Children Statues in San Jose

Find these statues in San Jose close to the Guadalupe River and the Arena Park.  I have been by her many times but never noticed these statues of children.

 

San Jose Community Artwork

 

I worked in San Jose for nearly 28 years and these are some of the things I saw around town while commuting or just walking.  This set includes a metal horse, and a San Jose Sharks mural.  The horse is on Bascom Ave. close to San Carlos, and the mural is close to the San Fernando light rail station.  And then a few from the downtown area, including statue from the front of the art museum, Quetzalcoatl statue and a mural in the down town area.  Then below a series of children's sculptures from Guadalupe Park.  And lastly some murals along The Alameda.

San Jose Guadalupe Park Children's Statues

The Alameda Murals

With my new work location sometimes I walk the Alameda to get to the train station.  This sends me past Recycle Books which is a fun place to stop.  I am becoming more familiar with The Alameda.  I have observed a couple murals of note and enjoy the stores.  Unfortunately Schurra's Chocolates has closed.  

This is on the side of Recycle Books

Across the street on the side of a small store

Behind Whole Foods

Ken McNeil-- Friend,

Everyone once in a while there are people who, just by your knowing them, make you a better person.  In my life, Ken was one of those people.  His example let people know how to live more like Jesus.
http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2011/12/ken-mcneil-passed-away-this-morning.html
I and one of my sons, probably both Mark or Jeremy in their turn, were their home teachers for several years.  Their oldest daughter was Jeremy's age, and oldest son Charity's age.  Caleb and Rory were always good friends.  Often we were the recipients of the lesson, through their example.

Ken was a man epitomized by service, kindness, and a mellow outlook.  He was available to help others; whether by loaning them a car in need, giving them money, giving his time.  Ken loved his family.  He married later in life, but was blessed with five children, Lizzy, Martin, Duncan, Rory and Walker.  It was fun to watch him interact with them.  He loved children.

One year Ken and I coached a farm team together for Moreland baseball.  It was my first year getting involved.  He had a couple children on the team.  It was a fun experience, watching his kids heft the equipment to the vehicle. 

We use to do activities together, beach, floating the American River.  They left the ward and moved to Delaware.  When we visited the East, their home was our base of operations.  Sheri and I enjoyed a room in the basement.  Liza cut everyone's hair.  They shared some of their activities, including getting ice cream at the creamery.

They let their basement out to other friends, who needed to escape the heat.  They did the same with their pool.

Ken was an example of using your resources for good.  He was taken from us this year, due to cancer.  But he left a permanent mark on my life.

As December Leaves: Mark's High School Garage Band

Mark, as he went through high school was involved in a garage band playing what he called emorock music.  The cut a c.d. and had some pretty nice songs.  I tried to make it to al their concerts, and I think I may have accomplished that.  Sometimes they played very loudly, and that and working at Del Monte, my ear doctor has blamed for my tinnitus.  But it was worth it.  I enjoyed their music.  I only had a hard time when the did a concert at the Lamp Lighter in Campbell.  There was some kid who kept wanting to do smash dancing and didn't care who he ran into.

Mark played bass, Andrew Loc lead guitar and Chris Chavez drums.  Chris I think really wanted to be playig guitar as well.  One of the hardest things was finding a drummer.  For some time Andrew and Mark played together, calling themselves Subject to Change, but when they found a drummer they changed the name.  They usually sang lead vocals for the songs they wrote.  My favorite is Seaside Burns Tonight that Mark wrote.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx2iIhtKOKM&context=C4182454ADvjVQa1PpcFPV-v3VBttmWpU8avrD7yp5ZSu0a3qtNcA=

Their myspace site is still up and features several of their songs.  They cut one c.d. that Chris put together.  The songs on the myspace site are from the c.d.
http://www.myspace.com/asdecemberleaves
I am not sure if my space works anymore.  But here are a couple more youtube movies
One on addiction, and the other about my father.
I got to help carry stuff from time to time.  Jeremy was more involved with them.  He was putting together a picture album at one time.  The use to pla for school drama stuff where Mark was active.  Also talent shows, the Lamplighter, and where ever the could.  They were even on t.v. at one point playing during High School Sports Beat.  The same show Mark was on for a second getting an assist for the Cupertino soccer team.

My 9/11

Taking the kids to seminary, the radio announcer KNBR was interviewing their stock market broker in New York trying to figure what was happening.  This was after the first plane had hit the World Trade Center, but before the 2nd.  The question was, whether or not this was a terrorist attack, or an accidental plane running into the World Trade Center.  They weren't even sure what size of plane it was, and there was speculation it may have been a small plane.  But in the back of my mind was this feeling it was a deliberate attack.  Just before getting to seminary about 6 a.m. on the Pacific Coast or 9 a.m. in the East, the second tower was hit.  At that point everyone new it was a terrorist attack.

I hurried home, and turned on the T.V. so we could watch the morning's events.  That is when I was presented with the gravity of the situation, and the horror.  When this event first happened, people could not get enough of watching the planes crash into the towers with the plume of fire.  It is hard to find this on the internet anymore.  The people so desperate that they were jumping from the buildings, that was a nightmare.

I had to tear myself away to go and pick people up from seminary, and then again to go to work.  The first tower had collapsed before I went to work.  That was so unbelievable.  Who could think that the towers would actually collapse.  I thought that there would be a fire, but they would remain standing, like when they were bombed previously.  I was  so convinced of the invulnerability of our country.  I had another thought coming.

Shortly after getting to work, we were evacuated to the mental health administration where we continued to watch the events.  It seems someone had made a bomb threat to the hospital, and non-essential services were moved.

We continued to watch the T.V. at the administration building, and before noon they finally told us we could go home.  What a day, and I was still glued to the T.V. watching any new tidbit I could get.  I watched the video of President Bush, being informed, but acting in such a way as not to alarm the children he was with, of the planes being scrambled, of the Washington D.C. being threatened, the president hidden away, both towers collapsing, the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania, the loss of the first responders, the clean-up and so much more.

And then after all that, ten years of war, but through that ten years, no further attacks on our soil.  My son has been to Iraq, and who knows where he might serve in the future.  So 9/11 is not a single event, but a series of events. 

Jeremy's Career in the Theater

Pippin

This is a partial photographic history of Jeremy's theater career.  Jeremy, more than any of the other kids (although all were in plays and musicals) was involved in theater.  Jeremy not only performed on stage but also back stage.  His first that I remember was doing Annie with the Moorpark Ward.  He was involved in theater at the Middle School doing Music Man and Into the Woods.  He also did Your Heart Will Burn, in our ward.  In this he played trumpet.  At the High School he did Guys and Dolls and Little Shop of Horrors.  He was also involved in one-acts, performing and directing.  He also did Sunnyvale Community Players, Music Man, Pippin, Anne of Green Gables (Gilbert Blythe), and The Wiz, (The Wizard.) He also did Seussical with the Moorpark Ward as the Eagle. He was also involved in back stage building set and designing lights etc.  He designed set for high school Seussical. 

Seussical, The Eagle

Music Man

cast party Pippin

High School Capella, Les Miserables

Anne of Green Gables

Going Out with Zelda (Daughter of Robin Williams)

It is funny how fame effects us, and makes our minds turn to jelly.  Such was my state when my wife explained to me that my son Mark was going to senior prom with the daughter of Robin Williams, Zelda.  Zelda is a couple years younger than Mark.  Mark already had a date to prom, but of course my advice for him was that he should break that date, and take advantage of this opportunity.  My brain was jelly.  Mark had had a steady girl, but they had broken up.  His date was with a new friend he had met through his being in the musical.

It is strange how opportunities show up some times.  Mark played in a band, "As December Leaves."  They had actually cut a CD which was pretty good.  There were three members of the band, Chris Chavez, my son Mark and Andrew Loc, who was the lead guitarist.  My son played bass, and Chris drums.  They all three did vocals.   It turns out that Andrew's girlfriend attended an art school back East, and met the daughter of Robin Williams, who also attended the school.  I guess Zelda had decided she wanted to have the experience of attending prom, and asked Andrew's girlfriend to help, and that is how Mark was lined up with Zelda Williams. 

This was just  week or so before prom, and so some things had to fall into place.  Zelda did not use her real name, but used a fake name.  The school required an application to approve the attendees.  It seemed Mark got the change in late, and come Saturday morning, the day of the prom, Mark was not yet on the list of attendees, but was an alternate.  I happened to have the home phone number of the principal.  This was because my other son, Jeremy, did tech in the school auditorium, and the principal had contacted him on the weekend one time.  I called, and the principle was able to adjust things, and Mark was on the list.

The next problem came up a couple hours later.  The prom was going to take a Bay Cruise Dinner in San Francisco.  However attendees had to travel on the bus together from Cupertino.  (She was going to come 40 miles South to Cupertino, and then 50 miles back to San Francisco.)  A few hours before they were to meet, the word came that Mark would have to drive to pick her up.  Mark did not drive, so I was going to go as chaperone.  We washed up the Ford Focus as best we could.  We really made it shine, but I still thought it humorous that I was going to drive such a small car to Robin Williams' estate.  In the end they called back and said Zelda was able to get a limo and one of her Dad's driver's was going to bring her to the high school.  There went my chance for meeting her.  Mark met her at the school.

So as far as my side of the story, there is not much more to tell.  Mark came home with a traditional prom couple's picture, but I don't know where that is any more.  I imagine Mark has it someplace.  Mark mentioned that she had designed her own dress.  I am not sure if they ever talked to each other again after the prom. 

For a time I was fascinated with the Williams family, reading about them in the media.  I saw Zelda and her father on "Late Night with David Letterman."  David Letterman kept talking about how pretty she was.  This was when the "House of D" was released.  I thought I wanted to see this movie, and finally did a couple years later.  I also looked at many pictures of Zelda on the internet.  If anyone wants to see more Zelda pictures just "google" it.

Tony Joined Our Family

I was reading some old journal notes (my journal is copies of letters, at this time to Mark who was in drill for the Marines) of when Tony joined our family the first time. Tony was born six weeks early, and spent his first two weeks of life in the hospital.  Sheri met him at the hospital, learning about how to feed him.  I didn't meet him until Sheri brought him home.  He was sooo tiny.  When he came home he weighted five pounds.  He was born four pounds seven ounces.  He came to us as a foster baby, for two months, left for 10 months, and then returned just after his first birthday.
Here are some of the notes I found:

2/26/11  I got the crib together for the new baby.  Caleb and Rena helped a great deal.  We discovered that we had done it wrong after getting it together the first time and had to do it again.  Fortunately the second time was not as difficult as the first.  It fits well in our room.  I know mom went and purchased a car seat this morning.  She also is borrowing an inset from Teri (friend) to help with small babies so the baby can stay strait in the car seat.
2/27/11 Ana as Mom told you we got a new baby yesterday.  Anthony is very small, and usually he is very quiet.  Mom was really good getting up with him during the night.  I know she took him to Jennifer's (neighbor) for some time this morning.  Jeff's mother passed away last night and she called early saying she wanted to hold a baby today thinking it would help her feel better.  I guess Jeff's mom has been sick for sometime.  About a month ago Brent spent some time with us while they went to see her as she was in the hospital.  Back to the baby.  We all got a chance to hold him last night.  He barely weighs five pounds.  If you can imagine a baby about the size of a football.  He sleeps on his back, and makes little noises.  He has a beanie hood but it seems to fall off a lot. 
3/1/2007  The baby has been fun.  He is so tiny.  I fed him last night and had him while everyone else went to mutual.  Jennifer came over and held the baby and fed him while mom was gone.  I would have just let him sleep but she wanted to keep him up with the hope that he would let Sheri sleep better last night.  I think he actually did a little bit better.  He woke up about 11:45 and Sheri brought him to me and I fed him and burped him.  He doesn't eat a lot at a time so you have to burp him a lot.  I put him to bed at 1 when I went to bed myself.  After that I was unaware of most everything until 7 this morning.  Everyone slept in.  I know Sheri was up a couple times because I woke up for a minute or two and rolled over and went back to sleep. 
3/5/2007  Baby Anthony is getting big.  He now weighs 5 1/2 pounds.  I guess that really isn't big, but it is bigger.
3/7/2007  Baby Anthony will be one-month-old tomorrow.

Mark graduated in March, and consequently there is a hole in my journal.   Anthony traveled with us to the graduation.  It was fun holding such a tiny baby in his carrier as we ere in the crowd of people.  I told everyone he was ours, even though I knew he likely wouldn't stay with us.  After two months with us he went to live with a cousin.  It was only by the greates caret miracle that he ever came back to us.

Virginia Street Project

Halloween party, Ginny Cutler, ??, Nikki Chrisman, me

Mark, Jeremy, Charity and Natalia at the same party

Stockton Ave, where VSP use to be

in front of DTMHC Me, Ginny, Karen Wrinkle, Dr. K, Nikke, ??,Alexis Horozon, Kelly Laur, ??, Gary Goldberg, Art Lhowe

employee of the month VSP

VSP and board of supervisors (Ron Gonzalez, Rod Diridon, Mike Honda)

When I started working for Santa Clara County, I worked for Virginia Street Project, an intensive case management program.  The idea behind the program was to work intensively with mentally ill clients who had been in the hospital multiple times.  There was a reserch project comparing this project to other case management programs Community 'Companions and Downtown Mental Health.  The research provided evidence the intensive program kept people out of the hospital, and saved the county money in the long run.  However it was a very intensive project, with and average of 15 clients per worker. We had psych techs and occupational therapist, in addition clinicians and psychiatrist.

When I started with the county, we were located on Stockton Ave.  They had been on Virginia Street before this.  After about six months we moved to the Downtown Mental Health, as security was a problem.  It was a warehouse, with no rear exit. 

As a result we were given more and more cases.  The developer of the model visited with us, and was saddened that his model was almost non-existent.  Virginia Street Project was folded into Downtown Mental Health as part of a reorganization process. 

Our boss, who was very much invested in the project, passed away shortly before the program folded.  She had a relapse of cancer and didn't survive.  Kelly Laur and I sang at her funeral.

As a side note, Kelly signed for my hours when I got my clinical liscensure.  Nikke had been my supervisor, but as she passed away, was unable to sign.