The Latest From Central America

Will has been in Honduras now for the last four weeks working on his graduate thesis in Anthropology. Some of his work is taking place in the city of Comayagua where this photo is taken in front of a cathedral. He and his colleagues have traveled to other cities, one of which is the capital Tegucigalpa. This is his second summer here and he really enjoys visiting this

country and especially likes the culture. He hires some of the locals to help with his ground work projects and ends up forming friendships even though there is a language barrier. I suppose communication is not always about talking.

Sunday he will be leaving Honduras and traveling to Guatemala to spend his remaining four weeks and then he returns to Tampa. I do worry about him being out of the country, but we are able to keep in pretty good touch with email and a few cell phone calls here and there. The main thing is that he is happy to be there and more than happy to now see the light at the end of the tunnel for grad school. If all goes as scheduled he will graduate in December.

Colorado again

I forgot to add this picture of Jerry and my self. As you can see we are at ESTES PARK. What a beautiful place. A good time was had by all.

The Barr's in Colorado

Here are three of the Barr's (Linda, Tom & Jerry) in the Rocky Mountains & Estes Park on June 18, 2007. We took a trip to Denver to attend a wedding and spent the day with Jerry. He suggested we take a drive up through Estes Park & The Rocky Mountains. What a great idea!! It was a beautiful drive. We enjoyed the day and the company so very much. Thanks, Jerry!!

Aloha

In case you think Art is miserable living at Brighton Gardens, this might change your mind. Saturday evening the staff hosted a Luau for the residents and their families. From time to time they have celebrations and parties, especially during the holidays. The families are always invited to join in on the fun. This Luau, held in the courtyard, was loads of fun. They hired a hula dancer and not only did she perform, she also gave a hula lesson which was interesting.


Above she is leading a conga line throughout the courtyard. All the residents, especially the men, had a great time.

You can see that Art is not too unhappy.

The Biking Trio

As a follow-up to Tom's previous biking post, I guess this is where it all started for me. Tom and Jerry have the concept of putting your feet on the pedals to move. It looks like I hadn't quite gotten that far yet. No date on this picture, but I would guess 1948--Tom 7 yrs; Jerry 5 yrs; and fuzz head (I mean Chris) 3 yrs.

THREE GENERATIONS OF BARR

In honor of Father's Day, we remember Toppie (Grandpa) & Stan (Dad). Photo was taken on May, 1941 on Webb Ave. in Detroit. Dad holding me (Tom).

BIG BROTHER RIDES ALSO

I can keep up with my sisters anytime. Well, maybe not anytime. This was a long time ago but still, I was the first to ride!!!!!! Ha-Ha. Not many had a three-wheeler, but that was the only thing that kept me upright. I didn't keep up with my bicycling and I suppose that's why my sisters are slimmer than me. Keep it up girls!!!!!

Tar Heel Time

A package for Tim arrived in the mail Saturday. This is his Father's Day gift from Melanie and Jason. What is so great about this watch is the significance for Tim and Melanie - both alums of UNC-Chapel Hill. Tim was thrilled with this gift and is looking forward to wearing it to work. There's lots of rivalry between colleges in North Carolina - UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, Duke and Wake Forest. Tim is sure the anti-Tar Heels at his office probably will not verbally compliment his watch but instead will be envious and secretly wish they had such a cool reminder of their own college to wear on their wrist.

Father's Day '07

Happy Father's Day to our dad, Stan,

and all the dads of the Barr, Klinger, and Patton families.

..............................................................................................................

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece was complete,

And so, He called it...Dad

(Author Unknown)

A New Chapter

One summer day almost two years ago Tim's dad, Art, drove himself to his doctor. He did not feel good he told the receptionist. He did not have an appointment, but they worked him in anyway. It was quickly determined that he needed immediate emergency care and he was put into an ambulance and taken to the ER nearby. Two days later he underwent bypass surgery and from that day forward life as he knew it had changed forever.

After much rehab and an attempt to return to his home, it quickly became apparent that living on his own - alone - would no longer be possible. Driving a car was out of the question. He was face to face with the loss of his freedom and independence.

Brighton Gardens, a beautiful assisted living facility is where Art now lives. With Tim's help, he recently put his house on the market. Its lovely charm and good neighborhood location could not be resisted by a very nice couple and the house was soon under contract. Art signed the documents to transfer ownership several weeks ago. Although relieved to no longer have this property to worry about, it must have felt like somewhat of a loss to give up ownership of the home he and Dot happily shared for many years. Selling his house must have felt like selling his independence and freedom along with it.

Such are life stages that many people face each day. If the same circumstances arise for me, how will I feel giving up my own home, my own car, my own sense of freedom to come and go as I please? Probably that wouldn't feel so wonderful.

Ask any resident of an assisted living facility how they like living there. The response is usually a simple "it's okay". I think what they really mean is "I wish I could be back in my own home where I could hop in my car and run my own errands or walk across the street to ask my neighbor how his tomato plants are coming along. I wish I could wake up in the morning, make my own cup of coffee and walk down the driveway in the cool air to pick up my newspaper. I wish I could get started on the pretty spring flowerbed I plant each year. The neighbors always enjoy that color burst. But I don't have my home anymore so I can't do these things. But, yes, this new place that I now call home is very nice - it's okay."

Camping

Mel and I hadn't been camping since early spring due to the rains. We finally made it out last week to one of our favorite places--Tyler State Park. Here we are camped in the Big Pine section. We had a great week and were so glad to be able to get out camping and on the road again. Our future plan is to tour Colorado in the fall and hopefully see their beautiful changing trees.

This is the interior of the camper. You see our little kitchen, bathroom to the right behind the towel rack, and a queen size bed in the back.

Here is a picture facing the front of the camper. The couch Mel is sitting on pulls out to a twin bed. Behind him is a double bed.

This is the Lakeview section where we usually like to camp. In the summer you're very lucky to get a spot here. In the fall, however, when everyone is back to school and work we never have a problem and usually settle in close to the lake. We start a campfire around 5, sit and watch the beautiful reflections of the fall trees in the lake and the sun setting.

My favorite picture in this series is of this little footbridge that leads to the island we visit on our morning walk.

Here I am sitting on the island. As you can see Tyler is a great place to camp.

Roots

When Melanie was a little girl she found a seedling in the yard and wanted to plant it. "Sure", her Dad said, "why don't we do that". Here's the silver maple today. Now every time she comes home she will point to the tree and proclaim her responsibility for its existence. To have this little connection to home must feel good to her. I know it feels good to me.

Happy Birthday, Melanie. We love you and your tree.

Walk Time

Here we are just before our daily walk, usually at night. We go just about every night and that is a lighted collar that is on him. It blinks RED so I can keep up with him very easily. You see, I now walk him in the neighborhood without a leash and he will pretty much stay with me. Oh, he runs off into the yards to sniff around, but he will come back when I whistle for him. He IS a good guy despite what "Little" says.

Something Sweet

Winston-Salem is the home of the Krispy Kreme doughnut. Founded in 1937, this company's signature product is a ring of dough that is yeast raised, baked, deep fried, drizzled with glaze, flipped and drizzled again. To eat one of these hot off the rollers and sip a cup of their wonderful coffee is a pleasure beyond description.

The store pictured here is located on a main road just a few miles from our house. The doughnuts are made on the premises. I drive by there frequently but rarely stop in. These delicious sugary delights are over 200 calories each and it's impossible to eat only one.

When we have out of town visitors we like to take them to Krispy Kreme. Its fun to watch the doughnuts roll off the machine and see the glaze pour over the long rows of fresh hot doughnuts. Another good reason to visit the relatives in Winston-Salem!

A Tasty Brew

A man was working on a special and unique recipe in an effort to create the world's best tasting beer. Finally he had what he believed to be the best combination of ingredients and was anxious to begin bottling and selling his beer. However, before he could do this he had to send a sample to the FDA for their approval. After waiting weeks for a response he finally received a reply from the FDA. The letter read: "Dear Sir, we have thoroughly analyzed the sample of liquid formula you have sent to us. We are sorry to inform you that your horse has diabetes."

Although I am the worst at verbally telling a joke, I do love hearing them. The good ones I can listen to over and over. The above joke is one of my all time favorites and I was laughing as I typed it. Tim is really good at telling jokes - so good that many times - in the beginning - I do not even realize that he is pulling my leg. He says he's glad he can still make me laugh - after all these years.

"Diary Discovery"

I made a most fascinating discovery this week. I found one of these under the cushion of the couch and the other carefully hidden behind the computer desk. Below are a sampling of the entries in each.

"Sport"

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am – Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm – Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm – Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm – Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm – Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm – Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm – Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm – Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

"Little"

"Day 6617 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmate and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely make condescending comments about what a “good little hunter” I am.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices last night. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.” I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoner here is a flunky.

The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded."