Old Pictures Revisted

I have spent the last couple of days looking for a digital photograph I took several years ago. Most of my images are on my external hard drive but some are on cd's that I used for backup. It has been fun traveling back in time.

Here are two images of Mt Shasta. The first one I took while driving North on I-5. It was a beautiful day and I could see the mountain way off in the distance. I knew just where I was going to stop to get a picture. There is a viewpoint just South of Dunsmuir. As the miles rolls by I looked forward the stopping and snapping the picture. I had never seen the mountain so white. It must have been covered with a fresh blanket of snow.

Finally I arrived at the view point, only to experience a big disappointment. A band of low clouds blocked the view of the mountain. After a short rest stop I continued on up I-5. The mountain remained blocked from view. After a meal stop in Yreka I continued North. Just North of Yreka the interstate crests a low ridge before dropping down to a bridge over the Shasta River. Looking back over I shoulder I could see the mountain. I quickly pulled off the road and took this picture.

On a later trip South I arrived in Weed, at the base the mountain just before sunset on a clear night. I stopped where I could get a good shot of the mountain and took another picture. The mountain was glowing pink and there was a full moon. However, it was not hanging over the mountain. This is one of the very few pictures that I have used a editing program to enhance. A little clipping and pasting moved the moon to where I wanted it.

I know, I doubt Ansel Adams would have approved. It was a chance shot, with the mountain bathed in the pink light of a setting sun. This was a once in a lifetime shot.

Mt Shasta is part of the Pacific ring of fire and like Mt Saint Helens, she will come back to life. The appearance of the mountain will be changed forever.

Upbeat Times "No Bad News is...Good News"

Today I discovered a new newspaper here in Sonoma County. Actually, it's an old paper that has returned to print format. They have been publishing the positive side of life since 1998. Visit their website at www.upbeattimes.com. It is great local reading.

The Joy of Sending Cards

I was stationed in Washington, DC, in 1976 when I met my first computer. It was a giant mainframe machine in the basement of the National Institutes of Health across the street from the National Naval Medical Center, where I was the assistant Military Personnel Officer. We had a remote data entry station. My systems guy could create reports but had to drive over, find a parking spot and go into the data center to get the printouts. I think I drove him crazy thinking up new ways to use this new tool. We finally got a printer and that made life a little easier.

The second machine we had was an IBM magcard typewriter. The technology was new but we took advantage of it. We only had to type a document one time. When we upgraded to the magcard2 it got even easier. As you revised a document the new version was saved to the second card. At one time my brother had a shop full of these old machines. He was an IBM typewriter repairman and worked in the factory that made the magcard machines.

I got my first computer a couple of years later. It was an Atari 800 and I was hooked, especially when email and the Internet came along.

In the fall of 2008 and friend showed me a neat program called Send Out Cards. It combined the benefits of the computer with the warmth of actually sending and receiving a card in the mail. The card has a first class stamp and can be written in own handwriting.

Today I average better than a one heartfelt card a day. I'm able to use my own pictures for a little more. The average card costs less than a $1.40 when I use my own pictures. I love taking someone picture and then sending them a card with their picture on the cover. I have also scanned old family photographs and used them on the card, like this picture of me and a friend.

Not everyone has an email address, I don't know it, or cannot find it. I have learned to send a card and in a few days I usually get an email or a phone call.

Why not try it out? Just click on the "Custom Greet Cards" link to the left and I will let you test drive the system. you can send a couple of cards on me and experience the fun of sending out greeting cards. One warning, it can be addictive.

Valentines Day with Williams and Ree

Sunday we went to the Citrus Festival in Cloverdale. This was the 118th annual Festival, which is like a small country fair with everything including the 4-H animals. Not sure how this guy got in, but he was keeping his eyes on everyone. One beautiful bird.

Williams and Ree, The Indian and The White Guy, (you can find them in the internet) are among my favorite entertainers. First saw them at the Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles about 20 years ago. I have been known to drive 2-3 hours to see them perform.

The weather was great this weekend, which the people at the festival enjoyed.

Time with Bill

Today I'm at Kaiser Permanente Optometry clinic with a friend. Bill is a World War II veteran with dementia. We're here for his annual Photographic Diabetic Screening.

While setting in the waiting room I asked Bill if he remembered the day World War II ended, August 14, 1945. He seemed surprised to hear the war had ended. He was looking at a Time Magazine and the time and was looking a combat pictures from Iraq. So much of his memory is gone and maybe it's good that he has reached the point where he doesn't get upset when I cannot remember the past.

I asked because I have become involved with an organization dedicated to establishing a National Day of Remembrance so that our :greatest generation can help education and inspire future generations of Americans. This August 14, 2010, we will be marking the 65th anniversary of the end of war. Communities across America are being encouraged to held commemorative events to mark the day.

August 14, 1945 was the day that the burden of war was lifted from millions of military members. Theirs was a commitment to serve for the duration and a transition period. For them and their families, August 14th marked the day the greatest generation could start thinking about the future. A grateful nation thanked them with the GI Education Bill and home loans. The depression was history and the face of America would never the the same.

Now the these veterans are in the twilight of their lives. Some remain very active and while others are suffering from illnesses like Bill. The third objective of the Spirit of 45 campaign is to collect first hand memories of those who experienced the joy of August 14, 1945, so they can be a permanent reminder of a time when the people of America were united to face a common challenge. I wanted to record Bill's memories but discovered I was too late.

You can help us capture these memories. If you know a World War II veteran or someone who was on the home front, visit www.spiritof45.org and learn how to collect their memories. Then record them and add them to the website. Time is running out!

First Post of 2010

Ok, I have been absent for several months. As I mentioned earlier, I have moved to Healdsburg, California, in the heart of the Sonoma County Vineyards. There have been many distrations here, but it's time to put those aside and get back to writing in my blogs.

I have added a weekly reminder on my to-do-list to write a weekly blog entry. Maybe that will help me focus.

Living Treasures

Reading the paper while sipping coffee at Bean Affair Coffee and More I came across two obituaries that reminded me of one of my dreams. Several years ago I had read about the Living Treasures program in Santa Fe, New Mexico: honor the elders who have generously served the community with kind hearts and good deeds.

The first obituary was for Robert “Reg” Wilson, a native of the Sonoma Valley. He passed away days after being inducted into the Sonoma Valley High School’s athletic hall of fame. The event was one of the highlights of his life.

The second was for Virginia Sweet. As a child she was inspired by a story she read about Amelia Earhart’s transatlantic flight. During World War II she became of the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots. The WASP’s were civilians that ferried planes from factories to air bases around the world. She flew 52 different types of military aircraft, including the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-29 Superfortress bombers and the p-51 Mustang.

After the war these ladies were basically forgotten. That is until July 1, 2009, when President Obama, signed a law that offered recognition and Congressional Gold Medals, the highest award Congress can give to a civilian, to the WASP fliers. Virginia Sweet had suffered a stroke earlier in the year and the family feels that she may not have understood what they had told her about the hard-won honor. She has since passed away and a niece will accept her Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony later this year.

One was recognized and honored by his community, the other passed away not knowing of the recognition. That is why the living Treasures program intrigues me.
We need to honor the elders in our communities while they are living and are able to participate. Before leaving Oregon I had the pleasure of organizing one ceremony at the church I was attending. Reading these two obituaries makes me want to start the program here in Healdsburg.

Cup of Coffee Networking in Healdsburg

Cup of Coffee Networking

After two years of involvement with the Sandy (Oregon) Area Chamber of Commerce’s Good Morning and Good Evening networking meetings I moved. My new community has very few networking opportunities. So, I realized I had the opportunity to start a Cup of Coffee Networking group. A private investigator from Oklahoma, Joe Sting, the networking movement based on coffee, networking and free. The only cost is the cost of the coffee at the host coffee shop,

On Tuesday, July 21st, I will host the first meeting of the Healdsburg Cub of Coffee Networkers meeting at Bean Affair, 1270 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg, We’ll start at 9am. This is one of the great places.

Have been promoting through the limited network I have already created here in Healdsburg. It will be fun to watch the group go. Joe has two websites: http://www.cupofcoffeenetworkers.com/ and http://www.cupofcoffeenetworkersonline.com/. There is also a facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=45338304730


Happy networking

50 Life Lessons from Regina Brett

Last week a friend sent me an email on 50 life lessons. It ended stating that only 7% of the people would forward it. The email I got identified the author as a 90 year old columist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

A google search revealed a bio and email adress. I sent Ms Brett an email and got the following response. The power of the internet is amazing.

She said I could forward the lessons. I hope that includes this posting on my blog. The picture is from her website.

Tom


Thank you for reading my life lessons. Feel free to forward them on to others to share.

Yes, I am the author.
No, I am not 90 years old. I actually turned 53 this year.

The Plain Dealer ran my 45 lessons when I turned 45. I added
5 more and the paper ran all 50 when I turned 50.

The 50 life lessons column is the most popular column I’ve ever written in my 15 years as a columnist. Below is the original version. Please feel free to forward it to all you know, but please keep my name and contact information with it.

You can read more about the "lessons" in April of 2010 when Grand Central Publishing releases my book, "God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours." You’ll be able to learn more about that at http://www.reginabrett.com/ in the coming months.

Thanks again for sharing the lessons. Feel free to share yours with me.

All the best,


Regina Brett

Metro Columnist
The Plain Dealer
http://www.reginabrett.com/
www.cleveland.com/brett
216-999-6328


Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on
by Regina Brett

Sunday May 28, 2006

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

To reach this Plain Dealer columnist:
rbrett@plaind.com or 216-999-6328
To read more of her work:
http://www.reginabrett.com/
www.cleveland.com/brett

Thank You Mrs. G.

At Stayton Union High School we had two biology teachers. Dr. McKenzie taught six periods and Mrs Guttormsen, the girls PE teacher taught 7th period Biology. Long before the books became popular I was able to be part of "Biology of Dummies". That's what I remember. Me and the cheerleaders, so who is complaining. I passed and later, in my senior year, Mrs. G let me take her daughter Beth to the senior prom.

Through a little detective work on the internet and a helpful Beth, I was able to track Mrs. G down and yesterday I sent her a thank you card.

Not saying "thank you" before it is too late and a "missed opportunity" and I have had enough of those. I had some great teachers in my 12 years of education in Lyons and Stayton. Almost all are gone now. Mrs. G now represents all of them.

Riverside Mission Inn

The Mission Inn of Riverside is more than a hotel. It is a museum, an arts center, a historical landmark and a hotel. The inn evolved from the two-story adobe home built by the parents of Frank Augustus Miller after moving to Riverside in 1874. The home was not in the Spanish style. The family took in guests and started adding hotel wings. Frank took over the hotel-home in 1880 and continued to expand the hotel.

It became a winter destination resort hotel, with guests arriving on one of the three railroads serving Riverside. Later they would arrive by automobile. The inn now reflects the long neglected early Spanish and Mexican heritage of California. It fills an entire city block in downtown Riverside. The property includes several restaurants and two chapels. It has been fully restored and is a National historical landmark.

We only had the chance to enjoy the Mission Inn restaurant but plan on returning when The California Department of the American Legion next holds their conference in Riverside. The food was excellent and there is so much more to explore. Spending a weekend at the Riverside Mission Inn is now on our bucket list.

Healdsburg, California

The mountain at the end of the street has changed. Now it is Fitch Mountain and I haven't got a picture yet. There is rare snow of cold winter mornings. Today the mountain is during brown (Golden by local definition) as the spring rains end.

There is a river too. The Russian River runs past Healdsburg on it way to the Pacific Ocean. The picture at the left is the old highway bridge. It crosses over Lake Sotoyome at the Veterans Memorial Beach. In past years a seasonal dam created the lake between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Now the dam is delayed to protect a non-native fish population that has invaded the river. The lake was once site of beautiful water festivals.

I'm not sure what this represents but I have wanted to get a picture of it since it first appeared.
Healdsburg is a city of nearly 12,000 located on what was Rancho Sotoyome, a 48,800 acre Mexican land grant awarded to sea captain Henry Delano Fitch in 1841. Fitch promptly hired trapper Cyrus Alexander to manage his bountiful rancho (the magnificent Alexander Valley is named for this early tenant). The California gold rush of 1849 brought itinerants, squatters, and failed miners to the more generous farming land here. Over the years, these squatters settled on the verdant land owned by the Fitch family. In 1857, a fight named the "Westside Road Wars" commenced among the squatters. One of the winners of this colorful conflict was Harmon Heald, an Ohio entrepreneur.

Note, the name is Healdsburg. However a new owner remained the old A&W on Healdsburg Ave. I had to get a picture of their sign.

Though the town was not founded during Mexican rule, Healdsburg is centered on a 19th century plaza that still provides an important focal point for tourists and locals alike. I didn't get a picture of the plaza yesterday, but did get a picture of the Memorial to the son's of Healdsburg who lost their lives during WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm.

Stay tuned for more as I begin to explore my new home.

I'm on the Wall

Local Talent Coffee & Dessert Company is the creation of Heather and Ryan Brown. They have created a gallary of photographs on the wall of their coffee shop. That's me in the middle of the second row.

Here are the creators of Local Talent.

They are graduates of the Western School of Culinary Arts and have created a wonderful coffee and dessert shop in downtown Sandy. They have created a mini cafe in part of an old service station in downtown Sandy (38871 Proctor Blvd -- the west bound (toward Gresham) lanes of hwy 26). In addition to a wide range of desserts, Heathers creates scrabbles and breakfast sandwitches. At lunch there is a soup of the day and usually some type of salad. I also forgot the biscuts and gravy.

So, next time you are passing through Sandy, take a few minutes to visit Local Talent. The coffee is great and the desserts and food is wonderful. Heather and Ryan are truly local talents. Also, check on my picture on the wall.

Memorial Day 2009

This is from my blog post on Friday, March 09, 2007

A Memorial Day Note

I know Memorial Day is still several weeks away, but I came across this article I had written in 2002. I was looking or something else but this one spoke to me. If we want to do something different this Memorial Day, May 28th, we should start planning now.

While researching material for my Memorial Day presentation to the Columbia Gorge Kiwanis Club I came across the following on the Internet:

"This weekend I am going to do something different. I am going to buy some carnations each day and go to one of the nearby cemeteries and walk through the sections for soldiers. When I find a grave that has no flowers, I'll leave one and say a prayer for the family of that person, who for some reason could not bring their soldier flowers. I will pray for our country and all who serve or have served. For their families, who also serve by losing precious days, weeks and months spent with their loved ones who are off serving, preserving peace and the freedom we have in this country. I'll pray for the families who paid the ultimate price, who's loved ones died, or were taken captive and never returned. I'll pray for anyone who may still be held in captivity and thinks perhaps they are forgotten. I do NOT forget."

How are you going spending this Memorial Day? Is this just the third day of the three day weekend that marks the beginning of summer? Did you visit the grave of someone who served his or her country? Did you pause for a moment to remember the true meaning of today?
I will be in a local cemetery tomorrow morning with a bunch of carnations, looking for the graves of servicemen without flowers. I will leave one and say a prayer for that person. In many cases, it’s not that the families forget; there are no families left to remember these men & women. I do not forget.

Moina Michaels wrote in the following in 1915.
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

General Order 11 of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued in 1868, states:
“Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.”

In 2002 I went to a local cemetery. Since then I have traveled to Cathlamet, Washington, my mother’s hometown and visited the cemetery when my relatives are buried. I have taken a bunch of carnations and visited each of their graves. I have also honored the veterans long forgotten.

Where will you be on Memorial Day?

Just write

It’s Saturday and time for my weekly blog post. That’s my plan now, to create a posting every Saturday regardless of any other posts during the week.

I have been encouraging a high school classmate to start a blog. She is a wonderful writer and story teller, but she feels she has nothing to write about. That’s the nice thing about blogs. You just write.

This past week I sent her the following:

“You have a ton of material in the emails you have sent me. Just write about what you are doing and thinking. Write about the sunrise to the East on a beautiful morning, the sunset to the west, the memories from the fresh cut grass. Write about growing up in Stayton in the shadow of the woolen mill. Write about finding a Paris Woolen mill lap blanket in a bottom draw that you just opened, and the memories it brings to life. Write about you spiritual journey. Write to leave a legacy for your grandchildren, great grandchildren and their great grandchildren. Leave them more than the dash between the dates on your tombstone and on the family genealogical records.

“Writing that last sentence made me remember the thrill of searching a microfilm of veteran pension applications at the Oregon Historical Society and finding the grandma McCoy's application, in her own handwriting.

“Write whatever comes into your mind. Let the spirit, let your God move the pen across the page (or your fingers across the keyboard of your computer) Write and share your life with the world.”

Mountain at the end of the street

One of the things I like about living in Sandy is the ever changing views of Mt Hood. The mountain can be very close or very far away, depending upon your view. When I walk out to Proctor Blvd I can look East and see the mountain. Well, on clear days I can. It looks like the mountain is at the east end of Proctor Blvd. The earlier picture was taken just a few blocks away. It's too bad the power lines will remain. This picture was taken in the early evening and the mountain was catching the beginning of a beautiful sunset.

The New Me!

Last month I was invited to be the Master of Ceremonies for the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce's annual awards banquet. I remained very calm when asked, but it is one of the things I had wanted to do. I had actually put it on my "bucket list". When it is written down it is just wishful thinking. So, I wrote it down and it happened. Paula Root, a local Farmers Insurance agent took this picture of me. A year ago I was 80 pounds heavier. What a difference! Ask me how I did it.

Mothers Day

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Graduation

In my last posting I mentioned that my daughters would be graduating from the University of Portland. That happened this past weekend. It actually took two days. Saturday was the pinning ceremony for the nursing students. Aimee is a member of the 75th class of RN’s. They are 160 strong this year.

Saturday night was the president’s reception. It was held on the indoor tennis courts. Sunday stared with brunch and then standing in line to get into the Chiles Center. The commencement ceremonies started at 1:30pm and it was nearly 5pm before all the degrees (700+) were presented.

Aimee has a BS in Nursing. She is on her way to Texas and a new adventure. Ashlee has earned a BS in Secondary Education, with second major in history and a minor in Psychology. She is now looking for teaching position here in Oregon.

End of Month Thoughts (A day late)

I know, the title of this blog is “Tom's Rambling” and I would be the first one to admit that I have not been too faithful in rambling. I will try to do better.

Sunday is graduation day for my daughters. They are wrapping up four years at the Unversity of Portland. Aimee will have a degree in Nursing and Ashlee’s will be in education. I’m very proud of the two of them.

The picture was taken four years ago at their graduation from Grants Pass High School. It seems like only yesterday. That's Aimee on the left and Ashlee on the right.

It was a year ago that I finally asked Melissa Niece to set down and explain the weight loss program that she had been promoting at the Good Morning Sandy. A friend had gone from a size 44 to size 36 overnight and I was headed for a size 46 and larger shirts. After she got my attention I understood a simple fact: it’s calories in and calories out. I had managed to save up about 300,000 calories on the chance that I might miss a meal or two. I went on the program and it was a life changing experience. Melissa and John and now my health and business coaches and I’m helping other people discover the can take control there health. http://www.coachtom.tsfl.com/

This past week I also sent out my 200th greeting card. That’s only since December 2nd. The link to my card site is http://www.remembergreetingcards.com/TheCardCoach. Take a few minutes to check out the site and send a couple of cards on me.

Ok, I'm a day late, but I promise to do better in the future.