My Tattoo

You would think someone who had made it to 39 years old without at tattoo might be able to avoid getting one altogether. I didn't. I have recently made a commitment to return to college to finish a degree in Biblical Studies and to do what whatever God leads me to do. This tattoo is a symbol of that commitment. It is a daily visible reminder of the Christian life that I am trying to lead. I hope that it will also be a tool for me to use to explain my faith to others when they ask what the tattoo means. The tattoo is an Ichthys symbol or it is sometimes called a "Jesus Fish". The Greek letters inside of the fish shape are:

• Iota is the first letter of Iesous (Ιησους), Greek for Jesus.
• Chi is the first letter of Christos (Χριστóς), Greek for anointed.
• Theta is the first letter of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for God.
• Upsilon is the first letter of Huios (Υἱός), Greek for Son.
• Sigma is the first letter of Soter (Σωτήρ), Greek for Savior.

Audrey starting the tattoo.

From Tattoo

Working on the tattoo.

From Tattoo

Finished but still fresh.

From Tattoo

Thanks to Audrey at Mid Air and Ink for doing a fabulous job on my tattoo.

Sugar Bear was a dog,not really a bear.

Since I'm sharing old photos today I thought I would post a picture of Jill & I with our old dog Sugar Bear. I'm not quite sure when this photo was taken, but in it I have the full pony tail I wore for about ten years. Sugar Bear is most defiantly the most attractive subject in the photo. She was a beautiful dog with thick luxurious hair that she shed abundantly wherever she went. She was a fabulous dog, perfectly behaved and well mannered. She just was not much of a watch dog since she loved everyone. If you came to or house she would have shown you where all of the good stuff is for a little bit of petting.

Jill, Jon & Sugar Bear

From Ole's Blog

Oh No! Not A Mullet!

A while back I claimed that although I had long hair I had never had a mullet. I must now confess that I have found photographic evidence of a mullet. This appears to be a transition phase in the early college days from the short hair of high school and the all-one-length hair of later college that I wore until I was about 30.
Let's not tell anyone about his embarrassing situation.
And let's not talk about those birth control glasses

Family Photo (1988 or 1989?)

From Ole's Blog

We have a New Pet!

Meet our new pet, the "Pocket Monster". Sometimes just called "The Monster". He is a Sugar Glider which is a marsupial native to Australia. Being a marsupial they are raised in pouches just like the more well known kangaroos. Since he was raised in a pouch he still likes hanging out in one hence the pocket part of his name. He is an omnivore just like humans which means he eats all sorts of things including vegetables, fruit, nuts and meat in the form of bugs. If you every see him eat a bug you will see why he is a monster.

In the blue pocket.

From Ole's Blog

Eating a snack

From Ole's Blog

From Ole's Blog

MotoGP Video

Watch here for some highlights from the race.

MotoGP Pictures

Here are some professional pictures of the race. They have better cameras and closer access so I don't feel bad that they have better pictures. I was rooting for two racers, Nicky Hayden one of the few American riders in the GP and Valentino Rossi an Italian who has won more GP races than any other rider. Early in the race Nicky was ahead but by the end Rossi had passed for the win. Rossi went on to win the season.

Start of the race.

From Indy GP

Nicky Hayden(69) and Valentino Rossi(46)

From Indy GP

Nicky Hayden

From Indy GP

Valentino Rossi

From Indy GP

A bit of rain

From Indy GP

Rossi in the rain

From Indy GP

Winners: Rossi 1rst Hayden 2nd Lorenzo 3rd

From Indy GP

Rossi celebrating on the bricks

From Indy GP

Indy MotoGP

For our vacation this year we rode to Indianapolis to watch the MotoGP motorcycle races. As you can see from some of the photos we experienced some weather. In four days at the track we had some beautiful weather, some very hot weather and the remnants of a hurricane. On race day it was quite blustery and the wind made track conditions dangerous enough that they called the main race short and canceled the 250 cc race completely. We had purchased a VIP upgrade that gave us access to an indoor pavillion where we could get out of the weather when we needed to and also all of the food/beverage we wanted. It was the best descion we could have made, when other folks we sitting in the pouring rain we where sitting in leather chairs sipping Bloody Marys watching the race on TV. We met some new friends from Austrailia on the fist day and although we never arranged it we met at the pavillion and had lunch together every day. Motorcycles can really bring people together.

Watching the race

From Indy GP

The track from our seats.

From Indy GP

Posing with the Trophy Girls

From Indy GP

Some friends we met from Australia

From Indy GP

We got to ride and park on the backstretch

From Indy GP

Biker Gothic

On our way to Indianapolis for the MotoGP race we stopped in Eldon IA to have our picture taken in front of the American Gothic house from Grant Wood's painting. We hadn't planned to stop but when I saw the sign on the highway I thought it would be worth the detour. I love this photo and I think that sometimes the detours are what make riding a motorcycle special. If we had been speeding past in a car we may never have stopped, but since we did it changed our entire route for the first day of our vacation.

From Indy GP

From Indy GP

Labor Day Parade

We went to Spencer this weekend to see Grandma Olsen & Grandpa Veitch and to drive the Plymouth Valiant in the Grettenger Labor Day parade. Jill taught Grandpa how to bake a cake and we had a great time at the parade.

Driving in the Parade

From Ole's Blog

Watching the Parade

From Ole's Blog

1963 Plymouth Valiant

I just realized I didn't have any pictures of the Valiant posted so here we are:

At the garage in Shenandoah

From Ole's Blog

It's just a neat old car. It is complete and all original except for the carpet which grandpa replaced when it got a little musty. It has been repainted but it is the original color.

Essex Labor Day Parade

From Ole's Blog

Cool guys, cool car.

From Ole's Blog

Grandpa bought this car several years ago. It was the last antique car left from his collection so he gave it to my parents to keep it in the family. When they moved out of state my parents gave the car to me so I could keep it at grandpa's house and take it out on parades with him.

Quite a Project

I have always loved old pickup trucks. When I found out that my great uncle had a 1940 Plymouth pickup truck that might be for sale I had to see it. After much thought I decided to buy it. I don't have anywhere to put it and I don't know how to restore it but I could not let such a great old truck get out of the family. Plymouth never made a lot of trucks and 1941 was the last year for Plymouth trucks so it is a bit of a rarity. I also have my Grandfathers 1963 Plymouth Valiant so I seem to be collecting Plymouth antiques.

From 1940 Plymoth Truck

From 1940 Plymoth Truck

From 1940 Plymoth Truck

I have a lot of work ahead of me but it should be a fun project.
I'll post the progress as soon as there is some progress to post.

Floods of Des Moines 2008

We had quite a bit of flooding in Iowa this month. The worst may have been in Cedar Rapids but we had plenty of trouble here in Des Moines. A couple dozen homes were devastated in the Birdland Park neighborhood. The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Teams came to town to help those who were affected. Jill, Mom & I were able to help feed the teams on a couple of evenings, but the work that the teams were doing on those homes was amazing. They would go into a flooded home, completely tear out all damaged materials and power wash/sanitize the affected areas.

We didn't have any residential flood damage near our neighborhood but the bus barn down the street was partially submerged. We could actually see the river from our house. We shouldn't be able to. The park down by the river just became river and completely vanished.

Flood water as seen from our front yard

From Flood 2008

Flooded Bus Barn

From Flood 2008

Flooded park

From Flood 2008

In Loving Memory of Aunt Ruth Larsen

By beloved aunt Ruth died on March 2nd after a brief but terrible fight with a MRSA pulmonary infection. She was 61 years old. She had a beautiful service at her local church which is only a block away from her home. She is survived by her husband Joe, two children, three grandchildren any many other loving friends and family members.

Jon & Ruth going for a ride

From Ruth Larsen Slideshow Pictures

Following is a slide show that was composed by her husband Joe.

I had to wait nine months before I could bear posting this and I still have tears
streaming down my face as I write this. We miss you Ruth!