Bryan (aka Dave)

My brother Bryan is in town for a few days on his way back to Portland. He's taking a month to travel the country in his truck and photograph his journey. Recently he quit his job and got out of the corporate rat race with the idea of taking a year off to put some effort into beginning his own business in photography. If anyone can make a go of it I think he can. He met his wife Sue at her mother's home in Hickory, NC for Thanksgiving. Apart from that one rendezvous, he's been on no particular schedule. On the way south out of Portland to Texas, he stayed off the interstate and took the back roads which I thought was pretty cool. He's taken some beautiful photographs along the way...he's really got an eye for photography. This was in a bunch of photos he emailed me today...



Pretty cool, huh? Anyway, not all of them are as...what's the word I'm looking for...sad? Dark? Dreary? I'm not sure but his photos run the gamut.

So I'm sleeping soundly this morning and the phone wakes me up at 7:00. It was Bryan saying he'd be right over after he had breakfast. He got there around 7:45 and was attacked by Toby and Allie after I practically had to show him to them. These guys aren't the best watchdogs I've seen. We went down to the shop and got his laptop online after some minor glitches. We putzed around for a couple hours then I went up to take a shower and get ready for work. I took him to lunch at Perkins then he was heading for an oil change and Jackie and Jerry's.

We had a really nice visit. I suppose we talked mostly about family stuff...about Dad, Claudia and a little about Tim...we also touched on how he (Bryan) was doing and his kids. It was just nice to sit across from him and talk. Before, when we'd get together I always felt like he was talking down to me but I didn't sense that this time. I'm not sure what the difference was...maybe I felt like he was listening more to what I had to say.

I burned him a copy of the new Jars of Clay cd and included a few songs from the Furthermore discs. I'm really liking and listening to this cd a lot.

I'm taking tomorrow off work to get together with Bryan again. He's going to drive to my house and I'll drive us over to Claudia's house to see her and Ron and Tim. I've been meaning to get over there and see Tim so this will do that for me.

Speaking of Toby and Allie...Tammy has been working with them daily using the 'clicker' training method. She's got them both sitting and laying on command. I've worked with them some but not nearly as much. Those little guys are sooo cute. They still have a ways to go before we can give them their potty training diplomas but they're making progress. Toby waits by the back door when he has to go out but you have to see him before long or he does what he has to do then resumes his playing. Allie's not far behind.


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