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In Honor of My Mother, Mom, on Mother’s Day

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There is so much to say about Mom – but I want to keep this concise and to the point.  Mom, with the help of Daddy (my father), bore me, birthed me, and raised me.  And after all of that, she still hugs me hello and goodby!  And she calls me at random intervals, just to hear my voice, or when she knows I’m feeling blue, or when she has some especially exciting news she want to tell me – like when Andrea, my sweet niece, announced her engagement.

I was not an easy child, by my family’s standards.  I was willful, headstrong, stubborn, argumentative and manipulative. (I was also kinda cute, after my infant hairy forehead, unibrow and sideburns wiped off at about a week old!).

Mom had her hands full raising five of us, and contrary to some of my childhood ”warm behind” thoughts, I think she did a stellar job; especially when one considers what she had to work with! 

Mom is fun to tease, because her instinct is to take her children seriously, which leaves her open to our pranks…and when she finds out we’ve pranked her, she almost always says, “Oh you!” and laughs with her whole self. 

A quick story about who Mom is:  A year and a half ago, I asked Mom to help a friend of mine, Trisha, who desperately needed someone to watch her two little boys, Kayden 4 and Gage 7 years old, while she had to be away for a month.  Mom, at 83, agreed to help Trisha (whom she had never met).  By the end of that month, Trisha and Gage and Kayden all loved Mom, and she them.

I can’t thank Mom enough…or make up for some of the things I put her through.  But I want to say here – THANKS MOM!  I love you, and I don’t tell you that as often as you deserve.

Love you Mom.

Trust in God, and in His Promises

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Trust God.  Love God, trust Him.  It seems to follow, doesn’t it? I find when I am worried (worry is a sin), when I am anxious (that too), when I am upset, it is because I have forgotten, or I am not trusting, God’s promises. Proverbs 3:5-8

How foolish is it of me to trust my own plans, my ideas, my thinking – when the Creator of the universe, the One who spoke everything into existance, has promised me that His plan for me exceed my plans for myself?  He made me, He formed me in the womb, He loves me with a perfect love and by that love He wants the very best for me.  How great is that?

John 10:26-29 tells me that if I don’t believe in Him, if I don’t trust Him, I’m not one of His.  That is a thunderous blow!  The sheep follow Him, because they hear His voice.  It says the sheep hear His voice and…we expect something like “they know my voice”, but He says, “I know them”.  We hear his voice.  He knows us.  We follow.  Sheep follow the one they trust.  Trust Him because He knows us, follow Him.

Romans 15:13 is a wonderful, exciting verse. It says that He is the God of all hope, and will fill us with JOY and PEACE in believing (trusting) and that in doing this, we will abound with hope.  When I am discouraged, I’m not hoping, because I am not trusting Him. I’m not following His leading…no wonder worry is sin!

“Let not your hearts be troubled,” Jesus said in John 14:1, “believe in God, believe also in me”  Troubled hearts (worry, anxiety, discouragement)?  The solution is believing in God, trusting Him.  In the rest of the passage Christ tells us about the place He is preparing for us.  He calms Thomas’ concerns, telling him that he knows the way, because He, Christ, is the way, the truth and the life – AND the ONLY way to approach the Father.  “Believe in God…”  He then explains to Philip that he, Philip, already knows the Father because he knows Christ.  Christ tells them to believe, and He will work in them and through them by the Holy Spirit.  Then finally, He tells them that if they love Him, keep His commandments.  Love the Lord, trust the Lord, keep His commandments.  Why?  We love Him, because He loved us and professed that love on Calvary.  Trust Him, because He loves us, He knows us.  Keep His commandments because, in His love, in His knowledge, He is guiding us to His very best

Then comes a glimmer of the great promise of God in Revelation 22:1-6.  This is the promise: that He has made it possible for us to join with Him, for all eternity, illuminated by His glory, His love, His power.  That is the promise of God!  It is small wonder that we are called to joy, regardless of the momentary circumstances of this fleeting life.  God is callin us to Glory!  Let us rejoice and be glad in this day the Lord has made!

The Essence of Christian Faith

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Today, my thoughts are on the very core of Christian faith: the love of God, God’s love within us, our love for God, God is love.  This is a theme that I expect to repeat often, as this is a repeat of that theme from earlier posts.  But, as the core of my faith, it should be the theme of my life and at the forefront of my thoughts.  I am linking my verses to Bible Gateway, and the New American Standard Bible translation.  You will see that it is easy to change translations at the top of the page if you prefer a different version, or wish to read alternate translations.

The first passage Matt 6:19-21 is not so obviously about love – but where our heart is, is what we love.  1 Timothy 6:6-11 shows us the wickedness of having the wrong sort of treasure.  The passage begins with the blessings of contentment, and climaxes with the oft misquoted passage about the love of money, and then brings us back, gently to the pursuits of righteous men.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 is again, not so obviously about love.  But as I think on this passage, as I do often, I realize that our love of Christ, and our respect for what he has done in laying that foundation of redemption and salvation, is what should motivate us to build beautifully, with God’s help.  The precious materials used to build, speak to me of the purity of the love God gives us, and wants from us in return.  As our love is corrupted by the cares and desires of the flesh, the purity and beauty of our building materials diminish.  The eternal value decreases, the fire finds more fuel, our heavenly reward dwindles.

 I see in myself a direct correlation between love and faith, which is why I have included Mark 9:23,24.  This man’s faith in Christ’s power saved his son.  It helps me to substitute in this verse: Lord “I do love you; help my lack of love.”  When I put those words in, I clearly see Peter’s face, his love of Christ and his struggle for faith.  As our faith in God, in His provision though Christ, in the power and magnitude of salvation, grows, can our hearts fail to burst forth in “shouts of acclamation”?  I cannot talk or think of God’s love, and our faith, without one of my favorite hymns coming into my mind, from which “shouts of acclamation” comes – How Great Thou Art (outside of me singing it on the tractor, I have never heard a better rendition than Tennessee Ernie Ford’s – I kid, not about singing on the tractor, but about the quality of my song compared to TEF’s).   I want to quote here the 3rd and 4th verses, which are my favorites – although the most difficult for me to remember:

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin

When Christ shall come, with shouts of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, “My God, how great Thou art!”

Those verses say almost all about the how and the why of God’s love for me, and mine for Him.

We often hear the phrase, “God is love”.  And that phrase always bring to mind my high school’s production of “Oliver”, where, in the opening scene in the orphanage, a sign with those words hung behind Mr. Bumble and his crew as they served gruel to the orphan boys.  This usage exemplifies how little thought most of us put into this familiar declaration. 

Click to buy this book

Click to buy this book

Timothy Keller, in his book, Jesus the King, describes the trinity of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as a dance of perfect love.  Their interaction is so pure, so true, so complete – the essence, the glory, the magnificence, the power of love – and they are completely fulfilled in that dance, that relationship.  However, their joy in that dance of love is so great that they invite us, through the blood of Christ, to join them.  We, as we learn to dance, are halting, stumbling and ungraceful, BUT Christ, God, the Spirit, teach us to dance, and share their great joy.  1John 4:7-14.

 

 

And finally, Paul’s great love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.

I will just let that chapter stand in its beauty.

The Two Legged Footman – by Phillip Schroeder

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The two legged footman

Once upon a tiime, in a land of mystery and enchantment, a two legged footman crept up on a lonesome berry bush near the undershadowed bog.

Above his utmost character and wit a blank shadow lay within his superior brain, blocking out all fear and danger of the untouched bog.

Forthwith, the bush provided a trap, luring the footman into the clutching arms and tentacles of the man-eating cyropse of the bog.

In his great excitement and haste, he remembered not the proper shanghai means of escape, but delivered a devastating blow to the upper-right tentacle of the cyropse.

Note by Giles: Phillip promised a followup adventure named “The Two Armed Handman”, but to my knowledge, it has never been written.  So, now you know.

“Mr. Gorbachov, tear down this wall”

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In my FranklinCovey planner, at the top of the page for today, is this quote from Horace: “It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor.  Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity.”

President Ronald Reagan - click to watch video of the speech

Did you realize that Reagan stood at Brandenburg Gate and verbally confronted the Soviet Union and Mikhail Gorbachev with the title words of this post 25 years ago today?  Read the text of his speech here. I stumbled upon an article on Free Republic this morning, or it might have passed me by.  This was a significant moment in European, US and world history….and yet, its 25th anniversary passes remarkably unremarked.

Reagan has been in the news lately.  He passed away 8 years ago, June 5th.  The date was commemorated by brief notices about Nancy Reagan placing flowers on his grave…and not much else; EXCEPT the misuse of his

Brandenburg Gate - click for more information

memory and his legacy by conservative pretenders and their willing Big Government accomplices in the media.  Most recently, and most prominently, Jeb Bush foolishly commented yesterday that Ronald Reagan would struggle to be nominated in today’s GOP.  He also threw his father’s name into that kettle, presumably to add weight to his statement.  Much as I respect George H. W. Bush as a decent and honorable man, his name does not bolster his son’s argument.  Bush and Reagan were not philosophically compatible in this respect.  George Bush would be a nominee similar to George Romney today; nominated, or presumably so, but without the excitement and enthusiasm with which a Ronald Reagan would be selected.  Jeb, speak about your father and his place in history all you like, but keep quiet about things you know little about.  Gov. Jeb obviously does not understand who Reagan was, nor what is shaping in the Republican Party today with the Tea Party movement.  

Many people, even Obama, have tried to cloak themselves with the robe of Reagan, and most, and most assuredly Obama, only see the richness of the robe, and fail to see that it was the strong, upright, optimistic and steadfast character of the man who wore the mantel  that gave it the substance and the dignity that inspired, and still inspires, the love and respect for the man and his memory.  When these lesser figures try to achieve stature by draping the Reagan cloak over their own, unsubstantial shoulders, they only cause us to notice the frailty of their character…as we gaze wistfully upon the symbol much as I used to look at my father’s jacket, hanging on the coat rack months after his passing; wishing, with an aching heart, that his form and substance were supporting the meaningless article of clothing – not a mere wooden peg.

Biography of Reagan - click to buy from Amazon

The story goes, that Reagan’s speechwriters and advisors tried to take those resounding words out of his speech, and he put them back in.  Repeatedly, they edited the passage for being too confrontational, repeatedly, Reagan put them back in for being necessary to his message.  Finally, the man spoke them with passion and conviction, in his speech at the Brandenburg Gate, an enduring symbol of the former greatness of the German people, then standing isolated and unapproachable – next to the wall dividing the city of Berlin, the nation, the people and their spirit. 

 

 

 

President John F. Kennedy

That wall was erected in defiance of another US president, John F. Kennedy; as a result of the fecklessness he displayed in the Bay of Pigs disaster, and the beating he took in talks with Soviet Premier, Khrushchev.  Khrushchev, emboldened by his successes, began shipping Soviet missiles to Cuba, triggering the Cuban Missile Crisis, 13 days of fear for citizens of the United States as the world held its breath, wondering if nuclear war was upon us.  Kennedy, to his credit, finally found sufficient steel in his spine to stand up to the bellicose Khrushchev, back him down, and turn the missile ships back to Russia.

The Berlin Wall was a symbol of American defeat and shame.  Reagan stood boldly before it, decried its symbolism, and conquered the indignities it represented, with 6 brave, concise and powerful words: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”  Six words that changed world history…25 years ago today.

Thank you, and God bless you for your courage Mr. President.

Announcement from Lynn, Joey and Jackie LaRocque – In Loving Memory

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Michael Joseph LaRocque (June 12, 1946 – February 19, 2012)

It is with our deepest sorrow that we inform you of the passing of Michael Joseph LaRocque, loving husband, father and friend. He will be greatly missed by all those that he met – a family man first, respected in the business world, pillar of the community, loyal and compassionate friend.

Mike passed ten days after being diagnosed with lung, bone and colon cancer at Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills, California.

A celebration of his life will be held on Sunday, March 4th, 2012, at 2:30pm at the Calvary Community Church, Westlake Village, California.

 In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation at http://www.cancer.ucla.edu/, (Click “Giving” tab, then click “Give Now”) or Vietnam Veterans of America at Http://vva.org/support.html

 Lynn, Jeff, Jackie and Joey LaRocque

 

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

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I never feel closer to the apostle Paul than when I read his words in Romans 7:19.  As passionate, as powerful, as filled by the Holy Spirit – on fire with the Spirit as Paul was, he despaired that he didn’t do the good things he meant to do; while doing the not so good things he intended to avoid.

Oh, I do understand Paul here. From trivial intention to grand ambition I seem to regularly avoid the opportunity; but from the venal to the deadly I’m always able to accommodate.  From temporal to spiritual the Lord’s words resonate: “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 (KJV)  We are tethered to our human nature for our time on this earth, and while so tied, the selfish and self-serving, the lazy and the lascivious, apathy and ambition exert several Gs of drag upon my better angels.

The secret to victory in this ongoing struggle is given to us by Christ.  Shortly after He spoke the words quoted above, he fell upon His face in agony, crying out to God, the Father, that if possible, the cup of his eminent crucifixion would pass Him by…and then comes the secret: “…nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done.”  Luke 22:42 (KJV)

The more I go to God, tell him my cares, my troubles, my fears, and beg His will be fulfilled in my life; the more I’m able to do that, the more I listen for His direction, the more often I’m able to transcend the base impulses of my human nature – BUT, paradoxically,  the closer I feel to Paul as he wrote those words.

The hope, however, that gladdens the heart, is the knowledge that God’s will is victorious, now and ultimately.  AND His will made manifest in my life is more glorious, more profound, more incredible, more full of joy than any plan or will of my own can ever be. Christ’s words again, from Matthew 19:26, “…with God all things are possible.”  Either I live the truth of those words each day by trusting God’s will to direct my life to victory, or I pretend, foolishly, to claim sufficient resources without Him to face the battles of the day.  If, indeed, it is the good that I would do – God’s will be done.  If, indeed, it is the evil I would not – God’s will be done.

Inasmuch as I don’t yield to greater strength, greater wisdom, greater victory in God’s will, as choices present themselves, I am eschewing the good for the evil (or best for just OK at best) that day, whether I am aware of it or not.

“…choose you this day whom ye will serve…; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 (KJV)

Betting on the Ponies in Chicago.

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Click to buy this saddle

Back in the saddle – nothing more appropriate than a story about horses for this post.

I just got a call from my farrier – that’s a guy who shoes horses – he’s coming out to the farm in a a couple of days to trim the horses’ hooves.  Good guy, Ted.  He reminds me of my brother, some – especially when he’s got a hind leg resting on his thigh!

Click for The Complete Horseshoing Guide

So just after the phone call, I check my email and there is a comment from Heidi waiting for me to approve.  Her comment was on my Chicago Blues story, so I read my post again (yeah, I do that, I reread my stuff).  Reading it reminded me of Diane, the redhead, and horses being so close to my mind, I decided to tell this story.

Diane and I were out on the town one evening.  She was showing me her beloved Chicago.  I think that was the day she took me to Wrigley Field for a baseball game, BEFORE they put the lights in.

Or maybe it was the day we attended Taste of Chicago in Grant Park next to Soldier Field.  Allow me this tiny detour, if I may…that morning Diane had asked me about “Mick”; how he was doing.  Mick was his nickname, and none of us knew his real name, because I knew Mick in St. Thomas – and real names were unimportant in St. Thomas.  We called him Mick, because he has more than a passing resemblance to Mick Jagger.  The point is, Mick had departed St. Thomas a month previously, headed home to Ohio.  I told Diane I’d never see Mick again as long as I lived – that was about 9 am.  About 12:30 pm, in Grant Park, with people scurrying to and fro at the popular Taste of Chicago event, I randomly chose to cross a street and wander right, instead of left.  There was no reason, I was meandering.  I heard someone call my name, looked up, and there was Mick! Less than 4 hours after my bold declaration that I’d never see him again…and I never have since that day.  God has a sense of humor.

Back to the races.  Whichever day it was, Diane and I were driving somewhere on the outskirts of downtown, I believe it was Maywood Park.  Diane excitedly asked to stop at the park when she saw the lights on – so we did, of course.  There were only three races left.  The first of those three was about to start as we sat down.  The horses were trotting around the track before approaching the moving starting gate.  My method was simple: a horse that was calm in the turns, kept his head on the business at hand, not tossing a gawking.  Good smooth stride that never missed a beat in the turn.  I saw that horse in the first race, and told Diane that it would win…it did.

Click for a book on harness racing

The second race, I saw the same kind of horse again, and this time I bet on it to win.  Two dollars, because that was the minimum bet.  The program showed the horse at about 12 to 1, and I was so confident in my choice, that I believe I influenced the guy behind me.  Another winner!

Having won, I didn’t want to press my luck so I didn’t bet the third race.  Watching the horses taking their lap, I noticed a horse of the kind I liked, but this horse was a big, powerful grey.  Deep chested, strong stride, magnificent.  I leaned over to Diane and said, “Not only will that horse win, but he will lead wire to wire.”  He did.

I have a sense for horses, I guess.  I don’t really know what I’m looking for – but I know a good horse when I see it.  I can’t tell you what I see, or how I know.  In 2002 I was sitting with friends in Tommy Condon’s on Church Street in Charleston.  We were watching the Derby on TV – as the horses were paraded, we were commenting and making our choices.  As one horse came on the screen, I said, “That’s the one, he’s the winner.”  And

I knew I was right.  I hadn’t seen the name when I made my declaration, I didn’t know much about the entrants, just names in passing.  The horse, War Emblem.  He won.

Click to watch the 2002 Kentucky Derby

It’s probably good I can’t define what I see – not knowing probably keeps me from betting seriously, and that’s a good thing.

Feelin’ good’ll be good enough for me; good enough for me and my Uncle JC.

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Uncle JC was my childhood hero.  He was a “real” cowboy.  He was a rancher, he owned umpteen head of cattle, a working ranch in the Nebraska Sand Hills near Scottsbluff, and he rode horses on a regular basis.  Grandpa McKnight was also a rancher.  He and Grandma lived in an old sod house on their ranch about 5 miles away from Uncle JC’s place.  By the time I met them, Grandpa was too old (in my mind) to be a cowboy, he was Grandpa.  But Uncle JC was the real deal.  Hat always worn at a jaunty tilt, a thin, debonair mustache, piercing blue eyes set in an olive complexion, a ready laugh and a persistent smile, he was always eager for a story or a joke – telling or hearing.

Nebraska Sand Hills

 

I can still hear him laughing as I tried to swallow a raw egg.  I must have been 7 or 8, and it was one of those special summers in my life when we went to Nebraska to see our cousins and family on Mom’s side.  While I was napping, my two older brothers and my two older cousins had won their bucks from Uncle JC by downing a raw egg, straight from the shell, and I was eager to earn my dollar.  Since I was younger, Uncle JC felt some sympathy, so he cracked my egg into a jelly jar for me, and cautioned me not to break the yolk.  By my count, I swallowed that egg at least five times, but the terms of the deal was keeping the egg down – and I couldn’t.  It never hit my stomach, about ½ way down the gullet it would reverse direction and the next thing I knew, it was sitting there in the jelly jar as smug as you please.  I didn’t get my dollar that afternoon, but Uncle JC gave me fifty cents for the entertainment.

But that’s not what this story is about.  This story is about September 15th of this year – or, more accurately, it is about what I hope will occur on that day.

Uncle Don and Aunt Wanda's house in Scottsbluff

A couple of years ago I decided to take Uncle Don, a die-hard Husker, to a Nebraska game.  He loved football and followed the Huskers religiously, but had never been to a Husker game.  The husband of Mom’s sister, he and Aunt Wanda lived in Scottsbluff, NE near where my mom grew up.  Uncle Don suffered from a lung disease, and didn’t have too many years left.  Uncle JC, and his wife, Auntie Marie, accepted my invitation to go along with us.  I made the arrangements – the Huskers played at home during an Oregon State bye, found a source for tickets, and made reservations in Linclon using my hotel points.  We were all ready to go.

I would fly into Denver, rent a car and drive to Scottsbluff on Thursday night.  Friday morning we would all get into Uncle JC’s new Cadillac and drive to Lincoln.  My uncles, both WWII era Army vets, were interested in going to the American Legion state headquarters in Lincoln, so we were set for more than a football game, it would be an EVENT!  I was eager to finally see a Nebraska football game, but even more I was looking forward to seeing Uncle Don’s face as he walked into the stadium, and when he saw his beloved Huskers run out onto the field.  Sadly, a few weeks before the anticipated day, Uncle Don took a turn for the worse, and he was unable to travel.  I didn’t want to go to the game without Uncle Don, leaving him home while we did something he had dreamed of for decades – so Uncle JC and I agreed to cancel the trip.  Uncle Don never got better,  He died later that year.

Last fall the love of Uncle JC’s life, Aunt Marie, passed away.  Not wanting any more opportunities to disappear, I asked Uncle JC go to Lincoln with me for the Iowa game on Friday, November 25th.  But once again, life and circumstances interfered, and I was unable to go to that game.  I called with my regrets, and promised to set up our date for 2012.

I just checked the Beaver football schedule today, and found that our bye on September 15th corresponds to a Husker home game with Arkansas State.  So it’s time for me to make the arrangements.

I can’t wait to go with Uncle JC to Lincoln, riding in his Cadillac with Auntie Marie’s memory with us, and walking into Memorial Stadium sensing Uncle Don between us and watching his delight in our minds’ eyes as he sees his Huskers run out onto the field amidst a sea of screaming, waving red – Big Red.

That stupid football thing

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When Oregon State University rebuilt the east (approximately) side of Reser Stadium, they were required, as with many government building projects, to incorporate a sculpture of some sort in the design.  When the commissioned piece was initially erected, I liked it.  It was a minimalist representation of a giant football, constructed of metal tubing – like the skeleton of a football, if you will.

But wait, the fine, esthetically pleasing work wasn’t complete! Oh no! The “artist” had plans for more, to make the piece better! Attached to the framework, ALL over it, were a hodgepodge of curving arrows, Xs and triangles.  There were so many things wrong with what was done, that I will have to take them methodically:

1)      Xs and triangles?  What?  Obviously the “artist” had very little knowledge of football, had seen at some time, some where, a play diagram…but he didn’t pay very close attention to it.  Xs and Os (that’s what is meant by the phrase, Xs and Os).  Play diagrams use Xs and Os – the Xs indicate defensive players, the Os represent…wait for it…offensive players!  What a concept!  Sometimes coaches will use Vs as kind of a shorthand X.  The V has the advantage of being pointed in different directions to indicate the defensive players stance in relation to the rest of the field – if the defensive end takes a position on the edge, pointed toward the quarterback, the point of the V can be aimed at the quarterback O.  Still with me here?  The V could also be depicted as a triangle, that wouldn’t raise my hackles the tiniest bit – as long as the artist used Os and either Xs or triangles (not both).  But using Xs and triangles and no Os – well, that is just ignorant.  The triangles should be replaced with Os – and right away.  Every day we leave it as is, the Beavers look like they don’t know their Xs from their Os!

2)      The arrows seem to all have the same length and curvature – which is NOT how a play diagram looks, at all.  Different lengths, different curvature, some straight – that makes more sense.

3)      Color – when first “completed” the figures consisted of a metal frame filled by some sort of shiny material of indeterminate color…that sometimes looked green and sometimes looked yellow and sometimes looked like maybe some poor hint of orange.  What’s wrong with ORANGE and BLACK?  The orangeness and the blackness are much more important than any shinyness.  After pressure from Bob DeCarolis, the colors were changed, but not enough.  They still tended more toward green than orange.  Now the some sort of shiny material has been replaced with colored LED lights behind clear plastic (I assume it’s plastic).  BUT now the colors are red and blue and whatnot.  The LEDs make it show up at night – but it looks like something that belongs in Reno.  C’mon, make them orange and black, put a few LEDs to jazz it up just a little – like a lady you’re taking to a fancy dinner, not like the town strumpet (that is a fine, underused word) – not too much.

4)      Speaking of too much!  There are so many arrows and Xs and triangles (!!!!!) on the sculpture that they overwhelm the football shape – and that shape is more important in the larger scheme of things than arrows or figures or colors or lights.  Take about 2/3 of them down, let the football look like a football with a few Xs and Os (Os NOT triangles, mind you) to give it just a little bit of an “Oh, cool” look.

The “artist” didn’t have the requisite knowledge for the project – he should have studied their subject matter just a TEENY bit more.  Read his own description of the work by following the link in the neon football picture above – it confirms my opinion.

The “artist” sacrificed fidelity to the Oregon State color scheme for some undecipherable artistic vision – one that I think is artistically faulty, which is why I use quotes to bracket the word “artist”.  Frankly, I think the unadorned framework looks better on Parker Plaza than the traveling carnival ride we have now.