Hank Frank's First Haircut With Uncle Lottsie & Krispy Kreme

Last night Hank Frank's grandpa, he being my little brother, Jake, texted me the photo you see here.

With the text in the message saying...

"Henry's first haircut. I don't remember mine. Do you remember yours?"

To which I replied...

"I do remember my first haircut. The year was 1954. The town was Eugene. The state was Oregon. And the barber was uncle Lottsie. And I cried like a baby."

To which my little brother replied...

"Your memory is awesomely amazing. I only remember dad taking you and me to the midway barbershop on old 99 between Burlington and Mount Vernon."

I remember not liking getting haircuts at that place between Burlington and Mount Vernon. I believe that is near where Costco is now.

So strange, little Burlington, population back then around 4,000, population now around 9,000, now has a Costco, along with multiple other big box stores. And a huge mall, which I think now has joined the trend of malls closing. Burlington even has a Krispy Kreme. And an Outlet Center, and a car selling complex called I-5 Auto World.

And multiple grocery stores. In little Burlington.

No wonder I was amazed when I discovered little Fort Worth did not have even a single grocery store anywhere near its downtown when my eyes first looked at that location. Let alone, at that point in time, the town not having a Costco. Or even a modern mall built in recent times.

I do not know if Krispy Kreme succeeded opening in Burlington.

I remember soon after arriving in Texas the first Krispy Kreme opening in the D/FW zone, in Arlington, if I remember right. To BIG hoopla with long lines. I had never heard of Krispy Kreme before that. So, years later, when I read Krispy Kreme was moving into Washington, including Burlington, I wondered if it would go over, what with most of the locals likely never having heard of Krispy Kreme.

Regarding uncle Lottsie giving me my first haircut. I do not actually remember that. But I suspect such was the case. Uncle Lottsie was my dad's dad's brother. His actual name was Otto. Otto was married to Pernella. We called them Lottsie and Pernie. I do not know if that was what everyone called them, or just us kids.

I remember in 1968, on the way to California and Disneyland, spending the night at Lottsie and Pernie's. Robert F. Kennedy had been in Oregon campaigning for the presidential primary. Uncle Lottsie was taken to RFK's hotel room to give him a haircut. He saved some locks. Had them in an envelope. Sounds weird now, but as kids we were impressed seeing this. Trying to recollect this now I am thinking this must have been post assassination, because we would have been on our way to Disneyland in late June.

My memory is not as amazingly awesome as my little brother thinks it is...

Sikes Lake Biking With Flock Of Seagulls Henry & Ralph

What with the temperature barely above freezing this morning when I considered the idea of going on a bike ride on this third Sunday of February I decided today would be a good day to stay inside in a temperature controlled environment.

And then, about an hour before noon, whilst looking for something else, I came upon my ski gloves which I did not remember had made it to my current North Texas location.

And so, what with super insulated gloves now available, I decided to layer on the layers and take myself on a bike ride.

Turned out I was overly layered.

Blue sky, a temperature a dozen degrees above freezing, almost zero breeze, and add in a little exercise and by the time I made it to Sikes Lake I found myself switching out the ski gloves for my regular bike gloves, then removing two layers of hoodie, and unzipping the windbreaker.

Lately the geese at Sikes Lake seem to have gone somewhere other than their regular home. I have read rumors about geese invading the small town of Iowa Park, located a short distance northwest of Wichita Falls. And upon hearing this wondering if this is where the Sikes Lake goose flocks had migrated.

Today there were a few more geese than my last lake visit. But the seagull population has soared. In the above photo documentation you are seeing on a few of the flock of seagulls. Me stopping to take a picture sent most of them into panic mode, from which they quickly recovered to return to roosting position.

Why so many seagulls at Sikes Lake? I've seen nary a gull ever at nearby Lake Wichita. Shouldn't seagulls be somewhat near, you know, a sea? As in saltwater. The nearest such wet thing is hundreds of miles distant, that being the Gulf of Mexico.

Anyway, I ended up having myself a mighty fine time rolling my bike wheels. Eventually I made my way back to the Circle Trail and soon thereafter my phone made its incoming text message noise. I stopped at the first swinging bench I came to so as to dismount the bike and see what the message was.

The text message was from my favorite Jason and Joey nephew's dad, who also is my little brother.

The text in the message...

"Henry is hugging Ralph. Henry's Dad also hugged Ralph when he was a little boy."

I tried to read this message in bright sun, and was not able to accurately do so til I got back to an interior space. Bright light and the small version of the attached photo also did not become clear til I got it off the phone and onto a bigger screen.

Henry's dad is the aforementioned Joey nephew. I have no memory of this Ralph character who is being hugged by Henry. The older I get the more I seem to forget.

I do not know if Henry (and his dad) will by joining his cousin, Spencer Jack, and uncle Jason next month for the hiking expedition up Camelback Mountain. My best guess is this is unlikely....

David, Theo & Ruby Escaping Washington Snow Going To Arizona With Their Favorite Uncle

Fresh incoming snow photo documentation arrived this morning from Tacoma and Mount Vernon.

The Tacoma photo is a Monday morning look at David, Theo and Ruby's backyard, with the text message saying...

"This morning, with more expected..."

I wish I was currently in Tacoma. I suspect I would be having myself a mighty fine time playing in the snow with a pair of twins and their big brother.

Two days ago Spencer Jack's dad who goes by the name of Jason called.

During the course of that call Jason seemed fairly certain that information was credible which he had been told by his dad, who is also known as Spencer Jack's grandpa and my brother, Jake, with that information being that David, Theo, Ruby and their parental units were going to be arriving in Arizona the same time I am.

I did not know for sure if this was one of Jason's elaborate instances of tricking his favorite uncle into believing something erroneous, or not.

And then, yesterday, I called Jason's grandma. I was not going to bring up what Jason had told me, figuring if it were true that even with mom's somewhat dicey memory, she would remember to make mention of this.

And she did.

So, when I am in Arizona I am hoping I get to have myself a mighty fine time with David, Theo and Ruby. There is a park at the north end of Dobson Road, at the location of the Chicago Cubs replica of Wrigley Field, with the most elaborate kid's playground I have ever seen.

Each time I've eye witnessed this park I have said it sure would be fun to play there with David, Theo and Ruby. I mentioned this to mom and she remembered us wheeling her around this park when I was there in October, and agreed it would be fun to take the kids there.

Mom also agreed it would be fun to drive the kids to the summit of South Mountain. Their parental units would need to stay home for that adventure, as there is not sufficient seating for them.

Jason is not yet sure if he and Spencer Jack will be joining all of us in Arizona next month. Last night mom was the most upbeat I have heard her in a long time, looking forward to the prospect of all her children being at the same location for the first time in years.

To make that complete it would require that Spencer Jack's uncle Joey fly down with Henry and aunt Monique, neither of whom most of us have yet met. Jason told me in that recent call that Henry is a super happy baby, laughing and smiling all the time. Henry's dad was like that when he was Henry's size, maintaining that pleasant disposition to the present day.

I don't know if I want to be the one to tell mom, but all her children may not be in Arizona next month. This morning Jason sent me that which you see below to my phone.

With the text in the message saying "It looks like Aunt Clancy and Fancy might be back in the Pacific Northwest, and not in Arizona..."

I do not know how Jason manages to keep up on so much and do such a good job of it or who his information sources are, but this time Jason may be wrong...

Christmas With Spencer Jack & Henry

Well, Christmas morning started with some photos of Spencer Jack's cousin, Henry, watching TV, among other activities suitable for a boy about to turn three months old tomorrow.

Around noon more photos from Washington showed up.

And now, a few minutes ago, I checked email and saw that Spencer Jack and Henry's grandma, my favorite ex-sister-in-law, Cindy, sent me some more Christmas photos.

Including the cute one you see here of Spencer Jack holding his cousin, Henry.

Seems like only yesterday Spencer Jack was Henry's size.

Around 5 this afternoon I got a text from Spencer Jack and Henry's aunt Jackie telling me that their great grandma, my mom, had been returned to her abode in Sun Lakes.

Jackie and her first husband, Jack, had taken mom for a Christmas drive which got as far as the Maricopa Ak-Chin Casino where mom was transported to one of the casino's restaurants for a Christmas snack.

Mom said the casino was packed with Christmas celebrators. I did not think this was a Christmas option, going to a casino. And then I remembered all the Christmases I used to escape, I mean, miss, by going to Reno, back when Reno was a fun town at Christmas.

I suspect this will be my last incoming Christmas photo documentation of the day. But you never know...

Video Documenting Baby Henry Saying Hi To Grandpa Jake

Incoming on my phone last night. Video sent from Arizona, I think, of Spencer Jack's cousin, Henry, first born of Spencer Jack's Uncle Joey, who is also my Nephew Joey, usually referred to as Favorite Nephew Joey, or Favorite Joey Nephew, or FNJ2, because FNJ1 is Favorite Nephew Jason.

In the video Henry eventually says "hi" to his Grandpa Jake, who is also my little brother.

At the same time this video arrived via the phone, a separate text message about Henry, also arrived, with that text message coming from Henry's oldest aunt, who also is my oldest sister named Nancy.

Old Sister Nancy's text message said, "Henry was running, too! That was too cute...."

While the video was sent from Arizona, I am assuming Henry is in Washington, in his abode in the Skagit Valley village of Clear Lake.

I may be wrong in this assumption...

Spencer Jack's Happy Henry Birthday Make Cousins Great Again

Yesterday's trek to the Dallas metro zone was a wild wind driven rainy ride.

Usually that drive is done at a speed above the 75 mph speed limit.

Yesterday many miles of that drive were speeding around 25 mph under the speed limit.

Yet somehow I arrived at my eventual destination ten minutes early.

Yesterday was my little brother Jake's birthday. I knew Jake was in Washington in anticipation of the arrival of his second grandson.

Whilst I was in the DFW zone I texted message Jake a "Happy Birthday" and asked "Are you a grandpa for the second time yet?"

Jake texted back, "Yes. Best birthday present ever."

When I made it back to my home location I anticipated I would likely be seeing incoming email photo documentation documenting the arrival of the newest Jones boy.

I anticipated accurately, as you can see via the photo above.

That would be Spencer Jack's dad, Jason on the left, with Spencer Jack's Uncle Joey holding his freshly first born, Henry.

The only verbiage in that incoming photo was...

Henry Jones (born 9:15am on 9/26).

It seems not all that long ago I drove south from Bellingham, Washington to United General Hospital, located halfway between my old hometown of Burlington and Sedro-Woolley, to meet Spencer Jack's Uncle Joey for the first time, That was way back in the last century, in the early 1980s. I can not remember the specific year. But the month was November.

Yesterday whilst in the DFW zone, I called Spencer Jack's Aunt Jasmine. During the course of that conversation when the subject of our anticipated incoming Grand Nephew ( I am not sure Grand Nephew is the correct relative nomenclature) I asked what hospital the birthing was taking place in, United General or Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon?

Jasmine did not know, for sure, but thought the blessed event was likely taking place at United General.

Both Skagit Valley hospitals are about the same distance from Spencer Jack's Uncle Joey and Aunt Monique's Clear Lake home location.

Adjusting for the time zone differential, I think Henry's 9:15am Pacific birth time I am guessing Henry was born during the time frame whilst Henry's Aunt Jasmine and I were talking about it.

After I was horizontal last night the photo you see here of Spencer Jack arrived in my email inbox.

As you can see, Spencer Jack is in his school uniform. I suspect this indicates Spencer Jack got out of school early so as to be at the hospital to meet his incoming cousin Henry.

As you can also see, Spencer Jack has altered his least favorite baseball cap to make note of the arrival of his first cousin, with the cap now messaging "Make Cousins Great Again".

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HENRY!