2015 Part 2

This post is a follow-on to the last one, continuing the review and comment on my journey through 2015. We pick things up in early spring.

May

May in the Burk household is traditionally what we refer to as Hell Month. This is that period where we dig out from winter, fire up the sprinkler and lawn care systems, plant flowers and generally tidy up the place for summer. This often includes a home improvement project or two (see previous post on Hell Month for a more detailed description of this annual ordeal).

2015 was no different. Most of the month was spent raking, scrubbing, sweeping, de-cluttering and resting up from it all (with the occasional backyard libation - someone's gotta make sure the Adirondacks, yard swing and hammock all still work). I also continued a tradition I started last year of spending a long weekend around Mothers Day in Florida with my mother. We hung out, watched '60s TV dramas, played a little cribbage and had a Mothers Day lunch at Hooters, one of my mother's favorite wing shacks (for you sons that don't know it, on Mothers Day mothers eat free at Hooters, at least in Tampa).

But the highlight of the month was definitely our annual spring picnic held the first Saturday after Memorial Day. It was our 35th, I think. As laid out in the Hell Month post referred to above, the picnic is the driving force of Hell Month. Our motivation for sprucing the joint up is that we invite all our friends over for a big do before we disappear to the cottage for the summer. Nancy and I have been blessed with a great group of long-standing friends that we are so happy to have. Getting them all together for a laid-back cookout once a year has been an idea that just never seems to get old. So I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce many of them, thanks to the photographic services of my Tech Team buddy Quinton.

First up is a familiar face to this blog - Jimmy Wyatt (also known as Hacker or Disk Man in our little circle). If I am the captain of the annual picnic, Jimmy is the quarterback. He has ably organized and performed the grilling services at the picnic since its infancy in the '80s. The man knows his way around a cheeseburger.

This next shot is of two other picnic "staff" members - my Bride Nancy, the czarina of all things Burk, and Quinton, the official photographer of the picnic and several other social events in our annual calendar. Nancy, of course is well known to you all. Quinton came to work with us on the IRS Research team 10 years ago or so and has become a good friend through our mutual interests in music, movies and many other avocations.

Here is the latest member of the picnic entertainment crew, Coco, our then fairly new-to-the-family Australian shepherd/chocolate lab mix. In this picture, Coco is performing her favorite trick which we call "won't anyone give a poor starving girl a little bite of anything that was once alive?" Even more impressive, this oft-seen trick was entirely self-taught. Despite her wanton begging, I must say that Coco is the first Burk dog in over a decade whose personality is suited to attendance at social gatherings.

Now that we've covered the staff, let's move on. Here's a typical shot of picnic goers in lounge chairs, quaffing cold ones - on the left, Brian Bauer, long standing Music Night friend and golfing buddy, with my son-in-law Matt Kuhlman.

Here we have a shot of two other long-standing picnic attendees, Taryn Kim (nee Dyle) and her father Dave Dyle. I could say a number of things about these two, as we have been close friends with the family for over 30 years. But let me just note that among their many talents and interests, they are both dyed-in-the-wool car people, she a designer and he an engineer. One of their past favorite activities was to cruise the neighborhood on trash night looking for some castoff treasure they could again make useful and stylish. 

Here's a shot of me with two old friends, Bill Boltrick on the left and Pat Rouan on the right. We're deep in discussion of a weighty matter. As I recall, the issue was whether or not at our next Spinners golf tournament (see previous post The Spinner), we should just accept reality and move to the yellow senior tees. Can't remember what was decided.

Here is Taryn again with her new husband of a few months, Sam Kim. Sam is also a car guy - a clay modeler I believe. Sam is also into family, music and golf and has fit right in with our larger crowd quite nicely.

Here are two other long-time attendees (and former staff) - daughters Christine,

and Cathy.

When they were in residence, the girls contributed a number of cleaning chores in preparation for picnic day. Cathy was also traditionally responsible for procuring the seven bags of ice needed for the event, a job she still undertakes to this day, along with picking up a few of the designer beers so popular with the 20 and 30 somethings today.

A fixture at our picnics, known for her excellent baked beans as well as her outgoing personality, is Robyn Mullinger (Dyle), bride of Dave and mother of Taryn. Here's a shot of Robyn (on the right), enjoying a glass of white wine and chatting with Linda Mathews (bride of Pat). 

.

One of Linda and Pat's contributions to the Burk family was their assistance with our move to 651 Vernier during Labor Day weekend of 1986. Two weeks after that, we helped them move into their current home in Beverly Hills. Seems like only 30 years ago.

This shot is of Laura Forest, another 25 year plus friend with Dave. Laura, bride of Brian, once received one of the highest compliments I ever heard one of my children pay. It was from Cathy who said somewhere around age 12 or 13, "Laura speaks great kid." 

Next up is another shot of Nancy with daughter Cathy's mother-in-law Kit Kuhlman. Kit and her husband Paul have made the trip down from Owosso the last couple of years to join us for the picnic. We hope they continue the tradition.

This is a typical shot of life at the annual picnic - a multi-generational group gathered around the great room bar engaged in pithy discussion. My guess is that Brian (in the center facing the camera), is holding forth on the finer points of wedge play.

This shot is of the Villeneuve family, good friends, former work associates, and actually fairly close neighbors - father Joe, his bride Lydia and their son Michael. 

Here's a pic of Michael in one of his favorite picnic activities, quietly stepping away to the basement rec room to catch up on a little reading (Harry Potter, I think). I believe Michael has held the honor the last few picnics of being the youngest attendee.

 

Below is a former holder of the youngest attendee status in earlier picnics, Justin Reinhart, son of Jeff and Deandra (shown a little further on). Justin was a part of what we used to call the Nintendo64 gang, the kids that after a hotdog and few cookies would find their way down to the big screen TV in the rec room to match Mario Kart and Wave Runner skills.

Here's another shot of Justin embarking on one of his current picnic interests, having graduated from the Nintendo64 gang and acquired full rec room game privileges.

Another typical gathering spot at the picnic (especially when it rains) is around the game and pool tables in the basement rec room (also referred to in past posts as "The Lab"). Here is a shot of just such a moment with Bill and Jim in the foreground and Steve Ristagno in the background waxing philosophic with his bride Vicki (to Steve's left with her back facing the camera), Joe (to Steve's right partially hidden behind Bill) and Laura (far left in the picture). It's a very heady location, being not only the home of this blog but headquarters for the Music Night tech team you've heard tell about (I should note here that the usual admission fee for touring The Lab is waived on picnic day).

The picnic also affords opportunities to sit back and catch up privately with family and friends, as depicted here, with son-in-law Matt having a chat over a cold one with dad Paul. 

And in this shot of daughter Cathy hanging with longtime family friend Linda Crandall.

Here are a few more pics from the 2015 picnic to wrap up my May. First Jim and Pat sharing a humorous moment with Nancy Boltrick (bride of Bill) looking on.

Brian, Jeff Reinhart (Justin's dad), myself and Bill enjoying a "boys" moment out on the driveway basketball court.

Me playing go-fer to Jim in the heat of barbecuing.

Jeff and Deandra Reinhart (the closest of friends - those who will provide a home for your dog for an extended period of time :-) chatting with (backs to camera) daughter Miranda and Brian.

Brian, Dave, Deandra and Jeff again gathered at the bar with Laura on the left (back to camera) and Miranda on the right (facing away).

And one last shot of another regular picnic attendee.

This little fellow (or one of his kin) nests annually in this birdhouse which hangs on the corner of the garage over the deck. We watch every year as the chickadee parents nest, lay their eggs and nurse their offspring to independence. Some years, we've actually seen the little ones get pushed out of the nest on picnic weekend. This year, the chicks took wing just a few days after.

That does it for May. With the picnic over, we were ready to move on to cottage season.

June

In earlier posts, I've talked about the rural joys of leaf burning - crisp, November days at the lake with the new season's crop of leathery oak leaves neatly raked to the driveway and roasted to perfection. Lounging with friends around the flames, enjoying that distinctive aroma of fall, and maybe a cocktail or two. Well, when it rains in November, fall's wispy wonder becomes spring's "one more thing". This is how June started.

Ah, well. Can't fight nature. I'm sure Coco agrees. While I was smoking my wardrobe, she was launching a new season of digging to China - her favorite cottage activity in any season.

Once the yard was reclaimed, I took a short break from the spring clean up chores to renew another fun tradition - Music Night tech day at the lake. Here's a couple of pics of the full team (Quinton and I in the foreground weighing cover art options, Jim and Christy around the futon discussing disk production). The collections in process were our latest at the time For the Birds and the remastered Astronomy from 1994. Note our new Wiser Times tech venue - the newly completed loft in the "barn". 

When the music fun was over, Nancy and I returned to a few other spring fix up projects. The most elaborate was to finish off the new second shower that we had recently installed. Here are a couple of before-pics of the area. Less than inviting.

Here are a some of action shots of the shower redo, first Nancy working away prepping the walls for painting, 

And yours truly cobbling together a fashionable screen to hide the attractive water heater that graces the shower area.

And a couple of shots of the finished product, complete with a new platform made of fancy decking material. 

Unfortunately, this was not quite everything on our fix-it list this year. There was the the old kids bench from Ipperwash that needed refurbishment for use by adults, before -

During surgery - 

And ready for action, including a new heavy-duty middle leg (pre-paint shop).

Then there was the swollen door jamb to the laundry room (read new deluxe shower) that wouldn't close - pre,

In flight, 

And fully restored, including a new sill.

Rounding out the month's chores were some new home made drapes for the loft,

And installation of a new stone walkway from the back door of the cottage to the foot of the loft stairs.

Coco was a great help during our month of toil and tools, by keeping out of the way and secretly hiding out in one of her favorite new perches, keeping on eye on the birds, squirrels, chipmunks and bunnies for us. 

Well, this takes us to the end of June. And time to wrap up this post. Looks like I'll have to move on to the "now we can play" portion of 2015 in a Part 3.

I'm enjoying reviewing last year even more than I thought I would. I hope there was at least one or two things in here that helped you crack a smile. 

2015 Part 1

I think it's time to start a new ADIP tradition - an annual "year in review" post. Something to tie up the old year and tuck it neatly in the drawer. Making space for all that fun waiting in the new year.

And, there's another good reason for doing this. During my work life, especially after 1991 when I left the IRS Collection Division and went to the Quality Office, the question I most heard from others was "Just what do you do, Mr. Burk?" I always felt that the question was posed in a tone that was really asking, "Do you actually do anything, Mr. Burk?"

I learned early in my IRS career that looking busy, important and concerned was just as useful (if not more so) than actually being any of those things. So my response to this thorny question was usually something like "I could tell you, but I'd need a slide presentation and a laser pointer." Then I would quickly duck into my office and fake being on a conference call until the inquirer tired of waiting for me and moved on. Sometimes, you just have to outlast hardships.

So, as an effort to be more forthcoming about "what I really do" in retirement, what better medium to employ than the blog. So here goes. It'll likely take more than one post to cover the great breadth of my productive goings on over the last year. Ergo, the Part 1.

January

For many years (since the mid-90's I would guess) Nancy and I and the kids have spent a couple of weeks in Florida over the holidays. We would visit my parents, see friends, often drop by a Disney resort for awhile, and generally recharge for the new year. Things haven't changed much since retirement other than we now only pack for two. Last January, after spending New Year's with our friends the Dyles on Captiva Island, we headed over to Disney's Bay Lake Tower for a couple of days with my mother Dolores and sister Wendy. Here are a few shots from The Happiest Place on Earth. First, of my mother and me continuing the family cribbage tradition (see previous post Hanging with the Ps).

Next, a shot of me, Mom and Wendy sitting on the Bay Lake Tower dock, waiting for a boat ride to the Magic Kingdom.

And my Bride and I enjoying the bus ride to Disney's Market Place.

Here's a final shot of my computer-savvy mother checking her laptop for emails from the grand kids or any updates on Tiger bull pen signings.

Upon returning to Michigan in mid-January, Nancy and I headed up to Wiser Times to check things out. First, a shot of the new garage taking shape, right there in the midst of winter (see previous post The Barn).

Wiser Times is a fun place in the winter. There aren't many people around (read none), and the main entertainment is watching the lake thaw by lunch and refreeze by happy hour. But you have to like peace and quiet to really enjoy it. Here's a shot of the house in winter,

and winter, from the house.

Late in January, we rescued this little darling from the K-9 Stray Rescue League.

We named her Coco. It took about 30 minutes for her to work her way into the heart of this family, as shown in this shot from the day we picked her up.

The month ended with a session of our Music Night Federation tech team, which meets between each of our musical evenings to burn and package the collections from the previous event (see previous post Music Night). It's a crack squad, with everyone coming to The Lab prepared to perform their various functions with a high degree of skill. Here's a shot of the key players - myself, Quinton "Graphics" Anderson, and Jim "Disc Man" Wyatt.

And a shot of me fulfilling my primary function (the same basic role that earned me all of those rude questions from my IRS coworkers).

February

February was a slower-paced month, but it had its moments. It started with a big snow storm rivaling the blows of 2014. Here I am with my arsenal of snow tools, fresh from a victory round.

Coco continued to charm us with her playful personality. This was an early sighting of what we now call her "dead mouse" position.

And a couple more typical poses.

I'm getting the idea that this dog fits my personality just right. But she likes activity, too, especially around her 4:00 pre-dinner frenzy period. Here's a shot of Coco and her main caregiver enjoying a winter walk on the beach. She loves the snow (Coco, not the caregiver).

One development that was less charming than our new puppy was a semi-frozen pipe in our attic. It didn't turn out too badly, as the application of some heat tape and cleaning out the faucet filter solved the problem. But crawling through umpteen inches of insulation in the unheated attic while toting the necessary tools and supplies, in fairly close quarters, was a more demanding chore than I have become accustomed to. Here's a rare pic of me in full Mr. Fix-it mode.

March

In March we headed back to Florida, as is our way. This time we had a rare passenger - Coco. My mother wanted to meet her, so along she came. Here she is in her travel suite.

Coco turned out to be an excellent rider, snoozing in her cozy nest with out a whimper or growl during the entire 1200 mile trek. Unfortunately, Coco didn't make it to Disney, our ultimate destination this trip. Instead she spent a few days at Happy Tails, the Florida kennel that services her Uncle Baxter, my mother's Boston terrier.

Shed of the dogs, the family headed over for a stay at Disney's Bay Lake Tower, the Vacation Club facility near the Contemporary Resort. Most of our theme park time was spent at the Magic Kingdom as my grandchildren Leili and Cyrus were in tow. Here's a shot of us in line for Thunder Mountain. At Disney, enjoying yourself in line is a critical skill.

After several hours cruising the park, we headed back for a dip in the Bay Lake Tower pool, the grand kids favorite venue of the whole visit.

We returned to the park later that day, hitting the new Fantasy Land area until we couldn't take it anymore. Here's a shot of the big kids on Dumbo, always a crowd pleaser.

We ended the trip to Disney with a party in the room, enjoying one of the family's favorite dishes, homemade tacos.

We closed with the customary family photo, this one covering four generations. In front from left to right is Cyrus, Ted, Leili, Dolores and sister Wendy. Behind is myself, Christy, Nancy, sister Cindy, Cathy and Matt.

We finished up this visit to the Sunshine State with a few days on Captiva Island with our friends the Dyles and the Wyatts. Here is a shot of Dave (on the left) and Jim, manning the BBQ.

And a shot of the group, from left to right yours truly, Robyn, Jim, Nancy, Dave and Mary.

April

April saw us back at our homesteads, recovering from the cold weather. Coco continued her adjustment to life with the Burks, as this shot of her helping with the annual cottage leaf burning shows,

as well as this pic of her helping with a texting problem on my so-last-century, slide-out-keyboard dumb phone.

The high point of the month was traveling to Austin for the wedding of our dear friends Sue Gallego and Jesse Villegas. I was honored to have prepared and delivered the music for the wedding and the reception, with generous input from the musically-enlightened happy couple of course. Here is a shot of Sue and Jesse walking down the aisle. Well, actually, it was a garden walkway.

And taking their vows in this beautiful hillside outdoor chapel.

The reception was held a couple of days later at Sue and Jesse's home. Here's a pic of Sue (in front) visiting at our table of good friends, from left to right around the back Leah (daughter of Jan and Miguel Rodriguez), Miguel, Gary and Dawn Hill, Nancy and Jan. A very good time was had by all.

What is not pictured here is that shortly after this photo was taken, Sue and Jesse arranged to have a hail storm completely blow down the tent canopies on the deck, forcing the party goers to run for cover. But with the help of my trusty iTunes library and the couple's new Boom Bucket (a stand alone speaker system that was our little groups' wedding present to the newlyweds), we were able to continue the party on into the night indoors (the house stereo that had been re-wired out to the deck for the gathering was totally trashed by the hail). It was a night to remember.

On a less amorous note, I did have another run in with a household issue that required the use of tools. When we tried to install the new stove we bought for the cottage, we discovered that the new stove had no recess in its rear panel to accommodate the roughly 3" by 6" 220 volt plug box hanging out of the wall at the rear of the stove cavity. To fit the stove into its rightful place, I had to attack the wall with a hammer and chisel and carve out a recess in the wall to house the plug box. Here are some shots of the before and after. Surprisingly, it turned out well without any need of medical supplies.

The great plug caper, as we call it in the family, was quickly followed by the great stove hood caper, which also required me to exceed expectations. The new stove, now nested neatly in its niche, was begging for an upgrade to the unattractive, dingy black, thrift-store-grade stove hood. So, breaking with tradition, I leapt into the breach, actually read some instructions, and wrestled that tricky little devil into place. Here's the proof.

April also saw the completion of our new barn, including the inside construction of the bonus room, which we have dubbed "the loft". Here's a final shot for April of Nancy and I having our first Wiser's happy hour in our new digs. So glad it was finally done.

Well, that's quite enough for 2015 Part 1. And for those of you who have actually wondered just what Mr. Burk does, you now know what a busy little fellow I can be, when I'm not careful. I need to work on that.

Part 2 coming soon.