SilverSprings

A New Quote

2012-01-27T04:36:00.001-05:00

"The offspring of my offspring are greater than I."

Mike Mabe (1947 - ___) soldier, corporate manager, substitute teacher

New Quote

2012-01-16T04:19:00.003-05:00

“When the mountaintop is reached, the view will be a vastsea of distant faces of children and young people seeking teachers, mentors,and leaders to provide direction.”

Mike Mabe (1947 - ____ ) soldier, corporate manager, substituteteacher

Newport, Rhode Island

2011-11-24T05:22:00.001-05:00

We recently traveled to Rhode Island for seven days of R. & R. Here are some photos we made at places never before experienced by us.

The entrance to Fort Adams

Construction of fort began in 1824, took 30 years to complete,
was used as the U. S. Naval Academy during the Civil War.

Steps along the Cliff Walk trail in Newport, RI

A view of the harbor

Cliff Walk trail

One of the many mansions built during the Gilded Age

He was given the rank of Lieutenant General in command of some
7,000 French troops and sent to join the Continental Army

Narragansett Bay

Oldest library still functioning in the original building

Marble House mansion

Honoring the Honor Guard

2011-09-21T13:28:00.000-04:00

Meet some of the men who volunteer their time to extend the final tribute to fellow military veterans on the day of burial. Click on the photos to enlarge them for better viewing.

Edward Weatherman
Army, '67-'68, Vietnam Veteran
Career job: R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

R. C. Athey
Air Force, '71-'91
Career job: VA Medical Center

Jack Whitaker
Army, 4 years
Career job: welder

Ross Adams
Navy, '54-'58
Career job: R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Mr. Adams has participated in over 1,000 burials in the past ten years.

Robert McCarn
Army, 5 years
Career job: self - employed plumber

Giles T. McLelland
Army and Army Reserve, 30 years
Career job: self - employed barber

Tom Ehlers
Navy, 6 years
Career job: Service Manager, IBM

Butch Roberts
Navy, 24 years
Career job: security

Wayne Falls
Army, '53-'55
Career job: self - employed auto technician

Cliff Harris
Army, '67-'69 Vietnam Veteran
Career job: Technical Writer for Western Electric, ATT, and Lucent Technologies

Harold Hamilton
Army, '54-'56
Career job: Driver for Hennis and Roadway Trucking Companies

I. H. "Cokie" Jones
Army, '51-'52 Korean War Veteran
Career job: worked for Sealtest and Biltmore Dairies

Honor Guard, Attention!

Honor Guard, Parade Rest!

Hand salute and presentation of arms. Seven rifleman fire three volleys to complete the 21 gun salute.

Watch a YouTube video of their 21 gun salute by clicking here:

Commander of the Honor Guard, Gray Templeton, from Clemmons Post 9010 folds the US flag with the help of Adams and Athey during the flag-folding ceremony at the casket and in front of the family.

"On behalf of the President of the United States and the people of a grateful nation, may I present this flag as a token of appreciation for the honorable and faithful service your loved one rendered this nation." is an example of words softly spoken to the next of kin when the flag is presented.

This van helps car-pool the honor guard members to the sites in the north and west sections of Forsyth County.

Honor guard members represent VFW Post 9010 in Clemmons, VFW Post 8719 in Advance, VFW Post 8593 in Pfafftown, and Western Forsyth American Legion Post 522 in Lewisville. Men from these posts work together to provide military funerals for all families who request them. These funerals usually number over one-hundred per year with a record 170 in year 2010.

Not all honor guard members are pictured here. Regulars Ron Hash and Barry Luper had other commitments this day. Coordinator Carl Munson of Clemmons does what his title suggests, plan and dispatch the honor guard. I had the privilege to accompany my good neighbor Ross Adams on September 19 to photograph and record the honor guard and their performance at the burial of a WWII veteran at Forsyth Memorial Park. It was impressive to witness the cooperation and leadership among the different post members as these veterans planned their positioning and decided each other's roles to deliver their stellar performance.

I felt that all observers were pleased and honored by the honor guards' services. I hope you will notice these men as they travel throughout our area and in your own way let them know they are appreciated.

Have a good week!

Mostly People Pictures

2011-08-04T14:29:00.000-04:00

Doreen and I would not have the courage to plan a trip to southwest France without the lead of our friends Don and Nancy. It was a great adventure on the River Lot and inside several villages. We saw castles and entered the prehistoric cave of Perle Meche.

Nancy, Don and Mike

Seated and getting ready for the most expensive lunch ever eaten. $258.00 for two.

the dessert

The Servers

Relaxing

Touring a village along the Lot River.

Nancy speaks English, Spanish, and some French. She did much of the communication.

We ate lots of French bread.

Outdoor dining in the shade

Negotiating locks

Tasting sweets

After taking a shower in a luxury hotel in Paris the night before our return flight to US.

More Pictures of France

2011-07-09T09:01:00.000-04:00

More pictures from our trip to southwestern France from June 19-27, 2011.

Sidewalk dining in Toulouse, France

Side streets in Toulouse

A view from the Lot River

Doreen, Don, and Nancy enjoying the river cruise

Walking into a village along the river

A village home and flowers

A village atop cliffs beside the Lot River

Beautiful Countryside

More Countryside of southwestern France

Walking along a street in Cahors

Chateau de Mercues

Our Boat Cruise in Southwestern France

2011-06-30T06:12:00.002-04:00

We rented this 42-foot cabin cruiser from Le Boat in Douelle near Cahors in SW France and cruised Le Lot River for about 50 kilometers over seven days and nights. Here are pictures of the boat and river. I'll show other pictures of the vacation in a later week. Click on pictures to enlarge and click the highlighted hot links for for information.

Have a good week!

Here Nancy and Doreen (not in view) are holding lines as the lock is filled to float the boat to the level needed to proceed.

The locks are big enough for two boats. Don and I manually opened and closed the gates.

The view we awakened to see one morning.

The Pont Valentre Bridge at Cahors was built seven hundred years ago.

A view inside a lock.

Our boat on Le Lot River

Docked here to spend one night.

A typical view on the river which we traveled for about 50 kilometers upstream and back.

A typical weir alongside each of the 13 locks we passed.

Passing through another lock.

Commencement Speech

2011-06-13T05:33:00.002-04:00

Read commencement speech by clicking on the link below.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1473922/Commencement%20speech%20PDF.pdf

Have a good week!

Alpha Troop Runion 2011

2011-05-21T15:16:00.001-04:00

The reunion of Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division took place in Nashville, Tennessee on May 12-15, 2011.

Click on photos to enlarge and have a good week!


Dominick Bates of Albany, NY. Mike Mabe, of Pfafftown, NC. Gilbert Dickson of Fayetteville, NC		.

We visited Fort Campbell

We were at Campbell for the dedication of the monument to all who served in 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry.

Comrades in combat 45 years ago.

A group picture during the picnic at Fort Campbell

Our wives at the same place.

Easter Sunrise Service 2011

2011-04-29T06:28:00.000-04:00

My wife and I attended Easter Sunrise Service in Arlington National Cemetery. It was a wonderful experience and an amazing service. Click on the pictures and program to enlarge for better viewing. The program lists all participants in the service.

Have a good week!

The sun blazing through one portico of Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater.

United States Navy Band and Sea Chanters played and sang the Hallelujah Chorus.

Butterfly World

2011-03-22T06:41:00.002-04:00

While vacationing in Pompano Beach, Florida recently, we visited Butterfly World in Tradewinds Park South, Coconut Creek, FL. Not only did we see beautiful butterflies inside a screened environment of trees, flowers, waterfalls, and trails, we saw blooming passionflowers shown in the pictures below.

There is a quote I like by an unknown author which reads: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." A close look at these flowers were breathtaking moments for me.

Click to enlarge each photo and have a good week!

Future Updates

2011-02-20T05:12:00.001-05:00

Future updates to this blog will be less frequent. During the past five years, I've posted each week something of interest to me. I appreciate you and the interest you've shown in my pictures and words.

You may want to check this blog monthly for updates going forward. I invite you to follow and keep up with each other on Facebook and Twitter. I have accounts at both sites and posts something there daily while engaging in dialogue with friends and followers.

My user name at both places is mikemabe.

Have a good week!

Hilton Head Island

2011-02-13T05:06:00.001-05:00

I spent last week at Hilton Head Island on the coast of South Carolina. It was my first visit to the resort island and a place where I'll return in the future. Look at the link below and see one of my walks along the beach. Click on the bird's eye and aerial views.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/67901211

Have a good week!

Before and After

2011-02-06T03:20:00.042-05:00

This is a followup to the blog update of two weeks ago where I reported wasted clean water while waiting for warm water to arrive at some faucets in my house. A plumber install a pump and T fittings to solve most of the problem. See the pictures below.

Have a good week!

Water flow before.

Circulating pump on top of hot water heater.

Water flow now for hot water to arrive.

Technology

2011-01-30T04:50:00.009-05:00

See the information I secured from wearing a Garmin Forerunner 405CX wrist watch and chest heart rate monitor strap when I climbed a nearby mountain this week. Click to enlarge.

Have a good week!

My hike route up Pilot Mountain and performance data during the 4 mile walk and climb.

The red line across the top is heart rate superimposed on the elevation change.

I walked on the road down the mountain with the route and data displayed here.

What Would You Do?

2011-01-23T04:21:00.061-05:00

How much flow of cold water passes through your faucets when you open hot water spigots? See the the pictures below for these measurements in my house at two locations. It bothers me to know these amounts of clean water are wasted while waiting for the warmth to arrive to begin shaving or bathing. I capture these amounts at one lavatory and use the bucket of clean water for household uses and not let it be wasted down the drain. I know there are systems available to make hot water instantly appear when the faucet is opened. I believe it would cost $500. I'm thinking about having a plumber look at my piping and quote a cost. What would you do?

Have a good week!

Three quarts of cold water flows before warm water arrives.

The same in the bath tub as the lavatory above at the other end of house.

Barn Quilt

2011-01-16T04:11:00.081-05:00

A tangram is a seven piece set of two dimensional shapes that form a square when fitted together. A barn quilt is outdoor art attached to a barn. The art is usually multicolored designs painted on square shapes of plywood. See this link for more information about barn quilts in Western North Carolina. http://www.quilttrailswnc.org/

My wife and I received the barn quilt shown below and installed it on a storage building on our property. This tastefully designed tangram was created and made by our daughter-in-law and given to us as a gift.

Have a good week!

I prepared the site for art installation

Our daughter-in-law designed and painted the tangram.

The vibrant colors standout among the background.

The view from the road as one drives to our home.

My New Toy

2011-01-09T17:53:00.000-05:00

Click on the link below to see statistics of a recent walk I did that went back and forth up and down hills. Click on the aerial view of the map to see the actual landscape. Click the triangle on the map to see heart beats per minute superimposed on the elevation along the time line.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/62322566

This information was captured using a Garmin Forerunner 405CX.

The data is transferred wireless onto my desktop computer when I come within 10 feet of my desk.

Pretty cool.

Have a good week!

Quality Family Time

2011-01-02T03:26:00.065-05:00

I hope your holidays were quality family time. Between Christmas and New Years Day, my wife, our daughter, and I worked to assemble this 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Over the course of four days we gathered around the dining room table and searched for puzzle pieces that mated one to the other. This puzzle was especially hard because of coloration and the large number of pieces. We had great difficulty with the border and were probably 75% finished before the perimeter was correctly completed.

The three of us had interesting small talk as we huddled around this objective for many hours. We'd quit for meals, breaks, naps, phone calls, and trips to the store. We thought of giving up, but persevered to completion before we drove to Raleigh on Wednesday to visit the North Carolina Museum of Art where many works of the late artist and illustrator, Norman Rockwell, are on display for a few more weeks.

Have a good first week in 2011!

Closing in on the final 1,000 piece jigsaw

Success

Holidays

2010-12-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Subway

2010-12-12T03:51:00.038-05:00

Subway offered all military veterans a free six-inch sandwich on Veterans Day 2010. I accepted the offer and visited the restaurant on Yadkinville Road where the clerk made the sandwich with the ingredients I chose. I thanked her, said I would return to purchase a meal someday, and went home to eat the delicious roast beef inside honey-wheat bread.

I noticed the signage in the store involving nutrition and their new offering of a Better Breakfast. I eat breakfast at home 95% of the time, but have eaten Egg McMuffin at McDonald's when traveling and recall the flavor of the breakfast sandwich. It's tasty.

I returned to my neighborhood Subway one weekday morning. (There are 33,800 Subway Restaurants in 94 countries). The clerk prepared the Light Wheat English Muffin Melt with Egg (white and yellow parts). She added cheese, tomato, and ham at my request. This special breakfast included a 16 ounce cup of coffee for $2.50 plus tax.

I sat in a booth, ate the meal, and drank the coffee as two other customers entered the store and ordered takeout. I noted the nutrition information on the napkin in the picture below. The sandwich was not as tasty as McDonald's, but fulfilled its purpose. I believe healthy food is served at Subway Restaurants and I will frequent them more in the future than in the past.

Have a good week!

The sandwich bag used by Subway

Subway napkin, click to enlarge and read the nutritional comparison to McDonald's.

My receipt

Grains Exported to Asia

2010-12-05T03:30:00.067-05:00

While touring Elliot Bay next to Seattle recently, the guide explained about the silos and tanker ships in the pictures below. The silos receive grain from Iowa, Nebraska, and other midwestern states by railroad cars. The grains are transferred into the silos. The ships are loaded from the silos when humidity conditions are within a certain range. If the atmospheric humidity is too high when the grain goes into the tanker, the seeds will swell and expand while inside the ship. This would be a big problem. If the humidity is too low, there is a risk of fire from the friction of moving grain and the dust. Consequently, it can take as long as a week to load the ship and send it on its way to Asian markets.

Have a good week!

Double click on the picture to see the darker color along the ship.
When fully loaded, the dark red will be underwater.

This ship is waiting in Elliot Bay for its turn to be loaded.
A week-long wait is common.

Another view of Seattle from Elliot Bay.

The landmark Space Needle of Seattle is on the right edge
in this photo.

Snoqualmie Falls Park

2010-11-28T03:51:00.068-05:00

Snoqualmie Falls is located about thirty miles east of Seattle and is visited by 1.5 million people each year. We were five of those visitors in 2010 to view this 270 foot waterfall. See the pictures below and watch the short video at the designated link. If you travel to Seattle, be sure to visit this amazing park.

Have a good week!

Link to the park's home page here

gushing, rushing, sparkling, twirling, swirling, whirling, misting, soaking, splashing

roaring, pouring, plunging, meandering, tumbling, rumbling, crashing

See video by clicking here

See the park's lodge in the top left of this picture.

Walkways around the Snoqualmie Park

The "ing" verbs under the pictures describe the water. These words were inlaid in random steps along the trail to the waterfall.

Seattle

2010-11-21T04:09:00.024-05:00

Ann Mabe, Glenda Boles, Doreen, and I traveled from Pfafftown, North Carolina where we live to Seattle to visit our daughter. Doreen and I have visited Seattle twice per year for the past 5 years. This time we took my mother and sister. Mother is age 86 and this trip was a big deal for us.

My mother Ann, sister Glenda Boles and I wait in Atlanta for the non-stop flight to Seattle.

We arrived at my daughter's office in downtown Seattle at 5:00 PM.

We took an Argosy harbor cruise around Elliot Bay to see the city from the water.

A ferry carried us from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. Our car was on a lower deck.
We rented a 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis GS.

Embassy Suites is where we lodged and ate breakfast daily. My mother ate an omelet, yogurt, toast, and cantaloupe each morning. I didn't know she could eat so much.

We stood along Alki Beach in West Seattle.

My Thanks To You

2010-11-14T04:18:00.006-05:00

Thank you for making last Thursday a wonderful day for this veteran. Below is a list of ways people touched me with their expressions of gratitude for military service.

Cards delivered to me through the post office

A telephone call early Thursday morning from a former student at Reagan High School

Telephone calls from relatives

Two text messages throughout the day

Email messages

The ceremony at Wake Forest University

Postings on facebook

Handshakes and embraces from random people that day

Comments and actions by a woman with four young girls at Staley's Restaurant

Remarks by the old-timer friends at Biscuitville

The free 6" sub at Subway

Have a good week!

Newseum

2010-11-07T03:10:00.040-05:00

While vacationing in Alexandria, Virginia recently, we rode the Metro from the King Street Station into DC and visited the Newseum. This news museum opened in 2008 at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue. The museum is about the role of news throughout the world in the last 75 years. See a link here.

Here are a few pictures of the many interesting displays we saw that day.

The actual cabin occupied by Theodore J. Kaczynski, the Unabomber, while he lived in this lonely shack in Lincoln, Montana.

Par of Ted Kaczynski's manifesto

Enlarged front pages of newspapers from around the world are displayed daily along the front of the museum for sidewalk traffic to view beginning early each day.

There is a large panel showing pictures of journalists killed in the line of duty. A ceremony is held here annually when additional names and photos are added.

An actual guard tower from the Berlin Wall is on display.

A broadcast studio is located on the third floor with the White House in view through the window. Christiane Amanpour broadcasts the show "This Week" each Sunday morning from this studio.

Here is a section of the Berlin Wall

NOW OPEN

2010-10-31T03:44:00.048-04:00

Washington National Harbor didn't exist thirty-six months ago. Before, the area was a vegetation covered river bank along the Potomac on the Maryland side across from Alexandria. Doreen and I vacationed in Alexandria a few weeks ago and crossed the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to see the new attractions. All you see in the pictures below have been constructed in the past 3 years. Retail shops, condos, docks, yachts, restaurants, Gaylord Resort and Convention Center, and the beginnings of a Disney presence.

Click on the picture to enlarge them for better viewing.

Have a good week!

View of Washington National Harbor from a water taxi on the Potomac

The pictures below are inside the Gaylord
Click to enlarge

Watering Lives

2010-10-24T03:19:00.004-04:00

While I was growing up, my father would sometimes say, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." I've seen these words play out in real life with horses and people.

I recently cited this quote at the beginning of a period in a high school classroom as a warm-up to the lesson we were about to undertake. I then expressed this analogy. I said to the students: "A community can build schools, hire teachers, buy books, and send busses to bring children to the classrooms, but only students can desire to learn." "Students learn by having desire and responding appropriately to the resources at hand."

All the students understood the significance of what I was saying and most settled into the lesson plan to learn it. Half-way through the period, I asked the class this rhetorical question, "Imagine your parents or grandparents standing in the hallway looking through the door window at you and me. Would they be pleased with what they observe?" After I asked the question while pointing to the window, I followed with my own answer. I said, "Yes, I believe they would be pleased." I then thanked them for their work ethic and cooperative spirit of learning the lesson that had been prepared for us by the regular teacher.

Have a good week!

For Sale

2010-10-17T04:55:00.017-04:00

My collection of Swiss Army wristwatches
all battery powered

As a result of the change reported last week, I now have a retired inventory of watches. I'll probably keep one or two and put the others on craigslist for sale. I see no need to save them. They take up space and will need batteries every year or two at $20 each. What would you suggest I do with them?

Have a good week!

Watch presented to me for 30 years of service at Sara Lee Branded Apparel

Swiss Army pocket watch

I Changed a Habit

2010-10-10T04:15:00.092-04:00

Why are these products needed in this modern age?

I recently changed a habit I had for fifty years. There was no compelling reason to make the change from a habit I started around age thirteen. It was something my father did and I followed because it was a good thing in that period. A few weeks ago I stopped wearing a wristwatch.

I reached my decision by observing the time on my iPhone, which is seldom separated from me except in bed.

I'm always aware of time. I am mindful of the ticking away of minutes and hours. If anything organizes my life, it is time and the date. I realize time is a finite number for us all and I desire it to be filled with good health, peace, contentment, love and happiness just as most people desire the same. I can't think of anything I keep track of closer than time.

I press one button on my iPhone and instantly the time, day, and date appear. The measurement system is displayed in the official time of AT&T.

You may have heard this saying: "If a person has a clock, he knows the time. If he has more than one, he's never really sure of the correct time."

Have a good week!

A Book Review

2010-10-03T04:30:00.009-04:00

I realize the author is a decorated Vietnam veteran who was a Marine Corps officer in 1969. I'm aware he was a Rhodes Scholar who entered the Marine Corps following his graduation from Oxford University one year before William Jefferson Clinton graduated the same place. I greatly admire these two accomplishments of Mr. Karl Marlantes, the author of Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War. This March 2010 book was published by Atlantic Monthly Press. I read it on my Kindle over a two month period. It took this long because I continually stopped reading because of my dread to continue. However, I persevered and finished it while vacationing in Alexandria, Virginia a couple weeks ago.

The book is over the top with exaggerations. I can verify that leeches in the jungles of Vietnam were bad and would attach to tender body parts to suck blood from infantrymen at night, but, entering a man's urethra, attaching itself, and blocking urine flow? I don't think so. This was described early in the book as a marine reached an emergency backup of urine which required his buddies to slice the man's penis to remove the leech. Urine and blood spewed over everyone involved during the procedure in the field.

The book says, "half the company came from broken homes and had wives or parents who were drunks, dope addicts, runaways, prostitutes, or child beaters."

2nd Lieutenant Waino Mallas, USMC Reserve, the main character described his Marine company by saying, "... They all talked the same, too, say f**k, or some adjective, noun, or adverb with f**k in it, every four words." "Mellas had gone to some fancy private college and graduated second in his class at the Basic School."

The 592 pages of Matterhorn teem with gutter language throughout. Here is a count of some profane and vulgar words used: f**k 209 times, f**ker 32, f**king 654, motherf***er 44, p**s, 20, s**t 274, Godd**n 99, ni**er 25, b*tch 15, and bast**d 31. These statistics were computed using my Amazon Kindle.

These words and other derogatory language average 3 or more times per page. The author actually served in Company C, First Battalion, Fourth Marines of the Third Marine Division (Reinforced) in 1969. If his experiences formed and shaped his foundation for writing this novel, then his words reflect poorly on the officers and enlisted men who served in that marine company at that time.

Here is the frequency of other words used in the book: freedom 1, honor 7, honorable 0, truth 6, love 14, devotion 0, duty 31, thanks 43, praise 1, goodness 0, South Vietnam 3, General Westmoreland 0, Robert McNamara 0, Ho Chi Minh 2, Hue 2, President Thieu 0, Vietnam 69, Ho Chi Minh Trail 0, DMZ 14, Paris Peace Accords 0, and Richard Nixon 0.

The stories and dialogue among and between these Marine officers and enlisted men should not be used to characterize the Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel who served throughout Vietnam. I was a Private First Class infantryman in the Army in VN in 1966. My experiences and observations with enlisted men and officers did not come close to what is described in the behaviors around Matterhorn.

The book is about a Marine junior officer and his perception of inferior military personnel. Lieutenant Mallas becomes a hero by bringing out the best he could in the men he had to work with.

Have a good week!

Lodging at Sapphire Valley

2010-09-26T04:38:00.000-04:00

This is the condo where we vacationed for a week at Sapphire Valley, North Carolina. We had two units like the pictures show below. We were joined for two nights by friends who lodged in the other unit and toured the mountains and waterfalls with us during the days.

The sitting area inside the condo

Kitchen and dining areas

Inside doorway to the bedroom and foyer

View out the back window

View from the deck

Have a good week!

Fontana Dam and Joyce Kilmer Forest

2010-09-19T04:45:00.079-04:00

Marker at the Fontana Dam site

During the week at Sapphire Valley, we took a day trip into Graham County to visit Fontana Dam and Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.

This amazing hydroelectric dam was built under the Tennessee Valley Authority in only 36 months beginning in 1942. Construction was rushed to completion by a Victory Campaign in the United States while WWII was underway in other parts of the world. The dam rises 480 feet tall, 2,365 feet long, and holds back water in a reservoir that extends 29 miles. The visitor center there shows construction pictures and displays the previous facts. One picture showed a bulldozer and its operator. The information described the worker as a Cherokee Indian and went on to explain how several Indians were hired from the descendants of Cherokees who hid in these mountains to avoid the Trail of Tears in the early 1800's when the government attempted to move all Indians onto reservations.

We hiked two miles along trails in Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and saw dozens of poplar trees as big as 7 feet in diameter. See the pictures below and enlarge them for easier reading.

Have a good week!

The top of the dam has a road for cars and trucks to drive along.

The reservoir stretches 29 miles

480 feet tall

Click to enlarge and read about Joyce Kilmer

TREES

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of Robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

by Joyce Kilmer

Waterfalls

2010-09-12T04:16:00.102-04:00

Dry Falls along Highway 64 near Highlands, NC

Falling sheets of water are mesmerizing when I stare into this substance in nature. The same happens when I stand in water's edge of a beach as ocean waves move ashore again, again, and again without end. These sights and feelings remind me of God's power and His magnificent creation. I'm also reminded that He gave me the gift of my life.

We visited six or seven waterfalls in the Cashiers, Highlands, Lake Toxaway areas of North Carolina when we vacationed for a week at Sapphire Valley. Four falls are pictured here.

Have a good week!

Whitewater Falls near the NC/SC line

Silver Run Falls

Bear Wallow Falls

Whiteside Mountain

2010-09-05T04:25:00.116-04:00

Highway 64 extends 2,326 miles through five states. One end of this historic highway is in Manteo, North Carolina and the other end is deep into New Mexico. We merged onto this road in Brevard, North Carolina and motored west 30 miles along the curvy, smooth, and wide-laned highway to Sapphire, North Carolina where we lodged for a week in a Wyndham Resort at Fairfield Sapphire Valley. I'll show pictures of the resort property where we stayed in a later blog update.

Throughout the week we drove back and forth along Highway 64 through Cashiers, Highlands, and Lake Toxaway to visit national and state parks to hike trails and climb mountains. The most breathtaking climb and scenic views were those on Whiteside Mountain. The 900' vertical drop can be seen in the pictures below. Of course, we climbed a trail from the back side of the mountain to reach the path along the top edge of the cliff. Click on the pictures for better viewing.

Have a good week!

The top of Whiteside Mountain

Mountains in the distance are in SC or GA

Whiteside Mountain

A closer look at Whiteside Mountain

From the top of Whiteside Mountain

A look into SC or GA

Macon, Jackson, and Transylvania Counties, North Carolina

2010-08-29T04:34:00.048-04:00

Macon, Jackson, Transylvania Counties are 3rd, 4th, & 5th from the bottom left, click to enlarge

I feel personal growth from the experiences of seven days while vacationing in three North Carolina counties where I'd never before been. As a person my age and native of this state, I'd never ventured into these mountain counties of the Tar Heel State.

Transylvania County is a four-hour drive from my home in Forsyth County where I live in a suburb of Winston-Salem. My wife and I time-shared a condo in Sapphire Valley near Cashiers for a week and spent every day exploring and sightseeing the mountains, streams, waterfalls, national and state parks, and other scenic places. We were joined for 3 days and 2 nights by friends from Winston-Salem. The couple along with us enjoyed immensely the time and places.

I plan to explain and show pictures over the next few weeks about why this area is special and a desirable place to vacation.

Have a good week!

War Veterans In Golden Years

2010-08-22T04:24:00.275-04:00

WWII Veteran SSG George Browder at Veterans Day Parade in Warsaw, North Carolina in 2005

SSG George Browder at the WWII Memorial in DC, 2006

George Browder is shown in the 2005 and 2006 pictures above. In 2007 Mr. Browder died at age 86 and was buried in Richmond County, North Carolina. This war veteran had the means and executive status to be clothed in a Brooks Brothers suit; instead, he entered his grave in military uniform, a garment near and dear to his heart.

Young Browder joined the Army with a goal of becoming a paratrooper and infantryman. He did both and served heroically in the Pacific Theater with the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 11th Airborne. He was highly decorated with medals and ribbons for the service he rendered on the battlefields of Pacific Islands.

After the Great War, he left the military and started a family and a career. He had a wife and eventually three sons, one of whom is George Jr. (Sandy), a former career colleague and good friend of mine.

The senior George Browder worked his way up the ranks to become general manager of two J. P. Stevens Plants in Rockingham. Later, he was named President of Stevens Aviation in Greer, South Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, and Louisville, Kentucky. Along the way to his golden years he was a community leader, and held leadership positions in his church, the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, and Boy Scouts. The town of Rockingham named their public park in honor of this popular man.

The following is what is interesting to me about this story. Similar stories can be told about war veterans all across the country. Men and women fought on battlefields, returned home, raised families, built careers, contributed to their communities, and grew old. Out of all the worldly accomplishments men and women achieve in life, many war veterans' thoughts and interests return to their times in the military, not business, fraternities, sports, or clubs. I saw this happen with my father and sense it in other men I know. Just like Mr. Browder, some past warriors read books about their battles; many reconnect with buddies in their units, attend reunions, and turn out for parades on national holidays. Many begin to talk about their experiences for the first time. Some write their memoirs as George Browder did in his book entitled, "The Road to Tokyo and Back."

I admire and respect veterans who outwardly show what they've done for their country. When these men were young, they placed themselves in harm's way and survived for a reason. The reason is still a mystery to some older veterans who prefer to forget it all. But for others like Mr. Browder and Mr. Aguilar in a previous post, they remain courageously visible and a source of encouragement for young men and women.

Look again at the top picture and imagine what Browder may have said to the young soldiers and many others. He most likely gave uplifting words of thanks, moral support, and encouragement to these two young men. This is the spirit war veterans should put forth, especially in the golden years of life. Each in his unique way can be a shining example of character, patriotism, love, and respect.

Have a good week!

Independence Day Parade

2010-08-15T04:04:00.001-04:00

Horses and riders from Escondido

Beginning at 9:30 am PST on July 3, 2010, I stood on the corner of Orange Avenue and 3rd Street on Coronado Island, California to watch their Independence Day Parade. The parade started at 10:00 and lasted two hours. I saw the normal marching bands, fire trucks, veteran's groups, classic cars and more. Until I attended this parade, I'd never before seen United States Border Patrol agents. The three pictures below show agents marching, riding horses, or driving dune buggy-like vehicles. They consisted of men and women and were impressive people.

Independence Day Parades are taken seriously and are well attended on Coronado Island. According to the parade handout, an estimated 70,000 people attended last year.

The horses and riders in the top picture were representatives of Escondido, one of the oldest cities in San Diego County.

The parade was a lot of fun and a very patriotic event.

Have a good week!

Border Patrol

Another View of Border Patrol in Coronado Parade

Could You Be Wrong?

2010-08-08T04:00:00.034-04:00

This new book is available on Kindle

This 2010 book is about people possessing a belief and later discovering they were wrong. For example, a KKK leader in Durham, North Carolina hated a group of people and later discovered he was wrong to feel that way.

Another example was a woman who grew up believing that abortion is murder and later decided to have an abortion when she became a married adult. Other example included medical professionals performing surgery on a body part and then discovering they operated on the wrong organ. (Medical errors are the 8th leading cause of deaths in the United States.)

Being Wrong explores buyer's remorse, religious belief, opinions about others, and errors made in court that imprison innocent people. See the link here about a Winston-Salem woman who helped send an innocent man to prison for a life sentence. These are examples of mistakes made by well meaning people. How does this happen? How does the human psyche cope at the moment when a belief is learned to be mistaken? How can people avoid being wrong?

Answers to questions like these are examined in this very interesting book. Below are some notable quotes from the book:

"Groupthink most commonly affects homogeneous, close-knit communities that are overly insulated from internal and external criticism...."

"... how we react when our convictions collapse out from under us, and how we are changed from the experience."

"... buyer's remorse is a failure to accurately predict our own needs, desires, beliefs, and emotions..."

"This is one of the most powerful ways being wrong can transform us: it can help us become more compassionate people."

"Studies have shown that, on average, doctors interrupt their patients eighteen seconds after they have started explaining the reason for their visit."

"As soon as we think we are right about something, we narrow our focus, attending only to details that support our belief, or ceasing to listen altogether."

So, what is the lesson? The lesson for everyone is to consider the possibility that our opinion or belief may not be accurate. How can we avoid being wrong? One way is for some people is to stop talking so much and begin to listen more. Another way is to listen more carefully and keep an open mind. Personal growth occurs when one discovers an error in their opinion or belief.

I recommend this book.

Have a good week!

USS Midway Museum

2010-08-01T04:07:00.153-04:00

Onboard the USS Midway

Have you wondered about the South Vietnamese people who escaped from Saigon when North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the walls and gates on April 30, 1975? You may remember the news footage of helicopters lifting people from the rooftop at 22 Gia Long Street and taking them to the USS Midway offshore in the South China Sea. The ship added 4,000 people that day. It became so crowded on the carrier that many Huey helicopters were pushed overboard after their last flight to make room for the people.

On April 30, 2010 the 35th anniversary celebration took place on the USS Midway that is now a museum in the San Diego Bay. Watch this short video clip of people whose lives were saved 35 years ago. Click here.

My wife, daughter, and I toured the aircraft carrier museum when we vacationed recently. I salute all men and women who serve or served in the Navy. See some of my pictures below.

Have a good week!

Inside the top bridge of the island

F-4 Phantom, I loved the sight of these jets when they delivered air support to us fighting on the ground in Vietnam in 1966.

A View of the Flight Deck

The docent (retired Navy) in the yellow cap explained ship operations.

A Chance Encounter

2010-07-25T04:04:00.004-04:00

On June 30, 2010, I boarded American Airlines flight 1629 in Dallas, Texas en route to San Diego, California.

I was seated next to the aisle. The two seats directly across were empty until the last passengers boarded. A distinguished looking Mexican-American man made his way toward the empty seats. He appeared to be in his sixties, a thin physique, smartly dressed in casual attire, salt and pepper mustache, and the same coloration of hair extending below his white ball cap.

I noticed the insignias on the cap and when he settled into the seat, I looked over to him and said, "Airborne!" Without hesitation, the stranger responded with, "All the Way!"

These words "Airborne!" and "All the way!" are often exclaimed when one paratrooper meets another. The insignia on his cap was that of the 173rd Airborne Brigade along side a miniature Purple Heart Medal. He and I immediately started talking about our military service and combat tours in Vietnam, the dates (his was '67-'68), places, parachutist school, length of service, and our lives after the military. He continued his college education with the help of the G. I. Bill and became a lawyer in San Diego.

We enjoyed conversation off and on throughout the flight and exchanged email addresses. He encouraged me to attend the July 3rd parade on Coronado, which is across the San Diego Bay. He said he would be marching with other veterans and 70,000 people would likely attend it.

As Doreen, Jennifer, and I toured the city over the next few days, we spent one day in Balboa Park. We went into various museums, gardens, and saw other cultural venues. Our meandering stroll through the park led us to the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center at Inspiration Point. We paid the entrance fee and began the self-guided tour. As I looked at the many displays, I came upon one of particular interest to me because it involved the Vietnam War. It included a full-sized mannequin clothed in an army dress uniform with ribbons, medals, and trousers bloused inside paratrooper boots. Beside this mannequin was a display cabinet filled with photos of a young soldier and his medals. One photo showed him in the hospital recovering from a bullet wound to his shoulder. The actual bullet was cleaned of his flesh and blood and laid beside his Purple Heart Medal. Additional combat paraphernalia was there regarding this hero. See the photos below and click to enlarge them for better viewing.

When I read the placards about this man, I realized it was the same person I sat beside on the flight 1629 from Dallas. I had no clue before that moment. He is a prominent citizen and community leader in San Diego. Read some of his accomplishments in the photo. He came to the United States from Mexico at age 7, passed up an appointment to the USMA to join the military to serve in Vietnam, became a lawyer, and served on the San Diego school board, just to name a few.

I attended the parade on Coronado and spotted him marching smartly in the Color Guard of the San Diego All Airborne Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Association. As he marched dress-right-dress with other veterans, he gripped with both hands the flag pole of the SD 173rd AirborneAssociation. I learned later that he is currently serving as President of this group of veterans.

The top picture is a commercial plane flying low over Balboa Park to land in San Diego. This happens every two minutes. The next picture is a view of San Diego from Coronado.

Have a good week!

One More About Lettie Moore

2010-07-18T04:01:00.011-04:00

Lettie saw no indication that anybody on the staff at Old Richmond School followed up to inquire about her sudden and ongoing absences. Her parents didn't push hard enough to get her to return and Lettie never told them her reason for quitting high school until years later.

Lettie loved sports in school and played on the softball and basketball teams. She said, "My early love of sports explains why I attended many balls games at Northwest Forsyth Little League and at other places." Lettie's brothers and father played serious baseball and participated in community leagues in the 1940's and 50's. As the oldest child in her father's second marriage and the only daughter, Lettie (born in 1930) involved herself in the ball games and in the farm work.

Lettie admired her father Lanier Laurrine Doub (1885-1968).

Around 1937 her mother, Jennie Irene Woosley Doub (1904-1992), cut Lettie's hair too short to please Lanier (pronounced Lane-yer). See the haircut in the school picture above. He ordered his wife to never cut Lettie's hair again.

Lettie's next haircut didn't happen until around 1957. It was naturally curly and grew very long during those twenty years. See Lettie's long hair in the picture with her mother. This picture was taken in the early fifties when she was a young woman. The bottom picture was made in 2005 and shows long hair then.

Lanier was first married to Eva Mayetta Bowman (1888-1926) of East Bend, North Carolina. They had two sons born in 1919 and 1922. Their names were Lanier Lestro and Bascom Bowman "B. B." Doub. One daughter, born in 1918 died within days after birth. They named her Mildred Louise.

After Lanier's first wife Eva died in 1926 he married Jennie Woosley in 1928.

In addition to Lettie's two half-brothers, she has five brothers, Kermit Calvin (1931-), Junius Winburn (1932-1956), Maynard Ray (1934-1972), Belmont Grady (1936-1987), and Aubrey Allen (1939-).

Lettie loved farm life where they grew tobacco, corn, wheat, watermelons, fruit trees, and other crops. The animals included cows, goats, hogs, and chickens. Lettie was responsible each day for milking one particular cow. That cow's name was Star because of her blaze. Brothers Winburn and Kermit were responsible for milking two different cows. During winter months the three siblings went to the barn with lanterns to carry out this chore before going to school.

Mr. Doub peddled farm produce in nearby Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His door-to-door selling occurred a couple times per week and consisted of vegetables during the summer and fresh meat during the winter. Mr. Doub instructed Lettie to always select the "best of the best" for him to sell as she helped him get ready for the trip to town. The Doub family food came from the leftovers, which was plenty and of good quality. The same best of the best guideline applied to the eggs for Mr. Hugh Pfaff of Tobaccoville who came regularly to buy them for resale.

Lanier sold in areas of Winston-Salem referred to as Buena Vista and Ardmore. Lettie said, "Dad always said that is where rich people lived. Many of Dad's customers there had butlers, maids, cooks, and chauffeurs." During cold weather months, the Doub family killed and butchered hogs. Country sausage, hams, and shoulders were taken to town to his affluent customers. Surplus meat and chitlins were sold in the "East Winston" section of the city. Lettie explained how her mother scraped and washed the intestines from hogs to get them ready to sell.

Lettie helped her mother can garden vegetables for food to eat during the winter. "We sometimes stayed in the kitchen until midnight," said Lettie.

Eventually Lettie got a job in the city at S. H. Kress for a short time before she married Lloyd D. C. Moore and moved to Alabama in 1954. When she returned with Lloyd in 1967 to Kilmurry Hill Road, the farm she so fondly remembered had changed. She said, "I certainly didn't find the farm I loved, but I still have my memories."

During the past seventeen years of living alone, Lettie helped elderly women in the area who needed a caregiver. She stayed with LaRue Jones for about a year, then Jessie Randleman for about the same amount of time, and finally, Blanch Poole, a close neighbor and a "really sweet woman," said Lettie. She's had many other requests to provide care, but she turned down the offers. Lettie concluded, "Now I'm doing the things I really like doing, which includes mowing my lawn with a push mower."

I like calling Lettie Lorena Doub Moore, a friend.

Have a good week!

More About Lettie Moore

2010-07-11T04:05:00.021-04:00

The hummingbird and cardinal are favorites among all the birds around her home. The cardinal because Lettie loves to watch the parents feed their young and the hummingbird because of its flying speed and hovering ability. Lettie can identify most birds native to this region as she watches bird feeders in her backyard.

The top picture shows her cozy home, her reliable car, and the trees that attract the squirrels and birds. This home is very near the site where she was born and grew through childhood.

Lettie has always been inquisitive and a learned person. Her ability to spell and find mistakes in grammar is remarkable. See the sample of her handwriting in the picture. Click on the text to enlarge it and see the steady hand and excellent motor skills for an eighty-year-old.

When her father drove her to Old Richmond School to enter the first grade in 1936, she said, "I was scared to death." "I thought Mama and Daddy were trying to get rid of me", Lettie said as she remembered the experience. She went to school that first day in the back seat of her father's 1934 Ford. Older brother Lestro was also in the car. That's all she remembers about the first day of school.

Throughout her schooling, she refused to talk in class and dreaded to give oral book reports out of fear of speaking in front of other students in the classroom setting. In first grade she received a whipping from the teacher because classmate Lawrence Shamel was "cutting up" while the teacher was outside the room. When the teacher returned and asked who was making the noise, Lawrence reported that it was Lettie. First grade teacher Mrs. Odell Kearney believed Lawrence's story and spanked Lettie in front of the class, which embarrassed her greatly. A similar incident occurred in fourth grade. Again, by not speaking up, she took the blame for classmate Eugene Long and received a whipping from fourth grade teacher Mrs. Williams.

Change happened to Lettie in the tenth grade. Classmate Emma Jean (Shenny) Creech was sitting in the same row in the second desk in front of Lettie. Shenny, for an unknown reason, tossed a book over a student's head and it landed on Lettie's desk. Lettie tossed it back to Shenny. The same thing happened again. The third time, Lettie tossed the book through an open window to the outdoors. That's when teacher Miss Arrington saw what was going on and became involved. The teacher ordered Lettie to retrieve the book, but Lettie refused because it wasn't her book. The second time Miss Arrington insisted, Lettie left her desk, walked to the door, stopped, turned to the teacher and said, "I'm going, but I'm not getting the damn book." Lettie walked home and never returned to school. Lettie knew she would be in serious trouble for saying that bad word if she returned.

This unfortunate incident and Lettie's reaction affected her life forever. Beginning with that moment, Lettie never again let anyone take advantage of her by remaining silent. However, the book throwing incident has been a "bad dream many nights for lots of years", she said. Lettie never again spoke to Shenny for starting the uninvited book throwing. Years later Shenny telephoned Lettie's mother and said she'd like to talk to Lettie. When Lettie received the message, she thought there was nothing to talk about. During recent years, Lettie regrets not returning Shenny's telephone call. Shenny passed away in 1986. This is an example of how childhood play, teacher reaction, and perceived fairness can impact a life in unimaginable ways.

Below is a picture of Old Richmond School as it looked during Lettie's time there.

Lettie, however, recalls her school experiences with fondness and pride. She is most excited when she thinks about her many classmates. Here is a list of familiar names who were in school with Lettie: Mildred Goins, Paul Blackburn, Hoyal Kye, Wilburn Speas, Abe Whitman, Vance Sprinkle, Beatrice Anderson, Viola Blackburn, June Craft, Helen Lineback, Mildred Long, Marie Edwards, Becky Tuttle, A. J. Stout, Betty Hauser, Faye Nance, Lucy Butner, Henry Watts, Fred Kreeger, Ruth Gentry, Peggy Pfaff, Roy Whitman, and others.

Return here next week for more about Ms. Moore.

Have a good week!

Lettie Moore is in the Pfafftown Spotlight

2010-07-04T04:25:00.014-04:00

She stands less than five feet tall, but my friend is a giant when it comes to life, laughter, memory, and mental ability. Eighty-year-old Lettie Lorena Doub Moore is still going strong with her monthly calendar filled with places to be to fulfill responsibilities at church, choir, Grange, crafts, ball games, and visiting the shut-ins.

Lettie lives in a mobile home that is anchored to the ground on a plot of land within a few hundred feet of where she was born in 1930.

She left Pfafftown in 1954 when she married Lloyd D. C. Moore, an Alabaman. They lived in his state for thirteen years until Lettie brought Lloyd to Pfafftown in 1967. He worked for RJR until strokes disabled him 1978. Mr. Moore died in 1993.

Lettie became the breadwinner near the end of Lloyd's life by working at Sears in Hanes Mall for eleven years.

Lettie has no children, but sometimes feels mother-like toward her brother Aubrey Doub who lives within sight of her home. Widower Aubrey and sister Lettie frequently dine together at their favorite restaurants. Of course, tomato sandwiches often keep them home to eat evening meals during hot summer days.

Lettie is interested in astronomy and was a member of the Forsyth Astronomical Society for a few years. When asked her about her favorite constellation, she replied without delay, "Orion" and immediately pointed to the sky to describe the arrangement of bright stars that form the belt of the hunter in Greek mythology.

She's also very interested in genealogy and has been a member of the Forsyth Genealogical Society for a long time. Those meetings take place the second Tuesday of each month. The bottom picture is Lettie doing research in the North Carolina Room of the central branch of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Public Library where she makes good use of library resources. Lettie possesses much knowledge about her ancestors whose history is prominent in Pfafftown starting in the mid to late 1700's.

She's a member of the Winston-Salem Sears Retiree's Club. They meet bi-monthly for meals and fellowship. She's a member of the Pfafftown Rust and Dust Club. This group meets on the third Saturday of each month. Oh yes, she's also a member of the Sing Along Group. The quartet group members sing with assisted living residents at Vienna Village each Thursday morning. The first picture below is Ms. Moore singing there on June 24, 2010 when I tagged along. "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" in the picture below is just one of the many hymns we sang during the hour beginning at 10:00 am.

She also belongs to these groups: Old Richmond Grange, Pleasant Hill Church Bible Study Group, and Doub's United Methodist Church choir. Lettie is on the go somewhere every day. Last weekend she watched her nephew Jimmy Ray Doub play in two softball games on Saturday and five games on Sunday. This tournament play at Kernersville was in temperatures into the 90's. The team that Lettie was cheering for won the tournament.

This osteoporosis afflicted lady is tough and has endurance. There will be more about Lettie next week when I describe her growing up in Pfafftown in the 1930's and 40's.

Have a good week!

In The Pfafftown Spotlight

2010-06-27T05:20:00.016-04:00

I plan to periodically feature an individual who has lived a long time in this area of Forsyth County of North Carolina.

The first person in the spotlight is my mother, Ann Anderson Mabe, a lifelong resident of Pfafftown. She was born in 1924 in the Dozier community and was 9th of 13 children born to Jasper and Elvira Anderson. Both parents and all but one sibling, Pat Puckett, have passed.

The picture of mom was taken a year ago for the church pictorial directory when her age was 85.

She was married to George Howard Mabe for 47 years until his death in 1990.

My mother has three children of which I am the oldest. Beyond the normal love and admiration a son has for his mother, there are qualities about her I'd like to make you aware.

Among 13 siblings, she was the only one to graduate high school. She graduated from Old Richmond School in a class of size thirteen in 1942. Most students in the 1930's and 40's in this area didn't earn a high school diploma. The high dropout rate was due to the culture at the time. Many parents bore children and had large families for the labor needed on the farm. Most children weren't discouraged from quitting school because they were needed to help attend to the crops, gardens, food preparation, and the gathering of firewood. Survival was more important than school for most families. When asked why she didn't quit like her brothers and sisters, she replied, "I enjoyed going to school and liked to learn from my books. I enjoyed my classmates and didn't want to quit."

After her children were in school, she pursued and completed professional training as a Licensed Practical Nurse and worked at Forsyth Memorial Hospital and in private-duty nursing for her career. Again, she was the only sibling to seek professional training as an adult.

The next thing I admire about my mother is the furnishing inside her home. There is no clutter due to excess stuff in her house and basement. Her closets and drawers are half empty and there is wide-open space throughout her basement with stored items well organized. Her walls, bookshelves, and tables are not occupied with things and stuff without purpose and usefulness.

When mail arrives at her home, she carefully uses the scissors to cut open the stamped end of the envelope. After reading the correspondence, she carefully folds the document and returns it to the envelope. She sometimes writes a note on the outside like "paid" and saves it for one year. She gets me to shred older documents each year.

Whenever my mother writes, she uses the cursive style she learned in school. I observe many people today reverting back to the print or block style of handwriting even after they've been taught cursive. I find that curious. Look at the picture of my mother's current handwriting. See if you can read it.

A few years ago she wrote an autobiography entitled "Precious Memories". After getting her 46,000 word manuscript word-processed, she published her life story in hardback and gave the books to her children and other family members. One copy of the book was donated to the North Carolina Room of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Public Library. Her life story is on the shelf there for perpetuity.

My mother has always been disciplined and in control of her behavior. I've seen her sad, disappointed, hurt, and upset, but never angry. She seeks to discover the positive in all situations and accepts all outcomes that are beyond her control.

Like many people, she doesn't seek publicity or fame, but lives life quietly, with integrity, high morals, faith, and upright character that is admired by all who know her.

I'm a lucky man to have a mother like this to guide, instruct, and be a good example for me to follow.

Have a good week!

Thinking About Time

2010-06-20T04:08:00.019-04:00

Are your contemplative thoughts mostly about the future or about the past?

Last week I thought mostly about the past. Wednesday morning I drove a few miles from my home and took two pictures. The building in these photos is the Old Richmond Grange Hall on Tobaccoville Road. The sign on the front of the building reads, Old Richmond Grange 675. The local Grange constructed the building in 1955 with a $10,000 grant from the National Grange and the Sears Roebuck Foundation. The grant was given for active community involvement by this Grange, which was chartered in 1930. Local Grange leaders organized community groups, helped create a local volunteer fire department, and provided other important functions to the surrounding unincorporated areas. The Grange and its building continue to serve the Old Richmond, Tobaccoville, Pfafftown, and Dozier communities for local club meetings, a place for new churches to get organized, and as a meeting place for other community gatherings.

In 1957 I joined the Boy Scouts of America when Troop 146 met on the lawn and inside this Grange Hall. Sam M. Gilbert (1921-2002) and Charles D. Hooker (1923- ) were scout leaders. I was 10 years old and recall taking an interest in the Scout's Handbook and the survival tips suggested on the pages inside. I was in scouting only a couple years and then other youthful interests became a priority. During that period, I learned about the outdoors, knot tying, and camping as well as getting to know other rural boys beyond our familiarities in school.

Several years ago and after Mr. Gilbert died in 2002, I attended the public auction where his estate was sold. There I offered the highest bid ($30) for his last wristwatch, a Swiss Army model with a Speidel Twist-O-Flex band. See it in the pictures below. I wear this watch more than the others I own and sometimes think of my assistant scoutmaster when I look to check the time.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Have a good week!

Father

2010-06-13T04:26:00.018-04:00

If fire doesn't turn it to ashes, or a tornado change it to splinters, or termites pulverize the cellulose, then this table should fulfill its purpose from now to more than one hundred years.

The planks in this table came from a walnut tree that grew on a farm in Mocksville, North Carolina. Over thirty years ago Henry Abraham Whitman harvested the tree and milled its trunk into lumber. Shortly thereafter, "Abe", as he was called, lost his life on October 12, 1978 at age 49 in a tragic car wreck. A young person drove through a highway intersection without stopping and crashed into a jeep in which Abe was a passenger. Mr. Whitman was a husband, father and a respected building contractor.

At the time of his death Whitman had two daughters, Debbie age 23 and Robin age 19. Among the keepsakes, the daughters saved their daddy's walnut lumber. The siblings moved the boards from place to place after they married and relocated their homes. Both women have had several pieces of fine solid walnut furniture built from the lumber. As the inventory dwindled, Robin envisioned yet another dream for the leftover boards.

She commissioned Herschel Lamb, my friend and creative woodworker, to build the table shown in these pictures. Robin gave Herschel approximate dimensions and a picture to be used as a model. She offered a drawer-pull as a pattern to match other furniture made from the same tree.

Look at the details in these pictures (click on them to enlarge):

Solid walnut, wooden drawer slides, mortise & tenon joinery, dovetails, tapered legs, and square pegs in round holes. This signature table is marked with Mr. Lamb's turtle logo and a 2010-penny inlaid to denote the year the table was made.

Herschel engaged Harold Jones to turn the drawer pulls. Mr. Jones made his career as a patternmaker in the foundry industry and is an expert in turning wood on a lathe.

Robin and Herschel became aware of one's need and the other's skill through Linda at the Cricket's Nest, a craft shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The table was delivered to Robin's home a week plus a few days before Father's Day 2010 and positioned along a north wall in front of a window in a special room. It will be used to support a computer and store desk related items. It is most fitting that the wood prepared by Henry Abraham Whitman long ago has been turned into an object of beauty and purpose by a daughter who had a vision and who holds continuous love and admiration for her father.

The spirit of a good father can occupy a mind and cause goodness to be lived forward even after his flesh has been returned to the soil.

Have a good week!

How To Convert Company Assets Into Personal Wealth

2010-06-06T03:25:00.007-04:00

"A control fraud is a company run by a criminal who uses it as a weapon and shield to defraud others and makes it difficult to detect and punish the fraud." This concept and quote came from the book by William K. Black entitled The Best Way To Rob A Bank Is To Own One, How Corporate Executives and Politicians Looted the S&L Industry published by University of Texas Press in 2005.

Mr. Black worked as a bank regulator for the Federal Home Loan Bank during the period of the Savings and Loan Crisis during the 1980's and 1990's. He helped root out the crimes of S&L executives of which Charles Keating was most notorious. Throughout the book he describes how white-collar crime works at the executive level in banks and companies. Unscrupulous or greedy company executives with the help of politicians loot companies by converting company assets into personal wealth. They do this through stock options, political donations, and numerous perks for executives. Politicians help set the rules and weaken government oversight to allow looting to take place. Jim Wright, U.S. Congressman of Texas was one of the most difficult politicians to roadblock government action against control fraud in savings and loans banks in Texas.

Here is an example of how government regulators became weak. Ronald Reagan ran for the presidency on the platform that government was "too big" and "the problem". When elected, President Reagan appointed department heads that managed as if their departments were "the problem" not the businesses they regulated. Staffs were slashed and bank audits made infrequent. When audits turned up questionable practices, politicians stepped in to fight the auditors. Black said, "It is a self-fulfilling prophecy that government will be ineffective if one designs it to be ineffective. The systems-capacity problems of the SEC and the Bank Board are parallel. Both were forbidden to pay salaries competitive with those offered by the banking regulatory agencies (much less private firms). Both experienced rapid turnover and had to staff key operations with inexperienced personnel."

Mr. Black pointed out, "that for many years no public accounting audit firm exposed any S&L control fraud." In other words, there was a crisis in the industry and no public accounting firm gave any signs or warnings.

Black wrote, "One advantage that white-collar criminals have over blue-collar criminals is the ability to use top lawyers, not only at trial but also before criminal investigations begin. Control frauds maximize this advantage by paying for the lawyers who help the controlling insider loot the firm." Of course the lawyers are paid with company funds.

In addition to reading his book, I watched Mr. Black's interview with Bill Moyers on Bill Moyers' Journal. You can see the interview here. Not much has changed with regulations to prevent fraud since the S&L Crisis.

Black is currently Associate Professor of Economics and Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.

Have a good Week!

Read Electronically Displayed Words

2010-05-30T04:44:00.007-04:00

Why are words on white paper different from the same words on a digital device?

They're the same words, sentences, paragraphs, and chapters in both places. The internalization of written words should be the same regardless of the medium upon which they're read, right? Well, according to some readers, the experience of reading is not equivalent though the words are the same.

My family gave me an Amazon Kindle as a Christmas gift in 2008. I've been reading books on the device since then and have completed thirteen so far. The picture above shows my Amazon Kindle beside twelve books. All twelve are in the electronic device, saved with my highlights and notes, and easily accessible with a few clicks.

I am convinced that hard copy book selling is on the way down. It's not logical anymore to buy books, read them, and put them on a shelf to collect dust.

Think about it and get on the cutting edge of innovation.

Here is the list of titles I've read on Kindle:

1. Getting Things Done by David Allen 2001

2. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, 2008

3. American Theocracy: The Peril & Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, & Borrowed Money in the 21st Century by Kevin Phillips, 2006

4. 5000 Year Leap: 30 Year Anniversary Edition With Glenn Beck Forward by W. Cleon Skousen, James Michael Pratt, Carlos L. Packard, and Evan Frederickson, 2009

5. Tomorrow Now: Envisioning The Next 50 Years by Bruce Sterling, 2003

6. Biscuitville by J. Phillips L Johnston 2010

7. Half The Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn, 2010

8. The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street & Nearly Destroyed It by Scott Patterson 2010

9. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, 2010

10. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, 2003

11. The Spy Who Loved Us: The Vietnam War by Thomas A. Bass, 2009

12. No Apology by Mitt Romney, 2010

13. The Best Way To Rob A Bank Is To Own One by William K. Black, 2005

Have a good week!

Alpha Troop Reunion Notes & Pictures

2010-05-23T04:08:00.003-04:00

Here are notes I made while attending the Alpha Troop Reunion:

Click on pictures to enlarge.

We arrived on Wednesday in Branson and checked into the Grand Plaza Hotel.

We were fit, strong, trained, focused, uniformed, armed, with a mission forty-four years ago.

Last night at the reception we were bigger, different, weaker, happier, laughing, hugging, joking, and reminiscing without a common goal.

Alpha Troop veterans came to Branson from AL, CA, FL, IA, IL, IN, KY, MN, MO, NC, NM, OH, PA, TN, TX, & WI.

Alpha Troop veterans at the reunion served in Vietnam one or more years from 1965 and 1972.

Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry of the 101st Airborne Division was formed in '64 or '65 and has remained active since that date. Troop A is deployed now in Afghanistan.

We toured the War Museum in Branson. Then we boarded the Showboat Branson Belle for a dinner cruise on Table Rock Lake.

Back at the hotel and inside the hooch the wives separated and sat at tables to talk. The vets mingled, stood or sat. The talk and laughter increased as the evening got later. So did the decibel level.

Some were drafted, others volunteered. Some made military a career, others left after two or three years. Nobody complained or regretted their service to the U. S. of A.

It was not noticeable, but at least two vets are highly decorated. One had been awarded the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, 2 Air Medals for Heroism, and the Purple Heart. Another had the equivalent except his included the Distinguished Flying Cross and 4 Purple Hearts. There may have been others, but as I said, war medals were not obvious.

Military rank and social status do not matter at this time, place, and stage in life. The human affairs of good health, happiness, contentment, and inner peace are the matters of importance now.

A chartered coach bus transported most of us around the area. It was huge, clean, and the driver was smartly dressed, knowledgeable, and careful as he motored along negotiating the turns.

Between events back in my room, I finished reading my 13th book on the Amazon Kindle. I reviewed the twelve titles by using easy touches, which produced electronic movements to reveal highlighted passages I'd made when I first read the books.

Breakfast was in the restaurant on the ninth floor starting at 7:00 AM. A professional singer there softly sang many popular hits. One was Judy Don't Take Your Love To Town.

The memorial service involved reading aloud 197 names and service dates of Alpha Troopers who were KIA or died after tour. Their date of death was announced too. What other organization gives voice to its members' names that died up to 45 years ago?

The reading of names was interspersed with comments from the veterans who knew the deceased. Some remarks brought laughter while other comments were emotional and brought tears.

We dined Friday evening in a theater to background music by a high school band. A stage show followed the dinner. Legends In Concert was music and impersonations of great stars.

The spouses rode on a bus to various sights and attractions around Branson while the vets held a business meeting to discuss and plan the association's affairs. Alpha Troop must soldier on into the future.

The finale was Saturday evening at the banquet. After the fine meal, raffle drawings decided the winners of desired items donated by members. These prizes helped raise funds for future events. There were hugs, handshakes, and promises made to keep in touch as the reunion concluded.

Many of us rejoined in the hooch after the banquet for one final time to talk and hang out together before retiring to bed and starting our journey home on Sunday.

Mike and Doreen landed (1:20 PM) at O'Hare Int. Airport onboard United Express flight 6746. This airport is named after WWII hero & Medal of Honor recipient Lt Cmdr Edward "Butch" O'Hare.

Mike and Doreen landed (5:15 PM) at Greensboro Regional Airport onboard United Express flight 5684. We arrived home after a 45 min drive.

Top picture: I'm fourth from left on top row; Doreen is one step below me wearing glasses.

Second picture: Me in Vietnam in March 1966.

Third picture: Me in the water's edge of the South China Sea at one moment in 1966. See the ghostly image in front of me. I remember the time and place but not that man in front of me there.

Fourth picture: Forty-four years after the previous Vietnam picture.

Last picture: Me beside the iconic poster of Uncle Sam in the museum.

Click here to see 61 additional pictures.

Have a good week!

The 500th Time

2010-05-09T03:48:00.014-04:00

Last Friday was the 500th day I subbed in high school classrooms since I volunteered to quit my career job nearly 5 years ago. In August 2005 I retired from a wonderful career in corporate management that lasted 32.5 years at L'eggs, Sara Lee Hosiery, Adams-Millis, Sara Lee Sock Company and Sara Lee Branded Apparel.

I had no plan for what to do when I retired. I just felt that 3 years of military service, 4 years in a university, and the time spent in business totaled almost 40 years since I became an adult. I thought that was enough years of striving for more success and additional money.

My wife came up with the idea for me to try substitute teaching in the public schools. She was a career teacher in a private school and knew the personal rewards of teaching.

I applied through the proper channels, was vetted by the human resources department of the WS/FC school system, and became eligible to sub in the fall of 2005. I was confident I could do the job and felt my life experiences and education, my work with corporate executives and plant employees, my people skills, my family life, and the involvement I had in manufacturing plants throughout the United States and Central America prepared me well to be a teacher.

My first dozen days in the classroom were shocking and a surprise. Students didn't respond to me as I expected. It took another fifty to one hundred days of subbing in various schools and numerous classes to affirm my potential to be effective in the classroom with students who barely knew me. Concurrent with my start of subbing I took thirty-three hours of training at Forsyth Technical College over eleven weeks in a course called Effective Teacher Training which supplemented my life experiences to manage teenagers in the classrooms. Daily critiques and continuous coaching by my wife around our fireplace at night proved helpful and encouraging.

Now after five hundred days few actions surprise me with teenagers. I've seen the best and the worst of student behaviors. A forty-eight-minute period inside a classroom teaching 30 teenagers can feel like an unpleasant eternity. On the other hand, it can be the most rewarding feeling I've ever experienced. I now understand why teachers love the job. It is the most satisfying job imaginable to inspire young people to learn, to get them to concentrate on my every word, to watch them grow and mature, and to see them succeed in accomplishing the tasks at hand.

After working for five years along side career teachers, and being inside classrooms that would total into the thousands of unique students, I've concluded that today's students and teachers are far better than they were in my generation. Generally speaking, I believe almost everything about the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system is better than it was fifty years or twenty-five years ago. I was in the same system fifty years ago as a student, saw it twenty years ago as a parent, and today I'm in it as a sub with insight from many points of view.

Have a good week!

(The picture of my wife and me was taken two years ago at a military ball in Greensboro, North Carolina.)

50 Years Old

2010-05-02T04:50:00.010-04:00

My wife showed me last week the place to dig a hole so she could plant a rose bush. The tool I used for the task is a posthole digger I bought 50 years ago when I was age 13.

A posthole digger was an unusual purchase for a teenager in 1960. I think it would be unheard of in 2010.

I bought this manual digging tool because an area farmer, Clyde Fulk, hired me to dig 30 fence post holes for a total pay of $30.00. I paid Brown-Rogers hardware store less than $15.00 for the tool and have kept and used it since 1960. The new fence was the final section to enclose pasture land for cattle and was installed along the property line of Mr Fulk's farm and the house lots of Jack Stafford and Howard Mabe at 6180 and 6190 Tobaccoville-Bethania Rd.

I dug the holes through clay topsoil and into hard subsoil. As I worked after school many days, it took almost a month for my young hands and arms to repeatedly lift and pound the metal jaws into the dirt to reach the bottom of each hole. Notice the black lines on the handles in the picture below which I marked as the target for the depth of the 30 holes.

Today the wire fence Mr. Fulk installed and wood posts I planted have long ago been removed after the farm land was converted to a housing development called Wide Country Estates. The hardware store in Winston-Salem where I bought the tool closed many years ago, and the road name where I lived as a boy has been changed to Doral Drive. The half-century old post hole digger tool leans against my basement wall waiting for me and the next project.

Have a good week!

$133.00 for 4 Days and 877 Miles

2010-04-25T04:44:00.003-04:00

I know my habits are often different from most people. When I vacation, I usually rent a car instead of driving my own.

One reason I rent is to force me to calculate the transportation cost when budgeting and deciding among vacation choices. I believe many people disregard vehicle cost when deciding to travel.

Another reason to rent is the life of my own car is extended by not adding the vacation miles to my automobile.

A couple weeks ago my wife and I vacationed four days at Pigeon Forge and the Great Smoky Mountains. We parked our cars at home and drove a rental for 877 miles at a cost of $133 plus fuel. We drove a car that was newer than our own and didn't have the worries of a breakdown on our trip.

When our children were young, we did the same. I'd rent luxury cars that were new, low mileage, and more spacious than the vehicles we owned at that time. We'd go to the beaches in comfort, get sand on the floor mats, and return the car for someone else to clean.

Does renting a car for your vacation make sense?

Have a good week!

Pigeon Forge & Smoky Mountains National Park

2010-04-18T16:56:00.003-04:00

My wife and I just returned from a four day R & R getaway at Pigeon Forge and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Here are some highlights:

Saw black bear and cub in the wild.

Observed the Pigeon Forge Rod Run (classic car owners assemble and car enthusiast come by the thousands)

As first time visitors to the area, we drove around to see the sights.

Drove through the national park.

Visited Cherokee

Three pictures are here and by clicking on the link below 20 more can be seen.

http://gallery.me.com/mikemabe/100408

Have a good week!

Bee Hive

2010-04-11T04:50:00.006-04:00

My friend and woodworker, Herschel Lamb, is in the picture above with his latest building project.

Lamb was commissioned by another person to build two bee hives following a design plan from another country. Local people and area beekeepers I've spoken to have never seen this style hive which is built using cedar or cypress lumber. All beekeeping in this area are swarms kept in painted wood structures with a square footprint and towering upward to form the shape of a cube.

The pictures below show the inside compartments, bee entry holes, and slats where the honey combs will adhere and hang.

One neighbor beekeeper who looked at the finished hive didn't understand how the queen bee would be kept separated from the combs where workers make and store the honey that is harvested for human consumption. All of us are interested in following the new project to learn about the benefits of this design compared to the traditional hive used in this area.

Herschel Lamb is a retired trucker and a previous owner-operator of 5 new Kenworth trucks that pulled temperature controlled or flatbed trailers throughout the United States. He grew up in Wadley, Georgia, served in Korea and New Zealand while in the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, worked as a foreman for a period in furniture factories, and moved to Clemmons and Pfafftown many years ago. His time in retirement is devoted to building custom-made furniture of high quality like beds, computer desks, file cabinets, book cases, lamps, bowls, armoire, and many other fine pieces.

Have a good week!

Jesus Paved The Way

2010-04-04T03:42:00.007-04:00

The two churches shown here are located near Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Both sets of my grandparents are buried in the churches' cemeteries. My father is in nearby Forsyth Memorial Park. Each grave marker is shown in pictures below. Click to enlarge for better viewing.

Age at time of death:

father 71.88 years

1 grandfather 82.78

2 grandfather 75.30

1 grandmother 83.16

2 grandmother 87.37

Have a good Week!

Create Heat and Burn Calories

2010-03-28T04:32:00.003-04:00

I fell 3 unwanted hickory trees, cut the trunks and limbs into firewood length, hauled the pieces to my backyard buildings, split the large chunks, and stacked the green hardwood under a shelter.

The coming summer months will cure the wood for maximum BTU's and minimum creosote when burning to warm my home next winter.

Additional calories will be burned getting the wood into my stove at a later date.

Have a good week!

Medical Research

2010-03-21T04:38:00.010-04:00

Here is the concept: The approach researchers take to find cures for cancer is to obtain cancerous tissue, keep it alive in a lab environment, and treat the tissue cells with test vaccines to see if the cancer cells stop growing. This is how chemotherapy and radiation became treatments.

The problem, in part, is that human cells will not live for long outside the body. (Exception: stem cells from human embryos can live and grow into tissue or organs as directed by researchers. The foreskin from circumcised baby boys can grow into large sheets of skin for transplant onto burn victims. One foreskin can grow into a surface area the size of 6 soccer fields. Bone marrow is another exception.)

Everyone will die and everyone's cells will also die, except the cells from one woman, Henrietta Lacks, who died at age 31 in 1951. Her cells are alive today and have been used by researchers, universities, hospitals, labs, and science for the past 60 years.

Mrs. Lacks was a poor woman with 5 children who lived in the tobacco farm country of Clover, Virginia near South Boston. Her cervical cancer cells were harvested and kept alive by Dr. George Gey. The cells grew (multiplied) and were given away or sold to the science community ever since. The cells have gone into space and to the moon. They helped test the safety of the polio vaccine instead of using monkey cells.

When Rebecca Skloot was age sixteen and in a biology class, her teacher wrote Henrietta's name on the board when he began to explain cells. After class, young Skloot approached the teacher and wanted to know more about Henrietta Lacks. The teacher indicated he didn't know much about her, but if she would research this woman and write a summary, he would give her extra credit. Twenty years later the book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" was published in February 2010 by Crown and authored by Rebecca Skloot.

In fact, very little was known about Henrietta Lacks until Ms. Skloot spent years researching her descendants, her hometown, Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, and the medical community processing her cells. Rebecca Skloot continued her education and graduated college with degrees in science as she pursued the complicated history of HeLa cells. HeLa is derived from the first two letters of the name of the person from which the cells were harvested, Henrietta Lacks.

This book explains what happens to tissue and organs surgically removed from people and describes who has legal ownership and rights to whatever benefit may come from the procedure.

This new book is informative and very interesting!

Have a good week!

Images From The Trip

2010-03-14T04:30:00.009-04:00

The first picture is me at Pebble Beach Country Club, next my dinner plate at Jennifer's home in Seattle, then the Golden Gate Bridge across San Francisco Bay, and finally Doreen at Jennifer's office in downtown Seattle. Click on each picture to enlarge for better viewing.

There are more pictures of our vacation at Muir Woods, Fisherman's Wharf, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Carmel, Alcatraz, Sausalito, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Click here to see more pictures.

Have a good week!

Vacation

2010-02-28T03:22:00.002-05:00

I am traveling and vacationing in Seattle and San Francisco. If you're interested you can search for me and follow my updates on facebook.

Have a good week!

Half The Sky

2010-02-21T04:14:00.012-05:00

I read the book Half The Sky Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide by co-authors Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, published by Alfred A. Knoph in September 2009.

This important book enlightened even me, a 63 year-old man who has a mother, sister, wife, daughter, and has worked with lots of women all my adult life. I love, admire, and respect women and have often said they are superior to men in many, many ways. When I was in my career job, I liked management teams when they consisted largely of females. They were almost always appreciative, tolerant, empathetic, patient, and stressed quality over quantity. I loved working with and for women!

Now, let me relate some facts presented in this book:

An obstetric fistula is a condition of torn or weakened membranes brought on by difficult childbirth. Left uncorrected by surgery, a fistula results in urine and bowel waste continually flowing from the female body. Poor health care in parts of the world results in some women living with this condition. The odor is horrendous and the unfortunate women are often ostracized to the point of death or suicide.

On any given day, absenteeism by doctors in health care facilities is 30% in regions where care is desperately needed.

Iodine deficiency in some countries affects brain development in the first trimester of fetuses and lowers IQ by 15 points.

In some countries young girls are lured to other countries by job opportunities and then forced into prostitution and remain trapped in brothels.

Female genital cutting is practiced in many cultures as a way to deter promiscuous behavior.

Infibulation is a process of stitching the vulva to prevent sexual intercourse until marriage and is practiced in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

During the last hundred years, of all the countries in the world China has done more for the advancement of women. Women in urban areas of China participate in decision making in the community and enjoy high status in the family with housework equally shared by the husband and children.

Fully 30 percent of parliament positions in Rwanda are held by women since the genocide of 1994. As a result, the country is changed and getting better.

This book is about the potential of women worldwide and the need to break free from some customs that are rooted in religion, culture, tradition, peer pressure, and sexuality. The authors put forth a case that a better world will only result when women are more educated and participate in governance. They point out that when women are educated birth rates decline, violence and terror are reduced, and health improves overall.

The authors contend that a movement for women is needed similar to the abolitionists who changed slavery in the 1800's and activists who affected civil rights in the 1900's.

Do you agree and can you be an instrument of change?

Have a good week!

Character and Respectability in Young Adults

2010-02-14T04:27:00.011-05:00

Click on the photo to enlarge.

The photo shows one marine being recognized as NCO of the Quarter and the other, Marine of the Quarter. (1st Quarter 2010) These young people earned this honor by competing with other marines and passing several board reviews of grilling questions about academics, job knowledge, articulation when addressing the committee, physical fitness, and more. The difference between the two awards is rank and responsibilities.

The male on the left, Cpl. James Mabe, was born in Cali, Colombia, came to the United States from Panama at age 6 when his mother married my brother, was adopted and later gained U. S. citizenship. He graduated from Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina and entered East Carolina University. (Jack Britt High School scores highest across both genders and all ethnic groups year after year on standardized testing compared to all other public 4-A high schools in North Carolina. If you're curious verify my statement and speculate why this is true). He attended ECU for two years and became disillusioned with the widespread undisciplined and deviant behaviors of many modern college students. He left the university and joined the Marine Corps in January 2007, graduated boot camp highest in his platoon, continued training at Camp Pendleton, California and works today in command headquarters there.

I don't know the background of the female marine on the right in the picture, but I would guess she, too, is remarkable.

I admire these young people and their service to our nation. They are receiving the best life skills training that can be acquired as they practice discipline, teamwork, physical fitness, and leadership. Also, they are accruing college funding credits for themselves or a spouse.

I realize all service men and women are not stellar individuals. I also know that all college students aren't slackers. I'm in classrooms with college bound high school students that I believe are the best. I feel great delight in the classroom with many of the students. I see and sense the quality of their behavior, their respect for authority, the hard work they exert on assignments, the way they behave toward each other, and the physical fitness of their young bodies.

I often acknowledge these attributes to the class and add that they should avoid the parties of "young people gone wild" when they get to the university. They usually respond with something like, "Okay, okay, Mr. Mabe we get it."

Have a good week!

Winter of Twenty-Ten in Pfafftown, N. C.

2010-02-07T04:56:00.007-05:00

What's in a Brick?

2010-01-31T03:51:00.009-05:00

Click on the pictures for better viewing.

Summit School is an independent school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It has operated continuously since its founding in 1933 by Mrs. Louise Futrell. The campus moved once and expanded greatly over time as the school's reputation for quality education became known. The grades run from 4-K through 9. Students then go to other private schools, public schools, or boarding schools to finish their secondary education.

When teachers and staff retire with over 25 years of service, an engraved brick is placed in the platform around the flag pole in front of the school. The top picture shows the brick for my wife's 29-years of teaching math at Summit. She taught 8th grade algebra most years.

She retired at the end of the 2008-2009 school year after a total of 35 years including public schools.

Congratulations Doreen, great job!

So, what's in a brick? Well, when properly positioned and interconnected with other like bricks, it can be a foundation to support something good and lasting. It can also be a symbol of community service in a profession and occupation that helped people and contributed greatly to a family, and it can be an inspiration to others who follow.

Have a good week!

An Open Letter

2010-01-24T03:56:00.008-05:00

Dear Retired Generals & Colonels:

I am writing to you to raise the question, “Where are you?”. Most of you retired in your 40’s or early 50’s after a stellar career of managing resources and leading men and women. You’ve served on domestic bases and in many countries representing the United States. You interacted with people in various positions of authority in foreign lands.

Many of you were schooled in one of the military academies and received the best possible well-rounded education. Others received a quality education in state or private colleges and universities. Throughout your military career you worked to keep your management and technology skills honed and up-to-date. You’ve worked with people of all stripes, color, and ethnic backgrounds.

My question is this: as a retiree, why aren’t you running for public office or teaching in a university? I know some of you are and I salute you! There are many generals and colonels who have disappeared into the “woodwork” of society. I realize some of you found employment with defense contractors.

There are public positions at the local, state, and national levels that need people with your background and skill sets. Just look at some of the people who are elected to many of these positions. They are nowhere near the quality of you.

You’ve got a good pension and time to fill elected positions in government. You have the experience and maturity to teach in universities and colleges. Colin Powell asserted himself in government after he retired. Wesley Clark, another retired general, ran for an elected office. Other high ranking military retirees are in universities and are influencing young people in positive ways. Our country needs men and women like you.

I encourage you to get involved. You Are Needed!

Have a good week!

Ice Age

2010-01-17T04:07:00.007-05:00

The ice measured 3.5 inches thick near the dam and 2.25 inches at another spot.

The lake became frozen a couple weeks ago. Daily temperatures have ranged from below 20 degrees for many nights to only into the thirties most days for the past week.

My wife and I walk on the trails around this lake in C. G. Hill Park most days. We arrive there before daylight and see dawn as we walk the one mile of trails four times. I became curious about the depth of the ice this morning (1/11/10) and returned to the lake with a drill and ruler.

The bottom two pictures show where 8 resident ducks are spending their time. My wife was concerned about their limited food supply and asked me to get a 50 lb. bag of cracked corn from Riverside Farm and Garden and give it to the park attendant. I complied.

See the pictures here and have a good week!

Humanity

2010-01-10T04:27:00.002-05:00

I watched the movie first and then read the book. The book cover, title, and author are shown in the image to the left.

Have you ever imagined meeting the devil(s) face-to-face, in the flesh? General Dallaire met them in Rwanda in 1994, exchanged pleasantries, shook hands, consulted them on matters of security, heard them say they had "sensitized" their people to stop the massacre, and watched them beam with pride. (paraphrased from Dallaire's words on pages 346-347)

Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire is Canadian and was placed in charge of the United Nations Force to keep peace in Rwanda in '93-'94. His book describes the experience and the failure of himself and the world to prevent the massive slaughter of people in the African country.

Most of us have seen the movie "Hotel Rwanda" and gained some insight into what the genocide was like. The movie producer and actors never consulted with Dallaire in preparing the movie, but did a good job from the perspective of the hotel and the chaos. The general described what it was like in the command position for one year as conditions worsened, as Belgian forces withdrew from the country, when equipment and supplies came late or never showed, and as the months passed and humans were hacked to death and bodies piled high throughout the country.

Dallaire points out how all humans are not equal as the actions of world leaders made clear.

The book and movie are not entertainment reading and viewing. It is education and knowledge about the world and how out of kilter humanity is with the commands of our Creator.

Have a good week!

Big Banks

2010-01-03T04:29:00.015-05:00

I use a Shell credit card for gasoline purchases because of the 5% rebate from all gas purchases at Shell stations. Rebates to me totaled $865 during the past for 4 years. This means I purchased $17,300 of fuel during the same period.

A few weeks ago I received a letter from Citibank of Sioux Falls, South Dakota which contained the paragraph at the bottom. It indicates that the interest rate is going up to a minimum of 23.99% APR. This should not affect me because I always pay the full balance each month before the grace period expires. I feel sorry for people who carry a balance on a credit card.

Citibank, like all big banks, charges exorbitant rates on credit card loans while paying interest on deposits at a rate of 1 to 2.5%. Look at your bank and see the spread between the interest charged on loans and interest paid on deposits.

Make a New Year's Resolution like Arianna Huffington is promoting on the Huffington Post. Watch this from her site:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icqrx0OimSs&feature=player_embedded

Also watch this young women, Stephanie Frost:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvRjt0j2p-Y&feature=player_embedded

Enter your zip code and find the safe banks in your area here: http://moveyourmoney.info/

Have a good week and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

2009-12-27T04:02:00.001-05:00

Later this week will close 2009 and begin a new year. Thanks to all of you who sent my family and me greeting cards, email messages, and in person words of friendship throughout 2009. I greatly value my associations with all of you and look forward to quality relationships with everyone throughout the future.

This month completes four years of contributing to this blog. It started in January of 2006 at the suggestion and encouragement of my son. He helped me to get started with the technology and continues to assist me with the same. Just today, he helped me merge my Twitter comments with this blog. Notice on the sidebar to the right. This will be a new feature of my blog.

Twitter has been an enthusiastic rage for many people with computers and mobile devices for a couple years now. People and commerce are using this tool to communicate a wide variety of messages. If you aren't using Twitter, you should study this digital venue to see it could benefit you.

In additional to my weekly blog updates, you will be able to see my ongoing most recent tweets on the sidebar.

Have a good week!

The Cove

2009-12-20T04:06:00.008-05:00

Do you remember the TV show "Flipper" beginning in 1964? Richard O'Barry was the dolphin trainer. Flipper, a trained dolphin, entertained audiences with water performances and spawned an industry of dolphin parks worldwide.

"The Cove" is a must see documentary film about the capture and slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Migrating dolphins are herded into a cove where the best are selected for capture and sold to show parks around the world for up to $150,000 each.

The remaining trapped dolphins are killed, bled until the water is red, pulled into boats, taken to markets for butcher and then sold for human consumption. This happens to over 20,000 dolphins per year in Taiji.

The dolphin meat is high in concentrations of mercury; many large fish in the oceans have levels of mercury not recommended for human consumption. Pollutants from industrial smoke stacks around the world are the leading cause for this problem according to the Oceanic Preservation Society. The Cove was produced by OPS, directed by Louie Psihoyos and stars Ric O'Barry who is now trying to free all captured dolphins and stop the annual slaughter in Taiji.

Click here to read about the new documentary film on DVD.

Should you and I be more concerned about the mercury levels in food eaten by us? Should we be outraged by the slaughter of dolphins in Japan? A historical and documented case of problems associated with high mercury in the food chain can be seen in the 1950's community of Minamata, Japan. Read about it here.

Does your annual physical include a check for mercury level in your body? Mine doesn't either. I plan to request a check next time and become more concerned about mercury in my food.

Have a good week!

Multiple Choice Question

2009-12-13T04:26:00.005-05:00

What do the government of Belgium, the Catholic Church, and United Nations have in common?

a) Not much

b) They're all important institutions

c) 800,000 dead Rwandans

d) Need more information

Watch the documentary film "Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire"

This film was produced by the CBC and White Pine Pictures, released in 2004 and available on DVD.

After you see it, then decide if there is a correct answer.

Have a good week!

IKEA

2009-12-06T04:43:00.002-05:00

Imagine a huge warehouse with a sheltered parking lot and enclosed walkway into the store. Shoppers need not experience any weather to look for home furnishings at the IKEA store I visited at 601 SW 41st Street in Renton, Washington a few weeks ago.

I walked through bedrooms, kitchens, dens, and bathrooms that were completely furnished with a variety of styles. I judged the quality acceptable and the prices low. I thought about how different it is today when shopping for home furnishings compared to when my wife and I started accumulating household furnishings forty years ago. Today, one stop shopping at this store can supply all the needs of housekeeping.

I then thought about the expensive gifts we received or pricey purchases we made ourselves. Items like a place-setting for 12 of china, the same number of silverware, crystal, goblets, and more. We rarely use these pieces and have thousands invested there. We did use our silver daily for many years when our children were growing up. Now we use Polish pottery, stainless silverware, and regular glasses and cups to serve meals. All our "fine" stuff is stored and occupies space with little interest in it by anyone.

What does all this mean? It means that young people should spend frugally on only what is needed to be functional. Forget about "fineness" that is needed only by a few rich and famous people. Shop at discount stores and save your money for a rainy day as my father advised me when I grew up.

Have a good week!

Symphony

2009-11-29T03:58:00.003-05:00

I counted 128 people in the choir, 60 members in the orchestra, 3 soloists, and 1 conductor.

Last Sunday I took my 8-year-old granddaughter to a symphony concert at the Stevens Center of the UNC School of the Arts. The main reason we were there was because my wife sang in the Symphony Chorale.

I know almost nothing about music. I enjoy singing with the church congregations during worship services. I love listening to music of all kinds and admire the makers of it. I have great respect for composers and their talent. When I hold an open hymn book in church, I look at the bottom of the page to see the author's name and observe his or her birth and death dates. I then marvel at the choice and arrangement of words. I sometimes wish I could choose a few dozens words, arrange them, apply musical notes, and cause people to be humbled as happens with "Amazing Grace" or "How Great Thou Art".

When I attend a concert, I monitor myself and observe who I spend most time watching on stage. After scanning everyone during set-up and watching their behavior, demeanor, dress, and movements, I then note who I spend most of the time watching. Usually, it's the drummer. I recall many years ago taking my son to the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill to see a concert by Eric Clapton. I couldn't take my eyes off the drummer there. I suppose it's because of the overpowering sounds from the drums and the wild-like hand and arm movements of the drummer.

At symphonies I love it when the voices and instruments are singing and playing at full force. Then, abruptly, everyone stops to cause complete silence for a period. I can think of nowhere else that a leader can get almost 200 people to act in unison with great precision.

Have a good week!

An Honor To Be With Students

2009-11-22T04:04:00.001-05:00

Click on each picture to enlarge for easier reading.

Have a good week!

Veterans Day

2009-11-14T04:10:00.006-05:00

I had the privilege to participate in the Veterans Day ceremonies at Wake Forest University last Wednesday.

A copy of the program and the appreciation plaque presented to me by LTC Keith Brace are displayed here. Click to enlarge them for better viewing.

No one went to sleep or appeared bored during my remarks which lasted 10 to 12 minutes. The speech is printed below.

Have a good week!

It is an honor for me to be here today. There are two reasons I feel that way. The first reason is because on June 8, 1970 I was here to see my wife graduate this great university. She graduated the same day that PGA Golfer Arnold Palmer was awarded an honorary degree from Wake Forest University. This bit of trivia always comes up when Doreen’s graduation day is discussed. The second reason is because of this National holiday and the opportunity it brings to address current students, faculty, and friends of the school.

I gave this speech the title, “The Life Cycle of a Military Veteran”.

My status as a veteran began when I was age 22. By that time I had volunteered and completed three years of military active duty. Doreen and I married on September 6 of ’69 and on September 15 she resumed classes here to begin her senior year. At the same time I entered my freshman year of college at another school. I was in college for the first three and one-half years of our marriage. The G. I. Bill paid my tuition and most fees.

After I graduated the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I started my career with Hanes, which later evolved, into Sara Lee Branded Apparel. I worked in the corporate offices with the best and brightest of people for a wonderful career of 32 years. The lessons I learned in the military and the skills I developed there enabled me to flourish in civilian life.

I grew up in Forsyth County. The people I met in the Army were from all across the United States. I learned about people and cultures, weapons, machinery, airplanes, parachutes, infantry, and much more. I received training along with everyone else as we worked and lived together. We accomplished missions by executing the plans with each team member fulfilling responsibilities. We were supervised and led by high caliber leadership. Some of us discovered leadership ability in ourselves and were allowed to practice that attribute. The skills I developed as a Private First Class and later a Sergeant E-5 carried over into college, family, and work life. The skills of planning, setting objectives, defining short and long term goals, and desire for personal growth worked well on factory floors and in executive board rooms.

My status as a veteran was largely unknown in the corporate environment. The climate at that time was cool toward veterans of my age. But, the lessons I learned in the military combined with my education paid great dividends. The Federal Government classified me as a “highly compensated employee” for twenty of my thirty-two years at my career job. This classification limited my participation in the 401-k plan to 5% of income compared to 15% for other employees. During thirty years I paid the maximum into Social Security. Now, retirement benefits are paid to me at near the maximum rate for my age.

My career job is behind me and my children are grown so this veteran has begun to attend military reunions to reconnect with comrades who served in the same combat platoon and company that I did. We are corresponding, meeting, exchanging old photos, and catching up with each other after 43 years. The red and white cavalry guidon still represents Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry. This unit is still active and has served several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is easy and fun for us old timers to bond with the young guys when we meet at reunions.

I now carry this VA ID card with a U. S. flag printed in the background. It shows my picture and displays my name along side a bar code. I can go into any VA Medical Center emergency room anywhere in the United States. When this card is swiped there, the doctors will see my health history. My height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, current blood work analysis, past surgeries, and other vital health information are in the database. If there were medications, they, too, would be visible there. Doctors can then treat me if needed.

When my wife and I die, we’ll be buried in a National Cemetery. The first to pass will be buried 9 feet down and the next to die will be buried 6 feet down on top of the first. The cemetery plot, opening, closing, and marking of the grave will be at no cost to the family. Perpetual upkeep of the National Cemeteries is a Federal Government budget line item.

The opportunities I’ve described are available to most veterans who served honorably regardless of military branch, rank, or Military Occupation Specialty.
Most veterans, like most non-veterans, vote in elections, pay their taxes, volunteer time, donate blood to the Red Cross, contribute money to United Way, and otherwise fulfill the responsibilities of good citizenship.

Ronald Reagan High School is only a few miles from here. When I’m there in the classrooms subbing for teachers, I often talk to the students in an effort to inspire them to learn. I sometimes explain it this way: I say, “We learn by seeing and hearing. We process in our brain the information taken in through our eyes and ears. If we act upon the newly acquired information by writing or speaking it, then more of it is retained. For example, in algebra, students need to factor a polynomial without help to really understand the concept, not expect retention by only watching and listening to the teacher solve the problem. Likewise, the act of moving a pencil to write causes a deeper understanding of knowledge inside our head.” I urge the students to go beyond the printing of written words and employ cursive writing to enhance their penmanship.

I tell you this to make a comparison. Citizenship is a similar concept. A person can see examples and hear words about liberty and freedom and reach a level of understanding. But when the same person puts on the uniform and spends time on active duty, a new dimension of citizenship occurs just like with the student, in algebra, who finally factored the polynomial on his own. A whole new level of understanding of liberty and freedom takes place within the veteran. Millions of men and women from all socio-economic and professional backgrounds have worn the military uniform and served on active duty. Most of them have a story on a par with mine. To all men and women who’ve worn the uniform, I say a big “Thank You”! To Wake Forest University, I appreciate this occasion and the invitation you extended to me. Thank you and may God continue to bless our country.

Delivered by Mike Mabe at Wake Forest University in room 410 of Benson University Center on 11/11/2009 at 11:00.

November 11

2009-11-08T04:05:00.005-05:00

Click on these pictures and read the names and dates along the bottom the these two flag boxes.

The flag in each box draped the coffin of the man whose name is above the dates . One was my father and the other my father-in-law.

Notice the time served and military branches where these men devoted part of their lives between the years of their beginning and their end.

Observe Veterans Day on Wednesday.

Have a good week!

Why Not Attend?

2009-11-01T03:48:00.002-05:00

Why not set a good example and attend a Veterans Day service on November 11 or a memorial service as the one shown here?

These people sacrificed much and would appreciate you being there. Teach your children and grandchildren how to respect Blue Star Mothers.

Seek services in your area and plan to attend.

Click on the image to enlarge for easier reading.

Have a good week!

One Way To Learn

2009-10-25T04:03:00.005-04:00

A Purple Heart is not a discoloration of that all-important muscle inside one's chest. My daughter admitted that was her belief when she was a child.

A Purple Heart Medal is a symbol first established by George Washington, then, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. His order read in part, "Let it be known that he who wears the military order of the purple heart has given of his blood in the defense of his homeland and shall forever be revered by his fellow countrymen."

Authorized by Congress in 1932, awards of the Purple Heart total 1,345,701. (376,801 were battle deaths and 968,900 were wounded)

This medal is not one to be sought. Parents don't rear children to aspire to possessing this honor. Scars, disfigurements, or death can accompany this recognition. In a perfect world there would be no awarding of this medal.

Since most people haven't seen the actual medal or may be unfamiliar with its meaning, the local chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart has set up a display at the Reynolda Branch of the Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County Public Library. The exhibit will be there from October 20 through the end of November. See the actual medal in the top picture.

The display idea was initiated by James Schaller and wife, Carol, who are newcomers to Winston-Salem from Buffalo, New York. Jim is one of 250 Purple Heart Medal recipients in Forsyth and surrounding counties in the local MOPH Chapter 638. Carol is a member of the Ladies' Auxiliary. The chapter raises money and volunteers time to assist veterans at the VA hospitals in Salisbury and Asheville, and the VA Clinic in Winston-Salem.

Visit the Reynolda Library to see the exhibit and click on the pictures to enlarge them for better viewing.

Have a good week!

"On the eighth day....

2009-10-18T03:48:00.009-04:00

"On the eighth day God created the infantry and all Hell stood at attention". This is the message we saw on a T-shirt while visiting Fort Benning, Georgia on October 10-11, 2009.

Fort Benning was built in 1918 and named in honor of Henry L. Benning, a Confederate general, lawyer, legislator, and judge on the Georgia State Supreme Court. This famous United States military facility has been training infantry soldiers, paratroopers, rangers, and other highly trained commandos throughout its history.

Patriots F. Joe Idol, Robert Helton, and I were there last weekend to attend Region IV's meeting of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

LTC Jon A. Ring, Commander 1-507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, warmly welcomed the MOPH group with opening remarks. His review of Fort Benning's history and its current training mission statistics were interesting to veterans like us.

Robert Helton (top picture) underwent parachute training at Benning in 1948 when he was age 15. He served in the Korean War with the 187th ARCT and the Vietnam War in the 173rd Airborne. He was also in the Green Berets and other army units a total of 33 years. After military retirement, he moved to Winston-Salem where he worked, volunteered, and refereed high school football games in Forsyth and surrounding counties. He now enjoys full retirement and membership in civic groups and military association groups.

Joe Idol (second picture) trained for the infantry at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in early 1967 after being drafted in 1966, served two years of active duty, and fought in Vietnam with the 1st Infantry Division where he was engaged in much infantry action.

I volunteered for the military in 1965, trained for the infantry at Fort Gordon, Georgia, completed parachute training at Fort Benning, fought in combat with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam in 1966, and completed three years of active duty.

The three of us are recipients of the Purple Heart Medal. We are members with many other wounded-in-action veterans of the Military Order and serve to help veterans and families who are entitled to assistance. We appreciate your support as we help the Department of Veterans Affairs to supplement the services to aging veterans and new warriors.

Region IV consists of departments and chapters in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

Our planning meeting at Benning was helpful, uplifting, and encouraging.

Bob Helton and I are in the bottom picture with the 250' jump tower behind us. We practiced parachuting from this tower during our training many years ago. Click on the pictures to enlarge for better viewing.

Have a good week!

Walking Update

2009-10-11T04:00:00.006-04:00

Here is the status of my walking at C. G. Hill Park for the past seven years. My chart shows over 300,000 points. This translates to 5,454 miles walked.

The second chart shows how I compare to other walkers across the United States who log their exercise from walking the same speed interval. Click on the charts to see them enlarged.

See the below text that describes how the fitness program started.

"The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports was first established as the President's Council on Youth Fitness, on July 16, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower after the President learned the results of a report indicating that American children were less fit than European youth. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy changed the name of the Council to the President's Council on Physical Fitness, expanded the mandate to all Americans as well as youth, and clarified the purpose and function of the Council. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson broadened the Council's mission to include sports and changed the name to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports."

Have a good week!

Recent Woodworking Project

2009-10-04T04:03:00.002-04:00

I started with a white oak log 24" in diameter and 6' long. Slabs of bark and sapwood were removed by sawing on 4 sides leaving a "cant" 18 inches X 16 inches. Next I sawed through the middle creating two pieces 8" thick by 18" wide. I then chainsawed the two pieces to reduce their lengths to 60".

Next, one end on each piece was elevated to cut an incline. The pictures here show the steps.

These two ramps will be used for a straight truck to drive its rear wheel onto so the truck bed will be level with a shipping/receiving dock at a distribution warehouse.

Have a good week!

Have You Noticed?

2009-09-27T04:25:00.004-04:00

A 20 lb. bag of ice at Sam's Club is $2.69. At Lowe's Foods 18 lbs. is $2.99.

Have you noticed ice plants in parking lots of shopping centers in your area? I'm aware of two in Winston-Salem and one in Mooresville. I am intrigued by the concept of selling ice from a coin operated unit that looks like a dressed up cargo shipping container.

The units offer 16 pounds of fresh bagged ice for $1.50 or 20 pounds at the same price if dumped into your portable ice chest container. Processed water is sold there for 25 cents per gallon or $1.00 for 5 gallons.

If you desire to start your own business, I believe this could be a profitable one. The investment would be $100,000. The ongoing expenses would be rent, utilities, and maintenance. There would be almost no labor cost. If the unit malfunctions, it automatically telephones the owner.

Go the the web site and learn more. Click here.

Have a good week!

Former Correspondent for Reuters and Time Magazine

2009-09-20T04:06:00.021-04:00

He earned the "Hero of the People's Armed Forces" award, the highest military recognition by Vietnam for his information in planning the Tet Offensive in January 1968.

Fourteen additional medals were awarded to Pham Xuan An for his tactical help in specific battles and campaigns while fighting the United States and South Vietnam forces. In 2003 An was awarded a medal for 50 years of service in the Communist Party.

All these awards were presented following the war, because from 1955 to 1975, Mr. An was a spy working as a news correspondent for Reuters until 1965 and for Time magazine from 1965 to 1975.

He was charming and entertaining as he interacted with diplomats and news people like Morley Safer, David Halberstam, Frank McCulloch, Beverly Deepe and many more reporters throughout the long war.

When North Vietnam realized the United States would continue the fight after the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the Vietnam Communist Party sent Pham Xuan An to Costa Mesa, California in 1957 where he enrolled in Orange Coast College to learn American culture. He studied two years in the community college and then traveled across country by car. An was in the press gallery in New York to watch Nikita Khrushchev deliver his speech during the Soviet leader's first visit to the United States.

Pham Xuan An had a network of 45 couriers to get messages to Ho Chi Minh. Twenty-seven were captured or killed throughout the war. One courier, Ngenyen Van Thuong, was captured and tortured by amputating his legs several inches at a time every two months. A total of 6 cuts reduced his legs to stubs. The signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 brought about Thuong's release. He, too, earned the "Hero of the People's Armed Forces" award for his part in transporting messages and keeping the secrets during captivity. Thuong lives in Vietnam in a wheelchair with half a body.

The tunnels in Cu Chi were used by An to send frequent intelligence to North Vietnam leaders.

In the 1980's when all this came out about Pham Xuan An's role in the war, most reporter friends in the U. S. didn't feel betrayed. Some admired his cunning and skill at avoiding detection and suspicion. During the 1990's many friends in the United States raised money to bring An's son, Pham Xuan Hoang An, to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study journalism and Duke University to study law.

The book, The Spy Who Loved Us: The Vietnam War and Pham Xuan An's Dangerous Game, by Thomas A. Bass was published in 2009 by Public Affairs. I recommend this book if you're a student of history, war, and spying. If you're easily upset by the news media, then don't read it.

Have a good week!

Welcome Home

2009-09-13T04:22:00.006-04:00

The WWII generation didn't suggest it; baby boomer opinion leaders wouldn't touch it; the VFW didn't push it; the American Legion was silent. A maturing new generation of young people who know right from wrong made it happen.

A new commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and fresh community leaders around Fort Campbell took corrective actions and organized a welcome home for Vietnam veterans on August 16, 2009.

Forty years after the fact (plus or minus) Maj. Gen. John F. Campbell's speech to veterans and families expressed appreciation and heartfelt thanks for the job we did.

We arrived at Fort Campbell on Sunday afternoon and parked our cars beside Division Parade Field. Our family members loaded onto coach buses and departed for the hangar before the 600 veterans loaded similar buses and motored to the same destination. Veterans unloaded and assembled into a giant formation in front of the closed hangar. When the command was given, the enormous doors spread open like a theater curtain to reveal a brightly lit interior with bleachers filled with cheering people. Celebration horns sounded, band music played, the crowd waved and shouted as we marched inside to a standing ovation. Ceremonial protocol followed.

Veterans from all branches were invited and 1,500 came. There were three repeat celebrations throughout the afternoon and into the evening to accommodate the large turnout. Clarksville's Golden Rule Smokehouse BBQ and Ajax Distributing donated 900 meals to feed the first wave. Hopkinsville-Christian County Chamber of Commerce handled the veteran registration leading up to the weekend. It was a joint effort by the community, the Chamber of Commerce, General Campbell, and the military. Male and female active duty soldiers helped execute the ceremonial plan and coordinate the event. An excellent job was done by all.

While on Ft. Campbell, I returned to the barracks at the corner of Kentucky Ave. and 46th Street where I spent most of 1967. This place was my duty assignment after I returned from Vietnam. Our platoon fell out each morning for reveille on the ground where I'm standing in the bottom photo.

It was exciting to return to Fort Campbell for the ceremony after 42 years. I knew nobody, but felt kinship to everybody.

Click on pictures to enlarge them.

Have a good week!

40 years

2009-09-06T04:20:00.010-04:00

40 years starting September 6, 1969 equals 2,087 weeks or 14,610 days.

This is the period of time my wife and I have been happily married. We felt a celebration was in order so we organized a week-long party at Lake Norman. This lake is near Charlotte, North Carolina, has 520 miles of shore line, was completed in 1964 for generation of power by Duke Power Company, and was named after the company's CEO in the 1950's, Norman Atwater Cocke.

We rented a lake-front house, hired a rental company to provide a tent, tables, chairs, and more, bartered with a friend for a 24-foot pontoon boat, and arranged with Harris Teeter to prepare food each day for family, friends, and neighbors who visited throughout the week.

See the pictures of people having fun. Click to enlarge.

See 100 additional pictures by clicking here.

Have a good week!

Aubrey's Family History (part 4 of 4)

2009-08-30T04:06:00.006-04:00

Click on the chart and pictures to enlarge for better viewing. The chart shows names and dates of Aubrey's ancestors and the ancestors' children names and dates. Aubrey's children and grandchildren are also shown.

Here are some observations from the information in the family history:

Aubrey's ancestry consists of family names of Doub, Woosley, Speas, Reynolds, and Spainhour.

There are 27 boys and 14 girls in this branch of the Doub family tree, an almost 2:1 ratio boys to girls.

Notice the picture below of Lettie Moore, Aubrey's sister, pointing to the photo of their great-grandfather Michael Clark Doub. His photo hangs among other historical preachers at Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church on Robinhood Road in Winston-Salem. Reverend Doub was minister there from 1850-1853.

Return here next week for another topic.

I thank Aubrey for his help and cooperation in preparing this series.

I especially thank Lettie Moore for her help. She has extraordinary knowledge about the family's history.

Have a good week!