Vacation is over and it is back to reality. Who said? I can tell you a few things I did my last week of vacation. I heard from Bob Lewis, fellow Redbanker, as he was visiting from Virginia. He told me he had several visits from old neighbors and friends from the neighborhood and he left me an album to scan. I did so and the pictures will be posted on Ruth’s site when she gets a chance.
                 I spent a great deal of time volunteering at Westbrook Historical. One day I helped my father clean his shop which was a large feat. He passed those traits on to me. We both have difficulty with organization. I spent about 3 hours sorting and sweeping and organizing his huge inventory of hardware. We enjoyed each other’s company as it was more about that than cleaning the shop.
                 One day I picked up a friend’s nephew [teen] that had come to the USA from living in Japan on a military base all his life. He had seen some of my boy’s skateboard videos on You Tube so he wanted to meet him. I arranged to pick him up and they spent some time together. He slept over and I took him back the next day. My other son was away at Pine Tree Camp where kids with disabilities attend. We saw the amazing tree house which was built to accommodate wheelchairs. 
                 I worked most of the week on the story about the Patrolman from 1930 who was murdered in Portland. It will be posted as soon as the family has all had a chance to read it with their corrections etc. I think it will be a good read. I am also waiting on a few pictures to post with it.
                 The SP Historical evening chat on August 21st, was interesting. It covered the Long creek area and there were some great photos of farms in and around that area. There were a few older residents who shared their recollections as well. The Redbank Plane Crash into Westbrook Street Trailer Park on July 11th, 1944 was also a topic of discussion. It was poignant to hear some stories from those who witnessed the event, some having different opinions of what actually happened. It will be made available of DVD as soon as it is edited. There were several we know that were witnesses and could not make it for one reason or another. 
                 Aside from everything else, I am trying to make sure both sons are ready for school. My son, JT, has done all the work himself. He wants to be a chef and I hope he is determined. He seems so. He has a lot going on for him. My other son, Mike, will be taking one class but it is a lot of work arranging transportation and accommodations for him. I can’t complain as my friend arranged for her sons to attend and both are in wheelchairs and got their degrees. She is remarkable and so are they. We will start out slow. It will be good for Mike to get out of the house and meet some new young people. He called his friend Jake who is in the nursing home. Mike waited until he got back from camp probably to tell him a few stories. Jake was happy to hear from Mike and said he should be going home sometime soon. 
                It is inspirational to think of what you have instead of what you don’t have. It can work either way. Jake used to be able-bodied and is now in a wheelchair since he was young from a car accident. He HAS to think of what he has and not about what he does not have or he would probably have a tough time living that way. We have a choice. We should be thinking about what we have instead of what we do not have. We do not have to rely on others to change our clothing or help us bathe. We could be called the lucky ones. Life is good most of the time. When we get older we must learn to accept the changes along the way instead of fighting everything. One friend of mine stopped dyeing her hair. She said it is ok to show her gray. What harm can it do? Accept yourselves and others will accept you. If you are slower, maybe it is really that others are faster. It does not matter how you got to where you are going, but rather that you got there. It might take me 10 hours to do a task when another it may take 1 hour. The important thing to remember is, was it worthwhile and meaningful? If the answer is yes, then you did well.