Springfield, OR

I thought a long time (for me anyway) about whether to write this blog or not. I didn't want to come across as if I were tooting my own horn just to hear it toot. I changed my mind about that when I was talking with a Realtor® that I really trust on the Springfield Board of Realtors® and she convinced me that it was the right thing to do, so here it is.

On Tuesday, the Springfield Board of Realtors® (SBOR) announced their 2008 Affiliate of the Year and it was me. To say that I was surprised was an understatement. For one of the very few times in my life, I was speechless. All I could say was, Thank You! For those that know me, I am as wordy in person as in my blog.

Why is this important? I joined the SBOR, not as an affiliate member as part of my company, but as me. At the time, I was working for a national bank but I wanted to be part of the vibrant city that I live in. I am a proud resident of Springfield and support the growth plan for the city that is being helped through SBOR.

The definition of affiliate (noun) is: to associate oneself; be intimately united in action or interest. There are a lot more listed, but this sums up my position. I really like the "intimately united" part, because we are. We are all pulling for the growth of our city, county and state.

I like the people I associate with on SBOR, they are honest, hard working, caring and capable people. So, again, Thank You, Springfield Board of Realtors. This is an honor I will long remember.

Fred Chamberlin, senior mortgage consultant, Springfield/Eugene Oregon, 541-342-7576

While I was at the Fiesta Latina Saturday night, I tried a night view of the bridge over the Willamette River. I think it came out better than I expected. Needless to say, taking this kind of a picture with flash doesn't work. So, what do you think, is the picture worth the space?

Our rivers are beautiful, day or night. Come for a visit! I got an extra bedroom. :-D Carolyn, this eye candy is for you!

Viva La Fiesta!A celebration of Latin music, food, art and dance at Springfield's Island Park Friday and Saturday. Bienvenidos!

Bands played, dancers danced, food vendors fed patrons, car nuts saw the inside of low riders and found out how the heck they could jump up and down.

Take a look at what that takes:

Here is an interesting steering wheel:

The display of art was wonderful. My favorite is this one:

Of course, if you were hungry, you could try some bananas:

There was an excellent selection of food. Tried the enchiladas from Guatemala, the rellena from Peru and some wonderful tamales from Mexico. The green was spicy and better than the red. I was kind of surprised that the other food was actually kind of bland.

I thought the cost was a bit steep for what was being offered, but I might be wrong. It was $7 per person or $5 with the donation of 3 canned goods. Music was good, cars were interesting, art was wonderful but there wasn't much else in the evening.

I know there will be many people that will post basically this same blog today, but I still want to be one of them. I was getting dressed in the bedroom in Boise Id while watching Fox News (yes, I am one of those conservative types.) When all of a sudden, the program was interruped with a scene so unbelievable that my wife and I stopped getting ready for work and were glued to the TV.

We saw what had happened to one of the twin towers and while we were watching a second plane crashed into the other. What in the world was happening?

The heroics of the passengers aboard Flight 93 will always be part of America. The people we lost from these attacks will be missed in our communities. One question that everyone was asking was very well summed up by Alan Jackson with this song.

My concern now is what Daryl Worley expressed in his song, "Have We Forgotten?"I hope that we haven't forgotten that there are people out there that still want to kill us and our civilization. Are we the best neighbors to the world? I don't know, but we don't deserve to be despised and attacked.

As you may be able to tell, I am a fan of country music. I think that it portrays how a lot of us are feeling most of the time. That doesn't mean that I think that it protrays my feelings all of the time, but I do think that these two songs portray how I feel about our military. I am a Vietnam era veteran and I know what it is like to come back home to less than a hero's welcome. Never forget, these men are heros. No matter what your opinion of our government or elected official is, the men in the military are risking their lives for you and yours.

My son is a Gulf War vet (Navy) and I am very proud of his service to his country. Thanks for taking a few minutes to read my tribute.

I got a call yesterday from my 6 year old granddaughter. She is the apple of her Grandfather's eye and knows how to make this gruff (sometimes) old man melt. I took her and her little brother to Disney World just after New Year's and am their favorite grandparent.

Now, I don't know if Disney World earned me the title or it is just because I am so warm and cuddly, but whatever the reason, I like it.

She called because she has to write about her favorite grandparent for a school assignment and needed to interview me for the assignment. She needed to know my favorite hobby (I said grandchildren but it is probably fishing with grandchildren), my favorite book, The Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour and my favorite food, chicken.

Then I thought about this song and hoped that the time would come that she would ask me the questions that Naomi was covering in it. I can remember asking my grandmother questions, but never enough to really know what it was like growing up in the 1800s. I did talk to my dad about what it was like to travel places in a horse and wagon. But my grandkids can never imagine what it was like growning up without a bathroom in the house. I was 7 before we got one.

I remember what it was like to watch TV that only came in black and white in a dark room (that was the day you did it back then.) I remember walking to school (1.8 miles) until I started High School, because our elementary school didn't have busses. Besides that, the school only had 4 rooms for 8 grades, plus a cafeteria and a gym.

Now, I have difficulty walking but love strolling with my girl. I would not like being a parent in today's environment. There are too many things that can hurt your kids out there, so I love and worry about my grandkids all the time. May they have the best of life, I think they may just earn it. BTW, she called because they live in Kentucky, a whole country away. I miss them and I miss my other grandchildren in Salem and Idaho. Family!

To all the other grandparents out there, Happy Grandparents Day!