“Erin Kelley" erinlkelley@hotmail.com                                                  7/3/02

Dear friends,
It’s been awhile since I’ve written, I know. The last few weeks, and indeed months, have been busy ones. At present, I am sitting in the apartment of a few friends of mine in Yerevan, Armenia. I’m overhearing a phone conversation in Armenian, a television program in Russian, and using an American computer. It just doesn’t get more international than this!
I have been here since Saturday and will leave Friday morning, when I head to St. Petersburg, Russia, to undertake a six-week Russian language course. My being in Yerevan is a good introduction to what I’ll face; Armenians are mostly bilingual – and these two, Sergey and Anoush, are tri-lingual (thankfully!). They’re also the most generous hosts I’ve ever had. I’ve seen more of Armenia than I thought possible, eaten the best barbecue ever, seen the oldest buildings I’ve ever seen, visited the most diverse geographic areas and held the most beautiful and adorable baby that’s ever been. (More details later – when I’ve got more computer/internet access.) And yes, I’m taking tons of pictures!
Before my arrival here in Yerevan, I spent a week in Vienna, Austria and St. Gallen, Switzerland. In Switzerland I visited with my aunt Sharon and her family. We took in the historic town as well as the splendid countryside.  Switzerland has got to be one of the more beautiful countries of the world!  Austria isn’t far behind. I visited with my friend Toni for a few days just after I left Slovakia. I also got a free day in Vienna to pick up my Armenian visa, airplane tickets and to recuperate from my killer cold.
It was a relatively easy departure from Slovakia. The stress of the weeks before COS (close-of-service) were enough to help me literally sleep through my last few days there. The final departure included a solitary train ride with a bicycle and a 25-kilo suitcase – it was an adventure! While running to switch trains, a Hungarian-Slovak who works in Vienna helped me with the suitcase. Some kind stranger helped with the bike. The conductor waited for me and blew the whistle as this angel of a man helped me get the bike (in a box) on the train. Made it! But not without a pool of sweat and profuse words of thanks to all of my assistants.
The cab driver in Vienna was Yugoslavian, so I practiced my Slovak-German language mix and we had a good ride. I had a similar conversation in the Moscow airport one week later. This time it was English-Slovak (a better combination for me) and it was with another Yugoslav. The conversations have all been good on this trip – but have left me without much time for reading up on St. Petersburg; indeed I am taking the time to sleep in as much as humanly possible!  I’m going to close here. Please let me know if you’d like to receive updates during the next 7 weeks – before I get back to the good ol’ US of A.  I’m looking forward to the return and to Cycle Oregon XIII! :)   Hope to see you soon!         Erin
P.S. My flights have been trouble-free and they should continue to be. :)   I’m using Aeroflot and it’s GREAT! May the friends and families of those who died in Germany find peace and hope for their futures.  P.P.S. Happy Independence Day in the USA! 

I have waited a long time in writing because I didn’t want to tell you about our health problems until we knew answers to tests that we have.  It seems we have to wait a long time for some of these answers

I seem to have all my Health problems under control and have also discovered what is probably causing my balance problem (that I have had for many years) A head xray revealed that some time in my past I must have had a light stroke as there is an old scar on the right side of my head.  Years ago I had to give up square dance and round dancing because of imbalance - - - I knew it wasn’t dizziness, lightheadedness or near fainting - - - I just feel like I’m going to keel over fully conscious.  I fell a couple of times like this!  I have a wonderful walker (I call it my Cadillac - - -I could even run a foot race with it!).

Louis was losing blood in some part of his “inerds” and “suffered” various tests with no answer until a test this week revealed a colon tumor that is benign.  He has the option to have it removed of live with it.  Since the bleeding has stopped and he is feeling in tip-top shape he is going to bypass surgery.  Doctors will keep an “eye“ on it in the future.

In the meantime both of us are continuing a very busy retirement.  Both of us have garden projects.  He is now harvesting grapes from the towers small vineyard and bringing them in for everyone that loves grapes.  He has a small strawberry “patch” and a few raspberry plants, turnips and tomatoes.  He belongs to a Towers Garden Club.  We are fortunate to have lots of blueberries and a number of various fruit trees that residents are free to pick and enjoy.

Louis has just come in and announced that it is time to go down for brunch.  Yes, we don’t have to prepare our meals and also have a housekeeper that comes in does vacuuming and dusting and takes our bed sheets and towels to be laundered.  I still crochet lap afghans for wheelchair patients (I have given away 110 of them since I started this project 2 years ago.  Well, I better be going or I might miss my brunch which is always GOOD!                                 

Lovingly Yours,     Florence & Louis Gross  

This is a copy of the request I sent to my family. How about a list of family websites on the From...new website with a link? Also how about each News letter we feature one of the Sr.  and ask each of us to send a wonderful memory.  I suggest Uncle Charley or Aunt Josephine and Uncle Tommie For the first to be featured.  I think this is a very good idea to feature our Seniors.  We cousins could even tell fun stories about each other!!!          Love Janet

Dear Connie, Peace be with you. My life has changed greatly. I am now the Guestmaster and cantor. This means that I'm in charge of the retreat house and sleep there in case someone locks themselves out of their rooms in the middle of the night or some other emergency occurs. I usually give about four conferences per week in the retreat house and do a little spiritual direction. Other monks are available for spiritual direction and since my work load has been a little too heavy, more monk will help next year. Being Cantor really means simply being in charge of music. I'm still the organist nearly all the time. Br. Nicholas is learning the organ, but that takes time for some one who has no previous keyboard experience, so he just plays Compline on alternate weeks. We are experimenting with moving the monks to the front choir stalls and leaving the back ones we used to use for the retreatants. Since Dom Basil resigned in May, we are going through a transition year. Fr. Anthony is temporary superior for one year appointed by the Abbot of Getsemane. My prostate cancer therapy seems to have gone well. Between Cancer State Aide and the good will of Newton General Hospital and the Doctors almost all of the $90,000 worth of tests and therapy came gratis! Our Fruitcake industry is beginning to take off nicely. The Bonsai is beginning to pick up again. I hope to do a little of it in the future again and get the book published. Our community is going through a very important time in our history so please keep us in your special prayers. Many monks have new jobs. The "younger" monks all have new responsibilities that cover nearly all the major key positions in the monastery. This is quite a challenge for most of us! So this is truly a special time of grace. Our senior radiate deep holiness more than ever as they move into that final stage in life. It is a great time to be alive. God bless you all.  Yours in Jesus and Mary,  Br. Gerard David OCSO

PS I pray that you may have the best in this wonderful season of grace and light. Please give my love to Jim, and your families. Love Gerard David  

It's so easy to get up to my eyeballs in matters at hand, so that's why you don't hear from me much.  This weekend is unusual for us at this stage of life‑‑we have an empty nest for a bit (Friday night to Sunday morning).  I can imagine how life will be much calmer and easier to decide what we want to do, when the kids leave the nest, instead of having to deal with the kids' requests and last minute plans, etc., like we do most of the time now.  Thankfully, Paul and I still enjoy doing things as just a couple.  I know that's a strain for some marriages, when the kids leave the nest.  I think of you and Jim there in Spokane‑‑making a new life together at the empty‑nest stage of life.  I'm sure you have your challenges, like we all do, but I'm happy for you that you both enjoy cycling, that your life as grandparents is so rewarding and your careers are going so well.  Congrats to you.Thanks for all your work on the newsletter.  I did check out the website, but got an error message of sorts before, but I just tried it again and got through‑‑it's wonderful!!  What a great job.  I'll check it out in greater depth later. 

Yes, I'll be happy to send a note to Sharon and ask her to contact you.  You are thoughtful to suggest that.  Some folks are protective of their e‑mail addresses.  I can imagine that you've gotten a taste of that with all the communications involved with the newsletter.  One can be clueless about such considerations, otherwise.  I guess Mom told you that Dad is scheduled for surgery in December.  He has a benign tumor in his colon which requires abdominal surgery for removal.  They expect him to be in the hospital for a week and then to recover fully and have improved health, so we're optomistic.  But at the same time, cautious, knowing that at 89, this could be a turning point with regard to activity and independence.  One day at a time‑‑that's how we're taking it.  You know all about that.  Well, take care, Connie.  Hope this finds all well with the Gale clan.  Love,   Pat 

Dear Fromherz Clan~ 

Greetings from the Zollner household.  We are still alive and well, at home in Eugene.  Paul continues his work at U.S. Bank, and continues to enjoy his garage band hobby.   Katie got accepted into the Education program and is in her Junior year of studies at the UofO.  She works part-time, has her own apartment and is engaged to be married this coming summer to Jim Voss.  Monica is a senior in high school this year-- excelling in her clarinet playing and leadership abilities.  She's currently applying to colleges, hoping to go into nursing.  Tecie is a junior in high school this year--is especially active volunteering at church.  Christiana is a 6th Grader this year at our neighborhood middle school.  Violin lessons, Girl Scouts and basketball are a few of her extracurricular activities.  I (Pat) am still teaching private piano lessons--have 13 students at the moment--as well as directing music at our church.  We continue our family music-making--weekly at church and annually at Oktoberfests.  
It was a pleasure to visit with so many of you at our reunion last summer.  Thanks to Connie for her work on this newsletter and our website.  What a generous and loving gift to us all.  Please pray that all goes well for my Dad (Louis) with his upcoming surgery (12/17/02 in Salem) to remove a benign tumor from his colon.  
Love and best wishes to you and your families~  Pat Zollner 

A very Merry Christmas to all our family and friends.  We wish everyone good Health, fun times and a life of joy and peace for the new year.

Two years into retirement has been a wonderful time and we have not regretted leaving our jobs a little early.  Our new home has brought us much joy and we have made so many wonderful friends,  The street is now almost filled with houses, lawns and trees and less dust is flying.

Our travels this past year, in our 5th wheel, have taken us mostly in the same direction, Oregon.  We visited family in January working to help move Charlie's mom to a new assisted living residence and help brother Don sort through the house.  We returned in June for the Fromherz family reunion and then stopped in Freedom, California on the way home for Charlie to ride with his Easy Riders Group.  We again returned to Oregon the first part of August for Charlie's High School reunion.

In January, Charlie visited the doctor with a coldness in his chest while riding.  After a series of test we found he had 80% and 90% blockage in the heart.  In May he underwent surgery to insert 3 stents in two of the main arteries of his heart.  A couple of weeks of recovery and, boy . . . was he out riding again.  It is amazing how much more stamina he has now!  You can't stop him! 

Charlie continues with his recumbent riding and rides around 200 miles a week and has put around 8000 miles on his bike this year.  He enjoys Saturdays with his buddies, racing all the young guys to the beach.  He did Cycle Oregon in September with brother Don and friends Larry and Lemoyne --- a great time enjoyed by all and rode in the 108 mile Tour de Tucson race in November.

Marilyn continues with sewing and enjoys doing her embroidery.  She won a 1st prize on a doll she created for the Sulky Challenge in June and won 2nd place on a quilted embroidered Wall Hanging in a Heartfelt contest for Tacony Corp.  The Wall Hanging was published in a 2003 calendar for the contest and she has felt quite honored to be included.

Charles & Marilyn  

Connie,
     Sorry we are late with newsletter input.  Following are some short comments and Holiday greetings - - Dick and Sandy Gerding

     We have had a busy year with Dick still working overseas and building our new home in Corvallis.  Hopefully, our new home will be finished by the end of January.  Sandy has stayed very busy helping manage the construction of our new home, selling our current home, and taking care of all other matters on the home-front.  Dick will return home from his current job in Kuwait in early February.  Our family will finally be all back together again--hopefully for good.
     Our oldest daughter, Missy, her husband Chris, and our granddaughter, Maddy, are still assigned at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  Shelley, our next oldest, and her husband Eric still live and work in Boulder, Colorado.  Our son, Rick, his wife Tricia, our granddaughter, Maryn and our grandson, Austin live and work near us in Philomath, Oregon.
     Happy Holidays to all and may God bless all of you.
                                                                   Dick and Sandy Gerding 

Happy Holidays Everyone!
I hope this letter finds you all in good health and great spirits. All of us are getting along quite well. We grandkids aren't really "kids" anymore. . .and while I never really appreciated being compared to a goat, I sometimes miss it. We are all still discovering the amazing things life has to offer us, only now it is in High School and College. (Not quite to the stage of marriage or great-grandchildren.)
The Fromherz's- Liz and Buz- continue to run their business in West Linn, Oregon. I have been working on business of my own in art and music promotions. For those of you who heard of my nasty illness - well, it is completely under control. (yea!) Betsy is working hard to carve a niche for her paintings and artwork. Adelia Renee has stepped into the family tradition of pipefitting, and has become quite an asset to Buz Mechanical.
Karen is officially a teenager, and is currently focusing all her adoration on Anakin Skywalker of Star Wars fame.
Anyway, our family wish all of you a new year filled with health, love, safety, and most of all wonderful memories to share during the next holiday season.  Merry Christmas from the Heart,  Felice Noel Fromherz  Christmas 2002  (Jim Sr. + Mary Fromherz = Dennis "Buz" + Liz Fromherz = Felice) 

You are very welcome!!!  Thanks for the invite.  If you guys will be in town for the holidays, come on out to my birthday party. Friday, December 13th at the bridgeport brew pub. I would love to see you guys again. (You can find directions at www.attheverge.com.)  Love,  Felice       
(Jim Sr. + Mary Fromherz = Dennis "Buz" + Liz Fromherz = Felice) 

Not much to add here just working away on the genealogy of the FROMMHERZ surname and learning quite a bit about Annie Mariah Allen King and her Bangs family line.
Come visit my web site www.McKenzieValleyMarket.com please write and tell me what you think of it.
I am the List Administrator for:  FROMMHERZ-L@ROOTSWEB.COM  The surnames connected to my paternal and maternal grandfathers are: Lounsbury; Penoyer; Guion; Lauber; Bachle; Baier; Schlageter; Gerspach; Matt  and  KINGE-SALEM-MA-L@ROOTSWEB.COM   The surnames connected to my paternal and maternal grandmothers are: Busse; Pribbernow; Allen; Bangs; Howe; Norton; Haskins or Hoskins; Caswell; Cole; Windthrope; Mitchell; Cooke; Birdsall; Goldthwaite; Scudder; Browne; Tuthill; Swayze; Dibble--
Daniel David Lewis Frommherz  (Art's Dan)       

 Roy still plays golf every chance he gets.  He has been traveling lots, but has been close to home the past month.  He travels to Washington DC toward the end of this coming February (he's gone there for 12, or so, years, now, to "lobby" for his agenda...eradicating noxious weeds, and using "bio-control" (bugs that eat the hearts out of the weeds) to control weeds, too), and, I may be able to join him THIS year (2003)!!!
He's always gone with a group of people from Wyoming, and, I'd just join them, all.  My mother's only living sibling, my Aunt Marty, lives with her nephew, and my cousin, Dan Bendele, who has a growing family, about 26 miles West of Richmond, Virginia, which isn't too far from DC...maybe we'll get the chance to connect. 
Roy and I have been doing back stretching and strengthening exercises, which have really toned us up.  I've been walking, fast, on our treadmill, watching, either, TV, or, a video, for an hour a day lately...I've, also, been lifting a 5lb. weight, to strengthen my arms and upper body.  All this exercise, plus, showering, etc. can take up a good part of my typical day!!!  I still manage to shop, do laundry, dishes, cook, and, occasionally, clean the house, plus any errands that need done.  Roy rewired our garage, so, now, it is safe (it didn't have heavy enough wire for the electrical load, before he fixed it...), since he wants to get another garage door opener working, so he can put his truck inside this Winter  (he bought a Ford 150, 4X4, 1984 pickup, and a topper, so he could have a truck and haul around anything that he wants...you know how guys are about trucks?!!!).
We see Marge and Ryan, as often as they can visit.  They, both, are studying, and working full time.  Marge will get her Master's degree in Weed Science this Spring, and Ryan is studying and working to get his license as an architectural engineer.  They are taking care of our 20 year old Siamese cat, King Tut (he's, actually, Marge's), and they have another cat, named "Gizmo", who is a cute ball of fur, and runs circles around old King Tut.  They have a new house, built on a small lot, in Laramie, Wyoming, and, they love it!!!
Better go, now...Love, to all, from Roy and Rita, out here, in Wyoming!!!

From:michael.e.holt@att.net                                                                                                            Sent:Tuesday, December 10, 2002 7:18 AM                                                                      Subject:Awesome (Click on Awesome to go to Chris Holt's page)

Hi Connie,  I just got done looking at the web sight again. I check it out every couple of days. I am enjoying watching the changes. The letter that Uncle Jim wrote about Adolf was great I really enjoyed reading about the life they lived back then.

I thought I would update you on what is going on here. Chris is doing wonderful and getting back into sports. He has been able to practice with his team for a couple of weeks. Still has the Hickman (port in his chest) he will be getting that out on the 18th of December. When he was first admitted to the hospital on June 9th we did not think at the time that it would only be 6 months. The Doctors told us that is was because of Brian's "Kick Butt Cells" we have been so blessed that they have come so far in cancer research. One of the new meds. that he was on that basically saved his life. (The Philadelphia Syndrome would have made it impossible for him to have the bone marrow transplant) Gleevac that was discovered at OHSU and has only been available for 5 years was what put his Leukemia into remission. We have been so blessed with family, friends and pray that is has made this journey easier for us. Mike and I have signed up for any study that will help other families and I am mentoring a family from Idaho that has a 2 year old. Mike's family has helped in so many ways and my family especially Judy and Marty and her family. My Mom and Dad, Jane, Carrie, Russ, Ernie, Art, Len, Lou have all been great. 

Brian continues to be doing great in school. We are very proud of him. He is also playing on the tournament basketball team for Keizer. It is so fun to watch them play. He has a tournament in Sisters this weekend that has been a lot of fun in the past.

 Travis is going to preschool and is constantly coming up with new ways to make us laugh. His favorite word currently is Option. When I tell him to do something he says that is not on option mom. I think I might have used that word to many times.

Mike is working for Portland Community College as a financial aid tech II, but  has applied for an advisors position in the same office. He has had a second interview and is waiting to hear if he gets it or not. He takes the boys to most of there basketball practices and stays to help out. I am keeping busy with all the Doctors appts. Tutoring etc... It is very weird to not be working. I have always worked since as long as I can remember. I am looking forward to when Chris is well enough for me to go back to work.  If this letter is to long feel free to edit it. Take care and keep up the good work.   Love Mary, Mike, Chris, Brian and Travis Holt 

Hello Family,   Hope all is well this holiday season. Things my way have been great and wish you all the same. College was a big step for me this year, that I took with my shoulders squared and my head high. Taking basic courses at the moment at Linn Benton, unsure of the future and what will be coming. Thinking of vetinary or business major at the moment, cause I want to do something to stay on the farm but don't want to farm.   My luck in hunting season has come to an end. This was the first year in 3 years I have had a tag I didn't fill, the elusive elk eluded me this year, but it wasn't from a lack of trying and I had a lot of enjoyment as always, an experience of a lifetime I may never forget was when I had a 5-6 point bull at 15 yards that I bugled in during archery season and over shot by about 3 feet because I thought it was 40. fun stuff, fun stuff. Have a Great holiday everybody and I promise to make it to a family dinner some month. Greg Silbernagel

From: Judy Fromherz  JFROMHERZ@kc.rr.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 9:55 PM
Subject: Newsletter from Mom & Dad

Connie and Family,  I know it has been forever!   I have been going to school all day and 2 nights per week since the beginning of August!  It is a challenging school and the night classes are towards my Masters degree in Telecommunications Management.  If all goes well, I will graduate from both in June.  Most of my evenings are spent hitting the books! 

Twitch is doing well for her age.  She is blind now, but just as loving as ever.  I am not sure what I will do if I get stationed in Hawaii next.  There is a 6 month quarantine which will be hard for both of us!  Please wish us luck.  On top of that, if I do get Hawaii; I will be stationed on Oahu and will have a room available for guests.  Please let me know in advance when you are coming so I can book your reservation. 

Mom & Dad flew out last night after spending 10 awesome days with me.  I was ill for a couple of days and having mom around for some TLC was very nice!   We had a number of wonderful visits with the Bauder family (our Kansas Cousins).  They are very nice and it is an honor to be stationed here and have the opportunity to get to know them.  Mom, Dad, and I drove to Lincoln, NE to spend T-day with Carrie and family.  We spent one day at the Omaha Zoo and saw a biographical documentary on “Lewis & Clark”.  It was a very good show!  The Omaha Zoo is a wonderful place and really works hard to house the animals in “natural” environments.  The Lied Jungle is completely open with birds able to fly around, otters playing, waterfalls, and trees hanging across the walk-ways.  They even have a rope bridge that the “kids” can cross and get splashed by another waterfall.  The aquarium is also very cool with a tank that you can walk-through and look up at shark swimming above you….kind of creepy, but cool too!   We also walked through the Desert Dome and the Cat Complex. There is a lot of indoor exhibits since the weather was really cold and the wind chill added to that.  Mom & Dad’s visit was way too short and I really miss them.  Well, I should go and do some homework.  Love to all and hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!    P.s.  I am attaching Mom & Dad’s newsy letter.  Since they were visiting, I took the opportunity to type mom’s letter so we could email it to you.   Mom wants me to add my name to it since I typed it and a lot of the news involves me (I was there too) but this is Mom & Dad’s news so I decided to add my own note separately.   

Hello to all!  Merry Christmas and hope you have a wonderful year to come!  Our year has been full of happenings!  Thank God for his blessings and getting us through the challenging times….Thank God also for giving us the good times in between!

Art received his High school diploma from Lebanon High School through the Veterans’ administration.  As many may know he (and many others) left to fight in WWII before they received their graduation certificates. 

Chris (Mary & Mike Holt) was diagnosed with Leukemia in June and has spent many weeks in Doernbecker Children’s Hospital in Portland.  Mary (mom) stayed by his side the whole time!  Thanks to the Holt family for the many hours they spent helping!  As many may know, Chris received Stem Cells’ from his brother, Brian, and is well on his way to a full recovery.  Blessings on the entire family for their prayers, blessings, and thoughtfulness throughout this ordeal.

The ladder that I have been climbing (in the garage) for the past 20 years broke, which caused me to fall and break my leg this past June (ouch)!  I was very lucky, it could have been a lot worse!

The Family Reunion 2002 was a huge success!  Aunt Alice was even able to join us for awhile at the picnic, which was wonderful!  It was a beautiful weekend!  Included was the golf tournament and bowling.  Art golfed and bowled, but Winnie was only able to watch since she was still wearing a ski boot (cast).   Hope next year is even better – God willing (and the creeks don’t rise).  The final Reunion weekend event was the “Seniors’ Birthday/Anniversary Dinner” at the Buzz Saw Restaurant in Albany.  We welcomed Sue (Al & Margaret’s), Judy (Art & Winnie’s), and Don & Tam Van Etten.  The entire evening was very nice!

In July, Judy made the move to Fort Leavenworth, KS to attend the Command and General Staff Officers Course (CGSOC) for a year.  She will move again in July and it may be to Hawaii for 3 years!  She is taking reservations now for those that want to come and visit.    Also in July, Art & Teri renewed their wedding vows and had their marriage blessed in the Catholic Church.  This was a very special event and a wonderful ceremony that was attended by bunches of friends and family from around the world.  They had houseguests from Virginia, California, and North Carolina.  The reception following the ceremony was at their home in Aumsville with lots of food, a wedding cake, games, karaoke, and lots of fun!  Father Brady from Shaw attended for awhile and blessed their home and the meal!  Russ and family have had a number of challenges this year.  Please keep them in your prayers!   On a great note, Kevin was awarded his Eagle Scout this past February and will be graduating in June.

Carrie and family moved from Salina, Kansas to Lincoln, Nebraska.  Their new address is 1129 Aberdeen, Lincoln, NE  68512.  Jonathan is doing gymnastics with the University of Nebraska team and improving every day!  He has a meet in February and Judy hopes that she can attend.

Joelle (Marty’s youngest) attended Space Camp this year after winning a National Essay Contest through IGA food stores.    Marty and Family also spent a few weeks in Alaska over the summer as part of their Volcanic Education for Science Teachers (VEST) group.   This group has met in Hawaii, Bend, and Washington in previous years.  This next year, they are headed to Italy as Jaima’s choir group will be singing in various cathedrals under the same conductor that led them in England a couple of years ago.  Jen is a graduating senior this year. 

Ryan (Art’s oldest) left for Marine Boot camp in November; he had planned to go in January, but the recruiter called to see if he could go early.  Please keep him in your prayers; he will do an outstanding job….his dad is a retired Marine.

Our berries became ripe almost all at once.   Thanks to some dear friends from Stayton, they got picked every other day.  They kept some for themselves, but insisted on leaving the bulk of them with us.  If you don’t know, we have Raspberries (2 kinds), Boysenberries, Logan Berries, Marion Berries, Blue Berries, Black caps, Nectar Berries, Cascades, and Strawberries.  Our strawberries didn’t turn out so well since I wasn’t able to get out there and weed like I am used to (broken leg) so the pickers couldn’t see the berries through the weeds (forest through the trees).

As many know, we make it a point to attend the monthly family dinner at the “Old Country Buffet” on Lancaster (near Center) every 3^rd Wednesday at 6 pm.  We average 20 every month and sometimes more…..put this on your calendar and join us….All are Welcome!     By mid-growing season (berries), I advanced to a cane and was able to supervise and eventually pick the berries myself.  Our friends wouldn’t let me pick when they were there so I was only able to watch and chat!

We have met Jim and Mary at the Hubbard Inn for steak dinners a few times.   It is a special place for us to meet.  On one occasion, Shirley & Bob and Art & Terri joined us for dinner.  Jim & Mary’s sidekick and very good friend of all of us (Lyle) always joins us too!

When the weather cooled off, Art replaced the screens on the sun porch with the winter windows (plastic covered) so that Winnie’s plants could have a home for the winter.  Len built the sunroom and it is great!  Winnie doesn’t have to haul the plants upstairs and we use it all the time during the summer.  We play cards, read, eat dinner, and chat with friends and family that happen to drop in. 

Our Walnut crop failed this year with almost no yield, but the filberts are great!  We have cracked and sorted all of them (only keep the good ones).  Winnie bags them up in 1 pound sacks and sells them.  We can hardly keep up on the demand! 

We had dinner at the “Wooden Nickel” in Sublimity with our dear friends (Jerry & Helen Falk) and then played games at their house just before leaving for Kansas.

Our trip to Kansas was fine.  We had a special dinner at Judy’s (she cooks!) on Saturday.  Carrie, Jonathan, Nellie (Jane’s) and husband, Jeremy, were also able to join us from Nebraska.  Nellie and Jeremy are both stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha.  We had not seen Carrie or Jonathan for 4 years and got to meet Jeremy for the first time (he is a very nice young man)!  On Sunday, we had brunch with Art’s Cousins’ at their home.   We were able to meet Joe & Leslie Bauder, Sister Marianna Bauder, Tom & Tammy Bauder, Ellen & Keith Hustings.  All are the children and family of Elmer & Gertrude Bauder (you can find them on page 46 of the family book that Aunt Florence wrote).  Father Eric Albertson who is an Army chaplain and a classmate of Judy’s was also able to join us after saying Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church in Leavenworth.  We met the Bauders’ again for dinner at a local restaurant and will go to see the Christmas lights with them in Kansas City on Sunday after returning from Lincoln Nebraska where we will spend Thanksgiving with Carrie, Dennis, and Jonathan.   We finished out the week in Leavenworth, Kansas and got to see Joe & Leslie Bauder again for a trip to Kansas City, MO to see the Christmas lights.  What a very nice evening and the culmination of a wonderful visit!   We are even considering returning in June for Judy’s graduation from Military school (CGSOC).  She will also be receiving her Masters degree in Telecommunications Management from Webster’s University. 

All in all it has been a great year with lots of blessings, challenges, and fun times.  Blessings on all of you!                  Love   Art & Winnie   

Dear Family,

I have joined a very elite group of our family members.  I joined this happy, determined, and especially strong-willed club last Tuesday, November 12th when I was told I have breast cancer.  There is not one ounce of poor-me in my blood!  I am determined to beat this, and God willing, I will. So now I am resigned to the fact that I face three months of chemotherapy, then have surgery, then three more months of chemotherapy, then radiation, and if all goes well after 9-months, I'm home free!  They are giving me aggressive treatment because of my age, I'm 43.  I am getting treatment.  Last month was a bit rough, so this 2nd round they upped my any nausea drugs and lowered the chemo.  In November, I lost 15 pounds and gained 6 back so they HAD to re-evaluate the dose on the chemo.  The first round in Nov. was on the high end of the spectrum to see how much my body could handle ... not good.  My hair is all but gone, I ordered a wig that will be here today.  Now I am only suffering hair loss and fatigue, but I can handle that!  Now we're going out shopping.  Love ya,  Kathy Cappetta     (Charley's Charlie's Kathy)

From: charlesf@gte.net

Subj:  Cycle Oregon 15

Join us this year.  Don, Larry, LaMoyne, Ken Gerding, & my self 

Charlie Fromherz (Charley's Charlie)                                        http://www.easyracers.com
Calimesa, CA                                                                                  Gold Rush w/sock, BikeE E2
cell 909-731-8912                                                                           1998 - 2002
7-12-95                                                                                            Check out Cycle Oregon @

Recollections of Cycle Oregon 15

Four mature kids drive several days to start a challenging and spectacular 7 day, 500 mile bike ride in rural Oregon with 2000 other cyclists.  Cycle Oregon (CO) is widely considered to be the premier 1 week bicycle tour in the US – maybe the world.  This year’s route for 2000 CO cyclists was from “Snake to Shore” – the Snake River at Nyssa on the Idaho border to Florence on the Pacific Coast.  This year it took us 3 days to get there and 2 ½  days to get back home. Of course we have been planning for this week all year and had a significant amount of gear just for this venture.  Charlie Fromherz and his brother, Don, have been doing this ride for several years and I was able to go last year. This year we recruited LaMoyne Armstrong, our So Cal riding buddy, to join us. Our bikes are all alike - 4 Easy Racer Gold Rush Replicas w fairings and red body socks. We used two way, family radios to keep in contact and Charlie and LaMoyne also had their GPS receivers programmed with the route.  You might want to skip over the non-cycling days and start reading at Day 1, when we really did ride bicycles.

Thursday Sept 5: Day –2

When Charlie arrived at my house to load his bike and gear at 4:30, I had already put my bike on the carrier and had my gear in the van.  All the while I was thinking “What did I forget?”  I had already checked my disorganized lists several times since getting up at 3:30.

We got to Lamoyne’s at 5:20  and loaded his bike and gear. By this time the large space behind my van’s second seat was essentially full. We stopped every hour or so to change drivers. Charlie’s GPS listed all the rest areas along the interstate so planning for stops was easy.

Seeing rice fields near Sacramento was new and interesting for me. As we got near Mt Shasta the forest took on a new look that reminded me of the Oregon views we saw last year.

All of us were so excited we had little sleep at home, so we napped some when we weren’t driving.  We stopped near Medford, OR at a Motel 6 for the evening. Lamoyne volunteered to sleep on the floor since this Motel 6 didn’t have any rollaway beds.  Charlie got out his air mattress and battery powered pump so LaMoyne could experience real camper’s luxury – clearly a sales ploy.

Day -1:

Friday morning we were still excited and we all woke at 4 AM and hit the interstate again to drive the last 250 miles to Salem. We got to Salem about 10 AM where Charlie’s brother, Don, was packing and preparing his gear.    We did what all good cyclists do – went to lunch and shopping for equipment - including a helmet upgrade, pedals and an air mattress for LaMoyne.  We then packed all 4 bikes on the neat bike rack on Don’s Excursion.

Don and Barbara had invited us to stay at their house for the night and again on the night after we finished the tour at Florence. In addition they would take us to Nyssa and pick us up at Florence, saving us a major transportation hassle.  As we put the bikes on Don’s bike rack and our gear bags inside, it became plain that Don’s large SUV was just barely large enough to take us and our gear to Nyssa.  Even with our 4 bikes hanging on the rear rack, the entire space behind the rear seat was packed solid and half of the third seat space was needed to hold all our gear.  We still had some space to spare – we didn’t have anything tied on the top.

When Barbara arrived we agreed to depart about 5 AM then left to have a nice dinner at a nearby Olive Garden.  .

Saturday September 7: Day 0  Driving from Salem to Nyssa, 0 bike miles

We were up at 4 again and I came downstairs to find Don packing lunch sandwiches - to avoid a long stop enroute to Nyssa. We were on the road before 5 AM had agreed to have breakfast after driving some miles to get ahead of the several bus loads of cyclists from the Portland area.

LaMoyne had told me I would enjoy seeing the Columbia Gorge – and he was right. It is impressively beautiful.  At a mid-morning rest area stop we saw several of the 6 CO (Cycle Oregon) busses. LaMoyne overheard that they were going to stop for lunch in about an hour so we decided we would eat underway - without even stopping at a roadside picnic area. 

Near Hood River Don and Charlie pointed out parts of the route they had taken on CO a few years ago when the tour finished there.

In eastern Oregon Interstate 84 turned south and actually took us into Idaho before we turned on US 95 to drive to Nyssa.  We got to Nyssa just a short time ahead of the busses. So we quickly unloaded, found a camp site and registered.  Finding a good camp site and signing in were easier before the 6 bus-loads of cyclists arrived from western Oregon.

I couldn’t find the bolts to attach the seat to my bike and was planning to make a hasty trip into town to get some, a few blocks walk. But Charlie saved the day again – he had some spare bolts in his pack.  I never did find my small plastic bag with those bolts.

Registration was very efficient due to the typical CO organization. Prepared sign in packages were alphabetized at about a dozen tables staffed by volunteers, allowing 2000 cyclists to quickly register with little waiting.

Its very clear that the Cycle Oregon organization is motivated and experienced. They start planning at the end of each year’s tour for the next year. About 1000 volunteers are recruited and trained at the 7 towns that each host a night’s stay. The proceeds from the tour support community development projects and cycling causes in Oregon.  On the tour route there are frequent signs “2000 cyclists on this Road” and every corner is marked with distinctively colored signs.  There are 5 or 6 shower trucks, nearly 3 dozen “blue rooms”, 6 or more water trailers, the stage and the dining equipment. The food, both the meals at camp, and snacks at the 5 rest stops, is very good.  The Oregon State Police provides 4 motorcycle officers to travel with the tour, and there are 6 support vans each with a driver and ham radio operator. Any rider on the road just holds their thumb down to be helped or picked up by a van or staff car. In addition the Bike Gallery, a Portland bike shop, has bike mechanics at each rest stop and at camp. They adjust and repair tour bikes as needed with no labor charge.  Many of these volunteers schedule to serve on CO teams year after year. The enthusiasm and friendliness is contagious.

We especially appreciated the coffee service that opens before 5:30 each morning.  Despite the official 6 AM breakfast start, there is an early breakfast line - at 5:30 most of the time.

We camped on a nice grassy lawn of the Nyssa HS and had dinner at the CO line.  After dinner we walked around camp, noting that the number of recumbents seemed to be significantly greater than last year. Then we went to the rodeo grounds across the street where there was a stage set up.  Jonathon Nicholas, the leader and original organizer of  CO, told the story of the earliest CO tours.  The first in 1988 had 860 cyclists when the organizers had thought that a few hundred would be a great success. The second year found over 1400 ready to ride, so then the organizers decided that 2000 would be the limit for manageability. In most recent years the ride has been full within a few weeks of the opening of enrollment.

Day 1: Sunday, September 8, Nyssa to Ironside, 72 miles

LaMoyne woke me up just after 4, as he did almost every morning on the tour. We took our tents down, packed our bags and were waiting for breakfast at 5:30.  At 6:20 we were riding.  This was to be typical of the entire week for our group.  First the route took us through town to a stop on the Snake River, where we might ceremoniously dip our wheels near the Old Oregon Trial crossing.  The volunteer townspeople suggested that we might not want to do the actual dipping since the water was polluted. So we signed a large card thanking the town of Nyssa for their hospitality and rode out into a wandering route through typical western farmland for about 15 miles before turning onto US 26 that would be our route for the rest of the day. We rode over Keeney Pass, a fairly easy 800 ft climb from Nyssa, and had lunch at Willow Creek School at 32 miles from Nyssa a little after 9:30.  This was the route of the Old Oregon trial where nearly 400,000 people came west via wagon trains in the late 1800’s. 

After lunch we gradually - at first - climbed over Brogan’s summit.  The last 8 miles to the top of Brogan’s had a significant (maybe 6%) slope - a portent of days to come.  The afternoon was pretty warm with temperatures in the mid 80’s.

Only 6 cattle guards today. Each cattle guard had a carpet taped over the right side to pad the impact on our bike tires.  I don’t recall seeing any “paint only” cattle guards. Maybe Oregon cattle ignore the painted stripes that are used in other states.

We got to Ironside just after 3, ahead of most of the crowd.  The camp was a stubble field on a working ranch owned by the Oakes family. This was quite a contrast to the nice grassy lawn at Nyssa. To make it even more interesting we had to ride 1.5 mi on a graveled farm road to get to it. At least there were no ants in our area.

After setting our tents we walked around and saw Wo, Laurie Smith, the leader of the Easy Racer Recumbent Club.  She was her usual chipper self with hugs for all.  She reminded us that there would be a group photo of the ERRC riders at Sisters on Wednesday night.

We went to the announcements portion of the evening entertainment but didn’t stay for the show, because we knew that tomorrow would be a challenging ride with over 6000 ft of climbing.

--------------

Day 2: Monday  Sept 9 -  Ironside to John Day, 75 miles

Since the elevation at Ironside was 3700 feet, the morning air was close to freezing. It was actually  a few degrees warmer when we were first packing, but the predawn cooling breeze as we waited for breakfast at 5:30 made us glad we had warm jackets – and coffee.  I was glad I had put on my gloves for the initial 2 or 3 hours of riding.

In riding the gravel road back to the highway LaMoyne came on the radio with the news that his GPS receiver had vibrated off so he was turning back to pick it up. I waited at the highway entrance until he got close .  After a few miles of high desert country we started a series of climbs.  We were soon in the forest and climbing.  At about 17 miles we turned off the highway onto a forest service road, where the climb became uniformly steep - probably 6% or so. 

While climbing this grade I was about 2 miles from the top when I decided to pull to the side to catch my breath. There was no shoulder so I got as near the edge of the pavement as I could.  It turns out someone else needed a rest too. I was checking my mirror to catch sight of LaMoyne coming behind when I saw a bright yellow jacket slowly coming closer  - and closer - and closer.  I called out, but not in time - the lady in the yellow jacket had her head down and was so intent on her pedaling that she ran right into me at about 2 mph. We laughed and exchanged pleasantries while she caught her breath too. The first major summit was at 19.4 miles at an altitude of 6000 ft. a net gain of 2300 ft. from camp.  The down hill run had a lot of slow curves so we could only get up to 20 or 25 mph. But we really enjoyed coasting past the upright bikes - especially if they were pedaling.

The next climb started at about 26 miles and 4700 feet.

 At about mile 30 Charlie and Don were ahead of us and  I was riding a half mile ahead of LaMoyne when he came on the radio and said “I just had a blowout, but I’m OK and need to stop to fix the tire.”  The lesson in this story is don’t buy Specialized Armidillo tires.  We have had 2 bad experiences with these. Fortunately both blowouts occurred AFTER high speed downhills.  Apparently the wire bead on these tires fails, allowing the tire to blow off the rim.  Both LaMoyne and Charlie carried folding tires, which use Kevlar instead of wire for their beads.  This would be our first experience mounting these. The folding tire looked pretty strange and hardly had any shape but as LaMoyne put the tube in it and started putting air in, it fit fine and became a “normal” tire.

The lunch stop at mile 38 was at Unity School which has a total of 34 students. At the lunch stop LaMoyne had his rear brakes and wheel adjusted by the mechanic at the tour provided repair station. The blowout had caused some rim damage, but the wheel was useable.

This was our toughest day.

After going over a summit at about mile 44 we had a fast down hill run with no slow speed corners,  then a picturesque slight downhill through Logans Valley into Prairie City and John Day. This is the same valley we rode up from Prairie City last year.  The total downhill run to John Day was over 30 miles so we were passing a lot of people on upright bikes.

At the last rest stop before Prairie City, Charlie gave me the rope to use in marking our camp site and said “You should be the first of our group to get to camp - Go for It”.

I got a little carried away with passing people in pace lines and several tandems.  I was so excited I ignored my sore muscle that had been irritating me since the morning climb.  In riding  through Prairie City I missing a marked turn that would have taken me through the town’s Main Street and past a rest stop.  But from last year’s stay, I knew I could continue past the downtown area and pick up Highway 26 on the west side.  Between Prairie City and John Day I could just stay with a fast group of 4 riders who were using a tight pace line.  I would pass them on a downhill area then they passed me on the slight climbs. Finally they dropped me on a slightly steeper upgrade and my legs both reminded me of some sore muscles.  I now feel that the primary cause of the sore muscles was my lack of spinning, ie, staying in a lower gear and not pushing hard. I’ve since noted that if I never allow my cadence to drop below 85 I don’t get sore muscles.

By the time I got to the John Day camp area it was past 4:30, but the camp was on very nice grass at the fair grounds.  The most desirable places were taken, so I choose a small, odd shaped area next to the back access lane. I knew it would be small but we did get everything in with tight spacing. We sent up our tents in a hurry, took showers & ate about 5:30 – late for our group. Don had been trying to adjust his front derailer several times during the day so he took his bike to the Bike Gallery area where their expert mechanic quickly rebuilt it – pressing in new bushings so it was as tight as new.

At dusk we saw several deer coming down to the edge of the campground about 100 yards from our tents. Several campers walked closer to take pictures but the deer never ran they just sauntered away.

-------------

Day 3: Tues – John Day to Mitchell, 78 miles

Lamoyne woke me at 4. I found the others already taking their tents down – meaning they had   already packed most of their gear so I quickly tried to jam all my gear in the large bag.  With some adjusting and pressing I finally got the zippers closed.

The morning route followed the John Day river, taking us down past the John Day fossil beds and a stunning lunch stop at Sheep Rock National Monument at 50 mi at 9:30.  I noted that we did have several small climbs that didn’t show on the route profile.

At lunch, just off US 26 on OR 19 we discussed whether to take the option route, which would have a total of 110 miles instead of 78 for the main route. I argued that the option ride had a lot of climbing starting at mile 85 and the route plot showed the climb slope for the main route would be modest.  So we took the main route and found that the route plot wasn’t accurate – the main route had a lot of climbing at 6+ % grades with several level areas and a couple of short downhills.  So the 2000 ft net climb over the remaining 30 miles was significantly slower than we thought.

Charlie and Don rode a mile or so ahead of us most of that afternoon. Both Lamoyne and I had some sore muscles after the big ride of Day 2 – and we were glad we were taking ibuprofen.

As we approached Mitchell the route signs had us turn off the highway to go through downtown Mitchell, which consisted of 2 or 3 stores and, maybe, 15 houses.  The Mitchell campsite was about a mile out of town on a recently plowed stubble field.. The tent city was down in a depression below the services area.  So we got to enjoy walking up a 60 foot hill for showers and for meals.  We carefully planned each trip to the service area to avoid any extra climbs up  that hill with our sore leg muscles.

We heard later that those who chose the option route really had a tough ride. The temperatures at the lower elevations were over 100 degrees.  Then they had to start a serious series of climbs at 85 miles. They climbed over 4000 ft on the option portion alone.

_________________

Day 4 Wed - Mitchell to Sisters, 93 miles

This morning I was awake when LaMoyne came to shake my shoulder. When we got to the dining area a little before 5:30 we saw that coffee was available but the local volunteer serving crew was late arriving, and we didn’t get our breakfast until almost 6.

We started the day with another climb - 2000 ft over 12 mi to the top of Ochoco Pass. I even remembered to pause for a picture after a climb like that. This short distance took us just over 3 hours.  I did better on this climb at keeping in low gears and spinning. It helps me to have slightly sore muscles as a reminder of proper technique.

Charlie and Don were quite a bit ahead by the time we got to the top and they stayed ahead on the great downhill into Prineville and lunch.  They were just leaving Prineville as we pulled in.  This was the prettiest lunch site we had seen yet – a picturesque city park with beautiful lawns and lots of big shade trees. But we still had 48 mi to go so thoughts of an after lunch nap were put aside.

After lunch we rode back into the forest on the O’Neil Highway – a pretty, open forest scene that seemed to be from some book I read a long time ago.

Charlie & Don pushed ahead to get good site at Sisters – a good idea because we would be spending 2 nights there.  LaMoyne and I took the short excursion off US 26 to enjoy the scenic rest stop at Smith Rock State Park and watermelon and cookies that tasted wonderful.

The last water stop this afternoon was a wide spot on the highway. We were surprised that there were no blue rooms, and several other people were looking for them too. Shortly a service truck came slowly towing several blue rooms on a trailer. There was no obvious place to park, since the cyclists were blocking the parking area. We all had a laugh at a lady cyclist running behind the trailer, reaching up with knocking motions and calling “Stop, Stop!”  He did stop a short way down the road and the riders quickly formed waiting lines.

As we came into Sisters we  experienced the “joy” of riding on a rumble strip for a couple of miles.  Since traffic wasn’t heavy I rode on the car lane when there were no cars. We got to the camp area at Sisters at almost 5, Charlie was on the radio to tell us how to find the camp area, but he didn’t tell us about the welcome we would receive.  At the camp entrance there were several people handing out Sisters century medals - and a big “Welcome to Sisters” hug and kiss from a local girl. Charlie and Don had staked out a nice roomy space on a baseball field.

Wo and the ERRC group got in so late that there no pictures that evening. We noticed that Sisters was significantly warmer than it had been the previous evenings and mornings.

______________

Day 5 Thursday September 13, 50 miles

This was a rest day for cyclists who needed it. We took a nice little ride out to Wizard falls - a beautiful park and fish hatchery. Don took some pictures of us on the forest road out.

At lunch at the Wizard Falls hatchery I noted a bump on my rear tire and bought a new rear tire. The Bike Gallery mechanic (actually the owner, Jay) checked my wheel and said “You have a lot of cracks in the rims at several spokes, but we can find you a wheel.”  He took a “loaner” wheel from a bike on top of the service car and we agreed to meet in town that evening.  It turned out I rode on that loaned wheel the next 2 ½ days.

On the way back we turned off the route to see the head waters of the Metolius River. This is a large spring where a lot of water just comes out of the ground from the hillside at the head of another beautiful Oregon valley.

Lamoyne and I cut the route back to camp so I could go into town to check for wheels at the bike shop.  They had no suitable wheel for my bike either, so I consulted again with the staff at the Bike Gallery service area.  Jay was announcing the bicycle rodeo.

The bike rodeo is a tradition at CO. The Bike Gallery mechanics who have been supporting the tour all week have skill contests that are amazing. Of course these events take place at slow speeds on a grassy lawn.  There were several young women among these mechanics. Nearly all of the competitors used MTB’s with clip-in pedals, but one uses his road bike - clipped in , of course.

The Take Down is an event where the mechanics pick up inner tubes from the ground and lasso each other. The winner is the last one to remain on their bike without touching the ground. Then  there was a similar event where all riders have their hands and feet tied to the bike.  I’m still amazed at their skills. Riders could stop, back up and “hop” their bikes to turn around while stopped. This year we saw a new event – jousting. The “knights” stood on the rack of an MTB, behind  the riders and the bikes would charge at 5 mph or so. Their spears were large 2 inch PVC pipe with 2 water bottles taped on to cushion the ends. Many times both contestants were knocked down.

After the rodeo and before the evening announcements we finally got together for the ERRC (Easy Racer Recumbent Club) group pictures and discussions of Easy Racer bikes and equipment choices. We walked to our campsite to show them several of the unique equipment items the Fromherz brothers use – window in the body sock, simple light-weight mast, 20 tooth chain wheels, GPS Instruments, radios, etc.  Wo asked for a list so she could include it in an article for the ERRC magazine.

_____________

 Day 6: Sisters to Coburg, September 13, 99 miles

To me this was the best riding day of this year’s tour. We were rested from the easy ride of the previous day and the morning 14 mile, 2000 ft. climb up McKenzie Pass was spectacular.  I know people who drive to Oregon just to see McKenzie Pass  - and its even more wonderful from a bike. 

The top of the pass is a large spectacular lava flow. The Lava Beds Observatory is a unique,  viewing hut built from the lava rock.  We stopped briefly for a snack and visit to the Blue Room then we started on the long down hill - most of 83 miles to Coburg.  The first 8 miles was open and not really steep, but then the road dropped 3000 ft in the next 10 or 11 miles. There were places where we coasted over well 40 mph, passing many people – even strong tandem teams, but there were also several  25 mph corners. Near the bottom of this steep area I noticed the river. Then we turned onto Highway 126 and rode down the main McKenzie River Valley.  These classic, beautiful Oregon river valleys were the centerpiece of our last 2 days of riding.  About 10 miles east of Eugene we turned off Highway 126 onto Camp Creek Road, wandering through the ranch and farm land toward our evening camp at Coburg.

At Coburg the CO camp was in a field about 1/2 mile from the town park where the meal service and stage were located.  When LaMoyne and I arrived, Charlie and Don had our camp staked out and were again telling us on the radio how to find them.  After setting camp and showering we waited a little for the shuttle bus, but then gave up and walked to town for dinner.

__________

Day 7: Coburg  to Florence, September 14, 85 miles

We rode our bikes into town in the dark (There were street lights.) for our usual early breakfast and left the Coburg at first light.  As we rode south toward Eugene on the Willamette River we missed a turn and rode about a mile before we detected the error and turned back. None of about 6 or 8 in early our group saw the turn sign. We still suspect that it had been removed, but the sign was there at the proper corner when we returned.  We rode through several residential areas skirting Eugene and around an airport, the Mahlon Sweet Field. Then we turned onto Oregon 36 which took us through more scenic ranch country and some small climbs (after the previous days) then a 12 mile hill over “Low Pass” which had us back in low gear and less than 5 mph for a few miles.  I found later that there is a “High Pass” further north.  After an 8 mile section with slight ups and downs we got to the lunch area at a Scout camp. After checking the rough graveled access road we decided to park our bikes and walk almost ½ mile to the lunch area rather than riding in and back.

On returning to the highway we enjoyed another fairly fast down hill for a few miles then a scenic, mostly downhill ride along the Suislaw River on Highway 126 into Florence. There was a slight headwind but it didn’t slow us much because of our fairings and body socks.  As we came to the obvious signs of civilization on the outskirts of Florence I had mixed emotions. It was satisfying to be completing a fantastic, week-long ride, despite the challenges and the broken wheel. (A small inconvenience thanks to Jay of Bike Gallery.)  On the other hand I was sorry that the riding portion of our great adventure was over.

In Florence I had a moment of confusion when we rode past the baggage vans and our bags but LaMoyne and I decided to continue to the formal end where we got a nice medal and another Tshirt with the familiar sign “2000 Cyclists on the Road”.  Charlie and Don pointed out where our bags were and we took showers. Then we contacted Barbara on the radio and agreed on a meeting place, I took the loaned rear wheel from my bike and walked to the Bike Gallery area, where a lot of people were busy packing bikes to be shipped home. I found that Jay was still out on the route, and no-one was able to locate my rear wheel.  Rather than wait for his return I decided that I would call later to have him mail my hub for use in another wheel.

We rode back to Salem in Don and Barbara’s Excursion. Again because of Don and Charlie’s judicious packing we didn’t have to tie anything on the top. We drove east on OR 126, the same route that we had ridden and saw quite a few late finishing CO bicycles. As we passed the last CO rest stop after 5 o’clock – an hour after the official route closing time - we saw Wo’s distinctive body sock and several other Easy Racer recumbents loading their group SAG van.  When we got to Don and Barbara’s we quickly moved our 3 bikes and our gear to my Aerostar for the trip home. We all had no trouble going to sleep despite the excitement and memories of the past week.

______________ 

September 15 and 16 – Driving home

The next morning we left Salem before 5 after a hasty “Thank You and Good By” to Don,. We again took turns driving, using Charlie’s GPS to choose rest stops.  We talked mostly about the week’s adventure and what a great experience this had been and started planning our equipment improvements for next year. We stayed at a Motel 6 near Los Banos and continued driving the next morning, Monday, to get home in the early afternoon.

The entire 12 days was a really enjoyable experience for me. Even the multi-day driving with such good company was fun. But the ultimate adventure is to experience the fantastic Cycle Oregon ride with the beautiful scenery, over 2000 pleasant co- riders and support people, and of course, our own chosen small group, riding as a unit and really enjoying each other’s company.  This year we even had NO RAIN!!

The numbers can’t begin to tell the story of the beauty, the elation in riding with 2000 friendly cyclists and ready support teams, the satisfaction of enjoying each day’s ride with close friends at the pace we choose.  Come to think of it these words don’t quite do justice to the subject either!!

LFS                     Dec 29 2002  

Subj:  Oregon 

Date:  1/10/2003 3:15:36 PM Pacific Standard Time

From:  charlesf@gte.net

Will head to Oregon March 4-5.  Attending a Wedding in Eugene, March 8th, for Marilyn's cousins' daughter.  After that,  visit to Salem - have a couple of weeks to go where ever.  Bike ride: Name the time & place up to 100 miles.

Charlie Fromherz
Calimesa, CA
cell 909-731-8912
7-12-95

slobbery tongue kisses his entire face in one swoop. He loves to PULL him-self up to stand with the aid of their hair on their chest.  Ginger and Teton love him lots and are very patient and wonderful with him. Ginger thinks she's his mom and is always hovering over and babysitting for us.  Teton reminisces about the days when his naps were uninterrupted, but just lays there and takes Mac's curious pokes, prods and pulls. We have so many stories to show and tell about our Mac Toner - but this paper doesn't have enough white space to share them all.  (We already expanded the margins to the limits.)  We'll just say he's had a terrific first year!

Our children of the four-legged-variety (our BIG DOG5 and Mules) are good. We had our share of ups and downs with Ginger this year. She tore her ACL in her knee in March and required surgery. It's been a long recovery and we are glad she's here and feeling better. Ginger is 6 years and about 145 pounds. Teton is 5 1/2 and needs to go on Slimfast as he tips the scales at 190 pounds. Teton passed all of his tests and is doing Pet Therapy at the hospital with Joe. They go to work together about once a month and stroll the halls, visit patients and pose for pictures. He even has his own hospital It) badge. Ginger stays home with Mac and Mom and guards the house. Casper and Eivira, our mules, keep us busy too. They will be two this spring and we are ready for them to STOP growing. Both are pretty tall. We are busy putting crossbucks on them and leading them so they get the feel for things before going into the woods with us this Fall. We hope that someday they will help Joe and his friend Mark pack their monster Bull Elk out of the wilderness.

Joe is still the director of the Imaging Department at the hospital in The Dalles. He really enjoys his work. He's been there f or almost 10 years now. Time flies! Didi is back to work part-time (not quite three days a week). She divides her time between doing Ultrasound for two clinics in town and Mammograms at the hospital, but her full time job is being a Mom. It's the best job in the world! Mac attends the on-site daycare at the hospital while Mom and bad work. We are still in Wasco and LOVING it! There's always something to do and keep us busy -- you know in our spare time! We love being out in the country and CAN'T WAIT for Mac to start exploring things. Both of our families come to visit often and are doing well. We really couldn't ask for much more!

We hope this finds you and yours happy and healthy.  We love hearing from you.   And our offer still stands, if you're ever going through, Please stop by! We'd love to have you.  You are always WELCOME!

Have a Great 2003!    Your Friends, Joe, Didi & Mac  (Jim's Connie's Dianne)

Holiday Greetings

from Jim & Mary Fromherz

December 2002

Friends are God's Blessing

Oh my! Here it is December 2002!  I can remember when I was a Youngin' I would hear my Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles, also Mom & Dad say:  "Where did all this time go?"  Well now, I'm saying the same thing.  "Where Did This Year Go?"  It's been a busy one and a good one.

January 1, 2002 our 9th Great Grandchild was born a healthy baby boy . . . Mac Taner Abbas to Di & Joe Abbas. Isn't that a great way to start the New Year?

Jim's health has had the usual ups and downs.  The cancer will flare up and require treatments and then he's OK for awhile again.  He did become a diabetic about 6 months ago.  He's just completed his diabetic classes and has been doing well at checking his blood levels twice a day and learning what will elevate his blood sugar.  It makes my cooking easier as we both are diabetics.

Our grandaughter, (Sue's youngest daughter Juliann, husband Gabe and 2 year old daughter Allissa have moved into St. Paul.  It's great to see them more often.  Allissa calls Jim, Papa Nana, because he is usually drying sliced bananas and usually gives her some.

In April we added a new member to our household.  A black cocker spaniel.  He has been wanting another cocker since Chelsea died.  Her name is Pebbles.  Jim takes her everywhere he can.  She's Jim's Buddy.

Jim's Ship Reunion was in Idaho this year.  We visited Aunt Louise while we were there.  Aunt Louise had fallen before we came to see her.  She had broken her arm & wrist and did some damage to her hand.  Her twin sister Lenore was there helping her.  I had heard she had a twin but had not the opportunity to meet her. They are 84 years "Young" and they make velvet hearts and send them to different hospitals to be given to children & terminally ill people.  Isn't that great?  I think so.  We also were able to visit with Jim's cousin Inez.  She attended the banquet with us.  It was so much fun.

We still have the once a month dinner get together in Salem (3rd Wednesday of the month)  Saves us a lot of long distance call fees.  Tonight is that night.  Jim & I really look forward to that and try always to make it.

Well, as you can see my hand is giving "OUT".  Darn it!  So, I'll have to say "Good Bye" for now.  May God Bless you always and have a Joyous Christmas and may it bring you the gifts of Joy, Peace and Love this whole year of 2003.  Love & Prayers,  Jim & Mary     

ARTISTS OF THE HEART

These heartfelt women are in the business of opening hearts. Twin sisters, Lenore Clem and Louise King have sewn over 40,000 small cloth Feelie-Hearts since 1991. These hearts have been distributed to anyone who needs a little reminder of love. For example, the hearts are distributed to children at the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma where they become something soft and comforting to hold onto for these youngsters as they heal. These days, Lenore and Louise get quite a few requests for hearts from everyone from nurses to flood victims. Lenore and Louise happily send them boxfuls of cloth hearts, made from, fabric donated or scavenged at flea markets and garage sales. These women are a shining example of the power of elders to contribute to making the world a better place. They are also a testament to the power of how a simple act of generosity can change lives. For example, one nurse passed hearts onto "...three new breast cancer patients, and she writes, "their little hearts brought tears to their eyes. What a wonderful world it would be if everyone had a Feelie-Heart in their pocket to remind them that they are in someone's heart." For more information, please email  georgiafi@centurytel.net.    

Volunteer Profiles

Lenore Clem was born August 4 in Crawsfordville, Oregon, where she lived for 30 years. In 1959 Lenore, her husband Clark, and their son and daughter moved to Coos Bay, where Lenore worked as a refinisher for IO years in a myrtlewood company. When Lenore's husband retired in 198 1, they moved to Michigan to live near their daughter, Georgia Moore. When Georgia and her family then moved to Fox Island in 1981, Lenore and Clark followed.

After Lenore's husband died in 1997, she continued living with her daughter, who is her best friend.  Lenore has no trouble filling her life with many activities. "I could use more hours:' she said.

Lenore is one of two. Two sisters, that is. Twin sister Louise King, lives in Fruitland, ID. The sisters, who are booth 84 now, visit each other often and talk frequently by phone. When Lenore started sewing hearts for BRIDGES: A Center for Grieving Children, she recruited her sister to sew hearts as a volunteer from a distance. They carefully track hours and number of hearts they sew, and at any given time, they can deliver these remarkable statistics. Lenore has kept a daily diary, "forever."

Lenore and Louise expanded their volunteer work to include hospice, which often distributes their hearts to families dealing with terminal illness. Lenore's daughter works for Hospice of Tacoma and encouraged her Mom to make hearts for hospice as well. "A friend inspired me to volunteer by making, pajamas for children and adults.  The next thing I knew, I was making hearts." she said. "I didn't realize I could make such a difference by sharing my talents with others."

As Lenore reflects on her life, the most significant thing to her is her marriage of 56 years and her family. Camping was the favorite family activity. One time she forgot the tent poles and the family slept sitting up under the tent. (as "human" tent poles!) 

I have learned not to take things for granted, and that pleasure can be obtained from giving."

"What you don't know about me," she continues "is that I visit garage sales year-round collecting children's toys for Christmas and supply teddy bears for the State Patrol." Georgia adds that her Mom loves finding bargain fabrics for hearts. "Mom won't let me pay full price for any fabric."

Her other interests are reading, gardening, quilting, and sewing with the famed "Stitch and Bitch" group on Fox Island. She also is an avid fan of the Seattle Mariners.

From Idaho we hear from Lenore's twin sister, Louise King. She tells us there were 10 brothers and sisters in the family. After marriage, Louise and her husband moved to Idaho in 1950. They owned and managed farms, and owned a fertilizer business. They've been known to do everything from work the fields, drive potato trucks and sort apples. Louise was widowed in 1999 when her husband died with Alzheimer's

When asked who her mentor is, Louise names her sister-in-law. "She's always calm, gracious, and polite to everyone " And of course, Louise also was influenced by Lenore to begin sewing hospice hearts. There is a rumor these two do lots of talking  while they sew hearts.

"Life has taught  me to be patient," reflects Louise, who was the primary caregiver for her husband.

Louise says the most significant thing to happen in her lifetime is her family of two children, five grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. She and Lenore live farthest apart of anyone in the family, as everyone else lives in Oregon.

A final secret Louise shared is that in addition to her twin sister, the family includes a younger set of twin sisters.

We are grateful that at age 84, Lenore and Louise are part of our circle of volunteers. It certainly feels like a double blessing. 

F'romherz's service for the archdiocese includes directing local efforts for the bishops' Catholic Campaign for Human Development. The campaign, funded by a collection at Masses the weekend before Thanksgiving, funds grassroots projects that seek to stop poverty.

The award names Fromherz the campaign's diocesan director of the year. The award will be conferred on Feb. 7, during a meeting of the, campaign's local directors.Archbishop John Vlazny nominated Fromherz           Frank Fromherz

for the honor.

 ~Catholic Sentinel~  November 2002  Portland, Oregon

 Christmas 2002

Dear family and friends,

Warmest greetings this holy season!

There have been a few changes with us this past year. Marylen has retume work. She works weekends on an Alzheirner's unit of a nursing home. Irene, 12, old, 5'3 1/2 " tall has started junior high at Trinity School, run by the People of Pra She is enjoying it, and has both new and old friends there. She is a hard working we are very proud of her. Teddy is now 10 years old, 5'4 1/2 " tall. We decided to home school Teddy this fall, so that we could educate him at his pace. That too is going well. We are having some educational and neurological testing done so that we can realistically plan his education according to his abilities.

We had another family member for about six months, a young Rotweiller dog named Ellie. We loved her dearly. She was sweet, beautiful strong and a challenge (escaping several times by breaking the Tie-out). In the spring she was hit by a car and seriously injured. We had her put to sleep. She died with love and devotion on her face.  Danny and Irene took a few trips this past year. In January they went to Washington D.C. for the Right to Life march

and were blessed by our many friends there. At Easter time they went to Anaheim, where Danny attended a conference for his work. Irene stayed with Uncle Steve and Aunt Haydee; Aunt Haydee even took Irene to Disneyland. Aunt Loretta and Aunt Sharon drove south for a brief visit. Then, Danny and Irene flew to Phoenix where they visited Uncle Tony and his family, Aunt Sue and her family. Then they traveled north to see Meteor Crater and the Grand Canyon. Marylen and Teddy stayed behind to try to keep up with school. In October Danny and Irene also went together to the Chicago Art Institute to look at the American and Impressionist paintings.

In the summer our family went to southern Indiana and visited some caves. We took a boat ride on an underground waterway. Marylen and the children did make it to Yak@ Washington to visit Marylen's family. Her parents are doing well. Her mother is on oxygen. Her father has health problems too but he still does all kinds of chores including mowing the lawn! Marylen's two brothers and her sister live in Yakima. It is a blessing to see the entire family. Marylen and the children were able to attend the Stupfel family reunion, near Mt. Hood in Oregon. In addition to seeing many relatives, Teddy's godparents, the Devlarnicks met them at the picnic. Marylen and children love this time with family and also in the beautiful Northwest. 

July 2002

We had a wonderful time in Alaska. Managed 7346 miles and drove the entire Alaskan Highway. Managed to do some Halibut Fishing too, discovered not all Halibuts in Alaska are big. Saw lots of wildlife in Denali, but otherwise lots of open space. Kenai Fjords are beautiful and well worth a cruise.

The girls have kept us busy with their activities. Jennie with her Cross Country running and skiing, her youth group activities, preparing for college next year, and leadership roles at Summit High School keeps her hopping. She was selected to visit New York last spring with 5 other youths to put together a documentary for their pers " Never Forget'. She was recently honored as athlete of the week for Central Oregon. Jaima played VB and is now into BB. She too keeps busy with outside activities especially Youth Choir. They will be visiting Italy next summer with plans to sing in the Vatican. Joelle watches how busy her sisters are and likes her spare time, although she tends to stay busy too. She too is in Youth Choir, debut. They had their first concert last week-end. She ran cross country for Cascade Middle School last fall. Her team took 1st in districts. She won a national essay contest last spring and attended space camp this past August in Huntsville Alabama. Her group was featured on the Nick Cannon Show. We hope they have reruns, since it didn't run on the date expected and we missed the following week. Mark and I stay busy with school and wondering how to get it all done! We will escort another group of students to Costa Rica next summer and will join Jaima's group in Italy.

Best wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season and Happy New Year.  Love,    

Mark, Marty, Jennie Jaima , and Joelle 

Holiday Greetings from Marie Fromherz

Dear Family,

May the wondrous spirit of Christmas fill your heart today and always.  Merry Christmas! 

I clean the conference level of the Mt. Angel Abbey Retreat House every Monday. (Volunteer)  On Tuesday Ivolunteer to do the dining room of the Retreat House.  On Thursday I go to a Women's Bible Study.  On Friday I volunteer at the Providence Benedictine Nursing Center a couple of hours. 

Love you all,

Marie Fromherz  

We wish you a Happy and Holy Holiday Season . . . and Happy New Year!  2002 started us out with the birth of our 3rd Grandchild and 1st Grandson to Di & Joe Abbas.  Mac Taner is a Joy!  Our Granddaughters turned 1 in January and 2 in February.

We hope you enjoy the launching of this family Web Site.  Continue to watch it as it changes almost weekly.

We are planning a repeat Goldwing vacation to Alaska in summer 2003.

Stay Healthy and God Bless!  . . . See you at Reunion 2003 - June 20 thru 23 . . .  Please send news for the Spring 2003 Issue by April 1, 2003.  congale@aol.com

Jim & Connie Gale