Yah, the tag board is screwing up again - working on that. I realize it makes the page load very slowly.
Thank you for being patient enough to get this far.

Buncha' "ooks"

This project is completed (well, my part) -- the display case is mounted on the wall at the church.

Thanks to Jake and Sylvia -- a couple recent pics~~

pictures made using different fonts

signage

illusion... old lady, young lady?

Playing Paul's fine banjo - thanks to Remit

Oct 05, 2008 Sun

I spoke with Frances on her birthday, and we e-mail regularly. How does a blind person e-mail, you may wonder? By learning how to operate her computer with keystrokes (rather than the mouse) and using a screen reader (called Jaws) that translates words to sound. And by being one heck of a touch typist. When computer technology finally reached the point that Frances could scan her snail mail and have Jaws read it to her -- about 10 years ago -- she finally had personal/private correspondence for the first time. Prior to that, her secretary had to read everything to her. Incidentally, a month or so ago Frances started taking additional computer classes, trying to improve her browsing skills. Web browsing is still pretty much visually oriented.

Fran trained as a transactional analyst, working primarily as a marriage counselor and seeing clients in her home. She still takes the occasional case, although claiming to be retired. Here are her thoughts on turning 85:

In two hours I'll be 85 years old. I've been celebrating my birthday all week and shall continue to do so through Sunday. When I look back I truly feel I've had a full and fulfilling life. I've experienced a lot of the depth of experience I feared as a young person I might miss because of blindness. Thank God, my amazing mother, two amazing husbands-lovers, and a lot of wonderful friends, including you, I've been privileged to feel fully alive, functioning, deeply caring, deeply loving, and richly blessed, and ready to cash it in when ever that time comes which I suspect realistically won't be far in the future.

Wednesday evening I spent with Mary Anna, part of the time preparing for the birthday party I am giving myself on Sunday evening. This morning I had brunch with Esther Friedrichs, a friend for many years, very helpful to me when Trish was a little girl, and still an inspiration to remain energeticly involved with community, and this evening I had dinner with Paula, my former secretary and good friend who checks my financial accounts and also demonstrates how a person can overcome disappointments and build a fulfilling life. Then this evening Henry came over to watch the vice president candidates debate and to give me the companionship he and I share several evenings a week as good neighbors and friends. Tomorrow I'll be with Trisha all day, and we'll both enjoy massages with our dear friend Corie. Saturday Henry and Mary Jane will take me for dinner and Sunday evening is the party I am giving to my friends, music by the Warren Commission and dessert, cake baked for my birthday by Pete, Julianne's husband, who learned Viennese baking skills while Julianne was head of the F.B.I. in Vienna. About thirty people plan to be here that evening, and I'm not sure where they will all sit, but they say they don't care.

As you see, this is a very full and delightful week, a celebration of a life I'm very glad I lived no matter what comes next. What an amazing time to have been alive, and what a fascinating time to contemplate the future for those who are challenged to deal with it, and how glad I am I can retire and say "Good luck and God bless, and thank God it's not my problem."

Thanks to Linda -- another in her Canadian series-

Thanks to Richard for his kind words in describing my meager musical talents. We are going to play a couple of the songs we've been working on over the summer for his ukulele class.

I handed over the mostly completed display case, and Ann has glued a felt like backing to the inside -
This case will display old/antique rosaries that had turned up in a church closet (mostly in pieces), and which Ann has repaired.

While trying to understand the difference between a revolver and a semi automatic pistol we decided the best way was to fire each of them, which we did. You will notice that although the first few shots did hit the target, as she practiced Ann brought them steadily closer and into the center bull's-eye. Practice does make perfect when it comes to marksmanship.

Oct 03, 2008 Fri

Happy Birthday to Frances, 85 this day! Seen with Bob in '03, when they visited out here~~

Heritage - Cell phone, I am your father...

Something about this picture -

ICE satellite -Never heard of it? ISEE-3 was originally launched on August 12, 1978, as the International Sun-Earth Explorer to a halo orbit about one of the Earth-Moon libration points to study Earth's magnetosphere and its interaction with the solar wind.

It recently came back in contact, and remains viable - read more, HERE

Ann's display case is nearly finished. The glass arrived today and once the caulk is set, only the trim items remain - handles, lock, etc. The detail shows the inset hinge, and how the head of one screw twisted off!

Oct 01, 2008 Wed

There is much we don't know about the last few months of RA's life. We don't know what caused his death. We are in touch with his sister, Monica, and hope to learn more. She directed us to his memorial page, here:

The shed project is on hold, while we try to deliver on a promise to make a display case by the middle of this month.

Feels about right...

Amazing dog gives CPR~~