The Colonel Must Be Smiling

My Dad was an avid sportsman and loved to hunt and fish. He was also a man of modest means. Like any sportsman he drooled at the latest in rods, reels, lures and firearms but supporting a family of a wife and four boys didn’t leave him much in the way of discretionary cash.

In 1956, he was a Major in the Army and stationed in Livorno, Italy. I have mentioned before that this was a great time to be in Europe. Not only were Americans worshiped but the dollar was strong. For my Dad it must have been like getting a 100% raise. We all lived pretty well for the three years he was stationed there, and my Dad was able to treat himself to a Franchi over and under shotgun with a hand tooled Italian leather case. It was one of his prized possessions.

Shortly before my parents moved from their home of 30 years in Upatoi, GA to a retirement center in Columbus, GA, my brother, #1, gathered up all Dad’s guns for safe-keeping. About a year ago I expressed an interest in the shotgun. I gave up hunting after being discharged from the Army but I always admired the beauty of the gun so #1 sent it to me. It was my intention to hang it on the wall in my basement next to my Dad’s cavalry horse bridle.

I had to work on the “beauty” a little as my Dad had, in a fit of security consciousness, engraved his Social Security number across the receiver (the metal portion of the gun just above the trigger housing). To fix this I had a gunsmith file off the number and put two brass plaques over the area with my Dad’s name and life dates. You can see one of the plaques in the picture above.

Enter my daughter, Cajenn. A little over a year ago she married a wonderful guy, Cajon, and he also is an avid sportsman and hunts and fishes at every opportunity. The more I looked at the shotgun in the basement, the more I thought that The Colonel would be pleased if someone would use and enjoy the gun as he did….

This past summer The Bride and I visited with Cajenn and Cajon in California and I brought the shotgun to him as a gift. This past weekend he used it hunting for the first time and Cajenn went with him….and trusty Lab, Shylo, on a hunt. The picture above and below show him in action with the shotgun. The pictures, sent by my daughter, brought a tear to my eye.

Good hunting Cajon, and God Bless.

The Colonel must be smiling!

Thanks for visiting.

The Colonel's Last Patrol

The Colonel reached Fiddler's Green early this morning.

God Bless The Colonel.

The Colonel's Last Patrol

Nothing was ever easy for The Colonel. He will end his life as he lived, with difficulty. There is no doubt in my mind where he wants to be. In each of us however, is the primitive urge to live which takes over in times of stress. The Colonel's is stronger than most, and despite what the greater part of The Colonel wants, this part is keeping him alive, even if just barely. The doctors have conceded that he will die when that primitive part decides and not to any timetable of recognized medicine.

He has no artificial means of life support. His struggle is painfully apparent to us. It frankly tears me apart to watch, but watch I do.

Number 4 son has returned to the Atlanta area to attend to business. #1 and myself remain here alternating in keeping The Colonel company and deconstructing his physical life. Cleaning out his apartment. Making arrangements for the arrival of family and for the last ceremony honoring his life......

The Colonel's Last Patrol

The Colonel has begun his last patrol and there won't be any return from this one. After 90 years the body that surrounds his soul just can't keep doing what it needs to do. It's late at night and I am sitting next to his hospital bed watching him begin the journey. It may be a few hours or a few days but it is a one way journey. When he reaches his destination he will once again be that young shave-tail Lieutenant arm in arm with the love of his life that went on ahead of him two years ago.

Over the past two years he told me many times that this is what he dreamed of. Being reunited with his bride of over 60 years................

God Speed Colonel! When you reach your destination, kiss Mom for the four of us left behind to keep the memory.

"Fiddlers' Green"

Halfway down the trail to Hell,
In a shady meadow green,
Are the Souls of all dead troopers camped
Near a good old-time canteen,
And this eternal resting place
Is known as Fiddlers' Green.

Marching past, straight through to Hell,
The Infantry are seen,
Accompanied by the Engineers,
Artillery and Marine,
For none but the shades of Cavalrymen,
Dismount at Fiddlers' Green.

Though some go curving down the trail
To seek a warmer scene,
No trooper ever gets to Hell
Ere he's emptied his canteen,
And so rides back to drink again
With friends at Fiddlers' Green.

And so when man and horse go down
Beneath a saber keen.
Or in a roaring charge of fierce mêlée
You stop a bullet clean,
And the hostiles come to get your scalp,
Just empty your canteen,
And go to Fiddlers' Green.

Back Home Again

It's one of my favorite John Denver songs, "Back Home Again". Matter of fact it's one of my all time from anyone favorite songs and I am back home again after a trip to visit with my Dad, The Colonel. It was emotionally and physically tough but oh so very worth while.

When I originally purchased my flight tickets, the best I could get on the return 3 hour flight was a center seat in a packed plane. After the stresses and strains of the past week, I decided to try for an upgrade to first class using some accumulated frequent flyer miles. It was a small Airbus plane with only eight first class seats and I didn't think my chances were good. The fact that it was a very early Saturday morning flight helped and I scored. It was a nice way to begin to unwind from the previous week.

I had decided several days ago that when I got home I was going to take a few days and head up into the mountains for some fishing and gold panning to complete the unwind process. Right now my plans are to leave here Monday morning and to camp along the Arkansas River in the vicinity of Buena Vista for one to two nights. I'll then head back towards the Denver area and stop at Tarryall Reservoir for a couple of nights. A key part of the plan is to be headed back or be back in the Denver area before the hordes attack the mountains for the 4th of July weekend.

Sounds like a plan to me....stay tuned.

Thanks for visiting.

Visiting With The Colonel

I left the Denver area Monday morning and had a fairly uneventful trip to Columbus, GA to visit with The Colonel for a few days. The weather here is downright oppressive compared to Rocky Mountain Front Range weather I left. Temps in the middle 90's with humidity at the same level. Don't know how I survived all those years in this part of the country. I guess my years in Colorado have thinned my blood too much.

The Colonel fell and broke his hip about a month ago and after an operation he was admitted into the skilled nursing care facility at the same location as he has his assisted living apartment. He will not be able to return to that apartment until he recovers sufficiently to ambulate and transfer himself from walker/wheelchair to bed or a chair. That may take months from what I've seen the last few days.

He also suffers from bouts of confusion where he doesn't seem to understand his situation and why he is not back in his assisted living apartment. I judge this to be more a function of his age, which will be 90 in less than a month, than to his hip condition. Either way it is difficult to watch one's own father in this condition.

I had planned to take him out away from the facility for lunch or dinner or just about anywhere just for a change for him. Given his current physical condition however, I don't feel comfortable in doing this by myself.

I'll be returning to the Denver area on Saturday.

Thanks for visiting.

To The Fathers in My Life

Happy Father's Day.

Only "The Colonel" remains but all are remembered fondly.

My dad "The Colonel" and his father.


















My mother's dad.


















The Brides dad and her grandfather.



















Mothers may have given us civilization but fathers provided with food, shelter and a mans love.

Thank you one and all.

Thanks for visiting.

Home Again, Home Again Jiggity Jig Jig

Last night I had a farewell dinner with The Colonel at a local Carraba's. The food was good and both The Colonel and I had a martini. That seemed to perk him right up and he turned on the old charm with the waitress. After dinner I took him back to the apartment and we said our goodbyes. It was a sorrowful goodbye, especially on my part because I never know if it will be the last time I see him.

I left Columbus this morning at about 4:45 am on a local shuttle to the Atlanta airport. For all the bad weather in the country, things went very smoothly for me! The flight left Atlanta on time and landed in Denver on time. The middle seat in my row was even empty! The only glitch was that because of the snow in Denver, departing flights were running a bit late and we had to wait to get into the assigned gate.

Yes, I said snow. It had been in the 70's all week in Georgia and when I landed in Denver it was 21 degrees and snowing. It was a light snow and the roads were fine but that's still quite a "change in latitude".

The storm is supposed to move out of here later today but it will remain cold for a few more days. I am not sure what is on my schedule yet for this weekend and I don't even care at this point. Frankly, I'm worn out both physically and emotionally so I think I'll just chill for the rest of today and probably tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting.

The Greatest Generation Lives

I have been visiting with The Colonel now for four days. It's a melancholy thing. I don't think I'm sad, just melancholy. During these four days I have taken care of the most personal things for The Colonel. I have dressed him and undressed him. I have washed him and shaved him. I have helped him in the bathroom. I am glad to be able to do these things for him but it makes me melancholy.

I have mentioned before that The Colonel is a member of the Greatest Generation. His generation literally saved world freedom during WW II. His generation was young then. His generation did the dirty work of the war. They were the Privates and Lieutenants. They were the "heavy lifters" and took the brunt of the violence that was WW II.

Last night I took The Colonel to the annual Retired Officers Association Christmas banquet that was held at the facility where he lives. The Colonel is a past president of this organization and many of his close friends are members. He was looking forward to the event.

This is where the title of this post comes in....You have to understand that Columbus, GA is the home of Fort Benning. Fort Benning is the home of the Infantry. It has been an Infantry post since well before WW II. Soldiers who were Rangers trained here. If a soldier was an airborne trooper, he trained here. This place is warriors on steroids. Most of the retired officers who live in the area are combat veterans.

There were about 75 people at the event last night. Most of them were members of the Greatest Generation. It was a coat and tie affair and most everyone wore their military decorations on their coat lapels. Among the decorations I saw were at least two Distinguished Service Crosses. There were also numerous Silver Stars and Bronze Stars. Combat Infantryman's Badge with multiple stars were quite common as were jump wings with stars.

I was in awe. The Distinguished Service Cross is the nation's second highest decoration for valor. Second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Distinguished Service Cross is ONLY awarded for "extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force". Silver Stars and Bronze Stars are also awarded for "valor in the face of the enemy".

The average age of the attendants had to be about 80 with a number of people in the 85+ range. The oldest was a good friend of The Colonel and was 94 years old. Because of my position in the scheme of life...being the son of a retired army officer, I am well aware of the sacrifices and contributions of this generation. I wonder if the generation after me has any idea of how great these people really are? I guess the reality is that they do not. It's a shame. The Greatest Generation lives, but they are fading fast!

Today is my last day here and I'll be doing whatever I can to make remaining time good for The Colonel. The good news is that brother #3 will be here for a visit in early January.

Thanks for visiting.

Visiting With "The Colonel"

It wasn't hard to leave Denver on Sunday morning (10 degrees/5" snow) and head for Atlanta (78 degrees/sunshine). While I don't mind the colder weather of Colorado it's still nice to experience the "other side" of winter.

Amazingly my flight was on time leaving. The plane was full but not packed and I lucked out with the center seat being unoccupied so there was plenty of room to stretch out. The bad news is that half way to the airport I discovered that I had left my computer bag back home! Not only was I planning on keeping this blog up to date, but also I had a large file of family pictures that I scanned, that I was going to show to The Colonel.

The Retirement community that The Colonel resides in has a business center with computers available so I will at least be able to keep up with text reports. I don't think I'll be able to post any pictures while I'm here due to the limitations of the computers.

At any rate, I arrived on time in Atlanta and was met by brother #4 who lives in the area. I enjoyed a wonderful evening with him and his spouse "4A". Monday morning before I caught the shuttle to Columbus, GA we ate breakfast at a local spot. I was in "cultural transition" from the Rocky Mountain West to the Deep South so my breakfast consisted of a western omelet and grits. Not a bad combination at all!

I arrived in Columbus shortly after noon and The Colonel and I spent the rest of the day catching up on news and family. The Colonel is now 89 years old and resides in the assisted living portion of this complex. For his age he is in relatively good health but he suffers with many of the conditions prevalent to that age. It is not easy to take him outside of the complex. That being said, it is my task while I'm here to get him out as much as I can.

Today's adventure will be to take him to the cemetery to visit his bride. This is difficult but satisfying for both of us.

It's now a little after 8 am and I have some chores to do before I go to him so I will end this post here.

Thanks for visiting.

Autumn's End

With news stories like this you know that time has run out for autumn...

KUSA – The snow really started coming down in the high country Sunday morning and rainfall is expected to continue along the Front Range.

9NEWS Meteorologist Nick Carter says the first WINTER STORM WATCH of the season was posted for the Front Range foothills and mountains starting at midnight and 3 to 6 inches of snow could accumulate by late Sunday. A SNOW ADVISORY is in effect until 6 p.m. Sunday in most of the mountain areas.

Because the weather was not conducive to outdoor activities, I started on a project that has been on the rainy day list for a while. My Dad, The Colonel, was a prolific shutterbug in the 1950's and 1960's. His cameras were an Argus C3 and a Voigtlander Prominent. They weren't the best of cameras but he sure did use up a lot of slide film with them. He amassed about 2000 slides that he kept over the years. A lot of family history is enshrined in those slides as well as a lot of landscape shots of places from Rome to London to Tripoli.

Brother #4 had previously scanned some of the slides and distributed them to the rest of the family but there was still plenty to do. This weekend I started to go through the remainder and get as many "family" shots as possible.

It's a long and tedious task. First the slides have to be removed from the old square slide magazines and the individual slides removed from the metal frame that held them in the magazine. The slides were then previewed. The landscape shots discarded and the people shots set aside. The scanner I use, has the ability to hold four slides at a time but you can still only enlarge and scan one at a time. Then the electronic file is saved. After I get them all saved I plan on touching them up with my photo software. Once that's done I'll make copies for the rest of the brothers.

It is a long process but it's something I've been wanting to do for a long while....and....it's the perfect thing for a rainy, gloomy fall afternoon. I'm sure that this project will keep me busy for some time to come.

Thanks for visiting.

Java Jive

A multi thought post about several things related to coffee.

First of all, I just love that song, Java Jive. My first recollection of the song was the Manhattan Transfer version from the 70’s. Before I started this post, however, I wanted to find a little of the history and was amazed to find that the tune was composed by Milton Drake and Ben Oakland and copyrighted in 1940. It was originally sung by The Ink Spots in that same year. A real blast from the past.

I do like my coffee. I’m not a caffeine addict or anything, but I enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning and in the evening, after dinner. I’m not sure exactly why? It certainly isn’t the “buzz” as I am one of a small number of people that caffeine has NO effect on. I can drink a double espresso in the evening and immediately fall asleep….it actually helps me to go to sleep! The bad side of this physical condition is that if I need to stay awake for some reason, coffee or caffeine is of zero/nada/zip help to me.

I realized that my father “The Colonel”, had this same trait in 1964, as the family was driving cross country from Colorado to New Jersey to my grandfather's funeral. Mom, Dad and 3 of the 4 boys were packed into the 1963 Chevy pickup truck and Travel Queen truck camper for a "straight through" drive of about 1800 miles. Much of the interstate system in the heartland of the US was non-existent during this time and we took two lane U.S. 40 most of the way.

Somewhere around Missouri, in the middle of the night, I was in the truck cab with my Dad and the rest of the family was in the camper asleep. The Colonel was starting to nod off but wouldn't let me drive. I prevailed upon him to stop at an all night diner and get some coffee and as we were paying the bill, I saw they had No-Doze under the counter. I told my Dad that if he wouldn't let me drive, at least he could take some No-Doze....he did and about 50 miles down the road he fell asleep at the wheel. Fortunately I was watching him and grabbed the wheel. At this point I realized caffeine had no effect on him.....and he confirmed it after he woke up by telling me coffee never "did him any good".

Anyway, back to topic. I like my cuppa joe and I have been searching for a long time for that perfect way to get that perfect cuppa joe. The picture at the top represents the devices I have used in the pursuit of this perfect cup, in the last few years.

I'm the only coffee drinker in the immediate family. Anything with caffeine will wire up The Bride for about 36 hours and The Emmer has never developed a taste for coffee. With that in mind, I really don’t need a 12 cup drip coffee maker…or even a 6 cup one for that matter. I’ll drink a cup or maybe two and I’m good. Besides I have found that drip coffee makers don’t do a real good job either flavor wise or temperature wise. Water makes it was through the coffee once, that’s it. If it doesn’t pick up the flavor that first time, for whatever reason, you’ve got no flavor. I also like my coffee HOT and drip coffee makers just don’t do HOT coffee.

The next option is an old fashioned percolator. This solves the coffee/water contact time and ensures that it you let it perk long enough you’ll leach out all the coffee flavor. It takes a long time (relatively) to get good coffee this way and for one or two cups it is not a great way to do it.

About a year ago I looked into the "brewing station" machines that will do one cup at a time. I had great hope for them as it looked to be my answer and they almost were. Being the son of the depression kid that I am, I was not about to spend a lot of money on anything that would give me just one cup or coffee....and I didn't want to be restricted to buying coffee "pods" at an exorbitant price.

The Black and Decker Home Cafe looked real promising. It wasn't real expensive and you could buy an after market gizmo that would allow you to use your own brand of coffee. It also let you choose between two sizes of "cups". I got one with the added gizmo and was quite happy with it but the gizmo broke after about one month. I went to WalMart and bought another gizmo and it didn't last much longer. I was blaming myself for mistreating the gizmo somehow, but when I went to WalMart to buy a third, I discovered that WalMart stopped selling them....product flaw. I was out in the cold! You can still buy the things online but they're between $10-$20 and you'll need to replace them every month or so......Don't think so!

In reviewing my options I came across a French Press. I'd never really considered these before and always looked at them as a fancy-schmancy thing that was more for show than substance. I was desperate however, so I bought one. By the second use I was a convert. This device gives me everything I'm looking for in a cuppa joe. The press I have will provide about two cups, my perfect serving size. Because you add boiling water to the press, the end product is HOT and because you pour the water over the coffee grounds, which by the way are any kind of coffee grounds you want, the resultant brew is stronger and more aromatic that most other coffee makers.

The only downside to a coffee press...and it's not a really big thing, is that you have to boil water first, pour it over the grounds and let it steep for about 3-4 minutes. For my 33 oz press it takes about 6 minutes to boil that amount of water in the microwave and 4 minutes to steep so total prep time is 10 minutes. Heck, if I go to Starbucks, I'm guaranteed to stand in line longer than that and I've gotta speak a foreign tongue to be able to order!

I like my press so much that I just ordered a stainless steel, insulated model to carry in my trailer, Bivouac.

Incidentally, the device on the right in the back row of the picture above in my Mr. Coffee "fru-fru" coffee maker. It will do all the latte-cappuccino stuff but I use it for espresso when I really want a strong drink. Since I've gone to a coffee press I hardly ever use this machine.

That's probably way more than you ever wanted to know about my search for coffee but it was therapeutic for me to explain why I have so many of these things sitting around the house!

Thanks for visiting.

Driving Miss Emily

Dawn broke cloudy and cool. A pleasant change from the oppressing heat of the past few days...but was this a sign? If so, what did the sign mean....cloudy is maybe not a good sign....not oppressively hot could be a good sign?????

Today was the day that The Emmer was going to attempt her driving test for the third time. Signs could be an important thing on this important day! Was it a sign? What did it mean?

The Emmer has the skills to drive. She understands the rules of the road. She is however, terrible at tests. Once her confidence is shaken, she crumbles. She knows this and understands this but hasn't been able to shake this trait. Can she hold it together enough today to pass the driving test? If she can't she has to start all over again and do both the written and the driving test. We...The Emmer, The Bride and myself, "his-self", have been working at this for almost eight years now.

Dang it, I want it to be a good sign. I want The Emmer to have her driving license. I want her to have the freedom that having a driver's license gives.

We leave the house at about 9am with The Emmer driving, towards the licensing office. The Emmer is asking a few road rules questions just to be sure everything is clear. She is nervous. Anyone can tell she is nervous. The closer we get to the licensing office the more erratic her driving becomes.

I'm doing everything in my power to calm her down. She can do this thing I say. They are not out to trick you or make it hard for you. All you have to do is stay calm. When the tester tells you to do something, repeat it in your mind first. If you don't understand ask her to repeat it. It will take 20 minutes...max...You've done a lot harder things for a lot longer. You can do this thing!

State Driver's Licensing Offices are not pleasant places. They are not designed to calm anyone down. I must not understand the system. There must be an office where the "regular" people go because this one seems to be reserved for the dregs of society. I don't see one normal person here......Calm down I tell myself, you'll spook The Emmer.

After an interminable wait, it's The Emmer's turn. I walk away. I have no more influence. It's out of my hands now.....Hang in there Emmer...You can do this thing!

I have been in very serious situations where time seemed to slow to a crawl. Strangely, this was not one of those times. It seemed like The Emmer had just pulled out of the parking lot and was back immediately! The sinking feeling in my gut............oh, that's not good at all.....I couldn't see into the car from where I stood but I imagined The Emmer was crying after all why was it taking so long for them to get out of the car?

Finally, I saw the doors of the car open slowly, The Emmer looked around to find me and when she finally saw me standing half a block away.....smiled and screamed "DAD, I PASSED!". She continued screaming "DAD, I PASSED!" as she ran across the parking lot, past all the retards, low lifes and dregs waiting their turn. She got to me and hugged me tight.....I'm a father and life is good!!!

Congratulations, Emmer!

Thanks for visiting.

Happy Birthday Dad!

As I mentioned in my last post, I'll be out of "internet range" next week so I'm posting some things early.

Next Friday, July 13 is my father's 89th birthday. "The Colonel" is a member of "the greatest generation". He's a depression kid that grew up in the poorest of circumstances. He struggled to make his way and found the US Army. The picture above shows him as a private in the 102nd Horse Cavalry just before WW II.

He spent 30 years in the army and during that time took night courses for about 20 years to get a college degree. After the army he got a masters degree was a teacher, a guidance counselor and a principal of a Catholic High School.

At the same time he was a husband to his one and only sweetheart of 65 years, raised four sons and put them all through college.

Every now and again when I give myself a couple of pats on the back for making it to the place in life that I now am, I think of him and realize that there is a reason he is a member of "the greatest generation". I can't hold a candle to what he accomplished. My toughest times were insignificant compared to his everyday early life. He is truly a model of what's good and decent. A husband, a father, a teacher, a friend.

Happy Birthday Dad......from "the good looking one".

Thanks for visiting.