Thursday, July 28, 2011

Seventy

Monday July 25Th was my 70Th birthday. It is a milestone of sorts. The strange thing is I don't feel 70. Actually, I am sort of surprised that I am 70. Where have the years gone? I sometime think its not possible and I am still that scrawny kid running up to the bow on the aircraft carrier to wait for my plane to land. Reality sets in when I reflect on the important accomplishments in my life. A great married life, three great children, nine grandchildren and now my wife Carol. I know that I have been blessed. I was blessed to have made wonderful dear friends back in the Navy days that I am still close too.

I was greeted at breakfast with a birthday card, and after Hugh said grace, Hugh, Samra and Carol sang happy birthday to me. I received calls and or email from my kids, niece and step daughter. Hugh and Sam took us out to lunch and we then spent a quiet day at Hugh and Sam's home. It was a great 70Th birthday.

As a footnote, I had parked my truck near an ant hill and there must have been some dog food crumbs on the rug. When I tried to brush them out of the truck with my hand on Monday morning, I found out they were fire ants. Nasty little things. I stopped at Ace hardware for spray. I am happy to report that the truck is now ant free and Hugh tells me that the welts from the bites will soon go away.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Hot Coffee, Mississippi

Friday, Hugh was feeing much better and he asked if we would like to go to Hot Coffee, Mississippi. I checked Microsoft's Streets and Trips and found no listing. Well, off we went. It was a bit of a drive until we spotted the roadside sign for the turnoff. As soon as we turned we saw the first sign for the general store, the only store in Hot Coffee.


Immediately we came upon the combination general store and gas station. We had arrived at McDonald's store.



Following is a picture of the store.



We all went in to browse. It was a wonderful collection of postcards, preserves made by the owners Aunt. There was assorted food items, ice cream, work clothes and souvenirs. A section was devoted to hunting and fishing supplies. I purchased a jar of that the owners aunt had preserved "mayhaw jelly" and also a jar of peach jam. I bought the most expensive post cards that I have ever purchased for the respective children's families and of course my favorite niece. I could not resist a baseball cap that has Hot Coffee, Mississippi printed on it. Carol added a kitchen towel and a magnet with the same inscription.

When we left the store it was almost time for lunch. Hugh and Samra said we would go to Mama Alma's Mexican restaurant for lunch. Keeping with the days tour of country towns, we arrived in Petal, Mississippi for lunch. Let me say that I rarely go to Mexican restaurants. The reason is I don't know what is in the selections. I won't eat rice or re fried beans. Everyone pointed me to a steak burrito, which turned out to be a good choice. Mama's daughter was our waitress and Mama came over to see us and sat with us for a few minutes. She is quite an upbeat personality and may be as much a reason to visit as the excellent food.

We then returned to hosts home for naps. Supper was definitely going to be light.












Friday, July 22, 2011

Gypsie Tour Continued

We are staying with friends in Mississippi for what was going to be three days.

Tuesday we went to the coast and drove along the beach. This area was hit especially hard by Katrina. We stopped at the post exchange at Kessler Air Force Base. My old Navy pal is a retired Navy Chief and thus has base privileges. We ate in the food court and walked around the exchange. I was kind of looking for a Nook or a Kindle. They were out of Kindles. It was a nice excursion. I talked to the contractor and the site preparation is complete and he stated that he would start laying tile on Wednesday.

Wednesday we did very little. Hugh and I went to Purvis so he could run an error. We all stayed close to his home. The heat that covers the better part of the United States is also here in the country. We are enjoying the company of good friends.

Thursday my buddy Hugh was not feeling well. After lunch I went to Hattiesburg with the ladies shopping while Hugh took an extended afternoon nap. Hugh's wife has really taken to Pillo the one year old Chihuahua.He sits in her lap while we watch TV at night. She also has Gizmo following her. He got bacon one morning while she was cooking breakfast. As of this writing we have not determined when we will head out and leave.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Gypsie Tour Day 1

We met the contractor at nine AM yesterday. We gave him a key and told him he had two weeks. He said that he would call if we could come home sooner.
Two weeks ago Carol saw her retina specialist and her left eye was 20 / 20 and she could discontinue the drops. This past Saturday she awoke with intense pain in her left eye. Sunday the pain was gone and eye sight was rapidly deteriorating. She called her doctor and he was on vacation, Carol explained that we were heading out of town and could she start the drops. She was referred to the doctors partner in Tallahassee. Carol was told that she should see someone before doing anything. When we arrived at my pals house we explained the situation and he called his eye doctor who referred us to a retina specialist in Hattiesburg. They agreed to see Carol. We arrived and they fit her in. Yes, we waited awhile, but it was worth it. They gave Carol a complete workup. Her eye sight in the left eye was now 20 / 80. When the doctor came in he spent a good deal of time explaining everything. He directed Carol to start the drops and we should see her doctor in Panama City as soon as possible after we get back. He did explain that over time this situation will clear up. Hugh and Samra were great and drove us back to their home and we had a late supper and good conversation. Day 1 was a success. We had an uneventful drive saw a great kind and knowledgeable doctor and began our visit with great friends. While we are here, neither of us have cell phone service.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

How Time Flies

It has been over a month since I wrote that my Northern home had sold. I had about 2 1/2 weeks to empty the house and ready it for the closing. First let me say that I could not have accomplished this task without my wife, Carol, daughter, Jill and niece Janine. I had not worked that hard for years. There were 9 rooms full of 43 years of living and collecting. The furniture was the easy part. All we had to do was label everything as to first stop and second stop. I had collected about 1500 assorted toys and maybe 40 or so pieces of collectible display glass. My wife had collected signed pottery and hand painted Santa Clause figures. Some were hand painted others not. Cats Meow buildings, etc. There were three cast bronze wind chimes hanging on the outside of the house. Each child got one. I have an F150 with the standard bed. I filled that bed three times and delivered to Salvation Army. My niece took a number of collectibles and is going to try E-Bay. We'll split the money. My long time neighbor had us over for a small dinner party and another neighbor took us out to dinner. I have great neighbors in Rhode Island and great neighbors in Florida.

Along the way we met the prospective owners. They are a great young couple who Carol and I immediately liked. They both love the house. I felt so much better that they are so happy and love the house and plan on raising a family there.

The closing went well as planned on Friday June 24Th. Carol and I were exhausted. We had checked into a local hotel and waited until Sunday to leave for Florida. We had decided to stop three nights on the road rather than our normal two nights.

We did take the opportunity to stop and visit Carol's sister, Pat, in New Jersey. They had not seen each other in 25 years. Pat's two daughters and a grandson also were there. It was a nice visit that will be repeated.

I enjoyed the leisure drive afforded me by the extra day on the road. We did stay in the Savannah area and had a nice dinner with my Navy buddy from years ago. I am fortunate to have made such great friends so long ago and that we still stay in touch.

When we bought the Florida home, we said that someday we would rip out the carpets and replace with laminate or tile. Well that time has come. We (Carol) settled on tile and we picked out a beautiful porcelain tile made in Italy. We also decided to replace the existing tile. There will be a lot of dust, dirt as the thin set under the tile is ground off the cement slab. Also the tile needs time to set and then the grout. So we have to be out for two weeks. The contractor wanted us to deal with breakable non- replaceable collectibles. Once again we have packed and moved more stuff as we approach out move out date. I tried for a condo rental in the area, but they are all booked or do not allow pets. So next Monday we will become gypsies. We will begin in Mississippi at another Navy pals home for a few days. Then, it depends on where the wind blows.