You are Invited!

Washington County Fair

Thursday, July 28th

Pigs, sheep, ducks, quilts, crafts, and more – it’s time for the Washington County Fair!  We’ll head down the street on Thursday, July 28^th to walk the fairgrounds on opening day. The Cornell bus will be shuttling residents between the fair and Cornell every 2 hours beginning at 10:00 am. Be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen – there’s so much to see and do, and we don’t want anyone to get sun-burned!

This year’s motto is “Can you handle this much fair?”  With free admission to the fair and most exhibits, that’s a challenge worth taking on!  Find a seat in the arena to watch the livestock contests and demonstrations.  Head to the barns to get an up close and personal look at the livestock or to the exhibit halls to admire various craft projects. Finally, cool off with lemonade as you engage in people-watching.

For more information, visit the Washington County Fair website. If you need assistance coordinating your arrival at the fair with your Cornell family member, please call Debra Kidd, Director of Community Programs, at (503) 640-2884.

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The Music of Our Lives

Google the phrase “music quotes” and you’ll receive thousands of funny, inspiring, and insightful results.  Start reading through the results, and you’ll discover that anyone who’s ever been famous has a memorable quote about music.  But this quote, from Oliver Wendell Holmes, caught my eye.  He wrote: “Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons.  You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body.”

Although Mr. Holmes has never been to Cornell, he described our music events philosophy perfectly.  Every week our retirement and assisted living residents have an opportunity to “take a music bath,” from musical entertainers to sing-a-longs.  It’s no surprise that these events are well-attended.  After all, music speaks to something in all of us, whether we have any musical training or not.  Just look at the number of summer concerts and CDs on sale, and you’ll see that we are surrounded by music every day.

At its core, music does exactly what Mr. Holmes says: it cleanses the soul.  No matter what type of music you listen to, it connects you with your emotions or feelings. Sometimes, it even expresses them better than you can!  Along with art, it’s the best form of self-expression because everyone can participate. Anyone can sing a commercial jingle or a line from their favorite song.

Of course, we’ve all heard the common wisdom that listening to Mozart while studying will make children smarter.  Some researchers suggest that listening to complex music is good for the brain, because it has to analyze the different sounds that it hears.  The American Music Therapy Association certainly believes so: it uses music therapy to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease, chronic pain, cancer, and other emotional and social disabilities.  But each patient responds to music differently, making it difficult to draw general conclusions.

In the end, Mr. Holmes’ philosophy of music is perhaps the best explanation for the constant presence of music in our lives.  Although he died nearly 70 years ago, I think he would approve of the “music bath” opportunities at Cornell.

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NASA Astronaut Bonnie Dunbar

To Speak at Cornell Estates

Thursday, July 21st at 1:15 pm

With the recent launch of NASA’s final Discovery Shuttle, the future of the space program is on everyone’s mind.  That’s why Cornell Estates is inviting you, the public, to hear NASA astronaut Bonnie Dunbar on Thursday, July 21^st at 1:15 pm in the Party Room.  Seating is limited, so please call 503-640-2884 to reserve your spot.

Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar recently retired as the President and CEO of the Museum of Flight and as Executive Director of Wings Over Washington, an affiliate organization of The Museum of Flight in Seattle Washington, to continue independent consulting in aerospace and “STEM” workforce development.  Prior to that, Dr. Dunbar retired from the NASA Johnson Space Center in 2005 where she had a 27 year career as a Space Flight Controller, an Astronaut, and a member of the Senior Executive Service.

As a NASA Mission Specialist astronaut and veteran of 5 space flights, Dr. Dunbar logged more than 50 days in space.  She has served as the Payload Commander on two flights, including the eighth Space Shuttle docking mission to the Russian Space Station Mir.  She also trained in Star City Russia for 13 months and was on the first docking flight with MIR in 1995. Following her flight career, Dr. Dunbar served in the government Senior Executive Service for 7 years, holding various management positions at the NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and at the NASA Johnson Space Center.

Dr. Dunbar holds BS and MS degrees in Ceramic Engineering from the University of Washington, and a PhD in Mechanical/Biomedical Engineering from the University of Houston.  She graduated from the Harvard School for Senior Managers in Government in 2001. Prior to working for NASA, she was a senior research engineer with Rockwell International Space Division, where she helped to develop the equipment and processes for manufacturing the thermal protection system for the Space Shuttle.  Dr. Dunbar is a member of the American Ceramic Society (Fellow), the National Institute of Ceramic Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA/Fellow).

She has been awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal, the NASA Exceptional Leadership Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.  She was named a Woman of Influence by the Puget Sound Business Journal and has received the Washington State Medal of Merit. Dr. Dunbar holds seven honorary degrees, is a registered Professional Engineer, a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and in 2002 was elected to the National Academy of Engineers.

Her hobbies include flying and ranching. She grew up in the Yakima Valley of Washington State on a cattle ranch homesteaded by her parents in 1948.  A nine year member of 4-H, she has shown both steers and horses.  She currently owns and operates her grandparent’s homesteaded ranch in Oregon. She learned to fly with the Rockwell Flying Club at the Orange County Airport in 1977 and maintains her pilot’s license. In addition, she logged more than 1000 hours as co-pilot in NASA T-38s as part of Spaceflight Readiness Training for the astronaut corps.

This lecture is free and open to the public.  Cornell Estates is located at 1005 NE 17^th Avenue, Hillsboro.  Seating is limited!  Call 503-640-2884 to reserve your spot.

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Educational Travelogue:

Dublin and Galway, Ireland

Monday, July 18^{th at} 1:30 pm

Dublin University, Ireland

Are you ready for a summer vacation?  Then join Skip and Sandy Farmer on Monday, July 18^th, at 1:30 pm as they lead us on a mini-vacation to Dublin and Galway, Ireland.  The presentation will include a series of photographs set to music along with commentary about the people and places that we will meet on our journey.

Dublin is the heart of The Republic of Ireland, with history dating back nearly 1,000 years. Walk alongside the Farmers as they discover Dublin’s vibrant culture, from its first Viking settlers to its beautiful Georgian architecture and the famous Book of Kells.

From Dublin, let’s travel on to Galway, located on the western coast of Ireland.  As we walk along its streets we might catch snatches of Gaelic; nearly ten percent of its population speaks Irish. If we are lucky, we might also hear traditional Irish music, dancing, and songs, perhaps at the Irish language theatre.

Skip and Sandy Farmer have traveled extensively for the last 15 years.  For 11 of those years, Sandy has brought their travels back to life with her knack of capturing the moment.  It doesn’t matter what country that moment is in, her photography brings the flavor of the experience back to the present.   Skip and Sandy’s stories, along with the captivating photographs, make you feel like you’ve just been there.

Please join us on  Monday, July 18^th, at 1:30 pm!

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New Lecture Series!

Sports Corner! presents:

Golf: A Game for a Lifetime

Friday, July 15th at 1:30 pm

On Friday, July 15^th, at 1:30 pm, Cornell Estates is pleased to present “Golf: a Game for a Lifetime” with golf pro Craig Griswold. He will describe the many lessons he has learned on how to modify our game as our bodies mature so we can enjoy this great sport for a lifetime.

Craig will share his lifelong experiences with competing at golf and teaching at a variety of golf clubs including his current position at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha.  He grew up in Lake Oswego and spent most of his summer hours as a youth playing, practicing, and trying to improve his game.

He played four years for the University of Oregon and was named Honorable Mention All-American twice while making First Team All American in 1972.   He tied for the Pac 8 Championship in 1970 and beat Craig Stadler by one stroke to win the Pac 8 Championship in 1972.

This presentation is the next edition in Cornell Estates’ ongoing “This is Sports Corner!”  It is free and open to the public.

Join us at the 18^th tee in the Party Room at 1:30 pm on Friday, July 15^th.

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Senior Rose Court Royalty

For most of us in the Pacific Northwest, the 4^th of July marks the true start of our summer.  At Cornell Estates, it also marks the end of Rose Court Fever, which has been building since May.  Each year, six of our lovely ladies are elected princesses. Of those six, two are elected queens: one from independent living and one from assisted living.  And if you were at the Hillsboro 4^th of July parade on Monday, you saw these lovely ladies waving to you from convertibles!

This year’s Rose Court season has been especially meaningful to me, as Florence Prosa, a very special resident at Cornell, became a queen.  Through her eyes, I relived the coronation: the feel of walking into the room on a Royal Rosarian’s arm, the anticipation as the queens were announced, the astonishment at hearing her own name.  Nearly a week after the coronation, her amazement was still fresh.

So was her pride when she represented Cornell Estates in Hillsboro’s 4^th of July parade.  I teased her about riding in the front seat of the convertible instead of sitting on the back and for rationing her candy bag.  She couldn’t believe the number of children who rushed to pick up candy!

Listening to Florence describe the parade, a realization struck me.  My relationship with Florence is the perfect example of my favorite thing about Cornell: the genuine relationships I’ve formed with residents over the last year.  These relationships are like having a set of older mentors, grandparents even, who are always ready with words of wisdom, advice, or a quick joke.

Those relationships make my day just that much brighter. And so, as this Rose Festival season comes to a close, I find myself grateful to Florence and all the residents at Cornell.  Thank you for all of your support and encouragement over the last year. To me, you are all Rose Festival Royalty!

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A Day at the Vineyard

In March, we kicked off our new Dirty Jobs lecture series with a presentation on wine-making from John Platt, owner of Helvetia Vineyards.  John was a huge hit with our residents, sharing details of wine-making and what it’s like to own and operate a vineyard.  He even brought samples of his Helvetia vintages and invited us to a private tour of his vineyard.  Now that summer is here, it’s time to take him up on his offer!

On Thursday, July 7^th, our retirement and assisted living residents will board the bus for Helvetia Vineyards, which is located in the Tualatin Hills area just five miles north of Highway 26.  Not only is it the closest vineyard to Portland, it’s also a Christmas Tree farm!

Weather permitting, we’ll get an up close and personal look at the grapes that go into their delicious vintages, as well as the wine-making process and perhaps even the wine cellar!  The vineyard is also home to a 100-year-old farmhouse, which has been converted to a visitor’s center.  Early wine-making equipment from Jacob Yungen, the house’s original owner, can be seen on display.

Our tour will end with a picnic from the Cornell kitchens, giving us a chance to appreciate the beauty of Oregon in high summer.  Situated on the northern rim of the Tualatin Valley, the vineyard offers a beautiful view of the upland valley, the vineyards, and the Christmas trees.  All in all, it sounds like a pretty perfect day!

If you’re interested in joining your family member for this special trip, please call Debra Kidd, Community Events Coordinator, at 503-640-2884 for more information.

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