There was a whale of an art show in Bothell on June 28th. Featured artists were Christina Olsen Burtner and Lindsay Davis. The show proved to be a gala event and was a rousing success. The gallery was filled with people from all walks of life - family and friends came from far and wide to share in this creative experience. Tasteful refreshments were provided as the crowd visited with one another and viewed the colorful and imaginative art works. A good time was had by all.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
June 28 Art Show
There was a whale of an art show in Bothell on June 28th. Featured artists were Christina Olsen Burtner and Lindsay Davis. The show proved to be a gala event and was a rousing success. The gallery was filled with people from all walks of life - family and friends came from far and wide to share in this creative experience. Tasteful refreshments were provided as the crowd visited with one another and viewed the colorful and imaginative art works. A good time was had by all.
O U C H !
Here's what happened on May 16th of this year.
I call it my "Yard Working Accident".
While doing some yard work, I tripped and was attacked by the yard tools!
I didn't start the fight and I sure lost big time.
The good news is that I have recovered and may pull another weed soon....
All's well that ends well.
No Band-aid Today
It's the 4th of July.Today I went for a walk to the grocery store and for the first time in seven weeks I did not wear a bandage of any kind on my nose.
As you may remember, I suffered a serious accident on May 16th of this year as I was doing yard work at my daughter's home in Ballard. I tripped over some yard equipment which caused a bad fall, facial lacerations and a badly cut and damaged nose. There was blood everywhere and it was quite a disaster. The good news is that no yard tools were damaged or broken.
I was helped into Christina's car and we rocketed at top speed to Ballard Swedish Emergency where the medical staff immediately set about to clean me up, close the wounds and tack my nose back on. I was poked, prodded and asked a lot of questions. There were tubes and monitors and injections for pain that were directed straight into my face, nose and forehead. Finally - over twenty stiches later and covered with bandages I was released out into the world.
We then went to the pharmacy to pick up some pain medication and then on to the optical shop to get what were once my "new" eye glasses fixed and straightened. At the end of the day I was bruised, broken, suffering aches and pains and feeling very much like the village idiot. No more yard work for me for awhile. I am too old for this kind of stuff.
Here we are in July and all seems to have healed fairly well. My sinus and the areas below my eyes were banged up where my glasses jambed into my face. All of this as well as small facial nicks and cuts have now cleared up. A portion of my nose was actually deeply sliced and diced and hanging before my very eyes but this big hurt has responded better than I expected. At this time, there is scaring, discoloring and a slight dent but time may see these things slowly improve.
Be careful out there! Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. I feel so lucky and thankful for having caring and supportive people around at the time of my accident. The quick thinking and fast driving of my loving daughter Christina. My good friend Rick Adams who happened to be visiting from Oregon. The Nurses at Swedish Medical Clinic Emergency were fantastic! Elizabeth, Maria and Stacey! Later I had the stiches removed and was examined by my regular doctors at Seattle's Virginia Mason Medical Clinic. I thank my lucky stars for really good medical insurance.
Everyday I brush my teeth and look in the bathroom mirror I am reminded of what happened on that day in May of this year. I fought the lawn and the lawn won!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Heartbreak Kid
Young Gary
It's always fun to accompany a blog entry with a photo or something visual.
As I have nothing really exciting handy I thought that this early boyhood photo might do the trick. Nice! Sweet bird of youth!
It's always fun to accompany a blog entry with a photo or something visual.
As I have nothing really exciting handy I thought that this early boyhood photo might do the trick. Nice! Sweet bird of youth!
Thoughts & Reflections
Quiet Sunday
Today is Mother's Day and it's a day that as a single parent Gary also celebrates. For years he was a Mother and a Father to his two children and the three of them sure went through a lot of trials and tribulations. Gary's hat is off to all those single mothers out there as he knows that they really have their hands full as they try to balance so many things all at the same time. Life is hard for us all but for some it is even harder. Love your kids - they will never forget you.
May Days
The weather is finally warming up in the Seattle area. The winter and spring hung on forever around here and most folks thought that springtime might not show up until the 4th of July. There just may be something to these concepts of global warming and climate change. It has been especially cold through March and April with more snow in the mountains and rain near sea level than many of us are used to seeing. One good thing is that no one is worried about summertime "drought" around here. We have lots of water in the lakes, rivers and reservoirs. The weatherman tells us that sunny days and temperatures in the 70's are coming our way - maybe towards the end of this coming week. Yeah! Right!
Vacation
Old dad here is embarking on two weeks of vacation - starting right now. He won't be out in the early morning cold waiting for the bus to show up to take him to the office. The workplace will get along just fine without him as no one is indispensable. A long list has been made up and all kinds of things may get done around home. In other words, this guy has no plans to jet off to Tahiti or France or even Italy. Not even Canada which is only a two or three hour drive away.
We are talking a vacation dedicated to rest, relaxation and sleep. A no-stress vacation - one of just wandering around Ballard and Seattle. A time of going slow and pretending to be retired.
Retirement
Speaking of retirement - Gary recently discovered that he can actually retire in about 11 months. He can walk away from the Ferry System on April 01, 2009 if he wishes to do so. Of course many folks elect to keep on working especially with the Recession and poor economic forecast. This old workhorse is wondering what to do. He has been with the State Ferries since 1991 - almost 17 years and it is losing it's attraction. Presently it is a real mess and undergoing management and reorganization changes. Old boats are either falling apart or being taken out of service. A new building program is in the works that include the design and construction of five (5) new ferryboats. Three large vessels and two smaller ferries. This program is just underway and promises years of work for those who remain employed with the Ferry System. However, it will be at least two or three years before any new ferry is launched and is ready for service.
Family
Gary's mother is past her 90th birthday and continues to be full of life. She keeps most active is is pretty darned healthy. She can carry on a bright, lively conversation about everything - from world politics to what the neighbors are doing. She jumps on the bus and goes to see her doctor, buys groceries, shops at the mall and even occasionally to the casino. Gary's three sisters are keeping busy too and seem to be leading full and robust lives.
Gary's two children remain the bright lights in his life. They are so talented and special that he often feels that they must be from some other person's family. David and Christina have worked hard all of their lives - paying their fair share of taxes and helping to keep America free and strong. And they have contributed to so many with their good works, their personal skills and talents and helpful attitudes. Old dad is so proud of what these two children have accomplished. All on their own. At this point in time, the family is doing fine.
Today is Mother's Day and it's a day that as a single parent Gary also celebrates. For years he was a Mother and a Father to his two children and the three of them sure went through a lot of trials and tribulations. Gary's hat is off to all those single mothers out there as he knows that they really have their hands full as they try to balance so many things all at the same time. Life is hard for us all but for some it is even harder. Love your kids - they will never forget you.
May Days
The weather is finally warming up in the Seattle area. The winter and spring hung on forever around here and most folks thought that springtime might not show up until the 4th of July. There just may be something to these concepts of global warming and climate change. It has been especially cold through March and April with more snow in the mountains and rain near sea level than many of us are used to seeing. One good thing is that no one is worried about summertime "drought" around here. We have lots of water in the lakes, rivers and reservoirs. The weatherman tells us that sunny days and temperatures in the 70's are coming our way - maybe towards the end of this coming week. Yeah! Right!
Vacation
Old dad here is embarking on two weeks of vacation - starting right now. He won't be out in the early morning cold waiting for the bus to show up to take him to the office. The workplace will get along just fine without him as no one is indispensable. A long list has been made up and all kinds of things may get done around home. In other words, this guy has no plans to jet off to Tahiti or France or even Italy. Not even Canada which is only a two or three hour drive away.
We are talking a vacation dedicated to rest, relaxation and sleep. A no-stress vacation - one of just wandering around Ballard and Seattle. A time of going slow and pretending to be retired.
Retirement
Speaking of retirement - Gary recently discovered that he can actually retire in about 11 months. He can walk away from the Ferry System on April 01, 2009 if he wishes to do so. Of course many folks elect to keep on working especially with the Recession and poor economic forecast. This old workhorse is wondering what to do. He has been with the State Ferries since 1991 - almost 17 years and it is losing it's attraction. Presently it is a real mess and undergoing management and reorganization changes. Old boats are either falling apart or being taken out of service. A new building program is in the works that include the design and construction of five (5) new ferryboats. Three large vessels and two smaller ferries. This program is just underway and promises years of work for those who remain employed with the Ferry System. However, it will be at least two or three years before any new ferry is launched and is ready for service.
Family
Gary's mother is past her 90th birthday and continues to be full of life. She keeps most active is is pretty darned healthy. She can carry on a bright, lively conversation about everything - from world politics to what the neighbors are doing. She jumps on the bus and goes to see her doctor, buys groceries, shops at the mall and even occasionally to the casino. Gary's three sisters are keeping busy too and seem to be leading full and robust lives.
Gary's two children remain the bright lights in his life. They are so talented and special that he often feels that they must be from some other person's family. David and Christina have worked hard all of their lives - paying their fair share of taxes and helping to keep America free and strong. And they have contributed to so many with their good works, their personal skills and talents and helpful attitudes. Old dad is so proud of what these two children have accomplished. All on their own. At this point in time, the family is doing fine.
Friday, May 2, 2008
iPod Birthday
iGary + iPod = iFun
My birthday was in March and my daughter Christina bought me an iPod Shuffle. It is so great! I love it! So far there are 50 hot tunes loaded into this this little guy. I am wired. All kinds of great stuff from ZZ Top to Louis Prima to Toots and the Matals.
Maiden Blog Voyage
Hi everyone....
This is my first note in my first blog.
This is a painting that I painted 40+ years ago when I was a kid.
I have no idea why the flag is part of the painting.
Hopefully I will paint again.
I need to do this so I will have more blog content.
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