Earl
Babbie PhotoJournal
April 2009
| Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
| 01 |
02 Democrats Civitan |
03 Orange County |
04 Orange County |
|||
| 05 Orange County |
06 Orange County |
07 Orange County |
08 PSA/San Diego |
09 PSA/San Diego |
10 PSA/San Diego |
11 PSA/San Diego |
| 12 PSA/San Diego |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 Aaron |
17 Aaron Democrats |
18 Aaron |
| 19 Aaron |
20 Aaron |
21 Chamber Music |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 Special Olympics |
| 26 Pollen attack |
27 |
28 |
29 Orange |
30 Orange Speech |
April 02
The first Thursday of the month is always a busy one, with meetings of the Democratic
Club Board and Civitan. And since we are officers in both (Suze is president of both), we
have a lot of preparation work in addition to just attending.
At the Civitan meeting, we had a presentation from Norine Westerbeck, the district
representative for National Camps for Blind Children. We have supported them financially
and with volunteers in the past, and we gave them a contribution after tonight's talk.
The first Thursday of the month is always a busy one, with meetings of the Democratic
Club Board and Civitan. And since we are officers in both (Suze is president of both), we
have a lot of preparation work in addition to just attending.
At the Civitan meeting, we had a presentation from Norine Westerbeck, the district
representative for National Camps for Blind Children. We have supported them financially
and with volunteers in the past, and we gave them a contribution after tonight's talk.
April 03
After Thursday's meetings of Civitan and HSV Democratic Club, we drove to Little Rock to
spend the night at the Comfort Inn beside the airport.
We got up early this morning to catch the short shuttle ride to the terminal and board our
first flight to the West. The short flight to DFW was uneventful, and we both napped a bit.
Then, the longer flight to Orange County was equally comfortable and safe, and we were
soon picking up a rental car at Enterprise. We stopped briefly at one of Suze's favorite
consignment shops in Orange County, so one of us could browse the racks while the other
one read his PDA-book in the car.
Checked into Extended Stay mid-afternoon, and we spent some time online finalizing the
logistics of meeting friends during our stay.
Tonight, we had the first of several meals with friends, the first of two with Thai cuisine.
Barney and Rupa McGrane joined us for a thoroughly delightful evening of food and conversation.
It was a wonderful beginning for the trip.
April 04
We started the day with our traditional breakfast at Watson's with Carolyn and Dave Hauk.
Suze and Carolyn were docents together at the Nixon Library.
After breakfast, Carolyn and Suze did a little shopping, while I drove Dave home.
Carolyn, Dave, and Suze are all Michigan State Spartans, and Dave had to set up
the TiVo (and refreshments?) for the NCAA semi-finals. (The Spartans won.)
(Celebrate while you can.)
Suze and I spent the afternoon re-organizing in the room, and we were off to
dinner with Roberta Lessor and Dave Snow. First, we had a walk-through of the
house they are buying.
Dave has plans for the kitchen.
We had dinner at Sage, a nice restaurant only minutes away from their new
home. I suspect Sage will become a regular hang-out for Roberta and Dave.
April 05
This being Sunday, we slept in a bit. Around noon, we wandered down to the
Orange Circle and had lunch in a Mexican restaurant.
Mid-afternoon, we visited with Bob and Rita Slayton. Bob's improvement seems
to be continuing apace, and it was great to see Rita for the first time in about a
year. After an hour or so, we had pretty much solved all the problems of the
contemporary world, as well as reminiscing about politics past.
After a couple of hours reorganizing in the room, we were off to dinner at the
home of Ron and Maryam Steiner. Ron is a Chapman colleague, previously in the
Political Science department and now in the Law School, and Maryam was a former
student of mine. Oh, and she's Ron's wife. Maryam left Iran at age 25, so she has
been one of my main sources of knowledge about that country (along with Ron, who
is very well versed in matters Persian).
Maryam prepared a great Persian dinner, which is a favorite cuisine of mine.
April 06
Today began with breakfast with some of Suze's other docent friends. I wasn't
sure how and whether I would fit in, but I was soon delighted that I went along.
They were all interesting and charming ladies, and I felt more than welcomed.
Those of you with keen eyes will recognize Carolyn Hauk at the far end of
the table, in the center of the picture.
(I notice that without rythme or reason, I took pictures at about half the
social gatherings and forgot to do so at the others.)
We connected with Chapman colleague, Pat See, around mid-morning, and
we spent the first hour or so over a cup of coffee at a sidewalk table on the
Circle, just catching up. Then we were off for some store-browsing and the second
Thai meal of the trip. (No pictures)
Once again, we spent some afternoon hours regrouping, and were ready for
dinner at a Persian restaurant with two more of Suze's friends, Cheryl and Sam
Saremi. Cheryl is in the administration at the Nixon Library (hence the connection)
and Sam grew up in Iran before coming to the US.
In case you've lost count:
Thai: 2
Persian: 2
Mexican: 1
American: 3
April 07
Our last full day in Orange was fully-packed. We began with a mutual friend from
Chapman, Eric Scandrett. We had breakfast together at The Filling Station, a cleverly
conceived restaurant (yes, it used to be a filling station) near campus. Suze and Eric
were officers in Town and Gown together, and Eric introduced Suze and me when I
was asked to speak at T&G.
Lunch took us to the Chapman library and Dean of the Library, Charlene Baldwin.
Suze and I had readings from Percy Bysshe Shelley and e. e. cummings at our
wedding, and Charlene put an additional book by each poet in the library, dedicated
to our wedding, with the appropriate bookplate inside.
We got a quick tour of the new developments in the library, which is now light-
years from the library sitting on that site when I arrived at Chapman in 1987.
Suze got to hold a solid-gold Nobel Prize, placed in the library by economics
faculty member, Vernon Smith. (They made her give it back.)
You may not be able to read it in this picture, but I am pointing to my name
on the Emeritus Faculty wall. That's Suze reflected on the right side of the photo,
taking the picture.
We had lunch at Papa Hassan's, a favorite Lebanese restaurant on the edge of
campus. I always have the same thing: lentil soup and the special (whatever it is).
I've never been disappointed. Today, all three of us had the same thing.
After lunch, Charlene took us on a short tour of some new developments on
campus: particularly the Global Citizens Plaza.
Our final day concluded with a dinner at Yen Ching with colleague, Paul Apodaca,
and his wife (and my former student), Paula. In addition to Chap-talk, we were
eager to hear about Paul's recent performance with Dave Brubeck (yes, Dave
Brubeck) at the University of the Pacific. Paul was the featured narrator for a piece
Brubeck had written around a text dealing with the Indian experience of the European
visitors who never left.
As the trip to Orange concludes, you can add:
American: 1
Lebanese: 1
Chinese: 1
April 08
Today was a transition day, as we moved from Orange County to San Diego.
After a leisurely beginning, we were gassed up and on the road south by 9:00.
Though the traffic was hideous by Arkansas standards, it was pretty good for
Southern California. Suze saved our bacon near the end. I had planned to look
for airport signs, then look for rental car returns. And I was well on the way to
the airport exit when Suze pointed out that the Enterprise map had instructions
that included getting off one exit earlier. I actually debated which to follow, but
finally decided on the instructions. We left the freeway and within about two
blocks, we were pulling into the Enterprise lot, looking over my shoulder at the
airport traffic whizzing by on an inaccessible ramp.
Enterprise called us a cab, and we were at the Westin, in our room by 11:30.
We registered for the Pacific Sociological Association meetings, spent time
with friends we bumped into, and retired to the room for some rest and re-
orientation. I also did the first week of this blog during that time.
Tonight, we had dinner with Suze's brother, Dwight, and his wife, Sandy, who
live in a San Diego suburb. Sandy has extended family connections to an Afghan
restaurant, so we added a new category to our growing list of ethnic cuisines
sampled on this trip. We had a great time catching up, and were back in the
room at a reasonable hour.
April 09
Today began with a breakfast meeting with my Wadsworth editor, Chris
Caldeira and one of her assistant editors, Erin Parkins. That's Erin at the
Wadsworth booth.
At noon, we attended a session on the sociology of religion, primarily to
hear a report by David Snow and a team of students, who did observational
studies of megachurches.
Late in the afternoon, it was time for the Presidential Address and Awards
Ceremony. Here's Suze with Judith Treas, PSA outgoing president.
Following the ceremonies, we had dinner with Ginny Mulle, a colleague from
Alaska and secretary of the PSA.
March 30th was a dark day for sociology, with the death of Carla Howery,
after fighting a particularly bad cancer for 15 years. Since many members of
PSA were good friends of Carla, we had a small memorial ceremony after
dinner. Here a recent picture of Carla, when we spent time together at the
ASA meetings in New York in 2007.
April 10
After breakfast with Suze in the hotel, I had a mid-morning meeting with
Jerry Westby (my editor at Pine Forge) and new co-author, Billy Wagner.
Following the meeting, Suze and I had lunch with Jerry and celebrated our
pleasure at the presidential succession.
Dinner took Suze and I to a Mexican restaurant a few blocks from the hotel.
Steve Rutter and I met in 1972, when he became my first textbook editor and
I became his first author. During my early years with textbooks, I watched
Steve rise to the position of Editor-in-Chief at Wadsworth. At that point, he
resigned to form his own company, Pine Forge Press. Over the years, Steve
has been as close to a brother as I have ever had, and we had a great dinner,
learning about Steve's experience as a home-owner in rural Maine.
The day ended with a Presidential Reception. Always punctual, Suze and I were
the first to arrive, and I think that was some relief for Judy Treas. Five years ago,
I recall wondering if anyone would show up. Like my experience, Judy was soon
awash with partygoers. (Sociologists are drawn to free booze like moths to flames.)
April 11
This morning, Roberta Lessor presented a paper at an 8:30 a.m. session.
(Our loyalty knows no bounds.)
With Roberta's session, our participation in the PSA meetings was pretty
much complete, so we took a break to visit the Balboa Park Museums.
This is supposed to be two faces of Mary Magdalene, which caught my attention
in terms of Three Roads to the Kingdom.
The facial expressions in this picture seemed odd to me.
("I never shoulda given the kid whiskey.")
April 12
Today was devoted to going home. Despite a bit of a delay
in our connecting flight at DFW, it was an uneventful and
successful day. We slept the night in our own bed.
April 16
At last, after a failed attempt to bring the family here last
Christmas and several aborted solo trips, Aaron arrived tonight
at Little Rock International only an hour and a half late. It didn't
matter. We were thrilled to have him here and we all stayed up
late (Arkansas time) talking.
April 17
During the morning, I took Aaron out to explore the Village a bit
and run some errands while Suze prepared for the Quarterly meeting
of the HSV Democratic Club. By 2:30, we were all at the Coronado
Center getting set up for the meeting.
We were both grateful for the help Aaron gave in the set-up, and
I was especially proud of the way he interacted with a hundred or so
strangers. (Some Democrats are stranger than others.) Maybe he should
consider a career in sales. <grin>
The keynote speaker was Brandon Robinson, who presented a slide show
of his experience as a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
in Colorado.
We also heard from Patrick O'Brien, who announced that he will probably be
a candidate for Secretary of State in 2010.
The third lawyer to speak was Greg Schaffer, the new chair of the Garland
County Democratic Central Committee, a group I participate in. Greg did a
good job of laying out the current activities and plans of the GCDCC, and he
invited our members to join. (some of us already do.)
The Quarterly meetings are always a lot of work for Suze and a relief when
they are over, so Aaron and I took her out to dinner afterward.
Upon reaching home, we connected with Ara and the kids via Skype. Although
we had some initial trouble getting my computer to cooperate and the ultimate
connection was a bit choppy, it was great to see, hear, and interact with the best
part of Portland.
April 18
After sleeping in a bit, we took Aaron out to visit Hot Springs, with a lunch at
Rolando's, a South American restaurant. (Aaron has now traveled more extensively
in Latin America than I have.) Our plans for walking around and sight-seeing were
somewhat truncated by a torrential downpour, so we returned home for a little
work and rest.
Suze and I had one other activity planned when Aaron found a window in which
he could visit Arkansas, but it turned out to be thoroughly delightful. Trish and Ron
Knocke invited us all to their house for cocktails, after which we drove to Tranquilo
for dinner. The evening culminated with dessert at our house, and we were able
to sit on the deck in the early evening, eating ice cream and berries.
Aaron and I closed out the evening by watching Bill Maher's Religulous. It is a
vastly interesting, often entertaining, and sometimes a little scary look at religion
around the world. I was less than thrilled by the interview with one of our senators,
Mark Pryor. Since much of the movie was about faith, I am clinging to the faith that
Mark suffered from unkind editing. Ah well.
April 19
Today, we took Aaron to Little Rock to explore the Clinton Library and other points
of interest. We began with brunch in Cafe 42. (I know, they just call it 42 now, but that seems
too cute. Clinton was the 42nd president if you count Ford and Bush the Younger.)
We finished brunch before the library officially opened, so we toured the city
a bit and visited the Museum of Art, where they were displaying the work of
budding young artists from grades 1 to 12.
Soon, we were back at the Library, waiting for the opening. Aaron took the
opportunity to call home.
Once inside, we explored the two terms of one of our finest presidents.
Above is a replica of the cabinet room.
April 20
Suze was back at work today, so Aaron and I went by to visit her at Jackson House.
After that, we had lunch at Granny's Restaurant (new to me) and took a tour of the
observatory tower I've seen in the distance since I arrived here. It was a perfect day,
and we had a great view of Hot Springs.
I especially like the way these pictures illustrate what has become my main
standard for the quality of life in an area: the ratio of trees to people. Hot Springs
and the rest of Arkansas get a high score.
Finally, it was time to drive back to Little Rock and put Aaron on his flight. At
the last minute before leaving Portland, he learned of a problem in his firm's
Nashville hotel, so he left Little Rock for Chicago, where he would wait six hours
before his connecting flight to Nashville. (I could have driven East from the airport and
been in Nashville before him.)
It's been a bit of a struggle, but we were delighted to finally bring part of the
Portland clan to our Arkansas paradise. It was a great feeling.
April 21
Tonight was the season's conclusion for the ASO Chamber Music series we attend at
the Clinton Library in Little Rock. It was an interesting evening, beginning with a wind trio
performing the works of Arnold and Dickinson, which seemed difficult for much of the
audience, although we were polite and brought the players back for a second round of
applause. The composer, Dickinson, was in the audience and was acknowledged, also.
The Brahms Piano Quartet was wonderful, well played and well received. It left the
audience with a good feeling about the evening.
Maybe I should simply surrender to the conclusion that my taste in classical
music has not escaped the 19th century and is more comfortable in the 18th.
April 25
Today was the regional Special Olympics in Bryant. Suze and I participated
last year, as she has done each year since 2005. Although "our" school, Jessieville,
was only represented by one student, Devin, we worked the awards area, mostly
cheering the winners. (Everybody wins.)
Although I did my share of cheering, I found time to take scores of photos.
Here are a few to give you a sense of the event.
This is the morning contingent from Hot Springs Village Civitan: Suze, Mickey,
Tom, Sheila, and Jim. (Suze wanted me to mention that it was windy, hence the big hair.)
That's State Senator Shane Broadway, who is a regular supporter of the
event.
I was pleased that I fielded one of the softball throws that went long, and I
was able to throw it back to the supervisor without hurting myself.
We were all proud of Devin, whom we know well from visits to the Jessieville
high school.
There is a story very popular in Special Olympics circles, usually told from a
personal experience point of view. I did not observe it myself, but I would like to
share the story with you in case you missed it.
Three young people were competing in a race. One fell down. The other two
saw what had happened, stopped, went back to help the third to his feet, and they
all crossed the finish line together.
Add this to the Susan Boyle phenomenon, and you may conclude that life-as-usual
is missing some of the points of life.
April 26
There is one thing about Arkansas (at least our corner of it) that I could do without:
the yellow-green pollen that coats everything in the Spring. Even leaving the mucous and
sneezing aside, it is disgustingly messy.
About 10 days ago, I cleaned the deck for Aaron's visit. I had to jerry-rig three hoses
from the front yard, and I could barely reach all corners of the deck. The hosing was
followed by scrubbing and sweeping until it looked reasonably good.
Here's what it looks like today:
But. . .this too shall pass.
April 29
Flew to Orange County today for the student research conference. Everything
went according to plan (which plan was that we not crash to the ground). We
checked into our hotel and were ready for dinner with Myron Yeager and Brad Smith.
As is typical of these gatherings, the food was fabulous, but the conversation
was better.
April 30
Today, we spent some time checking up on friends at Chapman, and we were
in our seats, ready for lunch, and the advertised keynote speaker.
Yes, I believe that's me. The students seemed to have been entertained and
possibly educated. My colleagues had previously heard most of it but were very
polite.
Once the luncheon keynote was over, we joined our friend Alyce Thomas,
who had arranged to have us invited to a special dinner event at the School
of Business and Economics. Shirlene Lopez was the keynote speaker after
dinner. The day after her 14th birthday, she began work at Del Taco, mostly
mopping floors after school. Thirty years later, at 44, she retired as President
of Del Taco.
Her tips for success in the workplace were excellent. I hope the students in
the audience took her comments to heart and follow through. There were no
esoteric secrets, by the way (e.g., accept new challenges, work hard, find your
passion, etc.) Suze and I had a nice conversation with her after her talk.
After Thursday's meetings of Civitan and HSV Democratic Club, we drove to Little Rock to
spend the night at the Comfort Inn beside the airport.
We got up early this morning to catch the short shuttle ride to the terminal and board our
first flight to the West. The short flight to DFW was uneventful, and we both napped a bit.
Then, the longer flight to Orange County was equally comfortable and safe, and we were
soon picking up a rental car at Enterprise. We stopped briefly at one of Suze's favorite
consignment shops in Orange County, so one of us could browse the racks while the other
one read his PDA-book in the car.
Checked into Extended Stay mid-afternoon, and we spent some time online finalizing the
logistics of meeting friends during our stay.
Tonight, we had the first of several meals with friends, the first of two with Thai cuisine.
Barney and Rupa McGrane joined us for a thoroughly delightful evening of food and conversation.
It was a wonderful beginning for the trip.
April 04
We started the day with our traditional breakfast at Watson's with Carolyn and Dave Hauk.
Suze and Carolyn were docents together at the Nixon Library.
After breakfast, Carolyn and Suze did a little shopping, while I drove Dave home.
Carolyn, Dave, and Suze are all Michigan State Spartans, and Dave had to set up
the TiVo (and refreshments?) for the NCAA semi-finals. (The Spartans won.)
(Celebrate while you can.)
Suze and I spent the afternoon re-organizing in the room, and we were off to
dinner with Roberta Lessor and Dave Snow. First, we had a walk-through of the
house they are buying.
Dave has plans for the kitchen.
We had dinner at Sage, a nice restaurant only minutes away from their new
home. I suspect Sage will become a regular hang-out for Roberta and Dave.
April 05
This being Sunday, we slept in a bit. Around noon, we wandered down to the
Orange Circle and had lunch in a Mexican restaurant.
Mid-afternoon, we visited with Bob and Rita Slayton. Bob's improvement seems
to be continuing apace, and it was great to see Rita for the first time in about a
year. After an hour or so, we had pretty much solved all the problems of the
contemporary world, as well as reminiscing about politics past.
After a couple of hours reorganizing in the room, we were off to dinner at the
home of Ron and Maryam Steiner. Ron is a Chapman colleague, previously in the
Political Science department and now in the Law School, and Maryam was a former
student of mine. Oh, and she's Ron's wife. Maryam left Iran at age 25, so she has
been one of my main sources of knowledge about that country (along with Ron, who
is very well versed in matters Persian).
Maryam prepared a great Persian dinner, which is a favorite cuisine of mine.
April 06
Today began with breakfast with some of Suze's other docent friends. I wasn't
sure how and whether I would fit in, but I was soon delighted that I went along.
They were all interesting and charming ladies, and I felt more than welcomed.
Those of you with keen eyes will recognize Carolyn Hauk at the far end of
the table, in the center of the picture.
(I notice that without rythme or reason, I took pictures at about half the
social gatherings and forgot to do so at the others.)
We connected with Chapman colleague, Pat See, around mid-morning, and
we spent the first hour or so over a cup of coffee at a sidewalk table on the
Circle, just catching up. Then we were off for some store-browsing and the second
Thai meal of the trip. (No pictures)
Once again, we spent some afternoon hours regrouping, and were ready for
dinner at a Persian restaurant with two more of Suze's friends, Cheryl and Sam
Saremi. Cheryl is in the administration at the Nixon Library (hence the connection)
and Sam grew up in Iran before coming to the US.
In case you've lost count:
Thai: 2
Persian: 2
Mexican: 1
American: 3
April 07
Our last full day in Orange was fully-packed. We began with a mutual friend from
Chapman, Eric Scandrett. We had breakfast together at The Filling Station, a cleverly
conceived restaurant (yes, it used to be a filling station) near campus. Suze and Eric
were officers in Town and Gown together, and Eric introduced Suze and me when I
was asked to speak at T&G.
Lunch took us to the Chapman library and Dean of the Library, Charlene Baldwin.
Suze and I had readings from Percy Bysshe Shelley and e. e. cummings at our
wedding, and Charlene put an additional book by each poet in the library, dedicated
to our wedding, with the appropriate bookplate inside.
We got a quick tour of the new developments in the library, which is now light-
years from the library sitting on that site when I arrived at Chapman in 1987.
Suze got to hold a solid-gold Nobel Prize, placed in the library by economics
faculty member, Vernon Smith. (They made her give it back.)
You may not be able to read it in this picture, but I am pointing to my name
on the Emeritus Faculty wall. That's Suze reflected on the right side of the photo,
taking the picture.
We had lunch at Papa Hassan's, a favorite Lebanese restaurant on the edge of
campus. I always have the same thing: lentil soup and the special (whatever it is).
I've never been disappointed. Today, all three of us had the same thing.
After lunch, Charlene took us on a short tour of some new developments on
campus: particularly the Global Citizens Plaza.
Our final day concluded with a dinner at Yen Ching with colleague, Paul Apodaca,
and his wife (and my former student), Paula. In addition to Chap-talk, we were
eager to hear about Paul's recent performance with Dave Brubeck (yes, Dave
Brubeck) at the University of the Pacific. Paul was the featured narrator for a piece
Brubeck had written around a text dealing with the Indian experience of the European
visitors who never left.
As the trip to Orange concludes, you can add:
American: 1
Lebanese: 1
Chinese: 1
April 08
Today was a transition day, as we moved from Orange County to San Diego.
After a leisurely beginning, we were gassed up and on the road south by 9:00.
Though the traffic was hideous by Arkansas standards, it was pretty good for
Southern California. Suze saved our bacon near the end. I had planned to look
for airport signs, then look for rental car returns. And I was well on the way to
the airport exit when Suze pointed out that the Enterprise map had instructions
that included getting off one exit earlier. I actually debated which to follow, but
finally decided on the instructions. We left the freeway and within about two
blocks, we were pulling into the Enterprise lot, looking over my shoulder at the
airport traffic whizzing by on an inaccessible ramp.
Enterprise called us a cab, and we were at the Westin, in our room by 11:30.
We registered for the Pacific Sociological Association meetings, spent time
with friends we bumped into, and retired to the room for some rest and re-
orientation. I also did the first week of this blog during that time.
Tonight, we had dinner with Suze's brother, Dwight, and his wife, Sandy, who
live in a San Diego suburb. Sandy has extended family connections to an Afghan
restaurant, so we added a new category to our growing list of ethnic cuisines
sampled on this trip. We had a great time catching up, and were back in the
room at a reasonable hour.
April 09
Today began with a breakfast meeting with my Wadsworth editor, Chris
Caldeira and one of her assistant editors, Erin Parkins. That's Erin at the
Wadsworth booth.
At noon, we attended a session on the sociology of religion, primarily to
hear a report by David Snow and a team of students, who did observational
studies of megachurches.
Late in the afternoon, it was time for the Presidential Address and Awards
Ceremony. Here's Suze with Judith Treas, PSA outgoing president.
Following the ceremonies, we had dinner with Ginny Mulle, a colleague from
Alaska and secretary of the PSA.
March 30th was a dark day for sociology, with the death of Carla Howery,
after fighting a particularly bad cancer for 15 years. Since many members of
PSA were good friends of Carla, we had a small memorial ceremony after
dinner. Here a recent picture of Carla, when we spent time together at the
ASA meetings in New York in 2007.
April 10
After breakfast with Suze in the hotel, I had a mid-morning meeting with
Jerry Westby (my editor at Pine Forge) and new co-author, Billy Wagner.
Following the meeting, Suze and I had lunch with Jerry and celebrated our
pleasure at the presidential succession.
Dinner took Suze and I to a Mexican restaurant a few blocks from the hotel.
Steve Rutter and I met in 1972, when he became my first textbook editor and
I became his first author. During my early years with textbooks, I watched
Steve rise to the position of Editor-in-Chief at Wadsworth. At that point, he
resigned to form his own company, Pine Forge Press. Over the years, Steve
has been as close to a brother as I have ever had, and we had a great dinner,
learning about Steve's experience as a home-owner in rural Maine.
The day ended with a Presidential Reception. Always punctual, Suze and I were
the first to arrive, and I think that was some relief for Judy Treas. Five years ago,
I recall wondering if anyone would show up. Like my experience, Judy was soon
awash with partygoers. (Sociologists are drawn to free booze like moths to flames.)
April 11
This morning, Roberta Lessor presented a paper at an 8:30 a.m. session.
(Our loyalty knows no bounds.)
With Roberta's session, our participation in the PSA meetings was pretty
much complete, so we took a break to visit the Balboa Park Museums.
This is supposed to be two faces of Mary Magdalene, which caught my attention
in terms of Three Roads to the Kingdom.
The facial expressions in this picture seemed odd to me.
("I never shoulda given the kid whiskey.")
April 12
Today was devoted to going home. Despite a bit of a delay
in our connecting flight at DFW, it was an uneventful and
successful day. We slept the night in our own bed.
April 16
At last, after a failed attempt to bring the family here last
Christmas and several aborted solo trips, Aaron arrived tonight
at Little Rock International only an hour and a half late. It didn't
matter. We were thrilled to have him here and we all stayed up
late (Arkansas time) talking.
April 17
During the morning, I took Aaron out to explore the Village a bit
and run some errands while Suze prepared for the Quarterly meeting
of the HSV Democratic Club. By 2:30, we were all at the Coronado
Center getting set up for the meeting.
We were both grateful for the help Aaron gave in the set-up, and
I was especially proud of the way he interacted with a hundred or so
strangers. (Some Democrats are stranger than others.) Maybe he should
consider a career in sales. <grin>
The keynote speaker was Brandon Robinson, who presented a slide show
of his experience as a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
in Colorado.
We also heard from Patrick O'Brien, who announced that he will probably be
a candidate for Secretary of State in 2010.
The third lawyer to speak was Greg Schaffer, the new chair of the Garland
County Democratic Central Committee, a group I participate in. Greg did a
good job of laying out the current activities and plans of the GCDCC, and he
invited our members to join. (some of us already do.)
The Quarterly meetings are always a lot of work for Suze and a relief when
they are over, so Aaron and I took her out to dinner afterward.
Upon reaching home, we connected with Ara and the kids via Skype. Although
we had some initial trouble getting my computer to cooperate and the ultimate
connection was a bit choppy, it was great to see, hear, and interact with the best
part of Portland.
April 18
After sleeping in a bit, we took Aaron out to visit Hot Springs, with a lunch at
Rolando's, a South American restaurant. (Aaron has now traveled more extensively
in Latin America than I have.) Our plans for walking around and sight-seeing were
somewhat truncated by a torrential downpour, so we returned home for a little
work and rest.
Suze and I had one other activity planned when Aaron found a window in which
he could visit Arkansas, but it turned out to be thoroughly delightful. Trish and Ron
Knocke invited us all to their house for cocktails, after which we drove to Tranquilo
for dinner. The evening culminated with dessert at our house, and we were able
to sit on the deck in the early evening, eating ice cream and berries.
Aaron and I closed out the evening by watching Bill Maher's Religulous. It is a
vastly interesting, often entertaining, and sometimes a little scary look at religion
around the world. I was less than thrilled by the interview with one of our senators,
Mark Pryor. Since much of the movie was about faith, I am clinging to the faith that
Mark suffered from unkind editing. Ah well.
April 19
Today, we took Aaron to Little Rock to explore the Clinton Library and other points
of interest. We began with brunch in Cafe 42. (I know, they just call it 42 now, but that seems
too cute. Clinton was the 42nd president if you count Ford and Bush the Younger.)
We finished brunch before the library officially opened, so we toured the city
a bit and visited the Museum of Art, where they were displaying the work of
budding young artists from grades 1 to 12.
Soon, we were back at the Library, waiting for the opening. Aaron took the
opportunity to call home.
Once inside, we explored the two terms of one of our finest presidents.
Above is a replica of the cabinet room.
April 20
Suze was back at work today, so Aaron and I went by to visit her at Jackson House.
After that, we had lunch at Granny's Restaurant (new to me) and took a tour of the
observatory tower I've seen in the distance since I arrived here. It was a perfect day,
and we had a great view of Hot Springs.
I especially like the way these pictures illustrate what has become my main
standard for the quality of life in an area: the ratio of trees to people. Hot Springs
and the rest of Arkansas get a high score.
Finally, it was time to drive back to Little Rock and put Aaron on his flight. At
the last minute before leaving Portland, he learned of a problem in his firm's
Nashville hotel, so he left Little Rock for Chicago, where he would wait six hours
before his connecting flight to Nashville. (I could have driven East from the airport and
been in Nashville before him.)
It's been a bit of a struggle, but we were delighted to finally bring part of the
Portland clan to our Arkansas paradise. It was a great feeling.
April 21
Tonight was the season's conclusion for the ASO Chamber Music series we attend at
the Clinton Library in Little Rock. It was an interesting evening, beginning with a wind trio
performing the works of Arnold and Dickinson, which seemed difficult for much of the
audience, although we were polite and brought the players back for a second round of
applause. The composer, Dickinson, was in the audience and was acknowledged, also.
The Brahms Piano Quartet was wonderful, well played and well received. It left the
audience with a good feeling about the evening.
Maybe I should simply surrender to the conclusion that my taste in classical
music has not escaped the 19th century and is more comfortable in the 18th.
April 25
Today was the regional Special Olympics in Bryant. Suze and I participated
last year, as she has done each year since 2005. Although "our" school, Jessieville,
was only represented by one student, Devin, we worked the awards area, mostly
cheering the winners. (Everybody wins.)
Although I did my share of cheering, I found time to take scores of photos.
Here are a few to give you a sense of the event.
This is the morning contingent from Hot Springs Village Civitan: Suze, Mickey,
Tom, Sheila, and Jim. (Suze wanted me to mention that it was windy, hence the big hair.)
That's State Senator Shane Broadway, who is a regular supporter of the
event.
I was pleased that I fielded one of the softball throws that went long, and I
was able to throw it back to the supervisor without hurting myself.
We were all proud of Devin, whom we know well from visits to the Jessieville
high school.
There is a story very popular in Special Olympics circles, usually told from a
personal experience point of view. I did not observe it myself, but I would like to
share the story with you in case you missed it.
Three young people were competing in a race. One fell down. The other two
saw what had happened, stopped, went back to help the third to his feet, and they
all crossed the finish line together.
Add this to the Susan Boyle phenomenon, and you may conclude that life-as-usual
is missing some of the points of life.
April 26
There is one thing about Arkansas (at least our corner of it) that I could do without:
the yellow-green pollen that coats everything in the Spring. Even leaving the mucous and
sneezing aside, it is disgustingly messy.
About 10 days ago, I cleaned the deck for Aaron's visit. I had to jerry-rig three hoses
from the front yard, and I could barely reach all corners of the deck. The hosing was
followed by scrubbing and sweeping until it looked reasonably good.
Here's what it looks like today:
But. . .this too shall pass.
April 29
Flew to Orange County today for the student research conference. Everything
went according to plan (which plan was that we not crash to the ground). We
checked into our hotel and were ready for dinner with Myron Yeager and Brad Smith.
As is typical of these gatherings, the food was fabulous, but the conversation
was better.
April 30
Today, we spent some time checking up on friends at Chapman, and we were
in our seats, ready for lunch, and the advertised keynote speaker.
Yes, I believe that's me. The students seemed to have been entertained and
possibly educated. My colleagues had previously heard most of it but were very
polite.
Once the luncheon keynote was over, we joined our friend Alyce Thomas,
who had arranged to have us invited to a special dinner event at the School
of Business and Economics. Shirlene Lopez was the keynote speaker after
dinner. The day after her 14th birthday, she began work at Del Taco, mostly
mopping floors after school. Thirty years later, at 44, she retired as President
of Del Taco.
Her tips for success in the workplace were excellent. I hope the students in
the audience took her comments to heart and follow through. There were no
esoteric secrets, by the way (e.g., accept new challenges, work hard, find your
passion, etc.) Suze and I had a nice conversation with her after her talk.