Imagine Night Fishing Alone

Somebody sent me a e-mail from an unknown address all numeric which looked very suspect. . .the kind your afraid to open!!! With no clue who sent it, I ran it thru my virus protection who scrubbed it with penicillin then assured me it was not carrying any bad bugs!!! Opening it carefully, the above photo emerged! Out of focus and half there, I was hardly able to detect a familiar face with a silly cat grin barely hanging onto what appeared to be a 30 lb hybrid bass! Imagine, fishing at night, all alone, on your own pier, catching a whopper fish, and trying to tell this fishy story without a photo! Fortunately, Roly(the odd face in the photo without the scales) must have fumbled for his cell phone with one foot on top of this huge fish, then with left thumb grabbing the fish lip, trying to hold it steady, right arm stretched with cell camera in hand fumbling for the shoot button while hugging this wiggly heavy bass. The result is what you see!!! Now you make up your story from this evidence! So far, I have no details but was amazed that he being the techy he is, could take this his own picture, find my email address on his cell phone(something I didn't know was possible & it isn't on my phone - must be a Blackberry or IPod or new breed) and send it to me via the Internet!!! What a world we live in! It's about time for me to renew my cell phone contract and be sure I'll be asking a lot of new questions! Even getting a cell phone with a camera was putting me in the present age, then learning to text, I thought I was really living with the grandkids - but I'm still behind!!! and running as fast as I can to keep up! Thanks Roly for the photo! Now send me the details!

Great Grand Daughter Celeste

Jaime Freed, Dan & Sheila's daughter has been working hard completing her Naval computer training at Great Lakes, Illinois. She hasen't talked about all the snow in the Chicago but they have had around 100 inches this year which means it's pilled high in all the streets and parking areas!

Last Christmas, Jaime flew to Oklahoma and spent time with her daughter, Celeste who now walks everywhere and is in her second year! We just received these photos from Christmas! Jaime's photo is an earlier shot but it reminds us of our genetic transfer to our children. You know, everything is attached to everything!!! Thanks to Jaime for keeping in touch!

PS Just got a note this morning that Jaime has just completed her computer class with the highest grade in the class!! She's excited and now waiting for her new assignment!! Great job, Jaime!

Quiet in Ashland, Oregon

It seems that some weeks we have lots happening but the mingling of spring & winter has everyone in a winter funk! Although across the street where 11 houses were burned to the ground last August, there is now lots of activity. If you remember the fire photos of what remained, it is great to see 6 houses in process. . .one bright yellow is almost ready to live in!!! And our neighbor, directly across the street is completing the dry wall!! The busy activity and the rebuilding is much better than being reminded everyday of the August inferno. And to think we came within a whisker of losing all our photos, important papers, including tax records, computer with all my discs. . .there is no easy answer why we were spared. . .fortunate, yes but the Bible states that " Rain falls of the just and the unjust" which leads me to believe that God was not punishing anyone in particular or sparing anyone in particular. But it does remind us to be thankful for life itself!!!

If you click on the photo with the outhouse, you will note the burned trees.

Another postscript, the homeless man who started the fire was acquitted by jury and released from prison. That same day he came back to Ashland, walked behind our little mall and flipped all the breakers of about 15 stores. They thought a transformer had blown and it took the electric dept. all morning to figure out that all they needed to do was turn the breakers back on!!!! Two weeks ago, he threw debris from the overpass onto Interstate 5 and was arrested again!!!! Our society has no way of confining mentally disabled folks like him. . .so it looks like we'll just have to wait for another fire!

The Ducks Superbowl in Arizona

The University of Oregon Ducks had their Big Chance for national football title in Phoenix, Arizona, January 10! It was a photo finish game tied at 19 to 19 with 2 minutes to play. Auburn had a fluke play that appeared to be a firm tackle & all players stopped playing awaiting the whistle for the next play only to realize that no whistle had blown and the runner though tackled had not completely hit the ground so he began running and made it almost to the goal line allowing Auburn to kick a field goal as time ran out, winning the game, 22 to 19!!!! A big disappointment for all Duck fans but a hard fought game to the last second!!! But this Big event was extra special for Jana and Paul who at the last minute, were able to get tickets from a relative for face value ticket price!!! Prices on the Internet for their tickets were going for close to $3000 each!!! We even looked to verify these prices!! But they passed up the big bucks & jumped at the chance to have this great experience! Lori & us agreed to keep Payton, Brady & Derrick for the week! They drove to Phoenix in two days, and stayed with cousins, Kathy & Dave Collins - took in the sights, attended a rally that was so packed they couldn't move!!! became panicked and left! The day of the game, they spent most of that Monday tail-gating with friends & family from Eugene! Of course just being there was an event of a lifetime!!! with excitement everywhere!!! Paul was so excited that he lost his voice 2 days before the game and Jana said it was so exciting they couldn't hear, couldn't speak and could hardly breathe!!! The big game was played at the Pro Football Stadium in Phoenix. They rode on this wave of excitement all the way home and still can't believe they were actually among the record breaking 75,000 fans!!! A treat of a lifetime!!!

New Year in Ashland, Oregon

It is now 2011 in Ashland we're surrounded by frosty fog!!! The northern chill has settled in our valley and has frozen all the moisture wherever it touches. It's been a winter wonderland and when the sun breaks thru, it glistens then disappears where it touches. In the meantime, we're enjoying our Christmas Tree as long as possible and by week-end, most Christmas will be packed away for another year.

We hope you all have a blessed New Year full of hope and encouragement!

Christmas in Texas

Candy & Roly have regular visitors on their back porch next to their kitchen! This raccoon family has discovered their bird feeder that sets on the wrought iron railing. The coon family manages to climb 20 steps then somehow climb this railing clean out all the goodies. . .poor birds! With cute babies like these twins, why not feed them? But when their adults, beware. As a teenager, my Wakarusa friends asked me to go coon hunting one fall. We trekked miles following coon hounds over fences, thru fields farms, mud and all in the dark! After what seemed like hours of misery chasing these dogs, they finally managed to tree a big raccoon. When the rest of us finally caught up, they handed be the rifle and told me to shoot between the eyes!!!! The gun was trembling as I tried to sight the target. . .after two shots, the coon started down the tree! Wounded, and still hanging on with 3 dogs jumping and anxious to tear him apart, he finally let go! Out-numbered, it was all these dogs could handle before finally winning the battle! I was overwhelmed with this ordeal and decided that coon hunting wasn't for me. Since then, I have encountered several raccoons and would say beware, they are mean critters! And if it were me or them, I would either run like mad or get my 22 and guess what!