February, 2004

February 29, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. A leap day. We had a warm beautiful day today. Tonight my kids came over and we had a bonfire and cooked hot dogs and marshmallows. It was a little chilly but not terrible. A cookout in February!

February 26, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. The travel notes from Patrick Martino have inspired me so I’ve decided to write about my own adventures. I’ve only just begun writing an outline and it has been interesting to put it all down on paper.

February 22, 2004 — Cincinnati, Ohio. My grandmother has some mobility in her arms and legs. I believe that she recognized me by squeezing my hand when I walked in to visit with her. Her breathing was a bit troubled and she had some shakes that I've never seen in her before. The IV is putting a lot of liquid in her and she is developing a little fluid on her lungs. She mostly kept her eyes closed. When opened, they were mostly glazed over. Once or twice, she was very clear eyed, focused, and you could tell that there were thoughts going on. She has not been able to speak since she had her stroke. She displayed absolutely no facial expressions. That is really tough to see in a person. The only thing that made sense to me was to hold her hand, talk with her a little and assume that she is understanding, and just spend time with her. If she is aware of her surroundings, I can’t imagine a better way for her to spend the time as she heals than to spend time with her family.

February 18, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Here are a couple of new pages that you may find interesting. I've created a reading page and an account of the Chi Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

February 17, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. My 94 year old grandmother has had a stroke.

February 16, 2004 — Cincinnati, Ohio. This was a great weekend. I got to take my wife out to a chinese restaurant for Valentines Day and then headed for Cincinnati where I enjoyed a visit with my dad, two brothers, a nephew, my grandmother, and an aunt. They all seemed to enjoy seeing my pictures from Hawaii and hearing my tales.

February 06, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Friday! My gosh it was a long week.

February 05, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Happy Birthday Dennis!

February 02, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Even freshly brewed Kona coffee doesn’t do much to change the view I see this morning (snow). A hui hou! (Until we meet again…)

The post today brings the last parcel of gifts and souviners and photos that we had sent home while away. Nick received a post card from us that we sent from Lahaina last Wednesday and managed to beat home.

February 01, 2004 — 30,000 ft above the Pacific… 540 mph heading Northeast. We have rough weather for the first couple of hours making it difficult to sleep. I’ve been through much worse weather while flying but think it is likely as bad as Jeanie has experienced. Sleep eventually overcomes nearly any condition and so we drift off for a few hours. We woke up somewhere over Missouri and the air is calm for the remainder of our eight hour flight from Honolulu to Cincinnati. Everything below appears covered in snow. They serve breakfast and before long we land. No lei greeting this time but our luggage is waiting on us so I think it pretty grand that we can just go on our way without any delay. The shuttle driver is polite enough but doesn’t lift a finger to help with our bags. The windows on the bus are covered with salt and we begin to realize that we aren’t in paradise any longer. We dig the car out of the snow (it starts easy enough) and head for home.

Several hours later we arrive in Athens and decide to get some of the film developed at a local Walmart knowing that our children are visiting this afternoon and the superbowl is going to be on. The fellow behind the counter says that it will take two and a half hours to develop nine rolls of film. I pick up the film and want to head out. He says well maybe they can have it in an hour and a half. I want to walk but ask again, how long and they just won't give a definite answer. Jeanie wants the film developed immediately so we leave it. Forty minutes later they call on the intercom that it is ready. I just don't get it. Why the initial 2 1/2 hour estimate at a one hour developer?

Nick greets us at home and everything is looking good. Joe and Angie come over and visit. Later, Steve and Mary Ellen come over. It was real pleasant to be home and visit with our children and share some of our memories. Our boys don’t recall ever seeing me with a good tan and I find that pretty amusing. As good as it was to travel, it is also good to be with our family and home again.