Some Thoughts by the Old Thinker

04 January 2014; Grumpy's Castle -- 

I am sitting around on this beautiful sunny January day, and I got to thinking about my children -- and Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren and of course my little Great-Great Grandson. I treasure each chance I have to be with them. I also enjoy the opportunities I have had and will have to experience adventure, including the amazement of people who think I am too old to be capable of anything other than sit in a rocking chair pronouncing wise -- or inane -- advice to my descendants.

I saw a cartoon the other day [when I get the chance, I will ask its owner for permission to get a color scan of it to include in this BLOGPOST]; the cartoon showed a half-grown kitten frantically clawing to get itself out of an open-top aquarium into which he had fallen while trying to capture a goldfish that resided therein. The caption at the bottom struck me as very appropriate for myself and others who may be approaching old age, or who are looking forward to same:

• To live to an "Old Age", one must first survive "Young and Stupid".

Here is an old photo of me on the right when I was about 6 or 8 months old. I was "captivated" in this old wooden apple box. In the "olden days" apples were shipped to the grocery stores in these wooden boxes. [I'm quite sure that "Red Delicious" were not invented yet; they would not have survived this kind of rough and unprotected treatment.]

And here on the left is another photo of me when I was 17 years old, a Naval Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Navy Reserve. 

Any resemblance to the cute baby in the first photo is probably due to Photo Shopping which was a technique that required the photographer to use his skill prior to the exposure of the film to the object. Ask #2 Son to explain this process; unfortunately I revealed to him one part of this photography trick long ago with a small fish that I caught.

And, finally, here on the right is a recent photograph of me  about 86 years later than the one in the box, standing on top of the snow on the hillside of Mt. Hood in Oregon.

Now, I believe I have survived the first part -- I have survived the "Young" part.


Now all I have to do is survive the "Stupid" part. Please, everybody, let me enjoy that part.

Love to all,
Dad/Grandpa/Great Grandpa/Great-Great Grandpa Z.