60+ year old thread.

Fortunately I wasn't stationed on her yet Art. After the fire she was brought to the East coast and put in dry dock in Norfolk Virginia and that is where I met her. At my last duty station before I shipped out we got an Aviation ordinance man that was on her and his GQ station was below decks in a magazine. He went through hell down there not knowing what was happening on deck so when he got out from the magazine he went to the psychiatric hospital to get his head together. He told everyone when he got there that he cannot go into any confined or tight spaces since the fire. Didn't get to know him real well as I was transferred shortly there after. Until the day they retired the Forrestal, she still had battle scars (holes) in the island structure. 2 months dry dock, 2 months sea trials, 6 month med cruise then a free man. Served my 4 years and decided military life wasn't for me. It was an experience.

 

I love the 2000GT.

Forrestal. One of my fellow Parkinson's Boxers flew something like 183 missions. A4 pilot, One he ditched at sea after taking heavy hits. Not enough fuel to make it home.

He hadn't met my wife but stopped in the hospital after my lung surgery. His first comment to my wife was, "what gave your the right to wear a 'Bama hoodie?" She went to school in Tuscaloosa when Bear was coach. It helped to get my wife to laugh. I was wheeled back,
the doc told my wife "45 minutes surgery" to remove a love, but I was back there for five hours as they ran into complications. She was a little stressed but still laughs about meeting John. His wife was mortified to hear that story! I think they had just had their 50th anniversary.

They own a coffee shop in Austin, TX. We had our YOPD (Young Onset Parkinson's) group meet up there. A friend told me about it, and I commented, "how will I recognize the group" Oh, don't worry about that. When I placed my order, great folks pointed to a table and said they would be glad to bring my coffee over to me. Typically, YOPD starts under 50, but it was an informal group, and nice to meet other people raising families, working, and living with Parkinson's.

 

And I was on the USS ENTERPRISE in January 69 when we kind of blew ourselves up while doing OPERATIONAL READINESS operations off of Hawaii prior to heading to Vietnam. I've always said I aged from 18 to 25 in 15 minutes that morning. Will never forget it.

 

A lot of history and experience (some not so good) on this thread. Always great to hear others stories. Thank you folks for sharing.

 

Nothing but respect from me.
More of these stories need to be told to the younger generations!
(the cost of freedom is not cheap).

 

Tease?
Why would you say that?

 

That's what brought me here over 10 years ago. I think it started with Jim's posts. I stumbled in on another slow night shift, started reading and I was hooked on wanting to know more about the "Cool Old Dudes" and the stories they told. This thread has always been a special place for me in TW, and it's because of you fine folks. I appreciate you more than I can put into words.

Respect
Rob

 

Good morning everyone!!

Looks like we are in for some rain today and back into the 40s here in northeast PA. I had a fun day at the college yesterday recording my part for the commencement video. They are adding some humor into it and I am always up for that.

In the category of "Stupid Moves", the winner is.....Me!!!! When I was finishing up working on the Z3 the other day I managed to leave the trunk lid unlatched. Went out last evening to pull it out of the garage so I could spray the top with a moisture sealant and......of course the battery is toast. I put it on the trickle charger and this morning I went out to check and I get a very faint glow from the Low Oil warming light on the dash. I'll look to see if I kept the receipt for the battery to see how old it is but I'm thinking a new battery is in store today. I think I'll grab one of the hard chargers from the tractor garage and see if that will get it going...but I'm leery since I don't want to get stuck on the road when we're out on a trip.

And, yes, I do have 25 years of maintenance records and receipts for the Z3.

Stay safe out there!!

 

Good Morning Folks .
Rain and low temperatures for today...the only thing "spring" is the pollen on the new Tacoma and my nose running like a faucet .
Have a great day all and be safe.

 

Morning all:

I don't think Jim told us all the stories he could have, remember his original avatar, that weapon he was holding was definitely not standard issue!
As you know, he loved to quail hunt, always enjoyed the pics. he posted about his dogs and other things associated with his hunting trips.
Shame he couldn't bite his tongue when he needed to and got banned, it's evident that all of us that were here when he was miss him posting.
Hope he's still healthy, enjoying life, and still hunting quail, as the saying goes, gone from the porch but not forgotten, Jim.

 

Good Morning Mark

Always a smart move to add a little humor to those type ceremonies. Supposed to be a happy time, nothing beats laughter to amplify happy.

Buy the battery, even if you can put some life back into the old one, it would nag at the back of my mind on a road trip. But that's me and my 2¢ FWIW.

Have a great day!

Good Morning Ken, don't go dripping snot on that new truck interior.

Hope you find some relief for your sinuses. Be safe.

Good Morning Carl
Indeed on all points. I'd never heard of Vizslas before meeting Jim on here. I too hope he is well, safe, and happy.

Have a great day.

To all three of you fine Cool Old Dudes...

Respect
Rob

 

A trip down memory lane:

Jim might be banned, but his media pages are still accessible. Just a few he posted.

 

Percolating a pot as I type.

Nah, it will pass.

My cousin's husband has Parkinson's. We were going out to lunch every other week, pre pandemic, for lunch. We alternated who would pay. We still try to go to an early dinner with the wives once a month now days.

It has been a crazy week. I had a 24 hour heart monitor put on this past Monday. The doctor removed it on Tuesday and there were no abnormalities so no pacemaker for me right now.

Went to the hearing specialist on Monday for a few more tests and received pricing for a pair of hearing aids in two tier levels. Talked to the hearing doc about an insurance benefit I have with a company called Amplifon. They would bring the cost down $500 or so. I had to schedule an appointment with the hearing doctor thru Amplifon and that is for this coming Monday. I want to talk to her about two different brands of hearing aids that work well with phones on the android platform. I also have a hearing fest set up with Costco next Friday. My neighbor likes Costco for the lower prices and he says he receives great service from the Costco I set up an appointment with. Information on hearing aids and the services you need to properly fit them is pretty slim. The manufactures web sites also leave a lot to be desired.

Today is a music lesson at 9:30 then I have to go pick up a pressure treated 2X4X8, think I need to go to the bank and take out a loan for that. Also need to go to a grocery store to pick up a few items. Going to be a busy day.

 

Good morning all,

Light misting snow/rain mix this morning - going to switch over to rain later this morning. OK, so it can still snow when it is 40 degrees here - altitude affect.

Tom, I have hearing aids, have a maintenance appointment next week. I have been wearing them for over a year now, I can manage them with my android phone but I have yet use them to respond to a call.

Have a great day everyone - be safe

 

Thank you Ken

 

Good Morning Tom

Don't forget a security detail for transporting that 2x4x8 through public road system.

 

First hearing aids I got were nothing but expensive amplifiers. Just got new aids in November and love them. Adjustable through the android phone(also iphones) and you can answer calls and make calls through them. Biggest problem I have is forgetting to take them out at bed time. They are that comfortable. Many adjustments can be made through the phone for different situations. Also doctor can connect remotely to trouble shoot, make adjustments or just to say HI. Technology is good.

 

Good Morning Porch! Grey and COME ON rain! I watered last night, and might resort to washing cars! Today is our best shot.....

Got an errand to run, and was going to take the truck back to the AC guy, just to have him check pressure (as those switches can prevent it from running), but think I am going to put that off until my replacement sensor comes and I put it in. Other than that, I am hoping for a rainy day!!

 

Yup...especially when I pulled it and saw that I bought it in January of 2011. The battery on the Z3 is in the trunk. I cleaned the battery compartment up a bit and sprayed it with a re-coat of grey paint. New battery is in place and the Z3 is running again.