Pappy's Blog

Retired and liking it

2011-12-18T21:48:00.003-05:00

The impact of retirement finally hit me this week. Not that it has taken me several years to get the hang of it. But I was not sensing the feeling that others described to me: Fulfilled, busier than when working, and...perhaps the most telling...making a difference.

Aleene began volunteering at our local food bank soon after we moved here and why not? It was located just two blocks away at the time. She walked over one Monday morning and asked what she might do to help. Two years passed. She continued to work on Mondays putting together boxes of food for 30-40 clients on her shift. I wold get a call occasionally to help here and there...usually heavy or repetitive lifting jobs on other days. I filled my Mondays with volunteering at the VA Hospital while Aleene was at FISH (the food bank.) We both volunteered at our local school reading with little tykes. Then FISH moved to larger quarters as the demand increased.

I was still working (and traveling) though 2008, but that ended and I completely signed off commercial endeavors at the end of 2009. Of course, during the summer I ramped up my involvement in the garden and then a key person, both at FISH and the garden moved away in early 2010. My involvement in both exploded. I found myself taking a leadership role in the garden and sitting on the board of FISH and becoming heavily involved in the work there.

This is all to say that yesterday we had our Christmas food distribution. Now, a very competent woman runs the Christmas project and very competent people run the day to day duties. We supply about 450 families totaling about 1500 people food. Maintaining and supplying food for this operation is huge. Our budget is about $100K and we are all volunteers. There is no paid staff. So it all depends on the generosity of others. We gather the food, we store it, organize the distribution and give it out.

I find myself driving a pickup, slinging cases, organizing loads and other various and sundry duties. In the process I have the privilege of working with some very, very fine and very dedicated people. And, I might add, we are making a difference.

Yesterday, Aleene and I came home after the distribution, exhausted and barely able to get ourselves ready this morning for choir performances at both services. This afternoon we are pretty much dedicated to football...or at least I am.

We have a busy day tomorrow, again, but school is out so no reading on Tuesday...and the boys are home, so we will have some time with them. That is what retirement is all about...working, resting when you need to and enjoying being around some really fine folk. Life is good.

Navy OCS - 1963

2011-11-03T22:44:00.003-04:00

Note: My Navy Officer Candidate School experience was published in the Nov/Dec issue of the “Tin Can Sailor.” It has been modified here for non-Navy readers to better understand the acronyms and slang expressions.

Codington College of Nautical Knowledge is what we kiddingly called OCS (Officer Candidate School) as we studied like never before; all us recent college grads. It was a shock to the system for us college kids and something that had to be tolerated for those among us from the fleet; our group had both.

Class 64-1, consisted of 288 young men; a mix of college grads, enlisted men (mainly Chief Petty Officers who were to become Limited Duty Officers), and a handful of former enlisted personnel who had just graduated from four-year universities. What that meant was that as much as the staff Drill Instructors who were tasked with whipping us into shape in 16 weeks also had some of their enlisted counterparts in our ranks to match wits with. This class would not be easy for the DIs to manipulate since there was too much experience sprinkled in. That was all to our advantage as it turned out.

In 1963, OCS was still using the WWII style two story, wooden living quarters that had big wrap around “weather decks” (a porch) on two sides. Ours consisted of eight, four-man rooms consisting of two bunk beds, four lockers and four study desks made of plywood. We wore Officer Type Uniforms from start to finish, which had only recently changed. Previously, half the training time was spent in dungarees and the other half in OTUs. Oh yes, there were very few mornings that summer that we did not wear P-coats when we assembled for breakfast at 0600; it was that cold. They told us Newport, RI had two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July.

NAVOCS, then, consisted of six classes: Navigation, Operations, Orientation, Weapons, Seamanship, and Engineering. The curriculum was grueling. We memorized everything from the International Phonetic Alphabet to flag hoists; from a star fire shell to Mk. 1 Mod. 2 torpedo; from NSFO to JP-5; from a Corpen turn to screen reorientation using Rum and Coke; we had to know the difference between a compass rose and parallel rulers and of course, how to use them. We spent endless hours plotting courses on big Mercator projection charts. We were force fed the Navy-way in four months.

From a practical standpoint we visited USS The Sullivans (DD 537), USS Wasp (of WWII fame) and USS Wilkinson (DL-5) from time to time when they were alongside the piers at Newport Naval Station. From those visits we learned the difference between a DD, a CVS and a DL. We also, some of us, learned for the first time that there was a characteristic smell of Navy ships, that combination of black oil, recirculated air from spaces above and below the main deck, and the odors of food, coffee and cigarette smoke. Ah yes, an odor I have never forgotten.

Half way through our training, we became the “senior battalion” and rated liberty on Saturday afternoons through Sunday at colors (if our grades warranted it), but the best perk was that we were allowed to frequent the Datum (officer’s club) for Sunday evening chow where we paid $2.50 for their all you can eat “beefeater special.”

The former enlisted sailors among us assumed the leadership positions within our Batt initially, but we “college types” began to venture into the fray as time went on.
We were up at 0530 a.m., ate, did some PT and were in class by 0800 where we stayed until noon. We then resumed studies after lunch from 1300 to 1600. Most afternoons we either played sports, got shots, drilled using WWI vintage Springfield rifles with the firing mechanisms removed. Once we shot targets with .22 caliber hand guns mounted on .45 caliber frames. We swam, we sank the USS Buttercup (a damage control trainer) several times until we finally kept her afloat and we attended Divine Services if that was our custom. We seriously tried to maneuver electronic blips representing ships in the BZ Trainer (which got its name from the Navy term Bravo Zulu meaning well done,) a forerunner of modern day video simulators. Little did we know then that this form of training would catch on. But above all we learned teamwork from Pass In Review on the Grinder (drill field) every Saturday morning, to Field Daying (Navy talk for cleaning) the barracks on Friday nights.

Each evening we had enforced study from 1900 until 2200 when we observed taps, meaning we went to bed at 10:00 p.m. My class had holiday routine three times (other than Sundays) that summer. We observed Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. We learned from our first experience in May not to be caught outside at noon while the fleet saluting battery was rendering a 21 gun salute at the rate of one round a minute. That was a long time to stand at attention and hold a good salute.

About a month before graduation we got orders to our first duty station and it made us realize that we were, in fact, going to the fleet. Some went to large combatants like cruisers or aircraft carriers, anphibs, or shore stations, but the lucky ones (we found out later) drew Destroyers. Tin Cans (slang for destroyer,) we were told, were the way to get on the fast track career path for those with an interest in a Navy career. But those of us who joined the Navy as reserves were only looking forward to commissioning as Ensign and serving three years and moving on.

My orders were to USS F. D. Roosevelt (CVA-42), an aircraft carrier, with a ten-week stop in Philadelphia at the Damage Control Training Center. I was going to be a snipe (in the Engineering Department.) The Rosie was in New York Naval Ship Yard (Brooklyn) and was headed to Mayport, Florida where I would meet her in late December. I was stoked.

We finished our training and were sworn in with our orders in hand and our commissions signed by the Secretary of the Navy. Two months later our Commander in Chief (President Kennedy) was dead and the somber reality of life, death and service set in.

I enjoyed my two years in Roosevelt. I served under some outstanding officers and tried to be the best Division Officer I could for my 180 men serving in Boiler Division. I learned many life lessons.

My Destroyer experience was limited to spending some time in USS Luce (DLG-7) as a Damage Control and Engineering casualty observer. The skipper (Commanding Officer) tried his best to make a destroyer sailor out of me. He invited me up to the bridge on several occasions while I rode Luce for those 10 days. “Take the Con, Mr. Lutz, and see what it is like to drive a good ship,” he joked, but I was intent on fulfilling my three-year obligation and getting on with civilian life. I often have thought what my life would have been like had I accepted orders as Chief Engineer on a Can.

I later returned to NDCTC as a staff instructor just in time for the arrival of our first child. Two years ashore in Philly was another valuable experience, but Vietnam was heating up when I left active duty in 1967 and I never looked back.

What I learned at Codington Point, RI, in Roosevelt, Luce and my tour ashore was no kidding matter and has served me in good stead over the years. Besides, I had a chance to serve our nation with some outstanding people, both officer and enlisted. My Naval service is part of who I am.

Where has the fall gone?

2011-11-01T22:02:00.004-04:00

Here it is November 1, the World Series is over and I am thinking about liming the garden. So, here are some random thoughts:

Got our flu shots today...this is my 49th consecutive shot, I think. I hate repeating that, but I got the first one in May 1963 courtesy of the US Navy and I do not think the chain has ever been broken.

Pruned the Marionberries last week...we will see how that works out next summer.

Jan and Gary were here for a week and we toured Crater Lake and the roads to and from Bend. Great time and about 750 miles.

Started reading with our SMART kids a few weeks ago. My first grader is Vincent. Very quiet, pleasant boy. I love clowning for him...trying to make him smile.

Spending lots of time working for the Food Bank...we call it FiSH. We are feeding about 1200 people a month.

Our choir is over 30 most Sundays this year. Strong...fun...challenging.

Turned 70 this fall. I do not feel badly especially when I have friends that are hurting. But I have lead a full life and have no complaints.

We spend more time thinking about ailing friends and family members and pray for peace in their lives.

Enjoy reconnecting with lost friends and classmates. I think they are not quite as excited.

Hope to get my latest writing project finished this winter.

Wedding number three

2011-08-21T00:34:00.002-04:00

You may know, dear reader, that we attended three weddings inside of six weeks, this summer. The first in Owatana, MN, the second in Salem, MA and the last one, just a week ago in Douglas, Michigan.

Kelli and Cory make a beautiful couple. Their relationship has already been tested with Kelli's illness and Cory's faithfulness these past three years. It is nice to report that Kelli is much better now. She has her disease in remission and the prognosis is good that it will stay that way. Seeing her look so good was the highlight of the summer. The other two weddings were beautiful and the couples, relatives both, cut such a beautiful picture. But seeing Kelli well was special.

When we go back to Michigan we stay with friends. This time it was with Duane and Margot Hafer. It is always nice to catch up, after all we lived there 35 years and there is much to catch up on. Their grandson, Tyler, just got home from Afghanistan; their son Bruce is moving to Phoenix area and Margot and Duane are doing just fine.

We went north to Boyne Falls to see Jeff and Mary, too. We got to spend time with our great grands while there. Beautiful little boys and a little girl. It is times like this that we wish we lived closer. That was the trade-off with our move...coming up on six years ago. We had to give up on something.

Flying into Portland on Wednesday I was reminded of a song I used to sing 55 years ago. It was entitled The Hills of Home and the words, while I can't recall all of them went something like this:
My prairie home is beautiful, but oh,
I miss the broken skyline that I know...
The Hills of Home.
I know them, love them, see them once again...and on and on. You get the point.

We could see six mountains in the Cascade Range when we approached PDX at 12,000 feet. From the north, Rainier, St. Helens, Adams. And to the south: Hood, Baker and Jefferson. Yep, we could see from Tacoma to Bend. It was quite a sight.

Well, the weddings are over. The Lutzes in Minnesota are enjoying a new son and the Knearams in Massachusetts celebrate their new son, too. We wish them well. Our hope and prayer is that Kelli can stay cancer free for the next fifty years and more...

Why I love mornings

2011-08-05T14:13:00.004-04:00

Aleene and I were walking this a.m. sometime after 6:30. I had already been to the garden to check on the 6:00 watering scheme. It was 53 degrees at our house when I arose at 5:45. The sun was barely up and daylight was on its way with a very clear sky. There were three hot air balloons aloft heading into a bank of clouds to the south. I remarked to her on about our third lap at the George Fox track that the feel, sights, and smells of the morning brought back so many pleasant memories of my life.

This is not unusual for me...I frequently spend time capturing the moment and comparing it with the past. I began to think why I had such fond memories of the morning. Perhaps it was that the earliest recollections of dawn included new adventures and activities that I dearly loved. One of my first recollection of early morning included trips in the milk truck with Brother Dave during the summer of 1949. I got to rub elbows with his future brothers-in-law, Bus and Dick Green who were involved in the Green farming enterprise. They were big, tough guys with gentle hearts, ex-WWII Marines, both of them. They always treated me royally if I were tagging along with Dave. You had to get up early while the dew was still on the grass and while the summer sun had not yet rewarmed the cool earth to collect the daily offering of milk from area farmers. It is a pleasant memory.

A few years later we (some of the neighborhood guys) would pitch our tent in the ravine about 1/2 mile from our house which we referred to as "back in the pasture." The moisture from the cool mornings would fill your nostrils with the smell of newly mowed hay somewhere close by. On occasion, the cattle that inhabited the pasture would innocently nuzzle the tent to see what was going on inside. More than one morning we would be awakened by the soft mooing of one or more "bossie." The smell of the pasture at first light was always welcome.

The farm animals that we kept over the years were always mellow in the mornings...and hungry. They depended on us for their sustenance and seemed to nod approvingly as they chewed whatever it was that we gave them to eat. I think those were bonding moments for those four footed friends...unspoken, of course, but no less attaching. Whether it was sheep, or my two Hereford heifers or the several Holstein replacement heifers I helped raise, it was always pleasant to make that connection at the early morning feeding.

In later years it was the chance to arise ahead of the crowd at the fraternity house to get started in the morning. I often chose morning study time over evenings when there were distractions. In the Navy I recall the mornings at Newport as we "fell out" for breakfast. The smell of bacon frying from the mess hall as we stood poised in formation for our turn at good Navy chow, often in our reefers ("P" coats) on those cool brisk summer mornings. On board ship, mornings took on more meaning for me. Sometimes it was the end of the mid-watch at 4:00 a.m. that I would walk up to the weather deck on the hanger bay level to watch and listen to the sea churn beneath the ship. Since then, when we have been on cruise ships Aleene knows that at some point I have to see the sea at sunrise. You see, my refueling station on the carrier was on the starboard side just forward of the deck edge elevator. We spent hours refueling, as long as 6-8 hours at a whack when we were along side a WWII vintage tanker. Frequently, those hours were in the early morning when the sea was glassy-calm and the sun rose like a diamond in the eastern sky.

The smell of Navy ships, singularly, is hard to suppress from my memory. Just last week I once again stepped on board a museum-type destroyer adjacent to the USS Constitution in Boston. I simply stepped inside the superstructure to take a whiff. There was a middle aged couple there who was doing the same thing. He had served on USS Chicago, a cruiser, and we agreed all Navy ships smell alike.

There were years after we were married that I would get up early either in the summer while teaching or while camping that I savored the smell of brewed coffee along with the moist mid-west mornings. I cannot say there was a favorite place during those years in Fennville. We were busy raising our family. I worked year round after teaching and did not have lots of time to savor the morning except as I drove to work. But I remembered the feeling of those days nonetheless.

Now, I get up early by choice. We pretty much do what we want, when we want, so getting up early is what I do. It is hard to beat what the morning has to offer. Our walks are special as is our custom of getting our first cup of coffee with friends at our neighborhood coffee shop. The first thirty minutes of these summer mornings I spend in the garden supplies a flood of memories from the past. It is a sense of well being and realizing that life is good.

Back from Massachusetts

2011-08-02T19:25:00.003-04:00

This is the reason we went to Salem/Boston/Swampcot/Lynn and all the other cities we spent time in over the weekend. It was the marriage of Caitlin and Ira Gross. Caitlin is Aleene's grand-niece. Her dad, David Kneram, was my main competition when we started dating. He was about two at the time. So, you see, there has always been a connection. How could we not be a part of such a wonderful celebration?

We left for Boston's Logan airport at midnight last Thursday...and even though we did not get off on time, JetBlue got us to Boston at 8:00 a.m. local time. I had arranged to have a limo pick us up because it was early in the morning and we did not know where we were going and renting a car for four days did not seem to be too smart. Our driver met us and took us north 20 miles to Salem where we had accommodations ready at the Hawthorne Hotel. Not to stray too far off my basic story, however, Salem plays up two aspects of their historic past: the Salem Witch Trials of 1690 and the home of novelist Nathanial Hawthorne ("House of the Seven Gables" and "The Scarlet Letter.") Everything is either Hawthorne or witches or related to either through marriage or through some weird affiliation. But I have to say, Salem is nice...well done, very accommodating and beautiful the end of July. It sits right on the Atlantic Ocean and was once the trading/fishing Mecca of the New World. It was our first visit.

Friday we spent learning the ropes, as in following the painted red line around town, and taking a trolly tour of the area. That is not to say I did not nap in the afternoon after being up most of the night before. By 9:30 when I was about to call it a day, we wisely hung out in the lobby and low and behold in walks the distinguished guests...all the people we came there to see: David, Kathy, Caitlin, Brendan (her brother who is attending CMU in Pittsburgh where he is working on his Master's degree) and his girl friend, followed by Heather and David with Heather's mom Dorothy, and Mark, Wendee and their two kids at home, Ross and Ronnie (Veronica.) Bingo, it is like we won the lottery. Everyone was there. We hung out for an hour or so then went to bed...a big day one.

Saturday, the day of the wedding, we did some serious walking in the morning (had to find a good coffee shop, and we did) followed by a two and a half hour tour of the P.E.M Museum. The P. stands for Peabody which is a big name in Salem. E and M stand for Essex (as in Essex County) Museum. The museum is a real nugget to find...great art and artifacts from the area going back to the Native Americans as well as more modern historical items. And it was well done...on a level with Chicago Art Museum. Very nice. After a nap and a shower we met the shuttle bus David had arranged for those of us staying at the Hawthorne that would take us the 15 miles to the wedding site.

The wedding was held in a stone mansion adjacent to a State Park...a beautiful site. The details were complete including the weather...sunny, warm (not hot) and a great meal. We hung out and danced throughout the evening until the first shuttle run back to the hotel at 10:30...there was a later one, but we and many others gave it up then. But the party went on. We said our good byes Saturday night as many were heading out Sunday morning. Those that had to go to work Monday had to travel Sunday. We were the lucky ones; we were leaving Monday evening.

Sunday...after talking to the concierge, we hustled to the 9:30 train for Boston. Great rail service. (We learned that Caitlin rides the train daily from the next stop south near where the couple lives and I can see why.) We got to Boston after 10:00 and found the North Station for the trains and subway connections is under the Boston Garden where the Celtics and Bruins play. Who knew? I didn't. It is located in a great place to tour the city. Again, we took a trolly (which included a 45 minute boat ride in Boston harbor) and saw the sights...hopping on and off whenever we wanted. (We did this in San Francisco in January and liked that flexibility.) After the boat ride to the Charlestown Naval Base to see the USS Constitution where we hung out for a while. During our waiting time for the next trolly a former colleague from Hart & Cooley, Holland, Harv Ariens, stopped in front of me and called me by name. It was as if I pealed off eleven layers (years) of an onion to recognize him. We had a great reunion during our ten minute wait. Then lunch outside in a pedestrian outdoor mall and a decision to head back toward North Station. We rode the train home and were back in the hotel by 5:30; a full day.

Monday we arranged for a late checkout and a ride to the airport by hired car that serves the hotel, which was much less expensive than my limo idea...and then a long wait for our 7:30 flight back to Oregon. It all clicked. I have to give JetBlue high ratings for comfort (leg room and seat comfort) as well as excellent employee service. Five and a half hours later we were looking at each other riding the Economy Red Lot bus to the car and saying..."well, we did it again; another trip behind us." We were in Newberg by midnight (Pacific time) and enjoyed our own bed for a good night's sleep. We head out Aug. 11 for Michigan and another experience. More later...

Lynn

2011-05-28T17:36:00.003-04:00

Another fallen comrade. Lynn lost her brief, but valiant struggle this week long before it was her turn. She was diagnosed just weeks ago and now she is gone. Let me tell you some of my memories.

Lynn was a singer, a soloist with a remarkable voice and a choir leader. That is how I first recall her as they moved into the community in the early 1970s. She was working with the kids at church when Jeff and Amy were doing children's choir. I was supposed to pick them up one afternoon following their rehearsal. When I got to the church all I could hear was laughter. And when I got inside there was Lynn down on all fours giving rides to these young kids. It seemed like it was always tough to get kids to do music rehearsals and while I am sure they worked hard and did all the musical things, Lynn was not going to let a few minutes go by while they waited for their rides to dampen their spirits. She got right down on the floor and played with them. I am guessing by subtraction that she was in her mid-twenties. I thought to myself...wow, she is going to pay for that in the morning. It wasn't too long after that when word went out that she was having back problems. Ouch, I thought. But that didn't deter her.

She began teaching while I was still at FMS and took some time off to have her family, then came back. Our paths intersected at school as we were both working on our Master's degrees at GVSC (then). We both enrolled in the same stats course with Dr. Faite Mack, one of the founders of the M. Ed. program at GV. Every week we drove off to Allendale together after a day at FMS to sit in an overcrowded class room while Dr. Mack worked problem after problem on an overhead projector. Other than the crowded class and boring subject matter, what I remember most is our commute and laughing at the antics of some special young teenagers. I think it was the spring of 1976. We had lots of good laughs.

When Justin and Gwen came along we kept in touch through our music at church and again laughing at the language skills of her young tikes. While hammering on a peg board of some sort she reported Justin said he was "boshing." That description of that story has stuck with me over the years. Whenever Aleene would hear me hammering at something indicating frustration and would ask for an explanation, I just said that I was boshing just like Justin...and we would laugh.

By the time I left teaching, 25 years ago, Lynn was a fixture in the 7th grade curriculum...and what a good thing that was. Middle School English is not something that most teachers aspire to make a career teaching. Most, when they had enough seniority, moved on. Not Lynn. She loved those kids. She was the type of teacher that is so important for young teens to have. She caused them to love their subject, through her talent and enthusiasm. She later became involved in a National Writing organization, which she kept up with until she retired. I cannot do that phase of her life justice, but suffice it to say she was dedicated to improving the writing skills of her students.

She was a fixture at the Winery, of course; how could she not be? She helped me with the proper pronunciation of Gewürztraminer. She spoke German, too. I will always think of her when I tip a glass of that white, semi-dry wine...one of my favorites.

She and Doug helped us celebrate our 30th anniversary in 1995 when I talked them into allowing us to take over their tasting room (before it was enlarged to the present size) and entertain a few of our friends. She was in on that deal, encouraging us all the way. It was a smashing success...thanks to them.

I could go on and on...there was the bat story...oh well, why not one more?. The last year the church had a live Christmas tree (or at least when I had anything to do with it) a bat must have come in with the tree, which as I recall had some grassy debris in it. Anyway, a week or two later Lynn got up to sing a rousing rendition of one of her favorites when this bat decided to climb down the brick wall behind her...unbeknownst to her, of course. And we in the congregation watched and flinched and hoped that the bat would stop and stay put at least until she finished (which it did) but to a person we wanted to stop her and say...Lynn, watch out there is a bat behind you. After church she grinned when we told her of our classless inattention to her work and she said that she knew something must be really wrong because it was out of character for the entire congregation to not pay attention to her. We had a big laugh.

And we lost her...her talent, her loving smile and her wit. Those of us who are older feel terrible that she did not get to enjoy her golden years when you can enjoy the past and the present and at least think...to hell with the future. Lynn just exemplifies the need for each of us to live each day for what it is, a precious gift.

And as the saying goes, "God needed a strong soprano in His heavenly choir, so He reached down and picked one of the best He ever created." But we will miss her.

Haystack Rock, Pacific City, OR

2011-03-26T20:02:00.003-04:00

IMG_3604
Originally uploaded by luacreskid.

We spent the last few days of Spring Break at Pacific City...our favorite spot on the coast. With the motor home long gone (since October) we rented a house just a short walk off the beach. We had a mix of weather and the lowest tide (seen here) was not all that low in our experience. But we had a great time. We walked the beach every morning, got coffee and let the sounds of the ocean settle in. That is why we keep going there. Sixty five miles and about an hour and a quarter away this is truly a place to rejuvenate.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

2011-03-15T23:59:00.003-04:00

I learned something new today during our visit to Desert Museum: Baby Ocelots can following their mothers in the dark by looking for the white spots on the back of her ears.

We ventured the 25 miles west of our B&B into the next valley for our educational tour. It was an adventure that took us past the University of Arizona campus (which is gearing up for the first round of NCAA basketball) and over a mountain which yielded an amazing look into the next valley. The view was the Sonoran Desert...and the Western Saguaro National Park. Lots to look at and take in. Incidentally, the temperature was a balmy 85 degrees under cloudless skies. We did a lot of walking, but we really felt we got to know the Tucson area much better.

When we got back to our B&B it was time for some outdoor relaxation at the pool while we were pampered by our hostess. Oh yes, no Javalina today, but we got another treat: a show by a Road Runner. Gaila, our hostess, feeds this bird out of her hand when it appears. The Road Runner likes raw hamburger. This is not a daily visit, but we were lucky enough to witness the spectical. I have some shots, of the bird walking on the windowsill, but due to its dull plumage, it is hard to make out sometimes. And it does not say, "Beep-beep" but rather a squawking sound. It is unique.

Javelina one day, a Road Runner the next...who knows what tomorrow will bring as we head out in the late morning to head home, right through the Sonoran Desert?

Javelina

2011-03-14T22:50:00.004-04:00

We have been coming to Arizona for the last six years. Today is the first time I came face to face with the aforementioned Skunk Pig.

We are staying at a B&B east of Tucson for a few days...right next to the Saguaro (pronounced Sa WAR o) National Park. It is a lovely spot overlooking the desert which is much higher here than Phoenix, but desert, non-the-less. The home is outside the city limits of Tucson in an almost rural setting. This is coyote, road runner, and Javelina country. About dusk our hostess went out to feed her rabbits and low and behold she hollered at us that there was a herd...14 in all...of these little divvils.

They are vicious little suckers and we were protected by a stout fence embedded in brick, so we felt safe. I, for one, do not trust them. I'm thinking that they might jump that fence if they wanted to.

But as I told Gaila, our hostess, I got to check one more thing off my Arizona bucket list.

Pacific City/Cape Kiwanda

2011-01-02T21:49:00.005-05:00

I have frequently written about our favorite Coast spot, Pacific City. This is a picture taken about 60 years ago before all of the development. Pacific City is to the right of the bridge and on the east side of the river (Big Nastucca) and Cape Kiwanda is the point out at the top of the picture. The Pacific Ocean is, of course, the left side of the picture. Both sides of the river have been built up with houses (right in the Sunami zone.)

We were out there last week for three days. Actually, the cottage we were staying in is visible in this photo...the second building on the river above the bridge. The cottage has been updated and is a lovely spot to spend time in the sun or the rain. In fact, the river was at the top of its banks at high tide (Big Nastucca flows backwards rapidly at high tide.)

We love the ocean and walked the beach in a light mist on Tuesday. What was interesting was that on Wednesday, the day we left, there was snow falling at times. Wild.

Some thoughts on Memorial Services

2010-12-30T20:09:00.002-05:00

We attended a Memorial Service this week. Our choir was asked to sing, so we were trying to be supportive. We did not know the deceased. She was a fixture in our congregation and a shut-in during the time we have lived here. I have heard her name many times, because some of my friends and associates have visited her and commented on her character and tenacity.

When we sat near the rear of the sanctuary, I watched people file in...young, old, middle aged. This person was a mother, grand mother and great grand mother. So I began to try to peg people with their association to her. I saw young professional looking women (this was a three o'clock service, so coming from work was a possibility), I saw very elderly folks, and some young families.

What struck me was that I could almost attach a name of a person I have known from the past. I thought I saw people I used to work with, but of course that was not the case. But when I saw them laugh and then cry, I imagined that maybe I had missed something and my former associates had lost a family member. You see, other than the choir and a very few others, I knew no one there. Scarry feeling.

What I was left with was the really great things they were saying about this women about whom I knew little. I remembered the comments at my mother's funeral...17 years ago... coming from people I had known all my life, yet did not realize the impact she had on them...it was that sort of thing. A time to reflect.

I don't like funerals at all, but memorial services (she died 10 days ago) are just fine with me, that is if the officiating clergy doesn't try to save us all. That is really in bad taste. We came to remember the dead. If people need salvation they will figure it out since most of us will want to live a "new" life like the person being memorialized. Let the good come out, laugh a little and then sing favorite hymns with gusto. That's how people should be remembered.

The Day after Christmas....

2010-12-26T22:15:00.002-05:00

Snow is falling in the east and we get rain. It is a quiet evening here on December 26. The tree is down; gone in fact, and we are trying to stay up until bed time. There is sucky TV tonight, since the game in Philadelphia is canceled. Right now I am watching the Oilers and the Canucks...hockey for the uninformed.

Christmas was nice. We spent a couple of hours with the boys in the morning and then came home to prepare food. Our friends from Scotland called us on SKYPE and I talked to them for an hour while Aleene shouted from the kitchen. Pete and Jessie are well and it was good to see them.

We had a nice family meal...just like old times... and opened a few gifts here, then just relaxed until about five p.m. The kids were then off to Bren's dad's place in Sherwood.

Today we did church as the choir was singing. I was driving the van today, so I went early to make the normal run. After church the kids were back for leftover ham sandwiches. We are headed to the coast for a couple of days...Pacific City where our choir director and his wife have a cottage. There will be three couples...and I anticipate eating and talking will dominate the time. Oh yes, there will be time for a walk on the beach.

Tomorrow I will help at FISH in the morning as we do the various pick ups of food around town. There are FISH barrels in several churches and other locations that we pick up every week. We will pick up three or four hundred pounds on most weeks. Not sure what to expect tomorrow. Anyway, after the run, Aleene and I will motor out to the Pacific...haven't been there since October.

Should get our tickets for San Francisco this week. We leave January 25 via Amtrak...in a sleeper going south. We will spend two nights in SF then head back north by coach. Should be interesting.

Hey...hope you all had a great Christmas...and a safe 2011.

Twenty-five years later

2010-11-30T23:14:00.002-05:00

In 1985 Amy came home from school (her junior year) pleading with us to take in an exchange student from Brazil who had been living in Martin, but needed to move. Her name was Claudia and had been placed in a home not suited for a teen age girl. There was another in the same community, Adrianna, who was moving in with our friends the Flemings. There was very little to dispute. The deal was closed.

Claudia stayed with us through January...the same month I left teaching...and that was it. This month Claudia is in Sacramento, CA attending a symposium. Well, tonight she called and is flying up to see us next weekend. I will have pictures and more to say later, but suffice it to say that we are anxious to see her after twenty-five years. Her English is as good or better than when she was with us for those five months, so we will have lots to catch up on.

Thanksgiving Day....2010

2010-11-25T22:51:00.003-05:00

My early recollections of Thanksgiving are cloudy. Christmas I remember from an early age, but Thanksgiving is different. However, there are several memories:

WE DID NOT HAVE TURKEY. Since we had chickens, that is what we ate for our celebrations. Usually, it was capon and sometimes mother would do a duck, but only once do I remember having turkey. Someone gave us a turkey poult which turned out to be a hen. We raised her for a year or two and she did lay eggs...big honkers with maroon spots. I did not like her as she would chase you. I must have been about eleven or twelve at the time. Jim, Dave and I butchered her for Thanksgiving. I did not even try eating any. The next year we went back to chicken. By the time I was an older teen, Mother was buying butterball turkey for the family celebration.

SOMEONE ALWAYS READ THE 100th PSALM. It was a right of passage to get to read the Bible at the dinner table. I was probably seven or eight when my turn came. The tradition continued for several years and finally we just went to praying our usual table grace.

WE DID NOT WATCH FOOTBALL. Believe it or not the NFL was considered, well, like a bunch of convicts playing a dirty game... unlike high school or college ball which was considered ok. Besides, the Steelers always lost back then. The football came in when I began dating Aleene. Her dad did not watch football, but her relatives did. It was not unusual for us to hit two or three meals on turkey day, but by that time I was 19, 20 or 21.

WE ALWAYS HAD SOPHISTICATED CONVERSATION AT THE THANKSGIVING TABLE. Our holiday dinners were rather formal. Dad wore a bow tie as he carved. It was not unusual for Jim and me to wear ties. That formality was because we had lady guests... Grandmother Beal (Bonnie) who was a widow; Aunt Ann Welch (family friend and piano teacher) and while not necessarily Thanksgiving, but certainly Christmas, Aunt Phyllis (Tottie) would be there. Dad talked politics with Ann and Tottie, but never Bonnie. The older brothers had their girls/wives there, but they usually pressed on to other things. I became one of those pressing on when Aleene and I started dating. I realized that there was other food available on her side of the family...something Brother Joe had figured out 15 years before.

THANKSGIVING USUALLY INCLUDED MAKING HOME MADE ICE CREAM WITH THE LEFT OVER EVENING MEAL. That was my favorite, of course. When we had milk cows, that included a quart of cream in the ice cream mix. The ice cream was done when I couldn't crank it any longer. Dave could crank the freezer forever.

The traditions ended when Dad died in 1962. What ever Mother did that year I do not recall. Aleene and I were an item, so I hung out with her. The next year I was in the Navy and soon after, Mother sold the farm. In the 1980s we began going to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving...usually celebrated on Friday, since most of the family traveled on Thursday.

Those are my thoughts in 2010 as we relax and watch football after doing the 5K walk this morning. We will be celebrating our Thanksgiving tomorrow with the family.

Working in the rain...

2010-11-09T12:35:00.002-05:00

We put a roof over our deck to protect us from the sun in the summer and the rain showers that from time to time frequent us here in the NW. But we soon realized that April and May...and October and November were going to need some help, too. So we bought a gas heater to extend our use of our deck.

Here it is November 9, it is raining and I am working at the computer in pretty much the comfort of my inside spot. Pretty much. The heater kicks out 47,000 BTU, but we are wide open and the air on my back is chilly, but I am dry and my fingers are warm.

We sold the motor home, two weeks ago. It went really fast. In fact, it sold while we were in Florida. I must have priced it too low. But alas, it is no longer a worry for any reason and the insurance and rental refunds are paying for my Master Gardener training I am taking through Oregon State beginning in January. Nice.

I decided to go the MG route since I am heavily involved in the community garden at our church. Yes, I have a degree in Agriculture and I had botany, horticulture, etc. but I have not used that knowledge much and it is dated... 50 years old. So they accepted me. There is a volunteer component of 60 hours, but that'll be good to get to know others and to keep sharp on the latest. There are other MGs involved in the garden, but none quite so much as me...so I felt I was investing in our project.

As long as the rain descends and the winds remain calm. I will type here at my outdoor work station. Having fun in the rain.

Lost another friend/mentor this week

2010-10-16T21:39:00.004-04:00

I first met Tom in the winter of 1972; I had heard about him the preceding year.

During the end of 1971 I was young and frustrated with the corporate world. I had a degree in agriculture and was working for a food company that was very much driven by agricultural commodities; some they grew themselves and some they purchased. After four years in "personnel" we were living in New Jersey after stints in South Carolina and Chicago. I was looking for change.

I took the initiative to meet with the VP of Agriculture (Bud Winter) to see if maybe there would be a spot for me in his organization. Unbeknown to me Campbell was building a mushroom farm in the sticks of West Michigan. The farm manager had been selected, a gentleman by the name of Tom Fairchild. The rest is history. Tom and I met, he blessed my candidacy to be on the new farm's staff and we became instant friends.

Tom died this week. He was well into his nineties. After all, when we met, he was over 55 and I was just 30. He was old enough to be my dad. And he became more like a father and not just chronologically either. He helped us decide to buy our house in Fennville having already looked at it before he and Dorothy decided to build. I got good advice from him...and the house stood us in good stead for 25 years.

Even after I left Campbell two years later, we remained friends. He supported my change in jobs when I opted to become a teacher, something that I was passionate about at the time. He knew that and made it comfortable for me to leave the company.

Tom stayed with Campbell beyond normal retirement age. He was an experienced mushroom grower and helped guide the company's efforts, which at the time were extensive, from the headquarters in Pennsylvania. They moved back to Michigan to retire on a lake (his dream) near Sturgis.

Ironically (or not), Tom and Dorothy's youngest son, Ed who is a carpenter, continued to be interconnected to us. In the middle seventies Ed and his partner built the addition on our Fennville house. Our kids, Jeff and Amy, "baby sat" for Ed's kids when they were young. Then, if that was not interactive enough, Ed married a very close associate of mine at Hart & Cooley. Then, in the middle nineties, Ed and his partner (now his oldest son Mike) finished the lower level of our house in Holland. All the time, we either visited or at the very least, kept in touch with Tom and Dorothy through Ed and Leanne.

These last few years were tough for the elder Fairchilds. And we have not seen them for a while...beyond our moving to Oregon...but they have always been in our thoughts. Good, solid people...role models...mentors...dear friends.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they mourn their loss and we especially think of Dorothy as she now lives in a care facility. Blessings to all: Tom, Jim, Carol, Barb and Ed.

Welcome home Finn

2010-10-12T21:05:00.004-04:00

You have to know the Knothes from Winona, Minnesota to understand this post. It is all about their love of Shetland Sheep dogs, you know the ones, those with Galic roots we call Shelties. That is why this picture is so special. Finn is number three that Terry and Jane have undertaken to train and rear.

The first was Bandit, who lived up to his name in that he wore a red bandanna around his neck just in case, I suppose, he wanted to live up to his name. Bandit was around when we were making regular visits to see our Minnesota families. I would presume that Bandit goes back 26 or 27 years.

But dogs lives their lives fast and about 13 years ago Beau became the center of their love. Both were sable...looking like miniature Lassies, only cuter since they did not have Roman noses. This summer Beau took his leave in what must have been a real tough departure on Terry and Jane's 32nd wedding anniversary.

It is hard losing a pet, especially those that are trained in a manner that lets them interact with humans almost as if they were something other than pets. While I did not know Beau as well as Bandit, what I did see was a very bright dog who looked like his predecessor.

Jane said that she did not want another sable...just too much of a reminder of Beau, so she went looking for the right one. Unfortunately, there were no Shelty pups within 500 miles of Winona.

After an internet search she found a breeder in Wichita, KS with just the right pup. Finn made his journey by air from Wichita, with a one hour layover at O'Hare before arriving in Rochester, MN. The video is the first tie Jane and Finn meet. I love this scene...bonding between "mother" and pup as they head through the next 15 or so years of life together.

Jane and Terry are special people...and not just because Niece Jane and I go back to those days in the early 1960s when I spent two summers with her family while in college. It is hard to believe that 50 years have passed since then...so many good memories and so many special people. All the emotions are bound up in this moment of realization that life is short and that there is a new family member to share it with:
Precious

The Pacific is angry

2010-10-09T21:48:00.002-04:00

After a beautiful day yesterday and a light rain last night, today turned hard-core. We knew this was coming; forecast for days. I grilled outside for breakfast under the awning, but by noon, the wind dictated that I roll it up for safety. That did not deter football watching. (They have good cable here.)

We went to the pizza parlor for supper and then down to the beach for a short walk. The wind was ssw at 30, gusting to 45. I remember my wind speeds from my navy days. The boys were undaunted and took the brief rain-free opportunity to play in the sand. The dog ran like he does when he is at the coast. He even envisioned members of the family who were not there. Believe it or not, there were surfers. He was sure Brendon was one of them. He saw a tall dark haired young women with a camera and ran to her for a sniff. In fairness, the wind was at his back so he had to use sight recognition. Still, I am not sure he believed what he saw at closer inspection.

Back to the camper...more football. It is so nice to be on the West Coast on game day. The "late games" run between five and eight in the evening and the really late games...well take or leave...you can watch and not impinge on sleep.

But the Pacific was angry. The waves were high and churning. Why souls would even venture into the surf is beyond me. Fortunately, they got out of the water while we were there, so Aleene breathed easier. That is when Frodo determined Brendon was not among them.

The rain is back to pelting force again, but we are cozy and dry. While the Pacific rages, we are at peace.

Catching up

2010-09-27T17:08:00.004-04:00

(The picture is a file photo, which is why Truman looks smaller...he is much taller, now.) We have been dancing back and forth from sun to rain and back again. This week is summer: 80 degrees and full sun. Yesterday it rained and didn't reach 70. Thus is the life in the PNW. I am back to making iced tea again and we are closing the house up when the outside temp exceeds the inside temp.

Aleene is growing stronger by the day. She actually lets people near her, now and I think Amy hugged her. I won't comment on my attempts. (LOL people.) She goes to the doc in another couple of weeks, but I can tell she is mending.

The garden at church is wrapping up. I took over 200 pounds to the food bank this morning. We are close to 2,000 pounds which is what we hit last year. I am not sure how much money we have generated. The corn is done, the beans are done, the tomatoes are still doing. In fact, with temps last night only in the low 60s, I am thinking that we will have tomatoes for a couple of more weeks...if I let them live that long. We want everything gone by October 15 so we can get our cover crop in. The heavy work still exists with tearing out the main line of the irrigation system and pulling the posts that support the fencing we grow the beans and tomatoes on. I do have help for that.

I made reservations for camping at Pacific City next week (October 7-10) since the boys get the 8th off for an in-service day and that weekend is the mom and pop's anniversary weekend...aren't we nice to take the boys camping?

I have some things to do to get the motor home in shape, but that will not take much. I had it running last week...generator, a.c. and then, the furnace. We will be set for anything...perhaps even a little crabbing, since our choir director is going out to their cottage and is taking the boat. Dungeness crab (the big read ones) are good eating.

We are headed to Florida on October 19th for ten days. We will be at Sebring, Sarasota (Penn State, DTS, reunion) and Ft Myers. We fly in and out of Orlando. Hopefully, there will not be any late Hurricanes.

So, summer is back, but everything is green again from the early fall rain...September is the best month, I think, to live in Oregon.

Raining in Oregon

2010-09-18T19:57:00.002-04:00

So what's new? It is raining, again. It must be fall. After a long summer dry spell, moisture has returned to the Pacific NW. "It is too early in the fall for rain," a local resident told us this morning. He may be right, since the rain usually holds off until at least October. But no matter, it is raining and the garden (at church) is muddy.

I have been working there about two hours a day this week as we prepare to do our final pick and pull out plants. Tomatoes and corn, while late, have been booming lately. We gave up on the summer squash...those plants are gone. Winter squash will be picked this week...then out they go. The beans will be gone this week too. Poof. Out they go.

The garden has been good for me this summer. I took over the watering responsibilities when our head waterer moved in June. We have a 1 1/2 inch water line running down the middle of the garden. There were 13 timers hooked up to it and 2,3,or 4 soaker hoses off each timer. Those are all put away, but the big water line has to come out this week. We also use 8 foot sections of woven fence attached to metal posts. The fence will come out this week and the posts when I get some help. We use this combo for tomatoes and beans.

Rain is here and so is the end of the garden season. It is almost time to relax and take some time off. Maybe a trip to Florida along about the middle of October...oh yes, that is the goal. I hope it is not raining down there.

Aleene update: color her blue (as in black and)

2010-08-26T12:01:00.003-04:00

She is mending. After the initial illness brought on by the pain meds, she "only" has aches, pains and sore areas...and colorful ones at that. Remember that she does have a fractured clavicle.

She doesn't allow pictures, but she has become part of the rainbow coalition in her left shoulder and neck area. Sore ribs? check; swollen knees? both scraped and b&b; colorful hip? yep, that too. She walks slowly, but is gaining strength. Probably will go to the doc (orthopod) next week as a follow up. So, unless she allows pictures, just be aware that things are slowly improving and will likely not be mentioned here again.

Oh yes, I am using my cooking, clean-up, and food related skills :).

Aleene vs. RR tracks :(

2010-08-23T18:53:00.002-04:00

We took a short bike ride yesterday in the beautiful part of the afternoon to check out an address she was looking for (yoga related). On the return trip I insisted on the "long way around" to get on the newly paved street...but lo, to get from where we were to where I wanted to go we had to traverse a single RR track. She got her front wheel caught in the "groove" and spilled...a perfect four point landing: left shoulder, both knees and her head.

The helmet protected her head and her jeans ameliorated the knees (there are bruises) but the brunt of her weight went on her shoulder...the left collar bone fractured.

Fast forward to the hospital ED and two hours of waiting, radiology and sling fitting we left with a script...just late enough to miss the local pharmacies. I got her settled and took off for the 24 hour Walgreens in Tigard about 15 miles away.

She slept the night thanks to the drugs, but also thanks to the drugs, she got sick to her stomach (we told them she did not tolerate opiates) and has been horizontal whenever possible until those nasty pills wear off. Of course, back come the aches and pains with nothing to mask them.

All in all she is doing well, but it sure was a hic-up in her plans. Thanks to all who have sent statements of concern.

Oh yes, the helmet took the sting out of the head blow...no problem there, but an assurance from the ED staff that most bike accidents they see are helmetless...not good.

McKenzie Pass, Oregon

2010-08-19T23:23:00.004-04:00

As we rode home from Bend this morning I tossed around how I would try to explain the beauty of the McKenzie Pass lava flows. Massive, extensive, unique, similar too all seemed to blaze and I guess you have to experience it for yourself to take in the true magnitude of the scenes.

We visited two sites with our friend John on our trip to Bend. We drove to the top of Pilot Butte just outside of Bend to take in the sights about 1100 feet above the city. I consider a Butte as a hill or mountain with a flat top. Pilot Butte is a cone with a flat top and a road that winds around it to the summit. What was surprising was that people were running and walking up...some women pushing strollers, even. But once at the top the view does not disappoint. From the pinnacle, which doubles as a parking lot and observatory, one can see for miles...virtually all the volcanoes in the Oregon Cascades. Plus you get a look at the countryside around Bend...population 80k.

We drove to the Newberry Volcanic National Monument which is acres and acres of lakes and lava flows. The most remarkable site is the Obsidian (silica, glass) flow which has a 1 mile path to the top. The mounds of volcanic glass are without description.

On our way home we traversed the Cascades over McKenzie Pass which is arguably the most scenic area in Oregon. Miles of lava fields then miles of Ponderosa Pine forests winding down a well maintained, yet narrow paved road. It added about two hours to the trip, but was worth the time. We stopped several times to drink in the view and did some climbing, but we decided that there is no way to do it all justice in one trip. McKenzie pass is not open year round. It closes the end of October and opens the first of June...not unlike Crater Lake. We loved every bit of it.

Hot here today

2010-08-14T16:46:00.003-04:00

We are back into the 90s for a few days. Haven't seen this kind of heat since the first of July. Anyhow, we know the drill. Got down to 58 last night, which is a relief. The wind is blowing out of the east which means there is a high pressure thingy sitting over us and pumping hot air off the desert, down the Columbia River Gorge and into the Valley. I don't mind the heat here...relatively low humidity and cool nights. I can do this.

Wish we were back out at the coast, however.

V. J. Day 65 years later

2010-08-13T22:29:00.007-04:00

I do remember the original VJ Day. I was almost 4 on August 14, 1945. I was standing in the barn yard when suddenly one of my older brothers, Joe or Dave...and only Dave can help me with which it was... and a friend came busting out of the house shouting both carrying shotguns. The shouts were something to the effect that the war was over...repeated over and over. And with that they pulled up and shot the guns in the air up over the spring house to the west.I was shocked, but impressed because after all these years I can recall it clearly in my mind. My original "shock and awe" event so to speak.

At the time there was no doubt in the minds of those around me about the wisdom of using the first and second atom bombs. In fact, that event lead to me being dubbed "Tom the Atom Bomb." When I was old enough to understand I learned that my dad, who spent the entire war in the States, was at that time undergoing training to man the WWII equivalent of a MASH unit since the anticipated casualties were in the neighborhood of a million Americans. The logic was that using the bombs actually saved lives. Of course, no one knew what the future would hold vis-a-vis the atomic age, atoms for peace and the Cold War term Mutual Assured Destruction.

The subject of whether or not to use atomic bombs has been debated for as long as I can remember. In fact, I had more than one instructor at Penn State take up the matter in class. The biographers of Eisenhower and Nimitz maintain that both those Theater leaders did not agree with Truman's use of the bombs. But neither publicly spoke out against it...the biographers had documentation in the form of notes or letters written to family or close associates that neither considered their use necessary. One recent book I read "Fly Boys" spent quite a bit of time detailing the consideration of the Army Air Corps's General Curtis LeMay's importance in the decision. It seems LeMay, more than any other General or Admiral in the Pacific was intent upon the complete destruction of Japan...even exceeding the destruction of Germany which was extensive. But the facts remain that the Japanese leadership was intent on fighting to the last human since that was their custom and style and that after the first bomb on the 11th exploded over Hiroshima they supposedly were unimpressed.

I have given up on the debate after agonizing over it for the past 50 years. The War ended and my dad came home four months later. So, The Bomb has been a part of my entire life from its inception to the present. There are those who think the U.S. should apologize to Japan for using The Bomb. But one observer pointed out that until this year the Japanese have remained silent about their 100 occupation of Korea prior to the end of WWII and that they were responsible for the mistreatment of millions more in China, and other nations of the Western Pacific. I think we did what we had to do to win the war. The more I read the more it is evident that we in the U.S. did not have a lock on the outcome of The War. And in sheer numbers, more Russians were lost than any other nationality or nation. I think the number is 20 million.

I read today that we are losing WWII vets at the rate of 1,000 per day. Soon we will be as far removed from WWII as we were from the American Civil War when my contemporaries and I were born. Feeling old anyone?

On a lighter note, Aleene and I drove to the coast this morning (65 miles) had lunch and returned. The weather in Lincoln City this morning at 10:00 was foggy and 54 degrees while we were in the upper 80s here. But we did see the ocean at Yaquina Head...just north of Newport. When I see the Pacific I am reminded of the war that was waged on its western edge...the islands secured at great loss of life, of the ships lost and the sailors killed. The great Pacific...if only she could talk...maybe I could get some answers about those historical events that have taken place on and around its waters. I will continue to return to its shores and continue to listen for clues. It is one of my favorite things to do.

Enjoying a cool Sunday Morning

2010-08-08T10:18:00.004-04:00

Not sure if I have shared the "pagoda" covering of our deck or not. Perhaps in a random picture or two when Chickie and Meg were here. But we really enjoy it. Like today: it is about 60 degrees and overcast...going for 75 today...and there is a light mist in the air. I had the wipers on when I went to the garden this morning. So, to be able to sit out here and enjoy a cup of coffee and listen to the birds and squirrels chatter I find to be quite relaxing.

Aleene is cooking, as in preparing for lunch. Amy from Tacoma is here for the weekend. We have not seen her yet, but she is around...I saw her new car sitting in the drive at Amy's & Bren's yesterday. They will be over for lunch. It is always nice to see her. Recall that Amy went to Korea with Amy and before that she stayed with us when she student taught at Holland High...almost 20 years ago. Her family still lives in Brighton, MI...you know the place...where they made a ski facility out of a land fill. I get a kick out of that.

Anyway, here I sit, relaxing, enjoying the cool weather and reading about the weather turmoil in the world. Our summer has actually been cooler than normal, but I love those 80 degree days with unlimited sun. Our "pagoda" does attenuate the sun and we have a sunshade which we lower for about two hours in the afternoon on the west exposure. Mostly, we are surrounded by big trees in our back yard, so we get lots of shade during the hottest part of the day.

We are thinking about putting a gas heater...you know, one of those umbrella-like objects... out here to extend the season and to take the morning chill off. We thought about electric, but while we have an outlet on the side of the house, the deck is not wired and those ifra-red heaters are over $200 a copy. I think we would need two. So I am thinking propane similar to this one. It would take up room, but we could move it off the deck if we needed space. For the two of us...I think it would be wonderful.

Just thought you would like to know....

Sorry to miss the fun

2010-08-07T11:01:00.002-04:00

We love Oregon, but living here has its disadvantages, too; primarily distance. This week Sister Phyllis, whom our generation refers to as Chickie, her youngest daughter, Cheri and three children (Olivia, Josiah, Noah) dropped into the Pittsburgh area for a brief visit. They met up with Brother Jim and Nancy who all went across town to Brother Dave and Midge's for a (re)union of sorts. We, of course, missed out.

We have seen them all in the last 15 months (Phyllis was here in June) but as time slips by we really feel left out as we grasp at chances to get together. Good memories. It does not seem that long ago that we were able to reunite more frequently. Phyllis and her husband Bruce were stationed all over during his 20+ years in the Army, so frequently they were not a part of our earlier get-togethers when our families were young. But in the past 30 years, we have had more opportunities to link up. That is, of course, until we moved west. No regrets, mind you, just an observation.

Thanks to Cheri, we got some pictures which depict savory moments.

Sirius is visible and it is 6:00 p.m.

2010-08-04T16:20:00.004-04:00

There is something about the sun's rays during this time of year on a clear day at roughly 6:00 p.m. that conjures up all sorts of memories for me. I had one of those nostalgic flash backs yesterday as we walked in the vicinity of Tuesday Tunes.

What was my first memory of this time of day and this time of year? I asked myself. It was eerie.

Perhaps it was watching baseball games in 1950 and 1951 as we traveled the circuit of North County League baseball? My now oldest sibling (home for the summer from Penn State) and his lovely sweetheart (and soon to be wife) somehow saw fit to pack the three youngest of us in his 1939 Ford and follow the Volant (PA) team from community to community: Eastbrook at the old high school (where Aleene attended 9th grade) to see baseball being played on the field that actually went up hill in left field and where right field ended in a drop-off; New Wilmington, Pulaski, Leesburg (really #5 Mine), Edinburgh, and of course our favorite Volant where foul balls might end up floating in the mill race nearby.

We had motivation to watch these guys play, of course. There was a pitcher for the Volant team that had eyes for sister Phyllis. His family connected with ours on several levels: patients of dad's and owners of the general store in the little village where our family once had a very rustic cottage on the Neshannock River...or krick as we called it. Todd was my idol too because he was arguably the best pitcher we would see all summer and what he did fascinated me.

The sun, unhindered by clouds, yielding 80-85 degree temperatures shone from the west creating either difficult playing situations or cast shadows by trees or hills left an indelible impression.

Maybe the nostalgic pangs have their genesis in 1952, the first summer I played ball. Our team would pack into cars and travel to Wampum (where we faced two future major leaguers...Dick Allen and his brother Harold), New Wilmington, Bessemer...and of course our home field at Walmo. The excitement coupled with nerves of playing 1st base for the Neshannock Township team heightened my awareness. It was that time of day to play the game I loved.

A few years later the 6:00 p.m. shadows during the dog (Sirius) days of summer meant harvesting late...wheat, oats, hay...which always meant a trip to the river (the Neshannock Creek or krick) to wash off the day's dust and dirt. Mother always made us take a bar of soap to take a really good bath at our favorite swimming hole. Maybe the feeling of a job accomplished followed by a pleasurable swim branded me with the memories of hot July and August early evenings.

Our neighbor, a jeweler in town, insisted that dog days meant that the heat was so intense that canines were forced to continually pant to stay alive. My dad, the ex-scoutmaster and amateur astronomer, reminded me that the presence of the Dog Star (Sirius...not yet of satellite radio reknown) during late July and August and thought by the ancients to cause hot weather was where the term came from.

Either way, the feelings precipitated by the shadows cast stayed with me at sea during the mid-1960s when I would venture up near the flight deck to take in the beauty of most likely the Mediterranean Sea since I spent the dog days of two summers there. And those were impressionable experiences.

I got that feeling again last night as we walked up town...and I wasn't satisfied until I routed it out my memory and fleshed out the reason for my trip down Memory Lane. Thanks for going along for the ride.

The Oregon Garden

2010-07-23T14:40:00.003-04:00

This is one of the beauties we live near. Well, in Silverton..not too far away. We spent the day with the Jacksons walking the grounds and exploring the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Gordon House that now rests on the grounds of the Garden.

I took a bunch of pictures...most are HERE.

Margot, since you check on me most...these are for you ;)

Portland as a destination

2010-07-16T23:19:00.004-04:00

We spent the day in Portland, yesterday. The Roses, Pioneer Square, the OHSU Tram and Powell's Books. We had lunch at the waterfront munching on lunches we purchased in a sandwich shop down town.

Portland is a friendly place...especially when you ride the trolley around town. We parked down town and took the trolley to OHSU's Tram...on the SW Waterfront...then back on for the trip to The Pearl District (Powell's) and again back to the car.

It was a beautiful day and gave us all a chance to enjoy the City of Roses. Our guests headed for home today...we had 78 degrees, they were heading toward 114...ugh.

Amazing sights at low tide

2010-07-14T13:25:00.003-04:00

Jan and Gary are visiting this week and the summer temps have been cooperating...even a bit chilly in the evenings. Yesterday we drove out to the coast to see an especially low tide. We saw rocks exposed yesterday that I do not recall ever seeing before.

Of course we lunched at Hawk Creek Cafe at Neskowin. We made a brief stop at Spirit Mountain on the return trip. Nice, clear day...comfortable at the coast.

Today is a down day with local stops, then tomorrow, Portland.

A few days at the Pacific Coast

2010-06-20T21:36:00.004-04:00

Note to readers...the links are hard to see, so when you get to the word PICTURES click there...

Wednesday, we packed up the camper and the car and took the boys to Pacific City... Cape Kiwanda. Aleene had several things on her check list to do, but we really felt we were at the mercy of the elements: it has been very rainy here of late.

We go to Cape Kiwanda because they have an indoor pool and if the weather is bad you can always swim in warm water. The pool is big, but sometimes there are many kids there and that takes so of the fun out of it. But on Wednesday and Thursday, the campground was virtually empty. We had the pool to ourselves. Truman is a good swimmer and Asher is learning. To get him in and not afraid was our goal. As you can see from the pictures, he had a ball.

The weather cleared on Thursday late morning in time for low tide. This was the lowest tide of the week and revealed some rocks that we do not always see in our visits to PC. Low tide reveals all the marine life that clings to rocks...enemonie, starfish, muscles in gobs and clams. The pools of water left in the rocks and crevasses are full of small fish...sculpin, baby salmon and other species, not to mention the hermit crabs. We spent about two hours there and had a ball...again as the pictures reveal.

Friday was a beautiful day, so we headed out for breakfast to a favorite spot... Hawk Creek Cafe in Nescowin. After a full...and I mean full breakfast, we drove through Lincoln City to the cut off to Drift Creek trail. It is about 12 miles up in the Coast Range on a winding, paved, single lane (with turnouts) road. It is very much like a rain forest because of its proximity to the ocean...lush, green and wet. After many twists and turns we got to the trail head where I was once again able to use my Golden Age Pass and save $5.

The trail down to the falls and the suspension bridge is about 1.5 miles on a good trail, but it was mud in spots, so it took us a while. Once again, the pictures tell the story.

When we got back to the camper I paused for a quick nap while Grammy...still fulfilling her mental list of does took the boys to the beach. I was reluctant because it was windy. But after 45 minutes of fearing what I was missing, I took Aleene a cup of hot coffee and joined them. There they were, the boys that is, covering each other in sand. They had a great time...you got it...the pictures tell the story.

Friday evening The Parents joined us after our evening meal and all six of us slept in the camper. That included the dog, Frodo, too.

Saturday we broke camp and headed our separate ways...the family back to Neskowin for lunch and Aleene and I home in time to deposit the camper at its resting place and attend a graduation open house. Home at last.

It was a great trip...

Thinking about baseball and Larry Morse

2010-06-12T08:52:00.005-04:00

Baseball...long my favorite sport, crept back into my mind this spring. It wasn't from spring training or anticipation of the Mariners playing on TV. My thoughts were spurred by three things: The loss of a good friend, Larry; Truman's renewed interest in the game; and a book I am reading about the life of Joe DiMaggio.

I always thought I knew how to play the game since it is the only organized sport I played as a kid (too busy raising sheep and heifers is what I recently told Truman when he asked how long I played.) But it was not until sometime in the early 1970s that I realized that while I had an appreciation for the game and knew some of the rules, I did not know the game that well even though I had been playing baseball for twenty years. It took me a while to come to grips with that fact, however.

I met Larry when I started teaching in Fennville. He was on the HS staff and I on the MS staff. We shared the same building since we were on split sessions while the present HS was being built. Larry was an English teacher and a coach...I knew that. What revealed itself to me over a brief time was that Larry was one of those extraordinary guys who not only knew how to play the game, but he knew how to love it. He respected it: its history, its traditions, its rules both written and unwritten. He was as comfortable playing ball, as listening to the Cubs on the radio. It didn't matter, or so it seemed, whether or not he was physically engaged or mentally engaged when a game was on.

What struck me was how he understood the traditions. And why not? Larry played at a high level while at Central Michigan, I found out. And he came from a baseball family. His dad, Sonny, I was told, played in the Cardinal farm system for a while. There was baseball in his DNA. But it wasn't until about ten years later when I played slow pitch softball with Larry that I realized how good he was.

There were about four summers between 1982 and 1986 when we all realized that if we didn't hurry up and have some fun with this game, time was going to pass us by. I was very lucky to be playing. I played some fast pitch softball in the Navy, briefly and still had the bug if not the skills. So to play with a few legends was to me a great privilege: Pinky Barnes, Jim Sexton, the three McMahon brothers, Larry, Jeff Thompson, Dean Birkholz, Mike King...who are all I can remember right now I had a great time during those summer Sunday afternoons.

But it was Larry who guided us...lead by example. I often said he held a clinic at third base every Sunday during those summers. He was good. He was in control of his body and the game, inning by inning.

Larry remarried in the mid-seventies and became a regular at church. It was then that I could ask questions and hear his philosophy about the game. That's where Truman and "Dimag" come in. For years, Larry, at no cost to the school, was the grounds keeper of the baseball field. He believed that every kid that wanted to play ball should have the chance to play on a well kept field. And so he made it happen, quietly, and consistently. He also told me that the game was to be played honestly, with energy and respect to the game, your team mates and the other team.

I remember one story about a catcher who was struggling and blaming others, trash talking disrespecting the other team. When he came back to the dugout Larry told him to go sit down and take off his equipment. He was through for the day. That young man "got it" finally, the story goes and so did those around him.

My challenge as personal coach to Truman is how to convey that same message without preaching. So every Tuesday when I walked to school to meet Truman for the four block walk home, I sought to engage him in a different subject about baseball. One day it was about work ethic...if you want to excel, you have to practice...with the team and alone. Another topic was listening to his coach and learning from him (I thought he had a good team coach.) And the topic from last week was getting mentally prepared. The team they were to play on Tuesday evening (weather permitting) was undefeated. "I hope we don't play tonight," he said. "These guys are good and we will never beat them." I thought it was time to tell an old, old story about when I played. We faced the team from Wampum four times in three years and only beat them once. Fast forward 10-15 years and come to find out three (brothers) went into pro-ball with one, Dick Allen, spending 14 years in the majors ending his career with a .292 batting average. When we got to the house we Googled Allen and sure enough, there it all was. His birth year, Wampum, his record and a few comments, including the names of his two brothers, which I remembered only one. My point was, of course, was who knows, maybe this opposing team has a wringer on it and in 2010 you just don't know that.

Joltin' Joe, while he was a lot more negative toward others and a notorious perfectionist, he played the game hard, the way it should be played. He ran out ground outs, he practiced batting (albeit first) every day. He only wanted to show himself at his best. Of course, he did that to a fault, but to fans looking in, he seemed to play the game honestly. For a kid to study his baseball work ethic, he was a good role model.
That was Larry: from the outside looking in he was a role model and from the inside, when I got to know him well, he deserved that label even more.

Guys like Larry will be missed by many folks...certainly his family, we all know what the loss of a father, spouse, or brother means, but he will be missed by all those Fennville kids that will never get to know him. I think so because it will be very hard for anybody to take his place tending the grounds and making sure players respect the game and themselves. I hope someone (like Larry) helps Truman learn that part of the game as well.

Oh yes, Truman's team did not win that game, but came in second in the tournament to that same group of boys. Who knows, perhaps there is a Dick Allen among them.

What would you do for $200 and 20k miles?

2010-06-05T12:09:00.003-04:00

Before you become concerned, everything turned out all right, but it took us six hours longer than we planned to get home last night. Early in the day I was worried about the weather, but we got to MSP on schedule and with no bumps. We had a three hour layover built in, so we dined and settled in at our gate only to find our departure was delayed because of weather in Washington DC, the place where our plane was coming from.

"We will turn this plane around quickly and you will be on your way a mere 50 minutes late," is was what they said. So we boarded. "Ah, er, we have a hydraulic problem...but it is fixable, but in case it isn't we will get another plane. Everybody get off." Thirty minutes later we were told we had another plane at a neighboring gate. At last, we thought, we will be on our way. By this time we were two hours past our scheduled departure. But wait...

"The captain and first officer do not have enough time left in their working day to fly to Portland and return. A new crew will be here within two hours." Well, it took all of two hours for both the right and left seat occupants to be readied. When the new captain arrived, be applauded and he bowed. We were now about five hours late. We thought this was it.

The gate crew disappeared into the plane and did not show up for 35 minutes and when they did...sheepishly, of course, told us that the relief flight attendants did not show and the ones on board were pushing the limits of their work day (now the next day, of course.) But that was not the saddest message. "If we cannot get this flight attendant problem solved and the plane out of here in 20 minutes the new captain will "time out."

"What?" we all groaned. Why would you wake up a pilot, get him to fill the bill when he was on the brink of working beyond FAA limits? Why, indeed! They loaded us just in case the new "stews" showed up...with the clock running on the captains schedule. There were five minutes left on this latest countdown and they announced that they had huddled, called higher ups and were gonna take off with the existing crew. Cheers went up. We were now just about six hours past our scheduled departure time.

We flew into the night and landed in the morning...the mountains were beautiful from Rainier to Jefferson with Hood, St. Helens and Adams all visible in the dawn's early light. When we deplaned they handed us $200 vouchers for future Delta travel and a thing to send in for 20,000 miles on the frequent flyer program. Poor Brendon. He had tracked us and with an occasional text he knew the original schedule was scrapped, so at 5:00 a.m. we linked up and headed home.

We both slept on the plane for about 3 of the 3 1/2 hour journey. We had exit row seats, so I stretched out enough to relax. Hey, it is over and we got here safely, but somehow I felt used and manipulated...in the middle of a labor relations battle between the crews and the company, maybe. You know how that sets me off. But that will be the topic of another post. The experience almost guarantees that we will fly again this fall with our nice $200 (each) discount to somewhere.

Shame on me

2010-06-04T10:23:00.002-04:00

After visiting Duane and Margot the other night where I was reminded that I have not been blogging nearly enough, I decided to turn over yet another leaf. We will see how long this lasts.

We have had a wonderful reunion in Michigan the past ten days...first !Up North! and then in Holland area. This is the right time of year to visit Michigan...good temps, mostly sunny and plenty of green and flowers. It has been a chance to spend some good time with special people in our lives when we lived here...for 34 years. Thanks to all for your contributions.

Driving around the western edge of the state reminded us of all that is good here. While we did not see the Big Lake we were close and reminded that it is the powerful force that attracts folks to this region. We got to see the budding businesses and the hollow hulks of lost industries, too. You have to be impressed with the resiliency of the people. As we walked 8th Street last night there were loads of people out and about...enjoying the weather and the shops and eating places. There were couples outside of Warm Friend smiling and saying hello to passers by. They are blessed with a great place to walk just outside their door that is safe to trod through out the year thanks to Snow Melt. That is a real plus.

So this afternoon we head back to GRR and start flying through MSP and land at PDX late at night. Then our lives continue with baseball games, painting, gardening and all the rest that has become our new way of life. Now, if we could just get people to pronounce Oregon correctly (or at least the way we residence do) I would be happier. But that will take another trip.

OR-a-gun...repeat after me.... :-)

Inside the AF Academy Chapel

2010-04-11T23:23:00.002-04:00

P4110024
Originally uploaded by luacreskid.

When this structure was built it was on the cover of every magazine...inside, but mostly outside. It is breathtakingly beautiful and very much the trademark of the Academy.

Spent two days with the Angers and Frens families...good to see them and talk and talk. We are all getting older, including their pair of boarder collies. They remind us of Rose in her last year.

The little girls are bright and beautiful at 6 and 5. We had lots of fun with them. More pictures to follow.

Habitat House

2010-03-28T09:25:00.002-04:00

Oops, no picture. Aleene and I spent yesterday, Saturday, working with workers from our church hanging siding at the Newberg Habit house. The weather was maxi-mo, just beautiful. While we were accomplishing the same task, we were in separate crews working on different parts of the house.

As most of you know, Aleene has been about the work of Habit for years having worked on builds locally in Holland, Baltimore and Nicaragua. She also volunteered at the Habitat office in Holland for several years before we moved. This is her first work here. This is the first time we worked together on a project.

Habitat in Newberg has been struggling to find affordable lots to purchase so they can build houses when this one came open on North Main. It really is a duplex with the two halves joined, but offset giving it a very distinctive look. We learned yesterday that Habitat recently acquired another lot and will be building another house(s) just like this one not too far from us. So, we will be helping more in the future, I suspect.

I got up this morning stiff and sore, but the longer I am up the kinks have begun to work out. Yesterday holds pleasant memories of working together outdoors with my crew for seven hours.
Now, on with the Palms.

Back crom the coast

2010-03-26T21:18:00.003-04:00

Last night was a first for us. We endured a storm right off the Pacific with little between us and the elements. We had supper with friends in Pacific City and made the 45 minute drive north on Highway 101 in a hard rain arriving back at the campground at 8:30. It was raining hard; pelting, really.

The wind picked up jostling us with each gust. Mind you, we could see the ocean from the camper. There was a rock wall, about four feet high, between the beach and the campground. We were in the second row of RVs. We were pretty much straight on with the ocean. It ebbed and flowed all evening, but we got to sleep only to be awakened about 3:00 a.m. when a torrent of rain hit us at the same time as a good shaking of the camper. We got up and "stretched" (I checked the radar on line) and after surveying the inside of the MH, we went back to bed satisfied that the elements were not going to penetrate our defenses.

Morning came with sunshine glistening brightly off the frothy white caps of the waves to our west. It was the best view of the Twin Rocks that we had all week. It was a brilliant day. We ate and walked for an hour down the beach across the southern stretch of Camp Magruder and up road of the little settlement where the camp-site is located.

Magruder is a UMC camp made up of many buildings and covers about 100 acres right at the beach. Speaking of a Tsunami target...this is it. Regardless, it is a beautiful spot and we were glad to be able to look it over .

Our drive back home this afternoon was uneventful...except that when we got back into the valley, we caught up with last night's rain. Oh well, that is March in Oregon.

At the Pacific Coast

2010-03-23T23:53:00.004-04:00

It is Spring Break, so we must be at the Coast. Actually, we are camping within sound of the ocean at a place called Twin Rock located between Garibaldi and Rock-a-way. This is a commercial campground...really RV park that has a dozen spots for transients like us. Most of the units are here year round. There is one focus here...the ocean. No playgrounds, no snack shops...just the ocean.We usually go to Pacific City, which is about 20 miles south of here, but we decided to branch out this time.

We went out to eat tonight...Pirate's Cove...and had a delightful meal overlooking Tillamook Bay. I had the fish and Aleene the crab cakes. That is our splurge for the week.

I was going to take a picture of the sunset tonight, but it was foggy-like, so I will look for a better opportunity in the next few days.

Pipe Organs

2010-03-21T21:22:00.002-04:00

This is a touchy-feely post. Be ready for that.

I was reared in a church with a pipe organ. My brother, Jim, and I sang in junior choir and then senior choir where the choir director was also the organist. He would show us how he controlled and played the three manual instrument with a full pedalboard and four control pedals: choir, great, swell and crescendo, as well as 40-50 stops and banks of pipes. Mr. Lewis would demonstrate how it worked at rehersals, so by age 11 I had a working knowledge of a pipe organ, although I never played. Jim and I knew the organ at the Scottish Rite Cathedral where the Messiah was performed every year was bigger than our church's. We loved to listen to both instruments mostly for the low notes and the power.

Mr. Lewis became my voice instructor when I was 14 and I sang at church frequently, mostly accompanied by the pipe organ. I really began appreciate the special sound of a pipe organ. Electronic organs, as we called them, were ok, but they were impostors to the deep, rich sound of a pipe organ.

When Aleene and I got married we lived in New Jersey on two different occasions. The first was in Westville, just off the Walt Whitman Bridge over the Delaware River. The little Methodist church in Westville had a pipe organ...surprisingly. The organist was a teenage boy who was gifted, but he played everything loud. As a result the congregation was not treated to the delicate sounds, but just the big, loud sounds. That experience did not enhance my love of pipe organs.

Our second stint in NJ we attended the Methodist church in Audubon, which was several miles from Westville, and closer to our new home, so we did not return to Westville church. The organist at Audubon was a middle aged woman who was really good. I got to sing with a pipe organ back-up. In the two years we lived there she expanded my love for the wind-driven instruments. That was the last time we were members of a church with a pipe organ.

There were pipe organs around Holland, for sure, and we attended several churches from time to time with a pipe organ. But I never sang with one again for 35 years.

Well, we have a pipe organ here at Newberg, First United Methodist. It is one of two in town..the other is at George Fox University. Ours is a beauty and we have a very talented organist. Jane, like the rest of us, goes on vacation from time to time and is usually backed up by the former organist here...a diminutive woman of 89, by the name of Hazel Mary.

When we first visited our church four years ago, I had trouble not weeping when Jane played the organ, which had just undergone a major overhaul. She has moved me to tears several times as the old sounds, feelings, and emotions quickly arise to the surface. I once went up to thank her for her music after the service and could only sob...jeesh...I hate it when that happens, and poor Jane thought I was having a breakdown. I sort of was, but I am doing better.

But more on Hazel Mary:
She is a survivor. Her husband died ten years ago and she has survived a bout with breast cancer but she is just as vital and active as she can be. She attends Aleene's study on Wednesday mornings and we have gotten to know her. She swims several times a week... "I gotta take care of my bod..." she says with a glint. She is quite the lady.

When Hazel Mary plays she does an amazing job, not just for someone approaching 90, which is a wonder in itself, but also because she is just so good and has a very distinctive style. As small as she is, she is all over those manuals and the pedalboard. Today was one of those days and her postlude was Bach's Toccata In D Minor. If most of you heard the first three notes you would recognize it....da, daw, daaa.

We enjoyed the pipe organ again this morning and got to meet "the man who will walk me down the aisle next month," as she introduced Bill to me this morning. She is getting married at 90. Wow.

Kyuki Do belt test

2010-03-07T23:55:00.001-05:00

Kyuki Do belt test
Originally uploaded by bzo.

Unfortuanately we did not get to witness Truman's Kyuki Do test yesterday, but we got to hear all about it.

Kyuiki Do is a Korean martial arts which he has been practicing all winter.

Measure for Measure

2010-02-28T10:03:00.003-05:00

One of the baristas at Coffee Cottage, Brittany, invited us to see her in a play in Portland several weeks ago. Yesterday, on a whim, we decided to go. She warned us that this Shakespearean play, Measure for Measure, was a tawdry one. It is billed as being "all about sex." Sounded exciting.

The play was produced by a small company in Portland in what is aptly named The Shoebox Theatre. It seats about 35 around the edges...not in the round, mind you, but in a rectangle. You really have to watch or you might trip the actors.

M for M is a typical Shakespeare comedy with it's twists and turns and morality logic. It did not disappoint. Yes, I could understand it and listened closely to every word.

Brittany played four parts, but her signature role was as the personification of evil...the devil herself. They played up the temptress aspect with her high heeled boots or red shoes, fishnet stockings and top and fiery-red hair. She was truly an all-female seductress. She played a strong part...great voice and movement...very believable in all four parts. Oh, the other parts she played with a different coat or cloak about her and her hair was not as prominent. It was believable.

So, last night was spent in Portland at the theatre (not the Keller or the Schnitz) enjoying a good show and laughing with the audience.

It's SPRING

2010-02-27T17:43:00.004-05:00

Yea, I know. Bragging too much as our breatheren and sisters get snow or are still talking about cold and records. But here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, Spring is here. We got our walkway in a week ago and went shopping for some plant material today. Last fall, when we had the interruption in our sewer, we had to move many of our plants out of the way. It is good to see them coming to life after being moved to their new homes.

But the real news is the ornamentals across the street that are representative of the area. They are out and beautiful the last weekend of February.

More yard work

2010-02-20T12:46:00.002-05:00

After our sewer line renewal last Thanksgiving, we wallowed around in mud most of the winter...ugh. But I discovered a secret weapon. Little did I know (but should have realized) I am married to an expert stone mason...winky, winky.

It took me a couple of weeks, in between rain delays, to dig out the path that is shown here. In went the sand, then one trip to the stone place, then another, then another until finally after four trips to get stone, sand and gravel we have the walkway usable. There still is finish work, but Aleene did a great job laying this suckers.

I thought better of taking a picture of her in action...you know, bending over, whatever showing and hair flowing in her face, but she did the work. One project done.

We are starting another in the back yard this spring which will make our deck usable in the rain and bright summer sun. But that is another picture and story for another time...

Valentine's Day...our 45th

2010-02-13T00:06:00.005-05:00

There have been several instances over the past few weeks that gave me a chance to think about our marriage of 45 years. First, because we celebrated our anniversary while we were in Florida...where we honeymooned; second, because it is Valentine's season; and third, because there was a piece written in the Wall Street Journal this week by a young person who asked rhetorically if he had married too young at age 22.

Aleene was asked by a soul whose success at marriage was not that good, to what she credited our 45 years? That began a discussion between us that went on for several days. Luck was one of the ingredients, for sure, as were some measures of integrity (we would talk about these things in our two mile walk), but several days after the conversation started, Aleene stated her profound belief that she could not have made it with a chauvinist. To which I replied that I felt it was a privilege to live with a woman and a fellow better darn well respect her as part of the deal.

The WSJ article spewed out the statistics that couples that wed between ages 22 - 25 have the second best chance of not being divorced...that would be our cohort...and went on to surmise why that might be when the success rate of marriages younger than 21 were atrocious. (The best stat is over 25, but that only improves ones success rate by four percentage points.) All the time I was reading the article my mind was whirring about how this all applied to our situation and success as we moved closer toward 50 years.

Fifty has been a goal of mine ever since I heard my brother Joe say (way back when) that he told his bride, Shirley, that he would commit for 50 years and after that all bets were off. Then he would laugh. Well, they made it 50 years just before he died. Brother Dave made it to fifty with Tillie before she passed and Aleene's brother Don and his wife Roberta passed fifty as did my sister Phyllis four years before her husband Bruce died. So you see, there is family tradition to uphold. (Brother Jim and his Nancy are just 8 months ahead of us and they should make 50.) The reality is that neither my parents (38) or Aleene's (49) ever made their Golden Anniversary. So that has always been a goal of mine.

Our Thursday morning men's group this week considered Paul's letter to Corinthians where he discussed love as being patient, kind, not puffed up, etc. There I sat with eight other guys and only one of them had been married less than me. We had an interesting discussion. I love listening to our oldest member (86) discuss subjects such as love and faithfulness. He and his wife have been married 65 years and started as 21 year olds (also speaks well to the above mentioned stats.)

What is my conclusion? Not sure, but there are some observations: We have never known "conflict" of the type that would stress a relationship. We have changed over the years, of course, but we had good role models and never put demands on each other. Our expectations were always reasonable, but we never thought that we had to stay together only because we vowed we would. I have truly enjoyed our journey (Aleene makes such good choices.) I am glad we are on the right side of the statistics for our age of marriage group and that we can celebrate Valentine's season more frequently than just February 14th.

P.S. I might have some 'splainin' to do when Aleene reads this post. :-)

Truman jumping rope for heart surgery

2010-02-05T11:33:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to AHA's program that Truman is taking part in...pretty neat. Watch him just to get a sense of who he is at age 8.

Back from Florida

2010-01-31T19:37:00.003-05:00

We had a delightful time in the sun the past two weeks. We managed to spend time with both of Aleene's brothers, Willie and Don and their wives.

We had problems getting there since the wild weather was in L.A. and we were to change flights there. So we were delayed over night in Portland and then flew to Seattle and on to Orlando. That threw us about 12 hours late. But we recovered and allowed us to not have to take the "red eye" over night. Coming home we were right on schedule.

One picture is of the six of us on a Sunset Cruise out to the Gulf of Mexico through the Brown River in Naples. We finished that at dusk and then ate at one of the waterfront restaurants at Tin City (an indoor shopping mall of shops made out of corrugated roofing. The other picture is of the Kneram Kids somewhere in Tin City.

We did Gator Alley again and were not disappointed...many large gators. But I did not know any by name. Very impersonal creatures. Take a look here for more pictures...

The highlight, of course, was the family time in Ft. Myers over our anniversary (45) weekend. We then finished out our stay in Sebring. Dana took a vacation day and we went to Downtown Disney which is the part they do not charge you to park or enter, but over charge for food and souvenirs. But then, what else is new?

As you read this, Dana, Willie, Roberta and Don, thank you so much for making our trip memorable.

Watching a wreckingball

2010-01-16T21:09:00.004-05:00

I love to use pictures to augment my posts, but none today. So, let me draw a word picture for you. Most of you know that Aleene has been on building projects before...Kentucky, Baltimore, Holland, Nicaragua, to name just a few. But today she was on the tearing down end of a project. But she proved, yet again, that she works equally well either building up or tearing down.

Friends of ours (Brendon's sister, Erinn and her husband Ron) bought an old house just out of town, not too far from their present residence. It is bigger and on a large lot with some outbuildings. But it is old (circa 1910) and in need of lots of TLC.

Yesterday, the call went out via Face Book that Ron would be at the house this morning tearing out old walls. Anyone wishing to help was certainly welcome.

It is one thing to not know about a chance to help friends, but it is something else again to know help is needed and not heed the call. As the saying goes, "The Lord put a burden on our hearts." The weather cooperated as we got up this morning. It had rained all night. We did our usual two mile walk and stopped for morning coffee. We had talked about Erinn's entry on FB last night and we felt that if we could swing it, we should go for at least an hour or two.

We were only assuming that what we needed was a crow bar and a hammer... so off we went each equipped with our own tools... not knowing what we might find when we got there. Sure enough the house was alive with activity in and on the structure. There were brief introductions and re-acquaintances as Ron gave us choices of where to start. "Everything comes off the walls. We're going down to the studs," he said.

What ensued for about ninety minutes in our little room was hammering, busting and gathering. "I work like a turtle; slow and steady," she said later. I protested that she was no turtle while the metaphor might be accurate. While I smack and rip, Aleene pries and removes, rhythmically and consistantly. I tired of the flying debris and dust while my partner did her removal surgically with minimal dust. I began to pick up lath and wood to go to the paper-mill just so I could get outside. Aleene continued to tap and tear. We lasted longer than I thought we might. But in the end we were both tired.

Ron and Erinn have a lot of work ahead of them. I am glad that they are the ones working this project. We are glad our modest rebuild projects are over. But be it the heat of Baltimore, the hard pan soil of Estelle or the dust of Chahalem Road, Newberg, Oregon you will find a willing craftsperson hammer in had, ready to go.

I love you, sweetie. Once more I realize we made the right choice 45 years ago to team up.

Winter reading

2010-01-12T19:17:00.004-05:00

Back in November I commented on "Ike" a more recent biography of the Commanding General of the European Theater - WWII. Since then, I finished "Nimitz" also relatively recent (within the last five years) biography of the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Theater. Although General McArthur got most of the post-war press, this was the Navy's war...which includes the Marines of course. Both of these books were top-down looks at the war. There were some striking contrasts between the two books...not so much the two men. This post is about some observations I am making on my own.

It is interesting to me, for example, that both men tended not to seek the public's eye unlike some of their counterparts of the time. Eisenhower had the tougher time due to the fact that he had to satisfy the Brits through Churchill and his Commander in Chief, FDR. Ike also had to counterbalance the British generals and admirals as well as DeGaul and to a lesser extent, at first, Stalin. Ike also became President and Nimitz sought no further office, which is to say, to me at least, that Ike became good at juggling not only military personalities, but those on the world stage as well. Nimitz was sick of it by the end of The War. Ike became president of Columbia University then got called back in to head NATO. Nimitz became a regent of the University of California and turned down Truman's request to return to active duty to guide the Navy during the Defense Reorganization Act. Nimitz never made a cent off The War by speaking and writing. Ike wrote books and of course became a politician. Striking contrasts.

No one knows for sure, but the indications are pretty clear that Ike had a relationship with is "driver" who was British during his time in Europe and Mamie more or less knew it. She got all sorts of favored treatment including sworn in as an officer in the Womens Army Corps while they were together. Nimitz was, from all indications, true to his wife. It doesn't matter really...seventy years later, I guess, but when you see all the trappings of their high office it is interesting to see how the two reacted.

Another thing they had in common was, at least via their biographers, they both felt that there was no need to use the atomic bomb on Japan. Eisenhower knew nothing about it until it happened, supposedly, and felt it was not necessary. Nimitz, while staking out the strategy of capturing Japan's bases in the Pacific, he envisioned a naval blockade choking off supplies, principally fuel and food for this island nation. But the USAAF got wrapped up in strategic bombing and convinced the civilian leadership to bring the war to a halt with The Bomb. Nimitz furnished the base from which to launche the B-29 strikes, but had no say in the targets or types of weapons. USAAF General Curtis LeMay gets the credit (blame) for that.

The strategy in the Pacific resulted in the death to thousands of American soldiers, for which Nimitz was blamed and pined...as did Eisenhower over losing thousands. But the Nimitz strategy was designed to destroy the Japanese fleet and to do that, their advanced land bases had to be neutralized: Iwo Jima and Okinawa were both extremely costly in American lives and occurred in the last 9 months of the conflict. And more ships were lost in the end of The War, too, because of suicide bombers (kamakaze). Much about that was kept from the American public...but helped those in government decide to drop The Bomb.

I am currently reading an account of the destroyer force in the Pacific in the last year of the war. It is very "personal" to me because many of the ships that were involved in 1944 and 1945 were still around when I served in the early 1960s. In fact, I either saw or walked on several of the Essex class carriers...or knew old salts who served on them. I could list them, but it would be even more boring. We fueled destroyers in our company in the Med and their names show up on the book I am reading. Being the after-station fueling officer, I spent many hours on deck while those little greyhounds were along side getting fuel. We had lots of new ones, too, but some of the WWII types were still around after extensive modernization in the 1950s.

My mentor on our ship was in submarines during The War and while he did not talk about it frequently, he shared his views and stories with me on several occasions. He was a great influence on me. I could never have served in a submarine. I am too tall anyway, but they were a special breed...much like the pilots I served with and not at all like me.

When my brother-in-law, Bruce Williams, died last year, Phyllis bequeathed to me his CDs of Victory at Sea. Those have special meaning since that was recreational viewing when I was in OCS and the instructor did not have a "full" lesson plan. Several of them would show us Victory at Sea segments.

This all has little meaning to most of my readers, but it has always been a dream of mine to spend some time in the written and visual word of WWII and I am getting that chance this winter.

Oh yes, The Sullivans (above) was the first destroyer I toured while in Newport, RI. It was not FRAMED or modernized...still in WWII configuration. I was mothballed, and is now a museum...sorry, I forgot where. It was named after the five brothers (Sullivans) killed in 1942 in the sinking of one ship. After that, no more than two brothers could serve together.

Swine flu shots today

2010-01-06T18:18:00.002-05:00

I prevailed upon Aleene to go with me to the grocery store to get our H1N1 shot today. Did we wait in line? No. What happened to the passion over Swine Flu. It came and went, I guess, but they are talking about it coming back again for a "second flush." I was somewhat concerned about flying on airplanes with coughing people, not to mention the little kids that cough on us when we volunteer in the local reading program. So we got our shots.

I am not sure, but I think this is the 47 flu shot I have received in my life time. I got the first during the summer of 1963 when I was in the Navy and had one every year since. There were two this year.

I really think I am immune to this stuff, but thanks to Medicare, we got the $15 shot for free. I will tell you how it all works out.

Happy 2010

2010-01-01T10:51:00.003-05:00

Aleene was chiding me this morning about not posting..."nothing to say?" she asked. "You usually have something to comment on that you are thinking about." My reaction was to grumble about nothing, but thinking about Margot and others who don't do FaceBook. The trouble with FB is that you come out with one sentence and that is it. So here are some thoughts:

>The weather has constrained our walking. It is either too wet or too cold when we want to walk. We are losing our identity as PNW folk...except for yesterday. We walked up to the Coffee Cottage, in the rain, at about ten in the morning and it was packed. There was a line, so we got our two coffees and had them turn on the outside heaters and sat under the awning, as it poured rain, and drank strong coffee. We still need to walk more.

>School starts again on Monday and with it will come several trips to Edwards Elementary each week. I am volunteering in the reading program twice a week and I walk there on Tuesday after school to meet Truman.

>We leave for Florida two weeks from Monday. We will be spending time with both of Aleene's brothers. If there is time, we may get together with one of our Penn State friends who lives near Orlando.

>I have read two great books about two splendid WWII leaders: Eisenhower and Nimitz. My review of WWII history has been based on stories of local events either first person or through movies and reading. But last year I set out to read what the leadership was thinking and doing starting with Roosevelt's perspective through Doris Kearns Goodwin's book. I read a couple of books about the U.S. vis-a-vis the Holocaust. I wanted to get IKE's perspective through his biographer. And as football coach Dennie Green once said, "He was who I thought he was." Or words to that effect. I was taken more by his childhood coming from Mennonite background, although his mother was a Jehovah's Witness.

I followed that with a book about Nimitz. I had to admit that even as a Navy Man, I did not know the details of the Fleet Admiral's life. Unlike Eisenhower who became a public person after The War, Nimitz became CNO for two years (at the same time Ike was Army Chief of Staff) then faded into the background. He did not write books about himself or The War and unlike his rival, McArthur, and Bull Halsey, who was also a glory hound, Nimitz chose to live out his life in a more private manner. He was on the board of the University of California (where he started the NROTC program) and did some work for the UN but did not come back into government...as Ike did as the leader of NATO. Truman asked him to come back as CNO again when the armed forces became a mess after the drastic downsizing, but he chose to recommend younger men he knew and served with.

>Aleene has been reading Twilight books...you know the ware-wolf stuff. Not me, I will stick to history. But I do watch the movies with her.

>The boys are here often, sometimes by themselves and sometimes together. They are a joy to have around. Truman is soaking up football right now. Since we are the only place he watches football, I get to spoon feed him on rules, strategy, and personalities. I try to balance out the good stuff with the bad stuff. I will not define those two...they are my biases, but suffice it to say that the showboating that kids seem to like I scoff at. I come from the Larry Morse school of athletics...play the game right or sit down. And I should also mention the Gary Frens school of refereeing: the refs are human too.

>Lastly, we are enjoying our church family more and more. We have been taken in by some really great people...singly through individual studies we do, and as a couple through the garden, FISH (food bank) and choir.

We lost more than a friend this week

2009-12-19T22:18:00.003-05:00

I met her 37 years ago on Main Street under a street lamp in Fennville, Michigan. We were attending one of our first Black Hawk football games when the field was in front of the (then) High School. There was not a lot of room and virtually, no security (as in fence) so if you weren't sitting in the small stands, you were milling around the sidewalk. We were new to the community and she was interested in who we were. She was a teacher there. We seemed to connect as I talked to her and her husband.

I got to know her even better the next fall when I joined the Middle School staff. She was teaching sixth grade and I seventh. We did not interface much...except during staff meetings when I could tell what a professional she was by her demeanor and during parent teacher conferences. I had her middle son in class.

For the next several years I listened and learned from her. She knew the area, the kids, the parents and she knew about teaching. Everybody respected her.

She moved into administration as Curriculum Coordinator the year before I served as principal of Anna Michen. During that year I again was a student at her feet. She filled in the vacant spots in my resume even though I received my Master's degree the year before. I was lacking in elementary curriculum experience. She filled in the gaps.

I moved back into teaching and continued to learn from her. She filled in as interim Superintendent for a few months when there was an opening being filled. She faced some really critical issues that few knew about, but having been in administration I was aware of. Again, she was superb.

Shortly after her oldest son married the daughter of one of our closest friends. We were now "family."

I left education and she continued to serve the Fennville Public Schools in administration and then after she retired from teaching, as a board member. And while I did not have a lot of contact with her the stories about her continued to filter through: thoughtful dedication, intelligent decision-making, hard work (at the fruit market) and compassionate grand-mothering.

We knew she was ill, but she was a fighter. She continued to work in the family business and as a grand parent. But the news continued to be bleak. She had given so much, but was now the focus of the concerns of others. It was one of those sad stories: a good person struck down by a debilitating disease.

It is with profound sadness that I write my thoughts and think back upon the 37 years that encompassed our friendship. I was the recipient of so much of her wisdom. She was truly a great lady and we will miss her...Ardith Raak.

Asher as shepherd

2009-12-16T22:01:00.002-05:00

Tonight was the Pre-School program...cute. Lots of Ashies friends go there with him, but it was just too crowded to get good pictures. Aleene got this cute one by becoming as small as possible and hoping for the best...and it was.

Great program (seven minutes) done twice, no less.

It is cold in the valley

2009-12-08T20:21:00.002-05:00

I used to say...the ground never freezes here...not true. I raked leaves this afternoon and everywhere I went, the ground was hard...frozen. We have been getting overnight temps in the low to middle teens and a high of 30. That means the ground will and does freeze here.

The good news is we have no precip...unlike our friends in Meechigan. Have fun with that snow, folks.

Civil War

2009-12-04T16:29:00.005-05:00

Amy alerted me to the "Civil War" in Oregon long before we moved here. Me...smug Big 10 (11) person that I was thought, "Who cares who wins between O and OSU?" They were nearly always on the bottom of the heap in the Pac 10. But 2009 showed that everybody cares when they are playing for the Pac 10 championship and the chance to go to the Rose Bowl. (Oregon State is 40 miles north of Oregon and it is often brother against brother, but after 113 years...not so much any more, however.)

Back to my story; here are some interesting anecdotes. Aleene announced that we were going to have pizza from Papa Murphy because she had a coupon and it has been ages since we ate pizza. So I called and ordered and thought it strange that their lead-time was 1/2 hour. But I went and waited in the longest line I have ever experienced at Papa Murphy...just for a place to park. Inside, it was worse. Then it hit me...this Civil War thing is bigger than the Super Bowl.

This morning: I have a running conversation with produce guy at our grocery store about his fruits and veggies and he alerted me that in addition to 400 lbs (a normal day) of banana yesterday, they sold 250 lbs of avocado. "Guacamole for nachos for the big game," he said. Wow 250 pounds.

Finally, last night: Just before half-time we got a call from the mother of one of Truman's friends asking if her boys and their dad could come to our house to see the rest of the game. They do not get ESPN on their TV and were having trouble streaming it from the computer. So, of course, we said come on over and that is what you are seeing above. Three boys and Grammy watching the Civil War (dad is not pictured, but he was there, too.)

We had fun, but unfortunately, the team favored by the majority of this audience did not win, but it was a good game...no, "a great game," as my green grocer emphasized.

Tuesdays with Asher

2009-12-01T23:33:00.002-05:00

Aleene picks Asher up from pre-school on Tuesdays (two blocks away) and he comes here for the afternoon. He usually naps, but not today...too many things to do. I had a dentist appointment and did not get home until after noon. He was eating when I arrived and planning the afternoon. He was scheduled to make Rice Krispy squares. He had another idea.

"Let's make ice cream," he said. Well, he was not to be denied. He has done this before and knows were the ice cream maker is. He told his grammy what she needed and just began to make that the afternoon's project. I had to get a bite to eat and by that time he was heavy into the ice cream. I did not get my camera fast enough. There was the prep, the ice the salt. It wasn't until the mix began to set that I could snap pictures.

So, click and up on facebook they went. I just had to write a line or two about it since he really knows how to manipulate his grammy into doing what he wants...sometimes subtly and sometimes not.

Truman comes here after school on Tuesday also, so after I got back from the eye

When toilets bubble

2009-11-26T07:29:00.002-05:00

This is the second house where we have had to do major repair on the sewer/septic system. Our Fennville house had problems for twenty years until I finally quit messing around and told Bill Buscher to put in a new drain field. That was after both the kids were gone and Aleene and I were empty nesters and probably could have squeezed by deferring the problem to those who owned the house after us. (Are you thanking me Charlie?)

I learned my lesson on sewers and life...if your toilet bubbles or shower backs up, then get to the cause of the problems and enjoy carefree laundry days forever.

We called our friend Bob, who happens to be intertwined in the relationships of Amy's husband's sister's husband's family. He and his son showed up after I dug a hole to locate said balky pipe. Bob fixed the problem (a four inch pipe collapsed like a pancake after 57 years) in an afternoon, but alas we now wait for the City to "inspect" the work so we can close the hole.

Yes, the trench will stay open for almost a week so that the civil servants can vacation, holiday and address the needed permits and papers to tell us that what Bob did is ok. Never mind that a city worker was at the job-site twice during the process with his video camera (for pipes) and made sure that when his turn comes to fix the problem beyond the property line that it is ready for his good work (no inspection for the City is needed.)

I wonder if this is how government run healthcare will proceed? Naah, I trust them to figure out how to best take care of 310 million people's health seamlessly. But I digress.

At least we can flush and wash and shower and shave without the dreaded gurgling sound coming from the brand spanking new (well, two year old) potties. And, oh yes, how is this for good thinking? We are laying a new fresh water line in the same trench so that when the supply line from the curb fails (and it will) we don't have to dig up the yard yet one more time. Hang the cost, the future owners of this house need to be considered!

Can you tell it is 4:00 in the morning on Thanksgiving Day and I can't sleep? Have a good one, folks.

"Ike"

2009-11-21T11:38:00.002-05:00

Just finished Michael Korda's book, Ike. It is a 725 page account of the WWII hero and our 36th(?) president.

I have been reading biographies the past two years to get a better picture of history as seen through the eyes of the biographers of some presidents and others. I started several years ago (about 30) by reading Fawn Brody's book on Thomas Jefferson when it first came out. That accelerated since I retired to a current bio of Ben Franklin and then I got into a series of books written by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I recently read the Andrew Jackson book which came out last spring.

My next book is Nimitz written by E. B. Potter. I wanted to get a different perspective about the WWII Pacific campaign.

But, back to Ike. The perspective I brought to the book was from my own recollection of the Eisenhower administration. We had to learn the cabinet members in school in 1953 and I still remember those names. I don't recall cabinet members for any other president in my memory. I also remember the Army-McCarthy hearings on TV and the Kruschev antics in the late 1950s. So this book was fun for me to read. I enjoyed the perspective of Korda on Ike in England as the SHAFE commander. Other than Monty and Churchill, well, Patton and Bradley, I did not know much about the personalities Ike had to manage.

If you are into that sort of stuff, it was a good read, Kay Summersby not withstanding.

A day in the life of the flu

2009-11-11T19:28:00.006-05:00

Both Asher and Truman were running fevers yesterday when they came to visit. Amy had an afternoon class and there was no school. We played games, ate lunch and watched TV...all through the day.

We played Skip-bo for about an hour, I jaunted off to Subway for sandwiches and then after a rest period (Asher's nap) the TV furnished the entertainment. It is no fun to be sick, but at the same time you do what you have to do to feel better...or so the pictures seem to indicate. You draw or eat fudge bars.

Today the boys are showing progress to recovery and the parents are coughing and running temps. Grammy and Pappy are fine, so far.

You have nice parents

2009-10-31T09:36:00.006-04:00

Truman called earlier in the day to see if we would be home so he could come over while his mom went shopping (there was no school on Friday.) He said it was torture to go to the store with his mom and walk through the toy section and not be allowed to touch anything. When the time came Asher decided to stay with us too. When they arrived, Aleene was gone, so I took charge. "No TV until we play Uno," I crowed. The boys love to watch our TV because we get some neat cartoons by pushing our "on demand" button...for free.

I cleared the coffee table and shuffled the deck and the three of us played three hands of Uno trying to keep Asher constrained by rules of the game. He really felt involved because he can match numbers and he began to see how to think ahead and plan with the cards in his hand. It was one of those precious times you get now and then when working with small children. It was the sign of an almost five year old growing up.

Aleene arrived home and we ate lunch (I ran out for sandwiches at the new Subway not far from us) with the boys sitting side by side in "my" big chair. It was cute: paper plates? check; sandwiches? check; drinks? check...as they watched a batch of Tom and Jerry cartoons.

Amy arrived and we adults ate standing up in the kitchen making sure the boys had what they needed to keep them in the chair. "More sandwich!" Another chunk delivered.

"Apple slices?" I asked. No comment...just chewing and TV watching. That was a dumb question...so I whacked a jonigold into thin slices and distributed them to their
plates...more chewing and no talking.

"Jello?" I asked and a quick "Yep" came back from the chair.

Lunch was done and away they went...mom, dog, Truman and Asher. Quiet (nap) time and a chance to get some things done on a Friday afternoon.

Before they left it was decided that we would ride with them to Macaroni Grill for supper. Amy had a gift card that was burning a whole in her pocket and invited us to share it. So fast forward in your mind to about 5:30 and the 20 minute drive to the outdoor mall to where Macaroni Grill and a plethora of other eating establishments reside. We parked in the parking garage and began the walk...not far, but far enough.

Asher was scooted up on his dad's back...sort of backpack style and Truman hung back with me bringing up the rear of the parade. "Put me on your shoulders," he asked. I thought of the distance to the restaurant and the foot traffic and the low hanging trees not to mention my back...and put him off. "Wait til we get closer and there aren't so many obstacles," I countered. I was thinking of my ability to get him up there with his long legs and his increasing poundage...ugh, I thought, but the connection was being made. He held my hand, which he rarely does voluntarily when we are on city outings...until it seemed appropriate to try to swing him up.

It took two tries, but up he went to his favorite early childhood spot when traveling with Pappy. He giggled and hollered at the crowd ahead. I was worried about getting him down...I could envision both of us tumbling...Truman is a big kid and I am not as agile as I used to be. But we found a bicycle rack outside the restaurant where he could stand and I could simply back away.

Into the restaurant we went...seated quickly and the crayons were put to work on the butcher paper. Our table was a rectangle and as it happened Asher and I were at opposite ends with the mothers on one side and Tru and Bren on the other. I made eye conctact with Asher and gave him the "I see you" sign you see sports stars and others give to family members. He continued his coloring and then looked up to his mom smiling and said, "You have nice parents."

The joys of grand-parenthood! Was it the moment or the day or was it the many hours we spend together as we journey through life? No matter. You take those precious moments when they come. And where else do you have a writing space big enough to write antidisestablishmentarianism as you leave those little tidbits of information for the next generation to pick up?

What a lovely evening out.

Blood donation

2009-10-29T19:17:00.005-04:00

I showed up to give blood this morning at George Fox. There were several students helping and were just then training to receive donors. One of the young women asked a question I have never been asked in my 45 years of donating blood: "Would you like to be a double red donor?"

My response was that I did not know what that meant, so, "Tell me more." It is more difficult to explain than it is to just have you got to the Red Cross website to get all the facts. Go there now and then read on....

It takes longer, but you end up taking more fluids home than you came with...but...you leave twice the red cells. They have a separator machine running the entire time you are on the couch. The plasma is pumped back into you with some saline. You watch the blood leave (deep red) and the plasma-saline flow back (a light pink), you feel the cool solution go into your arm...and...you do get a tingling sensation in your mouth when the return flow is finished (caused by the anti-coagulant and calcium additives.)

This is the first time I have seen this procedure and feel like a guinea pig, but hey...someone will benefit.

Rain today...

2009-10-23T13:34:00.005-04:00

(Top: The Jordan Valley at Dead Man's Hill.
(Lower: Japanese Garden at Portland this summer)

After a couple of dry (almost) days, we have steady rain this morning. That didn't hamper the morning walk to the coffee shop, however. We got there (5 blocks away) before 7:00 which is not our usual time. We are still on Eastern time, I guess.

The foliage here is almost peak, I think. There is so much green from all the Douglas-fir and cedar that the deciduous trees do not make the impact that they do in the Mid-west. The other noticeable thing is the absence of scarlet, red and red-orange leaves. Not completely, but not as prevalent as we saw in Michigan. I mention this in case you are interested.

So we are into the fall mode...planing a trip to the coast to get refreshed at the sight and sound of the Pacific...and to the Japanese garden in Portland. We were there this summer and vowed to return in the fall to see the foliage in a different hue. It only costs $5 for seniors to walk the five acres, so I think we can manage that. We want to see the winter and spring foliage as well. It is such a peaceful place.

We are back on track with grandparenting. Ashie comes for a couple of hours today while Amy has a luncheon meeting to attend. Aleene will pick him up from school and he will be hungry.

I am preaching Sunday (lay Sunday at Newberg First) so I have been working away at that. Our Thursday morning group is a big help. We discuss the Lectionary scripture and it is helpful to get the perspective as well as have me test out my understandings.

So, a rainy day is good here...the grass is green and the leaves are yellow. Won't be long until I am raking every day.

Home at last

2009-10-22T00:29:00.002-04:00

It was fairly uneventful, those 2500 miles from Michigan to Oregon. As the comic that is making the rounds on YouTube says, "Why do we get so impatient? You can cross the entire U.S. in four hours sitting in a chair. Our forefathers took six months, people died and babies were born."

I know, I know, I am impatient with my fellow travelers. On the flight from Traverse City to Minneapolis a woman was sitting in front of us who had a small dog in a carrier, that once she got in the plane the the Flight Attendant checked the seat belts...out came the dog. Sure the dog was scared, sure it was cute, but why not allow people to bring chickens or geese? They let them carry on huge amounts of baggage after telling everyone that you get one carry-on that has to fit in a really small box that sits at most gates. Airplanes used to be fun to fly, now they are like a jar of pickles packed in with sour vinegar dripping off the faces of half the travelers.

I was already steamed since I did not notice that our boarding passes for the second leg that were issued at the counter said that we were on Standby for the second leg of our flight. This after I painstakingly got exit row seats Tuesday morning when I checked in for our Wednesday flight. We were sitting and waiting the obligatory hour when I discovered the "error" so back to the counter (outside of security) I went. The agent, dressed in a mechanic's uniform, told me he could not change it but that all I had to do was take care of it in MSP. Who knows how far you have to walk, or how long you will really have to check in? All I could see was someone else getting my exit row seats and us being bumped. Mr. Agent-dressed-as-a-mechanic said we had different exit row seats, but he could not reprint the boarding passes.

So as I watched the doggie get fed biscuits on the breast of the owner I said to Aleene, "I am through with flying."

In MSP, sure enough, the agent there had new boarding passes waiting....exit row. Half an hour later came the announcement that our plane was being abandoned for mechanical reasons and that a new one was coming out of the hanger to take us to Portland...three gates down. It was a different sized 757 it turned out...and our seats, exit row on the one size 757 missed being an exit row by 12 rows on this bird. So there we sat all scrucnhed in for a 3 1/2 hour flight... 50 minutes late. I was not a happy camper as the masses shuffled on the plane loaded with all sorts of luggage that either did not fit under the seat or sprung the doors on the overhead bins.

Ah...but 3 hours and ten minutes after wheels up....we landed in Portland. Our ride was waiting for us within minutes and both of our bags made it. Life is good. I will probably be ready for a four hour ride to Florida by January.

Back in Boyne City

2009-10-18T18:34:00.003-04:00

After spending the weekend in Muskegon, we traveled north again today. When we got up there was heavy frost on the car...and soon after, bright sunshine shone through. I think the temp was 24 this morning.

There is mega road construction going on in Michigan. The main N/S route here is US 131 and it is closed north of Cadillac all the way to Kalkaska while they replace bridges. As a result we followed the detour through the Michigan countryside on a bright day in the middle of the color season. Beautiful.

But, before I go too far let me comment on Saturday's wedding. Hilary married Fred in what was a most beautiful ceremony. It was held in Central UM church in Muskegon..an old, gothic structure with beautiful inlaid wood (not surprising) paneling. They have a beautiful pipe organ and a very capable organist. There was a brass quartet and together with the organ they gave the most beautiful prelude and postlude at a wedding that I have witnessed.

Hilary's parents, Ron and Susan Hansen, served was our parsonage family for nine years in the nineties. Randy studied for and was awarded a D-Min while they were with us. That is where Randy and I worked closely together. After high school, Hilary graduated from Albion College and went to Chicago and landed a job on the staff of Field Museum. She has progressed from there and at 31 had developed into a most attractive and confident young woman. Chicago is where she met Fred.

So the wedding was fun and so was sitting with some of long-time Fennville friends. Blessings to the new couple: Mr. & Mrs. Fred Sanders.

Mary and her daughter Trisha's family went to Missouri for the weekend. They get back Monday evening. We ate lunch with Jeff and Karlie who was with her friend Dustin. We then came to our BC digs and settled in for the remainder of the day napping and watching some football.

So here we are back in Boyne City at the foot of Lake Charlevoix...in the heart of Northern Michigan at a beautiful time of year.

Hearing aids

2009-10-12T13:07:00.002-04:00

I got my first hearing aid in 1997, I think. It was an analog device, very comfortable to wear and a good way to break into the HA business. I wore it for two years and oops up comes digital devices. I replaced the oldie with an updated version. I had the analog device updated with a new ear piece so I could wear two of them at the same time. That did not work. Analogs hiss a bit and to have quiet in one ear and hiss in the other drove me nuts. So I bagged the little sucker up and put it away.

This summer, after ten years, I LOST my digital device while jumping back and forth from day shift to night shift, etc. It never made it out of Hermiston with me. I began the process of getting the VA involved, which is going no where fast. But alas to day I rediscovered my first aid.

I plunked in a battery and hiss and all, I am wearing it. I enjoy being able to hear consonants again (S, T, K, especially) and will have it in my ear as I began my third year reading to kids in the SMART program at our neighborhood school. I did not need that new fangled (albeit 10 years old) HA anyway.

What's that you say? Eh?

Let's get on with it

2009-10-09T23:48:00.007-04:00

Well, I made it to 68 :-)

We are focusing on traveling to Michigan next week. We leave on Tuesday at noon our time. We fly into Minneapolis and then a hop down to Traverse City, MI. By that time it is going to be 11:00 EDT, so we are staying at a motel not far from Cherry Capital Airport. We will drive the 75 miles over to B-Falls on Wednesday. Jeff is calling for cold and wet weather there...so I guess I will not pack shorts this time.

We will be attending a wedding on Saturday evening. Hillary Hansen, the daughter of Randy and Susan Hansen, is marrying her Chicago beau. That is taking place in Muskegon. Our plan is to travel to Muskegon on Friday afternoon and then meet some friends for supper in Grand Haven on Friday. Saturday, we will be seeing some other friends at the wedding. Sunday, we will head back north to Boyne Country.

Jeff is working some of the time, afternoons I think, so our time with them will be limited. Tuesday p.m. we head back to T.C. to stay all night there since we have a 5:30 a.m. flight to MSP Wednesday. We get back to Portland at noon on Wednesday. It should be fun.

We have had beautiful weather here the past two weeks. Cool mornings give way to 70ish temps in the afternoon. We have had a rather lazy week. We pulled out all of the plants in the garden, so there is nothing left to do there. I go the house ready for winter, but will have to rake leaves and clean gutters several times this fall. Our curly willow has leaves just the right size to clog things up.

We have been walking every day...two miles, and the evenings have also been welcoming for a stroll up the street for a cup of coffee. Our favorite coffee house is four blocks away and we love to hang out there. Actually, Aleene and I have been frequenting the Coffee Cottage for about ten years. They were the only one in town then. Now there are quite a few.

So, world, I am ready to face you with determination and energy. My watershed is past and the future holds no limits. Never thought I'd make it.

Blessings....

2009-09-28T13:24:00.005-04:00

I have waited for this day to pass for the past 47 years; spooky as that sounds. Just let me explain. My dad expired suddenly about noon six days before his 68th birthday. He held a philosophy that said your heart was pre-programmed with just so many beats; and he died of a MCI. For years I thought he may be right and that my day was coming, genetically speaking, at any time. I was 20 when this all transpired.

Fast forward a few years and science has exposed so much more about what causes heart problems...not the least of which is heredity. But we know that too much fat, smoking, obesity and general fitness all play a role. Couple that with the drugs available to us today as in anti-hypertensives and cholesterol-lowering statins, we now can expect to outlive our ancestors; all things being equal.

Well, today is the sixth day before my 68th birthday. All I have to do is make it to mid-night (eastern time) and I will have eclipsed the ominous feeling I have harbored for so long. Call it whatever you like; today is significant in my life. Incidentally, all my sibs made it past this day as well, so fourteen years ago I began to think this was my morbid problem and nothing that was pre-ordained. Yes, and the fact that while my phenotype is more Lutz than Beal (mother), so who knows who I am genotypically? There is longevity in my lineage as well (78, 88, 90, 103) of my grandparents and greats, too.

So as I walked, solo while Aleene is at FISH, listing to my I-pod with my thoughts to myself this morning, I thought about the narrative I am currently writing about some of the early years (1958 plus) and why I why I am even writing it (working on the Foreword, you see) and what came to mind were blessings.

I was blessed to have loving parents who nurtured me in a traditional home. While the bulk of the discipline fell on my mother and older siblings until I was five, I had a good dose of "toeing the mark" and learning respect for others, elders, women...and, self. My more mature parents were role models that were hard to beat.

I was blessed to have two older brothers who took me in and taught me some significant lessons. Dave and Tillie put up with me for three summers (1956-58) while I worked on the Green family farm. I often stayed overnight with them for days at a time...and Til fed me; oh did she feed me when my legs were both hollow. David schooled me in animal science and spiritual things, too. Joe and Shirley picked up two years later and gave me shelter and food...lots of food, while I worked in Chambersburg the summers of 1960 and '61. I kept coming back to them for the next several years of brief visits for a variety of reasons not the least of which was to furnish a spot for me meet up with my love (another blessing that deserves special recognition). Both of these guys instilled a work ethic in me that I still carry.

I was blessed to have a big sis who taught me that girls were not just fragile objects, but real persons who could play baseball (she taught me much) and be intellectually respected (I am convinced she was the smartest of the five of us) and not sex objects. "What would Chickie think" crossed my mind frequently in those early, hormonal years.

I was blessed to have a brother who was gifted in ways the rest of us were not. JB (as we call him today) had tastes that I tapped into...that is after we had conquered the brotherly jousting stage. He can and does have the ability to talk to anyone...that was reaffirmed this summer and discussed with his spouse. We both admitted learning some of those skills from him. And clothes; when he left for the AF I had full reign of his wardrobe and took advantage of it all,too, except for the shoes because my feet were too big. His musical interpretation was another thing I mimicked and look where it got me: two state contest superior ratings, during a period I was still a clod.

But the blessing I have been working towards comes from "ma luv" as Regis Cordic would say. And all she did was take me in and support me every step of the way...which was not always easy. We reared two wonderful (now) adults. And that is not just me saying this. If you ever doubt that your off-spring are loved and respected...just ask their families. Whew. Read Mary's blog sometime or interact with Bren, Tru and Asher closely like we do and you really get a sense of who these adult children are, really.

Enough, already. If you want to read more about my thoughts on all those years pre 1973...you will just have to wait until my latest narrative is done, polished and published, probably just on the web, this time.

I think I am safe in saying that at last that monkey is off my back...I outlived RC.

Oh yes, the picture is of a Llama guarding some sheep (Suffolk) in Lawrence County. I saw a bumper sticker out here that said: Lamas...angles with an attitude.

Asher and Grammy

2009-09-26T20:01:00.002-04:00

Here they are at the soccer game this morning...can you see the love? We had the boys while Amy was teaching and Bren was off to Harrisburg for a conference. Tru was out on the field fending off rival soccer players.

Fun in the sun on a fall day 2009. Yikes. Time is going by quickly.

No luck with the whales

2009-09-24T22:26:00.003-04:00

The wind was blowing strongly this morning when we got to Depoe Bay. If the pod of grays was out spouting, the were too hard to see. Instead we watched the play of a couple of seals and a flock of brown pelicans. We were entertained.

We drove north to Neskowin to eat at Hawks Creek Cafe. We enjoy the intimacy and good food there. As we were finishing eight, count them, Red Hats came in in full glory. They were laughing so our snickers were not too out of place.

We walked to the beach adjacent to the restaurant and got a chance to see Cape Kawanda and Haystack Rock from ocean level. We did not do the overlook due to the wind. My cheeks are actually wind burned this evening.

We love the coast. We are getting more and more familiar with that section of Highway 101 (not the old country group) and feel the magnetic attraction of the sea. Need I wax any more poetic?

We had a beautiful afternoon in the Valley.

It is fall

2009-09-22T19:47:00.003-04:00

The Autumnal Equinox kicked in a few hours ago...2:18 here in the PNW. I hope all your attitudes are in tip top shape as we look forward to winter. Ah, but first, we must enjoy Autumn.

I always enjoyed the fall of the year: the return of football, cool nights, the World Series, the color change of the trees, my birthday and Halloween. If it can't be May all year long, then I would vote for October.

We are heading to the coast on Thursday to see if we can spot some whales. The grays are playing around Depot Bay we heard. Of course, this will include lunch at Nescawin. Remember those of you who have visited with us...that is that little restaurant along Rt 101 just south of observation park overlooking Pacific City. We used to eek out a trip Up-North when in Michigan...oops, we will be doing that too in a couple of weeks...including Dead Man's Hill overlooking the Jordan Valley. Yep, our cup runneth over this fall.

I didn't have any fall pictures to post with the blog...but I will surely get some. We found out that one MUST see the Japanese Gardens in all four seasons to fully appreciate their splendor. So, we will be going back there before the deciduous trees give it up for this year.

I will report back on the whaling trip soon.

Winding down the summer

2009-09-05T22:27:00.005-04:00

Jim and Nancy left Tuesday, we started choir on Wednesday and on Thursday we went with four other couples to the open air concert of the Oregon Symphony on the banks of the Willamette River (which was followed by fireworks.) Yesterday we went with a group from church to a Portland Beavers (Triple A) game. That was interesting. We drove to Beaverton and took the light rail right to the stadium. Took us 35 minutes to get home. You can ride the train free if you have a Beavers ticket. Cool.

Today we went to the garden just in time to help Marilyn load up all the bounty in the back of the Jeep to get it into the big refrigerator for display and sale on Sunday. Melons, peppers, carrots, squash, potatoes...whew...beans and tomatoes will be harvested tomorrow morning. This afternoon we went to see the highly recommended Julie and Julia. It lived up to its billing. Merrel Streep was superb, of course.

Tomorrow it is men's group for breakfast and then church. It is going to rain some more tomorrow. We had a half inch today and will get that much tomorrow, so says the weather people. This is not the start of our rainy season; just an interlude to the dry season. The seven day forecast is for warm and dry weather after Monday. You can't beat the 75 degree days and 55 degree nights. Yumm.

The Connellys are away at the coast, so we have Frodo until Monday. He is one boring dog. Sleep, sleep, sleep.

Our next outing isn't scheduled until the 13th of October when we fly to Michigan once again for a wedding and a chance to see Jeff and Mary. But who knows, Aleene has been hinting about a train trip to Seattle to see MLB with the Mariners.

Great trip south last week

2009-08-30T23:26:00.006-04:00

Pictured are Aleene, Nancy, Jim and Moi.

We motored south 270 miles to Phoenix, OR last week for a look at Crater lake and then a night at the theater in Ashland. I hesitate showing off more Crater Lake pix since I ran a bunch six weeks ago as we planned this trip. But the lake was bluer this time than last. The sun was brilliant and the temp at 7,000 ft. was about 62 degrees.

We learned lots of stuff. The lake is too high for many birds to use the area as a migratory route; there are about two-million fish in the lake (it is thought to be able to hold over 5 MM.) The ranger who took our picture was eager to talk and we took advantage.

We stopped along the descent from the lake to enjoy a look at the Rogue River...east of I-5. While the water was wild, the drop from the gorge is quite a sight, but very close to civilization. The wild part of the river is west of I-5 where there are wild spots on the water, to be sure, but there is no...no, civilization. That is where we raft...on the west side.

On the trip back home, there was lots of resting by everyone, except the driver. And, oh yes, we had a great time.

Portland's Japanese gardens

2009-08-24T00:43:00.001-04:00

Portland's Japanese gardens
Originally uploaded by luacreskid.

We made the trek to the Japanese Gardens on Friday. While it was overcast, it was an extraordinary visit. Without the direct sun the green colors complemented each other and the mixture of browns, reds and orange were almost breathtaking.

This is the first time Aleene and I have been here. Thirteen years ago we first made the visit to the Rose Garden, and the JG is adjacent to it. But time was a factor. Then a few years ago we again stopped to smell the roses first and it began to rain, so we didn't complete the circuit. But this time we started "up the hill" at the JG.

There are five of them...all enclosed in the five acre site that was the former home of the Oregon Zoo. One of the fixtures is the water fall and the pool at the bottom which our guide told us was the former "Bear Pit" and now is one of the main attractions...minus the fence and bear.

I advise a guide the first time there and then go back during another season, like spring (late March or early April) and then a trip when the leaves are coloring. This place is a treasure and for about 50 years has been a pillar in the must see places around Portland.

Mt. St. Helens...29 years later

2009-08-23T01:06:00.004-04:00

We went to within five miles of St. Helens Saturday...our third visit in 15 years. Each time it is a thrill to see what is left and what is growing after the 1980 blast that shook the Pacific Northwest. The mountain lost 1500 feet back then leaving a crater in the top of the old volcano. It is quite a sight close up. However, looking at the pictures one does not get the sense of size and distance.

It takes about two and a half hours to get to the closest visitor center. There is one just off I-5 in SW Washington, but you have another 45 miles to weave your way into and up to 4,000 feet to get to the closest vantage point. It is good highway with sweeping mountain vistas and very high bridges. As you travel up to the view point you pass the areas damaged by the eruption. Fifteen years ago, when we fist visited Mt. St. Helens you could still see fallen trees; today, not so much.

Jim joined the Golden Age Pass club for national parks. You pay $10 and get a lifetime pass. I joined at Yellowstone back in 2003 and have been gain free access into national sites since then. The P-burgh Lutzes don't have much need for such a pass in their locality, but they do get to Virginia frequently which is rich in such places. Just an aside that I think is indicative of the times.

We started down the mountain to find a picnic spot...we have eaten there before, and found ourselves in the midst of a wedding which used MSH as a backdrop. We got there just in time for a the walk down the aisle. After the brief ceremony, the couple got in a helicopter and flew into the volcano.

Out trip home was uneventful...Portland on a Saturday afternoon is a piece of cake.
As we crossed the Colombia, we saw Mt. Hood for the first time in their visit. The clouds have finally lifted.

The death of a friend

2009-08-15T08:49:00.004-04:00

It seems so long ago that when I recount my first memories of Frank it comes out of a fog or a mist. But it is true...I have a lifetime of letters and memories to remind me.

When I went to Campbell Soup Company in September 1967, I was relatively young, impressionable and inexperienced. I had spent almost five years in the Navy and three and a half at Penn State, but beyond how to run the engineering plant on a conventional powered aircraft carrier, I knew nothing for sure.

When I met Frank, he was the safety engineer at the Camden Plant. Part of the Human Resources Department (we called it Personnel then) he had achieved quite a bit in his career. He had a college degree (Howard University) and he too was a former military (Army) officer and he had spent several years at the "soup works," so you might think Frank had it made. But his career had been a struggle. Frank was African-American.

We sized each other up quickly (I was 26 and he about 38) and what we found was a camaraderie that is difficult to characterize. I was working out of the Corporate Office and he the big soup plant, but somehow we kept in touch. I was a trainee in the safety function and it was easy for me to go see Frank to get a first hand look at how the plants operated as regards to safety. I was also working on training projects that took me around the country to visit other locations and would always find time to check in with Frank to compare notes. I did not work for Frank, I worked for another great leader, but Frank was my contact to reality. He knew what would work in the field.

Fast forward a couple of years and I found myself working side by side with Frank when he was brought over to the corporate side to manage the safety function company-wide. I was promoted to be his counterpart in the training function. We shared office resources and interfaced every day for about two years.

If you were alive back in the late 1960s you know what turmoil our country was in: Vietnam, civil rights marches, race riots, assassinations. This was an ugly time in American history. Yes, there was the moon landing and Woodstock as we have been reminded this summer, but Woodstock was so counter culture that it too was frightening to middle America.

Frank became my coach and social mentor. He explained the Black experience to me in a way that I had never heard. We discussed Black Power (Stokley Carmichael and Rap Brown) and the Panthers. But above all I got a look at a seething ghetto when Camden erupted in riots when MLK was shot...this was just after Tet and the Miaguez incident and before Bobby was shot. 1968 was a nightmare and Frank was there to keep me grounded and keep it all in context.

Frank stayed with the soup works and I migrated to Michigan and then out of the company, but we were never far apart by mail. We continued our dialog through the years which shifted to email and even more correspondence. As recently as April I wrote to Frank to ask his opinion about election and the Obama impact on him and got a beautiful letter telling me that we were not in a post racial period that race was still keeping down people he knew and loved.

Two weeks ago I got an email from his account written by his son, Frank III. that his father had passed a few days before and that his mother, Pauline, wanted me to know since I had been "a valued friend." So it was not all one sided. Frank must have held me in some regard if not as high as I held him, but I felt honored to be part of his memories. I had a couple of emails from the family including one of his daughters. Last night I wrote a letter to Pauline trying to better express what Frank's life meant to me.

I will miss my Philly friend. He was my contact to Howard University and some of his classmates including Andy Young. He was may contact to CSC since he retired from there in the Public Relations department and had continued to be up until the end the highest level manager who was not white. He had made quite a career for himself. And he stayed true to Philadelphia. He schooled me well.

Rest in peace Frank. You served with distinction.

John Deere Green and other colors

2009-08-09T20:15:00.002-04:00

I learned to drive on a tractor just like this at age 12
Originally uploaded by luacreskid.

Even though I spent most of my quality tractor time on a 1954 JD Model 40, This old 1944 "B" is closest to what I learned to tractor on. Ours did not have the nice seat and lights, but other than that it is pretty close. Ours was a hand crank (at the flywheel) with a metal seat.

Everything I learned about tractoring was from Brother Dave, including how to speed shift with a hand clutch. Ours, and this one, has a five forward gears and a two speed axle. The speed shifting came when you went from 5th low to 5th high. When you were going as fast as it could go in low range, you pulled back the hand clutch, shoved the two speed axle from low to high with your foot and reengaged the clutch. Hey, Dude, look at me.

The two red tractors represent some significant events for me as well. The big tractor that pulled the baler and the combine was an MTA. While this model does not have a torque amplifier, it is a big Farmall M. The MTA was superseded by a Farmall 400 by 1957. The Super C was the competition for my JD 40. It was quieter than my JD for sure, but it was not stronger. I liked raking with the "Supie" as we called it, but when it came to plowing or harrowing, the JD was tough.

Oh yes, the red tractors were owned by Brother Dave's father in law. They were farming together in the 1950s. I was summer help in the summers of 56, 57 and 1958. After Dave and family went to seminary in Washington DC in 1959 (the summer after I graduated) I sold my livestock and headed to Penn State. Good memories...Dave, Tillie, Margy, Becca and their cousins, Liza, LuAnn, Buddy, their Aunt Peg were all a part of my life during those years. Whew...over 50 years ago.

Arrived home safely.

2009-08-09T17:36:00.002-04:00

We had good flights and I posted pictures today...

Pictures...pictures...

2009-08-08T08:06:00.003-04:00

We are sitting in our rental listening to the rain come down. Amy, Bren and Asher took off at 5:30 for the Traverse City airport. They took off on time headed for Minneapolis. We are hanging around for a couple of hours and then head to Grand Rapids for our flights.

We had a beautiful week. We lounged in both Boyne City and Boyne Falls, went to Mackinac Island, Young State Park and the Polish Festival in Boyne Falls. Lots of time to talk and relax. I did take lots of pictures, but I will not upload them for a few days.

We get back tonight and on Monday, Aleene heads to FISH and I to Hermiston for three shifts of training in mediation. I get back Thursday. Maybe then I can attend to the serious business of vacationing.

Play space

2009-08-02T21:44:00.001-04:00

Play space
Originally uploaded by bzo.

We spent six hours in Portland airport the other day waiting for our flight, which was out of Hawaii...six hours. Then, we had to stay over night in Minneapolis and limped into Grand Rapids the next morning, sans luggage. Said luggage came later that day, however so we were somewhat appeased.

Now, as I write, Amy and Bren with Ashie are winging their way across Wisconsin toward Traverse City...six hours late. They rode the same flight we did to Minneapolis...no problem, but there was no plane for them to their destination! Theirs was canceled, which means they had to wait for the next flight with room to bring them here...to Northern Michigan. Can you believe it? Likely, their luggage will be with them. Bren took this picture of Amy and Ashie as they each played while putting in time at the airport. Yeeesssshhh.

At the coast during a heatwave

2009-07-29T17:04:00.002-04:00

When the Willamette Valley temps soar past 100 degrees, there is nowhere else to be than the Pacific Coast. We spent Monday night at our friend's cottage after leaving Newberg with its 102 degrees. When we drove the 63 miles over the mountain, it was a cool 63. It is so nice there right now.

We spent the day hiking and eating as some of the pictures will indicate. The best spot was up on top of a hill overlooking Cape Kawanda and Pacific City. We spotted Golden Eagle high in a tree within binocular distance. Quite a site.

The big Nestucca River splits the two places...the cottage we stayed in is on the PC side (east) of the river. The river is tidal and flows one way then the other. We watched the Canada geese swim out into the middle and catch a current flowing up stream as the tide came in. An hour later they paddled back to their shady spot in single file.

Lots of fun and good sleeping, too. We left for home at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday (so we could get ready to travel east) and it was a chilly 61 degrees. Twenty miles east as we came over the mountains it was a sultry 88 at 9:00. It took all night to cool off.

The Pacific Coast is beautiful. It can be angry and cool and it can be balmy and pleasant. It is one of my favorite places of God's creation.

Church garden

2009-07-26T11:49:00.004-04:00

Our church has a big garden that is tended by several families and a couple of leaders. We are taking our turn this weekend to pick and provide sales to the congregation. The money goes to FISH our local food bank and the leftovers go to FISH for distribution to their clients. Incidentally, Aleene is a scheduled volunteer there on Mondays. I help out on an ad hoc basis when they need a strong back. The garden we are doing together.

We spent an hour picking yesterday afternoon. There were lots of beans and squash. Today we went back out before 7:00 and along with our friend Julie, we picked more beans, lettuce, chard, peppers, carrots and flowers. Unfortunately, I packed the camera up before we had the table set for the congregation. There was quite an array.

Too cute

2009-07-25T23:43:00.003-04:00

We had Tru's "final" birthday celebration this evening. It was cake with his cousins and one of his paternal grands. The kids are all growing up. There is Benjamin, the oldest at nine and a half...then Tru. Sicily is almost seven and her sister Sadie just turned five and finally Ashie who is 4 1/2. You can ID them in the picture. These are Brendon's sister's (Erinn and Ron Hampton) kids. Nanee and her husband Gary were also there, but I didn't catch them in the cake pictures. They are in the other set I posted earlier.

If you are a serious reader of the blog, you might have noticed I put some factually incorrect information down about a couple that was here in our yard this morning. I heard about it (thankfully) and corrected it. It is always good to be edited by those in the know.

Back to the cake. It is a Pokemon character that Tru told Grammy he wanted...so...after some creativity, there it was. Delicious. Tru got the candles lighted and blown out with great dispatch.

The Hampton kids and the Connelly boys play well together. Tru does lots with Sicily. And he and Bennie were sleeping out tonight (I think I am right.) Asher and Sadie were playing cowboy dress-up when we left.

We spent two hours in the sun this afternoon picking beans and squash at the church garden. We are in charge this week so that means an early morning get-up to be back in the garden by seven and ready for veggies to sell at the 8:15 service. We will pick lettuce and chard in the morning so that it is fresh. So without any excuses I will report that I am signing off to go to bed.

Old Fashioned Day Parade 2009

2009-07-25T18:29:00.004-04:00

The parade goes past our house. Over the past nine years Amy and Brendon's family and friends have assembled here to watch it on our front yard. We love having them because some of the folks were strangers at first, but now are part of our ever enlarging circle of friends. As one of the guys said to me, "There sure are a lot of Quakers here!" Well, I guess when you have folk from George Fox University, Newberg Friends Church, North Valley Friends Church two or three intertwined families who are Friends and oh yes, several people who work with Brendon at the Friends Yearly Meeting (NW Quaker headquarters.) We have a ball. They just show up with all their kids and we furnish coffee, water and pottie facilities.

We met a couple today whom we see at the track frequently. They turn out to be the parents of one of the pastors at Newberg Friends (we call it Big Friends) Church, which is just two blocks from us.

The kids have a blast picking up candy and watching fire trucks and listening to bands (ensembles) and dancing girls and floats. We have fun watching them. After an hour or so, they all go home and I pick up the very few candy wrappers that are left behind.

There was a lot of interest in the kitchen, so Aleene conducted several tours. The four day event that started out here years ago as Farmer-roo and is now Old Fashioned Days goes through Sunday evening...ending with a hymn sing. Did I say it is held at the park that is just four blocks from us? I think that is where we are going for supper tonight...then cake for the final birthday celebration for Tru.

Lazy, hazy daze of summer

2009-07-18T16:50:00.002-04:00

Our friend and contractor, Paul, and his wife have a farm on top of a hill...about 1,000 feet above us, here in the Valley. Paul is 71 and raises dogs (Huskies with blue eyes), hydrangeas, bees, several types of berries, and... kiwi fruit. He called at noon to tell Aleene he and Pat (his wife) had picked some Marion Berries (hybrid between blackberry and raspberry developed by Oregon State and named after the county in which OSU resides) and wanted to share them with members of our Thursday Morning Bible study. So we drove up and I snapped a few pix to share with the blogisphere.

Paul is an interesting guy...originally from Dayton, Ohio, they have lived here since the middle seventies. He has all these projects to keep himself busy in retirement. Remember I said he was our contractor who built our addition and redid our kitchen. He is a busy boy.

They live at the top of the hill and to get there you travel about five miles through some of the most picturesque wine grape vineyards I have seen. I did not take a picture of them, but will some time.

Marion Berries are characterized by being huge and...few, if any seeds.

Space Shuttle

2009-07-15T23:31:00.002-04:00

Endeavor took off today...yawn. But not so fast. Twenty five years ago (1984) Aleene and I were at Cape Canaveral and witnessed the launch of Discovery. What a sight; what memories. We have attached to the shuttle program ever since. I remember making the circuit of local elementary schools showing my slides and telling of my eyewitness account. Today, that is...ho-hum. With the exceptions of Columbia and Challenger, the shuttle does what it does and we yawn.

My thanks to the people in the space program. Because of them there are so many electronic, computer and hardware (like ceramic and carbon surfaces) improvements that will be with us for decades. The cell phone coverage concept and technology was developed by NASA. (I learned that when I attended the workshop at NASA Lewis Center in Cleveland the summer before the launch we saw.)

Anyhow, one more reflection and one more experience to share that really stands out looking back on the past 50 years.

Ashland

2009-07-11T16:52:00.004-04:00

Two hundred seventy miles due south of us lies Ashland, Oregon. It is most famous for the Oregon Summer Shakespeare Festival. We traveled there last Tuesday to check out the location and to see if we could swing a motor home trip there next month. We were delighted with what we found.

We have been through the outskirts of Ashland a number of times on I-5, but never been into the picturesque town. It is a tourist destination and therefore has many of the touristy-like trappings. It is hilly and the three Shakespeare theatres are located up a significant number of steps from the lowest level. They were hidden to us until a kind lady in a kiosk told us to just turn around and look "over there." Dahhh...we had walked by them twice, but thought they were the second story of an outdoor shopping mall. But the theaters are beautiful.

Their Lithia Park is wonderful. We walked it twice. There is a delightful Japanese garden about a half mile into the winding park...again on a hillside. When we did the morning walk on the second day we were confronted by two deer who paid little attention to us. I think they get the idea that if they graze in the morning humans will not be around.

The creek that cuts through the park also is the backdrop for some delightful outdoor cafes. We ate at two in our time there. Black Louis is our favorite.

We purchased tickets for the August 27th performance of Equivocation, which has great reviews. There were more familiar shows playing in Repertory fashion, but we stuck to the new one. We are anxious to get Jim and Nancy there when they visit.

Let me say that if you were a student looking for a picturesque place to go to college, then look to Southern Oregon University. It is a neat campus.

Just six miles from the California border, Ashland is on the downhill side of Mt. Ashland which is where I-5 crosses the Siskiyu Mountains. The pass is about 3,900 feet and can get snowy in the winter so be careful, but don't let that deter any plans for visiting this beautiful, small town.

Crater Lake

2009-07-10T21:46:00.002-04:00

You might think that the number one tourist attraction in Oregon would be Crater Lake and it should be, but it is not. (Actually, #1 is Spirit Mountain Casino.) I can understand why it is at least second or third and not first. It has nothing to do with majesty or beauty (CL has all that)...it has to do with accessibility. It is 75 miles from Medford and about 130 miles from Roseberg (both on I-5)...and it gets worse from there, but I have to say it is well worth the trip. About half a million make the trek to visit the national park in a year.

Until we moved here, I thought that CL was caused by a meteor strike, but like so many other old wives tales that is not how it began. Indulge me for a moment: 7,700 years ago a 12,000 foot Mt. Mazama existed there. It erupted...not through the top, but in several smaller vent holes that in effect encircled the mountain. Finally, it exploded and collapsed into a huge pool of magma creating an incredible crater. The eruption is thought to be the largest in North America. It took several thousand years, but snow and rain filled the crater to form a lake, about 5 miles in diameter and up to 1,900 feet deep. It reached equilibrium between evaporation and run off and new rain and snow.

The crater is approximately 3,500 feet deep filled with 1,200 to 1,900 feet of water. It is so deep that the reflected sunlight gives it an iridescent, deep blue the likes of which are not seen in many other places on earth. It is truly unique.

The rim is about 8,000 feet elevation, so the last 30 miles up to the lake you are climbing. It gets about 44 feet of snow a year (much like Gaylord :-) ) and when we went looking for a table to eat our picnic lunch, we had to make sure there was no snow around us. It was cold up there.

Interesting enough, there are fish in the lake having been stocked between 1888 and 1940. There are two species left (trout and salmon) and they allow unrestricted fishing there, but you cannot clean your fish around the lake. Today, they are trying to keep the lake as pure as possible (bacteria and plants only naturally introduced) to be sure it lasts for another 7,700 years.

You have to see it to believe it.

Book review "Haven"

2009-07-04T12:53:00.003-04:00

I have never heard of Ruth Gruber. Turns out she is a significant journalist/writer who was active in our government during WWII. She is 97 today and still writing and lecturing.

A New York City resident, a Jew, a bright young woman who earned her PhD by the time she was 20, Gruber is someone to listen to. Her work centered around the plight of European refugees, principally Jews, but more broadly those who were caught up in Hitler's war machine as Europe was taken apart during the 1930s and early 1940s. Her story, "Haven", is about the (almost) 1000 refugees, the very few, who were rescued by the U.S. during the last year of the War in Europe.

It seems incredible to us, today, that the plight of refugees...mostly Jews...who were systematically murdered in Europe was not widely known by the rest of the world. How could you hide such a massacre? In reality it was not well enough hidden to make anyone today a bit ashamed of our leaders during the war. Doris Kerns Goodwin gave me a bit of an insight in her book about FDR (Uncommon Times)after 1940. What did he know and when did he know it? But more importantly, what did he do or not do about it (Holocaust)? Remember, this is the same FDR who permitted the 100K Japanese-Americans be interned in camps here in the Pacific Northwest. Today we all agree that it was inhuman and unnecessary.

Gruber was there and on the ground and behind the scenes in "Haven" as the one sent by the U.S. government to accompany the shipload of (about) 1000 to the United States and their internment in a refugee camp in Western New York (Ft. Oswego.) Of course, the stories are important in this age of Holocaust Deniers to remind us of the fact that this systematic murder took place over time and became so efficient.

However, the enlightening part is a reminder, first hand, how and why the country of Israel was settled and sanctioned by the U.N. in 1948. There has been strife in the Middle East ever since. This is important background information as we watch the new administration formulate its Middle East policy. (I think, for too long, we have just accepted the fact that Israel is our ally and that we need to support them without question.) Most Americans either did not know or do not realize how and why the State of Israel was formed. I know my knowledge of how goes back to the movie The Exodus, which was released in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Up until that time I was of the belief that ... well, just that the Jews were reclaiming their homeland that the Bible said they had been given (ahem).

Gruber follows some of the stories well into the 1980s and beyond, but she has sparked in me an interest in her other books about refugees and "the west's" treatment of them. She was a first hand observer and had access to the early leaders of Israel (David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir) and tells some fascinating behind the scenes tales.

It is an easy read and tells some fascinating personal stories of how these folk survived being hunted down by the Nazis all over Europe.

I ordered two more of her books today at Amazon for $1 each plus shipping.

Happy July 4th

2009-07-04T08:21:00.003-04:00

Wow...here it is 2009...half gone, the first decade of the 21st Century is almost history. I briefly watched a news talk segment yesterday when the three talking heads, all younger than I, said that sometime during the celebration of the 4th in their memory, someone read the Declaration of Independence. Well, I was never a part of any celebration that did that and my family was not unpatriotic, I don't think.

What we did do was gather for a meal, usually outside, or in later years (post 1957) sit at the long table on our screened in porch and eat and talk. Our porch, which is still in place after 52 years as witnessed this past May, became a haven and respite to the heat of the summer. I was on the south side of the old farm house, but was shaded by two giant maple trees. I was a cool place to be.

Usually, my dad made some exclamation about living in a free country and we darn well better count our blessings. Oh yes, we hung our flag out on the front porch...not from a pole, but flat against the house. I use that display technique today. Then at dusk we moved to the front porch and watched to the northeast to catch a glimpse of the fireworks that were set off in Volant some 8-10 miles away (not a close up view by any estimate.) We "did" sparklers, burned a few "snakes" and called it a night after obliterating a dozen or so lightening bugs.

The food was usually excellent...which ended with watermelon (kept cool in the spring water of the pump house) and depending on who was around, maybe homemade ice cream.

After spending the Fourth on the beach just outside of Athens, Greece in 1964 and reading the European edition of the New York Hearld Tribune and feeling flattened by the world and missing home...I don't have many other significant memories of the mid-summer holiday.

There...now you know what I am thinking at 5:30 a.m. (PDT) on July 4, 2009. Have a good one.

Aircraft carrier trivia

2009-06-27T22:21:00.010-04:00

I chose to put a ship picture in the blog today because I ran into a new site that has some pictures of ships at the time, or close to it, that I was either on them or saw them. This is my ship, the FDR and was taken a few months after I got off in the fall of 1965. The FDR made a WestPac cruise in 1966, the only one she made during the Vietnam War. This picture comes from her WestPac cruise. She was an east coast carrier and spent years in the Mediterranean Sea, which is where I rode her in 1964 and 1965.

She had two sister ships, Midway and Coral Sea, which meant that when it came time to strip one ship to keep the other two going (after 30 years of service) the Navy stripped FDR and sold her for scrap in 1977. It kept the other two going for 15 more years.

There was speculation as to which of the three were the best even when I was on board. FDR was built at Brooklyn Navy Yard (technically New York Naval Shipyard) during WWII and they had a terrible reputation. The other two were built at Newport News, VA which had a stellar reputation. That is important because when they put ships in dry dock and do extensive maintenance on them, they tend to go to their "home yard." Reputation has to do with capability to do certain things well (or not) and, of course quality of workmanship. Although, I have to say, FDR underwent a major conversion in 1956 in Bremmerton Naval Ship Yard in WA. However, she just came out of NYNS after almost a year when I went on board in late 1963.

If you notice in the picture there is a curl of smoke coming out of the stacks. We always had trouble with smoke. Smoke is bad for a carrier because when planes land the smoke trails the ship and it makes it difficult for the pilot to see. "Smoke in the groove" was a common complaint we would get from the bridge. We put a "smoke watch" up near the stacks to tell us when it happened and which boiler (discernible from the stack...there were 12 of them) was causing the problem. "Two-charlie, clear your stack, you're smoking black," is how the smoke watch might report it. (There were three boilers for each engine, A, B, C and they used the phonetic alphabet.) Of course, the only carriers today are nuclear powered and they do not smoke!

I mention all this because, if the pilots do not like flying on the ship that creates obstacles for safe flying, you can imagine the reputation the ship gets.

The smoke was caused by our air intake fans (blowers) not being strong enough to make sure the air/fuel mixture was proper. We burned up the bearings of our "forced draft blowers" many times in the two years I was on board FDR. The boiler room had a periscope-like apparatus in the exhaust, but it was hard to tell when there was just a little smoke. So among other things, BNSY got the blame for our smoke problem.

I suspect smoking and the fact that we had one boiler that had been flooded with sea water and never did work well after that meant the early demise of FDR as compared to Midway (now in San Diego as a museum) and Coral Sea (scrapped in the late 1980s to keep Midway going.

There is a bit of aircraft carrier trivia for you.

Low tide at Pacific City

2009-06-21T10:30:00.005-04:00

One of the reasons we come to the coast is to explore the exposed rocks at low tide. We are always anxious to see what is new and what has changed and what has moved. At the end of our 5 day stay we hit the jackpot this morning.

For the unknowing, there is a low tide about every 12 hours. The problem is that low doesn't always mean lowest. Simply, the mathematically mean (average) low tide is said to be "0". Those that are not the lowest are known as plus (+) tides and those that are less than the average (mean) are minus (-) tides. In the local tide table booklet published by the Chamber of Commerce they show the minus tides in RED. Well, we had a red, minus low tide this morning; almost 2 feet below the average. That is one that guarantees a good look at what is going on beneath the ocean at beach level.

To see it, we were up at 6:00 a.m. and trekked out to the spot we go to by 7:40. In addition, the clouds parted and we had a strong east sun shining on the rocks. It was a beautiful sight and well worth the early get-up time. I have shown pictures in the past, and will likely post some on Flickr later in the day, but for now, you just have to take my word for it. A minus low tide at Pacific City is worth seeing.

What a difference a day makes

2009-06-19T13:04:00.002-04:00

From the Pacific Coast...

True to PNW form, the soft rain moved in last night to change the way our vacation here goes on. When we walked this morning, we were the only ones. Yesterday the beach was busy and 15 boat trailers were parked in the sand. Today, nada. The wind was out of the west this morning and the ocean was somewhat angry. We walked anyway.

The ocean frequently churns up all kinds of "stuff" that it has within it. This week there is an abundance of crab; shells, claws, legs, everything, everywhere. The skeletons must have been here for a while because the gulls are not picking them. Funny, since we have not see so much crab around here before.

We experienced a first this morning. On our walk south we spotted the carcass of a duck-like foul just at the waterline. We did not turn it over but could see its webbed feet and white belly. Fifteen minutes later on our return north, there was a vulture doing its thing. Never have seen a vulture on the beach. Ah yes, nature doing its thing.

After our 40 min walk we went to the espresso place, Stimulus, and ordered up a sugar-free, non-fat latte. We sat outside and sipped it slowly. Life is good.

What the WSJ said about the Pens' victory

2009-06-15T23:59:00.003-04:00

I loved this article in the Wall Street Journal today. We did not get much coverage out here on the West Coast and to see the Journal do neat piece on the Pens was satisfying.

By JASON GAY

The greatest song ever, "My Sharona," became a hit single. Cineastes everywhere flocked to see "The Jerk" and "Meatballs." "The Facts of Life" debuted on TV, provoking a national scourge of roller-skating private-school girls. Veteran Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer, at 82 years of age currently the oldest player in the major leagues, turned a sprightly 52.

These were things that happened in 1979, the last time a visiting team won a Finals Game 7 in one of America's marquee sports -- baseball, basketball, hockey and professional parakeet racing. That team was the "We Are Family" Pittsburgh Pirates, who beat the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore with help from Willie Stargell and one of the Couch's personal heroes, the submariner relief pitcher Kent Tekulve (we spent much of the summer of '79 destroying the backyard imitating Mr. Tekulve's crazy-armed motion.)

Now another Pittsburgh team has snapped the drought: the Pittsburgh Penguins, who beat the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit on Friday night 2-1 to hoist the NHL's Stanley Cup. If you missed this contest, choosing to spend quality time with family, all we can say is, big mistake. It was a turbulent, fast-paced, anxiety-producing evening. Yes, that's exactly like a Friday night with family, but still, you missed a classic.

No matter which side you were on, you spent the last five minutes of this game yelling at the TV. Hockey gets a bad rap as a TV sport -- whiners moan they can't see the puck, and critics complain its ratings place somewhere between "Last Call with Carson Daly" and a board of assessors' meeting on public access. But NBC's coverage was enthusiastic (we've grown to love sideline -- sideice? -- reporter Pierre McGuire) and its camerawork was spectacular.

The behind-the-net video of Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury flopping around, holding off a furious last-minute Detroit charge made us feel like we were right there on the ice. Of course, if we were there, we would have let the goal in, cried, and surely blown the game in overtime.

When it was over and the Penguins tossed their gloves in the air, the good citizens of Pittsburgh got to do the two things they really wanted to do: celebrate their first Cup victory since 1992, and rub it in the faceshield of the traitorous Marian Hossa, who left the Penguins for Detroit over the off-season. It will be another long winter for Mr. Hossa, who is considering signing next year with the Atlanta Braves.

What made Game 7 especially stylish was that both Pittsburgh goals were scored by Maxime Talbot, the proud possessor of one of the all-time great playoff beards. Playoff beards were a personal matter for the Penguins: playoff MVP Evgeni Malkin shaved his off early in the postseason, and 21-year-old Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby isn't really old enough to go full-on lumberjack. Mr. Crosby began these playoffs resembling a Jonas Brother and ended it looking like a deejay on Ibiza.

Now Sid the Kid must decide if he wants to move out of the house of Penguin owner Mario Lemieux, where he resides during the season. "He can stay as long as he wants," Mr. Lemieux said to Mr. McGuire after the game. "He's 21 years old -- what is he going to do by himself?" Clearly, it's been a long time since Super Mario was 21 -- we can think of plenty of things Mr. Crosby could do -- but we're opposed to the young hockey hero moving out. In fact, we'd like him to freeload in Mr. Lemieux's house his entire career and hopefully play longer than Gordie Howe. How great would it be to have a creaky Crosby rumbling around Mr. Lemieux's house in padded slippers, demanding oatmeal and BenGay rubdowns?

So congratulations to Pittsburgh, America's latest Titletown, though that honor requires a small amount of latitude, since the city is also home to the 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates, who are spunky but as close to a title as Denise Richards is to an Oscar. Still, winning two big ones -- the Cup and the Super Bowl, won by the Steelers -- is worthy of civic pride. We'd suggest growing "Pirate Beards" with a vow not to shave until the Bucs win a World Series, but by then, all of Pittsburgh could wind up looking like ZZ Top.

Community Band

2009-06-12T00:25:00.002-04:00

We attended the Community Band concert tonight on the campus of George Fox University. The auditorium is about five blocks from us and we were able to walk there (stopping at the rose garden for ten minutes on the way) which added to the mood of the evening.

I know what the image of Community Band conjures up...at least for me. Well, (and this is not the first concert we have attended of this group) for comparison, I had to remind myself of Nancy's Bell Choir in Mt. Lebanon. The Newberg band is quite large and is made up of professors, students, sales reps. and a self described Domestic Engineer. The director is our choir director who spent 40 years in public school education as...you guessed it.. Newberg's band director, now retired and teaching at GFU.

What we heard was an hour and a half of shear delight. What got me excited was their second number, Bugler's Holiday. I am sure it would be familiar to you. Sorry, I don't have a You Tube clip of it, but you would know it if you heard it. Anyway, when I was in high school band we had three trumpeters who played this number, first in concert, then for fun whenever they got together. Tonight's trumpeters were not teenagers, but bald and balding men and, oh yes, a teen girl. They were spectacular. It sounded just like I remembered it.

There were two ensembles, a brass group from the Friends Church and a clarinet trio from First United Methodist. Both groups were outstanding. The evening was filled with good symphonic band music and lots of memories.

Unfortunately, we will not be here for the summer concert on August 6. Too bad, because I will never think anything but good thoughts of Newberg's Community Band. Good job, group...and Dick.

The Kitchen is finally back

2009-06-06T12:58:00.004-04:00

Here it is June 6 and we woke up to a functioning, working kitchen after nearly two months. And, well, we love it.

Lots of rearranging to be done once we live with it a while, but what a relief...water in the place you want it.

Here are some more pictures...flash on or off, just for effect...

D-Day plus 65 years

2009-06-05T23:58:00.004-04:00

The beginning of June holds many memories for me: the end of school (plus or minus), my dad's birthday (June 7, 115th this year), and his death (June 1.) But the recurring celebration is D-Day, from my third year on, our country has, more or less, celebrated the event every June 6.

My first real recollection is 1954 when President Eisenhower (then) met former Field Marshal Montgomery in Normandy to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the invasion. It was my first recollection of the day and of the fact that Monty and Ike did not get along during the War and buried the hatchet long enough to recount their memories and speak about their respective forces.

Prior to that I knew the names...now entrenched in my memory...of Sword, Gold, Juno and of course, Utah and Omaha. I was just not aware of the importance of the event. In fact, maybe it was in 1954 that I first realized the difference and distance between Iwo Jima and Omaha Beach.

I knew of the great loss of life because of the young men who died there. Among them was the brother of my Sunday School teacher (who stayed with us from 1954 until our graduation in 1959,she says, because she loved us so much.) Her brother had been a Boy Scout in my dad's troupe during the 1930s and Dad often lamented that had he made the scout a better swimmer, he might have survived the landing. There was a magic or mystic to the D-Day landing that filtered into my thinking way back then.

I was in the Navy in 1964, floating around the Mediterranean Sea on the USS. FDR when the 20th anniversary came around. I do not remember the celebrations because we did not get much world news, but I am sure there were commemorations that year. By this time I had a better understanding about service and also was working with many sailors (especially my superior officers who were WWII veterans) who talked about their war experiences from time to time. While most, as I recall, were in the Pacific Theater during the War, there was no particular mention of June 6, 1944. My direct supervisor was a submariner as an enlisted man and he had some stories. Our Engineering Officer was on the USS Bennington when it was hit and burned in 1945. Our skipper was going through flight training in 1944 after serving first on a cruiser.

So here we are 45 years after that and I am still thinking about D-Day and the significance and the sacrifice of those brave young men. Tom Hanks left the most lasting impression of the horror of the event with Saving Private Ryan. The first 20 minutes of that film are almost too horrible to watch, right?

I saw a piece on the news this eveing about some survivors of the Normandy landing being taken to France with some 20 year old students from The College of the Ozarks as part of a living history lesson. I was very moved by that piece. These old guys are dying at the rate of 1,000 per day. Soon, they will all be gone, all 16 million of them.

School will soon be out here and the yearly early-June memories will be over for me and I can get on to the rest of my summer. And that's a good thing. It will soon be Brother Jim's birthday :-)

Update

2009-05-30T17:08:00.004-04:00

The weather in Oregon is uncharacteristically warm for the end of May. It is usually 65+ and still an occasional shower, but for the past four days it is in the 80s with no rain in sight.

We have been concentrating on the yard. Yesterday I put a yard and a half of Hemlock shredded bark (which the locals call bark dust) on our paths and around some of our shrubs. I was aided with a 4 year old who can't get enough of his dad's new (1995) truck. We worked hard, but we had fun.

We keep our selves going trying to put in the days until our kitchen once more is 100% functional. Presently we have no sink or counter tops. We have assembled several pieces of scrap lumber on top of some of the cabinets to give a working surface, but something (other than mother nature) calls us to the bathroom for water or to wash a dish or two. Our friends have been generous by inviting us out for meals, and we walked to the Thai restaurant last night to keep from having to do the run back and forth to the bathroom. Just five more days to go. It does not stop us; only slows us down to have a stove and refrigerator, but no sink.

Today, we took in a ball game of Truman's and, oh yes, we did get our half of !/4 beef we are sharing with Bren and Amy the other day. Even now I smell the crock pot slow cooking a roast that will make delicious sandwiches for Sunday lunch. You see, Aleene still entertains whether she has a sink or not; paper is in.

The weather is not the usual rainy and cool and so we are irrigating both flower and vegetable gardens...and it is only May 30!

Monday...Memorial Day

2009-05-25T22:46:00.002-04:00

We had a beautiful day here in the Willamette Valley: 75 degrees, sun, low humidity. And we took advantage of the "easy, peaceful feeling" as we started our day with a short walk to the coffee shop.

Aleene walked the trail adjacent to North Valley Friends church with a friend while I took off for Mac-ville to bait the critter traps. What a beautiful drive back...Mt. Hood in full display at 10:30. When I got back I walked to the park and observed the traditional Memorial Day, small town celebration. This is much more solemn and dramatic than Fennville. There is no band, and while kids take part, it is not primarily a school function.

The speaker was a 26 year Air Force veteran who still works at the Pentagon. He grew up here and pointed out his haunts all within a couple of blocks of the park. I was impressed with his speech.

By five o'clock the family was home from their visit to the Puget Sound (Washington) and Frodo was very glad to see them. It is fun to hear the boys tell their stories about what they did and saw. Bald Eagles were the main topic of conversation. Aleene prepared lasagna and salad which gave us a chance to visit while enjoying the time on the deck.

Tonight, Aleene and I walked to the bank for an ATM visit and in so doing passed the coffee shop for the last cup of Joe for the day. We brought it back to our house and sat on the front porch sipping while the sun began to sink. It was time for me to take down the flag...evening colors, we used to call it.

Tomorrow is back to normal for those school and working folk. Aleene and I go back at the remodeling as the contractor is due in for some trim work. Our counter top is still 10 days away...including the kitchen sink, so we are still camping.

I did think about the past today...visiting graves and sharing family history, the picnics, the work around the farm, which sometimes included planting corn. Back when Memorial Day was May 30 every year and not the fourth Monday of May. That makes a difference for planting crops, you know. The holiday came quite early this year.

Oh yes, I got an email from a college friend thanking me for my military service. He had a list of his friends who were vets he was thanking. I think that is the first time that has happened to me, via email. It made me think of May 30, 1963 when I was ten days into OCS at Newport, RI. We were marching back from lunch when the sirens blew at 1200 and across the Narragansett Bat the ships in port began a 21 gun salute to honor the dead...one round per minute. We were required to stop our formation and stand at attention while this was going on. So there we stood for over 20 minutes waiting for the last shot to be fired from the saluting battery. Needless to say come July 4th we were not outside at noon that day.

I have more to remember and be thankful for today than I did 46 years ago. I took advantage of the quiet time today to do just that.

Sunday before Memorial Day (including new pix)

2009-05-24T21:27:00.006-04:00

311 S. Meridian
Originally uploaded by Tom.

Hey, what a beautiful day. We got up early and did our two mile walk. Aleene went to tend the dragons. I took off for church to drive the van. Before I left the church, I was able to sneak a quick rehearsal for the number I was singing.

I only had too ladies in the van today. Hearty souls, for sure. The song went well, which I did as an introit.

We went to the Cottage for lunch and watched the end of Indy. The tradition goes on...more or less. That is how we observed Memorial Day when I was a wee lad; that and painting the garage roof.

This evening I grilled ribs. I do not do ribs often and tonight's offering was a treat.

So goes part of the Memorial Day weekend. Now go look at the pictures.