Marion Leland --- 97 Years Young!

When I started thinking about this Blog, I realized that I met Marion when she was in her 70s.  That’s a bit inconceivable to me, because she is so young at 97 years of age, that I keep thinking I’ve been working with her since she was in her 50s --- but that, of course, would be a bit impossible since I was still a teenager then! 

I hope you’ve had a chance to meet Marion at our Holiday Open House this year and years past.  She is lively, a great joy to have a conversation with, and ever upbeat and optimistic.  I’m going to tell you a little bit about her here in this Blog.  She no longer keeps up with her computer and email, so we sat down over lunch and birthday cake here in our offices (a small party that she drove herself to after just passing her driver’s test with flying colors!) and chatted about her life and times.

 Marion Leland.

Marion grew up in Minneapolis and didn’t move to the Bay Area until she married her husband, John Leland.   He also grew up in Minneapolis and they knew each other from the time she was three and he was eight years old.  In fact, John’s uncle was the doctor who delivered Marion!  John later became a doctor himself, setting up practice as a family physician in the Bay Area. 

Marion, being a child of the Great Depression, is a very practical woman, and comes from a long line of smart, practical women.  Marion’s mother insisted she be able to support herself, and so at her mother’s urging Marion attended business school.  Putting that education to good use right away, Marion worked during the war in a manufacturing plant in Minneapolis that made gun mounts for battleships. She was secretary to one of the commanding officers.  Although her husband proposed to her during this time (she was 25 when he first proposed), she didn’t want to be a war bride.  Knowing a great catch when he saw it, John didn’t give up. He had  the perfect ring custom made for her at Shreve’s in San Francisco.  She finally allowed herself to be “caught” and they were married March 17th, 1944 at the Women’s Club in Minneapolis.  Marion Bryant became Marion Leland! 

Life in Berkeley, where they settled, was a busy time for her.  In addition to being a full-time mother to their daughter, Robin, Marion was very involved in service-based activities, including the Women’s Medical Society.  In 1948 her mother-in-law invited her to join the Piedmont-Oakland Chapter of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) and she has been a member for over 60 years.  Marion is most proud of the work she did for this organization, as her committee was responsible for interviewing young women applying for scholarships to college and eventually awarding thousands of dollars.  For her scholarship work at John F. Kennedy School of Law, Marion was honored with a special plaque for her many years of work in securing scholarships and financial aid for deserving women law students. She also did some scholarship work at Diablo Valley Junior College. Even though she moved to Lafayette, and later, after her husband passed away, to Pleasant Hill, Marion still stayed extremely involved in this Chapter and its fine causes. She has not only kept in touch with chapter members, but also with many of the women who were recipients of these life-changing scholarships.  They adore her.

Marion lost her husband at a relatively young age from early onset Alzheimer’s. In fact we met at a meeting where I spoke about tax and financial planning issues for families whose loved ones were suffering from this awful disease.  Never one to sit about and feel sorry for herself, Marion immediately set to work to take command of her entire life and also of Robin’s. Without a husband at a time when most women relied on theirs for so many life decisions, she picked herself up and did everything from managing their complex financial situation, to learning how to clean the pool herself!

Marion, to this day, continues to care for her adult daughter, Robin.  Robin was diagnosed with an array of disabilities during her late teen years, moved back home, and has only been able to work outside the home briefly.  To say that Marion has become profoundly knowledgeable about her daughter’s complex needs and an advocate for her, would be an understatement.   Most women, faced with the early loss of a husband and a grown daughter to care for, would feel incredibly sorry for themselves.  But here’s where Marion’s story becomes so unique:  she simply never complains. She has told me for many years that it’s a benefit to have a responsibility --- something beyond oneself.  She does credit herself for being an information seeker and has constant contact with those professionals who can help her improve upon her knowledge.  Her deep Mid West American roots and strong family values, not to mention her incredible work ethic, have been instrumental in helping her support and focus on her daughter when she had no background and no exposure to otherwise guide her.  

 Marion celebrates 97 years on planet Earth!

When you meet Marion you’ll also note that she is remarkably spry, has a wonderful smile and laugh, is petite and very physically fit.  She tells me that her secret to this physical fitness is that she moves --- a lot!  When she was in Lafayette, everything  from working in the garden to cleaning the pool to walking the reservoir was part of her fitness regimen.  Now she still walks every night and these past three years she’s been taking Flex for Fitness classes at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center.   She also lifts light weights!  Her recommendation?  Get out with a group of your contemporaries and get some sun, air, light and exercise!   

Her doctor says she’ll easily make it to be 100, and I’m not betting against it!  In fact, we are already planning Marion’s “surprise” 100th birthday party!  Look for your invitation in three years! 

If you would like to reach Marion, please let us know, and we’ll put you in touch.  Or we will simply point her out to you at our next party! 

Wishing you all a wonderful and fit holiday with your family, friends and loved ones!

Lana Artemoff: Former Insurance Agent by Day, Now Award Winning Artist in Retirement!

This left brain right brain stuff never ceases to amaze me.  Lana Artemoff has one of those brilliant minds --- a woman who could quote detailed insurance code sections and policy provisions in one sentence --- and then later head out to her garden or art studio to become immersed in an astoundingly gorgeous creative endeavor.   Svetlana Artemoff, her professional name in the art community, has become an award-winning artist --- immensely talented, she creates simply beautiful and stunning pieces of art.

I’m going to guess that most readers have had the pleasure of getting to know Lana (formerly of Marina Associates) over the years, so without further ado, I’ll just let you reacquaint yourselves --- and perhaps get to know another side (or two!)  of Lana you never saw before!  Loving wife, mom, grandmother and sister, as well as talented artist, generous volunteer and so much more, enjoy reading about good friend and client, Lana Artemoff.

 Lana visiting Zurich, Switzerland.

You and your sister, Marina Devoulin, have been very important women in my life, Lana. I’ve known you for well over 30 years not only as a mentor and as my own insurance agent, but also as a trusted advisor to many of our mutual clients over the years. How did you and Marina end up working together? Was this a planned career path for you?

Thank you, Lynn…I am flattered that you feel that way.   I always thought how great it was to meet someone like you, someone who shared my work ethic, was excited by the opportunities of providing a professional service and committed to a sense of personal balance.  I was thrilled by our brainstorming sessions.

As for my career, insurance was never my planned path.  I had visions of art, architecture or archeology.  I obviously got stuck in the “A”s!  However, marriage and children changed that game plan.  Reality dictated a need for supplemental income, and I started looking around for options that would fit.  At the time, my sister, Marina, was working at a local insurance agency and put me in touch with another agent who needed some part-time help.  Can you believe that $2.50 an hour was the going rate those days?  I spent almost 10 years at Bernstein, Lovell & Co., learned the ropes, secured my license and was ready in 1977 to join Marina when she bought out her employer and took charge of her own agency.

 Thanksgiving with Mom (now 92!) and family.

Tell us about your childhood --- where did you grow up and what were (and are!) your parents like?
  
My parents, Julia and Konstantin Grediakin, came to the U.S. in 1947 from Shanghai, China.  They were part of the collateral damage of the Russian Revolution and the subsequent Communist takeover in China.  Luckily, they had the vision and ability to find a better path. My dad was an electrical engineer, graduate of the Harbin Polytechnic Institute, and worked for 34+ years in that capacity at PG&E.  Mom kept the home fires burning with exceptional skill.  At her 80th birthday, all of the family accolades focused on how her culinary abilities made us feel loved.  Dad died in 2004 and Mom just celebrated her 92nd birthday this year.  I was born and raised in San Francisco’s Haight/Ashbury district.  Our home was a Victorian, built in 1907, and I can’t go back to that neighborhood without a strong sense of nostalgia. Our family stayed in San Francisco until 1990 when, in search of a bit more sunshine and a reasonable commute, we moved to Sausalito.  In 2005, thanks to the internet and being able to work anywhere in the world (with an internet connection!), we decided to settle in a more peaceful setting in the wine country area surrounding Ukiah.

 Lana, George and friend.

Your husband George had a distinguished career as a San Francisco Fireman. How did you both meet and what was life like as the wife of a firefighter in one of the trickier cities to battle blazes in the world?

I never had a strong identification with being Russian, but it’s something that follows you around like your hair color.  There was always a vibrant Russian-American community in San Francisco.  And so meeting my husband, George, was part of that Russian connection.
 
Firefighting in San Francisco in those days seemed to me a bit like war.  The firefighters had to be ready 24/7, the bells would ring at each station, citywide, and the responsible company would be out the doors to face who knows what. There were some huge 5-alarm fires, sniper attacks from neighbors, and the overall risk of the job.  It became easier when I knew there was nothing I could do to make it safer or better.  I just had to trust his good sense, ability and the terrific backup of the other members in his company.

Another thing I’ve always admired about Marina Associates is the very family friendly and nurturing nature of the business. I think each of your children (and maybe grandchildren?) have had the opportunity to work in the “family business.” How did you manage to make that possible? What were the challenges and successes that stick most in your mind?

I can’t take any credit for that…Marina was and is the biggest supporter of a family business. She deserves her own spot on that point.  I certainly benefited from and supported the concept that we wanted to balance the needs of family and workplace and welcomed the chance to mentor our own family members whenever possible.  Flex-time was a given in our agency, long before it became a corporate tool.  As for a virtual office and telecommuting, we dreamed of that happening and jumped on the chance that it gave us to be sensible about resources.  Less overhead meant more service to our customers. Less stress on our staff (flex work hours/no long commutes), meant greater dedication to the job.  In some ways, the challenge was to keep us all from working all the time, which is what technology makes possible.  The other challenge was “where can we get the next family member?!?” and wondering if age 5 was too early to start them with filing!  I think the greatest success was that we were able to demonstrate that being an insurance broker was a career worthy of their fine minds and commitment.

 Lana enjoying a quiet moment in her studio.

For years I’ve loved chatting with you about our mutual love for gardening. But only recently have I really had a chance to learn about your love of painting. Tell us about both these passions and how you fit them into your life as wife, mom, full-time career woman, and now recently, retiree.
 
Gardening is and always will be a great love of mine.  Even when I was immersed in my career, I always made time for working in the dirt.  Some years it would be a major renovation, others just a small trial plot.  That’s the beauty of gardening – it’s whatever you can handle.  Art isn’t that easy.   Somehow it took more time, more energy and definitely more focus.  I started painting in oils more than 40 years ago and kept it up until I couldn’t really find a spot for it.  It wasn’t until 2001 that I decided to try watercolor.  By chance, someone offered me a studio (cheap!) and the next thing I knew, I was painting regularly.  It was an important turning point.  I realized that it really helped to have a space devoted to my creative work.  That was one of the first things I found for myself when we moved to Ukiah.  I’m lucky that now we’ve been able to build a small studio on our property and I can go there…whenever!  And that’s the reality of retired life these days --- “whenever” is filled with aging parents, growing grandchildren and all those wonderful wish lists we’re all working on.  I’m painting in oils, watercolors, pastels, colored pencils, pen/ink…whatever works for the subject.  I love painting flowers (isn’t that a bit like gardening?), and have taken on numerous commissions for pet portraits.  I still can’t live without my daily planner or calendar to keep me on track!

 Brooklyn--notecard created by Lana.

Master time juggler that you are, you and your sister not only found time to have lunch together pretty much every day you worked at Marina Associates, but you also found a way to pattern your work schedules so that you could each indulge in a particularly beloved passion: travel! Where have you been, where do you still want to go? Please share with us some of your favorite trips and travel stories.

It was a real bonus that my sister and I could accommodate our indulgence for travel.  Once the business and family were taken care of, the next agenda item was when/where was our next trip and can we put it into the calendar for the next year?   My husband and I took a great trip last year on the Trans-Siberian Railroad.  We’d been to Russia before, but we’d only hit the tourist spots.  This was a chance to slow down, take in the scenery and absorb a bit more.  Both of us have family that came from many of these Siberian outposts.  Although revolution, war and time has erased their traces, it was enough for me to breathe the same air and look around at the same vistas that they would have seen long ago.  Next year we’re working on taking a road trip to Alaska on the Al-Can Highway in our new VW Camper Van.  It’s a long trek, but it will be fun to figure out a way to combine some camping, some great lodges, a ferry ride and some gorgeous scenery.  I have figured out how to take my art along, and my pastels and pencils are ready to go.  As for 2013, well, I’m  hoping for Egypt, Turkey and Greece…or geez, where is the atlas!

  George at the Great Wall.

Travel is becoming increasing taxing and difficult it seems. What are some tips you can share with our readers about ways to globe trot and still have fun and protect your sanity (and pocketbook!).

Travel is actually cheaper and easier than it has ever been…and more accessible.  I used to go to the library, check out the travel books, write to various places and then wait for a reply and a brochure if I was darn lucky.  Now there is a plethora of options.  This is more of a challenge than our anti-terrorist security measures.  People are finding themselves locked into decision anxiety --- “is this the best/cheapest/etc. way to spend my  “X” days of vacation?”  My tip is to figure out where you want to go, and then address the “how” part.   All of us have a personal comfort level, so just check out these trigger words:  escorted, tour group,  individual, rugged, adventurous, posh --- I think you get the drift.   Then, given your parameters, you can set your budget.  Otherwise, you’re likely to apply for the wrong job…aka wrong trip!

Tell us about your current life as an artist. Do you think of this as your next “career”? What upcoming shows do you have planned?
  
I’ve always been an artist and I can’t think of it as a career, it’s more like being blonde or blue-eyed.  But, I do have some aspirations!   February is usually the Russian Festival in San Francisco, June is the Taste of Redwood Valley Wine & Art Tour, September is our local Studio Tour and I’m hoping to have a show at Scharffenberger Winery in the Anderson Valley for 2013.

 Dahlias by Lana.

What are your favorite volunteer activities and what charities are you particularly supportive of? 

The Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project is a nonprofit that owns 40+ acres of beautiful land bordering the Russian River.  They have put together a program, which all the students in the Ukiah Valley School District can access in the form of daylong field trips where they are introduced to this marvelous “outdoor classroom.”  Topics range from bird watching, plant identification, soil building, composting and the environment.  There are only two paid staff workers.  All  the rest is accomplished with volunteers.  I’ve given them some help this year and hope to do more in the future.  I’ve also volunteered to help with my grandson’s home schooling.  We’ve had some great cooking classes and have put together a kid-friendly cookbook.  Later this year, I’ll be facilitating a mural project for one of his home schooling groups.

 Soccer dude, Rowan, Lana and George's grandson.

I think many readers would love to reach out to you, Lana, and also attend your art shows or visit your gallery! What is the best way to reach you? Do you have a website?  And one thing readers should note:  as a professional artist and within the art community, Lana is known by her full name, Svetlana Artemoff.

I have postponed having a formal website for now, but am sending out a quarterly “Art Newsletter” to my clients, colleagues and friends, which will give them information about new work and upcoming events.  I also have a digital portfolio that can be shared upon request.  Therefore, the best way to reach me is either by email – lartemoff@yahoo.com or phone – 707-462-3279.

It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t know as much about Lana’s amazing artistic talent while she was working, because I would have pestered her endlessly and there’s no telling how much more behind all my questions might have put her in her day!  Meanwhile, I hope her generous thoughts encourage all of you who are also talented in oh so many ways and on oh so many levels to make time for whatever inspires you --- be it your inner artist, musician, volunteer or simply citizen of the world.
   
I know Lana would love to hear from any and all of you who knew her in her working days, just to say “hi” or perhaps to volunteer with her.  We also have a lot of “home-schoolers” in our audience, who may want to share ideas with her.
 
As I take this moment to thank Lana for sharing her life with us, and her extensive family, I’m going to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving with your family, friends and all loved ones as well.

Pat Maughan and Amos Lakos: Two Remarkable Librarians with a Very Global View

Pat and Amos visiting Mt. Nemrut, Turkey.

Our clients and colleagues are always so generous with us --- you kindly want to hear about our families, stories and travels even as we shine the spotlight on you.


Over the years as Pat Maughan and I got to know each other, I told her of my mom’s attempts (sometimes successful!) to become a writer. In Pat’s many faceted work as a UC Berkeley Librarian and later, Communications Director (and without telling me!), she used her incredible resources to unearth a few articles that my mom published over 45 years ago in some very obscure and I thought long-lost publications. That Pat even thought of this gift, let alone took the time (considerable!) to embark upon this project was, to me, breathtaking. But for those of you who know and have worked with Pat over the years, I’m sure this comes as no surprise to you. Lovely, kind, and pretty darn funny, fashion forward and always up for a great adventure, she’s the embodiment of the Librarian we should all be fortunate enough to have had coaching us in our times of need!


So fast forward a bit after we met, and she has met her future husband, Amos Lakos. Also a Librarian extraordinaire, with an amazing and brilliant wit, Amos has a world view that allows him to look at things with a perspective very different than many. I think you’ll really enjoy reading about his global upbringing, and the lucky chance that brought him and Pat together.


I also think you’ll find it fascinating to read their very informed thoughts about what the new Information Age bodes for the future of the written word, and how society is forever changed. Enjoy!


Pat, I first met you during the years when your mom was becoming increasingly frail and dependent on you. I truly admired how hard you worked to make her life as perfect for her as possible in HER vision during those tough later years. Tell us about your mom and family, your childhood, where you grew up and your core values.

Pat strolling on the Great Wall of China.

All four of my grandparents emigrated from Ireland to San Francisco. In addition to a sister, I grew up with 14 uncles and aunts and 21 first cousins nearly all of whom lived in the Bay Area. My parents were both products of San Francisco’s Mission District, where they learned, and in turn taught me, the importance of hard work, education, perseverance, loyalty, and humor. My mother was one of the most generous people I’ve ever known, and I wanted to repay her goodness in some small way by helping her when she needed it toward the end of her life. Though it was one of the most difficult periods in my own life, I have never regretted a single moment of helping her.


You became one of the premier and most distinguished library scientists in your field, Pat, retiring recently from UC Berkeley. How did you come to the field of Library Science? Walk us through your many roles at UC Berkeley.

Gosh, thank you for your flattering comments! As a matter of fact, I fell into librarianship quite by accident. I attended college during the late sixties and early seventies when students didn’t really think about “employability” or “career paths” as they do now. I attended Santa Clara University, which offered me a broad, well rounded liberal arts education but which did not prepare me to enter any particular field, “English major” that I was! My second job out of college was in a technical library in the Silicon Valley and it was there I discovered with an additional year of graduate school, I could actually enter a profession. I received a full scholarship to Pratt Institute and earned a Masters in Information Science. After working at Columbia University, I joined the staff at UC Berkeley Libraries where I had the most varied career of any librarian on staff, starting as Head of the Engineering Library, then heading Berkeley’s fourteen Science Libraries, becoming Library Communications Director, and finally serving as a charter member of Berkeley’s Teaching Library, where I designed and led assessment efforts and taught faculty, graduate students and undergraduates how to access, research, and manage information.


Over the years I’ve known you, you have participated in and spoken during many industry conferences. Tell us about some of your more memorable moments. Did attending these global conferences help spark your love of travel?


In the final decade of my career, I became recognized internationally in the field of Information Literacy programming, an emerging specialty within the field of higher education librarianship. As a result, I was invited to present papers at a Finnish National Conference in Higher Education in Helsinki, at several TICER (Tilburg Innovation Centre for Electronic Resources) Summer Institutes in Tilburg, Netherlands, at the Konstanz Workshop on Information Literacy, University of Konstanz, Germany, and online, with the Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administracion, in Santa Fe de Bogota, Colombia. My capstone achievement came in 2010 when I designed and delivered a five-day workshop in Thessaloniki, Greece, for research librarians and faculty from throughout that country on integrating library research into undergraduate curricula. In all honesty, these conferences didn’t spark my love of travel. That happened long ago, when as a high school senior my parents took the family on a European tour. I was immediately hooked, and made sure to study a year abroad (in Paris) during college. Since then, I have visited over forty countries in Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. I still have a long “bucket list” of destinations.

The Mongolian Steppe.

We often tease --- but it’s true --- that your talents could just have easily led to a successful career in fashion design --- you are TRULY a fashion forward thinker. Why isn’t that a path you chose? And how do you feed your inner “fashionista” short of taking up a second career in the industry?


Honestly, at the time I was determining a career direction, design and fashion never presented themselves to me as options. Although I have some innate artistic and design talents, they were never formally developed. My education was rigorously academic and scholarly. Later in life, I took a battery of tests to determine what fields my skills and abilities were most suited to. Interestingly, librarianship turned out to be one of them (so did entrepreneurship). Twenty years or more after I’d graduated from college, my dad reminded me of a conversation we’d had when I was twenty-one, where I’d told him I’d wanted to “work in academia.” I had forgotten all about it, but it’s funny that’s where I ended up. I feed my “inner fashionista” by following trade publications, watching fashion-related programs on T.V., and designing jewelry for myself and friends. I’ve recently taught myself to knit and am enjoying making fashion pieces in yarn, too.


So, let’s focus a bit on your husband now. Amos, I didn’t meet you until much later when you and Pat became, forgive this, an “item,” and eventually, husband and wife! Please share with us your life growing up, the places you’ve lived, and key moments that really shaped who you are.


I was born in Romania (1946) – in Transylvania (I don’t bite). My mother tongue is Hungarian –part of Romania that used to belong to the Austro-Hungarian Empire before WWI. I used to speak fluent Romanian as well, but after we immigrated to Israel in 1959, I stopped speaking Romanian and forgot the language. We settled in Jerusalem, where my mother (91) still lives. I finished high school in 1965, after which I served in the Israeli Army for three years. After that I studied Poli-Sci and International Relations at Hebrew University, graduating with a B.A. in 1972. I left Israel for Canada in 1972, but got stuck in Germany, as the Canadians changed the immigration requirements. I lived in West Berlin for the next 2-1/2 years, working mainly as a waiter. I also learned German and traveled all over Europe. In 1975 I moved to Vancouver, B.C., as a landed immigrant and studied for a Master of Library Science at UBC. In 1977 I moved to Waterloo, Ontario, to work as a librarian at the University of Waterloo. After meeting Pat in 2001 in Denver, I started looking to move closer to her and in 2002, moved to work at UCLA. In 2007, after 5 years of commuting between L.A. and Oakland, I retired to live together at last with Pat in Oakland.


Actually, Amos, I know much less about your professional career path than I do Pat’s. Please share your professional journey with us.


During my 25 years at the University of Waterloo, among other things, I published a number of scholarly bibliographies (Terrorism, Negotiations between States) which are still used today (I hope). Later on I concentrated on Performance Measures and Assessment, set up the first MIS (Management Information System) in academic libraries and developed the first full time Assessment Librarian position in our profession. I developed the concept of “Culture of Assessment,” which is now an accepted concept and goal in libraries. I became quite busy with delivering papers, writing articles and conducting workshops. After I retired from UCLA, I was one of the first three recipients of the Career Life Achievement Award for my work in the area of assessment and measurements in libraries from the Association of Research Libraries.

The nomadic life, Gun Galuut Ger Camp, Mongolia.

You two actually met while you were both working for the UC Library system, correct? Tell us about how you met and your courtship --- I can’t believe how amazingly well you dealt with a long-distance relationship! How did you make that work? And what finally made you decide to get married after so many years? Nor-Cal won! How did that happen?


Pat: Amos and I were introduced by a colleague at a Higher Education Assessment Conference in Denver. At the time, Amos was living in Waterloo, Ontario, and I was living in Oakland, California. At the conference’s end, Amos invited me to dinner to which I replied, “I’d love to go, but it will have to be early. I’m taking a tango class this evening.” Amos replied, “I LOVE tango!” and summarily joined me for the class. It turned out that what Amos “knew” about tango had nothing whatsoever to do with the Argentine tango I’d been studying. (In fact, he’s shown no interest in tango since that evening!) After parting ways in Denver, Amos began to call me every evening from Canada, and we made plans to meet again in Amsterdam later that year when I was scheduled to travel to Tilburg for a lecture. The rest is pretty much history! Soon thereafter, Amos sought work in the U.S. and landed a job at UCLA. We were married three years later and conducted a long distance relationship and marriage for five years before he was able to join me in Oakland following his retirement.


You’ve both seen significant changes in your profession during your careers. What are some of the most profound and useful to those of us who depend on libraries in both our personal and professional lives? What changes are worrisome?


Pat: By far, the most significant changes in our profession have been the widespread use of the Internet and introduction of the Web. When I was in Library School, “computerized information searching” had just been introduced by the National Library of Medicine. It required mediation by a librarian and involved generating thousands of punch cards that were in turn mailed to Washington, D.C., where the search was run. Results arrived by mail on thick tablets of computer paper. There was no full-text of the retrieved articles, only citations/references to them. Now searches can be performed by the end user at his/her desk with results usually available immediately, and often including the full text of articles. Quite a change! I still observe a lack of knowledge among the public about both the nature and availability of particular types of information. Novice internet searchers often retrieve too little, unreliable, or an overabundance of information, because they haven’t mastered the basics of searching. They may also be completely unaware of what they are unable to retrieve through a Google – or other – search.


What further changes do you anticipate? We hear that books and in fact the paper printed word itself will completely vanish someday and be totally and permanently replaced by the digital word. What do you think of that notion? As a baby boomer who loves to read and write, I find it very difficult --- am I alone?


Pat: I can foresee a world where the printed word emanating from the developed world will be replaced by digital content. Much further into the future, the possibility of digitizing published works from the past and from developing parts of the world may also be possible, but it would take an enormous commitment by libraries and governments worldwide to achieve this. I also can envision new forms of communication taking the place of the more traditional form of books and articles. Multi-media tools are likely to grow in importance as will data manipulation tools. Today’s students prefer their information delivered quickly, on demand, and in easily “digestible” packets, rather than poring through book chapters and long scholarly articles. This, in addition to the unsustainability of current publication models, will likely affect how information is produced in the future.


Amos: Publications will change to digital format. Learning will change and with it universities. Technology pushes change, but real long term change will depend on how the U.S. comes to terms with economic and tech changes. Lack of clear goals and outmoded systems – especially political and legal – will slow down or even derail the country. I see an increasing percentage of the population with lower standards of living. If the cost of education continues to escalate, I think that the future is bleak.


You two are truly retired globe trotters. How do you decide where to go? Do you prefer to simply go it on your own or join a tour?


Pat: We usually choose based on something we’ve seen or read referencing a particular destination. For most of our lives, we were independent travelers, planning our own itineraries and finding our ways around the countries we visited. Just recently, we have experimented with a few small group tours, and we’ve found them to be quite good. In particular, not having to schlep suitcases on and off buses, or running to catch a train, has been a luxurious experience for us.

Amos and Pat relaxing at Lake Suwa, Japan.

We’d love to live vicariously through your travels. Please tell us about some of your more memorable adventures.


Pat: For me India would definitely be on top of my list of favorite places. It is a complete 180 from just about anything we experience here in the U.S. It is magical, exotic, colorful, and provides an overabundance of sensory stimulation. Egypt is another favorite, the grandeur and beauty of the ancient monuments are truly impressive. For a completely different experience, Mongolia is another favorite of mine. In contrast to India and Egypt, Mongolia is a nomadic country so there are few historic monuments to visit, but the nomadic way of life and the expansiveness of the country speak volumes to the soul. I could go on … I have loved all of the places I’ve visited for different reasons. The only destination I would caution people about before setting out is China – I loved a great deal about the country but the air pollution is truly oppressive. As to tour groups, we have traveled with Odysseys Unlimited (www.odysseys-unlimited.com/) three times now, and I highly recommend them. The company focuses on small group travel, and usually our groups have been 14-18 in size.


What trips are you planning now? What is your “must see” list?


Pat: Despite having visited over 40 countries, I still have a robust “bucket list,” including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan (… all the “stans!”), Bhutan, Tibet, Niger, Namibia, Yemen and Syria, Argentina and Peru, to name a few. My lifelong dream has been to visit all of the countries comprising the Silk Road. With political conditions as they are worldwide, I realize this may not happen, but I can still dream, can’t I, Lynn? We’re thinking about Sicily in 2012 or visiting the paradores and posadas of Spain and Portugal.


Amos: We hope to continue traveling as much as our health and our finances allow. I want to go to Argentina and the southern tip of South America, New Zealand, Sicily, Spain and France.

The Blue Mosque, Istanbul.

What else is on the horizon for Pat and Amos? And what else have I not asked you about that I should have?


Pat: I’d like to design and plant a Japanese garden in our front yard, and volunteer either with the public schools or with a social service or nonprofit in need of help. I also hope to further develop my watercolor and calligraphy skills and pursue other artistic projects.


Amos: to be healthy, relax, travel, read books, eat good food and enjoy my time with Pat and our friends!


If readers would like to contact you for ideas and adventures, how can they reach you?


Pat: pmaughan@yahoo.com
Amos: aalakos@gmail.com


I think, in closing, we can agree that Pat and Amos have contributed hugely to our collective body of knowledge and information. If you’ve been blessed to know them professionally or perhaps as a student, I know they’d love to hear from you. Or, if you have any follow up questions, or thoughts, be sure to reach out to this remarkable couple. We’ll circle back around with them in the future to hear more about their adventures, but also to have them keep us current in this never ending and ever curious (and yes, sometimes quite frustrating!) new age of information and technology.

Kanizawa Gardens, Japan, a place of tranquility in the middle of a fast-paced world.

Meghan Collins --- As both Student and Teacher, the World is her Classroom!

When I think about Meghan Collins, I think of a woman who is endlessly intellectually curious and has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I also think of someone who although very artistic, poetic and philosophical, is nonetheless very grounded in the real world. As she shares a few of her passions and some of her life story with us, you’ll see why I hope to grow up and be just like her someday (okay, maybe I’ll skip the “growing up” part!). Pour a cup of your favorite tea or other beverage, and please enjoy the thoughts and journey of the very lovely and most remarkable Meghan Collins.

Meghan Collins on the road of life!

Meghan, I first met you and your husband, Jack, many years ago just before I opened my own firm. At that point I guess I’d call you newlyweds! Tell me a bit about how you and Jack met and what it was like to combine families to his, mine and ours!


You’re right. Jack and I had only recently been married when we came to you on the recommendation of John Templeton. I was 48 and Jack was 57. It was a second marriage for both of us. He was a widower, and I was divorced. We met at Diablo Keys, the just-opened apartment complex in Walnut Creek, where he had recently moved, and where I was working as a recreation director. I had three children, two grown and on their own, and one a senior in high school. Jack had two grown children, but had a tragic loss when his older son, a Navy Seal, was killed in Vietnam. It was such a blessing that our combined children liked one another and were happy to see us happy. (I’m sure it was easier for us than for some, since we did not have to bring up a whole batch of teenagers in the same house.) Betsy, my younger daughter, went to Brazil with us when Jack was transferred there and finished high school in Sao Paulo. She was an angel about the huge change, taking it all as an adventure, and quickly learning Portuguese.

Meghan and Jack celebrate their wedding day.

I didn’t know you before you met Jack. Tell me about life before then, and also if you don’t mind, we’d love to hear about your childhood family and home life. I know your Dad was quite an accomplished man in the investment business many years ago. I think you learned a lot from him, Meghan --- you always ask such astute questions and have always been a very active participant in your financial life!

I was born in New Orleans, but spent most of my childhood in Manhattan with my mother, stepfather, and half brother. My stepfather was a Wall Street stockbroker, and had his own firm before the Depression fell. He remained on Wall Street and prospered once again after WWII. Adhering to his New England ethics, the well-being of his customers was his passionate preoccupation. I wonder what he would make of the Wall Street of today. I actually do not understand the stock market very well and don’t think anyone can unless one makes a serious vocation of it—that is why I know I need Ballou Plum to advise me! I came to California in 1951 with my first husband when I was 21, and hollered “Hallelujah!” I knew right away this was the place I belonged. We bought a house in Pleasant Hill and reared our three children there.


You are both a life-long learner and a life-long educator. Are those values that were instilled in you by your own family as a child? Or skills you developed later?


From my parents, I derived a work ethic (Dad) and a sense of the importance of family ties (Mother.) For the rest, I think I was just born into this life to be a student. If there could be a career of going to school, that would be my choice of profession.

 Meghan, age three, New Orleans.

I’m sure that I have lost track of all that you have accomplished, Meghan, so I hope you’ll fill in the blanks, here! I think one of your more unique talents has been as a harpist. When did you learn the harp? Tell us about your performances not only as a harpist, but as an author as well as your time teaching these skills. And I know you’ve switched instruments, so tell us about your newfound “love,” the penny whistle!


To be kind, we can say I have had many vocations. To be critical, we could call me a rolling stone. I always wanted to be a writer, and have done so intermittently. I have had two children’s books published, both out of print now: a historical novel for young adults about Denmark in the Middle Ages, titled Maiden Crown. The other was an original fairy tale with lovely illustrations by a Canadian artist, titled The Willow Maiden. That won a Commonwealth Club award for best juvenile fiction by a California author the year it came out.


What people do as work has always interested me and I wrote a column for some years for the Contra Costa Times called “Meeting People,” about people with unusual occupations. Later, I wrote a garden column called “Down to Earth” that appeared in the Benicia Herald and other newspapers. But to backpedal a bit, I was a dancer for many years. I am a late bloomer in everything I do and did not begin to dance until I was an adult. I studied and performed ballet and later modern dance. I loved dance better than any other occupation, and only stopped in my late forties because of injured Achilles tendons. I kept on with folk dancing until a few years ago.


The harp is another late bloomer activity. I did storytelling in schools for nine years, and one day I heard someone playing a so-called Celtic or folk harp and telling stories. “How nifty” I thought. I didn’t ask anyone, “Will this be hard?” but just went out and bought a folk harp! I started this when I was 63 and I am 85 now. I took lessons for years. A number of people have told me they long to learn a musical instrument as adults, and it can be done, but if and only if you will practice every day. Last October I fell down and broke my wrist and couldn’t play my harp for a long time, so I took up the penny whistle just to keep my fingers mobile. Just recently, I am able to play the harp again, so now I do both because I can’t bear to give up either!


Until I met you I honestly had never heard the phrase Master Gardener. I remember that you actually had a gardening advice column in the paper, and that you and Jack went through a lot of rigorous study to become “Master Gardeners.” Tell us about the program --- what is a Master Gardener? Was this strictly a volunteer or a paid position? What were some of the more unusual requests you helped resolve during your tenure? If others are interested in participating in this program, what would you suggest?


Jack and I were both Master Gardeners, a volunteer program run by county agricultural departments, which are obliged to help homeowners as well as farmers and ranchers, but whose paid staff is limited. We were given substantial training for six or more weeks by experts in pests, soils, plants, etc. Then we had weekly duty staffing the office telephones to help people with home garden problems, and also annually we staffed a booth at the county fair to answer questions. To volunteer, just call your county agriculture department to find out when the next training will happen. All Bay Area counties have the program and it is gratifying work.


Okay, I’m going to fast forward here a number of years. Sadly, Jack passed away and as a fairly young widow, you created a life for yourself to last for many future years. Of all your many interests, did you end up leaving some behind and then developing others? How did that evolve for you?


I have concentrated most on the harp, and have enjoyed playing as a volunteer for patients at hospitals, for many years at the Martinez Veterans’ Rehab. I had to stop when I broke my wrist, but may go back when my playing is back to normal. 

 Meghan and friend Gemma at the Folk Harp Society picnic.

One thing I think many readers are going to be extremely interested in is what you decided to do about your housing situation. I remember when you came in and told me you were selling your beautiful home in Benicia and moving to a lovely apartment in El Cerrito --- as a renter --- and how your family thought you had lost your marbles! But when I ran all the numbers, turns out you were absolutely right. That move gave you much less overhead, less work, and lots of freedom to travel. Walk us through your thinking behind that bold move and how that’s worked out for you. How did you convince your family that it was a great idea?


The main change for me was when I sold our house in 2005 and moved from Benicia to Richmond Annex. I did not do this right away after Jack died, but waited until I felt my thoughts were balanced and that I would have no regrets about leaving our lovely place with a view of the Straits. This is the most important point. If we are going to pull up stakes, it is vital to be certain that such a change will actually benefit our lives.

My reasons were several: I suspected that the housing bubble could not last, also I wanted to downsize so that the children would not have to deal with a whole household when I was gone, and I wanted as well to live closer to them. It was difficult for them to visit me in Benicia, and in fact, I see much more of them and my granddaughter since I have moved. Plus, I thought about the problems they would have to manage from a distance to see that I got extra care, if I should need it later on. If I were going to make this move, I thought I should do it while I still had the physical energy for it, and also the psychological energy to construct a new life.


The choice of Richmond Annex came about because I had a little dog at the time that I could not abandon, (she has since died) and I had trouble finding a landlord who would accept a dog. The apartment I rented has a full back yard all to myself, that I could see becoming a lovely garden, which it has. My children were indeed “underjoyed” about all this because they were uneasy about the Richmond address. Once they saw that it is a safe neighborhood and convenient for me, they now approve fully. I have never had a moment’s regret about the move. My music circle and friendship circle is fuller here, and I enjoy town life. But if you are happy in your community, certainly stay there. In old age, connection to friendships and networks are super-important.


For anyone interested in downsizing, I would advise getting a ground floor place, in case of disabilities later. I think it should have a garden, patio or deck. I almost rented an apartment in a many-story building (they would let me have the dog for extra rent). Now I realize that would have been a huge mistake—I had lived fifty-plus years in houses with easy access to the green outdoors, and I would be miserable in a high-rise. It is essential to have a good landlord who is diligent about maintenance. With such a one, I find it a huge relief to deal no longer with plumbing, leaks in the roof, balky sprinkler systems and all the other upkeep problems of owning a house. Even though I did have a thrifty mortgage, I believe that being free of maintenance expenses balances out the cost of rent.


Allow plenty of time ahead of moving to get rid of stuff. Living decades in a house fosters too many possessions. I started de-cluttering six months before I put the house on the market, and have not missed a single bric or brac, except for some books I regret not having now. I confess the possessions creep back, but I try to have a purge of the surplus now and then.

 Enjoying Balboa Park, San Diego.

You are, as I alluded to before, not just a passionate teacher but also a passionate student. Your love of language is especially amazing to me. As a “young” 85 year old woman, you think nothing of zipping down to Mexico and living local to attend schools there to study Spanish. Tell us about the trips you’ve made to Mexico, your love of the art, the people and the language.


Yes, I love Mexico. I will mention three best trips. One was Oaxaca for Days of the Dead, which are November 1st and 2nd. Oaxaca is a major center for this festival, when families go to the cemeteries at night and decorate the graves of their dead with flowers and humorous tiny skeleton figures dressed up for various occupations and activities. With the candlelight, guitars, and family groups silent or singing (perhaps depending on the amount of mescal being consumed), it is as picturesque a sight as you can imagine. Oaxaca is a lovely city, and surrounded by nearby crafts villages (rugs, pottery, wooden figures). It is near the pre-Colombian site of Monte Alban, in a fine state of preservation. The trip I took was with Elderhostel (now known as Road Scholars), my favorite way of travel, and included Spanish language instruction every morning.


A second, also an Elderhostel trip, was the spectacular Copper Canyon train, winding up from Chihuahua into the mountains. You can stay at the top, overlooking the Copper Canyon, which is five times larger than the Grand Canyon, although a more wooded and geologically different vista. Then you can continue by train to a port on the Gulf of California, or go back through Mennonite dairy country to Chihuahua.


The third I did on my own with a friend. It was a three week stay to attend a Spanish language school in Guanajuato, the capital of a state in central Mexico. It is an historic silver town, with spectacular Colonial architecture, set in a mountain bowl. I liked the Escuela Mexicana, the school we attended every morning. We had classes in grammar, Mexican history and customs, and conversation. We much enjoyed the life of the city with its good restaurants, theaters, museums and colorful street life.


I study Spanish at my age partly because I have always wanted to speak that language—it is so interwoven into the past and present of California, and also I hope language study and music study may help to keep my brain from turning into porridge! Unfortunately, the visitor traffic to Mexico is way down because of the drug news in the media. The people there plead with us to say that except for the border towns, most of Mexico is safe for travelers.


While Jack was alive, the two of you were absolutely avid travelers. Would you mind telling us about some of your more memorable trips?


A lot of Jack’s and my traveling had to do with his business as an executive with the international division of Del Monte Corp. Some of our favorite places were Kenya where we stayed for six months, Belgium, southern France, and London, not to forget our several Collins family reunions in the west of Ireland. I am especially fond of Denmark, where I went to research my novel set there. I could mention other wonderful places, and feel lucky to have had such travels.


You are also a very supportive Mom and Grandmother. How do you manage to stay in touch with them all? I know you plan annual family get-togethers, including a recent one at Pajaro Dunes in the Monterey, California, area to celebrate your 85th! How is it possible to bring everyone together --- so many schedules and so many busy people!?! What do you recommend for those of us hoping to create the same type of quality family time?


Planning these family reunions is quite a dance, I can tell you. My family is so busy that it’s a real feat to find a date we can all agree on. We have had some reunions in late May or early June, when there is a cluster of birthdays. For such a number, it makes sense to rent a house somewhere for a few days. We also take turns having Thanksgiving and Christmas either in the Bay Area or South Pasadena where my younger daughter and her family live. It is my greatest joy that the siblings like to be together.

  

Meghan, granddaughter Nova Ray, and daughter Laura.

So, Meghan, dare I ask: What’s next?


What’s next? I have to say I think crossing oceans in a plane is not for me any more—I never have loved flying, and it gets more unpleasant all the time. But I could be tempted. Anyway, I hope to do more Elderhostel trips in the U.S. or Canada. The Southwest, Charleston, and Quebec sound appealing.


If any readers would like to contact you about any of your many interests, get advice about traveling or planning family outings, would you mind if they reach out to you? And if that’s okay, what’s the best way to reach you?


Of course---my e-mail is mailto:msmeghancollins@comcast.net


So, dear readers, do reach out to Meghan for information, ideas, inspiration, and maybe even some trips where you’d love to have a great traveling companion! As a lifelong student and teacher, you couldn’t possibly be in better hands. Thank you, Meghan!

 Up, up and away on her 85th birthday!

It’s Never Too Late to Have a Wonderful Childhood! Globetrotting with my wonderful Uncle, Emil Shulsinger!

It’s true!  I’ve known my uncle my whole life.  Not only because he’s my uncle, but because he’s made the effort to BE there.  He was there when I was a newborn, he was there when I was a crazy kid, when I got married, when I needed a place to crash and ski or bum a free meal while traveling the East Coast, and he was there when my lovely business partner and I joined our practices together, becoming our first official “new” Ballou Plum client.  Home base:  Aurora, Colorado.  Backyard:  The World!   Since you probably won’t get to meet him much at client events --- though he was able to make it to our 2009 Holiday Open House --- we’ll have to cover as much as possible in his Blog this month.  His love of family and the time he makes for them, his love of tennis and all outdoor sports, and his many treks bike riding, hiking, eating and drinking his way around the globe, are all evidence of a life well lived.  Add that to a great sense of humor ---- he wanted to see my Blog questions first before being “ready to commit to be the August Playmate” --- and you will all enjoy reading about the life and times of my Uncle Butch, aka Emil Shulsinger.

Uncle Butch enjoys our Holiday Party.

Since I've known you my whole life, we could share a lot of fun --- and maybe even some embarrassing --- moments in this Blog!  But for those of our readers who don't know you as well as I do, let's start with your childhood. Where were you born, what shaped your love of athletics and the outdoors, (especially tennis, skiing, camping, bike riding) and your keen sense of adventure and travel?

  

I was born in Rock Springs, WY, but only lived there for a short time and lived in various parts of the Midwest, including Missouri, Kansas, and South Dakota until I reached the age of 10. At that time the family moved to New York City, where I lived until I graduated from college. Although I went to 13 grade schools, it is untrue that the sheriff was after us. My father worked for what is now the FAA and since he had only gone to school through the 6th grade he changed positions and locations often as a means of advancing within his field. Although this was hard on the family, he did end up quite successfully as the regional maintenance manager for the north east region of the country.

I’m not sure what shaped my love of athletics and the outdoors, but I’m sure the lack of a permanent location combined with the freedom of the times (which doesn’t seem to exist now) caused me to be an independent person who loved the outdoors and physical enjoyments. I actually didn’t partake of organized sports until much later in life. I started playing tennis when I was in my 30s and didn’t do much camping until I had a family. Like all kids I wanted a bike as soon as I could have one and it was my means to both adventure and income. I became a paperboy when I was about 10 and continued to work at that until I was in high school, when I got better paying jobs.  I always seemed to be directed in my interests between college and establishing myself in my career and family.  So I put most of the athletic endeavors on the shelf, as it wasn’t until I was bit by the tennis bug in my 30s that I started with tennis.

Uncle Butch and four-legged friends at Trappers Lake, Colorado.

So, don't take this the wrong way, Uncle Butch, but my favorite early
memory of you isn't anything all that serious --- it's actually you behind
the wheel of your convertible --- Cadillac?  Right?  I don't remember what
year it was, but I just know that I couldn't wait to be your age and own a
convertible (which I did finally buy at age 40 as my mid-life crisis car)!
How did you end up living in Southern California around that time?  Tell us
about your life and how it evolved during that era.

When I was a senior in college I decided to come out to Southern California to see you all. I got on a plane in New York in a snow storm and landed in L.A. in sunny 70 degree weather. On the way home from the airport your dad drove me along the beach and when we reached Manhattan Beach there were all the comely young women in bikinis play volleyball. I quickly decided which environment had more appeal and started planning to go to Southern Cal when I graduated!

Southern Cal was a great place to be a single male in the early 60s and I thoroughly immersed myself in the lifestyle. That included the long white convertible that you remember, which unfortunately was not a Cadillac but a Ford. Along with the car came life in the apartment complexes of Baldwin Hills --- building after building built around a swimming pool and containing single young people plus some that weren’t so young but wanted to be. I lived in a building that contained a number of stewardesses, a night club owner, a number of the Ram’s pro football team, and other various and sundry characters. For a poor young college grad, THIS was paradise!

Uncle Butch (top) and Joe Shulsinger (Lynn’s dad, bottom) at the beach on Long Island.

While all this was going on, I maintained a job designing electronics at Hughes Aircraft Co. working in the defense industry. Sometimes there were time and certainly energy conflicts between the two and finally I wore down and decided I needed to get married and start a family. Looking back on it now, maybe a restful vacation would have been a better solution!  

  Emil hiking in Ireland.

So fast forward through a few health scares, and the next time we really
get to spend time together is after I'm married (and before my kids come
along!) and you are living in Maryland, working in D.C.  What was your
professional focus then?  How did you weather the East Coast, those health scares and challenges?

That’s quite a jump!  After working in the space program on things like the first synchronous communication satellite (Syncom) and the unmanned lunar landing vehicle (Surveyor), I helped create and operate a new facility in Denver where we installed a system that we designed for the government.   Skipping many details, I eventually went from there to manage a contract for Hughes at the National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC). That led to me managing a division of a subsidiary of Hughes and working to get new business for Hughes.

Unfortunately after arriving on the East Coast in 1984 I came down with bladder cancer in early 1985. Naturally that took time and energy away from my work and I underwent a prolonged treatment program. The good news is that after a couple of operations and follow-up treatment I have had no recurrence of the cancer.

I didn’t realize that Washington was such a high stress environment until much later when I retired and reflected on the time there. Whether related to the stress or not, in 1991 I had a minor heart attack and had angioplasty work done at George Washington Hospital just like the ex-VP!

By then, the handwriting was on the wall and when Hughes was in the process of downsizing they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse and I retired in December of 1993 and moved back to Denver. As before, I was happy to leave the East Coast behind.

 Emil biking through Bryce Canyon National Park.

I definitely want to focus on your sense of travel adventure, but before
that, you and my Dad both shared a love of all things edible.  You were both WAY ahead of your time as Master Chefs!  I remember you canning, smoking your own salmon, and being a bit ahead of the "foodie" phase of American life.  How did that come about for you?  What were some of your favorite discoveries?

I’m not sure how much of a master chef I was but you know they say you are good at the things you love. Well, I loved eating and my mother believed that boys should know how to do domestic things so that they could survive without a wife --- so what better than cooking?  Somewhere along the line both my parents instilled the thought in us that you could do almost anything if you tried, so experimentation became natural to us. Whether it was building a television set from a kit with my father to learning to grow our own vegetables with my mother to learning to crochet… of course being poor and not having any sisters provided the environment.

Both my wives were good cooks and I really didn’t interfere much in the kitchen so it was after I retired that I took up “gourmet” cooking. Now that I’m eating to live rather than living to eat I am a lot less adventurous in my cooking.

Upon reflection, I believe that both your dad and I would have probably fit in better when pioneering and farming were more in vogue.

Another passion you and my dad shared was tennis.  So, Dad quit his job
and worked with a friend on the invention now known as the Tennis Ball
Machine.  You seemed to have avoided that financial fiasco rather well,
focusing instead on playing top level tennis.  Tell us about your
love of the sport --- how did it start, how far did you take it, and what's
your involvement with the sport today?

As you said, my brother and I approached tennis from different angles. I don’t believe he played tennis much if at all but I began playing tennis when in California mostly to have some interests in common to do with my wife when the kids were small. I quickly fell in love with the game, the strategy, and the way it brought out the personality of the players. From there on I never looked back and played tennis at every opportunity.

Since I never played until I was in my 30s and never took lessons, I am and always have been limited in my abilities. Local leagues and tournaments were ideally suited to my ability and availability. When I moved to Washington I threw a box full of trophies into the garbage rather than transport them to the East Coast.

Of course age and health problems have further restricted my capabilities to largely playing doubles, but it is a sport I continue to enjoy in retirement and hope to into old age as evidenced by making it to the national senior games once. 

 Uncle Butch, standing third from right, with amigos in Costa Rica.

So, let's switch gears (ha ha) and focus on your love of biking and traveling around the world. How did you become such a passionate bicyclist?

When I retired in 1993 I had been to almost all of the U.S. and had managed limited travel to Mexico and Canada. My major concentration prior to retirement had been about raising a family and pursuing my career and my work in the defense/intelligence business, which restricted any thought of travel to many parts of the world.  So upon retirement I thought about the whole rest of the world I had not seen and decided to change that.

I started hiking and skiing in Colorado and ran across a group that also did overseas hiking trips and basically never looked back.   After hiking in France, Switzerland and Great Britain with this group --- which combined about half Americans and half Brits --- I found that some of the group also did biking overseas.  I decided that since I enjoyed biking as a kid I’d try it. So off to Switzerland we went and overseas biking became a major interest. I have been on many biking trips to France as well as trips to Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, South Africa, New Zealand and Tasmania, to name a few.

As a result of some of my league tennis play I heard about a group that did cultural exchanges overseas while playing tennis with the indigenous people. I thought, “what a great idea!” and so off I went to China, Russia, and recently to several Balkan countries.

Sprinkled in between these overseas trips, I have also stayed true to the good old USA and have taken several multiday trips here including BRAN (a biking trip across Nebraska), a biking trip across southern Utah (covering several national parks) and many multi-day Rails to Trails biking trips in Idaho, Maryland, Wisconsin, and most recently Missouri.

How do you decide what adventures to take?  Please share with us some
of the best and most unforgettable trips you've been on as a world traveling bicyclist.

The simplest answer to your question is whatever strikes my fancy at the time.  As I mentioned before, I had the whole world to choose from so in the beginning it was pretty much any trip that was available at the time I wanted to go. Now I’ve had to be a little more selective with my destinations.

I’m going to ignore your last word (bicyclist) since although my bicycling trips were great, many of my most memorable trips weren’t on bicycles. The trip to South Africa included a camera safari that was out of this world, a truly unique experience. My tennis trips to China and Russia were really mind expanding, and those were places I thought I’d never see for security reasons.

Recently the world watched in amazement as powerful leaders in the
Middle East were ousted.  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when you came back and shared with me that you were in Egypt there on tour when the whole uprising began.   How did you find yourself there at that moment in history?  What was that like?  How did you make it out safely?  
  
All of my adult life I’ve wanted to see the Middle East and had always put it off until things settled down there. After seeing a Road Scholar brochure for a trip that included Israel, Jordon, and Egypt I decided that things were never going to settle down and this January I went to those three countries.

It was a great trip with all the history and religion. It was also a trip of contrasts. When we were touring Petra and one of the guides was lecturing, a Bedouin rode by on his camel with his flowing robes and was talking on his cell phone.  Apparently they don’t have any driving with distraction laws yet.

The last two days of our stay in Egypt got more interesting as the demonstrations in Cairo started while we were visiting the Egyptian museum and the market. Things were very peaceful, however, so no one got concerned. On the next day, I was scheduled to fly out of Cairo at 4 a.m. and the ride to the airport got exciting as we had to detour once for the demonstrators who were burning a car in the highway and once when the police ordered us to turn around. The driver was very resourceful and got us there with no further incidents. I found out later that the later trips to the airport were also without incident as the tour company found safe ways through the city. So much for things settling down!

 Uncle Butch tours Italy!

How would you recommend a reader interested in these approaches to travel find these opportunities?

As with so much today the internet and Google are great resources. Some companies that I have found to be good are Vermont Bicycling Touring Company (VBT) for biking both in the US and overseas; Road Scholar (Elderhostel) for all kinds of trips (biking, hiking, educational, sightseeing, and voyages) both U.S. and international; Hindriks Bike Tours (http://www.hindrikstours.com/) for European biking; and HF Holidays for hiking in Great Britain and Europe with Brits. These are only a few that I have used and liked, there are many, many more. One of the keys is to match your ability to the level of the trip and your level of desired luxury to the trip and company. Some stay in four and five star hotels and some camp out at night. 

 Exploring America on two wheels.

Once you are looking at a company and a trip, talk to people who have been on it and find out how they liked it, as well as what they didn’t. I find that most people are glad to share their knowledge. If you don’t know anyone, ask the company for names of people. Also many sites have places for comments and customer exchanges.

Anyone can contact me by email at EShul@juno.com and I’ll be glad to share my limited knowledge and opinions. They are worth what you pay for them.

You have, as your most recent health "adventures," undergone two heart
valve replacements, and yet, nothing seems to slow you down!  What kind of shape does someone need to be in to enjoy these types of travels?  
  
First of all my advice is to take your trips as soon as you decide you want to go somewhere. As Satchel Paige said, “Don’t look behind you, you can never tell what’s catching up.”

Know the shape you’re in (not the one you’d like to be in) and find out the level of fitness required on the specific trip. The companies are generally quite candid about the level of fitness required for the trip. No one wants to be (or have) the person who holds up everyone. Also remember that most trips include a sag wagon where you can ride if necessary or the weather is inclement. Then, train for the trip!  If it’s bicycling, spend the time in the saddle before-hand so you can enjoy your time on the trip.

So, what's the next adventure, Uncle Butch?

Believe it or not, I don’t have any planned yet unless you count my camping trip to Trappers Lake with much of my family. I need to start planning the next one and although I would like to go to Scandinavia, Kodiak Island, and the rest of Australia, I’m ready to go where the spirit moves me or someone leads me. 

Some of our Blog readers may want to be in touch with you or view more
of your travel pictures.  How can they reach you and how can they view some of these amazing pictures, especially those you took recently in the Middle East?

The email I listed above is probably the best way. My phone number is 303-690-7946 where you can leave a message and I’ll get back with you. I’ll be glad to make whatever pictures people are interested in available for those I have in digital form or on a share site. Some of the more recent ones were made available on share sites that I haven’t been able to copy or add new people. I’m sure I’ll solve that eventually. Those that were taken before I went digital are more difficult to share but I’m sure we can solve that if someone is interested.

I hope you can see from my Uncle’s Blog what we all know here --- he’s a great guy!   And I know my Uncle’s sincere in his offer to fill you in on any of the tours and groups he’s been able to enjoy over the years, so you really shouldn’t feel shy about reaching out to him.  And, if you are ready for an adventure and need a traveling companion, I’m sure he’d love to hear from you!  He’s always interested in learning more about the world, its fascinating inhabitants and natural resources, and exploring its many facets.   We’ll probably have to check back with him for an adventure update in the not too distant future --- if I can find him!  

Emil and friends hiking in Ireland.