The last of the awesome experiences of the Baron

.....Finally, we come to the final awesome, unforgettable experience. I would say that there is possibly no one in this wide, wonderful, round, spinning world who has experienced ALL of the 10 experiences I will have described...this will become clear shortly, and is certainly not arrogance that makes me say that...I just want a paragraph in the book of World Records. Number 10 which is really #1!) happens to be very personal and does involve my entire family. It's a United States guided missile destroyer named after my daughter, Robin's husband. My son-in-law:

#10) the USS HIGGINS (DDG76)--(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia):

.....The USS Higgins is an Arleigh Burke class destroyer. She was commissioned in 1999 and named after William R. Higgins (1945-1990), a United States Marine Colonel who was captured and held hostage in February 1988 by a pro-Iranian group allied with Hezbollah while serving on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. He was killed in captivity by July 1990. The ship was ordered by our first President George Bush, built by the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and launched there on October 4, 1997. Rhoda and I were there to watch Robin smash a good bottle of champagne on our ship as it rolled off its ramp into the Kennebunk River.

.....It took two years to outfit the ship with all its needs, especially armaments, and on a very hot day it was commissioned at Port Everglades in Florida. There were about 5000 people seated on the pier to witness the ceremony. Before it docked, Rhoda, Robin, and I boarded a Coast Guard Cutter which took us out to watch the ship as it came from Bath to Ft. Lauderdale. At first it was a tiny blip, and then it got bigger as it approached. As it went by us, we waved at all the sailors, who waved back at us. An airplane flew by with a banner saying "Welcome, USS Higgins" trailing it.

.....Our whole family were seated on the pier along with the few other thousands awaiting its arrival. When it docked, we saw Governor Jeb Bush, Robin, and Richard's daughter who had boarded the ship along with several other VIPs. After a thrilling ceremony and a couple of speeches, everyone went to a very large hanger where lunch was being served. In the evening there was a reception during which we were ushered into a small room to meet, by this time, the former President Bush. We marveled at how really tall he was. He towered over Rhoda.

.....There was much more in celebration that weekend of the commissioning of the HIGGINS, and it would take much too long for me to describe it. So now the USS HIGGINS takes its place in the history of my awesome experiences alongside the Taj Mahal, the Blue Grotto, the Acropolis & Parthenon, the Eiffel Tower, Mt. Everest, the Sistine Chapel, the Night Watch, the York Minster's stained glass windows, and Pompeii.

.....Now to get back to what I said at the start of this posting, that I believe there is no one who can claim to have experienced all of the things that I have described. If there is, then that person would have to have been at the launching & commissioning of the HIGGINS as well as the York Minster and all the rest of the TEN. If there is such a person, please check in with me. If not, fair winds and a calm sea.