About Me

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I'm a reader who enjoys posting comments and recommendations about the books I read. You will not find a synopsis with my recommendations because you can just click on the book title for a link to www.goodreads.com for a synopsis and reviews by other readers. I prefer the 3 Reason format: the reason I chose to read it; the reason I liked (or disliked) the book; and the reason I recommend it.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Comments from Julie, Greg and Taylor

I learned more about my family when I told them about the great time Host and I had on a vacation trip to Chicago.
Second Cousin Julie wrote, "Did you not love Wicked? Tom and I went to Chicago this past Jan. and also went to see Wicked. Chicago is a great city to visit. We are planning another trip there at Christmas time to see all the lights. We may take the train next time."
I enjoy hearing that someone else I know enjoys theater productions so I asked Julie if she goes to the theater productions in the capital city closest to her.
"Yes, we try to make it to a show now and then. It is hard these days with having children and trying to find a sitter. " Julie continues to write about her recent family vacation. "We went this past weekend to Wisconsin Dells to the Kalahari Indoor Water park Resort. Oh MY!!!!!! It's Huge! These place has it all. What a great place to take the kids too. Also, we ate at a german restaurant downtown Mmmmmmm Good!It was quite cool up there. We saw some snow just north of Chicago on the rooftops. I'm not ready for that yet."

When I mentioned that we had lunch with one of Host's cousins, my First Cousin Greg wrote, "I work in Chicago during the week and stay right off of Michigan Avenue. My account is PepsiCo and I work in one of the towers right next to the Sears Tower. I think Chicago is a great place and have been thinking of selling my house and buying a condo around the Near North."
First Cousin Greg elaborates on the business traveling he does, "I fly weekly. But not always to Chicago. Frito lay is owned by Pepsi and their HQ is outside of Dallas. So I just returned from a two week visit there on Friday. Sunday I flew back to Chicago. I do add up a lot of points on Hotels and flights. I haven't paid for a personal hotel room or a flight in years. One of the benefits of being a frequent traveler. I also like the fact that I have clean sheets everynight. It kind of spoils me." He closes with, "Anyway, hope all is well with everyone and please tell everyone I say "Hi" whenever you see them."


I asked Nephew Taylor what he had to say about his college experience as a freshman.
"It's like the 13th grade sometimes, but there are more vending machines."

Sunday, October 22, 2006

40 Years in Camden


My parents were Grand Marshalls at 2006 Black Walnut Festival. This was the introductory speech for their honor. Dolores wrote it and Taylor edited it for grammar and clarity. I edited a bit more for privacy and the clarity necessary for the parts I omitted.


40 YEARS IN CAMDEN


Howard K. and Dolores purchased John Porter’s White Villa grocery store at 52 E. Central in Camden in March 1966. They switched to the IGA wholesale supplier and changed the name to Camden IGA. They operated at that location until 1974 when they built a new IGA at 200 Cottage Street. Over the years they employed many local people and were proud to give many high schools students their first jobs. Their four children worked in the store. They wish to thank all their former employees for their help in making Camden IGA one of the most progressive supermarkets in Preble County. Camden IGA was first in the county to have electronic scanning and to install a deli and bakery along with the regular departments.

Howard and Dolores both feel it is the duty of all citizens to be involved and participate in their communities. These are some of the ways that they were involved in Camden.

Howard and Dolores supported school activities to help the community. All 4 children attended and graduated from Preble Shawnee High School. A grandson graduated from PSHS this spring and another grandson is a 3rd grade student. They have 6 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Howard served as a Camden councilman and belonged to the Camden Progressive Club, a group of local men who did projects to help the community. Thirty years ago, after the death of Dr. F.J.Daugherty, the club was responsible for bringing Dr. Thomson to Camden. They were responsible for the annual Christmas decorations and lights.

Many of their business projects involved remodeling and repurposing old buildings and former businesses as the needs of the community changed. One was the remodeling of a former oil company office at 200 Cottage St. into a beauty shop. Howard and Bill Doran formed a partnership and purchased a house at the northeast corner of Cottage Street and Central Avenue which became “ The Depot Dairy Bar”. Shanks Varity Store, which had been an establishment since 1911, was for sale and Howard bought that business which Dolores managed for several years until it was sold to Lawrence Irwin. When Mr. Jefferies wanted to sell his grocery at 15 S. Main Street, Howard purchased it and converted it into a convenience store called Jimbo’s Pizza. They purchased The Woodbine Inn located on Central Avenue and converted it to a beauty shop and apartments. Later The Woodbine Inn was torn down and the lot was sold to the Hardin family who built Camden Village Pharmacy. Howard and Dolores purchased land on North Main Street from a group of investors who called their project Camden Improvement Corp. They worked diligently on their own and with the Camden Area Chamber of Commerce to attract businesses to come to Camden to provide job opportunities and help finance school taxes. Several acres of the project were sold to Wood Propane for a new location to expand its business. More acreage was used for a new business, White’s Lock and Storewhich is a rental storage facility. Part of the land was sold to Ron Good and Wyoming Steel for the construction of Camden Coil, now known as Wyoming Steel. They own one of the oldest buildings in Camden, located at 24 W. Central, which was built as a tin shop in 1877 and has a history of being the location of a hardware store, gift shop, and a tanning salon and gift shop.

In January 1988 they sold Camden IGA to Fred Green and Chuck Stidham.

They were instrumental in starting the Camden Area Chamber of Commerce which is sponsoring this 19th annual Black Walnut Festival. Twenty-one years ago, in the fall, Dolores was involved with members of the Chamber in planning the Hometown Holidays . After two years, The Chamber decided to call it a festival; and, at the recommendation of Ruth Doty, the name Black Walnut Festival was chosen. Dolores continued to participate in various jobs from chairman, publicity chairman and unofficial photographer until they become “snowbirds” who head south in late October.

Howard and Dolores remain in the Camden area, at their farm west of town, where they continue their hobbies of gardening, golfing and oil painting.

They wish to thank all their customers, former employees and friends for 40 wonderful years.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Sky Above the Clouds IV

Sky Over the Clouds IV is not where I expect it to be. I am at the wrong stairwell. The guard kindly tells me, “Even if you went to the correct stairwell, you would not have found it there. It has been moved during “the construction”. It hangs above the Gunsaulus Elevator.” Its move is something I did not anticipate.

The painting came to Chicago as part of a three-city tour. Difficulties arose during its hanging. The painting was supposed to travel with its exhibit to San Francisco. Lessons learned during its hanging inferred the doors in that San Francisco venue could not accommodate the 8-foot high painting and its 24-foot length so The Art Institute of Chicago kept it on display.

When I saw it my first time, the painting’s horizon was only slightly above my eye-level. Only the width of the stairwell separated me from Georgia O’Keefe’s view. I recognized what she saw seventy years ago. I’m above the clouds in the foreground and moving rapidly toward the horizon.

The time for my husband to see Sky Above the Clouds IV is limited by our late arrival time and the remaining hour of today’s museum operating hours. This is second on my list of “art he must see” while we are here. We retrace quickly past the Rothkos, make a beeline through the Modern and Contemporary Galleries towards gallery 249, and go down the stairwell where I last saw it. We orient with gallery 150’s inner wall of windows that hold McKinlock Court in view. We turn to the west, locate Gunsaulus Elevator and look above it. “We found it,” as I exhale.

The painting covers less than a third of the width of this wall. We approach it. Stand too close and we look up the wall to see the clouds in tight formation above our heads. We cannot rise to the horizon’s level. We can only step back to view the entire painting. The horizon becomes point A of a right-sided triangle and we are part of the most rigid structure known.

This move changed my point of view and I no longer resonate with the exhilaration of freedom and the anticipation of exploration. Her depiction of her 1936 flight is above my head this time. My husband reassures me that he can imagine viewing it the way I once did and still believes the story I told him about how this painting made me feel. I believe him for he looked out the same airplane windows I did on our vacation flights, and he used his own art of photography to express himself.

http://www.artst.org/okeefe/1965+-+Sky+Above+Clouds+IV.jpg