Spring Break

Source: Los Angeles Public Library. Hawaii Travel Poster.

After an extended winter and late snow storm yesterday in Northern Virginia, it is time to create some new family memories for Spring Break. Updates soon!

Edgar and Alma

Undated photo of Edgar Jones and Alma Oyler Jones.

The photo above shows my great-grandparents, Edgar Lawrence Jones and Alma Oyler Jones. I suspect the photo is from the early 1940s, taken by my Gumpy, Keith D. Jones, at their home in Indianapolis.

The Selmer Connection

Back in September 2013, I posted a photo from cousin Mike O'Brien titled "The Unknown Musician." The photo was undated, and I made an assumption that it was from Indianapolis in the 1940s. Over the weekend, I received another message from Mike, with a copy of an advertisement below for Selmer clarinets. Apparently Selmer was a distributor for my great-grandfather Harry O'Brien's clarinets and mouthpieces. The person on the right of the ad, Gino Cioffi, looks a lot like the unknown musician in the photo I posted in 2013.

Selmer advertisement, via Mike O'Brien.

Cioffi was an Italian clarinetist who played for many years with the Boston Symphony. His name also appears in a 10 May 1947 Indianapolis Star article as one of many musicians who played with Harry's crystal mouthpieces and frequently visited the music store in Indianapolis.

Mike's note also corrected me that the son in the photo was not Lowell, but was his father Harry O'Brien Jr.

Puerto Rico

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mosaic in Old San Juan, 6 March 2018.

I'm back again after meetings in San Juan, Puerto Rico. As noted last Friday, San Juan is a lovely place, recovering from the impacts of Hurricanes Irma & Maria. While I managed to walk around after arriving on Tuesday 6 March, I spent the rest of the week largely in conference rooms and our meeting venues during the day. It was great to be in the warmth and to experience the hospitality of our fantastic hosts in Puerto Rico. I am glad we pressed ahead with our meeting, which may be the largest international meeting held to date in Puerto Rico since the hurricanes.

A return to San Juan

Photo by Patrick Jones. Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. 6 Mar 2018.

I am currently in San Juan, Puerto Rico for meetings. Earlier in the week, a had an opportunity to wander around Old San Juan, a place that I have visited many times with family. Much of Old San Juan still bears the scars from Hurricane Maria, with many shops and buildings closed. There is a lot of renovation happening, but it also feels like a lot of people have left. Hopefully things will start to come back, and I hope our week of meetings with international attendees will help the local economy.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Old San Juan, 6 Mar 2018.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Old San Juan, 6 Mar 2018.

Throwback photos

While moving, my Mom stumbled onto my Freshman year photo from the Wabash College Swimming team (1992), and a news clipping from my junior year season in high school (1991). I was certainly younger back then. The 1992-93 Wabash Swimming team was enshrined in the Wabash College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. I'm proud of my years of swimming at the college, and that I was fortunate to swim with such a great group.

Source: Martinsville Reporter, January 1991.

Me. Wabash College Swimming, 1992.

Sacred Wheels

Photo by Patrick Jones. Kathmandu, Nepal. 22 Feb 2018.

I am now back from Nepal, settling in for a few days at the new place before the next trip. Nepal was an amazing place to see. On one hand it is quite a culture shock. Kathmandu still shows signs of destruction from the 2015 earthquake. The city is dusty, streets are often broken or dirt roads. Poverty is very apparent. But, people are trying to move beyond these problems. Many of the engineers at the conference I attended were focused on keeping people in Nepal, building up networks and advancing technology with home-grown knowledge. There is a lot of construction and renovation. It is a hopeful place. Seeing this really puts things in the US in perspective.