Family,
Another incredible day in Beijing ran us off our feet and into bed exhausted. Kaaren is out cold and my feet feel like bloody stumps.
We toured the Forbidden City - the Emperor's city forbidden to common people through centuries until opened up in 1925. It's enormous and defies descriptions of scale. No time tonight to write about details. We got an English speaking guide and she is in these photos with us. We climbed the adjacent hill created from the moat excavation to get a panoramic view of the Forbidden City and surrounding Beijing. We also visited the Art District today, found a restaurant and managed to make ourselves understood - partly - and fed after a long day. Then we went to the Beijing Chaoyang Theater Acrobatics Macrocosm and saw an demonstration of acrobatics that made the French Canadian circus (can't remember the name - too tired) seem like child's play. I didn't bring the camera for that show.
We take taxis some places (about $1.20 for short to medium rides up to 15 minutes) and Gail (Elaine's New Yorker friend she met at LDS branch here who is working for Deutche Bank in Beijing) supplied her car and driver for most of the day - he also took us to the Great Wall yesterday and to dinner, etc. What a tough life.
We are in a fancy hotel with international clientele but must drink only bottled water and juices. We drive on the right side of the road in Beijing - on the wrong side in Hong Kong.
There are few English speakers here, but in Hong Kong probably half of the populations speaks some English and many signs are in English.
Leadership in Beijing are trying to teach their people better manners for the coming Olympics next summer. Previously common practices of spitting and relieving oneself in the streets are now discouraged and fined. However, we saw today a toddler out of diapers but not completely potty trained so they dress them in "split pants" - pants with no seam at the crotch so children can simply squat in the gutter and relieve themselves. We saw this happen ini the Forbidden City. Even bicycles are being discouraged as being not modern - unfortunately. Today we went through an intersection with 6 lanes of cars and about 8 lanes of bikes waiting for the light. Our driver careens between cars and bicycles like a Disneyland ride.
Everyone here wants to be rich, chic, and modern. More so in Hong Kong which was an English colony formed for the sole purpose of making money by trading. There is no natural resource in Hong Kong except isolation from the mainland and economic connections by sea and air. Beijing, of course, is different. It is set in the middle of the country (or so they think of it) in a great flat plain, surrounded by agriculture, mining, industry of all kinds.
English translations of Chinese signs and instruction placards are hilarious. It amazes me that official signs of government and industry (and our hotel) have so many goofy translations - that they haven't taken the trouble to get an English major to edit their work. Mark's favorite so far was one he wants to put over the door on his office. It was at the top of the tram/gondola that took us up to the great wall and said "Location of Office of Importance." I've taken pictures of some of the "English" texts that were either important or amusing or both.
Our breakfast is provided with our room rate and consists of a large buffet with offerings both familiar and extraordinarily strange, apparently catering to many international cultures. Hot soups, lunch meats, things I can't describe as well as omeletes and sausage and fruit. Lichee fruit is really nice and people eat a lot of watermelon here.
Today at the entrance to the Forbidden City, we bought bottles of drink - grape juice and water - where they also offered huge roasted sweet potatoes (actually red yams) that I was tempted to buy (only 3 Yuan or about 42 cents) but didn't need to eat and didn't have a way to carry it.
There is much under construction here - getting ready for the Olympics with new freeways (like Salt Lake City, as I remember) and overpasses and buildings of all kinds. Even without the Olympics I think there would continue to be much growth due to othe vibrant Chinese economy. But new freesay roadsigns are in Chinese and English. One stops at a toll gate at the entrance and exits to the freeway. There are policemen and military officers and security guards everywhere. The society is very used to being highly controlled and the people are trained to be very obedient. Just looking around, one would not think this is a communist country since capitalism is certainly the rule here. But the economy is in fact centrally planned and when you have more contact with people and systems, the communist system of controlling everything becomes more evident. We had to give out passports and visas to at the desk of the hotel. Foreigners are definitely watched and tracked though not nearly as bad as my experience traveling into East Berlin in 1968 when "The Wall" was still in place.
This is all l can manage tonight. We go pretty hard sun up to bedtime.
love,
Dad
Monday, November 05, 2007
Dear Family,
Here are some pictures from Hong Kong. I have had email difficulties (I learned that Hong Kong government blocked outgoing emails from "socket 25" due to spam problems and got it resolved with tech help from the USA) until today when all is resolved. Also, there has been so little time I haven't found the space to upload this to my blog with photos (took me so long last time to do that) - so I'm just dumping a bunch of photos on you again.
The photos have titles to explain a little about what is going on.
Hong Kong is a place with 1/4 the land of Sonoma County and 17 times the population. Some photos will give the scale of density in the way people live in high rise apartments - old and newer.
The Johnson's "home" is an upscale apartment on the 30th floor of an apartment building that overlooks the ocean on the south side of Hong Kong Island. We ride a bus to town that would give my mother a heart attack. The branches of trees scrape and slap the sides and top of the bus. It's a double decker and we ride on the top. Going in to town the first time Elaine sat us up top on the left and at the front. Only inches, and I mean INCHES, from the outside window is a short wall and the sheer drop-off to the ocean hundreds of feet below. There is often not enough room for two buses but the drivers try to set speed records anyway. It's crazy. The crowds downtown at rush hour are something to behold. Perhaps Japan is worse.
The first day here, Elaine took us walking to the nearest town where we shopped and gawked; then on a bus to downtown Hong Kong where she proceeded to try to kill me by walking all over town - almost 7miles of up and down and my feet didn't like it. The next day, Kaaren and I braved the place on our own - took a tour ferry around the bay between Hong Kong and Kowloon, then did some shopping and arranged for a tailor made suit for me.
The church and temple are built vertically in a land sparse environment. Some pictures of the exteriors are enclosed.
We visited the temple yesterday and I served as a witness to baptisms happening in Mongolian for a group of Mongolian Elders and Sisters just leaving on their missions - back to Mongolia. They looked just like the Chinese to me, but they could only communicate with the help of a Mongolian missionary returned recently from his mission in Western US. The temple president - native Hong Kong Chinese - was very busy trying to keep things organized but it was difficult and I appreciated the frustration of trying to administer the ordinances of the temple in a multi-cultural environment. It reminded me of the time Immo Luschin, my German friend, told me that when he became the Temple president of the Swiss Temple, the Fins and Swedes wept when they heard their ordinances performed in their own language for the first time (he was fluent in 9 languages).
The open markets in the side streets are very colorful and the stuff for sale boggles the mind. With more time, I'll describe some of the variety of produce and meat and fish and all those parts of animals that we would not like to consider are sold here. Note the picture advertising chicken foot soup, a favorite. We stopped for lunch at a place where they couldn't explain what we were going to be served so I thought - that's good, lets eat here. A photo of Kaaren's lunch is attached. We bought some fabulous jewelry and things for gifts (oops, forget that part) at the famous "Jade Market" in Kowloon.
There is great economic disparity in this town. There is a massive work force that lives very modestly, but Hong Kong is a center of trading and where money is made, that money can make more money and so there is vast wealth all around us. There are almost no small cars, and in the parking garages in this complex and others like it there are new Mercedes, BMWs and Audis. Toyota is less common. I have seen no Chinese cars and almost no birds to speak of. A few wild dogs live in the hills near us and they come into town to forage in the garbage.
Hong Kong money is "dollars" but there are about 8 Hong Kong dollars for every American dollar.
I spent some time before we left listening to Chinese CDs and reading a teach-yourself Chinese book. But, alas, they were Mandarin whereas in Hong Kong only Cantonese is spoken and it's quite different.
We are leaving for Beijing in the morning and perhaps I will recognize some Mandarin there.
I don't know what my email connection will be like in Beijing. So this may be it for a while. The vonage phone I left info about is not working at the present time very well. And we will be away from that phone in their apartment for the next 4 days - so in emergency use the other cell phones I passed along earlier. I'm also taking Kaaren's phone to Beijing, just in case it is needed.
We have a full schedule planned for us in Beijing - a trip to the great wall, a trip to see famous acrobats, dinner together, a driver and translator for the entire 4 days, a visit to the LDS services in Beijing on Sunday, etc. etc.
Take care and let us know how things are going with you. Our prayers are with you and all your needs, including especially at this time Jared and his final push through chemo.
love,
Dad
Here are some pictures from Hong Kong. I have had email difficulties (I learned that Hong Kong government blocked outgoing emails from "socket 25" due to spam problems and got it resolved with tech help from the USA) until today when all is resolved. Also, there has been so little time I haven't found the space to upload this to my blog with photos (took me so long last time to do that) - so I'm just dumping a bunch of photos on you again.
The photos have titles to explain a little about what is going on.
Hong Kong is a place with 1/4 the land of Sonoma County and 17 times the population. Some photos will give the scale of density in the way people live in high rise apartments - old and newer.
The Johnson's "home" is an upscale apartment on the 30th floor of an apartment building that overlooks the ocean on the south side of Hong Kong Island. We ride a bus to town that would give my mother a heart attack. The branches of trees scrape and slap the sides and top of the bus. It's a double decker and we ride on the top. Going in to town the first time Elaine sat us up top on the left and at the front. Only inches, and I mean INCHES, from the outside window is a short wall and the sheer drop-off to the ocean hundreds of feet below. There is often not enough room for two buses but the drivers try to set speed records anyway. It's crazy. The crowds downtown at rush hour are something to behold. Perhaps Japan is worse.
The first day here, Elaine took us walking to the nearest town where we shopped and gawked; then on a bus to downtown Hong Kong where she proceeded to try to kill me by walking all over town - almost 7miles of up and down and my feet didn't like it. The next day, Kaaren and I braved the place on our own - took a tour ferry around the bay between Hong Kong and Kowloon, then did some shopping and arranged for a tailor made suit for me.
The church and temple are built vertically in a land sparse environment. Some pictures of the exteriors are enclosed.
We visited the temple yesterday and I served as a witness to baptisms happening in Mongolian for a group of Mongolian Elders and Sisters just leaving on their missions - back to Mongolia. They looked just like the Chinese to me, but they could only communicate with the help of a Mongolian missionary returned recently from his mission in Western US. The temple president - native Hong Kong Chinese - was very busy trying to keep things organized but it was difficult and I appreciated the frustration of trying to administer the ordinances of the temple in a multi-cultural environment. It reminded me of the time Immo Luschin, my German friend, told me that when he became the Temple president of the Swiss Temple, the Fins and Swedes wept when they heard their ordinances performed in their own language for the first time (he was fluent in 9 languages).
The open markets in the side streets are very colorful and the stuff for sale boggles the mind. With more time, I'll describe some of the variety of produce and meat and fish and all those parts of animals that we would not like to consider are sold here. Note the picture advertising chicken foot soup, a favorite. We stopped for lunch at a place where they couldn't explain what we were going to be served so I thought - that's good, lets eat here. A photo of Kaaren's lunch is attached. We bought some fabulous jewelry and things for gifts (oops, forget that part) at the famous "Jade Market" in Kowloon.
There is great economic disparity in this town. There is a massive work force that lives very modestly, but Hong Kong is a center of trading and where money is made, that money can make more money and so there is vast wealth all around us. There are almost no small cars, and in the parking garages in this complex and others like it there are new Mercedes, BMWs and Audis. Toyota is less common. I have seen no Chinese cars and almost no birds to speak of. A few wild dogs live in the hills near us and they come into town to forage in the garbage.
Hong Kong money is "dollars" but there are about 8 Hong Kong dollars for every American dollar.
I spent some time before we left listening to Chinese CDs and reading a teach-yourself Chinese book. But, alas, they were Mandarin whereas in Hong Kong only Cantonese is spoken and it's quite different.
We are leaving for Beijing in the morning and perhaps I will recognize some Mandarin there.
I don't know what my email connection will be like in Beijing. So this may be it for a while. The vonage phone I left info about is not working at the present time very well. And we will be away from that phone in their apartment for the next 4 days - so in emergency use the other cell phones I passed along earlier. I'm also taking Kaaren's phone to Beijing, just in case it is needed.
We have a full schedule planned for us in Beijing - a trip to the great wall, a trip to see famous acrobats, dinner together, a driver and translator for the entire 4 days, a visit to the LDS services in Beijing on Sunday, etc. etc.
Take care and let us know how things are going with you. Our prayers are with you and all your needs, including especially at this time Jared and his final push through chemo.
love,
Dad
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Beijing and Hong Kong Thoughts
China was an eye opener. I hope you have been able to read my emails and visit the flickr site to see the photos I have uploaded. They tell much of the incredible story. It became apparent to me that caucasion peoples are in the minority of world population - something that we self-centered north americans don't usually contemplate. There is much wisdom and tradition and spirituality in China's very old culture and I enjoyed the exposure I got very much. Obviously, with limited language capability, I only touched the surface. Chinese is basically an ancient "cave-man language," as Mark Johnsen calls it - single syllable words stacked together with syntax roughly similar to ours - that has survived the millennia and enables one to look back, linguistically, to very early times in Asia. That is not to say that the language is not complex. Mandarin is spoken with 4 separate tones (even, up, down, scooping) to give entirely meaning to an otherwise similar vowel. Cantonese (South China and Hong Kong) is spoken with 9 separate tones and these tones are difficult for a western ear to differentiate. The written characters build on basic designs but there are said to be upwards of 400,000 separate characters though the average vocabulary would include "only" several thousand. My latin wasn't much help here.
The people are beautiful and children, dressed in their matching school uniforms are so very cute. The merchants are very aggressive and it is apparent that their ancient skills of trading and marketing are very much at their disposal, even under the rule of the communist party. It is a strange juxtaposition of collectivism in politics but with capitalism thriving and growing at the grass roots level. Western culture influences clothing styles and cars and comsumables. More than 1/2 of the store mannequins are caucasian. Everyone wears jeans and tries to look stylish. McDonalds and Pizza Hut and Starbucks were everywhere and very popular. One of the most popular brands of cars in Beijing is Buick, believe it or not. Apparently General Motors made a joint venture with Chinese auto manufacturers to produce millions of Buicks - full size ones, too. I noticed to my surprise that cars in Hong Kong and Beijing were not small and economical, like I had seen in Europe years ago, but rather were huge oversized Buicks and BMWs and Mercedes and SUVs I've never seen before.
Smog in Beijing was oppresive the last day we were there. I don't know how the 2008 Olympics can be held in Beijing if there is smog on the level we saw. Its very unhealthy.
But there are some cultural differences that struck me in the short time I was there: Families are more important to them than western cultures. One's surname or family name is always spoken first with given names secondary. Old people are respected and given first place at seats on benches and trams and subways. Wealth is not flounted but hidden - homes are surrounded by high walls with secure gates that to not reflect the higher standard of living inside the walls.
Chinese people eat differently - a massive population scours the seas and fields for food. There were virtually no birds in the sky, absolutly no ducks or geese in the rivers and lakes and food served included fish jaw soup, fish head soup, pig intestine soup, chicken foot soup, knuckle soup, and on and on. Diets include lots and lots of animal fat of various kinds. Which is a testament to the addage that "fat does not make you fat." It is carbs, not fat that puts on the weight. There are lots of shops that sell dried fish and dried seafood of all kinds, sea worms and critters that I've never seen, etc.
I liked the lack of supermarkets and instead enjoyed the street markets with so many things for sale placed out in open view.
Religion among the people is also very different. The Taoist temples are beautiful inside but quite simple, really, with offerings of fruit placed before a statute of a "saint"-like figure - I don't think Buddha in every case. The temple "organ" consists of one drum and one deep bell. While someone lights an incense burner and genuflects with hands pressed to gether, others mill around the room - even workmen with ladders and equipment continue their work. It is very casual.
Music is very primitive in this culture. Harmony in choral music in unheard of and most music consists of occassional supporting polyphonic sounds underlying a single melody line sung and played on lute-like instruments. High screeching female voices carry the melody in opera and stretch the patience of the western ear. Spare lines characterize both music and visual art. It is a beauty that requires patience foreign to the western mind to appreciate.
I could continue on and on with observations about the history I learned and such- but I've got to stop now and get to my "chores" for the day. I've written some about these things in my emails.
Let's keep in touch.
Dad
----- Original Message -----
From: "kyrstyn" <kschmixton@yahoo.com>
To: <tom@pixtonfamily.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2007 1:15 AM
Subject: Home again!
> Hi Papa!> I just sent this to Mom, and was going to write a little letter to> you too, but I realized it would sound basically the same. So I'll> just copy it here. Are you well? Do you feel changed by your first> experience of Asia? > Love you dad!!> -Yer lil' Prodigal daughter.> > > > "Hi Mamma!> Welcome back from China! I don't have much time at the moment but I> wanted to send you my love, and let you know how I am. I am well! > March Fourth tour was really hard for me, but now it's over and the> blissful lightness of being I've grown accustomed to has returned in> me. I spent halloween in San Fran with Gamelan friends making music,> and celebrating proliferating new loves and relationships that seem to> be sprouting up everywhere in my bay friends' lives, as well as mine. > I just started working up in north cali today and am settling in to> this for a while. My spirit is alive and stretching into awareness> more and more, and working here actually awakens me in many wonderful> ways, and brings me into intimacy with myself at a very deep level. > It's really good.> > What was the most inspiring event for you on your journey? What did> you feel that you'd never felt before? What did you learn?> > I love you Mama!> > -Kyrstyn">
The people are beautiful and children, dressed in their matching school uniforms are so very cute. The merchants are very aggressive and it is apparent that their ancient skills of trading and marketing are very much at their disposal, even under the rule of the communist party. It is a strange juxtaposition of collectivism in politics but with capitalism thriving and growing at the grass roots level. Western culture influences clothing styles and cars and comsumables. More than 1/2 of the store mannequins are caucasian. Everyone wears jeans and tries to look stylish. McDonalds and Pizza Hut and Starbucks were everywhere and very popular. One of the most popular brands of cars in Beijing is Buick, believe it or not. Apparently General Motors made a joint venture with Chinese auto manufacturers to produce millions of Buicks - full size ones, too. I noticed to my surprise that cars in Hong Kong and Beijing were not small and economical, like I had seen in Europe years ago, but rather were huge oversized Buicks and BMWs and Mercedes and SUVs I've never seen before.
Smog in Beijing was oppresive the last day we were there. I don't know how the 2008 Olympics can be held in Beijing if there is smog on the level we saw. Its very unhealthy.
But there are some cultural differences that struck me in the short time I was there: Families are more important to them than western cultures. One's surname or family name is always spoken first with given names secondary. Old people are respected and given first place at seats on benches and trams and subways. Wealth is not flounted but hidden - homes are surrounded by high walls with secure gates that to not reflect the higher standard of living inside the walls.
Chinese people eat differently - a massive population scours the seas and fields for food. There were virtually no birds in the sky, absolutly no ducks or geese in the rivers and lakes and food served included fish jaw soup, fish head soup, pig intestine soup, chicken foot soup, knuckle soup, and on and on. Diets include lots and lots of animal fat of various kinds. Which is a testament to the addage that "fat does not make you fat." It is carbs, not fat that puts on the weight. There are lots of shops that sell dried fish and dried seafood of all kinds, sea worms and critters that I've never seen, etc.
I liked the lack of supermarkets and instead enjoyed the street markets with so many things for sale placed out in open view.
Religion among the people is also very different. The Taoist temples are beautiful inside but quite simple, really, with offerings of fruit placed before a statute of a "saint"-like figure - I don't think Buddha in every case. The temple "organ" consists of one drum and one deep bell. While someone lights an incense burner and genuflects with hands pressed to gether, others mill around the room - even workmen with ladders and equipment continue their work. It is very casual.
Music is very primitive in this culture. Harmony in choral music in unheard of and most music consists of occassional supporting polyphonic sounds underlying a single melody line sung and played on lute-like instruments. High screeching female voices carry the melody in opera and stretch the patience of the western ear. Spare lines characterize both music and visual art. It is a beauty that requires patience foreign to the western mind to appreciate.
I could continue on and on with observations about the history I learned and such- but I've got to stop now and get to my "chores" for the day. I've written some about these things in my emails.
Let's keep in touch.
Dad
----- Original Message -----
From: "kyrstyn" <kschmixton@yahoo.com>
To: <tom@pixtonfamily.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2007 1:15 AM
Subject: Home again!
> Hi Papa!> I just sent this to Mom, and was going to write a little letter to> you too, but I realized it would sound basically the same. So I'll> just copy it here. Are you well? Do you feel changed by your first> experience of Asia? > Love you dad!!> -Yer lil' Prodigal daughter.> > > > "Hi Mamma!> Welcome back from China! I don't have much time at the moment but I> wanted to send you my love, and let you know how I am. I am well! > March Fourth tour was really hard for me, but now it's over and the> blissful lightness of being I've grown accustomed to has returned in> me. I spent halloween in San Fran with Gamelan friends making music,> and celebrating proliferating new loves and relationships that seem to> be sprouting up everywhere in my bay friends' lives, as well as mine. > I just started working up in north cali today and am settling in to> this for a while. My spirit is alive and stretching into awareness> more and more, and working here actually awakens me in many wonderful> ways, and brings me into intimacy with myself at a very deep level. > It's really good.> > What was the most inspiring event for you on your journey? What did> you feel that you'd never felt before? What did you learn?> > I love you Mama!> > -Kyrstyn">
Monday, October 08, 2007
Fall rains
Family of mine,
There have been so many activities lately - including visit from Clayton and Amy and their children, that I haven't written much for a while and you have been spared my drivel. Alas, you get some more tonight...
First of all, there are new photos of recent family activies posted on my flickr web site. They are in these categories: Grandchilden, Neighborhood Barbecue, and miscellaneous Family Gathering Sept-Oct 2007 photos. You can get to them here:
It appears that summer is over. With the coming of the Fall Equinox the weather turned here, leaves are turning and there are beautiful sights in the hills and gardens all around. Rain came in torrents today for a little while.
We are currently in the midst of an attempt to purchase a small house together with Bryce in Multnomah Village. I guess most of you know about this already. We have opened escrow and are hopeful of obtaining financing but it is not a done deal, there are significant obstacles and we have lots yet to do to work our way through this. Stand by.
I think my favorite Conference talk was Elder Hollands explanation of where we stand with the claim that we are not Christian. It was forceful, funny, and intellectually rigorous. I was glad to hear it. I have often thought how adolescent the claim is that Mormons are not Christian - borne, I suppose, partly out of jealously for our successful, growing church. I think for another Christian to accuse me of not being Christian, is much like a Democrat saying to a Republican that the Republican is not a true American. Why is this important to evangelicals who draw small circles around themselves, defining all those outside the circle as not in favor with God? What are they afraid of?
I also like Elder Eyring's talk this morning and the choir hymn with new words to the tune of "O home Beloved" introduced and closed by a solo tenor. What refreshing music they are doing! The phrasing and tone unification by the choir just stuns me.
Last week I went down to the church to check out the Portland Mormon Choir. They were rehearsing in the chapel of the Stake Center and at the other end of the building, the Stake play - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - was being rehearsed in the cultural hall. Unfortunately they were not able to close the folding partitions between the two because they were broken. It was an interesting thing. Anyway, I enjoyed the music so much that I stayed and auditioned and got my music and they want me to help as a section leader for the basses. There are about 120 singers in this choir and there is a very wonderful, devoted and unified feeling there. I'm looking forward to the next reheasal next Tuesday evening - after my birthday party here at home.
Yes, I'm going to be 61. Hard to believe.
We are preparing for our trip to Hong Kong to visit with Mark and Elaine Johnsen for the rest of October. We leave this Friday morning and return on October 30. We are packing and organizing already because on Thursday I have heavy meetings at the office until the end of the day, and I have been asked to come to the WLCC rehearsal to receive an appreciation award. Kaaren and I will go to that and have little time to pack the night before we leave, so we're starting early. And I noticed that our middle sized grey luggage is missing - did we let one of you take it home with you?
The sumac is now in deep red and yellow colors. A dove landed on a branch to eat the black berries this morning. It was beautiful. The beans are over. The sunflowers are done. We (Kaaren?) will pull up the tomatoes and hopefully plant a winter garden before we go.
Logan just turned 6 and he had a friends birthday party here at our house. They filled the living room and then moved like a horde of locusts to the family room and the garden and yard, running and playing. Lots of parents were here to help. There was a treasure hunt and cupcakes to make with way too much sugar stuff. They are nice children and Logan is well thought of by them and the parents, I hear.
You may have heard that Kaaren and I have been called as Ward Missionaries. Don't laugh. We are going to give this a good go, and I think we can be helpful, especially with those on the fringes of faith who may need a sympathetic ear and helpful experience.
Speaking of Mormon support groups, we will miss our annual trek to Seattle for the Sunstone NW symposium. It is the highlight of the year for us, but Hong Kong takes precedence. Note, however, that Skye is on the program three times - music and thoughts at different times, and so I imagine downloading an MP3 of her sessions ( and others, I'm sure) would be a good thing to do to participate in this great thing we love to do each year. I think the website is Sunstoneonline.com and recordings of the sessions will be on there sometime shortly after next weekend.
My work is going well. I am able to be helpful to lots of people and we are managing to pay the salaries and the bills at the office. I am grateful for the Lord's blessings in that regard. Properties problems have been rampant this fall, and expensive. We are working through those.
Elder Eyrings admonition to keep a journal of spiritual experiences, revelations to your family, and things you are grateful for and want your children and grandchildren to be able to read about was really timely advice. I know it is so hard to do this. I have fallen out of practice from earlier, less frenetic, years. But lets all give it a try. That is the philosphy I used when I wrote in my journals (seven written volumes and letters to family thereafter) and I hope you can read them someday. Janet has just finished typing the John Edward Pixton (my grandfather) missionary journal. It still needs proofing and editing but by Christmas time, I hope to have it ready for "publication." Janet jumped out of her seat many times to say "Listen to this!" and I know you will enjoy it.
love,
Dad
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Sunday ruminations
September 9, 2007
Dear family,
Sunday Morning
It’s a Sunday morning at home with the trees waving in the wind, the sumac is turning into it’s stunning fall colors and Forrest’s truck is parked by the carport filled with the detritus of another busy summer at home: aluminum single-pane windows (replaced with modern, double-paned, hermetically sealed fancy-doodley soft gliders), a GE potscubber dishwasher (replaced with a stainless steel, fully magic Kitchen-Aid- a dishwasher like Skye’s -we have now reached the stage where we envy our kids stuff), plastic barrels with vegetable oil (Kyrstyn’s bio-diesel Suburban finally traded for a Honda Civic that gets 40 mpg on real-live gasoline), old tool boxes, discarded soaker hose and other usual unmentionable stuff. It is warm but it feels like Fall.
Kaaren’s Garden
Kaaren’s garden - the one she tends in the new garden boxes I built with Forrest and Bryce - is maturing and she is already clearing some space for a fall garden of peas and cooler growing things. It is a wonderful place to visit. I’ll include some photos of the garden on the Flickr site.
Festival of Faith
Today Kaaren and I are going to a Festival of Faith downtown where several organized and some fairly disorganized religions are represented. Pres. Childs of the Beaverton Stake is supportive of this effort and some of his wards have changed their meeting times to allow members to attend Buddism 101 and similar "classes" for Scientology, Baha'i, Hindu, Mormonism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity (including representatives from the Lutheran and Seventh-Day Adventist faiths). This should be interesting and helpful. I’m not sure anyone except us in our stake is aware of this.
Ward Barbecue
Yesterday we had a ward barbecue at Nielsens. It was nice to visit with those who came. Courtney’s boys played on the swings and flew kites. They are becoming pretty independent. Logan’s first soccer game was yesterday and he started kindergarten last week. The times they are a changin’.
Sun River and Crater Lake
Two weeks ago, we were at the Sun River cabin. Skye and Jared and Seville visited. Forrest and Kaarina visited via the Butterfly airplane and Bryce visited. Kaaren tried her hand at a painting and I did some writing and reading and fretting in withdrawal over my recent resignation as music director of the West Linn Community Chorus due to chronic acrimony on the Board of Directors about the direction of the chorus. It has been a huge part of my life and passion for six years and very hard to give up. But I need music in my life and I’m sure something good will fill the void.
During part of our vacation at Sun River, Kaaren and I drove up to Crater Lake - a national park we had not seen before. The photos are inadequate to convey the grandeur of the thing. The depth of the lake (almost 2000 feet deep) brings out deep hues of blue and turquoise in the water. While we were there - eating a lunch at the Lodge - a storm came through with massive amounts of hail and rain. Some photos almost capture the drama.
Rescuing Kyrstyn from Burning Man
After we returned from Sun River, I flew down to the Burning Man encampment in the desert north and east of Reno to pick up Kyrstyn. Though I expected to just wait outside the fence at the "airport" for Kyrstn, I quite unexpectely managed to get in to the "city" - Black Rock City, it’s called - and found Kyrstyn in the main pavilion where she performed with Trash Can Joe (Jason Wells and friends). She took me to her camp - called appropriately "The Dump" and I rode with her friends out to the middle of the Playa to watch the burning of the Temple.
A word or two of what I know about Burning Man so far. Some of you may not know much about this thing. It started a number of years ago with a bunch of "hippies" reveling around an 8' stick-man figure they burned on Baker Beach in San Francisco. It has grown and been relocated to the Black Rock desert in Nevada. This year there were 47,600 campers and to accomodate them a huge "city" is laid out in the desert in the shape of a clock face with streets running from 2 o’clock to 10 o’clock and then cross streets in concentric circles with names appropriate to the theme for that year. So a typical address to find your camp would be Aurora Borealis at 5:30 o-clock. People bring their artwork of all kinds to display. Some of it is literally incredible. Part of the art work on display is the people themselves and their outfits run the gamut. People take pictures of each other and professional photographers roam the city looking for subjects to enlarge their portfolio. It has a reputation for being a place where (almost) anything goes, but I found it to be relatively quiet and people were respectful and helpful and kind. It some ways the peaceful hippie utopia was the culture - except for the predictable but only occasional loud yahoos who forgot to leave their spurs at home. I came at the end of the week - after the burning of The Man - and everything and everyone seemed covered with the alkaline playa dust and many were packing up and leaving. The Forest Service has many rangers patroling through the city for help and law enforement, there are medical centers and places where one can buy ice. Otherwise, everyone is instructed they must bring everything they want in and haul everything out leaving no trace. There is no water available but the main pavilion sells coffee and lattes and lemonade.
I rode my bike around the playa in the heat of the day and when I felt heat exhaustion coming on, I returned to the pavilion where I waited a long time in line and bought two lemonades at $3 each because I only had two hands. Later that evening I rode with Kyrstyn’s group to witness the burning of the Temple - which earlier I had visited and found full of people mourning lost loved ones and bedecked with mementoes to those friends who had died. I took some pictures of the artwork on the playa and some people in the pavilion. I camped with the plane, well away from the throb of music coming from the city, and brought Kyrstyn and two friends home the next morning. It was a great flying adventure to get there and land in the middle of the desert, see some part of the Burning Man thing, and return home with Kyrstyn.
Courtney’s Birthday
While we were gone at Sun River, Courtney and Jason and children were at Aspen Grove in Utah for an Atack family reunion. When they returned on Monday, we had a surprise birthday party (Skye’s idea) for Courtney.
Kaaren’s new car
Kaaren bought a "new" car and I’m jealous - or covetous, I should say. It is a forest green 1998 Volvo Cross-Country with all wheel drive. It drives very nicely. She’s needed a better car and now we won’t get stuck here so much in the snow. I loaned the grey station wagon to Jason again and we will sell her 89 wagon. I just replaced the engine last month in my car and am still taking it in every few days with squawks to get it running right.
Photos
I’m going to attach a lot of pictures to this email, hoping that it will be easier for some of you to seem some of this. More are available (or will be shortly) on the flickr web site you can get to from the link on the family web site.
Love,
Dad
new photo sets
I have loaded four (4) new photo sets on flickr. Perhaps these links will be easier to find them.
Sun River and Crater Lake:
Burning Man:
Kaaren's garden:
September 2007 miscellaneous including Courtney's birthday
You can always to get all the pictures (way too many) by clicking on the link on the left of the family web site somewhat down the left side of www.pixtonfamily.com
Dad
Sunday, August 12, 2007
August gatherings
Family,
Today our High Priest Quorum lesson was on "The Sabbath Day - A Delight." I mentioned that I thought the analogy from Genesis was wonderful - this is a day to stop everything, to rest from every care, and to walk in the garden and listen, and call it good.
Taking the time to pause and count blessings - to appreciate the beauty of the places where we live, and they are all beautiful in their way, and to see the hand of the Lord in our lives - is one of the core activities of true religion.
I returned Friday afternoon from a quick trip to Burney Falls Campground where I visited with my brother and his family. The flying time was 2.4 hrs to this remote place east of Mt. Shasta. It was a wonderful time to visit and catch up on things. The flight down and back was just beautiful - over country on the east side of the Cascades going down that I've never seen before. Every time I fly, I think of the words of Isaiah who said "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord... then shall thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." The Jerusalem Bible reads "...and I will lead you triumphant over the heights of the land." I know its a stretch to apply this to flying, but I always have. It's my personal blessing and sabbath moment to see a view of the earth that few people enjoy. One of the pictures enclosed is a view of forest fire smoke rising high like a cumulus cloud over Mt. Jefferson. I wondered for a moment if the old volcano was erupting - but no, just a forest fire with intense smoke rising, I learned later. I really love this airplane and hope that more of you will have a chance to fly with me and experience the time machine it is.
I returned to bring some food - simple cottage cheese and peaches and some chicken, to Skye and Jared who were in the chemotherapy clinic where Jared was getting his first dose. He was there most of the day. If you haven't already gone there, you can read their blog at www.jaredandskye.blogspot.com.
Prior to this flying trip to California, we gathered at home on Sunday night for a farewell dinner to Bob and Brittany who were about to return to NYC the next day with their little puppy they bought in Washougal. We had some good music moments together and good food and good company. The Sunday prior, we also gathered together for another meal here at home. During the week, Brittany organized a temple trip where all of the endowed members of the family in the Portland Metro area (except Jason who stayed home with Seville) gathered for an endowment session and for some sealings for Bob's ancestors. It was a sweet experience for me and it gave me a renewed respect for the work of sealing our ancestors together in the temple. Thank you, Brittany.
Bryce is working hard at his new job and I am proud of him. He's on a steep learning curve but he has the chops to do the learning and I think he is feeling some reward for the service he gives to Hoffman. Work is sanctifying and I see it working for Bryce.
My car is still in the shop - the engine blown to smitherines by a faulty head gasket repair last year - and I'm wondering what I'm going to drive next. I'm actually enjoying driving the old 1990 740 wagon but it's beat up a little, being loaned out to family and friends in need all the time - and doesn't much to enhance my lawyer image.
Kaaren's garden is amazing. The sunflowers are about 12 feet tall and spouting several flower heads at the top. The beans are climbing up the sunflowers and the tomatoes are thick and tall - with fruit setting. Should be ripe soon. We're harvesting squash, cucumbers, beans and cherry tomatoes and yellow pear (tear drop?) tomatoes.
Well, this is all I have energy for this evening. Blessings upon you all.
Dad
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Kansas City Trip
Family,
I just returned from my flying trip to visit Clayton and Amy and Olivia, Eli and Addison. What a great visit!. We left Wednesday morning (the 4th) and returned this afternoon (the 8th). Too many pictures of our (Bryce and Kadra came with me) trip at posted at my flickr site. Go to www.pixtonfamily.com and click on the second link on the right to photo albums. Enjoy.
Dad
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Wallawa Lake road trip with Bryce
Dear Family,
Last weekend, Bryce and I left after Sacrament Meeting (and after making lunch, and after changing a spark plug in my car and after deciding not to take it and after repacking bryce's car and after stopping in on my monthly home teaching visit to Foushee's who fed us a little lunch and dessert and good gospel discussion - this is how Pixton's leave town) and began our road trip. We drove in Bryce's car in 100 degree weather with no air conditioning and a whistling windshield trim toward Wallawa Lake in the northeastern corner of Oregon. In the extreme heat, we found it advisable to stop for refreshment and sustenance at the last Burgerville for 24,789 miles, as the billboard said, and humbly partake of a large raspberry shake, some fries and a hamburger. Heading into the mountains, it is always good to stock up on things you may need in reserve, such as a bajillion calories in a quite heavenly concoction. Having had my spiritual experience for the Sabbath, I was ready to proceed on the journey across the high desert of Oregon and into the Wallawa Mountains.
Heading up the grade into the Blue Mountains, we drove into a lightning storm and rain pounded on the windshield. This storm was unexpected and it was beautiful and cool. At dusk, we were lucky to find a campsite along the Minam river in the dark. I sat at our picnic table in the dark and wrote in my journal on my laptop - the remote location, the rush of the river closeby and the starry sky above was quite a contrast to my high-tech screen, the only light in our camp. We slept in the open air and it was good rest.
Monday morning we drove to the Wallawa valley, and ate breakfast in Enterprise. I found that the proprietor and cook of our restaurant was a former client of mine from Lake Oswego. After our excellent meal, I had a good chat with Steve Lear while he worked the grill in the kitchen. He gave up his business and Lake Oswego home and moved to Enterprise to run a restaurant. He's on the city council and is a civic leader there. What a change of life. Would you have the courage to do this?
Next we went up the hill to check out the airport. We found the LDS church right next to the runway and at the runway we found a friend of my brother Bobby, Hank and his wife Kim with their Husky. They were visiting his sister in Wallawa. Small world.
We drove through Joseph, a very artsy community with beautiful bronze sculptures on each corner, to Wallawa Lake - very picturesque. We took the tram up to the peak of Mt. Howard. This was the highlight of the trip so far. Very incredible view, somewhat scary ride, tame animals at the top that ate from our fingers, chipmunks, squirrels, deer, birds, etc. We overlooked a canyon and the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the distance. Spectacular. Down in the canyon again, I filled my water bottle from the crystal clear water cascading down from the snow caps. I don't remember seeing water so clear before. It was cold and delicious.
After Wallawa Lake we drove further east and south to an overlook on the ridge of Hells Canyon - formed by the Snake River on the border between Oregon and Idaho. Beautiful wildflowers. We camped in a canyon descending to the Snake River. The next morning we drove to Halfway (it's not half way, it's all the way!) where we stopped for breakfast. The waitress cut Bryce off in the middle of his order with her hand in his face. Snarl. When she finally brought my breakfast, she slammed it down on the table in front of me and snarled at someone else at the next table. Bryce ordered orange juice. She grabbed it out of a cooler, shook it twice and plopped it down in front of him, still in the plastic bottle. We laughed and felt we had gotten our money's worth in entertainment alone.
We drove home on 84, foregoing our earlier plan to drive through the Blue Mountains and home along the John Day river. We'd had enough camping, enough winding roads and enough heat. We stopped by Horse Tail falls and Multnomah Falls and Benson Lake picnic area (checking it out for a ward activity) and came home, glad to be in such a nice place we could call home. We had a good time. In the evening Kaaren and I joined Skye and Jared for the fireworks at Fort Vancouver. Came home pretty tired. I go to work to recuperate, it seems, from the weekends.
So this was a road trip, a journey together to explore a little bit of America. We had some dumb conversations and some good conversations about mountains and valleys and philosophy and the search for quality (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance style), forgiveness, independence and growth, relationships with girls and with cars and other imponderables and we came home richer together.
Dad
Last weekend, Bryce and I left after Sacrament Meeting (and after making lunch, and after changing a spark plug in my car and after deciding not to take it and after repacking bryce's car and after stopping in on my monthly home teaching visit to Foushee's who fed us a little lunch and dessert and good gospel discussion - this is how Pixton's leave town) and began our road trip. We drove in Bryce's car in 100 degree weather with no air conditioning and a whistling windshield trim toward Wallawa Lake in the northeastern corner of Oregon. In the extreme heat, we found it advisable to stop for refreshment and sustenance at the last Burgerville for 24,789 miles, as the billboard said, and humbly partake of a large raspberry shake, some fries and a hamburger. Heading into the mountains, it is always good to stock up on things you may need in reserve, such as a bajillion calories in a quite heavenly concoction. Having had my spiritual experience for the Sabbath, I was ready to proceed on the journey across the high desert of Oregon and into the Wallawa Mountains.
Heading up the grade into the Blue Mountains, we drove into a lightning storm and rain pounded on the windshield. This storm was unexpected and it was beautiful and cool. At dusk, we were lucky to find a campsite along the Minam river in the dark. I sat at our picnic table in the dark and wrote in my journal on my laptop - the remote location, the rush of the river closeby and the starry sky above was quite a contrast to my high-tech screen, the only light in our camp. We slept in the open air and it was good rest.
Monday morning we drove to the Wallawa valley, and ate breakfast in Enterprise. I found that the proprietor and cook of our restaurant was a former client of mine from Lake Oswego. After our excellent meal, I had a good chat with Steve Lear while he worked the grill in the kitchen. He gave up his business and Lake Oswego home and moved to Enterprise to run a restaurant. He's on the city council and is a civic leader there. What a change of life. Would you have the courage to do this?
Next we went up the hill to check out the airport. We found the LDS church right next to the runway and at the runway we found a friend of my brother Bobby, Hank and his wife Kim with their Husky. They were visiting his sister in Wallawa. Small world.
We drove through Joseph, a very artsy community with beautiful bronze sculptures on each corner, to Wallawa Lake - very picturesque. We took the tram up to the peak of Mt. Howard. This was the highlight of the trip so far. Very incredible view, somewhat scary ride, tame animals at the top that ate from our fingers, chipmunks, squirrels, deer, birds, etc. We overlooked a canyon and the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the distance. Spectacular. Down in the canyon again, I filled my water bottle from the crystal clear water cascading down from the snow caps. I don't remember seeing water so clear before. It was cold and delicious.
After Wallawa Lake we drove further east and south to an overlook on the ridge of Hells Canyon - formed by the Snake River on the border between Oregon and Idaho. Beautiful wildflowers. We camped in a canyon descending to the Snake River. The next morning we drove to Halfway (it's not half way, it's all the way!) where we stopped for breakfast. The waitress cut Bryce off in the middle of his order with her hand in his face. Snarl. When she finally brought my breakfast, she slammed it down on the table in front of me and snarled at someone else at the next table. Bryce ordered orange juice. She grabbed it out of a cooler, shook it twice and plopped it down in front of him, still in the plastic bottle. We laughed and felt we had gotten our money's worth in entertainment alone.
We drove home on 84, foregoing our earlier plan to drive through the Blue Mountains and home along the John Day river. We'd had enough camping, enough winding roads and enough heat. We stopped by Horse Tail falls and Multnomah Falls and Benson Lake picnic area (checking it out for a ward activity) and came home, glad to be in such a nice place we could call home. We had a good time. In the evening Kaaren and I joined Skye and Jared for the fireworks at Fort Vancouver. Came home pretty tired. I go to work to recuperate, it seems, from the weekends.
So this was a road trip, a journey together to explore a little bit of America. We had some dumb conversations and some good conversations about mountains and valleys and philosophy and the search for quality (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance style), forgiveness, independence and growth, relationships with girls and with cars and other imponderables and we came home richer together.
Dad
Our Weekend
Sunday Evening, July 9 2006
Dear Family,
This last few days have been memorable. On Wednesday we had my sister, Shauna, and her husband Rick Laurel visit us on their way to Victoria, BC. We had a nice dinner here (salmon and more) and they stayed the night. Then the next day, my Mom and John visited us on their way from Chilliwack, BC to Mom's place in Occidental. We had another great dinner here and they stayed the night. Friday afternoon I drove Mom and John up to Timberline Lodge. We enjoyed the views of unlimited landscape on a clear warm day, some white bean chili and ale in the pub and stopped at a burger place near Sandy called "Calamity Jane's". Mom used to be (still is by John) called Calamity Jane and so she got a kick out of it as I knew she would. Saturday John was having balance problems so they stayed the day to recuperate and left this morning for Occidental. It was nice to have them relax at our home for a while. Courtney and the boys came over Saturday and had a picnic on our lawn with them and Mom played frisbee with Logan.
But Kaaren and I weren't here yesterday because we went to the Oregon Country Faire - a traditional fair of creative exuberance in the woods west of Eugene. I've put pictures (the ones I think I can put out publicly at this point anyway) on the flickr site you can reach by the link on our website. Kaaren and I enjoyed ourselves immensely. The sights and sounds were so unusual and exhilarating. It was huge. It would take days to really see all the displays and vendors and bands and jugglers and speakers exhorting return to the earth and respect for nature, etc, and impromptu parades (the whole thing was a parade, I remarked to Kaaren) and small musical groups and people with interesting get-up and garb or no get-up and no garb, and artists wall-to-wall with so many beautiful creations. We came home with a combination toy box/marimba made of red alder and cedar and a beautiful velvet skirt for Kaaren and a multicolored natural small broom (hobbit size) for sweeping out our treehouse.
Kyrstyn's group, March Fourth, was the big hit at the end of the day and there are quite a lot of pictures of them and the crowd around them.
It was an unforgetable day and we look forward to going back next year.
Our gardens are really beautiful and provided roses of many colors and fragrances for the church meetings today. They have also provided roses through the house for a few weeks. But the heat is beginning to take its toll on things.
I'm including a picture of the tree house on the website. I plan to finish the stairs tomorrow evening. Guess which part I designed and which part Kaaren designed?
I heard an interesting quote today. "You make the laws but I'll make the music and move the world."
We had a remarkable sacrament meeting today but I think Kaaren can tell you better about it - she took more notes. Ask her.
love,
Dad
Dear Family,
This last few days have been memorable. On Wednesday we had my sister, Shauna, and her husband Rick Laurel visit us on their way to Victoria, BC. We had a nice dinner here (salmon and more) and they stayed the night. Then the next day, my Mom and John visited us on their way from Chilliwack, BC to Mom's place in Occidental. We had another great dinner here and they stayed the night. Friday afternoon I drove Mom and John up to Timberline Lodge. We enjoyed the views of unlimited landscape on a clear warm day, some white bean chili and ale in the pub and stopped at a burger place near Sandy called "Calamity Jane's". Mom used to be (still is by John) called Calamity Jane and so she got a kick out of it as I knew she would. Saturday John was having balance problems so they stayed the day to recuperate and left this morning for Occidental. It was nice to have them relax at our home for a while. Courtney and the boys came over Saturday and had a picnic on our lawn with them and Mom played frisbee with Logan.
But Kaaren and I weren't here yesterday because we went to the Oregon Country Faire - a traditional fair of creative exuberance in the woods west of Eugene. I've put pictures (the ones I think I can put out publicly at this point anyway) on the flickr site you can reach by the link on our website. Kaaren and I enjoyed ourselves immensely. The sights and sounds were so unusual and exhilarating. It was huge. It would take days to really see all the displays and vendors and bands and jugglers and speakers exhorting return to the earth and respect for nature, etc, and impromptu parades (the whole thing was a parade, I remarked to Kaaren) and small musical groups and people with interesting get-up and garb or no get-up and no garb, and artists wall-to-wall with so many beautiful creations. We came home with a combination toy box/marimba made of red alder and cedar and a beautiful velvet skirt for Kaaren and a multicolored natural small broom (hobbit size) for sweeping out our treehouse.
Kyrstyn's group, March Fourth, was the big hit at the end of the day and there are quite a lot of pictures of them and the crowd around them.
It was an unforgetable day and we look forward to going back next year.
Our gardens are really beautiful and provided roses of many colors and fragrances for the church meetings today. They have also provided roses through the house for a few weeks. But the heat is beginning to take its toll on things.
I'm including a picture of the tree house on the website. I plan to finish the stairs tomorrow evening. Guess which part I designed and which part Kaaren designed?
I heard an interesting quote today. "You make the laws but I'll make the music and move the world."
We had a remarkable sacrament meeting today but I think Kaaren can tell you better about it - she took more notes. Ask her.
love,
Dad
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