Max, LEGOmaster/my family

DAY THIRTY-EIGHT: Jenny and Max have been visiting her parents in Houston, TX for the past four days, and returned today in the afternoon. Max got to play with cousins and children of Jenny's friends, and it sounds as though they had a great time, with several wonderful meals and good family time. While they were there, Max got a LEGO kit that was fairly complicated, called Hero Factory. I guess he got some help putting it together but actually, he is incredibly skilled at putting together LEGO kits. He is very focused and patient, follows the directions well and doesn't get frustrated. Ellen had ordered him a little kit that came while he was away, so the first thing he did upon getting back  home was to put it together.

Fitting those LEGO pieces together carefully

Mugging for his grandpa

Showing off his Hero Factory - and looking a little sinister himself!

Ellen and I try to walk every day. Yesterday it was pretty snowy and the scene above Paul's house was different from previous days when it has been wonderfully sunny:

A monochromatic, snowy scene

I went on Facebook today to look at a long accumulation of posts by various people - I rarely do that. I don't have that much interest in Facebook. But today I found a wonderful photo of two of my first cousins who live in the south. They are sisters, and both are daughters of my father's sister, Annie Williamson. Martha Jane Moe lives in North Carolina, and Frances Helen Gardiner lives in Mississippi. Both are older than I am. Ellen and I visited Frances Helen a few years ago but I haven't seen Martha Jane since I was 12 years old and went to my grandmother's funeral in Bremen, Georgia, in 1946. It was wonderful to see their faces. 

My first cousins, Martha Jane Moe and Frances Helen Gardiner, 2014

Here is a group family portrait taken at the time of my grandmother Crockett's funeral in October of 1946.

My father's family, Bremen, Georgia, 1946

Martha Jane is on the far right, in back. Count in four to the left from her, and that's me. Just to the right of me is my Aunt Annie Williamson, and my mother is just to the left of me (dark jacket with white blouse). Count two to the left of my mother, in the same row, and that's Frances Helen (sort of a plum-colored suit, with a kerchief in her pocket). My father was taking the picture, so he's not in it. But here's one taken at the same occasion, with my mother and father, and an aunt (I'm not sure which one. It isn't Annie. It might be Aunt Minnie).

My aunt ??, me, mother and father, 1946

Paul's current work site

DAY THIRTY-FOUR: Thursday we visited Paul's current work site which is in Teton Village, just outside Jackson. It is a private residence, in the $4-5 million range, being built by OSM, with Carney Architects. Here is an artists rendering, looking at the south facade of the house:

Architect's drawing of the house Paul is site manager for

It doesn't look really huge in the drawing, but it is pretty big. At the right is the garage and storage area, with bedrooms above (the entrance to the garage is around the corner on the east side); center is the entryway which is recessed (that isn't too obvious in the drawing); left is the kitchen and living-room. Behind, on the north side, is a row of bedrooms, baths and a den.

Here is how it looks at this stage of construction:

This is the west side of the house - the kitchen/living room; entry way is in center and a bit of end of garage at left

This is just a bit to the right of the picture above: showing the end of the garage and bedrooms above; note the overhang. The beams you see under the roof are all steel.

This shows the garage entrance - the east facade of the house. It's big.

So what does Paul have to do? Well, he basically has to oversee every single detail in the process of building the house, making sure it's done right, according to specifications, keeping things on schedule, keeping cost within budget, if possible. He has an office in a trailer on site where he has all the plans, and even more importantly, many three-ring binders with schedules and detailed lists of what has to be done each day, who does it, what they need, etc. He is the middle-man, communicating constantly with workers, suppliers and sub-contractors, as well as with his boss and the architects. If something isn't clear in the architect's drawing, he makes sure it gets cleared up, and that the workers know exactly what they are supposed to do and how to do it, right down to every screw. This often means that he has to make drawings to clarify and make more detailed the architect's drawings. Virtually nothing is left up to the individual discretion of a worker to do as he likes. Paul is incredibly conscientious, and OSM likes that.

Here is an example:

Architect's drawing of the main stairway to second floor in entryway

Paul looks at this plan and asks himself - how is this stairway supposed to be constructed? How does one thing connect to another? How does the landing connect to the wall? How are treads attached to the risers? If there is anything unclear or uncertain, if he sees any possible problems, he makes sure it gets cleared up and the workers know what to do. E.g., if wood is being attached to steel, how is that to be done? Etc. Sometimes this involves his making a drawing, and then running it by the architect and getting it approved. If it is a major thing, e.g., involving structural loads, that is particularly important. Nothing is built that might collapse!

Here are some interior views:

Ellen and Paul in the entryway. The stairway shown above will be to the right of where Paul is standing.

The main living room, with view to the west, seen from the kitchen area.

This is what the view will be from the living room. There are actually houses close by, but they are not visible at this angle:

View out the west windows looking NW to the Teton range

Here is a little case study in what Paul does and the frustrations that can be involved. There are a lot of windows in this house, about 30% of the wall space. The windows were imported from an Italian manufacturer, Albertini. Altogether they cost about $350,000!

Albertini windows

They are triple-paned for energy conservation. They were delivered to the site with an Albertini representative supervising the unloading. But eight days later, on a Friday, Paul got an email from Albertini saying that because of the altitude at Teton village, each window had to be calked in a certain way within ten days after day of delivery or the warranty would be voided! Imagine - scores of windows would have to be pulled out of their crates within two days - over a weekend -  and be calked. It just wasn't possible. The Albertini rep had said nothing about this at the time of delivery. A clear oversight on his part. Paul worked it out, but it took some doing. The other thing about these windows is that they came with no instructions for installation. And there is no flange on them by which to nail them to the frame. When you set them in place, there are gaps through which you can see light. This will require a lot of customized framing, Multiply all that by a factor of 100 or so and you get the picture of Paul's job!

Sarah Carnahan

DAY THIRTY-FIVE:   Once again, we have been reminded of the preciousness of life and how slender is the thread by which we hold to it. We learned yesterday that our friend, Sarah Carnahan, died in Sloan-Kettering Hospital in NYC, due to cancer and other medical complications, this past Tuesday, at the age of 53. Sarah is the daughter of our dear friends, John and Mary Carnahan, and in age is just between my children, Betsey and John (who are 55 and 52 respectively). Sarah and her sister Susan were bridesmaids in Betsey and Rob's wedding.

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We first got to know the Carnahan family when our kids were in high school. Betsey and Paul, Sarah's brother, were on the high school debate team together and dated for a while, and our families became good friends. After the kids had left home, Shirley and I would spend every Friday evening with the Carnahans, watching Washington Week in Review on TV, and then just visiting, sharing the week's events, and news of our children. This went on for years. They became virtual family for us. After Shirley died, I still saw the Carnahans regularly, especially at times when their family would gather, like Fourth of July, which was something of a tradition. In more recent years, Ellen has come to know and love them too, and while we don't see them as often as in earlier years, I still feel very close to them, and we get together for a meal now and then, talk on the phone, and keep in touch in other ways. Sarah's death touches us deeply.

Sarah was the very essence of vivacity, joy, caring, outgoingness, competence. She has been an elementary school teacher in Irvington, NY for over two decades, and is much loved by her students and fellow teachers. She leaves her husband, Al Quintero, three beautiful daughters, Anna, Elizabeth and Natalie, her two siblings, Susan and Paul, and their families, as well as her parents. We have been blessed to know her, and mourn deeply her untimely departure from our midst. 

Sarah Carnahan

Sarah (at right) with her sister-in-law, Eve, at a Fourth of July gathering, 2012.

Gathering in the Carnahan's backyard on the Fourth of July to make home-made ice cream.

Max the Dragon

DAY THIRTY-THREE: Monday we went with Max to his Taekwando class, which for his age is called "Little Dragons," led by Master Todd. It meets at the Etna Community Center, just a few miles down the road. It is a former school building remodeled into a very nice community center. Max is five - he'll be six in June. He seems to enjoy the class. Master Todd leads them through something like "Simon Says" in which he commands them to assume a position, but they are supposed to do it only if he first says, "Master says......."  Max does pretty well on that (several of the boys always did it, no matter what). Master Todd was good; he struck a nice balances between expecting discipline and allowing freedom. The hardest thing was a backward somersault. And of course they do kicks. The boys (and one girl) like that. He was liberal in saying, "Good job!" The class lasts 1/2 hour - just right, I would say. We'll go again today.

Here are some scenes:

Gathering in the hall. Max is in striped shirt

Note Max's hands. Not bad!!

Master Todd and his Little Dragons

Paul's Completed OSM house

DAY THIRTY-THREE:  If you go back to a blog entry for February 9, 2013 titled "Paul's Work Site"  I wrote about a house Paul was working on then as a site manager for OSM (On Site Management), a company in Jackson, WY that builds houses - really high-end houses, like $5 million houses,  or more.  At that time it was a work in progress.  Here is how it looked then:

The house was finished in the summer of 2013, and subsequently, OSM featured it in a brochure they published. It also got a write-up in the New York Times!  

Here's how it looks in the brochure, essentially the same views as above:

Bravo, Paul!

 If you would like to see more of what OSM does - maybe you'd like them to build you a house near Jackson! -  go to their website   and you'll see additional scenes of this house (which is called "Butterfly") and you can move around and see other things they have built. It's another world, believe me!

Paul is now working on a new site for OSM, and the architects are Carney Architects, in Jackson, where Ellen worked 14 years ago or so as office manager. We're hoping to visit the site of this new project - stay tuned.

Truman Library and Museum

GOING BACK TO DAY TWENTY-THREE: I'm going to go back and fill in some gaps in my narrative of our travel. I mentioned a while back that we visited the Harry S Truman birthplace, and posted some pictures, but I passed over pretty quickly the fact that when we left Columbia, MO after Katie's opera, we went through Independence, MO, which is a suburb of Kansas City, and stopped to visit the Truman Library and Museum.

The Harry S Truman Library and Museum

 Before telling about that visit, let me go way back to the point in my life when Truman became President. I mentioned earlier that my niece, Becky, gave me another batch of "treasures" from my brother, Stewart's house in Elgin, IL. One of those treasures was a letter that I wrote to Stewart on April 15, 1945. I was 12 years old. He was in the service - actually in the Army Specialized Training Reserve Program, which was for 17-year-olds - and was in Lincoln, NE taking college courses and waiting for his 18th birthday, at which time he would go into basic training.

Here is the envelope, which I think is interesting, and the letter:

Envelope: note that under the stamps I have carefully printed, "Any extra postage charge to receiver."

My letter to my brother, Stewart, dated April 15, 1945

After telling my brother that spring is coming, that the tulips are blooming, that I had started piano lessons, that my mother and I had both eaten out and had supper with friends, that painters were painting the windows at Marshall (Stewart's high school, and where I was in Junior High), and that I was sending him a "Judge" (the name of the student newspaper at Marshall High - so-called because it was named after John Marshall, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), I somewhat casually state, "Pres. Roosevelt died." He had indeed died on April 12th, and I remember the day well, because all the usual radio programs (such as my favorite after-school serials, Jack Armstrong, Tom Mix and Captain Midnight), had all been replaced by non-stop classical music in Roosevelt's honor. Sort of amazing when you think about it.

Thus began my life under the administration of Harry S Truman, who was President through my junior high years, high school years, and until I was a sophomore in college. Formative years. So, this visit to the Truman Library was a revisiting of the historical context of my teen-age years. It was not disappointing. One floor was devoted to a presentation of Truman's life, chronologically ordered, but another floor was devoted to the era in which he was President, and to the incredible number of crises he had to deal with. It is mind-boggling when you think of it: dropping the atomic bomb to end WWII, the Potsdam Conference with Churchill and Stalin to arrange for the post-war era; the post-war era itself with the return of hundreds of thousands of veterans, resultant unemployment, housing shortages,  and the shift to a civilian economy; the racial integration of the military; the beginning of the Cold War; the Berlin airlift; the invasion of South Korea by the Communist North Korean state, the Korean War itself and the firing of General MacArthur who wanted to bomb China and who was insubordinate to the President, the Marshall Plan to reconstruct Europe, the formation of NATO - on it goes. When Truman took office in 1945, many saw him as a party hack who had been a toady to Boss Pendergast in Kansas City and not up to the job. Today he is widely regarded as having been a very good President, maybe one of the best. A steady hand on the tiller of the ship of state, unflappable, cautious but also decisive. Famous for saying, "The buck stops here:" and "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." Not popular in his time - 30% approval ratings -  but well regarded decades later. So it goes for Presidents.

Harry S Truman

I can't begin to represent here the fullness of the displays. They were well-organized and fascinating. We could have spent many hours there trying to assimilate what was presented. (There was, by the way, a 45-minute movie on Truman's life which was very interesting in itself and had a lot of archival newsreel footage which brought back memories).  One of the most controversial issues of his presidency was, of course, the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The curators had decided to present this as a decision that has had a long afterlife. There was a wall devoted to quotations from a wide spectrum of historians and commentators of various kinds, supporting, questioning, criticizing and condemning the decision to drop the bomb. In the center was a book with blank pages where you could write your opinion, if you chose to.

The Atomic Bomb Debate

 I also found it quite fascinating that in 1949, Truman introduced to the Congress a National Health Plan, which was shot down by the Republicans and brought this response from the AMA - deja vu all over again:

AMA diatribe against Truman's National Health Plan - branded as "Socialized medicine."

There were of course lighter things that were still fascinating, like the reconstruction of the Oval Office, in its exact proportions and furnishings in Truman's time, which was really neat to stand in:

The President's desk in the Oval Office

Truman often posed with guests by this globe

And more trivial still but still appealing, the dinner service at the White House introduced by Harry and Bess Truman in 1951 . . .

White House table service

. . . and since I'm a sucker for old cars, I loved the Truman's Chrysler which reminded me of the Plymouth I drove the summer of 1949 when I worked as a chauffeur for Dan Umbenhauer, a glove salesman for the Grinnell Glove Company and member of my father's church in Anamosa. Now there was a job for a sixteen-year-old!!

The Truman's car

Probably the most striking thing at the Library is the Thomas Hart Benton Mural which greets you as you enter the lobby, called The Opening of the West. Benton was an admirer of Truman and Truman reciprocated the admiration. Truman chose Benton as the artist for this monumental mural, and on one occasion even mounted the scaffolding and helped paint some sky. The mural depicts the founding of Independence, MO, Truman's home, and it's importance as the gateway to the settlement of the west, it's role as a major trading town for the Oregon Trail, etc. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the depiction captures all the myths, the stereotypes, the deplorable racism and white hegemony, the real and imagined heroism, which characterizes the story Americans tell themselves about the settlement of the west. It stirs quite a mixture of emotions. 

The Opening of the West by Thomas Hart Benton

Truman's home, where he lived before becoming President and after he retired, was not open on Sunday, but we got a glimpse of it from the street.

Truman Home

All in all, it was a memorable visit!

Heart-breaking game

DAY THIRTY:  Well, it's over for the UNC Tarheels in the NCAA Man's Basketball Tournament. The Iowa State Cyclones beat them earlier today, 85-83, in a heart-breaking, last second win. It was particularly heart-breaking because Marcus Paige (my favorite UNC player, who happens to come from Marion, Iowa, which is just a few miles down the road from where I went to high school - Anamosa - and where I used to to go roller-skating some 66 years ago), feels that he was responsible for the loss (see below). It was also heart-breaking because there was confusion in the last seconds over the time clock, which left the uncertainty that UNC might have had a couple of seconds to tie the game. But the game ended anti-climactically after ten minutes or so of officials deliberating at the sidelines. A hard way to end a season. 

Here is a news report that sums up Marcus Paige's anguish:

SAN ANTONIO — The shaking wouldn’t stop. The tears had come to an end, but Marcus Paige kept shaking as he sat in a corner of North Carolina’s locker room, reliving the moment over and over. The player who did more than anything to get the Tar Heels this far sat there and blamed himself for the end of their season, shivering like the notion seemed to chill him to his very core. The idea was preposterous. Paige was North Carolina’s best player, one whose ability to score when the Tar Heels desperately needed him helped turn around a season that at one point looked very much headed in the wrong direction.  And yet he couldn’t shake the mistaken notion he’d let them all down with an utterly uncharacteristic turnover at the end of Sunday’s 85-83 loss to Iowa State. The same thought kept going through Paige’s mind. “You’re thinking about the play that just cost you your season 20 seconds earlier,” Paige said. “It’s hard to describe.”

That play came with 31 seconds left, the score tied and the teams going back and forth, shot after shot. After a Naz Long 3-pointer made it 81-81, Paige walked the ball up the court and North Carolina started what James Michael McAdoo called a standard offensive set. On the right wing, Paige curled around a McAdoo screen and cut into the lane. The Cyclones had been fighting through screens all night, but 6-foot-6 Melvin Ejim switched off McAdoo and onto Paige this time, so when Paige jumped as if to shoot, Ejim had a hand in his face. Already in the air, Paige looked to pass. McAdoo, expecting Paige to shoot, was getting into position for a rebound.

Paige, losing altitude, had nowhere to go with the ball.

His pass attempt grazed McAdoo’s fingertips. Ejim picked it up and threw a home-run pass to DeAndre Kane. North Carolina went from playing with the lead to playing from behind, a scenario that proved fatal when Kane slashed past J.P. Tokoto for the winning basket with 1.6 seconds to play.

The Tar Heels had been ahead by eight only a few minutes earlier, and Paige had an open look at a 3-point attempt that would have run the lead to 11. Even after the miss, Paige said the Tar Heels thought they had the game under control. But the Cyclones couldn’t miss, making seven of their final eight shots to close out the win.

“At the end of the day, we had a chance to win,” Paige said. “We had possession, we had the ball, we had the ball in my hands with James Michael setting a screen. That’s worked out for us all year.”

Paige took a couple quick breaths. “I just didn’t make the play,” he said, his voice trembling. “My teammates trust me in that situation. I’ve come through for them a lot. If I had that play a thousand more times, I’d be confident of making that play a thousand times again. I’m sure my teammates would feel the same way.”

That belief was shared by Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg, who in the process of game-planning against the Tar Heels’ final play that never happened, was only concerned with one player: Paige. “We felt he would probably get the shot,” Hoiberg said.  Hoiberg knows. North Carolina didn’t lose because of Marcus Paige. It would never have been in this position without him.

“He’s the heart and soul of our team,” McAdoo said. “We’ll live with that.”

Paige can’t stop thinking about one play. If he remembers anything from this game, from this season, it should be those 12 words from McAdoo. 

You just have to feel for the guy!!

Marcus Paige (#5) takes a shot over an Iowa State player while Kenendy Meeks (#3) looks on

 

Sabbath Day

DAY THIRTY:  Today we got up reasonably early so that we could go to church at the Star Valley United Church in Thayne, which we have attended before several times. Pastor Steve Crittenden had left to take a church in Twin Falls, ID last fall, and we had not heard what was happening since, so we were curious to find out the story. Max loves going with us because there is a great play room for kids loaded with really nice toys. But when we got there five minutes before the service was supposed to start, the parking lot was empty. Oh dear! Had they cancelled church? No, a sign on the door indicated that the service would be at 4:30pm this afternoon, but with no indication as to why. We learned later that they have a part-time pulpit supply person who comes down from the Presbyterian Church in Jackson, and thus needs to have the service in the afternoon. We have other things to do this afternoon, but maybe we'll be able to go next Sunday.

So, we came back, but not before stopping in the store in  Etna to get Max some ice cream we promised him. The soft-serve machine was down but they had ice cream sandwiches.

Max picks out his ice cream treat

Then we went to the Family Dollar in Alpine where I got some CD mailers and toothpaste, and Max got a toy - a pirate sword - thank you grandma Ellen!

Max with his new sword. His friend Olivia is in the background

On the way to Alpine we go right by the elk refuge. There were hundreds of elk feeding. What a sight!

Elk feeding

When we got home, it was such a beautiful day that I decided to go for a walk. Ellen's foot hurts so she decided to give it a rest.  There was much to see on my walk. The beauty of the ice at my feet at the roadside:

 Paul's house against the mountains:

 The view from the top of the hill:

 I especially love the color of the willows at this time of year:

In a couple of hours, I'll watch the North Caroline/Iowa State basketball game in the NCAA tournament.  This year, the tournament has been marked by an unusual number of upsets, with lower seeded teams defeating high seeded teams. Perhaps the most stunning was that Mercer U (Macon, GA) defeated Duke, a team many thought could win the championship. Other notable upsets: Dayton defeated Syracuse, Stanford defeated Kansas, and Connecticut defeated Villanova. UNC is a 6th seed, and Iowa State is a 3 seed, so maybe UNC will pull off an upset too!  Go Heels!!

Taking it easy

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN: We're in Alpine at Paul and Jenny's. We got here at about 6pm yesterday. The drive from Laramie to Alpine - about 430 miles - was mostly fine, but there were some periods of blowing snow and near white-out on I-80, which is not uncommon. I-80 is notorious that way. But by the time we got to U.S. 89 going up to Alpine, we were treated to beautiful views of freshly-fallen snow against the blue, blue sky.

We had a lovely supper Jenny had prepared and talked pretty late into the evening, getting caught up on everything. Max goes to school in Thayne on a bus each day and seems to be liking school. We're wishing we could be flies on the wall in his classroom.

I'm taking it easy today. I may not be entirely free of the bronchitis and I'm also adjusting to the altitude.

Blowing snow

Near white-out

Scene in beautiful Star Valley

Part way

DAY TWENTY-FIVE: We stayed in Sidney for much of the day, hanging out at the Library, reading, using the internet. Ellen got involved in a book titled Ghost Town by Robert Coover, and got sort of hooked on it. We'll have to see if we can get it in Alpine.
 
Weather improved as the day progressed and we left Sidney at about 4pm. I-80 was mostly fine, though it was still very blustery, and there were a few places where snow was blowing and drifting, but mostly it was dry. We are now at a Travelodge Motel in Laramie, which puts us 150 miles closer to Alpine and will give us a manageable day tomorrow. We just made a driving tour of the University of Wyoming, which is in Laramie, and which neither of us had ever seen before. It is an interesting campus, with some older, attractive buildings, and some newer ones which seem to have been architecturally influenced by the Third Reich. It has 14,000 students. We saw a "Biodiversity Conservation Center," which was intriguing.

A couple of post-scripts: Yesterday we drove from Paolo, KS to Sidney, NE. On the way we stopped briefly at Osawatomie, KS to visit the John Brown State Historic Site. It was closed on Monday, but there was a self-guided tour with placards. This is, of course, the site of the "Battle of Osawatomie,"  in which a group of anti-slavery guerillas led by John Brown, skirmished with a pro-slavery force led by John Reid. Brown's son lost his life.  From Wikipedia:

The conflict known as the Battle of Osawatomie began August 30, 1856 as John Brown was camped just north Osawatomie and looking east for pro-slavery forces. A pro-slavery force of 250, led by John William Reid, came riding into Osawatomie from another direction. One of John Brown's sons Frederick Brown was walking to the Adair cabin at the time, and was shot. When Reverend Adair heard the shot, he sent his own son to warn and notify John Brown of the raid. Brown and 31 of the free state guerillas took positions to attempt to defend Osawatomie. Heavy gunfire took place for over 45 minutes, until Brown and his men ran out of ammunition. They retreated hoping they would be chased, and the community of Osawatomie would be left alone. However, despite the attempts of Brown to get Reid's men to follow, they instead looted and burned Osawatomie. Only three buildings remained standing when it was over.

Statue of John Brown

Placard on the Trail

I have read three biographies of John Brown and am convinced that he is a more significant figure  in U.S. history than the textbooks allow. His passionate anti-slavery commitment, including this skirmish in Osawatomie, and then later his raid on Harper's Ferry, was an important factor in the start of the Civil War.

Later our itinerary took us by Abilene, KS and the Eisenhower Center. We did not have the time to stay and do the whole thing, but Ellen got some postcards, and I got a photo of his home. It would have been the perfect follow-up on our visit to the Truman Library the day before, since Eisenhower succeeded Truman.

Eisenhower home