and deeper

After years of disarray, the Wheeler Family Reunion emerged from the ashes this year promising a once in a lifetime opportunity. I boarded a cruise ship in Copenhagen with 25 of my closest (genetically) relatives for a 10 day tour of the Baltic Sea. For lack of a better word, the experience was intense.

FAQ

1. How many times a day did you eat?
I stuck to 4-5, though my cousins averaged 7-8. Before you laud my self control, bear in mind that Emily promised dire consequences if I came back any heavier (see my belly in photo 1 versus 2).

2. What facet of the American justice system did the cruise ship most resemble?I'm going to have to go with those minimum security prisons for white collar criminals. The food was good, but it wasn't great. The cabins were good, but not great. It all adds up to take quite a toll. I can see why that Enron guy decided to have a heart attack rather than go to prison.

3. What was Emily's favorite part of the cruise?
Clever... a trick question! Due to the progressive and forward-thinking nature of American public schools, Emily wasn't actually able to go on the cruise with me. I know many couples these days like to take separate vacations, but I really don't see what all the fuss is about. Additionally, I've incurred a sufficient amount of emotional debt to make sure I never make the same mistake twice.

I've resisted the urge to post a travelog. Interested parties can check out my photo galleries on Flickr or Facebook soon (blogging is like a soap opera, you always need a hook to keep them coming back).

in memory

last week, grandpa homer died. he was 87. (above is grandma lucile at the funeral. i didn't know whether or not it was appropriate to post pictures of the casket--closed, mind you--so gradma lucile will have to do.)

knowing little of his early life, i can assure you that his later life was very abundant. grandpa loved to go to the DI, watch movies at movie theaters (even though he slept through most of them), spend the day at lagoon, catch the weather report, make soup (i use the term "soup" very loosely here), play scrabble (above all else), and, for some odd reason, eat at arctic circle. sometimes i thought he was their only patron.

matt and i played a token game of scrabble on the day of his funeral. and due to unknown powers, matto was able to beat me by five points. who knew that ford was the new-fangled spelling of fjord? kids these days: anglicizing everything. despite the loss, it was refreshing to play the game again. bryan refuses to play with me--says i get too mean and competitive (me??), and since we haven't a neutral third party to either support or deny his claim, we have stopped playing.

grandpa homer would be displeased.

sidebar

i just found this archived picture of bryan and i eating some one and a half years ago. it appears we have not been able to come up with more creative poses since then. (see previous post; look familiar?)

smallville

every year, on the first saturday in june, thousands upon thousands of residents and nearby residents descend upon our little town for the famed "duvall days." bryan and i were a few days too late to attend last year's festivities, but made it a point in 2007 to go out and see what all the fuss was about.

sadly, we yet again missed the "fuss" as it were, because apparently the real show-stopper is the parade. (details to come on this portion of the event in 2008--all we know for sure is that there are some dissenting votes on whether or not the duvall ward primary should be involved. presently, they are, though thankfully minus any "scripture power" pantomimes).

what we did find at the event was plenty of sunshine, folk music, food, and chiropractors (how does a town of less than 6,000 people have 3 chiropractors?)

here we are with our $30 hotdogs and hard-as-ice sno-cones. we have since decided to forgo purchasing fair food (as our fathers did before us). however, as it seems to be every child's dream (as it was ours) to partake of such over-priced delicacies, we have also decided to invest in some of the special tissue paper and cartons in which such food is found at the fair. when the little ones cry out for the fair fare, bryan can wrap the hotdogs (conveniently smuggled in in his backpack) in the appropriate trappings while i engage the children in scouting out a seating area. everyone wins.