Aging Well in the Gorge January 30th 2018

When we were younger we didn’t spend much time thinking about our purpose in life. We knew what it was: find a job, get married and raise a family – at least that was what we were told.

But now that the children have left home to find a job, get married and raise a family – at least that is what we told them; and we have retired from the obligation of work, what is our purpose now?

To help answer that question, The Dalles Blue Zones Project is offering a Purpose Workshop at the Center on Tuesday, February 6^th starting at 5:30. The Purpose Workshop will help you discover a clear definition of your gifts and identify ways you can use those gifts every day, either through existing or new avenues in your lives - such as volunteering. Through this process you can deepen your sense of purpose and find greater meaning in your life, significantly impacting your health, happiness, and longevity – even at our age. You can RSVP for the workshop at http://go.bluezonesproject.com/tdpurpose01 or via Facebook.

Thanks to financial support from Columbia Basin Care Facility and The City of The Dalles, new flooring has finally been installed in the Center’s dining room. And at the same time, the upstairs restrooms have been remodeled with new flooring, and a fresh coat of paint; and they should have new sinks and faucets installed by the end of this week. Thanks to our local contractors for doing a fantastic job including Oliver’s Floor Covering, Garry Denney Floor Covering, Devco Mechanical and Terray Harmon Painting. And a big thank-you to Jess Birge for helping to reinstall the newly painted restroom stalls.

And why not check out the new dining room floor and remodeled restrooms when you stop by the Center to purchase your tickets for the International Chicken Dinner on February 9^th from 5:00 – 7:00 sponsored by The Springs at Mill Creek. The price for this one-of-kind dinner prepared by Rick Lebowitz with assistance from the Baldwin Saloon and desserts from Petite Provence is only $20. But hurry. Only 200 tickets are being sold!

When we were youngsters, our mothers would often tell us as we left for school, “Don’t forget to take your lunch!”  And now that we are oldsters at the other end of the age continuum, your spouse may tell you as you head for the store, “Don’t forget the lettuce!”

It seems no matter our age, we need reminders. So here is a quick reminder about the first installment of the annual February Regional History Forum at the Original Wasco County Museum, located at 410 W. Second Place. On February 3rd starting at 1:30 p.m, Susan Buce, local historian and Collections Registrar for the Discovery Center, will present “Airmail Beacons of the Columbia River Gorge" - a fascinating look back at a little-known part of Gorge history. The Airmail beacons served to guide the pilots who flew the mail by air from coast to coast in the 1930’s; and were maintained by “mechanicians" who kept the blinking lights shining for the pilots to see.

Kerry Cobb, Executive Director of the Columbia Center for the Arts, will be back at the Center on Wednesday, February 7^th at 10:30 to present a 90-minute talk on “The Art & History of Photography”. You will learn about the origins of the photographic arts, and experience the work of noted photographers from the 19th-21st century.

The 1973 film that told the story of two con-artists involved in a complicated plot to scam a mob boss was The Sting. (The only correct answer I received was from world traveler Sandy Haechrel, this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.)

This week’s “Remember When” question comes from one of those conversations I can’t remember with whom or why I had it - and it was only last week! What American won a 1932 Olympic swimming gold medal and starred in the science fiction film serial Flash Gordon? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a short description of the planet Mongo.

Well, it’s been another week, wondering if we are going to escape the winter without any more snow. Until we meet again, everything seems to take longer than you think – but, it’s not like we don’t have the time.

“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.”

― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov