Monthly Archive for November, 2007

Page 3 of 3

The 1928 Motorhome

Published on November 7, 2007 in Family. 2 Comments

Elvett Brown came in to Vineyard Graphics last year and had me scan and print out enlargements of a couple of small snapshots (below) that he had in his wallet. They were of the motor home his father had built for the family move to Oregon in 1928. It had to be one of the first motor homes ever made! If I remember right, he equipped it with an overstuffed chair for the driver, and a cook stove, among other “luxuries”.

I was really interested in these photos, because Elvett’s father was my great-grandfather, Clio Brown. My grandfather, Oscar Brown was on that trip too, of course, and he had also told me about that truck that was way ahead of it’s time…

Some of you know that Elvett was hit by a van this past Monday evening near his home at Friendsview Retirement Community. He was very seriously injured, and was life-flighted to OHSU. If you think of it, pray for him—specifically that the many surgeries he will be having will be successful, and that he can get relief from the pain.

Dear God, please help Elvett feel your miraculous peace—
right now, in spite of his brokenness and pain.

Great Season, Aaron!

Published on November 5, 2007 in Family and Proud parent. 2 Comments

Aaron recently finished his varsity soccer season at Newberg High School. He has been playing soccer for many years, and really loves the game. (I really ought to find pictures of when he started way back when he was a little kid!)

This was a difficult year for the team, but Aaron always kept a great attitude, and kept giving his best no matter what. Is he done playing? No! The very next week he joined an indoor league that plays in nearby Tualatin. When that ends he will probably play on the co-ed indoor team that he was on last year in Sherwood. That team (Pink), won their division’s championship last year. (With pink shirts!)

Nice job, Aaron!

Aaron makes a header. (Wait… is that one against five?)

Here is Aaron with his proud parents before his last home game…

10 Random Things

Published on November 3, 2007 in Long Ago & Far Away and Thoughts. 5 Comments

When I was in junior high, our family had a dog named Stonehead. He was dingy gray, and his eyes were barely visible. He wasn’t very smart either (as his name implies). We adopted him to give him a better home and get him away from a drug house. I don’t have any actual pictures of him, but he looked sort of like this…
I’m left-handed. My favorite computer utility (by far!) I spent $10 for, and it makes my cursor point to the upper-right instead of the upper-left. It’s awesome! If any right-hander uses my computer at home or at work, they experience the awkwardness I’ve always felt when the cursor points the wrong (or right) way. This should be an option on every computer!
In college, I lived for about 6 weeks on my brother Ken’s 21-foot sailboat on the Columbia River. Oh man—was that damp and cold (it was fall)… and lonely.
My favorite color is white.
I made a font of my handwriting recently. I haven’t used it much though. I think I still can write faster than I can type!
I was once robbed at gun-point. It was in Amsterdam, in 1985. It was not too fun, but strangely, I remember feeling completely at peace through the entire ordeal. I felt sorry for the poor desperate fellow, really. Later that night on the barge Youth Hostel, I cried.
I am a cartoonist, but I don’t read the comics much. (I do like editorial cartoons though!)
I have a particular fondness for the New Carissa. I even have a poster of it on my wall at work! Hey — the Peter Iredale got to stay, why not the New Carissa? You can find out more about the whole sorry episode here.
I would love to be able to play the guitar, but I don’t want to put the time in. My brother Dennis once offered to GIVE me his Fender Stratocaster if I learned to play it! I didn’t. I should have. Maybe someday…
I was once knocked unconscious by a punch in the face. It was in Newberg, in 1977. Again, not too fun. I was working at the Texaco, which had a car wash. A guy wasn’t happy with how “rough the car wash was on his car”. I asked him if he had left the car in neutral. He took that as an insult, and pow! I never saw it coming. I’m pretty sure he had been drinking.