Yes, we are here!
Have been intending to write something from here but our primary attention has been given to being with Freya when she is home and awake. She has started her daily stint at the Montessori school with half days this week. Both of us have accompanied Matt to pick her up midday so have seen the premises from the outside and to observe her pleasure at seeing her Dad.
From Monday afternoon when we arrived she has been very accepting of us and seemingly at ease with interacting.
Things went well on Sunday. Our flight departed 5 minutes early arrived about 5 minutes early -- a very smooth 3 hr 55 min flight. Saw a lot of the terraian as it was a mostly sunny day. Saw one forest fire in MT.
Little trouble finding our car and we were on the 1-405 at 2 PM. Drove almost 400 miles when we stopped at le Grand, for the night. No problem drving on to Boise and C,M, and F's home by about 12:30 PM.
Matt has taken time off every day this week, except for some at home work he is able to do, so we've been well cared for. He and Mom just went out to Costco for some supplies. Casey has arranged to work for a while at home this afternoon and then we'll all be going to a big Sierra Outlet Labor Day weekend sale.
Matt has at least two "seasons" opening tomorrow, so
he has places to be over the weekend. It will be a busy schedule.
We plan to leave here Sunday morning and drive up to Glacier NP for a day then head back toward Seattle by Tuesday so that we will be on hand for our midday departure on Thursday, 9/6.
It has been very hot here, so we haven't felt a great desire to be out and about. It has been very comfortable to be here inside or out in the shade of the
backyard deck.
Glad to have the blog report from Mark and will devote sometime today to the extensive report from
Domino! She really took "pen in hand". Will check
Susan's effort out, too --even though we did get a good report from her by phone yesterday.
Grandma asked that we send our best wishes and prayers for every success for each of you who is beginning a new school year and the new work experience for Alex.
Love, Grandma and Grandpa
Thanks, again, for each of you who remembers to use LARGE, BOLD print which makes it easier for Grandma to read!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
An update from the east coast!
Well, I’m here at college. In New York. Almost 1000 miles from home. Yikes.
As many of you know, the plan was to leave between 3 and 5 pm on Friday and drive straight through to Poughkeepsie to arrive at around 8 am when move-in began. Great plan. Didn’t work. We left at 4:30 pm and were making good time until we rounded Chicago and headed for Indiana. From southern Chicago to Indiana was a HUGE traffic jam. We went MAYBE ten miles in 3 hours. It sucked. And we had no idea what was causing it, none of the Illinois radio stations were talking about it at all. We finally tuned in an Indiana station and they informed us that I-84 in Indiana was completely flooded so they had to close it. This necessitated a 10 hour detour south. Needless to say, I was late for check-in. It sucked.
Day 1 at Vassar College:
I arrive at 5:30 pm, about 3 and a half hours after official check-in time is over. i have to sign in at some random office where they hand me a billion pieces of paper with important information, and a couple keys, my ID, etc. I run to my dorm, meet my House Fellow (like an RA but w/out the disciplinary capabilities), and begin to unpack the car. My House Fellow (Anouska), tells me that the rest of the dorm is meeting downstairs in 15 minutes to go to the presidential welcome. So basically, I meet the entirety of my dorm for the first time in clothes that I’ve been wearing for two days, greasy hair, and it was super hot, so I’m sure I didn’t smell too great. I’m sure I made a super 1st impression. But they did all talk to me, starting with a boy named David who, after sneaking glances at me, said “I’m sorry, are you in our dorm?” so then my whole nightmare of a drive came out, and everyone was sympathetic. The presidential welcome was long, and sort of boring, and stiflingly hot. And after that, I came back to my room to unpack. It was around 11 pm that I was feeling settled in enough to get ready for bed. Then I realized I had no idea where the bathrooms were. So I wandered the hall for a little and found a room labeled “bathroom” which is all well and good, until you recall that my floor is co-ed. So was it a girl’s room or a guys room? I wandered indecisively in and out of my room, toward the bathroom, toward Anouska’s room, for about half an hour, until I really just needed a bathroom. So I went over, pushed open the door, and was staring at a guy brushing his teeth. He looked at me, not at all surprised, but looked confused when I started to shut the door. So I had to ask, “is this a co-ed bathroom?” yes. It was. They all are. Showers and everything. It takes a bit of getting used to.
Day 2:
I woke up at around 6 am, mostly because I figured no one else would be using the showers yet. I was right. My roommate, Jordan (who is really cool, by the way. But I don’t see her a whole lot because she does soccer), was already gone for practice, so I made my way down to the Jetson’s lounge for breakfast and a house meeting by myself. Sat with a bunch of girls in an awkward semi-silence, punctuated by brief questions whenever anyone had the courage to speak. Went to diversity training after that, which was pretty boring. Mostly because they kept asking us if we’d noticed anything discriminatory at Vassar, and since it was the morning of our 2nd day… yeah. Boring. Went to my “Build Your Own Adventure” activity after that. Mine was Ultimate Frisbee which was incredibly fun! And I’ve learned that while I may not be particularily good at Frisbee, I’m really good at the random other games that the team plays like “WAH!” and “mingle” and I can embody vegetables and kitchen appliances supremely well. I’m actually considering joining the Ultimate Frisbee team because they’re such a fun group of people, and I really do like to play. Was outside for about 5 hours, and then went in to take a shower before supper. Planned on eating with Jordan and some of her soccer friends, but we got separated and I ended up sitting with two random juniors. They were really nice, though, and were telling me all about the drama department, so that was pretty fun. Then I went back to my dorm and, passing up the opportunities to go to a party with the Ultimate Frisbee team, a Freshman Mixer party, and an improve show, I hung out in the hallway bonding with the people on my floor for a really long time. Everyone is really, really friendly.
Day 3:
Woke up early again because we had to be at breakfast by 8 am so we’d have time to take a two hour survey afterwards. However, for once being young worked in my favor, and since I’m under 18, I didn’t have to take it. Which is cool, because everyone was complaining about it for the rest of the day. I spent the time handing in paperwork that I hadn’t been able to on check-in day, and finishing the new paperwork they gave me. Went to my Freshman Mentor for a meeting to get my class schedule. I only got 1 class that I really, really wanted, so I’m seeing if I can switch a bunch of classes. Also, my major’s changed already, because Vassar only offers theater as a major. So I’m a theater major now. I get the feeling no one is surprised by this news. At least my parents weren’t at all when I told them. After the meeting I biked around for an hour looking for the building my campus job is going to be in. I’m working in the Infant Toddler Center, which I’m pretty sure doesn’t exist, because I asked 4 or 5 different people, and they either didn’t know where it was, or told me to go in completely opposite directions, and I never did find it. So that could be a problem. I went and got my mail, which was exciting, cuz there was actually stuff in my box. But it was rather disappointing because it was all flyers for stuff at Vassar that I’m not very interested in. And a letter telling me that I had defaulted on my loan and that it would be put on my credit rating. Wtf? So I had to call the customer service number for the place and explain that the had the wrong address. But I was seriously panicking for like ten minutes because I had no idea what they were talking about. Went to lunch and sat with some random freshmen who were really nice and funny. Then I went to the Student Employment Office to fill out more paper work and ask where the ITC was. The guy said he’d email me directions. I haven’t gotten them yet. And my future boss keeps emailing me and telling me that I have to stop by. Blech. Went back to my dorm to finish even MORE paper work, but didn’t end up doing any of it because David’s roommate was sleeping, so he came down and hung out in my room for a couple hours. At 4:30, Andi, another girl on the floor, and I went to the Drama Department introductory meeting where we met a lot of people and were able to get a lot of questions answered. Andi is really nice and funny, and since her roommate, Rachel, is also in soccer and gone a lot, we decided to be surrogate roommates when our real ones were away. We got back to the dorm in time to go out to eat with our house fellow group (Anouska, me, Jordan, Max, Teo, Katie, Chelsea, Rachel, and Andi). We went out into Poughkeepsie for the 1st time and ate at this great little Vietnamese restaurant. It was delicious! Then we came back and Jordan, Rachel, Andi, and I went out to the quad where they were playing a double feature. We only stuck around for one movie, Rules of Attraction or something, and it was one of the most messed up movies I’ve ever seen. After that, we headed back to Noyes and worked on fixing our schedules and went to sleep.
Day 4:
I have so far showered, gone to breakfast, and written this note.
A couple funny words that I’ve had to explain: “bubbler” that one’s not surprising. “bumper crop” and “window well” also drew knitted eyebrows and looks of confusion, however. And that I wasn’t expecting. I have also learned the word “hella” (or “hecka” if you don’t swear).
I hope you’re all having fun wherever you are and whatever you’re doing!!! Feel free to contact me any time! And my new address is:
Box 1076
Vassar College
124 Raymond Ave
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
Day 1 of classes:
My day began when my alarm went off at 7:10. I showered leisurely and got ready. We finally bought a mirror, so getting ready on the morning is MUCH easier!!! Jordan and I headed over to AC/DC (the dining hall) at around 8:30, and had a quick breakfast, then proceeded to Chicago hall, which, in my opinion is the one and only ugly building on campus. But cripes is it ugly! All squat and grey, it looks more like a detention center than a building on Vassar campus. Ah well, I only go there for classes every day. *sigh*
I walked into my Elementary Italian class and the professor immediately began rapid firing unintelligible Italian at me, I eventually discovered that she was asking my name because she’d made name tags. My name is now Domina, btw, because otherwise I’d be a man… Before class began I introduced myself to the boy sitting next to me, Mark, and asked if he knew any Italian. He said he’d been to Italy twice and his sister had majored in it so he could understand it ok. That made me feel like I was pretty much screwed, because I know abosolutely no Italian, barring “ciao”, “pizza”, and “crescendo” of course. The entire 50 minutes of class was like a living nightmare. The professor just kept spitting out the Italian and making us repeat it, tho I have NO CLUE what we were saying! It was only at the very end of the class that she took pity on us and spoke English and told us what our homework was, etc. I walked out of the room stunned. However, I felt somewhat better when Mark turned around with an astonished expression on his face and asked if I’d understood any of what just happened. It’s gonna be a tough class.
I had a 3 and a half hour break before my next class, but I had to get a check-up at the Baldwin Medical Center before I start my job since I’m working with kids. Went to Baldwin and had the fastest check-up in the history of the world, which was nice considering I’d just gotten a physical in June.
Went back to my dorm and worked on Italian homework until Andi dropped by to invite me to lunch. Headed to AC/DC with her, ate lunch, and then went to my next class.
I had Comparative Politics, which I think is going to be an incredible class! The professor is super nice, and the class material all sounds really interesting. We spent the whole first class getting to know each other and going over the syllabus.
Next was Linguistics and Anthropology, which is a lecture style class, which I didn’t know about. But I think it’s gonna be a good class regardless. We introduced ourselves, went over the syllabus and then took really fast-paced notes. I need to work on my shorthand.
Headed over to Skinner Music Hall after class to audition for private voice lessons. I sang I Cain’t Say No, and I think it went really well! Certainly better than my choir audition, which was the previous day, and the choir audition didn’t go badly, but it didn’t go fabulously, either. I think I should find out either today or tomorrow whether or not I got in. I’m nervous!
Came back to the dorm and did homework for about an hour. I ended up taking about 6 pages of Italian notes that weren’t assigned at all but writing it all out has made me feel a little more confident about the content.
We’re having a celebration of the 1st day of classes in a little bit, so I should go. Only one class tomorrow! And work for two hours, so that’s not too bad.
And I’ve decided not to do the theater class this semester, it would make my Tuesday-Thursday schedule WAY too crazy. Which is a little disappointing, but that means I already know I’m gonna have some good classes next semester!
As many of you know, the plan was to leave between 3 and 5 pm on Friday and drive straight through to Poughkeepsie to arrive at around 8 am when move-in began. Great plan. Didn’t work. We left at 4:30 pm and were making good time until we rounded Chicago and headed for Indiana. From southern Chicago to Indiana was a HUGE traffic jam. We went MAYBE ten miles in 3 hours. It sucked. And we had no idea what was causing it, none of the Illinois radio stations were talking about it at all. We finally tuned in an Indiana station and they informed us that I-84 in Indiana was completely flooded so they had to close it. This necessitated a 10 hour detour south. Needless to say, I was late for check-in. It sucked.
Day 1 at Vassar College:
I arrive at 5:30 pm, about 3 and a half hours after official check-in time is over. i have to sign in at some random office where they hand me a billion pieces of paper with important information, and a couple keys, my ID, etc. I run to my dorm, meet my House Fellow (like an RA but w/out the disciplinary capabilities), and begin to unpack the car. My House Fellow (Anouska), tells me that the rest of the dorm is meeting downstairs in 15 minutes to go to the presidential welcome. So basically, I meet the entirety of my dorm for the first time in clothes that I’ve been wearing for two days, greasy hair, and it was super hot, so I’m sure I didn’t smell too great. I’m sure I made a super 1st impression. But they did all talk to me, starting with a boy named David who, after sneaking glances at me, said “I’m sorry, are you in our dorm?” so then my whole nightmare of a drive came out, and everyone was sympathetic. The presidential welcome was long, and sort of boring, and stiflingly hot. And after that, I came back to my room to unpack. It was around 11 pm that I was feeling settled in enough to get ready for bed. Then I realized I had no idea where the bathrooms were. So I wandered the hall for a little and found a room labeled “bathroom” which is all well and good, until you recall that my floor is co-ed. So was it a girl’s room or a guys room? I wandered indecisively in and out of my room, toward the bathroom, toward Anouska’s room, for about half an hour, until I really just needed a bathroom. So I went over, pushed open the door, and was staring at a guy brushing his teeth. He looked at me, not at all surprised, but looked confused when I started to shut the door. So I had to ask, “is this a co-ed bathroom?” yes. It was. They all are. Showers and everything. It takes a bit of getting used to.
Day 2:
I woke up at around 6 am, mostly because I figured no one else would be using the showers yet. I was right. My roommate, Jordan (who is really cool, by the way. But I don’t see her a whole lot because she does soccer), was already gone for practice, so I made my way down to the Jetson’s lounge for breakfast and a house meeting by myself. Sat with a bunch of girls in an awkward semi-silence, punctuated by brief questions whenever anyone had the courage to speak. Went to diversity training after that, which was pretty boring. Mostly because they kept asking us if we’d noticed anything discriminatory at Vassar, and since it was the morning of our 2nd day… yeah. Boring. Went to my “Build Your Own Adventure” activity after that. Mine was Ultimate Frisbee which was incredibly fun! And I’ve learned that while I may not be particularily good at Frisbee, I’m really good at the random other games that the team plays like “WAH!” and “mingle” and I can embody vegetables and kitchen appliances supremely well. I’m actually considering joining the Ultimate Frisbee team because they’re such a fun group of people, and I really do like to play. Was outside for about 5 hours, and then went in to take a shower before supper. Planned on eating with Jordan and some of her soccer friends, but we got separated and I ended up sitting with two random juniors. They were really nice, though, and were telling me all about the drama department, so that was pretty fun. Then I went back to my dorm and, passing up the opportunities to go to a party with the Ultimate Frisbee team, a Freshman Mixer party, and an improve show, I hung out in the hallway bonding with the people on my floor for a really long time. Everyone is really, really friendly.
Day 3:
Woke up early again because we had to be at breakfast by 8 am so we’d have time to take a two hour survey afterwards. However, for once being young worked in my favor, and since I’m under 18, I didn’t have to take it. Which is cool, because everyone was complaining about it for the rest of the day. I spent the time handing in paperwork that I hadn’t been able to on check-in day, and finishing the new paperwork they gave me. Went to my Freshman Mentor for a meeting to get my class schedule. I only got 1 class that I really, really wanted, so I’m seeing if I can switch a bunch of classes. Also, my major’s changed already, because Vassar only offers theater as a major. So I’m a theater major now. I get the feeling no one is surprised by this news. At least my parents weren’t at all when I told them. After the meeting I biked around for an hour looking for the building my campus job is going to be in. I’m working in the Infant Toddler Center, which I’m pretty sure doesn’t exist, because I asked 4 or 5 different people, and they either didn’t know where it was, or told me to go in completely opposite directions, and I never did find it. So that could be a problem. I went and got my mail, which was exciting, cuz there was actually stuff in my box. But it was rather disappointing because it was all flyers for stuff at Vassar that I’m not very interested in. And a letter telling me that I had defaulted on my loan and that it would be put on my credit rating. Wtf? So I had to call the customer service number for the place and explain that the had the wrong address. But I was seriously panicking for like ten minutes because I had no idea what they were talking about. Went to lunch and sat with some random freshmen who were really nice and funny. Then I went to the Student Employment Office to fill out more paper work and ask where the ITC was. The guy said he’d email me directions. I haven’t gotten them yet. And my future boss keeps emailing me and telling me that I have to stop by. Blech. Went back to my dorm to finish even MORE paper work, but didn’t end up doing any of it because David’s roommate was sleeping, so he came down and hung out in my room for a couple hours. At 4:30, Andi, another girl on the floor, and I went to the Drama Department introductory meeting where we met a lot of people and were able to get a lot of questions answered. Andi is really nice and funny, and since her roommate, Rachel, is also in soccer and gone a lot, we decided to be surrogate roommates when our real ones were away. We got back to the dorm in time to go out to eat with our house fellow group (Anouska, me, Jordan, Max, Teo, Katie, Chelsea, Rachel, and Andi). We went out into Poughkeepsie for the 1st time and ate at this great little Vietnamese restaurant. It was delicious! Then we came back and Jordan, Rachel, Andi, and I went out to the quad where they were playing a double feature. We only stuck around for one movie, Rules of Attraction or something, and it was one of the most messed up movies I’ve ever seen. After that, we headed back to Noyes and worked on fixing our schedules and went to sleep.
Day 4:
I have so far showered, gone to breakfast, and written this note.
A couple funny words that I’ve had to explain: “bubbler” that one’s not surprising. “bumper crop” and “window well” also drew knitted eyebrows and looks of confusion, however. And that I wasn’t expecting. I have also learned the word “hella” (or “hecka” if you don’t swear).
I hope you’re all having fun wherever you are and whatever you’re doing!!! Feel free to contact me any time! And my new address is:
Box 1076
Vassar College
124 Raymond Ave
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
Day 1 of classes:
My day began when my alarm went off at 7:10. I showered leisurely and got ready. We finally bought a mirror, so getting ready on the morning is MUCH easier!!! Jordan and I headed over to AC/DC (the dining hall) at around 8:30, and had a quick breakfast, then proceeded to Chicago hall, which, in my opinion is the one and only ugly building on campus. But cripes is it ugly! All squat and grey, it looks more like a detention center than a building on Vassar campus. Ah well, I only go there for classes every day. *sigh*
I walked into my Elementary Italian class and the professor immediately began rapid firing unintelligible Italian at me, I eventually discovered that she was asking my name because she’d made name tags. My name is now Domina, btw, because otherwise I’d be a man… Before class began I introduced myself to the boy sitting next to me, Mark, and asked if he knew any Italian. He said he’d been to Italy twice and his sister had majored in it so he could understand it ok. That made me feel like I was pretty much screwed, because I know abosolutely no Italian, barring “ciao”, “pizza”, and “crescendo” of course. The entire 50 minutes of class was like a living nightmare. The professor just kept spitting out the Italian and making us repeat it, tho I have NO CLUE what we were saying! It was only at the very end of the class that she took pity on us and spoke English and told us what our homework was, etc. I walked out of the room stunned. However, I felt somewhat better when Mark turned around with an astonished expression on his face and asked if I’d understood any of what just happened. It’s gonna be a tough class.
I had a 3 and a half hour break before my next class, but I had to get a check-up at the Baldwin Medical Center before I start my job since I’m working with kids. Went to Baldwin and had the fastest check-up in the history of the world, which was nice considering I’d just gotten a physical in June.
Went back to my dorm and worked on Italian homework until Andi dropped by to invite me to lunch. Headed to AC/DC with her, ate lunch, and then went to my next class.
I had Comparative Politics, which I think is going to be an incredible class! The professor is super nice, and the class material all sounds really interesting. We spent the whole first class getting to know each other and going over the syllabus.
Next was Linguistics and Anthropology, which is a lecture style class, which I didn’t know about. But I think it’s gonna be a good class regardless. We introduced ourselves, went over the syllabus and then took really fast-paced notes. I need to work on my shorthand.
Headed over to Skinner Music Hall after class to audition for private voice lessons. I sang I Cain’t Say No, and I think it went really well! Certainly better than my choir audition, which was the previous day, and the choir audition didn’t go badly, but it didn’t go fabulously, either. I think I should find out either today or tomorrow whether or not I got in. I’m nervous!
Came back to the dorm and did homework for about an hour. I ended up taking about 6 pages of Italian notes that weren’t assigned at all but writing it all out has made me feel a little more confident about the content.
We’re having a celebration of the 1st day of classes in a little bit, so I should go. Only one class tomorrow! And work for two hours, so that’s not too bad.
And I’ve decided not to do the theater class this semester, it would make my Tuesday-Thursday schedule WAY too crazy. Which is a little disappointing, but that means I already know I’m gonna have some good classes next semester!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Thanks for the update on your trip, Mark. Sorry to hear about the I-80 problem. That has got to be the worst part of any trip East and of course the flooding didn't help. Hope Domi gets acclimated quickly and doesn't have too much homesickness as reality sets in. We dropped Colin off Monday and haven't heard from him. We reminded him of his text messages last year telling us how much he missed us and he said he hadn't been sure he would survive the first month. This year seems alot different, of course, as he is living with three guys he really likes and they have figured out food sharing, etc. We are going up Sat. to bring his bike and take Bridget to the Badger game-her first. Jay and I will hang out somewhere, probably crashing some beer bong parties.
Happy Birthday, Maura-two days late. I didn't forget, just didn't do anything proactive. I have been late on all the Long birthdays this summer, too. I saw the Waukesha Longs this weekend and we will see them again on the 8th. David's son Peter's girlfriend in pregnant and they had a baby shower. Poor Henri is not at all happy with the situation, but they are trying to cope. Peter will turn 17 in Nov., a month after the baby is due. Jenny is pregnant also, due in January and she and her husband will be here on the 8th, so we'll have a shower for her. Jay will be a great grandpa twice in rapid succession.
We are finally dried out, but the rain has put a huge damper on outdoor activities. B had two golf outings this week and didn't enjoy either of them. Its "slow,no wake" on all the area lakes, which we like and makes it much quieter. The lake is higher than I have ever seen it. Sounds like this weekend will be nice and dry.
No word from the West Coast, so I hope G and G haven't set out on a crime spree or something. If they have arrived, Matt, let us know. They were sure excited to hang out with Freya.
I am having a nice two week span of the evil psychologist being gone to the Islands. I can only hope for a hurricane of mythic proportions. People at work keep coming up to me, asking if I'm OK. He has pulled some middle school pranks with our budgeting process, but it is only testing people's patience and making him look stupid, so have at it!
We are looking forward to seeing as many locals as possible on the 15th. No count yet, but David discovered that they have a committment. We will be taking a weekend off at the end of Sept. for an anniversary trip and then will be vacationing in beautiful Lake Geneva in Oct. again. Time is sure flying.
Love to everyone and hope to see some of you on the 15th! Susan
Happy Birthday, Maura-two days late. I didn't forget, just didn't do anything proactive. I have been late on all the Long birthdays this summer, too. I saw the Waukesha Longs this weekend and we will see them again on the 8th. David's son Peter's girlfriend in pregnant and they had a baby shower. Poor Henri is not at all happy with the situation, but they are trying to cope. Peter will turn 17 in Nov., a month after the baby is due. Jenny is pregnant also, due in January and she and her husband will be here on the 8th, so we'll have a shower for her. Jay will be a great grandpa twice in rapid succession.
We are finally dried out, but the rain has put a huge damper on outdoor activities. B had two golf outings this week and didn't enjoy either of them. Its "slow,no wake" on all the area lakes, which we like and makes it much quieter. The lake is higher than I have ever seen it. Sounds like this weekend will be nice and dry.
No word from the West Coast, so I hope G and G haven't set out on a crime spree or something. If they have arrived, Matt, let us know. They were sure excited to hang out with Freya.
I am having a nice two week span of the evil psychologist being gone to the Islands. I can only hope for a hurricane of mythic proportions. People at work keep coming up to me, asking if I'm OK. He has pulled some middle school pranks with our budgeting process, but it is only testing people's patience and making him look stupid, so have at it!
We are looking forward to seeing as many locals as possible on the 15th. No count yet, but David discovered that they have a committment. We will be taking a weekend off at the end of Sept. for an anniversary trip and then will be vacationing in beautiful Lake Geneva in Oct. again. Time is sure flying.
Love to everyone and hope to see some of you on the 15th! Susan
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Wow am I behind
Hi all,
It's great to sit down and get caught up on everyone's lives! Matt, I didn't know you were looking for a new job--has Boise lost its luster? Dave, all your trips sound great, but you didn't say how the fish tasted when you cooked it up for supper!
I'm still in a daze from driving to Poughkeepsie and back in 4 days. We got Domino situated in her very cool futuristic dorm, although we arrived about 6-7 hours late. Get this: we got through Chicago just fine Friday afternoon, then when we got on I-80 east into Indiana, we were suddenly bogged down in stand-still traffic, four lanes across. We kept thinking it was a lane closure or accident, but time crawled by and so did the traffic and nothing changed. After 90 minutes we were sure something was very wrong, but the traffic alerts alongside the road weren't flashing, and the AM radio station with traffic info was pure static. We tried Chicago radio stations and all we got was baseball. So that means there's nothing out of the ordinary going on, right? Still no movement-- I mean, people were getting out of their cars and walking around. It was just surreal. Finally, nearing the 3 hour mark and still no closer to the border, Domino found an AM station in Indiana, and we heard the DJ say "NONE of the Chicago radio stations are talking about this, but folks, if you're on I-80 crossing into Indiana, GET OFF THE HIGHWAY NOW!" You wouldn't have believed the joy in the car at that moment! It turned out there was a stretch of the interstate in Indiana that was flooded out and the road was closed. No detours. No information. No nothing. The DJ kept suggesting these really confusing alternate routes, but people would immediately call in and say "Nope, that road's closed too!" In three hours we hadn't seen a single law enforcement vehicle, not a single road sign telling us where to go or what to do, not a word on the Chicago radio stations... it was unbelievable. I really had no idea what we were going to do. What would it have been like if there had been a real national emergency? Sheesh, what a mess....
Finally, we realized that NO ONE around us had a clue what was going on, so we barged our way four lanes to the right, took the next exit, turned around, headed back for Chicago, then took I-57 south to Champaign, then I-70 to Indianapolis, and on to NY.
The whole thing set us behind by 6 or 7 hours, we figured, and we got Domi to Vassar late, but the people at the school were very nice about things--we were far from the last to show up. It was very hot and humid when we got there, and of course nothing is air conditioned! Domi was already missing some activities, so Capri and I sent her off to meet people while we unloaded the car and hoisted boxes 4 flights up.
The campus is gorgeous... lots of green space and water, and the buildings are all ancient and monumental. Notable exceptions are the new theater and film building and Domi's dorm, which was designed by the guy who designed the gateway arch in St. Louis. Anyway, because Domino had to just jump right into the orientation activities, we had to say a pretty quick goodbye. Capri was very sad and upset, and as we drove back to our hotel I was worried that we might have a long, tearful night ahead of us. But she surprised me; within minutes she had decided to get herself thinking of other things--her future career choices, in fact--so the conversation shifted gears and everything was ok.
We did get to see Domi briefly Sunday morning, before she went off to diversity training. Then Capri and I headed home. The little Kia had never been on a road trip before, and did just fine (with new tires, fuel pump and A/C blower!). We got to Youngstown OH on Sunday night, stayed at a hotel, then made it back to Fort by 5 yesterday.
Driving home, I got over my sadness at leaving Domino so far behind and started feeling good that her life has brought her to such a fine and wonderful place. Made me feel pretty great as a parent. Now I know how mom and dad must feel when they think about us :) I've had lots of email updates from Vassar, and it sounds as though Domino is figuring things out and having a lot of fun.
Love to all... see some of you on the 15th!
Mark
Saturday, August 25, 2007
adendum
Last night we went to heard a band at the Art Center that is headed up by this great young author Michael Perry from New Auburn Wisconsin. He will be at the library tonight for a book reading and a meet and greet. Sue and I both read 'Population 486' (485?) and 'Truck' this summer and loved them. I recommend him to anyone who grew up in small town Wisconsin. I thought the first one was better but the second includes the fixing up of an old International truck which is near and dear to my heart. Anyway I think everyone would like these books. Matt I think you might especially relate to Pop 486 as it is about his life as a small town volunteer fireman and the 24/7 component of that job remineded me of your days of shooing elk and dragging road kill at all hours.
Also I don't know if any local folks caught Jeff Richter and his writing partner John Bates on WPR this week. They have anew book out on albino deer in Wisconsin.
Also I don't know if any local folks caught Jeff Richter and his writing partner John Bates on WPR this week. They have anew book out on albino deer in Wisconsin.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
soggy sheboygan
Hi All. It's been a while since I've been on the blog. and I'm still not sure how to kick up the type face but...
I just checked out Freya's wild ride on Saint Grover of the West. Still the cutest little cowgirl this side of the Pecos. matt hope the job search lands you on something good someday soon.
.And Mark's pix were very cool- I'm jealous everytime someone takes that trip. Maybe we can go with Maura and Steve and Alex Tim and Matt and Casey and Freya.
Maura Tim Steve sorry to hear about Kassie. I always liked her and was sorry to hear that news. Didn't she look just like Alanis Morisette (sp?).
Magda-nice to hear of your adventures even though some aren't particularly pleasant. Hope overall the good expereiences outweigh the bad.
Michele- The Bob Dylan concert sounded like lots of fun. I'm jealous of that too. I think I have a sibling rivalry/ jealousy problem.
Sue it was nice to talk to you last night- sorry I biffed on the 15th date.
We've had an active couple of weeks here. Susan had a good fair in Sheboygan but lost her tent in a storm in milwaukee- morning glory. No jewelry lost as it happened overnight but she had to pick up the soggy carnage the next morning and head back home.
The boys and I played at Earthfest- not together. I was the live CD between set ups for the big bands during the evening- it was lots of fun. It rained and lightninged pretty hard for a while and we thought they'd pull the plug on the event but hippies don't let a little rain scare them off- they just do more impressionistic dancing- which seems to induce more rain. It was the second to last performance of Babar- so a bittersweet night for the boys. They were the 'headliner' and played a great set.
Ellis had been bugging me to go charter fishing on the lake all summer, so I finally caved in and we went down one night to check out the boats on the river and see which one we would want to go out on. We checked every single boat up and down the wharf and finally picked the 'Hi Tech' which was just coming in with a huge load of fish (and were among the cheapest for a '3 hour tour'(!)). The skipper and first mate were a great couple of guys and we had a great time. caught 8 fish. Ellis and Finn both landed 16+lb Kings. I got the only Lake Trout which was a beautiful 12 pounder. and the rest were lesser Kings. we smoked two and filleted the rest so have lots of salmon in the fridge. It was a very fun night for all of us. and it was everything Ellis hoped it would be.
Sue and I had our 25th wedding anniversary last week! we went golfing and had a dinner date. It was pretty low key but fun. we decided we are going to treat ourselves to a long weekend trip to some to be determined destination yet this fall- maybe San Francisco , or Seattle , or Kenosha or ????.
Cooper and I spent a couple of days in Seattle and Vancouver last week. He had found a guitar building school out on Vancouver Island that he had done some research on and we decided to go check it out. It was a great littel backwoods place. the owner/teacher was a great guy and knew all about the school I had gone to back in the old days. He has a nice apprentice-like approach. you can spend up to a year there (including a month in Sweden at a sister school) and then he helps you get placed in a shop or factory setting and expects you to keep up your training and growth. It was a great experience for Coop and he coudln't stop smiling or taking about it. Not sure if this will be the place -(there are several others around the country) but he is pretty jazzed about the idea of getting that kind of training and I think it is something he will pursue.
We also had a red Mustang convertible and were able to drop the top most of the weekend. (Mom and Dad you might want to avoid that car at Avis (after all those neutral drops in the rental car)). We went to the Rock N Roll museum which I had been to before but Coop loved it and we spent many hours there. Also the SciFi museum was pretty incredible. Mark there were pictures of your guy Forrest something from LA! I was trying to get flight with a stop over in Boise but no such luck. Didn't go up the Space Needle but told Coop all I coudl rememeber about the Expo grounds. Most of the rest of the time at The Pike Street market where they throw fish indescriminantly and yell at you to stop looking and buy something.
Back to the grind this week. North Carolina most of next week to teach my new boss his job (?!)
Well that's it for now. Hope everyoen hasd anice end to their summers
I just checked out Freya's wild ride on Saint Grover of the West. Still the cutest little cowgirl this side of the Pecos. matt hope the job search lands you on something good someday soon.
.And Mark's pix were very cool- I'm jealous everytime someone takes that trip. Maybe we can go with Maura and Steve and Alex Tim and Matt and Casey and Freya.
Maura Tim Steve sorry to hear about Kassie. I always liked her and was sorry to hear that news. Didn't she look just like Alanis Morisette (sp?).
Magda-nice to hear of your adventures even though some aren't particularly pleasant. Hope overall the good expereiences outweigh the bad.
Michele- The Bob Dylan concert sounded like lots of fun. I'm jealous of that too. I think I have a sibling rivalry/ jealousy problem.
Sue it was nice to talk to you last night- sorry I biffed on the 15th date.
We've had an active couple of weeks here. Susan had a good fair in Sheboygan but lost her tent in a storm in milwaukee- morning glory. No jewelry lost as it happened overnight but she had to pick up the soggy carnage the next morning and head back home.
The boys and I played at Earthfest- not together. I was the live CD between set ups for the big bands during the evening- it was lots of fun. It rained and lightninged pretty hard for a while and we thought they'd pull the plug on the event but hippies don't let a little rain scare them off- they just do more impressionistic dancing- which seems to induce more rain. It was the second to last performance of Babar- so a bittersweet night for the boys. They were the 'headliner' and played a great set.
Ellis had been bugging me to go charter fishing on the lake all summer, so I finally caved in and we went down one night to check out the boats on the river and see which one we would want to go out on. We checked every single boat up and down the wharf and finally picked the 'Hi Tech' which was just coming in with a huge load of fish (and were among the cheapest for a '3 hour tour'(!)). The skipper and first mate were a great couple of guys and we had a great time. caught 8 fish. Ellis and Finn both landed 16+lb Kings. I got the only Lake Trout which was a beautiful 12 pounder. and the rest were lesser Kings. we smoked two and filleted the rest so have lots of salmon in the fridge. It was a very fun night for all of us. and it was everything Ellis hoped it would be.
Sue and I had our 25th wedding anniversary last week! we went golfing and had a dinner date. It was pretty low key but fun. we decided we are going to treat ourselves to a long weekend trip to some to be determined destination yet this fall- maybe San Francisco , or Seattle , or Kenosha or ????.
Cooper and I spent a couple of days in Seattle and Vancouver last week. He had found a guitar building school out on Vancouver Island that he had done some research on and we decided to go check it out. It was a great littel backwoods place. the owner/teacher was a great guy and knew all about the school I had gone to back in the old days. He has a nice apprentice-like approach. you can spend up to a year there (including a month in Sweden at a sister school) and then he helps you get placed in a shop or factory setting and expects you to keep up your training and growth. It was a great experience for Coop and he coudln't stop smiling or taking about it. Not sure if this will be the place -(there are several others around the country) but he is pretty jazzed about the idea of getting that kind of training and I think it is something he will pursue.
We also had a red Mustang convertible and were able to drop the top most of the weekend. (Mom and Dad you might want to avoid that car at Avis (after all those neutral drops in the rental car)). We went to the Rock N Roll museum which I had been to before but Coop loved it and we spent many hours there. Also the SciFi museum was pretty incredible. Mark there were pictures of your guy Forrest something from LA! I was trying to get flight with a stop over in Boise but no such luck. Didn't go up the Space Needle but told Coop all I coudl rememeber about the Expo grounds. Most of the rest of the time at The Pike Street market where they throw fish indescriminantly and yell at you to stop looking and buy something.
Back to the grind this week. North Carolina most of next week to teach my new boss his job (?!)
Well that's it for now. Hope everyoen hasd anice end to their summers
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Hello from soggy Wisconsin! Just read both Matt and Maura and Tim's entries. Sorry to hear about Kassie. That is really freaky. I am glad things went so well with Michele's visit in Idaho. The picture was great,too. Dad called a while ago wondering if we were coming to Irishfest. A lady from Galway was on TV this am saying they had been hoping to get some sun here, but they figure the rain followed them. I guess England and Ireland have been very dreary this summer. We woke up to alot of water around the edges of the basement. We had both sump pumps going and then used both carpet cleaners. What a mess. Fortunately, we have had enough of these before that there was no paper on the floor. I didn't feel like going down there and being in a downpour, but the wet basement settled the question. Our neighbors had six inches in their basement with 3 sumps running. They are borrowing water from us today for their house because their well pump can't run.
Magda, I hope your trip turns out well. This should be a very enriching experience, no matter what. Unfortunately, there are always negative people around.
We are getting things ready for Colin to go back to school and for Bridget's senior year. She won a longest drive competition a couple weeks ago and won a season pass to a couple Kenosha County golf courses. That will be fun. We hope to get a few fun activities in before the 27th.
Sorry to hear about the Yellow Pine house being threatened by fire. Its too bad some of this water can't be re-distributed. Good luck with the career plans, Matt. One of these times it will be your turn, I'm sure.
Well, back to sucking water! Hope everyone has a great week. Love, Susan
Magda, I hope your trip turns out well. This should be a very enriching experience, no matter what. Unfortunately, there are always negative people around.
We are getting things ready for Colin to go back to school and for Bridget's senior year. She won a longest drive competition a couple weeks ago and won a season pass to a couple Kenosha County golf courses. That will be fun. We hope to get a few fun activities in before the 27th.
Sorry to hear about the Yellow Pine house being threatened by fire. Its too bad some of this water can't be re-distributed. Good luck with the career plans, Matt. One of these times it will be your turn, I'm sure.
Well, back to sucking water! Hope everyone has a great week. Love, Susan
Good morning everyone:
It was a busy week in Idaho, with Michele visiting briefly Monday through Wednesday. She arrived to attend the funeral of her friend Marianna Bilbao's mom in Cascade. I had an overnight meeting on Tuesday, so I was not able to visit for too long. After picking Michele up at the airport, Freya and I took her to lunch, where we met Casey. After lunch at our favorite Boise burger spot, Michele, Freya and I continued on to the Boise zoo, which is becoming one of Freya's favorite places. It was a warmish day, so most of the animals were napping and the tour was not very lengthy. It was nice to see Freya take to her aunt Michele as quickly as she did, a good sign that she is opening up a bit. Michele was able to hold her at the zoo without incident, and Freya was enjoying showing her new friend 'Shell' the sights and sounds of the zoo. The bonding continued with aunt Michele trying to talk Freya into a jewelry shopping trip and a shoe shopping trip. We will have to watch aunt Michele around Freya from here on out. Michele assisted with a tearful drop off at the Montessori school on Tuesday morning, then I had to go to my meeting and she had to drive to Cascade for the funeral.
I recently interviewed for a first level supervisor job with Fish and Game. According to my big boss, who was on the panel, I finished second best out of 18 candidates. Now, if an opening that Casey and I both liked would develop, I might be able to get a promotion. I was offered a second interview for the jobs in both Lewiston(stinky paper mill city in ugly surroundings), or Hailey/Sun Valley(beautiful mountains surrounded by Heinz-Kerry's, Schwarzenegger's, and the like, and their accompanying economic impacts on the l0cal area). I turned down both of the opportunities, and we will continue to be patient until the next chance. Casey is staying busy with fire related activities, and is getting a chance at some overtime. As busy as the fire season has been, she has been somewhat insulated by the responsibilities of her job. The Yellow Pine house, where I spent the better part of five years and which was the source of many fond memories for both Casey and me, continues to be threatened by fires in that area. Over 100,000 acres have burned around the Cascade area, and it is not looking good for the local communities. smoke free Boise looks better and better all of the time.
Maura, Tim, Stephen, and Alex: sorry to hear about Kassie, I always enjoyed talking to her at family gatherings. We will keep her in our thoughts! We hope to see some of you at Thanksgiving in Colorado, but high airline ticket prices may keep that from becoming a reality for us. Until we do see all of you again, hugs and kisses and love from Idaho. Keep up the great work, Magdalena, and stick with your convictions! The world needs your sense of compassion and justice! Love, Matt, Casey and Freya
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Stephen's long time high school era girlfriend Kassie Dallmann died unexpectedly this week from a heart condition, either during or post surgery. Stephen just called. 28, with her 10th year high school reunion coming up next week. We haven't stayed in touch with her but the big group of friends still has a good network. Someone called Ryder tonite,to tell him, and Ryder is down in Carbondale visiting Stephen. Most of you have met her at our house, or seen her in plays or choir /musicals. Beautiful girl, beautiful voice, radiant smile.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Message from Magda
Hi family!
A special hello to Grandma, Grandpa and GG! Hope you got my forwarded emails!
Things are going well here, I went to the primary school today and finally got to do some observations, which was really great. Today was also the first time that I witnessed the teachers using punishment such as hitting the children's palms with sticks or twisting their ears if they were not listening, or as the teachers like to call it "naughty". They will call out a student in class and tell you they are the naughty one in the class- and in most cases these are the kids who are not learning as quickly as everyone else. It's so unfortunate that they are labeled naughty so quickly, and because they don't get much individual attention they don't have the motivation to surpass what the teachers think of them. W
We also had to "talk to", which means teach, the grade 2 classroom, which was tough because the kids were bouncing off the walls. They couldn't really tell us what they were working on because no one was listening. But, Courtney and I were working together. SO, it wasn't terrible.
This past weekend we went to The Apartheid Museum, in Johannesburg, which was interesting, but not quite what I had expected. I thought it was going to be a really intense experience that would be so overwhelming, and in all honesty it seemed to downplay and only skim the surface of what happened here in South Africa. There was a big focus on Nelson Mandela, who was in prison for 27 years of Apartheid, which I found a little weird, and the stories and facts that we were told about didn't quite do justice. I guess I was hoping that I would learn more about what happened, and see more images, hear more personal accounts. I am disappointed that I didn't. I just find it interesting that there wasn't a much more graphic visual experience when the museum is dedicated to remembering.
I won't go into every thought i had about the museum, but I was mostly struck by a photographic essay in the beginning of the museum and the stories about the children in Soweto who were killed during Apartheid. After the museum, we went to Soweto to have lunch at a famous restaurant called Onedy's(sp?) where we were served curried lamb and beef, chicken, animal intestines(I DID NOT TRY THAT ONE!!!), beans, white beans(mashed corn), pop(which is similar to gritz here, but not as liquid-y), mashed pumpkin, mashed potatoes, vegetables and salad. It was an interesting meal, and it was pretty delicious. I wasn't sure how it was going to be. Afterwards we had drove through the township with a local Soweton(who lived there all her life) and she showed us around a bit. We visited the Hector Peterson memorial dedicated to Hector and all of the other children who died in walking to protest an education taught in Afrikaans. Hector was the first child to die. He was only 14 years old. There is a famous picture of his brother(I believe) carrying his body and running to get medical assistance. It was such a powerful image. The memorial has a portion laid with rocks to represent what the students used to try and hold off the police forces. Their rocks were no match to the police gunfire though. After visiting the memorial we went to Nelson Mandela's house, the one he lived in before and after he was arrested. After his release he only lived there for 11 days before he moved because he couldn't sleep at night. Everyone was so excited he was released and home they just sang outside his house. Unfortunately, his house has been renovated to preserve some of the the house, so there is wood paneling that isn't original due to damage from a petrol bomb. The original furniture is no longer there. I was a little disappointed by this, because the petrol bomb was still part of the history there and i wouldn't have minded seeing the stains on the walls. Bishop Desmond Tutu lives about a block down the street from Mandela's old house, and just up the street a few blocks is where Hector was shot. It is a famous block, and the only block to have ever had two nobel prize winners living on it. Pretty crazy fact.
Other than the tour of Soweto and the museum, we didn't do much else this past weekend. I went to a flee market yesterday and that was a lot of fun, and I picked up some really great artwork..hopefully I don't have too much trouble getting it home!
The american that we met came over last night, because we kind of had a dinner party that pretty much too many people were invited to. It could have gotten really out of hand, and left us wihtout enough food, but that was the fault of other people in the house. This guy, Ryan, is a pretty intense person, with lots of beliefs that I don't completely agree with. He is a Republican who has made a great deal of friends, in the 4 months he has been attending U. Pretoria, who are mostly Afrikaaner. It was difficult being around him last night because he was making some really racist remarks and speaking to me in a really demeaning manner, as though I was a complete idiot. He kept telling me I didn't understand the differences between all of the South Africans, and that I didn't know the history. He was talking about Zulus and Xhosas as though they were some epidemic, and really couldn't see why I wanted to meet all of these people from different cultures not the Afrikaaners who caused Apartheid. I know that we are a younger generation that can think for ourselves, but I am fairly certain I have been able to pick up opinions of different cultures that have been passed on through the parents. It was really frustrating sitting there while he talked. Everything he said was just terrible about any black person here, and he was even trying to show differences in culture through a comparison of music. I am sure the Afrikaaners don't hang out with Zulus and Xhosas because of the music they listen to and that it goes much deeper than that. I don't know. I couldn't really respond to him, because he wasn't giving me the chance and kept telling me I don't understand. Mom and Dad, you know how much I hate when people say that to me. I'm sure you can imagine how furious I was. He excused himself when I wasn't responding and I literally stood up and walked out of the room with tears streaming down my face. there were so many things I wanted to say, but i couldn't bare to speak to him, let alone here his voice or any more of his opinions and interpretations of history. It was truly awful.
Other than that I am feeling better today, and the kids at school really put me in a much better mood! There was one little girl who jumped into my arms and wouldn't let go. It was so sad, because she then said you are my mom. And I was like what about your mother, and she told me she was dead and her new mama wasn't nice. She only has her Papa. The kids are darling, but they really have some terrible stories if they open up to you. I love working with them though, because they put a smile on my face from 7:30am until 1:30 in the afternoon. It's great!
Anyways, I need to go work on some research, make some phonecalls and make a lesson plan on Recycling for Grade 4 tomorrow. Woohoo!!
Love,
Magdalena
P.S. Dad, if you want to put any of this up on the blog, from this email and previous ones feel free to. I might try to, if I have time...
A special hello to Grandma, Grandpa and GG! Hope you got my forwarded emails!
Things are going well here, I went to the primary school today and finally got to do some observations, which was really great. Today was also the first time that I witnessed the teachers using punishment such as hitting the children's palms with sticks or twisting their ears if they were not listening, or as the teachers like to call it "naughty". They will call out a student in class and tell you they are the naughty one in the class- and in most cases these are the kids who are not learning as quickly as everyone else. It's so unfortunate that they are labeled naughty so quickly, and because they don't get much individual attention they don't have the motivation to surpass what the teachers think of them. W
We also had to "talk to", which means teach, the grade 2 classroom, which was tough because the kids were bouncing off the walls. They couldn't really tell us what they were working on because no one was listening. But, Courtney and I were working together. SO, it wasn't terrible.
This past weekend we went to The Apartheid Museum, in Johannesburg, which was interesting, but not quite what I had expected. I thought it was going to be a really intense experience that would be so overwhelming, and in all honesty it seemed to downplay and only skim the surface of what happened here in South Africa. There was a big focus on Nelson Mandela, who was in prison for 27 years of Apartheid, which I found a little weird, and the stories and facts that we were told about didn't quite do justice. I guess I was hoping that I would learn more about what happened, and see more images, hear more personal accounts. I am disappointed that I didn't. I just find it interesting that there wasn't a much more graphic visual experience when the museum is dedicated to remembering.
I won't go into every thought i had about the museum, but I was mostly struck by a photographic essay in the beginning of the museum and the stories about the children in Soweto who were killed during Apartheid. After the museum, we went to Soweto to have lunch at a famous restaurant called Onedy's(sp?) where we were served curried lamb and beef, chicken, animal intestines(I DID NOT TRY THAT ONE!!!), beans, white beans(mashed corn), pop(which is similar to gritz here, but not as liquid-y), mashed pumpkin, mashed potatoes, vegetables and salad. It was an interesting meal, and it was pretty delicious. I wasn't sure how it was going to be. Afterwards we had drove through the township with a local Soweton(who lived there all her life) and she showed us around a bit. We visited the Hector Peterson memorial dedicated to Hector and all of the other children who died in walking to protest an education taught in Afrikaans. Hector was the first child to die. He was only 14 years old. There is a famous picture of his brother(I believe) carrying his body and running to get medical assistance. It was such a powerful image. The memorial has a portion laid with rocks to represent what the students used to try and hold off the police forces. Their rocks were no match to the police gunfire though. After visiting the memorial we went to Nelson Mandela's house, the one he lived in before and after he was arrested. After his release he only lived there for 11 days before he moved because he couldn't sleep at night. Everyone was so excited he was released and home they just sang outside his house. Unfortunately, his house has been renovated to preserve some of the the house, so there is wood paneling that isn't original due to damage from a petrol bomb. The original furniture is no longer there. I was a little disappointed by this, because the petrol bomb was still part of the history there and i wouldn't have minded seeing the stains on the walls. Bishop Desmond Tutu lives about a block down the street from Mandela's old house, and just up the street a few blocks is where Hector was shot. It is a famous block, and the only block to have ever had two nobel prize winners living on it. Pretty crazy fact.
Other than the tour of Soweto and the museum, we didn't do much else this past weekend. I went to a flee market yesterday and that was a lot of fun, and I picked up some really great artwork..hopefully I don't have too much trouble getting it home!
The american that we met came over last night, because we kind of had a dinner party that pretty much too many people were invited to. It could have gotten really out of hand, and left us wihtout enough food, but that was the fault of other people in the house. This guy, Ryan, is a pretty intense person, with lots of beliefs that I don't completely agree with. He is a Republican who has made a great deal of friends, in the 4 months he has been attending U. Pretoria, who are mostly Afrikaaner. It was difficult being around him last night because he was making some really racist remarks and speaking to me in a really demeaning manner, as though I was a complete idiot. He kept telling me I didn't understand the differences between all of the South Africans, and that I didn't know the history. He was talking about Zulus and Xhosas as though they were some epidemic, and really couldn't see why I wanted to meet all of these people from different cultures not the Afrikaaners who caused Apartheid. I know that we are a younger generation that can think for ourselves, but I am fairly certain I have been able to pick up opinions of different cultures that have been passed on through the parents. It was really frustrating sitting there while he talked. Everything he said was just terrible about any black person here, and he was even trying to show differences in culture through a comparison of music. I am sure the Afrikaaners don't hang out with Zulus and Xhosas because of the music they listen to and that it goes much deeper than that. I don't know. I couldn't really respond to him, because he wasn't giving me the chance and kept telling me I don't understand. Mom and Dad, you know how much I hate when people say that to me. I'm sure you can imagine how furious I was. He excused himself when I wasn't responding and I literally stood up and walked out of the room with tears streaming down my face. there were so many things I wanted to say, but i couldn't bare to speak to him, let alone here his voice or any more of his opinions and interpretations of history. It was truly awful.
Other than that I am feeling better today, and the kids at school really put me in a much better mood! There was one little girl who jumped into my arms and wouldn't let go. It was so sad, because she then said you are my mom. And I was like what about your mother, and she told me she was dead and her new mama wasn't nice. She only has her Papa. The kids are darling, but they really have some terrible stories if they open up to you. I love working with them though, because they put a smile on my face from 7:30am until 1:30 in the afternoon. It's great!
Anyways, I need to go work on some research, make some phonecalls and make a lesson plan on Recycling for Grade 4 tomorrow. Woohoo!!
Love,
Magdalena
P.S. Dad, if you want to put any of this up on the blog, from this email and previous ones feel free to. I might try to, if I have time...
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Big Bend 8/12/07--An update.........
The St. Joe's Fun Fest ended this evening and we came home shortly after 6 when we concluded a 4 hour stint collecting money bags from the booth/activity workers and returning to the rectory office (with A/C) to count the money!
We did this for 3 hours Friday night, as well,
and sang at the outdoor mass this morning as
"retired" choir member invitees. This involved
the attendance at some special choir practices and listening to a CD with the unfamiliar quite "up beat" hymns we didn't know.
Not many entries since our last effort so we know everyone has been busy. Guess we haven't signed in since about the time Mark was sending the first pictures from Ireland--a month ago.
All of you knew of Aunt Geraldine's death. Last Sunday we drove to DBQ and stayed overnight with C & B, and then drove to Jesup with them for the Mass of Resurrection at her long time parish church and where she taught many years in the parish school. Her two surviving children, Mary Pat Mosier, whom some of you will remember (lived many years in Racine) and her brother
Jack (another John O'C) the wife of a deceased brother Bill. Mary Pat and Jack lived near Gerry in the Phoenix area so we usually saw them when we there in the winter. Jesup is about 15 miles from Waterloo, so we were very close with this family when we were growing up. Their father, Vic was about 6 years younger than your grandfather. They, too, retired to AZ after your grandparents, but in the Phoenix area, but they saw lot of each other during those years.
Our other cousin, A. John O'Connell, drove out from Connecticut for the mass, too. So we were glad to see him.
Many of Gerry's grand and great grandchildren were there so it was quite a gathering of cousins, so there was a good deal of visiting at the church hall after the mass. Really a joyous ocassion.
We came back home on Monday evening.
Our gardens are doing pretty well, but we've had to do a lot of watering. Had our first Roma tomato on 7/28 and have had enought great green beans for a number of meals since about earlier that week. Flower gardens did well despite the heat--but were watered often. Weeds continue to do well.
Enjoyed an afternoon in Sheboygan on 7/24. Finn, Ellis and Charlie joined their parents to take the harbor area cruise which Mom won at the Kohler Art Fair last year. The weather was ideal and it continued during the early evening when we had a pizza dinner on the RO'C's deck.
We drove up early enough to visit Kohler-Andre
SP for some beach walking and a picnic lunch.
Returned home that evening.
Yesterday, Ann, Ed, Pat, Dennis and Barb Doll came here for lunch and review of some matters related to the ND oil/grazing property. Mom currently is the
coordinator and there seemed to be a need to discuss
some details. This was done and we had a good visit. Susan, Jay, Colin and Bridget stopped to say 'hello' and some of them had some of Mom's shrimp pasta salad main dish.
On Wednesday, 8/1, we went to Ft. Atkinson to pick up the children at Beth's and then spent the night with them while Mark was in SFO for a meeting which had him on two 'red eye' flights and we came back to BB after he came home on Thursday AM. We heard a good bit about the Ireland adventure and enjoyed knowing that they had such a good time.
Guess we were the only ones on the e-mail from David about a Kohler-Andre camping trip he made with Finn and Ellis where their well erected tent and fly kept them dry when it rained in the night and of the up-
coming trip he will make with Cooper to look at a
Luthiery school in Vancouver. He talked with Mom on the phone this morning. David, don't forget your passports!!
Glad for both Michele and Susan's blog recent entries.
Hope we find a good September weekend for a reunion. Charleen and Bob think they should be free around that time.
We didn't see more Ireland pictures in Ft., but really appreciated those Mark put on the web. Mom talked to him tonight to make sure we can get to see Domino before they head east on 8/24 to begin her big adventure.
Our trip to Boise begins Sunday, 8/26. We are using the new Midwest non-stop service to Seattle and will rent a car there for the rest of the trip. Seattle isn't much farther than Portland where we rented a car 2 years ago when we went out on AMTRAK, so we will hope to reach Boise by Monday evening, 8/27. Our return flight is on 9/6, and we will hope to do a little
exploring after we leave Boise before we must catch the plane.
Last Wednesday, we attended the annual Citizen's Bank indoor picnic at a restaurant in Waterford for their 'senior' customers who belong to their "Good
Life" club. Nice lunch with music for some to dance after a party mixer game to get people talking to one another. It is well attended--in fact, they have 2 dates to take care of all those interested. Most of our Big Bend senior group belongs so we don't need the mixer games to get to know them!!
This week we have a picnic with the Retired Officer group at the South Milwaukee Yacht Cluf, the 4 day
national reunion for members of the USS LSM/LSMR
WWII & Korea sailors who served on these ships, Irish Fest. As amember of the WI LSM/LSMR group, I ahve been helping with some local arrangements and publicity. We will be going to the main banquet on next Saturday night, so must miss that time at Irish Fest.
Mom talked to Kevin this week when we heard of the heavy rain and bad weather in Brooklyn. Nothing
unusual happened in South Orange. He said that we could send an e-mail to Magdalena in South Africa using her Mount Holyoke edress. She also had a phone visit with Tim and then Maura about a week before that and they continue to be very busy--and in need of rain, like the rest of us in WI. Lots of stories these days about very low lake levels. This is certainly true about Lake Michigan--broadest beaches we've
ever seen at Kohler-Andre.
Past time for bed. Goodnight. Love and prayers,
Mom and Dad
We did this for 3 hours Friday night, as well,
and sang at the outdoor mass this morning as
"retired" choir member invitees. This involved
the attendance at some special choir practices and listening to a CD with the unfamiliar quite "up beat" hymns we didn't know.
Not many entries since our last effort so we know everyone has been busy. Guess we haven't signed in since about the time Mark was sending the first pictures from Ireland--a month ago.
All of you knew of Aunt Geraldine's death. Last Sunday we drove to DBQ and stayed overnight with C & B, and then drove to Jesup with them for the Mass of Resurrection at her long time parish church and where she taught many years in the parish school. Her two surviving children, Mary Pat Mosier, whom some of you will remember (lived many years in Racine) and her brother
Jack (another John O'C) the wife of a deceased brother Bill. Mary Pat and Jack lived near Gerry in the Phoenix area so we usually saw them when we there in the winter. Jesup is about 15 miles from Waterloo, so we were very close with this family when we were growing up. Their father, Vic was about 6 years younger than your grandfather. They, too, retired to AZ after your grandparents, but in the Phoenix area, but they saw lot of each other during those years.
Our other cousin, A. John O'Connell, drove out from Connecticut for the mass, too. So we were glad to see him.
Many of Gerry's grand and great grandchildren were there so it was quite a gathering of cousins, so there was a good deal of visiting at the church hall after the mass. Really a joyous ocassion.
We came back home on Monday evening.
Our gardens are doing pretty well, but we've had to do a lot of watering. Had our first Roma tomato on 7/28 and have had enought great green beans for a number of meals since about earlier that week. Flower gardens did well despite the heat--but were watered often. Weeds continue to do well.
Enjoyed an afternoon in Sheboygan on 7/24. Finn, Ellis and Charlie joined their parents to take the harbor area cruise which Mom won at the Kohler Art Fair last year. The weather was ideal and it continued during the early evening when we had a pizza dinner on the RO'C's deck.
We drove up early enough to visit Kohler-Andre
SP for some beach walking and a picnic lunch.
Returned home that evening.
Yesterday, Ann, Ed, Pat, Dennis and Barb Doll came here for lunch and review of some matters related to the ND oil/grazing property. Mom currently is the
coordinator and there seemed to be a need to discuss
some details. This was done and we had a good visit. Susan, Jay, Colin and Bridget stopped to say 'hello' and some of them had some of Mom's shrimp pasta salad main dish.
On Wednesday, 8/1, we went to Ft. Atkinson to pick up the children at Beth's and then spent the night with them while Mark was in SFO for a meeting which had him on two 'red eye' flights and we came back to BB after he came home on Thursday AM. We heard a good bit about the Ireland adventure and enjoyed knowing that they had such a good time.
Guess we were the only ones on the e-mail from David about a Kohler-Andre camping trip he made with Finn and Ellis where their well erected tent and fly kept them dry when it rained in the night and of the up-
coming trip he will make with Cooper to look at a
Luthiery school in Vancouver. He talked with Mom on the phone this morning. David, don't forget your passports!!
Glad for both Michele and Susan's blog recent entries.
Hope we find a good September weekend for a reunion. Charleen and Bob think they should be free around that time.
We didn't see more Ireland pictures in Ft., but really appreciated those Mark put on the web. Mom talked to him tonight to make sure we can get to see Domino before they head east on 8/24 to begin her big adventure.
Our trip to Boise begins Sunday, 8/26. We are using the new Midwest non-stop service to Seattle and will rent a car there for the rest of the trip. Seattle isn't much farther than Portland where we rented a car 2 years ago when we went out on AMTRAK, so we will hope to reach Boise by Monday evening, 8/27. Our return flight is on 9/6, and we will hope to do a little
exploring after we leave Boise before we must catch the plane.
Last Wednesday, we attended the annual Citizen's Bank indoor picnic at a restaurant in Waterford for their 'senior' customers who belong to their "Good
Life" club. Nice lunch with music for some to dance after a party mixer game to get people talking to one another. It is well attended--in fact, they have 2 dates to take care of all those interested. Most of our Big Bend senior group belongs so we don't need the mixer games to get to know them!!
This week we have a picnic with the Retired Officer group at the South Milwaukee Yacht Cluf, the 4 day
national reunion for members of the USS LSM/LSMR
WWII & Korea sailors who served on these ships, Irish Fest. As amember of the WI LSM/LSMR group, I ahve been helping with some local arrangements and publicity. We will be going to the main banquet on next Saturday night, so must miss that time at Irish Fest.
Mom talked to Kevin this week when we heard of the heavy rain and bad weather in Brooklyn. Nothing
unusual happened in South Orange. He said that we could send an e-mail to Magdalena in South Africa using her Mount Holyoke edress. She also had a phone visit with Tim and then Maura about a week before that and they continue to be very busy--and in need of rain, like the rest of us in WI. Lots of stories these days about very low lake levels. This is certainly true about Lake Michigan--broadest beaches we've
ever seen at Kohler-Andre.
Past time for bed. Goodnight. Love and prayers,
Mom and Dad
Thursday, August 9, 2007
OConnell Reunion in Sept.
Hi Everyone-I'm checking people's availability for a party in Sept. at our house. We are not available on Labor Day, but other than the 15th, we are free. Let me know. Last year we did a Sunday, which would work, but we can also do Saturday.
All is well here. Everyone is working alot and trying to deal with the heat! Love, Susan
All is well here. Everyone is working alot and trying to deal with the heat! Love, Susan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)