Optimist

2007-11-10T20:43:00.001-08:00

I just spent a couple of days with my good friends Chris and Michelle. They moved to Sherman, TX. We spent some time in McKinney Texas which has an awesome old square, ate good food, but mostly just enjoyed each other's company.

My sister emailed me a couple of new pictures of my niece, Maggie...I can't wait to meet her!

2007-09-24T13:02:00.001-07:00

September 21

Before heading out of town, I worked for a couple of hours at Owen's...a real soda fountain/general store that has free wifi. I drove to another rest area in Washington to test our systems. I don't mind the drive, because the scenery is beautiful and the air is cool. Then I got my boots shined, washed my car, and made a return to Home Depot in Spokane. I ended up at my uncle's farm in Chattaroy Washington. It's an old homestead with rolling hills and forests. When I drove up the drive, there were cattle and chickens and dogs. The house smelled wonderful, and we had a feast of nearly a dozen fresh home grown vegetables and a roast. Wayne, my uncle, took me and a couple of my cousins on a walk in the twilight. There are dozens of wild apple and plum trees on the property, and we ate them right off of the tree. When we came back to the house, we all sat around a warm fire while my cousin's kids wrestled and played.

The world needs cities, and cities need rural environments, but I think much of America doesn't connect with nature anymore. Mankind needs a connection to the earth to be balanced. Nature calms adults and provides wonder to children. My most vivid childhood memories are of woods, and rivers, and mountains, and road trips, and farms, and building forts with my buddies in the trees. If we want to save this world, create a society of environmentally conscious citizens, and give young generations a respect and awe for creation, we must return to nature. We need a national effort to bring nature to our children. Let's create more urban community and school gardens. Let's fund public service announcements encouraging parents to take plant gardens with their kids. Let's give free passes to every citizen to visit and camp at a state or national park. Let's create city farms, on the outskirts of towns, that grow with citizen participation and are a laboratory for local schools...wouldn't it be great if every school kid had even one day a year where he and his classmates worked on a farm?

Maybe it's a silly idealistic notion momentarily in my head because I was eating wild plums today and the biggest priority of everyone here is to gather wood to heat their homes as the cold winter approaches. I don't think it's silly, though...just maybe idealistic.

2007-09-19T15:52:00.001-07:00

The long drive...

On a Saturday morning (September 8th), I left Austin. I drove all day for three days. On Monday night, I arrived. Priest River, Idaho.

Day 1

I pulled out of Austin at about 8 in the morning. While I wanted to make good time, I had a mission to stop at several specific rest areas in Texas on my "way out." Have you ever stopped at a rest area? Most of them fit the the probable image you have in your mind, but nationally there is a trend to change that. Rest areas are being renovated, torn down, and rebuilt. In the new ones, visitors find all sorts of amenities and interactive displays showcasing the local area. Rest Areas' number one purpose is to make highways safer. Over 50 million stops are made at TX rest areas annually. My company, among other things, builds wireless Internet systems in Rest Areas. The idea is that our service is one more reason to get drivers who have been on the road for a while pull of and take a break. After spending so much time driving the last three days, I am grateful for rest areas...I just wish they all had Internet access like TX does! Here are a couple of pictures of a newly renovated rest area in North Texas.

Along the way, I stopped at a gas station and went in to buy some gum and use the bathroom. While I was selecting my gum, I overheard a conversation between two cashiers behind the counter. One was a young man, I would have guessed in his late teens. The other was a middle aged woman. To my astonishment, the young man began to talk about his time in Iraq. "How could I believe in a God that would let me be over there, shooting at children? I just don't believe in God. If there was one, how could he have us doing something so wrong?" The woman responded, "I don't have the answers, but you're only 25 and you have life ahead of you to find redemption." He answered, "how can I be redeemed by something I don't believe in?"

I paid the woman for my gum and a single lottery ticket. I didn't win the lottery, but I feel rich in a lot of ways.

Day 2

I spent the night in Dumas, TX. That night there was a tremendous thunderstorm. When I left the Days Inn on Sunday morning, it was in the 50's! Sometimes I forget what September is like for much of the country. In Austin, it's still hot and muggy, but up in the corner of our own state the nights get a little cooler and the sense that something subtle is happening in the environment is evident. I was invigorated, which was good since i had another long drive alone that day.

Thank God for XM radio, my ipod, and the cool gauges in my car. While I drive, I get to survey God's magnificent creation AND try to make my Hybrid Honda get amazingly high gas mileage...I watch the numerous gauges while I subtly toy with the gas pedal in expert fashion, adjusting for varying inclines and curves in the road. My iPod is...well, it's amazing. I have so much music on that little dude that I haven't even heard all of the songs on it...set it to shuffle and there's hours of surprise. Lastly, my car has XM radio and satellite navigation. On it's sizeable screen, I toggle between news, talk, music (of every imaginable genre), sports, weather, and comedy. Then I press a button on my steering wheel and the screen switches to the map that not only talks to me but lets me search for whatever type of food I might be craving on the road. And it's not even a fancy car...I'm sure that my children will think it's as unimaginable that I marvel at the Civic as I find it that my dad was born before television.

The world got progressively more beautiful after leaving Dumas that morning. The sky was dark with clouds, the wind was strong. The air was lonely for me and the occasional car that passed on the quiet Northwest Texas plains. From countless drives in the past, I knew that I would start to get a feeling of anticipation and freedom as I approached Raton New Mexico. The first of many mountain passes on this route lies between Raton New Mexico and Trinidad Colorado. I feared my little Honda would have trouble with the climbs, but it proved to be more than adequate and much better, in fact, than the numerous VW vans that my family used to make the journey in. I stopped for gas in Raton, anxious to drive over the threshold of the mountain pass into a new territory.

Through rain and road construction, I flew at some times and slogged at others. I passed Denver and climbed up through the ever elevating hilly plains and mountains.

Here's a picture of a chilly downtown Cheyenne...

I made it all the way to Sheridan Wyoming that night. It was chilly and dark outside. The cheap motels were taken up by other travelers weary of the cold rain, so I had to pay $125 to stay at a Holiday Inn. The bed was amazing, though. There was free high speed Internet.

Day 3

The air was crisp and cool and the skies clear. I embarked on the last leg of my journey after making a few phone calls and sending a few emails. The scenery seemed to become more beautiful every hour. I began to see snow capped peaks.

I crossed more mountain passes and the Continental Divide. I-90 between Missoula Montana and Couer D'Alene Idaho is one of the prettiest stretches of highway in the world. I stopped to take my first picture of Idaho.

I approached Priest River at dusk. I pulled into the drive at the farm. It looked the same as always...maybe better than the last time I was here. Flowers, green lawn, cows in the pasture. This is just what I needed.

2007-04-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

Another fun thing I did this spring was to participate in a musical. The First Baptist Church of Austin put on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I roped Joe H. into it, too.

Joe late for his OPEC meeting

Just hanging out back stage

Boys at the cast party

2007-04-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

The Condo is gone…

I sold it. Wrapped up a healthy profit and two great years of living well in my urban home. On the last weekend, my neice Emily spent the night with me…we watched movies, played, and invited Grandma and Grandpa to come over and make us breakfast!

I had everything packed up and put in storage…feels good! Where should I go from here?

Breakfast

Friends over to watch Grey’s Anatomy

2007-04-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

Spring Break

I love West Texas. The Davis Mountains are a quiet, dry, cool wonderful place. This year, I packed up the new car with Ann, Michelle, and Janie the dog and headed west. We stayed in Marfa, home to the Marfa lights and the home base of Giant (the movie). We rented a couple of bungalows, relaxed, and made a few day trips (to places like the McDonald Observatory, a winery, and a desert nature preserve).

2007-04-16T16:19:00.001-07:00

Baby Shower

Mary and Dean came to town for a checkup and a baby shower. Had a blast with them! Back to Alaska until June and then off to Hawaii to have a baby and get a house!

Group picture of the neighborhood ladies. Dad’s in the back right but you can’t see his face, mom is very center (the cute short lady with the white shirt), and my sisters (pregnant Mary, Emily, and Amy) are front row far right.

Amy hosted at her house.

The boys mostly drank beer. My brother in law Larry, his brother Tommy, me, brother in law David, and Jase (high schoool/church friend of the girls).

2007-04-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

Trailer life.

Trailer life can be pretty nice. I, myself, have never lived in a trailer even though most of the company’s customers are RV’ers. However, this year Jamison joined the millions of Americans who have a home with tires.

Shady Grove is one of several Austin gems…beautiul and funky RV parks in the heart of the city. Located on Barton Springs, right next to the lake, downtown, live music, bars, Zilker Park and coffee shops, Shady Grove is part of what makes Austin great. Jamison has two ‘lots;’ while one is empty the other has a great Airstream trailer in which he lives. It has become a great social mecca of Austin…we sit around, listen to music, make fire, grill, cook, drink, and play Bocce Ball on the grassy knoll.

Here are some pictures.

The Airstream

Working lunch

Troy, me, Jamison, Reed

2007-02-18T21:06:00.000-08:00

This is a blog entry about my pets. Of course it is. I don't have a girlfriend, and I don't wish to talk about my job online...that leaves my pets and my family, I guess (an indicator that I need more hobbies).

Oh, wait; there is something else before I get to the pets. I joined a great gym called Mecca Gym and Spa. I got a personal trainer. I love the gym because there are very few people there at any given time, and no one seems to be a 'body builder.' It's a VERY comfortable place (it's also a spa) that overlooks downtown Austin to the east and the Hill Country to the west. The eucalyptus steam room in the men's locker room has been great for my sinuses, and I've been dedicated to working out. It's hard to see significant effects (I'm still far from my goal), but I feel so much better and I know I'm doing my heart good.

Okay, now on to the pets. Powers has been in front of my television for the last 10 minutes. I was given a gift a few weeks ago...a 42" plasma screen, high definition, TV. I have on a high-def show about hawks. Powers is pawing all over the screen trying to catch them. Here's a recent picture of a sedate Powers.

My other pet adventure lately was that I had both Eddie and Juneau for a day! For those of you who don't know, Juneau was my dog, but when I moved back in with my parents for a bit (several years ago), Juneau was stolen by my parents. He is a Shiba Inu. These are pictures of the two of them at my friend Ann's house.

The last picture is of Eddie asleep (in his sweater...it was cold) on Ann's leg and next to Ann's cat, Potter. They are good friends. I think Eddie likes Ann better than he likes me...and he likes me a lot!

2007-02-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

I'm sick. Okay, friends, I don't mean mentally so stop snickering...

I have the winter sinus blues. However, my dog and cat are keeping me good company.

I recently joined a gym that has a steam room, so my plan is to go there in the morning and try to 'cleanse...''

Not much new to report...just working hard and playing a little. I did have a great Superbowl party and I'm in a production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat at church...that's fun. I also recently went to see a local theater production called "Present Laughter," which was great fun.

Here's a nice picture from dinner at Emily and David's house when Dean and Mary were in town. Mary is pregnant and was down for doctors' visits...the dogs are Emily and David's children (Clover and Leopold).

2007-01-18T16:14:00.001-08:00

FAULTS

They came to tell your faults to me,
They named them over one by one;
I laughed aloud when they were done,
I knew them all so well before, --
Oh, they were blind, too blind to see
Your faults had made me love you more.
-Sara Teasdale

The ones I love most, I love not in spite of their faults, but even more for their faults.

2007-01-16T13:19:00.000-08:00

It's icy here today....city is pretty much shut down! But I'm at my folks place with all of my livestock, cat included. Mary and Dean flew in from Alaska to get a checkup on the baby from her home doctor (all is well).

I'm enjoying this time at home. I'm getting stuff done and I have lots of people and animals I love just chillin' with me.

I'm going to start posting poetry on my blog. Don't worry, not my own right now. Poetry is a form of writing that most young Americans don't pay any attention to. Poetry can articulate your feelings in a unique way. I start with a Carl Sandburg poem. It'd be great if anyone wants to comment on their thoughts about poems as I post them...if not, just enjoy...

AT A WINDOW
Give me hunger,
O you gods that sit and give
The world its orders.
Give me hunger, pain and want,
Shut me out with shame and failure
From your doors of gold and fame,
Give me your shabbiest, weariest hunger!

But leave me a little love,
A voice to speak to me in the day end,
A hand to touch me in the dark room
Breaking the long loneliness.
In the dusk of day-shapes
Blurring the sunset,
One little wandering, western star
Thrust out from the changing shores of shadow.
Let me go to the window,
Watch there the day-shapes of dusk
And wait and know the coming
Of a little love.

Carl Sandburg

2006-12-26T19:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone! It was another wonderful time at the Drew and Hines houses. Santa was good, as usual. The only things missing were Mary and Dean...we missed you guys! Mom made a traditional Swedish meatball dinner...her best ever. It's also been great to see friends like Betsy and Justin. The only drawback of the Holidays is that many good friends go 'away' to visit their families, but I bet most will be back for New Year's Eve.

Here are some pictures from Christmas....

Brandon is singularly obsessed with Thomas the Train, but he was really excited about his "Eddie" puppy...looks just like Eddie!

Emily was typically sophisticated (she's only seven, but knows just how to pose).

Christmas tree at Mom and Dad's (before half the gifts arrived!)

Dad relaxing and enjoying his 76th Christmas

2006-12-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

Decorating for Christmas is one of the year's great occasions. We pull out treasures that have been hiding in boxes for a year. We begin to anticipate vacation, presents, food, and family. It's one of several kickoffs of the season...kind of like lighting the first advent candle in Church. I did a lot of home-preparations today.

Here are some pictures of my condo so far...

Sunroom (now the tree room, and yes it is real)

Fireplace Mantle

2006-12-09T20:29:00.000-08:00

It's the best time of year, isn't it? I think I'd like to get married during the Holiday season (if that ever happens). On one hand, it would be just a small part of a busy and full time of year. On the other hand, the entire time from Thanksgiving until the New Year is full of romance, lights, music, sentimentality, family, joy, and general warm-fuzziness....sounds like a great atmosphere to celebrate anything in, doesn't it?

The Holidays are a time for the "4 F's..." food, family, friends, and Frank. My great friends Joy and Peter (married during the Holidays last year) blessed our Thanksgiving dinner this year. Jim and Chris, we missed you!

Joy and Peter

The main table at Mom and Dad's

Amy, Larry, my niece Emily and me

Amy and Mom cleaning dishes

2006-11-26T20:00:00.000-08:00

What is the Elephant's name?

I have a large teak elephant, carved from one piece of wood. When I had cancer and was in treatments at MD Anderson in Houston, mom and dad and I liked to try the different restaurants around the Westheimer/Kirby/Rice area. There was a Thai place we liked once and I noticed this magnificent Elephant. The manager said it was not for sale. I insisted, he replied $300 cash. I walked around the corner, got $300 cash, and walked out of the restaurant with a 50 pound elephant sculpture.

Now, the elephant is a regal part of my decor. Sometimes people ride him when they come over, or at least sit on him. Problem is, I can't remember what his name is. Is it Babar? Is it Dumbo? What is his name? If you have any recollection or suggestion, please let me know.

Thanks,
Frank

2006-11-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I had one of my favorite kind of dreams...covert mission. The part I remember started on a large airliner. My father was there, in some sort of military/national security capacity. We were sitting at a glass table with a holographic map, and there was a man from the CIA there. I got briefed on my mission. I'm not sure what my mission was, but it undoubtedly involved spying and perhaps martial arts. Next thing I know, I'm jumping out of the airplane. My chute wouldn't open, but I made a rough landing and was miraculously okay.

Of course, I was in the Middle East somewhere. My wallet went missing in my rough landing. I snuck incognito into a small village to find my target. But, I needed money. Fortunately, several families from Westlake just happened to be vacationing in this small terrorist village. Hunter Brown wouldn't loan me any money, so I found his mom and she gave me $100.

Then the cat jumped on my face. How disappointing. I love those kinds of dreams.

2006-10-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

Emily's Birthday

Emily turned 7 today...Happy Birthday my niece!

Oh, and I ate some pig foot today. Second time, and likely the last.

2006-10-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Since I last blogged my nephew turned 3. Brandon's a rascal. Dad turned 76 today, and is feeling good (not that he shouldn't be). Mary has popped into town from Alaska and gone home already. And Mom is getting her strength back but is still very affected by the huge amount of drugs she's taking to "stay healthy."

2006-09-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Mr. Powers

Mr. Powers is the newest addition to my menagerie. Now it's Eddie, Mr. Powers, and Mr. Drew. I love Mr. Powers (a name my niece came up with, which I love). Mr. Powers is from the local animal shelter...he's been cleaned, injected, de-wormed, vet-visited, and now is an acceptable member of the family. He wears small rubber tips on his claws to prevent condo-damage, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Tonight, I indulged in a ritual I partake of perhaps once every 3 months...a bath. Mr. Powers lurked curiously amid bottles of beer, shampoo, and magazines (national geographic and time). I watched, amused, knowing that he would be lucky to not fall victim to the 50 gallons of Jacuzzi below. Sure enough, Mr. Powers fell into the tub. He was shocked. I laughed while I picked his soaked body up and stuffed him into a towel. He sits now, in a silly way, on the couch...trying to lick himself clean....every now and then letting out a 'meow' to let me know that he is frustrated, but still Mr. Powers.

Eddie is fluffy, soft, and fat...he is like a circus dog. He does not yet know how he feels about Mr. Powers.

This week, Ann Richards passed. An excerpt from a quote provided to Time by Liz Carpenter:

"I've known every First Lady going back to Eleanor Roosevelt. But forget them and Mother Teresa too. I think Ann Richards, who died of cancer last week at age 73, was the greatest woman I have ever known. The former Governor of Texas was electrifying, brilliant, loyal, tolerant....I am surprised Ann stopped long enough to leave this world...Ann, you were always the most alive person in the universe. To me, you always will be."

What higher compliment and personal objective could there be?..."the most alive person in the universe..."

I want to be the most alive person in the universe, at least for myself and the few I might touch. Oh, Lord, grant me the peace to live as chaotically, wonderfully, and as completely alive as Ann Richards. Amen.

2006-08-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

Pluto is not a planet....

Pluto is not a planet, so the experts say. This revelation/discovery is disturbing to me. I suppose I don't really care how many planets are in the solar system, but I thought there were nine! I grew up learning there were nine! My Very Eager Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas.

Oh well, at least the earth is still round.

2006-06-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

Obviously, I am not yet a frequent blogger. My home has been a hotel for a business associate for the last week. Evenings were usually full of planning, work, alcohol, very late nights, and no blogging. Just fat growing and stress. I did have a really fun weekend with Eddie, though. For those of you who don't know, Eddie is my dog. We went for walks, relaxed around the house, ran errands, and slept. Today, Eddie tried to lie down several times during our walk in the 97 degree heat...he's a little furry guy, and I suppose it was too much. So, this afternoon, I used some clippers and shaved him down and gave him a bath! I didn't take it too short and he's much happier now. After the cleaning and grooming, I clipped his toenails. He got the royal treatment! I don't have a good picture of him to post. Later today, I helped mow the lawn at my parent's place. Dad's recovering nicely from his cataract surgeries, but not up for mowing lawns.

So, I went over and did yard work all day. Mom is busy getting ready for a big adventure tomorrow. She, 's two kids (Emily and Brandon) are driving from Austin to Priest River, Idaho where the family ranch is. They will be gone for 3 weeks or more, I imagine.... seeing all the sites and relatives they can along the way. Once to the farm, they'll fish and ride and hang out and have a blast. Wish I could go.

Here are pictures of the kids last summer eating berries in Alaska and Amy, sporting a Coach Connect T-shirt.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the Nation's Capital for work. I have a pretty tight schedule, but I'm hoping to do some fun stuff. Wish me luck!

PS...Ann, thanks for pointing
out the correct spelling of Nice.

2006-06-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

Tony Robbins

I am sorry about my picture. It, combined with my blog title, may convey a rather Tony Robbins-esque image. I can assure you that I am not a motivational speaker. However, I wouldn't mind owning an island in Fiji as Tony Robbins does...

I do tend to speak a lot, though. Tonight at a family gathering, where all of us tend to be over-speakers, the air was filled with loud words. I loved it. They were wonderful words. But I am going to try to listen, and be quiet, and consider my words, more than I do currently.

Wait a minute, it sounds like I'm making a self-improvement list...rather motivational speaker-esque, no? Sorry.

Tonight was the last night of Uncle Bob and Aunt Anne's visit. Bob and his brilliant wife Anne are in Texas as guests of the Kennedy museum in Dallas, where there is a showing of one of his films of JFK and a speaking engagement. Bob is a world-famous documentary film producer. He has been awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (and others), an Emmy, first prize at Cannes, Nice, Venice, Toronto, and others. He is hailed in college textbooks as the 'father of American Cinema Verite,' which literally means "cinema of truth," and combined motion picture with live sound in a candid scenario for the first time in the 1960'. He is a Harvard Neiman fellow who did not finish high school. He didn't finish high school because he joined the Army Air Corps to fly fighter planes in WWII at the age of 17, was shot down and lived in the mountains of Italy for two months behind enemy lines before escape. He became a Life correspondent and editor prior to making films. http://www.drewassociates.net/index.html

His films broke ground with intimate portraits of world figures such as John Kennedy, Indira Gandhi, and Fidel Castro. His latest film, made at age 80, is about his family's life during WWII. It is called "From Two Men and a War," debuted at Tribecca, and is being hailed around the globe.

I write the paragraph above not to brag about my uncle (well, maybe a little bit), but because I am proud and grateful. The truth is, I am proud and grateful for all of my family members.

Bob and Anne are listeners. They have made a life out of helping other's tell their stories in their own words...not just for the sake of story telling, but for the sake of making a journalistic impact on the way others see the world.

Yet, while Bob and Anne are master listeners, and thoughtful speakers, I will always love the boisterous level of sincere loquaciousness that emanates from my sisters, mother, and myself (note I left my dad out…he has a slightly more calculated, but perfectly warm delivery). We may be trigger-happy talkers, but we rarely leave a topic untouched! Somewhere in-between is probably the best place to be for me, so I will try to get there.