Hughes Happenin's

The Flying Fortress at Sunset

2011-08-18T08:01:00.001-05:00

P1030035,
originally uploaded by Open Window Studio.

Jefferson City Airport, July 18th

Show at Black Door Gallery

2009-08-26T10:08:00.002-05:00

My show entitled "Quickening" opens on First Friday
September 4th, 5-9 pm.

Kel's Thoughts

2009-08-17T10:04:00.000-05:00

I've just returned from accompanying the kids to school this first day, and already I am feeling the pangs of a quiet, empty home. These first days of school are glimpses, the days when we mothers get a taste of the "empty shell," when we are faced with ourselves, with no family revolving around us, sometimes left with our own doubts and fears and shaky confidence. We are faced with aloneness. I light of an unknown future, it can be scary to face. In the present moment, it can be a welcome respite, a new opportunity to listen clearly and grow stronger. There is only today, right now; and to everything there is a season.It is especially quiet after our wonderful week together at the beach. I am grateful for time on the island. It proves to be so therapeutic for me. On the island I have found spiritual inspiration, found restoration of natural rhythms, refound my sense of humor and the eyes to see beauty! I relinquish that which burdens me and trust is restored, broadening my world, opening my eyes and setting me free! I have found a peaceful perspective. Daily I am reminded to let go and place my fears in capable hands.Anne Lindbergh writes... "It is fear that makes one cling nostalgically to the last moment or clutch greedily toward the next. Fear destroys the winged life. It can only be exorcised by love, in which there is no room for fear, doubt or hesitation. Each loves so completely that he has forgotten to ask himself whether or not he is loved in return; only knows that he loves and is moving to its music, in tune to a larger rhythm, a natural swinging between sharing and solitude, intimate and abstract, the particular and the universal, the near and the far. It's the swinging between contrasts that makes it nourishing... absorbs, yet frees, separates yet unifies, (like being immersed in a common sea, or looking up to see a bowl of stars overhead.) ... we have so little acceptance for the winged life of relationships and their eternal ebb and flow, their inevitable intermittancy. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, love, relationships. The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping even, but in living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now..."

Our Condo has it all!!!

2009-08-08T15:46:00.005-05:00

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Originally uploaded by chipster61

I was envying some little beach tote carts on the way back from the beach to unload our car. When we made it into our condo and explored around we, found one in the closet!

We also found a couple of boogie boards for the kids and an old fashioned one for me!

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Originally uploaded by chipster61

A roomy living room with WiFi and a large TV for chilling during the rainstorms and relaxing in the evening...

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Originally uploaded by chipster61

Which faces a nice kitchenette and dining area.

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Originally uploaded by chipster61

Kids Bedroom

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Originally uploaded by chipster61

Master Bedroom and 2 full baths.

If you need a place to get away from it all, we highly recommend this is the place to be on Hilton Head Island. It is THE BEST DEAL ON THE ISLAND!!! Click the link below for more info...

Internet, Ocean, Tennis, Pool, Fun! Come Play!!!

We made it! Hello HHI

2009-08-08T15:25:00.003-05:00

HiltonHead08 015
Originally uploaded by chipster61

Finally walking on the beach after 12 and a half hours in our cramped Jetta. The trip went relatively smoothly, only one botched turn in the middle of Atlanta. We arrived about 2:40 EST 20 minutes ahead of our check-in time, so we headed straight down to the beach to wade and make sure we were really here!

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Originally uploaded by chipster61

View Hilton Head, SC Trip in a larger map

EFA Class of '79 Reunion

2009-07-22T11:44:00.002-05:00

EFA79 Reunion (5)
Originally uploaded by chipster61

Had a great time at the class reunion! I didn't get many pictures, but there are several good one's other people got over at the EFA '79 site.

Leaving Keuka

2009-07-18T09:30:00.002-05:00

This is always the tough part, saying goodbye to family as we leave the lake. We have the reunion picnic this afternoon and then one more overnight in Corning, before making the trek back to Missouri. I'll try and backfill when I get time. Until then here is the links to our photos on flickr....

chipster61 flickr

Keuka Lake and EFA '79 Reunion

2009-07-09T22:11:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow night we leave for Keuka! Pulling the all nighter drive to NY is not my favorite of trips, but it feels like quite a marathon after the first 8 hours knowing that you're only about half way there! Can't wait to see family and friends this week.

View Keuka Lake Trip in a larger map

EFA Class of '79 reunion is the following weekend, Saturday the 18th. It will be held on a farm in Horseheads, just north of the Soaring Eagles golf course. On the web page they have me listed as going to the Friday night party at Bernie Murray's in Elmira, but that is incorrect, I will be spending our final night at the lake with my family.

I have to figure out how to put a link on here. I don't think Kel has made a post here yet, but she just kicked off her artists blog over here.. Check it out, she blows me away!

RevElations

Six Flags

2009-04-25T21:58:00.001-05:00

What a birthday celebration!

Gabe and Kel are now official Season Pass holders at Six Flags!

Sierra and I were along for support in the celebration.

After picking up Kel's Caterpillar art in St. Louis we had quite a day enjoying the rides.

I wilted at around 4pm after only getting 4 1/2 hrs of sleep last night.

Kel wilted on the way home after one too many coasters I think it was the Batman that did her in!

Gabe's 11th Birthday

2009-04-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

I didn't get to spend much time with him today, but he invited a friend over after school and played together in the backyard. Had a nice celebration with family and then I took off for poker night.

Now if I can be ready to make it through a full day at Six Flags tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Gabe!

I Love You!

Blues with the Blues

2009-04-22T09:48:00.002-05:00

It was the best of times it was the worst of times!

It was a tall order already down 3 games to none in the series. They only had to win the next 4 in a row.

The Blues started out good, gave up a soft goal in the first six minutes, but held the Canucks off the rest of the period. You good feel the air just go out of the place when Vancouver took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd period. Not good!

But I'll be damned if they didn't get their sticks out their cracks or heads out of their @$$ and they started playing hockey! They actually came back and tied it up on two amazing goals within minutes of each other. Another puck that went behind the goal line a few minutes later was called no goal by the officials. Boooo!!!

We were on the edge of our seats all throughout the overtime, the Blues were just one shot from extending the series one more game.

Then with only 20 seconds left in the 1st OT it happened. A Vancouver player jumped on a loose puck that was dumped along the boards in the St. Louis zone. The Blues defenseman knew he couldn't beat him to the puck as the rest of the team was making a line change so he collapsed towards the net, Burrows took a sharp angle shot on goal and I could see it hit the twine behind the goalie and that was it. The dream was over.

Vancouver had quite a celebration on the ice and the Blues looked down and lost. Then all of a sudden everyone in the arena started chanting "Let's Go Blues! Let's Go Blues!" It was a nice tribute to a team that had fought so hard the last two months just to get into the playoffs from being last place in the conference in January.

It was fun, but dissapointing. I'm glad I was there!

St Louis Zoo

2009-04-18T21:48:00.001-05:00

Went to St Louis today and spent the day at the zoo!

Kel had to drop her Caterpillars off for an exhibit that she was having and the rest of us hung out in Forest Park enjoying the animals.

Has An Easter To You!

2009-04-12T21:48:00.000-05:00

Easter was spent at friends house having a great dinner. Thanks Shawn and Caroline!

Also played some wii "Dancing With The Stars" Gabe has got the moves and I thought I did surprisingly well! Shawn was the star of the night edging Gabe out in points, but I think somehow losing the judges votes. How does that happen?

Also got to watch part of the Blues final game of the regular season vs. the Avalanche. The Blues winning it vaulted them from 8th to 6th in the Western Conf. We have tickets to the 4th game, I hope they make it a good one!

Keuka Lake!

2009-04-01T21:58:00.002-05:00

It's official! We are going to Keuka Lake 2nd week of July this year. We will be on the west side at what seems to be a glorious cottage on the lake nestled in a grove of pines. I think it should hold our large crew of family very well.

That New Car Smell

2009-03-19T21:58:00.001-05:00

Well I haven't really been in the market for a new vehicle, but for the last few weeks I've been eyeing a silver Jetta in one of the Jackson "previously loved" car lots. I eventually broke down and traded in my little red Jetta and hope that this is one is as good as l'il red has been for me.

I need to put a couple thousand into Red to get her roadworthy, but it's still an 11 yr old car when I'm done, so I'm rationalizing that this is really a much better way to go since I'm upgrading 5 yrs and it's in great condition.

2009-03-01T16:49:00.002-06:00

I'm sorry I haven't written on this in a while. I'll try to keep remembering it now. Lastnight I stayed at my freind Andie's house. First we went oover to their freinds' house and had some Papa Murphy's Pizza. Then me, Andie, and Andie's sister played. Then we went back to her house where we talked a little and then went to bed. It was fun.

Hockey Game

2008-12-18T14:05:00.007-06:00

This is way late but here are some pictures from the hocky game. There was literaly a fight in the first three seconds and two more in the next three minutes. But I only have a few pictures because my camera ran out of bateries. Dad took the movie of the guy selling beer. He thought it sounded funny.

International Space Station

2008-12-18T13:58:00.002-06:00

It's definatly late to be saying this but we saw the ISS on our way to the hocky game and this is a movie I took of it on my digital camera

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T12:59:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi! This morning we made some stuffing and put in the turkey then we put the turkey in the oven. Grandma Janie and Grandpa Ronnie always come over for Thanksgiving. Right now Dad, Gabe, & Grandpa are out hitting golf-balls at the driving range. They like to golf. The driving range has this cool thing were you put an empty bucket under a chute in a big box\shed looking thing and put a token in the slot and a bunch of golf-balls come out right in the bucket like a soda machine.

Academic Team

2008-11-27T12:33:00.006-06:00

I'm in a thing called Academic team. Every Wednesday after school we practice for an hour doing trivia and stuff like that. This is to practice for the "Trivia Fests" that other middle schools have. I was on the team last year too but we never even got 3rd. On Tuesday a school called St. Mary's had a trivia fest. there were twelve teams and all of them were private catholic schools but us. Almost all of them also had eighth graders but us. Our team had 4 7th graders and 4 6th graders. They ask the questions out loud twice and all the teams have to put the answers on the sheets they are given. After each category of 10 questions & 1 bonus you take the sheet up to the grading table. Then they announce the answers & put the scores up. It was about two hours long with a break and snacks in the middle. Obviously our worst category was saints because as I said we were the only public school. We only got one right & the answer wasn't even the name of a saint. But in the end we one by one point and there was a tye for second. It was awesome this was the first one of the season, we had no 8th graders, we totally crashed and burned on the saints category, & never even came in 3rd last year. Dad toke me to get ice cream afterward. It was GREAT!

Hockey Night!

2008-11-22T16:54:00.007-06:00

We went to the St. Louis Blues hockey game Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks (they are no longer known as Mighty Ducks). The occasion was Sierra and Gabe cashing in their chore Stars to go to the game. They each have set chores to do during the week, but there are also "bonus" chores that they can choose from that range in severity from 3 to 5 stars. They can cash in their accumulated stars for a variety of treats or activities. They both decided to go for the High 35 Star reward of a hockey game. I was glad!

I found an offer for the tickets on Craigslist a couple of days earlier and was able to get a good deal on four seats in the lower bowl of the arena. I got out of work early and arrived home to change into my Clarkson hockey jersey (there were two Clarkson Alum playing for the Ducks, Todd Marchant and Kent Huskins). We headed north into the night and then pulled over on the shoulder of the highway just north of Perryville.

I had set a reminder on my cell phone to hopefully catch a glimpse of the International Space Station and the space shuttle Endeavour. The night before was very cloudy, so I missed seeing it. We got out of the car and saw it just coming into view in the western sky. It was booking along and went right overhead of us to the east. Sierra took a take a movie of it on her Lumix digital camera, but it was much too tiny against the night sky to make out.

We got to the arena in good time and was surprised that the lot parking nearby was only $5. It's usually around $10 or 15, I guess times are tough!

Hi

2008-11-20T18:17:00.003-06:00

Hi! Dad just sent me this link so I signed up and tried it. Today was nice and cold and Mom drove me to school. I usualy walk. School was good but my neck hurts. I don't realy know what to write, not much exciting happens to me. Bye

Happy Anniversary

2008-11-20T12:23:00.009-06:00

Venus and Jupiter are moving closer to each other at night after sunset. They are so bright against that dark fall sky. The nights are getting more crisp and cold finally.

Today is the 10th Anniversary of the International Space Station. The International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour are going to be visible here in Jackson for the next couple of nights. I'm hoping for more clear cool nights to catch a glimpse of this marvel streaking through the sky. If you haven't seen it before go to this web page NASA Skywatch, enter in your zip code, select the ISS or shuttle, click weekly sightings and it will give you a list of times that the ISS will be visible in your area.

Here's our info for the week:

------------------------------ Max ---------------------------
___ Local Date/Time ___ Pass _ Elev Approach ___ Departure
ISS Thu Nov 20,08@17:11 05m00s _26_ 10 above _S_ 11 above ENE
ISS Thu Nov 20,08@18:47 01m00s _18_ 16 above WNW 18 above WNW
ISS Fri Nov 21,08@17:39 03m00s _67_ 42 above WSW 19 above NE
ISS Sat Nov 22,08@18:05 03m00s _21_ 15 above WNW 18 above N
ISS Mon Nov 24,08@17:24 03m00s _19_ 14 above WNW 11 above NNE

Pass tells you how long it will be visible in the sky. Max Elev tells how high above the horizon in degrees the satellite will pass, with the ground being zero and the point straight up over your head being 90. The Approach and Departure coordinates tell you approximately how many degrees and which direction the satellite will appear and then disappear.

For example, tonight's first pass of the ISS/Shuttle will appear at about 10° above the horizon facing due south heading northeast rising to 26° before disappearing 11° above the horizon facing east-northeast. This will take 5 minutes to complete the transit. I think the longest pass that I've seen was around 4 minutes.

At 5:11pm I'll be on my way home from work. My co-worker is driving tonight, so I'll have to keep an eye open for it while we're heading home. The shuttle itself won't be a visible entity itself per se, but you will see what looks like a bright "star" moving across the sky at a pretty good clip.

This is an image of the ISS from earth, taken by an amateur astrophotographer.

The current shuttle mission is scheduled for 14 days and we are entering day six today. Earlier this spring after one of the shuttles undocked from the ISS you could see each of them as they passed overhead. It looked like two stars chasing each other. I'll try and remember to post again, if that is going to happen next week.

Dreamtime

2008-11-20T09:37:00.004-06:00

Well I have definitely been known to have some crazy dreams, but this one woke me up around quarter to five this morning. I was dreaming that Kel, Gabe, Sierra and I were going to a hockey game and we were meeting up with a high school friend of mine that I haven't seen in years.

We were walking to the game, which turned out to be at the Montreal Forum. After waiting in line I realized that I didn't have any tickets and I had to find the will call and pick them up there. The lady told me that the will call was upstairs in the church! Okay, I'm game, so I headed up there while everyone else waited in line. Then Gabe said he wanted to go with me too.

--le Forum Montréal (Didn't look anything like that in my dream)

As we were waiting in line to get scanned/searched before we entered the main building and head up to the church?! I heard the Hall & Oates song Sara Smile over the sound system and I started singing along.... in my best falsetto..... The French Canadien guys in line started looking at me funny and laughing and then I woke straight up out of my dream, knowing the horror that I was actually singing along to a Hall & Oates song!

I'm not sure what Freud would have said about this, but I guess it's something from my subconscious someplace. I never liked Hall & Oates much when they were popular, but I guess now that 25 or 30 years have passed I am giving myself permission to sing along to their songs in public. We'll see...

"If you want to be free, you know, all you got to do is say so
And when you feel cold, I'll warm you
And when you feel you can't go on, I'll come and hold you

It's you... And me forever"

--from Sara Smile Hall & Oates

Go ahead and sing along! You know you want to...

Now the hockey part of the dream, I definitely know where it came from. I found 4 tickets to the Blues vs. Anaheim Ducks game tomorrow night on craigslist and I have to pick them up at will call. I can't wait!

Black Widow

2008-11-18T13:18:00.004-06:00

I hadn't realised that the black widow spider was so common in this part of Missouri. Gabe found one squashed flat after opening our garage door on his way to school last week. I was skeptical at first, but on closer examination, sure enough you can see the telltale red hourglass shape on the spiders abdomen. That's the first one I've seen outside of a museum. Sierra then goes on to tell me that there is a hole on the pool building in Jackson that houses black widows quite often that she knew of. Things like this make me curious.

More common here are the very venomous brown recluse, whose head and thorax form kind of a violin or fiddle shape. We had seen several of them in our shed this summer.

Retaining Wall

2008-11-18T13:08:00.005-06:00

Kel is doing some end of the year painting on the foundation in front of the house. We have this big ugly retaining wall that frames our front steps and garage. It was just kind of a grey cement color until we painted the house this summer. Kel got the idea to make it look like stonework instead. She has done a great job on it and some people walking by the house asked her for a business card for some similar work that they'd like done on their home.

I think it's a great way to change the look of the house without having to hire an actual stonemason.

Great job Kel!