Virtual-Doug

Football American Style

Trang went to her very first American football game last Friday night.  I say “American football” because in the rest of the world – including Việt Nam – football means soccer.

Interscholastic sports are unique to America.  Yes, I know there are a few colleges in Canada and northern Mexico that play sports, but it is not the norm.  Americans not only love sports but they believe there is much value in sports for their children.  Sports are a part of a young person’s education because many parents believe athletics teaches kids to work hard to achieve success, to play as a team, and to use failure as a learning tool.

Trang went on the perfect night for her first game – it was a game close to the end of the season with a lot of importance.  I was also Homecoming – that distinctly America ritual where past graduates come back to school for a football game.  Each Homecoming is celebrated by the election of the Homecoming Queen (some schools have Kings too). The crowd was large and noisy.

And she saw the game at field level.  Yeah – I got her in the gate as my “assistant”.  See that camera around her neck?  It’s a lot older than she is – I bought it in 1969 (strangely) in Việt Nam.  We arrived early enough for her to watch the pre-game warm-ups, the singing of the National Anthem, and the coin toss.  It took awhile to explain the large snake was a representation of the team’s name – the Rattlers – and when the team came on the field, the players would run out of the snake’s mouth with much cheering and yelling from the crowd.

(Be sure to click on each photo to see a larger version of the picture.)

The game was a total blur for her.  She had no idea what the rules were – or even the object of the game, despite my much-too-short lesson about each team having four tries to move the ball ten yards and eventually move the ball over the goal line.  I discovered American football is difficult to explain to someone who has never seen it.  I grew up with it – its easy for me - but not for Trang.  You try it - explain why a PAT gets only one point, but a field goal gets three points – and do it before the next play begins.  Why do they call it “football;” when the ball is usually carried in the hands?  Why is the ball shaped funny?

Half time was the Homecoming ceremony.  Trang saw marching bands and dance groups and cheerleaders.  I didn’t have time to explain the significance of the crowning of the Homecoming Queen, but she understood the winner was not known beforehand and that the announcement of the winner was very important to the girl who won.  She was also quite amazed that the girls she saw on the field were high school girls.  “They look much older.”

I actually put her to use as my “assistant.” I asked her to hold my long lens for awhile as I put a wide angle lens on my camera for some halftime photos.  Marching bands were something new to her.  As I came back from the middle of the field, I saw her sitting on a bench among a group of cheerleaders.

During the second half I could tell she was getting bored – probably not much different than if I were watching a soccer match.  I was loving the game – it was exciting and well played by both teams.  The game was decided with four seconds to go when the home team failed to make a field goal.  I think Trang was glad to hear the game wouldn’t go into overtime.

But she has now seen Texas Friday Night Lights.

Let Me Tell You About My Sister

Older sisters can be a problem for a boy growing up.  The younger of my two sisters (three years older than me) was a tomboy.  When I was in junior high school, she delighted in being given the task of waking me up.  Her method was to grab the arm hanging over the side of the bed and then punch me in the shoulder as hard as she could – and as many times as she could until I pulled my arm out of harm’s way.  She was an athlete – and good enough to be asked by the neighborhood Catholic church girl’s basketball team to play for them, despite the fact our family was Protestant.

While doing the kind of stupid things young men do, I once went to her house after a night of heavy drinking.  Though she had a husband and young daughter, she smiled, let me sleep on the sofa and brought me a bucket to barf in.  A few years later, she took me into her home while I recovered from the twin wounds of a recent divorce and having been in combat in Vietnam.  Always supportive, she did more than welcome my new bride into the family – she became a sister to the Mystery Guest Blogger.

My younger sister was a nurse.  After her husband left her to raise two kids by herself, she went to work in long term care (the polite medical way of saying she cared for old people.)  I’ve lost count of the places where she was the Director of Nursing, a consultant, the corporate nurse and other positions of responsibility.  Legion are the nurses who learned to truly care for their patients under my sister’s gentle whip.

Few siblings dare to own major investments together.  We did.  We’ve co-owned a small condominium in the ski resort town of Angel Fire, New Mexico since 1991.  That was one of the best investments I ever made.  Many a family reunion and ski trip were held there and more photos taken than could be pasted into any album.  My sister skied the mountain with her grandsons.

I’ve always felt blessed that I was part of a very loving family – Mom and Dad loved each other, and they made a secure and loving home for their children.  As years have passed, I’ve come to realize how unusual a truly functional family is in today’s world.

Twenty eight years ago, she had a melanoma cancer in one of her eyes.  I don’t know if having the eye removed was a victory over cancer or simply the loss of an eye because this past June the melanoma returned – this time to her liver.  This time it would not be denied.

I’m writing this in an airport.  I've just told Karen I will see her later.  The cancer is shutting down her body and the clan has gathered around her.  At her daughter’s home, she is surrounded by love.   Hospice brought in a hospital bed and she receives only palliative care.  In the last days of her life, she is at last realizing how strong her impact has been on so many people.

Yes, Karen – I will see you later.  I left your bedside before you died in the sure knowledge that you are merely preceding me to heaven.  We share a strong mutual faith that dying is a part of life and that those who believe in Jesus’ love will indeed spend eternity with God.

I’m glad you aren’t punching me in the shoulder anymore but very glad you are still teaching your kid brother something about life.  I love you, Karen.

Update: Trang is Here, and So Am I

Yeah – I know.  Trang and I arrived home on Saturday, August 16th, and I haven’t written a word.  Shame on me!

My life has been filled with bureaucracies lately.  Trang will be in grad school at the University of Texas-Pan American .  For me, it was interesting to navigate through the maze of procedures necessary to enter school.  Though I used to work there, I hadn’t experienced the bureaucracy from the standpoint of a student or parent.  It was (is?) daunting.

Example.  I went to the Payments and Collections Office to pay the tuition.  After waiting in line for an hour, the nice lady behind the glass asked me the account’s balance.  I hadn’t the slightest idea.  It turns out that in order for me to pay, I had to have Trang with me – unless she was a minor.  I should have lied and said she was,  but at least the nice lady told me I could pay online.  I went home, had Trang log on to her account, and I paid.

Some bureaucratic nightmares never go away.  You may remember my rant about my mother’s application for Medicaid.  I thought all was finished when she was accepted last month.

Silly me.

It seems it was retroactive only until March, meaning she still has a bill of over $6,000 at the nursing home. 

It never ends.

I’ve returned from Việt Nam just in time for high school sports to begin – the major source of my photography work.  I’ve been busy shooting sports and writing cutlines.  That is fun work, though.

Finally, some difficult news.  I have two older sisters, the younger of the two recently diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer.  In the back of our minds, we all expect the call in the middle of the night telling us a parent has died – but not a sibling.  I’m trying to digest the fact that my 92 year old mother with advanced Alzheimer’s hangs on to life, while my vigorous sister will be gone in six months or less. 

That’s hard.

Trip Finis

The two weeks has past.  The kids are now back in the familiar environs of home – back to being with predictable parents rather than the strange ways of two old people.

We never made it to Los Alamos – we substituted Red River.  It’s a funky old mining town turned ski resort.  In the summer, lots of flat-landers come to Red River to escape the heat of the cities.  The women shop in the myriad boutiques, while the men enjoy the saloons.

You may wonder why there are no pictures of the kids in Red River.  Oh yes – we had our cameras with us, but there was no opportunity to get pictures of the kids.  What happened was this: once I parked the car, I turned around to face the two of them in the back seat and told them to “get lost.”  We didn’t want to see them until they wanted to leave town.  With cell phone in hand in case they needed us, we turned them loose in the one-street village.

They had a ball – and took care of some of the money that was burning a hole in their pockets while wandering around.

One last comment about “unplugged.”  As we went back into the mountain areas outside Red River, Boy-san was heard to say “Wow!  This is great!  We’re in the mountains – and I’ve got three bars!”

We’ve spent the majority of our time in Angel Fire, home of the first memorial to the fallen warriors of the war in Việt Nam.  Erected in 1971 by Dr. Victor Westphall, and dedicated to his Marine son, Lt. David Westphall, the memorial remains a mecca for us old veterans of that unfortunate war.  Of course we had to take the kids there, though it was uncomfortable to answer a 13 year old boy’s romanticized questions about war.  “Wow, Grandpa!  You got a Purple Heart?  That’s cool.”

(As always, be sure to click on each photo – you’ll see the full-sized version that way.)

I’ll end this series of postings with random thoughts and photos of the last two weeks.

While in Taos, we spent a bit of time in a kewl store – the Overland Sheepskin Company.  Grandma had to try on a hat, but I couldn’t convince her to buy it.

Next - this is for my Vietnamese friends.  There is a pedaled conveyance called a xich lo or cyclo (say sick low) that is still very common in Hûe.  We saw this in Denver – it’s for tourists to take a tour around the downtown area.  I’ve never seen anything like this before in America, my friends – so don’t think they are common.  Oh yeah – the lady is the driver, not a tourist.

Zach turned into a wild and crazy teenager during the trip.  The teenager is just starting to break through the boy – there’s not much evidence of teenage angst or rebellion - - yet.  Don’t worry, Mom and Dad – the photo was staged. 

There’s lots of boy left in him – if there was something to climb, he found it and shinnied up.  We had a great time with Zach, and we were also amazed at how well he got along with his sister.  They were almost inseparable and seldom fussed at each other.  (When I was growing up, my sisters were my enemies.)

I worry about Ely, though.  More specifically, I worry about her father.  In the near future, this pretty girl is gonna break some hearts.  I have offered to help her father buy a shotgun, but he’s declined my offer so far.  Ely has a lot of self-confidence for an eleven year-old.  Breaking through the girl is an ability to be reflective and thoughtful.  There were a number of times when she surprised us with her insights.

What kind of a trip was it?

Fun.

Angel Fire (story and photos by the Mystery Guest Blogger)

We have loved Angel Fire, New Mexico for 20 years.  It was fun to introduce it to Ely and Zach.    

The first engaging things to them were the prairie dogs. 

Geared with a camera, water bottles, a pair of binoculars and two walkie-talkies, they went in pursuit. 

Of course, prairie dogs are elusive and quick – as you approach, they dive into their holes – but there are lots of holes and lots of prairie dogs!   

Lying in wait ultimately made a few pop out, but not very close and not for very long.   

Ultimately, his frustration won out.  But it was a great way to pass the afternoon in the beautiful Moreno Valley in the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Unplugged

The only thing better than this two week trip with the two youngest grandkids is the kids themselves.  They’re great!  (But – did you expect me to say anything else about my grandkids?)

I got a nice Father’s Day phone call from the kid’s father – the usual niceties from son to father and back.  However – most of the conversation was about his two youngest children and how they were doing with Grandpa and Grandma.  I sensed a bit of separation anxiety on Dad’s part.  It seems this was the first time Mom and Dad had been without their kids in 13 years. 

Dad said something during the conversation – he said he was glad the kids were experiencing life “unplugged.”

Yeah – right!

We went to Taos Pueblo today.  Taos Pueblo is the oldest continuously inhabited place in North America – over a thousand years old.  A remarkable place, really.  Dad – here is your “unplugged” daughter at the ancient place.  She is standing in front of a bread oven – and earthen device used to bake bread for hundreds of years.

Yeah – I’m old, but Taos Pueblo is really old.  The Tiwa language is an oral one, so there are no written records, but it is believed the village and some of the buildings are around one thousand years old.  Made of adobe (mud and straw), the buildings are renewed each year with fresh coatings of mud.  Yes – some members of the tribe still live in the ancient buildings, but if they do, they must do without electricity or indoor plumbing.  Most tribal members live in more conventional housing on the reservation.  I suspect most of them buy their bread at the supermarket too – but bread ovens do come in handy to make the flat bread sold to tourists.

The kids had another chance to be “unplugged.”  We went horse-back riding for an hour and a half the other day.  Angel Fire is surrounded by national forest land, and it was great ride through the woods.  The 11 year old climbed up on John Henry just like she's been riding for years.  Likewise for the 13 year old as he clambered aboard Blazer.  I was truly impressed with the confidence both kids displayed as they tried something new.  Our excellent guide (a senior at the University of Arkansas) brought us to a nice little mountain pond, where we enjoyed a nice break.

Ever had a picnic at 10,500 feet?  Neither had the kids, so we rode up on the lift that normally takes skiers to the summit.  Grandma (otherwise known as The Mystery Guest Blogger) packed a great lunch of finger food.  However, we didn’t want the kids to be totally “unplugged”, so we gave them a small walkie-talkie to carry with them while they explored the nearby woods at the mountain summit. We didn’t really need them though – the kids didn’t wander more than earshot away.   And yes – the views can be spectacular at the top.  The mountains seen in the distance are in Colorado, and the water is Eagle Nest Lake.

Unplugged?  Looking out over the Rio Grande at the Taos Gorge makes you want to plug the kids into a harness.  Of course, the 13 year old boy had to spit over the side of the bridge to see how long it would take to hit bottom, but he was never able to see it hit.

The trip is coming to a close.  We still have a visit to Los Alamos coming up, and I have other activities to write about, but we’ll save that for later.  We’ll put the kids on an airplane early Thursday, then make the long two day trek back to South Texas.

I wonder what we’ll miss most – the kids or New Mexico.

If I’d Known Grandkids Were This Much Fun, I’d Have Had Them First

What happens when you mix grandparents with an eleven and thirteen year old, add in the fact that the kids live in Florida, and then pour the mixture into New Mexico and Colorado?  You have two weeks of fun.

We picked them up at the Albuquerque airport – their first time flying by themselves.  Not knowing it is almost illegal to eat hamburgers in New Mexico without green chile, they opted for plain burgers after their long flight, and then we drove into the northern New Mexico mountains to the town of Angel Fire.  Yep – it’s the middle of June, yet there is still snow atop nearby Wheeler Peak.  (In case Mom and Dad are wondering where Boy Child got the knit hat, he found it – somewhere.) 

There was time for some late afternoon soccer practice among the prairie dog holes, as well as a nature jaunt with Grandpa.  (As always, be sure to click on the photos to see the full sized version of them.)

But, we didn’t stay long – it was off to Colorado for a few days with Aunt Patty and Uncle Russell.  The trip took about five hours, and even kids can appreciate great scenery.  Ah, what a great ride for these two bikers. 

Okay – whadya do in Denver that can’t be done in Orlando?  Go to a major league ballgame – in this case, the reigning National League Champion Rockies blew away the Giants 11-5.  Coors Field is a great baseball stadium – a place where you can enjoy a game with 28,000 of your closest personal friends as the sun sets over the nearby mountains.  Nobody commented on my Red Sox hat either.

Ever wonder why grandparents and grandkids get along so well?  It’s because they have a common enemy.  When the kids are away, the can usually do all kinds of things they might not get the chance to do at home.  How about a little pellet gun shooting in the back yard?  (Targets – not birds or squirrels.)  Or, how about playing in a high mountain brook? 

Oh yeah – don’t tell Mom and Dad we let them watch the movie “Strange Brew” last night.

This photo is of just another quaint western town, eh?

Actually, somebody had too much time on their hands, so they built “Tiny Town” in the mountains.  There’s a railroad and lots of buildings – all welcoming little kids (and a few big kids) to clamber around the town and inside some of the buildings.  Our two are joined by Aunt Patty’s niece for a little operatic fun.

Then it was back to Angel Fire.  Of course, this gave us lots of time to teach our grand children the serious aspects of life – to act soberly and correctly.  There is no place for frivolity in this cruel world, and we want to be sure they understand that.

In this case, they were practicing saying “Luke – I am your father.”

We’ll catch you up on the doings in Angel Fire at a later date – provided I live a bit longer.  These kids have more energy in their little finger than I have in my whole body and they’re wearing me out..

And we love it!

Driving the Big Empty (story and photos by the Mystery Guest Blogger)

My Vietnamese son (he calls me ‘Mom’), Tuan, knew we were going on vacation, meeting our two youngest grandchildren, Zach (13 next week) and Ely (say ‘Ellie’ 11) in Albuquerque, and then doing the Rocky Mountains.  He said, “have great time. and let me know about your travel stories.”  So, Tuan, this blog is for you!!

We are in Albuquerque, New Mexico now – look it up, son.  We drove, taking 2 days to cover 20 hours of traveling, generally at a speed of 65 to 70 mph.  That includes stopping for meals and gasoline.  Made it to Lamesa, Texas last night, if you want to find that on a map of west Texas.

Doug is familiar with that part of the country.  When he used to work for a consortium of colleges in west Texas, he drove out here a lot, and said it was referred to as “The Big Empty.”  There are miles and miles of empty land, some of which is not irrigatable, but used by cattle ranchers.  We saw some pronghorn antelope, too.  Some of it is rolling hills, but much of it is flat.  Very, very flat.

Here’s a road we were on today.  Not a super highway, though it has 2 lanes in both directions and very generous shoulders, typical Texas-style.  Notice there are 3 vehicles coming at us.  They are going about 70 mph, the speed the road was built for.  The furthest car away is in front of trees which are about the height of a 4 or 5 story building.  See how flat it is?  And Doug across the road taking a picture of this house.

(As always, be sure to click on each photo - that way you will see a much larger version of the picture.)

It’s pretty hot out here in the summer.  And the wind blows all the time.  The house and
farm buildings are surrounded by trees for the shade, and to break the wind.  Planted when the house was built, they are the only trees around.  Trees you might see in the distance are surrounding another farm.

Where there is water available from underground wells or from nearby streams, farming is done through the use of center pivot irrigation.  Here’s a picture – one unit close up from the end, and one stretched out in the background.  They roll in a circle from a central place where the water enters one end, and create large green patches in the middle of brown weeds – pretty impressive from an airplane.

Where there is no water readily available in quantities needed for farming, cattle ranches exist.  In the southwestern US, where water is not abundant, it takes a lot of land to feed free-roaming cattle, which is different from other parts of the country which are generally green except in winter.  Cattle on the range are an investment.  When it is near time to sell them, they are taken to a custom feedlot so they will fatten up for market.  There are a lot of these feedlots in west Texas.  Sometimes you can smell them before you can see ‘em!  Whew! Here’s the best picture I could get – and the best thing I can say about it is that it’s in focus.  Doug didn’t even get out of the car.  As I mentioned, phew, stinky!!

Texas has been the number 1 cattle state in the US for a long time, and number 1 in cattle feed since 1981.

The feedlot was just outside of Muleshoe, Texas, home of the Mules, the name given to the Muleshoe High School sports teams.  Near the center of town were the silos for storing wheat grown locally in the winter.

The silos are the tallest things around.  This article tells all about the grain elevators and silos of Muleshoe, Texas.

Even in west Texas where there are gently rolling hills the wind blows all the time.  And these giants (328 feet) are here to catch it.  Texas is the leading wind energy state in the US, having 26% of the wind turbines.

A still picture of these quiet harvesters doesn’t do them justice.

Texas is also a leading harvester of petroleum and natural gas.  Here is some drilling going on as the sun goes down. 

And no pictorial of west Texas would be complete without a picture of a pumpjack.    See it on the horizon with this west Texas sunset.

The Big Empty.  Flat.  The wind never stops.

Look Out, Sports Illustrated – Here I Come

Yeah – I keep busy.  I’ve decided that all those photos I take at high school sporting events should not be wasted.

Take a look at www.rgvsportspix.com.  Mom and Dad can wander around and find photos of their star athlete, then order photos.

To add more choices, I’ve asked a couple of photographer friends to work with me.  My only problem will be to watch my ego deflated as they take better photos than me.

Let me know what you think – would you buy a photo from the site if you were Mom and Dad?

Keepin’ Busy

Yeah – keeping busy.  That’s the real reason I haven’t posted lately – I’ve been having too much fun.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know that Texas had a primary election recently.  In South Texas, local politics get pretty raucous.  One race for a state legislative office was particularly rough – at one polling place, the cops were called because the two candidates were going at it in the parking lot.  During early voting, anyone getting near the voting place was met with whistling and screaming – in Spanish.

(Be sure to click on the photos – you’ll see a larger version that way.)

Around here, we have a phenomenon called “Winter Texans.”  In Florida, they’re called Snowbirds. Escaping the harsh winters of the upper Midwest, these retirees enjoy the warm Rio Grande Valley.  This gentleman is 83, and retired from being a golf pro in Minnesota.  He still walks 18 almost every  day.  I took a lot longer taking the photo than I needed to – I just enjoyed nursing a cup of coffee and chatting with him and his buddies.

With the advent of spring sports, I’m not always shooting inside a “dimnasium” and it’s nice to get a daytime assignment too.  Of course, when I’m assigned to shoot a soccer game, I’m in deep trouble because I know nothing about the sport.  Nothing.  However, I know a good athlete when I see one.

Spring break starts this week for the public school students.  It’s a great time for kids to get in trouble, especially here in deep South Texas where South Padre Island is a mecca for hell-raining college students.  One student at a nearby high school lost a friend in January.  The buddy had just completed Marine Corps basic training, but died in a car wreck while home on leave.  From that sad experience came a school club promoting teen safe driving.

If you are a high school senior, you know your life is about to change – big time.  These three girls have lettered in varsity softball together for four years.  That’s quite an accomplishment. They’re good friends, and it was obvious as I was working with them during the shoot.  They kept insisting I take more photos – then I realized they were having more fun posing for the camera than they would practicing.  They laughed when I pointed that out, let me take one more shot, then went back to sweating in the sun.

Finally, I shot a track meet last Friday, but the start pole vaulter didn’t even make his first effort until the sun was low in the sky – low enough that the stadium lights were turned on.  The photo sums up the day.