Terry (Max) Maxwell

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of you moms out there.  This is a pic of my wife's Mom's Day present that two of our grandkids made for her.  They are 11 & 8 and did the alterations on the pallet to make it into flower planter and then stained it.  Of course Grandma was excited to receive it.  Had to put in the garage overnight to keep the plants from freezing.  (We lost a few the night before even though they were covered.)

Jack Keefe

Happy Mother's Day to all moms in the Class of 1964 -- birth and adoptive. Life would be impossible in so many ways without you.

Tuesday's topic is Places Lost. Maybe someplace special during your life that isn't there anymore or a favorite spot you can't visit anymore. Maybe something else that fits your notion of places lost. Anyway, here's 48 hours notice for those who want some time to search out their pictures. Happy posting, and i can't wait to see what you come up with!

Marvin Theobald

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all of our classmate Mothers. Hope you are all able to make new memories with your children and, especially for those few that may be fortunate enough to still have them here, with your Mothers.

Really enjoyed seeing Sandy with her first born, Wendy's special plant story and the very special hand crafted gift Max's wife received.

Mom with her new born twins. She had no idea what she was in for when this shot was taken. She never wavered in her undying love and devotion.

I took Mom to New Hampshire to visit my son in 2004. She had never been to New England or had a whole lobster. Her lobster drought ended in Maine but I had to give her a little assistance to get to the good part. Great Mother memory. 

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

TO THE

RAIDERS OF 64

AND

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

What a special day for all of us. Wendy, I hope you get your fuscias.

Being twins, Marv and I get to double dip on some topics. Mom was born in 1926 and died in 2011. There have been many days since that I had the urge to pick up the phone and call her. I'm having that feeling again today.

Mom's Sweet Sixteen portrait.

On her 80th Birthday with her three sons.

Again on her 80th Birthday with my son. She was his biggest champion.

David Long

Hi All,

Sorry I've missed the last few days.  Dealing with some issues with my 1/2 leg.  Getting back to the new normal.  A Very Happy Mother's Day to all of our classmates.  Wishing everyone HEALTH and SAFETY!

Here is my addition to the Cloud Theme - this was taken from the patio of some friend's home in San Antonio.  We were just across the depression and the storm missed us, but it was spectacular as it went by.  Day almost turned into night - this was about 3pm - and Happy Hour for us.

This is my Mother's Day Picture - it's a photo of my Mom and Dad in 1945 - the year before I was born.  Oscar (Shorty) Long and Beulah (Bee) Long.  My mom died of cervical cancer in 1952 when I was 6.  My dad was 5'5" and my mom as you can see was a few inches shorter (note that she is wearing heels).  Now you know where I get my height from.  

And finally, since I missed Critters, I thought I'd share some Critters for Fine Dining - the YouTube video (I just put it together) is from our trip to China.  These are Street Vendors getting ready for the 'going home' rush when the workday ends in Bejing and everyone heads to the subways or trains.  Dorothy and I Did Not try any of these delicacies, but one of our tour group did.  Have you ever wondered why, since China changed the name of Peking to Bejing, the entree of duck is still called Peking Duck instead of Bejing Duck?

es . 

David Brock

Following are a few shopts from some of our past experiences.  The first are a pair of deer fawns born last year about this time.  This shot was midsummer, and it was time wor a midday rest.

The other shots are from our Alaska trip a few years ago.  Side trips/excurssions were a part of the itinerary.  The first shots are from Hoonah Bay with a fairly high population of bears--enough they sent  an armed guide along as we went through the trails.

The water shots from the Juneau area.  There are Sea Otters resting on their backs.  Then the other area has Puffins.

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

I need a reminder for today's theme.   I know tomorrow's.  I hope Joan will pick something for Wednesday, but if not, how about THE MOON.

Marvin Theobald

Today's theme is WILDLIFE.

The photo and story of the parrott near Puerto Vallarta Mexico in a previous post may be better appreciated by seeing the special friendship between the woman and the wild parrott.

This buck photo was taken from my kitchen window at Heritage Lake near Mackinaw IL in 2010.

The infamous woodchuck outside my patio door when we first met in 2010.

Camouflaged in the branches is a hawk eating a fish he snatched from Heritage Lake in 2011.

"Wildlife" photo taken at Lucca Grill in Bloomington in 2016. No - this is not Mel. Hopefully Lucca will survive the coronavirus epidemic so we can continue to enjoy that special place for many years to come.

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Just noticed Jim Rookus is on line right now. Jim send us a message. We'd love to hear from you.

Today is WILDLIFE: Backyard to Zoo.Tomorrow is PLACES LOST. Let's make Wednesday MOON SHOTS. Marv will be on the road Thursday, so maybe Joan will want to chose that day's topic.

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

My son John discovered these fawns by the side of his house one morning early.  The mother deer was not present,  it came back an hour or so later and moved them.  You can tell how tiny they are by the size of the watering can in one of the photos.  Sorry the pictures are not upright but do not know how to turn them. (Fixed - MT)

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Going through my photos, I was reminded of my daughter's love affair with animals. All in captivity rather than in the wild, but still, a pretty interesting assortment of WILDLIFE.

Riding a dolphin, 2006

Hugging a koala bear in Australia, 2007

Feeding a wallaby in Australia, 2007

Posing with her favorite, a two year old panda at a nursery in China, 2013

Sandra Jeakins (Singletary Sizemore)

Wendy, those pictures of the baby deer are so precious and a once in a lifetime experience, I'm sure.

Mel, your Daughter is so lucky to be so close to those animals.   Looks like she was having a great time.   

This Mom and Baby Elks were just off the side of the road in Yellowstone.

David Long

While walking through the jungle one day, I ran into my Long Lost Twin Brother!

David Long

A Collection of Photos from our Africa Trip.  Some are real ACTION shots - I'm sure you will spot the action.  Most of these were taken from the relative safety of our open top ride through the wild.  We did have an armed guide with us.

Thus Ends the Rhino Action Shots......

Here are some Hippos.....did you know that hippos can't swim?  They have to be in contact with the river or pond bottom.

This guy was so hard to spot (get it?) and we only caught a quick glimpse before he disappeared into the brush.  He wasn't happy to see us.

Two more "Action" shots and then I have to get back to some volunteer work. 

The first Action shot is a wildebeest we came across - he just said hi, sort of.....

and finally, a Zebra that didn't appear to like the invasion of privacy....

Jack Keefe

This little fellow appeared in a secluded country cemetery near Atlanta, Illinois while we were reading ancestral tombstones of Janet's family. Not the easiest shot to pull off: I was holding the camera in one hand and Janet's high-strung little dog in the other. And for once, he kept quiet while I snapped off several photos. 

Tomorrow's topic: Places Lost

James (Jim) Rookus

Greetings "old" Raiders !  Looks like Mel is " BigBrother" watching what we are all up to!

I've been observing the message form for years ... feel like I've gotten to know many of you I did not know in high school days from reading many interesting postings!  Mel and Marv are the only two I see in the forum that I remember ever hanging around with due to their friendship with one of my two high school buddies Dan Woodard and Bill Rust.  I can see that many of you grew up together since elementary school days and I was a high school shy transplant.  Never the less enjoy the observance and especially the recent photo gallery!  Many of our class seems to have been very blessed to have see so much of the world  ... keep the photos coming !!! 😊😃😀👍🏼

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Yea Jim. You broke the silence. So happy to read your comments and know you have been following everyone's posts. No, I'm not being Big Brother. I just happened to notice that you were logged in at the same time I was and took advantage of the info.

Yes, some of us have known each other since kindergarten, but most came to know each other either in or after high school. You are one of us and a Raider64 forever, like it or not. So glad you mentioned Bill Rusk. Do you remeber his Vauxhall? We had some great times together. Hope this is just the beginning. Have any photos for us?  

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Dave, I had no idea you were a twin. The similarities are remarkable. In fact, I could hardly tell you guys apart. Are you on the left or right? That's a question we twins get a lot.

You couldn't get that zebra shot again if your life depended on it. If you chose peeing and pooping animals as a topic, you could have the Raiders64 website all to youself for an entire day. 

David Brock

Wendy--your twin fawns shot up next to the house reminded me of a similar situation while I was still working.  I owned a pest control business for aabout 20 years, and did most of the service work myself.  Along in mid-June, I was peforming 'perimeter service' around 1 of our client's house.  As I was walking through the yard, I saw a doe leave the yard.  As I turned the corner of the house there laid her fawn--I don't know who was more surprised, bur he never moved.  Mom watched me like a hawk from a distance.  I skipped that 10 foot section of perimeter, and everyone was all the happier.

David Long

Jim,

Glad you're on the site.  Post away.

Mel,

I even have a picture of the aftermath of the excrement - a Dung Beetle rolling a ball down the road.  An interesting thing about the rhino - it's right eye appeared to be infected and our guide called it in and a spotter plane was soon overhead and I guess a vet was summoned.  The spotter plane was up lookng for poachers.  Had we seen any, I would have been happy to borrow our guide's 30.06 for a little target practice.

Where oh where is Mike Franks these days?

Jack Keefe

First, a big welcome to the conversation to Jim Rookus. 

This is to start off our tuesday with Places Lost. We all have them. Maybe you will recognize some of these spots around Bloomington.

The old GM&O depot on West Washington Steeet was one of my favorite hangouts. I loved the stories the old timers told, loved hearing what was happening up and down the line, and loved watching the trains roll. It was an education all its own. The depot closed in the late eighties and burned in 1997 in the middle of its own demolition project. 

A demolition photo from the GM&O depot site. Notice that the old Front Street bridge, once a gateway to the Stevensonville neighborhood, is also gone. In fact, the bridge was one factor that contributed to the depot's demise. The bridge caused structural problems with the building and they were too expensive to fix. 

The old fire station on McGregor Street closed in the nineties and is now a beauty salon. It opened in 1957 with a staff of nine firemen, including Ralph Poland. I got to know him later at church, and was impressed with the Bloomington Fire Department honor guard at his visitation when he died. Very nice man. 

The water tower that stood behind the fire house is gone too.  

And where there was smoke -- there was this. The Twin City Hydramatic building in downtown Bloonmington provided a smoky show all over town. The building also housed Haney Plumbing. Late one August afternoon in 1996, the building caught fire. Seeing the smoke from my office window on Empire Street, I had to go look. These firemen were busy for hours. Classmate Mike Meece was on the scene watching the action, as was then-IWU President Minor Meyers.. And does anyone know if classmate Roger Kemp was on the BFD shift that fought this fire? 

The building was eventually rebuilt from the remaining walls and is in use today. 

Sandra Jeakins (Singletary Sizemore)

Jack, I enjoyed your railroad pictures.  Ron used to work in that little office.  There was a diagram in there so he knew what track every train was on.   And the Mill Street Bridge brought back memories.  I crossed that many times because of living in the Stevensonville addition.

Now my pictures.  They won't mean anything to anybody but me but they are 2 places that I have lost.

This is the camp on Clay Lake in Canada that we almost bought.  Things went wrong and we walked away, but that was a dream of Ron's, more than mine.  But I wanted it for him.  We stayed from April thru August and then returned to Bloomington.     This is the house I grew up in from the age of 2 yrs to 18 yrs.   When my Dad passed he gave the house to his 2nd wife and she sold it to a Grandchild.  Dad always took pride in keeping the house clean and fixed.  I feel so disappointed when I drive by now and I'm sure Dad would be also.       This is the house we DIDN"T lose when we went to Canda.  We rented it out so we had it to come back to.  It is the house Ron and I bought in 1965 and the one I still live in today.

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

Sandy I love the look of your house with that great porch!

my husband is from NYC, and after 9/11 we always looked at names of those who lost their lives.  Many high school class mates went down with the World Trade Center Towers.  Several weeks after that day, the New York Times included names and pictures of all of those lost people.  I decided to look at every one.  Found the name of one of his cousins, who was a fire fighter.  The first picture shows the South Tower Memorial, and the second picture shows the ledge with his name.  The names of everyone who died are engraved around the perimeter of the memorials on the ledge.  
 

Marvin Theobald

Yesterdays wildlife shots were great. Loved the fawns, bears, otters, and others. Especially Dave's "Action" shots. Jack - As I am considering the "Places Lost" topic it is making me realize so many places that no longer exist that were a part of my life. Thank you for this great suggestion. The depot pics are sooo special to me and Mel since our dad worked in the ticket office and the baggage room from the late forties through the fifties. We would often get to go to work with Dad. A Bloomington hatchery brought newly hatched chicks to the baggage room for shipment. There were thousands of chicks in cardboard flats stacked on the old RR wagons. We would put our fingers through the air holes in the boxes and the chicks would peck at our fingers. They were so cute and the chirping by the mass of chicks was constant. Grady's cafe in the station was another part of the station that is a vivid memory. The McGregor fire station was on our paper route and we lived a short block from the water tower. Brings back many fantastic memories. Another great loss, as you well know, was the locomotive shops where our Dad worked until his death in 1972. The history of those shops is amazing. Other unrelated memories of "places lost" are in Miller Park; the raccoon cage, the bear cage and the Fun Fair. Wendy - Your World Trade Center story and connection is a very sad addition to todays places lost topic. Thank you for making us aware of how personnal it was you.

While not totally gone, Notre Dame comes to mind a great place lost.

I do not recall where I obtained these photos but below are a couple of more vintage depot photos.