Today brought a group of Model T’s to our parking lot, so I was glad that I bought a new, small, camera last night that will always be with me in the tasting room. Along with the old cars came two “old time” stories. I met a man from Coos Bay who has worked with a friend of mine who I went from kindergarten through high school with in California. And another visitor turned out to be a friend I hadn’t seen in over ten years.
This was one of my favorites.
So often we have car clubs or motorcycle groups come, and today was no exception. Twenty-eight people were there with Plymouth Prowlers. Not being a car expert, I had no idea what they were talking about-until I went to look out the window. Wow. What I saw was a lot of bright colors and hot sports cars, so out I went with my camera.
In addition to that group was a group of motorcyclists from the Coos Bay Harley Club which includes people from the Roseburg area, as well. Also, talked to a German civil engineer who had flown in from Denver to attend a conference in Portland.
A row of colorful Prowlers
No problem spotting this one on the road.
I had a fun conversation with a woman recently about live theater shows. She was visiting a relative in the Portland area and was on her way that evening to see her niece perform in Beauty and the Beast at the Portland Center for Performing Arts. It is a local production of the Disney classic story. The real connection for me was that the show will feature The Jefferson Dancers from Portland, and I have been a devout fan of theirs for years. They are high school students who attend the performing arts magnet high school and are internationally recognized as outstanding. Another connection is that the creator of the Dancers and their artistic director for many years, was raised in McMinnville, which is now in the heart of Oregon’s wine country. She said her daughter had lived in London for six months and had seen hundreds of live shows while she was there. She would go down to the “last minute tickets” that were greatly reduced in price whenever she wanted to see a show. She didn’t care what she saw, so she always found something to see. Same thing happens in New York. What great fun. This woman’s favorite show was “Jersey Boys”, which features the music of The Four Seasons. She said it is a must-see.
“Jersey Boys is a musical biography of the Four Seasons—the rise, the tough times and personal clashes, and the ultimate triumph of a group of friends whose music became symbolic of a generation. Far from a mere tribute concert (though it does include numbers from the popular Four Seasons songbook), Jersey Boys gets to the heart of the relationships at the center of the group—with a special focus on frontman Frankie Valli, the small kid with the big falsetto. In addition to following the quartet’s coming of age as performers, the core of the show is how an allegiance to a code of honor learned in the streets of their native New Jersey got them through a multitude of challenges: gambling debts, Mafia threats and family disasters. Jersey Boys is a glimpse at the people behind a sound that has managed to endure for over four decades in the hearts of the public.
What is Jersey Boys Like?
Upbeat, slickly produced and fast-paced, Jersey Boys appeals to diehard fans of the Four Seasons and audience members less familiar with the group’s extensive catalogue of hits. Unlike most jukebox musicals, the show boasts heavy emphasis on storytelling, which adds to its universal appeal.”
Talked to two pilots and one flight attendant from Germany today. They fly the LA/Germany route, but had a 48 hour layover. Just a quick hop up to Portland to spend a day at the coast and a day in the wine country. What a life!
Talked with a couple from South Carolina who admitted that it is unfortunate that their state has been in the news so much the past few months, between Governor Sanford (the affair with his Brazilian mistress while he was supposed to be hiking the Appalachian Trail) and Representative Wilson (who shouted “liar” at the President of the United States during an address to Congress). They would be happy if their state was in the news for better reasons.
Met three women from Brazil today. Good thing their English is better than my Portuguese. I asked about the JK bridge in Brasilia that I had just seen on some tv show recently. Like the Sundial Bridge in Redding, California, their bridge is a work of art.
…all in a day in the Tasting Room. A former Aussie, and her husband, who now reside in Canada, and I had an interesting discussion about health care. No, Oregon doesn’t have socialized medicine like they do. Another guest from Down Under, this time New Zealand, talked about him being from the City of Sails, Auckland. It would be a great place to visit.
And on to the cryptologists–a group of people from around the country who were with us today, were all connected with the U.S. Naval Cryptologist Veterans’ Association…veterans and spouses. I found some of the information on their website interesting.
The NCVA is a unique organization of active, retired, and honorably discharged U.S. Naval Cryptologists, past and present, whose primary focus is the preservation of our rich cryptologic history. Our uniqueness is founded in the pioneering spirit of our oldest members who were trained in the 1930′s to intercept and decode Japanese Katakana transmissions, and in our youngest members who are singled out and recognized annually from the ranks of currently serving Naval Cryptologists as the best representatives of those early pioneers.
Known as the “On-the-Roof” Gang, members of that pioneering generation of Naval Cryptologists were trained on the roof of the old Navy Building in Washington, DC. Armed with no more than a typewriter and a sea bag, these founding fathers made their way singly to China where they erected crude antennas and established the Navy’s first listening outposts. Their fascinating successes have been captured in memoirs and oral histories and remain today as testimonials to the courage, determination and self-sacrifice of their generation…
Building on that foundation of excellence, Naval Cryptology played a decisive role in WWII, particularly in the Pacific where code-breaking served as a critical force-multiplier in the defeat of Japan. Naval Cryptologists made possible the “impossible victory” of Midway – the decisive battle of the Pacific War – and played a disproportionate role in the Navy’s cross-ocean strategic offensive that destroyed the Imperial Japanese Navy in its home waters by 1945. The successes of Naval Cryptology from 1941 to 1945 are legendary, from Joe Rochefort’s efforts in the War’s opening months to the shoot-down of Admiral Yamamoto.
Over the past two decades, such remarkable stories have been declassified and released regarding the cryptologic successes during World War II, in Europe and the Pacific that played a large role in winning the War. As time progresses and additional information is declassified, the professional achievements of the men and women of Naval Cryptology can be revealed to our nation, relatives and friends. The NCVA and its 3,363 members will continue to collect, document, preserve and maintain the history of our nation’s unsung heroes.
Sometimes, I need a reminder of the history that is behind the faces of people I pass on the street. So many veterans, and so many stories that they will never share with anyone.
Talked with a couple from New Mexico who mentioned that they had recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica where they had stayed in a swank, and unusual, hotel. For only $300/night, it might be affordable for some-the only thing is getting there!
Here’s the website’s information on it:
Not all aircrafts are destined to be cut into pieces and melted for reuse in another life. Here is a unique example of one in Costa Rica — a fully-outfitted, meticulously detailed, two bedroom, Boeing 727 fuselage suite.
This refurbished, vintage, 1965 Boeing 727 airframe once shuttled globetrotters on South Africa Air and Avianca Airlines (Colombia). Now the phoenix is ready for its future duty as the most exclusive hotel suite in Costa Rica.
The airframe was salvaged piece by piece from its San Jose airport resting place and carefully transported on five, big-rig trucks to the jungles of Manuel Antonio where it was resurrected into a unique jumbo hotel suite.
This classic plane-hotel, nestled on the edge of the National Park in the Costa Verde area is perched on a 50-foot pedestal. At this height, guests can enjoy scenic ocean and jungle views from the hard wood deck built atop the plane’s former right wing. 
The refurbished Boeing 727 home is not the only such dwelling in the world. This hotel suite was inspired by a Forbes Magazine article about a company offering hurricane-proof living via surplus Boeing 727 airframes. The hotel took it to the next level, though, by finding some new ways to introduce convenience and luxury to the plane’s aluminum scrap frame.
