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Iowa 80 Trucking Museum: A great free attraction. Check out “world’s largest truck stop” too!

November 22, 2009 by frontporchexpressions

Iowa 80 Trucking Museum, located at the Walcott interchange along Interstate 80, offers a large display of antique trucks and is free. Phil Roberts photo.

Rod Denze of Davenport checks out a 1930 Studebaker tow truck. Phil Roberts photo.

Dave Meier, curator of the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum. Phil Roberts photo.

It’s free, making it one of the greatest tourism bargains in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum (iowa80truckingmuseum.com) sits just a few miles west of Davenport at the Walcott interchange, mile marker 284, along Interstate 80. And it’s a fine place for motorists on fall folliage-viewing excursions to learn a thing or two about trucking history while taking a break from the road.

The non-profit facility, located just north of Iowa 80 Truckstop, the world’s largest truck stop, was a dream of the truck stop’s founder, the late Bill Moon.

It features a huge display of antique trucks and trucking memorabilia. Many of the trucks displayed — from 30 to 35 at a time, depending on their size — are one-of-a-kind vehicles. Most are from Mr. Moon’s collection and were acquired before his death in 1992. Other trucks at the museum were donated or are on loan.

“I love it,” Rod Denze of Davenport says while making his first visit there.

That’s how most visitors react, according to Mr. Moon’s son-in-law, Dave Meier, museum curator.

“They like that somebody’s actually sharing this with them,” he says. “A lot of people have collections, and they hide them. We bring it all out in the open, and we don’t charge anything to look at it, either.”

The museum entrance, off of County Road Y-40, is marked by a sign. A short road leads to a paved parking lot right outside the door of a new 5,000-square-foot visitor center.

Inside are restrooms; a gift store; several antique trucks, including a 1934 GMC tractor and trailer; a display of antique gas pumps; and the REO Theatre, which features short films on trucking history.

“We always have a movie going, and we offer those for sale in the gift shop, too,” Mr. Meier says.

During a recent stroll through the museum, he spoke of the GMC.

“Today, none of us would even consider taking that truck to Davenport,” he says.

But Mr. Meier says the truck’s former owners drove it daily to Chicago from Mt. Pleasant with a load of livestock on it. “Terrible brakes. No power. No creature comforts. They did it every day. And here we are — none of us like to even drive a car if the air conditioner is broken.”

The visitor center also boasts a new exhibit on vintage electric trucks. The centerpiece is a 1911 Walker electric that was a commercial milk delivery truck.

Four rows of additional antique trucks and other displays are found in an adjoining 14,400-square-foot exhibit hall.

“I love the older cars, and this is equally as interesting” says Mr. Denze, studying an old tow truck. “It makes me smile.”

Mr. Meier says he often accompanied Mr. Moon on truck-buying trips and to truck auctions. “It wasn’t just a hobby,” he says of Mr. Moon’s interest in antique trucks. “He really loved it. It was a passion.”

Sometimes the pair came back with an antique truck to restore, and sometimes they came back empty handed.

Says Mr. Meier: “As with any collector, I think part of the thrill is the chase. And it’s a lot of fun.”

When Mr. Moon died, he owned 60 to 65 trucks. Others have been added since then. Mr. Meier says the trucks on display and those in storage are rotated once or twice per year.

He says every old truck has a story to tell and those stories are documented on large signs displayed with each truck.

“This truck has had a hard working life,” says Mr. Meier, pointing to the large, steel frame rails on a rare Velie, which was manufactured in Moline. Thick beads of weld mark several places where cracks in the frame have been repaired over the years.

If you go:

Admission: Free but a donation is appreciated.

Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Location: 505 Sterling Drive, Walcott, Iowa 52773. Phone (563) 468-5500. The museum is just north of Iowa 80 Truckstop at the 284 interchange of Interstate 80.

Iowa 80 Truckstop…..

Iowa 80 Truckstop is billed as the world’s largest truck stop.

Located along Interstate 80 at the Walcott interchange, mile marker 284, Iowa 80’s Web site, iowa80truckstop.com, calls the place “a mecca for professional truckers, travelers and RVers.”

Iowa 80 offers the usual products and services travelers want: fuel, restrooms, snacks, a service center and a restaurant. But there’s lot more, too, including a food court with half a dozen fast-food restaurants, a Truckomat truck wash, a CAT scale, a Verizon Wireless kiosk and a 50,000-item store who highlights are gifts and chrome items.

There’s more. Iowa 80 Truckstop has a library and the services of a barber, dentist and chiropractor.

But the best part are the hours. Like the signs on the doors say, “We never close.”

Copyright 2009 by Phil Roberts, Creative Enterprises. These stories were printed in October in the The Dispatch, Moline, Ill., and The Rock Island (Ill.) Argus.

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WDRL honors champion Chad Simpson

November 16, 2009 by frontporchexpressions

Chad Simpson

Tama, Iowa (Nov. 16, 2009) — Champion Chad Simpson and other top drivers of the 2009 WORLD Dirt Racing League season were honored here at Meskwaki Casino and Hotel on Saturday at the WORLD Dirt Racing League Champions Banquet presented by Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation.

It was the second championship in a row for Simpson, from Mt. Vernon, Iowa, in the popular Midwest-based Late Model dirt track touring series co-founded in 2002 by Jim and Nancy Wilson, of Gilman City, Mo. Second through 10th in points, respectively, were Denny Eckrich. Tiffin, Iowa; Al Purkey, Coffeyville, Kan.; Dave Eckrich, Oxford, Iowa; Chad Mahder, Marshfield, Wis.; Tim Isenberg, Marshfield, Wis.; Rob Moss, Iowa City, Iowa; Eric Pember, Pittsville, Wis.; Bill Koons, Omaha, Neb.; and John Kaanta, Elk Mound, Wis.

Those drivers in attendance spoke to the crowd and thanked their sponsors, series sponsors, their wives, car owners, crews and others. Simpson received a standing ovation when he was introduced. He gave a heart-warming talk about the 2009 season and what the championship means to him. He also thanked his sponsors, crew, wife and family for their support.

The top ten WDRL drivers all received point fund checks sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. There were also product certificates given to drivers by BSB Manufacturing, Fast Shafts, Hooker Harness, Chase Signs and Graphics, Performance Bodies, The Brake Man, Randy’s Race Filters, Champ Pans, MastersBilt Racecars and InterComp Scales.

There was a good turnout of enthusiastic drivers, crews and fans for the electrifying evening, which started with an invocation followed by a delicious dinner.

WORLD Dirt Racing League president Jim Wilson kicked off the awards portion of the program by recognizing and thanking all of the dedicated WDRL sponsors, promoters and officials. His wife and the series’ vice president of administration, Nancy Wilson, then thanked all the women present who support WDRL racing teams. She presented them roses and asked them to stand for a well-deserved applause.

The annual Crystal Rose Award was presented to Mrs. Denise Brinkman, who is the co-owner of Chad Simpson’s car. The award is a very popular one that is given to a very special woman every year. All season long, drivers, crew members, officials, sponsors and car owners are invited to submit the name of someone they believe is deserving of the award and the reason they would like that person to receive it. At the end of the year, the nominations are all taken into consideration and a person is chosen to receive it.

Other awards presented Saturday included the Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash Award. Simpson won that points championship followed in order by Purkey, Mahder, Isenberg and Denny Eckrich. Those drivers all received a point fund check from Jim and Julie Groves of Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation.

Mahder was the 2009 Chase Signs and Graphics Rookie of the Year. Chase’s Lee Havlik presented Mahder with a check, a new jacket and a certificate for $2,000 worth of lettering. The champion also received a race car set-up program from Intercomp Scales and product certificates from Champ Pans, Fast Shafts and BSB Manufacturing.

Following the awards, there was a drawing for a set of Hooker Harness seat belts, a $480 value, which was won by  Simpson. Bill Koons won a drawing for $800 worth race car lettering given away by Chase Signs and Graphics.

The banquet closed with Jim Wilson thanking everyone for their support of the WDRL and letting them know that he is working on the 2010 series schedule.

For more information on the WORLD Dirt Racing League and photos from the 2009 WDRL Champions Banquet presented by Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation, check out the WORLD Dirt Racing League’s Web site, www.worldraceleague.com.

(It is my pleasure to serve as WDRL media coordinator. – Phil Roberts)

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A jungle boy pays tribute to a great teacher

November 4, 2009 by frontporchexpressions

DocHodges

Doc Hodges watching and listening to birds. Photo courtesy of Halligan McCabe DeVries Funeral Home.

He was a unique individual, and I’m glad our paths crossed.
Lots of folks have made a big difference in various aspects of my life. One of them was Jim Hodges, who died Nov. 1.

As a college kid seeking a major in speech and drama and a minor in business administration at St. Ambrose in Davenport, I took a personnel management class taught by Dr. Herbert J. “Jim” Hodges in the late ‘60s. At that time, Ambrose was a college, not yet a university. And it was a boys’ school, not yet coed.

Jim did, indeed, teach the young men in his class about personnel management, now called human resources. But that’s not all.

He also taught us about people and life, in general, and he did it with a variety of stories, many of which were sprinkled with humor but delivered with a straight face.

Doc Hodges, as we called him, was eccentric and some of his stories dealt with his outlandish behavior and experiences. He studied birds and told us how he had once devised a plan to get a close look at some egrets at Credit Island. He said he created and put on a large, white, feathery bird outfit and was able to walk quite close to the flock. Wouldn’t you have liked to have been nearby with a camera?

Doc even claimed some of the male egrets were sexually attracted to him.

“I made the grade three times,” he proudly proclaimed to roars of laughter.

We enjoyed being around Doc Hodges so much that some of us talked him into inviting us over to his Davenport house high on a hill overlooking River Drive and the Mississippi to eat pizza and socialize one Saturday afternoon. Not many college teachers are that highly thought of by their students.

There was no textbook in the class I took from Doc Hodges because he covered so much material beyond personnel. And he taught us many lessons you won’t find in a textbook.

“Don’t dip your pen in the company ink,” he warned, referring to the dangers of dating a co-worker.

Another lesson I remember well dealt with a choice he said we’d all have to make in the working world. He said each of us had to decide if we wanted to be an “image man” or a “jungle boy.”

Were we willing, he asked, to work for a company (he used IBM for an example) that would dictate how we dressed, what kind of woman we married, where we lived and what organizations we belonged to? Or did we want to work for an employer who, within reason, let us be ourselves and do our own thing? In other words, did we want to be image men or jungle boys.

I’m a jungle boy, not an image man, I decided. And I thank Doc Hodges for helping me come to that conclusion early in my working years. Knowing where I stand on that has been helpful.

I’m also appreciative of Doc Hodges for encouraging me to pass up a job offer with a nationally known company not long after I had graduated from college.

I needed work and had applied for a sales rep position with the firm and sailed through a local interview. The company then flew me to Kansas City for some testing and another interview. That second interview was, frankly, very stressful and left a bad taste in my mouth.

As I recall, two or three people fired questions — like “What makes you think you can do the job?” — at me in quick succession. It was like a police interrogation you see on TV shows.

I know what they wanted to accomplish. They wanted me to spurt out quick, honest answers before I had the time to carefully choose the right words.

It was a highly uncomfortable situation and lowered my opinion of the company. I flew back home thinking I’d performed poorly and would not be hired.

But a few days later, the phone rang and I was offered the sales job. I said yes but had a lingering gut feeling that I was making a mistake.

So I called Doc Hodges, who happened to own an employment agency, and told him what had gone on.

When I mentioned the name of the company involved, Doc asked me the name of its local contact, the person I’d been dealing with. Doc then swore me to secrecy and confided he knew that individual, that the man was looking for another job because the company was a poor place to work, and he wanted out.

Thanks to Doc Hodges, I didn’t take that job. And a better opportunity soon came along.

=====

Following is Dr. Herbert “Jim” Hodges’ interesting obituary, which he wrote himself, courtesy of Halligan McCabe DeVries Funeral Home:

Funeral services to Celebrate the Life of Dr. Herbert J. “Jim” Hodges, 80, a resident of Davenport will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, November 4th, 2009 in the All Faith Chapel of the Halligan McCabe DeVries Funeral Home, 614 Main Street, Davenport. Burial will be in Fairmount Cemetery, Davenport.

Visitation will be Wednesday, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to either the Rare Book Room, at Augustana College, or Petersen Lecture Fund, Unitarian Church of Davenport.

He made his final fieldtrip to enter eternity on Sunday, November 1st from his home, in Davenport.

Professor Hodges died a contented, scholarly, but toothless celibate. He saw himself as a perpetual student from whom life was an endless and delightful fieldtrip. He was a formidably learned man. He lived the deeper questions of life and recognized the spiritual being that he was. He was a labyrinthine man, an octagon personality, an aficionado of life, but also had a certain indifference to the more practical aspects of daily life.

He was dropped on the doorsteps of Davenport Mercy Hospital in swaddling clothes in January 1929. He was later adopted by Bert and Inez Hodges who gave him a loving home. He married Beverly A. Cassilly in July 1954, at St. Henry’s Catholic Church in LeClaire, Iowa. She died December 8, 1995.

He graduated from St. Ambrose College in 1954 and earned his Doctorate degrees in Labor and Management, Industrial Engineering, Industrial Psychology and Law.

He served on the faculty of St. Ambrose for 35 years and taught at Palmer Jr. College, Blackhawk College, and all three campuses of Eastern Iowa Community College. While a graduate student he taught at the University of Iowa.

He attracted students to his classes in large numbers with his broad knowledge of the business world, served up in a humorous, if at times a harsh style. He was known as a riveting lecturer and storyteller. His classes started on time and students soon learned to never come late. It was his teaching mission to be a pioneer in the training of women to become managers and executives long before the Feminist Movement.

In addition to his teaching he was active in the business world owning a group of manufacturing and service business. He also maintained a large labor law practice representing employers as well as unions. In the late 1990’s he came out of retirement to manage factories such as he did in his youth.

Other than his family, his great passions in life were books, birds, and photography. These studies resulted in 50 papers published in scientific journals. He photographed the migration of polar bears and harp seals in the Arctic, and the nesting of Flamingos in the Virgin Islands. He was an international authority on bird courtship display and behavior. Jim’s research established the nesting of three new nesting birds in Iowa: The Mississippi Kite, Black Billed Magpie, and the Osprey.

In 1950 he published the booklet on the bird life of the Quad City area. He trained many in bird identification as a leader of the annual, May Dawn Bird Concert at Credit Island. He, along with Rodney Hart, Norwood Hazard, and Richard Schaefer, and Jeanette Graham were founders of the Tri-City Bird Club (now Quad City Audubon Society).

He was a founding member of the Mississippi Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers. Other memberships include: Iowa Academy of Science-Fellow, Society for the History of Natural History, Illinois Ornithological Society, Iowa Ornithologist Union- Life Member, Wilson Ornithologist Club- Life Member, American Ornithologists Union-Life Member, Association of Field Ornithologists-Life Member, Contemporary Club, The Round Table, Putnam Museum-Life Member, History of Science Society, Mensa International, International Society for Cryptozoology, Sacred Heart Cathedral, and the Unitarian Church in Davenport.
He is survived by his children and their spouses; daughters; Gail (LeRoy) Levis, Davenport, Elizabeth Hodges, (Joe VenHorst) Davenport, Catherine Rech, Maderia Beach, FL, Judith (Rich) Fristick, of Virginia and, and Suzanne (Rob) Schwartz, Westmont. IL; a son, Jimmy Hodges, Jr., Davenport; eight grandchildren and three great granddaughters.

After the death of his wife he aspired to become an ordained permanent deacon in the Catholic Church. However, Rome decided he was too old. He regarded that decision to be on the same level as Rome’s decision on Galileo Galilei. He served at the Cathedral as Altar Boy, lector, and Eucharistic Minister. During the course of his faith journey, in his later years, he became a member of the Davenport Unitarian Church, and immediately enjoyed the companionship of that faith community.

If he knew that he was going to die tomorrow, he would think, so soon? Still if a man spent his life doing what he wanted to do, he ought to be able to say goodbye without regrets. It is not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled. However, it is a calamity not to dream.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Beverly, and his adoptive parents. May they rest in peace.

Copyright 2009 by Phil Roberts, Creative Enterprises.

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It’s not about performance, it’s about money

October 15, 2009 by frontporchexpressions

Happier times, before I lost my job because of Clear Channel's financial situation. Photo courtesy of Iowa Broadcast News Association

Happier times, before I lost my job because of Clear Channel's financial situation. Photo courtesy of Iowa Broadcast News Association

There are many signs that the U.S. economy is still faltering. I learned that up close and personal in April when I lost my full-time job as a news anchor and reporter at WOC Radio.

“It’s not about performance, it’s about money,” is the way the general manager put it.

According to industry sources, the station’s owner, Clear Channel, is in a shaky financial position that was compounded by the economic downturn.

I was one of nearly 2,500 Clear Channel employees who have been released since January.

Many large media companies, both electronic and print, are having a rough go of it right now. Some analysts say not all of them will survive.

###

There aren’t many benefits to being released from a job you love, but I did find one. I’m now part of a select group of people, former employees of WOC Radio and WOC-TV (now KWQC), who get together once a month.

These folks, most of whom are retirees, have some great stories to tell about their years in broadcasting, a topic I’ve been interested in since I was a kid listening first to a crystal radio then a transistor radio.

###

A further sign that the economy is still hurting is the Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive, something we’ve enjoyed since the 1980s. It’s a wonderful event, held the first two full weekends each October in Fulton County, Ill.

There are a dozen and a half stops, mainly communities on the drive, each with something to offer visitors. There are arts and crafts fairs, flea markets, demonstrations, music and a variety of food.

But we noticed last year that there were fewer vendors and visitors in some locations, particularly the smaller communities. That was even more pronounced this year.

###

A friend reminds me about a DeWitt company that makes air fresheners. That comes after my complaints about an air freshener we bought that — surprise — was manufactured in China.

I checked its source because of the way the directions are written: “1) Rise up to the top, to open. 2) Upward the top, to adjust for desired amount of freshening.” Huh?

The local air freshener company my buddy mentioned, Car Freshner Corp., is headquartered in Watertown, N.Y., and has a plant in the DeWitt’s thriving industrial park. Nearly 100 employees there make scented air fresheners shaped like Christmas trees for cars.

According to their Web site, www.little-trees.com, the product comes in 6,500 languages and goes to 195 countries. And I’m betting the instructions with those little trees even make sense.

Copyright 2009 by Phil Roberts, Creative Enterprises. This column appeared in The North Scott Press, Eldridge, Iowa.

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Guest blog: Good-bye to the Youngster

October 8, 2009 by frontporchexpressions

dic1c

Dic Youngs during his early years in radio. Photo courtesy of Brian Allen

A more recent shot of Dic Youngs at KIOA's Iowa State Fair booth with Dr. Jeff Stein, communications professor at Wartburg College. Photo courtesy of Jeff Stein and Brian Allen

A more recent shot of Dic Youngs at KIOA's Iowa State Fair booth with Dr. Jeff Stein, communications professor at Wartburg College. Photo courtesy of Jeff Stein and Brian Allen

Note from Phil Roberts: Following is a guest blog written by my friend, Brian Allen of KSFY-TV, Sioux Falls. He writes recently of the death of Dic Youngs, “the Youngster,” a Des Moines rock radio legend. Although I didn’t know Dic, I feel like I knew him because I listened to him when I could for so many years. That happens in radio. After a while, though you’ve never met, you get to know the announcer whose voice comes through the speaker day after day. I admired Dic for staying in the business so long; that’s no easy task.

It’s sometimes odd what occurs to you in the middle of the night when you cannot sleep. It is tough when your heroes die. To know that their good works have come to an end and their voice has been silenced.


Early this morning, one of my broadcasting heroes lost his life.

His name was Dic Youngs. If you’re old enough, you’ve probably heard of him. He was a legend, spending more than 45 years in broadcasting. Most of that time was spent behind a microphone at KIOA in Des Moines. He WAS rock and rock in the 1960s and 1970s, eventually growing into the role of “radio grandfather” in the ‘80s, ‘90s and beyond. He was a mentor to so many broadcasters, directly and indirectly. Those fortunate enough to work with him benefited from his direct involvement. Those who benefited indirectly were provided with a road map on how to respect yourself, others and the business of broadcasting.

Every year, Youngsy would broadcast live from the Iowa State Fair. His booming voice audible even without the big speakers KIOA would set up. He was like Santa Claus in the Summertime; always quick with a joke or a smile or a pat on the back. I am 36 and have missed only a handful of Iowa State Fairs, so I had many opportunities to sit down and talk with Dic. But I never did it. Not really.

Every once in a while I would approach him and start a conversation but then almost back out of it. He wasn’t intimidating, not in the least. I just think every time I would try I would end up having a “you’re not worthy” moment and not finish what I had tried to start. But I would always admire from afar and be amazed at how well he knew people and how well he knew the music.


That was the thing: Every time Dic Youngs was on the radio you KNEW he loved the music. That he was particular about playing songs with strong lyrics and attention-getting guitar licks and bass lines. It was always a party with Youngsy — at least that’s how he made it appear and that’s why he was so fun to listen to.


For years, Dic hosted a Saturday night oldies show on KIOA. When I lived in Des Moines…and eventually when I moved away but would come back for visits…I would always turn the show on and listen. It always made me smile. What a master of the radio dial!


Which brings us back now to today and the horrible news which greeted me this morning. Dic had been hospitalized for a while now at Mercy in Des Moines. This morning about 1:30, his body apparently had enough and he passed into history. Going forward, it will be odd to think and talk about him in the past tense.


He made the world a better, more tolerable place….one record at a time. His jokes, sometimes corny, could bring a smile to your face and make you temporarily forget about your woes.

He was a big man in size and a big man in heart.


Of all the people I know who have worked with Youngsy, I have never heard one of them gripe about Dic and that is saying something. Broadcasting can be fairly two-faced and has it’s fair share of back stabbers. That being said, Dic Youngs was respected but more than that he was loved. And when someone you love dies, it’s tough to take.


###


Statement from KIOA (more, including audio clips of Dic, at http://kioa.com/Dic-Youngs-1941-2009/5251474):

93.3 KIOA and the Des Moines community have lost an icon. Richard “Dic” Youngs has passed away after a long illness.

Dic will always be remembered for his reverberating baritone, the way he helped entertain and inform Iowa and his quickness with a wink and a smile. Youngsy always wanted to have a good time and take his audience on the same ride.


Youngsy could spin a tale with such style that, even if he only had a few details, you listened closely and begged for more.  From the start he had one desire – give the audience a good time. And whether he was spinning discs at a sock-hop or counting down the top 10 on the radio, people danced and had the time of their lives.


But Dic was also able to help listeners through the tough times as well. If it was a recession, a flood or the 2001 terrorist attacks, people listened to Youngsy because his assured delivery was a comfort in even in the most trying moments.


So, thank you Youngsy for all that you have shared with KIOA and Des Moines in over 45 years of broadcasting. We will greatly miss our boisterous, kind, sweet and smiling friend.


-Your KIOA Family

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Bentonsport, Iowa, B&B offers ghostly fun

October 8, 2009 by frontporchexpressions

The haunted Mason House Inn in Bentonsport, Iowa. Photo by Phil Roberts

The haunted Mason House Inn in Bentonsport, Iowa. Photo by Phil Roberts

Chuck and Joy Hanson say their ghosts are happy residents who cause no harm. Photo by Phil Roberts

Chuck and Joy Hanson say their ghosts are happy residents who cause no harm. Photo by Phil Roberts

An old bridge across the Des Moines River connects small Bentonsport, Iowa, with smaller Vernon, Iowa. The Mason House Inn can be seen in the background. Photo by Phil Roberts

An old bridge across the Des Moines River connects small Bentonsport, Iowa, with smaller Vernon, Iowa. The Mason House Inn can be seen in the background. Photo by Phil Roberts

Sherry was lying in the bed on her side when she felt a hand on her hip. When she turned to look, no one was there, and I was across the room.

Shortly before 11 p.m. that night, we were awakened by a tapping on our headboard. We know no one was in the room at the time because we had been sleeping with a light on.

Sherry, my wife, and I were spending a night at the Mason House Inn Bed & Breakfast in Bentonsport, Iowa. The town’s population is 35, not including the ghosts.

Joy Hanson said the B&B is haunted, but not in a scary way. Hanson and husband Chuck bought the inn in 2001 after he retired from the Air Force.

On the B&B’s Web site — www.masonhouse.com — Joy Hanson wrote that three of the spirits are former owners or proprietors who loved the old hotel and don’t want to leave.

“Two are Civil War soldiers who died here when the building was a hospital. Some died here when it was a TB hospital in the early 1900s,” she wrote.

She said some of the other ghosts are adults and children who died at the inn, which once was a boarding house where a doctor lived. The doctor used to take patients there because there was no other place in town to take them. There also was a murder at the inn.

Bentonsport is 150 miles from the Quad-Cities. It sits along the Des Moines River, just a dozen miles from the Missouri border.

The inn, built in 1846, has been a hotel that served steamboat travelers, a holding hospital for wounded Civil War soldiers, a station on the Underground Railroad and a bed and breakfast.

Joy Hanson said the previous owners told them they often saw the ghost of former owner Mary Mason Clark.

Once the Hansons moved in, other spirits appeared. “I started seeing an old man in a black suit with a white beard,” Joy Hanson said. “I”d see him over my shoulder as I was cleaning rooms. When I turned and looked, there was nothing there.”

The Hanson’s two daughters, who were teens at the time, talked of hearing footsteps and having their clothes pulled, but nobody was there.

Joy Hanson said a younger daughter, Jinni, began “having tea parties with some invisible playmate named Amanda.”

Guests also reported seeing people in their room who would just disappear. They heard running in the hall or doors opening and closing all night, although “they were the only people up there,” she said.

The Hansons kept quiet about their ghosts for fear of losing business. But after a school group toured the inn and the teacher took a group picture that suddenly included “one more kid in there than she had in her class,” the hauntings went public in 2004.

Chris Moon, a Denver ghost hunter and president and senior editor of Haunted Times Magazine, often has investigated the inn and given the Hansons more information on their ghosts. He also holds periodic ghost-hunting classes there. The next one will be in November.

Two ghosts the Hansons are familiar with are Harold, a Civil War Union soldier, and Markie, a Confederate soldier. Harold claims guest room 6, and Markie died in room 6.

The Hansons said Harold knows Morse Code and often taps on the wall of room 6.

Joy Hanson said the spirits go about their business as if they were alive — opening and closing doors, turning lights on and off, walking around. The ghost children jump on the beds, play with things and knock on the doors as a prank.

Unexplained orbs sometimes show up in guest photos.

Chuck Hanson said a lot of guests don’t know the Mason House Inn is haunted, and they don’t mention it.

“We have a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ kind of policy,” Joy Hanson said.

However, many people stay at the inn because it is haunted, she said, adding that about 75 percent of the people looking for an “experience” will get one.

She did say that some folks check out early.

###

If you go:

Guest rooms: Eight plus a railroad caboose cottage.

Rates: $59 and up plus tax.

Contact information: The Mason House Inn, 21982 Hawk Drive, Bentonsport, IA 52565. Phone: (319) 592-3133. Reservations: (800) 800-592-3133. E-mail: Stay@MasonHouseInn.com.

Copyright 2009 by Phil Roberts, Creative Enterprises. This article appeared in The Dispatch, Moline, Ill., and The Rock Island (Ill.) Argus.

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Incivility, Letterman and youth hockey

October 8, 2009 by frontporchexpressions

Cade Roberts, left, in action at the hockey game in Affton. Photo by Phil Roberts

Cade Roberts, left, in action at the hockey game in Affton. Photo by Phil Roberts

I recently sounded off on my Facebook (social networking) page about bigshots behaving badly and their thinking that a quick apology — even if it’s sincere — fixes everything.

There have been lots of well-known offenders lately, all living proof of the incivility that exists these days. Some examples?

There was Cong. Joe Wilson, who shouted “You lie” as President Obama spoke about his cost estimates for healthcare reform to a joint session of the House and Senate.

The issue isn’t whether or not Obama’s figures were accurate or not. And it’s not about Republicans vs. Democrats. The issue is bad manners and where this heckling occurred — the hallowed halls of Congress, not at a town hall meeting.

Another example of bad behavior is rapper Kanye West. While singer Taylor Swift was giving her acceptance speech for Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards, West jumped onto the stage to protest that singer Beyonce had not won. He ripped the microphone out of Swift’s hand, interrupting her speech, and said, “Taylor, I’m really happy for you, and I’m gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.” And you, Mr. West, are one of the biggest jerks of all time.

More recently, at the U.S. Open, defending champion Serena Williams was penalized and lost a match after screaming at a line judge over a call. Among other things, she said, “I’m going to shove this ball down your @#$%^& throat.” Classy.

All three offenders apologized. Maybe they’ll be forgiven. But their poor judgment and impulsive actions, thanks to sites like youtube.com on the Internet, will live on forever.

###

On the topic of poor judgment, I certainly hope TV talk show host David Letterman enjoyed his admitted sex-in-the-office flings. He’ll no doubt be on the witness stand one of these days answering lots of questions about them.

I feel sorry for his elderly mother, Dorothy, who has occasionally appeared on Letterman’s show via satellite. According to the Internet, she is still alive.

It’s hard to feel sorry for Letterman — he created his own mess and should have known better. But this situation must be a particularly difficult time for his mother and other family members.

###

My wife and I were in St. Louis on a recent Saturday to visit our son Brendan and his boys, Pierce and Cade. The plan was to watch Pierce play high school football at noon at LaDue, Mo. Then we’d watch Cade, who is on a 10-and-under hockey team, play that evening in Affton, Mo.

The football game never took place. It fell victim to a thunderstorm just minutes prior to the kickoff. But we did get to watch Cade play hockey.

Afterwards, as we were leaving the rink, some older hockey players took to the ice for the next game, and the team name on their jerseys was quite familiar. They were the Q-C Junior Flames, who kept the name of that Quad-Cities minor league hockey team that no longer exists. The Flames were in Affton to play the St. Louis Junior Blues.

It’s a small world.

Copyright 2009 by Phil Roberts, Creative Enterprises. This article appeared as a column in The North Scott Press.

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A fascination with trains

September 18, 2009 by frontporchexpressions

My grandfather the railroad conductor, Ben T. Miller. Photo from the Phil Roberts Collection.

My grandfather the railroad conductor, Ben T. Miller. Photo from the Phil Roberts Collection.

CB&Q Railroad’s (Burlington Route) Mark Twain Zephyr "Injun Joe," as photographed in July 1957 in Macon, Mo. Photo from the Phil Roberts Collection.

CB&Q Railroad’s (Burlington Route) Mark Twain Zephyr “Injun Joe,” as photographed in July 1957 in Macon, Mo. Photo from the Phil Roberts Collection.

I’ve always been more than a little interested in trains.

Maybe that’s because the railroad is in my blood. My grandfather on my mother’s side, Benjamin T. Miller (1882-1963), spent much of his life working for the railroad.

As his obituary in the Hannibal (Mo.) Courier-Post puts it, “He began working for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in 1899 at age 17 as a water boy on a section gang working out of Peruque (Mo.). He was promoted to brakeman on September 21, 1906, making his first run on No. 3 out of Hannibal to Quincy; on October 14, 1914 he was made extra freight conductor and on January 3, 1931 was promoted to passenger conductor, a position he held until his retirement on June 6, 1947, his 65th birthday. For the last four years of his career he was conductor on the Mark Twain and Rocket Zephyr between St. Louis and Burlington.”

I remember only two of my Grandpa Ben’s railroad stories. One was about a train he was on that was going uphill when it broke in two at the center, sending the back half downhill as runaway cars.

The other was about a passenger train that made a stop at a depot on a very hot day. One passenger, a man, got off and spied a bucket of water on the loading dock. He bent over, put his head in it to cool off and died instantly.

Maybe I like trains because of my once- or twice-a-year visits when I was a kid to my Uncle Ralph’s barber shop in Hannibal. Ralph, Ben’s son, rented space in a small building across the street from the train station.

The building that housed the shop, long gone now, probably because it flooded regularly, was a small green stucco structure with white-painted trim. It was scrunched between the banks of Bear Creek and several sets of tracks that went to the train station.

The building was maybe 20 feet wide. A cafe or beauty shop — the tenant changed regularly — occupied the side of the building next to the creek, and the barber shop was right next to the tracks. My dad took my brother Bruce and me to Uncle Ralph’s barber shop whenever we were in town.

All three of us would get haircuts to help Uncle Ralph’s finances. He’d probably been a busy barber when the railroad was booming, but that was no longer the case when we’d visit him in the 1960s. Most of his customers by then were retirees. He’d cut their hair as long as they were alive, then he’d give them a final trim at the funeral home when they died. Ralph always tried to give our haircuts to us free, but dad always made him take the money.

I remember the interior of the shop well. Waiting customers sat in sturdy wooden chairs with their backs to the wall nearest the tracks. Looking straight ahead there were two ancient black, white and chrome barber chairs, but there was never a second barber. Only Ralph, who had barely enough business to survive himself.

Each barber chair had a strap hanging on it for sharpening the straightedge razor Ralph used on sideburns and the back of the neck. Behind Ralph was a long counter holding a variety of clippers, combs and bottles of hair tonic, all reflecting in a long mirror.

In the ceiling were schoolhouse-type lights, never turned on because they weren’t needed during the day, and original Hunter ceiling fans still in working order. An old Regulator clock hung on a wall with a calendar.

Toward the back of the building, next to the line of chairs that waiting customers occupied, was an antique rolltop desk that eventually became a victim of a flood. A short flight of steps led down to a back door and a lean-to against the back of the building. It was in there that with Ralph’s permission hobos, who had perhaps been riding the rails, spent the night after he had slipped them a few bucks for food.

What I remember most, though, about Uncle Ralph’s shop was the nearly constant train traffic by it as the diesel engines and freight cars pulled slowly into or out of the station. First you’d hear the ding-ding-ding of the bell out front, warning motorists of the train’s approach. I’m sure there were no crossing gates.

Then as the engines pulled alongside the shop, the wall near them, the floor and the chairs vibrated. It was noisy, too, making conversation difficult.

The constant trains were old hat to our uncle the barber. But for a couple of kids from Iowa who lived quite a distance from any train tracks, it was an eerie, magical feeling, knowing that each train that passed was not more than 4 feet or so from our backs, separated only by the wall of the building. We’d sit for a moment in the chairs and vibrate with them, then we’d hurry to the picture windows at the front of the shop to watch.

Copyright 2009 by Phil Roberts, Creative Enterprises.

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Obama speech makes worthwhile points, not at all controversial. So what’s the problem?

September 9, 2009 by frontporchexpressions

President Barack Obama. Photo courtesy of whitehouse.gov

President Barack Obama. Photo courtesy of whitehouse.gov

Hopefully those who were so outspokenly critical of President Barack Obama’s plan to speak to school students on Tuesday, Sept. 8, are, after hearing what he had to say, smart enough to be a bit embarrassed by their overblown, premature criticism of his speech. It was a case of, as they say, much ado about nothing.

The critics created a controversy days before the speech, saying Obama would use it to, as one media source put it, “push socialism or a hidden policy agenda.”

Well, he didn’t.

Instead, the president spoke about the value of education, hard work and personal responsibility. Nothing controversial there, is there?

They probably don’t, but those who overreacted to the notion of the man America elected president speaking to some students before they had all the facts should feel more than a little silly right now.

The truth is, the “controversy” was all about politics. But passing along some valuable life lessons that kids might really consider if they come from the president’s mouth has nothing to do with being a Republican or a Democrat.

It’s about common sense — not politics.

Maybe, after all the rhetoric over this speech, the students across America have picked up another life lesson: Until you have all the facts, keep your mouth shut.

If you didn’t hear the speech to students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., read the transcript:

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat. How is everybody doing today? (Applause.) How about Tim Spicer? (Applause.) I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade. And I am just so glad that all could join us today. And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host. Give yourselves a big round of applause. (Applause.)

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now — (applause) — with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived overseas. I lived in Indonesia for a few years. And my mother, she didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday. But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.

Now, as you might imagine, I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. And a lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she’d say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.” (Laughter.)

So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now, I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked about responsibility a lot.

I’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working, where students aren’t getting the opportunities that they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world — and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. That’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.

I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a great writer — maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper — but you might not know it until you write that English paper — that English class paper that’s assigned to you. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor — maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine — but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice — but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that — if you quit on school — you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now, I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what it’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I’m not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was — I was lucky. I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have a lot of money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life — what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home — none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Neither of her parents had gone to college. But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University — is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer — hundreds of extra hours — to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind. He’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They face challenges in their lives just like you do. In some cases they’ve got it a lot worse off than many of you. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education — and do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. Chances are you’re not going to be any of those things.

The truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject that you study. You won’t click with every teacher that you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s okay. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. J.K. Rowling’s — who wrote Harry Potter — her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s why I succeed.”

These people succeeded because they understood that you can’t let your failures define you — you have to let your failures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time. So if you get into trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at all things. You become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. The same principle applies to your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right. You might have to read something a few times before you understand it. You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and that then allows you to learn something new. So find an adult that you trust — a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor — and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don’t ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation. Young people. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask all of you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country?

Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down. Don’t let your family down or your country down. Most of all, don’t let yourself down. Make us all proud.

Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. God bless America. Thank you. (Applause.)

——————

Copyright 2009 by Phil Roberts, Creative Enterprises.

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Give thanks: Something to think about

September 8, 2009 by frontporchexpressions

Guest blogger Brian Allen of KSFY-TV, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Guest blogger Brian Allen of KSFY-TV, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Note from Phil Roberts: Following is a guest blog written by my friend, Brian Allen of KSFY-TV, Sioux Falls. His message is so good I asked him if I could post it.

It’s sometimes odd what occurs to you in the middle of the night when you cannot sleep.

I am a notoriously bad sleeper. There are times when I wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason whatsoever, then I  begin thinking about things….ideas, people, etcetera…which then prevents me from getting back to sleep.

So overnight I had one of these spells, and I began thinking about the idea of thankfulness and stopping to take stock of one’s life. Do you do it? I try to daily…to keep things in perspective.

I think about Mandy and Austin and Cameron and how lucky and fortunate I am to have them in my lives. Some people right now go home to an empty house and have little to no contact with anyone, let alone people who love them.

I think about how thankful I am for my job, especially at a time when so many people are either unemployed or underemployed. I have a job I enjoy, and I make a salary that allows me to support my family.

I think about the freedom I have to practice my religion, knowing people worldwide are persecuted by governments or thugs who can’t stand the thought or a higher power.

I think about how good it is that Austin is excited about school and really wants to do well. I’ll admit, when I was young, school seemed like a chore more than anything else. I was about as excited about it as I was folding socks. Austin has a true intellectual curiosity that I hope he keeps his entire life. I am fortunate that I have my health and that my wife and kids are healthy. I know so many people my age who have serious health issues that they are working to overcome. I do not have that burden, and pray I never will.

Look at the world around you and count your blessings, not your curses. Everyone has a certain level of challenge they must overcome daily. What you have to do is compare your challenges to others in society. Do yours measure up to theirs? Or are you relatively well off but just think you’re not?

Would I like more time off with my kids? Yes. Would I like a bigger home? Sure. Would I like to be filthy rich? You bet. All of that said, the life that I have is good, and I appreciate it. While I strive for things, I don’t build my life around the fact that I don’t have them. I focus on what I do have and how it’s a lot more than some people have and that I am thankful to have it in the first place. But for a simple twist of fate, I could be single, no family, living alone, working at a job I hate. But I am not in that position.

Every once in a while, I will say a prayer, sometimes to myself, sometimes out loud and it goes like this: “I love my life. I love my wife. I love my sons. I love my job. I am thankful for a roof over my head and food on the table. Thank you God for being so good to me.”

This is more than taking time to smell the roses. This is picking the rose, looking at it, appreciating it for what it is and not noticing the rose may have a few missing petals.

Quote Of The Day: “The trick is to make sure you don’t die waiting for prosperity to come.” Lee Iacocca

Something You Should Check Out: Whenever I hear the song “Reign In Me.” I feel amazingly thankful for my life. Whenever this song is performed at our church, I will tear up. It is such a great song. I hope you agree.

— Brian Allen, KSFY

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