Monthly Archives: October 2022
My niece, Ashley Parmely has been a part of our family since she married my nephew, Eric Parmely on July 23, 2011. Since that time, we have seen the many sides of Ashley. I’m not talking about personality sides, although there is that too, but really, it’s more about her capabilities. Ashley has grown as a person, of course, and she is a great mom. She and Eric have four children, Reagan, Hattie, Bowen, and Maeve. Ashley homeschools the older girls, while brother Bowen attends pre-school for one more year, at which time she will homeschool him too. Maeve is too little right now, but will go to pre-school next year.
While you might think that homeschooling would give Ashley little bits of free time here and there, you would 
be wrong. Ashley and Eric own a farm. but Eric also works full-time. That means that Ashley has the working of the farm and feeding the animals during the day…in addition to caring for her four children and making all necessary trips to town as the transport for the kids. Ashley is an accomplished equestrian, and a great teacher of the same. Her children are totally comfortable around horses, as well as all the other animals Ashley and Eric have on the farm.
Another side of Ashley that some people may never have seen, is her generous heart. It’s not that she doesn’t show her generous heart, because she does. It’s just that if you haven’t had a need, you might not have had first-hand knowledge of her generous heart. Ashley is the person who first thinks of bringing in a meal when it is needed. She is the one who invites family to her home for a meal once a month, to make sure we all stay close. She is a giver, often giving to people in need. She is a photographer, and her work always has a very special touch to it. I think it’s because Ashley always thinks about how she would feel about the project…how 
she would want it to look. That is important when you are doing things for people. That is the heart of what Ashley is. When I think of Ashley, that is how she makes me feel. The heart she has for people is always on display. It is what makes her the beautiful person she is. Today is Ashley’s birthday. Happy birthday Ashley!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
To most of us, committing espionage against our own country is…unthinkable, but there are those among us who wouldn’t give that a second thought. I think most countries have spies who do their best to find out information about another country, and I suppose that by design, that would mean that someone would have to commit espionage. I guess the two would go hand in hand, and it would depend on just how loyal a person was as to the limits they would go.
George Blake, who was born George Behar on November 11, 1922, was a British MI6 agent, and at one time thought to be a loyal agent, but during his time as a prisoner of war in Seoul, during the Korean War, he was apparently converted into a Communist, and strategically set up to be a double-agent. I suppose there is a number of prisoners of war who traded secrets for life and freedom from torture, and some who honestly changed their viewpoint, but to me it is outrageous. George Blake must 
not have seen it that way, because he was a double-agent until he got caught in 1961.
During his active double-agent years, he is believed to have betrayed the names of more than 40 British agents to the Soviets. Many of those he betrayed disappeared and were thought to have been executed. His betrayals basically destroyed British secret service operations in the Middle East. It must have been almost impossible to get agents to work in that region. Blake is believed to have passed on the names of almost every British agent working in Cairo, Damascus, and Beirut. Lord Parker, Lord 
Chief Justice, the judge sentencing him, likened his actions to treason, and said, “It is one of the worst that can be envisaged other than in a time of war.” Blake was charged under the Official Secrets Act in May 1961. Blake pleaded guilty to five counts of passing secrets to the Soviet authorities during his trial, part of which was held in camera.
In 1966, Blake escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison after serving five years of his sentence and having been removed from the list of likely escapers after only a year. Apparently, his supposed acceptance of his exceptionally long sentence lulled wardens into a false sense of security. It is assumed that he had help from the Soviet Union, and after his escape, he was quickly whisked away to the Soviet Union, where he lived out his life. He passed away in Moscow, Russia on December 26, 2020, at the age of 98 years.
The Navajo Bridge is a pair of twin steel spandrel arch bridges that cross the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon National Park (near Lees Ferry) in northern Coconino County, Arizona. The first bridge was officially named the Grand Canyon Bridge when it was dedicated on June 14, 1929, but five years later in 1934, the state legislature changed the name to Navajo Bridge. When the first bridge was built, it was really too narrow to be used for the vehicular traffic of today and almost too narrow at the time it was built. That is really what sparked the need for a second bridge, and the newer of the two spans is well able to carry vehicular traffic on US Route 89A over Marble Canyon between Bitter Springs and Jacob Lake, allowing travel into a remote Arizona Strip region north of the Colorado River including the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Sadly, during construction of the first bridge, a worker named Lafe McDaniel died after falling 467 feet to the Colorado River below. Initially, a safety netting was considered, but supervisors had rejected the idea, believing that it would catch on fire from falling hot rivets.
The dual bridges of Navajo Bridge are tied at ninth place among the highest bridges in the United States. Their heights are nearly identical with the original span at a height of 467 feet, and the second span at 470 feet. What really caught my eye was that if you are looking toward the red cliffs from beside the bridges, it looks as if they go straight into the rocks. They don’t, of course. It’s an optical illusion, but it is interesting, and quite pretty. When the second bridge was completed, and was wide enough to handle the modern-day traffic, the original Navajo Bridge was changed to allow only pedestrian and equestrian use, and also an interpretive center 
was constructed on the west side to showcase the historical nature of the bridge and early crossing of the Colorado River. In addition, the original bridge has been designated as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 13, 1981. In 1996, California condors were reintroduced to the area and can sometimes be seen on and around Navajo Bridge, making it even more interesting to visit.
In a very different time in America, being a communist was not accepted, and it really shouldn’t be accepted now, but that is not the opinion of every person in the United States today. Nevertheless, on October 20, 1947, saw the beginning of the notorious Red Scare. At that time, a Congressional committee began investigating the Communist influence that was, or at least was suspected of infiltrating one of the world’s richest and most glamorous communities…Hollywood, California.
One of the greatest fears after World War II, was that the Cold War began to heat up between the United States and the communist-controlled Soviet Union. Conservatives in Washington were working hard to remove any communists in government. Then, they set their sights on those people who were alleged “Reds” in the liberal movie industry. During the investigation that began in October 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) questioned a number of prominent people. During the interviews, the committee asked point-blank, “Are you or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”
It might have been fear or maybe a sense of patriotism, but some witnesses, including director Elia Kazan, 
actors Gary Cooper and Robert Taylor, and studio honchos Walt Disney and Jack Warner, all gave the committee names of colleagues they had suspected of being communists. That began a more grueling interrogation of a small group known as the “Hollywood Ten.” All of the “Hollywood Ten” resisted the accusations, complaining that the hearings were illegal and violated their First Amendment rights. The 10 were Alvah Bessie, Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole, Edward Dmytryk, Ring Lardner Jr, John Howard Lawson, Albert Maltz, Samuel Ornitz, Adrian Scott, and Dalton Trumbo. While they weren’t convicted of being communist, they were all convicted of obstructing the investigation and each served jail terms.
The Hollywood establishment, after being pressured by Congress, started a blacklist policy. The blacklist involved the practice of denying employment to entertainment industry professionals believed to be or to have been Communists or sympathizers. Actors, screenwriters, directors, musicians, and other American entertainment professionals were barred from work by the studios. This was usually done on the basis of their membership in, or alleged membership in, or sympathy with the Communist Party USA, or their refusal to assist Congressional investigations into party activities. The policy brought about the banning the work of about 325 screenwriters, actors, and directors who had not been cleared by the committee.
Those blacklisted included composer Aaron Copland, writers Dashiell Hammett, Lillian Hellman, and Dorothy Parker, playwright Arthur Miller, and actor and filmmaker Orson Welles. The policy wasn’t always strictly enforced, and even during the period of its strictest enforcement, from the late 1940s through to the late 1950s. The blacklist was almost never made explicit. It was rather the result of numerous individual decisions by the studios and was not the result of official legal action. Nevertheless, the blacklist quickly and directly damaged or even ended the careers and income of scores of individuals working in the film industry.
I suppose I could be wrong, but I don’t recall ever seeing my uncle, Jim Richards get mad at anyone. He had always been a man with a gentle spirit, and one who is patient and kind to all the kids. I suppose his family might be able to sight a few times when I could be proven wrong, but I certainly don’t know of any. Uncle Jim is a quiet man, who could be just a little bit on the shy side, but when you talk to him, you can see the gentleness that lives inside him. He is soft-spoken and always there to help anyone who has a need. Many people would equate him to a big teddy bear, and I would have to agree with them. Uncle Jim has just that kind of personality.
Uncle Jim is a very caring man. He is always willing to help anyone who needs his help. He has taken care of various family members over the years, especially his mom. Uncle Jim’s dad passed away when he was young, and only a year after one of his brothers was killed during the D-Day invasion at Normandy, France. Uncle Jim’s caring spirit took over then, and he did whatever he could to help his mom and the rest of his siblings. He was just a young boy at the time. From that day forward, Uncle Jim worked very hard to do things in his life that he knew would make is dad proud of the man he was to become. he could have decided that since his dad was gone, he could act out, but he didn’t. He showed respect for his dad, by taking care of his mom, working hard, and taking care of others too. I can almost picture his 
dad looking down from Heaven on his son and smiling with pride at just how great he turned out. It’s definitely something to be proud of.
When Uncle Jim married my Aunt Dixie, he became my uncle, and a beloved member to our family. He has taken great care of his family, being there to help with transport of the grandchildren, and paying bill when his kids were at work and couldn’t get there to pay them. He helped out when Aunt Dixie ran a daycare and helped with the animals they had on their little place in the country. Uncle Jim was always someone that the family could count on, and we are all glad he is a part of our family. Today is Uncle Jim’s 85th birthday. Happy birthday Uncle Jim!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
For most World War II history buffs, like me, there is only one bomber worth taking about…the B-17 Bomber. I’m sure there have been many bombers since, but the B-17 will always stand out in my mind. I’m sure that is partly because my dad spent his entire time in World War II as the Top Turret Gunner and Flight Engineer on a B-17G Bomber, stationed at Great Ashfield in Suffolk, England, about nine miles from Bury Saint Edmonds.
Dad was so proud of the beautiful, brand-new B-17G Bomber. The thing he might have known, but that I certainly didn’t, is that when those shiny brand-new B-17 Bombers came out and were sent out to battle, they were already considered to be outdated. Of course, outdated, does not mean they couldn’t be used, because they not only could be used, but they were very effective. I suppose that the fact that they were outdated could have meant that they were slower, more awkward, or less accurate, but during World War II, they were very effective, and the people they protected were extremely grateful for their prominent presence on the 
battlefield. Those planes were almost indestructible…short of losing a wing anyway.
While the reality is that far more Consolidated B-24 Liberators were produced and were used more extensively than B-17s, both as bombers and in other roles. Nevertheless, the B-17 had a following. It was beloved by so many people…even though it was predominantly used in the Eighth Air Force. Really, it is most likely because the historians, who were mainly focusing on the war in Europe, and who have devoted so much coverage to the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, that the B-17 is often thought of as the only American bomber of the war, or at least until the much larger B-29 Superfortress was introduced by Boeing. Still, the B-29 Superfortress, in the minds of many people anyway, couldn’t hold a candle to the B-17 if the minds of the people. In fact, while thousands of Douglas A-20s, North American B-25s, and Martin B-26s, as well as excellent British bombers 
such as the Lancaster and Wellington, served in all theaters of war, it was The Fort, as it has lovingly been called, that has come to symbolize the air war perhaps more than any other bomber…of any era. For me, the B-17 will always be the most awesome, and greatest bomber ever built. When one flies overhead, I recognize the sound. I can pick one out while it is flying, even if it is too far away to hear the engines. If I had to pick an airplane that will always be iconic, the B-17 is it, and always will be.
You can fly near it, walk close to some fences, or zoom in from a far hill, but you cannot enter Menwith Hill Royal Air Force Station for any reason. Not unless you are an ECHELON spies and the NSA, that is. The station was founded in 1954, when the British War Office purchased 550 acres and leased them to the United States. The Cold War, a strange war that “raged” from March 12, 1947, to December 26, 1991, was in full swing when Menwith Hill was established. At the time, the station was used for spying and intelligence-gathering. Now that the Cold War is over, no one knows what goes on there. In fact, concern over the goings on is so high that there have been a large number of protests leading to politicians calling for more transparency about what goes on at Menwith Hill Royal Air Force Station. Many people think that Menwith Hill Royal Air Force Station, which is by far the most secretive piece of land in all of the United Kingdom, needs to be more transparent. Nevertheless, to this day, no one knows for sure what goes on in this military installation.
RAF Menwith Hill is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), but made available to the US Department of Defense (DoD) under the NATO Status of Forces Agreement 1951 and other, undisclosed agreements between the US and British governments. The site acts as a ground station for a number of satellites operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office, on behalf of the NSA, with antennae contained in numerous distinctive white radomes, locally referred to as “the golf balls,” and is alleged to be an element of the ECHELON system. The radomes are really a big part of what gives the installation its air of mystery.
Military installations have existed all over the world for hundreds of years, but not all of them are as secretive as Menwith Hill. It’s likely that we will never be privy to the things that go on there, and that may be a source of contention for years to come. I don’t know how I feel about the secrecy in military installations. In some ways I understand the need, but with secrecy, can come corrupt and dark schemes, as we saw during the Holocaust. Much depends on the integrity of the country, and even more importantly the integrity of the people in charge of the activities that go on there. Even with a country that is trying to do good, there can be evil people both working there, and in charge 
of operations, and when evil people are allowed to operate in secrecy, the only logical outcome is disaster.
RAF Menwith Hill is one of three main sites operated by the United States across the globe. It operates as a major satellite monitoring station and intelligence gathering location. The other two sites are located in America and Australia, having similar roles and working together with RAF Menwith Hill to develop knowledge around American, British, and Australian interests. The Australian site is known as the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap. I wonder if operations at the other sites are as secret as they are at RAF Menwith Hill.
As an insurance agent, I have dealt with Lloyd’s of London many times. They were the company that could handle whatever needed to be handled, when no one else could. They were a no-nonsense company, and that always made me think of a traditional company…if not a stuffy old company filled with old men who almost look down on the people that end up needing insurance from them. Lloyd’s of London is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company. Lloyd’s is a corporate body governed by the Lloyd’s Act 1871 and subsequent Acts of Parliament. “Lloyd’s operates as a partially mutualized marketplace within which multiple financial backers, grouped in syndicates, come together to pool and spread risk.”
While Lloyd’s of London is a traditional company, the building that houses them is…a little strange. The Lloyd’s building, which is also known as the Inside-Out Building. It is located on the former site of East India House in Lime Street. That is in London’s main financial district, the City of London. The building is an example of radical Bowellism architecture in which the services for the building, such as ducts and elevators, are located on the exterior to maximize space in the interior. Whatever they were trying to accomplish, the result is a very strange building. The building is as unique inside as it is outside.
The building was completed in 1986, and in 2011, twenty-five years after its completion the building received Grade I Listing, which is “of exceptional interest and may also have been judged to be of significant national importance.” The Lloyd’s building is the youngest structure ever to obtain Grade I Listing. It is said by Historic England to be “universally recognized as one of the key buildings of the modern epoch.” However, its innovation 
of having key service pipes and such routed outside the walls has led to very expensive maintenance costs due to their exposure to the elements. I suppose that makes sense, maybe more sense that the original structure of the building, which while interesting, may not be practical. In fact, Lloyd’s is actually considering a move to a more traditional building. That is almost sad, when you think about it.
After an extra-long wait, my newest great grandson, Jusin King Todd Petersen has finally arrived. Justin went past his due date, but babies do have their own schedules. His parents, Athena Salazar and Josh Petersen have been so excited about welcoming their little boy, and everything seemed to be pointing to an early birth, but someone forgot to tell Justin that. Nevertheless, after an extra-long wait, Justin arrived on October 14, 2022, at 8:20am, weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces and measuring 19¾ inches long. He has dark hair, ten fingers and ten toes, and he is just perfect in every way. He is Athena and Josh’s first child, and they couldn’t be happier.
Justin is a sweet little baby, who calms immediately to his parents’ voices, and snuggles right up to them, as if to say, “Now, I know where I am.” That could be what he is thinking too, because being born puts a guy in a very different place than when he was living in his mommy’s tummy. It can seem a little too big and wide open out there. Nevertheless, Justin seems to be handling the transition very well. He’s just hanging out and chillin’ in the hospital room. So far, he just hanging out with his parents, grandparents, and the doctors and nurses, but soon he will be home, and there will be lots of new people to meet. If Justin thinks being out in the world was a shock, wait until he starts meeting new people. It’s a big world out there, baby boy!!
I am so excited for the next phase of Athena and Josh’s lives. They both love kids, and that means that Justin will not only have siblings one day, but he will have a wonderful life, filled with cousins and close family ties. Athena and Josh are very family oriented. They love lots of family time, and Justin will have lots of grandparent 
time too. Athena comes from a larger family while Josh comes from a smaller family, so there are two different views of family life. Nevertheless, they seem to be combining the two views very well, and Justin will have the advantages of both worlds. Having nieces and nephews makes Athena and Josh pretty much experts at the whole kid thing, and so they are pretty comfortable with a new baby. Nevertheless, they are first-time parents, and there will be initiations…some of which they have already experienced, like how very different changing a diaper is with a boy than with a girl. Soon though, they will be experts at Justin and his ways. I can’t wait to watch them as their little family grows. Welcome to the world, Justin King Todd Petersen!! We love you very much!!
It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that four years ago today, my husband, Bob Schulenberg had a heart attack in the Walmart parking lot. It was the Widowmaker…one of the deadliest types of heart attack. MY memory of that event, however, is as vivid today as if I were standing there watching it happen all over again. That day could have changed my life forever and taken his life from him…but it didn’t. My husband is still here because there are heroes among us!! They are everyday people who see a deadly situation, and don’t just turn their backs. They take action. I didn’t see the attack, because Bob had gone to put the shopping cart in the rack. I was checking my phone when a man I don’t know to that day knocked on my window and asked if I “knew this man?” I immediately realized that Bob had taken too long to get into the car.
I jumped out of the car and ran to the other side. There on the ground, with blood coming from his head was my husband. His eyes were open, but he was not there. I immediately thought that I had lost him. Then I came to my senses…sort of and got down beside him. I “demanded” that he wake up. Looking back now, I must have looked crazy, telling my unconscious husband to “wake up and get back to life” basically. Then I noticed someone was there, with a stethoscope!! Who carries a stethoscope in their car, and how did she know we needed her? Only an angel, sent by God to be there!! There were many angels in that parking lot that day. Some I now know, like Sean Pesicka-Taggart, the man who first came to my husband’s aid, and his girlfriend Laura Lance, who was a transport worker at Wyoming Medical Center, at that time (I’m very proud to say that she is now a Radiologic Technologist). Laura assisted the nurse, Ginger Sims who was the one to realize that it was not a fall or hit-and-run, but Bob’s heart that had stopped. She told her son to push the OnStar button and tell the ambulance where to respond. Then, Ginger took immediate action, and if she had not, I would have been a widow today. Ginger was doing CPR, and told me how to do rescue breathing, because I couldn’t think straight. Laura assisted in CPR, thankfully, because that is a hard job, and no one can do it for very long. Then just as suddenly, another nurse, who worked with Ginger saw what was going on, and stopped to help. Valya Boycheva is also a nurse at Wyoming Medical Center, and she took over CPR for Laura. Together the three of them continued CPR until the fire department and ambulance arrived. I’m not sure, but I think Sean called them. When the paramedics took over, I stood back and thought…”How will I ever know who to thank for their assistance?” So many heroes had stepped out of thin air, to give their all for my husband. Somehow, God made sure that I found out who they were, and I have been forever grateful for that too.
There were other angels there that day…prayer warriors!! These people were in the parking lot, and saw the situation, and immediately started praying…Lori DeSanti (a friend of mine from church), Chelsea Kessler (who immediately called her dad and stepmom, Page and Donna LePage…who, not knowing who they were praying for, called my boss, Jim Stengel and got him in prayer too), and Chelsea’s husband, Zack Kessler. There were probably countless other people there praying, because there were angels all over that parking lot that day. I have no doubt about that, and because of all the heroes, prayer warriors and angels there that day, my husband is health and most of all, still with me today.
To add to the incredible events of that day, it seemed only seconds before the firetrucks arrived, with a friend of Bob’s on the crew. Jerod Levin saw me and immediately came to my aid. I was standing there feeling very 
small and totally lost, and he told me I could go with Bob in the ambulance, and that he would bring my car to the hospital for me!! And, when we got to the hospital…on a Sunday afternoon, all the right people, Jon Cook and Sam Cann (both of whom work in the Heart Cath Lab), just happened to be there, and they know Bob, because he had worked on their cars. From attack to full treatment took two hours…two hours!! How could that have all came together? Only God…only God!! And to this day, I give him all the praise, and I will be forever grateful for the heroes among us, who stepped up to the plate when Bob and I needed them most. They are family now, and they always will be.
