Ten years ago I made this first video of the striping crew to a commercial called Real Men of Genius. Two have been on the crew longer than I have; Alana Johnson and Al Willms. This is my 12th summer on crew after working for 10 years in maintenance previously. (Prior to that I worked 8 years for WUTC in three different locations) Last year we put out 37,750 gallons of White Paint, 25,250 gallons of Yellow Paint and 383,590 pounds of glass beads. I think I used over 250 spray cans of paint for spotting and marking.
Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun
This photo was taken last fall of crew and is the same as this years crew (we don't get older)
Left to Right;Dennis Hendricks, Steve Lupton, Beau Strutzel, Sid Simon, Alana Johnson, Al Willms
Today Is Memorial Day- I cannot put flowers on all the graves of my loved ones today. My Mom, Dad, Sister are laid to rest in Minot, North Dakota. My mom died on this date in 1996. I have a wonderful Church Family that I am so thankful for. Its been a tough year; too many have gone home to their rewards. I owe a lot to those who paved the way for us, and were examples by the life they lived. I added a few photos to the song written by Stuart Hamblin in 1958, called Until Then. Janet Pascel sings the song and I hope the music blesses you, today as we remember (and recognize some of) those who have gone on- but never forgotten. To those who have gone on and accepted Christ, I say "Until Then"... to those who are still with us, I say "Finish Strong"
Happy Birthday to my brother Wayne, that we celebrate today! Happy Birthday to Jessica, my niece, who we celebrate today with as well! Happy Birthday to Keisha Horton, my niece, who celebrates birthday next Tuesday and is getting her drivers License too! My Dad would turn 94 tomorrow, if he was still living. He died in Sept. of 1995 and my mom died May 25th of 1996. I am so blessed with a wonderful family and such good memories. I often wish my grandkids could have known my parents. I made this video several years ago; many of the photos are from slides my dad took. It even has some photos of my oldest sister, Sharon who died in 1966. The video may not mean much to you-but it is full of memories for me. I hope you are holding on to your memories, and someday, they will turn to gold for you as well. “We do not remember days, we remember moments."
I sure enjoyed the Grand Parenting Class yesterday by LifeTrac Ministries. I highly recommend it. I have a long ways to go and it challenged me to be more proactive. Its always fun to hear how others are doing it My older grandkids do not like photos of them used anymore- so here is an old video I made years ago of our trip to the Air Museum in Seattle. I need to work on more one on one visits with the grandkids and I hope they never outgrow visiting museums and parks.
"Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" is a novelty song written by Phil Gernhard and Dick Holler and recorded in 1966 by the Florida-based pop group, The Royal Guardsmen. The single made number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (US) chart during the week of December 31, 1966. The Royal Guardsmen went on to record several other Snoopy-themed songs, including two follow-ups to "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" – "The Return of the Red Baron" and "Snoopy's Christmas" – together with other tunes such as "Snoopy for President". In 2006 they released "Snoopy vs Osama"I bet you did not know they got sued for using the name Snoopy, since it was trademarked. I added some photos of our visit to the Aircraft Museum in Seattle, several years ago.
There is a song based on scripture that says "his eye is on the sparrow- and I know he watches over me". One year ago we picked up our bird at the Humane Society after he flew out the door and we could not find him. I opened the front door to check the paper and - and then Barnabas suddenly flew over my head and out the door. It was 3 years ago later this week that we lost him for two days; before the Humane Society found him by Lee School. He is part of our family it seems. Actually since this video was made, we have received another bird, Squeaky, given to us and we hope they have babies next year. They seem happy together and probably feel safer as friends than with a cat. Sadly we had to find another home for out cat, Princess, after she would bite us in play- probably thinking we were stuffed animals? If our Heavenly Father cares that much about sparrows, think how much more he cares for you and I.
Barnabas who is now about 7 years old
Barney is on my head and Squeaky is on Jan's Head. Squeaky may be 15 years old.
This ad and photo was on craigslist one year ago. Thank you for returning our bird, Barney;
We had a small parrot come into our yard then into our house on N Ashland in East Wenatchee. Very friendly, beautiful blue, green and red coloring.
We contacted Animal Control and they came and picked up the bird.
On May 12, 2007, we left on our first and only, 7 day Alaska Cruise, out of Seattle. We sailed with Dick and Rosemary Rice, Bob and Marge Adams, and Richard and Donna Novak. (actually another couple, Bob and Char Johnson booked the cruise but had to back out at last minute and lost their deposit) What a great time we had. The Star was built around year 2000, and remodeled in 2010. We have sailed the Norwegian Star a total of 2 more times since that cruise. The estimated cost to build the ship was 700 million in 2000. The newest Norwegian Ships being built cost around 1.2 billion. We had great food, tremendous entertainment, and the crew went out of their way for us. Its fun to see how they enjoy their work. I would like to go to Alaska again- the Norwegian Star no longer travels to Alaska, I think it is in Norway right now.
This week is filing week for local elections- May 11th to May 15th. Filing fee is just 1% of monthly salary and most positions are for 4 years. You probably need to be a one year resident of your district and I would hope you had voted. Local Government is an excellent opportunity to see if you enjoy politics, as well as have a impact. Just in running you bring out issues and set the tone. In my 22 years on city council, I never spent any money on advertising nor did I accept any funds. I certainly hope you will consider running; if you are conservative. As for president, I think I may throw my support behind one of the eight Republican candidates- I have one favorite, and all are better than what we have now.
Last week at Classy Chassis an informal straw presidential poll was taken. Sadly my name did not make the list, but at least my vote was the #1 choice during that poll.
And now for the results of the straw poll: 1. Mike Huckabee (R) - 22% 1. Scott Walker (R) - 22% 3. Ted Cruz (R) - 9% 3. Rand Paul (R) - 9% 3. Rick Perry (R) - 9% 3. Marco Rubio (R) - 9% 7. Jeb Bush (R) - 6% 7. Ben Carson (R) - 6% 9. Republican Slate - 3% 9. Bernie Sanders (D) - 3% 11. Carly Fiorina (R) - 0% 11. All other Democrats - 0%
Several City council members from around the state traveled to the State Capital and decided to go out for a night on the town before returning to their homes the following day. Walking down the street they entered a fancy nightclub not far from their hotel that had a sign announcing ‘Live Entertainment’. Within minutes the ventriloquist was informed that a group of City Council members had just entered the club so he quickly began spouting out a routine that involved every joke or humorous story he knew about local government and local public officials. After five minutes of nonstop local government jokes one of the City Council members could not take it anymore. He stood up from the table and shouted as loud as he could “I’ve heard just about enough out of you and your dumb government jokes. What makes you think you can stereotype all public officials that way? We work hard for our constituents and we try our best to make the right decisions for the communities we serve. People like you who make jokes about government perpetuate the myth that local public officials are out of touch with reality and don’t know what they are doing in their elected offices. In fact, comments like yours make it impossible for us to gain any respect and they discourage good people from stepping up the plate and running for local public office. ” The entire room went silent – you could have heard a pin drop. The ventriloquist was obviously embarrassed by the City Council members comments, stood up and faced the City Council member. He began to offer a sincere, heartfelt apology but the City Council stood back up and cut him off. “Sir, sit back down I wasn’t talking to you I was talking to that little wise cracker sitting on your lap”.
This oneis just a plain old song- Brenda Lee sang the song “Dum Dum in 1962 that was #4 on the charts. It’s not a deep song- oldies made you feel good and you could understand the words. Brenda Lee is still married from her 1963 marriage, when she was 18 and her mom and manager discouraged her from doing. She has two daughters and 3 grandchildren and was inducted into the country music hall of fame and the rock and roll hall of fame. She would sing in her Baptist Church almost every Sunday as a child. Her dad was killed in a construction accident when she was eight years old- leaving her the breadwinner of her family. She began her singing at age of three. I added some photos of my youngest granddaughter, Caitlyn. Her mom takes excellent photos and I think Caitlyn enjoys posing. I love being a grandpa and love all my grandkids.
I signed up for a Grandparenting class by LifeTrac Ministries. I certainly have a lot to learn about grandparenting. Recently a young dad in church explained he hated Sundays as his only child became overstimulated at church- with all the attention? I kept quiet- as I had always thought my job as Grandpa was to stimulate kids as much as possible? At family gatherings I prefer to sit and visit with the grandkids because I cannot remember my Grandpa sitting and visiting with me. I remember my grandpa saying; "I'll tell the world" as a reply. Billy might say mine is "oh-Nooo"? Maybe I am still a kid inside this body? It really confused me that my grandpa and grandma lived separately at the end of their lives- and I still am confused and cannot explain all the changes in the world today in lifestyles, morality, riots, and believing lies- I am glad my grandkids have not asked me about that. I do know in Deuteronomy 4';9, it says “Be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your hearts as long as you live. Teach them to your children andto their children after them.” In January 1986 the Judds sang this song called Grandpa tell me about the good old days and it became a #1 hit. I added some photos of my grandkids to the music a few years ago. I hope my grandkids can look back someday on the time we had together and say these were the good old days- they certainly are for me and I have so much to be thankful for.
"The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith." Billy Graham
Tonight is the 30th annual Classy Chassis Parade/Car Show in East Wenatchee. It has come a long way since 1985! What perfect weather- which is normal for this beautiful Valley. Where else can you watch a 2 hour parade or see classic cars up close in a beautiful park for free? I sure appreciate everyone who enters their cars as well as all the planning that goes into making this as big as it has become. I was amazed how many cars I see for first time and the wide variety of cars. It is always fun to talk to the owners-you can learn so much about the car and history. I have cheated, I have dropped off my car Saturday morning around 10am in park, so I could watch the Apple Blossom Parade at 11am. Where else can you leave you car and not worry about it? I did not take enough photos, but I always say this is about memories and money. Memories for me; and money for those who have fixed up those cars. Sure gives me mixed since selling my 67 cougar. This video is actually one I made 2 years ago, in 2013. It already seems so different with the car gone- I miss it, yes- but never drove it enough to take up the garage; and I lost my friend, who we were car club members, for years.
.JPG)
