9.1.2008

Written at South Campground, Zion National Park, Utah

I need to take a sort of a breather away from the past and bring myself into the present for the moment. I imagine I wouldn’t have posted pictures up for yesterday and the day before that, since the subject matter was hardly appropriate for photography. So, this is it for the writing today. I feel the need to rejuvenate a bit before returning to the last two day’s topics, which I imagine, I must do at some point. Sometimes, it's just nice to be able to return to where you are, appreciate all that's around you, and be thankful for the life you have

The sun begins to rise on the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon, Utah (8.30.2008)

A brooding moment at Zion National Park (8.31.2008)

Water explodes onto a rock at Zion National Park (8.31.2008)

Art of the Day: Hindu God Shiva Photo Print by Ziva Santop

I've always wondered what the significance was for long earlobes. The type of curious where I'm not quite curious enough to do research on it but I'm always left with a sense of wonder when I see it.

I've decided not to relate Marion's story. It's just a little too graphic for me to feel comfortable sharing. She's fine. When I said she miscarried in an earlier blog, it wasn't completely honest. The baby died but she hadn't actually miscarried it. Yesterday morning, her uterus ruptured and she passed the baby. I won't go into any more detail of the experience than that though it was a quite long story worthy of a scene in a movie with all the things that happened. Even though what happened was horrible, with how everything happened, there was actually some humor along the way and in the end I was glad that there was because it gave Marion something to laugh about when she needed it the most.

I had a bizarre dream last night. I was a passenger in a car full of people driving along a highway. Lanae was the driver. Lots of the dream is fuzzy to me but I remember we were driving past this huge sign as it started to crumble and we got passed it but the white truck behind us didn't. Lanae starts panicking because her nephew Landon had been with his grandfather in that truck. Somehow in a complete lack of regard for the laws of physics, when the sign crumbled it also started to fall and somehow the truck got on the top portion of the sign and then somehow the sign see-sawed and the truck went flying through the air. I shouted, "Oh my god! It's gonna blow up!" and then it hit the ground and exploded. Then, a random memory 'popped' into my head that 'Oh yeah' I'd seen the grandfather pull over and drop someone off on the side of the road before the sign went bezurk and so we found Landon and he was fine. But it wasn't his grandfather he was with. It was his stepfather, Lanae's brother. And then I woke up.

Just got a visit from the Janester. Her and Brady just got back from their mini-moon. She's so funny. Jane said she loves being married but she misses her mama. She's always been a family girl and she's like, "It's so weird not seeing them every day. I'm used to being around them constantly and now, nothing."

Video of the Day: Mentos and Diet Coke Takes 1-4 ...which is more sad - how thoroughly amused I was by this or the fact that some guy spend who knows how much time putting this together?

“Plants that wake when others sleep. Timid jasmine buds that keep their fragrance to themselves all day, but when the sunlight dies away let the delicious secret out to every breeze that roams about.”
THOMAS MORE

"Nearly all creators of Utopia have resembled the man who has toothache, and therefore thinks happiness consists in not having toothache.... Whoever tries to imagine perfection simply reveals his own emptiness."
GEORGE ORWELL

This past Saturday the Seki family decided to take an exclursion to ride the little kiddie train at Brackenridge Park with our friends Dan, Lisa and Lachlan.  It is one of those trains that just kind of meanders and putters around the park highlighting certain areas, the zoo, the families on their picnics, the driving range, the Sunken Gardens, museums, etc. etc.  Nothing fantastic but a way to pass 20 minutes on the weekend and a way for the kids to get some fresh air and ride a train for the first time......

Sounds harmless, and it should have been, except for the fact that Daddy came down with a crazy allergic reaction as we were leaving the house that got progressively worse as the "fun little trip" went on.   

It all began with a sneeze as we got in the car leaving the house.  No big deal.  Then more sneezing.  Then more sneezing.  Then eyes watering and the faintest amount of snot starting to drip from Daddy's nose.  Whatever, this will pass and we will all have fun on the train. 

We get to the train depot.  More sneezing.  Eyes begin to itch and get watery.  The snot becomes less faint and more substantive.  Daddy has the diaper bag in one hand, Cullen in the other and is trying to not drop the kid while trying to rub eyes and snot while waiting in line for tickets.  Mommy buys the tickets, the train arrives, we board.  Mommy and Lisa begin to take pictures.  With each shutterring of the camera, Daddy sneeezes more, eyes begin to swell more and snot begins a flowing.

The train starts to move.  Cullen sits on Daddy's lap, Bree is with Mommy.  Cullen seems to be fairly non-plussed about the whole thing.  Daddy on the other hand is starting to feel his throat close a little.  People are waving from their picnic tables and everyone on the train are waving at the people.....except Daddy who is busy rubbing his eyes and swiping snot from his face.  Daddy can feel his eyes swelling shut.

About half way through Mommy turns to Daddy and asks if he is okay.  At this point Daddy's eyes are blood red, his face is sweaty (did i mention it was quite humid), he has some raw spots on his face from rubbing so hard, and the combo of mucus, tears and sweat in the raw spots is making his face feel like it is on fire.  Daddy has also begun to lose his voice in the process.  Daddy says, "It's allergies."  The train ride goes on.....

To be honest Daddy does not really remember much else of what went on.  The most importatnt goal was to make sure Cullen didn't fall out of the train. ...which he sucessfully avoided.  Daddy really wishes he was able to take in more of his kids first train ride, but thinks they had fun.  Neither of them cried.  Neither of them made any fuss.   They werent wowed by the train ride, but they didnt hate it either.

So finally the train pulls back into the depot.  Thank God.  We pile out and Mommy looked at Daddy's face, his swollen blood red eyes, the snotty face, the raspy voice, and said "What is wrong?"  Daddy says, "I think i need some Benadryl."  Luckily Lisa had some in her bag and Daddy swallowed it with some spit.

But the experience was not over.....then we had to take pictures at the front of the train to commemorate the first train ride.   For the love of all things sacred, Daddy just wants to go home!!!!   Daddy does not like to take pictures when he is not having an allergy attack, so he sure as hell was not going to take a picture in this condition.  So Mommy grabbed the kids, the picture was taken and we rushed back to the car, saying bye to our friends.  We got the kids loaded up, Mommy drove home, we got the kids down for their nap, Daddy sucked down a bunch of children's Benadryl, took a shower and fell asleep for about 4 hours.

Daddy's face is still a little raw in certain spots, but thankfully the allergy attack subsided.  Don't know what it was that got Daddy....but it wasn't fun....but at least we got one of the kids firsts knocked of the list.....

 We can't wait for our next train trip!!!!

"I always say that it's about breaking the rules. But the secret of breaking rules in a way that works is understanding what the rules are in the first place."
Rick Wakeman (Merlin the Magician)

I've been working hard updating my website. Check it out at mikedaltonphotography.com

"You see things as they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream things as they never were and ask, 'Why not?'"
George Bernard Shaw

“What until recently seemed to be only the apocalyptic fantasies of the Christian faith has today entered the sphere of the soberest scientific calculations; the sudden end of history”
Emil Brunner