Our Son, The Cellist, Troubadour, "Third Seven"...

Billy Mickelson.  Our oldest son.  He was born to be a musician.  From his earliest years, when he donned his father's headphones, listened to the music on the stereo, and sang to the top of his voice for all the world to hear, we knew that something wonderful was going to evolve from this little one!  At the age of 2, he would climb up onto the stool in front of a drum set in a music store and bang on those drums to whatever beat was going on in his head.  Or he would sit in his dad's lap at the piano or harpsichord and move his little fingers across the keys, making his own little sounds.  At the age of 4 he was taking violin lessons (Suzuki) in Taos, New Mexico.  And at the age of 14 he was given a guitar by his step-mom for Christmas, had only a month's worth of lessons, and the rest is history.

He has always had a beat going through his brain.  His teachers couldn't stop him from drumming on his desk with a pencil and while driving, his hands are moving constantly to some unheard beat.  Sometimes, I wish I could climb inside his head and hear what he hears and feel what he feels

When Billy was in High School, some of his friends and he got together and formed a rock band.  After High School, that rock band morphed into "Mr. Potato!"  His father and I attended some of his shows in Bend and Redmond, and, by golly, that boy was really good.  His friends Beau (on drums) and () (On bass guitar) stayed with Billy for quite some time.

Eventually, Billy formed a few other bands with friends like Casey, who wrote some amazing blues songs, and Robert Kinisten to form Misle.  Robert played the piano, and by this time, Billy had picked up and mastered the cello.  From all of these groups, Billy eventually morphed into a solo cellist "band"called Third Seven  (he does percussion and vocals and other sounds on his cello using a looping technique which turns out a song that sounds like he is not alone!)

In 2006 or '07, Billy took his music (Third Seven) on the road, traveling across country several times and then "over the pond" to Europe and Scandinavia to introduce his music to a new market.  He was quite successful and completed three tours in Europe.

For several years, Billy pretty much stayed local in Bend, Oregon and would hit the road only a few times a year to play in various venues, festivals and has even finished a musical score for a movie short which had plans to open somewhere in the south last year with some success.  He has decided that 12 years on the road has tired him out a bit, so he has slowed down.

I can't understand how the musical brain works.  His dad has the same gift, but I only hear music in my head and can sing a tune here and there, but playing an instrument eludes me.  I am just grateful for the gifts this young man has been given and the creative way he has shared them with the rest of the world.

Billy's dad and I recently moved to Arizona, and in the brutal winter this year, Billy decided to move south with us.  He has been living with us (it is his base) for several months now, picking up some shows in Phoenix and the surrounding areas.  Come summer, he plans to return to Bend and escape the heat of Arizona.  He says, "I'll probably become a Snowbird--escaping the winter for Arizona and the heat for Oregon."

Music is his life!  He knew it early in his life, and with our support he had the courage to follow his dream.  He has managed to make it as successful as he wants it.  He does not crave fame or fortune, his only goal with his music is to bring some joy and sense of belonging to those who care to listen.  He has traveled far and wide and has gathered many friends and loyal fans along the way.  He doesn't ask for much in return, only the joy in his heart that he has pleased someone.

God bless you, son!  I pray you can continue to share your gifts for a good many years to come, if that is your destiny.  And as you continue to mature, I look forward to what new and creative melody you give voice to in the future.

The Nineteenth Year of the Twenty-First Century...

What can we expect from this New Year?  More Joy and laughter?  More never before experienced, jaw-dropping experiences?  More new babies?  Perhaps another wedding or two?  Only God holds the answers to those questions.  I suspect that there will be a smattering of sadness and sorrow thrown into the mix, just for good measure...there always is.  Certainly not to my liking, of course, but it just seems to be the way things work.

At my age, I make no plans...what's the use?  We have everything we could ever need, including our very own new retirement home in Prescott Valley, Arizona.  Our children are all grown, healthy and most of them are raising their own families, or enjoying their grandchildren.  Our Billy never ceases to amaze us with his amazing gifts and his heart of gold; and JerriAnne has the most beautiful spirit and attitude about her.  They are my examples of strength and goodness.  Our health is as good as could be expected for anyone our age.  And I still have my brain, a good measure of my eyesight, most of my hearing and I am able to still put one foot in front of the other and manage to walk around the block without huffing and puffing.

No, we have no wants or needs, except that those gifts that were given to us throughout our lives...you know, family, friends, the Church families we enjoy, and SUNSHINE will never be taken away from us!  Oh, how I love sunshine!  After having been deprived of it for the better part of the last 13 years, I have made up my mind to thoroughly enjoy each and every day of it for whatever allotted time I am allowed to stay on God's beautiful earth.

I plan on smiling more and frowning less; finding the good in everyone and dismissing the bad; thinking more positively and less negatively;  loving more and disliking anything or anyone less; and reading as many books as I can get my hands on, beginning with the Scriptures.  That last one is a challenge for me, because I cannot read as fast as I used to due to the loss of a lot of my vision, but I refuse to give up.

When I reflect upon my blessings and begin "numbering them one-by-one,"I find my list growing longer and longer each and every day.  My life has been full to the brim and I pray that, God willing, this coming year of 2019 will prove that my "cup can run over" and still have room for more.

As Tiny Tim said in "A Christmas Carol," "God Bless Us.  Every One!"

Three Grandchildren...Three Weddings...

I cannot leave this year without talking about three amazing events that will change the lives of three of my grandchildren forever.  Three Weddings!

The first wedding that Dean and I were privileged to go to took place on April 19th in Gatlinburg, Tennessee!  It was a very long trip for us, but so worth it!  It was the wedding of my Grandson, Brendan Messex, to his beautiful bride, Railyn.  It took place on a mountaintop overlooking the beautiful Smoky Mountains.  What an amazingly beautiful day!

I shall forever count myself as blessed to have been there that day for Brendan's special day.  He has been a delightful spirit from the day he was born and I have felt a closeness with him that I cannot explain.  God bless you both as you go forward.  I love you!

The second wedding took place in Pine Valley Mountain, Utah on August 25th.  It was the marriage of Brendan's big sister, Elissa Newby, to Travis DelToro.  Another beautiful day, a spectacular setting and a gorgeous bride!  I came to this wedding alone (and then spent a week with my daughter, Heather, the mother of both of the Bride!)

Elissa will always hold a special place in my heart.  I was there the day she was born!  I watched as the medical team worked hard to save both her and her mother.  It was a day I fell to my knees in tears and praying for God's intervention.  Prayers were answered that day; and from that day forward, Heather, Elissa and I have had a special bond.  Go forward, dearhreart, and be happy.  God bless you both and always know that I love you.

The last wedding...the one that took place just before our move to Arizona...was held on a beautiful beach in San Clemente, CA on October 19th.  I flew (alone again) to Santa Ana, where my daughter Kim picked me up.  Her daughter, Kellie Messick, was to be married to Jordon Madison.  It was a hectic time in the beginning, as Kim was so busy doing just about everything herself, working herself nearly to a frazzle!  Kellie is her youngest daughter and the last of her children to get married.
It was a glorious day and after all of the hard work, turned out to be a beautiful, successful wedding.

Three separate journeys...three new lives begun.  And to think they are mine and Gerry's posterity!  I pray their futures together are as full and blessed as mine has been.  Love is a very beautiful blessing given to us by our Father in Heaven.  It is powerful, it is trying at times, and the blessings it brings into the lives of those who have the willingness to nurture it and let it bloom, have far more worth than diamonds or rubies or pearls.  God bless these children on their journeys.  I love you all!

Another Trip Around the Sun...

It is hard for me to imagine that yet another year has passed, one filled with so many changes in our lives.  The biggest change for us was our move to Arizona!

It is Christmas time and we are enjoying a wonderful visit from our son, Billy, who drove that gosh-awful distance in 17 1/2 hours (15 of which were "straight through!").  He is the joy of my life and I shall forever be grateful for him.

We also shared a visit from Dean's cousins from Phoenix, Carol and Charlie.  They couldn't stay long, so we didn't plan any real touring with them, just a wonderful lunch of homemade enchiladas, salad and Gingerbread Cookies.  We had a lovely visit.

Arizona is going to be our home for the rest of our lives and if the ending is as good as the beginning, it will be "A Wonderful Life!"  We have both settled into our respective churches...Dean into a little Presbyterian Church that is only about a mile and a half away from our house; and me, into my LDS Church which is a bit further north of town off Highway 89A.  Dean will be playing in the Bell Choir for Christmas and also playing his Flugelhorn for Christmas Eve.  He will play "O Holy Night," which he has already played for my church's Christmas Breakfast!  On Sunday, December16th, I gave my first talk at Sacrament Meeting.

Prescott and Prescott Valley have a boatload of Holiday activities to help "Make the Season Bright."  Among them are the Acker Night in downtown Prescott on December 7th, which is a fundraising activity to help support the Acker Music Park Association.  The money helps provide music programs for the local schools.  Every shop around the courthouse square opens their doors at night and hosts some form of musical talent on display!  We had a wonderful time at this activity.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hosted their 7th Annual Community Christmas Concert and Nativity Display on December 9th.  For us, it was our 1st attendance and we were treated to the beauty of the various Nativity collections from all around the world and a wonderful Christmas Concert!  I love a good Christmas Concert and it was so nice to be in the audience, enjoying the talents, and not up there singing.  The Church also launched a "Light the World" campaign the beginning of December to bring awareness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our Communities, neighborhoods, families and to ourselves.

Dean and I attended a lovely Installation of Officers meeting at his new Lodge, Aztlan Lodge 1 in Prescott.  He is delighted to have found a new lodge where he can become active again.  The luncheon was delightful.

With Billy here, we drove to the Prescott Inn to view a nice display of Gingerbread Houses from the community.  Some of them were quite creative and several ribbons were awarded.  After that, we drove through "TheValley of Lights," which is about a mile long display of lights for the Holiday Season.  There was the "Twelve Days of Christmas," Charlie Brown, various cowboy scenes, a Nativity and village, and many, many others, finishing up with Santa in his sleigh.  We drove through tunnels of lighted Poinsettias, Candy Canes and Snowflakes!  Well done, Prescott Valley!

On the 26th, the three of us attended a concert given by "Manheim Steamrollers!!"  We all enjoyed that amazing night of entertainment.  I love their iconic blend of musical treats and we were not disappointed.  It was fun to realize that only a few days earlier, this same event center was where we took Billy to enjoy an hour or so of ice skating!  He is very good, and he had a great time!  Now, at the concert, the ice is covered up with a floor and hundreds of chairs for the audience.   This is the modern day we live in!

We filled our eight days with Billy with as many activities as we could, and enjoyed a lot of family time at home, having deep discussions and playing games.  It was hard to say goodbye to Billy as he drove away on the 29th to face that long 17 hour drive back.  We will miss him.

I have filled this year-end blog with our new adventure, but as I count our blessings, they include many others from the first day of the year to the last.  We will miss Newport.  The coast of Oregon was our home for nearly 14 yers and the state of Oregon for 20!  We very nearly put down roots there, but I guess the ground is just too soggy.  We shall see what Arizona and its sand has to offer us for the rest of our lives.

We had a joyous Christmas, and now look forward to an interesting New Year -- 2019!

Who Would Have Thought? Part Three...

I had no idea when I began my project of writing the history of my dad's restaurant, Pickle Bill's, that I would have such a wonderful success with it.  I self-published, using a local Print Shop in Newport, Oregon and initially ordered 50 copies.  Those went quickly, so I ordered another 25.  I did not think they would all sell, but they did!  And so, I ordered another 25.  With each printing, the gracious printer gave me a few extras, so by the time I sold the very last one, I had shipped a total of 109 copies out the door.  I will not publish any more.

I write this, because I wanted to record in my Blog the fact that (1) I actually accomplished something that many, many people appreciated; and (2) I found my voice and the joy that writing something so special to my heart can bring.  I did this for my dad.  I dd it to keep his memory alive.  I did it to let people know what an exceptionally special man he was and what an amazing entrepreneur he was long before that word was even used as much as it is today.  Lastly, I did it for me, because I needed to feel good about something that I had written.  And I do!

And so, I put to bed the little publication that gave so many, including myself so much joy in the remembering.  I thank God for the gift of being able to string together a few words to make a sentence, a few sentences to make a paragraph, a few paragraphs to make a page, and a few pages to make a book.  Thank you, Daddy, for the material woven through my memories that I was able to spin into a tale.  I love you and I miss you very much.

Good night "Pickle Bill's!"  May you rest in your over 100 bookshelves, wherever they are, and not gather too much dust!

James Harvey Davenport, 1985

James Harvey Davenport, 1957

Author, Florene Davenport Henderson-Mickelson, 2013

An Unfortunate Space of Lost Time...Part Two

 I left this writing last time with Dean and I working toward our goal of retirement in Arizona.  2018 was a year of "waiting!"  We had to wait for Dean's investment money to kick in so we could have a down payment on a house; we had to wait till he finally decided to stop working for the part-time job he had at Mike's Pharmacy in Toledo, Oregon; and we had to wait until we were ready to make the move.  Meanwhile, we busied ourselves with packing, as though we were going to move, and other extra-curricular activities like music and Church.

In April, part of the retirement money started to trickle in.  That gave us a little hope.  In July, some more money came forth.  Finally, in September, the final installment came in and we felt uplifted somewhat and began moving forward.  Dean's job at the Pharmacy ended in July, not his decision, but Mike's.  So we were definitely in the "Retirement" mode!

We took a very long round-trip road trip to Prescott in September.  The best part of the trip was stopping to stay with family along the way.  We drove to Las Vegas and stayed with Heather and Rich before trekking onward to Prescott (4 1/2 hours from Vegas!).  We had a lovely visit with Heather and family.

Onward to Prescott where we stayed in a little motel in the center of town.  We would be there for a week, so we made ourselves at home and enjoyed the time spent there.  We met with our Realtor and he was gracious and took us around to visit 6 homes that he wanted to show us.  The first three were ok, but seemed to have one or two features that we just couldn't abide.  One, though it was a lovely home with a beautiful backyard, was on a 1/4 mile of dirt road full of ruts and holes and hills.  That part, we did not like.

The fourth home was perfect!  It was on a quiet street corner and had a 15 foot (+/-) tall Blue Spruce in the front and a flag pole!  There were so many features we really liked, such as tile floors throughout, except for the bedrooms which were faux wood floors.  It had beautiful living room and front bedroom windows with wood blinds.  The kitchen, though on the small side, had a nice pantry and a good sized dining area off to one side.  It was a 22 year old home, but we fell in love with it and made an offer.

We waited only one day to hear that our offer had been accepted.  We got busy signing a lot of paper work and then were in the process of waiting to see if our loan would be approved.  That would take a month or so.  We used the rest of our time in Prescott exploring the area some more.  The home we made the offer on was in Prescott Valley, a 20+ minute drive east of Prescott itself.  We chose to look at homes in Prescott Valley mostly because they were less expensive.  To live in Prescott proper, we would have had to pay $100,000 or more extra for an equivalent home.  It's all good, however, because they both enjoy the same sunshine and have that wonderful Arizona air!

At the end of our week, we headed back to Newport, via Las Vegas (stayed with Heather again) and  through Utah where we visited with Mark and the kids in St George for lunch. We had a lovely visit. Those kids are growing up so much.  We then headed north to Provo/Orem, where we stayed one night with Debi and Brian.  We got to see JerriAnne while there, as well.  Our next stop would be Boise, Idaho, where we would stay one night with our good friends, Kathy and Arlo Lien.  Kathy was one of the first friends we acquired while we lived in Crooked River Ranch in Oregon.  We had a wonderful stay and visit.

The next day, we drove nearly straight through to Bend and then on to Newport.  We had hoped to see Billy while in Bend, but he was out of town on a tour somewhere.  We were sad that we had missed him.

By the middle of October we learned that our loan had been approved!  We were now on full throttle ahead!  We finished packing, arranged for the moving van to pick up our household goods on the 27th, said our good-bye's to friends,  and said good-bye to Billy who drove to our house from California.  He then headed home to Bend.

And so it was that on the 27th day of October--with our little house emptied and cleaned from top to bottom--the Mickelson's began the long drive from Newport, Oregon to Prescott Valley, Arizona to begin a new chapter in our lives.

We loaded our car and started our journey down the road, this time by-passing family and driving through California instead.  We drove for 2 1/2 days, staying our nights in Fresno and Barstow, arriving in Prescott Valley on a Tuesday afternoon.  We met with our Realtor who had some more papers for us to sign.  The next morning, October 30, we met with the Loan Officers and signed another boat-load of papers and transferred our money to them for the down payment.  When we left the office, we felt relief.  Our search was over, our purchase was made, and we soon would be home-owners again!  Our home became a reality!  Scary and relieved at the same time.

We spent the remainder of that day shopping for furniture for our home!  We found a lovely used dining-room set and a chair and ottoman.  That would be all that we needed for awhile.  We also bought a dryer and a couple of rugs for the two bedrooms.  Dean did not want a rug in the living room or our bedroom.

There were a few things that had to be fixed which the home inspector found and we ordered those things done as soon as possible.  Those items would be at the sellers expense, not ours.  On October 31st, Halloween day, our moving van arrived and everything began to be unloaded either into our house or into the garage.   We filled the garage with a million boxes and our spacious house with what furniture we had.  The piano and harpsichord were the most important pieces for the Living room.  It only took them 2 1/2 hours to unload, where it had taken them 4 1/2 hours to load in Newport!  We were relieved to have all of our belongings fit into one house instead of a little house and a storage unit.  Whew!

We worked feverishly to get the "necessaries" put away, were delighted with the delivery of our purchases, and began to feel comfortable in our new home.

The rest of the story is all about settling in.  That will take quite a long time.  I can honestly say that we are happy to be here where I can look out of my window and see blue skies and sunshine every day.  I will miss my ocean view, but we enjoyed that for over a year and a half and I have many, many photos and memories.  We shall miss our son being so far away, but he has opted to make Oregon his home and he is not a child anymore.  He is a man and can certainly make his own decisions.  We will miss our friends, but they, too live on in our memories.  It is time now to turn the page and start that new chapter in our lives we have been planning for so long.  We both are looking forward to that adventure!

One last post-script:  It was an amazingly wonderful experience for us on Thanksgiving to have Heather, Rich and the kids and Lis and her new husband, Travis, here for Thanksgiving.  It was truly a wonderful Thanksgiving day.  So much to be thankful for!

An Unfortunate Space of Lost Time...Part One...

I have reviewed my last writing, and I find that I have left an unusually long period of time lapse.  Most of this quiet time was unfortunate, but there is a pretty good excuse for the most recent months.  My husband and I have experienced a huge change in our lives.  After thirteen (13) years of coastal living from Brookings, Oregon to Lincoln City to Newport, Oregon, we have uprooted and moved to an entirely different environment in the High Desert of the State of Arizona.  This desert clime is not foreign to either of us, however, as Dean spent most of his life in New Mexico and I spent a good deal of mine there and in Southern Utah.  So we are familiar with the desert.

This move began in the summer of 2017, when Dean had been challenged with an early retirement (not of his choosing) from Walmart Pharmacy.  He came to me with a question, "Where do you think we should spend the rest of our retirement years together?"  This question brought many answers, but no real solutions.  If I had my druthers, I would move back to my beloved Utah.  Dean was not too keen on that idea.  He thought moving to Washington State, closer to his father (who is 91 years old) would be a better idea.  I didn't feel that that would change the climate we had lived in on the coast very much.  Then, we thought of Southern California together.  We had spent some time in the Carlsbad area and fell in love with the climate and the beautiful beaches there.  However, we did not fall in love with the high population creating unreal traffic problems on the freeways; nor did we fall in love with the high cost of living there.  So #3 was ruled out.

We knew that we did not want to live anywhere in Oregon.  Too many bridges had been burned and we could not envision ourselves returning to any of the places we had already lived.  Then, one day I saw something on the internet that caught my eye. It was an invitation to visit Prescott, Arizona.  We had friends in the Newport area who had lived there and so we began asking them questions.  They loved the area and had raised their family there.  With that information, we formulated a plan to visit and see what Prescott (pronounced "Press-cut") was all about.

We scheduled a vacation to the area in late October, 2017.  We debated on whether to drive or fly and rent a car.  For this trip, we decided to fly and spend a few days with a Realtor, searching and getting acquainted with the area.  Les Fowler was the Realtor we found and he was most congenial and helpful in showing us many areas to think about whenever we were ready to make the move.  We both had a really good feeling about Prescott.  We were there on Halloween, and saw how the locals took their holidays seriously.  We enjoyed our Art Walk down "Whiskey Row," so named for all of the old saloons on the block dating back to the 1800's.  A hunger to learn more about the history of this place was piqued!

We both have friends and relatives who live in the Phoenix area and some of them came to visit us in our motel and spent some time in and around the area.  My granddaughter, Elissa, and her fiancee, Travis, came to spend a day.  We walked along the shores of Willow Lake and explored another lake in the woods.  It was all so beautiful.  We ate a delicious dinner at "El Gato Azul" restaurant in Prescott.  We shall have to visit this one again.

Dean's cousin, Charlie and his wife, Carol also came for a visit.  We explored another lake and hiked along its shores.  Next, came my Brother-in-Law, Hal.  We ate breakfast with him and spent the morning getting better acquainted.  He is doing quite well and though he misses my sister every day, his grief is less visible.  I love him and pray for him every day.

Finally, a dear friend of mine, whom I call "My Adopted Brother,: Burdell, came to spend time with us at our Motel.  He traveled a long distance to come see us and I am grateful.  I love my "little brother!"

Back home, in Newport, we found that we had a lot to think about and plans to make.  It would take a full year for Dean to get his finances in order and for us to pack, empty our storage unit, and prepare ourselves for this, our final move!

Part Two, to follow...