Cap’n Jim’s Logbook

Okay so maybe it wasn’t a real blizzard but it was the worst weather I’ve experienced in 11 years of driving to the Antelope Valley. It was the first time I’ve ever had to put on tire chains (only had to pay 100% markup at the Union 76 station in the pass -  shoulda gone to the Wal Mart the night before.) I would have turned around and gone home but I’d already used a “snow day” on Monday when the road (hwy 138 through Cajon Pass) was closed, so I bought the chains and pressed on. This is what my drive to work  looked like once the sun came up.

So, 3 1/2 hours later I make into to work, only to find out that Cal Trans has closed the pass behind me, great. As the morning passes the weather moves in and rain turns to sleet, turns to snow. Then at 2:30 the word is passed that due to inclement weather the base is closed and we are all released. Go home?! How? The roads are all closed. Who thinks that putting several thousand people on icy roads without tire chains (remember, it was only raining when they came to work)  all at the same time is a good idea? Did I mention that this is So Cal? In the dessert? They don’t DO snow. It was ugly.

Well I made a valiant effort to return to hearth and home only to be stymied after 3 hrs because Cal Trans closed EVERY road over the mountains. Thank you to Kirk and Rhonda for letting me stay at their house in Lancaster. They were very gracious hosts. BTW I will say this for residents of the AV, every time I stopped to remove or install the chains, it wasn’t long before someone would pull over and ask if I was okay. Kindness is alive in the AV.

What a difference 24 hrs makes! This is what my drive home looked like the next day, it still took me 4 hours to get home due to the snow on the roads but I finally made it back to the I.E.

So it’s been almost a whole year since my last post and I’m sure the only people that will read this are the ones that haven’t deleted me from their RSS feeds or are the hard-core faithful (hello Peggy) that keep checking back to see if just maybe I’m still alive.

It has been a very busy time since my last post, right after Thanksgiving we started what will hopefully be the last remodeling project on our house (yeah right, I don’t believe me either). We redid one bathroom and converted a bathroom and closet into a new laundry room and bathroom. And while we were at it we rearranged one of the bedrooms to a new configuration that works better. BTW when we “rearrange” a room it usually involves moving walls and changing ceiling height/lines.

All of the major construction is over but we are still in the final phases of the finish work on the last bathroom. Projects left to complete are caulk/seal the shower edges, set the toilet, cast a new concrete sink/vanity top, and fabricate a faucet. No big deal.

Oh and while we were doing all this, we hosted Tina’s relatives from Germany for 5 weeks, threw a Wild West Party for her uncle Hans and Jonathan’s birthdays, hosted several barbeque’s for friends and church, and went to Germany for 2 weeks to liquidate my mother-in-laws estate. (more on all that in future posts, I promise)

Back to the construction zone

We opened a door from our pool deck into what used to be the former master toilet and created a WC for the pool. This toilet has no access from the interior of the house so we don’t have to worry about little ones getting into the pool from the house. While I was moving the plumbing around I went ahead and added the pipes for the outdoor shower.

While I was working on this, Matt & Nathan at Gems Construction started the real work for the laundry room and new bathroom. We demo’ed our old 2nd bathroom, moved a wet wall and added a new shower to the back of the house. The ceiling for the shower is a pane of safety glass so that you can shower under the stars. We are going for an industrial vibe. After looking at the photos, I’m beginning to think that when we reflect on this year we will refer to it as our “Corrugated Galvanized Steel” period. Time for a new material.

The laundry room is very compact, but quite functional. The main thing is that Tina no longer has to walk all the way to the garage in all weathers in order to do laundry. She is very happy.

In the new “Map Room” we opened a wall to create an alcove and angled the ceiling in the outer half of the room. The original ceiling was flat and due to being an add-on with a lower roof line was much lower then the rest of the room.

Hanging the map was quite an ordeal and only the second time in 30 years of marriage that I’ve threatened divorce. I was so frustrated with trying to get the lat/longs on the map to line up that I told Tina if she ever bought another mural like this I was out! Of course now that it’s up and everyone thinks it’s great all is forgiven.

The original plan for this room’s decor was inspired by Erika, Tina’s mom. Ever since she retired Erika was on the go. She was a woman that believed in living life with gusto, so Tina wanted to provide her with a room that would remind us of past journeys and inspire new adventures.

Here are some pictures of what we have so far. Enjoy.

Dear Friends,
Once again we are forced to recognize that God is in control and we are not. This morning at 1am Martina received the news that her mother passed away unexpectedly. We really don’t have too much more information than that at this time. Erica was vacationing in Spain when she apparently died in her sleep. As you can imagine we are in a state of shock and confusion as we are also on vaction in Florida at this time. One blessing is that we were here with Jonathan when he got the news. However this also means that we aren’t in So Cal with Jeremy and Christina and Adie. Please pray for our family as we have a number of decisions to make in the next day or so, please pray for comfort and peace for Martina and the rest of Erica’s family. She leaves behind a sister in Phonex and two brothers in Germany along with a long list of faithful friends.

This is Jonathan our youngest son. He is currently serving in the USAF at an undisclosed location in Iraq. He doesn’t work on the Predator (the aircraft behind him) he is a weapons mechanic on AC-130U gunships. http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/AWA1/201-300/walk208_AC-130H/part2/walk208b.htm

To say that we are proud of him would be a huge understatement. We are inordinately proud of all our kids, and you can be sure that this space will have many posts about each one. God has been very merciful to Martina and I in that our children have all turned out to be very nice human beings. I say this as a true and impartial judge of their character, motives and judgment. Not a trace of parental pride or bias here… uh uh… nope not me.

So as I said, Jon is our youngest. He was our surprise baby…thus his name, Jonathan = Gift from God. When our second child, Jessica (PhantomBlonde) was born, Martina and I figured we were done. After all, we had: a mortgage, 2 cars, 2 kids (1 Boy, 1 girl), and a color TV with remote. All we needed was a dog and we were the perfect American family! Well, we had decided that of the two operations available, mine was the less risky, so after Jessi was born I would go under the knife. God Bless the bureaucracy at Kaiser! My appointment notice for the urologist arrived the same day Martina found out she was pregnant with Jonathan! BTW, Jessica was all of 8 months old when Martina found out Jonathan was on his way. Let’s just say that the thought of being pregnant and/or nursing for 3 yrs straight did not sit well with my wife. When the second notice arrived, Martina made sure we made the appointment! But that’s a story for another post.

Jonathan has always been the charmer in the family, he is easy going and has a ready smile. Even as an infant he could charm the ladies! When he was six months old we returned to Germany for the first time. For New Year Martina dressed him in a Tux-n-Tails jumper that made him the absolute hit of the party.

Because he found out he could get by on charm, Jon was an indifferent student, doing just enough to get by. He is very smart, he just hadn’t found anything to exert himself over. As a parent doesn’t that just drive you nuts? When you see all the potential not being utilized don’t ya just want to scream?

Well, I think Jonathan has found his calling. Ever since joining the Air Force I have seen a side of Jonathan never displayed before. Make no mistake, the imp is still in there, showing in his smile and his eyes, but now I see something more, Pride and Dedication. He now strives for excellence in everything he does, good enough isn’t any more.

He has become a Warrior. Un-tested in combat true, but a Warrior none the less, for he is over there, in harms way, willing, if necessary to go the final mile, to give the ultimate sacrifice. I pray that it never becomes necessary. I confess, that when I think about it, it fills me with trepidation. Some would say I lack faith, I say they are full of shit! I know he is in the protective hands of a loving father, but so are all the rest who lay down their lives for the ones they love.

Please God, bring my son home safe and sound. If you think me selfish for praying only for my son when so many others are over there with him, then you don’t understand the limitless capacity of our God. There is love enough. There is strength enough. His arms are not too short to encompass all who call upon His name.