Joyeux Noel a la mode "Texan"

Many years ago a salesclerk talked me into purchasing a Christmas cassette tape with Christmas songs sung by Gene Autry, ( an oldtime cowboy singer to you young'uns). Over the years my kids have listened to this tape over and over. and one of their favorite songs was "Merry Texas Christmas You All". It rivals Bobby Helm's "Hooray for Captain Santa Claus" as one of their all time holiday favorites. It was sung frequently on the way to Grandpa and Grandma Young's Christmas Eve celebration. This year we were able to actually experience a Texas Christmas as we spent Christmas in Frisco, Texas (outside Dallas) with our son Dan and his family


So, what is a Texas Christmas? Well now, here's the low-down.


After gathering up some belongings and rounding up the gang (me, Dad and Ross), we boarded our plane for Texas. By the way, Ross is fixin' to get hitched as he propsed to a sweet gal named Shannon Chen, a couple of days before we headed on over to Texas. Shannon hails from Taipai, Taiwan, where she's a stayin' a spell with her kinfolk, until Ross joins her next week to meet the whole clan. Yep! It's official. Engagement ring and all.


Any who, we arrived in Texas Tuesday evening . Sami was awaitin' at the corral for us. She has grown a couple of inches since our last visit, and little baby Emily has sprouted knee high to a grasshopper.
We settled in all cozy-like at Dan's place, sittin' round the Christmas tree and reminiscing about the good ole days. "Course, you all just want to hear about the Texas Christmas part.

Well, Christmas Eve with the girls all decked out in their Chrismas finery,we mosied on over to Candice's sister's (Dawn's) house for some grub. A Christmas Eve meal is just a tad different from those California vittles. Yep, the star of the meal was meat, lots of meat (beef, pork and turkey) along with them real spicy jalapeno beans. There was plenty of food on hand and lots of family, so we just had ourselves a downright good time. Those Texans know how to par-tee!


After all the sociability, it was time to head back to the Bowns' homestead to get in a wink of sleep before Santa Dude was to come. Sami was so excited she could barely hold her horses. Christmas morning is a lot like any 'ole Christmas in California, openin' all them presents. Sami and Emily must have been pretty good all year 'cause they made a haul. Sami wished upon a Texas Lone Star, and got one of those new-fangled Ninetendo DS from Santa. Emily, well, she got those boots she's had a hankerin' fer.
















Next it was chow time again. We enjoyed a mighty fine breakfast with Candice's folks and Candice's sausage casserole was downright delicious. I reckon that Santa Dude really liked us folks because he stopped in for a visit with more presents for the little ones.

Sami had a right good talk with Santa and promised to be good next year, but Emily wanted to high tail it out of there. Candice took lil' Em's place on Santa's lap. That Texas Santa (Candice's brother, Dan), is a right friendly fellow.

One of Santa's elves even had a Christmas present for Ross, a Christmas kissin' ball for him and Shannon. Since Shannon was many miles away, Dan and Candice tested it out for them. Yep, it works!















Yes siree, those Texans are real friendly folk and they know how to show a body a good time. At the day's end, we had to get back into the Texas routine 'cause next morning was the round-up. Keepin' up with the cattle is all in a day's work. Those Texas cows are mighty different lookin' with them big horns on their heads. Real different from California milk cows.


Well, that wraps up our Texas Christmas and in the words of Gene Autry:


"There's not much snow down Texas way, but we sure mean it when we say,
May your days be merry and bright
May your hearts be happy and light,
MERRY TEXAS CHRISTMAS, YOU ALL!"

PS: All Texas families have a dog!

Un Jour de Grace

Almost every year at least one of my students asks, "How do the French celebrate Thanksgiving?. Do they have pumpkin pie?" Of course the French don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but they should. Every country should have a day to stop and count blessings. This could be a global event more powerful than global warming.

Here is my gratitude list along with some photos of the California part of our family that helped celebrate the day with us.


Time for family

Happy memories

Abundance of food

New opportunities

Kind friends

Seasons of the year

Grandchildren

Internet connections

Very patient husband

Independence and health

Never ending love of God

Gospel of Jesus Christ

le parquet

Over a month ago, I invited several people to read my blog. Since then I haven't posted anything. No real reason. Just very busy with teaching. I keep thinking there is a way to streamline my job, where I don't bring so much home, but there are always tests, projects, or writing practices to sort through. I haven't determined a way to assess students without assessments!

Another reason I haven't posted could be that I have felt we have been in a routine. No excitement here. Then I realized we did have a "house-changing"event. For about 6 months I have been wanting to put hard woood floors in the family room and hallway, but didn't mention it to Dad for a couple of reasons. I wasn't sure how the room would look and most of all, I didn't know if he would want wood floors. So I just pondered it for awhile. Then I casually mentionned to him that I think wood floors might be nice, because the carpet was getting worn, and I had to shampoo it more often. Well, of all things coincidental, he had been pondering the same issue for the past few months, most specifically, pondering on Wednesdays when he vaccums. The following Tuesday was a holiday, (our engagement anniversary) so we went to the local flooring store just to see what was available. By the next week, we were invaded by some Russians who did an excellent job of laying our new floor. It is great! Here are the "before" and "after" pictures.

BEFORE

AFTER
I am thinking of convincing Dad to cook. Maybe I could get a kitchen up-grade out of it!

(PS: For those unfamiliar with our home, the abstract is one Ross did in college. )

La Vie Quotidienne, "Oak Park", California

As you know, Dad has been taking photography classes. This weekend CRC sponsored a photography event entitled, "A Day in the Life of Oak Park". Oak Park is an area in Sacramento that has been considered an undesirable place to live for many years, but in the last few years there have been attempts to change the neighborhood environment. I believe this event was in part to help people see the change that has been taking place, along with practicing their photography skills. Students from the local junior colleges, high school, and elementary schools were asked to participate. Everyone was given a T-shirt to identify themselves. Here is Dad in his T-shirt, with camera, ready to go. Dad took lots of pictures. I asked him to pick out a few for the blog. Below, a church tower in Oak Park. The sky is beautiful. It was a great day for a photo shoot. This is an interesting gate. If Dad were writing the blog, he would talk about composition,etc. of which I know nothing about.
An empty parking lot, without its customers. This does make a statement about life in Oak Park.
This is my favorite of a stained glass window in a church. On Saturday evening, one or two photographs were selected from all of the participants in the event and presented in a slide show. This was one of the ones of Dad's that was selected. It has a painterly quality. It would look great on a canvas. (Do you think, Ross?)
Friday was the photo taking event and Saturday a seminar was held at CRC. He heard a lecture from the man who has been a photographer for many of the Presidents, since Gerald Ford (an old guy like us), who talked about his experiences and famous photographs.
All in all, Dad had a great time. He came home safely, with all of his equipment, however, you might want to ask him sometime to tell you the story about the two guys who invited him to step around the corner.

Le club francais, un pique-nique

Last week the MTHS French club had a traditional French picnic. Here are a few of my favorite students enjoying the event. This year's French club has gotten off to a good start. About 21 students in all came. (Of course they come when there is food.) What makes a traditional French "pique-nique"? Well, sparkling cider, croissants, and CHEESE of course. Most of the students tasted Camembert, Brie and Goat cheese from France. They all prefer American cheese however.
One of my students came into class the next day with a piece of cheese left-over from the picnic. He was not one of the students at the picnic, so I don't know how he got the cheese, but he wanted to know which kind it was before he ate it. Where has that cheese been?

Tour de "Elk Grove"

Twice a year Elk Grove draws huge crowds to its large park. In July, the Park is home to the "Strauss Festival", complete with orchestra, dancers, and fireworks. It is quite beautiful.
The other event is Elk Grove's Harvest Festival which takes place in October. The first year that we had the Harvest Festival it was quite small, but in the past few years it has become a well-known event. A prize is given every year for the largest pumpkin entered. I had hoped to take a picture of it, but the battery in my camera died before I got the chance. I believe the winning pumpkin came from Canada and weighed about 1500 pounds.
One other event which takes place during the Harvest Festival is the "Great Pumpkin Race". We missed the race last year, but this year we were able to make it over in time to watch. The contestants hollow out their giant pumpkins and turn them into boats. The first "pumpkin boat" to paddle across the pond and back wins 500 dollars. Don't think it is possible? Take a look.
There were six contestants. One immediately tipped over as the whistle blew, so five boats were in the race. Below is the man who won the race.
Some people like to draw attention to themselves like the clown in the boat below.
We also had a pirate show up. Argh! as Jack would say.
Dad and I wish we could have taken some grandchildren along. But alas, they all live too far away. I hope they at least enjoy the pictures.

La benediction d'Ella

The Blessing of Ella.

Last Sunday Dad and I got up at 4 am and caught a flight to Burbank, California in order to attend Ella's blessing. We arrived about an hour before their church began. Robert's parents had flown in on Friday night before and everyone was getting themselves ready for church. Here is Ella in the dressing gown Andrea made for her. She is taking in all of the action.Jack and Grandpa Bowns both wore red ties for the occasion. Here Jack is giving Ella some assistance.
Pretty good looking family. This was taken after the blessing. Robert gave a good blessing, and Ella squawked a bit during it, but the job was done. She is officially Ella Fewkes.
The traditional family shot after the blessing. Jack didn't want to face the camera so I told him to look at the camera and say "puzzle" (Puzzles are his favorite thing to do.), and he did. Everyone had a good chuckle which is why we all look so happy.
It was a quick trip, but rewarding. We had a great time seeing Andrea and family again and we always enjoy visiting with Robert's parents. What a good way to spend a week-end!

POUR LA DEUXIEME FOIS!!

For the second time! I received this T shirt this week from the Junior Varisity Football team. and it is an exact duplicate of the one I received last year. It is nice to be appreciated. Teaching high school is not easy. As one of my colleagues said, "This job is not for wimps."

Now that I have two of these shirts which I will only wear to school one time, I have been considering the options of what to do with them. Dad and I could wear them on walks or vacations, or better yet, I could give one to Dan and one to Ross and they could be "twins". At any rate, here is a picture of the front also. They are up for grabs. They are a size large, so that one size fits all teachers or other people. Any takers?

Ma petite-fille, Ella

ELLE EST BELLE!

Yes, she is beautiful, Ella Fewkes. Here I am holding her as she sleeps. Dad and I were able to spend almost six days with Ella and Jack (and Drea and Robert, too). We were happy to be able to help, although the parents seemed to have things pretty well under control. Jack tells his little sister "I love Ella" and tries to be gentle with her.
This is my tenth grandchild and the ninth time (Ben & Aubrey make one)I was asked to help out. I am happy that I have been invited and able to do this for all of my children. I can still remember the face of each grandchild as he or she was born and the circumstances of their births. Each visit has been a memory to treasure.

Termine

Termine (with an accent) in French means terminated, which is exactly what happened to Dad on July 31st of this year. He was terminated as in "laid off", "let go", "don't come back to work tomorrow". The interesting aspect to his termination was that he received a personal registered letter from the ultimate Terminator, Arnold Schwarznegger. So what does a man do when he is required to remain home all week? Well, he does things like vacuum, iron, mow the lawn, help his wife set up her classroom, and take lots of pictures. Even better, he is able to spend more time in the garage planning new woodturning ideas. Here he is in the shop. What do you think he is making? You know it is going to be something good. He is a prize winning wood turner as evidenced by a few more ribbons that he picked up this year at the State Fair, with prize money to boot. In fact, a gentleman walked up to Dad and said that he has been an admirer of his for years. So, he has a following. How about that!
Well, here it is. Dad's most recent project. It is a whirl-a-gig. We keep it indoors, but when placed outside the propeller turns and the wooden pieces move up and down. Again, he developed this from his own mind, without a pattern. Amazing! Take that Arnold.!!
When life hands you a lemon, make "lemonade", or in Dad's case, turn some wood. Hopefully, the budget issue will be resolved soon and Dad will return to his retired annuitant's job. If not, there will probably be some more amazing wood pieces coming from his shop soon. ( We may also change to a different political party. This is the second Republican governor to give him the axe. )

un souvenir

Last Saturday Dad and I took a ride down the River Road. It was a beautiful day for a scenic drive. We stopped at the town of Locke, an old Chinese settlement, along the way and looked at the interesting buildings. The real reason for the trip, however, was to travel back in time and visit the high school in Rio Vista where I taught from 1970 to 1971. I used to commute from Orangevale to Rio Vista which took about an hour and twenty minutes one way on a good day. (no fog). Part of the ride was along the River Road. As we were driving down the winding road, Dad commented, "I can't believe we let you do this". My sentiments exactly.

We didn't have any difficulty finding the school. I just remembered that it was off the bridge, to the left somewhere and up a hill. Here is what used to be the main entrance. I still remember rushing up those stairs to my box and on to my classroom. Sometimes I made it only a few minutes before the bell rang, but I was never late. This is no longer the main entrance for the school as they share the facility now with a public library. Here is the new main entrance, much smaller. There was apparently more to the building, but it was removed, and a parking lot put in place. I was a little sad to see that the school looked rather worn and tired, but then, it has been thirty-eight years. It happens.

I next was planning to go to my old classroom, and as I looked for it, it was gone. A new structure had been built where my old building used to be. Darn! I was hoping to see that. Here is the view from where my classroom once was.

Below, Madame Bowns, 2008. School starts for me on the 20th, but it won't be here.

Below, Madame Bowns, 1970.

Here is the car that I drove (well, a picture of one like it) that year. 1969 Cougar. Ivy Green. Pretty cool!We got rid of it after that year because it had some major engine problems. Back then, there was no tape or CD player to keep me company during the long commute, but the radio worked fine. On a good day I got to hear, "Jeremiah was a Bull-Frog" at least three or four times.

Thanks for tagging along with me while on my sentimental journey. I loved that year of teaching and was very sad when we made the decision that I couldn't do the drive any longer. It was time for motherhood anyway, a wonderful time of my life.

ENCORE!

It is the end of July and once again time to move Ross. It is becoming an annual event. Ross has moved to the outer Mission District of San Francisco, closer to school. Above, it was time for a break. (me, Ross, Ray, Mary, Jamie, Shannon ). Below, the new place.

But wait! To get to Ross' apartment, you need to go around to the back via the narrow passageway below. We weren't sure the couch would fit through.

Once through the narrow passageway, there were a few stairs. We got everything down, including the couch. There is Dad standing at the entrance to Ross' place.

Et voila, la cuisine. His place is very nice inside-- clean, new flooring, two bedrooms and a huge storage area.

I always thought that the people who lived in San Francisco lived in a concrete jungle. The row houses are so close together, sometimes side by side, and they are only a few feet from the street with cement front "yards". But, what do you know? Behind these houses are backyards with patios and grass; some of them very large backyards. This is the view from Ross' yard. Beyond the small out building his yard goes on a very long distance with probably a half a dozen fruit trees on the property.

Wish you could have been here to help! Perhaps next year when Ross finishes with school. What do you think?