Unbelievable

That is what magic is. Unbelievable. A wonderful journey that has the opportunity to touch countless lives. But only if you give it away. Like your bright smile!
It does me no good to keep it to myself.
I went to a surprise birthday party for my neighbor Andy last night. He turned the big 5 OH!
Lots of his family and friends were there. Lots of young children too, nieces and nephews and their children. A DJ was hired, karaoke was happening. Great amounts of wonderful food, catered by Andy's sister Maria.
I'm wandering around thinking this is a perfect crowd to do a magic show for. An opportunity, or a lost opportunity. A chance to perform and get better at my craft and an opportunity to touch some lives!
In my mind I am debating whether or not I should offer to do some magic. I know Andy and his wife Nikki very well. They are my next door neighbors. We fish together, we go to church together. Our children grew up and went to school together. They have seen my act before. I am thinking what a blessing it would be to perform for them and their friends and family. I am also thinking that maybe I would be intruding in some way into their lives. Is it about me? Or about giving away a hard earned talent? Am I selfish to want to perform for them? Or, am I selfish to keep my magic to myself! Would it be rude of me and would I be "taking away from" HIS birthday, putting the spotlight on me or enhancing the occasion?
Finally, I could stand it no more and I asked his wife discretely if she would mind if I performed some magic. Her eyes lit up and big smile graced her face. A great idea she thought. So, I approached Andy about it. He too was delighted about the idea.
Well, now I have to go home to get my stuff. I had brought a deck of cards with me and a few other things that I always carry with me, but I wanted to do a real show!
It is funny how people perceive a magician. I think most people there thought "this guy is going to do some "trinket" magic."
The DJ let me use his microphone and sound system and I performed my usual set of Chinese Sticks,Acrobatic knot, Ring Rope and Wand, by now people are edging closer, they are laughing and having a good time, warming up. The Egg Bag was next and then the Vanishing Bandanna, I was rockin' and rollin' by now! Cups and Balls was next and of course, this floored them, not your "Uncle Bob's" magic, as many I think thought!
I finished with Sterling Dietz' Torn and Restored Newspaper Tear.
Sterling told me when he gave me permission to do this effect,That his only concern was that I practice enough to do it and magic justice!
Last night I nailed it!
After the performance, while mingling around, a man named Dan told me, "that was incredible, thank you, I now have to go home and put my family back together."
Sterling's Torn & Restored Newspaper speaks on the issue of putting the family back together and the world will take care of itself.
What a blessing!

Forty-Niner...

Today was my day...

Water Leaking Everywhere?

Seattle is known for the rain!
And I suppose it is rightfully so...
We have been experiencing leaking water in many different things lately.
The Kitchen faucet, our roof above the garage, replaced the water heater a few months ago because it leaked. Our car of 12 years leaked earlier this month and we had to replace the radiator. Our hot tub is leaking in several places. Under the outer shell, buried beneath sprayed in foam insulation.Looks like fun, doesn't it!?

The hot tub is about eight years old and I love it. The repair costs are extremely high, so, I busted her open myself. I figured, hey, it's already leaking, so I might as well see what's what!
I have found three pvc joints that are leaking tremendously. I looked up some info on the Internet that might be a quick and easy fix. But I am contemplating using the stuff on all the joints, which means exposing them all. It is tedious work. My thoughts are that since the joints are leaking, it is most likely a problem with the glue used at these areas. The pvc pipe looks fine.
There is a product called "Plast-aid." (http://www.plast-aid.com)That I am going to try!
Hope it works!

Brrr

Oh, it is just so wonderful! The beauty of God's creation that we take for granted.
Yesterday, March 26th, it snowed! The white stuff fell and covered all around!
I liked the look of our neighbors palm tree! I call it "White Palm!"
My beautiful bride looks good in a white background as well!
An unexpected, but totally awesome surprise!

Serendipity!

Serendipity:
Noun
Good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries.

I love that word, serendipity. I like what it means , and the way it rolls off the tongue, serendipity!
Last Monday, my wife and I enjoyed a wonderful luncheon at Salty's on Alki. It was a feast put on by the Boeing company for my many years(30)of service.
I have been asking around at all the restaurants when I go to one, for a servers stand, or tray stand. I see them at all the finer restaurants. They are the stands that the waiter or waitress uses to set the food onto when they have a lot of food to bring to your table. Finally, I asked the right person at the right time! I asked if they had any stands in need of repair that they might be willing to part with. Our server thought that they might indeed. As it so happens, they brought my Fillet Mignon, which was ordered cooked to "medium." But alas, it was in a very rare state. Our server decided because of this slight faux pas, that he would give me a stand in slightly better shape than, "in need of repair."
So, Got one that needed only to be tightened up a bit!
Of course, I decided to sand it down a little and re stain it! Serendipity!

Haha! Serendipity!
Last month, in the middle of February, I realized I was getting low on the rope I use for the Cut & Restored Rope routine I use during some of my magic performances. I was having trouble finding the right rope as I bought a large quantity on Ebay a couple of years ago. I emailed a company in Canada and got this reply:
Dear Tim Flynn:
Thank you for contacting us regarding our 5/16” HERCULES 100% cotton sash cord. This cord is packaged on 10lb reels. A 10lb reel is the equivalent of approximately 410 feet. The price for just one reel is $108.08. If you would like to provide me with your mailing address, I would be more than happy to send you a sample of this rope to review.

Best regards:
Wendy Johnstone
Cancord Inc.
wjohnstone@cancord.com
Phone: 1-800-879-0079 Fax: 905-527-7790
After receiving the initial samples, I realized it would not work, so I emailed here and physically sent her some samples of what I am presently using.

Here is her reply:

Hi Tim:
I have some samples ready for you – 400’ of the 5/16” cord as well as a sample of the larger hollow cord. I am also returning your original sample of the larger hollow cord. Is it easier/better for you if I send this by mail or UPS. Let me know…Wendy

Wendy Johnstone
Cancord Inc.
wjohnstone@cancord.com
Phone: 1-800-879-0079 Fax: 905-527-7790

Today, I received the 400 ft. spool!
Serendipity!
There are some wonderful people in this world. Just looking to help you out if you will but ask

Resurrection Sunday

Celebrated Easter yesterday!
Went to church and enjoyed celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus!
Afterward, some of our family joined us. Not pictured are Joan, and her sisters, Ellen, and Arlene and their mother Marion. Of course I'm not pictured either.
We enjoyed ham and potatoes, some wine, asparagus and good fellowship time.
The feast was not unlike Thanksgiving, as you can tell by what happened to these two boys after their wonderful meal!
Monday was a nice day as well.
The company I have worked for for the last 30 years honored me and my wife with a nice luncheon at Salty's restaurant on Alki. I enjoyed a Fillet Mignon
and Joan loved the Salmon.

It was a beautiful, full of sunshine and blue skies day.
Spring may have sprung. This nice weather caused me to get up on our roof and clean the gutters, sprinkle some moss killer and spray some insecticide along the perimeter of the homestead.

MAGIC EVERY EVERYWHERE!

Just got home from North Carolina, I spent five days in Charlotte at the Christian Lifestyle Expo.
I had a GREAT time! I arrived last Thursday evening and spent the night at the home of Larry and Jean Bryan, my friend Wils mom and dad. Larry was the promoter of the Exposition. He used to do that sort of thing for a living. The coolest thing I noticed right away was this HUGE fish on the wall of their recreation room. Notice the lure hanging from the mouth of the beast!
The story goes something like this:
In 1985 0r 1986, Larry and Jean went to Hawii for their 15th wedding anniversary. They decided to go deep sea fishing and Lo and behold, Larry hooks into this beautiful Blue Marlin. He was using 80 pound test line and the fish took four hours to land! It weighed in at 935 1/2 pounds!!! Say that again! Nine Hundred and Thirty-Five and a half pounds! WOW! Talk about a whopper! (80 pound test line!)
They got the whole thing on video too! Talk about the right time and place. The thing cost about $3500.00 to send it back home. I heard that they won some contest by a local Charlotte radio station that picked up the tab on the shipping costs! SWEET!

FRIDAY:
Friday rolls in and we head to the Expo. I help pick up some plants and sod and generally make myself useful. The Expo opens at 5pm sharp. A slow night as can be expected for a Friday night. Also, the ACC basketball tournament was going on at the same time. I performed a nice magic set at about 6:30 pm. That's why I was there you know! All went well and everyone enjoyed the magic. A wonderful clown troupe was there as well. They were very gracious to me and let me use their sweet sound system! They are called, "In His Name Ministry."
Got to bed late Friday and set up for Saturday...

Saturday:
A full day planned, two performances and dinner with my wifes' cousin Stan and his wife Mary Lou. Stan and Mary Lou planned a full blown Irish dinner with corned beef and cabbage and potatoes. The cabbage was picked fresh that day from their own garden.
We enjoyed the time together.
As for the magic on Saturday,!
All went well but one little faux pas which this writer shall choose to ignore here, other than to learn from it. Ha!
I performed four shows, each included the cups and balls, and the torn and restored newspaper that Sterling Dietz and his family allowed me to perform. It was a smash hit with everyone!
My new friends Issabelle and Brayden!

Also included in my sets were the Acrobatic Knot, Linking rings, Cut and Restored Ropes, Professors Nightmare, Egg Bag, Lassoing a Card, Vanishing Bandanna, Chinese Sticks, Floating Card, and Ring, Rope, and Wand. I had enough material to make two or three different shows. I also spent a lot of time doing walk around magic for the other merchants. It was great to perform for them. They seemed to really enjoy the "break" in their day.

Sunday:
A traditional day of rest, but not this day. I got up early and went to church with Larry and Jean. They attend a large church with loud traditional music. The church service was full, well attended. That's to be expected in "the bible belt" of America. After church we headed to the expo. The last day of the Expo was the most crowded. I performed one set and later that evening Wil and I drove to Boone, North Carolina. Named after Daniel Boone, the famous American frontiersman.
Boone is a little college town where the Appalachian State University Mountaineers are located. It is a beautiful campus and the city is full of small shops and antique stores. Wil and I stayed up til about 2 a.m. sharing magic and stories.

Monday morning and Wil took me to breakfast, afterward we headed to The Bald Guy's coffee house.(http://www.baldguybrew.com) Outside the coffee house was the wonderful aroma of roasting coffee beans. Inside was the owner Don, known locally as the Bald Guy! He was roasting a fresh supply of coffee beans when we arrived.

After meeting him, Wil had to spend some time working in his own coffee house, known as the BeansTalk. It was hopping with customers all day. Wil supports the Bald Guy by buying and using his coffee in his own coffee house. I came home with two pounds of this wonderful coffee.
Since Wil had to work, he loaned me his ride and I went out and about on my own. I explored the Mountaineers campus and the city of Boone.
When Wil got off work he took me up to a neat lookout and rock climbing place above the city, it is called Howards Knob. This is the view of Boone from the Knob!after that he drove me back to his parents home so I could spend the night there and head home to Seattle the next morning. On the way to his parents house, the sun was setting and I snapped this picture from his speeding truck or the Blue ridge mountains, you can see why they are called Blue ridge!

Sunday Afternoon, Wet & Wasted

Man how time flies.... I got up late Saturday as I couldn't sleep. Turned the kitchen faucet on and the handle came off. This has been an ongoing battle for over a year. I tighten it up and it lasts for a good two to three months, but this was it's eventual demise. Heck, I think it's the original and the house was built in 1987.
So, I spent about seven hours laying on my back staring up into the bowels of my kitchen sink. Five trips to the hardware store and I finally got it right. AARRGH!
It was supposed to be a simple fix. We had a nice (we thought) faucet from a sink that was my sister in laws. I had it all hooked up but there was a nice pin hole in one of the copper tubes and water sprayed all over, had to take it all apart and get a new faucet, of course this one needed different tubing. And the beat goes on, and on... Five trips to the hardware store! No kidding!
We are planning on remodeling the kitchen soon, so I wanted to do this "minor" fix on the cheap. That's what you get. Oh well, I learned a lot and the new faucet works great. No drips either but I am wiped out, been a long day and still have four more hours of work to go!
Out!

Update

Last Wednesday, I took my older brother John up to the pass and we had a blast skiing. We started out at Snoqualmie summit, but after two or three runs I said, let's had over to Alpental. It was a great decision! Alpental's snow was much softer, less skied on, and the runs are longer and tougher! There was less people as well. The night was beautiful, Icicles hanging from cavernous stones, the stars were shining brightly, no wind and the sunset was awesome as it bounced off the various mountains surrounding us! As usual, I decided against bringing a camera. Woe is me!
You'd think I would learn! Maybe now I have!
John and I had some important things to discuss, private, heavy matters, family matters and getting on equal ground. We danced around the "elephant" until we were all finished and I was dropping him off at the park and ride. We spent an hour on some meaty issues. It was good and hearty. Both sides giving and taking. I think we are on the road to healing our relationship. In fact, I think it can be better and stronger than ever before. I believe we will be able to move it from a big brother, little brother relationship to a more healthy... brothers relationship. With more respect for each other and what each has to offer and has gone thru.

Friday arrived and Joan and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary. We went out to dinner at a place called Barnaby's in Renton. Joan had worked there some 30 odd years ago when the place was called the Jolly Ox. Funny, but the decor is still the same, kind of an old English coat of arms style of block wood and such. Lots of old style pictures and things hanging about. The chairs and tables are made of sturdy wood and look to be the originals! We relaxed and enjoyed the time alone!

Sunday morning gone to church. The pastor was preaching on Eph. 6:10-18. Putting on the whole armour of God. I had contacted him several weeks ago and told him I have a nice magical illusion that fits right in with that message. My daughter Katie was my helper and we performed for everyone. The Arrow Head Illusion went over pretty good. Here you see me putting arrows into my daughters head, the arrows represent Satan's fiery darts aimed at us, but as you can see, by putting on the whole armour of God, she is unscathed!

Saturday Fun

Son Ryan invited Joan and I to join him at his place to see it and then go to Seattle water front to enjoy the day. The drive was a fairly eventful event as our car decided to overheat. I pulled over and was able to ask someone for some water from their outdoor hose. I filled the radiator and we drove back home. On the way home two cars in front of us, all of a sudden there was a box spring mattress floating thru the air with the greatest of ease. I stopped in the middle of the highway and got out of our car to help with the mattress. This was interesting because this caused traffic to stop both ways on this two lane highway!
Well we made it home and exchanged vehicles and again headed to Seattle.
We met up with Ryan and his girlfriend Myoko.
Drove downtown and enjoyed the city a little. Eating at Ivars Acres of Clams and then walking up to Pike Place Market.
Of course, what trip to Seattle wouldn't be complete without a bit of Seattle's famous liquid sunshine!