July 4 1776 was the birth of this great nation. An association of diverse communities banded together to form a political entity which eventually evolved into the United States we know today. Here we were on July 4 2006, two citizens from “Down Under” who were there to celebrate our daughter Gina’s first Independence Day as an American citizen. Naturally she wanted us to be … Continue reading Independence Day in the USA
The above image copyright to http://www.featurepics.com It’s funny how things seem to hide in the deep dark recesses of memory to be triggered long afterward by a ‘happening now’ event. Now I’m aware the further you get from early childhood events the recalled scene is sugar coated with an added element of mythology. However there are things which are so seminal in one’s experience they … Continue reading Brotherhood of Mankind
It was Father’s Day in the USA, June 18 2006. We had departed early in the morning for our date with the whales in Puget Sound off the coast of Bellingham, Washington State. The day was doing its summer thing switching from hot to cold as the sun occasionally peeped through the clouds, and a relatively calm sea beckoned to us with the white tips … Continue reading Father’s Day in the USA
August 6, 1965 we were on our way to Port Adelaide, Australia to join the Italian passenger liner Marconi for our first overseas adventure. There was an air of excitement mingled with apprehension as we negotiated the swaying gangplank with our carry on luggage. Down in the bowels of the ship were our earthly possessions, a modest collection of furnishings and household bits and pieces. … Continue reading Passage to India
Thursday February 12, 1942 dawned a pleasant summer day and this five year old climbed out of bed and headed for Eric and Maude’s bedroom as usual, to be tucked in for a few moments and enjoy parental conversation before all emerged to greet the day together. For some time now little boy Ian had been rescheduled to Eric’s side of the bed, a source … Continue reading The Day the Stork Arrived
A shaft of light penetrated the bedroom gloom. It was 6.15 am and Georgine was already up and about. She was anxious to get on with our morning routine and thought that manipulating the Venetian blinds was the best device for waking Ian up. Alarm clocks did not seem to work effectively since his hearing began its slow decline a few years back, so Georgine … Continue reading The Morning Walk
Copyright reference for above image – http://levechad.blogspot.com/2010 “You have no appreciation of what I’m trying to do for this family!” Joe was working his way to the top of his stress threshold as he paced the room waving his arms in frustration. Kate almost decided to retreat before things got out of hand, but her tendency toward brinksmanship prevented her. “Joe, this family needs a … Continue reading Balancing Life’s Activities
June 1, 2006 we arrived in Portland, Oregon and were whisked across the border to Vancouver, Washington where we were to attend an important birthday bash of one of our closest friends. I’ve been instructed not to mention the actual age of this close friend so we will leave it at that. As there was to be a day between our arrival and the grand … Continue reading Still Alive After Mount St Helens Visit
This had to be one of the most difficult days Jake had experienced in recent memory. His office phone had been ringing off the hook since arriving at his executive office early morning, and his cell phone had recently joined the chorus, accumulating message prompts at an alarming rate. Things were not going well in the real estate market and Jake was very much a … Continue reading Monkey See, Monkey Do
I hadn’t been in Singapore long in 1985 before I realized how important it is to know what’s going on in other people’s heads when it comes to comfort in travel. Travel to northern countries like Japan and Korea is a trip to be coveted, and I noticed there was no lack of volunteers to handle business in these northern countries as we sat together … Continue reading Northern Exposure
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