My Portfolio

On the road …again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   Daily Visits By Our Furry and Feathered Friends   The four bird feeding stations and three bird houses in our back yard may have been among the attractions to our serene residence; but local deer,...

Learning to Play   “You should come down and play Scrabble with me some evening when your kids are away,” she urged. “It’s easy. I’ll teach you.”   I had never been one to play with words. Read, yes, but I never did crosswords, jumbles, or any other puzzles that required...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   The Goat And The Peacock The tiny island of Pulau Peucang off the western tip of Java was the site of one of only two guard stations for Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park, a virtually pristine expanse of lowland...

I remember the first time I met Virginia, who was always "Gin" to me.  In fact, I met Gin for the first time when the love of her life, C.W, also met her for the first time. C.W, myself and another friend were going to Arkansas on a fishing trip when...

Hello C.W. , You probably don’t remember me. I know you met so many of Virginia’s counselor friends over the years. You and I had a sweet conversation a few years ago when you came to one of our regional meetings and motivated us with your wonderful words. Virginia is the...

 I loved Virginia!  Working with her on the Arkansas School Counselor Association board for at least 5 years- she was an incredible person.  She was ALWAYS so cheerful and happy.  She would periodically send me such sweet, encouraging messages thanking me on behalf of all school counselors for work done with...

                                                                                      Class of '59           ...

How blessed am I to have had Virginia as a dear friend to love. Our last dinner together was at the Embassy, always one of our favorite spots. Mickey Stant, Virginia and I would gather there many times when we first met and solve the problems of our world! This last...

At the top of the list of a rew people who made me feel special are my new cousins.  I have met them here and there through my Genealogy work.  I have known three of my new cousins now for about 2-3 years.  But they all make me feel special.  They...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   The Serendipity Of Katherine’s Statue Serendipity has always been one of his favorite words. The dictionary definition of serendipity has a few variations; but in general, it means a pleasant, fortunate and unexpected discovery. Finding the wooden sculpture of...

Jill was living in Clare South Australia when she was a teenager and her interests were table tennis and tennis and going to local balls and dances in Clare and Jamestown.  She tells us about moving to Adelaide and finding the right place to board and going to dances at Burnside...

This special day began typically for March in Ohio, gray with blowing rain against the bedroom window.  How I wished the sun could pop out from behind the clouds.     Today is the occasion for honoring a good friend and mentor for many of the musicians in our city.  Our...

  DEB AND I PLANNED TO MOVE FROM BOSTON TO UPSTATE NY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2007 TO LIVE ON HER PARENTS'  PROPERTY - TO BE CLOSE TO THEM AND PROVIDE SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE  AS NEEDED AT THIS TIME IN THEIR LIVES. IT WAS A DECISION WE MADE TOGETHER.   MEANWHILE BACK IN...

I had the good fortune to travel through Russia on a riverboat cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1997.  We traveled first on the Moscow River and then the famous Volga!  Many locks enabeled us to make it all the way to the Lake Lagoda.   This lake is famous for...

Pig Roast, 11/19/2011

I had the good fortune of becoming very close with a hillbilly family in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. I know I can use the word, "hillbilly" because it's just who they are and they are proud of it. Rather than tell that entire story here I wanted to...

A sign once read, "A good friend will bail you out of jail. A true friend will be in jail with you saying, "Damn that was fun." I have had many "good" friends in my life. Many could even qualify as true friends. I can recall deeply loyal friendships in my...

I returned from my LDS Mission to The Netherlands in December, 1965 and continued my studies at Utah State University. Having really struggled with the freshman year of college before my mission, I was coming back near the level of probation. My mode of transportation was a bicycle and this posed...

I just read another member's story about playing "alligator" in the red mud and digging holes in the dirt to play marbles as a kid. It inspired me to share one of my favorite "boys will be boys" stories. Me and Jerry Feldman were best of friends at 10 years old....

Remembering the importance of having a place outdoors that was our special place. Up in a big tree.