Day Trip - Harrison

We made a short visit to Harrison, AR, to show Allison how close it actually was, and check out the town. On the way (28 miles) we stopped at the North Arkansas Welcome Center on US 65, a few miles north of Harrison.


Just one shopping center and few strip shops... Super Walmart... 8 cinema... Toyota dealer on north edge. Drove 65B through "downtown" - found the square, with courthouse. Big Hospital. North Arkansas College has big downtown building.

Back to Hollister Pizza Co for lunch.

It was a good day! ;-)

Visit to Hope, AR

Last Wednesday after we drove down Highway 7 and visited Hot Springs, we also stopped briefly in Hope, Arkansas, to make a first quick visit to the President William Jefferson Clinton's boyhood home town.

We were already late in the afternoon, but the depot was still open with maps and we signed in as visitors. We were able to first drive by his second home (we will visit another time to stop and see exhibits):


Then, we found the official museum located behind the first home of the future president. The house was located on a busy street, so the museum entrance is in a parking lot on a side street:


Here is a pretty good photo of the front of the house that Nancy was able to take as we drove past:


It was another very good day! ;-)

12 hour day home

Left Austin before sunrise before 7 - Alex and Ben waiting for the bus as we went by.
12 hours later, arrived at the house, a few minutes before 7 - normal speeds and stops. Neat!
Feeling good.

It was a very good day! ;-)

Last day in Austin

This was our last day in Austin for this trip. Pretty good day. Phil M. won the golf tourney, but Tiger got the FedEx Cup, as I hoped. Cowboys play on Monday night; so I spent all afternoon with Alex, while Ben and Arrion went to Bruce Willis movie and Nancy looked after Kaylee - playing Wii game Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility - all afternoon. Got his first rainbow, built his coop, and got his first chicken. Great day!

Watching Sunday night football in the evening.

It was another very good day! ;-)

Warm day - grilled out - played on patio

While Ben was grilling the hamburgers, after the Texas winning football game on TV, Kaylee and Grandpa played on the patio and in the back yard. Kaylee likes to swing.

Ben says the slide is her favorite.


She also likes the Diago truck - she mostly goes backward!


It was another very good day! ;-)

More Birthday Photos

Kaylee liked the cake Arrion decorated!

Arrion liked the DVD that Allison sent!


It was a very good day! ;-)

Birthday Party

This is a good representative photo of the birthday party for Arrion! Happy Birthday!


Here was a good one of Kaylee after she got home from "school" today!


It was a another great day! ;-)

Arrived in Austin on 23rd

Arrived in Austin at Rathsack home about 2 p.m. on Sept 23rd. Alex was at school, played with Kaylee for awhile alone. It was raining, so Arrion took the van to pick up Alex outside the neighborhood off of the bus. Kaylee and grandma waited for them to arrive back. Good photo of Kaylee at that time. She has matured. She goes to Tues & Thurs "school" now as well.


Alex showed grandma what he was doing in school today.


Arrion took Alex to Karate - Kaylee played with dollie; couple good pictures.





The kids both go to bed early... we do too!

It was a very good day! ;-)

Scenic 7 Byway

We took a vacation day on our way to Austin... will arrive there on Wednesday. The vacation aspect involved taking Arkansas Highway 7, all an Arkansas Scenic Byway, most a National Scenic Byway, from Harrison through Russellville to Hot Springs... making several stops along the way. We actually got to Henderson Texas where we are spending the night.

Perhaps more, later, but some highlights. Of course, we crossed the Buffalo National River (private site; NPS; NPCA; .


We went by the Hollis CCC camp - where Annette and Larry visited in May 2005.


We stopped on a mountain top for a picnic lunch.


We stopped at a ranger lookout, Nancy took this one:


We also stopped briefly in Hope, Arkansas, and photographed a couple of Bill Clinton's boyhood homes.... photos on that later.

It was a very good day! ;-)

Wisdom Keepers

At the age of 20, you know everything. At 70, you're not so sure.

These words could be mine, but they do come from an article in AARP Magazine that is worth a read by persons of all ages - and it is not too long. The article, "The Pressure to Be Wise," is written by Margaret Atwood about a video series under production by Dr. Joe MacInnis and her reaction to being a part of it.

If you don't read the whole article, be sure to check the last couple of paragraphs. Good thoughts... likely will cause you to read the rest.

By the way, in the same issue of the magazine (cover has Bruce Springsteen on it, Sep/oct 2009) is an article on "Best Places to Live: The Simple Life" listing the their top 5. We have lived in two of them! Tucson, AZ, and Ames, IA. The others are Greenville, S.C., Montpelier, VT, and Logan, UT. Hard to disagree!! ;-)

It is another very good day! ;-)

Development to the east

Last Saturday, I walked up the high hill in the back development, remembering to take my camera. You can clearly see the development to the east, where the big scoop was finishing up the upper tier of levels. You can also see the trees that were not removed back in the summer of 2004 - 5 years ago - when we were so upset about their activities.


For comparison, here is August of 2004, just after the clearing had been done.


Below is the July photo, with all the green still there, before they cleared it. Interesting.



Life goes on. It appears they may have actually cleared, built up and leveled a space for an eventual Convenience Store in front; to complement the tiered storage building in the back. Now, however, they primarily are selling rock, and it appears that will continue indefinitely.

Today, we made a trip over to the storage; brought a car load over, and it all fit in the cabin - obviously good planning by us both!

It was a very good day! ;-)

Fall is arriving in Hollister

After a visit to Michaels recently, we have our Fall decoration for the cabin. It has now been installed after nearly of week in the 70s and lots of drizzley rain. The scarecrowman had gotten positive comment.



Today was the first non rainy day in several - but humidity made you wonder if it could rain at any time. We made good use of the day by going over to Forsythe this morning and getting our flu shots, with Medicare cards, then, we stopped by the 36th Annual Autumn Daze Festival in downtown Branson - big craft tents set up in the parking lot behind Dick's 5 and Dime, and the adjoining street on the east. We shared a tenderloin sandwich for lunch. We have been to this event in past years - very much the same. Good crafts mix and quality.

It was a very good day! ;-)

Creating e-memory legacies

Check out The E-Memory Revolution.

I have been giving these concepts some thought, but this puts a whole new spin on it - note the "three streams of technology" suggested: recording technology, rapid increase digital storage capacity, and software to take advantage of a life-time of e-memories. Is it really true?

My concern was more that the current generation is not "saving" hard copies of photos, writing, etc. How will we "look back" and be able to collect anything that is not "physical"?? This suggests just the opposite - that we will be able to retrieve "everything" electronically - all those facebook entries from college, all those email from work and home, every photo anyone every took of you, every transaction you made...

What do you think? Is this great? Is this awful? Is this preposterous....

It has been an interesting day, so far! ;-)

P.S. Just read to the end of the article on libraryjournal.com cited above... written by two researchers at Microsoft Research. That opens up another whole topic of conversation, if one cared to!

First Full Day of NFL Season

I was pleased that the Dallas Cowboys won their first game, over Tampa Bay.


I did keep track of the Kansas City Chiefs, who were 24-24 late in the fourth quarter before they lost to Baltimore. Tiger got a good look during the afternoon, as well, as he cruised to his 71st win, after the big day yesterday.

Wonderful to have Football Night in America back on NBC, with Keith O., Dan Patrick, Bob Costas, et al. - civil discussion of the day's NFL action!!

I'm watching Bears v. Packers, as I write this!!

It is a very good day!! ;-)

Tiger has his mojo back

I know this is supposed to be College Football and U.S. Open weekend, but at Cog Hill, in south Chicago, Tiger Woods finally looked like the "old" Tiger Woods again. Just a 62, -9, a Cog Hill record... and he started the day with a bogey. Welcome back!

He leads going into Sunday final... ;-)
It was a very good day! ;-)

Iowa at Iowa State football on TV here on Sat

Happy to see that Iowa at Iowa State College Football is the Big 12 early game on Fox Sports Net.


It is a very good day! ;-)

New NFL season begins

Does the real NFL season actually begin tonight?

Bring it on!

It will be a very good day, when it is done! ;-)

09-09-09

Mom reminded me of the day date, today, so thought I would post it.

Hope and assume it will be good luck for us all. Just read that the worst recession since the 1930s may actually over, or at least ending. Things are looking up!

Assume it will be another very good day - aren't they all, really!???! ;-)

Kinnick Stadium

Thanks to cousin Lexie Franzeen (on Facebook) for this great photo of Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City - she and siblings and friends were at the UI-UNI game last weekend. She had photos of the game, and the playing field, etc.; but I liked this one best.


Arrion was born in the hospital across the street, of course.

It was a very good day! ;-)

Labor Day 2009 Activities

To work off our great meal, we all played Wii Sports games. Can't play these sitting down. Here Mom and Allison are playing golf. I bowled with Allison, then Allison played tennis.


Here is the nice meal we were working off... Nancy was smiling, but I missed it apparently (the other one was much worse - sorry!)


Bill grilled on the deck. Good meat helps a lot! ;-)


It was a very good day! ;-)

Recording Reunion Photos

I enjoy recording class reunion photos - from the Coon Rapids Enterprise. Did three, today, logged over at Coon Rapids Bayard (Iowa) Alumni blog.

Need to speed up my migration process... October is looming. Can't have all that work go to waste.

Tiger is not going to win, hope he improves on Monday. We enjoyed going grocery shopping late this evening... another world of the retired! ;-)

It was another good day! ;-)

Photography

I haven't really forgotten about photography, in retirement. Got the new 10x camera, but haven't taken the time to use it much (Sony DSC-H20, just like Arrion's). This is my first use of closeup.

This was the second time I had seen a bee on the flowers out the front window while sitting at the table. This time I got the camera out... just seven tries. I liked this one best.

If Tiger will find his putting touch, again, it will be another good day! ;-)

Seat Replacement

The big event of this day, in retirement, was the opportunity to replace the toilet seat in the downstairs bathroom. What an accomplishment! [Not my first time, of course - I wonder how many in 50+ yearss...]

It was a very good day! ;-)

Other new beginings

September 2009 marks the beginning of the tenth year of the cabin in the family. It will also require a new tree, and it needs to have the outer surface redone this fall. With the "old" tree gone, we start the new beginning - photo taken on Sept 1, 2009 - in yet another way.

Note that the big red flowers that I was worried "would they still be blooming on Aug 8" were then and are still going strong.

It was a very good day! ;-)

Kaylee First Day of Pre-School

What else could this day be about? Kaylee won't be 2 until Nov 8, but has started Pre-School and seemed to adjust very well. Arrion provided this photo.

She seems so "matter of fact" about it - it is what comes next. I get to go to school, too!

It was another very good day! ;-)