Good Morning All!
We spent a great weekend in Lewiston ID visiting my wife’s family and we had all of the kids and grandkids there too! Thanks to Judy’s sister Mary, we were able to have pictures taken of everyone. That was special! The fellow who took the pictures did a terrific job with everyone. We’re looking forward to seeing his handiwork soon!
Speaking of family, we helped our grandson, Joshua (Josh), celebrate his 12th birthday. He is our first born grandchild and we couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s one sharp cookie and has a winning smile. He enjoys school and likes to play baseball. Here’s to you Josh!
Speaking of celebrations, here’s to my niece, Nerys, and her husband, Nate, on their wedding anniversary that happened on September 27th! Happy Anniversary you two and here’s to many more!
Happy Birthday wishes go to my friend and long-time client, Rex, retired owner of Sir Speedy Printing here in Spokane, who 74 today! Happy Birthday Rex and thanks for being such a great client over the years!
Have you noticed the improvements to Spokane’s Riverfront Park Pavilion? The new lights really make the Pavilion shine in the night sky. It was a brilliant red and orange last night. I think it changes colors from time to time. A real improvement in the Spokane sky line! Aren’t parks wonderful? They are real assets to any community. Hopefully, city parks will always be a priority in funding. They add so much to the vibrancy of any city, town, village, etc.. Here’s to the Olmstead brothers and all those forward-thinking people at the turn of the 20th century who dedicated their lives to establishing parks in urban areas!
On our recent trip to Iceland, we saw a few Greylag Goose. According to one of my favorite books, “Birds”, “the greylag goose is a substantial and prominent presence in Iceland in that it’s large, noisy, and there’s a lot of them. The greylag goose are migratory birds—they arrive in March/April and hang out in Iceland longer than most, all the way until late October. But this isn’t why Icelanders feel particularly friendly towards it. We’re actually most fond of it around Christmas, when it’s just coming out of the oven. Goose-hunting season in Iceland starts on August 20th, and then it’s no joke to be a greylag goose. Hunter battalions armed to the teeth head into the country and lie in wait for the goose, anytime and anywhere it might possibly show its face. Around 50,000 geese fall prey to Icelandic hunters every year…When October rolls around, they (the greylag geese) set their course for Scotland, which is where most Icelandic greylag geese live over the winter.”
I’ve been enjoying looking over the 2020 calendar I received in the mail from Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). It has a great picture of Betty Greene, the first woman missionary pilot, greeting people from what was once the nation of Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as she arrived in a remote village in her plane. According to the caption under the picture, “Violence, warfare, and diseases have devastated this beautiful country over the years—yet the gospel has taken root and MAF now flies Congolese believers as they share Christ’s love.” Here’s to Betty Greene and all of the missionary pilots who have spread the light of the gospel throughout the world, particularly, Dave & John Boogaard, Diego Senn (who gave his life in service to others) and all of our friends at Moody Aviation here in Spokane. Here’s to all of you!
I came across the 1969 Topps Football Card for Pete Case, former offensive guard for the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1940 and his family then moved to Georgia, where he lived in Columbus for a time and then in Decatur starting in 1954, where he played footbal for Decatur High School. He then went on to play at the University of Georgia with NFL great Fran Tarkenton. Tarkenton played quarterback and Pete was on the offensive line. They won the 1960 Orange Bowl. Pete was captain of the team in 1961 and was an all-SEC selection in 1960 & 1961. He was a 3rd Round Draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1962, played for them for three years and then played six seasons for the New York Giants. His Topps Football Card describes him as “A consistently fine performer…Pete’s specialty is pass blocking and he’s tops as a pull-out running guard.” In his last season with the Giants, he earned $35,000, which at the time was at the top of the pay scale for an offensive lineman in the NFL. He was considered a “gentle giant” to those who knew him well. After football, he moved to Atlanta and started a popular restaurant called “Brave Falcon” after the two major league football & baseball expansion teams that came to Atlanta in the 1960s. Atlanta Braves announcer Skip Caray was a frequent customer, as was New York Giant owner Wellington Mara. After his restaurant closed, Pete returned to the home he had built on Lake Lanier in 1963. He suffered from ill-health for some time and died in 2008 at the age of 67. His daughter, Lee Anne, won the Georgia High School Cross-Country Championship in 1985. Here’s to Pete Case and all of you New York Giants fans out there!
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.”
—Ron White
“You think you had the last laugh, now you know this can’t be true
Even though the sun shines down upon you now, sometimes you must feel blue
You make the best of each new day, you try not to be sad
Even thought he sky falls down upon you…call it midnight feelin’ bad.
When you wake up to the promise of your dream world comin’ true
With one less friend to call on, was it someone that I knew?
Away you will go sailin’, in a race among the ruins
If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon…”
—Gordon Lightfoot, “Race Among The Ruins”
“Whey do they call it “rush hour” when nothing moves?”
—Robin Williams, American comedian & actor
“All generalizations are false, including this one.”
—Mark Twain
Here’s to a great Monday and lots of love always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)