2001
Copyright © James W. Blilie, 2010: All rights reserved
Phyllis and Jim's family photos - Main Page
Phyllis and Jim's family photos 2001
From Jim's first-person perspective:
In February, I accepted a job with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an Aviation Safety Engineer. I had been with Boeing a long time and it was not a simple decision. I had just been made a DER and had a good boss and a good position at Boeing. However, I did not like the direction in which the company was going. Since I changed jobs, many more events have reinforced my decision. My new job is great. I probably enjoy it more than any previous job. I work with a great group of people, I have a very short commute, we have a nice facility, and I am doing interesting and important work: helping to maintain the safety of the airplanes operating in the U.S. My job has not been affected very much by the attacks of Sept. 11; but a couple of people from my group are working on cockpit security. In between jobs, I spent some time working in my shop and doing some minor remodeling in my house in Renton. Then I drove down to Utah and New Mexico for a week of hiking. (I didn’t bring my digital camera, so no photos.) That was a fun trip but rather cold. I saw lots of Anasazi ruins and artifacts.
In June, I was able to buy a 20-acre property in White Salmon, Washington, which is in the Columbia Gorge. It has nice views: of both Mount Adams and Mount Hood. It has a small manufactured house, a large shop building and a barn. And, best of all, I share a property line with my friends Jeanne and Steve Mason. I had a house-warming gathering in July to move into the place. It turned out to be mostly a house-cleaning party! The house needed a lot of work. The previous owners were smokers and had numerous dogs, cats, and birds. And, most importantly, my friend Phyllis from Minnesota came from that weekend to help me move into the place. Little did we know what would follow!
Well, maybe we had a inkling. I knew it was significant that I invited her to come and even more so that she decided to come. Something happened that weekend and we both realized that we really ought to be together again. Phyllis and I were “an item” and we had a very serious and deep relationship when we were both attending the University of Minnesota in the early eighties. At that time, I thought we would always be together. However, when I decided to take my job at Boeing, she did not feel that she could move that far away. Anyway, by September when I came to Minnesota for a visit, we had decided that we should be together, permanently. Phyllis has a ten-year old son named Joe and because of custody rules, we will be living in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota.
This spring or early summer (2002), I will be moving to Minnesota to start a new life with Phyllis. (This is not yet common knowledge at my workplace, so please use discretion as required.) This is a wonderful change for me. I feel happier than I have in years and I truly feel that my life has direction for the first time in ages. Later in the summer, my parents came to visit me. I took them down to White Salmon to see the new place and we had a good time there. My Dad just turned 78 and being in Minnesota will help me see my parents much more often. Mom is 66 this year (my Mom and Phyllis’s Mom were born one day apart!) and very healthy. Dad’s only complaint is his asthma. Brother Jon and his wife Bobbi are working on starting a family and seem to be nearing success. More on that soon I hope!
My friends Ben and Gaye and Matt and Lisa had baby’s this year. Matt and Lisa had Ryan on June 12. Ben and Gaye had Cara on September 9. As you know, I lost my cat Jesse to complications of diabetes and a kidney infection last December. My other cat, Annabelle, is now 15-1/2 and very healthy. I continue to work hard at building guitars. I made a custom, cutaway classical guitar for my guitar instructor, Tony Beaulaurier (see it on my website). He loves it and has already played it on gigs. I also made a custom steel string guitar for my wine-making friend Chuck Jackson. So far, he seems really happy with the results. I participated in Northwest Folklife Festival again this year/ I sold a flamenco guitar “off the wall,” that is, one that I had hanging in the booth.
I also donated a classical guitar to the Children’s Hospital fundraising auction as part of a package arranged by friend Ben Smith which included a hand-blown large format bottle of Ben’s wine (Cadence — try it, it’s great!) and a special event at the Pilchuck Glass School. The package sold for $7000, and I like to think my guitar was a reasonable portion of that! I am about halfway through building that guitar. I think I made another 10 guitars this year. I continue to learn to play better. I have been working on the following and can just about play them correctly: Largo movement from Vivaldi’s Concerto in D for Lute, Steve Howe’s “Mood for a Day”. I have just recently been playing “Here Comes the Sun” a lot, remembering George Harrison. So, as you can see, much in my life has changed in 2001!
Most importantly, I have reconnected with Phyllis, the woman I love and want to spend my life with.
Phyllis and Jim's family photos - Main Page
Phyllis and Jim's family photos 2001
Last updated: 13-Jan-2010