A Valentine story celebrating Lewis and Elizabeth Bremer

A while ago I reached out to clients Lewis and Elizabeth Bremer to find out if they’d be interested in sharing their interests and life story in our Blog.  They are always so interested in your Blog stories and supportive of what we share together that I couldn't help but hope they’d say yes.  And they did!  So fast forward to late last month when I received one of the most intricate and fascinating Blogs yet.   If I had known what superb writers they were and just how much they had to share, I probably would have recommended two separate Blogs.   However, when you read this, you’ll see that they are so intertwined in each other’s lives, it would have been painful to separate the stories they have to share.

Lewis and Elizabeth in Hawaii, July, 2005.

The Bremers are remarkable not only because of who they are and how they came together as a couple and have grown together as a tight knit family, but also because of the unusual hobbies they enjoy and how they have transitioned into full retirement at fairly young ages ---  and yet are busier now than when they were working full time and raising a daughter! 

The stories we share of how we are each uniquely and culturally moving into our “retirement” years continues to inspire me to offer the Blog as a forum for all of us to stretch our minds, think about the possibilities, and reach out to each other directly for ideas, shared values and opportunities.  When colleagues ask me to describe our clients, as if you all fall into some magic category, I just have to explain that each of you is just like a snowflake --- unique, no two the same.  But the commonality is that you are all smart, busy individuals with intense and exciting ideas.  It continues to be my privilege and joy to share you with each other --- not only to help shape other’s paths but to inspire us all to perhaps follow a path we might otherwise have missed. I am so pleased that Lewis and Elizabeth wrote such a remarkable story for us.   Enjoy!

Marilyn and I have had the privilege of working for you these many years now.  Our daughters even rode at the same barn in Lafayette when they were younger!  

Anne Bremer at the barn, June, 2000.

But let’s reach back even further and please share with us a bit about your youngest years. Where were you each born and raised?  What were your childhoods like and who were your biggest influences?  And of course, when, where and how did you meet each other?

Elizabeth:  There’s a song refrain that partly goes, “California, with your beauty like the face of a queen, and your legend like a city of gold…” which captures my feelings about the many environments of my home state.  I was raised a So Cal (LA County) beach cities girl.  I loved the story that my parents, who were married in Connecticut, honeymooned in California, explored both the San Francisco and LA areas, and only returned to Connecticut to pack up the Plymouth and drive out to stay.  They rented an apartment on the Strand in Hermosa Beach, and the story is that my mother could keep an eye on my older sister and me in our playpen on the beach from the apartment window.  (In the photo, that’s me sitting on the sand). Within another couple of years, they bought a house, but we could easily walk a straight mile to the beach across parks and between homes, which our small gang of six siblings and friends did often over the years. The beach defined childhood in many ways—fond memories of annual grunion hunts, daily excursions with dad to the beach after work, gathering on the sand to ooh and ahh at fireworks over the water when we didn’t watch from the living room window, and biking for miles from Redondo to Manhattan on the strand.  I have lived away from ocean sunsets for most of my adulthood, but always feel deeply nourished by experiencing them when I can.  Our So Cal backyard also included visits to the desert, where a family friend had a cabin, and excursions to Disneyland in all seasons – I liked Christmastime the best!   But trees and rivers became bigger influences.  As the metropolis expanded toward the beach cities, my parents took us to the mountains for family vacations; camping, hiking, and fishing in the Sierra and foothills.  They even tried moving to Grass Valley, and I had a memorable junior-high year in gold country.  By the time I was graduating from high school and heading for the redwoods of UC Santa Cruz, my parents finally settled on moving the rest of the family to the Puget Sound area of Washington State.  We remain spread from there on down to Huntington Beach.

Elizabeth on the sand at Hermosa Beach, 1954.

My parents were certainly big influences for me.  In particular, I became very handy with skills and tools for building and fixing things—plumbing, electrical work, auto repair, other construction skills, and gardening by working alongside my father on these things.  First I was a “go-fer” and later I was a doer.  I've used all those skills throughout life.  Both my parents were excellent cooks, and I have always enjoyed cooking and creating dishes.

But the influences of childhood are complex, eh?  As a responsible second of seven I enjoyed being second-parent to my two youngest sisters and remember walking home during grade school lunch to feed the baby, and later on cooking family meals when both parents worked.  I am fortunate that personal traumas were mild in general, but I was sensitive and observant so those I experienced or witnessed were powerful influences.  Family life could be chronically chaotic and included tempers and “strict” discipline.  Two near-drownings brought me to treasure life and feel its fragility. Asthma was a partner into mid-adulthood that could be debilitating, embarrassing, and feel life-threatening, but alternately could shield me from unwelcome engagement. I witnessed mental illness and developmental disabilities in others close to me, and appreciated the challenges and triumphs they could engender. My youngest brother was born with spina-bifida and hydrocephalus and lived most of his 10 years in a state hospital – he influenced a couple of my later work and volunteer choices.  A succession of family pets introduced animal life and death but lacked any consistent attachment or loyalty. The wider world came through ‘50s and ‘60s television entertainment—cartoons, cowboys, Lassie, rascals, suburban families, Jack Benny, Ed Sullivan, Laugh-In; and news of strife and tragedies close to home or heart—Watts Riots, JFK, RFK, MLK, Vietnam body counts and protests. I had teachers and family friends who really saw me, and who modeled survivorship and style. I knew a couple of nuns and priests as people.  And Our Lady of Guadalupe was always there to hear or ignore prayers.  I had good, trustworthy friends.  From early on I had a love of seeing and making art.  In high school I had drama, dance, art, the classics, science lab, tennis, track and field, and as many clubs as I could get to the meetings of (I was Latin Club president—alas, there’s no photo of me in my golden toga!).  I always had hopes and visions of futures I could create.

A couple of longer vacations stand out as influential.  When I was five, I joined my dad, a couple of his friends, and a teenage boy who was like a cousin on a short trip to Tijuana.  I distinctly remember the sights and sounds, especially visiting a family living outdoors in a lean-to arrangement and handing my soda over to a girl about my age.  The other vacation was a cross-country summer road trip when I was in high school.  It was my mom and six kids because it was for a month or so and dad had to work.  We spent a week or so with relatives on the east coast, and the rest of the time driving and camping.  We took a southern route on the way there, and northern on the way back.  I don’t know how my mom did it—I think just barely—but we had a wild, wonderful time and visited so many parks and landmarks!

Finally, I can’t leave out my Polish ancestry.  This is from my Dad’s side, but my mom’s ancestry is eastern European, as well—from Hungary and Slovakia.  All my grandparents immigrated through Ellis Island in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s.  My dad spoke some Polish, we attended Polish picnics and the Polish church in L.A. for Easter rituals—learning and dancing the polka along the way.  All our holidays included Polish foods and rituals.  Other dishes were staples that we made and enjoyed often: cabbage rolls, kielbasa, pierogi, donuts and many cakes!  There was another Polish family about the same size as ours who were like relatives.  We shared camping trips and many sleepovers.  I still celebrate a little bit of Polish culture, but not as much as I’d like.

The big gap between those younger years and when Lewis and I met will be somewhat filled in by subsequent answers.  So to jump ahead:  When I went to graduate school at JFK University (in Orinda at the time) I looked for a job on campus to get the benefit of a staff tuition-waiver.  I landed in the School of Management as an office assistant, and Lewis was both faculty and a student advisor there.  We dated once during my first year, but it wasn't until a year or so later that we began dating more steadily and soon discovered we had found our life partners.  

Our wedding in Berkeley, 1989.

Now for Lewis:   I was born in Salem, New Jersey and lived my first ten years near Swarthmore College in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  My immigrant ancestor Johan Ludwig “Lewis” Bremer had arrived from Germany in 1803 and started a tobacco business in Philadelphia that was carried on by his sons and thrived for several more generations.  Many of his descendants were named after him.  In fact, if not for a Joseph Bremer thrown into the mix a few generations ago, I might have been Lewis VI, instead of just Lewis IV!   My grandfather, Lewis Bremer, Jr was the last family member to have any connection with the tobacco business, and I was one of the last of the Bremers to leave the Philadelphia area.  As a ten-year old I moved to Ojai in southern California when my mother remarried, forming a new family of six.  I attended fifth through twelfth grades in school there in Ojai.

My step-father was Richard G. Hubler, a writer, who wrote (among other things) Ronald Reagan’s first “autobiography," Where’s the Rest of Me, which has since been republished as Ronald Reagan: the Early Years.  It’s impressive that Richard wrote about the life of the president-to-be, some 30 other books, as well as many scripts, plays, poetry, etc., but the fact is that Richard was not a commercial success.  I remember my family living a very fiscally conservative lifestyle in those early years.  I can picture my mother darning holes in our socks and ironing patches on our jeans.

The person that had the greatest influence on me was my mother’s father, Roy G. Clough.  He studied chemistry and then went to work for a little smokeless powder company before World War I.  With the war came a huge demand for munitions and then other chemicals.  The little company grew into the giant that today we call DuPont.  My grandfather worked for DuPont until his retirement.  He was an astute businessman and he always gave me good advice.  Beyond that, he paid for my college education, a gift for which I will always be grateful.

R.G. Clough in a DuPont chemistry lab, circa 1911.

I first came to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 to attend Cal.  I graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1966.  After graduation I applied for a commission in the Navy, and in the meantime took a trip to Europe.  That summer my mother sent me a telegram which informed me that my application was denied.  In order to continue my student deferment and to improve my prospects for employment in 1968 I added an MBA from Armstrong College in Berkeley.  But a funny thing happened on the way toward that business degree.  I saw that some graduate students were given teaching fellowships and allowed to teach courses, and so I asked the Dean of Instruction if I could as well.  He noticed my math background from studying engineering and asked if I’d like to teach “Mathematics for Managers."  That class changed everything for me. After that first experience of teaching I no longer wanted to be an engineer or to enter into business, I just wanted to teach.  Thus began a 30-year career of college level teaching. But before that teaching career, I had to deal with military service.

By 1968, the Vietnam war was still raging, and my student deferment was about to expire.  I thought: “Millions of people have gone through the Army.  How bad could it be?”  And so I enlisted.  Well, I got stress fractures in both my knees.  I could let my knees heal, or I could withdraw my application for Officer Candidate School (a four year commitment) and instead sign up for “the draft” (a two year commitment).  I chose the draft.  Since the Army had already invested time and money on a security clearance for me, they sent me to Signal School—a plum assignment.  There were 5,000 soldiers in my graduating class from the Signal School at Fort Gordon, Augusta, Georgia.  4,998 of them were sent directly to Vietnam.  This other guy and I were assigned to stay at Fort Gordon as part of the signal company that taught student officers. On graduation, they were sent to Vietnam.  I was eventually appointed the Training and Education NCO for the company.  The highlight of that assignment was that I could get myself out three months early (the maximum time!) to get a minor in economics. So I returned, finished the minor, and began teaching.

Lewis in the 385th Signal Company, Fort Gordon, GA, 1970.

Elizabeth and I met in the mid 1980’s when she was a graduate student at the Orinda campus of JFK University.  She was working in the office of the School of Management to support her studies for a Masters degree in Psychology.  At that time I was teaching the courses Statistics and Quantitative Analysis for MBA students in the School of Management.  I also counseled potential students for admission. Elizabeth and I frequently saw each other in the School of Management office, and eventually we started dating.  We married in 1989.
       
Elizabeth, it’s ladies first, so please tell us about your career path.  When we first met, your focus was on counseling and you were working for a small non-profit firm (did you help found it?) in Oakland as a Marriage and Family Therapist.  How did this evolve?  

I was working for Parental Stress Service, which was eventually renamed Family Paths.  I didn’t help found it, but I helped grow it.  It was founded in 1972 and was quite small when I started there as an intern in 1992.

My career as a LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) evolved through a combination of interests and happenstance that led me to start graduate school ten years after receiving my BA.  When I went to undergraduate college (at UC Santa Cruz) immediately after high school, I planned to become a medical doctor.  My father had always introduced my sister and me as, “my daughters, the future doctors."  It was an interest I had shown since requesting a doctor’s kit at age four, which I got and thoroughly enjoyed.  (Ironically, my dad was not supportive of me moving away from home for college, but he allowed me to orchestrate and finance it on my own).  In college I struggled with the rigors of chemistry and calculus, and became more interested in broader liberal arts studies in philosophy, religion, modern dance, poetry and psychology.  I majored in psychology, having broadly explored social, organizational, transpersonal, developmental and abnormal psychology.  I didn't have a specific career focus or resources for graduate school, so after working for a year in a group home for youth with developmental disabilities, I looked into pursuing a dream I’d had since high school of joining Peace Corps.

Peace Corps was only taking post-grads or professionals at the time, but I was eligible for VISTA service.  I signed on with a brand new non-profit organization in Boise, Idaho, which was created to implement protection and advocacy, statewide, for people with developmental disabilities under the new federal Americans with Disabilities Act.  I stayed with the organization through my VISTA year and for another year or so after.  The experience became a foundation for much that is still current in my personal life and much that carried through my career development.  My supervisor became an important mentor and lifelong friend (who turned 95 last year!). I received excellent training, even traveling out of state to meet with experts in developmental disabilities advocacy or to attend workshops as a community organizer. I helped to develop the organization, hiring, training and supervising staff; developing programs, providing direct advocacy for individuals and groups, and consulting with businesses.  I even used my creativity, and developed graphic arts skills.

With natural transitions in the organization, and the revival of a relationship I’d left in Santa Cruz, I took the opportunity to return there.  I found work as a classroom aide for grades K-3 under Title I special education funding, and I still count it as one of my best-loved jobs.  However, I stayed only for a school year and a summer, then had to look for a higher-paying job.  I would have gone right to school in Special Ed then, if I could have afforded it.

I landed in another position that provided great learning and satisfaction, and more foundation for the future. The position was coordinating housing and residential life at one of the UC Santa Cruz colleges—my alma-mater.  I focused on training and supervising residence life staff and creating a high quality on-campus apartment living environment.  I stayed in this position for nearly eight years, gaining many administrative, programmatic, managerial and creative skills.  Eventually, I again felt the interest and opportunity for further career development.  I worked with a career counselor to investigate the reality of following interests in special education, psychotherapy, or graphic arts, and decided to apply to programs in Expressive Arts Therapy.

JFK University came through with a great program and a job that provided a tuition waiver.  I envisioned eventually working in private practice.  I already had a background in Jungian perspectives, movement and art, into which I incorporated new professional learning.  Internships gave me experience in clinic, college, and private practice settings. Our daughter was born shortly after I graduated, when I still had years of intern hours to complete before I could take the licensing exam, and I strongly believed in close parenting during the early years.  I realized that a clinic setting would provide me the most efficient way to gain direct experience and applied with Parental Stress Service in Oakland, an organization focused on family support and child abuse prevention which had been highly recommended.  As a new mom, it was fabulous to be in that environment, and my marriage provided the financial ability for me to be a part-time unpaid intern.  I continued to treasure the organization’s work and the working environment, and when the right position opened I applied and was hired.

The rest of my career developed there, as PSS grew from a small group of under 30 staff and more volunteers, to an organization of around 80 staff and a leader in child and family mental health services in Alameda County.  We eventually renamed ourselves Family Paths to depict the spectrum of family services provided.  I worked part-time until our daughter started elementary school, and by the time I completed my internship hours and passed the licensure exam, I was already moving into supervision and management positions within the agency.  For many years before I retired from Family Paths, I managed the Family Support Program which includes the 24-hour parent support hotline—the originating focal point of the agency that provides telephone counseling, crisis intervention and resources.    

Elizabeth, you are also extremely community based and charitably minded. You've been everything from a Girl Scout Troop Leader to a presenter of seminars “for successful living” through the Guild for Psychological Studies. Can you please tell us more about them?  What is their mission and what is your current role with the organization?  

I guess I've always been interested in helping with well-being, especially of individuals and human communities, but also of the world as a whole.  I've landed in community-based or educational settings for almost all my volunteer and paid activities, always by way of pursuing a personal interest.  With Girl Scouts, it started when several moms wanted to create a troop for our daughters, and became so rewarding to see the girls through twelve years of fun and growth.

Elizabeth and Anne at a Brownies meeting and Elizabeth teaching pottery to a Cadette Girl Scout, October, 2005.

My history with the Guild for Psychological Studies is a story in itself.  I first participated in a 17-day residential seminar when I was 24, having learned of the Guild from my supervisor when I was a VISTA in Idaho.  The organization’s work has remained important to me since then.  It influenced my choice of a career in psychotherapy and my master’s thesis research on forgiveness and expressive arts.

The Guild’s Mission: Guild seminars offer a way of psychological and spiritual transformation that inspires individuals to live their purpose, expand consciousness, and discover and create meaning in their lives and community.

The Guild’s Vision: The Guild envisions a world in which the significance of each person’s truth, authority and inspired purpose finds fulfillment in life and community.

The Guild was founded in 1956 and seminars have been offered in one-day, weekend, week-long and longer formats, with typically 15–25 participants.  Seminar topics are wide-ranging, but always related to the human desire to discover meaning and live with vitality and purpose.  Two of the Guild’s philosophical foundations are the depth psychology of C.G. Jung, and a psychological-historical perspective on the life and teachings of Jesus in the gospel records.  The tools of analytical psychology and historical research invite individuals to attempt to consider what Jesus may have been experiencing and teaching as far as it is possible to discern by unwrapping the Christian overlay.  The process reflects a person whose seeking, understandings, and teachings reveal a way toward living in wholeness beyond rigid boundaries, which is relevant to those of us seeking to live from the depths of wholeness today. The process also helps bring objectivity to some of society’s deeply embedded perspectives, and can open us individually to our own truths and to broader truths, and it strengthens our ability to make life choices.

Adding to that foundation, texts from a wide range of genres—psychology, spirituality, mythology, poetry, plays, science, history, etc. provide material through which to explore our experiences, emotions, thoughts, dreams and choices in a community environment with others.  Open-ended questions help to guide discussions and explorations so that, through experiencing, listening and sharing, each person can reach their own truth, at their own pace. Each seminar provides a retreat environment for reflection and exploration through a variety of means including talk, enjoying nature, creativity with art materials, bodywork and movement, listening to music, etc.

The Guild is important to me for what I've learned, but more than that for whom I've become and continue to become.  The learning and personal development supported by Guild seminars give me a continuously updated road map for living—one that helps me be present to myself and my environment, and access my own best guidance in any moment—informed by the best awareness of myself and the broader world that I can manage.  This is a continuous life journey. It’s ironically delightful that the Guild’s initials are GPS!

There are many programs and practices through which a person can develop their awareness and abilities for conscious living. I value the Guild’s methods of using open questions which encourage reflection and objectivity; and the inclusion of materials and approaches that help unpack and expand our acculturated perspectives, including the deeply embedded assumptions that Christianity has institutionalized in western society.  The work can help people develop the means to expand consciousness, access personal truth, and make courageous and healthful choices on behalf of ourselves and others.

Through all these years, I have participated in many seminars, cooked for many seminars, served as a member of the board, and helped with presenting some seminars as an art-resource or other support staff.  I’m currently Secretary of the Board, as I have been for the past six years.  More information about the Guild and current programs can be found at www.guildsf.org.

Okay, Lewis, your turn!  When we first met, you were a College Professor. Where were you teaching and what were your subject matters?

As I indicated above, I started teaching mathematics in 1968.  I taught at Armstrong College, then JFK University, and Golden Gate University (GGU).  Most of my classes were designed for business students.  A few of the courses that I taught were for undergraduate students, but most of my courses were directed toward graduate students, including students in the Executive MBA program at GGU.  My usual schedule included courses in algebra, statistics, and quantitative methods (aka management science).  Over the years JFKU and GGU offered classes throughout the Bay Area to make education more accessible to working students.  While I mostly taught classes in Orinda and San Francisco (the two main campuses for JFKU and GGU, respectively) I also taught at Vallejo (California Maritime Academy), Walnut Creek, Livermore (Triad) and San Ramon (AT&T).

In 1988, I was surprised to be asked to teach two Quantitative Methods classes for Golden Gate University’s Executive MBA program in Southeast Asia—one in Singapore and one in Kuala Lumpor.  My initial reluctance ebbed when I learned that all the courses were taught in English and that I would be compensated for food and housing.  To make the schedule work I had to take time off from JFKU, but that gave me time to travel through Australia and New Zealand on the way home.

Shortly after we first began working together, Lewis, you retired, and did what many husbands would love to do:  stay home full time and raise your daughter.   I have to ask you if even in these times, did you take much joking or flak from colleagues or friends about being a “kept man” or a “stay at home Dad?”  What made you decide it was time to focus on family first?  Was it hard to walk away from such an intense, important and admired career path?

It’s true that I did eventually become a stay at home dad, but that status evolved slowly and naturally out of the different career paths that Elizabeth and I had.  My working hours were not so much the hours I spent teaching in the classroom, but rather the hours spent on preparation and correcting of homework and exams at home.  Furthermore, many of my classes were at night while Elizabeth worked during the day.  So with a little juggling (sometimes passing our daughter Anne off at a BART station!) we were able to have at least one parent with her all the time.

Lewis reading to Anne, 1994.

As the years passed, Elizabeth got busier, while some of my course offerings got moved out to different departments leaving fewer classes for me to choose from.  With that reduction of my teaching load I just decided to retire.  Retiring meant that I was available to chauffeur Anne to school, swimming, horseback riding, soccer, Irish dance, girl scouts, theatre, piano, and so on.  In addition, I did most of the family grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, and laundry.  I loved having the time with Anne, and I never got any flak from others about being “Mr. Mom," or anything like that.  In fact, most of my family, friends, and even acquaintances let me know how lucky they thought I was to be able to spend so much time with Anne.  Now that she is about to embark on her own life I realize even more how blessed I am to have been able to spend those years with her.  (There I am working on the camel suit that starred in a movie she made and later became a hit at college Halloween parties).  

Lewis making the camel costume for Anne's movie, Fall, 2009.

You both have such fascinating passions.  Now that you are both fully retired, it’s been such fun to hear about your adventures as you have really been able to pursue them fully.  Lewis, you are very involved in Genealogy, and in fact have studied it intently.  How did you become so interested, where have you studied, and do you help others in their searches?  What sites do you recommend for those interested in pursuing their own family histories?

My main hobby is genealogy.  My interest in family history started with Anne’s birth and it increased as the result of a subsequent family reunion.  I volunteered to see what I could find out about our family history and bring a tree to the reunion.  I fully expected that I would get stumped after four or five generations, then I’d have to find a new hobby.  What I didn't realize at the time is that for every generation you manage to go back in time the number of ancestors doubles!   I now have some lines back more than 40 generations.  The earliest ancestor that I have found to date is Afranius Syagrius, a Gallo-Roman Consul living in 380 CE. More recent ancestors include Gangor Rolf (aka “Rollo” the Viking, died 929 CE), Charlemagne  (747-814),  Rodrigo Diaz (“El Cid”, c1042-1099),  William (“the Conquerer”, 1027-1087), and dozens of kings and queens representing most of the regions of Europe.

Anne and Lewis following the trail of El Cid near Burgos, Spain, July 2011.

For anyone interested in finding his or her own ancestry I would recommend starting with a visit to the Family History Center of the Church of Latter Day Saints in Oakland.  You do not have to be a Mormon to take advantage of their extensive resources.  The California Genealogical Society in Oakland has one day a month when non-members can use their library free of charge.  Call them for details. You may also get much information from online sources.  One free source is the LDS site www.familysearch.org. Another is www.worldconnect.com.  You may want to subscribe to a paid site like www.ancestry.com.  I would also simply try Googling your ancestors’ names.  But remember the reality is that only a small percentage of family history data is available online.  Seek out libraries and archives like the Sutro library in San Francisco and the National Archives in San Bruno.

I discovered these portraits of two of my earliest American ancestors (Johan Ludwig Bremer, 1797-1866 and Anna Catharina Scheuermann, 1801-1887) when I contacted the children’s home they founded.

Lewis' ancestors, Johan Ludwig Bremer, 1797-1866 and Catharina Scheurmann, 1801-1887.

Elizabeth, you belong to a group that studies the art and culture of North Western Native Americans. Since my own mother was an ardent student of Southwest Native Americans, I know first hand how absorbing the study of these remarkable native peoples can be.  Most recently last spring you had planned a three week trip to Ketchikan, Alaska, to study basket weaving at the cultural center there.  And I believe you have had another trip planned to a remote part of Vancouver Island.  What is the name of the organization you belong to and how did this field become of interest to you and such a passion?  What further explorations and studies do you have planned?  

We are an informal group composed of a handful of similarly-interested seekers.  We have grown together over the past 6-8 years through our ongoing studies, monthly meetings and travel-studies.  We create curriculum together and share the presenting, but one of our members is the main founder and central coordinator of our little group. She has been studying related material for many years, and has focused on Pacific Northwest native culture studies for over 20 years. She has many friends within the PNW native culture groups who have shared culture and opened doors for our studies. Most of our group of seven women knew each other through the Guild for Psychological Studies, and networking contacts brought us together around this interest.  Each of us had our own background or initial interest in the culture before landing in our group.  We call ourselves the Raven Forum, or use the name given to us by a friend up north during one of our first study trips—Ravenwalkers.

My interest started with art, specifically a photo I saw in passing of Bill Reid’s Raven and The First Men sculpture. This was nearly 30 years ago. It just really grabbed my attention, but I couldn’t pursue that at the time. Several years later, Lewis and I happened to visit the Museum of Anthropology at UBC in Vancouver, Canada, and I was shocked to turn a corner and see this huge, magnificent carving in person. I had never had any idea of its location, size or that it was a wood carving.  Then I learned the story that it depicted, and loved it—how Raven urges humans into the world.  I’ve loved mythology and culture stories since Latin class in high school (probably before that), and the idea that we are our stories.  Again, my interest stayed in the background until, finally, my friend who instigated our group held a get-together at her home on some aspects of the culture.  Soon she, another mutual friend, and I decided we wanted to meet monthly and study further.  Now there are seven of us who've had the continuity of our ongoing study for several years.

Bill Reid's sculpture, "Raven and the First Men."

Pacific Northwest native culture groups have endured and are reviving because of the story and art traditions that hold their history and knowledge, their identity, and their contributions to humanity.  The contributions of this history and knowledge are valuable beyond their own culture both because they are currently alive and evolving, and because they can help all of us access ancient perennial knowledge about what it means to live as a human being not separated from the rest of the natural world (something that I feel is important to strive to understand in today’s global context). We hope our group’s focus on PNW native cultures, rather than trying to include broad cross-cultural material, helps us to gain a deeper experience and understanding than could come by having a wider focus. Additionally, many PNW groups experienced a much shorter period of interruption of their traditional culture than did most of the more southern groups that experienced the European invasions much earlier—providing more historical continuity for many of the cultural groups, and more first-hand rather than anthropological cultural sharing.  We do incorporate some material from other native culture-keepers (such as author Linda Hogan’s many books) and from anthropology.  Also psychology (such as Fred R. Gustafson’s book, Dancing Between Two Worlds).  Our study incorporates material from biological and natural sciences, as well. For me this study is a lens through which I can understand and appreciate more about humanity, human relations, and the beauty of living.

In addition to meeting monthly we have traveled together each summer, or alternate summers, in coastal Canada, Southeast Alaska, and coastal Washington State. Each trip is a culture-camp of some sort, in which we participate in native cultural activities or gatherings, meeting and sharing as much as possible with new or old friends in the cultures.  We usually spend several months preparing by reading and studying as many aspects of the place, history, activities, cultural values, arts, etc. from cultural perspectives as we can manage, and talking with people to find out how we can participate (and how to not be intrusive).  While we are traveling we continue our study experiences and discussions.  We have a blast!

We have participated in pole-raisings in Klawock and met with culture-keepers in Kasaan and Hydaburg on Prince of Wales (or “Taan”) Island, participated in Tribal Journeys canoe landings; visited tribal communities and culture centers; met with artists, poets, storytellers and other culture-keepers; and explored the ocean, rivers, and forests experiencing creatures, art, dance, and music. We've visited a few places on Vancouver Island and surrounding islands along Canada’s Inside Passage, places near Seattle, around Vancouver, BC, and in Ketchikan, Alaska.

One of approximately 100 canoes at Tribal Journeys Landing Day at Cowichan Bay,
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada, July 2008.  

Last spring my friend, who coordinates our group, and I spent three weeks in Alaska. We stayed with a friend in Ketchikan for a couple of weeks, and the two of us took a Haida style cedar bark basket weaving class from Diane Douglas-Willard at the Totem Heritage Center. This was my first class in basket-weaving (although my brother said he thought that was my major in college!). The traditional learning process of “watch, listen, do” meant that the skill was not so much taught as demonstrated and experienced by fingers engaging with cedar to find how it can be woven into a basket. Learning the qualities of the material (often a struggle!), and laughing and sharing with the other weavers was as valuable as the skill and the product.  As the only beginner in the class, I learned from everyone. I figured I wove for at least 100 hours including in and out of class time; and I actually completed a rattle-top basket!  Keeping with the tradition of gifting one’s first basket, it now belongs to Lewis.  After the class, we took an overnight ferry to Juneau (my first visit there).  It was fabulous to see Mendenhall glacier, enjoy the town, and meet with a Tlingit elder (courtesy of my friend).

Elizabeth working on her cedar bark basket, March 26 to April 6, 2013.

Last August, our group traveled to Yuquot (Friendly Cove), a remote place on Nootka Island off the west of Vancouver Island.  Getting there is a journey in itself; we took the refurbished minesweeper Uchuck III, which delivers goods and passengers around the area, stopping at Yuquot twice a week.  This gave us a chance to stay a few days in the rustic camping cabins available.

Uchuck III at the Yoquot dock and the Welcome Figure facing the ocean, Fall, 2013.

Elizabeth in one of the Yoquot coves and gathering firewood, Fall, 2013.

Yuquot has a fascinating history with thousands of years of Nuu-chah-nulth (Mowachaht-Muchalaht) civilization and was the site of first Europen contact when Captain Cook’s ships landed in 1778.  It is still Mowachaht-Muchalaht land, where the people  camp and gather in the summer (and hold a one-day Summerfest, open to all).  On our final day there, we were welcomed to witness a traditional wedding.  As the website described. “It’s not just a place, it’s a feeling."  It truly is.

Our study group will go to Juneau this June to participate in “Celebration” a biennial gathering of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people.  We’ll have a few days in the Haines area, also.  For the future, we hope to plan a trip up the Skeena river or Nass river area, out of Prince Rupert, Canada.  There are a number of areas in Alaska I’d like to get to sometime—Glacier Bay, Sitka, and Wrangell are a few.

We have been thinking of offering a forum sometime to share some of this work with others.  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, a couple of resources I can recommend are www.sealaslaheritage.org and the travel guide:  A Traveler's Guide to Aboriginal B.C. by Cheryl Coull (this is an older paperback, but still a useful introduction).

Travel is tough to fit in when raising a family and living on one income, and I don’t remember a lot of time for that earlier on as your daughter, Anne, was growing up, but I believe things have changed and now you have a number of trips planned.  Didn't you travel to the Rhine River recently?  What else is on the travel bucket list?

Since we met and married when we were a bit older, each of us had travel stories to share when we met. Lewis had motorcycled around Europe after buying a bike there, then cycled across the US (in three days!) after bringing it home by ship.  He’d explored in Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia, while stationed for a teaching semester in Singapore.  One of Elizabeth’s trips was a solo six-weeks of backpack-touring in Europe.  Then our focus did change to home, careers and family.

Our travel challenges while working and raising our daughter were mostly related to schedule.  Lewis’ teaching schedule and Anne’s breaks didn't always match up, and summers up to high school were all about swim team.  With ageing parents in three states, we often traveled to see family.  Luckily, they always lived in interesting and beautiful places (Phoenix, Seattle, Ojai, San Diego).  Looking back, we managed to fit in a surprising number of trips.  We must have grabbed every opportunity.  Once Lewis stopped teaching we went somewhere to enjoy nature, often meeting up with family or friends, during most of Anne’s school breaks.  Best trips were to Hawaii, Death Valley, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, Costa Rica, and annual fall weekends in Yosemite.

When Anne was very young, before her school and swim schedule, we continued camping trips, which the two of us had enjoyed since we met.  She was also a great young traveler as family reunions, visits to see relatives and friends, and plain old vacations took us to Idaho (Sun Valley), Mexico, England and Belgium, and the east coast (Connecticut, Cape May, New York, DC, Philadelphia).

More recently, our trips have been closer to home—up and down the beautiful west for family visits, funerals, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and taking Anne to and from college.

We tried a Rhine River cruise vacation last summer, since a trip to Europe was on Elizabeth’s mother’s bucket list.  It proved to be exactly what we’d hoped—a great way to travel together and see a lot without managing a lot of travel details.  We started with a couple of extra days in Lucerne, Switzerland and finished with four nights in Amsterdam.  Lewis managed just fine with the three women, and Mom was awestruck.   When we travel on our own, though, we prefer a looser schedule than the cruise gave us.

Visiting the Black Forest, three generations at the Kinderdjik windmills and enjoying Amsterdam, Summer, 2013.

Elizabeth had more trips than usual in the past year; experimenting with taking up opportunities that weren't possible while working—the trips to Alaska and Canada, plus helping as art-resource for a seminar in Maryland, in addition to our family trips. Each trip was fabulous, but that’s not a pace she wants to keep up.

We have no particular bucket list, but many possibilities we might consider.  We’re thinking of England to see a cousin and friends, Hawaii because it’s relaxing, and maybe Alaska together (northern lights?).  We enjoy our time at home and around the Bay Area as much as traveling.  There are some friends we haven’t seen in years who we hope to visit.  We expect to keep enjoying the flexibility to travel any time of year. We may go far-afield once in awhile, but generally expect our pace of travel won’t change much.

Although you may not think so, trust me:  you both made the transition from full time careers to retirement look somewhat effortless!  Do you think that was at least partially due to the deep outside interests you already had cultivated in other pursuits?   What advice do you have for those who are retiring soon and are healthy and young as you both are?

Yes, the option to retire meant we had the opportunity to give more attention to other passions, and this was certainly a big factor in the choice to retire and helpful in the transition. Lewis’ transition was more gradual because he did much work from his home office and transitioned to part time and full retirement in stages. By the time Elizabeth retired directly from full-time work, Lewis had largely paved the way.  But it’s also been helpful to understand that transition always brings unexpected challenges and to have the temperament, abilities and resources to weather change.  Besides pursuing that long list of interests, we want to be open to renewal and new possibilities, and to see what enters the unscheduled space that is created by retiring.

As many people note, some of the biggest challenges of retirement come from giving up the structure and discipline of a daily schedule, and the sense of meaning and purpose that paid work can give.  So, there are urges to quickly create a new schedule full of activities.  We feel some of that, but are learning to “go with the flow” and manage some feelings of “lostness”, privilege-guilt and questions of purpose as part of the transition.  We’re enjoying the openness of our schedule that allows for lingering over coffee and conversation, spontaneity for movies and hikes, and less-pressured attention to everything that needs doing (look how long it took us to send our blog!).  We’re listening to ourselves and each other as we follow and juggle our interests—enjoying the thrill of meeting changes and choices in a more free space. Sometimes we get serious about planning.  We talk to people, and we seek out support resources when needed—there are many!  A friend said that there’s a three-year initial adjustment to retirement, and as we begin year three of being retired together that feels right.  We’ll have it all figured out next year!

Is there anything else you’d like to chat about or share with us?

When we were asked to contribute to Lynn’s blog, it was hard to imagine anyone being interested in our stories (and perhaps no one is!).  But we also recognized how often reading stories of “everyday” lives of others has been affirming and encouraging for us, and we both appreciated how helpful the process of writing could be for ourselves—even though it is also excruciating.  It has been an illuminating process of reflection and sharing.  We recommend it!

So, what’s next for the Bremers?  And if readers have questions for you about your many interests, how would it be best to contact you?

We have some home-projects that we are putting into a plan for the year (while not completely filling our schedule!).  There is much clearing-out of accumulated stuff that we are moving up the priority list, and we’ll try to organize some of those digital and boxed photos.  Then, gardening.  We want to rework our landscaping for more enjoyment in it.  With those projects moving along, Elizabeth hopes to make more art, exploring and developing her artist-self (playing with photos, too!). Lewis‘ genealogy adventures may include a trip to Salt Lake City.

We’ll be celebrating our daughter’s graduation from Pitzer College this spring with her undergraduate degree in Environmental Analysis (Environment and Society). In the long-term she’d like to settle in the Bay Area so, as she continues her career explorations and path toward independence, she may move back with us, which we’ll all look forward to.

Otherwise, we’ll continue to enjoy as much as we can of nature and culture, together and with friends.  This includes travel to see places and people, reading, lingering, learning, and supporting causes of well-being.
We’d be happy to connect with people by e-mail (it’d be best to reference Lynn’s blog in the subject line):  LBremer4@aol.com.

Lewis and Elizabeth standing in Switzerland, France and Germany, Summer, 2013.

Thank you, Lewis and Elizabeth, for sharing so many wonderful stories, noteworthy projects and explorations.  I know it will be a challenge --- but a fun one --- to keep up with what you embark on next.  I hope you’ll continue to share with us all.  Readers:  I know that Lewis and Elizabeth are quite sincere in sharing any interests you might want to chat with them about. Please take them up on their offer to reach out, and hopefully we can also connect you together at future Ballou Plum events.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Diana Haslam - Priorities, determination and adventure!

What a fun way to end the year, by featuring the effervescent Diana Haslam! Be prepared:  after you read this you WILL want to book a trip down a river with her!  On a day when I’m too tired to think and am reading by the fireplace, she’ll be remodeling her home, reorganizing the garden, volunteering, baking and then going to work --- whew!  If we could harness her energy there’d never be another energy shortage and the economy would always be percolating!

Much has been written about the baby boomers and how we changed the notion of what working actually looks like.  Thinking outside the box, questioning authority, having it all --- expressions born of a generation now entering retirement planning years.   In many respects, Diana is the poster child of her generation. One of the most interesting parts of her story is how she crafted, of necessity, a non-traditional career path that matched her passions with her desire to raise a family and her need to earn income.   I hope you will enjoy her story and find parallels that resonate with you.

Diana enjoying a break while biking along the Maine coast, August, 2013.

A mutual friend was gracious to introduce us, Diana, a “bit” over 20 years ago when you and I were first adopting our children.  I have always been drawn to your “can do” attitude and positive spin on things.  And when I could barely figure out how to find time to clean up my house, you were remodeling, landscaping your beautiful garden and raising two boys --- and working!   However, as your life as a Mom evolved, you decided to make a major career shift.  Tell us about your professional life before you were a Mom and what made you shift your professional focus. 

Luckily, I inherited lots of energy from my Mom and Grandpa (her dad), and developed many interests so I am never bored; only wishing for more time (and a bit more money!) to pursue them all.  Oddly enough, I don’t even mind housework, I just need more time to fit it in.

Before kids, beginning in the late 70’s I worked in high tech industries first when the office was called “Personnel,” eventually evolving into the field of Human Resources.  I really enjoyed the field “back in the day” when the focus was on advocating for the employee yet protecting the best interests of the company too.

When we adopted our first son (in my mid-thirties and before the Family Leave Act), I took a leave of absence from a job that I truly valued.  Staying home to care for my son was a special time but I was perplexed about how I would be returning to the work world.  It was my first time as a parent and I recall feeling so unsure how the future would unfold.  I had concerns many working moms struggle with:  If I didn’t work, what would be the financial impact?  Would I lose ground in the competitive work world should I want or need to return to employment? Had I worked diligently from the bottom up to become competent in my position just so could I walk away? Would staying home provide enough identity? I was conflicted, as I also wanted to be a hands-on Mom in the largest sense of the word. Since my husband and I had worked so hard to become parents, how could I miss this opportunity if I didn’t seize it to the fullest capacity?  Just a few weeks into my leave while mulling all this over and caring for a newborn, my employer asked me what my plans were regarding my intent to return to my job? She needed an answer due to work pressures. At this time “creative/flexible” options weren’t as readily available as they are now but to my good fortune my boss, the same wonderful person that introduced me to you, offered me a chance to work part-time in the same position. It was an awesome opportunity and I was very grateful that I could remain employed at the same job I enjoyed but also have some time with my son (a BIG SHOUT OUT to Rena Snyder, my then boss, and featured in the April 24, 2013 Ballou Plum Blog).

Diana dropping son, Alec at school before work, 1995.

Your shift didn’t just happen overnight, if I remember correctly.  There were a few interim moves before you ended up with your current firm, doing something you love and really believe in.  Walk us through that journey, Diana.  What did it take to leave a full-time and very successful corporate career and head towards your current passion?

While I seized and appreciated the initial opportunity to work part-time at my same level of position, things in the work place began to evolve more dramatically.  Those of you in a corporate setting may recall the time when Personnel basically just involved itself in paperwork processing and administration, running applicant ads, basic interviewing, and adherence to simpler legal requirements. Then it evolved to embrace the concept of “Human” resourcing with an overlying consideration of workplace happiness, employer loyalty tied to job satisfaction, and became more complex.  We had to navigate through a more complicated legal environment. There were mergers, acquisitions, benefit conversions, lay-offs, contemporary social issues and so on. Eventually, with cost-cutting, high tech options, and a large global market in all ways, many of the “human” aspects of Human Resources that I found to be meaningful became outsourced, shifted onto the backs of the managers, or devalued and tossed aside.  During these corporate philosophical and economical changes, I had taken on more responsibilities in the work place and felt this pressure.  My first son was growing and changing, and we had adopted a second son, so I felt the pull to be more available to our family. Ultimately, I became disenchanted with the big corporate experience and felt the imbalance between work and home was compromised such that I wasn’t contributing to my standards on either front. So, with the support of my wonderful husband, I decided to embrace motherhood 100%, take the plunge, and leave my job.  It took me just a couple of weeks to get over the fact that I wasn’t accountable to any outside “validation” and be okay with this along with more strict budgeting.  After a very short while, I loved my new life and did the typical Mom thing: Room mom, soccer mom, den mom, swim team mom, etc. etc. etc……

About six years later, my husband found himself laid off so it was time I helped pay for groceries again.

At this stage, I didn’t want to embrace the stress of corporate life nor commit to a full time job because of the subsequent impact to our home life, so I looked for something that would at least make a temporary contribution to our financial situation.  I worked a couple of light gigs in retail and as a data entry temp. Then, one night in Safeway, I ran into a former member of a babysitting coop we both once belonged to and I inquired about her daughter’s job at a local whitewater rafting company she worked for.  Well, the rest is history, as they say.  That night, I received a call from the owner, saying they had been wishing for someone such as me to join their team.   I was ecstatic as I had rafted as an early 20-something and had really loved it!  I hadn’t been this excited about a job ever!!!

Diana "on the job" - Tuolumne River, August, 2011.

Life on the river sounds very adventurous!  Tell us about your role in your company and some of the more amazing trips you’ve been on and helped lead.

I started as a part time reservationist and am now managing their reservation system from staffing and training to procedures and protocols. I partner with another manager who focuses more on the operation side and physical office. Together, we get it done. Rafting is a business that embraces what nature offers and is impacted enormously by outside elements (water levels, weather, economic times, coupon wars, and safety perception).   I have rafted all but one of our many trips from mild to wild. One of my greatest personal achievements has been rafting Cherry Creek, Class V, the most difficult trip in North America.  I’ve done it twice and reserve the bragging rights. We have an awesome guide staff that makes it seem easier than it really is.  And, they will tell you, just “STAY IN THE BOAT” --- “STAY IN YOUR SEAT!”

While working for a small employer in a seasonal business doesn’t provide the same income or benefits that a corporate job does, it has provided me with a richer personal and ultimately professional experience. We do it all (running the business) from top to bottom. And, I get to dress down, ride my bike to work, and enjoy annual rafting trips. Inviting different friends to go with me has enriched these relationships as well….one of the magical elements of spending time on the river together!

Diana enjoying "Hole Surfing," July, 2013.

Would you say that your passion for fitness has influenced your career path and choices?  Now that you aren’t running, how do you stay in such great shape?

Actually, my drive to be fit stemmed from an eating disorder in my late teens and throughout much of my 20’s.  Exercising to burn calories became crucial as part of that mentality but became a good habit to keep. And, as someone once said to me, “You love large muscle work-outs!”  The great feeling I get from swimming, biking, hiking, and moving to music is what keeps me interested.  Definitely, adventurous outings in nature, such as skiing and rafting, make me feel great!  Regrettably, the aches and pains and limitations we get as we age have slowed me down some. These days there is much room to get into better shape!  It’s on the list!

Share some of your childhood memories and influences with us, Diana. Where did you get the drive and focus and sheer willpower you possess? (And can you package some of it for the rest of us, please?)

My family camped quite a bit growing up and I loved the out-of-doors activities this brought. We took car vacations and rented snow cabins…all of which I experienced as adventures.  My Uncle Harold (Dad’s side now) took me canoeing on the Grand Canyon when I was 16 years old and I thought it was great!  Being outside without many boundaries was and still is exhilarating to me. This spills into all the things I love to do. In regard to any drive outside of this, I have come to strongly believe that we are hard wired at birth and move from this inner template.  So, I can’t really share any secret about willpower or focus other than to realize, we are our best when we come into ourselves through experience, acceptance, and putting ourselves into healthy environments, at home, work, and with friends.  My experiences have led me to believe that we are usually motivated to move away from something painful or towards something that seems wonderful.  In the middle, not much happens.

Camp Haslam, Oregon, 1996.

How did you and Tim meet?  What drew you to each other?

Tim and I met at work.  He was attractive, single, smart, but a bit shy.  He came into my office a few times to ask some benefit questions and when he didn’t take my hints about getting together outside work, I dropped a piece of paper off my desk with my phone number on it and said, “Sometimes I’m not busy on the weekends and we live in the same community”. HINT HINT.  He was bright enough to catch on….

Because I can be rather spirited (others might use a different adjective), I was drawn to his steadfastness, high values, clever sense of humor, and of course, to his excellent character.  I think he might add that I have pulled him into activities he might not have otherwise tried such as dancing, kayaking, rafting, and skiing.  Of course, I usually enjoy these things much more than he does….this is only fair as I haven’t learned to love research in the library as much as he does.  You can read more about my wonderful husband, Tim, in the October, 2010 Ballou Plum Blog.

When did you decide to pursue adoption?  What type of adoption process did you go through?

We were in our 30’s when we married and didn’t really plan on a family.  Then, four years later, my sister gave birth to my niece, I fell in love with her, and we re-thought things.  After a year of not conceiving naturally, we decided to pursue adoption.  Prior to this we volunteered to “puppy raise” a couple of Labradors for Canine Companions, an organization that provides service dogs for the disabled.  We knew going into this we would be saying good-bye to them a year later and that this would be emotionally tough. Letting them go but knowing that would be okay created a sensitivity to open adoption where a birth mom could have peace of mind about her decision to relinquish her child.  We also thought it important that the kids would know they had been placed out of love with direct access to information about themselves.  We had the good fortune to have two awesome birth experiences and we still maintain contact with these fabulous women and their extended families.  Both boys have birth siblings and enjoy these relationships.

Alec, Tim, Diana and Austin, 1992.

Your sons, Alec and Austin, are both handsome young men, continuing to grow and evolve. Looking back, for parents thinking of adopting children, what advice would you have for them?

Adopting through open doors is an exercise in trust and not comfortable for everyone. If both parties are willing to embrace this relationship, it can set the stage early on for how later adoptive related issues might be dealt with.  Both birth mothers and we agreed to seek counseling together if anything began to feel uncomfortable during our journey together.  With the help of an adoption agency, we discussed many possibilities the future might bring and then just went for it trusting in one another. The women were putting their faith in us that we would care for their babies and us in them that we would raise them as we saw fit. The best way to describe their role in our lives is they are like caring aunts.  They are available but never interfere.  It’s been wonderful.  We have such respect for them and will be forever grateful for their gift of parenthood to us.  As for the boys, they have extra families that love them.

We have come to believe that children are genetically pre-disposed at birth.  Each of our kids is very much like their birth families.  So, whether children are reared by a birth family or adopted, at the basic level, they are who they are. No guarantees what path they will take, what gene pool embedding will surface, and sometimes love and good parenting just isn’t enough to overcome issues and challenges.  But, as with most parents, we love our kids and do our best to provide an environment and morals to sustain them favorably in life.  Motherhood has been the most incredible journey of my life.

You have always loved nature and planned incredible family trips that focus on appreciating and exploring the beauty especially of the western United States.  Tell us about some of your more memorable vacations and what areas you would love to see again.  Where would you still like to explore?

When the boys were young, we took a few car camping vacations up through Oregon and Washington, stopping at all things animals, and having a great time around the camp fire playing charades.  While I would love to visit this gorgeous territory again, I would also enjoy visiting new areas.  My husband and I went to Washington DC for the first time last year and loved it.

Our second date was a bike ride where I promptly ran into a curb and flipped heels-over-head flying over the handle bars onto a grassy median.  Last year, about 33 years and 2,000 dates later, we road bikes through parts of Maine and re-captured some of our youth…It was awesome and we hope to do other similar trips. So, on to new sights and new adventures! 

Diana and Tim on a ride through Acadia National Park, Maine, August, 2013.

So, what’s next for you, Diana?  What would you still like to accomplish both professionally and personally?

Seriously, I want longer days, longer years, more time, fewer wrinkles and achy joints….there are so many things I enjoy and I’m lucky to be happy doing most things.  Before work yesterday, I gardened, polished my new kitchen floors, walked my dogs, got dinner started, made a to-do list for the evening, then went to my fabulous job.  If I could have, I would have baked a banana cake, sewed some curtains for the kitchen, swam, called a friend, read the book club book, planned a holiday party…..and so on.  I always manage to fill my time productively and with the many things I enjoy doing….yes, even house work.  I love a clean house! 

I don’t see much changing over the next five years although with Tim’s retirement pending, maybe less chores (he can do them!), more biking adventures, and more travel.  We’ll be heading to Costa Rica next year; a big trip for us!  Job wise, I imagine I might like working for the American Red Cross doing logistical planning and field work for disaster recovery….although I suspect it would be very stressful and thus, maybe not the best of choice for this stage of life…yet to be explored.

Diana and Tim ready to head out, Utah, 1983.

I’m sure everyone reading this will want to contact you and sign up for a rafting adventure for the upcoming season!   How can we reach you?

Okay, a commercial break here…..  Anyone wanting to mix fun, exhilaration, some exercise and relaxation, go rafting!  I can be reached at All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting http://www.aorafting.com (925) 932-8993, ext 164.  We have mild to wild options. All trips are on sale, 25% off, through January 31, 2014!

What other thoughts would you like to share with us, Diana?

I feel EXTREMELY lucky to have a fabulous life.  It’s so robust because I have friends and professionals such as you by my side along with amazingly supportive and caring family and relatives!!!

Thank you for listening and for caring enough to ask!!!!  Anyone willing to read this “selfie” about me, thank you too!

Team Ballou Plum wishing Diana a great "milestone" birthday this November.

Long-Term Care - Can it be Affordable?

This month we are going to take a detour from our usual client interview to discuss a topic that comes up increasingly in our meetings with you: the affordability of long-term care.  I sat down with our Financial Planning Associate, Laura Knolle, who has done a lot of research on this topic recently. In turn she decided to write a comprehensive white paper on this theme and after review, because it’s so well written and content accessible, for October’s Blog I decided to publish it in its entirety. 

I think you will find this topic timely for many reasons not the least of which is that it’s a suitable tie into this fall’s opening of our national health insurance exchanges.  As a country we’ve really opened up the conversation about health care, and with an aging population (whether it’s ourselves or our loved ones), we really need to get a better handle on what it means to need this type of care and how we can best prepare for the costs and coordination.

I think you will find her paper very interesting --- she opens with a case study. I’ll let her take it from here…..

Long-Term Care – Can it be Affordable?
By Laura R. Knolle, MS, CFP®

Bob was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in 2010.  He, and his wife, Sue, lived in a retirement community for active seniors.  Sue didn't drive much and when Bob started to decline they were unable to make it to their doctor appointments and pick up necessities such as groceries.  They began having difficulty cooking and cleaning their home.  Within a few months it became almost impossible for Bob to make any trips out of the house or to even get dressed in the morning.  As more time progressed, he had difficulty bathing and Sue wasn't strong enough to assist him and was concerned she would hurt herself trying. Their son, Jeremy, lived in a different state and was busy taking care of his wife and young children.  Their daughter, Nancy, had special needs and needed care of her own. What do they do and who can they turn to for help?

What is Long-Term Care?

Long-term care includes medical and support services for individuals with illness. Most long-term care is custodial care (1)  and not skilled care (2).  Individuals who need custodial care are unable to perform “Activities of Daily Living” such as bathing, bowel and bladder management, dressing, eating, feeding, mobility, and personal hygiene. A long-term care insurance policy covers expenses associated with custodial care.  It can also cover supervision from cognitive issues such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia that might require 24 hour care.

Why You May Need a Long-Term Care Policy.

Incorporating a long-term care insurance policy into your financial plan can help protect your assets if you need care. You don’t buy home insurance hoping your house is going to burn down and you don’t buy long-term care hoping to need care. You purchase insurance to protect yourself against a loss that you can’t afford to incur.

There are four basic resources to provide the financing you may need to cover long-term care expenses:

• rely on your family; 
• welfare programs such as Medicaid (Medical in California);
• self-insure with your assets; or 
• purchase long-term care insurance.  

The first two options are not pre-planning options; they are what you do in a crisis. The focus of this article is on the last two options, whether to completely self-insure with your assets or pass some of the risk to an insurance company by purchasing a long-term care insurance policy.

How Much Can Long-Term Care Expenses Cost?

Let’s look at some estimates on what this type of care really costs.  In the California East Bay, a home health aid would cost ~$56,000 (3)  per year.  That same care is estimated to be ~$91,000 (4)  in the year 2037.  And of course this could be twice as much for a couple.

Most people can’t afford this type of care without substantially lowering their standard of living, compromising the quality of care, limiting their care choices, or endangering their financial stability. It can be burdensome for your spouse, children, or family members to provide care if you cannot afford to hire the help you need.

Jeremy came to visit his parents over the holidays and saw the rapid decline in Bob’s health.  While in town, he interviewed and hired two caregivers who could alternate schedules to come to Bob and Sue’s home to help drive them to doctor’s appointments, pick up groceries, cook and clean. The caregivers also assisted Bob with bathing, dressing, and walking.  Jeremy remembered that his Mom and Dad had purchased a long-term care policy years ago.  He called the insurer to submit a claim. After completing the paperwork to submit the claim including a letter from Bob’s doctor and the caregivers, the claim was approved and they were able to start collecting benefits.

What Programs or Insurance Do Not Cover Long-Term Care Expenses?

There are many misunderstandings on how long-term care costs are covered.  It is important to know what does not cover long-term care expenses or has a limited benefit:

• Medicare is restricted to specific illnesses and injuries for short periods of time.  This is also true for Medigap or Medicare Advantage.  
• There are some benefits for Veterans but only for specific populations and in specific circumstances.
• Medicaid may cover some long-term care expenses but eligibility varies by state and applicants must have a certain level of impairment and limited financial resources. 
• Disability covers a loss in wages due to a disability, and not long-term care.  

Do you Self-Insure or Purchase Long-Term Care Insurance?

Now that you know how much long-term care can cost and what does not cover those costs, should you self-insure or purchase a policy?  It is important to have a discussion with your CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional to review your options.  Here are some basic steps to guide you through this process:

Step One: Estimate the Cost of Care.

• Where do you want to live during retirement?  Obtain an idea of the cost of coverage in that area. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a resource online to estimate costs of care in your state. Click here to access the site.  
• Do you want to receive care in your home or a facility?  Most people want to stay in their home as long as possible.

Step Two:  Do you want to insure the full cost of care, or purchase long-term care insurance to cover some of the risk?

• Do you want to avoid having to depend on your spouse, children, or other family members for care
• Do you want to use your assets to pay for care or rely on insurance to cover the costs?
• Would you feel more comfortable to push some of the risk to an insurer by purchasing a long-term care insurance policy?

Step Three: Obtain long-term care insurance quotes.

• By obtaining quotes this will help you weigh the relative value of purchasing a plan. 
• There are a lot of bells and whistles to choose from when purchasing a long-term care policy such as the amount you receive daily or monthly, how long your policy pays, and does it have inflation protection.  It is also important to find out if the premiums may increase over time. While this can make these products complex, the numerous options also allow a policy to be customized to what you need and to what you can afford. Flexibility in products enables you to design a coverage that meets most budgets. 

Step Four: Review your options, make a decision, and a plan.

• Is purchasing a policy affordable?  If not, can the coverage be adjusted to decrease the premium?
• If you self-insure, how much will you set aside in reserves?  Make a game plan to stay on track.
• Review your plans annually with your CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

Years earlier Bob and Sue had spoken to their financial planner about the possible need for long-term care insurance.  It was difficult to think that a need may arise, but they knew it was important to have these conversations now while they were still in good health.  They first determined that they wanted to stay in their home as long as possible and estimated what home care was in their area. They knew they didn't want to burden their children financially with their care and decided they were more comfortable passing some of the risk to an insurance company.  Their financial planner ran long-term care insurance quotes showing various options within their budget. They reviewed several quotes and discussed with their financial planner any questions they had so they could make an informed decision. They decided to purchase an individual long-term care insurance policy on each of them to help pay for some of the risk.

Possible Ways to Reduce Your Premium.

Affordability is one of the reasons why people do not purchase a long-term care insurance policy.   Here are a few ideas that may help your premium be more financially manageable in your budget.

• Shorten the term of your policy.  Perhaps you’d like a three year policy but the premium is too high. Consider a two year policy instead.
• Share the benefit with your spouse or domestic partner.  Couples can share a combined pool of benefits for either spouse or domestic partner (or both) to use.  
• There may be discounts available to you such as couple’s discounts or preferred health. 
• Look at your options when designing a policy: Daily (or monthly) benefit amount, benefit period, elimination period, inflation protection, optional riders. These can be adjusted to meet your needs and affordability.  
• The cost for your policy will be determined by your age and health when you first apply.  Therefore the younger you are, the lower your initial annual premiums will be. 
• Also the younger you are when you apply for coverage the greater the chance you’ll qualify for a good health discount. 

Bob’s health continued to diminish and he needed care around the clock.  Jeremy and Sue were able to find a third caregiver to stay at the home overnight.  Jeremy became the Power of Attorney for his parent’s financial matters and each month would submit the expenses on behalf of his parents to the long-term care insurer. The insurer paid the approved expenses up to the limit on the policy.  While it didn't cover all of their health expenses, it did help prevent eroding their existing financial assets that Sue needed to live on.  Bob passed after needing two years of care.  Sue was thankful that she and Bob had made a plan in years past to help cover these expenses when the time came.

Summary

Long-term care doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing decision.  You can always put some level of protection in place versus ignoring the risk altogether.  Obtain the facts so you can look at your options and make an informed decision.  If you have any questions on long-term care insurance or would like to review your personal situation, please do not hesitate to call our office.

Thank you for following along with Laura’s well thought through remarks and her extremely helpful case study.  We know that every situation is unique and will involve careful consideration and planning.  Know that we are here for you as these issues arise.  Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at anytime to discuss your own personal and distinctive circumstances.  We look forward to being able to help! 

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1)  Custodial care is non-medical care that helps individuals with his/her activities of daily living.
2)  Skilled care is generally from a licensed nursing personnel or certified nursing assistant.
3)  Information obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Click here to access the site.
4)  Information obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Click here to access the site.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), Also Known as "Obamacare"

Okay, we all feel a bit overwhelmed with the new health care laws, let’s be honest! Some of it has been easy and understandable. But the hard stuff is just coming up around the corner and we can’t ignore it --- we have to stay informed.

Toward that end we've been collaborating with the well-known and very knowledgeable health insurance professional, Colleen Callahan of Colleen Callahan Insurance Services, and will be presenting a webinar with her on Wednesday, October 9th at noon PDT. During this webinar, we’ll really dig down into the new law and discuss information pertinent to our clients and colleagues. Information about how to register will be available through our office and you will receive an official invitation to participate soon, if not already. Since there’s never a perfect time for everyone, we will record this event and post it to our website shortly afterwards so that you can replay at your convenience if you were unable to attend live.

There’s a lot being written about the new laws; some helpful, others not so much. The best writing I've seen to date is the three part Blog series published by colleague Eleanor Blayney, CFP®. In her role as CFP Board of Standards Consumer Advocate, Eleanor has become a nationally sought after speaker on all topics in our field of Personal Financial Planning. When I read her Blogs recently on the topic of “Obamacare,” I was very impressed at how she was able to make this very complicated topic accessible and understandable. So, for this month’s Blog, I am simply referring you to her three part informative series published through the CFP Board of Standards website “Let’s Make A Plan.org.”

I cannot encourage you strongly enough to read her three Blogs on this topic. To access them, you simply need to click on the three links we've provided below. I recommend reading them in order as she covers all topics in a logical and organized format.

Click here for Part I – Financial Planning and the Impact of the affordable Health Care Act on Individuals Working at a Large Employer

Click here for Part II – ACA’s Impact on Small Businesses and the Self-Employed

Click here for Part III – What about the Uninsured?

We look forward to your participation in our upcoming webinar on October 9th. Please don’t hesitate to reach out at anytime if you have questions. We are in this together and there’s much to learn!

Happy Fall!

From Blind Date to Friends and Clients -- The Fabulous Lee and Anne Samuels

Lee and Anne in Churchill, Manitoba, October, 2009

I recently had a chance to catch up with our globe-trotting friends and clients, the Samuels.  When you read their story, you’ll see how remarkable it is that I was able to corner them long enough to grab the salient points of their lives well lived, squeeze a couple of pictures from them, and then send them packing ---- literally!  On their next adventure, that is!  

Teachers with a passion for excellence in education who helped raise thousands of great kids in a relatively quiet part of our state, they take their positive thinking and inquisitive minds to the greater world, and I imagine there will be no global stone left unturned in their journeys.  We first met the Samuels during a “blind date” arranged by USA TODAY.  Marilyn and I had just joined forces to create our firm and one of the first opportunities we had with the press was to help with one family’s finances by pitching in with hopefully helpful suggestions to make their already remarkable lives even better.  Our lucky day, because not only did we have a great time and enjoy a small moment in the press sunshine, but even better, we made a lasting friendship with two of the coolest educators, kindest and most generous world citizens ever.  

Living their life-long dream of world travel might seem like a simple and foregone conclusion, but they made important choices, living on teacher’s salaries while fully funding every retirement plan they could.   They made a decision to trade short-term instant spending gratification for long-term happiness, retiring relatively young and living their dreams.  What’s even more remarkable is their upbeat attitude through a few serious challenges, including Anne’s ongoing battle with cancer.  I know you’ll want to keep reading and learn all about our friends, the Samuels.

Lee, we met in an unusual fashion in 1998 through a USA TODAY interview while you were both still teaching.  Your goals were clear:  as much as you and Anne loved teaching, you wanted to be able to plan a healthy retirement filled with lots of travel! You also wanted to have the space to indulge another great passion: cooking!  Not many would be as willing as you have to be a featured financial planning case study in such a national publication as USA TODAY!   How did this come about for you?

As early as 1988, Anne and I were placing significant portions of our paychecks into our 403(b) plans.  Portfolio growth was markedly slow, and we were looking to make a change from our investment counselor.  We had become acquainted with USA Today during its infancy period as we visited Europe, becoming subscribers by 1990.  The financial section became my initial morning read accompanied by that first cup of coffee.  After reading a USA Today notice of an opportunity for a financial makeover with expert consultants, I told Anne that we should apply. Never really believing that we would be chosen, we were surprised when we received a phone call from a representative of USA Today asking if we still wanted to participate.  If we agreed, we would be interviewed by one of their financial reporters, who would match us up with an up-and-coming financial management team from Northern California.  

At our initial phone meeting, we received short and long-term advice offered by Lynn and Marilyn (long distance may I add, as we live several hundred miles south of their Lafayette office) and we turned our financial lives over to them.  We never looked back as Ballou and Plum recommended changes to our financial plans and have continued guiding us up to and into our retirement.

Several inheritances over the years have been wisely saved, we continued adding to our 403(b) and IRA funds, giving us the ability to travel and otherwise enjoy our retirement years. Since our initial phone contacts, we have visited their offices many times and grown to think of them as dear friends.

Lee and Anne enjoying food and friends, 2013

Tell us a bit about your careers in teaching and what lead you to pursue your careers, your specializations, and how you and Anne met.

Anne and I spent our earning years as high school teachers.  Anne knew she would be a teacher at age seven after playing school with neighbors, her sister and cousin. She always played the role of teacher and enjoyed helping others learn.  With her allowance, Anne purchased "Dick and Jane" books and math workbooks to assist in her “instruction.”  During her 35 year career, she taught various levels of English. Besides being the English Department Chairperson for her last 17 years, she instructed Honors English at the 9th and 11th grade levels, and AP Language.

From my first experience as a high school student in a drawing and design class, I knew I'd be an artist. Teaching entered the realm of possibilities when I was a senior at San Diego State University.  Following 18 months of teaching 7-8 grade art in La Mesa (east county San Diego suburb), I became a Proposition 13 casualty.  Only two visual art vacancies were listed in Southern California that summer (1979): Corona/Norco and Eagle Mountain, a Kaiser mining company owned town situated in Riverside County's low desert between Indio and Blythe in the appropriately titled Desert Center Unified School District.  I was hired immediately following a July 3rd interview.  Anne, whose EM tenure predated mine by five years, and I began dating (much to the amusement of extremely bored students) the following spring.  Our wedding in April, 1982, was the community’s social highlight that spring.  Kaiser terminated mining operations the following year, subsequently closing our school and the community.  Eventually, Anne and I moved to Apple Valley and taught in the Hesperia District for 23 years. 

As life-long learners I know you are always reading, Anne, and Lee, always pursuing art.  And then you have a shared love of cooking!  Tell us about these interesting hobbies.  And do they enhance your enjoyment of travel? 

I instructed 2D visual arts (painting, drawing, graphic design and advertising art) for 30 years.  I loved teaching and miss interacting with students ("my children") and colleagues.  We remain committed to public education, and I continue to volunteer, mentoring teachers and working in classrooms integrating the arts into core subjects (English, social sciences, life sciences and industrial design/ engineering).  I still have a passion for the learning process and enjoy witnessing students make connections in a proactive and creative environment.  And being with students has kept me thinking young.  Both of us feel some of our most satisfying accomplishments lie in the legacy of our “children.”

30 plus years as a secondary teacher is time entirely well spent...time for some other educators to have the opportunity to teach and, hopefully, create a positive impact through their interaction with students.  When Anne and I began our careers immediately out of college, our goal was to retire in our 50s.  Not having children (except for the 9,000 we taught between us) of our own meant using vacation time for travel opportunities.  And take advantage we did.  While our house was being constructed during the summer of 1985, Anne and I escaped for six weeks of independent travel primarily in the British Isles and Italy.  We fell in love with the folks we met, the local cuisines, sites, art and aesthetics of place.  Talking with locals whenever possible, we quickly realized, with the exception of minor cultural nuances, we're all really seeking the same goals out of life.  

Anne and Lee in Ireland, October, 2011

Your passion for travel is infectious!  Where have you been and what’s been the best trip yet. Where would you still like to travel?  Any booking or travel tips you’d like to share?

In 1990, while visiting Prague, Anne and I witnessed the campaigns for the first Czech legislative elections resulting from that country’s Velvet Revolution. Two years ago, we spent two weeks in Ireland and before that Iceland.  In April of 2012, Anne and I traveled to Krakow, Poland, with my cousin to research our family’s roots. (I have investigated fascinating ancestral archives and studies while building family trees for our respective families).  We’ve been to all of the US National Parks except Kobuk Valley and Gates of the Arctic (both located in Alaska), American Samoa, Virgin Islands and our newest park:  Pinnacles.  We intend to visit each of these parks eventually.  Recently, Anne and I spent three weeks in England, touring the southwest (Wiltshire, Cornwall, Somerset, Hampshire) and London. Culture, history, the arts, and of course, sampling regional cuisines are central to our travel experiences.  

However, it is sharing native cuisine with locals that provides true insight to a culture. On my final evening in Italy (following a seven week education journey), I was invited along with several in our travel group to a penthouse overlooking the floodlighted Roman Forums.  Over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, guests (American and Italian) and our hosts discussed politics, debated foreign policies, enjoyed operatic performance and, upon our departure, exchanged warm embraces early the following morning.  On the same journey, I was invited into a Roman kitchen (trattoria) where I learned and then participated in preparing saltimbocca and carbonara.  Earlier, in Venezia, on Giudecca, a gray gato of medium size pointed, then directed, five of us into a house fronting the Grand Canal.  Stripped of its living quarters downstairs and outfitted as a kitchen-trattoria, we shared platters of frito misto (cozze, vongole, calamaro e polpo) accompanied by a stupendous Veneto vini bianchi da tavola with locals and the proprietors as one contented (well fed and petted) gato gazed out to sea. 

My dream trip to Israel occurred three summers back.  On behalf of my parents and grandparents, I recited Kaddish at the Western Wall then strolled its tunnel alongside ancient foundation stones and, upon exiting, walked the Via Dolorosa continuing into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  Accompanied by a former Israeli Defense Force member who fought in the Yom Kippur War, my friend and I scoured the Golan Heights Syrian bunkers that his platoon recaptured.  That same morning, we studied the Lebanese frontier in the shadow of an Israeli military forward post and drove northeast for lunch with Druze community members.  That same afternoon, we met up and shared cookies and milk with 20-something IDF Merkava (tank) commandos conducting drills near the Syrian frontier.  Proceeding that late afternoon southbound to Golan wine country we toasted our complete day with Yarden Syrah and Chardonnay.  Another private tour, escorted by Palestinian Jordanians, enabled a visit to the shifting sands and camel caravans of Wadi Rum followed the next day by that Indiana Jones moment revealed as El Khasneh (The Treasury at Petra) appeared between walled canyon escarpments.  Perhaps the most stirring portion of the journey “home” was an emotionally intense day at Yad Vashem’s museum Holocaust Memorial.  Touring exhibits documenting events and atrocities with IDF conscripts, men and women no more than 18 or 19 years of age being instructed in hushed tones by older leaders…and penultimately arriving at The Hall of Names with its memorial to each Jew who perished, photos of the murdered reaching skyward as their portraits reflected in a pool of water carved below into Mt. Herzl’s bedrock will remain forever seared into my consciousness.  

We’ve taken several trips to Alaska (Anne’s favorite destination) where we have watched bears snag king salmon atop Katmai Falls, traveled to wilderness destinations by float plane, taken raft trips, hiked on glaciers, snow-mobiled on groomed trails and viewed Aurora Borealis from Chena’s hot springs in -55 Fahrenheit temperatures.  The perfect Alaska day:  Anne and I departed our Port Alsworth (Lake Clark National Park) lodge for a rendezvous with river guide. Following a scenic 20 minute float plane flight, we deplaned 20 feet from shore and gingerly hip-waded our way to the nearest bank, carrying provisions for a two mile tundra and muskeg portage before rafting several hours of a pristine river with no trace of other humans; bald eagles soared on the thermals above and grayling swished about underneath. The river emptied into Sixmile Lake where our raft was attached and towed by floatplane across to Nondalton Townsite where we met Athabascan children offering us hot tea. 

Too close for comfort, Churchill, Manitoba, October, 2009

What’s next for the Samuels?

Come February, we embark from Ushuaia (Quark Expeditions), Argentina on a 21-day epic voyage to the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands, South Georgia Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula (traveling below the Antarctic Circle).  High points will include encountering Emperor along with other penguin breeds, shore birds and aquatic life during twice daily zodiac shore excursions. Our Antarctic voyage will provide a fantastic bookend to recent Icelandic explorations, as well as viewing polar bears several years ago at Churchill, Manitoba. 

Two years out, Anne and I envision traveling to Botswana’s Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Preserve, Linyanti, and Chobe National Park on a photo safari of African Big Five.  Perhaps we’ll include wild Namibian dunes and Zambia’s Victoria Falls in our itinerary.  Occasionally friends request that I share travel ideas and tips.  Most of what I have learned comes through extensive research.  For domestic travel I refer to Frommer’s and Insiders’ guides.  For international travel I’ll checkout Frommer’s, Michelin and Lonely Planet sources.  Also, for those impossible-to-book or one-in-a-lifetime tours, I’ll contact experts as provided by Conde Nast's Wendy Perrin (Top Travel Specialists) which costs more, but instead of being tourists, we’re elevated to traveler and partaker.

Lee, we know that Anne has experienced some health scares in her life, which together you’ve faced and continue to battle head on.  Tell us more about these challenges.

In 1998, not long after we joined the Ballou Plum family, Anne was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Fortunately, we’re about an hour and a half from City of Hope in Duarte, a nationally acclaimed cancer research and treatment facility.  After a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation, Anne went 4 1/2 years before we discovered her cancer (Her2 Positive) had metastasized.  Another bout of radiation kept the cancer at bay for six additional years.  Four years ago, we learned it had once again spread, resulting in more chemotherapy.  At this point, she has an infusion (Herceptin) every three weeks which has prevented the cancer from returning, and throughout all of this trauma, she has lived a normal active life—traveling, quilting and, of course, reading. 

Bruce Springsteen meets Anne backstage before his May, 2009 show
at Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA

So fast forward 15 years, and if USA TODAY were to visit you now, what would be the most surprising thing you would share with their readers?

If USA Today conducted a follow-up interview we’d love to share our “secret” for success with fellow readers.  Our rich and varied present lifestyle is possible because of our pensions and other assets that we focused on growing during our working years.  We own our home, have no loans and pay off our credit cards every month. 

Anne and I are able to engage our love of independent travel.  We garden (organically) and I enjoy preparing meals (especially during the summer and autumn months incorporating our vegetables and fruits into a variety of recipes).  We are fortunate in having family and a group of retired teacher friends with whom we observe birthdays, go to movies, have parties, and celebrate our lives.  

If readers would like to reach out to you, how can they best do so?

We’d love to chat with Ballou Plum “family” members and can be reached at:   leesamuels@mac.com  

Lee and Anne in Iceland, July, 2011