Sunday 16th … Stuff

 Today's Picture:

                                                USAF Academy Chapel in Colorado.

The chapel is notable for its 17 spires, which are made of glass and aluminum, and it features a tubular steel frame

SO for now:

I am getting frustrated at this computer, again today the keyboard locked up when started this post.  It is late but I will still post.

Movers will be here Wednesday morning to do the big switcheroo. Funny today I went over and got into my old play house. I was surprised both mine and Marks contractor’s books  were still in there. I dumped them in the recycle bin.  They are so far out of date only our names remained the same. LOL They date back into the late 1900s. 

It was sorta fun seeing things I left when we moved. I left piles of tools and they are still there.

I mentioned several times when we owned this house before I remodeled a large storage building for Grandson Luke to have a place to live until he finished school. He named the little efficiency “The Dog House”. The name is still there. It has a full bath, washer/dryer, small cabinet, sink and space for a double bed.  My playhouse (tool shop) is attached at one end.

Staying busy and looking forward to settling in a new home base (for a few weeks.). I hope to get my  tools settled in before the actual move.

From NC, the Gypsies looking for a place to settle down for a few weeks.

;-)

Nite Shipslog

 PS.    

Sending some good thoughts your way.

Saturday the 15th … Still moving but again thinking of a great friend.

 Picture of the day:

Sonny Helms, Brother-in-law and GREAT friend.

Sonny and I On our circle around the US in California, at Graman's Chinese Theater with our fingers in Trigger's hoof prints.

Sherry and Colette with Debbie Reynold's handprints.

SO for now:

JJ helped me move HEAVY stuff to our new house today. Mus be 2 or 3 generators, a tiller, a broken pressure washer, power weed eater, compressor, and some odds and ends.

I took time to plug a tire on grandson Lukes Ski-doo trailer that has not been used for 2-3 years. LOL

Oh yes and we did go to a church BBQ at the Paw Creek Methodist church. WE had a great time but brought back memories of a man I will never see again in this life. My friend Sonny’s Son and daughter (Steve and Vickie) were there.

This picture came up in discussion today. Taken the day of our marriage, Sherry, Reecie (Sherry's good friend) and Colette (Sherry's sister and Vickie's mama) The three adults were supposed to be the Stars, but Vickie on the left stole the show. LOL

I don’t know what it is like to lose a mate (and hope I never know) but I KNOW how it feels to lose a super friend. We had a lot to talk about. I have told Steve a million times how much I miss his dad, WE did so many things together. Steve blessed my soul once about a year or so ago, just after he had lost his best friend Hank.

He said, “Uncle Jack, you have said so many times how you felt about losing my dad. It was good to know that, BUT NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU REALLY MEANT, ‘When you say I miss him, YOU REALLY MEAN YOU MISS HIM, NOT JUST IN WORDS.’ ”

Yes, there is such a thing as ‘missing someone,’ and then there is also a real thing of !!MISSING SOMEONE!! down deep in your soul.

Above is Steve consoling JJ who didn't want his picture took.

I hope we all have a great weekend.

Nite Shipslog

 

PS.    Griping, ME? “Never in a hundred, never in a thousand, never in a million years, uh oh uh oh!”  I know that was in some song a long time ago…!

BUT I am still Sending some good thoughts your way.

FRIDAY THE 14TH … Things makes one wonder?

 Picture of the day:

Me 'n my beautiful girl enjoying a break in Port au Prince, Haiti, over from work in GITMO Bay, .  Haiti took a terrible hit from that last hurricane.

SO for now:

Still busy, still hitting odd happenings.  I have been on the net laptop searching how unlock my keyboard.  I finally succeeded, but do not know for sure what I did to fix it.  Does that ever happen to you, get something ‘fixed’ and don’t know exactly what you did?

When I said that I thought of Grandson Josh who once said about that, “Yes, grandpa, that has happened to me even in software problems.”  Actually, made me feel better. 

We came back to NC expecting to have an appointment with an attorney.  Nope, rescheduled!  But did get to talk to the attorney.  The swapping houses can be simple, he said, but looking at my paperwork, he was not too sure since it seems the county may have combined our properties for tax purposes blurring the intermediate lot lines. He will let us know in a couple days.

Talked to the movers, things still online, someone will be by here to do an estimate Saturday AM.  WE are still moving with or without the legal work done.

That’s all folks.  I am dead in the water for a day or so more.  Today was spent cleaning gutters…..

Oh yes, Grandson Josh (methinks) was looking into some scientific stuff.  He said he just learned that Protons have mass.  That surprised him, he said he had no idea Protons were Catholic.  :-O

Smile and life will be much better…..

Nite Shipslog

 

PS.    Griping is an easy thing to do.  I am getting real good at it.  I will soon have it down pat. LOL   ;-), It is cool in NC…But I am still Sending some good thoughts your way.

Tuesday 11-11 … bad friend? ..Also tough trip start, but made it.

 

Picture of the day

Many years ago, a sailor home for a visit.  Sweet Sherry and Son Mark , on the right with Jack jr. taking the picture. This is on the porch of the first house we ever owned,  cost $3,000  in 1966 or there about.

SO for now:

I saw another of those crazy headlines:

Bad friends and how to lose them.

I sat and thought for a good while, Bad friends?  I personally cannot remember having a ‘bad’ friend, how can that be? I have had acquaintances, even shipmates, I preferred not to be around, so I intentionally avoided contact.

I can try hard and imagine how someone might have a ‘bad’ friend, but fortunately, I cannot remember one.

I am putting this blog entry together as we prepare to leave Florida heading for our home base in NC.  In this slack time we are thinking of finding a home between here (mid Florida) and the Georgia line.  I am looking in the Polatka and Live Oak areas.  Maybe even Jasper, FL do you like the town name Jasper?

Now we are in NC, one of the worst RV park ‘check-outs’  of our over 20 years of RV’ing.

A little back ground, we checked into the park in Eustis. The lady smiled ‘less’ than any park I can remember checking into. Evidently they have had problems with folks not leaving their sites in time. i.e. 11AM on check out day. She took much time to explain on checkout day if you are 15 minutes late, you are fined $30, and each 15 minutes until 4 are reached, then you owe for a full day.

Sherry laughed about that, since in nearly 25 years of full time that has never happened to us. Even he day before our departure a rep came by to remind us tomorrow is check out day.

To keep from stretching this out. WE did our preps the night before. The danged living room slide refused to come in. after much finagling, guessing, and tries we got it in. Ahhh we can rest.

Checkout morning, the coach refuses to start. YES! Wasting an hour, trying our car’s little battery with a jumper, along with my battery charger, we got it started!! Of course we were out long before ‘fine’ time. WE had a good trip and drove straight thru.

Upon arriving here, one more of the bad icing on the cake, our tow vehicle, our Honda CRV  would not start.

Son Jack Jr. has a jump kit and started the Honda and we got set up, HOWEVER that living room slide we had trouble with, refused to work.

BUT we did get in, and are behind our home, set up and glad to be on familiar ground.

This is just a check in and a chance to vent.  LOL

Nite Shipslog

 

PS.  Pretty tired, driving straight thru a little over 500 miles, after a tough start, we are beat...  Griping is an easy thing to do.  It is nice to be able to gripe with a smile after the fact.

LOL   ;-)

Love from NC

Saturday 11-8 … Just Out, not sure where.

 

 Saturday 11-8 …  Just Out, not sure where.

Picture of the day

                    

Something has an eye on me. If I don't return, us this as evidence to start the hunt...

SO for now:

I will miss a day or two.  Will read and comment when I can.  Thanks you guys, and Comments off

Nite Shipslog

PS. 

I really do not know how to make comments off. But I tried. LOL   ;-)

from FL  soon to be NC in a couple days

Friday 11-7… The birthday, it was special..

  Picture of the day

         Birthday Girl shows she is not afraid of a Gator

SO for now:

I just saw a headline, and OLD couple 109 and 107 they have been married 83 years,  WE would like to break that record. (for a bunch of reasons….)

No “S” I did not try the gator tail.  I tried that once traveling thru Louisiana and it fell a little short.  I think it was cooked in old grease, but it had a not so great taste. L. WE all had shrimp and flounder with different sides.

WE made it to Corky Bells and even mid day had to wait for a table.  Food was good as always.

Some pictures from the Birthday trip:

Sherry, son Mark and Me Outside Corky Bells

                                        The proud hubby and his sweetheart

                            Yeah, I know he is back there...

Corky Bells has a lot of gators thru out ... We said good by to this one after we ate.

Nite Shipslog

PS. 

Sherry had a great day….   ;-)

Love from FL

 

Thursday 11-6 The most wonderful Girl in the World!

 Picture of the day

SO for now:

Wiley and Susie Harris had 2 girls and 3 boys. 88 years ago THEY welcomed their third Girl into the world.  They did not know She was made for me. She lived and grew up in Belmont, NC. 

 

It was 16-17 years before I was able to find her, BUT I knew I would find her.  And I did.

I almost blew it when I thought I was betting on a sure thing. When a fellow Marine and I made a bet we were getting married that weekend, the bet was $50 (nearly a month’s pay) to the one who did not get married.  Since it was a sure thing, Sherry had already agreed to marry me.

And then the other shoe dropped. I ignorantly told her about the bet. The sweetest, most beautiful girl in the world turned my world upside down when she said, “I will not marry you on a bet Jack Darnell, FORGET IT!”

AND SHE DIDN’T (that weekend) I did not lose $50 because the other guy didn’t get married either.

But she did marry me a few weeks later making me the luckiest Marine in the Corps.

Actually, the luckiest guy in the world.  That was nearly 70 years ago.  She is still the most beautiful girl in the world.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LOVE, SHERRY LUCILLE HARRIS DARNELL.

                        

Her smile sets my fields on fire. ;-)  I have NOT been the best husband, but I have always loved this girl, and appreciated her vast qualities.  WE have been a team.

For the past few years, I have created her BD card.  This year I found a card that said exactly how I feel. She will be surprised to get a commercial card. WE will go to Corky Bell’s Fish House (her choice) up in Palatka. We will go early so we will not travel in the dark.

I hope your day is good…..

Nite Shipslog

PS. 

Enjoy this life, I have and hope to continue.  My girl and I do realize how blessed we are to still have each other.  Oh I am sure she loves me too, I am a good dish washer you do not find that every day. ;-)

Love from FL

Wednesday 11-5 … A little More on ADVICE.

 Today’s picture:

 

BUT for today:

Advice from my childhood. In my youth one thing my dad kept reminding me, “Do not play the other guy’s game unless you KNOW the rules and are good at it.”

What I Know about investing in stocks:

1.       You can get filthy rich!

2.       You can go dead broke!

Someone I know lost thousands in a few days! Another acquaintance said he had lost 14 million in a day.

I know some about real estate investment. If you have $150,000 that you can invest you can buy a CD and make 3%. OR you can buy a house for $150,000 and rent it out for $1000 a month. That will give you 8%. The house is better than a CD but more involved.

Debt free living is our practice.  Of course we have not always been able to do that.  WE financed one car and had a mortgage on one home. We DO NOT pay interest on Credit Cards; we use two and make money on them. Theys are paid off monthly, and the bank gives us rewards.  We are being paid to use their money. I smile at that ;-)

There is NOTHING wrong with living in debt if you don’t mind paying the interest, can keep up the payments and it doesn’t stress you out.

ME?  I cannot do that, I would be stressed, and it would not be good for my health.

Things have made me roll my eyes. A friend who was earning 6 figures a year, when $12 and hour was good money. He was driving a new truck I said, “Man that is a great truck, I bet you like it.”

“Yeah Jack, I do, and the payments are just $50 more a month than my old one.”  (shocked, I had assumed he had paid for it) He had financed a 20k truck and earned over $100,000 a yr. That amazed me.

Anyway, family finances and how they are handled are personal business. Our attitudes here are set, don’t get it if you cannot pay for it.

When I decided to go into business my girl had something to say about that. (I have probably said it before) Sherry said, “I am all for it, but PROMISE ME you will not go into debt more than we can pay off and NEVER BUILD A HOUSE that we would not live in, because if the bottom falls out, we just might have to do that.

I promised and followed her guidelines, and we did well.

NOW, Not sure if I showed you our latest GGranddaughter Dillon.  If not here is Jack Wiley and Maverick with their new                     sister Dillon (a day old).

Nite Shipslog

PS: 

WE are on the downhill run here in FL. We head back to NC next Monday, where we will start our move, this will be our 26^th move I think. LOL  Since we sold our place in Leesburg to son Mark, our long thought plan is finding a fixer-upper north, maybe the Palatka area (since we love Corky Bell's Sea food) that sounds like a good idea. LOL

.

Tuesday 11-4 Do you give advice (or just wish you could?)

 

Picture of the day

 

BUT for now:

Since I am so old and smart, I tend to want to give a lot of advice.  Sometimes I do give advice, to my own shame.  It is not that we humans are so smart, but we have our ways and it is so logical; we wonder why everyone would not do as we do, or act as we do.

To clarify, I TRY to NEVER give medical advice, except to ME! I remember well a very wise Doctor, Dr. Coutts. He looked me in the eye and said very firmly, “YOU ARE NO DOCTA”. He was just about right.  LOL

There are wise people who can give advice from experience and we should listen.  I tried being a preacher (minister, pastor) for a few years and found out too late I had made a mistake.

My dad was a successful minister and a very good pastor and shepherd of his flock. He also had learned a lot. When asked for advice, or when he felt it was needed, he gave it. Dad never pushed me nor suggested I become a preacher, but once I decided, he gave me two bits of advice that if I knew how I would pass it on to ALL pastors.

#1..Son, do not go in debt, your family will not go hungry, if you are in HIS WILL, God’s people will feed you.

#2.. When you say in your SERMON, “In closing” or “I am closing”, CLOSE the Sermon.  As soon as you say ‘IN CLOSING’...... but do not, you lose part of the congregation, they have things planned after church and their minds will automatically go to their plans. 

He let me know that #2 was the most ignored and misused of any advice given.  I just endured one of those non closing closings  AGAIN last Sunday; our good pastor, closed his sermon 3 times, and still kept on. (BTW... IT WAS A VERY GOOD SERMON)

A wise minister or any public speaker should know when he has lost many of his listeners.

Nite Shipslog

PS. 

One of these days I may be able to post my odd life in a Christian world.  BTW if you want to read some great pastoral advice, find some sermons of Father Ignatius.  Old Victor includes some of them in his books. Amazon.com : books written by Victor Moubarak

I hope you are not a ‘Bored again Christian'!”

Love from FL

 

Monday 11-3 Time changes, international date lines and collateral duties

 Picture of the day:

The ship I spent a couple of years on, USS Independence CVA-62

 

( Fire aboard is very dangerous. The Seaman is assigned many collateral duties, one is 'Fire Watch'.  A ship will have many sailors walking passageways during 'quiet time'. These troops walk 4 hour shifts from 2200 (10PM) thru 0800 (6AM) ready to report any apparent danger such as fire)

So for now:

Unless your job or lifestyle requires you to ‘work’ or be awake in the EARLY morning hours you may not truly understand this post.

First of all did you realize that Hotel clerks, policemen, night guards, and 3^rd shift factory workers worked an hour longer on 'time change' night and may or may not have gotten paid for it.

The reason this is prominent in my life is because I have crossed the Atlantic Ocean at least 3 times, both ways. When aboard ship evening and nights are broken into 4 hour shifts one of those jobs is called ‘fire-watch’.  The fire watches are collateral, above your regular job. 

Sailors stand these watches by assignment. The ‘Watch’ walks through-0ut the ship looking for dangers to his ship. That is so everyone aboard can rest easy that they will be alerted of fires, collisions or any other dangers. That meant me, and thousands of sailors work many 12 hour days when their time for fire watch comes.

Just as we all lost an hour with this change, someone stood a 5 hour mid-watch vs a 4-hour watch. Crossing the Atlantic Eastward this will happen 5 or six times, because of crossing International timelines. Therefore, the sailor walking ‘fire watch’ walks an extra hour each night that happens, it is just like the time change, except it happens much more often.

Now vice versa, crossing the ocean Westward those ‘Fire watches’ will walk only a 3-hour MID WATCH tour, because they gain an hour.

There was a fire during my fire-watch once on the USS Independence CVA 62.  The fire was not on my post, but it was my duty to wake AND CLEAR.

 Enlisted areas were easy to manage. WE enlisted, slept in large compartments. I only had to yell FIRE, FIRE, REPORT TO THE FLIGHT DECK!  Then head to another compartment.  A funny but weird thing did happen. In one compartment Sailors were watching ‘Desert Fox’ on TV and they were actually fanning smoke from the front of the screen so they could watch more before they ran out. I yelled, stay here you idiots, this fire is real, this is not a drill.

Nite Shipslog

PS.  The fire mentioned turned out to cause minor damage and was extinguished fast by our fire crews. But fires cannot be ignored... The best to you readers,  from FL