Sunday 5 August 2012:
What a fun-filled, praise-ful, and blessed Sunday! Though it
was a busy Sunday I felt spiritually blessed. At 0730 I awoke. I took my
shower, shaved and put on casual clothes. Then I made me a breakfast smoothie
and ate some hard boiled eggs for breakfast. Then at 0830 my wife and I left
for church. At 0900 I helped lead the kids group. It, too me, was a joy. At 10
AM I practiced my song for church. I sang my solo of, “Above All” today. At
1030 church began and it ended at around 1145 since we had communion today. I
was not 100 percent up to par, but managed to sing the song quite well. I was
leaning on my walking stick the entire time, not thinking about my equilibrium
imbalance. I just sang from the heart. After the service I was supposed to get
my photo taken with the kids, but could not find Bonnie to do it. It would have
been nice, but there will be other times. At just after noon my wife and I
arrived home.
The rest of the Sunday I just listened to my music and
napped off and on.
I was pretty tired.
Monday 6 August 2012:
Today was another busy in house field day. I field dayed the
bar area, rec room, and laundry room. Dusted and vacuumed. That was the jest of
the day.
Tuesday 7 August 2012:
Today I did not go to the YMCA. I had to relax today. I am
focusing on my trip to New Jersey
to see the USS New Jersey. I cannot wait to go. It has been over 20 years,
since I left the ship. I served on her from 1985 to 1990. Five long years!
Wednesday 8 August 2012:
Today was a day of packing, organizing, and cleaning. This
morning I did not get up until 1030. I checked my email and facebook. I wrote
my final quote for a few days. Then I ate my smoothie, listened to my Christian
music, and started to gather my stuff. Ken and I played the wrestling game
again. It was late afternoon by the time I packed. I had to end up reorganizing
the storage closet. It became a mess when I pulled out a suitcase and
everything fell. Ken brought down the red suitcase, which was not in the
closet. It figures. I packed up my things then ate dinner. My wife made Sloppy
Joes and fries. Ken and I watched the primetime Olympics after dinner. I then
decided I wanted to bring my USS New Jersey ball-cap. It was not on the hook by
the stairs. I looked above the shelf in the laundry room. My hat was not there
nor outside. I ended up finding it after pulling out the shelf. I then had
another mess to pick up. What else is new? At 1AM I finally went to sleep. At
least I tried I was too worked up and excited for my big trip.
Thursday 9 August 2012:
Today is the day I leave on a plane to go to Philadelphia. I did not
get up until 10AM I ate a quick breakfast and gathered my things. My wife, son
Ken and I left at for the Chicago
Midway Airport
at 10:30AM. We arrived there at just before 2PM. She dropped me off and I went
through the scrutiny to get to my airport gate. The pat down and scanner like a
criminal. Southwest Airlines flight 860 gate E-16. At 2:30PM I was at the gate,
at 3PM I boarded the plane first with pre-boarding, and at 3:20PM we were
scheduled to take off. Nothing ever can be that simple. We were stuck on the
tarmac for 2 hours before take off due to inclement weather. It was not until
5PM until we lifted off. We arrived in Philadelphia
Pennsylvania at 8PM local time,
but did not arrive at the gate until 9PM local time. At 10:30PM I was finally
in a shuttle bus, going through South Central Philly, arriving at the Holiday
Inn at just before Midnight.
When I arrived at the hotel I checked into my room, room
224, and stowed my gear. I then went down to the front desk to ask the
receptionist where I can get something to eat. I walked across the street in
the drizzle to Houlihans. I got me a Burger ’72, Clam Chowder, and a Stella Astros
Beer. The Burger’72 is a burger topped with stuffed mushrooms. It was uniquely
– good.
Friday 10 August 2012:
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Since one this
morning it started to pour; storming all through the night. We needed the rain
at home. It is dry in Moline.
At 4:30 AM the phone rang for the wake-up call. I did not get up. I decided not
to go anywhere in the rain. So I rolled over and went back to sleep. At 1PM I
woke back up. I missed the fantail reception and prayer, so I decided just to
do my own thing. I walked over to Ponzios to get me a 24hour breakfast. Then I
took the bus for 1 dollar to go to the
Cherry Hill Mall. I pretty much hung around the mall all
day. For dinner I ate at the
Red, White and Blue Pub. I got me a Shrimp Platter, Fries,
Coleslaw, and Potato Soup.
At 8PM I hung out in my hotel room and watched the Olympics.
Afterwards I dozed off.
Saturday 11 August 2012:
This morning was the busy and filled day I was waiting for. The
wakeup call rang at 9AM. This is early for me, since I do not sleep much. I got
up, showered, shaved, and headed out for breakfast at Friendly’s. Then I made
the mistake of getting on the bus. I ended back at the Cherry Hill Mall. I went
over to the internet café and checked my Email. I got back on the bus and ended
up back at Friendly’s. I ate lunch. I got me a
Chocolate Frapple, a build your own burger – I got 100
percent beef, on a Kaiser bread, topped with Swiss cheese, bacon, suited
mushrooms, 57 sauce, lettuce, and tomatoes; a side of fries and Cole slaw. It was
delicious. I ate and then I took a taxi to Camden to see the USS New Jersey BB-62. The
taxi driver is Miguel. He gave me half price on the cab rides. He is a nice
guy. When we arrived things were not so great. The police were not allowing
anyone to go across the bridge; there is a Toby Keith concert in town.
So I had to get out of the cab and walk across. When I got
across I saw the ship behind the trees and took a picture of it. I got a golf
cart ride to the ship, since I am on disability.
I was happy that it did not cost me anything for the tour
since I served onboard. The female security guard called the quarterdeck to
tell them, they then escorted me aboard. I was given a private tour by Philip
Rowan, but I more like gave him the tour. First we visited my old General
Quarters station – the Left Lower Powder Door of Turret Three, then we toured
the decks of the ship, going up to the Conning Tower, then back down to the
flight deck, and then down to my old berthing – 3rd Division, to the
print shop, brig, and laundry, and back up to the mess decks. I had an awesome
tour. It brought back many memories of the gold ole battleship - the USS New
Jersey BB-62; the most decorated ship ever in the United States Navy. The motto
was: “Firepower for Freedom”!
GO BATTLESHIP!
After the tour Philip gave me a ride back to my hotel. I
ended up getting real light headed by then. I security person escorted me up to
my room; I took my pills and was fine after awhile. It was just a lot of
excitement for one day. I did not know if I was going to make it to the
reception at 1830, but I did. I am glad I did go, even though I did not know a
single person there. Most of the people there were from the Vietnam era.
There were four main eras of the Battleship New Jersey:
- World War
II 1943-1945
- Korean
War 1950-1957
- Vietnam
War 1968-1969
- Lebanon
1982-1991
I served on her during the Lebanon era from 1985 to 1990.
At the reception we had a choice of fish – stuffed flounder
with white wine sauce; chicken – Chicken Sonoma:
chicken stuffed with artichoke hearts, spinach, and feta cheese; or beef –
Prime Rib with mushrooms and horseradish sauce.
I chose the Chicken Sonoma. It was delicious!
After we ate there was music from a DJ and dancing. We all
got our different era group photos taken, and then there was an awards
ceremony. I got my award for the youngest battleship sailor there. It was fun!
At Midnight I left the reception and headed back to my hotel
room. I walked back, because it was faster than taking a bus. It was only three
blocks away anyway. I hit the bed hard and fell asleep. What a fun – filled;
exciting day!
Sunday 12 August 2012:
It is Sunday and it is time to head back to Moline Illinois!
I set my wakeup call for 10AM. I went downstairs to the hotel restaurant and
got Eggs Benedict, home fried potatoes, wheat toast, jam, fruit, and orange
juice for breakfast. I called for room service, but the lady did not know what
Eggs Benedict were. It was on the menu. So I went down stairs to make sure the
order was right. Then I went up to my room and made sure everything was packed
up and I did not forget anything. At 11:30 AM I checked out.
At 11:45 AM the airport shuttle arrived. It was not until 1
PM until I arrived at the airport. I went through the scrutiny again through
airport security and walked up toward my gate E-16 for Southwest flight #566 at
5:40 PM. This means I was stuck in the airport for the majority of the day. After
I arrived toward the gate area I bought me some Japanese food from the Mako
Café. Then I bought me some game puzzle books to play as I was waiting. I
killed a lot of time doing some puzzles. At 3 PM I walked around a bit to
stretch my legs. When I went back to the gate I saw a fellow Navy veteran. He
had a Navy Vietnam war ball cap on. I chatted with him for awhile. Then I read
the Time magazine I bought. At 4 PM I got me a big mac at McDonalds. At 5 PM I
boarded the plane with early boarding. The plane actually left on time and
arrived on time at
Chicago
Midway. On the flight I just read my Revolutions for Men. I drank my
Ginger Ale and ate my small bag of peanuts I was given. That
was it, another boring flight with Southwest. No, in-flight movies nor music;
or dinner served.
Anyway, at 7:20 PM I arrived in Chicago Midway
Airport. I walked toward
the pickup lot and called my wife on my cell phone. She was still 15 minutes
away. So I went out and sat on the bench and waited. I chatted with the college
girl, who is studying journalism, while waiting. Finally my wife arrived with
Ken. I was hoping Tim would be with as well to help drive, but not. It took
over three hours to drive home. We stopped at LaSalle to use the facilities.
But the drive home took longer than anticipated due to stormy rain. I was
hoping to stop and wait it out, but no place to pull over. At 11 PM we arrived
in Moline. We
went through the drive through at Taco Bell for a late night snack. I bought me
a new black bean burrito and a chalupa supreme. Then I went home and though
frustrated and exhausted from the long trip home, I had to unpack all of my
dirty laundry from the bag. I threw a load in the washer and ran the cycle.
Then I ate my food. At Midnight I dosed off while watching the Olympic Closing
Ceremony from my DVR.
Monday 13 August 2012:
Today is usually in house field day. But my wife and I did
not awake until late. I was not up to par to do too much. So I slept in until 1
PM. Afterwards I put my stuff up from the suitcase and then I laid around all
day not doing too much.
