Buck the Blue-eyed Siamese: in Memorium

I was awakened by my wife with tears in her eyes. "I think Buck died during the night," she said.
Buck has been a part of my life since at least high school, coming to live with my family after his previous owners moved away without him. Originally named Teddy Bear, my dad decided on a more masculine name. So Buck became a part of the family.

For years Buck woke me up in the middle of the night by scratching on my bedroom door to be let out, and then hid from me. I eventually moved out on my own, and many years past.
My nephews had a genetic tendency to be allergic to cats, so Buck and Molly were effectively booted out of the house by my slightly neurotic [now ex]sister-in-law.

I moved close to my parents with my wife and step-daughters, and was sad to see Buck gimping around the yard. My dad would carry him around on his shoulder, Buck's favorite place, as he worked in the yard. But I thought it would be good for Buck to move in with us, and so I brought him home to live an easier life.

Buck, being old, didn't care if he had to have a bowel or urinary movement; he just did it wherever he happened to be standing. This resulted in his being barred from the house unless he was under supervision. I set up a dog house equipped with a soft, sheepskin pillow for him just outside the back door. I often carried Buck around on my shoulder, and we would nap together on my hammock. My wife, already less than enamoured with him, found Buck one morning locked inside her car. Apparently he had snuck in the night before, and it having been some 14 hours, he had of course pissed all over the leather seats and carpet. I found this amusing. Diane did not. Buck just shrugged it off.

Even though well aged, Buck continued to walk Hannah to the bus stop every morning for school, and as I worked on the computer, or read a book, I would see him making his rounds as he walked around the house, just checking that all was right with the world. Sami used Buck for her exercise regime, running circles around the cat while Buck whacked at her.
2 days after Christmas, Buck did not wake up. I tucked him into his carrier one last time, and Diane, Hannah, and I said goodbye to one of my oldest friends. Needless to say, there were many tears. Even Diane was quite saddened by this tragic event.

But we smile as we remember Buck, and think hopefully that his gimpy little walk is now replaced by bounding after snakes and small birds in kitty heaven. Hannah cries that she wants Buck back. My heart too is heavy. But I am glad the he was warm and full of food, and hope that he knew how much he was loved.

I miss you buddy.

Thanksgiving et al.

Thanksgiving was a much needed time of slowing down for us. Michaela & Sami came down from college & Diane, Hannah, and I got a 4 day weekend. Sami is going to stay with us until at least Spring term, as Michaela has exciting Christmas break plans that don't include a small, energetic dog. Wednesday the house was full of the aroma of baking pies and slow-cooked ham.
Thursday was the all impressive Thanksgiving feast. We were joined for games and food by Hannah's dad, James. Hannah & James played video games while Hannah sat in her little yellow, Oscar Meyer edition, Radio Flyer wagon. Michaela taught us all a new card game, where we each used a deck... Hannah, once again, ate both drumsticks, and a good time was had by all. Friday found Kevin writing a paper for school, and the girls at the movies. It was actually a pleasant time. and then Sunday Cecilia, one of Michaela's roommates, joined us for the drive to Seattle in the new Prius. I love driving that thing. The whole 60 mpg thing is very nice, indeed! It was a long drive up as the 1000's of other drivers had a really hard time with the whole "merging into 2 lanes from 3" thing. But we made it, had good food up there, and Diane and I drove back down and got home at like 1:30am. Then the vacation was over, as we were up at 6am again the next day.

Halloween in 3D

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted, but things have been going on!

Hannah dressed up as Hannah Montana for Halloween this year, and it couldn't have been more fitting, as she and Diane went to the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana concert the night before (and no, we didn't pay $700/ ticket. only $55 for floor seats). We went over to my folks and Roan was Spiderman, and Cole was a penguin. Cotton merely had a Pumpking collar on. Michaela went trick or treating up in Seattle, with Sami dressed in a pumpkin suit! The scariest costume was mine; according to Hannah, since she was Hannah Montana, I was Billy Ray Cyrus. Even I screamed.

Diane, Hannah, and I accompanied our friends Lucien and Jenn to see The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D the other day. It was awesome. of course, Lucien fell asleep, but Hannah and I hadn't ever seen it, so we stayed awake.

I just started a new job at Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church as their Youth Director, and so that will help keep me busy, along with full-time school and working at the bookstore, as well as helping with music at LGPC. Still, I'm quite excited about it! Michaela will come home for Thanksgiving, but she is going on a cruise to Mexico with her friend Pei's family over the Christmas break.

So Long Sami...

Sami the shih tzu left for Seattle to live with Michaela and her roommates there. I am no longer met every morning with a fast-flying bundle of energy down by my feet. My lap stays cool while I read for my classes. & I no longer have to wake up to a pile of dog-doo on the downstairs carpet. Still, it's sad. Hannah really misses having someone with energy to play with (Diane & I are old and slow). But Michaela has a bed-mate that we can approve of, so I guess that we'll just have to wait and stash steak bones until they come back to visit in November. *sigh*

College For All...

So it's been busy around here lately. Hannah threw her first party, in honor of High School Musical 2. Only 1 friend could actually make it, but it was fun... or so I hear. Incomplete (the band I drum for) was in La Grande at the Son Light Festival. I drove back Saturday for my buddy Micah's wedding, to his old girlfriend, and the mother of his daughter (Aliyah), Cat. It was great to see them get back together after so many years, and was definitely worth the 5am wakeup call and drive back.

We took Michaela up to Seattle with a trailer of her stuff on the 25th so that she could be all settled in when classes start at Cornish College Of The Arts on the 4th. She's working on her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance, along with her roommates. Cecelia, one of the aforementioned roommates, was already there, and we (including Sami, the dog) got all of Michaela's stuff up the stairs, if not unpacked. Well, all, that is, except for the stuff that she forgot, like extension cords (there's only 1 outlet per room besides the kitchen), printer, and stuff like that. We did buy the girls a tv cart, a kitchen shelf, and a table & chairs... and got all that plus Diane, Hannah, Michaela, Cecelia, and myself in the Montero. So after introducing Cecelia to sushi, we dropped them off and headed home.

On monday I started classes! I'm a Sophomore transfer at Warner Pacific College, and I also work for their Adult Degree Program as the bookroom guy (fancy title, eh?). I'm majoring in Religion & Christian Ministry, and had to buy about 13 books just for the Fall semester. Maybe Michaela has it lucky with no books, but every class is a workout... maybe. Between school, work, the band, my ministry with the youth (which i get credit for at school), and sleep, I'm barely able to see Diane & Hannah. But it's only for 3 years, right?

Congrats Dan & Susie

On Saturday, my cousin Dan & his fiance, Susie, were married at their home in Oregon City. Diane, Hannah, & I headed over to this festive event and enjoyable evening. It was a very mellow, casual time, with a short ceremony, and a lot of social enjoyment (thanks to the 4 kegs!) with family and friends. It's really wonderful. Susie was in the traditional white, and Dan in shorts. Rock on, fam'! Check out the photo album.

Dan & Susie's Wedding

Camp, Birthday, College, & Spa (whew!)

Yeah, it's been a while since I posted, but we've been busy! I registered for classes at Warner Pacific College on the 17th, as I'll be going back to school (finally) in the Fall. Hannah & I have been putzing around town, and Michaela and Diane have been working a lot.

Diane, Hannah, & I went to LGPC's 5th Annual Family Camp at Camp Magruder for a weekend. It was way fun! Magruder is at the Beach, so we got to enjoy that. Hannah got to ride a donkey, I got to play guitar, and Diane got to nap in the sun. There was a Sand Castle building contest (Hannah's friend Dylan could actually go into the castle!), s'mores every night, and the famous Big Swing of Magruder! After it was over, we moseyed on up to Cannon Beach for more wave jumping, napping, and dinner. Very relaxing at the beach! Poor Michaela had to stay home and babysit.

A couple of days after we got back, Diane headed up to Bonneville Hot Springs Resort for her birthday (alone is relaxing). The rest of us joined her the next day. Ah... swimming, jacuzzi's, a full spa... very relaxing. The only down part was when my car key broke in the lock, and we had to ditch the Subaru there while we drove up to Seattle for a few days.

"Why Seattle?" You ask? Because Michaela will be attending Cornish College Of The Arts in the Capital Hill district of Seattle! & We had to get her apartment situation all figured out. There is no on-campus housing, so that makes it difficult to find a place to live. She found 2 room-mates, and together they will be inhabiting a 1 1/2 room (seriously) apartment nearby. We wandered around Pike's Place Market and in the evening found an amusement park for the girls to go on rides for a bit, and we ate alot of good food. We stayed at Michaela's apartment (man, is it weird to say that!) on inflato-beds while Michaela lined up a job for the fall to pay for said apartment. & it is not cheap. Hannah & I amused ourselves by going to the Experience Music Project and the Science Fiction Museum over by the Space Needle... which we did NOT go on... it's $16/person just to ride the elevator up and down! Krickey! Hannah & I got to live the realistic band experience as HRB on EMP's live stage.

On the way home, we surprised Hannah by stopping at Wild Waves water park in Federal Way. Much fun, quite sun burned (for Michaela and I), and very expensive corndogs. We made it home after midnight. The next day we had to go back to the Bonneville Resort with the spare key my dad had to get the Subaru. & while we were up there... a Mineral Spring Bath & Wrap for Diane & I, and swimming in the pool for Hannah. Ah, family vacations!

Wedding Crashers Unite!

This summer I have a few weddings to go to. Our bassist, Caleb, and Jessica just got married on the 7th. My best friend since age 4, Micah, is getting to married to the mother of his child, Cat (who I used to work with like 10 years ago). & then my cousin Dan is getting hitched to Susie at their place. Should be fun. & of course, Diane and I will be celebrating 2 years next month. Mmmhmm.

Cheer Camp Outlaws

Hannah went to Lake Oswego Academy of Dance's Cheer Camp this week. She and her cohorts learned 10 cheers, made up their own introducing themselves, and were given a mock audition (on which Michaela was a judge).

Lots of fun, even with the constant cheer calls in the house all week. Next will be Hip Hop class in the fall.

The band I drum in, Incomplete, had a show on Wednesday night at Outlaws Music Hall (with a borrowed bassist, since Caleb is on his honeymoon). My sister, Kathy, has arranged poker games there in the past. It was a great venue, besides the 2 flights of stairs that we had to carry our equipment up! Whew! We had a good set, playing 4th of 5 bands. This is our busy month, with shows on the 20th at Solid Grounds in Camas, Washington, and the 26th at Satyricon here in Portland. Next month will find us in LaGrande, Oregon at the SonLight Fest.

Summer SonForce

For the week of June 25th - 29th Lake Grove Presbyterian Church had their Vacation Bible School themed: SonForce Kids! It was an outerspace spy type thing, and Hannah went every day and I played with the band (bass this time!). Lots of fun, crazy hair days, dressing up like secret agents, and some cool tunes. For the following Sunday all of the kids (and the band) got up front to share some tunes with the congregation. Much fun!

Independence Ball

Our Indepence Day started with the Lake Forest Parade in our neighborhood. We dressed Sami up with red bows and a little shirt with a flag, Hannah put a flag on her scooter, and little cousin Brody came to watch (and get candy) with Grandpa Rick. Much fun, lots of people, and lots of candy!
That evening Diane, Hannah & I went downtown on the Max to PGE Park for the Beaver's game on the 4th of July (Michaela was at Peaslee's). The idea was to have fun, and check out the fireworks at the end. Hannah soon found the kids' aread and jumped around the bouncy house, had her face painted with a horse, and was adorned with a balloon butterfly... all before the game started. Diane had to have all of her favorites, pretzels, peanuts, snowcones, ballpark dogs, and lemonade. We got tired of sitting in the stands and headed down to an empty table in the Widmer Lounge. Right on the field, and a player for the Tacoma Rainiers tossed a ball our way, so Hannah got a game ball, and thought that was just awesome! After the game, the fireworks started, and we were in a great spot for that too. So it was great... until. It took an hour for a max with enough room for the 3 of us to get on. We forgot that there were 4 fireworks shows and the Blues Festival that night. Lots of people. But still, quite a fun time!

Hannah's Hair

Once again, it was time to have Hannah's hair trimmed. So what? Nah, she loves it. We got to Little Clippers, a cuttery that caters to youngun's. She got to pick a movie to watch, choose a car to sit in, and she even got her hair washed before the cut this time. Hannah is actually growing her hair out ("down to my feet!"), but you know how it goes... healthy hair grows better, and faster.

The Cornish Adventure

What an adventure. More than we realized that it would be, that’s for sure. Michaela, Diane, and I drove up to Seattle to register Michaela for classes at Cornish College of The Arts. She’ll be majoring in dance there, and we also needed to find her a place to live, since there is no on campus housing. In fact, campus is a single building, 7 stories tall, in the downtown area. There is another “campus” out in Capitol Hill, again a single building, where dance is focused, so she will be mostly out there.
We stayed at the Bacon Mansion, which has been converted to a bed and breakfast, near the Kerry building. A very nice place, although Michaela’s mattress hurt her back. Wednesday evening, when we arrived, consisted of merely strolling down Broadway and finding dinner at Charlie’s Bar & Grill. Thursday is when things really started. Registration began at 9:30am and different seminars and socials and such went on all day, with titles such as “Paying for College” and “Parents of Students”. Sometime during the day Michaela met Cecilia and Miai, and the 3 of them hit it off, so roommates had been found! Of course, finding a place turns out to be quite a dilemma. Diane and I took the 3 of them around the Kerry campus (they’re all dance majors) to look at apartments. Every place wanted either a full 12 months, or limited the expensive spaces to 1 occupant per room, which is just about out of the question… these are poor college freshmen! So we headed back to main campus where the girls would be gathering with the other students for a dinner cruise on Lake Union. Diane and I were waitlisted, so we drove down to the docks in hope of no-shows. In fact, we were the last 2 permitted aboard! So thank you, people who signed up but didn’t show up! It was a wonderful 3 hour cruise, and the cityscape was incredible at night! So back to the B&B for some much needed rest.
Friday morning the problems started. When we went to get into the car to head down to Main Campus, it wouldn’t start. Now, I had just taken it to Mark’s and had the battery replaced, and was told the electrics, including starter and alternator, were in primo condition. Nope. The starter was dead. So Diane & Michaela headed down to Kerry to try and hitch a ride to the Main Campus where the Housing Seminar was going on(kudos to security, who gave ‘em a ride!), while I stayed at Bacon Mansion to arrange repairs. Happily, the first place I called was able to get the car in and the starter replaced today! Oh, and the car started for the towing guy (of course!). So now I sit at Tully's Coffee on Broadway and Pike, waiting for the call to tell me that the car will start faithfully again. An adventure to be sure!

Father's Day

Yeah, it's good to be a dad... even if I'm just a step-dad. Diane took Hannah out last night, and afterward, I wasn't allowed to go out to my car. This morning I found out why; They had put a hammock in the car. So now I can relax outside! Well, when it isn't raining anyway. Later we had to go to Kmart for a little shopping. Hannah and I got bored, and our wandering found us in an epic storewide battle for supremacy using foam dueling swords. Such fun was had that Diane actually paid for us to keep them. Of course, now I must constantly be on my guard from surprise attack... We went out for an early dinner with my dad and mom at The Ram in Lake Oswego. All you can eat babybacks. mmmmmm... Afterward we headed over to my folks, and hung out in the back yard for a while and relaxed. It was a nice day, all in all...