Molly Campbell - Sep 1998 - Apr 2012

Sparkle Plenty II and her new pal, Molly

Circa 1949 -
Dad pulled in the driveway
Parked and headed toward the house
It was his son's birthday
His son ran to the door
Wondering if there was a surprise

His Dad said,
"Oh!  I forgot my jacket in the back seat."
Could you run and get it?

His son headed for the back seat
Opened the door
And under the jacket was Sparkle Plenty

A quiet moment together

(named after the character from Dick Tracy)
A black and white cocker spaniel

Circa 1986 -
Remembering his father's tactics
He pulled up to the house
On his son's 6th birthday

His wife and son met him at the front door
He said, "Oh, I forgot my jacket in the back seat.
Could you run and get it please?"
(He was a lot more polite than his father.)

His son headed for the back seat
Opened the door
And under the jacket was Sparkle Plenty II
A black Schnauzer

Circa 1998 -
He pulled into his driveway
On his daughter's 10th birthday

His wife and daughter met him at the front door
He said, "Oh, I forgot my jacket in the back seat.
Could you run and get it please?"

His daughter headed for the back seat
Opened the door
And under the jacket was Molly Campbell
A Golden Retriever

A smooch for the hound

Her parents had heard
A dog... like a Goldy
Is good medicine
To help keep a growing daughter well grounded

That wasn't true
A Goldy is good medicine
To keep an entire family well grounded

Molly's mission as a puppy
Was to cut her teeth
On every piece of antique oak furniture
In the family dining area

When she turned two
She was satisfied with the development of her canines
So she quit chewing
And her family took the table, chairs and other items
To a local business that dutifully restored them

Sparkle Plenty II was still around
So Molly made it her duty
To invite Sparkle to play
Every Day

And every day

A little respite under the mulberry tree

Sparkle made it firmly clear
She did not intend to play

The uneven truce
With a pact of tolerance
Lasted for several years
To the fifteenth and final year
Of Sparkle's great life

From that point
Molly assumed full control
Of the Campbell's back yard
And large sections
Of the American River Bike trail

Through her life
She was known for her gentleness
And her love for people
She inspired the saying that
"The only person she loved more than her family
Was the next person she saw,"

If you were ever part of the wild welcome she would give visitors
You are nodding your head now in agreement

Her life became dedicated

To activities that brought joy to her

And all she came in contact with

Chasing tennis balls thrown about

The famous NorCal Campbell Ranch

Catching and playing with wild game

(occasionally too hard)

*The Golden 'Cereal' Killer

Swimming in the American River

With Tyler and pals

Working the fast current instinctively… expertly

Jogging the American River Trail

Hundreds of miles with Tom

(Tom called it jogging... it was more like shuffling)

And she just walked along side

*Old Dogs

Swimming in her own personal swimming pool

(all humans allowed)

*Molly Phelps-Torres Campbell

Spending time with Julieann

Watching over her, and with her as she

Tended to her often absent family

Pals

She had the softest mouth...

When she accepted a biscuit

From her Campbell family

She wouldn’t think of quickly grabbing it

Then gulping it down on the spot

She had to take it

With the gentlest touch

Not pulling away until she sensed

You were releasing your grip

Then walking to the back door

To be let out to the backyard

Where she would lay down

Treat still cradled softly in her mouth

(once in a while the tell-tale drool leaking a wisp to the side…

just like Tom lately)

Then after slowly surveying the south forty

She would carefully break up the biscuit

And take her time enjoying each morsel

She filled our lives with tenderness and joy

Every day of her life

Never a down day

Never a lapse

Every single day

Last Monday

She and Tom

Did a commemorative

Mile and a half walk

A great lady in her element

On the American River Trail

She sniffed to her heart's content

And marked her territory once more

Wednesday, she was struck swiftly

With a massive infection

And went on a journey

That took her to the

UC Davis Veterinary Center ICU

By early Thursday morning

They did a wonderful job

Trying to save her

But it was time for her to go

She would have been fourteen

Lord Have Mercy.

Lord Have Mercy.

Lord Have Mercy.

*Molly

"Dogs are Gods creatures and not for us to keep... Only to share a space in time with."

(Thanks Chuck Thomas)

*These are hyperlinks to earlier posts about Molly - just click on them to see the story.

**Please, no notes of sympathy although I deeply appreciate the thought.  This post is intended to celebrate a life our family was privileged to be a part of - be happy for us and.... go adopt a dog.

Three Young Turks...

... walked into a bar.
Nah, you have heard that one before

This story is about three Turks
The Egyptian they work for
And the hotel they work in

The Cafe Acadian
A Creole style restaurant
At the Marriott Hotel, Baton Rouge

I was working on a project in Baton Rouge
A tight schedule did not permit me
To fly back to Sacramento on weekends

I have spent several million
(OK, ok over a thousand... way over)
Nights in Marriott's over the years
So I received complimentary buffet breakfasts
For the three weekends I was there

My weekend routine was
Hit the hotel gym
Shuffle on the Elliptical machine
Pump a little (very little) free weights

Then grab a complimentary paper
And flop in the hotel's Cafe Acadian

Each time, these guys were all over me like a cheap suit
Holding my chair to assist me
Snapping that napkin and dropping it on my lap

Smiling "Good morning Sir!", "Juice?", "Coffee?"
If I said; "Just juice." to one Turk
Another would follow him shortly after
To be sure I didn't want the coffee.

They never let my juice glass get close to empty
A butter wrapper on the mat next to my plate?
A smiling Turk would sweep by and carefully remove it

One morning as I was finishing
One of the Turks
Placed a plate of three fresh beignets
At my table - complements of the house...

They were in constant motion
The three young Turks
And a distinguished head waiter

An Egyptian who would stop by your table
Survey the situation
Gauge your satisfaction

Upbeat, smiling
Five star
Five huge stars
Better than I have seen anywhere else
Ever

These guys were the Steve Jobs
Of quality waiter service
This I know

And if you put them on the road
Had them teach service
At the finest restaurants in America
You would see amazing improvements

But I don't think you could quite capture their...spirit
Yes, that is the ingredient that made them so special
They were enthusiastic in their step and in their speech
A quality I believe you must be born with
Or maybe there's something in the Baton Rouge water...

Ah, but they are leaving
Returning to their home country
If I get back before they leave
I will attempt to talk to them further
To find out more about their spirit
To find out why they are leaving

Mr Emad Sotohy and his son,
January, 2013

(Julie and I should visit Egypt, or Turkey... I could get used to that!)

*December, 2017 Update:  I wrote this in the Spring of 2012.  Now, coming up on 6 years later, the Egyptian referenced in this story, Mr. Emad Sotohy has long since returned to his home country and his family including at least one fine son and daughter.  We remain pals and in touch via Facebook.  Emad works at the Cairo Marriott where I am sure they provide the best concierge and overall service you can find anywhere.

Coonass

Hanging out in Pride, Louisiana
Just outside of Baton Rouge
An Easter family get together
A dozen or so
Self proclaimed "Coonasses"

Wiki says Coonasses are people
Of cajun ethnicity
Some consider it an insult
Others consider it a badge of honor

I am thinking it is a fundamental part
Of the charm of being in Louisiana

A prayer
Then a delicious barbecue,
Then a delicious desert
Then a congregation outside

A time for family talk
A time for questions aimed
At making this Yankee guest
Feel at home

Invited as an outsider
Treated like an insider
I am at once a visitor
I am at once at home

Some wine
A stogie
Some damn fine
Southern hospitality

An Easter to remember

The Spin Of Things

There is nothing 

Nothing we can say

That hasn't been said... 

Already

Nothing read
That hasn't been written... 

Already

So why do we say it?
Why do we write it?

For the fun of the spin we're in...
To share the past
To capture the moment
To predict the future

To redirect opinion
To convince ourselves
To protect our memories

Why do we say,
"Words cannot describe...?"
When that, in and of itself
Begins a description.

And if its a competition of words
Either spoken or written
We will spin it to win it

That's what we do.

Hayseed - Minibio I

A little kid in North Dakota circa late 1950's
Willow City...population 250, give or take

 More background and photos 
Help set the stage at this link... 
"Nort-A-Kota Nuggets" 

At age 8 or 9, a time of boundless curiosity -
That became a growing source of trouble

He once snuck into their neighbor's house to explore
It was his pal's place, Punky Kunert
He knew they were gone for the weekend - holidays

The Hayseed knew he wasn't supposed to be there
So he was pretty excited
While snooping, he came across the biggest candy cane
He had ever seen

It had to be a foot long
And big around as a half-dollar

There's an old expression
"A watermelon tastes better when its stolen"
(The saying may have originated with Mark Twain)
We'll call it the Watermelon Effect
That's how it was with that candy cane.

Their second house there was rented... like their first

It had an indoor toilet!
The owner used the detached, one car garage for storage
The Hayseed figured out how to get in
And found a cache of old baseball cards
In a cigar box

The real small kind mostly
They would be worth a fortune today
He had no idea
Yet, the Watermelon Effect kicked in
So he made those cards his own

(A few years later, walking to school one morning in Michigan, he was told part of the school had burned down. It was his part, an old wooden frame addition. The box of baseball cards was in his desk there. He didn't think much of it then as they were mainly a curiosity to him.)

One day, he was sent to his room upstairs as punishment
He decided he would rather go to the movies
He put on his first Communion suit
(His coveralls wouldn't work for this serious adventure)
Then he tied his bedding together and began to lower himself
From his second story window to the ground

The knots gave away about half way down
And he fell...
Unhurt, he picked himself up
And headed for the lumber yard his dad managed
He asked his dad for a quarter to go to the movies
Told him "Mom said it was ok."

He was all set. Fifteen cents to get in
With ten cents worth of candy
From the next door drugstore
He was found out of course
But the punishment that ensued, whatever it was
Did not measure up to the crime... no way

(This - The first of many adventures in a life is all it is - there are countless others of course, many sprinkled through this here blog and in this book The Hayseed...  Also - the photos are the real thing. I was able to return to Willow City a few years ago and snapped them then.)

Slathered... Slaked

Can you say that 3 times?
Real fast?

Kennedy gold mine, Jackson, California
As it looks today

Never mind, here's the real point
(As if there could be one?)

On the day before today
The Coyote and I
Decided to break out the Harleys
For a little pre-Spring run

To the NorCal foothills
Mining country, gold that is...
Jackson was our destination
Mel and Faye's diner for a damn fine late breakfast

Jackson is an old gold mining town
Named after "Alden Appola Moore Jackson"
Helluva name wouldn't you say?

Tyler you are lucky I didn't know about this
When you were born
"Alden Appola Moore Campbell?"  Hmmmm....

I have been there dozens of times
In my Harley riding life
And it has been beautiful each time

The forecast was 70
It was in the fifties on our way up
In the sixties on our way back

Cruising... handlebar to handlebar
On the stretches less traveled
Two throaty, rumbling Harleys making music

On one stretch of the return
I picked up the scent of a bakery
There is nothing quite like it

Unless you consider similar smells picked up while outdoors
Like bacon frying in the pan
Or potatoes and onions frying in butter

The thought then struck me
In my scented reverie
"Slaked and Slathered"... or vice-versa

Flashback to the Azore Islands
Fresh made bread
Slathered with dollops of the world's richest, most delicious butter

Coupled with home-made wine - made using genuine Portuguese feet
Bottled in old liquor containers
Two bits each - to slake your thirst

Why "slake"?  
Consider a National Geographic special
On Africa; commentator, Alec Baldwin

Alec had the world's worst script writer
So every time the animals stopped to drink
Alec said they were "slaking their thirst."

He also threw in an occasional "slathered."

That's why

Anyway, where was I?
Oh yes, Slathering and Slaking
Two things you definitely want to do
If you are ever in the Azores.

The River

The "River"
Otherwise known as "Fifth Street"

The Pocket

In the game of chance: Texas Hold'em

In Hold'em, each player at the table
Is dealt two cards, face down
This is called the "Pocket"
No other players can see them
If you protect them properly that is

Next comes the "Flop"
Three cards face up on the table
To be shared by each player
In determining the best hand

Next; the "Turn" or "Fourth Street"
Is turned up on the table to join the first three
Finally the "River or "Fifth Street"
A card that has made and destroyed many fortunes.

Wagers are placed
At the completion of each step
The "Pocket", the "Flop", "Fourth" and "Fifth Street"
The player with the best combination of five cards wins

Tournaments typically begin
With many tables of 10 players each
As each players loses all their chips
They are eliminated from the competition

When the last 10 players remain
The "Final Table" is formed
And each is typically "in the money"

From there they play on until the last person remains
Or until the players mutually agree to "chop" or tie
For the remaining cash pay outs

Yesterday, from a beginning field of 80 or so
I made the final table
I was a little "short stacked" or behind the average chip count
But at about 35,000 I had a fair share

In the second hand my pocket was Ace and Ten of Hearts
Blinds and antes were fairly high at that time
So there were over 10 thousand in chips in the pot
Before wagering even began

One player in front of me
Placed a raise to 12,000 chips
To call would have taken almost half my chips
I guessed my opponent had a middle pair

I decided I could out race him
So I shoved my chips in the pot; "All-in"
The remaining players folded to the raiser
Who called my all-in bet and showed pocket queens

The Flop came, a small heart and two Aces
Giving me a huge lead with a Set of Aces
The Turn came, a King of Hearts
Giving me a flush draw on top of my set

The River.... a Queen of Hearts
Giving me a flush as well as a set
But giving my opponent a full house
Queens over Aces

Some amazing cards hit that table
And I got "Rivered"
Knocked out of the tournament in 10th place
With a little cash and a bruise from Lady Luck

I left a huge stack of chips back there
That was mine for the first six cards
If that first heart on the flop would have been a Jack
I would have had a Royal Straight Flush

Damn I love this game!

Robbie

Sometimes... one thing leads to another.

Lajes Field on Terciera Island,
The Azores Portugal, Circa 1966

They were Air Force medics at the Lajes Hospital
They were also room mates in the enlisted dorm
Located on the hospital grounds

Robbie was a dental technician
His room mate was a public health technician
Robbie was Dr. William "Hands" Malde's assistant
All the medics called him "Hands" in tribute to his dentistry skills

In those days docs supplied pilots
With "go, no-go" pills clearly marked
Red for "Go" - Blue for "No-go"
Two small bottles taped to
Either end of a tongue depressor

When on long missions, if needed, pilots would take stimulants
Most often dexedrine to stay awake
And some form of sleeping pills to rest between missions
It was common practice then
And likely still is today

Robbie liked "go" pills
He took them fairly frequently, perhaps from "Hands"
As they were little controlled and abundantly available
Never the less, he was known as a terrific technician
...Quiet yet quick to smile and good at his craft

Robbie also had a taste for scotch and cigarettes
Of course, the majority of medics smoked back then
Ignorant of any potential consequences
And somehow Robbie knew how to make his small paycheck
Last much longer than his room mate's.

His room mate didn't have the same taste for go pills
But did acquire a taste for scotch
As often just before payday
Scotch was the only booze
Available in the  room to drink

Robbie and his room mate got along well for a couple of years
Then Robbie's tour ended and he was honorably
Discharged from the Air Force
He returned to his home area of Tacoma,  Washington

Robbie's friend and room mate
Was also discharged
A few months later
And returned to his home area of Seattle, Washington

After a couple of months
Robbie's old pal
Looked him up
And they decided to get together

Robbie picked him up in his Corvair
And they headed to downtown Seattle
The Queen Anne District
Where one of Robbie's friends lived

When they entered the house
There were perhaps a dozen young people
All seemed to be nodding,  eyes glazed over or closed
As if on drugs (heroin?)

Robbie didn't seem startled at all by the scene
He talked to a friend for a few minutes
Then he and his old Azores room mate left
It was the last time they would meet

Shortly thereafter, Robbie's friend
Rejoined the Air Force
To get back in action
Seattle somehow had become boring

A few years later
His friend was home again in Seattle
And decided to try to track down Robbie in Tacoma
He found Robbie's parents phone number and called

Robbie's Dad informed him that Robbie had passed away
A few years earlier
He did not offer any details
Robbie would have been in his mid-twenties then

To this day, his old friend and room mate
Believes Robbie succumbed to drugs
He misses his brother Robbie
And thinks of him on occasion, when he tips a drink of scotch

So easy in this life... to take a step in the wrong direction

Black Out II

This one doesn't have a hole poked in it
Person who prepared it doesn't have any class...

To the House, its SOPA
To the Senate, its PIPA
Together, that spells SOPAPIPA

Could be thought of as a variation on the word, Sopapilla
A delicious Mexican concoction that often involves
Frying a puffed up pastry
Then while its hot
Poking a small hole in it and filling it with honey
Then making a mess of things while trying to consume it

SOPAPIPA and Sopapilla
They both seem to share the "puffed up"
And "making a mess" characteristics
Do they not?!

Could be flogging a dead horse here though
As both chambers seem to be backing off
To find a better way for protecting against online piracy
Rather than some Orwellian concoction

You know these silly little elected officials
Only work a few days a year
And they have shitloads of staff
Waiting on them hand and foot

Couldn't they find a way
To better vet their ideas
Before taking them to floor
Wasting our time and theirs?

When was the last time
Congress put something on the table
And we all sat back and said;
Jeez, they did a great job with that!?

Black Out II?
Here's one connection
I could eat sopapillas until I black out
I just love'em, no kidding

Blacked Out

Blacked out


blacked out


blacked out


SOPA

2 Hunnert - This Life

Looking back
Two hundred posts on this blog
Reflections, near and far term
Of one life, just one life is all

The essence of life... mine
The mistakes of life... mine
The achievements of life... mine

The last fueled by my beautiful bride

The mistakes...
Ah, the mistakes...

I did not imagine this
It happened
I did not deserve this
It happened anyway

I just stepped off the curb
Without looking
And there it was
Life...large and in my face

So I wrote about those close to me
Testimonials to our family of four
Testimonials to our goldy, Molly
Testimonials to friends
Testimonials about the human condition

Right now... I feel the love of family
As they laugh and talk
While preparing Christmas dinner
I peeled the spuds - that was enough
Love is warm

We're not done.
We. Are. Not. Done.
There's more to say
Until there's life, no more.

To all who see this; Merry Christmas