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I'm sitting in a cottage next to the Steanes'...
December 24, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
I'm sitting in a cottage next to the Steanes' home in Harare. The rest of the family is sitting by the swimming pool, drinking gin and tonic, and Zimbabwe beer. There is a huge palm tree and lush tropical plants everywhere. The family consists of Brian, his wife Irene, and their five year old Holly, as well as Brian's daughter Ashleigh and her boyfriend Mike, who are down from their home in London on holiday. They have been wonderfully hospitable family (Holly just came in and crawled up on Sadie's lap!) Holly is another smart, cute Steane family offspring - Holly agrees with Sadie that she should be referred to as a character.
The fact that it is warm and sunny and doesn't feel like our soggy Christmas weather makes it easier not to feel homesick to see you all at Christmas. Nonetheless, you are all in our thoughts, and we hope you all have a good Christmas day.
We have lots to tell you, mainly that Africa is incredibly beautiful. Zimbabwe is so lovely that it breaks your heart to see that everyone in the country lives with worry about the future.
We wish you all a happy day tomorrow. Sadie and I stood on the top of the world and sent the sun back to you.
Much love to all, Old Mom Sue
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Hi, here we are in Gabarone, after spending y...
December 18, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, here we are in Gabarone, after spending yesterday visiting Sadie's family in the village, and one here in Gabarone. We really liked the families we met. The family in Kanye was sitting in the shade trying to stay cool when we arrived. They welcomed us with a round of handshakes and 'dumelas'. All were well and our conversation was an interesting mixture of partial Setswana, English, and translation by Sadie's sister and Sadie herself. The family in Gaborone speak English perfectly, whith amazingly British accents. Aunt Jean runs a preschool in the back of the house to teach children English before primary school, which is taught in English. Uncle Douglas is funny, outgoing, and basically fantastic in every way (says Sadie). We are in much better spirits and excited to go on to Serowe to stay in the Rhino Sanctuary. Much love from us.
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Lots of lovin
December 15, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Lots of lovin. See you soon.
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I'm sitting here in the "Internet cafe" porti...
December 15, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
I'm sitting here in the "Internet cafe" portion of this hotel. On my left is Dick, checking the e-mail, and on myy right is Sadie. She arrived safely yesterday afternoon, looking brown and healthy, full of good information and funny, insightful comments about her life and times.
Being in this casino has been ridiculously hard for Sadie, she notes, and it's amazing that she left her room. Being in this casino has been ridiculously weird for Dick and me, and in itself provides an interesting insight into the problem of crime in Johannesburg. You could come here as a tourist and never leave the building. And I suspect a lot of people do just that.
The rand, worth about 10 cents, lost 12% of its value yesterday because of civil unrest in Zimbabwe. There are more thzn 15,000 murders annually. So we're in for an adventure, says Sadie.
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Dick and I are staying at a hotel casino whic...
December 13, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Dick and I are staying at a hotel casino which proves that
excessive bad taste is not limited only to America. There is a huge bronze statue of Caesar (the hotel is named Caesar's Emperor Hotel).
It's time for the travelling mantra. Dad and I developed this while we were in England.
Here I am in Bembridge,
Home of crumpets and tea.
I am ready for Bembridge.
Is Bembridge ready for me?
So, I leave you with:
Here we are in Joburg,
After all of that travel and fuss.
We are quite ready for J'burg.
Is Joburg ready for us?
More soon.
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As you know, you always work twice as hard fo...
November 30, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
As you know, you always work twice as hard for the two weeks before a two week vacation and twice as hard for the two weeks after a two week vacation, so it's a net loss of two weeks. Regardless, Dick and I are getting excited about the trip to Africa. After dithering around, we got the word from Cousin Brian that driving in Zimbabwe is fine, so we're just going to rent a car and travel by car. Maybe we'll get Thomas Mapfumo, the musician in the Zimbabwean revolution who is well known for his Chimurenga, or revolutionary music, to write us a letter of introduction, as he now lives in Eugene. Ah, we're now importing aging revolutionaries to good old Blujean, the town you can call by its first name.
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Oooh, turkey time is coming
November 20, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Oooh, turkey time is coming. In our office meeting this morning, Reta told Seraph and me about an 86 pound turkey which someone had raised. This led to all sorts of humor.
Dick and I are getting very excited about our trip to Africa. Sunshine. Sunshine!
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A week of sunshine before winter really sets in
November 08, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
A week of sunshine before winter really sets in. I had fun going to the Family Law Conference over at the coast with Robbie and Seraph, and of course Isa, who just charmed the sox off all and sundry. I'm here to report that all grandkids are incredibly cute these days. Baby Jordan wakes up occasionally, smiles, eats and goes back to sleep. He has probably already reached enlightenment.
I'm at the office, and Dick is here planting bulbs, changing the burned out lights, and fixing the plumbing. Once he's armed with his trusty Leatherman, he's definitely hell on wheels when it comes to repairs and refurbishings.
Good thoughts to all, Sue
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Many good thoughts to everyone, on an incredi...
October 30, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Many good thoughts to everyone, on an incredibly soggy day in Oregon. My plan is to finish up my fall housekeeping and
then start to plan for our big trip in December. Dick and I are going to South Africa, Botswana, and maybe Zimbabwe, if the country isn't in open revolt.
Old pagan that I am, I always try to say a little prayer to old Mom Nature at the summer solstice, which of course is December 21st in the southern hemisphere, so if you see a news item about the arrest of a naked elderly American tourist, you'll know I was overcome by the gestalt of the place.
Many soggy hugs from Oregon.
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The end of a really busy time - lots of trial...
October 24, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
The end of a really busy time - lots of trials, and even a tribulation or two. While we're telling Sam stories, I'll add this one. Sam, Dick and I went to the garden center a couple of weeks ago. They sell pond supplies and lily pads, so they have a little pond, with a frog fountain with a stream of water squirting out his mouth. I pointed it out to Sam, who inspected it soberly, then announced, "That's not normal!"
We went out to the farm to see the colt again, and put rose food on the roses. Sam loves the poem, The Congo, by Vachel
Lindsey, and likes to hike through the woods at the farm, pretending it's the jungle, and intoning, "Mumbo-Jumbo, god of the Congo" etc.
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Oh, very sad news
October 06, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Oh, very sad news. I had a phone call around noon from Dad telling me that my cousin Karen died. This is terrible. She had surgery for cancer and then complications. She was doing well for awhile but then began failing rapidly. Phil and June are in Franklin with Kathy and Mike, and apparently Steve is doing okay. I'll post Kathy's address and Steve's address if you want to send a card. It's just hard to believe. The irony is that Steve was on his way to a
meeting at the WTC on 911, and Kathy was able to catch him on his cell phone.
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Sadie, if you are just checking a and j and n...
October 05, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Sadie, if you are just checking a and j and not e-mail, please let us know if you need us to send more Cipro or other meds.
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ps - Sadie said she dreamed last night that s...
October 03, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
ps - Sadie said she dreamed last night that she had been sleeping on the porch at McMillan Street and when she woke up, it was Thanksgiving and Dick had made crepes for breakfast. I would say that her dreams have gotten pretty basic in Africa.
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Check out Sadie's page, where it will give yo...
October 03, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Check out Sadie's page, where it will give you an actual phone number at a Safari Lodge. She said she had seen elephants and giraffs, all on the first day. She has been interviewing people and writing required papers, listed a number of dishes she had learned to cook, and said she could actually cut up meat. She was, as always, funny, but said she missed us all. She loved the jointly written letter -she's been able to get mail only twice so far. She will start at the University of Botswana next week.
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Hi, I actually talked with Sadie yesterday mo...
September 20, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, I actually talked with Sadie yesterday morning. She was calling on a calling card, which ran out all too quickly. She is now staying with a family whose father works for Botswana Power. There's a grown up daughter, a hired girl,
a dad and a younger daughter. I don't know about the Mom.
She sounded happy and excited. She said she wanted to stay a second semester; I did the usual Mom-Mantra of "It's your decision." That's what I always say when I don't like the decision.
I want again to say thanks to all the family and friends who sent messages and welcomed me back. Once, when I was going through hard times, I got a fortune in a fortune cookie which said, "You are protected by the silent love around you." (I assume they have the equivalent of English majors writing those fortunes.) It's not a bad fortune to remember from time to time, so thanks again.
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Home at last
September 17, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Home at last. I slept at the Heathrow Airport Friday night to be sure I got the flight on Saturday morning. Police were everywhere, and our carry on luggage was hand searched.
The flight, scheduled for 8:40 a.m., left at about 1:00 p.m.
When we landed at LA, someone on the plane started singing God Bless America - the rest of us joined in.
I had to stay overnight at the Sheraton in L.A. The glitz was a contrast to the reality of the last few days.
All the kids and grandkids were over for dinner tonight. Dad called from Meg and Dick's - tired but safely home.
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Dear Family and friends,
I am scheduled to...
September 14, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Dear Family and friends,
I am scheduled to leave GB tomorrow morning at 8:50 a.m. on flight 933, arrive in Los Angeles at noon, and arrive into Portland at 4:09 p.m.. I'm going into the airport this afternoon. If flights are leaving as scheduled, I'll try to find a room, but if things look at all dicey, I'll stay at the airport.
Dad is scheduled to leave Sunday at 11:40 on UA 921, getting into Washington Dulles at 2:40 p.m., taking UA 7568, leaving Dulles at 5:15 p.m. and arriving Philadelphia at 6:15 p.m.
Mary and another couple are going over on the car ferry very early on Sunday morning, and Mary has arranged for a cab to take him directly to the airport.
Meg, I mailed a box with Dad's cane (he bought another one in Liverpool) and souvenirs to your house. Dad can take out his stuff and then would you send it on.
We have stretched out our last bit of cash, and each have about รบ100 in cash, so we should be okay.
Mary is taking very good care of us. One of her friends will take Dad around to see 'masculine' things tomorrow, as Mary has to work.
Bembridge is such a lovely peaceable village that it is hard to imagine anything so terrible could happen.
As I said earlier, Dad figured out that there was something wrong and the plane was landing earlier than it should. The
pilot did not give us any information prior to landing, and I assumed there was something wrong with our plane. I want you to know that there is a barf bag somewhere in the London Heathrow garbage system on which I wrote that I loved you all. You all mean more to me than all the tea in England. Love, Sue/om
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Hi everybody
September 14, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi everybody. I am at last mastering the internet by kind tuition from sue
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Hi, I wish I could see your faces
September 13, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, I wish I could see your faces. People here are subdued and sympathetic. Several people on the train yesterday offered kind words, and one woman said we could stay with her. I'm glad to hear that everyone we know is fine, but so many have lost so much.
Don't know if you heard that Steve Berkenfeld, Karen's husband, avoided the devastation even though he had been heading for a meeting at the WTC. Kathy, his sister in law in Franklin, saw the news and reached him on his cell phone. He in turn was able to reach the person he was going to meet, who was on the subway on his way to work.
We were very lucky to get a room the first night, but when we were rebooked Saturday and Sunday, we knew we needed to get hunkered in for a day or two. The trip down from London, by tube, express train, slow train, and boat, was pretty grueling, but Dad held up like a champ. I don't know whether Dick mentioned this, but Dad figured out long before anyone else that something was wrong - they had asked us to lower our blinds so people could see the movie, but of course, Dad noticed when the plane dropped to a lower altitude, and then figured out that the sun was in the wrong place.
I hope Jamie's dad got in safe and sound. I appreciate all the efforts everyone made to locate us. Mary is taking very good care of us. She has made arrangements for Dad to get straight to the airport on Sunday morning.
I can't wait to see you all,
Love, Sue/om
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Hi to all,
Well, we should all move to the I...
September 01, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi to all,
Well, we should all move to the Isle of Wight. It has great dirt and a nice climate, for us gardeners, beautiful 19th century homes, for the antique home seekers, Neolithic relics, and a Roman villa, from the time the Romans lived in Great Britain for the history buffs. We got to see Queen Victoria's summer home, which was opulent beyond belief, and which has a painting of her with the groom, just like in the movie Mrs. Brown. It's 10 pm, so the football game should just be started. Many hugs to all. I'm not quite sure when I will be the same place as a computer, but when I looked at the moon and stars, I thought of you all. Love,om
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Dad and I arrived safely in Heathrow this (Fr...
August 31, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Dad and I arrived safely in Heathrow this (Friday) morning at about 9:30. Mary had made plans to move us from Heathrow, and, said plans having gone off without a hitch, we are here. We rode the Hovercraft from the mainland to the island, a trip of about ten minutes. The island itself is lovely, with compact towns and nice farms. The total population is about 125,000, but thanks to some excellent land use planning by those farmers three or four hundred years ago, the feeling is much different from the way the same number of people would be spread around in the US.
The three of us will drive down to Plymouth on Sunday to spend a few days there.
Much love to all
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All's well as Dad and I plan for our trip to ...
August 21, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
All's well as Dad and I plan for our trip to England. I leave Oregon on August 29, and Dad and I fly out of Philadelphia on the evening of the 30th. Love to all, Sue
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We stopped by to see Jenny, Darren, Dez and t...
August 17, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
We stopped by to see Jenny, Darren, Dez and the Burrito Boy - so named because Darren and Dez had him wrapped up like a burrito... He is an absolute sweetie. No crying, sleeps well - just makes mouse noises.
Thanks to who ever in the fam got the news through to Sadie in Botswana. I called Pitzer to see if we could fax, and they said someone had called and they'd got a message to her.
Life is good. Love, om
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Ooh, happy days! A new baby
August 15, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Ooh, happy days! A new baby. This baby is definitely from the Cute Kid store, too. Very pretty, biggie sized - distinctive features, looks a little like Dez and a lot like Darren.
Jenny and Darren were champs - it sounds silly to say that they were efficient, but it makes me realize how useful all this pre-natal education is. They knew exactly when to push and when to rest - probably better for the baby, too.
Will post more later. Love to all, Sue
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Hi, very quick, while I wait for a truck driv...
August 14, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, very quick, while I wait for a truck driver client to call in.
We got a late start to Portland on Sunday night, with lots of last minute good byes and phone calls. Jenny Minetti and Megan, your letters didn't reach here in time, and I'll forward them.
We did get a good rest, and Sadie woke ready to go. We tucked her safely on the plane at 8:45 am, and have been thinking her half way around the world. She is on the last leg now, from A'dam to J'burg, I hope snoozing peacefully.
We stopped in Lake Oswego at the Norm Thopson outlet; Dick got a $25 gift certificate as part of a walkathon, and I had no trouble spending it. There is a Hannah Anderson kids
clothing outlet in the same mall, and I made up some of my sadness at sending off Sadie by buying cute grandkid clothing.
We're looking forward to a great event this evening. Yayoe, my suggestion for this baby's name is designed to get him a start in classical Japanese theater, and call him the Noh baby.
And on that terrible pun, it's off to work I go.
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What a good summer this has been, with Adam a...
August 07, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
What a good summer this has been, with Adam and Jamie's new house, Darren and Jenny's reluctant baby, having Seraph working at the office, having Sadie home, Hanni selling her house, and having a truly delightful weekend with Margie and Erin.
Margie was in town for a long weekend, and we had a wonderful long chatty breakfast on Saturday morning, and then Margie, Erin, Dick, Sadie and I went to the marine museum in Newport on Sunday. It was warm and sunny, and we couldn't have asked for a better day. Love to all, OM
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Well, we ordered Sadie's tickets for Botswana...
June 21, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Well, we ordered Sadie's tickets for Botswana this morning. I guess that means she's really going. A beautiful first day of summer here! Love to all, om
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Happy Fathers Day to all the new fathers, fat...
June 18, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Happy Fathers Day to all the new fathers, fathers to be, fathers, stepfathers, and grandfathers out there!
We spent yesterday and part of today helping Adam, Jamie and Sam getting moved and settled. With six of Jamie's family and and nine from Adam's, and with Jamie's organizational skills, by 5 pm things were moved in and the furniture was in place and the beds made.
Their new neighbors seem nice; there is a couple across the steet with two little boys, one about Sam's age - and a mom, or maybe a dad, who makes a mean Tollhouse cookie - that injection of chocolate was particularly welcome.
Jenny is finally starting to look pregnant - she is taking it a little bit easier after the hospital scare (see Adam's
page). Sadie is working hard on her research - she has a job this summer doing research for one of her professors- sort of dry work, I think. We're all so grateful to have her home. And Seraph and Robbie are certainly continuing to be parents extrordinaire - Isa Ryn is a cute little kid.
Well, it's bed time. This physical labor stuff is for the young!
Love to all, Dick and Sue
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Interesting e-mail
May 04, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
 Interesting e-mail. Sadie and I had planned to go to Zimbabwe, but the anti-American sentiment seems to be strong there now. Then, out of the blue, a second cousin I had never met or talked to e-mailed from his home in Zimbabwe. Not only will we hopefully have a chance to meet him, but Sadie may have a chance to see a different point of view on the Revolution there.
Happy Cinco de Mayo. Dick and I are babysitting Dez, and I think we will go to the Cinco celebration - our neighborhood has a big Latino population, so this is always
a good time to eat and watch Salse dancers..Love to all.
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Hi
April 30, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi. Well, travel plans are starting to ge. Sadie will stay in Noho until the Thursday before Franklin's memorial service, when I hope I can get her to Cleveland by plane. The rest of the plan is that she will get home the Tuesday after Memorial Day, stay until August 13th or 14th, and fly to Gabarone. Instead of going with her in the fall, I'll meet her at the end of her tour, and we will travel a bit before coming home. Love to all, Sue
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A very quick hi to all
April 27, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
A very quick hi to all. Dick and I were in the MS Walkathon last Saturday with his gang from work. One of his co-workers has MS, so they walk as a group. Nice people and lots of fun. Dick and I warmed up the weekend before with a forced walk. Fortunately, the half way point is a great restaurant, so he and I stopped to eat.
Babysitting fun with Sam last night and Dez tonight. For all their other grandparents, I promise I enjoy them a little extra, just for you. Isa is especially fun, because of course she changes from one week to the next.
We took my old fax over to Sam to be the control panel for his rocket ship. Sharp doesn't make very good fax machines (this one lasted a year), but they're hell on wheels when it comes to making rocket ship control panels. Love to all, Sue
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Ooooh, babysat Isa last night
April 06, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Ooooh, babysat Isa last night. There is nothing like a soft warm little kid to lower one's blood pressure and brighten one's day. We have Dez tonight, and I thought we might go to the new Pokemon movie.
I was a moot court judge at the law school Tuesday evening. It is always fun to work with students, so I enjoyed it. They give the kids a pretend problem to research and give appelalate arguements about; this was a labor law questions. Fortunately, the teacher gives the judges a cheat sheet, so I could ask questions as though I had a clue. It would be nice if life came that way.
Good thoughts to you out there in cyberland. Sue
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I'm inspired by Adam's conscientious efforts ...
March 26, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
I'm inspired by Adam's conscientious efforts at this.
It's a wonderful idea, too. There is a thirty year gap in my life, about which I have no recollection. My journal efforts consisted of writing the names of the kids, kid, or other person on credit card slips whatever I was paying for which involved doing anything fun, so when I'm old and incredibly cranky and nobody can stand me, I'll be able to sit down and remember those times. Sounds pretty pathetic to me, too!
Good thoughts to Alex, Caroline, Judy, and Jim, who I know are enjoying those cute grandkids this week.
Sue
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As always, our most exciting news is about th...
March 23, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
As always, our most exciting news is about the kids. Seraph and Robbie are off to Arizona to see Alex and Caroline next week. Baby Isa Ryn is definitely worth the wait - sweet and even tempered and good natured. She can't really laugh yet, but she is in the wonderful pre-laughing stage when she practices Looking Pleasant, which is always very fun. We had her last weekend for a while.
We got to see all the grandkids at the play at Sam's daycare - it turned out that a big bunch of Dez's buds were there, too, so a good time was had by all. We took Sam out to see the horses as the farm - he was very funny. He kept saying, in precise tones, "I want to go where the horse can't sniff me."
Later, he decided to set a Bravery Test for himself. There is a long curving driveway at the farm, and he told Dick and me that he wanted us to wait while he walked over to a distant point. He set off just fine, but then realized that the farm dog, a large floppy fellow, was slobbering along at his side. He returned and explained to Dick that he would like Dick to walk along with him. (I'm not sure on this, but I think it may have been a Male Bravery Test.)
We have Dez tomorrow evening - Dez is so grown up these days we can perhaps try a movie...
Love to all...Sue
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Hi, I think you have to have some news to add...
March 03, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, I think you have to have some news to add a news item.
We are trying hard to get rid of the extra cat in our house. I agreed to serve as Personal Representative for a client who moved here from Colorado for his health, and didn't have any family. I figured he was good for another ten years, at least, but his cancer returned so suddenly that we had little time to make any arrangments for anything. We found a good home for Rufus the dog, but Petey Sue the three legged cat is still with us. My asthma and allergies are killing me. I'm working late at the office tonight, prompted by the blast of cat dander which is sure to face me at home.
We have three very cute, funny young women staying in Sadie's apartment this weekend, here for the Environmental Law conference at the U of O Law School. I'll invite them back for Anarchy Days in June.
After a wonderful refreshing lull over the holidays, my office is back to being a madhouse again.
Hugs to all, and I look better than this dumb picture Adam took of me.
Love to all, om
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Everyone was here on Sunday evening for Dick'...
February 21, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Everyone was here on Sunday evening for Dick's birthday dinner. When you have cute kids and grandkids, you don't need a Mercedes (gulp, I think that's a line from an off color joke.)
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Oh, happy days
January 23, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Oh, happy days. As you can tell from the first page, mother and child are doing fine. It was the usual family event - we just had to be digitally and telephonically connected to more of the family than usual.
Sad news is that Lohring and Yayoe missed the event, and even sadder news is that Lohring's father's illness, which prompted them to leave for Pennsylvania earlier than they planned, is pancreatic cancer. He will be in all our thoughts.
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Hi, It's five after noon
January 22, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, It's five after noon. I'm going to pick up Sadie and go to Sacred Heart. Lohring and Yayoe, you will all be in our thoughts. Carolyn and Alex, hope you got in safe. I'll post prn. Love to all from Sue
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Sadly, yes
January 09, 2001 by Jamie in Wielesek
Sadly, yes.
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Good grief, I just looked at the web page tha...
January 08, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
Good grief, I just looked at the web page that features the Lego computer and the "black beauty". Does Jamie know Adam is doing this?
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The new millenium
January 08, 2001 by Sue in Wielesek
The new millenium. It would be interesting for someone a thousand years from now to try to imagine our daily lives.
New Years Day was fun as always - our traditional trip to Steve and Marsha's house to watch the Rose Bowl.
We also had a delightful day on Saturday the 6th - Dick, Sadie and I went to the Portland Art Museum to see an exhibit of Russian Avant Garde painters - oooooh, just wonderful. It's hard to top the Russians in art and music. It was a beautiful sunny day. We had good food, but Sadie had one thing which will cause some confusion in 3K. At one restaurant, Sadie ordered a shot of wheat grass, and the waiter cut some grass from this flat of grass and ground it up in a grinder, where it turned into this goopy green drink, which Sadie downed in one gulp. Hmmmm......progress!
Love to all, om
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