Over a Year

Here we are over a year and a half (19 months) from my diagnosis of cancer.
It really seems like a dream, an age ago and yet it is a looming memory. I am very lucky to be on this side. Others that sat in the same room and received the same drugs, well that's enough of that. The wonder in it all is...... What is it that made me different?, my physic? my linage,? my attitude? my faith? Other people have all these things as well, but I got the hall pass, the get out of cancer card.
What is up with that?
I have gone back to a company that I once thought would be the death of me but now I have such a different opinion about work. Most days I'm happy to be here and feel really happy to be working with great people.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to WORK I go....

As of last Friday I am going back to work at Verifone in Rocklin, CA.

This will be my third time working for them although each time has been with a slightly different company.
My first time, they where a subsidiary of HP having been bought just prior to my hiring and so they were a publicly traded company and we got some small stock perks. At that time I was hired as a Senior Design engineer, working on case designs and mechanical details. This was just before the 9-11 attack.
The second time I worked for them they were a private company, having been sold to a holding and restructure company whose intent was to streamline the company and re-offer it as a new stock offering. All this happened a month before 9-11 so they were stuck running the company several years after they intended. I was hired as a commodity engineer to manage components and suppliers that supported the assembly of the product.
Now I will be returning to them as they are a publicly traded company again. This time in the capacity of a senior quality assurance engineer for hardware.

American Skyline Building Set

American Skyline Building Set
A toy from my childhood

I spent hours and hours with this toy building the models from the instruction book then modifying them over and over.
At the time I thought it was one of my best toys right up there with my erector set and Lionel trains. Looking back I still think it was a great imaginative toy for a young person to explore building styles and purpose.


The ad listed here is from the plastic company that supplied resin to the molder.

Speaking of EAGLES

Recited at the ceremony of
Nick Clyde and Conner Schmidt
receiving their Eagle Scout awards.
February 12,2011

You may have noticed that when these young men were asked to recite the scout oath they did so clearly and confidently. They can do that because of recitation at every scout meeting, but more than knowing the words these young men have internalized it’s message and live it’s meaning in their daily lives.
I want to thank you for the profound honor of addressing you today and would like to take a few moments to talk about Eagles

• Eagles in Legend (the long standing relationship)
• Eagles in Truth (Why eagles inspire us)
• Eagles in Scouting (what it means to be an Eagle)
• Eagles in our Midst (why should these boys be called Eagles)

• Eagles in Legend (the long standing relationship)

The Navahos have a myth telling how eagles originated when a warrior, Nayenezgani, slayed a monster who lived at Wing Rock. Afterwards, he turned to the beast's offspring, who were now alone in their nest. Rather than have them grow up evil, he turned the youngest into an owl and the oldest into an eagle. Here we see the oldest destined for power assuming the image of a regal and powerful hunter (resulting from An act of compassion)
The Comanche's myth of eagle creation began when the young son of a chief died and was turned into the first eagle as an answer to his father's prayers. Here we see a son destined for chief assuming the image of a regal and powerful hunter (Answer to prayer)
To the Greeks THE AETOS DIOS was a giant, golden eagle which served as Zeus' personal messenger and animal companion. The bird received a place amongst the stars as the constellation Aquila. (A regal position of honor)
In the Bible 400 years before the birth of Christ Isaiah was inspired to compare those faithful to the Lord as the Eagle
Isaiah 40:30-31
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
So we see that the Eagle has been worthy of the highest praise or place of honor, and that’s because of who they are…

• Eagles in Truth (Why eagles inspire us)

What is it about the Eagle that inspires humanity. It is by example:
Their physical presence. (Regal and powerful)
Full grown, Bald Eagles weigh between 9-12 pounds and have a wing span of up to 8 feet. A very large dark bird with a white head and white tail. They grow to a length between 35-40 inches and have a life span of up to 40 years in the wild.
Their physical skill.
Bald Eagles feed mainly on fish, but they are also skilled hunters. Able to capture waterfowl in flight and rabbits on the run. Eagles can fly up to 30 m.p.h. and can dive at speeds up to 100 m.p.h.. Their keen eyesight allows them to spot fish at distances up to a mile. Eagles catch their prey in their talons, and are able to lift about 4 pounds. (a third of their weight)
Their Loyalty
Monogamous and mating for life. A Bald Eagle will
only select another mate if its companion should die.

So it‘s not surprising, the Eagle been used in many ways to symbolize the ideals of this country. Several states have the eagle on their state flags. You can find the Eagle on the coins of America from the beginning to present day.
The Eagle has a prominent place in America as in ancient culture as a symbol of power and authority. The emblems of the President, vice-president, and most branches of the armed forces center on the eagle.

From the god of the Assyrians to the symbol of the Caesars to the emblem of this country, it was thus fitting that the eagle should have a part in the most momentous achievement of man. The Apollo 11 crew chose Eagle as the name for the lunar module which was to make history. And with the words of Eagle Scout Neil Armstrong - "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed" - man was on the moon.

• Eagles in Scouting

In 1911, following tradition as old as man himself, the Boy Scouts of America chose the eagle to symbolize the very highest in achievement. Through all of history, the Eagle has been the symbol of man's best; now the eagle is the symbol of Scouting's best.

To be the best you are expected to
Be active in your troop, achieved the rank of Life Scout.
Demonstrate that you live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in your daily life. With references.
Earn numerous merit badges a total of 21 at least
Serve actively in positions of responsibility in your troop:

There by living up to the legend

• Eagles in our Midst

My earliest experience with Nick was his first backpacking trip, about 6 years ago, to Loch Leven. Loch Leven, a group of beautiful lakes set in rocky bowls, amid granite and trees in such beauty, it’s hard to capture it entirely with a camera. We left on Friday night and got off to a late at the trailhead, so we were hiking the last couple of miles in the dark with headlamps and flashlights. Finally in the dark we set up camp on the far side of the second lake. For Nick it had been a challenging first hike with a full pack, he was barely able to make it. Then in normal kidding, one of the boys began to spin an elaborate yarn of mountain loins and bears lurking near by to pounce on us once we were asleep. I’m sure the only reason Nick slept at all was because he was so tired from the hike in. Luckily he woke to Sam Carrolls famous “hash and eggs” breakfast and the rest is history. He went on to become an avid hiker and loves camping. So much so that he packed in food and supplies for the escape program and 2 years ago he backpacked 50 miles through the mountains.

Although quiet Conner, even as a young scout, liked the physical and mental challenges he got to experience in scouting, backpacking, spelunking, rock climbing, canoeing, snow camping, hiking and scout camps.

Both scouts earned the canoe merit badge, where they learned many safety techniques including how to right a canoe in deep water. Last year when on a canoe trip led by a local river guide (my son-in-law Brad) they were put to the test. During the trip Brad the guide was busy helping one of the adults, who had flipped his canoe, when at the same time a couple of younger scouts flipped their canoe, Nick and Conner canoed right in, did as trained, got canoe drained, righted and got the scouts back in canoe, all in deep water. They even instructed adults to get out of the way, as they had it handled. As scoutmaster, Milo was very proud and appreciated the training they received in scouting that allowed them the confidence to act swiftly and decisively.

Both did well over 100 hours of community service each. Working in a variety of duties and learning life lessons about the value of volunteerism and rewarding feeling of helping out.

These two young men have been willing to lead or follow, teach or learn and always be friends to those around them. As I said earlier they have internalized the scout oath ‘Do my duty and Help others at all times‘, and they live this in their daily lives.

So it is with great precedence and good reason, today we confer on these young men the rank of Eagle Based on
Legend (That they might lead legendary lives)
Truth (That they have inspired by example)“There is no teaching to compare with example.” Sir Robert Baden-Powell "
Scouting remember the words of Sir Robert Baden-Powell “We never fail when we try to do our duty, we always fail when we neglect to do it.”
In our Midst (We see that they have built a strong foundation on which to build a solid future) Clearly they are worthy to be called Eagle Scout!

Congratulations to you both

And it's a wrap!

Last night we had all the kids over for dinner and a movie, what fun! Gabe wanted to come to see Big Thomas (a ridable Thomas the Tank engine of PBS fame). He had a grand time and couldn't be bothered with time out for eating.

Well today we took down the Christmas stuff, boxed up the tree and ornaments. The house is nearly back to livable. A little sad but glad too to be moving on to the next adventures.

A Summer to Remember

Never ever believe that the legal system is set up to treat you fairly, or that you will be 'innocent till proven guilty'. Quite the opposite, from this experience I've learned you are 'guilty till proven innocent'

The last half of 2010 was a roller coaster here at the Frank household. Christopher moved out around the end of June and Deb and I left for vacation in the north west on July 17th. Sailing on the new boat for three weeks in the gulf islands. We intended to return on Aug 6th or so but extended our stay to spend an evening with an old friend who had moved to Anacortes Washington, so we were driving home the last leg on August 9th 2010. That's when we got a call from Erin that Chris had been arrested and was in jail.

At first we were beside ourselves that Chris had done something that would land him in jail. By the time we got home it was too late to get any information so we spent he night worried praying that he was OK. He was being held and his bail was $10,000 (first two mistakes we made, we didn't bail him out that night and we didn't get a lawyer) at 10K bail the bond would have been about $1000

Next morning I spent time calling around tiring to find out what had happened. The DAs office said that he might be arraigned later that day or later in the week. Later that day they called to say he was being arraigned in a few minutes. I rushed up to the court house but by the time I got there he had been arraigned and his bail raised to 50K meaning his bond would be $5,000. So I went to see him we talked about what happened, that he was busy messing around with his phone and his ipod while not watching the road, the result was he didn't see the CHP speed trap till the very last second when fortunately he looked up and slammed on his brakes and swerved to miss the officers and stopped immediately.

Then I found out that the CHARGES were outrageously serious. The police had written the report to reflect their point of view which was that Chris had intentionally speed at them in order to hit them. They even made it sound as though he speed up at them and then tried to flee. The DA was threating him with 3 counts of assault with a deadly weapon on police officer 1 count of attempted murder. The public defenders office assigned him a Lawyer who met with him twice and both times told him to take an outrageously harsh plea bargain, all the while being really rude. The entire time indicating to Chris and us that there was no defense to these charges because the police said he did it and the DA was "afraid of the police".

We wasted nearly 3 weeks hoping that the system would see that Chris was a good young man and not the deranged cop killer he was being portrayed as, by the police. It became evident that things were not working toward the truth, at the urging of a good friend we borrowed some money from other friends and hired a well recommended lawyer. At this point we sent out the following letter.

As some of you know on our last day of vacation (Aug 9 2010) we got a call while driving home from our daughter Erin that our son CD had been arrested.

Turns out the CHP had been running a speed enforcement in Cedar Ridge along highway 174 near were CD was renting a house with several other boys his age from where he works.
The officers had positioned themselves near the fire station which is at the crest of a small hill in an area that is mostly shaded. (an obvious choice as it is hard to see when approaching)

Chris was speeding but worse he was messing with his phone. Even more troubling is that the road narrows where the police were located so if you are not paying attention (which CD was not) you will end up driving on the shoulder. That is exactly what happened so, here are three officers on the shoulder, one officer steps into the lane and is flagging down CD as he approaches but Chris does not look up till the last minute then slams on the brakes and barely misses the officers, all of who have run or jumped for safety. CD immediately pulls over and gets out, apologizing the whole time but the damage is done. Chris scared the heck out all the officers and witnesses on scene. The CHP rush the few feet to his truck and are convinced that he sped at them intentionally and tried to run them over so arrested him and charged him with assault on an officer with a deadly weapon. (I'm sure they were quite shaken and one of them was hurt in some way during his flight for safety, something about his back and finger, although the officer was well enough to participate in the arrest.)

Now because of the officers statements that Chris intentionally sped at them he is being held with a high bail and could be charged with one or more felonies.


We have hired an attorney and he is working on an investigation as well as collecting Character references for Chris.
CDs next court appearance is September 30th

We are praying that this will be resolved as a severe traffic violations and not as a felony.
Please continue to pray for Chris, his attorney, his mother, father, and ALL involved including the officers.

The time line after this letter seemed to drag on forever. Court visits were very few and nothing happened but more delay while our lawyer put together a case and evidence. Of course this whole time Chris was sitting jail being viewed as a dangerous inmate due to the severe charges. If not for a good friend that worked at the jail who set everyone straight about the real events Chris might have been left to deal with gangs or worse. As it was he had to be very careful to not offend the other toughs he had to room with due to the crowding. In the end with photos of the scene and through some diligent investigation they found a witness that refuted the police version of events. The DA finally was willing to offer a plea of reckless driving. Due to all the delays and because we couldn't afford both a lawyer and the bond he ended up serving more that many days more that the maximum sentence for reckless driving.

Praise God He's fine now but he has some large debts and a healthy respect for the law and driving.

2011 Bucket List and more

Well, in the past I've resisted the need to make a list of 'things to do' or change in the coming year. If two the last years were any example of how planing doesn't really mean anything, or help I don't know what is. Now that being said I thought that I would like to hold myself accountable for a few things I would like to do God willing and if I can.

1. Hike/walk ten miles a week
2. Take Deb back packing at least once
3. Hike to the summit of Lassen
4. Take Christopher to Yosemite
   
5. Climb Half-dome
6. Kayak at least 6 of the new trips in the books we got
   
7. Turn the Garage into a real workshop
8. Build a tree house for Gabe and his new sibling (Maybe two, one at their house and one at ours)
   
9. Get rid of stuff (sell, donate, and throw junk out!)
10. Sail under the Gate
11. Sail to the channel Islands
    

Not saying I intend to get these all done this year but it's a place to look back on at the end of the year.
And of course get a job or some other funding source that will allow us the funds and time to accomplish this...