Patriots! Take Action to Beat Trump... If We Lose in 2024, Democracy Will End as Trump Has Already Announced that He Intends to be KING... and RULE Forever... His Children will Inherit the Throne... Here's What You Can DO to Save America From Trump!

If You Have Money, donate to Democratic Campaigns... 

CLICK HERE FOR BIDEN/HARRIS

and... Have private One on One Conversations with people you know that vote for Republicans... explain patiently that They Ought to Switch to Vote for Democrats because we PASS LAWS THAT BENEFIT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC... Instead of Doing EVIL... 

Share these Memes Worldwide... Remember: FaceBorg is Not the Only Social Media Website... Post These Memes EVERYWHERE!

Freedom Quest
by Peace thru ART by gregory vanderlaan

Painting of Rainbow Butterfly Wings 

designed to stand in front of for a selfie

 AND HERE'S SOME TEXT... Ya Gotta Have some text for the Google Search Algorithm to Chew on!
'm 63 yrs old and I have realized I still have so many unanswered questions! I never found out who let the dogs out... the way to get to Sesame Street... why Dora doesn't just use Google Maps... why we don't ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"... why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed... why "abbreviated" is such a long word... why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor yet dish-washing liquid is made with real lemons... why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections... and, why do you have to "put your two cents in" but it's only a "penny for your thoughts" where's that extra penny going to... why do The Alphabet Song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same tune... why did you just try to sing those two previous songs... and just what is Victoria's secret? ...and do you really think I am this witty ?? ... I actually stole this from a friend who stole it from a friend of her brother's girlfriend's Uncle's cousin's, baby mamma's Doctor...Now it is your turn to steal it from me... lol Enjoy the rest of your day! xx p.s copy and paste and dont forget to change your age! Hahahahahahahaha, needed a laugh today.

and then on FaceBorg SE Said:

With more and more stores requiring masks in order to enter, try to remember when smoking was first banned indoors. A lot of people were angry that they could no longer smoke wherever they wanted to smoke, and they felt that the smoking bans were a violation of their rights. But ultimately, smoking was considered a public health issue...and the right of people to breathe clean air in public spaces was considered more important than the right of people to smoke wherever they wanted to. Smokers are still free to smoke, but they have to keep the smoke away from others. Over the years, the smoking restrictions have become even more strict. In the early 2000's, people would stand right outside of an establishment and smoke, and people entering that establishment often had to walk through a cloud of smoke on their way in. But now, smokers are required to stand a certain distance from the entrance of any building while they smoke - 25 feet or 50 feet, I'm not sure which. But the point is, the health of the general public is considered more important than the "right" of a smoker to be able to smoke wherever they want. The same is true of wearing a mask. Right now we're in a public health emergency. Much like how a smoker can't just smoke wherever they want, people can't go wherever they want without a mask right now because it poses a health risk to the general public. You are free to walk around maskless outdoors away from others, and of course in your own home, yard, car, etc. - basically, the same places you can smoke - but when you are out in a public place around other people, think of it like the smoking laws. Public health takes priority in public spaces.

and I Replied:

Good Health Practices always make sense... Strange Event in my life... When I went to Quest Diagnostics Blood Test Company, Masks are No Longer Required! and they are in the medicine business!

and then She Said:

I was talking about getting some higher-quality sunglasses to help with my sensitivity to bright sunlight...so I got some!

These are my new Oakleys!

I've had several pairs of Oakleys in the past, but it's been a long time since I've had a pair of really good quality sunglasses...and what a difference it makes! I wore them on my drive home from the mall, and I couldn't believe the difference from the cheap sunglasses I was wearing before. I've been wearing cheap ones for so long, I had forgotten what a striking difference it makes to wear quality sunglasses. I hope I haven't done too much damage to my eyes by wearing cheap ones for so many years. My vision is a mess, but hopefully my cheap sunglasses haven't contributed to that.

I love my new Oakleys!

and then She Said:

There's a peach tree growing right along the street a couple blocks from where I live. It's on the curb strip, so not technically on anyone's property. I've picked peaches from it in the past, but I'm always a little nervous about doing that in case it actually does belong to the nearest house. But I've been eyeing it for a while, and it's loaded with peaches, and lately I've noticed that there are peaches all over the ground underneath the tree. So today I went over there and picked as many as I could, because apparently nobody else is picking them. I hope I don't show up on someone's Nextdoor video with the caption, "Does anyone know this woman who came and picked my peaches?!?" But there are still a TON more on the tree, because I could only get the ones I could reach. There are hundreds more still on the tree, and hundreds on the ground for the possums. I hope someone else picks the rest because it makes me sad to see beautiful fruit go to waste.

and I Replied:

EAT A PEACH... a Great record by the Allman Brothers... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eat_a_Peach

Go ahead and Pick all you want... it's a blessing that no one else is taking advantage of.

and she replied: 

I figure either I'll eat them or the squirrels will...and I'm sure the squirrels will get their fill with what's left. I'm just surprised nobody else has picked them.

and then She Said:

Just because it’s hot OUTSIDE, I never understand why businesses want to go so far to the other extreme on the INSIDE. The a/c should be on, of course, but why must it be so uncomfortably cold?!? We have no control over the temperature of this office. It’s just blasting icy cold air. Most businesses are like this, and I’ve never understood why nobody sets the a/c to a moderate temperature instead of a deep freeze. If it’s hot enough outside that I would wear shorts and a tank top, I don’t want to require heavy winter layers while I’m INSIDE. It would be nice if I could just wear my outside clothes inside and still be comfortable. At home I don’t crank the air to a deep freeze because I want to be COMFORTABLE in my home. Comfortable means much cooler than outside, but not uncomfortably cold. I really wish businesses would do the same so people could wander in and out of places without the temperature difference being a shock to the system.

What's The Difference Between Rush Limbaugh and The Hindenburg? One is a Flaming Nazi Gasbag and the Other is an Aircraft!

I'm Glad Rush is Dead. CrazyTalk® Hate Speech is Evil... 

But We All Can Learn From His Mistake. 

Smoking Tobacco Causes Cancer... Awaken!

Rush Died From Lung Cancer Caused by Smoking Tobacco

Great Book: "How the Right Lost Its Mind" by Charles Sykes - Explaining Trumpism and how reasonable people became rabid dogs... Trump's Secret Prisons Might be coming for YOU and ME NEXT...

Once at the center of the American conservative movement, bestselling author and radio host Charles Sykes is a fierce opponent of Donald Trump and the right-wing media that enabled his rise.

In How the Right Lost Its Mind, Sykes presents an impassioned, regretful, and deeply thoughtful account of how the American conservative movement came to lose its values. How did a movement that was defined by its belief in limited government, individual liberty, free markets, traditional values, and civility find itself embracing bigotry, political intransigence, demagoguery, and outright falsehood? How the Right Lost its Mind addresses:
*Why are so many voters so credulous and immune to factual information reported by responsible media?
*Why did conservatives decide to overlook, even embrace, so many of Trump’s outrages, gaffes, conspiracy theories, falsehoods, and smears?
*Can conservatives govern? Or are they content merely to rage?
*How can the right recover its traditional values and persuade a new generation of their worth?

https://www.amazon.com/How-Right-Lost-Its-Mind/dp/1250147174

National Debt at HIGHEST LEVEL since WW2. Trump is BANKRUPTING THE COUNTRY. Now The Republicrimes want to cut Social Security, Medicare and Food Stamps.

Their Tax Cut for the Rich Law has CAUSED Debt to Spiral Out of Control... Increasing Spending on the Military plus less taxes collected = insanity.

Did anyone else notice that Trump and Hitler have similarities? Building Secret Prisons for Minority Groups... Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945... Detention Centers for Immigrant Children Along the U.S.–Mexico Border

Blame the Jews for all Germany's problems... Blame the Mexicans for all of America's Problems...

Have giant rallies with lots of shouting... Heil Drumpf! Heil Drumpf!

Build camps for Jews... Build Camps for Mexicans...

Trump's Tariffs CAUSE Harley Davidson to move factory to Thailand. Jobs Lost in America. Stock Market declines due to Trump's Tariffs....

Harley shifting production overseas to address EU tariffs

https://www.biztimes.com/2018/ideas/government-politics/harley-shifting-production-overseas-to-address-eu-tariffs/

Pentagon to build Secret Prisons for 20,000 people... First they will house Immigrant Children... and then... Will they house journalists? Democrats? Protesters?

Pentagon Agrees to Provide Space for 20,000 Migrant Children

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/06/21/pentagon-agrees-provide-space-20000-migrant-children.html

Pentagon asked about housing 20K migrant children at military bases

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/393531-pentagon-asked-to-house-up-to-20000-migrant-children-at-military-bases

Memories of my Father, Justin Duff (Van) Vanderlaan and Stories of Los Gatos, Saratoga, CA - Family Photographs and Emails

One of the things Dad and I loved to do (in his Eighties) was to sit on a bus stop bench and have significant conversations. He always ended the conversation by asking the question. "Did we solve the problems of the world today?" Our favorite place was in "The Heart of the Willows". We sat very close to the school Mom went to as a child. There was an excellent coffee shop (Le Boulanger) and we would get some to go and talk for hours at the corner of Lincoln and Minnesota Ave. It was a warm and sunny place. Willow Glen is a part of Our Family for Generations. Especially Mom's side. I lived there, too. 

Justin Duff Vanderlaan
and my sister in law Beth Deahl

Another place we liked to sit on a park bench was overlooking The Mouth of the Mad River near Arcata, California. We sat on the top of the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and could hear the seals bark. It is actually quite difficult to find The Mouth of the Mad as the location changes constantly. Victoria, Dad and I took a short level hike and she left us to sit on the park bench to "Solve the problems of the World." 

Gregory, Vanessa, Nicole and Justin Vanderlaan

During the last decade of his life we communicated using email about 3 times a week. Often it was about the weather or the Goddamn Computer but it was some contact. We would have debates, recommend books, choose winners on the stock market... I remember recommending that he buy Varian and it went up. Playing the Stock Market with Dad was fun.

Nicole, Vanessa and Martin Vanderlaan

Justin Vanderlaan, Bonita Post and Nicole Vanderlaan

Justin and Martin Vanderlaan

Hi all,

Vanessa and Patti have been working on a hoop skirt, petticoat and supporting hoops for "appropriate attire" for the Dickens Faire at the Cow Palace yesterday.  It all came together as you can see in the dressing photos.

Marty

Vanessa and Patti Post Vanderlaan

Vanessa Vanderlaan at the Dicken's Faire at the Cow Palace in San Francisco Modeling a Home Made Hoop Skirt made by Patti Post Vanderlaan

EMAILS Written by My Father:

Dear Martin & Patti & Greg:

      The other day I noticed on the blue table in the kitchen a hand  

held fire extinguisher.  I went down to the fire house on Winchester,  

and asked if they thought it needed to be recharged, since it has been  

in the house for 50 years.  They said absolutely!,  but had no  

recommendations as to where it could be done. (they are not allowed to  

recommend private companies}.  I went to the hardware and bought  

another for less than 15 Dollars.  They said to call the County about  

safe disposal.  I looked them up in the phone book, and the only place  

is in Sunnyvale, along the  bay, so I made a reservation for Today at  

10 am.  I talked to someone at Rotary on Tuesday, and they advised me  

that the County charges $20 for disposal of hazardous materials.  

Friday, I called and cancelled my appointment.  Later that day I  

received an unsolicited letter saying that the hazardous materials  

section of the County was having a free disposal in Los Gatos on  

Saturday morning, so I went down this morning and gave them the  

extinguisher.  No problem!  Dad

Dear Greg:

      I have now completed giving to you 20,000 dollars worth of 

General Electric Stock.  These shares are yours.  You can do with them 

as you please.  If you wanted to sell them etc, contact Edward Jones & 

co.  They hold the stock certificates for you.  The dividends will be 

mailed directly to you from the Jones office in New York.  My feeling 

was 1. to reduce my taxable estate, 2. give you some dividend paying 

stock, which is sure to continue paying dividends no matter what the 

state of the U.S. economy.  Happy New Year.  Dad

Greg: (about his trip to Eureka)

      While there I went on two bus trips with local guides.  The one 

after we left company toured all the old houses in town, and the guide 

explained who had lived there and why the architecture was unique. 

Quite enlightening.  Then the guide dropped off in town.  This might 

be something you and Vic would find interesting.  I sure the Chamber 

of Commerce knows when trips are available for locals.  The other went 

to Lolita, and basically told me what you had already commented on, 

with some additional comments on a flood a few winters ago.  Then it 

went on to the Redwoods , with a good lecture  on the trees.  The 

guide dropped off in some small town just South of there.  Dad

I told the family... 
We met at the Bear River Casino where he was staying at their hotel. It is on a hill overlooking the Eel River Valley. Home of many dairy farms... Mild climate and plenty of rain makes this an Ideal place to live if you are a cow or a Dairy Farmer. We drove around the Eel River Valley looking at the cows, mountains and Victorian Ferndale. My new Ford Winstar Van is a great place to sit and view the world passing by. BIG windows in front and warm. It's too cold outside to walk around comfortably.

Then we visited the Loleta Cheese Factory. The vast majority of out time was spent talking. We went out to lunch at Eureka's Village Pantry, my favorite restaurant. Then viewed some construction sites. Federal funding has allowed the city to build many new buildings on the waterfront. Then we met up with the bus and he re-joined his tour. 

They went to The Trucker's Christmas Parade... Lights on 18 wheeler trucks...

Greg:

       I am home safe & sound.  Everything we went well.  We saw the parade across from the Safeway parking lot.  Safeway full, but, our bus driver persuaded to gas station owner to let us see it  from the bus, (good view)  Were we ever lucky that you saw the bus at the bay front parking lot.  We might have  hell of a time finding it, because they left shortly thereafter and roamed around Eureka looking at the old houses.  You might have ended taking me back to the hotel.  God guys get the breaks sometime.  At 93 (the 19th), one never knows how long we have together.  Enjoyed my visit with you.   Dad

Email written by Cousin Dian Combs of Baltimore. 

Hi Marty & Patti,

Good to hear from you. Adorable picture of Cadence with her Aunt Vanessa!! Nice to catch up on the family news. Glad to hear Nicole and Brodie are having another child, I've always enjoyed having a brother. Speaking of my brother George, he now has a great grandson and soon to have a great granddaughter!! How about that! I had wanted my sons to marry and have children, but it wasn't in the cards, at least I have my stepson and his family (wife, 11 yr. old daughter & 3.5 yr old son) and my stepdaughter (who is not married anymore, but has 2 daughters, one about to turn 11 and the other 6) These are my grandchildren and I love them as much as if they were from my sons.

I've been very busy with real estate and may never retire!! Because I like to go on vacations with my friends. This year we flew to Boston, then cruised up to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, then spent 2 days in Boston. This coming April we are going to Cabo San Lucas on the Baja coast, then I am flying up to California and if you folks are in town in early May, maybe I can visit?

Your Dad is amazing! He has good genes! Hopefully you and Greg got those genes!! Would love to visit with him too.

Got to run, have an appt for my 'fun job', I'm with a small theatre group in my neighborhood and we are putting on another play which starts 12/14 and runs through 1/13/13, this time I'm just helping out with the lobby area. Last show in October I did all the props, moving them on and off stage in between acts, etc. It was exhausting but rewarding.

Hope to see you soon, Love, Dian

Martin Wrote:

Hi Dad, Nicole, and Greg,

 

As per our usual habbit, Vanessa and I celebrated my birthday by going to a Cal Bears football game.  This time it happened to be a night game (the TV Gods decide that) against Oregon, probably the best team in the nation.  The new stadium is great.  A very nice improvement.  We went early enough to walk around Berkeley a bit and explore the new stadium.  Then we watched the game and boy was it COLD.  We both had thermal underwear on under our jeans and ski jackets, hand hats and gloves.  Still cold.  We eventually left early in the 4th quarter, with Cal behind 45-17. 

 

Vanessa has a long time friend from the Lair, who is now a sophomore at Cal, and plays trombone in the band.  They were able to meet up during the 3rd quarter.  She looked very good in her band uniform. 

 

Took BART both ways - standing room only both ways.  Lots of riders with Green and Gold "O"s and Blue and Gold, too.  All and all a good evening, but I went to bed in my thermal underwear and sweatshirt to try to get warm. 

 

Go Bears,

M

Vanderlaan Family Collage for Dad's Coffee Cup.
Gregory, Marguerite, Justin, Vanessa, Nicole, Martin, Patty, Victoria, Brodie and Patty's Mom, Bonita.

Vanderlaan Family Chart
Click on the Picture to See it Bigger.

Dad told me that it's pretty easy to predict which horse will win the race, but then you spend your whole life at Bay Meadows. Not a great way to live. 

Brodie Smith, Nicole Vanderlaan Smith, Cadence and Reese

I remember Dad bought a book on Amazon and had it shipped to me called "Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America" by Senator James Webb. An insightful book about our ancestors. He also bought "The Kite Runner" by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. An autobiography. Part of the book takes place at the San Jose Flea Market where the Author met his wife. 

****** (~);-} ******

I remember that the Swings at Oak Meadow Park were Taller than Standard Swings. There was a Metal Bar in the shape of an Arc that held the Chains. I would crawl over That Bar. I also swung as High as I Could and then JUMPED! Hurt to land but I did not break any Bones... so I did it again. 

I remember The Slot Car Racetrack on Main Street Near the High School. 1970. It was as large as a Basketball court. You rented a Car and Put it on the slot and there was a controller that regulated how fast the car went. Go too fast and the Car Flipped... 

When I went to West Valley Junior College I Took a Class in Architectural Scale Model Building. I took Blueprints of a Cabin my Father was having built on North Shore, Lake Tahoe and Built an Accurate Scale Model of it. Dad showed it to his friends and clients... Just to explain what he was having Built... In Retrospect, THAT would have been an EPIC Career... Building Models... Mostly the Professional Career Path was building Models of Oil Refineries... as a way to CHECK if the design was accurate... much cheaper to find errors on a Model than actually build the real thing and find out, OOPS! ---- During the Free time I Had Between Classes I went to the Library and Drew Pictures, Cartoons, Designs ART... while wearing Headphones... My Favorite was 'Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin... Astonishing on Headphones because of a lot of Left-Right Ping Ponging and Phase-Shifter Effects on the Drums... Try it!

Fred Capp: I also took that class and another one when I was studying at UA Fairbanks. This came in handy when I was working for a company that was supposed to build a parking garage and we couldn't quite make out where what was supposed to be. The thing simply had no level floors and no one had ever seen that design before. I was able to build the model (a rough one as I was both out of practice and lacking in certain materials) and we could see just what the designer wanted.

I did build a Scale Model at work when I was at Analytics Communications Systems in McLean Virginia. We were selling a Computer that Did Not Exist yet and so the Advertising Department took a Photo of my model and we pretended to have a Product..  Sadly, the glue came apart and a corner of the model separated... and the Photo in the Ad Looked like a Fake Scale Model... OOPS... We didn't get that contract. However, I did get to go visit a Giant scale model factory when we were selecting if we wanted to do the work in house or hire professionals to make the model. That Company did Models for the Smithsonian. EPIC Dioramas...  

I remember buying a slice of Redwood Burl at That Store/Gallery on Highway 9 directly across the Street from San Lorenzo High School. We were taking a Stained Glass Window Making Class at West Valley Junior College Night School. I made a Red Rose Framed by that Burl... and it hung in the Window of my Father's House for decades... and... I noticed the ERROR I made in the construction of that window... and it bugged me for about 10 seconds every time I saw it... I also made a Clock from a slice of Burl... and It hung in the Living Room... The School was right next door to a drive in Movie Theater and at Night we could walk over and see the movies without paying. Saw "Carrie" there... My Father Bought a Stained Glass Window for His Office from Mike Coolie... a Business Expense and Fully Tax Deductible because it Had the Name J.D.Vanderlaan - Realtor Etched into the window...