Truckin' to California

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.