The newest memeber of the Family.

Tippy

She is a german shepherd, 17 months old, and is about the same size as Siskiyou.

This afternoon Aspen Meadows was putting on a free concert. I took Stacy, Michelle, Shannon (M's new friend), Gabby, Grace, and myself. They put on a wonderful country western performance.

Jon & Anna
The Ampitheatre
The girls
The Teepee
This is Jon & Austin. Austin is the boy Grace danced with at Becky & Jason's wedding.

Jake got up and sang Rocky Mtn. High and I lost it. I cryed through the whole song.

I miss my mother!

September 18, 2008

I agreed to chaperone Grace's field trip.

The kids are studying the Oregon Trail so we got to drive on the original trail and

visit a 1845 working camp. It was an awesome day.

We are on the bus.

White River Camp

Station 1: Wagon & Camp

Station 2: Toys

Grace did awesome with this toy.

Station 3: Food Preparation and Flint

They use only dutch ovens to cook with and use flint to start the fires.

Station 4: Churning Butter

This woman was very knowledgeable about the Oregon Trail.

At this camp they churn the butter and strain off the buttermilk, then

every morning on of the women makes fresh buttermilk biscuits.

What a treat.

Station 5: Making Rope

Station 6: Carding Wool

I found some beautiful Pictures of Alaska online.Wish I was there.
WOW

Survivor: Gabon Premieres Thursday, September 25th, 8:00pm et/pt

Good Morning All.

Today is day 6 of my vacation. I have not yet been able

to sleep in, I seem busier now than I normally am.

Go figure.

The Value of Service

Lt. Col. Mark Murphy, 354th Maintenance Group deputy commander.

Commentary by Lt. Col. Mark Murphy

354th Maintenance Group deputy commander

8/15/2008 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --



I learned a big lesson on service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia. It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol, etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on time at precisely 4:30 p.m.--however, when he left less than two hours later, the President was 15 minutes behind schedule. That's a big slip for something so tightly choreographed, but very few people know why it happened. Here's why. On Dec. 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but when a fellow soldier became ill Shawn volunteered to take his place on a nighttime patrol--in the convoy's most exposed position as turret gunner in the lead Humvee. He was killed instantly with two other soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle. I was thinking about that as my family and I sat in the audience listening to the President's speech, looking at the turret on the up-armored Humvee the explosive ordnance disposal flight had put at the edge of the stage as a static display. When the speech was over and the President was working the crowd line, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member. She asked me and my wife to come with her, because the President wanted to meet us. Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back into a conference room. It was a shock to go from a crowded, noisy hangar, past all of those security people, to find ourselves suddenly alone in a quiet room. The only thing we could hear was a cell phone vibrating, and noticed that it was coming from the jacket Senator Stevens left on a chair. We didn't answer. A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President Bush walked in. I thought we might get to shake his hand as he went through. But instead, he walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, "I wish I could heal the hole in your heart." He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and said, "Everybody out." A few seconds later, the four of us were completely alone behind closed doors with the President of the United States and not a Secret Service agent in sight. He said, "Come on, let's sit down and talk." He pulled up a chair at the side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He looked a little tired from his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were scuffed up from leaning over concrete barriers to shake hands and pose for photos. He slumped down the chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no longer the President - he was just a guy with a job, sitting around talking with us like a family member at a barbeque. For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he talked with us about our son, Iraq, his family, faith, convictions, and shared his feelings about nearing the end of his presidency. He asked each of our teenaged sons what they wanted to do in life and counseled them to set goals, stick to their convictions, and not worry about being the "cool" guy. He said that he'd taken a lot of heat during his tenure and was under a lot of pressure to do what's politically expedient, but was proud to say that he never sold his soul. Sometimes he laughed, and at others he teared up. He said that what he'll miss most after leaving office will be his role as Commander in Chief. One of the somber moments was when he thanked us for the opportunity to meet, because he feels a heavy responsibility knowing that our son died because of a decision he made. He was incredibly humble, full of warmth, and completely without pretense. We were seeing the man his family sees. We couldn't believe how long he was talking to us, but he seemed to be in no hurry whatsoever. In the end, he thanked us again for the visit and for the opportunity to get off his feet for a few minutes. He then said, "Let's get some pictures." The doors flew open, Secret Service and the White House photographer came in, and suddenly he was the President again. We posed for individual pictures as he gave each of us one of his coins, and then he posed for family pictures. A few more thank yous, a few more hugs, and he was gone. The remarkable thing about the whole event was that he didn't have to see us at all. If he wanted to do more, he could've just given a quick handshake and said, "Thanks for your sacrifice." But he didn't - he put everything and everyone in his life on hold to meet privately with the family of a Private First Class who gave his life in the service of his country. What an incredible lesson on service. If the President of the United States is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit with a family, surely the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving another person, and no one is so lofty that he or she can't treat others with dignity and respect. We often think of service in terms of sacrificing ourselves for someone in a position above us, but how often do we remember that serving someone below us can be much more important? If you're in a leadership capacity, take a good look at how you're treating your people, and remember that your role involves serving the people you rely on every day.

(view from the Space Needle)

Grace, Michelle, and I headed up to Washington on friday after school.

We stopped in Lacey, had dinner with Lindsay and left Michelle with her for the weekend.

Grace and I headed for Seatlle and when we got there it was sunset

and boy what a beautiful view. Grace was so excited she was talking non-stop.

We stayed with Mike & Dennine in Marysville. They have a wonderful

view of the sound and all the surrounding mountains.

Saturday night Jeff, Wes, Tim, and Colleen came over for dinner and visited.

Both Grace and I got some quality time with Aunt Ginger.

Sunday, on our way home, Grace got to see Seattle in the daytime. She

tells me we have to 'Definitly' come back to that town. She loved the Space

Needle and wants to go there soon.

HUG A VET TODAY

1988 Star Craft Tent Trailer

We decided that it would be so nice to have one.

We have been looking for quite awhile.

Yes, the counter tops are yellow. The curtains are yellow and brown.

This is just the right size for our family.
9-7-08

I went through all our camping tubs and put everything away

in the drawers. I love not having to pack and repack. The girls

cleaned the stove and washed everything down yesterday. Dave

did some minor repairs and is looking for chores to do that only involve

the trailer (his new toy). It looks like we may take it to the ocean here

in a couple of weeks. Oh how fun. Everything seems to work really well.

This is an amazing book for adults and children. I read and it and plan to buy it.
"A recipe for healing after loss."

You Belong in 1951

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Banned from Wal-mart

This is why women should not take men shopping against their will.

after I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Wal-mart. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunately, my wife is like most women - - she loved to browse.

Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Wal-Mart.

Dear Mrs. Samsel,

In the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against Mr.Samsel are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras..
1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.
2 . July 2 : Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.
4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away.'
5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.
6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.
8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.
10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked t he clerk where the antidepressants were.
11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme.
12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.
13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'
14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'
And last, but not least.
15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here!'

First day of school for Michelle and Grace

LABOR DAY WEEKEND 2008

Perry South Campground

Outside of Madras

My Girls
Gabby loved the hammock, she took her nap there everyday.
Michelle & Grace's Tent



Doesn't this remind you of driving down to the cabin.

The road, driving in to camp
One arm of the lake


The Sunset

Look at the dirty feet (we only had pit toliets)
funny girl
Ernie and Luanne went for a drive and found a campground 5 miles away

there was no one there. What a pretty campground too.

campsites right on the Metolious River

Driving back from Monty we saw Dave down fishing

This someones private home, very pretty
On our way home we stopped at viewpoint

called Balancing Rock

Michelle, Grace, and Tom at the end of the trail.


Natures own balancing acts

Before we left we made one of our own.