Proud Grandparents!!

Believe it or not "Jack" is the cutest puppy in the world. What a little sweetie! Even I (Denise) have fallen for our little Jack. Mindy, Logan and Jim are taking very good care of this little guy.

Here are some pictures of Jack up to no good, like pulling Logan's pants off, putting holes in Loralee's skirt and sleeping in his favorite spot.

For some odd reason by the time Aunt Darleen and Uncle Pat got there, Jack was so tired he didn't even get into his little tricks with them. We had a nice time and Mindy had the apartment all cute with a great Halloween sign in the front yard. I can't wait to see the place at Christmas!! When we got there Jack was outside doing his duty and running all over the place. We played all morning with him on the bed, he was ready to get rowdy and start the day off with his puppy ways. Loralee couldn't wait to get back and see him. When she got back on Sunday, Jack was home alone so she and Jake went in and played with him and took him outside for awhile. She really wants to steal him and take him home with her. I think Jack is going to be the center of attention for awhile, what do you think?

Check out my Slide Show!

D & D to BOSTON

Well it's hard to believe it happened. Darleen and I (Denise) decided to plan a trip to Boston to see Lucas & Kim. After long and hard research for the best plane ticket price ever....we were on our way!! I started looking for plane tickets in June, when my boss told me he was taking a week off in September to go on an elk hunt in Montana. One day while I was at work the tickets were $198.00 but I wasn't sure at that time if Darleen was going with me or not so I didn't book them. All of a sudden they started going up and up and up.....I was not feeling good about this. So I decided to see how the price was on Sept 11th. Well it must not be the favorite day to fly because the tickets on that day were $218.00 round trip. Still not clicking on the purchase ticket button, I decided to go to church that Sunday and if I was meant to go and at a good price the tickets would be that same price when I got home. So...after thinking about it a little longer I called Lucas and asked him if he thought we'd get a better price and he said, "Mother click the purchase ticket NOW." I knew from the tone of his voice he was tired of me and my pickyness. It's a good thing I clicked because the next day the ticket was $589.00 and then they kept going up and up. At the end the ticket was $1,285.00 for the same ticket. By the way those seats were empty still on the day of the flight. So then the planning began. Of course Darleen was packed and organized a week before our trip, with Christmas present wrapped to go, unlike her baby sister who packed the night before and morning of. Dan would tell you that is normal for me! The trip started off a little shaky at the get-go. We drove to Flint and stayed the night at Dale & Deb's house. Dale decided he wouldn't be able to take us to Loralee's so David jumped in and said he would. Well the night he was suppose to take us he was sitting in a locked garage waiting for someone to show up to unload his truck. Loralee to the rescue. She came and picked us up. We spent the night watching a marathon of the Wedding Channel which we planned Loralee's up-coming wedding. Only one thing we have to find the groom!! Anyway during the night I woke up with a horrible sore-throat, headache, chills, and sick to my stomach. I woke Darleen up at 6:00 am and told her I didn't know if I could go I was so sick. They made me a hot chocolate, and I decided to start getting ready. We were on our way. An hour late but plenty of time when we got there. We said our goodbye's to Loralee and without any problems got our e-tickets and had plenty of time to spare. The flight was good except for the girl who sat next to Darleen spilled her drink into her lap and we had to help her out. The landing was fantastic....it was raining so hard and foggy we didn't see land until the tires hit the runway. The timing was perfect because Lucas was running a little late, so after we got our luggage he was there with a few minutes to spare. Also he had a clean trunk...that is a whole other story. We decided to go to the store and buy groceries and surprise Kim with a homecooked chicken dinner when she got home from work. So out in the pouring rain we went. It was just great to see them both and spend time. The next day we went into Boston and went to a Museum. It was Darleen's first time on the subways. The next day we went into Boston and did a tour on the trolley around town. We got off and went and took a tour of the USS Constitution ship. That was fun. The day was long but Darleen saw alot. I've seen most of the sites except the USS Constitution. We also took a boat around the harbor. It was a beautiful day. We played alot of euchere in the evenings and had to put up with Lucas doing a stupid "LONER DANCE", I think Kim did a couple of those dances also. One was when she was making fun of him. Friday evening Kim, Darleen and I went to a local pub for supper and watched a little of the Red Sox game. After we drove to the church and showed Darleen around. Lucas was having a kick-off Spam Party for the youth. That was interesting and smelly. Soon it was Saturday and time for us to leave. The worst part of the trip is always having to say goodbye. We made it quick with a few tears. The flight home was so fast we couldn't believe it. We must have had a tail wind pushing us. We held hands when the plane took off, which I like to do because I don't like taking off, but Darleen went along with it. It was ok when we sat next to each other but it was kinda weird looking across the isle. People probably thought we were lezzies. haha......I'm not sure on that spelling but you know what I mean. The rest of the trip was smooth and easy. Did I mention Darleen's poor hurting feet. The day after our tour of Boston, she had swelling and pain like no other. That is going to be checked out when she goes to the doctor. So other than my sickness and her feet the trip was GREAT!! also Lucas didn't get a spanking for the first time. This only a few people will get.

Take your wife & daughter to work day(s).

I have a unique job to say the least. A lot of you, at first, did not understand how my job worked. Maybe you still don't. But it does have a few perks. Like take your wife to work day (or week). In the past 20 years I have been able to bring my wife and/or children for a trip on the boat. I have taken advantage of this in the past...Lucas went from Rogers City to Cedarville about 4 hours. Logan went from Rogers City to Duluth and back to the Soo Locks. Denise has been able to go on the boat a number of times. (Thank you P Dot for watching the kids.) My favorite was when she came on the Calcite II and it was our anniversary. The boat was going thru the Detroit River. (Remember that is where the world's only floating post office is located.) I called ahead and had the "Flower Lady" ( A woman with a flower shop who send flowers to alot of the boats on special days like Father's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving,Christmas, etc...) send a bouquet of flowers sent to the boat by way of the floating post office or AKA.. J.W. Westcott. They came while we were sleeping and put just outside our room but when I got up for work I put them in our room. When she woke up in the dark she could not figure out where that smell was coming from.
Well, Denise has not been able to come aboard for a few years due to work and other things. Plus, the last time she came on the boat was rolling quite a bit. Denise pulled a "Debbie". She did not feel very well.
Anyway, this past Labor Day weekend she was able to come aboard for 3 days as her boss was out of town giving her some time off. She came aboard at Stoneport and we went to Detroit to unload stone and then back to Stoneport. We even had a visitor at Detroit. Loralee came to see us. But to come to the boat the J.W. Wescott must bring you from under the Ambassador Bridge to our dock at Zug Island. About a 20-30 minute ride. We had high hopes that she would be able to ride with us up to Stoneport but the boat took longer to unload than usual and she needed to make sure she could get back to work on Tuesday. But she did get to spend the day with us and was treated to a nice supper of filet mignon.

As Loralee has never been on the boat while it was moving I am hoping to get her on before I retire. I have a few more years to make this happen if she will still be willing and able.
I was hoping Denise would put this post up with some pictures of the trip but she probably is too busy. Maybe I can edit this when I get home to add some pictures because I know how you all like pictures on the blogs.
That is all for now...wait a minute... what about the trivia question and the interesting fact.

Interesting fact #9...A duck can not walk without bobbing it's head.

Trivia Question #9...Where in American history was printed the motto: "Mind your own business"?

Good Luck Denise , Lauren, Darleen, and anyone else that would like to play our game.

Some things to think about

According to my sweet wife, my posts have been boring. She suggests I put in something funny or add some pictures. Something to make it interesting.
So here goes:
Why is it that when you get old everything that works hurts, and what doesn't hurt doesn't work.
Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?
You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes, why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?
Why is it that when you transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it's called cargo?
If you throw a cat out a car window does it become kitty liter?
If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success?
If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
Why does your nose run and your feet smell?
Why do we sing 'Take me out to the ball game', when we are already there?
A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.


And now for pictures:.........Sorry not fast enough connection speed.

Why is it that night falls but day breaks?
Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?
What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
Strange! No one ever says "It's only a game," when their team is winning.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?
If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?
If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?
Energizer Bunny arrested, charged with battery.
Employment application blanks always ask who is to be notified in case of an emergency. Wouldn't a good response be to write . . . A Good Doctor!

Interseting fact #8: If a statue in a park of a person on a horse, if the horse has both front legs in the air...the person died in battle. One leg in the air... the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. Both legs on the ground...that person died of natueal causes.

Question #8. What is missing from the tv show "Sixty Minutes" that all the other tv shows have?

72 Days Left

How's everyone's summer going? I have been busy hauling coal. Coal is becoming quite a cherished commodity. A lot of countries have been buying up a lot of our coal leaving less for the powerplants in our country. I am in Toledo today for the second day in a row. Taking our third coal load in a row to Detroit. I should get home Saturday morning for a few hours. I am down to 72 days left until vacation time.

Yes, it is a kangaroo and an emu that can not walk backward.

Interesting fact #8: If you keep a goldfish in a dark room it will eventually turn white.

Question #8: Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?

Fun Days in Rogers City

Rogers City had a Independece Day type celebration on Friday July 6th. I was lucky enough to be loading stone at Stoneport, MI (30 miles away). We were at anchor just before that for about 16 hours while we waited for another boat to finish unloading before we could get space at the dock. I got home and found Loralee, P. Dot and Darleen at the house waiting for Denise to get home from work. P. Dot was making her famous and the family's favorite meal, Gleasons. That in itself was fantastic enough but Pat came over to join us for supper and after supper we played a little of the golf game in our back yard. Pat and Denise were champions for the day. Then we decided to go down to the Lakside Park where the group "Chasing Steel" was preforming a free concert. This was a bluegrass band of four men (three were brothers) from the U.P. They were not playing my favorite type music but Loralee was really getting into it. I'm not an expert in music but I thought they were pretty good if you liked that type of music. There was a pretty big crowd there for Rogers City. There was even a few that were from Onaway and Tower. In fact even Minnie and Merv were there. There was a big fish boil going on all day there. And a big slide for the kids. I guess they were displaying the big equipment at Calcite Plant at the gate. Many people were getting their picture taken in front of these huge pieces of machinery.

The day was topped off with a very nice fireworks display. All in all, it was a very nice break. I am glad I got the 3rd mate to work my shift so I could get more time at home.



And now for the answer for trivia question #5: The answer was supposed to be Broccoli but more information was found to support artichoke for an answer, also. So Denise and Darleen were both correct.



Now interesting fact #7: Mosquitos are attracted to people who just ate bananas.



Trivia question #7: What two animals can not walk backward?

Update from Lake Michigan

How 's everyone enjoying the summer weather? It has been cooler than normal on Lake Michigan (about 60 degrees) that's both in the air and in the water. Right now, Saturday, I am in Buffington, IN. unloading stone. We are due to go up into the big lake, Lake Superior. I may not get home again until 2nd week in July. Countdown for my vacation in October is at 100 days. Maybe that is a little early to be counting but that's what I do.
I want to wish a couple people a belated birthday wish. Rosey's birthday was the 14th and Kim's birthday was the 15th. I hope they had a great day. And don't forget Loralee's birthday July 9th. If I have missed someone just send a comment.

Now for the trivia question answer, the answer is Pope Benedict IX at age 11. But I guess there is a lot of contrversy concerning his correct age but the oldest they have him listed is 18.

Interesting fact #6: A bal of glass will bounce higher than a ball of rubber.

Trivia Question #6: What is the only vegetable that is also a flower?

On Line On Boat

I am offically on line from the freighter Arthur M. Anderson. I will be posting a little more often. Maybe we can get Denise to put in a post or two. I am in Stoneport, Michigan as of 2200 (that's 10:00 P.M. for you landlubbers). We are heading for Huron, Ohio which is (interesting fact #5) the most southern point a ship can be on the Great Lakes. It is near Cedar Point for all you amusement park goers. Then it is off to Toledo to load coal for Detroit, then back to Toledo to load coal for Escanaba, MI then back to Stoneport, Michigan on the 18th.



My last day of vacation I went and saw the Detroit Pistons lose to Lebron James and the rest of the Cleveland team. But we did see an exciting double overtime game. We, being Denise, Logan, Loralee, and myself. Denise and I took Loralee's bed and made her sleep on the sofa. She lives

just a few miles from the Palace of Auburn Hills. The very next morning Denise and Loralee had to to take me to Detroit to meet the boat. They got an unexpected treat. They got to take a ride on the J.W. Westcott (the only floating post office in the U.S. and the only boat with it's own zip code: 48222)



By the way there were no correct answers to my last trivia question. The correct answer is: Back in the olden days in jolly old England they used to serve beer in pints and quarts. When the customers got rowdy they were told to mind their own pints and quarts. This got shortened to P's and Q's. Better luck next time.



Trivia Question #5: How old was the youngest Pope?

Back to Work Again

After 30 days of vacation, it's time for me to go back to work again. But this time it will be 4 months before I get another vacation. I had a great time only wish it could be longer. Maybe in 4 years or so I could make it a permanent vacation, if you know what I mean. it was great getting together with you. If you were not one of the ones I got together with on my vacation...I'm sorry and I promise to do better in October on my next vacation.

I'm not getting much response to my trivia questions....are you shy? I will try one more time to peak your interest. By the way the score is Lauren 2, Denise 1 (and she did not cheat) Everyone Else 0.

Interesting Fact #4: There are only 2 days of the year in which there are no professional sports games played....meaning the NBA,MLB, NHL, or the NFL.

The day before and the day after the Major League All-Star Game

Question #4: In the expression "Mind your P's and Q's", what do P and Q stand for?

Good Luck and see you in October

Whale of a Good Time!

Lucas and Kim treated Denise, Grandma, Aunt Debbie Coon and me to a whale watching excursion and a trip to the Aquarium when we got back on shore. It was a beautiful day and we saw lots of whales after going 20 miles off the coast. Someone didn't want to go because she gets a little seasick... so she says. We won't mention names... Debbie Coon. It was nice to have her with us and never once did she feel sick, she was so amazed at the whales and the beauty of it all.

We also brought a blow up doll with us in this orange jacket who looks just like... Debbie Coon and it didn't get seasick either. So next time Deb Coon tells you she gets seasick don't believe her and let her get on your boat.

Other news from our trip was a visit to Kim's workplace. Grandma and Aunt Debbie couldn't believe how big and nice it was. When we arrived, Kim was playing Deal or No Deal with the residents who were really happy to see all of us. We got introduced and then Kim went around and told us all their names and what they did when they were younger. To top off the night we spent 3 plus hours at a furniture store. It wasn't your typical furniture store at all. Here are some pictures to prove that.

There was a Fudruckers, Ice Cream place, Jelly Belly place, a place to learn how to do Trapeze tricks, and Liquid Fireworks (water show with color lights done to music).

As for the reason we were in the Boston area...Luke's graduation from Gordon-Conwell Seminary. We went to his Baccalaureate on Friday night. And then there was the actual graduation on Saturday morning with 290 graduating.

Then we just went back to Luke and Kim's apartment and relaxed. Luke made us his famous pizza. Luke and Kim's friends Joel and Allie Schellhammer came over to help us celebrate.

On Sunday morning we all went to Westgate Church in Weston, MA where Luke is now working as Associate Pastor. Luke introduced all of us. But first told the congregation that he said good things about the people at Westgate so he expected them to be on their very best behavior. That received a good hearted laugh. After the service we went downstairs to their fellowship hall were we visited and had a bite to eat. Then we went upstairs to see Lucas's new office.

After church we went back to Luke and Kim's place in Watertown, MA and had a lite lunch before heading into Boston for a day of sightseeing. But to get there we had to go by subway...something Grandma had never done until this trip. (She had never flown in an airplane either until she flew out to Nebraska for Luke and Kim's wedding.) Grandma and Debbie got tired on the sightseeing trip so they tried to hitch a ride on a donkey.

We capped off the day by going to to an authentic Italian restaurant in "Little Italy" part of Boston. Luke treated his mother to dinner on Mother's Day and I treated Grandma.

Seems like eating had a big part in our trip because we also went to an authentic Mexican restaurant Thursday night. The rumor is true some ice cream got eaten, too.

All in all it was a fantanstic trip. Our hosts were were great. Thanks for everything Luke and Kim. We can't wait for our next trip out to Watertown.

And now for the fact and question but first...the question is.....Is Lauren that much smarter than the rest of our readers or.......is she the only one playing. :-( Right now the score is Lauren 2 Everyone Else 0.

Interesting fact #3: 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

Question #3: What are the only mobile National Monuments?

On Our Way

We are on our way downstate today with mother-in-law in tow. Tommorrow we grab Aunt Debbie Coon and fly out of Detroit Metro to Logan Airport in Boston. Maybe we will be able to post some pictures while we are out in Boston so keep checking the blog.

Also, apparently my question was too easy so I will have to find a harder one for you to ponder until I return.

But first... interesting fact #2: Coca-cola was originally green.

Now for question #2: What was the first novel ever written on a typewriter?

I'm Back Home

Well, I am back home after 42 days of work. One of my shortest work periods ever. In recent years I have been taking an August vacation, so this is very early for me. But there is going to be a special event this May that caused me to take an early vacation. As most of you know, my son Lucas has been attending Gordon-Conwell Seminary in Massachusetts.

Lucas will be graduating May 12, 2007. In recent years, I took one week's personal leave to attend Loralee's, Kim's and Logan's college graduations but with the added travel to the Boston area that would be unfeasible.

Traveling with Denise and me will be Lucas's grandmother Dot and Lucas's Aunt Debbie Coon. Lucas's grandmother promised me that she renewed her driver's license, so we will not have wait for her to be thoroughly searched at the airports. Grandma Dot's first plane trip was to Lucas and Kim's wedding in Nebraska and apparently she posed a potential security risk due to a piece missing on her driver's license.

After we get back from Boston, we are planning on going to a Detroit Pistons playoff game with... da Bulls. Detroit leads that series 1 game to none with the 2nd game tonight. So, I'm sure we will be watching the game on television tonight.

I will be home for the rest of May. Denise is still working every day but she has the week-ends off. If you would like to get together with us just give us a call.

I will give one interesting fact and one question for all viewers of this blog site to respond to on each of my posts from now on. I will come up with some sort of a prize for the first correct responder.

Interesting fact #1: Each king in a deck of cards represents a great king from history.

Spades: King David; Hearts: Charlemagne; Clubs: Alexander the Great; Diamonds: Julius Caesar

Question #1: What is the only food that does not spoil?

Good luck to all of our readers.

Back To Work

First of all, sorry about no new posts for quite awhile. I guess we just felt there was not anything newsworthy to write about. Second, it is now time for me to relunctantly return to my job aboard the steamer Arthur M. Anderson. I always enjoy my time away from ther ship and look forward to the day I can retire. But I don't like to dwell on that. I will only be out on the Great Lakes until the first of May as I will take a May vacation to fly to Boston to attend Lucas's graduation from Gordon-Conwell.

Then I will go on vacation again in October to do a little bowhunting and attend John and Bonnie's daughter Kathleen's wedding.

I am not sure I will have internet capability aboard the Anderson. In our last contract we negotiated, we were awarded high speed internet connection IF the company could purchase it at a quoted price in the contract. But I will have the world's only floating post office visit me as we travel by Detroit. But I still will have cell phone capability if you would like to call or text me. I will be standing the 4-8 watch. See you in May.

Pinning Ceremony for Shannon

Last Saturday we went down to Flint to witness the pinning of Shannon becoming a RN. Shannon is my brother's daughter who went back to college to get a nursing degree. The ceremony took place at Riverside Tabernacle Church. Shan stood up in front of everyone and did a reading and they had a slide show of the students. The nurses were upstairs in the balcony and they all carried a candle and came down the stairs on each side of the room to the traditional graduation song. An interesting part of the day was when we discovered not only Shan was getting her pin but someone we knew from our past was getting a pin also. When we moved to Rogers City back in the day.... our next door neighbors were the Cornett Family. They had a daughter, Jill who used to babysit our kids. Her daughter Amy was in Shan's class and they were friends but didn't know the connection until Saturday at the pinning. I (Denise) walked into the church and ran right into Amy's grandma Lamb who I've known for years. I asked her what she was doing there and she said she had a granddaughter getting pinned. In fact she was pinning her because she was also a nurse. Shannon and Amy had no idea that Amy used to live next door to us here in Rogers City. It was a bonus to see Amy get pinned. She was the youngest student getting her pin. She is just a little younger than Logan. Logan used to play with Amy and her sister Jenny when they were little. What a small world. After the pinning ceremony we went back to Uncle Dave's & Aunt Deb's to play some cards until the party started. The party was at a small hall and Aunt Deb Dunsmore was the cook. Lots to eat and fun was had by all. The best part of the evening was when Aunt Deb Dunsmore did Karaoke. She was pretty good when she was being serious. Then she started to sing gospel and with her hands high, praised the Lord. Needless to say, at that point she got a little carried away. Kim would have appreciated it from remembering her at our 50th birthday party. So the moral of the story if you're sick give... NURSE Shanny a call!!

First Post

Well, here it is....our first post. Lucas helped set up this blog when he was here for Christmas.We just got up to speed by getting wireless high speed internet yesterday. Welcome to the 21st century, right? We will be able to get rid of that annoying Callwave answering service and be able to be on the internet and still receive a telephone call.

The rush of the Christmas doings is over and we are back in our daily routine. Denise is back working everyday and I am in the process of going through the files and throwing out anything that is dated before 2000. Got rid of about 30 pounds of paper so far.

We had a great Christmas. All the kids were here for Christmas and for the day after Christmas... aka.....The Dunsmore Family Christmas and Reunion. This was the 19th annual party. There was a good turnout but still missed Jeff & Lauren and Rachel & Jesse. We did things just a little different this year. We had a few games sorta organized to play instead of a lot of card playing. I hope everyone was O.K. with that. I did come to the conclusion that there are a lot of competitive people in the family. Maybe the Personal Scavenger Hunt with Best Poker Hand was a little too intense.

We had a great week with Luke and Kim. It all started out with Grandma's legendary Gleasons for Luke's birthday. It was probably the highlight for Luke and Logan as they stuffed themselves to the point of being sick. Christmas eve was spent with Pat & Darleen and Grandma & Grandpa and the kids. Christmas day was spent mainly relaxing after the big breakfast of our favorite food....venison. Took Luke & Kim to Petoskey to see a good holiday movie called "The Holiday". On the way home we happened upon northern Michigan's version of Sasquatch or Bigfoot as something described as a mix of lion, horse, elk, and even cougar was sitting on it's haunches on the side of the road. What makes it a nice tale to talk about is....we did not turn around and go back to make sure of what we saw. So the stories will get bigger and better as the years go on. Exaggeration will abound.

We wrapped up their visit by traveling to the Palace of Auburn Hills to see the Pistons play the Indiana Pacers. This was unique being that 8 of us went (Dan, Denise, Lucas, Kim, Loralee, Rosey, Logan, and Mindy), but 4 sat on one side of the Palace and 4 sat on the other side of the Palace completely as far away as possible. We picked the tickets out of a hat to see where each person would sit and with whom. By the way, the Pistons lost by one point right at the end of the game. It was exciting nonetheless.

So... that was our first post. Please write a comment and let us know how we can improve or areas of interest you would like to read about or anything at all. Let us know what is going on in your life. We are not the expert bloggers like Lucas and Kim but with your help it could be interesting reading.