US Coast Guard-Burlington VT

As part of the Maritime Festival, we toured the Coast Guard Station located on the Lake Champlain Waterfront in Burlington Harbor. Oh, no big deal you say? Not for us. We have lived here or had a residence here for four years. Countless times we have walked the boardwalk to the fishing pier. We have seen the Coast Guard boats cruising out past the breakwater, sometimes fast (emergency) and sometimes slow (patrol/training/research). I have seen the tops of the buoys and some other equipment, but I never had a feel for what went on or what their duties were. It was a real treat to go behind the fences and barbed wire to see the boats and board them, in addition to being on a tour that explained their purpose here.

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Homeless Mike and Leroy Allen Skalstad, Milwaukee WI

The powers of the internet and social networking lay before me. Don’t realize the full potential as I start to expand my virtual world. Don’t have the time to learn all I would have had I been younger. But, then again, if I had the same growing pains that I experienced the first way through, I would have missed this round of technology promoting art, just like I missed the one that started in the 50’s.

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JumpVT on Deodorant

Smell Good to Look Good

Lots of people cannot deal with people in need of assistance, because they smell. One reason could be they cannot afford deodorant or soap. Why not, you say. Food stamps can only be used for food. Any money left after covering expenses, like phone or utilities, may go for gas for the car to drive to work or quarters for the washing machine. How about toilet paper. Toothpaste. Lysol. Tampax. Err, diapers.

As a hopeful, soon to be member of the Board of JumpVT, I collect deodorant from my synagogue for distribution to the clients. Think about giving sundries, in addition to money, when you do tzedakah. If you smell bad or look bad, nobody going to hire you.

Chris Bray Farms the Market

“Not worth a bucket of warm spit,” said John Nance Garner about the vice-presidency. Joe Biden could disagree, he of the Obama portfolio for the first-in-line. Would would aspire to such a job, unless you live in New York or Illinois. But don’t tell that to Chris Bray who wants to be the Lt. Gov. in VT. He wants the job and he wants to make it relevant and productive.

Fantastic Saturday in Burlington. Festival of Fools on Church St. and City Hall Park. He worked the crowd at the Farmer’s Market, most of whom looked like they don’t vote in VT. He says he has ideas for a new economy. I don’t know if more programs that deal with farms and woods, which he says are VT’s greatest asset, will create the jobs that people will find rewarding and remunerative. Hard to dismiss a guy who promotes ideas of Farmer to Farmer initiatives and food hubs that will bring more jobs to the economy and more local foods to market.

And, he listens.

Jack H. Press, Dead at 95

"... too old for pictures."
good hands

Jack H. Press, a member of Burlington’s Jewish community, died August 4, 2010 at the age of 95. War veteran, father, salesman, tennis player and who knows what else. I knew him for less than a year. Serious honor to know a person who lived so much, even if he couldn’t remember many of the details.

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Lance Richbourg, The Babe, and Me

My friend, artist Lance Richbourg, Professor Emeritus of Fine Art at St. Michael’s College, has been working on a picture of the Babe for several year. On three occaisons, he has taken a picture of me with his subject. He documents his progress with his work. At the same time, I age.

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