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Showing posts from 2020

Am I a Hypocrite?

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This past week marked 41 years since leaving the Navy and leaving the city of San Diego, CA—a city I very much fell in love with during my time there. I really do need to make a trip back there and take a week or more to ride some of the routes I used to love to ride (it's where I got into cycling) and to walk along the streets outside the naval base. I'm sure I have countless dormant memories waiting to be awoken by a ride or a walk along some of the roads and sidewalks I used to regularly use. How cool it would be to see the ship I served on again and walk its passageways, but that can't happen because she lies at the bottom of the ocean  in water too deep for even sea life to inhabit and make use of. Enlisting in the Navy was one of the better moves I could've made as an 18-year-old, six months out of high school with little self-confidence and no idea what I wanted to do with my life. It was never on my radar to enlist— until it was .  I'm not a particularly pat

Thoughts on a Thursday

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Has it really been a full week since Thanksgiving? Yikes! I'd be bummed if I was still working and a week off from work flew by this quickly. I'm doing my best to make the most of each day as it's the only way I can think of to push back against the ever-increasing pace of days and years as they pass me by. I have a sense of guilt that creeps in if I allow myself too much downtime. It's the way I'm wired and I'm okay with that.  Brad, Monique, and Roger (Moniques's father) stopped by Thanksgiving day to drop off some tasty treats for us. How nice of them! They were making the rounds. We chatted socially distanced from one another and masked, catching up on so much that's happened in our lives since we last saw them nearly one year ago. Later in the day, we had a Zoom meeting hosted by my brother Bryan in Oregon. It was a lot of fun and a nice substitute for actually getting together in this year of quashed plans due to the pandemic. I prefer not to have

Laying Low and They're So Fat!

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We had to have one of our ash trees taken down. Vineland Tree Care came out a few months ago to trim our trees and they noticed that one of them was failing due to a split in its trunk . They said we could try and support it with a metal strap around it but that it may still die. We opted to have them remove the tree instead. I went out in the morning before they arrived to spend a few minutes in its presence. Yes, that's kind of who I am. I will miss it. We're considering putting a white pine in its place next spring. Winter has been teasing us with some sizeable snowfalls the past few weeks but it's still too early for the snow to stay around long. I thought I'd put my golf clubs away for the year a few weeks ago but Steve and I managed to find an open course (CreeksBend near Elko) last Thursday for one last round. I'm in a bit of a lull, somewhere between being done with fall riding and waiting for winter fat-bike riding to begin. I've spent some time on my i

A Fitting End

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I've given my blog a new look, one that's hopefully a little easier on the eyes (less contrast between the background and the text) and one that's mobile-friendly—something missing from my last layout.  I've also given our garage a bit of a new look. I bought some wall mounts to get our bikes off the floor and free up some space. I don't know why I didn't do this years ago. Only my fat-bike remains grounded. We just finished a week of unseasonably warm temps and I made the most of it, golfing 4 days in a row last week. I don't know that I've ever done that. Steve joined me for 3 of them. But alas, I believe that as of today, our golf season has come to an end. I'm okay with that. I was able to play 56 rounds and that's with a late start to the season due to being more focused on my riding than golfing. Steve and I finished out our golf season by playing the Mt. Frontenac course south of Red Wing. It's a beautiful course with some fantastic vi

Winter Has Arrived and We Have a New Family Member

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My four-year enlistment in the Navy seemed like a long time when I was living it from the ages of 18-22. Today, four years seem to go by so much more quickly. But what about four years in the life of a child? What about 8 years in the life of an impressionable child? I worry about the effect the current administration will have on the lives of so many young people who are watching the President of our nation and learning from his example .  I know it's foolish of me to get my hopes up about the outcome of the election in just 9 days, but I am. The early-voting turnout is breaking records in many places even as people are having to put up with hours-long lines (during a pandemic, no less) due to Republican-designed voter suppression. I heard one report that Democrats were outpacing Republicans 2 to 1 in terms of voting to this point. I'm hopeful that the same enthusiasm from Democrats will continue through election day, sweeping in Biden and Harris while taking back the Senate a

Happy 17th and Let's Get This Party Started!

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My blog turned 17 years old this month and although I write to it with only half the frequency I once did, it still holds an important place in my life. Oftentimes I'm simply writing superficially about my life and my experiences along the way, posting videos of my rides and such for a later time when I revisit these pages years or decades from now, God willing. Other times, it's where I go to sort through my thoughts as I try and understand our world. It's here, in these online pages, where much of my growth as a person occurs. I own the words I write here and because I do, I actually ponder them before publishing them.  I kept a daily journal for the last 3 years of my 4-year enlistment in the Navy in the mid to late '70s. The journals were Christmas gifts from my mother. How could she have known that this was something I'd run with? When online blogging came on the scene (more than 20 years later), it seemed like a natural fit for me. The personal growth I'm

Quite Possibly a Rout in the Making

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All indications are we're heading for a rout on November 3rd with Democrats poised to take back the White House and quite possibly the Senate. I'm feeling more confident about that with each passing day as Trump's poll numbers continue to sink while he shows us, again and again, his incompetency to lead and his complete lack of fitness for the presidency. He actually called for the indictment of his rival, Joe Biden  last week as well as others for their role in the Russia investigation; an investigation the Republican-led Senate said was justified. He's refusing to commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses. He's recently referred to our service members as "suckers and losers" and he's refused to condemn white supremacists. And yet people still support him. What am I failing to understand?  The demand for absentee ballots has never been anywhere near as high as the levels we're seeing. In spite of all of the attempts by Republicans to su

This Man was as Close to Greatness as I'd Ever Get

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(Going back to a little of what I touched on in my last blog entry .) When I was a boy in the late '60s, Jim and his family had a home built next to ours in our all-white neighborhood in Bloomington, MN. That was a big deal back then. This wasn't just any other family moving in next door, at least that was the impression I was getting. As a boy of 10 years old, I knew nothing of racism. I would see Mr. Barbour, our new neighbor, out in his driveway tinkering with his blue Austin Healey Sprite, preparing it for races at the track in Brainerd. Little did I know then that this man was as close to greatness as I'd ever get.  David, the author of the Jalopnik story about James Barbour III (mentioned in my previous blog entry) was able to spend several days with Jim two summers ago, and during that time he recorded their conversations and used some of those recordings for his podcast.  Tempest podcast: Living Legend  (I couldn't get the podcast to play in my Safari browser bu

Rachel and Drew Sittin' in a Tree...

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Since I last wrote in my blog, Rachel and Drew have become engaged. They've been together a few months shy of 4 years and we all knew it was just a matter of time before they made it official. They arranged a video chat with us two weeks ago and that's when they let us know. Drew was even able to work PJ into his proposal. PJ loves to dig in their backyard so Drew put Rachel's engagement ring in a box and set it in one of the holes PJ had dug. He was down on one knee when he called Rachel over to show her what PJ had found. I think she knew what was about to happen. He proposed while on one knee. Rachel cried and said "yes!" It was simple but so sweet and we're very happy for them all, including PJ! There's no wedding date yet and there's no hurry. In this age of COVID, it's a little difficult to make short or long-range plans.  Rachel and Drew complement each other really well. They're both creative, thoughtful people, busy establishing thems

Five Years Pass So Quickly

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Five years ago to this hour as I write this, I was processing out from the best career I could've ever hoped for. It was also the day my mother passed away as well as the day I received the incredibly welcomed news that my hearing in my left ear had been restored. It was one very emotion-filled day for me.  My career as an air traffic controller was a career that I literally thanked God for each day I had it and sometimes still do. I had been a kid with absolutely no direction in my life and without direction, I had no goals when I graduated from high school in 1975.  It's the main reason I ended up in the Navy .  I have no idea how those five years got away from me so quickly, but they did, and I realize that the next 5 years are going to pass by even more quickly. I suppose that's part of the reason I have a difficult time staying still for very long; I feel as though I need to make the most of each day of my life. It would pain me to look back at the years gone by and w

The Inspired Word or Men with Agendas?

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There was a time not too many years ago when I never questioned my faith or what would become of my soul once I'm gone from this life. Attending weekly services at Hosanna (the megachurch a mile from home) was oftentimes the highlight of my week. I had a reading plan that would take me through the entirety of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible within the span of a year and I did this for many years on end. I was all-in with my Christian faith. Jesus was the answer and the only way to receive the gift of eternal life. There was nothing more to discuss or consider, or so I thought.  I don't know if I should feel sad or relieved, or possibly even angry, but I'm no longer that person.  I've been slowly but steadily drifting away from the moorings of my faith for a number of years. Initially, it was realizing that the more I read my Bible, the more I questioned what I was reading—especially what's written in the Old Testament. I could no longer read the first 5 book

Goodbye, Uncle Norm and Voter Suppression in Plain Sight

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Our monarch caterpillar chrysalis produced a beautiful butterfly. We set it free in our backyard garden with talk of planting more milkweed next year to attract even more of them. I had hoped to capture video of it as it emerged but I was on the golf course and forgot to check its progress before leaving home. I was trying to imagine what it must be like for a caterpillar to emerge from its chrysalis where previously it spent its life among the milkweed moving at something less than a snail's pace, to now, able to flitter above the ground, taking in so much more of the world while trading a diet of milkweed for the nectar of flowers. Our world is so amazing My uncle Norm passed away last week at the age of 85. He'd been in poor health for years so when he recently contracted the COVID-19 virus he had little chance to overcome it. Norm was always our "cool uncle", several years younger than my other uncles and very active in golf, hunting, softball and other pa

Butterflies, Eagles, and Norms

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Tammy and I are keeping watch over a monarch caterpillar chrysalis that's metamorphosing in our den. It formed its chrysalis on the 24th of July—9 days ago. The monarch butterfly usually appears within 9-14 days. I'd like to capture some video of it as it emerges if I'm around so I can bookend this video I took of it forming its chrysalis . I was amazed at how quickly it changed from a caterpillar to a chrysalis.  Tammy had ordered a dozen caterpillars from an online site but they were never able to fill her request. We needed to go only as far as our backyard garden where we'd planted a few milkweed plants to find what we were looking for. We figured one was enough and allowed any others to remain in the garden. We'll be planting more milkweed next spring to attract them.  I've got a nice rotation of riding, walking, and golfing that's keeping me active outdoors. I like the variety. It wasn't all that many years ago when my only focus was road ridin

Eject! Eject! Eject! And Another Perspective

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In aviation, one of the more dire circumstances a pilot can find themselves in is what's referred to as a flat spin. A flat spin is where the nose of the aircraft is in a more level position (rather than pointed downward), placing the aircraft's center of gravity closer to the spin axis, rendering the rudder and elevators ineffective in breaking the perilous spin. More often than not, it's an unrecoverable situation. We, in America, are in a flat spin—I'm speaking of our democracy. Fascism and authoritarianism are taking root here at the top while a solid 38% of the country doesn't seem to notice or maybe they don't mind because it's their guy who is leading the revolution—if you can call it that. I'm saddened by the fact that I have two siblings and many other relatives, friends, and neighbors who are caught up in the madness and continue to support the imbecile in the Oval Office. You don't tear gas peaceful protesters to clear a park for a p