To Become a Rogue & Claim a Valley in One Afternoon

Follow-up of “Medford Adventure”

Now let’s see. What does the dictionary say about “rogue” . . .as in ROGUE VALLEY?

“Rogue”. . “a rascal; a scamp. . .” Hmmmmm: “an elephant or other animal of savage disposition and solitary life. . .” Hmmmmmmmmm.

All right, I might be a little bit of each, but is there more?

Wait! There’s more! “a playfully mischievous person.” I like it; I’ll take it. I shall become it. . . and more so as Dick and I make our final decision to sell our beloved and beautiful home in Kalama, Washington to join the Senior Citizens of the world, whom we really hadn’t realized that we had become.

This very week we ventured down to the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon, once again, to make a final decision about retiring to the Rogue Valley Manor Continuing Care Retirement Center (http://www.retirement.org/rvm). Yes, that place, where I had worried and grumbled and tried to avoid on our previous visit (see “Medford Adventure” below). Howsoever, today I am a changed person and a happy camper for my number one ‘IF’ wish has happened and come true.

To wit: This lovely “Village” of condos, apartments and cottages is “home” to almost 1,000 senior citizens who have chosen to live in this particular retirement community in Medford, Oregon, up high on a hill, while looking over to a mountain range and down on lovely green valleys accompanied by shockingly bright colors of trees and flowers. Howsoever, for Patti, the move had to be for one of the 23 Lake Cottages built only four years ago in 2005. What were the odds? Most hopeful seniors wait from 2 to 5 years for any housing at Rogue Valley, let alone one of the 23 Lake Cottages.

Ah, but this year 2009, a surprise! A unique sale was to take place due to a new and third building, The Terrace, being built, as we speak, allowing for residents to move to the 26 new condos that will become available in September. Though we were “on the list” for a Lake Cottage from our last trip in March, we were cautioned that only ONE lake cottage was up for sale and that two couples were above us on the list for this one special cottage (it’s 2100 sq. ft. making it the largest). We gave up.

And then Cindy Hail, with Marketing, called with a most unexpected message: “Both couples ahead of you on the list have dropped out of competition for #1706 due to neither one being able to buy the cottage until having sold their current homes.”

Woe. That sounded like us. However, Dick Blide got out paper and pencil and with furrowed brow worked out a feasible plan for us that would allow our buying cottage #1706 now.

Third cottage on the right

Yea! Rah! We are thankful and ready to work like crazy to get our Kalama Home on the market and sold. . .in this horrible economy.


Side note: On the way down to Medford, a huge brightly colored rainbow lay arched and bowed end to end across the sky. #1706 might be our pot of gold . . . in the best possible way: Health-wise.

Life is good!

Friendship Festivities

Ah, many years and several emails ago the writing, working, winning team of French and Blide promised to stay in touch by wire, by phone, or person and this week was the “person.”

Alfre, né Alice, arrived by plane with a huge smile and a C-Pap attached to baggage. Which is to say that the Dick of “family-Blide” seems to have as much in common with Alice as does Patti. Both, as well being loved and admired by Patti, share talents in such as writing, computer “geekness” and game-playing . Alice used that darn I-Phone for everything but eating. It played music, took pictures, and Googled, to mention a few.

Arrival was followed by lunch at McMinimins on the Columbia River with its sailing boats and fishing for Salmon. Later, eating birthday cake with “potted ice cream” was on the agenda in celebration of Alice’s April birthday.

Day Two found we three off on a trip to Kalama’s Antique & Barista shop for Kelley’s famous home-made Chicken Noodle Soup with Curry Chicken Salad. It was Heaven!

Our artistic friend loves beauty and nature, so off we went to Longview about 15 miles North of Kalama. Longview is known for its huge lake right in the middle of town (about ten blocks long, 3 blocks wide) of lovely gardens, water fountains, bridges, and rolling green hills rimmed in yellow water flowers every where. Even with the season being a little early we managed to surround ourselves with Rhododendrons:

And finally one shot in the famous Buddha Garden:

Back home Chef Richard’s famous Crab Cakes and Patti’s new recipe for Chocolate-Orange Torte, led right into our entertainment of the evening: Dancing with the Stars!

At last! Day Three and what guest Alice was most waiting for: the camera trip of the Woodlands Tulip Festival:

On Day Four we enjoyed still more beauty of The Pacific NW with our car trip to the lovely Multnomah Falls coupled with a fabulous breakfast in their famous Falls Room.

Chef Richard rounded out the day with our trip to the Pacific NW Fish House for guest Alice to select a salmon to send back home and for Chef Richard to select our evening dinner. Guest Alice and wife Patti both ohhhhed and ahhhhed over our fresh Salmon dinner cooked to perfection by our personal chef. This was truly a beautiful finale to a beautiful visit of forever friends.

What I Did On My Easter Vacation

Dear family & friends,

Somewhat in my teacher mode, I decided to report on: What I did on my Easter Vacation

Our Easter was cool, somewhat cloudy, and full of new experiences for Dick and Patti.

Full of appreciation for the beauty and serenity of our life here, this early morning we jumped into our car and shot off for a new and unplanned adventure, in a near-by very small town.

That town would be Rainier, Oregon just up I-5 and over the Columbia River via the Lewis and Clark (fairly new) bridge where we started with breakfast in a real live "bar" that had boasted a sign, "Family Breakfast," which fact we fell for. However, very few people were eating, but a few more were enjoying the Las Vegas type slot machines with pictures and arrows and "no banana" in terms of making money. But wait! It was all worth it: we got a Happy Birthday phone call from brother Pete whom we shocked with the news that we were in a bar!

The other best part, was discovering the unusual "buggy" outside the bar making one wonder which local in that bar owned and had "decorated" such a "delight.


Later, just looking around and across the freeway, we discovered what looked like huge wood carvings. We abruptly turned off the freeway and found the right little road to drive into the Wood Carving place where we met "Robert" who proudly showed us his album of all types of carvings many of which had won awards. We especially fell in love with Robert's constant companion, Danny the Chocolate Lab, as well as with Robert's life-like carvings of dogs, which brings us to the reason for mentioning all this! As silly as this may sound, Dick and I actually started talking about having a Sibling-Sapling Totem Pole carved. Now, don't faint; it's just a thought. Bob's prices are very reasonable due to the fact that Washington is full of huge cedar trees so he gets them at low prices. The carvings would be caricatures of the siblings and saplings, the latter being, of course, the sibs mates.

Oh, well, just a thought. Feel free to reply in any sense. After all, Life is short. Yes?

At any rate our "exciting" Easter dinner planned, using the Woods b-day gift (wonderful, beautiful, just perfect cooking tool) was a hit! We bought fresh Oregon salmon, simply added greens/tomato salad and specially sliced, then baked the potato slices with chopped onions on top.

So there you are. It's the little things in life that we cherish.

Finally, there was also a worrisome Easter event. Dick had a call from his Heart Doctor's Nurse with info about Dick's needing another heart catheterization to ablate extra heart beats (equals less blood being pumped into his body) that have kept him so weak and tired. That surgery is planned for mid May; we'll keep you posted. Dick has full confidence in his cardiologist who did an earlier ablation (burning of the heart) for him.

So, it is not too late to say, HAPPY EASTER each and every one. Life is good.

patti with dick

Medford Adventure

“Oh, to be fifty again!” That ode heard often from the grinning face of our dad, never left me. When fifty years hit me, I rejoiced; my friends wondered why.

Now, at seventy-something, I have still been wondering where “old age” is/was/or shall be. “Wake up!” I heard myself say recently. “Dick Blide, (husband of great looking legs) is going to be eighty next year and our Dad died in his early eighties. E-Gad.”

And so that is why Dick and I took off this week to see what “old age” really is and what we “should” do about it. Dick has been stressing over and over his need to slow down and plan for the future, health-wise. I have politely listened; but didn’t hear.

However, it is true. Dick, in the last decade, has earned that concern, especially considering “going down hill” as he says, regarding his vision, his heart, and his nervous system. All of this leading to his open heart surgery for valve repair (two of the four valves), a pace-maker surgically placed in his chest (I have coyly called it his third boob), the lessening of balance in his feet and strength resulting in the need of Retuxin, a med inserted by needle over a period of several “sittings” to stop the progression of neuropathy (nerve damage), and maybe the scariest of all, “wet” macular degeneration, or blindness in his left eye (except for his peripheral vision) with shots needed monthly now with efforts to save his right eye from loss of vision. Dick Blide has always been energetic with running marathons (9 of them), climbing and skiing down mountains, and enjoying the outdoors, generally, with gusto. I finally faced reality and am now wanting to do anything to make life easier for both of us, but mainly, being honest to myself regarding the health of this good man and wonderful husband. Off we went this last week to Medford Oregon, seeming to us both to be the best of the several places we have visited, heard about, or read about: Rogue Valley Manor.

We were met by Cindy Hail of Marketing, with whom we had gone through most of what there was to see and do, back in January. With this huge Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) we just couldn’t remember it all and were invited to stay for a few days in one of their cottages. We did pay $65.00/day which included all three meals of unbelievable gourmet dining (three dining areas to pick from). Cindy gave us the keys to an adorable one bedroom cottage within walking distance to everything.

All amenities were there including a completely appointed kitchen, clothes washer and drier, huge TV, king-size bed, sitting room, etc. Even the views from the back deck were wonderful. Cottages are sized up to about 1,800 sq. ft.

Residents stay in a choice of three lovely places: in addition to The Cottages, is The Manor where the “needy” residents stay for medical assistance available, as well as the doctor on the premises in the clinic right next door.


Next is the The Plaza, with different sized condos, as well as, lovely accommodations in the unusual attached dining area (on left of picture below).


We had lots of free time and enjoyed the outdoors. First, we traipsed the treed and flowered Bear Creek path that stretches for miles just below the Manor.

The best of the best, however, was twelve miles to the south in Ashland, where we enjoyed the 93 acre Lithia Park, beautifully landscaped for walking, jogging and enjoying nature at its best, as well as housing the lovely building (below) built for the famous Shakespeare Festival occurring in Ashland in the Spring to Fall months.


Finally, were the kind evening hosts, both sets of whom picked us up in their cars and transported us (about ½ mile) to dinner. From them we learned many positive reasons for coming here, especially after hearing about their lists of possible retirement places they had visited that did not match up to The Rogue Valley Manor.


Here we see the unbelievable Lisa (center), who plays five instruments and heads up (as volunteer) the planning of all musical events for the Manor. Her friend, “August,” a civil engineer (ret.) volunteers to help residents with their income tax needs. Hmmmm. Maybe I’ll be a swimming teacher volunteer!

A final thought before we leave Cindy, here, in thinking back regarding this interesting “adventure for the future.” There are some helpful and special “perks” that accompany the joining of this beautiful and caring place when one retires to this active and cheerful adventure.

Other stuff that we really like:
- Rogue Valley is non-profit
- Three meals/day including some snack areas are available to all as noted
- House cleaning services automatic every third week, including windows!
- All grounds taken care of including plantings, mowing, “cutting back,” all buildings and common areas.
- All work out facilities (swim pool, gym equipment, pool volley-ball,
bridge club, book club, wood-working club, Wii gaming club, sewing club,
music club, “pool shooting,” motorized sail boat races, art club, etc.) are free except for a small fee for golf.
The pool (20 yards long) is open 7 days/ week 24 hours/day.
- Scheduled bus service to shopping areas, churches, downtown Medford, nearby medical facilities and other destinations are available at no cost. Continuous on-grounds bus service available daily.
- Health and medical services available; some fees as noted.
- And finally, the sun shines in Medford 75% of the time --- yea.

Maui_09

We’re back!
We’re browned!
We’re saying Aloha to each other when we wake up in the morning.

Hawaii has happily left its mark on us assuring Dick and Patti that they did the right thing last year when they bought the two week timeshare condo at the Sands of Kahana in Maui, Hawaii. Our morning (7:00 am – 8:00 am) walk of 70 minutes to the Java Jazz Coffee Shop, also called Good Ass Coffee, started off each day with cheery “Good Mornings” offered over and over again as we passed/met other walkers, joggers, bikers of all ages on this same street running alongside the pounding surf of the Pacific Ocean.

Yes, we were in that surf peering down, left and right for more and more brightly colored fish of all sizes and shapes. Boy, does The Lord have artistic talents or what! Our two favorite places were Black Rock, where turtles also lay in wait to “smile” up at one, and the place we named “Shady Beach” for all the trees reaching out to serve as shade, and/or hammock-holders.

And then there was the food. Having a Fresh Fish Market and Outdoor Food Market on our walking street didn’t hurt. Our first “fancy” food outing (this means wear a “nice” shirt, at least) was a luxurious dining experience (one we went on last year w/ Mike & Bonnie, and suggested to us by neighbors The Nehls and The Bates) was Canoes where one wondered if the surf would slap up on the windows! That food could NOT be beat, and of course, it was fish with gorgeous presentation; unless it was the famous Hula Pie at Leilanies in Whaler’s Village.

Other food was what we fixed ourselves in our cozy condo kitchen where we invented our first “Smoothie” filled with fresh Hawaiian fruit (mainly bananas – did you know they grow upside down? – as well as Hawaiian pineapple, strawberries and blue berries along with soy milk which gave us “creamy” w/o much soy taste or calories. We also practiced with veggie frittatas. Then there was Valentine’s Day at The Plantation House where Mike’s friend, Bonnie’s friend took us last year. Wow! Yum! Dick had the expected freshly caught Pompano and I ventured out for rack of lamb that blew me away with it’s delicacy and flavor. With all that, I must admit that the GREATEST and BEST were the views while eating. There is no “green” any greener than Hawaii’s (how do they do it?). At Canoes it was the moored sail boats wafting to and fro in the breezes and the white surf against the blue, blue ocean. At The Plantation it was the rolling golf greens ending at the blue ocean shore. Gasp.

We did little shopping but did love wandering through Lahaina where Bonnie had taken us last year, and the Wyland Gallery, where we asked about the most beautiful coffee table ever made by sculptor, Wyland, who only wanted $20,000 for these three bronze turtles supporting an oval glass top. I bantered with the salesman telling him that once I asked my husband if I could sell our son (I hope you’re not reading this, Alex) to pay for a fabulous statue that I do have now in picture only. The salesman laughed and said he had one client who actually sold his house to pay for a Wyland. Hmmmmm. And then he told me (after saying I could not photograph it) I could find it on line. And so I shall.

The ice cream in Lahaina was yummy, and the artists’ efforts for sale under a huge Banyan tree canopy were spectacular.

Finally, before we left, Patti rushed outside where we had been taken on a nature walk by “Bill” of The Kahana Sands, to photograph (especially for Penny) some of the Flora beautifying Hawaii everywhere. No, I did not know that bananas grew upside down.. And I did not know the chunks and holes in the bark of the soaring palm trees was NOT due to bugs, but to the spiked shoes worn by the men who climbed these tall, tall trees to take down the coconuts before they fell down and bonged someone on the head possibly ending in death. Gad. And I did not know that these beautifully leafed, huge bushes became “sliced looking” leaves due only to the wind, not naturally! And I did not realize that the Croton shrubs developed their bright array of colors leaf by leaf over time, all having been green, originally.

And yes, after all that beauty, it was O.K. to leave, for we will return next year. We got back into the swing of things with our five hour plane flight which flew us right back into reality. Patti escaped into her Christopher Reeves bio, “Still Me,” leaving her in tears all the way home, while Dick Blide continued to enjoy his latest addiction, Sudoku,

Mahalo!

Life is Good,

patricia and richard

Merry Christmas, 2008, at The Woods’ Home and Catalina Island

Many, happy days ago, five Christmas “Bunnies” met at Chez Woods, and later at Catalina Island to share a lot of feasting and enjoying family with two sibs, two husbands, and one Handsome Giant Son.

The six days of joy were “headed up” by the Christmas Head Gear (above) brought to somewhat mirror the “noses” of yester-year which, in fact, also, brought smiles and comments from all who saw us.

Our first big adventure opened up for us at the Long Beach Yacht Club when the two Woods and one Handsome Giant Son set up a grand celebration for the 79th year of Dick Blide happily being here on Earth. Penelope must have presented one cookie per year!

Then, Christmas Eve Day found us accompanying son, Nicholas to his favorite church, and favorite pastor since high school days. The music gifted us this evening was professional in its beauty and fed our souls most of the one-hour delightful service. We guess over 500 appreciative people attended.

The next day, beautiful walks took place, ending in a brightly decorated mall-type place where we tried to “fit in” with our (twins’) head gear.

Christmas Day Brunch hosted by the Woods, found us in beautiful surroundings with many cheered people sharing the fabulous (too much) food and sparkling environs.

And finally, gifts were exchanged with the first being the announcement of three days at a darling condo at Catalina Island for the Blides from and with the Woods! Wow! Further gifts for the Woods were opened, including one from Michael Mouse who didn’t even know it (Fred discovered many friends in the Rice U. book of years ago).


But wait! There’s more!

An adorable and cozy condo awaited our arrival by Ferry (below). . .accompanied by a darling gas-run scooter-type open air vehicle able to seat all five of us at a time! Nicholas and Frederick did most of the enjoying of said scooter; Patti and Penny feared the open air part and jumped right off as soon as possible. They walked.


The following three days were stuffed almost as much as we, with great eating, hiking, and watching all the beauty of Catalina Island. . .especially the sunshine, (almost new to the Blides) fun eating places (one of them insisted we throw all peanut shells on the floor) and gorgeous buildings with surprises of wild buffalo almost close enough to touch.

Finally, it must be reported that Big Woody almost walked our buns off, and Dick found a hat big enough. Finally,

the giant Pelican, made it clear, he hated to see us leave. . .

Philosophy of Teaching

Ariel, we move on to actual “Teaching.” See if you like these ideas. I wrote these thoughts as one of eight essays submitted toward my selection as RISD Teacher of the Year, 1990-1991 and then as Regional Secondary Teacher of the Year (1990 – 1991).

Teaching is one of the Passion Professions. Teaching is a calling, a mission, a gift, an addiction, a “high.” Writers write from need; musicians play, sing, or compose to bring out what lives inside their souls; philosophers cannot keep from thinking, musing, sharing. The teacher is each of these. S/he does not decide to be; s/he just is.

All teachers do not live in the classroom. Some teachers seem to teach by example, as do leaders. Some teachers teach looking back over their shoulders, as do philosophers. Some teachers teach with a wide angle lens on the now; as do pragmatists. Some teachers teach looking up over the horizon, as do visionaries. The classroom teacher is each of these: a leader, a philosopher, a pragmatist, a visionary.

An outstanding teacher knows s/he is outstanding. S/he does not worry about formal evaluations; s/he self-evaluates constantly. S/he looks into the eyes, hearts, and minds of her students watching for pluses to be expanded and for minuses to be improved. S/he exudes self-confidence, good health, energy and joy. S/he loves learning and her students know it. S/he gets excited about new ideas, and her students want to be the ones to present them. S/he is happy when s/he is in the classroom (literally or figuratively) and misses it when s/he is not. S/he does not bring heavy baggage into her teaching space. S/he leaves it at home. . .or on the jogging track.

An outstanding teacher models but does not preach. She stands tall but not from a pedestal. She facilitates more than she dictates. She listens as much as she talks. She knows that inside each student lies a little pearl of truth and beauty itching to know and to understand more. She knows some pearls are deeper and harder to find while others seem to shine and gleam from the surface. The important fact is that the pearl is there in each and every student. The outstanding teacher does not seek out only the easy students with pearls of great luster and great beauty. The outstanding teacher finds a special privilege and satisfaction in seeking out and finding those deepest, darkest pearls of little luster and little beauty. It is the outstanding teacher who discovers that the greatest effort can produce the greatest reward.

The outstanding teacher does not go beyond her teaching space simply because s/he seeks reward. S/he goes beyond to extend her gift. S/he seeks out a chance to support students outside of the classroom. S/he seeks out new avenues to learn more so that s/he can enrich her gift.

The outstanding teacher is, to a great degree, a visionary. But s/he is also a realist and a pragmatist. S/he knows that all students can learn. But sometimes s/he realizes that there will be failures despite her efforts. S/he knows that it is acceptable to grieve these failures, and s/he does not blame or dismiss them easily.

My greatest reward in teaching has been in the learning. Through teaching, not only am I learning deeper and broader content information, but I have learned that because of the seriousness of the teacher’s responsibility, s/he is dealing with conscience more than many other people. As a new teacher, I did not know that teaching would hone such outcome, let alone reward. As a new teacher, I reveled in the rewards of student discovery, of teacher/student caring and loving, of saved failures, of the excitement of creating. But now, I realize that with each year, with each effort, I have become a better person; a kinder, more adaptive teacher; an intellectually more interested student. And so now I know that the outstanding teacher is, in fact, an outstanding student. I am proud to continue to be both. . .teacher and student; the one enhancing the other.