It was New Year's Eve of the year 2011, I was getting ready to celebrate as I usually do, by going to bed. Around 9 PM, I received a phone call from a friend of Crystal's in Sanford informing me that Crystal had been taken to the emergency room that afternoon and was in the process of having her right leg amputated. This came as a shock to me because I had just talked to her the day before and everything was fine. She was facing her breast cancer quite well and was going into the New Year with a positive attitude. It seems that around 11 that morning, Crystal had begun to experience pain in her right calf. The pain increased to such a level, that around 3 PM she called her doctor, who told her to get to the emergency room as soon as possible. She called her friend Sharon Muldoon who came over and picked her up and took her to the emergency room. When the doctor saw her leg, he ran a few quick tests, and told Crystal, "you have a flesh eating bacteria, which means that if we do not amputate your leg immediately, you will probably die within an hour or so". Crystal immediately agreed to this, stating she did not want to die.
After receiving the phone call, I threw some clothes and necessities into my car, not knowing how long I would have to be in Florida, and left Tennessee for Florida just before midnight, New Year's Eve. I arrived in Sanford, about 10 in the morning. I called Sharon to see what the plan for the day was, if any. Crystal's daughter, Elizabeth, had driven up from the Keys, and had arrived about five in the morning. Elizabeth was staying with her boyfriend's mother in Deland. I was told to not stay in the apartment due to the fact that it might be contaminated. It seems that Crystal had contracted a Flesh Eating Bacteria, and they were told by the medical personnel that it was possibly still in the apartment. I had no problem dealing with that, so I found a room at a hotel. I called Sharon again and informed her where I was staying, and she told me that Elizabeth and herself would meet me at me at the hospital at 2 PM.
I arrived at the hospital on time and found Elizabeth and Sharon and Gay, who was Elizabeth's boyfriends mother already there. Crystal was in a room in the ICU, sedated. The doctor came and informed us that we could visit one of the time but that she was not aware of her surroundings. We all went in one at a time and saw Crystal. She did not look well at all. But seeing what she had just been through, and had been given a 40% chance of survival, that was to be expected. Since Elizabeth and I hadn't had any rest for over 24 hours, we decided to call it a day and catch up tomorrow.
On Monday, 2 January, the same group of people met at the hospital, with the addition of Crystal's sister, Tina, and a friend from Miami, Kent Knox. We were told we could visit, again, one at a time. Elizabeth went first for a few minutes, and said that Crystal had recognized her. I went in and Crystal was aware enough that I could communicate to her who was there, and that her cats were fine. Then, Tina went in and Crystal was aware of her. At this time a nurse informed us, that they would be sedating Crystal and that no more visitors could be allowed. So it was decided that we would all go have some lunch at the Olive Garden restaurant nearby. When we all arrived and were seated at the table, it dawned on all of us the gravity of the situation and how shocked we were at how quickly it had developed. We had spoken to the doctor, Dr. Cameron, and he explained about the bacteria that had taken her leg, and that he felt based on his knowledge, that it was safe to go back and live in the apartment.
This was still on Monday, and I was not ready to trust the apartment yet. I went to Walmart and purchased what I felt were adequate cleaning supplies to sanitize the apartment to my satisfaction. I also needed to go to the apartment and check on the cats. Crystal had three cats who were probably hungry and needed their litter cleaned. That was to be my new job. The way the situation had developed, I had no idea when I would be able to get back to Tennessee. I had enough clothes and toiletries to last me for a week or so, then I would either have to get home or buying new stuff.
When we left the Olive Garden, Elizabeth and Kent were going home down south. I was going to the apartment to check on the cats and then back to the hotel to gather my thoughts.In October right around her birthday, Crystal had been informed that she had breast cancer. She had gone through an operation to remove the growth and had been told that the doctors felt they had removed the bad stuff completely. But in the future, she would have to undergo several chemo treatments and then some radiation treatments. So in November she had the operation, and then on December 22, she had undergone her first chemo treatment. Then on the four days following Christmas, she had undergone one shot each day hoping they would boost her immune system back to a safe level. However, that didn't seem to work, since she had picked up the bacterial infection due to no immune system.
She spent the first six days of the new year at the Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford Florida. On the sixth day there, Dr. Cameron took her to the operating room to see if he could close her leg up. To everyone's shock, he discovered that the infection was still present in her wound. He told us that Crystal would have to be transferred to another hospital, Florida Hospital, in North Orlando. The reason for the transfer was that this hospital had Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber facilities, and that he felt that the only way to get rid of the infection was in a high oxygen atmosphere created by the chambers. The infection she had could not live in oxygen, therefore the treatments were needed and this hospital in Orlando was the only one in central Florida capable of providing these treatments. So, I received a call around midnight that Thursday informing me that Crystal was being prepared to be transferred and I was asked to please come to the hospital to assist in keeping her calm. So I went to the hospital, Crystal was totally sedated, and at 1 AM she was loaded into an ambulance and transferred south.
Crystal was in the Florida hospital in Orlando from 6 January until February 9. All of this time she was on the fifth floor in the ICU unit, looked up to many various tubes and machines. Her main machine was a ventilator, which assisted her in breathing at a normal rate. We were told that her condition was still critical, but that she was slowly improving. We would have to take their word for that because we couldn't see much difference. After five weeks at this hospital, we were informed that Crystal had improved enough to be moved from a short-term acute care facility to a long-term acute care facility. I met with a gentleman, Dan Perez, from Select Specialty Hospital, which was a small hospital next door to the big hospital. This small hospital was approved by Crystal's insurance company for Crystal to be transferred to. One of the specialties was weaning patients off of ventilators. This was to be Crystal's next major step towards recovery. So late in the afternoon of February 9, Crystal was transferred to this small facility. It has 30 beds total, and a large staff. Sharon Muldoon and I had examined it and found it to be clean and friendly. So we gave our blessings to the move.
Today is March 3, and Crystal is still in the Select Specialty Hospital. Two days ago she was moved from a private room into a room with another patient. She is still on a ventilator but she is breathing on her own most of the time. She is very aware of her surroundings and who her visitors are and welcomes them. She is aware that she is missing a leg and is dealing with the physical therapy that she receives each day. Yesterday Sharon, and Crystal's friend, Candy, visited her and "did her nails" since Candy is her manicurist. This made Crystal very happy. Tomorrow they're going to go and give her a facial, which is something that she needs to make her feel better yet.
It is hard to comprehend what the financial cost of all of this hospital treatment will end up being. I'm sure it will be much, much more than we have managed to save. But you can only do what you can do, so I don't worry about it. It does no good. The problem right now is- what does the future hold for Crystal and I. I do know that I probably will not live in Tennessee again, therefore I need to get up there and close out that house, put my stuff in storage, and prepare for a long stay in Florida, if not forever. Only time will tell, and at my age, that will come all too soon.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Saturday, March 26, 2011
HAPPY TRAILS TO US, BOURBON, THAT IS
The weather here in Middle Tennessee has been terrible this winter, as it has in much of the country. I have some good friends, Mark and Robin Greer, who live near Daytona Beach, Florida. We go back to the free-wheeling days of the 70's and 80's, when we both lived in South Florida, me in Miami, and them in Ft Lauderdale. We were in Key West at least once a month, driving down on Sat. and coming back either Sat night or Sunday morning. It was well within reach, being on a little over 3 hours each way from my place. We knew all of the important stops, beer and bathrooms, coming and going. Why did we go to Key West? Well, it was a beautiful fun drive over the ocean for the most part, and we knew all of the characters in Key West that were worth knowing. Also, there was usually something in the air that made life good. We lost touch for about 15 years during the 90's and the beginning of this century. Then, thanks to the reach of Facebook and a little luck, we were reconnected 2 years ago. Mark has an Aunt that lives just west of Nashville and was visiting her for Thanksgiving in 2009. They spent a few days with me and the old days were relived, and plans were made for the future connections.
This year, the weather being what it was, did not make anyone want to visit Middle Earth. However, a visit was planned for the middle of March, with a trip north to Kentucky planned. They arrived on a Sunday after noon and it was warm enough for no coats. They travel with two little Chihuahua dogs, who enjoyed being able to roam my big back yard. The 2 day trip to Bardstown, bourbon capital of the world, was left open, hoping for good weather. On Wednesday, week ago, we left Murfreesboro and drove north about 3.5 hours and found a couple of rooms in Bardstown.
After depositing the dogs, we headed South to the small town of Loretto, Ky, home to Makers Mark Bourbon. We missed the walking tour of the facility, which was just as well, since my hiking days are behind me, I fear. But we did manage to score a taste of Makers Mark's best. Fine stuff, to be sure. After making a few purchases in the ever present gift shops, we drove back north to Bardstown to visit the Heaven Hill distillery. This was Mark's favorite bourbon, and he was looking forward to tasting it at the source. Here, we did survive a walking tour of some of the barrel houses where the bourbon is aged for at least 2 years, and usually longer. At the tasting, Mark was upset because they wee only tasting 2 of the best bourbons, and not his regular Heaven Hill. What we tasted was excellent, though. Again, we visited the gift shop where they did sell good and sometimes rare bourbon. But $500 for a 750ml bottle is a bit out of my price range. Plus I'm not a sipper- I'm a guzzler, so a rare liquor, no matter what it is, does not last me long. I did buy a bottle of 12 year Old Fitzgerald, and will try to stay away from it, except for special occasions- like the weekend.
On the way back to the room, we stopped at a liquor and bought some Heaven Hill to get through the night. We sat at a smoking area in front of the rooms, Mark & Robin still partake, and drank good fresh bourbon and contemplated dinner. The Talbott Inn was advertised in everything you picked up. It was a stagecoach stop back in the early 1800's. Abe Lincoln and Jesse James, along with many other illustrious folks had dined or slept there- maybe both. So if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for us. We had eaten lunch at the old Lutz restaurant, another historic place, and it had been quite good. Without getting into the details, the Talbott Inn was horrible, as far as the food went. The atmosphere was OK, but that was it. We took the long way home to clear our heads of the experience, and headed for some bourbon.
Stephen Foster was a big man in Bardstown at one time, so we went next door for his breakfast buffett. Of course, we forgot that the Best Western had a nice free breakfast. Oh well, off we went to Clermont, Ky. home of Jim Beam. It was too early for a walking tour, but the gift shop was open. No tasting this early for us. It was offered, but not in any brands we were interested in. Next stop, the Four Roses storage facility and Gift Shop. Here we bought what turned out to be our favorite bourbon of the trip. When we got home, we had a 'tasting' of all of the brands we had brought back, and 'Four Roses Small Batch' was the hands down winner. It was Smooooth!!
When we left Bardstown, we stopped at a few places. First was the boyhood home, a very small cabin, that Abe Lincoln had lived in as a boy. It's just east of Hodgeville, Ky. And just south of the same town is Abe's birthplace, now a National Historic Site. There is a large marble building, a replica of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., with a replica of the cabin he was born in, inside of it.
Next, we stopped at Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese, a dairy farm on the outskirts of Austin, Ky. He sells farm-fresh cheeses, in many varieties, and at an excellent price. From Kenny's, we went over to the Mennonite community in Scottsville, for some butter and other stuff. Then back home to Murfreesboro.
On Saturday, after a good frog leg dinner the night before, we had my brother and his wife for some of my world famous Babt Back ribs.
All in all, it was a good visit with a good trip thrown in. Mark is a Lawn Maintenence Engineer, who owns his own business in Daytona, and had to get back south, to begin the long, hot Florida grass shortening season. So, on Sunday morning, Mark and Robin headed for the Smokey Mountains for a few days, then back home.
This year, the weather being what it was, did not make anyone want to visit Middle Earth. However, a visit was planned for the middle of March, with a trip north to Kentucky planned. They arrived on a Sunday after noon and it was warm enough for no coats. They travel with two little Chihuahua dogs, who enjoyed being able to roam my big back yard. The 2 day trip to Bardstown, bourbon capital of the world, was left open, hoping for good weather. On Wednesday, week ago, we left Murfreesboro and drove north about 3.5 hours and found a couple of rooms in Bardstown.
After depositing the dogs, we headed South to the small town of Loretto, Ky, home to Makers Mark Bourbon. We missed the walking tour of the facility, which was just as well, since my hiking days are behind me, I fear. But we did manage to score a taste of Makers Mark's best. Fine stuff, to be sure. After making a few purchases in the ever present gift shops, we drove back north to Bardstown to visit the Heaven Hill distillery. This was Mark's favorite bourbon, and he was looking forward to tasting it at the source. Here, we did survive a walking tour of some of the barrel houses where the bourbon is aged for at least 2 years, and usually longer. At the tasting, Mark was upset because they wee only tasting 2 of the best bourbons, and not his regular Heaven Hill. What we tasted was excellent, though. Again, we visited the gift shop where they did sell good and sometimes rare bourbon. But $500 for a 750ml bottle is a bit out of my price range. Plus I'm not a sipper- I'm a guzzler, so a rare liquor, no matter what it is, does not last me long. I did buy a bottle of 12 year Old Fitzgerald, and will try to stay away from it, except for special occasions- like the weekend.
On the way back to the room, we stopped at a liquor and bought some Heaven Hill to get through the night. We sat at a smoking area in front of the rooms, Mark & Robin still partake, and drank good fresh bourbon and contemplated dinner. The Talbott Inn was advertised in everything you picked up. It was a stagecoach stop back in the early 1800's. Abe Lincoln and Jesse James, along with many other illustrious folks had dined or slept there- maybe both. So if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for us. We had eaten lunch at the old Lutz restaurant, another historic place, and it had been quite good. Without getting into the details, the Talbott Inn was horrible, as far as the food went. The atmosphere was OK, but that was it. We took the long way home to clear our heads of the experience, and headed for some bourbon.
Stephen Foster was a big man in Bardstown at one time, so we went next door for his breakfast buffett. Of course, we forgot that the Best Western had a nice free breakfast. Oh well, off we went to Clermont, Ky. home of Jim Beam. It was too early for a walking tour, but the gift shop was open. No tasting this early for us. It was offered, but not in any brands we were interested in. Next stop, the Four Roses storage facility and Gift Shop. Here we bought what turned out to be our favorite bourbon of the trip. When we got home, we had a 'tasting' of all of the brands we had brought back, and 'Four Roses Small Batch' was the hands down winner. It was Smooooth!!
When we left Bardstown, we stopped at a few places. First was the boyhood home, a very small cabin, that Abe Lincoln had lived in as a boy. It's just east of Hodgeville, Ky. And just south of the same town is Abe's birthplace, now a National Historic Site. There is a large marble building, a replica of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., with a replica of the cabin he was born in, inside of it.
Next, we stopped at Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese, a dairy farm on the outskirts of Austin, Ky. He sells farm-fresh cheeses, in many varieties, and at an excellent price. From Kenny's, we went over to the Mennonite community in Scottsville, for some butter and other stuff. Then back home to Murfreesboro.
On Saturday, after a good frog leg dinner the night before, we had my brother and his wife for some of my world famous Babt Back ribs.
All in all, it was a good visit with a good trip thrown in. Mark is a Lawn Maintenence Engineer, who owns his own business in Daytona, and had to get back south, to begin the long, hot Florida grass shortening season. So, on Sunday morning, Mark and Robin headed for the Smokey Mountains for a few days, then back home.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
COPS AND ROBBERS AND ME
As you may or may not know, my wife of 34 years and I have been separated for about 6 years. She lives in Sanford, Florida, just north of Orlando, and I live at the present, in Tennessee. Last year, on Dec. 17th, she flew to Chattanooga, where I picked her up, for a short visit before the holidays. She was here from that Friday until the following Tuesday, when I was going to drive her back to Sanford and spend a week in Florida. I had rented a Jeep Liberty for the trip, since she feels that my car has too many miles on it and needed a rest. I left the car in the garage and the keys on the counter so my brother Tom could start the car a few times and keep the battery juice flowing.
I had loaded the Jeep on Monday with everything Crystal wanted to take back to her place, so we put the suitcases in on Tuesday morning, and left M'boro around 8:30 for the 10 hour drive. The trip down was uneventful, and we arrived just at nightfall. We unloaded the car into her garage and went out for dinner, then came back for the night.
On Wednesday morning we went for breakfast, then shopped for the items that she needed in order for me to do some repairs for her. As we sat in her apartment planning the rest of the week, around 4:30, the phone rang, and caller ID showed it was my brother Tom.
"Hey, Sid, did you take your big TV down with you?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"It's gone."
This led to the conclusion that sometime over Tuesday night- Wednesday morning I had been robbed. The door to the deck had been popped open. I led Tom, over the phone, on a room by room search to see what else was missing. My guns were still there, my coin collections was OK, my passport was on the floor, all of my camera equipment was there, but when he got to the kitchen counter where I had left my car keys, they were missing, which led to the garage, where he saw my car was missing too.
After digesting all of this, we agreed he should immediately call the police, so I hung up. Having lived in Miami for almost 40 years, I was aware of what could happen to a stolen car. Down there, the first thing to consider would be that your auto is already in a container and on it's way to South America on a freighter. The second thing would be, that when the bad guys finished their joy ride, it would likely be driven into a lake or a canal, which are around every corner in South Florida. Or, it could be stripped and then set on fire. All of these possibilities were racing through my head. Then you start thinking of how will you replace it? It is 11 years old with 120,000 miles on it. How much would the insurance give you towards a replacement?
About 6PM, Tom called back and put Officer Parker on the phone. He asked me a few questions about what I thought was missing and told me I could add to the police report anything I found when I did an in-person inspection. He then asked for the VIN of the car. I informed him that a Lojack anti-theft device had been installed on the auto when I purchased it, and that I had just talked to the Lojack rep in Ma. and was told that as soon as the VIN is entered into the National Police Computer system, the Lojack would be turned on and begin transmitting the location of the car. He informed me that would be his next step. Tom saw him do this, Officer Parker left a police report and the name of a detective would be working on my case, then Tom locked up as best he could and all went about their business.
About 8:30pm, I received a call from Tom informing me that my car had been found. It had been left unlocked near a large apartment complex in Murfreesboro. He went to see it and reported damaged to the front bumper, but all else looked good. Since I had not told him where the spare keys were, it was towed to the wrecker driver's impound yard. This was a huge relief, to say the least. I told Tom that I would be leaving Sanford early the next morning, Thursday, and should be back in M'boro by 5PM to survey the damage.
Knowing that my car was OK made the drive back a lot easier, thinking about what could be missing was still on my mind. I arrived home at 4:30 and went inside. Every drawer in every piece of furniture was opened, and everything in them had been gone through. I was missing some cash that had been in the main desk, plus some watches and rings, and a digital camera: all small stuff that was quick and easy to thrown in a grocery bag. Along with the 40" Sony flat screen TV, they took every remote control (4) in sight, to make sure they got the right one, I guess. There was a lot of other small valuables around that they passed over. All in all, I was very lucky.
Friday morning, we called the impound yard to see about getting my car released. The bill for towing it about 2 miles, keeping it for 2 nights and opening the gate on Christmas Eve morning was $370. Cash, of course. As I drove it home, I noticed that the ABS warning light was on, but the brakes were functioning OK. The mirror had been adjusted for a short driver, and the radio was tuned to a Hip-Hop station. Were these clues? It didn't really matter- the police had better things to do than than look for Shorty. The car was in good condition, and I was happy about that.
We have had all of our insurance, home and auto, with Liberty Mutual for 35 years, or so. They are the best. They gave me the place to take my car for the repair of the body and the brakes. They paid for a new ignition key and remote fob thingy. They covered all of my house losses, minus the deductible, of course, and did it all fast. They covered my $370 impound fee. They are the best.
I rent this house, so I had to inform the property management company that there had been a break-in and my rear door was in need of attention, and that all of the locks needed to be replaced, since along with my car key, they had a house key that would open any door, since they were all keyed the same. Since I was reporting this on Christmas Eve, I didn't expect anyone to come, so I pushed my big leather couch up against the unsecured deck door. No one could possibly open that door from the outside now. I told the management that I was secure for now, but I would expect someone out on Monday after Christmas to see what needed to be done. A man named J.C. showed up and looked the situation over. His reaction was the same as mine- the door needed to be replaced. He took all sorts of measurements and said he would be in touch after he talked to the boss. Well, the boss, being cheap, said he wanted the door repaired. That's when J.C. discovered it really wasn't a door- it was a window that had been made into a door. It had no wood anywhere in it's frame. That's why it had been popped open so easily. J.C. put some wood in to the area of the locks and made it as strong as he could. He replaced all of the locks on all of the doors. I went to Lowe's and found 2 big strong deadbolts and installed them. Now, if some on wants in from the outside, they will have to bust all of the glass and squeeze through, because the door, she will not open unless I release the deadbolts.
All of the insurance claims have been paid, the door is as secure as it will ever be, I have install motion lights on the rear deck area, the guns are loaded and placed in strategic places around the house, and yet, I still wake up in the middle of the night at the slightest sound, wondering if they are back. As I reach over to the .38 Police Special, underneath the pillow on the other side of the bed, I think: I HOPE SO!!!!
I had loaded the Jeep on Monday with everything Crystal wanted to take back to her place, so we put the suitcases in on Tuesday morning, and left M'boro around 8:30 for the 10 hour drive. The trip down was uneventful, and we arrived just at nightfall. We unloaded the car into her garage and went out for dinner, then came back for the night.
On Wednesday morning we went for breakfast, then shopped for the items that she needed in order for me to do some repairs for her. As we sat in her apartment planning the rest of the week, around 4:30, the phone rang, and caller ID showed it was my brother Tom.
"Hey, Sid, did you take your big TV down with you?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"It's gone."
This led to the conclusion that sometime over Tuesday night- Wednesday morning I had been robbed. The door to the deck had been popped open. I led Tom, over the phone, on a room by room search to see what else was missing. My guns were still there, my coin collections was OK, my passport was on the floor, all of my camera equipment was there, but when he got to the kitchen counter where I had left my car keys, they were missing, which led to the garage, where he saw my car was missing too.
After digesting all of this, we agreed he should immediately call the police, so I hung up. Having lived in Miami for almost 40 years, I was aware of what could happen to a stolen car. Down there, the first thing to consider would be that your auto is already in a container and on it's way to South America on a freighter. The second thing would be, that when the bad guys finished their joy ride, it would likely be driven into a lake or a canal, which are around every corner in South Florida. Or, it could be stripped and then set on fire. All of these possibilities were racing through my head. Then you start thinking of how will you replace it? It is 11 years old with 120,000 miles on it. How much would the insurance give you towards a replacement?
About 6PM, Tom called back and put Officer Parker on the phone. He asked me a few questions about what I thought was missing and told me I could add to the police report anything I found when I did an in-person inspection. He then asked for the VIN of the car. I informed him that a Lojack anti-theft device had been installed on the auto when I purchased it, and that I had just talked to the Lojack rep in Ma. and was told that as soon as the VIN is entered into the National Police Computer system, the Lojack would be turned on and begin transmitting the location of the car. He informed me that would be his next step. Tom saw him do this, Officer Parker left a police report and the name of a detective would be working on my case, then Tom locked up as best he could and all went about their business.
About 8:30pm, I received a call from Tom informing me that my car had been found. It had been left unlocked near a large apartment complex in Murfreesboro. He went to see it and reported damaged to the front bumper, but all else looked good. Since I had not told him where the spare keys were, it was towed to the wrecker driver's impound yard. This was a huge relief, to say the least. I told Tom that I would be leaving Sanford early the next morning, Thursday, and should be back in M'boro by 5PM to survey the damage.
Knowing that my car was OK made the drive back a lot easier, thinking about what could be missing was still on my mind. I arrived home at 4:30 and went inside. Every drawer in every piece of furniture was opened, and everything in them had been gone through. I was missing some cash that had been in the main desk, plus some watches and rings, and a digital camera: all small stuff that was quick and easy to thrown in a grocery bag. Along with the 40" Sony flat screen TV, they took every remote control (4) in sight, to make sure they got the right one, I guess. There was a lot of other small valuables around that they passed over. All in all, I was very lucky.
Friday morning, we called the impound yard to see about getting my car released. The bill for towing it about 2 miles, keeping it for 2 nights and opening the gate on Christmas Eve morning was $370. Cash, of course. As I drove it home, I noticed that the ABS warning light was on, but the brakes were functioning OK. The mirror had been adjusted for a short driver, and the radio was tuned to a Hip-Hop station. Were these clues? It didn't really matter- the police had better things to do than than look for Shorty. The car was in good condition, and I was happy about that.
We have had all of our insurance, home and auto, with Liberty Mutual for 35 years, or so. They are the best. They gave me the place to take my car for the repair of the body and the brakes. They paid for a new ignition key and remote fob thingy. They covered all of my house losses, minus the deductible, of course, and did it all fast. They covered my $370 impound fee. They are the best.
I rent this house, so I had to inform the property management company that there had been a break-in and my rear door was in need of attention, and that all of the locks needed to be replaced, since along with my car key, they had a house key that would open any door, since they were all keyed the same. Since I was reporting this on Christmas Eve, I didn't expect anyone to come, so I pushed my big leather couch up against the unsecured deck door. No one could possibly open that door from the outside now. I told the management that I was secure for now, but I would expect someone out on Monday after Christmas to see what needed to be done. A man named J.C. showed up and looked the situation over. His reaction was the same as mine- the door needed to be replaced. He took all sorts of measurements and said he would be in touch after he talked to the boss. Well, the boss, being cheap, said he wanted the door repaired. That's when J.C. discovered it really wasn't a door- it was a window that had been made into a door. It had no wood anywhere in it's frame. That's why it had been popped open so easily. J.C. put some wood in to the area of the locks and made it as strong as he could. He replaced all of the locks on all of the doors. I went to Lowe's and found 2 big strong deadbolts and installed them. Now, if some on wants in from the outside, they will have to bust all of the glass and squeeze through, because the door, she will not open unless I release the deadbolts.
All of the insurance claims have been paid, the door is as secure as it will ever be, I have install motion lights on the rear deck area, the guns are loaded and placed in strategic places around the house, and yet, I still wake up in the middle of the night at the slightest sound, wondering if they are back. As I reach over to the .38 Police Special, underneath the pillow on the other side of the bed, I think: I HOPE SO!!!!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
HURRICANE HUNTERS REUNION 2010
In the Beginning-
When I joined the US Navy in 1961, after taking the admission tests, I was offered several rating options. At the University of Florida, one of my dorm neighbors had been in the Navy as a Communications Technician. This involved having a Top Secret clearance, because you would be receiving and sending communications from high levels, and you could be stationed anywhere in the world. So I asked for this rate. Too bad, all filled at this time. My second choice was a position involving blimps, since I had ridden on the Goodyear blimp. I was told that blimps were being phased out and no jobs were offered in the blimp fleet. My recruiter asked what I had done in my brief working career, and I told him I had been building electronic panels for commercial aircraft. Thus, we decided that I would be an 'Aviation Electronics Technician', an AT for short. After 3 months at the Boot Camp at Waukegan, Il, all of us new boots grads were sent to the trade school of our rating. At this point in time, the Navy was very fair with the way they assigned your future. The better you did on all of the tests they were constantly giving everyone, the better your chances were of going to your choices of duty. The people who didn't make the grade, were assigned to ships in the various fleets around the world as soon as they graduated boot camp.The fortunate ones headed for school some where. We were all given 2 weeks leave so we could go home, say our goodbyes, then head for our new assignments. I was going to 'A' school in Millington, Tennessee, just north of Memphis. This would give me the training to become an Aviation Electronics Technician, and depending on your scores through the 9 months of training, would determine where your next station was. Another benefit of this location, was that I was only 2 hours away from all of my relatives in Central Arkansas. It would not be a bad life.
After graduating in the top 5 of my class, we were given a list of potential duty stations. When it was my turn to pick, my choices were several different ships and a couple of land bases, or, I could stay in Millington for 30 more days and attend a 'B' school for training as an airborne radio operator. This would involve becoming very proficient at sending and receiving Morse Code. The end results of this training would be assignment to an Early Warning Squadron, flying in EC121 aircraft, better known as a Super Constellation, the triple tail 4 engine aircraft built by Lockheed. So I elected to become a radioman.
In 30 days, again we were offered our choice of duty, again based on our performance. My choices were- 1. VW-1, located in Newfoundland, Canada (Very Cold), 2. VW-2, located on the island of Guam, in the Pacific(In the Middle of Nowhere). 3. VW-4, also known as the Hurricane Hunters, based in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico (Palm Trees, Sand, Warm). It was not much of a decision since I was from Miam, and had experienced several hurricanes there. Before reporting to our squadrons, all graduates were sent to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, a little south of Washington DC, in Maryland, for training and survival skills involving the aircraft we would be flying in. So away we went for several weeks of putting out fires and jumping into frigid water and being picked up by helicopters. Finally we were sent to Norfolk, Va, for eventual departure to Puerto Rico and duty in the tropics with the Hurricane Hunters. The Hurricane Hunter duty of 2+ years will be blogged later. Now for the reunion.
About 8 or so years ago, I discovered that there was an organization of former Hurricane Hunters who put out newsletters and held reunions every year. I made contact with several men I had ran with back on the Island and attempted to attend the reunions. Various reasons always came up while I was working in Miami that prevented me from going. However , when I found out that the reunion for 2010 was to be held in Pensacola I made definite plans to go. I always try to be in Houston for Bill's bash over the Labor Day weekend, so I had to find out if going to Pensacola one month later was possible, budget wise. It was, so I made plans. My automobile is 11 years old and has 120,000 miles on it, so my wife prefers that I rent something to save wear and tear on my old vehicle. Who am I to argue? So, on Sept 29th, I pointed my rented Hyundai Sonata south, and set the cruise control on 75 and let her roll.
From Murfreesboro, Tn to Pensacola, Fl is about 450 miles and a little less than 6 hours, if you travel with me. My pit stops are in the NASCAR time range. Gas and Go as fast as the fuel pumps. I arrived in Pensacola around 3:30 and checked into the Super 8, NAS Corry, about 3 miles from the Navy Lodge on base, where most of the others were staying. At 4:30, Bob Lakey called asking my location and condition. While waiting on the call, I had made my first Tullamore Dew with a splash, one of Irelands finest whiskys, and unloaded the automobile. He informed me that everyone that had arrived so far were gathering in Jay Bondgren's room to plan the evening dinner, and that I should proceed to there. He also told me that a drivers license would be required to be shown to the gate personnel in order to get onto the NAS Pensacola property. Upon these instructions, I proceeded to the designated meeting room, where I became re-acquainted Jay Bondgren, ATN-2, J.D.Manion, ATW, Jim (Artie) Safarik, ATW, Bob Lakey, ATN, and Don Cone, plus their respective wives. It had been decided that dinner would be at Landry's Seafood House, in the restaurant district of Pensacola. The dinner was spent renewing and reliving the sea stories that had lain dormant for these 40 something years. It was an enjoyable evening.
On Thursday morning, I had been invited to play golf in the annual Lakey-Manion Tournament at the Perdido Bay Golf Club. Artie rounded out the 4-some. The less said about my golfing skills that day, the better. J.D. edged Bob for the annual bragging rights. After the golf match, we all went back to the Navy Lodge to check in at the VW-4 'Ready Room'. Here we received our reunion packages, with our name card, schedule and various other little goodies. We also picked up our official Hurricane Hunter shirts,if we had ordered any. There were 30-40 Hunters there, drinking beer or sodas and checking name tags to see if they remembered you. That afternoon, a wine and cheese party had been planned at the Officers Club on base. So at 4:30, that's where we all went. This affair consisted of people at tables seating 10, lining up for free beer or wine, and doing the same at the cheese table. We seemed to have formed our group of AT's, since we all seemed to be found at the same table. Dinner that night was to be at Carabas, and it was a fine dinner. About 15 of us ended up doing the dinner thing together every time.
As Friday appeared through my window, I had no early plans. The other guys were going to play golf again, this time on the base, and I had paid extra to attend a 'Beach Party' at 11 AM, somewhere on the base. It was to feature BBQ and Beer, but I had trouble finding it. I was given wrong directions several times, so eventually, I just wrote it off. I decided to head over to Pensacola Beach to see how the white powdery sand was doing with the oil spill. We had seen cleanup crews on the beaches of the base, in their yellow gooney suits, filtering buckets of sand, so I assumed the tourist beaches would share the same fate. I parked myself at the Margaritaville Hotel, ordered oysters and beer, and surveyed the beach. It was perfectly groomed, and not a trace of cleanup anywhere. Only lot's of tourists covered with oil of the suntan variety. You have to admire Jimmy Buffett for taking his beach party philosophy and making Jillions out of it. The hotel was very nice and right on the beach, with his Landshark Landing night club connected next door. I was not missing the VW-4 BBQ at all.
The plan for Friday night dinner was to meet at 6:30 at McGuires Irish Pub, back in the district. I have never seen a pub as large as this one. It was as big inside as a city block, with a lot of little rooms and some big rooms and $1.2 million in one dollar bills stapled to the ceiling throughout the place. It was packed, but they found room for our crew with no waiting. Again, dinner was excellent and everyone had a good time.
The schedule for Saturday called for a Official Hurricane Hunter business meeting at 10 AM at the Nation Museum of Naval Aviation, for the election of officers and deciding where the reunion would be. After the officers were taken care of, and the next reunion site chosen to be held at Branson, Mo., the meeting was adjourned. Our little group had chosen to see the I-Max movie, The Hubble Repair film, so we went across the lobby for that. When the movie was over, we split up. I was going to have lunch, then go on a scheduled tour of the museum. The others had done this before, so they passed on it. When the tour started, the guide was really going into detail about each aircraft, which was well and good if you had several days, but I didn't, so I broke away and did my own tour, taking 100 pictures or so. We had to be at the Museum in our dinner clothes for group pictures at 4:30, dinner and drinks at 5:30, so I had to go back to the Super 8, change, and get back to the Museum. The picture was taken and offered for sale at $50 each. I guess some folks knew enough of the people in the photo to spring for that, but not me. All of the people did not look like they did 40 years ago, well maybe a few, but not enough for me to recognize them in a group picture.
Next came a cash bar and the ever present 10 person tables. We were dining under the static display of the 4 Blue Angel jets, an impressive sight above us. The dinner was OK for catered food, but not what we had been having the previous nights. I had found out very early, that most of my old buddies no longer drank alcohol, or wanted to hear about the good old days in front of their wives, so I bit my tongue and drank alone, with all of them. I had my 62-63 yearbook with me, we passed it around and commented on all of the people who could not comment back. After our goodbyes, we went to our rooms, and most got up early and headed back home.
Some thoughts-
1. Reunions are not what I thought they would be.
2. They should have places that aircrews could sign in
3. Like wise for the different ratings
4. They should distribute a list of all who have checked in. Your best pal could be there, and you might miss him, unless you knew he was going to be there.
5. The scheduled activities were kind of lame, no effort was made to involve people. In fact, if you didn't pay extra, the activities were not for you.
6. The HH Association should make a members list WITH e-mail addresses available if possible. And post on the HH website, so non-members could contact people and maybe get involved.
But, all in all, I had a good time seeing some people that were good buddies at one time. Too many of them weren't there, though.
When I joined the US Navy in 1961, after taking the admission tests, I was offered several rating options. At the University of Florida, one of my dorm neighbors had been in the Navy as a Communications Technician. This involved having a Top Secret clearance, because you would be receiving and sending communications from high levels, and you could be stationed anywhere in the world. So I asked for this rate. Too bad, all filled at this time. My second choice was a position involving blimps, since I had ridden on the Goodyear blimp. I was told that blimps were being phased out and no jobs were offered in the blimp fleet. My recruiter asked what I had done in my brief working career, and I told him I had been building electronic panels for commercial aircraft. Thus, we decided that I would be an 'Aviation Electronics Technician', an AT for short. After 3 months at the Boot Camp at Waukegan, Il, all of us new boots grads were sent to the trade school of our rating. At this point in time, the Navy was very fair with the way they assigned your future. The better you did on all of the tests they were constantly giving everyone, the better your chances were of going to your choices of duty. The people who didn't make the grade, were assigned to ships in the various fleets around the world as soon as they graduated boot camp.The fortunate ones headed for school some where. We were all given 2 weeks leave so we could go home, say our goodbyes, then head for our new assignments. I was going to 'A' school in Millington, Tennessee, just north of Memphis. This would give me the training to become an Aviation Electronics Technician, and depending on your scores through the 9 months of training, would determine where your next station was. Another benefit of this location, was that I was only 2 hours away from all of my relatives in Central Arkansas. It would not be a bad life.
After graduating in the top 5 of my class, we were given a list of potential duty stations. When it was my turn to pick, my choices were several different ships and a couple of land bases, or, I could stay in Millington for 30 more days and attend a 'B' school for training as an airborne radio operator. This would involve becoming very proficient at sending and receiving Morse Code. The end results of this training would be assignment to an Early Warning Squadron, flying in EC121 aircraft, better known as a Super Constellation, the triple tail 4 engine aircraft built by Lockheed. So I elected to become a radioman.
In 30 days, again we were offered our choice of duty, again based on our performance. My choices were- 1. VW-1, located in Newfoundland, Canada (Very Cold), 2. VW-2, located on the island of Guam, in the Pacific(In the Middle of Nowhere). 3. VW-4, also known as the Hurricane Hunters, based in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico (Palm Trees, Sand, Warm). It was not much of a decision since I was from Miam, and had experienced several hurricanes there. Before reporting to our squadrons, all graduates were sent to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, a little south of Washington DC, in Maryland, for training and survival skills involving the aircraft we would be flying in. So away we went for several weeks of putting out fires and jumping into frigid water and being picked up by helicopters. Finally we were sent to Norfolk, Va, for eventual departure to Puerto Rico and duty in the tropics with the Hurricane Hunters. The Hurricane Hunter duty of 2+ years will be blogged later. Now for the reunion.
About 8 or so years ago, I discovered that there was an organization of former Hurricane Hunters who put out newsletters and held reunions every year. I made contact with several men I had ran with back on the Island and attempted to attend the reunions. Various reasons always came up while I was working in Miami that prevented me from going. However , when I found out that the reunion for 2010 was to be held in Pensacola I made definite plans to go. I always try to be in Houston for Bill's bash over the Labor Day weekend, so I had to find out if going to Pensacola one month later was possible, budget wise. It was, so I made plans. My automobile is 11 years old and has 120,000 miles on it, so my wife prefers that I rent something to save wear and tear on my old vehicle. Who am I to argue? So, on Sept 29th, I pointed my rented Hyundai Sonata south, and set the cruise control on 75 and let her roll.
From Murfreesboro, Tn to Pensacola, Fl is about 450 miles and a little less than 6 hours, if you travel with me. My pit stops are in the NASCAR time range. Gas and Go as fast as the fuel pumps. I arrived in Pensacola around 3:30 and checked into the Super 8, NAS Corry, about 3 miles from the Navy Lodge on base, where most of the others were staying. At 4:30, Bob Lakey called asking my location and condition. While waiting on the call, I had made my first Tullamore Dew with a splash, one of Irelands finest whiskys, and unloaded the automobile. He informed me that everyone that had arrived so far were gathering in Jay Bondgren's room to plan the evening dinner, and that I should proceed to there. He also told me that a drivers license would be required to be shown to the gate personnel in order to get onto the NAS Pensacola property. Upon these instructions, I proceeded to the designated meeting room, where I became re-acquainted Jay Bondgren, ATN-2, J.D.Manion, ATW, Jim (Artie) Safarik, ATW, Bob Lakey, ATN, and Don Cone, plus their respective wives. It had been decided that dinner would be at Landry's Seafood House, in the restaurant district of Pensacola. The dinner was spent renewing and reliving the sea stories that had lain dormant for these 40 something years. It was an enjoyable evening.
On Thursday morning, I had been invited to play golf in the annual Lakey-Manion Tournament at the Perdido Bay Golf Club. Artie rounded out the 4-some. The less said about my golfing skills that day, the better. J.D. edged Bob for the annual bragging rights. After the golf match, we all went back to the Navy Lodge to check in at the VW-4 'Ready Room'. Here we received our reunion packages, with our name card, schedule and various other little goodies. We also picked up our official Hurricane Hunter shirts,if we had ordered any. There were 30-40 Hunters there, drinking beer or sodas and checking name tags to see if they remembered you. That afternoon, a wine and cheese party had been planned at the Officers Club on base. So at 4:30, that's where we all went. This affair consisted of people at tables seating 10, lining up for free beer or wine, and doing the same at the cheese table. We seemed to have formed our group of AT's, since we all seemed to be found at the same table. Dinner that night was to be at Carabas, and it was a fine dinner. About 15 of us ended up doing the dinner thing together every time.
As Friday appeared through my window, I had no early plans. The other guys were going to play golf again, this time on the base, and I had paid extra to attend a 'Beach Party' at 11 AM, somewhere on the base. It was to feature BBQ and Beer, but I had trouble finding it. I was given wrong directions several times, so eventually, I just wrote it off. I decided to head over to Pensacola Beach to see how the white powdery sand was doing with the oil spill. We had seen cleanup crews on the beaches of the base, in their yellow gooney suits, filtering buckets of sand, so I assumed the tourist beaches would share the same fate. I parked myself at the Margaritaville Hotel, ordered oysters and beer, and surveyed the beach. It was perfectly groomed, and not a trace of cleanup anywhere. Only lot's of tourists covered with oil of the suntan variety. You have to admire Jimmy Buffett for taking his beach party philosophy and making Jillions out of it. The hotel was very nice and right on the beach, with his Landshark Landing night club connected next door. I was not missing the VW-4 BBQ at all.
The plan for Friday night dinner was to meet at 6:30 at McGuires Irish Pub, back in the district. I have never seen a pub as large as this one. It was as big inside as a city block, with a lot of little rooms and some big rooms and $1.2 million in one dollar bills stapled to the ceiling throughout the place. It was packed, but they found room for our crew with no waiting. Again, dinner was excellent and everyone had a good time.
The schedule for Saturday called for a Official Hurricane Hunter business meeting at 10 AM at the Nation Museum of Naval Aviation, for the election of officers and deciding where the reunion would be. After the officers were taken care of, and the next reunion site chosen to be held at Branson, Mo., the meeting was adjourned. Our little group had chosen to see the I-Max movie, The Hubble Repair film, so we went across the lobby for that. When the movie was over, we split up. I was going to have lunch, then go on a scheduled tour of the museum. The others had done this before, so they passed on it. When the tour started, the guide was really going into detail about each aircraft, which was well and good if you had several days, but I didn't, so I broke away and did my own tour, taking 100 pictures or so. We had to be at the Museum in our dinner clothes for group pictures at 4:30, dinner and drinks at 5:30, so I had to go back to the Super 8, change, and get back to the Museum. The picture was taken and offered for sale at $50 each. I guess some folks knew enough of the people in the photo to spring for that, but not me. All of the people did not look like they did 40 years ago, well maybe a few, but not enough for me to recognize them in a group picture.
Next came a cash bar and the ever present 10 person tables. We were dining under the static display of the 4 Blue Angel jets, an impressive sight above us. The dinner was OK for catered food, but not what we had been having the previous nights. I had found out very early, that most of my old buddies no longer drank alcohol, or wanted to hear about the good old days in front of their wives, so I bit my tongue and drank alone, with all of them. I had my 62-63 yearbook with me, we passed it around and commented on all of the people who could not comment back. After our goodbyes, we went to our rooms, and most got up early and headed back home.
Some thoughts-
1. Reunions are not what I thought they would be.
2. They should have places that aircrews could sign in
3. Like wise for the different ratings
4. They should distribute a list of all who have checked in. Your best pal could be there, and you might miss him, unless you knew he was going to be there.
5. The scheduled activities were kind of lame, no effort was made to involve people. In fact, if you didn't pay extra, the activities were not for you.
6. The HH Association should make a members list WITH e-mail addresses available if possible. And post on the HH website, so non-members could contact people and maybe get involved.
But, all in all, I had a good time seeing some people that were good buddies at one time. Too many of them weren't there, though.
Friday, September 17, 2010
PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES AND MORE
TRANSPORTATION I HAVE OWNED
1948 Studebaker Starlite Coupe
1953 Mercury Hardtop
1959 Triumph TR-10 4 Door English Sedan
1965 Honda CB-150 Motorcycle
1963 Jaguar 3.8L MKII Sedan
1966 Corvette Convertible, 327cid/350HP
1965 Chevrolet Impala 4 Speed Hardtop
1970 Ford Econoline Van
1978 Chevrolet Custom Van By Doran
1983 Lincoln Continental
1987 Toyota Camry 5 Door, 5 Speed
1991 Mercury Topaz
1994 Toyota Corolla
1999.5 Infiniti QX-4
THINGS I HAVE DRIVEN
The Original 'African Queen' Motor Launch, based in Key Largo, Fl
NASCAR 600HP Ford at Homestead Motor Speedway, 142 MPH Top Speed
1st Time- Richard Petty Driving Experience, 2nd Time- Skip Barber Racing
GMC Cyclone Pickup in Tennessee
Honda 750cc Motorcycle in the hills of Tennessee
55 Ft Sailing Sloop on Long Island Sound, NY
40 Ft Houseboat in the Everglades
Go-Carts in Virginia
Dirt Bikes in Miami
Ford Van with Bad Steering, Over the Old Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys
Same Ford Van, with a Bad Carb Float from Orlando to Miami, 8 Plus Hours
Red Mustang Convertible in Honolulu, Hawaii
1954 Cadillac Hearse in Puerto Rico
A 2- Mule Team, Fred and Nell, on my Grandfathers Farm in Arkansas
A Snowmobile at the Playboy Club Hotel in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
A Forklift at Life Medical Equipment in Miami
THINGS I HAVE RIDDEN ON OR IN
The Goodyear Blimp
Boeing 707, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777
Lockheed L1011
McDonnell Douglas DC-6, DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, MD-87
Airbus A-320
Embraer EMB-120
Canadian Dash-8
Funicular Railway in Hong Kong to the top of Victoria Peak
Cog Railway to the top of Mt Rigi, in Switzerland
High Speed Ferry, Hong Kong to Macau
The Kat, a High Speed Catamaran (60 MPH) Miami to Nassau, Bahamas
The Queen Elizabeth II, Ocean Liner
The USS Intrepid, CVA 11, US Aircraft Carrier
The USS Francis Scott Key, a Polaris Nuclear Missile Submarine
A US Navy Rescue Helicopter, Chesapeake Bay
A Lockheed Super Constellation Hurricane Hunter Plane
A Grumman S2F Submarine Hunter Plane, with a Carrier Landing on the Intrepid
A High Speed Mexican Taxi Cab in the Yucatan
Various Buses, Jitneys, and Publicos around the Caribbean Islands
An Everglades Airboat
A Swamp Buggy in Naples, Fl
Subways in London, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong
A Slow Ferry from Cape Cod to Martha's Vineyard
A Stella-Link Ferry from Scotland to Northern Ireland
A Hovercraft across the English Channel, Dover to Calais
A Cable Car in San Francisco
The Matterhorn at Disneyland
Space Mountain at Disneyworld
A Double-Decker Bus in London
An Elevator in the Eiffel Tower, Paris and LasVegas
A Circular Escalator in San Francisco
A Grumman Mallard 'Chalks Airline' Seaplane, Miami to Bimini
A 1 Mile High Ride on a Cable Car in Switzerland
A Mechanical Bull in Houston, Texas
A Hot Air Balloon in Arkansas Piloted by Gene Carr
A Cessna Citation Over the Rockies, Denver to Montrose, Colorado
A Boat on Loch Lomond, Scotland
A Boat on Lake Windermere, UK
A Boat on Lake Wolfgang, Austria
A Boat on Lake Okeechobee, Florida
A Boat to Alcatraz Island, San Francisco
A Glass Bottom Boat to the Reefs, Key West, Florida
A Glass Bottom Boat to John Pennecamp State Park, Key Largo, Florida
A Boat on the Rhine River, Germany, from Boppard to St Goar
A 45 Ft Deep Sea Fishing Boat, 'Sump'n Special' Islamorado, Florida
A Star Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island
The Catano Ferry, San Juan, Puerto Rico
A Ferry across the Mississippi, Mo. to Tenn.
A Boat on the Thames to Windsor Castle
A Gondola in Venice, Italy
A Chinese Junk in Singapore
A Train from London Paddington to Cardiff, Wakes
A Train from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station, London
A Train from Waukegan, Il to Chicago
A Green Subaru from Melbourne to Prince William Island, Aus, to see the Fairey Penguins come ashore.
A White Van, Driven by Mr Silver, From Mo Bay to Negril, Jamaica for jerk pork and cliff diving
A Gray Van Around the Volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii
A Blue Bus from Ocho Rios, Jamaica to the Blue Mountains for some coffee beans
A Black Taxi in London
A Yellow Taxi in New York City
A Purple Taxi in Paris
A Pink Taxi in Key West
A Red Trolley in Honolulu, Sydney, and Washington, DC
A Limo Taxi to the Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal, Panama
A Horse Drawn Carriage Ride around Nassau, Bahamas
A 4-Horse Stage Coach in Ballarat, Australia
The Monorails at all the Disney Parks
A Greyhound Bus Trip from Miami to Los Angeles
A Trafalgar Tour Bus through 7 European Countries
A Frames-Rickart Tour Bus Around Southern England
An 18 Wheeler from Little Rock Arkansas to Miami Florida
1948 Studebaker Starlite Coupe
1953 Mercury Hardtop
1959 Triumph TR-10 4 Door English Sedan
1965 Honda CB-150 Motorcycle
1963 Jaguar 3.8L MKII Sedan
1966 Corvette Convertible, 327cid/350HP
1965 Chevrolet Impala 4 Speed Hardtop
1970 Ford Econoline Van
1978 Chevrolet Custom Van By Doran
1983 Lincoln Continental
1987 Toyota Camry 5 Door, 5 Speed
1991 Mercury Topaz
1994 Toyota Corolla
1999.5 Infiniti QX-4
THINGS I HAVE DRIVEN
The Original 'African Queen' Motor Launch, based in Key Largo, Fl
NASCAR 600HP Ford at Homestead Motor Speedway, 142 MPH Top Speed
1st Time- Richard Petty Driving Experience, 2nd Time- Skip Barber Racing
GMC Cyclone Pickup in Tennessee
Honda 750cc Motorcycle in the hills of Tennessee
55 Ft Sailing Sloop on Long Island Sound, NY
40 Ft Houseboat in the Everglades
Go-Carts in Virginia
Dirt Bikes in Miami
Ford Van with Bad Steering, Over the Old Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys
Same Ford Van, with a Bad Carb Float from Orlando to Miami, 8 Plus Hours
Red Mustang Convertible in Honolulu, Hawaii
1954 Cadillac Hearse in Puerto Rico
A 2- Mule Team, Fred and Nell, on my Grandfathers Farm in Arkansas
A Snowmobile at the Playboy Club Hotel in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
A Forklift at Life Medical Equipment in Miami
THINGS I HAVE RIDDEN ON OR IN
The Goodyear Blimp
Boeing 707, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777
Lockheed L1011
McDonnell Douglas DC-6, DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, MD-87
Airbus A-320
Embraer EMB-120
Canadian Dash-8
Funicular Railway in Hong Kong to the top of Victoria Peak
Cog Railway to the top of Mt Rigi, in Switzerland
High Speed Ferry, Hong Kong to Macau
The Kat, a High Speed Catamaran (60 MPH) Miami to Nassau, Bahamas
The Queen Elizabeth II, Ocean Liner
The USS Intrepid, CVA 11, US Aircraft Carrier
The USS Francis Scott Key, a Polaris Nuclear Missile Submarine
A US Navy Rescue Helicopter, Chesapeake Bay
A Lockheed Super Constellation Hurricane Hunter Plane
A Grumman S2F Submarine Hunter Plane, with a Carrier Landing on the Intrepid
A High Speed Mexican Taxi Cab in the Yucatan
Various Buses, Jitneys, and Publicos around the Caribbean Islands
An Everglades Airboat
A Swamp Buggy in Naples, Fl
Subways in London, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong
A Slow Ferry from Cape Cod to Martha's Vineyard
A Stella-Link Ferry from Scotland to Northern Ireland
A Hovercraft across the English Channel, Dover to Calais
A Cable Car in San Francisco
The Matterhorn at Disneyland
Space Mountain at Disneyworld
A Double-Decker Bus in London
An Elevator in the Eiffel Tower, Paris and LasVegas
A Circular Escalator in San Francisco
A Grumman Mallard 'Chalks Airline' Seaplane, Miami to Bimini
A 1 Mile High Ride on a Cable Car in Switzerland
A Mechanical Bull in Houston, Texas
A Hot Air Balloon in Arkansas Piloted by Gene Carr
A Cessna Citation Over the Rockies, Denver to Montrose, Colorado
A Boat on Loch Lomond, Scotland
A Boat on Lake Windermere, UK
A Boat on Lake Wolfgang, Austria
A Boat on Lake Okeechobee, Florida
A Boat to Alcatraz Island, San Francisco
A Glass Bottom Boat to the Reefs, Key West, Florida
A Glass Bottom Boat to John Pennecamp State Park, Key Largo, Florida
A Boat on the Rhine River, Germany, from Boppard to St Goar
A 45 Ft Deep Sea Fishing Boat, 'Sump'n Special' Islamorado, Florida
A Star Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island
The Catano Ferry, San Juan, Puerto Rico
A Ferry across the Mississippi, Mo. to Tenn.
A Boat on the Thames to Windsor Castle
A Gondola in Venice, Italy
A Chinese Junk in Singapore
A Train from London Paddington to Cardiff, Wakes
A Train from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station, London
A Train from Waukegan, Il to Chicago
A Green Subaru from Melbourne to Prince William Island, Aus, to see the Fairey Penguins come ashore.
A White Van, Driven by Mr Silver, From Mo Bay to Negril, Jamaica for jerk pork and cliff diving
A Gray Van Around the Volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii
A Blue Bus from Ocho Rios, Jamaica to the Blue Mountains for some coffee beans
A Black Taxi in London
A Yellow Taxi in New York City
A Purple Taxi in Paris
A Pink Taxi in Key West
A Red Trolley in Honolulu, Sydney, and Washington, DC
A Limo Taxi to the Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal, Panama
A Horse Drawn Carriage Ride around Nassau, Bahamas
A 4-Horse Stage Coach in Ballarat, Australia
The Monorails at all the Disney Parks
A Greyhound Bus Trip from Miami to Los Angeles
A Trafalgar Tour Bus through 7 European Countries
A Frames-Rickart Tour Bus Around Southern England
An 18 Wheeler from Little Rock Arkansas to Miami Florida
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
BEER AND BRISKET- TEXAS STYLE
Every year on the last Saturday before Labor Day, my friends Bill & Nancy, in Spring, Texas, host a big BBQ for friends and relatives from all over. Depending on what the air-fares are vs. the price of gasoline, I'll either fly or drive to their place just north of Houston, in Spring. This year it was on a Continental Connection small jet, that I arrived at the George Bush International Airport. From Nashville, the flight is only 90 minutes, which means flying has a 3 day time advantage over driving round trip. Before I retired, time was an important factor, now, not so much. When I land, and have collected my luggage from the baggage merry-go-round, I call Bill on the cell thingy, and he picks me up right away.
This year I arrive at 1:30 in the afternoon, on Wednesday the 1st of September. The BBQ is on Saturday, the 4th. Nancy has to work today, so I won't see her until later. First stop is at an H-E-B supermarket so Bill can replenish the beer stock. Then we go to Spec's Liquors so I can get some bourbon for myself. I have been in a lot of retail liquor outlets, all over the country, even all over the world, and I must say that the stores in the Spec's chain in Texas are by far the most well stocked, complete stores I have ever been in. This year I found some bourbon from the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky that was only $14.99 for a 1.75 liter bottle. That is an exceptional price for a quality bourbon. We were now equipped to go to Bill's home and began our pre-cookout rituals. This involves sitting on the patio and drinking, warming up our arms and shoulders for the task ahead. We will be up on Saturday at 5:30 AM to start the fire in the huge smoker on Bill's patio. After years of experience, we have found that since the festivities could last into Sunday morning, it is best not to start drinking until 11 AM on Saturday. By that time, all of the meat has been seasoned, rubbed, and placed into the cooker, and that it is time to start replacing all of the precious bodily fluids lost while tending the fire and the accompanying smoke.
When Nancy arrives home from work, it is decided that dinner that night will be at Capt. Benny's Seafood Boat, just off of I-45 at Rankin Rd. On past visits, the raw oysters at the Boat were large and priced right. A few years back, we sat there one afternoon and had several dozen with Bill's daughter, Elaine. At that time, I think we paid $2.99 a dozen as the afternoon special. This year, they were up to $9.99 a dozen, and the size was not so big. This was due to the BP oil rig disaster out in the Gulf. I passed on them since it was my first day, and more opportunities would come up. I had the special of stuffed shrimp, which was very good.
Thursday was an easy day, as planned. Nancy went to work, and Bill and I went to Denny's for breakfast.The waiter working the counter had to have been hired from the Clover Grill, in New Orleans. He was a most 'happy' fellow, and a big hit with the construction workers sitting in his area. When Nancy arrived after work, it was off to a place called 'Wings & More' in the Woodlands. I had wings, of course, and what they advertised as a 'Big Willie', which was a 32oz Shiner Bock, a Texas beer, in a big mug. The wings and the willie hit the spot.
On Friday, we awoke to a rainy day. We ran some errands, picked up some last minute things for tomorrows party, and had dinner at home. Nancy fixed some good Mexican food. The rain finally stopped and we were hoping it would dry up by tomorrow.
Saturday morning at 5:30 finds Bill and I on the patio awaiting the arrival of Nancy's son, Slugger, who lives next door. He is the fire starter today. He brings over a propane tank and a weed burner and has the fire started in just a few minutes. Where there is fire, in this case there was a lot of smoke. My eyes took a beating for a while. Bill's smoker is probably 10 feet long with a huge fire box.After about an hour, the fire was under control, and it was time to throw the briskets on. Bill has 2 big briskets, about 10 lb each, all ready rubbed with his secret ingredients, so on they went. Twelve racks of ribs went on at 10 AM, and 6 lbs of sausage at 11. It was now beer time, so we began.
Around 12:30, folks started arriving. I knew a lot of them from my days in Houston some 38 years ago, having seen them on visits I had made since then. This year was relatively peaceful, since there were no kids playing in the pool. A little after midnight, it was over. It had been a day of good drink, good food, and good company, a success by any measure.
Sunday had nothing planned, so we would just let it happen. After some coffee, we decided to drive up to Lake Conroe and see what was going on. It was a holiday weekend, so we knew that the boaters would be out in full force, proving some excitement on the water for our viewing pleasure. We arrived at 'Wolfies' on the lake, around 1 PM. They had Guinness on tap, so we were off to a good start. Sitting at the bar near us was a group of 4 young men, semi intoxicated, we thought. They were playing one of the electronic trivia game that are found in some bars, where you can play against other people in the bar, or, other bars. They weren't doing very good. So we started giving one of them the answers, behind his buddies backs. It was fun to see him getting the right answers from us, and ragging on his buddies. They never figured out how he got so smart, so quick.
After a couple of rounds at Wolfies, we drove to the other side of the cove to a place called 'Papa's'. They had a live band that was decent, and a singer that was not. We found a table in the back where it was not too loud. The high light of this place is that we had a very good view of the water, and were able to see the comedy provided by 2 'brothers' who were obviously impaired, as they tried to both get back on a jet ski It took them 45 minutes and help from some who swam out, to mount the thing again. From Papa's, we went to the Woodlands for dinner at an English pub, Baker Street. After a good dinner of fish and chips with Guinness, we called it a day.
As we turned on the morning news, we found out that a tropical storm, Hermine, had developed in the Gulf overnight. It was down close to the Texas-Mexico border, and expected to come ashore Monday night, and head due north, affecting San Antonio and Austin on Tuesday. We were planning a trip towards that area tomorrow, so we would have to pay attention and see what developed. The outer bands were supposed to cause some rain in Houston later in the afternoon on Monday, but we weren't going far that day. We went to Papadeaux's Seafood for lunch, where I got my oysters, along with some good catfish. The rain began as we drove home, and when we went out for a Mexican dinner, it was falling at a steady rate.
We were up at 6:30 to see if our trip was still possible. The storm was soaking the hill country, but Houston was clearing. We decided to chance it and head west. First stop would be at the Shiner Brewery. It's really the Spoetzel Brewery, but since it in Shiner, that is how everyone calls it.The first tour was a 11 AM, so we left Spring a little early to avoid the Houston traffic, by taking back roads. About an hour into the trip, the skies opened and we were in some serious rain, with scary looking black clouds all around. We found as we went on, that we were in the bands, and the rain would come and go. When we arrived at the brewery, it was just a light drizzle. The tour was pretty good. Only 66 people total work for the Shiner beer company, but they can put out a couple of hundred thousand bottles of beer a day if necessary. They are very generous with their free samples, so you can taste as many as 4 different brews if you want. I did, and they were all good.
Next up on the trip was some good national award winning BBQ in Luling, Texas. Unfortunately, the place we wanted to go to was closed. Fortunately, there was another place just down the street that was open. We got a sampling of ribs, brisket and sausage that was excellent. It was served Texas style, by the pound, and on butchers paper. Going back to Houston, we ran into some Oz clouds, that looked like a tornado was around somewhere.But we made it back safely. That night we went to a good Chinese buffet for my last meal with my hosts.
Bill dropped me at the Bushport at 10 AM, and I was back in Murfreesboro, Tn by 4 that afternoon.It was an excellent trip, with not much wasted time. But that is how Bill and Nancy and I plan our trips and adventures. We have done things that mortal men merely dream of. I will save those for another time.
This year I arrive at 1:30 in the afternoon, on Wednesday the 1st of September. The BBQ is on Saturday, the 4th. Nancy has to work today, so I won't see her until later. First stop is at an H-E-B supermarket so Bill can replenish the beer stock. Then we go to Spec's Liquors so I can get some bourbon for myself. I have been in a lot of retail liquor outlets, all over the country, even all over the world, and I must say that the stores in the Spec's chain in Texas are by far the most well stocked, complete stores I have ever been in. This year I found some bourbon from the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky that was only $14.99 for a 1.75 liter bottle. That is an exceptional price for a quality bourbon. We were now equipped to go to Bill's home and began our pre-cookout rituals. This involves sitting on the patio and drinking, warming up our arms and shoulders for the task ahead. We will be up on Saturday at 5:30 AM to start the fire in the huge smoker on Bill's patio. After years of experience, we have found that since the festivities could last into Sunday morning, it is best not to start drinking until 11 AM on Saturday. By that time, all of the meat has been seasoned, rubbed, and placed into the cooker, and that it is time to start replacing all of the precious bodily fluids lost while tending the fire and the accompanying smoke.
When Nancy arrives home from work, it is decided that dinner that night will be at Capt. Benny's Seafood Boat, just off of I-45 at Rankin Rd. On past visits, the raw oysters at the Boat were large and priced right. A few years back, we sat there one afternoon and had several dozen with Bill's daughter, Elaine. At that time, I think we paid $2.99 a dozen as the afternoon special. This year, they were up to $9.99 a dozen, and the size was not so big. This was due to the BP oil rig disaster out in the Gulf. I passed on them since it was my first day, and more opportunities would come up. I had the special of stuffed shrimp, which was very good.
Thursday was an easy day, as planned. Nancy went to work, and Bill and I went to Denny's for breakfast.The waiter working the counter had to have been hired from the Clover Grill, in New Orleans. He was a most 'happy' fellow, and a big hit with the construction workers sitting in his area. When Nancy arrived after work, it was off to a place called 'Wings & More' in the Woodlands. I had wings, of course, and what they advertised as a 'Big Willie', which was a 32oz Shiner Bock, a Texas beer, in a big mug. The wings and the willie hit the spot.
On Friday, we awoke to a rainy day. We ran some errands, picked up some last minute things for tomorrows party, and had dinner at home. Nancy fixed some good Mexican food. The rain finally stopped and we were hoping it would dry up by tomorrow.
Saturday morning at 5:30 finds Bill and I on the patio awaiting the arrival of Nancy's son, Slugger, who lives next door. He is the fire starter today. He brings over a propane tank and a weed burner and has the fire started in just a few minutes. Where there is fire, in this case there was a lot of smoke. My eyes took a beating for a while. Bill's smoker is probably 10 feet long with a huge fire box.After about an hour, the fire was under control, and it was time to throw the briskets on. Bill has 2 big briskets, about 10 lb each, all ready rubbed with his secret ingredients, so on they went. Twelve racks of ribs went on at 10 AM, and 6 lbs of sausage at 11. It was now beer time, so we began.
Around 12:30, folks started arriving. I knew a lot of them from my days in Houston some 38 years ago, having seen them on visits I had made since then. This year was relatively peaceful, since there were no kids playing in the pool. A little after midnight, it was over. It had been a day of good drink, good food, and good company, a success by any measure.
Sunday had nothing planned, so we would just let it happen. After some coffee, we decided to drive up to Lake Conroe and see what was going on. It was a holiday weekend, so we knew that the boaters would be out in full force, proving some excitement on the water for our viewing pleasure. We arrived at 'Wolfies' on the lake, around 1 PM. They had Guinness on tap, so we were off to a good start. Sitting at the bar near us was a group of 4 young men, semi intoxicated, we thought. They were playing one of the electronic trivia game that are found in some bars, where you can play against other people in the bar, or, other bars. They weren't doing very good. So we started giving one of them the answers, behind his buddies backs. It was fun to see him getting the right answers from us, and ragging on his buddies. They never figured out how he got so smart, so quick.
After a couple of rounds at Wolfies, we drove to the other side of the cove to a place called 'Papa's'. They had a live band that was decent, and a singer that was not. We found a table in the back where it was not too loud. The high light of this place is that we had a very good view of the water, and were able to see the comedy provided by 2 'brothers' who were obviously impaired, as they tried to both get back on a jet ski It took them 45 minutes and help from some who swam out, to mount the thing again. From Papa's, we went to the Woodlands for dinner at an English pub, Baker Street. After a good dinner of fish and chips with Guinness, we called it a day.
As we turned on the morning news, we found out that a tropical storm, Hermine, had developed in the Gulf overnight. It was down close to the Texas-Mexico border, and expected to come ashore Monday night, and head due north, affecting San Antonio and Austin on Tuesday. We were planning a trip towards that area tomorrow, so we would have to pay attention and see what developed. The outer bands were supposed to cause some rain in Houston later in the afternoon on Monday, but we weren't going far that day. We went to Papadeaux's Seafood for lunch, where I got my oysters, along with some good catfish. The rain began as we drove home, and when we went out for a Mexican dinner, it was falling at a steady rate.
We were up at 6:30 to see if our trip was still possible. The storm was soaking the hill country, but Houston was clearing. We decided to chance it and head west. First stop would be at the Shiner Brewery. It's really the Spoetzel Brewery, but since it in Shiner, that is how everyone calls it.The first tour was a 11 AM, so we left Spring a little early to avoid the Houston traffic, by taking back roads. About an hour into the trip, the skies opened and we were in some serious rain, with scary looking black clouds all around. We found as we went on, that we were in the bands, and the rain would come and go. When we arrived at the brewery, it was just a light drizzle. The tour was pretty good. Only 66 people total work for the Shiner beer company, but they can put out a couple of hundred thousand bottles of beer a day if necessary. They are very generous with their free samples, so you can taste as many as 4 different brews if you want. I did, and they were all good.
Next up on the trip was some good national award winning BBQ in Luling, Texas. Unfortunately, the place we wanted to go to was closed. Fortunately, there was another place just down the street that was open. We got a sampling of ribs, brisket and sausage that was excellent. It was served Texas style, by the pound, and on butchers paper. Going back to Houston, we ran into some Oz clouds, that looked like a tornado was around somewhere.But we made it back safely. That night we went to a good Chinese buffet for my last meal with my hosts.
Bill dropped me at the Bushport at 10 AM, and I was back in Murfreesboro, Tn by 4 that afternoon.It was an excellent trip, with not much wasted time. But that is how Bill and Nancy and I plan our trips and adventures. We have done things that mortal men merely dream of. I will save those for another time.
Monday, August 30, 2010
JOBS AND PLACES- A LOT OF BOTH
1941-1956 GROWING UP IN
SHERWOOD, ARKANSAS
1956-1959 SOUTHWEST MIAMI HIGH SCHOOL
MIAMI, FL
1959-1960 RYAN RADIO & TV
CORAL GABLES, FL
1960-1961 UNVERSITY OF FLORIDA
GAINESVILLE, FL
1961-1965 UNITED STATES NAVY
GREAT LAKES/WAUGEGAN, IL
MEMPHIS, TN
PAUTUXENT RIVER, MD
ROOSEVELT ROADS, PUERTO RICO
NORFOLK, VA
1965-1967 INTERSTATE ELECTRONICS
ANAHEIM, CA
NEWPORT NEWS/HAMPTON, VA
GROTON/MYSTIC, CT
1967-1969 INFOTRONICS
HOUSTON/BELLAIRE, TX
NEWARK, DE
ROCKVILLE, MD/WASHINGTON, DC
1969-1969 DELTRONICS
RAMAPO, NY
1969-1970 NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING
NEWPORT NEWS, VA
1969-1970 COULTER ELECTRONICS
HIALEAH, FL
1970-1971 THE EXPRESSWAY (TOURING BAND)
MIAMI, FL
DAYTONA BEACH, FL
NEWBURGH, NY
LAKE GENEVA, WI
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
BOSTON, MA
1971-1972 BAY HILL MOTOR INN
BUZZARDS BAY/CAPE COD, MA
1972-1972 THE GOODTIMERS (COUNTRY BAND)
PANAMA CITY, FL
1972-1974 U-TOTEM CONVIENENCE STORES
HOUSTON, TX
1974-1974 LUMS RESTAURANTS
MIAMI, FL
1974- 1986 ALL-RITE TV REPAIR
CORAL GABLES, FL
MIAMI SPRINGS, FL
1986-1994 PARKER ELECTRONICS
FT LAUDERDALE, FL
1994-1994 SEH ELECTRONICS
N. MIAMI, FL
1994-1995 THORGUARD LIGHTNING DETECTORS
MEDLEY, FL
1995-1996 THE INCREDIBLE UNIVERSE
MIAMI, FL
1996-2002 LIFE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
MIAMI, FL
2002-2008 MEDEQUIP BIOMEDICAL
DORAL, FL
2008 RETIRE TO MURFREESBORO,TENNESSEE
2009 US CENSUS BUREAU (TEMPORARY)
UNDER THE BRIDGES OF M'BORO
SHERWOOD, ARKANSAS
1956-1959 SOUTHWEST MIAMI HIGH SCHOOL
MIAMI, FL
1959-1960 RYAN RADIO & TV
CORAL GABLES, FL
1960-1961 UNVERSITY OF FLORIDA
GAINESVILLE, FL
1961-1965 UNITED STATES NAVY
GREAT LAKES/WAUGEGAN, IL
MEMPHIS, TN
PAUTUXENT RIVER, MD
ROOSEVELT ROADS, PUERTO RICO
NORFOLK, VA
1965-1967 INTERSTATE ELECTRONICS
ANAHEIM, CA
NEWPORT NEWS/HAMPTON, VA
GROTON/MYSTIC, CT
1967-1969 INFOTRONICS
HOUSTON/BELLAIRE, TX
NEWARK, DE
ROCKVILLE, MD/WASHINGTON, DC
1969-1969 DELTRONICS
RAMAPO, NY
1969-1970 NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING
NEWPORT NEWS, VA
1969-1970 COULTER ELECTRONICS
HIALEAH, FL
1970-1971 THE EXPRESSWAY (TOURING BAND)
MIAMI, FL
DAYTONA BEACH, FL
NEWBURGH, NY
LAKE GENEVA, WI
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
BOSTON, MA
1971-1972 BAY HILL MOTOR INN
BUZZARDS BAY/CAPE COD, MA
1972-1972 THE GOODTIMERS (COUNTRY BAND)
PANAMA CITY, FL
1972-1974 U-TOTEM CONVIENENCE STORES
HOUSTON, TX
1974-1974 LUMS RESTAURANTS
MIAMI, FL
1974- 1986 ALL-RITE TV REPAIR
CORAL GABLES, FL
MIAMI SPRINGS, FL
1986-1994 PARKER ELECTRONICS
FT LAUDERDALE, FL
1994-1994 SEH ELECTRONICS
N. MIAMI, FL
1994-1995 THORGUARD LIGHTNING DETECTORS
MEDLEY, FL
1995-1996 THE INCREDIBLE UNIVERSE
MIAMI, FL
1996-2002 LIFE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
MIAMI, FL
2002-2008 MEDEQUIP BIOMEDICAL
DORAL, FL
2008 RETIRE TO MURFREESBORO,TENNESSEE
2009 US CENSUS BUREAU (TEMPORARY)
UNDER THE BRIDGES OF M'BORO
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