Lucy! Due March 29th, 2009

100 Years...... Ruth Panama Harris-Ables-Holmes-Moore

Ruth Panama Harris was born in the Canal Zone, Panama on November 19, 1908. She would now be 100 years old. Born to Harry and Iva Mae Harris, Harry was a worker on the Panama Canal. They later relocated to Denver, Colorado where Ruth grew up. At age 19 she married Arthur Ables. After the birth of their two children, Shirley and Pete, they moved to Long Beach. Arthur worked as a mechanic for Chevrolet and an amateur photographer. In 1936, Ruth, Shirley and Pete moved to Hawaii where Arthur had taken a job with Aloha Motors.

The family lived in Honolulu until early 1941 when they moved to Hilo. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Arthur went to work for the Navy and traveled to the Philippines and on to Egypt. In the meantime, Ruth filed for divorce and moved Shirley and Pete to Lake Tahoe, California.

In the late 1940s, Ruth remarried to William Holmes, a conductor for the Southern Pacific Railroad and relocated to Auburn, California.

The marriage to William lasted until 1960 when she divorced him and moved to Arizona. In 1964 Ruth married again, this time to James Moore, to whom she remained married to for the rest of her life. They moved to Sacramento and later to Auburn, where she bought a small mobile home. The first and only house she ever owned!

Ruth's lifestyle, smoking and drinking, eventually led to two open heart operations. One of her doctors told her she could only have one drink a day. So, Ruth purchased a large fish-bowl-sized brandy glass, filled it with bourbon, and nursed it all day.....her one drink!

In October 1978, just shy of her 70th birthday, Ruth's heart gave out. She passed away in her sleep. Her husband, Jim, passed away a month later.

I'd Rather Be Sailin'

A Picture is worth a thousand words. Enough said.......

Bumble Bee

This is Brett's new car. A 2009 Chevy Camaro. It looks good next to his 1969 Camaro. Too bad it is only eight inches long!
Brett is a bit of a model car aficionado. He has built hundreds of models, mostly airplanes, but is currently building cars.

This one is modeled after Bumble Bee in Transformers.

Perhaps when he starts flying for the airlines he will be able to get a real one!

The Pendulum Swings

Today is my birthday. I'm 56. Fifty-six years ago on my day of birth, Eisenhower was elected. He was the first Republican to take the White House after two decades of Democratic control and the pendulum moved to the right. During his tenure the United States added Alaska and Hawaii. Eisenhower signed the United States first Civil Rights Act (The Civil Rights Act of 1957) ending the separate by equal doctrine and paving the way for the more comprehensive Civil Rights Act of 1964. But, as the country moved to the right, it feed on the fear of Communism. I can't say if the fear was founded or not, but I do remember the duck and cover drills in school and the backyard bomb shelters.

Over the fifty-six years later the pendulum has swung back and forth creating a climate where we were able to elected our first African-American President, and I for one think it's great. It was time for the pendulum to swing a little to the left. For nearly 30 years the Republicans have been in control. (I know what you're thinking-- what about Clinton... well during most of Clinton's term, Republicans controlled congress... remember Newt?) The country can move a lot to the left and still not pass center...

For all my beloved friends and family whose anxiety levels might be a bit elevated this morning on the news that Obama will move into the White House in January, take a deep breath and remember: It was a Republican that ended slavery, a Republican that signed the first Civil Rights act, a Republican that ended the Cold War.... and it will be the Republicans who will sing the pendulum back towards the center after it goes too far to the left. In the end, it is this great system of government that prevails and we are all its benefactors. Thank you all for voting. In someway, we are all winners...because of where we live and this time in history.

John McCain said in his speech last night, "Today, I was a candidate for the highest office of my country. Tonight, I remain her servant, and that is blessing enough." It is our job now, to remain her servant, to keep watch over her and take the momentum of this election and to continue to move the country forward.

The Mohawk Man

Here is Uncle Kirk, the Mohawk Man! While giving him a very short hair cut on Satruday, we took a little time to have some fun... Just what everyone wanted to see....Uncle Kirk in a Mohawk...

Vanessa's Disney Birthdays.....

Vanessa and I have had the pleasure of shareing our birthdays. Mine is the 5th of November and Vanessa's is the 6th. In 1994 she and I flew to Walt Disney World for her 9th birthday... Just a daddy-daughter weekend. Then, in 2000 we flew to Paris and spent six days. Of course, we went to Disneyland Paris for another daddy-daughter birthday weekend. (Sorry, no pictures)Then in 2004 Vanessa was working at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Grandpa Prusso and I flew down to wish her a happy Birthday.

Hard to believe she will is now Twenty-three. (and has someone else to spend her birthdays with) Happy Birthday, Vanessa.... Love, Dad