UPDATE -- How Capt. Jack met Ginny Adair
by "Capt." Jack Adair -- with a little help from {Rufus}
Coon Rapids, MN

Well, I guess you would refer to this as an update {or up-chuck!} Have you met Rufus? {This is Rufus.}

I'm not too regular {sounds like a medical problem to me ... have you tried Metamucil?} No, I mean I'm not too regular at writing. I'm a bit of a procrastinator. {I know, you've been going to join the Procrastinator's Club since 1963.} But I've been urged to contribute to The Bulletin again. {Yes, your Mom always liked your writing.} Besides her.

Well, where to start? I got my first guitar . . . {I'm sure nobody wants to hear about your old guitars!} Oh. Okay.

I'm Jack, been mentioned in The Bulletin before, affectionately known as Captain Jack. Married to the wonderful Virginia (Ginny-Ditto-Ginn) for 44 years (Note to Miss Hetty -- July 21st.) {Ginn should get a medal!}

Ginn was born in Chicago, but I don't hold that against her, as she convinced her parents to move to Brainerd, Minnesota, when she was five. I was born in Meaford, Ontario, Canada, as that's where my mother was, and we were very close at the time. Meaford is on the coast of Georgian Bay, just off the northeast of Lake Huron. There's a continuing story there that I'll get to later, or in a later Bulletin.

As I can't talk about my third love, guitars (second is grandkids), I'll talk about Ginn, my first. I suppose you could call it kind of romantic, or something, but it worked out for us.

Ginn had always wanted to be a nurse, and eventually reached that goal. She took her nurse's training at the old Glenwood Hills hospital in Golden Valley, just north of the Twin Cities. Then she was hired to work there, working in the delivery room, mostly.

Well, my Mom worked in the kitchen at Glenwood, and was the first there in the morning, to get the coffee started. Ginn was working nights, and if it was quiet near the end of her shift, she would drift to the kitchen for coffee and to read the paper. They got acquainted there. Scene change.

I had been in the service, Army, and just got out after six years, in 1960. I was still living at home. I wasn't looking for a wife, or even a real girlfriend, but didn't mind some female companionship. I started double-dating with a couple of cousins and a friend of theirs. Not the brightest bulb, but good sense of humor. Except she started getting serious. And Mom didn't like her.

Ginn had indicated she had broken up with a long time boyfriend awhile ago, and was a little lonely. Mom (good ol' Moms) said, "My son just got out of the service, nice boy, you should meet him." Something like that.

One night Mom told me she was having a friend from work over for supper and would appreciate it if I broke my date and stayed home to visit. I grumbled, but Moms being Moms, I complied. Met Ginn. Didn't think much of her, nor her of me. End of story? Nope. Moms don't give up easily. About a month later she tried the same routine again; this time I was more for it, and Ginn and I clicked. Meanwhile, the OTHER one kept calling three or four times a week.

One weekend I had been very sick. Ginn had come over after work to see how I was doing, and was reading to me, when the OTHER and some friends came by. Mom told her I was in bed sick, but she pushed to see me. Mom said, "Well, his nurse is in with him now, I'll see if she'll let you visit."

So OTHER came into the room with her two friends, and there I was, looking worse than I felt, in one bed, and Ginn sitting on the other. They tried to talk to me a little, but after about five minutes, Ginn says, "You'll have to leave now, I have to give him his bath!" They left and I never heard from her again. Didn't get that bath, though.

Ginny-Ditto-Ginn & Capt. Jack Adair, wed 1962, left, and now, right.

Next time, whenever that will be, I'll explain about my adoption, and other family. Bet you can hardly wait.

Photo Illustration © Virginia McCorkell
Things get so crazy around here, we refer to it as SANITY LIMITED. --Capt. Jack

The kiddie with the doll is Ryan Hellevang ... and the girls are likely Merna and Char.

Elaine Anderson Wold
Wahpeton, ND

When I try to make pictures easier to e-mail to you (by making them smaller or by decreasing the memory), I always lose the photo quality. Do you have any suggestions on how others send pictures to you so that the pictures don't have have too much memory but still have good quality?

I would appreciate any tips that you can give me. I have tried everything that I know to do, but in the future would like to be able to send better quality pictures.

Also, thanks for another great Bulletin this week. I appreciate so much the time that you put into it. It helps us "Texas" cousins to get to know the others in our family so much better.

Angela Roberson
Hico, TX

Photo Editor's Note: There are several ways to send photos without losing quality. One is to send the original file, straight from the camera, to my mac.com e-mail address. Another way is to post them to one of the web photo album addresses, such as Webshots, Shutterfly, or Yahoo. The less manipulating of the original photo file, the better; then we can do that tweaking here. Our thanks to Virginia McCorkell for tweaking (and often framing) far more photos than she has ever gotten credit for -- including the Stanley and Janice Dake photos in last week's Bulletin.

There are no words. None. I cannot even begin to describe the awesome beauty of the first picture that scrolled up on The Bulletin. The design, the coloring, the dreamy effect, the butterfly -- all signifying the final goodbye from many, many friends that learned to love Coni. It was just so beautiful and so right. So comforting. Thanks again, Bitzi.

Coni & Weston

When I first saw this picture in The Bulletin, I was immediately drawn to this pretty lady, and to the man who was a part of the Johnsons I still miss. I don't know when I have seen love and happiness expressed in the eyes like Coni and Weston on this picture.

It was all a beautiful fairy tale ... and then the following Bulletins gave us the news of the diagnosis and efforts to overcome this final outcome. We all entered into the story with our hearts -- and loving sympathy we never did tell them about.

When my dad died I said, "Oh, Mother, this is the end," and she wisely said, "No, this is just the beginning of trying to get along without him."

The very next item was the new baby sister, so we were lifted to a different plane to see the happiness of three brothers welcoming Trinidy.

That was so interesting about "Where's Henry?" and the innocence of Jordan as she just carried on with her other two cats. A good lesson for me to quit fretting about what I can't change. One "Henry" was as good as another, to her.

I can't tell you how happy I was to see the pictures and story by Don and Patty. I have been so anxious to see the "remodeling," and this was just what we were wanting. The plain facts ... very true. It is the secret revealed -- now if we just heeded it, like they have. It is a success story that is hardly believable. We can't congratulate them enough -- they deserve a LOT of honest praise.

I will pass on the GUESS pictures again.

The China trip is always so interesting, with its descriptions not glossed over with travel brochure ability. The bare facts about restaurants and hotels and guides. Can you imagine how exhausted that couple would be by this time? Thanks, Greg and Sonja, for continuing to share your story in all its details.

I wonder what Amy really thought as she drove over those same roads in Montana, where she was as a little girl? Am sure things had changed, but it is beautiful country when you aren't struggling with sheep for a living. De-tasseling, going to visit Suzanne -- better enjoy life now before reality hits and you buckle down to trying to make a pay check stretch.

I had never met the Dake of this week's Army story. Clerical work would be a plus.

For some reason I was seeing Weston in Tracer's face, but likely they are no relation.

Thank you for putting in the pictures of the flowers from our kind neighbor. Right now they have finished blooming and are baking in the hot sun.

That Levi flying through the air in his personal aircraft brought a smile. Took some clever photography, but we do have some very clever and creative staff.

Thank you again for all you put into making The Bulletin what it is each week. We will be very interested in whatever you can include in your follow up of Coni's funeral details. I saw Bitzi today, and she, too, was wishing we could have made the trip to the funeral. Our thoughts will go to Weston as he faces the adjustment.

Betty Droel