Larry Hamilton

Thanks Paula and Ron, It is my favorite show ha ha

Larry Hamilton

Soooo finally arrived home. 22 days, 7,117 miles and 122 hours in the car.

and.....uh......Zzzzzzzzzzz

Larry Hamilton

I did have some companions on the western part of my return.

Who do they think they're fooling? ;)

Larry Hamilton

Shot this short video panorama, during that walk through the woods at Bull Run Battlefield...can even hear the birds and crunching of the leaves. Sorry, couldn't duplicate the nutty smell of that forrest, but it's the closest I could come to putting you there.

Not sure if this will work but here goes. You may have to paste into your browser, but it's so worth it, I promise!

(Ok I just tried it and pasting into your browser works, if the link click doesn't.  Click on the video, to get sound, once you bring it up.)

I got your fall colors right here: 

https://www.facebook.com/larry.hamilton.988/videos/10212533453429100/

Sharon Mc Kane (Halstead)

Larry

Great photos.  Did you work for NRO when you worked in Chantilly?    Take care.

Sherri

Diane Raymond (Ball)

Lovely panorama, Larry!  Beautiful clear blue sky and leaf color.  No sound, though, and I tried everything I know.

Thanks for sharing.

Larry Hamilton

Diane, thanks.  The sound is just me crunching around as I turn, and some birds in the distance.  So when you click on the link, and it starts playing the video....hover the cursor over the video and click your mouse, that will turn on the sound. I just tried it and it works. ;)

Sharon: no I worked for Marvin F. Poer, a property tax consulting firm.  I really loved that job because I got to travel all over Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware representing clients at tax appeal hearings. Good memories, except for one of the hearings where the assessor and I had a very heated exchange. He tried to represent me as a "hired gun from California" and I did my best to discredit his competence.

It wasn't until after the hearing, when I walked back to the parking garage, that I realized that I'd left my wallet at home. I had to borrow lunch money from the assessor. : /

Larry Hamilton

Last two photos I promise!  I decided to seek out a couple of places from my early past. The first is the Hamilton farmhouse, in Pendleton Indiana, my boyhood home through 4th grade.  My family moved to California when I was going into 5th grade.  Dad raised pigs, and grew corn to feed them. It has a gravel circular driveway, and my earliest memory is slipping on ice, and falling on my keister, running for the school bus. It had a great barn to play in.  I remember jumping out of the hayloft into a pile of hay ( I dont think Dad knew about that). The only time I remember getting spanked by dad was when I decided to visit my grandparents who lived on the farm next door to us.  I didn't tell mom and she thought I'd drowned in the creek. I remember my grandfather answering the phone and telling me that there was trouble waiting for me at home. :(

Larry Hamilton

3608 Charles Street, in Omaha Nebraska.  I can't remember most of addresses I lived at but 50 yrs later this one I remember.  I lived here, along with three other Vista Volunteers, while we were stationed in Omaha's black community known as the "near north side". I spent the first year, of a 3 yr hitch in Vista, serving this area.  What made this first year all the more interesting was that, when we arrived, there was a full blown riot going on, and we could see that a huge part of the community was on fire as our plane was landing. A 13 yr old girl by the name of Vivian Strong, had been shot in the back by an Omaha policeman as she fled a birthday party, that the police were breaking up. The day before we arrived, he was acquited of her death....and so it goes.

There were two highlights, during my year there; the first was being invited back stage by Peter, Paul, and Mary to hang out with them after their concert there.  The guy I was with asked a security guard to pass them a note welcoming them to Omaha and signed it as "The Vistas". I told my friend that we needed to hurry to our seats, but he wanted to wait to see if there was a response.  Sure enough the security guard came back a few minutes later and told us to meet him after the concert, that he would take us back stage, and that they wanted to meet us.  I said "they want to meet who?".  I was stunned. After the concert, the guard took us back to a concrete corridor and the three of them were sitting in an alcove waiting for us.  Seeing how nervous we were, Peter said "first of all don't think of us as that performance machine you just saw on stage, let's rap about what you are doing here, we'd like to here about it".  After a while Paul and Mary had to leave for a party at Creighton University, but Peter stayed behind for another hour and we talked about the war and social justice issues.  It was so unreal.

The other highlight involved a one man show Henry Fonda was giving at the Omaha Playhouse (where he got his start).  He was doing a fund raiser for the playhouse, I was a huge fan of his, and jumped at the chance to see him in person.  I got a great seat 3 rows back and in the middle. It was always a shock to me to see someone that famous in person and I was gobsmacked. After his performance, I was making my way through the double doors that lead to the lobby, when someone extended a hand and I found myself shaking hands with Henry Fonda.  He'd been personally thanking people for coming, and as I turned to walk away, he suddenly engaged me in conversation. I can't remember how we landed on the subject of where I was from, but he asked me what I was doing in Omaha.  I explained for a few minutes, as he waved other people off, and he listened intently.  After a few minutes of this he said "my daughter Jane would be very interested in hearing this, she is quite involved in social issues".  Looking over his shoulder I replied "is she here?". He laughed and replied "no".

Sharon Mc Kane (Halstead)

Thanks for sharing all of your adventures past and present.   I don't remember you from school???  Hope to meet you, if we have another reunion.  Sherri

Paula Quandt (Libby)

One of the great things about this site is, the posting of our graduation pictures.  We've all changed, even if we think we haven't and once I see the pictures, it's like I'm right back in high school, seeing you all again, walking those halls.
 

Diane Raymond (Ball)

I agree, Paula, it's good to put a face, which one remembers, to a current face.

Larry Hamilton

Mary Pieratt, CBS Sunday Morning, did a story on Istanbul this morning.  Part of it even discussed the kind of deserts they make there.  They lost me with the chicken pudding ha ha.  Just wondered if you saw it?

Larry.

Douglas L Murray (Murray)

Hey Mary

I have been wondering as well about your Istanbul adventures. Last I checked there was some serious visa hang ups for U.S. citizens trying to go to Turkey. Are you still going?

And Larry

Awesome stories about your Vista days. Important work that never got the kind of attention it should have, although hanging with the "beautiful people" must have been quite the juxtaposition.

And Mary

Remember our dinner with Etta James, the night club show, and then you driving me to the bus station in the middle of the night so I could get to the Mexican border for the morning crossing?

Kenneth Owen

Larry,

If you ever go to Istanbul, ask them if you can have the Pork Pudding.

Mary Pieratt

Doug, OMG....that’s right!  I always pride myself on my memory, too....I remember driving you to the bus? (but I didn’t have a car I don’t think)....but forgot about Etta, that was a gas working with her!  I’m glad you got to see her, she was a wonderful person.  So....the visa problems have been allievated today and Turkish Air is offering me good prices.  We have over 120 women from all—-mostly women—-over the world meeting there.  I’ve been there before but this will be interesting with what we have going on.   Tourist Board is going out of their way to roll out the red carpet and they have cut cost by at least half so I don’t really think I can pass!   

Mary Pieratt

Larry, I’m just now seeing your note re Istanbul, so I did miss the show but thanks for thinking bout me.  The visa restriction has been dropped and Turkish Air is offering me some good fares.  I think I will go, really like Istanbul and I got these people started putting this thing together, now people from all over the world are meeting up, over 140 so far.  Enjoyed your road trip vicariously, BTW

Larry Hamilton

Ken: I don't think so! ha ha

Doug: I remember coming into my office, at legal aid one day, and you were there visiting with Sam Chapman. I remember having a nice visit with you that day.  I think you were back from somewhere in South America, or were living there at the time? If I remember right, you had long hair and a beard so I didn't recognize you immediately. :)

Mary: you can see the video of that episode if you go on CBS.com and click on the tab "CBS Sunday Morning". I think that episode was called "just deserts". Sounds like you will have plenty of company, and it sounds amazing!  Have a great trip, and do a few posts if you can!

Mary Pieratt

Larry, I will check it out!  The food there is pretty amazing, and healthy.  Breakfast is the big meal, in my case....late breakfast.  The men are beautiful and interesting countryside.  Pork pudding or baklava aren’t my thing so I’m safe!  There are interesting/opposite types of development going on in Istanbul right now, it is always interesting.  But the reason all these women want to go there is to meet their favorite Turkish actors.  It’s becoming a movement.  And the unforeseen side of this is the empowerment that middle eastern women are getting from these exported shows and films.  I’m just there for the tourism and sociological ramifications🤣🤣🤣🤣 not to meet the handsome men>/p>

Larry Hamilton

Mary, this is something that I've never heard of. Ever since you first mentioned Istanbul, I'd always wondered what brought you there.  I accept your explanation ;)  No really.  Stay safe.

Douglas L Murray (Murray)

Ah Mary, you warm the heart of a retired Sociologist. When students ask me what can I do with a degree in Sociology, I now have yet another wonderful example of the discipline at work.

Bruce Erricson

Mmmm Hmmm.  Love that discipline........

Mary -- I see that thanks to Trump's action re: the Holy Land, Turkey (among other countries) is very upset with us.  Please tread wisely & carefully.

Mary Pieratt

YES....if I’m lucky Maybe I can just stay abroad.  I hear they are giving away villas in Italy if one keeps them up!

Doug, I’ve found sociology to be a lot more helpful in life than the History degree I also got, and dance minor just hurt my knees.

And Larry....hahahahahahahahha    

You guys keep me in stitches.

Douglas L Murray (Murray)

Mary - the stitches could be more problematic than you think if you don't stay out of the way in Istanbul. Now a villa in Italy, that's more my speed although everyone I know who has spent time in Turkey loves it.

And Larry, I remember visiting you and Sam way back then at the Legal Aid office. Was Sam working with Barbara Boxer back then? Have not heard about Sam in many years. At this stage I hesitate to ask, but do you talk with him? If so send my greetings.

I shaved the beard and lost all the hair. My heavy revvy days. Fortunately I survived. Had some great times a decade later working on some cases with Legal Aid in Salinas.

And Bruce, I had to get a degree in a discipline because no one would otherwise believe I had any. And as soon as I could I got out of it anyway. I always thought of adulthood as a passing phase that led to something  way better...RETIREMENT!

Larry Hamilton

Doug, no Sam was working off his CO draft status as a legal aid attorney at that time. I lost track of him when he went to work with the senator.  I was working with California Rural Legal Assistance at the time, working with welfare rights groups. The last I heard he married a social worker that worked in Napa, and they had two daughters.  I was an usher at his wedding. I had his email address but then changed laptops and lost it. 

Two years ago I decided to fly first class to the east coast rather than drive (way cheaper).  I didn't realize that the person next to me was Senator Boxer untill well into the flight (she worked the whole flight).  I think that Sam became the publisher of one of those "sun-coast" magazines, and lived in Santa Clara county. I worked for the Napa Register for awhile in my second year of college and Sam was a staff reporter with them at that time.  That's when we first became friends. The editor had actually arranged for Sam and I to have a personal interview with the Beatles, on their second tour appearance in San Francisco.  I was to take the pictures and Sam was supposed to interview them. But the editor got miffed when Brian Epstein asked him to change the appointment to a little later, and told Epstein to stuff it. I still haven't forgiven him.