Wandering Wahls

A rite of summer in the US – summer camps, right (sorry, I couldn’t pass that up)? Last summer we didn’t take part in these. After spending two summers traveling in the RV, where summer camps were Ranger talks at the National Parks or teaching the kids how to dump the black waste, we were new to getting our kids in camps. We hadn’t learned the trick of registering in time – kids’ Missoula Theatre at the Academy: full, soccer camp: full, YMCA: booked. No matter, we ended up having a great time doing family outings (seems like such an old fashioned notion).

This summer though we got on the ball. We started with summer school for Joe so he could get an elective out of the way. Then, Anna and Sam like track and cross-country, so we found a camp for them. Finally, Joe thought he’d like to learn how to play golf, so he got into a series of lessons.

These events were an interesting peek into the world of youth sports though. Jonathon Dron at the Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Course taught Joe golf. Great guy and teacher, I’m very impressed. But I had to adjust some old notions on learning a sport. I grew up learning golf on municipal courses and with old, unforgiving clubs. But these clubs forced me to learn the right swing (through many frustrating moments). So, I was a little cynical with Joe using clubs designed to make bad shots good (the golfing equivalent of bowling bumpers): how does he learn the correct swing? My youthful shots into the parking lot and the sound of breaking glass told me that something was wrong with my swing (and that it was a good time to hide in, I mean, use the restroom). How will Joe ever learn without these indicators?

Jonathon had a good point though – the kids should have fun learning the sport, which these clubs help him to do. Joe can master the game later if he decides it’s for him. Okay, lesson learned – and without having to call my insurance company.

On the other hand, the track & field camp. Here, everyone is a winner, everybody is “just great” at the finish line, every finisher gets a high-five (one coach, with her hand high in the air, chased down a kid after his last-place finish in the 100 to make sure he got a high-five like everybody else, I kept expecting her to yell “Heil Hitler” – anyway, the kid’s face seemed to show that he understood the meaning of “patronization”).

I kept thinking of Robert De Niro in “Meet the Fockers” observing Ben Stiller’s childhood awards, “I didn’t know they made ribbons for 8th place.”

I know these coaches are well meaning and hard effort should be acknowledged – but overused sugary, patronizing accolades for every participant are a bit much. It takes away from honest assessment. I’m afraid this generation will grow up expecting nothing short of grand accolades, even for substandard efforts (“You forgot the deadline and lost the client, but great job Bobby – high five!”)

Plus, these kids know when they’ve done poorly – I learned this from my daughter’s look when I told her “good mile” for a time that was a minute off of her best. Ouch. I was just trying to be nice.

I guess at 50 I’m becoming (among other things) a curmudgeon. Please be patient with me though as I adjust – our other summers have been overseas, and German coaches treat their kids a little differently (plus, they don’t run around with one hand in the air).

Thanks for reading. Any thoughts on youth sports compared to when you were a kid?

One of the benefits of military life is making a lot of lifelong friends. One of the benefits of military life overseas is making lifelong friends from other countries and cultures. Not only are these friends considered good friends for the obvious reasons (they’re fun, nice, considerate, good cooks, pick up restaurant bills, etc.), their friendship gives one the benefit of having a free place to stay when you visit their country; or, when you send your kid overseas for a school term. On the flip side, it is fantastic fun to host those foreign friends and show them our country. We just had that experience.

The Altheers, our German neighbors from Bann (outside of Landsuhl), came to the states to take a 3-week tour of the US, pretty much in Colorado and Utah. We were neighbors, friends, and our kids went to the same school in Bann. Our son Joe and their youngest, Cristoph, used to sit in a tree for a couple of hours discussing whatever 10 year-olds discuss (I imagine world related issues such as: “What if Voldemort fought Darth Vadar, who would win?”)

They stopped by our place as part of their trip in order to see the area and us. It was a blast to see them. They brought us a board game called Catan as well as umpteen varieties of German made Gummi Bears (Vampires, cola bottles, juice-filled, etc. – made with actual sugar, not the high fructose corn syrup found in U.S. Gummi Bears). They would have brought Kinder Eggs, but the US won’t allow those. You can add Kinder Eggs to the metric system and the Celsius temperature scale as areas where the US stubbornly and illogically separates itself from the rest of the world (you could consider healthcare as well, but lets not got there).

In return, we showed them America and Americana at its best.

From meeting foreign tourists during our 18 month RV trip (they are the ones driving those rental RVs from Del Monte and RV America that you see on the roads – they see more of the US than most Americans), we’ve learned that the natural beauty of America is what makes our country truly unique. All countries have big cities (and, honestly, the ones overseas are more fun to visit than ours), but most countries don’t have a national park system like we do. Plus, our historical sites have always interested the foreign visitors we’ve talked to – from civil war sites to the “old west” and Indian Wars.

So, we spent time showing off the bountiful beauty of Colorado Springs and the surrounding area. We spent one day starting 100 feet below the earth and ending 14,000 feet above (we went down the Molly Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek and then took the cogwheel train to the top of Pikes Peak). We also hiked in Garden of the Gods where they were astonished as we climbed among the red rocks.

The above were all things our friends read about as some of the top sites to see in the US, so it was fun to help them check off some “bucket list” items.

Next up was the Americana part of the tour. We took our friends to the local 4th of July parade and fireworks show. The fireworks display was at the US Air Force Academy football stadium, so that made this event extra special and extra Americana.

We also went to a minor league baseball game. This was really interesting – for about 5 innings. At least they got to experience a baseball game (sorry to sound un-American, but I don’t buy the argument that soccer is more boring than baseball).

As for the most important piece of Americana – food – we introduced them to Dominos pizza, spicy chili, root beer, homemade ice cream pie, and BBQ ribs with homemade sauce (they even took the sauce recipe home).

Now, for all I know, they could be tossing the recipe out the car window and flooring it to the next stop, but I think not. America has a lot of great and unique things that are hikeable, edible, and enjoyable – and it was a kick to show them off to friends who were excited to enjoy our country so much.

So tell me, if you have foreign visitors, what will you consider doing with them?

What a great July 4th we had!

This was our 3rd Independence Day celebration being back in the USA after I retired from the Air Force from my assignment at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany (obviously my husband, the spousal half of the family, took a break from writing today).

Since retirement, July 4th has been a little more special for me.  I feel an enormous sense of pride in hearing patriotic songs and seeing those glorious fireworks.  I notice more and more people decked out in red, white, and blue, and many more American flags hanging.  I can especially feel that “home town” warmth, and community bond here in Monument, Colorado.

Our 4th began with a parade in our new hometown.  Monument’s parade has been rated “Best small town parade in America”.  There were no spectacular floats or star celebrities. Instead, there were school kids proudly wearing their school and team colors.  There was the local mayor and his wife, waving from a regular car.  There were clubs, teams, and churches—each representing the heart of America.  And most importantly, there were military folks.  There were active duty from all branches, family members, and countless veterans.  They were given standing ovations from parade-watchers as they marched by, or rode by on military Humvees.

My heart swelled—I don’t know if it was pride that I had served along these brave men and women, or empathy for the challenges and sacrifices that they make or have made during their military service.  Whatever it was, it was clear that I was not alone in my feelings. There were cheers, tears, and shouts of “thank you” coming from the crowd.

We ended the 4th with a terrific festival at the US Air Force Academy.  The football stadium was packed with military members, cadets, and local civilians—all coming for the free show of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and the US Air Force Academy band.  The evening culminated with spectacular fireworks.  We are hosting some German friends this week.  They were very impressed, and I was proud to share with them how America celebrates her birthday!  The only disappointment of the day was the “stau” (German for traffic jam) getting out of the parking lot! But they saw a good trio of Americana – a parade, fireworks, and a good old American “stau.”

The call of military Fam Camps and our National Parks, and the longing for being on the road was too much. We couldn’t resist the urge. We bought an RV to replace our old one. Of course, this one is 12 feet shorter, does not have bunk beds, and doesn’t have a washer and dryer. It’s also 5-years old and a heck of a lot cheaper than our old Newmar Wahlstar. But, it’s perfect for long weekend and holiday trips.

We bought a Four Winds Class C RV. For awhile we’d been looking for used Class C’s – we’d seen a lot but nothing that seemed good (maybe it was the smarmy salesmen). We ended up going to our friends at Steinbring Motorcoach in Garfield, MN because we knew we could trust them. Joe and I flew up over Spring Break to make the delivery back to Monument.

The weather was supposed to be bad along our route through South Dakota and Nebraska (in the middle of March, go figure), so we planned to drive straight back. However, the weather changed for the better, so we headed for Custer State Park in, where else, Custer, SD. I feel bad for skipping possible visits with relatives in SD, but we couldn’t pass up the chance to break in the RV at one of our favorites parks. The only bad thing was that the Purple Pie Place was closed for the season – very sad.

After Custer, we went to Chimney Rock National Historic Site in Nebraska so that we could hike to and climb the rock just like the pioneers along the Oregon Trail (this was the midpoint along the trail).

It felt good to be driving an RV again, and we’re looking forward to RVing to the Tetons this summer. Our old RV was Newmar’s Allstar model, which we renamed as the Wahlstar. We’re thinking of names for the Four Winds, such as Four Wahls Plus 1. But we need your help – any thoughts on what to christen the Four Winds into being the Wahl’s new RV?

We are an odd family. Here we are in our “late” forties (I won’t say which male has the big 5-0 coming up), with tweens and teens, and we have only been homeowners for a year. During our 22 years of Air Force service we rented off base or lived on base. Each assignment we contemplated buying a home, but our timing and the market were never in sync.

I’ll admit, during our tours I got tired of white walls and never being able to make home improvements without the rare approval of some frugal landlords (or, with on base housing, worrying that we may have to bring the house back to the old form if there are no new tenants to approve the changes: we were once required to uninstall a garage door opener and automatic sprinkler system – go figure).

On the positive side though, our plumbing issues were taken care of, and moving out only entailed a thorough cleaning to get our security deposit back. Most weekends we locked up the house and took off on adventures, experiencing cultures in Asia and Europe. We really were carefree.

Now that we are homeowners, I’m realizing those rental days were not so bad after all. In the 8 months we have owned the house, we have steadily scraped wallpaper and painted 8 rooms, replaced carpet, modified the kitchen, added an outdoor pergola, refinished the deck, and replaced 14 windows that were whistling Dixie on windy days.

Although we love our home, our enthusiasm to continue home improvements is slowly dwindling with our checking account. I’m hoping this spring we will finalize the high priority jobs, and get back to our love of locking up the house and taking off on an adventure or two. We need to explore beautiful Colorado!

I’ve written about Joe’s essay “What Freedom Means To Me.” The impetus behind the essay was the Sertoma Club. Their mission is hearing health. However, since the 1950s they have held an essay contest nationwide for 8th graders on “freedom.” Here in Colorado Springs, the Pikes Peak Sertoma Club offered this contest to local schools.

When I posted Joe’s essay, Joe had won first place at his school, but the regional Colorado Springs area winner hadn’t yet been chosen. So, rather than keep all of my readers in suspense, I thought I’d bring both of you up to date on Sertoma’s contest.

Last week, Sertoma held a banquet for the area winners, their parents, and their English teachers (the kids’ teachers, not the parents’). We were treated to a great dinner and an inspiring keynote speech by the head of the Department of Humanities at the Air Force Academy.

Then the 14 local winners, all in coat & tie or dresses (the girls wore the dresses), were called up front to sit and face the 70+ audience members. While they were sitting, wondering what to do as everyone stared at them (thank goodness no one spilled food on their clothes), the top three winners were announced with each winner being called up to the podium to read their speech.

The audience was not aware of who would win, so this was pretty exciting for everyone. I didn’t know what “hoping” strategy to employ: should I hope for Joe to be called early and be sure of something, or hold out for 1st, or nothing. It was nerve wracking to hear the third place winner called, then the second place winner, and still see Joe seated.

MC and I looked at each other thinking: could Joe be next?! The 2nd and 3rd place winners were both heading to a local Catholic high school, St. Mary’s, which Joe is also attending. This made me wonder if that was a sign – could the top 3 all be going to the same high school?

Then, yes you guessed it (why else would I be writing on this topic?) – Joe’s name was called (and St. Mary’s scored the trifecta).

It was such a rush to hear his name, listen to his essay, and see him get a standing ovation. MC had to pull me down from the ceiling. I told him later that he can add a standing ovation to the list of things he’s experienced at an age before I have (actually, I’m still waiting for that standing ovation). And he nailed the reading. (I write that modestly.)

To end though, there were two special parts. First was the presentation of the colors. We had 2 Army, 1 Marine, and 1 Air Force as the color guard. I love seeing our flag presented in almost complete silence with the only sounds being the steps in unison and the whispered orders. Even in a hotel banquet room, this presentation is more inspirational than a pop star mangling the lyrics to our National Anthem. With so many military talents presenting our colors, why does the NFL even need to sign up a pop star (who probably makes more for 4 minutes of singing than most of our enlisted members make in a year).

Second though, was the make-up of the judges who broke the three-way tie for first. One was on board the Lexington at the Battle of Coral Sea and was blown into the water when the ship exploded. Another judge was at Pearl Harbor and on board a ship that was bombed. Knowing that these gentlemen thought Joe’s essay was tops made his award even more memorable.

I finally got around to putting my new calendar in my planner. As I removed the pages from 2010, I read some of my notes squeezed in the one inch spaces – arriving in Colorado Springs, appointments with the Realtor, house hunting, school activities, dinner menus. For some reason, I can’t throw them away.

When we were on our yearlong RV adventure, we made the kids keep a daily journal. What a treasure they now have preserving their own perspectives of this journey. I am embarrassed to say that I tried to keep a journal several times, but failed. What I did end up doing was taking copious “notes” in my daily planner. Most of these were home school schedules and assignments, but I added in where we were, what we did, and what yummy crock-pot dinner was waiting for us after a day of sightseeing. This turned out to be a precious keepsake.

So I’ll continue these planner notes, as a casual way of documenting my daily life. Likely no one else will read them, but for me it’s a nice way of looking back and reflecting on the past year.

One reason we chose Colorado as our retirement state, was because of the abundance of gorgeous evergreens here. The pines and firs are truly breathtaking with the backdrop of snow capped mountains and blue sky. So this year we thought it would be fitting to go in to the forest and cut down our own tree. Our new living room can easily accommodate a 12-foot tree.

We purchased our $10.00 permit, and headed up to Pike National Forest last Sunday. We were loaded with kids, dog, hot chocolate, and snacks. We even sung Christmas carols along the way—it was a perfect day. We had a small map of where we were allowed to cut, and we followed the rules.

We parked the car, and began leisurely walking in to the forest (no trails or markings could be seen). My husband, Tom, is a person who loves to go “off the beaten path” and he was sure we’d find the perfect tree if we went where others hadn’t been. Our first mishap came when I let the dog off the leash. He immediately ran in large circles, tromping in and eating snow. Then, no sign of him. We all called and whistled, still no dog. After only a few minutes I had one kid mad at me for letting him off the leash, one kid crying worried he’d never see his dog again, and a husband still walking further from the car looking for the perfect tree. But then there they were – the dog and the perfect tree!

We cut down the tree, and started the walk back to the car, dragging this 12-foot (sharp needled) Blue Spruce with us. Joe, the Boy Scout, insisted that we were going the wrong way. Tom felt sure that we in the right direction. (The taller one at the head of the tree led the way.) We followed along, anxious to get to our hot chocolate and snacks waiting for us in the car.

About an hour later, we all accepted that we were lost. I tried to stay calm, not wanting to worry the younger ones. I started asking Joe about the show he likes to watch—“Man vs Wild”, and wondered if we’d really have to eat bugs, and who did I tell that we were going in to the forest today? Tom went off alone, and returned with the good news that there was a road up ahead. (Not our road, but any road would do.) We eventually made it to the car, and had “warm chocolate” as Tom secured our spruce.

Our kids love the outdoors and have visited over 60 National Parks. But on the way home, Sam (age 9) said, “Next year, why don’t we just go to Wal-Mart for the tree!”

We had our first official stateside Halloween in a home that didn’t have wheels. But guess what, because the houses around us are on 5 acres and semi rural, there’s no trick or treating around here. But, Providence prevailed – good friends living on the base at the AF Academy invited us down to join them for base housing trick or treating (the base had trick or treating on Friday, so our family spend actual Halloween night eating candy and watching “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”).

As I walked with the kids, some thoughts occurred to me. First, it is appropriate that the elections coincided with Halloween, because the two have a lot in common. Just as trick or treaters approach in disguise asking adults for handouts, so do politicians. But, instead of “trick or teat” they say “vote for me” and after they get their handout we get to see the real person behind the campaign disguise.

The other thing that occurred to me was that trick or treating has changed. Parents are driving their kids around for goodness sakes! We’d approach a house and a car pulls up to let darling little Bobby out to run to the door. I’ve never seen so many idling mini-vans and SUVs sitting curbside.

There also seemed to be a few T-or-Ters (not to be confused with Tea Partiers who were also out, see the second paragraph) whose eligibility to collect treats was very questionable. So I thought of a few eligibility rules for future trick or treating:

• If you can’t say the phrase “Trick or Treat” from the stroller: Ineligible.

• If you come to the door from mom & dad’s car: Partial ineligibility (only one piece of candy – if you’re not walking off the calories we must be careful).

• If you’re a teen who hasn’t dressed up: Ineligible – that isn’t trick or treating, it’s begging.

• If you’re old enough to be on the pill: Ineligible.

I probably won’t adhere to that though because I don’t want my house to become eligible for eggings.

One of the best parts of our RV trip was meeting or corresponding with other military families who realized they could do a full time RV trip like us. We came in touch with a lot of nice people. One person even looked us up here in Colorado when he was TDY to Colorado Springs. He and his family are taking a trip when he retires this year from the Coast Guard. We talked about places to see, where to camp, what to pack, etc. It was nostalgic to hear his enthusiasm and think back on the fun we had on the journey.

Then, this past weekend, our nostalgia really perked up – the Warners, who took the RV-trip-around-the-states torch from us, and bought almost the same RV coach, visited. We’d look out the front door and see their Newmar Allstar sitting in our front yard with the same colors and design. Then we would sit and talk about places we’ve both been to as well as places they stopped at based on our advice. I was ready to hop in their RV and hit the road with them.

We met John and Donna when we were traveling through DC a year ago in July. They found our MOAA blog and emailed us for advice, especially since they were in the process of ordering the same model RV we had. We were sitting in the FamCamp at Andrews AFB so we decided to call them.

The Warners lived in Virginia Beach and, with less than a days notice, invited us down for the weekend to do some water skiing. We had a great time on the water, as well as going over their RV options and how to keep the kids interested in the trip (they are traveling with their three youngest children).

Their trip has had a few more adventures than ours did. One night, they had to be towed out of a ditch they got stuck in trying to turn into a gas station for some coffee. And, they had a fire in their RV that delayed them for a few days in California. But through it all, they see the positives of the trip and how much their kids are learning by seeing the states and meeting so many people. It was fun just to hear their enthusiasm and positive attitude toward life and the adventures they’re led to.