Caryn
My sister, Caryl Reed was the middle of my parents’ five daughters, and the only blonde in our number. Our mother, Collene Spencer was blonde as a child, but her hair darkened after she turned sixteen. Mom always wished she had kept that blonde hair. As I was looking at pictures of Mom the other day, I saw a lot of Caryl in her, so I started looking at pictures at about the same age, and I was surprised. I think Caryl looks a lot like Mom. There are differences, but a lot of similarities too. Caryl laughs like Mom. I think Caryl was Mom’s mini-me, even if we didn’t realize it.
Caryl and her husband, Mike Reed love to travel. Every year they take several trips. The biggest one was to Japan, when her son Allen was stationed there while he was in the Navy. That was rather a once in a lifetime 
trip for them, mostly because after that trip, Allen was no longer stationed there. Still, they had a great time. They have gone to Texas, and over to Oregon, where Allen and his wife Gaby live now. And recently, Caryl reconnected with a couple of girlfriends from high school, and they have enjoyed that so much that they invited Caryl and Mike to Nebraska for a visit. They really enjoyed the trip, and it really solidified the friendships. They also take a Christmas trip to a cabin Mike’s daughter, Amanda and her husband Sean own in Ryan Park. It is a special time of being in nature in the snow-covered mountains.
Caryl and Mike decided they wanted a dog a year or two ago, so they bought a West Highland White Terrier (a Westie) that they named Joey. Joey keeps them busy with his antics, but they have to keep a close eye on him. 
They live west of Casper on a little ranch they purchased, and Joey thinks the antelope running around are great chase toys. The main work on the ranch is their hay crops. They usually have 2 or 3 cuttings, and they usually have no trouble selling it. Mike does most of the heavy work with the crops. They have a huge irrigation system on wheels, so it’s not bad, but sometimes he needs Caryl’s help with stuff too. Mostly, she does the house and he does the land. They make a great team. Today is Caryl’s birthday. Happy birthday Caryl!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
For my brother-in-law, Mike Stevens the last year has been one of major changes. My sister, Alena, who is Mike’s wife of what would have been 42 years this year. Mike has had a tough year. It’s hard to be the parent left behind after a loss, even when the children of the marriage are grown and on their own. Mike has had to try to be supportive of his children, while dealing with his own sense of immense loss. That was the position Mike found himself in, and through his grief, I can say he has handled it well. Mike knew how important all the family birthdays were to Alena, and they are to him too, but like many men, he had looked to Alena to keep track of the days, and then he would join her in wishing the happy birthday to the family member. After Alena went to Heaven, Mike contacted me to get a good list so he could continue to do so. He knew I would have that list because of my blog. I was so proud of him for making sure he could continue that tradition, and I know Alena would be proud of him too. It was such a sweet blessing to get that text from Mike on my birthday. He is carrying on the tradition started by Alena. 
There are joyful events coming Mike’s way too. His son, Garrett and wife Kayla are expecting a new baby in July, and his daughter, Lacey and husband Chris Killinger are expecting a baby in August. I know Alena has met these grandbabies in Heaven already, but soon the rest of the family will get to meet them. I know Mike is very excited to see his family continuing to grow, but I’m sure he wishes he could share these joyous occasions with Alena. Mike has a close relationship with his kids, and they all work hard to maintain that closeness. They are very supportive of each other.
In early April, Callie, the half miniature Doberman and half Long-Haired Chihuahua dog Mike and Alena had owned for 13 years passed away. It was hard that it was shortly before the one-year anniversary of Alena’s passing on April 23, 2025. After Callie was gone, Mike said the house felt really lonely, and since he had been 
around my sister’ Caryl Reed and her husband, Mike’s West Highland White Terrier, he decided to get one for himself. In early May, he got a male Westie, and names him Festus. I guess you can see that Mike is a “Gunsmoke” fan. While he still misses Callie, Mike and Festus are getting along very well. Westies are a small dog, so they make for a great lap dog when Mike is watching television or just relaxing in the evening. I’m glad he has a new companion in the house and Festus is a sweet little companion too. It’s a good thing for Mike. Today is Mike’s birthday. Happy birthday Mike!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My grandniece, Katy Herr is an amazing woman. She is an athlete, marathon runner, exercise enthusiast, but above all that, she is a wife and mother. Her husband, Dylan Herr and her son, Max Herr. They are Katy’s world. She loves then more than life itself, and she works very hard to bring happiness to their lives, to create the best home and life she can for them. Katy has a kind and loving heart, and it shows in everything she does for everyone she knows. Her smile lights up a room and makes everyone’s day better. It’s no wonder she is loved and respected by everyone who knows her.
I don’t recall when exactly Katy started her training for and running marathons, but I over the years, she has won several races both individual and as part of a team. I do a lot of walking, but running is just not something I could ever get into. I am in awe of anyone who can, and in awe of all the work and training it takes to get there. As her husband says, she “pushes herself at the gym to chase her goals and become the best version of herself.” You can tell that she works very hard, she looks great, and she is very healthy. I know that Max is glad she does too, because his mama can get out there and play with him as if she were a kid too. Not every mom can do that. He really is the recipient of her hard work.
Katy is also a great help to Dylan in all the charity work and business obligations he has. Dylan is one of the owners, along with his family of Red Wing Shoes, but he is also community minded, as is Katy. Their contributions to the community have been a welcome help to many people, and Katy has been a big part of that. Sometimes, I think she must be part “Superwoman” with all she does. On top of all that, add keeping her house up and baking…both things she also does very well. I just don’t know how she does it!! Katy has a heart of gold, and a sweet spirit to match!! Katy is a wonderful person, and a joy to know. Today is Katy’s birthday. Happy birthday Katy!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Coxey’s Army was a protest march in 1894, led by Jacob Coxey, made up of unemployed workers calling for government-funded public works and legal-tender currency. It arose during the Panic of 1893, a harsh economic depression that left over four million Americans jobless and created widespread struggles for both industrial laborers and farming families. Ohio businessman Jacob S Coxey organized the march to urge Congress to support a federally funded road-building program that would create jobs and boost the money supply through issuing legal-tender Treasury notes.
Coxey described the march as a “petition in boots,” a symbolic way to directly appeal to the government by taking to the streets. It kicked off on March 25, 1894, in Massillon, Ohio, with around 100 men. As they moved east, they passed through cities like Pittsburgh, Becks Run, and Homestead, Pennsylvania. Other groups, like Kelley’s Army from California and Fry’s Army from Los Angeles, tried similar marches but mostly fell apart before reaching Washington. By the time Coxey’s Army arrived in the capital on April 30, 1894, it had grown to about 500 people, with others from across the country joining along the route. They camped on a 260-acre site in Colmar Manor, Maryland, before attempting to present their demands to Congress.
When Coxey and his followers reached Washington DC, they tried to speak from the Capitol steps but were arrested for trespassing on the Capitol lawns. While the event drew plenty of attention, it didn’t lead to immediate policy changes. However, it did shine a light on the growing frustration among unemployed Americans and went on to inspire future protest movements.
Coxey’s Army was the first major protest march on Washington DC, introducing the concept of organized, mass demonstrations to push for changes in federal policy and inspiring the phrase “Enough food to feed 
Coxey’s Army.” Although the march didn’t meet its legislative aims, it represented the struggles of the unemployed in the 1890s, as well as showing the people’s readiness to take direct action for economic relief. It also highlighted the broader social tensions, like debates over currency, labor rights, and the government’s major role in ensuring economic security. The men must have felt better for having at least tried.
On May 15, 1765, Parliament passed the Quartering Act, setting out where and how British soldiers would be housed in the American colonies. The Quartering Act of 1765 required the colonies to provide housing for British soldiers in barracks supplied by the colonies. If the barracks were too small, local communities had to lodge soldiers in inns, stables, alehouses, food establishments, and wine sellers’ homes. If there were still soldiers without a place to stay after all these public houses were full, the act stated that the colonies must take or rent vacant houses, outbuildings, barns, or other suitable structures to 
accommodate His Majesty’s forces. All of this was to be free of charge to the British troops and funded by the colonies alone.
The wording of the act makes it clear that the idea of Redcoats kicking colonists out of their bedrooms to move in themselves was neither the law’s intent nor its actual practice. Still, the New York colonial assembly didn’t appreciate being ordered to house British troops. They wanted to be asked and give their consent before having soldiers among them. So, they refused to comply, leading Parliament in 1767 to pass the New York Restraining Act, which barred the royal governor from approving any new legislation until the assembly followed the Quartering Act. This was exactly the kind of totalitarianism that caused the colonies to declare their independence, and it was never going to be tolerated…at least not for long.
In New York, the governor convinced Parliament that the assembly had met its obligations. In Massachusetts, where barracks already stood on an island far from the unrest stirred by the Townshend Revenue Acts, British officers followed the Quartering Act’s rule to house soldiers in public spaces, not private homes. With few options, they set up tents on Boston Common. Living side by side with angry Patriots, the soldiers soon clashed in street fights, leading to the Boston Massacre of 1770, in which five stone-throwing colonists were killed and any remaining trust between Bostonians and Redcoats was shattered. That divide never healed, and the British troops remained in Boston until George Washington and the Continental Army forced them out in 1776.
The San Bernardino train disaster, which was also known as the Duffy Street incident or the 1989 Cajon Pass Runaway, was actually two connected events in San Bernardino, California. First, on May 12, 1989, a runaway train derailed. Then, on May 25, the Calnev Pipeline…a petroleum line next to the tracks…failed after being damaged by earth-moving equipment during the crash cleanup.
On the morning of May 12, 1989, at 7:36am, a Southern Pacific freight train with six locomotives and 69 cars carrying Trona, a non-marine evaporite mineral primarily composed of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, and water, widely used to produce soda ash and baking soda, lost control while coming down Cajon Pass. It derailed on an elevated curve and crashed into a neighborhood on Duffy Street, just northeast of where the 210 Foothill Freeway crosses the Lytle Creek wash.
The conductor, head-end brakeman, and two local residents lost their lives in the wreck. Seven houses along the street next to the tracks were destroyed, along with the lead locomotives and all the freight cars. The investigation would later reveal that the clerks in Mojave had miscalculated the train’s weight, and to make matters worse, the crew at the front didn’t know one of the rear helper engines had faulty dynamic brakes. This meant there wasn’t enough braking power to keep the train’s speed in check during the descent. When the helper engineer realized the speed was getting out of control, he made an emergency brake application, which shut off the dynamic brakes entirely, causing the train to run away. It hit about 110 miles per hour before derailing on an elevated curve with a posted limit of 35, near Duffy Street, sending the lead engines and several cars off the high track bed and into nearby houses, completely leveling them.
Data from the locomotives’ black boxes revealed that the third head-end unit’s dynamic brakes weren’t working at all, though the sound of the cooling fans fooled the crew into thinking they were. After the wreck, it was discovered that the helper locomotive engineer knew about the faulty brakes on one of his units but never told the head-end crew. A mix of weight miscalculation, poor communication, and bad brake equipment left the train far too heavy to control on the downhill grade. This was a disaster waiting to happen. Once dynamic 
braking was lost due to the helper engineer’s emergency brake application, the massive weight of the loaded cars caused a rapid acceleration that mechanical brakes alone couldn’t stop. The train flew off the 35 mile per hour curve by Duffy Street at 110 miles per hour, scattering locomotives, cars, and cargo. Leading were Southern Pacific SD40T-2 8278, SD45Rs 7551 and 7549, and SD45T-2 9340, followed by 69 trona-loaded hopper cars, with SD40T-2 8317 and SD45R 7443 pushing from the rear.
Killed in the wreck were Conductor Everett Crown (fatally crushed in the nose of unit SP 8278) and Brakeman Allan Riess (fatally crushed in the cab of unit SP 7549), along with two young boys, Jason Thompson (age 10 years), and Tyson White (age 7 years), who were crushed and asphyxiated when the train destroyed one of the houses on Duffy Street. Engineer Frank Holland remained in his seat at the control stand in unit SP 8278 at the head of the train and suffered several cracked ribs and a punctured lung. However, he was able to crawl out of his wrecked locomotive and was helped down by eyewitnesses on the scene. Engineer Lawrence Hill and Brakeman Robert Waterbury, who were in the helper locomotives, received minor injuries.
Six feet underground alongside the track lay a 14-inch high-pressure petroleum pipeline operated by Calnev Pipeline. During cleanup, it was marked with stakes to prevent accidental damage. Pipeline officials stayed on site as safety observers while the rail cars were cleared, but not during the trona material cleanup. Train service on the affected track resumed four days after the derailment. Thirteen days later, on May 25, 1989, at 8:05am, just after witnesses saw a train pass through the site, the pipeline burst at the curve where the derailment occurred, spraying gasoline into the neighborhood. The fuel ignited into a massive fire that burned for nearly seven hours, sending flames 300 feet into the air. By the time it was extinguished, the fire had claimed two lives, destroyed eleven more houses and 21 cars. Five of the destroyed homes stood directly across from those lost in the derailment, while another was the only house on Duffy Street’s track side spared in the crash. Four more homes suffered moderate smoke and fire damage, and three others had only smoke damage. Total property losses reached $14.3 million (more $38 million today), with the fire causing more damage than the derailment, though the derailment had more fatalities.
To this day, the neighborhood located at Duffy Street and Donald Street, has not been rebuilt, much to the 
distaste of the residents who lived there. I’m sure it is mostly because of the continuing danger of a derailment at that corner on the tracks, but I don’t suppose the people would understand that. Perhaps a memorial might be erected on the sight, along with a park or something. While people could hear the train coming, I suppose the danger would still exist.
For years, we all thought my niece, Andrea Beach would be a chef. The culinary arts were always of interest to her, and she had worked as a chef in several restaurants. Andrea liked her culinary jobs, but after a long time in that industry, she decided that it was time for a change. It’s not that she no longer enjoys cooking and baking, but now her family is the group that gets to enjoy her creations. So, she took a job at Wyoming Machinery as a lab technician in the oil lab. Somehow, I had never considered Andrea might find herself in an occupation involving science. Of course, I don’t know how she did in science in school, but Andrea has been working there for a little over a year now, and she is very happy with her decision to make a change of career. In her work, Andrea tests a variety of fluids from semitrucks to cars. She tests hydraulic, differential, and transmission fluids. These come from trucking companies, mine sites Construction companies and such, and they come from Rick Springs, Casper, Cheyenne, Rawlins and even Denver. It is very important work, and I’m very proud of her.
Andrea is a music lover, and while she and her son, Chris usually go with her mom, Caryl Reed to the Black Hills for a week’s vacation every year, she had to forego the trip last year, because she Seattle, Washington for a concert called Chemical Romance. The trip also gave them a chance to visit her dad, Warren Beach and his wife Diane. This year, even though she and Chris are going to Boston to see a Korean Band called BTS in August, they will still get to make the annual Black Hills trip. I’m sure that is because of the better pay with Wyoming Machinery, and more vacation time, now that she has been there over a year. I’m glad they get to go on their annual trip again this year.
Andrea has always loved experimenting with her hair, and she recently got it cut really short. She loves it and 
the freedom it affords her. While I have always had and likely will always have long hair, I can understand the extra work it is, so I understand why she likes it short. It looks very cute on her. Andrea has been a single mom for most of her son’s life, and she has raised him to be a successful and loving man. While her life was not always easy, she has made it successful with hard work and her faith in God. She loves her son dearly, and she wants nothing more than for him to be happy. She has simply kept forging ahead. Today is Andrea’s birthday. Happy birthday Andrea!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
On June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea, my uncle, Larry Byer, was thrown into what would become some of the hardest years of his life. Serving as an Army private during the Korean War, he saw firsthand the turmoil that followed Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule after World War II, which left the nation divided. The United Nations, led primarily by the United States, stepped in to support South Korea, while China, with backing from the Soviet Union, sided with the North. North Korea deeply resented the division imposed after the war, and the growing Cold War tensions only fueled their determination to reclaim what they believed was rightfully theirs. In reality, Korea wasn’t the only country to endure such a split, and had they been willing 
to accept it, the war might have been avoided…but they refused.
I can fully understand why action had to be taken with Korea since they didn’t have a government, but splitting the country up just doesn’t feel right. Still, that’s how it happened, and the region has been unstable ever since. North Korea has tried to take over the South and has made plenty of threats to the rest of the world. Their leaders, first Kim Jong-il and now his son, Kim Jong-un, have shown themselves to be ruthless and even a bit unhinged. It’s like the rest of the world is always debating 
whether to strike or to avoid provoking them. In the end, it all comes down to Kim Jong-un.
My Uncle Larry experienced this world firsthand as a private in the Army. The North Koreans fought their battles using any underhanded tactic they could devise, with the sole aim of winning the war. They were ruthless and willing to do whatever it took to win. Thankfully, they didn’t succeed, and before long, Uncle Larry returned home. I’m sure he was overjoyed to be back. Spending time in a chaotic conflict like the Korean War is never ideal and can easily leave a person traumatized. I’m simply grateful he made it home. Today would have been his 92nd birthday. Happy birthday in Heaven, Uncle Larry. We love and miss you very much.
My sister, Cheryl Masterson, the eldest of our parents five daughters has always carried a lot of the responsibilities of helping our mom, Collene Spencer and dad, Allen Spencer in taking care of her younger sisters. So, when they passed away, it was just natural for Cheryl to assume the role of family matriarch. Cheryl is a very strong woman of God, and being the family matriarch, she is really good about passing much of her wisdom on Christian matters down to her sisters, as well as her nieces and nephews. Cheryl truly loves the Lord, and she spends much of her free time in deep study of His Word. I some ways Cheryl reminds me of Anna in the Bible. Anna was a prophetess. She was widowed at a young age, and decided never to marry again, but rather to serve the Lord for the rest of her life. Cheryl was not widowed, but rather divorced when her five children were very young. She too never married again, and raised her kids, Chantel Balcerzak, Toni Chase, Rob Masterson, Elizabeth Masterson, and Jenny Spethman alone and with little help. Anna didn’t have children, but 
like Anna, Cheryl spends all of her free time studying God’s Word, praying and worshipping God, and sharing her wealth of knowledge from her studies with her sisters and anyone else in need. We are all very blessed because of her.
Cheryl worked hard to get an education and became a legal secretary, a position she’s held for many years. She’s excellent at her job, serving as the secretary for the firm’s busiest attorney, and when she retires, they’ll have a tough time replacing her. Still, she’s hoping to retire in the next year or so and has been looking forward to it for quite some time. It will be a big change for her after working most of her life, but retirement will surely feel wonderful, and I know that she will consider it the perfect time to dive even deeper into her Bible study.
While her top priority is her study of God’s Word, Cheryl is also an excellent cook. Anyone who has had the privilege of eating food Cheryl has prepared, can tell you that her skills are amazing. She can make pretty 
much anything you can imagine, and if she doesn’t know how, just had her a recipe, and she will no doubt more that do it justice. Her family all love to come to her house for a family dinner whenever they can. And anytime we have a family “Potluck” dinner, you know Cheryl’s dishes will be one of the big hits. They always are. Today is Cheryl’s birthday. Happy birthday Cheryl!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
