Europe Tour 2006

We just returned from a whirlwind tour of Europe, spending 3 weeks in 4 countries. If you haven’t been, Europe is rich in history and art; which is like eating honey…… after several bites, you begin to get a little nauseous! Not all of us can stand a full plate of Art, historic buildings, Renaissance Paintings, naked statues of men that stand in Galleries stretching from the tip of Italy to the top of Mars, more paintings and still more paintings. For those of you who CAN, I applaud you! Being brought up in Backwoods, Arkansas, we only learned the 3 R’s of reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic. In Arkansas, “refined” education meant a field trip to Paris, Arkansas. But in Europe, the 3 R’s means Renaissance, Renaissance, and still more Renaissance paintings.

All in all, the trip was very good! It was a wonderful experience for my Bride and I. We had been planning this excursion since 1971 and we felt like it was high time to go! My woman planned the trip……no weenie tour groups for us! We wanted a custom made trip, fit for a tight budget! She planned and planned for days and weeks; poured over books and web sites with experts and geeks until, finally, the day came to go.

We had purchased Eurail Passes, airline tickets, hotel accommodations and special light weight, wrinkle free, quick dry, mix and match outfits that fit into a 20 pound carry on suitcase so we could travel light and travel fast. We hit the ground running and remained that way for nearly 3 weeks.

We took Jet Blue from Portland to New York, then American into Rome. Three days in Rome in a Villa Bed & Breakfast in a realtime Italian neighborhood was perfect. We learned how to secure bus passes and travel the streets with the natives on Trolleys & Busses without getting lost very much.

We visited the Coliseum and surrounding Roman ruins, that are still being excavated to this day, The Vatican, Museums, Monuments, churches of all sizes, shapes and awesomeness. We saw statues and fountains; statues IN fountains; fountains spurting from statues; paintings of all sizes, shapes, kinds…..whatever the imagination could possibly conceive….we saw it! We wondered what it was that captivated the Roman Artists to paint and sculpt male anatomy on nearly every piece of art we saw. Statues by the hundreds, standing there in broad daylight with their “thingies” showing. Well, not EVERYWHERE……..apparently when the Nuns took over some of the big churches a few centuries ago, they went around knocking off the private parts of many of the statues’ anatomy. That was funny.

We left Rome early on Sunday morning and headed for Florence to attend a church of Christ. Unfortunately, train connections blew our schedule and we arrived much too late. We found our hotel okay and proceeded to see the sights of Florence after checking in early. We visited such places as the naked statue of David and several of his naked buddies. We went into several big churches were the Catholics and the Russians had spent serious dough building. They were awesome to see. No expense was spared in the construction. We saw many more paintings, more naked statues and still more paintings. We spent a little time shopping and looking at things we couldn’t possibly bring back home even if we bought it!

From Florence the next day, we took our Train to Venice. There are no “pot holes” in the streets of Venice! Venice is a beautiful, old city, full of age-old buildings, churches, art and naked statues. We took a boat ride along the canals and took in the charm of this ancient city. We did the Gondola thing and had our boatman sing to us!

Evening came and we caught the last train to Munich, Germany…..as well as several FIFA Soccer Fans! We had First Class accommodations throughout our Europe trip, however, it would have been nice if we had some “sleeper accommodations”. So we sat up in our seats and tried to sleep during the 7 hour trip to Munich.

We arrived early in the morning….on Tuesday, I believe. We took in some of the sights and sampled food and coffee for a few hours before boarding our train, headed to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Garmisch was always my favorite place to go when I was stationed in Darmstadt, Germany during my military days.

We had our own Apartment, about 1200 square feet of space in the heart of the city. It was wonderful! Garmisch is situated in the valley at the foot of Germany’s highest mountain in the Alps, a beautiful, lush green with cold streams of melted snow, beautifully decorated buildings with planter boxes filled with flowers of all kinds and that Bavarian atmosphere you always imagine. The restaurants were always serving the best food in Europe, the people were helpful and friendly and the view of the Alps was amazing to see. The church bells would ring on every quarter-hour and seemed to ring forever at noontime! They were very loud, but very pleasant to listen to.

We spent 3 days in Garmisch enjoying the Bavarian scenery and taking in every atmosphere we could. In the evening, a nearby farmer drove his golden dairy cows right down the main street; each one wearing bells that rang sharply as they walked clippity clop down the asphalt street, driven by caretakers on bicycles. The automobiles would pull over and allow the cattle to pass by before proceeding.

We took a cable car to the top of Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze, at 2,950 meters high. It was beautiful at the top. Snow was still on the restaurant structure, yet it was a warm, sunny day. That was where I first went snow skiing. It was 1968.

I hated to leave Garmisch-Partenkirchen, but our time was up and we needed to move on.

I’ll write more about the trip later…..

It has been a while since my last blog post. It’s not like my life is so boring that there’s nothing to write about…..it’s that I’ve been busy. Sometimes I find myself seriously occupied and there isn’t room enough inside my head to “think”.

Aaron continues to improve with the Chemo treatments. However, the drugs and radiation treatments continue to drag him down, creating other problems that he must try to deal with. Those of you who have had to endure Chemo know more about that than I do. But the boy is in good spirits! That’s a plus! He has a great attitude and faces every day with strength and determination. He always has a smile on his face. His family dynamics have changed and everyone needs to conform to the new “atmosphere”. The house must be kept clean, as germ-free as possible, and visitors must use hand sanitizer to avoid spreading germs to him. He can’t do a lot of the things he used to do. I think he misses running the most. His appetite has increased and he “puts away the groceries”. He has lost most of his hair now and wears hats to cover up the evidence. We just returned from Europe and brought him back several ball caps from various places.

His strength and sickness level varies from day to day. As much as he enjoys getting outside and doing something, oftentimes he can’t. He wasn’t at church yesterday because he wasn’t feeling very good.

So…..what can you do??

Prayer is the best that any of us can do right now. A lot of people have been praying for him. This is very helpful to his recovery. His blood count is better and the cancer is being destroyed. He still has a long time to go with the Chemo. Send him a card, make a phone call, or even a visit is encouraging.

My thanks to the many who have been praying for Aaron. May god bless your life for taking the time to encourage my Grandson.

Prayers for Aaron

My oldest grandson, Aaron, was diagnosed with Leukemia yesterday. He is in the Children’s Cancer Ward at Emanuel Hospital. Leukemia is not a good thing; in fact, all my life I’ve only heard how bad it was. With my grandson having to bear such a grave disease, I can’t help but think about how fatal this might be. It’s hard for me to even allow that kind of thinking into my brain. How can this be? It seems like a bad dream that we will wake up from. I suppose it will be a while before the full impact of this hits me.

I was just telling a friend about how much of my life lately has been trying to help other people through their “situations” and “crisis”. The duties of a Shepherd are to attend to the needs of his sheep. Going about that work was taking my whole attention and I failed to prepare myself for the “Wolf” attack on my grandson. It got me to thinking about the bigger picture of life.

My extended family life is pretty much a zero. There are so many dynamics there that I could write a book. A lot of pain and hurt and apathy come together and display a myriad of feelings that no one likes to think about, let alone experience. But, like the Apostle Paul, I try to put those things behind me and press on.

Two brothers have failing health and incurable ailments. This weighs heavy on our mother’s heart, while she, herself, struggles with her own health problems. I will not mention some of those going through other family crisis.

Trying to plan our 3 week vacation in the midst of this entire struggle with thoughts of whether we should actually go now or not, is also a burden. At the same time that all of this is happening, my granddaughter is running away from home, skipping school, rebelling and doing things a 14 year-old should not even be exposed to.

Working on borrowed energy, trying to bear up under the weight of a heavy heart, I pause to ask for your prayers to help make it through all this. I’m tired. We are tired. The energy spent trying to hold up leaves an empty heart. I am amazed that a heart so empty can be so heavy, at the same time. I feel like the teacher who needs to be taught; the counselor who needs counseling; the parent who needs parenting. I feel like I give what I need myself.

The interesting thing about life is that each of us will go though much “stuff” in our lifetime. We all bear up under its weight in different ways. Some people withdraw into themselves, or into their immediate families. Some people experience such depression that they never recover and go through life unable to even tend to their own personal hygiene. Some people experience stress that sends their health beyond cure. Still others are resilient and bounce back under all circumstances. But for the Grace of God, I suppose we could be any of those people.

The Oregon Coast is always a great place to go to relax. To be able to spend time enjoying the sand and surf, beachcombing with the kids and taking pictures of the unusual, while hoping to get a shot at something really cool, has always been fun for our family. I especially enjoy watching the kids run from one thing to another; exploring the sea life during low tides, or watching the breakers crash onto the rocks during high tides.

Having warm sunshine is always a bonus on the Oregon Coast! They say people in Oregon don’t “tan”, they “rust”. I must admit, we do get enough rain to keep the mountains white with snow, thus keeping the farms watered through irrigation, during the summer. Oregon vegetation does stay green, especially the Western half of Oregon. Eastern Oregon is much drier, with less rainfall. I suppose that’s why it looks so barren and desolate.

On the Oregon Beaches, especially in the northern half of the state, you will find few sun bathers and even less using the surf as a playground. The water temperature is “cold”. I noticed my bare feet aching from the cold water this past weekend as we waded through the shallow surf. The waves came in and went out routinely, exposing the large sand bar where the kids were busy running to and fro picking up Sand Dollars of various sizes. These were not living so the kids were able to take them home. They collected a bag full before moving on to other adventures.

Star Fish and Crabs are always interesting to see up close, to hold and view intently from “stem to stern”. It’s fun to have them “pose” for photo shoots, even if they are dead.

Haystack Rock is a National marker for Cannon Beach. It’s probably one of the most photographed rocks on the West Coast. The birds that inhabit the massive haystack shaped rock were busy protecting their “turf” and their mates. It was mating season for some of the birds; perhaps it is everyday, I don’t know. A Coastal Marine Life Volunteer, an old lady who looked to be about 70, overheard me comment to my friend about the Gull “flapping his wings”. She said that he was probably on top of a female Gull. As a matter of fact………..

If you get a chance to go to the Oregon Coast, you would not be disappointed. The entire coastline scenery varies from place to place; all of it beautiful. Sea Lions and Seals abound along the secluded rocky shores and small islands of rock and grass, and can often be seen from certain vantage points foraging for food among the vegetation. A myriad of birds inhabit the area, making their nests upon the craggy rocks where four-legged predators cannot come. Whale watching and Whale watchers abound during the migration season. The Whales migrate between Alaska and Hawaii; ever moving along the deep Pacific waters to mate and give birth to babies in the warm waters of Hawaii.

Kite festivals, contests and meets are common up and down the coast. Annual seafood and wine festivals are commonplace, drawing massive crowds to sample the flavor of Oregon. Some of the best fireworks displays are along the Oregon Coast during the 4th of July and New Year’s Day celebrations.

I love this area of the world. The mountains are amazing, but the Sea is always changing, always alluring; ever drawing us near to watch its power.
http://www.cannon-beach.net/surfcam/cbsurfcam.html

Thirty-Six years ago today I arrived in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand (NKP, Thailand). I was assigned there temporarily for 30 days to help with the work of monitoring the Viet Cong military activity. It was great to get out of Vietnam for a little while and be stationed in a city where I could have more freedom. It was great to get out and about among the people to see a part of the world that few Americans get to see.

There wasn't much difference in the weather. How different is rain and mud ANYWHERE? Not every day was rainy and I enjoyed the warm sunshine, as well. People were friendly. The city was "third world"; very poor; people, without the things we americans take for granted. This was the first occasion I had to eat food that didn't come from the "Chow Hall" on base. Thai food was very good and I ate at the local restaurant near the main base entrance quite often during my 30 days stay in NKP. Getting around town was no problem. I could either take a Taxi, a Pedi-cab (bicycle cab), or walk.

I wasn't sure what kind of work I would be doing in Thailand, other than the same type I was doing in Vietnam. It actually turned out that way. The only difference was that we were flying over Laos. THAT was the scary part of the whole experience! Laos was extremely dangerous to aircraft and few prisoners were taken away from crash sites. Most would have been found bound together, tortured and shot in the back of the head. This was NOT a story I wanted to HEAR, but it was a matter of fact and we had little choice but to go on. Needless to say, I was running scared every day, almost kissing the ground with each successful landing!

My annual salary as a Buck Sargeant that year was $2000. Doesn't sound like much, huh? But I was very rich in comparison to the Thai people. I had tailor made suits and sport coats of exotic materials made for $20 to $40; tailor made leather shoes for $8; hand carved Ivory Chess Set for $25 (worth well over $800 now) and a silk tablecloth with 6 napkins for $1.50. Jewelry was very cheap for Star Sapphire's, etc. I bought a bunch of stuff and brought it back home with me. Later on in life, a house fire took the 3 suits and several sport jackets. A burglar relieved me of the burden of storing the jewlery. I still have the chess set.

I find it interesting to think back to these times. Memories are like movies in our minds. Many of the sights and sounds, even the smells are brought back to life through the memory reliving those times. Many of my memories, however, lie hidden, awakening only whenever a specific memory button is pushed. The strangest thing about these memories is that I no longer recall the danger. That makes the good things even better.

My Vietnam Journal post from April 1970 doesn't particularly show that I have poetry writing talent, but it does indicate that I tried! I agreed with myself, after a serious argument, in which I lost, to go ahead and post these on my blog:

The Young Years:

I sit cross-legged among the white spring flowers
Growing outside our age-old house.
Too young to realize it needs paint
And patches on the roof to keep it from leaking when it rains.
The tin roof, above the kitchen
Where my mother is busy cooking
Over a wood-burning stove
Is rusty and sags to one side.
The chimney is cracked and falling in at the top
I'm too young to be aware of these things
I only know my feather bed is soft and warm
When the nights get cold.
My interest lies only
With the piece of soft White Pine I'm whittling on.
I'm not carving anything
I don't even know what carving is!
I'm only watching the shavings pile up
I can hear the wind whistling
Through the pine trees on the west forty.
I can hear the chickens
Scratching around in the dirt for bugs
And the singing of birds in the trees.
I can see the honeybees
Going from flower to flower
Then flying away again.
I was at peace with myself
Until I cut my hand
And saw that I was bleeding.

Sadness on the Front:

Clad only in briefs
I lay on a simple bunk
In a simple, cluttered room.
The cool breeze of a fan
Blows across my half-sleeping form.
The noises from jet engines and machine guns
Keep me from a peaceful sleep.
There's a war going on
But I am dreaming now.
In my semi-conscious state
I call her name...
She does not answer
Why can't she hear me?
I see her standing right there!
I reach out to take her hand
But she's not there.
Where did she go?
I toss and turn.
All of a sudden I find her;
She's lying beside me.
From the light of the moon
I can see her eyes
Soft and warm upon mine
Her long hair lies tangled
On the white pillow.
I touch her skin and it feels cool
To my warm hand.
She's beautiful
Her lips are sweet and moist
And the alarm clock shatters the early dawn.
It's another day in Vietnam....

Phu Cat, Vietnam,
Journal entry for:

April 23, 1970:
"It's a beautiful evening, even if it is a bit warm! I sat outside for a while looking at the stars and thinking about you; wishing we were together. It was very nice outside. This evening, Don and I cooked some pork chops on our barbeque pit and that was fun. We mixed up our own sauce with some odds and ends we found. I guess we used too much ketchup because that's what we mostly tasted! But it was pretty good.
"Old Stupid (our German Shepherd mascot), came around putting on his begging act so I had to give him some. I can't stand to see a grown dog cry! He's a real weird dog. I can easily see why he was named "Stupid".
We give him food and he usually takes it out and buries it somewhere and then forgets where! Crazy dog! He gets drunk with all the guys so I guess booze keeps him going! That's one thing he can't bury! He's the only beer-drinking dog I've ever seen that's particular about the brand! He won't touch the cheap kind! Imagine that!! Good 'Ol Stupid!
"Yea, I guess it was kind of mean for us to sell that Monkey to another GI. But he sort of deserved it. He was drunk at the time so maybe that will teach him a lesson...I think it's funny!
"I almost got my early out disapproved today. Luckily I went out to Ops and talked them out of it! So today I asked for August 16, we'd have to wait and see what happens... poor Mike never got a chance to get his. Don and I were really shaken up about that because we thought he might have made it. We're going to send his wife some money for flowers or whatever she wants to do with it. I'm sure the gang in Germany will do the same, because they always have when something like this happened. I know Mike would appreciate it."

April 26, 1970:
"You know, after what happened to Mike, I'm almost afraid to fly anymore. I'd give anything to have this war end. Not only for me but also for the sake of all the other GI's here. Did I tell you about us who knew Mike, setting up a little trust fund for his child? Well, I'll tell you again. Don called down to Pleiku to get his home addsress so we could send flowers and a guy there said something about setting up this trust fund for college. All the guys there are in on it, as well as his friends in Germany. There are some here who will contribute including some who don't even know him. The Security Service is a closely-knit organization and when something like this happens, everone wants to help. I think our organization is one of the best and we have a bunch of great guys in it!
"I'm sure having it rough trying to get my early out. It was disapproved again today. That's the second time in a week! But I put in for it again. This time it's for the 20th of August."

April 27, 1970:
"...I'm flying again in the morning at 9:35. I have Wednesday off! I can't stand it! I'm actually getting a day off! I've been working since last Thursday. That's 6 out of 7. After tomorrow I'll have 62 missions behind me. Those I don't worry about...it's the next 62 that bother me! Actually it doesn't bother me all that much; it's when I start THINKING about it....!"

I almost let it slip by......

Memories are those things in your brain that linger for a long time, whether they be good or bad. I'm not sure why we can remember some things forever, yet so easily forget other things before we have time to turn and walk away. One thing that burns into our minds are those events we call tragedies.

The following are exurbs from my Vietnam Journal written 36 years ago.....

April 21, 1970:
"...I can look out the window (of my EC-47 Airplane) almost anywhere and see fighting going on down on the ground. There are lots of flares down there lighting up the area. From here they look like big stars. I can see tracer rounds and mortars exploding all around. And the war goes on. We are a little too high for them to shoot at us but it has been known to happen...".

April 22, 1970:L
"I'm feeling a bit down this evening. Remember that friend of mine, Mike Conner, in Pleiku? He's the one besides Tom and I who were trying for that early out. Well, I have some bad news. He was flying today and his plane went down. We haven't any definite news on what happened but word has it that it was shot down. You know he does the same work and flies the same planes I do. They (the people here) don't know if he is dead or not, but they think he is. There were 6 guys on the plane... four parachuted out and were picked up by helicopter. Mike and the pilot crash landed...and 15 minutes later the plane caught on fire. Maybe they were still in it...we don't know. I can't be sure but some guys say he's dead. I am shocked to say the least. I've known him since Germany and it's really bad when something like this hits close to "home". He and I were pretty close; so is Tom.
We all three ran around together in Texas. Mike and I were always going to the lake every chance we got. We would go fishing almost every evening. We even went to Mexico together. You know that picture of me that was taken at the lake? He took it. I just hope and pray he's alive somewhere. He may get captured but at least he'll be alive! It's sad, too, because he's married and his wife is expecting. It's really shocking! We fly over here all the time because we have to. And we try to make ourselves believe it's real safe. So things go smoothly for a long time and we've convinced ourselves so well that it's like in the states. We feel just as safe flying as we would going out for a Sunday drive to the lake. Then this happens. A lot of guys are shaken up...myself included. It isn't quite as bad as it could be. If it had been a plane from this unit, things would be very shaky for us. I would be afraid to step onto another plane! So would a dozen other guys. I guess people have to die in a war, even your friends. That's why they say, "War is hell". Well, enough of that. I just hope he's safe."

DON’T PARK
HEAR
STUPID

A few years ago, our company was one of several Sub-Contractors involved in the construction of the new Parkrose High School. One day, as I pulled my Service Van into the construction site to drop off a roll of blueprints, I parked in front of the General Contractor’s Modular Office space, alongside other commercial vehicles. Unknowingly, I was apparently parked in an empty, unmarked spot claimed by the General Contractor’s Superintendent as his own personal parking place.

My short visit with one of the General’s engineers ended up being 15 minutes longer than I had anticipated, as we were friends and fellow Scout leaders. As I left his office and approached the driver’s side of my van, I noticed this misspelled inscription drawn in the dirty film covering my door: “DON’T PARK HEAR STUPID”.

The very fact that we were all professional people, doing a professional job, building a facility of higher education with a well known General Contracting firm employing highly skilled, well educated, supervisors scrawling words in the dirt on my van with a scrawny finger, that told more of his educational achievements than any employment interview could have, caused me to laugh out loud! I couldn’t wait to run back inside the office to bring out my well educated engineering friend and show him the love letter I received from his boss! He laughed uncomfortably and went back inside.

Had the General simply scrawled down a few words telling me not to park in his space, this would not have been so funny. But the fact that he chose to call me "stupid", following a mis-spelled word, made this the most laughable event all year!

As I drove away, I couldn’t keep myself from laughing! I thought this was the funniest thing I had seen in a long time! It made my day! In fact, I decided to avoid washing my van for a few days to see if other people thought it was as funny; several people did!

I submitted this to Reader's Digest a few days ago. It will be interesting to see if this laugh is worth $200 or not.....

The joy of children....

Years ago I never thought I would love children as much as I do. I suppose it was something that I had to grow into to get to where I am today. Children are a big part of my world. I can't seem to get enough of their smiles, laughter, antics, interaction, love, friendship, simplicity, joy and so many other emotions that come from sharing time with them. I feel like I'm an advocate for children.....wanting to be available for them if they need me, or need something. Inside of me I feel like a protector, a prayer warrior, a mentor, a friend, a dad or a champion for them.

Over the years I have been a Bible School Teacher from 3rd graders through high schoolers, a Cub Master, and a Scout Master. I've read books to litle ones, rocked the babies and sang to them, changed diapers (not a fun job) and wrestled with the todlers, making them laugh. I've taken kids to the Zoo, Nature Preserves, Lakes, Camping, Theme Parks and Carnivals; we've been

on mountain hikes and backpacking trips, bicycle rides and snow skiing trips. I've played with them at the Beach, streams, lakes, in the snow, the rain and the sunshine. I suppose there are countless other ways I've had fun and interacted with kids. They are a special people who are probably closer to God than any other people on earth.

Those who missuse and abuse kids are perhaps the lowest of the low life and I have no place for them in mine. They have given themselves over to satan and their fate is in God's hands. I can neither respect them nor love them except with God's love. I do not care for those who abuse others, especially children, nor respect people who protect the abusers.

I am a watcher. I notice not only the kids playing in parks or along the streets, but I notice cars driving by and the drivers. Those who slow down and stare at children are given closer scrutiny by this watcher. I memorize their faces and write down license numbers......just in case. I don't believe a champion for children can be too vigilant.

God entrusted us with many of His blessings. Among those are His children. It is my duty to help them. It is also a joy and a blessing for me to have fun with them. I believe all of us are protectors of all children, especially our own and those of our families. How can we be any different?