Throwback Thursday - 4th of July Celebration

Throwback Thursday - 4th of July Celebration

I've used this a few years for a 4th of July photo because of the Silver Dollar City flags in the background...however, I notice we are both wearing jackets... really the 4th of July or not?!?!

P.S. Later: Stumbled upon what suggests the date of this photo was 26 Nov 2010...

Still a fun photo!! Have a Very Happy, Safe and Sane, 4th of July this next week...even a very long weekend for a number of you, I'll bet!!

Personal Activities - Computers

Personal Activities - Computers

What was your first, at home, personal computer?

I’m a computer user, not a techie geek, so it is really hard for me to remember. My best recollection is that it was an Apple II with two floppy disk drives in about 1982.

Actually, I found a classic photo of my nephew, Evan, working on it... note the dot matrix printer...

Here is a good story from Wikipedia, Apple II Series article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_series

The first ‘computer’ in our house was actually in our home office for our business - it was a ‘dumb’ computer terminal that we used for inputing the bookkeeping information for our small business accounting service. The information we input on the terminal was then transmitted via phone lines to the mainframe computer in Illinois where the actual computing and printing occurred. The output was returned to us via postal service, as well. Oh my, so long ago…

I got to thinking about this last night when I found some old papers of very early internet genealogy connections a few years later. I'll share some of these in the coming weeks...

In the meantime, I should step away from the computer, and go for a walk...  ;-)

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers

Happy Mother's Day 

to all Mothers

 A few of the Mothers in my life...

My wife, Nancy...

My three daughters, Allison, Annette, and Arrion...

My mother, Eileen...

Her mother, my grandmother, Dorothy...

Again, Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers, everywhere... Thank you all, for everything!!

Throwback Thursday - May 1961

Throwback Thursday - May 1961

This photo from the past has a number of things going on... and some things I don't know. This was one of many occasions, I believe, where Nancy's family and my family were together during one of our visits back to Coon Rapids, our home town. Nancy, Annette and I were about to move to California following my college graduation from Iowa State at this time. 

In the photo are Nancy's younger sister, Janice, at left. My next younger brother, Jim, is in the white shirt. He would have just had his 17th birthday. Far right is my maternal grandfather, Paul Kinnick. Ah, the memories! ;-)

Community - Empathy

Community
Empathy

A recent Dan Rather column online talked of having Empathy in our communities. He defined empathy as a case of commonality when contrasted with sympathy, one of separation.

Do you pursue projects in your community where the basis is empathy, a case of commonality? Identifying projects or causes in your own community where you feel empathy is at the heart of successful activism and involvement that we each need to pursue to aid in building our community in a positive way. Again, this applies to whatever you think of as ‘my community.’

Many of us find ourselves surrounded by negativity these days. Reject those negative influences and pursue your own positive thoughts and actions by seeking commonality through empathy. Put yourself in the other person’s position and move positively forward. Work in unison, in commonality, with other members of your community to do good, whatever that may mean for you and your community.


Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Throwback Thursday - 2 February 2017

Throwback Thursday

2 February 2017

Spring of 1954, I believe. Freshman in High School. First Instrumental Music Contest. Solo on the Baritone. Western Iowa, small town school... off to a nearby 'city' for the contest.

So much to note. The setting is 'The Porch' of our farm house near Coon Rapids, Iowa. This was few years off from having actually torn the 'porch' off the house and building this beautiful 'family room' that we still called "The Porch" It was large enough that my younger brothers played basketball in it. Of to the right, in the photo, far end of the room, was a stone fireplace in a wall of bookshelves. To the left, in the photo, was the piano... with the rest of the house on the other side of the wall. Behind me, is the stairs down to the basement. The door to the outside was behind the person taking the photo...no doubt, my mother. That is a toy box behind my legs. I do note on the counter, to the left, is my younger brother, Jim's, trombone.

How about that tie? Not to mention the 'sport coat,' and blue shirt! Those were the days, my friends.

Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Personal Activities - Reading

Personal Activities

Reading

I mentioned earlier that I do read a lot, in addition to doing some writing.

Actually, reading is my favorite way to gather information, both for knowledge and for entertainment. I do watch television. On occasion I do listen to music, but mostly, I prefer to read. I generally do not care for videos, I do not care for audios. I sometimes have the radio on in the car, but usually just some quiet music… Channel 69, Escape, on XM Radio, is my music of choice. I prefer no words when I drive.

Besides books, which I mentioned briefly before, I read several magazines a week (skim some, read some). I have my preferred readings available on my Mac, on my mini-iPad, and on my iPhone… mostly different on each, with a broad array of reading choices. I read sports reports on one, I read events of the day on another. I read more in-depth reports on another, for example.

I am rather picky about the books I read. I rarely read novels. I generally prefer historical non-fiction, especially biographies, it seems. Or time periods of history, or a series of events, often that include biographical perspectives of the famous and not-so-famous persons in the history of our country. I generally prefer Colonial to pre-Civil War books, but have read on all periods. You can see the books I’ve read at my Book Bazaar blog here:
http://drbillsbookbazaar.blogspot.com/

How do you choose your reading material? Do you read a lot, or very little? I’d like to hear your thoughts… if you have given it any thought. Perhaps you have, now that you’ve read this, and said, I think he is crazy…  ;-)

Use the Comments below, Facebook, Google+ or Twitter, to get us started. I’ll be back here, next Wednesday, with more of my thoughts. I await your comments…

Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)