Dale Says

For more than 20 years I’ve been writing summaries of what’s going on in my life and in the world around me on my birthday. Here’s an excerpt from 1997 …

April 24, 1997

On my birthday I’m 46 years old.

The past winter was the wettest ever in California. There were floods and mud slides and several houses in Pacifica slid over the edge and into the Pacific Ocean. El Nino is the culprit and is now getting blamed for everything that goes wrong. Fortunately, we haven’t had any serious damage from the storms. At one point, the skylight in my bathroom was dripping on my head as I was shaving in the morning, but that didn’t last long. Overall, our place came out of it in good shape.

Our little house is looking good! Over the past year we built a cabinet in the living room to house our new fireplace, and it puts a wonderful finishing touch on the room. We love our fireplace and used it nearly every night this past winter.

Patty and I had another wonderful year together! She continues to give and give and is so full of life. She doesn’t want to miss out on anything, and I get to see a lot by going along. We are also fortunate to have two fabulous families and lots of great friends. Patty’s family has taken me in, and her Dad told us that he thinks of me as part of the family. That’s quite an honor!

We’ve done so much the past year: attending the Summer Olympics last July in Atlanta, a cycling tour through Holland, a trip to the winter ice carnival in Quebec, boating in Oklahoma, brother John’s wedding, Drakesbad, and Christmas with both families.

The Holland bike trip was the best yet! I loved walking through Amsterdam and the tulips were incredible. They seemed even more vibrant from our bicycles and at times they were in full bloom on both sides of the road. We made new friends on the tour and hope to stay in touch with them. And Kukenhoff Gardens were all they were billed to be.

In the news, last month 39 people were found dead at Rancho Santa Fe, California, in a carefully orchestrated group suicide. The Heaven’s Gate cult was made up of Web developers who used their site to recruit new members. They believed that the comet Hale-Bopp was being trailed by a spaceship that would transport them to a higher state of existence when they left their earthly bodies.

In U.S. politics, Bob Dole and Jack Kemp were nominated last August as the Republicans’ choice for president and vice president, and Bill Clinton and Al Gore were re-nominated as the Democratic choices. Clinton and Gore won the national election in November by a landslide, but the Republicans retained control of Congress.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana agreed to divorce last July, which had everyone talking and has the Queen and her family rather shaken.

Women continue to make great strides in all areas of society and business. Last December, President Clinton appointed Madeleine Albright as the first female U.S. secretary of state, and she seems to be doing a great job so far.

The best movies of the past year were The English Patient, Jerry Macguire, Fargo, Sling Blade, and Shine. Hottest actors/actresses were Tom Cruise, Ralph Fiennes, Frances McDormand, Billy Bob Thorton.