Thoughts For The Day From Papa ‘a

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Happy Birthday to my friends Holly, who turns 48 tomorrow; and to Brandy, who is 43 tomorrow.  Here’s to you two for making our world a better place!  And here’s to one of the best, if not THE best football receiver in history, Jerry Rice, who turns 57 today; to singer Sammy Hagar, who is 72 today; to Olympic ice skater Nancy Kerrigan, who turns 50 today; to actress Kelly Preston, who is 57 today; and singer/songwriter Paul Simon, who turns 78 today.  Happy Birthday to all!

Our family really owes a debt of gratitude to my wife’s sister, Mary, for arranging a photo shoot recently at the family farm in Lewiston.  It was quite something to get everyone together (Judy’s folks & sisters; us; our kids, our grandkids, our kids’ spouses, a niece and her boyfriend, etc.) and boy howdy, did the pictures turn out fabulous…and I mean FABULOUS!  What a great memory was made that day and we’ll have these pictures to remind us of it for the rest of our lives.  Thanks Mary for putting it all together!

Speaking of wonderful events, Judy & I had the pleasure of hosting our dear friends Chuck and Ed at The Tana House a week or so ago.  They came in by Amtrak train at the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, Montana, about 40 minutes from The Tana House on the old Northern Pacific Railroad line that crosses the Continental Divide and originates in Chicago.  It’s a great place to stop and eat and/or stay overnight.  A real classic old railroad hotel (not many of them left, I would say!).  It has a terrific lobby area with a big stone fireplace that always seems to have an inviting fire in autumn and winter months.  What fun we had with Chuck & Ed…we visited our happiest of happy places, Bowman Lake in the northwest part of Glacier Park and, of course, stopped by the Polebridge Mercantile for their yummy bakery products (i.e. sticky buns, huckleberry bear claws, huckleberry beer bread, molasses cookies and many more tasty treats).  We were treated to an opportunity through the Glacier National Park Conservancy to participate in an “golden eagle observation event” at Lake McDonald Lodge, where we were able to see a number of golden eagles making their way from Alaska to Wyoming via the west side of the Continental Divide.  At this time of year, the eagles take advantage of the southerly thermals to make their long migration flight an easier one.  What a sight to see!   They looked big in our binoculars from our vantage point way down in the valley as we watched them move across Mount Brown above the Lake McDonald Lodge.  There are so many grand wildlife viewing opportunities at various times in Glacier!

Speaking of Glacier Park, my wife and I are sponsoring an evening at Mountain Gear in Spokane on October 30th at 7:00 p.m. to see a presentation on the Canadian Lynx in Glacier.  It should be fascinating and if you’d like to join us just let me know at newbie7@aol.com or e-mail a RSVP to Kristine at kristine@glacier.org.  This event is being put on by the Glacier National Park Conservancy.  This is something you won’t want to miss!

I’ve really been enjoying the book “The Pioneers” by one of my favorite historical writer, David McCullough.  It’s a story about the people who settled the Ohio River Valley in and around the town of Marietta, Ohio.  One of his favorite characters in the book (and one of mine as well) was Samuel Hildreth.  Samuel was a long-time physician and a man of many talents.  As David McCullough writes:

“…Published in the American Journal of Science and Arts, a few months after Hildreth’s death, Benjamin Silliman wrote, “In his private life he illustrated every virtue of a Christian gentleman.  Bright and cheerful by nature, he loved nature with the simple enthusiasm of a child.  Industrious and systematic in a high degree, no moment of his life was wasted.”

A long obituary in the Marietta Register recounted Hildreth’s many scientific and historic publications, that he had been president of the Medical Society of Ohio, that he had recently donated his collection of fossils, insects, and shells, some 4,000 specimens in natural history, arranged in cases and drawers, labeled, numbered, and entered in a catalogue—to Marietta College.

“Besides his laborious medical practice,” the obituary continued, “he accomplished very much, as he himself expressed it, by saving the “odds and ends of time.”…He was exact in all his dealings—an honest man, a Christian.  His was a complete life, he “finished his work.”

But then it can be said, too that those others of the foremost pioneers of Marietta had finished their work, each in his or her own way, and no matter the adversities to be faced, propelled as they were by high, worthy purpose.  They accomplished what they had set out to do not for money, not for possessions or fame, but to advance the quality and opportunities of life—to propel as they they could the American ideals…”

Now, isn’t that how we would all like to be remembered?  Even if you’re not a big American history buff, check out this book…you’ll be glad you did!

I came across the 1969 Topps Football Card for Ken Kortas…Ken was born in 1942 in Chicago, Illinois and played six seasons in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears.  He played college football for the University of Louisville and was the 9th overall pick in the 1964 NFL draft.  It just so happens that there are more NFL Football Hall of Famers from the 1964 draft than any other year of the draft in NFL history.  How about that?  After his pro football career, Ken coached high school football for many years.  Ken’s claim to fame in NFL history is that wore number 75 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the number worn by NFL Hall of Famer “Mean Joe” Greene, who took Ken’s place in the Steelers lineup when Ken was traded to the Chicago Bears.  Here’s to Ken Kortas and all of the Pittsburgh Steeler greats!

Here is the fact for the day:

The average wait time at a fast food restaurant drive through is 222 seconds.

Here are some thoughts for the day:

“One advantage of talking to yourself is that you know at least somebody’s listening.”

—Franklin P. Jones

“Design is really a funny word.  Some people think design means how it looks—But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.”

—Steve Jobs, founder of Apple

“A government that robs Peter can always depend on the support of Paul.”

—George Bernard Shaw, British writer

“Who draws the crowd and plays so loud…baby, it’s the guitar man.

Who’s gonna steal the show…you know, baby, it’s the guitar man.

He can make you love, He can make you cry

He will bring you down, then he’ll get you high

Somethin’ keeps him goin’…miles and miles away

To find another place to play.

Night after night, who treats you right…baby, it’s the guitar man.

Who’s on the radio…you go listen to the guitar man.

Then you listen to the music, and you sing along

You want to get the meaning out of each and every song

Then you find yourself a message and some words to call your own…

And take them home…:

—David Gates & “Bread”, “The Guitar Man” (1973)

As I leave you today, here are a couple of questions to ponder that were presented to us at church today…

“Am I diligent in the works of love?”

“Have I abandoned the love I had at first?

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

Press on,

Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)