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!
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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.)
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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
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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 •
