Memorial Day 2016
We pause to remember those that have sacrificed their lives in service to our country. From Lexington to Shiloh, from Iwo Jima to Luxembourg, from Seoul to Saigon and from Baghdad to Benghazi, we remember those who did not return alive. God bless them all.
This was our “Bear” relaxing on the RV drive five years ago today. She had just received a trimming of her normally long fur which was too much for the desert heat. She was such a sweet dog and family member and we still miss her. Click on the image to enlarge.
This is a throwback post about the time that I became a member of a select amateur radio group known as the Royal Order of the Wouff Hong. It’s a long story as to the origination of the Order, but suffice it to say that to become a member, one must gather at midnight with members and witness a rather comical ritual performed on stage and thereafter learn the secret handshake and password.
The midnight ritual occurred for me at the Southwestern Division Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) convention in August of 1987. A friend, Tom and I underwent the mystical event that night. Alcohol may have been a factor.
We posted this photo on the blog on July 17, 2006, shortly after converting our website to the WordPress blogging format, hence our first blog post. We posed for the robot camera at Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.
That was exactly nine years ago. At that time, I was still working in the aerospace business and Verna was a full-time home maker. Less than a week after this photo was taken, we would be in Arizona visiting The Grand Canyon.
There is a new addition to my rock and cactus garden west of the RV drive; it’s a toy replica of a Radio Flyer wagon that has been popular for many years. I put some of my cactus cuttings in pots in the wagon to see how they will do out there.
According to the Radio Flyer website, they have flourished for almost a hundred years and are still going strong:
An American Icon For 98 Years
Just like our original red wagon, the Radio Flyer brand has become an American icon. It began with a classic story of humble beginnings, where Antonio Pasin was in search for a better life, and came to America where he found his calling. Not only did he find a better life for himself, but his dreams put a smile on the face of millions of children across the nation.
For 98 years, countless voyages of childhood fantasy have been launched with Radio Flyer toys. Their beauty, simplicity, and standards of safety encourage adventure, discovery, and capture the wonders of youth. Antonio created a legacy of toys that continue to spark the imagination, as Radio Flyer is rediscovered with each new generation.
With a solid commitment to creating the best childhood experiences, we are developing tomorrow’s innovative toys with the same classic quality, and sense of outdoor, active play that have been our trademarks from the beginning.
Radio Flyer is dedicated to delivering smiles and warm memories that last a lifetime, and we are proud to be a timeless symbol of childhood freedom.
Bob gave me these old photos of him taken thirty-some years ago, so I could send them up to one of the social media sites as a ‘throwback.’ In the image above, the cowboy dude on the left was actually an urban cowboy while John Travolta was still having Saturday Night Fever.
The guy in the right side of the image was acting as pilot in command of one of a fleet of aircraft at the flight school where he instructed and did charter flights. Click on the composite image to enlarge.
