Who said seventy-nine has to be boring? It certainly has not been for me. Yesterday is an example. Medicines I had taken, as prescribed by the Doc, had given me relief in my back. (I thought it was a pain in my hip) Boards of various sizes from 4x8 on down lay scattered about the yard where the project of preparing them for the windows, in case of a storm, lay unfinished and useless. At 8:30 a dear friend, James Bell, showed up. James is a retired policeman. While in Viet Nam on patrol someone in front of him stepped on a booby trap. He received shrapnel through most of his body. God allowed him to make a full recovery. James' favorite activity is helping people. I am grateful to be on his list. Before noon the boards were all sawed and put away. Residue was picked up and prepared for the county dump. All the while it was HOT! It was a great half-day. More to come.
At five o'clock Ann and I were in Portland for a Memorial Service for dear friend, Al Loidl. I wrote about Al at an earlier time but must say a bit more. There was a picture in the foyer of an old passenger ship. It's final name was the USS Abraham Lincoln. In the summer of 1917 Al's parents arrived at Ellis Island in New York from Austria on this ship. Less than a year later it would be sunk in the North Atlantic by a German U-Boat. (submarine). A passenger list had been found and was displayed. There were the names of all the immigrants on board that trip. Loidl was listed among them. Three years later Alfred Loidl would be born. Al began the first grade not speaking or understanding English. He would conquer this barrier and rise to the top of his class. He was a two-time all state football player in high school. Duke University gave him a scholarship to play football in 1939. In 1941 Duke was ranked number TWO in the nation.They were invited to play Oregon State in the Rose Bowl! This son of an immigrant family from Austria had moved to the top.......then it happened.... December 7,1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The next day we were at war. Gatherings of large crowds along the West Coast was forbidden by our government. It was too dangerous. The ROSE BOWL was cancelled......they thought. The coach at Duke had other plans. He invited Oregon State to Durham, North Carolina. They would play the Rose Bowl there. On January 1, 1942 the two teams met in Durham and played this NUMBER ONE BOWL GAME in the nation at Durham. Duke lost 20-16 in a driving rainstorm. Oregon State claimed it was their kind of weather. Al played in that game at right guard as a reserve. He was only in his first year of playing eligibility since freshmen did not play on varsity back then. Players also went both ways in a game.
I got to share that story in the service at 6:00 P.M. We were gathered at Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Portland where Al was a member. This was following a Mass. Never did that before!
So, it was a jam-packed day of events for this old guy. I can hardly wait to see what unfolds on this day. I genuinely hope...not too much!
