REALLY GETTING WEIRD

Do we take for granted the comforts of our modern homes, forgetting what little comforts families from the past endured? Yet, I imagine they thought they were living in the best of times, after all they had stoves. This is evident from the pipes sticking up from the rooftops.

 

 

Indoor plumbing had not invented yet, so the stroll to the outhouse was a daily journey. In the winter the stroll was more challenging, with a couple of feet of snow on the ground, so they used the "thunder bucket," especially during the freezing nights.

The only thing I can remember about Grandma Norman's house in Portola, California, was having to get up during the night, and walking to the little house outside. Man, it was cold, but I was only a spoiled little kid from the coast, and didn't know the ends and outs of these things.

Wood burning stoves were used for not only heating, but also cooking. Imagine how difficult it would be to prepare a hot meal in the summer? Because there was no electricity, there were no fans to move the air around inside the house. The heat must have been unbearable. The families must have baked their own bread also. The stoves were also used to heat water for washing clothes, cleaning dishes, and bathing. I think that if I lived then, I would have somehow rigged up an outdoor kitchen/bath for doing these things.

                                                                                       
This old church is one my favorite buildings.
I'll bet there was some good meetings in this place!












I really enjoy driving through the countryside, and taking pictures of these old farmhouses. Somehow these structures seem to reach out to me, in some sort of ghostly fashion, as if those who built and lived in them, want to tell their stories. Now this is really getting weird, I know, but really, the more we contemplate the past, the more we understand what is really important to ourselves.

MY LITTLE SWEETHEARTS!

I guess I'll never get tired of posting photos of grandkids. Each Friday, both Erin and Jenna come over to our house for piano lessons, and Rachael will be joining them this summer.

I get a real 'kick' out of the one-on-one time I have with each kid, while the other takes the lesson. I always provide a snack of some sort, and we then play a game such as Fish, Old Maid, or Greed. This gives each kid a chance to talk about school, family, friends, or life in general in a fun setting.

When the snack is finished, each kid then gets to do whatever she wants. They can watch a fun video, TV, or play a computer game - Dora is real popular.

Of interest, is the fact that both girls have composed music on the computer, during this time, and I might say, that I can see some real talent starting to spring up in this area.


                                                  

Am I just proud of my grandkids, or what? I look at all of them and honestly, I think they are all more intellegent than I was, when I was their age, a thousand years ago. Really, nowdays all kids, I think, are brighter than I was, even the ones in my Sunday School class. I don't remember being as bright as they all are now-a-days.

I don't know about you, but I have great hope for the future, knowing that special young people are soon to take our places in society as we pass on to the other side. Do you know what I mean?

PICTURE TIME!



The seat on this bike looks uncomfortable

Picture time!  We visited a very interesting place called "Monarch Sculpture Park," just outside of Lacey.  Dale told us of it, as it borders the Chehalis Western Trail, which he uses for either running or bicycling training. 

 This park is unusual in the way the hundreds of sculptures are placed on many acres of land, and the artists have tried to incorporated landscape to portray a message to the viewer.

And Tammy thinks her head is big!

 I guess this is supposed to represent some sort of flying insect at rest.

I particularly enjoyed this butterfly.  The whiteness of it is striking against the lush green background. 

 

I didn't know mermaids could live this far from the ocean, but this one was enjoying a little swim, so as proof, I just had to take this photo.  (Hey, there is a sculpture of David over in Italy that shows everything)





Tammy does have talent!

 







Again, a figure in white shows up strikingly against a lush green background.  I like the way this figure is placed behind a fence.  From my past hunting experiences, I have observed that animals like to travel along fence lines.

I don't know what this represents, but it is sure interesting with the clouds in the background.


Pick-up-sticks

This one is huge!  And there is another one that is even larger that is a Croquet set.

  

This park even had a Sacred Grove!  (Of interest is the fact that it is located just behind the place where the mermaid was swimming)

Just like the white sculptures, Bev had a white sweater on, which made her stand out against the lush green.









I don't know what this thing is, but from the smile on Tam's face, she must really like it. 








Even though this dragon fly is not white, I have to think that it is so interesting.  In real life, many bugs are camouflaged so well that they blend in with nature.




He's got the whole world in His hands!




















These figures are huge, except for Tammy, of course!

To bad, the Timberline girl's basketball team can't recruit these tall girls; but then again, are they really girls?

THE GIFT OF MUSIC

A very exciting event that took place during our visit to Portland.  We discovered Dent Mowrey's original piano compositions at the Multnomah County Library in downtown Portland. 



Multnomah County Library in Portland.




Oregonians waiting for the gate to open.













We had previously tried to obtain his piano works from  publishers, but none were available to buy; nor were they even listed in our local Utah music stores.  Also there are no recording of his works.

Bev had studied some of his works under her former piano teacher, Dorothy Miller, who studied under Mowrey.

In fact, when Bev was only in the 7^th grade, she went to her teacher's recital in Mowrey's studio, on the rooftop of the old downtown Pacific building.  She actually met him and shook his hand.

I, Grandpa Zucc, love Mowrey's compositions because they are fun to listen to, and are very showy. They would be excellent for intermediate students to play for recitals, and they would be the kind of music I would personally compose if I were as talented as he.
Mowrey has a Utah connection in that he was born in Ogden, but, after age 12, the family moved to the northwest.  I wonder if?  Anyway, the gift of music he left the world is of great worth.  If you would like more information about this gifted but relatively unknown and artist/composer, please click on the following link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dent_Mowrey



Dent Mowrey 1886-1960





I hope that one day the world will discover Dent Mowrey.

WORLD FAMOUS BOB!



Bev and Bob



One of the highlights of our trip was meeting the world famous "Bob," founder and owner of Bob's Red Mill, in Portland, Oregon.

  Bob was thrilled to pose with Bev while I took a picture.  You will find his same smiley face on every package of his products sold in most big box stores.

When in town, we always visit Bob's store because it is so fun to shop there for all kinds of oat, wheat, and grain products.  In addition we always have a bite of lunch there.  It is so healthy and delicious.



Bob in his own lunch line


As we parked in front of the mill, Bob and another man were getting out of an older van, and they waved to us.  Believe me there is nothing pretentious about Bob.




Bev and Gordon



The night before, we went to supper at the Red Lobster with Bev's brother Gordon.  Linda Brake, a schoolgirl friend, also joined us.

On the next post, I will include some more interesting photos, along with a story about Dent Mowrey, a little known pianist/composer from Portland.  So be sure to tune back in!

A MARVELOUS SIGHT, INDEED!



The 737

 I thought about not saying anything about our method of transportation on our trip to the great Northwest, but when I saw what great photos I had taken, I had a change of heart.  This is the very aeroplane, a 737, that we boarded at the Salt Lake International Airport.  I really like the color combination of blue and red.  It kind of reminds me of BYU and Utah colors.  By the way, "Go Cougars" in the NCAA basketball tournament, and really (it hurts me to say it), but I wish the Utes the best of all in their new conference. 

It really is too bad, that the Mountain West Conference was not able to keep these two schools, plus Texas Christian.  With the addition of Boise State, it would have been a fantastic conference.

I found the sign below, in the airport by the Southwest desk.  I remember my mother reminiscing on the "Great Depression," and saying that it was only a depression if you didn't have a job.  Then she said that she and Dad always had work.

I do hope some politician does step forward and does the right thing for the economy in this country.

The pilot put the plane in gear and the mighty engines roared.  Soon we were at 37,000 feet, and Sea-Tac was only 1 1/2 hours away.

  How one reads all those gadgets in the cockpit, I'll never know. 


The door to the cockpit was open, only while we were sitting on the ground, but I couldn't resist taking these pictures. 

In the early 1960's, while visiting McCoy AFB in Florida, I got to sit in the pilot's seat of a B-52.  The instrument panel was flabbergasting to me.  My companion and I were then privileged to stand on a runway and watch as a B-52 took off.

  The wings were so long that they actually flapped, and it appeared that small wheels were attached at the wingtips to keep them from touching the pavement.  While standing there, I witnessed a spy plane, the U-2, take off.  It accelerated a short distance than with a roar, went almost straight up - a marvelous sight, indeed.

In contrast, the modern driving habits of my offspring is demonstrated rather tastefully in this next photo.  Notice the driver is able to make difficult maneuvers without hands on the wheel.  Good thing the traffic light is not red, or we would have been in trouble. 



The van

As I pulled away from Tam & Dale's Church, I just had to take a picture of this road sign.  I couldn't help thinking of the "gold plates."  Could it be that the church in Olympia is so poor that they could only afford the steel variety?  Ha-ha. 



The "Steel Plates"



TRIUMPHANT SHOPPERS!




Triumphant shoppers!

Tam and Bev really had a good time shopping, as you can see from the picture.  This picture was taken in the JC Penney store in Capitol Mall, Olympia, Washington.  Luckily they are the first in line. 

I was fortunate to have walked several malls during our trip.  As you know, I tend to be very observant, looking for interesting things, while walking.  I noticed that in all the malls, there are more Asian places to eat than in Utah, but so far they have not taken over the traditional American fast-food places yet.
 

The food court that I liked the best was in the Tacoma Mall.  It had a lot of plants and places to sit.  Even MacDonald's looks good in this green setting.










The Tacoma Mall is big enough to easily display automobiles.  According to my calculations, this mall is about half again as big as our Fashion Place Mall.

Auntie Anne's must be a Northwest favorite place to eat pretzels, as they seem to be in all the malls I walked.  I don't know why, but this fast food place made me think of Katie's sister.  Ah-ha!

Is this a dog in shining armor?  The shop owner must have a sense of humor similar to mine.












Apparently, this passerby is quite taken by the dog in shining armor.  I actually think he was talking to the dog.