Alumni Sandstorm ~ 05/29/05
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11 Bombers sent stuff:
Dick McCoy ('45), Betty Hiser ('49)
Betty Bell ('51), Darlene Minard ('60)
Michael Waggoner ('60), John Browne, Jr. ('61)
Donna Nelson ('63), Linda Reining ('64)
Linda Sargent ('67), Betti Avant ('69)
Julie Smyth ('69WB)
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BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jimmie Shipman ('51)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Dick Pierard ('52)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Larry Harrold ('56)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Sharon Sherwood ('58)
BOMBER CALENDAR: Richland Bombers Calendar
Click the event you want to know more about.
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>>From: Dick McCoy (the Tin Can Class of 1945)
Re: Cherries again
To: Tom Tracy ('55)
You are dang right about Bings. I love all fruit, but Bings are
downright addictive. Indeed, the best of them grow in SE Washington.
Whenever I am in Richland during the season, there is an orchard out
on Keane Road that has super Bings, at a cheap price. Right across
from the candy outlet. Also, for those who live north to Seattle, take
the old Wapato road at Prosser. Just before Wapato, there is a fruit
stand on the left called Schells. (no, not Alton K). Great produce,
inexpensive.
As far as the Irrigation canals, in the very early days, we had all
kinds of uses for them. Of course, we swam in them. There was a farm
up above the stables, which grew watermelons. We would go up there at
night, toss a few in, and dash away accompanied by the dogs from the
farm. We then proceeded in to Swift, where we would fish the melons
out. Not cold, but cool, and delicious. Out at the end of Thayer there
was a concrete overflow that went down the hill into the Yakima. We
would gather there and cruise the chute down to a point just before
it dropped off where we would be caught be a couple of strong guys...
hopefully. There were rocks down there. We also invented ski boarding
behind an auto out by the twin bridges. Great fun. It is a wonder we
weren't all killed.
-Dick McCoy (the Tin Can Class of 1945)
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>>From: Betty Hiser Gulley ('49)
I remember the house that the Ag people used - was out very near
Hanford High School and, I think, is still there.
I don't remember any of the schools having swimming pools. Where are
you, Burt?
West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio are similar when it
comes to shine. My father owned the house and land that his folks
lived on (17 acres) - South Central Ohio. My sister and I were bored
and we walked up to the top of a hill and guess what we found? A still
and all the fixin's. We ran down the hill and told Daddy. I thought
steam was going to come out of Daddy's ears. He told grandpa to GET
RID OF THAT @#$ STILL or you won't be around much longer. I wondered
why grandpa always had shine in the house.
The wild blackberries in Ohio had L O N G thorns. You always looked
like you had been in a cat fight when you were through picking the
berries.
Not sure about the Tri-City Raceway - think they decided not to have
races this year (2005) and are studying to figure out what to do next
year.
The teacher who taught steno classes was named Mrs. Grace Burns. I
remember Miss Nadine Burns who taught English (had her for sophomore
English). That's all the Burns' I remember from high school.
[Are you sure the steno teacher wasn't GEORGIA Burns? -Maren]
I never took swimming lessons because I was scared to death of water
and also I could not get water in my ears because I would get an ear
infection. I remember my sister taking lessons, turning blue, shaking
like an aspen, and teeth chattering.
My youngest daughter used to wear her hair short (at her ear lobes).
There was a sign that said female MUST wear bathing caps. I called
the Parks Department about the caps because at that time the BOYS had
started wearing long hair. I told the guy that was sexist and what was
he going to do about it. They had a city meeting about 10 days later -
they changed the sign to state anyone whose hair was below their ear
lobes had to wear a bathing cap!!! Some of the boys cut their hair.
Wonder why people went to Sunnyside when they had a cannery in
Kennewick?
Everyone I know still calls it the big pool.
Worms in the cherries: I would pick a cherry and say, "Worm - look out
- here I come." It all has to get mixed up in your stomach - what's
the big deal? Although I would not go out of my way to purposely eat a
worm. I had had to take lots of things in the hospital that I didn't
like that looked worse than the worm(s) - but as a child, did I have
a choice - I think not!!!!
-Betty Hiser Gulley '49er - south/government Richland - HOT today -
supposed to get up to 98. I'm not a lover of hot weather. What's
left of my brain refuses to function.
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>>From: Betty Bell Norton ('51)
To: Linda Reining ('64)
his is the Helen Burns who taught P.E. -- including dance lessons
with Fran Rish. Did any of you take the lessons?
-Betty Bell Norton ('51)
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>>From: Darlene Minard Mortensen ('60)
Re: Cherry Picking
Whenever I am reminded of cherry picking, I remember my friend,
Sherman Parks. His parents moved to Benton City from Richland when we
were just starting high school. The Monsons (former mayor of Richland)
and his family were best friends and they moved to Benton City
together and bought a cherry orchard. We (my girlfriends and I) would
go "cherry picking" in the Monson orchard. Mr. Monson would laugh and
kid us about the cherries we ate--threatening to weigh us in before
and after--though he was only kidding.
One day, Sherman was driving a tractor in the orchard. He was backing
up and was hit by a tree branch. It forced his head into the dash and
he was killed instantly. That was our first experience with mortality.
I still love cherries, but they do bring back memories.
-Darlene Minard Mortensen ('60)
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>>From: Michael Waggoner ('60)
I agree with Tom Verellen ('60) that people don't get sick EATING
wild blackberries. PICKING them, however, produces lots of cuts and
bleeding.
-Michael Waggoner ('60)
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>>From: John Browne, Jr. ('61)
Re: Blue light special
To: Tom Tracy ('55)
Thanks for clearing up an apocryphal mystery! I remember the stories
of the blue light in the ductwork... but never saw it, meself. UV
has become an excellent water purifying technology- very useful (and
cheap!) for small-scale systems. (Wonder if it would inhibit mold?)
Darlene Napora's ('69) story of canning "reminded me of a time.."
When I lived in the coastal foothills of Oregon, I'd spice up the
occasional trip to Portland (and "the Valley") by finding interesting
byways to and fro. One led to the Wheatland Ferry across the
Willamette R in an area known as "the Mission Bottoms", N of Salem- a
place famous for stone fruit production. (The ferry was like a mini-
version of the old Richland ferry). A stop to buy peaches led to a
short picking job- and an offer of free groundfalls after the harvest.
I came back there with a borrowed full-sized pickup and went home with
about half a ton of peaches... and called a neighborhood "canning
bee".
One of my fishing buddies lent me a stainless crab cooker- a big pot
that would take 48 quart jars in one layer across the bottom. It was
set over a big iron slab outside. We did 2 water bath runs the first
day- 96 quarts of dead-ripe peaches!
One of the kids on this crew, a 7-year-old, asked me why we had to
peel them. They were easy... so ripe that they could be twisted in
two, like turning a doorknob in each hand, and pulled apart... but I
agreed that the skins were OK after they were washed (and we did wash
Everything). So we did a batch of 48 with their skins on. That winter
the judgement was that those were far superior, in texture and flavor,
to the peeled ones. Plus, they had a kind of rosy color in the jar...
We got nearly 200 quarts- and the 3 garbage cans full of skins,
bruises and "squishy ones" became nearly 80 gallons of wine, by
Thanksgiving (and a barter item at the next year's Country Fair).
Oh... and everyone was a sticky mess, afterwards (although we didn't
need much encouragement to go jump in the river, that time of
year...). ^..^
-John Browne, Jr. ('61) ~ Vashon Island, WA
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>>From: Donna Nelson ('63)
Our parents used to take us to Smitty's cherry orchards outside of
Richland towards Benton City. After we'd picked and get them home,
our Dad would already have picked up the cans from Sears and have
the pressure cooker ready. He'd say "out of the kitchen in case this
blows" and he and my Mom would can Bings. For a treat, we'd put a
piece of white Wonder bread in a bowl and put canned cherries over
the top....the Nelson version of a dessert. It was sure good.
-Donna Nelson ('63)
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>>From: Linda Reining ('64)
Re: Bathing Caps
I remember those blasted things! They were hard to put on and even
harder to take off! I do remember having one of the "chic" ones---was
pink with white flowers on it----thought it made us look "oh, so cute
and stylish". At least, these didn't have that dumb strap under our
chins, but they did have a tendency to come off when jumping off the
high dive---the water pressure would "swoosh" it off and then one of
the life guards would be blowing the whistle, letting everyone know
that some girl was in the pool without her bathing cap! Why they
thought our hair was any worse on the drains than the boys' is a
mystery to me, especially for those of us that had short hair--and,
I am sure some of the guys with those "pompadours", and the "DAs"
had just as much, OR more, hair as a lot of us girls!!!
-Linda Reining ('64) ~ 90+ degrees in Bakersfield, CA, where Lake
Ming, and the Kern River are filled to capacity with campers and
boaters from the Los Angeles area. we have already had a drowning
(a teenage boy) in the "killer Kern", and the Holiday has just
started! they refuse to stay out of that ^&*( river, even though
they have signs, in English AND Spanish, warning people to "Stay
out and Stay alive"!
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>>From: Linda Sargent Evans ('67)
Re: John Ruppert & Elaine Roberts ('67)
Many of you probably know that John and Elaine Ruppert's son, Nick,
was injured severely by a hit-and-run driver in March. He has been
fighting his way back against all odds, and there is a great article
about him and Elaine in the East Valley, AZ Tribune
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=42100.
There is also a wonderful website for Nick with daily updates on his
progress, information about the hit-and-run driver (he or she has not
been found), and ways to help (fund raisers, etc.). That website is
www.nickruppert.com/
I'm sure John and Elaine would appreciate your good thoughts.
-Linda Sargent Evans ('67)
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>>From: Betti Avant ('69)
To: Linda Reining ('64)
Linda, The Mrs. Burns Nash taught PE and was the Pep Club advisor. I
had her all 3 years for my PE classes. She also had GAA in those days.
Here's to all our veterans out there on their day, Monday.
-Betti Avant ('69) ~ Eugene, OR - where we have gone from 80s to
rain this morning
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>>From: Julie Smyth Moss ('69WB)
Re: Bing Cherries
Since everyone is so excited about those Bing Cherries, I thought I'd
tell them about the time my friend, Ginger, and I played "steal
cherries from Mr. Wright's tree" which was right behind the Ginger's
house. We hid behind a hedge and would run, one at a time, to the tree
and grab cherries. The one who stayed behind was the look-out. Then
we'd trade jobs. Mr. Wright was physically handicapped, (he rode a
three-wheeled bike around the neighborhood). I don't know what we
thought he'd do to us, but he was mean lookin' and we were scared of
him. But not scared enough to keep us away from his cherry tree. We
would each get a bag full, and then we'd have to eat them before we
went home or mom and dad would have known we'd thieved the Bings. I
thought they were named after Bing Crosby.
The Wright Bing Cherry Thief
-Julie Smyth Moss ('69WB)
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[Yes, Julie is one of my little sisters. That must be the same cherry
tree that Dave Hanthorn ('63) mentioned in the 5/26 Sandstorm. -Maren]
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That's it for today. Please send more.
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