History of Silicon Valley: Almaden - IBM's Successful Utopia. Near San Jose, California IBM built an IDEAL WORLD in 1956, Later, Silicon Valley was Built and The Light Rail Connected Almaden to The Rest... All the Way to NASA/Lockheed.

Far out in the farmlands south of town, IBM built a disk drive factory in the Late 50s. They wanted to attract the world's finest talent so the built nice houses, shopping centers, a golf course, tennis club and swimming pool. This self contained utopia had everything a family could want... It is still there and functioning beautifully. Come visit sometime... it's wonderful.

Later, the entire city of San Jose became interested in computers. Silicon Valley was born.

I used to Draw These Sketches while I was Attending Meetings at Work... It Used to Annoy The Boss... That I Had The Ability to Draw and Listen and Understand and Comment ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

Satellite Photo of Almaden. 

Many Houses have backyards on the golf course.

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Some thoughts on Almaden: [Written by my Father]

     When the white men came to this area,  Spaniards primarily, they discovered that the local indians had colorful paint on their skins.  This was traced to the Almaden Valley, up in the hills, where mines of red substance was discovered.  When gold was discovered in the Sierras it was determined that the colorful material in the Almaden foothills was mercury.  Mercury had the capability of extracting gold from the rocks, so was greatly used in gold mining.  This led to miners living in the Almaden valley, and the nearby valley floor.

     The Valley floor was mainly developed into ranches, orchards and vineyards, as well as  strawberry fields from 1850 to after World War 2.  T hen The Santa Clara valley became the home of manufacturing of mechanical and electronic equipment, and then "Sillicon Valley", with the coming of IBM to the south Valley. During my working life here, the valley floor was slowly developed into housing tracts, Shopping centers, schools, etc. Lots of work!

     This ultimately extended into the Almaden Valley.  I worked as a surveyor and at a Title Company during this period, and it still continues; but not at that frantic pace.  Japanese farmers would buy a parcel of land in the outskirts of Willow Glen.  Plant strawberries, for 5 years, when the soil was over-used.  Sell the 20 acres to a homebuilder, at a big profit, move 5 miles further south, and repeat the process.  How fortunes were made in those days.  Marguerite and I were also able to buy a small parcel here and there, which enabled us to build this house.  Van [J. D. Vanderlaan]

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I [Gregory] remember swimming at Almaden when our team, The Los Gatos Swim & Racquet competed with theirs. The Polol was Up on a Hill with a Great View of the Orchards and The City of San Jose in the Distance. I believe my father sold some land to build a shopping center in Almaden. Oakridge? Almaden Fashion Plaza? I worked as a Bagboy at a P&W Super in that area also. Dad sold that land. On some days in the Summer the Air Pollution was so bad that I could not see Mount Umunhum... about 5 miles distant... They Leaded Gas was Outlawed and the Smog got a lot better. 

A Bruce Ave, Los Gatos neighbor remembers...  Mark Diaz said That His Father worked at IBM. Mark went on the day that Nikita Khrushchev visited. I can understand that the president of the USSR wanted to be taken to the most advanced computer factory in the world... as an example of the success of capitalism... Interesting to Realize that IBM Searched the World for Talented People. Mr Diaz Came from Nicaragua. 

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Milestones of Invention:

1956 - FIRST MAGNETIC HARD DISK. IBM introduces the world's first magnetic hard disk for data storage. RAMAC (or Random Access Method of Accounting and Control) offers unprecedented performance by permitting random access to any of the million characters distributed over both sides of 50 two-foot-diameter disks. Produced in San Jose, California, IBM's first hard disk stored about 2,000 bits of data per square inch and had a purchase price of about $10,000 per megabyte. By 1997, the cost of storing a megabyte had dropped to around ten cents.

1970 - RELATIONAL DATABASES. IBM scientist Ted Codd published a paper introducing the concept of relational databases. It calls for information stored within a computer to be arranged in easy-to-interpret tables so that nontechnical users can access and manage large amounts of data. Today as we approach the new millennium, nearly all database structures are based on the IBM concept of relational databases.
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Almaden Wine is famous worldwide. No longer grown in Almaden, it's grown and bottled in the central valley of California... We cut down all the vineyards to build houses.
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Sources:

http://www.research.ibm.com/about/past_history.shtml

http://www.research.ibm.com/labs/almaden/
http://www.almaden.ibm.com/history/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Almaden_Research_Center

Official Website of the Almaden Swim and Racquet Club: http://www.asrc.org/index.html
Official Website of the Almaden Golf and Country Club: http://www.almadengcc.org/

Lightrail Service:
Commuter Trains run from Almaden to San Jose, Santa Clara all the way to Mountain View.
http://www.vta.org/services/light_rail_services.html

List of interesting things to do in Silicon Valley: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_attractions_in_Silicon_Valley

When I was working at System Industries in Santa Clara, California (1976) the owner of the company (Dr. Edwin Zschau) went to Japan to learn how to run a business.

They were doing very well in comparison to USA companies and there was a lot of interest in learning why. So we adopted many oriental concepts and implemented them in our business. One thing was that we had a company song. We had a birthday meeting every month and we would all sing the company song.

Lyrics:
"System, System Industries, Here we go, Hand in hand.
Solving Data Mysteries for the betterment of man."

Another thing we did was take a two hour lunch so we could exercise. I swam at the Santa Clara International Swim center with my wife. She was working the Graveyard shift at National Semi-conductor so we met twice a day. Lunch and evenings.
We had many people from foreign countries working there. When Dr. Zschau went to Japan he hired many Japanese people. Immigrants made our company better. That was a universal fact of life about Silicon Valley... The brightest engineers worldwide came here for work. I had a neighbor from Nicaragua who came to work at IBM. And another Engineer I knew came from Germany at the end of WW2 to work at Lockheed. Very Common.

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

Another time in Santa Clara we participated in a "Car Rally". Everyone would meet at a starting location then we were given a series of clues as to where to go next. One clue was "Go to a street named for a part time orchestra leader." We were supposed to figure out the puzzle and navagate to checkpoints. The answer to that clue was "Semi-conductor Blvd"... semi meaning part time and conductor is the leader of an orchestra. This was all part of the California Car Culture.

Read more of my Auto-Biography at: http://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/03/growing-up-in-los-gatos-california-in.html

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

A discussion on our Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/105559162879359/
I said:


Almaden: IBM's Successful Utopia. I remember competing with the LG Swim and Raquet Club against the Almaden Swim and Raquet Club. I worked in Almaden as a bag boy at P&W Super and in the 1990's lived in one of the original Homes built for Employees of the Disk Drive Factory. Do you remember Almaden?

David Gee: I started out on stage in Old Almaden at a venerable place called "The Opry House". I love that part of Northern Cal.

Greg Vanderlaan: I went to a show at that house but cannot find any mention of it on Google. Is it still there? I went with Mom and Dad to see a stage play or musical.

David Gee: I'm not sure, Greg. I was contacted about a re-union last year -one I couldn't attend -and it was being held in San Jose so, my guess is, it's probably gone.

Greg Vanderlaan: Now that David Gee tells me the Name, The Opry House, it's easy to find on Google: http://www.newalmaden.org/AQSPark/newalmmus.html

Mark C. Rodell: The novel Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner is, in part, set in Almaden. A very fine novel. http://www.amazon.com/Repose-Penguin-Classics-Wallace-Stegner/dp/0141185473 Perhaps no American writer knew the West as well as Stegner, not excepting his student Edward Abbey. An inveterate hiker and explorer, he camped or walked nearly every area in the West. He wrote innumerable books about the West and took time to visit every spot he wrote about.

Barbara Lynn: My mom (Nancy Lynn) was in many a melodrama at the Opry House in Old Almaden. Run for many years by Clyde (or is it Clive? ) & Gilda Dayton. After The Opry House, the Daytons had a melodrama theater on the wharf in Monterey. Might still be there.

Debi Thompson-Boring: Is that the place where they encouraged throwing popcorn?

Barbara Lynn: Yep!

Debi Thompson-Boring: LOVED going there!

Debi Thompson-Boring: (so I probably saw your mom LOL)

Barbara Lynn: Kinda hard to NOT notice my mom! She was meant for melodramas!

David Gee: I think it was Cleeve Dayton, Barbara. A wonderful guy. There also was Lanny Huck and Linda Nantell. Man, them was some good times.

Barbara Lynn: Yes....Cleeve! Son, Keed (I think)...What years were you involved, David?

David Gee: I've been in touch with Keed here on Facebook. He went to LG High. I started underage in '73 and played there until I left for college in '75.

Barbara Lynn: Oh.....way after my mom. She was there in the mid-late 60's. I think I was even in one, one summer. Theater is always a family affair. My dad, being an engineer, did sound. Mom moved on to the Haunted Woods...But she had always been involved in local community...she's still trying to get me to find her "one last play" to be in. (She's 88) Old drama majors don't "go into the night" easily!

David Gee "Driving Miss Nancy "?

Barbara Lynn Well.....it WOULD be all about HER! That's my mom!
Oops....I might be getting myself in trouble!

Holly Russ Smelt: Debi Thompson-Boring- might you be thinking of the gaslight theater in Campbell? They encouraged throwing of popcorn during the melodramas they staged

Barbara Lynn: Yes, they did, but I think it started at the Opry House...or maybe they're just blending together...my mother finally gave a lot of her costumes to the one in Campbell. That's gone, now, too.

Jackie Hinds Barbara Lynn: I'm in your Mom's age group so guess I saw her at the Opry House. fyi my uncle Gene Allen owned the mines during WWll. He had a horse ranch on what is now the Country Club and sub divisions. Almost like a different world back then.

Terry Zimbelman Titus: @ Greg- I remember Almaden- I worked in the Almaden Fashion Plaza at the Joseph Magnin's store! 1971-1972 ish

Robert R Roche: and he's still a bag boy !

Greg Vanderlaan: Dear Jackie Hinds, I am interested in hearing more about what it was like before the IBM Factory was built.

Greg Vanderlaan: I see that there was a tradition of Chinese Pottery dyed red with cinnabar (mercury). Barry Hill and I did a science project in "Senior Lab" studying the effect of mercury poisoning on brine shrimp. It Kills them. It must be poisonous to eat out of a bowl or teacup.

Holly Russ Smelt: My brothers were friends with Barry and Allen Hill.

David Gee Greg, I vaguely remember a field trip we took out of Fisher or LGHS to Almaden where we were introduced to an ancient native tribe of the area that used cinnabar in its rituals.
15 hours ago via mobile · Edited · Like · 1

Greg Vanderlaan: My dad says it is dangerous to swim in the Almaden Reservoir... But both Mom and Dad swam there... for decades... Mom lived in Willow Glen as a Child and Dad lived in Los Gatos... We shouldn't really worry to much about danger when it's a hot day... I swam there too.

Dan LeCount: I remember swimming in Almaden and fishing for crawdads,very muddy

Dennis Fleming: There was an old woman who had built and run a tiny museum out there. I intereviewed her once in college. Very eccentric, but very cool. Wonder what ever happened to all that stuff.

Barbara Lynn: The museum has been expanded, and is a great place for 3rd & 4th grade field trips. A wonderful source of local history.

Ginny Lenoir Smith: old almaden out by the mercury mines was cool... my dad worked for ibm, we always pretended that meant i poop.....

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

I remember Going to West Valley Junior College in Saratoga, CA and Learning Electronics Drafting. After Studying for One Year I Was Able to Get a Job at System Industries...

I have always loved to Draw and EARNING A LIVING doing something you love to do is BLISS... I Remember occasions when the Sun was Shining in the Window and I was Designing a Printed Circuit Board and AT THAT MOMENT I Attained True Enlightenment (or Something)... What the Buddhists Call Right Livelihood... 

However, "They" invented Computer Assisted Design and The Companies I worked for could hire people for HALF MY RATE OF PAY... and so I switched to SALES... But It Was Fun While It Lasted... 

NOW, as a Retired Person I spend a Lot of Time drawing my FREE COLORING BOOK... Black and White drawing that people May Print out and Color using Felt Pens, Pencils or Crayons... You can find more art at Google Image Search Keywords "gvan42 Free Coloring Book"

Meetings with Remarkable Men - In Silicon Valley. Dr Edwin Van Wyck Zschau - President of System Industries

I started working for Dr Zschau in 1975 and we built Disc Drive Controller Cards. We had a company Song that we Sang at Staff Meetings... Lyrics: 'System, System Industries... Here we go... Hand in Hand... Solving Data Mysteries... For the Betterment of Man.' He also worked at IBM and represented California's 12th District in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1987.

On Family Day at the Factory, Mom and Dad took a Personal Guided tour with Dr. Zschau. The three of them had a fine time as my parents had never been in a room with a dozen disc drives spinning. Each one the size of a Washing Machine. It sounded like the Generator Room at Hoover Dam, but quieter.

Control Data Corporation Disc Drive

The reason we had a Company Song is that Dr Zschau had just gone to Japan and he wanted to Incorporate their Business Practices in our Company. First, he hired 20 People from Japan and brought them over to Run the Silonix Division. Then he instituted 'recommended' exercise lunches of two hour duration. I often went swimming at the Santa Clara International Swim Center with my First Ex-Wife who worked the Graveyard Shift at National Semiconductor.

In the Machine Shop there were two Boxing Punching Bags. If anyone felt stress at work, they could go punch the bags.
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My Immediate Supervisor was Dan Aragaki, a Harley Davidson Riding, Martial Artist. Yes, I Simply Did what Dan told me to do Instantly Because... Not only was his Advice Correct, but I was Scared of the Man. (Or maybe that was Respect)

Ben Yamada made Elegant Clay Sculptures of the Ink Jet Printer Silonix was Inventing.

Aman Kawaja supervised the Assembly Line and Inspired the Ladies to Work Faster with Giant Charts on the Wall Tracking Production. 100% of the Assemblers were Female in 1975. They were better at hand eye coordination and manipulation of tiny objects than men.

David Yamada created Printed Circuit Board Artwork on Mylar using Black Chartpak Tape.  He also liked to go Helicopter Skiing in Canada. A Helicopter flew him to the Top of the Mountain in Banff, and David Skied Down.

Steve Wakasuki Refused to be Hurried at Work. He also created PCB Artwork also and no matter how much pressure Middle Management put on him to finish the drawings Quickly, he simply ignored them. Quality First.

Jesus Del Real was the Draftsman who sat next to me and did most of my training. I learned How to Draw the Drawings associated with PCB Manufacture from Jesus. When I moved to Washington DC the next year, my portfolio got me two job offers in one day. Thank You, Jesus!

I accepted the Job Offer from Major Paul Jones USAF and worked at Analytic Communications Systems for six years. Project TEMPEST.

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The Title of this Blog Post was Pirated from the Book by G. I. Gurdjieff.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meetings_with_Remarkable_Men
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Another Autobiography by a Co-worker Ray:
http://whiteworld.com/cyreenikland/books/surfing/surf-03e.htm

Newspaper Articles:
http://articles.latimes.com/1986-06-29/news/mn-381_1_system-industries

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/21/business/business-people-a-son-of-silicon-valley-back-from-capitol-hill.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/1993-05-09/ed-zschau-doesnt-fit-big-blues-mold-and-thats-the-point

Alumni Page Princeton:
http://www.princeton.edu/paw/archive_new/PAW04-05/09-0223/features3.html
Professor Ed Zschau ’61 serves as guru to budding entrepreneurs
By Jordan Paul Amadio ’05

It is the last day of class before winter break, and 65 seniors are mesmerized by a professor in a Bugs Bunny tie. For the past hour, he has been recounting the details of his autobiography — studying physics and philosophy at Princeton, running a $6 billion division of IBM, founding two technology companies, winning a congressional seat in California. Suddenly, the lecturer pauses. Smiling to himself, he continues an end-of-semester tradition inaugurated four decades earlier, when he was Stanford Business School’s 24-year-old faculty wunderkind. Without warning, professor Ed Zschau ’61 begins to sing.

A Japanese Webpage Selling Stuff Online Using Copied and Pasted Data from Wikipedia as Clickbait... They Fool the Google Search Engine into thinking that this webpage is worthy, then advertise all kinds of 'wonderful' but useless products:

But they had a Great Photo for me to Pirate.

Picture of a PDP-11. Our Cards served as an Interface between Mini Computers and Disc Drives.

The Ultimate Goal was to Store Medical Information about Patients on Computers so it could be Easily Distributed between Doctor's Offices and Hospitals.

Sadly, HIPPA Regulation Prevents the Easy Distribution of Medical Information.

****** (~);-] ******

Planned Cities are vastly better than unplanned cities. The Joy of Columbia Maryland, Almaden and Scotia, CA and Reston, VA

I have had the joy of living in Columbia, Maryland and Almaden, California. I worked in Reston, Virginia and have visited Scotia, California.

Columbia is an example of a truly outstanding design. It is based on small "pods" of homes and businesses that are interconnected by bike trails and roads. Every home is within walking distance of stores that sell basic necessities. This becomes crucial during snowstorms when all the roads are undriveable. Designed by James Rouse. It is home to the Merriweather Post Pavilion concert venue in Symphony Woods. Across the street is a Shopping Mall and Lake Kittamaqundi... sail boats and canoes for rent. Columbia is home to Howard Community College and Hobbit's Glen golf course. Yes, he planned for everything... and it's all within biking distance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia,_Maryland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Rouse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Kittamaqundi
http://www.merriweathermusic.com/

Almaden: During the 1960s IBM built a disk drive factory in the rural farmland near San Jose, California. Then they build homes for the employees, a golf course and a swim and racquet club. They believed that they could attract a higher quality employee if the living conditions were ideal. It worked. The concept of a the database was invented there. One of those truly epic ideas...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almaden_Valley,_San_Jose,_California

Reston was a city built by Robert E Simon. Note his initials in the name of the city. Located near Dulles Airport it is a popular location for corporations. It is easy to fly into Dulles and take a taxi to a meeting. Having an airport close by was convenient for shipping our finished products to the customers. I worked for a defense subcontractor and Reston is close to the Pentagon and Washington, DC. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reston,_Virginia

Scotia was built for the employees of The Pacific Lumber Company. Their plan was to harvest 1% of the trees every year and plant a new tree for every one harvested. That "100 year plan" was designed to ensure that there would be work for the mill employees forever. In a hundred years, the new trees would have grown up and be big enough to harvest again. Sadly, Charles Hurwitz used junk bonds to do a hostile takeover of the company, cut down all the profitable trees, looted the pension fund, hid the money in Texas and then declared bankruptcy. Now the company has been purchased by the Fischer family and they have returned to sustainable logging.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotia,_California
http://www.jailhurwitz.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Fisher

There is a lovely coloring book of The Headwaters Forest.
Link: http://www.jailhurwitz.com/pdfs/hfcb_cover.html

On a personal note: If you and your friends drive over Blossom Hill Road from Los Gatos, California at night and you put Pink Floyd's "Division Bell" CD in the stereo... when you crest the hill and can look down on the sparkling lights of the city of Almaden... the band sings...

The grass was greener The light was brighter With friends surrounded The nights of wonder

 it's all true and a really emotional experience...
You see, it appears that the lyrics describe what is actually happening... Cosmic...

I had the blessing of attending many rock concerts at Merriweather Post Pavillion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merriweather_Post_Pavilion
The Grateful Dead played there Six times while I was living on the east coast and I went to all six shows.
One night there was a thunder and lightning storm at dusk. Torrential downpour... all the power went out and we were treated to a drum duet played by Bill K and Mickey Hart. It appeared that they were incorporation the thunder into their music. A traditional tom-tom fill is "da da da, de de de, du du du, boom". They used the flash of lightning to predict when the thunders boom would sound...

As a special blessing, half the audience on the lawn area went home... That solved the overcrowding problem. The rest of us stayed and danced in the mud.

Sadly, the audience forced management to prohibit the Grateful Dead from playing there. One time there was a concert near July Fourth and the members of the audience set off too many fireworks after the concert. Since it is possible to buy rockets that fly up into the sky and explode in South Carolina (not too far away), that year there was a danger of setting Symphony Woods on fire. Oh Well... it all worked out because about that time the Grateful Dead became really popular and needed RFK Stadium to satisfy the demand for tickets.

CITY OF THE FUTURE!(lyrics)

we are living in the city of the future

all of us have hi-tech jobs...

we don't give a dam about unemployment

that only happens to low tech slobs

be a nurd!

be a nurd!

I'm a high-tech wizard

BE A NURD!

They used to laugh @ me

when I was in high school

the social in set was so very proud

but now when those people

are searching thru the want ads

they say "I want to be one of the 

computer crowd

be a nurd

be a nurd

be a high-tech wizard

BE A NURD!

a song I wrote... after seeing the movie "Starstruck" a silly Australian Musical... 

Writings of Justin Duff Vanderlaan - My Father - How the Airplane got to Oak Meadow Park Los Gatos California...

"Live Your Life As If Every Action Was Going To Be Printed On The Front Page Of The Newspaper."

~~~~~~ Favorite Saying ~~~~~~

The Story of How the Airplane got to Oak Meadow Park. 

Dear Greg:

     Nothing long lasting is told quickly.  A short time after I was appointed to the Park Commission the Park Superintendent, the Mayor (Ruth Cannon), and the Town Manager (Russ Cooney) decided that the town needed more parks.  We only had Oak Meadow.  So they and the Town Council decided to build some more.  This took a lot or money, because we had to buy most of the land also.  The smart manager, decided to go for a straight  property tax increase (which only needed 50.1 percent of the votes to pass), instead of a bond issue, (which took 66 2/3rds of the votes to pass).  Harder to pass because the voters start paying a lot more sooner; but easier to pass because it needs less votes.
     We ran a spirited election, and we won by 75 votes!  They then decided which parks to build and when, after we acquired the land.  Included in the plans was the upgrading of Oak Meadow.  I was on the Park Commission 12 or 16 years, and we were building these parks all the time I was serving.  A few years after we won the tax election, Ruth Cannon was again Mayor, and we were in the process of upgrading Oak Meadow.  At this time Ruth Cannon's husband, I forget his first name, was a big shot in the management of Lockheed in Sunnyvale.  Many of the airplanes from World War 2 were retired to a huge Airforce base in Arizona.  Lockheed either owned them, because they still had not been paid in full, or was hired to manage the property on the base.  Anyway, the Cannons had the proper connections to get one of the planes donated to the Town of Los Gatos.  However, the U.S. Government was not going to deliver the plane, and it could no longer fly

     The Town Council allocated some of the Park Tax funds to hiring some company that could transport it to Los Gatos, which was done.  They even installed it properly.  It was decided that to avoid any possible law suits;  because some kid got hurt fooling with the engine, that the engine would be removed and the front part filled with concrete to a level for kids to enjoy;  which was done.  The plane is still there, and I just went down and looked at, and there were kids sitting in it, and pretending to fly.   A series of happy coincidences.    Any more questions, e-mail me.   Dad

Subject: A little family history.

      I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about "The Famous Trailer Trip", so I thought I would share it with family and friends, before I go along.  This may be new to most of you, so here goes.

      In 1951 Marguerite & I sold our house in South San Francisco (where Martin lived when he was born), and bought a one axle house trailer.  We started off on a 3 month trip around the 11 western states, with Martin only 2 1/2 years old.  My wife, Marguerite, had only been on one trip away from her home in San Jose, in her lifetime, to Yosemite, of course we eloped to Carson City, Nevada also. Everything went well for the 1st half of the trip. (Boulder Dam, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Durango, Colorado,  Pikes Peak. Colorado Springs.  Then we started driving on a Sunday from Colorado Springs to Denver. (Everyone in Denver takes a Sunday drive to Colorado Springs in nice weather} It was only a two lane drive, at that time.
      That's where the trouble started.  We pulled off on the shoulder for lunch. (We never drove with Martin alone in the trailer, always in the car}.  We stopped, and I looked in the rear view mirror, and the trailer was gone.  Actually the part of the shoulder on which the trailer sat had slipped down the hill, into a canyon.  The trailer; however, remained attached to the car, and did not pull us over the edge.  Luckily a highway patrol car came along then,  in the crowd, and called a tow truck,  from Castle Rock CO. that was open Sundays. He stayed with us, to assist. It took a second tow truck to pull the trailer back up to the portion of the shoulder that remained, as they thought one tow line might flip the trailer.  An all afternoon job, back to the garage to pay and then on to Denver.  We stayed in a City 
park for the night, and explained to a guard, what had happened, and he allowed us to stay the one night.
      From then on, wow!  apparently, the frame was sprung, just enough so that one of the wheels (the traffic side one]  got hot enough to cause flat tires when the pavement was warm. All told we had either 13 or 17 flats during the rest of the trip, and every one was an ordeal.  One axle on the trailer!  This involved pulling off somewhere,  leaving the trailer alone, driving either forward or back to the nearest garage, leaving my drivers license as security, borrowing a big jack, driving back to the car, removing the wheel , returning to the garage, getting the tire fixed, returning and putting it back on, driving back to the garage to return the jack, and retrieve my driver's license. and then going on.
      This always seemed to happen at the worst places.  Entering Yellowstone Park, overlooking Grand Coolee Dam, in the station entering California from Oregon (That time we had to leave it in the station overnight, luckily they had two others).  One time was on the top of a grade of a two lane road, which caused a blind spot from the rear.  This time the flat was on the car, so Marguerite could direct traffic, while I changed the tire.  We did continue on, (no flats on the Golden Gate Bridge), and finally arrived at Marguerite's parents home,in San Jose, where we parked in the driveway for a while, while we got our act together.  No wonder I still remember this 60 years later.  
Van Vanderlaan

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What did you do in the Shipyards?

     When Marguerite and I left Permanente and went to Richmond, they were hiring various categories. I had met a friend, before I applied to the Kaiser shipyards, who worked as a rigger  (doesn't  require any specialized training), so I asked to be a rigger.  Basically you attach a cable to something, and the man in the crane lifts it, and puts it  someplace.  Then you uncouple it and go to something else  We also marked important things for someone else to do something, like marking the depth marks on the front of the ship so someone could put a little metal weld showing the depth that the ship was in the water, after it was launched.  You are working with heavy equipment, and another Rigger in Yard #4 (where I worked) got hurt.  Marguerite was working in an adjacent shipyard, as a secretary in the safety department; so her boss told her I should transfer to another job in the shipyard.
     I was able to transfer to the engineering department, and they made me a surveyor. (hold the back end of a chain,( a metal marking thingy, not unlike a cloth tape, but 100 feet long).  Also I learned to use the transit and level.  A good trade.  All my life I have had fortunate things like that, which helped me succeed in life, with no formal training.  There were unions of every trade in the shipyards. (An agreement made by President Roosevelt and the Building Trades Unions, and Henry J. Kaiser, was that he would run all the West Coast shipyards (a good deal for him), and all the employees would be union (helping Roosevelt get union support for reelection).
     After a while I became one of the Business Agents of the Surveyors Union.  After I got back from the Phillipines in World War 2, the head of the surveyors union, where Marguerite then worked, said "I  have done this long enough, I am old enough to retire, You take over"  Another good break. A job one day after I got out of the service.  A long story of breaks in my life,; (but, having the ability to take advantage of them.   Dad

Some thoughts on Almaden: 

     When the white men came to this area,  Spaniards primarily, they discovered that the local indians had colorful paint on their skins.  This was traced to the Almaden Valley, up in the hills, where mines of red substance was discovered.  When gold was discovered in the Sierras it was determined that the colorful material in the Almaden foothills was mercury.  Mercury had the capability of extracting gold from the rocks, so was greatly used in gold mining.  This led to miners living in the Almaden valley, and the nearby valley floor.

     The Valley floor was mainly developed into ranches, orchards and vineyards, as well as  strawberry fields from 1850 to after World War 2.  T hen The Santa Clara valley became the home of manufacturing of mechanical and electronic equipment, and then "Sillicon Valley", with the coming of IBM to the south Valley. During my working life here, the valley floor was slowly developed into housing tracts, Shopping centers, schools, etc. Lots of work!


     This ultimately extended into the Almaden Valley.  I worked as a surveyor and at a Title Company during this period, and it still continues; but not at that frantic pace.  Japanese farmers would buy a parcel of land in the outskirts of Willow Glen.  Plant strawberries, for 5 years, when the soil was over-used.  Sell the 20 acres to a homebuilder, at a big profit, move 5 miles further south, and repeat the process.  How fortunes were made in those days.  Marguerite and I were also able to buy a small parcel here and there, which enabled us to build this house.  Van 

~~~~~~

Here is an Email About the Economic Depression in Los Gatos. 


Fellows:

      Here is another example of how the depression we are in hits close to home.  I have been playing bridge at the Los Gatos Senior Center for 7 years, and it is something I really appreciate.  The Center was run by the Town of Los Gatos.  About the 1st of the year the Town entered into some kind of agreement with the West Valley Recreation District, wherein the District took over the operation of the Town's Senior Center.  I don't know the details, but it made some 
sense, as the District only served Saratoga, and Monte Sereno in addition to Los Gatos, and there was a duplication of management personnel. The manager of the Center was let go.
      Our bridge program, which is 1/2 a day once a week, was run by a very capable and pleasing person.  She ran some other programs, but it was a part time job.  Today she announced that she was being let go, and someone from the District would take care of us( Arranging for the tables to be set up, the coffee brewed, and seeing that there was always a full table of players, at each table.  Quite a job since there about 60 oldsters playing, and someone is always falling down or something, and can't play. Everybody loves her, and she also had us do some stretching  exercises about 11 a.m.  She leaves July 1st. Too bad, even though she is close to retirement age.  Dad

~~~~~~

There is an article in today's Wall Street Journal about the Iceland volcano.  It says that there was another eruption in Iceland in 1783. It lasted  8 months, killed off most of the livestock in Iceland and 25% of the population,  It also engulfed Europe.  That year was described as "The year with no summer".  Ben Franklin was in Paris that year, and was one of the first to connect the eruption with the collapse of European agriculture. which led to a long period of poverty.  The French Revolution in 1789, may have been spurred by the results of this eruption.  Interesting

      Different article.  Syria is reported to have transferred Scud Missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon.  These missiles can reach every part of Israel.  Terribly worrisome.  Dad & Grandpa

~~~~~~

HI Friends and Family, [Written by My Brother Martin]
Today we went over to Big Basin Redwood State Park and met Linda of the Sempervirons Fund (http://www.sempervirens.org) to dedicate the Marguerite Vanderlaan memorial redwood.  Van gave a donation to the fund, which was founded in 1902 and raised the initial money to buy the land for Big Basin State Park.  They continue to invest in preserving the redwood forests of Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties.  For his donation they have named a tree for Marguerite.  They have a nice label on a stake, and Vanessa drove the stake to set it up. 
The photos show the events.  Linda was a trip, quite good a schmoozing major donors to a non-profit.  The weather was great.  And of course, the tree is inspirational.
Enjoy the photos,


Marty

Patti, Van, Vanessa and Martin

Greg:

      You probably don't remember, but I took you to a stockholders meeting when you were about 14.  I don't remember what company, but the meeting was held in Burlingame.  Here is what you do.  Go to the Chamber of Commerce and find out the biggest Company in Eureka Area that  has public stockholders meetings.  Arrange with your Broker Andrew Howard, (408-354-5336) to buy 10 shares or so.  Then, over time they will have a stockholders meeting that you can get to.  Once you have the shares, you can call them up and find when the next stockholders meeting is.  The you won't have to go to Pokeepsie or some other place on the East Coast.  What you get from GE will tell you where they are headquartered.  Dad 

[It Was Kaiser Aluminum]

Dear fellows:

      I am spending your inheritance like a drunken sailor.  I had the back ramp replaced, also built a holding device by the front door exit so people will have something to hold onto when entering and leaving the front door.  I remember many years ago when some relative of Jo's fell trying to enter the house.  I am now having the driveway 

replaced.  Hopefully it adds value to the property.  Dad

Electric, I believe.  Watch and see.    Dad

Again I have pursued my favorite New Years Day activity.  Watching the Rose Parade.  I think I have done that every year that we had a television. Of course I marched in it when I was 18 in the Cal Band . Marguerite and I went to the parade one of the years that Marty was in Santa Barbara.  A special promotion by Greyhound, leaving from Santa Barbara about 5 a.m. having excellent seats to watch the parade.  We stayed overnight in Adrienne's apartment, as she was home for the Xmas break.  We watched it the last day Marguerite was alive, and enjoyed the program. Dad

Fellows:

   I had 3.78 inches of rain in my rain gauge for yesterday.  Nice now, however;  for my trip to San Francisco.  Didn't stop all day yesterday, thought I was in Eureka.  Dad

If only the weather would break!!        Dad

[Long Ago, Mom, Dad and I went to see a Harold Pinter Play at Foothill Junior College and That was a Significant line of Dialog]

Dear Kids:

    I just received a humungus box of food goodies.  Thank you!  I certainly have a choice as to what to use first every day.  Dad

[Eureka Trip]

Dad and I 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: [Eureka Trip]

      Here is an interesting result of your reporting that the Sea grill is closed on Saturday.  I called the director of the trip and advised her.  Today I got a letter from the City of Campbell, which is 

the official sponsor of the trip,  saying that The bus will park somewhere where there are several restaurants, and the passengers are on their own.  Good work.  Doesn't affect us.  Dad

Greg: [Eureka Trip]

      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

Greg: [Eureka Trip]

       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

[2012 Election]

With the upcoming election for President there is good News.  I just received my absentee ballot and there are 6 candidates for President. I was afraid that the new California election laws would limit the 

list to the two highest vote getters.  Since the Democratic candidate will get the most votes, A  vote for either Obama or Romney is a wasted vote.  Join me in giving your vote to one of the minor party 

candidates.  I intend to vote for Roseanne Barr of the Peace and Freedom Party.  I have voted in every Presidential election since 1944.  Beat that if you can, and take this recommendation seriously. 

Good Old Van

Dear fellows:

    Old age has nothing to recommend it .  I have misplaced my gold watch. I wear it all the time, except when showering or washing the dishes; when I put it in my pocket, or leave it on my dresser At night I leave it on my dresser on a handkerchief. Friday morning it was not there.  I don't have any recollection of leaving the house on Thursday, except to work in the yard.  I have had that watch since 

about 1970.I have looked in every pocket; but, will have to keep looking.  I still have a silver, wind up, watch which I wore to the Philippines in 

World War II, and before and after.  Still works!    Dad

Hi all,

Shorty after dinner, on a cloudless clear sky, we saw the attached plum of oily black smoke.  News reports describe this as a fire at the Cheveron refinery in Richmond - advised to shelter in place if you live in Richmond.  Flames are supposedly 100  ft. high.  These pictures were taken after about 20 minutes of blaze.

Marty

Dear Greg:

      Here is an interesting biological fact.  This year your buckeye tree had the most number of blossoms I have ever seen.  Almost blocked out the leaves.  Must have been the weather at the right time.  Second fact.  Almost no buckeyes coming, probably too many blossoms for the bees to fertilize. Dad

Dear fellows:

    In today's Times there is a letter quoting a letter to the writer from Olivia de Havilland, living in Paris, expressing her concern about the passing of Ted Simonson, former principal of LG High.  You fellows may remember Simonson, as he was at LG High, for a long time, probably when you were there.
      I did not know him but she was a Senior when I was a Freshman there.  I did not know her then (Senior Girls do not have anything to do with Freshman boys);  however,  I saw her in the Senior play (I believe your grandmother was also with us); she had the lead. Unbeknown to the audience there was a talent scout from Hollywood in the audience.  The rest is history.  She appeared in some play in San Francisco, immediately thereafter;  and then on to Hollywood. Interesting that she is still alive at 94, and keeps up with Los Gatos happenings.  Dad


Dear fellows:

      The sun is just setting here.  I trust the fog is not going to obscure your local fireworks show.

Bruce McClelland called me yesterday and said he wanted to go to the local band concert etc. on the Los Gatos High School lawn.  He also said he had had his drivers license revoked, but would get a ride to 
my house.  I said I would be glad to take him, and would drive him home.  I'm sorry to say he is not in too good shape.  We met the McClellands when his son Kirk and Greg were in the San Jose Nursery 
School together. He also worked for me for many years. He is quite deaf, and I didn't see any hearing aid.  Probably too cheap to buy one.  We went to the show 45 minutes late because the public service, which the County provides ,was late.  The music was 
great and I found a bench nearby.  He now uses a wheel chair, and a cane;  but, can walk around OK, to the bath room,and to the car.  I had told him on the phone I would take him home, but I guess he didn't hear me;  because, he had arranged for the County to pick him up. Again 45 minutes late.  Too bad.
      Last year we went to the Tahoe Cabin together, and he drove the whole trip, including a solo ride around the lake while I took an afternoon nap.  He insisted on coming home by way of Yosemite, and I 

was exhausted by that long drive.  We'll see what happens.  Dad