Computer Savvy Seniors

Let your anger go!

2012-01-29T06:01:00.000-08:00

Ken Faughn, will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you on today.

The following is my first attempt at a devotional that our church published for the holidays. Zula is a retired teacher and named in the devotional. Her husband is a prize and the 2010 volunteer of the year for his work with the Corpus Christ Police Department. They are also CASA volunteers.

HOW DO THEY KNOW?

New to a church family, and sporatic about attending church, I have thought many times how I missed important things because I failed to participate with others. I have been reminded regularly over the last several years by the First United Methodist Church -Robstown family of how important it is to participate with others in the plan that God has for us. What a blessing fellow Christians are, even with all of our failings. Far more important are the God given gifts we share with each other when we gather.

One recent Sunday morning we had a special guest Elizabeth and her daughter, Madison, in attendance. Sitting in the choir loft I observed that she was having some difficulty that was requiring her to leave to do something outside of the sanctuary, seemingly driven by the text feature of a cell phone.

Zula, one of God’s great gifts to the world, offers a children’s story each Sunday and this particular Sunday the group was joined by Madison. Referencing Ephesians Zula told a story of a young man who had difficulty controlling his anger and his grandfather who instructed him to go to the back fence each time he lost control and place a nail in the fence to represent his failure.

The young man followed the instructions and then asked what he was supposed to have learned with his effort. Grandfather told him he could now control his anger and each time he did he could remove a nail. When all of the nails were gone the young man again sought understanding of his effort. Grandfather explained that the hole left in the fence by the nails represented the hurt or pain he had caused people with his anger.

Zula gave each child a piece of wood with words from Ephesians Chapter 4 starting with verse 29... When you talk do not say harmful things, but say what people need-words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you.

And from Chapter 31-32...Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.

A small group went to lunch after church and I was privileged to sit across the table from Elizabeth, the young lady who was still dealing with that pesky text messaging that again took her away from the group while lunch orders were being placed. Upon returning with issues apparently resolved she was able to sit and enjoy the fellowship at the table.

At some point in the conversation she stopped and said “How Do They Know ?”

She began to describe the service and make special note of the children’s time and its impact on her morning activities even though she had missed the story. She explained that her anger had been escalating over the morning because associates had not completed tasks critical to the success of the afternoon. When she returned to the sanctuary from one of those calls, Madison was returning from the storytime with a piece of wood imprinted with words from the Bible about anger management.

Laughing I said that Jan, a close friend of hers also at the table and I had asked each other many times why every Sunday morning the messages seemed to be arrows aimed directly at our hearts.

The exchange was enjoyed so much that I retold the story several times over the next week and one day I was suddenly more aware of the answer to our question than I had ever been. It is not they who know but instead God who knows all and uses each and every one of us in his way to help others receive and understand the arrows that he sends our way.

Rescued! Harry's Tail.

2012-01-25T10:04:00.001-08:00

For many of our newer readers we wanted to share with you the opportunity to get to know a little more about Harry Gareth Edward Spaulding.....CSS Puli-at-Large. The following is a story he wrote about his first and greatest adventure....leaving Birmingham, the three year stay in New York and then his happy ending or rather a happy beginning when he arrived at DFW. He's one special Puli and his Mum loves him like crazy...you will too!!!

EXTRA, EXTRA

Local lad crosses the pond and sets the colonies on its ear!

After hours of gazing through the big bay window in his families flat...Harry Gareth Edward Spaulding decides to leave his K9 family and his beloved Birmingham to see the world. At Heathrow airport Harry kisses his Mum and Dad good bye. With a quick wave to his family and friends he boards his flight...destination...the Big Apple. He's a brave lad whose tail is wagging in anticipation of a new life. Once airborne he peacefully drifts off to sleep...dreaming of adventure and new experiences.

Before Harry leaves England he takes one more stroll around Birmingham. How he will miss sitting on the top deck of his favorite red bus. He loved to sit in the first seat with the wind blowing on his face. He wondered if they had these types of buses in New York

Harry quickly learned New York City could be cold and aloof. This didn't put him off and he kept trying. Harry knew one day he would find his true happiness and a new home. Until then Harry Gareth Edward Spaulding, ever the showman, sang and danced his way across Broadway. Harry also appeared with the world famous Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. All the girls loved him and watched out for him all the time.

Here's our plucky lad on Broadway, yes.... on Broadway. Where all the neon lights are bright....on Broadway. Deep down Harry knew this was still not where he belonged. His journey was to continue a little longer.

One of Harry's favorite places to visit in New York was the Statue of Liberty. Harry enjoyed the many hours spent talking with her. Miss Liberty had found her own true happiness right there in the harbor on Liberty Island. She told him not to give up on his dream. He also loved the ferry ride and always sat in the very first seat on the top deck. When he closed his eyes it took him back to Birmingham and his favorite red bus.

Harry spent three years in New York and wondered if he would every find a home with a new Mum. He spoke with a friend named Sandy who told him all about a sad Mum in Texas who was looking for a new lad to love. This would mean another trip but somehow Harry knew this time he would be coming home. When his flight arrived at DFW he ran right into his new Mum's arms and they hugged each other for a long long time.

Harry and his new Mum are so happy together. For them, every day is Christmas and a wonderful crazy new adventure. EVERY single day is filled with fun, playing games, dress up and even howling!!!

Harry Gareth Edward Spaulding is a born artist just like his Mum...Valerie Jagiello. He loves to pose for her photographs. One day they decided to enter a contest run by The New York Daily News. Well, guess what...the photo got published! He became "The Yankees #1 Fan"!!! A STAR WAS BORN...again!!!

Now Harry's life is filled with love and happiness. He has many friends and as you read last week he's busy showing the ropes to a new brother...Fischer. Creatively speaking he's fulfilled too. He contributes to the blog where he writes about his life's adventures with Mum and now Fischer. He continues his modeling activities too and is looking for more print work and maybe a commercial or two! He's glad to be back home on the blog too!

An HGES Animal Tails Editorial

I would like to get serious for a moment. Fish and I were rescue Pulis who were both very lucky and our stories had a happy new beginning. We found a loving home and wonderful life with our new Mum. This was NOT the case before we each traveled to Texas.

You have it in your power to help others like us....if you can. Please open your life and your heart to a rescue dog or cat. There are many national and local organizations who service the DFW area to choose from. There is, however, one local program which has a special place in my heart.....it's called the Seniors Pet Assistance Network (SPAN).

The mission of SPAN is to serve the needs of Dallas County low-income seniors, 67 years and older with basic veterinary care and pet food. If you would like to help out and make a difference.....contribute your time and become a volunteer. Not able to volunteer.....then maybe you can afford to make a donation of cash or pet food. Our friends at SPAN can be reached at http://www.seniorspets.org/. They would love to hear from you.

Lastly, if YOU NEED HELP...let them know. They're a caring group of people with a heart as big as Texas. Just tell them...Harry sent you!!!

Well, that's another tail for this week. Got to run....Fischer wants to play tag! He really keeps me on my paws. Whew!

Cheerio y'all.

Your friend,
Harry Gareth Edward Spaulding
CSS Puli-at-Large

Janice and Bud

2012-01-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

As promised Wednesday, Janice has graciously allowed us a glimpse into her busy life. We got an added bonus with a picture of Bud's latest project. The image you see below was enhanced with Photoshop filters. Sweet things!!

Janice Roden is a productive and busy person, and her skills in genealogy have helped many people. Here is what she sent me in answer to my questions about what was happening with her lately.

This first quote is from the link you will see in the fourth paragraph..."I've been doing genealogy for most of my life. I have always been interested in 'where I came from'. I have derived great pleasure in doing research and I am more than willing to pass on the information that I have. I usually self-publish "compilations" on various family lines. I donate them to the genealogical libraries, in order to insure that they might be of some help to other researchers.

Last year I finished my latest genealogical family book. That makes the 6th book I have created.

Each day I do indexing for the Mormons. I have indexed over 108,000 names. Of course that has been over several years.

I have also uploaded over 8,000 photos to the find a grave site. I always have to photoshop them before they are presentable:) http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=46857309."

Award Winner

Janice and Bud are very supportive of the State Fair here in Dallas. There is a special place in my heart for this type of community activity because my kids and I often participated in the State Fair of California when they were growing up. They both rode ponies in the 4-H Horse Show where they won much appreciated ribbons for their efforts. Also, one year we did a rather disastrous garden that was great fun but didn’t win anything.

Janice won 2nd place at the Fair for the following image. In this image you see her grandfather in the upper left corner. The watch in the middle of the collage, the brass knuckles and the spurs were his when he was a ranch hand on the Lazy S Ranch in Paducah, Texas in early 1900s. The doll was handmade by his wife who was also cooked for the ranch hands over an open fire.

This gem is an image of Janice's parents at the State Fair in 1930. When they were married she was 15 and he was 25 (he said he was 22 though)! The button and the pin came from the 1934 fair. The cup came from the 1940 fair.

Here are some familiar faces from the Texas State Fair and they won an honorable mention as well.

Here is the collage she won second place with in the 2005 Daughter’s of the American Revolution contest.

What a fun, wholesome way to share pictures about days gone by, our country, or the county fair itself!

More recent entries include images of Janice and her Grandson Carl. Below you can see what a difference a background can make!

Here is an interesting Special Effect. Of course, it helps to be a great hand at working with images the way Janice is!

And last but certainly not least below is an image of Bud's latest creation. If I was a bird, this is where I would want to come for dinner! It has a copper roof and four side feeders.

Many thanks Janice and Bud for sharing with us. These images are as big a treat as county fair corn dogs, roasted corn on the cob and cotton candy!

Make It Happen!!

2012-01-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

All over the USA, Seniors are using their years of experience and knowledge to enrich their communities. We are looking forward to sharing the stories of some of these "make it happen" seniors.

Making it Happen at the State Fair

This is a post we put up in one of our past blogs. It is a great example of people getting involved to make fun things happen in their communities.

If you are new to the blog, this post will help you get to know these two special seniors. Friday we will catch up with them and find out what they have been up to lately...

In Texas, Labor Day doesn't just mean Fall is right around the corner. It also means the State Fair is coming. With so many people doing their small part to enter artwork, photography, baked goods, sewing projects, and so much more, the fair comes alive every year. My friends Janice and Bud Roden are two of those participants, and what they contribute is always extra special.

Janice submitted this marvelous collage done as a tribute to a dear friend of hers and placed 1st in the "computer enhanced photo" category.

Janice says, "My dear friend was named John Street. He was a Viet Nam Veteran and he worked religiously at the State Fair of Texas each year at the Viet Nam Memorial Wall. He was completely dedicated to it. He was awarded the bronze star for his conduct during that war. He was afraid of nothing. That is actually what killed him. He has only recently learned to ride a motor cycle, and was riding it one night WITHOUT A HELMET. He hit a deer and that was his down fall. I will always miss him. A wonderful patriot."

One of Bud's many talents is building birdhouses. He won 2nd place in the Creative Arts Project category for this charmer:

He won 4th place for his "little man" figure.

Charming, creative and fun, we congratulate them for their efforts!

Inspiring Words

2012-01-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

Bill Witcher, co-founder of Computer School for Seniors, will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you on Sunday.

“Coach, what is success?”

John Wooden is a legend. He coached basketball for over forty years. He only had one losing season (his first). He led his UCLA teams to four undefeated seasons and a record ten NCAA championships, including seven in a row. Wouldn’t you say that is a successful coach? How did he do it? His coaching accomplishments are unbelievable and unparalled – “seven NCAA championships in a row!” Incredible.

In his book Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, he said…

“I have often been asked when I first started dreaming about winning a national championship. Was it at Indiana State Teachers College or after I arrived at UCLA. Perhaps while I was a college player? I never dreamed about winning a national championship.

What I was dreaming about each year, if you want to call it that, was trying to produce the best basketball team we could be. My thoughts were directed toward preparation, our journey, not the results of the effort (such as winning national championships). That would simply have shifted my attention to the wrong area, hoping for something out of my control. Hoping doesn’t make it happen."

Mix idealism with realism and add hard work. This will often bring much more than you could ever hope for.”

“Success is peace of mind,
which is a direct result
of self-satisfaction
in knowing
you did your best
to become the best
that are you are
capable of becoming.

~John Wooden

Harry is back!

2012-01-13T13:32:00.000-08:00

Harry has posted on our blog over the years, and we are very pleased to have him return as a contributor. Our pets enrich our lives in a very special way so we will look forward to animal tales from our Puli-at-large.

Hello All,

I'm back....and together we're starting a year filled with new beginnings, a new fresh looking blog and a whole bunch of new friends and stories.

Like the blog, Mum and I took the last year off and did many crazy and wonderful things. I hope to share some of those tails with you.

The most exciting event of the year started out during the Christmas holidays in 2010. Mum and I talked it over and decided to open our hearts and home to a new pack mate. Mum contacted our special friend Sandy who happens to breed Pulis and told her we were looking for a new addition. Sandy was instrumental in putting us together several years ago and she was eager to help again.

A month later on a bright and sunny day in February we drove to McKinney. Sandy had several lads who were looking to join a new pack. Since I would be there older brother....the choice would be mine.

Upon arriving we made our way to the backyard and met the first lad whose name was Rossi. He was two, with black hair and brown eyes. A nice enough bloke who was more interested in Mum and Sandy then meeting or playing with me.

The second choice was "Fish". He was a young laddie just 15 months old. His black coat was just starting to cord and he had gentle brown eyes. Fish was a gawky lad with long legs and boundless energy. All you could see was a blurred black shape that would stop and start again. The best thing about Fish was his warm greeting and interest in Mum and me!

My last choice was Spencer who was the oldest....about three. He had the same black hair and brown eyes but was distant and showed little interest in meeting us. Spencer's Mum had become ill and had to give him up. You could see how much he missed her.

They were all a great bunch of lads and after talking it over....we both decided on "Fish". The only thing we didn't care for was his name. It would be a month before Fish would be joining us permanently so during this time we set out to find him a better name. First,there was the obvious choice....Fischer Price...then on to Fischer King....an then finally....Fischer! His new full name is Allister Fischer Edward Spaulding lll.

With the addition of Fischer this last year was filled with lots of treats and some growing pains. Now we're best buddies and proper pack mates who play together all the time. I've started teaching him the ropes on modelling and how to pose. He's still a wee laddie and a ball of energy so it's going to take some time for him to settle down.

Fischer is a tad taller then me and he was born in Oklahoma. I was born in Birmingham UK. In the coming months you'll be seeing and hearing more about Fischer...he's such a little devil. We just celebrated our birthdays this past December....his 2nd and my 9th..We had fun, wore pointed hats, got lots and lots of presents and shared an extra large vanilla cup cake with a doggie face iced on top.

Cheerio..... it's time for me to run. Fischer and I are going to playball in the backyard.

Harry Gareth Edward Spaulding

New Beginnings

2012-01-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

Over the last year I have had the privilege of getting to know Ken Faughn. I was his teacher and now I am his friend. He was a student and now he is a teacher.

When Maya Angelou said... "If you learn, teach. If you get, give."...she was talking about Ken. He volunteers in a senior center and teaches at his local community college. When I asked him if he would consider contributing to our blog, I was truly delighted when he said yes. So here is his first post...

My "new beginning" started with one of those light bulbs above my head.

I was working my way through the frustrations of dealing with service companies by deciding to use email instead of the telephone. I found that I could move the process forward over 1, 2, or 3 days time with a minimum investment of my time. Responses to emails came consistently within 24 hours of my inquiry.

I suddenly realized that if it was frustrating for me it must be really so for people who could not navigate a web site, find contact us, type an email or pay a bill online.

The new beginning got wheels when my research took me to see Deborah at the Greenwood Senior Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. An expression of doubt covered her face as I asked if I could help with her computer lab. “I can get back to you if you leave your name and number,” she said. I asked if her over 50 crowd was frustrated with utilities and others and she said, “When would you like to start”.

I will always be indebted to Deborah for allowing me to begin the experiences that have been so personally rewarding over the last 16 months.
I am looking forward to sharing with you on this blog what I have learned and been able to share with my students.

P. S. I have to take advantage of "bloggers bragging rights" and show you my other new beginnings, Presley, 8 years old, and Mia, 3 years old!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T11:48:00.000-08:00

Here comes 2012! I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to this new year of opportunity!

“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!
This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!
I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”
~William Arthur Ward

We will open the book. Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.
~Martin Luther
Happy New Year Everyone!

Merry Christmas and God Bless Us, Every One

2011-12-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely candlelight service at our church last night, and as always I was reminded of the "reason for the season" with the text our pastor used:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” ISAIAH 9:6

And for a little Christmas fun, greetings from some of the friends of the blog:

Here are Christmas greetings from two of our favorite models, Betty Malone's charming grandchildren...

And last but never least, it is fitting that the redoubtable Harry Gareth Edward Spalding should have a word (with a bit of help from mum, Valerie Jagiello):

Charles Dickens said, “It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!”

Posts from Our Past

2011-12-23T15:08:00.001-08:00

Computer Savvy Seniors took a nap in 2011! It is coming back now and has already been such fun to get in touch with fellow retirees and see what everyone is up to. I thought it would be interesting to usher 2011 out with a review of some past efforts that we have all enjoyed. Then look out 2012, here we come!

This is one of my very favorite true stories!!

Patrick and Mavis

Patrick Roden spent the first years of his life crawling around the floors of a nursing home where his grandmother was head nurse. He feels this experience imprinted him and influenced his life's work. Patrick’s nursing career has spanned over two decades and includes acute coronary care, trauma care, surgical intensive care, inner-city public health and ambulatory surgery care.

It was his "chance meeting" with 85 year old marathon participant, Mavis Lindgren in 1992 that set Patrick on his current academic and professional path.

The following is quoted from http://www.2young2retire.com/:

"A critical care nurse, Patrick Roden, was a medical volunteer at the Portland Marathon of 1992 when he came to the aid of the celebrated 85-year-old marathoner, Mavis Lindgren. They became fast friends and he has escorted her for other marathons until her last at age 90. 'Mavis changed the way I viewed aging,' Patrick said, 'The medical model tends to focus on what goes wrong in aging--and neglects to inform us about what goes right. She inspired me to begin working on a Ph.D. in aging and human development.' Here is their story:

Night’s chill lingered in the air and the silence was broken by the sounds of songbirds. The sun was just beginning to rise on a crisp October morning in 1992. Suddenly the squeaking brakes of a rental truck and the clanging of folding chairs shattered the serenity. With military precision, the volunteers began to set up the first aid station at the 18-mile marker. I was one of those volunteers and this was the annual running of the Portland Marathon.

It took an hour to set up and go through my checklist. The first aid kit was in order and the communications were working. We were ready. Soon the elite runners would be flying through, followed by a seemingly endless sea of participants. The conditions were perfect: a bright clear indigo sky, golden fall leaves. All of us were anticipating an inspiring day.

The morning had been uneventful at our station. The usual blisters, Vaseline applied to chaffed skin, hydration to the dehydrated, and lots of moral support. One pregnant woman reached the 18-mile point and could go no further so we loaded her in the ambulance. They taxied her to the finish line and her anxiously awaiting husband.

It was now late afternoon and the sea of runners had dwindled to a trickle of determined souls. The frequent and now familiar static that preceded a message from the EMS broke the airwaves. An elderly woman was reported down near the 18-mile mark, in our territory. I waited for a person fitting the description to pass, and no one did. Strapping on my first aid kit, I set out to investigate.

Running upstream, I began to think, how elderly could they mean? Whoever it was, he or she had gone 18 miles, and this was a marathon after all…….50, maybe 60, I thought. As I rounded the bend I saw a young woman attending the injured runner who looked like Mother Theresa in running shorts! The young woman explained that another runner had cut in front of the injured woman and knocked her down as she stepped towards the curb. As I listened, I assessed the situation. The injuries included an obviously fractured wrist as well as a small bump on the head. 'Her name is Mavis,' the young woman said.

'Mavis, I would like to escort you to the first aid station,' I began… 'Young man, I’m going to finish this race,' she politely interrupted. After a few seconds of negotiating, I held up her injured arm and we briskly took off for the station (or so I thought).

Amazed, I blurted out 'How old are you?'

'I’m 85.' She pointed to her number pinned to the front of her T-shirt. 'Every year, they give me the number of my age. This year I’m number 85. '

'What do you mean each year?' I asked.

Mavis Lindgren had run all over the world. She had appeared many times on TV, radio, and magazines such as Runner’s World, Sports Illustrated, and The New York Times, and been mentioned in books such as Age Wave (Ken Dychtwald) and Grandma Wears Running Shoes (Patricia Horning Benton). She was no stranger to Portland, either. All along the course there were signs encouraging her and the cheers followed her every step! Two middle-aged women ran up and hugged her exclaiming that they wanted to be just like her when they grew up.

Mavis and I reached the finish line arm-in-arm, right into interviews for the 6’oclock news (I have the video). I was asked to escort her for the entire race the next year in 1993, and it became a tradition.

She retired from running at age 90 after the 1997 marathon. It was her 75th and final 26.2-mile outing. Phil Knight of Nike, had a custom pair of "Air Mavis" running shoes made especially for her final marathon. Her two daughters and grandchildren accompanied us and it was an emotional finale to an illustrious running career.

What makes her story all the more exceptional to me is that at age 62, Mavis was leading a sedentary life, spending most of time reading, writing and knitting. She had suffered four bouts of pneumonia in five years and, as a retired nurse, she knew the antibiotics weren’t the long-term solution. Something had to change. A doctor urged her to join an early bird walking group. At age 70, encouraged by her son, she ran her first marathon! Two years later, she established a record of 4:33.05, and for the next eight years, held world’s best time for women 70 and over. And at 84 she finished the Los Angeles marathon in 6 hours 45 minutes-the fastest woman in her age category. 'After I started running, I never had another cold,' she said.

Asked what his message was, Ghandi replied: 'My life is my message.' This could well be said about Mavis Lindgren."

Patrick went on to complete his Master of Arts degree in Education: Policy, Foundations and Administration. Two years later he completed a graduate certificate in gerontology and began delivering adult education programs to business and civic groups on issues of aging and human development.

Following his academic and professional goals, he completed a second Master of Arts degree and PhD in Human Development and Aging. Patrick has spoken to organizations such as; Hewlett-Packard, Nike, The State of Oregon Hospital Auxiliary Volunteers Association, The YMCA, Kaiser Permanente's Silver Sneakers groups, Oasis, and many others. He enjoys speaking to groups on the topic of "possibility aging" emphasizing the health aspects of aging, the aging brain, creativity and aging, and his passion aging in place. Patrick’s volunteer service has included; The YMCA Cardiac Therapy Program, Meals-on-Wheels, The Portland Marathon, The Race For The Cure, and Habitat for Humanity, as well as helping out seniors in his community.

He lives with his best friend/wife Julie in the green state of Oregon, is an everyday athlete, artist, and human potential advocate. He will be forever grateful to the “grandmother in running shoes” who remains an inspiration, and to all those creative older adults who continue to see anew.

You can learn more about Patrick by visiting his fascinating website at http://www.aginginplace.com/.

Posts from Our Past

2011-12-22T06:06:00.000-08:00

I was just watching a television moment where a soldier surprised his family by returning home from duty for Christmas--reminded me of this post I wrote about my dad back in June of 2009.

Our Heart Felt Thanks!

William Shakespeare said, “I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks, and thanks.”

I was just watching the movie Pearl Harbor, and it brought to mind the enormous debt of gratitude we owe the men and women in our armed forces, both then and now. Elmer Davis said, “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”

My dad flew a B-17 in World War II. He would never talk much about his experience in the war, but I do have these pictures which speak for themselves.

A pilot's life would include...

The family you have to leave behind so you can fight to protect them. While my brother, Roger, and my sister, Libby, were not yet born, he fought for their future as well as mine.

Loaning your gear to your kids...I still have this hat and the dogtags, 68 years later!

New work clothes...

A new place of business...

A new workgroup...

And a place in the history of our country forever...

Lieutenant Jarrot McCord, Jr.
8th Air Force Division
United States Air Force

Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny."
And it is still so with today's generation. We pass on our gratitude for the sacrifice, strength and bravery of our armed forces in the Middle East and around the world. We offer our prayers for their families waiting at home for their return.

From the bottom of our hearts,
thank you.

Posts from our Past

2011-12-20T15:03:00.001-08:00

This one was posted in December of 2009 under Tuesday's Travels.

The Joy of Travel

Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

He was so right! And in our blog, the joy of the travel experience can be shared!!!

Frank Fandrick has been taking classes at our community college for years. He is bright, talented and a real pleasure to have as part of our blogging family.

When he travels, he takes a log book with him to document daily activities. I think that is an excellent idea, and plan to do the same on my next trip. Below are some of the details of his travels accompanied by intriguing images.

First, from a Switzerland trip, this is the Lucerne Bridge:

"The Lucerne Bride in Lucerne, Switzerland, is a covered bridge that was built in 1333. It is called the Chapel Bridge and is the oldest wooden bridge in Europe.

The inside of the bridge contains a series of paintings from the 17th century, depicting events from Lucerne's history. Adjoining the bridge is a brick tower, the Wasserturn Tower, which has served as a prison, torture chamber, watch tower, and treasury.

And this is the Spiez Castle also in Switzerland:

This picture looks down at the Castle Church which is Early Romanesque in design and was built around 900.

The spire is "new" being built in 1628. The chapel is still used for weddings. Lake Thun is beyond the chapel, an alpine lake bordered by several mountains, including The Eiger.

Both this picture and the Lucerne Bridge were taken in 2005 while on a choir tour of Europe.

And last but certainly not least, an image from a trip to Londonderry, Vermont:

The mill I photographed is Bob's Mill, in Londonderry, Vermont. It used a stream that was farther up the hill to feed the mill and diverted the stream to the mill via a wooden slough. The water was used to turn a large sharpening stone. The town was incorporated in 1770 but I don't know the age of the mill. I just stumbed upon it while shopping. An internet search finds it being a popular picture, especially as a black and white photo or in the winter.

Special thanks to Frank Fandrick for kicking off Tuesday's Travels!

Posts from Our Past

2011-12-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

This was posted in November of 2009 about a Photoshop Elements Special Effects class I had that year.

Flying High in the Sky!

Arthur Koelster said, "Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual." I believe that to be true, especially where learning computer software is concerned. For years I have watched my students start, many times with very little computer knowledge, learn the technical skill, and go on to learn and create exceptional things on their own.

And it helps to have a good sense of humor as well! A couple of years ago I taught a Special Effects class, and it was such a delight for me to watch one unique image after another appear on the screen.

Today's images feature moving about in the sky. The first one is by Karen Barnett. New to Photoshop that year, Karen made great strides and came up with some very cool images as you can see below. "Cloud Climber" was created using four layers...the background, the rapelling rope, the ladder and the climber.

The next three images were done by Bob Barretto whose creativity, Photoshop skills and artistic ability come together to create truly impressive work. We have all seen and heard a lot about balloons lately. Here we have a canine friend gazing wistfully at an enormous Alpo balloon.

In this image, a Stork balloon is delivering its bundle to a castle home.

This road sign was already created. Bob added the biker and pump to give it a very different look!

Our minds are filled with so many of life's experiences, and once we get to know how to use a computer we fill the screen with unique, often powerful images.

I love the quote by Franklin Roosevelt, who said, "Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort."

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T13:07:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Wish

My Happy New Year wish for you
Is for your best year yet,
A year where life is peaceful,
And what you want, you get.

A year in which you cherish
The past year’s memories,
And live your life each new day,
Full of bright expectancies.

I wish for you a holiday
With happiness galore;
And when it’s done,
I wish you Happy New Year,
and many more.
By Joanna Fuchs

And from two of our blogs most loyal friends...the illustrious pair Harry Gareth Edward Spalding and mum Valerie Jagiello.

"Here's to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold."-- Anonymous

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T05:34:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving I am especially grateful for the many wonderful faces I have seen in my classes over the last eight years. Working with people who have such talent, humor, creativity, skill and intelligence has been a privilege. I have been blessed by your sweet presence!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It has been another tumultuous year for people all over the world. One of the many things I love about my country is the resilience of our people...hope, strength, tenacity. Still it isn't always easy, is it? Thornton Wilder gave us a great quotation about keeping on keeping on, "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."

And while we're at it, we can rise up and give to those around us. Theodore Roosevelt said, "Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds."

Our thanks to Edie Kirkbride and Karen Barnett for creating the images below to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. So let's go Over the River and Through the Woods...

Over the river and thru the woods,

To have a first-rate play;

Oh, hear the bell ring,"Ting-a-ling-ling!"

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day-ay!

Over the river and thru the woods
Trot fast my dapple gray!

Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting hound!

For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river and through the woods
Now Grandmother's cap I spy
Hooray for the fun
Is the pudding done?
Hooray for the pumpkin pie!

And while we gather as families and friends, bake and eat, watch football games, and all the rest that goes along with "turkey day" let's take a moment to put our hand on our heart and thank God for our country and our troops.

God Bless America and Our Troops
at Thanksgiving and all year long!

Collaging with Special Effects

2010-10-20T09:25:00.001-07:00

This week we will be doing a series on Special Effects. These images were all created by my students at the community college where I teach. I continue to be charmed and inspired by the creativity of the people in my Emeritus classes!

Talent

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." ~Emile Zola

We all strive to find the strong suit for ourselves and our children, and then follow the path where that leads.

Betty Levy has always painted, but put her brushes aside to raise her family. When she came back to the easel it was with great strength, life experience and creativity. And guess what? Her talent was waiting for her--better than ever. And now she is using a digital brush to create along with her paint brush.

Just look at the marvelous collages she has been generous enough to share with us on the blog:

"God doesn't give people talents that he doesn't want people to use." ~Iron Eagle

Add filters and you have another delicious look for the same image.

“Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck -- but, most of all, endurance.” ~James Arthur Baldwin

A special thank you to Betty Levy for sharing her delicious collages with us!

Saturday Star Spotlight

2010-09-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

My students have done a lot of fun and exciting things that I will sometimes feature Saturday in our Star Spotlight.

Creative Montage

I am so fortunate to be part of the creative efforts of my students. It is my belief that seniors create in an especially powerful way, because of their innate talent which is enhanced by years of life experience.

Below you see a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Linda Baker has a great eye and strong Photoshop skills which is a combination that is hard to beat. I always look forward to viewing what she comes up with.

Here you see the Baker boys--the men in her family:

Using special effects with travel photos gives them extra zip that will have people doing double-takes! Here is a photo Linda took while traveling in Egypt:

And this one is from Singapore:

And last but certainly not least, a very cool collage from Ireland:

Getting older doesn't mean you should stop with your creative efforts...it means you should increase them!! It is such a productive way to be strong!!

George Bernard Shaw said, "Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will."

Thanks so much to Linda for sharing these great images!

Tuesday's Treasures

2010-09-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday's we often take a trip down memory lane with some "remember when" photos and stories. It could be photos from a high school prom; a nostalgic look at a 1950's TV program or a collage of family photos that were just taken last week.

Strength and Gentleness
Both of the images I am featuring today came into my classroom on the same day. Both of them are powerful in their own way.

The first one was created by Bob Westphal. This is a collage of one of his experiences in Iraq. He is the soldier on the left.

The setting is a Black Hawk helicopter. He is training his replacement.

Bob told us that they flew 150 miles an hour, 150 feet above the ground. While the enemy could hear them, they were moving so fast, so close to the ground that they couldn't see them coming until they were there and gone.

When I first viewed this image, it made the war so real to me. We read about it in the papers and see images on the news, but they often seem far away. Until someone we know is looking back at us from a seat in a chopper. A picture of courage, concern, strength...someone I know, in battle gear.

The second image was created by Anne Jordan. It was constructed using images from a family vacation. These are her grandchildren and daughter at the beach. She said the family climbed the tower, but she and the little one wisely stayed on the ground and enjoyed the beach!

This is such a lovely glimpse of peace. The beach, grandchildren, a hand holding a shell. So simple and sweet. Precious and poignant. A way of life protected by brave men and women who stand in the breach for us all.

Times are tough, it is true. But we are blessed with so much in this fine country of ours. I for one am especially grateful to the men and women, fellow citizens, who travel to foreign lands, going in harms way to help protect our way of life.

Our hope is one day...

They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. -- Isaiah, II:4

Inspirational Sunday

2010-09-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher, will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

Maxims With Meaning

Max Lucado is one of my favorite Christian authors. He is a minister, author and the daily speaker of the radio program UpWords.

He has a special writing style that captures your heart and your head. He's got a great imagination, a keen wit and a gift for communicating the Word of God.

In his book When God Whispers Your Name, he talks about his writing style and shares some "Maxims"...

We learn brievity from Jesus. His greatest sermon can be read in eight minutes (Matthew 5-7). His best known story can be read in ninety seconds (Luke 15:11-32). He summarized prayer in five phrases (Matthew 6:9-13). He silenced accusers with one challenge (John 8:7). He rescued a soul with one sentence (Luke 23:43). He summarized the Law in three verses (Mark 12:29-31), and he reduced all his teachings to one command (John 15.12).

I love the short sentence. Big-time game it is. Hiding in the junlgle of circular construction and six-syllable canyonms. As I write, I hunt. And when I find, I shoot. Then I drag the treasure out of the trees and marvel.

Not all of my prey make their way into chapters. So what becomes of them? I save them. But I can't keep them to myself. So, may I invite you to see my trophy case? What follows are cuts from this book and a couple of others. Keep the ones you like. Forgive the ones you don't. Share them when you can. But if you do, keep it brief.

Pray all the time. If necessary, use words.

Sacrilege is to feel guilt for sins forgiven.

God forgets the past. Imitate him.

Greed I've often regretted. Generosity-never.

Never miss a chance to read a child a story.

Pursue forgiveness, not innocence.

Be doubly kind to the people who bring your food or park your car.

Don't ask God to do what you want. Ask God to do what is right.

Nails didn't hold God to a cross. Love did.

You'll give up on your self before God will.

Know answered prayer when you see it, and don't give up when you don't.

Faith in the future begets power in the present.

No one is useless to God. No one.

Succeed in what matters.

You'll regret opening your mouth. You'll rarely regret keeping it shut.

As much as you can, give thanks. He's already given us more than we deserve.

Saturday Star Spotlight

2010-09-18T12:33:00.001-07:00

My students have done a lot of fun and exciting things that I will sometimes feature Saturday in our Star Spotlight.

Normal Things

While rummaging around in my files looking for some collages my students had created I found a folder from one of my Photoshop Elements Special Projects classes that had some fun, creative images in it that I wanted to share again today. The assignment for the class was to create a picture of a normal thing, in an abnormal situation.

Here Dana Kimborough created a cat and a fish that filled the bill for the assignment. Great thinking, fun image. Am I surprised? Not one bit.

How about this one that Helen did with a graduating cactus!

Jane Kennedy has contributed to our blog in previous months. She got some great pictures on a trip she and her friend Linda Baker went on to Africa. How about this elephant?

As I perused the folder I was once again struck by the sheer force of the creativity of this age group of students. This untapped resource will never cease to surprise and inspire me. Seniors have been there, gathered information from many life experiences, and do a wonderful job of creating images from those experiences if they have the technical skills to do it.

No question about it--seniors rock!!!

Tuesday's Treasures

2010-09-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

Preserving Those Old Sweethearts

Most of us are fortunate enough to have family pictures, many of them that go way back. Some may need restoring, but they all need protecting.

Not everyone can restore damaged images, but we can all keep them safe for future generations. At the end of this post, I will provide you with some websites with good information about storing your images.

You will, from time to time, see restoration work that my students do. Most of it is done with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. This is one of the projects we work on in class. When I first saw the picture you see below of my Great Grandmother Nini, I really thought it was gone for good. But look at what was left!

Look at the difference in this one with my mother and her cousin in a goatcart:

This wonderful old photo could be repaired because it was preserved in the first place.

Chadds Ford Historical Society has an interesting website that is fun to visit. There was one article I liked in particular. It is by Karen Smith from the Historical Society who has written about how best to preserve old images. You may not be able to do everything she suggests, but some of her recommendations are not complicated and make sense, such as why you shouldn't put your pictures in the attic or the basement.

She says, “How many of us have found boxes of old photographs or family documents stored in the attic or basement? Upon inspection, the photos or papers inside are stuck together, stained or discolored, or crumble when touched. Those irreplaceable records of family history will not survive the adverse conditions of attics and basements, the worst places to store old documents.

Sharp changes in temperature and humidity alternately swell and shrink delicate paper. Dampness permits mold to flourish. Dryness and heat cause brittleness, so that the paper breaks or splits with handling.

You can protect your valuable papers and photos by storing them in an air-conditioned room where temperature and humidity levels are kept fairly uniform…” to read the rest of her article, click here:

http://www.chaddsfordhistory.org/history/care.htm

In an article from About.com, Pamela Wiggins says, "Learn to make old photographs last for generations through proper storage." On this webpage she discusses the use of plastic sheeting, albums and other photographic storage methods.

http://antiques.about.com/cs/photographs1/ht/

StoringPhotos.htm is another resource is the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute where they "help others learn about their historical objects and how to take care of them."

http://www.si.edu/mci/

The Northwest Document Conservation Center tells you about themselves on their web site where they state that, "The NEDCC is a non-profit, regional conservation center specializing in the preservation of paper-based materials. NEDCC serves libraries, archives, museums, historical societies. "

They provide disaster assistance, which is a good thing to know about if you are ever involved in this type of difficulty.

http://www.nedcc.org/home.php

And last, but certainly not least, is from the website of Collin Robinson, artist and photographer. He provides interesting information on Care of Old Photos and Restoration. I enjoyed reading about his take on old images in general. At one point he recommends the use of Photoshop Elements to repair damage. I agree with that.

http://colinrobinson.com/restore.html

As Patrick Garry once said, “A person is neither whole nor healthy without the memories of photo albums. They are the storybook of our lives. They provide a nostalgic escape from the tormented days of the present.”

So take care of those old sweethearts!

Capture the Moment Monday

2010-09-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Dave Berry will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you from time to time on Monday for Capture the Moment Mondays.

Barbados-Welcome Aboard !!!!

Barbados is the eastern most island of the West Indies. In fact, if you stand on its eastern shore and headed directly east out over the Atlantic Ocean...the next body of land you would come to would be Africa! Barbados is a small island in size, 14 by 21 miles, with a population of about 279,000. Although an independent nation since 1966, they have a Governor appointed by Queen Elizabeth of England.

Our ship docked in Deep Water Harbour of Bridgetown, which is the capital. This is the only island we had a planned tour to catch at 8am. It was offered by a local islander, Ronnie Carrington, who is a professional photographer. (his website http://carrington-barbados-images.com/5.html) One can never have too many perspectives in photography and it is always exciting to see an island through the eyes of a native. His tour took us all across the island, goat herds crossing our path, to hilltops with beautiful views of both the Caribbean Sea on the west side and the Atlantic Ocean on the east side.

There are many banana and sugar cane plantations to see as you cross the countryside of the island. There used to be many slaves on this island, living in brightly painted “chattel houses”, which is a house that could be broken down quickly and transported to the next plantation if necessary.

There are no longer slaves of course, but these crops still make up a large part of their exports to other countries. There are many churches all over the island, but ironically, there are just as many rum stores. In fact…there is a rum store next door to every church…I don’t know what that means, but it is a fact pointed out by Mr. Carrington as we continued around the island. Rum stores seem to be a very big business, as they are everywhere along the roads, sometimes right next to each other. The beaches here are quite beautiful and you can see the waves crashing on the coral reef in the distance. A beach we stopped at had beautiful sandy shores and crystal clear water.

We paused for a break along a hillside where we sampled some fresh coconut that a local man was offering. I never knew a coconut had jelly inside…but he cracked one open and with a spoon scooped a little out for us to try…sure enough, it was light and almost custard like. You learn something new every day….that’s a good thing!

We stopped at one of those rum stores to get some great pictures. The little wooden stores are colorful and the locals are very friendly. Just as we were trying to catch a few pictures of some local vendors at the beach across the street, the clouds opened up and we got drenched...huge raindrops that you could not dodge. Some people were comically trying to seek shelter under a palm tree, which offered no protection at all since the fronds are about 30 feet above your head. It lasted about five minutes and then cleared up, but was enough to drench most of us…except the ones who were sampling all the rum inside the store, they were “high and dry”.

One little piece of advice...in the Caribbean it is best to always ask permission before taking someone’s picture. Some of the islanders think you are stealing their spirit if you take their picture and get upset. I found this out years ago, so just remember that little tip to always ask first should you ever have the wonderful opportunity to be taking pictures in this part of the world and you won’t have any problems!

Stay tuned for our next stop--See you in St.Lucia !!!

Inspirational Sunday

2010-09-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

The Lion Chaser's Manifesto

Our Pastor shared this with us a few Sundays ago. It's taken from The Community Fellowship’s series of Chase the Lion adapted from Mark Batterron’s In A Pit With A Lion on a Snowy Day.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.

Pursue God-ordained passions.

Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.

Keep asking questions.

Keep making mistakes.

Keep seeking God.

Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution.

Stop repeating the past and start creating the future.

Stop playing it safe and start taking risks.

Expand your horizons.

Accumulate experiences.

Consider the lilies.

Enjoy the journey.

Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can.

Live like today is the first day and last day of your life.

Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God.

Burn sinful bridges.

Blaze a new trail.

Criticize by creating.

Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks.

Don’t try to be who you’re not.

Be yourself.

Laugh at yourself.

Quit holding out.

Quit holding back.

Quit running away.

Chase the lion!

Friday Star Spotlight

2010-09-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

On Fridays we sometimes feature special projects, photography and ideas contributed by talented seniors along with information about the Internet.

McKenlie and Will Parker

If you are a teacher, you know that you do have favorites in the classroom! Well, Lana Davis is one of mine. Helpful, honest, straight-forward and kind, I have relied on her opinion on more than one occasion.

And she has come up with some charming images that she has agreed to share with us on the blog for Friday.

First we find 2-year old McKenlie her much loved great niece. She calls Lana's sister Mimi--a fine name! And next to McKenlie is Lana's great nephew Will Parker Davis. Now this young man is not called Will, but Will Parker, and is seldom found without his hat. If he is naughty, his mother takes his boots hostage and that is a serious calamity for his little self!!

I’m tellin’ y’all it just doesn’t get a whole lot cuter than this right here!!

Unless of course you get the whole Moreno family involved and then you have another really special image for a family keepsake.

Desmond Tutu said, "You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." He was so right!

A special thanks to Lana Davis for sharing her terrific images with us!

Tuesday Treasures

2010-09-07T16:41:00.001-07:00

Strength and Beauty

On Thursday, June 25, 2009, there was a great article about Vicki Agee and her rose garden in The Dallas Morning News. I remembered her sharing some lovely images with me when she was in one of my Photoshop classes. After prowling around on my computer for a while I found them. I called her and I’m delighted to say that she is willing to share them with all of us!

Her garden starts blooming in April and may still be in bloom come December. The spring scene is further animated by barn swallows that have built mud nests in the corners of the covered patio…what a lovely spot to build a home!

Vicki intentionally bought a house with very little landscaping so she could start from scratch and put her own ideas in place from the beginning.

Knowing the importance of starting with good soil, she didn’t bother amending the native clay. Instead she ordered truckloads of Living Earth Technology’s Landscaper’s mix with expanded shale and shoveled the planting medium on top of the native earth to make well-draining raised beds.

With all her gardening chores and club responsibilities, Vicki still has time to open her garden to tours sponsored by one of her many clubs.

This gardener also is a hospice volunteer. If she has roses in bloom, she cuts bouquets to deliver to her people in discarded vases she accumulates for this use.

“They love to smell them,” says Agee of the hospice patients. “It brings back memories of happier times."

And she still finds time to join us for Photoshop classes at our local community college where she comes up with gems like this!!

Now that's an active, productive, compassionate senior, folks!!

Many thanks to Vicki for allowing me to share part of her story and these lovely images.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

2010-09-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
- John Wooden

In John C. Maxwell’s book, Today Matters, he talks about having a high appreciation for life because when we wake up in the morning, God has blessed us with a brand new day...how we handle His gift really does matter.

Have you ever known people who complain about everything? Their soup’s too hot. Their bed’s too cold. Their vacation’s too short. Their pay’s too low. (There are a lot of people today who would be grateful to just have a job at any pay level.) Such people simply don’t appreciate life no matter how good it gets.

John Maxwell tells the story of a friend who emailed him the story of a very “together” and independent ninety-two-year-old lady who was moving into a nursing home. Since she was legally blind and her husband of seventy years had passed away, the move was her only option. She waited in the lobby of the facility for a long time before finally being told that her room was ready. As she was escorted down the corridor, her attendant started describing the room, down to the curtains hung on the windows.

“I love it,” the elerly lady enthused.

“But we’re not even to the room yet. Just wait,” the attendant responded.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged. It’s how I arrange my mind.”

Appreciation isn’t a matter of taste or sophistication. It’s a matter of perspective. John Wooden said, “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” The place to start is with the little things. If you can learn to appreciate them and be grateful for them, you’ll appreciate the big things as well as everything in between.

So here's hoping you make the most of today's day off!

Inspirational Sunday

2010-09-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

“A Miracle on the Hudson”

The news was terrilble that year. One bank failure after another. A record number of bankruptcies, job layoffs and business closings. You couldn't pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV or check the Internet without being bombarded with bad news. It was that kind of a year. Downright depressing.

Then, during the middle of January, we heard a news bulletin about a plane crash in New York. A US Airways jetliner with 150 passengers and 5 crewmembers on board went down after taking off from LaGuardia. That was just what we needed…more bad news…a plane crash in New York in a heavily populated area where millions of people live. But wait. It wasn't bad news, this was good news. Everyone survived!

In what New York’s governor called “a miracle on the Hudson,” a veteran pilot, Chesley Burnett “Sully” Sullenberger glided a US Airways jetliner with two dead engines onto the river’s fridgid surface so smoothly that all of the passengers and crew escaped serious injury. Some didn’t even get their feet wet. Unbelievable. It was “a miracle on the Hudson.” And I don’t know about you, but I followed that story and rejoiced and praised our Lord. I couldn’t read enough about it. I couldn’t watch enough interviews. Thank you Lord. We needed a miracle. With all the doom and gloom, we needed a bright spot, some rays of hope. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “This is a story of heroes, something straight out of a movie script…it was too good to be true.”

Well, let me tell you this “feel good” story continued on fro me when I received some photos from a friend who lives in New Jersey. They had to bring in a giant crane and a barge to help pull the plane from the waterway. Once they pulled it out of the Hudson, they had to move it back to LaGuardia by detouring through East Rutherford NJ. Obviously their roads were not made to accommodate airliners. Take a look at these great photos he shot as they delicately moved the plane through the narrow streets. The miracle continues.

And we thank God for it! I wonder where they all are today.

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-09-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:

The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

Lifelong Learning in Your Later Years…

A Health Club for Your Mind, Body, and Spirit!

A wise older woman once told me that the ideal life, after leaving the 40-hour work force, should be composed of 1/3rd work, 1/3rd play and 1/3rd giving back. This was her life philosophy, a philosophy she felt would keep her connected to society as a productive, contributing, and respected elder. She wanted nothing less than a complete redefinition of the societal roles of older adults, and was determined to do her part to make that a reality.

What’s your later-life philosophy? Have you though about how you can put it into action?

Certainly there is more than one way to make your life philosophy a reality. In these blogs, however, you will discover a tool that can help you reach your goals, a tool known as lifelong learning. By choosing the challenge and excitement of personal discovery that later-life learning offers, you’ll get the help you need to create a life that reflects your own personal philosophy. Think about it. Lifelong learning really can help make your life philosophy a reality.

Reaching that goal however, can be challenging. But - throughout our lives, we’ve met many challenges and persevered. From the turbulent years of our youth, through the years we struggled to raise a family and succeed at our chosen careers, into our mid-life crises, we’ve seen it all. Now, in our Third Age, we are perfectly positioned, not only to improve our own lives through learning, exploring, and serving, but to redefine the role of older adults in our society. Our experiences, the wisdom we’ve earned, and the knowledge we gain through lifelong learning, become the very tools we’ll use to reshape society’s views of what it means to be an elder.

We know traditional cultures of the past held older adults in high esteem. Unfortunately, today for the most part, elders are often viewed as burdens, a useless drag on society, interested only in taking, not giving.

Nothing could be further from the truth. According to a 2002 study undertaken for Civic Ventures, the San Francisco organization dedicated to redefining our Third Age, Americans over 50 now devote more time than ever before to bettering their communities. It makes perfect sense: we have the time and energy to do so, now that the pressures of raising a family and laboring in the job market are behind us. But our society as a whole still does not take that into consideration when picturing older adults.

This has to change, and we can make it happen by using lifelong learning as our tool. Seventy-eight million of us are standing on the brink, ready to pass into the Third Age of life. Others are already there. With little effort, working together as we learn, explore and serve, we can blow the tired stereotypes of retirement and older adults right out of the water. We can become treasured resources, guiding other generations, and society as a whole.

The pioneers of modern-day lifelong learning, most from the “Greatest Generation,” are still working hard to make that change a reality. But there just aren’t enough of them to change the mindset of an entire society. They need our help. Our sheer numbers, combined with our proven zest for adventure and challenge, will make our work easy. And all it takes is one simple step…

Getting involved with lifelong learning!

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Lifelong learning is an incredibly valuable tool, not only in our quest to create better lives for ourselves, but in our quest to create better lives for everyone.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/
You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

Tuesday's Treasures

2010-08-31T05:24:00.000-07:00

Restoring the Past

Since it is my privilege to teach Photoshop to Boomers and Seniors at a junior college in Dallas, I often get to see unique images. This restoration by Frank Fandrick is one of them. He did a great job of restoring lost detail in this picture of Rice’s Sudden Service Station.

This restoration involved rebuilding entire sections of the image as well as enhancing the interesting text on the sides and pillars of the station. Also, with the help of some cropping and Photoshop Elements' lighting and cloning tools, several interesting details show up.

He said, "This is the image of the father of a friend from church, Mr. Rice. The picture was taken in 1924 and is a gas station in Idabel, Oklahoma.

The town had been named Pernell, but then was renamed Idabel after the two daughters (Ida and Belle) of the man given the task of renaming the town. It has 7,000 people now, but was smaller then. Idabel now has the title of Dogwood Capital of Oklahoma.

The text ‘I Know The Road’ written vertically on the side of one of the posts was important because there were not many roadmaps around and the hope was that when the driver stopped to get directions they would buy some gas (see the two pumps) or oil, or even Coca Cola, as one of the signs show. There are various tires hanging around and you can see the lines for what were water or air pumps. They don't make them like that anymore." The gas station was a 24 hour place, something not too common in those days.

The original picture as you can see below was badly washed out.

Many thanks to Frank for sharing this story and picture with us. Antique images present a unique view of our past and should be protected and restored whenever possible. These pictures help spur our interest in history, not only of the profound events of our past, but every day events in life as well.

Inspirational Sunday

2010-08-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

Some time ago I received an inspirtional email from My Daily Insights (www.MyDailyInsights.com) that I just reread and thought was very appropriate for our computer savvy students and I would like to share a portion of that email with you. It was based on an interesting concept. What if LOVE was a software program that you could install in your Heart? What would you have to do to get this very valuable program installed? Obviously, the first thing would be to call Tech Support and ask for help.

INSTALLING LOVE

Tech Support: Hello, how may I help you?
Customer: Well, after much thought, I've decided to install LOVE. Will you guide me though the process?
Tech Support: Yes. I would love to. Are you ready to proceed?
Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?
Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?
Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install LOVE while they are running?
Tech Support: What other programs are running?
Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge, and Resentment running right now.
Tech Support: No problem, LOVE will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. LOVE will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent LOVE from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?
Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and turn on Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.
Customer: Okay, done! Wow, LOVE has started installing itself. Is that normal?
Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin sharing and connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Thank you for all your help.

This weeks message is a simple one. Install LOVE in your heart and start sharing it with everyone you meet. Have a blessed week.

Saturdays with Dr. Roffman

2010-08-28T06:10:00.000-07:00

Each Saturday, Dr. Joel Roffman, a prominent Dallas cardiologist and author will share meaningful experiences he has had with patients who are dealing with a variety of physical and emotional issues.

Dr. Joel Roffman is a cardiologist practicing in Richardson, Texas. He graduated from Boston University School of Medicine and after completing his post-graduate studies in Hartford, Connecticut, moved to Dallas, where he and his wife Nancy raised their family.

In addition to maintaining a busy office practice, Dr. Roffman is chairperson of the charitable foundation for his sixty-eight member physician group. He has taught Sunday school and high school science, coached youth sports for fourteen years, and is a past president of the Southwest Region of the American Jewish Congress and the Richardson Chapter of the American Heart Association. He is currently a vice president of the Dallas Jewish Historical Society. He is also an author with a newly released book, Coping with Adversity.

Dr. Roffman will be sharing inspirational, real-life stories that he encounters in his practice. He said in a recent email,"Just yesterday, I encountered two patients with compelling stories for our Blog - one is a realtor who has come by hard times (no surprise) and has gone back to teaching middle school science - and is more rewarded - almost emotional - about the effect she is having on children. The other is an elderly woman who is severely limited by arthritis and other conditions, yet was exuberant about all the blessings that have come about in her life since the last time we visited."

Below is one of those stories:

Mr. T. - A Different Perspective

Mr. T. is a fit 84-year-old man – still quite active – whom I saw in the office last week to check on his heart rhythm. “Look at all these medicines I’m taking,” he complained. “I feel like a drug store!”

Indeed, the man had nine different prescription medications for various ailments.

“Let’s see,” I said, as I sorted through his bag of medicine containers. “This one is for that awful stomach ulcer you were diagnosed with six years ago. You’ve had no problem with the ulcer since then. You know, a generation ago, people often needed part of their stomach removed for recurrent bleeding from these ulcers. We’re fortunate to have a medicine like this one.”

Methodically, I went through Mr. T’s medicine bottles. There were two for his blood pressure. They have been effective, and significantly reduced Mr. T’s risk for stroke, heart failure and kidney failure. There were two for his diabetes, which have lowered his risk for heart and kidney disease as well as preventing the severe circulatory problems that a generation ago resulted in amputation of the foot or leg in many people.

We discussed how uncommon it would have been for, say, his grandparents to live and be active well into their 80’s, as Mr. T. has been. I concluded that we should be grateful rather than resentful that we have learned so much and have developed effective medications for so many of the conditions that might have been lethal 30 or 40 years ago.

In Genesis, God tells us to master the earthly domain (Ch. 1: 26-28). Modern medicine’s marvels are one way in which we are fulfilling God’s commandment. Taking care of ourselves as best we can and treating the body as sacred – as God’s creation and possession – is another. I hope I gave Mr. T. a different perspective on the medicines he takes.

Dr. Joel Roffman has spoken to many church, synagogue and support groups. His book, Coping with Adversity: Judaism’s response to illness and other life struggles is enjoyable, uplifting and informative. It is meant for people of all faiths and can be viewed at http://www.copingwithadversity.com/. It is available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Amazon.com.

Tuesday's Treasures

2010-08-24T04:25:00.000-07:00

A Nostalgic Look Back

I have always found trains and train stations fascinating. In many places they are also becoming a thing of the past.

Don Butler has done some wonderful collages using train stations as the subject, and he has kindly agreed to share them with us. He has taken many classes from his local community college in Photoshop, design and photography and it shows in the variety, skill and charm with which he handles his subject as you will see below.

One of Glenn Miller's tunes...the Chattanooga Choo Choo...goes right along with Don's collages!

Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?
Track twenty nine, boy you can gimme a shine
I can afford to board a Chattanooga Choo Choo
I've got my fare and just a trifle to spare

You leave the Pennsylvania station 'bout a quarter to four
Read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore
Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer
Than to have your ham 'n' eggs in Carolina

When you hear the whistle blowin' eight to the bar
Then you know that Tennessee is not very far
Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep it rollin'
Woo, woo, Chattanooga, there you are

There's gonna be a certain party at the station
Satin and lace, I used to call funny face
She's gonna cry until I tell her that I'll never roam
(So Chattanooga Choo Choo)

won't you choo choo me home!

A special thanks to Don Butler for sharing his fascinating collages with us!

Photo Tips Monday

2010-08-23T06:18:00.000-07:00

Dave Berry, photographer and traveler, will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you on Mondays.

Simply Spectacular!

Just when you think you have seen it all in photography you realize there are pictures being taken by some very talented photographers. I couldn't help but to share my joy with all of you.

Naturescapes.net

There are some spectacular images in the portfolio collections that make you want to simply grab your camera and run out the door....Beautiful, Simply Beautiful !

If you click on the photographer's name you will often find photographers offering shooting information and comments along with a short bio, and of course an enlarged image.

Hope you have found these photo's as inspirational as I have.

Until next week - thanks for dropping by. Meanwhile go out and HAVE FUN WITH YOUR CAMERA !

Inspirational Sunday

2010-08-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you on Sunday.

“Learn to Deal with Stress”

Pick up the newspaper, turn on your TV, look at the Internet and the news you see is terrible. Foreclosures are up. Stock prices are down. Layoffs are up. Investments are down. It is certainly understandable why more people are stressed-out now than ever before. Stress can kill you.

So how do you handle it? A friend sent me an article that contained some good suggestions.

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued,

"And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.''

So, my friend, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

The Painter's Palette

2010-08-12T16:48:00.000-07:00

Day four of Betty Levy's paintings features contrasting images from her diverse group of subjects. This will end this series in The Painter's Palette, but I'm sure we'll see more from this uniquely talented woman in the days to come!

Variety--The Very Spice of Life!

One of the things that I enjoy about this artist is the endless variety of subjects she chooses. She isn't hung up on one subject or category. She just paints life like she sees it! The contrast of the images you see below will show you what I'm talking about...

Feminine and graceful...

Masculine and strong.

A precious pet...

And a preditor.

Edgy and vibrant...

And soft, pastel.

Innocent and open...

And shrouded in mystery.

Variety is indeed the spice of life!!

A very special thank you to Betty Levy for being a friend of our blog and sharing her lovely images with all of us!

The Painter's Palette

2010-08-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

As you know if you have been following the blog for the last two days, we are featuring Betty Levy's marvelous paintings on the blog for the The Painters Palette!

Out of Doors

For our third blog entry this week, we continue to feature Betty Levy's paintings, we will present images painted in the great outdoors.

Rain...

Cherries...

Green rose from Photoshop filters...

White Rock Lake...

"out-of-doors, n. That part of one's environment upon which no government has been able to collect taxes. Chiefly useful to inspire poets." ~Ambrose Bierce

Poetic and entertaining, I do love the work this woman does.

The Painter's Palette

2010-08-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

More of Betty Levy's marvelous paintings featured in today's offering for the The Painters Palette!

Fabulous Faces

We have a series of paintings on different subjects by this artist that will be featured during the next week. Keep in mind that this talent lay dormant for 20 years while she put her brushes down to raise a family!

Betty Levy's paintings include an eclectic mixture of subjects--perhaps a photograph she has taken while traveling, or a photo from a fellow student that catches her fancy (see previous post) or someone she actually knows. I've often watched this process transpire in the classroom...she will see an image she connects with and the words that come out of her mouth are, "I'd love to paint that!"

Our first painting comes from the picture you see below that was taken while she was traveling...

The peasant...the woman...the warrior.

When I saw these two images, it brought to mind a quote from one of Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels, Walking Shadow..."the history of a people who for millennia had seen everything, and been shocked by nothing--unimpressed, unexcited, unflinching, tired, permanent, and implacable."

The much loved teacher...

Betty very much appreciates the strength that education provides people of all ages. So paint her teacher she did. I sound like Yoda...that's OK I guess as long as I don't look like him!

And the Grandfather and Grandson...

An enduring subject, powerfully portrayed.

As I walk around my classroom, I often see what my 50 to 90 year old students are working on independently. And after nearly 10 years, four semesters a year, five to twelve classes a semester, I am still surprised and delighted by the talent that springs off of their computer screens.

It makes me want to shout...don't stop because of your age...believe in how good you are, trust in your talent, educate yourselves, be excellent. It is all within your grasp. You just have to let it live!

The Painters Palette

2010-08-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

Start with a wonderful photograph, find yourself a talented painter and voilà--marvelous images for The Painters Palette!

"It's delicious, it's delightful, it's de-lovely!"
Cole Porter wrote those ageless and descriptive words for the show Red, Hot and Blue in 1936.

Mr. Porter just described Betty Levy's exceptional work. Not only does she paint, (we will be featuring her work all week long) but she takes wonderful pictures as well. She also paints images from special pictures other people create, such as the child you see in the last picture of this post that Earl White photographed during his recent trip to China.

Betty's paintings often start with a photograph. She took the lovely pictures you see below in a flower garden her husband put in their yard. And as Mr. Porter says...

"It's delightful, it's delicious...

It's delectible, it's delimit...

It's deluxe, it's de-lovely!"

Below is a photograph we took in the classroom of Earl and Betty. Earl is holding a great picture he took of a child at the Chongqing Zoo in China during the Three Gorges River Tour. They have rare South China Tigers and Panda Bears housed in this zoo. Betty saw the picture, loved it, and painted it!

This isn't the best picture ever taken, but we were lucky to have one at all. One of the guys in our class happened to have a small camera in his pocket and snapped this. A good example of "the best camera you have is the one you have with you!"

Having the opportunity to see firsthand the creativity and talent of my students bubble to the surface in my classroom is one of the things that keeps me going semester after semester!

Capture the Moment Photographers

2010-07-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

Ansel Adams said, "Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."

I am surrounded by talented photographers. I thoroughly enjoy their work, and thought you might as well!

Meet John Sims

I've seen John Sims' work on and off for years because he is the photographer for the company my husband works for.

I am so pleased that from time to time he has agreed to share some of his fine work with us on our blog.

These images were taken at the Botanical Gardens in Chicago, Illinois on a trip John and his wife made there over the 4th of July.

He says, "Last week over the 4th of July holidays we journeyed to Moline ILL for our annual summer vacation. While there several photo opportunities developed, which included a quick side trip to the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

On this trip I was working with my usual Nikon system of a D-300 and three zooms covering a range of 11mm-300mm. For this trip I also picked up the new Nikon 105 F2.8 VR Micro Lens, which I was very eager to use in the gardens.

As things turned out this new macro surpassed my highest expectations. To me it even trumped a Leica M-4 system with three Leica lenses I worked with back in the 1970's, and a Nikon F-4 system with ten prime Nikon lenses in the 1980's. Retired from professional photography since 1990 I now find myself shooting with the sharpest lens I have ever used.

The following photo samples will give you an idea of just how good the Nikon D-300 D-SLR, and Nikon professional lenses are.

A photograph is memory in the raw. ~Carrie Latet

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away. ~Eudora Welty

Special thanks to John Sims for sharing information and some of his great images with us!

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-07-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:
The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

Even more Next Chapters opportunities…

Wisdom Works! MetroHealth System–Cleveland, Ohio–

MetroHealth’s Wisdom Works! program is designed to help retain mature, experienced nurses in paid and volunteer positions to maintain access to care for vulnerable members of the community. In addition to identifying nursing roles appropriate for older nurses, the program identifies workplace modifications needed to keep older nurses and share best practices in retaining an older nursing workforce. This project is being expanded through a grant from the Elder Engagement component of The Cleveland Foundation’s Successful Aging Initiative.

Allegheny County Library Association–Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania–

The Allegheny County Library Association has organized partnerships to expand the educational options for older adults. Through the Third Age Learning Community, the University of Pittsburgh brings non-credit university-level classes to local libraries. The Senior Center Library Connection works with fifteen Pittsburgh-area senior resource centers to offer book discussion groups held alternative months at the centers and libraries. One Book One Community, in which residents read and discuss the same book at the same time, has worked well to engage older adults in learning and libraries.

OASIS Without Walls–Parma, Ohio–

OASIS is a national education organization aimed at enriching the lives of adults 50 and over. It offers creative lifelong learning classes in arts and humanities, wellness, life coaching, technology and other subjects. Through support from The Cleveland Foundation’s Successful Aging Initiative, programming at its Parma Center in Cleveland has been expanded through OASIS Without Walls, which takes lifelong learning activities into the community – everywhere from community and recreation centers to churches and libraries.

Tempe Connections–Tempe, Arizona-

Tempe Connections is part of the Maricopa County Next Chapter Initiative. It was developed under the leadership of the City of Tempe’s Public Library and Social Services Division. It creates a new physical space within the library that houses a café and program space. The café, called Connections Café, acts as a focal point for Next Chapter activities. Connected to the café are meeting rooms reserved specifically for Tempe Connections participants. A concierge is available to assist with questions and information referral.

Boomerang, Chandler Public Library-Chandler, Arizona–

Chandler’s Boomerang project is part of the Maricopa County Next Chapter Initiative. It was developed under the leadership of the Chandler Public Library and is a community project, not a single physical center. It is implemented through multiple points of entry, including community forums, six centers based at libraries and community colleges and a web site. It’s web site is the primary information source and a resource navigation tool, with links to project partners, available programs and services, and other relevant information sources not only within the local community, but also on a regional, state and national level.

Lehigh Valley Alliance on Aging, United Way of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania-

The Lehigh Valley Alliance on Aging’s web site provides a comprehensive one-stop vehicle for information for the region’s older adults and the professionals who serve them. The web site incorporates Benefits Check-Up, a benefits-finder tool, life planning information and resources for financial planning, lifelong learning, volunteering and social connections, a directory of local services, rights and benefits; and resources and a list-serve for professionals serving older adults.

Mather Café Plus, Chicago, Illinois–

Mather Café Plus was conceived of as a Starbucks for seniors. It combines a restaurant, a gathering place, and an educational center under one roof. The three Chicago-area Mather Cafés primarily serve active, independent older adults in their neighborhoods. Programs and classes on exercise, computers, and art supplement the restaurant. Day trips, monthly parties, and community events encourage new relationships and social interaction. Social workers and health care professionals are available to provide individual consultations and referrals. Connections with other senior groups and health care providers ensure strong support networks for those involved. The Mather Cafés are operated by the nonprofit Mather Lifeways Foundation.

For more information on the far-reaching and innovative work of Civic Ventures be sure to visit their web site at http://www.civicventures.org/.

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

What could be better in our retirement years then finding a source of enriched learning experiences among satisfying friendships. This is the philosophy of the Next Chapter initiative.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

Monday's Munchies

2010-07-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

There is no love sincerer than the love of food. ~ George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950), Man and Superman (1903) act 1.

Fine Food and Interesting Tales from Afar

"Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort."~ Norman Kolpas

The Internet provides us with so many wonderful opportunities to connect with people all over the world. I am particularly interested in bloggers who are age 55 to 100. I'm in that age group and so are my students at the community college where I teach.

For some time, I have heard from a very special friend in Canada. Her comments about our blog have been encouraging to me and fun to read in class. It occured to me that I had not posted an address for her excellent blog before. And as I was prowling around her blog, I found two others that you don't want to miss!

First, try Rita's charmer: http://sagecuisine.blogspot.com/

She says on her blog, "Food is my passion and instead of a novel I much prefer reading a cook book, recipe book anything to do with food. I post once a week about things that make me Happy. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and a friend to a few special people.

Family, memories, food, recipes, gadgets, chefs, cooking, restaurants, herbs, markets, travel etc. will be my focus. Rita"

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."~ Fernand Point

Followed by this marvelous blog http://allourfingersinthepie.blogspot.com/

Sarah Galvin from Swift Current, SK, Canada, says, "By education, I am a home economist and by interest, I am an avid cook."

The header for her blog says, "For the love of food...the love of creating...the love of eating...with friends"

And cook great things up she does! Today's feature is fresh peas and homemade linguini. The images are as delicious as the food!

"Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort."~ Norman Kolpas

And last but surely not least http://canyouallhearmeattheback.blogspot.com/

Angie lives not far from Lincoln : North Lincolnshire : United Kingdom. Her interests are cooking, cake decorating, sugarcraft and making sugar flowers, reading and daytime telly.

She also writes a fascinating blog that you will enjoy about life and cooking "across the pond".

"Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements."~ Marcel Boulestin

What a fabulous job these women do! Applause, applause!

2010-07-01T04:54:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:
The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

Continuing our discussion of Next Chapters opportunities…

In more than 20 communities throughout America, this concept is being turned into tangible programs. Here are some examples.

Chicago Life Opportunities Initiative, Council for the Jewish Elderly – Chicago, Illinois –

As part of the Chicago Life Opportunities Initiative, the Council for Jewish Elderly in conjunction with Loyola University School of Social Work, created an assessment tool called “Mapping Your Future Your Way.” The tool can be used online or in a printed version. Mapping Your Future helps people understand the need for planning and begin to explore their interests in five areas–health, work and leisure, finances, housing and relationships. For each topic, the tool provides a framework of issues to think about and the online version links to other web sites with related information.

Pathways to Vital Living: A Curriculum for Midlife and Beyond, Senior Resources Alliance-Winter Park, Florida -

The Pathways to Vital Living curriculum was developed by the Senior Resource Alliance, the Area Agency on Aging of Central Florida, in collaboration with the Winter Park Health Foundation. It provides a planning and program kit for conducting twelve workshops on varied topics such as: relationship transitions, intentional recreation, meaningful service, mental vitality, and spiritual development. It uses interactive, experiential learning to help older adults assess and explore nine key areas to help them make important life choices.

What’s Next!, Fairhill Center for Aging – Cleveland, Ohio–

As part of the Cleveland Foundation’s Successful Aging Initiative, the What’s Next! Program at Fairhill Center for Aging offers a seminar series where older adults meet in two-hour, weekly sessions to dream, discover, share, and plan for the years ahead, and to develop a lifelong learning plan that encompasses wellness, creativity, values, and spirituality. Facilitators assist with taking stock of personal resources and guidance to a vast array of course offerings and learning opportunities.

Cleveland Metroparks Emerald Neckland O.W.L.S.-Cleveland, Ohio–

The Emerald Necklace O.W.L.S. (Older Workers Leading Success) offers intergenerational opportunities and increased participation of adults 50 years and older as employees, volunteers and participants in public park programs and facilities. It includes three components: 1) older adult volunteer mentors and tutors working with students as part of a park intern program; 2) a volunteer corps to monitor trails; and 3) older adult employment, including recruitment and job-sharing. This project is supported through the Elder Engagement component of The Cleveland Foundation’s Successful Aging Initiative.

Retired Social Workers – An Untapped Resource, National Association of Social Workers Illinois Chapter–Chicago, Illinois-

The Retired Social Workers is sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers and encourage retired social workers to return to social work to serve older adults as paid professionals. The program includes two key components: 1) professional development to re-orient retired social workers to current conditions, agency changes, and present senior issues and attitudes; and 2) placement into positions – as part-time, intermittent or full-time workers – to provide services and support for older adults. As one of its many programs, the Retired Social Workers received a grant from the Chicago Community Trust to place and pay retired social workers for the Chicago Life Opportunities Initiative.

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

I believe strongly that our members find personal growth from the social aspects of our program as well as from the academic, says one lifelong learner. The programs discussed here are perfect examples of what she says.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

Special Effects

2010-06-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today we have more Special Effects and Collaging from one of my community college students here in Dallas.

Express Yourself!

Ray Bolton is one of my favorite students. He was truly ambivilent about learning an image editing program when he first came to class. But he dug in, was patient and learned the ins and outs of Photoshop Elements and what you see below is the result of his hard work.

Ray's neighbor, Vicki Agee, is actually the one responsible for Ray ending up in our Photoshop Elements classes. A little bit of nagging can be a wonderful thing--she kept after him, he relented and now he's guuuuud! Here is a collage he did of Vicki in her wonderful rose Garden with her charming little dogs!

This protrait was taken from one of the images in the collage. He cropped it out of the collage and used the Artistic Brush Strokes filter to create a painting effect. Then he added a vignette and manufactured a picture frame.

Here is birthday card for a friend of his from his gym, Kailee, who is studying to be a nurse. Florence Nightengale never had it so good!

The blue daylily on Richard's birthday card below was intended to be a joke for Ray's friend. Richard is a daylily grower in Connecticut. And guess what-blue daylilies do not exist! You can fool a lot of people in Photoshop but not this guy!

Great ideas coming from a creative mind who learned how to express himself through images.

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successfull personality to duplicate.” ~Bruce Lee

Thanks so much Ray for letting me share your images on the blog!

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-06-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:
The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

Up to this point we have discussed programs and opportunities for engaging in lifelong learning that are already in existence; they’ve been up and running for some time. Now we’re going to take a quick peek at some of the new and innovative ideas that are being developed and put in place for the 21st century.

The goal of these next few blogs is to help you realize that many new options to enhance and enrich your Third Age will be presenting themselves to you in the coming decades. With 76+ million adults reaching 50 and beyond in the next 20-30 years, new opportunities will be almost limitless. So keep your ears and eyes open for ways to ensure a vibrant, alert mind, no matter what your age. You will be pleasantly surprised. As Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a-changin.”

Already there are exciting new opportunities on the horizon. Here is the first of them.

The Next Chapter TM
Earlier, we talked in-depth about Civic Ventures, ® the San Francisco based organization that serves as a catalyst and incubator of both ideas and programs that help America achieve an “experience dividend.”

They have now developed The Next Chapter Initiative ™ to help communities create places and programs that provide older adults with direction and connection as they begin the next chapter of their lives.

The Next Chapter concept is based on the premise that access to meaningful choices for work, service, learning and social connections play a crucial role in the vitality of older adults and will enrich the life of the community.

The Next Chapter program envisions community places or programs that offer older adults:

Life Planning Programs – to help assess current status and strengths, explore and envision future possibilities and make choices by setting goals and plans.
Meaningful Engagement Through Work and Service – to encourage and help navigate opportunities to take on public service roles, through paid work and volunteer service.
Continued Learning for New Directions – to provide a broad range of learning options that enrich lives and retool for new careers.
Peer and Community Connections – places and programs that foster connections to people of all ages in the community.

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

Samuel Ullman, the community activist said, “Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite of what’s next and the joy of the game of living…” So very true!

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

Make it Happen People

2010-06-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

All over the USA, Seniors and Boomers are doing interesting things because they are waaay to young to retire! Our blog is privileged to share the stories and inspirational thoughts of some of these remarkable "make it happen" people.

Retiring in Style

Larry Genender says, "Retiring from something isn't nearly as great as retiring to something."

Larry is a surgeon who worked 14 hour days for many years. He retired at 65 and was looking for something to do. One day his wife saw a garden bench she liked and Larry thought, “I can make one of those.”

That thought eventually morphed into building a woodshop where creating with wood became a passion! He got a lathe and learned how to use it. He took a lot of instruction, including going to seminars around the country. One of those seminars was taught by David Ellsworth, who is one of the most famous wood turners in the country. He spent three days in Pennsylvania learning from this master.

I have seen his work, and it reminds me a lot of Dale Chihuly’s glass—only in wood! The first image you see below is a bowl (unlighted), which is beautiful. In the second image, the lights around the same bowl have been turned off and a single spot light is shining inside. This piece is translucent because it has been soaked in Danish oil. It takes three months to make one of these. The lighted version is called a “vessel of fire”.

Larry won first place in the State Fair with this piece. He found an old piece of wood that had been lying in someone’s barn for years. It was 22 inches in diameter. A lot of the bark had come off, so he had to learn how to recreate it. He used super glue and mesquite bark fragments to replace the missing edges.

When he started out with this creation he had to work around a defect in the wood. The piece evolved into a flat tray with a footed stand.

This piece has an interesting history. It was very thin and he was buffing on a high speed buffer. It flew out of his hands and broke into 4 pieces and he thought it was lost. Then one day he was shopping with his wife and she was looking at a Coach purse that had lacing. He bought a book on lacing and what you see below is the result!

Larry never sells his work, but sometimes he does give it to family and friends. Now there is a precious gift! To see more of his work go to:

http://www.dallaswoodturners.com/Album/pix_genender.html

He told me that, "The wood leads you, the piece evolves and the art appears!"

A special thank you to Larry Gerender for sharing with our blog!

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-06-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:
The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

To sum of our discussion about meaningful community service…

If you have already left the full-time workforce why not investigate the many community service options available in your community? You will soon find one or more that fit your experience and interests.

If you are still working, and free time is at a premium, tuck this information away until you are ready to leave the world of full-time work. Then, bring it back out and begin to think about how to continue to be involved in lifelong learning through community service.

If you see a need that isn’t being met, think about how you can meet that need. If necessary, think big. Start a new organization if that’s what it takes to fill the gap.

Let your imagination guide you. There’s always a need for meaningful community service. It only takes one person to get the ball rolling. That person can be you!

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

Tuesday's Treasures

2010-06-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

A Great Idea!

Maya Angelou said, "The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart." I'll bet that happened with the charming image we are featuring today.

This gem turned up in one of my Photoshop Elements classes the other day. Dana Kimbrough went to see Little House On the Prairie with her family and recorded the event in a collage. A special event for a special birthday girl!

The play was at Fair Park in Dallas, and is part of a summer series of musicals that they put on every year. My family and I just went to see Wicked and it was really well done as well.

Dana's delightful grandchildren have read the "Little House" books and loved the play. They chose bonnets (a fine idea in my book) instead of t-shirts for a treat to remind of them of the day.

This image was printed on a 16 x 20 sheet at Walgreen's. The paper is thick enough that you can actually hang it on a wall with out framing.

John Steinbeck said, "Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen." How fun would it be to have several of these on one wall, each depicting an event together?

A special thank you to Dana Kimbrough for letting me share her great idea on the blog!

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-06-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:
The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

So, with all the great examples given last week, how do you find the right opportunity?

There are literally millions of ways to volunteer. But how do you harness them into the right opportunity for you? How do you find the opportunity that fits your lifestyle? Here are some suggestions:

· Look for causes and groups that work with issues about which you feel strongly.

· Make a list of your skills. You can then go right to work with a minimum of training. The skills you’ve learned in your career or at work can be applied for the benefit of others.

· Or, take the opportunity to learn something new through community service.

· Look for opportunities that will help you combine your other goals in life.

· Review your schedule so you don’t over-commit. No one wins if that happens. Take into account your other life commitments.

· Look at opportunities you can take on as a team with your spouse.

· “Virtual volunteer” if you love working on a computer. There are more than 100 organizations that use on-line volunteers.

· Think about new and different venues where volunteers might be useful.

· Find out how much time is required, how much, if any, of your own funds will be used and if expenses are reimbursed.

What are some of the benefits of meaningful community service?

There are multiple, life-enriching benefits to be gained from community service. Here are just a few.

· Community service produces what is called the “halo effect.” By helping out you not only help make the world a better place, but also enrich your own life too.

· Community service gives you the opportunity to fulfill your dreams. Perhaps our career paths took us in a different direction than that which we secretly dream about. So instead of finding a project that is a continuation of that career, find one that fulfills the “inner you.” Engage in that fantasy!

· Most people can physically, mentally and emotionally benefit from a moderate amount of service work.

· Being a volunteer enhances the control you feel over your own life.

· A measure of status and identity is conferred by contributing and working in a volunteer capacity.

· You feel fulfilled with a new sense of purpose.

· Community service boosts character, builds strong minds that can reason, think critically, negotiate and solve problems.

· You will be intellectually challenged.

· Giving back promises greater meaning, stimulation and the chance to make a difference in others’ lives.

· People who have found a valued role in life live longer.

· You develop a new perspective on life making material things less important.

· You will come away feeling valued and needed.

· You make new contacts, which might lead to a second career, full-time or part-time.

· Social interaction increases as you meet new people.

· Finally, community service enables you to leave a legacy. Erik Erikson’s idea that “we are what survives of us,” speaks to how we can leave society a better place than how we found it. And, that’s what we’ll be remembered for!

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

Dr. Dorothy I. Height, president and CEO of the NCNW says, Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It's the way in which we ourselves grow and develop. And, growing and developing, even into later age, is what lifelong learning is all about.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

Special Effects With Filters

2010-06-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

Simply...Working With Filters

I love the diversity my students bring to the classroom. We are all between the age of 50 and 90, so the life experience and talent simmering around the room is almost tangible!

Valerie Jagiello, one of our talented resident artists, has been kind enough to contribute to our blog before, and does again today, with some helpful hints about using Photoshop Elements filters.

She says, "Photoshop has a wealth of filters and image altering effects. As your confidence level grows using this program with its filters ...so will the level of your results.

Since I started working in Photoshop several years ago, after losing some 'spectacular' effects to my memory, I write EVERYTHING DOWN. I now keep a journal of all filter combinations with appropriate level amounts noted.

Two things to remember when working with filters....write down the EXACT ORDER you have used to create your masterpiece as any deviation from that order will definitely alter the final effect you are expecting. The second is to create a working base. This will act as a constant and I use this method all the time. The base should include any cropping or cloning or whatever and give you a clean image or base photo to work with.

Photo one (below) is a typical "brag" picture taken by my friend and fellow artist Donna Kerness of her youngest granddaughter Avi taking a bath. I cropped out the back and cloned the bubbles closer to the face. This picture became my base.

The second picture shows the use of the distort filter (with black over white) and then the pastel filter added.

The third picture shows the use of the distort filter again with the watercolor filter added. Use the preview window (when in the filter) to see the settings and change the defaults to ones that you like.

The fourth picture is another simple shot of adorable Avi in the backyard.

Don't be afraid to crop parts of a picture to create a knockout final image. This one used the distort filter then I switched to the sharpen with line and lastly added the sharpen again. Note that using the sharpen filters can change the image in many really cool ways. The white on the hair is from a combination of all three working together.

Now go ahead and release your inner artist!!! Go forth and create and don't be limited by the original image...I NEVER HAVE!!!"

Valerie Jagiello is available for individual creative services and can be reached through this blog. Just add a comment below and we will get your message to her. She will be happy to contact you to talk art!

A special thank you to Valerie Jagiello for her lovely images and great advice for using filters!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T06:10:00.000-07:00

The Home of the Brave

Poetry says emotional things so well. I'll let it speak for me today:

The summer soldier and the
sunshine patriot will, in this crisis,
shrink from the service of his
country;

But he that stands by it now
deserves the love and thanks of
man and woman.

~Thomas Paine

Home of the Brave
by Roger Robicheau

Through the feel of war they brave this day
How proud they stand, their unselfish way

Our soldiers bear what we cannot see
They assure our right to live life free

Each trained will face an unknown fate

Our support they need, don’t hesitate

Just imagine how this land would be
Without their courage - catastrophe

All the liberties we have grown to know
Would not exist, this life would go

Find a thankfulness within your mind
Speak gratitude for our bravest kind

Have the willingness to show you care
For fallen heroes, hold back no tear

Reach out to God with his guiding light
For our troops do pray, both day and night

America raise your flags to wave

For we truly are 'home of the brave'

God Bless Our Native Land
by Frances E. W. Harper

God bless our native land,
Land of the newly free,
Oh may she ever stand
For truth and liberty.

God bless our native land,
Where sleep our kindred dead,
Let peace at thy command
Above their graves be shed.

God help our native land,
Bring surcease to her strife,
And shower from thy hand
A more abundant life.

God bless our native land,
Her homes and children bless,
Oh may she ever stand
For truth and righteousness.

I'll end this post with one of my favorite images. This picture has always made our men and women in uniform going in harms way so very real to me:

Inspirational Sunday

2010-05-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher, co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

Preparation for Memorial Day

I received the following in email from a friend. It is so true!

It is
the
VETERAN,
not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.

It is
the
VETERAN,
not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is
the
VETERAN,
not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is
the
VETERAN,
not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is
the
VETERAN,
not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is
the
VETERAN,
not the politician, Who has given us the right to vote.

It is
the
VETERAN
who salutes the Flag,

It is
the
VETERAN
who serves under the Flag

They make us proud to be Americans.

God bless them all!

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-05-27T05:44:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:
The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

Here are some facts About Community Service.

· All of us, at one time or another, have been a volunteer. Helping out at your child’s school, or your place of worship, or a community event, all that was volunteer work.

· President Jimmy Carter’s mother was 83 when she joined the Peace Corps.

· Mature Americans are the most active and well-informed when it comes to both politics and current affairs so they are the ones who are often seen as the community leaders and activists.

· A recent study indicated that 40% of Americans between the ages of 50 and 75 said they were “very interested” or “fairly interested” in half-time community service roles after they no longer worked full-time.

· More than 12,000 older volunteer executives offer advice and assistance to more than 300,000 small businesses through S.C.O.R.E.

· The experiential knowledge of mature adults is of tremendous value to our society.
· Mature volunteers are making more contributions in terms of dollar value to our society than what older Americans are getting back in support.

· An estimated 24 million adults over the age of 55 are serving as volunteers in our society and more would, if asked.

· Despite the multitude of people who share their time and talents, the needs of our communities far outweigh the work that is already being done.

Community Service Venues

Where in their communities are all these people volunteering? Here’s a short list.

· Day care centers
· Neighborhood Watches
· Public schools and colleges
· Halfway houses
· Community theaters
· Drug rehabilitation centers
· Fraternal organizations and civic clubs
· Retirement centers and homes for the elderly
· Meals on Wheels
· Church or community-sponsored soup kitchens or food pantries
· Museums, art galleries and monuments
· Community choirs, bands and orchestras
· Prisons
· Neighborhood parks
· Youth organizations, sports teams and after-school programs.
· Shelters for battered women and children
· Historical sites, battlefields and national parks

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

In the words of Margaret Mead, If we look carefully, we cannot help realizing that virtually all the activities that make a town or part of a city into a community depend in one way or another on volunteers. I’ve given you some examples of ways you can help.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

Wednesday Aging in Place

2010-05-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

On Wednesdays, Laurie Orlov, tech industry veteran, writer, speaker and elder care advocate will be sharing her insightful research on how seniors can safely and successfully live independent lives in the home of their choice.

With Video Chatting --
It's a Small World Afterall

There are a lot of video chat alternatives. Here are just a couple of them from the Mossberg Solution that shows how we can keep in touch with our family and friends around the block or around the world.

Skype Worth the Hype

Skype is a free program that must be downloaded onto your Windows PC or Mac. Users can create accounts with profile details about themselves including a photo and biographical information; these data can be set as visible to anyone or just authorized friends. Skype works for text chatting and voice-only chatting, as well as video chatting. One of the best features in Skype is its ability to let you share whatever is displayed on your computer screen with someone else by selecting a Share option. This comes in handy as a substitute for uploading numerous large files to a third-party service to share them with friends and family, especially if one party is traveling and has a slow connection. My sister and I use this remote access to share photos with each other, narrating as we share slide shows from our computers. Though some images appear a bit pixelated because of her weaker Internet connection, I get the point.

With Skype, users can put one video chat on hold to answer another one, like call waiting. This comes in handy for people who have several friends trying to talk to them at the same time when they're online.

Video Chat via Google

Google Video Chat can be downloaded if someone has a Gmail account. This video-chatting capability is an add-on for the Google Chat instant-messaging program, which runs in the Gmail home page or in iGoogle, so a Web browser must be opened to access this. Friends who are capable of video chatting (because they have a Webcam) are indicated with a small video-camera icon beside their names, and video chats can be initiated by opening options in the Video and More menu of a chat window.

Google Chat users who have AIM accounts can sign into AIM within the Google Chat program, combining all their friends into one neat list. I started using this feature the first time it was offered and can't remember the last time I opened AIM as a standalone program.

Special Effects Tuesday

2010-05-25T06:11:00.000-07:00

Talent

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." ~Emile Zola

We all strive to find the strong suit for ourselves and our children, and then follow the path where that leads.

Just look at the marvelous collages she has been generous enough to share with us on the blog:

"God doesn't give people talents that he doesn't want people to use." ~Iron Eagle

Add filters and you have another delicious look for the same image.

“Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck -- but, most of all, endurance.” ~James Arthur Baldwin

A special thank you to Betty Levy for sharing her delicious collages with us!

Special Effects Projects Monday

2010-05-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Natalie's Art And Photography

We have a series of lesson plans in our Special Effects class where we copy the techniques of famous artists using Photoshop. The image below is of an easel in front of a window, reminiscent of images created by the wonderful Surrealist Renee Magritte.

Steve Caplin, author of Art & Design in Photoshop, says, “The Belgian painter Rene Magritte (1898-1967) was one of the foremost surrealist artists. He may not have had the technical skill of a Dali, but he more than made up for this with a fervent imagination that had the ability to delve deep into our collective psyche. More than any other surrealist, Magritte’s work strikes a chord with the viewer.

La Condition Humaine is a theme that he returned to again and again, painting numerous variations on this theme: a canvas in front of a window or an open doorway. At what point does the view through the window become the view as depicted on the canvas? It’s often hard to spot the join – and that’s deliberate. The view through the window is itself, of course, just another painting of the scene.

We’ll reproduce Magritte’s technique in a photographic manner, while staying true to the style of the original.”

It is such fun seeing what people come up with to fill that easel and window! Here is a perfect example put together by one of my talented and creative students, Natalie Harris.

And speaking of art, her much loved grandchildren often turn up in her work in unique, artistic ways. Here are two of them peeking out of a Barbara Hepworth sculpture that can be found at the Nasher Sculpture Garden here in Dallas.

In the next image the kids are collaged into an image of a sculpture called Boolean Valley by Adam Silverman, also found in the Nasher Sculpture Garden. Each of the children was added separately and arranged so that they look like they're holding hands, dancing on the water.

Speaking of the Nasher Sculpture Garden, every third Friday all summer long the museum will be presenting an event called 'til Midnight at the Nasher which features the wonderful sculpture garden of course, along with movies, moonlight and music. People spread blankets out in the garden or relax in chairs on the patio and enjoy the evening. We went this last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it!

A special thanks to Natalie Harris for allowing us to use her charming images!

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-05-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:
The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

Now let’s look at other volunteer options.

Older Peace Corps Volunteers

The link between lifelong learning and the Peace Corps is very strong. Put simply, the primary job of Peace Corp volunteers is to teach. What’s especially nice is that older Americans are contributing to Peace Corps programs all over the globe and, in the process, find their age to be an asset. The organization recognizes that no group has more to offer in terms of experience, maturity, and demonstrated ability. There is no upper age limit to join the Peace Corps. In fact, volunteers who are well into their 80s have served and continue to serve.

Support for Older Adult Volunteer Projects
Nothing speaks more to the viability of a project than the willingness of an organization or foundation to provide the necessary funds. Here are some examples from Civic Ventures ® of volunteer projects for older adults that have been recently funded. Each of these projects has a

In Arizona, the Piper Foundation announced $1.6 million in grants to support the development of four Next Chapter centers in Maricopa County. The centers are designed to help older adults to explore opportunities for volunteer and paid service, as well as options related to health, wellness and education. In Ohio, the Cleveland Foundation provided $360,000 in grants to support projects that will expand paid employment and unpaid service opportunities for older adults in that community.
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) inaugurated a project called “Civic Engagement in an Older America” that will promote research on programs and public policies likely to increase civic participation among older adults.
The National Council on the Aging launched RespectAbility, an initiative designed to help community organizations and decision-makers enhance civic participation of older Americans. The project include research with leaders of nonprofit organizations to identify barriers to engaging older adults, a national public awareness campaign, and preparation of news articles on engagement by older adults by a group of veteran journalists.
The Harvard School of Public Health-MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement released its report on issue a new report on “Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement.” Last fall, the Initiative announced the launching of its second phase which will include a number of activities intended to expand public awareness of the value of older adults as a social resource.
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions published research based on the Experience Corps program that showed that older adults who volunteer in troubled urban schools not only improve the educational experience of children, but realize meaningful improvements in their own mental and physical health.

Lifelong learning and community service go hand-in-hand. If you truly desire to make your later life more complete then community service in tandem with lifelong learning should be a part of that plan as well. There are too many benefits to be gained and given from engaging in community service for it to be ignored. Take the opportunity to use your hard-earned wisdom and life experience for the benefit of younger generations. You’ll make a lasting impact on them for years to come. It’s a great feeling.

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

The British author, Ellis Peters says, Nothing is more pleasing and engaging than the sense of having conferred benefits, not even the gratification of receiving them. She is so right.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

Age in Place Wednesday

2010-05-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

What's in a name --
Older Americans Month and other changes

Submitted by Laurie Orlov on Thu, 05/06/2010 - 13:55

caregiving
Learning, working, contribution and legacy
Seniors

May is Older Americans (not Senior Citizens) Month. The Administration on Aging notes that this 'acknowledgement of the contribution of older Americans' was launched in 1963. Prior to 1980, it was known as Senior Citizen Month, but was renamed and became a 'tradition' during the Carter Administration. Looking through the list of themes, some seem to be efforts to acknowledge the forgotten: "America, a Community for All Ages" and "Honor the Past, Imagine the Future: Towards a Society for All Ages". But today the term "senior citizen" has been erased by the AoA and the theme "Age Strong, Live Long," reflecte lengthening life span and unprecedented multiple generations of 'older Americans'. Assuming that 'senior' is 65+, there will be 71.5 million by 2030 -- life span and baby boomer encroachment are driving other changes as well...

...'Senior Centers' may be renamed or closed by budget cuts. From Activity Center to Boomer Cafes to Recreation and Senior Centers to XYZ Center (drop the Senior), the senior center moniker may be gone in just a few years, one location at a time. Already faced with an expanding longevity age spread, from the heel-kicking 60-somethings to 90-somethings, activity planning and events will become ever more challenging over time. At budget risk in their current form, I can imagine new combined centers that recognize a side effect of longevity: Those who can no longer come in the door might appreciate the availability of telephone programs, or welcome television variants like this one in Iowa City or the Microsoft-enabled 'virtual' senior center, or centers that partner with SeniorNet or community colleges that offer online learning programs.

Special Effects Projects

2010-05-18T05:51:00.000-07:00

Janice and Bud

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." ~Elisabeth Foley

Over the years I have met a lot of special people in my classes. Age 50 to 90 years is in my esitmation the perfect student! They are there to learn...bright and experienced...they are also there to create and have a good time.

Janice and Bud are perfect examples of the best students in my group and two people I call friend. Janice has been with me nearly as long has I have been teaching, Bud for the last couple of years.

They both enter their work at the county fair here in Dallas and always place or win. We have featured their work on this blog before, and here is more!

A hot dog with a glow around it, hand made smoke and hot text! What could be better!

It's a bird, no it's a plane, no it's a bird-plane! What a great image! Talk about creative! Definitely one you give a double-take!!

"Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer." ~Author Unknown

A special thank you to Janice and Bud Roden for letting me share their exceptional work!

The Art of Collage

2010-05-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

This week we will be doing a series on Photo Collages. These images were all created by my students at the community college where I teach. I continue to be charmed and inspired by the creativity of the people in my Emeritus classes!

In Your Own Back Yard

"I like to sit in my backyard. I go out on the hammock and sit in silence and kind of meditate. Nature is calming, and it's nice to go out there and clear my head." ~Devon Werkheiser

Sometimes cool images are right outside your back door! As Dave Berry says, "The best camera is the one you have with you!"

Roger Slover lives near Duck Creek. He takes great close-ups and has been featured on our blog before. I love the two "head shots" of the geese!

In the next image, Ray Bolton put a lovely collage together of his neighbor's yard. She is the one responsible for him ending up in my Photoshop Elements classes. At first he resisted her suggestion to come to school and finally gave in. I'm sure glad she spread the word--look at what he can do now!

I am so proud of the work and creativity of my students. Boomers and Seniors are unbeatable, if I do say so myself (and I will say so if you open the door even a crack!).

Whether your backyard behind your house, in your city, or in your country, caring for it well benefits everybody who comes close to it--including yourself! "I feel a responsibility to my backyard. I want it to be taken care of and protected." ~Anne Liebovitz

Inspirational Sunday

2010-05-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher, co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

Be a Peacemaker

All of us at some time in our life have dealt with difficult times and difficult people. In fact, many of the difficult times were caused by difficult people. We have all faced hurt feelings, rejection, insults, rude behavior and sometimes downright nastiness.

These conflicts may have led to broken relationships. And some of these relationships have been close relationships. We may have had a disagreement with a family member or close friend or business relationship. Unkind words were spoken and a split occurred. We're hurt. They're hurt. Everyone is unhappy, maybe even angry. What does God want us to do about restoring a broken fellowship.

In Day 20 or my 40 day journey with Rick Warren and his book The Purpose Driven Life, I found out...

"Relationships are always worth restoring.

Because life is all about learning how to love, God wants us to value relationships and make the effort to maintian them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt, or a conflict. In fact, the Bible tells us that God has given us the ministry of restoring relationships. For this reason a significant anount of the New Testament is devoted to teaching us how to get along with one another. Paul wrote, 'If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spriit means anything to you,...Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.' Paul taught athat our ability to get along with others is a mark of spiritual maturing."

"If you want God's blessing on your life and you want to be known as a child of God, you must learn to be a peacemaker. Jesus said, 'God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.' Notice Jesus didn't say, 'Blessed are the peace lovers,' because everyone loves peace. Neither did he say, 'Blessed are the peacable,' who are never disturbed by anything. Jesus said, 'Blessed are those who work for peace'--those who actively seek to resolve conflict. Peacemakers are rare because peacemaking is hard work.'"

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-05-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:

The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

Now let’s look at another way to give back and help yourself at the same time…

School Volunteers.

Although school volunteers are similar to mentors, the educational tasks they undertake with their young charges can be quite varied. We used to think that “school volunteers” automatically meant parents, and mothers in particular, since they were the ones usually at home during the day.

Not anymore. Today, school volunteers come from all levels of society, be it stay-at-home mothers or fathers, staff from large corporations and especially older adults who no longer work full-time. Although there is more variety in who becomes a school volunteer, the numbers of actual participants has dropped due to more people being employed full-time. Consequently, schools are beginning to look more and more toward the experience, knowledge and wisdom that can be found right in their own communities among the older adult populations.

School volunteering is the perfect venue for the experience, knowledge and wisdom that older adults have amassed over a lifetime. Today, the United States is fortunate to have the World’s largest number of healthy, well-educated retired adults. And, as we mentioned earlier, by 2030 there will be about 65 million older persons-20% of the population. What an incredible resource!

To say that this resource of older adults can make a major difference to school districts caught in budget crunches, teacher shortages and increasing enrollments, is an understatement. School volunteers can help ease teacher stress and make up the shortfall when classroom aides and specialists are cut from tightened budgets.

All across the country, teachers are utilizing older volunteers in their classrooms and winning support for school district activities among mature adults. The Agelink Project, an intergenerational child-care program for school-age children provides after-school services linking children with volunteer older adults in North Carolina.

The Senior Motivators in Learning and Educational Services (SMILES) program in Salt Lake City recruits and trains older adults and places them in district schools to help with such activities as story reading, field trips, tutoring, arts and crafts, and sports. Many SMILES volunteers work in resource rooms with special education students.

Older volunteers perk up the class day for students by offering new and unique viewpoints. Experts in a wide variety of skills and talents, they share their perspectives on many different topics. The volunteers also find that they too benefit-the intergenerational contact is priceless.

With the decline in the extended family, intergenerational programs become even more valuable as older adults are often called on to be surrogate grandparents. In addition, intergenerational programs can help dispel some of the negative stereotypes each generation has about the other.

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

After years of volunteer work, I’ve found something new where I can make a real contribution for the benefit of others, while deriving a great deal of joy for myself. How wonderful that one lifelong learner has found such a resource later in life.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

The Art of Collage

2010-05-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

I love a simple circle when I see it in my students creations. I have three fine examples below.

The first one is of a gentleman's kitty. The shape comes from the porthole of a cruise ship. Combine the two and allow one little foot outside of the circle to give a bit of a third dimension and you have a winner!

“Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.” ~Albert Schweitzer

Below is a collage done by Betty Levy. She is a painter who we often feature on our blog. She has a great eye. I always look forward to seeing her work! Here is a black and white image of a cathedral ceiling, with the very same image added in color to the layer above.

“In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” Flora Edwards

And another great idea from Natalie Harris. Here is a beloved granchild at a soccer game. Put her in the empty space of one of Barbara Hepworth's sculptures (from the Nasher garden in Dallas) and you create a unique image!

"The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in the circle of those who are." ~C. S. Lewis

A special thanks to Betty Levy and Natalie Harris for being friends of the blog!

Collage and the Joy of Peace

2010-05-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

To Live in Peace

Today I just noticed the caption on the collage you see below. I love the images, but had just viewed them at a glance.

This collage was created by Ed Relder, a student in one of my classes. A sweetheart of a man creating a charming collage with a little bit of an edge to make us think..."Can we just live in peace".

Because of Ed's collage, I started browsing through some of the images I have posted on the blog over the last year. So many of them speak to the subject of peace, something we all want and pray for.

Such as Frank Fandrick's lovely swans created with three pictures...

"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others." Peace Pilgrim quotes.

And Lana Davis' precious niece and nephew...

"If we wish to create a lasting peace we must begin with the children." Mahatma Gandhi

"We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom." Dwight Eisenhower

And from my own files...

Ah, Rich, surin' we love ya darlin'!!

"If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." Thomas Paine

And as always, we offer a tribute to those who stand in the breach for us all.

"Freedom is never free." ~Author Unknown.

"I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks." ~William Shakespeare

"God Bless us, every one." ~Tiny Tim

Inspirational Sunday

2010-05-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher, co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

A Very Special Day

Our daughter Holly has blessed us with three fabulous grandchildren. She is a wonderful wife and mother who communicates a lot with her friends and family via Facebook, Twitter and email. On all of her correspondence she includes the following line that I think embodies meaningful words of encouragement for every Mother to constantly remind their children...

"Promise me you'll always remember,
you're braver than you believe
and stronger than you seem
and smarter than you think."
- Christopher Robin to Pooh

Mother's Love

Her love is like

An island in life's ocean,

Vast and wide

A peaceful, quiet shelter

From the wind, the rain, the tide.

'Tis bound on the north by Hope,

By Patience on the West,

By tender Counsel on the South

And on the East by Rest.

Above it like a beacon light

Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer;

And thro' the changing scenes of life

I find a haven there.

Author Unknown

Happy Mothers Day!

Hanna Walker's Art Show

2010-05-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Remarkable Results

Yesterday we talked about the amazing tenacity and elbow grease that went into The Hanna Walker Art Show. Today we will discuss and see some of the results from this unique event.

The Art Show brought considerable attention to the talent of Hanna Walker and to her memory.

There was much surprise and enjoyment by those attending.

The displaying collectors who are related to her were given the chance to renew relations and compare collections—almost a Walker family reunion type dynamic.

The city of Luling benefitted by being the site of an event of this nature.

A website can be found at www.hannawalker.com that contains photo images of all of the 70 or so paintings that were on display at the art show and of selected other paintings by Hanna Walker, each one complete with a caption giving the name of the painting and of the collector.

That website also contains information about the art show and about the life of Hanna Walker.

After-the-fact word and conversation about the art show reached at least five collectors of paintings by Hanna Walker located inside and outside of Texas . They contacted individuals who had been involved in the art show and expressed disappointment that they had not known about it and interest in participating should another art show be held.

The printed program that was distributed at the art show was expanded to include photo images of more of the paintings that were displayed and more information about the life of Hanna Walker and the mounting of the art show. A copy of the expanded program was circulated to the exhibitors and friends of the art show. A copy is in the archives of the Genealogical & Historical Society of Caldwell County, Texas (“GHSCC”), in Luling , Texas . A copy is also archived on the seventh floor of the Dallas Public Library in downtown Dallas , Texas.

An article about the life of Hanna Walker, complete with information about the art show and her family tree, appeared in the Fall 2009 edition of The Plum Creek Almanac, which is a publication of the GHSCC.

An iMovie DVD was prepared and distributed to the art show exhibitors. It contains about 55 photo images of paintings that were displayed at the art show, complete with captions giving the name of each painting and of the collector. A copy of this DVD has been permanently archived at the GHSCC.

Three of Hanna Walker’s paintings—none of which was exhibited at the art show—were among the 259 lots that were included in the David Dike Fine Art auction in October, 2009, in Dallas , Texas . This annual auction is recognized as offering for purchase a preeminent collection of Early Texas Art. A copy of the catalogue of that October, 2009 auction is currently available at the offices of David Dike Fine Art, 2613 Fairmount, Dallas , Texas 75201 . Persons interested in receiving the catalogue for the 2010 and subsequent auctions may contact the offices of David Dike by e mail, using this address: ddfa@swbell.net.

Bill said, "The outcome of the event made the planning aggravations and anxieties seem trivial."

From a good idea to reality, what a far-reaching occasion this was. Congratulations to everyone connected to this ambitious and worthwhile project!

We salute you Miss Hanna!

Hanna Walker's Art Show

2010-05-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

A Remarkable Idea

The one-year anniversary of the Hanna Walker Art Show is May 9th. So this would be a perfect time to blog about this remarkable event.

Today I will repeat a couple of earlier posts to remind our readers of how this unique, precious and exceptional event came to life. Tomorrow I will post about some of the results of this huge effort created to honor an exceptional Texan.

First You Plan

I first learned about the Hanna Walker Art Show in a Photoshop class I teach. Bill Cardwell was telling his two friends, Kevin Rush and Betty Haack, about an exhibit he was personally mounting in Luling, Texas.

I watched this fascinating project unfold, and as always was amazed at the strength, vitality and tenacity that one individual can bring to a project to make it a success.

Here you see Bill with a Hanna Walker painting called Peaches in a Basket on an easel outside of the Fellowship Hall of the Episcopal Church in Luling.

Bill worked for a year on plans for an art show to honor the memory of Hanna Walker (1876 – 1945), a native of Luling, who painted with oils prolifically in and around Luling, San Antonio, and Mexico, among other places, and interpreted subjects such as still lifes, landscapes, structures, figures, and other diverse examples of flora and fauna. Her works were exhibited frequently in the 1920s and 1930s but have only rarely, if ever, been shown to the public since her death.

While Bill is a long time resident of Dallas and has practiced law here for years, he has a special place in his heart for Luling, Texas where the exhibit will be held. He says, “It seemed particularly appropriate to hold this show in the Fellowship Hall. In 1950 numerous paintings by Hanna Walker were sold and the proceeds from the sale of were used to construct the Parish Hall/Fellowship Hall of the Episcopal Church in Luling. One of her paintings is on permanent display there.”

It was quite a journey for him. Here are just some of the things involved in this one day show: Sketch/Essay – complete final editing/coordinate with Dr. Michaele Haynes, Witte Museum, San Antonio; get exact names of paintings to be used on signage, press release, security, easels, memory book, video/audio presentation, memorabilia table, and advertising:

Dr. Michaele Haynes, the curator at Witte Museum in San Antonio, has agreed to pen a few hundred words about Miss Hanna and her career for a printed program for the exhibit. The art show was mentioned in the newsletter for the Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art (CASETA) http://www.caseta.org/. With the help of Todd Carlson, Austin photographer/graphic artist, he will have a printed program for the exhibit which will include photographs of many of Hanna Walker’s paintings.

A total of eighty of the paintings by Hanna Walker from the collections of about 17 people were displayed at this exhibit. No paintings at this art show were offered for sale. This event was aimed exclusively at honoring the memory of this long-deceased, early Texas artist.

Then It Happens

On May 9th, 2009 a cooperative endeavor being lead by Bill Cardwell, one of my most remarkable students, took place in Luling, Texas!

For one day, 70 oil paintings were exhibited at the Church of the Annunciation Parish Hall from 20 collectors located in these Texas towns: Luling, Austin, Lakeway, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Houston, Shelby, Dallas, Lewisville, and Diana. Eleven of these collectors are related to Hanna Walker.

Our friend, Kevin Rush and his wife Linda went to Luling to help Bill. Kevin said, "Bill did a great job of succeeding under pressure with little sleep and with max decorum. Linda and I had a blast seeing Lockhart and Luling for the first time and sampling some great barbecue as well as home style cooking at a local cafe. All right out of a movie set only it was all real." Below you see Bill right in the thick of it all!

The three folks in front of the figure painting below are, from left to right, David M. Cochran (Bill’s brother in law), Maryanne Cardwell Cochran (his sister), and Wanda Bassett Carter (a family friend from Luling who is a collector who displayed her own Hanna Walker paintings at the art show).

David was nine years old when Miss Hanna painted this picture of him in 1934. His mother, Cleo Cochran, was a contemporary of Miss Hanna, and we think that Miss Hanna did this painting as a favor to her friend. So, there is David at age 85 in this photograph in front of the painting of him at age nine!

Below is Marie Muenster Galloway who is 97 years old. She came to the art show and brought several of Miss Hanna’s paintings with her. Bill says, “Marie is undoubtedly one of the most amazing people I have ever met.”

Dr. Michaele Haynes, Curator of Witte Museum, attended the art show in Luling.

Dr. Haynes said that this painting, called Camp Site, is the most accomplished of all that were on display at the art show.”

Called Natures Gift, this painting was entered in several competitions in San Antonio in the late 1920s.

Some mind-boggling facts about how this was done:

Displayed in room 50 feet by 24 feet on walls, doors, floor easels, table top easels, and table tops.
A total of about 50 easels were borrowed from five sources.
Sixteen paintings delivered to Parish Hall by Luling collectors and hung on walls the evening before show. About 55 paintings transported to Parish Hall by out of town collectors the morning of show and processed and set up the morning of show.
An identifying sign placed by the display location of each painting.
Printed program contains color photo of each of about 55 of the paintings on display and text information about Hanna Walker, her career, and her substantial contributions to this Church and to the construction in about 1951 of this Parish Hall.
Kevin Rush and Todd Carlson took many photos of paintings on display and of collectors and others attending show. Will Cardwell took video pictures.
Guest book was signed by 201 persons. Actual attendance was probably about 225.
Students in high school and junior high school art classes who attended received extra credit (high school classes) and were exempt from final exam (junior high school classes).

Isn't it amazing what we seniors can do once we set our mind to it? Tomorrow we will talk about some of the results of this heart-warming event.

Congratulations to Bill Cardwell for a job well done in putting together the Hanna Walker Art Show!

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-05-06T05:16:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:

The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

Here is more information on intergenerational mentoring…

Mentoring can take place almost anywhere, in the home (children often listen to their grandparents more than their parents) in the workplace through in-house workshops run by experienced co-workers, and in the schools. There is a desperate need for school mentors in all grades. In fact, this type of mentoring has become very popular.

The role of a mentor is not to impose your thoughts and beliefs on the person you are mentoring. Instead, the goal is to get them to reveal their own thoughts and beliefs, using gentle encouragement throughout the process. Successful mentors point out the importance of developing the ability to listen while using appropriate questions to further aid the process.

This ensures both the mentor and the mentoree are on the same wave length and that both will benefit from the exchange of ideas. Mentors gain an infusion of vitality and energy from the youth they are mentoring, while the mentoree gains valuable perspective and knowledge about the larger world they may not have had the chance to explore yet.

Successful mentors don’t try to impress, nor do they impose their own belief systems. Instead, they try to bring out the mentoree’s own innate sense of knowledge. Respect the fact that they are unique individuals with as much right to their own beliefs as you are.

Remember to listen to their concerns before attempting to share your wisdom. Recognize that successful mentoring takes time. Make sure you ask yourself some important question prior to embarking on this adventure. Why do you want to be a mentor? What knowledge do you want to pass on? Prepare an inventory of your skills, knowledge and your life experiences. Determine who would most benefit from your experience. When you have these answers, then you can begin to make a difference in someone’s life.

Intergenerational mentoring is truly one of the most valuable methods of community engagement. Mentoring helps combat family dysfunction, drug addition and abuse. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing you’ve helped the next generation.

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

One lifelong learner says, I am 85 years old and still learning. As a volunteer, I work with the disadvantaged from all walks of life. It has opened my eyes and my mind, making me more aware of the problems of others. There’s nothing like focusing on other issues to take your mind off the aches and pains and drama of everyday life.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

The Art of Collage

2010-05-04T05:28:00.001-07:00

The great architect Charles Eames said, "The details are not the details. They make the design."

Today we are featuring the work of Ray Bolton who designs like an architect because he is one! He has been a friend of our blog for some time now and has been generous enough to share his work on a couple of occasions.

In this post we have three collages. The first two are the same subject, but treated differently.

Below is an image of a sculpture in his garden. On the sides are some of the flowers around it treated with filters from Photoshop Elements.

Can you see the architect in these two images?!

In the next one he has added extra elements from outside the garden to add interest. You would stop and prowl around this image for a while, wouldn't you?

And finally another image from his garden with a butterfly added outside the frame to give the third dimension a whirl. The background is handmade as is the rectangle behind the framed picture.

It is a never-ending source of interest to me how people bring past professions and experiences into their creations in their imaging. A continuous flow of pictures as individual as the people creating them.

A special thank you to Ray Bolton for being a friend of our blog!

The Art of Collage

2010-05-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

Visit the Zoo!

Jack Hanna and his animals are my favorite entertainers on the late night shows. He said, "Zoo animals are ambassadors for their cousins in the wild."

If a zoo is well arranged and beneficial to the animals living there, most folks really enjoy a good days visit there. And of course it is a rich environment for taking pictures.

Here are some pictures one of my students took at the Fort Worth Zoo. The background for the image was taken right as the gates opened. The flowers had just been watered. He does micro photography, which you see in the wonderful close-ups of the flowers with the water droplets.

You can practically smell these flowers when you look at this image. Makes you want to get yourself right down there, doesn't!

The Photo Gallery on Jack Hanna's website is great fun...http://www.jackhanna.com/

Inspirational Sunday

2010-05-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher, co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

You Are One of a Kind

Do you know how special you are? Do you know how unique you are? Without question, you are one of a kind. There is no one else on this planet exactly like you. There never has been and there never will be. How many times have you said to your kids or grandkids, "you're special." And that is so true. Each and every one of us is "special" in God's eyes. He knew exactly what He was doing and why He was doing it when He created you.

As I mentioned in some of my earlier posts, I am taking Rick Warren's 40 day journey in his book "The Purpose Driven Life". It's a fabulous book and a beneficial journey. I highly recommend it. I'm on Day 36.

In Day 2, he makes it clear that we are not an accident. "Your birth was no mistake or mishap and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you but God did. Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God. He thought of you first. God never does anything accidentally and He never makes mistakes. He has a reason for everything He creates."

This poem by Russell Kelfer sums it up:

You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, the trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so.
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into His likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

Friday Star Spotlight

2010-04-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

On Fridays we will feature special projects, photography and ideas contributed by talented seniors along with information about the Internet.

The Art of Collage

At different times over the next couple of months I will be displaying the work from my collage class along with what was created in our special effects classes.

Below is a collage that was created by Robert Westphal. Yes it is a collage--it is actually a combination of three pictures! The first image is the hand/phone that was part of a tutorial we did.

The second picture in the collage is the background behind the cameraman. That is actually a picture Bob picked up in Dinkelsbuhl, Germany on the Romantic Road.

Then of course the picture of someone taking a picture. That is a friend of ours, Ernie Eberle, who was taking a picture outside of the Community College we all frequent!

Droll, charming and fun this image creates its own reality. How fortunate I am to be associated with such a creative group of people!

Alan Alda said, "The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself."

A special thank you to Robert Westphal for being a friend of our blog!!

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-04-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:

The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

Now that we’ve looked at how other lifelong learners work within their communities, we’ll explore some ways to engage your talents and experience.

One of the best is Intergenerational Mentoring.

It’s another link between lifelong learning and community service. It has been said that one generation’s philosophy becomes the common sense of the next. That being the case, helping younger generations is one of the more valuable roles older lifelong learners can play in our society.

Older adults who belong to lifelong learning institutes often work with college undergraduate and graduate students. They also reach out into the community to work with elementary and high school students as mentors. Older learners many times initiate such programming, working together with community agencies and organizations.

By matching older adults with schoolchildren, these two generations share activities and in the process many stereotypes are broken down. Older adults benefit from this work in that they develop a greater sense of purpose and more self-esteem. Being so involved in the community also leads to more life satisfaction. At the same time, those being mentored learn more about getting older while increasing their own self-esteem, knowledge, skills, and motivation. And they also gain role models with incredibly valuable experience who can guide them into maturity.

Intergenerational programs also benefit the entire community. Participants pool resources and engage in creative problem solving to tackle social issues. Along the way, they find that respect for diversity and each other’s generational traditions has been growing.

Intergenerational community service work is so valuable to our society that The Center for Intergenerational Learning at Temple University seeks candidates to be trained to join its new Intergenerational Training Experts Network (ITEN).

The goal of the network will be to help build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to infuse intergenerational approaches into their programs and to engage more older adults in meaningful volunteer roles.

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French philosopher and Jesuit priest said, Service to others is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth. That is certainly one way to look at it. How much better our society would be if everyone subscribed to his theory.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

Wednesday with Dr. Rains

2010-04-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

The Rolling Rains Report
Dr. Scott Rains

Developments in
Consumer Travel Applications

By Scott Rains on April 27, 2010 8:21 AM

So far, no one is answering the question, "How accessible will this next generation of travel and booking infrastructure be?"

A battle is raging between Apple, Nokia, Amazon, Google, and RIM to develop a platform for the travel industry, and it has been reported that Apple has filed a patent for their version of such a travel application - iTravel. This application will book flights, hotels, and cars, as well as provide paperless airline check-in...

"As an airline these are the traditional information customers are looking for. A new trend will certainly start around the options new devices provide like location-based services, as well as integration of other services like social networks," Heucke had said. And this has been the case of late.

Earlier this year, Progress Software announced the launch of what is being described as the air travel industry's first real-time, location-based social networking solution for frequent flyers.Source:

http://www.eturbonews.com/15768/apple-files-patent-itravel

Follow the journey of Inclusive Tourism at RollingRains.com

http://www.rollingrains.com/

Special Effects Tuesday

2010-04-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

Just for Fun!

Dale Carnegie said, "People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing!"

To wrap up this week of Special Effects we have two images that are eye catching and just plain fun as well as creative!

Below is Roger Stover's rendition of a raspy old buffalo grumbling to the world! We did a lesson plan on smoke in class, but it was coming out of a candle. Here is that same smoke resized, and flipped to snort out of our buffalo's nose!

Lionel Ruiz has done several balloon images for our blog. I think this is my favorite. Obviously it is just one balloon picture, repeated over and over, but with this rendition two of the balloons float out of the picture giving it three dimensionality. They look like they are dancing!

I am privileged to see images like these continuously in my work as a teacher. Seniors rock!!

We will have another Special Effects series again soon.

It is a happy talent to know how to play. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A special thank you to Roger Stover and Lionel Ruis, two fine friends of our blog, for producing work that delights.

Special Effects Monday

2010-04-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

Snazzy!

Here is an interesting special effect one of my students came up with. All it takes is one good idea to turn the mundane into the unique.

Below, you see a night scene enhanced by unique streaks of color. This first one was painted in with green, white and red dots. While you might glance this image in a group of photos without the color, with the color you would surely stop and gaze!

And here you see the Lens Flare filter from Photoshop applied to give a spotlight effect to an urban scene.

Just a couple bright spots of color, creatively applied, and a brand new image appears!

Alfred North Whitehead said, "The vitality of thought is an adventure. Ideas won't keep. Something must be done about them."

Inspirational Sunday

2010-04-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher, co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

Don't Think About It

Mimi and I have been trying to lose some weight....it seems like forever. We're always talking about it, devising new plans. Keeping lists. Joining clubs. Counting. Weighing. Planning.

Well this weekend, I decided that the real secret to losing weight is not to think about it so much. Forget about dieting and counting and talking about it. Admit that the secret to losing weight is changing your eating habits. It is all about a healthy life style change not staying on a diet. I am going to refocus my attention away from dieting to eating healthier.

This also ties into what I have been reading in Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose Driven Life". On Day 27 of my 40 Day journey, he talks about "Defeating Temptation". He explains that if we are having trouble dealing with a temptation, whatever that temptation may be - food, alcohol, lust, etc. - we need to refocus our attention on something else.

He says, "It may surprise you that nowhere in the Bible are we told to 'resist temptation'. We are told to 'resist the devil', but that is very different. Instead, we are told to refocus our attention because resisting a thought doesn't work. It only intensifies our focus on the wrong thing and strengthens its allure."

He goes on to say, "Every time you try to block a thought out of your mind, you drive it deeper into your memory. By resisting it, you actually reinforce it. This is especially true with temptation. You don't defeat temptation by fighting the feeling of it. The more you fight a feeling, the more it consumes and controls you. You strengthen it every time you think it.

Have you actually watched a food ad on television and suddenly felt you were hungry? Have you ever heard someone cough and immediately felt the need to clear your throat? Ever watched someone release a big yawn and felt the urge to yawn yourself? (You may be yawning right now as you read this.) That is the power of suggestion. We naturally move toward whatever we focus our attention on. The more you think about something, the stronger it takes hold of you.

That is why repeating 'I must stop eating too much....or stop smoking....or stop lusting' is a self-defeating strategy. It keeps you focused on what you don't want. Most diets don't work because they keep you thinking about food all the them, guaranteeing that you will be hungry. In the same way a speaker who keeps repeating to herself, 'Don't be nervous!' sets herself up to be nervous. Instead she should focus on anything except her feelings - on God, on the importance of her speech or on the needs of those listening.

Ignoring a temptation is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses it power. So when the temptation calls you on the phone, don't argue with it, just hang up!"

Special Effects Week

2010-04-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Grandchildren's Faces

Gene Perret said, "What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure!"

If you have been blessed with grandchildren you know just what he was talking about! Here is a picture taken of Betty Malone's lovely little Hannah. She added the Palette Knife and Poster Edges filters from Photoshop Elements and now the photograph looks like a painting!

Alan Frome said, "Being grandparents sufficiently removes us from the responsibilities so that we can be friends." That is evident in the next image. Betty and her grandaughter Lily cooked up the sweet concoction you see below. Lily did the posing and Betty did the picture taking and Photoshop special effects. They knew they were going to use these to fit into the letters of Lily's name.

Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever. ~Author Unknown

A special thank you to Betty Malone for letting us use her charming images on our blog.

Aging In Place Wednesday

2010-04-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Tech Titans Encourage Seniors to Go Online

By: Chloe Albanesius

An organization intended to get more older Americans online launched this past month, backed by tech giants like Verizon, Facebook, Comcast, and Microsoft.

The Project to Get Older Adults onLine (GOAL) will work with aging groups in order to communicate the importance of getting more senior citizens on the Web.

"Only 35 percent of older adults (age 65 and older) have broadband at home – and the numbers drop considerably in even older age brackets," Debra Berlyn, executive director of Project GOAL, wrote in a blog entry posted on Facebook. "That's why I'm excited to announce on Facebook the launch of a new effort to promote broadband adoption by the older adult community."

Other corporate sponsors include AT&T, T-Mobile, Time Warner Cable, and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA).

The group's goals are four-fold: provide a new platform to promote the adoption of broadband services for the older adult community; advance the benefits of broadband services for older adults and the aging community; connect national and local community organizations working on issues related to broadband together; and address the barriers to the adoption of broadband that are of particular concern to the aging community.

Berlyn acknowledged that there are barriers to getting seniors online. For starters, many just aren't interested in the Internet.

"While most of us have a hard time prying our fingers off our computer keyboards and mobile devices, recognizing the Internet's relevance to daily life is an important part of getting older adults to start adopting broadband," she wrote.

As a result, those seniors are also unlikely to have a computer. "While 'cutting and pasting' is second nature to most of us, my 87 year-old father thought such a task required scissors and Elmer's glue," Berlyn joked.

Others, meanwhile, are concerned about becoming victims of online scams.

"Offering tools and information regarding online safety, security and privacy for older adults is an important part of any effort to promote broadband adoption for the aging community," Berlyn said.

Blair Levin, who heads the Federal Communications Commission's broadband initiative, championed Project GOAL at a Tuesday launch event in Washington, D.C.

"There are limits to government levers to promote adoption and deployment in our most unserved communities," Levin said in a speech that was posted on the FCC blog. "We're focusing today on older Americans because the barriers to this community are steep."

"It is one of the great merits of the Internet that it embraces the distributed efforts of many people to solve problems and create knowledge. Our efforts to promote adoption must reflect the same sensibility," Levin continued. "We must crowdsource adoption."

In related news, Skype on Tuesday announced that it will team up with Score, a small business mentoring organization, in order to encourage businesses to adopt broadband. The initiative will focus on increasing digital literacy, web skills, e-commerce capabilities and online communications for small businesses. Skype and other consortium founders will donate free or discounted services and applications, training content, train-the-trainer assistance, and funding.

Special Effects Week

2010-04-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

A Gem

Ralph Marston said, "Excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude." How true.

I spent an absolutely lovely afternoon today at a gathering that was so imbued with good taste and genuine effort that is was a delight for everyone involved. What a marvelous thing it is to be the best that you can be. To do something really well.

Our Special Effects image in today's post falls into the excellence category.

Roger Stover prepared this gem carefully, applying effort, skill and a great eye. This object is actually sitting on a towel! The lighting was applied using equipment and the starbright was applied using Photoshop.

Even the text was carefully crafted, using a regular font and then applying the Liquify Tool also in Photoshop.

Classy, unique, exceptional! Twice in one day my life was nurtured and enhanced by excellence.

I love Vince Lombardi quotations, such as, "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."

A very special thank you to Roger Slover for sharing his excellent image with us.

Inspirational Sunday

2010-04-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

Bill Witcher, co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

Can we talk?

I think at one time or another all of us have used those three words or have heard those three words. Depending upon how the words are shared and the circumstances, “talking” could be a good thing or an event to fear. “Oh no. What did I do now?” or “Oh, oh. What does he want now?”

Many times, when someone says in a serious tone with a concerned look on their face, “can we talk?”… a meaningful confrontation is just around the corner.

But that can be a good thing if you are making an attempt to restore hurt feelings or a broken relationship. Because life is all about learning how to love and how to do a better job of communicating with each other. God wants us to value relationships and make the effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt or a conflict. In fact, the Bible tells us that God has given us the ministry of restoring relationships.

I am currently reading Rick Warren’s fabulous book, “The Purpose Driven Life.” I am in Day 22 of my 40 day journey and I can honestly say I am learning a lot and being convicted a lot. When I read the lesson for Day 20 about “Restoring Broken Fellowship”, it hit me right between the eyes. I have some mending to do and I am taking the steps necessary to restore a broken relationship.

Rick Warren says, “If you want God’s blessing on your life and you want to be known as a child of God, you must learn to be a peacemaker. Jesus said, “God bless those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”

“Peace making is not avoiding conflict. Running from a problem, pretending it doesn’t exist, or being afraid to talk about it is actually cowardice (Can we talk?). As believers, God has “called us to settle our relationships with each other.” Here are seven biblical steps to restoring fellowship:”

1. Talk to God before talking to the person.
2. Always take the initiative.
3. Sympathize with their feelings.
4. Confess your part of the conflict.
5. Attack the problem, not the person.
6. Cooperate as much as possible.
7. Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.

God tells us relationships are always worth restoring.

Special Effects Projects Friday

2010-04-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

Our next series will be on Special Effects. These images were all created by my students at the community college where I teach. I continue to be charmed and inspired by the creativity of the people in my Emeritus classes!

Filter Magic

Filters are easy to use if you understand Photoshop Elements, and the results are a delight! You never know what is going to occur when you start applying these versatile effects.

Below are three filter examples. The first one was done by Betty Malone. She understands how to apply the special features available to her and her images never fail to stand out.

Below she has applied the Cut Out Filter to a lovely image she took of tulips at the Dallas Arboretum. Then using a different set of filters, she turned her colored picture into a pencil sketch!

Valerie Jagiello is an expert with filters and presents them beautifully in her own special process called Pade Cell prints.

Can you see why it is so easy for me to brag about my student's creativity?

It is my belief that the wealth of talent that I see expressed in my classroom comes from many years of living. All of the colors, textures, people and places we have experienced combine into a well of creativity that can be tapped and shared to benefit ourselves as well as others.

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!" ~Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

A special thank you to Betty Malone and Valarie Jagiello for their contributions to our blog.

Lifelong Learning Thursday

2010-04-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:

The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

…a Health Club for Your Mind. Body and Spirit!

Continuing our discussion of examples of meaningful community service by lifelong learners, check out the following:

The Academy for Lifelong Learning (A.L.L.) at Carnegie Mellon University has been providing tutors for the last six years to a local elementary school. A.L.L. members work with students who need help with reading and math. The Academy also donated a new fax machine to the school.

The Center for Learning in Retirement at Rock Valley College in Rockford, IL offers its members the chance to learn how to teach reading to adults. Once the course is completed, members can then become volunteer tutors in their community.

Members of the Duke University Institute for Learning in Retirement in Durham, North Carolina are very active in several different volunteer projects. The program “adopted” a local elementary school in 1993 and since then interested members spend two hours/week there as tutors and classroom assistants. Other members support the Children’s Hospital/Children’s Miracle Network, which raises money for sick children in the area. Still other members volunteer for studies at the Center for Aging, while others work with international students and faculty at Duke.

The Renaissance Institute at the College of Notre Dame in Maryland is committed to taking part in service and intergenerational programs. In the Freshman Interviews program, members are interviewed by students from the Perspectives on Education and Culture course. Along with that program, a six-week Service Learning program has been started for members who are interested in finding out just what service learning is all about. They will then use this knowledge to identify community outreach initiatives.

Members of the Seniors’ Education Centre at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan have a chance to participate in the Outreach and Applied Research Projects that take place at the University. Among the projects currently underway are Rural Education Outreach, Intercultural Grandmothers and Older Adult Literacy projects.

Members of the Senior College at Lewiston-Auburn College in Maine are involved in a unique service program entitled Franco-American Architecture in Lewiston. They do cultural fieldwork and developed an exhibit around this theme. Course activity includes oral history, geography, genealogy, archaeology and archival research.

The Academy for Learning in Retirement at Saratoga Springs, New York has members who sit on boards of local organizations, work in soup kitchens and food pantries, volunteer at hospices and work in museums and churches.

Members of the Adult Learning Program at the University of Connecticut in Hartford volunteer at the Athenaeum, and do volunteer teaching at the local high schools.

The Academy for Senior Professionals at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida says its membership volunteers their time at 110 non-profit agencies in the area. A few of the wide-ranging activities include fundraising for the local orchestra, docent activities at museums, working at a spouse abuse center, sitting on boards, teaching courses at local schools, providing low income tax assistance and working in churches.

The membership of the Berkshire Institute for Lifetime Learning at Berkshire Community College in Massachusetts are deeply involved in volunteering at the many cultural activities in the area. They also volunteer to read for the bind and dyslexic, construct housing for the homeless, work at various libraries and volunteer at local hospitals and hospices.

A sampling of volunteer activities from the Lifelong Learning Institute at Caldwell College in New Jersey includes establishment of a computer science curriculum in grades K-8 at two local schools, serving on the Educational Advisory boards and on various committees at these schools.

These activities clearly demonstrate the link between lifelong learning and community service. The two just naturally go together.

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…
Lifelong learners epitomize the axiom by Henry van Dyke; Use what talent you possess! The world would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/

Till Next Time…

Aging In Place Wednesday

2010-04-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

Boomers displace 20-somethings
as entrepreneurial founders
of technology companies

It’s not your father’s startup anymore—Oh, wait, it is!

The Business Review (Albany) - by Pam Allen

Ashook Sood started his first company at age 54. Seven years later, about the same time many of his former colleagues at Honeywell, Lockheed Martin and Tyco were preparing to retire, he founded his second startup.

Sood could retire comfortably today and spend more time with his family, but that plan isn’t in the cards.

“Things are falling into place. We’re just getting started,” said Sood, CEO of Magnolia Solar Inc., a company that develops nanostructured thin-film solar cells. The company in March moved to Albany from Woburn, Mass.
Sood, 62, is among the growing number of individuals who are forming early-stage businesses later in life.

Forget the twentysomethings who dominated the dot-com era in the late 1990s: Today, most company founders are between the ages of 55 and 64.

The 20-34 age bracket—once the hottest group for founding early-stage technology companies—has the lowest startup rate, according to a recent study by the Kauffman Foundation, a private organization that tracks entrepreneurship.

The number of people ages 55-64 who started businesses increased 36 percent in 2008. In all, more than 80 percent of all startups were by people over 40 years of age.

There are a number of reasons for the rise in middle-aged entrepreneurship.

First, recessions such as this one squeeze out higher-wage earners, who typically are the older, more experienced workers. Those individuals tend to have more savings and better access to funds than their younger counterparts, said Peter Pritchard, program director of venture programs for Albany’s Center for Economic Growth.

“Older individuals might have a better credit history, or they might have money put away,” Pritchard said.

Diminished retirement portfolios have also changed the game. For years, experts worried that baby boomers would tax the country’s health system and other resources once that large bubble of workers exited the work force. Instead, the American Association of Retired Persons has reported that 80 percent of baby boomers plan to work in retirement.

“The United States might be on the cusp of an entrepreneurship boom—not in spite of an aging population but because of it,” said Dane Stangler, the senior analyst who wrote the Kauffman study.

Tuesday's Treasures

2010-04-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Our next series will be on Special Effects. These images were all created by my students at the community college where I teach. I continue to be charmed by the creativity of the people in my Emeritus classes!

A Different Take on Spring Blooms

Abraham Lincoln said, "All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind."

Claude Monet said, "I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."

I love flowers and they lend themselves so well to Special Effects!

Our first image is a unique way to create a bouquet. Dora Slover created this image, and it is actually one photo with special effects added so it looks like several images.

Ahhh, tulips! Filters can create wonderful special effects. They can make photographs look like paintings, and that is exactly what Betty Malone did in the next photo with her lovely tulips.

I will be the gladdest thing under the sun!

I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.

- Edna St. Vincent Millay

Special thanks to Dora Slover and Betty Malone for their contributions to our blog.

The Painters Palette

2010-04-11T16:15:00.001-07:00

Our final group of images for this series was posted for the first time last October. Exceptional, striking and vibrant, they are the very essence of presenting images for The Painters Palette!

Art washes from the soul
the dust of everyday life

Pablo Picasso said that. I believe he is right. I am often privileged to see unique images in my classroom. Why? Because I teach Photoshop to seniors.

Robert Barretto has generously agreed to share with us the images you see below in this post.

I saw the first one on his computer in the classroom some time ago, and felt that little visceral click that happens when I find myself looking at something truly exceptional!

I asked him to tell us a little bit about his work. He says, "This is an image of a ballet dancer that is set in a logo design and then superimposed on an image of a canyon in Utah that is the background image."

He created the following images using 16 different layers after the image had been posterized. Each shape is on its own layer. He said, "These images of Penelope Cruz show how changing the color scheme of Photoshop layers can completely alter the mood of the image.

I use these to experiment with different color schemes before I paint the reference image.

It saves a lot of time and material to see if I like the colors before I start the painting."

"This is the photo of a daughter of one of the student artists I am in class with. She asked me to abstract this with many gradient patterns and she ended up painting it as shown with a few modifications of her preference."

This is the original image:

And this is the abstract:

That's what I call extraordinary, Folks!

Our special thanks to Robert Barretto for sharing his art with us!!

2010-04-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

This week we have been featuring our painters. This is a post from last March, and fits perfectly into The Painters Palette!

Today Our Painter's Palette features Betty Levy

I first saw one of these fascinating paintings on a computer screen at the junior college where I teach classes to seniors and boomers. As I walked by Betty’s computer, I asked her where she had found the image I saw there and she told me she had painted it!

Betty Levy was born in Argentina and exhibited a very creative nature at an early age. She told me, "I like to paint for the joy of it." And we all benefit from her riveting talent. (When she was in Greece she went to a pottery workshop taught by the man you see in this image.)

As a young person living in the Miami Beach area of Florida she had two notable accomplishments -- wining first place in the Canada Art Show 1984 and winning first place in the same year at a show at the Surfside Recreation Department. While in Miami she was an understudy to a remarkable painter -- Juan Manuel Segovia.

With two sons to bring up, her ambition of creative art was, for a time, placed on hold. Homemaking and motherhood created a little lapse in her career as an artist. She started taking classes again at Brookhaven College and most recently at Richland College in Dallas, Texas. She is currently exhibiting in the Brazos art gallery at Richland College.

I told her that I would love to share one of her images on our Computersavvyseniors blog, and she generously offered the paintings you see below. Betty has traveled extensively and she takes pictures wherever she goes. These pictures inspire her painting. The paintings you see below came from pictures she took in Prague.

Tour guide for Prague trip:

A base player on one of Prague's streets:

Prague fisherman:

Special thanks to Betty Levy for sharing her talent with all of us.

"Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-dial in the shade?" ~Benjamin Franklin

2010-04-08T05:28:00.000-07:00

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret of Making the Most of Your After 50 Years will share the benefits of Lifelong Learning on Thursdays.

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER:

The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.

Lifelong Learning in Your Later Years…

A Health Club for Your Mind, Body, and Spirit!

Here are some ways Lifelong Learners engage in meaningful community service.

The Institute for Continuing Learning (ICL) at Young Harris College in Georgia is an excellent example of engaging in both lifelong learning and community service. This excerpt is taken from an article in their spring newsletter, written by Lucy Scofield.

Almost all ICL members are great volunteers. They all have “causes” and they give freely of their time and enthusiasm. With most, it has been a way of life ever since we sold Girl Scout cookies and such when we were young.

ICL itself is non-profit and totally dependent upon the active support of its membership. We teach, organize, keep books, publish bulletins of course schedules and write this quarterly newsletter to the membership. This is necessary for the group’s survival.

However, there is another side to the lives of ICL members. We participate in so many different activities that it is impossible to name them all in this space. But here is a sampling of activities in which members have recently participated.

Working with the American Cancer Society
Activities in Habitat for Humanity
Involvement in the Friends of the Library
Volunteers at the Union County Nursing Home
Active in the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition
Volunteering at the Union County Chamber of Commerce
Teaching reading and math to detainees at the Colwell Detention Center
Delivering Meals on Wheels
Giving of time and talent to SAFE, the shelter for abused women and families
Hospice volunteers
Devoting time to the Mountain Shelter’s Humane Society of Union and Towns Counties

THURSDAY’S THOUGHT…

According to a Mayo Clinic Health Letter from 2001, studies have shown that older adults who volunteer live longer than their peers who do not volunteer. Now that’s a very compelling reason to get out and give a bit of your talent and experience for the greater good.

For more information on Learning Later, Living Greater visit http://www.learninglater.com/ You can purchase Learning Later, Living Greater at http://www.amazon.com/
Till Next Time…

Aging In Place Wednesday

2010-04-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

Enough: Newspapers are fueling terror
among the elderly and computers

Newspaper writers are bored but assigned to the age beat. How lucky. We have yet another entry in the annals of 'why seniors hate computers news' library. This one from the Boston Globe searches for a way to write condescendingly about seniors and their fear and loathing when it comes to using a computer. We're so lucky -- a Harvard professor has offered their 'insight' about the acceleration of the 'pace of change' and the Cambridge Health Alliance, offering insight on how it takes longer to learn new things. Gee, was this a study? Oops, no, just a few anecdotes, vastly enhanced by the entertaining comments from seniors who have been using computers for years. Maybe that's how they read the Globe -- which would be a revenue-free access method.

Not the first and not the last. And the NY Times did its part in October, offering up a headline to remember -- 'Helping Grandpa Get His Tech On' -- which did its part to drive the bar lower on what we should hope for with seniors and the Internet. And blah, blah, blah, lots of racket about fear of computers and wow, how seniors overcame it. You would think we were talking about the Loch Ness Monster. Let's call this what it is. Reporters FEAR new technology more than disease. And they fear aging more than they fear new technology. Put it together, and you have reporters that hate new technology, fear aging, and whose papers are catering to what they are sure is the demographic of the reader -- a computer-fearing baby boomer with a computer-phobic older family member. So readers will read articles that fuel that fire. But what about the facts?

Seniors know they need access to the world. Enjoy reading the comments from seniors in the Globe article (the best part). And that's why libraries, senior centers, the FloH Club and SeniorNet have credibility as trainers and guides to using computers that seniors need -- in fact, who isn't plagued by new tech? That's why Cisco just released TheValet to simplify wireless access in the home -- and not just for seniors.

So let's get a few facts straight. Thirty-eight percent of those age 65+ are online, according to Pew Research. 26% have access to broadband, maybe they need it, these days, maybe they don't. In the 70-75 age range, Pew says we're up to 45% online. In the 76+ age range, from 17% to 27% since 2005. Gee, might that be a trend? Of those that are online, according to Nielsen Wire, we're talking about e-mail, maps, checking the weather, paying bills, etc. Just what you, the Times reader, the Boston Globe writer, and everyone else is doing, I bet.

So let's rest on this fear-and-loathing-in-computerland. Let's write more about how cybererseniors get in touch with their pals

And this just in -- a new organization (GOAL - Get Older Adults Online) sponsored by Verizon, Microsoft, AT&T, AARP, Comcast, Facebook (!!!), AT&T, T-Mobile and the FCC, among others, launched on Tuesday.

Tuesday's Treasures

2010-04-06T06:01:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday's we are going to take a trip down memory lane with some "remember when" photos and stories submitted by our students. It could be photos from a high school prom; a nostalgic look at a 1950's TV program or a collage of photos that were just taken last week. If you have memories, old or new, you would be willing to share, send them to me at mxw8110@yahoo.com.

From the Painters Palette

As promised, here are more of Gail Jones paintings. Her take on these aminals is fascinating.

I love this zebra, looking at the world with a wary eye, wearing his perfectly coordinated outfit.

And our frog, quietly waiting.

And a mother and child. Huge, strong, even intimidating, but strangely fragile.

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."

~ Immanual Kant

A special thank you to Gail Jones for sharing her lovely paintings with us.