Camping Trip

Once again I made time for myself to escape to be with nature.  This camping trip was to Pershing State Park in NE Missouri.  There were very few campers there and no one was in the tent area where I set up camp.  Heaven on earth, I was enjoying the great outdoors without the noise of people. 

I was not alone however.  Each night Ricky Raccoon and his family would come to visit.  It was like they were invited guest that were summoned at dusk each night.  While I was sitting no more than 15 feet away they explored every aspect of my campsite, making themselves right at home on top of the picnic table.  While in my tent for the night, they partied the night away. I could hear them running around and making their weird noise, like a cat purring that is mad. 

The trails at the park were nice.  The boardwalk trail, about a mile in length was enjoyable.  I was disappointed on my hike on the Ripian trail. It was supposed to go about 6 miles and come out in a National Conservation area.  It was like no one had been on the trail all year long.  Weeds, trees, mud and all types of obstacles made the trail hard to follow.  At one point a large tree had fallen over the trail.   After trudging my way around the fallen tree through the heavy brush I was not able to pick up the trail again.  So…. I headed back, disappointed after just a mile hike along Locust Creek. 

As Thursday morning approached, a soft gentle rain began to cascade down through the canopy of trees and fall with a slow rhythm upon my tent.  Oh how pleasing a sound that was.   I found myself drifting back and forth from sleep to being awake, with such wonderful dreams along the way.

I was proud of myself on this camping trip.  No trips to Wal-Mart were needed.  Lol   Can’t wait for my next outing with nature.

Enjoy,

Royals At The K

A recent outing to a Kansas City Royals game was an enjoyable evening. The sun was shining giving way to twilight followed by nightfall.  The Royals are playing in a revamped Kaufman Stadium.  The fountains are still there but an expanded outfield experience gives more options for fans to have fun at the game.  It was “College Night”, with happy hour before the game. I have never seen Truman Sports Complex more trashed, not even after a Chiefs game. Lol  Everyone behaved themselves however and it turned out to be a great game.  We lost, but good ballgame anyway.  One more note, beer now costs $7.50!!!  I’m not sure that my first-born child cost that much.

Enjoy,

Graduation

Hello, I hope to start posting from time to time again.  I guess it is mostly just a release that I need right now in my life.  My writings may seem random but they will just be me as I transverse from day to day on my journey of life.

Bitty soccer!!!  Yes, soccer for 5 and under.  My grandkids recently suited up and played,  if you could call it soccer.  The 5 year old would really be into it and then be off playing with some baby on the sidelines, leaving the goal unattended.  My 3 year old would not participate. He loved getting dressed up, cleats, and shin guards, player shirt.  He was so proud. But come game time the dirt pile was too intriguing for him.  Finally, at the last game he decided to play.  Play?   Soccer to him meant running and tackling whomever he could find, mostly his brother.  How can one 3-year old disrupt an entire game? 

My opinion?  They are too young.  Result?  It was fun watching them and they got medals at the end.  Success.

Ever have rodents enter you home?   I am talking about the ones with the big long tail better known as squirrels.   We have trees around our house and they have grown over so that the squirrels can jump from the tree branches onto our house. Well, somewhere they have been able to get into the overhang   or the chimney perhaps, I am not sure where.  I can hear them when the house is quiet, running around. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr   I had a dream the other night they were hanging on my ceiling fan above my bed with teeth showing ready to pounce on me. Lol

The tree guy came today and cut back and trimmed out 4 trees.   Over $1,000 later I hope the squirrels can no longer get up on the roof. We will see. Now I have to hire someone to go up on the roof and find the hole they where getting into and then fix it.  I have been trying to trap them for the past week. Each and every night my bait is gone, but no squirrels.  Maybe a gun would work better. Lol  

Hope your weekend is going well and squirrel free.  

Enjoy,Ed

     The past two weeks have been very hard for me.   On Tuesday, March 12, I went up to Iowa to visit my Dad in the hospital and to help mom with some household business.  I came back to KC on Wednesday.   Then, Thursday morning, March 13, the hospital called and said that Dad had turned non-responsive and I should come up soon.  So, I went back up to Iowa Thursday morning and saw Dad that afternoon.  He was not good.  At 1:00 am Friday I was awakened with a phone call from the hospital that Dad had died.  I woke up my mom and told her.   After making arrangements, visitation, and the funeral, I came back home to KC on Thursday, March 20.  The following is the eulogy that I wrote and somehow found the strength to read at the funeral.  It took me just 20 minutes to write it, but a lifetime to live it. 

Dad

            My heart is filled with sorrow and grief.  I miss you Dad.  Today, however, my sadness is slowly being replaced with joy; the joy of seeing all of you here today, family and friends.  Dad loved life and life loved you Dad.   Not only is this room filled with each of you, I see others that have joined us.  Look Dad, there are your parents.  I feel joy that the three of you are together again in heaven.  There are also many of your friends from your farming days.  I see Dale and Francis, Nellie, Roe, Elsie and Raymond.  Dad, there are so many people that you have not seen in such a long time. Oh!  Look!  There is Ray, he has checked out all the fishing holes in heaven for you Dad.  The sorrow and grief I feel, is starting to be replaced with joy.  I know you are in a place with friend’s and family. 

Dad had many talents. One was his ability to take the lead in order to get the job done.  Each school year I would greet my students with a first day speech.  One of the things I would talk about were heroes and how having heroes help you to develop who and what you are as a person. As an example of this I would talk about my heroes.  My first hero has always been you, Dad.  Although I never heard you speak these words Dad, you lived them every day of your life.  “If it is worth doing, then it is worth doing well”.  Your leadership and hard work not only touched me, but also touched every student I have ever taught. 

I have come to learn that Dad had an ornery side. During the course of the past 3 months, Dad and I have been able to have some nice long talks. One such session led us to be talking about San Diego. I was telling Dad of a recent visit my wife and I had made to the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park. Dad then proceeded to tell me of his time in military tents in Balboa Park.   He was there waiting to be deployed during WWII.  Dad said it was the coldest he has ever been.  (Hard to believe that growing up and living in IA, that San Diego would have been where he was the coldest.).  At any rate, one time, as the story went, Dad and his buddy devised a plan to get warm.  They found their way into the nurse’s tent. ……… Ok, it’s not what you think!……… The two of them “borrowed” two mattresses from the nurses and took off running back to their own tent. With one mattress to sleep on, and one mattress as a cover, they were never cold again.

Dad also had a practical side.  He had a knack of seeing a simple way to solve a problem. I remember one time that we had a sow with baby pigs back in the pasture that needed to be brought up to the barn. No easy task. So Dad said:  “Eddy, grab a couple little pigs and take off running towards the barn”.  So, there we were, me, and 8 yr old boy, with two squealing pigs in hand, followed by a very mad sow, followed by all the little baby pigs, followed by a protective and smiling Dad, knowing the problem had been solved.

Anyone who knew Dad knows that he had a very loving and caring side.   My children will forever remember that love. It came in the form of fishing trips.  Each summer we would come to Iowa, fishing poles in hand, set to once again break our record of bluegills on the hook.   What was that final record?  130? 145?  170? -- In just two days!  And of course Dad would help clean each and every one of them.  Then, on that final night, we would have a huge fish fry followed by homemade ice cream.  Those fishing trips are memories my two children will have of you Dad for a lifetime. 

Everyone here has a story or a memory of Dad.  I hope that at sometime, if not here today, you can share that memory. For it is in this sharing that we will keep the presence of my Dad among us.

Goodbye Dad; we will be together again someday. 

Trip To Louisiana

On Friday, we left from KC in a snowstorm. It is times like that when you wonder, “What have I gotten myself into?”  After only 10 minutes driving south, the snowstorm was over and we had clear roads the rest of the way.  Heading down 71 highway, knowing we were headed to Lafayette, LA, had me thinking warm weather and shrimp. Lol 

As you leave Missouri one of the first towns you come to in Arkansas is Bentonville.  Ok now. you wonder; “where have I heard of that town before?”.   Got it yet????   ………………………………………………………………………………..

Ok, time is up.  Bentonville is the hometown of Wal-Mart.   Yes, Sam Walton started it all there in this small little Ozark town called Bentonville.  I have visited their headquarters there.  As world headquarters go, it is not very impressive. But then I guess that goes with Sam Walton’s’ life.  He tried to keep it simple and humble.  Not sure that tradition is still true but you must admit. Wal-Mart has done very well.

Heading south from Bentonville you drive through the Boston Mountains.  The wooded pictures showing are of that area.  The first night found us in Texarkana, Arkansas.  We stayed in a La Quinta there and feasted on Denny’s senior menu. lol 

An early start Saturday enabled us to make it to Lafayette, drop the vans, and then head back. An interesting town you travel through is Natchitoches, La.  (I would tell you how to pronounce it but would have to kill you. Lol ).  Back in an earlier blog I have pics and a story of a past visit to this wonderful little town.  Yes, it is the sight of the filming of Steel Magnolias, a house I have viewed in the past.   The second photo album above is of that visit. All we did this time was stop at the local McDonalds there.   One of the drivers I was with LOVES McDonalds.  So…. We hit about every one of them between KC and Lafayette.  Lol 

On our return trip we ended up once again in Texarkana for the night.  I vetoed Denny’s this time, so we went exploring to see where the locals eat.  We ended up at a place called “Cattleman’s Steakhouse”.   While my two buddies opted for steaks, which they said were wonderful, I went back to my childhood and had frog legs.  Yum, Yum.  Ever had them?  

Our final day, Sunday, we took a slight detour and drove through Devils Den State Park, just south of Fayetteville, Arkansas.  What a wonderful place to camp and hike.  I was inspired and hope to make it back there this summer and spend time exploring the Boston Mountains area.   

 Today, Monday, I am trying to catch up on things here around the house and will be heading to see my parents in Iowa on Tuesday.  My plan is to be back sometime Wednesday.  I have also tried to fix the link to the “Booty Song” I have playing. Let me know it works.

Today has been another day of semi-crises coming from my parents in Iowa.  Each time the phone rings I feel this knot in my stomach come over me.  Sometimes when all around me seems insane I just have to sit back and feel silly. This song does that.  

Booty Song

Enjoy,Ed

 Love, believe in it, live for it.  For love is worth the risk.

Essence Of Time

It has been many months since I last tried to update my sight.  My life has been stressful to say the least and neither time nor motivation has allowed me to keep in touch with friends here in blogland.  I do hope to get back to posting pictures, adventures, poems and just being me again soon.  Thanks to all that have left messages and well wishes during my absence. 

Without getting into detail about my life the last several months let me just summarize a bit.  My wife has been battling cancer.  The surgeries are done, the chemo complete and it looks very promising.   My Dad is dying of advance stages of Parkinson’s disease and the recurrence of prostate cancer to the spine. My mom is struggling living alone with the worsening of her Alzheimer’s. I have spent much time in Iowa (a 4 hour drive) including all of Christmas and New Years trying to make very difficult decisions about their care and comfort.  Their conditions will for sure become worse before the end comes but I am beginning to come to grips with it all and the life decisions I have had to make. 

Ok, enough about that.  My hope is that coming back into the blogosphere I may once again gain some sanity to my life.  I have been able to make a few trips; the most recent one was to Kingman, Arizona, then up to Las Vegas. I spent the night there, oh darn lol, and then drove on to Sacramento CA.   It was a great trip and I crossed Hoover Dam for the first time.

My wife and I are planning a weekend getaway over St. Patrick’s Day to San Diego.  Have you ever been to Coronado Island? It is where the Navy seals train.  A couple of days in the sun and on the beach there should lift our spirits.   I hope to start taking pictures again and sharing my adventures online.  Until I return, thanks to all of you I call friends.  For sure you mean so much to me.

With the “Essence Of Time” being the healing factor, I say until next time.

Ed

Do It Right

It is with sadness that I must back away from this “blogging” thing for awhile.  My father taught me many things and one of them was this.  “If you are going to do something then do it the best that you can or don’t do it at all.”  With that thought in mind that I will not be able to post for the time being. Some issues have arisen in my personal life that makes MSN Spaces something that I cannot devote much time to.  Hopefully I will be back in a few months and on the road again with new adventures and pictures of my travels.  In the meantime, I have decided to leave my space up in case someone would want to keep in touch. There are so many GREAT people around this country and the friends I have met here certainly prove that. Until we get to hook up again, take care my friends.

Enjoy,

Ed

Y’allapalooza

It was  Sunday and at the last moment I decided to go to a local outdoor concert here.   It was called “Y’allapalooza” and was at the “Verizon Amphitheater” just outside of Kansas City.  The gates opened at noon and the last performer finished up around midnight. With almost a full 12 hours of music, eating, socializing, and of course drinking you can only imagine that viewing the concert was not the only thing that people were there for. Lol

I will begin with the performers.  As a side note, I forgot to bring my camera, dang it.  Oh well.  There were 14 bands in all, country music was the theme and there was never more than 10 minutes when a band was not playing.  The more popular bands that were there were Halfway to Hazard, Emerson Drive, Keith Anderson, Miranda Lambert, Carolina Rain, and Dierks Bently.    I was most impressed with Miranda Lambert. I have always liked her since I first heard an interview she did on a local radio station here. That first hit, “Me and Charlie Talking” was written by both her and her Dad. She said at the time, that song writing was her passion and that performing was really never a goal.  I must say I was most impressed with her show.  I always thought of her as somewhat of a timid, soft-spoken kind of voice. Man was I wrong. That girl can sing and with such power that I did never imagine. 

The secondary entertainment at a concert like this was watching other people.  The cowboy hats, boots with shorts, men with sagging pants wearing tighty whities, ewwwwww, all make up for an “educational” evening.  I sat down in the lawn area just behind a group of high school kids. A couple of moms were not far away keeping tabs on their comings and goings. I figured this would be a safe place to sit back in my beach chair and mellow out with the music.  I could say so much of what I saw but will limit it to just a few comments.  First of all, I witnessed a lot of public display of “love”.  Lol Any one that knows me knows that I am sort of timed when it comes to PDA. (Public Display of Affection).    The most shocking I guess for me were the girl on girl displays. Then when I went to the men’s bathroom there were 3 girls in there watching men do their thing.  Along with that was a man doing his thing and talking very emotionally to his beer can. At first I thought he was talking to me, thank goodness he wasn’t.  lol 

At any rate the whole day was a blast and great music filled the air.   There were no fights or acts of violence that I saw, just a lot of people getting together to have fun, listen to music and “do their thing”.  

Have a great Labor Day weekend.

Enjoy,Ed 

Missouri State Fair

This past Wednesday I reconnected with thoughts from my childhood and took a trip to the Missouri State Fair.  Now, I grew up in Iowa and I must admit, the Iowa State Fair is still number one with me.  I have heard a lot about the Texas State Fair being fantastic as I am sure there are others that are wonderful too.  The Missouri State Fair I suppose would rank somewhere in the middle as far a state fairs go. Never the less, going to the state fair is always a trip back for me to earlier days of my life. 

I arrived in Sedalia, Missouri at 10:00 am on what proved to be the hottest day of the year.  Would you believe it reached 103 that day?  We won’t even talk about the heat index.  I also found out that it was “senior citizen’s “ day at the fair. Oh my, I felt YOUNG all day. LOL Needless to say it was a slow day at the fair. Parking is free and the entrance fee is only $8, a bargain I feel.

I did all the normal stuff, especially the exhibits that were in air-conditioned buildings.  I especially enjoy walking through the animal barns.  I know that would not be everyone’s cup of tea but as a farm boy from Iowa I do enjoy it.  It must have been rabbit judging day, as there were at least a thousand rabbits in the poultry barn.  I never knew there were that many types of rabbits.  Maybe I should have taken my latest new bunny that just appeared in my back yard this past week. I did not see one like him? 

Of course I had to climb on the tractors, walk through the campers, cruise the midway and see some shows.  It was a wonderful day, with great food, a couple of beers and I left; thankful for my childhood and the memories I was able to recapture, if not for just a few hours.  Who went with me?   I go by myself.  I could not seem to find anyone that enjoys the state fair like I do.  Perhaps I will drive an extra hour next year and go back to the Iowa State Fair. After all, it has been decades since I have seen the famous “Butter Cow” and the “Cow Chip” throwing contest.

Enjoy,Ed 

Dog Days of Summer

The painting is done, the floors are cleaned, the remodeling is complete and my daughter and her two boys are moved in.  That was a lot of work but the boys love it and all is well in “Grandpa” land.   It is hot, dry and just typical summer here in the Midwest so I have climbed into my “lazy” mode.   I did take a short trip to Decatur, IL and a few trips around the state of Missouri delivering movies like the intense drama called the “Simpsons The Movie”. Lol Hopefully I can get on the road again and post some interesting pictures of my travels.

Enjoy,

Ed 

Painting?

The 4^th of July was a fun day with the grandkids at a local farmstead. It is called the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead.  Lots of animals, some to pet, play areas, food, water splash area, etc.  The pictures posted are of that day. It was a great time and one my 1 and 3 year old grandson’s enjoyed a lot, as did I.  I also get a kick out of, as soon as we get back in the van to drive home, the boys are asleep before we leave the parking lot. Lol

On Sunday I will be delivering the new Harry Potter movie around the state of Missouri. It is a special release date, thus the Sunday delivery date.  Then the real fun begins, My daughter has bought a house so I will be painting, installing stuff, painting, cleaning rugs, painting… get the drift?  Lol Wish me luck that I don’t paint myself into a corner somewhere.  

It is hot here in the Midwest this weekend but not as bad as out west. I will not be doing any traveling until we get the house ready to move in. Move in date is July 21 so maybe I will be able to go back to work and relax a bit after that.  Stay cool, stay dry, and most important, stay in touch.

Enjoy,

Ed

Staying Dry

The amount of rain that has fallen here in the Midwest over the past week has been nothing short of record breaking.  I feel so for those folks that are facing flooding and loss of their homes.  Here where I live we have only had about 4 inches of rain the past week. But just 30 miles south of me there has been reports of 10 inches and up. Some of the towns in Kansas and Missouri that have been evacuated are very familiar to me, as I have traveled through them many times. I do hope that where you are the weather is treating you well. 

This past week I did my movie run on Tuesday; traveling from northern Missouri to southern Missouri with many stops in between. It was a special release date for the new Bruce Willis movie “Live Free-Die Hard”.  Then on Wednesday I left to deliver a van to Pittsburgh, Pa.  I first had to pick up a driver in Decatur, IL and take him back to St. Louis.  Then I was off for Pennsylvania from there.  My first night I stayed in Effingham, IL.  My motel was basically a truck stop with a great restaurant/bar attached. It was so interesting visiting with full time truckers. They do make decent money but what a life.  I don’t think I could do that full time. 

The second day I delivered my van to Conway, Pa and then spent the night in Pittsburgh at a Comfort Inn that had an airport shuttle for my flight home the next day.  Again, there was a restaurant/bar attached to the motel and I struck up a conversation with a man that was in a wheel chair.  He has had Polio since he was 3. What an interesting man.  For one thing he is a professional pool player.  He showed me a device he has invented and patented that is supposed to help any level player. Not sure there is anything that could help me.  To listen to his life story as a handicapped person was inspiring.  There are so many stories in this great country of ours that are so very amazing.  I always enjoy conversations with people all over the country. 

Keep dry where you are and have a bang up 4^th of July. 

Enjoy,

Ed

Good Morning World

I know it may not be morning when you read this but is Saturday morning here.  Not much planned for the day, Mrs. “Ed” is in New York so I am just being lazy. Lol  

A week ago I took a van to Houston.  Oh my, they are really getting rain down that way.  Drove through rain starting in northern Texas and was pretty much steady rain the rest of the day.   On Saturday I was to fly back to KC.  My plane was delayed over 3 hours because it could not get off the ground in Dallas because of all the rain.  I see on Monday that Gainesville, TX, (a city I drove through on Friday) had major flooding.  Looks like Texas is still getting pounded today.

No trips out of town for me this past week. Monday I had to stay home to help inspect the home my daughter is buying.  Oh, I lied. Lol Tuesday and Wednesday I went to Iowa to visit my parents.  My sister and I are trying to get someone into the home to help them out. I am afraid it is just a matter of time before they may have to move to some sort of assisted living. It is a sad time really, to lose your independence like that.  We cried a lot as we talked about the future.  

I came home from Iowa Wednesday night and did my movie run around the state of Missouri on Thursday.  Friday I watched my grandsons all day, a 1 and a 3 year old. I did not start drinking until 4.  lol, just kidding , they were great. 

Hope your week went well and I am looking forward to have some time today to get around and visit. 

Enjoy,

Ed