Maybe it is because of the recent visits from cherished long term friends. Maybe it is because I am approaching an anniversary at work that has an associated zero and yet another birthday, or perhaps it is the upcoming retirement party for a former co-worker, the unexpected departure of a current co-worker or the significant health challenges faced by my friend Linda and a couple of my neighbors...lately I have been thinking a lot about the "communities" I have been part of and the great people I have gotten to know with only the occasional snake. I have found that it is the relationships that matter, not the work or accomplishments, money or success, it is all about the relationships and shared experiences and memories that matter the most.

I really do plan to talk about glass on some of these posts, but the rest of my life is taking up most of my thought processes these days. I am on jury duty right now, can't say any more about that except that it puts me in downtown Portland with some time to kill at lunchtime and a lot of down time.

Today at lunch I noticed that the State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame is across the street from the courthouse so I went to visit my old friend Jean. Well, not Jean exactly, but her photos. Jean and I played soccer together many years ago and she also taught with my friend Linda. Jean passed away a few weeks ago so visiting her exhibit at the Hall of Fame was my small tribute to her. She was an amazing person, one of those who did the right things for the right reason at every turn. She is in the Hall of Fame because she is one of handfull of Oregonians who are Olympic Medalists. Jean was a skier, with a bronze and a silver to her credit, and as I learned today probably should have had a gold rather than silver . I had a little chat with the man who had collected my admission fee who was surprised that I had only spent a few minutes viewing the exhibits. I told him that I had wanted to see one thing. It turns out that he also knew Jean so it was touching to talk with him. Thanks for the memories!

We had a perfect Northwest summer afternoon, visiting our friends Bob and Linda wh live on Puget Sound. They are in the midst of a major remodel, with all but two bedrooms and one bathroom stripped down to the studs, a makeshift kitchen in the garage. It is far enough along that it is easy to see that the final result will be spectacular. We sat on their (intact) deck and ate clams that were in Hood Canal this morning and sipped wine while watching boats on the sound. It doesn't get much better than that. Whle Dan and Bob explored the details of construction, Linda and I had a chance to talk. As always we talked about our kids, including the fact that despite the turmoil in their lives, her son Matt passed his oral qualifying exam last week and can now pursue his PhD research in earnest. She showed me how well her craniotomy scar has healed. We talked about how she wants to apologize to the paramedic she battled as she came to in the ambulance after her seizure and her confidence in and appreciation for her healthcare providers. We talked about the symptoms she anticipates and what her naturopath recommends to minimize them. We talked about how the radiation oncologist asked "where's Linda?" when he entered the exam room where Bob and Linda were waiting--clearly he didn't see anyone who fit what expected to see from her surgery and pathology reports. We had a nice visit and I cam home with some of the old windows. Linda will take her first dose of chemotherapy before bed tonight, and begin radiation tomorrow as she begins what she describes as chemical warfare. If anyone can win this war it is Linda.