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This message forum is an ongoing discussion about anything and just about everything ... within reason.  One thing our class was good at was having opinions.  Almost 70 years of life experience certainly qualifies us as experts on most everything!   Ask a question ... give an opinion ... share some insights ... it's our web site, it's our forum.  That said, it's probably not a good idea to get into arguments about politics, religion, and the like.  While we're experts on everything, we also have a wide range of values and beliefs. This site belongs to all of us ... the whole range ... and we are not here to isolate, alienate, or subjugate anybody.  Of course insults, humiliation, sophomoric barraggadocio, and demented humor is expected behavior among some of us less mature people.
 

William Bailen

Not yet! My wife, Sheryl Martin Bailen '63, is having her reunion on 9/27. Too bad the picnic wasn't planned around that time as many from '62 knew the date.  It's a Friday night and Sat, 9/28 is wide open.

Jim Cejka

Has anyone seen the promo for "Through the Worm Hole" with Morgan Freeman?

Great part where someone asks him "Will we survive if the sun dies?" And he answers "Have you ever been in Wisconsin, in February."

The writer must be a true cheesehead.

Nancy Davison (Boerger)

Hoping to hear news soon that Ray's cardiologist gave the okay, and the knee is replaced and healing.

The pontoon boat calls!

Jim Cejka

Sally,

Weather - the monsoon, Vietnam, 66-67. Started to rain just before Christmas, stopped in March. When at the battalion camp you could get a shower. You walk 1/4 mile through the mud, take your shower, and walk back to your hooch through the mud, just as wet. Because you could, it was (almost) a real shower.

They never seem to have wars in places with nice weather.

Melody Jones (Parker)

Oh No!!  Earthquake in California!

At 8:48 P.M. in the area of Susanville, CA., about 220 miles east by northeast of where I live in Woodland, CA... a 5.7 earthquake.  It felt like my desk chair in front of my PC was spinning me around, for about 45 seconds.

Maybe we will have some aftershocks, a 5.7 is pretty big.  Listened to the news, no reports of damage or injuries.

Garry Sellers

Mel!!!!  Talking about earthquakes with outsiders could get you deported to the tundra of Lambeau Field!!!  We have nothing bad in California ... with the exception of Los Angeles!

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Yikes! That quake was not far from Shasta, where I am headed tomorrow for a women's cousins getaway. But chances are, we'll have so many peppermint martinis and margaritas that we won't see anything strange about the room swaying in an earthquake. 

Melody Jones (Parker)

Sorry, Garry, I forgot about that unwritten law! ... LOL!

Going to be sunshine and 83 degrees today, as usual!  My yellow roses are beautiful as are my tiny pink tea roses. No other "shaking" news this morning.

Ha!

Jim Cejka

Terri,

That puts a different meaning to your martini being "shaken, not stirred."

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Hah!

Melody Jones (Parker)

Indeed!!!

Ray Thompson

@ Nancy--Thank you for asking. Cardiologist said no big deal--Basically he said I have been way too "Big Hearted" in my life so far. Hip replacement is now in my hands as to when. Ibuprofin handles the pain but doesn't handle the problem. Pontoon is in the lake and all is well up Nort. Will be there in September but if there is any music I may just do a slow Polka.

Nancy Davison (Boerger)

Good news, Ray! Soon you'll be "dancing with the stars".

Yes, we put our pontoon boat into the water last week as well. Unfortunately, one would need to wear a parka to ride around in it just now, so we're still waiting. Anyway, been much too busy hauling the flats of annuals in and out of the garage every night and watching the weather reports for frost warnings.

Up Nort is not for the faint of heart.

John Gilbert

Ray  - what, are you rebuilding you're body piece by piece (eye, heart now hip)?  You know if you drink enough of Miller you won't have to worry about pain. Hope all goes well.

Lauren Dieterich

I had planned on getting in on the

forum from the beginning; but, thanks to Murphy, it didn't happen. Between rushing to get new deck finished, getting ready for the move to the summer home, and the move. I couldn't find the time. I spend summers in Portland, MI and winters in Bullhead City, AZ ( 90 minutes south of Las Vegas.) Average summer temps in Bullhead City are in the low 100's.

I had planned on going to the reunion, last summer; but, my youngest daughter decided to get married the week before. Trips to the Milwaukee, Madison area, 2 weeks in a row were a bit too much. Naturally, the wedding cae first. I do plan on coming to the picnic.

My oldest daughter is a corpsman at Camp Pendleton; I have to check to see how close that is to the earthquake. Bad enough that I had to worry during her year in Afghanistan; now, I have to worry about her, stateside.

Regarding replacing body parts; knee and hip replacements are sometime in the future; if I live long enough. Family has a bad habit of not making it past the early 60's. So far, I'm ahead of the game.

Lauren Dieterich

Barbara Blair (Brenzel)

Just have to take time to give a huge shout-out to Mitch Heinrichs & his gracious wife, Mary.  I was the lucky winner at the Reunion for a weekend at his B&B in Door County - the Quarry House.  His home & vacation rental was built on the bed of a quarry and is absolutely amazing!  It's in Fish Creek in Door County.  My daughter and I spent last weekend shopping, sight-seeing, resting & eating (not approved foods on my Weight Watcher plan!)

Thanks, again, Mitch & Mary!

Barb Brenzel

Jim Cejka

Lauren,

From this old corpsman here - good luck to your daughter. My unit formed up and trained at Pendleton before going to 'Nam.

I now live just south of there in San Marcos. Don't worry, that quake wasn't even close.

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

You're right about the quake, Jim. Nothing to worry about. When we arrived at the cabin, 74 miles from Susanville, the epicenter of the quake, not even a picture was crooked! It was only a 5.7. But that area is around Mt. Lassen, a volcanic area - a geologically unstable area.

Jim Cejka

Terri,

You're a good Californian if you can say "only" a 5.7.

Melody Jones (Parker)

Even though the highest aftershock was a 4.9, we did not feel it here in the "valley".  So I guess unless it gets over 5.0, we are good to go.  And yes, a 5.7 is just a shaking up not a panic time event!...LOL!

I was also living in the San Fernando valley(Southern Cal) in 1971 when we had the Sylmar earthquake with a 6.6 rating and aftershocks everyday from February 9th through May.  That one was not pretty.  Loss of life about 69 dead.  Water contamination for a few weeks and loss of power for a few days...and me with two kids; a 25 month old and 7 months old!  So, in perspective, a "small" 5.7 that just makes me dizzy for 45 seconds is nothing in comparison.  But, in spite of it all and the danger of something more, bigger, or a total disaster, I  LOVE CALIFORNIA!!!

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Melody, I agree. It's nice not to have lightning storms, mosquitoes, tornadoes (well, we had a little one once in Sunnyvale - I think it ripped the roof off a church near Garry's house - although he probably won't admit it!), blizzards and snow all winter, hurricanes, tsunamis, etc., etc., etc. Not long after I moved back to California in 1988 when my son was 7,  we had the Loma Prieta earthquake - about 7.0 on the Richter scale, where part of the Bay Bridge collapsed, and the upper deck of the freeway  pancaked onto the lower deck. THAT was scary! I can remember being thrown down to the ground on my school playground, and watching the blacktop roll before my eyes. We all have our stories about "where we were" when it struck. We're supposed to be getting the "Big One" one of these days, but we're prepared to tent out in the yard and BBQ if we have to!

Garry Sellers

Tsk .. tsk ... tsk Terri and Mel.  You're on report!  You know why they put Wisconsinites in the middle of the country?  So they wouldn't fall in either ocean!  My golf group hasn't missed its weekly outing because of weather in several years.  So what if the ground shakes a little once in a while ... well actually every day except, for the most part, we never feel it.  That thing that took the roof off the church a few blocks from here was just God expressing his displeasure with something those people did or didn't do!  I know a few of them and they piss me off too from time to time!!!

Lauren Dieterich

To all of you Californians; no earthquakes in Arizona or Michigan. Lots of wind; but, no rain in AZ. Wind gets to you once in awhile; and, only an inch and a half of rain, so far this year. Michigan is getting most of the rain. I've been back in Michigan for 11 days and it's rained on all but 2 days. Mosquitos love it. When it comes to mosquitos; I'd rather have bees. If I get stung by a bee, I don't know it unless I see it. But, I have a bad reaction to mosquito bites.

Jim, my daughter has been back from Afghanistan for 4 months. She is a HM-1; so, had enough rank that she didn't have to pull convoy duty. She survives a year in Afganistan and falls getting out of a truck ( with 30lb. pack ). She has a hairline fracture of her left theigh and tore all but one ligament in her left knee; go figure. Next month she will be halfway to her 20.

Diane Bauer (Palen)

Thats right Lauren, Wisconsin too! A lot of rain but its lush and green, beautiful. Yes, winter sucks but thats why there is Florida!!!!

Marian Schopp (Bringe)

When Melody mentioned the earthquake that caused the bridge to collapse, I remember that morning well.  It was around 6:00 AM Paradise Valley, AZ time - I was outside enjoying a look at the back yard and all of a sudden the pool water sloshed out over the diving board then back to the other end of the pool and sloshed out over the step area.  It went back and forth for probably only a minute.  By the time I got the family to come out, to help me figure out what was happening, all that was left was the wet cool decking.  Shortly we heard about the earthquake in Northern CA and it all made sense.  It happened one more time a few years later, different house, different pool but I knew what was happening that time.  I hired a secretary once who just moved to AZ from CA.  She mentioned in CA how everyone had to have an "earthquake” drawer in their desk.  I couldn't believe anyone would live in a state with that threat.  Well, Katie lives in San Diego now and we have been to CA many times and LOVE it for all the obvious reasons.  If we didn't have such deep roots in AZ we would seriously consider the San Diego area.  We took a circle driving tour one year spending a night in all the famously known CA cities and staying in the heart of each city.  Downtown SF was the most fun.  Then we went north to the Muir forest and swam under a waterfall.  On the way home, with Big Bear being our last stop, we had planned to go through Yosemite, but in the middle of summer it was closed because of too much snow.  Mountains are wonderful because every rise in elevation gives you a lower temperature.  That works in AZ also.