Thoughts

Journey Through a Dark Valley

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Sat, 05 May 2007 22:30:00 +0000

Some time ago, I don’t know when, I started a journey through a dark valley. I started to become aware that something wasn’t quite right back in late January. No more hunger or thirst and funny feeling down my stomach.

My wife and I had planned a driving trip along the Atlantic coast and took off early in February. It was a good trip but the symptoms persisted. I made an appointment with the doctor as soon as we got back and the process started. It turned out to be stage IV Esophageal cancer and we became aware that the journey had started. I’d like to journal some of this travel and share feelings, thoughts and experiences.

As with most, I Googled the dark combination of words and read some of the results. The statistics are abysmal. My wife and I new that in one major way nothing had changed—we are only given a day at a time to experience life. As cliché as it sounds, no one is promised tomorrow. I can say that I was at peace with this situation from the beginning and handed the details and outcomes over to God.

Most days are different than before in the sense of spending more time in medical facilities and battling things that were not issues before like fatigue and fever and loss of energy—so far, no pain.

Shortly after starting radiation, I couldn’t swallow effectively and required a feeding tube. And medically that’s where I am right now.

I’ve had a range of experiences with other people, both relatives and chance encounters in the hospital. I realized many were experiencing a profound fear of loss because some loved one was going through a similar experience. I shared with each and sometimes cried with them trying to assure them that they must concentrate on what they have and not the fear of what may be. With each encounter I had a growing respect of the “…lives of quiet desperation…”

My first deep sobbing experience came when it dawned on my that my wife might be left alone. I can’t tell you how deeply that hurt. God brought us together over forty years ago and she has been everything anyone could want of a mate. I had glibly assumed that we would care for one another all the days of our lives. Now I could see that may not be the outcome and I grieved deeply.

We also have five wonderful boys, all Christian and good fathers and husbands. I could hear and see the pain they were suffering and, again, I grieved. We have been entirely open with this so all of the children explained to all of the grandchildren. The oldest, a precious young teenager had her mom bring her to see us. The crying started as soon as the door opened and we cried through to some peace.

You know, right now, peace is a key word. I’ve derived some satisfaction from having each of my boy’s express that they’ve now achieved peace.

This travel will be disjointed and if your interested, stop back now a then for other experiences and updates.

Food for Fuel

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:37:00 +0000

Castro has spoken out out on US plans for using biofuel.

Though there’s not much meat in the article, I find myself in general agreement with his complaint. We do, indeed, face a multifaceted energy crisis. Some of the paths traveled to this crisis were not very well thought out. For example, we decided to use natural gas to generate a portion of our electricity. This was to green-up our generation system. This resulted in using as much natural gas for generation as people use for heating and, thus, undue hardships in paying for the heat.

Now we are thinking about using food as a fuel source. Castro’s right, diverting food to fuel can only result in not having it available for those in need. In addition, there is considerable scientific skepticism about the overall efficiency of biofuels. This emphasizes the point that we must have a well thought out program to improve our energy supply system from both the standpoints of efficiency and environmental protection.

Technorati Tags:biofuel, Castro, energy generation, energy

Libby

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 00:43:00 +0000

I became interested in the Libby trial about the time the case was given to the jury. I started reading previously published articles as the days in deliberation grew. The thing that began to dawn on me is that these high profile prosecutions often seem to create crimes rather than getting to the bottom of their original objectives.

President Clinton was taken to task about lying, so was the case with Martha Stewart and now the same with Libby. The Clinton case was, of course, the most notable because of the excessive time, extraordinary cost and the involvement of a sitting president. I get the sense that the prosecutors grow to think of themselves as more important than the tasks they were given. In all of these cases, the original charges disappeared and were replaced by a crime created during the investigation.

Jury interviews I’ve seen and read about following trials have been somewhat disturbing. From their own admissions, it would seem that the juries tend to go somewhat beyond the evidence when they deliberate. The first press conference following the Libby verdict was no different. Denis Collins referred to:

“…the defense "badgering" Judy Miller may have hurt them as some jurors developed "sympathy" for her. Even though she admitted having a "bad memory," the fact that she had notes counted a lot in her favor, he said. Despite the badgering, some jurors thought Miller was "nice."

He also made reference to the sympathy that the jury had for Libby and that they felt that he was a “fall guy” and so on.

It would seem to me that our justice system may no work very well during these high profile cases. It may be advisable to seek immunity from prosecution of lying before ever offering any information to investigators.

Technorati Tags:Libby, Martha Stewart, high profile prosecution, Clinton

Amen

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:20:00 +0000

I say amen to the fact that the The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its findings this month. Why? Because now we have an official declaration that the globe is warming and that we have seen the enemy. It’s done, the self-flagellation has been administered and we can move on. This is a serious issue and deserves profound national and global debate.

In moving on there has been a rash of interesting articles that must have been awaiting the epiphany. One of my favorites was in Newsweek by Fareed Zakaria. The crux is that we are not going to significantly affect greenhouse gases for decades—this also seems to be “scientifically settled”. This raises the question of how we should prioritize this mammoth problem.

First, the reduction of greenhouse gas and particulate emissions is in our best interests even if such a reduction has no affect on global climate change. Think of the impact of such a reduction on disease and foreign energy dependence. We can make large improvements through conservation and the use of existing technology—no need to wait for break-throughs or burden ourselves with the Kyoto Protocol. Instead we need national leadership. We need the vision and courage that JFK displayed with his sixties space initiative. Only directed toward clean air, protection of water and the efficient production and use of energy. We, as a nation, can do it if inspired and guided.

Secondly, Zakaria noted that the sea level could rise as much as two feet before the end of this century. If we believe this to be a probable event, we would be wise to consider consistent national policies. For example, should government spending encourage continued growth and development of those coastal areas likely to be inundated? We did this with New Orleans and suffered the consequences of the inevitable statistical event that ends in monumental tragedy.

Technorati Tags:conservation, global warming, climate change

CSS – A Way to Design and Manage Web Pages

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 01:44:00 +0000

I got a Christmas present this year that keeps on giving—“CSS The Missing Manual” by David Sawyer McFarland. It’s for the beginner and it’s well done, understandable, easy to read and contains workable design suggestions. I just completed it and have applied the concepts on several projects. Here’s some background.

Browsers present the sights and sounds of the World Wide Web on your computer. You are probably using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, Safari or Mozilla’s Firefox. You instruct a browser to display your web page by sending it a set of HTML-related instructions. These instructions can be manually composed or can be composed by WYSIWYG applications. These applications make the task easier and more intuitive. Examples are Microsoft’s FrontPage and Adobe’s Dreamweaver.

Traditionally, all of the content (text, data and images) and the appearance (fonts, colors, placements, etc.) was coded into the HTML. Content and the control of appearance are separated when using CSS. Good practice dictates that the HTML contain only the content and than the CSS controls the appearance of the web page. There are compelling reasons for doing this:

A change in style, e.g. changing a color or font, involves changes in specific areas of the CSS. Otherwise, each item affected would need to be found and changed in the HTML.
Web pages designed for one browser can look different, sometimes disturbingly, in other browsers. Since this is a matter of appearance, style sheets can be composed and called upon for particular browsers. This is one method of rendering the appearance of a web page the same in various browsers.

Most people prefer using WYSIWYG methods of designing web pages. WordPress and XStandard are examples of WYSIWYG applications that use the HTML and CSS method for the design. Once a page is designed by one of these editors, style sheets can easily be edited or added to make overall style changes or to make adaptations for various browsers.

If you’re interested in this concept, I recommend the book.

Technorati Tags:CSS, Web Page Design, HTML, Browsers

I’m an Optimist

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:37:00 +0000

I remember when Newt Gingrich was the focal point for the Republicans overthrowing a corrupt Democratic congress. He communicated his visions with the voters through the Contract with America. The contract was a team effort and drew from one of Reagan’s SOTU addresses and The Heritage Foundation policy ideas. Gingrich, though was the major communicator. It’s argued that election polling indicated that only 30% of the voters were aware of the contract but when you think of the big chunk that vote straight, 30% is massive.

What followed were the Republicans replacing the Democrats in sufficient numbers to control the House. I also remember Gingrich’s enthusiasm in settling into the job and my optimism. He was going to plod through the realization of the Contract and even lose some weight as he was doing it. He didn’t foresee the hacks, having no interest in a Contract with America, flooding in from the wings with visions of retribution, building fiefdoms and pushing pet projects. Chief among the group was the already entrenched DeLay who would eventually help bring the era Gingrich ushered in to an end.

Now we have Nancy Pelosi. Similarly, she engineered an overthrow of the corrupt Republican House. Not so similarly, however, she did it not by capturing the voters imaginations but by rallying and whipping her disarrayed democratic colleagues into line. She herded them into a united front against the administration and it was effective. The difference in implementation may prove to be important. The Democratic hacks will be driven to exact retribution, build fiefdoms and push pet projects. She just may have the leadership punch to contain the small minds and turn the debate toward our pressing issues.

I hope so and I wish her well.

Technorati Tags:Gingrich, Contract with America, Pelosi, Congress

Good Article

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:12:00 +0000

Just read Kathleen Parker’s Trading Ambition for Passion. She notes that both Gore and Kerry hit high points in communicating when they delivered their “drop out” speeches. Great point and effective examples.

Hopefully, most run for office because of beliefs and visions. Those who do, should take note of this article and express those passions rather than just trying to get elected. There is no stronger leader than one who operates from those passions. And none weaker than those who try to follow the will of the wisp known as the “will of the people”.

Technorati Tags:Gore, Kerry, passion, ambition, Kathleen Parker, Washington Post

What Inspired That?

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 18:15:00 +0000

We passed an interesting roadside sign. There are many humorous postings about signs that involve mistakes or odd combinations. My favorites, though, are the ones that make you wonder about what happened to make the sign necessary

We sighted one years ago while traveling in upper New York. One of the kids spotted it. It warned “No Road Work without Permit”. Think about what might have happened to inspire that sign. Possibly started with a family sitting around on the porch after dinner. To break the monotony somewhat proposes “let’s have some fun and fix some potholes.”

The one we passed today was a simple, hand-made sign announcing “Anthracite Coal For Sale”. Couldn’t help wondering if they started with just “Coal For Sale” and suffered the wrath of someone yearning for Bituminous.

Technorati Tags:signs,humorous

Our National Nightmare

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 16:38:00 +0000

I welcomed President Ford’s declaration and had hoped it would be true. It wasn’t.

I believe most of us strive to be what all of us know to be good--honest, truthful, caring, dependable. Ford did. Fewer of us seem to be driven by other forces. That smaller group grew increasingly influential over the past fifty years. Ford didn’t realize that he had become president during the early part of this transition. His attempt at healing our nation’s festering wounds was met with strident rebukes. The political strife that followed his presidency was not substantially different than what preceded it.

Those long on criticism but short on solutions, burdened with agendas but devoid of vision and obsessed with character assassination but unwilling to debate issues eventually dominated both parties and elected two presidents.

Perhaps the two tragic and recent wars will bookend their time of influence. Our profound problems, like global warming and healthcare, require serious debate and effective solutions. We will be well served when the congress is again dominated by the qualities found in Hubert Humphrey and Barry Goldwater and the presidency by the visionary leadership of the FDRs and JFKs of our society.

Technorati Tags:funeral, President Ford, Vietnam, Iraq, values

eCommerce on a Shoestring

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 11:58:00 +0000

There are many tools available for fledgling eEntrepreneurs to build Internet storefronts, complete with shopping carts, at reasonable costs.

One way to do this is to use a combination of GoDaddy and PayPal. A storefront of up to five web pages selling up to twenty products can be constructed for an annual fee of from $60 to less than $200, depending upon the selected features. As you would expect, the number of web pages and products can both be expanded for additional fees.

The age-old problem of letting customers know that you have a product for sale still exists with this method. You can build a storefront with no knowledge of HTML or scripting languages. But there is still the monumental struggle of finding ways to get prospective customers to see your storefront in a sea of tens of millions of domain names.

I’ve written an essay (too long for the blog) that illustrates how to build the storefront. It also minimally addresses the promotion problems. If you would like a free copy, click this to go to the download page.

Technorati Tags:ecommerce, inexpensive, shopping cart, storefront, godaddy, storefront

He's Stupid

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 02:51:00 +0000

“…Bill Clinton is an idiot…” “…George Bush is too stupid to be President…” “… police are pigs…” How do you feel about these statements? I’m very uneasy when I come across personal attacks.

It’s a lazy method of expression. We seem to fall into two groups on things we support and things we don’t and each of us moves between the groups. Group one honestly expresses considered opinions about actions and policies. The other group just provides the background noise.

It takes some effort to do a little research and to reach down deep to decide how you stand on an issue. And then it takes some courage to express that opinion in a group that seems to think otherwise. Honest debate could spring up if more of us would try doing just that, though we might risk some ridicule. But, then, isn’t getting a right to the jaw for a good argument preferable to false praise for mindless chanting?

By the way, if you don’t agree with this, you’re a stupid pig.

Technorati Tags:opinion, debate, peer pressure, controversy

A Quote

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 00:40:00 +0000

I ran across the following quote:

“I cannot think that we are useless or God would not have created us. There is one God looking down on us all. We are all the children of one God. The sun, the darkness, the winds are all listening to what we have to say.”

Sounds familiar and friendly. Yet in the first sentence there’s the suggestion of persecution. Then after declaring a belief in one God who is parent to all, it ends with a mystical quality.

Among other things, the speaker had a ruthless side. When his group was without, he thought it proper to raid others for food and supplies. And this was considered proper among his people. He was also a great warrior, applying guerrilla techniques successfully against superior forces. This could describe many who we’ve read about. Geronimo, an American of the Apache tribe, was the speaker.

The quote and the background combine into a complex personality. Aren't we all?

Technorati Tags:geronimo, indian, native american, warrior

Voting Machines

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 12:43:00 +0000

My last voting experience was both fun and scary. I saw the touch screens as soon as I walked in.

At first there was a sinking feeling because the punch cards were gone. There was something solid and dependable about pushing on that pin until the chad finally gave way. Then Florida had problems and we learned that chads could be pregnant and might even hang. I never worried about the pregnancies because I’ve always rammed the pin to the hilt. But knowing that they might hang caused me to start looking in the hole to see if the chad fell. I could never tell. No more worrying about chads with the touch screens.

So I approached the table with a sense of relief. Then the first poll worker asked for my ID. My ID pictures have always looked like caricatures of Charley Weaver so I thought for sure that security would be called. I passed and was feeling good again. But the worker at the end of the table handed me something that looked like a credit card and declared, to my puzzled look, that I had used it before—I missed the primary but couldn’t bring myself to admit it to the worker. So now I had to figure out which edge goes in first and which side is the business side—it usually takes me the full four tries at a new card reader.

It turned out that I wasted my time in line figuring out how to hold the card. Rather, I should have been watching where the voters ahead of me inserted their cards. All of the gas pumps and ATMs have the slider or slot in some immediately obvious place. Not these machines though and I almost panicked. There was nothing that looked like a place for the card anywhere in sight. If I left the line, people behind me would rush to fill the hole and I would face the wrath of the unhappy worker who gave me the card. If I looked around, they would think I was cheating. But, without moving my head, I did look. No good, everyone was already voting. So I tried laying the card on various surfaces, again, no good. Finally, I saw it. It was at the extreme-right-back of the machine and down in a hole. This design must have been outsourced to a country that never holds elections!

With the card inserted, the voting when well. All the selections were understandable and I was done in no time. But there was one final concern. While in line, I noticed that the last machine was plugged into the next to the last machine and so on. The first machine was then plugged into the wall with the cord strung across the path I needed to walk to return the card. If I tripped over that cord, the whole precinct would go down and all those lawyers waiting to pounce would blame me.
Whew! I made it past the cord, turned in my card like an old pro and headed for the car.

chads
punch cards
touch screens
voting
voting machines

A Special Veterans' Day

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 14:56:00 +0000

This Veterans’ Day was special. My dad, an old soldier of the Greatest Generation faded into history.

Born in a time foreign to me, he came of age in an era of upheaval and uncertainty. He was raised on stories of the First great-war, during a time when the country was growing by leaps and bounds and approaching a very dark period of soup lines and joblessness. This is a life I’ve never known and have only caught glimpses through the tales of others.

He was a tender fourteen when Black Tuesday ushered in a period so terrible, discouraging and tenacious that only the Second great-war would bring it to an end. Dad had dropped out of school by that time worked as he could to help the family.

Three years into the Great Depression, a desperate nation gave FDR a landslide victory. The Civilian Conservation Corps was instituted during the first “Hundred Days”. That same year, he started the Fireside Chats. Both had a profound effect on dad. He never tired of telling us of both. The Fireside Chats delivered encouragement. The CCC delivered hope by enlisting thousands of unemployed youth to combat the problem of soil erosion and declining timber. They were eventually credited with planting three billion trees. Dad signed onto the CCC effort and headed west. These were the years and events that brought him to manhood.

He was married and just above draft age when we knew that we would become entangled in the war. Driven by his commitments and beliefs, he enlisted in the Army. He became a combat medic and served with the 692nd Tank Destroyer Battalion in the Northeast Europe Campaign. I can’t imagine the terrors of combat—daily seeing and facing death. Dad didn’t talk of the war for a good twenty years. When he did start, he told us of acts of kindness of both civilians and combatants. Later, we started to hear some of the grimmer tales. How these events must have shaped these members of the Greatest Generation. These men and women changed our society after the war. They went to college in record numbers, spearheaded businesses and became an energetic and productive force in all facets of our society. These few years in combat affected them for life.

Dad’s path wasn’t through college or as a captain of business. Rather he trained to become a masseur and also became a rubber worker. He worked both of those jobs until he retired at 65. Retirement ended up just meaning that he no longer made tires. Massage was his devotion until his first stroke at 89.

His optimism and continual encouragement affected hundreds. During the funeral service many of these people, young and old, told of his bright and encouraging spirit. Gads (one of his favorite expressions), what an example for all of us to follow.

Bye dad.

What's in a Name?

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 19:02:00 +0000

Our recent trip out west made me think about the name “Indian”. From Rapid City, South Dakota through New Mexico and Arizona, I didn’t see much of the term “Native American”. Our tour guides, the Trading Posts and the Crazy Horse Memorial’s Indian Museum of North America overwhelmingly used the term Indian. It got me to thinking: what’s this all about?

This problem isn’t entirely new to me. Until my first trip to Canada, I glibly referred to myself as an American. That ended when I paused at the Canadian border gate and asked the attendant where I could convert my American money. He pulled out some Canadian bills and informed me that “this” was American money too. Wow, now I was nervous about what to call the money in my pockets. I quickly settled on “US money”.

With that settled, I started doubting all of it. Should I now think of myself as a “US-er"? It’s just not fair. All the other countries in this hemisphere have sensible names like Mexico and Argentina. What in the world were our founders thinking? They must have been so concerned about life, liberty and the pursuit… that they paid no attention to the name. We ended up with great founding documents and a clumsy name.

It all started innocently enough. We start with a collection of names like Virginia and New York and yearn for the simplicity of calling the whole group by one name. Well, I guess the United States was a functional start—must have been an engineer or a German. We then realize that there may be other “United States” in the world so we quickly add that this group is in the Americas (I’m surprised we didn’t go for the United States of North America). Since none of us like to say too many words when referring to something, it was quickly abbreviated to America. And there you have it—the problem.

A similar thing seems to have happened to the American Indian—although this one’s somewhat reversed. Legend has it that Christopher Columbus coined the description. He had no idea that he’d just met people divided into many tribes throughout the Americas. This could have been a quite handy mistake for the rest of us. Had he known that he’d just met members of the Taino tribe and then had gone on to become of aware of the Tekesta and the Jeaga and so on, he may have come up with a Rube Goldberg concoction like the US of A. So serendipity simplified things for us right at the beginning.

But there were problems. The real Indians, from India, started moving to the Americas to run motels and become physicians. So now we have a problem. How do we distinguish between these two peoples? And that’s only the beginning because some Indians are from the East Indies, the West Indies and even the Indian Union. Columbus started out doing us a favor but only if he had come up with some name that wasn’t already in use! I understand that the Australians (who always beat us out of the Cup*) are so glad that some Indian sailing south to get to Russia didn’t accidentally discover the Aborigines. They would have been dubbed Russians. The upside is that, like us, the Aussies may have been too busy to pay any attention to the Cup.

Growing up as a US-er, I heard of the Indians-of-the-Americas first. Therefore they were the real ones. When I heard of the others I knew we were in trouble. But later, the learned among us came up with “Native American” and I thought that we had a solution. The learned then told us that not only was this convenient but that we must change our ways because the term Indian was pejorative and that the Choctaw and the others didn’t want to be called Indians.

With this new term, US of A became comprised of the Native Americans, the Indians and the rest of us. But the learned went on to tell us that we all had to become “something American”. This meant we had Native Americans, Indian Americans, Bhutan Americans and so on. Oh no, now we’re back to complicating. Everyone has two names and the Native Americans might end up with two different “something American” names. To make it even more complicated, we find that the Native Americans aren’t native at all but had simply come here before everyone else. I don’t know where they came from, maybe Siberia. If so how do we distinguish the Siberian Americans (formerly Indians) from the real Siberian Americans. Have we come full circle?

Oh and to make a short story long, I found a Hong Kong Canadian who exchanged my money.

_________________________________________________________________
* Coincidence? The rise of Political Correctness and the Australian upset in the America’s Cup was both in the early 1980s.

In Thinking Back

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 03:40:00 +0000

I would like to share some thoughts in looking back at our trip. This was our first trip out west and the first extensive driving trip. We both immensely enjoyed the experience.

We have seen and experienced a great deal taking this trip. It is very apparent that we have traveled a very thin line through fifteen states and saw an insignificant percentage of the people. A trip like this, therefore, is solely for the satisfaction of seeing new sights and meeting new people. Although a satisfying adventure, it is also discouraging to realize how little of the U.S, and the world, one can hope to see in an entire lifetime. I think of how various presidential candidates have gotten a great deal of satisfaction out of meeting so many people. This trip gave us a small glimpse of that and also a realization of how many others they weren’t exposed to. It made me wonder if they realized that they’re probably seeing the same people at each of the many stops. Casts aspersions on thinking that you know what the country’s thinking.

This trip was during a political campaign season. We saw quite a few political ads. The overwhelmingly common thread in all of the states was the negative ad. Some time ago a policy was instituted attaching a statement of approval at the end of an ad. I had high hopes that the “I approve…” statement would pressure the candidates into describing what they hoped to accomplish. Apparently there is no shame.

We saw gasoline prices ranging from $1.95 to $2.79. I couldn’t see a pattern. Didn’t seem to be related to small or large towns or close to or far from an interstate. We missed out on the low one but did get a tank full of the high one.

This trip reminded me that this country is strong because of the freedom it provides and the diversity of the people. The freedom to drive across state lines unchallenged, to move wherever we like, to attempt to find opportunities of our liking, etc. We have a more diverse population than anyplace else on Earth. Think of the possible extremes: a self-sufficient farmer in Wyoming, a homeless person in a large city, etc. Providing governance for all us requires compromise and an end to the “scorched earth” policy on every issue that we’ve seen predominate over the past many years.

Of all of the wonderful sites I’ve seen, I never tire of the thrill of cresting a hill and seeing a massive basin unfold before my eyes. Sometimes containing a teeming city, sometimes an expanse of desert or prairie.

As much as I love the sight of all of the wonders I’ve seen, I would still like to live at the seashore and visit the others.

Kingston

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 02:51:00 +0000

This morning we drove to Kingston, Tennessee. We’ve seen all stages of Fall on this trip. Sometimes going forward, often backwards. Today we saw Fall in full color. The wooded hills of the Smokies was splendid.

We visited for a short time with Dennis at Morrison Hill Christian Church. Afterwards, we drove to Farragut, met Cindy and had lunch at the Mellow Mushroom. We had Greek Salad and Calzones and talked about the trip and got caught up with what they’ve been doing lately. A good time.

The car headed north and the good weather of early in the day gave way to rain and it rained most of the way home. This has been a wonderful trip and we are both grateful for having flawless weather until the last day and no accidents.

We’ll be spending the night at home.

The Clinton Presidential Library

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 04:06:00 +0000

Our first rainy day. We are so grateful that we had no weather problems before now. It started raining shortly after we left Elk City and came down wall-to-wall all day. The sad part is that it removed the dirt from our Kaibob forest drive.

Our only stop today was at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas. This was an easy one to find. It was well marked and the drive through Little Rock was pleasant. We liked the town with the river running through it and light traffic.

We were greeted as soon as we entered. The greeter explained what we were about to see and then directed us to security. Being old folks, they let both of us in for only ten dollars. We went the extra three dollars for the audio tour apparatus—I recommend it. Before going upstairs, President Clinton’s limo is on display in a mocked up street seen.

At the next level we were again greeted and advised to start the tour with an introductory movie. It was good. Narrated by President Clinton, it quickly covers his early life, meeting Hillary, politics in Arkansas and then the presidency. He tells of the dreams he had for the country at the beginning of his presidency and then goes on to describe the highlights. Quite good and a lot packed into just twelve minutes.

The walls of the outside of the theater are covered with photos from both campaigns. As always, it’s surprising to see how young everyone looks. The photos were well selected to capture the emotions at the high and low points.

There are mock-ups of both the Cabinet Room and the Oval Office. We were able to sit at the Cabinet Room table with an interactive terminal at each seat. The terminal provides a guided tour through his critical decisions and how they were made. The Oval office can only be viewed from the doorways but is impressive and sobering.

Also on this level are a row of panels in the center of a hall presenting video and pictorial summaries of each year of his presidency. Behind these panels are letter written to and by the President. My favorite was from one of my heroes, Mother Theresa. The outside walls surrounding the panels are lined with topical achievements: Science, Health, etc.

We moved up to the top level and saw various exhibits. One contained memorabilia from throughout his life. These were gifts, like a bike from Lance Armstrong, and personal items like his saxophones. There is also an exhibit of his current ongoing work. This level also includes a changing exhibit. The current one is of western film stars and events. These brought back many memories.

It was an enjoyable experience. I hope to visit other presidential libraries.

We then moved on and were rained out of our Memphis agenda. With rain and predicted rain, we decided not to wait. We’re spending the night in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Oklahoma City

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 02:19:00 +0000

Another beautiful day. We haven’t had a bad weather day on this entire trip. The car again headed east through Oklahoma. Somewhere east of Oklahoma City the terrain became very similar to parts of Ohio. The trees went from evergreens to mostly deciduous and fall was just starting. The rolling, tree covered hills brought the horizon in to the usual ten miles, or so, we’re used to seeing in Ohio. At these lower elevations, the clouds appear way up there again. The familiar is comfortable but we miss the big sky and the low clouds.

Also east of Oklahoma City we visited a “Quilt Barn”. We explored it for some time. It was full of a variety of used books, paintings, nic nacs and, of course, quilts. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. This was one of those home made businesses with the “barn” opposite the house with a complicated and interesting fountain between.

We wanted to visit the Oklahoma City bombing site and thought we might see some signs. Not so. As we were leaving the city, we jumped off the interstate and started to drive around the downtown area. The traffic was very light so we had no problems searching. After making several tight circles we thought we’d try asking. Two stops found two other visitors looking for the same thing. One of them had a general idea. With that info and Becky’s navigational skills we found it.

Our approach, we learned later, was the same made by the bomber. As we closed in on the block of the bombing, the street dead-ended into two large, closely spaced black walls. The walls are parallel and both with openings to allow people through. A similar pair of walls are at the other end of the block. The bomber would have continued down this street and would have stopped between the two pairs of walls. After going through the first pair of walls, a black rectangular pond replaces street in front of the building. After the first glance we realize that it’s not a pond at all but black tiles that are submersed under about an inch of water. The surface of the water is at the same level as the sidewalk and drains into a slot completely surrounding the tiles. It gives the appearance of a black, ice-covered road. The water loudly drains into the slot. It takes a bit to realize what we are seeing and hearing. Because of our silence, the moving water is louder than expected.

The reflecting pond road bounded by the pairs of walls. The time 9:01 is engraved in large numerals high on the wall we are facing. 9:03 is engraved similarly on the wall behind us. We are in what is called the corridor of time. The minute before and the minute after the detonation. The reflecting pool is in the moment of the detonation.

To our right is a grass rectangle where the building stood. Arranged on the grass are 168 bronze and stone chairs with a name of a victim engraved on each. The chairs represent the empty chairs at the dinner tables of the victim’s families. Nineteen of the chairs are smaller representing the children.

It is profoundly sad and humbling to be in this memorial.

Back outside the walls, is a chain-link fence. Visitors have attached all kinds of things to the fence—license plates, necklaces, pictures, written thoughts, artwork, etc. A picture and story of one of the victims is hanging here. This collage represents a collective, and overwhelming, sadness of all who have contributed.

It is said that the bomber never expressed remorse: (http://www.rickross.com/reference/mcveigh/mcveigh6.html)
and said that he did this to avenge Waco and Ruby Ridge. No matter how one feels about Waco and Ruby Ridge, how can anyone understand this vengeance? How sad and unjust that one misguided person could wreak so much damage and grief on others. And how sad that he would want to.

We continued on.

We’ll be staying Ozark, Arkansas tonight.

Through Texas

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 03:41:00 +0000

We traveled across Texas’s top hat and into Oklahoma today. There were some surprises.

As crossed from New Mexico into Texas, I was reminded of something an old friend from Texas was fond of telling me. He took great pride in telling me that Texas was so big that I wouldn’t be much closer to Galveston when I crossed the line than I would be from anywhere else in the US. And, you know, I didn’t feel any closer to Galveston than when I was in Rapid City.

Also as we went deeper into Texas the mountains started to recede. Somewhere outside Amarillo, we could no longer see them. In their place was a very flat grazing land. Even flatter than what we saw in South Dakota. It turned out, however, that the mountains weren't far away. Where ever we saw erosion or a river cutting through the land, we saw the red boulder and gray, porous granite--the stuff of the mountains behind us.

We were, again, in Big Sky Country. The sky was abruptly cut off by the flat, straight horizon. A remarkable effect. Every once in a while the road followed some gently rolling hills but, largely, it was flat.

This is richer looking grazing country than we saw in Wyoming. Also a lot of hay and there was even a cutting in progress. All we saw were big bales and stored in the field in roofed shelters. We saw sorghum fields in addition to the hay. Also unlike Wyoming, there were a lot of cattle in the fields.

We were surprised at the size of one of the beef processing operations. Without trying to count, it looked like there were thousands of cattle in a feedlot situation--many trucks, workers and feeder systems. . I’ve never seen anything on this scale.

Sometime after passing through Amarillo, we noticed a cross in the distance. Didn’t do much more than note it at the time. It was our second surprise. As time when on we realized that this cross was a ways off and, therefore, big. Finally a sign announcing “Cross” at Exit 115. We had to see this. We pulled off and there was more than just a nineteen story cross. A circle of concrete on which statues of the Stations of the Cross were situation surrounded it. Each with an explanatory plaque, a metal cast statue of a supporting character and of Jesus carrying a wooden cross. Between the first and last stations a walkway lead to a staircase leading up to a presentation of the crucifixion. Yet a larger circle was devoted to presenting the Ten Commandments and a display in memory of those who have died due to abortion. Even further out is a large, well-equipped gift shop and impressively large fountain. The structure is still unfinished. This was remarkable and very moving. If you’re interested in more information, visit the following links: http://crossministries.net/ and http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php3?tip_AttractionNo==1912.
If you ever have the opportunity, I recommend visiting this site near Groom, Texas.

We stepped through all of the stations reading the plaques and then ended with a time at the crucifixion display. After visiting the gift shop we sat for a while at the fountain. This was deeply moving.

We’ll be spending the night at Elk City, Oklahoma.

Window Rock

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 01:57:00 +0000

Interesting day. After a great sidewalk sale at the Cracker Barrel and replenishing supplies from Wal-Mart, we headed off Interstate.

We drove into the Navajo Reservation to Window Rock. Beautiful drive. To get there, we went barely back into Arizona and turned north. The red boulder formations and the canyons are a feast for the eyes. Also the imagination because I just can’t help thinking about the situation here a hundred or so years ago. The nomad villages. The life of hunting. The battles for survival. Today, of course, it’s much different. Where tee pees may have been are, largely, manufactured homes. As you drive along, most of them show up in groups of four or five, occasionally we ran across a single home. The few constructed houses are usually round—don’t know why. A few are obviously farming and raising either sheep or cattle. Most appear to be working away from home. Without the signs and maps I wouldn’t have known we were driving through a reservation.

About a half an hour into the trip, we arrived at Window Rock. The name comes from a red boulder formation forming a hole—a picture’s been loaded for viewing. A memorial has been built in front of the rock honoring those lost in battle. There’s also a monument recognizing the Navajo Code Speakers of World War Two. An entrepreneur was selling necklaces out of his car at the entrance to the memorial. What a contrast!

Window Rock is also the location of the Navajo Nation government. It’s a collection of buildings like the Department of Justice, Attorney General, Department of Education and so on. The reservation covers 27,000 square miles in three states. If you’re interested in more information, visit: http://www.navajo.org/.

Following our trip to the reservation, we backtracked to Albuquerque for our trip back. We enjoyed again seeing the remarkable rock formations and layered mountain views. This time from the other direction. As I’ve said before, my favorite site is the surprise high altitude glimpse of a large basis. Albuquerque was one of the best. Much better from the west than our previous approach from the north. As we crested the final hill, the vast basin in which Albuquerque rests springs into view. The city pretty much fills the basin with a nest of tall building in the center. A spectacular view.

An addition from a previous post. If you're interested in the Navajo performer on the train trip to the Grand Canyon, visit: http://www.cclearwater.com/

We’ll be overnighting in Albuquerque.

An Arizona Desert

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 05:09:00 +0000

We traveled south yesterday to visit old friends who are now living in the Arizona desert outside Wickenburg. They are remote enough that, for the first time in the trip, we didn’t have Internet access. The trip was routine until we got to the Prescott National Forest. Here we traveled a very windy road through the forested mountains and dropped four thousand feet. A lot of leaning back and forth, pulling over for high speed locals and holding our noses while inhaling and exhaling.

The final part of the decent was the best. As we broke out of the mountains, we got a breathtaking view of the desert basin below. I do not tire of this kind of view. You can see for miles; in this case about sixty miles to the other side of the basin. We didn’t know it at the time but our destination was in view but still far away. The mountains and elevation must act as a weather barrier because the forty-degree temperature in Prescott yielded to the high eighties when we reached the desert floor.

The final decent was spectacular. Not only the view of the basin, but also the terrain and the plants. The walls were so shear and high that the two lanes of the road were actually cut into the mountain in two separate locations. Most of the time, we couldn’t see the oncoming traffic and when we could, they were either high above or below us. Also, part way down cacti appeared. What a strange plant and it appears in quite a few varieties. The tall ones we used to seeing in the westerns look like alien solders standing on the mountains and in the flat fields.

I thought we might be lost at one point because we left the highway and started into the desert on an unpaved road with no houses in sight. We persevered and sure enough we finally arrived at their home. They had a neighbor on either side but none others. All three were completely fenced in. When I asked why, I was told that ranchers were allowed open range and that meant that cattle weren’t fenced in, they were fenced out. If you don’t want them in your yard, then put up a fence.

We had a good visit and enjoyed the tour of the plants and sat for a long time on the porch watching the birds and animals. After dark we went outside for some stargazing. It was so dark, we human chained to the driveway. I leaned back against the car and saw the sky as I’ve never seen it. The Milky Way cut a large, bright, unmistakable swath though the middle of the sky. Again, I have to say spectacular. I was able to see clusters. None of us could spot the familiar Big Dipper because it was buried in so many stars I haven’t seen before. This was a wonderful experience.

The next day we said our good byes and headed toward Phoenix and then north toward Flagstaff. The varieties of cacti entertained us as we drove. There would be a single cactus in one place and then a forest of them in others.

As we retraced the trail to Flagstaff and, finally, to Gallup, New Mexico we enjoyed again the variety of mountains, rocks and forests we saw previously. We’ll be spending the night in Gallup.

Our Grand Canyon Experience

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 06:18:00 +0000

The Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. I now know why. I won’t say much about it because I’m not capable of adequately describing what I experienced. This hit home even more when I looked at the pictures and realized that they, too, are incapable of conveying the experience. You must be there. The bottom is about a mile from the rim. We’ve seen greater distances from Pikes Peak, from airplanes and in many other instances. There’s something very different, though about looking almost directly down and seeing that floor a mile below in that immense cavern. You must see the shapes and colors. Stand with people, with all of us in complete silence at the wonder. Listen to crows cawing as the swoop down. Their sound is like you hear nowhere else. It’s combined with echoes from the close walls and they disappear as the bird drops further into the expanse. It’s all of these things together and I hope that all of you can experience it.

The whole day was fun. It started with an old west shoot out in an old west set at the train station. We then boarded a domed car and rode for a little over two hours through the prairies and the Kiabab National Forest south of the canyon. The ride was smooth and enjoyable and the scenery was pleasant. We were entertained with musician/comedians. A Navajo, on the way up, sang several Navajo songs and several songs selected from elsewhere around the world. On the return trip, we listened to country western songs. Both were enjoyable.

The company also staged a train robbery. The train conveniently stopped at one point to allow the horseback riders on. A sheriff also mysteriously appeared to bring justice.

This is our last night in Williams.

Sedona

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 01:02:00 +0000

Another beautiful day--scattered fluffy clouds and blue skies. Today we drove to Sadona, Arizona. This is a drive that started well and just kept getting better.

We noted in some of the brochures that there was worthwhile scenery around the Sadona area. Since we’re waiting here in Williams one more day for our train trip to the Grand Canyon, we decided to hit the road.

On the drive to Flagstaff, one of the snow covered mountains and the clouds put on a real show for us. The picture is in the Yahoo site.

After arriving at Flagstaff, we turned south on AZ 89A. It’s a two lane, windy road that starts right off in a Ponderosa pine forest—the Coconino National Forest. The Ponderosa’s are very tall and the older ones have reddish trunks. Clearing underbrush is a big part of the fire management efforts in all the western states we’ve been through. Hundreds of volunteers in each area clear everything between the big trees. The scraps are piled every hundred feed, or so, and are burned after rains or snows. The effect here makes this one of the best drives for forest scenery I’ve seen. Looking into this forest, you can see the cleared ground under the collective canopy for well over 500 feet before the trunks make an impenetrable wall. It’s enchanting. Goes on for miles.

Toward the end of the forest, a sign announces a Viewing Area Ahead. Understatement. The Ponderosa forest is replaced with a vast yawning canyon. Giant deep red cliffs and boulders form the walls of the canyons. The rock formations are astonishing. This continues for the next twenty miles as we decent about 1,500 feet down the mountain on a very windy, narrow road complete with many switchbacks. You want to stop every hundred feet and take another picture. It’s a marvelous drive.

Shortly after getting to the bottom of the canyon, we started a brief uphill climb to Sadona. Sadona is situated in a vast canyon that goes in several directions. It is indescribable with its red rock formations. To get an idea, visit: http://www.visitsedona.com/. We drove through the residential part. No grass. All gravel, cactus, desert plants--different looking but nice. House counstruction was a lot like that in Santa Fe. We stopped at one For Sale sign and picked up a brochure. Becky said, "not bad", at the $275,000 price but then we realized that was for the small lot next to the house we thought was for sale.

We enjoyed this trip immensely. I strongly recommend seeing this area and city if you are travel anywhere near it.

Imax and in Quest of Elk

noreply@blogger.com (fred m) — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 04:01:00 +0000

The day seemed to start badly. We had planned to see the Imax Grand Canyon movie at the South Rim. But it started raining and snowing while we were having breakfast. I tried to find whether the woman at the Visitor Center thought it would be safe to make the sixty mile trip. She hem hawed quite a bit. Then I asked her would she drive up there. Oh yes, she said. That did it, we were off and running.

About ten miles into the trip north, the sky went to white clouds with patches of blue and the rest of the day was dry and pleasant. Prairie grass and gentle hills provided the scenery early in the trip. As we crested a long slope, we could see something very different. I could swear I was looking at the ocean—distant and flat. A high, gently sloping mountain was right in the middle of the view. It was remarkable. Since we knew the Grand Canyon was ahead, we knew what we were seeing. We didn’t see that view again as the prairie grass gave way to a Kaibab Nation forest.

The National Geographic center with the Imax theater is just south of the canyon’s park entrance. The movie was remarkable. My previous favorite was Imax’s presentation of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Now there’re both my favorites. Consider seeing both if you have the chance. Only Imax can deliver the proper impact of this epic journey and this monumental place.

During the opening dialog, the announcer says “…did God make it or is it a symphony of nature…”. This is a question without an answer. Each person, who cares, must answer personally. For me, the answer is both. In my faith, I never tire of seeing the beauty and magnificence produced by God’s physical laws.

After leaving the center, we decided to explore some of the forest to see the abundant wildlife. We took one of the forest roads. Driving the roads was a challenge—unmaintained dirt and gravel with soft spots now and then. In about fifteen miles of tortuous driving, we saw a squirrel with big ears and some birds. Nothing else.

We emerged at a McDonald’s. Loaded up with coffee and tried another road. We got about two miles in before the road became impassible for our Honda. After a tricky turn around, we gave up went back to the highway and headed south. Not long after we left the forest, behold there was a big elk grazing about fifty feet from the road. It was perfect, the elk was in profile, the rack was huge and the magnificent beast stared right at us. We were about to top a hill and traffic was on our tail so I didn’t stop. We turned around to try for a picture but it was gone. Like the fish that got away.

Again, three hours behind and another night in Williams.