Sam Bauman: Old fashioned Fourth with Carson City Symphony

Fourth of July always triggers memories for seniors, this one included. As a kid in Dayton, Ohio, I used to go to the bandshell at Island Park for the Fourth concert. This year I did much of the same, riding to Genoa for the Carson City Symphony playing in the historic city park. A big crowd was scattered around, on blankets, folding chairs or handy benches.

It was a free show. The breeze was cool and the mountains ringing the town lofty and green. It was a fine, traditional Fourth, with the Symphony playing among other things a medley of armed forces hymns. I stood for the Air Force one, although not many others did for the various services, except for a lonely Navy veteran.

A great outing, not to be missed next year.

Senior Leisure Travel

A reader wanted to share a travel report from a city senior and passed the following along:

“A friend of mine recently returned from a trip to the San Juan Islands. She traveled with a group of seniors who are members of the Silver Sierra Adventurers — a leisure travel club in Carson City.

“They traveled by chartered motor coach staying the first night in Bend, Ore. Then on to Leavenworth, Wash., a Bavarian town with magnificent views of the mountains.

“After a night in Bellingham, they boarded the Viking Star, a 60-foot private motorized yacht for three days of cruising the San Juan Islands. The resident Orca whales cooperated by appearing all three days. In addition there were sightings of nesting bald eagles and numerous shorebirds. Nights were spent in Friday Harbor, a picturesque town on San Juan Island.

“For music lovers a trip to Roche Harbor included an organ concert in the historic Hotel de Haro. The captain and his crew provided breakfast and lunch on the yacht for the 35 seniors who participated in the cruise. The weather was perfect — sunny and clam waters for cruising. She returned home via an overnight stop at the Seven Feathers Resort in Canyonville, Ore.

“The Silver Sierra Adventurers Travel Club meets monthly on the third Tuesday of every month at the Nugget Casino in Carson City at 6:30 p.m. New members and guests are welcome. All trips are fully escorted. Every effort is made to have frequent rest stops for the comfort of the travelers.

“These are not strenuous trips and seniors who use canes and walkers can enjoy traveling with the group. You can travel as a single by paying the single supplement or an effort will be made to find you a suitable roommate for the trip.

“If you would like more information you can contact Brenda Julian at Frontier Travel and Tours at (775) 882-2100 or explore the website at www.FrontierTravelTours.com. There are numerous trips planned for 2014-15 including many day trips as well as cruises. This club offers seniors a marvelous opportunity for meeting fellow travelers and companionship while traveling with a secure feeling that everything is taken care of by the hosts.”

I attended a meeting of the Silver Sierra Club once and have meant to try one of their trips. This convinces me it’s time to travel!

LIFE comes back to life

I recently found a copy of the LIFE magazine’s 50th anniversary issue and have been paging through it for a look back at those 50 years of photo journalism at its best and displayed best. It’s enough to make a senior stop and remember a lot of things.

Time was the weekly arrival of LIFE was something the family waited for, and in many ways it was the American journal of the times. It took us through the Depression and World War II as well as the Spanish Civil war of the ’30s (including the famous Robert Capa photo of a Loyalist solder caught at the moment of death).

Perhaps the most interesting section for seniors is the year-by-year table of important events, in categories such as On Style, Heroes, Bad News, Couples, What’s New, Winers and Big Events. Joe Namath emerges as a hero (1969) and Gloria Steinem as a hero 1971.

Incredible photos of bodies littering the beach on D-Day and a wrenching picture of four youths in “Iron Longs,” beck before polio was defeated. There’s a marvelous section of “favorite” photos by LIFE staffers, such as W. Eugene Smith whom I was lucky enough hear speak at Ohio University as a journalism school student.

Any senior who wants to share the pleasures of past times is welcome of enjoy the book. I’ll loan it to editorial at the Appeal. Please handle with care.