Mount Rushmore Road Trip Part 3

4 Nov

A Slice of Life

Day 3 Friday 

9/11/2020 

The American Numismatic Musuem (Money Museum) located in Colorado Springs, CO was the first stop on my list this morning.  This museum has three display galleries that give visitors a look at many different rare and historic types of coins from all over the world.  Included as part to the museum’s exibits is a mini-mint machine that allows guests to learn how gold and silver coins were made in the early 1500s-1800s. 

Down the road a few miles east I visited the Lester Fire Museum located in the Head Quarters building of the Colorado Springs Fire Department.  This museum temporarly was closed due to COVID-19, but Wikipedia informes me that the museum displays artifacts and memorabilia covering the early history of  the Colorado Springs Fire Department including hand-drawn fire fighting aparatius and equipment from the mid=1800s. 

On my way east a few miles, to visit the Peterson AFB museum, I stopped at the National Museum of WWII Aviation located adjacent to the Colorado Springs Airport.  This is one of the best aviation museums I’ve visited on this trip.  The 28 beautifuly restored flying aircraft are conveniently displayed so visitors can get good photos of the planes.  The docents are well-versed in the history of the museum’s collection and their restoration area is a deticated work in progress. 

I was disappointed that the Peterson Air & Space Museum (located on the base) was closed to the public due to COVID-19, but their website informes me that the museum displays some 20 (mostly Cold War era) restored aircraft.  The museum also displays multiple Air Defence Command early warning system artifacts and mumorabilia to educate future generations about the advancemet in defence technology during that time period.

Now I headed a few miles west, across I-25, to visit the Penrose Heritage Museum located in the north Cheyenne Canon Park area.  This museum showcases the history and heritage of the Pikes Peak area with hundreds of vintage artifacts and memorabilia.  I was not aware, until now, that the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and the Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway exhibits were associated with this museum.  WOW, three for one!

I traveled south on CO-115, on my way to Pueblo,  for a quick stop at the Fort Carson 4th Infantry Division Museum located just south of Gate 1 to the Fort Carson Army Base.  This small museum displays scenes of U.S. Army 4thDivision’s participation in various campaigns from 1917 to the present, along with other 4th Infantry artifacts and memorabilia.  The Tank Garden outside displays the different tank models the 4th Infantry has used during their assignments throughout the world.  The Fort Carson Army Base was named in honor of Brigadier General Clearance (Kit) Carson who pioneered much of the western expansion of this area and later commanded Fort Garland during the Civil War. 

Now I headed on south another 40 miles to Pueblo, CO where I originally had plans to see DiVoran’s friends for dinner.  They had a situation that interrupted our meeting, so I just headed to the motel.  After I got checked in at the motel, I asked the desk clerk for his recommendations for good restaurants in the area, and he pointed me to DJ’s Stake House where I enjoyed a plate of their Grilled salmon with honey chipotle glaze.  Yummmm!

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Armadillos

2 Nov

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Pixabay

What is that strange creature, and where did it come from? Our local lore tells us that a circus train went through town in the 20’s and derailed and armadillos escaped from it. 

In our neck of the woods, they are so common and do so much damage digging holes in yards that there are legal ways to get rid of them.  We’ve had several encounters with them but the only armadillo that expired by our hands was the one that had his burrow started at the corner of the house. The length of it when finished could have come to as much as fifteen feet. The problem is that our part of Florida is all sand so it’s easy digging for a small creature made for digging. It wouldn’t take much to make the house tilt and who wants that? We turned on our garden hose and let the water pour into the burrow to flush him out, but our best laid plans failed because he drowned, and we were sorry. 

We rarely see them in the daytime, but some mornings when we go outside, we can see that one has been digging for worms in the night. We fill the holes and hope the critters stay in the woods where they belong. 

When we do see them in the daytime it’s like this: we hear a loud rustling in the weeds on the other side of the fence. When we find the source of the noise it’s always an armadillo crashing through as he looks for something to eat. If we get close enough and make enough noise, he’ll realize he has company and since he has bad eyesight, he gets up on his back legs and sniffs the air. That tells him he’d better get out of here. He then waddles away as fast as he can, which isn’t at all fast compared with many other small wild animals.

We’ve taken our various dogs for walks on the woods trail. Dogs love to get hold of armadillos and one of them, a beautiful German Shepherd picked an armadillo up in his teeth. The poor creature expired. It’s hard to believe that anything, even those teeth could get through the fatty scales on his back. My dear aunt who was with us on the trail looked back and the dog was digging a hole to put the armadillo in. She said,”He must be a Christian dog to want to bury it.” 

Our son and his neighborhood friends played in the woods so much they practically lived there. When they got old enough to carry BB guns, they shot an armadillo and cooked it over a campfire. Now that he’s all grown up he tells me it tasted like pork because of the fattiness.

The guys took a chance handling the armadillo because they sometimes carry leprosy. It’s not a terribly scary thing if you are treated with antibiotics early in the process. Isn’t that miraculous after the scary things we read in the Bible and other places about leprosy?

Armadillos are mammals. The nine banded armadillos we have here in Florida birth their babies into the opening of a burrow. They nearly always have four identical babies born from one egg that splits into four identical embryos all male or all female. They are born with their soft armor on. Mother armadillos are good parents and nurse their young. They are protective too and if the original burrow is in danger, they have been known to move on to another one taking their babies with them.  Yes, one at a time.

But just think: If present day armadillos were anything like their long-ago ancestors you would not want to have anything to do with them. They were as big as a Volkswagen Beetle so big that their empty shell would shelter a whole family. 

To Christians who believe in God as Creator of everything it is amazing to hear or see the things he has invented. I sometimes envision him at his work bench using his strong hands to make new creatures, or did he already have them all designed from the beginning? 

Leprosy

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

Random Memories of Germany

1 Nov

Paris-Part 1

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Sitting at home, watching the very-late-in-the-year French Tennis Open Tournament on TV, 

Credit Google Search and india.com

and on the screen was the Eiffel Tower – all lit up with its sparkly lights.  According to Google search, the lights sparkle on the tower for five (5) minutes every hour, on the hour, while the beacon shines over Paris.

Credit Google Search and toureiffel.paris

Quoting the website:   “On 31 December 1999 at the approach of midnight, the entire world will discover the beacon and the Tower’s sparkling lights.

The beacon, sending out two light beams with a reach of 80 kilometres, is composed of 4 “marine” motorised projectors. They are operated by automatically piloted computer programs. Since their rotation sweep is 90°, they are synchronized to form a double beam in a cross that pivots around 360°.

The xenon 6000 watt lamps were chosen for their longevity, around 1,200 hours. The lamps are cooled to prevent overheating and a heating system is activated when the temperatures drop below zero Centigrade whilst the lights are off.

This beacon resonates the image of Gustave Eiffel’s Tower itself as a universal and symbolic landmark.

The sparkling lights are superimposed over the golden lighting, they bring the monument to life for 5 minutes every hour on the hour once the Tower has been lit up until 1 am.

To finalize the show, the gold lights were shut down and only the sparkling lights performed, ten minutes of magic never seen before, breathtaking.” [www.toureiffelparis.com]

As Fred and I watched the few minutes of the sparkling lights on the tower, we were reminded that, back in 1981 when we visited Paris with our girls, there was a “blue” laser light projected from the tower.  We took pictures (35 mm slide photos) of the tower and laser, but were informed that the laser light would NOT show up in photos.  Below are the photos we took, contradicting that information.  We were amazed and pleased at the outcome of the pictures we took.

We actually made several trips to Paris during our tours of duty.  We went every time Fred’s parents came to visit us while we were stationed in Germany.  We went when my mother came to visit us – once during each tour of duty.  Fred’s parents loved to travel, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing Paris.  My mother had never been to Europe, and was so excited to see anything and anywhere we would take her.  She was amazed at all she saw, especially in Paris.  My father had been in World War 1, as a medic, and had stayed in France for a year following the war to study.  He picked up a few words here and there in French, and continued to use them as I was growing up.

~~~~~~~~~~To be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Four promises God makes during the pandemic of our troubles.

31 Oct

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged October 31, 2020

October 25, 2020

My hands grew sweaty and my heart beat fast. I did my best in my task as a novice Spanish interpreter in that courtroom decades ago.

Then the unexpected happened.

“Mrs. Eckles, approach the bench,” the judge said after he announced a recess during one of the sessions.

Gulp. He’s calling me, Wasn’t I doing a good job? I stood and took a few hesitant steps toward him, expecting a reprimand.

I swallowed hard and looked in his direction. “Yes, your honor,” I said.

“I’m also bilingual,” he said in a calm voice, “and I’m impressed with your high level of accuracy and your professionalism.”

I fought the urge to jump high and cheer. But instead, I gave a shy smile, “Thank you, your honor.”

Facing the Divine Judge

On a greater scale, the question for all of us is: what will we do when we face the Divine Judge? Will we tremble? Or will we approach Him with love and wonderful expectations?

Until we meet Him face to face, we can practice our reaction now. In these tough times that press hard, we can anticipate all the good He offers in the courtroom of life. We hope for His hand to resolve our problems, for His grace to cover us during the Chaos. And during the pandemic of fear, we expect to hear His voice.

And we will, should we choose to, be still and listen. The good news is that His approach isn’t one of a ruthless judge, but one of a loving Father.

And that love is active. When we take the wrong path, He disciplines. Rather than scolding, He gives reassurance. Rather than apathy, He corrects our ways. Rather than punishment, He extends mercy. And instead of condemnation, through His Son Jesus, He offers forgiveness.

Four Promises

That’s why we wake every morning embracing what He offers. And before we sip our coffee, we serve these four promises to feed our soul:

  1. Should uncertainty rattle our nerves, we offer Him our complete trust as we declare: “in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:11)
  2. And when trials weigh heavy, we lift our head and with audacious faith, declare: “two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. (Psalm 62:11-12)
  3. When discouragement leaves us weak, our lips repeat His promise: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)
  4. When frightened by natural disasters, violence or unrest, we remember what God said through Moses: Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:13-14)

Let’s Pray

Father, in the stillness of Your presence is where we find our refuge. In Your love we find peace. And In your promises is our trust. Thank You for never failing us. In Jesus name

What is God saying to you in the pandemic of your troubles?

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

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Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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Voting Migration

29 Oct

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

United States election day is November 3rd. We are registered to vote in Florida but since we are often still enjoying the mountains of North Carolina in November, we frequently vote by absentee ballot.

Voting absentee has worked well for us. The hardest part is folding the return envelope correctly. There is even a procedure using a QR code on the envelope to track the process of our vote. We received our absentee ballot at our home in North Carolina, but decided we wouldn’t be using it. We wanted to vote in person.

Tuesday we loaded our car and began a leisurely two day drive back to Florida. We travel back roads to avoid interstates until we cross into Florida, We were thankful the traffic was light on the back roads and even on the interstate in Jacksonville, Florida which can be a nightmare.

Photo by Alexander Cruzado Abanto on Pexels.com

To our surprise, the further south we drove, the heavier the traffic was heading north. I knew that large numbers of people from the north who owned winter homes in Florida had fled the cities to ride out the virus there. Were they migrating north to vote as we were heading south? A severe auto accident south of Jacksonville halted the north bound traffic for miles. A static snapshot of the traffic.

I was curious about the large number of semi-trucks heading north. Were they empty and returning home to resupply? Or were they trucking supplies north? One thing that surprised me while we were in North Carolina was the amount of empty store shelves. When we left Florida in late July, the stores were almost back to pre-covid levels except for paper goods.

My husband and I prefer to vote on election day during Presidential elections. We enjoy the camaraderie of voting with our neighbors.

Image by John Mounsey from Pixabay

This year due to my husband’s health issues we plan to vote early. If the line is too long, we can try another day or vote on election day if necessary.

I wonder if I can talk my husband into lunch while we are out to vote?

UPDATE: We voted. The line didn’t stretch outside so we didn’t mind the 40 minute wait. I used some of the time praying for those voting and some checking out the masks. There seemed to be a lot of couples voting and the non couples seemed to be pretty evenly split between men and women. The most popular mask was the surgical style. Of the cloth masks, black seemed to be the favored color. No idea why. My husband chooses black masks, maybe I should ask him.

I was sad to note there was very little conversation going on among people in line.

It seems masks have replaced camaraderie.

I did see an old friend volunteering in the office. I waved and she looked puzzled so I whipped my mask down and gave her a big grin.

My husband requires a walker to get around but we haven’t been given a parking placard for handicap spaces so we had to park across the street and maneuver up the stairs.

I am sorry to report that I didn’t get lunch out after voting. It was 89 degrees outside and after the cool Fall temperatures in the mountains, 89 degrees zapped any idea of leaving the air conditioned car except to dash into the air conditioned house.

Have you voted? What was your experience like?

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

My 2020 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Mount Rushmore Road Trip Part 2

28 Oct

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 2 Thursday 

9/10/2020

I started today’s activities by visiting the “Cars Remember When” restoration center located in Littleton, CO.  The center consists of a relatively small working shop with lots of active restoration projects in progress.  There is a display room where some 30+ beautifully restored cars are rotated.   There were Mini cars, Muscle cars, Sport cars, and family cars.  I especially enjoyed seeing a beautiful 1955 Buick Roadmaster hardtop just like the one our family had when I was a teenager (except ours was red & white).

Just up the street a short way I visited the Littleton Museum.  This 40-acre museum site consists of artifacts and memorabilia representing local farm life from the 1860s to the 19890s.  There is also a living farm with a 1880s cabin, farm implements, and farm animals including cattle, sheep, pigs, and turkeys.   Museum staff, dressed in period costumes, are available to help guests re-live mid-1800s farm life in Littleton and the South Platte Valley of Colorado.

Next I visited the Vehicle Vault Auto Gallery located in Parker, CO.  This unique building houses a museum that displays some 40+ beautifully restored rare and exotic automobiles from all over the world.  New finds are continually being restored and the inventory is rotated periodically to give guests a fresh view of the history of the auto industry.  The building is also available and used for special events and conferences.

On my way to visit the Mining Museum I stopped in Monument, CO to check-out the Greater European Missions (GEM) facility.  I have relatives that work for GEM as missionary training counselors and wanted to see where the facility was located.  My nephew, Brian, and his wife Karen are based in the Chicago area, but travel to Monument periodically during the year for training sessions.  They were not there today, but were scheduled to arrive there later in the week and we had made plans to get together for dinner then.

A few miles south on I-25 I visited the Western Museum of Mining & Industry located in Colorado Springs, CO.  This museum displays antique drilling and mining equipment, such as pneumatic machines, and steam engines used for mining gold and silver in central Colorado in the mid-1800s.  The museum also has a recreation of an old miners assay office inside, with examples of a stamp mill and steam shovel outside.

The USAF Academy was just a few miles on south on I-25 and I was looking forward to visiting the famous Academy grounds and their aviation museum.  However, when I got to the gate, the guard told me the museum (located on the base) was closed to the public until after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted.  What a Bumber!  So, I headed south on I-25 a few miles to visit the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum located just east of the interstate.  This museum has a great collection of vintage motorcycles of all types, and I enjoyed the thrill of revisiting my teenage motorcycle past.

Now I took a couple of back-roads over to visit the Garden of the Gods Park located on US-24.  This is an amazing place!  It is said that the mysterious red rock formations were formed as a result of a geological upheaval that took place along a natural fault line millions of years ago.  The resulting rock formations had many different shapes; some toppled, there were some that got overturned, while some were pushed upright and others were pushed around and ended up slanted.  

While I was in the area I drove on over to check out the Miramont Castle Museum located in Manitou Springs, CO.    The 14,000 sq. ft. Victorian-era castle that houses the museum was built in 1895 as the private home for the French-born Catholic priest Father Jean Baptist Francolon.  Around that same time the Sisters of Mercy were allowed to use a part of the castle, for the private Montcalm Sanitarium that they operated, with the blessing of Father Francolon.  Museum visitors can tour some 42 of the castle’s lavishly furnished rooms when the museum is open.

On the way to the motel, in Colorado Springs, I picked up a three-piece chicken dinner from KFC and enjoyed a delicious meal with the Colonel in my motel room.  Then I recorded the day’s activities and finally put my tired and aching body to bed for the night.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Prayer for Help

26 Oct

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Photo credit Pixabay

Dear God,

When we open our hearts 

And ask Jesus to come into our lives

He helps with every need

Every Day, every hour.

All we need to do is to ask.

John 14:13-14

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. 

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Random Memories of Germany- Cable Cars

25 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Recently, Fred and I visited Disney Hollywood Studios (we like to just call it the “Studios”).  While Disney is open a bit now, there are still a lot of shows and rides that aren’t open.  Therefore, we don’t spend a lot of time at the Studios.

Credit Google Search and Walt Disney World Resort

However, there is a new “mode of transportation” at the Studios, that goes from there to EPCOT, with stops at some of the resorts along the way.  They fashion it a “gondola-lift” type of transportation, and call it the Disney Skyliner.  We rode it for the first time – and thoroughly enjoyed the ride!

Many years ago, some were asking why the Monorail only ran from The Magic Kingdom to EPCOT – why not to the other Disney parks.  The answer seemed to be that the cost was just too prohibitive.  

Be that as it may, after riding in the Skyliner, we were curious about the cost – whether it was that much less than the Monorail would have been.  That really isn’t too much of our concern – except as how it affects the price of our Annual Pass!  But as Fred says, the cable car only requires a “cable” to run the gondola along, where the Monorail requires an entire track!  So perhaps the Skyliner is, indeed, much less expensive.

All that to say that Fred and I began reminiscing about cable car transportation we have experienced in our lifetime.

The first that we remembered was when we were stationed in Wiesbaden, West Germany (1967-1970).  We were “vacationing” in Garmisch, in Bavaria, and decided to take the cable car up the Zugspitze. 

The Zugspitze – Credit Google Search and en.wikipedia.org

That mountain is the highest one in Germany.  It was a fun ride in that cable car – but the funniest thing was that we saw quite a few young people with their skies in tow – and the skiers were wearing shorts and t-shirts!  Granted it was the middle of summer, but come-on – this was nearly 10,000′ above sea level!  And it’s COLD at that altitude!!  We were highly amused!

This symbol is at the highest point on the mountain

We then remembered the time we rode the Tram from the foothills of Albuquerque up to the top of Sandia Crest (altitude 10,679′ above sea level).  The Tramway had not been built until after Fred and I married and moved away from Albuquerque (1961).  

We remember riding cable cars in Lucerne, Switzerland up the mountainside to Mount Pilatus.

Mount Pilatus, taken from Lucerne

On top of Mt. Pilatus, looking down at the cable car

Fred remembers that in 1948 when he was sent to a four-week summer camp in Switzerland, and that on one of their outings they rode in a cable (car).  Instead of an actual car, there were long poles attached to the cable.  About 10 feet below the cable, was a bicycle-type handle-bar, and just below the handle-bar was a bicycle-type seat.  During the snow season, skiers would ride, sitting on the bicycle seat with the skies dangling below in the open air.  During the ski season, there would be at least 10-12 feet of snow below the seats, making it a ski lift.  In June there was no snow, so all of us campers road with our feet dangling.  At times we were at least 40 feet above the ground above most of the trees.   Quite an thrilling experience, especially with no seat belts.

Fred – 1948

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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I Am So Over Polls-Are You?

23 Oct

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

In years past, I enjoyed answering telephone polling questions. I felt I was being given an opportunity to have a voice.

Pixabay geralt / 22248 images

I have been on the “outs” with political polls since 1992. That is the year I realized polls were being used to shape elections. That those running for office adjusted their campaign talking points based on what was polling well, not what they planned to do once elected. And we wonder why the people we send to Washington don’t deliver what they promised.

21st Century polls evolved further into not simply asking questions but shaping a narrative. Adjust the question/answer formula and one can manipulate the outcome. I am not fond of manipulation, are you?

2020 elections have added a new component to polls….fear. In this digital age of data mining, one’s answers and even their phone numbers can be sold. With the media fanning fears of Civil War, this is troubling.

Have you received a polling phone call or text this year? I always feel bad for the person placing the call. Must be a tough job.

Pixabay

Recently I was contacted once by text and once by phone. The text asked my choice for President. I responded undecided. On the phone call I gave approval to both candidates and declared myself undecided. I kind of like giving the undecided answer. I mentally picture someone analyzing the stats, frantically wondering how to convert the undecided votes.

Pixabay

I mentioned earlier that I don’t like to be manipulated, but I do get a kick out of trying to manipulate the manipulators.

I love this picture!

Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay

PS Thank you for not posting any candidate or party specific comments.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books .

My 2020 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Mount Rushmore Road Trip Part 1

21 Oct

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 1 Wednesday

9/09/2020

I packed a wool vest and a lined jacket and headed for the Orlando airport.  The Southwest flight to Denver was uneventful as it was cloud cover the whole way.  But the passengers were rewarded with fresh mini-pretzels, small cinnamon cookies and ice-cold water.  It was 39 degrees in Denver when I arrived with snow on the surrounding mountains.  I was witness to an unusual sight after picking up my rental car.  As I headed for the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum I noticed that all the houses in the sub-divisions were covered with snow, but there was no snow on the driveways or on the streets.  I guess the sun baked road surfaces had melted the snow as soon as it hit the pavement.  

The Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum is located within the former Lowry AFB, and displays some 40+ beautifully restored aircraft and lots of aviation related memorabilia.  I am always glad to see the history of aviation restored and displayed in this manner.  I believe it helps to preserve the evolvelution of aviation in our country for future generations

Next I headed a few miles west to visit the Denver Firefighters Museum.  The Volunteer Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 was formed in 1866 and was the first in the Colorado Territory.  This museum is located in the former Fire Station No. 1 built in 1909.  The four-gallery museum displays over 30,000 artifacts and memorabilia.  Beautifully restored displays include fire fighting apparatus such as early 1800s hand-pulled & pumped fire fighting equipment as well as modern day fire engines and trucks, covering the history of Denver firefighters dating from mid-1800s.

Now I drove another few more miles to visit the Forney Museum of Transportation located in historic downtown Denver.  Established by J. D. Forney in 1964 with a single 1921 Kissel Tourister the museum has expanded, over the years, to cover the history of transportation.  This museum’s collection is absolutely amazing.  It consists of over 600 artifacts which include all types of transportation devices such as bicycles, buggies, wagons, motorcycles, firetrucks, automobiles, steam engines and the Fornair airplane.  

After experiencing that amazing collection, I found the Molly Brown House Museum located in downtown Denver.  The museum was closed, but Wikipedia informs me that the house that now houses the museum was built in 1887 for Isaac and Mary Large.  It was sold to James and Margaret Brown in 1894.  In 1902 it was used by the Governer of Colorado  while the Governer’’s mansion was being remodeled.  Margaret became known as The Unsinkable Molly Brown after surviving the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.  The house was purchased in 1970 by Historic Denver, Inc and restored to its original Queen Ann style architecture and opened as a museum.  I took a photo and moved on to the visit the Cussler Museum.

The Cussler Museum is located in Arvada, CO and displays some 100+ beautifully restored classic cars collected by the novelest Clive Cussler.  I had the opportunity to talk to the Curator of the museum, and he told me that the Denver collection was only part of the  Cussler collection, as there are more cars in a museum in Arizona near the Cussler home.  I was thrilled to get a chance to see a few of the classic cars mentioned in the Clive Cussler novels I have read over the years.

As I made my way toward the motel, I stopped at a local Walmart for a styrofoam cooler, water,  and morning breakfast supplies.   I also picked up a couple of pre-packaged “Heat & Serve” dinner meals to enjoy in my motel room.  I was tired and hungry from the day’s activities, so I just crashed in the room and recorded the day’s activities.  Then I watched some TV while I enjoyed a good hot ready-made meal.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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