So close, but so far...

Starting Thursday night and going through Saturday night, we (in various combinations) got to visit with my brother and his family after they arrived in Wisconsin from Ohio to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. My brother and sister-in-law have three children, all the same age; yes, they have triplets. We were all able to be together for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, with Saturday designated as the more formal celebration. We asked my parents earlier if they wanted to be part of a larger occasion in their honor, but they said they would feel more comfortable with a smaller gathering. So, we played games (Yahtzee, Spoons, BS, cribbage.... ), got too loud, listened to a concert on the square,

had ice cream at Lauber's Ice Cream Parlor,

dinner at Ivan's

and at The Cotton Exchange, and generally got to be with each other for a while. Basically, this gathering occurs twice a year.... Ohio seems kind of close, but when negotiating travel, schedules and other things, it seems so far.

Unfortunately, the weekend began with a loss. My brother's beloved old dog, Arwen, was quite uncomfortable and her health was rapidly failing ... so she was taken to an emergency vet, where goodbyes were said and only the collar brought home. So, hearts were hurting, but the support of the family and the planned activities perhaps helped keep chins up.

Five Gallons.

Yesterday, after my (and Kate's) first day on the new summer job, I went to give blood. This time, while "eating a little something" after donating, I remembered that I was close to another milestone. So, I checked the back of my donor card and it was number 40.... which meant I got a five-gallon pin and a certificate!! I probably have given more than that in my lifetime, but sometimes other organizations were conducting the drive and some were before I had a donor card and kept track.

Mostly, I started donating again after Molly was born. After the events of her birth, and her need for a transfusion, I thought that I would try to give when I could, so that someone else's baby would have what he or she needed to grow up. I know donating is not for everyone; but if you can, some day you might be someone's hero, too.

Another casualty of the flooding...

When going out for fish on a Friday, we would occasionally end up at Kemler's Lamp on Lake Koshkonong. After eating dinner, we would sometimes check out what was happening along the lake, watch the sunset, find a seat for the fireworks in July...

Charlie sent me an email, which said something to the effect of "we won't be eating there anytime soon... " From the looks of it, he couldn't be more right. How sad. :-(

Five little kittens...

After receiving a few text message from my sister-in-law about cat midwifery, the day finally arrived! Domino, one of the cats at my brother's house, delivered five little faces. My nieces, Hannah and Claire, kept texting Kate, giving her the play-by-play during the process. I am sure those little babies will not be lacking attention in the days to come. As cute as they are, I am probably lucky at this point that they live about eight hours away, or else one might end up living here or at Molly's apartment. :-) e.g. "Mom, don't you think Ella needs a sister?!"

Carly!!

One of my favorites of all time... Carly Simon! Her newest CD, This Kind of Love, was released today. She also appeared on The Today Show this morning. Carly rarely ever tours, but in 2005, she did play a few cities featuring songs from her Moonlight Serenade CD. I couldn't go to the Chicago concert, because of work obligations. The seats available in Indianapolis were in the back of the balcony... and I decided if I was going to see Carly, I wanted to SEE Carly.... so I tried Ann Arbor. YES! Eighth row, main floor, center... She ended up cancelling her Indy concert, which was the night before Ann Arbor, because of laryngitis... and we could not wait to see if she was going to cancel otherwise we would miss it entirely. SO, Charlie and I headed off into the ice and snow ... and it was on with the show! At one point during the concert, Carly mentioned how far away everyone seemed, given the open area before the first row of seats. I yelled, "I'll come up there for you, Carly!" She replied, "Oh, would you?" So off I went into the pit, right in front of her and the stage... followed of course by others. Unbelievable!

Cedar Rapids, it isn't; but....

Yes, the water continues to rise. Fortunately for us, we live in what the developers named Nob Hill Subdivision (emphasis on the "hill"); so we have not had to deal with water coming into our home. The news is not so good for other people in town or in other towns across the midwest. We are quite fortunate. Kate and I revisited the playground today, and took a walk onto the old railroad bridge turned pedestrian/bike path... as the water rushed beneath us.

The newest water park in town.... :-)

Happy Birthday, Molly!

Twenty-two years ago today, Charlie celebrated his first Father's Day. Molly came into this world at 6:03 a.m. that Sunday morning. He was so excited that he went to McDonalds to tell them his happy news and receive his free breakfast! At that time, when fathers brought their children to McDonalds on Father's Day, the father would receive his breakfast for free. Charlie told them he had just become a father that morning so he couldn't bring his child with him... they were nice enough to offer him his choice. This year, the cycle repeats itself and Molly's birthday again falls on Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day!!

Lawns, snow removal, neighborhood handyman, long-distance driver, and so much more....

All the flags... just for them.

Today, my parents have been married for 50 years! An amazing milestone .... but, time flies when you're having fun. :-)

Rain, rain, go away

Though our city is not suffering as much as some in the neighboring states or up north, the Rock River is creeping up and getting closer to homes and businesses in the downtown area.

One of Kate's former classmates took this picture of the Main Street bridge.

I took this picture tonight from the opposite side of the river, but you can use the arches under the bridge as a reference point. The iron railings in the front typically separate citizens from the river and are about three feet high.

In the background of this picture, you will see a playground, which is typically near the water's edge and separated from the river by a small brick wall.....

Here is the small brick wall and the typical distance to the edge of the river. Not necessarily a place you would want your children to play on a "good" day.... but now, it is nearly impossible. Kate wanted to go sit on the bench in the water.. :)

A Wicked Birthday Adventure...

The girls have wanted to see the musical, WICKED, for a long time, so the decision was made to treat them to the show, and dinner in celebration of their birthdays this year...

We left about 9:30 a.m. or so, and got McDonald's breakfast on the road like we do when we are on "vacation." As we were driving down to Chicago, we could see the dark sky following us. We got into a little bit of a traffic jam when we were getting close to the city with some lane closures, and about then it started to rain big drops. We got to the parking structure around the corner from the Oriental Theatre an hour or slightly less before show time.. and waited for lulls in the rain to run from cover to cover.... until we were in the theatre. Once in the place, we took some pictures, got the Wicked shirts/key chain, and settled in to Row L - Orchestra. :-)

Then for the next two and a half hours.. we were mesmorized! Absolutely wonderful! The woman who played Galinda.. that's Ga - Linda.. was the woman who plays our favorite role in the musical we taped from MTV... Legally Blonde: The Musical. She was just as perfect in this role.

After the show, it was sunny and we made out way to Gino's East - The Original on Wells Street for the Chicago deep dish pizza with a sausage patty baked inside... grafitti all over the walls on purpose.... had a great time and left very full.

Charlie and I in the booth at Gino's...

Two happy young ladies celebrate their birthdays in the big city....

Aside from the nasty rainy weather on the way down, and the ominous sky and water-covered roads on the way home, the trip and the production are WELL worth it.

If you ever want us to provide you with the sing-a-long songs version of it, we will be glad to do that for you. We managed to restrain ourselves and didn't sing along in the theatre... ok, well most of the time anyway. :-)

Nasty weather

Everyone head to the basement! One of Kate's friends called to let us know of the nasty weather heading toward us, plus I had been monitoring the weather radar on intellicast.com watching it work its way in our direction. I think we may get more of it before the night is over. Hopefully, we will make it without issue. A funnel cloud was reported nearby though and a volunteer firefighter from town might have captured it in this photo.

How bad is it that I grabbed our tickets to WICKED before heading for cover?

Portfolio time...

Molly graduated from Madison Area Technical College on May 17, 2008 with an Associates Degree in Interior Design. She and her classmates presented themselves at a portfolio show at Monona Terrace on May 1st. She will be heading to UW-Stout in the fall to complete a Bachelor's Degree there. Here's the professional in action....