Please try to keep this under wraps. He probably doesn't need this news to be leaked to his professional colleagues. I mean, have you heard the language on that show? It's full of bleeps, up one side and down the other! I heard a great quote last night, however, that I may turn into my signature catchphrase:
"Okey-dokey, let's get started!"
It was beautiful -- a whole sentence without a single bleep. Even better, it was delivered in a sing-song, dopey voice. The speaker intended this to be a silly comment. All the more reason to make it my catchphrase.
Our dad often used his chainsaw. We had 20 acres of forest, a large semi-wooded beachfront lot, and neighbors with the same AND who were members of the family. It was a wood-cutter's paradise.
When I watch Ax Men, I can almost smell the fresh-cut wood and the chainsaw exhaust and the raw earth. I try not to think about my father's disdain for OSHA regulations -- he always figured he was safe enough.
There was one time when Dad's disregard for safety precautions came back to bite him. He went to the property alone, intending to cut firewood for the day. Somehow, in taking down a tree or freeing a snag, he got pinned beneath a big log. No one knew exactly where he was, no one was watching out for him, and we weren't expecting him to return home for several hours.
Dad would've enjoyed Ax Men. He would've loved romping through the forest with a big, sharp saw. He might've been a little more careful than usual. He would have been thankful all over again to have made it home that one afternoon.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Postscript -- The Invisible Hotel
Did I mention how much I enjoyed Omaha's architecture? The big, beautiful, memory-filled old houses? The brick buildings everywhere? The age of the city? Once I got settled back at home, I wanted to pull up Google maps and check out the street views that I would recognize. Think again.
First of all, the Google maps' street view photos were taken in spring or summer, when there were GREEN LEAVES on all the trees. That was an improvement as far as being easier on the eyes, but not so good for being able to see any homes that aren't right on the street.
The second problem is the invisible hotel. Here's the satellite view of the hotel, by address:
View Larger Map
That's it, right where the arrow is pointing. See it? Yes, the vacant lot behind the old Model T factory. If you can't quite make out the hotel from above, go to street view. Find the intersection of North 16th and Izard, stand next to the street sign looking east. Do you see that big yellow building-under-construction? That's it!
Funny, when I stayed there, I never once heard the pounding of hammers or the whining of saws. Oh, the wonders of modern construction.
First of all, the Google maps' street view photos were taken in spring or summer, when there were GREEN LEAVES on all the trees. That was an improvement as far as being easier on the eyes, but not so good for being able to see any homes that aren't right on the street.
The second problem is the invisible hotel. Here's the satellite view of the hotel, by address:
View Larger Map
That's it, right where the arrow is pointing. See it? Yes, the vacant lot behind the old Model T factory. If you can't quite make out the hotel from above, go to street view. Find the intersection of North 16th and Izard, stand next to the street sign looking east. Do you see that big yellow building-under-construction? That's it!
Funny, when I stayed there, I never once heard the pounding of hammers or the whining of saws. Oh, the wonders of modern construction.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Blogging from Omaha
I finally understand what people feel when they visit Seattle and exclaim, "It's so green here!" While I'm at it, here's what else I've learned in Omaha this weekend...
The older the city, the better I like the architecture. Brick isn't used much in the Seattle area (something to do with earthquake events) so it's always interesting to see streets and streets of solid brick homes. Big, beautiful, unique homes. Craftsman, Prairie, Queen Anne, Revival... inspiring.
Nebraska beef is a gastronomic event.
Pipe organs and French horns add elegance to a wedding service.
Salt and other ice-melting compounds really do take a toll (!) on pavement.
I have indeed seen other early 1980's Dodge Rampages.
Brown, taupe, gray, and tan. Yards, streets, sidewalks, bricks, bare-limbed trees -- the brain can only process so much dormancy.
Traditional, simple, Protestant American weddings can take three days to celebrate properly. Three days of welcoming out-of-town guests (thank you!), three days of eating and drinking coffee and checking on final preparations and rehearsing and dressing and eating again and watching the opening of the presents. Again, the brain can only withstand so much, but what a wonderful occasion.
Although the overall wedding celebration occupies several days, the reception itself goes very quickly if there are many clergy in attendance:
Saturday wedding + Sunday morning obligations = no lingering.
I'm having a wonderful time here, and I'm confident the dogs are glad to stay home.
The older the city, the better I like the architecture. Brick isn't used much in the Seattle area (something to do with earthquake events) so it's always interesting to see streets and streets of solid brick homes. Big, beautiful, unique homes. Craftsman, Prairie, Queen Anne, Revival... inspiring.
Nebraska beef is a gastronomic event.
Pipe organs and French horns add elegance to a wedding service.
Salt and other ice-melting compounds really do take a toll (!) on pavement.
I have indeed seen other early 1980's Dodge Rampages.
Brown, taupe, gray, and tan. Yards, streets, sidewalks, bricks, bare-limbed trees -- the brain can only process so much dormancy.
Traditional, simple, Protestant American weddings can take three days to celebrate properly. Three days of welcoming out-of-town guests (thank you!), three days of eating and drinking coffee and checking on final preparations and rehearsing and dressing and eating again and watching the opening of the presents. Again, the brain can only withstand so much, but what a wonderful occasion.
Although the overall wedding celebration occupies several days, the reception itself goes very quickly if there are many clergy in attendance:
Saturday wedding + Sunday morning obligations = no lingering.
I'm having a wonderful time here, and I'm confident the dogs are glad to stay home.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Behind the Curtain
Although this story has been told in other places, it seems like it's time for a transparent update right here on the dogs' blog. Thanks for indulging me as I tell the story again... although, if you choose to slip away quietly, I won't notice.
Several years ago (like, maybe nine years?), I began writing a novel. Although I hadn't planned it, I'd already been toying around with part of what became the story line. One of the main characters happened to be visually impaired, and another character was recovering from an abusive relationship.
As work progressed on that first draft, I heard a preacher on the radio who had a ministry to people who are blind or visually impaired. It so happened that this pastor is also blind, and I immediately thought that would be the kind of professional I could approach to consult with about my fictional character. If anything were to come of my writing, and if the Lord were to bring someone like this across my path, then I'd better take the opportunity to check my work. If.
Several months later, preparing to travel to the Midwest for a convention, the Lord brought that pastor to mind again. My convention was to be in St. Louis, and the headquarters of that ministry was in St. Louis. Imagine that! A few emails brought me into contact with the Lutheran Blind Mission and Pastor Dave Andrus, and a couple more emails set up a meeting while I was in town. There were a number of small miracles, God-ordained details, that brought this about.
The more I heard about the peer-to-peer outreach and support modeled by the outreach centers of Blind Mission, the more impressed I was. Another ministry I'd been involved with used a similar model. One of the benefits I had seen again and again was that brand new leaders were trained in a "safe" environment where it was okay to make mistakes, okay to try new things, okay to find out what didn't work.
As near as I can recall without looking it up, that first contact was in the fall of 2001. Since then, it has been my privilege to learn more about Lutheran Blind Mission as I have participated in an outreach center and participated in three conferences. Those conferences were week-long immersions in blind culture. Amazing experiences. Affirming acceptance.
This weekend, I enjoyed being able to witness Pastor Dave presenting the vision of Blind Mission's outreach to people in my local area. It was good. I'm excited to see what God is preparing to do here.
And in the mean time, I'll keep writing.
Several years ago (like, maybe nine years?), I began writing a novel. Although I hadn't planned it, I'd already been toying around with part of what became the story line. One of the main characters happened to be visually impaired, and another character was recovering from an abusive relationship.
As work progressed on that first draft, I heard a preacher on the radio who had a ministry to people who are blind or visually impaired. It so happened that this pastor is also blind, and I immediately thought that would be the kind of professional I could approach to consult with about my fictional character. If anything were to come of my writing, and if the Lord were to bring someone like this across my path, then I'd better take the opportunity to check my work. If.
Several months later, preparing to travel to the Midwest for a convention, the Lord brought that pastor to mind again. My convention was to be in St. Louis, and the headquarters of that ministry was in St. Louis. Imagine that! A few emails brought me into contact with the Lutheran Blind Mission and Pastor Dave Andrus, and a couple more emails set up a meeting while I was in town. There were a number of small miracles, God-ordained details, that brought this about.
The more I heard about the peer-to-peer outreach and support modeled by the outreach centers of Blind Mission, the more impressed I was. Another ministry I'd been involved with used a similar model. One of the benefits I had seen again and again was that brand new leaders were trained in a "safe" environment where it was okay to make mistakes, okay to try new things, okay to find out what didn't work.
As near as I can recall without looking it up, that first contact was in the fall of 2001. Since then, it has been my privilege to learn more about Lutheran Blind Mission as I have participated in an outreach center and participated in three conferences. Those conferences were week-long immersions in blind culture. Amazing experiences. Affirming acceptance.
This weekend, I enjoyed being able to witness Pastor Dave presenting the vision of Blind Mission's outreach to people in my local area. It was good. I'm excited to see what God is preparing to do here.
And in the mean time, I'll keep writing.
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