Tangen Family Reunion 2013

It was time again this summer for the every-three-years Tangen family reunion.  Our Tangens moved to the United States from Norway a couple of years after the Civil War.   Ole Knudsen Tangen was about 20 or 21 years old when he came and he apparently came with some brothers, but not with his parents.  I could be wrong about them, but I don't see any records of his parents in the New World.  I don't know if Ole Knudsen Tangen (son of Knute and Guri) met Ella Mae before they left Norway or after they got to Iowa.   On Feb 24, 1877 he married Ella Mae Nelsdatter Dokken. They had nine children -- Knute, Christie, Julia, Nels, Oline, Anna, Josephine, Ole (my grandfather) and Thea. Oline died when she was 10 and Nels died when he was 30 without having married and left no children.  The other seven are responsible for our Tangen Clan that gets together every three years. (We only had two years between one set of reunions, tho, because Julia turned 100 years old and that was an event to Celebrate together!

For the past three reunions we have also gotten to know other more distantly related Tangens that are all descendents of Ole Knudsen Tangen's brother John.  So we are cousins one more time removed!  There were apparently five siblings all together.  Unfortunately the Tangen men mostly had daughters, so there is only a small percentage of our family that still have the name Tangen. But we are all very loyal Tangen Norwegians including all the other names and ethnicities  now woven into the fabric of the family.  Many of the original Tangen children moved from Iowa to the Dakotas, some permanently and some homesteaded awhile there but then returned to Iowa or moved on to new places.  Now we are scattered all over the US.

Our Tangen Family - My grandfather Ole O is the short guy on the far left.

The Reunion this time was held in Huron, Ohio and began on July 25th.  The "descendants of Christie" families did a GREAT job of organizing things.  At first we were debating how to do our vacation(s).   My husband and I had two things.  One, the reunion. Well, I HAD to go to the reunion because I missed the last one three years ago because Mom passed away about three weeks before.  We (my sister and I) were very disappointed because after mom died we had hoped to go to the reunion together.  But life was just too complicated so shortly after mom's death.  So we planned to attend this one together. Well, then my sister passed away a year ago on July 25th.  This time I knew I HAD to go represent the family and to participate in the memorial for her. Mom had been remembered -- even on short notice -- at the reunion in Medora, North Dakota three years before.  I had also hoped that others of my more immediate family (some of mom's siblings) would have been able to attend  this time, but that didn't work out.  So, I planned to go to the reunion. and we planned for my husband to go too.  

But then we had another (nice) complication. One of our two daughters was graduating from Army boot camp at Fort Jackson, South Carolina on August 1st.  That made things tricky! So then we thought maybe I would go to the reunion and he would go to the graduation. Or maybe I would go to the reunion, return home and then we would both go to the graduation. Or maybe. . .but we finally just decided to ignore the lack of income (when you are self employed there is no vacation) and just both attend both events.

We took a red-eye to Cleveland because it was non-stop flight.  And we actually slept.  It was getting dark when we got to Sea-Tac airport and we arrived in Cleveland with the sun. We got off the plane just as the rental car office was opening and off we drove to Huron. To our delight, we were able to check in early and got to our room at 10:15 in the morning.  A dozen minutes later and we were snoozing until about 2:00. What a treat.  Great start to a great vacation.. In fact, we got into naps during this vacation.  The reunion registration started at 3.  We had already pre-paid for nearly everything, but we had to get organized and start reconnecting with the family we hadn't seen in ages.  Six years ago the reunion was held in Galena, Illinois.  That was a very fun trip. That year our daughters drove across country with Mom and Venca and we flew in and out because we couldn't take off work for road trip too.  That was the last reunion with Mom and Venca and it was memorable and fun. Our reunions always include fun activities.  In Galena we took a boat trip on the Mississippi River and at this Huiron reunion we spent a day at Put-In-Bay a ferry ride away in Lake Erie. No boredom at our gatherings.

We stayed at Sawmill Resort in Huron.  Here is a "map" of the area Native Tribes way back when.  And it also gives you the flavor of the Resort decor.  The wings of the hotel were all named for different tribes.

What a fun and relaxing time. Emotional too.  It was sad having the first day of the reunion fall on the exact one year anniversary of Venca's death, but it was also healing to be a part of the larger family with dozens of people asking either "where is Venca" and hearing the news or "WHAT happened to Venca" with disbelief that that could have happened and she was not here..

The first evening we had a casual (and home made by the organizers) dinner.  We spent lots of time laughing, talking and catching up with each other again since another three years had gone by for most -- and six since I was last there.

We ended the evening by watching half of the movie "The Blind Side."  Unfortunately we had technical difficulties and it froze up in the middle, but now I want to watch it again.  We had a good turnout - the last I heard we had 101 attendees.  Look at the size of this group!

On Friday morning the first activity of the day was the Memorial Service for those who had passed away since our last reunion.  There was a long list of people, but I cannot remember everyone.  So I will just mention those I know of personally.  Linda Smith organized the memorial and it was very sweet.  She illustrated the growth of the family members represented by balloons, beginning with the marriage of Ole K and Ella.  Balloons were added for their children and all of us who followed.  Then there was a group of  balloons representing those who had gone.

Getting ready!

They were released to represent leaving us and moving on to heaven's shore to wait for us on the other side.  It was very poignant.  In my part of the family and those I know of who have passed on include:

Venca Lorayne Weber; 

Bruce Duane Tangen, 

Marjorie Norma Tangen Whitlock, 

Iris Mae Beck Dahl, 

Donna Jean Casperson Dahl;

Following the memorial, we had our choice of activities. As none of those (mall shopping, golf, Cedar Point, etc) appealed to the two of us, we chose to go back to our favorite birding spot in Ohio and visited Magee Marsh which is nearer Toledo.  It is a spit of land that juts out into Lake Erie and birds congregate there to eat and to build up the motivation to fly across the lake in their Spring migration or to sigh with relief when it finally is reached after making it across the Lake in their Fall migrations. There is wonderful boardwalk that winds over the marsh so you can stare up into the trees and walk without tripping and falling!   As no one was migrating at the time, we just viewed the summer residents.  We got to see lots of Yellow Warblers and that was a treat.

That evening we had a dinner at a residential community park .  A good time was had by all!  The kids were all quite experienced at driving golf carts!

The next day, Saturday, I got my own first chance to drive a golf cart.  The large family took a trip to Put-In Bay.  It was quite an organizational feat and I take my hats off again to the organizers!  We had buses and in the morning we joined the massive herd of people heading out to the Lake Erie Islands.  The ferry was MUCH smaller than those that wind their way through Puget Sound!

Unlike our Puget Sound ferries, these have to turn around and back into the dock to unload cars.  In Puget Sound the ferries have two front ends, and you have to know which way the ferry is moving to know which is port and starboard!

This is the Perry Victory and International Peace Memorial.  

 These "characters" were at the bottom of the monument.. What they were doing there, looking like they had just come back in time machine, I do not know.  But they were definitely a photo opportunity!

 Put-In-Bay was where the Battle of Lake Erie took place during the War of 1812.  I know I have other relatives who fought in the War of 1812, but since they lived in Vermont I am assuming they were no where near here!  But perhaps I should research that in the future.  The Tangens had another sixty plus years before they arrived.  We went to the museum and got to watch a very interesting movie.  Made me glad I was never in battle on the sea with cannonballs and at the mercy of the wind.  Nothing like learning that sailors were move afraid of flying wood shards than they were of cannon balls.  When Captain Perry won this battle, he was only 27 years old.

We had a really nice lunch with a lovely view at a place called the Boardwalk.  We waited for ages to be served, but since we were all gabbing it didn't matter at all!  Thank you Mitchell and Edna!  This photo is not our family -- just the view!

We came back to Huron and now it was our last dinner together.  We ate at a little restaurant called Mulligan's on the resort property and we had the deck for our private party.  We all ate well and continued our conversations.  At the end of the evening we had our auction.  In order to make organizing these things not such a burden to the families that take it on. we bring items to auction to raise funds to cover deposits and mailings. 

 We raised nearly $1900 at the auction.  My husband and I took three items to donate to the auction.  We took one of our concrete leaves (see last blog entry if interested - not one of those, but similar).  We took a jar of honey from the folks private stash! And we took two little hats that had been crocheted by Gladys (youngest of the two daughters of Knute Tangen).  She had personally  made them for a reunion a couple of decades ago.  We were really pleased because our donations brought in about 10% of the proceeds.

The two photos show our group during the evening.  What a fun time.  Reunions are always good times to renew old relationships and to form new ones.  It is great that the younger generation is still staying involved and continuing with this terrific tradition!  

On Sunday morning we had a continental breakfast together in the same room we had begun this reunion in.  We talked and hugged and said goodbye.  We hear the next reunion will be in Minnesota or maybe North Dakota. 

 OK TANGENS!  HAVE YOUR 2016 PLANS INCLUDE THE REUNION!    

A HIGHLIGHT FROM THE MORE DISTANT PAST ~~

My mother was born in this house on the Tangen farm after Ole O came back to help after his father had passed away.  In this photo I have the pink shirt, mom, Bernadine, is in the red blouse and Marjorie and Dee are walking in front of us.  Wow this was a long time ago!!

This is the old Tangen Family Farm just outside Hanlontown, Iowa.  These photos were taken at the reunion the year of Aunt Julia's 100th birthday which would be 1980!  We drove the route she took from the wedding to the reception at her parent's house.  It was very nice of the current owners to give us access. We had young family members in Norwegian Traditional dress serving refreshments.  

The foundation of the barn was built by Grandpa Ole Knudsen Tangen

Julia, Knute and Christie Tangen -- since we've talked about all of them here.

Leaf Bird Baths

My banker and friend Carrie and I have made our second set of concrete leaf bird baths!  This time we used decorative rhubarb leaves and magnolia leaves.  Last summer we made a leaf with a Gunnera or Dinosaur Plant.  That was too much of a good thing; really too much of a good thing.  That leaf takes at least two people to move it and is reinforced with metal webbing in the middle of the concrete because we thought it would easily break in half.

 This time we did four rhubarb, two magnolia and one other strange  large round-leafed plant that I don't remember what the name is.  I thought it was only fair that Carrie should get to keep the extra leaf as she had the bulk of the supplies.  I provided sand this time!  Next time she has to remind me to bring black spray paint!

We start by putting out mounds of sand, then lay the freshly cut leaf face down on the sand.  The next step is to scoop handfulls of our concrete/sand mixture onto the leaves and cover the leaves as evenly as we can to the edges.  We then let it harden.  After it hardens and the leaves are removed (sometimes it is quite a bit of work to get them off) and brushed off.  Following that, Larry, our hero in the project, saws the edges of the concrete to match the outline of the leaf.  When that is done it is ready to paint.  It is quite the project, but overall it is a  lot of fum and the result is fairly dramatic if we do say so ourselves!

Just wanted to add a little bit of size comparison for those who haven't seen these. 

During the spring nature fills these little birdbaths on its own.  In the summer we have to help out.  I personally like to put them in the garage for the winter so that they hopefully won't freeze with water in them and break, but some people do leave them out!  A little work (except Larry's!!), a little fun (especially painting) and they're all done. Oh, and we finish up with concrete sealer.  This year it was raining like mad right after we finished putting the concrete out; but it was sunny and warm when it came time to paint!  We're thinking of doing a few more smaller ones using hosta leaves and maybe a pumpkin leaf.  We keep a lookout for large leaves all year long.  Oh, the magnolia?  Well, we have a LARGE magnolia in our northwest yard. Here's a view of the flower!  These are beautiful, but since they are so high we rarely get to see them we picked this and brought it in.

Aunt Atha Writes about Family Wedding and Long Vacation

Salt Lake City – Aug. 1 – 1969

Dear Robert – Bernadine and family: -

I’m ashamed not to get around to writing more often. Am so slow I don’t seem to get much more done than be on call for the church, the neighborhood and the kids, so do get quite a few ”SOS’s”.

I went to Grand Junction, Colo. May 19-26, for our Class reunion the 23rd, 24th and 25th. Did enjoy seeing the old classmates and visiting around.

Was going direct from there to Los Angels to help Barbara (Letha’s daughter) get ready for her wedding but was feeling so exhausted and miserable I just came back home and rested, etc. for a while, since I had to come within 2 ½ hrs of Salt Lake anyway to get on the right free way to LA. I drove my car to Colo. (I made 80 place cards for our class banquet the 25th).

Then Julie and Marcee were out of school June 3rd so I took them with me. We left Salt Lake at 7 AM got in Las Vegas at 4 PM. Stayed all night in Henderson at Barb’s Dad’s. Left there about 4 AM to get across the Desert before it got too hot. The girls wanted to see the “Sun Rise” anyway and it wasn’t too hot all the way. In fact it was a little on the chilly side all the time we were in Los Angeles.

Got to Barby’s apt in Santa Monica about 4 PM. She wasn’t home from work yet so Julie and Marcee went a couple of blocks down to the beach and played in the ocean and dug sand-crabs. They had a “Ball” all the time we were there swimming at the beach.

[Barby a few years before her wedding in 1969]

I was pretty busy until the wedding was over. Barby had her wedding gown nearly all sewed together so I finished it and then did all the handwork on it. I made the train and fastened it on the back just under the daisy trimming so it could be unhooked and removed after the wedding and the dress worn as a formal. We bought white plastic baskets and I trimmed them with ribbons (5 of them) for the maid of honor, 2 bridesmaids, the flower girl and of course the bride and arranged the flowers in them. Also arranged glads, carnations and daisies on two large baskets for the altar and trimmed the tables for the reception. Oh! yes. I made a “head-piece” of the same material as the wedding-gown and trimmed it with sprays of pearls and sparklers and covered the pillow (with material like one of the bridges maid’s dresses) and put the tassels on the corners for the ring-bearer.

After the wedding Dick and Homer’s families and I cleaned up Barby’s apt and left for our vacation. We visited Marjorie and Frances and I went to Disneyland one day with Dick and Homer and families. Then while they went on down the coast and took in sight- seeing and swimming, I went to Laguna Hills and visited Mary & Ernest Klatt for a few days. Dick and family went on down into Mexico and Homer and family came back by Laguna Hills and I drove along behind them to Rick’s place (Letha’s son) in the NW. part of LA where we stayed and visited with them a couple nights and a day While they went shopping, etc I visited with some friends in Burbank.

Then we went to Sequoia Nat’l Park and Dick and family joined us there. Stayed there three days scouting around and sight-seeing. Climbed “Moss Rock” the highest point around with a cement (steep) stairway with a rock and pipe railing on both sides of stairway. Can see all around for miles when the weather is clear. Also saw the tree house (made of a fallen Sequoia tree) by Mr. Stark where he lived for several years. .

It was a hollow Sequoia tree and he boarded up the end up the trunk and made a door in it. Also made a fireplace and a big window. The furniture was made of logs, etc. Quite interesting, but vacant now.

Dick and family went home by way of Zion’s Nat’l Park – Homer and family went home via Pine Crest, Calif, where they visited friends and I went to San Jose to visit Grace.

Oh! yes, I forgot to tell you of the fun we had in the “Natural” swimming “Hole” in the river by the camp in the Sequoia where we stayed. Dick had his trailer house, Homer his camper and I my car).

Just above the falls the water swirled around and backed up on to a nice sand bar making an idea swimming pool where they could dive and swim and then was shallow on the sand bar. Of course all the kids wanted to stay there and swim most of the time. One afternoon we all had a picnic there and swam and played in the water all afternoon. That is everyone swam but Betty Jo, Honey and I and the water was cold (right off the snow and ice) for us so we just waded and then warmed our feet in the sand. But Stacy (Homer and Betty’s baby) had the time of her life playing in the shallow water on the sand-bar even if it was so cold it made our feet ache. She would cry and kick when we’d take her out for a minute and she didn’t catch cold either even playing in it all afternoon. Neither did any of the rest. So you can see a good time was had by all!

I stayed with Grace two weeks and they took me down along the Pacific Coast where I watched the big waves come in and break over the rocks. Only I ran out of film. But hope I got some good pictures. Then they took me to see the Ice Follies. All of which I wanted to do again and enjoyed very much. Tried to interest Grace in coming home with me but she said she didn’t think she could so I didn’t push it.

So imagine my surprise and joy when I was in my car all ready to start it and leave for home. Grace called for me not to go just yet she had something she wanted to put in my car. Then here came Romer with a couple suitcases and asked me if I had room for them somewhere! I was sort of puzzled wondering what they were sending suitcases up to the kids for. Then here came Grace. I knew she was ready to go somewhere but thought she was going with Romer (as she often does) when I got out of the way. Then as she started to get in the car I tumbled that she was coming home with me. Oh! Joy! Joy!

It was a wonderful surprise to all the kids here too and we got together as often as possible so she could be with all of us as much as possible for a week. Then we put her on the bus to meet Romer at Truckee with their cabin cruiser boat and the spent the weekend at Lake Tahoe before going home to San Jose.

Well, this is some of the “news from this neck of the woods.” George and Jean’s baby was born July 5, 1969 and is doing fine. A girl, ”Dianna Joy.” That makes 2 boys and 2 girls for them now. Don’t believe I told you Ricky (Letha’s son) has a baby girl born on Jan 69, so I’m a Great grandma now! They were married shortly after Uncle George passed away.

When do you folks come home? Must be getting close to time and hope this finds all of you well. Am so glad you are having so many lovely trips.

Ever so lovingly,

Aunt Atha

Great -- and very Grand - Uncle Philip and Aunt Emma

Some of my favorite memories when I was young was the long trips to Wisconsin to visit relatives. Not the least among those adventures was visiting my grandfather Herman Weber's brother, Philip and his wife Emma. They had a house om Sparta with a screened in porch and all sorts of nooks and crannies to explore. They had a heavy, huge wood cooking stove which we kids thought was quite novel. It was fun to hold the hook and pick up the burner covers and watch the wood flame up. But the most memorable thing was dinner time.

Emma could make the best fried chicken, potatoes and numerous side dishes that were both good and plentiful. The quantity was daunting. She made terrific crab apple pickles that were to die for and we ate our fill. However, just about the time that we thought we would explode, Emma would say, "Now eat up, there's plenty and you haven't eaten anything." I guess all her years of cooking for threshers and farm hands distorted her perceptions of what the average person could eat, not to mention kids! The sad thing in their life was that they never had any kids. They hadn't been able to do so and apparently at some point Emma had to have serious surgery that then made that impossible. But Philip was so relieved to not have lost his Emma that he adored that it became a bearable loss for them both. They were sweet and loving and it is too bad they didn't have the chance to raise children. They were good at it -- at least great with entertaining visiting grand nieces and nephews! Now whenever I think of Sparta,  my mind travels back to hot summer evenings, sitting on their porch and watching the fireflies flicker in the twighlight. Such a sweet and loving couple.  Their devotion to each other provided a wonderful example for us all.

A Letter from Carl to Bob and Mary and Families

Uncle Carl around 1951

August 23, 1971

Dear Ones All:

I think the only way I will get a letter of to any of you is to write it when I have a few minutes at work during my lunch hour or when time permits.  If I write small enough I can get it all on one page and run each and every one off a copy and this will be my letter for 1971 (also ‘70 & ‘69).

First, I apologize to you, Sis, for not writing when you and Steve were so ill with hepatitis [I think Mary wrote elsewhere that they ended up having some other kind of liver problem.].. My prayers were and are still with you for a speedy and blessed recovery. The Good Lord has always blessed me with good health and even with my surgery He has always been there with a healing hand. Too many of us take good health for granted – when it is really one of our richest blessings and our family has been so blessed. May God continue to watch over you and yours in your work there in this time of illness – and turmoil in the country [they were living in Bolivia]. Also I read a letter from you folks while I was up at mothers last time and also one from Bob and family. It sounds like you Oregonians are right in the middle of what we did last year – only it sounds like you are doing most of the building yourselves. This sort of project really is something to be proud of when its done and your own project. We designed and planned our own but had a deadline to reach so just couldn’t do what you are doing out there. I can see where we will have to plan a vacation out that way in the future to see your lovely new home. We have spent most of our spring and summer trying to get the landscaping done and have the front about 75/% complete. We have yet to finish the front walk and build the step up the wall. This is the project we are at in our “off hours.” Next year is backyard year and that will include sodding the back yard and creating a patio so we won’t run out of work for a while. We have invited the Weber Reunion down here next August and will celebrate our patio and backyard. Maybe you should invite them out there the following year, Bob and really get things moving. But everyone is invited next year to our place for the Reunion.

Before I close this, I would like to tell you about Gary’s latest experience. As most of you know when we lived on College St., our closes friends and neighbors for 15 years were the Rog Johnsons – who now live in Florida. They were up to visit in July and insisted Gary Scott go back with them. Yes, we let him go – for about 16 days, 14 in Florida. How did he get home?? Sunday he flew home on a 727 Eastern and we met him at O’Hare after flying non-stop from Orlando, Fla. He really had a wonderful time and we sure are grateful to Johnson’s for giving him this wonderful two weeks vacation.

Must close now. Love from all of us to each and every one of you.

Love and Prayers,

Carl

Terrific Real Estate Agent Patty Hopkins

Well, the sale of the old house (2 previous posts back) really was totally a God-thing.  I had so much anxiety over the past three years as I worked my way through the process.  We had another real estate professional that we started out with and I guess we just weren't a good match.  He was a very nice, very knowledgeable man who was actually very helpful .  However, he constantly was telling me about all the problems that could come up.  And while I dare say that I needed to know what he had to say, it was really too much information.  I would wake up at night and start thinking of all the looming potential problems (not the house itself, it was fine) but the septic tank, decommissioning the oil tank, water run off requirements, declining property values, possibly increasing interest rates, deck repair, and on and on.  At the beginning he really wanted us to subdivide the almost two acre property into four lots (currently two).  But I didn't want to deal with that.  I wanted a fair price and I did not want to start any more major projects than I already had.

Over the past three years when lying awake at 2 or 3 am with the mind roiling around, I would simply pray over and over, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." I would say that over and over again until my poor exhausted mind would finally let me sleep. Later I realized that I still needed to seriously trust God through this whole thing, so I moved beyond "What time I an afraid, I will trust in Thee." To "I will trust in You and not be afraid." "I will trust in You and not be afraid." "I will trust in You and not be afraid."

The straw the broke the camel's back, so to speak, was the oil tank.  We discussed the need to test the soil, which we did, and no surprise, it came back with a small leak.  The letter I got from the state said that I had 90 days to complete the decommission.  Jeez Louise, I couldn't believe I had to pay for that as well.  Since I was loaning money to the estate for these big projects (the $10K deck was already done), I was not in the mood to hear that I had a deadline AND an out of pocket expense of $3K. Not only that, but I now had a 4,200 square foot home with no backup heat source.  Sure it had a heat pump/air conditioner, but it only works down to a certain temperature.  Now that the oil tank was gone, I would  have to add some sort of heat source, electric or gas. 

I had a major melt down by email and offended him greatly.  I agree that how I said what I said (no swear words) was inappropriate however, what I said was still generally valid.  But he no longer wanted to work with me.  That was fair enough. (I did apologize.)  So now what to do.  My husband got on the phone to Eastridge Church on Sunnyside and asked their office manager if they had any real estate agents in the church and who they would recommend.  The office manager called him back and said that everyone she had talked to had recommended Patty. (Aside, we LOVE Eastridge Church -- another reason I wish I could have kept the old home.)

Patty was wonderful.  First of all, she liked the house and was enthusiastic.  Of course the house had a lot of dated custom features, but she seemed to feel that those were beneficial, not negative.  She loved the view and thought the property (land) was fantastic.  And best of all, her philosophy was that "it's not a problem until it's a problem."  Then to my surprise she came up with a value that was higher than had been discussed any time since right after my mother had passed away.  Back in 2010 the values had been about the same as we ended up with, but since that time they had continued to decline month after month, year after year (to my ongoing anxiety and distress). 

Well, the house went on the market.  Patty added nice little decorative touches here and there.  In two days it sold, cash, with no contingencies.  She never even got a chance to do a photo spread.  We had a couple other offers as well, but it was so quick and not being stupid we thought cash was good.  Seriously, I expected to have to provide at least a credit for a new heat source or something toward a new roof.  But nothing!  The house sold.  I'm  happy with the sale price.  The buyer is happy with the house.  I think the price was really fair to both of us.  And it turned out to be as easy as pie.  That's why I am sure it was a God-thing.  It certainly wasn't me and my great faith. 

A couple of days ago, Patty sent us a thank you gift for the opportunity to work with us.  Are these cookies absolutely adorable or what??  But the thanks really belongs to God's faithfulness and to Patty. 

They are done by a company in Bellevue, I believe, called Cookies by Design. 

This is so totally fun and clever! 

Such a wonderful word!  Thank you Patty!  It was nice working with you as well.  

You can use me as a reference :-) 

 

Father's Day 2013

My dad passed away 13 years ago this month.  He had wanted to live until the new millennium so was very pleased that he made it past 2000 and all the hoopla surrounding the coming of Y2K.  In March of 2000  he had taken all of us on a cruise to Mexico -- my brother and his wife and their five kids, my sister and myself and my husband and two daughters.  When he called and said that he had had a windfall from a class action lawsuit and the State of Oregon had to pay him back for all the income tax they had taken from his Air Force retirement pay, he wanted to know what I thought about all of us going on a cruise.  Well, I told him, I thought it would be more fun to spend it on doing something all together with him than to spend it after he was gone.  So off we went.  It was a really fun trip and we all had a great time.  It probably wasn't as fun for my brother's family as ours because they had little kids.  Ours were big enough to wander the ship on their own (within reason) as long as they checked in on a regular schedule and we always knew where they were. The photo above is he and his littlest grand-daugther (at the time) on the cruise.  But as usual I digress. 

What a great Dad I had (have - in heaven).  He always took good care of us and provided what we needed.  He was always into learning and would always tell you more than you wanted to know.  If you asked about why it was raining he would go back to evaporation over the oceans and move on from there to condensation in cooler air and the impact of seasons and weather fronts.  Ack! But overall we ended up with a pretty good idea of how things work. 

He was a perfectionist.  Whatever he did he did well.  He would learn and take that learning to heart.  When he built his house (see previous blog post about the sale of said property) he was all worried when the inspector came out to check the footings.  The inspector walked around silently for quite a while, shaking  his head and the longer he went on the more worried Dad got that he had done something wrong.  Finally the man turned to him and said, "These are a work of art!"  That was his style.  If something was worth doing, it was worth doing right!

He was a great story teller.  He would tell us stories of growing up on the farm in Wisconsin.  He described his dad and their relationship.  I don't know that they were particularly close as Grandpa worked long hours but he admired his father for his strong work ethic.  Some of my favorite memories are of Dad talking about his WWII training stories.  He never actually went overseas during WWII as when his unit of Flying Fortress' went to England he stayed in Louisiana with sleeping sickness from which the doctors said he would not recover.

He loved to drive.  And he loved to visit family. We would take long trips across country to visit his family in Wisconsin and mom's family in Oregon.  In spite of moving all over the country and to Europe, he always made sure that we got to see the relatives as close to annually as we could. 

He taught me to drive.  Now that was an experience for him I am sure.  I remember once on this narrow road in Germany when he said with a little more force than usual, "Move over and don't drive so close to the bushes."  Apparently it wasn't a good idea to scrape the side of the car along the brush beside the road. 

You could also count on him.  When the girls joined our family and we were in process of moving to Ohio, he offered to drive us there in the motor home and to tow our car behind.  Unfortunately he got Rheumatoid Arthritis shortly after he retired, so could not do all the construction and fixing up that he had been able to do in the past.  And that was why he never completed the downstairs of his house. 

Thanks Dad for being a great Dad.  Thanks for providing an example to look up to in so many areas.  You had your weaknesses as well, but were always willing to listen to another point of view!  LOVE YOU!!

Saying Goodbye to the Wonderful Happy Valley Home

Well, we have finally said goodbye to the old home. The photo above is how it looked years ago when the trees were all small and the lot to the left had not been sold and built upon. Those were the days!  My folks built their home in 1971 and 72 and it was a wonderful place to live.  By the time they moved to Portland and built their home I was done with college and on my own, but it was still the home that I always came  to for holidays and summers from college and later brought the grandbabies for Christmas and  many birthdays.  I have so many wonderful memories of place.  The girls first Christnmas was really special.  We went and cut down a blue spruce at a local Christmas tree farm and when it was decorated and hung with icicle tinsel it was fabulous!  One of the best Christmas trees ever.  Mom passed away three years ago and it took these last three years to empty out the house.  I had to go through every box  of papers as things were all thrown in together -- junk mail, family history clippings, uncashed social security checks, bills, receipts, you name it.  I do hope to be much more organized when my time comes and pray that I won't leave this much hassle to my own children.  But we managed to make it through.  Selling it was such a God thing as well.  After a great deal of stress over the three years trying to keep body and soul of the place together and keep the taxes and utilities paid it finally went on the market and got sold in a cash sale in two days for full price with no contingencies.  I think the new owners got a great deal in spite of paying full price as when the market improves -- as it will -- the house and property will be worth a lot.   The house has front window views of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens, nearly two acres and a great territorial view.  And the house was built solid as a rock.  It was hard saying goodbye but after three years it was also a relief to be done at last. 

Here are a few photos of the place just before we said goodbye. 

There is  old Mt. St. Helens from the front window.  OK, it's a little closer than it really is, but I wanted to remember it more clearly.  Dad watched Mt. St. Helens erupt from the orchard area.  The second eruption they could see really clearly. 

 The living room is sunken.  This photo is taken from the dining room.  You can see the deck out the window.  I had is resurfaced in mahogany.  That really made me want to stay and own the house, but alas, I would have had to pay off my brother and I really couldn't see myself relocating to Portland when my life is centered in Seattle.  Sigh!  The far picture windows used to look out on Mt. Hood, but the neighbors pine trees took over the view.  I imagine the new owner will negotiate that!

This is taken from the foyer and looking from the steps to go down to the living room across to the dining room.  The view of Mt. St. Helens is from that those windows.

This is looking into the kitchen area (eating area in front) from the foyer as well.  Dad didn't like to have laundry interfere with showers, so there are two water heaters, one for the kitchen and the laundry, the other for the bathrooms.  He also set up the electrical plugs in the kitchen so that the top plugs are all on one circuit and the lower ones are on another.  That way you can do several things and not overload the circuits. 

 This is the "back" of the house with the daylight basement.  That is a built in barbeque next to the fireplace. There is a huge amount of concrete underneath that fireplace to support it so it wouldn't "pull" on the structure of the house as it settled. 

 This is the kid before we went off to put lilacs on the grandparents grave from their own bushes for the last time.  There are purple and white lilacs. We love to put flowers on their graves just so other people know that they were loved.  We know that they are with the Lord in heaven and certainly not lying around in the cemetery waiting for us to pay them attention!

This is the "front" of the house.  Sigh, it does make me feel sad.  But on the other hand, it is time to move on.  The house will now have three kids living there with a lot of area to run.  They can eat the apples, blueberries, pears, italian prunes and pie cherries -- oh, and concord grapes -- and walnuts, to their hearts content.  It is time for a new family to build new memories of their own.  What a great old home this was.  Dad built it very well -- he was a perfectionist.  Of course it is a bit dated and the new owners will fix it up however they want. It and the land may yet turn into a massive, tighly packed development  but for the moment my dream of a single family who would love the house has come true.  Truly this was a Happy Valley for me and for my family! 

Feed the Birds, Tuppence a Day

When we lived in Germany (decades ago, alas) the folks made it a point to travel and visit as many places as we could.  Dad said, upon our arrival in Wiesbaden, that "we were not going to be like those American's who hunkered down on the base and never saw anything while they were here."  We even lived "on the economy" in a house in a little town called Wehen (now it is part of a larger Taunus, I believe)  on Fleckenbornstrasse 16.  I've actually gotten to look it up on google maps, and sure enough, there it was! 

But I digress. One of the fun trips that we had was when Dad got sent TDY (militarese for Temporary Duty to London.  I have no idea how it was arranged, but for a week we lived in someone's flat or something.  At any rate it was not a hotel.  Dad had to work most of the week and it might have been two weeks.  But on the weekends and in the evenings we "did things."   I remeber watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and riding the tube.   During that time we took a side trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon and stayed in a bed and breakfast  there.  We visited Stonehenge too, and THAT is a bit of a sore spot in the family.  My little brother was left sleeping in the car since the folks didn't want to disturb him and all he saw was the stones fading away in the sunset as the car headed back for London.  Ah, he does not like thinking about how close he got to it without seeing it and he has never quite forgiven them!

But he did get to visit the sights in London.  This is one of my favorite photos dated May 1967.   I have it in color somewhere.  (Hm. . .perhaps I should say "colour" considering the location.) But it is just as wonderful in black and white. With all the fun things we did, this picture is what I think of when I think of our time in London.  We bought pigeon food from a vendor and had a wonderful time feeding the birds for "tuppence a day". 

Mail from Maria Duval -- or Best Laugh of the Week

This week my dad got the most amazing letter.  He was informed that he had the select honor of being one of the special ones given the opportunity to have his future life forcast for free by Maria Duval of the Destiny Research Center.  This delightful opportunity will give him a chance to experience change, security, love, friendship and comfort.  Maria Duval is going to tell him the "Ultimate and Great Secret" that will give him all the things in life he has most desired.   

Dad is amazed at this splendid opportunity and can't wait to hear what this incredible person with the Astral-Clairvoyant abilities wants to predict about his future life. 

Oh wait --

Maria Duval -- what kind of a Clairvoyant are you?   I know you write that you are confident that you can help Dad realize all his hopes and dreams. 

I don't know how good you are at telling the future, but aparently your grasp on the past is a little more shaky.  Robert (dad) has been dead for 13 years and not likely to fill out your questionnaire and take you up on your offer!  He is already enjoying his future and he likely won't see you there!

Maria, your skill set seems to be a little shaky here!  You might want to get some continuing education hours under your belt.  

Probably this great Secret is not free either in spite of all the claims.  LOL!