A Tribute To Willamalane!

 

I took this picture of a Bufflehead in Seattle back in 2005! That was 13 years after the start of my relationship with Willamalane, the parks district in Springfield, Oregon.

The first Willamalane Recreation Director I worked with was Rand Gerlach. What a treat to work with Rand! Today, I had lunch with the final recreation supervisor of my Willamalane career, Spenser Lind. Another gem of a human being!

I said to Spenser that he reminds me of the famous Robert Kennedy quote, "Some men see things as they are and ask, ""Why?"" I dream things that never were and ask, ""Why not?" 

Spenser is one of the people who sees possibilities. I am also one of those people. My history with Willamalane included expanding the outdoor programs, leasing covered tennis courts at the University of Oregon, running tournaments and other forms of competitions, running tennis camps, private lessons, and promoting special events scheduled to attract new players. Lastly, the Bob Keefer indoor multi-purpose tennis courts are named after my mom, due to a generous donation from her estate. My hope is that legacy will live on and on! Thank you Willamalane for 31 amazing years!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Year's Greeting!

Image
I recorded this version of Born Free on my Yamaha P-515. This song has always been special to me for a number of reasons. I love the message and loved reading the book and seeing the movie. I have always loved the lyrics and the melody. Lastly, it was the first song I learned on the piano.  In 1976, I rode a motorcycle from Seattle to San Francisco. Each night, I camped on the coast. Before losing the light, I would practice this song on a melodica, a flute-like instrument with a short piano keyboard. My mom inspired me to try this instrument as she used to play one on our sailboat.  After I returned to Alaska, I took piano lessons. I will never forget when I hit my first chord to match the first note of this song. I fell in love with that harmony! The pictures are from a recent day I spent with my friend Rohan in the Shinjuku area.  Thank you to Rohan for your guiding! The Godzilla figure is perched up high on a building. The other two photos were taken at a very photogenic cemetery.
Read more

Here's To Longevity!

Image
I recorded "All I Ask of You" on my Yamaha P-515. This song brings back such wonderful memories. Setsuko and I saw a live performance of Phantom of the Opera. This song has always been one of her favorites! These pictures were again taken during our Kyoto trip. The beauty just keeps on coming! Speaking of favorites, I would today like to talk about longevity. Specifically, I would like to share some thoughts about a very informative book I just finished, "Outlive," by Peter Attia. At times, it was a challenging read as he gets pretty technical when it comes to the science and medical background he provides. However, that challenge is well worthwhile; he provides a ton of good information. The book is organized into the following sections: Part 1: The Technical Elements of Disease, the Medical Field, a Roadmap for Reading the Book Part 2: Nutrition, Cancer, Heart Disease, Memory and Alzheimer's Disease Part 3: Exercise, Stability, Nutrition, Sleep, Emotional Heal
Read more

It is Lucy Thomas Time!

Image
    These photos were taken at a Festival we attended last Saturday night. The top photo was taken during a very cool live performance. I was mesmerized by the beautiful clothing they wore! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dXWmHR7pPA The above link is to an amazing performance by Lucy Thomas when she was 13 years old. She has a voice that is out of this world! I dare you to not get goose bumps when you watch that video!  Lucy is now 19 years old. She just came out with her fifth album and is due to be starring in the musical "Rosie" in 2024. Without a doubt, she has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard!  She has also recorded some gorgeous duets with her sister. What a talented family! I love her song selection as she has recorded a number of songs from musicals.  One of the things that is so amazing is the passion she puts into her singing. She sings with a maturity that is much more typical of someone twice her age.  The good news is that you can access almost
Read more