Friday, April 17, 2009

Shadow on Stone


Shadow on Stone

Once I was talking to Pop about "life" and I asked him why he went to church and believed the simple way he did.

He said: "What else IS there?"


Tomasito, 2009


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Thursday, April 16, 2009

Pop's Differneces


Desert Grave. (Tomasito photo, 2009)


Pop's Differences




Some years ago my father, Andy (Andrew Staffon) Wold, died of a brain aneurysm in his own little paid-for house on Sky High Drive on a hillside overlooking the Ventura River Valley between Ojai and Ventura, California when I was away on one of my far-flung pilgrimages..

“Pop” was in his early eighties and had lived a simple life as a part-time drummer and an appliance salesman.

He and Mom, Lorene Clayton Wold, had raised us kids, Brother Joe, Brother Jack and myself—the middle son—into adulthood in Los Angeles, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Portland, Oregon.

That's about enough of that background stuff.

What I wanted to put on record is something one of Dad's friends at the Lutheran Church in Ventura said to be about Pop (Andy) when I came back
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“You know,” he said, “Your Dad was very different in a way--I never heard him say a bad thing about another person."

Odd thing. I had never even noticed this.


An even odder thing was—I had never heard him say anything bad about an other person either—and I had lived with and around him all my life.

Well, once he had said that Reagan should have never been elected president because Ronald was the same age exactly as he was “and that was too old to be president.”

But that was the worst thing I could remember him saying about anybody!

He never swore either—and I never heard him argue with Mom—not even once in all those years!

Now, of course, Pop was human—but by golly he WAS different in those mild and old-fashioned ways.


Tomasito, 2009


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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

In Memory

"In Memory" (Tomasito photo, 2009)


It is a beautiful day to enjoy every moment.

A strong, cool breeze from the Pacific all those miles away.

Bright sunlight and a few scattered, puffy clouds.

Isn't it?!


Tomasito, 2009


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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Today

"Today" (Tomasito photo 2009 )
(Please click on this photo to see a real face. TW)


Today


A few years ago I got to talking to a stranger--an old man--about this and that.

He told me of some of his very interesting adventures as a young man so I asked him what day in his life he would like to re-live if he could.


He looked at me brightly and replied: "What's wrong with today?"




Tomasito, 2009


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Monday, April 13, 2009

Cookies, Eggs, Easter

Cookies, Eggs, Easter! Photo by Tanya, 2009

This is the day after Easter but since we were on our week-end holiday yesterday, we thought this would be an appropriate time to send all of you a virtual Easter present of some traditional colored eggs and some tasty home-baked cookies.

We hope you enjoy them!


Tomasito, 2009


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