A visit to Santa...

We got this video from D, D &Q a couple of weeks ago.  Thought you might like to see it.

 There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. (Erma Bombeck)

Hooah

This was a one-dog night...

Just a note to my friends who are either in North Carolina or Florida, I just want you all to know that we have not had a single day since late in November here on McCartyville Road where the temperature has gotten even UP to freezing (or close to it for that matter). 

So it was not too surprising one night when, just as Pam and I went to bed, our dog (Bailey) -- who normally sleeps down at the foot of the bed -- must have had enough of the cold and decided to head up to the supposedly warmer climes at the head of the bed.  The only trouble was, that's where we were.  Well, it all worked out OK -- my snoring didn't keep her awake, and hers didn't keep Pam or me awake.  Even thou we have a king bed, it was still a bit crowded, and, as you can see from the "morning after" picture, she was quite happy being right there.

Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.
Hooah

Thanksgiving 2010...

This year's Thanksgiving was held at Luke and Linda's house.  Linda is my younger sister (I am one of those terrible middle children).  Her husband Luke had some heart surgery earlier this fall and is now up and around.  He had had a heart problem and surgery a while ago, and had some stents.  He was recovering and played golf quite a bit this year, but must have needed some roto-rooter work. 

Anyway, they hosted the get together and we had quite a group.  My brother, Walt (older) and his wife, Carol, and their two girls (Jessica and Meredith -- both grown and living in the Columbus area) were there, as were Pam and I.  Later that afternoon, Linda's son and his wife and their two children stopped over.  That pretty much put all the remaining members of the family (except for Doug, Danika and Quinn) in one place at one time.  Glad the terrorists didn't decide to nuke the place. Whewwww!!

 

We got to talk about lots of things, watch some football, and just enjoy each others' company.  All of us live in the same state, only about an hour apart, but sometimes it seems like days.  We don't get together often enough -- holidays, an occasional golf date, a medical emergency -- not nearly enough as we are all getting older.  I think this is something I will work on this year...it's now "on the list."

On Thanksgiving Day, all over America, families sit down to dinner at the same moment - halftime. 

Hooah

Christmas Elf in the kitchen...

Every year about this time, Pam and I start making goodies for all the neighbors, and all the people who help us out in various ways throughout the year -- the mail lady, the trash pick-up guy, my barber, Pam's hair dresser, etc.  This year I thought I would take some pictures and let you see the biggest elf you've ever seen making these tasty treats.

We buy long pretzel rods, big blocks of chocolate and as many containers of sprinkles as we can find.  The most difficult part of the preparation is finding the sprinkles.  They are getting harder to find each year.  We may have to find a commercial vendor somewhere, because if we don't get them by Thanksgiving they are all gone from the local stores.

 Another tough part is getting everything else cleaned up so we have the room to spread out all the pretzels while they cool.  We usually make about 360 or so; it takes about 4 hours.  The clean-up is a chore -- we (I) tend to get a few sprinkles on the floor and they get all over the place. 

All in all, it's kinda fun even if it is hard on the back and legs -- all that standing, and is a mess to clean up.  Everyone says they can't wait to get them.  Oh, yeah, not all of the pretzels are in good condition in the plastic barrels.  Some of them are broken, and we've learned to take these small pieces and do them anyway -- they look like little "turkey legs" or "boneless buffalo wings."  We fill a barrel with them and sit them on the counter for snacking.

Wouldn't it be neat if we could also put the Christmas "spirit" in jars only not open them all right now...but open a new jar each month.

Hooah

A Norman Rockwell kind of scene...

Just outside Troy, Ohio, on Route 25-A, there is an old covered wooden bridge.  It crosses the Miami River and has been there for quite a while, thru storms, floods, and even time.  It is not the main crossing there as the county built a by-pass so the main road and traffic would not destroy the bridge.

I have driven over it a number of times, usually during the winter because it's kind of cool driving up into it, and as you are going thru you can look out thru the windows over the river.  Then you go out the other end and back into the snow which is usually drifted up in front of the drive and you have to put the truck in 4-wheel drive so you don't get hung up.

I remember one winter evening in particular when Pam, Doug and I went driving in a pretty good snow storm and came to the bridge.  I just had to go through it.  The one end was pretty clear, so in we went.  Then as we were just about to get to the other end, I noticed the snow was drifted up to about two feet or so.  I was in the Blazer, so "Huuuugggghhhhh (I think that is how Tim the Tool Man does it) -- bring it on.  The only thing I didn't know was that the 2 foot drift was about 2 - 3 feet for the next couple hundred yards.  Oh, well, just keep driving.  Sure would have been a long walk, but I'm not going to back out the way I came in!!  So when I hit the drift and kept going, the front of the truck actually lifted off the ground for a bit.  I was much younger then.

One other thing that is cool about that area is the river itself.  It is pretty shallow, and the bottom is rocky and the current is pretty good -- great for fly fishing.  I have been there a couple of times -- haven't caught much, but it was pretty cool working that fly rod, wading up and down the river.

The historic marker tells the story of the bridge and if you like history, it's pretty interesting. You can click on the picture and it will open in a larger frame, which will make it easier to read.  Also, note that the bridge is named for the feed/grain elevator in the background -- the Eldean Elevator.

To sit and poke at a wood fire on a cold winter night, or watch  geese fly over a snow covered field is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the world.

Hooah

Cool rainbow...

For the period from August thru November, we received very little rain here.  There was some, just enough to get the crops finished up, and enough to keep the grass growing, but not enough to keep the pond full-up.  We had enough to have fun while Hank, Doy, Mike, Janet, Sarah and Ben were here, and when Doug, Danika, and Quinn were here in October.  I'll have a blog about their visit later.

Anyway, we had a REAL BIG rain storm in November, and the pond filled up with only one day's rain.  I think the way the pond is graded and the way the surrounding land is graded, and the way the drain is set helps the water levels stay pretty consistent.  We usually don't have any problems with pond scum either.  I treated it with copper sulfate the first two years ('96 and '97) and haven't had to do anything with it since.  'Course, the two BIG white emurs have something to do with it too.  The fish population consists of bass, crappies, bluegills, and catfish. We also have frogs, especially in the spring.  That's unusual because there are lots of ponds that don't have frogs.  The science teacher told me it was because of the amount of chemicals being used in fields and the run-off.  That was the problem for Grand Lake St. Mary's. 

Well, back to the rainbow -- the rain just stopped and the sun came out, bringing this very colorful rainbow which appeared to land IN THE POND!!!  I couldn't get a picture of the pond end (couldn't find the camera), but I did get the other end.  I didn't see a pot of gold lying around anywhere, but then maybe the pond itself is the pot of gold.  Hmmmmmmmmm.

A rainbow! A rainbow!  The smile of God is here.

Hooah

Beautiful Fall day in Athens...

Last Saturday (actually this was in October, but it's been in "draft" mode for a while), Pam and I made our annual drive through the hills of Southeast Ohio enroute to the Homecoming football game at Ohio University. It was a beautiful day, with multi-colored trees showing off mother nature's fall finest.

That is such a nice drive, especially since they have the Lancaster by-pass done. The road travels through some of the finest non-East Coast fall scenery there is in this part of the country. If you have ever been there, you know there is only one part yet to be done -- the Nelsonville by-pass. But there is hope -- it looks like they have made progress on that section and maybe in a few years it, too, will be completed. I only hope I still have my driving license and am still young enough to go and see it.

Anyway, it was a beautiful afternoon. The Bobcats took care of business by taking the University of Akron out behind the woodshed for a whoopin'. One of the other reasons we really like going back to Athens is to see the band -- especially when the alumni band is there. There are probably 260-275 band members there, including recent grads and some who have been coming back since the 1960s. Their sound really blasts off the hills in that natural valley and it brings back some really great memories.

I took a clip of the Band playing after the game, but I think it is too big to load because it won't come up.  Maybe if I figure it out, I'll add it later or make a link to it.

Of course, after the post-game show was over, there was the mandatory hike uptown to the college bookstore to look at shirts and hats and such. I think it's in the alumni by-laws somewhere that you have to do this, especially if you have a two-year-old grandson!!! Can't wait to send him some new OU stuff.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. (Albert Camus)

HOOAH

"Southenders" take on all comers...

Earlier this fall, the men of the neighborhoods took stock of their manhood, kissed the women and children good-bye and set off to do battle on the fields of Shelby Oaks, risking life and limb in order to defend the honor of their part of the "Hood."  That's right -- it was the "Southenders vs. the Northenders vs. the Village People I and II, vs. the Feather Folks I, II, and III vs. the Eastsiders" in a no-holds barred shoot-out for annual domination of the golfing world known as McCartyville.

This was the 3rd such outing and it has grown from 4 teams to 8.  We hold it in the end of the season (usually in October) so everyone has had plenty of time to practice and get his game in shape.  It's also nice that we have the course pretty much to ourselves, because it's sometimes hard to tell which hole a group might be on at any one time.  This is a 4-man scramble with modified rules in terms of who can hit when and how many times each player must play a shot.  Actually, there are some pretty good golfers in these groups, but there are some really bad ones too.  The rule modifications sort of even everything out and the scores are fairly close.

The Southenders won the first year, and came in second last year.  We thought this would be our year again, as all of us were playing well (individually) throughout the summer.  However, that doesn't always follow logic when you play a scramble (with modified rules).  Anyway, after the first nine, our team was 6 under and we had trouble getting in the clubhouse to get a drink at the turn (heads were a little too big to get through the door).  The backside proceeded to just kill us.  We couldn't make a birdie until the last hole.  Put that with the bogie we had and we went even on the last nine holes.  Oh, well, they always say first in and under par usually wins.  Not this time...in fact, we almost won the trophy (worst team takes home the "trophy" for the year) and ended up next to last.  The shame of it all!!!

Well, in spite of that, everyone had a good time and said they would be back next year and would kick butt.  Oh, by the way, one of the Whitefeather groups won and the Village People took home the hardware.

Arnold Palmer once said most amateur golfers could cut eight strokes off their score - skip one of the par 3s.  We might take that advice next year if it's close.

Hooah

I know it's now close to Christmas...

There are still 10 days left to Christmas, but one of the signs that it is close happened today.  It wasn't anyone coming around to sing Christmas songs, and there isn't anything under our tree.  Nope -- it was the return of the owls.

I happened to be sitting on the couch with Bailey and something caught my eye.  I looked out back and saw some birds flying around and then one of the owls landed on the big tombstone in the cemetery.  Then I noticed more of them, flying and landing in the corn field, stalking out their territory, hoping to see a field mouse or small rabbit.  There was also one in the big fir tree.  In all, there were 8 of them.

I have made note of this "annual" arrival in this blog before, and it has been about this time of year.  I called over to the neighbor's house and told them about the birds because they had told me they missed them last year.  I bet there are lots of people who have never seen owls in the wild, seeing how they hunt and work a corn field.  It's just getting dark now, and they have things pretty much under control

This is another reason why I like living out here.  I don't know where the birds are all the rest of the year, but it's cool that the "Christmas Owls" come back each year about this time. It takes me back to my childhood in Zanesville where we lived in a huge woods, trees all around.  It was Christmas Eve and a rather large white owl landed on a branch just outside our bedroom window and hooted for quite a while. I'm not sure if there is some ancient Indian story or message in all of this, but I was pretty cool -- then and now.

The question is not what you look at, but what you see . (Henry David Thoreau) 

Hooah

Fall Golf Outing at WPAFB...

 I really enjoy playing golf and will play just about any time of year.  But there is something about golf in the fall that is just so relaxing.  Maybe its nature's way of telling you to chill out -- summer is over, heat's off and you don't have to get so fired up about it.  Playing with three other retirees may also be Mother Nature's way of letting you know that it's time to chill and just enjoy the fact that you all can still play (some) and still see the beauty all around you. 

You've met Dave (Barney), Dave (a.k.a. Santa), and Bob ("TOP") before in some of the other entries in this blog.  Playing with these three is also a challenge in that they are all lefties.  One of the guys standing around the first tee when we played the second day asked me if it was tough playing with 3 lefties.  I told him "no, as long as my therapist can take me when we're done."

Actually, we had a lot of fun and it was a pretty even two days.  "TOP" and "Santa" beat us by 5 the first day, but Barney and I won by 5 the second.  So we kissed our respective sisters, raised a cold mug and said, "wait till next year."

Barney and Santa went with Chuck and me last year to the Carolinas, and will probably do so again this spring.  If you saw our respective games, you would probably wonder why we spend money going South to play golf.    But then, if you had seen our games, you would know why.  Besides, we have all reached the age now when we don't really care about the score (well almost everyone -- Chuck still does) and care more about just being able to go, walk/drive around a beautiful golf course, enjoy God's creation, get away from the snow and tell old stories -- yeah, the same ones we've all heard many, many times before.  We go over them before we forget ... so we won't forget.

In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are golf courses and old friends waiting to play.

Hooah

Something new at the Sidney Air Fair...

Although I can say I have already checked off riding in a hot air balloon (Pam and I did that for an anniversary present one year), I have never been part of a balloon crew before -- at least not until this past weekend. Now, I can officially cross that off my bucket list. It was pretty cool.

The weekend started off Friday night when we got to take a ride. I have to say, it was pretty smooth and very scenic. Our pilot, Rubin, said that he could have a new pilot ready to be tested in 10 hours of flying instruction. It takes a minimum of 40 hours of instruction in a fixed wing plane just to get signed off to take your solo test and then get your check ride. They still have to do pretty much the same safety stuff we do in terms of 100-hour inspections and annuals, etc.

After we returned to the airport, we set the balloons up again and they had what they call a "glow." Those are really cool -- these huge things all aglow with the propane burners shooting out flames and roaring away. Unfortunately my little camera isn't up to the task of capturing this very well for you.

But having seen a number of these, I can see why the old farmers in the earliest days of hot air flight thought they were horrible demonic things with devils flying them. In those days the farmers used to come out after the crew with pitchforks when they would land. Thankfully now they only come out in their tractor or golf cart with the wife and kids to see this way cool site.

As we were floating over near the interstate highway, we got close enough to the "Lost Corn Maze" to see what their design was this year. Ironically enough, it was a hot air balloon. Who would have thought.

My niece, Meredith, is a hot air balloon pilot and she had her "envelope" (that's the fancy name those pilots call their balloon.) there, but hers is a small one so she was only able to take her mom on the Friday night flight. But that's a good thing, cause her mom has never been flying with her in all the years Meredith has been doing this. Good for you, Carol.

As we were floating along, seeming to stand completely still while the earth moved below us, I remembered an old aviation joke which I just now converted to hot air ballooning.

A man flying in a hot air balloon suddenly realizes he’s lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts to get directions, “Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?”

The man below says: “Yes, you’re in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this field.”

“You must work in Information Technology,” says the balloonist.

“I do” replies the man. “How did you know?”

“Well,” says the balloonist, “everything you have told me is technically correct, but It’s of no use to anyone.” The man below replies, “You must work in management.”

“I do” replies the balloonist, “But how’d you know?”

“Well”, says the man, “you don’t know where you are, or where you’re going, you expect me to be able to help. You’re in the same position you were before we met, but now it’s my fault.”

Hooah

HAMming it up at the State Park...

A relatively new contest for HAM radio clubs is the "Ohio State Parks on the Air." It is a contest of sorts where the amateur radio clubs throughout the state set up operations for a 12-hour period at one of the state parks in Ohio and operate their equipment. Although contacts are not limited to just operators in these parks and are likely to come from HAMs throughout the country, the objective is to make a contact with someone in each of the parks. This is sometimes more difficult than it sounds because the locations from which the HAMs have to operate in these parks are often down in valleys, or in areas where radio wave propagation might be hampered by forests, hills, etc.

In our case, the Shelby County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (S.C.A.R.E.S.) has some pretty nice equipment and the park where we set up operations (Lake Loramie, Ft. Loramie, OH) is a very nice and really pretty flat. Everyone has a heck of a time with cell phones over there, but it works out well for us. This picture shows one of the two mobile units we have. This unit also serves as a Shelby County EMA mobile command post in the event of a disaster which affects wide-scale communications.

The contest is actually a pretty cool way for us to talk with other HAMs in Ohio. A side benefit is that we usually draw a lot of curious on-lookers. These mobile communications sites are pretty impressive looking, and whenever people come wandering by to check us out, we give them a tour of the facility and explain our mission and how we support Shelby County. The units are capable of operating as stand-alone sites with the ability to communicate locally, long distances, around the world and via satellite.

Anyway, on the contest day, we were able to make contacts with 10 parks. After having said all that about our capabilities, you might think that this is a small number, and it probably is. The fly in the ointment was that it rained most of the day, and a lot of the HAMs didn't want to run antennas outdoors and get soaked, so some of them were operating on very low power with low range on their antennas. The weather also affected us in that we closed up operations at 3:00 p.m. I think the Ohio State Game had an impact on the willingness of a lot of the guys at various sites to tough it out the rest of the day.

Anyway, it was fun, and I got the chance to work the 80-meter band some. My antenna at home isn't set up for that band. I also cooked the hot dogs and brats on the grill that we ate for lunch. No sense in wasting a day at the park. While I was cooking, Grant (N8KZL) and Joe (KC6NLX) took a turn at calling and logging.

S.C.A.R.E.S. is a pretty active club in terms of Amateur Radio services. The very next day, we worked with the Sidney/Shelby County Applefest Parade committee and made sure all units in the parade were present and in place prior to the start of the show. There were probably a dozen members there who were able to maintain communications with the command unit and the parade officials.

For a retired guy, this is a pretty cool hobby. I sometimes sit up in my "shack" and just spin the tuner dial, day or night, wondering where in the world I'll end up. It's kinda like that Forrest Gump line -- it's kinda like a box of chocolates -- you never know what you're going to get.

Some experiences weave burlap into the fabric of our lives, and some weave gold thread; but both contribute to make the whole picture beautiful and unique.

Hooah

Healing Fields Talk from 9/2/10...

Last week, I was asked to be the Keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of the Healing Fields. I know this might be a bit long in blog format, but I hope you'll read it and think about someone who is a Veteran who is a hero to you. Try to capture the reasons why this person might be a hero to you and then, tell him or her.

Also, don't be afraid to show your pride in being a veteran. I suggest some easy ways to do just that in this talk. Enjoy.

*********************************************************************

YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS ORIGINALLY ASKED TO BE HERE FOR THIS OPENING CEREMONY, I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS GOING TO BE INTRODUCED BY JIM HALL, WHOM I HAVE COME TO KNOW THRU THE WWII/KOREAN WAR VETS TO DC WORK WE DO. HE’S ON THAT COMMITTEE WITH ME AND ON OUR LAST TRIP, JIM WAS DOING THE MAIL CALL. WELL AFTERWARDS, WHILE HE HAD THE MICROPHONE, HE MENTIONED TO THE VETS THAT I WAS AN “FBC.” AFTER HE SAID THAT, HE LOOKED AT ME WITH THAT BIG, INFECTIOUS GRIN HE ALWAYS HAS AND NOTICED A STRANGE LOOK ON MY FACE AND HE WAS PUZZLED. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAVE BEEN IN THE ARMY FOR A LONG TIME AND GENERALLY SPEAKING, ANYTIME SOMEONE REFERS TO AN OFFICER WITH AN ACRONYM CONTAINING AN “F” IN IT, THAT USUALLY ISN’T SOMETHING GOOD. ALL OF YOU VETS KNOW ABOUT A “FUBAR” OR A “FNG.”

SO RICH ….. THANKS FOR BEING SO KIND IN YOUR REMARKS.

SO HERE WE ARE, THIS EVENING, KICKING OFF A TRIBUTE TO AMERICANS WHO HAVE SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN SOME CAPACITY OR ANOTHER DURING THEIR LIFE. THESE NEXT 10 DAYS ARE MEANT TO BE A TIME OF HEALING, RECOGNIZING HEROES, AND GIVING THANKS. I KNOW THIS IS A MULTI-FACETED CELEBRATION, BUT MY PERSPECTIVE IS FROM A MILITARY POINT OF VIEW.

I KNOW WE CERTAINLY HAVE MANY, MANY THINGS FOR WHICH TO BE THANKFUL, ONE OF WHICH IS THAT GOD CREATED US TO SEE THINGS IN COLOR SO WE CAN LOOK AROUND AND SEE THE BRILLIANCE OF THIS FIELD OF HONOR …. THE BEAUTY OF HIS CREATION HIGHLIGHTED AGAINST THE STRIKING CONTRAST OF THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE.

I AM CURIOUS. HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN THE HBO SERIES, “BAND OF BROTHERS.” IF YOU DID, YOU MAY REMEMBER ONE OF THE CLOSING SCENES WHERE DICK WINTERS WAS RECALLING SOME OF HIS MEMORIES AND HE SAID HIS GRANDSON ONCE ASKED HIM IF HE WAS A HERO. HE SAID, “NO, BUT HE SERVED IN THE COMPANY OF HEROES.”

WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE A COMPANY OF HEROES LOOKS LIKE? I SUSPECT THAT IT ISN’T MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THE COLLECTION OF VETERANS I SEE BEFORE ME.

SOMETHING I HAVE LEARNED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS WORKING WITH VETS FROM WWII AND KOREA AS WE TAKE THEM TO WASHINGTON TO SEE THEIR MEMORIALS … THEY TOO NEVER REFER TO THEMSELVES AS HEROES … MOST OF THE TIME, ACCORDING TO THEM, THEY WERE JUST DOING THEIR JOB, OR THEY WERE JUST THERE. IN FACT, THEY’RE OFTEN A BIT EMBARRASSED TO HEAR THIS KIND OF TALK. THEY NEVER CALL ATTENTION TO THEMSELVES AND DON’T ASK FOR A LOT FROM OTHER PEOPLE, EXCEPT MAYBE FOR SOME RESPECT, AND SOMEONE TO LISTEN TO THEM ONCE IN A WHILE.

I THINK THE REASON THESE GUYS AND GALS OFTEN FEEL THIS WAY IS BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN HEROIC DEEDS AND HEROES.

· HEROIC DEEDS ARE THE THINGS LEGENDS ARE MADE OF …

HEROES ARE THINGS STRONG FAMILIES AND SOLID COMMUNITIES ARE MADE OF.

· HEROIC DEEDS ARE RECOGNIZED WITH RIBBONS AND MEDALS…

HEROES ARE RECOGNIZED BY SONS AND GRANDSONS … BY DAUGHTERS AND

GRANDDAUGHTERS..

YOU KNOW, YOU SURE DO GET SOME GOOD INSIGHTS INTO THE PAST WHEN YOU TALK TO THE VETS ON THESE TRIPS. ONE OF THE KOREAN WAR VETS ON ONE OF OUR RECENT TRIPS TOLD ME THAT HE WENT OFF TO KOREA AND FOUGHT THERE FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS. HE CAME HOME AND GOT OUT-PROCESSED ON A WEDNESDAY AND WENT BACK TO WORK THE FOLLOWING WEEK. WHEN HE WENT THAT FIRST DAY, HIS FRIENDS AND CO-WORKERS SAID THEY HADN’T SEEN HIM FOR A WHILE AND WONDERED WHERE HE’D BEEN AND WHAT HE HAD BEEN UP TO. APPARENTLY THEY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HE HAD BEEN GONE OR THAT HE HAD BEEN IN A WAR FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS. THIS MAN TOLD ME HE THEN PROCEEDED TO WORK FOR THAT COMPANY FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS AND THEN RETIRED. HE THEN SAID TO ME: “PRETTY BORING STUFF, HUH.”

I SUSPECT HIS STORY IS TYPICAL OF A LOT OF VETERANS, FROM WWII TO TODAY. IT’S PROBABLY TYPICAL OF A LOT OF YOU IN THIS AUDIENCE TONIGHT.

HAVING SAID THAT, THOUGH, I THINK IT’S TIME THAT THE SENSE OF PATRIOTISM AND HONOR YOU MIGHT FEEL OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS IS TAKEN FROM THIS FIELD OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. I THINK PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE PRIDE YOU HAVE FOR HAVING SERVED … THE PRIDE YOU FEEL FOR BEING A PART OF THAT COMPANY OF HEROES. THE QUESTION IS THOUGH – WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS.

WELL, A LITTLE OVER THREE YEARS AGO, THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PUT OUT A DIRECTIVE THAT WAS SIGNED BY THE PRESIDENT THAT AUTHORIZED AND HIGHLY ENCOURAGED ALL VETERANS TO RECOGNIZE THE FLAG BY RENDERING A HAND SALUTE DURING THE PLAYING OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, OR WHENEVER SUCH ACTION IS APPROPRIATE -- SUCH AS WHEN A FLAG PASSES IN A PARADE.

THE DIRECTIVE ALSO PROVIDES FOR SALUTING DURING TAPS, REVEILLE, AND RETREAT. I THINK THE PEOPLE OF OUR COMMUNITIES WANT TO SEE IT AND NEED TO SEE US SHOWING OUR PRIDE AND OUR PATRIOTISM, ---

AND A VERY SIMPLE WAY TO START IS BY STANDING THIS FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE THE GAME WHEN THE BAND PLAYS THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AND SALUTING THE FLAG. NOT A HAND OVER YOUR HEART – A SALUTE YOUR DRILL SERGEANT WOULD BE PROUD OF.

NO ONE IS GOING TO CALL YOU TO ATTENTION AND GIVE YOU AN ORDER --– YOU’LL HAVE TO DO IT ON YOUR OWN.

IF YOU DON’T --- IF YOU JUST STAND THERE AND DON’T DO IT-- -- WELL ----- YOU JUST DON’T , AND NO ONE WILL KNOW ANY DIFFERENT. THEY WON’T KNOW YOU WERE A VET.

BUT IF YOU DO -----------YOU’LL STAND OUT --- YOU’LL BE DIFFERENT FROM MOST OF THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU --- AT LEAST AT FIRST. UNTIL THE REST OF YOUR BROTHERS RECOGNIZE WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND JOIN YOU IN DOING WHAT HEROES HAVE ALWAYS DONE.

IT MAY NOT CATCH ON AT FIRST, AND YOU MIGHT FEEL A BIT AWKWARD OR EVEN EMBARRASSED – KINDA LIKE THOSE WWII AND KOREAN WAR VETS FEEL WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THEM AS BEING HEROES. BUT EVENTUALLY PEOPLE WILL TAKE NOTICE AND EVENTUALLY THEY’LL GET IT.

WELL IT HAS INDEED BEEN AN HONOR TO HAVE STOOD WITH YOU IN THE COMPANY OF HEROES TONIGHT. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CELEBRATION OF PATRIOTISM OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS …… AND I HOPE YOU REMEMBER THE TWO TAKE-AWAYS FROM TONIGHT’S TALK:

1. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A PERSON WHO HAS DONE HEROIC DEEDS TO BE A HERO --- TO SOMEONE, AND

2. YOUR COUNTRY HUNGERS FOR YOU TO SHOW YOUR PRIDE AND PATRIOTISM AND TAKE YOUR PLACE IN THE COMPANY OF HEROES.

AND REMEMBER …… TO THOSE WHO COUNT ………… YOU WILL BE RECOGNIZED AS A HERO BY YOUR SERVICE AND YOUR LIFE, NEITHER OF WHICH HAS TO BE HEROIC.

HOOAH

Field of Flags...

This past 10 days has been pretty special for a lot of veterans in the Shelby County area. The Shelby County Historical Society teamed up with some veterans organizations and put on a "Healing Fields" display. The common name for it is the Field of Flags, but it also included displays at the Historical Society which featured artifacts and displays from local Viet Nam War veterans, one of the traveling Viet Nam Wall displays, several memorial displays which included the names of service members killed in the various conflicts and wars since September 11.


The public was treated to a fantastic show on the opening day as somewhere between 2,500 and 4,000 motorcycles escorted the "Wall" from the town of Wapakoneta to Sidney, a distance of about 30 miles. It was reported that the semi containing the "Wall" and the first motorcycles were in Sidney and there were still motorcycles waiting to leave at Wapak. The bikers rode two abreast -- what a sight...what a sound. Naturally, people lined the route and waived their flags.


Historical Society members sold American Flags to the public who could purchase one to commemorate the life of a loved one in the service, present or past. The intent was also to honor firemen, EMTs, policemen, and any other kind of first responder who might have been killed in the line of duty. Their original intent was to just break even at around 600 flags. However, they did real well and sold right around 1,200 of those Star Spangled Banners. It was a pretty inspiring and humbling sight.

Pam and I purchased a flag in memory of my dad, a Tech Sergeant in the Army (Artillery) during the Second World War. He and I talked some about his experiences in the War but I wish I had learned more from him. He had some pretty interesting stories about his unit's participation in the Normandy Invasion and how his battery supported the landings from on board a ship.

We also purchased a flag in memory of a friend, SPC Damon Winkleman, a medic who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. SPC Winkleman's dad and I served together off and on for about 20 years. He is one of the best friends I have. He too has spent a LONG time in the Army, and will soon retire.

The concept of a healing field is pretty special, especially in Shelby County. This area is so supportive of our Veterans. I hope these feelings are not lost in the future, because I don't think this will be the last call for our soldiers.

They (the veterans) changed the world ... They made the world a better place today. ... Make sure to tell others who they were. (Anon)

Hooah

HAMming it up at 6,500 ft......

Two weeks ago there was a nation-wide event called "Field Day" which is an event that tests the operating skills and emergency preparedness of amateur radio ("HAMs") operators to perform their skill in a sustained emergency network. Field Day is run like a contest in which operators try to make as many contacts around the country and overseas as possible in a 24-hour period. Various categories are established and different operating environments are encouraged by which the HAM uses emergency power, generators, homemade antennas, and various other kinds of equipment in order to test the maintenance of communications networks in emergencies. Cell phones, land lines, twitter nets, computers and internet can and will fail, hopefully not all at the same time, so the challenge is still there to at least maintain emergency comms through HAM radio operators.

This Field Day was a bit different for a couple of us. My friend, Eric, and I thought it would be fun to try to hook up something totally different this time and see if we could push the envelope a bit. Eric owns a small aircraft and had been toying with the idea of doing something where we could create an air mobile platform and do our emergency HAMming from 6,500 feet. Of course all Eric has do do is mention flying and I'm in, so we talked about the possibilities and "theory" and he came up with a rig that would work. The antenna was going to be the tricky part along with the step-down transformer that would allow us to power up the HF rig (12 volts) from the plane's power system (28 volts). Eventually we/he got everything worked out, got the antenna worked out, and off we went. If you click on the picture of us in front of the plane, you can see the antenna wires which ran from the back of the plane to the tie-down hook on the strut.

We were able to talk to people on both coasts and pretty much everywhere in between. Once he started making contacts and using our identifier as "air mobile" there were lots of people trying to contact us. In fact, we got jammed up a lot of the time because everyone was stepping all over each other trying to get to us.

We made one contact with the Amateur Radio World HQ (ARRL/W1AW) in Newington, CT. and they talked to us for a while. In the background of their station, we could hear one of their guys saying "Air mobile.......How do we log that one in?" Eric said you are the headquarters guys, you figure it out.

We had another HAM, Joe, with us to help with the logging. Eric ran the radio and I flew the plane. What a great way to spend a summer afternoon.

Try not. Do or do not, there is no try. (Yoda)

Hooah

What a bunch of firsts...

Over the Fourth of July, we had a really neat bunch of relatives here from Georgia. Hank, Doy (Pam's sister) and their son Mike and his family (Janet, Sarah and Ben) all flew up from the sweltering heat of Georgia to be here and what a surprise -- the weather for the first half of the visit was absolutely beautiful. Most of the time the temperature was in the mid-70s with very low humidity and just a little breeze. We were all pleasantly surprised.

With that kind of start, we were able to get outdoors most of the time and do lots of things...most of which were firsts for at least one of the members of the group.

It began with some fishing at the pond. Ben was quite the fisherman, and got into a bunch of bluegills and got to pulling them out one right after the other. He had 10 pretty good ones in no time at all. He also caught one of the mid-size bass (a first for him). Doy and Sarah got to fishing and I found out that that was the first time Doy had either fished or caught a fish -- I can't remember which she said. It all happened so fast, and......the fish was only about 4" long!! Sorry, Doy. Sarah also got a fish or two but did more feeding of the bluegills than catching them. On that same day, Chuck, Alanna and Karen also tried their hand at it. Alanna has a little child's pole and we were all wondering what would happen if she got into one of the big catfish. But that didn't happen as she tired of fishing in a very short time and turned her pole over to Grandpa for safekeeping. And wouldn't you know it -- just after she gave it to Chuck, one of the bass took her worm and Chuck hooked it. He reeled it in and all the while Alanna jumped up and down saying, "I caught a fish, I caught a fish."

Later that evening we all sat around the fire ring, watching the stars and telling stories. I really enjoy those times.

We were also able to go to Chuck's and watch the fireworks that the City of Lima puts on each year. They do a pretty nice job.

One of the other firsts was taking the kids for boat rides. The women went shopping one day, and we all went over to Lake Loramie for a short ride on Miss Pam. Since I forgot to check the gas tank before we left, we only had enough for about an hour's ride, but that was plenty. I know that was Ben's first ride in our boat. Later in the week, we also took canoe rides on our pond. I think almost everyone who took a ride said this was their first or second time doing that. It's not a big pond, but it was fun.

Before they all left, Pam brought out all of her dummies and everyone sat around just having fun trying to be a ventriloquist. When you see this picture, try to avoid asking the obvious question.

I put most of the pictures on my Picasa site, so if you know where that is, check them out.

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts.

Hooah

Follow-up on our last golf outing to NC...

While going thru some pictures last night and came across these. I had almost forgotten this part of our "Man Trip" to play golf in North Carolina this past spring.

As we did on our first trip there, we stopped on the way home to see Mayberry (Mt. Pilot, NC). It was another disappointment -- no Sheriff Taylor, no Barney, no Opie or Aunt Bea. We did, however, stop at the jail again and spent some time there...the tourist jail, not the real one. The old Sergeant Major (shown on the right) was the one in our group who may have had more of a chance to be in here than any of us as we were growing up. Dave liked fast cars back then! Chuck (left) is pretty much at home behind these bars too, but that's because he knows every line, scene, character that ever appeared on Mayberry.

Goober's gas station was closed. S'posed to open at 9:00 and it was 9:15. I guess that's how it was back then. Anyhow, it was raining and the gal who was to work that morning was just running late.

We hit the shops up town to find that perfect T-shirt to take home, and then went to the movie house (the old school house where Andy Griffith went to school when he was growing up there). There were some pretty cool statues out front, so we got our picture taken by some young couple who stopped by there, probably looking for the Sheriff or Opie too. From the way the young gal went on when she was taking our picture, she nay have thought maybe we were some of the characters from the original shows. I guess if you look closely, you can see some likenesses!

The "Good Old Days" aren't times marked precisely by a calendar, rather they are a state of mind fringed by the fog of passing time.

Hooah

The second most spectacular flight I have made...

During our June pilot's club meeting, the club decided to have a fly-out for the evening. It's been a while since I have been able to go to a meeting -- just about 6 years. Army kinda got in the way for all that time, so I was really looking forward to getting back with these guys. Most pilots I know are some really super guys, and we have some good times flying, talking about flying, and doing flying-related things, like Young Eagles, poker runs, etc.

This fly-out was to a small grass strip in the vicinity of Marysville, Ohio. We go over there every once in a while and the owner of the field has a hamburger and hot dog cook-out. The members bring a covered dish and it is really fun to just go over there, eat and sit around and just talk flying stories...most old, and some even real.

During this outing, the owner's son brought out a Stearman they own. What a beautiful biplane it is. Blue body with yellow wings, and a real nice black leather interior. I was once supposed to take a ride in one of these at the Troy WACO Field. My wife bought it for me as a present, but my first deployment to Iraq got in the way and when I got back from there, I found out that the guy who had the plane had gone out of business. I never got that ride, and I joked about it with the guy who owned this Stearman (shown below). He then asked me if I wanted to take a ride to make up for that one...I don't think a fly could blink faster than I answered yes. So off we went.
It was pretty cool. I even got to (had to) wear a little leather helmet with goggles and a built-in headset -- just like the Red Barron. We went rolling down the runway and had just cleared the wheels when he asked me if I wanted to fly it. That didn't take much convincing either. What a beautiful flight -- clear, blue skies at about 7:00 at night, no wind and me at the control of the stick. It doesn't get much better than that.

I might have flown a plane this way in an earlier life. No instrument panel, just a few dials, a stick and a rudder. This was as close as I might ever come to actually flying like a bird.

Maybe some day Quinn and I will get to go up together!!

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. (Leonardo Da Vinci)

Hooah