Thursday, May 31, 2012

Family Visit

One of the many wonderful aspects of life in Columbus/Worthington/Dublin was our extended family network. My brother's and sister's children lived in town along with their children and the parents of the children's spouses. We all enjoyed each other and the three generation family gatherings were precious times together. 

My nephew's in-laws came out to Seattle last week. They enjoyed staying in downtown Seattle and seeing all the sights there. They also spent two days on the Olympic Peninsula. One afternoon we picked them up and brought them over to "our" side of Lake Washington. We showed them our home and our new community. After a walk in Juanita Bay Park, we had dinner at a small Thai restaurant in downtown Kirkland. Gelato from Sirena was our dessert. We were very happy to see these dear friends. 









Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Sounds of My Life

SOUNDS OF MY LIFE

One day we had more than our fill of noise as the “lawn maintenance/gardener” people blew things around all day. This caused me to think about the sounds in my life. What sounds do I associate with places or times of my life?

Birds
I love being aware of birdsong. It’s wonderful when spring arrives and I awaken to the birds’ singing. Birdsong was very much a part of my awareness at North Street. Jack Griffin was staying with us when he was about 3. He said the birds woke him up early every morning. The birds could get quite loud. I miss Ohio’s cardinals – the chirps and flash of color. Cardinals don’t live here in Kirkland. Crows, ravens, starlings – whatever the multitude of black birds are called - they’ve always seemed ominous to me – in Ohio and here.

Out here I noticed a black bird with a long blue tail. When I asked someone about it, she derisively said, “That’s a sky rat.” (a Steller’s Jay). We see robbins and nondescript brown birds that I also saw in Ohio. I’m still not used to hearing sea gulls daily. There are all sorts of gulls and I’m not sure which are most common in this area. When we go to Juanita Bay Park we are entertained by the multitude of birds and ducks we see and hear. We need to get better at identifying them. We do recognize the red wing blackbirds and mallard ducks.

Blowers
They seem to be a constant here – almost year round – rain or shine. It can get more than a bit annoying. The “gardeners” for our townhouses arrive on one day – they blow things around for a few hours. On another day the “gardener” for the four houses that are parallel to our townhouses arrives. Each house has very little yard. Somehow he is able to putter around, raking, weeding, and blowing most of the day. We can see and hear him out our office window. I’ve been tempted many times during this last year to go out and advise him on his work pattern. If he’d do his dirt spreading activity all at once instead of in bits and pieces, he wouldn’t have to blow the same area several times in one day. Then there’s the blowers that come with the grounds maintenance crew for the office complex across the road from us. The condominiums on the other side of us also have gardeners who do their blowing on another day. That’s a lot of noise spread throughout the whole week. We’ve been surprised that the blowing continues even in the rain.

Freeway Noise – White Noise – Waves
On North Street you could sometimes hear the white noise of traffic on I-270 off in the distance. On Kirkland Avenue we can barely hear freeway noise in the distance. Recently I realized how similar this white noise is to the sound of ocean waves in the distance.

People and Dogs
Kirkland home
There’s not much noise from people or dogs (other than Jack and his man - see below). We live in a very quiet area. North Street was relatively quiet too. Every once in a while in our 34 years there someone had a noisy dog. Fortunately that didn’t happen very often. We’ve always been fortunate to have relatively quiet neighbors.

Jack and His Man
When we moved into our place in Kirkland, we frequently heard intense and often angry calls and conversations directed to “Jack.” We figured Jack was a child, a sometimes disobedient child. Then we connected the shouts with a very small dog who lived in the end house in the group of four homes that are squeezed onto a narrow lot that runs alongside our lot. Jack and his man walked out to the street many times during the day. From our office window we could see them going out to do Jack’s business. Often Jack was independent. When Jack strayed into the street, the next time he trotted out, he was on a leash, head hung low. Soon Jack would win? earn? his freedom and he’d trot out to the street unleashed and way ahead of his man. Recently Jack and his man (the man had a wife but she rarely took Jack out), sold the house and moved. We miss seeing Jack and his man and hearing the man’s conversations with Jack.

Other North Street Sounds
North Street home
For years our neighbor Bill Brown whistled. He was a wonderful whistler. He worked outside a lot and usually whistled while he worked. A while before we moved we realized Bill didn’t whistle as much as he used to. We missed his melodies.

Fire sirens were a frequent part of the soundtrack of life on North Street. When we moved in, the fire station was on High Street just a block south of us. Years later the fire station moved into new quarters built where the Volkswagen dealership used to be, north of us on High Street.

Not long after we joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we hosted early morning seminary in our basement. We were close to the high school, so the Worthington students had only a short walk to school after seminary. I had breakfast while the teenagers and their teacher met in the basement. I remember how wonderful it was to hear the gospel being taught and discussed in our home.

Trains – on quiet nights when the windows were open we could hear trains in the distance. I like hearing trains. The sound brought back memories of train rides from London to see our grandparents in Evanston, Illinois.

Warm nights with the sound of crickets and cicadas – that’s summer to me. Those sounds (and the accompanying heat and humidity) will no longer be part of our summer now that we are in Kirkland.

Joe had the North Street house wired for sound. Using both wired and wireless connections, we could play music from his computer or from the satellite system all over the house. People often commented on how nice the soft, background music was. We favored easy listening and classical music. When I was gone, Joe favored “Madame Butterfly” cranked up as high as possible. When Joe was out of the house and I was cleaning I liked cranking the volume up for Sarah Brightman, especially “Phantom of the Opera,” and music from the 1950s and 60s.

Nassau home
Sounds of The Bahamas
At first almost everything was different for us, even the sounds. We knew the people were speaking English, but it took a while for our ears to become attuned to the Bahamian dialect. At night we heard toads and figured they had to be huge based on the sounds they were making. Turned out they were very small creatures. The sound of the wind in the fronds of the palm trees was soothing to me.

Our backyard in Nassau
Sometimes at the end of a long, hot and muggy day, we would go to a certain place, sit on a wall where we could catch a breeze and listen to the soothing sound of the ocean waves. We were far enough inland that we couldn’t hear the ocean waves from our apartment.

Nassau and its people were very loud compared to other places we have lived. Car horns were used as a form of communication. We’re not sure we ever figured out the code. Bahamians tend to talk loudly and can carry on simultaneous conversations with many people in different parts of a room. Christmas in Nassau brought its own set of differences, one of which was hearing Christmas carols played on steel drums.

Our first week in Nassau we were awakened in the night by the sound of drums in the distance. Our duplex had metal bars on the doors and windows and razor wire at the top of the chain link fence that enclosed our back yard. We’d been advised to always be aware of safety and security. Beyond our chain link fence topped with razor wire there was what we thought of as jungle. The Bahamians called it bush. As we listened to the sound of the drums and other unfamiliar sounds of the night, we wondered who or what was going to walk out of that jungle. Later we learned the drums and music came from a group that was practicing for the national celebration of Junkanoo.

Towards the end of our mission a pastor of a Seventh Day Adventist congregation rented the other side of our duplex. The group rehearsed at his house for a performance of the Bahamian national anthem. Hearing the Bahamian national anthem coming through the night was a never-to-be-forgotten experience.

A young couple lived across the street from us. They had two children and a nanny to care for the children. About 5 every night you could hear the nanny dealing with the children. The woman of the house started playing Kenny Gee music as her day wound down and she prepared for her husband to come home. We often saw her outside with a drink as this beautiful music wafted in the often hot, humid Nassau air. To this day, 16 years later, this is what I picture and feel when I hear Kenny Gee.

We grew to love the sounds of The Bahamas. Those sounds belonged to a country and a people we love – our Bahamian brothers and sisters.

Sounds of Childhood & North Oak Street

I just turned 66. Childhood is very far away. I don’t have vivid memories of many sounds from childhood. One that comes to mind – the slam of the back screen door. Dad had the door fixed so it would latch shut since most children wouldn’t take the time to make sure the door closed. I don’t know how Mom felt about it; she probably heard it what seemed like hundreds of times in a day. It feels like a reassuring sound to me.

What would our childhood have been without music? The record player, the radio, and then CDs – seems like there was always music in the background of our lives. Mom liked opera and Broadway plays. She had a beautiful voice and sang along with the soundtracks. At some point she stopped singing. It would be interesting to know why she stopped. Classical music was a staple but Mom and Dad liked other sorts of music too. Organ music, big bands, brass bands, klezmer were types of music we often heard. Dad built a cabinet for a radio and record player. That was in the living room until we closed their house after their deaths. The kitchen always had a radio and later a CD player. After Mom and Dad died, friends were at the house going through the collection of tapes and CDs to see what they would like to have. One young boy asked if we had any country music. Tom didn’t miss a beat, “What country are you thinking of? Scotland? England?” and so forth. When Dad was hospitalized with pneumonia at the end of his life, the CD player and a stack of CDs went with him.

Piano – Mom was quite a pianist but had to stop playing when her fingers started curling up. I don’t remember her playing the piano. Dad often played the piano. We were told Mom was a much better player. But Dad enjoyed playing and wasn’t concerned about his skill level.

Did Mom use a whistle to summon us home? Seems to me I remember a whistle or something similar. Dad went through a period when he used a boatswain’s whistle to round us up. Then there was the Navy clock in the hall. It chimed every 15 minutes.  Mom and Dad always had a cuckoo clock in the kitchen. That was part of life on North Oak Street.

I have vivid memories associated with certain songs. That’s a whole other topic. Certain sounds can instantly take me back to a place and time in the distant past.


Julia Holton Todd  
May 24, 2012





Sound wave image

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Family - Faith - Challenges

Family, faith, triumphing over challenges - all these and more have been on my mind and in my heart lately. 


Baby Charlotte's mother, Stephanie Nielson, was in an airplane crash and was burned over 80% of her body. I've been drawn to her story and recovery because of my burn experience - which was nothing compared to hers.


This video gives an overview of her life - before and after the crash. 
She blogs about her family and recovery here

Family and faith have helped her through the challenges of her healing, which will probably continue the rest of her life. Thinking about her perspective brought to mind Boyd Packer's talk on children and families at April's general conference.



lyrics for "Charlotte" 





Monday, May 28, 2012

The Sacrament - Renewing, Cleansing, Pondering, ...

"To worthily partake of the sacrament, we remember that we are renewing the covenant we made at baptism. For the sacrament to be a spiritually cleansing experience each week, we need to prepare ourselves before coming to sacrament meeting. We do this by deliberately leaving behind our daily work and recreation and letting go of worldly thoughts and concerns. As we do, we make room in our minds and hearts for the Holy Ghost.

Then we are prepared to ponder on the Atonement. More than just thinking about the facts of the Savior’s suffering and death, our pondering helps us to recognize that through the Savior’s sacrifice, we have the hope, opportunity, and strength to make real, heartfelt changes in our lives.

As we sing the sacrament hymn, participate in the sacrament prayers, and partake of the emblems of His flesh and blood, we prayerfully seek forgiveness for our sins and shortcomings. We think about the promises we made and kept during the previous week and make specific personal commitments to follow the Savior during the coming week."




Saturday, May 26, 2012

Wallace, Idaho - Silver Capital of the World


Our travels east and west on Interstate 90 have taken us over Wallace, Idaho many times. On our recent trip to Montana, we stopped to do a bit of exploring. 

Wallace, Idaho is known as the "Silver Capital of the World." 1.2 billion ounces of silver have been produced in the county since 1884. 

In 1991 you could drive from Boston to Seattle on I-90 and have to stop at just one stoplight. That light was in Wallace, Idaho. When the federal government wanted to destroy the town in order to complete this last section of Interstate 90, the 780+ townspeople of Wallace countered by having the ENTIRE town of Wallace put on the National Register of Historic Places. The Interstate now goes over the northern edge of town. 

The Last Stoplight in its coffin at the Wallace District Mining Museum
The removal of the last stoplight was turned into a city wide celebration. 
Click on the images to read the eulogies.


More pictures and information about Wallace are here.

This article was written in 2008 when the price of silver increased and some of the mines were reopened. 

Click here for an article on mining companies in the area. 


Friday, May 25, 2012

Patrick & Polaris

 Patrick works at the Grasshopper Inn
The address is Polaris, Montana. 
Polaris is now more of an  area than a town. 
 The Grasshopper Inn in the distance

See the story of these two men and the pig here
Patrick & Smeagol

***************************
When you put Polaris, Montana into a GPS, you are led to this spot. 
A bit of history - "Polaris is a mining ghost town …. The Polaris Mine was an important silver property which was located January 31, 1885. It was worked steadily and the ore was shipped by team and wagon to Dillon. In 1892 it was sold to a New York syndicate. Later, the Silver Fissure Mining Company, organized with Harry Armstead in charge, bought the mine and planned extensive improvements. They built forty miles of road from the mine to Armstead, a station on the Oregon Short Line. The smelter was destroyed by a fire in 1922 and by 1955 only a tavern called the Polar Bear [sic], a two-story log house, and a shed were left. Polaris was named by mining engineers for the north star, also known as Polaris. (from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company)"
Polaris does have a functioning post office and its own zip code. 
 Patrick says the ranchers still talk about wild times at the Polar Bar. 
Even though it was open until the early 1990s, it never had indoor plumbing. 
Check out this video about the Polar Bar


More posts on this trip: 




Thursday, May 24, 2012

See Ourselves As The Savior Sees Us

"The Savior saw more in those humble fishermen whom He called to follow Him than they initially saw in themselves; He saw a vision of who they could become. He knew of their goodness and potential, and He acted to call them. They were not experienced at first, but as they followed, they saw His example, felt His teachings, and became His disciples. . . 

. . . When we emulate Him and do the things we see Him do, we begin to see a vision of who we can become. . . .

Just as the Savior saw great potential in His early disciples, He also sees the same in us. Let us see ourselves as the Savior sees us."

O. Vincent Haleck; "Having the Vision to Do"



Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Montana Trip - Missoula

In May we trekked over the mountains and through the woods to visit Patrick, David, and Carol. Unfortunately Carol wasn't feeling well so we didn't see her on this trip.

The route to Patrick's place takes you through Missoula, so we got to spend time with David going and coming.

On the way to dinner one evening we checked out cars, one of David's and Joe's favorite activities. 

After a delicious dinner we decided chocolate was in order for all our celebrations - being together; David's birthday (the mountains passes weren't reliably open the end of March so we didn't make the trip over then);  Joe's birthday; and Mother's Day. 
We all agreed we had never before had so much chocolate at one sitting. It was delicious. You can see we scraped the plates clean. (We did send some of it home for Carol.)



Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Coming Home

This is what coming home looks like for us now. 
Driving back from Salt Lake City or Montana, we drive into and over the Cascade Mountains. This view is about an hour and a half east of our home. 
Driving north on I-405 towards Kirkland, we come around a corner and are greeted by Bellevue's skyscrapers. We live just minutes north of Bellevue. 





Monday, May 21, 2012

God's Love For Each Of Us

"[God] loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are ... rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.

What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us. (Doctrine &Covenants 88:63)





Saturday, May 19, 2012

Traveling Family Heirloom

Dad fashioned the candlestick from a piece of wood that had been twisted by a grapevine. No one is sure where Dad discovered the piece of wood. Tom thinks Dad found it on a camping trip. We’re also not sure exactly when Dad finished the wood and created the candlestick. Our memory is that the candlestick has been on the table by the living room window and Mom’s chair for decades. Blue candles were always either in or near the candlestick. 

Our Mother died early in 2003. When we closed the Oak Street house after Dad’s death in December of the same year, we had to determine who received which items in the house. The twisted candlestick was the ONLY item in the whole house that was requested by all four children and many of the grandsons. Our solution - the candlestick would circulate through the family, accompanied by a journal documenting its journey. 

The candlestick started its travels in January 2004. Eight years later it's still moving around the country, shared by our parents' children and grandchildren. 

At a genealogy conference, I attended a class on family heirlooms. The speaker asked people to share stories about how family heirlooms were distributed - who got what. I told about our traveling heirloom. No one had ever heard of a family treasure shared in this way. 
Oak Street - So many memories &
reminders packed into this picture (12/2003)
Candlestick at our home in Kirkland.
Soon it will head back east. 




Wednesday, May 16, 2012

We Are All Teachers

"We are all teachers. We should ever remember that we not only teach with words; we teach also by who we are and how we live our lives. 

As we teach others, may we follow the example of the perfect teacher, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He left His footprints in the sands of the seashore, but left His teaching principles in the hearts and in the lives of all whom He taught. He instructed His disciples of that day, and to us He speaks the same words, "Follow thou me." (Matthew 4:19)

May we go forward in the spirit of obedient response, that it may be said of each of us as it was spoken of the Redeemer, 'Thou art a teacher come from God.'" (John 3:2)