Backyard Friends

DENNIS: Whenever I see anything in the backyard, if they stay still, I can usually do pictures through the glass window. If I go outside, they're gonna run.

Usually birds, squirrels, there's a rabbit I shot--- with a camera! The minute the door opens, they're gone, so I have to shoot through the glass. I play them back on the camera, and I decide if I am gonna blow it up. Then I print them. This time, I went to CVS to do them... 99 cents for 8 x 10, can't go wrong on that!

Maybe 3 or 4 favorites. Some ducks in a reservoir in Clark. I found a good place where you can do that. So I think that'll be a good one for the contest, with the 2 ducks with the color of the water. I took it early, early fall.

The contest: Our Photography Club is having a contest... which looks better? They're all good but all different, it's hard to decide.

Been doing photography a long time, long time, 30 years or more. I have Olympus. In my case, it's good. All the Olympus, my wife and me use. We decided to get an Olympus digital. She can see right away what's good and not good. If you need another one, you can do it right away.

My Treatment in Iowa

KEN: Dad and Fran took me to Iowa. I saw a doctor and a nurse 5 days a week, from around July 20 - October 15.
I was laying down on a hospital bed and they did radiation therapy. It went around my whole waist, all different angles.
I got my own place there. Two bedroom apartment n Iowa City. Drive to hospital: me or Dad and Fran.
Dad and Fran and me drove in my car from Iowa back to New Jersey. I like it in both Iowa and New Jersey.
From July to October, I got a lot of sleep!
I look forward to coming to our Center.

The Ballet Dancer with Big Feet

MARION: My daughter went to ballet when she was in the first grade. She quit after she was married. How old was she? She was 24, I think she was.
And then she went for a year, and then she quit.
She didn't go professional or anything like that, but it was pleasure for her.
She did Swan Lake--- there were so many recitals! I can't remember all the names. She's about 5'7". She has bigger feet than I have!
She got married, has 2 boys. The boys do everything, but not ballet. You name the sport, they're into it!
She is now a dental hygienist!

Visitors from Switzerland

NANCY: My daughter comes to this country 2 weeks from now, with her son & her husband, to visit me. Coming from Switzerland, they live in Switzerland. Near Austria.
She is a dancer. Others come to her to learn to dance. She's a teacher, ballet.
Her husband works in art. Illustrates books. One son, adopted, he is 16, 17 years old now. He is studying agriculture. Coming here to visit me and I love them.
And I'd go to visit them 2 times a year... But in 3, 4, 5 years since I've had this, I haven't gone.
(They) will stay for 2, 3 weeks and then go because they have to go to work.

Lucky Proof

WALT: On tugboat. Captain bringing tugboat to Antwerp. Anyway, I see compass, has liquid in it. I open it up. I smell it. Oooh! Alcohol! ...and grapefruit. Lucky me! I drink it.
Luckily, grapefruit thinned it a bit before I gulped it. Strong!!! FUMES!!! Alcohol 120 proof, but I didn't know it. I didn't realize it, I'm 20 years old. I didn't know from nothing. Lucky me, otherwise I'd be blind now.
And then, I put water in it back up to the old level!

Jumping Out of a Plane

JOHN: I was a kid, 19, in the 82nd Airborne. There were a lot of areas to jump. You call them drop zones. Pilot knows the drop zones. 20 men, jump out the plane. For some reason, the pilot turned the plane, tilted it, & 3 or 4 men killed. They jumped out... the pilot flew in between them & hit them & killed them. Flew right in the middle of them... BOOM. They called it an "accident," but it was pilot error. He missed me by a couple of hundred feet.

Bite My Tongue!

WALT: Sometime, about 6 years old, run along a path & it... a barrel, you know? About a piece come off... a round steel piece came off. I go on the path, & I don't see it. It's half over ground & half under. Thin metal--- 16th of an inch thick--- over dirt. I run & I trip, & I think I put my tongue out & it closes hard--- & I bit my tongue & it bleeds. Evidently, I opened my mouth & stuck my tongue out, & when I hit the ground, it closed on my tongue! Put handkerchief into mouth, & I run uphill & I don't know how to do it. Fence--- 6 feet tall! But I jumped it! Got home, went to drugstore. Pull handkerchief out & it bleeds again. Something stopped it & I don't know after that. I don't know now. Then 6 years old... 83 now!!!

My Family of Firemen

DOLORES: My son and his 2 sons are all firemen. The last one, Jimmy, just became a fireman recently. And the other 2 are Peter and Pete! They all live in the same town and they're all firemen there.

Over the weekend, they had 3 fires in a row. That was Sunday or Monday. Fortunately, nobody got hurt, but they all happened in the homes.

They all marched in a parade on Monday (Memorial Day), along with their mother and her sister and sister-in-law and their nieces.

They all wanted to be firemen because their father is a fireman & they wanted to follow in their father's footsteps.

Their father was also Chief of firemen back in 19--- I don't know when, what year. I don't know how many years ago!

I am very proud of them!!!

United We Stand...

CHRISTINE: Hey!!!! Isn't it outrageous that, individuals we could use our "blog" to do anything we want. just think about it for a moment....what's that song, "oh you united we stand, divided we fall....."
exactly right!!!

I'll "blog" you guys soon :)

On the Road Again

SUZANNE: I have to take 3 or 4 lessons to drive. I've had two. I am so excited about it. I know I can drive.

I am driving a Buick Century right now, but my car when I get it fixed, it's going to be a Cadillac. It's not fixed yet for the driving.

Because my right leg can't work, I have to use my left leg on the accelerator & I can get that fixed either in Saddle Brook or Fairfield.

So next week probably I'll get the car fixed. I'm just going to drive around & this summer I would like to go to New Hampshire but I will see if I can do that long drive. It's about 4 1/2 hours.

I'm so excited!

Playing the Harmonica Again - Part 1

BILL: I don't remember what--- so long--- how many I do. I was pretty good with the harmonica. And I had an organ in my house. No, I don't even know where it went, because I can't remember. I played the harmonica. I think I was also with the guitar.

I have a case that I have some photographs. I can get about 10 or 12 different photographs of when I played different instruments. I can't even tell you what they are. I will bring them in and show you.

I remember in Macy's, I took one fellow, a friend, myself also, & we did the music together. I played harmonica. He played the same. They had like a stage & they had a business over there, where they had stores. We played in the place!

My daughter made me, would like to help me to try to make music. She wanted me to try & help me with it. I didn't have nobody else. She wanted me to go back to the harmonica. She started with me about 2 months, no, at least 3 months, and now I'm pretty good.

The harmonica, it's an old one. It was in a closet with coats & winter clothes & things.

I wanted to do. I am not good like yet I used to be do. But this song, "America," I use that to look at it, & it all came better, better. Now it's alright! It is easy song, now it is. I did it good! I will try to do more songs, & different.

You have to know what you're doing.
I'm not there yet, so I'm doin' it!

Our Improv Group

JIM: At this moment, it's a pretty good idea. It's important to know their names--- Jack, Jeannie, Gary, Pete, Dan, Don, Fred. And me. I am the coach, because I'm smart--- not yet, but already!
Let's do it this way, this thing, horses, no--- I forget what they call it...HATS! It's going to make it go that way. It's alive, it's me alone now. Immediately now, at least to me.
So suddenly, they have to do the whole thing. Yes, they wear the thing. That's important.
Jack, he'll do it fast & clear --- he is excellent.
John, this is unbelievable, it's g--damn unbelievable!
Dan, it's a little bit crazy, but he's RIGHT, it's right, he knows!
You never know what's gonna happen, like the other day, you don't know! It's kind of wacky!
How does it affect you, make you go? Give them a thing, see what happens with it, how does it go, what is the story?
Funny? Most of the time we are. Some are exceptional. I'm not bluffing! Each one is getting better! Is closely better!

A Tugboat to Hell

WALT: I was going in the tug, 84 feet, gathered there within port. 1, 2, 3, 4 sunken ships in the port. High tide, low tide, 24 feet difference. I was going to Utah, Normandy, in July 1944, and board ships. 30 by 90 feet, barge? No. Ships? No. And then I go to Cherbourg. 3 days to get there. I gathered storm coming, I slow, I go, 8 feet up from water & wind 40 MPH at least. 3 days, 2 ships, larger than ours--- 86 foot also going to Cherbourg. More power, OK.
And when I go to Cherbourg, & wind hit me, I go to sleep. Wind hitting me.
Rope breaking because wind it is so strong, broke rope to the barge. It's new rope, 6" around & breaks. And the captain turns around & borders it with new rope. Pulling another barge.
Barge all of a sudden stopped--- storm. A wave about 20 feet high, and streaming white caps, streaming and white caps so sudden. Captain so scared, he pulls whistle 7 times... that's "abandon ship"!!!
I questioned in my mind--- where are we going?! In middle of ocean! If I abandon ship, I not living anymore! So instead of going under, I climb up to wheelhouse and I go to sleep! I went to sleep for about an hour.
Coast Guard put hole in barge & sunk it. Finally the storm quit & I go to Cherbourg.
Captain was removed from the tugboat. Promoted a staff sergeant to run the boat!

My 3 Houses

KEN: I rent houses 1, 2, 3. November to April: first house. April to September, 2nd house. Me stroke and house and 13 boxes and Annie--- over and over and over!!
New house--- September or October. I bought it & I am moving in in September. Left hand--- moving things with left hand only! Books and clothes and yes toiletries. Hard work to move!!!

Miscalculation

JOHN: I was standing outside my car with my stroke. My wife was supporting me. And she forgot to put the brakes on the wheelchair. Wheelchair changed spots --- it moved! I went to sit down and the chair was gone! And I hit the ground --- BOOM! I was mad! I was MAD!!!

Dennis Takes a Trip

DENNIS: I was waiting for Jim in the parking lot but he walked out. I was in the bathroom and came out but he was parked in front of the Center. I was walking too fast and I went FOOOM! I fell on my face.
JIM: I thought he was hurt. I ran all the way, saw him & he was OK. So I was laughing.
DENNIS: I went to grab the side of the van. I went down. I was near the curb. Apparently I didn't judge the curb. Jim thought I had another stroke! I got a little bump on the noggin on my face. I looked around when I got up to see if people were laughing at me!

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