Save the "V"

Viewmont Vikings: Save the “V”

• The concrete “V” on the mountainside is in need of your help!
• Years of erosion has undermined under the structure.
• Concrete needs to be placed under the “V” to stop the erosion.

Funding for the project will be obtained through students, parents, faculty,community, and alumni donation.

For tax deductible contributions, send a check made out to the DAVIS EDUCATION FOUNDATION (write Save The “V” Project on the memo line) to P.O.Box 588, Farmington, Utah 84025 or send/drop-off the check to Viewmont High School, or get on the Davis Education Foundation website where credit card payments are accepted at www.daviseducationfoundation.org.  This is a 501c charitable foundation set up by the Davis School District to foster charitable giving.

More Information About the Project:

Project: Part one of the restoration is to remove brush, weeds, and loose gravel along both outside edges to have a solid base for shotcrete (concrete conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface like in pool construction) to be pumped under the “V.”  Wire mesh secured with rebar will be placed to provide a framework for the shotcrete.  The current student body, Boy Scouts, and able-bodied alumni will perform the labor for part one. Part two of the project is to have Intermountain Gunite Company professionally do the pumping of the shotcrete.  The materials and labor for the pumping are the majority of the costs of this project.  The rest of the cost will be to restore the ground next to the “V” by replacing dirt, replanting native grasses, and creating a drainage system along the side to prevent future erosion.  An improved pathway for safer climbing up to the V is also a part of the project.

Part one of the project is scheduled to be completed in two phases.  Ryan Trump with his scout troop and other volunteers will begin Saturday April 19^th, 2014.  The Viewmont Student leaders and advisors as well as any interested alumni or parents will continue the preparation for the shotcrete by placing the wire mesh around the V on Friday April 26^th, 2014 at 3:00pm.   Part two well begin after May 1^st, 2014 by Intermountain Gunite Company pumping in the shotcrete.  After the shotcrete has cured, then the last phase of replacing dirt, improving the pathway, replanting native grasses and creating a drainage system will be completed.

History: The Viewmont High School Class of 1973 constructed an 8 foot wide, 105 foot long concrete “V” on the mountain above Centerville on city property.  After forty years, water running off the “V” has eroded the soil up to two feet under the concrete and has created two to three foot deep gully along the north side, and to a lesser extent along the south side.  At the present time, the “V” is stable as determined by a geological engineer’s evaluation; however, if nothing is done to stop the erosion, the “V” is in danger of becoming unstable and breaking up. Ryan Trump created the restoration proposal to stop the erosion under the “V” as an Eagle Scout Project.  Ryan is the youngest grandchild of Robert Trump, the contractor who aided the Class of ’73 with framing and pouring the concrete forty years ago.  Ryan presented the proposal to the Viewmont Student Body officers, Viewmont Principal Daniel Linford, Viewmont Alumni Committee, and the Centerville City Council, with all parties agreeing to cooperate with the project.  Centerville City Council has approved and authorized this work to be done with the oversight of the city engineer.  

Please help the traditions of lighting and whitewashing the “V” stay an influential part of students’ school        experience by donating by May 1^st.  Donations will still be accepted after that to help with re-planting and landscaping, but the contractor will need to be paid shortly after May 1^st.

It's Not How You Quit, It's Where You Start

I purposely am plagiarizing from After America by Mark Steyn.  The following is found on pages 330-332.  I think everyone under 35 at least should read and think about it.  Those older than 35 probably will appreciate it even more

You can't always be anything you want to be.  I wanted to be a great tap-dancer.  Instead I'm a mediocre tap-dancer.  But that's my problem.  Your problem is that my generation and your teacher's generation have put a huge obstacle in the way of you being anything you want to be:  We've spent your future.  Generationally speaking , yours truly, the principal, the guidance counselor, the school board, the old, the late middle-aged and the early middle-aged have cleaned you out before you've got going.

"It's about the future of all our children."  And the future of all our children is that you'll be paying off the past of all your grandparents.  In the assisted-suicide phase of western democracy, voters are seduced by politicians who bribe them with government lollipops, but they're not willing to pay the cost of those lollipops.  Solution:  Kick it down the road, and stick it to the next generation.  That's you.

So government has spent your future.  This is the biggest generational transfer of wealth in the history of the world.  Look at the way your parents and grandparents live:  it's not going to be like that for you.  You're going to have a smaller house, and a smaller car--if not a basement apartment and a bus ticket. But thanks a bundle, it worked out great for us.  We of the Greatest Generation, the Boomers, and Generation X salute you, the plucky members of the Brokest Generation, the Gloomers, and Generation Y, as in "Why the hell did you old coots do this to us?", which is what your going to be asking in a few years' time.  You're being lined up for a twenty-first century America of more government, more regulation, less opportunity, and less prosperity--and you should be mad about it; when you come to take your seat at the American table (to use another phrase politicians are fond of), you'll find the geezers, the boomers and the Gen-X-ers have all gone to the bathroom, and you're the only one sitting there when the waiter presents the check.  That's you: Generation Checks.

"You can be anything you want to be!"  "Dream your dreams!" You won't be able to dream your dreams, because you'll be the gray morning after of us oldtimers' almighty bender.  The American Dream will be as elusive and mythical as the Greek Dream.  Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute calculated that if the federal government were to increase every single tax by 30 percent it would be enough to balance the books--in 25 years.  Except that it wouldn't.  Because if you raised taxes by 30 percent, government would spend even more than it already does, on the grounds that the citizenry needed more social programs and entitlements to compensate for their sudden reduction in disposable income.

In the Sixties, the hippies used to say, "Never trust anyone over 30."  Now all the Sixties hippies are in their sixtes, and they've gone quiet about that, but it's good advice for you: never trust anyone over 30 with the societal checkbook.  You thought you were the idealistic youth of the Obama era, but in fact you're the designated fall-guys.  You weren't voting for "the future," but to deny yourself the very possibility of one--like turkeys volunteering to waddle around with an Audacity of Thanksgiving bumper sticker on your tush.  Instead of swaying glassy-eyed behind President Obama at his campaign rallies singing "We are the hopeychange," you should be demanding that the government spend less money on smaller agencies with fewer employees on lower salaries.  Because if you don't, there won't be a future. "You can be anything you want to be"--but only if you first tell today's big spenders that, whatever they want to be, they should try doing it on their own dime.

So my thoughts go back to 1964 when the Great Society hit us, the War on Poverty and all the other programs to protect everybody and everything from whatever and whenever.  The Society doesn't seem so Great, and Poverty has increased even after spending since 1964 $18 trillion dollars on it.  Whatever will be will be.

The Oman Family Christmas Letter 2013

When one sits down to write something like this the first thing to do is decide what font to use.  I am kind of partial to Bookman Old Style so that is what you are going to get.

2013?  Hmm.  What does one say really?  It is about over that is one thing.  We know another thing, 2013 is not a prime number so maybe that is the reason the year has been a little iffy for many.  We have enjoyed it though.  

Joyce and I made one of our pilgrimages to Central America, to El Salvador to be exact and did some dental stuff for a week or so.  It was great being with so many of our wonderful “brigada” friends that we have made over the years.  The Salvadorans we met are a lovely people.

We have really enjoyed Becki and Kyle, Ben and Melissa and their crew, Weston, Elijah, Adelaide and Miles.  We smile a lot while with them.  They just keep growing up, the grandchildren that is.

We did make an interesting journey to Croatia in September.  Our dear friends Richard and Carrie Westergard were serving a religious mission there and they took the leap of faith of having us come over and spend some days with them.  They took us to some beautiful places, especially Rovinj and then into Slovenia and the Lake Bled area.  We made some nice acquaintances while there and have a few more Facebook friends.  While in the area, we drove up to Budapest and then over to Vienna for a few days to see what those places were like.  It was a wonderful adventure for us. Go see omansalmanac.blogspot.com for pictures and stuff. No less adventuresome was spending a few days in San Francisco.  We enjoy going there, but admit that many things about it suggest it is a foreign country all its own.  I had some dental meetings there and the California Dental Association was a great host.

Greg mowed the lawn a lot during the summer.  That’s something to report I suppose.  Some occasional weeding too.  But summer got us out on the golf course and Joyce hits a mean tee shot.  We have had a lot of fun together.  We even had some golf action up at Bear Lake with our friends Niles and Janet Herrod.  So, see, life isn’t totally sweat running off our brow.

Speaking of Bear Lake.  We had the family up there for a week as we usually do and it was a great time.  Weston, the 8 year old and I, did a 30 minute ride on a tube.  I was pretty well hammered.  I much prefer the waverunners.  Oh, and the Pickleville Playhouse is something we hit for sure.  If you have not done that you might put that quietly in your bucket list.

One tough thing to deal with is I think I have lost a step or something in my barbecuing ability.  I had a few steaks come in off of the grill that were not cooked well enough for Joycie.  That really hasn’t happened before.  Maybe it is a loss of patience, I don’t know but I am really going to concentrate next year.

Our kids are doing pretty well.  Kyle and Becki have a little crew that seems to give them something to do.  Kyle is a Family Practice Physician.  Becki is a mother, who teaches aerobics and does a little speech pathology on the side, among other things that seem to fill their days up.  Weston is almost a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.  Elijah is quite a little ball player and Addie, well, Addie does other stuff like dance, play, sing and generally delight everyone she is around. Ben is working hard developing a business called Citigro.  Melissa has worked at a nearby school, but really she and Miles do their thing.  She is trying to develop character in the young lad of 1 year.  We think he will be walking soon.     

So there you have a brief synopsis of our year.  We hope yours has been a great one and that 2014 will be even better.  Most of all we wish you a Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Mom and Dad at a 60th Anniversary Dinner.  (F)

Joyce, Glen Oman, Elaine Oman, Merri Jo Oman.(B)

Greg, Tiffany & Jay Burton, Kirk & Mike Oman

Elijah, Miles, Weston and Addie

Years Gone By

This past September our high school class had its 40 year reunion.  Not everybody came of course.  That isn't unusual, time and distance being factors for most.  One who didn't attended was a big part of the high school fun.  Richard Westergard and his wife Carrie are on a mission for our Church.  They will be coming home a week after Halloween.  We would have loved to have had them at the reunion.  I was digging through some older pictures and found the following.

These are old photos.  This one has me on the left edge with Dick (yes I know his name is Richard, but we called him Dick) right in the middle.  To his left is Pete Ipson.  The young girl is my sister Tiffany at aged 10 and my younger brother Kirk.  This was June 22, 1976.  A couple of weeks later he and I drove up to Rexburg to scout out an apartment for school in the fall.  He somehow talked me into going up there and playing football with him.  He was a Cornerback on defense and I was a Quarterback on offense.  I was 4th on the depth chart as practice began 7 weeks after this photo was taken, but I ended up starting the first 5 games until I had a hand injury that kept me out the rest of the season.

Here we are later than night in the basement of my home in Centerville.  I was excited to see him and he evidently was excited to have me home.  We worked out a little over the weeks, but mostly worked and tried to save some money for school.  The real reason is he had just returned home from his mission in France about 6 weeks before me, he didn't have a girl friend and didn't have anything better to do than wait for me to come home.

This is in the Spring of 1977.  It is graduation at Ricks College.  He was engaged to Carrie and so this is kind of our last hurrah as roommates, but not as friends.  We ended up at Utah State University and then at The Dental School at Northwestern University in Chicago.  I was figuring that Dick and I have been friends for about 54 years or so.  Not too bad as far as friendships go.

A Vehicular Physics Lesson

I was walking out of my gym in Farmington at about 5:50 PM this evening.  I heard a horn blasting steadily.  I didn't notice anything right off the bat.  I got in my car, started it up and backed out and headed south out of this large parking lot.  I still heard the horn.  I rolled down the window and immediately looked to my left and noticed a young woman walking away from me and away from a vehicle.  As I pulled closer I noticed the entire front end of the car was smashed and the vehicle was stopped behind a cement pillar that at one time was the support for a large light that lit up that section of the parking lot.

I stopped and addressed her.  She was shaking uncontrollably.  I asked her age.  17.  She was trying to call her mother and wasn't getting an answer.  I asked her if I could use her phone and call the police which I did.  As she continued to shake she kept saying how much trouble she was going to be in and how her mother and step father were going to be so upset with her.  I noticed an abrasion on her right forearm from the airbags going off.  She wasn't bleeding much but it needed to be cleaned and bandaged.  I keep asking if she was alright and I could tell she was shellshocked.  So I hugged her and held her for 10 or 15 seconds.

She calmed down a little big and I had her sit in my car.  She contacted her mother finally and she showed up about 5 minutes later.

What happened was apparently, as she described it to me, she left the gym, started up her car and started driving in a westerly direction.  The sun was low and it was blinding and glaring in the windshield.  She didn't see the cement pillar in front of her.  It was less than 3 feet tall and she rammed right into it, denting the front end, through the radiator, setting off the airbags and the horn alarm.  I raised the hood and pulled the negative battery cable off of the battery and the horn stopped.  Needless to say, I felt bad for this young girl.  Her mom hugged her and told her the car can be fixed and a real tragedy would have been if she would have been hurt or killed.  You never know what you'll see coming out of the gym so be ready, I guess.  Of course the physics lesson is Newton's first law which suggests an object that is in motion will not change it's velocity unless an external force acts upon it.  So   a car increasing velocity gets stopped by the cement pillar, an external force on the object.  That's all for today.

Back to Zagreb.

On Saturday morning we arose early and left Vienna heading back to Zagreb.  We were on our last full day of our Fantastic European Experience before heading home the next day.  The goal was to get back to Zagreb as quickly as possible to spend more time with Carrie and Richard.  So here aresome pictures  of that day, in no particular order.

How can one resist a picture with 3 blonds in it.  Here we have Joyce, Matea and Carrie.  Matea is a dear friend of the Westergard's and we were honored and pleased to meet this energetic, talented young woman.

 The Austrian countryside was beautiful on our drive from Vienna back to Zagreb.  It was a cloudy, rainy day though which prevented us from seeing the Alps.

 Along the Autobahn.

 Bread stores are incredible.  This shop in Zagreb had on display their wares.  Some of the breads were absolutely gigantic.  I couldn't get enough of the stuff.

 Here is a view of Joyce and me above the market area in Zagreb.  It was a hazy, lazy day but it certainly wasn't summer.

 Richard and Carrie from the same spot.  Both pictures look good in my opinion.

 This old Church was right around the corner from the previous pictures.  No one is allowed in there to see it.  We didn't get an explanation but I think it is some kind of memorial or something now and the public is not admitted.

 On our last night I had high hopes of taking Richard and Carrie out to dinner.  No such luck though, Carrie insisted on cooking and it was great.  You can see the edge of the apple pie in the bottom of the picture.  I had three pieces before we left.

 Here we are the last afternoon getting ready for lunch at a little, quaint restaurant that serves soup with some bread and a few drinks.  It is a simple menu, but a successful business model.  The owners are goers and they work at it every day.

 In the market area I found this high tech scale used to weigh the produce.  It is probably the easiest and best way to do it because there isn't a lot of power available.

 You can imagine the extent of this market area.  Fresh produce everywhere, some booths sold clothing and souvenirs and the like.

 Here is Matea with us on our last night.

 Richard getting raspberries.  They are pretty good size too.

 Joyce and Carrie in the street.  The rail trams are everywhere and you have to watch where you are going either on foot or in the car so you don't get whacked by one of the trains.

 During dinner that night in Carrie and Richards apartment, their friend Matea was invited and we went to pick her up.  Sitting down she was telling me how much she loved Country music and Westerns.  I grabbed the iPad as you can see and starting playing some of the old time Country I had on it from the 50's, 60's and 70's.  She knew most of the songs.  Here you see her with a fake microphone (highlight marker) and just singing away.  It was a great time.   She said she wants to marry a cowboy in the US.  I have emailed her my favorite John Wayne movie titles and she said she is going to watch them.

That's it.  That is just a taste of our trip.  The next day we were on the plane-forever it seemed.  We arrived back in SLC at 1:30 AM and I was in the office at 8 AM going at it, in spit and blood again.

On To Vienna

With a trip as quick as the one we took we just got a full day and a half in most cities.  Vienna was not an exception.  I really liked Vienna, but I think I want to go see the western Austria towns some day.  Nevertheless, what history!  Vienna or Wien as it is called was a mystery that soon opened up and we were able to get around quite nicely.  Once again the Hop On Hop Off bus was indispensable in getting  places and they had 3 routes you could jump on and off of whenever it was needed.

This is the Belvedere Palace.  It has huge grounds and is a beautiful building.  It used to be in the country, but now it is in the city.  It didn't move, the city did.

Walking around Vienna, about every 50 feet or so it seemed you would come upon one of these things.  It is for the cigarette butts and trash.  I sensed that there were more smokers in Austria than we experience in the United States.  This was really apparent when we had lunch the first afternoon in Vienna at the Gasthaus Montroy.  Joyce doesn't handle smoke too well and I am not really fond of it either, but a voracious chain smoker set down roots about 10 feet from us and put away about 7 smokes in 25 minutes.  To me that would be hard to do.

 Here we are on the Karntner Strasse, which is a large shopping and commercial area.  We sat down at an outdoor restaurant, the Venezia, and Joyce said her lasagna was the best she had ever eaten.

 Karntner Strasse at noon.  It was cool, so everyone had jackets.

This is the Mozart House, at least Wolfgang lived up in the room on the right for a few years.  It was there that he composed Figaro.  He moved around a lot I assume because he didn't pay his rent very well.

 Schonbrunn Palace is huge and amazing.  This was just a quaint little country Schloss for the Royal Family of Austria.  I imagine they had a lot of hired help to maintain it.

Joyce took this photo with me on her iPhone in the panoramic mode.  I think it turned out pretty well.

St Stephens Cathedral right in the center of town.  It is a large, fantastically imposing edifice.  The architecture and the craftsmanship of this large European churches is something I never tire of seeing.

Swarovski's is located on the Kartner Strasse.  They have some pretty incredible displays of their quartz.  This figure of a woman swinging in a feathered type chair is all glass.  The picture cannot do it justice.

And these shoes in Swarovski's will not get you back to Kansas.

The morning we were going to really have time to explore Vienna, we had to walk from our hotel to the Schwedenplatz to catch the Hop On bus.  As we walked we passed a little shop with these beautiful painted wooden signs in the front window.  Late in the afternoon as we were returning to our hotel we passed it again, but it appeared it was closed.  I tried the door.  They were open.  This big wooden disc was painted by the owner of the store and it is in the Guinness Book of World Records according to him as the largest painting of its type in the world.

This young man  and his mother are running the shop.  There are all kinds of templates and paints in there and they insisted we look in on their little working area where all the signs are produced.

All in all the Viennese people were kind and very thoughtful in helping us enjoy their old, venerated city.  We had a great time there.  And the Apple Strudel!  There is a shop chain called Aida and they serve pastries, gelato and the like.  I had to have their Apple Strudel each night.  It was huge, light crust and I am sure low cal.