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Christmas 82
[Note: I have not been able to find the Christmas letter for 1982. That's too bad, because 1982 was perhaps the turn-around year in my life. Because of this, I am writing and illustrating with photos what I might have written in that far away time. All of the photos are clickable to larger sizes.]
Dear Friends:
This year, 1982, has been quite important in several ways. I taught the doctoral level Curriculum and Instruction course in the School of Education at SIUE for the second time. 1982 was my term as Executive Secretary of the School of Education, an elected position. I sit ex-officio on all the standing committies of the School, and this puts me in touch with a lot of the important work of the School.
I continue to grow spiritually in a number of ways, too. My move to the Central West End in St. Louis in June, 1980 was such a good idea. Over here I have much closer access to the growing New Age community. Eating at the Sunshine Inn, a vegetarian restaurant right down the street from me, I meet and talk to people interested in holistic health and planetary peace. Or I can just go across the street to the Majestic Café for my morning bacon and eggs with my friends in the gay community.
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| The Sunshine Inn (south of Baskin and Robbins) | The Majestic Café (with Jon Snyder) |
I still meditate at John and Rosanda Richards Ellsworth's Self-Realization Fellowship Thursday evening meetings in Edwardsville. In the early summer, I visited Marietta again and saw my parents, brother, Tom, and sister, Vicki's family. Mom's old friend, Rose Tobias came to visit.
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| SRF Meditation: Patti Artrip, Andrea Stark, Mary Tevis. John and Rosanda Richards Ellsworth in back. | Brother, Tom, wife Diana, and Adam and Heidi |
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| Jerry Smith, TJ, Jeff, Joe and sister, Vicki | Rose Tobias and mom, Lorene Andris |
With my Apple II computer on my desk, I keep pursuing my new knowledge of microcomputers, and think maybe of even teaching some workshops on education and computers at work. I've even programmed some J. S. Bach and Scott Joplin pieces on my computer, complete with computer graphics. I have a thermal printer and use word processing and Visacalc.
I negotiated a split sabbtical that started this Fall. I have planned to read several books and start one of my own. But as a prelude to this time off, I planned an extensive trip west to the Pacific Northwest along I-90. I did this by car and by myself. I drove up to Madison and Minneapolis, then west through fields of sunflowers and badlands, first to Yellowstone and then to Glacier National Park. After that, I drove through Spokane, WA and up to Portland, OR to visit John and Micky Keiter and their two children, Ian and Jane. Then down to Crater Lake, Or. and finally to visit Ron Hendricks in Reno. I also stopped a several state capitols along the way.
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| Don Busch and Taffy in Chicago | Ronda Richards in Madison |
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| Mineral terrace in Yellowstone | Purple mountainside in Glacier National |
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| Panoramic view of Crater Lake, including Pilot Island | |
The trip inspired me in many ways, but especially musically. I wrote several songs. Blue-Green Ball was written in Yellowstone National Park and Beautiful Planet was written in Glacier National Park.
Back in St. Louis, I read, programmed, stayed in touch with friends like Sheila, Richard, Tom, and Denis. I've also been blessed with fine friends, whom I've stayed in touch with. Now they have their own growing families, and the holiday season is a good occaision to renew those friendships through letters and photos sent.
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| Will and Caroline Lutz, Travor, Todd and Tonya | The McFarland Children: Grace, Sarah, Joy and Eric | ||
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| Jeff Smith | Joe Smith | Heidi Andris | Adam Andris |
May you find peace in this holiday season.
Jim Andris, viewing 1982 from 2014