The Robinsons

We want to wish you good luck on your trumpet solo. We think it's exciting!! We just wish we could be there to hear it. What will you play? Who will be there? Is it a school concert? Are you playing on stage? Please let us know. We love you!!

January 30, 2006 I can’t believe January is almost gone. Usually I like to see the winter months fly by, but not this year. I have really enjoyed Vero Beach. I was thinking about that as I was driving around today looking for stuff to organize our computer cabinet and to get groceries. I feel like I know my way around quite well and feel at home here in just a short time. I’m sad to leave Thursday, but I think the west coast has a lot to offer and I am told that Hope Children’s Home is a nice place to work. SOWERS are great wherever you meet them, so I can look forward to making more new friends, too. I wanted to get our rig washed today, but ended up doing plumbing. Actually I just helped so it wasn’t torturous. The connection valve right outside our door sprung a leak. I noticed a puddle of water on the ground and couldn’t figure out why. So I went to find Bill who is the go to guy around here. We ended up digging down to find the connection and after a while got it fixed, but then n...

4 jobs you've had: 1. watching kids 2. going to school 3. dancing 4. playing trumpet 4 movies you could watch over and over 1. princess bride 2. ever after 3. sound of music 4. swiss family robinson 4 places you've lived 1. ithaca 2. florida 3. potsdam 4. ithaca 4 places you've been on vacation 1. florida 2. long island 3. rollins pond 4. disney world 4 favorite foods 1. quiche 2. david aires pancakes 3. pie 4. pot pie 4 places you'd rather be 1. florida 2. maryland 3. new york city 4. georgia 4 vehicles you've owned 1. roller skates 2. ice skates 3. bike 4. scooter 4 things you wish you had 1. 20 questions the game 2. fllying potion (that tastes great) 3. invisibility potion(good taste) 4. lap top

Last week I filled out a 1040ez and calculated that I'd be getting almost $700 back. Then, Thursday, I filed my taxes over the internet and used the 1040 form. There are more options in that form, and when I finished I found out I won't be getting $700 after all. I'll be getting $900! And I just checked the status, and everything was approved. That's what I'm talking about. Now the bad news: neither my application at the Binghamton Press & Sun to be a freelancer or with the Binghamton Mets (AA baseball team) were accepted. Boo! Hopefully, my application with the University of Baltimore will be. I sent in all my materials on Tuesday. My GPA is low -- 2.7 -- and they require a minimum of 3.0, just like every school. My breath is bated. I think the Superbowl is not tomorrow but next Sunday. Ithaca, I almost went to your house on the wrong day!

January 28, 2006 This was a pretty full day for the first day off after the project. We went to a bazaar at one of the retirement communities. There was a flea market, craft bazaar, and bake sale, but the best part for me was talking to people as Anitarae looked around. I learned a little about the retirement community life and what it costs. It would be tempting to live here in the winter and go north for the summer. We went shopping at Sam’s Club and bought a new printer, copier, scanner because our old one was not printing well. Actually it probably is fine and only needs new ink cartridges, but we will benefit by having copying and scanning capacities. We already know we will need that as group leaders. One of our new friends, George, spent some time with us this afternoon helping us learn more about copying photos on cd and printing them. I envy people with computer knowledge. I hope I can trade in some of my frustration for a little of that knowledge. They delivered all the logs ...

January 26, 2006 Today was our last day of work and already we are saying goodbye to some of our new friends. That’s the hard part. The good part is we may have a chance to work with them again. In fact, we will work with the Brouwers, a nice Dutch couple from Canada, next month in Tampa and with the Quakkelars in March. The Brouwers emigrated to Canada from Holland when they were a young couple. They left shortly after the end of WW2 which devastated their area. They lived through the war as teenagers and have many stories to tell. In fact, they showed a DVD documentary of the war in Holland to our group one night. When they arrived in Canada, they lived in poverty with no electricity, no plumbing, and very little food. They actually had an outhouse. They were desperate and would have returned to Holland but had no money for that either. They are a wonderful couple, full of laughter and joy. Their Dutch accent is very strong and actually delightful. I’m glad we will be together again....

January 25, 2006 The crown molding work went well today and tomorrow we should finish easily. It’s the last day of work here and I’m disappointed. I like this place and the SOWER group. However, next week a new adventure begins. After the pizza party, we went to see the movie, "End of the Spear" tonight. It was powerful. I recommend it. Jacque and I have been out for our late night walk so I’m headin’ for bed. I’m right tard tonight.

January 24, 2006 We just returned home from the ocean. All 23 of our SOWER group loaded into the cars at 6:30 and headed for an ice cream shop at the boardwalk. It’s really neat how someone can say let’s get ice cream and everyone is good to go. Nobody brought up the fact that it’s probably 7 miles one way or that it’s dark at that time or that gas is expensive. Everyone is cheerful and talkative. There’s never a dull moment. Well, the ice cream was excellent and it was fun walking and talking on the boardwalk with the roar of the ocean waves in the background. Not to mention that it’s a balmy 75 degrees tonight. We rode with Fred and Dottie. Today is Fred’s 75th birthday, which we celebrated at a potluck, a couple of nights ago. He’s a funny guy and he sets himself up to be the brunt of a lot of jokes. Everyone likes Fred. We were the last car in the caravan and we got caught at a light change. All the other cars sped on out of sight as we waited at the very long light and Fred said, ...

I got myself a library card so I'm back on the information superhighway. Binghamton is a depressed place, but I like it. Well, I like being walking-distance to downtown, and I like the old feel of the city. There's a Boscov's department store a block from city hall! Otherwise, this place really makes Auburn look up-and-coming. Lots of abandoned storefronts and lots of diners equal to the Hunter Dinerant. And I love the Hunter Dinerant. No Wegmans, though. I've yet to get my hands on a Danny's Favorite. This library is really nice. Not as great as Ithaca's, but close. Today is Stephanie's first day teaching. I was a little envious of her as she prepared last week, working on her syllabus and planning out the semester. I was envious enough, in fact, to get really motivated to go to UBalt for my MFA. So I'm finishing up my application now. This weekend we went to Long Island because Steph's step-grandma is ailing. Everyone went to visit h...

Four Jobs: Hospital baby-laundress Housekeeper (yup. it's true) Bus Driver Teacher Movies I'd like to see over and over: Sound of Music Sleepless in Seattle Bird Man of Alcatraz Harrison Ford Movies Places I've lived: Lake Placid Niagra Falls Rochester Fairmount Plattsburgh Auburn Red Hook Falling Waters, WV Union Mills, NC Myrtle Beach, SC Charleston, SC Vero Beach, FL! Vacations I've Loved: Rollins Pond Japan Co. Springs Prince Edward Island Cross Country Camping Outer Banks Bible Bunch Reunion at Sandy's Favoite Foods, YES! Hagen Daaz Carmel ICECREAM! Anything Japanese Foods with a "special" sauce - (NOT a Big Mac!!!) ICECREAM Places I'd Rather Be: NOWHERE EXCEPT TO POP INTO: My kid's houses for dinner Vehicles I've loved: Tricycle Bicycle '66 Pomtiac '90 Toyota Camry Things I Wish I Had: Number one: I can't tell... Strength The Neatness gene My grand kids for a sleepover My kids and grand kids to call more often RV with 4 slides...

January 21, 2006 Tonight I am thinking about how blessed we are to have modern methods of communication. I think the Blog is a great tool. Thanks, Adam. I enjoy reading it and posting on it. I especially like the comments because it’s instant feedback. It has the potential to really keep us together as a family. Alan, thanks for your help with the ebay saga. It’s going well, I think. The seller offered to take care of it and I have mailed it back to him. I am hoping it will be well resolved. I am a bit disappointed not to have the tool to use now though. We just got home from Jupiter and a weekend with Katie and Dave. Anitarae is exhausted. She went to bed a few minutes ago (10:00) and she’s already asleep. Last night was pretty traumatic for her. At about 2:00 AM Jacque was asking to get out and she doubted his intentions. She thought he was just restless being in a strange room and didn’t believe he needed to go to the bathroom. Well, he did. So he did. He piddled on the rug and she ...

January 18, 2006 I’m rather frustrated and disappointed because my new impact drill/driver, which I bought on ebay, does not work and the seller has not responded to my email message. If anyone has experience in this kind of issue I would appreciate some help. I’m getting a little tired of the fencing job in the animals’ pens area. I think we all are. The job keeps expanding and seems never ending. The guys I work with are pleasant and we get along well so I guess I should be content. I think the other team of guys doing roofing has a harder job. Actually, everyone is very cheerful and there is no complaining. We have a great group. The simplicity of this lifestyle is a plus. Everything we need is only a few feet away and we don’t need much. The schedule leaves plenty of time for relaxing and enjoyment. I just finished a long novel about the first world war. It was a first person account of one very philosophical Italian soldier. It was a rather reflective book and it made me realize h...

January 18, 2006 I’m rather frustrated and disappointed because my new impact drill/driver, which I bought on ebay, does not work and the seller has not responded to my email message. If anyone has experience in this kind of issue I would appreciate some help. I’m getting a little tired of the fencing job in the animals’ pens area. I think we all are. The job keeps expanding and seems never ending. The guys I work with are pleasant and we get along well so I guess I should be content. I think the other team of guys doing roofing has a harder job. Actually, everyone is very cheerful and there is no complaining. We have a great group. The simplicity of this lifestyle is a plus. Everything we need is only a few feet away and we don’t need much. The schedule leaves plenty of time for relaxing and enjoyment. I just finished a long novel about the first world war. It was a first person account of one very philosophical Italian soldier. It was a rather reflective book and it made me realize h...

no- this is'nt alan... it's leah, some day i will be able to post on my own, but for now alan says i have to attatch this disclaimer when i post under his name. i am oh so proud to announce that jackson is officialy potty training!! he has had two accident-free days in a row :0) and we are excited and feeling happy about the whole thing. emma is so sweet, jack used the potty yesterday and washed his hands all by himself - emma looked sad and proud and said, "mom... our little boy is growing up!". we were so inspired by all the little ones we know giving up diapers that we bought our last pack and had a good bye diaper party... koa, i think you should make your own how-to potty video, you have such great ways to encourage and i'm sure the cupcakes were a huge motivator. i wouldn't have thought of it... so things are looking cool and dry in ithaca, i have just one more thing to say.... will someone please do the meme thing? i honestly think it's interest...

January 17, 2006 The high point of the day was enjoying an evening with Ron and Willie VandenOever. They have been living with Renee’s family in Jacksonville since resigning their pastorate and retiring from the ministry last September. They drove down to Vero, stopped at our camp for a bit, then we all went over to Tim and Sheryl’s for dinner. Ellen and Bill are still there so it was a great reunion. Willie is looking for a place to begin her practice and Ron is looking for work. I think Sheryl shared some good news about a job opportunity with Ron. He seemed real interested. We had a fun time reminiscing, laughing and finding out about their family. Ron and I stood outside a bit just looking around and enjoying the wonderful warmth of Florida. I am still in awe of how blessed we are to be able to be on this adventure and to see and do all that we are enjoying. As I walked Jacque tonight I looked up at the palm trees and the stars and thanked God. Then I went in and called Patrick Kin...

January 14, 2006 It’s really windy here, but the sky is blue and sunny. Our second day off is a real quiet one. Most of the group seems to be layin’ low. Yesterday, everyone was all hyper to do and go. Some went to the RV show in Port St. Lucie; Anitarae spent the day with Katie; and Fred and I went golfing on the course adjacent to this property. Ironically, Fred hit a drive right into the camp then said, "Well, I guess I can pick that one up tomorrow." Like many new courses it is built around a condo development. There’s much new construction in the Vero area. It’s reported to be one of the highest cost areas in real estate. It’s not a particularly pretty area in my estimation so I’m not quite sure what the draw is. Golf is expensive, too so I doubt I’ll play again unless I find a cheaper course. It was nice just to get out and have fun with Fred. He’s a retired truck driver and he’s pretty low key. Just a gentle kind of guy. He’s been our tractor driver for our brush remov...

Stephanie and Me singing

January 12, 2006 Now I’m the one who’s tard at naght. Usually it’s Anitarae. Tonight it’s both of us. Today I cut and moved brush all morning and set fence posts all afternoon. Workin’ on a ranch is hard work. I know I’m not supposed to talk about the temperature, but you could have wrung out my shirt at lunch time. We really did clean up the animal pens area. It looks raght nahce. We took down most of the fence and we’re replacing it with all new. I really enjoy the crew of guys I’m working with. Everybody has such a good attitude even though the work is way too hard for old guys like us. I’m the youngest I think. There are two other crews of guys. One is working on roofs and the other is doing bus maintenance. The women are doing mostly cleaning. Everyone works hard and nobody complains. In fact, there's lots of laughter! Anitarae was a riot this morning. You see, she’s been having trouble getting to devotions on time because they’re at7:30 AM. Yesterday, she was the last one to...

He's 30!

January 10, 2006 Okay, I won’t mention the temperature here in Vero, but just let me say that there is a golf course on the other side of the fence in the area where I’m working. Hmm… I wonder if any SOWERS brought their clubs besides me. We had dinner with Tim, Sheryl, Brittany and Jessica tonight. They took us to an Italian restaurant in downtown Vero. I get the impression that this area is pretty upscale. We had a g treat time. Their family seems very happy. We laughed a lot. Jessica is still a live wire. I checked out impact drill/drivers in Lowes … $259! Yikes! I came home and put in a bid on e bay for $99.77 with a max of $114.50. I’ll know by this time tomorrow just how lucky I am. Don’t get any ideas about outbidding me.

A " meme " (pronounced "meem") is like a game where you pass ideas around. Nowadays everyone on the internet is challenging each other with memes, which means they ask some questions, answer them, and then ask other people to answer them. I found this one online and would like to pose it to The Robinsons. It'll be like playing "Tell It Like It Is," except we won't be in the same room, and we won't be playing at the same time. With no further ado . . . Four Jobs You've Had 1. soda jerk 2. substitute teacher 3. night auditor 4. dish washer Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over 1. Blade Runner 2. Rushmore 3. Me and You and Everyone We Know 4. Caddyshack Four Places You've Lived 1. A house 2. A dorm room 3. An apartment 4. A bodega Four TV Shows You Love to Watch 1. The West Wing 2. 24 3. Seinfeld 4. Brewers games Four Places You've Been On Vacation 1. Killington, VT 2. Shanghai, China 3. Key West, FL 4. on tour with The Flying ...

Maybe this will make sense to one person: Cousin does a lot because Beautiful can't have enough clothes. Family here haven't heard. Friend cannot hear. I'll have. Could goes around here.

January 9, 2006 The first day of work was very enjoyable. I felt fortunate to be able to do carpentry and to work with Roger. I didn’t have to work on buses, do roofing or cut brush; I got to build new gates for the animals’ pens. Part of the experience for kids who attend this camp is to interact with the animals. There are emus, pigs, a donkey, a goat and some chickens. This is such a neat camp. There are 86 acres and just about everything you would expect and much more. There are two go-cart tracks. There’s a track for younger kids and one for the advanced. I hope we get to try it out. I can just imagine SOWER go-cart races. Working with Roger was a blessing. Not only does he have a nice, easy going, pleasant personality, but he has an impact screw gun. Now I want one. This is a cordless screw gun that looks like any ordinary gun/drill, but it exceeds all others in power. It’s kind of like the impact air wrenches the use in auto mechanics to loosen and tighten lug nuts, etc. Actuall...

hi komputer kids, kan someone please teach dad and or i how to open the posts on the blog all at once with the komments included so we don't have to open each one individually, close it and then go to the next? one time i had them all open simultaneously, i think, with their komments, but i don't know how i did it. if i did do it. which even that i am not sure of. duh....... today is the ninth of january. seems like the 11th and 12th might be koming right up. yup, right after the 10th! hmmm...

This weekend I went to Richmond, VA to see a friend's art show. She paints fake advertisements as a way to highlight some of the superficiality in corporations. I really enjoyed her readings from "The Starbux Journal." Every day she writes a letter to Starbucks telling them how much she likes their coffee and how good "her" barista is. Sometimes they write back. We stayed in a house that was literally across the street from the Church where Patrick Henry said, "Give me liberty or give me death." I love being back on the east coast just for the cool history.

I just took Jacque out for a "walk" before bed and felt overwhelmed by the fact that I was walking through palm trees and tall southern pines on a soft bed of needles instead of snow. I think Jacque was appreciative also. It’s been a good day. We went to Tim and Sheryl Laudermilk’s church this morning. Big church! Great church! I think I would really like attending there. The worship time was right for me. The worship team had many instrumentalists and vocalists. They led with a spirit of sincerity; and I liked the worshipful choruses. Tim was part of the team and that seemed nice to realize that he is involved in ministry. I gathered that he is a very active and vital leader. We hope to spend some time with them later this week after Ellen and Bill arrive. I talked to Ron VandenOever on New Year’s and he hopes to come to Vero to visit also. He’s in Jacksonville staying with Renee and looking for a job. He has retired from the pastorate. Tomorrow we start work. That’s when th...

January 7, 2006 I wasn’t looking forward to getting the RV out of the area it was parked in at Floyd’s gated community, yesterday. I knew I was going to have to back it out for quite a distance and that’s still hard for me. However, with Floyd’s direction I managed to do it after a few corrections. Traveling to Vero Beach was an easy trip down I-95 for only an hour; then I got to try backing again … into my slot. Moving day is always stressful for me, but it’s always worth it. We pulled into the center of the SOWERS parking area where we were surrounded by RVs and then quickly by many, friendly SOWERS. It was a warm and encouraging reception. There are 24 of us on this project. That’s a big team and probably a challenge for the group leaders. However, they are really experienced. But Bob, the GL, is a trustee in the SOWER organization. He not only has this month’s responsibility, but he’s also leading the SOWER reunion in February. I’m sure we will learn a lot from him and Val, his wif...

I am actually swamped here at work and it's interesting stuff. Too bad it's the first day I've really done anything -- I could like this job a teeny-weeny bit, I guess. But even though I'm overwhelmed with things way over my head ("You need two 1-processor licenses for SQL Server 2005 standard edition?" "Oh, it's CAL based?"), I just wanted to quick write a note and say how great to read your journals!

January 6, 2006 I feel like I’ve been on vacation and now it’s time to go back to work. However, it’s not the same old feeling since I am really looking forward to going to work. We have had a great time here at Floyd’s place. I admire him in many ways. He lives alone, but has a very full life. He is obviously much loved as evidenced by the many phone calls which he answers with, "Hey, Hey….!" And goes immediately into laughter and conversation. I also wish I had a tenth of his mechanical knowledge and common sense of how things work. He is the kind of guy you could ask about most anything and he would give you an answer you could take to the bank. Yesterday, Floyd took us to the Brevard Zoo. It is, without a doubt, the most interesting zoo I’ve visited. I guess the Florida climate makes it possible to have animals we never see in a northern zoo. The African and South American sections probably impressed me the most. Seeing and feeding giraffes from the hand, walking through ...

dad and i leave shortly for vero beach and our first assignment of 2006. it's only in the 60s today and people are freezing. still . . . the sun shines! more later. mom

January 5, 2006 It’s Thursday, the 5th of January and I’m up early, well earlier than the others, and sitting in Floyd’s Florida room looking out at the sun emblazoned water. It’s already fifty degrees and will no doubt warm up to the mid 70’s at least. It’s quiet and peaceful. There isn’t a ripple in the water. What am I doing here? I can hardly believe it. I’m so used to snow and ice. Yesterday was a real tourist day. We had fun. Floyd took us to the Kennedy Space Center. On the way we passed a flea market except if you’re with Floyd and Anitarae you don’t pass flea markets. Floyd increased his already considerable clock collection by a few and Anitarae and I also found a couple of things we couldn’t live without. I was amazed at the size of the Kennedy Space Center. It’s citysize. In fact, it effects the surrounding cities, which depend on it for their economic well being. We had a wonderful time seeing all the exhibits and movies. I particularly enjoyed seeing upclose the Saturn 5 ...

We are in Cocoa, FL having wonderful sunny 80 degree days and cold nights. We are at Floyd Wall's home on a little lake. We are very comfortable and today I had a chance to rest while Dad and Floyd went to a tool sale. Tomorrow we are touring Cape Canaveral with passes that were loaned to us, saving us $40. each! Our new SOWER assignment starts in Vero Beach on Monday, but we have to be there by Saturday. While there, I'll see a lot of Katie who lives 1 hour south. There is a HOliday Inn across the lake and I am on their wireless! Life is good!

Turns out today is a holiday and I don't have to work. Mixed blessings . . .