In 1970 I remember moving and living in The Dalles, Oregon which is right next to Columbia River and where the summers are very hot and where the winters are very cold, and with short springs and falls. Except for fruit bearing orchards very few trees could be found. It is not at all like the Philippines. Now as I set here at my lap top I reflect back those distance years so long ago when I lived in The Dalles. I still the water being so cold in the winter that my teeth actually hurt when I drank a glass of water, much like eating ice cream when it gives a person a tooth ache. And in the middle of summer a person could fry an egg on the sidewalk. In fact as an experiment ex-wife did just that! Since all those years have past now I have some nice and warm memories of times spent there. As I especially think back to those times; when my oldest son Tobe had his first tooth, first Christmas and when his Grandpa whom is he named after and his wife Helen came down driving on the icy roads from Seattle to spend Christmas with his namesake… and then on his first Halloween he dressed as Pa Kettle with a far too big metal pot topping on his head. His baby sitter Patty taking him out to trick or treat in the neighborhood while we stayed home to pass out candy for those who came to our door. Afterwards he came back home after spending an hour or so, cold yet holding a big bag of treats.  And his brother Thomas was born there and boy was he hungry. In April 1972, in fact on the day before Thomas was born Tobe, I and our neighbor went and saw a one ring circus while my pregnant ex-wife stayed home working on her rose brushes. It was warm spring sunny day and we sat on the first row so we could take the show all in. It wasn’t big circus and I think the whole thing was a one family operation from old Mexico. But that didn’t matter how big or how small the circus was because Tobe’s eyes lit up watching all the different acts. Throughout entire time I filled him up with candy cotton, peanuts and butter popcorn but he never got sick. It was a real fun day afterwards we came home and we had dinner then off to bed my two year went and then sometime after midnight his brother came into this world. The next morning Tobe awoke having a new brother named Thomas. Our house was painted yellow and two stories high with four bedrooms and it had only one bathroom. As I recall then it was well over thirty years old and had been remodeled before buying it. We paid $15,000 for the yellow painted house with a rock cliff behind with a 20 year loan from the local bank. Sometimes today I wonder if the house is still standing. There happen to be a little girl who was about the same age as Tobe was then, who lived directly across the street from us; he’d stand in our living room’s large bay picture window and both would stare and wave and smile each other. His baby sitter Patty half brother lived in the small house with his wife and their little daughter.  Before forget we had a family dog named “Peanuts.”  Tobe and “Peanuts” one time got into trouble by taking out of the stuffing out of our bed and another time his Mother caught him and his dog setting on top of the kitchen roof. I guess he and his dog had somehow opened the second story hall window and climbed out through it and watched the next door neighbors working on their large garden. I think he gave his poor Mother a heart attack. When I came home from work I’d rock him by the hour in a red spring chair that sort of rocked. He loved to be rocked his whole body would rock back and forth, from head to his toes. He’d never ask but would climb next to me and then setting together and we’d rock together. Sometimes if I had some extra money on Sundays we’d all go my ex-wife, Tobe and me would walk to a small neighbor café and have pancakes for Sunday morning breakfast. He loved strawberries on his pancakes with butter and maple syrup spread over them. For the life of me I can’t remember what his Mother had but I can remember what my two year liked the best, me I liked pancakes with two eggs sunny side up with two or three cups of coffee and of course smoking afterwards. The whole didn’t cost too much, three or four dollars as I recall now. And none that fast food stuff either! Afterwards we walk back home taking our time enjoying the morning. I remember those mouth watering pancakes were delicious, like a home cooked meal or even better. They seemed to melt your mouth!  Where ever we went to, he then hated to walk, there was no way he was going to walk so we’d bring the stroller and take turns pushing him or I’d carry him in my arms. Tobe loved to go but hated to walk – there was no question about it.