My Uncle Paul
Uncle Paul died yesterday afternoon at age 90 while taking an afternoon nap.
He was a very bright, knowledgeable man. He was nicknamed "The Professor!"
When I was a child and beyond, he has been a special part of my life. I can remember him washing his car and packing when he would prepare to go to San Pedro to court my Aunt Tina.
He raced boats and won several trophies.
He was a mastermind when it came to farm equipment and everything that went with it. He'd take me all around the ranch and in town in his pickup and talk endlessly about farming, engines, and the like. Often, when I was a child, I couldn't follow what he was talking about, but just enjoyed being in his company!
He nicknamed me "Toogie" when I was young and even made up a song entitled
"Toogie" which he would sing in Italian. I can still sing it in Italian to this day.
Often, he would shorten my nickname to "Toog" He never called me Christine. It would have seemed so strange if he had.
What a unique individual. My cousins and I and all his family will miss him so much.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Any Thoughts About Spirituality?
In the past, I've had a tendency to think of spirituality as something I would ponder in my recliner or discuss with a friend or maybe read about..
It has been brought to my attention that spirituality is similar to faith in that it is a principle of action.
Spirituality does include the element of our quiet moments with the Divine, but it also consists of doing. Spirituality is doing things such as keeping our promises to God, having an increased awareness of the needs of others, having integrity, and having a "buoyancy of spirit" and optimism.
I was happy to discover that spirituality is a talent that can be developed. How exciting is that?
Bruce R. McConkie, LDS Apostle, has said, "Above all talents - greater than any other capacities, chief among all endowments - stands the talent for spirituality."
In the past, I've had a tendency to think of spirituality as something I would ponder in my recliner or discuss with a friend or maybe read about..
It has been brought to my attention that spirituality is similar to faith in that it is a principle of action.
Spirituality does include the element of our quiet moments with the Divine, but it also consists of doing. Spirituality is doing things such as keeping our promises to God, having an increased awareness of the needs of others, having integrity, and having a "buoyancy of spirit" and optimism.
I was happy to discover that spirituality is a talent that can be developed. How exciting is that?
Bruce R. McConkie, LDS Apostle, has said, "Above all talents - greater than any other capacities, chief among all endowments - stands the talent for spirituality."
Monday, October 28, 2013
Jordan Craters
On our way back to the apartment in Caldwell from Jordan Valley, Oregon, we drove to the Jordan Craters. We really weren't sure what we would find. A well maintained gravel road takes you about 24 miles one way. During the last mile the road got a little rougher. Amazingly, we found lava cones/formations which witnessed to us of a tumultuous eruption in ancient times! This particular field of formations is called "Coffee Cup". We were able to drive down into the formations and get right along side of them while in the car! There is a turn-around at the end of the road with a Bureau of Land Management information exhibit.
These lava fields extend for miles and miles across the expanse. One's imagination can run wild contemplating this severe eruption/s.
On our way back to the apartment in Caldwell from Jordan Valley, Oregon, we drove to the Jordan Craters. We really weren't sure what we would find. A well maintained gravel road takes you about 24 miles one way. During the last mile the road got a little rougher. Amazingly, we found lava cones/formations which witnessed to us of a tumultuous eruption in ancient times! This particular field of formations is called "Coffee Cup". We were able to drive down into the formations and get right along side of them while in the car! There is a turn-around at the end of the road with a Bureau of Land Management information exhibit.
These lava fields extend for miles and miles across the expanse. One's imagination can run wild contemplating this severe eruption/s.
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
The most amazing discoveries can be made out here "in the middle of nowhere!"
While in Jordan Valley, we learned that Jean Baptiste was buried in the vacinity. It was fascinating to read about this man who was really a man of two different worlds. We visited his grave on the way back to Caldwell.
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was born to Sacagawea and a French Canadian trapper named Touissant Charbonneau during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. William Clark was very fond of the boy who was nicknamed "Pomp".
When Sacagawea died, William Clark adopted Jean Baptiste who was approximately seven years old. Jean Baptiste was educated in St. Louis, Missouri. Already knowing several native dialects, he was fluent in English, French, German, and Spanish!
At age eighteen, he toured Europe and Africa. He was close to a German family of nobilitiy.
Not too many years later, he returned to the United States and spent the rest of his life as a fur trapper, trader, military scout, gold prospector, and mountain man.
He died at Inskip Station in Danner (now a ghost town), Oregon from pneumonia. Interestingly he had left Auburn, California and, it is thought, may have been headed to Montana for more prospecting. He was 61 years old.
For you Californians out there, you can visit a memorial plaque in his honor under the cedar tree near the Old Fire House in Old Town, Auburn, California.
The most amazing discoveries can be made out here "in the middle of nowhere!"
While in Jordan Valley, we learned that Jean Baptiste was buried in the vacinity. It was fascinating to read about this man who was really a man of two different worlds. We visited his grave on the way back to Caldwell.
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was born to Sacagawea and a French Canadian trapper named Touissant Charbonneau during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. William Clark was very fond of the boy who was nicknamed "Pomp".
When Sacagawea died, William Clark adopted Jean Baptiste who was approximately seven years old. Jean Baptiste was educated in St. Louis, Missouri. Already knowing several native dialects, he was fluent in English, French, German, and Spanish!
At age eighteen, he toured Europe and Africa. He was close to a German family of nobilitiy.
Not too many years later, he returned to the United States and spent the rest of his life as a fur trapper, trader, military scout, gold prospector, and mountain man.
He died at Inskip Station in Danner (now a ghost town), Oregon from pneumonia. Interestingly he had left Auburn, California and, it is thought, may have been headed to Montana for more prospecting. He was 61 years old.
For you Californians out there, you can visit a memorial plaque in his honor under the cedar tree near the Old Fire House in Old Town, Auburn, California.
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