Today is Tami’s birthday. I took the day off from work to celebrate with her. Boomer and I made her breakfast in bed, then after her shower we ran a few errands. Tami went to the movies with her sister, Trohe. I mowed the lawn and did my bike workout. John brought over Crème brûlée and Brit and Daner brought cupcakes. We all had Franks pizza for dinner. Photos below, including one of Tami with earrings from Suze.
I followed the full training plan for my MS150 coached team this week, but crunched it into 5 days instead of the full 7 because of my trip to Memphis.
The most significant aspects of this week were a 37 mile ride in 40 mph winds on Saturday, and a 41 mile ride in temperatures that started below freezing this morning, but finished up in the low 50’s by the time I got back home.
I rode about 115 miles total for the week.
I had to go to Memphis for the Corporate Transportation Awards Night Banquet last Monday. Since I was nearby, I decided to drive a portion of Crowley’s Ridge, and then make a quick visit to the Louisiana Purchase State Park.
Here are a few photos.
Thanks Paul.
I’ve joined up with a team to do the Colorado MS150 on June 28th and 29th.
As such, I’ve been able to take advantage of some sport and event specific training and have been riding with the group as of late.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday I’ve ridden 22, 12, and 18 miles respectively with very specific training goals each day.
Today we rode up to the visitor’s center at the top of Red Rocks Amphitheater and around Morrison and Bear Creek State Park. It was a nice day and the climbing/elevation wasn’t so difficult.
Tami and I met John and his wife Beth at the Downtown Littleton Light Rail Station and went to dinner at the Limelight inside the Denver Center for the Performing Arts complex.
We then saw a concert performance of Richard Wagner’s opera, The Flying Dutchman.
The performance was highlighted by James Morris singing the role of the Dutchman. Mr. Morris is considered the world’s leading interpreter of the Dutchman role.
I particularly enjoyed the performance of Stephen Costello as the Steersman, and Stuart Skelton as Erik. Mr. Costello’s voice was bright and lively, while Mr. Skelton seemed to enjoy performing the Wagner opera more than anyone else on stage.
It was a nice evening and we enjoyed the company of John and Beth.
Tami and her sister Trohe went at it on the air hockey table the other night. I’m pretty sure Tami won.
My grandmother, Fern Roberts, passed away last Sunday. She was 87.
Of all the things one might recall about their grandparents, I think the one universal memory shared by Grandma Fernie’s 9 grandchildren and most of her 20+ great-grandchildren is the occasion of our birthdays.
As my cousin Lisa so eloquently stated at Grandma’s funeral on Wednesday, there was one thing you could always count on for your birthday. You would get a card, a brief note about the weather and her health, and a stick of gum, almost always Wrigley’s Spearmint, Wintergreen, or Juicy Fruit. She’d sometimes ask you to come see her, or send a picture of yourself, or draw a picture for her so she could stick it on her fridge. But the stick of gum was the thing you enjoyed most.
When these events happen it is often difficult for everyone who’s life has been touched by - or made possible, in a way - to get to the place to pay respects and celebrate their life. This was the case for many of us, but I think our showing would have made Grandma happy.
Tami, Boomer, and I made the trip to Pittsburg, Kansas by way of Lexington. We spent Monday evening with Dad and Suze.
We drove down to Joplin on Tuesday and because of some travel bonuses, we would stay here - about 30 miles away. Tuesday evening we had dinner with Mom and Vern at Chicken Annie’s. After dinner we drove out to my sister’s in Columbus for a quick visit and then it was back to Joplin.
The funeral was on Wednesday. It was a nice ceremony, and my brother Greg played Amazing Grace on his saxophone as a tribute.
From the church in Pittsburg, we drove out to the cemetery in Girard where she will be buried. I placed six packages of Wrigley’s gum on her casket.
We all went back to the church where the local members prepared a nice lunch of “groceries.” With all 9 grandchildren in attendance, this was a great opportunity to take photos and exchange contact information.
Here is a photo of 8 of Grandma’s grandchildren. The back row are my mom’s children - Greg, Robi, Brad and Paul. The front row are my uncle’s children - Debbie, Cindy, Valerie, and Lisa.
This is a photo of the same grandchildren with my mom and her brother, my Uncle Frankie.
Here is a picture of me, my brothers Greg and Paul, my sister Robi, and our parents.
Here is a photo of (almost) everyone.
Later that evening, we all changed our clothes and went out to my sister’s house in Columbus for an impromptu party. We drank beer and homemade wine, told stories, laughed, tried to play music, ate four pizzas (which really freaked out my niece Maria) and generally had a good time. It was nice for the four children (Greg, Robi, Brad, and Paul) to be together under the same roof with our parents and step-parents. My uncle Frankie, his wife Pat, and their son Frankie Jr, came out too. My sister’s kids - my niece’s and nephew - all live in the area and they were there with their families too. Greg’s daughter, another niece, Chelsea made the trip too.
Wednesday was a good day. We said goodbye to my grandmother. We said hello to each other again. And for some, we said hello for the first time.
Just in case anyone forgets … here is a reminder to always “Hook ‘em Down.”
After I finished my business at Valley Forge, I drove over to Gettysburg and went to the National Park there.
Gettysburg is a much different place than Valley Forge. Gettysburg is about struggle, courage, tragedy, and death. It is a very somber place.
Here is a photo of the plaque where Lincoln gave his address.
