Who is that guy?

Well, I went to Russell's funeral and reconnected with a couple of people that I haven't seen for 30 years. It was cathartic in many ways. In fact, I immediately called up my old friend Ralph and had lunch with him. It's weird, but I sort of felt a sense of urgency, like if I didn't call him right away I might not see him in time before he died. I just got this pic back from our company shindig in Tucson, and thought I'd put it up and remove the mystery of what Tim really looks like. I have a beard (really, it's fake! it helps me maintain my secret identity when I am not saving the world as Captain America).

Goodbye Russell

My best friend from childhood, Russell Saunders, died on Valentine's day. He was 47. I will be going to the funeral on Monday.
I have not seen Russell since I was 17 years old. I moved away from the old 'hood at age 15, and we just sort of lost track. His older sister, Becky, called me to tell the sad news Thursday. Arortic aneurysm bursting is the doctor's verdict. This is something that I know something about, being in heart surgery and all. He didn't have a chance. When that happens, you bleed to death internally in mere minutes.
When we were little, Russell and I were closer than brothers. We did everything together, Becky was like my big sister, about four years older. We played army (He was always Sgt. Saunders from the "Combat!" show, even though I was the blond one back then, I was Lt. Hanley). We swam everyday all summer long in my swimming pool, our families had Bar-B-Ques together, we rode mini-bikes in the miles and miles of trails behind our house. It was a wonderful childhood.
Even though we grew apart, and it's probably been almost thiry years since we last spoke, I am awfully sad. Russell, if you can somehow read these words I want you to know that having you in my life, and the joy of being boys together is one of the finest memories in my life. Goodbye, my brother.



















This photo is from September 1969. I was 8, Russell was 10

Happy New Year!

2006 was a great year for me personally, but I am looking forward to 2007 because I think it may be the best year yet of my career.

In 2006, I lost 40 pounds and got back into shape and feel great (barring a few aches and pains of middle age). I am regularly going to the gym and running outside (but not in the rain or snow anymore, I'm too old for that!) . I wanted to take up skiing this year, but there is no snow to do it in! There is no global warming, right? I have lived in Detroit for my whole life (except when was in the Coast Guard) and the last few years seem to get warmer every year. I live two miles from a ski hill and it is so warm (50 degrees today) that even the snow making equipment can't help.

I also did more traveling than the last couple of years, and hope that will be slightly curtailed this year. I'm excited about getting out in the world, but separation from the family is starting to take its toll a little as my daughter will be off to college in a year and a half and I will miss having her around the house, and I know her younger brother will really miss her (even though they fight like cats and dogs at times). So I'd like to spend as much time together now before she leaves the nest. She is a big brain, scoring 32 out of a possible 36 on the college ACT test.

My son is doing wonderful in school and is in the band. He plays trumpet and is really good at it. He also made the honor roll.

I'm going back to AZ in a month, and even though it's business, it's our company sales/service annual meeting, so that means four days of very light meetings and lots of booze and gourmet food (have to watch my girlish figure there) at a luxury resort, along with a lot of fun in the sun by the pool.

My wife Chris has also gotten on a fitness kick and has lost 20 pounds, and just completed a half marathon in Charleston, SC. She will be doing another at the end of April in Nashville with me accompanying her. Should be a great time with some good music. I will probably not participate as I have been having a problem with my left heel, and I think 4 miles every other day is about as hard as I should push it, but I'm going to see if the podiatrist can help me out with that.

Since skiing was a bust, I'm going to set up a trip to a windsurfing school in Florida and really learn to take it to the next level. Waterstarting, harness technique and acrobatics. The beauty of windsurfing over something like snowboarding is that when you fall, you land in the water and not on the hard cold ground, thus saving a bruising (these old bones!).

I'm sure there are lots of other adventures in store for me this year that I have yet to imagine.

Hopefully, my state will weather the storm of the decline in the automotive industry and make a comeback, but already the pundits are saying that this year will be as bad as 2006, with no recovery until 2008. Let's hope that they are wrong and that Governor Grandholm and the other politicians in Lansing can work together better and sort out the mess up there. Republicans likes to dump on her, but they have no new ideas. Just cut taxes, which is fine until your kids lose a quality education, the police don't come when there is a crime, and your garbage isn't collected. Then you hire private companies to do what government used to. You pay them to do it, thereby paying out your tax savings anyway. Oh well, I'll get off my soapbox. Although I am interested in politics I like to keep it out of this blog. Just not what I want this space to be about, as there are plenty of other places on the net to argue.

Only one thing has me a little bit down (though only a little).

It seems that although everything is pretty good for Tim, I'm starting to feel my age catch up to me. I think it's because of my daughter more than anything. When she goes next year, I feel like our family will come to an end. I know she will still be a part of it, but she won't be here. 15 years ago, when I was 30, I think I was happier. My young family seemed to have a brighter future even though we had less money and "things". Now, I feel like my life has peaked, which means that things must start to go down from here. Those of you who are older, help me out here. What did you do when your kids moved away? How did you find your way into middle age ?

The thing is, I don't really feel like I'm middle aged. I feel just like I always have. Sure, I can't run a 7 minute mile anymore, but mostly I look and feel just like I always have. I really don't even have many wrinkles and still have my hair, which is not turning gray (except a few in my beard). So how do I come to grips with this? Am I silly to even be thinking about it? What say you, my people?:)

Terry Tate the Office Linebacker - Going on Vacation

I just spent a week on the road, and all of the things in this video, like remotes not working, keys not opening doors, etc., make this my favorite one in the series. Where is Terry is chase away the clutter when I need him?

Terry Tate:

This is a great video that my son showed me yesterday. We need this guy at the home office

Southern Law:

This was sent to me by my friend Tom, a fellow Coast Guard vet that I have known since junior high
Down south, Bubba called his attorney and asked,
"Is it true they's suin' them cigarette companies fer causin' people
to git cancer?"
"Yes, Bubba, sure is true," responded the lawyer.
"And now someone is suin' them fast food restaurants fer makin' them fat
an' cloggin' their arteries with all them burgers an' fries, is that
true, Mista Lawyer?"
"Sure is, Bubba."
"And that lady sued McDonald's for millions when she was gave that
hot coffee that she ordered?"
"Yep."
"And that football player sued that university when he gradiated
and still couldn't read?"
"That's right," said the lawyer. "But why are you asking?"
Well, I was thinkin' . . . What I want to know is, kin I sue
Budweiserfer all them ugly women I slept with?

Devil Man

Yes, it is true. I am the Devil. Find out what Tarot card you are.


http://www.flarn.com/~warlock/tarot/




This borrowed from Mark at Knockin' on the golden door. See Link to the right.

Yuma, AZ

Just got back into town from a trip to Bismarck, ND and Yuma, AZ. I really enjoyed the bright, hot sun down there and was hard pressed to come back to Detroit. 92 degrees and very dry down there. A nice break from the pre-winter cold of the north country, but the lack of green and no water makes it a place that I could not be content living there. Still, a nice town with friendly people. It's 200 miles from the Phoenix airport, so I got in some fun driving in the new Mustang convertable (Gray with Black top), and on a straight, flat road, well, no comment on how fast I was going. Here are a few pics: First picture is of one of the several ranges of foothills throughout the desert between Yuma and Phoenix. Next picture is of one of the hundreds of Cactus that dot the landscape. Third is Arizona from the air. Very brown indeed!

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NIAGARA FALLS

I had some work to do in Buffalo, and since the city has been putting itself back together after the recent snow storm, I decided to stay the night in Niagara Falls, Ont., instead. I got a room at the Hilton on the 26th floor, and the price was about the same as staying in Buffalo ( a very expensive city hotel wise). Again, the power of nature does not fail to impress. This picture (of the "Horseshoe" falls on the Canadian side) was taken from the restaurant on the 33rd floor. Niagara Falls is in the off season now, but still a fun place with many restaurants and other attractions.

this shot is of the smaller falls on the US side a mile to the north

PUDGE!

With the great performance of the Detroit Tigers over the NY Yankees, I would like to take this opportunity to personally Thank Pudge Rodriguez and all of the Tigers for a job well done! GO GET EM' TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More Myrtle Beach pictures

For some reason, it seems like three pictures is all that blogger will let you squeeze into one post and there were two more pics that I wanted to squeeze in. This one on the left was taken the following morning. The vastness and power of the sea call to me in a visceral, primal way that the Great Lakes, although formidable in and of themselves, do not. One day I will live near the sea.




Another motivator for running on the beach!

Travelin' Man

Since the vacation in Chicago, I've been to Petoskey and Traverse City MI, Kansas City, MO, Rochester, MN, Denver, CO, Youngstown, OH, and Myrtle Beach, SC. This is why I have not been posting. I am hardly able to keep up with email and paperwork fast enough, let alone do a drawing and post!

Monday night, after doing my work in Florence, SC, I returned to Myrtle Beach, checked into the hotel, and went running for 5 miles on the beach during sunset. I love the ocean. It makes it a lot easier to dog those 5 miles when you have the sunset and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. The lobster dinner and key lime pie for desert were fabulous as well. Unfortunatly, this trip was just a quick overnighter, so I had to squeeze any fun into just a few hours.

As some of you may already know, I have been on a health kick since April, and have dropped 40 pounds. I went from 215 to 175 and am feeling much healthier and fit. I just turned 45, so I figured that if I didn't do something now it would just be harder every year I waited. I'm still not finished, but am very close. I'd like to knock off another 5 or 10 and then I will be what I was when I was in high school and the Guard. I feel great, except for a few aches and pains (getting old is highly overrated), I feel like I did 25 years ago. Captain America was just getting too fat!

I clicked a few shots from Myrtle Beach, so have a look:
Myrtle Beach from the air















Jimmy B's (is this where the CUG spends his winters?)














This was my "jogging track", taken the following morning

John Hancock Tower, Shedd aquarium

This rounds out the photos from the Chicago trip. Below is a photo from the outside of the John Hancock Tower, considered the "best view of Chicago".


Below is a view of the city from the 94th floor observation deck. Unforntunately, it was a bit foggy that day. On a clear day it is said that you can see four different states: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and my home state, Michigan.


This is a closer shot of the Sears tower, the tallest building in the USA.


These are a few photos from the Shedd Aquarium, located on the waterfront close to the Adler Planetarium and the Field Museum.

This fellow is from the Iguana display near the front entrance. He's a blue iguana from the Carribean.


Man, that looks like one tasty crabbie patty! Fry me one up, SpongeBob!


Moray Eel, the only flash photo I took.

Navy Pier

The top photo of Navy pier was taken from the 94th floor of the John Hancock tower. If you look closely, you can see the 15 story high ferris wheel that the rest of the photos were taken from. There is a shopping mall, Children's Museum, bars, restaurants and a small amusement park on Navy Pier. A great place for both kids and adults to have some fun. There was also a free fireworks display at 9:30 PM on Wed. night.


Spinning wheel swing ride from 15 stories.

Looking out at Lake Michigan.

The city skyline

More Chicago

These photos, from top to bottom: Enigma code encrypter and code book captured from U-505. Nazi war flag captured from U-505. Piston replica from U-505, as tall as I am! USCG Huey, the type used when I was in the Guard in the early 1980's. STUKA dive bomber, the only one that I have ever seen on display

Chicago!

Last week the family went on vacation in Chicago. We stayed right across from Grant Park and had easy access to the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, John Hancock Tower, the Adler Planetarium, and the Museum of Science and Industry, all of which we visited while there. We each bought a City-Pass, which includes everything I just mentioned for $50 ($39 for under 12).
We also went to Navy Pier, and the Magnificent Mile to browse all of the stores. I finally broke down and got a decent camera for this trip, so here are some pics:


This is the Field Museum. They are currently showing artifacts from King Tut's tomb and photos were not allowed. They had tons of stuff, most of which has been seen on the History Channel, etc. that were amazing. There were also huge permanent displays animals, historical objects, gems and minerals, religious artifacts, world cultures past and present, and so many things I could go on and on. This one alone took an entire day to see.

This is a photo of U-505, the only German Uboat to be captured by the U S Navy. She has been completely restored and is on display at the Science and Industry Museum, which has a lot of historical displays as well as a look into the technologies of the future.

Three Stages of a Man's Life.....

With all this terrorism, dirty politics, high energy prices, etc., I thought I'd pass this along to lighten things up a bit. This is courtesy of my lovely wife Chris (I think I'm in stage two).



Three Stages of a Man's life:

Thor

Here is a quick rendering of the mighty Thor, the thunder god of Norse mythology and also of Marvel Comics. I have always loved stories of the ancient gods and could not get enough of the great Marvel stories featuring the art of Jack Kirby with inks by Vinnie Colleta. I kind of like what the Ultimates comic has done with him by making him a anti-corporate guerilla environmentalist.

Sorry to have slacked off posting, but work is really picking up and I have been hard at it and probably will be for awhile. I'll try to bring the pencil and paper with me and do more drawings. This will probably be the last superhero for a while as I am burning out on them. I'm actually thinking of doing a "music video comic (?) of an old Marty Robbins song called "My masters call" it is from an album called "Gunfighter ballads and trail songs". I remember it from childhood and is a great story, as are most of the other songs on the record. We are going way back, but I can remember all the words like it was yesterday.

Situational Awareness Scenario

I'm on the road, so instead of a sketch, here is a fun email from my friend and co-worker,
Wayne Dennon . Check out his website. He is one cool dude! He has some great rock concert pics over there.




You are driving in a car at a constant speed.

On your left side is a valley and on your right side is a fire engine travelling at the same speed as you.
In front of you is a galloping pig which is the same size as your car and you cannot overtake it. Behind you is a helicopter flying at ground level.
Both the giant pig and the helicopter are also travelling at the same speed as you.
What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation?





Answer: Get off the children's "Merry-Go-Round", you're drunk..

SPIDEY REWORK

My old friend, pro comics artist Michael Netzer has reworked my spidey drawing and I thought I'd give you all a look. Mike is living in Jerusalem now, but when we were very young we were friends and fellow comic book fans in Detroit, where he was born. Mike is a very interesting fellow. He is Lebanese and lived in Lebanon as a child and young man, escaping to Israel during the Lebanon civil war. He has drawn Batman for DC comics, and also worked for Marvel. He's got some radical ideas on a lot of things, but is so talented and creative that he just doesn't think the same as the average guy. It's people like him that push the envelope and push society forward. Anyway, thanks for the tips Mike, and keep them coming.