Thoughts on the Way Home

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Hey Kids,

I passed an open field among the uppity houses of Federal Heights of Salt Lake City. On the fence hangs a sign that reads “No Dumping.” Such an odd sign. I pass many fields in my travels and never once have I ever thought, “Hey, maybe I can dump my garbage here.” Or my yard clippings. Or my dirt tailings from the pond I’m building. Whatever. Is this really a problem? It must be because the sign also quoted the city ordinance forbidding the practice; I assume. I’ve always been of the thought that there are too many signs and people don’t need to be commanded on every thing. Maybe I’m wrong.

So we saw the movie The Martian last night. It was late when we got home and went immediately to bed so we really didn’t have a lot of discussion of the movie. Great movie by the way. Rolling down the road I wondered, given the training of an astronaut, would I survive? I’m kind of a stubborn old bird. I wonder if I’m as resourceful as I am stubborn. That would be a question interesting and scary to know. I know I strain the odds of traveling safely every time I throw my leg over the motorcycle seat, but I assume I’ll be fine no matter what happens. Arrogance or Ignorance? I don’t know, but I really don’t care either.

Not actual coyote seen, but just like.

Not actual coyote seen, but just like.

There a short stretch of road that crosses City Creek canyon. City Creek is the creek that flows out of the mountains and right into downtown Salt Lake. Don’t look for it, it’s under the roads and buildings now. But it was the creek that the pioneers used to grow their first crops when they first arrived. City Creek Road, drops out of the residential area, descends down the east side of the canyon and travels up the canyon a bit. It then does a U-turn, crosses the river and ascends back up the west side of the canyon towards the State Capitol. It’s a cool little change of scenery. It is also the border of city and the mountains. Traffic flows from east to west as the other side of the street is reserved for joggers and pedal bikers. Today, as I had the bike at near idle doing the 25MPH limit, a coyote emerged from the trees right on the side of the road. He paid little attention to me and had his attention more fixed on how to cross the road to get down to the river. He was very healthy and a beautiful animal. It reminded me just how wild, the edges of Salt Lake City really are.

Those are the kind of things I think about on the ride home.

 

Day 226

Movie Night

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Hey Kids,

I’m doing this blog a little earlier because it’s $5 night at the movies.

Every Tuesday, all the movie houses here are $5 all day, every movie. Well normal movies like I watch anyway. Maybe the 3D, D-Box, Infrared, poly-stereophonic, VIP, Plus-pass movies are more. I don’t know. But the normal movies are $5.

Crumpled five dollar bill

Crumpled five dollar bill

I’m ranted and raved about the do-over movies. So when a movie that seems to be an original gets such rave reviews, I need to suck it up and support the theatre movies. This time it’s The Martian.

I know there has been a lot of movies about Mars and us humans visiting there, but this seems to be more of an original twist. I understand it can’t even be compared to Robinson Caruso on Mars. The word is that this movie is flat out good. A feel-gooder too.

I’m willing to plunk down my $10 for my baby and me to check it out.

$30 Popcorn, however, will not be bought.

 

Day 225

Stop Light Profiling

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Hey Kids,

Not all cars and drivers are the same.

Riding a motorcycle gives you more options of deciding on what lane of traffic to get into when pulling up to a light. A quick scan is necessary as you approach the intersection and your decisions have to be quick to enable the needed extra time to safely change lanes. In these cases, profiling is very helpful.Red_Light_590

Choosing the best lane isn’t always determined by the number of cars already in the lane, but the make of the car and the person driving is very important. Let me give you a few examples from what I have learned.

Hondas. Never get behind a Honda. The drivers of Hondas are very conservative and very light on the throttle. They are also usually very courteous drivers so they will always yield to merging lanes and traffic even if they don’t have to. If you see the “H” on the back, keep to the side, do not get behind.

Toyotas. Corolla drivers usually feel they need to compensate so they push the cars to the limits. They don’t have a lot of horses, but they will use them all. Camry’s go half and half. Half are super proud of a Camry and drive it like a race car, the other half are wannabe Honda drivers.

Newer Fords and Chevys. If there are imports around, they’ll drive like crazy to prove themselves better. Trust me. If not, 50/50.

Dodge and Chrysler- Pull behind them every time. They always seem to suffer from the self-conscious syndrome and will step on it every time.

Trucks in general are a good bets.

German imports- Macho syndrome. Possible exception, the Beetle. If a girl driving, yes. If a boy driving, no. Boys driving beetles is just not right. It has something to do with having a flower vase built into the dash board.

As a general rule, the older the car, the slower it is. Likewise for the driver. Exception: Men between 35 and 50 seem to have that mid-life thingee going and will try to outrun a bike behind them every time.

Women drive slower than men. Exception young girls. They are hell on wheels and best to stay behind anyway. Young boys driving simply are dangerous but they are never slow, unless they think that’s what you don’t want.

Another motorcycle is always a great bet. Although, I notice that Honda Motorcycle riders still seem to have that conservative thing. A part from the occasional part falling off and coming at you, Harley’s are always a good bet to follow. It’s that “something to prove” thing again. Sport bikes are awesome. Just rev your motor once and they think you want to race and at the turn of the light, they are gone and it’s like having the road to yourself.

I know this is all based on profiles and stereotypes, but when picking a lane- it’s what you do. I hate or judge no one, but when at a stop light it’s all about Lord of the Flies survival.

 

Day 224

Home

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Hey Kids,

What a crazy wild weekend!

Our cabin

Our cabin

We left our little cabin retreat after one more dip in the hot tub and returned to normal life- getting caught in traffic.

It’s funny how such a special event can disappear so quickly. I think that’s why you must grab those moments when they’re there.

Getting married in the Chapel of Pines

Getting married in the Chapel of Pines

We arrived and made a big-o pot of Chicken Noodle Soup. It was delicious and we realized we were back home.

Only married this time.

I love being married.

 

Day 223

Wedding Day

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Hey Kids,

You’re going to have to excuse me today but this will be a short post, it’s my wedding night.

So why am I on the computer blogging?

Good question. Except it’s what I do.

The ceremony was great. Had cops show up but all was well. The weather remained rainy but broke long enough for us to have our moment and walk around the lake for pictures. It started again as we reached our cars. I’ll thank our prayers for that miracle.

Our Wedding Chapel- Fall Edition

Our Wedding Chapel- Fall Edition

The cabin served as an excellent host for our guests. Adults visited, kids ran wild through the trees. Everyone found enough food to make them happy. Many sneakers and school shoes were muddied and possibly ruined, all to the chagrin of the parents who let their kids run wild outside.

The rains have again subsided and the air has cooled to 38°F. Luckily the hot tub is maintaining 106.

We are going to enjoy the evening into the night soaking up the hot water. Then we’ll see if we can find anything else to keep us occupied until sleep finds us. After that we will sleep-in to as close to the 11 o’clock check-out time in the morning, as we possibly can.

I’ll be back tomorrow and fill in some more details.

 

Day 222

Canyon of Memories

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Hey Kids,

It’s the evening before our wedding and the start of our marriage.

The normal thing the day before, apparently, is to be nervous or anxious but I’m not. I’ve got a still cool and inner excitement instead.

At this writing, I’m sitting at a large kitchen table in a cabin located at an elevation of about 8,000 feet in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah- my favorite canyon in the world.FullSizeRender (2)

This canyon holds so many memories for me. My family and I have made so many trips up here over the years. I can tell a story or share a fact about most of the 17 miles of road from the mouth of the canyon to the glacier-cut bowl at the top. I know every curve of the road, every stretch of hills, and every turnout. We have been up here so many hundreds of times that I bet we border the 1000 number.

Tomorrow the ceremony will be at Silver Lake. I know this lake even better. Every part of the 1 mile trail and boardwalk holds a story of when this or that happened. Over there is where the boys scaled the rock wall. That sign over there is where Dakota slipped and cut his head just above the eyebrow. We’ve seen moose here, and here, and over there. The best place to spot the fish is on the bridge or the overlook on the other side of the lake. I can go on and on. The memories come on so thick sometimes they crowd out the mosquitoes.

Sometimes it’s painful. Sometimes I wonder why I keep coming up here. The memories attempt to mock the fact that there will be no new ones made.

But isn’t that the fact with all memories? Their entire existence is based in the past. My nest simply emptied earlier than expected and much earlier that I would have ever wanted. That’s what hurts.

Tomorrow I will start a new era of my life. A woman I love and who loves me is about to become a permanent part of it. Instead of leaving my favorite place in the world in the past with its memories, I’ve decided to continue to create new ones. Tomorrow will be a huge addition.

There will be no sadness as I gaze on the familiar rocks and trees and see the reflection of my young children. My walk around the lake with my new bride will be but another set of footprints added to the thousands I have left before and but a small example of what I hope to leave in the future.

The cool calm and the inner excitement is what I call happiness, and I seem to have plenty of that nowadays.

Especially tomorrow.

 

 

Day 221

Wedding Vows

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Hey Kids,

Wedding Vows.

The promises you make when deciding to share a life with someone else.

I’ll be honest with you, I don’t remember exactly what it was that I agreed to the first time around. I know I agreed to them at the time, that they weren’t anything I intended to ignore, and I don’t know if Mike-then could’ve come up with anything better than what was offered.

But this go around is a different story. ipromise

Getting this marriage right is absolutely necessary.

After seen one relationship have its wheels fall off and disintegrate before my eyes, I never want to experience that again. It was awful and I nearly lost everything. And I mean everything.

Although not the only one to blame, I see my part in all of it. I’ve sat in judgment of myself and took note of the deficiencies.

So this time, I’ll write my own vows. I’ll make the promises I know and understand are important.

They’ll come from the ashes.

They’ll come from a new wisdom.

They’ll come from my heart.

And what comes from the heart, I dare not put asunder.

I promise.

 

Blog 220

Find the Special

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Hey Kids,

You can always find a way to do something special.

It takes a little effort at times, but it’s possible.

My sweetie and I have been putting the final touches on our upcoming wedding this weekend. It’s not the first time for either of us so the plans aren’t as elaborate this go around. Most of the details, not including the vows, are all worked out.

The idea of getting married sprang up quickly; we had no intentions of squeezing it in before our road trip later on this month. It became the right thing to do at the right time and the plans simply started happening.

This afternoon, I got home early and started the Spaghetti sauce simmering. When my baby finally escaped her place of employment, the bowtie pasta boiled away on the stovetop. She took her quick bath and as soon as she was out and ready for dinner, I stopped her in the bedroom and said I had an important question to ask.

She looked very nervous, wondering what could be so urgent to make her wait for the delicious (if I say so myself) dinner waiting for her in the other room.

I dropped to one knee, whipped out the ring that she didn’t know I picked up on the way home, opened the lid reveling the ring angled towards her, and asked,

“Will you marry me?”Proposal

She was surprised.

And very pleased.

The proposal had been just a given and neither of us appeared to think of it as needed. If thought of at all.

Luckily she said yes and our wedding plans and dinner continued.

I didn’t have to do it, we both knew it’s what we both wanted. We’re pretty happy with each other and the lives we are sharing. The wedding is turning out to be exactly how we wanted it: simple, with close friends and family, and in the mountains.

But I didn’t want her to get married without ever being asked if she wanted to. Officially.

Other than the price of the ring, it cost me nothing and the happy look on her face was priceless.

Do something special for someone, even if it’s something simple.

Everyone deserves to feel special every once in a while.

 

Day 219

The Neighbors Upstairs

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Hey Kids,

We’ve got some new neighbors recently.

The kind that live in the apartment directly over ours.

The kind that have invaded our quiet environment with their unexplained loud noises and thumps sounding through our ceiling. We can only guess as to what they might be doing.Upstairs-Neighbors-favorite-shoes

Jumping, pounding, running, laughing, playing, singing, dancing, skipping, hopping, gaming; to the wee hours of the night.

I think they might’ve even installed a bowling lane somehow.

Maybe I need to introduce myself and see if I can be invited up sometime.

They seem to be having a lot of fun.

 

Day 218

A Father’s Wish

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Hey Kids,

I know that by the time you read this you would’ve already received word from me that I’m getting married this weekend. I hope anyway.shot_1287856973461

I’m struggling right now, wishing all this would’ve been different.

I wish we would’ve recovered our difficulties by now, that our lives would again be shared.

I love you. I miss you. I hope when you read this message, you know I wanted nothing more than you all to be with me.

Love,

dad

 

Day 217