Sail Away, Come Sail Away with Me!

Wow! Another item checked off the bucket list! I have a healthy respect (FEAR!) of water. I almost drowned twice when I was young, that will help develop issues with being in water over your head.

I was in Michigan, at Gull Lake, and had the opportunity to go out on a boat. No big deal. Life vest and cruising around the lake, drinking wine or beer and just enjoying the sun, wind, and friends.

Well, let me tell you! It's wasn't a pontoon boat... It was a freakin sail boat. Not the big ones that are stable and safe either!!!! It was a catamaran, you know two pontoon with canvas in-between. I promised myself a long time ago that I would never, I mean NEVER, get on one of those. Well there is nothing like breaking a promise to yourself.....

Before I continue, let me tell you that I did go snorkeling in Guam six years ago. That was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. Getting over the fear long enough to enjoy the beauty of it all. This left me with the feeling that I had done enough for the water thingie fear.

Back to the original story..... I agree to go sailing with Jim (a friend of the family that I just met.) He assures me that it's safe (catch the problem coming up?) and that I will have a wonderful time. And I did have a wonderful time, while we were upright!! We flipped that dang boat three times. It's not easy to get those blanking boats upright. But we did, three times. The second time the mast was pointing straight down (obviously looking for my Ray Bans that took a swim of their own on the first flip!) We had to have another boat pull our boat to the 90 degree tilt...... I was thinking "if they can pull us that far, why don't they finish the job?" BUT NOOO........... 90 degrees and we tug on the rope ourselves, again, to upright the boat the rest of the way. Oh, forgot to mention, on the first flip, or flop, I was holding the stainless steel cable that supports the mast. Some skin from each finger on my left hand is still on the cable. That makes holding the rope a finger dance on the next two times.

After all of that excitement we came back to the dock, put the boat on it's lift and I proceeded to cheer because:

1. Another item checked off the bucket list.
2. Motrin was close by.
3. Maker's Mark was close by for washing down the Motrin.
4. There were sane people to tell the hair raising story to.
and
5. I was on dry ground, ALIVE!!!!

Would I do it again, probably not...... Am I glad I did it, HECK YEAH!! It was a blast and the fear of water is slowly losing it's grip on me. I'm actually looking at property on a lake.

Noah's 36 hour pass

Well.... to continue the "blog speak": it's been a while since I've written anything.... That's a funny comment so many blogger say when they are away for a while. Like we wouldn't have figured that out on our own :~))

Anyway....

Noah got his 36 hr pass and boy was everyone ready to see him! And he to see us! We just spent time together and listened to his stories of what the Drill Instructors did to them. I was able to record some of the stories and they are funnier the more I listen to them. We "skype'ed" Riley so that Noah and he could talk. I was a wonderful but sad time. Riley sounded like it didn't want us to hang up after an hour and half. I felt that he was lonely and wanted to hang on for a while, so we did.

Noah has always been the entertaining type and he certainly did that for the guys in his company. He made the hat, whip, and knife, from Indiana Jones movie, out of 100 mph tape and did the scene of Indie jumping across the gorge/trap and reaching back to get his hat!

On Sunday we visited the National Infantry Museum and fired M-16/M-4's. That was a blast, so to speak :~)

Noah had to be back by 1930hrs so we had dinner and drove back to base. That was a hard goodbye. I already lost it in the museum, sad to know that he has grown up, he is being away from family, proud of him, all those emotions built up and it came out! Saying bye for another four weeks was especially hard. I am so proud of both sons!

New River Gorge, WV & Dad's 80th Birthday

My father's birthday was June 22 and the church they attend wanted to have a surprise birthday party. They chose Saturday the 27th so we flew up to Charleston and drove to Edmond ('bout an hour.) It was a beautiful drive, even the part where we trusted Jill (theGarmin GPS demon!) to find a restaurant ..... Jill wanted us to drive 25 miles or more, around and around to find a restaurant that was closed, and really only a couple of miles away, go figure!

We arrived and enjoyed seeing Mom and Dad. The visit was good and needed on my part. Dad had an operation on his back last year and although he is doing better, he looks like he is in pain when he walks.

On Saturday we went to the party. Everyone had a nice time, ate finger food and laughed. It was good! On Sunday we visited the church and then went to The Feed Box for lunch. I decided to take a few pix of the animals while there. Dad drove us to the Summerville Dam/Lake. Very nice to see that scenery again. We all explored some of the new developments and campground/recreation areas being built near their home. When we got back to Mom and Dad's house they chose to relax. We chose to watch the sun set over the mountain. We sat on the top of the mountain looking out over the New River Gorge. Absolutely perfect!!!

Monday we drove to Cathedral Falls and took more pix, watched rocks fall, and just relaxed. What a beautiful place to be.

Noah had sent a letter made into a birthday card for Dad (Papa) that he had drawn the cake on. That made Dad's day!That night we enjoyed steaks with Gary and Linda. Gary is my uncle that lives up the hill...

I will post more soon....

Noah called yesterday

I didn't recognize the phone number and almost did not answer it. I'm so glad I did! It was great to hear from him. He is doing well. His company commander walked by while Noah was shooting the M4 and commented "Awesome Grouping!" Noah group was within .8cm, now that is pretty good!

He talked to Jenni yesterday also, and she told him of the whole group coming down to see him for his 36 hour pass. Now I don't have to worry about leaking that bit of info. :~)

I am looking forward to seeing him. He wants letters and pictures!

Love to both Noah and Riley!!!!

Riley called yesterday

He called using Skype and the connection was so delayed that the conversation was actually funny. We had a great time talking. It was 2200hrs when he called so we only talked about 30 min. He is doing well and enjoying doing his job. I am so proud of both of my sons! I just hope to see them soon.

Been a while hasn't it :~)

Well, I've been busy with so much that I haven't done anything here, so......

So far I've received four letters from Noah, two calls from Riley (missed one, dangit!) Riley has updated his blog http://downrangechop.blogspot.com/ with pictures and accounts of the military's attempt to kill him before he even reached Afghanistan :~)

Riley and Noah's shooting of the M4 rifle was very good, like the top three or so of their group. I guess the time we spent on Sunday afternoons riding in the Jeep to the sandpits to shoot paid off in their line of work!!

Both of them seem to be doing well now, after getting settled in. Riley sent me a Harley coffee cup from Kuwait. I had my first of coffee in it this morning.

I missed Riley's call this week while I was TDY at Ft Stewart. I was working on the video headend/distribution system for the new school. The system was really messed up. And we had paid a contractor to come out twice to "fix" it.... I completely torn it down and rebuilt it correctly. Now our children that live on the base and attend that school can actually see what is on the TV! :~)

Noah is anxiously looking forward to his 36 (maybe 48) hour pass. All he wants is a movie, pizza, Mountain Dew, and Snickers candy bar. He doesn't know it yet (and he doesn't have access to this blog yet) that his wife, Jenni, is coming down. That will be exciting and I know he won't have much time for everyone but that's okay. Just hope he continues to do well and stay safe.

Love You guys.... for we you get to read this!!!!

Noah called today

Basic is starting tomorrow for him... Long in-processing was the problem. He seems to be doing fine when I talked to him. I know the last two weeks have been tough.

Riley is going out tomorrow to the sand dunes to play for a while. I've really enjoyed following his blog.

LOVE YOU BOYS!

Proud of you, be careful!!!!!