Oregon Millikan Reunion

We traveled north for a weeklong vacation in Oregon centered around a reunion of former "Millikanites."  Twenty-three Rams, mostly relocated residents of Oregon, gathered for a social hour, dinner, and reminiscing at the Bowers' residence near Medford.  Prior to the reunion, Gail and I enjoyed three days in Portland, our first time in the Rose City.  We enjoyed a trolley tour, a day at the Columbia River Gorge, shopping, walking around the city, dining at some of the famous breweries, and a morning at the Saturday Street Fair. The fun continued when we arrived at the Bowers' residence for the reunion.  Following the reunion, we had a great day hiking and dining at Union Creek followed the next day by an exciting four-hour jet boat adventure on the Rogue River near Grants Pass.

The Life of Riley

The Ward family was expecting a new addition with a "due date" delivery on June 21, 2012.  Riley Willamette Ward spent his first day with his new family doing what most puppies do -- exploring his new environment.  Riley is a beautiful white Labrador Retriever puppy about eight weeks old.  True to his billing, this "pick of the litter" actually conjured up in my mind an unmanly adjective I rarely use, but had to use it on this pup.  Riley is adorable.   About thirty years ago, we shared a wonderful experience with Amos Moses Blue, our family Labrador.  We hoped to duplicate the same wonderful experience for our grandchildren.  We think we're off to a great start.  As much as I respect Riley's given AKC registered name, I make no "bones" about it......I'm calling him Rileydogdaddy!

Two Weeks in Europe

In mid-April, Gail and I were off to Europe for a two-week trip with our good friends, Rick and Lee Timboe.  Our time was spent mainly in Berlin, Prague, Vienna, and Munich.  Several "side trips" included Dresden, Potsdam, Salzburg, and Mittenwald.  Highlights in Berlin included the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall/Checkpoint Charlie, and the Reichstag.  We traveled from city to city on the Autobahn, where there is no speed limit which was obvious as cars roared by in the fast lane.  We adjusted to using Crowns and Euros as our currency and ate Czech, Austrian, and German food which featured schnitzel, sausages, potatoes, goulash, apple strudel-- most of which was heavy and full of calories.  Prague featured the Charles Bridge, palaces, and churches.  All roads and sidewalks were cobblestone.  Vienna was the home of the Habsburgs.  We visited both their winter and summer palaces and viewed a performance by the Royal Lipizzaner Stallions.  In Salzburg, we toured the home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  We dined at the Hofbrau House in Munich, which had an Octoberfest atmosphere with a live band. Munich also provided testimony of horrors of the Holocaust at Dachau Concentration Camp.  Finally, we took a trip to Mittenwald, a small Bavarian village in the Alps.  A gondola ride to the top of the mountain was thrilling.  We're hoping and expecting that this marvelous trip is an indicator of future great travels during the wonderful world of retirement.

Easter in the Desert

Easter shifted to Palm Desert this year as a twenty-pound turkey was prepared in the villa for the first time! The weather cooperated as we enjoyed four great pool days and probably more sun than we needed.  There were plenty of things to do (a big water slide, ping pong, pool, swimming, basketball, etc.).  Getting the family around the dinner table in the patio overlooking a beautiful golf course for dinner was great.  Ross, Cassie, Ryan, Camille, and Mason departed for home on Tuesday evening.  The Pistoias joined us Wednesday through Saturday to complete the week.  Highlights included corned beef sandwiches at Sherman's, the Palm Springs Street Fair, shopping, classic car viewing, barbequeing, daily walks, pool time, and a trip to the Cabazon outlets.  It was a restful and fun week and something we hope to repeat again next year.

Frankie Valli Concert and Spring Training

We combined a couple of favorite things (a concert and baseball) on our most recent trip.  We started off in Palm Springs and enjoyed a concert featuring Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  It was nice to sit in a concert crowd with people in our own generation.  I expected there might be a "Geritol" break during the concert.

Then it was off to Phoenix for Spring Training with the Cactus League.  We stayed at a great hotel (Wild Horse Pass) in Chandler.  A bonus was that our nephew, Parker, was playing as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization.  On day one, we saw him catch against a Dodger minor league team.  He even hit a home run!  On the second day when he was not scheduled to play, we watched the major league Dodgers play the Brewers on the big field at their Glendale, Arizona stadium.  I was surprised as Tommy Lasorda, in uniform, emerged from the dugout and walked right by us as we sat near the field along the third base line.  On day three, Parker once again was the starting catcher for his minor league team as they took on the Cincinnati Reds' team.  It remains to be seen where Parker will be assigned following Spring Training.  Odds are that he'll play in Wisconsin or Florida.

Life Crisis

In mid-December, I saw my doctor about experiencing shortness of breath and a burning sensation in my chest while on my daily walks with Gail.  Several tests led to a diagnosis of "exercise induced angina" followed by a trip straight to Memorial Hospital.  A few days later, following several more tests, I underwent a quadruple coronary arterial bypass with grafts.  Four blood vessels carrying blood to my heart had blockages.  In preparing myself mentally for such invasive surgery, I did some researching and found that David Letterman, Regis Philbin, and President Clinton had bypass surgery and returned to normal lives.  Nevertheless, I did some soul-searching about my life and what I valued.  Of course, family and friends came up as the greatest gifts in life.

Over the next three months, I went from helpless to 100% recovered!  I actually believe I'm even healthier than before the operation.  My heart was never damaged because I caught this before having a heart attack. My wife and life partner was by my side throughout the ordeal.  She certainly proved that she had taken our marriage vows seriously (for better or worse, in sickness and in health).   In fact, I've dropped 30 pounds since then and looking to lose considerably more.  My risk factor "numbers" are now normal (blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol).  We're back to our retirement routines of exercising, traveling, AND eating healthy.

My advice?  Exercise regularly, eat right, see your doctor regularly, and don't wait if you sense something is wrong.  Treasure each day and take advantage of every opportunity to let your friends and family know you appreciate and care about them.  For me, a bypass was not the end, but a new beginning.

The Big Game

It was exciting to attend the big game as Stanford hosted the Oregon Ducks in a showdown of undefeated and highly ranked PAC 12 football squads.  Andrew Luck and the Cardinal were taking on an electric scoring machine from Eugene.  We had mixed emotions as brother Rich had attended Stanford and started as a defensive back in the early 70's.  Daughter Cass and her husband, Ross, had both attended Oregon.  Our friends, the Timboes, traveled with us as we met up with Rich and Peggy in Palo Alto for a weekend of fun.  A highlight of the weekend was attending Stanford's football alumni barbeque adjacent to the stadium prior to the game.  We chatted with three notable former Stanford players who starred in the NFL (see pictures of Greg Sampson, Jim Plunkett, and Jeff Siemen).  The game, itself, saw more than 70 total points scored with Oregon coming out on top.  I'm sure we'll attend more games in the future.