My Portfolio

On the road …again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Make That A Double! Jaelyn is not yet 11 years old, but she is already a skilled fisherman….make that fishergirl.  More than once this summer she has come back from fishing trips as the one who either caught...

We would like to spotlight Roen and Shirley Griffiths.  Their kids call them the "Energizer Bunny" and you can see why if you have ever trired to keep up with them.  Roen is 83 years old and is from Bend, Oregon.  Shirley is 81 years old and was born in Las...

I have spent years doing genealogy and one of my highlights is meeting another passionate researcher who is working on the same branch of our joint tree. We quickly pass from impersonal statistics to stories about our kids, our traditions, our childhood memories, and our theories on family riddles. Our commonalities...

A warm light to Gods' love

LEGACY LESSON: YOUR EPITAPH Hi Everyone, Very few people ever write their own epitaph. Yet an epitaph is often the only way will be remembered beyond a birth and death date.  An epitaph can be the single life statement that entices future generations to learn more about you, much like a...

“Do you remember asking me about Santa Claus?” my dad asked. Dad sat in his favorite, green chair, and I had pulled up a chair next to him in the living room of his apartment in the retirement home where he lived. He had lived to an old age, and our...

The fall of 1982 my class reunion committee had meetings at my home. It was fun to see all the gang after 10 years. Driving back from Idaho I could already feel baby bump discomfort. I wasn’t sure I was expecting, but sure enough it was confirmed and what did my...

Over three decays ago my luck changed from bad to good on Friday the 13th.  In the fall making one of our favorite Halloween treats no bake peanut butter corn flake cookies I felt so nauseated I have not been able to eat them since. Finding out a reason for the...

If I were  a super power:  (My definition of a super power--- someone with unlimited funds to share and unlimited abilities to get things done.) I would  fund Pre K and early childhood education throughout the US and other educational opportunities including all public educational facilities and maket universities free for...

We had hiked all around this area but never over to the ranch, so today we thought we would do something different. So many films and TV series have been filmed here.The entire Ranch was burned down in the 2018 Woolsey fire. Some of these buildings were built in the 50's,...

In Oklahoma in the 1930's the twin devils of "Dust" and "Depression" were dancing wildly across the land trampling anything in their path underfoot.   History has shown us that in times of adversity and danger such as this, there will be an increase in spiritual fervor and intensity.  This was certainly...

Ever since I laid eyes on Tesla's converted Lotus sports car at the L.A. Auto Show, I was hooked. It took seeing a 2013 model outside a Chinese foot massage for me to order my own. Picking it up in early 2014 for $113,000, I was the proud owner of the...

As a companion to the Ward Legacy Project (www.LegacyStories.org > FamilySearch Tab > Ward History Project) a unique Family Home Evening has been developed.  Over time, each member of the family will have a series of stories displaying life lessons and values.  One family member becomes the VIP (Very Important Person)...

It is an honor to spotlight Johnny and Sue Davis during this patriotic month.  Both Johnny and Sue were born in Payson.  Johnny is 67 and Sue said she is in her 60s.  Johnny's parents, Ernest and Hazel Davis, lived in Salem.  Sue grew up in Payson.  Johnny is second to...

 a test on my life- chaeos and confusions

    When Rita was a young teen, she probably had a fairly carefree life as her mother, Zoe Bellocq, was a free spirited French woman who married an adoring Irishman, Mathew Hogan.  Parties, picnics, and playing cards were no strangers to their home.  He even allowed Zoe to brew her own...

A senior who has served others and is still serving is Marlene Manahan Olsen.  She was born in Butte, Montana on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1935.  She has lived in the same house in Salem for 43 years.  When she was a junior in High School her parents moved to Salt...

The summer of  1951 my family was living in the Copper Basin of Tennessee where my dad was pastor of the Methodist church in Ducktown.  This area of Tennessee was a rather God-forsaken place with few trees or vegetation able to survive the ravages of copper mining .  I remember the...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Detecting The Vile In Greenbackville   No, this chronicle is not an exposé about sinister happenings perpetrated by vile residents in the sleepy little fishing village of Greenbackville, Virginia. Our fair hamlet of a mere 192 residents (2010 Census)...

This is a very special area out on the Pear Blossom Highway, and has some unique rock formations. However it is a very long drive from the valley to get out here. We had wanted to hike up to the chair, but once we saw the amazing rocks, we spent the...