OZ...Revisited???

I have a few questions, thematic ponderings, if you will:

• So, is OZ really the antithesis of Kansas?
• Of all the places Dorothy could have been from, why Kansas?
• Do the Oz-onians represent the opposing the alter-ego of the rural "solid mid-westerners"?

These are questions and hypothesizes that must be asked...why my seemingly sudden interest in the tornado-driven visit to the munchkins and the creatures, great and small, who had neither brain, heart nor courage? Well, I'm currently in the middle of Kansas. Yep, I'm neck deep in the land that brought us Auntie M, Dorothy, and Toto too. Again, WHY? you ask, well, its like this:

My dad was the 5th of 6 children born to Charles Wesley and Rosa. The family lived in rural Kansas, (mostly near Wichita). Of his siblings, my aunt Dorothy was by far Daddy's favorite, and definitely my favorite as well. (Don't get ahead of me here, yes, I had an Aunt Dorothy from Kansas...we'll make the other connections soon enough.) Well, Aunt Dorothy (and Uncle Howard, who's real name was George--I can't explain it other than to say that I've found it extremely common for people around here to be called by some name other than the one on their birth certificate, it's quite peculiar and extremely confusing if everyone doesn't call them by the same name, whether the "official" one or the "stage?" one) had three sons. And, as I've told you before, I have four sisters so we sort of found it handy to "adopt" the Locke boys as our special cousins. ANYWAY, some of us started talking about the fact that we hadn't seen all three of the Locke boys in decades. So, a phone call and several emails back and forth and a reunion was planned.

This would be a good time to introduce you to each of the brothers:

Duane, the eldest, is about 10ish years older than I. We have seen him more frequently over the last several years than either of the other two, but that is still not very often. Duane is married to Carol and they are wonderful people. Duane bears a striking resemblance to my dad, both in physical appearance and in personality. Both have/had wonderful senses of humor, which ranged from the generally funny, to the intelligently sarcastic, to the ultra dry-"are they really serious or is this a joke?" varieties. 

Jay Dee, Doug, Duane

Jay Dee reminds me more of his dad. He is also humorous and likes to tell tales. He is married to Julie, one of the most laid-back, fun women you'd ever meet. They are a great couple and complement each other well.

Doug is the youngest brother, by more than 10 years and is married to Leesa. He looks a lot like his mom, especially when he smiles. He and Duane have very similar personalities and you are never sure what is going to be said, what tales are going to be told and how much of the tale is fact and how much is embellishment, however, I promise you that you will enjoy the telling.  

Together, they are HILARIOUS! They all have children and grandchildren and at least one great-grandchild. They live hundreds of miles away from each other and still, when they are together, it is obvious that they genuinely like being in each other's company and we loved it as well!

Getting back to the Kansas-connection...during the planning stages, we soon realized that Wichita was a good "middle ground" for all of us to travel and it was symbolically a good reunion location as well. Our parents, as I mentioned earlier, lived in this area, though most of us knew very little about Wichita. Even for a couple who had visited more recently than the rest of us, there were huge changes that had taken place over the intervening years.

We've spent the last few days reminiscing, remembering, getting reacquainted and realizing that we all really like each other. I think some of our personalities are enough like our respective deceased parent, that we are getting to spend time with their spirits as well. For me, I have had an extraordinarily fun time "hanging" with these guys and sharing jokes and stories and just being together, sharing space. We've all agreed that we MUST schedule these events much more frequently. The idea of a family cruise vacation has been tossed around...OH MY, lets just hope it's not just a "3-hour tour..."

TTFN and safe travels all,

Lois

Gas Station Angel?

I noticed her as soon as I pulled into the gas station. She was remarkable, only in her "ordinariness." I can't make any kind of educated guess about her age, she could have been 50 or 70. Her clothes were clean, as was her hair which was combed straight back and held away from her eyes with a metal barrette. She held her face in a grim, determined "scowl" while she scrubbed at highway dirt and bug remains on her car's windows with the station's squeegee. There was just something about her that pulled at my heart and made me want to give her a smile and wish her a great day.

 

Let me back up, I'm getting ahead of myself, AGAIN!

 

This weekend's Gospel at mass was about the man who sowed seeds on all kinds of soil and how, depending on where it landed, it either took root, or it didn't. I've heard that reading at least a gazillion times. One difference this time was the homily that followed. We are incredibly blessed in our parish to have two wonderful men serve as priests. They are remarkable men of faith who shepherd us by walking beside us on our faith's journey. Fr. Greg, our Vicar, is also one of the most gifted homilists that I've ever heard. He was a way of taking the Gospel teachings that we have all heard over and over and over, and twisting them in such a way that their message is new and fresh and pointedly relevant to our lives. This week was no exception. He spoke of our call to be evangelists and sowers of the seeds of God's Grace. Let me be PERFECTLY clear...I am not an evangelist. At best, I am a "struggling" Catholic. I tend to keep my faith as a deeply personal thing and my conversations with God are held in the quiet recesses of my heart.

 

When I first spoke to the woman at the gas station, she didn't seem to hear me nor notice me, she was so concentrated on her "washing" task. Then that little voice that only I hear, told me to speak to her again. So, after putting the nozzle in the tank, I spoke again, louder this time and was rewarded with an amazing smile. Her face became radiant! Never mind that she was missing a couple of teeth and that the lines in her face multiplied as she smiled, she honestly lighted from within!

 

By the time I was replacing the gas nozzle, I had already shifted my thoughts to my next moves. I was getting ready to drive to Round Rock and was debating whether I should travel via the 130 toll road or the interstate. The woman next to me spoke to me saying that she had had five children and that they had all spent time at the Medina Children's Home. (Uh oh, I thought, what was this all about?) She explained that they had become too much for her to handle alone when they were teenagers and she had been in no shape to try and care for them. She went on to say that when they did come back to her, they taught her a little saying: "Find a penny, give it away and you'll never want, another day." At that, she handed me a penny. While this was a cute, simple thing to do, the feeling I kept getting from my encounters with this woman was that I was being given the opportunity to spend time in the company of an angel. I can't explain the feeling, in fact, I really can't begin to believe that I'm sharing this experience with you. I just keep thinking about the whole experience and weighing it against the homily that touched me this weekend...either way, I have to say, I was profoundly touched by both.

 

TTFN

 

Lois 

 

 

 

 

My Friend, My Sister...

"the sistas"

Bob, Troy (Candee and Bob's
son), and Haime

If you are lucky enough to have a friend who touches your soul, you are truly blessed. I am extremely blessed, because I have about four such friends. These are the people that you choose to be a part of your family. You may not see them much, or often, but you know that you can count on them to "just be there" for you, or to provide some much needed help, (or bail money...just saying), and when you do see or speak to them after some time, you just pick up where you left off, as if no time has passed. As you probably surmised, Candee is one of those friends for me and getting to see her, and her hubby, Bob, really feels like getting to spend time with beloved family.

Candee retired after nearly 40 years of teaching the children of California, and Bob was throwing her a "retirement bash." That "bash" was the impetus for our trip west. It was great seeing old friends and coworkers and getting to know some of the "non-education" people who are important to Candee.

It's funny, when you don't see people for an extended period of time, their image is frozen in your brain from your last encounter. To be honest, most of the attendees, that I knew, hadn't changed much AT ALL!

Oh, sure, there were, in some cases a few more, or fewer pounds that had "taken residence;" or a couple of additional "silver threads." Of course, as is normal, the ones that had changed the most were the younger attendees. The children of some coworkers who came to wish Candee well as she starts this next phase of her life. These "kids" were definitely no longer kids! They were married, one with a CUTIE little girl and the other, with "one on the way."  

It was so much fun getting to reconnect and catch up with what is happening in each other's lives. Thanks, Bob for organizing this "affair-to-remember!" I can't wait to spend parts of the "next chapter" with both of you.

BOB

TTFN

Lois

"Sitting on the Dock of the Bay..."

Day 3: Actually, we weren't sitting on a dock, nor were we in the bay, we were in Laguna Beach and on Balboa Island. But, I'm getting ahead of myself...

While Haime were living in California, we were located in a part of southern California, known as the "High Desert." Specifically, Spring Valley Lake in the Victorville area. Now, this will mean nothing to most of you so let me try and give you a picture...Obviously, the map only illustrates Victorville's proximity to major cities so let me go for a "mental image" based on actual events. Haime and I moved to Victorville as a result of his receiving a promotion through his work. When we went out there for a "meet and greet" and for us to find a house/school for the boys/and a potential job for me, Haime did the "meeting and greeting" and I did the rest. On the first day of my search, I found myself stopped in the middle of a pretty major road because a tumbleweed, the size of a Volkswagen beetle was blowing across the road...I do not lie! Some of you might remember the controversy surrounding the Apollo moon landing whereby some "naysayers" argued that the landing did not take place on the moon, rather it was some place in the desert southwest on which the "Giant leap for mankind" was taken. Well, after spending a day in Victorville/Hesperia/Apple Valley, I was thinking they might have had it right!

Spring Valley Lake

Apple Valley Sundevils

Fortunately, we discovered a little piece of paradise and called Spring Valley Lake home. I got a job with Apple Valley High School as an assistant principal then later took the reins as principal of the Sundevils. I have to admit that our time in California was among the best years of my life, I miss it still.

Now, back to our story, on day 3 of our "California Dreaming" vacation, Haime and I had breakfast together then parted ways. Oh stop, it wasn't a permanent parting, the plan was for Haime to spend a couple of days visiting his sons and grandchildren and I would spend more time with my "sista," Candee and her hubby-extraordinaire, Bob. When I met Candee, she was an amazing math teacher at Apple Valley High School and when I became principal, she agreed to step back into administration and became one of my assistant principals...I would have been lost without her!

Laguna Beach

Candee and Bob drove to Newport Beach and the three of us set off for two of my favorite places...Laguna Beach and Balboa Island. Even though Balboa Island is actually part of Newport Beach, we decided to head south to Laguna, first. We got about halfway there when traffic stopped on the Pacific Coast Highway because 4-5 navy helicopters were doing a practice landing near Crystal Cove. Fortunately, we were only stopped for about 20 minutes and it gave us an opportunity to visit and begin to catch up with each others lives.

Bob and Candee

This is the point where we found the
"wish rock" and the location of
the pic of Bob and Candee

Some of you may know, Laguna Beach is well know for its GAZILLION art galleries and studios. It is also a beautiful example of the Southern California coastline. While we were doing a bit of exploring, we came across the rock in the left pic. Notice the striations? According to Bob, a noted rock-hound, this is called a "wish rock." The story goes that if you find a "wish rock," you can keep it only until your wish comes true, then you have to pass it along to someone who then makes a wish and passes it on to another person. Bob actually gave me a much smaller "wish rock" and told me that I could only keep it until my "realistic" wish came true...I'm still trying to come up with a wish.

After walking around Laguna and visiting some shops/galleries/etc, we decided to head back to Balboa Island. If I could have a perfect place to live, in retirement, Balboa Island would be a top runner. I say, in retirement, because getting on and off the island during "rush hours" would be a HUGE pain! Once on the island, however, there is really no need for a car. There is a market, a Catholic church, restaurants, bars, shops, library, fire department, etc. It epitomizes a village. Unfortunately, it is CRAZY EXPENSIVE! However, Haime and I love to visit, whenever we get an opportunity. Dad's, pictured above, is a Balboa Island landmark and home of the Balboa Bar and the monkey tail...I won't spoil it for you but I will say these are two must haves that should be on everyone's bucket list!

Finally after spending sometime on the island, it was time to head back to my home-away-from-home, the high desert. I am so incredibly blessed to have these wonderful people as friends. There just aren't a lot of people who would drive 11/2 to 2 hours, each way to come get a "visitor" to their home. They are special people and I love them both!

TTFN

 Lois

Let the Partying BEGIN! Day 2...

You'll remember that our "westward ho" road trip had an "interesting" start...we had some "issues" with our ride. Well, we arrived at O'Rielly (yes I know, they spell it wierdly but it's their name so I guess they can spell it however they'd like) Chevrolet's service department at 6:30 and waited; and waited; and waited; and waited; and waited...fortunately, I spent the first two hours finishing a book. Unfortunately, with each tic of the clock, after finishing my book, I grew increasingly agitated. (I don't do sit and wait well, in fact, I don't do anything and wait well, mostly, I don't do wait well at all). I kept pestering Haime to go talk to the service manager to get status updates...he wouldn't do it. He actually tried convincing me that the mechanics were artists and that you just couldn't rush an artist...silly Haime! Then, just as I was about to lose what little control I had, and start smashing things with a chair, the manager told us that our car was ready...after we paid our bill, that is.

FINALLY, at about 11:30, we were back on the interstate, heading west once more. We were only about 8 hours behind schedule but we were in one piece, (no run ins with gypsy-terrorist-outlaws), the car was working perfectly and we were each still content to have the other in the car.

When we got past Phoenix, we phoned Haime's high school buddies to inform them that our arrival was delayed. I told Haime that I thought we'd be at our hotel in Newport Beach at about 7:00 PM, he said he thought it would be closer to 11...(I think he was planning to drive to San Diego, have dinner at Seaport village then drive up the coast...whatever). Anyway, we planned to call them once we reached Orange County so they could decide for themselves whether they wanted to join us for dinner of if they thought it was going to be too late. With each passing mile, Haime became more convinced that he was not going to get to see his old buddies and he became more morose, the more he thought about it. We parked our car at the hotel at 6:54 (I was a little off).
As is usual for worriers, Haime was wrong to worry. Literally, as we walked into the lobby, Kent, one of Haime's friends called to say that he and his wife, Kay were in the bar and that they'd just wait for us there...silly Haime! Ralph and his wife Annie arrived soon afterwards and joined us for drinks and we all walked across the street for a wonderful dinner. They are AWESOME people and we thoroughly enjoyed their visit. OMG, the stories they share of the "adventures" they had as younger men and women are hysterical! (Of course, after hearing some of them, it's truly a wonder that they are all still breathing...no more details can be shared here due to possible statutes of limitation still in effect). Thanks for an incredible evening to a very LONG day, we love you guys!

los tres amigos and their ladies

TTFN

Lois

Beginnings: Road Kill. NO, REALLY!

Beginnings: Road Kill. NO, REALLY!: I should have known that this vacation would be "interesting." Haime is with me. As you might remember, Haime likes his ruts, ...

Road Kill. NO, REALLY!

I should have known that this vacation would be "interesting."

Haime is with me. As you might remember, Haime likes his ruts, (he prefers "routines" but let's be honest, they are ruts). He is a happy camper when he is able to follow the same schedule for the same day of the week, every week. I, on the other hand, prefer spontaneity. If I have something planned and something more fun/interesting comes along, I'm there. Anyway, Haime and I are on a vacation.

Let' s start at the beginning. In about February, I learned that Bob, Candee's hubby, was hosting a party to commemorate and celebrate Candee's retirement after 39 years in education in California. I didn't hesitate and told them that I would be there! Well, knowing how Haime likes his ruts, I decided he needed to have plenty of time to process this information, since I wanted him to travel with me. Finally after several months of prodding, he agreed...(uh, oh).

We planned our itinerary, which included visits with some of his high school buddies, time visiting his sons and his grandchildren, lunch with some of his other relatives and, of course, my getting to spend time with my "sista-from-another-mista" and her hubby for a few days before her party.

 Our plan, which we successfully carried out, included leaving the house at 4:00 AM in Haime's corvette. We were determined to drive to Phoenix where we had a hotel reserved, then we'd get an early start and drive to our next hotel in Newport Beach. Well, you know the saying, "the best laid men of mice and men sometimes go array." Our trip was going along very well. We were making great time and luckily, neither of us felt the need to leave the other buried somewhere in the desert...this is NO SMALL MATTER!

Just as we were getting ready to cross from New Mexico into Arizona, Haime decided that he needed an ice cream cone. So, like a good chauffeur should, I pulled over at a McDonald's so he could get his cone. Then, Haime decided that he needed to get back into the driver's seat. Soon after we left the Micky-D's lot, the "check engine" light came on...uh-oh. Then, the cruise-control wouldn't work. As we were basically in the middle of no where, we decided to wait until we got to the "rest stop/welcome to Arizona" center before stopping. We were hopeful that the by turning off the engine, letting it "rest" for a few minutes, then restarting it, the computer would "reset" itself and we'd be on our way...no such luck!

When we restarted the Vette and were going to pull away from the curb, the car would not cooperate...it did not recognize reverse...#@#$%!@#**!!! Fortunately, Haime had not pulled so close to the curb that he could not "drive" around and pull away. So, we were soon on the way west again. While he was driving, (and sweating and panicking and worrying we'd be stranded in the desert where a band of gypsy-terrorist-outlaws would find us and stake us to ant mounds after they poured honey all over us...or something like that); I was on my phone looking for the nearest Chevrolet dealership so we could utilize their service department. Suddenly, Haime exclaimed: THE LIGHT WENT OFF! (I nearly dropped my phone!)

Well, we decided that the prudent thing to do would be to have the car checked out anyway, so we drove to the advertised dealership in Willcox. What a joke! The "dealership" was actually only a used car lot with a building that was more of a "shed" than a sales office and of course, no service department. We hit the road again, this time to Tucson. On the way, I phoned the service department, explained our dilemma and told them that we'd be there in about an hour.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the wonderful service manager with whom we had spoken on the phone. He took time to explain the process of diagnosing, repairing (as needed) and the time line for getting us started then on our way. He directed us to a hotel "right around the corner" and told us that he'd see us in the morning. We went to our hotel, "freshened up" and walked across the street to a restaurant. While the name of the restaurant wasn't actually the "Roadkill Café," they did have "Roadkill" as a menu choice, no, I'm not kidding. Yes, of course, I ordered it, RARE! As I told Haime, today, the road tried it's best to get us but we came out victorious! After dinner, (and a couple of well-deserved martinis), we went back to our hotel and set the alarm for 5:30 so we could be back at the dealership by 6:30.

As we looked back on our day, we had to agree that it was certainly not a dull, boring road trip to that point. Yep, travelling with Haime is ALWAYS interesting.

Stay tuned for more of our adventure west...
TTFN,

Lois