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OH MY, you guys really outdid yourselves today. Sue, those fish are brilliant. I've never seen anything like them. Jim, you are so creative. Who else would have thought of that? Max, Chihuly never gets old. Love the locks Wendy. There is a bridge in Moscow where newlweds do the same thing. Julie, seems like you've seen and done just about everything. Did you photograph the rock formations in Baja? They are spectacular and unique.

This COLORFUL photo will come as a shock to Marv. He doesn't know that while in stay-at-home mode I started growing a beard 11 weeks ago. I was trying to save it until our next meeting, but the heat and humidity are too much, so I'm thinking the whiskers might not last much longer. This photo with my granddaughter was taken two days ago. She insisted I get in her pool under a sprinkler rainbow. Then we did what we always do, we had a good humored stare-down. The beard has to go.

07/07/20 02:56 PM

#8717

That is an impressive beard, Mel. Do you have a ponytail to go with it?

07/07/20 03:38 PM

#8718

Wendy, how did you know that? Yes. For a few years I looked like George Carlin, now I don't know who I look like.

Julie, these are a couple of details of the photo Wendy posted earlier. I've been able to name over half the kids. If you know who others might be, please let me know.

Right half of Oakland School 2nd Grade in 1954. Julie, you are at the right end of the 3rd row.

Left half. Wendy is 5th from the left in the 1st row. Marv is in 2nd row with Chuck Jenkins. I'm in top row.

Standing: Mrs. Warren
Row 4: Cathy Quiett, Cress Maddox, ?, Mel Theobald, Janice Kerchenfaut, ?, ?, Roger Cope, Anne Wylie, Janet Hitzner
Row 3: Dick Campbell, Mike Mauer, ?, Jim Hastings, Ed Buis, Greg Holey, ?, ?, ?, Bob Bower, Julie Hart
Row 2: Chuck Jenkins, Marvin Theobald, ?, ?, Fred Clemmens, Holly Rust, Paul McGinnis, Betsy Ahlenius, ?, unseen Alida Frish?, Jerry Lott
Row 1: Chuck Massie, Garth Golden, ?, ?, Wendy Stephens, ?, ?, Don Cravens, Mike Cox, Jim Morin, Dick Harwood, Delia Wolfe

(Edited at 6:25 pm 7/7/2020) Thanks for the correction Wendy.

07/07/20 04:38 PM

#8719

David Long

Marc, thanks for turning the picture over - it looks much better that way. Just an FYI, the helmets are all hanging from the ceiling by their face guards. It provides a better perspective being flipped. Thanks again.

07/07/20 05:42 PM

#8720

Mel, I think you got most of them right, but Cheryl McClay didn't move from Schenectady until third grade, so she wasn't in that class.

what a group we were. I remember we had to sit at our desks with our hands clasped on top of the desk when we weren't doing anything.

07/07/20 08:00 PM

#8721

I have a picture of the third grade at Oakland school somewhere. I will try to find it and post it. In one year we will have all changed quite a bit...at that age.

07/08/20 12:24 AM

#8722

James (Jim) Rookus

Well the day is over... some great pics today...

Sue... amazing fish .. never heard of that kind nor seen them... look like gold fish on streroids!

JULIE ... that top pic of sunset with clouds is one of the prettiest I've seen!

WENDY ... gorgeous roses ... hope you can view them from your house

DAVE ... adorable grandson ... and did you play for alll those teams?

MAX ... Never ...Never tire of Ghihuly ! Post him anytime

last but not least MEL ... the beard looks good ... keep it ... love the ""Somewhere.... under the rainbow...."

FUTURE topic or photo suggestions .... Pet Pieves ..... Funny Signs .....

Restaurant mishaps ..... Humerous Work Relate Incidents ....

Near accidents .... Personal Fears .... Holiday mishaps ... Holiday Traditions

07/08/20 12:54 AM

#8723

07/08/20 10:21 AM

#8724

I started this COLOR post yesterday and circumstances kept me from being able to finish. So, here it is a day late. Hope I am not over doing it.

This is one of my three grand-daughters in my pool in Irving Texas in 2004. She started college at Texas A&M Commerce last year.

Tulip photo taken at the Dallas Arboretum in 2008.

Orchids photo taken in Bangkok Thailand in 2008.

Flowers of BHS colors at a market in Bangkok in 2008. Flower markets in Thailand are plentiful due to a Thai tradition, started in the mid 1800’s, to display flower garlands as a symbol for luck and respect. Flower garlands are seen everywhere and are usually replaced daily.

Another Thai tradition is soap carving. The petals are colored after carving.

This colorful lantern photo is at a market in Bangkok.

Freshly picked apples at an orchard in Washington State in 2005.

Leafy plant at Dallas Arboretum in 2004. I have forgotten the name of the plant but I bet Wendy will know.

07/08/20 11:13 AM

#8725

That plant is a species of African violet called Sunset bells. Also known as Squarestem, black flamingo, copper leaf. Botanical name is Chrysothemis pulchella

nice pictures everybody!

07/08/20 12:05 PM

#8726

Wendy - I knew you would come through with that plant ID - Thanks.

Jim – You certainly are a problem solver. You could pick out your favorite shirts, cut them in half, sew the opposite sides together and set a new trend in tropical shirts while minimizing the decision on what to wear. You could be color coordinated for any occasion. Very creative.

Dave – Sorry about the football helmet photo rotation. Would you like for me to turn it back over?

Regarding Mel’s beard – Just when I don’t think Mel could do anything more that would surprise me he manages to pull one out of his hat. To say the least I was not prepared for the beard. Makes me wonder what is next!!!

Travel Misadventures – Mel was born 12 minutes before me and has always considered himself the big brother. In 2008 while in Thailand, having crossed the International Date Line on the way, it occurred to me that the time there being about 12 hours ahead of Chicago time that I was suddenly older. When I talked to him by phone, I felt compelled to point out that I was now his big brother. His reply was “Fine - I hope you can handle the responsibility”. On that same trip I changed airlines in Tokyo and took advantage of an overnight layover to go sightseeing. All was great until I arrived to check in for my flight to Bangkok and found out that my ticket was for the previous day. I had failed to account for the jump ahead on the date. Fortunately, they were very accommodating and gave me a seat on that day’s flight without extra charge. Maybe Mel was right! I did really enjoy the day of sightseeing not realizing I was not scheduled to be there.

07/08/20 01:22 PM

#8727

Julie – My visit to the zoo in Tyler was a day trip from Dallas with my daughter and grands. Longview was not a reasonable possibility and I am sorry to say I was not conscious of being that close to you. The next time I am in Dallas I will let you know and see if we can meet. Who knows – maybe we could meet at the zoo.

I enjoyed learning how some of you got where you are today. A little belated but here is my story most of which is probably true.

After BHS I spent a half semester at ISU but that was not my real desire. I had wanted to find a technical school to pursue drafting and design training and on a visit to Mel in Chicago discovered Allied Institute of Technology. I completed a two year course in Tool and Die Design in July of 1966. Immediately on completion my draft status was changed to 1A and it was not possible to get a job at that time since it was given that I would be drafted within a couple of months due to the Vietnam War buildup. Following a great month long adventure to California, I enlisted in the Army in September 1966 to become a Construction Draftsman. In July 1967 I was sent to Vietnam to be assigned to a field engineering unit. That position was filled before I arrived and I was ultimately assigned to the Military Police Headquarters in Long Binh about 20 miles from Saigon. I was responsible for assisting a team of Intelligence Officers in making charts and maps detailing and planning troop and equipment availability and movement activities throughout the country in response to hot spots as they developed. In addition, I set up a briefing room for twice a day updates for the Provost Marshal, a Brigadier General, who was in command of all MP’s in SE Asia.

During the early days of the 1968 TET Offensive there was an enormous number of attacks that required immediate response. It was obvious that a huge loss of life and property were happening. During the first three days of TET I only got 4 hours sleep and kept working around the clock to keep information updated for what became an almost continuous series of briefings. For my contribution to this activity, the General awarded me the Bronze Star for Meritorious Serve indicating that without my drive and initiative they could not have as effectively managed the crisis and that my actions saved untold lives and property.

After my return from Vietnam in July 1968 I was assigned to Camp AP Hill Virginia as a Construction Draftsman until my discharge in September 1969. In Dec 1968 I was married and by early 1972 had a son and a daughter. We settled in LaGrange, IL and I was able to get a job as a Tool Designer for a small dental equipment manufacturer and five years later landed a job as an Engineer with National Can Corp in their Research and Development Dept. Five more years passed and I took a job with Texas Instruments in Sugarland Texas in Aug 1979. By Dec we were unhappy with the crammed Houston area and decided to move to a remote East Texas property. I spent the summer of 1980 building a house and in Nov went to work for a military aircraft test facility manufacturer for about a year. Ultimately the East Texas adventure was not working out as hoped and we moved to Irving Texas where I worked as a contract Equipment Designer for Frito Lay and Abbott Laboratories. In 1983 I built another house. My marriage ended in 1988 about the time I transitioned from contract work to become a direct employ with Abbott Laboratories as a Sr. Mechanical Engineer designing automated blood test equipment.

During the next 18 years at Abbott, I built a third house where I lived until shortly before Retiring in Nov 2006. This house was on the top of a hill overlooking the entire north corridor of Dallas. It had an amazing view. When I retired I decided to move back to the Bloomington area to be where I could help my mother who had been battling breast cancer for many years. As luck would have it, I discovered a wonderful place called Heritage Lake about 20 miles west of Bloomington and after first buying a small house in a wooded setting decided to buy a lake front house in 2010. During that time I have had the pleasure of getting deeply involved with our Class Planning Committee which led to what is now great 10 year relationship with one of our classmates. Retirement has been great and we have had the good fortune to spend the past 5 winters in the Florida Keys while being able to enjoy the Heritage Lake house during the summer. Life is good.

07/08/20 06:21 PM

#8728

Okay...found the third grade class photo from Oakland School. Here it is.

07/08/20 06:22 PM

#8729

And this one is from the 50th reunion.

07/08/20 06:29 PM

#8730

Wendy - I am sorry to have put you on the spot with identifying the plant in my photo but I have discovered that it is actually a Strobilanthes Dyeriana commonly known as Persian Shield or Royal Purple plant. I hope you don't mind but I didn't want leave it uncorrected. I appreciate that you were so ready to assist in my limited plant knowledge. I guarantee you know vastly more about plants than could ever hope to.

07/08/20 06:37 PM

#8731

Marv, I used my plant identifier app on my phone. Guess it made a mistake.

07/09/20 09:16 AM

#8732

Terry (Max) Maxwell

For what it's worth... we have a plant in one of our gardens that looks to be a species or variety of that plant that my wife says is a coleus. I can tell the difference between a moss rose and a snap dragon, that's about it for my personal flower knowledge.

07/09/20 10:25 AM

#8733

How do you like this blossom?

After blooming it develops into this pod.

This is in the Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu. The common name is cannonball vine.

07/09/20 10:32 AM

#8734

Steve Jetton

Just finished catching up on these amazing pictures and narratives. Enjoy the opportunity to get to better know and appreciate some of my classmates.

As I covered a lot of ground .... not sure I picked up on today's topic. I was never much good at following direction anyhow. I am posting a shot the Master Naturalist I live with took of a smiley crab spider on one of her milkweed plants yesterday.

She lets these plants have the run of the backyard in order to attrach Monarch butterflies. I get yelled at if I "accidentally" mow one down. She also carries paper bags of their seed to spread throughout the area. Supposedly they are not an invasive weed .

07/09/20 02:08 PM

#8735

David Long

Amazing spider, Steve.
Marv, the helmets look better your way. Let's leave it.
We have the whole family here for another 6 days, and wandering around the house with the 3 year old and explaining some of the things and pictures hanging on our walls, I thought that it might be interesting to see "What's On Your Walls?" As a topic - not fair to Mel, though. I won't get back to posting for a week or so. Beautiful colors everyone.

07/09/20 02:46 PM

#8736