The famous Rio …

Last week and through the Easter weekend, I helped others work on the tear-gas system at the consulate in Rio de Janeiro, which has to be done on the weekend when no one else is around.  And during the off hours, we headed to the beach across the road from the hotel.

The beach is the famous Coco Cubano Beach that you have heard over the years.  I took several pictures, mostly from the terrace of the hotel 24 floors up.  Enjoy the beauty. The beach is quite crowded during the day with vendors everywhere trying to sell you all sorts of items.  Hats, umbrellas, scarves, fancy drinks, chicken, sunglasses, ice cream, beer, swim suits, fried cheese and many other things.  Additionally, it was pleasant to watch the playful local fauna.This is a sand creation that an artist makes every day.  I took the picture and suddenly the artist told me I had to pay.  I reached in my pocket and pulled out a 2 real note.  About 60 cents.  I should have given more because of the mastery of the creation.

And as the day wound down and people drifted away, crews were busy collecting trash and cleaning the place up.  A few hours later when the darkness returned, the beach was pristine again. I was there during the full moon, which in itself seems to be magical.And as with any beach you go to, there is a tranquility that takes place as the sun begins to set.  Same here.  People would find a place just to sit and watch this daily, yet captivating part of the day.Captivating part of the day, doesn’t serve it justice.  What would you call it Dear Reader?

Around the neighborhood, I have been seeing yellow bicycles sitting at various places, and it was pointed out to me these bikes could be borrowed anytime you saw one.  You would download an App online and then scan the barcode on it with your phone.  The bike would then unlock the back wheel, and you were free to use the bike for a certain length of time, for a fee of course.

And now I see the bikes have been replaced with scooters.  Yellow at first and now I see groups of green ones.  They have a barcode to scan, then you can take off with it.  They are also electric and move very quickly along the street.  I would guess at least 20 mph.I looked online to see what it costs, and found it is Br$2 (about 60₵) to unlock the scooter and an additional Br$2 for every 5 minutes, with the first 2 minutes free.  Plus they have lights at night and colorful lights underneath them.  I assume there is a vehicle that runs in the area at night to collect them since they all have GPS, charge them back up and place them back in groups at strategic locations.

Actually, a pretty clever idea if you ask me.  I even thought about getting one to go to and from work, which would be about one US buck a trip, but I can also see myself running over an old woman or someone walking their dog, and then I would go tumbling down the street at 20 mph.

So, I decided against it.

… who just turned 100 years old.

I am convinced that one’s success in Life is determined not by wealth or how far up the ladder they can climb, but by the number of people who have an intense love for them.

Case in point:  I personally know an old woman who just turned 100.  She does not have a fancy house with fine carpets or classical paintings on the wall, nor does she drive an expensive car.

What she does have, is generations of good people who have descended from her.  Of her nine kids, all are successful and of sound mind (for the most part) and have passed her amazing gift of Life to their children.  And those incredible Grandchildren will pass it on to their children.  It will go on and on, and I think what a wonderful contribution to the world this good woman has given!  I am at awe ….

Please allow me to take a moment of your time to tell you about her.

She was one of 11 children, second to the youngest.  This dear woman’s nine kids have given her 21 grandchildren and at last count, 28 great-grandchildren.  The number of her descendants will eventually number in the hundreds, and in generations they will be over a thousand.  She came to Pampa in 1939 and got a job at KPDN, then met a young soldier at the Pampa Army Airfield, and in 1944 began a happy 63 year marriage together.

She helped write the Gray County Heritage Book, and wrote six additional books of her own, ending with one to extol the truth that age doesn’t keep you from doing what you want.  Her proof is her graduation from Texas Tech University at the age of 89.

I recently sat at lunch with a friend telling him about this wonderful lady, and he asked me something that I had not thought of, “What is it that made her live to be 100 years old?”

I thought about that a moment and realized it is her sense of humor, her outlook on Life and her descendants.

A wise person will always observe others and learn from them.  During a life of 100 years, we realize the more we learn, the less we actually know.  We begin to enjoy Life at a deeper level, and we enjoy laughing at ourselves.  We see all people as precious souls, so we connect with them more.

Watching her throughout my life, I see she is content with her life and her past.  Her regrets are put aside because there is nothing to do with them, except learn from them.

This incredible Lady is Elleta Nolte and she just turned 100 on March 18^th.  Needless to say, I am very proud that she is my mother.