Thoughts For The Day From Papa ‘a

Good Morning All!

Happy Martini Day to all of you martini lovers out there…”shaken, not stirred” as James Bond is found of saying!  Speaking of martinis, check out Twig’s Bistros in Spokane for a good martini of any kind under the sun (sweet, dry, dirty…you name it, they’ve got it!).

A belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our dear friend, Nancy Prussack, who celebrated her birthday this past Monday.  She and her “other half” James, are some of the dearest people you’ll ever have the pleasure of knowing.  Her middle name is “Hospitality.”  What a gracious, lovely and fun-loving woman.  Here’s to you, Nancy!  And HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to my first cousin, Julie Stigar…spouse, mother, grandmother, assistant beekeeeper & school chef extraordinaire (among other talents) who celebrates her birthday today.  Here’s to you, Julie!

You know, one of the heights of irony in history is the fact that so many pivotal and horrific battles between humans seem to take place in some of the most beautiful places in Creation…witness the rolling fields of Antietam (1862) & Gettysburg (1863) from The Civil War, the farmland of Waterloo (1815), The Ardennes Forest & dairy farms of The Battle Of The Bulge (1944) and the beaches, dairy farms & hedge rows of Normandy (D-Day, 1944).  Of course, there are exceptions…my Dad fought on a godforsaken place called Iwo Jima.  Why is it that humans seek to destroy each other on such beautiful landscapes?  God must weep when such events occur.  Perhaps armed conflicts between nations take place at such idyllic spots to try and teach those of us who come after to resolve that “never again” should these events occur.  If only mankind could learn from its past mistakes…

Speaking of history, yesterday marked the147th anniversary of civil rights activist & women’s suffrage champion (and one of my heroes in history) Susan B. Anthony’s act of voting illegally in a presidential election.  Anthony voted for every Republican on the ballot, including President Ulysses S. Grant, who won the election (1872).  At that time, women were not allowed to vote.  Two weeks later, Anthony was arrested fined $100 for voting illegally.  “I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty,” she said—and she never did.  It wasn’t until 1920, 14 years after her death, that the 19th Amendment tot the U.S. Constitution, giving all women the right to vote, was passed.  If you are interested in finding out more about the remarkable life of Susan B. Anthony, check out G. Thomas Edwards’ book “Sowing Good Seeds” (1990).  Tom was a terrific history professor and writer & he was one of my mentors and a really good friend.  I miss him…Here’s to you Tom!

Speaking of events, two things to share that merit your attention & consideration…

My friend Loran Graham recently released the second edition of his book “Investing With Integrity:  How Investment Choices Can Be An Act of Worship.”  Have you ever wondered how to make your investment decisions (particularly with regard to purchasing interests (shares) in a particular company—banks, manufacturers, oil/gas producers, retailers, pharmaceuticals, etc.) that are consistent with your world view (faith, morals, etc.)?  Well, this is the book for you!  Loran does a great job of leading you through the dilemmas of investing and helping you develop a strategy that aligns investments and values.  You can order this book through Loran at www.lorangraham.com, by e-mailing him at loran@lorangraham.com and/or by calling him at (800) 767-0619/(509) 279-0970.  You’ll be glad you did!

My favorite counseling centers, Genesis Institute in Spokane, will be holding their annual “Evening of Stories” on October 3, 2019 at the Spokane Convention Center.  This year’s featured speaker is Leslie Vernick…author, Christian counselor & relationship coach.  She’s written seven books, including the best-selling “The Emotionally Destructive Relationship” & her most recent “The Emotionally Destructive Marriage.”  Musical entertainment will be provided by “His Song”, a terrific singing group that includes my good friend Bert Mills.  For more info and tickets, visit www.genesisinstitute.org.  You’ll be glad you did!

Here’s more from my recent World War II-related journey with my friend Harold Voltz:

May 21, 2019

By the way, I remembered the name of the place where the terrific convenience store and gas station was located, not to mention the collection of custom decorated semi-truck cabs was displayed…a place called Assevillers, France (Convenient Store 66 I think).  You’ll want to check this out if you’re ever traveling east from Paris headed toward Belgium on the main highway/freeway.  By the way, bring lots of coins with you if you’re driving…you’ll need them to negotiate all of the toll roads along the way.  That’s one thing I didn’t like about France (and later Germany)…it seems like they have an inordinate number of toll plazas to negotiate along the way.  Another good reason to have a driver who can deal with all of the toll roads!

After a terrific breakfast at our hotel, Aparthotel Adagio Caen Centre (it has great rooms and a fabulous shower), we hit the road for our trip to The Ardennes Forest region of Belgium, site of the epic World War II battle, “The Battle Of The Bulge.”   I must say that this hotel’s “continental breakfast” beats anything that American hotels/motels have to offer…talk about a selection of things to eat for breakfast…fresh fruit, cereals, yogurt, bacon, sausage, eggs, pastries of all kinds, coffee, tea, meats & cheeses of all kinds…the list goes on and on.  A great way to start your engine at the beginning of the day.  Our hotels/motels should come here and take a lesson in great breakfasts from this particular hospitality company.  I’m told that this hotel not only caters to tourist groups but also provides extended stay housing to students and business people…that might have something to do with providing their guests with a delicious breakfast.  The hospitality industry has come a long way from the days of just providing a bed, shower, phone and a coin-operated “magic fingers”!

After spending most of the day traveling across France toward Belgium, we arrived at our hotel in a beautiful little village called Houffalize, about 17 kilometers from Bastogne.  Our hotel is called “Cocoon Hotel du Commerce”…don’t you love the fact they included the word “cocoon”…it sparks visions of a butterfly wrapped up snug & warm (or something like that…use your imagination!).  It’s a great place to stay…right on the main street of this quaint little village…something out of a Walt Disney movie…a fairytale village with a church in the middle of it situated along a beautiful creek that meanders through Houffalize (pronounced WHO-FA-LEES)…how’s that for using phonics to sound out words!  By the way, whatever happened to phonics as a teaching tool???  That’s how I learned to pronounce words correctly back in the day…  After a great dinner of “Hungarian Goulash” at a little restaurant just down the street, I explored our hotel and found our room to be most spacious with a great shower and a comfy bed….very well cared for accommodations I might say.  Including a sauna & hot tub room just down the hall!  How about that!  I think it was my favorite place to stay on the tour.  The little restaurant where we ate our dinner was run by a man who tended the front counter and prepared all the meals, ably assisted by his 11-12 year old son.  The boy did such a great job of serving our table that I gave him a pretty sizeable tip.  He wasn’t sure what to do with it, as I guess the custom is not to tip the wait staff at restaurants in Belgium…I guess they figure in the gratuity in the price of the meal.  He was pleased with the tip, though!  A great little place (the name of the restaurant escapes me, but if you’re ever in Houffalize you can ask where the restaurant is that serves Hungarian goulash and they will more than likely know where to send you!  I just love Houffalize…be sure you put this village on your bucket list for a trip to Belgium…

We’ll be visiting Bastogne tomorrow…the focal point of “The Battle Of The Bulge” in December, 1944.  Our guide was telling us that 700,000 Americans & 400,000 Germans participated in this battle.  There 88,000 casualties (killed & wounded) in this particular conflict.  Many Belgian citizens were killed or wounded as well…hard to get your arms around that, don’t you think?

One last thing before I wrap up my notes from today’s adventures…we spent about 40 minutes (it seemed like an eternity) at a vehicle inspection station for buses and trucks.  The Belgian authorities were checking the bus driver’s licenses and papers, mileage logs, rest periods noted, etc..  According to our guide, this is a regular occurrence now in Belgium, as they are checking buses & trucks for people who are entering Belgium illegally.  Since European Union (EU) countries no longer have monitored borders, people can come and go from one EU country to the other without being checked at the border for proper documentation.  These vehicle inspection stations are designed for this primary purpose, along with checking to make sure bus and truck operators are properly licensed.  It seems like the Belgian authorities took their own sweet time to decide to give us an A-O.K. to proceed.  A lot of “hurrying up and waiting.”  You’ve heard the old story of the construction site where one worker is using a shovel to dig a hole as 5 others look at him/her work?…well this was such the case with the vehicle inspection station.  From my vantage point in the bus, I was watching to see who was actually performing a task while we waited (I had time on my hands with nothing else to do!) and it appeared to me that there was a lot of standing around and talking (probably discussing last night’s soccer game or something of that nature) and not much activity directed at processing each bus and truck that came in for inspection….the Belgian people’s tax dollars at work???  Somethings are different from country to country, and then again, somethings are the same…It was actually pretty darn hilarious to see the “goings on” at the inspection station.  A somewhat good form of entertainment, I’d say.  The good news, according to our guide, is they they only operate these inspection stations every so often…not all the time…whew!

To be continued…

I came across the 1969 Topps Football Card for Sam Baker the other day…Sam, born in San Francisco in 1930 grew up in Tacoma, Washington where he attended Stadium High School (a classic school building near downtown Tacoma) and then transferred after his junior year to Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon where he graduated in 1949.  He was an all-around standout in track, but at the time there wasn’t a state decathlon championship, so he only participated individual events.  He helped his team win the 1948 state championship in basketball.  He has the distinction of receiving All-State honors in both Washington & Oregon.  He played football for Oregon State University as a running back, kicker & safety where he currently ranks eighth in career yards and sixth in career carries.  He was the 133rd overall pick in the 1952 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams.  His draft rights were sold to the Washington Redskins.  In 1953, he played sparingly in his first season with the Redskins, before spending two years out of football, while serving in the Army at Ford Ord in California.  When he returned, he was asked to take over field goal & punting duties for the Redskins after injuries to their kickers.  He was given the nickname “Sugarfoot,” after leading the NFL in field goals (17), starting an 11 year streak of averaging at least 40 yards per punt attempt and being named to the Pro Bowl.  In 1962 while playing for the Dallas Cowboys, Baker set the team record of 45.4 years-per-punt that was not broken until 2006 by Mat McBriar with a 48.2 yard average!  However, his disregard for team rules and discipline wore thin with head coach Tom Landry.  He was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles where he played the last six seasons of his career.  Over a 15 year NFL career, he was the No. 2 scorer in NFL history when he retired.  He made a remarkable 96% of extra point tries, missing only 16 of 444 attempts…how about that!!! His Topps card says that he “always a threat for an on-side kick!”  He died in Tacoma, Washington at age 76 of complications with diabetes on June 5, 2007.  He is in the State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame.  Here’s to Sam Baker!

Here’s the silly question for the day:

Q:  What do you call a cow lying down?

A:  Ground beef.

Here are some thoughts for the day:

“I have a weakness for watches.  I have to stop myself buying more.”

—Tom Jones, Welsh singer of “It’s Not Unusual” fame (born 1940)

“I’m a big believer in acts of kindness, no matter how small.”

—Liam Neeson, Irish actor of  “Star Wars”, “Rob Roy” & “Taken” movie fame (born 1952)

“It is not helpful to help a friend by putting coins in his pockets when he has got holes in his pockets.”

—Elizabeth Bowen, Irish novelist (1899-1973)

“Just like birds of a feather, we too have followed the golden sun

It feels so good, knowin’ the watchman’s gone

If I give you a rose, buddy, would you please bury it in the fields?

I seen a rose, watchin’ it all fold out.

There’s a train down at the station…it’s come to carry my bones away

Tow engines on, twenty-one coaches long

End to end, twenty-one coaches bend

The watchman’s out, kickin’ the bums about.

If I wait for the right moment, You can bet I’ll climb aboard unseen

I’ve done it before, I know I can do it in my sleep.

The watchman’s out, kickin’ the bums about

The watchman’s out, kickin’ your dreams about.

As I leave you in the sunset, got one more nothin’ I’d like to say

“You don’t know me, a son of the sea am I”

As I say to you, my brother…if you live to follow the golden sun

You better beware, knowin’ the watchman’s always there.

If you find me feedin’ daisies, please turn my face up to the sky

And leave me be…watchin’ the moon roll by

Whatever I was, you know it was all because

I’ve been on the town, washin’ the bullshit down

The watchman’s out, kickin’ your dreams about

It feels so good, known’ the watchman’s gone

It’s like a song, knowin’ the watchman’s gone.”

—Gordon Lightfoot, “The Watchman’s Gone

Here’s to a great Wednesday and lots of love always!

Press on,

Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)