Anthony Bourdain!! What!? ...

Anthony Bourdain. Dead at 61. Apparent suicide.

How can a man who has everything... looks, money, travel, family, love... most things that each of us  feel would make us so much happier... think that throwing it all away is going to release his troubled soul?

Satan is the biggest liar.

From my point of belief, he has just gone from the frying pan into the fire.

Bourdain, over the years has admitted to cocaine and heroin addiction. How many times did he reject the notion of God? How many times did he turn from the open arms of Jesus? How many times did he say No, out loud, to the only One who could save him and give him peace?

Time and time again, the enemy whispered in Tony's ear that that could not possibly an option... that is was just a child's story... that he was worth nothing... and that everything he had ever done wrong in his life would be weighted upon him to suffer through until he died... and if he would just speed that moment up, he could be free of that weight forever! What the Deceiver did not tell Tony, was that now he would be paying for his own sins for the rest of all eternity, tormented forever.... way beyond the trouble he felt during his life on earth.

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light. Whosoever believeth in me shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Jesus, the Son of God, who came to this world to die on the cross with our sins upon Him so that we might be cleansed and pure in the sight of His Father, is asking you today to come to Him. Be born again in Jesus and accept what He freely gives.... love, forgiveness, peace.

Don't be deceived by the enemy.

If you have questions, please contact me!

Still Alive, Too Involved and Other Miscellaneous.... MORE TO COME

So earlier today I almost had a really bad day.  Was at the 4-way stop outside of the campground, and the car opposite waved me forward. I waved my appreciation, took my foot off my brake and looked to my right as I was about to turn. A little red car was coming




6/4/2018

Here it is June already! Only 93 more days until Labor Day and the end of summer.

There are moments in time when I just feel I should be writing down all of the things that are going on in my life...

Today:

I am Day 5 of a severe cold. Appears the sore throat has finally basically left, but still having lots of sinus drainage down the back of my throat and that makes my throat rough and raw. I got the sore throat on Wednesday evening, and had eaten some fish tacos and the feta cheese and sauce really did a number on me Thursday all during work! Was battling a lot that day.

My mechanic texted me with a craidgs

My Nutritarian Lifestyle Adventure... MORE TO COME

Time and Motivation...

I have no idea where the time has gone... I feel like I have been on a spin cycle of my own that has abruptly stopped.

Every one of my past "weekends" I have headed up to Astoria, but this weekend I really don't have enough gas money to head up there. And my motivation is about zip. It's cloudy with some sun breaks, but I am not accomplishing much.

I am in the adult lodge, watching some tv and need to write some emails.

* * *

I got those emails written. But I only received one reply, so I really have no idea if people get my emails or if people really do not respond to emails. The response I received was polite, but negative.

* * *

The following week, the sun was shining, and I felt my hair was not looking its best, so I

Retirement...

So, I was having a text conversation with someone, who has known me for just about forever, about his upcoming birthday and retirement...

Absolutely LOVE the positive attitude :D


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My Uncle Jimmy... MORE TO COME

It was in the news yesterday, that Billionaire Paul Allen (I believe the co-founder of Microsoft, with Bill Gates) found the wreck of a WWII ship, the USS Juneau, on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, 2018. The Juneau was famous for the Sullivan Boys... 5 brothers who wanted to serve together. Sadly, their ship was hit and all 5 perished. The Navy, believing that no family should have to endure such a great loss, would no longer put brothers on the same ship. Which was why my Uncle Jimmy and my Uncle Gordon were not on the same ships during their time in the Navy during WWII.

This got me to starting to research my uncle, and his lost ship, on the internet, in the middle of the night.

Jimmy was oldest of the four Long boys, my father's oldest brother. I do not know if he joined up or was drafted.

First I went to findagrave.com to find his memorial stone in the cemetery in Bedford, Indiana, my family's home town. This gave me the date of his death.

I then went to a page I found that listed all of the Naval ships that were lost during WWII. I went through each category until I found one with the same date, July 18th, 1943... the LST-342. I had asked my oldest cousin some time ago if my aunt remembered the name of Jimmy's ship. It really didn't have a name, just a number...

There had always been the story that when Jimmy's ship was struck, the back half with most of the crew had sunk immediately. That appears to be the fact.

More of the same general information...

I am not sure if this map shows where LST-342 was hit, or where the bow was towed and remains abandoned.

Iron Bottom Sound is located here...

But at least in this general area, is where we lost our family's son, brother and uncle...

The bow was towed...

So busy....

OhMyGracious... I cannot believe it has been a whole month since I last posted. I have just been so busy with the emotions and transactions of being a Business View Photographer, that I have barely had time to do much beside get to work on time, and sleep... and eat.

Yes, went 12 days without sugar, even while stress eating, but then broke down with creamer in my McDonald's coffee when I didn't have time to purchase Almond Milk. So have started again and I think I am heading into Day 3 because then the next day I muffed it up with some Nutella. Every day I don't eat a chocolate donut is a true success, in my opinion :)

On my days off from the toy shoppe, I am up in Astoria talking to businesses. First Tuesday, talked with 15 people. Wednesday, 10 people... and landed my first real shoot: Baked Alaska. Went Monday to shoot and have been battling a problem with "moderating a constellation" since I got my edited stitched panos from my guy in Romania. Yeah, I "have a guy"... in Romania.... long story. But he does a great job with hiding my stupid tripod by working my 5th floor shot into the pano, and isn't charging me much at all. This is totally a no-brainer for me since I can concentrate on talking and selling, and not fretting over the editing part of this adventure. I may learn eventually, but in the meantime, this is "Outsourcing" and it's perfectly acceptable because a lot of professionals do it.

I am waiting on some help with the problem I am having, but otherwise, I am ready to upload the tour and deposit the check!!

That Tuesday, after I took the pics, I took the day off to relax, and then on Wednesday, I talked to about 7 people. I have a few places I feel really good about, some I haven't been able to propery connect with yet, but even though I am not hitting the goals I originally set for myself, I feel like it is happening at the correct pace. Any more and I would be strung out emotionally to the brink!

Locked my keys in the van at Fred Meyers the other day. Too much on my brain. Then an unexpected blessing from the adventure... The lock guy was really tweaking my door with his inflatable pillows in order to reach in with his tools... and guess what? My majorly jacked door hinge which had gotten blown hard by the wind a month or more ago, is closing more smoothly without me having to lift it up each time I close it! Like Wow!!

Business at the toy shopped is picking up... Spring Breakers are beginning to show up. Nice to be busy. Winter boredom was tough.

Night before last, I closed the store to check out the sunset, and it was beautiful. Then as I called away the clouds above kept getting more bright pink. I had to go back up the street for a few more shots.

Sunset, Cannon Beach, OR, March 16th, 2018