Book Recommendation

I am currently reading Conrad Richter's three books on the settlement of Ohio. The books are entitled: The Trees, The Fields and The Town.


The Town won the pulitzer prize, and that's why I undertook reading them.

They move very quickly. They are moving and incitefull. They speak to your heart and make one examine their own moral fibre. I have finished The Trees, and I'm about half way through The Fields. These are probably the best stories I've read in five years or more. You'll cry. You'll laugh. You'll love. You'll hate. You'll become part of the story.

Read them and let me know what you think.

Standards

I was thinking today about how terrible it would be for me to have to try to live up to the standards I hold other people to.

My Beautiful Wife

Took this today by a window in our apartment. She is still sad over Bob's passing.

It's a Sad Day: Bob Miller - Rest In Peace

After several days of not being able to reach our friend, Bob, we were worried that something had happened. My wife contacted the land lord who opened the door to his apartment where she discovered that Bob had passed away. Bob was a fun guy, a thoughtful guy, and at times a trying guy (who among us is not).

This is a picture of Bob at Johan Guenter's house during a football party October 14, 2007.

Ben Graber, Basketball Star

I went to watch my brother, Ben Graber, play basketball. He plays on the JV team for his homeschool group in St. Joseph County, Michigan. It was a good game, but they lost handily.

Saugatuk


We stayed in Grand Rapids over the Thanksgiving Holiday, and we followed Lake Michigan south back toward Three Rivers. This is a picture of my wife at the pier in Saugatuk. It was frightfully cold and windy.

Crash closes U.S. 131
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Kalamazoo Gazette Staff Reports

WHITE PIGEON -- A stretch of U.S. 131 from the Indiana state line to White Pigeon was shut down for about two hours Friday night after a ``serious'' automobile accident, said Sgt. James Bennett of the Michigan State Police post in Paw Paw.
The highway's northbound and southbound lanes were closed shortly before 7 p.m. so that a medical helicopter could be brought in, Bennett said. The road was reopened by 9 p.m., but details on the accident, people involved and injuries were unavailable late Friday.

WMSH RADIO -- (WHITE PIGEON) – A three vehicle crash closed down U.S. 131 near the state line Friday night. Michigan State Police were called to U.S. 131 and Anderson Road just after 6:30 PM. Forty-six year old Donald Garton of Bristol Indiana was driving east and failed to stop at the intersection of U.S. 131. He pulled into the intersection and was hit by a southbound vehicle driven by 57 year old Sherry Opalka of Kalamazoo. Garton's vehicle continued east while Opalka's vehicle rotated to the east. One or both vehicles hit a northbound car driven by Russell Black of White Pigeon. Garton and Opalka were pinned in their vehicles and had to be removed by rescue personnel. They were both initially taken to Three Rivers Health and then both flown to Kalamazoo area hospitals. Black was not injured in the crash.

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I was a little freaked out last night, and I didn't sleep well. This accident happened right in front of me. The woman that was flown out was really messed up. When I called it in, I thought she was dead because she was unresponsive and I couldn't find a pulse. She awoke after a few minutes and pulled her head back as she took a huge weazing breath. Her eyes were bug-wide open and she had a terrified look in them. I was at her door window (which was smashed out), and her eyes met mind. There was a pitiful pleading wonder in her eyes. I told her to be still and that help was on the way. I told her we wouldn't leave her, and she was going to be OK. She seemed to calm down a little, but she was having serious trouble breathing...she was also trapped. I stayed until the firemen made us leave so they could cut her out of the car. I have seen the helpless pleading in her eyes over and over and over again...it is haunting.

UPDATE: I visited Sherry in the hospital that Sunday. She had 6 broken ribs a broken pelvis and leg. She was upbeat, and it really helped me. I have also since learned that according to the other driver's coworker he had no driver's license, insurance and blew way over the legal limit for alcohol.