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Illa & Ray Caldwell
It was summer, past dark, about 10:30. The
barbershop quartet was winding down for the night. Their upbeat performance had
calmed campers fears about nearby forest fires. But now the Lake of the Springs
camp manager came on stage, advising people to evacuate immediately. The
fire had flared, consuming 85 homes and 8500 acres in its path, and it was
headed for the park.
Ray and Illa Caldwell had prepared ahead of time.
The camper was packed and the pickup was headed towards the gate. They were
down the road in no time. But at this hour, in rural northern California, there
would be no other RV parks, no motels. So they drove on into the night, until
they reached Yuba City. And using their ingenuity, they answered two problems
-food and lodging with one action. With the manager's permission, they parked
the camper in the well-lit parking lot of a 24-hour Food For Less.
It was a memorable part of that trip. But with
probably 200,000 miles logged on various cars and RVs in the past 20 years, its
just one of many travel stories the Caldwells share. The West Salem couple, now
retired 18 and 16 years respectively, have crisscrossed the country a dozen
times, preferring to stay at one of almost 100 membership-only parks, called
Thousand Trails.
Ray was raised in Arkansas and ended up in the
Northwest because of his World War II duty. Illa was born in western Idaho but
moved to Salem with her parents in 1936. The two were wed while he was still in
the Army, and celebrated their 55th anniversary in 1997. Before retiring, Ray
worked for J.C. Penney, selling sporting goods, hunting licenses and auto
accessories. Illa worked as an administrative secretary for the Salem/Keizer
School District. They have one son, Edward, who lives in Seattle.
A single story ranch-style home is where the
Caldwells reside when they're not traveling. The place is nicely adorned with
reminders of their travels: Illa is a prolific painter and Ray makes jewelry
and belt buckles with turquoise and other exotic stones he's collected. Both
first took up their art in retirement, and credit the Salem Senior Center for
both quality instruction and facilities where they can work.
Illa paints large landscapes, placid, calm and
graceful oils filled with summer and fall colors. Most of her paintings are
from photos taken on their trips. Some touches are more imaginary. For example,
frolicking swimmers and ardent fishermen in the photos never make the
transition to her painting. She prefers to reflect the serenity and solace of
nature undiscovered. Unhurried rivers carry the viewer, unobstructed, to a hazy
distant mountain range or simmering sunset. The mood reflects Illa's nature:
calm and poised with a storehouse of reserved energy.
Ray is almost effervescent. His
stories run back to back, connected and flowing like one of Illa's rivers. The
turquoise stones he polishes reflect an energetic glint in his eyes. At 80 and
78 respectively, both Ray and Illa are confirmed health buffs. They walk miles
a day and eat a diet rich in raw vegetables and almost no meat. They're another
living testimony to the value of personal care--you'd never guess of the
ailments they claim to have overcome with exercise and good food.
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Post-Holiday Electrical Safety
With the holidays behind us, it's time to take down
seasonal decorations and put them away for another year. Salem Electric urges
you to focus on electrical safety before you stuff those holiday lights back
into the box or place those animated displays back into storage. The safety
precautions you take now can prevent hazards from occurring next year and all
year Round.
Chances are that some of those holiday gifts you and
your family received are electrical toys or appliances. According to the US
Consumer Product Safety Commission there are hundreds of injuries and
electrical fires due to poor safety practices. Salem Electric stresses the
importance of safety precautions around the home all year long, to prevent
these numbers from increasing.
Here is a checklist of some post-holiday precautions
to take for a safer new year:
When using electrical toys or appliances for the
first time, carefully read and follow all instructions in the manufacturer's
use and care booklet. Make sure electrical toys and appliances have been tested
and certified by a nationally recognized certification agency such as
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Don't pull plugs from electrical outlets by the
cord. Unplug holiday light strings and decorations by using the gripping area
provided on the plugs. Yanking or tugging on the cord can damage the cord's
wire or insulation and could lead to an electrical shock or fire.
When putting away electrical decorations, take time
to inspect them for damage. Check each light string or decoration for broken or
cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires and loose connections
Replace worn or broken light sets. Do not place
faulty light strings or decorations back into the storage box for next year's
use. Buying new lights that bear the mark of an independent certification
agency is well worth the price.
Electrical decorations are not toys. Store them away
from children and pets.
Never store light strings and electrical decorations
near water or in a place where their insulation or parts could be damaged.
Separate outdoor decorations from indoor
decorations, and label them accordingly. Using indoor decorations outdoors can
be hazardous because they are not weather resistant.
Never burn evergreens or gift wrap in the fireplace.
The flames can flare out of control and send sparks into the room. Include
these materials in recycling programs; or discard them with household trash.
If you don't own a fire extinguisher or smoke
detector, consider taking advantage of post holiday sales and equip your home
with up-to-date, certified smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. donut forget
to install, test and maintain your smoke detector in accordance with the
manufacturer's instructions.
With just a minimal effort, you will have a safe new
year.
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The Salem Electric Drill Team Shines
 The
team included fourteen precision, the term is used loosely, marchers, a driver
for the vehicle and two elves to hold the banner.
Illuminated with Christmas lights and wearing noses,
glasses and moustaches, the team marched to the tune of Little Saint Nick by
the Beach Boys.
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Sprague Students Job Shadow at
Salem Electric
Jun Ogowa, a Sophomore, and Dusty Wylam, a Junior,
students at Sprague High School, spent half a day with Larry Wilson, one of our
engineers, familiarizing themselves with the type of jobs an electrical
engineer would perform at a utility. After graduation from high school, each
hopes to pursue a course in electrical engineering. Larry introduced them to
the day-to-day operations of Salem Electric's Engineering Department. They
became familiar with SE's maps, were shown how SE's SCADA (Supervisory Control
and Data Acquisition) functioned, and were given a tour of one of SE's
substations. Both Jun and Dusty agreed that the job shadow opportunity helped
them with their career explorations.
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