Pat and Paul's Blog

2011-10-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

Mom's swollen ankle. It gets a little better each day.

rainbows in Hudsonville

2011-09-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

Landon at Grandma's and Grandpa's

2011-04-16T16:49:00.001-07:00

EYEBROWS!

2010-10-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here is Landon getting some yummy ice cream after his trick or treat visit. He wanted more (and more). By the way, you can also see the latest wood project; combo chair and step stool. (The ones for Henry and Oliver should be done by Christmas.)

Visit to Nathan and Liz

2010-08-17T04:07:00.000-07:00

We went to West Lafayette to see Nathan and Liz and decided to stay at the Commandant's House Bed and Breakfast. They are both doing well. The house was very interesting. It is located on the grounds of the Veteran's facility. It was constructed in the 1890s for the director of the Vet home for civil war vets. Cost $8000 including furnishings. Smaller rooms, grand hallways, and excellent food. The first picture shows the early electric wiring; the original lighting was done with gas lamps (at the time this was really THE thing). The fireplace sculpture shows a civil war scene.

New Landscaping

2010-08-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

The bushes are gone! The rocks are set. The plants are in. "Lawns of Distinction" did the hardest part and then we added a variety of sedum, lavender, carpet roses, irises, small day lilies, and zebra grass. This follows a trend in among the neighbors to remove the old dead bushes but we are the winners in terms of tonnage of rock.

End of Birthday Week

2010-06-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a collection of random thoughts.

It is the end of birthday week. I still have not chosen a present for Pat to give me. Send me any and all suggestions since I am not doing a very good job with this.

Our visit with Amanda and Ben last weekend was lots of fun. Visit her blog to see some pictures of the weekend.

Now I am giving this to Pat while I think about other things to write.
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And that is all that Pat has for you tonight. (School term is over and she is tired. Oh yes, she has hurt her knee. It is bad and I know because she is willing to wear a knee brace.)

On the book front
The Condition by Jennifer Haig. An interesting story about a dysfunctional family. Divorce, health issues, personality flaws, and it ends with some love and compassion.

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak EXCELLENT. A Nazi Germany story about hiding a Jew and dealing with the times in Germany. This is a must read. By the way, the person telling the story is "death."

The Women (audio) by Boyle. This is the life of Frank Lloyd Wright. He was not a nice man and his wives and mistresses were many. He took money but never paid it back. His special house in wisconsin was burned down three times. Once by a butler that went crazy, killed his mistress and children and burned it down. Interesting to learn about him but depressing in the end.

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T15:40:00.001-07:00

Today is Oliver's birthday and the end of great weekend. Storms this morning and rain/clouds through the day but it has now cooled off. Friday we had great guacamole. Yesterday was a great church, Starbucks, cookout, beach, Captain Sundae, NASCAR day. Today we grilled on the deck for Anna, Steve, Landon and Grandma.

In other news. Skip "The Art of the Heist" by Myles Connor. An autobiography of a thug, art thief, felon but the author justifies it all because he never intended to hurt anyone (although he shot a policeman) and because he really appreciates the art and Japanese artifacts that he steals (or buys with the proceeds of various bank robberies). I gave up part way through.

2010-05-17T18:06:00.001-07:00

Pat's cold is almost gone, my ribs are improving, it has been a long stretch of minor annoyance. Anyway,...

Robin Cook's Critical is the latest we both finished. A plot with a few twists but in typical Cook fashion it is a bit on the lighter side. The hero medical examiner solves why so many are dying from strange MRSA infections.

Landon's two teeth are cute and the first words are oh-oh

Summer research has started.

2010-05-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

First we have he book reviews. Pat finished the Gerbil Farmer's Daughter by Holly Robinson. A non-fiction work about the daughter of a military man that raises gerbils on the side. It details her life and family relationships. Not bad but not a must read either.

For books on CD, I finished Death Match by Lincoln Child. The good news is that the hero is a psychologist and there is lots of techno computer stuff going on. The bad news is that it is quite predictable as it moves along.

Then this is not as exciting as Oliver, Henry, or Landon but here is bunny and duck under the next-door deck.

2010-04-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying family visits. Kate, Sam, and Oliver for two nights and now Nathan and Liz. Last night Oliver came in and crawled right up in my lap. We were too slow with the camera though.

I finished the Know-it-all (A.J. Jacobs) about a pop magazine writer that decides to read all of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Lots of trivia from the encyclopedia but I didn't enjoy the author touting getting smarter because of lots of facts. He tries to debate with the Harvard team and is embarrassed. I would pass it by.

On CD, I finished the Manual of Detection (Berey). This was quirky but good. A bit like The Man Who Was Thursday and Something Wicked Comes This Way.

Pat recommends The Help (Kathryn Stockett). About domestic help in Mississippi in the 1960's. Fiction but factual. Written with humor but helps see racism.

She also finished Sarah's Key. About the Holocoust and the Jews in France. Not light.

Next book

2010-03-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Body Surfing by Anita Shreve. Pat says she doesn't have much to say about it. It is about family betrayal. It was "okay."

Uneventful lives

2010-03-23T10:28:00.001-07:00

We never seem to have anything worthwhile to post. Is our life really that mundane or are we just overly private. Anyway...

We have new pillows on a throw to accent the couches.
I am on spring break.
Pat and Grandma went to visit Kate, Sam, and Oliver. Pat thinks the inflatable bed is pretty good.
My research grant got renewed.
My missing equipment ($10,000) was found! When I opened the box on Friday, it just was not inside. Somehow the shipping guy at the plant sent out the box without it and then didn't know where to send the left-over box.
The sun is shining and it looks like spring but this means Pat added window washing to my to-do list.
The new Dancing with the Stars season has started.
I fixed the leaking toilet.
The weather is warm enough that we switched from fleece to flannel sheets.
I have an interesting book on CD right now. Manual of Detection. Sort of reminds me of the The Man Who Was Thursday but I'll let you know later.

Now announcing a new semi-regular feature which might help me update more often. Books that we finish reading.
I just finished Envy by Sandra Brown. #1 times bestseller. Kind of a thriller, romance, mystery thing that bogs down a bit in the middle. Some of the ending you can see coming early but some good twists at the end. Good for the beach of a stay-inside weekend.

NEW COUCHES! Pat goes wild

2010-01-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of the new leather couches. Pat was more excited than any kid on Christmas morning I have ever seen.

2009-12-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to Chicago for some shopping, relaxing, and eating at the Cheesecake Factory (Thanks Anna and Steve from last Christmas). Unlike the last few days, the weather was almost perfect, sunny but a bit of a cold wind. We walked the magnificent mile and went to a HUGE art and craft show (several HUNDRED vendors).

Today was a blizzard here but we both had school. That is not unusual for Hope but all the public schools in the area EXCEPT Grand Rapids was closed. They were open but had very few students.

The up side is that our outside decorations look pretty nice all covered in snow.

Halloween in Hudsonville

2009-10-31T07:51:00.001-07:00

The nurses at school dressed up for Halloween. They had the wild outfits and the front of the tee shirts had H1N1 in circle with a line through it. Combined with the pig nose they wore they became the "swine fluzzies." Lots of laughs.

These are two views out the back showing the nice trees. Yesterday we had high winds and 2" of rain so the leaves are all blown off.

2009-10-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

Steve and Anna had a date on Friday night. We got to babysit. Landon was very cooperative.

2009-09-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

Landon Elliot Anderson!

Seattle and Denver

2009-08-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

We had a good time in both Denver and Seattle. I'm sure that Judd will have better pictures from all of our adventures but here are at least a few. What you see is a cool waterfall and SPRING flowers (remember, it is August) up in Ranier National Park. The others are from our visit to the Denver Zoo.

2009-07-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

Kate and Oliver came for a visit. He is a very busy, very vocal little boy. Kate and Oliver played in the back yard.

2009-05-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

Here are two pictures from Watkins Glen State Park in New York.

2009-05-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

My latest craft projects. Two rubber band powered cars and some little boxes of assorted shapes. (The cars are a bit disappointing. They look great but don't really go well with the rubber bands. Oh well.)

Spring in Hudsonville

2009-05-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

Spring has arrived! This is the tree behind our place.

In other news, Hope's graduation is today so I will get a start on my tan this afternoon. There were 10 cases of suspected H1N1A flu at the college (probable but still waiting to hear from the CDC) but this was a big nothing compared to the earlier norovirus outbreak. Congratulations to Steve, Liz, and Nathan on there respective graduations.

2009-03-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit with Henry even though he wasn't feeling the best. His sweet hugs and kisses, and pleases and thank-yous were just what we needed. He played out in the back one day and brought a little life to the Condo area.

Oh and by the way, it was nice to see Joel and Sarah too.

Changing of the car

2009-03-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

Now this...

Instead of this...

2009-03-07T05:31:00.000-08:00

We are taking care of Dusty Bottoms for a few days. This is Dusty cuddle on Pat's lap.

This is Dusty watching Paul.

2009-02-28T16:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Pat!

Quiet weekend because all the kids are out of town. Even with that, still got nice flowers and a cake. Also got new Henry pictures and had Grandpa over for pizza.

Things that go bump in the night

2009-01-24T06:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, so wednesday morning at about 3:30 am, Pat and I are awakened by a series of loud bangs, about a dozen. We kind of ask "what was that?" but then go back to sleep. Moments later we hear it again. Pretty loud, not like firecrackers but more like real 4th of July fireworks (and remember this is Hudsonville). I get up and look out the windows expecting either a gun battle in the street or aliens in the backyard. I also check the furnace because we aren't totally sure that it is outside. NOTHING, not even any lights on in other places. Back to bed and try to go back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later, AGAIN and this time there are flashes of light that we can see through the blinds. Again, look outside and see absolute stillness. The neighbors called the next day and asked if we heard it so we aren't totally crazy. Total mystery. Pat thinks it was inauguration celebration but I vote for UFOs. No pictures because there was nothing to see.

We are alone

2008-12-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

Everyone has left and it is once again just the two of us. We miss all of you already.

We did not make it to church today. After rain, fog (fahg) and 55 degrees yesterday, it turned cold and WINDY early this morning. The power went out at about 3:30 am and stayed out until about 12:30. One of the big pines in front of the condos blew over. It sounded like all the siding was coming off the place but when we looked out, everything was still attached. Anna warned us that the highways were bad. If you were on ice and the wind gust came it was difficult to keep control. All this with my cold kept us home.

We undecorated the house because we got a little bored.

SNOW DAY!

2008-12-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken about 8:30am. The sun is actually up. There are also occasional lightning and thunder.

Grand Rapids public schools are closed! Actually all the schools are closed. We got about 5" since it started snowing at about 2am. Bill Stephans (the channel 8 weather guy) is just having a wonderful time drawing arrows on his maps. He has a blog and want people to post but it is ovver 800 entries. We are just relaxing, writing, drinking coffee, (and cleaning).

Anna is made it to work safely and reports the roads are really bad but that there is not much traffic.

My grading is done! Now we just deal with the emails from students looking for points so they can get to the next break in the grading scale. My favorite is "I got an 88.56 which rounds to and 88.6 which rounds to an 89 which rounds to a 90 which should be an A-"My syllabi for next semester are not even begun. Of the three courses, one is new for me so I will have to start soon.

Anyway, stay safe as you drive around.

Grading is almost done

2008-12-14T15:28:00.000-08:00

The title says it all!

Welcome to Winter

2008-12-06T12:51:00.000-08:00

Winter has arrived in Hudsonville. We had some snow on the ground before but the lake effect and an Alberta Clipper storm have added about 12" in the last 24 hours. The wind is low so it is not a blizzard but it just keeps piling up. We were supposed to go shopping in Holland with Grandpa O but the weather was bad and so it got canceled. Most of the cards and shopping is done. Pat has decorated the house and the tree is up. Downstairs we have a "Charlie Brown" tree that we had outside last year.

Classes are done but grading is not. Exams are next week. I was very ready for the end of the term and I am looking forward to a break just as much as the students are. Pat and I are really looking forward to having the kids come home.

Anyway, here are some pictures of what things look like around here. One picture of the wedding last summer to remember warmer days.

Norovirus news

2008-11-10T16:53:00.000-08:00

The number of sick at Hope topped 400 but we will go back on Wednesday morning. I missed getting sick (yeah!) but Pat informs me that now kids in her school have it (oh no!). Of course the most I share with a student is a pen. She does feedings, diaper changes, suctioning, etc. We are washing our hands incessantly.

recent news from Hudsonville

2008-11-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

WOW, Hope College closed today at 1:30 because of an uncontrolled outbreak of norovirus. Basically severe gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhea), very contagious, and strikes very quickly. The Health Department invoked state law and closed the college until Tuesday at 8 am (at least). Staff are trying to disinfect everything. So far I feel fine.

The pictures are from Pat's trip. The original Starbuck's, Henry, and the waterfall from Pat's hike with Judd. She is "sad" because the fun vacation is already a week in the past.

Pat leaves today

2008-10-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

Pat is headed out to see Joel, Sarah, and Henry in Denver and then goes on to Judd and Megan in Seattle. Good thing the World Series has started or I would be really lonely at night. Mornings will be the worst since who likes to eat breakfast in the cold and dark. Just when she gets back, I have a trip to MSU. When she gets back we should have good pictures to post.

Other random things include:
We have a nice tree that looks as good as Amanda's (although we only have one).
Oliver's puzzle is done.
Maria's (grand daughter of Jack and Pat who have done so much for us) is done.

Time for an update

2008-10-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

First off a picture of the pumpkins and gourds by our front door. Anna got them for us and then Pat and Anna arranged them.

Our accelerator lab made the Holland Sentinel. Click on

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x1157488533/Cutting-edge-research

to read the article and see my picture.

Pat is excited about her trip to Denver and Seattle.

The excitement at Pat's school this week has been an outbreak of head lice. Oh yeah.

Welcome to Sunday morning

2008-10-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sunday morning. Pat and I are both feeling much better. Our colds are not entirely gone but they are much better and manageable. We will leave for church in a few minutes but we are both on our second cup of coffee, I have tomorrow's gen phys lecture done and Pat is working on the crossword puzzle. The sun is shining and Il Divo is playing (I got there first so it was Nora Jones for a while). All in all a relaxing morning.

Later, Grandpa Overbeek, Ann, Steve, Anna, Laurie (Pat's sister), and Randy will come to celebrate Grandpa's birthday. Anna is cooking lasagna and making a cake. Its great when you don't have to do much.

Monday, Monday

2008-09-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

Pat has nothing to post. oh-well Neither do I.

But, we do have good decaf coffee and Dancing With the Stars will be on soon.

Is the week over yet?

2008-09-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

Pat is not riding the bus but the children in the classrooms are keeping her very busy. Today in addition to the normal stuff there was some critical care needed that set her back a bit. She is exhausted tonight. Only one day left in the week.

The first puzzle is done! Don't let Henry see until Pat gets there.

As usual I am way behind in the grading but this weekend I hope to get caught up. The MoNA experiment at MSU did not go so well and then a very expensive pump broke at Hope. I was standing right next to it when it self destructed while spinning at 15,000 rpm. It sounded like a gun shot and the inside was just a bunch of twisted metal. Oh well.

Rainy Saturday Morning

2008-09-13T09:12:00.001-07:00

A good day to get caught up on grading but it is dark and rainy. The entire day promises to be dreary. On the other hand, I have a comfortable chair, good coffee, Nora Jones is playing and there is the potential for a great nap later. Life is good.

Last night we went to one of our favorite Holland resturants (City Vu) with Steve's parents. This was courtesy of Anna and Steve who gave us gift certificates. I love the smoked salmon on flat bread and Pat like the sirloin on flatbread. The flatbread things are their specialty. Their carrot cake for dessert and butternut squash bisque appetizer meant we ate way too much but it was really good. It was very nice to really get to know Dwight and Laura a bit better.

The good news of the week is that at this point it does not look like Pat will have to ride the bus this semester. The bad news is that there may be a teachers strike. She is a different union but it gets messy.

Other random thoughts
Hopefully, our deck will get stained and we can put the furniture back this week.
A paper on 7He was accepted for publication.
The first physics test is Monday night.

The Hope accelerator

2008-09-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is the inside of our accelerator in motion. We took it apart for cleaning and repair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq_qCwXxMPo

Tremendously exciting (to me). Pat was less enthused.

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry no pictures. The Overbeeks gathered at Traverse City. Great Food, Great Conversation, and Great Weather. The only downside is that, as usual, Hope was in session on Labor Day. I left early to be a good worker while Pat enjoyed an extra day up north. School starts for her in earnest today with kids later this week.

TTFN

Oliver is baptized

2008-08-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Oliver and Sam were baptized today.

Busy Week

2008-08-23T03:47:00.000-07:00

The kids left on Tuesday. Then Tuesday night we went to Anna and Steve for wedding present opening. We also picked out a rock for the landscaping project in front of our condo since their friend and landlord is in the landscaping business. On Wednesday we went out to the Genzink property for a picnic. The food was excellent with a great tomato-mozzarella-basalmic salad. Pat was totally bitten by the bugs. Thursday was a dinner at Hope for faculty. Friday was an attempt to get ready for the start of school (still much to be done). Pat is very relaxed because she is on vacation this week.

Today we go to Cincinnati for a quick visit with Janice and then Oliver's baptism.

Paul's kids are home

2008-08-16T12:15:00.001-07:00

I guess we tired them out shopping this morning.

The Wedding was great

2008-08-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the handsome groom and beautiful bride. Everything was really great.

weekend with friends

2008-08-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend with our friends Jack and Pat at their cottage by Silver Lake.

Life goes on

2008-07-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

Big news - I got a haircut. Isn't my life just so exciting. Pat got one too but mine was less expensive. One more thing done from the pre-wedding list. Next week at this time we will be at the Homestead.

Tomorrow we shut down the building for the installation of a new transformer. EVERYTHING has to be turned off from the coffee pot to every computer to every piece of equipment in the labs. There are a lot of things with a switch and we have to find them all.

Grandpa Menkveld was/is in the hospital and Grandpa Overbeek had CT scan of his neck. That came back negative.

The week is over!

2008-07-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

Pat got stuck in a huge traffic jam coming home on 196. Not slow, not stop and go but STOP. It took 1 hour 15 to get home. An RV made a left turn through the authorized vehicle only turn around and then a truck with soy bean oil hit the brakes and the oil went out the top port. It went worse from that. Over three hours to clean it up. Not a bit of warning on the radio until one was passed the exit to turn away. School has been really busy and today she spent the afternoon in the busy room where the teacher was short-handed. She got a compliment about her diaper changing speed.

Pat's back is much improved.

On Thursday Dave and I got the accelerator fixed. The ion source was making little beam (we thought). After much effort, we found a little light bulb in the target station wasn't working. The company did not put the bulb in a proper socket; just stuck some bare wires into touch the contacts. The wires shorted, the power supply loaded, this meant the control relays would not engage, so the electrical outlets would not turn on, so the suppressor wasn't on, so the meters did not read right, so the source was working fine all along. We only rebuilt the source 3 times before a second day of work to find the real problem.

Today, one student decided that physics is not for him. Oh well, he still did great work this summer but his real passion is music and he will be much happier. One the plus side, two students gave me a gift from despair.com. Planning - Much work remains to be done before we can announce our total failure to make any progress.

It's only Wednesday

2008-07-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

A student had an episode at Pat's school. The accelerator is still broken after three rebuilds of the ion source. Good news is that Anna's dress fits well.

It's only Tuesday

2008-07-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

It's only Tuesday. Pat's back is mostly better but there have been some small setbacks. Research continues with posters and presentations. One student was excused from presenting because he got sick. He really did look bad. He went from really white to really red while I watched. Pat is tired because all the kids are back in school. The pictures are the flowers in front and back. I had another of Pat but she said I can't post it.

At Ver Schure's open house

2008-07-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures from an open house we went to. Megan's parents retired and they had a get together at the Holland Brewery.

2008-07-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the first entry to our blog. We'll try to post words and pictures every few days.