Jay's "Home Trip" to the U.S.A. - Fall 2009
(click any picture for enlargement)
|
| Jay's "Home Trip" to the U.S.A. - Fall 2009 (click any picture for enlargement) |
|
|
||
|
This story picks up half-way through my home trip to the USA in the Fall of 2009. As background, I got 'home' early in August and took a few weeks to catch up with projects & visit people. At the end of August, I drove to California and met up with friends in Tahoe ... I'll resume the story after that: |
||
|
|
||
I spent so much time in Tahoe that I only had one more day left in Sunnyvale before having to leave for Central California. I wanted to see many friends during this visit, but I had trouble getting an itinerary set up. Sadly, I only got to see a few people. I did get to spend an afternoon with Gail & Dick, who were friends from many years of volleyball and camping. It's nice to report that they haven't changed ... and they are as busy as ever! |
 |
|
|
|
||
| That
evening I visited Patrick & Daniela in San Jose; we watched a Packer
game and dined on his famous jambalaya.
Their neighborhood is nice and quiet; Patrick likes to create a stir by riding his electric skateboard. |
 |
 |
|
|
||
| I
visited with Bill in the hot tub and then left Sunnyvale the next day. In
looking back, I never made it to San Francisco ... bummer!
I drove a few hours, into the foothills of the Sierra Mountains to meet up with Gene & Kay. I played volleyball and spent many Thanksgivings with them. We watched their daughter play HS volleyball; their son is in college and I was unable to see him. We had an evening of foosball and I have to admit that I got beat ... by both Kay & Amanda; I had fun and worked up quite a sweat! |
 |
|
|
|
||
| I
then drove to Sacramento and met up with my Uncle Don. We played a couple rounds of
golf and I was totally inconsistent ... which was frustrating after playing so
much recently.
Don is a great cook and I easily drowned my golf sorrows with good food, drink & conversation. |
 |
|
|
|
||
 |
My
cousins Rod & Tracy came over for a dinner reunion.
As the wine flowed, the decibel level rose as they talked about Palestine and what the real meaning of "conundrum" was ... nothing is ever boring when this group gets together! |
 |
|
|
||
|
As I headed out of California, I stopped to visit Don Saar; my boss from 26 years ago ... yikes! |
||
 |
 |
 |
|
Don and Elizabeth have always kept in touch, so we didn't have too much catching up to do. They refreshed my memory about playing pinochle and Don proceeded to beat us with amazing hands! |
||
|
|
||
| It
was sad to leave California, but I know that someday I will return. I stayed overnight at cousin Dean's again in Reno; I finally got to meet his wife Elena. We had a nice visit, but next time it needs to be for a longer time! |
 |
 |
|
|
||
|
I drove for a day and
stopped over at my
nephew's place in Denver again. TJ did a good job in completing
some of his renovation projects ... but he's got much more to do! TJ's
web site I want to thank everyone I stayed with for their hospitality ... it was greatly appreciated! |
||
|
|
||
|
I was now back in Wisconsin at the end of September; I had four weeks left before returning to Israel. My focus during the remaining time would be on playing golf, since playing in Israel costs too much. |
||
 |
 |
 |
|
It was exciting to find hundreds of golf courses in Wisconsin. Even narrowing the list to those within 30 minutes of my hometown came up with more than I could imagine. I joined my Uncle Alan & Uncle Don, who was now visiting from California, for as many rounds as possible ... it was quite fun! |
||
|
|
||
|
The weather was still really nice and the plants in my parent's yard were doing well. |
||
 |
 |
 |
| The zenias and cannas in the rock garden were in full bloom. | The apple trees were over-producing; it was funny to see the wood structures that Dad built to keep the branches from breaking. | |
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
|
Yes, back to golf ... I got my cousin Vern & my Dad to join Uncle Don & I for a round. We played Black Bear before a Packer's football game and had the course to ourselves ... for only $25, with a cart! |
||
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
| One big reason that I chose this time of year to return home was to attend a reunion on my father's side of the family. It was held at our grandparents old farm, which is still held by the family. | The 'travelers from California' included Aunt Ila & Greg as well as Tracy & Uncle Don. | |
|
|
||
 |
 |
|
| My Dad (Wayne) and all his siblings ... in a rare gathering! | The cousins in attendance made a lineup of our own. We had a decent sized group, but only half of the cousins made it! | |
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
We had delicious drink ... |
... fabulous fat-free food ;) ... |
... and even some child abuse! |
|
|
||
| After
lunch the visiting began; the beer & b.s. flowed well into the wee hours
of the morning. Uncle Kevin came up with the idea of making a fire ...
great decision!
I won't go into any more details here, but you can click here for more reunion pictures. |
 |
 |
|
|
||
 |
 |
|
| The day after the family reunion we got a group together for a round of golf. The weather changed dramatically every 30 minutes ... next time we need to have the family reunion earlier in the year! | ||
|
|
||
| Can
you tell me what is in the picture to the right?
For those with good eyes, or a good imagination ... it's a full side-to-side rainbow. It was worth a pot of gold to spend quality time with family! |
 |
|
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
|
Dad and
I then decided to clean up the barn next to the corporation house. It is
currently used to |
||
|
|
||
 |
<===
A strange pile of dirt appeared after moving a bunch of wood. After I
sunk into a hole ===> |
 |
|
|
||
 |
We
remove loads of wood and sorted out the rotted stuff ... which lead to a great
bonfire!
We also uncovered some antique items that everyone thought was lost ... like an old plow and a sled ... complete with all the horse fittings ... pretty cool! |
 |
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
| We cleaned wall-to-wall in one corner and built a wood bin. |
We then used some 'dock wood' to make a platform so that ... |
... the bikes & 4-wheelies could have warm feet in winter! |
|
|
||
| Just
before Don returned to California, we got him out to play a last round of
golf. Vern's wife Sue joined us this time.
The Irish Waters course was quite tough. A few holes required perfect aim, or you'd lose a ball. The fall weather was now getting quite chilly ... brrr! |
 |
 |
|
|
||
| My home trip was going by very quickly and I still had quite a few things to do and people to see! | ||
 |
|
 |
| I got in a nice "Zwick visit" just before Marv & Grace left for Fla. |
I got my
traditional haircut |
I finally got to meet Lois' fiancé Ed, but I didn't get a pic of them. |
|
|
||
| I
got to visit with my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Larry, from my mom's side of the
family, a few times since they live nearby.
We had a nice reunion for this side of the family in 2008 ... hopefully we can get together the next time I am home. |
 |
|
|
|
||
|
The last thing I will include, before this story ends, is a report about our 'Corporation Cabin'. |
||
 |
<==
2003 - the
cabin was a simple structure used for hunting. The ownership is
shared by my Dad's family; a few years ago they decided to begin fixing it up.
In 2006 we
put on a metal ==> |
 |
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
|
Over the past 3 years, the windows were replaced & new siding was put on ... this year we finished! |
||
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
|
View of the west side, as you come in the driveway. |
A view of the back ... |
... and then of the east side. |
|
|
||
 |
<==
The crew
for this year's fall work weekend was kept busy; dinner was quite festive.
The interior is due for an ==> upgrade over the next few years. |
 |
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
|
The dock was falling apart and was no longer near water. |
The dock
was ripped apart |
The view from the deck is now much nicer ... but we need rain! |
|
|
||
 |
The
wood shed was emptied and re-filled so that the ancient wood can now be burned
first.
The fire pit area was also cleaned up and the wood pile re-stacked. A lot of scrap wood was left to be burned ... a tough job for me! |
 |
|
|
||
|
All the guys left and I stayed for a few more days ... to get my fill of peace and quiet. |
||
 |
 |
 |
| I was able to ride the miles of trails that criss-cross the land. |
My happy hour & sundowner moments were great! |
My highlight was the hours I spent at the fire pit. |
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
|
It's interesting that everyone in our family enjoys fires ... does that mean we all are pyromaniacs? |
||
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
| I can almost feel the heat when viewing these close-ups! | Time to pack up and leave! | |
|
|
||
| As
I got back to Kaukauna, I had to laugh at the decorations that
neighbors put up for Halloween.
I remember that this was my favorite time of the year ... and Halloween is still my favorite 'holiday'! |
 |
 |
|
|
||
 |
 |
|
| The trees on my parents' street had great colors; you could feel that winter was quickly approaching. | ||
|
|
||
|
<===
My final task was to scan my photo albums. I worked at the basement bar &
had a great time laughing at the old pictures.
In closing, I'll add a few 'Flashes from the Past' : 1980: Ready
for camping & golf |
|
|
|
||
 |
<==
1980: Jay, Pam, Lori & Pepsi 1980: The
best presents a Note:
Imagine if you gave this |
 |
|
|
||
 |
<==
1981: Electronics Project ... a drink dispenser using real booze ... it got me an easy 'A' ! 1981:
Graduation Party ==> |
 |
|
|
||
 |
<== 1982: Family Picture
2008: Family Picture ==>
|
 |
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
