Tag Archives: Christian bloggers

Happiness is Flying Model Airplanes-Part 3

24 May

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Note:  I didn’t fly model airplanes during the years after I got my first motorcycle, while in the U.S. Navy, or while I was going to college.  This ended up being roughly 11 years, between 1954 and 1965.

At age 14 my interest shifted from airplanes to motorcycles, cars, and girls, in that order.  With my parents’ consent, I was allowed to get my driver’s license when I was 14 years old.  Back then the state of New Mexico allowed a person to obtain a driver’s license at age 14 because of all the farm kids in the state who needed to help with ranch duties involving driving tractors, pickup trucks, and cars.  At first my parents were not happy with the idea of me riding a motorcycle, but I assured them I was a careful and responsible driver.  I started small with a used Harley-Davison 125cc Hummer.  The next year, I traded that motorcycle in on a new Harley Davidson 165cc ST Hummer.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

As you can tell by the photo above, by this time I was a Marlon Brando follower (The Wild One) and dressed appropriately.  That was all the rage at that time.  My next and last motorcycle was my favorite: a 1955 Harley-Davidson KH Sportster (Flat-head 888 cc).  I rode that motorcycle for ten years.  I used it for transportation during my years in the U.S. Navy (when I was home) and during my collage years.  During those years my wife, DiVoran, was a frequent passenger on that motorcycle as we were living on a very tight budget.  I never did get a ‘Buddy Seat’ for that motorcycle: ‘Riding Double’ involved me sitting on the gas tank while DiVoran got the seat.   I don’t know how legal that was, as we were never stopped while riding double.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Around age 16, when my interest in girls began to grow, I realized I was going to need a car.  My first car was a 1940 Chevrolet Coupe that I paid $50 for.  It took a lot of time, work, and most of my money to fix up that old car into something I wasn’t embarrassed to take a girl out in.  During our senior year in high school this car was the first car that I took my (then) girlfriend, DiVoran, out on a date in.  I only kept that car until I finished high-school and started my tour of duty in the U.S. Navy.  The photos below are a fair representation of my 1940 Chevy.

               Left:  When I bought it        –>       Right: When it was restored

Photo Credit: https://yahoo.com/1940-chevrolet-coupe

During the latter part of my tour of duty in the U.S. Navy I ended up being stationed in San Diego, CA.  It was during this time that I got a chance to live out one of my teenage “Bucket List” items: to own a 1932 Ford five-window Coupe (Hot Rod).  As it turned out, the Master Chief of the engine shop I worked for was an antique car restorer and he knew this guy who had a ‘32 Ford for sale.  I bought it (basically a shell with an 85-hp flathead V-8 engine) and the fun began.  My ’32 had the top ‘chopped’ a total of 4” and the body was ‘channeled’ a total of 7” with one very basic plywood driver’s seat bolted to the frame.  The rest of the interior floor was nothing but a sheet of plywood covering the frame (no passenger seat).

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Photo Credit: amazingclassiccars.com/1932-ford-5-window-coupe/

I didn’t have time to finish the interior, the engine, and a beautiful new paint job as things in my life were about to change.  The photo below is pretty much what I wanted my ’32 to look like when it was finished.  However, a few months after I started that project, I married DiVoran, ‘The Love of my Life’ and she didn’t like sitting on that plywood with nothing to hold on to.  Very soon after we were married, I traded the ’32 for a nice 1950 Mercury Sedan (much more comfortable).  We kept that Mercury until after I got out of the Navy, finished college, and we were ready to move to Florida.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 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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A Strong Tower

22 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Prov. 18:10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; 

The righteous run into it and are safe.

Photo Credit:Pixabay

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 Virginia

21 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

RANDOM MEMORIES OF VIRGINIA

Fred and I recently made a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, to visit our daughter, Janet and her family.  We had lived in that part of Virginia for nearly 13 years before we moved to Florida, where we now live.  It’s always nice to get back to Virginia, since we spent so much time there.  It is actually the place we lived the longest, continually, since we married, over 61 years ago, so it holds a special place in our hearts.

Credit Google search and Wikipedia Sign along Interstate 64

On our first day there, since the twins were in school, Tom was working from home, and Janet was at her job in Richmond, we decided to take a ride and see places we had been/lived.  As we were driving down the Colonial Parkway from Colonial Williamsburg, we began to reminisce about things Virginia.  Therefore, I would like to present my readers with some random memories of Virginia.

Credit Google Search

1.   Driving the Colonial Parkway brought thoughts of how much we enjoy that drive – in all seasons.  Spring brings new-green leaves on all the trees and some flowers – the redbuds, and especially the Dogwood blossoms.

Credit Google Search

Summer is lush foliage all through the drive.

Credit Google Search

Fall has the gorgeous fall colors on the trees – golds, yellows, oranges, reds.  Beautiful. 

Credit Google Search and RVing with Rex

Winter is beautiful in its own way – snow on the trees and shrubs.

Credit Google Search

Not so nice is the snow/ice on the roadway.  The Parkway is made up of aggregate, and the ice on it isn’t very comfortable.

While unmarked, one can readily see the three lanes of the Parkway, as they were laid.  There are frequent signs for “Do Not Pass” along the way, especially when the road turns and the way ahead is not easy to see.

The Parkway has a 45 mph speed limit, which can be frustrating if one is in a hurry!  However, it is an easy thing to set the cruise-control for 45 mph and just let George (the cruise control driver) do the driving.  The Parkway is heavily patrolled, so it pays to pay attention to the speed limit.

I worked in the Colonial Williamsburg area at one time, and had a certain way I liked to drive to work.  From our house in Seaford, down Denbigh Blvd, to U.S. 60 or Warwick Blvd to Williamsburg.  However one of those mornings, I was nearly involved in a fatal accident.  Coming around a curve in the road, the car coming toward me slipped onto the dirt and gravel  – probably losing control of her car – and rammed/slammed into the front of the pickup truck in front of me.  By the time we stopped and I got out, the driver from the truck said the driver of the car was dead.  Turns out, she was just 18 years old, and on her way to her college class.  I was so upset by the entire thing, that I found I couldn’t take that route to work for many months – I kept seeing the accident in my mind.  So I started driving the Colonial Parkway – set my cruise-control to 45 mph and just rode until I reached the Colonial area.  It was a great way to get to work, and the reminder of the accident diminished in my mind.  Time heals.

~~~~~~~~~~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 and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Happiness is Flying Model Airplanes-Part 2

17 May

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

As I gained experience, I moved up to rubber band powered balsa stick model airplanes covered with rice paper.  These models required a lot more concentration and patience to assemble.  The kit consisted of a box full of balsa sheets with fuselage formers and wing ribs printed on them and lots of balsa sticks.  The idea was to carefully cut out the formers (bulkheads) and wing rib parts, and using the balsa sticks, assemble the airplane over the full-size plans provided.  Once the model was assembled, the entire airplane was covered with rice paper and sprayed with water to shrink the paper.  When the paper dried, it could be painted with clear or colored model paint called ‘dope.’  The propulsion was by means of a long rubber band inside the fuselage and twisted many revolutions to turn the propeller for the thrust needed.

Plans Credit: yahoo.com/rubber+powered+model+airplanes 

Next, at about age 10, I started building and flying small U-Controlled fuel powered model airplanes using .049 and .065 CID (½ A glow) sized engines.  These airplanes were of similar balsa construction, except the fuselage was made of thicker balsa sheet and the wings and tail were covered with a heavier silk span paper.  When the silk span was sprayed with water it also shrank when it dried.  Then the paper was painted with airplane paint (dope) and it would shrink to an even tighter and tougher surface.  I could then add decals or paint other colored designs if I wished.

Photo Credit: yahoo.com/search/=.049+fuel+powered+u- controlled+model+airplane

These airplanes were so easy to build, that I started designing my own with variations in wing design.  I would buy the necessary bulk balsa stock from the local hobby shop and use the plans from one of the kits I had previously purchased to build the airplane.  Imagine the airplane in the above photo, with the trailing edge of the wing on each side of the fuselage tapering from the wingtip almost to the forward edge of the horizontal stabilizer.  That was one of my designs that I tried, and you can see that airplane in the photo below (the battery is in the way, but you can see how the wing tapers from the wingtip toward the tail).

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I used special 35’ long wires to control the flight and needed a large (70’ minimum diameter) clear space to fly these airplanes.  Luckily, a city park, Bataan Park, was only a block from my house and provided plenty of space for my needs.  However, I found out that flying these airplanes around in a circle could make me dizzy if I wasn’t careful.  I won’t bore you with all the plane crashes I had, learning how to fly those first U-Control model airplanes.

Diagram Credit: https://www.modelaircraft.org/control-line/ 

At about age 12, after a lot of experience with the smaller airplanes, I moved up to the larger and more expensive fuel powered .15 and .29 CID (A glow) sized U-Controlled airplanes.  These airplanes were of a similar construction as the ½ A models, but much bigger, stronger, and heaver.  Since these models flew much faster than the ½ A models, I used 70’ wires.  Here again, Bataan Park, the well mowed city park, provided a nice convenient well-maintained grass flying field for me.  The pride of my airplane fleet at that time was my Top Flight ”Nobler” with a Fox .29 CID engine. What a beauty that airplane was!

Photo Credit: www.efkjghfdlf.top/products.aspx=nobler+control+line+airplane

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 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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Music Heals the Soul

15 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

PS 28:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. 

My heart leaps for joy, and I will thank Him in song. 

Photo Credit: Pixabay

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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Perfume…Cologne…Whatever…

14 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Seems like I have always worn some kind of fragrance.  When I was growing up, it was most likely something from Avon – but I don’t remember just which one.  Occasionally I would wear something that my Mother had, or her sister, my Aunt Jessie had.  They had exotic fragrances that appealed to me.  

Not a very clear picture – but the glass shelves on the right held Jessie’s perfume bottles

I remember one time, when my brother Bill returned from one of his Navy assignments, that he brought back a HUGE bottle of Tabu for Mother.  I’m not sure she ever even opened the bottle, and it sat on her dresser from that time on.  I mean, that thing was enormous!  

Vintage Tabu – photo credit Google Search

Among her collection of perfumes, Jessie had a fragrance called Shalimar.  I really liked that one!  But it was definitely a PERFUME, not a cologne, so it was worn sparingly so as not to be over-powering, not only to the wearer, but to those standing nearby.  

Photo Credit – Google Search and Wikipedia

There was a time that I found a fragrance that I really liked – a true perfume – called Je Reviens by Worth out of Paris.  The liquid was actually blue.

Credit Google Search and Worth website

 I was told that, if it had been “watered down” the liquid turned yellow/gold.  So I could always tell if it was the true stuff or not.

Credit Google Search and Worth website

I still have some of that, but when I tried it one time recently, it didn’t appeal to me, so I washed it off.  I guess my body chemistry had changed.

And then there was a time when I wore something called Niki de Saint Ralle, by Jacqueline Cochran, Inc.  It’s a rather “potent” perfume, and that didn’t last too long.  Again, I still have a bottle of it, but haven’t worn it in many years.

Photo by Judy Wills

My very favorite fragrance to wear is Estēe by Estee Lauder.

Photo by Judy Wills

There is a bit of a story behind that.  We had been stationed in Wiesbaden, West Germany from 1967 to 1970.  During that time, our Karen was born.  Now, since we like to travel through Europe, we thought it might be a bit difficult to travel with a newborn or toddler.  So we found a lovely couple in our church there who took care of her while we traveled.

One of those trips we made was to England.  During that time, we took a bus tour to Warwick Castle.  There was a lady on the bus that smelled absolutely delicious!  And so I actually had the nerve to ask her what fragrance she was wearing.  She said it was Estēe by Estee Lauder, and what she had on was a “solid” cologne.  Something you rub on rather than squirt on.  When we returned to Germany, I checked in the Base Exchange, but they didn’t carry that fragrance.  So when we returned Stateside and went to our next base – Loring AFB, Maine – I checked the BX there, and they had it.  I snapped up a bottle, and have been wearing it off-and-on ever since.  

I told my Aunt Jessie about wearing Estee Lauder, and she gave me another of their fragrances – Youth Dew.  Well, that particular fragrance makes me gag!  If I’m in a group of people and smell something disgusting, it only takes me a short while to realize that someone in that group is wearing Youth Dew. (Actually, I’m thinking, what IS that awful smell?) After Jessie gave me Youth Dew,  I traded it in for my Estēe and was MUCH happier!

A few years ago, my best friend gave me a different fragrance as a gift, and I wore it for many years, as it is a light fragrance, and sweet.  It is Japanese Cherry Blossom put out by Bath and Body Works.

Photo by Judy Wills

However, recently I have gone back to Estēe, and am happy to be wearing it again.

Can you smell it from here??

And before I leave this, I must tell you about the fragrance that my Fred wears.  It is called Devin, and we both love it.  He is nearly out of his current bottle, and we are sorry about that, because we are unable to find it anywhere anymore.  It makes him smell sooooo gooood!  I love to sniff him!

Photo by Judy Wills

Did you have a favorite scent?

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 and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Five Weapons for Mothers to Overcome Stress

13 May

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged 5/13/23

I went down on one knee. “Look at me, honey.” I turned my four-year-old Joe’s face toward me. “What’s in your mouth?”

“Nothin’.”

As the youngest of three, he never knew a mom with sight. A retinal disease robbed my sight when he was much younger. And my adjustment and theirs was inevitable.

I took him by the hand. “Is that chocolate I smell? It’s before dinner. C’mon young man, let’s spit it out.”

Outwardly I seemed in control. But I still questioned my ability as a blind mom. I stressed about their possible lack of confidence or even shame because of my blindness.

I carried all that with in me. And often the obstacles before me seemed like facing a huge giant. I questioned my strength, my wisdom and abilities. Did I do too much? Not enough? Was I too strict, too lenient?

Stress followed me during the day and it lay beside me on the pillow at night.

But along came David…

…to save the day. Remember him as a boy? He was scrawny, a bit of a shy kid, the youngest of his brothers. And probably voted the least likely to succeed in the senior class of the local Shepherd high school.

And when Goliath showed up, David seemed inadequate, unprepared, and way too weak to defeat the giant. But God knew different because He chose him. Skinny David held not a trace of insecurity, doubt, or worry. He put on the backpack of courage and gathered five stones. But those stones weren’t what would defeat the big guy. Rather, David’s secret weapon called bold faith became the weapon to bring him victory.

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty…” (1 Samuel 17:44).

Today, the giant moms face has grown bigger and more vicious. In addition to dealing with our own personal stress and insecurities, we face evil that barges into our schools with not only violence but with immoral and horrifying doctrines.

Your Five Weapons

But rather than shrink back, like David, we lift our head high and come against all this in the name of the Lord. We put on our bold faith and gather our five stones. Even in these turbulent times, we take out these five weapons to triumph over the struggle and stress of motherhood.

  1. The stone of courage to stand firm and secure enough to know we have Christ’s power at work in us to dismantle stress.
  2. The stone of reassurance God is with us every moment of every day to defeat fear, worry and anxiety.
  3. The stone of wisdom, God-given wisdom to choose our words, direct our steps and guide our path.
  4. The stone of trust to know God has His eyes on our kids. He will keep them safe, guard their lives and trace their steps.
  5. The stone of joy to erase gloom, sadness or disappointment.

This Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate not so much the perfect moms, but those who are perfectly devoted to Christ. Not the moms who have all the answers, but those who never back down or retreat at the face of evil, who instead, believe, truly believe, God has them. Not the moms who have it all together, but the moms who admit their weakness so God can make them strong. Not the moms who are raising stars, but those who rise above a culture that’s in turmoil. Not moms who cover her kids with the latest fashion, but those who cover them with prayer.

God chose David. And He chose you too. He hand-picked you to be the mom to those kiddoes. He didn’t leave David to bring down the giant on his own. He’s not leaving you alone either, As He hands you the stones, He’s already given you the victory—in His power, In His might and in His name.4

Let’s pray

Father, may Your Word remind me You are watching over my kids, guiding them when I fail, teaching them when I don’t know how, and protecting them when I’m not near them. In Jesus’ name I pray.

Which stones will you gather this Mother’s Day?

Janet

Further Reading: How do today’s mothers overcome sadness, struggles, and stress? Click Here

It’s my joy to have you as part of my inspirational family. Please feel free to share today’s post with others.

Special Announcement

I invite you to dance with me in celebration of my book, Now I See: How God’s Amazing Grace Transforms Betrayal, Blindness and Heartache to Shining Joy. I wrote it for you—to uplift you with fresh inspiration. Your copy waits for you here.

Let’s Stay in Touch

I also invite you to visit my WEBSITE. You’ll find more inspirational blogs along with my story, books, and videos. You’ll also learn the passion and mission of JC Empowerment ministries.

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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Happiness is Flying Model Airplanes Part 1

10 May

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

I began my love affair with airplanes at the tender age of six years old when my family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Our father had been given a new job there and he had gone there ahead of us to find a house and get things ready for our family move.  When all the details were in place, my mother, sister, and I flew on an American Airlines DC-3 from Dallas, Texas (where I had been born) to Albuquerque and I was thrilled by every aspect of that experience.

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/american+airlines+DC-3

Albuquerque had two U.S. Air Force bases, and our house was under the landing approach to Kirtland Air Force Base.  Airplanes of all types flew over our house all of the time and I learned how to identify all the different types by name and profile.  I used to love to run out side of our house and watch them fly over.  They ranged from the twin-engine B-25 Mitchel, B-29 Superfortress, to the giant B-36 Peacemaker.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

At about age 8, I transitioned from my hobby of electric trains to model airplanes.  At the time, the 10-cent balsa-wood gliders were the big rage in my neighborhood.  The little kit had all the parts die-cut, so all you had to do was slip the pre-formed wing and tail into the slots in the fuselage and you were ready to fly.  I learned how to carefully cut a notch in the bottom of the fuselage, which allowed me to launch the glider with a one-stick rubber sling shot.  That gave me a much higher altitude providing I didn’t pull the wings off with too much rubber band strength.  I had saved my allowance money and bought one after another, as I flew them and broke them (Notice the glue line on the fuselage in the photo below).

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

My very first model airplane was a small hard-wood Piper Cub.  That model only needed the individual parts to be sanded smooth.  I worked hard and long to get the parts as smooth as I wanted.  Then all I had to do was to glue the wing and tail onto the fuselage and paint it. Then after the paint dried, there were a few decals to install to make it look real.  When I finished all the detailing, I hung that beautiful model from my bedroom ceiling and enjoyed it for years.

Photo Credit: www.helidirect.com/piper-cub/

As the years passed, and I grew older, I moved up to rubber powered balsa model airplanes. The first rubber powered model airplane I had was very basic.  A long square balsa stick for the fuselage, and thin balsa sheet wing and tail.  The rubber band was attached to the propeller in front, and ran under the fuselage to the tail.  The propeller and rubber band would be twisted in the opposite direction of the thrust needed, and when the propeller was released, the airplane would take off and fly until the rubber band tension was expended.  Great fun!

These gliders are still available online. This one is on Amazon.

Photo Credit: https://amzn.to/44RaCqt

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 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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Peace

8 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Isa:26:3 & Isa 60:1

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Arise, shine; for your light has come!

The glory of the Lord is risen upon you. 

Photo Credit: Pixabay

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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The Remote Control

7 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

The remote control has come a long way.  We usually take it for granted in these days – I wouldn’t even THINK of having to get up from my comfy chair to go and change the channel on the TV!  Outrageous!  And yet, I remember when that was the norm.

I remember when my family got our first TV when I was a child in Albuquerque.  Such a novelty!  And there were only three channels available.  It was only on during the day, and ended each day with a single picture on the screen, and the National Anthem being played/sung.

I remember on New Year’s Day, when all the college bowl games were being played – my Dad had one game on the big TV, another game on a small TV on top of the big TV – another game on the radio in one bedroom, and another game on the radio in another bedroom.  He would bounce back and forth among all those rooms trying to keep track of all the games.  Used to drive my Mother crazy!

But all of those TV’s had a manual remote – in other words, someone had to get up and change the channel manually.

1956 – Judy in our living room with the new TV – no remote control

Okay…fast forward a few years.  Fred and I married and moved to Fort Worth, Texas for him to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  One of our first purchases was a black-and-white TV set.  It wasn’t much, but we enjoyed it.  We took it with us when we moved to San Antonio, Texas for Fred to attend the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School (OTS).  We had it with us in San Jose, California while Fred attended San Jose State College (now University) to get his meteorology training.  But we must have sold it there, because we didn’t have any TV with us during the three years we were in Wiesbaden, West Germany.

Upon arriving back in the U.S., Fred’s parents gave us their old black-and-white TV, as they had purchased a new color TV for themselves.  It only had a manual remote, and Karen (only four years old at this time) would go and turn the remote – to the correct channel I might add – before we even turned on the machine!  How did she DO that???  It never failed that she had the correct channel.  And in northern Maine, on a U.S. Air Force Base, we had only just a few channels to choose from.  Amazing.  She’s a genius!!

When we moved to San Antonio, Texas, we purchased a new TV for ourselves – and it was in COLOR!  WOW!  What a difference that made – even the weather was better in color!  It was in a lovely wood console – but held only the TV – no radio…no turntable…no storage space contained therein.  Still – it only had a manual channel-change knob.  It was a great piece of furniture, and we carried it with us to Tyndall AFB, Florida, to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and then to Heidelberg, West Germany.  

1979-1980 – The TV console in our unit at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

After we lived in Virginia for a while, we purchased a more up-do-date TV for our family room, and moved that TV console upstairs to our bedroom.  We finally sold it – or donated it – before we moved to Florida.  

And that’s where our remote controls came into being.  And we couldn’t live without them now – sometime we even have one in each hand!

What a progression.  And all this was prompted by a picture on FaceBook of an old-fashioned TV dial.

Credit FaceBook

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 and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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