My Portfolio

On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   R is Rwanda   Never will the Footloose Forester be able to tie the events in Rwanda and Burundi together in a historical or insightful way. But since he traveled to both countries on various occasions,...

Have you ever loved someone so much it hurt?

Vawn Blackham Guymon Born 20 Sep 1914 – Died 3 May 1992   All of my Aunts and Uncles were favorites each in their own ways.  One that I’d like to share with you at this time is Aunt Vawn – (my Dad’s sister).  She was so much fun.  At one...

I grew up in a very caring family but one with limited resources.  My dad worked at a refinery and my mother was a housewife so there was not much money for non-essential items. When I was in the 9th grade, I was invited to a house party that was "dress-up." ...

The first home I remember was my grandparents house at 438 Magill Road, Tranmere. In those days it was on a double block and my grand father had his doctor's surgery there. Click on the green audio button to hear more about this beautiful home.  

  On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   E  is for Ethiopia The highlands of Ethiopia are among the most beautiful landscapes on earth.  To see things that way, one must always remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  So,...

My maternal great-grandmother, Hilje Mulder Folkers, and I had a special relationship when I was a very young, and this relationship still affects me emotionally some 65 years later.  Opoo had lost her husband before I was born, and she was living with my grandparents, Hermannus Thiessens and Henrietta Folkers.  When...

When I left home I left behind the greatest friend I would ever have. My mother and I were very close. Even though I was miles away, we talked every day, sometimes two or three times a day.  Many miles separated us, but I traveled that nine hundred and ninety two...

Mothers “When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.”                                                                        Italian film actress and mother - Sophia...

In August, 1958 at the age of fourteen years (4), I was given the opportunity to spend a few days in Salt Lake City, Utah with my grandmother Thiessens, affectionately nicknamed "Mumpsy".  This was to be a special outing, just Mumpsy and me. As we walked along Main Street, I remember...

I was really reluctant to start the engine in the old car.   You see, I had a big problem.  Actually it was a two-part problem I faced as I sat there next to the gas pump of a C-Store in Tucson.  The first part I couldn’t do anything about because somewhere...

Henry Pineau could do everything well. He played semi pro baseball and was a fantastic golfer. He was about as handy as a man could be and succeeded at most of his bright ideas. Henry was my Grandfather, my mother's father. We called him,  "Gammie." I remember as a child going...

Dolly passed away peacefully on Saturday morning after a long struggle with declining health.  She was a vibrant woman, funny & opinionated. Dolly lived in the Bronx until she moved to Spring Hill, Florida. She was the widow of Manuel Fuenmayor and had two children. This is Dolly on the left,...

One of the most important factors affecting the preservation of photographs are the considerations of storage and display conditions. This includes what they are stored or enclosed in, the area in which they are stored, and the manner in which they are displayed. STORAGE Although the sun and it’s Ultra-Violet rays...

On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   The Grey Wall, Desolation Valley Wilderness Area   Haunting personal memories of the past are sometimes ugly ones, but in repeated exercises to maintain mental health, most of his preferred recollections induce smiles and pleasant thoughts. ...

Today, April 25th, is Anzac Day. It is the Day of Remembrance in Australia and New Zealand commemorating the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli on April 25th 1915. It turned out to be one of the most futile campaigns of all time but it created the national...

If you would have asked this question last week, I would have said no, this has never happened to me. However, this past Monday on October 3rd, 2011 I was laid off from my job. I worked for a non-profit organization. They were a great company to work for. They are...

  I remember hearing some stories about the women on my mother’s side of our family that made me believe they were women who were way ahead of their times in their thinking, attitudes and behaviors. I think they must have learned at a very young age to be independent and...

Today, 25th April, 2012 is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand - our repective day of remembrance for both countries. It commemorates the landing of soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli, Turkey on this day in 1915 to fight their opening battles in WWI in...

A much loved keepsake of my mother has recently found a new home in Ohio, Springfield Museum of Art. Its beginnings can be traced to the art department of Newcomb College in New Orleans and a talented potter by the name of Henrietta Bailey around 1919. We call it the Daffodil...