Russ in a creek in his younger days...

Thought you'd all enjoy this picture of Russell hanging out in a creek as a kid... Doesn't this look like it could be a picture of Greg? It's not. Really. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday, Russell

My Mom had this picture of Russ on his 3rd Birthday... and she wrote the story below. This has been a tough 7 months... loving thoughts to all of you. Shellie

All Russ wanted for his third birthday was a Hopalong Cassidy jacket, pants, hat and guns. Thus this washed out Hopalong Cassiday outfit that was the most joyous birthday present he ever received. So joyous, in fact, that he just had to sleep in it for a night or two. I should add, that with reluctance on his part, the hat and the guns were carefully placed next to his bed. So joyous, in fact, that it probably did not see a washing machine for several days.Strangely, if you asked me to remember what he got on any other birthday I could not come up with an answer. That third birthday was so far above any others for him at that time and for me in my memories. We lived in Connecticut at the time and I do believe that this picture was taken at the quite large beach house we rented as we had sold our house and had to move about six weeks before we were to head for California.

Richard's DVD Collection of Russell...

For those of you who have received the DVD set Richard put together... WATCH IT! Jeff and I spent a wondeful rainy afternoon watching Russ in his element. How fortunate we are to have this to watch whenever we need to see Russell's smiling face and hear his intelligent voice. (We also hear a bit of irritation and sarcasm at times... LOL). Anyway, many thanks to Rich and Chris for all your hard work. For those of you who haven't seen the footage, it's great. It's so hard to believe it's been six months... some days it seems like yesterday, and some days it seems like an eternity. Shellie

Russell Towle -- Master Builder

Not everyone will appreciate the rarity of the top photo. That is Russell on the right, of course, taking a break from his work on my log home in Dutch Flat in 1985. The slim, pensive lad on the left is none other than Hank Lee, who posted the photos below of Russ getting into his tuxedo in preparation for my 50th birthday dinner. Hank has subsequently changed his presentation somewhat.

One of Russell's specialities that most awed me was his incredible talent as a carpenter, cabinet maker, woodworker and builder. My Dutch Flat house is imbued with his work and his special touches. He was capable of doing precise and fine work, and the marvel was that he did it all with a Skilsaw. The lower photo shows an example. Tony Taylor, who built my house, and his crew were stumped by the problem of how to hang my special ceiling lights from the slanted ceiling. They milled around, scratched their heads and found no solution, so we decided to go to lunch at the Monte Vista and talk it over. Russell excused himself and stayed behind. When we returned from lunch we discovered that Russ had solved the problem by designing and constructing with his Skilsaw a perfect mounting box for the hanging light and then mounting it to the ceiling. You see it in the photo. Tony Taylor and his crew were dumbfounded and came away with a new respect for Russell.

Russ' masterpiece at my house was the stunning flagstone terrace he built using a diamond-bladed concrete saw. (Russ was good at sawing.) This is a creation that defies belief. It consists of 2.5 inch thick flagstone slabs cut into intricate geometric patterns, then fitted tightly together on a bed of sand without benefit of any kind of mortar. Future archeologists, when they unearth Squire Canyon, will look upon this terrace and think this must have been a very advanced civilization indeed that could create such a work. I will post photos of it later on.

Ed Stadum

2008 Ano Nuevo Pictures

Here is a link to the pictures Jeff and I took out at Ano Nuevo. I did NOT take a picture of Merrill's house, because I told the ranger I wouldn't. Hope you enjoy these shots. The last time I was out there was probably in 1969 or 1970, when my dad took me scuba diving. I was worried about what to do if we saw an octopus. Both Russell and Dad assured me there would be NONE... and they were both WRONG! There was a dead octopus tangled in the seaweed about 20 feet down... so exciting for a kid! The trees and brush has grown amazingly over the years... it was quite a hike (for me) to get out to the water.

http://picasaweb.google.com/1331shellie/AnoNuevoReserveAndBeach2008

Russell... a link to old photos...

1969: Russ with motorcycle in Los Altos Hills front yard.

1973: Russ looking at double rainbow in Grass Valley backyard.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the "old family slides" that I have been copying. To see the whole album just click on the link. Sure do appreciate Mary Jo starting this blog... and can't wait to see more pictures. Thanks to all who are sharing... love to all of the family, Shellie

http://picasaweb.google.com/1331shellie/FamilySlidesFeaturingRussell

Proud Dad with baby Janet