May start posting here again...

I have not posted here lately. I still write from time-to-time. I tend to post my notes on Facebook now. Stay tuned....

Final Update - Oregon Trip [December 2010]

So...I have been on hiatus...or something like that. I figured it is time to finish the re-cap of the Oregon trip. Fair warning...this will be a long post.

An alternate title for this could have been "pig, pig, pig....GOOSE!!"

We figured it would be best to start our day with a hearty breakfast. We were going to be on the road most of the day. My brother came across a restaurant that served bacon waffles, sausage waffles and ham waffles...ummmm...I GUESS we will try that place.

We decided we were not satisfied with the prospect of our waffles containing just one meat. We figured it never hurts to ask for something "off-menu." We asked our waitress if we could have all three meats in our waffles. She checked and was able to accommodate our request. Our waffles contained bits of ham, sausage and bacon. The "triple-pigged" waffles were a culinary delight.

Here is my brother showing off one of these bad boys:

Breakfast...check.

Our plans for the day included visiting The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. The museum is located in McMinnville, OR.

First, this is an absolute must-visit for any aviation or space flight buffs. It is not possible to see this unique combination of exhibits anywhere else in the world. The museum is split into multiple buildings. There are separate buildings for the aviation and space museums.

We started in the aviation museum. The pièce de résistance of the museum is a mammoth airplane - The "Spruce Goose." This plane was featured in the movie - "The Aviator."

The are no words, pictures or videos that can adequately convey the size of the plane. A couple things are truly amazing. It was built over 60 years ago and is made of wood. I included a number of photos below.

Here is a plaque that talks about the construction of the plane -

The following picture does a good job of providing a feel for the size of the plane. My brother and I are over six feet tall -

Each wing housed four engines -

The tail fin was enormous -

This picture was taken from inside the plane -

There are plenty of other exhibits spread throughout the museum. I included some random pictures.

This is a replica of the plane used by the Wright Brothers -

I do not recall what type of plane this was. I thought this was an interesting perspective looking into the air intake area.

Staring down the barrel of a machine gun -

A picture of one of my favorite air show planes - a P51 "Mustang" -

I loved the art on the nose of this plane -

There were lots of great exhibits in the air museum that are not shown here.

Ok...we were ready to visit the space museum. On the walk from one building to the next, I saw Uranus... (I know at least one person will laugh when they read that)

Anyways, the space museum contained some great exhibits as well. I included a couple of my favorites.

It is possible to get "up close and personal" with a SR-71 Blackbird. This plane looks "fast" just sitting there -

A Titan rocket was on display as well.

There were also displays related to both the Moon and Mars landings. The space museum is also awaiting the arrival of a retired space shuttle.

We ended the day in Pacific City @ the Pelican Brewpub. I shared about that experience in a prior post.

There were some other minor adventures after this. My posts hit most of the the main points though. A big thanks to my brother and good friend for making the trip possible. It was a blast guys!

The Ripple Effect

I have been reflecting on many things lately. This imagery/concept came to mind when I messaged a friend the other day.

When we look at our lives, do we cause/re-transmit ripples or simply deflect/absorb the energy of the ripples that come our way? I don't believe there should be an intent one way or another. It is more a measure of how we conduct ourselves in our relationships.

Many things can cause ripples. When I refer to ripples, I am referring to how we affect others in our lives. To me, the definition is open-ended. Ripples could be things like the following:

+ openly expressing yourself - talking, writing, singing, etc.
+ selfless actions - supporting those in your life, sacrificing for others, setting a good example for others, etc.


Many of these things involve taking a risk. I think the old adage "nothing ventured...nothing gained" applies. Are we willing to take risks knowing we could positively impact someone in our life? Again, this should not be the focus. Instead, think of whether our action(s) COULD positively impact someone else. I think this could then be one of many factors in our internal decision-making process. It should not be the determining factor though.

I hope we all can find a way to make ripples in our lives. We all have an opportunity to make a profound impact on others. You may never fully comprehend the impact your ripples have on those around you. That is why it is so important to occasionally "roll the dice."

What are you going to do the next time a ripple comes your way?

The Incomplete Roadmap of Life

Some recent discussions with a friend :)(: helped shift the focus I have on my life. I notice the scope of things switching from struggling with recent events to stepping back and reflecting on the "bigger picture." For the first time in years, I truly feel the sky can be the limit. On one hand this is exhilarating. On the other hand it is humbling to realize I did not always believe this to be the case.

When I look back over the course of my life, I realize I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how/why certain things happened. This can be constructive to a point. It can be detrimental as well. There are certain events in our lives that either cannot be explained/fully understood or are not meant to be fully comprehended.

One of the benchmark moments in my life happened when I was twelve years old. I remember the day I heard my father took his life by way of a drug overdose. For many years I felt I needed to arrive at concrete answers as to how and/or why this happened. This also rocked any faith I had in God. I struggled with questions like "How can a loving God take a child's parent away so early in a child's life?" or "How does a loving God allow someone to suffer to the point they choose death over life?"

My faith journey is just that. It is a journey. Over the years I came to realize that many of my questions will never be answered. It comes down to whether I am able to truly acknowledge that or not. If not, I could spend a lifetime searching for answers that do not exist.

There are other traps we can fall into:

+ dwelling on past choices
+ ruminating about future possibilities

We do not want to discount our past or approach the future haphazardly. Instead, we need to arrive at a balance. If we get too hung up on the past (or the future) we will not be able to experience the present.

I have heard the phrase "when one door closes another one opens." It is a simple statement. It captures the essence of our experiences though. We can either embrace our current and future opportunities or focus our energy on what could have been, wonder why something happened, etc.. I think the same could be said about the relationships in our lives.

Our world has gotten much smaller thanks to the Internet. Do we embrace the opportunities offered by this "smaller world" or limit ourselves to older notions when it comes to the relationships in our lives? If we do not approach things with an open mind we might miss a chance to help others, learn more about ourselves, etc..

I recently had some in-depth conversations with a friend online. Should I discount the impact this person might have on my life simply because we do not live across town from one another? We talked about this. We could both expend time and energy trying to understand how/why our paths crossed. During our conversation we agreed it made more sense to celebrate the fact we were each impacting the other person's life.

I think each person has to find his/her own way. Some approaches that work for me may not work for someone else. There are not necessarily right or wrong choices either. I believe keeping an open mind is the best way to fully realize the possibilities that might present themselves in our lives.

The Treasures of My Life

A number of things have happened recently. I feel compelled to capture some of them.

Some people place value on exotic cars, immaculate homes or other "things." Sure, those "things" are nice but pale in comparison to the people in our lives.

Yesterday, there was a very dangerous natural gas situation in a nearby town - population of about 3,000. I know people that live there. One friend in particular came to mind. I went to high school and college with her. I panicked and ended up finding her family's phone number. I was able to establish contact with her. Her and her family are fine. A nearby home was badly burned though.

I have been thinking about another group of friends as the Tribe's Home Opener Day approaches. Somehow I found myself hanging out with a bunch of pharmacists...not that there is anything wrong with that...lol. I met these "gentlemen" through my former appreciation of craft beer. We traded some stellar beers, partook in some Fantasy baseball and have hit a number of Home Openers the past several years.

Our Home Opener experience always includes spending way too much time (and money) at one of my fave Cleveland locales - Great Lakes Brewing Company. We have had some memorable experiences the past few years. One year, 12 or 13 adults "tetrised" themselves into a mini-van (video of that is available.) The van rode the rear axle for the short journey. Another year, we bummed a ride from some complete strangers. It turns out one of the older women in the vehicle had brain surgery just months earlier. They became part of our "story" as we did theirs.

My thoughts drift to another friend from high school that re-located to Colorado last year. I relish the fact that we have become closer friends over time and across greater distances. Friendships can overcome any temporal or spatial limitations if we let them.

I think of another friend I am getting to know in Italy. I don't exactly know how/why our paths have crossed. To be honest it doesn't matter. Across the span of the Atlantic Ocean, I feel like I stumbled upon a kindred spirit.

As for my family, I need to borrow a line from Lou Gehrig's farewell speech:

"I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth."

They have been with me through everything. Each member of my family is truly a blessing. I would not be here today if not for their love and support. Words cannot express how much they mean to me.

I may not be in constant contact with everyone in my life. It will never mean I care an iota less about them. There are countless other things that could be recounted here. The important thing to note is that I would not be the person I am without each and every one of these people in my life.

My family and friends are the platinum, gold and silver in my life. I will leave desiring/appreciating chunks of metal to others. As for me...no thanks.