The World of Crow

New Topekans

2012-01-25T20:13:00.001-06:00

Helen's job allows her an opportunity to meet all kinds of interesting people as they move to Topeka. She loves it. Last weekend Helen organized a dinner party for people who had moved to Topeka in 2011. The New Topekans' Dinner Party included people from Florida, New York, Colorado, Iowa and Arizona. It was fun.

Welcome to Topeka.

60 years old ....

2012-01-23T00:38:00.000-06:00

With the help of family and friends, last Friday I celebrated my 60th birthday. Let me say that again ...

I CELEBRATED MY 60TH BIRTHDAY!

Apparently 60 is the universal pivot point of the downhill slide as the day before my birthday, I got this solicitation in the mail:

Shrugging this off, my loving family took me to The North Star for a good old fashioned Kansas steak dinner.

It was great.

I'll let you know about the Funeral Assistance Program.

Until then ... I think 60 is a blast.

Oma turns 83

2012-01-12T23:59:00.000-06:00

Tonight we helped Oma celebrate her 83rd birthday. We had an extra nice visit reflecting on all the people Oma has touched in her life. We could not count them all. We celebrated with strawberry ice cream and yummy German chocolate. Here is 83 year old Oma with her (almost 60 year old) daughter ....

and here is a flashback photo (circa 1989) of Oma as she's reads to Melissa and Samantha.

I think (?) Oma was about 60 years old in this photo.

Very interesting.

35 years ... and counting

2012-01-10T00:14:00.000-06:00

Thanks to SRQ and JRQ, we were able to spend our 35th wedding anniversary in exotic Nassau, the capital city of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. They provided us with 5 wonderful days at the Sheraton on Cable Beach. Here is the view from our 9th floor balcony.

Can you say spectacular?

We arrived on January 1st and got to vicariously enjoy the annual Junkanoo celebration (a cross between Mardi Gras and Carnival) that started at midnight and ended at noon the next day. Here is the parade at about 2 am.

Groups of hundreds compete for prizes. The competition is fierce. As luck would have it, we got to witness the awards presentation (and celebration) at the City Park which was across the street from the The Fish Fry ... an eclectic collection of funky locally owned restaurants. We ate there twice and can strongly recommend Oh Andros where we made new friends

and ate the best Spicy Grilled Grouper (with peas and rice) ever! The guava duff was spectacular too. Oh yes, Helen is still talking about Sky Juice.

We also walked historic downtown Nassau, visited the 214 year old public library (and museum) ...

gawked at massive cruise ships

and walked the giant bridge to Paradise Island for a short visit to Atlantis.

But mostly, we got to enjoy the super friendly nature of the Bahamian people, soak up their culture ...

and do nothing ... except for enjoying each other and 35 years of marriage.

Happy Anniversary Helen.

Christmas Holiday 2011

2011-12-27T10:38:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2011 got off to a swinging start when Dan and Helen Claus surprisingly showed up in our front yard.

Somebody added Big Red Glasses on Helen Claus.

It is one more chapter in the ongoing spar with Nameless Neighbor who insists that our classic wreaths are inadequate Christmas decorations.

Neighborhood mischief intensified when Nameless Neighbor's house of 8,614 blue bulbs was visited by the Red Bulb Vandal. We thought about it, but didn't do it.

Family fun started when Mark and Daya arrived from Minnesota followed by Samantha and Jake flying in from California via Utah. We sang Christmas Carols on the Circle ...

and spent hours wrapping Christmas presents. This year we got to enjoy Jake Art on some of the packages.

Christmas Eve dinner was two ginormous pots of soup ... prepared by a svelte Mark ...

and a mega massive ham (named Pam) that was prepared by Chef Jacob.

(Photo courtesy of SRQ)

Andy, Donna, Baby Hope, the Gs, Nancy, SACII and Cheryl, Bev and Family, Carolyn, the Qs, Mark and Daya all joined us for Christmas Eve Dinner.

So did Abbie and Bobbie but they were too late for the group photo. A fun time was had by all ...

but, Samantha's Cousinette Baby Hope stole the show.

Christmas morning Helen made California Eggs Crackle

as we waited for Melissa, Roby, Anna and Camden to arrive. Then, we posed for our traditional group photo

and dug into the presents.

It was a blast! The girls followed our Guy Gift theme with Girl Bling

and a crowd pleasing Hat Show.

Unfortunately, Oma and Nancy left before the photo shoot started but we did get the annual "kid" photo ...

and lots of other photos as well.

Merry Christmas 2011.

Happy New Year 2012.

AFS and Christmas Tree

2011-12-14T19:33:00.000-06:00

For the last 13 years, we have hosted the AFS Holiday Party. As is the past, the high-schoolers told of a special holiday they celebrate at home and ... they brought a desert commonly enjoyed in their country. Lucky for me, this year was a chocolate extravaganza!.

After considerable coaxing, they agreed to pose with their host brothers and/or sisters.

Once SACII's birthday had passed ... it was OK to put up our Christmas tree. With no Jonas to help, I selected a small table-top version this year.

It smells wonderful!

PS. The Potwin neighborhood war wages on about Tommy and our wreaths. More on that to follow.

Thanksgiving borrows Aunt Nancy's Birthday

2011-11-25T10:04:00.001-06:00

This year Thanksgiving borrowed Aunt Nancy's Birthday. We gathered Oma and ventured to Topeka Country Club where we joined Bev and the Gs for a yummy Thanksgiving lunch. The place was packed. We saw tons of fun and interesting people. We laughed, smiled, ate fabulous food and then ... we left.

THERE WAS NO CLEAN-UP INVOLVED.

Despite the solemn expressions on Oma's and Granny's faces, we ALL had a good time.

In the evening we went to the Gs' for Aunt Nancy's Birthday Party. We joined the Gs, Heidi, Jerod, Stacy, Regan and Carly in the celebration. The choir sang Happy Birthday to Nancy.

Here is the choir.

It was a double fun day ... but we sure missed seeing Mark, all the Missouri Crows and many dear friends this Thanksgiving. We also missed hugging SRQ, JRQ and BQ but enjoyed thinking of them as they celebrated Ted (the turkey) Day together in California. Love to all.

PS. Check out the contents of just one rack in the Gs' freezer door.

The main supply is stored on the freezer shelves.

Washburn University and Hope

2011-11-20T17:36:00.001-06:00

Yesterday SACII and Cheryl came to Topeka to join us in the kick-off celebration for Washburn University's sesquicentennial. It was promoted as the Bow-Tie Ball .... so, the guys bow-tied.

The ladies disclaimed us.

I don't know why.

After celebrating 150 years of Washburn University, we hurried home to celebrate 23 days of HOPE ...

Hope is adorable! Helen and I got to hold her. And hug her. And shower her with kisses. Oh yes, Andy and Donna were there too.

Today we celebrated an early Thanksgiving and, as you might imagine, I took some pictures. They all happened to include Hope. Hope with her Great Granny ...

Hope with her Great Aunt Nancy ...

Hope with her LOVE ice cream cake ...

Hope with 4 generations of Crows ...

And Hope in her first traditional group shot.

Happy 150 years to Washburn University.

Happy fortnight and a half to Hope.

Crow Mountain Farm in the Fall

2011-11-12T16:18:00.001-06:00

The corn is harvested ...

the colors are golden ...

CMF helps feed the world.

Potwin Halloween

2011-10-31T23:59:00.084-05:00

A week before Halloween, our neighbor Tom decided to replace all of his landscape lights with ORANGE glow light bulbs. Holy Moly ... night time around here has been really ORANGE.

Tommy donned some shades to protect himself.

The neighborhood party was kid-happy. There were tons of kids ...

playing fun games like donut-dangle.

Halloween night was amazing. Beautiful weather brought out record numbers of kids. According to Tom (who counts by the candy bags) we had over 2,100 Trick or Treaters. There were some really fun kids ...

and some fun grown-ups too.

Happy Halloween 2011. Hope yours was Happy.

Hope is here!

2011-10-28T19:04:00.000-05:00

Today is Hope Elizabeth Crow's birthday!

6 pounds, 1 once ... not counting the cool hat.

Mother and daughter are doing fine.

Congratulations Andy, Donna and Anthony.

Surprise in Menlo Park

2011-10-23T20:31:00.001-05:00

Displaying excellent organizational skills, Jake was able to orchestrate a fun and colorful surprise Birthday Party for Samantha. With Mayumi as an accomplice, the party was a great success. Below is the aftermath of "SURPRISE" after Samantha walked into her apartment.

There were balloons ....

lots of fun party-goers ...

pizza, Choco-Tacos, a beautiful dessert by Ryo ...

and lots of smiles.

The next day Jake gave us the Zillabyte presentation ...

and we got to see where Samantha hangs.

Throw in some fun times with Beth, a yummy milk shake from the Palo Alto Creamery and my own Zillabyte t-shirt

and you've got a Zilla-teriffic 48 hours.

Thanks, Jake for including us in all the fun.

Happy (early) Birthday Samantha.

SRQ visit, Hope Shower, Sailing into the sunset

2011-09-30T23:59:00.139-05:00

After attending Robin's wedding in Washington DC, SRQ came home for a visit. She was mostly here to help her mother organize and host a baby shower for Hope Crow at SACII and Cheryl's house in Springfield. It was fun to see lots of people we love.

Based on the photos, they apparently had a good party for Hope. Sam, Andy and I helped set up for the party then bailed out to do some male bonding. We started with a juicy burger at Galloway Station and then off to Saddlebrooke to view the building site Sam and Cheryl bought at auction the week before. Nice view.

Except for Sam's LBC (little blue car) getting damaged ($2,338.68) by the neighbor's bad driving ...

it was a great trip. Unfortunately, SRQ went home the next day.

To fulfill one of Helen's life-long dreams, Friday night we joined fun friends Bill and Julie on Lake Perry for a sunset cruise on their 30 foot sail boat.

It was wonderful. The weather was perfect. Only 30 minutes from Topeka in time but worlds away in relaxation. Thanks Bill and Julie ... it was a blast!

We waved goodbye to September as we sailed into the beautiful Kansas sunset.

It's not that boring!

2011-09-18T12:17:00.000-05:00

OK, so maybe it is.

Yawn.

Huff 'n Puff Balloon Rally

2011-09-11T13:51:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we had a date. Yep, I took Helen to Lake Shawnee to spoil her with a paddle boat ride. As luck would have it, the 16 year old girl in charge of paddle boat rental said her mother told her to close early as a really bad storm was coming. Wrong! Even so, our paddle boat adventure was quashed by some unknown mother who wanted her daughter to come home early.

So, our date transformed into a quiet picnic on the shore. Well ... not exactly quiet. Our peaceful picnic table was surrounded by two shelter houses. In one was a wedding shower. In the other, a biker wedding. The bride wore a traditional white wedding gown while the groom wore jeans and a Harley t-shirt. My guess is that the groom selected the music.

From across the lake came the Huff 'n Puff Balloon Rally. The view was amazing. Multiple balloons gracefully floated toward us. Some of them played "skip the basket on the lake" before they floated by.

We enjoyed watching them float overhead.

Our paddle boat date transformed again. Off to the Sports Center for some serious go-cart racing. Helen and I shared the almost empty track with a 7 year old girl riding tandem with her father. The little girl waved to Helen every time she lapped her. Helen (a/k/a the lead foot) was both amused and insulted.

Life doesn't always follow your plans. And sometimes that's a good thing.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-10T12:42:00.000-05:00

After 30+ years, Helen and I decided to purge some (not all) of the stuff we've saved in one of our basement storage rooms. It was a mess.

So was my work bench.

We spent 12 hours Sunday cleaning and trashing. We took tons of stuff to the alley where the "alley pixies" whisked it all away. Broken computers and old VCRs were gone in minutes. Wicker baskets and old lamps took a couple of hours. We found 30 years of old paint ...

and tax records dating back to 1974.

Geesh ... why did we save all that stuff?

On Labor Day we washed the convertible ...

had a quiet picnic in the park and drove to Crow Mountain Farm where Helen ignored the corn

and picked a flower.

So there you have it ... the exciting Labor Day Weekend with the Crows.

PS. I almost didn't mention the discovery of my childhood bottle cap collection as I wasn't sure you could handle the additional excitement.

Truckin' to California

2011-08-31T19:44:00.171-05:00

Samantha and Jake decided to move back to California. They asked if we wanted to tag team drive 'N' ride as they truck half way across the USA in their giant rental truck hauling Harley Chan on the trailer ...

and followed by Jake's 4Runner.

"Sure," we said as we flew to Denver to start the multi-day drive across Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Califrornia. "But, we can't do the trip without Trucker hats."

The trip was a blast! We got to stop in Salt Lake City and dine with a bunch of fun and loving Quists ...

and grab some hugs too ...

before heading across the deserts of Utah and Nevada. Those of us in the 4Runner saw lots of this ...

followed by lots of this.

When we arrived in California, we got to spend an evening with Beth ...

and watch Samantha and Jake open their 1st Wedding Anniversary present. It was fun.

The next morning, Jake and Samantha moved into their new apartment in Menlo Park.

Their new apartment is great! It has huge rooms and a sunny wall of windows.

It even features a giant deck (being worked on here) that is big enough for Jake's future garden.

Besides, it is only 4 blocks from Mayumi and 8 blocks from Samantha's old apartment in Palo Alto. It almost felt like we had returned home. Good job Jake and Samantha. The sign down the street said it all ...

Before returning to Kansas we got to see Jake's new work space at AOL

and shake hands with his Zillabyte co-founders.

Thanks Samantha and Jake for letting us join you on this big adventure.

It was a great Truckin' trip.

Samantha's smile

2011-08-17T17:36:00.000-05:00

Over the last 30 years, Helen and I have taken hundreds (make that thousands) of pictures of Samantha. In many of them, she is smiling. I thought that we had captured every possible expression and angle of her smile. Wrong. Here is one provided by her dentist:

There ... now we've seen them all.

The Art of the Brick

2011-08-04T20:00:00.001-05:00

The Mulvane Art Museum at Washburn University currently has a very unique exhibit. Yes, I know it's hard to top the uniqueness of the 2009 Stickwork Art Exhibit (which is still there) ...

but this exhibit comes close. It's called the The Art of the Brick. Have you ever seen a 5 foot tall human hand made entirely of Legos?

Or giant Lego faces ... with eyelashes?

Odd ... yet fun.

Exhibition ends on September 18, 2011.

New Refrigerator

2011-07-30T19:16:00.000-05:00

Well ... after 37 years, we decided to buy a new refrigerator. The old one was purchased in 1974 and has been true blue and loyal. Yes, I still have the original owner's manual and bill of sale. Come to think of it, I've had this baby longer than I've had Helen.

Over the decades, it gathered some colorful refrigerator art ... including some interesting poetry.

Goodbye old friend. Thank you for your service.

The new refrigerator (just like this blog post) isn't really very exciting.

But it does have a functioning ice maker and multiple inside lights that actually work.

Geesh ... what next? A new stove?

No, not a chance.

Samantha and Jake visit

2011-07-26T17:21:00.000-05:00

On their way to see the Springfield Crows ... Jake and Samantha stopped by last Friday for a quickie visit.

We celebrated.

Jorge - Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

2011-07-24T14:10:00.001-05:00

Jorge, who is doing a summer internship at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City,

invited us to join him for Intern Family Day last Friday. We were welcomed by President Thomas M. Hoenig, got to see Jorge's office

as well as the Executive Floor and Board Room.

We also enjoyed an interesting tour of the bank which included the Money Museum and a glimpse of the cash vault where robotic fork lifts (Huey, Dewey and Louie) move millions of dollars around every day.

It was a blast! Thanks Jorge, for inviting us.

Next stop for him ... New York City.

Jonas returns to Germany

2011-07-10T16:20:00.005-05:00

After almost 11 months with us, Jonas returned to Germany last Wednesday. We will miss him.

He dove into Kansas with gusto. Upon his arrival, he couldn't wait to buy cowboy boots, some Levi's and a giant cowboy hat.

Everything he did, he did with enthusiasm. His generous heart, infectious smile, and unfailing optimism made friends instantly. He balanced life here in the most graceful and beautiful way ... maybe aptly shown by this Jonas creation given to us before he left.

One of his good buddies, Jake, and I took him to the airport Wednesday morning.

In typical Jonas style, he made a fun moment by taking his longboard for a little ride through the airport.

You can stay in touch with Jonas by following his adventures on Jonas' Blog. Thank you Jonas for sharing a part of your life with us. We are better for it.

See you later.

4th of July weekend

2011-07-07T23:31:00.000-05:00

Our 4th of July started on the 1st. Some neighbors organized the Potwin Place Porch and Patio Cocktail Taster Party. It's a progressive dinner without the dinner. We visited 6 porches and I sampled Infused Vodka, Martinis, Gin Cocktails, Sangria, Summer Brew, Margaritas, Long Beach Iced Tea and Limoncellos. Helen drank water. Even so, at the end of the night who was getting in the pool with her clothes on?

On Saturday the 2nd we played Bocce Ball ...

attended the neighborhood rock concert (courtesy of 4th and Inches) and enjoyed the evening outdoor movie.

Sunday the 3rd saw the revival of Potwin Plays Golf. In Tom Woltkamp's honor, all participants received some sort of "hardware." Here is a team proudly displaying their women's tennis medals ...

and another team wearing their baseball medals.

Hardware was everywhere. It was fun. People smiled.

Sunday night was Jonas' goodbye party. Also known as the "See You Later" party, Nancy stopped by for a hug ...

as did a whole bunch (maybe 35) of his friends.

For more about Jonas' adventures, see Jonas' Blog.

At the same time, the Potwin street dance was a block away. The band played as ice cream was served.

And, Annie and Kenton, who were traveling from New Hampshire to California, showed up for the 4th.

How cool is that?!

The 4th was a blur. First was the Potwin parade. It included Jake, Jonas, Elisabeth and Tommy.

It also included kids on bikes ...

Sheriff's Deputies on horses ...

and odd-ball vehicles.

Lunchtime inspired Helen's fruit plate creation ...

to contribute to Dan and Joni's pool and grillin' party ...

followed by an old fashion ice cream churning party in Westboro. Then home to prepare for our back yard Potwin pot luck dinner.

We got to see good friends

terrific neighbors

and visitors from around the world.

As evening fell, Jonas and his buddies headed to the Spirit of Kansas Fireworks at Lake Shawnee ...

and then home for some late night explosions of their own on 3rd Street.

My 7 AM Tuesday morning firm meeting came very early.

Happy 4th to all.

Windows to the Soul

2011-07-01T18:31:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Helen helped host a fund raiser for our neighborhood church. Although we are not members, we appreciate all they do for our community. From hosting Potwin HOA meetings to hosting AA meetings ... they are terrific neighbors. So, when they needed help raising money to restore their stained glass windows, Helen stepped up.

Stained and leaded glass needs to be restored every 75 years or so. The lead breaks down and the weight of the glass can cause the window to buckle or in some instances, completely collapse. Unfortunately, the restoration process is expensive. In this case, the Potwin Presbyterian Church has 38 windows that need restoration. In the spirit of putting our money where our mouth is, we bought a window restoration. Here is Helen with "our" window.

Good job Helen.

The Church, the neighborhood and art lovers everywhere appreciate your efforts.

Mother's Birthday, Robins' Birthday, Father's Day

2011-06-26T20:35:00.000-05:00

On June 13th, Mother turned 86 years old. A few of us got together for dinner and hugs. We love you Mother.

Several weeks ago Mr. and Mrs. Robin built a fancy nest on a downspout a mere 3 feet outside the Crow Family Room window. We've been watching the diligent parents sit on the eggs.

Presto ... babies are born. Mom and Dad scurry around gathering bugs and worms.

The babies grow super fast and now ... they are gone. The nest is empty. No more Robins at the Crow house.

Last weekend was Father's Day weekend. Helen's work schedule was slammed so Jonas and I joined the Gs who were hanging out with SACII & Cheryl at their wonderful vacation condo on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. The condo is super comfortable and the view from their deck is wonderful.

Donna, Anthony and Andy joined the fun too.

We toured Branson Landing, enjoyed a fancy dinner

and breathtaking views on an excursion train,

shot some Zombies at The Castle of Chaos, rode go-carts (I'm the blur in front ... that's SACII behind me in the Hawaiian print shirt),

got Jonas a real Banana Split,

spent part of Father's Day on a boat

and got to spend some fun time with people we love.

Happy Mother's Birthday, Happy Robin's Birthday and Happy Father's Day.

Helen serves me ... and 9 others

2011-06-08T22:08:00.000-05:00

Tonight Helen volunteered to serve as a celebrity waitress at Via's Pizza and donate all of her tips to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Topeka. Not willing to miss the opportunity to be waited on by Helen, I gathered family and friends to witness the event.

Everybody had a blast!

Unfortunately, we found big ugly flies in all of our drinks ... food, too.

Even so, it was great having Helen wait on me.

Helen did a really good job, too.

We tipped her very (very) well.

100,000 views

2011-06-04T11:09:00.001-05:00

Today is the day .... Cat protects old dog hits 100,000 views on You Tube. No, its nothing compared to the views of a Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga video but hey, I was just walking the neighbors' dog when I decided to pull out my old BlackBerry and record the events.

You Tube even contacted me about allowing advertising on this video. Amazing! So, here is a screen shot showing the views and the advertising.

The neighbors are now insisting on a cut of the advertising revenues.

Does anybody know a good lawyer?

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T21:59:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrated the lives of people we love ...

and celebrated living with people we love.

Happy Memorial Day and thanks to all who have sacrificed for our freedom.

Kelley gets married

2011-05-28T22:54:00.000-05:00

Tonight we went to Kelley Van Sickle's wedding. Memories flooded back as I watched Gregg walk his daughter down the aisle. Gulp.

Having survived a half-continent multi-month relationship, Kelley and Tommy are perfect together.

We laughed, danced, ate cupcakes and took a bunch of pictures ... including some of ourselves.

Oh yes ... we also found the photo booth and acted like 8 year olds. I'm blaming Helen's friend Barbara.

It was fun. Congratulations to Kelley and Tommy.

Good-bye Nickolai and Leticia

2011-05-28T18:58:00.000-05:00

After months in Topeka, Nickolai and Leticia leave for home tomorrow morning. We have enjoyed getting to know these young people and marvel at their talents and composure. Last night we hosted a good-bye dinner for Nick and his parents ... who arrived from Norway to accompany him home (after stops in Florida, DC and New York). Real parents, host parents, friends and adoptive host parents posed for this group photo:

Today, we kissed Leticia good-bye as she heads home to Panama. Here she is with her host mother Marie.

We will miss you Nickolai and Leticia, but remember ... you have a home in Kansas.

Arkansas golf trip ...

2011-05-24T12:35:00.001-05:00

Last week was my annual golf pilgrimage to Bella Vista, Arkansas. The same old guys showed up ...

and despite some rain, lots of golf was played. With 5 scenic golf courses within 15 minutes of each other ...

we had a blast! Some of us even wore our shirts from the Children's Miracle Network Charity Golf Tournament

allowing us to say that ... we did it for the kids.

Graduation Day

2011-05-15T18:59:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Jonas graduated from Topeka High School. Here is a picture of him in his cap and gown:

and here is one of him with John and Martina at one of the many graduation parties he (we) attended.

Our friend Myriah also graduated from Topeka High School yesterday. Here she is at her graduation party:

and with Helen and Miss Vickie:

Yesterday was also Graduation Day for Jorge. He arrived in the USA from Paraguay in August of 2007

(see blog post here) and lived with us for 2 years. Yesterday, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Washburn University with tons of departmental honors.

He will start his job with Price Waterhouse in New York this Fall. You've come a long way Jorge.

We are very proud of all the graduates.

Congratulations to them all!

Mother's Day, Dad's Birthday, Helen's Birthday, Mother's Day again

2011-05-08T23:26:00.000-05:00

This weekend started on Thursday. Samantha and Jake flew in from Boulder to help celebrate birthdays and Mother's Day. We joined Oma for an early Mother's Day gathering and photo on Thursday night.

SAC II and Cheryl arrived to help celebrate Dad's 85th birthday on Friday at his office ...

followed by a giant birthday gala at the Circle S Ranch. This event also marked Dad's 30th Anniversary on the Federal Bench.

There was a fancy dinner, lively conversation, clever presentations by the Court Family linking Dad to the Queen Mother and Alice (of The Brady Bunch - and Dad's birthday buddy) and ending with a witty Jeopardy Game. In addition to the entire Court Family, we were lucky to have Nancy, Roby, Melissa, Andy, Donna and Anthony join us as well. Here is the family displaying their Jeopardy Game winnings ... a pocket-sized copy of the US Constitution.

After dinner we enjoyed s'mores by the campfire and learned that Andy and Donna are pregnant! Here is the first photo of little Daniel Anthony Jacob Crow who is expected to arrive in early November:

The next day was Helen's birthday. It was extra lazy and largely consisted of marathon "porch sitting" topped off by an excellent meal and giant (can you say humongous?) servings of Angel Food Cake and frozen strawberries. Happy Birthday to my dear Helen.

Today ... Mother's Day ... completed the weekend. We had a fun and satisfying weekend filled with extra special people

wonderful mothers

and Happy Birthday people too.

Jonas goes to the THS Prom

2011-04-30T22:03:00.000-05:00

Tonight Jonas is at the THS Prom. He and Maggie (and about 100 other couples) gathered in Gage Park for a marathon photo session before dinner.

Not done in German schools, Prom is a quintessential American experience for Jonas.

Beginning at 11:45 PM tonight Helen and I will help with the After-Prom. Sponsored by the parents and designed to keep students off the streets and in a safe environment, After-Prom is amazing. Free food, games and fancy prizes ... like TVs and laptops ... will be given away. It goes until 4 AM. Gotta go ... I need a nap first.

Easter - past and present

2011-04-24T20:24:00.000-05:00

When Samantha was little, we used to "blow out eggs" and dye the shells. It was fun. In typical Crow-Gardner fashion ... we saved some. Here are the survivors:

Fast forward to today when we attended the Potwin Easter bash including an egg hunt ...

and lunch ...

followed by delivering Helen-made Easter baskets of Peeps and chocolate eggs to our parents.

Happy Easter!

Boulder or Bust

2011-04-19T21:28:00.001-05:00

Helen and I just returned from Boulder where we spent a wonderful weekend with Samantha and Jake. They are terrific. We got to see their comfy and stylish condo

visit GNIP

scratch off another stadium

explore the Flat Irons

and generally ... just hang out.

It was great! Thanks S & J for a wonderful weekend ...

and extra thanks for being soooooooo much fun.

Car text

2011-04-13T20:23:00.000-05:00

Jonas is now driving the Honda. Apparently his friends consider it as a new texting platform.

Unlimited texting on cell phones must not be enough.

Goodbye Harald

2011-04-06T22:29:00.000-05:00

After a 3 week visit, yesterday we took Harald to the airport for his return flight to Wuppertal, Germany. We were sad to see him go.

He is a wonderful man who endured lots of neglect while maintaining his charming smile and gentlemanly demeanor. Thank you Harald for visiting. You are welcome back anytime.

Brothers and Almost Brother

2011-04-05T06:42:00.000-05:00

Last week Helen and I were treated to visits from our brothers. Helen's brother Mark (and the always fun, always charming and always cheerful Daya) visited from Minnesota during Daya's spring break. Mark and Helen were also visited by Bruce, their "Almost Brother" who was in town from Flagstaff, Arizona to visit his Dad. These guys grew up houses apart and have known each other since they were zero.

The visit from my brother was a surprise. He visited by way of the Washburn University Alumni Magazine. Yep, he arrived in the mail. SACII and Cheryl have funded an endowed scholarship at Washburn University to assist non-traditional students pursing degrees in medicine.

Cool visits from our brothers.

Dude in a Dress and NOTO

2011-04-01T23:59:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, and after much hoopla, the Topeka High School Historical Society unveiled the 7 foot tall bronze Trojan that now welcomes students and visitors to the main entrance of the school. While I'm proud to be a Trojan, I'm afraid this "Dude in a Dress" may be an easy target for vandals ... especially those from rival schools. Maybe the spotlights and video camera will help.

Speaking of art ... tonight Helen and I attended the First Friday Art Walk in the newly opened North Topeka Arts District. It was fabulous! The 3 new art galleries were jammed packed and people poured through the streets of North Topeka as they went from gallery to gallery. Amazing! This NOTO thing might actually work.

When we got home, the house was abuzz. I gathered everybody for an April Fools' Day photo. Jonas from Hamburg, Harald from Wuppertal, Mark from Minneapolis, Mark from Perry, Helen from here, Leticia from Panama, Daya from Minneapolis and me.

I hope your April Fools' Day was as much fun as ours.

St Patrick's Day ... glass blowing ... Persian New Year ... Mendel & Derek ... Ron

2011-03-26T18:29:00.017-05:00

Let me recap some family events since Harald's arrival. There has been lots of talk (in both German and English) about family history in Germany. Harald brought a wonderful digital collection of old family photos and writings that he had compiled. He has also been fixing things around the house and teaching Jonas how to drive our manual transmission Honda Civic. Mostly, he is a wunderbar person and a fantastisch house guest who makes us all smile.

Last week we introduced Harald and Leticia to the spirit of St. Patrick's Day...

we also witnessed the art of glass blowing at our neighbor's Albo Glass studio ...

feasted on yummy food and celebrated the Persian New Year at Bobby's house ...

enjoyed a short visit from Mendel and Derek as they traveled from Boston to relocate in Silicon Valley ...

and smiled through lunch as Ron, a high school classmate and Helen's life-long friend, came from Idaho to visit his parents here in Topeka.

Next week Mark and Daya arrive from Minnesota for a Spring Break visit.

It's great to be a guy

2011-03-16T23:26:00.002-05:00

Today at lunch Helen was washing grapes and putting them in a bowl. Thinking I might enjoy some grapes myself, I reached into the cabinet, pulled out a bowl and placed it next to hers. Instantly, and with some degree of pain and anguish, Helen vigorously declared that I should have selected one of the "pretty" bowls as mine was one of the "ugly" ones. Please help me .... which bowl is which?

Being Helen seems like an awful lot of work.

Harald Jaenicke arrives from Germany

2011-03-14T23:05:00.001-05:00

Tonight Helen's Godfather Harald Jaenicke arrived from Wuppertal, Germany. He is also Jonas' grandfather. While Jonas has been with us since last August, it is Harald's first visit to the USA. He is sweet and lovable and kind. Here are the three of them at the airport.

Welcome Harald!

The New Gypsy Jazz Quartet

2011-03-13T21:40:00.000-05:00

Last night we joined some friends at The College Hill Tavern for an evening of fun and music. Their son plays guitar and sings for a really diverse and talented group called The New Gypsy Jazz Quartet. It was a blast. Here is a sample:

We left smiling ... so did everybody else.

Mark and Kris

2011-03-07T21:57:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday our friends Mark and Kris came to town to show their kids their old house ... which is on the market and vacant. (OK, so they only live 25 minutes away in Lawrence but even so, we rarely get to see them.) We quickly slipped into nostalgia mode and headed to Bobo's Drive In

for steakburgers and hot apple pie with satin freeze.

The kids headed back to Lawrence and we hung out ... for hours.

Thanks Mark and Kris for coming to town.

It was a blast!

There's no place like Home

2011-03-03T21:22:00.003-06:00

It was January of 1981. Samantha was little.

Helen and I were both selling real estate and the housing market had crashed. Our national economy was suffering through a deep and prolonged recession. Inflation was at 14.8% and unemployment was edging toward its peak of 10.8%. Many banks had closed their mortgage departments while those that remained open were quoting interest rates of 18.5% for a 30-year home mortgage. There was no relief in sight. We were broke. With more bravado that sense, Helen and I decided to buy a new house.

Actually, it wasn't a "new" house at all. Built in 1918, it had been neglected for years. The electrical system was a hodge-podge of 8 fuse boxes hidden in various rooms throughout the house. When in the mood, some of the galvanized plumbing sorta worked. It had no storm windows. It was so drafty that we wore coats inside. Even so, we loved it. It was beautiful. Solid, strong and stately. The roof was tile. It was brick tough.

The woodwork was massive and gorgeous. Each stained-glass window was a piece of art. It was real.

We moved in on March 3, 1981.

Now, 30 years later, it is more than a house. It is Home. Sure, it still needs lots of work. It always will. But it is Home. Home to us. Home to Samantha. And Home to countless family members, friends, exchange students and other basement dwellers. Thank you, and Happy Birthday, to our wonderful Home. You really are

Home Sweet Home.

Thank you to all of the electricians, plumbers, roofers, painters, and other craftsmen who have helped us these past 30 years. Thanks also to our wonderful neighbors who have made living in Potwin so much fun. And, a special thanks to Oma and Opa for letting it happen.

There's no place like Home.

Giant Red Glasses

2011-02-12T13:04:00.000-06:00

This recent dinner party at our house made me realize ... Helen's GIANT RED GLASSES are finally catching on.

Lesson learned ...

2011-02-09T18:39:00.003-06:00

Monday afternoon I bought a new KANSAS sweatshirt just so I could wear it to the Kansas vs Missouri basketball game that night. Known as the Border War, this rivalry is intense. We don't like them and they don't like us ... haven't since before the Civil War. It is the second oldest sports rivalry in the nation dating back to 1891. Clint Eastwood understands it:

Even the Simpsons get it:

Anyway, I was pumped for the big game. SRQ and JRQ had supplied me with the perfect shirt ...

... and now I had the perfect sweatshirt to go with it. I rushed home and changed into my KANSAS t-shirt and was ready to don my new KANSAS sweatshirt when I noticed that the sales clerk had failed to remove the security tag. You know, one of those heavy plastic 2-piece tags that is magically removed by the sales clerk before you leave the store. With no time to return to the store before the game, I decided to pry apart the tag. How tough could it be? It was stubborn ... but I was winning. It was a few seconds later that I noticed ... the tag is full of ink! If you pull it apart ... red and purple ink comes gushing out.

On closer inspection, it does provide a WARNING:

So, the lesson learned is this ... don't tamper with security tags. They will stain your fingers and ruin your new KANSAS sweatshirt. There is a happy ending. Upon returning to the store, the clerk listened to my story, snickered slightly and happily exchanged my sweatshirt.

Happier yet .... KU pounded Missouri 103-86.

SnowNami....

2011-02-01T15:57:00.000-06:00

It is snowing. It is beautiful. It is expected to continue. We are not alone. A substantial portion of the country is being hit by a massive snow storm. There is snow in Dallas. Chicago is expecting 24 inches of snow and 50 mile per hour winds. The storm is being referred to as Blizzard 2011, or the Snowpocalypse or my favorite .... a SnowNami. All I know is this .... here in Kansas, there sure is a lot of difference between Fall colors

and Winter colors.

I hope you are safe and warm.

Granny and Granddad - 63 years of marriage

2011-01-30T23:08:00.000-06:00

Tonight we joined the Gs and toasted them and their 63 years of marriage. They customarily escape to Kansas City to celebrate, but lucky for us ... they stayed home this year. We hung out with them and acted goofy.

Congratulations, Granny and Granddad.

We love you.

Merry Market Wrap Up Party

2011-01-30T22:47:00.001-06:00

Last night we hosted the Merry Market Wrap Up Party. You might remember that last Fall Helen served as the honorary chair of this fundraiser for the Junior League of Topeka. Well, the fundraiser was a mega success and so last night ... we celebrated the efforts of these amazing women. They even let the guys join in.

Congratulations, Ladies.

Speaking of old ....

2011-01-27T17:50:00.002-06:00

Speaking of old ... and at the risk of totally boring both of my blog followers ... take a look at our 40" wide GE Hotpoint Range. It's about our age ... circa 1950s. Even so, it's pretty snazzy. It features a SUPER-MATIC POWER SAVER 2-4-8 burner. (No kidding.) It also has double side-by-side ovens and buttons we've never used. The clock and timer still work perfectly.

We like old things. We've had this baby for decades. Last night we figured out how to use the self-cleaning feature. Wow! It really works. It looks almost new. Helen is sooooooo happy.

As it ends up, vintage stoves are quite the rage. People collect and restore them. There are web sites. There are You Tube videos. Some sell for thousands of dollars! Yep, we need to treat this old friend with more respect ... just as we should all old friends.

PS. I know, I know ... I need to get a life.

Almost 60

2011-01-25T23:35:00.000-06:00

Yep, my birthday last week put me a mere 1 year away from 60. Yikes! Nancy and Heidi made a yummy birthday dinner ...

and the Gs provided a really fun football birthday cake ...

just like they did 50 years ago in January 1961.

By the way, 1961 was a really cool year as it was the upside down year.

Oma's 82nd Birthday

2011-01-15T13:28:00.000-06:00

Wednesday was Oma's 82nd birthday. Samantha made it special by calling Oma to wish her a Happy Birthday.

Jonas, Helen and I were there ....

to help Oma celebrate. We ate cookies and ice cream. Lots of cookies and ice cream.

Happy Birthday Oma.

Anniversary in Florida

2011-01-09T19:55:00.001-06:00

Helen and I just returned from Bradenton Beach, Florida where we spent 8 lovely days together celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary.

Our goal was to do nothing. OK, so we rode bikes ...

ate interesting food in interesting places ...

and watched beautiful sunsets ...

but otherwise, we easily accomplished our goal. It was our 4th trip to Anna Maria Island and a perfect place to celebrate our anniversary.

Lucky for us, Samantha and Jake joined us for the last 4 days. It was great! We taught them how to bike ...

and loaf ...

and watch sunsets ...

like old people. We are very pleased they were willing to join us. Thank you Jake and Samantha. It was a blast!

Oh yes ... we even followed a sunset home.

Electric Razor

2011-01-04T21:59:00.001-06:00

Recently I ran out of razor blades. Normally, I would merely buy replacement blades and be done. However, as I was scanning the options my eyes fell upon this ....

an electric razor. No, not an electric shaver but an electric razor. A Gillette Fusion Power MVP Razor. You actually put a battery in this puppy!

I smirked and scoffed immediately dismissing it as totally ridiculous. Then, as I thought about it, hmmmm ... it does has Fusion Power. It also has an on/off switch. It even has 5 blades plus a sideburns trimmer. "Soothing micropulses. You'll barely feel the blades." Pretty cool.

The fact is ... I like it. How embarrassing!

New Year's Eve at Freemans'

2011-01-03T00:08:00.001-06:00

Glenn and Mary hosted a wonderful New Year's Eve Feast. Dan, Susan, John and Suzanne also joined us but left before I could get a group photo. Here are our hosts with a few of their 152 Nutcrackers.

Happy 2011

Christmas Holiday 2010

2010-12-31T00:48:00.000-06:00

The Christmas Holiday was a blast!

As they say, the Christmas Holiday is a time for family and friends. Lucky for us ... we had lots of both this year. Christmas Eve brought loved ones from near and far. Samantha and Jake were here from Colorado and Andy and Donna from Missouri. Jonas experienced his first USA Christmas with help from the Gs, Jorge and Carolyn.

We stayed up late, played games and wrapped presents. Late that night we toasted the Newlyweds and the 1 year anniversary of Jake's proposal.

On Christmas Day, 15 of us gathered at the Gs' for food, family and fun.

The gift exchange took hours and Dad laughed so hard that one of his teeth fell out ... no kidding. We took some goofy photos like this one I've captioned

Bright Men with Brighter Hats.

We took "normal" photos as well like the traditional cousin tree shot:

The first one, taken in 1984, included Helen:

We took photos of lots of other fun people too:

In the early evening we visited Oma at her house where we exchanged gifts and reverted back to goofy photos like this one I've named

Presenting Oma.

Later, we retreated to Greenwood where the 5 of us shared a casual meal, some creative gifts ...

and lots of love.

I'm tellin' ya ... the Christmas Holiday was a blast!

Grandpa George turns 90

2010-12-29T00:29:00.001-06:00

Helen and I were invited to join Samantha and Jake in Utah from December 19th through 22nd to celebrate Grandpa George's 90th birthday. We also got to meet more of Jake's family. The entire trip was fantastic. I took tons of pictures ... waaaaaay too many to post here. It is impossible to recite all of our wonderful experiences. But, let there be no doubt, Utah hospitality is second to none.

The day before the birthday party we had a fantastic dinner with Robert and Tracy at The Roof ....

where we also enjoyed the beautiful Christmas lights at Temple Square and a breathtaking view of the Temple.

We got to see Jake's childhood home, his junior high school (and the long hike up the hill toward home), his high school (Bountiful High School ... the home of the Braves), and the University of Utah where Jake got his undergraduate and graduate degrees. It was a blast.

Robert's educational and entertaining driving tour of the City filled us with a wealth of fascinating and historical facts about Salt Lake. It was interesting and fun.

Grandpa George's 90th birthday party was legendary. Here Robert lights 90 birthday candles with a blow torch as Grandpa George looks on.

Here is a glimpse of the yummy birthday dinner (at an interesting African restaurant) that we were privileged to attend:

We will be forever grateful for the warmth and hospitality we received.

Happy 90th Birthday Grandpa George.

Christmas Carolers

2010-12-18T19:36:00.000-06:00

Tonight Helen and I enjoyed a visit from some cute Christmas Carolers.

Helen gave them cookies. They gave us joy.

Merry Christmas.

Jonas attends the THS Winter Dance - AFS Holiday Party

2010-12-05T18:14:00.000-06:00

Last night, Jonas and Riley went to the Topeka High School Winter Semi-Formal. School dances are not customary in Germany. Jonas is truly having an American experience. In typical Dad fashion, I had to take a picture before they left.

This afternoon, we hosted the AFS Holiday Party. Students from around the world, and their Kansas host parents, gathered at out house. The students brought a dessert customary in their home and told of a special Holiday celebration from their homeland. Today we had students from 10 countries and 3 continents. We have hosted this party for the last 12 years and we always enjoy the presentations ...

the yummy desserts ...

and the fun students.

Good tidings to you.

Granddad Award - Kirk & Cobb Christmas party

2010-12-04T18:25:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I drove the Gs to Kansas City so Dad could receive another Award. This one was presented to him by the Kansas Association for Justice, an association of 300+ lawyers throughout Kansas who advocate for the rights of the injured and who are dedicated to preserving the right to trial by jury. Dad was a founding member in 1960 and served as its first President. The original vision was to improve the civil justice system and raise the standards of trial advocacy and trial practice through education. We are very proud of you Dad.

Most of his staff attended the awards ceremony. At slightly slower than the speed of sound, brother Sam drove up from Springfield in his snazzy BMW Z6 convertible. It was a fun family gathering.

On the way home, Sam apparently caught the quick eye of a Missouri Highway Patrolman who also loved his snazzy little car. Speeding tickets are such a nuisance.

Last night we attended Helen's office Christmas party. Helen has worked with Steve Kirk for more than 37 years. Like wow! Here is Steve with his wife Joann.

Food and fun was followed by a group photo.

Helen is the one wearing the Santa hat.

Fun Christmas decoration ....

2010-11-30T00:04:00.001-06:00

Now here is a fun and creative neighbor ...

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-11-29T00:04:00.003-06:00

The Thanksgiving Weekend was full, very full. Friday we bought our Christmas tree. As we told the tree salesman ... we brought our smallest car to buy your biggest tree. We somehow got it home.

Jonas, Moritz and Leticia decorated it.

Later, I learned that my camera had been commandeered. Here is Moritz and but one of the fun photos I discovered later.

We celebrated with a steak dinner and a bottle of sparkling grape juice.

Saturday morning brought many neighbors from the 400 block to decorate the circle. We were treated to hot chocolate delivered by a horse-drawn wagon. Here Claudia and Jonas enjoy their hot chocolate.

And here are some of the happy decorators.

Afterwards, Jonas and Moritz helped me decorate the house. We installed our traditional wreaths ...

and plugged in Tommy.

After a brief shopping trip, we then all went to the Potwin Players performance of The Elves and the Shoemaker. Mark and Meg were fantastic as Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker but the neighborhood kids stole the show. Here is the entire cast:

As we delivered Moritz to the bus in Kansas City Saturday night for his trip back to St. Louis, Jonas and his buddies attended the Miracle on Kansas Avenue Parade. In fact, they were IN the parade. Sorry, no photos.

At the end of the weekend, we had full tummies, special memories and a decorated circle and house.

We hope your Thanksgiving was full of love.

Thanksgiving Day

2010-11-26T14:16:00.002-06:00

While Samantha and Jake were enjoying their Thanksgiving in California with Beth ....

we hosted Thanksgiving here. Family and friends joined us to be thankful. We had Crows from Kansas and Missouri. Jonas and Moritz experienced their first Thanksgiving in the USA. Jorge represented Paraguay. Oma, Nancy, Heidi and Carolyn joined us too. Here are some random shots:

and the group ...

Oma and Jorge joined us after the group photo so they are included here:

After dinner we sat by the fire, played Trivial Pursuit, listened to music and laughed.

This morning we received a rock ...

delivered to our kitchen through our dining room plate glass windows.

I am very thankful it missed the stained glass windows.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010.

Jonas earns his Rugby shirt

2010-11-20T18:04:00.003-06:00

After a lot of hard work, some bruised ribs and a black eye, Jonas earns his Topeka rugby shirt.

Congratulations Jonas!

Happy Birthday - The World of Crow

2010-11-15T08:24:00.001-06:00

The World of Crow is 5 years old today. Started on November 15, 2005, it was designed to keep the family in touch by allowing members to share activities, events and photos ... no matter where they were. The first post can be found here. Thank you Google and Blogger for allowing us to share 5 years and 232 blog posts.

Happy Birthday The World of Crow.

Helen Friday ...

2010-11-14T14:08:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was a big day for Helen. The morning newspaper featured an article about the Kansan Grill and how they had named menu items after some local celebrities. The Helen Crow Plate got top billing.

By lunchtime, Helen was addressing 300 people at a luncheon meeting for the Junior League of Topeka. Helen served as the Honorary Chair for the JLT annual Merry Market event.

By nighttime, Helen was on the local TV news.

Yep, Friday was Helen Crow day.

Congratulations Helen.

Arkansas golf, Colorado visit and Kansas Fall

2010-11-11T22:08:00.001-06:00

Last weekend I took a 3 day trip to Arkansas for my first ever Fall Golf trip. Only 6 of us were able to go.

Even though the golf was ugly, the trees were beautiful.

The same weekend, Helen took Jonas and Nick to visit Samantha and Jake in Colorado. Here are all the pictures Helen brought back to share:

Upon my return, I found that the trees around our house had exploded with color.

Fall is beautiful.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T23:50:00.002-05:00

Last week Potwin neighbors were asking each other.... Do you think Halloween falling on a Sunday will discourage Trick or Treaters? I don't think so. In fact, we may have set a new record. One neighbor counted 1,501 by 8:00 PM. Another reported 1,709 by 8:40 PM. We stayed open later.

Mega thanks to Bobby who served hundreds of kids.

Honest Jonas had some friends over too.

And many were pleased to see Tommy the Terrible.

I wonder what Tommy will do for Thanksgiving?

Happy Halloween 2010.

Playing hookie with Jonas and Nick

2010-10-30T19:56:00.000-05:00

We took Jonas and his friend Nick (from Bergen, Norway) out of school on Thursday and Friday to provide them with a different kind of education. On Thursday, Helen showed them the Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows at the First Presbyterian Church where subtle light seemed to make the art come alive ....

and we showed them the Kansas State Capitol Building which has been undergoing major renovation since 1999 (no kidding) ...

but which featured a different kind of art ...

then off to the Zoo to visit the Tropical Rain Forest ...

and then for a vigorous hike along the Kansas River where we witnessed nature's art ...

and then to tour the building (designed by renowned architect Michael Graves) and the art gallery in the Topeka & Shawnee County Library followed by the culinary art of a chef at a local Japanese steakhouse.

Friday, we took Jonas and Nick to Kansas City to explore the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

With the recent Bloch Building addition ...

the two museum buildings are amazing pieces of art themselves.

Next was cultural art ... the art of dining and shopping on the Country Club Plaza.

But, when all was said and done, I think Helen most enjoyed the musical art of the Kansas City Symphony hosting Spectrum ... A Tribute to Motown.

Yep, it was an artsy couple of days. Worth playing hookie for.

Potwin Halloween Party

2010-10-24T22:19:00.001-05:00

Today was the Potwin Halloween Party ... the party for the neighborhood kids. The weather was perfect and the kids (and Charles) had a blast!

Some were scary ...

But most were not.

Cowboys, Arty Party and Wedding #11

2010-10-14T22:21:00.004-05:00

Flashback .... Shortly after Jonas arrived from Germany in August, he announced that he wanted to buy some beautiful cowboy boots, a ten gallon cowboy hat and some Levi jeans. Since there is nobody in our family more qualified than Granddad to shop for western wear, I gathered him, SACII (who was in town so Cheryl could host SRC's wedding shower) and Phil to accompany Jonas as he shopped. While at the western wear store, Phil suggested that we all try on some boots and hats for a cowboy photo. Here is the result ...

SACII never took his off. You might have seen him wearing them during the wedding weekend.

Earlier this month, Helen and I attended an interesting party hosted at the new Downtown Lofts. Known as the Arty Party, it focused on art and was mostly attended by young people. Helen and I fit right in.

Last weekend I performed my 11th wedding ceremony. It was extra special because it was my assistant's son. I made the Bride and Groom pose with me as my fee.

The weather was perfect, the little kids were cute ...

and the wedding dress was amazing.

Oh yes, we have also attended two West Side Folk concerts so far this month. Lucy Kaplansky and Patty Larkin were the featured performers.

More later.

40th High School Class Reunion

2010-09-30T22:12:00.001-05:00

Last weekend was our Topeka High School 40th Class Reunion. Yep, Helen and both graduated from Topeka High School in 1970. We didn't know each other then, but certainly had friends in common.

Somehow when we lined up for our class picture, Helen got in the front row (far right) and I got in the back row (far left) ... with all the other tall guys.

Geesh ... these people are old.

Labor Day Snowman

2010-09-12T01:39:00.001-05:00

Labor Day around here was pretty lazy ... kind of a giant nap after Jake's and Samantha's wedding weekend. Helen organized the household while Jonas and I played with battery operated flying machines. We went for a ride in the convertible, enjoyed fireworks left over from the rained-out 4th of July and slept. Oh yes ... we also adopted a homeless Snowman that was left on our front porch Labor Day morning. While I'm not exactly sure where he came from, I do have a hunch.

For months I have been enduring the ridicule of our neighbor, Tom. Yep, he seems to think that our classic (and elegant) Christmas decorations are way, waaaaaay too simple. I've explained to him that it sometimes takes me minutes to hang the 2 wreaths and even more time to plant the spot lights on them. (One year it was extra complicated as the extension cord was tangled.) Here is the result:

Tom has no sympathy and declares that that his 1,000 lights (professionally installed over a period of days) somehow trumps our wreaths.

This has instilled such wrath in Tom that he has publicly attacked me over the Potwin Listserve. In fact, his ire has inspired numerous emails to the entire neighborhood lambasting me for being such a slacker. Some Potwinites have defended me while others have sided with Tom. So, when the Mayor announced that Potwin would be the benefactor of numerous donated Christmas decorations, I feared the worst. Wisely, I avoided the Labor Day Christmas Decoration Give-Away by staying away. Well, as luck would have it, this guy (carrying wreaths) showed up on our front porch.

To make matters worse, Helen has now fallen in love with the little guy and wants to keep him. Geesh ... one more thing to plug in. I'm naming him Tommy.

Samantha and Jake get married

2010-09-05T14:20:00.003-05:00

Yep, after months of planning, Samantha and Jake got married on August 28, 2010.

Family and friends came from all over the world to celebrate. It was spectacular!

Thousands of pictures were taken and even more memories were made. In the end, Samantha Crow is now Mrs. Jacob Quist ... and we couldn't be happier.

If you would like to watch a video summary of the wedding events, click here.

Whew .... the last 4 weeks

2010-08-15T21:48:00.009-05:00

The last 4 weeks have been a blur. Let me summarize:

In late July, Helen and SRC joined Beth and pals in San Francisco for a girl pre-wedding Spa weekend. By all accounts, it was FAB. For more info and photos, click on either FAB Weekend in SF or Spa Shower Weekend.

On August 3rd, Phil arrived after finishing his internship at the United Nations. Luckily, he'll be with us through August. As always, it is great to have him here. We consider him our German son.

A few days later, Samantha hosted a Bridette Party in Boulder. Bridettes gathered from all over the country to fuss over the Bride-to-be. They had a blast! For details, click Bridettes Hit Boulder.

Since the Bridettes kicked Jake out of the apartment, I flew to Colorado to join Jake and Tony in a Golf and Raft weekend. Below is a photo of Tony and Jake at Lakota Canyon Golf Course near New Castle, Colorado. Jake played his first 18 holes ever and did great! Tony played his best 18 holes ever. The course was beautiful.

After spending the night in Aspen at the Frank Lloyd Wright inspired Hearthstone House, we crossed the Continental Divide at Independence Pass:

From there, it was 24 + hours of rafting and camping adventures down the Arkansas River and though Brown's Canyon. It was a blast! Jake took great pictures. To see them, click Jake's Raft Pictures.

Here is the camp ground from the hills above.

Here is a timid example of the whitewater we encountered.

Here is our hearty rafting group and amazing guides.

We all returned home Sunday night. The next day, Helen's cousin David Janssen (and wonderful Annette) arrived from Berlin. Two days later, Helen's cousin Jonas Jaenicke arrived from Hamburg, Germany to live with us as he attends Topeka High School this fall.

David is on the left and Jonas is on the right. Helen is the teeny, tiny one in the middle.

Here is David, Annette, Phil, Helen, Jonas and me.

David and Annette left Friday and a friend of Phil's arrived Saturday. A fellow student from the University of Mannheim, Moritz traveled from St. Louis (where he is enrolled as a PhD candidate at Washington University) to visit. (Moritz is in the green shirt.) We hosted a "Welcome Jonas" pizza party. A dozen large boys (young men) showed up to eat pizza. Can you say multiple large pizzas?

As of today, we have 3 large German boys (men) living in our basement.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Show Me Wedding

2010-07-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

This weekend Helen and I traveled to the Show Me State to attend the wedding of Drew Fowler ... the son of our good friends Donna and Dewayne. It just so happens that Columbia, Missouri, was also hosting the Show Me Games ... a state-wide amateur athletic competition. The hotel was packed and athletes were everywhere. Helen and I fit right in.

Here are some Show Me wedding photos ...

And one of our friends.

Happy day.

Brothers and cars

2010-07-16T13:25:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time there were 2 brothers. Only 13 months apart in age, they were together all the time. They did everything together. They even dressed the same.

As it happens, the brothers grew up. One became a doctor; one became a lawyer. One was a gamer; one was a golfer. One explored the world and lived in multiple places on 3 different continents. The other stayed in their hometown and worked a mere 6 blocks from their childhood home.

One day (month actually) both brothers decided to buy a new car. One brother bought a sporty BMW 6-speed convertible.

The other bought a luxury 4 door Cadillac.

They no longer dress the same either.

The End

Helen goes to New York

2010-07-11T09:52:00.000-05:00

Along with our good friend Joni, Helen goes to New York and takes in 3 Broadway shows ... all musicals. She is still singing her favorite tunes. They also met up with Phil and got a behind-the-scenes tour of the UN. Here are some of her iPhone photos.

Joni and Helen in Times Square.

Midnight view from the Empire State Building.

Phil on the floor at the UN.

Helen had a blast and is ready to go back.

Soggy 4th of July

2010-07-07T00:40:00.003-05:00

Samantha, Jake and Phil joining us was the only sunshine we saw this 4th of July. Phil is doing a summer internship at the UN but opted to skip the New York celebrations and joined us in Kansas. Sorry Phil ... it rained the entire weekend. Monday too. Despite the rainy weather ... the parade did go on.

We saw old friends ...

made some new ones ...

and got to enjoy our family.

While our Bocce Ball skills waned, our street dancing skills improved dramatically.

We also worked together to assemble the most awesome wedding invitation ever.

Oh yes, in the midst of it all ... we bought a new couch. Our good friend Dick delivered it between the frequent rain storms.

While one of us took frequent naps to test it out, we're still trying to decide whether we like it. Hmmmm ... what do you think?

We hope your 4th was sunny, fun and full of love. Happy 4th from 5 soggy ... but happy ... celebrants in Kansas.

The Pink Flamingo House

2010-07-01T21:54:00.003-05:00

Helen recently sold a house to our good friends, Scott and Stephanie. For obvious reasons, one of Stephanie's friends named it the Pink Flamingo House. You can't ignore that. But, what's a girl to do? Well, if your name is Helen, you buy 50 (can you say 50?) Pink Flamingos.

Then, the night before Scott and Stephanie move in, you call the Midnight Flamingo Service and have them plant all 50 Pink Flamingos in the yard.

Then, the next day you drive by and take pictures.

Scott and Stephanie need to find some better friends.