Thanksgiving and Travel

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The entry to the little church at the cemetery where Dad is buried.
The entry to the little church at the cemetery where Dad is buried.

While in Rolla, I visited Mom/Dad’s plots at the local cemetery. My intent is to have a plaque placed to memorialize Wife at the foot of Mom’s plot. So, we looked around while I was there, talked a bit, and I got the contact information needed to make the call.

After they left, the Girl and I kicked around the cemetery a bit more, me hoping to find a geocache (and to just spend some time outdoors without it raining). There was no geocache, but the Girl and I had fun spending outside time together anyway.

I elected to drive out to Pilot Knob to pay Dad’s gravesite a visit. Although he died in 1995, I still talk to him and wish I had some of his insight and wisdom to draw on. I know he’d tell me to make up my own mind, but he had a way of asking questions and telling stories that provided some of the perspective I always seem to lack.

It’s beautiful little cemetery, tidy, well-kept, peaceful. I saw that my stepmom is still alive. I wandered around there for a bit, talking to my Dad and thinking back on the time we spent together. Those few days before he died are especially poignant. I remember standing on the front porch of his house, watching a thundershower and listening to the lightning — safe a dry… until the wind shifted and blew the rain in on us. Then we scattered back into the house to keep dry. I’m still laughing although it was 20-years ago.

On the way out I noticed the geometry of the entry to the little church. It needed a capture, so I made one.

The geocache across U.S. 63 was not to be found. The Girl and I had a nice hike anyway, at least until she was spooked by shotgun fire across the way. She needed no coaxing to hop into the 4Runner when we left.

I spent a few more days with Mom/Dad there in Rolla. Thanksgiving celebration was wonderful and I’m honored to have spent it with the family.

I left Monday and stopped in Willard to visit my grandmother. She recently entered a nursing home there and I wanted to see her. She just turned 100-years old and that’s old by any measure. That she was in a nursing facility was not good news. As I expected, she’s not doing well and I think she’s ready to die and be released of her struggle. I can’t blame her for that and she greeted me with the same smile and grace that she’s always had, just weaker and tired. She went back to sleep as I spoke to her.

I wandered down through Arkansas the last couple of days, spending a lot of my time on State Highway 23. I collected a couple of geocaches, a few images, and spent a lot of time remembering. Nana will be gone soon. Three years ago Wife was struggling with her radiation therapy and this time of year is always an emotional challenge for me. I don’t think I’ll ever adjust to Wife being gone.

I know this comes up on this space frequently and sometimes it seems like I’m whining. But this is my reality. The loss of someone this close is not something one just gets over. There are times when the loss is more keenly felt and writing about it here is one way I process my grief.

This morning I dropped into Louisiana to pick up a geocache and collect another state. I drove through the northwest corner of the state, remembering the marshlands that make up most of Louisiana. Then I turned west and worked my way into Texas.

I started the process of procuring a marker for Wife. I’ll have it placed at the foot of her mom’s plot. There will be a permanent marker to remember her. I think it’s the last thing that needs to be done.

It felt good to be in Texas again. I stopped in Gainesville to spend the night. Getting access to the Internet was something of a problem, but it eventually was worked out. I got caught up on everything that needed doing and will soon call it a day. I don’t have a long day tomorrow, but I have been waking really early. Plus the Girl needs Walkies in the morning (as do I) and I don’t want to push it too late or it will be dark by the time I get to Lubbock.

I’m looking forward to seeing some family and friends this trip. I missed a bunch of them the last time I passed through, but those were different circumstances. I don’t have as much time as I’d like for this trip, but at least the time I have is mostly mine.

I have many things I’m thankful for. I spent time this morning remembering those things (including people) and prayed as I drove, thanking God for his kindness, grace, mercy, and for permitting me to have to wonderful people in my life.

Waffle House, Lebanon Missouri

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The Front Desk of the Waffle House in Lebanon, Missouri — A Busy Place!
The Front Desk of the Waffle House in Lebanon, Missouri — A Busy Place!

I left Rolla, Missouri yesterday about 0730 and headed towards Springfield to see my maternal grandmother. It was a gray, drizzly day and I drove through showers heavy enough to require the windshield wipers off and on all day. After about an hour, I decided a cup of coffee would be nice and it’s always a good idea to get out of the car for a few minutes, stand, walk around, and clear my head. Plus, the Girl appreciates time on her feet and new opportunities to leave pee-mail.

So, it was a deal. Of course, it was raining in Lebanon. Therefore, the pee-mail delivery was curtailed in favor of a dry spot at a booth inside the local Waffle House.

Waffle House is a favorite stop. It was when my family was with me and it remains so now. I like Waffle House better than Denny’s in many ways. Both evoke a sense of nostalgia and wanderlust in this old man. Waffle House, though, is more the quintessential American Diner. It evokes a greater sense of the past than Denny’s, at least for me. Plus, Waffle House waffles are much better than the Denny’s offering. It is Waffle House, after all.

So I enjoyed my coffee and ordered a Pecan Waffle. The server asked about the Girl, who was pleased to come out for a greet and then return to her snooze under the table. I watched the servers work and interact with the clientele while I remembered all those times I spent with Wife and Kids on the road. Now it’s just me and the Girl, wandering a bit, a few destinations in mind but no real reason to be anywhere in particular at any particular time.

I spent time with Daughter and her family this Fall. I saw my Denver kids this summer. I’m headed to Texas to visit friends and family there for a few days. Then I think I’ll head toward Carson City to retrieve a few things from my storage unit and see Younger Son and friends there. I’m thinking I might head to Washington for Christmas to spend the end of the year with a friend there. Plus, I’d like to see the coast again and the Cascades in snow.

My waffle arrived just as I caught up with my social media and finished my reverie. It was really tasty and I’m glad I stopped, rested, and got a snack. I had a couple more cups of coffee, then the Girl and I walked next door to the Knife Outlet. They had big display cases of Case and Buck knives, far too many for me to select anything. So, I window-shopped a bit and we left to continue on toward Springfield.

Estimating Distance

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A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a football game with my family. It was near sunset and the sky was illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun. Far overhead, jetliners could be seen crossing the sky, their contrails bright and warm although I knew that they existed in deadly cold.

One of them was not at cruising altitude. Older Grandson asked “How high is that plane?”

“About 25,000 feet,” SiL responded. I thought it was closer to 10K AGL.

“I don’t think so; I think it’s closer to 10,000.”

A short debate ensued and it was interesting. I respect SiL’s opinion given he works with aircraft as a professional.

Later, on the road Monday, the interchange recurred to me. As I drove along, I wondered whether there was a simple way to estimate the altitude. After thinking about it a few minutes, I came up with the following.

For small angles, the angle and the sine of the angle are approximately equal. Therefore the angle subtended by the aircraft can be used to estimate its distance from the observer. If the approximate angle from the horizontal is also known, then the elevation can be estimated.

The width of a human thumb at arm’s length is about a half-degree, or thirty minutes of angle. The pinky fingertip is about half that.

As I thought about my observations, my estimate was about three of the aircraft would be the width of my pinky finger at arm’s length… or maybe half that. That would be between two and a half and five minutes of angle, or one-twelfth to one-twenty-fourth of a degree. The sight distance to the aircraft would then be 12 to 24 times the apparent width of the vehicle.

My guess is that the apparent width of that aircraft was on the order of 120–200 feet. Therefore, for S&G’s, say it was 150 feet. At twenty times the apparent width, that would be 30,000  feet. My estimate for the angle-to-horizon was less than 45 degrees, so I’ll use that as an upper limit. The sine of 45 is about 0.7. So, the elevation is about 70 percent of the length of the hypotenuse — or sight distance.

My estimate of the altitude of the aircraft is about 20,000 feet. SiL was closer to correct than I was. Trust the professional.

The Last Hold-Out

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The Last Hold Out before Winter
The Last Hold Out before Winter

On Walkies a few days ago, the Girl and I came across an interesting Fall scene. Amidst the shedding of leaves and loss of color, this one bit of greenery hangs on. It is a metaphor of defiance in the face of oncoming Winter… this bit of green life in a sea of death. The leaf said to me, “I will not go down easily.”

Germany Valley

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While hunting for an Earthcache, I was also on overwatch of Germany Valley in the Appalachian Mountains.
While hunting for an Earthcache, I was also on overwatch of Germany Valley in the Appalachian Mountains.

While searching for the answers to log an Earthcache, I was also overwatching Germany Valley in the Appalachian Mountains. I had driven down U.S. 220 from Keyser, West Virginia (and stopped to see President Lincoln’s mother’s cabin) and then turned west to cross the mountains, heading for Missouri to spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws. I wanted to log a geocache in West Virginia and this one seem to be it.

It was a cold, snowy day at 3,300  feet. The gray skies coupled with the leafless trees gave the scene a deep sense of bleakness. But, it was still a good day and I’m glad I stopped.

Roma’s Pizzeria

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A favorite place for take-out pizza and stromboli.
A favorite place for take-out pizza and stromboli.

Yesterday was Younger Grandson’s birthday. So, given that I’m heading out tomorrow morning, I decided to buy supper for my family to celebrate his birthday… and just because I wanted to. Roma’s has become a favorite place. They have a very nice stromboli that I really like. I can never justify buying one for just me, so this is a real treat.

While Daughter and I were waiting for the food to be ready, I noticed the graphic appeal of the counter area. So, I grabbed my iPhone, turned on the camera, and grabbed the shot. Daughter said “Always the photographer…” and chuckled at me.

We carried the food home, had a blast with the birthday celebration, and then I watched the boys play the new game for a bit. However, the action got too heavy for me (too much fast turning) and so I decided it was time for this old man to hit the rack.

I deeply enjoy being around them. This is something I’m going to miss. But, it’s time to move along and there are other people I want to see too. So, I’d better git…

Moving On

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This green leaf is holding on tight in defiance of oncoming winter!
This green leaf is holding on tight in defiance of oncoming winter!

On Walkies a few days ago, the Girl and I came upon this little leaf struggling to get through the surrounding fallen leaves. It’s such a defiant little plant, determined to get that list bit of sunlight before Winter closes in and shuts everything down for a few months.

The other plants shed their leaves after displaying a splash of color over the last few weeks. This little fellow seems determined to buck the flow. I like that.

After waffling for days or weeks, I finally decided it’s time for me to move along. I have mixed feelings about leaving here — hugely mixed. This is a safe place. I love Daughter and her family. I love being around my grandsons.

But I also feel like I change the dynamic of the family. I’m uncomfortable with that. It’s not that I think I burden them. But something just feels “off.”

Plus I’d like to see my in-laws, maybe spend a little time in Texas, and then see Youngest Son and my friends in western Nevada.

So, I’m going to move on. I could be back in here a month or two. I don’t know. I really don’t know what I’ll do past seeing my in-laws. There’s no reason to worry about it. It is what it is… or it will be what it will be.

No one knows the future anyway. We only know now.

Last Rays, Last Colors

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Last Rays, Last Colors... Soon the fall colors will be gone...
Last Rays, Last Colors… Soon the fall colors will be gone…

The Girl and I drove over to Fitz Park, not far from Daughter’s house for a play. She loves to sniff around and leave pee-mail for the next interloper. Once that aspect of her personality is satisfied, she’s ready to chase the ball. So, I brought the Chucker along to give her a good run before we headed off to Younger Grandson’s last football game of the season.

She made quite a few good runs. The grass is still green at Fitz Park so the surface makes good traction for puppy-feet. She has to tease me a little on each retrieve and loves to wrestle over the ball. We have such a good time playing this game.

After play, we headed back for the 4Runner. The sun was falling fast, as it does this time of the year. Many of the leaves are gone with all the wind last week. But, there were a few stragglers in the drainage ditch by the park. So, I stepped down the bank to see if I could capture a few nice frames with the iPhone.

I’m working my way through a book by David Hume Kennerly, On the iPhone. Many of his images are heavily processed after capture. In general, I eschew too much post-processing, being a purist by nature. I try to get everything right in the capture and then do little post-processing.

However, I’m thinking that there are other ways. Perhaps I should experiment more with post processing and filters than I have in the past. It seems that is a direction I’m moving, whether I want to or not. We’ll see where this goes.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

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The Girl was napping Saturday afternoon — a good thing to do.
The Girl was napping Saturday afternoon — a good thing to do.

On a sleepy Saturday afternoon, the family was puttering around the house, some watching the Longhorns game (snort), others playing, some working. But the Girl elected to nap after our morning walkies.

We were waiting for the last football game for Youngest Grandson. Older Grandson’s last game was Friday night, but given he’s junior varsity he is required to dress but sits on the sideline… unless they need him to stand in as quarterback. So, Older Grandson’s last game for the season was Friday night.

The Girl though, knew nothing of this nor does she care about football. She knows many things, though — play, walkies, hunting, affection, sleep, snuggles, food (both her’s and begged), and a decided state of just being. And for her, curled up on a warm blanket close to her peeps, where I could sit in the chair, stretch out my legs on the Ottoman, and she could feel my touch — these were good good things, good enough for life to be good.

Later we drove over to the venue as the sun set (too early now, it seems). We found our way to the guest seating but missed the rest of the family in the glare of the sun. Older Grandson retrieved us fairly quickly, though, and we joined our family.

Young Grandson played well in the cold Fall air. It was too cold for us, although I brought the Girl’s blanket along. She was cold and so was I, even with a base layer. It was good to see Young Grandson play out his season. He played well although they lost and were second place in their league.

When the game ended, the Girl and I headed for the 4Runner. When I got in and started the engine, I shook uncontrollably. I was too cold and didn’t realize it until I moved. Then I shivered quite a lot until the vehicle warmed. I didn’t warm until I got some hot chow in me.

Today will be more football, I expect. I think I’ll spend some time sorting through my gear currently stowed in the garage. The family vehicles will need to be parked in the garage soon as Winter comes and so does the snow. I have not yet decided whether to winter here to go somewhere else. My sense is that it’s time to move on for a bit. I think they need a break from me.

I’m not a burden. I’m quiet, I demand nothing, I take little space, I leave folks to do their thing, but provide an additional adult when one is needed. I love to shop with Daughter and contribute to the family budget.

But there is always a change in dynamic when another person is involved. The American nuclear family does not generally include the extended family in a closely-integrated structure. The extended family represents a broader, loosely-connected structure that is not generally part of daily life. My thought is that my presence just changes the dynamic a bit. I don’t know that it is a good thing and I do not want to overstay my welcome.

So, I’m thinking maybe it is time to move on for awhile. I’d like to wander down to Missouri to see Wife’s family, then through Texas to see some friends and colleagues, even if the time is not right to develop any new business. The connections themselves would be good enough. Then I might wander back out to Nevada for a spell to see Younger Son and my friends Jimmy and Les.

I’m not sure just yet… I’m just thinking out loud (kinda-sorta) for the moment.

I also have some project work to do and will need to spend some time on that before the end of the year. So I’ll have to land somewhere with Internet capability at least part of the time.

There is also the issue of cold-weather camping. I am not prepared for that (yet). It’s not something I’ve done before and need to check my gear to be sure I can keep us warm if the weather turns colder than I expect. Or maybe I can research cabins along the way so that I have shelter but can cook for myself and keep my costs down.

I’m also still looking for a camper. I’m thinking that a small camper is the way to go for the next year or two while I figure things out. I’m researching converted busses as a longer-term solution to mobile living. But that will take me some time to figure out and so it’s a long-term project.

And there, my friends, is a random rumination, which is what I do.