Postage Stamps Reflections of International Art and History

When the Soviet Union, USSR, broke up, I found this sheet with Groucho Marx and John Lennon, kind of a relief with the drama of politics and two leggeds fighting over land with the dissolution of the communist state, founded through dictators like Stalin and Lenin. My parents learned Esperanto in the 1930's as an attempt to create a world language of peace and understanding, and our family had access to the dictionaries and all, and we observed Peg and Pete exchanging stamps and other items with people from over 100 nations, of many flags. How people see themselves through their postage stamps and through their colors. I purchased these stamps to share with my two sons, thinking they might catch the "stamp bug" as I have found meditating on the images, a portal into other country's view of themselves and their reality.
Here is wiki view of the nation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abkhazia
Abkhazia in Post-Soviet Georgia
Flag of the SSR Abkhazia in 1989
Main article: Georgian–Abkhaz conflict
As the Soviet Union began to disintegrate at the end of the 1980s, ethnic tensions grew between the Abkhaz and Georgians over Georgia's moves towards independence. Many Abkhaz opposed this, fearing that an independent Georgia would lead to the elimination of their autonomy, and argued instead for the establishment of Abkhazia as a separate Soviet republic in its own right. The dispute turned violent on 16 July 1989 in Sukhumi. Sixteen Georgians are said to have been killed and another 137 injured when they tried to enroll in a Georgian University instead of an Abkhaz one. After several days of violence, Soviet troops restored order in the city and blamed rival nationalist paramilitaries for provoking confrontations.
In March 1990 Georgia declared sovereignty, unilaterally nullifying treaties concluded by the Soviet government since 1921 and thereby moving closer to independence. The Republic of Georgia boycotted the 17 March 1991 all-Union referendum on the renewal of the Soviet Union called by Mikhail Gorbachev — however, 52.3% of Abkhazia's population (almost all of the ethnic non-Georgian population) took part in the referendum and voted by an overwhelming majority (98.6%) to preserve the Union.[33][34] Most ethnic non-Georgians in Abkhazia later boycotted a 31 March referendum on Georgia’s independence, which was supported by a huge majority of Georgia's population. Within weeks, Georgia declared independence on 9 April 1991, under former Soviet dissident Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Under Gamsakhurdia, the situation was relatively calm in Abkhazia and a power-sharing agreement was soon reached between the Abkhaz and Georgian factions, granting to the Abkhaz a certain over-representation in the local legislature.[35]

Learning about Asian Cuisine and Culture

Gary Engler joined me in the sushi preparation after we worked on his airplane at the St Cloud Airport. Nice and relaxing on the weekend to celebrate with home made sushi. They the tuna sashimi at Byerly's frozen and I suggested fresh stuff from the cities in the future. AND this is the first time doing it at home! Sweet From Wiki The word sashimi means "pierced body", i.e. "刺身 = sashimi = 刺し = sashi (pierced, stuck) and 身 = mi (body, meat). This word dates from the Muromachi period, and was possibly coined when the word "切る = kiru (cut), the culinary step, was considered too inauspicious to be used by anyone other than Samurai. This word may derive from the culinary practice of sticking the fish's tail and fin to the slices in identifying the fish being eaten.

A special surprise for my birthday in February occurred with Jesse and Amy here in their home in St Cloud the Monday after my birthday on Presidents Weekend. Thanks to Abraham Lincoln (Feb 12) and George Washington (Feb 22) for having their birthdays in the month of February too! So they had the day off when I came to get my van fixed at "Bodies by Uch" in Sauk Rapids Gary and I got a chance to work on his airplane too!

As part of my tutoring process with Sleepy Tigers, a Chinese tutoring business in Minneapolis, I went to a Saturday morning tour, given by Juliet Lee. See: www.sleepytigers.com. Here is the outside of United Noodle where many different Asian foods are featured. It is located 2015 E 24th Street Minneapolis, MN 55404,/www.unitednoodles.com, just down the street from the Coastal Seafoods at 2330 S Minnehaha Ave 55404 (612 724 7425) www.coastalseafoods.com

Here is Juliet showing us one of the special sauces. She has many families who have children who are learning Chinese. She suggested a variety of different products to purchase to learn about and practice cooking.

Here are some of the foods to sample, of a variety of Asian menus.

Peg and Pete Weaver 1938 - Graduation from Ohio State University and West Carrollton

Here is a photo taken my Noah Elwood Weaver of his only child and son, Paul Henry Weaver, upon his graduation from Ohio State Medical School June 13, 1938

Here is the front of the OSU "Medical College" as labeled in my parents photo album in June 1938.

Peg Weaver worked at a civil service job here at OSU after having jobs at the YMCA in Columbus. This is labeled as Campbell Hall, leaving job for good. Peg worked as a clerk in the Home Economics Deptartment while Pete was in Med School.

This is a photo my father likely took of his mom, in her home, 321 E Main Street West Carrollton OH labelled 1938.

Photo by Paul H Weaver of his dad in the family home, labelled 1938. Likely taken just before he and Peg moved to Minneapolis for his internship at Swedish Hospital.

West Carrollton Ohio Home of Noah Elwood and Edna Eicher Weaver 1937 Visit

Recently I was honored to have a man from the West Carrollton Historical Society contact me about the photos I have posted on this blog. My intention has been to honor the work of my paternal grandfather who was an adopter of new technology back a century ago. In other posts in the past, I have photos of Noah Elwood at the family farm above Miamisburg where he had motorized bicycles with the back drop of the family farm. Here are my dad, "Pete" Paul Henry Weaver in a sporty 30's outfit with his iconic pipe, likely filled with Bond Street tobacco with my mom, Peg Weaver in 1937 two years after their marriage in Findlay.

Here in the backyard of 321 E Main St, West Carrollton are Edna Eicher Weaver, my grandmother, a close family friend, Hanna Swearingen, and my parents, Paul H "Pete" Weaver with his ever present pipe and my mom, Peg Weaver reading a paper. Peg would mention as she was writing her autobiography during shared times, how she and Pete would take the interurban (train) from Columbus to Dayton and West Carrollton. While in West Carrollton she remembered learning about Pete's stamp collecting hobby which they carried on for many years, during their moving to Minnesota until my mom's passion for mushrooms took over her attention in the 1960's.

Prior to their moving to Minnesota in 1938, Pete and Peg went camping and visited Ohio parks. Here they are in the summer of 1937 at Rock House State Park in Hocking County. In their photo album this is scanned from Peg wrote "weekend spent with Betty and Cy Giddings Cantwell Cliffs Hocking County.


This composite photo is from my parents album from a Feb 1938 visit to Ash Cave in Hocking County Ohio with Bill and Betty Biel.

Gardening 2011 Some Options for Planting Vegetables

BlondKoepfchen, "little blonde gird" in German, is an East German heirloom yellow cherry tomato. From the Gatersleben Seed Bank. 1" fruits in clusters with a sweet taste.

Eva Purple is a mid sized hierloom, 4-5 oz, brought from Germany in the late 1800's to Elmwood Park NJ. Cherry red flesh. Great flavor.

A very popular small cherry tomato - 1/2 - 3/4 " fruits. Great flavor, easy to grow in a patio pot. I have raised these in my Bloomington and Crystal gardens with great success.


A large blocky bell sweet pepper from Italy. Green ripens slowly into a golden yellow. Thick crisp flesh with sweet spicy flavor.

Enjoying Minnesota - The Out of Doors

Spring is in the air, and I am contemplating this land of water and prairie. While scanning some old photos of my grandfather, Noah Elwood Weaver who drove the 600 miles from West Carrollton Ohio in the 40's through early 60's, I noticed we kept up the photo tradition in St Cloud as well. While training for some runs, when Nate, on the bike and Jesse, carried by me, were young, I enjoyed the campus of St Cloud State University situated on the Mississippi River some 80 miles upstream from the Twin Cities where I now reside.

While scanning photos by my grandfather Noah Elwood Weaver, I am struck by his dedication to capturing his connection to his three grandsons. He drove 600 miles to visit his only child, Paul H Weaver and his growing family in the 40's and 50's. Here are a Faribault neighbor, Michael Relyea, son of Ken and Ruth Relyea who lived on SW Third Street just to the west of our family home, with the inner tube floating on Pelican Lake in front of the Weaver-Kiekenapp-Relyea-Bowes Cabins. The Weaver boys,
Jim, Jack and Tom are to Michael's left.