'Tis the Week Before Christmas . . .

. . . when all through the house

Not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that the grandkids soon will be here!

Hollywood?

The town of Glen Rose, TX, is home to Dinosaur State Park, where we met up with family for our Thanksgiving Day feast. Glen Rose is a small town, with a population of less than 3,000 people. In the early 1900s it was known for its mineral springs and the healers who set up shop there. During prohibition it was dubbed the "whiskey woods capital of the state," for obvious reasons.

As we drove into Glen Rose, this whimsical sight greeted us and made us wonder if we had taken a wrong turn and ended up in a much larger and more glamorous city!

Needed: Mail Carrier Training 101

I ordered two gifts for Dan for this Christmas. I waited patiently for their arrivals, making sure to beat Dan to the door every time the doorbell rang, just in case it was a delivery person with one of his gifts. I was afraid that the package might reveal what was inside.

The first gift arrived a few days ago, and I successfully received it from the UPS carrier and secreted it away. But the second gift was taking its sweet time in transit.

Yesterday, just as we sat down for lunch, the doorbell chimed. Dan started to get up, but I stopped him, reminding him that it could be a Santa delivery. I went to the door, and there stood the mail carrier. He gave me a big smile and, as he handed me Dan's Christmas gift, he jovially and loudly announced (reading the words on the box), "The world's coolest rain gauge!" My eyes grew wide; I quickly put my finger to my lips and gave a frantic jerk, with my head, back toward Dan, but it was too late. As they say, you can't un-ring the bell. The mailman looked contrite as I snatched the box from him. I closed the door and ran to hide the "surprise" in the closet.

Back at the table, I tried to nonchalantly sit back down and eat lunch with Dan, pretending nothing had happened (the ostrich approach to an awkward situation). But he wasn't going to let it go. "What did he say?" he asked. "Oh, nothing . . . nothing," I said. "How's your sandwich?"

We finished our lunch and, as I was clearing the table, I tested the waters . . . "It's a good thing I didn't let you answer the door," I said, "because the box had a picture and words that gave away the contents."

"Yeah," he responded. "A rain gauge." I'm no good at these kinds of awkward situations. My face gave it all away; I just caved, and we both laughed. I'll still wrap it and make him open it. He'd better pretend to be surprised! Hopefully I can keep his other gift a secret for 20 more days.

At this time of year the USPS should give mail carriers some training in Christmas discretion!

Race Widow

(As written by my ghost writer, who shall remain anonymous)

I never knew how much Dan enjoyed car racing until 1983. We were living in Salem, Oregon and early in the year he asked me, “ If I have the money, can I go to the Formula 1 race in Long Beach again?” He had been in 1981 and 1982 and enjoyed it immensely. Now we were a little short on cash and I really wanted him to stay home this year because I missed him when he was gone on his racing trips.

I replied, “You can go if you don’t have to take any money out of the checking account or our savings.” I felt safe because where was he going to get the money. He walked over to the bookshelf and took the 1982 edition of the Autocourse annual. He opened it, turned it over and began to shake the book. Before he was done, over $300 fell out from between the pages. He tricked me! Since last year he had been skipping lunches and treats to put aside $5 or $10 dollars as “book markers” waiting for the day to ask about going again.

He went again and was witness to the last Formula 1 Grand Prix ever held in Long Beach. After that, it looked as though he would never be able to see another Formula 1 race in person again as we lived too far from Las Vegas, Dallas, Phoenix, Detroit, and Indianapolis for him to ever be able to go again.

The years passed and he was content to watch on television. His favorite activity was to wake at 4:00 AM on Sunday mornings to watch the European races live. They would finish about 6:30 AM, more than enough time to get ready for church. He would tell me about the drivers and I especially enjoyed learning the names of the Finnish world champions (Keke Rosberg, Mika Häkkinen, and Kimi Räikkönen). He introduced me to the BBC America program “Top Gear” and I became a fan of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, the presenters on the program. The more I learned of seven time world champion, Michael Schumacher, the more I liked him and he became my favorite.

We had already decided, after our retirement, to move to Temple, Texas. One day shortly after our decision, Dan came home and excitedly told me that they were going to build a new racing circuit in the Austin, Texas area and hold the United States Grand Prix there. Austin is about an hour’s drive from our house.

The rest, as they say, is history. They finished the circuit, now called the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), and Dan bought his tickets the day they went on sale. On November 16, 17, and 18 he and some friends attended the first race at the new circuit. The wait was 30 years but he got to go again.

I asked Dan to get a picture of Michael Schumacher. Red Helmet driving a Mercedes.

Zoomed-in crop from photo above. You can see Michael Schumacher better in this version.

Dan early in the morning, day of the race, at his seat.

View from his seat, turns 3, 4, 5, and 6.