Looking Back At Christmas

I didn't get around to posting these pictures earlier, but I thought my readers might still enjoy seeing a few shots from our various Christmas celebrations. Kathie, her mother and I spent the day together. We had a great dinner the evening before, so we had lots of good leftovers to enjoy and very nice gifts to open.

Josey must have eaten at least twice her usual amount on Christmas day, because all of her gifts involved treats. So she had lots of snacks in addition to her usual allowances.

A few days later, other family members gathered. Henry had to show me his remote controlled skunk (really!). Not everyone has one of these!

Eleanor played for awhile with some of our toys.

Then, Kathie and I decided to engage everyone in a game of "Fox and Geese." We tromped out paths in the snow and then taught the grandchildren how to play. We all had a really fun time--some games you just don't forget.

While Kathie prepared cocoa for an after-game treat, there was some clowning around.

Then there was cocoa, which requires lots of stirring in order to blend the Cool Whip (we were out of marshmallows).

The next day, Will and Sandy arrived, and we gathered again for dinner and gifts. Kathie had spent most of 2009 making these bags for the three "girls." (I can call them girls if I want. I know they are all successful young women, but I like to think of them as my girls.)

Henry got a new shirt from his Uncle Van, but I think we have indoctrinated him in Hawkeyeness enough so that there will be no worries.

Eleanor and Clara have new slings for their dollies. Clara liked hers. She was just tired of having to pose for so many pictures.

I had been ready for quite some time for Eleanor and Clara to open their Christmas gifts. Earlier in the year, I had purchased two very nice music box movements. You may recall my posting last September about the ancient wood called kauri. I used some of the kauri board I bought then to make each of these little sweeties a music box with the movements installed in them.

Will, Sandy and Anders stayed with us an extra day. So, Kathie took this "three generations" picture.

I think the holidays were extra nice this year.

Bowling in Arizona

Our quick trip to Arizona was fabulous. Good friends Dick and Rina had rented a house in the Phoenix area for the month of January and invited us to come join them for a few days and attend the then-expected Boise State versus Iowa game in the Fiesta Bowl. So, we made plans to do just that. However, the BCS bowl selection process ended up pitting TCU against Boise State and put Iowa up against Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl instead. Nevertheless, traveling to Phoenix still seemed like a nice winter break, so we followed through on our plans. We figured we could find a TV someplace on which to watch the Orange Bowl.

On our first full day in the area (beautiful blue skies; sunny; 70º), we all went to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West residence (or camp, as he originally thought of it). The site is the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which, among other things, offers fully accredited degrees in architecture. The residence sits well above the metropolitan valley occupied by Phoenix, Scottsdale, and many other cities, and with mountains all around in the distance, the view of the general area is magnificent. Nestled against a set of foothills and surrounded by desert, the home is both beautiful and architecturally/artistically fascinating. We learned quite a bit about Wright, the man, as well--what an interesting person he was. If interested, you can read lots more about Taliesin West here. Here are three pictures I took to give you some idea of what we saw.

The second day, we went to visit best friends of Kathie's mother who have lived in Sun City West for over 30 years. All of that Arizona sunshine must be great for one's health--they are in their mid-90s and are still going strong. They were delightful hosts, fun to meet, and had great stories to tell. They were excited to see Kathie, who had not seen them since 1967. About each other, they all said, "You look just the same!"

The third morning (beautiful blue skies; sunny; 70º), Rina, Kathie and I went to the Desert Botanical Garden, about which you can read more here. The garden has a vast array of plants, including, naturally, lots of cactus varieties. We also saw a nice variety of birds. At the right time of year, you can see lots of butterflies and hummingbirds, but this was not the right time for that. The garden frequently features music and other events, including art exhibits. Last year, glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly were featured. Some of these remain at the entrance to the garden as you can see below.

I loved seeing all the saguaro cacti throughout the general area. There were magnificent specimens in the garden.

There were lots of prickly pear too. This is the one cactus species that grows virtually everywhere, even outside of deserts. However, those we saw here were especially lush.

Did I say that I liked the saguaro?

The current art exhibit is by Allan Hauser. Here are a couple of his sculptures.

This one is an organ pipe cactus with a Hauser sculpture nearby.

Although we saw and heard lots of interesting birds, I most liked the quail with their obvious topknots.

Now, do you remember my earlier story about the bowl games? It turns out that there are lots of Iowans in the Phoenix area. Plus, we encountered a number of other travelers who seemed to have done what we did, namely plan on a Phoenix trip with some expectation that Iowa would be in the Fiesta Bowl. So, there were lots and lots of Iowans in the vicinity. We located at least four bars that regularly show all Iowa football games down there for alums and former Iowans. So, we made plans to watch the Orange Bowl at one of these locations.

When we drove up, there were yellow and black balloons tied up outside the door. In spite of our two hour early arrival, every table in the place was reserved by Iowa football fans, something we had not anticipated. However, Dick's powers of persuasion and a tip for the hostess got us four good seats at a bar near the back of the establishment. We were amazed at how the place filled up with black and yellow Iowa clothing. There were hundreds of people there.

We started out with drinks and a great round of appetizers and then moved on to some excellent Mexican food. By game time, we were making the acquaintance of numbers of other attendees with whom we had some indirect relationship. These included common friends, former UI employees, students, and others. For example, Kathie ran into this young woman, the daughter of someone who once worked for her. It was amazing to strike up a conversation and find out that we had something in common back in Iowa or at the UI.

Dick made a little movie of the fun and friendly chaos in the bar. (Dick is an outstanding photographer and owns and operates Wilderness Studio back here at home.) Click on the play button to see the action, and watch closely for familiar faces!

The bar at which we were stationed had a TV over its backbar, and the bartender was a hard-working, attentive, and (oh-by-the-way) attractive former University of Nebraska student. She is now an Arizona State graduate student in psychology. Kathie could relate to that. She seemed to support Iowa against Georgia Tech, so that was good too.

Of course, the final outcome of the game was perfect, and the place was alive with noise, excitement, and fun. All four of us believed we probably had more fun than if we had actually been at the Orange Bowl itself. Besides, it was only 49º in Miami, while we enjoyed 72º weather that afternoon! GO HAWKS!

MN Thanksgiving

Warning: Lots of pictures! Long posting!

I spent a happy several days in Minnesota with my children and grandchildren and to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. I rode up with Rob, Carrie and Eleanor, who read several books to me during the ride. Betsy and her family arrived about 15 minutes before we did. Henry was already at work helping Will make pizzas for supper.

Clara waited patiently for her slices.

As did Eleanor.

Meanwhile, Pete and Henry watched Rob play an old-timey game of Simon.

Anders likes pizza too.

Eleanor loves to read.

Naturally, there was some football watching to be done. It's a guy thing.

We spent lots of time at this table over the several days. On Thursday, Sandy made great sticky buns and a breakfast casserole.

Anders was all dressed up for Thanksgiving. I understand Carrie made him this sporty-looking sweater.

Eleanor read more books.

The guys watched more football. (Except for Will, who was slaving away in the kitchen most of the day. He fixed a wonderful turkey dinner.)

Rob showed Eleanor and the other kids one way to play with dominos.

One end of the Thanksgiving table was adorned with these two delightful guests.

While these two anchored the other end.

Naturally, some pinball playing had to take place (in a nuclear free zone).

Clara decided that she had seen enough football.

While Anders lobbied for an outing.

On Friday, we decided to visit the Como Zoo, so Clara donned her hat.

At the zoo, Henry posed by the statue of Don, the gorilla.

Here's the whole gang. I shot about 15 pictures trying to get one with everyone looking at the camera. This was the best I could do, given the distractions and the posing. What a great bunch!

Back in the main building, one of the zoo personnel told a story to a group of children visitors. Henry must have been playing one of the parts in the story--notice the pelt he is holding. He was very attentive.

Afterwards, father and son walked back to the car.

Later, Clara decided to style her dad's hair.

Clara played "I spy" with me.

Sarah and Josh came over on Friday evening. This was Josh's first introduction to all of his new future in-laws. He made a big hit. Sarah, Betsy, Sandy, and Carrie spent lots of time discussing weddings and wedding planning.

Since Will, Sandy and Anders were not able to be in Chicago on the 21st, Will surprised Henry with another birthday cake. I think Henry was a little in awe of the extra attention and the rousing singing of "Happy Birthday to You" by all of us. In truth, Will and Sandy may also have seen this as a good excuse to have one of their favorite cakes from the 50's Diner.

Will gave Henry two Lego sets and then was very patient in helping him put them together.

On Saturday, Pete and I were in charge of breakfast. We did good.

Anders was dazzled with our cooking skills.

Henry showed off on of his completed Lego models.

Anders and his dad took a break from the cooking.

As they say, it doesn't get better than this.