YCGL - December 19, 2022-January 1-6, 2023 - The Weeks Before and After Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

For most (maybe all) of Sally's life, this Christmas Scene has been on

a window box in their house or on her Grand Piano.  

Jaye showed videos that Wilbur made in the early 1960s and it was there.

Sally's Grandfather, John Sykora, made the church in the 1940s, and several

of the figures are from that time.  We've added some almost every year.  

Now I don't have the piano, so I'm going to have to figure out something.   

" 'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the AirBnB..." and I won't bore you with the rest of the drivel I was about to write.  You can just imagine....  I'm sorry.

We did this last year.  In years previous, we gathered at Jere and Tom's house.  The five bedrooms and two dens provided enough room for almost everyone to sleep there.  And we would invade and stay for days.  On Thanksgiving, On Christmas, On Dasher, On Prancer...Ok, I'll get off this kick.  Last year and this year, I've rented an AirBnB for the Edgar's and anyone else that needed a place to crash.  And that's worked out really well.  I had a very nice place about 2 miles from Jere's in Fruita, CO, 12 miles west of Grand Junction.  Basically, the AirBnB was for sleeping and breakfast, and the rest of the time we were at Jere's.  

December 18, Sunday.  I've decided when pulling the trailer that 200 miles/4 or so hours was enough of a driving day for me.  And it's not a bad idea for driving by myself without the trailer as well.  And since with stops for gas, walking around, etc., it would be over 6 hours, I decided to drive to Craig, CO the first day.  When I was setting up the GPS on Google Maps, it estimated the time to my motel in Craig to be 3 hours and 9 minutes.  From Craig to Jere's house was 3 hours and 6 minutes.  I split it pretty well.  Nothing exciting happened on the drive that day and I had a pretty good crispy relleno for dinner.  I worked on my Christmas letter that night for a while and went to bed at a reasonable time.  

(The following will describe an incident that has some humorous implications to it, but is followed by some rather advanced physical chemistry.  Like anything I write (at all), this is not required reading for the test at the end, so you can skip the part between the dashed lines.  

December 19, Monday.  The motel had a full hot buffet breakfast from 6:00-9:00 and checkout was at 11:00.  I set my alarm for 7:30, slept through it and woke up at 9:00, missing breakfast.  Ehh.  No big deal.  I would have eaten too much anyway, like I did last night. 

 I read my email, showered and got dressed, repacked and got everything ready to head out about 10:00.  It was -4 out that morning, so I went out to start the truck so it would warm up a little. When I walked up to the motel's outside door, the door wouldn't unlock with my card.   I was in the back of the motel, and it didn't work in the other two side doors till I got to the front.  I walked back to my room and that door didn't open.   I walked passed the Housekeeping office and she told me to go to the front desk.   Once I found the desk clerk, he reset my card, I walked back and the door still won't open.  Back to the front desk, he gave me a new card and for some reason, it worked.  Great.  I rolled the bag out to the truck, got the GPS set up and was ready to go.  The temperature in the cab was in the 60s by that point.

I've mentioned my Toro Rojo in the past (read Red Bull).  Since I quit drinking coffee after my auto accident in 2016, and I rarely drink tea anymore, I find that one RB in the morning is a good safe boost for my drives.  And that's the only time I drink it.  I had picked up two when I left Laramie and had the first, but forgot to take the second one inside for the night.  So, without thinking about it, I popped the tab on can that was there.  There was a little pffft and the tab didn't open the "whatever the thing is that goes down into the can when it is pushed by the tab".  So I set it down in the cup holder and started to take off.  Then the pffft took on a wet spray sound and I saw a little fountain of RB spewing up onto the center consol.  Grabbing it to hold outside, I hit the door that I didn't open first and got that messy, finally opened the door and let the can sizzle until it quit.  I then thought it out.  The initial pffft was the gas on top of the almost solid block of ice that prevented the "metal thingy" from going in.  The outside of the can had warmed just enough to allow the outer layer of ice to melt and release the carbon dioxide which caused the fountain effect.  

-------------

(An interesting fact about water with additives (normally sodium or calcium salt in nature, or sugar in sodas) freezing is that pure water freezes first and pushes the additive outside the freezing surface.  This increases the concentration of what's left and lowers its freezing point temperature.  Then as the next layer freezes, it will hold a little of the additive as it freezes at a lower temperature, but still increases the concentration of the salt or sugar around it.  In soil, this progressive freezing causes the water to migrate in the pores due to capillary action and causes frost heave, like under roads (my last research project) or sidewalks.  In a soda can, it means you have an ice cylinder in the center and then increasing concentrations of frozen layers around it, including the carbon dioxide that is in solution.  So.. when you release the pressure that it was freezing under, that CO2 comes out and causes that concentrated fluid to spew out.  Finally, when everything starts to settle down and melt, the initial fluid is really sweet because of the high concentration of sugar (or salty), and then as time goes on, the concentration gets less and less until the final fluid you drink is pure water.  And, even though the temperature in my cab was 72 degree, there was still a frozen cylinder of ice in the can when I got to Grand Junction.  I sure wish I had thought of this experiment when I was teaching Flow in Porous Media.  It may have made a believer out of some who thought I was crazy.  It's for real!!)

---------------

By the time I had gotten the Red Bull under control, and some of it cleaned up, I drove a couple of blocks over to McDonald's to get a breakfast sandwich.  (Again, something I would never eat except when necessary on the road.)  I pulled up to what used to be the Happy Clown face but isn't anymore and ordered a Egg McMuffen with Sausage, and the happy voice came back with "We quit serving those at 10:30."  It was 10:36.  So I ordered a Jr. Mac with water and extra napkins and spent the next 20 minutes cleaning up Red Bull Concentrate.  

And all of this would have been fine, except Liz was flying into Grand Junction airport at 2:34.  So now I had to hightail it directly to the airport and not stop at Jere's like I had originally planned.  Though cold, the drive was lovely and dry and I got there 10 minutes before her plane was to land.  Which was a little late.  So we were fine.  

We drove straight to the AirBnB.  It was very nice.  A four bedroom house facing a quiet street.  We were their first guests, so I kind of felt like we were under the gun to do right by it.  Liz, who is working on her own AirBnB, was fun to watch.  What she was most intrigued by was the reconstruction of the house.  Looking at the configuration of the garage, living room and kitchen, it was obvious that the garage had been rotated from the initial construction.  The kitchen was entirely new with nice appliances, but no wall cabinets.  The dishes were stored in the corner behind the dishwasher where one would normally have a lazy-susan.  You have to unload the dishes to the counter and then transfer from the counter to the back of the shelves in the corner.   I suggested storing them in the towel drawers on the other side of the kitchen.  

Once we got our suitcases in our rooms, we drove to Jere's.  Jaye and Lyndon had arrived the day before.  Jere had gotten there the day before that.  (Tom's parents moved to Conroe, TX (!) about 15-20 years ago, before Jere and Tom started dating.  Tom's brother lived with them and had died in late October.  Tom's mom died a few years ago, so his dad was by himself, which is difficult because he is 98 (he turned 99 on December 26!) and is stone deaf.  Tom has been down there since the day after his brother died and hasn't been back.  Jere has been down there and flying to her work gigs and this was her first time back to the house.)  They have done an extensive house remodel, putting in a whole new prime bedroom and basically reconfiguring the whole west end of the house, including the kitchen and dining areas.  The contractor wrapped up the construction while they were gone, Tom had spent one night in the new bedroom and left the next day.  So all of this was new to Jere.  And then she was having ten people come stay for a week.  No stress there!  We all went out to eat that night.  

December 20, Tuesday.  Erik flew in that day.  And my package with my Christmas present to myself came in by UPS that morning.  So Erik (the collegiate bicycle racer) was there to help me unpack the bicycle, which came 90% assembled.  Erik took over the other 10%.  It is a folding, electric, mountain bike.  

The reason for the folding is so I can store it in the back of the pickup rather than hang a bike rack off the back of the trailer.  I spent most of the day sending out Christmas emails.  My Christmas list is about 140 people, and I want to keep that up.  

December 21, Wednesday. The day was mostly emailing, getting stuff from various stores, decorating,  lounging and a little talking....

One accomplishment.  Jere's contractor had been using their garage to store equipment and wood out of the weather.  There was flooring, siding, trim and pallets still laid out in her car's stall.  We loaded it in the back of the pickup and walked holding the pieces sticking out over the tailgate.  There was an area in the back of Tom's massive shop where the kitchen cabinets had been that we filled in again.  It took several trips.  The hardest part for me was driving the pickup so slowly that they could walk.  I shifted into 4-wheel drive low and still had to brake to keep them from running.  

Tyler was supposed to fly in but the horrible snow storm that most of the country was experiencing caught up with him in Denver and his evening flight to Montrose got postponed.  Luckily, he was able to get a cot to sleep on at the airport.  I'm sure a lot of people would have loved that over the next few days.  

We got take-out Chinese for dinner.  

December 22,  Thursday.  Erik, Liz and I all slept in late.  The AirBnB was nice and quiet and it was just easy to do.  So, at 11:00, we decided to go get some breakfast burritos from a food truck Erik had located.  Of course, when we got there, it was closed.  But it was next door to a Mexican restaurant which was filling up pretty quickly.  Now, tonight was Mexican food for dinner.  We knew there would be lots of it.  And decided to have it for lunch also!  And it was good time to be with my kids.  

My two kooks!  Gotta love'em!  

Jere's son Arthur got in today.  He drove in from north Denver and had a little trouble with the snow, but made good time anyway.   He was my scuba diving buddy in Cozumel.  

Tyler also got in today.  He has had some incredible internships over the years.  He's had an Air Force Security Clearance and has been working on material properties, especially under high vacuum, i.e., space conditions.  He has a new job.  He got the offer when Liz and I were in Albuquerque.  He is getting qualified on running an electron microscope.  I sure wish he could talk about it....  Plus, for fun, he has made his own 3-D printer and microscope, and electric skate board where he has done the circuitry.  He has a pretty amazing skillset for a senior in engineering.  

I worked on emails for a while today until later afternoon when I decided to become a member of the family.  I think there may have been a little bit of watching the movies on the back of eyelids also.  Jere and Jaye worked on setting up Jere's Christmas decorations which she had located.  Then, we had a lot of fun with the Mexican dinner.

Liz, Jere, Me, Tyler, Lyndon, Jaye, Arthur, Erik

With the two boys there, it became game night.  

Dad, you can stop taking pictures!

Usually there are 3 to 5 other young adults between Erik's and Tyler's ages, so gaming can get pretty gamey.  The elders usually try to avoid the space they occupy.  No matter what the game, there is usually continued reference to flatulence and other bodily functions that keeps them in an uproar!  In a way, I'm glad that they still have that much fun together.  Of course, being the oldest of the group, Erik is probably the most childish of all, so it's safe to think they will be like this for a long time.  (Of course, I don't know where Erik gets it from....Must have been Sally, righttttt?)

Actually, Jaye and I started another old Christmas tradition, doing a jigsaw puzzle.  Jaye and I would start to work pretty diligently on a puzzle as soon as the pieces hit the table.  And then we would work on it until 3:00-4:00-5:00/sunup before we'd quit.  Wilb would come in for a while, as would Liz.  The rest of the fam would find a couple of pieces here and there and call it good, but Jaye and I led the charge.  And then back at it first thing in the morning.  Back when we had 5-7 days available for Christmas, we'd do 1000-1200 piece puzzles.  As time available got shorter, we set a max at 750, and would do 500 piercers in a night or so. 

This year's puzzle was a murder mystery puzzle.  We worked on the outside border for over four hours and got stymied.  We had all the border pieces.  We had the top completed, but gaps on the other three sides.  With the interlocking segments we had left, we could not figure out how to make the edges even.  We also realized the the picture on the box did not match the images on the border.  So we quit that night and began again in the morning.  We shuffled pieces for about half an hour and decided we did not have time to complete the puzzle before we had to leave on Sunday so we quit.  That was tough to do, expedience does not equal preference.  

Sally had packed a 1000 piece astronomy puzzle two years ago and I brought that, but we agreed it was too much dark to be able to finish.  And Liz had ordered another puzzle of the national parks that looked do-able.  We finished it Saturday morning.  (By accident, (Totally!), a piece had fallen into my shoe before we went home for the night, and luckily I saw it fall out when I took my shoe off.  So that guaranteed that Jaye couldn't finish it without me!  Though I should wait until Saturday, here's the finished puzzle.

Note that all the outside pieces are just white or white with a bit of a gold stripe.  Each piece literally had to be checked individually.  Jaye and I worked out a scheme that worked pretty well.  

Also, Tom's daughter Kelli and her husband Jeff got in that night.  They live in Gillette and had to drive about 500 miles the day after the big snowstorm.  They were planning on coming the day before, but discretion and the Wyoming Department of Transportation decided they wouldn't go that day.

December 23, Friday.  Today was kind of quiet, at least there wasn't any evidence weren't any pictures.  Well, one picture.

Pre-Christmas Dinner on the 23rd 😊🙏💗

Jaye, Tyler, Lyndon, Me, Liz, Erik, Arthur and Jere

December 24, Saturday.  This year had been Jere's 60th birthday.  We hadn't had a chance to celebrate it so today was birthday party day.  (Actually, the way the birthday's worked for the families, there were a bunch of birthdays in the spring and early summer, and a bunch in the fall, so we would celebrate with two Spring and Fall birthdays.  So, we kind of all celebrated all the birthdays today.)  And it was decided that the "theme" of the party would be a costume party.  

Now, you would think that a group of adults ranging from 21 to 73 would be kind of blah about a costume party.  Not so.  In fact, Erik is known for his costumes for his running club in Boston.  When he heard about the costume party, he went through his collection and got in touch with Arthur about matching costumes.  So, when it was time for the great unveil, those two came out as, well, you figure it out.....

Art had brought his dog, Moochi, who got pretty excited with the activities.  I'm surprised that the pictures came out without shaking because I was laughing so hard.  

Liz had gotten a cow costume and decided to go out and visit the neighbors.

Of course, Erik and Arthur couldn't let her do it alone...

After this, we had a zoom call with everyone that couldn't be there.  Here are Robert and his Liz.  We also had Juhl and Lisa and Will and Diana on the call as well.  So, for one "brief and shining moment," we were all together this Christmas.

This was Jere's birthday celebration, so she got some presents.  Jaye had made a very nice scrapbook of pictures over the years and then written letters from all of the family.  There was also the "Oh No, Over the Hill" box, with various gag gifts.  Some, like the Depends, aren't as funny as they used to be.

Jaye had also made a slide show with videos that Wilb had made when they were kids.  The last slide is a listing of all the family birthdays so everyone can keep up.  Of course, there has to be a picture of the two sisters.

This is a remake of a photo they took when they were about 13 and 14.  I've looked for a copy of it but I can't find it.  Finally, a group shot of everyone there in their costumes.

Arthur, Tyler, Lyndon, Kelli, Jeff, Liz, Erik, Me

Moochi, Jaye, Jere

Moochi at rest.

Jaye and Liz were concerned because I didn't get my traditional Bacardi Rum Cake for my birthday.

Liz fixed that!!!

And so ended the Christmas celebration!

December 25, Sunday.  Sadly, Sunday was a day of travel.  Liz flew out to Portland at 9:00, Erik at 2:20 to Boston, Arthur drove back to Denver, but Kelli and Jeff were going to stay a couple of days because her dad, Tom, was finally able to fly in from Conroe, after everyone else had left.  I know it must have felt good for him to get home after being in a stressful situation for two months. 

I left the valley after I dropped Erik off at the airport.  I had made arrangements to stop and see Jay and Kathy Puckett that evening.  I got to their house about 6:00.  Kathy had fixed chicken stuffed with crab and it was delicious.  We talked until almost 11:00.  Jay and I were office-mates while we were working on our PhDs at Colorado State University in 1978 or 1979.  Sally, Erik and I moved up to Laramie in 1981.  When one of our very senior structures professor retired in 1983, I called Jay and told him to apply, which he did and got the job.  We had adjoining offices for many years.  I did my first big research project with the Wyoming Department of Transportation with Jay, evaluating construction techniques on a bridge reconstruction on I80.  The recommendation we made became a design standard for bridge embankments in Wyoming, and Jay informed me that the FHWA is looking at making the procedure a design recommendation.  Jay became my department head for six years, and we retired together.  He went on to become a director of the Architectural Engineering and Construction Engineering program at the University of Nebraska.  He started a software company in 1990 to evaluate bridge ratings that is used in 30 or so states.  He is quite a guy!  

But what has been even closer has been the family relationships.  Their daughter Sarah was born one year and four days after Erik.  Liz came next and then Kerri, and later, Amy.  Sally and I were the girls godparents.  Kathy was Sally's Lamaze instructor for Liz.  Kathy started the playgroup for the kids that lasted many years.  They are as close a family as my own.  

Jay, Kathy and me

My Other Girls, Sarah, Amy and Kerri

(I asked them if I could put this picture in my Christmas Letter.  I didn't have room there, so I hope they're ok with this.  😊)

December 26, Monday.  After breakfast, I showed Jay and Kathy my new bicycle.  Jay took it out for a short spin.  And then I had a good drive home to Laramie.  It was a great week.  

December 27, Tuesday.  Kathy called and Jay started feeling bad Monday evening and tested positive for Covid on Tuesday morning.  We sat together for 4 or 5 hours.  Kathy tested also and was negative.  Since my exposure was on Sunday/Monday, I really couldn't test until Thursday.  So I quarantined.  I felt fine, and frankly, I wasn't worried.

I ordered some groceries from Walmart and picked it up.  I got a baked potato from Wendy's on Wednesday.  I tested Thursday evening and was negative.  Tested again on Saturday and was negative, so I was pretty sure I was safe.  I felt fine all week.  But I had also felt fine when I did have Covid last January.  I didn't want to push it at church, so I missed that.  Finally, I had an appointment with my oral surgeon on Tuesday and that was the first time out of the house all week.  (My cone for my upper molar has set and I'm ready for the implant, or the crown, whatever the "tooth" is.)

The week was very similar to the height of Covid.  Stay inside.  Don't do much.  Sleep (ha!), read, play on the computer, watch TV.  I did all of those.  

Life is back to normal, whatever that is anymore.  I've been out with the Bubble, I've been to a basketball game, I've been out on my bike.  I've been rearranging things in my kitchen (wait, maybe I am sick...)  

It has been a good holiday.  Its been great to be with all my Colorado/Wyoming families.  It's time to think about where to go next.....

Life is good!