Preparing for Egypt

Well I'm almost ready for departure from Chicago to Egypt on Feb 11. Several weeks ago I happily accepted an inviation from EMI (thank you Lord!) and it's been a busy couple weeks getting ready while maintaining normal life.

Now I feel a little like I've got a tiger by the tail. But in a good way. I feel such a strong calling, yet I know this is not an easy time to go to Egypt. He wants us to go, but with eyes wide open. In that past few weeks, several developments indicate the state of chaos poor Egypt is in: (a) 19 American members of the IRI (Intl Republican Institute) and other NGO's in Cairo have been barred from leaving the country, pending criminal charges that could lead to imprisonment there. (b) Two American tourist (women) were kidnapped by Bedoins in the Sianai Penninsula then released the same day, after the Egyptian military intervened. (c) Riots continued, especially at soccer matches and Tahrir Square, resulted in over 70 deaths in the past week and the aftermath of protests continues.

Yet this is also a very hopeful time of opportunity...Now is actually the right time to go. Not in spite of these challenges, but because of them. Egyptian Christians have long suffered under oppressive conditions, and hopefully our team's presence there during these challenging times will send a strong message of our committment to our brothers & sisters on the front lines and demonstrate they are loved and supported, and encourage them to perservere...

Today I surprised myself, by raising my hand and accepting an even greater challenge than originally expected: Our Egypt-savy team leader Andy must arrive in Cairo separately from the team (via Munich not Frankfurt). Since I have arrived in Egypt on a previous project team, I offered help and our team leaders (Andy & Bob) asked if I would lead the team thru arrival at Cairo Airport, customs, immigration, currency exchange, baggage claim, and visa processing. And I accepted.

Final Leg of September Roadtrip - York, NE to Waukon, IA to home

Friday Sept 23rd- York NE to Waukon, IA to visit Christina. Woke early to hit the road for a long drive. During our trip, Chris moved to Waukon for a 4 week rotation in a rural community in NÉ Iowa. So we headed northeast as opposed to due east. I-80 was as predicted, but as we headed north from Des Moines, the county became more rolling and as we approached the Mississippi and Waukon, the colors and hills were beautiful. Quite the pastoral scene. Arrived at the Stony Creek Inn where Brian and Brian had spent the night 10 plus years ago when they were evacuated from a camp site in the Yellow River Forest State Park after a Tornado warning. They had dubbed it the Stony Gulch Inn so it took us a bit to connect the dots. Met up with Chris after she was done with work. All three of us had a wonderful dinner in Decorah (a mere 19 miles from Waukon) at La Rana. Decorah is a neat little town and home to Luther College which we drove around. We had a great time catching up on Chris' adventures and sharing our multitude of pictures and stories. Retired to the hotel and Chris headed back to her apartment.

Saturday September 24th- Waukon, Effigy Mounds, Pikes Peak ( of Iowa), and Yellow River State Park. Got to spend the day with Chris! After Chris went for a run, we went to breakfast at the West End Cafe which was also recommended by Andrea, the doctor in the clinic where Chris is doing her rotation. The people we have met in this area of Iowa have been incredibly friendly and accommodating. We hiked to see one of the Indian Mounds and saw some great vistas at the Effigy mounds. We depended in Ester (gps'er) to get us to Yellow River State Park and ended up in a cornfield...... As a result of a detour we got to visit a bonus state park (Pikes Peak.......not sure why the name) and finally got to Yellow River State Park and a several mile hike on some of the same trails Brian and Brian had hiked years before. We had a chance to see Christina's apartment and had a sad farewell. And on the road again ....this time destination HOME!

Second Half of Brian & Deb's Sep 2011 Road Trip West

Friday Sept 16th - Hike out of Holy Cross Wilderness Area to Leadville & Aspen - Woke up early again, had omelets from a freeze dried kit. Cleaned the hut and Brian split and replaced firewood we burned. Loaded our (somewhat lighter) backpacks and hiked down (which is a misnomer since there was still a lot of up going down...) An overcast day where we needed to don raingear occasionally. Again, encountered no other hikers. Got to the car and the rain started pouring. Timing was very good. Went into Leadville, caught up with the Kuhns and toured downtown Leadville and a couple of "antique" stores. Headed from Leadville, across Independence Pass (12,000+ feet) and north to Aspen. Found a nice hotel in downtown Aspen and Brian got to see some Ruggerfest - and we both got to see a shower after two days......The hotel had a happy hour where we were able to meet people including a nice couple from Fort Collins - a retiree from ExxonMobil. Dinner at a good Mexican restaurant recommended by Scott (the hotel host) and a very comfy bed.

Saturday Sept 17th - Aspen to Grand Junction - Can you say "hip flexors"? Recovery day! We were both a bit sore from the recent day hikes but all in all felt very good. Great breakfast at the hotel - ran into the same set of people. Spent quite a bit of time chatting with Jack and Eileen Crystal - the Exxon folks from Fort Collins. They had spent the previous day in Grand Junction and gave us a lot of information and we shared "Hut" info with them. Pretty drive down the valley past Carbondale, Basalt and thru Glenwood Springs. Quite a bit of rain off and on - although as Lauren Kuhn pointed out, if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes or drive 5 miles. Stopped at Plum Creek winery (recommended by Jack & Eileen) on our way into Grand Junction. Had made a reservation before we left Aspen (there was a wine fest in Grand Junction) and were moved to a new hotel from the Hampton Inn (both downtown) to a brand new suite hotel with a much needed washer and dryer. Great place to catch up on email, pictures, acquiring replacement boots for Brian's blown out pair, a solar charger to experiment with in Utah, and regrouping for the next week. Outstanding dinner at Food 707(??) and great entertainment at Le Rouge, a bar on the way back to the hotel. And a good night’s sleep!

Sunday Sept 18th- let the Utah adventure begin! - On our way out of Grand Junction, we drove through Colorado Monument National Park (the Colorado Grand Canyon). It is spectacular - not on our "agenda" so we didn't stop much, but an amazing park. Then Grand Junction to Moab to Monticello. Sunny sunny day. Ate breakfast in Grand Junction, packed the Subaru with clean stuff and headed west. The scenery changed from green Rockies quickly to spectacular high desert with lots of rock & canyons. Stopped briefly in Moab to reconnoiter and decided to head to Monticello. This would put us a little closer (still 46 miles) to the entrance to the park. There is a lot of distance between stuff in Utah.... Went to the Monticello Visitors center (manned by one of the few self-proclaimed Gentiles in Utah) and got info and a fresh plum. Not a lot of choice in the hotel and restaurant department in Monticello. Our first choice of hotel, our second choice of B&B were booked. Ended up in a "Truckers Welcome", " New Carpet" Rodeway Inn. Parked in the back among stacks of 140 old mattresses. The proprietor (who was apparently the entire staff) proudly proclaimed his new replacement mattresses arrived the prior week, but the bed frames did not. The good news is that we had new mattresses, the bad news is there was no bed frame. (Another hotel later in our trip boasted about new mattresses...prompting Brian to conclude we must be travelling along the 'new mattress fault'. errrgh). Next was the adventure to find dinner. R&F Diner was recommended by our friend at the Visitor Center. Also one of about two restaurants in town that were open on Sunday. So in we went. No alcohol.... Dinner was...white. One waitress. Good news is that we arrived before the "crowds" and we had stashed a bottle of wine from Grand Junction in the car, so we had our own little after dinner happy hour, and prepped for an early departure the next morning for Canyonlands.

Monday Sept 19th - First Day in Canyonlands National Park - Took a back road from Monticello into the park, after a questionable breakfast at the hotel. Stopped at Peace Tree for wraps for our lunch (very good stop....) The road from Monticello was not recognized by our car's GPS. There were a lot of deer in the road, many wild turkeys and free range cows. A beautiful road, no traffic, but a lot of animals. Arrived at the park about 9am and talked to the back country ranger. After some discussion, regrouped on our original plans and decided to camp at the Squaw Flats campground in our tent and take two long day hikes. This would allow us to cover more ground and go easier on our bodies (maybe!). Turned out to be a good decision! The camping sites are first come first serve and there wasn't much available. We found a great site (Loop A, site 12), Brian pitched the tent while Deb went back to the visitor’s center to get more water (the water line was broken in the campground). Based on a ranger's suggestion, we hiked Big Spring Canyon, over the pass and down into Squaw Canyon and back to the trailhead at our campground. 7.8 miles. A deceiving 7.8 miles. There are some sandy trails, but mostly slick rock and lots of up & down. Getting over the pass required a bit of Brian coaching Deb. There was quite a bit of scrambling (4 or even 5 points of contact required at times....fifth point being Deb's backside). Again at the Canyonlands, most of the routes was several miles from anyone, and encountered very few people on the trail. Gorgeous weather - warm and sunny....Feeling pretty accomplished, we returned to camp, made dinner and enjoyed our last hidden bottle of wine. Decided to see what the ranger was presenting in the campground when a lost young man asked if we would take him to meet up with a group he had gotten separated from. Having been in a similar situation years past, Brian sympathized and drove him to Elephant Hill Trailhead (3 miles of winding dirt roads in the dark) where they connected. Deb hung out by the ranger presentation just in case.... A beautiful nite for sleeping. Cool and crisp and we were exhausted and sleeping on the ground didn't bother either of us.

Tuesday Sept 20th - Canyonlands Chesler Park Hike - BTW - after leaving Monticello we have had no cell phone coverage.... Got a good night’s sleep, made oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, broke camp and headed to Elephant Hill Trailhead. The 3 mile dirt road that Brian had driven in the dark the night before had many steep drop-offs...... The hike we planned was a "Lolly-pop" route. 3 miles in, a 5 mile loop and 3 miles back out. Part of the 5 mile loop includes the "Joint Trail" a .5 mile, 70 foot high, crack in a canyon. It is about 2 feet wide with various crevices along the route that branch off the main trail and can be explored. Like our hike the day before, the topography was challenging and the afternoon was rather hot. The hike is spectacular - the stuff postcards are made from - and quite challenging to access and except near the trailhead, encountered very few hikers. We completed the hike in an hour less than planned, and headed to ....... Durango. Did we make a hotel reservation?? No. Guess we hadn't learned our lesson from our prior experiences. Still not sure why Cheyenne, WY was booked. Found a room at the Durango Inn and had a late super at Applebee’s.....! And then a very long shower.

Wednesday Sept 21st - Durango to Colorado Springs - Brian had an 11am conference call with Valdes scheduled which was cancelled and let us leave Durango earlier than planned. Ate breakfast in town after doing some work in the motel room and repacking bags. Beautiful trip from Durango to Colorado Springs - surprisingly so. The trip took most of the afternoon. Called ahead to a B&B that we had visited a year before - The St. Mary's Inn - and got a room. Had a fabulous dinner at Le Creperie and had a very comfortable room at the B&B.

Thursday Sept 22nd - Colorado Springs, eMi visit, and started heading back east. Woke up early and had a wonderful breakfast at the Inn. Waffles with strawberries, whipped cream, sausage, eggs.... we remembered the good breakfasts from the prior year. We have had more waffles on this trip than in the past 5 years..... We worked in the B&B suite most of the morning (yup actually billable work....) and then Brian headed to eMi to meet Andy for lunch and catch up with several other eMi staff. Deb packed and fueled the car and the cooler for the road trip. We met up about 2:00 and took an eastern heading out of Colorado Springs to avoid Denver traffic. Crossed back into central time zone. Stopped in a small town (York, Nebraska) for the night. Light dinner at 'the' restaurant in town (Applebee's again) and in bed before midnight.

First Half of Brian & Deb's September 2011 Road Trip West

Friday Sep 9, 2011 Naperville IL to Des Moines, IA
Finished packing and loaded car.
Departed Naperville (in the rain) at 12:00 noon as planned!
Naperville to Des Moines approx 320 miles.
Drove out of the rain and into clear skies and beautiful scenery in Iowa, including farms on rolling bluffs to the north, and river to the south. Corn & bean fields very green with a few touches of yellow. Temps in the 70's.
Met daughter Christina at her apartment in the city at 5pm (still right on plan). Delivered TV and DVD player, and did some minor apt repairs. All went for some exercise around Grey's Lake near downtown. Chris is still a fast runner!

Chris squeezed in a basketball game with friends before walking to dinner with us...she picked a great Italian place Cafe De Something a short walk from her apt. Ate in moonlight on front porch of this old Victorian home. Ahhhh...Bella Sera. That's all the Italian I know.

Stayed at 800 Locust, nice hotel an easy walk through city from Chris' place. Band in the lunge was pretty bad, but reminded us of some good music (BS&T) so we sat in the lobby and downloaded their album for later listening...

Saturday Sep 10, 2011 - Des Moines, IA to Cheyenne, WY
Chris met us at hotel and we walked to the farmers' market. It was huge! Ate a Mexican breakfast (fruit cup with chili powder & lime juice...awesome!) and bought food for later. Dropped Chris off at her apt : ( where she launched to attend a med-school friend's wedding in Iowa City. We hit the road west at 10am for...Cheyenne. Why Cheyenne you may ask? Well because...it's there. And we never have been.

Nebraska is a very long state! Listening to an audio book together helped...we were both well-rested so neither napped and we both enjoyed the changing scenery. People are so friendly and easy-goin'. One fella at a gas station struck up a conversation with Deb, just to tell her how proud he was of his son here, who was a boy scout. Decided to drive last 30 miles on US Rt 30...a 2-lane back country road that was a real slice of rural America. Refueled in Dix population ~ 46(?). Good thing we could pay at the pump because office was locked and no one in attendance.

Dinner at a great local Mexican place in downtown Cheyenne. Most hotels are full! On a Sunday night. No one could explain why??

Sunday Sep 11, 2011 - Cheyenne, WY to Fort Collins, CO.
Ten year anniversary of 9/11. Stumbled into big memorial service near Capital building in Cheyenne, but just after it ended.

Drove thru Fort Collins and up around Horsetooth Reservoir, before arriving at Nic & Lori's house. Enjoyed as warm welcome then we all piled into Nic's car and headed downtown for: Jax! (our favorite outfitter store), coffee on the ped mall, then stopped by Shelly & Scott Paul's house Mountain Ave (cool blvd with a functioning street trolley running down the median).

Celebrated Nic & Lori's dual graduation with their new Education degrees, by taking them to dinner and drinks outside at Vincent's then a movie.

Monday Sep 12, 2011 - Fort Collins to Rocky Mountain National Park, with Nic & Lori.
While Nic was teaching class and Lori visiting the dentist and taking care of her elderly aunt, Deb & Brian each worked a little and each took work conference calls. Goin' mobile! Laptops cell phones and headsets worked great.

Deb, Brian & Lori drove their pop-up camper to Rocky Mountain NP (beautiful drive thru Big Thompson Canyon) and set up camp at Glacier Basin. After his classes, Nic drove our car and met us there. Cocktail, lamb burgers, peach cobbler and a full moon hike. Great sleeping weather.

Tuesday Sept 13 - RMNP - Leadville: Took a hike up to Dream Lake and Nymph Lake (not necessarily in that order) after a crab cakes benedict breakfast (it is tough camping :) ). We closed the campground at noon (literally - it was being closed for the season and we were the last to leave). Nic & Lori headed back to Fort Collins and we headed to Leadville. We took Old Falls River Road. This winding, dirt road parallels the more popular Trail Ridge Road...about 8 miles of beautiful, yet stressful road. Arrived in Leadville about 5pm. We are staying at 211 4th Street - a VRBO - Clay Stewart is the landlord. Lauren, Tom & Marianne Kuhn arrived shortly thereafter while we were repacking our packs for our backpacking trip tomorrow. Lauren took us up to a high point with brucshetta and ample cocktails to watch a Leadville sunset. Afterwards we had dinner at the restaurant where Lauren waits once a week and makes their pastries. And then we visited one of her favorite taverns... A shower & bed felt great after a nite of camping.

Wednesday Sept 14 - Backpack up to Uncle Bud's hut. Got up in Leadville and finished provisioning & packing. Brought our laptops to Laurens, got fresh bread and quiche for breakfast (ate on the streets of Leadville). Got some fresh food at Safeway.

Drove from Leadville about 10 miles to Timberline Lake Trailhead where we left the car, put on backpacks (Deb's est 30 lb Brian's est 45 lbs) and headed up. About 1000 total vertical feet from trailhead (10,500) to the hut (11,350'). Covered the 4.5 mile leg in about 3 1/2 hours (including a brief stop for lunch). Weather enroute was mostly sunny and cool 50's which was pleasant. Encountered some rain. Saw a few micro-bears (squirrels) but no other humans the entire climb. Our route was mostly on the Continental Divide Trail, which was mostly in dense evergreen & aspen forest. Trail was rocky (ok this is the Rocky Mtns) but generally well-marked by tree blazes so we never got officially lost. Breezy above the tree line, but that was only for a while. Uncle Bud's hut was a sight for tired bodies. (Oh, yeah - and by the way, we could have driven to the hut :)) Brian experienced hiking boot blowout on both left & right, but no injuries atop both were still smiling at the top. Deb's longest back packing trek ever- with ever-changing elevation at 11,000 feet. Pant Pant.

The hut is one of several backcountry cabins, built and maintained primarily for winter use by the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association, a not-for profit organization that caters mainly to hut-to-hut cross-country skiing groups, based on the European tradition.

1.5 hrs after arrival at the hut, outside air temp dropped to low 30's, dense fog (clouds) engulfed us, visibility dropped to < 100 ft, and it began sleeting & snowing. By then we had a fire going and we were warm & dry inside. Good timing!!

Life in the Hut...
-Wonderfully quiet. No elec power so no fans, pumps, phones, TV, radio etc. Just fire crackling, some wind thru the trees outside, bacon sizzlin'...ah. Cabin can easily accommodate 16 but we had the entire place to ourselves. Probably no one else for at least 10 miles around.
-Quality time together. Much needed and much appreciated.
-Focused on the basics. Tending the fire in the wood burning 'heater/stove', cooking meals on the propane stove, filtering water for drinking/cooking/cleaning. Repaired and tested Brian's 'boot blow outs' with athletic tape. Managed cell phone and iPad batteries.
-Cozy. Watched weather outside, which changed hourly from sleeting, snowing, foggy (above cloud ceiling), and breezy) to sunny & planned various 'escape' scenarios, in case the weather doesn't improve...
-Lots of reading and writing time.

Thursday Sep 15 - Day hikes around Uncle Bud's Hut Woke up relatively early (could have something to do with going to bed at 8:30). Made bacon, eggs (with broccoli & cheese....we are now out of fresh ingredients!), did all the dishes and took off for a hike in the sleet/snow/drizzle. It cleared up some during the hike. Headed to Bears Lake and also hiked north on the Colorado Trail/ Continental Divide Trail. Met two hunters as we were headed back to the hut. Lunch of 'instant' chicken salad. Called the Kuhn's and they arrived with chips, salsa, bruschetta, beer, wine and bourbon... Had a very nice afternoon sharing the hut, hitting 28 levels of Jendra and planning a possible Green Acres rendezvous..... Dinner was leftovers and Lauren's bruschetta. The temperature is warmer than last nite (~40 degrees). Plan to clean up and pack out early tomorrow, weather permitting.

The Houseboat

Well, last Wednesday afternoon, we officially became river rats. We now own a Houseboat without a motor. And a 22’ pontoon boat (which we will wait until spring to launch).

Brian now has an optional 10 minute commute. While trying to find rental property, we found a unique community at Harborside Marina. They have a group of floating cottages and homes on the Des Plaines river just before it merges with the Kankakee and turns into the Illinois River.

We are in a temporary slip in the back marina (we are the one on the left), but we will be moving to the front marina in the next couple weeks. The preceding blog talks about the rains we encountered last week-end. The marina had the highest water they had ever encountered and all the docks in the back marina were under water on Monday. The crew at Harborside worked around the clock cutting and tightening lines so that none of the boats were damaged. Coincidently Deb picked up contracts on Monday and saw the state of affairs (and our houseboat with its newly painted bottom happily in a large shelter having “missed” all the rain indoors.)

Wednesday we closed on the boat. Deb spent the night on the boat “moving in”. The “Harbor Home” was fully furnished, so mostly it was making beds and loading the refrigerator and figuring out meals for Brian’s funky schedule. Thursday morning Brian arrived at the boat after work at about 6:30 am. After a 10 minute commute, with the only traffic being a deer and a grey heron. A large vodka martini was the first course of business. He got a lot of respect from the people working!

The marina crowd is a very friendly group. George and Susan are our temporary neighbors. They have the only other “Harbor Home” (versus cottage – which is smaller and may not technically be a boat.) They were very helpful when we were considering the boat. The Harborside staff has been incredibly helpful.

Thursday night Deb’s parents were coming through on their way to Hudson for the JDRF walk with Katie and family. Interstate 80/94 in Indiana was closed from Monday through late Thursday and opened in the nick of time for their drive from Naperville (Deb spent Thursday night in Naperville) to Hudson.

Friday Deb drove. A lot. From Naperville to Chicago for a meeting. Chicago to Naperville. Naperville for a brief boat stop to drop some things off for Brian (he was still sleeping). The boat to Bloomington-Normal for Christina’s cross country meet. She did great! A PR – 18:55 for a 5k. Finished 14th overall, 5th for U of I. Then an about face and drove back to the boat (less than 75 minutes!)

Our "moving day" is tomorrow, so we will add additional photos later!

Ths is about Deb’s Road Trip! Brian (Dad) is working the ExxonMobil Turn-around –the night shift – 5:30 pm to about 6am. Add an hour+ compute each way….

As ana side, in order to address the compute issue, we looked at some properties- ideally a rental near the refinery. So, Deb got infatuated with a houseboat without a motor. But that will follow later!

Deb had a Vistage meeting in Galena Friday morning, and Chris had a XC meet in Peoria Friday afternoon. Great trip down IL-84 to US-74 on Friday. Many amusing sites starting in Hanover with a gas refill. A cool old motel. Well a Bait, Tackle and Motel. I do not think I want to think about this…. Not a shock, but there was vacancy. Thank goodness Rick is Live. Dead Rick’s bait has no appeal.


Anyway IL-84 is beautiful. It follows the Mississippi past the Mississippi Palisades through many small towns. If you like country and “very-classic” rock, your radio choices are good.

Besides Rick’s Motel, Hanover is the home of the Mallard Fest. The weather was iffy so the shadows were wonderful. After Hanover, another key town was Savannah. Highlights included Poopy’s Tattoo (do we worry about infection?). And an Illinois State sign pointing to the Mississippi Refuse Frog Pond. For all the frogs needing refuse.

The town of Thomson had a couple of highlights including the local correctional facility. The sign pointing to the correctional facility was quickly followed with a “Do Not Pickup Hitchhikers” sign.

I had lunch in Port Byron at the Brother’s Restaurant. Quite nice- definitely small town. Then it was time to get on I-74 for the remainder of the trip. The rain started. And didn’t stop much for the next three days.


Anyway, after Port Byron, the trip was highway, rain and other “crisis’s”, but I did make it to Peoria in time for Christina’s race. At that point, the rain turned into a drizzle. (As an aside, the ACE biking trip, including Deb Kamykowski was BIKING down –and up- gravel into town in the pouring rain.)

Illinois did well at the Bradley Invite. They took off in a Pack (this was the group below the ‘top 7’). http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/w-xc/recaps/091208aaa.html. Christina who “walked on” as a Senior, finished 3rd for U of I -8th overall, did great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLg0pHBkq08

After that, Deb headed to the Holiday Inn City Center – Peoria for a quiet evening. The Peoria weather announcer that evening used an over-emphasized “copious” when describing the rainfall we experienced Friday. Little did he know (or maybe he did) what Saturday and Sunday were going to look like.

Deb made a quick stop by Detweiller where NCHS was running (as so was Erika Danckers from Libertyville). Being a fair-weather fan, Deb left before the 3A races (in the 2006-2007 season, an additional “class” was added- after Chris & Brian graduated). In case you care!! 10 miles north of Peoria, the rain started. And the rain didn’t stop for a good 30 hours. Made a stop in Morris – which was a very pleasant surprise considering our recent purchase (follow-up later).

After a couple stops and errands, went to the hangar to wake Brian up (I wish I had photos for this….). Brian spent the last 2 days sleeping in the hangar during the day (due to working nites for the turn-around) to the sound of pouring rain. This cut his commute by a good 30-40 minutes each way. The refinery has a shower. The hangar has a refrigerator, microwave and Brian had “pre-packed” meals.

As you know we have been deluged with rain. Working at the refinery at night has been dicey to say the least. As Brian described it, it is like driving in pouring rain, with headlights shining in your eyes and your wind-shield wipers don’t work. (One must wear safety glasses in the refinery, and there are flood lights everywhere at night, with pools/floods of water and unknown hidden hazards.)

Here are a couple “daylight” pictures of downtown Naperville (~6pm Sunday Sept 14th_ possibly post-crest). Many roads were closed due to the water.

Bermuda - Mom & Dad's 50th Anniversary

Wow! What a perfect week-end. Family, Fun, Sun....! Bermuda is beautiful and the week-end couldn't have been nicer. Mom & Dad; Aunt Lisanna, Deb, Brian, Christina, Brian, Mike, Julia, Isaac, Maya, Elias, Peter, Amiee, Sarah, Katie, & William. Yes, we filled a few tables and trees!

Cambridge Beaches was a fabulous setting. We all had own space- quite ample! Peter & Amiee, Sarah, Katie and William had adjoining suites as did Brian, Deb,Chris & Brian. Lisanna, Mom and Dad (Opah & Nana) & Aunt Lisanna each had a suite. Mike, Juila, Isaac, Maya & Elias had a cool house complete with bidet over looking the ocean!

Between swimming, sailing and beaching, everyone enjoyed the play-time:

Week-end of April 25th, 2008- Nashville Half Marathon

Brian and I went different directions this week-end. Brian had the opportunity to do the Pinnacle sailboat briefing on the water for this summer. That was fine, except for the 40 degree weather and winds – on Lake Michigan. Sunday he was able to fly to Janesville, WI to have breakfast with Bud. Brian Patrick was in Iowa running the Drake Relays. He will have to elaborate on any adventures! We watched/track on-line results and spent a lot of time text messaging w/Brian. Meanwhile, Christina and Deb hit Nashville. Since Deb is writing this, it will have to be from her perspective. Chris drive down with friends, Deb flew SW. Upon arriving in Nashville, the music influence was immediately apparent with live music in the airport bars! Great new, mid-size airport. Picked up $12/day Priceline car. Remember windows that you have to crank up and down. No automatic locks. But 4 doors that you can manually lock from the front seat (even if it was a stretch). One problem with making late reservations on a popular week-end is hotel options are very limited. Rodeway Inn. It used to be an Econolodge. The old TV was etched with the owner's name – as if I might try to sneak it into my suitcase upon departure. Rooms by the hour or week.

The rest of the crew was checked in down the street at the Holiday Inn Express which was very nice for the rate. Had a great local meal at Raz's with Chris, Allison, her parents, Rachael, her parents, and Jill.

Saturday Morning was race morning. Up at 5am, picked up Chris & Jill at 5:30 for the 10 minute drive to the race start. Enormous traffic jam. Sitting on I-40 a young oriental woman was wandering down the expressway looking very lost. We asked if she needed a ride and she popped into our little car! Originally from China, now living in Raleigh, she was running her first marathon and we looked like we knew what we were doing (little did she know). Of course all of our planned exits were closed due to the course…..

I guess we looked trust-worthy... Jill and our new friend

In spite of being clueless (at least we had a map), got there in time –Chris and Jill were in the first corral for the ½ Marathon, so it was critical that they were there in time. Deb saw them 3 times during the race. They both did quite well in the ½ Marathon – Jill was the 4th woman and Chris was the 8th. Between the two races there were 32,000 runners! With bands set up along the race. It was great running weather (damp and cool). A little tough on the spectators.

Christina -at about mile marker 10. 3.1 to go!

A happy finish - Chris - 8th woman, Jill - 4th woman in the Half Mararthon

Mid-afternoon, Chris and Deb headed to Opryland. When in Nashville…. After finding the enormous resort – all under roof, spectacular gardens, water, and shopping (including a well-deserved Hagen Daz), and one weird vine creature – and driving around a lot, we did find the Grand Ole Opry. Didn't see the inside, but Chris was able to acquire a cowboy had at the Opry store. Next stop was Vanderbilt University which has a medical school. Gorgeous campus.

Our friend the Vine Lady

After regrouping, headed for downtown Nashville. We had time to wander a bit and deal with a little "drama". There were street musicians everywhere, Elvis, kitzy shops with politically incorrect items (when was the last time you saw Aunt Jemima?) and a Mennonite group looking a tad out of place between the bars.

Elvis lives!

The post-race concert Lady Antebellum played first and they were great. We ditched the headliner in search of food. At that hour most places had the 21 year old constraint and two of the girls were a couple weeks shy. So we settled at The Palm which was very nice and delicious. Exhausted we piled 5 people into the Rio (Kia) and headed back to our respective hotel/motel. Deb locked up, shoved a chair against the door (it was that type of motel/neighborhood) and turned on Saturday Night Live. A very nice week-end – Deb would return to Nashville for a week-end happily!

Dinner at the Palm. There were drawings of national and local celebrities on the walls. And some "just good patrons". There are only so many people in Nashville!

Brian's Track Meet in NY City - Feb 8-10, 2008

Deb & I are flying home from a wonderful, long weekend in New York City, where we watched Brian and the U of I varsity track team compete in The New Balance Invitational. Between track events, Deb & I explored Manhattan & re-visited some of our old favorite places from the times I worked in the World Trade Center some 25 years ago. Besides the track meet, another highlight for Deb & me was visiting ground zero and the Tribute to the World Trade Center. That was quite nostalgic and moving for both of us.

Over a hundred colleges competed in the track meet, held at the Armory on 168th St in Manhattan. It was a very well run meet, at a very impressive facility that is home of the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame. Brian ran three events in two days for the Illini: He ran the 1,000m, the 1200m leg of the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) and the anchor leg of the 4x800m relay. He won his heat of the 1,000 meter with style…sat behind the leader for most of the race, then took the lead in the last 200-300 meters to finish with a new PR of 2:28 and change! Always impressive! There were five 1,000m heats and Brian ultimately finished 12th in a field of 50+ very competitive runners. Brian's teammate & friend ‘Shoes’ Masheto set a new USA collegiate record in the 500m…needless to say watch for him in the upcoming Olympics...he'll be running for Batswana. On the final day, the 4x800 relay team of Phelps, Robins, Murray (Brian’s apartment roommate) and Beaird had the best finish and points for the Illini, with a 5th place overall. Very cool especially considering they’re all sophomores.

Brian said he ran nearly 8 miles just warming up for his events so he worked hard this weekend. But in between events, he made time to sit & chat with us (thanks Brian!). From what we heard, he & his teammates had a good time off the track too…spending their per diem & visiting the cool spots (by subway). At times like that, I’m guessing his earlier years of family travels (which always included public transportation and doing it the locals’ way) really paid off.

We had a nice surprise while entering the Armory…ran into Chris Vasich, who was on Naperville Central HS’s 4x400m relay team with Brian. Their team had competed in the finals at the Illinois State HS track meet. Chris was here to run the 60m hurdles for Princeton. He came and sat with us for a while, and we enjoyed catching up with him on life as a college athlete and life in general. Chris went on a very interesting trip with the Princeton track team, to compete at several meets in China this past summer. He ran a good 60m hurdle at this meet and I took some photos but they were literally just a blur.

The visit to the World Trade Center area was both rewarding and painful. I had worked on the 97th floor of the WTC every day for over a year back in the early eighties, and Deb had come to visit & stay often during that period (We got engaged before going there and got married in Chicago after about five months in NY). We had not been back to NYC since 9/11 so this was an overdue visit and we were both looking forward to it.

Our visit to the WTC ground zero was very moving. Going there was painful but at the same time uplifting. Seeing the empty hole where the towers once stood was tougher than I expected. The last time we were there, the area was buzzing with activity…daily workplace to more people than a small city. I remembered being impressed daily at how efficiently the elevators moved people. And every floor had its own personality. The donut shops and the airline ticket counters I frequented on the ground floor. The 97th & 96th floors were all engineering offices and mine had a great view to the south, overlooking New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, and Staten Island in the distance. The floor plan was very open and you could walk around and see for miles in every direction. The elevators and stairs were in a center ‘core’ section. Frankly we chuckled whenever there was a fire drill… there was really no way practical way out without the elevators. The building swayed and creaked a little during high winds but was generally well designed and built (for any ‘reasonable’ contingency) so no one really worried about it. It’s hard to think about what it must have been like on 9/11.

But the human spirit is an amazing thing and we realized Americans are particularly blessed with a huge capacity to turn adversity into a spirit of renewal. Seven years after 9/11 the rebuilding effort is still in progress, but it’s a huge project and when finished will be even more impressive than the original structures. And around the worksite you can feel the resolve in the people living & working there. And this time we found New Yorkers to be a little warmer and more open…maybe another positive outcome from such a tragic event. We’re looking forward to going back to see the finished product.

We also had a great time visiting the neighborhood of the old apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan. Deb had set us up in the Excelsior hotel at 81st and Columbus, across from the Natural History Museum) which was literally right around the corner from the apartment, so we had a great time exploring and re-acquainting ourselves with the ‘hood’. And of course the trip would not be complete without taking the subway. It felt good to get on the A train again, which was the best way to get to the meet and the WTC, and most of Manhattan. We walked to the Brooklyn Bridge (one of my favorite engineering marvels), around Wall Street, Central Park, and of course Times Square.

We also played one of our favorite New York sports…dining out. Realized we were the only English-speaking gringo’s in the Mexican restaurant near the Armory (including the waiters)…but this gave us a chance to dust off out Spanish and besides, the ‘whole chicken’ dinner was delicious and reasonably-priced…for NYC. Ate breakfast at an old deli on the upper west side. Lunches were pretty much eaten ‘on the run’.

Random thought about things that have changed in the past 25 years: Subway tokens are long gone…replaced by MetraCards (a big improvement); Cell phones & laptops everywhere of course; dress code is decidedly more casual (I wore a suit every day back then, you seldom see one now…also an improvement); cabs have video displays inside and they take credit cards! And the biggest change to me was…the skyline. The twin towers were a big part of the skyline’s personality as well as a great landmark for navigating the island. We really missed seeing the WTC. But I’m confident something even better will be in their place next time we visit.

All in all it was a great trip packed with great sport and great memories (old and new) and good times together. We’re already looking forward to going back.

Brian & Deb

Sailing the Leeward Islands - Jan 12 -21 2008

Some random thoughts about the Leeward Islands and our wonderful week of sailing there Jan 12 thru Jan 21…

The crew...was Nic & Lori, Brian & Deb, and Scott & Shelley. We did it bare boat, which means no hired crew members. We were it. We had sailed a similar week-long bare boat trip in the BVI together last fall and didn't kill each other then so we were excited to do it again. Nic says a sailboat gets a foot shorter every day, but this one didn't seem to do that. Plenty of shore leaves helped. Of course Brian & Nic have known each other since college and sailed together in Chicago years (decades!) ago. Lori & Shelly are sisters. Deb sailed during summers (ok, it was on a Sunfish) growing up in Door County and had converted to 'yachting' easily on the last trip.

Scott was the official skipper (there can be only one...which is good rule) but the crew operated most of the time as a democracy than a dictatorship (thanks Scott). Nic is also a very experienced skipper. Brian has crewed in several sailboats and his flying skills translate pretty well to sailing. The ladies are all very capable at sailing and traveling activities too, especially planning and applying common sense, which the guys often lack. So it was generally a well-balanced and easygoing crew.

The boat…was a terrific 44.5 ft Beneteau with 3 berths, 3 heads, and a galley and ‘salon’ in the center. Identical to the one this same merry crew sailed thru the BVI a year ago. The cockpit in back had lots of seating and a good collapsable table, a water-level transom (for easy swimming in & out), an on-board GPS, dual helms at the stern (which came in handy during serious heeling), and an ample bimini for protection from sun & rain. The dingy was a zodiac design with an outboard that we towed behind.

The Leeward islands…We sailed a lot of hours and covered a lot of ocean this trip…about 150 nautical miles altogether, in eight days. We quickly left the ‘Renaissance Islands’ behind (St Maarten, St Bart, and Anguilla...so named for their recent re-birth onto the social & economic scenes) and headed for the ‘Islands that Brush the Clouds' (St Kitts, Nevis, and Statia...so named for their steep green peaks that are always partially obscured by fair-weather cumulus clouds). During the briefing, we all found the ‘Brushing’ islands more appealing because of their smaller population, less-glitzy personality, and cool geology (formed from volcanoes).

The weather…was great for sailing early in the week. Around the Leewards, it’s pretty predictable, and the week of our trip was no exception. Winds were generally out of the northeast at 15 – 25 knots. Flying down from Chicago, Brian had photographed a series of parallel cloud banks that we later grew to understand as the rhythmic passage of squall lines. Sometimes we out-ran them and sometimes (late in the week) they caught us…enveloping the boat in gusts up to 25 kts or more, reduced visbility, driving (but warm) rain, and large (20’) swells that obscured the horizon.

Ambient temperatures were warm day & night…seldom did anyone want a jacket. The ocean currents were not strong, but undertows were an issue when we ‘dingied’ onto some beaches. There were times the wind got so high we had to reef the main and even then the gunwale was occasionally ‘buried’ (much to Nic’s delight!). These islands generally lie along a NW-SE line and there’s a steady NE wind, so most legs were long broad reaches. It’s notable that we didn’t tack or jibe once all week! Also, the waters near the volcanic islands are very deep, so we encountered few hazardous/shallow areas except in the harbors. In the open seas, we just had to see & avoid the well-charted hazards like Booby Island (appropriately named) and Cow Rock. Our longest leg was about 42 nautical miles covered in about 8 hours…from St. Barts to Nevis. And there were times we barely had sight of land. The Moorings people told us not to approach Nevis via the Narrows…so we did just that. The biggest challenge came while we were en route from Statia back to St Maarten, when a squall overtook us. The swells rose, the vis dropped to less than 1/4 mile, the on board GPS lost reception, and the hand-held (back-up) GPS battery went dead. All at once. That was interesting.

The seas…We all got our share of time at the helm…and we all got 're-certified' as dingy captain. Nic proved himself several times again as a master helmsman…the Cruise Guide warns the return into Oyster Bay will ‘put hair on your chest’ and they’re not kidding! Inbound was ‘downwind and downcurrent’ riding with the swells (trying to break over the stern and the bow). On that return leg to Oyster Bay, Brian went below to close the v-berth’s hatch (onto the bow deck). His best technique to stay standing was to brace off the ceiling! Even then he went airborne a few times. Deb gets the award for most comfortable below decks even during high seas and serious heeling (making lunch!) At times we thought she must be standing on the wall!

The sailing...A recurring debate ensued regarding how best to set the rigging & heading. Nic’s ‘happy boat’ theory gained some credibility, though it seemed to defy description. (In hindsight, I think it’s somehow related to zeroing the rudder trim). Then there’s the ‘happy navigator’ theory, which basically follows the shortest (but maybe not the fastest) course. Finally, there’s the sometimes-competing ‘happy boater’ theory, which is way too complicated to define. Each of us took the helm during the trip, & we each sailed our own way. Unlike the BVI, few harbors in the Leewards had mooring balls, so we got pretty adept at anchoring. When the anchor Windlass (electric wench) crapped out, we developed a manual procedure, which worked well but demanded more skill at the helm and some innovation and muscle from the anchor team on the bow. We all got better with each episode. Now electric anchor wenches are for pansies. ‘Diving on the anchor’ is always an adventure. This is a procedure Scott insists on to ensure he sleeps well knowing the boat will not drift away during the night. Ok that sounds reasonable. On one occasion, the water visibility was so good we could clearly see the anchor lying on the sandy bottom (but not grabbing into) in about 18’ of water. (No, Sandy Bottom is not a female crew member). Brian dove down and re-positioned the anchor so it could dig in. Then, while Nic at the helm ‘backed on the anchor’, Scott & Brian snorkeled above it and watched it slowly dig its way deep in to the sand. Textbook anchoring. Very cool.

Going Ashore...was full of intersting adventures but following are a few highlights.

St Maarten was half Dutch and half French...actually divided right down the middle of the island. Our home port of Oyster Bay (on St Maartens) was decidedly French. We enjoyed hiking around the bay and beaches and eating at the local restaurtants before setting out to sea.
The port of Gustavia (on St Barts) was similar in size and development to St Maarten, only more glamorous and glitzy with lots of mega-yachts...a popular place for movie stars & such (and priced accordingly). So we cleared customs as required but didn't stay ashore long.

Nevis and St Kitts were smaller, British islands with a much more laid back atmosphere, altho pleanty to see & do ashore. We loved them. On Nevis (my personal favorite) we enjoyed a challenging but rewarding 5 mile hike up the jungle-covered volcano to 'the Source'...which provides the island with all its drinking water. After the hike, we were welcomed by the owner of Golden Rock resort (1500 ft elevation) to take a dip in their pool and shower in one of their cottages. That was a very welcome treat! Then a gourmet dinner served in one of the old buildings of their former sugar cane plantation.
On St Kitts, our friendly taxi driver (and part-time local politician) Ozzie spent the afternoon driving us around the island and providing colorful commentary. Seems the local government closed its sugar cane industry 3 years ago (which had been the islands' leading industry) in favor of developing tourism. Ozzie is not convinced.

Statia was a unique and less-popular island, which is one reason we found it intriguing. 200 years ago it was a bustling open-trading port, and now it is the petroleum shipping hub of the Leeward islands (their electric powere is all produced by diesel generators). So we saw some BIG tanker ships and terminals, much to Brian's interest

I wonder what these big tugs are for...

What big tanker?

Oh my...THAT big tanker!

The ascent to 'The Source'...on Nevis island was a notable adventure. Deb, Brian, Shelly & Scott made a 5 mile trek about half way up the volcano on Nevis to the island's water source. Along the way, we encountered steep & slippery up's & downs, great views of 'the Narrows' we had sailed through (including Booby Island visible in the Narrows) and interesting plants & flowers.

Contrary to common sense, Brian & Scott seemed to acquire the same odd attraction to anything with the words 'at your own risk' in it, so they both went to the source, which included an old 120-rung ladder at the end.

It was a challenging day for us all, but our reward was worth it...back at Golden Rock Hotel near the trailhead, we enjoyed a cool dip in the pool , and a round of Rum punch, and a hot shower in one of the resort's cabins (no charge!).

Back on St Maarten again (but this time at Grand Case on the north side) we found a great beach-front restaurant with a sand floor...and enjoyed great French food again. Very cool. Here we were encouraged to lock up the sailboat and the dingy and outboard motor whenever we weren't on them...Piracy (nowadays more like petty theft) is apparently still alive & well in some parts of the Carribean!

Life on the boat…was a pleasant mix of busy sailing times, quiet napping & reading times, cooking & eating (& drinking) time, plus sports time for swimming & snorkeling. Everyone pitched in, so there were never really any 'chores'. We each were capable at most of the sailing tasks, so we all did a little of everything. We settled nicely into a ‘division of labor’ (wrong word) that we were happy with. Everyone typically rose soon after sunrise and turned in for the night by 10pm-ish. Breakfast at anchor was always a pleasant experience, and sunsets from the boat were breathtaking. Coffee was brewed the old-fashion way…in a percolator. The food was wonderful (thanks to good planning and provisioning and several very capable chefs on board). Usually made and ate breakfast and dinner on the boat, while at anchor. Things got busy at times while under sail (especially getting in & out of the harbors)…but we still managed to serve up some tasty lunches en route, like hot pizza. Dress was decidedly casual (but we did dress…we’ve encountered plenty of ‘al fresco’ sailors down there!). There were times we wore nothing but a swimsuit and maybe a T-shirt all day. Going ashore was more formal…shoes might be required. Our dinner at Golden Rock on Nevis was actually in long pants and dresses...fancy! Sleeping onboard was best in the calmer harbors. The guys seemed to sleep better on average, but we all managed to get enough quality rest.

The island people and cultures…were very diverse and friendly (except the French customs officers, the French Moorings staff, and the French… ). The taxi drivers honk often…not to complain but to just say hi to their many friends. Flexibility was a valuable attribute for visitors. Inhabitants of St Maarten include over 130 nationalities! Speaking to strangers was always interesting because everyone had a different accent and it was fun to guess their origin. Since we sailed to French, Dutch, and British islands, many inhabitants spoke those languages. But we also encountered Jamaican, Australian, Spanish, American and lots of ‘Other’. Names were often…unique. Taxi drivers had interesting handles like Percy, Walthrop, Ozzie, and ‘Smile on Me’. That was his name. Also, there were several different currencies including Eastern Carribean Dollars, Euros, and American Dollars. Electrical power sources might be either 220V (two separate types of plugs) or 110 V (American plugs). Flexibility…

The wrap-up...There’s lots more to say, but don’t want to bore you (whomever you are) so will just end it here. In general, it was a great trip (as if you couldn’t tell) and I'm confident we all are look forward to doing something like it again!

Brian & Deb