Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Sally Ride ~ Coffee Bars ~ Father's Day ~ First Day of Summer

 

Good 53º clear sunny morning. 

Yesterday we topped at 97º. 

Picture of the Day ...1955

Interesting about Sally Ride.......

On June 18, 1983,  the space shuttle Challenger was launched into space on its second mission. Onboard the shuttle was Dr. Sally K. Ride, who became the first American woman in space. To celebrate this milestone, here are 5 amazing facts you might not know about Sally Ride.

She Was a Passenger On The Challenger Twice

Ride made two space flights onboard the Challenger space shuttle, and she was eight months into her training program for a third flight aboard the shuttle when it exploded in 1986. Ride found out about the accident while flying on an airplane when the pilot revealed the news. After hearing the announcement, she got out her NASA badge and went to the cockpit to listen to radio reports on the catastrophe. Four of the Challenger crew members who perished were in Ride's astronaut training class.

She Was The First Openly LGBTQ AstronautIn life, Sally Ride became famous as America's first woman in space — and in death, she added to her fame as the first acknowledged gay astronaut. While Ride's marriage to fellow astronaut Steve Hawley was well-known, it wasn't until her death that her long-term romance with Tam O'Shaughnessy was made public. Sally first met Tam O’Shaughnessy when they were preteens playing on the junior tennis circuit in Southern California. The revelation was revealed in an obituary that referred to Tam O'Shaughnessy as her "partner of 27 years" before Sally’s death from pancreatic cancer in 2012.

She Played Tennis Against Billie Jean KingWhile attending Stanford, Sally taught tennis at a summer camp in Lake Tahoe. Billie Jean King, a tennis champion, came to the camp in 1972 and played an exhibition doubles match against Sally.  King told Sally that if she worked hard, she could make it as a professional tennis player. But Sally had already made up her mind about pursuing a career in physics.

She Worked On The Space Shuttle InvestigationsOn January 28, 1986, Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff, killing all seven crew members. As a member of the presidential commission investigating the disaster, Sally helped bring to light the fact that NASA management knew the shuttle’s O-rings could fail in cold temperatures. Then, when shuttle Columbia broke up on re-entry in 2003, Sally again was named to the investigative panel, becoming the only person to serve on the commissions investigating both space shuttle tragedies.

She Received The Nation’s Highest Civilian HonorIn 2013, President Obama honored Sally posthumously with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he presented to her partner Tam O'Shaughnessy. "As the first American woman in space, Sally did not just break the stratospheric glass ceiling, she blasted through it," Obama said. "And when she came back to Earth, she devoted her life to helping girls excel in fields like math, science, and engineering."

From Mr. Food

There's something about these Coffee Bars that make them the perfect complement to a steaming cup of coffee, or even a hot cup of tea! Since they're so easy to make, they're perfect for keeping on hand just in case you need to offer a tasty snack to company. You can't go wrong with these yummy coffee dessert bars! 

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup prepared coffee, cooled
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
•  
• GLAZE
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 10- x 15-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream the 1 stick butter and brown sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla, then gradually add the coffee, mixing well.
3. In another large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon; gradually add to the butter mixture. Stir in the raisins and walnuts.
4. Pour onto baking sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool. 
5. To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and milk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over bars, cut and serve.

Historically this date....

1893 – Lizzie Borden is acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother. The "poem"...

"Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one"

1945 – The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to America.

2009 – During the Iranian election protests, the death of Neda Agha-Soltan is captured on video and spreads virally on the Internet, making it "probably the most widely witnessed death in human history".

And births this date include...

1924 – Audie Murphy, American soldier and actor Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1971)

... he had a very intense and short life. His second wife was an amazing woman. 
https://www.fold3.com/page/111086706-pamela-opal-lee-murphy

1928 – Martin Landau, American actor (d.2017)

1931 – Olympia Dukakis, American actress (d.2021)

1933 – Danny Aiello, American actor (d.2019)

1940 – John Mahoney, English actor (d.2018)

1942 – Brian Wilson, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer (The Beach Boys) Who I named my Brian after! I was a BIG Beach Boys fan!

1945 – Anne Murray, Canadian singer and guitarist

1952 – John Goodman, American actor

1967 – Nicole Kidman, Australian-American actress

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Sunday. Ciao

xo Sue Mom Bobo 

On the third Sunday in June, Father’s Day honors the role fathers play in the family structure and society. The day recognizes not just fathers, but the father figures in our lives. These are the men we look up to who set solid examples for us and guide us throughout our lives.

Many families dedicate the day to their fathers and grandfathers. Whether they are first-time fathers just learning to change a diaper, or experienced fathers offering sage advice, the day celebrates everything a father is. Fathers from family to family play a variety of roles. They may be a caregiver, provider, or advisor. Some fathers are the strong, silent types. And yet others tell us stories for days. Fathers teach, guiding small hands as they hammer a nail or sail a kite.

We only look up to our fathers for so long. At some point, we begin to see things a little differently. But that’s not when we stop looking up to them. It’s at that point, we turn and look forward together.

  

HOW TO OBSERVE

Celebrate your father. Explore his favorite hobbies or encourage him to share a story or two. Play a game or take him to one. Enjoy your time with your father and celebrate him. Share images of you with your father on social media. 

FATHER’S DAY HISTORY

After the success of Mother’s Day, Father’s Day observances began to appear around the United States and world. However, the road to this national observance was not an easy one.

First Recorded Father’s Day

The first recorded celebration of Father’s Day happened after the Monograph Mining Disaster in West Virginia. The disaster killed 361 men and left around 1,000 children fatherless in December of 1907. Grace Golden Clayton suggested a day honoring all those fathers to her pastor, Robert Thomas Webb. On July 5th, 1908, the community gathered in honor of the men lost in the mining accident. The assembled at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church, in Fairmont, West Virginia.

Other Claims to Father’s Day

In 1910, the YMCA in Spokane, Washington recruited several clergymen with the help of Sonora Smart Dodd to honor fathers throughout the city. The date was set for June 5th but was later changed to June 19th (the 3rd Sunday in June), as many clergymen needed more time to prepare.

Harry C. Meek, a member of Lions Clubs International, claimed that he first had the idea for Father’s Day in 1915. Meek argued that the third Sunday of June was chosen because it was his birthday. The Lions Club has named him “Originator of Father’s Day.” Meek made many efforts to promote Father’s Day and make it an official holiday.

Presidential Intervention

After a visit to Spokane, WA in 1916 to speak at a Father’s Day celebration, President Woodrow Wilson wanted to make the day official, but Congress resisted fearing that the observance would become too commercialized. Once again, a president nearly intervened, but President Calvin Coolidge stopped short of issuing a national proclamation in 1924.

Sonora Smart Dodd continued to work to make Father’s Day a national observance. In 1938, she collaborated with the Father’s Day Council, a group of New York Men’s Wear Retailers, for the commercial promotion of the observance. Many Americans resisted the holiday for decades because of these attempts to commercialize the day.

It wasn’t until 1966, that President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers on the third Sunday in June. The holiday wasn’t made an annual event until President Richard Nixon signed into law, making it a permanent national holiday in 1972 over 50 years after Mother’s Day came into existence.

Happy Father's Day to all you dads!! 

My dad and I.... 

On the longest day of the year, Summer Begins in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also known as the Summer Solstice, which happens either on June 20th, 21st, or 22nd. It all depends on the time zone in which you live.

With the Summer Solstice, the astronomical calendar marks the first day of summer as the Earth’s axis is pointed toward the sun. It’s rays more directly impact the Northern Hemisphere giving us more daylight and more warmth. It’s a time when plants grow rapidly and animals are more active. That includes humans.

Many schools are out of session during the summer which gives families the opportunity to take vacations. Even those without children take time to explore the outdoors through camping, hiking, and biking. Community pools open, inviting everyone to cool off on hot summer days. The beaches are open, too. Water adventures in the form of kayaking, canoeing, skiing, and fishing entice us to the rivers and lakes.

Gardeners and farmers spend time cultivating their bounty and watching the skies for foul weather. And speaking of fouls – baseball, softball, and soccer teams take the field with cheering fans in every color of the rainbow.

There’s so much to do during the summer, we try to pack it all in over weekends and short breaks. But it never seems to be enough time. Before we know it, summer is over. Though, it’s only just begun.