Christmas 2019

It was a mild Christmas Eve last Tuesday (24 December). The Ellisville branch of Enterprise Rent-A-Car (https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html) closed at 3:00 pm. On my way home, I stopped by my friend Del Miller's house in Concord Village, where I gave him a get-well card signed by my IPMS/Gateway (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home) mates and my annual newsletter. Miller is recovering from a stroke he suffered last month. He was up and about on his walker when we talked.

I then came home, and early that night joined Mom in a Christmas Eve service at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) in Mehlville. It was a moving service.

Then, we came home and began opening our presents. I opened one from my brother Doug: a black SpaceX (https://www.spacex.com/) hoodie, which I really liked. He knows of my great interest in aerospace. I also opened a package from my brother Rick, with two books from Arcadia Publishing (https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/). One was "St. Louis Advertising," on ads that ran in the St. Louis area (print and billboard) since the 19th century. The other book was "St. Louis: Bridges Highways and Roads," a pictorial look at the area's road network over the years.

The next morning, Mom and I had breakfast before returning to the living room to open our remaining presents. Rick sent me two more Arcadia Publishing books: "Area 51," on the top-secret CIA (https://www.cia.gov/index.html) and US Air Force (https://www.af.mil/) test site in Nevada; and, "Flight Research at NASA Langley Research Center," on aircraft test work performed at this NASA (https://www.nasa.gov/) facility in Virginia.

Also for me were: a 2020 calendar "Historic Warbirds," with illustrations and history on several classic World War II combat aircraft from Osprey Publishing (https://ospreypublishing.com/); insoles for my work shoes; four pairs of wool work socks; and, a bag of candy. Plus, Brian, sent me a Barnes & Noble (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/) gift certificate. Not bad at all.

After that, Mom and I relaxed at home.

Later.

Thinking About "Thoughts Before Bed"

I haven't been the kind to plug other blogs, but I will make an exception here. It's for "Thoughts Before Bed" (https://thoughtsbeforebed.com/), a weekly blog recently launched by my friend Michele Rausch (https://www.facebook.com/michelelrausch). I have known Michele for nearly 30 years, going back to when I was Sports Information Coordinator at Webster University (http://www.webster.edu/) and Michele played volleyball and basketball for the Gorloks.

She currently teaches at Hazelwood Central High School (https://www.hazelwoodschools.org/centralhigh), where she also coached the freshman girls' volleyball team. She started writing "Thoughts Before Bed" on Sunday nights a few years ago on her Facebook page. These are her comments on what's going through her mind at that time. Sometimes witty, sometimes profound, always thought provoking, "Thoughts Before Bed" is just the mind tonic for ending your weekend. Michele posts to both her blog and her Facebook page.

I highly recommend "Thoughts Before Bed."

Later.

Festive Sunday in South St. Louis

Late last Sunday morning (8 December), I drove to Ursa Minor Coffee (https://www.facebook.com/Ursaminorcoffeestl/) in south St. Louis for the Single in the City Meetup group (https://www.meetup.com/STLSingleInTheCity). Four of us came to enjoy beverages, food, and our company. It was good to meet two people in the group for the first time. I enjoyed a coffee with a biscuit.

After that, I headed to the Amsterdam Tavern (http://amsterdamtavern.com/) for the Holiday Shindig organized by the St. Louligans (https://stlouligans.com/) and the St. Louis Chapter of the American Outlaws (https://www.facebook.com/aostlouis). I joined with soccer supporters to drink beer, socialize, and eat from the buffet bar. I brought a toy truck I bought the day before to donate to Epworth Children & Family Services (https://www.epworth.org).

It was a busy week for me, with the IPMS/Gateway (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home) business meeting Tuesday night (10 December) at Marion Morris' house, then getting the club's newsletter assembled and published yesterday.

Later.

Vacation in Charleston (4)

After getting back to the guest house from Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum (https://www.patriotspoint.org/) last Tuesday afternoon (26 November), I rested up a bit, then joined Mom at Rick and Melissa's house for dinner. Then, Rick and I walked up to the Mellow Mushroom restaurant (https://mellowmushroom.com/location/sc-charleston-19-magnolia-rd-29407/) approximately one block from the house. There, I joined Rick, Melissa, and several others on a team for the restaurant's weekly trivia contest. (In fact, Rick invited me to do this before I flew to Charleston, and he didn't have to ask me twice!) The contestants were asked a series of three questions on various topics and each team submitted their answers after polling among themselves. I was able to contribute my share to our team, named "Et tu, Bloomberg?," and we did very well. In fact, our team won the night, and we were awarded a Mellow Mushroom gift card as our prize. The guy asking the questions actually lives near Rick and Melissa's house.

I ordered some pretzel bites to enjoy with a draft beer during the contest. After that contest, Rick and I walked home.

The next day, I drove into downtown Charleston (https://www.charleston-sc.gov/) to do some sightseeing. I parked by the visitor center and visited the replica of the steam locomotive "Best Friend of Charleston," which was employed on the first scheduled rail passenger service in the United States in 1830. (http://bestfriendofcharleston.org/)

After that, I walked around the area, admiring the historic buildings. Many of these had signs about the place and its historic significance, as well as medallions recognizing their history.

The weather was most pleasant for this walking tour, and there were plenty of people--residents and tourists--also on the sidewalks. I also visited the Charleston City Market (https://www.thecharlestoncitymarket.com/), where I walked among the various stalls where a great variety of goods were for sale.

After walking back to my car to put away my jacket (it was getting hot) and some tourism brochures, I walked to El Jefe Texican Cantina (https://www.eljefechs.com/) on King Street for lunch. I had an order of tostadas, with beans and rice, plus chips and salsa. It was a very satisfying lunch.

Then, I walked across the street to Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts (http://glazedgourmet.com/), where I had a maple bacon doughnut. It was most tasty. This shop reminds me a lot of Strange Donuts (https://www.strangedonuts.com/), in being a place for unique donuts.

After some more walking, I made my way to The Charleston Museum (https://www.charlestonmuseum.org/) for a visit. This is America's first museum, founded in 1773, and celebrates and natural and human history of Charleston and the Lowcountry. They had a variety of most interesting exhibits, ranging from gallery of silverware produced in Charleston, to a look at Lowcountry history (Native Americans, planters, and slaves), to galleries on Charleston's role in the American Revolution and the American Civil War. It was a most interesting place to visit and I definitely recommend it.

Just outside the museum was a replica of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, which made history's first successful submarine attack in Charleston Harbor on 17 February 1864. I visited the replica and took a selfie in front of it before walking back to my car and driving back to the guest house. After dinner, I spent time with Rick and Melissa's family, including their daughter--my goddaughter--Kate.

Thanksgiving Day (28 November) was spent mostly at Rick's house and the guest house. I chilled out waiting for the Thanksgiving feast late that after noon. All of us--Mom, Rick, Melissa, Alex, Kate, and I--were joined by Melissa's father Neil, who lives in Charleston, and her mother and stepfather, Tina and Alan, who live south of Charleston. It was a very good dinner, featuring not only turkey, but also beef brisket from Alan. It was very good to share this meal with family and catching up with Melissa's parents and stepfather, who I have not seen in some years.

After dinner, Mom and I said our goodbyes to Rick and Melissa's family before we returned to the guest house to pack up, as we had an early flight out the next morning. Up well before dawn, we packed the Versa and drove to Charleston International Airport (https://www.iflychs.com/). We returned the car to the Enterprise (https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html) lot, then walked with our luggage to the terminal. We checked one back each at the American Airlines (https://www.aa.com) counter, passed through security, then walked to our gate to wait our flight. The flight into Charlotte Douglas International Airport (https://www.cltairport.com/) went smoothly, then we connected with the flight to St. Louis.

Mom and I arrived at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (https://www.flystl.com/) late that morning. After getting our luggage and grabbing a bit of lunch, we walked to the arrivals ramp, where Ralph and Charleen Sartori were waiting to take us home. After loading our luggage into their minivan, the four of us came home to begin unpacking and getting our mail that was held while we were away. Overall, a very nice vacation in a beautiful city.

Later.

Vacation in Charleston (3)

After relaxing at home one week ago, I went back out of the house the next day (26 November). That morning, I drove across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge to Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum (https://www.patriotspoint.org/) in Mount Pleasant, just north of Charleston. I visited there when I was last in Charleston five years ago, but wanted to see more this time.

I started aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10), the star attraction of Patriots Point. Yorktown saw action in the Pacific during World War II, from late 1943 until mid-1945. She also saw service during the Cold War, and was the prime recovery ship of the Apollo 8 space mission (December 1968), until decommissioned in 1970. Aboard Yorktown, I visited the Medal of Honor Museum, which salutes those who have earned this country's top award for military valor. Then, I toured the ship, from stern to stem, visiting various rooms (which had explanations for that roles they served) and seeing various displays below decks. I also admired the aircraft displayed on the hangar and flight decks, and went into the island superstructure. It was a great thrill for me.

After a after about four hours aboard Yorktown, I sent to the destroyer USS Laffey (DD-724), which is moored alongside Yorktown. Laffey saw action from early 1944, first off Normandy on D-Day (6 June 1944), then in the Pacific. Off Okinawa on 16 April 1945, Laffey survived attacks by 22 Japanese aircraft in a 79-minute span. Despite being hit by five kamikazes (suicide aircraft) and three bombs, she stayed afloat and downed nine Japanese aircraft. Laffey would go on to serve during the Korean War and in the Atlantic during the Cold War before being decommissioned in 1975.

I enjoyed spending time aboard Laffey, starting with inside the aft main gun turret, which was hit by a kamikaze in the 16 April 1945 attacks. I also went through the various rooms of the ship and made it to the bridge. I then took in an interactive display in the Combat Information Center (CIC) depicting a Cold War Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercise.

After visiting Laffey, I walked over to the nearby Vietnam Experience, where some vehicles and weapons from the Vietnam War were on display. There were also interpretive displays on the war and the US role in it, and sound effects from the period were played on loudspeakers. It was all very interesting.

After spending most of the day at Patriots Point, I drove back to the guest house, then walked next door to Rick's house for dinner.

I will tell of the rest of my vacation in my next post. Later.