She smiled, wanly, and we talked. Between "gigs" as they say. Your mind plays tricks on you when a long-term relationship ends. Actually, I've come to think my mind plays tricks on me most of the time, but that might be an age-related thing.
I got to thinking as we chatted, and even more as our chatting got more animated, turning into Chattering. I had a pet parrokeet once, which had a habit of Chattering. One of Jenny's cousins thinks that's where I got it from (the chattering, not the thinking part).
The thinking went something like this -- Thoreau said it beautifully: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” Shakespeare had a slightly different twist, having Brutus say: "There is a tide in the affairs of men. which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries."
Well, easy to say -- HARD to do. The trick for each of us is how to know when to do what. There is a great little book making the rounds, called "Not Quite What I was Planning" which features six-word succinct (!) autobiographies. Such as "I stopped needing approval. Didn’t I?" Or "Found true love, married someone else". How about "Jumped out of perfectly good airplane."
We ended our Chattering with a hug. Hugs are hugely important. Grab someone near you and HUG THEM!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
new home
Well, new to us anyway. We're moving in TOMORROW! Ten months since purchase, nine months since the Easter soiree, six months from the first Menlo Park permits, and a long time since we've seen our "stuff" that we first put in storage when we sold our Park City home in early 2005.
And no, it isn't finished, but we are "going in anyway". One bedroom with a small bath, the guest bath, the living room, Jenny's office, and the KITCHEN are done. That's enough!
The dogs are looking forward to having a small yard. We're looking forward to having a drawer for the silverware and another for napkins.
If we could figure out how to post pix, we'd show you the place. Since we haven't mastered that little trick, call and we'll invite you over!
Love, Charlie
And no, it isn't finished, but we are "going in anyway". One bedroom with a small bath, the guest bath, the living room, Jenny's office, and the KITCHEN are done. That's enough!
The dogs are looking forward to having a small yard. We're looking forward to having a drawer for the silverware and another for napkins.
If we could figure out how to post pix, we'd show you the place. Since we haven't mastered that little trick, call and we'll invite you over!
Love, Charlie
Xmas signals
I was in Nordstrom's last week, on a Saturday afternoon about 3pm. I found a parking spot five cars from the main door (and had a choice of the sixth, seventh, and ... spots as well). You could have shot a cannon off in the third floor and not hurt anyone.
I was at Best Buy on Friday this week, me and fifteen staff. I found the TV I wanted -- $250 cheaper than the cheapest we found the week before, which itself was $800 off the "list price" (altho Sony had dropped its price $400 midweek). When I asked about a DVD player, they "threw in" the DVD and the 5-1 surround speaker set for another $50, ostensibly a $500 value. I took the deal. Then, they wanted $399 for the articulated arm to allow the set to move for better viewing, and $139 x 3 for the special cables that allow HD connections. None of these are discounted.
I objected, and said "why don't you give away the TVs and just become an accessory seller". The clerk laughed and said, 'don't you buy HP printers?' I recalled the time Kevin Kelly and I consulted for some unnamed Japanese manufacturer and said they should give away three big-screen TVs to every household in return for a $100/mo content delivery fee (ala the I-phones). They thought us daft, but even then (3 years ago) they knew that they could build a 52" set for $500 cost.
Margins are not what they used to be. Nor is the world.
I was at Best Buy on Friday this week, me and fifteen staff. I found the TV I wanted -- $250 cheaper than the cheapest we found the week before, which itself was $800 off the "list price" (altho Sony had dropped its price $400 midweek). When I asked about a DVD player, they "threw in" the DVD and the 5-1 surround speaker set for another $50, ostensibly a $500 value. I took the deal. Then, they wanted $399 for the articulated arm to allow the set to move for better viewing, and $139 x 3 for the special cables that allow HD connections. None of these are discounted.
I objected, and said "why don't you give away the TVs and just become an accessory seller". The clerk laughed and said, 'don't you buy HP printers?' I recalled the time Kevin Kelly and I consulted for some unnamed Japanese manufacturer and said they should give away three big-screen TVs to every household in return for a $100/mo content delivery fee (ala the I-phones). They thought us daft, but even then (3 years ago) they knew that they could build a 52" set for $500 cost.
Margins are not what they used to be. Nor is the world.
Xmas luncheon
Jenny regaled everyone. It was her 36th year of hosting her paternal family for a gala, this one with 81 attendees, 37 of them under 18 years (and most of those under 10). Irish Catholic families have a certain prolific nature about them...
She was peripatetic, coaxing the wee ones in song (with her best kindergarten teacher skills amply displayed), exhorting the oldsters to put their shoulder to the wheel in these economically challenged times, praising the staff who loyally support this noisy horde, and always on the move, with a light touch on the shoulder or a ready smile for the weary.
This was the twelfth year at the Fairmont Pavilion Room in San Francisco, and four of the helpers had worked all twelve years with us. Santa showed about 2:15 for the sixteenth year -- every child knows him by name, and he them. And the gifts he brought were smash hits -- one little girl proudly telling her mother that her mother was wrong when she'd said she was too young to get a cellphone -- that SANTA said it was fine, and in fact gave her one! The look on that mother's face was priceless, as Visa would say.
Consistency, loyalty, family, tradition... values that we think are worth nurturing. We are so blessed that this extended family takes time every year to bring their children and share them with us.
She was peripatetic, coaxing the wee ones in song (with her best kindergarten teacher skills amply displayed), exhorting the oldsters to put their shoulder to the wheel in these economically challenged times, praising the staff who loyally support this noisy horde, and always on the move, with a light touch on the shoulder or a ready smile for the weary.
This was the twelfth year at the Fairmont Pavilion Room in San Francisco, and four of the helpers had worked all twelve years with us. Santa showed about 2:15 for the sixteenth year -- every child knows him by name, and he them. And the gifts he brought were smash hits -- one little girl proudly telling her mother that her mother was wrong when she'd said she was too young to get a cellphone -- that SANTA said it was fine, and in fact gave her one! The look on that mother's face was priceless, as Visa would say.
Consistency, loyalty, family, tradition... values that we think are worth nurturing. We are so blessed that this extended family takes time every year to bring their children and share them with us.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
An HP Book -- 8 or 9 oscillators, who cares?
Yes, it is still titled "The HP Phenomenon: Innovation and Business Transformation." Several of you have asked, "when?" Most have stopped asking. But we expect Galleys relatively soon, and publication ostensibly is set for April 2009. We'll see.
HP provided a little excitement a few weeks ago, threatening to stop the book with some over-zealous PR types newly arrived from GE and EDS. First, they claimed we had a huge number of "inaccuracies" and they asked that we remove or fix all of them, while citing only one (which they had wrong). Hard to fix something you don't know is wrong.
Second, they claimed that we had used much confidential information without permission, again citing one table. And finally, they claimed that we had misappropriated the cover picture which is an HP Brand from HP Labs obviously stolen from them.
We were nonplussed, but our editor was ecstatic -- THIS will sell books!
Our answers included pointing out that their archivists have had the number of oscillators and the sales price for the original Disney sale wrong for 45 years, and they aren't interested in the "real numbers".
We sent this re the table: "The Annex B table that you refer to was given to us with a specific comment that it could be used, despite claims you might have heard since. As it turns out, we removed it from the book before turning in the final manuscript several weeks ago, primarily on the basis that it was redundant because the data is entirely in the public domain. The 1958 Annual Report and subsequent Annual Reports carry all of the data contained in that table except the years 1939-1948. A quick perusal of the HP History on your website today reveals that 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1947, and 1948 revenues and employees are listed there, so only the financial data around the wartime peak and the trauma around HP’s first ‘downsizing’ is not readily available. And Bill and Dave put that into their own DVD history, and portions are in Dave’s autobiography."
With regard to the cover picture, our reply was: "The photo-quality image that you asked that we not use came to us from HP – specifically with the notation at the time that it would be wonderful to use for the front cover, but that HP would have to get permission from the San Jose Mercury-News as well. The initial permission came from the VP of HP Labs, Dick Lampman, and his PR person, Glenda Dasmalchi. I have assumed that they were proper representatives of HP Labs." Both of those individuals have of course since retired, and permission was not regranted!
I think they didn't like the final couple of chapters perhaps, which say that "maybe the HP Way ain't what it used to be". I can vouch for that!
So, they relented, asking merely that we say they didn't help in any way. We will make that perfectly clear! I must say that I am not impressed of late -- this administration is all about wringing costs out of the system, and NOT at all about innovation or any socially redeeming values that used to be hallmarks of the company.
HP provided a little excitement a few weeks ago, threatening to stop the book with some over-zealous PR types newly arrived from GE and EDS. First, they claimed we had a huge number of "inaccuracies" and they asked that we remove or fix all of them, while citing only one (which they had wrong). Hard to fix something you don't know is wrong.
Second, they claimed that we had used much confidential information without permission, again citing one table. And finally, they claimed that we had misappropriated the cover picture which is an HP Brand from HP Labs obviously stolen from them.
We were nonplussed, but our editor was ecstatic -- THIS will sell books!
Our answers included pointing out that their archivists have had the number of oscillators and the sales price for the original Disney sale wrong for 45 years, and they aren't interested in the "real numbers".
We sent this re the table: "The Annex B table that you refer to was given to us with a specific comment that it could be used, despite claims you might have heard since. As it turns out, we removed it from the book before turning in the final manuscript several weeks ago, primarily on the basis that it was redundant because the data is entirely in the public domain. The 1958 Annual Report and subsequent Annual Reports carry all of the data contained in that table except the years 1939-1948. A quick perusal of the HP History on your website today reveals that 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1947, and 1948 revenues and employees are listed there, so only the financial data around the wartime peak and the trauma around HP’s first ‘downsizing’ is not readily available. And Bill and Dave put that into their own DVD history, and portions are in Dave’s autobiography."
With regard to the cover picture, our reply was: "The photo-quality image that you asked that we not use came to us from HP – specifically with the notation at the time that it would be wonderful to use for the front cover, but that HP would have to get permission from the San Jose Mercury-News as well. The initial permission came from the VP of HP Labs, Dick Lampman, and his PR person, Glenda Dasmalchi. I have assumed that they were proper representatives of HP Labs." Both of those individuals have of course since retired, and permission was not regranted!
I think they didn't like the final couple of chapters perhaps, which say that "maybe the HP Way ain't what it used to be". I can vouch for that!
So, they relented, asking merely that we say they didn't help in any way. We will make that perfectly clear! I must say that I am not impressed of late -- this administration is all about wringing costs out of the system, and NOT at all about innovation or any socially redeeming values that used to be hallmarks of the company.
One Laptop Per Child -- A Bad Idea?
Nicholas Negroponte has been a practicing visionary / zealot for years now, with a strong track record building the fabled MIT Media Lab (very different than the Media X group at Stanford, but that's another story). His most recent enthusiasm has been to promote a $100 computer for every child on the globe, a laudable goal that has been decried by Intel management as "wrongheaded" because it "cheapens" the quality and degrades the features, etc.
Progress though has been great, and today Intel offers a $250 machine, while the OLPC group, using AMD chips, now produces a machine for $186. They've been promoting the idea of Americans buying two for $400, using one for their own grandchildren (or whatever) and one for an emerging nation child. We've got family members who have done this, for which everyone is grateful.
But... a few weeks ago, we had a guest speaker at the Media X lecture series, Dr. Kentara Toyama who runs the Microsoft Bangalore research group. He told a most interesting story. They decided to give a number of computers to children in schools in Bangalore, to see how well it works if you can presume they've gotten the machines.
The first discovery, just like in America, when the computer comes home, the parents are threatened by it, and by what the kid is learning. The next discovery was a bit different -- the father may well take the machine and sell it on the black market -- since $100 is about six months of discretionary income for the average family.
The next discovery, just like in America, is that the teacher is threatened by the computer, and the kids are often well ahead of them. But, and this is significant, if every student has their own computer, there is a lot of time waiting on the teacher to help you when you're stuck since the classes are larger even than here.
The variant that Microsoft researchers tried was to give each child a mouse (for $1.50 rather than $186), that they could paint any color they like (personalizing it), take it home where it is not worth stealing and it is not threatening, and they could even write their own name on it without affecting how it works.
Then, in class, they had multiple cursors (each with their own color so you can find your own cursor) and when a child is stuck, the other students help out. The findings were that learning was about 300% faster, and more importantly, collaboration skills were enhanced.
Howze that for a slick set of findings. Not everyone I've talked to, likes these findings. How do they strike you?
Progress though has been great, and today Intel offers a $250 machine, while the OLPC group, using AMD chips, now produces a machine for $186. They've been promoting the idea of Americans buying two for $400, using one for their own grandchildren (or whatever) and one for an emerging nation child. We've got family members who have done this, for which everyone is grateful.
But... a few weeks ago, we had a guest speaker at the Media X lecture series, Dr. Kentara Toyama who runs the Microsoft Bangalore research group. He told a most interesting story. They decided to give a number of computers to children in schools in Bangalore, to see how well it works if you can presume they've gotten the machines.
The first discovery, just like in America, when the computer comes home, the parents are threatened by it, and by what the kid is learning. The next discovery was a bit different -- the father may well take the machine and sell it on the black market -- since $100 is about six months of discretionary income for the average family.
The next discovery, just like in America, is that the teacher is threatened by the computer, and the kids are often well ahead of them. But, and this is significant, if every student has their own computer, there is a lot of time waiting on the teacher to help you when you're stuck since the classes are larger even than here.
The variant that Microsoft researchers tried was to give each child a mouse (for $1.50 rather than $186), that they could paint any color they like (personalizing it), take it home where it is not worth stealing and it is not threatening, and they could even write their own name on it without affecting how it works.
Then, in class, they had multiple cursors (each with their own color so you can find your own cursor) and when a child is stuck, the other students help out. The findings were that learning was about 300% faster, and more importantly, collaboration skills were enhanced.
Howze that for a slick set of findings. Not everyone I've talked to, likes these findings. How do they strike you?
Artie Bienenstock and Obama Science
What a magical evening we had a week ago for the biweekly Media X lecture. Artie Bienenstock is Dean Emeritus for the Advanced Research work at Stanford -- a modest $1 Billion per year activity that he led with discretion and insight after a long illustrious career, including a four year stint in the Office of Science and Technology in the Clinton Administration.
His career includes a very strong humanitarian streak, evidenced in a talk that he gave in Stanford's Memorial Church in 2005 (http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/november16/bienwmmw-111605.html)
For our audience, he deftly dissected the Obama Science proposals from the campaign documents, analyzed the likely people selections for various tasks, and regaled the group with his insight into the various political tradeoffs that have to be considered.
He foresees a rebirth of intellectual inquiry into science after the disdain and ignorance of the past Administration (thank gawd), but he was cautious and even sharply critical of the bulge in funding that NIH had received from 1997-2005, which is now being touted as the panacea for other fields. It was a clear assessment of the problems of managing to a rising budget if you get used to it -- a perennial disease now afflicting most state governments as well as the Feds.
The problem that he projected that was most concerning is the short term thinking that pervades our business society today seems to have become endemic even among the science community -- the net result is that the focus on productivity and "low hanging fruit" almost always has the corollary effect of drying up the meaningful but unanticipated next break-through. So similar to our findings with the HP study!
The rapt audience stayed for an extended Q & A period and refreshments, but not before one student said: "So what should I do as I leave here tonight to make a difference?" Bienenstock offered several thoughts, but no clear path. I couldn't think of a good plan for myself, unfortunately.
What is your personal plan to make a difference?
His career includes a very strong humanitarian streak, evidenced in a talk that he gave in Stanford's Memorial Church in 2005 (http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/november16/bienwmmw-111605.html)
For our audience, he deftly dissected the Obama Science proposals from the campaign documents, analyzed the likely people selections for various tasks, and regaled the group with his insight into the various political tradeoffs that have to be considered.
He foresees a rebirth of intellectual inquiry into science after the disdain and ignorance of the past Administration (thank gawd), but he was cautious and even sharply critical of the bulge in funding that NIH had received from 1997-2005, which is now being touted as the panacea for other fields. It was a clear assessment of the problems of managing to a rising budget if you get used to it -- a perennial disease now afflicting most state governments as well as the Feds.
The problem that he projected that was most concerning is the short term thinking that pervades our business society today seems to have become endemic even among the science community -- the net result is that the focus on productivity and "low hanging fruit" almost always has the corollary effect of drying up the meaningful but unanticipated next break-through. So similar to our findings with the HP study!
The rapt audience stayed for an extended Q & A period and refreshments, but not before one student said: "So what should I do as I leave here tonight to make a difference?" Bienenstock offered several thoughts, but no clear path. I couldn't think of a good plan for myself, unfortunately.
What is your personal plan to make a difference?
I Know ALL about China
I had occasion three weeks ago to talk to the Post-Doc's at the University of Utah about CAREERS, pretty amusing given that I don't have a PhD myself. I started with the notion that I have four college degrees, from four nearly mutually exclusive "schools" (e.g. Sciences, Engineering, Humanities, and Business) with nine majors and minors, and that I've worked for extended periods in five fields, four of which I didn't study.
In other words, life happens while you're making other plans. Or said another way, it probably is better to learn how to learn than it is to learn a career path since we don't know the jobs of the next decade, let alone the jobs of the next forty years.
But one woman persisted and said, "what are the TWO things you'd say that I should study NOW?" And, literally without hesitating, I said:
First, you should learn how to work on a team, and especially you should learn how to work on a DISTRIBUTED team across significant distance where the culture, skills and tools are not monolithic. Second, you should travel, and travel with purpose for the next fifteen years. I recommended that she plan a three-week trip every three years to a different area, to meet with colleagues and work with them on a project in situ.
Then I asked where she was from, and where she had traveled already. And she was Ukrainian, and had been to most of the "Stans" before coming to the United States seven years ago. I said "you ought to go next to China" and she blithely replied that she already KNEW all about China.
Surprised, I asked how. She said she'd read books, talked to Chinese students at the University, and watched several documentaries. I then asked if she knew anything about the U.S. before coming. She brightened and said, "oh, yes. I had read everything, and watched movies and TV, and I was so eager..." Then I couldn't help myself, and I asked if her experience here was like she expected from what she "knew" ahead of time. Her answer, not surprisingly, was "Oh, my, NO!" I said she really ought to consider going to China, that it wouldn't be like anything she imagines.
Your thoughts?
In other words, life happens while you're making other plans. Or said another way, it probably is better to learn how to learn than it is to learn a career path since we don't know the jobs of the next decade, let alone the jobs of the next forty years.
But one woman persisted and said, "what are the TWO things you'd say that I should study NOW?" And, literally without hesitating, I said:
First, you should learn how to work on a team, and especially you should learn how to work on a DISTRIBUTED team across significant distance where the culture, skills and tools are not monolithic. Second, you should travel, and travel with purpose for the next fifteen years. I recommended that she plan a three-week trip every three years to a different area, to meet with colleagues and work with them on a project in situ.
Then I asked where she was from, and where she had traveled already. And she was Ukrainian, and had been to most of the "Stans" before coming to the United States seven years ago. I said "you ought to go next to China" and she blithely replied that she already KNEW all about China.
Surprised, I asked how. She said she'd read books, talked to Chinese students at the University, and watched several documentaries. I then asked if she knew anything about the U.S. before coming. She brightened and said, "oh, yes. I had read everything, and watched movies and TV, and I was so eager..." Then I couldn't help myself, and I asked if her experience here was like she expected from what she "knew" ahead of time. Her answer, not surprisingly, was "Oh, my, NO!" I said she really ought to consider going to China, that it wouldn't be like anything she imagines.
Your thoughts?
Requiem for Innovation
Ten days ago, we had a scheduled meeting with one of the historic hi-tech companies of America. We were excited, working with a dynamite new proposal that could change much for the scientific and engineering fields in terms of tools and procedures. They were "primed" and "ready" after a preliminary meeting, and they have the wherewithall to ante the funds, even in this sobering economy.
Moreover, my reputation preceded me, and the room of six folk asserted at the meeting start that they, too, were mavericks, probably the most mavericky in their entire company. Huzzanna on the highest! We even got out a maypole and danced around it in the early phase of the meeting.
As the morning flowed, however, some disquieting things emerged. One, they only commission university research when they KNOW what they'll get for it. And this project sounded, well... just a little bit speculative. One of the self-proclaimed mavericks said that one thing he'd learned was that it helped to write Tight Specifications, and that way you know what you can expect.
Over lunch, since a number of these people were ex-HP folk, I described our forthcoming book about Hewlett-Packard, . They concurred with the conclusion that Great Products used to come from "the Troops" and not from top management. But they lamented that "NOW" it seems to have stopped, and ideas, at least at their company, no longer emerged from "the bottom" which they said seemed to have killed innovation.
This group included two senior Vice-Presidents (the very folk talking) and three key managers, as well as the University Research co-ordinator.
I was reminded of the time that I tried to arrange a trip for market research for the first computer graphics terminal, and the question that my boss had was: "what will you learn on the trip?" My answer was that if I knew, I wouldn't need to go.
After lunch, we outlined the proposal. The immediate visceral answer was that it sounded VERY AMBITIOUS, and probably VERY VALUABLE but they weren't IN THAT BUSINESS. I reminded them that the reason we were there to see them was that NO ONE is in the business, and they have more capability and resources in adjacent businesses than any other three companies, so it would be a natural extension for them.
The letter a week later said that they were hopeful to find a project to do at Stanford that relates to one of their current development ideas.
Moreover, my reputation preceded me, and the room of six folk asserted at the meeting start that they, too, were mavericks, probably the most mavericky in their entire company. Huzzanna on the highest! We even got out a maypole and danced around it in the early phase of the meeting.
As the morning flowed, however, some disquieting things emerged. One, they only commission university research when they KNOW what they'll get for it. And this project sounded, well... just a little bit speculative. One of the self-proclaimed mavericks said that one thing he'd learned was that it helped to write Tight Specifications, and that way you know what you can expect.
Over lunch, since a number of these people were ex-HP folk, I described our forthcoming book about Hewlett-Packard, . They concurred with the conclusion that Great Products used to come from "the Troops" and not from top management. But they lamented that "NOW" it seems to have stopped, and ideas, at least at their company, no longer emerged from "the bottom" which they said seemed to have killed innovation.
This group included two senior Vice-Presidents (the very folk talking) and three key managers, as well as the University Research co-ordinator.
I was reminded of the time that I tried to arrange a trip for market research for the first computer graphics terminal, and the question that my boss had was: "what will you learn on the trip?" My answer was that if I knew, I wouldn't need to go.
After lunch, we outlined the proposal. The immediate visceral answer was that it sounded VERY AMBITIOUS, and probably VERY VALUABLE but they weren't IN THAT BUSINESS. I reminded them that the reason we were there to see them was that NO ONE is in the business, and they have more capability and resources in adjacent businesses than any other three companies, so it would be a natural extension for them.
The letter a week later said that they were hopeful to find a project to do at Stanford that relates to one of their current development ideas.
Thanksgiving Week
BOLT, the Superdog, entertained our twin grandsons and us yesterday. With John Travolta's voice and John Lassiter's fine direction, this 3-D cartoon movie was exceptionally good. The storyline is a little daunting for five-year-olds, but the main character is charming and a real hero. Everything was fine until grandpa forgot what he was doing, and ate the gummybears that Jack, in particular, wanted.
The film capped an interesting week -- one with enormous pathos around the Mumbai tragedies, significant announcements (including Hillary) by President-elect Obama, continued stock market malaise or worse, plus idiotic statements by the Big Three of Detroit. The announcement this morning of yet another major Ice Shelf collapse in Antartica should serve as a grim reminder that the world has many real and perceived threats, threats that command our attention and concern.
We liked the Super Powers of BOLT, and would like to harness them for the good of the planet, but when he realized that his super powers were illusory, it was quite sobering. Not unlike my own feelings of impotence for dealing with any of the global concerns. Not sure how you feel.
Over time, this blog may tackle some of these questions -- not with any thought of solving them, but with the hope that we might stimulate some thinking amongst our group for positive actions and perspective on how each of us might in fact "make a difference" for our community, nation, and world in addition to our impact on our loved ones.
Fortunately, people everywhere, and maybe especially Americans, seem able to set aside these larger questions when a chance arises to have families get together, re-assemble, grant love all around, and give thanks for all of our many blessings. Thanksgiving week is one of those times.
Tuesday, we drove to daughter Cindy's home in Westlake Village, where she and her family (husband Charlie, stepsons Divan and Chris, Divan's new wife Dhorty from Australia, Chris' friend Julie, Cindy's sons Sam and Jack, and my daughter Liesl and her daughter Madi joined with Jenny and me for a few days with three enthusiastic dogs. Yes, we took Zoe and Sadie with us. Zoe had just finished radiation for a tumor removal, and they advised not boarding her. We're concerned about her, especially with a new bump that we just found, but she is a tough cookie so we're hopeful that she'll prevail.
Friday, we went down to my nephew David's home in Anaheim Hills, just across the freeway from the recent Yorba Linda fire -- and an even closer set of burned-out apartments and homes from fiery embers that jumped an eight-lane freeway. Fifty-three residences were destroyed within a mile of David's place, along with a terrifying canyon upsweep that got within a half-mile. David and his family readied for evacuation, but were able to stay as it turned out.
On the way back to the Bay area, we stopped by Santa Barbara, and saw a worse sight. Our hilltop home -- the Sound of Music home for those of you that knew it -- was a survivor, but the home across the street, and 22 homes on the street, plus all but two down Camino Alto (which deadended at our driveway) were destroyed in what was called the Montecito Tea fire two weeks ago. Our old home has now survived three major fire threats in thirty-one years, a charmed survivor indeed. But it was sobering to see many neighbor's homes gone; the smell of acrid smoke hung heavy in the air, and our hearts were saddened by the scene.
David, in the presence of his wife Kristen and three boys -- Ryan, a sprouting 13 year old, Lucas at 11, and James at 8 -- plus his mother Diane, and sister Mary and a host of other guests, said blithely that he was going to stay and use his garden hose to "save his home". He desribed two friends who in fact did just that, while homes around them burned to the ground.
Our view? No home is worth risking your life, and as they said in Montecito, flames reaching 200 feet in the air, are bigger than a garden hose retardant. Much discussion ensued about what did you put in your car to save? Mementos -- mostly picture albums and artwork -- plus pets, of course, were the chief things loaded in cars for the potential evacuees. What would you select? Jane Laidley, in the terrible Oakland fire, saved her cat, her paintings, and her photo albums, but lost her lifetime journals, and forever after felt that a big part of her died that day
All of these tribulations aside, over three days libations flowed, the turkey was roasted, basted, and carved alongside a sumptuous dressing and the obligatory mashed potatoes and gravy, plus sweet potatoes and corn pudding and fresh cranberry sauce. Of course, pumpkin pies, made by our granddaughter Madi -- umm, tasty!
Daughter Sharon and her family drove from Arkansas to Colorado Springs where they joined her brother Warren and his new bride Laura to be with their mother Gayle and her husband Rick. Sharon was in the WalMart store in Colorado Springs at 4am on Friday (no, that wasn't the one where the doors got ripped off and the store employee trampled to death -- can you believe it?).
It was snowing in Colorado, but not in Tahoe where Merm and Niffer's family joined with Tom and Martha and friends for Happy Thanksgiving.
And so it was, around the loop, at least for the places that we sampled. We hope you and yours had a grand week as well.
Love, Chuck
The film capped an interesting week -- one with enormous pathos around the Mumbai tragedies, significant announcements (including Hillary) by President-elect Obama, continued stock market malaise or worse, plus idiotic statements by the Big Three of Detroit. The announcement this morning of yet another major Ice Shelf collapse in Antartica should serve as a grim reminder that the world has many real and perceived threats, threats that command our attention and concern.
We liked the Super Powers of BOLT, and would like to harness them for the good of the planet, but when he realized that his super powers were illusory, it was quite sobering. Not unlike my own feelings of impotence for dealing with any of the global concerns. Not sure how you feel.
Over time, this blog may tackle some of these questions -- not with any thought of solving them, but with the hope that we might stimulate some thinking amongst our group for positive actions and perspective on how each of us might in fact "make a difference" for our community, nation, and world in addition to our impact on our loved ones.
Fortunately, people everywhere, and maybe especially Americans, seem able to set aside these larger questions when a chance arises to have families get together, re-assemble, grant love all around, and give thanks for all of our many blessings. Thanksgiving week is one of those times.
Tuesday, we drove to daughter Cindy's home in Westlake Village, where she and her family (husband Charlie, stepsons Divan and Chris, Divan's new wife Dhorty from Australia, Chris' friend Julie, Cindy's sons Sam and Jack, and my daughter Liesl and her daughter Madi joined with Jenny and me for a few days with three enthusiastic dogs. Yes, we took Zoe and Sadie with us. Zoe had just finished radiation for a tumor removal, and they advised not boarding her. We're concerned about her, especially with a new bump that we just found, but she is a tough cookie so we're hopeful that she'll prevail.
Friday, we went down to my nephew David's home in Anaheim Hills, just across the freeway from the recent Yorba Linda fire -- and an even closer set of burned-out apartments and homes from fiery embers that jumped an eight-lane freeway. Fifty-three residences were destroyed within a mile of David's place, along with a terrifying canyon upsweep that got within a half-mile. David and his family readied for evacuation, but were able to stay as it turned out.
On the way back to the Bay area, we stopped by Santa Barbara, and saw a worse sight. Our hilltop home -- the Sound of Music home for those of you that knew it -- was a survivor, but the home across the street, and 22 homes on the street, plus all but two down Camino Alto (which deadended at our driveway) were destroyed in what was called the Montecito Tea fire two weeks ago. Our old home has now survived three major fire threats in thirty-one years, a charmed survivor indeed. But it was sobering to see many neighbor's homes gone; the smell of acrid smoke hung heavy in the air, and our hearts were saddened by the scene.
David, in the presence of his wife Kristen and three boys -- Ryan, a sprouting 13 year old, Lucas at 11, and James at 8 -- plus his mother Diane, and sister Mary and a host of other guests, said blithely that he was going to stay and use his garden hose to "save his home". He desribed two friends who in fact did just that, while homes around them burned to the ground.
Our view? No home is worth risking your life, and as they said in Montecito, flames reaching 200 feet in the air, are bigger than a garden hose retardant. Much discussion ensued about what did you put in your car to save? Mementos -- mostly picture albums and artwork -- plus pets, of course, were the chief things loaded in cars for the potential evacuees. What would you select? Jane Laidley, in the terrible Oakland fire, saved her cat, her paintings, and her photo albums, but lost her lifetime journals, and forever after felt that a big part of her died that day
All of these tribulations aside, over three days libations flowed, the turkey was roasted, basted, and carved alongside a sumptuous dressing and the obligatory mashed potatoes and gravy, plus sweet potatoes and corn pudding and fresh cranberry sauce. Of course, pumpkin pies, made by our granddaughter Madi -- umm, tasty!
Daughter Sharon and her family drove from Arkansas to Colorado Springs where they joined her brother Warren and his new bride Laura to be with their mother Gayle and her husband Rick. Sharon was in the WalMart store in Colorado Springs at 4am on Friday (no, that wasn't the one where the doors got ripped off and the store employee trampled to death -- can you believe it?).
It was snowing in Colorado, but not in Tahoe where Merm and Niffer's family joined with Tom and Martha and friends for Happy Thanksgiving.
And so it was, around the loop, at least for the places that we sampled. We hope you and yours had a grand week as well.
Love, Chuck
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