Random Ramblings Through the Years

Friday, May 3, 1996

1996 New Jersey-New York/Gadzialas, Oregon

Oregon-Seattle

For some reason, I don't seem to have many pictures of our Oregon-Seattle trip.
Back then I was still using my film camera. I guess I just didn't find many I figured were worth scanning. But here are a couple:

Mom and Dad at Carolyn's annual dinner. Usually she made lasagna for everyone. She does make a great lasagna.

The kids and we went to the coast at least for the day. The kids played in the 55 degree water again.

1995 Oregon-Seaside-Deshutes rafting-camping Elkhorn

Around home in Florissant

I always hated Jan and Feb in St. Louis! Cold, snowy, icy, dreary. The snow is pretty for about a day, then it's dirty and dreary again. Pepsi sure liked it, though.

It was also a lot of work plowing our driveway!

Perhaps changing from Catholic school to public school wasn't such a good idea---at least for Angie now in 8th grade. She's having trouble in PE (8 tardies), suspension for "fighting", grades suffering and not doing her homework. At least she's excelling in music and they have a great jazz band.

Tim also has taken up music again. He got an electric guitar with xmas and birthday money. We told him we'll pay him back if he's interesed enough to take lessons. So he's taking lessons and doing really well. He even played Happy Birthday to my Mom over the phone---which she later mentioned meat a lot to her.

Tim and I are also taking a racketball clinic. We're the only 2 in the clinic, but that doesn't surprise me since the office knew nothing about it when we registered.

Angie went skiing with the SSJJ youths from 11pm-6am. Sounds like she did well.

The new Y volleyball season started up again in Jan. and we're playing as a family. Even Pete and Mary Kuntz are playing with us.

I'm still reffing one day a week to keep the Y membership.

Tim injured his knee playing basketball. We took him to the ER and told he had a strained knee. 3 weeks later, he was still hobbling so I took him to Dr. Sheridan (bone Dr.). He immediately noticed swelling and popping and suggested surgery. So on Fri, 2-24 he had surgery. At least his condritis dessecans looked good according to Dr. Sheridan, but about 1/2 of his cartilage in the one knee was removed.

REport cards are in and Tim got straight A's again and made the National Honor Society. He plans to take 4 honors classes next year, including French IV. AFter a couple years of slacking off, he's working hard again. He was also nominated for a special math and science summer school 4 week honors class at UMSL. He didn't want to do it, but applied anyway---didn't get chosen as one of the 52 in the state but was picked as an alternate.

National HOnor Society awards ceremony.

Now Angie's slacking off. HOpefully that will change soon. Maybe it's just that she's become boy crazy. She did try out for the jazz band and made it. She was chosen to go to a band festival during school in May.

This Spring I also gave the kids the choice of having their bedroom floors refinished or recarpeted. They chose carpeting and picked out new carpeting that was installed in March.

April---Tim takes his driving test for the 3rd time and now has a drivers license. Now he's gone all the time.

April 25--my best bowling day ever! Started out slow with a 137, then got 236 and 207. But I was just subbing, so didn't win anything even though I have high game and series for the league.

May 10---finally got our family room floors professionally refinished.

ANgie's been dating Chris for a couple months now. She's also done some caddying for extra money

Tim and his friends seem to really enjoy school and the teachers really like them. They're constantly pranking each other and even involve the teachers. They're a smart bunch of kids with creative, but good, minds.

June---another jaz concert with Angie having a couple solos. Although she played one of them with her brush and reed holder in the bell of her sax and forgot it was there. The conductor kept pointing at the sax but she didn't know what he was pointing at until he reached in and grabbed her brush. Then she remembered and shook the reed holder out---in the middle of the song. Thought it would have been a great video for "Funniest Home Videos"!

Funny side note---Angie's history teacher told her she was "creatively strange" in a positive way.

Now that summer is here, I let the kids dye the hair.

Tim even let his curls go natural!

Grades are in and Angie really picked them up. Maybe all my harrassing her is paying off! She even did very well in the standardized tests.

Ken --- got a new company car---an all white 4 door Ford Taurus.

Angie's playing softball for a new summer team and doing great. Originally the coaches step-daughter was going to be catcher, but after 3 innings, Angie has been catcher. She's been hitting really well after the first 4 at bats, too, becoming 2nd highest on the team. The coach made an interesting comment to her at one game---"You look like you're ready to hit the F___out of anything that comes anywhere near you!" He's always so quiet that surprised me.

June---Father's Day--- we went to Casa Gallardo with the Fischer's for the buffet lunch. Don mentioned that he thought Angie was being rather ridiculous when she had said she didn't want to play select VB because she wanted her weekends back, but now he really understands. Jenny's team has played a lot of tournies this year. She even broke a finger last week.

6-28 Took Tim to an orthodontist consult for his overbite. I didn't realize how big his overbite was until he asked why Angie got braces and he didn't and he stuck his tongue out at me through his clenched teeth. The Dr. actually recommended surgery.

6-29 got a 2nd phone line that Angie's helping to pay for. Tim calls it Chris's private line. Angie and Chris's relationship is still going strong.

At NAM one day while Tim was hanging out with Erin, NIcole, and Tom, Mrs. Gettemeier asked Tim what happened to Angie's hair. He told her a story about being in an accident,to which she said, "are you lying to me, Hon". Then Mary said something about Nicole's car to which Tim said, "are you lying to me, Hon?" He said it went right over her head, but Father was standing there snnickering. Tim's not nearly the quiet kid he was. He's become quite the comedian.

7- 9 Scout camp!!!! Yeah. Angie even rode with Chris's folks to visit him at a different scout camp on Thurs.

7---- while the guys were camping I had the living room /dining room floors refinished.

7--- getting ready for the Oregon trip and next year's school year, Angie got her physical. The Dr. said she has a functional heart murmur (like I do).

Angie has also started working at BJ's Bar and Grill and restaurant. Tim's been working for Steimel doing yard work.

Oregon

Usually when we're in Oregon, we spend a couple nights around the Lincoln City area---nice beaches, variety of restaurants and shopping, closest to Dallas. But this year we took a trip up the coast.

Hugs point on the north shore of Oregon. Before the highway was built, the beach was the only way to travel along this stretch of coast.

Heading down to the beach from the parking lot.

Some of the caves along the beach

1994

Oregon and Vancouver, BC

This was the year MaryAnn came out to Oregon with us for a week. I think she had a good time. We had fun showing her around Oregon. She enjoyed starting the day by sitting out on Mom and Dad's porch and reading the newspaper.

I believe this was her first time putting her feet in the cold Pacific ocean.

Here she was marveling at the size of some of the trees.

playing around with some new cokin filters for my lenses.

Angie being limber.

Angie chillin' at the coast.

What was going on in MaryAnn's mind here?!

The kids playing in the ocean

they didn't seem to mind it being so cold!---usually around 55 degrees.

walking to one of the view points along the coast.

The kids even got to do the bumper cars in Devil's lake about a mile from the ocean by Lincoln City.

Wonder if they still offer this?

The kids liked to go crabbing with Uncle Tom. He was quite the character. Died way too early at the age of 50 from cancer.

Angie having fun while crabbing

they sure had fun with him.

Tim fishing in Devil's Lake---hope there are bigger fish then this guy in there.

love the marinas along the Oregon coast. This one is in Newport.

This year the kids even checked out the Ripley's Believe it or not museum.

I have no idea what this exhibit was, but they looked like they were having fun.

We also had our usual family bar b qs. This one was hosted by Carolyn and Tom.

This one at Mom and Dad's.

Mom and Dad

We also took MaryAnn up into the mountains to one of our favorite areas---around Clear Lake.

We often rent a row boat and the guys fish in Clear Lake.

This time we took a scenic loop drive and took MaryAnn to Wright Observatory. Pretty interesting place in the middle of a lava field.

We also took in a Sahalie Falls.

Even did a little hike to this cascading waterfall. MaryAnn was having a lot of trouble breathing. Back then, I didn't notice the difference in the air. But I bet I would now!

After MaryAnn left, we took our usual 2 or 3 night vacation within our Oregon vacation. Usually it's to the beach. But this time we took Mom and Dad's car and went up to Vancouver, BC. Pretty neat place!

Vancouver, BC

love the lighting on the city as seen from Stanley park.

reflections

the cruise port

we also walked around downtown. Found it interesting that there were so many underground walkways---just like England.

Rode past the museum

more from Stanley park

Even came across a musical group performing downtown.

As I recall, Tim tried to order a grilled cheese sandwich with American Cheese. They told him they didn't have American Cheese, just Canadian cheese. Vancouver is a beautiful city. It would be nice to spend more time there.

Around Florissant

Angie's teeth are almost ready to get her braces off.

She was always into portraits, so when her braces came off, I let her get Glamour Shots done----Whooooaaaa! She doesn't look 13 here!

The select volleyball team Angie was on. Tim played select one year and Angie did a couple years---until we got caught up in some terrible politics.

But she excelled in softball. It wasn't always easy finding a CYC team for her to play on, but she did get on a couple good ones. She played on the high school team for 3 years, too, until she got another ignorant coach. Turned out not playing softball her senior year and stepped onto the varsity volleyball team instead.

She also played CYC volleyball for many years. I was her coach. It was a fun group of girls and I was happy to see them become real volleyball players over the years.

Angie had bugged us for awhile to let her have a hampster. We finally gave in. Didn't really know much about these critters----like they can lift the lid of their cage and get out in the middle of the night. I don't know how many hours we spent looking for it. It finally committed suicide by falling off it's cage wheel and smashing it's head into the wall.

Since Angie was in public school now, she did attend PSR classes and got confirmed this year. I had a bit of a battle trying to convince her it wasn't a "formal" affair, but eventually gave in. At least she chose a tasteful "formal" dress for the occassion.

Confirmation girl and Grandma MaryAnn

Over the weekend we had a big party for her. That was back in the days when I did a lot of cake decorating.

Angie and Pepsi in a stare down. He was a great dog!

Angie and Tim as alter "boys" for Richard Baronowski's wedding.

This was also the year Grandma Mary died. Dad had her sent back to New Jersey to be buried by his Dad. Carolyn, David and I made it out for the funeral. Although the circumstances weren't good, we had a great visit with our Great Aunt and her kids (our first cousins once removed). Here's Carolyn with cousin Danny (the baby)

Carolyn, me, and David.

I stayed a few extra days. One of those days they took me to Atlantic City for some gambling. I went through my $20 rather quickly, but had a good time watching everyone else.

Back in Missouri----another summer rolled around and Ken and Tim were off to scout camp again. I made my Thursday family night trip down there. I still don't see the thrill of camping, but they sure seemed to enjoy it.