It did our souls good.

Barb drove us up Big Cottonwood Canyon today.

The temperature was just right.

Oh, it feels good to get out of the condo.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Isn't fall a beautiful time of year?

We even found a little waterfall.

It did our souls good.  Thanks, Barb.

Ode to Jim Veal

I was spoiled for several years because Jim Veal was "my barber".  He cut a lot of other people's hair, too, but you know how it is....we get personally possessive of people like doctors, dentists and barbers.

Jim was a second generation barber; his dad, Otis Veal, ran the Sacajawea Barber Shop in La Grande for many years, which is where I got my haircuts during the halcyon days of high school.  I'm convinced there is a good hair cutting gene; Otis and Jim both had it.

Jim had cut hair at a major hotel in Portland for several years before he moved back to La Grande.  His full-time job was working for the Oregon State Lottery but he cut hair on the side for a few "friends".  I was lucky enough to be among the few.  Jim didn't really give you a haircut; it was more like he sculptured your hair until there wasn't a single hair sticking out anywhere.  He could probably have done just as good a job in about twenty, maybe thirty minutes.  But Jim loved to talk.  And that was great --except, for some reason, he seemed unable to use the clippers and talk at the same time. The result was usually over an hour in his chair, and sometimes longer than that because he liked to keep you in the chair until his next appointment showed up.

Jim had managed to keep in storage one of the chairs from his dad's Sacajawea Barber Shop and when he was finally able to rent a small place next to Radio Shack on Adams Avenue, he installed it.  Could have been one of the same chairs I had sat in years before.  But before he was set up in his own little "shop" he would cut hair in the basement of his mother's house. This (see left) was the barber chair, and I got a lot of great hair cuts on that throne.

I remember one time when the ward Jim was in was holding an auction and he had offered a free hair cut.  I happened to be walking through the cultural hall when the bidding was going on.  There had been no takers for the hair cut.  The lady auctioneer was berating the men with such words as "Don't you have any idea what a Jim Veal hair cut is?  It's like jewelry from Tiffany's.....".  I wasn't a member of the ward but I couldn't hold back, so I called out "Twenty dollars!!".  "Sold to Brother H....He knows a good deal when he sees one."
That was twice as much as Jim charged, but it was worth it.

Unfortunately, Jim's health suddenly took a turn for the worse and before we knew it he was gone.  For a few months I was in limbo.  I'd tried all three of the other shops in town, but those guys only gave hair cuts....no sculpting like Michelangelo.  Eventually I decided to try the lady barber in one of the shops and she did a good job.  She was also an avid movie fan and we had lots to talk about. (That was back in the days before I had to take out my hearing aids before I could get my hair cut.  Ah, youth!)  Her name was Glenda.

Then the man who owned the shop died; his wife closed up the shop and Glenda was out of a job.  A couple of months later (two months with poor haircuts) I ran into another man who had also been going to Glenda. I asked him where he was getting his haircut these days and he said "From Glenda...she comes to my house."
I called her and said "Hey, how come you're cutting Elmer's hair but not mine?"  Turns out she couldn't do any advertising and had to rely on the word getting around that she was still cutting hair.  So, for the last few three or four years before we left La Grande, Glenda came to our house and gave me a  good haircut in the kitchen.  Not a Jim Veal sculpture, but a good hair cut; better than any shop in town.

Then we moved to Sandy.  (Background music: "Nobody know the trouble I've seen....")  Unwilling to pay way too much to go to a fancy salon,  I bounced around from one shop to another, never being really happy with the results.  Found a lady at "Fantastic Sam's" who did a pretty good job.  Stuck with her for the better part of a year....she moved to California.  Found another I thought was good....an automobile accident cut short her career.

I saw a fellow at church who had a really good hair cut; asked him who his barber was.  When he said he cut his own hair, I thought I'd give it a try.  Even bought a kit.  Hah!  Talk about uncoordinated....especially when trying to look into one mirror while seeing the back of my head in another.  Wonder what I could get for the kit on ebay.

Then one day this came in the mail.  Thought I'd give it a try.  There's a shop  just down 114th from our condo, nice and close.  Got a good haircut from a young lady, went to her for three or four times....she transferred to another shop half way across the valley.   Tried another one....not bad.  Supercuts transferred her, too.  So I decided to take action.  I sent Supercuts an email.  Told them a customer's loyalty is not to Supercuts, it's to the person who cuts his hair.  I thought that would be the end of it but much to my surprise, they replied.  Then the next day I got a phone call from them; the lady apologized profusely then explained that the beauty operator had been promoted to a manger position at another shop (again, far from my geographic comfort zone). Then she told me they would like to send me a coupon for a free hair cut, which they did.

I used it when I tried a new barber (operator?) She did a good job.  I went back to her....another good haircut.  So, I'll stick with her and see how long it is before she abandons me.

But there will never be another Jim Veal, which is why I still use this picture (several years old) as often as possible.

"Cal-uh-fornya here I come....."

Actually, "California here we came" and now we're back.  A whirlwind but thoroughly enjoyable trip.

Barb and Dennis drove us to the SLC airport (many, many thanks) on Saturday, where we took Jet Blue to Long Beach.  Jet Blue was a new experience for us.


 

 Reserved seats!  Individual TV screens (okay, not particularly large screen...) Headphones were $2.00 extra; we didn't see anyone using them.  Mostly
 we just looked at whatever was on, or changed channels from time to time to find what else we could see but not hear.

But we're such infrequent fliers that it was a lot more interesting just looking out the window, even when flying through clouds like this.

After an hour and a half flight, which ended with a really abrupt slamming of the brakes ("was that a landing or a crash?" ) we realized we were no longer in Kansas.  Palm trees intrigue us.  Nothing says "California" quite so emphatically.  But you have to wonder just how much shade they give.

All airports should be like the one at Long Beach.
Small, outdoorsy, and sunny, sunny, sunny.
We were met by Christopher, Julia, and the star of the show, the absolutely beautiful baby Claire, securely ensconced in her Ellen Degeneres car seat.

We arrived at the Holiday Inn in Anaheim (cue the Jack Benny show: "Anaheim....Azooza...and Kook..........a-monga!"). As we drove up, Julie, Tom and Russell were just returning from grocery shopping. (They had arrived Thursday, along with Ben and Jax.)  Here's a view from our 8th story room.  Can't beat swimming pools and palm trees
for exotic surroundings.

Just to finish up the totally superfluous scenery shots, here are a couple taken from Julia's and Chris's
place.

They have a really nice apartment, about the same amount of space as our condo, but with a better floor plan......and all those palm trees.                                 



We all gathered at the ward house on Sunday. Christopher gave Claire Julia Warren a beautiful, spiritual blessing, and baby Claire was alert and attentive throughout.  Born to be a star!



While at the church we got the picture we were all hoping for...the latest four generation shot. Note the beautiful dress Grandma Julie made, complete with tiny pearls. 

(I just took a look at the preview of this finished blog. In a few moments the comments and the pictures are going to be way out of sync.  Can anyone explain how I can make the "preview" look like what I really did?) 









Mother and child.

















Proud grandparents with first grandchild.

After church everyone gathered at the Warren home for food, fun, and lots of playing with, holding, or just simply looking at baby Claire.











Mom and Dad and baby Claire.












"Who can turn the world on with her smile?"











Grandpa catching a few Z's along with baby Claire.









Later that day we went to a park and got a few more pictures.

(A series of these shots would show that headband getting lower and lower until it completely covered Claire's beautiful blue eyes.)
















"We girls have to stick together...."













"I want to hold my grandchild!"

















"Okay, okay....here she is."














"Isn't she beautiful?"

Yes she is!










After that the Hiatt and Higgins families went back to their respective rooms and watched some good TV commemorating the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Monday morning  the H&H  bunch had breakfast at the local Denny's. (Do not try to out-do Russell when eating the Lumberjack Special.)  A final treat was having everyone at the airport to see us off.  That was really special.



Jet Blue got us back safe and sound to SLC, where it was so great to see Joe's smiling face at the airport. Thanks so much, Joe.  You're a real pro.
It is now Tuesday afternoon and we are resting up and basking in our memories.  Thanks to one and all for a great California trip. We love you all.

I refuse to give in.

When I went to my home page this morning I was greeted with this invitation:
"Fall is coming - follow the sun on it's vacation."
Am I the last living person in the English-speaking/writing world to be appalled at this?
Proof readers of the world unite!

Who needs Dish?

A few months ago we got tired of paying over $80 a month for Dish tv, so we cancelled.  (No more Turner Classic Movies....)

We bought an indoor antenna for each of our TV sets and now, for free, we get excellent reception on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, BYU, and some others, including some Spanish language channels just in case we may want to learn a fourth language (after English, French, and Rabbit Talk).

I have also discovered SeeOn TV, which shows current (2011) movies on my computer.

I have also found that the library has DVDs you can check out for a week ---as many as you want!!
So I've been engrossed in some interesting foreign movies.  For instance:
"Cave of the Yellow Dog" --fascinating story of Mongolian family's daily life.
"Story of the Weeping Camel" --another about a Mongolian family's struggle to get a mother camel to accept her new born.  Would you believe playing a three-string instrument helps?
"Water" --about the plight of children in India who are married off while in their childhood. When their husbands die they are forced to live as beggars on the street, forbidden to re-marry.  True story.
"Cyrano de Bergerac" --with Gerard Depardieu.  Probably the definitive version of this great love story.
"Up the Yangtze", which Denny loaned us.  One family's struggle for survival as the rising river covers their home and farm land when the big dam is built.
Several others whose titles escape me, including a few French romantic comedies, with great views of Paris and other parts of France.

All in all, it's worth saving almost $1,000 a year.  (Okay, except for sports fans.)