so very compelling. Randy died today, and although there are many who pass each day and who deserve our respect, I feel an extra bit of sadness at his loss. I didn't know him personally, but I felt that I could relate well to him. Again, I urge you to read his book and to listen online to his last lecture. You can see many more interesting things about him here.

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was Kathie's mother's 84th birthday. Mom has been enjoying a vacation with us for the last few weeks here in Wisconsin. To celebrate, we took a boat ride over to The Landing for a birthday lunch/dinner.

The Landing is a restaurant we very much enjoy that is situated at roughly the midpoint of the Chippewa Flowage along a county road that bisects the flowage into its eastern and western halves. Last summer, at about this same time, Betsy, Pete and Henry (Clara was yet to be born, of course) also traveled there by boat with us for an evening meal.

We had casually mentioned Mom's birthday to the wait staff, and so they surprised Mom with birthday treats and sang Happy Birthday to her. I think you can tell that they are on the last "you" in their rendition. Strawberry short cake and carmel pecan ice cream! Yum!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Must Read Book

I've been aware of this book for some time and finally got around to reading it recently. As you may know, the book came about as a follow up to a lecture given by Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University. Of special incidental interest to me is the fact that he is a distinguished computer scientist. You can hear the lecture, which I strongly urge you to do, by going to this web site. Pausch is in the final months of his life as a result of cancer. He had been asked to give a "last lecture" at CMU, which is something faculty are often asked to do at their respective universities as a way of setting them up to think about what wisdom they would impart if it really was their last lecture. This particular lecture is so touching simply because it truly is a last one. This had not been anticipated at the original time of the invitation. I urge anyone reading this to read the book first and then hear the lecture, although spending time with either one is time well spent. His advice (really intended mostly for his children), the love he shows his wife, and the dedication and feelings he clearly has for family, friends, students, his university, and life in general are very touching and worthy of personal consideration. I very much wish I could have listened to this advice when I was still working and especially while I was still teaching.

It turns out that I was once invited to give a last lecture, I think back in the middle 1990s. The experience really does make one pause to think about so many things, both past and present. My lecture pales in comparison to the one that Pausch gave. Perhaps unfortunately for them, my children all have a recording of it.

Catching Up

We spent the last part of June and early July back in Iowa. Kathie and I did lots of yard work, including trimming several trees. Things looked pretty nice by the time we were done, although I guess you are never really done with this kind of work. The raspberries were coming out in force, and so we had some treats there. Another big treat was the opportunity to spend time with family, who were collected to enjoy Jazz Fest and to celebrate Eleanor's first birthday. Here are some miscellaneous pictures and stories about those days together.

Clara is getting cuter by the minute. She was six months old on July 8th and is sitting up without help now. Here she is busting her Dad's chops and showing off her 4th of July outfit.

We all enjoyed a breakfast at Amana together on the 4th, and then Will and Sandy came out to visit us before we all headed into town for Jazz Fest. Will and Sandy had brought their tandem bicycle along and decided to take a ride over to the reservoir area to see some of the results of the flooding along the Devonian Gorge. They have acquired a trailer for their bicycles too, and so Henry got to go along. Uncle Will bought him a cool new helmet, so he was a bundle of enthusiasm as they prepared for the ride. He ended up enjoying every second of it. Here he is getting ready to depart. Uncle Will gave Henry his Garmin GPS unit and assigned him the task of navigating.

About to depart....

And off they go.... (There is no stopping Sandy--seven months pregnant and still as fit and active as ever!)

For some reason, there was lots of video camera action at Eleanor's birthday party the next day (her birthday was actually earlier, but this was a chance for all the family to be together). So none of us got many still shots. I even used my video camera that day, which I have rarely done lately. I have some great video clips, some of which I may post at a later time. Anyway, here is at least one picture of the birthday girl. She has been walking for two months already. You can read lots more about her party at her parent's blog site.

Rob cooked some good burgers and brats for all of us. (Limited hair equals potential sunburn equals requirements for hats!)

Grandpa Dave checks in with his granddaughter, who was busy shoveling in bits of strawberry.

Here is Eleanor's pile of birthday loot prior to the afternoon unwrapping event.

Clara is now eating solid food. Some of it finds its way into her stomach, we believe.

Henry loves to play baseball. Here he is taking a mighty swing at a ball, which as I recall he blasted into deep right field. Uncle Will is very good at coaching Henry on batting stance and technique, so he was making real progress.

Before heading home, Henry and family spent a couple days at our house. So I had an excuse to unbox my electric train. Between the train and a list of other activities, we got in quite a bit of play time. So, now I'm back at the lake resting up!!

Sarah, Turtles and Porcupines

Niece Sarah came to visit for a couple of days while Paula was here. We had lots of fun playing cards, paddling around on the lake, dining out, watching movies, telling stories and laughing. Here is Sarah trying out the kayak we have on loan from another niece.


We went to a favorite local Bavarian-style restaurant for dinner one evening. Naturally, a picture with one of the trolls was required.


We enjoyed dinner along with a terrific view of the lake. Paula and I had sampler plates of authentic German dishes.


Here are Sarah and her dog, Dayton, relaxing on one of the couches.


The next day, Josey appeared at our front door with a treasure she had retrieved from the woods--a painted turtle. She was so proud. During the next few days, we saw quite a few of these guys moving around, including trying to cross the highway into town. Alas, not all of them made it! I know I shouldn't create shadows when I take pictures. I forgot! At least this shot shows a nice sharp image of the creature's colorful underside.


When I picked him up, he would stick his head out and try frantically with his feet to free himself from my grasp.


This is what he did whenever we put him down--try to find a hiding place and get away from us. I thought that Henry, at least, would want to see him in action.



Josey seemed to think she should retrieve him, which we wouldn't let her do, so I carried him down to the lake. The minute I set him down about two feet from the lake, he shot straight for the water and was gone--happier, I think, if not wiser. I think it was the next day that I was doing some work on the boat. I looked down over the bow near the shore and saw an enormous snapping turtle. Its shell must have been at least 18" by 14", and its head was the size of a small cantaloupe. They are very shy and usually try to depart, but I wouldn't have wanted to accidentally corner him and have fingers or toes at stake. I think it must have been turtle week.

Then tonight, there was Josey's chance encounter with a porcupine. She very nearly inspected one a couple years ago up here. This time, she was out of site when Kathie heard her scruffling around in the woods while she was fishing off the dock. The result of this encounter can be seen below. We managed to get them all pulled out--probably two dozen--and not with much cooperation from Josey. She seems a little exhausted now, but we think she is OK.

To A Couple of Great Dads

Kathie and I want to say Happy Fathers Day to a couple of great fathers from "The Greatest Generation":

And for good measure, Paula and I want to remember the man who always loved us dearly:

Fishing Success, Finally

I can catch fish after all. After we took Paula to the airport for her return home (so sorry to see her leave!!), Kathie and I went fishing and caught about seven--all crappie and walleye. One of the crappies was really large, and two of the walleye were good-sized too! So we kept three for tonight's dinner. Here they are:

A New Fishing Obsession

Paula has been staying with us a few extra days following the cousins reunion. I asked her if she would like to go fishing, and she said she had rarely if ever gone fishing. No one had ever taught her, she said. So, I said I'd teach her and off we went. We started out with some simple bobber fishing to see if she could get the hang of casting and other details. It was also a way to be almost sure that she would catch something and sustain an interest, because bluegill have moved into shallow water and are generally eager to go after a worm. Well, let me tell you, Paula was a pro at casting and handling her rod and reel right away.

Here are Kathie and Paula demonstrating how enjoyable fishing can be.

And here is Paula's first fish. A nice, colorful little bluegill. She wasn't too excited about baiting hooks, and she seemed worried that the fish might be hurt. But we let them go with no trouble.

Here she is again with a fish hooked and being retrieved. See that delightful Paula laugh? By this point I know she is having fun.

And another bluegill to add to the tally board. She eventually landed four.

Meanwhile, Kathie hooked a really nice bass.

So, we decided to up the ante a bit. We motored over to a lodge to stock up on additional gasoline for the boat and some fresh minnows.

Then we traveled over to an area where we like to fish for walleye--over sunken bog humps. Of course, Paula had mastered casting by now and so working with a jig and a minnow seemed to be natural. Well, she pulled in a very nice walleye--probably 14" and well worth keeping. We hoped to catch a couple more and have a nice dinner. Paula hooked two others but they both escaped before we could get them into the boat. Meanwhile, Kathie and I are catching nothing, although Kathie had at least hooked that nice bass. (Eventually, Paula asked to release the single walleye she had caught, which was nice and healthy in the boat's livewell.)

That same afternoon, she landed one more fish, a nice crappie. Final score: Paula-6 (plus two near-misses), Kathie-1, and Bill-0. This is getting to be an unhappy pattern with me!! I thought it was beginners luck for Paula--but maybe not.

The next morning, we are sitting around enjoying ourselves, and Paula says, "Maybe we can go fishing again!" Oh-oh. She is "hooked." She now likes fishing--her favorite new hobby. She'll be weaving things out of fish scales and other things in no time. So, on this next outing, she lands another crappie as you can see below. This outing took place under rainy conditions. Even rain didn't stop her. Dad would have grinned and loved it!! Paula was using Dad's old spinning rod--the blue one you see in this picture. That was a very fitting circumstance.

We went to a nice German-style restaurant for dinner last evening, and there were displays of fish hanging on the wall. Paula took the following pictures of muskie and walleye. I guess she now has her sights set on bigger game!!

Maybe I'll start catching fish one of these days again. I must be an OK fishing teacher at least.