A Perfect Thanksgiving

I had the most wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Since I had to go to CA for a personal business matter, I decided to coincide the trip with Thanksgiving, because I miss many members who were once, and I still consider to be, family. Like my niece Kiele, who I haven't seen in several years. Here she is with Callie:

And my five years old but new to me nephew, Connor. And my ex's step-mother, Terri (David's mom), who I have a very strong relationship with. And Juli, my ex's sister, who I also get along great with. And of course, the perpetually jolly ad enthusiastic "Uncle David," my ex's half brother. It was bittersweet to have us all around the Thanksgiving table, eating, and laughing at old fun times without my ex's dad there. I definitely missed his booming, infectious laugh and his frequent "Holy Moly's."

So, as we went through pictures of past vacations, "Grandpa Jim" was in many, and you can just see the love he had for his grandchildren in his eyes. I mentioned it, and Terri started to tear up, and so, of course, we all joined her. But it's a good kind of crying, because we have those photos to always remind us how much he loved us all.

Connor was a hilarious little munchkin, and freaking smart for a five year old, counting past 100 and writing the alphabet like a machine. In fact, we sorta have a new nickname of Connor after watching a comedy sketch--The Machine. Connor liked it too. 

Here he is doing one of his favorite raps:

And again without hand motions and a clearer voice:

The first night, after I gave him the BatMan presents I bought him, he tagged along with me, and we played catch with his little stuffed zebra, who he appropriately calls "Zee." Every time he'd catch it, he'd say "Ganny," with the second syllable stressed. I glanced over at Dave for the meaning of this mysterious new word, and he just shrugged. Later on, after about 12,000 "Ganny's," I took a video and we finally found out what it meant.

He is the cutest kid. On Thanksgiving Day, Joe, Callie, Connor, and I played a board game called "Ticket to Ride." Connor was on my team, of course. He picked up the game surprisingly fast, and while most five year olds would just play with the plastic trains, Connor was very intent on learning the rules of the game and playing it right.

Then, later, he played Wii U with Joe, Callie, and Kiele. Mostly Connor ended up dying and floating around in a balloon above the alive players, but he had fun imagining himself inside that bubble, safe from harm.

He also knows when he's ready for sleep:

Everyone was great, and with Dave around, we laughed and laughed. Especially when Dave burned the bacon and still passed it around, saying it was just a "little" burnt.

During the trip, I got to walk down to the beach. I loved the weather and atmosphere there. We saw a baby dolphin jump out of the water twice, and even though I tried to get it on video, he or she wouldn't jump a third time. And I liked all the different flowers growing along the walkway...

Callie took me to see her high school- Santa Barbara High- and it was impressive.

Afterwards, we went to a couple thrift shops, and then a very very cool bookstore with some rare books. I really wanted this one signed by e.e. cummings, but it was too pricy. I got a few other not as pricy books, though.

I even found this one by FF, and it was autographed.

Anyway, we all had a really great time!

Not Much Going On

Update: Thinking hard about something Joe Biden said recently: “To be silent is to be complicit.”


Life is like a tub of vanilla frosting...delicious...until it's all gone. But all you have to do is open a new
tub, and the routine starts again.

I like routine. It's calming to me to have a schedule, even a loose one.

I've been learning to play Love by Lana Del Rey on the piano. It's coming along, but its the most difficult song I've played since I was in my 20's, so I'm learning left and right hands separately, then will put them together once I get each hand down perfect. 

I've been doing my boxing workout four or five days a week. It's one of the best hours of those days. 

I've put in my resume at several orthopedic centers. I had two job offers from places I applied online, but one was located too far away, and the other wasn't quite the job they'd advertised. So I respectfully turned those down.

Joe has been busy with after school clubs. He's doing Model UN, Mock Trial, and just joined the Math Club, Phi Beta Kappa or something like that. He had a big two day Model UN competition this weekend, and it was exciting. They had a "crisis" where an alternate reality played out--Jefferson Davis was poisoned and killed by the Vice President. Joe, who was playing Secretary of State, discovered the crime, and had the VP executed by firing squad. So, Joe ended up being the President of the Confederacy. He said that the planners did a great job of springing the crisis on the students--all of them were surprised with JD's death. 

Joe won the award for "Best Paper," and was told it was the best paper the staff had EVER read. So, wow, I was proud! And so was Joe--he did a REALLY good job. He's going to do important things, that kid. 

I'm proud of all three kids. Each one is finding their niche, and finding success. Aidan started a new, better paying job at an upscale restaurant. She's an amazing young woman, a true survivor and an overcomer. 

She can be serious and exotically beautiful:

Or she can be silly and hilarious:

Callie has her first job as a barista, and has her driver's license. She bought her first car with her own money, and will probably be accepted to Brown. She wants to be a writer. I'm encouraging her in that--it's her passion and she's good at it. If anyone can be successful at making a living with her writing, Callie can. 

I'm just so proud of all three of them. They are the pieces that form my heart.

Today, I've got a doctor appointment, then a workout. Then household chores--laundry, sweeping, etc... 

Happy Tuesday! 

Once Upon a While

Well, I was excited to get one of my two copies of Once Upon a While the other day. I've already completed a quick read-through, and took copious notes of things that stood out, including a few probably unintentional typos:

Page 8: "Smug sense if satisfaction..." should be "...of satisfaction..."
Page 16: "cardamom" is spelled wrong ("cardamon")
Page 151: "desert" should be "dessert"

Anyway, despite those couple little things, the book was pretty darn delightful. I honestly didn't know what to expect from a book of Forrest's Scrapbooks, containing things I've already read countless times on Dal's blog. Forrest had said it wasn't "his" book, so I wondered if the same care and attention to quality would be put into this one as was in his previous books.

I was pleasantly surprised, because everything about this pretty little book whispers "quality." And gives a snicker or three of fun on the side.

Speaking of "3," this third memoir of Forrest Fenn is chock full of 'em. I counted the exact number "3" or "three," twenty-six times. And that's not counting the nearly 5,000 uses of the word "few."

I counted the number "30" about twelve times, but I may have missed a few because I was tired after counting all the "3's."

At the booksigning, Douglas Preston blurted out that there are "clues" in this book. Immediately, a collective gasp splattered across the chase world. Speculation zinged across the Internet faster than Odin's fastest thunderbolt about whether Doug knew the difference between a hint and a clue, and WHAT ARE THOSE CLUES? And how does Douglas Preston KNOW there are clues unless Forrest TOLD him there were clues?

Well, I believe there ARE clues in this memoir. Heck, just the word "memoir" is a clue. And heck, "heck" might be a clue, too (I noticed that word was used twice).

One thing I notice ever more after reading this memoir is that there're some things Forrest really likes to say. I'm not sure how many of you all notice, but I'm sure there are more like me that pick up on  subtleties and notice patterns--even some that might not really be there. :)

The usual themes are present in force in the book--one's trash is another's treasure, things "dressed" as something else, a lot of things are right and left, home as a warm, almost sacred, space, and "America." I also noticed other words--fortune (or versions thereof), proud (ego), pockets and pepper, as well as a few others--make frequent guest appearances on the pages.

I posted more on these and other themes in a couple threads on ChaseChat, so check those out over there.

Once Upon a While is a surprisingly violent book. Yes, violent! In some instances, you have to read between the lines just a little, but you're gonna read about a lot of explosions. In fact, on the table of contents page, there's an urgent direction to "see page 46!" The word "POW!" and bodies flying willy nilly are depicted in doodle-fashion, which lightens the blow--a little. Thinking about the picture of a "blown up" Skippy too much is an invitation to some deeper thought that you might not wanna think about too much, if you know what I mean.

Page 46 depicts a picture of Skippy we've seen before against a background of what looks like someone that took an almost burnt up, smoldering log and slammed it in the air over the page.

I was really happy to see Renelle's story included in the book. I didn't know Renelle (I had taken a break from searching when she discovered the chase), but I felt like I did just by seeing her smiling face on the full color page. Her story still stirs some deep emotion in me and summons a few tears from my eyes. She is one person I'm sad not to have known personally and her courage reminds me how important determination is, and how giving up can never be an option.

And I was pretty sure the spice story would return for an encore. By the way, here's where we keep our spices:

I know, you guys were just dying to see my spices. I'm happy to oblige.

And here's the original cover of Captain America #109, in case you were wondering:

Anyway, I just wanted to give a quick review and hearty recommendation for Once Upon a While. It's definitely worth reading, and it may just help you connect those last few dots.

But now, I've gotta pick up Joe from Model UN!

Happy Thorsday!

Some Theories

So, I've been thinking about some theories lately. I can say my thoughts are whirling, and it's very hard to focus on anything singly...it's always been hard, but lately it's...harder. I never have just one theory, but several multi-tasking in my mind at once. It's hard to describe, but it can be sorta exhausting. James can verify that once I get started on something--anything--it's hard for me to stop, even to eat or relax or sleep.

My mind seems to go a million miles a minute for days and days, then it inevitably crashes, and I'm forced to back away and turn my attention on something mindless--like The Walking Dead, TedEd on YouTube, or a video game like Dragon Age.

The combination of ADHD and Asperger's is a blessing and a curse. Lol.

Anyway, I have some coping mechanisms that help, like a routine that includes a specific time for exercise and music. During those times, I don't think about anything else but body mechanics, proper form, and giving it my all.

But I wanted to talk about one of the theories swirling around in my brain. It's a theory the poem purists may like, but I think you'd still need a knowledge of geography or a map to plot your course. Maybe. I have some theories on that, too. And I still believe certain photos in the book hold important hints.

So... "Begin it where warm waters halt."

"Waters" with the "s" at the end, typically has just one definition-- salt water, the ocean. As in The Seven SEAS. Or tears, I suppose. If we are directed to "listen good," it's not a stretch to hear "CEASE" as "SEAS." And you have the second confirmation of HALT meaning CEASE as well.

The clue would then read something like "Begin it where warm SEAS CEASE." Or maybe you're supposed to begin it with the actual word CEASE in the poem.

Now, you have the problem of "warm." Forrest has said his definition of warm is "comfortable." Last night at the booksigning, he said the poemS in his TTotC book have profound meanings to him. I was reminded of "Courage wears a CRIMSON coat."

Which made me think of skins that hide the true identity of something, like the fox who had to dress like the hound. Minerva, the little carved quail, had ivory skin. Ivory comes from elephant tusks. So the quail was in the skin of an elephant. And I'm also reminded of the fable by Aesop about the ass in the lion's skin. Lions were frequently associated with royalty, appearing on nobility's coats of arms. Purple is the color associated with royalty, and Forrest has been wearing that purple sweater to many functions, and even wore it to Fennboree when it was about 100 degrees outside.

Okay, so I just went off on a tangent, so let me get back on track with the words in the poem. From CEASE, my mind skipped ahead a little without my permission, and thought about "From there it's no place for the meek, the end is ever drawing nigh; there'll be no paddle up your creek, just heavy loads and water high."

The semicolon is important in that it tells you that you are talking about the same thing after it as you were before it-- a CREEK. So, "no place for the meek," would be a creek. Forrest hints in the book that he doesn't like to be embarrassed, and he didn't like to be naked where anyone could see.

No place for the meek would then be somewhere he would feel exposed, or BARE. The double meaning here could be BEAR. Both are no place for the meek, and you have to listen good to catch it. So, you could be looking for BARE or BEAR creek, which may change names as you cross the semicolon border, becoming something like LICK Creek.

Well, look at this...I found a bare bear:

But then the tangent comes racing back into my head to shove aside those thoughts to remind me about the ass in the lion's skin, and a picture of Forrest wearing the purple lion's skin comes appears in my mind's eye. A lion is PROUD. His family was sometimes proud of him. Forrest admits he was prideful. A family or group of lions is called a PRIDE. No place for the meek could definitely be a lion's den.

And then, yet another tangent. Lions are described as tawny colored, a light shade of brown. Could home of Brown be a lion's den, and Brown capitalized because of pride? And the first stanza pops into my mind. "Riches old and new." Richard the Lionheart was an interesting character--you should look him up and have fun in that rabbit hole that may not be a rabbit hole.

Okay, stop it, brain! Get back to the word play at hand. So my mind wants to finish the second stanza now.

If we begin at CEASE, we would then "put in below the home of Brown." What word of the poem sounds like a word for brown? I think it could be "DONE." DUN is a shade of brown. But then again, my mind shifts to "put in" meaning "boat launcher" which could be Sacajawea (spelled with the j instead of g). And many people believe that Washakie could be the home of Brown, as it used to be known as Camp Brown.

Then there's the uses of the word CAN in the poem. Last night, Forrest said something that was a confirmation of sorts--he said "drink coffee from a tin cup." The mountain men in the past would drink their coffee from tin cans or cups.

Not too long ago, I sent the first part of a general solve to F, where a prominent spot in the solve was Newswander Canyon in Wyoming. Newswander Canyon begins in Idaho, then crosses the border into Wyoming. The poem almost spells this word out if you think about the stumbling, hiccuping walk of a drunk guy. And the old biddies are gossiping in TTotC. Gossip is news that wanders. The school pic where Pat is sort of plays into this area, too, because she is right by Newswander in Idaho. The tin cup is there, too, along with some of the other things I've found in the poem.

Here's Newswander in the poem:

And here's the portion of Newswander on the Idaho side:

So, these are just a couple things going through my head lately. There's much more, but I wanted to put some of it out there. Maybe it'll trigger something in your brain and help you.

And you can probably see from this post how my mind wanders and why I haven't picked up the chest yet...lol...

Like Mother, Like Daughter

So, Aidan has always wanted to get a text from a stranger and "run with it," and this week, she got the opportunity--in a huge and hilarious way. I can't stop laughing.

Post Halloween Post

Well, Halloween was pretty decent. James got really into the decorating, and his efforts were a big hit with the neighborhood. He rigged a ghost that floated down over the driveway from the top of a Queen Palm.

We had a literal horde of princesses, Mario's, Luigi's, pirates, and other assorted miniature cosplayers asking for tricks or treats. We gave out mostly treats, although some kids thought the fog machine James had blasting away had to be a trick of some kind.

We carved a few pumpkins, and with my recent broken hand, the carving and scraping wasn't easy, so I had to think of some easy things that weren't your typical jack o'lanterns with triangle eyes.

Joe's pumpkin was pretty good, too. His is on the left in the pic below. He was going to hand out candy with me, but his AP English teacher apparently wanted to destroy Halloween by assigning an essay due the next day, so Joe was stuck working on that. He did come out a few times to watch the ghost amuse the neighborhood kids.

At the last minute, I had an idea that might have resulted in the scariest pumpkin on the block:

On the 28th, we took advantage of a free hotel room at the Hard Rock in Tampa and went to their Halloween party. We entered the costume contest, but unfortunately, "creativity" to the judges meant the clown from It, a girl wearing a box decorated to look like a cruise ship with her boyfriend wearing regular clothes and a captain's hat, a guy from Halo, and the girl from The Exorcist. I was sure our Steampunk/Fantasy combo would win, but I was woefully wrong. Lol. Oh well, we tried, and we had a lot of people say we were robbed because we should've won.

Despite not winning the contest, we had a great time and Halloween was an all around success!