The Navy has never been the same...

44 years ago today I joined the Navy. Yes, the United States Navy. I left Louisville Standiford Field with 4 or 5 other boys from Kentucky and we landed at O'Hara Airport in Chicago with heavy snow already on the ground and 19 below zero temperature. I was 18 years old and had never been away from home other than several overnight BoyScout trips.
That night I slept in a huge drill hall with several hundred other young men who had arrived to start their training. I laid there in my bunk wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. Over the next several months they trained us to be sailors. We learned how to tie knots, abandon a sinking ship, recognize the ranks of officers in all branches of service, march, shoot, use all types communication devices, keep ourselves and our belongings clean. But most of all, we learned to wait. Wait in line for chow, shots, clothes,tear gas chamber initiation, classrooms,inspections and everything else we did. And we waited, usually, outside in below zero temperatures. We washed our clothes every night using a bucket, brush, and bar of soap. It was a three step process. Hang your clothes up outside that you just washed. Bring the clothes that were hanging outside (they were frozen and stiff as a board) inside to the drying room. Take the clothes out of the drying room to your locker and fold them and put them away.
We had an inspection every morning. The would inspect our barracks; bunks, lockers, floors, etc. They not only had to be clean, but in perfect order. All bunks, made up and lined up in order. Then we had personnel inspection. You had to stand with your white hat turned inside-out on top your rifle barrel, as you stood at attention, holding your rifle with one hand, and the other had up with your thumb holding out the top of your tee-shirt so they could see that it was clean. Inspection was held first thing in the morning in the drill hall. After inspection, we would drill (practice marching) for about an hour, then we would have classes the rest of the day.
I could keep writing about all the other things we did, but I guess this is enough. They did accomplish making Sailors out of most of us. Well, anyway, every January 26th I think about what I was doing in 1965!

More Bad Golf-Round 2 fo 2009

We played Shawnee G.C. again today. I shot an 85 to J. R.'s 95. I said I need to beat him by ten strokes to be satisfied. I'm satisfied. This time of year it just feels good to be able to get out any day and hit a golf ball. We had a sunny day with a high of around 50 degrees. Perfect day for golf in the middle of January.
Several shots I hit today were terrible. But, overall, I'm happy with the way I'm hitting the ball for this time of year. I can tell that I'm starting to get a feel for the new irons and hitting more good shot with them. Usually during the winter, I feel like my drives go nowhere, but I seem to be hitting them pretty good right now. So....I'll keep improving with the new clubs then when Spring is here, look out all you guys who've been taking my money.........it's payback time!

Stretching Birthday Season

I invented Birthday Season. So, I can start it whenever I like. It is now officially my Birthday Season! The reason I'm talking about birthdays is because I've given a lot of thought to what I want for my birthday. Believe me, a lot of thought, plus physical tryouts.
I'd like to have a metal detector like Mark and Brians'. I wasn't sure I could get up and down well enough to use it, but, like I said, I've had my tryouts. Anyway, for all those who wonder what to get me, you can help Mary Lynn pay for the thing, or get me the items you know I'll need to go with. Seriously, I've given it a lot of thought!

Useless product or not?

Sometimes I see a product advertised on TV that I wonder if it's really necessary. I've never used it, so I don't know. I've seen Williams Lectric Shave advertised for years. You use it with an electric razor to make your beard stand up to get a clean, close shave. Are there that many people out ther who's beard lays down where that ol' lectric razor just won't get it? I've used an electric razor a bunch of times and have never had a problem with my beard laying down on me.

Coca-Cola Reunion Luncheon

I attended a Luncheon today at Cunningham's on 4 th street with a lot of the people I used to work with at Coca-Cola. I worked at Coca-Cola for over 26 years. It's been 15-20 years since I'd seen some of these people. It was a lot of fun talking with them and reminiscing about old times and many of the people we worked with who couldn't make it today. The people in attendance other than me: Donnie Middleton, Suellen Felton, Ricky Coleman, Buz Frank, Bobby Weihe, Wayne Snyder, Tommy Miller, Mike Drury, Ray Johnson, J. R. Harris, Bill Jones, Earl Berry, Michael Jackson, Charlie Wilson, and Gary (don't remember his last name.He worked there after I left.)

Those Circus People.....

The Barnum and Bailey Circus was in town this weekend. When they come to town, Mary Lynn and I usually have some of the performers stay with us to help lower their overhead. This year we had the Bearded Ladies stay with us.

Mistletoe

Today Mary Lynn and I went to Erin and Jill's Music Class at a Church in Anchorage. Just behind the parking lot was a tree full of mistletoe. It had more mistletoe in it than any tree I've ever seen. Each batch of growth you see in this tree is mistletoe, it was completely bare of leaves. I've also noticed over the years there is a lot of mistletoe in the trees along I-64 near Seneca Golf Course, and on Newburg Road and Trevillian Way. I haven't really noticed it in very many other places.

First Round of Golf for the Year

J. R. called me this morning and suggested we play Shawnee G.C. today. The rain was looking like it would hold off for awhile, so I thought, what the heck.
I played fairly well. Shot an 89. Didn't putt well at all, but I think my game is coming back around. If I'd have putted half way decent, it could have been mid-to-lower 80's, which I could be satisfied with. J. R. shot a 94, so I beat him. But as you have read on other posts, I need to beat J. R. by at least 10 shots or I'm not satisfied. Still, haven't been over 90 this year! It felt good to get out and walk 18 holes . I needed the exercise.

Well, it was just a dream...

I had a weird dream New Years Eve. You know how dreams are so weird and make no sense, but seem perfectly logical during the dream. I won't tell the dream as it unfolded, because it was pretty detailed, but I'll give you the highlights. Mary Lynn and I and a bunch of our friends were at the UK-UL football game in Louisville. The field was so damaged by halftime that they decided to move the second half to Lexington that afternoon. We packed the cars at Dot and Ben's house on Clarks Lane to make the trip but ended up at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby. We were at ground level beside the Clubhouse. The upper level of the Clubhouse, Millionaires Row, was a bleachers covered with a mesh roofing. The wind cought the edge of it and raised the corner of the mesh roof. The people up there, all dressed in their finery, thought they'd just reach up and pull it back down. Now, you have to know that there were several thousand people up there. When they reached up to pull it back down, it collapsed on them. It was lightweight, and didn't hurt them. If you've ever seen one of those animal shows where they set up this big net on the ground and lure these birds or animals in and shoot, either by rocket or explosives, the big net over them to catch them, well this is what it look like with all those people under this mesh. We all thought it was funny and the people up in the stands seemed entertained trying to get out from under this net. But, several of the concession stand had open fires for cooking and cought the net on fire in several places. The fire spread rapidly. Next I was hearing on the radio about a fatal fire at Churchill Downs where many people were killed. Then I woke up.
Now, does this mean anything? If so, what? Premonitions.........