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| My Family as of July 2008 with Granddad on the left with his arm on Dakota (11) then Cheryl, son-in-law Steve a 17 1/2 year veteran Navy Chief on active duty in Naval Aviation, Michelle our daughter and Shilo (13) |
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This is our family photo just taken for our church's family album. We all attend the Community Presbyterian Church here in town. The boys have been very active in the youth groups, attending summer camps this summer in the California mountains. Both boys will be going to the Boy Scout International Jamboree to be held in the State of Virginia this coming summer. They are very active in Boy Scouts, Shilo about to make the rank of Eagle Scout, and Dakota having achieved the rank of First Class Scout.
Shilo is a middle schooler, 7th grade and doing very well. Cody is in 6th grade in the same middle school that Shilo attends, Anacapa. Both boys are in the "gifted student" program in the Ventura schools. Both boys also play instruments in the school band program, Shilo the French Horn and Dakota the Clarinet.
Steve, their dad is responsible for the maintenance of a Navy C-130 squadron based at Point Mugu, California. The aircraft of their wing fly all over the world supplying outlying Naval installations and ships as may be required. Steve has completed his BA at the University of La Verne and we are trying to encourage him to complete his Master's Degree as well, but his unit has become very active lately and he really doesn't have the time right now to do that.
Michelle is an elementary school teacher employed in a local school district. She is a graduate of California Lutheran University (CLU) with her Master's degree also from CLU and has completed her teaching credential in California. She has also taken on a responsibility for CLU of being a monitor and advisor/evaluator for student teachers from CLU that are working in this area. She has almost eleven years in the teaching profession.
Both boys are very involved in the Boy Scouts of America. Dakota has just made his First Class rank. Shilo has completed all the requirements for achieving the rank of Eagle. We are proud of both of them. Their dad is an Assistant Scout Master of Troop 128 here in town. Both Granddad and Grandma have also become involved in Troop 128. Dick is to be a Counselor for about seven major areas of Merit Badges, including Space, Electricity, Physical Oceanography and others. Cheryl does Photography, Personal fitness, Computers, Scholarship, and a few others. I think we are going to be busy in the near future.
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| Shilo and Dakota with Granddad |
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| My two beautiful ladies, Mom and Daughter |
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Shilo is 12 years old today, March 10, 2009. Where did the time go, and how did he get so big so fast?
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| Shilo, my beautiful grandson on his way to Boy Scout camp in San Diego. I can hardly believe how fast he has grown up into a young man. Just think, not too long ago he was taking his naps on granddad's chest while we both napped. Where did the time go? |
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I would guess that every grandfather would be very proud of his grandsons. I am of these two young men. When Shilo was born, I was already retired, and his mom asked me to take care of him. She handed me a tiny baby about a month old to take care of six days a week, nine hours a day. I was overwhelmed. I had never done anything like this. I read books that were "all about taking care of your baby" to learn a little bit about how to handle this little man. That helped!! Anyway, after more than two years of this, Shilo and I developed a bond that is still very strong to this day. Dakota, Cody as we call him, came along after the family situation had changed, and he didn't benefit from my super care! But we still maintain a very strong bond. I don't know what I would do without these two little men. As I approach my 74th birthday, they become even more important. I've got to teach them to "carry me" in case I am going to need this kind of help soon! ((-:
And as might be expected I can't say enough about my two women. Cheryl has been a tremendous help to me in so many ways. Our love gets stronger every day. I treasure her! Michelle has been my "little girl" since she was a youngster. When I was working and I was away from home a lot, I called her every day to see how she was doing and she would tell me all the action that was taking place in her life. What a bond we developed, and that still exists today. She grows more in stature every day. I am so proud of her and what she has accomplished already in her life.
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| This photo of Steve and Michelle was taken last year as they were getting ready to attend the "Khaki Ball" celebrated by those of Chief's rank; those that are responsible for all aircraft at the Point Mugu Naval Air Center and Missile Facility, CA |
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Both Steve and Michelle are also heavily involved in Scouting. Steve has taken a lead roll in the adult leadership of the Troop as an Assistant Scout Master. Michelle has taken on the roll of a Troop Mother, supporting many of their activities such as the preparation of Log Entry Books for the boys to use for record keeping of their activities. It is a family affair, and we are all enthusiastic about the Boy Scout program. Dick was once a Scout reaching the rank of Life Scout, just one level below Eagle Scout which is the highest rank in Scouting.
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| This photo of the family getting ready to leave our house and head home on their bikes was taken just two days ago (March 8, 2009). They ride as a family all over the Ventura County area. This trip to our house was for a family dinner and they took the long way getting here, biking over 4 miles before dinner. |
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The truest measure of a man
is how tall he stands in the eyes of his grandsons.
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Other Interesting Things in my life:
My love of the oceans led me to become a certified SCUBA diving instructor in 1959 and I have used that skill for almost 50 years opening up the wonders of the ocean to thousands of diving students. I was fortunate to have been one of the founders of NAUI, the Nat’l Assoc of Underwater Instructors. I was the principle instructor at NASA Houston for all the new astronauts learning how to cope with and work in weightlessness in the massive tank at Ellington AFB near Houston that was used to train the astronauts.
I am a rated Commercial Airplane Pilot with instrument and multi-engine ratings, with more than 4,000 hours as Pilot-in-Command.
Extracurricular activities have included breeding and showing quarter horses. I have had two ranches during my life, the first in Houston where I bred and raised registered black angus cows and calves even while I was working daily in the Manned Space Center. Then again I started a ranch in Southwestern Idaho where for many years I not only raised and bred quarter horses, but was also in the cattle business with "white face cattle", Herefords. Later on, after some years of successful farming and ranching, I turned my attention to land development and have successfully developed individual homes and subdivisions on my property. I am still involved in that business to this day.
Since my retirement until illness made me quit, Cheryl and I have been working as a Guest Lecturer on cruise ships of four major cruise lines, and I have been pursuing my avocation of story telling about cultures and peoples, especially those of Latin America where I lived my early life. I have also been giving exciting lectures on Oceanography, one of my hobies as well as part of my professional life, and the Space Program and on Aviation based on his personal experiences.
When I had to quit because of ill health, I was into my eigth year lecturing on cruise ships. I served on Regent Seven Seas ships for five years, and at the conclusion of my career, was under contract to Holland America on their beautiful fleet of ships. Dick and his wife spent more than 800 days aboard ships in their years of lecturing on cruise ships.
During these retirement years I have also found time to serve as a member of the Sanctuary Advisory Council for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, appointed to this position by the Administrator of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
I am married to the former Cheryl Albers, a retired college Professor of Physical Education. We have one daughter, an elementary school teacher, and two beautiful grandsons, 11 and 13, who live near our home base in Ventura, California. Our son-in-law is an active duty Navy Chief who is a key man in the maintenance of a fleet of C-130 aircraft stationed at Point Mugu, California that are used to resupply the fleet and bases throughout the world.
Both my wife and I are accomplished musicians, myself on the Clarinet and Sax and Cheryl on the French Horn. Wehave been members of the Ventura County Concert Band for a number of years. Our daughter and our grandsons are also accomplished musicians, Michelle on the clarinet as is Dakota, and Shilo on the French Horn.
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