Icewind's Ramblings

Life Observation # 180 . . . Opposing viewpoints This year, 2016 is finally winding down and for many of us cannot wait for this one to come to a final close. It has been for many of us a trying, painful, and sad year with so many things happening to us and our families, friends and people all over the world who saw mainly the tragedies this year.  There were not many positive stories or things happening for everyone to feel good about.  The hope for better things in our lives used to be something everyone believed in and looked forward to but it seems many have given up on those attitudes and ideals.  Hopefully the New Year will bring back that feeling of renewed Hope, Abundance, and Gratefulness so lacking right now. The election is finally over . . . the outcome only time will tell where our country will go from here . . . hopefully to a stronger nation once again.  I have friends on all sides of the political spectrum and it was an interesting exer...

Life Observation # 179 . . . Experiencing difficulties in Life This has been a tough year for our family but we are Southern strong and look forward to a positive year in 2017.  When you are experiencing difficulties in life and we all do from time to time I am reminded of this quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt: “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” May your holidays be filled with laughter; family; friends, and a positive attitude for all!  God Bless. Ice

Pacific Coast Highway Revisited “And as time goes by Oh it's funny how time can make you realize We're running out of it” – Zac Brown Band It’s been nine months since I left Alaska and started the “recalculation” of my life and what I thought about it at that time.  With any change it starts a process of evaluation in one’s self and in the things within your universe surrounding yourself. Mt. Hood Oregon As time has passed by, so have things, people, mental orientations, passions and moments.   Some have devolved and then evolved into something greater.  Originally, I started this blog, “Where’s the Flamingo” to share the experiences as I traveled and also bring with it a slightly humorous effect with Placido Flamingo and his experiences along the road, my road sometimes called Life’s Highway.  Mt. Washington, British Columbia But, as I have traveled, a more fulfilling purpose has evolved.  So now it isn’t just the experiences I h...

Life Observation # 178 . . .  “Time heals all wounds” Loss is a process which has to be dealt with and no two people experience it the same way.  It is a unique experience for each of us as we look at things through various lenses and frames of mind.  The loss of someone is often painful and probably for most people more so that we may imagine.  People who say that “time heals all wounds” don’t know what they are talking about.  Time lessens the sting of loss, but the pain never completely goes away.  That doesn’t mean you won’t experience joy and happiness again; you will.  In time, you will begin enjoying the present instead of dwelling on the past. Ice

Since I have been on the road and didn’t have my external drive I have gotten out of sequence in my numbering of my Life Observations but now am back on track. This expresses my thoughts exactly . . .  Life Observation # 177 . . . Attitude “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a company... a church.... a home.   The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our att...

“As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” Happy Thanksgiving everyone, as I hope it is a great day for you! Times have been a little depressing lately for many people in the country so I thought it would be great to give you a couple of laughs today.  It will only take a few minutes of your time . . . about the time it takes to have a cup of coffee so take a break and give yourself a little smile and for me every time I hear or see this it gives me a good belly laugh. There aren't as many classic Thanksgiving episodes of TV shows as there are classic Christmas episodes.  But there are several we remember fondly, including this one.  It's the "Turkeys Away" episode of  WKRP in Cincinnati  that originally aired on October 30, 1978.  Station Manager Carlson tries to come up with a special promotion for the station and, well, you'll see what happens. WKRP in Cincinnati was a sitcom by Hugh Wilson who was in sales and pa...

Thanks to our military personnel both overseas and at home as there is danger and sacrifice on both fronts.  Thanks to you and your families . . . to those in support of our men and women all over the world. Take a few moments and remember what principles founded this country . . . “In God We Trust” We seemed to have moved away from those principles and slowly we are losing focus on what has kept us a great Nation. I am super proud of being an American, but we fail our veterans every day.   Veterans are a symbol of what makes our nation great, and we must never forget all they have done to ensure our freedom. A remembrance from a little known (American public) time in my life . . . Operation Lam Son 719 "The operation was conceived in doubt and assailed by skepticism, preceded in confusion." Dr. Henry Kissinger speaking on Operation Lam Son 719  The following excerpt from Newsweek, 15 March 1971, was more objective than most at the tim...

It is bittersweet that I am not in Alaska as it was so much a part of my life these last twenty years being away from Atlanta and the South.  I think that both places and the people there can take things for granted as we sometimes forget just how beautiful it can be or accept without thinking all that is going on around us.  It is those little things we see each day on the way to work or driving somewhere that is in front of us but we may be too busy to notice with all the things going on in our lives.  Making a conscious effort to pay attention or stop for a few seconds to notice the sunset, the beautiful flowers all over town or in neighbor’s yards are all things that make our day better without us realizing it or costing us anything other than time.  Slow down and enjoy things wherever you are. Many people in Key West or living on the beach stop most days to watch the sun slowly drop below the water on the horizon getting a feeling of calm satisfaction on ta...

I wanted to go back and write more on the fall night in north Georgia seeing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band once again.  It uplifted my spirit at the time and made the upcoming week of losing my Aunt Doris thirteen days after losing my uncle a little easier as I remembered when the music can start to heal all things. "Circlin' Back - the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band" tour came to the Georgia Mountain Fall Festival Celebrating 50 Years of playing great music together on Saturday night, October 1, 2016. The weather was perfect with a slight crispness in the air, a slight smell of wood smoke drifting by either from the nearby local area houses or the concession but either way it gave a welcoming down home feel to the evening.  Playing to a sold out crowd the attendees ranged from grandchildren to middle age and to the bulk of the crowd, the over 50-60 crowd.   I would guess that most were like me who have followed the group since the late 60’s attending their concerts wheneve...

As many of you know I have not had a chance to write much these last few weeks with the multiple deaths in our family and all the things done dealing with hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, and making arrangements for funerals.  A hidden surprise that came from this was several members of my family decided to go anyway to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens just hours after my aunt’s funeral.  We were all excited expecting to see a beautiful blown glass exhibit throughout the gardens.  It did not disappoint anyone and we were all blown away by the mixture of different glass pieces set in the fauna around the gardens. Dale Chihuly has been creating unique and amazing pieces of glass art work for over forty years.  He is an American artist whose studio and glassworks facility are located in Seattle Washington.  He has mastered the alluring, translucent and transparent qualities of ice, water, glass, and neon to create works of art that transform the viewer exp...

Stand a Little Rain “If we're ever gonna see a rainbow We have to stand a little rain.” That seems to be what my family is going through right now. We seem to be going through a period of thunderstorms, lightening and rain as we look forward to the rainbow and sunny times once again. With all that has happened over this year it has been both trying and an opportunity to remind oneself that we are not in control of our lives that things happen for a reason (sometimes we don’t totally understand at the time) and we just have to continue taking one step at a time moving forward in our life. It’s been tough for everyone and the latest with my uncle Boe’s sudden passing and my aunt Doris still in rehab care for a broken hip and leg with full Alzheimer’s so the road ahead will be a long and winding one for everyone.  We are always thankful for our southern roots, a heritage which makes strong but pliable caring people. The service last Friday was simple, great music, so...

Before I left Portland Oregon to come to Atlanta when my brother in law, Doug Coker passed away unexpectedly I knew I would not arrive in time for his memorial service so I wrote a eulogy that my brother Ron spoke during the service.  I wanted to post it now so I would have a record of it during my travels. Thanks to all of you who have posted or emailed your thoughts and prayers for our family as it is much appreciated by everyone. Time is too slow for those who wait, Too swift for those who fear, Too long for those who grieve, Too short for those who rejoice, But for those who love, time is eternity. Hours fly, flowers die, New days, new ways pass by, Love stays. (Henry Van Dyke) Though my heart is filled with much sadness during this time, my thoughts will not be one of despair, nor of loss, and mourning, but it is one of hope, love, and celebration.  I had the good fortune of knowing Doug since early childhood, living in the same neighborhood, spending time...