Thank a Veteran

 

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. -- General George Patton Jr

 

Yesterday we celebrated the 236th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps.  Today we are thanking the veterans for their service.  Being raised and living in the United States we have a lot to be thankful for.  Much of our thanks go to those who served and are serving today in the military.  It’s because of them that we can enjoy the freedom in this country that many others throughout the world have never experienced. 

There are two blogs I read this morning that I would like to link here.  They both reflect back on their fathers who were POWs during WWII.  Both are definitely worth reading.  The first one is here and the second one is here.

My father was from Kerrville, Texas.  Uncle Sam claimed him and moved him from there to Fort Worden in Washington State.  Instead of moving back to Texas after the war he settled in Washington, married my mother and spent most of his life fishing in the waters around Port Angeles.

Terry was in the US Navy and spent time along with many of our generation in Vietnam.  He didn’t spend his time in the waters off shore as many sailors did but spent his time on land in Vietnam.   For the first time TV brought that war home to most Americans.  Those of us who had loved ones over there were glued to it.  Not only did the battles of the day cover the news, it was probably the first time coverage of protestors was on every channel.  Remember when?   He can also tell you about the spraying of what they now call “Agent Orange”  almost every single day for the time he was there.  Amazing what they’ve learned about it after the fact.

As most of you know, we also have a grandson, Justin  who has followed into the footsteps of his grandfather with military service.  He is now serving in the US Navy going through schooling in Pensacola, FL. We are proud of his choice and want Uncle Sam to keep him safe.

We were invited by our neighbors, Sue and Marcus,  to attend a birthday party with them on Thursday.  Actually, we went to two birthday parties on Thursday.  The first one was a big bash thrown by a Marine veteran.  It was the 236th birthday of the Marine Corps.  It was a fantastic party.  The party was put on and totally paid for by the Marine veteran, Jim.  Even souvenir Marine Corp glasses were given to everyone in attendance.  It was an amazing event.

Our second party  was a birthday party at Filly’s – another local restaurant and lounge where Kerry and Brant were scheduled to entertain for the evening.  Actually, this wasn’t a planned birthday party but since we were invited to share part of the birthday cake, we did.  This is another local dive that was amazing.  Again, entertainment was spectacular and so was the company we were with, Jim and Sandie.

Now with all that activity on Thursday, it didn’t mean we had time to spare.  We didn’t.  We had to get in a little ride.  We did just that.  We jumped on our quads and took a spin in the desert.   I also brought back a souvenir from our little outing.  I do that more often than I want.  Notice the little cactus on the tire.

How did we ever have time to work?  And, Marti thinks she just might get bored.  HA!

Spending the Winter Where ???

Kilometers are shorter than miles. Save gas, take your next trip in kilometers.

Enjoying steaks on the beach at Coronado -- winter time.

There aren’t a lot of places one can go to stay warm during the winter months and still be in the United States.  Where you might think the weather will be perfect doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be.  We spent a month in Florida a couple years ago.  Doesn’t Florida – just the word – conjure up sights and sounds of gorgeous sunshine and pristine beaches??  Well, we were right in our decision for about a week and that was it.  The best part about it were the people we were with – Lee and MaryJane.

Along with the beautiful white sand beaches of Florida we enjoyed spending time with friends.

Our timing was just bad since it rained most of the time we were there.  We loved the Gulf Shores area of Alabama more than the part of Florida we were in.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe it was because the weather was nicer at that time.  Maybe it’s because we expected palm trees and got pine trees instead.  However, looking back I can tell you not all of Florida is wonderful and warm during the winter months.  Go south.  Go way south.

There are always a few cons attached to each pro.  We loved the Biloxi, Mississippi area but it gets cold there in January.  It gets cool and windy in south Texas and even in southern California.  Coming up with the perfect winter destination is extremely difficult.  It’s not that we’re looking to go someplace we’ve never been.  We’ve been to those places. We’re actually looking for something a little different this winter than we’ve looked for in the past.  Maybe the location on the map isn’t so important.  Maybe it’s just not. 

Biloxi, MS was fantastic.  We stayed at the Elks Lodge and on one side of the street we parked.  Across the street was this gorgeous beach.

As we get later in the summer this year, our idea of a perfect place to be continues to change.  Maybe distance this year is a little more important.  Just maybe it is.   Maybe we don’t want to travel far.   After all, this is the first time in 8 years that both our kids and their families (except Justin, who now belongs to Uncle Sam) are within 50 miles of each other.  It would really, really be nice to have a good old fashioned Christmas together one more time.   If we’re close enough, we could drive back for Christmas.  Flying is out because Duchess doesn’t fly.  Sometimes real life steps in and changes our minds on what we thought we would want to do.  Sometimes we need to come off vacation and enjoy just the pleasures of real living … sometimes.  Sometimes RVing just isn’t enough.  It’s nice to have two worlds.

Does that mean we’ll be in California or Arizona through December?  We do have friends heading in that direction.  Maybe, but then where will we be in January, February or March?  That’s what we’d like to know.

Beach front in San Diego was definitely another prime location for us.

We’ve spent a few winters around Arizona.  You can usually count on mostly nice weather in Arizona but we’ve really been ready for a change.  We’ve been talking and planning and looking at maps and places to stay.  Maybe, just maybe, this isn’t the year to make a big change.  Maybe it is.  I suppose we could find other places in Arizona to winter other than driving an additional 1,000 miles to Texas this year but do we really want to?

This was a gorgeous place we stayed in Arizona.  Too bad though that they don't offer monthly rates.

This is what we’re kind of thinking.  We might travel somewhere from central California or Lake Havasu area until right after Christmas.  Over the holidays, we’ll just drive the car back to Washington. Then, after the holidays head towards Corpus Christi ---- maybe.  At least we do have reservations in Corpus beginning February. We lived in Texas for many years and that’s where my dad is from.  I’d really like to go back and visit some familiar places but we’ll just have to see if we make it there.  Right now .. that's just the plan.

Where will we end up this winter?  We don’t know. Have you found the perfect place to spend the winter?   Where exactly is that perfect place?  I think we all have a different idea of what perfect is.  Is it the people or is it the location?

One thing we do know is that we will hightail it out of here before the snow blankets the mountains holding us captive to a frigid, wet winter.  That’s just about all we know.