Alaska; Here I Come!

I'm spending my weekend getting last minute things around and ready to fly to Alaska late next week for a week long visit with Rob, Erin & J. Even Samantha will be flying up there, and it will be a big surprise to her when Bumpa meets her at the Fairbanks Airport. It is going to be her first visit to see her Dad up there too! That will make this trip extra special for all of us. Here is a picture of Samantha & me the last time we were together in October, on the front porch of the WIG, in Owosso just before I moved to AZ.

Family Gatherings

It is summer, and the livin' is easy. It is also that time of the year when family reunions occur. Our family is no exception. The only problem is that this will be the first year, in I can not remember, that we will not be at the family gathering.

This is my Mom's side of the family. Coleman is the name. Out of 11 original siblings, the last has passed away late last year, my Aunt Dolores Conden. The reunion goes on, but not sure for how much longer. The family seems to be getting older & smaller. However, there are some delights in our family, like my grand daughter, Samantha.

I came across a photo and video storage disk the other day, and thought I should put together a video memory of last year's family function. If it looks like I focused on Samantha and my son Rob, you are correct. Sorry, but when you control the camera and production, you control the content.

Also featured is my cousin Gary's daughter Emily. Her and Samantha, in spite of the age difference, seem to always take a liking to one another when they are together.

So, in loving memory to Gary's Mom, my Aunt Dolores, here is my tribute to her and my Mom's Family, the Coleman's.

Train Fest in Owosso, Michigan

This is the weekend that everyone in my hometown of Owosso, Michigan has been working on for quite some time. It is Train Fest. Many steam locomotives, from a railroad era gone by are there. That, along with many people, who have come from around the world to see these magnificent machines. Here is a local TV news report from ABC12 out of Flint on today's opening day. Clik on this link to see the story...
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/video?id=6929631
Wow, I only wished I could be there to observe (...and of course, help out! :) )

Excessive Heat

OK, it is 10:30 on a Saturday night. Heidi and I went out late this afternoon for a nice family style Italian dinner with friends followed by a viewing a "chick flick" with my wife. The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock. Yes, it was a cute romantic movie where the girl gets the guy and everyone lives happily ever after.

Sandra Bullock, at her age, still looks great half naked. But the real reason we decided to go to the show was for the air conditioning. Not that we don't have it at home, but just the idea of getting out of this stifling heat in new surroundings.

The dog is bugging me to take her out to do her duty, but I know that the first thing she will do is head back to the door. Even the dog is considering crossing her legs 'til morning to avoid the heat. As you can see from the ABC15 weather page that it is still 102 degrees outside. The sun went down almost 3 hours ago here.

I'm not complaining, just reporting, mind you. And I keep reminding myself that I did not have to shovel a bit of this sunshine all winter long. So, I can put up with a little heat. As they say here, "If you can't stand the heat...'er huh, get out of Arizona!" Well, I plan on doing just that...next month, when I head to Alaska to visit my kids for a week.

Will I think that 80 degrees is cold? Better pack a sweatshirt just in case.

Lake Pleasant

Heidi & I spent a very nice day at Lake Pleasant, AZ. Lake Pleasant is the largest lake in the Greater Phoenix area located about 30 miles north of Phoenix within the city limits of Peoria, a Phoenix suburb. The lake features over 50 miles of shoreline with 10,000 acres of crystal clear water fed primarily from the Agua Fria River. Who said that the desert had to be dry? This is no mirage!

The lake was originally created in the 1920s with the building of the "Carl" Pleasant Dam which was later renamed as Waddel Dam. A new larger dam was constructed in 1992 which tripled the size of the lake. The original dam now lies under 100 feet of water.
Lake Pleasant is a water-lover's and boating enthusiast's paradise that includes camping, boating, house boating, sailing, water skiing, jet skiing and fishing.

12th Wedding Anniversary

Heidi & I celebrated a very nice 12th Wedding Anniversary with dinner out at Scottsdale's McCormick & Schmick's. No place for any vegan to eat...this is red meat and fresh sea food at its best! Cooked to perfection and a price tag to boot. But, the occasion calls for this kind of place. We had a private dinning booth and about 2 hours for all the meal courses to take place. A truly fine dinning experience. We finished it off with an after dinner drink at our favorite place, Corbin's, just around the corner from where we live. A very nice evening followed by a very nice Father's Day...with more burnt offerings on the BBQ. (New York Strip Steak; to be exact). A fun filled weekend, celebrated in style.

Go Red Wings!

Memorial Day Message for My Grandaughter

Well, it has been awhile since I last posted to the West Bound Kid. I have been busy and other things have been getting in the way. Mostly, I have found Facebook an easier way to keep people posted on what is going on with me. Plus it seems to be more instantaneous. But I still love the concept of the blog and will try to post more frequently.

Here is a video I made for my granddaughter, Samantha, back in Michigan. I thought she might enjoy the special video and she could see her Uncle Rob in Alaska on his new motorcycle. So I decided to share the video with the rest of you. Enjoy, and give me some ideas what other video you think she might like to see.

Michigan State University Basketball

So MSU is in the NCAA Men's Basketball Finals!!!

Go Green...Go White!

I sent a text to my cousin Jon Broker, who is a dyed in the wool MSU fan, to congratulate him on a Spartan victory. My message said, "Do you believe in miracles?", taken from the the movie Miracle with Kurt Russell, the true story behind the greatest moment in sports history when USA Hockey Team beat the seemingly unbeatable Soviets (USSR) at their own game in the 1980 Olympics held in Lake Placid, New York. Team USA took the Gold metal in an impossible dream.

So in the words of my greatest MSU fan Jon Broker, he replied, "Miracles my ass! This is Spartan Basketball!!! Bring on Villanova!"

So Broker, you were wrong about one thing...just for the record...bring on North Carolina!

He replied, "Sorry, Just another #1 seed to beat!"

Go Green, Go White, Monday Night!

Kenny Loggins Live in Phoenix

After all these years, Kenny Loggins is still awesome! What a performance. Held in the Celebrity Theatre of the Round, we sat less than 50 feet from the stage. Two standing ovations and the place went nuts. Also, it is nice to go to a rock concert with gray haired people and see them dance in the isles and flick their Bics (well some did, most flipped open their cell phones for the same effect!

Kenny performed most of his big hits, including Conviction of the Heart, Celebrate Me Home, I'm Alright, Footloose, Danger Zone (from Top Gun), and the song he is most famous for - Your Mama Don't Dance and Your Daddy Don't Rock 'n Roll.

This middle aged audience had lots of fun and high energy...by the way "don't trust anyone over 90!"