Senior Spectrum Newspaper - July 2015 Issue

SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com / July / 3

July 2015CONTENTSTHIS ISSUE

-Blue Ribbon

Committee on Transit

Page 7 -Governor Signs

Veteran Bills

Page 13 -Wandering

Prevention Project

Page 22 -Nevada’s

Oldest Living WWII

Veteran Turns 105

Page 24 -Senior Law

Project Helping Seniors

Page 27 -Stuff-a-Bus

EVERY ISSUE

Page 4 -Opinion:

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid

Page 6 -Opinion: U.S.

Sen. Dean Heller

Page 10 -Community

Giving: Charities

Page 25 -Calendar

Page 26 -Eclectic Observer

Page 28 -Biggest Little City

Page 30 -ResourcesPage 31 -Crossword

Page 32 - this ‘n thatPage 33 -Seniors4Travel

HEALTH

Page 14 -To Flourish,Adding Life to YearsPage 17 -CMS: Do I NeedMedicare Part B?

Page 19 -OphthalmologyPage 20 -AARP - WithSocial Security & MedicareTiming is Everything

FINANCIAL

Page 8 -Bradly Anderson, Life Insurance- Anderson& Dorn & Rader, Ltd.

Senior Spectrum NewspaperP.O. Box 7124 • Reno, NV 89510

775-348-0717SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

[email protected]: Chris & Connie McMullen

Column opinions are writers, not publishers. Copyrighted publication.

7

Blue Ribbon CommitteeRecommends No Cuts in

Transit ServiceThe RTC Board of

Commissioners accepted aBlue Ribbon Committee(BRC) for Transit recommen-dations in June to addressshort and long-term fundingneeds for the regional trans-portation system.

Among the recommenda-tions the BRC made werestrategies to simplify and mod-ernize transit fares, while at thesame time making efforts notto cut transit service. TheBRC unanimously recom-mended that RTC not reduceservice as a cost saving meas-ure but to continue theprocess of evaluation alongwith community input.

The group of business rep-resentatives and communityleaders also recommended theRTC develop a program forfamily-friendly advertising atbus stops to generate revenue,allocating a larger proportionof the existing 1/8th cent salestax to transit, and a possibleballot measure to raise revenuein 2016 or 2018. The measureshould be tied to specific serv-ices and program outcomes,such as expanded transit serv-ice for seniors, veterans, andthe disabled.

Additionally the BRC rec-ommended transitImprovement Districts to raisemore operating revenue.

Over the pastdecade I have foughtto cement Nevada’sstanding as thenation’s renewableenergy epicenter. Istrongly believe thatthe success ofNevada’s overalleconomy is inextri-

cably tied to the strength of our renew-able energy economy. That is why I haveworked to help Nevada and the nationadvance sound energy policies that cre-ate good jobs, appeal to new industriesand end our dependency on dirty fossilfuels that contribute to climate change.

As a result of my commitment to thesuccess of our renewable economy andcollaboration with other leaders, Nevadahas attracted innovated businesses andrenewable energy development productsfaster than any state in our nation. We

have welcomed companies like Tesla,Google, Apple, Switch, SolarCity, SolarReserve and other trailblazing businessesinto our communities. These companieshave spurred thousands of jobs forNevadans, Including 6,000 solar jobsand over 20,000 jobs in clean energy.Additionally, Nevada has secured $6 bil-lion in clean and renewable energyinvestments.

Nevada’s progress in renewableenergy remains unmatched. Our commit-ment to clean energy and the success ithas garnered did not happen overnight. Ithas been the result of strategic actionsthat build momentum for clean energyinnovation in our state. Through the col-laboration of state, local and federal gov-ernment along with private sector part-ners Nevada has secured $6 billion inclean and renewable energy investmentsthat will keep Nevada ahead in therenewable energy economy.

Another way I am proud to sayNevada is staying ahead is through host-ing the nation’s foremost clean energyconversation each year. The NationalClean Energy Summit 8.0: PoweringProgress will be held on August 24 ofthis year in Las Vegas.

Clean energy advocates, businessleaders, public officials and bipartisandecision makers will assemble this yearto converse about how the U.S. contin-ues the advancement of the clean energyeconomy through innovation, investmentand strengthened collaboration. For moreinformation about the summit and toregister online, please visit the event’swebsite at www.cleanenergysummit.org.To find out more about my work to helpmake Nevada the nation’s renewableenergy epicenter, please visit my web-site, www.reid.senate.gov.

4 / July / SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

OpinionU.S. Senator Harry Reid

Sen. Harry Reid

The Nation’s Renewable Energy Epicenter

The success ofprograms crucial toNevada’s seniorsand future genera-tions is very impor-tant to me. I amfortunate to serveon both the SenateCommittee onFinance and the

Senate Special Committee on Aging,which have great influence on our nation’ssenior programs. One of those programsis Medicare. I believe Congress has aresponsibility to fulfill the promise it hasmade to all seniors by maintaining theMedicare program.

It is also of great importance thatNevadans have a clear understanding ofwhat Medicare has to offer and how tobest utilize it. The program is available toall seniors ages 65 and older. Current ben-eficiaries of Medicare have the opportuni-ty to change their coverage during the

open enrollment period beginning in mid-October; however, changes will not gointo effect until January of 2016. You canlearn more about enrollment athttp://www.medicare.gov or by calling(800) 633-4227.

Medicare has four key parts to under-stand. The first part, Medicare Part A, ishospital insurance that covers inpatientcare in hospitals, home health care, nurs-ing facility care, and hospice care.Medicare Part B is medical insurance thatcovers services from health careproviders, preventive services, medicalequipment, outpatient care, and homehealth care. Medicare Advantage, Part C,includes benefits covered under both PartA and Part B but is run by Medicare-approved private insurance companies andmay include extra benefits for a greaterprice. This also generally includes pre-scription drug coverage, much likeMedicare Part D. Part D is Medicare pre-scription drug coverage and is also run by

Medicare-approved private insurancecompanies. To learn more about Medicareplans and eligibility, visit this website:http://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/10050.pdf or call (800) 633-4227. You canalso contact the State Health InsuranceAssistance Program and sign up for coun-sel in your local area by calling (800) 307-4444.

I hope you find this informationhelpful. If you or any other Nevadan isfacing difficulties with this program, mystaff and I would be happy to assist you.To reach my Reno office, please call (775)686-5770.

While I work hard to make these goalsa reality, I want to be of help to anyNevada veteran facing difficulties in work-ing with their local VA services. Either mystaff or I would be happy to assist you.To reach my Reno office, please call (775)686-5770.

I will fight for our veterans until theyreceive the care they deserve.


OpinionSenator Dean Heller

Sen. Dean Heller

Knowing Your Benefits: Medicare

Nevada Governor Brian Sandovalsigned several bills into law affectingveterans on June 12th, at the AmericanLegion's Darrell Dunkle Post 1 in Reno.

The most sought after, SB 491, cre-ates the Northern Nevada VeteransHome under a public works appropria-tion. The funds totalling $14 million willbe federally matched to complete thesecond veterans home in the state, andwill serve approximately 95 veterans andfamily members.

Additional bills to be signed includerequirements for reporting duties for var-ious oversight bodies (AB482), a taxexemption for employing veterans(AB71), the veterans employment pref-erence bill which provides opportunitiesfor employers in the preference of hiringveterans or a spouse, and for regulatorybodies to develop opportunities for reci-procity of licensure for veterans (AB89).

A bill creating a five member Women

Veterans Advisory council has also beensigned into law (AB241), to conductstudies and provide advice to regulatorybodies on matters relating to women vet-erans.

Other Upcoming VeteransEvents

• July 24-27 - 2015 Nevada Departmentof Veterans Services Joint Workshop.Join us in Reno for a 3-Day VeteransAdvocate, Military, and VolunteerWorkshop. Hosted by the NevadaDepartment of Veterans Services, thisworkshop is open to all Veterans,Military Supporters, and National GuardVolunteers.

• August 14-16 - SPIRIT OF 45Celebration. The 70th AnniversaryCelebration of the end of WW II will beheld August 14 - 16. With events beingconducted around the world, a "Kiss-In"

will be held on August 14, and theweekend will conclude with a globalwreath ceremony on Sunday, August 16.Nevada State Veteran Cemeteries willtake part in the wreath ceremony. Moreinformation can be found at www.spir-itof45.org to plan events in your com-munity.


Governor Sandoval Signs Veterans Bills

Dixies Wreath: designed by Dixie Pickart, Ladies Auxiliary of the Military Order of thePurple Heart, Iowa Spirit of 45 Website

Few things in life are more devastat-ing than watching a loved one strugglewith a long-term or terminal illness. Itcan be one of the most helpless feelingsever experienced. While that’s over-whelming enough, there are medicalbills and other costs which must be paid.Fortunately, life insurance policies areone option that can ease the financialburdens and eliminate unwanted distrac-tions.

There are several ways life insurancepolicies can help.

For some, taking a “cash value” loanon their permanent policy (also referred

to as whole life, variable life or univer-sal life policies) is an option. Dependingon how long you’ve had the policy, youlikely have a portion of it that hasbecome liquid, which would allow youto take out a loan. This could be a signif-icant amount of money depending onhow long you’ve had the policy.Remember, this is a loan, so there areinterest rates, although competitive. Insome cases, the loan may not be dueuntil after the policy owner’s death, butinstead, would be deducted from theinsurance policy payout. Any remainingfunds would then be paid to the owner’s

beneficiaries. Another option is taking the “surren-

der value” of a permanent policy.Instead of taking a loan on the policy,instead many will accept a sum ofmoney, the “surrender value,” and cancelthe policy. Again, the amount is deter-mined on how long you have had thepolicy and other factors. Also, rememberthat the face value of the policy could besubstantially higher than the surrendervalue.

There are policies with provisionsallowing for a portion of the face value

(Life Insurance page 9)


Life Insurance: Understanding its Many Benefits

Brad Anderson

Brought to you byBradley B. AndersonAnderson, Dorn, & Rader, Ltd.

The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneyswww.probatebusters.com • blog.wealth-counselors.com


Insurance/ page 8to be paid if the insuredbecomes terminally ill. Theseprovisions are known as “liv-ing benefits” or “accelerateddeath benefits.” This willrequire a statement from thepatient’s physician stating thepatient is expected to passaway within a short span, usu-ally 24 months. This may bepart of the policy you haveand you should speak withyour insurance provider. Note,too, these are generally tax-free.

Finally, you may wish touse a life insurance policy aspart of a “viatical settlement”option. A policy holder maywish to sell their policy to athird party for a portion of theface value of that policy. Thisoption might have challengesas well and it’s important tounderstand what those chal-lenges might mean. This issometimes an option, even for

those policies that do notaccrue cash value. Be sure to“conduct due diligence,” i.e.research fully and speak withyour CPA before making thisdecision since it could haverepercussions for your collec-tive financial situation.

There are an array of chal-lenges associated with termi-nal illness. For one, the emo-tional and financial weight ofthe grief is simply inexplica-ble. Anything we can do toease those overwhelmingemotions and financial bur-dens is a good thing. Thisarticle helps to bring aware-ness to some of the availableoptions. The key to planningfor the future is always to pre-pare for the unknown.

Mr. Anderson is a mem-ber of the American Academyof Estate Planning Attorneys.To attend an upcoming semi-nar, call (775) 824-9455 orwww.wealth.counselors.com.


You may haveseen the recent arti-cles and stories inthe National newsabout the four can-cer charities thatbilked millions of

dollars from charitable donors. Havingworked with charities all my life, and prid-ing myself in ethical conduct since wemust meet the public’s highest standardsof stewardship and trust, I was moreappalled than you can imagine.

These stories of conniving charitiesthat prey upon donors hurt the charitiesthat are performing responsibly. Why?Because those stories make us wonderwhether ALL charities are doing the samething. Thankfully, we can say with confi-dence that con-artist charities are the few,not the many.

Guidestar is one of the nonprofit veri-fication services we use at the Community

Foundation to check out charities. Ilooked into the four charities named inthe article and discovered that thefundraising expense of three of thesecharities exceeded 50 percent. I also dis-covered that these charities have verysmall boards of trustees. Three of theorganizations had just seven board mem-bers–three of whom received compensa-tion.

High fundraising expenses and smallboards raise red flags when we areresearching charities. Small boards indi-cate the potential for a large degree ofcontrol by one or two individuals on theboard; a small board that is being con-trolled by one or two members can beeasily manipulated.

The high fundraising expense makesme ask “why”. Research into these chari-ties should reveal effective governance,impactful programs, and transparency infinancial reporting.

At the Community Foundation wepreform due diligence on every organiza-tion to ensure the grants from our donor-advised and endowment funds are goingto charities that use the support responsi-bly. Our due diligence is thorough; wereview the organization’s form 990 for fis-cal responsibility, board size, and staffcompensation; we check the percent ofthe budget spent on overhead, programs,and fundraising; we check assets for sus-tainability; we perform site visits to seethe organization in action.

Our donors also do their due dili-gence. If they are considering a new rela-tionship with a charity, they involve us toadd our research to theirs. Never has adonor called us to support a charity thathas solicited gifts via phone or through arandom mailing!

We are proud of our work to protectour donors’ interests in supporting chari-

(Charities page 12)

Chris Askin

Community Giving

By Chris Askin, President and CEOCommunity Foundation of Western Nevada

Charities - Doing Good or Rip Offs?

ties they care about. In 2014 we sent 713grants totaling $9.9 million dollars tobona fide charities throughout our com-munity and even internationally.

Don’t let the story of four unethicalcharities stop you from giving. Insteadtake a good hard look at the charities thatattract your attention and understand whyyou are drawn to them. I bet it’s becauseof the good work they do, the relation-ship they’ve built with you over time, andthe accountability they provide for yourgifts. Keep up that support; those chari-ties need you. And, if they’re local, youreally know them. But, what if they’renot local? What if you really don’t knowthem and want to do your own checking.There are some national databases youcan check, but just how useful are they?

There are a few fairly well-knownonline rating sites such as CharityNavigator www.charitynavigator.org andthe Better Business Bureau CharityRatings www.give.org. Are they valuableguides for most uses?

A few years ago I contacted Charity

Navigator to see if the CommunityFoundation of Western Nevada could beadded to their list of vetted charities. Itturns out it was difficult to get on theirlist. At that time they had a backlog andeven today, there are not many vettedcharitable organizations other thannational charities. Even some respectedcharities such as Easter Seals, WoundedWarriors, American SPCA, Children’sNetwork International, and the ClintonFoundation have not been reviewed.

Believe it or not, the Better BusinessBureau is more selective… our communi-ty foundation doesn’t qualify for a ratingbecause the BBB reviews only nationalcharities. To double check, I entered theSilicon Valley Community Foundation inSan Jose. At over $4 Billion they areabout the largest community foundationin the country, but they didn’t make thelist either!

The bottom line is online charitablerating search sites like Charity Navigatorand the Better Business Bureau areunlikely to provideyou with results, par-ticularly if you are

checking out a local or smaller charity. Looking at a charity’s tax return

through www.guidestar.com is the bestway to find in-depth information youneed to vet a charity. You need to knowwhat to look for and you may even needto ask the charity for more recent finan-cial documents and do some cross-refer-encing to their tax returns… daunting tosay the least. My fear is that you will beput off because it is too much work.

So, here is an offer too good to resist.If you would like a charity checked out,just give us a call. We will review it foryou, free of charge. That is what we dofor our fundholders and we are deter-mined that all charitable gifts be put tothe best use. I hope you’ll take us up onthis offer because, locally as well as out-side our region, giving to charity is one ofthe best investments you can make. Tofind out more, visit us at nevadafund.orgor call 775-333-5499.


Charities / page 10

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Washoe County Sheriff Chuck Allenand representatives from other local lawenforcement agencies, government andcommunity-based organizations haveformed a new public-private partnershipto protect the safety of persons withmemory illnesses who wander.

"Wandering” refers to a variety ofbehaviors that may result in people of allages with Alzheimer’s, dementia, orcognitive impairments becoming lostand putting their safety at risk. Incidentsof wandering are on the rise in WashoeCounty and other local law enforcementagencies have become increasingly con-cerned for the safety of those who wan-der.

Participants in the partnership willwork with caregivers and families pro-viding them with Wandering Kits. Thesekits include:• Security items such as door knob cov-ers, an inexpensive door alarm, a lock

with a screwdriver kit;• A resource CD/DVD offering practicalstrategies to minimize the risk of wan-dering and to be better prepared if some-one in their care does wander;• A Wandering ID Kit similar to a ChildID kit;• Information on the Care Trak systemfor vulnerable persons.

The Care Trak System helps trackhigh-risk people by using telemetry.Care Trak Telemetry can track accurate-ly within inches of the lost person, dayor night, inside or outside, up to a mile.Worn on the arm or ankle and poweredby battery, it sounds an alarm when thewearer leaves a perimetered area.

Authorities using the Care TrakMobile Locator tracking unit have theability to locate people wearing the one-ounce transmitter by utilizing a yagihand held directional antenna. TheMobile Locator is 100 percent portable

and is compatible with Care Trak LawEnforcement Systems.

St. Mary’s Hospital provided fundingfor the first one thousand WanderingKits. The Arbors Memory CareCommunity provided the screwdrivers.The kits are being distributed by Kids toSeniors Korner. To obtain a FREE kit,caregivers can pick them up at 224Edison Way, #500, Reno, NV or call(775) 858-5251 to arrange for delivery.


Sheriff’s Office, Local Agencies Launch Wandering Prevention Project

The Care Trak wrist band.

What canwe do to

achieve happiness? Manyauthors and plenty of recentstudies offer quick, simplestrategies for improving ourhappiness. I myself have writ-ten several articles on happi-ness and still pursue the intel-lectual elements of how wecan be happy. This articleexplores some of the ele-ments of happiness and well-ness.

Dr. Martin Seligman is the

"father of positive psycholo-gy" and has written and lec-tured all over the world onthe happiness movement. Theorigins of this growing phe-nomenon go back to what haspopularly been called the"science of happiness" or pos-itive psychology. In his book“Flourish,” Prof. Seligmanexplains that while the goal

of psychology has traditional-ly been to explore our inter-workings and relieve humansuffering, the goal of positivepsychology, a field that isonly 15-years-old, is differ-ent. It is about actuallyenhancing the human condi-tion and enabling individualsand communities to flourish.

Flourish builds on Dr.Seligman’s work on opti-mism, motivation, and char-acter to show how to get themost out of life, unveiling anew theory of what makes agood life for happy individu-als, communities, and nations.While certainly a part ofwell-being, happiness alonedoesn’t give life meaning.Seligman asks, what is it thatenables you to cultivate yourtalents, to build deep, lastingrelationships with others, to 14 / July / SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

Larry Weiss

“Adding Life to Years”

Dr. Larry WeissCenter for Healthy Aging

To Flourish: Achieving Positive Emotion or Happiness

Happiness fascinates me. Isn’t joy and happiness a main ingredient of what we strive

Dr. Martin Seligman website

feel pleasure, and to con-tribute meaningfully to theworld? In a word, what is itthat allows you to flourish?“Well-being” is the goal andhappiness (or PositiveEmotion) becomes one of thefive pillars of positive psy-chology, along withEngagement, Relationships,Meaning, andAccomplishment—orPERMA, the building blocksfor profound fulfillment inlife.

Other researchers at theUniversity College Londonhave developed a formula toaccurately forecast happiness.A big part of their equationhas to do with our expecta-tions. In their work, theyfound that expectations needto be low enough so youaren’t disappointed, but highenough that you have some-thing to look forward to. Intheir study, they found that itdidn't matter so muchwhether things were goingwell. It mattered whether theywere going better thanexpected. "It is often said thatyou will be happier if yourexpectations are lower,” Dr.Robb Rutledge, the seniorresearch associate who ledthe study, said in a statement.“We find that there is sometruth to this: Lower expecta-tions make it more likely thatan outcome will exceed thoseexpectations and have a posi-tive impact on happiness.”

The researchers were notsurprised by how muchrewards influenced happiness,but they were surprised byhow much expectations couldinfluence happiness. Theresearchers say their findingsdo support the theory that ifyou have low expectations,you can never be disappoint-ed. However, they also found

that the positive expectationsyou have for something—likegoing to your favorite restau-rant with a friend—is a largepart of what develops yourhappiness.

Here are some additionalpractical suggestions, beyondthe five keys to wellness andhappiness that I discussed ina previous article:

Focus on people, not things- In a Swedish study pub-lished last year, researchersfound that “people words”—like the names of celebrities,family members or even justa personal pronoun (you, me,us, or them)—were morelikely to appear in daily pub-lications alongside the word“happiness.” Articles with

words like “iPhone,” “mil-lions,” and “Google” almostnever had the word “happi-ness” in them.

Go outside - A study fromZayed University identified alink between time spent out-side and improved mood. Thestudy’s co-author, Dr. Anouti,

(Adding Life page 16)


Adding Life / page 14

suggested that this could be because ofthe body’s increased production of vita-min D in response to sun exposure.

Think happy thoughts - There might besome truth to the old “fake it ‘til youmake it” advice. A Journal of PositivePsychology study published last yearshowed that when participants listened

to “happy” music, the peo-ple who actively tried tofeel happier reported a bet-ter mood afterwards.

Get some sleep -According to a report pub-lished by the AmericanPsychological Association(APA) many people have

built up a so-called“sleep debt” from longperiods of inadequatesleep. When youdeprive yourself of sleep it is linkedto problems with both mood andrelationships. The APA suggests acatch-up period where you aim to getan extra 60-90 minutes of sleep cutsdown on “sleep debt” and contributesto happiness. The sleep/mood con-nection works both ways. For exam-ple, one study found being happy canhelp you get a good night’s sleep.

Give back socially - Giving backpretty much always feels good, butadding in a social component makesit even more powerful. One studysuggests that donors feel happiestwhen they give charity directly to

someone they know or in a way that bol-sters a social connection rather than justmaking an anonymous donation to theircause of choice. In addition, as reportedin a previous article, research has alsolinked volunteering with increased lifesatisfaction and happiness and decreasedlevels of depression.

Focus on things that matter - We usu-ally think of an effort like quitting smok-ing as something that’s demanding,draining, and a big drag. And it is, ofcourse. But it’s also interesting to seethat an effort like that is also a morale-booster. And it’s true: whenever we asksomething of ourselves, and follow

through, we get a big boost inour sense of “self-efficacy,” oursense of control over ourselves.

In addition, our search forhappiness and ability to flourishis helped by pursuing noveltyand challenge, which are pow-erful sources of happiness.Outer order contributes to innercalm and that the very smallestof changes can make the biggestdifference both contribute togreat happiness. Given all theseavenues, what better way toachieve “adding life to years”!

Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D. isCEO of the Center for HealthyAging. Dr. Weiss welcomesyour comments on this column.Write to him [email protected] orc/o Center for Healthy Aging,11 Fillmore Way, Reno, NV89519.


Adding Life / page 15

People who actively tried to feel happier reported a better mood afterwards.


People ask me allkinds of questionsabout Medicare.One of the mostfrequent concerns iswhether they shouldsign up forMedicare Part B.

Part B is medical insurance. It coversprofessional fees for doctors andother health care providers, outpa-tient treatment, durable medicalequipment, home health services,and preventive care like flu shotsand screenings for cancer and heartdisease.

Part B requires a monthly premium,which is $104.90 for mostAmericans in 2015. You’re notrequired to pay the premium if youdon’t want Part B coverage. But isit to your advantage to pay?

The answer depends on your cur-rent and future health insurancecoverage and needs.

Let’s say you don’t have any otherhealth insurance when you becomeeligible for Medicare. You shouldenroll in Part B when you're firsteligible (which, for most people, iswhen they turn 65). If you don'tsign up for Part B when you're firsteligible, you may have to pay a lateenrollment penalty for as long asyou have Medicare.

What if you have insurance throughyour current job? If you or yourspouse (or family member if you'redisabled) are still working andyou’re insured through that employ-er or a union, contact your employ-er or union benefits administrator tofind out how your insurance workswith Medicare. This includes feder-

al or state employment. It may be toyour advantage to delay Part B enroll-ment.

You can sign up for Part B without apenalty anytime you have health cover-age based on current employment. (Keepin mind that COBRA and retiree healthcoverage do not count as current healthcoverage.)

Once your employment (or youremployer/union coverage) ends, threethings happen:

You may be able to get COBRA cover-age, which continues your health insur-ance through the employer's plan (inmost cases for only 18 months) andprobably at a higher cost to you.

(Part B page 18)

Do I Need Medicare Part B?

David Sayen

David Sayen, Regional AdministratorMedicare Region 9

Medicare


You have 8 months to sign upfor Part B without a penalty,whether or not you chooseCOBRA. To sign up for PartB while you're employed orduring the 8 months afteremployment ends, completean Application for Enrollmentin Part B (CMS-40B) and aRequest for EmploymentInformation (CMS-L564). Ifyou choose COBRA, don'twait until your COBRA endsto enroll in Part B. If youdon't enroll in Part B duringthe 8 months after theemployment ends: • You may have to pay apenalty for as long as youhave Part B.

• You won't be able to enrolluntil January 1–March 31,and you'll have to wait untilJuly 1 of that year beforeyour coverage begins. Thismay cause a gap in your cov-erage.

If you already have COBRAwhen you enroll in Medicare,your COBRA will probablyend. If you become eligiblefor COBRA after you'realready enrolled in Medicare,you must be allowed to takethe COBRA coverage. It willalways be secondary toMedicare (unless you haveEnd-Stage Renal Disease).

What if you have TRICARE?

If you haveTRICARE andMedicare Part A(hospital insur-ance), you musthave Part B tokeep your TRI-CARE cover-age.If you're anactive-duty serv-ice member, orthe spouse ordependent child

of an active-duty servicemember:• You don't have to enroll inPart B to keep your TRI-CARE coverage while theservice member is on activeduty.

• Before the active-duty serv-ice member retires, you mustenroll in Part B to keep TRI-CARE without a break incoverage.

If you have Veterans' benefits,enrolling in Medicare mayprovide you with additionalservice and location options.If you don’t keep Part B, youmay have to wait to sign uplater, and you may pay a lateenrollment penalty.

For information on signing upfor Part B under certain spe-cial conditions, go to:http://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/get-parts-a-and-b/part-b-special-condi-tions/part-b-special-condi-tions.html.

David Sayen is Medicare’sregional administrator forArizona, California, Hawaii,Nevada, and the PacificTerritories. You can alwaysget answers to your Medicarequestions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Part B / page 17

Opticalcoherencetomography(OCT) is 3-D imagingthat enablesophthalmolo-gists to seeand measure

the eye’s tiniest inner struc-tures. While OCT is not new,it has recently been combinedwith lasers to more preciselyconduct cataract surgery. Thisnew procedures begins withthe ophthalmologist placing aspecial device on the eye thatsends a 3-D image to ascreen. This image is used toinstruct a computer where tomake incisions in the eye andto break up the cataract, afterwhich the fractured cataract isremoved and a manmadereplacement lens is setinplace. While this procedureessentially the same as cur-rent cataract surgery, it ismore precise in making inci-sions and placement of thenew lens.

It should be noted thatwhether or not performedwith laser, cataract surgeryessentially involves makingan incision in the eye throughwhich the cataract is brokenup and removed, and replac-ing the clouded lens itch aclear one.

If you experience any diffi-culties with your vision, see

your eye doctor or call us at(775) 882-02988. We areconveniently located at 3839N. Carson Street, CarsonCity. Hours are 8-5 p.m.,Monday through Friday byappointment. M?C, Visa,Medicare Assignment accept-ed.

3-D Imaging BringsLasers to Cataracts

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CAN SAVE YOU MONEY


Ophthalmology

Dr. Michael J. Fischer, M.D.Nevada Eye Surgery Center

Michael J. Fischer


As you’re mapping out your retire-ment plan, don’t forget to include SocialSecurity and Medicare in your thoughtprocess. When it comes to enrolling inthese hugely important programs, timingis everything. Enrollment doesn’t usual-ly happen at the same time, and bothdeserve special attention. Let’s take aclose look at each.

Social SecurityDid you know that Social Security

provides benefits to 57 millionAmericans? However, it is designed toreplace only about 40 percent of yourpre-retirement earnings, so you’ll needother sources of retirement income suchas pensions, 401(k)s and personal sav-ings.

When You Are Eligible for SocialSecurity Benefits

Your eligibility for full SocialSecurity benefits depends on when youwere born. Full retirement age, whenyou can begin collecting unreduced ben-efits, is 66 for current retirees. This ageis gradually increasing for people bornbetween 1954 and 1959, until it reachesage 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

You can begin receiving SocialSecurity benefits as early as age 62.However, your benefit will be reducedpermanently if you chose to claim early.Each month you wait after age 62 toclaim benefits (up to age 70) increasesyour monthly payment. Benefits at age70 are over 75 percent higher than bene-fits at age 62. If you are interested inmaking the most of your Social Security,

it may pay to wait to claim benefits. Formore information on how to make themost of your Social Security, go toAARP’s Social Security BenefitsCalculator, www.aarp.org/socialsecurity-benefits.

Social Security Spousal BenefitsIf you’re married (or divorced but

your marriage lasted at least 10 years),you may be eligible for Social Securityspousal benefits. If half of your partner’sbenefit is more than your full benefit,you will receive the spousal benefit.Here’s an example:Kim’s full retirement benefit: $750/mo.Partner’s full retirement benefit:

$1,600/mo.Kim’s spousal benefit: $800/mo.

(Timing page 21)

With Social Security and Medicare, Timing is Everything

By Bob Stephen and Rosa Maymi


Kim will receive the spousal benefitsince it is higher than her full benefit.

When to EnrollYou should apply for your benefits

three months before you want to receiveyour first payment.

For questions about Social Security,visit AARP’s Social Security Q&A toolat www.aarp.org/SSQA. You can alsouse the AARP Social Security benefitscalculator, at www.aarp.org/socialsecuri-tybenefits, to figure out the best age toclaim your retirement benefits.

You can sign up for access to yourSocial Security estimated benefits state-ment at any time. Go to www.ssa.govand click on my Social Security.

MedicareWhen You Are Eligible for MedicareMost people are eligible for

Medicare, the health insurance programfor older Americans, at age 65. Today,more than 50 million people receivehealth insurance through the Medicareprogram.

When to EnrollEnrollment isn’t the same for every-

one. How you enroll depends on whenyou begin receiving Social Security ben-efits:• If you begin receiving Social Securitybenefits before age 65, Social Securitywill automatically enroll you inMedicare when you turn 65.• If you begin receiving Social Securitybenefits after age 65, you will need toenroll in Medicare yourself.

There’s an Initial Enrollment Periodfor Medicare, which gives you a seven-month window to enroll when you turn65. It is the three months prior to yourbirth month, your birth month itself andthe three months following your birthmonth. It’s a good idea to sign up in thethree months prior to your birth monthto avoid a lapse in coverage from yourprevious plan. If you miss your InitialEnrollment Period, you may have to paya penalty in the form of higher premi-ums when you enroll later on.

If you are age 65 or over and are still

working and covered by a group healthplan from your employer, you might notneed Medicare right away. Check withMedicare and your employer to find outhow the program works with any otherhealth insurance coverage that you mayhave.

After you are enrolled in Medicare,you have the opportunity each year toreview your coverage to see what newbenefits Medicare has to offer and tomake sure your plan still works for you.You can make changes to your plan dur-ing Medicare Open Enrollment, whichruns annually from October 15–December 7.

For answers to your questions aboutMedicare, visit AARP’s Medicare Q&Atool at www.aarp.org/MedicareQA. Youcan get one-on-one help through theNevada State Health InsuranceAssistance Program (SHIP) at 800-307-4444 or online at www.nvaging.net. Youcan also contact Medicare directly at 1-800-MEDICARE or visitwww.medicare.gov.

This July 21, Ivan Bell Woodford,Nevada’s oldest living veteran ofWWII, will turn 105-years-old.

Visiting Ivan at his Carson Cityhome, he was in great spirits and look-ing forward to his milestone celebration.

A proud veteran, Ivan Woodfordenlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Seabee in1942. He served at Pearl Harbor andMidway Island following devastatingbombing during the war, helping clearthe destruction by operating big cranesand heavy equipment.

“It was quite a site,” he said ofMidway Island, where a massive cleanup of tons of debris, leaky fuel tanks,and lead paint were removed. Ivanhelped clear the channel which con-tained buckets of coral. His unit latersaw service in the Philippines.

In 2013, Ivan was honored byGovernor Sandoval who ProclaimedNovember 11, 2013 “A Day in Honor ofIvan Bell Woodford.” That same day, heserved as Deputy Grand Marshal in theCity of Reno Veterans Day Parade.Chuckling, he says he is still hoping tobe the Grand Marshal of the next parade.

Looking back on his longevity hesaid, “I have lived a great life. I neverdrank and smoked.” Born in California,Ivan grew up at Lake Elsinore workingon the family ranch. “I was a cowboy,”he states, recalling earlier days he helpedbreak horses for saddle in Cooperville. He also worked for Charles Howard whoowned the famed Thoroughbred race-horse Seabiscuit. Those were excitingdays for Ivan who loves horses, andenjoyed watching Seabiscuit race.


Nevada’s Oldest Living WWII VeteranCelebrates 105 Birthday Connie McMullen

Ivan Bell Woodford and caregiver Barbara Bray


Born in 1910, the family stayed inCalifornia until his grandfather becameill and then moved East. It was in 1946that Ivan found himself in Reno, as wascustom at the time, for a divorce fromhis first wife after returning home fromthe war. Establishing residency, Ivanbegan working and never left.

In fact, Ivan witnessed some of thelargest growth come to NorthernNevada. He worked over 30-years inthe area for local excavating companiesoperating heavy equipment, laying thefoundation of housing pads and levelingthe ground for construction projects inboth Reno and Lake Tahoe. He helpeddrudge Virginia Lake, and worked clean-ing irrigation ditches in development ofSpanish Springs Valley. He recalls cau-tiously working around plenty of snakesand frogs while on the job. He alsoremembers the V&T Railroad that oper-ated between Reno and Virginia City.

A retired heavy equipment operator,most of the roads built through WashoeValley and Reno including I-80 wereIvan’s handy work. Ivan says he has

been a member of the OperatingEngineers for 73-years. Of the changesthat have occurred he adds, “There aredarn too many people.”

Other things have changed as well inIvan’s lifetime. In 1910, the year Ivanwas born, a gallon of gas cost seven-cents a gallon. A new home was$4,800, and the price of a loaf of breadwas five-cents. Seventeen presidentsserved in office during Ivan’s lifetime.

Barbara Bray, his caregiver, saysshe’s proud of the things Ivan is able todo. “The only thing I do for Ivan is stickhim twice a day.” She checks his bloodsugar levels for diabetes. “He still exer-cises his hands,” she said. “Just a fewyears back he was exercising with 5 lb.dumbbells and a stretch band.”

Ivan lost his second wife in 2013after 40 years of marriage. They trav-eled all over the country before herpassing. Just before her death he faith-fully served as her caregiver. Followinga stay in a local nursing home at 103,Ivan came to the attention of TammySisson, owner of Lend-A-Hand Senior

Services who recruited her aunt Barbarato help. Today Ivan lives in the familyhome of Chuck Darling in Carson City,that over looks the Empire Ranch GolfCourse. Ivan loves it there. “It is para-dise.”

Ivan and his dog Hope.

One of the best keptsecrets at the Washoe CountySenior Center is the SeniorLaw Project (SLP), operatedby Nevada Legal Services(NLS) in Reno.

The SLP helps low-income at-risk elders in needof legal assistance at no costs.If the SLP cannot provideassistance they will contactan attorney who works probono, or refer the client toother local legal services.

“The Senior Law Projecthelps so many seniors,” saidDirecting SLP Attorney,Karen Zavora. Zavoradivides the legal time withProject Attorney, MelissaMangiaracina, Esq., a uniquearrangement that allows thetwo legal eagles to have fami-

lies and do the legal workthey love to do.

At the Reno Senior Centerthere is never a shortage ofcases to manage and Zavoraand Mangiaracina work torepresent as much a caseloadas time allows. Elder abuseand hoarding are areas ofconcern. “Hoarding hasbecome a real problemamong seniors,” Zavora said.“We are in the process of try-ing to organize a task force tolook at what can be done inthe community.”

The Senior Law project isa division of Nevada LegalServices providing free legalinformation, counseling, andrepresentation to any personover 60 years of age. Typesof legal matters handled by

SLP include, but is not limit-ed to: consumer fraud, privateand public housing mattersincluding foreclosure preven-tion, housing discriminationand evictions, Social Securityand Medicaid, elder rights,advance planning issues suchas wills, living wills andpowers of attorney. (NLSdoes not handle criminal orfee generating cases.)

The SLP operates on agrant from the Nevada Agingand Disability ServicesDivision and Washoe County

Senior Services. This year,the SLP will be having semi-nars on in both English andSpanish on wills and powerof attorney.

SLP is located at 1155 E.9th Street, Ste. 25, Reno, NV89512. They can be reachedby calling (775) 334-3050.Hours of operation are 8:30-5p.m., Monday through Friday.People with questions canreach Karen Zavora at 334-3050, extension 345; andMelissa Mangiaracina atextension 325.


Senior Law Project Working to Help Seniors in Legal Matters

SLP Directing Attorney Karen Zavora talks legal issues on Editor’s Desk,America Matters Media.


July 1-31 - Teapots for Exhibit,Carson City Historical Society,Foreman=Roberts Museum, (775)887-8865.

July 4 - Mansions on the BluffWalking Tour, 8-10 a.m., $10,(775) 747-7748.

July 5 - Concerts on the VillageGreen: Colin Ross Band, 6-8 p.m.,4549 Village Green Pkwy., (775)250-5432.

July 8 - AARP: Driver Safety, $15members/ $20 others, Reno SeniorCenter, 9-2 p.m., (775) 328-2575.

July 9 - Jazz Night, Scott MarshallTrio, Sierra Arts Gallery, (775) 329-2787.

July 9 - Summer Soree Under theStars: An Evening with BettyBuckley, 8-10 p.m., $45-$60,Peppermill, (775) 322-1538.

July 10 - Dinner Concert Series:Tristan Selzler, 6-9 p.m., Wild RiverGrille, (775) 284-7455.

July 10 - Reno Pops Orchestra andMaestro Jane Brown: SPACE, 7:30p.m., Hawkins Amphitheatre, BartleyRanch.

July 11 - Pops on the River, 5-10p.m., $20-$5,000, RenoPhilharmonic, Wingfield Park, (775)323-6393.

July 14 - Reno Municipal Band, 12-1 p.m., Wingfield Park, (775) 322-1538.

July 15 - Blues Jam Wednesdays:Rick Hammond, 6-10 p.m., SandsRegency Pool, (775) 348-2200.

July 17 - Reno Comedy Showcase,9-11 p.m., 3rd. Street Bar.

July 18 - AARP: Driver Safety, $15members/ $20 others, Fernley SeniorCenter, 8:30-1 p.m.

July 25 - AARP: Driver Safety, $15members/ $20 others, Neil Rd.Creation Center, 9:30-2 p.m.

July Calander

A disappointing visit tothe relatively newNordstrom Rack had anunexpected bonus. A trioof specialty shops, tuckedbetween Nordstrom's and

World Market in RedfieldPromenade (S. Virginia andKietzke), proved worthy of explo-ration. All three offer unique experi-ences for the dedicated shopper orcasual browser.

Even though I'm nota smoker, the TinderBox is more than wortha visit. However, I mustoffer a caveat: the day Iwalked through the doora happy shopper waspuffing away on a largecigar. He remainedthrough my entire stayand when I returned tomy car, closed the doorand prepared to driveaway, I smelled as if I'dbeen smoking a cigar.

That aside, the Tinder Box is chock-a-block with an amazing assortmentof products – not only for smokers.There's often a display of cigarboxes (those nice, wooden ones) atthe entrance and they're for sale(clever crafters take note). Otherpossible gifts for nonsmokersinclude a handsome selection ofcanes and walking sticks, liquorflasks, and decorative steins. There'seven a fancy French air purificationsystem, called Lampe Berger/Paris.Smokers will be impressed by thedisplay cases filled with elegantlycarved Meerschaum pipes, Zippoand Dunhills lighters, and briarpipes. There's tobacco, of course,and entire room of fine cigars. Theoriginal Tinder Box shop was found-ed in 1928 and franchised in 1959;you'll find more information on thewebsite at www.tinderboxreno.com.The Reno shop is open Mondaythrough Saturday from 9:30 a.m.

We Olive is the newbie of thetrio and, as the name implies, theysell olives … as oil, in balsamicvinegars, tapanades, wood acces-sories, soaps and cosmetics. Almosteverything in the shop is producedin California, including boutiquewines and craft beers on offer fromthe cozy bar at the back of the store.Approaching We Olive you'll see aninviting area for outdoor dining withbright chartreuse tables and chairs,the tables topped with fresh flowers.Yes, not only can you enjoy a glassof wine, but We Olive has a tastymenu of small plates, salads, panini,hummus, flatbread pizza and an arti-san cheese and charcuterie plate …oh, and if you love olives, don't missa serving of Castelvetrano olives.(Come winter, a fireplace at the backof the shop will provide a cozyatmosphere for snacking and sip-ping.) You can sample-taste almosteverything here, but especially the


THE ECLECTIC OBSERVERby Janet Ross

Janet Ross

eight bulk, private label olive oils andthe eight balsamic vinegars; tryingbefore you buy is a wonderful way tofind exactly the perfect item to takehome. We Olive presents everythingwith panache, so this would be a greatchoice to have them assemble a gift bas-ket for a special occasion. Plan on atleast an hour to browse as there is somuch to see. Plus, each day there arespecials: Mondays it 10 percent off allretail merchandise, Fridays offer 10 per-cent off the small bites menu, and more.Owner of the We Olive fran-chise is Alysia Peters and you'llfind the doors open daily at 10a.m. (Additional information atwww.weolive.com/reno.)

Sweets Handmade Candieshas been a Reno and Truckeefavorite for the past 16 years.All you have to do is walk inthe door of this small shop toknow why. First, it smells total-ly delicious. Second, it's prettyin an appropriate candy boxway. Third, they sell eight fla-vors of the superior DoubleRainbow from San Franciscoice cream (cones, sundaes,milkshakes and more). And,you can get an espresso, too.Back to the candy, though.There are toffee and caramelapples, truffles made from fineBelgian chocolate, specialtypopcorns, fifteen varieties offudge, and even a full line ofsugar-free candies for diabetics.Gift baskets are big business atSweets; additionally they havechocolate lovers T-shirts.Rebecca Cavender is the ownerand she's the one to call to seeif your favorite truffle flavor isavailable (827-8270); moreinformation at www.sweet-shandmadecandies.com.

The trio await your explo-ration; I'm sure you'll find atleast one item you must have,just as I did.


Eclectic / page 26 Stuff-a-Bus for Seniors Donation Drive The City of Reno, the Regional

Transportation Commission (RTC), andWashoe County Senior Services havecollected the barrels, sorted the dona-tions, and tallied the results of the recentStuff-a-Bus for Seniors Donation Drive.

Thanks to many generous donations,together the Reno area raised $2,692 inchecks, cash, and gift cards and 130 bagsof useful materials that will be distrib-uted to local senior citizens.

“We had faith in the community to

make this drive a success, but we aretruly blown away with the results,” RenoCity Councilmember and RTC ChairNeoma Jardon said.

The drive amassed 63 bags of cloth-ing, 40 bags of personal hygiene prod-ucts, 27 bags of cleaning supplies, 14RTC ACCESS pass books, 10 shoppingcarts, and 31 air circulation fans.

The Senior Giving Program beganduring the 2012 holiday season and hasgrown every year that it has been held.

With another success-ful wrap-up of theReno Rodeo lastmonth, the city is now

in the midst of a very busy special eventseason.

While the rodeo has the title of Reno’s

Oldest Special Event, the season is nowbracketed by the El Dorado’s Brews andBlues Festival in June, and its GreatItalian Festival in October.

Major events that willoccur this summer include:Artown, the BarracudaGolf Tournament, HotAugust Nights, the NuggetRib Cookoff, the GreatReno Balloon Races,Street Vibrations and theReno Air Races.

When it comes to theReno Rodeo, it is perhapsthe most significant in thehistory of Reno, reflectiveof a time when “thebiggest little city” was anentity along the westernfrontier.

During my early years inReno, I was aware of therodeo because it was acity-wide celebration.Every summer for a cou-ple of weeks, the townwould go “Western” andthe streets were filled withreal cowboys and those ofthe pharmaceutical (drug-store) type. Accordingly Iwould don an old pair ofLevi’s along with a west-ern shirt and boots. Oneof the main motivationswas the fact that the JuniorChamber of Commercemembers would cruisearound town in ahoosegow type vehiclecalled the “Black Mariah”.If they spotted anyone inless than western dress,male or female, theywould immediately tossthem into captivity andrefuse to let them out

Reno’s Oldest Special EventBy Harry Spencer

Biggest little CITY

Harry Spencer



unless they paid a hefty fine. Two of themain characters in the Jaycees were RoyPowers and Max Dodge. Of the two,Dodge was the more politically correctfor that era as he referred to himself as a“cow-person” rather than a cowboy.Western attire was no problem for theemployees of Harold’s Club since theywore that type of clothing to work everyday.

My personal contact with the rodeocame about in the mid-60s when I wascalled into hotel owner Charles Mapes’office. We were both bleary-eyed fromthe previous week’s stint of 18 hour daysputting on the Mapes golf tournament.Mapes said he had some good news andsome bad news for me. I asked him togive me the good news first. He proudlytold me that he had been elected presi-dent of the 1966 Rodeo. I asked him

what bad news could pos-sibly be connected to thatand he replied, “I volun-teered your services aspublicity director for theevent”.

Leaving his office, I real-ized that the assignmentwould probably be of apro bono nature since therodeo was strugglingfinancially at that time.

To his credit, Mapes cameup with a solution to fund

the event by soliciting underwriters fromthe casino and business sectors. Theplan was simple in that a budget was setfor the entire show and then the busi-nesses would be solicited until thatamount was reached. The show wouldgo on and all receipts would be returnedto the underwriters. They started offgetting about 50 percent of their moneyback, but that amount quickly rose to afull 100 percent within a few years ofthe program.

Mapes was a natural choice for the pres-idency since his father, Charles Mapes,Sr. had held that position in 1920, whichwas the second staging of the event.

Since the ad budget was slim, most ofthe promotion was done through half adozen billboards, publicity stories andthe publication of the rodeo section inthe local papers. When I checked inwith Journal editor, Ty Cobb, he said,“thank God they sent me a writer to helpme produce this humongous section ofthe paper!”Reno Rodeo RSCVA File Photo

Rodeo / 28

We hadagreedwe hadtoomuch“stuff ”.We had

researched disposal options,decided against consignmentand made our donation desti-nation decision. Then westarted pulling everything outinto the open for removal andit suddenly seemed to multiply,making a bad situation evenworse; stacks of that stuffwere all over the garage. Sincethere was an advertised neigh-borhood garage sale thatweekend, we decided to give ita try.

Some people are skilled atthis. They know just whichitems will sell, how to priceand how to display thingsappealingly. They probablyspend days or even weeks get-

ting ready; not so with us; wehad about 24 hours to get ittogether. We clearly had noidea what we were doing andnaively envisioned swarms ofbuyers arriving before day-break to fight over our treas-ures and then carrying every-thing away...after first giving usmoney.

We set up tables, madesigns with prices, hung bal-loons from the tree, remem-bered to go to the bank forchange and had paper bags onhand to make it easier for allour anticipated customers. Wefelt smugly in control. We hadbeen warned that if the salestarts at seven, people wouldarrive before six so we wereup and ready.

During the preparationprocess my spouse astonishedme by voluntarily putting allsorts of other things out tosell; “let’s get rid of this,” hesaid. He said it so often that I

began to wonder who he wasand what he had done with myreal husband. This welcomeattitude was assuredly not nor-mal.

Our nomadic militarylifestyle had afforded us manytoo many opportunities to buyway too much in way of everykind of tableware and glass-ware and this was primarilywhat we wanted to sell. All ofit was beautiful, at least to us,so we were certain it wouldappeal to everyone. I didmention that we were naïve,didn’t I?

Those predictions werecorrect; cars started arrivingright after six but after theyslowed down and looked, mostof them sped up and droveaway. No matter, we assuredourselves; the truly apprecia-tive connoisseurs would comealong eventually.

Just before seven a carstopped and a couple got outand went directly to the tablecontaining 24 porcelain buffetplates we bought in Germanynearly 40 years ago, buthaven’t used in at least 20.They didn’t even glance at any-thing else but carefully exam-ined each of the plates beforepurchasing them all, with noquibbling over price whatsoev-er. I somehow doubt theywere going to invite 24 peopleto dinner and suspect theymight be dealers. We didn’tknow whether to be delightedthat someone liked some ofour stuff or distressed; had wefoolishly priced it too low?

Throughout the morningmy husband had a great timeas the “front man”, cheerfullywaving at everyone who cameby, urging them to stop &shop. Through sheer charm(and rock bottom prices) hemanaged to talk a lot of peo-ple into taking enough away

that we felt the whole thingwas somewhat worth theeffort.

The best “sale” for me wasthe silver plated tea service.As military tradition dictated54 years ago, we had been pre-sented with one as a weddingpresent. I can’t even remem-ber the last time I used it butit has been taking up a lot ofspace for a lot of years andwas now black with tarnish.

Assured by my garage salesavvy friends that no one waslikely to have any interest in it,especially since it needed to bepolished (and that wasn’tgoing to happen!), we put it ona table with a price of $25. Itwas totally ignored for fourhours and then two sweetwomen stopped by to browse.One of them kept looking at itand shyly asking questions; shehadn’t really seen a tea servicebefore.

Finally she timidly askedwhether we would accept $12.The look on her face when wesaid yes was touching, espe-cially when she excitedly toldus how wonderful this wouldbe on her table after she pol-ished it. So we got rid ofsomething we no longer need,delighted to know it was reallygoing to be cherished bysomeone else.

We learned a lot in case weever try this again...first of all,very few people had any inter-est in what we were trying tosell. What was excess to uswas deemed not needed bynearly everyone else as well.

There were lots of requestsfor furniture, tools, CDs, cos-tume jewelry, Pyrex, tires,clothing and books...alas, wehad none of to offer. Guesswe’ll have to get some morestuff. There will be anotherneighborhood garage sale inthe autumn.


Anne Vargas

this ‘n that By Anne Vargas [email protected]

Solution from page 31

The garage saleThe saga continues:

"Ontheroadagain,

just can’t wait to get on theroad again"…. for weeks, aswe prepared for a major three-week road trip, the words tothe familiar song made famousby country music singer WillieNelson kept running throughour heads.

Three thousand, five hun-dred thirty-five miles (accord-ing to Mapquest) and eightstates later we’re back home.Our 1999 Ford Escort, whichtook us through every sort ofweather conditions one couldimagine and purred like a kit-ten the entire way, has beenwashed and shined, ready forthe next road adventure. Withall the events and activities tak-ing place in our own neighbor-hood, that won’t be until fall.

Jordan Valley, UtahFrom Reno we set out on

Interstate 80, then headednorth from Winnemucca onU.S. Route 95, calling it a daywhen we reached JordanValley, in southeasternOregon. It’s easy to pass onthrough this little community,but take our word for it,there’s a lot more here thanmeets the eye. It’s definitelyworth the time for exploration.

Jordan Valley is the centerfor many fascinating side trips,from a few miles to 25 or 35miles distance. Scenery of thearea has been compared toplaces as spectacular as theGrand Canyon. Petrifiedwood, Indian relics, agates, andcrystals can be found through-out the vicinity.

Jordan Craters: The JordanCraters area is a twenty-sevensquare-mile lava flow, estimat-ed to be between 4,000 and9,000-years-old. Coffee Pot

Crater, the only feature towhich there is vehicle access,covers about two-thirds of asquare-mile and is a well-pre-served steep-sided crater.Directions: Follow Highway95, 9-miles north of JordanValley, then turn west for two-miles.

Jean BaptisteCharbonneau's HistoricGravesite: Jean BaptisteCharbonneau was the son ofthe French CanadianInterpreter ToussaintCharbonneau and Sacagawea,the Shoshone Guide of theLewis and Clark Expedition.He was born at Fort Mandanduring the expedition’s journeywestward. Raised and educat-ed in St. Louis, he traveled toEurope to spend six years inthe court of a German duke,helped the Mormons invadeMexico, and became one ofthe most respected mountainmen of the West. He spoke at

least six languages. At the ageof 61, he set out fromCalifornia to Montana, thescene of the latest gold strike.While crossing the icy watersof the Owyhee River, he con-tracted pneumonia and died atthe Inskip Stage Station onMay 16, 1866. His grave isrecognized as a RegisteredNational Historic Place.Directions: Traveling northon Highway 95, about 15-miles before reaching JordanValley, turn west at RubyRanch to the grave site atDanner, Oregon. Watch forhistoric marker signs.

Big Loop Rodeo: We wereone week late for an opportu-nity to attend the Big LoopRodeo. For 56-years therodeo, which takes place inmid-May at the Jordan ValleyRodeo Grounds, has attractedfans from several states. Whileovernight accommodations inJordan Valley are limited,

rodeo fans are encouraged tobring their motor homes andcamping equipment. Contact: Big Loop Rodeo;Email: [email protected]: http://www.biglooprodeo.com/index.html

Flat Iron Steak House andB&B: We discovered that theformerly Old Basque Inn,where we’d visited on a previ-ous trip, is now Flat Iron SteakHouse and B&B. The newlyremodeled eatery and B&Bwas not officially open whenwe were traveling through thearea but the accommodatingnew owners opened theircomfy B&B for us, and pre-pared a generous home-cooked breakfast the nextmorning (included). We lookforward to a return visit: Contact: Flat Iron SteakHouse & B&B306 Wroten St., Jordan Valley,OR 97910. Tel. 541-586-2800.


Robert Boyd and Carolyn Prusa

Seniors4Travel On the Road Again

Senior Spectrum Newspaper - July 2015 Issue

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Transcript of Senior Spectrum Newspaper - July 2015 Issue