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OUR CRUISE TO MEXICO – Part 1

10 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES 

Judy Wills

Judy

After our first cruise – to Alaska – we were ready to go again….anywhere!  One of our sons-in-law loves to travel, and is a great “planner” of trips, whether it be by van, or car, or ship.

For Spring Break in 2007, he planned a cruise to Mexico with his family, and invited us to accompany them.  We were delighted to accept.

We drove to Charleston, South Carolina (where we would pick up the ship) by way of St. Augustine, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia.  We had not been to St. Augustine in many years, and it was fun to see it again.  Brian called us while we were there, to say they had a flat tire, and wouldn’t be getting to Charleston until very late.

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We drove from St. Augustine to Savannah.  We had never been to Savannah, and were intrigued to see all the flowers (it was Springtime, so the azaleas were in full bloom), and the monuments to famous people, especially from that area.

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Our daughter and her family arrived very late at night (from Chicago, and with the flat tire en route), and we had adjoining rooms at the hotel.  We met up for breakfast, then headed out for a tour of Charleston – another first for us.  Fascinating city.  We took a tour over to Fort Sumter to see the remains of the fort.

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When it was time to board the ship, Brian dropped us all off at the dock and went to park the car, then joined us on board.

One of the first things we learned was that we were required to “hand sanitize” everywhere we went on board – especially into the eating areas.  They had supplied “balls” of sanitizer for our convenience – just place your hand under the ball, and out squirts just the right amount for your use.  Neat little thing.  We also had to sanitize as we left the ship in port, and before we could go back on board after being in port.

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Since there were just the six of us, another couple was assigned to our table.  It’s always fun for us to get acquainted with people from other areas, so we were pleased to meet Fred and Carol Ann.  At our first meal together, we “excused” ourselves to them, and asked God’s blessings on the food.  As we lifted our heads, we were pleased to see Fred and Carol Ann lifting their heads, as well.  They said it was “refreshing” to find others who exhibited their faith in public.  We knew we had met fellow believers and were overjoyed!

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We had a day at sea before we made landfall again.

 

To be continued……………

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I DON’T SPEAK PORTUGESE!

3 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

JUDY

One of the funniest things – and most irritating – about growing up in New Mexico, is that a whole LOT of the U.S. population doesn’t even know New Mexico is one of our great 50!  So much so, that the New Mexico Magazine has published a book of anecdotes people have shared.  It, as well as a full-page article in the magazine, is entitled One Of Our 50 Is Missing.  I have laughed – and growled – over some of the things people have encountered in this vein.

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I never thought to have one of those experiences myself, but sure enough – it happened to me!

Some years ago, after we returned stateside from Germany, we were living in the small town of Seaford, Virginia.  It is a lovely little place, just eight miles away from Yorktown, which is part of the Historical Triangle in Virginia.  That triangle encompasses Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Jamestown.

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There happened to be a Baptist Church in Seaford, and after “visiting around” the other churches in the Hampton Roads area, we decided Seaford Baptist Church was where God wanted us, so we joined the church.

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Within the first year, our church hosted a youth group from Tennessee.  Seems like the man who had served Seaford Baptist Church as a volunteer youth pastor was a military person, and had been reassigned to a military base in Tennessee shortly before we arrived on the scene.  And he volunteered as youth pastor for the little church they joined there.  He brought his youth group to Seaford, and we provided the beds and food for the youth.  Since our house contained four bedrooms and three full baths, we signed up for two girls.  One of our bedrooms and bathrooms was downstairs, which made it nice for company to have their own bedroom and bathroom.  So our assigned girls stayed there.  Turns out, they were both named Kim.

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The week went by quite quickly, and we enjoyed their company a lot.  The night before they were to depart for Tennessee, we were all gathered in the kitchen, just sharing and talking.  One of the girls stated that she didn’t think she would go on the youth trip the following year.  Why not, I asked?  Well, Max wants to take us to New Mexico, and I don’t want to go.  Why not, I asked again?  Well, I DON’T SPEAK PORTUGUESE!  WHAT???……Portuguese?  Well, they speak some foreign language out there, and I just don’t want to go!

Yep…….one of our 50 is missing!

Now, I may not – at that time – have been able to tell you exactly WHERE Tennessee was located on a map (I can now), but I most certainly knew that Tennessee is one of our 50 states!  Makes me wonder what the geography teachers in Tennessee are teaching!

 

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1 Corinthians 10:26

 

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THE NEXT ASSIGNMENT

24 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy

                                                     

Fred and I have an “inside joke” between us.  I’m sure most couples have one, as well.  You know – that “special” song that reminds you of…………  Puts you right back in that place where …………… happened.

When Fred went in the Air Force, we were somewhat eager to find what and where our first assignment would be.  Fred had been offered one of three possible career choices:  Missile Launch Officer, Munitions Officer, or Meteorologist.  Even though he had the “Marksman” distinction with a weapon, he really wasn’t into weapons that much, so Munitions Officer didn’t really appeal to him.  And “Missile Launch Officer”????  Well, not too much interest there, either.  So that left Meteorologist.  And since his undergraduate minor degree was in physics, that one made more sense to him.  So he signed on for that one.

 

The Air Force sent us to San Jose, California for Fred’s concentrated year of study in meteorology.  While there, his orders came through for his first assignment – Wiesbaden, West Germany!  Boy! were we excited! Toward the end of those three years in Wiesbaden, the AF asked him to give them a list of three possible AF Bases where he might like to be stationed.

So we began discussing this new situation.  First on our list was Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, of course. After all, it is in Albuquerque, our home town.  Kirtland AFB was a “flying” base – lots of airplanes with pilots who needed weather info before they flew.  We really wanted to get back to New Mexico.  I’m not sure I remember the other two “choices” he gave them.  But, in our pessimistic mind-set, we asked each other – “since we put in for New Mexico, do you suppose they’ll send us to Maine??”

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Fred comes home one day, a few months before we are to return stateside, and asks – “Do you remember that joke?   You know, the one – ‘since we put in for New Mexico, do you suppose they’ll send us to Maine??’   Well, they did.”And I actually thought he was joking.  Then I realized that – the joke was on us!  We were headed to northern Maine – only three miles from the Canadian border!

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So that has been our “inside joke” through the years – “do you suppose if we put in for New Mexico, they’ll send us to Maine again?”

We continued to ask for New Mexico (we were never able to be stationed there), and the AF continued to assign us somewhere else.  I’m not sure we ever were stationed where we asked to go.  Seems that God had other plans for us.  We were always able to find a good church and made long and loving friends everywhere we were assigned.  And with the exception of the northern Maine assignment, we enjoyed all the places we were sent.  We even went back to Germany for another three year tour.

But we still laugh about our “inside joke.”

 

 

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MY BIG BROTHER – Part 2

17 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills

Judy

 

There’s a lot I don’t remember about growing up in New Mexico. I remember my best girlfriend (down the street….through the neighbors yard….down the alley to her back yard) and some of the good times we had. She now lives just an hour-and-a-half away from me, and we see each other occasionally. She tells me that she probably wouldn’t be a believer today if it weren’t for my parents picking her up every Sunday morning to take her to church with us. I have no memory of her in our car. I remember her at the church and at the functions we did together. But not picking her up. Very selective brain I have, don’t I?

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I do remember that Bill and I used to fight like the proverbial cats and dogs. Nearly drove our mother to distraction sometimes. I’m sure he didn’t care to have his bratty little sister trying to tag along very often.

Of course, all that changed when he grew into the age that – all of a sudden, GIRLS were a VERY interesting phenomenon to him! He would ask me what I knew or had heard about that particular girl. And what about this particular girl – what do I know or have heard about her. I really don’t remember many of his “girlfriends” until DiVoran came along. But that’s another story unto itself.

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I have a couple of pictures that still make me chuckle every time I see them. We were both a couple of cut-ups in our day, and these pictures prove it. Weren’t we cute? I came upon these pictures many years ago, and had them blown up and sent them to Bill as a Christmas present one year. I think I heard him laughing all the way from Florida to Virginia!

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I have a couple of pictures taken at Bill’s 10th birthday party – and once again, I wormed my way into the festivities. Looks like none of the boys were paying any attention to me. But then, what 10-year-old boy pays attention to a 6-year-old girl? Some of these boys were neighborhood friends, some were school friends, and some were church friends. And Bill still keeps in touch with some of them. Those life-time friendships are treasured.

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I still adore my big brother.

Philippians 4:4-8

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My Big Brother

10 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

Judy

 I hope you are enjoying reading my big brother’s stories as much as I am.  I am learning things that I was too young to know or remember about us growing up.

One of the things that I really don’t remember – but have been told about many times – is the airplane trip when we moved from Dallas, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1945.  Bill can tell you that it was an American Airlines DC-3 plane.

 

Plane

Plane

What I remember our Mother telling me is that she made the flight without our Dad (he was already in NM), and with us two small children.  She said a military man asked if she would like some “help” with us, and she handed me over.  After a bit, she looked back, just as he was pointing out the window, with me looking out, as well.  I came running back to her and said, “Mommy!  Did you know there is an ANGEL sitting on that wing outside???!!!”

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Mother said that she was reassured that he really was a good guy.  In Bill’s words about the flight:  “My memories of the plane are limited to how steep an incline the aisle was from the rear door to the front seats, that there were only two seats on each side of the aisle, and at some point during the flight (I did not have my seatbelt fastened) the plane hit a fairly good-sized downdraft (air pocket) and I hit my head on the overhead.  The whole trip was quite an adventure for a six-year-old boy.”  And by-the-way – I still have the airline ticket from that trip!

 

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I do remember Bill’s obsession with airplanes – especially model airplanes.  I remember him in his bedroom, putting together small airplanes.  I remember the smell of the airplane glue.  I remember him taking the airplane (frequently with me in tow) to the park across the street, and flying it around until either he brought it down, or it crashed.  If it crashed, then he bundled it up and took it home for repair.  Those were the days of rubber bands and small gasoline engines attached to the plane.  He’s just grown up a bit since then, as has his taste in model airplanes.  He now builds radio-controlled model airplanes, and flies them as often as he can.  He goes to the airfield and watches others fly their planes.  He has built himself a workshop in their backyard, and spends a lot of time out there, building his planes.  He’s really quite good at it, too.

I adore my big brother.

 

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OUR FIRST REAL CHRISTMAS TREE

23 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Judy

                                                  

 Growing up, Christmas was really special to our family.  We usually stayed at home in Albuquerque, and my brother and I woke up to “Santa” and all the presents our parents, Grandmother, and Aunt Jessie had gotten for us.  We always had a tree, loaded with those huge lights in multi-colors.  Such neat memories.

So it came as a bit of a surprise to me that my new husband and I didn’t have room in our tiny apartment for a tree!  Of course, we were both working – and he was in school all day – and so there was hardly any reason to have a tree.  I did learn how to make a “tree” out of a magazine and spray-paint it with silver or green paint.  Add some tiny ornaments, and there it was.

 

And there were some Christmases that we went to visit our respective families, and we didn’t need to have a tree.  That “tradition” followed us through the early years with our daughters.  After we moved to Florida (Panama City/Tyndall AFB), we usually made the trip down to Titusville to spend the holiday itself with my brother and his family.  After a few days there, we would drive across the peninsula to Clearwater and spend a few more days with Fred’s parents in their retirement condo.

 

One year had been especially difficult and tiring for us.  I remember Fred making the statement that for five cents, he would stay home that year.  I handed him a nickel.  We stayed home that year.  We decided that, since we were staying home, we needed a tree for ourselves – and this time we would get a live tree!!  The girls were so very excited about that prospect.  We went tree hunting and brought home a lovely big tree.  It made our house smell wonderfully fresh and piney.  We put Christmas music on the stereo, and began decorating our first real Christmas tree!  We made cookies.  We bought or made presents for each other.  It was a lovely time together.

 

Christmas tree

At this time, Karen was 10 years old, and Janet was six.  One day, while I was sitting at the piano working on a piece of music, near the rocking chair, which was next to the tree, Karen was sitting in the rocking chair reading….her favorite past time.  All of a sudden she let out a scream and jumped out of the chair, flinging her book across the room!!  WHAT????

Apparently the wonderful tree we had purchased was home to a LOT of inch worms – and some of them had made their way onto the chair, and onto the book she was reading!  I then realized there was an inch worm on the piano, as well!!

WELL!!  That tree didn’t last much longer in OUR house, that’s for sure!!  It was out the door in no time!

I think Karen didn’t sit in that chair for a month after Christmas!!

At least it was a Christmas to remember.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fiesta Dresses

9 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills  

Judy

Growing up in New Mexico was a great experience.  Of course, we moved there when I was only four years old, so I didn’t know any different.  The Indian/Mexican culture was just something that was normal to me.

 When I was old enough to learn how to sew, my Grandmother and Mother began teaching me the sewing machine by having me sew row-upon-row-upon-row of trim on yards and yards of fabric.  It was all straight stitching, but some rows were metallic trim, some were rick-rack, some needed only a single stitch to hold it down, others required stitching on the top and bottom edges of the trim/braid.  Very boring.  But it gave me a sense of what sewing was all about.

All those yards and yards of fabric would eventually be made into a Fiesta Dress, or Squaw Dress, as some called it.  Three tiers, each one “longer” than the one above it.  Those dresses could be made from just about fabric and color combination.  I remember a royal blue fabric with nothing but copper trim – one of my favorites.  I remember a winter dress made from blue corduroy – no trim needed.  I remember one made from fabric that looked like bandana design – no trim needed on that one, either.  I remember one that was made in light cotton – white – with red and red-and-white trim.  It was great – until I washed it the first time – and the red ran like crazy!!  So my Aunt Jessie took the dress (blouse and skirt) and dyed them beige.  For some reason, the red didn’t show where it had run, and really looked rather classy with the red trim.  Another favorite of mine.  Oh, so many dresses.

And the skirts were not left “pouffy” like they might be today – they were hand-pleated after being soaked in starch!  And to keep the pleats in, we rolled the skirt into itself and stuffed it into a nylon stocking.  Jessie’s dogs LOVED to get at those to fight with them!

Dogs fighting

But those dresses were considered in good taste no matter where they were worn.  They could be worn to a very casual setting…..they could be worn to work….they could be worn to a fancy dinner setting – all worked equally well.

I’ve never seen them worn outside of New Mexico, however.  So when I took them with us to Texas, they were not the “in style” to wear.  I still have them, but can’t seem to find the right place to wear them now – even if I could fit in them anymore!

But they were just right for New Mexico.

Blue skirt

red skirt

                    

                    

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OBERAMMERGAU – PART 2

2 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Judy

 

In addition to our wonderful experience at The Passion Play 1970 in Oberammergau, Germany, we had other times to visit that lovely town.  On some of our trips around Germany, we visited the town and introduced our daughters to it.

Someone told us about a Master Woodcarver in Oberammergau, and insisted that we visit his house/workshop.  Fred was chosen to attend a NATO school in Oberammergau.  So we hired a single friend to stay with the girls, and I went with Fred to the school.  Again, we stayed in a B&B, and I was able to explore the town while he was in classes at the school.

English: The welcome sign to NATO school in Ob...

English: The welcome sign to NATO school in Oberammergau, Germany. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As I explored, I found the house of the Master Woodcarver.  His wife seemed pleased to have me invite myself to their house, and took me to his workshop, where he was working on one of his creations.  To say I was entralled would be an understatement, for sure.  He could carry on a complete conversation and continue to carve at the same time – without missing a beat!

They showed me samples of his work – different sizes and different themes.  They told me that the tourist shops in town had offered him exorbitant commissions, if he would just allow them to sell his craft/product in their stores.  He rejected them all.  The only time he allowed his product to be in their stores what when he was carving a very large (sometimes life-size) piece, and needed their large machine to work a particular piece.  Their bargaining chip was – “you can use our equipment, but we get to sell (blank) number of your works in the store.”

I was in love.  I purchased two pieces of his art,and have enjoyed them all these years since

Carving 1

carving 2

.  In later years, when my Mother came for a visit, we took her to Oberammergau, and to the carver’s house.  She purchased another one – a “happy” monk with a bier stein in his hand.  They told us that, the larger the size of the monk, the “happier” he appeared!  I was given that piece when she passed away

monk

We had dinner in the NATO Club several evenings while on that trip.  While looking around the shop within the Club, I found a wood carving of an eagle – one of my favorite creatures.  And guess who the artisan was!!  That’s right – my favorite Master Woodcarver!  It is now hanging on my wall!

eagle

When my best friend came to visit from Panama City, Florida, we took her to Oberammergau, and – of course! – to the woodcarvers house.  The lady of the house told us that he had been commissioned to do two lfe-sized pieces for a Catholic Church in Panama City!  The next time I visited her, we went to that church to see the figurines.  They were magnificent!

So many items we were able to purchase while in Europe, to remind us of our times there, and the places we visited.  But these wood carvings are some of our most favorite pieces and memories.

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OBERAMMERGAU

25 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

                                                 

 

My husband and I (and later our daughters, as well) were blessed to have spent six years in Germany.  Except for a couple of short trips with my Aunt Jessie to Mexican border towns, I had never traveled outside the United States.  So the prospect of spending YEARS in Germany was quite an adventure for me.  Fred had never lived in Germany, but had spent some time in Italy and Japan with his parents in his growing-up years.

It’s very hard to say “where” our favorite place in Europe was.  So many places we were able to visit, and they all delighted us.

And yet, one of our very favorite memories is of the town of Oberammergau, Germany.  It is beautifully situated in a valley between mountains.  On our travels, we had visited there occasionally, but since we were in Germany in 1970, we decided to go see the Passion Play that the town presents every 10 years, on the even year.  We had always enjoyed staying in B&B’s on our trips, rather than fancy hotels, so we were pleased to be able to get a “package” that included two nights stay in a home with a German family.  We learned that the man of the house had played Jesus in the 1960 performance.  We would have breakfast in that home, but the other meals were to be taken in the restaurant at one of the hotels in town.  The Passion Play was an eight-hour production, with a lunch break.  That gave us some time to explore the town and it’s shops, mostly appealing to tourists.

We found the house where we were to stay, and found that half of the house was the barn for their animals, with only a wall between it and the residency.  Made for some interesting sounds and smells!  Our room was on the top floor – essentially the attic – with a shared bathroom down the hall, and a balcony outside our room.  The bed was comfortable, with an  comforter to keep us comfy and warm.

 

 

 

We had reserved seats in the huge theater, especially built for the Play.  All the seating area, except for about the first 10 rows, were under cover.  But those rows of seats and the stage was open to the air.  Our tickets were for the first regular showing of the Play of the season – May 22, 1970.  And we were quite glad that our seats were half-way back the theater, since we had a snow fall during the performance!  We were amazed to see the actors, including the children in the play, remain in their assigned positions even with the snow falling on them!

 

The entire play was spoken in German, but we had a handbook that gave the dialog in English.  Actually, we didn’t need to refer to it too much, since we knew the story line!

 

 

It was an extremely moving and wonderful performance.  It touched our hearts, and brought us again to our Savior’s feet.  We are so thankful to have been in that place at that time, and  able to experience that Play.

 

 

 

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San Jose

18 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Will

 

Do you know the way to San Jose…………

 

My husband had just completed his basic military training in San Antonio, Texas, and was assigned to San Jose State College for one year of meteorology training.  We were both excited about the prospect of living in California for that year.  I, personally, had only been to California a couple of times, and looked forward to the time.  We had visited my brother and his wife in Inglewood the Christmas before we married.  But that was a LONG time ago.

We drove with our belongings to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a visit with my parents, then on to Colorado Springs where my husband’s youngest sister was getting married.  From there we drove to northern California, and San Jose.

We were able to acquire a small one-bedroom apartment near the college.  That was a good thing – Fred wouldn’t have to drive to the campus, fight to find a non-existent parking spot, and then find his way to classes.  He could just walk to class.  The city public library was nearby as well – and I walked there at least once each week.

We had a little time before he was to begin his summer classes, so we began exploring.  We found Mount Hamilton – not too far away – and it had an observatory on top of the hill.  It was fascinating to us to look over the valley – and sometimes see a light plane soaring by – below where we stood!

 

 

We drove down to Monterey to see that beautiful Pebble Beach Golf Course on the ocean front.  Gorgeous!

 

 

One of the most wonderful aspects of San Jose was the climate.  After growing up in dry New Mexico, hot and humid Texas was barely tolerated.  San Jose had nearly the same humidity level as Albuquerque – nice and dry.  However, just a short drive over the mountains – and you found yourself at the Pacific Ocean!!  What a treat!  For someone who never grew up around water, the ocean was fascinating.

We often drove to Muir Woods for a day of exploration.

 

 

 

We took another couple from the meteorology class with us to Half Moon Bay for a picnic on the beach.  Someone had purchased a $1.50 paper kite and string – and we played it out at least a mile-and-a-half!  Such fun!  Except when it was time to retrieve it.  We should have just cut the string and let it float away.  But we took turns reeling it in – took us an hour and a half!  Whew!

We found that, after living in New Mexico, where the mountain peaks top out at 10,678′ the mountains in that part of northern California were just glorified hills.  But that was okay – it was better than flat-land Texas.

Fred’s classes were intense during that summer session.  When it was finished, and before he began his Fall semester, for relaxation he built our first stereo system.  He did a masterful job.

California will always hold a special place in our hearts.  Not sure we would want to live there anymore, but we hope to go back for a visit at some point.  I’m trying to twist his arm into letting us take a cruise up the west coast – from San Diego all the way up to Seattle, Washington.  I would love that!

 

California, here I come……

 

 

 

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