Hitting the Slopes

I had to post this video of Kim going downhill on a sled for the first time EVER!  Her comment was that it was fun, but it sure was bumby!  She wants a padded sled next time.
Jill went down the hill about 2 or 3 times, but Erin went down about 15 times.  Jill got cold and went to sit in the car with Mimi.  Erin got hot and had to take her hat off.  There's something a little different about these girls.

After sledding, off to The Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen for Hot Chocolate and Cookies!

Bob - The Navy Years in Publication

My book arrived in the mail today.  The family now has a written record of what I did while in the Navy.  I wish I'd have known they were going to put a picture on the back cover.  I would have picked a nice Navy picture for it.  Instead, they have the tree being cut down next door.  But, all and all, I'm very pleased with the outcome.  Stop by and take a peek.

Death takes No Holidays...

It has come to my attention that my friends I grew up with are starting to pass away with alarming regularity.  In the years past I've lost friends at intervals that did not seem alarming, but at a pace that would be normal as I grew in age.  However, lately it's has increased at what I consider an 'alarming rate'.  Yesterday, at two different functions, I found out about two of my friends that passed away recently.  One, a Coca-Cola Luncheon for all old Coke employees, I found out that a friend I worked with for a number of years Charlie
Belcher, who was exactly one week younger than myself, died in September.  Then last night, Mary Lynn and I went out with Dub and Linda and I was informed that  a High School friend of ours passed away December 22.  He was one of the 3 people I mentioned that we planned to join the Navy together in my blog entries Bob - The Navy Years.  Jacques Sabrie and I were good friends in High School, though I hadn't seen him for many years, retiring from the local Fire Department, in Midland, Michigan.

I guess it's a sign of the times.  When you reach a certain age your friends start filling up the obituary pages.  I guess the only bright spot is that it's better to read about them than to have them read about me.

Round #1 for the year 2011

I played my first round of the year today.  I didn't play well, but I shot about my average score for 2011.  I played Shawnee and shot a 42 - 44 = 86.  I walked the 18 and it was a lot easier than walking 18 in July!

The course wasn't quiet  as frozen as the picture to the right, but most of the ground was still frozen and you really couldn't expect your shots to the greens to 'check up'.  One big problem was that you couldn't hit the greens with your irons because the ball would bounce high  and off the back of the green.  And if you tried to hit short and roll onto the green the balls would really take some wicked sideways bounces.  The greens rolled fast and true today, overall, and that was nice.  I can't complain about an 86 on January 4th.  Any score you can shoot in January is a bonus!  I'm going to have to make sure I get my walks in over the winter so that I'll be ready to walk 18 when the days are nice.

Coming soon to your favorite Movie Theatre?

Well, I did it.  I had a book made of Bob - The Navy Years.  If I'd have been a little more Technically Savvy, I could have done a better job.  But, the printing will contain every post I did while writing The Navy Years.  So, 3 or 4 other posts will be in the book.
You can preview it by going to: http://blogger.sharedbook.com/pilot/apiPreviewBook.do?flipbookPath=/beta/content//sharedbookColoCluster/printPreview/silent_api_a4953c096d_110103-053527-221_4b97573933e9aaf7_preview.pdf&bookTitle=Blog2Print_Blogger_1294050925530&userId=silent_api_a4953c096d&mbId=100733113
I believe you can just click on this and go to the site.  I'd like you to post your reviews as comments.

Golf for the year 2010

I played 71 rounds of golf in 2010.  I thought I'd played less than I did in 2009, but looking back I played one more round this past year.  I think it's because I started playing on Thursdays regularly.  These are only rounds that I played my own ball.  I didn't count scrambles, or a lot of the rounds that I played with J. R. when we played against Harold Goad and Barry Rahn, in which we play a combination of alaternate shot and scramble from hole to hole.  So guessing, I'd say I played about 85 rounds of golf counting everything.
I met J. R. over at Crescent Hill GC late afternoon New Year's Eve after the UK/UL game.  We didn't get in but 3 holes before the rain stopped us and we walked in.  But, one item of note on that.....J. R. 6-putted his last hole of 2010! It wasn't a pretty site.

Bob - The Navy Years, Chapter 17

Going Home

My orders came through.  I'm headed home October 7th, exactly one year to the day that I arrived in Vietnam.  This means that, with 1968 being a Leap Year, I will spend 366 days in Vietnam.  Guess I didn't get an early out like a lot of people. 

My orders were report to NATTC, Memphis, Tennessee, to be processed for Discharge from the U. S. Navy.  This was the nearest Navy Base to Louisville, Ky.  The picture at left is our Commander, and I can't remember what this Colonel's name was, presenting me with the Joint Service Commendation Medal for my worderful work while with DCA-SAM. I packed my bags, said my goodbye's, enjoyed all the looks of envy from everyone else I was leaving behind in Vietnam, and headed to Tan Son Nhut Air Field to catch my flight back to Travis Air Force Base, California.  I had a late afternoon flight, and sitting in the terminal the sirens went off.  Rocket Attack!  We were instructed to get on the floor.  Great.  My last few minutes in Vietnam and I'm gonna get killed!  We stayed on the floor for maybe half an hour, then the sirens stopped.  And, the announcement came that all flights were cancelled for the rest of the day.  I was reschedueled for a flight to leave the next morning.  So, I went back to my barracks.  There were 7 other guys in my cubicle and they were kinda surprised to see me again  after our previous goodbye's.  Anyway, the next morning I reported to Tan Son Nhut again, and this time I boarded the plane and we took off for California.  I left Vietnam air space 367 days after I got there.

I was on  a plane full of military people just like me.  Going home after being gone a long time, glad we made it through this past year alive.  When the plane touched down in the United States, every person on that plane let out a cheer and was grinning from ear to ear.  We were home!

This may sound a little strange, but American Currency is very pretty.  When you haven't seen it or used it for awhile, you realize how pretty American money is.  Overseas we used MPC (Military Payment Certificates), or Vietnamese money.

I took a cab to the San Francisco Airport, and caught a plane to Memphis, TN.  I called Mary Lynn from the SF Airport, and called her again when I got to Memphis. 

It was a little different on the base at Memphis this time.  I wasn't an Airman Recruit, I was a Yeoman 2nd Class, military and combat veteran.  I was assigned a bunk and had to kill several days before my discharge was processed.  During that time I had free run of the base.  I didn't have to march anywhere.  The only real problem I had was limited uniforms.   I couldn't wear my jungle fatigues that I'd worn for a year in Vietnam.  I had one uniform, and that  had  YN3 stripes on it. I didn't want to sew new stripes on my shirt for 2 days. 

On October 14, 1968, I received my discharge from active duty in the U. S. Navy.  I caught a plane in Memphis, headed to Louisville.  Mary Lynn met me at the Airport.  I was home!  Bob - The Navy Years, has now come to an end.

THE END

I hope you have enjoyed reading this account.  I couldn't cover everything that happened in a nearly four year period, but I tried to touch on the highlights.  There are so many memories I have from those years, and the people I served with.  All good friends.  I've been very surprised that to this date, with the age of the computer and Facebook, that  I've never been able to contact any of those old friends.