In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Coast Guard came up with a unique idea to better search for people lost at sea. These birds, often seen as mere city dwellers, were transformed into heroes with a keen eye for survival. Their natural ability to detect colors and movements made them perfect candidates for this life-saving role. This simple action would alert the Coast Guard to the location of the stranded individual. They tested it by using pigeons attached to the underside of helicopters. Through Project Sea Hunt, the U.S. Coast Guard trained these pigeons to spot life vests and debris floating in the ocean. The project set out to boost the odds of rescuing people lost at sea by using trained pigeons as real-time spotters. While often seen as pesky birds, pigeons are highly trainable and have exceptional eyesight, including the ability to see UV light, which might give them an edge over human vision.
For six months, pigeons were trained to spot yellow, orange, and red objects in the ocean, the most common colors for flotation devices and rafts. They were placed in special chambers beneath helicopters with a view of the water. When they saw a bright color, the birds signaled Coast Guard pilots by pecking a pedal that lit up a signal in the cockpit. Tests showed the pigeons spotted targets 90% of the time, far better than the 38% success rate for humans.
The training process was both challenging and fulfilling. Each pigeon went through thorough conditioning to ensure they could carry out their duties consistently. Trainers relied on positive reinforcement, rewarding the birds with food whenever they correctly identified a target. Over time, the pigeons became remarkably skilled, showing impressive focus and precision. The beauty of this project lies in its simplicity—creatures often overlooked or underestimated playing a role in saving lives. Experts have noted that it showcased the untapped potential of animals in emergency situations. The project ended in the early 1980s due to federal budget cuts, 
and the Coast Guard has since turned to other methods for quick and safe sea rescues. Still, the abilities of pigeons were proven to be quite varied. They had been used during World War II to send messages concerning enemy locations because they could usually fly unnoticed, until their mission became better known. Then, they were shot down and unfortunately, even used as food for starving citizens.
When my husband, Bob and I began going to Thermopolis, Wyoming each year for our wedding anniversary, the one thing I noticed about the place, that always reminded me of Thermopolis, were the crows that hung out there. Crows can be annoying birds, and most people don’t like them, but they don’t bother me really. They always make me think of our anniversary trips. Now, crows that had migrated to the Casper area. They settled near our house, as well as other areas around town. I don’t recall seeing them around before, but now that they are here, they remind me of the lovely times we had in Thermopolis.
The reality is that crows are incredibly smart birds, showing off problem-solving skills, social smarts, and cognitive abilities similar to those of young kids. Their intelligence is often compared to that of a 7-year-old, as they can tackle tricky problems, use tools, and grasp abstract ideas. Research has found that crows are capable of tasks involving planning and foresight, like figuring out how to get food through a series of obstacles. They’ve been seen using sticks to pull insects from tree bark. Their problem-solving abilities have been 
showcased in various experiments, including the well-known Aesop’s fable test, where they dropped stones into a pitcher to raise the water level and reach the food…clearly demonstrating their understanding of cause and effect, and their willingness to stay with a task until the problem is solved.
Crows are highly social animals that live in complex family groups and engage in cooperative behaviors. They can recognize individual human faces and remember those who pose threats, passing this information down to their offspring. This ability to hold grudges and teach their young about dangerous humans showcases their advanced social intelligence. They have even been known to observe a person who lost something, followed them, and returned the item…provided the person was not one they disliked. I’ve seen them swoop down and “dive-bomb” a person they didn’t like, however.
Even though crows have relatively small brains, they pack “a high density of neurons, especially in the pallium, which is similar to the human cerebral cortex.” This helps them process information quickly and engage in complex behaviors. With a brain-to-body ratio comparable to primates, crows show just how intelligent they 
really are. They’re not only clever but a true example of the depth of avian smarts. From solving problems and adapting to new situations to keeping complex social bonds, they rank among the smartest animals in the world. Recognizing their intelligence challenges old ideas about animal minds and showcases the impressive abilities of these remarkable birds. No wonder they have held a fascination for me for so many years now.
Indians of the Most of us think of the Indians of the Old West as violent and murderous, but the truth is that not all of them were that way. When people move to a new area or a new country, they don’t really know some of the important things, like the weather and what to do when it comes in with a vengeance. Such was the case in the Winter of 1886 in Dakota Territory, when a Swedish family had recently immigrated.
As the story goes, during the harsh Dakota Territory winter of 1886, two families…one Lakota and one Swedish immigrant…were stranded just miles apart in the worst blizzard in ten years. The Anderssons, new to the plains, had no idea how quickly the storm would hit. Their oxen froze, their woodpile disappeared under six feet of snow, and their baby grew weaker with each passing hour. The family was totally unprepared for the severity of the blizzard, and in the absence of immediate help, they were headed for death and very soon. The problem was that they were on a homestead, and it was very remote. Thankfully for them, help was closer than they knew.
Across the frozen creek, Elk Woman of the Oglala Lakota felt something was wrong. Her sixteen-year-old son, 
Wiyaka, had noticed smoke becoming thin at the Anderssons’ cabin. She loaded pemmican, blankets, herbs, and fuel for the fire onto a sled and set off with him into the silent white. They arrived just before dark to find the Anderssons on the edge of frostbite, crying with relief. Elk Woman, who didn’t speak English, acted swiftly…feeding the baby warm broth from a horn spoon, wrapping the mother’s hands in rabbit pelts, and feeding the fire with the dried buffalo dung she’d brought from home. They couldn’t talk to each other, and I suppose the Anderssons could have been terrified initially, but then they were dying anyway, so if the Indians had killed them, it would have simply hastened their release in death. They were suffering horribly, so death would not have been the worst option. Nevertheless, they were not killed, but rather Elk Woman and Wiyaka were there to save them.
For six days, the Lakota family stayed with the Anderssons, showing them how to insulate walls with snow, melt water safely, and preserve food. On the seventh day, the skies cleared, and they left quietly. There was 
still no way to talk to each other. No way to say, “thank you” for all they had to for them. The Anderssons shared the story for generations, though many neighbors doubted it. Then, years later, their granddaughter discovered a beaded sash in a box of heirlooms, marked with the Lakota word wowachantognaka: generosity. I suppose there might still be those who doubt the story, but I personally believe it. Elk Woman was a mother, and she knew what she would want to happen if the roles had been reversed. She knew she couldn’t sit idly by while the Anderssons perished. She knew she was the only one who could save them, and she knew that she would do so.
I often wonder how the years can go by so quickly, and the older I get the faster they go. That is why I can’t believe that we have arrived at my great grandnephew, little Nathaniel (Nathan) Kirk’s second birthday already. It seems like just yesterday that he was having his first birthday. Now, here we are, at his second. Nathan has learned so much in his second year of life. Indeed, I found his mom, Siara Kirk’s post about his birthday almost telling in a comical sort of way. He had started the last year, his first, learning to walk, and now as his second year begins, he is learning to drive. While that is comical in a way, it reminds me that before we know it, he will be in school, then dating, driving, graduating, marrying, and having his own family. Yes, I know that seems like it’s eons away yet, but I know that when we arrive at those “far away” landmarks, it will seem like it was only yesterday…that he was just a two-year-old baby boy.
Nathan is a curious little boy, who is all about dinosaurs, Ms Rachel, and animals in general. He can name all animals and loves to do puzzles!! I’m sure his parents, Chris and Siara Kirk, have loved spending time teaching him all about those things that he enjoys so much. Nathan and his daddy love their playtime, when he rides around on Chris’s back like around the house, pretending to be gorillas. Nathan has a vivid imagination, and loves to play guns, like any Wyoming kid would. He totally knows the drill, pretending he’s hurt, if you say, “POW” to him. And like most little boys, the minute his parents say they are going to change his diaper, he’s off like a rocket. I don’t understand the issue boys tend to have with getting their diaper changed. Hilarious!!
Nathan gets to go over to Siara’s mom, Chantel Balcerzak’s house while Siara is at work, if his daddy isn’t off 
that day, and he adores her. He has taken to calling her, “Gra Gra” and gets very excited when he hears the garage door open, because he knows his Papa, Dave Balcerzak is home!! He also LOVES when his uncle, Jake Harman comes over with his kids, Jax and Izabella. Cousin time is so important for kids. Those are their first friends. Jake and his wife, Melanie watch Nathan every time Siara and Chris ask and Nathan actually gets disappointed when his parents have to come pick him up because he loves his uncle, aunt, and cousins so much. And they love him. He is so happy and so funny, that it brightens everyone’s day. That’s just the kind of sweet little boy Nathan is. Today is Nathan’s 2nd birthday. Happy birthday Nathan!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
While my uncle, Wayne Byer was the younger of the two sons of my grandparents, George and Hattie Byer, he was also the taller of the two boys. That became a bit of a competition between the brothers. It wasn’t that Uncle Larry Byer could do anything about it, but that didn’t stop him from trying. The difference in their height was not huge, probably an inch or two. I don’t know for sure, but I do know that if Uncle Larry stood on his tip toes, he could be pretty close to Uncle Wayne’s height. To add to the situation, the boys were quite humorous. In fact, they were very much tricksters.
Never was that more evident that at one particular Christmas party held in the late 70s. For that particular party, a photographer had been hired to take some family pictures. The pictures turned out great, but there 
was something going on in one of the pictures that most of us didn’t know about. I suppose that the siblings knew about it when they saw the pictures, but the cousins probably did not. In fact, I didn’t know anything about it until recently when my Aunt Sandy Pattan told me why her older brothers seemed to be sharing a secret amusement. It seems that Uncle Larry was standing with his heels on the edge of a piece of molding, probably the mopboard. In the picture, the effect was that the two brothers appear to be close to the same height, if not exactly the same height. The only hint that something is “off” is that the brothers couldn’t keep a straight face. Both of them had a sheepish grin on their face, that told you that something funny was going on. For years, I thought that they must have saif something funny, but that wasn’t it at all. Uncle Larry was standing there, as tall as he could, and Uncle Wayne caught it out of the corner of his eye, knowing that even on tip toe, his brother couldn’t quite make it to his height.
It’s funny how two known comics, like my uncles, even as adult men, couldn’t resist goofing off…even during a 
photo shoot. We wonder why kids like to make funny faces or jokes when pictures are being taken, and we’ve even come to expect it from them, but somehow we figure that adults can keep their composure and “behave themselves” for the camera, but it isn’t always so, especially when two of the siblings are the comics of the crew. And my uncles were definitely the comics of the crew. Today is Uncle Wayne’s 88th birthday. Happy birthday Uncle Wayne!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Bessie Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, as the tenth of thirteen children to George and Susan Coleman, who were of African American and possibly Native American heritage. It seems strange to me that a person might not know if they were partly Native American, but then those were different times. DNA information did not exist then, in fact no one remotely considered that such a thing was possible. Also, in those days, any connection to Native Americans was almost scandalous, probably because it was indicative of the kidnappings of the settlers that happened periodically…and the Indian “marriages” to some of the women they had kidnapped. Children were born of these “marriages” and sometimes the women didn’t or didn’t want to go back to the world from which they were kidnapped.
While she may not have been sure of her heritage, Bessie must have been told that she was part Native American, because that is how her life was listed in anything important. Bessie grew up working in the cotton fields, but she had a natural talent for academics, especially math, while attending a segregated one-room school in Waxahachie, Texas. At 18, she enrolled at Langston University in Oklahoma but had to leave after one term due to financial difficulties. In 1915, at 23 years old, Coleman moved to Chicago to live with her brothers. She worked as a manicurist and managed a restaurant, where hearing stories from World War I pilots sparked her interest in flying.
Of course, it would not be an easy road…this journey to becoming a pilot. Because of the times she lived in, Coleman faced both racial and gender discrimination, and it kept her out of American flight schools. Frustrated, she thought she might have to give up her dream, but she found encouragement from Robert S Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender, and with financial backing from Abbott and banker Jesse Binga she stumbled into a future chance to study abroad. Coleman learned French and, in November 1920, she traveled to Paris to attend the Caudron Brothers School of Aviation. Flying a Nieuport 564 biplane, she earned her international pilot’s license on June 15, 1921, becoming the first African American and Native American woman to do so…shattering barriers in early aviation and inspiring future generations. She later honed her skills with advanced training from French ace pilots and visited major aircraft manufacturers like Fokker.
Coleman returned to the US in 1922 and became a barnstorming pilot, dazzling crowds with aerial stunts like loops, figure eights, and daring low dives, often at airshows honoring African American regiments, but one thing the flatly refused to do was to perform at segregated events, thereby standing up for equality. Soon, she became known as “Queen Bess” and “Brave Bessie.” She was a celebrated figure in the Black press and inspired many aspiring African American and Native American pilots. Sadly, on April 30, 1926, during a rehearsal for an airshow in Jacksonville, Florida, her poorly maintained plane went into a spin, ejecting her from about 2,000 feet and killing her instantly. She was just 34 years old.
She died in the prime of her life, with her greatest aspiration as yet unfulfilled. Although Coleman never got the chance to open her flight school, her groundbreaking achievements inspired many, from the Tuskegee Airmen to NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, who brought Coleman’s photo on a Space Shuttle mission. In 1929, the Bessie 
Coleman Aero Club was founded in her honor to promote African American aviation. Her legacy lives on through commemorative stamps, monuments, and events that celebrate her as a trailblazer for women and minorities in aviation. Bessie Coleman’s life is a powerful example of courage, determination, and breaking barriers. She is a symbol of inspiration in American history and aviation.
It’s a strange phenomenon, the idea of a fine line between genius and insanity, but it seems that many geniuses also suffered from some form of mental illness, whether it be depression, Bi-Polar, Schizophrenia, insanity, or some other form of mental illness. It’s hard to say if their genius simply drove them “crazy” or contributed to an already present condition. Nevertheless, it seems that genius was also connected to mental illness.
Vincent van Gogh was an amazing artist. He poured his heart into every brushstroke, creating more than 2,000 pieces in just ten years. Saying he poured his heart out on the paintings, might also indicate that he would never settle for a painting that was not “perfect” in his eyes. Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in Groot-Zundert, a mainly Catholic town in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands. He was the eldest surviving child of Theodorus van Gogh (1822–1885), a Dutch Reformed Church minister, and his wife, Anna Cornelia Carbentus (1819–1907). He was named after his grandfather and a brother who had been stillborn exactly one year earlier.
There’s been a lot of debate about the nature of Van Gogh’s illness and how it influenced his art, with many different diagnoses suggested over the years. Most agree he had an episodic condition with stretches of normal functioning. In 1947, Perry was the first to propose bipolar disorder, a view later supported by psychiatrists Hemphill and Blumer. Biochemist Wilfred Arnold argued instead for acute intermittent porphyria, pointing out that the often-cited link between bipolar disorder and creativity might be misleading. Others have suggested temporal lobe epilepsy accompanied by bouts of depression. Whatever the case, his health was probably made worse by malnutrition, overwork, insomnia, and alcohol.
His deep love for painting was intertwined with his lifelong struggle with mental illness, often leaving him in despair and isolation. The famous moment when Van Gogh cut off part of his own ear has come to represent the thin line between genius and madness. Yet, despite it all, his art stands as a powerful reminder of the strength of the human spirit. Nevertheless, on July 27, 1890, at the age of 37, Van Gogh’s mental illness caught up with him. He shot himself in the chest with a revolver. It may have happened in the wheat field where he had been painting or possibly in a local barn. The bullet struck a rib, passed through his chest, and didn’t seem to damage any internal organs, but was perhaps stopped by his spine. He managed to walk back to 
the Auberge Ravoux, where two doctors treated him. One, Dr Gachet, had been a war surgeon during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War and was well-versed in treating gunshot wounds. Vincent may have been cared for through the night by Dr. Gachet’s son, Paul Louis Gachet, and the innkeeper, Arthur Ravoux. The next morning, Theo hurried to be with his brother, finding him in good spirits at first, but within hours Vincent’s health declined due to an infection from the wound. He died in the early hours of Tuesday, July 29. According to Theo, Vincent’s final words were: “The sadness will last forever.” He simply saw no way out of his mental illness and no reason to go on.
People who are afraid of death, feel like they weren’t done yet, or feel like their life was stolen…and of course, have a lot of money, might consider a way to somehow prolong or even restart their lives…years after their death, when a cure for their terminal condition can be found. I don’t mean to sound like a sceptic, but…well, I’m extremely skeptical on this one. I simply don’t believe that freezing a body for years and years and then “restarting” it, curing it, and putting it back out there to live again, is even remotely possible. I suppose I could be wrong, but I don’t think so, still, I guess cloning wasn’t possible either. The thing that really settles it for me, is that no one is going to live on this Earth forever, and that would be the next logical step in the Cryonic Preservation scenario.
James Hiram Bedford was an American psychology professor at the University of California and author of several books on occupational counseling. Bedford was born on April 20, 1893, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Hiram Johnson Bedford and Fanny L Bryant. Bedford was married twice. His first wife, Anna Chandler Rice, passed away in 1917, the same year they wed. In 1920, he married his second wife, Ruby McLagan, and together they had five children: Doris, Donald, Frances, Barbara, and Norman. James Bedford also had a passion for photography and loved to travel extensively. He became the first person to have his body cryopreserved after his legal death on January 12, 1967.
In June 1965, Evan Cooper, who’s contributions to cryonics were significant, as he was one of the first advocates of the concept and founded the Life Extension Society, the first cryonics organization in the world. His book, “Immortality: Physically, Scientifically, Now,” published in 1962, was a pivotal work that laid the groundwork for cryonics. Cooper, of course fully believed his theory, but as it has never been proven, we may never know. Cooper stepped away from the cryonics and life extension movement in 1969. His former wife, Mildred, said he left due to overload, burnout, and a feeling it wouldn’t be a viable option in his lifetime. In his later years, Cooper took to sailing, but in October 1982, he was lost at sea in the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1965, Life Extension Society (LES) offered to preserve one person free of charge, announcing that they had basic facilities for emergency short-term freezing and storage of humans. They promised to freeze, at no cost, the first person who wanted and needed cryonic suspension. Bedford didn’t take the offer then but later used his own money. He had kidney cancer that spread to his lungs, which was untreatable at the time. Bedford died in 1967 at the age of 73. In his will, he left $100,000 for cryonics research, and his wife and son spent even more in court defending both his will and his cryopreservation against challenges from other relatives.
Bedford’s body was frozen in hopes of one day being revived, with Alcor’s Mike Darwin saying it happened about two hours after he died from cardiorespiratory arrest caused by metastasized kidney cancer. Preservation was carried out by Robert Prehoda, author of the 1969 book Suspended Animation, along with physician and biophysicist Dante Brunol and Robert Nelson, president of the Cryonics Society of California. Nelson later wrote “We Froze the First Man” about the event. Compared to today’s use of cryoprotectants, the methods were rudimentary…Bedford was injected with a mix of 15% dimethyl sulfoxide and 85% Ringer’s solution, which was once thought to be effective for long-term cryogenics but likely didn’t protect his brain. Vitrification wasn’t 
available yet, further lowering any chance of recovery. Initially kept at Edward Hope’s Cryo-Care facility in Phoenix for two years, he was moved in 1969 to the Galiso facility in California, then in 1973 to Trans Time near Berkeley until 1977, before being stored by his son for many years. Today, Bedford’s body is still preserved at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, even though I don’t think anyone believes he can be revived. Nevertheless, because his body was “technically” preserved or stored in suspended animation first, I guess they have that claim to fame…for whatever value it may have.
My uncle, Bill Beadle, spent much of his working life in the pipe yards before running his own rathole drilling business alongside his sons, Forrest and Steve. While he was a skilled machinist and all-around mechanic, his real passion was fishing and bird hunting in the Worland area with Steve. I think that’s why, in his later years, he was happy living with Steve, his wife, Wanda, and their family. I can picture them sharing stories about fishing trips and walking the fields in search of pheasants and chukars. Bill loved the thrill of hunting them…the sudden burst of a bird flying up out of nowhere, giving the hunter just seconds to react, with success only coming to those who were truly skilled.
Uncle Bill always felt it was his duty to keep the nephews on the right track, and if they 
ran into trouble or seemed headed the wrong way, he’d sit down with them, talk things through, and have them back in line in no time. Uncle Bill knew that boys can get…competitive and might not always think things through. If they seemed to be hanging out with the wrong crowd or doing things he didn’t think they should, he would sit them down for “the talk” before things got out of hand. This trait made him especially dear to my cousin Elmer. Uncle Bill did have a few vices, one of which was his enjoyment of his pipe and his chew. Because kids are impressionable, Forrest and Elmer thought chewing tobacco was pretty cool, so as kids, they once got into a big block of chew, not realizing they shouldn’t swallow it. They did, and both turned about three shades 
of green. Though the memory still makes Elmer cringe, when he thinks of chewing tobacco.
Uncle Bill was a guy with a great sense of humor and a knack for making kids laugh. There was always a mischievous sparkle in his eye and plenty of good-natured trouble behind his smile. He loved to tease, and the kids loved every bit of it. His infectious laugh would fill the room, and we’d all have a great time together. He wasn’t often serious, at least not with most kids, unless someone was headed for trouble. Then, his tone shifted…never mean, just straightforward…and by the end, the kid knew the right path to take. Uncle Bill was truly one of a kind, and we adored him. Today would have been Uncle Bill’s 97th birthday. Happy birthday in Heaven, Uncle Bill. We love and miss you very much.
My niece, Gaby Beach, has been a dedicated athlete since before she joined the Navy years ago. Her physical health hasn’t always been easy for Gaby, but when she decided to join the Navy, she knew that she had to get into excellent shape for it. She knew that the Navy wasn’t going to be a long tern career for her, but it was a good way to get her college education paid for, and she wanted to be a nurse. Now that she’s been discharged, she’s still fully committed to her health and has never looked back. Gaby loves all kinds of sports, from hiking and weightlifting to running. When it comes to her workouts, she is fierce…never giving up and 
never slacking off. She’s a determined woman with the mindset to be the very best she can be, and I have no doubt she’ll achieve every goal and make every dream a reality. Gaby is a very determined person.
On of Gaby’s favorite forms of exercise is running. Gaby especially loves the competitive kind of running, and while I’m not sure how many marathons or half-marathons she’s participated in, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a dozen or more. When she’s not competing, she’s training. Her workouts are tough, and she runs with determination. What amazes me, as someone who prefers walking and only runs from a bear (just kidding), is that even in the middle of a long run, Gaby can still kick up her heels with a big smile. Meanwhile, I’d be seriously trying to catch my breath.
Gaby and Allen love to travel. After having served in Japan, where they met, they decided to take a trip back 
there with friends. I can only imagine how they felt on that trip. They were back in their old stomping grounds, but this time, they didn’t have to go to work or anything. This trip, they were “tourists” in a place they knew very well. It wasn’t the first time they had toured the area, but they were free to really enjoy it, and to show their friends a good time. The trip to Japan was, for most people, a trip of a lifetime, but I wouldn’t be surprised if these kids don’t take several big trips like this one. They were engaged in Bali, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they took a trip back there someday. While the Navy was a way to “see the world,” it isn’t the only way to see the world. I know they have many trips in their futures. Today is Gaby’s birthday. Happy birthday Gaby!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
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