Date:                           February 27, 2007                                                                

Location:                    Tucson, AZ

1730

            We are at our half way point on our project in Tucson.  We are working at TMM Family Services and attempting to help them catch up on their many back logged repair jobs.  Our half of the team has been working at the Re-Store, which is an outlet for the donated items TMM receives.  It is extremely surprising to see how much stuff goes through that store in a day’s time.  They have everything from cabnets and sofas to refrigerators and stoves; and everything from lights and fans to shirts and pants. It is a varied supply of stuff and is offered at very reasonable prices.  Our job has been to help rearrange the store and build new shelves and more new shelves.  It has been a lot of work but it is good work and for a good organization.  TMM is a shelter for abused children and their mothers, if available.  This facility is a step or two up on the society ladder from the UMOM facility we worked at in Phoenix.  It is still a facility that spends all of its energy and efforts on the neediest of society’s children.

            This weekend we attended a church that is very supportive of TMM and just down the road.  It was also the place that was to hold the annual meeting for TMM which we attended.  The church is very well maintained and smells of money.  I am not sure that is a bad thing but it was a very obvious thing.  When we entered the sanctuary it felt very institutional and cold.  The whole place also seemed off balance.  It was like going in to a room and wanting to rearrange all of the furniture because it just seemed to be placed in the wrong place.  It is a long sanctuary with an addition on one side.  The ceiling is quite high, but there is no real good reason to ever want to look up.  It just gave me cold feeling and the feeling was supported by the cool reception we received form the rather large collection of fellow worshipers.  I think that Central Methodist in Phoenix has really spoiled me.  In Phoenix you barely can rest and get into a contemplative mood prior to the service due to all of the people that came up and greeted us and passed the time of day.  In Tucson we could have been sitting there naked and I don’t think anyone would have noticed.  That is a scary thought and a picture that few of you would really want to ponder on for long time.

            After our disjointed and somewhat uninspiring service we were scheduled to return to the church to help out with the annual dinner for TMM.  We were kind of the extra help and the volunteers on display.  It was not a bad thing, and kind of fun.  My job was to follow kids around as they filled their plates. I carried their glasses of milk or water and helped them to the table.  Dave even gave me a white linen ( paper) napkin to drape over my arm so that I would really look the part.

            I won’t expound on this tight assed churches attitude toward the possibility of a homeless person sneaking into the food line for a plate of food.  We, as NOMAD volunteers, were asked to keep an eye out for this possibility and to usher this intruder out a back door.  Needless to say, I found this reprehensible and a chore I refused to take on as my assignment.  I ranted and raved just a few moments and the sentinel at the gate assignment was delegated to someone else.  Sometimes I have an opinion, is that a surprise to anyone?

            As we have now crossed the hump and our project is half complete, I am sure that the church down the street will not be the determining factor left to rate this time in Tucson.  TMM is still serving the needy children of our society and Connie and I feel privileged to be able to, in some way, be a help in that ministry.  Our shelves are all made and we can now go on to new chores. Connie is earning a reputation as the Tucson Mudding Queen, and I am managing to stay out of trouble as I keep most of my opinions to myself. 

Date:                           February 25, 2007

Location:                    Tucson, AZ

0850

            Our days off this week have so far led us to a neat laundry, a noisy pizza pallor and kids play emporium, a trip back to the early 1800’s and a chance to meet the people that are searching for the edge of the universe.  It has been a pretty good couple of days and today we are going to attend the annual meeting of the TMM organization as guests and part time assistants.  Being a NOMAD can be many things, boring is not one of them.

            We started our week end off by attending the opening of the movie “Amazing Grace.”  It was well worth the wait in line to get tickets and even the wait in the unexpected cold Arizona air.  As my wife ran for cover in the movie theater I had to forge through the long line of people attempting to purchase tickets to this multi-screen theater.  To my surprise most of the people were getting tickets to the same movie I was.  Seldom do we enter a multi screen theater and find that the movie of our choice is nearly sold out, especially at the early afternoon showing.  This may well portend the popularity of this movie as it opens across the country. It actually got a round of applause form the gathered movie goers at the end of the picture.  I am not sure if it was for the artistry and movie quality or if it was for the message of the movie.  Either way I heartily agree with the mass appraisal.  If you have not seen it, I might suggest that you find a theater near you and queue for tickets.

            Of course our time off this weekend started with a search for a laundry.  Sackee did her finest and delivered us to a shopping center that had just such an establishment.  She did, however, first take us to a car wash, thinking it was a laundry I guess.  We decided that placing our clothes on Chianti and running through the sprayers might not be exactly what we needed.  Sackee was much more successful on her second attempt.  Right next door to the laundry is a Peter Piper Pizza restaurant.  This, we found out, is a pizza buffet much lie Ci Ci’s, only they also have a large game arcade, something like a Chuck E. Cheese.  We were early, so the place was not as crowded as it can be.  The pizza was pretty good and tasty, and the noise level was almost bearable.  We got there just before a bus of little munchkins invaded the place for a pizza party.  They were good at enjoying both.

            On Saturday Connie and I had no firm plans so we decided to explore the Tucson area a bit.  About 40 miles southwest of the city is a mountain called Kitt Peak.  If you are an astrological expert you will know that on top of this peak is the National Observatory.  We had, as a group, planned a night visit to explore this facility and the largest array of optical telescopes in the world.  We were planning on this until we tried to make reservations for the event.  They are booked through the month of April and we are not going to be here in April.  So, Connie and I ventured to the site to explore it while it sleeps, during the day.  It was well worth the drive and made us even sorrier that we had not thought way ahead and made reservations for the night experience.

            Kitt peak is at nearly 7000 feet high and located in the middle of the barren Indian reservation southwest of Tucson.  The drive to the mountain is like leaving reality and transporting yourself to another universe.  We slowly climbed about 1000 feet as we left Tucson and headed toward the white observatory on the mountain on the horizon.  We could see it nearly 30 miles of in the distance, which may be one of the reasons they choose this area to build the National Observatory.  The air is relatively clear, at higher altitudes once you have elevated above man’s pollution.  The last 4000 to 5000 feet of elevation is accomplished by climbing a paved narrow road up the side of the mountain.  This is an awesome way to get breath taking panoramic views of the Sonoran Desert.  It is also a trip that seemingly takes you from your normal planet to another universe.  On a crystal clear blue sky day it is a drive of inspiration and awe.  The southwestern desert is myriad of colors and geological formations which all display at your feet as you climb ever higher toward the heavens.  It is a scene of rugged, unforgiving earth that challenges anything to live within its confines and yet it is a pastoral picture of the beauty of nature in her harsh rustic tones yet calm beauty of starkness.  Simply said, we enjoyed our drive up the side of this 7000 foot mountain.

            Our docent, Mark Chambers, was a typical tour guide.  He is, I am sure a frustrated armature astronomer.  He has been a volunteer at the Kitt Peak Observatory for over eleven years and over flows with enthusiasm and passion for the work done there.  We toured the mid size 2.1 meter telescope that just happen to have a mirror made by Corning Glass, as does their largest telescope the 4 meter observatory.  We, of course could not look through the telescope due to the fact the sun was very bright on this cold yet crystal clear day.  We did find out that in today’s astronomy there is not a lot of looking through the eyepiece.  All of the observations are electronic and computer controlled with very large and expensive detectors.  I guess that man’s eyes are not quality enough to view the wonders of God’s heaven.

            We have one more day of Church, music, and a gala dinner and then we return to the work life of a NOMAD.  As I stated at the on set, being a NOMAD does not lend itself to boredom.  While on the summit of Kitt Peak we happened on to 2 couples that were having a picnic lunch.  One of the men was getting ready to take a picture of the others in the group when my lovely wife offered to take a picture of all four.  One thing led to another and one story led to another and now Connie and I may be presenting a NOMADS program at their church in a week.  We will see if anything comes of it.  As I said, boredom is not an option.

            As with any time in human life, the wonders of exploration and adventure are punctuated by reality.  At about 4:00 pm eastern time one of the dearest men that Connie and I have had the distinct pleasure and honor of meeting left this human world to enter the kingdom of our Lord.  Ell Frye finally succumbed to the long battle he had valiantly fought.  His soul will forever remain vibrant and strong in the memories that he has placed in each of our hearts.  It was his body that weakened and finally lost the fight with bone cancer.  We would never wish to have him continue through the pain and anguish that he faced in the last days on this earth, but we will still miss the sparkle in his eyes and his wit ever present and sharp.  As we attempt to remember the good times and the fun that we enjoyed with Ell and try to forget the terrible pain and struggle he faced near the end we will still, selfishly, miss his charm and warmth.

            I would personally like to, in this cosmic world of the ethereal internet, wish Ell a safe and well deserved journey to the arms of our Lord.  Ell, if you have access to my blog from your new home of peace and pain free love could you look for my mom and dad, who preceded you by a short time.  I think that they would enjoy a few quick games of Wizard and, I know, they would enjoy the Tuesday night trips to ABC for spaghetti.  If you get a chance to meet Connie’s dad, I know that you both will have many stories to share and enjoy about your adventuresome youth.

            Reality is that we will miss Ell and will feel very large holes in our hearts where his earthy presence resided.  But we also know that as the pain of our selfish desires ebbs we will realize that there is a better part of our soul that will forever be warmer and filled with love for having the pleasure and honor of being able to have known him. 

            Good-bye Ell, until we again meet at ABC for dinner and go home for a challenging game of Wizard.  Thank you for inviting us into your life.

PS

            If you get to the Parkesdale of heaven  before we do, could you order me a Strawberry sundae in one of those large boat containers?  I am guessing that you have found the ordering counter already.   I am not sure I need to ask, but would you save some strawberries for me?

Date:                           February 23, 2007    

Location:                    Tucson, AZ

0815

            Week one of project number 3 has come to an end and it is time for Connie and me to rest our aging muscles and satisfy our childish whims.  To those of you that are not well versed in NOMADize that means that it is our 3 day week end.  That usually means that it is also time to catch up on some household chores, and I am sure that we will accomplish that part of our weekend routine also. Connie is much more adult than am I, so we will complete our chores, but I think that we will have time to play also.

            Our team on this project is an eclectic mix of personalities, but it is a mix that seems to find ways to fit.  It is a mystery how and why some groupings of people never seem to fully meld into a compatible team and yet on some other gatherings it is felt almost immediately that this is going to be a good group of people and a team in many aspects.  Luckily, on this project, we are joined with a group of personalities that seem to click more than they clank.

            We have had to split up our team, a practice that can lead to team splintering, to accomplish the assigned tasks.  Parts of our team have stayed at the campus where we are parked and the rest of us have ventured each morning to the “Re Store.”  The Re-Store is a public sales warehouse where the gathered donations are displayed and resold.  Our tasks there have been many and varied.  They have spanned the construction gamut from shelf destruction to shelf construction; wall demolition to wall building; minor repair of damaged walls to final finishing of brand new walls; and the construction of a washing machine drainage ditch.  My lovely wife has become the resident expert and artisan of wallboard spackling.  She is the Tucson Mudding Queen.  I have been elevated to the position of ditch digger.  I think many people might think I have finally reached a level of competent expertise.

            It is a very interesting experience to arrive on a project and meet the local cadre as we start our first days of any NOMADS assignment.  On our arrival at the Re-Store facility we were directed toward the requested task that TMM wanted us to accomplish.        

            One of which was to demolish a wall made of weak shelving and replace it with a new wall constructed of pallet shelving.  This meant that we had to move a long wall of shelving and all that it held. This seemed a daunting task to the TMM staff.  By the afternoon break we had nearly complete the whole assignment.  The coordinators jaw kept dropping on the floor each time he reentered the warehouse and saw how much work had been accomplished by this band of geriatric, wandering NOMADS.  We, as wondering geriatric volunteers, are the personification of, “Lots of people doing a little can accomplish very large tasks.”  We may look old and decrepit, but we all pitch in and soon big things are accomplished.

            The rest of the week has progressed in much the same fashion.  A long list of requests is soon becoming a very short list of pick up projects.  The week long chore of building a drainage trench was accomplished on Wednesday and Thursday and we only worked half a day on Thursday.  I got to dig a big hole and a ditch and I still have shoulders and my back is still talking to me on friendly terms.  I am guessing that many people would have been more than pleased to see me standing in a ditch swinging a pick ax and shoveling dirt.  It was actually not as daunting as it first seemed to me.  We are in Arizona and not New York.  The ground here is made of sand and clay here, not rocks and bigger rocks.  The only rock that I found was a concrete wall that nobody new existed.  My pick ax new it was there just as it came to an abrupt halt mid way through its final arc of its down swing.  I could feel the resounding vibration all the way up through my hands, on up through my arms and finally tingling in the middle of my back.  Needless to say we redirected our efforts and accomplished our task. By the way, it even worked.

             As we recap our first week; we have accomplished a long list of chores, had our own private Ash Wednesday Service; attended a rodeo parade; played games and met some really neat people.  It short it has been a good week and we have two more to look forward to enjoying.

Date:                           February 11, 2007                                                                

Location:                    Phoenix, AZ

0830

            We have completed one full project and are now getting ready to begin the last week of the second project at UMOM.  There are a lot of stories that I could, and may at sometime in the future, tell you about being here in the center of the city of Phoenix and working at a very large homeless shelter for families and women.  In summation, we have been working very hard and still have a lot of work in front of us; we have met some people that will remain in our hearts for along time and some that we will attempt to forget by the time we get our bus through the locked gate that surrounds the facility.  Over all it has been a very good experience and a source of many “growth opportunities.”

            It has been an education for me on many levels.  I have found that the more I do and experience the less time I have to sit down and write about it.  It may not be the time I am lacking as much as it is the energy.  On out last work day I helped Curtis put over 5 gallons of “mud” on our new walls in the administrative office that we are rebuilding.  I learned, not only how to apply drywall compound, but also how muscle straining lifting trowel after trowel of thick mud and then pressing it smooth can feel.  I not only had cramps in my shoulders and back but in my knuckles and hands.  It is really bad when your fingers are out of shape. While I was slinging mud on walls my lovely wife was sequestered in our rig making 12 pillow cases for the child care facility at UMOM.

            On our days off this weekend, Connie and I managed to do laundry, sleep in late one morning, attend a pancake breakfast, buy some Egyptian cotton sheets and attend a wild west Bar-B-Que and stage show.  It was quite a full weekend, but not one full of major momentous events.  The laundry was laundry, the extra sleep was wonderful, the pancakes were not quite done, and the 500 thread count sheets were supposed to be slacks for my wife.  That pretty much covers our weekend.  Sometimes it is hard to find fodder on which to base a blog.

            I could ramble on about the ranch dinner and stage show, but it is something that you must see and enjoy to appreciate.  The food was mediocre, we had to serve ourselves, and the music was more amateur than Broadway and all country western.  It was, however, on a “working ranch” and pretty much a family affair.  The laughs and applause were honest and the evening went very fast.  We did not stay for the gunfight, a lot of ammunition in the form of cowboy beans, went home with us.  The scene from “Blazing Saddle” keeps running through my mind, I am sorry about that.  The price may have been a bit steep at 46 dollars, but no one seemed to complain and we all had fun.  It was a team event, our NOMADS team, and most of the team showed up to enjoy the food and frivolity.  Connie and I even got to sit across from another “growth opportunity.”

            We did also attend a pot luck dinner on Thursday night with 50 or so other NOMADS that are either working in and around Phoenix or just enjoying the warm sun of Arizona.  It was a neat chance to share an evening with like minded volunteers that still find a reason to drag themselves out of their retirement pleasures to go forth and serve some of societies less advantaged.  I may not enjoy the company of everyone we meet on a NOMADS project, but they all do have a proper purpose in their hearts.  Connie and I were able to reconnect with some of our past team members and enjoy the art of catching up on personal histories.  The food is always good at a pot luck bit it is really the fellowship that fully satisfies your soul.

            This morning we are preparing to attend, for the last time, our Central Methodist Church.  Of all the things we like about Phoenix, I think that this might be the one thing we will miss the most.  The music and organ are fantastic, the preacher is thought provoking and the congregation is extremely warm and welcoming.  It is a church experience that I feel most would miss if they had to leave it.  It is a very traditional and “High Church” service and it truly speaks to my spiritual enjoyment and enlightenment.  If there were ever a church that could cause me to settle in one area of this country, it might well be this church located in the center of downtown Phoenix, although Titusville, Fl is a close second.  It was that attracting on out first visit to Phoenix two years ago and it is has gotten better. 

            Before I close this morning’s blog, I must throw out a political question to the ethereal internet.  Yesterday we listened to the announcement speech of Barack Obama.  He is a man that has charismatic ability that may take him to the White House.  I must admit that there are many political philosophies that he espouses with which I, at this very early stage, agree.  I did, however, stumble on a statement in his speech that troubled me and I request a guidance form any of you that may be reading this and can help me.  He has, from the beginning, opposed the war in Iraq.  A position I also hold.  He has promised or proposed that he would bring all of the troops home my March of 2008.  This is another position that I might support.  My question is how does he do this.  He will not even be the Democratic designated candidate for the office of the man that controls troop deployment until later that same year.  He will still be running around the country trying to pry votes from some farmer in Iowa or Kansas.  Would he not be better served, and by the same theory we citizens better served, if he were to stay at his assigned job in the Senate and do something about the dictatorial element that now resides in the house he is fighting to occupy?  I am really interested to see if he will vote to fund a war that he says he can not support. 

            You can not change my opinion on the illegal invasion of a sovereign country by a dictator that manipulates intelligence and lies to his countrymen, but you might be able to clear some of the fog from Mr. Obama’s stated position.  If you can, please feel free to politely, and with the love of friendship educate me.

Date:                           February 3, 2007                                                                  

Location:                    Phoenix, AZ

1000

            I woke up older this morning.  This is not a statement of wonder or a lead in to an epiphany.  It is just a realization that over the last 40 or so years I have gotten older and things have changed of which I had no realization.  Parts of my life have come to an end and I did not even know.  Sometime while I was sleeping between my 20’s and 60’s I managed to get older and the world managed to change and not tell me that it was happening.

            Yesterday morning Connie and I played retiree very well.  It was our day off, so we had no need to hurry through the morning.  We did have a few chores to accomplish around our home and we had the weekly laundry excursion to look forward to accomplishing, but we were not in a hurry to do any of these things.  Connie did her white tornado impression in the RV and cleaned most of our clutter.  It is a mystery how two people working can make such a mess in such a small area.  I had a few sanitation engineer tasks to check off my list, plus I had some of the afore mentioned clutter to relocate.  By late morning we were ready to load our camel and head into the desert to find a rock and a stream to wash our work clothes.  It was a slow morning, but we were making progress and soon all of our chores were complete.

            Being very experienced retirees we decided to find the nearest buffet to have lunch.  The fact that the nearest Old Country Buffet was clear across Phoenix and on the other side of Mesa did not deter us and we programmed Sacke, headed into the afternoon traffic of a Friday afternoon in Phoenix.  Remember we are retired so the fact that a 30 mile drive was necessary for us to have lunch was not a factor.  After a fine lunch and a mandatory visit to the ice cream machine we were ready for our next adventure.  Connie was looking for a special book and Sacke new about a B&N near by, or kind of near by, so we headed back into traffic; only this time with full tummies.

            By the end of sunlight we were heading back home with a book on order, a car full of clean smelling laundry and still full tummies.  We had not done a lot today, but we had managed to stay busy, accomplish the necessary chore, eat a fine lunch and explore a book store.  For a retiree that is a full day and a good day.  It was during the evening that I was to take a trip down realization lane.

            I am not sure why, but I decided to play with my Google Earth program and fly around the world in my virtual spaceship.  If you have not downloaded a free version of Google Earth you are missing a neat toy.  Some how I decided to take a ride through Korea.  I had been in Korea for 13 months while in my early 20’s and that experience had been a part of what has formed my early adult foundation.  I am not sure it was all a good thing, but it was in Korea and not Vietnam so I guess it was as good as it can be.  Some of you may know others of you won’t care, but through fates of timing and luck I was drafted during the Vietnam fiasco, but was sent to Korea instead.

            Not to bore you too much more with a long trek through my memory lane, I was looking for my Army base at Ascom City.  I was assigned to the headquarters detachment of the 8th Army and spent a lot of time playing in and around Seoul and Inchon.  As I was flying my virtual spaceship I found where the post should have been.  It was kind of blurred and not very discernable.  I could, however, find most of the out lying area, and I was very shocked at how much it has changed.  Lesson one in getting older; as time goes by not only you change.

            As I searched for the 121 evacuation hospital and other parts of our post I decided to do some research on the net.  It was now that I realized that I have been getting older and no body told me.  Many nights we watch MASH on TV and they send people to the 121^st quite often.  This always brings back memories of my time in Korea, as I was stationed just down the street.  After an evening of searching and surfing I found out that the Ascom Depot is no longer there.  It was closed in 1973 and given back to the South Koreans.  The 121^st hospital is closed and the depot is no longer.  In just the span of a few moments on the net a whole section of my life had been removed.  It was not only gone it had been gone for 30 years and I did not know it.

            I realize that this is not a trauma, or even of interest to most people.  Somehow, in what seemed like a split second, a rural undeveloped area of a smelly country had changed.  The major Army post was no longer there and a Daewoo auto plant had moved in next door, and I had gotten older.  How did all of this happen between dessert at Old Country Buffet and bedtime?  The smell of kimchee still stings my olfactory nerves and yet the gate I used to stumble through at curfew is gone.  The adult watering holes of my young adulthood have been replaced by a tire manufacturing plants and 8 lane highways, and most of my joints hurt most of the time.  Sometime between laundry and laziness I had gotten old.

            I will get over the realization of time and its ever marching tempo.  I will still remember the smells and sights of Seoul and the surrounding countryside, but I will, sadly, never get back the years that have seemingly so quickly vanished.   I guess that I did not get old last night, I was just awakened to the facts of reality.  I have been getting older each and every day.  My memories will remain the same forever, but the reality of their origin has been and will continue to change each and every day.