What's new? It is something we say to our friends and family when we have not seen them for a while. Sometimes it is simply a pleasant way of saying hello. Sometimes we truly want to know what is new in the other person's life. So what is new with me? Lots!
Last May I mentioned that we were moving. Well, that all happened. We sold our house in Henrico County and moved into a condo in the city of Richmond. We went from a big tri-level house to an 8th floor smaller 3 bedroom condo. We truly downsized. It was a big endeavor and added quite a bit of stress to my life. Buying and selling a house is itself a bit stressful. Add in the actual physical work of packing and moving and all the time that takes out of your day, and you get a fair amount of unwanted stress. In my case, I started a new job at VCU on June 25th so that was another new thing in my life. New routines, new schedules. Sometimes new things can be a pleasant change, sometimes they just add to the stress.
In addition to moving, my father deteriorated and passed away at the beginning of August. This all happened in the midst of the most trying times of our move. There were so many different entities to deal with during our sale/purchase/move that I was beginning to get quite aggravated with anyone who did not communicate succinctly and clearly. Certain entities who will go unmentioned here really made my blood boil. All my wheels were squeaking at one point so I could get people to do their jobs properly. It was quite annoying.
Luckily for me, I have a great support system. Melissa was so supportive and helpful during all of this. She traveled on her own up to NOVA (never a fun drive) to spend time with my mother while my brother John had a malignant tumor removed from his kidney. Yeah, that was another thing that happened. While my Dad's physical health was on a steep downward trajectory, John had to have surgery to remove a cancerous growth. Of course John knows what HTFU is all about. In fact, John is the epitome of HTFU. After his surgery, he was in his room and the nurse asked him what his pain level was. Four he says. I think at one point he said it got up to a 5 or 6. Most of us would have probably said 8 or higher. Not John. He soldiered on like the trooper that he is.
And Melissa continued to be supportive as always. She took a few turns sitting with my dad on his death bed. She showed her own resolve at what was a difficult time for all of us. My dad seemed to enjoy hearing her soothing voice. I am so lucky to have Melissa as my number one supporter, my wife, my partner in crime. She keeps me on the right path and our bond grows daily.
My friends were also supportive. I can't imagine trying to move without them. I had help from all my various circles. DGIF connections-Carman and Logan, our friend Phil, MK otherwise known as Ballet Mike, Ironmen and good friends Jon and Meredith who spent the entire weekend of our move helping, HCPC connections-JW, Zack, and Margaret. Also, another HCPS former coworker John was instrumental in helping me clear out all the junk someone had left in our storage unit at the condo. Plus, my realtor Stephen Smith was a huge help in the whole buying and selling process. Also, there were other friends who were supportive. Although they might have thought their efforts were nothing, the emails and text messages really helped. My friend Jill seemed to know just what to say at the right time. Her support was behind the scenes, almost covert which I really appreciated. Between her and Meredith's friendly messages, I felt well liked among my friends.
All of these people had different roles in our various phases of moving and I am so thankful that they could all step up to the plate and hit it out of the park. And to those who helped me move, stand by for a future invite for a payback dinner.
After my dad passed away, we had a couple of weeks before the memorial service. That gave me plenty of time to write my tribute. I had actually been writing it in my mind for some time. At least a year. I was honored to be able to deliver my speech at the end of August in front of a packed church. I am thankful to everyone who attended the service. My good friend Chris drove of from Richmond to attend which meant a lot to me. It was great to see all of you even if we did not get to talk much. I am so proud to be the son of a man who could garner such a big crowd for a memorial service. On a holiday weekend nonetheless. Thank you all for coming. It meant so much to me and my family.
So let me quickly summarize. What is new? New job. New House. Brother's surgery. Father passed away. All of this happened in a short amount of time. And while I have not mentioned much about it, I continued my Ironman training which entailed approximately 13 hours of training each week. My race is in about 9 days. I am hoping it is going to be a good day. I think my coach has prepared me well and I have had lots of help from my Jedi Master mentor Jon. I am ready. I will be thinking about my brother John and my dear old dad during the race.
There you have it. A quick summary of the last several months. Despite the difficulties and challenges, I am truly blessed. There are many in the world who wish they could have similar challenges. Let's get er done! Full speed ahead. Carpe Diem!
Thanks for reading. Comments appreciated.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
My Loving Father
Thank you all for coming today to celebrate my Dad. I wanted to take just a few minutes to talk about my Dad and share with you some of our thoughts and memories about him. Many of you knew my Dad. Some better than others. Some of you knew him as an acquaintance, or a good friend. Some as a brother, or brother in-law, some as an uncle, and of course a loving husband. My brothers and I knew my dad simply as Dad.
There are many words you could use to describe my dad. All of them true. He was a very generous person. He was a loving father and husband and a provider for his family. He was smart, hard working, gentle, and creative too. My Dad was all of these things and I am thankful to have such a great role model to guide me in my life.
There was one particular quality of my dad that I always admired. I remember my friends in high school used this word to describe him. They always said, "your dad is so cool." Now I don't think they meant Fonzi cool or Miles Davis cool. They meant cool headed. And they were right. I have numerous stories of my dad keeping his cool. I'd like share just a couple right now.
My earliest memory involves spending time in the basement with my dad, with a nail and an electrical socket. I was about 3 at the time and was doing what 3 year old little boys like to do. I shoved a nail into the socket and it got stuck. As I tried to get it out, I suddenly got a huge jolt and flew backwards across the floor. Dad rushed over to see what happened. He quietly examined me and could see that I was basically ok. Then he wanted to know exactly how I was sitting when it happened and did I have my opposite hand on the floor. I was ok so there was no need to panic. He remained calm and started his root cause analysis.
Later, in high school, I was on a weekend beach trip with a few friends. We were staying with various friends but on our last night, we did not have a place to stay so we slept in the car. After about 2 hours of sleep, we awoke and although the car belonged to the father of a friend, I was behind the wheel so I drove. As we made our way back home, my fellow passengers were all asleep. I guess I decided to join them and I dozed off on the highway. I slowly veered off the road before I awoke to some honking of another car. But not before I slammed into the guard rail. I had smashed up the car pretty well and my friend was not happy and almost left me on the side of the highway. We drove to the next exit and got out of the car. I called my Dad on a payphone. Remember those? I always could count on my dad in times of crisis. He was my go-to guy. I told him what I had done. I said I had done something stupid and had fallen asleep behind the wheel and smashed up my friend's car. My dad's reply was simply this. "Is everyone ok?" I told him yes, everyone is fine. Then he said, "Is the car drivable?" I told him yes. Then he said, "well, come on home then."
My dad was cooler than Miles Davis, cooler than Fonzi. He was a loving man who provided for his family and was always there for us in times of crisis, keeping his cool, solving problems.
Also, besides being cool, my Dad's generosity should not be understated. My dad was not only a provider for us, he also did things for people in need outside our family. He volunteered on several committees at church for many, many years. He taught Sunday School. He took pictures of new members at the church. I often accompanied my dad to the store to buy the poster board that he would use to create new member posters to hang on the church bulletin board. It is those little things that he was always doing behind the scenes that might go unnoticed-unrecognized. Yet he continued to do it. He liked giving his time and talent-contributing to the greater good.
I had the great fortune of working with my Dad at the Transportation Research Board at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC. We drove into upper Georgetown early in the morning. He had these great routes to get to and from to work. He taught me the way home so I could do it on my own when we had different hours. I remember he would say, "once you get here, just follow your nose." And you know what, that actually worked. Years after I had left TRB, I found myself on one of his routes and I just followed my nose and got to where I needed to be.
When I worked at TRB with my dad, we would arrive very early in the morning well before anyone else showed up. We would open up the office and the first thing by dad would do would go to the supply closet and fill up all the copiers and the 2 or 3 laser printers in the office with paper. That way no one would have to ever interrupt their work day to refill the paper. They would not have to fool with, what was then, new technology. To everyone else, it must have seemed that there was an endless supply of paper. More than likely, no one thought about it at all. No one realized that my Dad was working behind the scenes. In fact, I am willing to bet that after he retired, people were not sure what to do when the laser printer flashed LOAD LETTER on the display. I can hear a young engineer saying aloud to the office, "What does LOAD LETTER mean?" Someone would figure out that meant load paper and then they would say, "Well where to you get it." Eventually they would figure it all out but they would wonder why they never had to do that before.
As my brother Erik recalls, Dad was always working on projects in the basement, listening to classical music on his radio that he built. The radio could play two stations at once for those special simulcasts that were often broadcast back then. He fixed nearly all the household problems that would crop up. He helped us build pinewood derby cars. And he used his precise engineering brain to design and build useful things. When Erik went to college, he brought ridiculously huge speakers with him for his dorm room. Dad built him a custom set of shelves to hold his albums and act as speaker stands. For some reason they were painted bright yellow. But they worked like a charm and provided Erik and his friends the joy of rocking out.
Dad knew when to be precise and when to be less formal. I remember working on a project with my dad in the basement. I can't remember the details of what we were working on but I had gotten some experience in shop class and drafting class and wanted to help out more than simply holding the light, or holding the wire as he soldered something which are things I did for many years as a young boy. I can still picture those evenings helping him with all his projects.
For this project, I offered up my knowledge-using a square to make even cut lines on some boards. Dad said, "I think we can just eye ball it." And then he proceeded to draw a straight line on the board with no ruler. And it was straight and after the cut, it was all square. He was always doing that kind of stuff. He was quite skilled and could have been a craftsman. I remember a time when I was helping him nail some things and I bent the nails up pretty good. I pulled them out as he had taught me and was going to through them away. Well, my dad did not grow up with the luxury of disposable income. He had learned to reuse out of necessity rather than to be green for the sake of being green. He quickly took his hammer, straightened out the nails, and re-used them. I was so impressed but back then, I did not even realize how cool that was. I am sure there are not many people who would bother to do that today in our disposable economy. But my dad was resourceful in the true sense of the word.
This next story comes from my older brother Erik. My dad fell in love with soccer. We used to watch Soccer Made in Germany on PBS. My dad wrestled in high school. In Iowa non the less. I doubt they had soccer in Iowa when he grew up. But he became fascinated with the sport and was an overnight fan. Now there comes a time in many a father's life when he is called upon to coach youth sports. My dad was called upon to coach Erik's youth soccer team. So he read up on it, organized the practices, and became the coach of a team in Vienna Youth Soccer. All was going well until the first game. As Erik tells it, my dad would get so nervous watching Erik play that he could hardly bear to watch. In fact, he often could not watch and had to walk away from the field. He was so anxious about it that he LITERALLY could not watch. So coaching really did not work out for him.
But that did not stop him from making huge contributions to Vienna Youth Soccer. Like Jim Pugh before him, he volunteered countless hours as the VYS commissioner so everyone in the community could experience the joy of organized youth soccer. And he worked hard behind the scenes, in his spare time. And he did not simply do all the administrative work of which there was much. He and his very good friend Dick Lefrancious did a lot of hard work to layout and cut the fields, deliver goal posts, nets, uniforms, and field chalk. Delivering chalk had to be done very late in evening after all the teenagers had gone to bed. Otherwise they would disturb the chalk before the fields could get lined. He and Dick would make late night runs to the town yard to pick up the chalk in the soccer truck and deliver it to the fields all over town. I accompanied him on many of these trips and it was a great bonding moment for us. Also, my dad designed the VYS patch which was in use for many years. If you played VYS travel soccer in the 70s, you exchanged many of these patches with teams from all over the east coast.
My dad also knew how to have fun and he enjoyed music immensely. My brother Tom is quite musical himself as some of you know. He asked me to highlight my Dad's love of music and its influence on all of us. Tom recently recalled a story to me that my dad had told him. As I mentioned, my dad grew up poor. He and his friends would go down to the local concert hall and sit, stand, or lie down outside the venue and listen through the walls because they could not afford to go to the concerts. He learned to enjoy music any way he could get it. Later in life, when he had an established career and was a family man, my dad always made sure that we all had quality sound systems to play music on. From the early radios he built himself to Hi-Fi, to modern component stereo that he provided for each of us, my dad wanted to make sure we had a means to listen to any kind of music we wanted to listen to. Again, he was a giver and a provider. More than just food, clothing, shelter, education, and all the things a good mother and father provide, he provided us with culture as well. We heard a huge variety of music. Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, Bing Crosby, Glen Miller, and the list goes on and on.
And not to be outdone by the younger generations, my Dad loved Dire Straits, a rock and roll band and even went to see them in concert. In fact, there is a good story about Dire Straits music and billiards that I am sure my brother John remembers very well. John and Dad played pool almost every night after dinner. Dad of course had a special setup so he could listen to music while he played. Now believe it or not, John is a pretty darn good pool player and when he and my dad played, they would trade games of 9 ball. Sometimes John would win, sometimes Dad would win. They kept score on the chalk board hanging on the wall. Well, if you were playing my dad in pool and you wanted to win, you better not let him put Dire Straits on. Because when the song Walk of Life came on, my dad was unstoppable. Like a scene from a movie, when that song came on, Dad would dance around the table with his pool cue, saddle up to the cue ball and make shot after shot, often running the table, all the while dancing to Walk of Life. I think we will all hold that memory in our minds and hearts. It was my dad having fun, relaxed, dancing, bonding with his sons. We couldn't help but smile. Thinking about it always makes me smile.
Something else my Dad loved was photography. My dad took tons of pictures. Not just member photos. He was the master of the timed family portrait. It was the ultimate selfie really. Before that term was even created. And although he was a great photographer, he always seemed to be saying the CH in cheese when the automatic timer snapped the photo of our whole family. My dad used photography to document events. He took pictures of snow storms and workers taking down trees in the backyard. He took pictures of Craig replacing the insulation in the attic. He just loved taking pictures of anything and everything. He would attend our soccer games and try to take pictures but get too excited to snap the shudder. So then he just came to the games. Even when we became adults, he and John would come to the games. Sometimes Erik and his wife Melissa would be playing an amateur adult soccer game. The players would be there along with the ref. And two spectators. My dad and my brother John. He was always supportive of us even into his old age.
And I can't leave out another interest. Computers. My dad became fascinated with computers and made sure that we all had access to one. He provided us with the latest and greatest tools so we could learn and further our education. Although he did not really seem to trust them all that much. He was fond of printing out all his emails. He printed emails from family, friends, acquaintances, and even that guy from Africa who's holding a million dollars for him.
Dad was a hard worker. He liked raking leaves and chopping wood. Even towards the end of his life when he perhaps did not have as much strength and stability as he used to, he still helped Erik rake and bag leaves in Erik's yard. He liked to keep busy. He did not really watch TV. Growing up the only thing he watched was the occasional sporting event, All in the Family, and later in life Seinfeld. Most of his leisure time was spent either reading the paper, fixing things, working in the basement, raking leaves, chopping wood, and of course cleaning up the kitchen. He took it upon himself to make sure the table was always scrubbed clean after dinner.
My brother Erik recalled his first rock concert. Dad took us to see Kansas. As I said, he was supportive of us and that was the band we were all into at the time. Remember that this was the 70s. When the lights went down and the ubiquitous marijuana cigaret was being passed around., someone handed the joint to him. My dad was a student at Berkley in the sixties so it was probably not the first time this had happened so he knew what to do. He simply passed it over to another row, skipping over his teenage sons. He kept his cool about it of course. Thankfully for all of us, my Dad was a busy engineering student at Berkley and never fell into the counter culture. Interestingly enough, one particular phrase that came out of the counter culture was, "if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem - man." As you will hear next, my dad was an activist in his own way.
Some of you may not know this but my dad gave his time and expertise to help others who were less fortunate than him. And he did this when it was not popular to do so and faced criticism for his actions. But he continued. Perhaps he remembered what it was like to grow up poor. Whatever the reason, my Dad worked hard to find shelter for poor people and helped feed and clothe them. During the Civil Rights movement of the sixites, my dad was an active participant. He did not hold picket signs and march on Washington but he did provide food and clothing for those who did march. My dad worked for CHO and Lutheran Social Services for many years. When he was delivering prepared foods in his truck to poor people, sometimes there were not enough meals to go around. Because my Dad could not turn those meals into more food like in the parable of the loaves and the fishes, he did the next best thing. He used his own money to buy McDonalds so no one would go hungry that night.
I could go on and on. I could tell you about him buying 3 identical blue Honda civics from Hokie Honda, a 1984, 85, and 86. I could tell you about the time he braved rough current in the ocean to come to the aid of my brother Erik who was struggling in the surf. I could recite all the phrases he used to say like, "This is dinner, not dinner theater." Or, "you can't get something for nothing." And one of my favorites, "I am good at math, just lousy at arithmetic."
Let me just conclude by telling you that I loved my Dad very much. It was only in later years that I learned how to tell him. I am so happy that I learned to express my love for him while he could still understand who I was and what that meant. My dad taught me so much. He taught me how to be considerate of others and about the value of hard work. He never lectured me about these things. He lead by example and I did not even know I was being shaped my him. I can honestly say that my Dad was a great man. Together, hand in hand with my Mom, he helped raise us and mold us into the people we are today. Everything that I have accomplished or that I ever WILL accomplish I do so standing on my Dad's shoulders.
We all loved you Dad. May you rest in peace.
There are many words you could use to describe my dad. All of them true. He was a very generous person. He was a loving father and husband and a provider for his family. He was smart, hard working, gentle, and creative too. My Dad was all of these things and I am thankful to have such a great role model to guide me in my life.
There was one particular quality of my dad that I always admired. I remember my friends in high school used this word to describe him. They always said, "your dad is so cool." Now I don't think they meant Fonzi cool or Miles Davis cool. They meant cool headed. And they were right. I have numerous stories of my dad keeping his cool. I'd like share just a couple right now.
My earliest memory involves spending time in the basement with my dad, with a nail and an electrical socket. I was about 3 at the time and was doing what 3 year old little boys like to do. I shoved a nail into the socket and it got stuck. As I tried to get it out, I suddenly got a huge jolt and flew backwards across the floor. Dad rushed over to see what happened. He quietly examined me and could see that I was basically ok. Then he wanted to know exactly how I was sitting when it happened and did I have my opposite hand on the floor. I was ok so there was no need to panic. He remained calm and started his root cause analysis.
Later, in high school, I was on a weekend beach trip with a few friends. We were staying with various friends but on our last night, we did not have a place to stay so we slept in the car. After about 2 hours of sleep, we awoke and although the car belonged to the father of a friend, I was behind the wheel so I drove. As we made our way back home, my fellow passengers were all asleep. I guess I decided to join them and I dozed off on the highway. I slowly veered off the road before I awoke to some honking of another car. But not before I slammed into the guard rail. I had smashed up the car pretty well and my friend was not happy and almost left me on the side of the highway. We drove to the next exit and got out of the car. I called my Dad on a payphone. Remember those? I always could count on my dad in times of crisis. He was my go-to guy. I told him what I had done. I said I had done something stupid and had fallen asleep behind the wheel and smashed up my friend's car. My dad's reply was simply this. "Is everyone ok?" I told him yes, everyone is fine. Then he said, "Is the car drivable?" I told him yes. Then he said, "well, come on home then."
My dad was cooler than Miles Davis, cooler than Fonzi. He was a loving man who provided for his family and was always there for us in times of crisis, keeping his cool, solving problems.
Also, besides being cool, my Dad's generosity should not be understated. My dad was not only a provider for us, he also did things for people in need outside our family. He volunteered on several committees at church for many, many years. He taught Sunday School. He took pictures of new members at the church. I often accompanied my dad to the store to buy the poster board that he would use to create new member posters to hang on the church bulletin board. It is those little things that he was always doing behind the scenes that might go unnoticed-unrecognized. Yet he continued to do it. He liked giving his time and talent-contributing to the greater good.
I had the great fortune of working with my Dad at the Transportation Research Board at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC. We drove into upper Georgetown early in the morning. He had these great routes to get to and from to work. He taught me the way home so I could do it on my own when we had different hours. I remember he would say, "once you get here, just follow your nose." And you know what, that actually worked. Years after I had left TRB, I found myself on one of his routes and I just followed my nose and got to where I needed to be.
When I worked at TRB with my dad, we would arrive very early in the morning well before anyone else showed up. We would open up the office and the first thing by dad would do would go to the supply closet and fill up all the copiers and the 2 or 3 laser printers in the office with paper. That way no one would have to ever interrupt their work day to refill the paper. They would not have to fool with, what was then, new technology. To everyone else, it must have seemed that there was an endless supply of paper. More than likely, no one thought about it at all. No one realized that my Dad was working behind the scenes. In fact, I am willing to bet that after he retired, people were not sure what to do when the laser printer flashed LOAD LETTER on the display. I can hear a young engineer saying aloud to the office, "What does LOAD LETTER mean?" Someone would figure out that meant load paper and then they would say, "Well where to you get it." Eventually they would figure it all out but they would wonder why they never had to do that before.
As my brother Erik recalls, Dad was always working on projects in the basement, listening to classical music on his radio that he built. The radio could play two stations at once for those special simulcasts that were often broadcast back then. He fixed nearly all the household problems that would crop up. He helped us build pinewood derby cars. And he used his precise engineering brain to design and build useful things. When Erik went to college, he brought ridiculously huge speakers with him for his dorm room. Dad built him a custom set of shelves to hold his albums and act as speaker stands. For some reason they were painted bright yellow. But they worked like a charm and provided Erik and his friends the joy of rocking out.
Dad knew when to be precise and when to be less formal. I remember working on a project with my dad in the basement. I can't remember the details of what we were working on but I had gotten some experience in shop class and drafting class and wanted to help out more than simply holding the light, or holding the wire as he soldered something which are things I did for many years as a young boy. I can still picture those evenings helping him with all his projects.
For this project, I offered up my knowledge-using a square to make even cut lines on some boards. Dad said, "I think we can just eye ball it." And then he proceeded to draw a straight line on the board with no ruler. And it was straight and after the cut, it was all square. He was always doing that kind of stuff. He was quite skilled and could have been a craftsman. I remember a time when I was helping him nail some things and I bent the nails up pretty good. I pulled them out as he had taught me and was going to through them away. Well, my dad did not grow up with the luxury of disposable income. He had learned to reuse out of necessity rather than to be green for the sake of being green. He quickly took his hammer, straightened out the nails, and re-used them. I was so impressed but back then, I did not even realize how cool that was. I am sure there are not many people who would bother to do that today in our disposable economy. But my dad was resourceful in the true sense of the word.
This next story comes from my older brother Erik. My dad fell in love with soccer. We used to watch Soccer Made in Germany on PBS. My dad wrestled in high school. In Iowa non the less. I doubt they had soccer in Iowa when he grew up. But he became fascinated with the sport and was an overnight fan. Now there comes a time in many a father's life when he is called upon to coach youth sports. My dad was called upon to coach Erik's youth soccer team. So he read up on it, organized the practices, and became the coach of a team in Vienna Youth Soccer. All was going well until the first game. As Erik tells it, my dad would get so nervous watching Erik play that he could hardly bear to watch. In fact, he often could not watch and had to walk away from the field. He was so anxious about it that he LITERALLY could not watch. So coaching really did not work out for him.
But that did not stop him from making huge contributions to Vienna Youth Soccer. Like Jim Pugh before him, he volunteered countless hours as the VYS commissioner so everyone in the community could experience the joy of organized youth soccer. And he worked hard behind the scenes, in his spare time. And he did not simply do all the administrative work of which there was much. He and his very good friend Dick Lefrancious did a lot of hard work to layout and cut the fields, deliver goal posts, nets, uniforms, and field chalk. Delivering chalk had to be done very late in evening after all the teenagers had gone to bed. Otherwise they would disturb the chalk before the fields could get lined. He and Dick would make late night runs to the town yard to pick up the chalk in the soccer truck and deliver it to the fields all over town. I accompanied him on many of these trips and it was a great bonding moment for us. Also, my dad designed the VYS patch which was in use for many years. If you played VYS travel soccer in the 70s, you exchanged many of these patches with teams from all over the east coast.
My dad also knew how to have fun and he enjoyed music immensely. My brother Tom is quite musical himself as some of you know. He asked me to highlight my Dad's love of music and its influence on all of us. Tom recently recalled a story to me that my dad had told him. As I mentioned, my dad grew up poor. He and his friends would go down to the local concert hall and sit, stand, or lie down outside the venue and listen through the walls because they could not afford to go to the concerts. He learned to enjoy music any way he could get it. Later in life, when he had an established career and was a family man, my dad always made sure that we all had quality sound systems to play music on. From the early radios he built himself to Hi-Fi, to modern component stereo that he provided for each of us, my dad wanted to make sure we had a means to listen to any kind of music we wanted to listen to. Again, he was a giver and a provider. More than just food, clothing, shelter, education, and all the things a good mother and father provide, he provided us with culture as well. We heard a huge variety of music. Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, Bing Crosby, Glen Miller, and the list goes on and on.
And not to be outdone by the younger generations, my Dad loved Dire Straits, a rock and roll band and even went to see them in concert. In fact, there is a good story about Dire Straits music and billiards that I am sure my brother John remembers very well. John and Dad played pool almost every night after dinner. Dad of course had a special setup so he could listen to music while he played. Now believe it or not, John is a pretty darn good pool player and when he and my dad played, they would trade games of 9 ball. Sometimes John would win, sometimes Dad would win. They kept score on the chalk board hanging on the wall. Well, if you were playing my dad in pool and you wanted to win, you better not let him put Dire Straits on. Because when the song Walk of Life came on, my dad was unstoppable. Like a scene from a movie, when that song came on, Dad would dance around the table with his pool cue, saddle up to the cue ball and make shot after shot, often running the table, all the while dancing to Walk of Life. I think we will all hold that memory in our minds and hearts. It was my dad having fun, relaxed, dancing, bonding with his sons. We couldn't help but smile. Thinking about it always makes me smile.
Something else my Dad loved was photography. My dad took tons of pictures. Not just member photos. He was the master of the timed family portrait. It was the ultimate selfie really. Before that term was even created. And although he was a great photographer, he always seemed to be saying the CH in cheese when the automatic timer snapped the photo of our whole family. My dad used photography to document events. He took pictures of snow storms and workers taking down trees in the backyard. He took pictures of Craig replacing the insulation in the attic. He just loved taking pictures of anything and everything. He would attend our soccer games and try to take pictures but get too excited to snap the shudder. So then he just came to the games. Even when we became adults, he and John would come to the games. Sometimes Erik and his wife Melissa would be playing an amateur adult soccer game. The players would be there along with the ref. And two spectators. My dad and my brother John. He was always supportive of us even into his old age.
And I can't leave out another interest. Computers. My dad became fascinated with computers and made sure that we all had access to one. He provided us with the latest and greatest tools so we could learn and further our education. Although he did not really seem to trust them all that much. He was fond of printing out all his emails. He printed emails from family, friends, acquaintances, and even that guy from Africa who's holding a million dollars for him.
Dad was a hard worker. He liked raking leaves and chopping wood. Even towards the end of his life when he perhaps did not have as much strength and stability as he used to, he still helped Erik rake and bag leaves in Erik's yard. He liked to keep busy. He did not really watch TV. Growing up the only thing he watched was the occasional sporting event, All in the Family, and later in life Seinfeld. Most of his leisure time was spent either reading the paper, fixing things, working in the basement, raking leaves, chopping wood, and of course cleaning up the kitchen. He took it upon himself to make sure the table was always scrubbed clean after dinner.
My brother Erik recalled his first rock concert. Dad took us to see Kansas. As I said, he was supportive of us and that was the band we were all into at the time. Remember that this was the 70s. When the lights went down and the ubiquitous marijuana cigaret was being passed around., someone handed the joint to him. My dad was a student at Berkley in the sixties so it was probably not the first time this had happened so he knew what to do. He simply passed it over to another row, skipping over his teenage sons. He kept his cool about it of course. Thankfully for all of us, my Dad was a busy engineering student at Berkley and never fell into the counter culture. Interestingly enough, one particular phrase that came out of the counter culture was, "if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem - man." As you will hear next, my dad was an activist in his own way.
Some of you may not know this but my dad gave his time and expertise to help others who were less fortunate than him. And he did this when it was not popular to do so and faced criticism for his actions. But he continued. Perhaps he remembered what it was like to grow up poor. Whatever the reason, my Dad worked hard to find shelter for poor people and helped feed and clothe them. During the Civil Rights movement of the sixites, my dad was an active participant. He did not hold picket signs and march on Washington but he did provide food and clothing for those who did march. My dad worked for CHO and Lutheran Social Services for many years. When he was delivering prepared foods in his truck to poor people, sometimes there were not enough meals to go around. Because my Dad could not turn those meals into more food like in the parable of the loaves and the fishes, he did the next best thing. He used his own money to buy McDonalds so no one would go hungry that night.
I could go on and on. I could tell you about him buying 3 identical blue Honda civics from Hokie Honda, a 1984, 85, and 86. I could tell you about the time he braved rough current in the ocean to come to the aid of my brother Erik who was struggling in the surf. I could recite all the phrases he used to say like, "This is dinner, not dinner theater." Or, "you can't get something for nothing." And one of my favorites, "I am good at math, just lousy at arithmetic."
Let me just conclude by telling you that I loved my Dad very much. It was only in later years that I learned how to tell him. I am so happy that I learned to express my love for him while he could still understand who I was and what that meant. My dad taught me so much. He taught me how to be considerate of others and about the value of hard work. He never lectured me about these things. He lead by example and I did not even know I was being shaped my him. I can honestly say that my Dad was a great man. Together, hand in hand with my Mom, he helped raise us and mold us into the people we are today. Everything that I have accomplished or that I ever WILL accomplish I do so standing on my Dad's shoulders.
We all loved you Dad. May you rest in peace.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Big News
It has been an extremely busy spring. As you may know from my last update way back at the beginning of March, I had lots of races on the calendar. Sometimes, I get too busy training and racing to have time to stop and reflect on each race. I always make some comments about my races to my coach, but I would love to produce witty and informative race reports for each event. But alas, I am not actually that good of a writer. I occasionally have a burst of creative inspiration but mostly I have found that my race reports were stale and lacked the excitement of the first couple of ones I did when I got started with all of this. I decided it was time to write less and when I did write try to be interesting. Then I decided, if I can't be interesting or funny, maybe I should not write at all. In the end, I decided I would enjoy my chronicles later in life despite their dryness, lack of excitement or insightful commentary.
But before I go into all the race reports, I wanted to inform you of another development in our lives. No, we did not get a dog. Although we did get a cat. Our big news is that we are selling our house. That's right, it is time to downsize. We have a 2700 square foot tri-level house that is just too much house for us. The yard work has become cumbersome. It's not like I need the exercise either. So we put our house on the market and put a contract on a 1800 sq ft condo. We worked hard on our house to get it looking good. We got the driveway resealed and even put on a new roof.
So please, check out the listing and pass it along.
http://www.searchallproperties.com/listings/1921190/511-Ironington-Road-Richmond-VA
That's all for now. Next time I will fill you in on the races I have done so far this year. Just to recap, I have completed two 5Ks, one 10K, one 15K, 4 triathlons, and one supported 100 mile bike ride.
Thanks for reading.
But before I go into all the race reports, I wanted to inform you of another development in our lives. No, we did not get a dog. Although we did get a cat. Our big news is that we are selling our house. That's right, it is time to downsize. We have a 2700 square foot tri-level house that is just too much house for us. The yard work has become cumbersome. It's not like I need the exercise either. So we put our house on the market and put a contract on a 1800 sq ft condo. We worked hard on our house to get it looking good. We got the driveway resealed and even put on a new roof.
So please, check out the listing and pass it along.
http://www.searchallproperties.com/listings/1921190/511-Ironington-Road-Richmond-VA
That's all for now. Next time I will fill you in on the races I have done so far this year. Just to recap, I have completed two 5Ks, one 10K, one 15K, 4 triathlons, and one supported 100 mile bike ride.
Thanks for reading.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
2014 Race and Event Schedule
I have had my race schedule planned out for a little while now but have finally decided to commit it all to the blogosphere. It is a busy and ambitious schedule. I enjoy racing and having a full schedule keeps me motivated and on track.
Not all of these races are A races. In fact, I only really have one A race, some B races, a couple of B+ races and a C race. In the world of endurance sports, an A race is one that gets full preparation and dedication including a proper taper before the race. B races are less important races that are fun, perhaps challenging, and good training for future races. They usually do not include a full taper. I will rest before a B race but not do a full blown taper. To me, a B+ race is like a B race but is a race I would like to push myself a little harder in. Of course I always push myself. But a B+ race has a condition that makes it more meaningful to me than other B races. Below, I list all of my races and events as well as whether they are A or B races and what gives the B+ races a tad more weight in my emotional commitment.
- Saturday, March 29th - Monument Ave 10K - C Race. Just another training day really. If I feel particularly good that day, I will see what I can do. Mostly I am doing this race because my work encourages us to run and actually pays our entry
- Saturday, April 6th - Smithfield Sprint Triathlon - 300 meter pool swim, 10 Mile Bike, 5K run. B+ race. Last year I got 5th in my age group. Therefore I have made this a B+ race meaning I have high expectations and would love to make it to my first podium.
- Saturday, April 26th - Richmond Tri Club Sprint Triathlon- 400 meter open water style pool swim, 20K Bike, 5K run. B race. I did this race last year and it was a lot of fun. It is here in town which is convenient and I know lots of people racing. Hoping to go out and have some fun and beat last year's time.
- Sunday, May 4th - Monticello Man Olympic Triathlon- .9 mile swim, 24 mile bike, 10K run. B race. I did this last year and it was a challenge. It was windy and cold and I was not "happy" the whole time. However, I had fun overall and my friends are doing it again this year so it should be fun. It is a triple J event.
- Saturday, May 10th - Cap to Cap Century Bike Ride- 100 mile bike ride with supported rest stops on the way. Not a race. I would like to get as many 100 milers in as possible this year before my Ironman. Actually I would prefer to get some 120s in. That last 12 miles on the bike is always difficult. Of course, I am not sure how many I will get in. It all depends on what Coach says.
- Sunday, May 11 - Kinetic Sprint Triathlon - 750 Meter Lake Swim, 15.5 Mile Bike 5K run. I may have inadvertently told my coach this was a B race. But it is actually a C race now that I think of it. Mostly I am doing this race as a birthday celebration. I like to do something on the epic side for my birthday every year. A century bike ride the day before a triathlon is leaning in the direction of epic. Not quite there but about as close as I am going to get for a birthday celebration in May.
- Saturday, May 17th and Sunday, May 18th - Ironman Chattanooga Training Camp. Not a race. Just a training weekend on the Ironman Chattanooga course. I am not good at remembering terrain or routes but getting out on the course will be a big help. Since the course has multiple loops on the run and then bike, I can see most if not all of the course and get a good idea of the elevation and anything else that might help me train for the race.
- Sunday, May 25th -Mountains of Misery- This one is also not a race. Although some people will seem like they are racing, I am going to take my time and enjoy the scenery. The MOM is a 104 mile bike ride with 10,000 feet of climbing in the mountains near Blacksburg, VA.
- Saturday, July 12th -Mini-Musselman Triathlon - 750 meter lake swim, 16.1 mile bike, 3.1 mile run. B+ race. I am doing the Musselman double so I would like to see how I compare to others doing the double.
- Sunday, July 13th - Musselman Triathlon - 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. B+ race. It will be neat to see how I compare to the other doublers. I have no idea what to expect.
- Sunday, September 28th - Ironman Chattanooga - 2.4 mile river swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. A race. All of my training and preparation is building to this day. I would love to go sub 12:30 which is an attainable goal I think.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Where does the time go? I think I actually have a pretty good idea.
Where does the time go?
February is almost over and I am just now getting to my first post of the new year. Why have I not blogged since December? Where did the time go? Well, I think I can partially answer that question.
In January, I logged 33 hours of training in my Training Peaks. That comes to more than 8 hours a week of training. And that does not include the time it takes to drive to the pool, or drive to the track, or drive to meet friends for a group ride, or driving to yoga class, or driving to indoor cycling class. I am not sure how many hours I spend driving to and from workouts, but it adds up.
For example, let's take a typical Tuesday in January. I would wake up at 5AM to get ready for indoor cycling class. At 5:30, I would drive to class which takes about 15 minutes. Then class would go from about 5:50 to 7. Then I would drive home which is another 15 minutes. After a quick shower and getting my lunch together, I would head off for my 20 minute drive to work. Work plus lunch and the drive home is another 9 hours. After getting home, I would immediately start getting ready to head out to track practice. The drive to the track was about 20 minutes or so. Track practice lasts about 1 hour and then I drive the 20 minutes back home. Once home, I would make dinner which usually takes about 30 minutes. Then we eat and relax for a few minutes which takes about another 20 minutes. Of course the evening chores need to be done after dinner. Cleaning up the kitchen, taking out the trash, etc takes another 15 minutes or so depending on how messy I was when cooking dinner. Finally, after cleaning up, it is time for some leisure time before bed. Usually, Melissa and I will watch a little something on Hulu but never more than about 20 to 40 minutes. During the commercials we catch up on our Facebook, Twitter, and all the other stuff we are plugged into online. Then it is time to start getting my gear ready for the follow morning workout. Then nighttime rituals mostly involving some kind of hygiene. Finally, it is time for bed. That does not mean sleep yet though. For I have to read for a while before I really am relaxed enough to fall asleep. If I am lucky, I would get 7 hours of sleep. Sometimes closer to 6 hours which is not optimal and even 5 hours sometime. Shhh. Don't tell my coach. I would like to work it out so I can get more sleep but that is a topic for another day.
So as you can see, preparing for, driving to, and completing workouts in addition to the daily chores adds up. While I would love to blog more, I just simply don't always find the time.
However, I am here now, blogging away about how I don't have time to blog. And it is really a first world problem isn't it. I am so lucky to be able to do the things I want to do. I have chosen this life and am privileged to be able to do it all. My wife is the most supportive person and my partner in crime. Together we try to squeeze out as much enjoyment out of life as possible.
Thanks for reading.
February is almost over and I am just now getting to my first post of the new year. Why have I not blogged since December? Where did the time go? Well, I think I can partially answer that question.
In January, I logged 33 hours of training in my Training Peaks. That comes to more than 8 hours a week of training. And that does not include the time it takes to drive to the pool, or drive to the track, or drive to meet friends for a group ride, or driving to yoga class, or driving to indoor cycling class. I am not sure how many hours I spend driving to and from workouts, but it adds up.
For example, let's take a typical Tuesday in January. I would wake up at 5AM to get ready for indoor cycling class. At 5:30, I would drive to class which takes about 15 minutes. Then class would go from about 5:50 to 7. Then I would drive home which is another 15 minutes. After a quick shower and getting my lunch together, I would head off for my 20 minute drive to work. Work plus lunch and the drive home is another 9 hours. After getting home, I would immediately start getting ready to head out to track practice. The drive to the track was about 20 minutes or so. Track practice lasts about 1 hour and then I drive the 20 minutes back home. Once home, I would make dinner which usually takes about 30 minutes. Then we eat and relax for a few minutes which takes about another 20 minutes. Of course the evening chores need to be done after dinner. Cleaning up the kitchen, taking out the trash, etc takes another 15 minutes or so depending on how messy I was when cooking dinner. Finally, after cleaning up, it is time for some leisure time before bed. Usually, Melissa and I will watch a little something on Hulu but never more than about 20 to 40 minutes. During the commercials we catch up on our Facebook, Twitter, and all the other stuff we are plugged into online. Then it is time to start getting my gear ready for the follow morning workout. Then nighttime rituals mostly involving some kind of hygiene. Finally, it is time for bed. That does not mean sleep yet though. For I have to read for a while before I really am relaxed enough to fall asleep. If I am lucky, I would get 7 hours of sleep. Sometimes closer to 6 hours which is not optimal and even 5 hours sometime. Shhh. Don't tell my coach. I would like to work it out so I can get more sleep but that is a topic for another day.
So as you can see, preparing for, driving to, and completing workouts in addition to the daily chores adds up. While I would love to blog more, I just simply don't always find the time.
However, I am here now, blogging away about how I don't have time to blog. And it is really a first world problem isn't it. I am so lucky to be able to do the things I want to do. I have chosen this life and am privileged to be able to do it all. My wife is the most supportive person and my partner in crime. Together we try to squeeze out as much enjoyment out of life as possible.
Thanks for reading.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Daily Motivation
The other day, a fellow athlete who was set up on her trainer next to mine asked me how I managed to get up early for all the morning workouts again and again and again. She was on her third cycling class in 24 hours and I was on my third day in row of cycling and my fourth day in a row of early morning workouts. She was not a regular at this class and wondered how I managed so much early morning consistency.
I told her all my tricks to forcing myself out of bed in the morning to put in the work. And now I would like to share those habits here. The first thing I do is grab my phone and turn off the alarm that has ripped me from my slumber. Then I open various apps on the phone. The bright light of my iPhone helps start the process of waking me up. I have read numerous articles about sleep and they all say that any kind of light, especially the blue light from a computer screen or TV is very disruptive to sleep. Even the light from the alarm clock by the bed can be a hindrance to falling asleep and staying asleep. In this particular case, I use that to my advantage as I am actually trying to wake up.
I look at Facebook and Twitter very briefly. I look at a few headlines, check the weather, and check my email. Then while still in bed, I post something on Facebook about the workout of the morning. The Facebook post seals the deal. Once I write it down, I feel like I have publicly committed to the workout. Sometimes I write something simple like, "up early to swim." Sometimes I go as far as write a short poem. The Facebook posts act as inspiration for myself. It is also nice to share with like minded Facebook friends who are also getting up early to swim, bike, or run. And hopefully, it is inspiring for others as well. I am sure I annoy some people with my daily posts about heart rate, t-max, high cadence drills, etc. But it is my Facebook so I will do what I want. If people are annoyed, they can ignore me, hide me, un-friend me or whatever they so choose. Hopefully though, my positive attitude towards working out will be infectious. I hope so anyway.
Another important tool for waking up early is to have a good evening routine. A few years ago, we cancelled our TV service. We still watch things on the computer but it is all on-demand with less commercials than regular TV. This has reduced our TV watching to a total 20 to 60 minutes a night. I almost always ice my kneees during this time and both Melissa and I catch up on our social media during the commercials. Less TV time means more time for sleep and for the other all important evening task that contributes to a successful early morning wake-up. This key task is really what can make or break an early morning workout session. And is really so simple. Before I settle in for the evening, I get all my morning workout gear together. That may not sound like a big deal but trust me, it really helps. Morning are foggy at 5AM. Waking up to any uncertainty can squash motivation.
Finally, another great tool for getting going in the morning is visualization. I visualize myself at the workout. I visualize all my teammates at the workout as well. I picture us side by side, working hard, grunting, groaning, sweating, and occasionally feeling close to throwing up. When I go the pool, I visualize all the strangers that I consistently see at the pool each week. There is "old guy" who plods along at a snails pace lap after lap with his feet dragging along nearly on the bottom of the pool. There is "pull buoy lady" who swims the whole time with he buoy. There is "fin guy" who swims with fins the whole time. There is "slightly overweight but still very fast lady" who always shows up about 20 minutes into my workout. And lately there has been two new friendly ladies who are training for their first triathlon. These folks don't know it but I treat them as teammates. They consistently show up at the pool week after week which I use as a motivator to get me there.
My final visualization involves the actual races I am training for. Putting in the consistent work will pay off on race day. I know that and I continually think about it. I want to be ready on race day. I want to be thoroughly prepared. If I think about my races during the early morning haze and later during my workouts, I get a little bit of extra motivation to shake off the cob webs and get out of bed even though my body seems to prefer staying horizontal. I also know that once I get the workout done and am at work sitting at my desk or in a meeting, I will feel good about my morning workout. I will feel a sense of accomplishment. Starting out the day at 8AM already having accomplished a hard workout is a good feeling.
I understand that these techniques will not work for everyone. But they seem to be working for me. Thanks for reading. Time to ice and relax and try to get some rest. After all, tomorrow morning will be here before you know it and I am pretty sure I will be doing a big workout.
I told her all my tricks to forcing myself out of bed in the morning to put in the work. And now I would like to share those habits here. The first thing I do is grab my phone and turn off the alarm that has ripped me from my slumber. Then I open various apps on the phone. The bright light of my iPhone helps start the process of waking me up. I have read numerous articles about sleep and they all say that any kind of light, especially the blue light from a computer screen or TV is very disruptive to sleep. Even the light from the alarm clock by the bed can be a hindrance to falling asleep and staying asleep. In this particular case, I use that to my advantage as I am actually trying to wake up.
I look at Facebook and Twitter very briefly. I look at a few headlines, check the weather, and check my email. Then while still in bed, I post something on Facebook about the workout of the morning. The Facebook post seals the deal. Once I write it down, I feel like I have publicly committed to the workout. Sometimes I write something simple like, "up early to swim." Sometimes I go as far as write a short poem. The Facebook posts act as inspiration for myself. It is also nice to share with like minded Facebook friends who are also getting up early to swim, bike, or run. And hopefully, it is inspiring for others as well. I am sure I annoy some people with my daily posts about heart rate, t-max, high cadence drills, etc. But it is my Facebook so I will do what I want. If people are annoyed, they can ignore me, hide me, un-friend me or whatever they so choose. Hopefully though, my positive attitude towards working out will be infectious. I hope so anyway.
Another important tool for waking up early is to have a good evening routine. A few years ago, we cancelled our TV service. We still watch things on the computer but it is all on-demand with less commercials than regular TV. This has reduced our TV watching to a total 20 to 60 minutes a night. I almost always ice my kneees during this time and both Melissa and I catch up on our social media during the commercials. Less TV time means more time for sleep and for the other all important evening task that contributes to a successful early morning wake-up. This key task is really what can make or break an early morning workout session. And is really so simple. Before I settle in for the evening, I get all my morning workout gear together. That may not sound like a big deal but trust me, it really helps. Morning are foggy at 5AM. Waking up to any uncertainty can squash motivation.
Finally, another great tool for getting going in the morning is visualization. I visualize myself at the workout. I visualize all my teammates at the workout as well. I picture us side by side, working hard, grunting, groaning, sweating, and occasionally feeling close to throwing up. When I go the pool, I visualize all the strangers that I consistently see at the pool each week. There is "old guy" who plods along at a snails pace lap after lap with his feet dragging along nearly on the bottom of the pool. There is "pull buoy lady" who swims the whole time with he buoy. There is "fin guy" who swims with fins the whole time. There is "slightly overweight but still very fast lady" who always shows up about 20 minutes into my workout. And lately there has been two new friendly ladies who are training for their first triathlon. These folks don't know it but I treat them as teammates. They consistently show up at the pool week after week which I use as a motivator to get me there.
My final visualization involves the actual races I am training for. Putting in the consistent work will pay off on race day. I know that and I continually think about it. I want to be ready on race day. I want to be thoroughly prepared. If I think about my races during the early morning haze and later during my workouts, I get a little bit of extra motivation to shake off the cob webs and get out of bed even though my body seems to prefer staying horizontal. I also know that once I get the workout done and am at work sitting at my desk or in a meeting, I will feel good about my morning workout. I will feel a sense of accomplishment. Starting out the day at 8AM already having accomplished a hard workout is a good feeling.
I understand that these techniques will not work for everyone. But they seem to be working for me. Thanks for reading. Time to ice and relax and try to get some rest. After all, tomorrow morning will be here before you know it and I am pretty sure I will be doing a big workout.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Anniversary Trip to Italy: Day 10-12- Venice
After three wonderful days in Florence, we woke up and got a cab to the train station. We got there a little too early so we had to stand around for about 30 minutes but better early than late. The train ride to Venice was uneventful which is just they way I like it. Once we got to the train station, we had to catch a taxi to Venice. Important to note is all the taxis and buses that move people around Venice are boats. It was 50 Euros to get to the San Marco stop which was near our hotel. Right now, 50 Euros is the equivalent of about $70. It was an expensive boat ride. However, the taxi driver gave us excellent instructions on how to get to our hotel from the San Marco stop. Venice is a maze and we did not have a map. I was grateful for the precise instructions and tipped the driver (captain?) generously. When I go on vacation, I like to think I am working hard to stimulate the local economy.
Venice was fascinating. We got a map at our hotel which was mandatory for any trips outside the hotel. While in Venice we did a Venice Walking Tour which was very interesting and informative. We learned about how the city was built, the rising tides, the sinking city (it appears to have stopped sinking), the ancient history of the people of Venice and a little about the present day locals.
We also did a boat tour to the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello which are small islands in the Venetian Lagoon. In Murano we saw a demonstration of glass blowing. The master glass blower was quite the artist and it was fun to watch him create two pieces in a matter of a few minutes right in front of us. On Burano we visited a lace shop where all matter of elegant lace fabrics were made. I am guessing Joan Q would really have liked this shop. There was even a woman there on display while she made some custom lace fabrics.
Venice was super crowded. So many tourists like us. A few cruise ships came and went while we were there, dropping thousands of people off on the Island. At times it was just too busy to relax and enjoy. But in the evenings, the crowds thinned out and we were able to get around without bumping into too many people. Like in Rome and Florence, there was tons of shopping including lots of high end fashion.
Of course we had to do a Gondola Tour. We did a quick 30 minute spin around the canals. It was a group ride with 2 other couples and as you will see from my pictures, it was hard to get any good pictures as there was always someone in the shot. In fact, in most of these pictures, you will see that there are almost always people in the shot. It made us wonder how many other people's photos we must have been in. I could have cropped them but there are just too many so I took the lazy way out and just posted lots of them here as is. I hope you enjoy them.
Venice was fascinating. We got a map at our hotel which was mandatory for any trips outside the hotel. While in Venice we did a Venice Walking Tour which was very interesting and informative. We learned about how the city was built, the rising tides, the sinking city (it appears to have stopped sinking), the ancient history of the people of Venice and a little about the present day locals.
We also did a boat tour to the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello which are small islands in the Venetian Lagoon. In Murano we saw a demonstration of glass blowing. The master glass blower was quite the artist and it was fun to watch him create two pieces in a matter of a few minutes right in front of us. On Burano we visited a lace shop where all matter of elegant lace fabrics were made. I am guessing Joan Q would really have liked this shop. There was even a woman there on display while she made some custom lace fabrics.
Venice was super crowded. So many tourists like us. A few cruise ships came and went while we were there, dropping thousands of people off on the Island. At times it was just too busy to relax and enjoy. But in the evenings, the crowds thinned out and we were able to get around without bumping into too many people. Like in Rome and Florence, there was tons of shopping including lots of high end fashion.
Of course we had to do a Gondola Tour. We did a quick 30 minute spin around the canals. It was a group ride with 2 other couples and as you will see from my pictures, it was hard to get any good pictures as there was always someone in the shot. In fact, in most of these pictures, you will see that there are almost always people in the shot. It made us wonder how many other people's photos we must have been in. I could have cropped them but there are just too many so I took the lazy way out and just posted lots of them here as is. I hope you enjoy them.
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| Here I am with the ever so precious map. Don't leave home with out it or you might never ever get back to your hotel again. |
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| This is just around the corner from our hotel |
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| Ponte Rialto-A famous bridge in Venice |
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| One of the many pictures I took from the bridge |
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| One of the many churches in Venice. |
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| Melissa loves the Murano Glass |
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| Our hotel room before we got settled |
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| Gondola |
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| Bus |
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| Venice was very crowded with tourists like us. At times it was a little overwhelming |
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| Doge's Palace |
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| The buildings really could not be captured with one photo unless you did one of those panoramic photos and with all the people that would have been hard |
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| Bridge of Sighs - Leads from the courts to the prison |
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| This is the door to the building that our hotel room was in |
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| You can see the Gondolier ducking as he goes under a bridge |
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| Our tour guide for our Venice walking tour. She was very informative and funny too. |
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| Residence of Marco Polo |
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| Another shot of the Ponte Rialto |
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| Outside the cathedral. The entire ceiling of the cathedral is a giant mosaic. These are little glass tiles covered in gold and another layer of glass. In the next few pictures I zoomed way in so you could see the little tiles |
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| Lots and lots of tourists in Saint Marco's Square |
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| Here you can see a bus pulling up to the bus stop |
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| One reason there were so many people there. We saw several of these giant cruise ships |
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| Another shot of the Bridge of Sighs |
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| Artists at work early in the morning before the crowds |
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| Since the government does not have the money to restore the ancient buildings, they get corporate sponsorship to pay for it and then display an advertisement. I thought this was an interesting ad. |
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| Early in the morning, the boats all arrive with daily all the supplies. Everything on the island comes in by boat and all trash is carted away by boat. |
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| A couple of buses at the busy bus stop. We watched all the commuters arriving for work and leaving to go to work. |
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| Like I said, everything has to be brought in by boat. |
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| Everything! |
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| Empty rubbish boat |
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| My buddy the pope. |
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