Dave Beecken
Updated 6/1996
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I think that I missed the last time around so there's a few years of catch-up. Things are pretty much unchanged as far as career and residence go. I still work for US Bank of Oregon as a Foreign Exchange Trader. (Seems strange to say the dollar is strong at 108 yen!) Business has grown, not only from Oregon's growing economy but also from the fact that more foreign companies want to do business in their own currency, not the USD. I've survived another round of layoffs and an acquisition (we were the acquirer). I'm hoping for another 2-3 years of job security and then who knows. Joan has been in grad school, so the home and yard maintenance tasks have fallen to me. The garden has had a rough spring although this year we are really, really hoping to get our first kiwi. Our grape vines are so loaded we have to make wine! Our trees and house survived the worst windstorm in 35 years (100 mph winds) and only part of the driveway washed away during our 100 year flood. We did have to evacuate the office because of the approaching flood but the waters stopped just short of going over the sear wall in downtown Portland. During the flood, we stayed with some very gracious friends we as could not get to our house for three days. The low lands approaching our hills were too far underwater. Compared to many people around here, though, we did very well and are grateful for a warm (did I mention lack of power for five days in the windstorm?), dry house! Fun winter. Joan's schooling is giving me quite an education in psychology. She's studying Art therapy. I get to review/edit her numerous papers for content (like I would have a clue on cognitive, Jungian, Gestalt, etc.) But for grammar and such. Think I prefer the clear, black and white world of money to the gray areas of psychology! Our favorite past time is still travel. Highlights of the recent years include 2 weeks camping in Iceland where it never got dark (early June). We needed our watches to see if it was time to get up or not. Stunning and eerily beautiful scenery, reserved but warm people, treacherous roads, tenting in lava beds and great coffee (yes, we're typical NW coffee addict). To counter balance the cold, we chartered a sail boat the next year in Tahiti for a week, fulfilling an old dream. Even planned it for the week of a full moon which we actually saw a couple times between rain clouds. And we spent 10 days volunteering with a group called Earthwatch, tracking and photographing orca whales in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. Between seeing the whale research center while watching bald eagles catch salmon, skimming across the water on the sailboat tracking the orcas, being the first to photograph the dorsal fin of a newborn, and getting a tax break for our expenses, it was close to being a perfect vacation. The opening sequence of "Free Willy" was filmed in "our" waters by the head researcher's son! Have to be honest, though, haven't been down to see Keiko/Willy yet, even though he's now an Oregonian. And by the way, I have a gripe with whoever named HIM. Keiko, if I recall from Mrs. Jungnickel's Japanese class, is a female name. Heck, my Dad's wife's name is Keiko! By the way, we recommend Earthwatch for unique and useful vacations. They have projects all over the world. Of course, hiking treks to the eastern Oregon desert, storm watching at the coast, summer sunset sails with friends on the Columbia with Mt. Hood alpine-glowing off the bow are still the "good life" for us. A favorite hiking area is called Indian Heaven, aptly named for its numerous lakes and tarns, profusion of wild flowers, and in late August, competing with bears for the right to gorge on wild huckleberries (we don't actually see bears, just signs of their presence and food of choice). As you can guess, those simple things are what we enjoy the most of our lives. The jobs are there so we can play. A couple years ago, I had a long breakfast with Tim Olson. It was good to see him and catch up with their lives before he took off for ASIJ as a guidance counselor (I believe). Last year, Rob and Sonja Brownlee were in Portland for a weekend and we had a good time catching up over a seafood buffet. Sonja has sold her practice and is full-time mom while Rob continues to unplug arteries and such. Talk about a guilt trip loading up your plate with bacon while sitting with two MD's, one a vascular surgeon. At least I think Rob clears arteries although I don't always understand their language. Whenever I fly Horizon Airlines, I keep an ear open to see if my pilot is Dave Worth but haven't had him yet (probably need to fly more often). Joan and I will be in Japan and Nojiri late August and the first of September. Then I'll be in Tokyo for a few days making calls and hope that I can at least get an afternoon off to get out to ASIJ. If nothing else, it would be fun to see Tim Olson and see if there are faculty aroudn that would remember me (or I remember them). I don't ever seem to run into ASIJ alum but it's always fun to read this shinbun (aren't spell checks fun? Never know what the old PC might think. "Shinbun" came up as "shinbone") and see what school mates are up to as well as our "kids" from when we were the dorm parents (?) at Luther House. The class letter is also great! Dave Beecken |