HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 25 VOL 6
JANUARY 27TH 2008
WEATHER; COOL, MED HUMIDITY, 34/44
GAS PRICE $2.76 AVERAGE IN DENISON/SHERMAN
ANOTHER DAY TO STAY IN THE HOUSE! WE GOT READY AND WENT TO 5:00 MASS THEN STOPPED AT SHANNON’S TO VISIT WITH KAITLIN AND NOEL! SHE SEEMS TO BE IN PRETTY GOOD SPIRITS AND NOEL IS A BALL OF FIRE! SHE’S GOING TO SEE ABOUT GOING BACK TO WORK AT A SONIC FOR NOW! SHE USED TO WORK FOR THE LOCAL SONIC AND MADE REAL GOOD TIPS!
SHE HAD TO LEAVE HER CAR, A 1999 INTREPID IN COLORADO, IT HAS A BLOWN ENGINE ACCORDING TO HER FATHER-IN-LAW! SHE SAID THE CAR IS WORTH GOING BACK FOR BUT ISN’T GOING TO WORRY ABOUT IT AND WILL SEE ABOUT BUYING SOMETHING HERE!
HAD A LONG VISIT WITH KERRY ON THE PHONE TODAY EVERYTHING’S FINE DOWN THERE, HE HAS ABOUT 3 MORE WEEKS THEN HE’LL BE OFF FOR 3 WEEKS! HE SAYS THEY’RE GOING TO STAY AROUND HOME THIS TIME AND PLAN ON GOING TO FLORIDA ON HIS NEXT TIME OFF! THEY STILL HAVE WORK TO DO ON DEBI’S DADS HOUSE THAT SHE INHERITED! WE’VE BEEN INVITED TO SPEND SOME TIME DOWN THERE WITH THEM BUT DON’T KNOW WHEN WE WILL!
MOM HAS DOCTORED MY WRIST THREE TIMES SO FAR AND EACH TIME IT LOOKS BETTER. I GO BACK DOWN TO DALLAS FEB. 6TH FOR A CHECK UP AND THEY’LL TAKE THE STITCHES OUT THEN I GUESS/HOPE!
I’M GOING TO TALK TO MY PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR AND IF THEY CAN’T DO SOMETHING ABOUT MY KNEES; I CAN HARDLY STAND UP OUT OF A CHAIR AND MOM HAD TO HELP ME IN CHURCH TODAY. I’M GOING TO ASK FOR REPLACEMENTS! I DON’T KNOW IF THEY’LL DO THEM OR NOT? THEY’VE DONE EVERYTHING ELSE I’VE NEEDED, 2 CATARAC REMOVALS, 6 PAIR OF GLASSES, 3 PACEMAKERS, 3 DIFFERENT HEARING AIDS AND THE NEWEST ONES ARE AUTOMATIC ADJUSTERS, AN AMPLIFIED TELEPHONE AND TV HEAD SET, AND THE MOST RECENT REMOVAL OF THE CANCER ON MY WRIST! BUT, WE’LL SEE, WITH ALL THE THINGS GOING ON WITH THE FUNDING FOR THE VA THEY’RE REALLY TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF THE IRAQI VETERANS WHICH IS RIGHT BUT, I HOPE THEY DON’T FORGET THE WWII, KOREAN, VIETNAM AND DESERT STORM VETS!
HERE’S A LITTLE MORE ABOUT MY EARLY YEARS AT NEWPORT BEACH;
THERE WAS A BIG WOODEN SWIMMING RAFT TIED UP TO 4 PILINGS ABOUT 30 FEET FROM SHORE AT HI TIDE. WE GOT UP ONE MORNING AND THEY HAD COME IN DURING THE NIGHT AND TOWED IT AWAY AND MOORED AN OLD WOODEN ISLAND TRADER SAILING SHIP TO THE PILINGS, THE NAME ON THE STERN WAS “MINDANAO”! LATER IN THE WAR THERE WAS A BATTLE FOUGHT FOR THE ISLAND OF “MINDANAO” THE SECOND LARGEST ISLAND OF THE PHILIPPINES! SO, WE USED THE SHIP FOR A DIVING PLATFORM TILL THE NAVY CAME IN AND PUT A 6’ HIGH BARB WIRE FENCE AROUND THE WHOLE DECK; THAT ENDED THAT! WE FOUND A WAY TO GET UNDER THE LOWEST STRAND OF WIRE AND COULD STILL EXPLORE THE INARDS OF THE SHIP! YOU CAN’T IMAGING THE GHOSTLY TAILS WE MADE UP TO TELL AT NIGHT WHILE SETTING AROUND THE SMALL FIRES WE BUILT TO ROAST HOT DOGS AND MARSHMALLOWS! THE ONES I MADE UP EVEN SCARED ME TO BEGIN WITH! MY MOM MADE US QUIT TELLING THEM AROUND THE LITTLE KIDS SO WE WAITED TILL THEY WENT TO BED!
DURING THE DAY IT WAS SWIMMING OR SHELL COLLECTING OR GOING OVER TO THE OCEAN AND DO BELLY SURFING OR OUT ON THE PIER TO FISH FOR SMELT AND SEA BASS! THE SMELT MADE GOOD EATING AFTER YOU GOT THEM PAN READY AND FRIED THEM IN BUTTER, YOU COULD EAT THE TAIL AND FINS! I ONLY CAUGHT ONE SEA BASS AND BY THE TIME I GOT IT CLEANED AND READY FOR COOKING THERE WASN’T MUCH LEFT, I NEVER WAS GOOD AT CLEANING FISH!
THERE WAS AN OLD SEA CAPTAIN LIVING IN THE CAMP GROUNDS NAMED WHITE, HE WOULD BRING HIS GRANDDAUGHTER DOWN FOR THE SUMMER! THEY HAD A SNOWBIRD SAILBOAT THAT WOULD CARRY 4 PEOPLE, HIS GRADDAUGHTER WAS REAL GOOD AT SAILING AND CAPTAIN WHITE TAUGHT ME THE INS AND OUTS OF SAILING, I COULD TACH INTO THE WIND, ZIG ZAG, COME ABOUT ON THE CENTERBOARD WITHOUT LOSING ANY HEADWAY AND I LOVED IT THEN AND STILL DO. SOMEPLACE I’VE GOT A SET OF BLUEPRINTS I DREW AS A CLASS PROJECT IN MY SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL! I NEVER DID TAKE THE TIME TO BUILD IT BUT, I WISH I HAD! MAYBE ONE OF MY KIDS WILL BUILD IT!
EVERY NIGHT WE HAD TO DIG A DYKE ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE TENTS TO KEEP THE WATER FROM FLOODING IN THEM. WE MADE IT A KIND OF GAME AND MADE WARSHIPS OUT OF 2X4s AND WOULD MAKE BOMBS OUT OF THE WET SAND THEN SEE WHO COULD HIT THE OTHER GUYS SHIPS, Y MORNING THE TIDE HAD GONE DOWN AND WE HAD A 40 FOOT BEACH TO PLAY ON!
I GOT TO KNOW THE MEN IN THE MARINE SHOPS PRETTY GOOD AND WENT OUT ON SALVAGE JOBS WITH THEM OCCASIONALLY! ONE JOB WE WENT ON WAS A NAVY AIRPLANE CRASHED WHEN THE PILOT TRIED TO BUZZ A BUNCH OF GIRLS ON THE OCEAN SIDE OF THE PENINSULA, HIS WIG TIP HIT THE WATER AND SPUN HIM IN UNDER NEWPORT PIER. HE GOT OUT AND MADE IT TO THE BEACH BUT THE NAVY WAS THERE AND HUSTLED HIM OFF. I UNDERSTAND THEYHAD A NUMBER OF CALLS ABOUT HIM BUZZING THE BEACH FRONT! THE NAME OF THE SALVAGE TUG WAS THE “MOTORRIGHT”. I WENT WITH THEM ONE DAY TO SALVAGE A BOAT THAT HAD LOST POWER AND WAS THROWN INTO THE ROCKS IN THE JETTY. THE PEOPLE GOT OFF BUT THE BOAT STUCK OUT INTO THE JETTY AND THE COAST GUARD DECLARED IT A HAZARD TO NAVIGATION! THE CREW PUT A HARD HAT SUIT AND HELMET ON ME AND LOWERED ME AT THE STERN OF THE BOAT TO HOOK A LINE TO THE PROP SHAFT, WHEN THEY GOT ME UP THEY PROCEEDED TO PULL THE OTHER BOAT OFF THE ROCKS AND BACK INTO BALBOA HARBOR AND BEACHED IT ON BALBOA ISLAND! I NEVER DID FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO IT! THEY GAVE ME $10.00 FOR WHAT I DID AND WHEN I SHOWED IT TO MY MOM AND TOLD HER WHY I GOT PAID SHE FORBADE ME TO EVER GO NEAR THOSE GUYS AGAIN WHICH I DIDN’T TILL 1949, BILL MASON, DICK CLARK AND I WERE DOWN TO THE BEACH HOUSE FOR A WEEKEND AND I WENT TO THE MARINA AND WALKED IN THE SIDE DOOR, HEY! NOT JOHN, WE THOUGHT YOU GOT KILLED OR SOMETHING! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! NOT JOHN WAS A NAME THEY HAD GIVEN ME WHEN I WAS ABOUT 10 BECAUSE WHEN THEY CALLED ME JOHN I’D SAY MY NAMES NOT JOHN!
THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE.
HOWARD
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