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

Interesting Documentary. "ANGRY PLANET - BURNING AUSTRALIA" People are BUILDING HOUSES UNDERGROUND TO AVOID THE HEAT AND WILDFIRES... Smart!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4581210/

Will climate change make Australia uninhabitable? What About The Rest of the World? We Are Already Experiencing Wildfires in ALL of the Western USA...

In this movie... they Follow storm chaser George Kourounis as he explores the now brutal Australian summer and imbeds with the firefighters battling one of the biggest bushfires in recent years.

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

We Need A LOT MORE Fire Fighting Helicopters and Airplanes. Simply Bring them Home From Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Behave SMART, Government!

We need to defend the USA from Wildfires. Every Year there will be fires in Colorado, Oregon, Washington and California... the entire West is Burning... and our Soldiers are Wasting their Time fighting a war that cannot be won for people that do not want us there. Bring 'em Home. I feel certain that the Soldiers would rather be home fighting fires that threaten their families and friends...

Imagine if we had a Thousand Helicopters dipping water from Oroville Lake and dumping it on Paradise. That would have saved lives and houses.

CDF Helicopter Dipping Water For Fighting Forest Fire

Adobe Houses are Very Energy Efficient and Quiet. Thick Mud Walls stay Cool in the Summer, Warm in the Winter. AND THEY RESIST FOREST FIRES...

When we rebuild Paradise and Santa Rosa, California it might be an Opportunity to Use Smart Design Ideas. I remember going inside the Mission Santa Clara on a Hot Summer Day... Built over 200 years ago, it has withstood Earthquakes.

Solar Powered Street Lights Would Save a LOT of Electricity Currently Being Generated in Coal, Natural Gas and Atomic Power Plants and Distributed Using the Grid. WASTEFUL and DANGEROUS... POWER LINES CAUSE FOREST FIRES.

Nothing NEW Needs to Be Invented... We Ought to Simply Replace the Millions of Old Style Street Lights... With Solar Cells and LED Lamps... The Concept of Generating Power in One Central Location and Distributing it to the User is Quite Wasteful... Some Electricity JUST VANISHES over the Long Distance... and DANGEROUS because the Wires Start Forest Fires... PG&E Power Company Just Burned the Entire Town Of Paradise, CA... and It Caused the Company to Go Bankrupt. Distributing Power From a Central Generator is an Obsolete Idea. What if Every House had Solar Panels on the Roof That Provided Enough Electricity to UNPLUG FROM THE GRID...

Commercial Solar LED Street Lighting: THERE ARE MANY MANUFACTURERS...   HERE IS ONE...
https://www.sepco-solarlighting.com/solar-street-lighting
and Here are another DOZEN...
https://cleanenergysummit.org/best-solar-street-lights/
Lighting for Streets and Roadways Provided by Sustainable Solar Power... SEPCO’s solar powered street lighting systems are an efficient means to provide lighting without the need for standard utility power. Every system provides cost savings by eliminating the need to trench standard electric wires for installation and providing no electric bill for the life of the system. Solar street lights have been installed on highways, freeways, neighborhood streets, rural roads, etc. and provide security, sustainability and an overall green image.

KIDS! Use Parental Controls to BLOCK Fox News on Your Grandparent's TV. It Causes High Blood Pressure and Increases RISK of Stroke and Heart Attack.

They will be Happier Without Evil People Shouting Danger-Danger! and Making them Worry About Things They Can't Do Anything About.  My own Father used to Yell at the TV... 

If you saw Grandpa Pointing A Gun at His Head, You Would Take it Away From Him Before He Got Hurt.  Fox's Marketing Strategy is HATE SPEECH FOR PROFIT!

MAKE AMERICA GRETA AGAIN Sticker for Sale. 

100% of My Profits will be Donated to Greenpeace...

https://www.greenpeace.org 

MAKE AMERICA GRETA AGAIN CLASSIC ROUND STICKER
by gregvan

https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/opinion/local-opinion-columnists/is-fox-news-hazardous-to-your-health/


China, If You're Listening... Investigate tRUMP and His Corrupt Family... The Trade War Will END When Elizabeth Warren Becomes President!

Most Voters are Young, Women, Minorities, College Graduates or Patriots. ALL of those Groups Vote Democratic. The Number of Racist Old White Men is VERY Small and Getting Smaller Every Day. They are Dying Off and Not Having Enough Republicrime Children to Replace Themselves... In General, Women Refuse to Have Sex With Republicriminals... OOOHHH! Too Freaking Creepy!

Millions of Trump Supporters #RUNAWAY from Mad King Donald. "He is Insane! Sure, I Voted for Him in 2016 but... I Woke Da Fork UP! #IMPEACH!" - says Benjamin Ghazi: Republicrime Strategist

Video: What IS Bubble Up Economics? a Short Film Explaining Why Raising the Minimum Wage to $15.00 per Hour would Benefit Everyone. Even the Rich...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kSBGRM3d2s 

Bubble Up Economics... Originally Proposed by Presidential Candidate William Jennings Bryan in the 1890s... He Lost to McKinley who was Shot by an Anarchistic... and Died... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Jennings_Bryan

What IS Bubble UP Economics and How Does it Work? Simply Raise the Minimum Wage to Fifteen Dollars an Hour. Then all Those people will spend the extra money in their paychecks at American Businesses. Increasing Profits. Making Stockholders Happy! Then those businesses will have to hire more people to handle the extra Customers. Decreasing Unemployment Insurance Payments. Everybody WINS! With EMPLOYMENT AT A JOB becoming a Viable Alternative to Selling Drugs for a Street Gang, Some teenagers will choose Employment... Reducing CRIME... Reducing Costs for Prisons... Reducing Costs for Law Enforcement... People will buy more food for their Children. Causing Better Health and Smarter Kids... Starvation is Not Good for Children's Brains... Farmers will sell More. Truckers will move more merchandise to stores. Increased Competition for Workers will cause Everybody's Wages to Go Up. All those Workers will pay more in Income Taxes... That would make the Government happy... Right NOW, we are having a National Debt Ceiling Crisis because the Government is Spending More that it Takes in with Taxes... Bubble UP Economics would reverse that trend... The Money Bubbles UP Through Every Layer of Society... With a rising tide, every boat floats! We Tried Ronald Reagan's "Voodoo" Economics and It Has Failed... "People" Say That Bubble UP! Economics WILL MAKE Employers LAY OFF Workers... However... Employers HAVE ALREADY LAID OFF EVERYONE THEY POSSIBLY CAN... Have you Ever Seen a Business where People Work There but Have Nothing To DO? Never! 

Who Could Possibly be Opposed to the JOY of Bubble UP! Economics? Well, there are people in this world that have COMPULSIVE HOARDING OF MONEY SYNDROME. It's a Mental Health Disease just Like The Crazy Cat Lady...

Trump-0-Nomics FAILED the 99% Embroidered Baseball Cap FOR SALE!

Awaken Americans! The Talking Heads on TV Keep on Saying that the Economy is "Booming" - BUT - That's only true for the SUPER RICH... We the People are Hurting BAD!

Trump-0-Nomics FAILED the 99% Embroidered Baseball Cap
by gregvan


Let's Suppose That You Truly Believe that Tea Cups Exist... and Water Exists... and Tea Exists... Well, You are Much More Likely to Get a Cup of Tea than Someone who Refuses to Believe in the Possibility of Tea. and... EVERYTHING IS LIKE THAT... Believe that it's Possible for You to ______________ (fill in the Blank) and you have Started on the Path to Achieving _____________ (fill in the Blank) - Sonya Sophia

Digital Yin Yang Earrings for sale.

Each Ear is Different with the Hexagon Yin Yang Opposite Color Scheme - Multiplying the Black/White Duality using Rainbows...

Digital Yin Yang Earrings
by gregvan

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

Former GW Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson

"President Richard Nixon demonstrated that the GOP could win with a message of White grievance. That dubious achievement somehow got lodged in Donald Trump’s brain as a political ideal. But this time it will lead his party toward eventual and deserved failure.

Amid the social turbulence of the late 1960s and early 1970s, many White people were convinced that American identity was being assaulted, diluted or corrupted. Some tried to blame African American rioters, radicals and “agitators.” Some placed the main responsibility on hippies, weak-kneed liberals and pointy-headed intellectuals. Nixon took such resentments and sent them into political battle.

The strategy made political (though not moral) sense. When Nixon announced the existence of a “silent majority” in late 1969 and employed the “Southern strategy” in two presidential elections, he had two things going for him. First, about 88 percent of the U.S. population was White. Second, the social disorders that Nixon decried were widespread. In July 1967 alone, there were riots in Newark (where 26 people died), Plainfield, N.J.; Minneapolis; Detroit (where 43 people were killed); and Milwaukee. After the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in early 1968, violence spread to more than 100 cities. In that demographic and social environment, appeals to “law and order” were often disturbingly effective.

It sometimes seems like Trump has just emerged from a time machine — fresh from a delightful strategy lunch with Vice President Spiro Agnew, an instructive discussion on campaign ethics with Attorney General John Mitchell and an editing session with speechwriter Pat Buchanan. Trump stokes fears that minorities will invade the suburbs, that migrants will steal jobs and rape women and that Muslim refugees are “Trojan horse” threats. He attacks journalists as “enemies of the people.” He tries to lump peaceful protesters with violent provocateurs. It is all very much like Nixon — without the intelligence, military service, governing experience or geostrategic insight.

Trump’s advocates cite some factors in their favor. They claim that the dislocation caused by globalization is the dry underbrush for their populist wildfire. And among White evangelicals, Trump has taken full advantage of the fear and resentment fueled by lost social status.

But this is not Nixon’s America. About 72 percent of the American population is now White, and more minority children than White children are being born each year. Even given recent events in Portland, Ore., and Chicago, the level of social disorder does not compare to the late 1960s. A solid majority of Americans supports the aims of the Black Lives Matter movement, rather than fearing (as Fox News’s Tucker Carlson charmingly put it) that it will “come for you.”

It is absurd to talk about White grievance politics as the wave of the political future. Republicans are now determining if the 2016 presidential election was the last time this message worked, or the second-to-last time. The stakes are high between those two possibilities. But the direction of American society toward greater diversity is not in doubt.

This recognition (or its absence) matters greatly to the immediate future of Republican politics at the national level. One faction of thinkers and prospective presidential candidates (such as Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton) believes that the Trump wave is the new, permanent level of the ideological tide. They seek to practice Trump’s grievance politics minus the crazy. But they underestimate how discredited this type of politics has become because of Trump’s cruelty and deadly incompetence — and how complete the public repudiation of the GOP is likely to be in November.

The Nixon/Trump practice of White grievance politics is just one Republican ideological option. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ronald Reagan reorganized the GOP message around the principle of economic opportunity, arguing for the moral achievements of democratic capitalism. Reagan disciples such as Jack Kemp turned a message of economic empowerment into an instrument of outreach.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, George W. Bush attempted to reconstitute the Republican message around the theme of community. Since human beings are shaped in the context of social institutions — such as families, neighborhoods and charitable organizations — compassionate conservatives sought ways to strengthen civil society.

These are the three elements of the modern Republican ideological triad: identity, opportunity and community. Contending that the last two are discredited or irrelevant is a ploy by Trump supporters and Trump’s liberal opponents to reduce Republican ideology to identity alone.

The appeal of opportunity is never spent because it is the economic expression of human creativity and institution building. The appeal of civil society is never finally exhausted because it emerges from our need for belonging and love. You might as well declare that the human kidney or liver is outdated.

The Trump occupation of the GOP is an intellectual and moral disaster. But there are paths of intellectual recovery beyond the ruins."

How Horrible it Must Be to Be a Conservative by Tom Nash - An Occupy Eureka Participant

Consider for a moment just how terrifying it must be to live life as a true believer on the right. Reality is scary enough, but the alternative reality inhabited by people who watch Glenn Beck, listen to Rush Limbaugh, or think Michele Bachmann isn’t a joke must be nothing less than horrifying.
In the real world, the rate of violent crime in the US is at the lowest point since 1968. It’s also true that 84 percent of white murder victims are killed by other whites. But if you watch Fox, on any given day you will see extensive coverage of any incident in which a black person harms a white person. These fit in with the narrative – advanced by people like Glenn Beck and Michael Savage that we stand on the brink of a race war, led by the New Black Panthers. Marauding “flash-mobs” of black teens are a near-obsession at many conservative outlets these days.
So be nice to conservatives. They are poorly informed, very frightened and well armed.

Tom Nash in the Rain at Occupy Eureka

~~~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~~~
I was proud of the troops today. by Tom Nash
As a patriotic American who loves his country with all my heart, I was crazy proud of the troops today. Amy Goodman played the statements made by the courageous soldiers who told the truth about what really happened in Iraq and Afghanistan at the NATO Summit. After eloquently speaking their hearts, they solemnly returned all the medals bestowed upon them for fighting in wars that they now know to be immoral.
Then I was so ashamed of the actions of the Chicago Police Department who savagely brutalized other patriotic citizens for having the temerity to stand up and speak out against the unholy abomination of these wars.
It is so sad to see how far we have strayed from the principles that this country was founded on.
https://www.facebook.com/tomnash56
BUSH, CHENEY GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES
Last week an international tribunal ended an extensive investigation and trial into the torture allegations brought against the Bush administration. It concluded that the Bush torture team (including Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush) is guilty of war crimes..
Despite considerable international media coverage of this trial, especially in Asia and the Middle East, the American media have been silent on this verdict.
https://www.facebook.com/tomnash56
Why the Occupy movement frightens the corporate elite:
What fosters revolution is not misery, but the gap between what people expect from their lives and what is offered. This is especially acute among the educated and the talented. When they feel, with much justification, that they have been denied what they deserve, they will set out to rectify this injustice. The longer the injustice festers, the more radical they will become.
https://www.facebook.com/tomnash56
An open letter to all patriotic Republicans,
On behalf of the Democratic Party, I am putting out the welcome mat any patriotic Republicans who are fed up with the regressive, belligerent, obstructionist, anti American and anti Christian policies of the current Republican Party. There is plenty of room over here for any true lovers of America.
You could be one of those Blue Dog Democrats. They are basically reasonable, conservative, decent Christian folks who believe that we can all work together to solve America's problems. They would probably be Republicans if they could tolerate the smell over there. Most of them are way more conservative than Dwight Eisenhower was.
Christian patriots are welcome to join us. All of the Democratic Presidents down through history have been good Christians. Despite what you hear on Fox News about Obama being an Islamic terrorist, he is actually a devout Christian who practices good family values. Jimmy Carter was even a born again Southern Baptist. And you Catholics who think that you have to ride the elephant, don't forget that the only Catholic president we've ever had was a Democrat.
What would Jesus do? He believed in healing the sick, feeding the poor, and over turning the tables of the money changers. He would be for Obama Care, MediCare, MediCal, FoodStamps, and Occupy Wall Street. He would surely be a democrat because we support things that he believed in.
So anyhow, come on over here and join the Democrats and we can all work together to undo all the damage to the country that has taken place since Ronald Reagan started screwing everything up. We are a pleasant Party who is friendly and inclusive of all Americans who love this country. We listen well and don't try and tell you what to think. We celebrate diversity and you will probably fit right in. We can rebuild the middle class back to those good ole days before trickle down economics. Even rich patriotic citizens would be wise to join us. When the middle class is healthy again, they will buy lots of crap and you can get even richer.
Your new Democrat friend,
Tom Nash
~~~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~~~
Patriotism is about supporting an America that provides opportunity for ALL Americans.
Those who earn tens of millions of dollars a year but pay less than 14 percent of their incomes in taxes, and argue the rich should pay even less, are not patriots.
Those who defend indefensible tax loopholes, such as the “carried interest” loophole that allows private-equity managers to treat their incomes as capital gains even if they risk no income of their own, are not patriots.
Those who avoid taxes by putting huge amounts of their earnings into IRAs via foreign tax shelters are not patriots.
Those who want to cut programs that benefit the poor — Food stamps, child nutrition, Pell grants, Medicaid — so that they can get a tax cut for themselves and their affluent friends— are not patriots.
Even when they wrap themselves in the flag, politicians who support these policies because they are in the pocket of wealthy donors who benefit from them are not patriots either.
~~~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~~~
Two Occupies by Tom Nash - Opinion Piece about Occupy Eureka Movement
Most of us are aware of the continuing occupy protest near our county courthouse.  What you may not know is that there are actually 2 separate occupations underway.  The one known at Occupy Eureka is composed of a core group of about 3-5 committed regulars.  They are occasionally joined a few semi-regulars and on special occasions by larger numbers local progressive activists. The members of the core group are polite, considerate and thoughtful patriotic citizens who deserve our collective admiration for their unwavering dedication to the betterment of America. You might disagree with their politics, but you should at least appreciate the sacrifice required to sit daily in quiet protest, rain or shine, because they believe that things have gone terribly wrong with our country.
The other occupy has no name. It is much larger than Occupy Eureka. They occupy the streets, parks, greenbelts and courthouse steps of our city 24 hours/day because they have no home to go home to. They are lost souls who have become untethered from American society. They are seldom appreciated nor often admired. They are less committed to lofty social causes and more dedicated to basic survival. They have always been a lightning rod for indignant social disapproval and castigation. Whether you choose to blame them or find fault in social inequity is a subject worthy of discussion, but not relevant to this letter. Suffice to say that most of our citizenry would prefer not to walk past, look at, or otherwise interact with these people.
My point is that the occupation of our public spaces by the homeless has very little to do with Occupy Eureka. That some of these people have chosen to exist, and sometimes misbehave, in the vicinity of the courthouse should not reflect on or influence ones view about Occupy Eureka. O.E. is a healthy counterbalance to the undue influence that moneyed interests have on our political discourse. The other occupation is a social issue that is not going away, even if they are driven from the courthouse steps.

Green New Deal Animation by AOC... "We Can Be Whatever We Have The Courage to See." and Naomi Klein with Teresa Mosqueda Interview on PIRATE TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=154tRR8UQ70

America Was Greatest in 1969. We Walked on the Moon, Danced at Woodstock and The BioWeapon AIDS Had Not Been Deployed Yet. MAKE AMERICA GROOVY AGAIN.

https://www.zazzle.com/make_america_groovy_again_embroidered_baseball_cap-233127261589788104

For more than twenty years, Naomi Klein has been the foremost chronicler of the economic war waged on both people and planet—and an unapologetic champion of a sweeping environmental agenda with justice at its center. Klein joins us at Town Hall with insight from On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal, a report from the front lines of contemporary natural disaster that offers prescient advisories and dire warnings of what future awaits us if we refuse to act—as well as hopeful glimpses of a far better future.

Jonathan Safran Foer: We Are the Weather

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr829gqDPow&t=127s

Chris Hedges: Corporate Totalitarianism: The End Game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBcOyv8LZ8s&t=51s

Find More FREE COLORING BOOK ART! 

at Google Image Search

using the Keywords: gvan42 free coloring book art

or click on this link!

https://tinyurl.com/gvan42

CLEAN AIR AND WATER ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO AMERICAN VOTERS and Trump is Causing a Disaster that will do Harm for Decades, maybe Hundreds of Years.

 His campaign consultants told him that he is unpopular with Young People and Women... Therefore, today he made a speech with Cabinet Secretaries Perry and Wheeler telling lies to the People of the USA about how wonderful their Environmental Policy is. FACT CHECK: IT IS NOT WONDERFUL! 

Trump defends withdrawal from Paris climate accord during speech on environmentalism...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3ZIKHNuKqA

Trump Supporters Chant: "Reality Does Not Exist!", "Reality Does Not Exist!", "Reality Does Not Exist!", "Reality Does Not Exist!", "Reality Does Not Exist!" and YET... PRAYER FAILS TO CURE TRUMP'S CORONAVIRUS. 

QAnon: Trump's Coronavirus Is a Bio-Weapon Invented by the US Military and Deployed to Harm China. But It Got Out of Control. BLOWBACK. https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2020/03/qanon-trumps-coronavirus-is-bio-weapon.html

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...