Well.....here I am, back in my study after a long absence. Two things are obvious to me after being gone so long. First of all, our housekeeper didn't think it was necessary to keep my desk dusted while I was gone. Secondly, we really need to get a housekeeper. This whole room could use a good dusting.
Where have I been you ask? I have been nowhere. I've been wallowing in a grand funk for a couple of months now. I haven't had a funny memory....or any memory for a long time now. I am afraid if I keep writing these little one page stories I might possibly have to make something up. I'll put it off for as long as I can and I will give you some notice if I decide to write a few paragraphs of fiction. My cousins tell me nearly all my memories are fiction but that's just not true. I always tell them "Mea memoriae non vestra memoriae, ergo tace". For the non-educated among us, that's Latin for "My memories aren't your memories, so shut up". It does sound better in Latin, doesn't it?
I was following a group text between my siblings this morning. We tend to have our reunions in the form of text messages. Everyone was wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. I wasn't too keen on this since I have never given Debbie a bouquet of flowers or a Valentine's card in all the forty-nine years we've been married so, I feel a bit guilty for giving the wishes to someone else....especially my brother of all things. I finally posted a heart emoji to keep from being rude. Eventually the conversation turned to memories. I love this part of of the group texting, especially now that I can't remember anything. I can't give credit to any of the sisters or brother for any of these memories because my phone crashed a week ago and I haven't entered new contacts. All I can say is phone number dah dah dah #1 remembered the little boxes of chocolate our daddy always had for us on Valentine's Day. Phone numbers dah dah dah #'s 2, 3, and 4 all commented on the memory and everyone felt nostalgic for a moment. Then phone number dah dah dah # 3 asked if we remembered the dollar bill we always got in a birthday card from our Grandma Mihills in South Dakota. That sure brought back some good memories. It was a great day to get Grandma's card because it boosted our monthly income by double! Not only could we buy a quarter's worth of penny candy every week of the month but we could now include any toy M.E.Moses five and dime stocked for a dollar or less. Good times! Oh sure you laugh, but those are golden memories and I wouldn't trade for them.
This memory reminded me of our weekly allowance. I don't know how much the three younger kids got for allowance but Cindy and I, as the oldest, got twenty-five cents a week. Sometime in 1962 daddy approached Cindy and I with a great deal. Instead of giving us the quarter every week, if we wanted and only if we wanted, he would stop this weekly practice and give us a dollar a month. We both agreed heartily and danced the happy dance. It took us about six months to figure out we were getting shorted a dollar a year with this setup. I may have mentioned before we weren't necessarily the brightest bulbs on the Christmas tree.
Speaking of Christmas, every Christmas morning was a total blowout with gifts stacked to the ceiling...and I'm not making that up. Daddy loved all the holidays but Christmas was his favorite. Mama and daddy would start moaning the financial blues right after Thanksgiving every year and every year we expected a pair of socks under the tree...if we were lucky. Christmas morning would then absolutely blow us away. We never seemed to catch on to this skullduggery and always fell into deep depressions before the actual day. Daddy really knew how to enjoy Christmas! I can't believe mama went along with it unless he fooled her too.
Easter was another good holiday. Every spring included a trip to Sears or "MonkeyWards" (that's Montgomery Wards for those not accustomed to our family language). We got new dress clothes, shoes, socks, and for some reason underwear. Debbie Sue was probably the only one to show off her new underwear at the "Easter Parade". We did look good on Easter Sunday and we had Easter baskets loaded down with candy, eggs, and a couple of nice presents. As Cindy and I got too old and figured out the Easter bunny was actually daddy, he stopped giving us baskets. That was wonderful because he substituted really nice gifts in place of the baskets. I remember one year we each got a brand new Arvin AM radio. Mine was mint green bakelite and Cindy's was pink. Oh the joy! We could now listen to the top forty in the privacy of our own rooms.
The top forty......now that's a memory I had forgotten. I'm gonna write that down for a later story.
Friday, February 14, 2020
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
First Love...
We met at the start of a new school year. She sat down next to me and smiled. I turned red in the face and got nervous. Pretty girls always did that to me. We became friends right away and before too many weeks had passed I overheard her announce to a classmate that I was her boyfriend. Wow! I wasn't expecting that but after the initial shock I liked the idea.
As the weeks went on we grew closer and closer. We did everything together and hated for each day to come to an end. Our individual studies kept us apart more than we liked but we tried to make up for it when we had a break.
Fall came and the leaves fell. I expected things to end as most first loves do but by Christmas I was still madly in love and I think she was too. We were too young to know how to express this love so we contented ourselves with simple acts of kindness and longing looks.
During the spring semester we planned our June wedding. She wanted white horses pulling a white carriage loaded down with red roses. An odd wish in my opinion but I was fine with it. Actually, all the planning was done by her while I concentrated on making better grades than I ever had before....I was going to support a wife so I needed to get smart in a hurry. I figured if I didn't get enough education in time I would humble myself and ask her dad for a job on his ranch. I was pretty good with horses so I figured he would take me on.
Before the spring semester ended we knew we had to announce our plans to our parents. Their blessing was critical to a happy marriage. She promised to talk to her folks over the coming weekend and made me promise to do the same. I promised but I was a wreck thinking about how it would go. As expected, my Mom was not amused. She said I was crazy to even think of such a thing. Her response convinced me that telling my Dad would be a big mistake. When the following Monday came she asked how it had gone for me. I told her it wasn't good and asked about her parents reaction. She said her parents actually laughed at her. I was offended for her and worried what the future held.
Before school let out for the summer break she told me we were going to have to break up. With a huge lump in my throat I asked her why. She said her mother had convinced her we were too young. We needed to take our time and see other people. I was hurt but I tried to not show it. Later in the day I asked if she still felt the same way about things. She told me she did and insisted she knew better than I because, after all, she was older than me. I couldn't argue with that. She was seven and I was six.
As the weeks went on we grew closer and closer. We did everything together and hated for each day to come to an end. Our individual studies kept us apart more than we liked but we tried to make up for it when we had a break.
Fall came and the leaves fell. I expected things to end as most first loves do but by Christmas I was still madly in love and I think she was too. We were too young to know how to express this love so we contented ourselves with simple acts of kindness and longing looks.
During the spring semester we planned our June wedding. She wanted white horses pulling a white carriage loaded down with red roses. An odd wish in my opinion but I was fine with it. Actually, all the planning was done by her while I concentrated on making better grades than I ever had before....I was going to support a wife so I needed to get smart in a hurry. I figured if I didn't get enough education in time I would humble myself and ask her dad for a job on his ranch. I was pretty good with horses so I figured he would take me on.
Before the spring semester ended we knew we had to announce our plans to our parents. Their blessing was critical to a happy marriage. She promised to talk to her folks over the coming weekend and made me promise to do the same. I promised but I was a wreck thinking about how it would go. As expected, my Mom was not amused. She said I was crazy to even think of such a thing. Her response convinced me that telling my Dad would be a big mistake. When the following Monday came she asked how it had gone for me. I told her it wasn't good and asked about her parents reaction. She said her parents actually laughed at her. I was offended for her and worried what the future held.
Before school let out for the summer break she told me we were going to have to break up. With a huge lump in my throat I asked her why. She said her mother had convinced her we were too young. We needed to take our time and see other people. I was hurt but I tried to not show it. Later in the day I asked if she still felt the same way about things. She told me she did and insisted she knew better than I because, after all, she was older than me. I couldn't argue with that. She was seven and I was six.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Thanksgiving in New York, Final Chapter
I decided I shouldn't burden you all with a day to day of our trip so I'll wrap it up today. Before I start let me say this: I love New York...the city and the state. Upstate New York is some of the most beautiful real estate I've ever seen and all the people living there and in the city, I guess we should call them natives, have always been so friendly and helpful. When I was young and would watch movies about crimes in New York I wondered why anyone would choose to stay in that horrible place. Why didn't they just all pack up and move to Texas where it was safe. Little did I know that a good percentage of them would do just that starting in the mid 70's and continuing today.
I had to make a business trip to Albany, NY when I was in my 20's. It was my first business trip and I was a nervous wreck. On top of it all I was worried that I would surely be mugged at the least and probably killed before I ever got to go home. I made my supervisor promise me that I did not have to go through the airport in the city to get to my destination. I was blown away with the laid back attitude of the people in upper New York. They were so friendly I had to call home just to tell Debbie about it. I fell in love with upstate New York on that trip but still had some serious misgivings about going to the city itself. I didn't make that trip until I was in my early 60's. I discovered I loved New York City and promised myself I would make the trip a regular part of my travels. My opinion didn't change with this last trip up there. Even though I've made some questionable remarks about New Yorkers....and will really lay it on heavy in this story, I have to say they are wonderful people and visiting the city is a joy. Okay, let's get on with the business at hand....
Day three of our stay began with a brisk walk down the block to the Warwick Hotel. Cody and Cayce had made reservations for a suite where we could watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade from a heated and very comfortable environment. There would be snacks and comfortable seating...sounded great. When we arrived the hotel lobby was very busy and quite crowded. We made our way to the back of a line leading into a reserved area. This is where we met the "select party only nazi". He took Cody's paperwork and looked it over for several minutes before shaking his head negatively and telling Cody he "did not have the proper credentials". We would have to go somewhere else to watch the parade and I don't think I'm making it up when he referred to us needing to sit with the common people. I know he did say his room was for a select party only. Cody showed the man his reservations again and insisted he had paid for a suite to watch the parade. Nazi man shook his head again and told Cody to "go away and, oh yeah, have a happy Thanksgiving". I have seen Cody get really mad before but it's been a long, long time. He took his paperwork to the front desk and had a talk with one of the hotel managers. A few minutes later we were escorted to our suite. We passed right by Nazi man but we didn't make eye contact for fear we might say or do something to lower New York opinions of Texans. The suite was shared by several other families but it was really fancy. We felt like we had been escorted into a fancy restaurant just for us and a few other "select parties".
The room was a corner suite on the second floor with windows all around. The parade would pass right under us and the floats would be eye level. The "snacks" consisted of a full buffet serving finger foods, a complete breakfast offering, desserts of every imaginable make and a full Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, ham, pork chops, and all the trimming. So much food, so little time. Oh, and there was an open bar for those wishing to imbibe. Several parade watchers did so wish. Our hostess was a bubbly young woman who appeared to be having as much fun as we were having....and she was pretty. Don't tell Debbie I said that. Cody and Cayce took their kids outside to watch the parade for a few minutes at a time. I forgot to mention how cold it had turned overnight. Most of us were content to sit and watch, and eat, and watch, and eat some more with possibly a light beverage just to be polite.
It was a wonderful experience for everyone but especially for the kids. It was a joy watching them watch the balloons float past right in front of them. After the parade was over we all hit the buffet line again to enjoy out Thanksgiving dinner. What a day! Thank you Cody and Cayce.
The remainder of the day was relaxing. The women, except for Debbie who hates to shop, disappeared to all the fancy stores at their disposal. Cody, Andy, Debbie, and I took a carriage ride through Central Park. It was freezing but the park was still full of strollers, flag football players, and frizbee tossers who were having a great time. Our carriage driver gave us a huge blanket to cover up with so the ride was real enjoyable. We all met at the hotel and walked to a small deli where we had an early dinner before attending the Rockettes' Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall. This was one of my bucket list items so I was glad to have a chance to experience it. The only other bucket item I covered was having a Nathan's hot dog in Central Park. I'm a simple guy and Andy was kind enough to experience it with me...as long as I paid. We caught Uber rides back to the hotel after the show ending another perfect day.
I could go on and on with little incidentals about the trip but I'm afraid I would begin to bore even the most enthusiastic reader. Our trip home was a bit chaotic. Charlee had trouble with her ears again and told everyone on the plane that her tummy hurt during the last hour of the flight. All in all, the little girls handled the trip very well....and when they got a little tired and testy they were just too cute to stay mad at for very long. Carter was as close to an angel as a human can get. He is so laid back and easy going. He either inherited this trait from his uncle Kent....or possibly me. I doubt it was me though. I didn't become laid back until a year after I retired! Andy assumed the role of guardian angel to me and his mammy. We didn't take a step that he wasn't right there helping us and making sure that we weren't going to fall! Cody and Cayce have a beautiful family and the Garrison's are a joy to travel with...even Allie who is directional savvy don't ya know!
Thank you for reading. I'll try to keep my stories down to one at a time from now on.
I had to make a business trip to Albany, NY when I was in my 20's. It was my first business trip and I was a nervous wreck. On top of it all I was worried that I would surely be mugged at the least and probably killed before I ever got to go home. I made my supervisor promise me that I did not have to go through the airport in the city to get to my destination. I was blown away with the laid back attitude of the people in upper New York. They were so friendly I had to call home just to tell Debbie about it. I fell in love with upstate New York on that trip but still had some serious misgivings about going to the city itself. I didn't make that trip until I was in my early 60's. I discovered I loved New York City and promised myself I would make the trip a regular part of my travels. My opinion didn't change with this last trip up there. Even though I've made some questionable remarks about New Yorkers....and will really lay it on heavy in this story, I have to say they are wonderful people and visiting the city is a joy. Okay, let's get on with the business at hand....
Day three of our stay began with a brisk walk down the block to the Warwick Hotel. Cody and Cayce had made reservations for a suite where we could watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade from a heated and very comfortable environment. There would be snacks and comfortable seating...sounded great. When we arrived the hotel lobby was very busy and quite crowded. We made our way to the back of a line leading into a reserved area. This is where we met the "select party only nazi". He took Cody's paperwork and looked it over for several minutes before shaking his head negatively and telling Cody he "did not have the proper credentials". We would have to go somewhere else to watch the parade and I don't think I'm making it up when he referred to us needing to sit with the common people. I know he did say his room was for a select party only. Cody showed the man his reservations again and insisted he had paid for a suite to watch the parade. Nazi man shook his head again and told Cody to "go away and, oh yeah, have a happy Thanksgiving". I have seen Cody get really mad before but it's been a long, long time. He took his paperwork to the front desk and had a talk with one of the hotel managers. A few minutes later we were escorted to our suite. We passed right by Nazi man but we didn't make eye contact for fear we might say or do something to lower New York opinions of Texans. The suite was shared by several other families but it was really fancy. We felt like we had been escorted into a fancy restaurant just for us and a few other "select parties".
The room was a corner suite on the second floor with windows all around. The parade would pass right under us and the floats would be eye level. The "snacks" consisted of a full buffet serving finger foods, a complete breakfast offering, desserts of every imaginable make and a full Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, ham, pork chops, and all the trimming. So much food, so little time. Oh, and there was an open bar for those wishing to imbibe. Several parade watchers did so wish. Our hostess was a bubbly young woman who appeared to be having as much fun as we were having....and she was pretty. Don't tell Debbie I said that. Cody and Cayce took their kids outside to watch the parade for a few minutes at a time. I forgot to mention how cold it had turned overnight. Most of us were content to sit and watch, and eat, and watch, and eat some more with possibly a light beverage just to be polite.
It was a wonderful experience for everyone but especially for the kids. It was a joy watching them watch the balloons float past right in front of them. After the parade was over we all hit the buffet line again to enjoy out Thanksgiving dinner. What a day! Thank you Cody and Cayce.
The remainder of the day was relaxing. The women, except for Debbie who hates to shop, disappeared to all the fancy stores at their disposal. Cody, Andy, Debbie, and I took a carriage ride through Central Park. It was freezing but the park was still full of strollers, flag football players, and frizbee tossers who were having a great time. Our carriage driver gave us a huge blanket to cover up with so the ride was real enjoyable. We all met at the hotel and walked to a small deli where we had an early dinner before attending the Rockettes' Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall. This was one of my bucket list items so I was glad to have a chance to experience it. The only other bucket item I covered was having a Nathan's hot dog in Central Park. I'm a simple guy and Andy was kind enough to experience it with me...as long as I paid. We caught Uber rides back to the hotel after the show ending another perfect day.
I could go on and on with little incidentals about the trip but I'm afraid I would begin to bore even the most enthusiastic reader. Our trip home was a bit chaotic. Charlee had trouble with her ears again and told everyone on the plane that her tummy hurt during the last hour of the flight. All in all, the little girls handled the trip very well....and when they got a little tired and testy they were just too cute to stay mad at for very long. Carter was as close to an angel as a human can get. He is so laid back and easy going. He either inherited this trait from his uncle Kent....or possibly me. I doubt it was me though. I didn't become laid back until a year after I retired! Andy assumed the role of guardian angel to me and his mammy. We didn't take a step that he wasn't right there helping us and making sure that we weren't going to fall! Cody and Cayce have a beautiful family and the Garrison's are a joy to travel with...even Allie who is directional savvy don't ya know!
Thank you for reading. I'll try to keep my stories down to one at a time from now on.
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Thanksgiving in New York, Part 2
If you will remember yesterday's episode where self-proclaimed "Ace Tour Guide" Allie got us lost on our way to dinner, you will know how important it would be for us to search out and hire the world's foremost New York Tour Guide. To keep the possibly of lawsuit at a minimum we will just call him Tour Guide From Hell, or TGFH.
TGFH was a native New Yorker who hailed from Queens. He was proud of his status and described it to us ad nauseam. He was hired to lead us to the Balloon Inflation Festival at Central Park. We were all excited to get a professional tour and the little kids were excited to see the parade balloons up close and personal.
TGFH knew his city and its history well and entertained us with important facts along the way to the park. We saw who lived in that apartment building and this apartment building. It was a cornucopia of celebrities living right in the neighborhood where we wandered. We saw where Madonna had her very first job as a.....something. I can't seem to remember now but it was impressive in its obscurity. We saw where John Lennon was killed, "RIGHT HERE IN THIS SPOT WHERE I'M STANDING!! RIGHT HERE!" We learned who killed Mr. Lennon and believe it or not, we also learned exactly why! TGFH was there in the neighborhood when it happened....really...
TGFH knew everything about his city except how to get us to the Balloon Inflation Festival at Central Park. The following was not his fault but we chose to blame him anyway. Thinking that we wouldn't have a huge crowd attending the festival because tickets had to be bought in advance, we strolled along behind TGFH for awhile oblivious to the steadily increasing number of park seekers. Before too long our guide stopped us and yelled for us to follow his green and black umbrella if we got separated. It was then that we realized we were part of a million man march on Central Park. The crowd was massive and working with a herd mentality. We were slowly going down one block with barricades guiding us along. There was no option of getting out of our situation because the streets were lined with New York's finest making sure we all kept moving. After a longer than I would have preferred amount of time, Cody told our guide to give it up. We didn't need to stay in this crowd. We would forget the balloon festival. TGFH informed us we couldn't leave because he had already asked a policeman and told we could not exit. He evidently read Cody's face clearly because he immediately started working us through the crowd to the edge next to the barricade. Once there he asked again if we could exit. The policeman said no. He then walked away to another barricade emergency and TGFH removed the barricade and told us to hurry through. Instead of stopping us though, he informed us of a shortcut we could take. Like the rest of the herd, we mindlessly followed him up a sidewalk until we ran into another crowd. As we blended into this crowd Charlee disappeared. In seconds we were running through the crowd screaming her name. Before we found her someone yelled that Claire had disappeared too. This was a nightmare in the making but Charlee was quickly found and a really nice family came up holding Claire's hand. Both girls were crying their little eyes out and hugging their mommy and daddy as tight as they could.
TGFH didn't seem too phased by the exercise and started us off again. In a few minutes we realized more people were headed in a direction opposite from ours. When we stopped one of them and asked we discovered TGFH, native New Yorker and Ace tour guide, was leading us away from the park. Cody fired him on the spot and he wandered off into the night. He may still be lost.
You may ask how any event could be worse. Well, I'll tell you...when we were in the worst of the crowd it began to rain....hard. TGFH was the only one with an umbrella. But to end things on a positive note we wandered around town for a while and found an awesome hole-in-the-wall pizza place. We stuffed ourselves on New York decadence then found our way back to the hotel.
Tomorrow I will tell you about the "select party only nazi" we encountered on day 3.
TGFH was a native New Yorker who hailed from Queens. He was proud of his status and described it to us ad nauseam. He was hired to lead us to the Balloon Inflation Festival at Central Park. We were all excited to get a professional tour and the little kids were excited to see the parade balloons up close and personal.
TGFH knew his city and its history well and entertained us with important facts along the way to the park. We saw who lived in that apartment building and this apartment building. It was a cornucopia of celebrities living right in the neighborhood where we wandered. We saw where Madonna had her very first job as a.....something. I can't seem to remember now but it was impressive in its obscurity. We saw where John Lennon was killed, "RIGHT HERE IN THIS SPOT WHERE I'M STANDING!! RIGHT HERE!" We learned who killed Mr. Lennon and believe it or not, we also learned exactly why! TGFH was there in the neighborhood when it happened....really...
TGFH knew everything about his city except how to get us to the Balloon Inflation Festival at Central Park. The following was not his fault but we chose to blame him anyway. Thinking that we wouldn't have a huge crowd attending the festival because tickets had to be bought in advance, we strolled along behind TGFH for awhile oblivious to the steadily increasing number of park seekers. Before too long our guide stopped us and yelled for us to follow his green and black umbrella if we got separated. It was then that we realized we were part of a million man march on Central Park. The crowd was massive and working with a herd mentality. We were slowly going down one block with barricades guiding us along. There was no option of getting out of our situation because the streets were lined with New York's finest making sure we all kept moving. After a longer than I would have preferred amount of time, Cody told our guide to give it up. We didn't need to stay in this crowd. We would forget the balloon festival. TGFH informed us we couldn't leave because he had already asked a policeman and told we could not exit. He evidently read Cody's face clearly because he immediately started working us through the crowd to the edge next to the barricade. Once there he asked again if we could exit. The policeman said no. He then walked away to another barricade emergency and TGFH removed the barricade and told us to hurry through. Instead of stopping us though, he informed us of a shortcut we could take. Like the rest of the herd, we mindlessly followed him up a sidewalk until we ran into another crowd. As we blended into this crowd Charlee disappeared. In seconds we were running through the crowd screaming her name. Before we found her someone yelled that Claire had disappeared too. This was a nightmare in the making but Charlee was quickly found and a really nice family came up holding Claire's hand. Both girls were crying their little eyes out and hugging their mommy and daddy as tight as they could.
TGFH didn't seem too phased by the exercise and started us off again. In a few minutes we realized more people were headed in a direction opposite from ours. When we stopped one of them and asked we discovered TGFH, native New Yorker and Ace tour guide, was leading us away from the park. Cody fired him on the spot and he wandered off into the night. He may still be lost.
You may ask how any event could be worse. Well, I'll tell you...when we were in the worst of the crowd it began to rain....hard. TGFH was the only one with an umbrella. But to end things on a positive note we wandered around town for a while and found an awesome hole-in-the-wall pizza place. We stuffed ourselves on New York decadence then found our way back to the hotel.
Tomorrow I will tell you about the "select party only nazi" we encountered on day 3.
Monday, December 2, 2019
Thanksgiving in New York, Part One
I guess most people have a "bucket list" whether they call their dreams that or not. My bucket list includes food items mostly....I am a simple guy, ya know. Fortunately for our family, my son Cody and my daughter-in-law Cayce dream bigger. One of their "bucket list" items was fulfilled this past week. They wanted to take their parents, one sister, and the whole C&C crew to New York City to celebrate Thanksgiving by watching the Macy Parade live. This endeavor included eleven people and a tremendous amount of planning on their part.
Cody and Cayce announced their plans over a year ago so everyone would be available, healthy, "ward - robed" for the cold, and as excited as they were. They spent the entire year making reservations, buying tickets, paying for hotel and entertainment. They met with all of us more than once for our input on what we would like to do. It was an experience of a lifetime and for this we can never thank them enough.
I tried to keep a journal of the trip so I could tell all of you about it in detail. I was true to my commitment for the first three days and after that I was just too tired to write at night. So much was planned for us we were racing each day to get everything in. Sadly, we had to pass on several activities because....well, because Debbie and I kind of slowed everything down. We are old you know! Even though we didn't try to stay together as a group on all the excursions, we did have to meet at certain times and places to enjoy another planned activity. It was an action packed week to say the least.
On our first day out we all met at terminal C, DFW airport. The first blip was mine. I forgot my cane and knew my leg would give out before too long. I had to get another one in New York. Cody and Andy went out the first night to find one for me. I stayed behind and rested one really aching leg.
As we took off from DFW and climbed to the cruising altitude Charlee asked her daddy why it was taking so long to get there. That was a sign the flight was going to be really long. She proved to be our entertainment on the flight. She refused to go into the flight restroom because as her Mammy, Debbie, escorted her back she saw a man walk out of it. She wanted to wait for the women's restroom to open up. As we descended to JFK airport her ears started popping and she screamed for the whole passenger list to hear, "Daddy, my ears hurt".....repeatedly until we were parked and getting off the plane. This was a good distraction because Debbie, who is very nervous flying, asked me while the plane had been taxiing for several minutes "Have we landed yet?"
Our reservations led us to the Parker New York hotel which was mind blowing to Debbie and I. We don't get out much but even if we did we would have been as impressed as all the others who have made the New York trip many times. We got to our rooms, dropped off the luggage, and hurried back down to the lobby to start exploring the city.
We went to the subway and bought passes so we could get on and off at our leisure....and a mere $2.50 per person each time we did it. The passes allowed us to spend our money without the hassle of buying a ticket every time. I did not realize how fast a $40 pass would disappear in a day. We were very lucky to have Cayce's little sister, Allie with us. She was self-proclaimed as being "directionally savvy". Our first stop included the phrases, "Oops, we're on the wrong train" and "I'm pretty sure we're going the wrong direction" but she was directionally savvy after all and we made it to our first destination. We finally got off the right train at our planned destination....just a short walk. Allie had a map and encouraged us to follow her. Forty minutes and many blocks later she explained, "I don't know where north is. Anybody have any ideas?" Allie was dismissed as tour guide and her dad, Russ Garrison took over. We eventually arrived at our restaurant late, sweating, and very hungry.
This ends the first day. I will write again tomorrow and tell you about the tour guide from hell we encountered on day two.
Cody and Cayce announced their plans over a year ago so everyone would be available, healthy, "ward - robed" for the cold, and as excited as they were. They spent the entire year making reservations, buying tickets, paying for hotel and entertainment. They met with all of us more than once for our input on what we would like to do. It was an experience of a lifetime and for this we can never thank them enough.
I tried to keep a journal of the trip so I could tell all of you about it in detail. I was true to my commitment for the first three days and after that I was just too tired to write at night. So much was planned for us we were racing each day to get everything in. Sadly, we had to pass on several activities because....well, because Debbie and I kind of slowed everything down. We are old you know! Even though we didn't try to stay together as a group on all the excursions, we did have to meet at certain times and places to enjoy another planned activity. It was an action packed week to say the least.
On our first day out we all met at terminal C, DFW airport. The first blip was mine. I forgot my cane and knew my leg would give out before too long. I had to get another one in New York. Cody and Andy went out the first night to find one for me. I stayed behind and rested one really aching leg.
As we took off from DFW and climbed to the cruising altitude Charlee asked her daddy why it was taking so long to get there. That was a sign the flight was going to be really long. She proved to be our entertainment on the flight. She refused to go into the flight restroom because as her Mammy, Debbie, escorted her back she saw a man walk out of it. She wanted to wait for the women's restroom to open up. As we descended to JFK airport her ears started popping and she screamed for the whole passenger list to hear, "Daddy, my ears hurt".....repeatedly until we were parked and getting off the plane. This was a good distraction because Debbie, who is very nervous flying, asked me while the plane had been taxiing for several minutes "Have we landed yet?"
Our reservations led us to the Parker New York hotel which was mind blowing to Debbie and I. We don't get out much but even if we did we would have been as impressed as all the others who have made the New York trip many times. We got to our rooms, dropped off the luggage, and hurried back down to the lobby to start exploring the city.
We went to the subway and bought passes so we could get on and off at our leisure....and a mere $2.50 per person each time we did it. The passes allowed us to spend our money without the hassle of buying a ticket every time. I did not realize how fast a $40 pass would disappear in a day. We were very lucky to have Cayce's little sister, Allie with us. She was self-proclaimed as being "directionally savvy". Our first stop included the phrases, "Oops, we're on the wrong train" and "I'm pretty sure we're going the wrong direction" but she was directionally savvy after all and we made it to our first destination. We finally got off the right train at our planned destination....just a short walk. Allie had a map and encouraged us to follow her. Forty minutes and many blocks later she explained, "I don't know where north is. Anybody have any ideas?" Allie was dismissed as tour guide and her dad, Russ Garrison took over. We eventually arrived at our restaurant late, sweating, and very hungry.
This ends the first day. I will write again tomorrow and tell you about the tour guide from hell we encountered on day two.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
I Just Remembered This...
We moved to Hurst in 1955. It was a small town at the time but growing quickly because of the Bell Helicopter plant down on highway 183....which is now highway 10 (and I was not consulted on that change by the way....real hard to talk memories with friends who grew up and moved away!) We bought a new house in a little neighborhood surrounded by farm land, creeks, and woods. It was a young boy's paradise if he could manage to slip away from mama....which I did on a regular basis.
Before we moved in I took a ride with daddy in our old 1950 Chevy. We drove from our home in River Oaks to this new town my parents had found and invested in. I thought we must be driving to the wilderness because after we left the Fort Worth area there was nothing to see but open country. I thought maybe I had done one too many things wrong and I was going to be left at the gate of someone's farm. After a long drive we came to a wide spot in the road which featured a drug store, grocery store, gas station, Texas Electric sub-station, and a small but interesting helicopter factory. I was mostly interested in the sub-station though because it had a tall sign that read, "Live Better Electrically" and featured good old Reddy Kilowatt. I remember that sign because (and please remember I was only five at the time) I read it "Live Butter..something". I could not imagine a stick of butter being alive but I couldn't wait to get a tour.
As we entered our new town we turned off Hwy. 183 onto Precinct Line Road. This little country road led out to the new neighborhood where our house was being completed. We pulled up to the house and I realized we were rich. I hadn't known we were rich until that moment but when I saw that huge 900 sq. ft. house with BRICK on the front facade, I knew it for sure. We had to be filthy, stinking rich! My head swelled with pride as I hopped out of that old Chevy and started looking around. We checked out the progress on the inside of the house and daddy confirmed we should be able to move in the next week. Then we walked around the outside of the house and met our new neighbors, the Marions. We didn't know that we had just met life long family friends. They were a great family and they had a kid just my age. This kid was hiding behind Doris and she had to make the kid come out to meet us. She called the kid "Sandy" so I knew for a fact my new neighbor was a boy who would help me tame this wilderness around us. Well, Sandy finally appeared and he was a GIRL. Oh, the horrors. We had to move in next to a GIRL!
We got moved in finally and it didn't take long for my sister, Cindy, and I to get to know Sandy. As it turned out Sandy was a pretty good old girl. She was a bona fide tomboy. We had a great first summer in Hurst!
Sandy was only six but she already had a bicycle. I wanted a bicycle more than a next breath but I didn't have a clue how to ride one. Sandy's bike was an ancient English bike with skinny tires, three speeds, and hand brakes. I was kind of embarrassed for her but granted, she did have a bike and all I could boast about was one roller skate. Sometimes I would put on my skate and grab a hold of Sandy's bike for a ride to the top of the hill. Then I could coast back down on my skate looking like a flesh colored flamingo with worn out blue jeans. I was a happy guy!
Sandy always parked her bike on the carport....yes, we had carports. Those poor people over on Greenbriar in River Oaks had to park their old Chevy's in a driveway with no protection from the elements....yessir, rich! Anyway, Sandy's bike didn't have a normal kick stand. It sat straight up with a stand mounted on the back wheel. If you moved forward with the bike the stand would pop up out of the way. I used to get on that bike and ride for miles with the kick stand in place. I didn't know what else to do with the bike since no one would teach me how to ride. I begged Sandy to teach me but she always answered with the sage advice, "Just get on it and go. You'll learn real quick how to ride." I didn't believe her of course. Would you believe that? O course not.
One day I wandered over to the Marion's carport to get in my daily bike ride. I noticed Sandy had parked the bike facing out toward the road rather than facing the house. I didn't think too much about it and actually enjoyed riding in a different direction for a couple of minutes. I didn't hear Sandy sneaking up behind me. She gave that bike a kick and off the stand it went. I heard her and Cindy laughing hysterically as I swerved down the driveway to certain death but, before I got to the road I got control of the bike. I was riding a bicycle for crying out loud. I managed to get it turned around and back to the driveway before falling over. Sandy gave me my first ever, "See, I told you so". Every female I ever knew said that to me at one time or another but this first time I didn't mind. Good old Sandy had taught me how to ride a bike. I turned it back around, put it back on the stand, and told Sandy to give me another push. That's when she rolled her eyes and said, "Oh good grief". I got that from nearly every female I ever knew too. It was another two miserable years before Cindy and I got our first bikes but, and this is a big BUT, we did get new roller skates that next year.
Before we moved in I took a ride with daddy in our old 1950 Chevy. We drove from our home in River Oaks to this new town my parents had found and invested in. I thought we must be driving to the wilderness because after we left the Fort Worth area there was nothing to see but open country. I thought maybe I had done one too many things wrong and I was going to be left at the gate of someone's farm. After a long drive we came to a wide spot in the road which featured a drug store, grocery store, gas station, Texas Electric sub-station, and a small but interesting helicopter factory. I was mostly interested in the sub-station though because it had a tall sign that read, "Live Better Electrically" and featured good old Reddy Kilowatt. I remember that sign because (and please remember I was only five at the time) I read it "Live Butter..something". I could not imagine a stick of butter being alive but I couldn't wait to get a tour.
As we entered our new town we turned off Hwy. 183 onto Precinct Line Road. This little country road led out to the new neighborhood where our house was being completed. We pulled up to the house and I realized we were rich. I hadn't known we were rich until that moment but when I saw that huge 900 sq. ft. house with BRICK on the front facade, I knew it for sure. We had to be filthy, stinking rich! My head swelled with pride as I hopped out of that old Chevy and started looking around. We checked out the progress on the inside of the house and daddy confirmed we should be able to move in the next week. Then we walked around the outside of the house and met our new neighbors, the Marions. We didn't know that we had just met life long family friends. They were a great family and they had a kid just my age. This kid was hiding behind Doris and she had to make the kid come out to meet us. She called the kid "Sandy" so I knew for a fact my new neighbor was a boy who would help me tame this wilderness around us. Well, Sandy finally appeared and he was a GIRL. Oh, the horrors. We had to move in next to a GIRL!
We got moved in finally and it didn't take long for my sister, Cindy, and I to get to know Sandy. As it turned out Sandy was a pretty good old girl. She was a bona fide tomboy. We had a great first summer in Hurst!
Sandy was only six but she already had a bicycle. I wanted a bicycle more than a next breath but I didn't have a clue how to ride one. Sandy's bike was an ancient English bike with skinny tires, three speeds, and hand brakes. I was kind of embarrassed for her but granted, she did have a bike and all I could boast about was one roller skate. Sometimes I would put on my skate and grab a hold of Sandy's bike for a ride to the top of the hill. Then I could coast back down on my skate looking like a flesh colored flamingo with worn out blue jeans. I was a happy guy!
Sandy always parked her bike on the carport....yes, we had carports. Those poor people over on Greenbriar in River Oaks had to park their old Chevy's in a driveway with no protection from the elements....yessir, rich! Anyway, Sandy's bike didn't have a normal kick stand. It sat straight up with a stand mounted on the back wheel. If you moved forward with the bike the stand would pop up out of the way. I used to get on that bike and ride for miles with the kick stand in place. I didn't know what else to do with the bike since no one would teach me how to ride. I begged Sandy to teach me but she always answered with the sage advice, "Just get on it and go. You'll learn real quick how to ride." I didn't believe her of course. Would you believe that? O course not.
One day I wandered over to the Marion's carport to get in my daily bike ride. I noticed Sandy had parked the bike facing out toward the road rather than facing the house. I didn't think too much about it and actually enjoyed riding in a different direction for a couple of minutes. I didn't hear Sandy sneaking up behind me. She gave that bike a kick and off the stand it went. I heard her and Cindy laughing hysterically as I swerved down the driveway to certain death but, before I got to the road I got control of the bike. I was riding a bicycle for crying out loud. I managed to get it turned around and back to the driveway before falling over. Sandy gave me my first ever, "See, I told you so". Every female I ever knew said that to me at one time or another but this first time I didn't mind. Good old Sandy had taught me how to ride a bike. I turned it back around, put it back on the stand, and told Sandy to give me another push. That's when she rolled her eyes and said, "Oh good grief". I got that from nearly every female I ever knew too. It was another two miserable years before Cindy and I got our first bikes but, and this is a big BUT, we did get new roller skates that next year.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Don't Poo Poo The Diarrhea...
I realize my stories are beginning to show up slower than I promised but I'm afraid I'm running out of stories to tell.....well, that's not entirely true. I have lots more stories I could tell....like the blind date I set up for my cousin who was so homely (the date, not my cousin) that he ran off the porch when she opened the door...but I won't tell that. Or, I could tell about passing out on a hanging bridge in Colorado because of my fear of heights only to be saved by my lovely wife...but that's too embarrassing. I could make stuff up because I have a vivid imagination but then the stories wouldn't be the same. I do have one more embarrassing story to tell about myself and then I'll just have to wait to do something else stupid before writing again.
It's a true fact that someone in either my dad's, or my mother's family suffered from a nervous stomach, spastic colon, or some other like condition. I know this because my sister, Cindy, and I both inherited the gene. I only got a small inheritance which rears its ugly head occasionally but poor old Cindy got the bulk of the estate. I wanted to tell a story linked to this endearing quality but I thought it best to check with my editor (Debbie) first. We met over coffee this morning and discussed the best way to tell the story. The editor suggested strongly that I not use the word diarrhea in my story. I should instead phrase it like "a bit of sickness". I agree I shouldn't say diarrhea but her suggestion seemed too burdensome, so I decided to substitute the word "discomfort" for the word diarrhea, which I shouldn't write on public media. Once we figured out how to eliminate the word diarrhea from the story I was all set to go....no pun intended.
Cindy and her husband, Mike, had been transferred to Colorado Springs with the Army. He was an Army captain with the dangerous duty of examining eyes. It was a beautiful setting. When Debbie and I went to visit them it was my first time to see Colorado. I fell in love immediately however, the change in altitude did something to my system and I just didn't feel right for several days. Toward the end of our stay the four of us went north to Denver for sightseeing and other tourist related stuff (I tried to say "tourister stuff" but spellcheck wouldn't allow it). We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant before heading back down I-25 toward Colorado Springs. Mike was driving and everyone was having a great time....except me. I kept having a gurgling sensation in my stomach. It continued to get worse until I finally asked Mike to take the next exit so I could find a restroom. He agreed and immediately forgot my request until I strongly urged him again to pull over as soon as possible. I guess I said this in such a high-pitched frantic way that it scared him and he put the pedal to the floor looking for an exit. Before an exit came up I yelled, "I am about to have DISCOMFORT! Get off the road!" He saw an exit and literally flew off the highway, squealing all four tires as he slid into a gas station. I was out of the car before it came to a complete stop and ran as fast as I could. I bolted through the door of that restroom and locked the door in a nanosecond and hit that stall like a freight train.
The next few minutes were a blur but that stall sounded like a pentecostal revival with all the praying and begging for Jesus to come going on. For a good twenty minutes I pulled my hair, broke out in a sweat, ripped off my shirt, and yelled like a female screech owl during mating season. There were three hairline fractures to the toilet bowl and the lights flickered on and off. Finally things calmed down and as I caught my breath, unwrapped my shirt from around my head and opened my eyes.....I saw pink floor tiles....matching pink wall tiles....matching NO URINAL anywhere in sight. I had run into the women's restroom. I said "oh discomfort! What have I done?" Surely nobody will notice me this late in the night. I'll just put my shirt back on, wash up, and quietly sneak out....which I did....to about fourteen women in various states of despair waiting for me to come out. I could see Debbie, Cindy, and Mike in the car laughing uncontrollably like this was funny or something. I apologized to the ladies for making them wait and suggested they continue to wait a few minutes before going in....
It's a true fact that someone in either my dad's, or my mother's family suffered from a nervous stomach, spastic colon, or some other like condition. I know this because my sister, Cindy, and I both inherited the gene. I only got a small inheritance which rears its ugly head occasionally but poor old Cindy got the bulk of the estate. I wanted to tell a story linked to this endearing quality but I thought it best to check with my editor (Debbie) first. We met over coffee this morning and discussed the best way to tell the story. The editor suggested strongly that I not use the word diarrhea in my story. I should instead phrase it like "a bit of sickness". I agree I shouldn't say diarrhea but her suggestion seemed too burdensome, so I decided to substitute the word "discomfort" for the word diarrhea, which I shouldn't write on public media. Once we figured out how to eliminate the word diarrhea from the story I was all set to go....no pun intended.
Cindy and her husband, Mike, had been transferred to Colorado Springs with the Army. He was an Army captain with the dangerous duty of examining eyes. It was a beautiful setting. When Debbie and I went to visit them it was my first time to see Colorado. I fell in love immediately however, the change in altitude did something to my system and I just didn't feel right for several days. Toward the end of our stay the four of us went north to Denver for sightseeing and other tourist related stuff (I tried to say "tourister stuff" but spellcheck wouldn't allow it). We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant before heading back down I-25 toward Colorado Springs. Mike was driving and everyone was having a great time....except me. I kept having a gurgling sensation in my stomach. It continued to get worse until I finally asked Mike to take the next exit so I could find a restroom. He agreed and immediately forgot my request until I strongly urged him again to pull over as soon as possible. I guess I said this in such a high-pitched frantic way that it scared him and he put the pedal to the floor looking for an exit. Before an exit came up I yelled, "I am about to have DISCOMFORT! Get off the road!" He saw an exit and literally flew off the highway, squealing all four tires as he slid into a gas station. I was out of the car before it came to a complete stop and ran as fast as I could. I bolted through the door of that restroom and locked the door in a nanosecond and hit that stall like a freight train.
The next few minutes were a blur but that stall sounded like a pentecostal revival with all the praying and begging for Jesus to come going on. For a good twenty minutes I pulled my hair, broke out in a sweat, ripped off my shirt, and yelled like a female screech owl during mating season. There were three hairline fractures to the toilet bowl and the lights flickered on and off. Finally things calmed down and as I caught my breath, unwrapped my shirt from around my head and opened my eyes.....I saw pink floor tiles....matching pink wall tiles....matching NO URINAL anywhere in sight. I had run into the women's restroom. I said "oh discomfort! What have I done?" Surely nobody will notice me this late in the night. I'll just put my shirt back on, wash up, and quietly sneak out....which I did....to about fourteen women in various states of despair waiting for me to come out. I could see Debbie, Cindy, and Mike in the car laughing uncontrollably like this was funny or something. I apologized to the ladies for making them wait and suggested they continue to wait a few minutes before going in....
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