HagaFinn's BlogSpot: Happy Veterans Day and Thanks to Fathers

A Sunny Veterans Day Morning in Juneau

Today dawned sunny and cold (the cold is normal--not the sunshine) and a great day to celebrate Veterans Day. Neil put out the US flag on the deck and took the above picture around mid morning. The sunshine was great to see since we have had a mixed bag of weather over the past several days, including driving rain, mixed rain and snow (snain?) and some sunshine. All in all it seems like it has been a pretty good Fall, but maybe we are just enjoying it more knowing it is our last one here in Juneau. There is a life lesson in there somewhere.

We have been thinking about our fathers today and how they sacrificed a lot in their military service during World War II, and what it must have been like to go overseas to serve during that conflict. It reminds us of the saying "If you can read, thank a teacher; but thank a Veteran that you can read it in English". It is one crazy world out there today, and it is also good to remember all of the Veterans who have kept this country free. Here is a little bit about our favorite Veterans.

Wilbur Finney at His Wedding

Pamela's Dad, Wilbur Finney enlisted at the beginning of WWII and was sent overseas with the US Army. He served in the infantry and served under General Patton as they fought their way through Europe. He returned to Oregon to wife Carol and raised Seth and Pamela in Molalla, Oregon. He was a dedicated family man who could fix just about anything, and was always there to help friends and neighbors.

Ensign Richard Hagadorn in Oregon

Neil's Dad, Richard Hagadorn joined the US Coast Guard during WWII after graduating from Kansas State University. He went to "90 Day Wonder School" in Michigan for college graduates and served in the South Pacific on LST's (large, slow, targets) and in Port Angeles, Washington. He taught school in Oregon after the war, and rejoined the US Coast Guard with a recommission and retired after thirty years of service all over the country in Ketchikan, Alaska. He is still enjoying retirement in Silverdale, Washington. Happy Veterans Day to everyone!

We have good news on the house sale, in that we have accepted an offer to sell the house and are planning on packing and moving by the end of this month. There is still the appraisal and inspection steps for the buyer to go through, but we pray that all will go well and in a timely way. It will be a frantic several weeks for us with the packers showing up before Thanksgiving for three days and then finishing the week after. We will have the Fifth Wheel, GMC truck, and VW packed and we have a ferry reservation for December 13th from Juneau to Bellingham. We will either stay in the Fifth Wheel trailer at a full service campground near the ferry terminal or with friends if we vacate the house before our ferry leaves.

Over the next nine days before the packers arrive, we will be sorting, tossing and giving away things before the packers show up on November 21st. Fortunately, Neil's back is feeling much better and as long as he doesn't try to lift heavy things, he is off "light duty" and into at least "medium duty" tasks like sorting tools and getting things moved to the Fifth Wheel.