Father to Son to Sons

Took the older boys on a little Sunday drive this afternoon, partly to get them out of the house for the littlest ones naptime, and second because it was a beautiful weekend and they needed to get out and stretch their legs during this lull in this winter season. We went down to a nearby park, closed for the season, parked the van on the side of the road, and went for a little hike. Christopher kept bringing up the old house in Rockford where we had the woods right behind the house and could explore. He liked doing that so walking through the woods at this park was a good time for him. There was a little stream we followed and we trudged through the snow, broke through shallow pools of ice and water, etc. After that little jaunt, we jumped back in the van and, after getting a few pops and a snack at the local gas station, I took them down Indian Mounds Drive, starting at Johnson Park and heading towards Grand Rapids. I informed them my dad used to take me down along the river here for drives, just to check out the area, the woodland, the river. Th kids and I stopped at the old train trestle, now part of Kent Trails, and walked across it. Back in the van, we drve to the CSX Wyoming train yard and checked out some of the parked trains (from the safety of the van).

The inner bonus...I got to take my kids on a little jaunt down alon the southwest side of town, down near the river, like my dad used to take us kids when we were young. Simple stuff. No money required, but ohhhh the value in doing those simple little things.

New site

New site up...www.peterwelmerink.com. Mainly doing it to showcase my written work that is available out there, and, who knows, perhaps through some stuff up there about future model train layout just for shats and gaggles.

Feel free to check it out.

www.peterwelmerink.com

Ice Skating at JPB

I don't see it much anymore, people skating on the duck pond at John Ball Park. Perhaps they are not allowed in this age of liability for even twisting your ankle while walking through the park woods and potential for lawsuits. I can understand why, I suppose, the City doesn't point out this place anymore as a "Come on! Skate Here!" place to go in the chilly winter months.

Back in my day, and days before me, the frozen pond, both during the day and during the dark winter evening times, was packed with a collection of young and old with silver metal blades skimming across the frozen glare, hand-in-hand or by themselves, trying to be a ballerina on ice, spinning, falling. Speedy skaters of the devious but playful nature would snatch the hat off your head and be off. Young lovers--puppy or otherwise--mittened hand in mittened hand, would skate around the island, round and round, perhaps stopping around the darkened and somewhat hidden eastern side to steal a quick kiss.

The pavillion would be enclosed during the winter months. Within the "hothouse" you could sit down on a green splintered bench, unarmor yourself from your wollen tapestries, and defrost yourself while talking to your friends or watching who was coming in and out of the place.

I used to make the one-block trek from my parents house, skates tied together at the laves and hung over my shoulder. The bright farmlight that hung over the hothouse and the pond was like a huge star, a directional beacon, to guide me to the icy playground. It was always exciting to get to the corner of John Ball Park Boulevard and Fulton, gaze across the street, and see the small crowd of people collected on the frozen pond. Friends were there. Potential romance was there (if you found a girl and asked her if she'd skate around the island with you). Besides sledding, winter, back then, was all about ice skating.

Woodland Scenics Part 1

I grew up roughly a mile away from the downtown area of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The hum of tires and the sound of truck engine braking (rather loud downshift gear noise) was prominent from the expressway from the top of the hill to the northwest of my childhood home. In the summer, the street and sidewalks were hot and hard...nothing like stubbing your big toe on a slab of unforgiving cement.

What luck though to grow up three houses away from an area of woods untouched by human hands, well, at least untouched by human machines. As a boy and with friends, we touched this area of woodland with hands, and shovels, digging into the earth and making our "forts", breaking off sticks and using them as makeshift guns to play "army", sitting on the huge fallen tree which sat at the top of the woods, picking off its dying bark and chatting about the world beyond our gathering place.

In the summer, thick within the foliage fold of green, it was like walking in a faerie kingdom. The sun filtered through the canopy of trees in golden beams, it was like walking through warm spotlights. The area was alive with squirrels rummaging through the ground cover. A occasional rabbit would burst from the brush and be lost amongst the greenery. In the winter, the white snow lay thick upon the ground. The trees bare and brown. The sky above, void of green canopy for cover, was leaden and cloud-clogged. It was a quiet place with the chill breeze blowing about the sleeping woodland, woodland waiting for the warmth of the spring sun to touch it again. We would go sliding here, not far from the warmth of our homes.

The woods near the house was a bonus playground in the middle of the city.

How lucky we were indeed.

Riding

5-year decided to GO FOR IT today, and try his luck on a 2-wheel bike versus the 2-wheel/2-training wheel model. He just decided to give it a go. I let him try out riding his older brothers bike, then when that went wll, I took the training wheels off his bike and...HE WAS OFF! It was amazing, and a very very good thing.

It's great watching kids hit these milestones. And it is great for the kids. I stand there, thinking, the next taste of freedom...first, learning to walk, second, learning to ride a bike w/ training wheels, then the big step, the 2-wheel without those training wheels where you can zoom and turn and go crazy. Can chase the brother and other kids without being on the weenie-bike. Freedom, baby! Good job, MG!

Good stuff.

Salute to George Yohe

A guy who worked at my plant, as a line supervisor, who I did not know very well, but he was placed in high regard with everyone, and my gut instinct is he was a good man, died today after a tragic motor cycle accident. He was on his way home from work Monday morning at around 1030am, when a truck pulled out in front of him. He died Tuesday, July 15 at 430am. He was 55 years old. Not old at all. And had a family.

It is a very sad and tragic thing when a person dies in that way, especially leaving behind wife, family and friends who will surely wonder why a good man had to die and had to die in such a way. Wasn't like he was messing around. Not some young punk doing something stupid, not paying attention to his surroundings.

Anyway, here's to you, George. May God have a cycle for you in Heaven, and may you ride on.

What positive can be taken from this? George did not suffer long, nor did he have to endure years of pain or handicap from an obvious very traumatic event. The good Lord took him and ended his brief pain, deciding his best purpose in life at that time, was to be risen up to be at His side, and watch over all us here still on Earth.

Could be worse - Part 1

I got a good job. Lucky in this day and age, especially in the automotive industry and especially in Michigan. I have been lucky to be steadily working all these years. I only experienced a layoff once waaaay back in 1991 when I was working at ATS. Other than that I have been able to keep steadily employed all this time, and been able to maintain/retain my job even when faced with plant closings and company downsizing. I don't see myself as anyone special, that I am some miracle worker or some Einstein-know-it-all when it comes to Quality...I have just always worked hard, cared about what I do and the places and the people and to make a go at it, to succeed, to progress, to take chances (ie, try to take on more and try to move up the food chain at work).

I have been very lucky when it comes to work and holding a job.

And that's definitely a good thing.

Thanks Lord (and my current employer). :)