MEMORIES FROM THE MOUNTAINS

Dr. King famously talked about climbing to the mountaintop. Surely, he knew that the journey to the top with loved ones was much more important than the final destination. I can appreciate that sentiment after a wonderful week with our friends the Tais in Black Butte in central Oregon!

Kathleen has known the Tais for 30 years since medical school, and I first met them at their wedding when Kathleen and I were dating in the early 2000s during our time in Dallas. In Portland, we became even closer, as did our kids. In fact, whenever we get together, I always remark on how the kids seem much more like cousins than mere friends. Our trip to Black Butte, like our trips together with them there over the years, was no exception, even though their daughter was away for her job with the Peace Corps.

We took part in a variety of outdoor activities, including walks, pickleball, swimming, and scaling Black Butte. 

There were great meals thanks to Cindy and her son Noah, and fun television and board games, including a marathon match of "Catan." News flash, Noah won!

Sisters is the town nearest the resort, and we spent a few hours there, including a recent tradition ot getting pedicures, and a trip to the local coffeehouse, Sisters Coffee, which is always a treat! 

I look forward to seeing the Tais again and making it back to Black Butte! What amazing people and what amazing shared memories we have made there together!

A FRIENDLY PATTERN IN PDX

After Kansas City, we headed to the Pacific Northwest for some truly deserved R&R! We had a limited amount of time there, but we managed to fit in a few meetings with old friends and visits to some of our favorite places.

We stayed in the Northwest neighborhood. It's proximity to Forest Park allowed for a few runs on the Leif Erickson trail. Some of our favorite food places were nearby, so we got to take in biscuit sandwiches and amazing ice cream!

The Rose Garden was in full bloom, and we were fortunate to see and smell some beautiful blooms!

I am not sure when we will be back in PDX - or its amazing, refurbished airport. 

However, I look forward to touching down again soon and seeing the iconic PDX carpet. It turns out home has its own distinct pattern!

I LIKE IKE

During our KC trip, we had a free day and decided to drive halfway across the state to visit Salina, the hometown of President Dwight David Eisenhower and the site of his presidential library.

I knew Ike was a war hero and served as a transitional figure between the FDR/Truman administrations and the young John F. Kennedy. However, Ike was a truly remarkable leader who never forgot his humble origins and the heartland that he came from.

His sense of decency, globalism, empathy, and leadership is unrecognizable in today's Republican party, and we should be so lucky as to have another national Republican official like him one day. I will not hold my breath!

More than anything, Ike was someone who always put his country and its success above his own aspirations. We could all stand to be a little more like Ike!

ROCKCHALK JAYHAWK

Springfield, Massachusetts is the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame, but Lawrence, Kansas, where basketball's founder James Naismith worked and coached, might just be the game's unofficial home. That would make Allen Fieldhouse there at the University of Kansas (KU) the game's chapel!

During our recent trip to Kansas City, we decided to pay a visit and take in the Booth Family Hall of Athletics at KU and see the rest of the town. There was so much to see, and we came away much more knowledgeable about the origins of the game and Naismith's and KU's impact on it. 

The team's name is the Jayhawks, and its mascot is a cute little bird named Big Jay. Needless to say, Nicholas had to get a shirt!

We also learned the origins of the team's chant, "Rockchalk Jayhawk!" The chant started off as, "Rah, Rah, Jayhawk!" Later, it evolved into the rockchalk version, supposedly because of the chalk rock, or limestone, where the campus is located. 

We took in the main drag called Massachusetts Street, which was filled with restaurants and shops, including a fun candy shop called Squishington's that had my favorite treats, inlcuding Charleston Chews and Bazooka!

It was a lovely day trip, and who knows, maybe Nicholas will be back there to cover a game someday!

KC, BABY!

Kansas City is near the center of the country. Fittingly, we have visited at the midpoint of the year the past several years due to Cate's soccer. This year was no exception, but we managed to fit in a variety of new activities.

Of course, we had to stop for barbecue. This year, we went to Joe's and took in ribs and burnt ends!

Last year, we saw a Copa America match in the men's stadium. However, this year, we saw an NWSL women's soccer match at CPKC Stadium, the first soccer-specific women's stadium. The host and league-leading Kansas City Current defeated Angel City in an exciting match!

Finally, we took in some history at the World War I Museum near downtown. It was incredibly informative, and I learned so much about the "War to End All Wars."

I am not sure when we will be back, but I always love visiting this town. Here's to KC, baby, which also happens to be the Current's fan chant!

A MASTERSTROKE IN MILAN

Like life, soccer is full of ups and downs. Last night, the Greenhills Gryphons evinced that saying on their way to the 2025 District Championship!

The Gryphons started off strong with a goal within the first five minutes. Soon thereafter, their opponent, Milan High School, countered with a goal of their own after the Gryphons' goalie bobbled a weak shot on target. From there, the game became a tight affair with few scoring opportunities. Despite the lack of additional goals, there was still plenty of excitement - mainly due to hard fouls committed by the Milan players, most of which went unpunished without yellow cards.

Time and again their players came in hard on our players, often knocking them to the ground after clattering into them. The referee had completely lost control and seemed quite unfazed by the violent level of play on the pitch. Similarly, the Milan parents were unbothered by their team's tactics. On spectator, presumably a father of a Milan player, echoed the same refrain every time one of their players victimized our girls, saying, "It's called soccer!" Needless to say, I was infuriated by that attitude and phrase.

The game went to extra time. Immediately after the kickoff, a Milan player rammed into Cate, who was defenseless and without the ball, sending her to the ground. There she lay for several minutes, though it  seemed like an eternity. I was so worried that it might be a ligament or a joint injury. Fortunately, Cate was able to walk off on her own power after sustaining what turned out to be a quad contusion. Within a few minutes, Cate was back on the pitch but visibly limping.

As the first period of extra time was winding down, the Gryphons won a corner. The ball was delivered expertly, and Cate rose up to meet it with her head, scoring what would turn out to be the game winner! Somehow, I had decided to film this play, and you can enjoy it for yourself below! Even more surprisingly, after the goal, I bit my tongue and did not utter the oft-repeated line, from the Milan supporters, "It's called soccer!"

Greenhills were able to run out the clock in the second period of extra time and seal the victory. Afterwards, we all basked in the golden hour of pre-dusk, late Spring, soaking up the win!

I could not be more proud of these young ladies, especially our Cate. She was a fearless leader all game long. I cannot wait to see what this team does in Regionals next week!

A MEMORABLE MEMORIAL DAY

It has been slow-going the last few years making friends outside work and finding a community here in Ann Arbor. In part, this is explained by the pandemic, but it is also a function of many people having existing, established friend groups at this stage of life. Undaunted, we have spent a lot of quality time together as a family, but sharing experiences with other people often makes things more memorable. That is why we were so happy to spend Memorial Day Sunday with the family of one of Cate's closest friends from school, whose older brother is also one of Nicholas' friends from the same school, at their lake cottage nearby Ann Arbor. 

There was great food and conversation and time spent on the water. Kathleen and I kayaked. However, the kids were the true adventurers, partaking in inner tubing behind the powerboat. Somehow, they hung on for dear life for several minutes! They were even brave enough to get back on the saddle and try it again after their first time out! 

Simply put, it was a Memorial Day to remember!