"Blue Bird"

Dena and I were watching Ken Burn's "National Parks" on PBS. It explores the origins of Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks. It was captivating and the photography was breath-taking. We hope to be able to watch the balance of this series, as we love nature.

I looked up stuff on Yellowstone National Park and took a photo of the "Smokie the Bear" stuffed toy I purchased for Dena on our excursion into Yellowstone's natural beauties.

Last night I was tired and was still trying to find info for the blog that might be interesting to you readers. I came upon the live "webcam" for Mammoth Hot Springs. I could not get it to work, though I tried several times. It finally dawned upon my that it was a "live view" and it was dark outside. DA!!!!! Please, do not make the same mistake when you click on the site above.

When we went to Yellowstone for the first time in the early summer of 1993 it was a magical experience. We had traveled west, first to Steamboat Springs, for the wedding of Dena's niece, Laura and hubby Bob. That in itself was a wonderful leg of the journey. Just to see "The Mountains" is always a high point in any trip for me.

Since we were that far past the Mississippi, we decided to trace some of the head water's of tributaries such as the Missouri River. It seems as if it and many rivers owe their birth to streams that come from the northwest "Rockies" region.

We headed for Wyoming and Yellowstone. We traveled through the park to find it's treasures. There was one wonder after another, geysers, mud pots, water falls, mirrored lakes, mountain peaks, valley moraines and big animals, all seemed to be impossible to top. But, around every corner and over every rise, there was a new and more wonderful feature or inhabitant of this park.

I had an epiphany or revaluation, that transfixed me for some unknown time. The earth slowed down as I watched a surreal mountain blue bird sitting on a branch superimposed on the backdrop of the ultra-white Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces in north Yellowstone Park. I can not describe the blue color of the bird, except to say that it looked as if you held the bird upside-down by it's feet and shook it, that bright blue powder would fall everywhere. As if you were sprinkling fine blue baby powder, or that an excessive amount ladies' blue eye shadow had been applied by an unsupervised child. (Disclaimer: Do NOT attempt this at home, unless if you are a professional blue bird handler. (Ha!)),

Paul McCartney wrote a song about a "Bluebird" and some of the lyrics are as follows: "... Touch your lips with a magic kiss and you'll be a bluebird too and you'll know what love can do. Fly away through the midnight air, as we head across the sea and last we will be free... Bluebird, ah ha, Bluebird, ah, ha...". Not one of my favorite songs, but the title fits my theme. (Ha!)

We looked for and saw some animals in the park, but the easiest to photograph was the ubiquitous ground squirrel, shown here posing for us. He made a stink when we did not offer him "scale" (wages), so we tossed him some scraps before he called his agent.

My favorite large animal is the moose, but the harder we tried to find one the more invisible they became. As we returned to our cabin at Lake Yellowstone back in 1993 we were slowed by a mob of people walking and blocking the road. I waited patiently (though my wife might disagree) for the crowd to clear when a larger than life moose came right past the car. Sitting in the car as it ambled along very near to my vehicle I found that I was looking at his/her (?) under belly. This majestic creature was very, very large. I watched it with some fear, but mostly in awe and wonder, as the question came to me, where is my "darn" camera??? I had put it in the case because we were finished sight-seeing and now searching for food. By the time I got the camera out and was able to squeeze at shot, the moose had moved on and was quite far away. The photo below is with a telephoto lens and does no justice to the enormous size of the moose.

My next and last (to date) moose sighting was a year or so after I had retired and went west, fishing with a friend. I was again in Yellowstone searching for a place to fly fish. I am not the worlds best fisherman, fly or any other kind, but I enjoy the outdoors and fishing is as good an excuse to visit Mother Nature.

I had found a very nice, large and abandoned pond (small lake?). I put on my considerable equipment and walked carefully towards the lake. As I approached the shore, I saw some ripples on it's otherwise mirrored surface. I decided that I would make my first cast to that spot, quite sure there was a nice trout just below the surface. I had seen some caddis flies circling me on my way down. Luckily I had already tied a home-made elk hair caddis on to my line. They are my favorite and relatively easy to tie and I can watch the fly as it floats on the surface, it is a big help knowing were to look for your lure.

As I spooled some line out to begin my back cast, there was a great disturbance in the water. At first I thought I might be gas being vented from the unstable earth below, but all doubt left when the biggest pair of antlers I had ever seen emerged from the lake. A head of a moose was attached to that rack, and that connected to the neck, etc. As the moose rose to shoulder height out of the water it gazed at me with no concern. He must have had his fill and exited the opposite side of the lake. Now, I could get a better guess at the enormous girth, length and height size. It seemed as big as an elephant, though I know it was not. I was dwarfed by the creature. It is an experience that will stay with me forever and I am grateful to have witnessed God's great glory.

Before that day, I did not know upon what the moose feed, but I got a crash course their favorite meal. It seems that the vegetation growing under the surface of lakes is considered a delicacy by them. I found out later that it is not uncommon to find a moose partially of completely submerged for long periods of time while grazing on this tasty (?) flora.

Somewhere in our journeys in Yellowstone we came upon an elk cow that did not seem to be particularly impressed with our invasion of her home. The cow gave us a gesture that I will not put in words, but I think you can decipher it from her body posture. Elk or no elk I hope that you all experience that great national treasure.

Tai Chi

Dena and I went to a Tai Chi class last night. I had it in my mind that the style shown in the video was what we would be learning, but it was very different. Apparently there are many variation of this "sport?" I would like to improve my balance and thought Tai Chi might help. If you can understand any of the words, let me know what they are saying.

"VIVACIOUS"

"I went to the mountain because..."

I started a blog when I was in Colorado and it went pretty well until I tried to do some of the tricky stuff. I asked Erica for some help, because she is sweet and has a very nice blog (and a small amount of time to spare for this silly old Pirate).

Erica "showed me the way" to set up the sight and make it more appealing to the eye. There were so many new things to learn about this subject that my poor brain started to go to overload. She adjusted her speed down to a slow crawl to accommodate me. I hope you like the ideas Erica has suggested for this site. If not, too bad, cause I like 'em. We made a lot of progress with my blog, "the work is good if you can get it"

Debbie & Steve and Sandy & Larry provided the genetics to form this family nucleus of the three sisters and their "baby" brother. Steve and Sandy have done a wonderful job blending the family and raising these delightful children into adulthood. Amy, being Dena's God-Child, got (and still gets) a lot of attention from us. Dena was at lunch with Amy as Erica & I blogged and had our lunch. Mat, (Dena's "fairy" (no not gay) God Child) not to be outdone, then or now, makes sure he is in the picture (thank God for our Mat), but Erica and Krista got overshadowed a little. This was a huge mistake, because they both have so much to offer. They are both such beautiful (inside & out) girls (women).

Krista (a bright penny by her herself) called today while we were hard (right) at blogging, telling Erica of some very good values she had come across. Erica declined, but I think I'm going to hire Krista as my "personal shopper/outfitter", (when I find some extra cash). I wonder how much she knows about fly fishing equipment??? I would love to spend some one-on-one time (scary for her!!!) with Krista to get a fuller picture, get to know and appreciate her better.

Erica is full of live (& light), "vivacious". I believe the "light" is the Holy Spirit resides in & is glowing within her soul. She is a good, sweet, intelligent, outgoing, radiant, strong (although she looks a little fragile), loving Christian woman. (Did I mention beautiful???, silly me). I told Erica that Jeff is a very lucky man to share a life with her and she responded that she is "lucky to have his love and share a life with him". I wished them both a charmed life. A life of happiness, warmth, friendship, sacrifice and true love, a marriage that I have found with my wonderful Dena for the last 25 years. (Let me hear you say "Amen".)

I told her about our ritual of watching "Picnic" every Labor Day and of the part where Mrs. Potts says how wonderful it has been to watch the children next door grow and become ladies. I have come to appreciate that sentiment/understanding. I love to watch my girls, grandchildren, family, friends, neighbors and other's happy families growing and evolving into beautiful children of God.

Erica has a kind ear for this talkative old soul and is a gracious as if I had been royalty. We went to a her favorite Asian restaurant. "Wang Gang" http://www.wanggangasian.com/ (I could not get it to make a link, sorry) and had a great meal and pleasant conversation with the owner. We had to hurry home to get the kids from pre-school, as the time just flew by. All in all it was a very pleasant and informative day (for me) and can not thank Erica enough for sparing me the time.

Fort Zumwalt North-Middle (6/7) Jr Panthers.

Green and gold are the colors to watch this year.

Yesterday they played Francis Howell at the New Mell Community Club. It was a nice facility for a small town. Everyone was friendly and the field was filled all day with the "grid iron greats" from far and wide. Though the Panthers lost 13 to 18, it was not without a lot of hard work and sweat on our team's part. There was a lot of action between the goal posts and it made for a very exciting day.

I can not take credit for all these photos. some of the best ones were shot by my able assistant and Jordan's sister, Ashley (11). She has a good eye and a steady hand. She is an excellent student, and a beautiful girl. She is starting to pay basketball. Jimbo my have to get her under contract too. We are waiting for a schedule to find the first game.

Tara and the family came to root for Jordan. The younger children were dressed, combed, groomed, and behaved beautifully. I credit Tara for the great job she (and Leroy) have done with my grandchildren. Keep up the good work.

Towards the end of the game I shot a quick video of Jordan. He looks and is tired, but he still has smile for his Gramps'. His t-shirt was dripping wet, though the temperature was mild. The coach played him most of the game. He initially played offense, but later he played both and did not come off the field much.

Down for the count.

Jordan got the wind knocked out of him. The photo shows him on the ground. He was up with a sore back and a bused spirit, but got back in the game in a short time. As much as I enjoy watching my grandchildren play their sports, I am always conscious of the possibilities of injuries. All I can do is pray and encourage them to be aware of their surroundings.

If you have ever really had all (and I mean all) the air knocked out of you, your lungs will partially collapse. You will not be able to suck in enough air to make the lungs work. The chest and lung muscles, need the lungs inflated to be able to cycle the breath. Gasping for what seems like an eternity and nothing is happening, is very scary.

Jordan carries the ball.

To the right is an image of my grandson carrying the football. He did not make a touchdown, but he gained some critical yards. Another step and he would have been on his way.

A good tackle.

Jordan was not the key player this day, but he made several important plays. The photo to the left shows him holding is prey after a nice tackle. Jordan is not overly big for his age and not as aggressive as some, but at twelve, I don't expect a "Butkus".

I like his even demeanor and easy smile. He is a good boy on his way to manhood. I do not want him to rush forward too fast. "Being old" can wait.

Jimbo and the pirate go to New Melle, MO, 09/19/09

The long awaited (by me, as I missed the first several) game was played yesterday. In attendance was Jordan's (family) agent/manager "Dr. Boombie" doing the play-by play from the end zone. He has not put a percentage on the table, yet, but I think we can get him at a reasonable (family) price.

Jim and I had driven from Granite earlier that day, a distance of about sixty miles west. The trip, as always, was pleasant and comfortable. A couple of old friends sharing a laugh and a listen. Jimbo has become part of my family through my daughters and grandchildren. They have all adopted him everyone makes a fuss over him. If he is not there to see a game, they want to know why.

We were famished by the time we got to New Melle and did not expect to find much in the way of fast food. We were pleasantly surprised by the Bavarian Smokehouse & Deli. We both had a turkey on a big crescent roll, with lettuce, tomato and onions. The meat was an inch thick and the veggies' were very fresh. It took a while to finish the sandwich, but it was pleasant work. I do not usually elaborate this much on food (well, maybe desert), but my precious Dena is the only one to make a better deli delight. You almost never get anything this good, "Out".

The photo is of Jim, his sister (teacher & principle) Margie and actress and retired Ram's cheerleader, Amy. The girls are too cute.

On his way to the goal, again.

Our boy is on the run in this photo. He is leading the first grade defender and then turned the effort into a goal. I can't wait until he is six, grows a couple of inches and puts on several pounds (of muscle). :)