Aug 25, 2011

Is there anything that you have always wanted to do but haven’t done yet?

Yes there is and I will most likely never get to do it. I have had a dream for more years than I can remember to go to every small town in Utah and find the oldest surviving and longest resident of that city and then to sit with them and get their life story and especially a description of their favorite spots around the town where they have gone to relax and held as their favorite spot or spots. I would then spend a couple weeks in those areas and photograph them and after doing that then publish a book about Utah’s residents favorite spots. It would include places like “Little Egypt and the sphinx” Grandma and Grandpa Poulson were engaged there and it was one of their favorite spots. They took us there a couple of times when we were young and as I have thought back on it through the years I have often thought that I should go and photograph it which has led to wondering how many other places in Utah are practically unknown except to the local residents. As I get older I know that the oldest residents are now getting closer to my own age and I would have to change the scope of the questions to include the favorite spots that their parents loved because our generation has different ones. Mine for instance is Mud Springs campground in Avinaquin canyon south of Duchesne. It was my favorite because I spent so many hours and days walking the old log fence that surrounded the camp as my 4-H leader would take a nap while we were there working on the camp. He was a Forest Ranger and spent a lot of time doing upkeep on that campground. I should probably start doing my project and change the scope a little to include Silver Beaver’s that we meet throughout the state and not only photograph them but their favorite camping spots near the areas where they live. I would never get them photographed though if I did.

Aug 24, 2011

What activities have you especially enjoyed as an adult?

Family, church and scouting activities. They all seem to run hand in hand and the more they involve the outdoors the more I have enjoyed them. I think the most fun I have had is working on projects with family members and camping with family members. I love the outdoors and love looking into the night sky where there are no street light and other city lights to make it impossible to see them. I like being out where I can arise early and watch wild animals near camp when they don’t realize I am there. I love being in the early morning mountain air where it is cool and sometimes just sitting there as the clouds move past me in the trees. It is all so special to be able to watch and be in and around all of the Lord’s creations.

Aug 23, 2011

As you see it, what are the biggest problems facing our nation, and how do you think they can be solved?

OK I am in no way capable of telling how to get our nation out of the national debt the has been created. I am also no expert on why we have to buy oil from other countries especially since we are sitting on huge oil reserves and have enough and to spare in our country alone that the leaders of our country won’t accept. Science has even discovered that what they have thought to be a resource that could dry up actually will replace and restore itself. As we use the oil the earth recreates new reserves of it. The Lord knew what he was doing and science just keeps proving it, not that they need to prove it but it seems that the people of the earth would at least start to recognize it at some point and know that there is a Great Creator even Jesus Christ and His Father (our Father). 

Aug 22, 2011

Which public leaders have you admired most? Why?

I think that my favorite Presidents would have to be Ronald Reagan and the Bush’s. I grew up in the era of Kennedy and other presidents that were well liked and did a lot for the nation much unlike the president s of recent times. Regan and the Bush’s were not afraid to do what was right for the country and were very sincere in what they did as well. I cannot specifically state anything off the top of my head right now but just know I liked them a lot. Clinton was one of my least favorite simply because of his scandalous actions within the White House but since he has been out of the Presidency he has done a lot of good work for the nation and for many people of the world as he has been very active in relief efforts for victims of tsunamis and other natural disasters.

This summers family picture 2011

Wish we could have had Loren but we know what it is like to juggle vacations and were sure glad that we could at least have the rest of his family with us.

Aug 21, 2011

I have had too long of a break, like many before this but have decided just to start with the current date rather than to add them in sequence as I have in the past. So here goes again.

How would you describe yourself politically?

 Republican especially after Obama was elected much to my dismay and now knowing more of the history behind the election that he was actually elected illegally, what in the world is America thinking? It is really not America it is the people with money who work the scenes behind and out of reach of the public view.

Anyway my parents were republicans and I have always been somewhat moderate in my beliefs as well so it was a good fit for me when I began voting at age 18.

Aug 1, 2011

What are the most important inventions or discoveries made during your lifetime?
Wow there are so many that it is hard to say what was most important. I have talked about the space program which I believe was one of the most significant so I will have to mention the age of home computers and associated inventions which include cell phones to ipads. The home computer was a thing we only joked about when I worked at Signetics where we made parts for the space program and car radios plus a host of other things using Integrated Circuit technology. We had the first little versions of the home computer at work when someone would bring their latest purchase in for everyone to see. The TRS 80 was one of the first versions and I even owned an Instructor 50. It was the Signetics version of a home computer. Since then I have had an Apple computer, now called MACs. And have had various versions of the IBM home computers. When I was in college at Snow we had a field trip to University of Utah where we toured their computer which took up an entire floor of one of the buildings on campus. A short few years later there were handheld calculators that could do more calculations in a few seconds that the computer at the U of U could not do. Now home computers are way past those capabilities and are now just a necessary household appliance like the stove and fridge. Cell phones are nearly to the stage of being capable of doing more than even Dick Tracy’s watch, a comic strip from the 50’s and 60’s where the lead detective had a watch that would do what we do on a cell phone but also had video conferencing. In many ways we are even past that except for the video conferencing watch which I a sure will come along as the need for it dictates to the money hungry technology companies.

July 31, 2011

What impact did those wars have on your life? Did you support or oppose those wars?

As I mentioned in the last entry I had a cousin who lost his life in the Viet Nam war and I also had friends who served there and came back with things that have effected their lives ever since with nightmares and horrible dreams. I still supported those wars because of the freedoms that were being fought for in them. I had a very good friend that came from Viet Nam as a refugee from that war who would have been killed had he stayed there after the US pulled out. Khoi Gnoc Vu worked with me at American Television and Signetics. We became very good friend and I really enjoyed his family as well.

July 30, 2011

What wars have been fought during your lifetime?

One major war was ended just days before my birth. The Koren War was ended on July 27, 1953 just before I was born on Aug 13, 1953. I mention this as one of the wars since I have very vivid memories of two Uncles that fought in that war and one of whom lost his legs in it.

The other major wars and I say major because if you were to count all the wars going on in the world during my life there have been hundreds. However the United States has been mostly involved in the Viet Nam war, Iraq and Pakistan wars. These are wars where I have been most effected by either brothers, cousins, or friends that have fought in those wars. One of my cousins was killed in the Viet Nam war. I have been grateful to those who have served and yet thankful that I have not had to be there.