The Ledgendary Adventure Company

Dad always said that someday we would go on Safari!

We had NO IDEA what a multifaceted adventure this would be or that the biggest danger we faced wasn't from wild animals, but was from Osama Bin Laden. 

Kenya, Bombing of United States Embassy

At approximately 10:30 on the morning of August 7, 1998, a yellow van approached the United States Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. When the vehicle stopped, one of the passengers exited and threw a grenade-like device at the gate-guard. The guard fled while the van went through the gate and proceeded to the underground parking garage. Moments later, an explosion ripped through the embassy, also demolishing the nearby Ufundi Coop House and the 17-story Cooperative Bank. A secretarial college was also severely damaged. Two hundred and fourteen persons were killed in the bombing, including twelve American citizens, and more than four thousand were injured. A near-simultaneous bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killed eleven more people.

 

We were in The Cultrual Center at the base of this building, the only thing that separated us from The Embassy building.

Most of the group, departing from European destinations arrived in Africa before, Jeff, Greg, Julie and me.  We had found a two for one, first class airfare on Luftansa that required a stop in Frankfurt (where we stayed to sight see for 2 days) and then we flew into Nairobi Intl airport.  We arrived in the evening and were to leave for The Serengheti in two days. The van they transported us to the hotel in had tinted windows and curtains.  I had visited the State Dept's website prior to departing and Nairobi was on the "dangerous to travel to" list, so it was obvious to me that EXTRAORDINARY CARE must be taken.  Upon our arrival at the hotel, we had a meal and retired for the evening. 

The next morning, after breakfast and a discussion with the others, I approached the concierge and asked if there was anywhere safe we could go, since we had more than a full day there.  At first he said No.  With a bit of pushing he said he had a man that could take us to the Cultural Center, a few miles away.  He made certain I understood that we had to do EXACTLY as directed by our driver. Period!  I agreed.  We were off.  We traveled the short distance and couldn't help but notice the THOUSANDS of people on the streets.  Nairobi had eight million people, very high unemployment and they all seemed to be on the streets.  

We arrived at The Cultural Center at about 9:30.  It was a building that looked much like a Very Old Mosque that was built 100 years ago.  It was filled with many shops and while the bottom was wide open, full of small shops, it had a walkway around the second floor that also had shops around the perimeter.  Most of the Artists were severely handicapped in one way or another.  A man "adopted us to show us around.  He had no legs, nothing below his waist and got around on a dirty piece of plywood that was on casters. Our driver made certain that we remained together as we walked thru this place.  At about 10:15 we walked upstairs to see those shops.  The openings had no glass in them, but many windows for ventilation I think.  

As we approached a corner shop, something pushed me and what seemed like 100 years worth of dust flew from the walls and ceiling. Time began to go in slow motion...  A second later, the force of a blast gave us all a headache and ringing in our ears.  Our driver grabbed us and said, "follow me, quickly."  When we exited the building, the sky had disappeared! In it's place was dust, debris and horror.  We were one building away from the embassy. We ran to our car and as the driver tried to get it started, a crying man in an orange jumpsuit with a machine gun began pounding on my window.  The car started and we tried to get away.  The streets were full of people running away from the point of the blast.  The man orange comandered a car and began to follow us.  I asked the driver what he was yelling at me and he responded, "he was saying this was your fault." Our driver was not going to stop and was actually hitting people that got in the way in their haste to run.  I don't think he killed anyone, but we bumped, maybe 100 out of the way and even reverted to the sidewalk at one point.  We lost the car that had the man with the gun in it by driving the wrong way on the main thoroughfare and driving through the the park that was between us and our hotel.  

 

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Three weeks on the Serengheti and the Ngorongo Crater

http://www.ngorongoro-crater-africa.org/

Our tents were set up in each new area we visited.

  

  

The Ngorongoro Lodge

 

We actually got as close as was safe and stayed with this old guy until his behavior told us it was time to leave him alone.

 Although our camps were literally carved out of the wilderness, this is what our dinner table looked like each evening.

We were hunting birds only on this trip, the balance of the wildlife was for our viewing and amazement.

Lonergan Coat of Arms

The Lonergan coat of arms came into existence centuries ago. The process of creating coats of arms (also often called family crests) began in the eight and ninth centuries.

Albion , Michigan

I was born in Albion, Michigan in 1950. I don't remember a bunch about this time since we moved to Elkhart when I was 6 years old. Dad and his brother John, had purchased a small building in Elkhart and the small mobile Home Mfg. Company that occupied it. I remember that our Doctor was a lady, Dr. Alice Campbell, which was rare in the 1950's. Albion was ahead of the times.

Simon Joseph Lonergan Sr.  aka Nibs or Si
His name Nibs referred to his being a smart dresser and careful with his appearance as a little child, and his father exclaimed as he came down the stairs, Why here comes His Nibs!  And it stuck

Boppa to us!

He is the boy on the far right in this photo taken with his Mom, Dad and family!

I do remember My Grandfathers business building.  Albion HAS winter and Boppa's (what we kids all called our Grandfather, Simon Joseph Lonergan Sr) building had LARGE roll up doors at the rear.  He routed the railroad spur THROUGH the building so workers didn't have to brave the cold when receiving raw materials or shipping air conditioners, heaters and the other products he made.

We lived in a very large (large to a six year old) farmhouse with an even larger barn (in which I got into as much trouble as a 6 year old could) There were cornfields surrounding it full of pheasant.  Even then my family were outdoors people, fishermen and hunters.  I also remember Dad had a large hole dug in the back yard and somehow, using old roofing shingles, created a swimming hole.  We had many barbeques by that "swimming hole."   My younger brother Jeff was a bit of a Pyro and several times set the surrounding lands on fire, only trees and dried cornfields but I CLEARLY remember the firemen coming to the house to "discuss this with us."

I found the following articles @ http://www.albionmich.com/===================================================================

 Lonergan Manufacturing Co.

 804 Clark St

Albion, Michigan

     The legendary investment advice of a few decades ago to "invest in plastic certainly reflected the "high hopes" of the post-World War II era. Here in Albion we even named one of our busy streets "Plastic Road" in recognition of this new wave of the future. Clark Street was renamed Plastic Road towards the end of World War II. The name did not catch on though, and people still referred to it as Clark Street.

     What was "Plastic Road" like in 1946, the year after the War ended? Of course the big industry there was the Lonergan Manufacturing Company at 804 Clark Streeet, which at the time produced oil and water heaters.

     The McGraw-Edison Air Comfort Division, the successor of Lonergan Manufacturing, was one of Albion’s prominent factories from the late 1950s into the 1980s. It produced air conditioning and heating equipment. How many people remember owning a humidifier in their home for use in the winter that was manufactured at McGraw? We had one at our house and remember pouring gallons of Albion’s then iron -infested water in it throughout the wintertime, and watching the foam wheel that turned “crust up” with white calcium/lime as the weeks turned into months. Sort of what cholesterol does to the blood vessels.

     During World War II, the Lonergan Manufacturing Company on N. Clark St. (the predecessor of McGraw-Edison) made bomb inner-casing front and back ends for the Defense Department, pressed from sheet metal. These were the tips and backs that formed part of an inner casing that held the working parts of bombs which were dropped from airplanes.

Our story (http://www.albionmich.com/)  two weeks ago about the flower urn made out of bomb parts manufactured during World War II at the Lonergan Manufacturing Company on N. Clark St. was a reminder of one of several vibrant industries that were once located on the Lonergan site beginning with the 1890s.

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ALBION HIGH SCHOOL 1939 STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM

We are all proud of our Albion High School varsity basketball team as it recently attained the very respectable honor of runner-up in Class B. It was good to see the community have every right to be proud of their accomplishment. This year’s squad has proved once again that Albion can be a major contender in the quest for the Class B title.
During the 1930s, Albion’s basketball team built up a strong reputation, culminating in the Class B State Championship on March 18, 1939. In those days the scores were lower than they were today, as the strategy was not to have the centers zip back and forth making baskets one after another
Albion entered the 1939 Class B tournament that year on Thursday, March 16 by beating Davision 27 to 26 (I told you the scores were low) in a game held at Lansing Eastern High School. The next day Albion traveled to Flint Longfellow Junior High School for the semi-finals where they were matched with Highland Park St. Benedict and easily won 35 to 22.
The big Class B championship game was held on Saturday, March 18 at the I.M.A. Auditorium in Flint (recently demolished) at 8:30 p.m. in the evening. Albion was pitted against the 1938 state champions--Grand Rapids Christian. It was a close game all the way, so close that with just 30 seconds left at the end, Victor Buinowski made two foul shots which gave Albion a 1 point victory over Grand Rapids: 33 to 32. With that Albion accomplished a 16-1 record that year, including our only state championship in basketball.
From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of the happy 1939 Class B state champions, taken after the game. Front row: left to right: Victor Buinowski, Mike Dubina, Victor Nesterenko, Louis Moon, and Russell Elushik. Back row: Joseph Veremay, Alex Egnatuk (who had taken the place of Lawrence Kabel who was ill the evening of the big game), Elton Amsden, Bud Lonergan, Glenn Arnold, and Coach Floyd Dorland.

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 I could have probably gotten a loan here!
Dad and his Best Friend, Alfonce Magnotta started a bank.

 

THE BANK OF ALBION

Ya wanna buy a bank? There’s one for sale. Well, at least the building is. The original Bank of Albion building next to the Post Office is for sale in downtown Albion. The Bank of Albion opened on January 27, 1956 after local citizens saw the need to have a second bank in town compete with City Bank & Trust Company. The Bank of Albion was a "state charter" bank, and was the first such bank in town since the Albion State Bank had failed just before Christmas in 1931.
The Bank of Albion was that, and lived up to its name. It was locally owned and managed. The first president of the new financial institution was Alfonce Magnotta, prominent school board member and attorney, later Circuit Court judge. Magnotta was the driving force behind the bank becoming a reality. The Journal of Albion editor Rae Corliss wrote on January 25, 1958: "Especially is considerable credit due to its president, Attorney Alphonse Magnotta, who single-handed, dreamed and created the new institution. Through long months of difficult effort and application, he sold both the idea and the stock subscription necessary to bring the bank into existence. It was not an easy undertaking! Many men would have given up! For every kind of opposition was thrown against him by some who hoped to prevent establishment of a second bank here."
Other early officials included: Ralph Brooks, vice-president and director. A. R. Dart, vice-president; Max Mulvaney, Cashier; S. J. Lonergan, Jr. Secretary of the board and director; and additional directors Carl S. Greer, Jr., Richard R. Jenkins, and Rush W. McCutcheon.
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Menlo School of Business Administration

Horace Greely is credited with the saying, "Go West Young Man."  I followed his advice, 119 years later!

My room in the US Surplus quonset hut that was converted to a dorm called Keeler Hall.  I had a water bed, tapestries and an Election sign I "borrowed" from somewhere down the street.

one of our forms of entertainment, water fights on hot days

It was 1969, Menlo Park, CA...A long way from Elkhart, Indiana.  To determine the best fit for a college Ann and Dad sent me to Chicago to a testing facility.  You fill out a questioneer with questions regarding education, recreation, morals, climate etc and they select a list of Colleges for you.  World Campus afloat and Menlo were on the top of my list.

     At The Menlo SBA, there were 27 young men in my class, including Prince Facil and Prines Saleh from Saudi Arabia, Dan Block (H&R Block) Bruce Stuart (one of a few heirs to Carnation Milk) and the heirs to Northrup Aircraft, Sun Oil Co., etc.  A diverse and wealthy group from all over the world.  I was most certainly the little fish in this pond! The cream always rises to the top, the rest of us went to Menlo. 

     Dad and I had decided that $200.00 per month would be sufficient for gas, clothes etc.  My first week there, 6 of us drove the 20 miles to San Francisco and went to the Playboy Club. I decided to buy the second round of drinks. The next day, I called home and said, "Dad we have a problem." The round of drinks for the six of us was $86.00 and it was only the 3rd of the month!  When in Rome.... There is nothing to equal the learning and growth experience of peer pressure and friendships from  all over the world.  We spent weekends in the Private Dance Clubs of San Francisco, where Bruce Stuart had an apartment at the top of the hill, right above The Buena Vista, location of our Sunday recovery Brunchs. We went to Larry's familys place, The Mailliard Redwoods, thousands of acres of giant redwoods to Hunt deer and boar.  We made road trips to Santa Barbra, where Prince Saleh rented an entire hotel on the beach and we each had a bungalow. We frequented Haight Ashbury, the home of Flower Power and Make Love Not War. If it sounded like fun, we did it! One of the guys had a large ranch in Goleta, on top of the mountains above Santa Barbara and that was a favorite.  We were quite a caravan with a Lamborgihni, Two Shelby GT 500's, my Buick GS 455, Joe's yellow Firebird 500 and a VW Microbus to name a few.

We would drive to Tijuana for the ten cent beer and 25 cent shots of Tequila

     It was tough competing for dates with guys that had their own jets, diplomatic immunity and offers of weekends in NYC or London, Paris....   But I survived and occasionally prospered. 

     I am hoping the statute of limitations has expired on this next story.  My second year at Menlo, they decided to allow girls to attend the formerly a male school. The Director of admissions called me to his office one day. He showed me a large stack of files on a table. He said these represented all girls applications that qualified to attend Menlo. He suggested I go thru the pile and select any that I felt would enhance my Menlo experience. The files all had PHOTOS.  Patty Hearst was one of my selections and later became quite famous  after being kidnapped by the SLA and thru Stockholm Syndrome robbed banks with a machine gun!  She was rescued and turned out fine, The members of The SLA had a gun battle with the FBI and all died when the house they were in burned to the ground.

    Perhaps to the shock of some I graduated in 1973 with a BS in Business Admin, minor in Accounting.

My Mom

My Blog wouldn't be complete without some photos of my biological Mother and Mom for about 16 years, when she passed.  I NEVER remember even the year when people I love aren't here anymore, jusy my way. Mom Modeled, Sang, had her own Radio Program before women HAD Radio Programs.

I was with her just before she passed.  Two quick stories...When she was in Intensive Care, just having had 2/3 of a lung removed for cancer, the patient across the room from her somehow disconnected his heart monitor and the alarm went off.  Mom motioned me down to her and whispered, "tell that guy to lay down, he's dead."  I was in Houston by myself at the time and frightened as you would expect of a teen and that comment from Mom made me laugh and relax a bit.

 Double click the photo above to read the article. All photos are available full screen by doing this.

Just prior to her leaving us, she told me....."Don't let your Brothers or Sister feel sorry for me, tell em I packed more life into 40 years than most people could do in 80 years."

 

  

AND OF COURSE, SHE AND MY FATHER LIKED TO.....

GUESS...

I believe we were extremely fortunate to have come from a gene pool of overachievers and a Mom and Dad that liked the outdoors!

To borrow from Forest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

Fishing Alaska

For years a group of us, family and friends fished Prince of Wales Island.  Jeff and John caught the biggest King Salmon early on.  Dad caught a Halibut bigger than he was!  I think Gary helped on this one.

 

 When this thing Ling Cod came up with it's mouth open,  I thought I had gone prehistoric!

A typical day's catch...

State of The Union

     In tomorrow's State of the union address, Obama is reverting back to the two things that he is very good at, campaigning (talking)  and sfumatti, smoke and mirrors.  He is intelligent enough to understand that his out of control spending was a BIG issue in Brown's election.  Robert Gibbs has said that the dissatisfaction of voters that got Brown elected IS EXACTLY WHAT GOT OBAMA ELECTED.  (so this was a win for the democrat party? ) Talk about smoke and mirrors! Using sfumatti, he will call for a three year freeze on discretionary spending. 

     He will not tell you that he already increased discretionary spending 24% ABOVE what it was under George Bush.  He will not tell you that discretionary spending was slightly over $400 billion last year. He already has $534 billion built in for 2010.  AND he has over $500 billion unspent from the first stimulus, $250 billion coming back as payments from banks and another $200 billion from other sources. Quite a slush fund eh?  But he is counting on the fact that naive voters will only hear SPENDING FREEZE!  Also, congress must approve this every year.  It's a no brainer that IF they approve it this year, that's the last you will ever hear about it!

So our leader can call for and maybe even get a 1 year spending freeze (no increase above the 24% he already has!) and do this with almost $1 TRILLION in reserve(hidden) 

400 BILLION TO 1 TRILLION 534 BILLION AND CALL IT A FREEZE!

HOW STUPID DO THEY THINK WE ARE?

PS Discretionary spending only accounts for 1/3 of the monies government spends and does not include monies spent on medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Defense, two wars,  housing and urban development (like ACORN), the EPA etc. It also does not cover expenses of the executive office, so he can have all the Czars he wants!

     He is depending on you, the voter not to understand what he is really saying and his ability to "speak and promise."  He is the ultimate diplomat and remember the definition of a diplomat is someone that can tell you to go to hell and.....you look forward to the trip! I believe he could sell ice cubes to Eskimos!

 

GRAVITAS~PIETAS~DIGNITAS

After 9/11

     Dad's 80th birthday was 10/12/2001, a month after 9/11.  We had planned a suprise party for him at The Grill Room, on of Alain Ducasse's restaurants.  In 1987, Ducasse was offered the Chef position at the Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo, with management including the hotel's Le Louis XV. At this time, Ducasse was the only chef in the world with SO MANY *** THREE STAR RESTAURANTS.  We figured that the best Dad in the world deserved the best chef in the world! 

Since we lived in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New Mexico and Reno  he certainly didn't expect to see us.

THIS PICTURE WAS SNAPPED AS DAD CAME OUT FOR BREAKFAST AND SAW US ALL STANDING THERE!

Flying a month after 9/11 was an experience we will never forget. The LA Intl terminal, where I departed from had 10X more military with machine guns than passengers. 

Fight Stereotypes

Teach your Sons to cook and your Daughters to fish!

Kelly's FIRST FISH!

When they were young Nicole always caught the biggest!

 

 

 They will "grow" into it!

 

 

                                                                           

Teach them to Love Music and Fine Wines!