Blog archive
August 2024
1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024
1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024
First Anniversary
08/19/2024
Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024
Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024
The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024
Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024
Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024
Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024
Future Housing Options
08/15/2024
Message from the President
08/15/2024
There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024
Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024
A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024
Haikus
08/13/2024
One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024
Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024
Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024
Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024
July 2024
Alma Stokes, The Struggle in Pasadena
07/25/2024
A Poetry Gathering: Liberating Experiences Available
07/19/2024
Civil Rights Movement Series
07/19/2024
Happy Hours in Pasadena: A Villager’s Perspective
07/19/2024
Pasadena Village and the National Dialogue on Villages and Healthy Aging Research
07/19/2024
President's Message
07/19/2024
The Kern River Rafting Caper
07/19/2024
The Village Artists Group creates creative camaraderie
07/19/2024
An Example of Inherent Racism
07/14/2024
Current, Upcoming Events
07/04/2024
June 2024
No Real Recourse For Discrimination
06/30/2024
A Personal Statement of Strength and Well-Being
06/25/2024
Juneteenth Reflections
06/24/2024
Reflections on 2023-2025
06/21/2024
Reactions and Reflections Re: Juneteenth
06/19/2024
As Our Organization Grows, Villagers Recall Personal Highlights
06/17/2024
From the Outgoing President
06/17/2024
Letter from the Incoming President: Beginning Our ‘Lagniappe’ Year
06/17/2024
The Editorial Team Looks Back: Creating the Voice of the Village
06/17/2024
This Year's Resource Fair was the Most Successful Ever
06/17/2024
Telling the Whole Story
06/12/2024
Nashville
06/10/2024
May 2024
Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024
Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024
Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024
Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024
Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024
Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024
Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024
Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024
Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024
Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024
Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024
No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024
An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024
Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024
Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024
The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024
Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024
April 2024
Rumor of Humor #2410
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2411
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2412
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2413
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2414
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2415
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2416
04/28/2024
Stimulated by "Caste"
04/22/2024
Tulsa reparations, Religion and Politics
04/09/2024
March 2024
Trumps War with Black Women
03/31/2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
The Kern River Rafting Caper
By Sue AddelsonPosted: 07/19/2024
Ten adventurous Villagers piled into three cars on a Tuesday morning at the Pasadena Village parking lot. Destination: Kernville. They were off on a river-rafting adventure, the first Village “caper” in a long time. Sue Kujawa and Jo Yeargin were veteran rafters. For Valerie Jones and Melva Watts, this was going to be a first. Melva, because of back pain and arthritis, was worried she might not have the strength to do it. Val had turned down a chance to river-raft decades ago. Now she was ready.
The fastest route from Pasadena to the Kernville Inn is less than three hours. Trip leader John Jackson had no intention of taking the fastest route. John didn’t see this as a rafting trip. To him, it was a road trip. The rafting was just the icing on the cake.
“Some people think a road trip is a beginning and a destination. For me, it’s stopping along the way for history, geology, the manmade and the natural beauty; it’s learning about California human and geographic history,” John said. It was obvious he had put a lot of work into researching, planning and plotting the scheduled stops. “He wanted everything to go perfectly and wanted everyone to have a good time. He was a perfect tour guide,” said Barbara Madden.
The first stop was Vasquez Rocks, which, John explained, has a geological history that goes back 25 million years. Some Villagers were more interested in talking about the filming that was done there: Lone Ranger, Star Trek and many others. Other stops included the Tehachapi Loop, Walker’s Pass, Red Rock Canyon and the infamous St. Francis Dam. John made each historic location come alive as he described the beauty, explained the geology and history, and the specific role of each site in shaping the State of California.
Almost to a person, the most memorable stop was the Cesar Chavez Monument, and not just because it had the best bathrooms. They saw Chavez’s gravesite, walked through beautiful grounds with fountains and foliage, and toured the house where he had lived. “In the museum, you could follow his life,” said one Villager. “I learned a lot.” Melva asked someone in the gift shop about Chavez’s children and grandchildren, only to find out the person she was talking to was one of his grandchildren.
They arrived at the Kernville Inn tired, hungry and happy. After a restful night and breakfast — restful except for those whose air conditioning didn’t work — they walked to the rafting operation, where they met up with Katie Brandon and her family. The guides went over the equipment, safety instructions and told them exactly what to expect. After the guide explained all possible worst-case scenarios, Melva asked him if he thought she could do it. “He said I could and everyone helped me,” she said.
Then they were bused to the drop-in point, with growing anticipation. “When we got in the boat … you’re sitting on the rim of an innertube … and they had foot holds … but I could only get one foot in…” recalled Melva. “I held onto the rope for all my life when we got to the rapids…” Then she added, “It was so much fun!”
“When you hit those rapids, you just scream and laugh and try to paddle at the same time,” said Jo, who was still laughing days later, as she relived the experience.
One of John’s goals was to get away from the city and into nature. On the way back, instead of taking the highway, he routed them on the scenic route, a two-lane rural road. For hours, they drove past beautiful woodlands, through deserts and mountains, and around mountain curves. “The natural curves made the drive somewhat challenging, but the natural beauty made it worth it. There was a lot of nothing. No traffic signals. No center line on the road. The biggest town was probably 200 people. When there is nothing, that’s when you see the river, canyons, trees, birds,” said John.
For Sue Kujawa, this trip was reminiscent of the “capers” of the Village’s early days. Founding Villager Jim Goodell had the idea of going to the Grand Canyon on a train. He called it a caper, to make the point they were doing something wild and crazy. Then Sue led a caper to the Manzanar National Historic Site, the scene of a World War II-era Japanese internment camp. And there were others. Now, it seems, “capers” are back.
“One thing that struck me, we were five African Americans, five white people and one gay couple, and we could all be together, trust each other and share this together. Jim Goodell would be proud,” said Sue.
The 10 adventurers were Wayne April, Jeff Gutstadt, Peggy Henderson, John Jackson, Valerie Jones, Sue Kujawa, BJ Ledyard, Barbara Madden, Melva Watts and Jo Yeargin.
See photos from the Kern caper here.