The Christmas Bicycle

 This Christmas story is by our friend, Heide Prout.  Heide was born and raised in Bremerhaven.  She came to America after the war at age 25.  She wrote this story in response to her husband's nephew, Carl, who wrote about his best-ever Christmas present, a horse. The story, just as she wrote it:

It was 1939.  I was 9 years old.  All I could think of was "I wish I had a bicycle".  My birthday had been in March - no bicycle.  Maybe they forgot.  So I kept reminding them:  I really, really want a bicycle.  All my friends (in reality it was one) have a bicycle.  Finally I was told to "wait for Christmas".  This was March.  I waited.  I was ok with that, because now I knew I would have a bicycle on Christmas.  The year went on and then - everything changed!  All everybody was talking about it:  Will there be a war?  I didn't quite understand why there would be a war and when it had been decided I had to ask my mother "Is there a war now?".  She sounded very worried when she said "yes, dear, there is a war now."  The year went on, air raids, trips to the shelter in the middle of the night, grown-ups being glued to the radio, fathers being drafted, and - of course - everything being rationed, not just food but also appliances, cars, and - of course - bicycles.  I asked my mother about her Christmas promise.  She told me that with the changed circumstances,  no promises could be kept and that I might just have to wait until the war was over.  I was heartbroken.  No bombing, none of the yummy foods that I liked to eat, running to shelters, every hardship paled in comparison to the fact that there would be no bicycle under the Christmas tree.  By the time Christmas came around I had resigned myself to the fact that it would be nothing but a big disappointment.  We always got our presents on Christmas Eve, at the same time we would see the decorated Tree with the candles and some small treats hanging from the branches for the first time.  We were all shown to our tables where we would find our presents.  Mine had some very nice things on it, books, pretty sweaters, a plate with sweets, and more.  I was happy and tried to forget what was missing.  My mother came over and asked if I liked my gifts. I thanked her and told her they were nice.  She then took me by the hand and said "come look what the others got".  We walked through the large room until we got to the big closed door that lead to the hall.  Right next to the door, leaning against the wall, was a BICYCLE!  I had to catch my breath.  I  couldn't speak.  My mother hugged me, my dad came over and said "If you make a promise, you have to keep it".  Later they told me that they had bought the bicycle right after they had been sure that a war was no longer avoidable, just before all such purchases were restricted to the war effort.  This was my best Christmas present ever.

Posted by permission of the author.  Thank you, Heide. 

On to the Eel River

After lunch at the orchard we drove about fifteen miles to Roann on the Eel River.  The roads went through a very scenic countryside.  There are no pictures because I was driving and the road was too narrow and too crooked to be concerned about photos.

 Our first glimpse of the river came when we arrived at Stockdale on the outskirts of Roann.  This is the site of the old mill seen here.  The signage lets us know that there is a group of people working to preserve this piece of history.

A few hundred yards and around a couple of curves and we are driving across the Roann covered bridge.  We entered the bridge from this end, either the north or the east end depending upon the reading of your compass.

This is the other end where we parked our vehicles just behind the camera.

A peek at the structural components and an interesting play of light.

Minus one couple who had deserted us at this point and the guy behind the camera, this is the fine bunch of people with whom we were privileged to spend the day.

The view through the windows  of the bridge.

  Eel River

Mac is more interested in the river than he is in being photographed.

The Roann Covered Bridge is a double span Howe truss structure.The total length is 288 feet with 16 foot width and 18 foot clearance.  It was constructed by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo, Ohio in  1877

Celebrating 80 Years

It was a party.  Indeed it was.  My Beloved Beautiful Better Half planned and hosted a celebration for my 80th birthday on Saturday.  There were more than fifty guests present.  Imagine that.

 BBBH designed and ordered the cake.  She very thoughtfully, and in consideration of the guests, chose  to put no candles on it.  She could well imagine any inept effort I might have made at blowing them out.

 One-time coworkers and long-time friends enjoying the swing.  Fortunately, the S-hook did not give way until later in the afternoon.  My son was the recipient of that jolt.  No permanent injury, thankfully.

 I asked these two ladies to pose together, for they are two people who saved me from untold grief over the years.  Dee, on the left, was my secretary for 12 years, Elsa filled that position for six years.

 Good friends and faithful.

 Martha and her husband, Joe, with whom I have a lot in common.  Like me, he is son of a preacher.  Like me, he was a career educator, and like me, he taught mathematics.  Joe was born in July of 1934, as was I.  But I am older than he by a very few days.

 Son Delbert and wife, Denise.  Daughter Ann and her husband, Mike in th background, and almost hidden, my son Kenneth.

 My sister, Vee (left) and her husband, Elvin, came all the way from Kansas to help me celebrate!  She is talking with Martha, my first wife's sister.  She and her hubby, Loren, came from Ft. Wayne.

The hostess and the honoree.

Gene (left) brought Sherry (center) on his Harley, a round trip of a hundred miles.  Cyndy came all the way from Bloomington, Illinois.  These guests are special because Sherry was a student in my sixth grade class the first year I taught, and Cyndy was a student teacher under my supervision when I taught math.  She recently retired from a career as a university mathematics professor.

Here's a better picture of son Kenny posing with BBBH.

There were many, many more callers whom I have not pictured here, though I am pleased that I have pictures of most of them.  I am abundantly blessed, and can in no way adequately express my appreciation to the people who have stood beside me over the years, and who still stand with me!

(Or should I say, "Who can still stand me"?)

Puzzling

Last week Lin related a bit of the good time she had while her daughter, Em, was home for a few days.  Among other things, they worked a puzzle which we had sent to them.  She called it, I believe, a "hellish" puzzle.  It was difficult, the frustration deriving in large part from the fact that too many pieces "almost" fit into the space, but not quite.

Well, I would be remiss if I did not relate the fact that Lin reciprocated the challenge by sending this puzzle to us.  It was difficult, too, possibly even "hellish," although I suspect we would need to ask Lin for her definition of the term.  The difficulty of this one lay, in my opinion, in the bizarre shapes of the pieces, such that it was difficult to look at a space, then hold the "shape" in ones head long enough to find the corresponding piece.

Each puzzle in this exchange was a thousand piece gem.  Good deal.

Thanks for the fun time, Lin!

Kitty, Kitty!

We had a lovely visit with friends Stan and Pat a few evenings past.  Since our last visit in their home, both their kitty and their dog went to the Rainbow Bridge.  Thus they have acquired two new cats.

These felines are litter-mates.  Orange liked me, and came right up to me and asked for pets.  Very loving cat.  Black Ears would not get within two feet of me.