Category: Blog

Hi Lisa,
I understand how you feel about not knowing your grandparents on our side. All of my grandparents were deceased before I was born and I have never found out anything about them.

I have more separate memories of Clarence and Ruby Castleberry than of them together..mostly because I was the youngest of a large brood.  We were mainly a dysfunctional family (way before the term was coined), but there were good times too.  I was a ‘momma’s girl’ and spent most of my time by her side.  She was a talented seamstress, and I can remember her making clothes for everyone. For many years she used an old Singer treadle machine, but in the early sixties bought a brand new electric zigzag Singer from Sears.  I can still picture the dresses and suits that she made to wear while selling Avon products.  I would ride in the back seat of our old De Soto and later in a Studebaker Lark VI with the smells of perfume and powder while she would drive her route all around Suquamish and the surrounding countryside.

Suquamish was what we called a 1 horse 2 tavern town that was smack dab in the middle of the Suquamish Indian Reservation. The location was idyllic..set right on Puget Sound with an astonishing view of Seattle and Mount Rainier. This was before smog had blurred everything.

We owned a double lot at the wide end of a triangle block with the two bedroom house overlooking the water just a block away. Every weekend us girls had to sit in the car parked in front of a tavern while mom and dad went in for a drink…we would stay in that car for hours on the promise of a candy bar until we got old enough to realize that our house was only a block away and so we would just walk home.

Dad really enjoyed playing the punch boards (precursor to scratch tickets) and would win toys, stuffed animales etc. for me all the time. He also spent uncounted hours combing the beach for unusual pieces of driftwood that he used to make a fence around our property. It was very unique and was featured in Sunset Magazine in the late 1950s or early 60s. Many times on weekend afternoons, he would let me help him sharpen lawn mower blades for people around town. He was very good with machines. He worked at the Alaska Steamship Company on the Seattle waterfront as a ship’s mechanic for over 20 years.  Grandma Ruby and us girls would ride the ferry to Seattle from Bainbridge Island every Friday just so we could ride home with Daddy. We usually managed to get in a few hours of shopping to boot!

I can not remember a day without one of Mom’s fabulous dinners up until she became too ill.  We were brought up on meat and potatoes, vegetables and great desserts.  One of my best and you mom’s and aunt Connie’s worst memories was breakfast. I was an early riser and when mom would ask what we wanted for breakfast I always called out “Oatmeal” …the others were asleep and never got a chance for anything else!

I hope this gives you a little glimpse of our family..but you really need to also ask the other aunts about their memories. They will differ greatly! Being the youngest I was spoiled rotten and also lived at a time when money was not scarce, we had a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, a rocking chair and a color TV. Life was good!

Love,
Aunt Betty

After a long trek from California, ten hunters and myself arrived in Lincoln, Argentina, which is located approximately 180 miles North of Buenos Aires (the town of Lincoln is so small it failed to appear on any of my Lonely Planet maps!).   As we approached our lodge, smoke bellowed from the outdoor grill and field dogs were the first to greet us. The house was simple and beautiful with sharp corners and beige paint.  It had large windows that allowed you to look through. Our surroundings were vast natural grasslands with infrequent clusters of planted trees.  By squinting your eyes you could make out horses to the North while a glance to the East presented a herd of cattle.

We met the Manager, Charlie (imagine Hugh Grant) and he assigned our rooms.  Speaking proper English he gave us stern instructions to report for lunch within the hour. During mealtime hunters were organized into groups and provided an outline of their routine for the next 3 days.   I, on the other hand, enjoyed a glass of red wine and pondered how to keep myself occupied.

After a lovely meal, the hunters outfitted themselves and headed for the duck pond and I spent the remaining afternoon roaming the house to admire its décor.  I ended my curiosity on the partially burned sheepskin rugs near the fireplace to relax in its warmth and enjoy the remaining wine.

In the following days the hunters left the lodge in the wee hours, allowing me to sleep undisturbed and wake naturally. During these silent and dreamlike days, I read books and magazines, enjoyed fresh brewed espresso, took long baths and walked the grounds.  I embraced the solitude and managed quite nicely without any concerns. At lunchtime the hunters returned briefly to eat and rest.  Soon after they would leave for their afternoon hunt and I would dally around until roughly 5pm when it was time to report the kitchen.

Lucas, their young and funny gourmet chef, took me behind the scenes and allowed me to observe, chop, stir, roll and, best of all, taste until dinner was plated.   I would then join the hunters, once again, around a large wood dining table to savor fresh grilled steak accompanied by chimichurri sauce, saffron potatoes stuffed with fresh herbed butter and a delicate, but delicious dessert consisting of caramelized apples and homemade ice cream.

It wasn’t one particular moment, but the sum of this very personal experience that left me with a positive and rejuvenating impression.  My time in the pampas was reminiscent of endless days I spent in my youth that I had long forgotten about…and now, long to have.

Attending a presentation by Professor John Roth was like taking a mini-course in Philosophy.  I envy those students who get a whole semester/quarter with him.   It was a thoughtful and inspirational evening.   I didn’t take notes, but here is what I recollect.  As you can see, he definitely found his leverage.

Questions are valuable, they open doorways for thought:
Sometimes questions offer more than answers. Their value lies in possibilities.
Here are some age old questions to ponder and to ask young people in your life:

What is important?

1. What is better?
2. What is right?
3. What is truth?

Current American Society
From a historical perspective, how will we be remembered?

1. Admiration
2. Judgment
3. As a time where a great deal of attention was paid to Human Rights

On Personal Responsibility and Civic Duty
What are you doing?
Are you doing enough?
– and / or –
What did we do?
Could we have done more?
Could it have been better?