The Family at the Beach in Duck, North Carolina

 

Jim, Janie, John & Jennifer (with Wiley too) at the beach in Duck, North Carolina on the Outer Banks.

We had a family reunion before we all went to Charlottesville, Virginia  for a collage football game between the Oregon Ducks and the Virginia Cavaliers.   Ducks Won the Day!

With both of our children living back East this was a wonderful trip for all of us to be back together again.

Drive In Movie Theatres

 

 

This time of year I think back fondly to the Drive-in Theaters of my youth. In the post World War II era , 1950's families were trying to find an entrainment option as they raised the "baby boom" generation. What follows is an "Oldie Goldie post" of a few years ago.

As a kid I loved drive in theaters .In fact, if I were to pick the favorite thing of my youth it would be drive-in movies. I grew up in Ogden, Utah; Boise, Idaho; Roseburg, Oregon; and Coos Bay/North Bend, Oregon in the 1950's. Each of these  towns had drive in theaters. I can remember going to two or three movies a week in Ogden in the summer before we had TV. This was when I was 4 or 5. My dad didn't like indoor movies because as he said there was always someone behind him chewing on gum which he hated. My mom would make us sandwiches (usually tuna) along with Kool-Aid in a thermos and cookies.(Coke was too expensive) There was always a commercial before the intermission between the double features for the snack bar food. I remember an ad for a foreign food I had never heard of called "pizza". My dad said it tasted like card board so we never got any. My mom loved pop corn so we always got some. To draw family's the theaters sometimes had special attractions like pony rides or steam engine train rides. I still have a black & white photo in my "movie room" of my sister and I on ponies taken at a drive-in theater before the movie. We must have been 4 and 6 years of age. It is one of my favorite pictures. They all had playground equipment we would play on till the movie started. The movie always started with a cartoon. I remember running to the car as the cartoon started. I even loved and still love the previews. Before the movie dad's would often turn on their spot lights and play games on the screen.

The movies, or "shows" as we called them, often,  in retrospect , were not that good. I can remember Ma &Pa Kettle, Here Come the Nelsons ( Ozzie and Harriet before TV) and the Bowery Boys. Not real sophisticated stuff. But their was always John Wayne. I can remember campaigning for weeks to go see "Blood Alley". Not because I knew anything about it other than it's name and John Wayne was in it. I loved saying "Blooooood Alley." I knew if Jeff Chandler was in a movie I could talk my mom into going. My sister who still likes to go to bed early would always sleep through the second feature but not me. My dad would always make fun of the kissing scenes and my mom would always kid us about the hero being the only one left standing at the end of  war/western movies. My mom would put her head on my dad's shoulder and fall asleep. The sound was usually terrible but I loved the big screen and how it transported me out of small town America in the days before color TV. Most of them are gone now the victim of VCR's and now DVD's and high land prices. I still miss them.

 

If I could go back in time to be with Mom & Dad & Marva it would be at a John Wayne western at a drive in movie.

Happy 38th Wedding Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Dear!

 

38 years ago today I married Janie at the Perozzi Fountain, Lithia Park, in Ashland Oregon.  During those 38 years we have not only been husband and wife but business partners who work together in our office every day.  .  We have for those 38 years been  basically together 24/7. Her strengths compliment my weakness.  While I tend to be a dreamer and idealist she is  practical and a realist.  I couldn't have ask for a better mother for our two children. I am sure they inherited her smarts and my passion. I would be lost without her.   She is my best friend.

Greatest Plays in Oregon Football History - New! (HD)

If you are an Oregon Duck football fan do yourself a favor and  watch this video....... stay till the end.  It brought tears to my eyes. So many memories.

The Return of the 4 Musketeers

 

With the two kids now living back East it is not too often that we all get together to go to an Oregon Duck football game. However, arrangements for a game this fall have now been made, airline tickets purchased, and the 4 DUCK FANS  will be TOGETHER at a game to watch our beloved DUCKS! 

Is this Dad excited or what!

In past years our kids have gotten together to go to Duck games when  the Ducks have gone East for games at Michigan, Purdue and Tennessee but Mom & Dad were not there.  Not this year!

Let's Go Ducks!  Win the Day!

 

Early Happy Birthday Dear

100 Degrees in Medford !

Ice tea one of the great things about summer!

Summer 2013

We have now passed all three of the three markers for the beginning of Summer. Memorial Day Weekend,  the day school is out  and now June 21st have come and gone.. It's now the official start of Summer. Medford seems deserted since school "let out".  It seems like "everyone has gone to the moon." It's been in the 70's and the summer stretches before us in all it's splendor. Plans are already being made for the 4th of July! 

This should be a fairly quiet summer.  No political conventions and no Olympic games. I have some work to do around the house cleaning windows, carpets and paint touch up.  I may try and even clean the garage.
Neither of our adult kids will be coming home but we will try and get together in the fall for a football game. More on that later.  We have our  38th wedding anniversary and my wife's birthday in August and throughout the summer the anticipation of Oregon Duck Football.

I love this time of year.  As a kid growing up in Coos Bay/ North Bend on the Oregon coast we never had a real summer...... it was always cold and windy. We have set up our gazebo on our back deck and have already had several lunches out there.  We have already done a lot of yard work.  We had fresh bark sprayed and spend a hard weekend spreading pea gravel on the paths in the back and side yards.

Been watching the Summer series on A&E, Longmire season 2 . Hope to see the new Western, "The Lone Ranger" when it opens and have already seen the new "Iron Man" movie.

Now, if only I could find a drive-in theater! Time for ice tea.

"The Way We Were"

http://fishduck.com/2013/05/misty-watercolor-memories-of-the-way-we-were/

Smiles we gave to one another

"Civil War" game in Eugene on Dec 3,2009; Oregon 37, Oregon State 33...... WE'RE GOING TO THE ROSE BOWL!

The Dish has landed & Life is good!

I can get the Pac 12 Networks and otherwise the TV reception and channel selection is great.  Less expensive than Charter and we have joined the 21st Century with a DVR as part of the Hopper!  I can also watch all of the channels on TV anywhere on my iPad. Why did I wait so long!

Don't buy Charter's commercials telling you will lose reception in a rain storm. Tonight we inaugurated or system in the middle of a thunder and lightning storm with hard rain and there was no perceptible change in our reception.

I went through "No Wires Media" a local brick and mortar store here in Medford located at 1560 Biddle Road and locally owned. Nice folks.



Go Ducks!

Today is D-Day ..... DISH DAY!

Today is the day they install my Dish so I can watch my Oregon Ducks on the Pac 12 Networks.  Let's Go Ducks......... Win the Day!

Goodbye Charter!

Congressional Chorus Cabaret Salutes the 70's

Our daughter lives in Washington D.C. and has, for  number of years, been a member of the Congressional Chorus. Here are some highlights from a concert they put on a few weeks ago. I remember the music as if it were yesterday.

TV News Story about our Son John Wickre

 

 

He became a marathon runner and lost over 100 pounds in less than one year . He was featured in a news story on WKYT TV in Lexington, Kentucky where he is a Doctoral candidate in the History Department of the University of Kentucky. Click on the link for the video.

 

Movie: "Trouble With the Curve" *****

 According to Wikipedia:

Trouble with the Curve is a 2012 sports-drama film starring Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, Matthew Lillard, and John Goodman. The film revolves around an aging baseball scout whose daughter( a hard charging take no prisoners lawyer)  joins him on a scouting trip.

I have watched this move twice now, with my Netflix copy, and love the movie.  I am not a fan of baseball but I am a fan of this movie.  I liked another baseball movie, "Moneyball"(2011), but; "Trouble With the Curve" takes the direct opposite approach to professional baseball evaluation and drafting of players.  However, this movie is more about the coming to terms between an aging father and his adult daughter. Without giving anything away the opening scene of an old Clint Eastwood" in the bathroom after waking up won me over. Eastwood is his usual cranky self.  A persona he perfected in "Grand Toreno" (2008) but the big surprise for me is Amy Adams and of all people Justin Timberlake.  They are great together. The scene between them in a drinking baseball trivia game is magical. John Goodman is just right as Eastwoods long time boss and friend.They don't make many movies like this anymore and it is too bad.  Do yourself a favor by seeing this movie.

Home For Christmas

One of the best part of the Christmas Holidays is having our adult children come home. Since they both live in the Eastern time zone we don't get to see them that often during the year. Last night  very late I  picked up our son at the Jackson County "International" Airport. He came in from Lexington Kentucky where he is working on his PhD in History. Next weekend I  will go back to the airport to pick up our daughter who is coming in from Washington D.C.. I love this time of year and the trips to the airport !

For John

• Clark Griswold

  We're gonna have the best-looking house in town, Russ. Unravel these. We need to check every bulb. Oops. Little knot here, you can work on that.

2012 Holiday Movies UPDATED

One of the best parts of the Holidays, along with collage football bowl games, is taking the family to the movies at a local theater. Hollywood likes to release good movies for the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year Holiday period because people have more time for going to the movies and in most parts of the country outside activities are limited because of the weather. After spending lots of time inside with relatives at home it is liberating to get out of the house and go to a movie. The following is the release date and names of some movies I would like to see.

November 9th

SKYFALL

The new James Movie is very good.  I have seen it once but could be dragged back for a second viewing.


LINCOLN

I have seen it and I want to see it again when our son is home.  This is his area of study and he has already seen it twice.  He knows the back story on all the major and minor historical characters and I want to see it again in any case. A fine movie to be treasured about one of my hero's.

November 16

ANNA KARENINA

I love costume drama's and would love to see this on the big screen.  If not, it will be on blu-ray soon enough.

November 21

RED DAWN

Can wait for blu-ray but would go if someone twisted my arm.  Conservative love this story and I am a Conservative. Just wish they had kept the bad guys the Chinese Communists instead of the North Koreans. 

November 23

HITCHCOCK

Love movies about movies.

December 7

HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON

Bill Murray does a serious role of FDR,about the visit of the King of England to his home at Hyde Park.  Same king as in The Kings Speech. Love history and politics so this is a natural  Apparently show Roosevelt as not a perfect person!

December 19

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Yes, the Jimmy Stewart classic is coming to a big screen near you for this one day only.  I own it on blu-ray but have never seen it in a theater and our son will be home for the Holiday's by then and we both love this movie.

THE GUILT TRIP

Yes, I know, Barbra Streisand is in this movie but I can separate her political views from her acting ability.  Love "road pictures" .  This one about a mother who joins her son on a road trip.

ZERO DARK THIRTY

Hunt to kill Osama bin laden!  Who wouldn't enjoy that.

December 21

ON THE ROAD

Based upon the Jack Kerouac 1957 novel of the same name.  I said I like "road pictures" and this is a classic and the novel was the start of the beatniks. Hope it plays in Medford, but may have to go to Ashland.  May be too out of the mainstream for Medford's Tinseltown.

Christmas Day - December 25

LES MISERABLES

The expected "block buster" of the Christmas Holidays and looks like a big budget musical, historical, consume drama all rolled into one.  Will be fun.


PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Billy Crystal and Bette Midler are grandparents who become temporary guardians of their grandchildren.  Could be very funny and is more in keeping with my idea of Christmas entertainment. Love Billy Crystal.

Non Political Shout Out !!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I am making an exception to my self imposed unstated resolution to not make any  non political posts on this blog until after the election to give a big shout out of CONGRATULATIONS to a family member ! We are very proud of you and GOOD LUCK!  Have a drink on us!

Happy 37th Anniversary Dear !

Drive In theaters

This time of year I think back fondly of the Drive-in Theaters of my youth. In the post World War II era of the 1950's families were trying to find an entrainment option as they raised the "baby boom" generation. What follows is an "Oldie Goldie post" of a few years ago which I have added to and re edited.

As a kid I loved Drive In theaters.In fact, if I were to pick the favorite thing of my youth it would be Drive-in movies. I grew up in Ogden, Utah; Boise, Idaho; Roseburg, Oregon; and Coos Bay/North Bend, Oregon in the 1950's. Each of those towns had drive in theaters. I can remember going to two or three movies a week in Ogden in the summer before we had TV. This was when I was 4 or 5. My dad didn't like indoor movies because as he said there was always someone behind him chewing on gum which he hated. My mom would make us sandwiches (usually tuna) along with Kool-Aid in a thermos and cookies.(Coke was too expensive) There was always a commercial before the intermission between double features for the snack bar food. I remember an ad for a foreign food I had never heard of called "pizza". My dad said it tasted like card board so we never got any. My mom loved pop corn so we always got some. To draw family's the theaters sometimes had special attractions like pony rides or steam engine train rides. I still have a black & white photo in my "movie room" of my sister and I on ponies taken at a Drive-in theater before the movie. We must have been 4 and 6 years of age. It is one of my favorite pictures. They all had playground equipment we would play on till the movie started. The movie always started with a cartoon. I remember running to the car as the cartoon started. I even loved and still love the previews. Before the movie dad's would often turn on their spot lights and play games on the screen.

The movies, or shows as we called them, often were not in retrospect that good. I can remember Ma &Pa Kettle, Here Come the Nelsons ( Ozzie and Harriet before TV) and the Bowery Boys. Not real sophisticated stuff. But their was always John Wayne. I can remember campaigning for weeks to go see "Blood Alley". Not because I knew anything about it other than it's name and John Wayne was in it. I loved saying "Blooooood Alley." I knew if Jeff Chandler was in a movie I could talk my mom into going. My sister who still likes to go to bed early would always sleep through the second feature but not me. My dad would always make fun of the kissing scenes and my mom would always kid us about the hero being the only one left standing  in war movies.My mom would put her head on my dad's shoulder and fall asleep. The sound was usually terrible but I loved the big screen and how it transported me out of small town America in the days before color TV. Most of them are gone now the victim of VCR's and now DVD's and high land prices. I still miss them.