You're in the Army now!

Alex and Baba

You know how you occasionally get a tune in your head that, no matter how hard you try, you just can't get rid of it? It just keeps playing over and over. For the last week I keep hearing the old WWII song;

"You're in the army now.
You're not behind a plow.
You'll never get rich,
you son of a bitch.
You're in the army now."

This was, no doubt, stimulated by the fact that our oldest grandchild joined the army last week. Alex is 21 and, after attending college for three years, decided he needed to refocus and do something different. Much to his credit he chose to serve his country and at the same time get a bit of discipline in his life. Alex's decision was a bit of a wake up call for the family and caused some reflection on how fast life passes and how, most of that time, we are unaware of its velocity and how we often fail to appreciate its momentous events.

Alex was born in 1989 in Hong Kong. At that time our entire family was involved in building a publishing company. Alex's parents worked in the company as did our son Allen. Johnee was still in school but acted as our 'gopher' when he was in HK during summer break. Although Jill and I lived in HK we happened to be back in the States taking care of some family business when Alex was born. I first held Alex in the Victoria Hotel located on the harbor in HK after flying in shortly after he was born. I was jet lagged and he and I fell asleep with him on my chest while visiting with his parents... a fond memory indeed.

Both Alex and his sister (our second grandchild) were born in HK. Evidence of that is a small tattoo they each got on their foot when they were in their late teens that says "Made in China". Cute huh?

Alex grew up on farms in the Dakotas and spent many hours "behind a plow' so perhaps that's why the old song resonates with me. Of course, plowing today is a bit different than it was in the 30's and 40's (WWII). Most of the tractors Alex drove had air conditioning, some with GPS and often satellite radio. I was, of course, delighted when I learned that he often listened to talk radio to offset the monotony of plowing. I'm sure he, like others his age, listened to lots of RAP; but the fact that he also chose to educate himself about politics pleased me greatly.

So he is "in the army now and not behind a plow." To those who say "how can you be happy that your grandson is joining the army when the country is at war?" I say, should I be happy that someone else's grandson is serving instead? I'm proud of Alex like I'm proud of all who serve. Hoo Ha!!!

Lisa making a yum yum breakfast

Jill and I spent three days in Santa Barbara last week where we were involved in filming a short product video for a client. It was the first time we'd spent any significant time there. What a beautiful place! It has it all... mountains, beaches, charm and sophistication. Unlike many of California's post modern communities, Santa Barbara has a history that dates back to the 1600s as evidenced by its old mission. Did I mention the weather ... February, mid-60's with bright sun! May not be as warm as the desert where we are staying, but certainly warm enough when compared to the ice covered rest of the country. Try it, you will like it.

Jill and Jasper

On the way home we stopped by Johnee and Lisa's for a visit and to hug the wee ones.

Our semi-retirement has gotten a bit 'unretired' lately as three of our clients have suddenly become much more active. Sadly, this means far less time on the golf course. We did, however, manage to sneak in a round last week. We got teamed up with two middle-aged women. When I saw them trundling up to the first tee in their cart I thought "Oh no, this is going to be a very slow round."

Sue, the larger of the two .. that's a bit of an understatement... a widow who lives here full time was accompanied by Fran, a trim looking Canadian widow who spends winters here in her home across from Sue. At first I thought Fran had had a laryngectomy, because her voice sounded like a bunch of boulders rattling around the bed of a truck. Later, as we watched her smoke her way through the round, we decided it was just an extreme smoker's voice.

Those of you have played golf with me know that I struggle getting any distance (or accuracy for that matter) off the tee. "Well," thought I smugly, "at least I won't be sissy-short-hitter with this group. Jill may out drive me but surely not these two babes." God, I hate golf. Fragile Fran stepped up to the tee and powdered the ball straight down the middle about 200 yards. Passed my wimpy shot while still on the fly. Saggy Sue was next. Although not as long as Fran, she made solid contact and her drive scooted 10 yards past mine. Jill, now a bit intimidated, stepped up and hit a solid shot past Sue but well behind Fran. At this point I seriously thought about pretending to get a text message requiring me to pick someone up at the airport. The only redeeming thing about the round was that I think I actually ended up with the best score (can't be sure as I only know the scores for Jill and me) overall.

Snow capped mountains in the distance

This is what a REAL desert oasis looks like!

Yesterday we took a great hike to Pushwalla Palms Oasis. It was a grueling two and a half hour hike over pretty rough terrain but the view made it all worthwhile.