A 60th Wedding Anniversary

Don and Jo Anne Mengle
60th Wedding Anniversary
09/27/15

"Jo Anne and Don Mengle - 60th Wedding Anniversary"

State College, PA - 09/27/15

I’ve been on the fence about publishing this photo for over a week now. My parents are relatively modest, quiet and private people who have never sought or needed a lot of attention in their lives… either together or as individuals. But a week ago they achieved something very special and very rare these days which I think deserves special recognition.

On 27 September 2015 they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary together with a small group of friends and family! This is an almost unheard of milestone for any couple of any era to reach and I would like to recognize their achievement once again here with this photograph of them together.

In their 60 years together they have seen and achieved a lot. They have seen times of war and thankfully… some peace. They have seen and lived through good and bad economic times. They have seen man land on the moon and a presidential assassination. And they have raised two children and now enjoy the company of three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren as well.

And from my point of view they have been the best parents and role models I could have ever wished for. They have taught me the value of hard work and perseverance. They have taught me the value of strong personal and moral values. And most of all they have demonstrated wonderful life can be together when two people love, respect and absolutely support each other through both good times and bad.

So to my parent’s Don and Jo Anne... I once again say “Happy Anniversary” and "Thank you"!  And I hope you are not embarrassed that I’ve recognized you in this way... because you deserve it :-)

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Scott M. Brady, Gene Maylock, Jenny Sielicki and 14 others like this.

Comments
Kelly Pinard Denmeade
Kelly Pinard Denmeade congrats! Dave I hope your parents are proud and realize what they have accomplished-love, marriage, family and more family. Thanks for sharing my old friend..
Like · Reply · October 3 at 5:47pm

Kt Partridge
Kt Partridge So great!
Like · Reply · October 3 at 8:30pm

Greg Greene
Greg Greene They should be as proud of you as you are of them.
Like · Reply · October 3 at 10:18pm

How Can This Have Become "Routine"?...

Source: The Guardian - UK
(See the complete graphic at the first link below)

A truly shocking graphic.

And while some might consider this "sensationalism" or a cheap shot that targets gun owners, the NRA and big business... we need to come to understand why this is happening and what we need to do to cure the disease of gun violence that infects our country today. And we need to do it now.

Unfortunately, this HAS become routine. In fact not one person I spoke to today even mentioned the UCC shooting in conversation. And I probably talked to at least 50 to 75 different people today.

To me this is disappointing and disturbing. It is evidence that this kind of violence has not only become routine... but even worse... it has become "normal". Not even worth mentioning in conversation with our fiends and colleagues and certainly nothing our elected politicians want to take a potentially unpopular public stance on.

But we need to have the discussion. We need to have the debate. And they both need to start now! To refuse to talk about this... or ignore it hoping it will go away is to simply not even acknowledge there is a problem.  But we need to start taking real steps to eliminate this kind of senseless and irrational violence from our society.

Of course it will not be easy. Doing the right thing and making the tough choices never is. But we need to do it and we need to do it now. For ourselves, for our children and for all of those who have already died needlessly when all they were doing was trying to create a better future for themselves... in fact, for all of us.


See the complete graphic from the Guardian here;
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/oct/02/mass-shootings-america-gun-violence?CMP=fb_gu

And this is an interesting article about US public opinion concerning gun control:
http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2015/oct/02/mass-shootings-have-no-impact-on-support-for-gun-rights-in-the-us

UCC Campus 01.10.15
Photo - AP

Why We Love Art...

Last week I acquired my first original painting! Hardly a Monet… this oil on canvas (in the impasto technique) was found at a local arts and crafts shop. Its colors and the artist’s use of light immediately appealed to me so I took the plunge!

Over the past year or so I have developed a keen interest in paintings… especially by Impressionist’s such as Monet, Renoir and other members of the “Société anonyme des artistes peintres, sculpteurs et graveurs”.

During this time I have also been fortunate enough to do some traveling and have viewed some of their work at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and the Metropolitan in New York.

And although I have a few photographs by friends and photographers who’s work I admire… I have never owned an original painting. This is a new and exciting experience enhanced by the fact that I am continuing to try and learn as much as I can about the work of Monet and Renoir.

But visits to such places as the Pushkin and the Met can only be occasional. And I will never have the resources to own a Monet! )))  But this simple vase of flowers by an unknown artist also makes me happy. It makes me smile inside and encourages me to contemplate and reflect on things besides the obvious.

And whether a work by Monet, Renoir or Vermeer (who wasn't an impressionist but who's work I also like) hanging in a famous museum or by an unknown artist who's work never makes it beyond the coffee shop walls... isn't this a large part of what all art aspires to achieve?

Summit View - Mt. Moosilauke, NH

The White Mountains of New Hampshire
 as seen from near the summit of Mt. Moosilauke (4802') in Warren, NH

It was a gorgeous day for hiking yesterday (28.09.15) as seen in this panoramic from near the summit of Mt. Moosilauke!

Yesterday I helped lead a fund-raising trip for breast cancer research at Dartmouth Hitchcock Memorial Hospital in Hanover, NH.  The event... called "Climb to Conquer" (moosilauke.reachforthepeaks.org) is a 12km hike up Mt. Moosilauke on the western edge of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. 

This is a panoramic view from near the summit.

Although individual peaks are really tough to distinguish... this view shows most of the major peaks in the White Mountains... from Mt Lafayette and Franconia Ridge in the foreground 11.5 km away to Mt. Washington - about 52 km distant. The width of this scene (as measured on Google Earth) is about 88 km. Talk about an amazing view!  :-)  .  

Photo taken with iPhone5c in panorama mode.

@DailyArtApp

DailyArt Free 

I case you haven't noticed there is a digital marketplace full of millions of apps out there that promise to make your life both better and easier.  But I have found that most of these apps typically "over-promise and under-deliver"... not living up the hype and their reviews online.

Often complicated.. glitchy and with no documentation I simply end up deleting most of them from my devices after a few days out of frustration and/or disappointment with their performance.

But I have recently found one gem of an app that breaks the mold and overcomes the hype... over-delivering by adding value to my day and putting a smile on my face :-)

The app is "DailyArt" and it is wonderfully simple in concept... "Great art delivered to your phone once a day".  

Once installed this app simply sends you a reminder about the same time each day that your daily art piece is ready for viewing.  Open the app and you are usually greeted with a painting or sculpture for your enjoyment and viewing pleasure.  Along with the art piece there is also an informative... and often educational and thought-provoking write-up about the artist or the history and style of the piece.  Perfect for the budding art lover!  For me it is a 5-minute-a-day art education class :-)

I liked this app so much I recently upgraded to the Pro version which allows for archiving your favorites along with some other nice little enhancements.  It is worth every penny for the and the best $5.00 USD I have spent in a long time.

A link to the Apple version of the app is here; https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dailyart-free-daily-dose-fine/id547982045?mt=8  and it is available for Android at the Google Play Store.

Even if you don't think you like art... give it a try!  I guarantee you will enjoy it and start looking forward to that notification tone each day as much as I do!

One Hour on the Bike...

Copyright - Chain Reaction Cycles

Ok, just for the record they left out the part about the rider and machine becoming one... powering each other toward a common goal. Ice Cream!

But seriously... while on the bike I think the body eventually finds its “perfect rhythm”.  Each of the vital internal systems comes into sync… freeing the brain from the distraction of having to mange them individually... like little children competing for attention.

And as this happens you begin to enter a special place… a place where your mind is now freed to wander in different directions and engage in the kind of creative, reflective and philosophical thinking that is necessary to live a healthy, happy and rewarding life.

And on my opinion… this is the true value of exercise.

Thanks to Chain Reaction and visit their web site here to view the original graphic:
http://www.chainreactionhub.com/latest-news/2076-what-happens-during-one-hour-of-riding-your-bicycle

"A Tragedy Told in Stone"

"Tragedy Told in Stone" - West Lebanon NH

“Numbers rule all things.” -- Pythagoras 580 – 500 B.C.E.

While I'm not really superstitious... this family headstone found in a local cemetery certainly tells a tragic story and would seem to contradict the fact that the number seven is generally thought of as being lucky in most cultures throughout the world. 

However in this case it seems to have been very unlucky… although certainly important.

While I will not make any claims as to the accuracy of this information... you can read more about the meaning of different numbers in cultures around the world here: http://mysticalnumbers.com/