“Phun, Phun, Phun” -- Philadelphia to Phoenix

The NFC #6 seed, Philadelphia Eagles, comes to the Valley of the Sun to battle the NFC #4 seed, Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals were a higher seed than the Eagles because they ended up the weak Western Division champions. Philadelphia actually had a better regular season record.

The Eagles dropped the NFC #1 seed, New York Giants, by the score of 23 to 11, and the Cardinals plummeted the #2 seed, Carolina Panthers, 33 to 13. The two unheralded teams will meet in the NFC Championship game next Sunday. Go Cardinals!

The experts predictions must be classified as “failed predictions.” Some experts even broadcast that Arizona should not be in the playoffs and some said that they were the worst team ever to play in the playoffs. What does that say about the teams they beat, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers? Too bad experts! Get a real job.

From the Arizona Republic, Bob Young's Heat Index reported these negative statements against the Cardinals:

1. Fox Analyst, Daryl Johnston's commented at halftime of the Arizona-Carolina game when the Cardinals were up 27-7 that the Cardinals could have a horrible second half.
2. NBC Analyst, Cris Collinsworth at halftime of the Arizona-Carolina game called the Cardinals the worst playoff team in history.

Other questionable remarks included:

• Deion Sanders claimed that he would give up Super Bowl tickets if the Cards made it. Yeah right!

Many Cardinal fans are guilty of calling the Cardinals weak or other such negatives. But the 2008-2009 Cardinals appear to be real.

The University of Phoenix Stadium will stage a massive party next Sunday. Cardinal fans in Arizona have waited 20 years for a team they could cheer for. There will be “Phun” in Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun. That prediction will not “phail.”

As far as predicting a winner, I will leave that up to the "experts." As some people have said, "The Cardinals are as likely to go to the Super Bowl as a black man is being elected President of the U.S."

Update: HOORAY! The cardinals are going to the Super Bowl to play the Pittsburg Steelers.

Updated 1/21/2009

My Favorite Gospel Music

This song, I've Just Seen Jesus, by Sandi Patty and Larnelle Harris sends chills up and down my spine when I hear it.

One of my favorites songs is Amazing Grace. This song has been performed by many musicians and vocalists and one of my favorites, Elvis Presley, sings in the video below.

Another favorite is He Touched Me as sung by the Gaither Vocal Band.

My favorite Christmas song of late is Mary Did You Know, written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene, who sings it in the video below.

Sweet Hour of Prayer has always been one of my favorite hymns, but when I heard this recording by Vance Perry singing all four parts, I had to list it as one of my favorites.

Updated 1/12/09

Light Rail is Here

The light rail has come to Arizona in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. Bob and I rode the train on Saturday, December 27, from Tempe's Veterans Way and College Station to the Phoenix McDowell and Central Station. There we joined Alex for lunch at Cheuvront's.


Free parking was provided in a parking structure across from Sun Devil Stadium. The Veterans Way and College Station is Tempe's main stop. Activities included fireworks, festival booths, Fifth farmers market, green-scene booths, archaeology displays and live music throughout the day, including Tempe's own Roger Klyne & the Peacemakers.

While waiting for the train, we saw hikers climbing "A" Mountain. At the top of the mountain, we could see a huge Manora and the star of Bethlehem with the three wisemen.

Two war protesters held up a banner that said, "YOU CAN'T WIN AN OCCUPATION." Another cardboard sign below the banner said, "4215 Dead."

We had to wait for a second train because the first train was packed like sardines. After waiting 25 minutes, the train arrives. We became sardines packing our bodies into any available open space. An hour and 13 stations later while taking deep breaths and holding in our stomaches, we arrived at our destination. Alex drove us back from Cheauvront's to the garage to pick up Bob's car and drive home.

2008 Christmas in Phoenix

Click the picture for a larger view.


Thanks to Loleen and the Meadows Family for a beautiful gift for Christmas. We served the French Roast Coffee on Christmas Day.








Christmas dinner was prepared by Bob Jones and Chuck Plake. Guests included Rachel Thornton, Bryan Sallee and Alex Ontiveros. Pictured to the left is Rachel, Bob and Bryan.







Prime Rib Roast, cooked by Bob Jones on Christmas Day. Click here to find the recipe of Bob's Perfect Prime Rib.








'Twas a rainy day in the Valley of the Sun.









Decorations provided by Bob Jones. Click here for Bob's decorations.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

In January of this year, at a meeting of the Engineers Club of Sun City, Arizona. A.P.S. (the local power company) gave a presentation in which they explained their plans to build such a plant south of Phoenix below Gila Bend. They were very upbeat about it's possibilities. Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Take a look at this video and pay particular attention to the very last statement made by the spokesman.

http://www.valcent.net/i/misc/Vertigro/index.html

Bob's Christmas Decorations 2008

Bob Jones decorates magnificently. He works in a methodical fashion and loses track of time. Several neighbors in the his condominium complex marveled at his abilities likening it to Macy's display windows.









He placed two nativity scenes under the trees on the patio.









He made excellent use of poinsettias.









He decorated the walls and managed to save one tree for inside the house.









And Sophia watched...

Kerr, Porter must go

The old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” applies to the Suns current dilemma. Steve Kerr tried to fix the Suns, rather than fine tune them. Kerr brought Terry Porter in to fix the defense, but too much emphasis on change of an elite team created a lackluster, average team. Shaq and Porter won’t fix a fan-drawing playoff team that had a 65% winning percentage and that peeled off 15 and 17 consecutive wins. An NBA team only needs a defense that allows the other team to score one point less that the offense. Mike D’Antoni’s offense was better than the defense of all but a couple of NBA teams. And the team was much more fun to watch. Put the blame where it belongs. Get rid of Kerr and bring back D’Antoni as general manager and head coach.

The Law of The Garbage Truck

I get so many emails that have a lot of nothing to say, but his one gave me something to think about.

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.

We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy; and I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, The Law of the Garbage Truck.

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They runaround full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...... 'Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.'

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it.

~Author Unknown~

Thanks to Chris, I now know who the author is of this great work. It is David J. Pollay. More of his work can be found at http://www.davidjpollay.typepad.com.

Cool. We passed. We ran. We won!

Arizona State dominated Stanford in passing and almost all other facets of the game. ASU led not only in passing, but rushing and defense. The defense stopped Stanford's running game. Overall, the Sun Devils played super.

The crowd was big with 59,441 fans and the largest student section I have seen in some time. ASU (2-0, 1-0 Pac-10) has allowed Stanford only 23 points in the last three years, having scored 120 points against Stanford. Their next opponent is UNLV (1-1), who lost to Utah 42-21.

Keegan Herring and Shaun DeWitty entered the game for the first time this year, but Carpenter overshadowed them. Carpenter threw for 345 yards and was sacked only twice, four sacks less than the Stanford game last year.

The play of the game came with 52 seconds left in the first half. Stanford's Travis Golia kicked off out of bounds after the Cardinal scored a field goal to close within 3 points. The Sun Devils had already used their three time outs. The out-of-bounds kick off gave the Devils the ball on the forty and stopped the clock. The Sun Devils went for a touchdown rather that settling for a Thomas Weber field goal. The big play happened after the Cardinal were penalized for roughing Carpenter. Carpenter rolled right and found Kerry Taylor. Taylor outran cornerback Wopamo Osaisai, Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week, for a 45-yard touchdown and a 20-10 lead.

ASU dominated this game. Carpenter is going great now. It seems as though he is on a mission and if he keeps going, he will be a first round pick. After next week's game with UNLV, ASU dives into probably one of the hardest schedules in all of college football: four ranked teams in a row, not to mention #1 and #2 in the mix.

Stanford is going to be a big game for many other PAC-10 teams this year. This was a great win for the Devils.

Game Photos

2008 Diamondbacks

This year, I bought one of the D-Backs 10th anniversary packages. For $110, a person can buy ten tickets. My son and daughter also bought me one of the packages. The two packages allowed me to see ten games.

I took my grandson, Rob and his wife, Mel, to see one of the games, but for the remainder of the games, Alex went with me. Almost all of the games I chose, the D-backs were having a promotion. We were given T-shirts, duffle bags, bobbleheads of Bob Melvin, Eric Byrnes and Dan Haren, and an Eric Byrnes baseball cap--complete with blonde curls.

Although the tickets were reasonable, parking is $10 and the beers are $8.00 each. The rest of the drinks and food from the concessions were not cheap either. Being a cheapskate, I usually bought two bottles of water and a package of peanuts for $5.00 from a stand by the parking garage. Once in a great while Alex and I would buy a beer. I can't complain though. With the birthday gift tickets and the promotional items, I did alright with my expenses.

During the first seven games, the D-Backs were in first place. But as of yesterday, September 6, the Dodgers moved into first place by 1/2 game.

Not only are the games exciting, but the whole atmosphere is like a carnival with games for kids, tables in areas to visit and have a drink with a fellow sports fan. The organist is located in one of the areas and is approachable. He will sign autographs. And there is always something to arouse your interest. The rally backs throw out souvenirs in between innings; there are races and games on the scoreboard; and there are quizzes to clean out the cob webs in the brain and an opportunity to guess the night's attendance.

I truly enjoyed and am continuing to enjoy by birthday gift from my children, Ken and Jennifer. Thanks kids. I love you.

Congratulations to Gold Medal Winner Henry Cejudo

Writer Montini called it, "The feel good story of the Beijing Olympics." Henry Cejudo won the gold medal for the 55-kilogram (121-pound) division in wrestling. Cejudo, a Mexican-American is a citizen but his mother is not. After taking the gold, the former Maryvale High School athlete told the Republic's Norm Frauenheim, "This is cool, coming out of a Mexican-American background. It just feels so good. Not many Americans get to do something like this. I feel like I'm living the American dream."

What will happen to his mother? Who knows? Thanks to the media, Cejudo's mother is outed for having entered the country illegal before Henry was born. His father, who wasn't much in the picture during much of Henry's life died some time back in Mexico.

The Arizona Republic reports, "'Cejudo said he would have never won Olympic gold without some tough love from his brother, Angel, a four-time state champion at Maryvale. When I was growing up, I got a couple of knuckle sandwiches from him,' Cejudo said."

For all Americans, I can say that he represented us well. To see him run around the ring with the American flag with a jubilant smile on his face shows that he is a real American.

Why not allow his mother become a citizen?

Other Articles: Cejudo's medal golden for Maryvale; Maryvale basks in Cejudo's golden glow; AZ notes: Gold win nets Cejudo $65K; A Valley wrestler, an American dream, a Beijing gold.

My Tribute to Mommaw

Mommaw, her sister, Ruby, and their husbands together with several other Saints of God founded Gospel Mission, which later became Life Tabernacle. Rev. Joe K. Ballard was the pastor until my dad, Charles F. Plake, became pastor in the late 1950s.

On April 1, 1959, Mommaw became my step mother. My dad "eloped" with Elmeta Plake to be married in Prescott, Arizona. It is my understanding that the two of them asked Loleen, my sister, and Linda, Mommaw's daughter who that day became my step-sister, as witnesses so that people didn't think that it was an April fool's joke.

Mommaw had the memory of an elephant and would argue with anyone who challenged her memory. My Dad always said that Mommaw would argue with a sign post. I brought this to her attention on a couple of occasions. She agreed with a smile confirming my comments.

She was an easy person to get along with. Mommaw, Bob Jones and I traveled on Amtrak to San Antonio to attend Becky Courade-DeFossett's wedding and a CFPlakeFamily Reunion. It was Mommaw's first and last train trip. We arrived in San Antonio five hours late--not bad for Amtrak. But the return trip took 48 hours, which I believe is an Amtrak record.

We did not complete the trip by train. Amtrak flew us from El Paso to Tucson to retrieve our car. You would think that an 86 year old lady would be uncomfortable. If she was, we didn't know it. Mommaw did not complain the whole trip. In fact, she comforted Bob and me. She kept quoting her favorite verse, Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Mommaw had a long life, but she wanted to outlive her sister Ruby, who lived almost 99 years. Mommaw lived for ninety wonderful years.



Much kudos to Rachel for organizing a party that celebrated her life on her 90th birthday, September 23. And thanks to the members of Life Tabernacle who attended the celebration. Mommaw appreciated it too. She talked about it each time that I visited her afterwards. At the gathering, I proposed a toast to Mommaw's long life and concluded by saying, "And may she live another ninety years."

Mommaw responded by saying, "That's a long time."







Below is one of Mommaw's favorite songs that my Dad sang, entitled, Time Has Made a Change in Me by Harkins Freye.

1. Time has made a change since my childhood days;
Many of my friends have gone away,
Some I never more in this life will see
Time has made a change in me.

Chorus:
Time has made a change in the old home place;
Time has made a change in each smiling face,
And I know my friends can plainly see
Time has made a change in me.

2. In my childhood days, I was well and strong
I could climb the hillside all day long,
I am not today what I used to be
Time has made a change in me.

3. When I reach my home in that land somewhere,
With my friends who wait to meet me over there,
Free from pain and care I'll forever be,
Time has made a change in me.

Mommaw, I love you and will always have an album of your memories impressed in my mind.

A tour of ASU Sports Facilities

Recently, Jim invited me along with his employee, Gabe, to the Tempe Diplomats’ tour of the Sun Devil Sports Facilities.

The tour started in the Wells Fargo Arena Wells, the home for Sun Devil men's and women's basketball as well as volleyball, gymnastics and wrestling, is one of the nation's finest collegiate arenas. Constructed in the spring of 1974 at the cost of $8 million, the 14,198-seat facility also plays host to graduation ceremonies and a variety of concerts and shows.

We were then led to the Ed and Nadine Carson Student Athletic Center. On the first floor is the Hall of Fame and trophy cases of all the trophies won by the Sun Devil sports teams. On another floor is the center is the state-of-the-art 16,000-sq. foot weight room at the Lawrence Strength and Conditioning Center.

In the football locker room is a view of Sparky, the symbol of Sun Devil athletics.

The tour ended with a buffet at Karsten Golf Course Club House. The Karsten Golf Course is home to the ASU Golf Program, which turns out winning teams year after year. Many touring professionals have honed their skills on the fairways and greens of this classic Pete Dye, Scottish links course.

Mommaw's 2007 Christmas

Bob Jones, Rachel and I enjoyed Christmas Eve Dinner at Mimi's in Mesa with the intention of visiting Mommaw at Springdale West in Mesa. Bob Jones developed a nose-bleed and had to return home.

Rachel and I carpooled from the restaurant to the nursing home. When we arrived in Mommaw's room, she was asleep. She looked very peaceful. Rachel tried to wake her on a couple of occasions but had to shake her before she finally woke up. She told us that she wished that she knew we were coming. I don't know why, there is nothing more that she could do. Teddy (a present Santa had given her) was sleeping next to her on her bed.

Mommaw tends to slip in and out of the present time. She told us that she spent the night with Quincy the other night but that they get up too early. Quincy went to see the Lord several years ago. She introduced me and Rachel as her grandson and granddaughter. On one occason, I left her room to sit across the hall as one of the aides was dressing her roommate to sit in her wheelchair. Mommaw saw me and told Rachel, "There's Charlie Plake across the hall."

After the roommate exited the room, I returned to Mommaw's room. She saw another patient rolling through the hall. She said "There goes Charlie Plake." Then spoke loud enough for the man to hear, "Charlie, I want you to meet my grandson and granddaughter."

It is sad to see Mommaw like this. I remember when she had the memory of an elephant. My dad said that she would argue about what she remembered and usually won. I believe the incident she told us about Quincy actully happened but that it took place several years ago and her brain makes her think that it just happened.

Rachel and I took Mommaw into the conference room to open her presents. We enjoyed our time with her. Often she talked about several of the people that were attended her 90th Birthday Party. I tried to tell her who was in attendance, but my 71-year-old brain had a few problems of its own.

Poor Rachel. She had a hard time keeping Mommaw and me straight.

What is a Best Friend?

My son asked me the other day, “Why is Jim your best friend?”

I fumbled and stumbled and came up with a couple of whimsy answers, “Because I do everything he says and because we have a lot in common.” The first answer, meant to be a joke, is far from the truth. The second answer is not really true either.

Although we enjoy several things in common, there are many things that we don’t have in common. We both like the Sweet Adelines, we both prepare taxes (He is more experienced than I.), and we were Delta Sigma Pi fraternity brothers. I like sports; he doesn’t. I like to eat; he is very careful what he eats. I weigh almost twice his weight. And the beat goes on.

The question started me thinking. I asked Jim, “Why are we best friends?” His answer, “I can tell you things and you won’t repeat them.” In other words, he can trust me. And I feel the same way about him. I trust him like I would trust a brother.

I looked up “What makes a best friend?” on the Internet. Wikipedia states, “Best Friend, someone with whom one shares the strongest friendship.” WordNet defines best friend as the one friend who is closest to you.

Other quotes found in Blogs:
• "A true friend is that rare soul who sees right through you but will see you through."
• “Someone you can count on... someone who won’t judge and someone who gives without wanting in return.”

I found all of these quotes true with our relationship. I am still thinking "What is a Best Friend?" although it doesn’t make a difference if I know or don’t know. I will always love my best friend like a brother.

My Quality Time with Ken

Today, I spent the day with my son, Ken, who will be 50 next year. Slow down, son, you are making me older. ‘Twas a nice thought to spend the day with his Dad.

Ken came to the Valley to attend a Boeing planning seminar at the Sheraton in Mesa. On Sunday, we met at my house in Tempe, had lunch at Monti’s La Casa Vieja in Tempe, checked into the Sheraton in Mesa, watched the Cardinals beat the Cleveland Browns and the BCS Bowl Selections in his room and chowed down at dinner in the hotel restaurant. Ken telephoned Kim several times earlier in the day to get a play-by-play description of the San Diego Chargers football game, his favorite football team.

On Monday and Tuesday, Ken had meetings. Today, he drove me to the V.A. Hospital in Phoenix for my doctor’s appointment. While I was visiting with my doctor, he studied for a course pursuing his master’s degree at Biola University, a private Christian University in Southern California.

After leaving the hospital, Ken and I lunched at Durant’s, a legendary steakhouse in the heart of Phoenix. Not knowing what to do, we watched Sea Monsters, a 3-D movie at the IMAX Theater in Arizona Mills Mall.

What a day! It was a joy to be with my son. I can see that he inherited several of my traits. He likes school, enjoys researching, cheers for his favorite sports teams, is quiet and unassuming and is a great overall human being. :-) I love him very much.

APS Fantasy of Lights

Bob and I tried to attend the Tempe APS Fantasy of Lights two nights in a row. On Friday night, we walked Mill Avenue to view the parade. We asked several Mill Avenue businesses employees but no one could tell us anything. The bartender at Rula Bula's searched the New Times and discovered the parade was Saturday night.

The Arizona Republic's Friday edition had printed that the parade would take place "today". Doesn't anyone proofread papers anymore?

The New Times announced that we could have free parking if parade-goers would donate a can of food for needy families. We took four cans, but no one was at any of the parking lots to collect the food. Doesn't anyone proofread papers anymore?

Both papers reported, "Parade begins at 6:00 p.m. on Mill Avenue, south from 3rd St. to 7th St., west on 7th St. to Maple, north on Maple to 5th St., west on 5th to Ash in Tempe."

But the APS Website said, "6:30 p.m." Doesn't anyone proofread papers anymore?

We missed most of the event except for the parade because of the false reporting. We had fun though. I guess that's all that counts. We waited 1 1/2 hours for the parade to begin, but it only lasted thirty minutes. Santa was on time as he graced Mill Avenue at 7:00 p.m.

The wait made us tired. So we went home to rest and watch TV. A good night for two old retirees.

USC Too Powerful

The Arizona State Sun Devil football team played like they had eaten too much turkey this Thanksgiving day. The tryptophan from the turkey took its toll on the team causing them to play sloppy almost the whole game.

In past games, the Sun Devils were noted for their lackluster play in the first half but outscored their opponents by a huge margin in the second half. Tonight was a different matter. USC was sharp throughout the whole game, but ASU played sloppy the whole game. Final score was 44-24 in favor of USC.

The atmosphere was fun though. Shelly and Craig Foster, Jim and Margie Beaton’s daughter and son-in-law, were seated next to me cheering for their Sun Devils; Little Richard together with backup from the Sun Devil Band provided half-time entertainment, screaming out, “Good Golly Miss Mollie” and a couple of his other hits; and Charles Barkley stood on the sideline in support of what he called, “my Sun Devils.”

Signs in the student section read: “O.J. Stole My Other Sign” and “We Beat Stanford.” O.J. was a star for USC. Stanford beat USC but lost to ASU 41-3.

ASU has a very slim chance of going to the Rose Bowl. For ASU to stand a chance of spending New Year’s Day in Pasadena, USC must lose to UCLA; Oregon must lose to Oregon State; and ASU must beat Arizona. That’s a tall order.

Do you feel a recession coming on?

Yes, I feel a recession coming. I am trying to sell my house. The last time I tried to sell a house started the 1990 recession.

I Like Molasses

Today, I was looking up a no-sugar-recipe for pumpkin pie and ran across one that used Splenda and molasses. Molasses reminded me of a song my Dad sang to Loleen and me that included these words: "'Cause I like molasses, good ol' country sorghum. I eat 'em in the summer and the fall."

I looked the words up on the Internet and sure enough I found words as remembered by Big Jim from Jackson. They go as follows:

Everybody has some food that they like best,
Somethin' that they're fond of, more than all the rest.
Mine is black molasses. They really are the stuff.
I eat 'em morning, noon, and night. I never get enough,
'Cause I like molasses, good ol' country sorghum.
I eat 'em in the summer and the fall.
Get 'em hot and get 'em spread On a big hunk of short'nin' bread,
That's the way I like 'em best of all!

I went to see my sweetie just the other day.
She had supper ready; wanted me to stay.
She didn't have no 'taters; didn't have no meat.
Just a big black jug of molasses was all she had to eat.
'Cause she likes molasses, good ol' country sorghum.
She eats 'em in the summer and the fall.
When they trickle down my chin, I let her lick 'em off again;
That's the way I like 'em best of all!

Grandpa's teeth are missin', ever' single one.
When he eats his molasses, he smacks 'em with his gums.
And Grandpa's eyes are failin'. He can't hardly see
Just what's in his molasses, but never a care gives he.
'Cause he likes molasses, good ol' country sorghum.
He eats 'em in the summer and the fall.
When they get so thick with flies They resemble raisin pies,
That's the way he likes 'em best of all!