BEING NICE TO PEOPLE DOESN’T COST ANYTHING & HAS IT’S OWN REWARDS

BEING NICE TO PEOPLE DOESN’T COST ANYTHING & HAS IT’S OWN REWARDS

Skagit County Attorney David Lowell sent an end of the year message as President of the county bar association. He enclosed this story of an experience of  Paul William "Bear" Bryant. Bear Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships. Here's the story he repeated about an…

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ELIZABETH “BETTY” BARNETT  1910 -12/20/1985

ELIZABETH “BETTY” BARNETT  1910 -12/20/1985

Betty Barnett was my wife Lita's mother who died December 20, 1985. I've written about this remarkable woman many times. See https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/12/my-mother-in-law-elizabeth-barnett-1910-1995.html It was my privilege to have known her. She was extraordinary  in so many ways. She was very intelligent, wise and a great judge of people. I loved her like my own mother for her many qualities and her understanding. This is a woman who attended Holy Names in Spokane where she was taught proper table settings, good manners and social skills. She…

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THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’D SEVEN DIRTY WORDS

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’D SEVEN DIRTY WORDS

Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland wrote:  “But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad." "How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”  All of us are, like Alice, caught up in a world made up insane people when it comes to this administration's policies. Why? Well because of the latest…

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NICK PETRISH   1937 – 12/19/2011 

NICK PETRISH   1937 – 12/19/2011 

   Nick  Petrish died in Anacortes on December 19, 2011. We had a long friendship. We went from grade school through high school together.We worked together from 1977 until his illness in 2011. He was a friend and a good man. I've written about him previously: https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2012/12/nicholas-petrish-dec-19-2011.html.html   May my friend rest in peace.

PHYLLIS FLIPPA LUVERA  1870 – 1946 

PHYLLIS FLIPPA LUVERA  1870 – 1946 

My dad's mother died December 20, 1946 in Anacortes. She was an Italian grandmother who looked and sounded like what an Italian grandmother should. she spoke no English and was a wonderful cook who was always feeding us children something whenever we visited. I've written about her before: https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/12/phyllis-flippa-luvera-1870-1946.html.htm  In the photo is Nonna, my sisters Phyllis, Anita, I and my grandfather Nicola Luvera.  

“VENI, VIDI, VICI” – WE ARE LOOKING MORE LIKE THE ANCIENT ROMAN EMPIRE AND THAT’S NOT A GOOD THING

“VENI, VIDI, VICI” – WE ARE LOOKING MORE LIKE THE ANCIENT ROMAN EMPIRE AND THAT’S NOT A GOOD THING

Between 1776 and 1788 Edward Gibbon, an English historian, published six volumes The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He discussed the reasons for the collapse of the Roman Empire and some bear a clear resemblance to the United States today. These include Gibbon's pointing to Rome's  (1) over economic spending and debt (2) over-expansion and military overspending (3) government corruption, political instability and political incompetence (4) economic disparity resulting in a divide between the rich…

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“If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.” ~ John Wooden

“If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.” ~ John Wooden

Happy Thanksgiving. There is much to be grateful for in each of our lives. I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving. We arrived in Scottsdale six days ago. Diane and her husband Tim, along with Diane's son Alex and his fiance arrived Wednesday and left Friday. We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at the Desert Highlands club house where our AZ home is located. It was enjoyable having family here with us and the weather cooperated as well. It was a great Thanksgiving …

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HOME FROM AFRICA

HOME FROM AFRICA

This is a follow up to my last post about the trip to South Africa. On our return, we flew from Sigita in Kruger National Park after two weeks of viewing and photographing the animals in South Africa. A one hour charter flight to Johannesburg and after a short layover we continued on to Dubai. Following a several hour layover in Dubai we flew back to Seattle. Not counting the time spent between flights we were in the air twenty…

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PAUL NICHOLAS LUVERA SR 1898 -1990

PAUL NICHOLAS LUVERA SR 1898 -1990

Today is the anniversary of the death of my father, Paul Nicholas Luvera Sr. Born on March 25, 1898, he died in Anacortes, Washington on November 4, 1990 at the age of 92. I've published details of his extraordinary life many times. See  https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/11/dad-1.html for a complete history of his life.  Dad was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, the son of Niccola and Fillippa Luvera. His father and oldest brother left for Canada where they worked for the Canadian Pacific Railroad installing tracks until they earned…

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OUR 2017 AFRICAN SAFARI

OUR 2017 AFRICAN SAFARI

On Thursday, October 19 we flew from Seattle to Dubai on Emirates air. With travel upgrades we were able to enjoy the benefits of first-class travel on Emirates. The airlines provides a chauffeur driven service as part of business and first class flying. They pick you up in Gig Harbor and drive you to the airport plus providing the same service on your return to Seattle The arrangement in first class is really special. We had beds that went flat,…

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