The Forgotten Wilbur Smith

I have three books on loan from a South African commercial pilot living in Denmark.

Because I have the tendency to forget, I have learned to compensate with curiosity. I make do with whatever is at hand, inspect and pose it with some interest to what’s between my ears. It also gives me a window I would otherwise be too occupied to use.

With plenty of time to spare this morning, coffee and pastry in hand(my spoonful of sugar to swallow the train so to speak), I sadly stood at the track and watched the clock, black armed, pushing fat minutes into blocks of fives and tens- minutes I could have been in Africa. I could have been in Canada or wherever with my caffeine comfort observing Sean Courtney, had I remembered my book. I’m told by Chris, who was raised in South Africa, the level of detail and accuracy Smith writes with in all of his novels, winning respect and interest before I even turn a page. And after turning a few it gives me a feeling of solid ground. So solid I could kick up the dust with my own feet.

I see Chris reading these books with flashbacks, the smell of heat and nostalgia of his own childhood.

Subi 10 weeks

So we have 7 days under our belt and the routine is starting to take shape. I have to say I'm impressed with this little personality. She is a sturdy puppy and hardly seems effected by being corrected. Some pups act as though you've killed them, but no, not our Subi. She could care less really most of the time. Besides taking correction pretty well, she actually learns and listens. She's doing it all pretty fast.

Potty training is nearly there (note to self, repeat 90 times).

She sits on command, though to be fair she prefers sitting calmly and watching you so that one was easy.

Dæk (danish for lie down, kinda like "hit the deck")- she's done a few successful repetitions of this one without many clues. Repeat 30-90 times.

Come- she doesn't focus when there are other dogs around but she is pretty good at stopping whatever she is doing and coming back to get a good ol pat on the head.

Not bad for one week. Jeez she is growing fast too.

Time flies like an arrow, Fruit flies like bananas

It's been a long time since I my last entry. Loads has happened.
In february Hubs and I took a 3 week trip to Australia to visit his sister and niece. We saw the great outback, kangaroos, wild boars, koalas, joeys and even had a up-close encounter helping an echidna cross the road (I'm sure there is a aussie joke out there somewhere about that). So many wonderful things I can say about the south side of the equator. I still have batches of photos to process and will get them up here eventually.

At the end of May, we surprised my dad with a visit for his 60th birthday. Only my partners in crime, Aunt Kendra and Uncle Jack were in on that and the outcome was the best (good) shock I think my dad has had in decades. I'm proud to have such a wonderful husband to support me and my connection with family back home. It was his idea in the first place and he made sure it happened despite my protests of practicality. We stayed 10 days and took a small trip to Eureka Springs Arkansas. Beautiful. Deege will hate motocycles for a long time :-)

In July we returned to Kansas City for 3 weeks for our full summer vacation and spent a week in Colorado and a few lost hours in Wyoming. Took the Nephews, Jason (5) and Noe (10) on their first real camping trip. Real in that they were in genuine wilderness, with real live animals which prevent you from being the top of the food chain, in a minimal shelter, no public facilities or even water to be found. We needed to bring our own water with us.
I think despite the normal tantrums and behaviour acts, they enjoyed it. A shock for Hubs and I as we don't have contact with children of any age back in Denmark. One evening/early morning a bear came into camp and was sniffing around the kids tent (the only unarmed shelter) .

He didn't cause any trouble and left on his own as the food was locked in a car a few yards off. I have to be honest, there were a few tantrums the kiddies threw that led us adults to ponder the peace we might have had were the bear not so picky that night.

hehe.

And tomorrow, at 12:00 we start a new endeavor. We will be picking up our new puppy, Subi, down in south sjælland and taking her into our hearts and lives. Companionship is a huge motivator for anyone part of the human race. I think we have been needing more family near us, and this will be our training wheels for future additions.

I look forward to new experiences, new situations, new friendships and perhaps even a more fit (physically and mentally) Me.

She is just what we were looking for. A 50/50 mix between a Bernese Mountain dog and a Border Collie.

Our New puppy, Subi- 9 weeks

SnowDog

Went up north for the weekend. 3 bridges and 3 hours later we arrive in Århus for our

Valentine's

Day treat of spending a few hours in Den Gammel By (The old city). The main purpose of course besides the photography was to obtain our favorite honey-heart cookies that are baked (we hope) fresh from the old time bakery they have there. They can be many sizes, but our favorite ones are about the size of our hand and they all come with pictures of angels pressed into the chocolate coating on top.

The next morning we woke to a white landscape across the land and lake.. it snowed all day and was perfect perfect perfect for building with snow. I could not help myself and decided to have at it as the temperature could

change and close the window for fun. I began with the traditional balls of snow for bulk and ended up with a mass slightly shorter than my 5ft. 3. Hand sanding and carving from there ended up with a rough shape of a dog and I gave up the rest when friends came over for coffee and a chat. the results are still nice though I think you can see that I will be going to Australia soon.

Dog?

or kangaroo? You choose. :-)

F-F-February at 56°00 'N

The countdown begins.

The worst of the winter months has arrived in Denmark. Although we have already had 3 months of grey, cold weather, this month is the final test. The coldest, greyest, wetest, most depressing and least loved- as well as the shortest (with good reason). Winter blues are hitting hard and as the country is abraded by ice and wind and dark, Hubs and I are taking 3 weeks in Australia. It is exotic, it is warm, it is dangerous and there will be adventure this winter. The sunlight will dislodge the dustbunnies of gloom from our brains make them sparkle with joy. Woohoo, Yipee, La-la-la-la- SNAKE! Hehe, Haha, yeehaa- SHARK!

Okay, cautious joy then.

Until you have lived with long dark winters (Alaska, you hear me) you have every reason to scoff at this mamby pamby mood "disorder". Those of us that have, however, mutually scoff at those that have such a dismisal of the effect of one's environment. And just one winter doesnt count Im afraid. Surviving it once is almost unnoticeable. Having 13 of these cycles under my belt weighs a ton and makes my knees buckle and boy I'm ready to travel light. har har

Lets see how the packing goes.. and the 24 hour flight. :-P

Time flux

Daylight savings is a farse! Complete Flummery!

Today is confusing as I feel every year is around this time. You keep an eye out for the time change, cursing all the while that it is unnecessary to reset your clocks- does it matter if it's by 5 hours or by one? Every year I forget. EVERY year. Some years I'm caught, some not. This time I've been talking to mom over Skype, and for some reason, at least in the U.S. of wacko .A they don't set their clocks back until November.. completely arbitrary. Why. Not that any answer would justify an alteration to the already obsolete, it just ticks me off.

Last night the digital devices decided, well, half of them really, that it was daylight savings time once again. The clocks auto switched by one hour but because of the previous conversation with mom there was great doubt of which clocks were correct. I checked the tv station clock and called it correct.


Like vampires (which is what I was watching before bed last night) Hubs and I awake, dress and leave for work.. noticing something was not quite right as there was too much light! The car clock, train station were saying one thing and the mobile phones and tv were objecting, insisting doubt.

The clock on the front of the train station said 8:50 but I caught the 7:50 train to Odense.. And yes, the computer also says I am on normal time.. I give up. Days like this you just have to ignore. Everyone should renounce being on time for 24 hours. I pity the airports, and I have very little love for them.

Morning landscape in lovely light, blaring through the windows and blinding me with after images of black dots. Down into the tunnel and out the other side, flanked by ocean 10 meters away to the right and a few car lanes on the left. The yellow sun always has a dramatic effect on the blue ocean. Cloudy on this side, hazy and grey. So purple near the horizon where cold rain surely falls and covers a distant island..

Ah the metallic burning smell of brakes.

My Dad

Kirk Madison Hale

Born 1949
First of 11 children (5 brothers, 5 sisters)
His siblings are(in order of appearance): Kirk Madison, Jack, Christopher, George, Joel Craig, Jeanine Marcel, Robin Renee, Vivian Lovelace, Holly Sancerae, Courtessa Ann, and Mathew.

My dad is difficult to write about. It's like reading a historical mystery novel. He is a character that the reader leans in to watch, and watching provokes reaction, and reaction...leads..well it just always leads to something, usually trouble. There is mystery, drama, action, suspense and great dialogue. He gets bored and likes to mess with people.. wake 'em up so to speak. :-) That and he likes to blow things up.
I think Dad is basically neo-traditional. I see him as stoic, intelligent, clever, resourceful, practical, observative- house chores are for women. He doesn't think women should be heard doing anything so unlady-like as burping but it's okay to gun them down in paintball. Go figure. He's cool, loves his Guinness and Irish folk music, builds civil war cannons and is a leading member in the Landis Artillery Battery C.S.A. , a civil war reenactment group. He maintains the cannons and produces the rounds of ammunition, building everything from scratch including smithing his own fittings. This is his greatest and most recent past time obsession. I have to say, he's good at it. Damn good.
He went to Vietnam when he was 18. He worked at the downtown airport as an air traffic controller until his recent retirement. He is also a pilot. A great sport and up for a bit O' challenge and danger. He taught me and my brothers to technical climb from a young age. I think I was 8. Lots of camping trips, lemon heads and liquorice while hiking in the mountains of Colorado. Loved it, want more, am proud to have survived :-).

I Love my Dad. He makes me think and helps me build things.

He can make anything. My childhood was bathed in calamine lotion and healing creams from the fun we had making and testing various rides dad built for us in the back yard (a popular hotbed for poison ivy). We had a zip line, a hand welded sit and push merry-go-round, a tree house and jungle gym. Mini-bikes and Go-carts, hair spray driven tennis ball cannons and paintball kits. So cool- 25 cents for donation to the huge CO2 tank dad bought to refill the air cartridges for our paint guns. He had BOXES of different paint ball rounds manufactured from different places so we could test ourselves which were most accurate. Clever and fun :-)
Here we are (Mom is taking the picture), at Crestview park, the favorite place to test mini bikes, go-carts and model planes. It is the elementary school dad and siblings went to when they were little, and only a short walk from Grandma Hale's.

Dad helped me construct many an art project and encouraged me not to let difficulties detour me from taking on a huge project. Admittedly some got the best of me and lie, to date, unfinished. We all have our weaknesses.

I was never good with the machines either. I'm too aware of my mortality, i.e. nervous. I wanted to be otherwise, seeing the brothers excel with motor vehicles and mechanics but that's how it goes. I wanted to live and keep all my fingers and toes. He could wire electronics, woodwork, explosives, metalwork, build a car, build a house if he wanted. The pitfall to his talent is stubbornness. If he doesn't feel like working on it that day, no matter the urgency, forget it. It's on the list of retirement rules ;-). Requests are taken seemingly at random, much to mothers frustration.
So I present to you, if only the tip of the iceberg, My Dad. My Pops.
Love ya Dad. :-) XOXOXO

My Mom

Jo-Ann Cecilia Hale
Born 1950, second of 5 children. Her siblings are(in order of appearance- i think): Paulette, (Jo-Anne), James, Alby and Lewis.

She is an amazing teacher

bettered only by also being an amazing mom. I love my mom. I could go on for hours about her. I am so proud to to have grown up under her eyes.

She teaches children with learning disabilities and behaviour disorders. She works with a very ethnic group of kids, a wide range of physical and mental challenges that keeps her planning up

to 9 separate lesson plans that she pulls from her huge and ever growing library to cater to these children. She loves teaching. It's the B.S and P.R. that drains her.

She is a great person to learn from, taking me and my brothers to the museums, parks and natural conservation centers when we were growing up. I really could go on for hours. ;-)

So mom is an artist too. Surprise. She majored in Fine Art. Is great in charcoal and acrylic, pencil and oil painting.

Sewing!

I had a life size (5 yr. old) Raggedy Ann doll that was awesome. So awesome I never let her finish the hair. That was the coolest doll.

You should know that my mom is a great sport. She has a good sense of humor and likes to dance, talk and laugh. She is however, a bit quiet on the surface. I love you mom. Don't disown me.

She took ballet for 8 years.

She is a petite woman.

Her father was half French.

She makes lace by hand, canes chairs, weaves baskets, spins her own wool and has too little time for herself.

She loves her children.

I can't wait to see you mom. XOXOXO

Loves

The Church. Take two.

One Sunday, recently, (well, more like, November 17th) we drove up to Silkeborg to visit Søren's mom Dorthe and his best friends Helle and Muhammad who have connections to, seemingly, the entire town and to run a few errands.

This time we got into the church! We were so hungry for photos we went twice. I had to get some inspiring video of the interior as I wanted to share it with y'all that can't be in Denmark for that day.

It was perfect timing that we stepped into the church as the organ player was warming up for a confirmation class. It was early in the day so the light was very balanced- both warm from electric light and brightened from the natural light coming in through the small windows. It was so lovely and personal. It took me by surprise though that the "runway" is an L shape rather than a straight shot. A shorter walk for sure. Dum dum da dum -*hang a ralf!

I could tell that Deege was getting excited (maybe it was anxiety I detected- hard to tell in this situation). He pointed his camera at just about everything in there and when he was satisfied with what he got, he walked up to the spot we would be standing in the not so distant future and turned back to me with a nervous smile. He waited there until I understood he wanted me to join him on The Spot. We stood side by side with our arm around each other and peered over our shoulder at the invisible crowd. It didn't seem so bad. Though I'm sure it will be different on the day when we can see everyone's faces, up close and personal.

It was an enjoyable visit. I think it was the calmest part of our day being in there. See how it looked on that grey day in November. Imagine how beautiful it will be in the beginning of summer!

Hugs and Love from Denmark XOXOXO

*"Hang a Ralf" means to take a right turn. "Hang a Louie" means take a left turn.

Mom In-law

Dorthe Dalgaard Johansen was born 14 September 1941.

She worked as a translator in English, French and German for BP Gas.

This is my new Mom-in law. She is a wonderful, intelligent and kind woman that I am thrilled to be related to. She has a quiet gracefulness in her that lends to her charm and openness. She welcomed me into her home long before Søren and I were involved. Always making the rooms a little warmer when I visit, a pot of coffee to talk over and news about the landscape. Deer eating the flowers is a sign of summer; When the heather is finished blooming, Fall has arrived.

Dorthe lives at Thorsø where her father built the first part of the house, then used as a summer home, from salvaged materials after WWII; Everything from floorboards to the nails in the walls. The summer home stayed in the family after his passing and an addition to the house was built on in 1990, when the family decided to move into the expanded summer home as their residence year round. The property goes right to the lake and has a beautiful view from the back porch where summer breakfasts are held. It is where Søren and I want to hold our reception. It is a

very special place to me though I have such a short history with it. Dorthe is in her element at this beautiful place in the world...

AND She just so happens to the best petanque player around them parts.

She has won the annual championships 4 times in the last 7 years and she is running out of wall space ;-). The summertime brings a great number of her friends back into town and the nights are filled with games and wine and laughter for months.