Interesting Juxtaposition

According to Anne, the Flat Rate Divorce billboard on the right went up first, and then the family values billboard appeared on the left like an awkward follow-up text. That would make the family values ad a not-so-subtle response to the divorce lawyer’s cheerful invitation to call it quits. Both are conveniently located in Southwest Airlines baggage claim, where, apparently, your luggage isn’t the only baggage that you are hauling around or the only thing in your life having separation issues. Bad press or just press? I’m glad that there was a follow-up response.

Winter is Coming

Garden’s Bounty

Hard freezes expected tonight and tomorrow night. When we left St. Louis last week it was a hundred there. It’s cooler now, but this summer there were 200 days from the first ninety degree day to the last. This hot weather makes us climate refugees. Today, I was ordered from sunny LA to harvest the garden and drain the water barrel and batten down the hatches. Mission accomplished! Three grandparents versus two grandchildren and we seem to be holding our own.

Declan had mini all stars today and it was a hoot. Today’s sport was football, American style. The best part was when they played flag football. There were only four kids in the class, three boys and one girl and the girl was the best player. When she ran away and all the boys chased her.

Beautiful Saturday Weather

We are enjoying a spate of beautiful weather this weekend, both sunny and mild. We took advantage of this opportunity and got outdoors. First, we went to Forest Park, which was slammed. I drove the length of the park to get to its southeast corner. This empty quarter has undergone much renovation. On the southern end of Jefferson Lake is the newly installed Wise Falls. This cascading waterfall anchors the lake. Giving it a new picturesque sight. From there, we walked south and checked out Bowl Lake, with its new pavilion. Both locals are south of the Glades, where Steinberg Rink is being renovated. When this project is completed the entire east side of the park will have been overhauled.

That was at noon, later at five we headed over to Clayton to hear their Jazz Festival. I did not know exactly where this event was occurring, so we followed the sound of the music. It was being held on blocked off Brentwood Blvd. among the skyscrapers. There was food for sale there and we dined from the Ritz Carlton’s booth. We watched two acts. The first a John Coltrane tribute band had sound system problems, and we could not hear them very well. The second group, Bach to the Future played jazzed up Bach music. They were delayed until the sound problems were fixed. We listen to their set and about the time that they finished, we left.

Lunch at the Old Guy’s Table

Control Data Corporation, STL

Yesterday, four of us got together for lunch. Greg (far left), John (Asian man, front row center, sporting a mustache), Chet (peeking out above John) and myself (second from the right). John, one of the Ons had arranged this luncheon. My David in junior high would sometimes act as my secretary at home. When I got home from work, I would ask him if anyone had called. He would usually answer, “One of the Ons called.” John, Don and Ron were my biking buddies. This photo was taken some time in the early eighties and shows our Professional Services Group at its height. We all worked for Chet. We called ourselves analysts. I moved to Saint Louis in 1980 and left in 1990. There were about a hundred people working for Control Data when I arrived and there were about a hundred when I left, but most of these people were gone by then. It was a nice lunch, a nice trip down memory lane. I left feeling like a survivor, at the old guy’s table.