The "Friendly" Skies

OK – so you’ve all read about the guy at the airport in San Diego who just refused the body scan and the invasive pat down by the TSA. I won’t go into whether or not that is that wrong or right – or just plain scary – but having just read about this in the news, and having just endured this myself just two weeks ago, I was sent back in my mind to the simpler days of visiting the airport when I grew up.

We – like most every family – had dreams of going to Hawaii. Growing up in Seattle, we kind of felt we were close enough that it was more of a reality, so we had a change jar that we all had to contribute to when a variety of family rules weren’t followed or chores not done. While this was exciting and fairly inspiring, it was never going to get us plane fare to the Hawaiian Islands.

In ’75, my folks bought a timeshare on Kauai (back when they were a good deal) and we began many years of happy Hawaiian travels, and this brings me to the subject of this blog post – visiting airports when I was a kid.

There was no such thing as airport security back then. I mean – I’m sure there was – they probably scanned the checked baggage but there was nothing that stopped us from going right out to the gate. We had a tradition that every time before a flight the whole family would go out to breakfast at a Sambo’s or a Denny’s. The whole family – Grandmas, Aunts, Uncles, etc. – would all go out to celebrate the fact that someone was getting to go to Hawaii. From there we would all go to the airport and see the lucky ones off. This means that we all went to the gate and sat with them until they boarded the plane and then we watched the plane take off. What a great exciting time that was – even if you weren’t the ones going. And conversely, a bunch of the family members would be there at the gate in Seattle to meet them when they came back. It was awesome to be the ones coming up the ramp from the plane and be greeted by family and friends.

It’s all so different today – the limited access for anyone not flying; the incredible level of security that we’re all subjected to; the limited service on the flights; the limited amount of luggage we can take… I could go on, but I won’t. I’m not complaining, just saying that it was a LOT funner back then!

We're in, I'm back. Wow! - 5 months

Well - It's been 5 months since I last posted. We've been in our house for just over a month. Whew! What a big project.

Here is a link to the website that we sat up and posted to on a constant basis. It shows our house from the beginning to the end. It is such a huge blessing to have a home that works for my family and especially my son.

http://www.goldenhillshome.info

We have tons of pictures here, although I do need to have some final pictures put in. We're still looking to finish decorating (heck -we're still looking for new couches) so I'll post more when we get them all done.

In the meantime, I am intending to get back into blogging... It will take me awhile to get back into the swing of it, but I'm excited to reconnect with you all!

I'm not gone - really

Hi, my friends!

Building a house takes a LOT of work, a LOT of time and a LOT of effort. Even if you happen to be an Architect (I am), draw your own plans (I did), know your contractor really well, (I do) and think you know how to handle all the details (I thought I did). It seems like all I do when I'm not at work is take care of all the details, make decisions, choose products, redesign spaces, etc. And I have a VERY capable wife who seems to be doing most of the work! I could post a link to our website if y'all are interested in seeing it progress.

Add to this the fact that I am the busiest that I've ever been at my "real job" and it makes for very little play time.

So - I will be back to blogging, full force, I just don't know how soon. I really miss you all and reading all your blogs. I'll be having to catch up on them all when I do get back to it.

A quick mention (and, of course, this should have been done a week ago)... not that I often use this venue to toot my own horn or ply my wares, but the book I wrote "My '70s Book", would be a great Father's Day gift. It's great for a wide range of ages, but mostly if you can relate to life in the '70s. A few of you have read it and have liked it... some have even blogged about it.

So - if you're out of ideas and need a late Father's Day present (or just want a good summer read) check it out! Hope you're all doing well - be back as soon as I can... :)

Nothing to do with the '70s - Check out our new van!

Ok - I gotta admit that I REALLY wish I were showing you pictures of my new Corvette – only problem is – I don’t have a new Corvette (that’ll be after I win the lottery, which I don’t play, so…) but we do have a new van. I know I blogged about this a couple of weeks ago, but now I've washed and waxed it down to the finest detail.

We have a disabled son so we have a handicap accessible van. Our ’99 Windstar was totaled recently so we had to buy a new one… we weren’t planning on it… but it was blessing in disguise. The insurance company not only compensated for the handicap conversion, they actually paid us much more than we expected. How often does that happen?

So – we have a 2008 Toyota Sienna, all the way from Michigan. The company buys lease returns (about 30K miles) and does the conversion. This brings it “down to the 28 – 32K range. Still very expensive, but a new one with the conversion will fun you 45 – 50K.

Anyway – I spent all day Sunday washing and waxing every square inch of our new van. I took some pics and decided to show it off. We’re excited because we’re taking our first road trip this weekend and are looking forward to the nice quiet ride and all the nice luxuries it has.

Anyway – hope you all have a great Memorial Day Weekend – and remember to say a prayer of thanks to God for all those who have fought and died to ensure our freedom!