Many Things Have Happened.

Monday August 31, 2015 "letter" from Fr. Hattie received via email.

Below is my transcription of the letter (shown above) which I received from Fr. Hattie via email on Monday August 31, 2015. It was a nice gift to receive because August 31st is a tough day for me since it is the anniversary of my (failed) marriage. Also, see below for another significance for August 31st.

Anyway, as usual, I have taken the liberty of giving the scan a slight tint to suggest the Aerogram letters that Father used to send when he was overseas. My transcription has also attempted to make up for any typos or light impressions or overstrikes from Father's manual typewriter. As you can see (above), Father literally types his letter and has someone scan it to a JPEG file and email it to me.

Overall, my goals for the transcription are to make it easier for anyone to read the letter but not to compromise the intent and meaning. If I missed something or got it wrong or if there is something you don't understand, please let me know (e.g., post a comment below or email me or call me, etc).

For other letters from Father Hattie to me, as well as information on how to contact Fr. Hattie, see my Fr. Hattie page. It also includes information on how you can donate to help "his" orphans in Nsumba, Uganda.

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My dear Rick:                  Peace of Christ!

     Hope that you have not been bothered by this late reply. But, Sr. Christine is a full-time teacher and is Superior of her community and has to do this work between jobs. In any case, thanks so much for your kind, thoughtful & generous Gift of $XX.00 for my kids, appreciated much more because the number of former donors is decreasing little by little. It is the 'regulars' who keep the orphanage going. The people who have much don't seem to want to give. So, thank God for loyal friends like you.

     During the past 2 weeks many things have happened. I celebrated my 75 years as a Jesuit & 62 years as a priest.[*]  It would seem that I am one of the oldest Members of the Province. The good Lord must have good reasons for allowing me [to] hang in there for so long.

     We had another funeral. This poor priest had been a mere vegetable for the past 16 years...remembered nothing, recognized no one & had to be fed and bathed like a baby. It was a blessing that God finally called him Home. He had only 2 living sisters & no one else.

     I hope that this is not a repetition, but a short while back I had a delightful visit with a young African Jesuit priest whom I had taught in Uganda. You can be sure that I had a 100 questions about Africa & all my friends there.

     I just saw in the newspaper that the President & Vice President of Southern Sudan had signed a Peace agreement after 2 years of war. Poor Sudan (both North & South) haven't known real peace for about 30 years & it has always been about Muslims and Christian[s]. This time the UN & the USA threatened all kinds of sanctions if they did not sign a peace agreement. Let us hope and pray that this one will last. Over the past 30 years, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed & millions displaced. When I was in So. Sudan for 2 years, whenever we left the compound, we never had any certainty of returning. This present war is a war, also, between the two main Tribes for supremacy.  It is a shame, that although Africa is, by far, the richest Continent, it is also the poorest. But, more of that later. Until next time,

Tons of love & gratitude for your latest generous Gift of $XX.00 for my kids.

Fr. Gene, SJ

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Notes:

* See biography of Fr. Hattie. According to the article, he became a member of the Jesuits on August 31, 1940 and ordained a priest on November 21, 1953.
** I don't know exactly what article Fr. Hattie saw about the South Sudan peace agreement, but I found an article from Reuters from August 26th that provides some details. There is a lot of info about the UN in Sudan and the war. I usually like to start at Wikipedia and go from there.
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Links:

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2011/08/it-was-20-years-ago-today.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerogram
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPEG
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html
http://www.visituganda.com/
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2013/08/father-hattie.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/26/us-southsudan-unrest-president-idUSKCN0QV1MF20150826
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Mission_in_Sudan
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Written Sunday October 25. 2015.

Balloon Hunt!

Yesterday on our way home from the Terryville Country Fair , I lamented to my son, Richard, that we probably missed the 2015 Plainville Fire Company Hot Air Balloon Festival. Now, he has mixed feelings about hot air balloons since we attended the NW CT Balloon Festival and Craft Fair in Goshen, CT in (I think) 2003. That was real neat because we saw a lot of unusual shapes such as a huge American flag, and a space shuttle. But what he would like to forget probably is that we got up at 5 a.m. to drive an hour to see them take off at 6 a.m. (Did we do that?)

In 2012 we spent the day at the Plainville Hot Air Balloon Fest and Car Show and returned that evening to watch take off at 6 p.m. but all we got to see was a couple of balloons filled up, with one tethered. I think one might have lifted off.

So as we were driving home yesterday, we decided to swing by the park in Plainville to see if anything was going on. And it sure was. We got stuck in a tremendous traffic jam. Thank God for A/C.

We were almost near the park by 6 p.m. when we spotted several balloons in the air, having just lifted off. Richard spotted one that seemed to have difficulty gaining altitude and "suggested" that we try to follow it instead of battling the crowds at the park, etc. And so we did.

Several times we thought it was about to land (or crash). Finally, it actually did touch down in the parking lot of an abandoned factory. But then, as we were turning around and trying to decide what to do, it took off again!

Just about ready to land (first time) behind the factory in background.

As we resumed our hunt, Richard noticed a large pickup truck with a magnetic sign identifying it as a hot air balloon support vehicle. And then we realized that the SUV following us was also an official balloon chase vehicle. So we tried to keep them in sight.

When it seemed as though the balloon had disappeared behind the trees in front of us into a lake, we lost sight of the chase vehicles and the balloon. When we found a nearby adjacent road, the balloon had regained lift and was actually soaring pretty well. So we headed home (with our eyes open).

As we got to the top of a ridge, we again spotted the balloon as it appeared to be descending (again). And then we saw the chase vehicles again and we rejoined the pursuit!

Touchdown! A safe landing!

Unfortunately, we didn't actually see the balloon land but we encountered it shortly after it touched down in a cul-de-sac in a residential neighborhood. Boy, were those home owners surprised!

Me, Richard, and Hot Air Balloon

Everyone was out on their front lawn staring in amazement at the visitors from the sky. We learned that there were four passengers (two couples). When it first landed in the factory parking lot, one of the men had to jump out and give the basket a push (to get them in the right direction apparently and away from the trees and wires).

Quickly, as the sun was setting (in the background), everyone helped to pack up the balloon. Even we were enlisted. Each of us hoisted a section of the rolled up balloon on our shoulders and marched over to the truck and stuffed it in a "small" bag.

Starting to deflate the balloon.

Disassembly

Roll up the balloon.

Stuffing the balloon in its bag.

And so it was surprisingly quickly over. Though we missed seeing the inflation and take off, we ended up witnessing a much more exciting chase and safe conclusion and actually became (a small) part of the flight.

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Links:

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/08/at-terryville-country-fair.html
http://www.plainvillefireco.com/Balloon_Festival.html

Written Sunday August 30, 2015.

At the Terryville Country Fair

Yesterday (Saturday 8/29/15) , my son, Richard, and I paid our annual visit to The Terryville Lions Country Fair.  We've gone to this for a number of years (including last year, 2014). We like it because it seems like a real agricultural fair with animals, food, carnival rides, and fireworks.

Some of the rides at the fair.

We arrived ~1 p.m. and stayed until nearly 5:30 p.m. $9 admission per adult; free parking.

Just as we entered, I had to stop and watch the "Women's Iron Skillet Toss." Wow! Where can you see something like that nowadays? I'd like to see  what the winners' husbands look like, if they are still alive.

Map of the Fair grounds.

After a quick tour of the fairgrounds, we grabbed a bit to eat. Richard got chicken on a stick and Mountain Dew soda; I got a hamburger with fruit punch Gatorade. We ate sitting on the bleachers watching the Horse Draw Contest. This consists of pairs of horses trying to pull a sled (boat) containing several tons of concrete weights. We watched the first round where the pull consisted of three (3) tons (3,000#s). The horses have to pull the sled a certain distance within a given time period. When they did, the female announcer would proclaim, "All the way!"  There were 10 teams, some from CT and some from MA, RI, VT, and NY. 

Since we were sitting in the sun (it seemed hotter than low 80s), we took a break by going inside the nearby Hobby Building. The entries always boggle our minds since it looks like some parent or spouse cleaned up a room by scooping up a doll collection, Matchbox car collection, Pez collection, Lego, etc. and took it to the fair. One girl ("Jazz Albuquerque" -could that be a real name?) even displayed her collection of ribbons she had won over the years at various local fairs.

We continued through another building (aptly named The Commercial Building) where people were selling all kinds of household items and the like. The next building (Home & Garden) was dedicated to amateur photography, baking, veggies, flower arrangements, and quilts.

We briefly watched the Lumberjack show but we've seen it so many times, we practically know the lines by heart. We moved on and peeked in several model RV trailers.

Feeding the sheep (or is it the KKK?)

Then we walked through the different animal barns: swine, cows, goats, chickens/ducks, sheep, goats. Some sheep were wearing a covering that made me think of the KKK. We found a rabbit that reminded us of Richard's cat, Spots (see picture below).

A friend for Spots?

Richard did his annual ride on the The Avalanche. Apparently, the amusement company that does this fair is the only one in the state with this ride. I had a challenging time trying to take a picture with my phone because the sun was shining from directly behind the ride at me (not to mention that the phone has a crummy camera). The good part was that I found two (2) tickets on the ground (so it only cost me $2 more to get the required four tickets).

Richard (extreme left wearing orange) on the Avalanche

While sharing a lemon Italian ice, we watched the garden tractor pull (similar to the draft horse pull (see above).but it was set up poorly and we could not see. So after chatting with the man who was at a rebuilt 2 cycle engine from 1902, we moved on. We miss the garden tractor races they had several years ago. We stopped to look at the antique farm tractors and got to vote for our favorites. Richard was a heretic and did not vote for a McCormick Farmall (but I did).

Richard at the antique farm tractors

While Richard got some onion rings, I bought some kettle corn for his mom. Then we watched some more of the Draft Horse pull (they were up top 8 tons now). "All the way!!!"

Richard got a pickle to munch on during the ride home. My car is going to smell like garlic pickles now (well, in some ways, that may be an improvement).

And so it was enough for one day. Not worth staying until 10 p.m. for fireworks. Anyway, more adventures awaited us on the way home. "All the way!"

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Links:

http://terryvillefair.org
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2014_08_30_archive.html
http://www.tufanoamusement.com/rides/ridedetail.asp?ID=5

Written Sunday August 30, 2015

Sunset Tour (Cedar Hill)

Photo by Katie Jackson

This evening (6:30 p.m. start) was my second tour at Cedar Hill Cemetery. (See my post about my first tour in July). This evening's theme was "Sunset." The idea was that the tour would finish at the top of one of the hills in time to view the sunset. And basically, that is what happened.

I had to leave work promptly at 5 p.m., go home and change clothes, and drive to the cemetery. Just made it in time (no speeding).

Foolishly, like last time, I did not take notes nor take pictures. Instead, I just soaked it all in. Some of the graves we visited included:

• General Griffin Stedman

• Katharine Hepburn (actress)

Marker for Hepburn family plot.

• Mark Howard

Mark Howard's pyramid tomb.
(I took this picture in Oct 2015)

Of course, there were others (it was a 90 minute tour) but I have no notes. All-in-all, a fascinating and pleasant evening. Good sunset too.

From the CHF Facebook site. I am on the left (back to camera).

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Links:

http://www.cedarhillcemetery.org

http://cedarhillfoundation.org/notable-residents/general-griffin-stedman

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Written Friday 27 November 2015 (a good time to catch up a bit).
Added FB pic August 13, 2016 (Sat).

Stratford Lighthouse...Revisited

Advertisement for Open House/Tour.

When my son, Richard, was little (as in elementary school age), we went to the Stratford lighthouse and to our surprise were invited in for our own private tour. The keepers had just moved in and were delighted to have visitors. A few years later we returned to find "No Trespassing" signs all over the place.

So when I saw that there was going to be an open house, I knew we had to attend. The Coast Guard claimed that the last time the lighthouse was open to the public was in 1973 (42 years ago). So who knows if and when we would be able to visit again. Nostalgia time!

Typically, I was not in a big rush so we didn't get there until about 2:30 p.m. I wasn't expecting a big crowd but I was shocked to discover I was wrong (this time). The streets were packed with parked cars. Richard was frustrated and suggested it was not worth our time. But, as usual, I persisted and we were able to get to the top. Little did we realize how long a wait it would cost us.

Waiting in line at the start.

Fortunately, the Coast Guard were very good hosts and didn't throw us out at the time of the scheduled closing (3 p.m.). Instead, they were very polite and hospitable and went up and down the line assuring us that everyone would get a chance to see the lighthouse and go to the top. 

We were out of this picture at the left.

As the weather was a perfect August day (sunny and hot), I quickly returned to the car to retrieve the sunscreen. We had a nice time chatting with the others in line. In front of us was a woman and her husband. She worked at a nearby Stop & Shop and had convinced a young female colleague to come along. Unfortunately, Toria was dressed head to toe in black leggings and LS shirt (because of the cold AC in the store). While this surely was warm, it kept her protected from sunburn.

This gives an indication of the line. We are towards the end of line at right.

They were selling hotdogs, burgers, soda, and bottles of water at very reasonable prices. Around 5 p.m. they sold dogs and burgers 2 for 1 and also gave away the water and soda.

Getting closer. This was the view from the far corner of the fence.

The Coast Guard Commander of the Sector Long Island Sound, Captain Ed Cubanski, walked up and down the line chatting with everyone and answering questions about the Coast Guard and the lighthouse. He told us he lives in the adjacent keepers house.

Capt Cubanski chatting with visitors.

When we reached the lighthouse, it was close to 6 p.m. and there were only a few people behind us in line.

These were the last in line behind us.

At the base of the lighthouse, a Coast Guard sailor gave us an introduction. We were allowed to go up as soon as people before us came down.

This sign is posted at the door of the lighthouse.

These are some of the stairs we had to climb.

The spiral staircase took us to a small room just below the lamp level. There was a seven rung ladder that you had to climb in order to get to the lamp. We had to wait again until people from above descended.

Rules for Visitors sign posted.

Finally, we got to the top. It really wasn't a dramatic view since the lighthouse is only 35-ft high (but about 52-ft above the water). Still, it was a nice view. Unfortunately, we could not go out on the surrounding catwalk. As you can see by comparing the pictures below with those above, the sky had clouded up by the time we reached the top.

View from the top (looking East towards Milford).

Looking directly down (south side) at water's edge.

The light.

When we climbed down and got out, we had to wash our hands due to the lead paint "hazard." When one of Coast Guard sailors asked if the view was worth the wait, I candidly said, "not really." Actually, it was hard to believe that we waited so long but who knows when the next time we will be able to go there? The Captain said he'd like to do this annually but he is only scheduled to be stationed there another year. It will be a while before we will want to return but hopefully one day we will be able to come back (but not have to wait in line for so long).

The newspapers later reported that only about 500 or so visitors were originally anticipated. However, close to 2,300 actually went to the top of the lighthouse this time. And that included Richard and me!

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Links:

http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=793
http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2577502/-Photos-Available-Coast-Guard-opens-historic-lighthouse-to-the-public-for-tours
http://www.uscg.mil/d1/sectlis/docs/bio.asp
http://www.uscg.mil/d1/antLIS/files/lights/spl.asp
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Written Wednesday 30 December 2015 (I just had to eventually get this logged).

Ugandan Martyrs

Letter received Thursday August 6, 2015 in the mail from Fr. Hattie.

Below is my transcription of the above letter. I have taken the liberty of giving the scan a slight tint in order to recall the Aerogram letters Father used to send when he was in Uganda. I also have "adjusted" the text to account for any typos, light impressions, and overstrikes (he literally types his correspondence using a manual typewriter). Overall, my goal for the transcription is to be faithful to the intention of the text and meaning. If I missed something or there is something you don't understand, please let me know.

In several ways this was an unusual letter:

1. An actual letter arrived in an envelope via US Postal Service (metered 08/03/2015) rather than the more recent emails.
2. It also contained two (2) pictures. See below, where they are incorporated in the transcription.
3. Since his previous post, Father celebrated his 93rd birthday (on July 18th)! See the short biography post for an overview of Father's life.
4. Much of the letter is a response to an article I sent him about Feast of the Martyrs of Uganda. The article was from the Fall 2014 issue (Volume LVII, No. 4) of the Divine Word Missionaries magazine (pp. 2-5).

For more letters and information on how to get in touch with Father, see my Fr. Hattie page. It also includes how to donate to help "his" orphans in Nsumba, Uganda.

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My dear Rick:                   Peace of the Risen Christ!

     So sorry to be late in writing, but I was in Canton for a week celebrating my 93rd Birthday & visiting donors. But, I was not at all ungrateful, but intensely delighted, by your kind & generous Gift of  $XXX.XX for my lovable orphans. It is regular donors like you that keep the place going. Sadly enough, we don't get a single penny from the Ugandan Government. Two years ago, the President promised solemnly to get us piped water from Lake Victoria, but we're still waiting. He is too busy trying to remain in Office after 29 years. So it goes.

     I enjoyed immensely the Article about the Ugandan Martyrs & I attended the Mass every year that I was there. In a small lake, surrounded by hills is a small artificial lake.  A short distance from the shore is an immense round platform that holds the altar and 400 priests, for that many concelebrate each year.  People leave home at 3 in the morning for the 10 a.m. mass, for the roads are jammed & mostly one way that day. All the police of Kampala are on duty. Some sleep all night at the grounds to get a good place & some come in wheelchairs on a journey that requires 2 weeks. Each year a different Bishop and Diocese prepare the ceremony.

     There is a walk that leads to the platform for offering gifts & that ceremony takes at least 45 minutes. Goats, pigs, chickens, vegetables & fruit are offered, plus money. It is a sight worth seeing & there is not a peep from any of the babies or kids. The President & his wife always attend. The Protestants have no celebration for their 22 martyrs (we had 23), so most of them attend the Catholic one. Every year there are some visitors from abroad & the newspaper is full of pictures. On that day, neither liquor nor beer is allowed to be sold or drunken. This sight is really seeing & taking part in, but it lasts about 5 hours. But, for Africans it is a religious & social affair that just wouldn't work in these good ol' USA.

Caption on back: "Some of my 1000 African Orphans (boys & girls) of different Religions.
It has been said that food is the quickest way to a boy's heart. But, just give one of those little guys
a baseball cap, old or new, and whether it fits or not, and he will think that he is the cat's meow."
[Note "Ssali" marked on cap of boy at bottom row right]

     Enclosed is a picture of Denis & myself. He is my adopted son that I picked up off the street some time ago. He hasn't a single relative, and, when he was about 6, he said: "All the kids in the school have a Dad except me. Can I please call you Dad?" And, it has been that ever since.

Caption on back: "Ssali Denis & myself "
 (Fr. Hattie on right, Note Father's "Jesuit" cap.)

     My love to your Mom when you speak to her & be sure that all of you have a super-prominent place in my daily Mass & prayers and in those of my 6 precious African Sisters who run the orphanage, and in those of the orphans, too. Daily they recite prayers for their donors.

Tons of love & gratitude,                                         

     

                              Fr. Gene, SJ      

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Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerogram

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2013/08/father-hattie.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_Martyrs
http://www.svdmissions.org/
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/4ffd82a8#/4ffd82a8/4
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html

Written Sunday August 23, 2015