Installment #6: Genealogy 1999

In the late 90's, after the passing of my last grandparent, I realized that I knew very little about my heritage so I cranked up the Internets and began researching my family tree. For those who have not delved into the hobby (some would say obsession) of genealogy, searching for clues about you family history can be fascinating, like putting a puzzle together or solving a murder mystery. Each piece of information leads you to the next. In the summer of 1999 we decided to combine my hobby with a family vacation.

The plan was to drive back to the Midwest stopping in Nebraska and Iowa towns along the way to meet with relatives and to take pictures of tombstones. Our route would take us through Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and a short jaunt to Illinois. We started out on a Saturday morning. My plan was to end the day somewhere in central Utah like Richfield. Now, I have driven this route a couple of times going the opposite direction and I had always spent the night in St. George, Utah. This would have been the first time I drove through St. George without staying. It would have been if the car hadn't broke down about 20 miles north of St. George. We called AAA and we were towed back to the St. George Honda Dealership. Unfortunately it was near the end of the day and they would not be able to look at the car until Monday so we rushed to the nearest car rental place and rented a car before the place closed down. We didn't want to waste our time waiting for our car so we decided to take advantage of our unscheduled stop to explore. We started off with Zion on Sunday. I had been there before in 1995 but the wife had never been there. Zion is a beautiful park with awesome formations of red rock. Our visit was before they restricted car entry into the park so we drove in and took in the sights. We did a short hike along the Riverside Walk Trail including wading into the cool water of the North Fork Virgin River.

On Monday we discovered that the ol' Honda needed a part that wouldn't be available until Tuesday so we headed out to Bryce Canyon. Bryce Canyon is a very accessible, walkable canyon which is less daunting then the Grand Canyon but just as jaw-droppingly beautiful. We took a short hike and walked through the unique geology of the park. On the way back we stopped at a little shop and bought a rug which blesses our little guest bedroom floor. We continued back to St. George and we were on highway 14 heading west when we had to pull over to look at a view of a forested valley that took my breath away. We were high over forests of Pine and Cedar trees that looked like heaven to me.

On Tuesday we finally continued on our trip. A day and a half later we arrived to Belgrade, NE where we visited with relatives from my Mom's side of the family and visited the local cemetery to take pictures of some of the markers. We didn't know where they lived so we stopped at the general store to ask for directions. It turned out that the person we were looking for was in the store having some ice cream with her friends. We had a pleasant conversation and exchanged genealogy stories before we said our goodbyes. That night we ended up in Schuyler, NE.

Early next morning the wife was awoken by chest pains. They were severe enough that we found a nearby hospital and went to the emergency room. A doctor, who probably wrestled in high school, poked, prodded, and squeezed the wife before announcing that it probably was a pinched nerve and not a heart problem. The pains went away so we continued on to some cemeteries in north-east Nebraska. We took some pictures of some stones near Hooper and Scribner before heading to Mom's place in Omaha.

The next day we left with Mom to western Iowa looking for some more cemeteries. We were doing pretty good when the wife's chest pains came back with a vengeance. We rushed back to Omaha and back to the emergency room. This time they hooked her up to a EKG and monitored her closely. Once again they say it was an irritated nerve and that it may have been a result of stress. We found this strange that this would happen after school was out and the stress of the job was behind her but we were told that the effects of stress usually occur after the stress was gone. It was when you relax that the aches and pains show up.

The next day we headed east to visit with the in-laws at Lake Cornelia near Clarion, IA. On the way there we started to hear a weird sound so I pulled over. Sign ... flat tire. The tire literally was melting. We put on the spare and headed to a nearby Sam's Club and bought a new tire. We made it to the lake without further incident and enjoyed some time with the family.

We next headed further east to Hillsdale, IL for more genealogy research in the local library and more cemetery pictures.

At this point we were ready to head home. We sped across Iowa and Nebraska before stopping in Fort Morgan, CO. The next morning we filled up at a filling station across the street from out hotel and continued west towards home. That's when the engine trouble started. The car died a few times and it was hard to start. This lasted all the way back to California. My guess is that we got a batch of bad gasoline. When we got home the engine trouble went away and never returned.

So, to summarize, car breaks down, serendipitous visit to Zion and Bruce Canyon, cemetery, chest pains, cemetery, chest pains, flat tire, cemetery, bad gasoline. Now you know why we often call then the vacation from hell. I got some good pictures and added a lot to my genealogy research but, wow, at what cost?!? We almost needed a vacation from our vacation.

The wife still gets the pains every once in a while but they have never been as bad as on the genealogy trip of 1999.

The Fans ask: Where is The Wife?

By popular acclaim, I now present with no further ado, in her natural environment ... The Wife!

A Picture Of Me ... Sort Of

I am keeping this blog anonymous for no real reason. I guess I don't want strangers knowing where I live, what I look like, what I'm doing, etc. Anyway, I decided to bend the rules a little and post a picture. I found a site that lets you create your own South Park character and this is a picture of me:


My head isn't that round and I'm a little taller but it's a pretty good likeness, never the less.

Installment #5 - Las Vegas 1999

After driving around the southwest and amongst the trees, we chose our next destination to be more urban - Las Vegas. We chose President's Day weekend. Now, the wife and I are not big gamblers and the only real lure of Vegas are the shows. We had heard of a new Cirque du Soleil show called 'O' at the Bellagio and we were lucky to be able to buy tickets since it was often sold out. We arrived Saturday morning. We drove - a five hour drive through the rather dull desert. We stayed in a Days Inn about a block off the strip. I had tried to get something on the strip but since it was a holiday weekend everything was either sold out or expensive.

We started off walking the strip. We gambled a little bit and watched an Imax movie at Caesar's Palace.

'O' started at 10:00 pm that night and it was crowded. 'O' was magnificent. It was our first Cirque du Soleil show and I am still in awe of what I saw. We enjoyed everything about it. The show, the music, everything. We even bought the CD on the way out. I often listen to it when I need to relax. We have since gone to one other Cirque du Soleil shows, Dralion, in Long Beach near the Queen Mary. We need to go back to Vegas sometime and see the other four shows there.

On our second night we went to Riverdance. I like Celtic music and Celtic dancing. It is hard not to be impressed. The show was good but 'O' was more entertaining.

After our two days in Vegas being entertained and giving our money to the casinos, we drove home. I am sure we will return to Las Vegas someday.

Book: Rory Stewart's The Places In Between

My latest read is Rory Stewart's "The Places In Between". This book chronicles the author's walk from Herat, Afghanistan to Kabul, Afghanistan in January 2002. The guy has to be a little crazy trying to walk across Afghanistan only a few months after the American invasion and crossing the mountain passes in the dead of winter. Mr. Stewart is following the travels of Emperor Babur who nearly died traveling the same route in 1507 AD. It takes the author 36 days to do the walk. He stops at villages along the way and depends on their Muslim hospitality for shelter and food. Along the way he picks up a war dog whom he names Babur.

The book is a travelogue, a genre that I really have never read before. For that reason, I have mixed feelings about the book. I kept waiting for the climax or the punchline and it never came. The journey was interesting enough and you learn a lot about Afghan history and Muslim customs but, except for the general concept of walking across Afghanistan during wartime in the wintertime, there really isn't anything compelling about his story. It becomes a little repetitive when, at every village he ends up in, he has to negotiate for shelter and food.

All this said, I would recommend the book if you are familiar with travelogue style of writing and are interested in Afghanistan. The most touching part, in my opinion, is the last two paragraphs of the book when we find out the fate of Babur the dog. I guess in the end I did connect somewhat with the author and his companion. I just wish it had been a little earlier in the journey.

Game Over

The Saints put up a good fight but lost their playoff game by three points ... in overtime. They were the underdog by 17 points so a three point loss was a victory for the Saints.

PostSecret

I came across a site that is fascinating and heart wrenching at the same time. It is called PostSecret and the author posts secrets that people have sent anonymously.

Black Friday and our Unusual Shopping Habits

Today is Black Friday - the day when Christmas shopping starts in earnest. We, like millions of others, went out shopping but unlike most we went to a couple of slightly off-center places. The first was the Long Beach Convention Center where National Geographic was having a warehouse sale. About a year ago I subscribed to national Geographic using frequent flier miles (Free Subscriptions - Neat-O!). Soon afterward we started receiving catalogs for the National Geographic store. Now most of you are probably imagining a catalog full of books, maps, and DVDs. The fact is the catalogs are full of cool travel clothes, sweaters, jewelry, travel gadgets, as well as books, maps, and DVDs. We went down to Long Beach for a three day sale looking for clothes and travel stuff. The catalog tends to be pricey but the card we received in the mail promised 25-95% discounts. Sure enough, the discounts were impressive. We were slightly disappointed that there was less clothing and jewelry then we had hoped but the books and stuff we found was worth the trip. In all we bought almost $200 worth of stuff including a sweater for the wife, a couple shirts for me, and several travel books to help us plan our future travel. We even found a Christmas present for the spud. I was looking for a wall map but was surprised to find they had none on sale.

Our second stop was the General Wax and Candle wholesale outlet store. We left there with $55 worth of candles for gifts and our own personal use. I really like candles and always burn them in the chilly winter months.

The wife is going with the "J' to a Saint's playoff game tonight. It's down in Duarte (Near Pasadena). I think I will just hang out and relax this evening. We were going to decorate the tree but it will have to wait for the weekend (Yeah I know, I said we were going to decorate after Thanksgiving Dinner but it didn't happen and it won't happen tonight either - deal with it!).

Pebbles and Bee-ach Patterns

After eating Thanksgiving Dinner, I went down to Hueneme Beach to walk off a few calories. Every time a walk on the beach I see something different. This time around a saw several small piles of tiny, shiny stones. I decided that they must be the regurgitated stones from a sea bird's gizzard.

I also noticed a strange trail in the sand made by a beached bee. You can see the bee on the right side of the picture. I have noticed bees and ladybugs on the beach before. I am not sure what the attraction is for them.

The Beginning of the Holiday Season

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

We are having a quiet day at home. We are going to have a delicious Ham Lunch (Dinner for the midwesterners). I've already put up the Christmas Tree in the living room. After lunch we will will decorate it. I like this time of year - you know, the holiday season that starts at Thanksgiving and continues through the end of New Years Day. The whole Peace on Earth and Goodwill thing always makes me feel warm and fuzzy even though it doesn't always translate into reality - It's the thought that counts. I'm not really into the Christmas Spirit yet. Still, I am looking forward to going home and visiting the family. We're going to see the in-laws first, followed by a Christmas Day visit with my Mom and my favorite Uncle, and then we will be visiting the Spud's parents who will now have a couple more hand fulls to take care of. At my Uncle's new house I will be seeing cousins that I haven't seen in over nine years.

Everyone have a safe start to the Holidays!