Join the fun as the Crafty Canadian shares ideas from her trip to Southeast Asia.

You'll want to hear what happens when she and her husband take the Second Class Train, and she shows us how to make planters out of empty plastic bottles.

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Here's the heart stopping story of Lei Wang, the first Asian woman to accomplish the Explorer's Grand Slam, which means climbing the highest mountain of each of the seven continents, seven summits and ski to the North and South Poles.

"It made me who I am  today," says this international motivator.

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Dorothy and special guest GinaNTD talk about our legacies - how we are remembered when when we are not in the room.

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Dorothy Wilhelm, Karen Schlomer, and Ray Miller Still who is broadcasting from next to the air conditioner.  You don't get hard hitting news like this everywhere. Time to enjoy the Happy Birthday, America story. Ray starts the proceeding with the proud story of his young son's ballet debut that brought tears to the young Dad's eyes.

Our panel talks about the American Dream and Ray has a cautionary tale about Roman Togas,  Karen offers best 4th of July advice. You don't get hard hitting news like this everywhere.

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BIL LEWIS describes himself as just a guy who is obsessed with doing his best to build a better world.  He walks his talk so he became one of the first young people to join the Peace Corps and spending years as a tribute player depicting President James Madison.  His advice for today is simple but definite - Be involved! He believes we all have something important to do,   Bil is funny and inspiring - you pronounce that "irresistible."   

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Don Trosper brings unique insight to his historical stories and books.  That's because, in the Olympia, WA area Don Trosper doesn't just write history, he and his family are part of the story, beginning with the first wagon train. Don Trosper is a descendant of the Trosper for whom Trosper Road is named and he is related to one of the founders of historic Tumwater, Washington, Jesse Ferguson (whom residents fondly call "Uncle Jesse." ) Don and his family still reside on the old 1892 homestead property.

Don is the author of many delightful history books including “The Tumwater We Never Knew: For people who love history, but don’t realize it yet.” After retirement he formed a licensed business called “Heritage Builders” and wrote a second Tumwater book of 50 illustrated short stories titled “The Tumwater We Thought We Knew”. For the third book in the series he expanded his scope to cover 100 stories of Southwest Washington titled “This Can’t Be History…or is it?”. He is working on another Tumwater book in 2026. 

It's no surprise to learn that this is just the beginning of Don's story. Don plans to continue writing and speaking on local history in his ‘active’ retirement. He can be reached by phone at (360) 789-4858 or by email: [email protected].   

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Our special guest is Sandra Solon, the Crafty Canadian, and although she's still very crafty, she has new ideas and she's sharing them from Kuala Lumpur where she has fallen in love with elephants.  She'll share her adventures, but keep your eye out for her silken pajamas.

You'll love her adventures and enjoy sharing them with your friends.

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Renaissance Man Bil Lewis and our new producer Karen Schlomer join host Dorothy Wilhelm to share the most memorable advice they've ever received. Bil says in 1952 it was "Be Responsible" and Elder Millennial Karen says it was "Be Yourself." It's interesting to learn how good advice has changed over the years.

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Bil Lewis earned a Masters Degree in computer science at Indiana University in 1978, working in Integrated Development Environments and bioinformatics at Stanford, Tufts, MIT and Harvard.  He has taught at Stanford, Tufts, and MIT with a Sabbatical at L'ecole des Moines DuNanets.

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On this week’s episode of the Swimming Upstream Radio Show, host Dorothy Wilhelm welcomes Michael Petty. He is a board member of the Olympia Chapter of the Lions Clubs International and director of its Low Vision Resource Center. They discuss the history and role of the Lions Clubs both in Washington and around the world. Petty also shares how people can benefit from and be involved in the Low Vision Resource Center and its various community support mechanisms. 

Key Topics

History of Lions Clubs International

The mission and projects of Lions Clubs

The Low Vision Resource Center in Olympia

How volunteers support vision and community

The impact of service projects on lives

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Guest Introduction

02:18 - Why the Name 'Lions'? The Club's Early Days

03:10 - What Sets Lions Apart from Other Service Clubs

05:33 - Why Join Lions? Personal Motivation and Benefits

06:52 - The Club’s Service Projects and Vision Work

07:18 - The Low Vision Resource Center: Origins and Goals

08:17 - Providing Equipment and Support for Low Vision

12:22 - Who Benefits from the Vision Support? Older Adults

16:34 - Small Tools Making a Big Difference for Low Vision

17:44 - The Role of Technology and Smartphone Accessibility

18:24 - How to Contact Lions and Get Involved

20:03 - Encouragement for Shy or Limited Volunteers

Resources

Lions Clubs International 

Low Vision Resource Center Olympia 

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