ANITA'S MAJOR MILESTONE

**One certain truth about Betty (and me) is that we have always been blessed by a host of friends and a multitude of loved ones. In that crowd, each one brings special and unique blessings into our lives. The closest, of course, are immediate family; that is as it should be. But just beyond that circle are a few precious, dear individuals who have become every bit as close as family. Over the years we have acquired perhaps a golden dozen of such intimate and trusted friends. None of these jewels are closer or more beloved than our treasured sister Anita.

**This lovely individual came into our lives about thirteen years ago when she visited one of our home Bible studies. Over the years that modest accident has bloomed into a deep and enriched relationship that has involved Anita and us in many adventures and even into acquaintance with one another's families. She is a quiet and sensitive spirit with a generous heart and perceptive awareness of other people's lives. Anita has a beautiful, gentle manner and exhibits a sweet humility which sometimes conceals her wonderful talents and interests. A visit or an outing with her is always an enchanting experience.
**Unfortunately, Anita has been forced to engage in a prolonged and vigorous battle with cancer. She has been doing so with a valiant optimism and a cheerful confidence that her struggle is mostly borne by her Lord and that the benefits to her are going to greater than the losses. Now, at last, she has completed a lengthy series of difficult chemotherapy and radiation therapies. We are celebrating that accomplishment as a major milestone in her personal campaign against the scourge cancer is. It has been an awesome effort - instructional, uplifting, and inspiring to all of us. Anita's friends and acquaintances are all amazed and delighted.

**At some point early on in the fight, Anita chose the butterfly as her symbol of hope and encouragement. Much about that choice is highly meaningful. Butterflies demonstrate color, and lightness, and freedom, and beauty in their soaring and light-hearted flight. That's Anita! As fragile as butterflies seem to be, they think nothing about beginning lengthy and hazardous migrations to safer climes and undertake such journies with buoyant and confident spirits. That's Anita. And no matter how fragile and vulnerable the butterfly may appear to be, actually it is a tough and persistent creature who navigates not at a whim, but by the sure and steady guidance of God to reach its destination quietly but oh so certainly. And that is Anita all over again!!

**PS Tuesday the 30th is Anita's birthday [Happy Birthay, Girl!], and we will be happy to forward any greetings and congratulations to her which come to our attention.

A CLOUD OF VAUX'S SWIFTS

Last Saturday evening a few minutes before sunset, Patty and I opened our camping chairs and settled down to watch a strange phenomena. Unfortunately, it was a heavily overcast evening and I fear we may have not observed the event at its best, but we were still fascinated by a few highly unusual minutes of birdwatching. The tiny swift, no larger than a sparrow, is in several ways an oddity in the bird world. Lacking the rear "toe" and thus unable to perch on a branch, this tiny bullet of a bird remains in flight literally from sunrise to sunset. It feeds on insects which it catches in the air while flying about and can capture as much as half its own body weight every day. That alone makes the swift a valuable asset in city or countryside habitats alike.

When evening comes, however, local flocks of swifts need to find a sheltered place to spend the night. Hollow trees are ideal, but there are far too few trees to accomodate the enormous numbers of birds which come together in summer evenings. To solve this problem, eastern swifts have adopted the practice of using chimneys; thus its name "chimney swift" in mid-west and southern states. Our local variety, the Vaux's swift has adapted that practice to large "industrial-sized" chimneys and unused smoke stacks. Somehow they are able to cling to the rough interiors in great numbers and rest overnight in safety. In northwest Portland, there is just such a large chimney at an elementary school site near the Nob Hill neighborhood. In late August until the first week of October the birds use this particular location for evening housing, and not just a few birds: thousands of birds home in on the site at sunset - many, many thousands... according to a newspaper report, as many as an estimated 35,000 in recent peak years.

As the time approaches, the gathering cloud of swifts rapidy circle again and again rounding the stack hundreds of times as more birds continue to arrive from every direction joining the thickening masses. As the hoard begins to swirl around and past the top opening of the chimney stack, birds begin dropping into the stack by the dozens. At every pass large numbers, perhaps scores, of swifts drop into the chimney interior for the night. On a sunlight day I understand this phase only lasts a few minutes. Since our particular evening was so heavily overcast the process seemed to be more gradual, perhaps because the birds could not determine the exact minute of sunset. Still, over a period of about forty minutes, the entire host of birds seen earlier in the sky somehow managed to fly into the chimney to spend the night. It was astounding, and it thoroughly delighted the 300 or so folk watching. In fact, as the last seen bird disappeared down the stack, a loud round of applause broke out on the hill above us and passed through the crowd behind us all the way to the tennis courts to our north.

Thinking about this peculiar event raises a number of interesting questions. How do so many birds, even as small as is each is, manage to find "clinging room" in such relatively crowded quarters simultaneously? Where do these birds spend the rest of the year since their range is only from Central California to northern British Columbia and from eastern Oregon and Washington to the Pacific Ocean? How do they know where and when to gather? how can they fly all day long and still maintian such precision in formation at the end of the day? How is the order of entering the chimney determined? And finally, can anyone not consider this amazing event a wonder and a miracle?

THE BEST VIEW IS "ABOVE ALL"!!

In this post I'm going to point you to a new on-line site and endeavor I am excited about and which I really want to succeed. Get ready to save it for future use.

You will want to add it to your favorites, even if you don't think you would ever become a customer, because it is going to be a favorite location for some super photographs taken from a sky view!

My son David has started an aerial photography business in which he flies about and takes pictures from his airplane either based on interest, beauty, important community issues, or by contract for a customer. You should put his new URL in your favorites...... NOW!!

www.aboveallaerialphoto.com

If you are already acquainted with his blog http://www.pirep.blogspot.com/ you already know what fine pictures he takes and shares in the series of posts. The bonus in this blog is the addition of an appropriate verse from the Bible which accompanies each of the great pictures.

As you become familiar with the new business site you will be able to watch his gallery grow and you will also be able to designate your own favorite photographs to show to others.

Remember, it's just a tiny beginning now but the potential is sky high!! Remember when Microsoft and Google first began? They experienced modest beginnings too, and don't you wish you had been with them from their very start??? Here is your chance with David's Above All Aerial Photography, LLD. Don't miss your chance to have something impressive to brag about because you were astute enough to be ahead of the average bear in this opportunity.

Got any ideas for picture topics? I'm sure David will be interested in your input, thoughtful and clever suggestions, head's up hints and pictureable news scoops. Use the new business site to communicate with him. He'll be glad to hear from you.

Oh! One more thing. Did I mention how proud I am of David? (Well .... I am!)

HORNETS!! YIKES!!

Moments before becoming aware of this nest I was working about 18" directly under it. In no time at all I was standing in a swirl of agitated hornets who perceived me as a serious threat. I got nailed under my left jowl and again in mid-back as I beat an ungraceful and hasty retreat. Maybe they didn't like the news about the Democratic Party that was playing on NPR on my nearby radio at that moment??

This seems to be an especially vicious season for stinging insects in our yard. Before the yellowjackets in the house wall, I had wiped out an underground nest of the same nasty beasties in the roots of a tree along our back fence line. And earlier I had gone after one nest of ants near the back door of the garage and another colony out in Betty's flower garden. These little brutes are white faced hornets and they are wickedly agressive - in clouds of attackers. The spider hatch this year was enormous and dozens have been sent to the happy squishing grounds.

This old man is getting tired of defending the castle against these angry hoards. An endless supply seems tobe available around here. The one pictured - after dark, thank you - is the fourth paper-made nest I have had to deal with in the past five or six years. One was under the eaves near the fireplace stack, one was in an asian pear tree in the orchard, and a third was in this very same maple tree about three years ago. That one was within six feet of where this one hangs. Odd, Eh? Two of the four have been the size of vollyballs, one was the size of a medium cantalope, and this one is nearly a foot through at the widest point. Late tonight I'll put out their lights permanently, and good riddance!!

A HIGHLIGHT IN CALIFORNIA!!

Standing tall in the center is my niece, Lisa Dawn , in the midst of her four youngest.

In order of their ages: At the right is Daril, at the left is Hadley, in red is Graclyn, and the young fella in Momma's arms is Wyatt. These are really neat kids. Lively, but not irritating; curious and full of questions; well behaved and polite. each was interesting to talk with, and I admire their individual interests and observations. This bunch is fun to be around.

We almost exactly repeated the last day of our prior trip to California on this trip too. We left Ripon (near Modesto) in time to attend morning worship services in Lodi and once again got to sit with this family and with our dear friend Kay, namesake to our own Patty Kay (who was traveling with us this time). Last time I took everyone to lunch at Round Table for pizza and salad, but this time Kay asked the whole lot of us to her Sunday table in Galt. As usual, the meal was similar to a midwest family noon-feast with many plates and bowls of delicious foods. It was delightful.

After the emotion laden week in Oakdale and Modesto, we needed and greatly benefitted from being (even briefly) with such a fine young family and in the company of a couple we have known for over forty-five years. It was refreshing on several levels and deeply appreciated.

After lunch we had to rush off, heading north to Redding, where we made it to my brother Marty's in time for dinner with him and new wife Pat. And after a good night's rest, it was Hurry, Hurry, Hurry home again to pick up more schedules and obligations and planned tasks like prepping the house for a paint job, etc., etc....

Someday, I would love to travel without having to preplan every stop and visit to the hour, always being held to a rigid schedule full of limitations and deadlines. When I can go visiting without the clock controlling every layover, I'm going to include Galt and Lodi and Redding and spend several leisure days in each place with these truly special folk.

A LUAU TO CELEBRATE SAM OUSLEY

It was a "Full-Scale Luau" to honor Sam, and he would have loved every minute and every bite of it!

The memorial was held in Oakdale, CA, the town in which Sam and Billie have lived since the early 1960's. The auditorium was rated to hold almost 500 and it was just about full. Here's some interesting observations: several preacher friends of the family delivered various thoughts, but without any heavy preaching! The congregational singing was bright and uplifting. And... by request almost everyone attending wore Hawaiian shirts or dresses, and family members wore leis flown in from the Islands for the occasion. The memorial was happy and hopeful and comforting, and the "reception luncheon" afterward really was a luau.

Brian, who owns the Lunch Pail (in Modesto on Bangs just west of McHenry), put on the meal as his tribute to Sam and the family who have been close friends for years. All the staff volunteered to serve "for Sam" and the meal was excellent. Colorful, cozy, filled with Sam's favorite Hawaiian music, this was the most cheerful wake I've ever attended. The place was filled twice over before everyone had a generous serving and a place to sit and enjoy it. All who came were greatly refreshed in body and spirit. Thank's Brian. Well done!!

Chile verde and handmade tortillas led the table followed by Hawaiian chicken and marinated tri-tip followed by Sally's pineapple salsa. Whoo-eee, Good!!

Billie, son Joe to her right, dear friend Joanne standing, and Joe's mom-in-law Anne to Billie's left show the kind of support she will have and hint at the joy of the event at which all who attended - by my estimate perhaps approaching 200?? - were delighted by warm fellowship, renewed friendships, Island fun and decor, and the fabulous food. Sam would have had a blast! It was exactly the kind of gathering of friends and family that he most enjoyed himself.