Good Morning All!
We had a good time having most of our family gather at our place yesterday for some Longhorn BBQ provided by our friend, Julie, who is visiting us from Reno. She’ll be joining us at The Tana House for some vacation time this coming week or two. It’s always great to have her come for a visit! The culinary tip of the day is to check out the great BBQ dinners provided by the Longhorn Barbeque in Spokane. Some of the best around, for sure! They have two locations in the greater Spokane area…Spokane Valley at Argonne Rd. and Airway Heights on Highway 2 headed toward Fairchild Air Force Base. They’ve been around for many years and, believe you me, you’ll understand the reason why when you taste their BBQ!
My heart is broken this morning at the news of two mass shootings that occurred over this past weekend…one in El Paso and the other in Dayton, Ohio. All Creation moans over the loss of these precious souls and to those who were wounded and to their families. Some more examples of the brokenness of our world and the need for all of us to come into relationship with the Lord & Savior of all, Jesus. Only through knowing our Creator and following his commandments and walking in his His ways will we ever find real peace and contentment. His path is the way to a life lived in joy and inner peace. Knowing & loving Him is everything. The souls we lost and those who were wounded this past weekend will remain in our thoughts & prayers this day and always. Let us resolve to do all we can to come along those who are troubled in spirit and offer our help to them. Prayers are lifted up for an end to violence and our continuing disobedience to our Creator, the one who loves us and desires a personal relationship with us.
We learned recently that our long-time friend, Ruth Bradfield Brewer, had died in Reno, She and her husband, Bob, were some of the first people to welcome us to Reno when we moved their in 1981 to a new job as a recently married couple. They welcomed us into their home and made us feel like family in a place that was totally new to us, with no family or friends close by. Ruth even helped organize a baby shower for Judy for our firstborn child, Andrea (Andy). We had the privilege of visiting their family’s beloved Lake Tahoe cabin and got to play on a church volleyball team with Bob. Bob had an interesting life…a member of the “Band of Brothers” in World War II with the 101st Airborne and then a career with the CIA and service in Vietnam. Ruth was a remarkable woman as well. She was born in Beijing, China in 1924. After her high school graduation, Ruth worked at Lockheed Aircraft Manufacturing as a forklift operator during World War II and spent three years studying music at Pomona College before leaving in 1945 to marry Bob, who returned from the war in Europe. She completed her music degree at the University of Nevada Reno in 1978. Before she and Bob came to Reno they spent three decades living in five states and five countries. Ruth & Bob had five children, eleven grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. She was an avid skier, hiker and backpacker. She taught piano for forty years! She served as President of the Nevada State Music Teachers Association and in 2014 Ruth was designated as a foundation fellow by the Music Teachers National Association in a formal ceremony in Chicago. Ruth was truly “one in a million” and will be missed by all who knew and loved her. Our world is a better place because of Ruth, for sure. Here’s to your Ruth and thanks for being so kind to Judy and me!
Speaking of losing people who made a difference in the world, I read that Nick Bouniconti of Boston Partriots & Miami Dolphins fame died recently at the age of 78. He did much to advance the cause of treatments to cure paralysis with his “Miami Project To Cure Paralysis” organization that he started in 1985 after his son suffered a spinal cord injury playing football. I enjoyed watching him play football and he was part of the amazing Miami Dolphins team that went 17-0 and won the Super Bowl during the 1972-1973 season. Here’s to Nick Bouniconti!
As I recall, our friends Ruth & Bob Brewer loved the Sierra Nevada Mountains and I would imagine they visited Yosemite National Park from time to time. One thing I forgot to mention about our recent adventure in Yosemite was the gigantic stone steps that were all along the ascent to Vernal Falls…they must have been made by giants! Talk about taking big steps…they should have named this trail “The StairMaster Trail.” If you want a good step workout, this is the trail for you! The payoff is well worth the effort, I must say! A beautiful hike in Yosemite. Don’t miss it!
Speaking of Yosemite, one of my all-time heroes, John Muir, once described Yosemite this way: “It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter.” And “Boy, Howdy”, he is right about that! We owe folks like John Muir and Galen Clark a debt of gratitude for convincing the powers that be, like President Teddy Roosevelt, to set aside this spectacular wilderness area for the enjoyment of generations to come. Here’s to John Muir and Yosemite National Park!!!
I received a wonderful contribution from my college friend, Kim, the other day toward our “Team Charlie263” in the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease. If you’d like to contribute to this effort, please visit www.alz.org/walk and type in “Charlie263 in the team search engine on this site and it will take you to our team and you can make a contribution there. We’ll be walking on October 5, 2019 in Spokane to honor my dad, Don Newbold; our friend Jane Franks; and all those who have died of Alzheimer’s Disease and/or related dementias, those who are living with this awful disease; and their caregivers. Please join us to end the scourge of Alzheimer’s and related dementias in our lifetime. You’ll be glad you did!
Here’s a little bit more about our recent Icelandic adventure…
July 9, 2019
We headed toward a fishing village called Grenvik that I found when reading maps of the local area and also spotted a place called Laufas located in the fjord called Eyjafjordur that runs from Akureyri to the ocean. Laufas is one of those historical sites that is a must see in order to get a flavor of what it must have been like to live in Iceland in centuries long past. It features “turf houses” that were used since the 800s for housing. The building history of the turf farm, or rather, the turf-clad timber building of Laufas, stretched back to the Middle Ages. These turf house are made of stone, dirt, mud, bark, moss, grasses and lumber and are built into the hillside, providing more heat and shelter from the harsh winter conditions that occur in Iceland…they were the forerunners of the homes you now see built into hillsides. It was an innovative way to use the materials available to build housing that was functional and efficient over the years. The actual turf houses at Laufas were quite amazing to visit…lots of rooms that served various functions…living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, pantry, storage rooms, etc.. Laufas was a pleasant surprise to visit on our way to Grenvik and a must see if you’re interested in early architecture and an example of a working farm in Iceland that spans the centuries.
As we headed toward Grenvik from Laufas, we saw many snow-capped mountains standing as sentinels as we approached the sea from the fjord. The fjord opens up to the sea at Grenvik….you are rewarded with a tremendous vista as you approach Grenvik. Grenvik is a fishing village that looks out to the sea. It has a unique harbor and is quite something to experience. Great views from this place! I noticed a place that was for rent that included a hot tub overlooking the harbor…I would imagine it would be a great place to witness the “Northern Lights” in winter! A number of houses above Grenvik are built into the hillside. The homes in the village are well maintained and it even includes an Icelandic “car wash” where you can wash your car free of charge…water, brushes and hoses are provided! A great place to rinse off your car as you enjoy the sights and sounds of the village. There is a large fish processing facility located at the far end of the harbor. They even have a great little museum that features equipment used in fishing over the years. Grenvik turned out to be one of our very favorite stops during our Icelandic adventure. It’s well worth checking out!
Here is the silly question for the day:
Q: When is a door not a door?
A: When it’s ajar.
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.”
—The Letter Of James, Chapter 4, verse 8
“I became my own only when I gave myself to Another.”
—C.S. Lewis, “The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis,” as quoted in “C.S. Lewis’ Little Book Of Wisdom” (2018)
Here’s to a great Sunday and lots of love always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)