Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (April 28, 2020)
HOME & LIVING TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2020 GEKELERS PARTIES inexplicably drove his pickup into the path of an oncoming train at a crossing. My uncle died instantly. His only son, Barry, lingered in a coma for 30 days before succumbing. The last two Gekeler men on George Oscar’s branch of the tree were gone. My grandmother had to be hospitalized when she heard the news. Seven years later, my grandma lost her “baby’’ when my mother died of lymphoma at age 57. It’s a story of triumph over unimaginable hardship a cen- tury and a half ago and the handful of awful moments that can devastate a family over time. After all I’ve learned about this pioneer family, I am struck by the multitude of lives that were created from little more than an oxen, cow, and an enormous amount of determination and effort. So here’s to George Oscar Gekeler, the grandpa I never knew. Continued from Page 1B THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B Continued from Page 2B Unfortunately, my branch of the Gekeler tree is weighed down with sadness. George Oscar Gekeler died of a heart attack in 1929 while cement was being poured on his family’s new home. He was 52. My mom was nine. My grandmother lived to be 98 and, as far as I know, never looked at another man. It must have been so dif- fi cult for the family after my grandfather died. He had been gone so long by the time I came around that no one really spoke of him, but my sisters say they heard he was a lot like his only son. That would be my uncle Melvin, who went by the nick- name “Bun’’ and owned cattle ranches, fi rst near North Powder, then just outside Wallowa. He was quiet and hard- working. We would some- times have Thanksgiving dinner at his house and he Editor’s note: Bob Baum retired would invariably fall asleep last year after 43 years with in his recliner afterward. The Associated Press, 23 years Tragedy struck in Decem- based in Portland and 20 as ber of 1970. I have a weath- senior sports writer in Phoenix, ered copy of the article in the Arizona. He and his wife Leah Wallowa County Chieftain. live in Island City with their two While out tending to the dogs and four cats. cattle on a wintry day, he Speaker view makes sense when you’re watching a work presentation but feels less natural in a group set- ting. Sometimes, more than one person is talking, or some other noise prompts the camera to switch over, like sirens outside or a dog barking. Gallery view gives you the “Brady Bunch”-style grid where you’re all in the same sized window. To change which view you’re seeing, go to the top right of the screen and click “Gallery View.” Muting yourself still applies. In a get-together with a couple of other friends, sure, leave yourself unmuted. But when fi ve or more people are joining the video call, it’s polite to mute yourself when you aren’t speaking. Laptop and phone microphones pick up sound differently than our ears do. What sounds to you like the normal hustle and bustle of making dinner in the background while you listen to your friends talk might be a magnifi ed banging and clashing to them. To look your best, put your laptop on a stack of books and check your background before you go live so the camera is at about eye level while you’re sitting down. Otherwise, you risk incurring the dreaded down- facing double chin. Be the host with the most If you’re hosting the meeting with Zoom, you’ll need to upgrade to a Pro account or have to restart the meet- ing every 40 minutes when the free version runs out. Google Hangouts and Skype don’t set time limits. Try to start your gatherings on time so people aren’t left hanging on the hold screen. Also, if you’re setting it up, plan some games that take advantage of the technology instead of trying to work around it. For more on that, keep reading. OK, we’re on the call. Now what? Social events via video conference require a bit more planning and fi nesse than a casual hang. Plan things to do other things than just talking. In a normal party setting, you’d split off and have side conversations among a few people and migrate around to different groups. Here, you have to keep a conversation going among everyone at once. That’s challenging. If you’re hosting, it might be more help- ful to set an agenda so people know what to expect: “We’ll chat from 6 to 6:30ish, then I was thinking we could (play some games / do a scavenger hunt / watch the new season of “Nailed It!” on Netfl ix / work on our separate crafting projects simultaneously.)” Providing our community extraordinary hospice care! • • • • Visit www.JohnJHoward.com Available. OUR APP AT THE A PPLE STORE OR G OOGLE PLAY STORE La Grande Office 1207 Adams Ave., La Grande, OR 97850 541-663-9000 Baker City Office 2195 Main Street, Baker City, OR 97814 541-523-7390 We are open Dealer & Factory Certified Technicians Symptom & Pain Management Education for Caregivers Emotional & Spiritual Support Grief & Loss Services Discount for All Military & First Responders (541) 624-5800 • GoHOSPICE.com 601 Adams Ave, La Grande Come in or Call in what you need (541) 963-8671 M-F 8-5, SAT 8-12noon TREE FACT: Trees provide food and shelter for wildlife. Always FREE Estimates Open For Business Another idea: Be apart, together Pull out your Nintendo Switches and play Animal Crossing (the ulti- mate game for this moment in history) at the same time. Do crafts or a DIY project. You don’t have to be actively engaging with one another the entire time to feel together. Jennifer Peepas, who writes the advice blog Captain Awkward, called it “parallel socializ- ing.” She and her friends have logged onto Zoom to knit together. Scavenger hunts can take advan- tage of your separate locations and be a fun opportunity to move around a bit. The host names an object and everyone else has a certain amount of time (say, 30 seconds) to fi nd it in their own house. A coffee mug with writing on it. A twist tie. A sock in a color other than white. A roll of toilet paper. (Cred- it where credit is due: I fi rst heard of this idea on Twitter and vowed to steal it. Mission accomplished.) BLUE MOUNTAIN REP RV AIR curbside pickup D OWNLOAD We have a ton of ideas for that in our ultimate online hangout guide. A few to get your started: Jackbox games, virtual card and board games on Playingcards.io, or tabletop RPGs — either standbys like Dungeons and Dragons, or ones designed specifi cally to be played virtually. Party classics like Charades, Pictionary and Bingo are easily transferable to a video call. Rick Todd 360.601.2067 541.786.5095 627 E. Arch St, Union, OR 97883 :HDUHKHUHIRU\RXU PHQWDOKHDOWKRU DGGLFWLRQVQHHGV &DOOXVIRUWHOHKHDOWK RULQSHUVRQYLVLWV 0)DPSP 6DW6XQDPSP <RX0DWWHU 3110 10th Street, Baker City OREGON'S 2ND OREGON'S 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT REPUBLICAN DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FORUM CANDIDATE FORUM Get to know the Republican candidates for U.S. Congress without leaving home. Get to know the Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress without leaving home. Primary election is May 19 Primary election is May 19 Forums will be video recorded without audience due to COVID-19 concerns. Forums will be video recorded without audience due to COVID-19 concerns. Streaming live on this newspaper’s Facebook page: Streaming live on this newspaper’s Facebook page: Saturday May 2, 2020 • 5 p.m. & 7 p.m. Friday, May 1, 2020 • 6:30 Watch after the event on this newspaper’s website or on EOAlive.tv Watch after the event on this newspaper’s website or on EOAlive.tv Submit your questions in advance by email to: CD2forum@eomediagroup.com or on Facebook Live during the event. Submit your questions in advance by email to: CD2forum@eomediagroup.com or on Facebook Live during the event. Moderated by Chris Rush - Regional Publisher, EO Media Group Moderated by Chris Rush - Regional Publisher, EO Media Group am and video by EO A Live stream Alive TV Live stream Alive TV am and video by EO A • A forum for the Democratic candidates will be held on May 1 • • A forum for the Republican candidates will be held on May 2 •
