1979 Feather Falls

This picture literally fell out of a book today.  I decided to bring back all my books associated with my fundraising fair paper back to the library.  Some of those books I've had for four years.  I had it somewhere and was using it for a bookmark.  Dennis helped me bring back the 12 books.

1979 approx.  That's Dennis and I on the left, we are in our late 20s; living in Chico not yet moved to Seattle.  That's Sue and Dan Beittel on the right.  And Winnie our dog.  Sue and Dan are in their 50s.  40 years ago.  We all looked better forty years ago.  Dan has passed away, I do miss him, an important person in my life.  Sue is holding one pretty darn well at 92, in fact I talked to her for quite awhile last weekend.

The hike is Feather Falls near Oroville, CA.  In fact, that might be the falls itself behind Dan.  I remember as not so bad getting there but a real slog back.  Dennis said we kept up with the Beittels that day but I don't think I ever did.

We made it and I remember it as a fun day.

Visit to the Beittels

For Dennis and I, no California trip would be complete without a visit to the Beittels.  We were lucky this time that Mark and Giovana were there for a visit from Italy.  We could make the schedule work so we did.  Sue had moved out of her house and sold it, moving into a nearby retirement facility.  She likes it, has 750 sq ft and two bedrooms.  We came for lunch which Mark and Giovanna fixed in the small kitchenette.  Biggest crowd ever fed (or will be fed there) declares Sue.  She's turning 89 and was happy there.  "A lot less pressure on me," she says.  We went on a walk, I walked with Sue and, like all my life, I struggled to keep up with her.  But I did.  Great to see Mark and Giovanna too; my cousins always.  Picture taken in a vegetable garden just outside Sue's apartment.

Visiting in Marin Colunty

We're back home after 10 days on the road.  A good time for Dennis and I.

It worked out that we concentrated the visiting at the beginning of the trip; just worked out that way.

We first stopped in Marin County to visit Sue B, a long time family friend.  Of my parents and my friend too.  She had invited my brother as he now lives in the Bay Area.  Micole, her granddaughter, is also staying there as she writes her thesis.

Micole, daughter of Mark, very accomplished and poised.  She discussed whether she should write her papetr in Spanish or Italian.  English didn't seem right.  But she was neutral among these choices.  Also fluent in German, I believe.  I can't even imagine being able to do that.  But I'm always glad when I can visit and talk with Sue.  I feel Dan's loss deeply.

Sue said she didn't put on dinners any more.  But I knew that Micole would carry the load.  And she did.

I underestimated our mileage today.  We were usinga GPS route thingie for the first time on this trip who I referred to as "the lady".  I looked last night and said "Ha ha, the lady thinks it's 545 miles, I'm sure that's not true!"  But then we thought about it and realized that it was indeed true.  The small motel served a little breakfast at 7am.l  We ate and took off.  We got home around 6 pm.

Struggled a bit in the Tacoma and Seattle traffic. I realized except for the dip into Marin County to visit Sue and just the edges of Sacramento, we did not spend time in heavily populated places.  No cities, no traffic. Picture of my brother and my husband standing; Micole and Sue B sitting after dinner.

Ilana - Washington DC trip

When Ilana was around 11, not sure if it's 1997 or 1998...in school they studied Washington DC.  Every day she would come home and say

"If I went to Washington DC, I would go to the Lincoln Monument"
"If I went to Washington DC, I would go to the Smithsonian"
etc

We had 4 kinds age 8-15, about 1.5 incomes,not a lof of extra money.

On impulse I said to her we should GO to Washington DC and see all those things.  Really she was the only one interested in that sort of thing at that time.  Susanna was too busy playing sports, Danny starting his acting out behavior.  So we did, we went, Ilana and I.  We stayed with my cousin June B.  Her husband loved to show people around Washington DC.  I contacted our representatives and they gave us 'tickets' for special tours (Library of Congress, National Archives).

Ilana and I went and toured all the places, she loved all of it.  I'll post a bunch of pictures.

We went on a bus tour the first day.  The driver was a big African American guy and he let us know that we belonged to him that day and everybody was going to have a good safe time...or else.  At each stop, he made us all recite out loud.  "I'm on bus 40 and my driver's name is DAVE."  He told us that we would take 20 minutes at some location and to be back at that time.  The unspoken message was that if you were not back, Dave would go looking for you and that would not be a good thing.  Anyway, he ran a tight ship, we had a great time and I still remember him.

We went everywhere including the zoo twice and the Vietnam Memorial where we made a rubbing.  Eric, June's husband had worked as a counsel for the Judiciary Committee and, pre 911, he took us on a special insider tour of the House office building including a stop at the ice cream place in the basement.  We went into an empty conference room with a live mike.  In his best congressional voice, he said over the mike "Mister Chairman, I would like to introduce Ilana Barnes from the State of Washington."  Ilana ran out of the room with shrieks of delight.  So funny.

Here's some pics....

Photoessay #2860 - Freedom Summer 1963

I feel a new interest coming on. This one has a much more crowded field.  I pretty much have Maier Zunder all to myself.  Turns out my professor this quarter has a strong tie with Mark Beittel.  My cousin.  I have always been close to the Beittel family.  His parents Sue and Dan (may he rest in peace, I still miss his presence), his sisters Lynn and June, his grandparents.

His grandfather, A. D Beittel, married my husband and I.  Was the perfect solution.  His family says we were the last couple he married.

I knew he was involved in the civil rights movement and I knew he was a president of a college but I didn't really pay too much attention or put together his story.  I knew him and his wife as Grandfather and Grandmother Beittel.  I always found them so interesting.  And, at that ime, I scowled at and scorned most all adults.

But there is information abuot him online.  Somebody does need to write his story.

But here is the coolest picture ever.  The Freedom Summer of 1963.  Sit in at the Woolworth counter in Jackson Mississippi by students and faculty of Tougaloo College.  What's happening here is not pretty; the angry white people behind them are pouring food and syrup all over them.  Some faculty members and students are shown.  At the end of the counter is the college president A. D. Beittel.  I can't tell if anybody has poured any food on him.

Brave times.  Who endures, the people sitting at the lunch counter or the people harassing them?

Do the right thing.

Photoessay #2858 - Just a small world

This quarter I'm taking Jewish Women In Contemporary American at the University of Washington as an access student.  It's been a great time, actually, the whole thing is coming together.  Taught by Associate Professor Kathie Friedman.  Actually we have found that we have a lot in common in our family life.

Today, she mentioned to a guest speaker (really enjoyed them!) that she had gone to graduate school at SUNY Binghamton.

Hey, my cousin Mark went there.  About the same time too.  Graduate student.  Sociology.  Wonder if they knew each other.  Right, that's a pretty big school.  I ask anyway.  Turns out she does!  She went to graduate school with Mark and his wife Giovanna and they all hung out together.  That would be a long time ago, like the late 1970s or so.

How funny is that?  She loved hearing about him and how he was doing.  I sent her some pictures from probably the last time we were together, 2010.  Warm enough to swim at Stinson Beach.

---still looking for orange trees to visit in the San Gabriel Valley
---got the update from the Asay family.  Thanks, Dennis and I read the whole thing!

Photoessay #2802 - Thanksgiving past

My cousin Lynn posted on Facebook about their Thanksgiving this year.  She mentions that Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday growing up.  Mine too.  And we are remembering the same Thanksgivings.  Likely in a different way. 

Here's a picture from my father's slides.  It was in a 1968 box but I'm thinking it's more 1964.  I'm the oldest...maybe I'm 12?  I would go even a bit older.  But my sister, Pam, in the middle.  She was always very small as a young child but I don't think I would put her more than 5.

Certainly, at the time, I felt a bit pushed.  Why should I hang out with all of these little kids?  Of course, 50 years later, those age differences don't make a bit of difference any more.  Though I still act as the big sister telling everybody what to do.

So I'm standing above those little kids.  Lynn B, Mark B, Pam, Charlie, June B.

Taken in our backyard in Sacramento CA at Thanksgiving.  The leaves have not all quite fallen, though late afternoon, the sun is still bright.

As 'the oldest', I usually got stuck with washing a lot of the dishes.  But it was still good.