Heather and Mark now have a blog and photo gallery. Check it out.
Thursday September 8, 2005
Tuesday September 6, 2005
The trip
So we left LA on a Northwest flight Thursday the 1st. We arrived in Milwaukee around 6:30 and it took a lot longer to get our car than it would if I had used National. We rented from Hertz because I wanted a Mustang. It took close to 30 minutes for the people in front of me and then us. They are probably fine if you have their Gold club but otherwise go somewhere else.
We drove south to Kenosha on the 94. It only takes about 30 minutes. We got to the hotel and checked in and called Joce. She was out getting stuff for the wedding with Eric but we decided to meet for a late dinner when they finished. She told me she wanted to go to this new place close to the hotel. I thought it was a steakhouse but it ended up being a noodle place. Joce is a vegitarian and likes the noodles and veggies. The rest of us ordered meat on the meal. Decent food but I would rather have a steak.
The next morning we got up and decided to go on the Jelly Belly tour. It’s only a distribution place but they have billions of jelly beans in the warehouse. They drive you around in a little train on wheels and tell you the Jelly Belly story. Because they have food you have to wear the hat. That’s what I’m wearing in the picture. It’s kind of interesting and they give you a bag of beans at the end. One funny thing we learned is the beans that don’t come out right are called “belly flops”. You can buy 2 – 2lb bags for $8. We didn’t and I wish we had.
That evening we went to the rehersal and then back to the lodge to finish decorating. We were done about 12pm but that was only 10 to Betty and I. We went back to the hotel and went to bed.
Saturday morning we got up and actually had time to eat the modified continental breakfast. They also had a waffle maker, sausage, and biscuits and gravy. The waffles were very good. The other stuff not so much.
Then we headed to the wedding. Not a lot to say about that except the ring bearer was a tad too young to know what he needed to do. You can see him being carried by Gary in a few pictures. The weather was great and the ceremony only lasted about 15 minutes. That’s the right length as far as I’m concerned.
After the wedding we went to the reception. Again nothing more to say that you can’t see in the pictures. We left about 9pm right after Joce and Eric. Not much reason for us to stay since neither of us drink and the only people we knew were Judi’s family. I like them all but I’d already spent enough time with them.
The next day we had breakfast at the hotel again and headed off for the plane. I stopped to get gas so we wouldn’t be charged $6/gallon. I found out if you try to top off a Mustang it will overflow and make your shoe smell really bad. Just what I needed before getting on a cramped plane for 4 hours. We had an hour layover in Las Vegas where we not only changed planes but airlines as well. Predictably we didn’t have Betty’s bag when we got to LA. They found it and brought it to us last night.
It was a really great weekend and I was very happy to see Jocelyn. She’s grown up a lot. She works at United States Bank in Kenosha. Eric is planning on finding a better job than the YMCA where he’s working now.
All in all a fun time.
Comments Off on The trip
Sunday September 4, 2005
Married!
We just got back from Kenosha. Here’s the link to the pictures. Tired, will write more later.
Thursday September 1, 2005
Doing my part, again
I received this email from my daughter. Since I don’t have a very large network I’m putting it here.
This woman is walking the World for Breast Cancer. Please pass her on so that she can reach her destination. Say a prayer for all those who are affected by this terrible disease. She’s walking around the world – via e-mail!! Pass it on so she can get there! Please hit your forward button, so the women stays animated.
PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW! SUPPORT BREAST CANCER AWARENESS AND KEEP THE WALKING WOMAN GOING TO EVERYONE!
THANK YOU!
Wednesday August 31, 2005
Kenosha?
Ohhhh, Wisconsin. I’ve never really been but I’d sure like to go. Ohh, Wisconsin, I think I’m gonna go now. You can try to sing that to the tune of “Mexico” by James Taylor but it doesn’t flow very well. No matter, we’re leaving tomorrow.
My youngest daughter Jocelyn is getting married on Saturday and the wedding is in Kenosha. Kenosha, WI. For those of you who watch “That 70’s Show” it’s where the kids go when they need some big city stimulation. I’m not even sure how big it is. I’m guessing it’s smaller than Tucson. Maybe I should look it up……………… I looked it up. It’s a little shy of 100,000. About 7,000 shy. That said it’s also the 4th largest city in Wisconsin.
Betty and I are flying Northwest Airlines. I got the tickets before the strike. Who knew? We are coming back on Midwest into Las Vegas and then American into LA. We got married in Las Vegas on Sep 3rd, 1994. Checck your calender and you’ll see this Saturday is the 3rd. I don’t think Jocelyn knew that when she and Eric picked the date. I’m telling Betty her anniversary present is an all expense paid trip to a quaint little town on one of the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan is one of them, right?
I’ll take lots of pictures and put em in my gallery when we get back. I might even try some of their cheese. I hear it’s almost as good as California’s.
Sunday August 21, 2005
Where has Don been?
It’s been a long time since I updated this. Some may think I’ve been wasting the time watching TV but you would be wrong. I’ve been wasting time creating maps for Counter Strike:Source.
What’s Counter Strike? It’s a computer game that’s similar to Quake and Doom except you play on a team. You are either Terrorists or Counter Terrorists. The T’s and CT’s run around in a simulated world that looks extremely realistic compared to the old Castle Wolfenstein and Doom 1 and 2. The game runs on the same “engine” that runs Half Life 2 if you’re familiar with that one.
To create maps you use a CAD tool called Hamer(used to be called Worldcraft). It’s got 3 views, X, Y, and Z and a camera view to see what the textures and models look like. The tool actually comes with the game. You draw blocks and cylinders and stuff and put textures on them to create the world. It’s a lot of fun for me and has become quite addicting. I’ve got some pictures of my latest map in my gallery from last week. I’ve made a ton of changes since then and I’ll get some more screenshots soon.
On to other doings in our family.
Heather and Mark are expecting their second child in about 7 months. She wrote me last week but for some reason I didn’t get the email. I found out by reading a post by Dianna. Camden is getting old and needs to have a visit from his grandpa. I’ll try to do that soon but read the next paragraph to find out what I’m doing short term.
My other daughter, Jocelyn, is getting married in about 2 weeks. She’s marrying Eric Weiss up in Kenosha, WI. Betty and I are going to make the trip for the wedding. I haven’t seen her in a few years. It amazes me how fast time goes.
It’s about bedtime for me but I figured I better let everyone know I’m still alive and kicking.
Tuesday August 9, 2005
Boom – boom!
The shuttle landed at Edwards today at 5:12 am. At 5:05 it broke the sound barrier over Southern California. The main reason I know this is because that’s what got me out of bed.
Monday July 25, 2005
Roe Vs. Wade – One judge’s opinion
“At the heart of the controversy in these cases are those recurring pregnancies that pose no danger whatsoever to the life or health of the mother but are, nevertheless, unwanted for any one or more of a variety of reasons — convenience, family planning, economics, dislike of children, the embarrassment of illegitimacy, etc. . . .
“With all due respect, I dissent. I find nothing in the language or history of the Constitution to support the Court’s judgment. The Court simply fashions and announces a new constitutional right for pregnant mothers and, with scarcely any reason or authority for its action, invests that right with sufficient substance to override most existing state abortion statutes. . . . As an exercise of raw judicial power, the Court perhaps has authority to do what it does today; but, in my view, its judgment is an improvident and extravagant exercise of the power of judicial review that the Constitution extends to this Court.
“The Court apparently values the convenience of the pregnant mother more than the continued existence and development of the life or potential life that she carries. Whether or not I might agree with that marshaling of values, I can in no event join the Court’s judgment because I find no constitutional warrant for imposing such an order of priorities on the people and legislatures of the States. In a sensitive area such as this, involving as it does issues over which reasonable men may easily and heatedly differ, I cannot accept the Court’s exercise of its clear power of choice by interposing a constitutional barrier to state efforts to protect human life and by investing mothers and doctors with the constitutionally protected right to exterminate it. . . . .”
Justice Byron White
Supreme Court – United States
1973