....."Blah, blah, blah." (Ross)

.....Sorry about the lines about the DFC being too large; when you read it, you will see that JR already cut it down to size. He amazes me. He has done so much with his life--25 years with the CIA--well I'm not sure about the 25 years, but he distinguished himself with his service. When he retired, he really didn't retire. Instead he went to work in private industry, and became a Vice President of Basis Technology. He also has a second job as a consultant to a private firm in Israel. I'm at a loss to explain what he does in these jobs, but it really doesn't matter, as long as his services are appreciated. Joel has done well with his career work, and I could not be more proud of that fact. Every parent likes to have offspring succeed in their lives. Joel's spouse is a teacher and a doting mother of two, Adam and Hannah, both of whom are successful in their own right.

.....I was thinking today about this blog. I do not like the sound or the name of what I do. Obviously it's a wedding of biography and a log. What I write is not a "log" nor a "biography". I prefer to think of it as a journal; or even as an addenda to my "Memoirs of a Tail Gunner". It's really a continuation of that book. The blog is an instrument that allows me to have a place to write, to vent, and to talk to myself. I realize, of course, that there are people out there who follow these posts, and I'm happy to have them do so. The weird part of this activity is that as I reach over 200 pages of these blogs-- I copy and paste them in a Word document--and then I have them published. The weird part is that no one buys them or reads the book. The books are really for the grandchildren I will most likely never see. Perhaps they'll be curious enough about their ancestor to want to learn how he lived in retirement in a Florida condominium community of ancient people.

.....Today, Rhoda and I went down to my car in the morning and attached the scooter to the lift and then protected it from rain with a cover. Since the cover flops around during the drive to the VA Medical Center we tied it down with some cord. The knot I made was not a very good one. but it did the job. I used to be able to make a square knot, but I forget how to do it. Because I didn't learn how to tie different kinds of knots, I was not eligible for the Boy Scouts. All these knots have names, and I have a "schematic" of them, but I can't follow it. It's all Greek to me. Tomorrow we are going to the Hard Rock Casino, run by the Seminoles. I'll be able to use the scooter there because the bus driver lifts it and puts it in the bottom of the bus where luggage usually goes. The trip is run by the Men's Club and there are two busloads going to visit their money.