Ever lose a comment?

(friends)

I comment on several blogs regularly .  There have been times I thought I commented and Sherry will say as she is reading your blogs, “I’m surprised you did not comment on Jimmy, Paula’s or one of my regulars blogs.” 

I reply, “Of course I did!”  Then I go back and sure enough as always, SHERRY is right.

You see, Sherry does not comment but usually reads your blogs and the comments. I believe in internet talk she is a ‘lurker’.

(duck sitter)

I do not know when Blogger started adding the popup: “Do you want to leave this page?” when I make a comment but do not publish it, but I am sure glad they did.  Last night on two occasions I got the message and went back to publish the comment.

HOWEVER NOW I AM VERY CONFUSED!

I had a bright idea of making a copy of that message and posting it. So I just went back to my ‘dashboard’ and clicked on several of  your journals, I faked a comment and left, and I did not get a warning of any kind.  So there must be times it will not remind me I have not published.  But I am still glad it has warned me on several occasions.

(I claim them)

There are many technical changes that I do not like, but that is one I like and understand, as soon as I see it.

Personal notes:

Since being in our home port, here in North Carolina, we have been very busy. I forget to publish my daily entry until late. I have done some improvements to the Car and motorhome ports. helped some of the seniors with minor problems soon I will start a chain-link fence. I have never done that before.  The grand dogs need a fence to run loose in.

(We can be friends when I am not hungry!)

During this time Sherry’s HS grad class is planning a reunion, and she is scheduling a lot of dinners and ‘get togethers’ to keep our social calendar taken care of.  She misses her class mates and friends on the road and likes to get her fill while we are in. We High School drop-outs don’t have to worry about those reunions.

(Every cat loves its mama! Even Human cats)

But we do try to catch up with family and friends while we are in for a couple months.  But it does seem harder and harder to fit everything into such a short window.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Work is one of my best friends.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sky Lark Buick? the wrap around windshield tells me it must be a 1955.

Another growing older entry

Answers to some questions asked on another forum:

Q…What has brought you the most Joy as you aged?

A….Seeing our sons make their way thru life, has been an up and down thing. There were times I wished for retroactive birth control. Then times my chest swelled with pride. BUT over all, it has been a joy.

Q… The most joyful thing? 

The grandkids have been great.  But learning that life is actually short, really short, and the things we wanted to do in years past and did not, if we are to do them, we must do them NOW. There is no PROMISE of tomorrow, nor continued good health..

Q…What would you do differently in your life?

A… 1. For one, I would really study and  get a REAL formal education.

    2.  My first love was the military, Using the college (that I would have gotten) I would still join but as an officer. I would request the Sea-Bees and major in construction. Then on retirement I would start the construction company as I did, but I would not spend years ‘Learning on the job’.

(For a long time I denied the education thing above, pointing out that I (we) had done better than most folks with the 4yr degree)

3. I would take more time with my sons’ educations, and TRY to encourage them to also seek a formal education.

4..  Above all I would strive to be a better husband and father (I am pretty good at it now, but I haven’t always been).

 
Q…  What words of advice do you have for my generation, as we try to grow closer to -- and guide -- our children?

A.. Here I am stumped and fall on the clichés, As you try to understand your children, LOVE them.  Unless you just have an aversion to church, you should be active in a church and encourage your kids to also.

Church is definitely not a cure-all, but good morals will be learned and Christian folk are pretty good people to be around.

I am not preaching here, but many wise folk believe in salvation.  It would be wise to ask some serious questions in that area.

There were a lot of good questions but I am not articulate enough to express my feelings.

thanks for stopping by the Shipslog.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

I have enjoyed a great life. But even the best  of lives could have used some tweaking!

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If I had it to do over again, I would buy that $50 1934 Ford from Bud Coren and asked my brother to store it for me. LOL

Church

I have said it many times on this blog, growing up and most of my life has been pretty much church centered. Churches have a lot of great folk that attend, and like every aspect of life some who think they are great.

When you are a fundamental preacher's kid, you  go to church a lot. In my first 16 years of life I attended church more times than most folk do in a life time.

I learned how to sneak out of church. I am not sure how many times dad ‘knew’ I was outside, but I do know a couple times he did. .

Our churches had a lot of ‘altar calls’. That was the time folks went to the altar to pray to get closer to God.  Many times for an hour and more. Lots of crying and praying, seeking ‘more of God’.

During that time the kids (not in the altar) were outside playing.  It was a time of hide and seek, tag, or ‘kick the can’.

Our churches had what was called the LWWB (Ladies Willing Worker Band). Many nights after church we gathered to have hot dogs and hamburgers. Sometimes baked beans, but mostly folks just ate Hot dogs and Hamburgers.  It was a fund raising thing and if the Altar Call was still going on, the ladies would serve us kids and we would ‘charge it’ to our parents.

So sometimes we just sat around and ate hot dogs and talked about school or summer coming up.

Those  evenings, mostly Sunday evenings, were so much fun, sometimes it wasn’t so bad being the preacher’s kid.

Church has changed with the times. I don't see kids playing after church anymore.  But now there is children’s church, I guess that makes a difference.

Church has become a business for some now, or so it seems. As a preacher, my dad would have NEVER asked for more money. IT just was not his nature. He would have been embarrassed to ask people to make a payment on a big house or big car.

So many times I say, I do not fit into today’s world, but I assume that every old person before me has said the same.

So try to keep my opinions to myself,because this generation will have to deal with their problems, as I did mine.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

My dad would have NEVER accepted the idea of a minister being a millionaire.  That said he would have admired the ones who became millionaires then returned most to the spreading of the Gospel.

One minister, I think he was Betty’s pastor, out on the west coast, became a millionaire when his books became ‘best sellers’. He and his wife p;aid back to the church everything he had been paid in his whole ministry and returned it to the church. Then he ceased taking a salary.  Now Dad could have lived with that.

<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

That old Straight drive

I was a kid when the automatic transmission was becoming ‘the thing’.  One funny thing about the transmissions was the ‘License examiners test drive’. For many years 1940-1960, in North Carolina you were not allowed to take the driver’s test with an automatic transmission.  So I got my license in a straight drive Chevy.  A year or so later, Sherry did the same.  You were also required to parallel park. that was a toughy for most. 

(No big dinner just a snack)

It took me two tries to be my license. The first  time I ‘rolled through’ a stop sign. The examiner had me stop and back up. He pointed to the sign and said,’That means STOP not slow down.’

(If I have to sit here, at least push!)

I did get my license the next week.  I taught Sherry to drive after we were married and she passed  on the first try.

I was telling a friend of mine this morning, I believe Bill Cosby described stopping at a traffic light, on a hill, driving  a straight drive. He did it  perfectly in one of his comedy records.

(He was being helpful, I am sure)

I can remember two traffic lights in Belmont I had problems with (stopping on a hill). I also remember ‘THAT Stop sign’ I rolled thru that failed me on the driver’s test.

Son Mark told Reece (his daughter) he would buy her a new car on graduation. She picked a YELLOW straight drive VW bug.  After a year she was a little tired of it  but held on to it for 10 years.  She only released the VW when Stella was born and needed 4 doors with the child’s seat.

Child seats! Remember when they were novelties with a steering wheel, and not required?

(Two of our grand dogs, Hendrix & Layla)

Your first car, what did you hang from the mirror? I am trying to remember and cannot, except for the air freshener.  Sherry might remember (she doesn’t).

(Again, At times pets can be helpful, right!)

I remember seeing dolls, graduation tassels, dice and yellow ribbons.

I do remember curb feelers and fender skirts very well.

(With a little help from a friend)

But the old straight drive, I will always remember.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

We are trying to plan our trip to the Northeast, but right now there are too many variables.  One is we may lose son Mark as a renter, and have to clean the house and prepare for new occupants.  It will only be family, so we can use our Home port here.

We want to be on the road mid-Jun if possible….

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Is that 3-d paint or the metal?

 

You gotta like this little Wrecker, reckon she does tows?

Potpourri

Chatty sometimes has a real variety of information as an entry. This will be a little like that.

Do you have a problem with some words, I mean spelling them? Alzheimer's whips me every time and I have to use spellcheck.

(Shirl wishes this was she)

I wish I had paid more attention in English classes, I still have a terrible time with:

See…saw…seen

My sweet wife will say, it is so simple, it is  like this   …Never use have with saw, you “have seen”… you never “Have saw”  etc……….(she just told me this again). She tells me how, then I forget.  Bonnie kept me straight as she proofed ‘Finally Love’.

(The imposter)

That reminds me, I feel I am a book behind, when actually I have two in the oven and cannot seem to hatch either one.  One is a book on full time RV’ing, that is our life style.  The other is a family book which is almost finished and I cannot get it  organized.

What I want to write is a sequel to ‘Finally Love’. I really enjoyed writing that book and have had some very good comments on it.  It has sold more copies than any of my books so far. To be honest, having them as e-books at 99¢ has helped a bundle.  I said I would do the 99¢ for a couple months, but it has been so much fun seeing them sold I just keep putting it off.

I was laughing the other day, I noticed that when sold in Europe I make a penny a book. But as the real Jack Darnell (another writer) up on Coker Creek says, “I’d write if no one read them.”

That reminds me, Jack lives across the mountain from Fred’s family. We will go by to see Frances on our way North. Fred passed a few weeks ago. We hooked up again after over 50 years and made some plans. He started Blogging and  he fell in love with some of the bloggers here. He became a regular, until he got too sick. I miss Fred. Strange how that happens.

I read a quote from Minnie Pearl once where she said, “If you want to make God smile, tell him your plans.”

We will all continue to make plans, as we should, but always understand, everything is ‘subject to change’.

I have a couple blogs I just look in on and never comment. Do you ever just ‘lurk’.  I accuse Sherry of that. She reads most everyone’s blog here and never comments. She lets me do it.  LOL

Well I started this entry to say nothing, and I have accomplished that. LOL

Nite Shipslog

PS:

If you are lurking, read the comments and go to those blogs, some are VERY cool, others are good.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

All I know is it is a Chrysler product, but I would like to have it.

USS North Carolina, replica by Odis Howard Darnell

The Battle Ship USS North Carolina BB55

My two older brothers were sailors but opposites. Jr. was mechanical and had a green thumb. Junior was the business man and Odis more the happy go lucky kind of guy. Junior was a Gunners Mate and Od was a Ships Carpenter. Odis was an artist and a lover of woodworking. His occupation was ‘Truck driver’ as was many of my family. Our Uncle Hisure taught him the trucking business.

His route took him past the Battleship North Carolina every week. He attended the dedication of the floating museum.  He bought a picture post card and on the way home decided to build a model. 

The results:

A wooden model 9.5 feet long weighing 150 lbs.

The ship was a winner, Odis won the coveted Gold Hammer Award, from Mechanics Illustrated. In an interview with the local paper he said, “I have no idea what I will do with my ship.”

The idea of huge models grew with Odis and his fleet grew:

Two more Battleships, a couple destroyers, an Aircraft carrier and three tall ships, the Pinta, Nina and the Santa Marie.

Me in uniform admiring my brother’s work.

Brother in law ‘Lt. Jim Wrap’ Shirl’s hubby, also admired the work.

Above is Howard (Odis’s oldest son) talking to a reporter. Odis could build, but Howard was the PR guy.  A business man himself Howard knew how to promote. We lost Howard at the age of 36, he had a beautiful wife and family. His future was bright when death snatched from his loving family.

The ships took on a life of their own. TV special, interviews and requests to display them.

The NEW Wachovia Bank building in Charlotte displayed the entire fleet for a week upon opening their local ‘skyscraper’.

After Odis’s untimely death at 61 the family was approached by the USS North Carolina Museum in Wilmington.  Yes they would donate the model.

Shirl, Jim, Sherry and I proudly delivered the model to the REAL ship on site at Wilmington. This time it was Shirl’s time to tell about our brother to the news folk.

That is the real battle wagon in the back ground.

As in life things change. Shirl is the record keeper in our family. She stayed in touch with the Museum. After 8yrs, She was informed of another donor and a larger model, so Odis ship would be excess.

There was a school in Rowan county that would love to have it. With Odis’s wife Ruth’s approval the exchange was made. We, Ruth and one of her sons was there to see it installed.

After 20 years in the school library, it was again excess, ‘Would the family like to have it returned?’ Shirl’s answer was “Certainly.” So Shirl rented the van and we went down to pick it up. a few days ago.

Odis’s family has been informed and they will decide the fate of the model.  At present it is in Shirl’s basement as she proudly displays it for any and all to see.

 

We were amazed after nearly 30 years of display away from the family protection, there was only minor cosmetic damage.

Anyway That is our family pride, the handmade model.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

In a conversation with my brother I was chiding him about allowing a ‘stand-in’ in a TV interview.

“Jackie, do you remember that man’s name who presented the ship?”

“No, to be honest, I don’t.”

“But you remember the ship don’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“That’s the important thing little brother.”

I knew him and I also knew he was right.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Antique 5th wheel RV

Methinks that is an old 1950 buick modified to reburn the excess from the exhaust. Looks like it is on fire. (I believe he is feeding more than excess!!!)