WE MAY LIKELY HAVE BEEN KILLED

Images and news from the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami have been horrific as I've witnessed them. Devastation in Thailand has particularly hit home due to the fact that Railay, Ao Nang and Hat Pra Nang on the Andaman coastline were places we visited in August of 2003. We stayed in bungalows not five feet above sea level, all near the beach. If the waves had hit when we were there, we were particularly vunerable at Railay because there isn't really a road back to Ao Nang, the biggest nearby town with highway access. Railay and Hat Pra-Nang are at the end of a roadless peninsula flanked by towering, verdant limestone cliffs.

The most wrenching testimonial I have read is from an Anchorage, AK college student vacationing at Railay with a friend. They were rock climbing in the area when the waves headed for the shore. His friend snapped some photos, both posted at the Anchorage Daily News website.

Below are three photos from our own vacation 16 months ago, each of places mentioned in the Alaskan's account, followed by two photos of the tsunami taken by his friend.

Railay/Hat Pra-Nang


Jill at Railay/Hat Pra-Nang


Beach at Ao Nang


Railay Tsunami (Anchorage Daily News)


Yachts Enduring Railay Tsunami (Anchorage Daily News)


The best updates about how to help tsunami victims everywhere around the Indian Ocean are found at The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami blog.

The American Red Cross is also taking donations via Amazon.com. To date, they've raised over $2.6 million with no overhead costs reducing the amount actually helping those in need.

Sue Frye, frequent contributor at the Johnson Gardner office, came in to say that a friend of hers that lives in Thailand half of the year to teach diving was unscathed by the tsunami due to his higher elevation home on the coast. However, his diving skills are being called upon to help extract the numerous bodies trapped underwater in coral reefs lining the Thai Andaman coastline.

Prayers and money are all most of us can do for them now.

(IT WAS A) MERRY CHRISTMAS!

...Until about 8pm, that is, when Gabriel had a complete meltdown, which then triggered an acid reflux attack.

But before that, Christmas was quite pleasant and Gabriel clearly enjoyed his nearly five-month-old self. Below is a photo similar to our Christmas card this year, but Gabriel is fidgeting, though smirking. It was a close second.



The plan was to have breakfast ready for everyone by 9:30-10am.. but we have an infant, so what were we thinking? We were up until after 3am overnight Christmas eve wrapping presents once Gabriel finally fell asleep and we were able to get to work.

9:30am came very early. We didn't even notice Tom and Kate knock at the door, having just arrived from PDX with a sweet Volvo rental (heated seats!). We later found out they went to Shari's for coffee and a snack before swinging back by.

By 10am, we did hear the doorbell ring and through the front window noticed nearly everyone gathered outside the front door - include Charlotte.. even she was up and ready to go - and we weren't. So, we let everyone in - many wearing Hawaiian shirts in anticipation of the Hawaiian Christmas dinner - and fired up the stove for pancakes and bacon. By 11am, everyone was eating.

By 11:30am, Gabriel was ready for his pre-noon nap (he's getting quite regular about it), so we handed out everyone else's presents and began to open them. By 12:30, he was up and the major work was to begin.

Gabriel received all sorts of neat toys and other gifts, too many to comprehensively list here. But the immediately big hits were:

-A plush palomino rocking horse that makes galloping sounds and whinneys from Uncle Tom & Aunt Kate;

-A musical train with flashing lights from Gramma Judy and Grampa Koke; and

-A toy aquarium with moving fish, bubbles and soothing music (link goes to a demo - play with the aquarium on the internet!) from Great Aunt Suebee and Great Uncle George.

Presents for Gabriel that Mom and Dad especially look forward to are a cd/clock/radio with a soothing nature sounds CD from Gramma Dianne and Grampa Dave, and some lullabye CDs from (Great Gramma) Me-Ma.

But that isn't to say gifts from everyone else weren't appreciated or enjoyed; we just listed the ones Gabriel took an immediate shining to and those that we hope will help coax Gabriel into sleeping. All three of us thank everyone for their generosity in making Gabriel's first Christmas exciting for him and memorable for us. Thank you all!

Everyone able to be here:
Uncle Tom & Aunt Kate
Gramma Judy and Grampa Koke
Gramma Dianne and Grampa Dave
Great Gramma Charlotte
Gabriel & his Mom and Dad.

POST CHRISTMAS STRESS DISORDER

All the well-meaning stimulation definitely took a toll on poor Gabriel. He didn't show signs of problems during the afternoon while the Hawaiian dinner was being prepared. But by 8pm, right after I left for Judy & John's (?!) to finish preparing the Kahlua pork and get the ribs going, Gabriel apparently snapped. Nobody could console him, including his mommy.

Deciding to give him some peace and quiet, all but Jill and Gabriel arrived at John & Judy's for dinner. But the tempest continued, so I left for home to help calm him. By nearly 9:30pm, Gabriel had calmed down enough to eat, so I spun back by to grab some food for Jill and myself. They were waiting for us - and they didn't eat until 10:30pm (!!). The food was a hit, and apparently they all had a great time, though it was late and fatigue had set in for everyone.

Sunday the 26th was low-key to get Gabriel back into a normal pattern. In between naps, he played on the floor with me for quite a while, I helped him walk around the living room, and he went for a walk with his Mom, Dad, Gramma Dianne and Grampa Dave. All was well.

TRIP TO TILLAMOOK

On Monday, while Gabriel and his Mom stayed home to rest, everyone else piled into the Volvo and we headed to Tillamook for a visit to the cheese factory. Everyone stocked up on curds, ice cream, cheese and other goods after a hearty round of samples.

But after that, we visited the Blue Heron cheese factory, which has many more samples of foods and is, in my opinion, a more fun place to visit as a result. Cheeses, sauses, jams, jellies, spreads, and wine are among the many things you can try. Plus, they have a cafe where they serve everything and they have a large collection of farm animals that are quite entertaining in and of themselves. I picked up a jar of sugar-free black raspberry preserves and a small stilton with cranberries, sealed in red wax.

The weather was most agreeable, and the evening was only sullied by the surprise closure of the Bavarian Sausage & Delicatessen in Metzger between Christmas and the New Year. Oh, well Tom, better luck on the next trip!

HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS

I never understood the desire to have a photo with Santa. I didn't enjoy the experience, really, so my parents were wise enough not to put us through it more than once. Besides, I never really got a satisfactory answer to the question "why are there so many Santas at the different malls?"

Looking at the photo below, you can see what happens with Santa more often than not. Carefully note the look on Santa's face.. No doubt about where his paycheck goes when he's off the clock!


(Source: Chicago Tribune)

Enjoy this link, which provides a nice slideshow of other photos in the same spirit as the pic above. Happy shopping!

FOUR MORE SHOPPING DAYS…

Oh, my does time fly when you’re so busy you have to stay up all night working. Well, it is December again, after all. And, unfortunately for me as I gather my thoughts for finally updating this website, much in fact has happened.

So, without further ado..

CAN I HILLS-BORO A CUP OF SUGAR?

Mom and Dad did find a home they liked here in Hillsboro, Orygun. I was at the house when it was inspected, and it is indeed a good find. Below is a photo, but to sum up it was built in 1995, over 1,500 square feet in floor area, 5,000+ square foot lot and right near one of Hillsboro’s better natural area parks with trails.

But after the extensive search for a home with some acreage, it is a bit surprising to see that they’ve purchased something where you might see what your neighbor is eating for dinner. A few walls or hedges and all should be better, though. I’ll have the exact address on here after they take possession of the home on December 31st.



Good news for Gabriel: he has two cookie-baking grammas to run away to when he gets mad at us! But, here’s Gramma Reid’s off-the-cuff take on all of the nearby family: ”Bill, you sure have a tough row to plow.” I told her that if it doesn’t work out well, we’re moving to Hawaii! Why not?!

CHARLOTTE IN OREGON

Gram Charlotte Wachdorf arrived in Portland on the evening of Thursday the 16th escorted by her second daughter, Sandy Nemeth, who resides in Connecticut with her husband Jack. Char and Sandy both flew in from San Antonio where Charlotte is staying with her youngest son, former Air Force Colonel Art Wachdorf. I posted a photo of the two of them on here before.. here’s the link.

Sandy had to leave for Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon where her eldest son Mark and his wife are expecting their first child, a daughter, with a due date of Christmas day. Beware the low pressure system – it has a tendency to cause early labor! Here’s a photo of Sandy and wee Gabriel on Saturday.



Charlotte will be in Oregon for several weeks, or until she gets absolutely sick of all of us. So far, however, it seems Gabriel has charmed her as well, so she’s not likely going anywhere soon. We’re very happy she can be here to visit and see G.F.

GABRIEL ENCHANTED BY THE GROTTO

The Grotto Festival of Lights has come to be a family Christmas tradition with us over the past seven years. The Grotto is actually the Our Lady of Sorrow retreat center, among other things. It’s a beautiful sanctuary in Northeast Portland that at Christmastime decorates their trees and paths with all sorts of lights, the main of which has a decorated narrative of Christ’s birth. It’s like walking through Linus’s answer to Charlie Brown’s famous question.

We all met for early dinner at Gustav’s, but Charlotte wasn’t feeling well so she and Judy went home. That left Gabriel, his Gramma Dianne, Jill and me. So, the three of us took Gabriel to the Grotto, where the poor little boy was overwhelmed with lights to look at. He had a wonderful time, even talking to some of the lights – a very good sign. He even enjoyed sitting still in the church listening to both the St. Stanislaus Polish Choir and another local, high school choir. Though, during the latter, he fell asleep during a song and would be startled awake by everyone's applause.

We especially enjoyed returning to the Grotto since last year. It was there, though earlier in December, that we learned that Jill's pregnancy would continue all the way through to August. And now we have Gabriel. That's what inspired his name.. the Archangel Gabriel.. deliverer of the most joyous news.

SAD NEWS FROM NEW MEXICO

We recently learned that Marge Proffitt, Terry's octegenarian mother in Farmington, passed away. She was able to attend Terry's wedding earlier in the Fall and reportedly had a wonderful time seeing much of her family.

Jill and I pass along our heartfelt condolences.

QT-P2T

Okay, I've waited long enough. Here are a few photos of Gabriel that I personally find to be among my favorites, all taken quite recently.

CHRIS BLAKNEY ENGAGED

My co-worker Chris Blakney recently proposed marriage to his girlfriend Jessica and was greeted with a resounding yes. Congratulations, you two!