Ducks and Beavers

 

November 2003

My Stories

A Return to Glacier

Slovenia & Croatia - Part 1

Slovenia & Croatia - Part 2

Barcelona

Bruges

Rome & Paris- Part 1

Rome & Paris- Part 2

New York Pretenders

6 National Parks in 6 wks

Mother of all Road Trips-1

Mother of all Road Trips-2

Mother of all Road Trips-3

Mother of all Road Trips-4

Containing Jim in Paris

Ranging the Yellowstone

Lisbon Portugal- Part 1

Lisbon and Sintra- Part 2

Evora Portugal- Part 3

Coimbra Portugal- Part 4

Porto Portugal- Part 5

At the Mammogram Office

Carmel Art Gallery

Venice- Part I

Veneto- Part II

Ravenna- Part III

Cinque Terre- Part IV

Vernazza Bonus- Part V

Granner

Crunch Time

Putting on the Ritz

Granada and Sevilla

Amsterdam

Tuscany and Umbria - 1

Tuscany and Umbria - 2

Driving in England

Dwelling in England

A Dozens Reasons

In the Hamam

Istanbul Greece Diary

Pearl Harbor Team

Old Girl

Paris

Provence

Grandpa's Cabin

Pay-It-Forward Latte

England and France

N. Italy - 1

N. Italy - 2

N. Italy - 3

N. Italy - 4

Lessons from 4 Corners

Mexico

Going to the Dogs

Don't Embarrass Me!

Letter from Siena

Arrivederci Roma

Joining the Matriarchs

Living History

Newlywed Game

Chaos Theory

Zach on the Road

Huckleberry Season

Stanley & the Sunbeam

I Dare Say

Legacy

Middle School Relay

Grad Party

Yellowstone

Moving On

Radio Shack

Newlywed Couches

Visitors

Old Faithful Inn

Snowbound

Sweet Potato

Mother Bear

Two Blondes in Iberia

Revisiting Spain

Four Seasons Camping

Curly's Truck.

Disaster Restorations

Bobbie the Wonder Dog

Ducks and Beavers

Wearing Red

Photo Boxes

Las Vegas Soufflé

40th Birthday Party

The Heart Tickler

Wonderful Little Things

Heritage Tour

Erickson Era

Old Buildings

Chelsea's

Split Seams

All Nighter

Talent Show

A Look Back

A short piece I wrote for an inquiry in the Statesman

I am a homemaker-Beaver married for over 20 years to a dentist/artist-Duck. My husband, Jim, comes from a family of rabid Ducks who initially squawked a collective "fowl" at our relationship. In my extended family, the women wear orange and the men wear green. While we Beavers didn't pick that other school, we pick their men. We think Ducks make for pretty good husbands. Plus, we Beavers excel at building bridges and dams across watery divides.

Early in our marriage, Jim and I were a bit competitive during football and basketball seasons. We've mellowed considerably, to the point of cheering for one another's school...except at Civil War time. On those days, Jim quietly drives to the home of one of our many male Duck relatives. Our eldest child started college this fall; neither of us lobbied for our school. Zach selected OSU for a variety of reasons, including his interest in their engineering program.

Our daughter teases Jim that every time he writes a tuition check, he's supporting the Beaver football team. Jim just smiles. He even proudly wears his bright orange "OSU DAD" sweatshirt he purchased at Dad's weekend last month, making sure to point out the "Dad" part to anyone who asks.

Duck fans questioning Jim's loyalty should know about my laundry room discovery. When tossing his Beaver sweatshirt in the wash, I always disentangle a certain t-shirt from underneath. It's his Duck shirt. The Beavers and Ducks may share a laundry hamper at our house, but my husband always wears the Ducks closest to his heart.