Ace Wisdom

Here we go! My description of Christmas 2005. Can I capture the anticipation, the passion, the emotions or the highlights?
First an observation. My gratulations to all Christians of the World for rising up and insisting that “Christ” be the center of the Christmas celebration. My utmost respect for what all dissident people of the world believe but how about respect in return.
Trying to coordinate the celebration of Christmas with all of family and friends is becoming a statistical jigsaw puzzle. Every person, every family and every friend has their own priorities and getting that puzzle solved for our family celebration is miraculous.
Paul and Jenny and Dominic and Tommy arrived and stayed Christmas Eve. It was fun to have them. We experienced some magic because Dominic’s cousin Bailey is spreading the rumor that there is no Santa Claus. Talk about blasphemy! Well a miracle occured on Christmas Eve. We left the house in early evening to experience the light displays in our neighborhood. Somebody has money! As we are driving around, Dominic saw a red light in the sky. It could have been a reflection, an airplane or maybe Rudolph. The sighting was dismissed and we journeyed on only to return home to find presents under the tree. Santa had come. Dominic was sure that that Rudoph sighting in the sky was real and subsequent presents were proof. Did I mention that Margaret had arrived earlier and somehow coordinated the Santa effort. Well, Dominic’s cousin Bailey must have received an “earful” about Santa. Bailey, there is a Santa and Dominic has proof.
Chris and Shelby and Nevin and Keely and Collin showed up after Church on Christmas morning. They were under pressure to arrive at Shelby’s family celebration in Cascade but they persevered through presents, food and the White elephant exchange. I think Santa has to become more clear about the rules of the white elephant effort. Somehow Nevin always seems to get what he wants. Last year it was a TV and this year it was a “locked box” computer disc filing system. My understanding is that the filing system will find it’s way to e-Bay for cash. Ah, the consumate entrepreneur.
Kelly and Carlos and Grant and Mitchell blew in early afternoon on Christmas day in time to exchange white elephant gifts. I don’t know what Kelly’s offer to the white elephant effort was, but it usually pretty good stuff. Grant grows on a daily basis and Mitchell never stops moving. The Andrews/Vargus family stayed over night along with Margaret on Christmas Day.
And then, each Christmas has some special present or event. One that brings “Ooooo’s and Ahhhh’s”. Deb and Dano arrived Christmas Day from separate directions. One came from Wausau where she was visiting and the other drove up from Sheboygan. Debs got a new baby blue Columbia jacket. One pocket had a small gift but the other pocket had a square box typical for storing rings. Debs held the box in her hand and blushed a little. What could it be? What could it be? Lo and behold, it had a sparkling engagement ring. Tom, the love of her life was hoovering near the Christmas tree with a big smile. I don’t remember exactly the verbal exchange but it had something to do with proposal of marriage, a special kiss and actually an applause from the whole family. Sometimes it takes time for special people to enter your life but I think both Debs and Tom have made that find! Congratulations to both.
So Monday the 26th, Kelly and family and Margaret were still around but things had calmed down. Kelly and Carlos are preparing to move into their new home. Margaret has anxious to get her special batch of party mix made and head back to Minneapolis for an evening with Rex. Can you believe that she would leave her Mom and Dad to return to Rex? Ah, all is right with the world and as it should be.
So you see Christmas came and went. It is like a blur. A special recognition of my dear wife who works very hard to create some magic and plan a special family gathering. It is a huge undertaking. She manages to have good memories such as hot potato soup, hot clam chowder dip, apple cider, and lots and lots of options for appetizers. She decorates the house. She coordinates gifts to please the recipients. She literally becomes consumed by the effort. So if you really think about it, that is her gift to the family. Like Santa, she gets very, very tired.
Thank you all. You made our Christmas memorable.
Love,
Dad

Yesterday was one of those days when the moon was in the wrong position and little things kept going wrong. I tripped over a telephone connection to the computer and caught myself by grabbing a chair. The chair tipped and we both slipped to the carpet. No harm done. Then I’m grabbing my cell phone in the car and it drops on the floor. It fell to a place I couldn’t reach easily so I had to find a safe place to park and reach under the seat. No harm done. Then I made a special stop to pick up a special weekly publication at my local news-stand. They are never out of the publication. Yep, they were all sold. I found another store and located what I wanted so it was okay. No harm done. You get the idea. Just picky little irritating stuff. My whole day went that way.
Well, I wondered if Santa ever has an off day. What possibly could go wrong with the jolly, rotund old man in the red suit?
Santa got into his sleigh to deliver gifts to the kids of the world with a special emphasis on Grant Hollander, Mitchell Hollander, Dominic Andrews, and Tommy Andrews. Why the special emphasis? Because they were great kids all year and many letters were received to make sure they weren’t forgotten.
Santa got into his sleigh and Rudoph’s “red nose bulb” was burnt out. Perfect. The glow needed to lead all the other reindeer was gone. Darn! Santa always knew that Rudolph had a weak bulb, but Christmas Eve it flickered out. So Santa replaced the bulb with a halogen equivalent. It glowed brighter and he finally got rid of that stupid red. No harm done.
Then Santa started off from the North Pole and could not see the North Star because of clouds so he was “flying blind”. No worry! Santa got out his GPS device to let satelite guidance systems take over. Wouldn’t you know one of the elves had taken the batteries out of the GPS to use on an electronic gift for Grant. So his GPS didn’t work. He reached into his battery bag and put in new AA alkaline batteries and everything was fine. No harm done. He now had his map system working.
Then unbeknownst to Santa, the elf named Tommy had fed the reindeer before they left on their long night. His choice was baked beans. You guessed it! Eight reindeer and Rudolph all had flatulence. Santa found a gas mask among the gifts and barely escaped the reindeer rage. No harm done.
Santa found Grant and Mitchell’s house and slipped quietly into the living room. After cookies and milk, Santa rose up the chimney only to find one of the reindeer had “relieved” himself over a chimney of a neighbor. To add insult to injury, the neighbor had simultaneously lit his fireplace. You can imagine what happened. Foreign material from the reindeer hitting a newly lit fire. Fire belched 100 feet into the air creating a spectacular fire spout. The reindeer had singed “butts”. No harm done. And what was the reindeer supposed to do, hold it?
When Santa reached Dominic’s and Tommy’s house, he figured he would go through the front door because it was easier. He slipped on the icy, unshoveled sidewalk and fell on his butt. Lucky he had lots of padding. Undeterred, Santa piled lots of presents under Dominic’s and Tommy’s tree for everyone. No harm done.
Wouldn’t you know that on his last stop in Sheboygan, he dropped down the chimney and he was attacked by a group of “nymphettes”. Fortunately he fought them off galantly and escaped in just his shorts. He had another “Santa suit” in the sleigh. Mrs. Clause would have been proud of him. No harm done.
I guess Santa does have his “off days” too. We all do. But he pressed on and he told me to help him tell the world “MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT”. All the children had smiles and all was right with the world. No harm done.
And Grant, Mitchell, Dominic and Tommy promised to be good for the whole next year. Yeah, right!
Love,
Dad

Admit it! You’ve all had a Christmas CD in your car stereo and you sang along. Of course, you were alone so that nobody could hear you but you pumped up the volume and in your own mind, you sounded pretty good. Of course you did!
The TV prime time slots are filled with contests these days with “Dancing with the Stars” and “American Idol” dominating. Then there is always the Grammys, the Emmys and the People Choice Awards. Well, I’ve decided that I will have my own Chuckie Choice Award on Christmas music.
The Chuckie Choice Award has the goal of picking the all-time best Christmas song and it’s respective artist. This is a prestigious award and the world should take notice of the winner.
There are lots of Christmas songs to choose from. There are the “long hair” instrumentals performed by the Boston Symphony or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Nope, this group is like elevator music. Good background music but it doesn’t compete for the Chuckie Choice Award.
Then there are Childrens fun songs. Rudolph, Frosty and the Chipmonks. This is novelty stuff. Not offensive but not candidates for the best song and artist of all time. I really hate to eliminate Gene Autry and Burl Ives.
Outrageous songs like “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” aren’t even considered.
I love some of the mood music especially by the crooners. Elvis singing “Blue Christmas” is special and you can’t forget Dean Martin, Perry Como, Andy Williams or Bing Crosby warbling “White Christmas”.
Johnny Mathis is a girl thing. I think he is! Maybe he is guy thing. Nope, no consideration.
I hate to eliminate the female singers. Kate Smith, Rosemary Clooney and Celine Dion can really belt out spectacular renditions of Christmas favorites but the Chuckie Choice Award leans toward the male gender. The Jewish Princess, Barbara Striesan is very good.
The Chuckie Choice Award goes toward a song revered by Christians everywhere. Yes, it is a religious song. Some of my fans won’t like that, but get over it. The song is centuries old. The two finalists were “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night”. Chuckie picks “Silent Night”. It does move the soul.
Now we have to pick the best artist who sings “Silent Night”. My first thought was Bing Crosby. “Derbingo” as my Dad used to call him, has a melodious voice and does an admirable job. Being a good Catholic, Bing had years to hone his skills at “Silent Night”. Bing gets the runner-up position. My choice for the best artist ever to sing “Silent Night” goes to a renoun Gospel singer with a little bit of hillbilly accent. And you ready. Can you handle the suspense. Chuckie picks Tennessee Ernie Ford. His deep voice and his feeling ring the bell.
There you have it!. Silent Night by Tennessee Ernie Ford wins the Chuckie Choice Award. If you’ve never heard it, run out and buy a Christmas CD by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Then put the CD in your player at home, light the Christmas tree, sip some cider and enjoy the season. It is okay to sing along.
Love,
Dad

Just a note to begin this blog entry. My Dear Wife oftens chastises me for my inappropriate humorous comments that quote “aren’t funny”. But get this, she went to her exercise class the other day and bumped into Steve, the electrician. He installed our outdoor sidewalk lights in October and we still don’t have a bill. His comment to Shelby was “have we billed you yet”? Her answer, now get this was “you sure did, you cashed our check”. Your mom made a funny! Tis the season.
When you have children, Christmas is all about giving. It can be a hug. It can be a Christmas pagent. It can be Church on Christmas Eve. Usually what kids remember is the loot that they receive from Santa.
As I wipe away the cobwebs of my mind, my childhood had some memorable gifts. I still think it is better to receive than give. My first memory was an erector set. I mean a big red medal chest filled with structural metal parts including a little motor for driving some of the creations. Wow. Well, this gift wasn’t for me. It was for my Dad until he grew tired of it and then I could have it. I must have been about 10 years old. After all the presents were opened from under the tree, my Dad began to build a rotating Merry-go-round. It was built on the kitchen table and I was allowed to watch. He called his friend Harold Peters to help build the Merry-go-round and these two “rocket scientists” proceded with the endeavor. Because it was so complex, the effort continued for days and “boy was I having fun watching”. By the time it was done, it looked like an “Edsel” car design. It didn’t work. So slowly the two “big boys” got tired and I got my erector set. It was a special toy and I did build things that worked. The Erector Set was memorable.
When I was about 13, brother Jack and I got matching red pull-over fleece jackets. My parents thought we looked really cute but in today’s jargon we probably could have played elf pimps on a TV-sitcom. Bad, really bad.
When I was 16, I wanted a leather bomber jacket similar to the Fonz’s on Happy Days. It was the vogue of the day and it conveyed toughness. Yep, that is what I wanted. I did get a brown one and it was the best. I wore it for years. There have been times that I wanted to buy another but each time I go out to buy, I take my life partner along. She always convinces me to buy a longer design leather jacket to cover my fat butt. She is probably right from a style correctness standpoint. So I never quite get back to living the past with a bomber jacket but maybe someday I’ll get past how it looks and buy what makes me happy.
Actually my last memorable gift was when I was about 19 and going to UW-Oshkosh. The Steger’s informally adopted me (actually they couldn’t get rid of me) and I was at their house for a Christmas “present-opening” event. George and Lyla gave me a RCA Stereo Hi-Fidelity record player. Stereo was the new thing! It was portable and you separated the speakers with an extension cord. I also had stereo albums to go with the player. That record player followed me through college and was in our living rooom for many years. I know some of the Grasshoppers remember the demo record that had a train leaving a station and slowly, very slowly moving from one speaker to another. That record somehow disappeared but it was special.
Since that time, my memories have switched to giving! I do get a good feeling knowing that just maybe, the recipient of a gift will get a life long memory and then possibly pass that feeling along to someone else. Maybe that is what they call maturity.
But still, you can’t take away the memories of viewing Christmas “through a kids eyes”. The anticipation. The excitement. Oh my, oh my.
Love,
Dad

While going through a favoite magazine recently, I came across an ad by American Express consisting of a questionaire answered by the famous Coach “K” from Duke University. Being an athlete myself, I thought “what the hell, I’ll take the test”.
CHILDHOOD AMIBITION: To score 100 points in a basketball game.
FONDEST MEMORY: Warm summer nights during high school years with my best girl.
RETREAT: My car/driving.
WILDEST DREAM: Winning $350 million dollars in the Power Ball lottery.
PROUDEST MOMENT: Earning my MBA and whole family got to celebrate.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Continued Personal Improvement.
ALARM CLOCK: None! I rely on my own personal internal “time clock”.
PERFECT DAY: A warm football afternoon with family at Camp Randall
FIRST JOB: Sales Engineer, Allis-Chalmers.
INDULGENCE: Soda
LAST PURCHASE: Lunch with Shelby
FAVORITE MOVIE: The Earthling.
INSPIRATION: My Dad (that surprises even me)!
MY LIFE ……..: Has exceed expectations.
There, that should give you insight into my life journey. Answer the questions. They might make you think.
Love,
Dad

I have never reflected on Christmas while living at the City Club but here goes.
Living downtown in Plymouth, you were surrounded by Christmas decorations. The city would put wreaths on each and every lamp post, they would string lights across the street and hang a major “Merry Christmas” sign over the main intersection in town (we could see it right out our front window).
In the middle of our block on Mill Street, there was a Christmas Tree lot. I don’t remember prices but somewhere around $8 seems right. This was the 1950’s and artificial trees were not stylish. So we would trudge off to the tree lot, pick out the best looking tree and drag it home. By the time it thawed out and took a normal shape, it usually looked like a charlie Brown tree with lots of empty spots and a crooked trunk.
The tavern was always decked out to capture of the spirit of the season. Of course the beverages that were served also captured the spirit. There were patrons that started celebrating Christmas around Thanksgiving. I do remember a few Christmas trees being placed in strategic locations around the bar room. I don’t know if any of the patrons fell into the tree.
Myrna would always have a tree in her “back” apartment along with Christmas decorations and our family had the Charlie Brown tree.
On Christmas eve, the tavern would stay open until 6:00 PM. As a kid, I was always glad when the last patron left and the place fell silent. It meant family celebration and presents. On the afternoon of Dec. 24, the tavern was always packed. Busy shoppers stopping on their way home, people dropping in after work, and jolly sorts that wanted to be “well oiled” before going home (or to Church). The booze flowed, the music got louder and good time was had by all. Some celebrators had to be escorted out the door.
We always opened gifts on Christmas Eve. We would usually start with Grandma Myrnas stash and then retire to our apartment to open family gifts.
I guess I took the Christmas season for granted. It was all around. The City Club Christmas has some good memories.
Love,
Dad

The Chinese Zodiac is an attempt to explain a person’s personality traits along with physical and mental attributes. It is also supposed to predict your degree of success and happiness. My first response is to consider the Zodiac unadulterated “baloney”. Then being the curious person that I am, I figured that I had 5 Grasshopper experiments that I could examine.
The Chinese believe that the Zodia consists of a 12 year cycle, each year which is named after a different animal that imparts distinct characteristics to it’s year. The year of your birth correlates to an animal and explains much about you as an individual. So lets take a look.
Debs is a Rat. Yep! I’ve never thought of Debs as a rat but she is what she is. This means she is ambitious yet honest. She is prone to spend freely. She seldom makes lasting friendships. Now I ask you, does that describe Grasshopper No. 1? I guess only Debs can answer the question. I don’t know about the lasting friendships, but I do think she is maybe one of the friendliest people I know. The last part of the Zodiac says she is compatible with Dragons and Monkeys and least compatible with Horses. I have absolutely no idea what that means.
Kelly is an Ox. She is predicted to be bright, patient and inspiring to others. She can be happy by herself yet make an outstanding parent. I would argue with “patient”. Kelly isn’t patient about anything. Maybe that is Grasshopper No. 2’s challenge in life. To be more patient. Everything else seems to fit. She is suppose to marry a Snake or a Cock and avoid the Sheep because it will bring trouble.
Chris is a Dragon. He is suppose to be eccentric and his life complex. He is predicted to have a very passionate nature and abundant health. I can attest to Chris’ life being complex but I don’t know if I’d consider him eccentric. Maybe there is something about him I don’t know. He has a very compassionate nature. He is supposed to marry a Monkey or Rat late in life. Avoid the Dog.
Paul is also a Rat. Yep, he and Debs have more in common that I would have thought. They are both Rats. Is he ambitious? Yeah! Is he honest? Mostly yeah! Is he prone to spend freely? He hasn’t had alot to spend, so I really don’t know. From what I know of Paul, ambition may be his over-riding characteristic. The description spelled out by the Zodiac isn’t bad. He also is compatible with Dragons and Monkeys and not a good fit with the Horse.
And then there is Margaret. She is a Snake. That means wise and a tendency towards physical beauty. Also she is predicted to be vain and high tempered. I know she likes physical beauty but also examines inner beauty which takes her to another dimension. I have never perceived her as high tempered but after reading some her blogs and being exposed to some of the single syllable profanity, I really don’t know. Yes I do! She is not “high tempered”. The Boar is her enemy and the Cock or Ox are her best signs.
Now let me see. 2 Rats, an Ox, Dragon and Snake: Oh My! Rats, an Ox, Dragon and Snake: Oh My! It sounds like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
Your mother and I are both Dragons.
My conclusion is that Zodiac is an attempt to explain the complex nature of mankind in a simplistic way. It can’t be done. It is unadulterated “baloney”. But it is fun to know what kind of an animal you are predicted to be. You are all animals!
Love,
Dad

It was June of 1963. I had just graduated from Marquette University with a mechanical engineering degree. My last semester had included interviews with several companies needing engineers. I interviewed with two companies. United Technologies of Hartford, Conn. offered me $630/month and would pay expenses to move east. Allis-Chalmers was a conglomerate headquartered in Milwaukee and they offered $570/month with a guaranteed increase to $600 after 6 months. Your mom and I chose Allis-Chalmers because it closer to “home”.
Debbie was closing in on 3 years of age and Kelly was about 1.5 years old. Allis Chalmers moved us to Milwaukee and I remember the tears as we left Nana and Grampa’s comfortable home in Plymouth. Rent was $110 per month and it turned out to be a rental from hell. The landlords lived upstairs and never had any kids. Noise was an issue and we were afraid the kids would do something to screw up their perfect yard. We moved 3 months later to a different apartment paying $120 per month. Remember I was only making $570 per month before taxes.
We had one car. It was paid for. It burned oil. It had the gearship housing riveted together because it had cracked. It would have to do.
We owed $750 for a carpet we bought before any moving. Monthly payments were involved.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Grasshopper No. 3 was on the way. He would be born Feb. 7, 1964, 7 months after I started at Allis-Chalmers. Wouldn’t you know that he was not covered by insurance because I had to be at Allis-Chalmers 9 months to qualify for coverage of a birth. I had to take out a bank loan to pay the hospital and doctor bill. More montly payments. I had raised my salary to $600 per month before taxes.
Then our TV crapped out. I didn’t have the $225 to pay for a new black and white set so I took out another 2-year loan for about $15/month so we had some entertainment.
Then in the summer, the car (a 1956 Nash) died. I was across from a filling station when death occured. We pushed it into a stall at the station and determined it was worn out. They offered to sell it to a junk yard for $25 dollars. The next day I bought a 1963 Chevrolet Impala. It was 2 years old and I agreed to another 3 year loan with monthly payments. I was still making $600/month.
Your mom had $5 discretionary allowance. I had $5 discretionary.
And then, your mom called one day at the office and said that we had to meet with our dentist, Dr. Ney. He disclosed that many of the fillings in you Mom’s mouth were decaying underneath because they had been improperly years before. There were 29 fillings that had to be replaced and the bill was around $2000. He wanted us to sign a contract to pay for the new fillings. It was about 2 years, monthly payments. Remember I was making $600/month.
I remember thinking after the “tooth fairy” defecated on our parade “what other anchor can you throw me”?
Well slowly as my salary increased to $830/month by 1967 and with some creative financing of my occassional expense account, things eased a little but we wanted a house and the things that were promised by the good life. When we moved to Sheboygan in October 1967, I was offered $900/month and through brutal cash management, had accumulated about $2,000. It would be enough to make a 10% downpayment on a large old home on St. Claire Avenue in Sheboygan that we purchased for $17,000. We were still counting pennies and had just commited to a monthly mortgage including insurance.
It wasn’t until 1971 when Vollrath made me Director of Purchasing that things began to ease a little. That was almost 8 years since I started at Allis-Chalmers. Somehow we survived very difficult years and opportunity was always around the corner.
I wouldn’t trade those early years for anything. You mom complained about always being broke but somehow we made it and she remained a “stay at home mom”. Lack of money heightened enjoyment of family outings. Simple things seemed the order of the day.
So as the holiday season approaches, reach out and hug the ones most precious to you. It is the only thing that matters in this life. And then believe. Life will offer many chances to grab the brass ring. When it does, grab it with gusto.
Love,
Dad

I am back to random subjects. This one happens to be on finance and I have discussed it before. Apparently not everyone was listening.
My favorite daughter Debs had auto insurance with American Family back in 2002 when she owned that prestigious Dodge Ram that was always in the garage with transmission problems. She fought the Dodge dealership armed with the “lemon law” argument. She won her case! The Dodge was returned and Debs cancelled her auto (truck) insurance. Insurance payments had been on a month to month basis.
It is now 2005 and Debs went to insure a new vehicle, again with American Family Insurance. Again, she agreed to a monthly insurance premium with authorization to deduct the payment electronically from her checking account. You can almost see this one coming!
Debs got her monthly statement for her checking account and she was $300 short. It was not an error in addition or subtraction. What could it be?
It turns out that American Family never cancelled Debs insurance back in 2002 and kept it on their books as bad debt. When Debs authorized direct electronic access to her account, American Family not only deducted the one month payment for the new car but 4-5 months of payments that should have been cancelled in 2002. Scary!
I have discussed the electronic world in the past. Everyone wants direct access to your money with claims of benefits. Save stamps! Get to use your money right up to the date of payment! Never any late fee! It is the electric company, the gas company, the telephone company, insurance agents and mortgage companies all reassuring you that your life will be better if you authorized automatic payment. My position on direct access to your checking account or savings account is an unabashed, “don’t do it”. I know there are exceptions but why would you open you wallet and say “take whatever you need”. It is your money and you should decide when they get paid and how much.
So the Debs saga continued after she consulted her financial consultant (me). She contacted her friendly bank and retold the story. The bank said she had 60 days to file a form indicating that the money deducted was not authorized. They immediately redeposited the $300 into her account electronically reversing the American Family charge. In addition, she was asked to file “fraud” charges back against American Family.
Apparently there are laws protecting consumers against unauthorized charges made electronically against your account.
So far the story ends happily and Debs is busy spending her returned $300. I think American Family has up to 60 days to pull off some legal manipulation to challenge the “fraud” charge but my guess is that the whole matter will be forgotten.
In case you haven’t got the message – “Don’t give automatic electronic access to your money”.
Love,
Dad

It is summer 1976 and we are 17 days into our West Coast trip. Because I don’t remember the exact dates, I know we are getting close to Paul’s birthday on June 29th. He turns four. I’m sure the celebration was large and many gifts were bestowed on the the little fellow. If I know your mom, she had bought birthday gifts before we left and had them in one of the suitcases.
The launch point to head home was Bastow, California located on Highway 40 and on the western edge of the desert. I know Death Valley National Park was not too far away. The plan was to travel from Bastow to Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 4 days with an allowance for a 5th day if we got side-tracked. I admit that I don’t like desert but most of all, excessive heat. I’d had been told to traverse the desert in the early morning when it was cool. So we left early on a Tuesday morning. 6:00 AM. The trip across the arid desert land was about 150 miles and I think the early morning temperatures reached 90 degrees. The desert releases all kinds of pretty colors as the sun rises so it turned out to be a nice ride.
Interstate Highway 40 would take us all the way to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where we turn turn Northeast on Highway 44. As we came out of the desert, I remember signs telling us that the elevation was as we slowly rising as we approached the mountain ranges. Somewhere around Flagstaff, Arizona there was a sign “Grand Canyon, 60 miles North, Exit 1 mile”. A poll was taken excluding Paul and everybody decided they wanted to continue the journey home. The hell with the Grand Canyon, it was just a big hole in the ground. In hindsight, I wish we had taken the Grand Canyon diversion. The truth was that everybody was tired and wanted their own bed.
The next motel was Albuqueque, New Mexico. Uneventful. Good food, nice swimming pool.
The following day we ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It ended two long days of travel but we were within striking distance of home.
It was Thursday and we had targeted St. Louis. Time to have a little fun. Once we arrived in St. Louis, we visited the Arch and took a ride up to the top. If you are claustraphobic, you don’t belong in the tram that takes you to the top of the Arch or even the limited space for sightseeing at the top. It was an encounter Im sure everyone will remember. The rest of the day was spent at Busch Gardens in St. Louis. I honestly don’t remember a lot about Busch Gardens but we’ve got the pictures to prove we were there. The pictures show amusement type rides and entertainment.
Friday morning was important because the intent was to make it home by nightfall. Going home was almost as exciting as leaving originally. Going through Chicago at 3:00 PM was slow as usual but our Sheboygan arrival would be close to 7:00 PM. I think that the 4th of July was on Monday so that if we made it home on Friday night, we had 3 days to recover.
We arrived home close to 7:00 PM. We had survived 3 weeks together in a Chevrolet Station Wagon. It would take time to realize all that we had seen and done. The credit card bills would not start arriving for several weeks and I think I had a job to return to on Tuesday morning. I don’t know how my employer could function at work without me but my guess was “very well”.
That trip in 1976 was the only extented 3 week vacation we would ever take. It was the event of a lifetime and created many memories that will linger forever. We covered 16 states in 21 days. Imagine you kids returning to school in the fall and when they asked you what you did last summer, for once in your life you couldn’t say “nothing”.
Love,
Dad