Touring Grand Rapids

Herb and I spent the day touring around the Grand Rapids area. We began with the Gerald R. Ford presidential museum. Each time I go, I see something new and learn something new! Next, we were on our way to lunch on I-96 and saw the helicopter crash on top of Spectrum Hospital! Amazing to see the flames shooting out (and it even made national news). We enjoyed lunch and then headed to Meijer Gardens. Below you see Herb in the tropical plant greenhouse.

Next, we thought this photo of Herb with DaVinci's horse was a good shot! We also captured a nice photo of Herb with Fred and Lena Meijer. We truly enjoyed the gardens. Many things have been added since I was last there, including several new sculptures and a farmhouse area. Also, the boardwalk through the wetlands was finished.

Later on, we also walked at Roselle Park. My dear spouse is test driving a sports car this weekend - a BMW. Of course, Harrison took a turn driving it! Harrison also went to the year-book signing party at school. Then, we cooked blue-cheese burgers on the grill and now are watching National Treasure II. I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow; we're considering a movie/exercise day (watch a movie, exercise, watch another, exercise ...). One last note - what a glorious day! Just a beautiful, warm spring day!

Sibling Weekend

Ten years ago, my sister, brother, and I all were together. Since then we've seen each other lots of times, just not all 3 of us together at once! At that time, we were all in our 30's for a short time. So, in light of my sister's upcoming 50th birthday, we all got together again (a 10 year reunion?) at my parent's house. Now we have a photo of all of us in our 30's and this one with us all in our 40's. My sister's birthday is June 3, so there's only a few more days of 40's left! Here we are (left). My brother, Herb, turned 40 on November 23. We had a great time talking, shopping, crusing the old neighorhood, playing games and enjoying some family time! Harrison joined us on Sunday (he went to some friend's cottage and then to the Red Wings game on Saturday night in Detroit - they were kind enough to drop him off in Saginaw on their way back up to the cottage!).

Here we are playing Michigan Rummy. We were grateful for a Memorial weekend that included decent weather! It seems like Memorial weekend often includes chilly weather and rain, so this was a blessing! I was the "big" winner at Michigan Rummy (I think I made $1.17 - we play for pennies). Mom made all of us a birthday cake and gave us some gifts. My dad's favorite watch for Herb, my mother's diamond ring that was an anniversary gift for Dort, and my mom's gold and diamond watch for me. It was very thoughtful of her and I think she'll enjoy seeing us make use of these things!

Dort left to go back to Maryland this morning. Herb is visiting friends around the state and may come to GR for a short stay at the end of the week. More pictures if he does! On that note - thanks to K for trusting me with your precious daughter today! I haven't hung out with a 2-year-old in a while and it was fun! She's so sweet and smart! I really enjoyed her joy in life - it's amazing how easily she smiles and laughs! She has a great sense of humor for one so young!!

HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER

Memorial Day ... it used to be known as Decoration Day, as many people would decorate the graves of fallen service men and women. I remember, as a kid, most everyone had flags out on Memorial Day. I drove across the state yesterday and noticed only a few. This country was founded by people who believed in freedom. Freedom to worship as one chooses (not the freedom to stop others from worshipping), freedom to own property, freedom to not pay exorbitant taxes (remember the Boston Tea Party??), and freedom to have representation in our government. Many have been willing to give their lives over the past 232 years to preserve these values and to bring these freedoms to others in the world. Many have given their lives to do so. As I watch many of our freedoms slowly being stripped in the name of "security" or "national security" I am put in mind of something Benjamin Franklin said: "The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either." Let us remember all those who have given their lives so that we could have the opportunity to give away what cost them so dearly. I am grateful and thankful for all the men and women of the past 232 years who tried so valiantly to preserve our freedoms and bring the same to others in the world.

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

It's hard to believe I got myself into this! Can I blame it on just too much going on overall, so I didn't notice? (In reality, I am not a detail person, so missing a date is "like me!"). So ... what am I talking about?? Well, the boys have been soooooooooooooo excited (for 2 years) since they heard Spielberg was making a new Indiana Jones movie. Clay wanted to see it when it opened very, very much. Well, today (May 22) is their last day of school for the week - they have a 4 day weekend for Memorial Day. So, I looked at th opening day and lo and behold (!) - it's May 22!. So, I thought "how cool" and bought tickets for the 12:01 show - the very first showing! In my mind thinking, it would be so much fun for all of us to see it like that! We saw "Pirates of the Caribbean" at a 12:01 showing it was loads of fun - costumes, the works! We could celebrate the beginning of the long weekend by seeing this movie and sleeping in! Well, Clay wanted his buddy T. to come along, so T. went to buy a ticket. He called us and asked if it was Wednesday night or Thursday night. You see my error now, don't you?! I was thinking THURSDAY night 12:01 - but the opening is officially 5/22/08 at 12:01 - which was WEDNESDAY night! We tried to figure out what to do, but as it turned out, Dad couldn't go either night due to meetings. Then I found out the tickets were non-refundable! So, the boys went to bed at 8:30 and got up at 10:45 pm last night (Clay slept, Harrison laid there for an hour, then got up again). I couldn't sleep that early either, but was glad Clay did. They both promised to go to school with no whining. So, off we went to see "INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL" AT 11:00 PM - early enough to get good seats! Above you see Harrison and Clay dressed the part! It truly was loads of fun - there were lots of "Indy's," a few "Short Round's, " one guy dressed up like the swordsman from the first movie that Indy shot, and some other characters. The theater broke out in a rousing rendition of the theme song (using da-da-da's) twice, and everyone there was generally fired up, having a great time, and behaving well! Huge applause as the movie started ... HUGE applause when we first glimpsed Indy ... HUGE HUGE applause at the end! It was just what you expect from an Indiana Jones movie - his grumpiness, lots of action, a "bad guy" that gets what's coming to them in the end (the guy was a woman this time), interesting reinterpretation of true facts, and of course, the outfit! We arrived home at 2:27 am -- the boys didn't look too much worse for the wear! We were all up at 7:10 this morning (a little late) and made it to school 10 minutes late - not too bad! Both boys were up, dressed, and off with no whining, as promised, as well!! Some parts of growing up are great!
All in all, a fun night and probably worth it because of how much fun it was to be part of the crowd last night! While "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is a formula movie, it was so nice to see just what I wanted and expected. Sometimes it's really nice to see an old fashioned good guy/bad guy movie where good always wins out. I certainly crave that simplicity at times!!

On Saturday, Dad, Clay, and I went to Davenport to see the Student Activities Center; construction should be complete by October. It is pictured below to the left of the student housing buildings. The Student Activities Center will house a basketball court for games, a gym with 3 courts for classes, intermurals, and general play, a work-out center, locker-rooms, offices, classroom and meeting space, a rock-climbing wall, etc. It is much needed and anticipated by the students! A "fly-through" of the building can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXsoK_rukb0 Clay found a broken length of pvc piping and decided to golf with a rock ... interesting new sport at the construction site!
Here Dad and Clay were checking out the geese in the back pond! Lots of goslings!
We also had 2 spring-varsity hockey games this weekend (both on Sunday). Here are some photos of the boys playing. This first one Harrison (in black) is scrambling against the boards with other players for control of the puck.
Here's Harrison taking advantage of a little open ice - his back is to the viewer (#10) - to get to the puck. The boys won both games and are undefeated for the spring season.
Tomorrow (Monday), Davenport is holding a flower and plant sale at the Caledonia (Lettinga) Campus to raise funds for the BPA club. The BPA at Davenport has been winning big time for the past several years - here is a link to see how they swept the state, competing against students from all other schools in the state: http://www.davenport.edu/Home/PressRoom/DavenportUniversity2008StateBPAWinners/tabid/627/Default.aspx
(Take a look at all our winners; it's pretty amazing and definitely VERY impressive!) They have won nationally against students from other excellent schools, including Yale - let's cheer them on this year (nationals are this month) and support their efforts!

Fantastic Friday

I walked today with the fun, smart, engaging B and her beautiful baby boy G! Here he is ... darling! The sun was too bright for him so sadly, you can't see his amazingly blue eyes! He was such a good baby - cooing and "talking" the whole walk. He is 3 months old. I've been in something of baby withdrawal for years, but now that severalof my friends have little ones, I'm really missing having a little one around!

I am pleased to say I also got some work done on my dissertation today! I think I'm getting a little out of my funk! Also, it was nice to see both B and J at the grocery store this afternoon! We're having an easy Friday evening ... spaghetti dinner take-out, Harrison and I are watching "Aline vs. Predator, and I don't plan on doing much of anything else this evening! I'm actually just really excited for next weekend. My brother is flying in from Montana and my sister from Maryland - while we've all seen each other several times in the past several years, we haven't all 3 been together for 10 years! The last time, my brother had just turned 30 and my sister was turning 40 (I'm in the middle). So, we'll get our "decade" photo, as my brother Herb has just turned 40... which means on June 3, my sister will be 50! It should be a lot of fun. We're going to my parent's house on the east side of the state. Just can't wait!!!!!!!

Why Haiti?

I am often asked when describing my dissertation to others, why I chose Haitians! There are a number of reasons why Haitian-Americans fit the criteria for my research. In a nutshell, I am using an instrument that measures inherited personality traits (these are genetically based and occur in all populations world-wide). In a (very) few populations, some small "blips" have been noticed, usually attributed to acculturation issues. I wanted to be the first to actually measure an instance of culture moderating an inherited trait, so I needed a unique, very different culture.

Haiti fit the bill to a "T!" Haitians have their own language, spoken nowhere else in the world. Haiti has a unique culture and history like none other in the world. Haiti is fairly isolated in that it occupies about half of an island (Hispaniola) that it shares with the Dominican Republic. Like most Caribbean islands, it was founded by the Spanish and later became a French colony. Haiti was a slave trading port, as well as a colony that used slaves to export products for France. In 1804, the slaves of Haiti revolted and succeeded in over-throwing French rule. This has been THE ONLY TIME EVER IN RECORDED HISTORY that slaves were able to over-throw a government (other slave populations such as the Jews in Egypt have managed to escape, but none have taken over the land of their slavery except Haitians). These are a brave, proud people with a unique history, culture influenced by several African tribes and the French, and unique language. Due to a number of unique events in their history (I'm not going to post my book sized dissertation!!) they made a perfect unique culture for documenting a culturally moderated genetic trait.

A benefit to me is the pleasure I have derived from working with the wonderful people I have met during this process. In particular, one organization stands out: The Haitian Organization of Women in Homestead, Florida. This organization does so much good work - if you're interested, their web address is http://haitianwomen.org/index.php Cuckita, the executive director, is a lovely, hard-working, dedicated individual. I have made a committment to continue supporting their organization by joining as a member and giving regularly.

Haiti is a country with terrible suffering right now. They have gone through a series of dictators (prior to the 1990's supported by the US CIA). They have experienced the Tonton Macout - a CIA trained, government supported death squad that in our lifetimes has murdered more people than can be counted. Right now, Haiti is experiencing a humanitarian crisis. The UN has peace-keeping troops posted there. Many Haitians lack clean water, adequate food supplies, and most in rural areas are unable to obtain an education. The first picture above is of Laura Bush's visit in March of this year (2008). I personally try to help by supporting a child through a mission effort (meals, schooling, church available). The second picture is of a Haitian woman making cakes from mud - yes, they are forced to eat mud due to such a severe food shortage. The last picture is of a UN truck in Haiti.

Haiti fulfilled the requirements for my dissertation and at the same time it is personally fulfilling to work with this population. My dissertation work will also provide the first and only psychological measure with normative data for Haitians (no psychological test/measures exist currently that can be used with confidence with persons of Haitian descent). It's an exciting, fun, and fulfilling piece of work!

Baby Got Back

I saw this photo online and cracked up! I want some of these seats for our yard!! This photo was taken in China. Speaking of which ... things are not looking good in Sichuan Province right now.

An addition to the world food crisis: if any of you have seen the bread shortage in Egypt in the news, you will be appalled by this article documenting OPEC nation's and particularly Saudi Arabias indifference to their plight (people dying while waiting to get bread, murders for bread)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355736,00.html

Also yesterday, I posed this question: If a country had 3 major problems with these criteria, which should be a priority?

1. This thing has killed approximately 4,000 people in 4 years. The people knew there was that risk and accepted it.

2. This thing has killed 17,000 people per year (about 68,000) . The people knew there was some risk and accepted it.

3. This thing has killed 17,000 per year (about 68,000). The people killed were unaware of the danger - basically, they were innocent bystanders.

For most of us, it would seem logical to tackle problem #3 first - that ties for 1st place for most deaths and the deaths are innocent people. So what are these things? The first is the number of deaths from the wars in Iraq and Afganistan in the past 4 years (approximate numbers!). The second is the number of deaths attributed directly to illicit drug use (for example, a heart attack due to cocaine ingestion). The third is the number of deaths due to DRUNK DRIVERS in the United States. Yes, approximately 68,000 people in 4 years.

While I am certainly no fan of war, I'd say it is a small problem for us in terms of human life when compared to how many of ourselves we are killing and allowing to be killed simply because our courts do not take drunk drivers off the road the first time. I'm always amazed when I see protesters with signs reading the body count out of Iraq and Afganistan ... I wonder why they don't care, don't get worked up about 68,000 people killed here. People who did not volunteer for that type of risk, as our men and women in the armed forces do. People that may be children. 17 times the number of people!

So I hope all of us continue to hold those in dire need in our thoughts and prayers. The citizens of Myanmar, Sichuan, Egypt, and many other African nations are in desperate need of food, shelter, and clean water.

On a positive side note, I did about 2 hours work on my dissertation today! Yahoo! I still need 80 more participants - persons either born in Haiti or of Haitian descent. I've worked with groups in Florida, Washington DC, New York (city and state), Detroit, and Chicago so far. If anyone knows any Haitians, meets any Haitians or persons of Haitian descent, or knows somebody that knows someone, please let me know!!

And last (but certainly not least!) please take a moment to watch this excellent and short video about President Ford and Davenport University: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H7HeAt0XDQ

I worked on my dissertation for about an hour this morning; not nearly enough, but I'm in a major burn-out period! I have to get myself fired up again so I can push much harder (like 7/8 hours a day!).

While running some errands, I stopped to walk at Davenport University. Here (right) were three geese walking across the parking lot - I'm not sure why!






This next photo is of the one lone duck I spied (photo on the right)! Usually there are both ducks and geese, as well as herons (and a few muskrats). Today was just a lot of geese.




Last (the photo on the left) is a nice goose family! You may need to enlarge the picture to see the babies.

I planted a few things in the garden today ... some peppers, cilantro, stevia, basil, a pumpkin, cucumber, and squash. Still holding off on my new tomato plants. I'm keeping those safe from the cool night air in bags up against the house. Got groceries today, too (yuck). I was talking to a women at the store, and she was commenting how much more prices are going to go up. She said her husband works for an independent trucking firm here in town. They often pick up things from warehouses to deliver to local businesses (around the state). She said with diesel being so high, it costs her husband $1000. right now to fill up his tank! I was imagining picking up a load of cereal in Battle Creek and trying to figure out how many boxes would fit in a truck. Even if it's a thousand, that's still another dollar a box!

Also, Clay and I put together our new kettle grill. We have a gas grill, but sometimes we really enjoy charcoal grilling! Steaks on a gas grill just aren't the same as steaks on a charcoal grill. We grilled some Polish sausage on it right after finishing.

So, Harrison and I need to work on his math yet today. To be honest I feel too tired today! I hate days like this when I feel worn out and unmotivated and like I didn't get done even a quarter of what I had in mind!

I've been thinking about the terrible natural disasters we've had in the last 2 years ... the tsunami in the Pacific Islands, Katrina (which was more than just Louisianna - Louisanna just whines more!), tornados throughout the central US (lots and lots the past 2 years), the cyclone in Myanmar, and now this earthquake in China. I hate to imagine how high the death tolls will be from the last two. I've heard so many theories - it's cyclic and normal, it's "mother nature" rebalancing after we've overpopulated, bombed, and pollulted, it's God punishing us for treating the earth and each other poorly, and so on. I just don't know what to think. I understand that of course there will be more deaths as we become more densely populated and I also understand the difference instant news makes (40 years ago we wouldn't have heard of the earthquake in China). It just seems like a lot, especially a lot for the world to swallow .... and pay for!

Speaking of paying for things, the US has consistently been the largest contributor to the UN's World Food Bank. You want to see how "giving" and "kind" and "caring" the OPEC nations are? Check this out: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354677,00.html?sPage=fnc/world/unitednations A quote: "The OPEC total amounts to roughly one minute and 10 seconds worth of the organization’s estimated $674 billion in annual oil revenues in 2007 — revenues that will be vastly exceeded in 2008 with the continuing spiral in world oil prices." Let's see what they do for Myanmar and China.

I wonder at times if they are bleeding the rest of the world dry slowly (of money) and then when there is almost no oil left (less than 60 years from now) and they have both the only oil and all the money ... the boom will fall. Perhaps I'm out in left field on this, but it seems interesting to me that there has been a real effort to culturally indoctrinate people to dislike Western nations, all while getting rich from us (meaning all Western nations, not just the US), with the ultimate goal of either annihilating us or using us as peasant labor in the future. Freaky, huh? And I KNOW immensely unpopular, politically incorrect attitude! I KNOW we're supposed to think everyone has the right to do everything and anything they want now-a-days, but honeslty, I don't agree. Some things are just wrong. Sometimes, even whole countries are wrong (oh my gosh, the "politically correct god of the U.S." may strike me down now!!!!!!!).

It will be an interesting next 50 years of my life, watching how this all plays out! I would love to see things go in a more positive direction.

So here's one more thought I'll leave each of you with today. If a country had 3 major problems with these criteria, which should be a priority?

1. This thing has killed approximately 4,000 people in 4 years. The people knew there was that risk and accepted it.

2. This thing has killed 17,000 people per year (about 68,000) . The people knew there was some risk and accepted it.

3. This thing has killed 17,000 per year (about 68,000). The people killed were unaware of the danger - basically, they were innocent bystanders.

Think about it and I'll tell you what those things are in my next post! Wishing you all a great day! (P.S. I love good discussion that includes dissent - feel free to disagree with me, suggest alternatives, anything!)

Another Beautiful Spring Day

Well here is our kitty Shanty spending the warm afternoon lying in the day lilies!

Yesterday was the Excellence in Business Dinner for Davenport University. Our dear friends, Sharon and John came in to town to attend with us. They boys looked great in their tuxedos! It was the best EIB ever, particulary with the announcement of the Gerald R. Ford memorial scholarship: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080509/clf047.html?.v=101

We enjoyed the company of many friends, new and old as well as an entertaining monologue from Lou Holtz. I was surprised at the number of people who commented they read my blog (since only J and K make comments - but yes, several of you do email me)! I'm really glad to hear about those of you who have been reading and following along!


After arriving home quite late last night, Sharon and I made a snack run to Arby's and we all sat around chowing and chatting until 2am. We slept in, then enjoyed a great luncheon on the 3-season porch. Afterwards, Sharon and John left for home. The men here left for Detroit to attend the Red Wings game.

I then went outside to trim back dead sections of my roses. I have some in the English garden off the kitchen, and these pictured below in the front of the house. I can't wait for them to bloom this year!


These are moslty hybrid teas and include Rio Samba, Tropicana, Black Magic and others, as well as floribunda Honey Perfume. I am hoping for an explosion of color this summer! If so, I will certainly post photos! To look at any of the pictures close-up, just click on them and a larger version will appear!






This is sweet woodruff that is beautifully taking over the weed mess in our side yard. It's far more attractive than dandilions, goldenrod, picker-weeds, and other assorted nasty stuff! We planted a few flats a couple of years ago and this year, it has really taken hold well!








These are our fish! Sorry that due to the late afternoon sun, the shadows from the trees were so pronounced! However, I think you can still see some of the fish. Several really grew a lot this year and are about 7 or 8 inches in length. We have 9 koi and 2 fat, round goldfish. Clay is awaiting the arrival of a new BLUE koi this week!


Last, this is how I know spring has arrived and is here to stay! This is my seedless concord grape. It looks like a mess of dead twigs and never gets leaves until spring is solidly in place. Some years, it has had no leaves until June! Today I saw all the buds were opening to reveal the first pink-tipped leaves! Yahoo! No more cold!

Roselle Park

Since a few people told me how wonderful our new Roselle Park is and one friend even posted pictures of her and her daughter's walk there, I decided to go last week! I've walked there almost every day since; the trails are great. To the left is a picture of the Grand River - still Michigan winter brown, but you can see the leaves budding!


I took a picture of this bridge because I have to wonder is it me or is the river crooked (I'm assuming the installers measured and used a level to make sure the overlook was level!)? It's a strange optical illusion at any rate - even stranger in person!
These next photos are of some very large fish stuck in pools of water. These fish are about 2 feet in length - I have a hard time believing the river flooded to here (see the berm effect of the land behind the pool of water - the river is down below the tree line). I'm thinking maybe the creek that is about 40 yards from these pools of water overflowed (river back-up?) and that spilled into this wetland area. It just seems like too much water for snow melt. Anyway, it was cool to see these very large fish like this! I'm not sure if they were pike or carp - the water was too murky to make out markings or exact color. The pool with 2 fish in it was almost dried up today - I was glad to see someone moved the fish! Had they still been in the little amount of water left today, I was prepared to move them. The other three are still in their little pool.


One concern I have is the lack of leashes. I have no idea if Ada has a "leash law" or if the park has rules (nothing posted yet), but each time I've been there, I've run across at least 2 dogs running free. I understand it's probably a lot of fun for the dogs to run here, but I see a couple of problems. First, people like me who like to slowly warm up to a dog, not be over-run by a HUGE animal (as I was on Saturday - one of the hugest dogs I've ever been near or seen - well over 100 lbs). Second, this park was partly funded by a conservation grant to provide wetlands for native species. The dogs are chasing off the geese, ducks, and other waterfowl. I think if the dog thing continues, the birds won't nest there.

I was impressed with the plans that are posted for the park! It looks like when it is completed, it will be a lovely recreation area, including a fishing pond, picnicing areas, bike trails, hiking trails, a banquet facility, canoe launches, and a playground. There are 240 acres for development as parkland. I have truly enjoyed walking with not too many people around, water near-by, and lots of nature to look at!