Commencement

In line for diplomas (Allie at bottom looking up)

This past weekend, my daughter Allie graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, majoring in business marketing and minoring in global studies.  We adopted Allie from China just before her first birthday. She will surely encounter bumps ahead as she makes her way through life, but Allie has the determination (stubborn streak) to prevail.

Our extended family celebrated at a Brazilian grill in downtown Milwaukee. Just getting everyone to the ceremony and the restaurant was a challenging task.  The grandparents are getting up there in age, and all have mobility issues.  Julia's dad needed a wheelchair.  He's still able to walk but not long distances as was required this day.  Julia's stepdad, Bob, took the day off from his assisted living center, and was driven down from Appleton by Julia's brother, Scott.

Scott with his back to the wall on the left

Scott survived a brain aneurysm as a young adult. Scott was in an induced-coma for months.  The road to recovery was a long one and left him with some residual physical issues. During recovery, he went through a divorce and could not return to his job as a multi-color printing press operator.  Still, Scott never lost his lust for life, music, and good times.  He found a new occupational path, working part-time security and ushering events.  Scott's story is one of resiliency. His passion is music.

My parents don't travel well in the winter, so they weren't able to come from Iowa.  My dad was a professor for many years at UW-Milwaukee, and my mother received her doctorate there, so they are well-acquainted with the ceremony.

We had a good time at the restaurant.  None of us had eaten at a Brazilian grill before.  There's an extensive and rather fancy salad bar that even included marinated quail eggs.  Then the servers bring skewers of different kinds of meat to each table, where they slice off pieces for you to grab with your tongs.  Julia was quite enthusiastic.

Earth Tones

  Rowan Creek Fishery Area

As the photo above shows, we hiked this week to Rowan Creek Fishery Area.  Located near Poynette, Wisconsin, this state-owned property isn't very far from our house, but we rarely hike here because it's heavily utilized by hunters and has less defined trails.

Things started out well with a nice wide trail. Another reason that we don't hike here is that it's usually wet and muddy.  Fortunately, the trail was mostly frozen this day.

Eventually, the trail narrowed until we were clearly following a deer trail.  And then it ended in a thicket between two tributaries of the creek.

Slack's Hill (Ice Age Trail)

It seems that our months of November and December have flipped.  We had lots of snow in November, yet the first half of December has been gray with scant amounts of snow, sprinkled with freezing rain. Nights have been cold, however, and the snow-making equipment in Wisconsin's mountainous regions has been busy.  

What?  You say that Wisconsin doesn't have mountains?  In the center of the photo above, you can make out the ski runs at the ominous-sounding Devil's Head resort.  This is the Baraboo range, a buried mountainous area 25 miles long by 5 miles wide containing rocks that are 1.5 billion years old.  Highly eroded over the years, the Baraboo range reaches current elevations slightly over 1000 feet.

Plans

The big development for the week is that Julia and I have decided where we will take our winter trip.  We're committed because we bought airline tickets, but we don't have any place to stay yet.  It's always a little unnerving for a frugal guy like me to attach money to travel plans without knowing for sure that my son will have care-giving and will be in good standing to continue school.  Justin is often confident that things will be all right, but that confidence isn't always well-placed.  

As an example, this week, Justin texted us this photo:

A few things immediately stood out to us.  No, it wasn't that Justin was playing laser tag in his power wheelchair.  It was that his power wheelchair was located in Madison, Wisconsin. You might ask why that matters.  Well, Justin lives in the dorms at Wisconsin-Whitewater.  Justin doesn't drive, so his wheelchair van lives with us.  How did Justin get to Madison, Wisconsin?

Several of his buddies picked Justin up out of his wheelchair and put him into the seat of a large SUV.  Then, they picked up Justin's 400 lb power wheelchair and tipped it over onto its side so it would fit in the back of the large SUV to take him to Madison.  This is not in the wheelchair manual for recommended transport.

Fortunately, Justin had fun, and the wheelchair made it both ways without apparent damage.  If I had any hair left, things like this would turn my hair white.  He could have asked us to transport him back and forth, which we could have done with some planning, but Justin is the spontaneous sort. I guess that I was too when I was 20, but I wasn't texting photos of my risky choices to my parents. 

Assuming Justin is heading back to school next January, we will be adding a new continent to our list of travels.  I had to look it up to be sure, but that's enough of a teaser for now. 

Humble Pie with a Side of Mud

As readers to my blog already know, the Gibraltar Rock Natural Area is one of my favorite places to hike.  It's the baby brother hiking destination to Devil's Lake State Park, which is on the other side of the bluff in the photo above-- across the Wisconsin River.  Devil's Lake draws three million visitors per year.  If I see a couple of people on a weekday at Gibraltar Rock, it feels crowded.  Gibraltar Rock is a ten minute drive; the state park is about 45 minutes drive.

Gibraltar's Rock's trail rises to an elevation above 1200 feet.  That's nothing for people used to mountain ranges, but it's a big deal in the Midwest. Yesterday, hiking conditions were fluid.  The snow was mostly melted.  The ground has been freezing overnight.  The sun softens up the sunny part of the trail during the day, while the shady parts remain firm.

  I tend to be a fast hiker.  I've always been a fast walker. Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail during my younger years taught me a lot about foot placement that became ingrained over the years when covering terrain.

I was feeling at the top of my game yesterday.  Callie and I cruised to the top and then jogged down the back side.

Fearless Callie

 After power walking up the old closed road, we took a few minutes to sit and enjoy the view.

I admired the old cedars, hanging out at the edge of the 200-foot sheer cliff and thriving.  We took off fast down the trail back to the truck.  I guess I was daydreaming about future destinations when Gibraltar Rock reminded me to take her seriously.

I was walking on a frozen leaf-covered trail when my left foot slid on a soft spot exposed to the sun.  No problem.  I've caught my balance many times in similar situations.  Unfortunately, my right foot was no help, as it was sliding too.  My body was out in front of my sliding feet.  Suddenly, I was flying through the air on my way to a face-plant on the trail.

There wasn't much I could do at this point, but I did manage to twist my body so that I landed on my side, which slid through about six feet of soft mud.  When I came to a stop, Callie looked up at me as if to say, "What was that?"  I picked myself up, established that nothing was broken, except my pride.  My left side was covered with mud from my shoes to the top of my hat.

I would have taken a picture, but my hands were full of mud with no way to clean up.  Let's be honest.; there was no way I was taking a photo.  I trudged slowly back to the truck, drove home and threw everything into the washing machine.

Today, my body sore, Callie and I hiked on city sidewalks.  Maybe we'll head back into the woods tomorrow. 

Into December

For the first time in many years, we did not go to Kentucky for Thanksgiving. Things change, and this year my son Justin and my father-in-law Gene were not able to make the eight hour drive.  

Gene is stable after a stroke at Christmas last year and a long recovery period.  He has his sense of humor back, but it's a slog at this point for recovery of physical skills.  One of the big adjustments has been a 50% loss of field of vision in both eyes, making driving impossible and even watching tv difficult.

Justin continues to battle the progression of Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy, but things have been quite difficult functionally.  He can't transfer anymore without a mechanical lift.  I used to just pick him up and move him around, but he doesn't have enough muscle structure for me to do that without hurting him.  Justin still has function in his hands, head and neck.

An executive decision was made to host Thanksgiving at our house, and things were a bit crazy for a few days with every bed taken, along with some inflatable mattresses and camping pads on the floor.

The weather here wasn't great.  My parents, who are in their eighties, were unable to drive over from Iowa due to rain, cold, and high winds.

I was in charge of the turkey, stuffing, and gravy.  Those were things that I did well before we started going to Kentucky, but I'm out of practice, which added to my stress level.  I can't say that the quality was anywhere near what Jill prepares in Kentucky, but we made it through.

Daughter Allie assisting

As the kids are now all becoming adults and the adults are becoming frailer, it will get harder and harder to have these gatherings with everyone present.  I'm grateful that it could happen at least one more time.

Julia's sister's family

One of our unique family Thanksgiving traditions is to celebrate my nephew Zach's birthday on the last day of our visit.  He is 17 this year.  In the photo above, you can see that he has outgrown his father, who is taller than me.  Below, we are gathered for tacos and ice cream cake.

Both of my kids are busy finishing up their semesters at college.  Allie will graduate in just a couple of weeks and is busy interviewing for jobs.  With the primary gun hunting season over, I'll be returning to the woods for hiking.