Sept 18, 2011

Have you ever suffered any serious illness or injury? Describe what happened and how you recovered.

The most serious illness I have talked about before, I believe, was Perthes Disease.

The most serious injury was when I was shocked by 10,000 (10K) volts while working at Signetics. I was working on an Evaporator machine where an electrical circuit bypass had been deactivated by the previous shift. I reached in to tie up some cables and the next thing I knew I could see a flame moving rapidly toward my finger. It hit me and caused all my muscles to contract sending me clear of the shock and onto my back on the floor. It was a DC (Direct Current) shock that travels along the skin of the body and thus not terribly dangerous but enough to make me never want to experience it again. I was kept in the hospital overnight for observation then released the next day. Had it been an AC (Alternating Current) shock such as you  get from a light socket I would most likely not be writing about it.

THIS IS THE LAST QUESTION FROM "Share Your Stories Father Memory Book" FROM NOW ON I WILL BE POSTNG MY HISTORY STORIES AS I WRITE THEM. SOME HAVE ALREADY BEEN POSTED AND I WILL POST THOSE WHICH STILL HAVE NOT BEEN AS I GO ALONG ALSO.  HOPEFULLY THIS WILL HELP GET ALL OF THE STRIES WRITTEN WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.

Sept 17, 2011

Have you ever seen or been in a natural disaster? What kind? Where?

I have never been in a natural disaster but have seen tornado’s that have caused such disasters at other times. While in Texas in the mission filed I saw 5 tornados at different times during those 2 years. Other than that I have never ben in one. I also saw the effects of a hurricane in Louisiana and Mississippi back when I was 16 years old. But here again I was not in it and am ever so thankful for the fact that I have never experienced one first hand.

Sept. 16, 2011

What has been your favorite place to visit? What was it like?

Oregon. It was so green and so beautiful watching the ocean, and the various waterfalls that are through the state. The berry and tree farms were also pretty fun and very beautiful. I liked it because there were so many places to be able to photograph while visiting there.

Sept. 15, 2011

What was the longest trip you have ever taken? Who were you with, and where did you travel?

The longest trip was when I went through most of the states that are listed. We went as a family to the National Jamboree in Virginia but took the long way to get there. We went to Texas to show where the children and Marie where I had served my mission. We went on over to North Carolina where we stayed with Aunt Leora and Uncle Stan. We went to a number of historic sites as we went up the coast and finally arrived in Virginia where we went to the jamboree for about 5 hours. (And we were rained out.) We went to Washington where we met Uncle Chester and Aunt Helen Hill while they were there on a mission. We went to New Jersey where we stayed with one of Marie’s cousins and toured New York while there twice, once in the daytime and once at night. We went up on the World Trade Center Towers while there. We also went to Hershey Penn. And visited that as well as several sites of historic importance to the Civil War. We also went to Washinton DC and visited the area there including the Smithsonian Museums air flight

and one or two others. We then came back across the upper middle part of the states to Nauvoo where we stayed with Aunt Carma and Uncle Carling while they were serving a mission there. Carling took us on a special tour at night after everyone else was gone and we slept on the floor of their tiny apartment there. We continued across into Nebraska where stayed with Uncle Vaun and Aunt Elizabeth, (Marie’s Uncle.) Finally the kast place we stayed was with my cousins in Kemmerer Wyoming. We then traveled home after spending 18 days on this particular vacation. It was filled with sites and adventure and we will never forget Loren crying all the way up the stairs in the Statue of Liberty or the lockers falling on Brittany in a West Virginia motel which was owned by a doctor and who was there at the pool and took care of the cut on her head for us. I will never forget the sizes, since they were so small, of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria ships that were replicas of the ship Columus sailed in to America. The smell 10 miles out of Hershey Pennsylvania from the chocolate factory and the statues at Gettysburg. It was a very fun, fast trip.

Sept 14, 2011

How many countries have you been in? List them.
Two
United States and Mexico.

Sept 13, 2011

How many states have you been in? List them.

I have visited 36 states.

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Sept. 12, 2011

What was your favorite vacation?

Outside of the summer camps I guess the best vacation was when we went to Oregon for the family reunion. I really enjoyed that week and will never forget going to the beach each day, touring along the coast and just having fun with relatives in the places where we stayed. The drive to Oregon is long but so worth it as we get close to Oregon and see all of the Waterfalls in the gorge and then our hike down past the Silver Falls was really special. I guess it ranks pretty high on my list of vacations. Idaho wasn’t far behind it either.

Sept. 11, 2011

Can you describe a place and a time when you remember feeling happy to be alive?

Where were you and what were you doing?

Oh this has happened far too many times to single out one experience. Several times it has been in the hospital as my children and grandchildren have been born. Many other times have been as I have seen nature in it’s purest form as I have been out on ward, scout, Timberline and Young Women’s camps. I get supper excited as I get to see mother nature strut her stuff and especially when I have been there with my wife and children. I have felt it many times as I have watched the family on Christmas Morning’s and at least 6 times as we have been in the Temple for our children’s marriages. There have been times when I have been on special trips with the ward and stake for treks and youth conferences. Oh I have enjoyed many, many, times when I have been so happy to be alive and with my family.