Berlin

I've been scanning letter I received from an uncle by marriage to my mother's sister. These span a time from the mid-1960s to 1970s. He passed on in 1977 but I asked one of his granddaughters if she was interested in having copies (they're in English while my aunt's letters are in German) since she is a high school teacher. She said yes and so now I'm scanning about ten years or so of letters. They included this card from Berlin of the "Berliner Muschel" but I'm not finding any references to this building. Last I heard was that the roof fell in after the accumulation of heavy snow but I don't know if this is true, and if so, what and precisely what the circumstances were. If anyone knows, comment in either English or German! Anyways, I just thought I would share. - V

opportunities

Remember last May when we read about 13 year old Jordan from California who climbed to the summit of Mount Everest? Mind you he didn't do this alone nor would it be safe to do so but he gives others the courage and inspiration to fulfill their dreams in life. The article above give you more information, and you can google the subject to find out more. You can also start by checking out more at the website indicated in the attached article and go from there.

When I was entering my teenage years (actually even before), this was when I was taking up photography, stamp collecting, map drawing, developing interests in art (drawing and painting in particular) and by my mid to late teens I had taken up gardening while others my age were into sports, perhaps developing an interest in cars and other stuff. The interests we develop and hone then stay with us for life in one form or another.

I don't collect stamps any longer but I still keep things organized and in their place so things can be easily found. The interests in gardening, and in nature in particular, lend themselves to photography and the direction that goes. My early maps are gone but the interest is still there. I've got plenty of maps to prove that!

So, what ever your dreams and desires, live them, not someone else's life. Parents have dreams of what they'd like their children to do in life and how they'd like them to live it but each of us have our own desires and dreams of what we would like to accomplish in life. Live it! The saying goes: don't wait until tomorrow what you can do today! Tomorrow may be too late, and besides, we may only be along this route once never to retrace it again.

Good luck with your endeavours, what ever they are! What else can I say? - V

sleep

Its late and the need for sleep is here. Have a good night guys and awake fully rested. More later! - V

hot dude - hot muscles

So, do you need more inspiration? Here it is, so get to it and work on that physique of yours! You'll be rewarded and you'll love the results!!! What else can I say? - V

red undies

Looking good whether in undies or naked is what its all about. We can do the things we want to when we're in shape, and looking good while doing it is an added benefit. Feed your body healthy diet, get plenty of exercise doing what you love to do and keep your mind active and sharp. Remember to get plenty of sleep too! Your body requires that too. Mind, body and spirit are all linked. Take care of what you have and you'll be rewarded beyond your dreams. - V

hot dude - hot muscles

Remember years ago when we were young we had to ask our parents permission to have a friend stay over? I'd love to ask Spencer over so that we could play "show and tell!" What are your thoughts? Would you ask him to take off his clothes and tell us how he got those muscles? What sort of story would you tell from what you see in this image? Enjoy your weekend! - V

letters

I recently made a commitment to send the daughter of one of my cousins (mother's side of the family) scanned images of letters her grandfather (my uncle by marriage to my mother's sister) sent me starting in the mid-1960s. The letter above is six hand-written pages in total. The letter was written in March 1965 when I was 11 going on 12 years old. There are about ten years of letters, perhaps a few more. This page shows the colour of the paper and its texture. My uncle passed on in 1977 but since Carleen is a school teacher, I thought she would benefit from learning more about her grandfather.

I'm including the first page of the letter so that you've got an idea what my photo scanner, the Epson Perfection V500 Colour Photo scanner can do, well, in case you're looking for one yourself. Anyway, the project is for the weekend when more time is available.

I'll post some more scanned photos and images as I continue to explore what the scanner can do. For now its bedtime. Have a good night! - V