Day Two

Sleeping with AC was much nicer. Today is a financial day. Paying bills and making deposits and filing receipts. I'm trying to keep paperwork in order. The check from GVSU arrived yesterday and I called AustraLearn this morning and left a message to call me so I can arrange payment. I talked to Abby last night who was successful at reaching Alice at precisely the time I estimated she would be clearing customs.

A policeman was shot and killed in Grand Rapids on Sunday. A crazy dude about my age who was pissed off that his wife was divorcing him ambushed him with a shotgun. This took place about a mile away. Since Girbe and I are working on the Police History project, we're thinking it would be a good thing to attend the memorial service. We also know a bunch of cops and I am beginning to understand the weight of risking death in service to a community. Cops are totally aware of this fact and think about it everytime they strap on a gun.

I called Bruce Capel today. Bruce was one of my first friends in kindergarten and later was a neighborhood friend in high school despite the fact that he was a total jock...a natural athlete. Along with Herm Baker and Jim Postma, the four of us had built an amazing "clubhouse" on someone else's property that we had named, "The Clamphead". I don't recall how we came up with it... only the name. It had four, carpeted bunks and was nestled inside of a grove of scrub trees in a valley beneath a large pine tree that was leaning over at a 45 degree angle. We slept in it many nights until a rival club of kids tore it down and hauled away the lumber in one day. All that was left was an 10x10 patch of ground, a wobbly wooden stool and a wrecking bar, none of which belonged to us. I took the two portable items as a trade and I still have them today. (although, where the heck did I put the stool?)

I haven't talked to him in 25 years but I was calling about a house on Rosewood, a couple homes away from Betsy and Dan, that was for sale at a surprisingly low price. Bruce Capel was the name of the Realtor on the real estate sign. The house had sold instantly due to the fact that it was well below market price but we talked about beginning the process of looking for houses. That's OK since we are not yet ready to buy, but it would have been good to see what can be had and for how much.