Alfredo V. Mendez

This is Freddy. My first Grandson. He was named after his Great Grandfather. Freddy has a kind spirit. He loves the super heroes. His favorite is Spiderman.

This summer he let Grandma (me) play with one of his pull toys. I guess I did pretty good. It went way across the other end of the yard. It's a big yard too.




Freddy is a twin. We'll talk about Andromeda next time. This is his time.

Freddy is kind of shy at times till he warms up to you. He is a Daddy's boy all right. No doubt. But he loves his mommy just the same.

Freddy just started Kindergarten and loves it. He has always loved learning new things. I know for sure he loves roller coasters and spin rides. Can't wait to take the kids to the fair again.






His best bud is Cousin River.








Freddy is going to be a big brother soon to Hank. Freddy will be six years old by the time Hank is born. His birthday is November 21st.

Col. Norman Dale Eaton

In Jr. High School I had bought a bracelet for two dollars. Each bracelet had a P.O.W. or an M.I.A.'s name on it. I wore it for years until it broke. I never forgot his name. Well, this year on our trip to Washington D.C. I got to look up his name on the wall. Even though the records say he was never found, it is marked as confirmed deceased with a cross. Thoughout the years I tried to find out about his whereabouts. I did get a reply from the White House (which I will post as soon as I locate it again).


My Husband, Hans says that he believes every American Citizen should have the opportuny to see Washington D.C.. It will humble you for sure. Next time I would like to take it in about three days instead of one and a half. Perhaps we will go when it isn't the hottest day of the summer next time either.

There is so much more we need to see. So I anticipate another visit. Maybe it will be with the grandkids.

Thank you my friends

IF you read slowly enough, you'll find YOURSELF in this message.....I did. READ THIS VERY SLOWLY...IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cutback. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gag up and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday. I had a late breakfast. It looks like rain." And my personal favorite: "It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get the kid toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask, "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift...Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

It's National Friendship and FAMILY WEEK. Show your friends and family how much you care.

"Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well dance!"

Annual Abbott Kinney Festival

Venice Alumni Booth.