Retirement Party . . . and other things.

March 29, 2015October 26, 2017 Joe AuBuchon

Retirement Party

My wife, Diana (Charlie) AuBuchon retired after 30+ years of teaching. Most of that time

was spent as a full-time language arts teacher at McFadden Intermediate School in Santa Ana, California. She also taught in Orange at both Yorba and Portola, middle/junior high schools. She also worked as a substitute at both the junior and senior high school levels.

As a beginning teacher, raised in England, she was assigned an American History class at Yorba and wore a red coat to her open house. As seems to be the habit in the U.S., she was given a half-dozen preps her first years–you know, history, English, French (two levels). Our administrators seem to try and break beginning teachers rather than trying to give them assignments that may encourage them to give their best and stay in the profession.

(As an aside, my first year consisted of a wood shop class and a metal shop class in two different rooms–my principal said they were both industrial arts classes, and, therefore, they were a single prep. Yeah. I also had four ninth grade history classes–two in the library and the other two were in Spanish classrooms during those teachers’ conference periods–after the department chairman had cherry-picked the students he wanted for his six ninth grade history classes.)

In addition to her American history class, Charlie was given the cheerleaders–they don’t have cheerleaders in England. Like I said earlier, give the newbie assignments that will break them. Don’t believe me? Look up how long the average new teacher actually stays in the teaching profession. Also, look up how many people have teaching credentials but are not teaching.

I have never met a more dedicated teacher than my wife. Her dedication really hit me in the face in the two and a half years since my own retirement. In that time I watched her plan and correct and grade student assignments again and again and again. She spent more time on her students than she did on herself, her cats and me combined. In spite of her health issues these last several years, her devotion to her students and her profession never flagged or wavered.

Being forced to retire has hit her hard. Life without teaching has left a void that will be difficult to fill–if that is even possible. But we will try.

We had seventy or more people at Saturday’s party. Charlie and I had a good time, and, so I believe, did everyone else.

Commercial Plug: food, chairs, tables, servers, bartender and etc. were handled by West Coast Event Productions. http://wceventproductions.com/

Photos taken at the party can be found on my Flickr page:

flickr dot com/photos/joe_aubuchon/

Handicapped Access

Any of you out there handicapped? Don’t you love it when

Spec. Ed. SAUSD Bus Blocks Access to Ramp.

someone without a handicapped plate/sticker takes a handicapped parking place,
someone with a handicapped plate/sticker takes a handicapped parking place and remains in the car while the non-handicapped driver/passenger goes into the store,
someone blocks access to a handicapped ramp or other access.

At McFadden Intermediate School in Santa Ana the Special Education buses block access to the handicapped ramps (and the drivers refuse to move when asked).

Meow

Mist and Smoke on Sunday (Siamese cats) — Mist and Smoke on Sunday

Retirement – 3.10.15

March 10, 2015May 9, 2015 Joe AuBuchon

Charlie finally said something nice about retirement this last weekend.

At about four in the afternoon, with a smile on her face, she said that it was nice that she didn’t have to go into the computer room and type out her lesson plans.

We sprang forward that day, and for the first time in sixty years I didn’t have to worry about the effects of losing an hour’s sleep on that weekend. I’m retired, and the clock really doesn’t matter.

Her knee is getting better.

She is throwing a retirement party for herself at the end of the month.

We went to her school today and brought some of her things home and gave some of her teaching materials away–to those who will use them to advantage.

I did some editing on my novel and finished reading one written by someone else.

Drank a beer in the garden as I read the book–while most were at work.

Yeah–retirement.

Bucket List

February 12, 2015May 9, 2015 Joe AuBuchon

Bucket List is a term meaning the things you would like to do before you “kick the bucket.”

I have another way of thinking about it, teacher that I am or, maybe, was—the time you stop learning is the time you begin to die. I would like to be around a while so I try to learn at least one new thing every year. Several years ago I learned how to juggle. More recently I learned how to roller blade. Last year I took a Tai Chi class. Now I’m writing a book. (I thought I was stretching things a bit when I set a goal of 100,000 words, but, just passing 102,000 words, the story is still telling itself to me. I think about three and a half more chapters and I’ll be done. Then on to the second book; yes, there’s still more story.)

I believe the best way to stay alive is to have something to look forward to. If you have nothing to look forward to, why bother?

Why this topic today? Well, it turns out that two of my favorite authors are currently writing a series of books—a “Five Book Dash” in a series I quite enjoy. I look forward to reading all of them and more. The authors are about my age and I hope they have genes like those that come from my mother’s side of the family.

One of the people commenting on their FB post said, “I’m 73. Hurry! You have to get them all done before I die . . .”

Reflecting on this I thought that when it’s time for me to go, I don’t want to have already done everything. I don’t want to regret not having done things. I want to be in the frame of mind that there are still things I want to do—if nothing else, I want to see what’s behind that final curtain. (For those of you who think me cynical: Yes, I’d even like to know if there’s nothing behind the curtain.)

Cheap Foreign Goods

Went to the beach today for lunch, puzzling, and reading. Stayed for about two hours. Heavens, it was absolutely beautiful, 82° and a slight breeze.

The picture is taken at Fifteenth Street. Background left is Catalina Island and background right is Palos Verdes.

Looking toward the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, I counted thirteen container ships—one coming in, one leaving and eleven at anchor offshore. That’s about eighty thousand containers of foreign goods waiting to be unloaded. Those of you still waiting for your Made in China winter coats—good luck.

Mist and Smoke

Smoke woke. (Siamese cats) — Smoke woke.

Haven’t posted any cat pictures lately so here are Mist and Smoke enjoying our California sunshine (safely indoors).

Sailing

January 7, 2015 Joe AuBuchon

Sailing

Today Southern California enjoyed what we sometimes call “Chamber of Commerce” weather. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the 70s and a gentle breeze.

A buddy of mine, Larry, owns a fourteen foot ‘Zodiac’ style boat and invited two of us to go with him. It was a ride through Newport Beach’s waterways and a short ocean jaunt to Laguna Beach. Calm seas, birds, seals and dolphins.

We stopped on the way back to eat and tied up near the Sabatino’s restaurant. Yummy.

Mike bought a hat to replace the one he lost on the way to Laguna.

Then it was back to the boat ramp and then home.

9 am to 2.30 pm – marvelous day. Hope your day went as well.

Sail On, Sail On

by Thomas Moore
1779 – 1852

Sail on, sail on, thou fearless bark–
Wherever blows the welcome wind,
It cannot lead to scenes more dark,
More sad than those we leave behind.
Each wave that passes seems to say,
“Tho’ death beneath our smile may be,
Less cold we are, less false than they,
Whose smiling wrecked thy hopes and thee.”
Sail on, sail on,–thro’ endless space–
Thro’ calm–thro’ tempest–stop no more:
The stormiest sea’s a resting place
To him who leaves such hearts on shore.
Or–if some desert land we meet,
Where never yet false-hearted men
Profaned a world, that else were sweet,–
Then rest thee, bark, but not till then.

Vacation Travels 2014 – Part 3

September 7, 2014October 24, 2017 Joe AuBuchon

Time to come home.

Alas, a week and a half before Charlie was due back at work it was time for us to head for home. Having done most of our packing the day before, it would seem that we would have little to do. But we still didn’t leave before noon.

Those who never closed a residence for a Minnesota winter don’t know about draining water. Turn off the water supply, turn off the water heater, open all the faucets and then drain the water heater. You don’t want water in the pipes to freeze and burst. Leave the heaters on low to prevent freezing the pipes and put RV antifreeze in the drains (after all the power might fail and the house freeze).

Travels and Motels

We said goodbye to Warroad a few minutes after noon and began our journey west. Roseau, Greenbush, Karlstad and then south at Donaldson as the construction/repair detour was still in effect (still unknown to OnStar and Waze). When we reached Warren we turned west once more and stopped at the Sky-Vu Drive-In Theatre. The current film showing was Tammy. We stopped, took a few pictures and resumed our journey to Moorhead.

Again we stayed at the Moorhead Travelodge, second floor smoking, cats. Nice room, good soundproofing as the motel is backed up to a busy rail line.

The next day it was I-94 across North Dakota to Wibaux, Montana and the Beaver Creek Inn (same room we had before). This time Charlie went with me to have dinner at the Shamrock Club, excellent meal and great atmosphere. Of course, she had to buy a Shamrock Club hat as a souvenir.

On to Bozeman, Montana and the Holiday Inn. This time the room was downstairs next to the back exit and it was a lot easier to move our luggage. Good room service dinner. This time we ordered three appetizers between us and no entrees, just the perfect amount of food.

Stopped in Haugan, Montana at the Lincoln’s World Famous 50,000 Silver $ Bar for a break and souvenir shopping. Stayed the night at the West Spokane Super 8. They messed up our reservation for a smoking handicapped room and I ended up toting our luggage up to the third floor (dirty word, dirty word, dirty word).

The next day it was south through Washington and then west along the Columbia River to Portland and south to Albany. A nice, easy day without too much Portland traffic.

Our last motel day was south on the I-5 to the Umpqua River and viewing elk at Dean Creek, a stop at the Mill Casino for an hour of slots and shopping for Charlie and the on to Arcata. The Arcata Super 8 still had not correctly fixed the handicapped room shower, but, otherwise, the room was fine.

Friday, it was south to Gilroy, California and Bill & Artie’s place. Artie had a good rib dinner from Nob Hill waiting

for us (and I, of course, ate too much of her macaroni salad) and we had a good talk and rest.

Saturday, it was south on the I-5 to L.A., with some stop and go traffic and home a little after six, a Subway sandwich for dinner and a sigh. It was good to be home.

Three days to get the house organized and luggage unpacked and Charlie was back to work (and I embarked on my third year of retirement).

Aside from the Super 8 screw-up in West Spokane the only negative about the trip home was the condom wrapper. At one of the motels, whose name I will not mention, Mist found an open condom wrapper under a bed missed by housekeeping. I mentioned this to the desk when I turned in our keys the next morning and they halved our bill. Quite nice; we’ve stayed there before and will again.