Dogs will be dogs

Got up this afternoon and this is what greeted me...

What can one expect from a dog! That's what I get for leaving my cards lying around where just anybody or anything can get at them! They were in the card box though when I went to bed....
Guess Cub just wanted to pick a card! Any card!

OH MY!!!

48 years OLD today! How did that happen? :)
Just yesterday mornin I was 17.. next thing you know... a wife and three kids, seven cars later and voila! Old!
What does one have to show for all those years? Work? Children? friends? Enemies? All of the above??? Seems like I'm just getting started. Figuring out what I want to be when I grow up!
Harmonica jam camp coming up in two months, will I make a difference with my harmonica? What about my magic? Will I inspire someone in that arena?
Perhaps I will build a golf club that someone will hit a hole in one with and that will leave them with an everlasting memory?!
Next month I begin SHARE training where I will be trained to speak to kids in Junior High and High Schools about abstinence... maybe that will be where I make my mark?
OR, perhaps I have already made my mark in the many years I coached youth in baseball and basketball, could it be that I touched a life for good somewhere during those heyday years!?
Might be that it is through our children that my legacy (if that is what I am babbling about) will be recognized!
Well, whatever the case...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME......

All Dressed Up & Nowhere To Go!

Yesterday Katie had some fun with her dog Cub! I think Cub enjoyed the attention too!

Tie dye shirt and cool shorts....

That screechin sound!

Well, I finally decided to go for it! I have had my eye on Jon Gindicks harmonica jam camp for about two years now.(http://gindick.com/)

He emailed me a few months back and let me know that it will be in Portland Oregon the weekend of Memorial day in May! It is a three day harmonica camp that starts on a Friday evening and ends on Sunday evening. I started playing the harp back in about 1991. I played for awhile and got halfway decent, I think about to the intermediate level. I hit a wall and am hoping to break thru it! My trouble is playing with guitarists, just being able to fit right in. Get that bluesy feeling and sound that everyone wants, so this is my shot! I am hoping that Boeing will pay for some of the class! That would be SWEET!
I had a half hour harmonica jam session with Jon on the phone last Tuesday to find out where I am at and what I can work on to get ready for the class. it was a good session. I am looking forward to improving and playing more!

Recent happenings

Had a wonderful Bible study last Thursday. It was really in depth. We are studying the book of Romans. I think Romans is probably the meatiest book in the Bible. We have some interesting discussions in this book. It is not enough to simply read the book of Romans. It requires study and thought. The question arises about predestination and Gods foreknowledge about who is going to be saved and who will not. Does foreknowledge mean He fore chooses? Or, do we choose for ourselves although He, God already knows what we will choose? I think God puts sticky questions like this in His word so that we will diligently seek Him.
The study included many questions revolving around some members mothers as they are in ill health. The men are doing their best to care for their moms at this difficult time. My friend Dale's mother passed away about two years ago and Dale had her living with him and his family for the last year or so before she passed away. This was a heavy burden on him and his immediate family and also caused some problems between him and his brothers...
Dale made a rather enlightening comment about it. He said,"She didn't put me in a home when I was a kid." This simple statement struck me like a bolt of enlightenment!
Think about the millions of children whose parents have put them in a home! What is going to happen to these enlightened parents when they are old and infirm and their childrens memories are of being raised by someone else in a daycare facility!!!
Wonder if they will think thoughts like, "my parents were too busy to raise and take care of me, so"....Probably not on a conscious level, but subconsciously??? Hmmm...


Friday is sometimes a very long day for me as I stay up all day. I did this last Friday, getting off work at 6 am and going golfing. I golfed with some work friends. We golfed 27 holes which is 9 over regulation. I got better as the day wore on. I made several amazing putts! My driver had a little extra kick in it as well. I hit a couple drives about 275 yards. That's a long way, especially as the weather is wet and I was not getting any roll. Later in the day Katie and I went shopping for her "mouse trap car" Parts.
I also went and rented a couple of movies for the evening. Joan and I watched the Illusionist Friday night. A very good movie. I especially enjoyed the "happy ending!" A nice climactic ending. The kind of movie that after it's over you go back over it in your mind to "see" all twists and turns that were hidden at the time!
Saturday we watched the other movie, The Prestige! Another fine movie that you must pay the utmost attention in order to understand the full significance of what is taking place. Very good with wonderful twists and turns. This movie is one in which you will immediately want to watch again to catch all the wonderful nuances that you miss the first time! Fantastic, and in the Alfred Hitchcock type of surprise ending!
Sunday we went to church and enjoyed a great sermon about servitude.
Later in the day Katie and I finished building her mouse trap car. It works! Hope it works during the race at school.

Revue and Critique

In my in box:

Tim,

It was great to see your performance. Although you probably noticed the little things that went wrong during your show, it's only natural to be hard on yourself. You rocked the house. I especially liked how you engaged the audience with eye contact and by posing questions. All that practice paid off. You held your own and in my opinion, did better than some of the seasoned performers. You should be proud. The rope and cups routines fit you well. You're on your way to bigger and better things.

your friend,
Jose

I'm curious. How did you feel about how you did and what things would you do differently now that you've been able to see review your video?

My reply...
Thank you for your kind words. I did rock the house, being the opening act was a bit interesting...
Jose, I would maybe ask the people to my left that were on the couch if they would like to move around front to see better. I saw myself move the table about three times trying to figure out where best to place it because of their angles.
My pacing was good but I would pause a bit more and let the applause/laughter subside a bit more before continuing. I walked on my applause a couple of times. (Insert, take a deep breath here) I think that is because when I practice in my office at work, there is no one there and I have to imagine an audience. A real live audience is a bit different to say the least!
I would like to smile more. That seems to be an ongoing battle for me. Maybe that will come with relaxing and performing more.
I love the video in that I can watch Philemon, Payne and Thomas Wayne and learn a bit about presentation. While I honestly didn't care much for the tricks Philemon and Payne performed. Their personna and relaxed way or stage presence is pretty good. Thomas Wayne was very engaging and it showed that he is a seasoned performer.
However, While I was performing my mind was racing, my mouth got dry... but on the video I could see that no one could tell. Funny that! :)
Brett Johnsons performance is how I somewhat see myself in my minds eye.(Unsure and skeptical of myself) But I don't look that way on the video.

It would be way cool to see you performing there. I am realizing that it is a great opportunity to get better, to get stage time.
I loved meeting your wife. She is lovely. You guys look good together!
Your friend
Tim

Magic Monday!

Well, I did it! I performed at Magic Monday at third place books. My public debut so to speak. I thought I was going to be second to perform, but as always, twists and turns make life interesting. I was up first. Five of us performed and I got things jumping right away with a nice mystery using the Amazing Acrobatic Knot and finished with the Cups and Balls. All went well. The audience was receptive and responsive.
My friend Steve Ameden video taped the performances. WOW! What you can learn from seeing yourself on video! Well it wasn't all bad, in fact pretty good. I have a lot of work to do to improve but all in all I liked what I saw!
The performers were Brett Johnson performing the Professors Nightmare and a sponge ball routine using a brown paper bag and an audience member. Personally I wouldn't do that sponge ball routine as it seemed to somewhat humiliate the helper by having him hold a paper bag on his head throughout the routine.
Next up was Philemon, He also invited a member of the audience up and it happened to be my son Ryan who was in attendance to give his old man(me) support!
Philemon did a numbers trick. It was o.k. but moved along rather slowly. I did however enjoy watching Philemons "presence" on the video. He was relaxed and in control throughout. I seemed to be "rushing" a bit as I performed.
Master Payne got up next and did a comedy bit using the six card repeat. I liked his act because I saw him take a trick and make it his own. Payne has a wonderful ability to do this.
Last up was a special guest magician, Thomas Wayne who is in town from Alaska visiting his father. Thomas performed three effects. A wonderful comedy routine involving a poem of his granmothers while seperating pairs of socks and illustrating about how they get lost in the dryer. He also performed a very nice comedy card trick with an audience mentally selected card. His last routine involved a thought of two digit number and he drew a sudoku board with numbers and her thought of number was revealed in a marvelous way.
the best part of the evening for me was that my wife went with me. We enjoyed just being together. It was nice t finally meet Jose's wife Cindy. She seems like a lovely lady too. Jose is a fortunate man too!

Nice Long Weekend!

Four day weekend that included my 26th wedding anniversary! My wife and I enjoyed a fine meal as already noted.
Friday afternoon we took in a movie. It was the movie Amazing Grace. We were not really prepared for this movie. We really did not research what it was about. It was a very good movie however and I recommend it highly to anyone. It is about the abolition of slavery in England and the man and men who brought it about. William Wilberforce, the Abe Lincoln of England...
Saturday saw the end of our daughter and Cubs canine manners class. Katie and Cub took 2nd place with a nice red ribbon! Great job! Son Ryan arrived aroiund 7pm for dinner and a movie.
Also Saturday and Sunday I finally finished getting the chain link fence all put back up! YAHOO. It turned out sweet! Nice job Tim, Pat on the back!

Happy Anniversary Baby

I got home Wednesday morning(Today is our 26th wedding anniversary!) and began to set up. I had stopped along the way and picked up a dozen red roses and a batch of pink and red carnations from QFC. Glad they are open 24 hours.

I put them all in vases but, well, I'm a guy, so I knew that they would get rearranged later. No problem there!
When I awoke from my slumber, there was a nice anniversary card waiting for me, sealed with a kiss!
Later that evening, Joan and I went out to dinner. Joan chose Daniels Broiler as our anniversary destination place. WOW! What a meal! Very nice food. They walked us by the steaks and lobster tails... just a peek to whet our appetites.
While looking over the menu it was difficult to not get "sticker shock!
Joan ordered a nice plate of pancetta prawns. These were very large prawns. The picture doesn't do them justice. I ordered Fillet Mignon with a Lobster tail.
This the most I have ever spent on a dinner plate!
The food was marvelous. The steak virtually melted in my mouth and the Lobster was the same!

After dinner we hooked up with our son Ryan at the University Village Starbucks.

one score and six

Yep! Twenty six years ago this day...
Joan said I do and magic happened!


We started our marriage and have been steaming forward ever since.

We spent the night in the Seatac Marriot hotel and then drove down the Oregon coast.

Session with Steve

Got out of bed at about 1:30 yesterday, did some weight lifting as I am trying to lose some weight and get in shape a bit. I am hurting...
Played with our daughter and our new dog Cub on the sport court too. Throwing the ball and frisbee. The dog wore me out, he never tires! We had a great time laughing and running. Later I drove over to my friend Steve Ameden's home and delivered his new magic table. We had a nice session with cards. Steve seemed to like his table. I can't wait to see what innovations and modifications he does to it.
Steve taught me a couple of nice card tricks and had me in stitches with re-telling some magical work he did for a lady he works with. Steve has a gentle subtle style about him when he performs that puts people at ease. Another reason we call him "butter." We watched some Michael Skinner twisting the aces which is nothing like any other twisting the aces routine.
I'm sure Steve has it down by now!

Reunion

Unfinished business..

I recently went to the website "Reunions with class."
My 30 year high school reunion is this year. While it will be a lot of fun to see the old classmates and catch up on their lives. I was deeply saddened by the deaths of several classmates. At the website is a place called "In Memoriam." I clicked on it and found out all the old classmates that have died. This brought a flood of sadness into my heart. It also brought back many memories of times with these people, people I do not really know. Friends I chummed with and played pranks on and played sports with. Seventeen were listed there. Fourteen men and three women. What does that tell me?
We had a graduating class of about 330 students. I knew most of them because of going thru grade school and Junior High School with them. I got around in High School. Most kids needed to fit in somewhere. (they still do) Either you are an athlete, (jock) a brain, a nerd, (not really but we pegged you there) or a stoner.
I pretty much got along with all the groupings. I was pretty athletic before high school so knew most of the guys on the sports teams. During my Sophomore year, I joined the "stoners," so I got to know all the kids that smoked cigarettes and pot and drank beer. Also, during my 1st two years of High School I made honor roll so I was knowledgeable about the kids who were academically inclined.
Of the seventeen deceased from my graduating class, I can reminisce about sixteen of them. I have vivid memories of doing things with them, their smiles, and of their faces in my mind.
I wonder how they died? I wonder about their families, their children and spouses. I wonder if they lived fulfilling lives? I wonder how many of them attained their dreams? These deaths also bring to mind my own mortality. How and when will I die?
Will I attain my dreams? Will I enjoy a rich full life? Have I already? Makes me want to get after the things I am pursuing.
A closer walk with God. Sharing my magical talents with others. Being a better husband and father and brother.
I feel almost a need to hurry up and fix all the things I've messed up over the years. To make amends and apologize to those I've hurt. To go see the places I've always wanted to see. Places like Hawaii, France, England, Italy and the Roman Coliseum, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I want to go back to Ireland again.
Or see the Yankees play Boston in Yankee stadium and the same two teams at Fenway Park, before they get torn down and replaced. To swim in the Atlantic Ocean. To rock my grand children, (which we don't have yet)and to play catch with them and push them on the swings. To teach them how to fish and to get out and enjoy Gods creation that is around us!
On the other hand it makes me contemplate the need to be in a hurry and the idea of sloooowing down to smell the roses! To take a cup of coffee out to the deck and enjoy a relaxing moment with my wife as the birds chirp and the wind blows gently!
Contemplation, inner self dialogue...

R I P my friends.

Hard work pays off!

Our eldest son Ryan got a sweet job last Friday!
Ryan has spent four plus years attending the University of Washington. He majored in Civil Engineering. He has been applying for work with several firms, but only was willing to work part time. He has other commitments which were keeping him busy. Well, he didn't get hired by any so he changed his tactics. He is willing to work full time and was immediately hired by the Structural Engineering firm of Swenson,Say and Faget. His base salary about $50,000 a year plus benies. Three weeks vacation and 401K.
Not bad for a 22 year old young man!
Good job Ryan!

Two years later!

Yesterday Katie got her braces off! YAAAAA!
She said she can't remember what her teeth feel like! Well I suppose that is what happens when you can't run your tongue over them for a couple of years!
Nice smile!
OOPS, There it is!

Brrrr

The last couple of days have been cold with snow, wind, rain, and hail!
I love what snow does to the landscape, as long as it doesn't stick around too long!
I also love to BBQ when there is snow on the ground. I like that the neighbors get to smell and envy the steak or Salmon we are cooking! Haha..
Here's a little something our daughter spelled in the snow!