Les Histoires de Coeur

     My 3 AM mental ramblings have resulted in this revelation entitled "Affairs of the Heart". I can tell that I'm getting old, in the twilight of my years when I feel the need to write. However, I also recognize the fact that photographs would not do justice to my memories. The names here are true but are irrelevant as they are so "gone" or even have passed.

     My first "true love" sprang upon me in the fifth grade when our class received a new student in about October of 1957. Her name was Laurie and so blonde and from so far away, proving that there was a bigger and better life beyond our small town in central Minnesota. The next spring I had a model of a 1958 convertible Cadillac convertible Coupe de Ville with a guy and girl in it. I told her it was us which angered her. Summer came and went but the following year's Christmas play had me as Joseph and she was Mary. This delighted me no end, however I caught pneumonia and missed the performance, being hospitalized. Laurie and her family moved the following spring and was lost to me forever.

     The next heart-throb of my life was discovered in 1961 when I became a high school freshman. A whole new world opened for me when the students from St. Mary's, a parochial school, started "high school". A tall brunette girl captured my heart for four years in high school - and that lasted for decades. Unfortunately I was so smitten I never had the heart to even ask for a date. She moved to the south a couple of years after graduation. Years (and years) later while visiting cousins down south I found her phone number and we went to dinner and she invited me to a party the next day. By then we both had our families and she has since passed away.

     The third and last chapter in the loves of my life occurred shortly after my divorce in 1982. I was driving home from work one afternoon when a girl in a yellow Sunbird car let me out into traffic - LA traffic was tough even then. I waved a "thank you" in my rear view mirror. Then I saw what she looked like and said "SAY WHAT" to myself! For the next few days I would see her driving the same street and we would wave to each other. Finally by the third day I pulled along side her and motioned for her to pull over so we could meet. It became really terrific after that going to lunch together quite often. Lori changed bank branches a couple of times so I would miss her for awhile. Then seeing her driving the opposite way I made a u-turn in the middle of the street and we ran together like we were in a hair shampoo commercial. I was in the midst of moving again and lost track of her when her neighbor said she had moved to Washington DC.

Squashed Laurels - sitting too long

I've been in Los Angeles for a couple of months now working on my delayed projects and I'm getting itchy feet to go somewhere again - it's too damn hot with triple digit heat here near San Bernadino! Taos New Mexico looks a lot cooler at 7000 ft.

So I've left Florida after visiting both cousins for a couple of months. On the way there I dropped off my co-pilot - granddaughter at the Charleston airport to return for school. Ella was a wonderful navigator and great company. While I was in Sebring I finished some repairs on the motor home - bent luggage door. Then later in North Port I replaced the starter and a battery. All in all it was a great time, cousin Buzz who I rode with the Viet Nam Vets and previously the Outlaws both of which he is a retired member.

Having been "gone" for two years by way of Minnesota to check on the family homestead and Seattle to visit my South Bay Brother Marc, it's time to GO. My cousin Len (FL) is going to meet me in Taos on his way (another RV'er) to Minnesota. A Hungarian friend who grew up in Soviet Budapest has moved to Deming and is on my "visiting list". He has first hand knowledge of what socialism is like-terrible!

I'M OFF MY SOAPBOX

   With the changes since January my IRA is up substantially, the taxes are going down, the GDP is up so I don't have anything to complain about anymore. Besides, complaining is like trying to educate all of the inconsiderate drivers in LA.
   I've visited relatives in Florida and survived hurricane Irma, fixed my ice maker, upgraded my TV antenna for digital, and getting ready for Halloween (no pumpkins). Irma was supposed to go up the Atlantic coast but swung around to the Gulf coast so it hit the whole state. Highlands County was hit second worst after the Keys.

The neighbors have a few chickens so I've been helping feed them to get more eggs. I bent over to show them more food with an egg in my phone pocket and got it egged - no damage after a hasty wipe down. But now we're eating avocado omelets with Zatarains Crab Oil.

I'm Baaaak

Wow, what a difference a few years makes! From 2008 since I retired I've still taken a few jobs mostly at the direction of my daughter the president of the business. I've been to Nigeria four times for Chevron but got burned out on that. So when my cousin offered a 40 ft motor home for sale, I took him up on that. Last summer I spent in Minnesota with a side trip for a few weeks to Seattle to visit my Harley riding "brother" and saw the Boeing plant with my former brother-in-law. After wintering in Pennsylvania with my daughter and her family, I left for Florida to visit with cousins with my granddaughter as co-pilot. She caught a flight back home in Charleston, SC to get ready for 8th grade school.
So much for a quick update.....I have had some time in Sebring, FL with cousin Len like repairing the automatic door step and the battery parallel solenoid. There are a half dozen neighbors chickens that come over for their morning feeding. Right now I'm house-sitting until he returns with his new motor home from Phoenix. Then It's on to North Port, FL to see another cousin who I haven't seen in a couple of years.

I'm just out here curing my traveling jones - no place I have to be and the country to see.

What Is Everyone Else Thinking - or are they?

I Think We Have A Problem Houston (Washington)

• The Administrations IRS cannot find 6 months of emails
• Benghazi Murders Have Not Been Caught
• Al Qaeda Are Bigger and Stronger
• Obamacare Will Not Save $2500 But Instead Costs
• A 2.3% DROP In The First Quarter GDP - the economy is NOT improving
• Fast & Furious Gun Running
• The Attorney General Does Not Investigate Potential Crimes

So how long are you the people going to ignore this. Or are you happy with what this has become?

Dateline: My BRFS

Bunker Refuge From Stupidity
    
In his new book, “Blood Feud,” journalist Edward Klein gets inside the dysfunctional, jealous relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack and Michelle Obama. Here, he explains what happened the night of the Benghazi attack.
     By 10 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2012, when Hillary Clinton received a call from President Obama, she was one of the most thoroughly briefed officials in Washington on the unfolding disaster in Benghazi, Libya.
She knew that Ambassador Christopher Stevens and a communications operator were dead, and that the attackers had launched a well-coordinated mortar assault on the CIA annex, which would cost the lives of two more Americans.
She had no doubt that a terrorist attack had been launched against America on the anniversary of 9/11. However, when Hillary picked up the phone and heard Obama’s voice, she learned the president had other ideas in mind. With less than two months before Election Day, he was still boasting that he had al Qaeda on the run

My New Bunker of Refuge From Stupidity (RBFS)

     So since nobody is listening or willing/able to do anything about the current social-economic circumstances, I will work n my own projects. The Lord knows I have enough of those. I have fixed the intake manifold leak on the Cherokee - after 5500 miles on a new motor I built, the bolts had slacked off and needed re-torquing.

     My 8 year old laptop I use only for internet radio ran like a quadriplegic so I found a replacement on Ebay. It works so well that for the $130 price I bought my granddaughter one too, She is aceing her schoolwork and her swimming so it's motivational.

  

   My friends of 45 years of riding together from Redondo Beach are gathering for the 20th annual Fat's Run to Kern River. I met Willie John at the Magic Mountain Denny's and spent a great weekend with everyone. Marc went home via 395 where he went north and I went south.

   I got the stripped shift lever repaired on my Heritage and a new battery for the Knucklehead. It runs now that I've adjusted the carb but the rear cylinder smokes bad. I've pulled the head to check and repair the oversize valve guides.