Jack Keefe

Reflections: Wichita, Kansas and the Arkansas (pronounced ar-KAN-sas) River. This town loked even better in my rear view mirror, sorry to say. 

Sandra Jeakins (Singletary Sizemore)

    Since we have been talking about pianos this week, I thought I'd share pictures of my 1st and 2nd pianos. This is my 1st one.  My parents wanted to be sure I could learn to play before they bought me a newer one.  The picture says Dec 1959, but I think the pictures of the 1st and 2nd piano must have been taken in 1959.  I probably had this one for a couple of years before we got the 2nd one.    This is my 2nd piano.  Like I said, probably bought in 1959.  We bought it from Shirley Stumm's family.  She was in the class of 1963.   When we moved to Canada, Miller Music told us the piano was too old to make the move. So we bought a new one, which I've posted a picture of a couple of times.  We sold this piano to friends who had kids that grew up with my kids and when one of their boys became a minister, it was moved around quite a bit.  When he got a church in Clinton, he asked if we wanted the piano back.  David, my youngest Son, said he wanted it.  So,now the piano has a permanent home at his house and probably won't be moved again. Both pianos have real ivory keys.

David Brock

Just a couple of p

ics for today.  The first is a bit of a novelty, but it is a real sign--somebody must have had too much time on his hands.

The next photo is a sunset/reflection from Marathon, Fl.

We are leaving town for a few days, but plan to back  shortly.

James (Jim) Rookus

Free for all... Celebrate with me... yesterday I completed a 36 session cardiac rehab (which was much delayed due to Covid-19).  I lost # and increased my MET LEVEL (heart rate work out pace) by 192%.  At end of session we are awarded a certificate and heart of GOLD T-shirt and get to sign and bang the hanging cymbal or what ever it is called.  As you see by the photos... I was a bad boy afterwards by celebrating with my long awaited blueberry pancakes at Cracker Barrel !!! Yummie!!!  I rationalized it was ok since I've been cooped up eating healthy for 4 months!!!  As leaving noticed on their candy shelve the Katherine Beecher pillows.... look the same as the former Bloomington Katherine Beich ones I remember from fund raising days and saw mentioned on the forum a few weeks back.  Wonder if it is a spin off company... sure look the same. On label they are produced in Penn.

James (Jim) Rookus

Last post i typed in lost 18 # but lost the number somewhere!

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

Cute stuffed animal on the top of the spinet, Sandy?

have you ever thought about silk fabric?  Every strand of silk comes from the cocoon of a silk worm.  They eat mulberry leaves.  Here are two pictures..in the first they are chomping away on the leaves.  In the second they have been placed on a grid and are preparing to spin their cocoons.  Each worm is about two inches long.  If there are a lot of them chomping away at the same time on the leaves you can hear it.

James (Jim) Rookus

Wendy... that is facinating... never heard that before!  Where were those photos taken?  You have posted some of the most interesting and unusual photos over the months... looks like you have been blessed to have traveled the world.  Keep them coming !!!

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

The silkworm pictures were taken in Hoi An, Vietnam.  There was a center there demonstrating lots of arts and crafts, and I was fascinated by the silkworms and the whole process.

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

My vocabulary seems a bit narrow today. I only have 3 words to say about what you have all been posting: WOW, WOW and WOW. Julie Hart, the photo of the sunset near Antarctica is absolutely stunning. Wendy, your stories and photos are not only captivating, but informative. And for the 3rd WOW, Jack, I couldn't agree with you more about Wichita Falls, KS. I've only been there once and thought it represented the worst of what America has become: a commercial wasteland of malls, fast food joints, and box stores. So glad you put it in your rear view mirror. For Jim, it's a doggone gong. Congrats on the Golden Heart, but you've always had that. And for Marv, love that you posted the Niki de Saint Phalle pix, but Niki is a woman who was married to an equally amazing inventive sculptor, Jean Tinguely.

For FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY, I'm going to add a few more shots of REFLECTIONS. These are at Heritage Lake where Marv lives. And although they are not typical of my water reflection photos, they do explain why I keep going back there.

Wishing everyone a great weekend.

Marvin Theobald

Jim - Cracker Barrel pancakes are the absolute best. Yummm!!! Kathryn Beich Golden Crumbles and Katydids were sooo delicious. What great memories.

Sandy - Your first piano has a great look. I love its design. It is remarkable that you have been able to keep it in the family. I have a baby grand that I bought from Mary Selk when she sold her house. Judy used to play it some until I stopped having it tuned since it does not get played much.

Wendy - It is hard to comprehend how many cocoons those little silk worms would have spin to make a scarf or shirt. Too bad they could not be trained to weave them eliminating the cocoon step .

Here is another reflection photo taken at dusk behind a pontoon boat at Heritage Lake in 2018.

Thanks to a sailing friend I learned about a monkey fist knot and consulted Youtube for a training session. As you can see from the picture, in usual fashion I got a little carried away. The big one is about 12" in Diameter and consumed 23 feet of a very weathered old 1 1/2" diameter rope.

On what I consider one of the highlights of my life, I happened to arrive in Silverton, CO late in the day that Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was celebrating their 15th anniversary. They had a tent set up and were giving large portions of fudge to passersby. As I said it was the end of the day and they were anxious to get rid of what was left. I love chocolate fudge. I felt it was my civic duty to provide as much  assistance as possible. I ate about five pounds of it over the next 3 or 4 days.

Jack Keefe

One the inside looking out. This is the cemetery at Pleasant Hill, a ghost town near Lexington, Illinois. The town once had a few hundred people, but began to die when the railroad bypassed it and went through Lexington instead.  We are shooting from the inside of a mausoleum there. Some classmates known I can't seem to stay out of pioneer cemeteries, and we just made Free-for-All Friday with no time left on the clock.  

James (Jim) Rookus

Jack... that is a very interesting view from inside a mausoleum ... thought they are locked and secured so wondering how you gained access ?

James (Jim) Rookus

Sorry Marv ... forgot to mention how much that huge block of fudge reminds me of the fudge on Mackinac Island.  Friends of ours who own a couple gift shops up there make and sell that yummie stuff and provide us with a "free for life" supply of their creamy fudge for having let their son live with us while in college in our area ... sure am a happy camper when the mailman shows up with a package with their return address on it!  I must say have never seen a block of fudge as huge as the one in you photo!

Sandra Jeakins (Singletary Sizemore)

Jim, Congratulations on your heart rehab accomplishment.  Losing 18# is not an easy thing to do, either.   I agree, Cracker Barrel pancakes are the best.  I love the crunchy rim they have on them.  I'm not a big fudge fan, but I do like the fudge from Macknac Island.  It is so creamy and smooth.   We used to have a Rocky Mountain Candy shop in Bloomington, but it left.  Never had their fudge, though.  That is one BIG chunk of fudge.

Mel, those pictures of the lake at Marvin's house are beautiful.   I can see why Marvin loves living there and you love to visit him.

Marvin, I see why those knots are called "Fist knots".   They look just like fists.   Let me clarify that the piano my Son has is the 2nd one.  I don't have the first one anymore.  My parents sold the 1st one when we got the 2nd one.  But we got the 2nd one in 1959 and Stumm's had it before me so I know it's over 65 yrs old.   I've never played a grand piano.  I'm sure Miss Selk was glad someone she knew bought her piano.

Jack, I agree, that is an interesting view looking out of the mausoleum.   What beautiful glass work on those doors.   I would never think to take a picture from inside looking out.   But it is great.   

Most of the pictures, others have put on here, I wouldn't think to take-like the reflection pictures.  But I've really enjoyed everyone's pictures.  And makes me look at things more deeply and with a different perspective.

Jack Keefe

Jim -- this mausoleum, a very small one, was unlocked for whatever reason. So a friend and I went in. We were only there for a minute or so, as I remember, and when we turned to leave the photo opp was there.

Pioneer cemeteries are great starting places for historical research. Using the date of death, you can often find an obituary if the person died after 1850. From there, it's possible to learn the highlights of a life and survivors of the deceased. There are other ways, to jump-start research but this is one of my favorites.  

Jack Keefe

This is an old clipping about classmate Randy Simmons from the Pantagraph of February 10, 1971. Thought you would like to see it.  

Julie Hart

trees (remember i'm catching up)

baobob outside of tanzeen south africa

big enough for a bar inside...

Julie Hart

frankincense tree in oman

Julie Hart

transportation:

the car i think is the most beautiful - i love the rounded front and back.

this is kind of an offbeat transportation pic- going into the tehran train station was this ........

sailing the greek isles on this tall ship.  they took us out in zodiacs so we could get pics of it under full sail. 

got to cross sailing on a tall ship off my bucket list. anyone interested in ships - google sea cloud history - quite fascinating. and I hit the reflection theme also 

Marvin Theobald

Picking up on Dave B's previous "thought for the day" posts, I have some I would like to share on weekends rather than photos. Below is one that I thought was fitting for people our age. While it is rather lengthy it is an interesting way to reflect on what we have learned through our lives and what we might be able to share with younger people just getting started in life.

Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young

Mary Schmich   June 1, 1997

Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who'd rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there's no reason we can't entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.
I encourage anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt.

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97:

• Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
• Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
• Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
• Do one thing every day that scares you.
• Sing.
• Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
• Floss.
• Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
• Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
• Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
• Stretch.
• Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
• Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
• Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
• Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
• Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
• Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
• Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
• Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
• Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
• Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
• Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
• Respect your elders.
• Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
• Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
• Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

Some good advice in that list, Marv.  Thanks for sharing it.  
 

This being the summer solstice, I thought a picture of sunset in the Pacific Northwest was appropriate.  The time is about 10:30 pm in British Columbia, West side of Vancouver Island.  Maybe 9:30 pm actually

David Long

Marv,

Sometimes wearing sunscreen doesn't completely protect you from the elements - see attached.....

OK - Just having a little fun today.

Here's a reflection you don't really want to see unless you're home looking out - this was from inside my nice warm car in the church parking lot when we got hit with an ice storm during the 6:45am Mass.

David Brock

Good advice Marv--that's aboput the size of it.

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

That article by Mary Schmich is wonderful. There is one piece of it that is apropos to our awesome website: Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

In 2006, I was invited to give the Commencement Address at the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumberg, IL. No one told me I'd be doing it in front of 1,000 people. My knees shook, my notes were read without deviation, and it was totally apparent that what all those students wanted most was to get out of there and party. It never occured to me to talk about sun screen.

For those who don't know, Mary Schmich is a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the Chicago Tribune who I read on a daily basis. She also had an ongoing dialog with Elizabeth Stein that eventually drew me into her circle. Mary came to my condo one day to talk about Miss Stein in 2006. All I can say is she is a gem of a person and thanks to Marv for posting this.

This is the June 6, 2006 article Schmich wrote about Stein.

David Long

W O W !