Happy Thanksgiving

I have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving - my family, my friends, my health, my job in a place full of wonderful people, my little dog and so much more. Occasionally, I hear someone talk about how hard life is and I realize how truly blessed I am.

Instead of cooking yesterday, I went to Pike's Landing for dinner with my friend Mae. We enjoyed a buffet that included turkey, ham and prime rib, salads, all the side dishes and a huge dessert table complete with sugar-free desserts. I did splurge as I do every time I visit Pike's brunch and had a creme brulee. It's only about four bites and since I only have it 3-4 times a year, I allow myself this special treat. The food was wonderful, as always, and we ran into other friends who wanted to spend the holiday away from the kitchen.

We took the circuitous route on the way back home. The sky was blue and the sun was shining down through the trees. It looked like a winter wonderland.

It was about 10 degrees, very nice after the -30 we had last week. All in all, it was a very nice day.

Today it was 20 degrees when I got up this morning. My little dog Buddy loves the warmer temperatures. He's always excited about going out - jumping, barking and turning himself inside out. (I think it may have something to do with the treat he gets when he comes back in.) When it's -10 or colder, he's in front of the door within 30 seconds, wanting to come back inside. We were out last weekend when it warmed up to -15 and he was giving me his most pitiful look - the guilt-trip thing. After just a few seconds at the colder temperatures, his beard turns white with frost.

Today it was up to 25 degrees, so we went out for a short romp. He loves to sniff the air and check out who was near his yard last.

I opted not to shop today. I don't like crowds, and especially rude crowds. I went out just twice on Black Friday and decided I will never do it again. The pushing, shouting, running down aisles really spoils my holiday spirit. I was not raised to act like this in public (or in private, for that matter) and I simply want to grab those people and tell them to act like adults. I'd probably end up in jail :) I guess I must be getting old, because I have little patience for dealing with it. I would rather spend more money and shop in relative peace.

I cooked a turkey today and spent some time with my daughter and her family, then did some laundry and put up my tree. It's not trimmed yet, but I can do that later. I love looking at the lights on it. Hopefully all the work is done now and I can simply relax and enjoy the weekend before going back to work Monday. I have a lot of leave I need to use up over the next month, and will be taking time off.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I hope your holiday was as good as mine was.

Looking for the good . . .

I am so glad this week is done. It's been a long one, and I'm afraid not a very productive one. I worked hard all week and didn't even take the camera out of its bag. It felt as though all I did was work, eat and sleep - and much of the eating (breakfasts and lunches) was done at my desk.

I was selected as a panel member this week to review tons of papers and determine if the ratings on them were correct. My fellow panel members were great, we got along well and were able to reach a consensus on all of them. However, that panel took up all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and half of Thursday. That gave me just a day and a half to catch up a week's worth of work.

That made me very grateful to have a wonderful staff who kept the office running smoothly and picked up some of my tasks on top of their own work. They are a great group of people - I missed their company while I was locked up in the panel work.

Friday the temperature dropped to -30 at work. Somewhere on the way to work, one of my tires went flat. I have no idea where this happened, as there was no change in performance until I was about 1/2 mile from the office. At -30 I wasn't about to let it sit along the road - towing and repairing a frozen car would be more costly than towing it and replacing the tire. It was 5 a.m. and there was no one on the road. As it turned out, I damaged the rim, so it had to be towed anyway, but is now back in my driveway, plugged in and happy.

Once again I was pretty grateful. I have a service station with a great reputation and honest mechanics. They towed my car, dropped me off at home to let the dog out and came back to get me when the tire was replaced. They're looking for a replacement spare for me today.

I've had some experiences with shady mechanics and these guys have been great. I started using them after one guy at another place quoted me more than $400 for a fix, then told me he would do it at his home garage for $350 because he was trying to build up a clientele so he could start his own business. I decided to get a second opinion and went to the place I now call my shop. They replaced a $15 part in 5 minutes and didn't charge me for the labor. I've been going there ever since.

Normally, all of this would have had me stressed out and ranting wildly. Instead, I'm simply glad it's over. Maybe it's because I pulled out an old commentary I once wrote and spruced it up a little. It was about keeping Thanksgiving separate from Christmas (they ARE two different holidays, after all), and being thankful for what we have. Perhaps that spilled over into my week, because I don't feel any stress and I'm pretty content despite the fact that it's really cold outside.

I'm looking forward to phoning my family in Pennsylvania Thursday and wishing all of them in turn a happy Thanksgiving, and to having a wonderful dinner at Pike's Landing. I'm taking much of the week off, so will probably cook at least a turkey breast if not a whole bird - I love the leftovers. But I also love having someone else cook and clean up on a holiday, and Pike's always has a wonderful spread.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Veterans' Day

Today is Veterans' Day. Originally called Armistice Day, it noted the end of WWI.

I have a few ancestors - and still living relatives - who have served in the armed forces.

Andrew Burd, in my maternal line, served in the Revolutionary War. He enlisted at age 14 and served as a fifer until his release at the end of the war - at age 21 - according to records. His tombstone says that legend has it the fife was shot from his hand as he was playing it, but he was uninjured.

Both William Portzline (my dad's mother's grandfather) and John Hamilton (my dad's maternal grandfather) served in the Civil War, in the same company. One record says that William Portzline was shot in the wrist and was briefly a prisoner of war. I'm still looking for confirmation and more information on the POW story.

My paternal grandfather served in France in WWI. He conducted recon, then drew maps of the terrain. I remember being cautioned not to ask him about the war when I was a young girl. I suspect he had some horrendous experiences. He was a very quiet, gentle man. I never saw him lose his temper or heard him raise his voice. I can't imagine how terrible that war must have been for such a gentle farm boy. After the war, he stayed on in France to study art, and he created so many things. He had a woodshop in the back yard where he would spend hours crafting furniture with curlicues on the feet of the tables and chairs. He made the dining-room table, so many chairs my grandmother had to tell him to stop and small boxes to hold various items. I have one wooden box, with a bunch of grapes carved onto the lid, that he made to hold a 35-mm camera (I have the camera as well). I also have a painting of a stream and spruce trees that he did. I treasure them both.







My grandfather, Cleve Hoffman, with his weapon









My mother's brother served in Korea. I can remember seeing him in his Army uniform when I was young. I didn't understand the excitement among my mother, grandparents and aunts and uncle then, but I remember thinking he looked pretty official in that uniform.

My dad, his brother Neil, brother-in-law Raymond and my cousin Don all served in the Navy. My cousin was primarily in the Mediterranean.

From top to bottom: Uncle Raymond, Dad, Uncle Neil

Dad spent time in the South Pacific - Philippines mostly. He was a sonar technician on a Canadian hospital ship called "Letitia."

LETITIA / EMPIRE BRENT / CAPTAIN COOK 1924



Built as the LETITIA in 1924 by the Fairfield Co, Glasgow for the Donaldson Line of Glasgow. She was a 13,475 gross ton ship, length overall 538ft x beam 66.4ft, one funnel, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 15 knots. There was accommodation for 516-cabin and 1,000-3rd class passengers.
Launched on 14th Oct.1924, she sailed from Glasgow on her maiden voyage to Liverpool, Quebec and Montreal on 24th Apr.1925, and she ran a joint service with the ill-fated ATHENIA to Quebec and Montreal in the summer and Halifax and St John NB in the winter. In 1927 her accommodation was altered, to carry 298-cabin, 310-tourist and 964-3rd class passengers.
In 1939 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and commissioned as an Armed Merchant Cruiser. She later became a troopship and was extensively damaged in 1943 and was temporarily repaired in the USA.
In 1944 she was taken over by the Canadian Government and converted into a hospital ship with a medical staff of 200 and a capacity for 1,000 wounded. Over the next year or so she carried over 7,000 sick and wounded back to Canada and was on her way to the Pacific theatre of war when Japan surrendered. She was then used for the repatriation of Canadian troops and families. While still engaged in this work, she was sold in 1946 to the Ministry of Transport and renamed EMPIRE BRENT. While on route to Halifax in 1947, she collided with and sank the STORMONT in the River Mersey and had to be drydocked in Birkenhead with stem damage.
In December 1947, she was completely overhauled on the Clyde and refitted as a troopship. Used for trooping voyages to India and the Far East until 1949 when she commenced an emigration service between the UK and Australia with a capacity for 965 emigrants. Withdrawn from this service late in 1950, she was laid up for about six months and was then completely reconditioned as a New Zealand emigrant ship with accommodation for 1,088 passengers in two-, four-, and six berth cabins.
Renamed CAPTAIN COOK, her ownership was to pass gradually to the New Zealand government, who were paying for her by installments. She commenced sailings from Glasgow via Panama to Wellington on 5th Feb.1952, taking about 33 days, sometimes being used to repatriate troops from the Far East on the return voyage. From April to October 1955 she was chartered to Donaldson’s and made seven round voyages between Glasgow, Liverpool and Montreal, but then went back to the New Zealand service.
In 1957 she had a fire while in Wellington, but was able to sail to the UK for repairs. She arrived at Glasgow at the end of her 25th New Zealand voyage in February 1960, was laid up at Falmouth and was then sold to British Iron and Steel Corporation, towed to Inverkeithing and broken up. [Donaldson Atlantic Liner "Letitia" of 1925 by Captain J.H.Isherwood, Sea Breezes Magazine, September 1967]

I had several friends in college who were VietNam veterans, and I work with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Their strength - and that of their families - is incredible. The telephone calls home and the occasional hook-ups via the Internet can't erase the  fear, the separations and the everyday challenges they all face. It requires a special strength.

It's a hard job, and it takes a tremendous toll on those who serve combat tours as well as on their families.

Today I will attend the Veterans' Day observance in Fairbanks, where I will stand at attention when the band plays the Army Song. I'll remember my days in the Women's Army Corps. I'll remember my ancestors and my living relatives who served and who had to overcome hardships and long separations from their families, without the benefit of telephones and Internet connections. And I'll say a special prayer for those who are serving today.

I salute all of you.