TWO Great-Grandfathers!

Baby Norman—the third Furbish boy!

I'm Watching Car Racing on Watkins Glen

Sunday, 7/7/19, 3:22 pm

From a text sent to Iivo after Richard drove himself home from church, having expressed that he didn't feel well.

I made it! I left my phone in the car! It’s only now that I got it—with 1% charge left in the battery. On the way to the car and back, I almost got roasted. Now I’m safely in my room.

I’m watching car racing on Watkins Glen. Very interesting! A car just careened onto the pile of spent tires. It’s Mazda against Porsche. Also in the pack are a Vedette, Beamers.

The track is an open road style—left right left. Many curves. Sometimes the are three high going through curves trying to pass one another. 

NASCAR races ... I think in some time in the future the are going to be run by self-driving cars. 🤣

They just dug the wrecked car out of the tires and hauled it off on a flatbed wrecker. The driver went in an EMS. And the race is back on!

There seam to be Audis, Lexus, Acura, Toyota in the pack!

And a Cadillac? Yup! He came in 4th! Must have inherited the platform from the Opel that became the Carrera when it was “naturalized.” 😂

I’m going to heat me a seafood dinner and have a bottle of white wine. Does just as well as the water in Virginia Beach. I’m not sick to my stomach any more. A bit of sleep and the Paella did the trick. 

Maybe it’s not the best practice to lose weight by fasting and drying one's guts and brains. 

Now I'm Free to Sail to Wherever and Whenever I Choose to

Thursday, 7/4/19, 1:44 pm
From a text exchange between Richard and Iivo

Richard: I’m leaning back in my Lazy Boy. I went down for breakfast and had a hard time with my balance. I ran into my door, knocked down my anchor and broke it! Now I’m free to sail to wherever and whenever I chose to. I’m free!

Iivo: Oi Weh! Are you hurt?!! I am mowing the lawn.

Richard: No, I'm fine. But mowing the lawn would be asking for too much!

Editor's Note: This "anchor" is in reference to a hanging anchor that had been placed on his door at the First Colonial Inn Richard now calls home.

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Friday, 7/5/19, 5:53 pm
From a text from Richard to Iivo

I just made it back from the dining room to my hide-out. The dinner was not bad. Fried catfish. The veggie side was almost bad enough to send it back to the kitchen. The desert, however, made all the rest forgivable: key lime pie and vanilla ice cream. Now I watch TV a bit and hit the sack with no regrets. 

Good night to you! And many thanks for a lovely Hardt morning. 🤗😂👍🏻

Editor's Note: The "lovely Hardt morning" referred to their trip together to see Opa's doctor, Dr. Hardt.

A Snack with Little Teddy

 

Opa and Little Westley

 

Fun at Sunnyside Oyster Bar

Making It Official

Joining with the congregation at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach. 

Pictured with Pastor Carlos Rodriguez.

Baby Teddy Loves Opa!

 

"Dry Dock" Sailing

Here is a little “dry dock” sailing to give you an idea what’s  behind it all. Have fun!

The Physics of Sailing—KQED QUEST



* This post is from an email sent to granddaughter Elanore. 

Some Thoughts Concerning Homeschooling, on Olivia's Graduation

I & L,

J'ellen Yeatts asked how the graduation was. I dropped a few 'tea-time' words and then thought that some more thought would be in place. I share the following just now. (See my letter to her, below.) If you can agree, fine; if you do not, correction will be welcome for my own edification. In all, it is a condensation of my personal views. I started out with a negative disposition to homeschooling, way back, when it all started. You may read in and between the lines my present disposition towards your kind of homeschooling. Laurie, I have not here mentioned the schooling you actually gave to all four of yours / ours before they reached KEYS. Consider the compliment to extend to all of you: "No house can stand on a week foundation, oh no! Oh no!" (Harry Belafonte?)

Hope your vacation was grand and your recollected energy will be boundless.
Opa

 

Hi, Ellen!

I owe you more than the few assorted words I granted to you in my remarks about Olivia's graduation.  Here is a tad more.

Iivo and Laurie had their kids home-schooled. That you knew already. Evie was the first to graduate, and she is now settled in her professional life and married. Philip was the next to graduate, and he captured a National Scholarship award. You know that also. Olivia was not so lucky as that, but she got an invitation from VA Tech—the Hokies, in the medical school. She aims to be a surgeon! I see so many high school kids around here clamoring for the high position of greeter at Walmart. And Rosewood High is listed as a national high achievement school.

Just looking at the scores of these of my grandchildren, this is not small potatoes! My hat is off to what the homeschoolers have done in VA Beach. For the ceremony, each student had a spot to articulate his/hers experiences and his plans and how he/she expects to support those endeavors with previous experiences, current qualifications, and upcoming efforts. There were some very impressive articles in the graduation pamphlet. 

And the thing is, having experienced this with Evie and Philip first, and having the scheme and results duplicated with Olivia, the thing is impressive. This is not having homeschool. This is private academy standard with not only teachers and students,  but also parents and families involved throughout.

As each student was called up to receive his papers, he was met by parents and siblings on the stage. One or the other of the parents would present a more or less cutting speech of recognition and expectation, and, usually the father, would hand the diploma to the son or daughter, and then the mother would move the tassel on the pancake. They'd do the hugging stuff on the stage and then move off to make room for the next graduate. On an overhead screen, selected pictures of the student's life were projected during this ceremony. 

It was not the oration that impressed me, but the absolute proof that this stage was not achieved by teachers guarding the temporarily forgotten kids of parents and siblings busy elsewhere during this schooling period. It was the fact that whole families had worked together with the teachers.

Hope this helps to transmit my impressions worthily! 

Rich

I&L,

If you want to protest my thoughts, you know where to plant your objections.

Impressive work! All of you! Really! 

Carry on! Only one more to go!

Love, 

Opa