Where has the time gone?

We were attending a Western Independent Bankers Conference in San Francisco, CA.
The year is 1990.

Allen catches a few salmon out of the Columbia River in Oregon.
The year was 1991.

We were having a nice lunch of romaine lettuce leaves with tarragon seasoning, olive oil sprinkled with Parmesan cheese in Calistoga, CA while visiting the wine country in Napa Valley.
The year was 1991.






We are in Lucerne, Switzerland.
The year is 1992.






Donna is standing at the Crown Jewel of Canada, Lake Louise, in Alberta, Canada.
The year is June 1993.






Donna is standing near I.M. Pei's design of the Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
The year is 1994.






We are in Alaska chartering a plane to fly us up to see the highest mountain peak in North America, Mt. McKinley also known as Denali.
The year is September 1995






We are debarking our cruise to Alaska aboard Holland American's Ryndam.
The year is 1995








We are at Khufu's Pyramid (Cheops) the largest pyramid located on the Giza Plateau just outside of Cairo, Egypt.
The year is September 1996.








Donna is standing next to Quan Yin, water and moon statue, at the Waikoloa Resort on the Big Island, Hawaii. We were attending the Western Independent Bankers Conference.
The year is 1997.






Donna is aboard the Silverton, narrow gauge railroad that runs from Durango to Silverton, Colorado.
The year is 1997






Allen is standing near the Carlsbad Caverns sign. That trip in our motorhome covered the Southwest United States.
The year was 1997.







Allen and Donna on Ellis Island, New York with Trade Center Buildings in the background in Manhattan taken on September 3, 2001....one week later on September 11, 2001, the Trade Center Towers were destroyed by terrorists.
The year is etched in our memory 2001.








General Douglas MacArthur's museum in Norfolk, Virginia. He was one of my heroes as I was growing up. I memorized a portion of his Thayer acceptance speech (1962) to the Cadet Corp at West Point.
The year was 2001.

Jody, Donna, Rick and Allen at the Ring of Kerry, Ireland.
County Kerry is famous throughout the world for its natural beauty, and the Ring of Kerry is the most common tourist route for seeing it. It was a big event for Rick returning to his Irish roots. The sun came out that day to welcome it's native son....
Year 2002

The Field of Dreams, Dyersville, Iowa.


"If you build it, they will come"
"This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again".
Those were the words spoken by Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones) to Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) in the 1989 film "Field of Dreams" and little did they know how prophetic those words would be.
 Year 2003

Sawmill on a Maine lake.
The year is 2004.






While we were in Bar Harbor Maine, Donna reconnected with old buddy, Gail (left), from high school days in Huntingdon, PA. They had lost contact for 40 years.
The year was 2004.






The Chicago skyline as seen from Lake Michigan. We rode our bikes along the shore. There were plenty to see and do in Chicago. Highlight was Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park area. Hemingway's birthplace is nearby too. No, we didn't see Michael Jordan or Oprah...
The year was 2004.








Downtown Chicago as seen from the river.
The year is 2004.








Chicago Merchandise Mart.
The year is 2004






This is the Jue Village (my father's village) near Guangzhou, China. Tall structure is the guard lookout post for intruders in the old days.
The year is 2005.






This is my father's home built in 1931, he sent money back to China to grandpa to have this 3 story home constructed. Poppa Jue immigrated to the United States in 1928. I am in the front row with dark shirt, Donna is standing with white shirt. Sisters, Dorothy and Jeanne, are standing 2nd from left and Jeanne is 6th from left in beige pants.
The year is 2005.






Allen and Donna at the Forbidden City.
The year is 2005.








Allen and Donna on the Great Wall of China, Beijing, China.
The year is 2005






Some of our gang on the Li River in Guilin, China.
The year is 2005.

Tuscany, Italy is known for its beautiful landscapes, its rich artistic legacy and vast influence on high culture.
Tuscany is widely regarded as the true birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and has been home to some of the most influential people in the history of arts and science, such as Petrarch, Dante, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Amerigo Vespucci and Puccini.
The year was 2006.

Montachino, Italy. Wonderful medieval walled city. Montalchino's most famous plant the Brunello grapevine, also known as Sangiovese Grosso. The year was 2006.

Montalchino, Italy; daughter, Val, husband, David, daughter Jonee, grandson, Allen, daughter, Kristi and Donna. We rented a house for a month which served as our base for trips to Florence, Siena, Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Pienza, Grosseto, Roselle and Mediterranean Sea. Year is 2006






Silvia and Donna at the famous Biergarten in Munich, Germany.
Year is 2006.






This is the gate of the Dachau Concentration Camp. The words on the gate are translated to "Work will set you free".


The year was 2006.

"First they came for the socialists , and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionists.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."

(Dachau Survivor) Martin Niemöller 1937-1945

(A German Anti-Nazi Theologian January 1892-March 6, 1984)

Hans, Bianco and Silvia enjoying our time at Andechs Monastery (Germany) beer garden. The history of the House of Andechs goes back to the 10th century. The monks began brewing beer in the 1455.
It is located in a rural Bavarian setting, at a monastery that serves hearty food and perhaps the best beer in Germany. At the Andechs Monastery, which crouches quietly with a big smile between two lakes just south of Munich. Come ready to eat tender chunks of pork, huge pretzels, spiraled white radishes, savory sauerkraut, and Andecher monk-made beer 
The year is 2006.






Donna and Allen at the harbor area of Mallorca, Spain. We traveled there with Hans and Silvia.
Year is 2006






Mallorca, Spain's water is emerald clear, the sea and boats are the way of life.
Year is 2006






Silvia and Hans relaxing at a hotel on afternoon munchies and wine in Mallorca, Spain. Our traveling companions for that trip.
Year is 2006






Duluth, Minnesota a place that was so interesting and our first time there.
The year was 2007.






The Roger Blough operating in the Great Lakes. Length 858 (long as football field), beam 105", depth 41' 06", capacity tons 43,900 and diesel engine 15,000 HP. It was awesome to see it up close and personal.
The year was 2007.






We're enjoying retirement in Hawaii and dinner at the Willows Restaurant, Honolulu, Hi.
Year is 2008






Eating again, this time it is in Anacortes, Washington, one of our favorite places and the jumping off point to the San Juan Islands. Donna is having salmon and steak for me.
The year is 2008.






One of the most beautiful marinas is in Anacortes, WA where the Lady of the Sea is waiting for her husband to return.
The year is 2008.






The trestle bridge over Fidago Bay where our RV park is located. We bike, walk or jog this bridge everyday. The trail is 3 miles into town one way. Also that year, diesel gas was $5.00 per gallon, we get 7.2 miles per gallon on our motorhome, therefore, we spent most of the summer and fall in the Northwest one of our favorite places in the USA.
The year is 2008.






Donna and I are at President Reagan's Presidential Library in Somis, CA.
The Year is 2009.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, (Ike) (center and foreground) as a teenager in Abilene, Kansas.
President Eisenhower Presidential Library.
The year was 2009.

President Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas. We learned a lot about Ike and his relationship with his hometown. We ate at one of his favorite hangouts, The year was 2009.

President Harry S Truman of Independence, MO.

President Harry S Truman's Presidential Library in Independence, MO.
The year is 2009.

Allen and Donna visiting President Lincoln's Library in Springfield, IL.
The year was 2009.

President Abraham Lincoln's Presidential Library in Springfield, IL.
The year was 2009






We are enjoying the ambiance of Bar Harbor, Maine.


We did the West to East coast run in our motorhome that included 4 presidential libraries, 17 state capitols, Washington D.C. and from Maine south to South Carolina and back through I-40 back to California.
The year is 2009






Homes along the shore of Mystic River, CT. Also located there is the Mystic Seaport Museum a living museum of 19th century life in New England.
Mystic Pizza was also filmed there starring Annabeth Gish and Julia Roberts, it was the first film for Ms. Roberts.
The year was 2009.






The Boston skyline as seen from the Cambridge side of the St. Charles River. Sail boats are probably from Cambridge University Yacht club. You can see the Capitol Dome in the right side of the picture., if you look real hard.
The year was 2009.






Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory in Burlington, Vermont.
Ben and Jerry began in an old service station in 1978 and are one of the most popular ice creams in the country. Yes, they give free samples during the factory tour.
The year is 2009.






Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
The year was 2009.






The Reynolds mansion was completed in 1885 by Major William Reynolds in Bellefonte, PA.
The home is of late Victorian period featuring a blend of Gothic, Italianate, and Queen Anne styles.
The year is 2009.






Danny (Donna's nephew) and Sarah's wedding at Whispering Pines, Rhode Island.
One of the most elegant and fun weddings ever attended.
The year was 2009

Donna's HS Reunion in Huntingdon, PA.
Bottom row left to right: Lynne (lost Lynne on May 24, 2012), Allen, Donna and Rick
Top row left to right: Kathy, Herbie, Mary Ellen and Barbara, year is 2009.




Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Washington D.C.
Year is 2009.






Allen at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Wall). There are 58,261 names listed including 1200 MIA's, POW's and others.
The year was 2009.








The Memorial (Wall) was designed by an undergraduate at Yale University, Maya Ying Lin, born in Athens, Ohio in 1959. Her parents fled from China in 1949 when Mao-Tse-tung took control of China, she is a native-born American citizen.


The Wall is black granite from Bangalore, India. The cutting of the stone was done in Barre, Vermont. We visited that facility in 2009 while we were in Vermont.
The year is 2009.








My running group in Hawaii, we just finished the Great Aloha Run (8.2 miles).
(bottom left to right) Allen, Pam, and Nola.
(Top left to right) Ron, Donna, Jutta, Bob and Ken.
The year was 2010.

 

Chuck, Jonee and I in Macau. The year was 2010

 

The gang in front of the Jue house in the village. 2010

(Lost Nephew Peter 3/19/2012 -behind Jonee & Donna-waving his hand)

Allen pointing at parents picture on the entrance gate to the village. 2010

 

Allen and Donna in Hong Kong 2010.

 

Allen with daughters Jonee and Kristi in Hong Kong, 2010.

 

The gang at the Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, 2010.

Julie, Kristi, Allen, Jonee, Donna and Chuck at Forbidden City, Beijing, China.
Year is 2010.

Visit from daughters, Kristi and Jonee, in Hawaii

Year is 2011

View of the Hawaiian sunset from Don and Jeanne's condo on the Ala Wai Canal in Honolulu, HI.
The year is 2011

Grandson, Allen, is entering his first year of college at Furman University, S.C. studying Micro-Biology
Year is 2012








This is our motorhome with satellite (computer online) antenna, direct TV, 40 feet in length, washer-dryer, 350 Cummings diesel engine, 37" plasma TV, and our pride and joy, the Tempur-pedic bed.


We also tow a 2004 Honda Element for our side transportation needs.

Our travels has taken us to all 50 states including Alaska which was the trip of "a lifetime". Every state has it's own beauty and we have been impressed with not of man made but of Mother Nature.

We need to appreciate nature for providing us with countless miraculous things on such a beautiful planet, most of which are beyond human control. Indeed, the greatest control we have over nature's gift is the decision to either protect or destroy it.