Bridging the gap

9-9-10 replacement brain
The spring flood of 2008 in Iowa was devastating for my hometown of Charles City, since it caused our historic suspension bridge to be swept away! This bridge was over 100 years old. It was incredible. I could hardly believe my eyes when I went home that summer over the 4th of July and saw want was left of the once graceful bridge. The concrete bases which at that time had recently been updated/redone, were about the only part which remained.



Now a new bridge is being constructed. It could never be like the historic bridge, but I’m glad to see this being replaced, since many people use this walking bridge to get across the river to the park and swimming pool. My parents sent me this picture of the progress being made on the new bridge this month. They have been working on it all summer long.



AND thanks to google I found this link with pictures of the old bridge, many taken in 2005. http://bridgehunter.com/ia/floyd/charles-city/ Click the link to view pictures.

I am also grateful for many local painters and photographers who have over the years captured the imagine of our beloved suspension bridge. Joy Frank is one of those photographers who sell calendars of the bridge with wonderful pictures throughout the different seasons. My current wall calendar of her work has this picture for the month of September.



Back in the summer of 2000, Greg and I had our picture taken by the old bridge and we used this for our Christmas card that year. Boy we look younger then, but that was 10 years ago, and Greg didn’t have as much grey hair was he does now!



I guess nothing in this physical world can last forever. We all age and pass on, including bridges eventually.... but love does last forever, and I will forever love that old suspension bridge and hold my memories of it close to my heart.

Road trip part II

9-8-10 family brain

The last part of our trip was visiting Greg’s side of the family. This meant I got to spend time with our 4.5 year old nephew Brennan.

Let me tell you, Bren is quite a character at this age. I can’t even imagine what he will turn out be like. His vocabulary is extensive and he wants to be a “vet doctor”. Bren loves animals, bugs, and anything in nature.

His parents are doing a great job with him, although I know it is not an easy job keeping up with his energy.


The last time I saw Bren was last summer, and his favorite saying was “what’s diss” (what’s this)… this year his favorite saying is “guess what”…… He says this every time he starts telling me something. I quickly learned that I really didn’t have to try to guess each time, it was more of a rhetorical question on his part.







I felt honored that Bren wanted to hang out with me and we played a lot together. He even requested I ride next to him in the van. On the second day, when it was time for Greg and I to head back west for home, Bren acted up... and wouldn't stand for his picture with Tim and Heather. Heather said it was his way of coping... he was mad that we were leaving. Bren didn't even let me give him a hug. Bren maybe advanced for his age in many ways, but he still has plenty of maturing to do... but hey, he is only 4.5 years old!



Greg’s mom, the only person who hates getting their picture taken more than my sister! It was like pulling teeth to get her to look at the camera.

September road trip

9-7-10 traveling brain

Our five day trip out to Ohio came to pass due to the fact that Greg got some free tickets to a Cleveland Browns pre-season game from a friend. Greg is a Browns fan since it is his way of staying connected to his native state.

I agreed to attend with him, since this would be a way for me to visit some friends who have moved to Columbus Ohio a few years ago, and we also decided to spend a few days with Greg’s family while we were in the area.

Wednesday evening was spent with Amy and Julie and of course I had planned for an art project that all could do together.




Amy and Julie send their love back to all their Des Moines friends.


The following evening, Thursday, was the Browns game we attended in Cleveland. This turned out to be perfect night weather wise, and our seats were awesome on the mid level at the 50 yard line. Luck was with us on our arrival as Greg went to register at the Browns Backer’s window; we were given pre-game passes onto the field.

Greg was happy and even happier that the Browns won. I enjoyed people watching and we were treated to great fireworks display after the game.



To be continued….

Labor Day

9-6-10 laboring brain

Today I am enjoying Labor Day, resting some, but also working out in the yard in Des Moines trimming bushes. Last night we arrived back home from a 5 day traveling trip out to the Ohio area. Five nights out, each in a different hotel, so I really enjoyed my own bed last night when we arrived home 11:06 PM, just before it starting raining.

We would have been home earlier on Sunday, but we HAD to make a special loop back through Cleveland, after we saw that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had a special Bruce Springsteen exhibit.



I know my resume might look like I am one of those "educated elitists" Rush Limbaugh seems to turn his nose down on.... but my heart really belongs to the Working Class heroes. I believe that is why Bruce Sringsteen has been one of my top music favorites since 1975. I LOVE his music and somehow related to the themes he sings about.

Growing up, my hometown had two large factories, one a tractor company and the other a veterinary medicine company. Both of these factories provided good jobs to raise a family on, many jobs did not need a collage education. Our town was thriving back then in the 1960's. I can appreciate that unions have played a vital role in improving working conditions in the US, acknowledging also, that there is a fine balance that needs to in place between management and labor. "Win-Win" mentality can and should be the goal, but has not always been the case.

We enjoyed the Rock and Roll exhibit on Bruce Springsteen, immersing ourselves for about 2 hours, then listened to Bruce on the iPod all the way back to Des Moines for 11 hours. This was a good way to get in the Labor Day mood.

This video is an example of his early music from "Darkness on the Edge of Town" from 1987 called "Factory". This video from concert last year, just one month before we were to see him in concert in KC. Unfortunately, that concert was cancelled due to death of one of his road staff in a KC hotel.

Pause

I'm taking a blog break, cause I just don't feel like writing.
I hope my batteries will get recharged over the long Labor Day weekend.

One last summer retreat before the crazy September schedule begins.

Trying to make sense of it all

9-2-10 clueless brain
I'm still trying to make sense of it all..... business, taxes, the economy and the free market system. I'll admit I only took two business type classes in my 8 years of college, and one was a marketing class. My experience was in science and math, so I know I probably don't have any "business" trying to even write about such topics. But I guess I do write about them, as a way of trying to wrap my brain around it all.

I don't know who to believe, I hear several sides to the tax cut debate and just get more confused. MY own logic tells me that if I had a business, I would only be able to expand and hire more people if the product or service I was providing/selling was in high demand. If more people (the mass of middle class people) had more money in their pockets, they could buy from me, increasing demand would mean I would and could expand.

I recently heard on a NPR show that Starbucks is still doing OK, but Walmart sales are down.... to me this indicates who has money to spend and who does not.

Keeping all the money at the top 2% of wealthiest people, only seems to keep the money circulating at the top. I just don't see it tricking down much.

My Godchild, bless her heart, who is a business major, has even been trying to educate me... and I am trying to listen and learn from her.... at the same time this week I see this Letter to the Editor in the KC Star Newspaper.... one more opinion to think about, and I'll admit.... I'm even more confused.

Bush Tax Cut for Rich by David Troup
"I grow increasingly frustrated hearing the Republican legislators and pundits whine that if the (Bush) tax cuts are allowed to expire for the wealthy- defined as joint filers with taxable income of over $250,000- then thousands of jobs will be lost. The mantra is that unemployment will increase because the increase hits small businesses, which create jobs.

This claim is both unprovable and illogical. Keep in mind that taxable income is adjusted gross minus your exemptions and deductions, so $250,000 may be $300,000 in adjusted gross income. At that level of income, the effect would be an additional $30 in federal income tax for every $1,000 of additional income-- an amount that is not likely to affect anybody's purchasing decisions.

But most importantly, an employer does not pay taxes on the money spent on employee salaries and benefits, so the tax rate you pay on what's left is irrelevant to a decision whether to hire someone.

Any businessman who would decide not to hire someone because he would have to pay an extra 3 percent to 3.6 percent on his taxable income isn't smart enough to be successful anyway."

Back to school

9-1-10 amazed brain
WOW... it is September already. I'm not sure what happened to August. I guess I was stuck inside the house with the AC on, since August was a hot and humid month this year, often with Heat Index over 100 degrees.

September is the return of school for many, and my nephew Christopher is one of them. Chris received his undergraduate degree two years ago and has since been working to save up for graduate school.

Jan and Sarah helped him move down to Alabama where he will study history and work towards his Masters and maybe even is Doctorate I believe.



Hand-me-down furniture has been collected for his first apartment and loaded on U-haul.


Here is picture of his text books for the semester!


I need to go visit him, since I have never been to Alabama before and know nothing of the schools down there. I think he is in Tuscaloosa... and maybe the sports team is referred to as the Crimson Tide? Yes, a visit in 2011 will be in order for Greg and I to check this out and to see how Christopher is making his mark in the world of history academia. Of course he is taking after me... I won two history awards in high school :)