Sunday… Again, what are you doing?

 Picture of the day:

        Flight deck was relaxed when not launching... WE could wander around looking at the sea. The flight deck is larger than a football field. Over 5000 sailors/officers aboard.

                                    Launching aircraft 

Now for today’s stuff:

I have always had a knack for fixing things. It is satisfying to see something that has become completely useless, working again.

Problem is my mind is NOT sure the broken, can be fixed. Most of the time the fix works, but the very next time, there the doubt is again.

Twice in my life I have had too much repair responsibility. Aboard the Aircraft Carrier Independence and the Naval Base GITMO. I was the only repairman aboard ship for all the IBM gear in supply, Intelligence and in the Spook area. Calls, more times than I can count. My main job was not repair, but intelligence processing. But repair took precedence.

More times than not when called to fix a machine, I looked at the problem and my mind said, you won’t get this one. On GITMO, my main job was processing Supply data and printing over 10,000 pay checks twice a month. Repair, maintenance, and preventative maintenance took a lot of time.

But there again, every stinking breakdown, my mind said, ‘Dude, this one you cannot fix, call IBM they will send a technician down here.’

I don’t think I have ever mentioned this to anyone. Is that doubt normal? I mean after the hundreds of repairs, fixing them all, I would still think. This one has got me What am I doing here?.

I was not the only one. All Ships with IBM processing gear had only one repairman; he was also an operator. I never once asked any of the other repairmen I knew, did they have those doubts?

That pressure was only about 5-6 years. Most jobs it was common to have a shipmate or fellow worker to assist in problems. There is no job, civilian or military that doesn’t bring up problems, BUT most times there is assistance and advice of folks with like skills.

To be sure, on the outside, I always said and acted like, 'NO PROBLEM!', this machine will be back on line in a short time. AND as a fact it always was.

That doubt has SELDOM raised its head in other jobs and tasks.  My main job on the ship had to do with processing data brought in by our aircraft, some were classed as 'spy planes'  Ever hear of Gary Powers?

I worked closely with Pilots.

This picture was taken by a pilot flying just under the wing of  his pardner who is just under a Russian Bomber.   When our radar would show a Russian plane near our Task Force the skipper would scramble our fighters to escort the 'intruder' away.  It was a game to the pilots, They said they always waved and smiled. WE had photographers and processors in our intell center, they would process the pilot's personal film; the pilots would give us some of them.

Was those situations with doubt normal? Have you ever asked yourself, WHAT AM I DOING?

Nite Shipslog

PS: I just told Sherry about the doubt, she said this was the first time I ever told her. all the time she thought I was smart and knew exactly whta I was doing. LOL If you are still here, you get an A+ !

Saturday…. What are you doing?

 

Picture of the day:

(Our new house to us again)

Now for today’s stuff:

I have been thinking, very dangerous or course. However, as I sit here, I still do it. As I write I am at our kitchen table. WE have our Kodak screen on the table also. Sherry is across from me. Looking at her tablet. She did have a PC, but has graduated to a tablet. 

Sherry will see one of the grands or great grands, or even someone she starts thinking of, pop up on the Kodak and will freeze it there. Right now she has frozen it on this picture:

pic chief

Chief Darnell. Yeah, you thought I was an old man didn’t you? That picture was only 37 years ago. So naturally I haven’t changed much, except I no longer wear the hat.

BUT back to thinking. I have had offices with plenty of room for computers, books, etc on my desk. Now, here in the RV, we make do, and we work it out pretty well.

Back in Belmont, NC, at our ‘new house to us again’, we have plenty of room. I will try to explain that statement:

Years ago we were in Yipsi, Michigan. Called up there to assist Sherry’s bro, Johnny. He was very sick. He was a bachelor. The waiting room had a computer with net access. WE owned 2 condos in Belmont, they were leased out. WE decided to find us a home in Belmont, and settle down, after Johnny was better.

I found a nice fixer upper, and we agreed to buy it. Johnny got better and we drove back to NC, bought the house, parked our RV coach behind the house and started remodeling the house. When it was finished, son Mark needed a place to live so he rented it. I had an RV Port installed, so We stayed in the back yard in the coach. AND THEN the road beckoned.

                            (Coach in the RV Port in the back yard)

Mark moved out to Florida and Granddaughter Sherece bought the house from us. WE had never moved into it.

NOW the LAST action on that house is, WE have traded Sherece (Our grand daughter) one of the condos for this house. So we moved our stuff a couple months ago. So we again own the house and as of today have never lived in it. That is why I say, “Our new house to us again!”

This is not what I planned to say….. So maybe I will do tomorrow.

Nite Shipslog

PS: Yeah, you know I ain’t right anyway.

Friday… Just sayin’

 Picture of the day:

The approach to Thousand Trails Orlando RV sites.

One of our previous sites.

Now for today’s stuff:

Ever notice when someone does something that seems simple and normal then watch something totally different happen than what you expected.

A beginning note. Interstate highway #4 goes thru Orlando. In the past few years It has been really modernized to help traffic problems. Many over passes have been added. Traffic is still tough but much better.

Now to my first thoughts. In a few days we will head down to Orlando for a couple weeks. I am looking forward to a particular spot on hwy 27 west of Orlando.

AS you may know hills are not plentiful in Florida. There was a huge hill on #27 that was for sale for awhile. Probably 60 acres of land. I pictured condos or a shopping center there. While we were there a couple years ago they started leveling the hill.

I learned the buyer was selling the dirt to the state to build those over passes on I-4. Hundreds of trucks a day were hauling that hill away. I am anxious what a wise man or corp will do with the money they earned from dirt on that now vast level valuable piece of property. In reality they they sold the land a truckload at a time and still had the acreage they started with.

Well sorry, being a retired builder I am still interested in what other builders do, even the mega builders. I just thought that was an amazing idea.

Okay enough rambling, we are looking forward to being in the area of the famous entertainment things there, although it is doubt full we will do anything other than walk and relax.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Orlando is of course a beautiful area. It used to smell better and look better when it was surrounded by thousands of citrus groves...  BUT then came progress.

Thursday… just rambling

 Picture of the day:

Just thinking about the Mediterranean Sea. I was there in the USMC and the USN.  Beautiful area of the world.  Beautiful people also.  I was treated well when in Port.

Now for today’s stuff:

Sitting here thinking, what to write? I am eating my snack along with my nightly red wine. I buy the cheapest wine in the store. My Dr. recommended the wine and he said the price doesn’t matter unless you are after a particular taste.

My taster is gone (along with my mind) and besides I would not know good from bad wine.

The Mediterranean coast line is not all beaches,, but many beautiful coves. 

I have had wine made by Monks in Spain and ell-cheapo from California, none of it is great so I do not have a problem.

I also chew my multi vitamins at night before my wine and eat some good trail mix as a snack. I can no longer swallow that multi vitamin easily that Sherry used to give me.

But of course, you do have the French Revera

I have no medications. I was once on a Staten. It ruined one arm muscle and I gave it up, and started eating more oatmeal. My cholesterol is still too high, but my Dr says with my health, I can handle it.

Messina Sicily where once passing in the night we got to see Mt. Vesuvius erupt, wow what a site.

In closing, did you guys know that ‘Chatty’ is old enough to have a daughter that has a son who is 26 yrs old? That boy now has a wife and a baby? Of course I am sure Chatty was about 14 years old when she gave birth to her daughter; just saying she looks too young to be a Great Grandma!

So I never did think of what I was gonna write about. ..... But here is Love from Central Florida.

Nite Shipslog

PS: I hope yo all had a great Presidents day...

Wednesday… Sight-seeing on a bicycle? Nah!

Take a break, Pictures of the day are from the net and feature some South America:

Machu Picchu, Peru, Home of the Inca Elite. 15^th Century beauty and artisan-ship!

(Llamas live there now!)

Today’s stuff:

Ans. ? 1st:  YES..I got an e-mail saying the IRS has accepted my tax form. I should hear more in 21 days. if I need to fix something. 

When I see things like the above pictures it amazes me. How in the world could that be accomplished back in the 15^th century. To me that is up there in ‘How Possibles’ with the Pyramids of Egypt because of the location and getting materials up there to build such a place.

        A national park in Columbia, South America

It is no secret I love to travel, I sit here wondering why I did not try so see something like this.

I am sorry I missed it. Travel, I enjoy riding a bike, but traveling on bikes has never interested me. However, in the past few weeks we met a man from Canada; he met and married a lady from Europe when bicycling there. They Biked over Europe and recently finished a 9 thousand mile+ trip down the west coast of the Americas, from Canada to the tip of Argentina on bicycles.

      Below is a Nat'l park in Chile, South America

That trip I can only imagine. I guess you must know how to find a lot of reasonable Bed and breakfast places.

                        Cole- Cole Beach in Chile

I have never been in a hot air balloon but imma thinking I would rather take a Balloon around the world, than ride down that coast thru those mountains………... But now I am thinking....... how do you steer a hot air balloon to get you to a good place to spend the night, and there are no rest areas up there.

Maybe I would rather take a bicycle! ;-)

 Last Picture along the coast of Chile

Nite Shipslog

PS: South America is a very interesting place. In pictures, but we have never been there. I think the furthermost South we have been is the little country of Belize.

Tuesday.... The Federal Income Tax filing is near.

 Picture of the day.

Now for today’s stuff:

Well, I finally took the bull by the horns and filled out our tax returns. For a while when I ran a business, I had a CPA. That was only because my brother, a successful businessman in retail sales, asked me once who did my taxes. I answered, “ME.”

He informed me as a businessman, I could not do that,  imma thinking he was saying I wasn‘t smart enough,. Any way I found a CPA and quit doing my taxes until the CPA passed away.

Over the years it has become more complicated, but still I prefer to do ours. I guess I am cheap....... Well I do not guess that. LOL

Anyway, that is done; we have been residents of Florida for years (we have 'no' state tax). When living in NC we paid state income tax as well as Federal. 

This time of the year I sit around and think. It would be so simple if everyone who earned over $30,000 a year would pay a flat 10% fed tax.

Amazing once when President Nixon’s tax returns were made public, I had paid more taxes than he did and he was my commander in chief. LOL Nixon was not even a billionaire. Now the present president in the past few year paid ZERO tax, and him a billionaire.

I am not sure if anyone has read all of the tax code. I have read what effects our return; the only thing that baffles me is the formula for figuring how much of one's SS is taxable. It is NOT that it is so complicated, it is just that the mathematic gymnastics is so strange, with no logic, to my mind.

I am not saying either president or other Billionaires are breaking the law, they are within the law they just have a FEW more loopholes than you and I. LOL

I have beat that subject to death, so imma quit.

I do love this country and we but taxes are a must to run it, keep order and fix the roads. But taxes ain’t no fun.

Most of my life I have heard, There are 2 sure-things in life, death and taxes. YEP!

Nite Shipslog

PS: If you are still reading, THANKS, you B sweet.

Monday...Who knew?

 Picture of the day.

1955Plymouth. The mid 50's was the time paint jobs changed from the older version of a 'Two-tone' car. Two-tone meant the top was a different color than the body.

Now for today’s stuff:

Who knew that dogs would one day be pushed around in

 baby carriages?

Who knew that one day you would see 1/2/3 year-olds’ with computers in shopping carts while mom and dad shopped for groceries.

Sherry’s family never owned a car!

Who knew the small mill town of Belmont, where most folks walked to work and church, would have big traffic jams and waits at a traffic light up to 3 cycles to get thru?

Who Knew that there would be a day that millionaires could be made by citizens sitting at home buying and selling stocks from their home?

Who knew that many people could lose their homes and every thing they have doing the same thing?

Sorry, I know you are tired of an OLD man’s selective memory. I do not think it is my time yet, but I know it won’t be long until memories will be ALL I do have.

The 1956 Buick color change

WE have a good life. I do not handle ‘tough family problems well. I never pictured a problem, not health wise, that could shake my foundations, but I have learned a hard lesson.

If I even pictured getting old, the only problem I could see that would shake me would be Sherry’s or my health turning bad. I do thank God that so far we both still have good health.

Who knew that 60 year old men would allow the drug fentanyl to ruin their lives?

1956 Ford standard paint job.

I heard a preacher once say, you can wish the death penalty on a druggie or drug dealer, until he sits across the table from you at breakfast every morning.

Life takes on different meaning as circumstances change.

Nite Shipslog

PS: If you are still reading, you be sweet.

Sunday… Are your clothes old enough to vote?

 Picture of the day:

Now for today’s stuff:

I grew up in a home with parents who were raised as Georgia farmers. My food was great but simple: potatoes (Irish & sweet), corn, cabbage, green beans, butter beans, tomatoes, apples and pears.

I then left home and was shocked by STRICT dedicated Drill Instructors. But there were small things, food was one thing, much of it foreign to me.

There were those little bitty baby cabbages, I never saw a head of cabbage that little in any of mamas gardens. Yep I ate things that my mates had to tell me what I was eating, such as: Brussels sprouts, Broccoli and asparagus.

I dated Margaret for awhile. She introduced me to olives. I liked ‘em. So I grabbed some from the bar, I about broke my teeth, I had no idea they had SEEDS how was I to know they had replaced the seeds with that red stuff for Margaret.

And I sure didn’t know anyone cooked with olive oil. I thought that was only for anointing Jews and Christians then praying for them.

I was just about old enough to vote, when my education in life began. Now that I am getting real smart it is about time to sign off from life. Now my clothes are old enough to vote before I realize Florsheim Shoes are not cool. I have a pair about 50 years old. I paid $35 for ‘em. I gotta find a cobbler and get them half soled.

Torn dungarees are about out of style before I realized those girls weren’t poor and in need of new clothes, they were cool.

Okay, too much, too scattered, but that is my mind. My snack is getting old enough to vote!  LOL

Nite Shipslog

PS: If you are still reading, thanks for stopping by..