My Portfolio

  On the road… again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek Horses and Mules   Once in a while making a trip by horseback was preferable to walking, but not always.  The Footloose Forester was only a sometimes rider, so never got comfortable enough around horses and mules to...

On the road… again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   G is Guatemala   The people of Guatemala have always been a personal attraction because of their cultural distinctiveness.  A mixture of Mestizo, Indians, and European-looking classes have ensured that in any given place you are likely to...

On the road… again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Softball Overseas Part II   Within a year of completing the Cape Verde assignment, Footloose Forester was selected to serve as Senior Forestry Advisor for a USAID project in Haiti. His interest in softball came up within a...

George and I have had our share of traveling and shared quite a few times with Tom and Christine. The phone wrings and Tom says, “Pack a few things for you and Dad we’re going to Mexico for a few days to golf”.  That was Tom, an hour’s notice and off...

On the road… again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek Softball Overseas Part I They say that when you go overseas you should plan for downtime by developing hobbies. Softball was not exactly a hobby, but a sport that enjoyed wide popularity around the world and one that did...

On the road…again! Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Getting The Most Out Of Coconuts   Seeing a coconut lying under the tree was always a reason to smile. Wife Thu and Footloose Forester were fortunate to live in Hawaii where coconut palms are abundant, so we...

"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and "To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson" have touched my soul.

    IT TRULY IS WHAT YOU THINK IT COULD BE   One afternoon we were walking like we did every day we were in Aruba when a coconut fell from a tree right next to us. They say when it falls from the tree it's ready to eat. We took...

  On the road…. again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   N is Nigeria One of the stopover countries, Nigeria will always come to mind because of the stories associated with it.  As we ate dinner at the home of a newly arrived USAID program officer in Cape...

    Does anything compare with settling into a good mystery?  Yes, finding a good mystery is also a really great activity.  Walking through bookstores or libraries, hearing about a new author from a friend, reading about a new book or writer and especially finding out that one of your favorite authors...

    There is a saying that women's work is never done.  If you are a woman, you know that is true.  There is always something else we could be doing for our husband, our children, our home but not too often for ourselves.  We cook, we clean, we grocery shop, get...

On the road… again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Sponges That Tastes Good                                          Since ancient times the use of natural sponges for bathing has been a mark...

... we embark on educating citizens of the urgent need to preserve the legacy of the 20th century before it is too late!

The young man at the garage in Cork ambled over to our car.  His thinly veiled annoyance made it clear he saw us as an interruption in his day.  I put on my best smile and said, “I’ve had a blowout and need to get a tire repaired.”  He looked surprised...

I wasn't good friends with Steve. I was good friends with Amy, his younger sister. I do have a couple of memories of him, and thought you might like to hear them. We were at a church swim party. Steve was in the pool, having a great time. Another young man...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   G is for Ghana   Only after Ghana defeated the United States in World Cup soccer in 2006 did it occur to the Footloose Forester that a Ghana story might get somebody’s attention.  The name Ghana was tossed around...

A few years ago I was so proud of myself to track down a living cousin through an obituary I found searching newspapers in the library. I found where this cousins mother had been buried and went to take pictures of the gravestone. Upon arrival there was something that caught my...

I met Steve in second grade. Like any red-blooded American girl would, I fell instantly in love with him. I spent grades 4-6 planning my wedding to him and writing in my diary "Andra Redd, Mrs. Andra Redd, Andra Lynn Redd". I think my best friend (Rebecca Reed Davis) and I...

Andra Kolaric I met Steve in second grade. Like any red-blooded American girl would, I fell instantly in love with him. I spent grades 4-6 planning my wedding to him and writing in my diary "Andra Redd, Mrs. Andra Redd, Andra Lynn Redd". I think Becky and I almost came to...

I knew Steven; many times in my teens I had the opportunity to "hang out" with him at Evan's home in Lancaster. I looked up to Steven; he made be believe that I could be a better man, that I could excel at anything I put my whole effort towards, and...