Finally!

The "Summer(project) of Houseworth" is finished!

I started out about 6 weeks ago in early July with a goal to paint the house and clean up the garage and bushes/Jungle/shrubs around the house. I figured with me hand painting the house and garage, some 2500 sq feet with 3", 2", and trim paint brushes by hand it would take me the rest of the summer, so I set out a goal to be done by Labor Day. Lucky for me, it has been for the most part{the past 2 weeks not withstanding} a dry and cool summer....so I finished up the project. Now I can get back to enjoying the rest of summer...which means a few cigars, a lot of beer, and sitting around in the back yard when I'm not officiating football.

The house, which we purchased in 1995, was built in late 1923 as a Parsonage for the Pastor and his family of the First Church of God in Celina{located right across the street to the north and west} When the new church was built in the late 1980s, they sold the church to a local bar owner/landlord, the house was sold to a local Plumbing and Heating Contractor...his family lived there for a handful of years, before he sold it to us in 95. Back in the 1970s Patricia and I lived just a block north of the Church and she had always loved the house...20 years or so later we made it ours. The Kitchen was added in 1944 and the detached 2 1/2 car garage and dog kennel were built in the 1980s. Given the fact that the majority of the outside wood is 85+ years old....the painting by hand is a chore, but well worth the effort. But I have to believe this, my 3rd try, was my best, and my last time to paint the homestead.

Blood Drawing, Football Meeting, and Reds Baseball____

Those are what today and tomorrow entails. This morning, after fasting since 10PM last night..I drove over to my Doctor at Minster to have one of the nurses draw some blood. Seems when the were doing my blood work last month to check my Kidneys...the found those OK, but my sugar levels were elevated...so back this morning for more Vampire feedings....seems she may have stuck that needle in a little awkward...by the time I got home my inner arm had a nice knot from the sticking..about the size of a half of tennis ball...No wonder I hate giving blood? I'm guessing they are checking me for Diabetes, although no one in my family has ever claimed it...as long as they don't ask me to give up beer drinking in the Summer or want me to stick myself in the finger everyday, I can handle the other options. We will see how that goes.

Will head back to Van Wert with Sam and Garry tonight for another local Rules Meeting....no more scrimmages for me until next Monday the 24th at Parkway, and then the 27th at Spencerville. The regular season begins at all levels the weekend starting Friday August 28th.

Tomorrow Patricia, Anissa, me, and 7 other clients and workers from Mercer Residential head for Cincinnati to take in the Reds....although the season has been lost for some time now, this gets the guys to a ball game...hopefully the 60% chance of Thunderstorms will pass the Great American Ballpark and leave us dry. One thing about GABP, not a bad seat in the house, and we will be under the roof in case it does shower. The group will stop in Middletown after the game at the local Pizza Hut for supper.

That will about do it for Patricia's summer...she is back at St. Henry for classes next Monday, with the students first day being Tuesday the 25th

That will do it for this report, back either tomorrow night or Friday with details of the Cincinnati Trip.

photos-The completed project..front of house{top left} The Kitchen as seen from my fenced in back yard, and the October Red Garage Doors, which I finished up yesterday. Finally tickets for the Reds vs Giants in a afternoon game, tomorrow, in Cincinnati.

And this from the American Thinker Magzine hits the nail right on the head:

http://www.Americanthinker.com/cartoons/?id=639

Funny and True!

The Weekend in Review

Summer has decided to wait until mid August to rear it's head....still no rain in our area, but plenty of it north, south, in Ohio, plus Illinois, and Michigan...we have been dry, but they are calling for a chance of storms for the next week...some around today, but it's all north..AGAIN! Maybe we will get our share.

The Weekend____




After we picked in Nick's Garden on Friday, and Nick and I smoked the Salmon, Patricia left and Nick and I sat around, smoked a couple of Cigars and downed a few beers....I got to bed early Friday night. Saturday dawned humid but cool enough for the Celina Scrimmages to go forward in good style. Sam, me, and Jim S, did the Freshman vs Piqua, Garry and his crew did the Varsity against Sidney. Just 11 days before the regular season kicks off August 28th....hopeful the rains will soften the fields, and the humidity will drop down.

I had finished painting the house on Thursday, and now just have some garage trim and the garage doors...might get at it today, maybe not. I will then clean up the bushes around the house and garage and the Summer House Project will be done. Here are some after photos:
Canning____

Patricia spent all day Saturday and part of the day Sunday "Canning" Veggies...plenty of beets, tomatoes, peas, green beans, etc, to go with the already good supply of fruit jam. That is almost done for the year....Good thing too, Patricia is back to school next week, so Summer for her, is about finished.. Here is some of her weekend work:


It was a humid Sunday...after Church, we rotated between the A/C inside and the back yard hopeful of catching a breeze. Anissa, a little tougher than us, when it comes to heat and humidity, spent most of the afternoon in the back yard. As the old song goes.."Too hot to fish, to hot to drink beer." As short, dry, and cool as our summer has been...I am ready for some fall type weather....70s and some dry humidity sounds good.
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The week ahead___

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Will try to finish up the painting, and then wait on some cooler, dryer, weather to do the trimming of the bushes. Wednesday I head to Minster to get some blood drawn...sugar levels were somewhat high on my last Doctor visit...so will get that checked...not really concerned about it, never had a problem, but we will get it looked at anyway.

Thursday Patricia, Anissa, and I, along with some of the men and crew from Mercer Residential will head for Cincinnati, to take out a Reds-Giants game at The Great American Ballpark....the Reds stink, but the guys love this kind of stuff, and we will be there to enjoy the day with them.

Friday I may have football, maybe not. Garry needed a sub for his crew at Fort Recovery, so told him I could help with that scrimmage if needed. Things, football wise, become more active next week....by the first of September, I will have more days with games than those without.

Back Later>>>>

photos-{top left}-22 of the 30 Giant Sunflowers are out and blooming...the rest should be in full show by the end of the week. Also the west then east side of the finished house...painted, new roof, and new down spouting....this should last me until my last days...at least the spouting and roof...paint? Not sure about that, but, I won't be doing the entire thing again. And finally a collection of Patricia's canning work from over the weekend. Will give some away to our garden partners, and Mom...the rest heads to the basement storage area for future needs.

Gone Painting'

Posting will be a hit and miss affair for the next week or so....I want to finish up the painting project...just some trim and 1/2 the garage+garage doors to do. Football classes start tonight, scrimmage contests start Saturday....a Reds game next week and a few other things to catch up with before Patricia heads back for the start of school in less than 2 weeks.

back later>>>> photos-One of the Citrus Sunflowers and a couple shots of my tools of the non-paying trade.

The 80% Solution/Summer Winds Down

The second straight day of hot humid weather was in the cards yesterday. Today won't be quite as humid, and tomorrow the cooler, dryer weather moves in...well at least dryer. The Dayton area got hammered with some nice rains yesterday, we got nothing, again. The dry weather seems to be confined to a swath of ground from the Fort Wayne area in Indiana down to us...north and into Michigan has been damp, while the Dayton area and south has had more than their share of showers. No rain in the forecast for another 7 days, so says The Weather Channel.

The House, 80% or so complete____

I laid off the painting again yesterday, and probably again today....with 80% of the house complete{just the upstairs outside above the kitchen and some minor trim to go}, I can finish up that and the garage and then work on the shrubs around the house. Should not have a problem getting done before Labor Day.

Football scrimmages begin on Saturday. I have a morning session with Sam and a couple of other guys at 9AM here in Celina...for a Freshman contest.

Despite the Lack of Rain___

My Giant/Mammoth Sunflowers are going great guns...maybe I should have entered them in the Mercer County Fair this coming week{starts Friday}? A couple started to bloom last week, and now my 30 or so plants have at least a dozen on the grow...some of them bigger than my head, which is quite the size. Now, what to do with them? They say, once complete, put them in paper bags and let the seeds mature in a basement or cool spot....well, I'm not a big fan of Sunflower Seeds...but the Doves that frequent the backyard feeding area probably are...so, maybe I'll save some, and let the birds have at the others....one thing for sure, if I'm still kicking next year{Obama Rationed Health Care you know?}...I'm going for at least 50 of these and the small variety...they grow quick and are fun to watch...Shows you how easily entertained I am these days.

Off to get a haircut____

The middle portion of an exciting day{just kidding} will see me head up to George's Barber Shop, to get my ears lowered...that way the stripped football lids will fit my bulbous head, without the hair sticking out...Gotta look sharp.

More Nha Trang Stories and Photos coming up this week, as I look back at my time in Vietnam, 40 years ago.

back later

photos-The house with the front now complete...just some trim, the top side of the back and some garage work to go...then repair the shrubs, and done for the summer fix up season. The Sunflowers are growing in size and numbers...heads bigger than mine, and a dozen or so already making the bees happy.

The Weekend Outlook/Skoshi Tigers and other thoughts

Another 6 hours on the ladder yesterday and all but completed the west side of the house...a little more scrapping today, and some trim work will finish that up. Meanwhile Patricia is into her final push to do her summer house cleaning, canning, and will also do some more window trimming later today. Just 3 more weeks and she will be back at school. This week we are going to a Fort Wayne "Tin Caps" game in that Indiana city...The Tin Caps, formerly known as the "Wizards" are the San Diego Class A farm team, who moved into their brand new stadium downtown early this season. Later in August, we will go with Anissa and a group of the men{handicapped adults} from Mercer Residential Services to see the slumping Cincinnati Reds.

Tonight and this weekend Sam and I will be doing our final baseball games of the season...Celina is hosting The Dale Harter Memorial Little League Tournament. Now I admit I don't do LL games, have not done this age group(12 and 13) since 2001. It's a change from High School and American Legion baseball to say the least. 7 or 8 games over the next 3 days should be interesting...hopefully my legs and back will hold out. Football scrimmage season begins 2 weeks from tomorrow...not a big break, but will keep me focused, and busy.

Vietnam-Those that came before us____

As I go through my 40th Anniversary from my days in Vietnam, I try to give my experiences...let me be perfectly clear. I was a Air Force Cop, nothing more, nothing less, no War Hero, no Purple Heart, no Broze Star, just one of the players in that ill conceived conflict. Although Security Police in Vietnam had one of the more dangerous jobs in that conflict. I never felt in any real danger, except one time during a lightning storm while I was at Tan Son Nhut. Lightning bolts were hitting the perimeter wire, while I was sitting in a 25 foot metal tower, with just a lighting rod...a story for later, but I felt in danger, not from the VC or NVA, but from Mother Nature.

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By the time I arrived in Nha Trang in the Summer of 69, most SPs had barracks, at least 2 hot meals a day, a laundry, women(mamasans) that cleaned our clothes, bed sheets, and the barracks...compared to the ground pounders and grunts, we had it made. The Security Police that got it all started in 1964 though 1966 didn't have such "Luxury". For the most part their jobs were more dangerous, the slept in tents, had outhouses and out showers, we had hot running water, and hot showers.

My blogging buddy Mushy was one of the early Security Police at Da Nang:

http://mushysmoochings.blogspot.com/

So was Joe Pizzimenti and his flight the "Skoshi Tigers".

The Tigers were assigned to the 4503 TFS, and ran security escorts out of Bein Hoa and Da Nang back in 65 and 66. 23 Air Force Security Cops, trained by Army Infantry, who did the grunt like work of the early Security Police, long before we came into country, in much better circumstances. Although about 200 Sky Cops were lost in Vietnam, some in combat, and others not, the Skoshi Tigers did not lose a single man, despite being engaged with the VC, killing several and capturing more.

My salute to these early Security Police of the Vietnam War.

The Weekend____

A large batch of rain passed just south and east of us last night, another batch north...we remained dry, and the weekend looks to be warming up as it goes along, with little chance of rain. To nobodies surprise, this month was the coolest July in west central Ohio, since 1984...Global Warming indeed!

Photos-On the top we have Joe Pizzimenti's Skoshi Tiger patch from his days (1965-66) in Vietnam...below we have a before and after photos of the front of the house, with messed up Ivy, and then after Patricia completed the Red Trim....and another Sunflower pops out. The small ones(Evening Shade and Citrus) are slowly coming out, my mammoth Sunflower Stalks have reached as high as 14 feet, and the large Sunflowers are just starting to form, I expect head sized and bigger flowers in the next 10 days, and photos will follow.

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back later>>>>

Painting, Stiff Necks, and Our Racist-in-Chief

Pretty much a ho-hum type day yesterday. Fed the Birds{really the squirrels} in the back yard, did a Bible Study with Patricia, and then finally got around to the house painting project. Put in about 5 hours, and completed the white facing trim on the front of the porch, then got some trim done, and finally got over to the west side of the house, and started the base "green" there. Meanwhile Patricia started the small "October Red" trim around the windows and doors{See top photo}...She being a much more steady hand and with much more patience than me to do the small stuff.

Today they are calling for a 40% chance of rain, with 50% tomorrow....not sure if we will get any, we do need some more, and that will decide how much if any painting I will get done today or tomorrow. One thing for sure, the project is moving along, and I should have no problem finishing up by my projected date of Labor Day come early September. Another guarantee is, the "Stiff Neck" is going to remain with me until this project is completed, but that is something I can live with.

Obama=The Marxist/Racist-in-Chief____

I know most of you that have any lives at all, don't watch as much TV News/Listen to Radio Talk Show/ Read Newspapers, in the summer time as we do in the cooler months. Just to much else to do, we let Washington DC take care of business, and then come fall, we wonder just what the Hell happened?

So just a quick update: Our illegal Kenyan born Prez{he is probably legal, but calling him an Illegal Kenyan drives the left nuts, thus adding to the fun} continues to run us down the road to Hell in a Hand Basket. Cap{Crap} and Trade/More Apology tours begging the Islamics and Euros, to forgive us our sins...which I suppose include the sin of saving their sorry asses from total destruction during and after WW2. And of course who could forget Socialized Health Care, the take over of the Auto Industry...yep, this son of a bitch promised "Change", and by gawd, change he is giving us. Folks are finally waking up, the question is..."Will enough of us, wake up in time?"

And now our beloved pretender-in-chief has shown his true colors....by bashing the Cambridge Police Sgt, and saying he acted "stupidly" for arresting his radical black professor buddy, Mr Gates, Obama has shown once and for all, HE IS A RACIST! Always has been, always will be. Of course Barry is back peddling, because the few non-lap dog press outlets{Fox News, Talk Radio, etc}, have shown him for what he is....A half black radical child of the 60s, a hater of the Constitution, and a blatant Marxist and Racist...You think that's a little harsh? You ain't seen nothing yet...this guy is out to destroy the Republic, and it's our job to do what we can to stem that destruction. Question is, are we/you up to it?

Obama now has set up a meeting with Sargent Crowley and Professor Gates, to break bread and have a beer with him on Thursday...Crowley should spit it in their eyes!

Say what you mean, mean what you say!

back later>>>>

Photos-Patricia's "October Red" trim on the back door, surrounded by my painting project's "green" and beige...and Barack Obama and his fellow Marxist Travelers...AKA-"The Klan with a Tan"

update: Check out the recent comment from the gutless lib named Anon...the stupid Ho can't figure out the difference between Army and Air Force....I leave em' up on comments just to show how freaking stupid the average leftist is...way too funny-- prh 3/27/10

Ivy Comes Down, so does the Rain, Harry Back from Alaska

Finally some much needed rain hits Celina, the bad part is, it's also raining in Lima, thus washing out tonight's game between the Legion and OSU-Lima....Oh Well, my neck and legs need the rest. After 2 straight days of looking up painting, scraping, and pulling down Ivy...I need a day off, the rain is providing that. A good drink for the lawn and plants was in order, and we are getting that.

The Ivy comes down_____

Well at least the Ivy on the upper front facing of the porch. Our porch area is covered with Ivy that has been growing there for about 20 years....we moved in back in 1995, and the previous owner had it pretty well growing gung ho. It's a hearty variety, and even in winter the leaves stay with it....over the past decade I've battled Poison Ivy{which I defeated} and sparrows nesting by the hundreds in it. The birds I tolerated, but the nests have become so entwined in it, and was making the Ivy a mess. Not to mention the front steps, and parts of the porch area, were being affected, so it was time for a cut and trim. I figured to use the house paint as a way to get rid of the birds for the most part...they are not nesting or producing as much this time of year, but Sparrows, like Rabbits, continue to breed all year round.

Anyhow, after finishing off the east side of the house, paint wise, I headed to the front porch and began the battle of the Ivy....took a few hours, and the scraping was unusually hard, due to the vines being the type that attach themselves to the paint and wood...so scraping and sanding was undertaken, and the Ivy is now under control, leaving what I wanted around the edges, but the facing front is now clear. I just need to get a dry spell and get at the painting and trim. It appears I am about 35% done with the house, and the goal to get it done by Labor Day is still in the cards...Hell, late August is a real possibility.

Harry is back from Alaska___

My Nha Trang Vietnam buddy, retired Philadelphia Police Officer, Harry Bevan along with wife Anna, and daughter and son-in-law, took a 10 day trip to Alaska, and just got back from the north country last week. Harry's adventure stories and photos can be found on his blog:

http://harrysrantsandraves.blogspot.com/

seems Harry and family had a great time, except for maybe a few "Airline" issues....

Harry also reminds me that the day Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, that we were on SAT Alert, and in the SAT Barracks watching the "Moonwalk" on the TV there, not at the Security Police private movie house....and you know what? He is right. I knew something was missing from my description on the July 20th post...but it took Harry to shake up my brain, and get it right....Thanks brother!

Upcoming____

Sam has 9 games scheduled for the upcoming 4 day Minster Pony and Little League Tournament, and I have 4, mine being on Friday and Saturday, Sam is always doing his share and more with this tournament...he likes it, and they like him.

Also on tap, the Celina Lake Festival is coming up Friday, Saturday, and Sunday...rain or shine, the car show and fireworks will go on......

back later>>>>>

Photos-Me{left} and Harry Bevan from October 1969 with the 14th SPS at Nha Trang AB, Republic of Vietnam---and 4 photos of the Ivy from the front of the house..some 30 bird nests, thick and years old were part of the problem...as you can see from the pile next to the street, that was just a small part of a large batch of Ivy.

The Dog Days of Summer? / The Painting Project Continues

Things usually slow down in the heat of summer, even in the political infested dump called Washington DC...but not with our resident Marxist-in-Chief, Barry Soetoro in Charge. Barry and his willing accomplices in the press and Congress are moving full speed ahead with the disaster called "Mandatory Health Care"...a $1.5 trillion, that's with 12 zeros folks, boondoggle, that will help break the bank and the backs of American Taxpayers. You(at least 53%) wanted the "Change" this SOB is bringing, make sure you don't choke on it, because the Health Bill hasn't been passed just yet

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Meanwhile my house painting projects continues at a slow and steady pace. I've moved onto the east side and I've have noticed one thing...when you have paint mixed, it never is exactly the same as the last batch. This usually can mean a problem, especially if you use a different store to buy the mix, or have "left overs" from the past painting project, which is the case for me.

Now, I wasn't going to let go to waste a 5 gallon bucket of the turtle green that I had left over from my last go at this in 2004. With a house that is 80% wood from 1923 and 20% from 1945, the paint may say "15 Year Severe Storm", but if you get 5 years(on the sunny side of the house) or more, you consider yourself lucky. Anyhow, I had one bucket left over, a 5 gallon bucket at that...at $20 a gallon these days, I was not going to let that go to waste. Thus I figured to paint the back part of the house and the garage with that amount, that way, if the colors didn't match exactly, few would notice, except me and Patricia....I want the house to look good, but no perfectionist am I...besides the thing will need painted again in about 2015.

Anyway, got the back done last week, as well as the side of the garage facing the back yard. So it was off to Menards(bought the last batch in 04 at Lowe's)...took my samples and had the Menard Girls mix up a batch of 7 gallons of my Turtle Green...one 5 gallon bucket and 2 single gallon buckets, I also got another gallon of the beige trim, and one of October Red...I had purchased a gallon of flat white for the upper trim earlier.

I started on the east side with the new mix on Monday...as you can see by photo at the top, the color is a little lighter than the old mix....lucky for me, there is enough in the 7 gallons that I should finish the house without having to dip back into the old 5 gallon bucket, except for maybe the remainder of the garage...my completion date is Labor Day, or that is my hope. Football begins in late August, and September is the busiest month, and painting in not on the priority list, once football starts.

Today I will see if the rain passes or misses us, if the approaching storm dumps on us{and we can still use it}, I will hold off. Tomorrow my 6 month doctor's appointment is on the schedule, to check blood pressure etc{probably still high} and the rest of me, so if no painting today, it may be awhile before I get back at it....perhaps over the weekend.

Dawg Days of Summer____

July and August are usually referred to in the Midwest as "The Dog Days"...usually hot and humid to the extent that even your dog doesn't want to get up and chase rabbits, they and you just want to sit around under the apple trees and try to catch a breeze, or better yet, sit on your ass in the Air Conditioned house or work place. With the Chicken Little Wacky Left crying "Global Warming" at every turn, it should even be worse this year, right? Hardly...this so far has been the coolest summer I can remember since the family left Florida in 1962. Mind you I'm not complaining, the low humidity, combined with the less than 90 degree temps, mean not having to use the central A/C as much, and with the Sky Rocketing Obama induced energy costs, is good news.

It's also good news when it comes to working outdoors, especially painting, is also more enjoyable{if one can call outdoor house painting enjoyable}, when the humidity and temperature levels are lower...so Global Warming be dammed! I plan on enjoying the respite from the heat and humidity....I can only hope it lasts through the remainder of the painting and into the early fall football season.

Speaking of Football___

With baseball winding down, just a couple more tournaments to go, Football season is on the horizon. Sam and I got our 2009-10 material from the State(OHSAA) yesterday. Rule Books, Changes, State Meeting Materials, etc. Which means, it won't be long, August will see the football rules and scrimmage begin, with the full High School season beginning as the month hits the 3 week mark....not really ready for it, but give me some time and I will try to get my mind and body(a little more physical than baseball work, a little less than basketball officiating) ready for the gridiron.

Waiting on the rain, or to paint...meanwhile I'll have another cup of coffee.....

back later>>>>

Photos-The Paint...left is the new shade(lighter) vs the old shade on the right side. The "Dog Days" not so much this year, so far anyway. And the packet of football rule changes and other material from the Ohio High School Athletic Association{OHSAA}...The change from baseball to football begins in August.

More Paint, Less A/C and getting down to work at Nha Trang July 1969

Just a short one today....

I put in another 4 to 5 hours painting yesterday...did the west side of the Garage, and painted the white edges on the "kitchen" part of the back of the house, that alone took at least 2 hours, and it was a small bit, but had to be done. Today, with an American Legion baseball game at Van Wert tonight, I will do some more trim, this time the beige supports...like I said, it will be a long process...you paint 5 hours, you drink a six pack and smoke a cigar that evening in the back yard admiring your work....that is my plan.

Meanwhile the high yesterday never got out of the 70s, so another day saving the A/C and keeping the Skyrocketing Utility Bills at bay...today dawns cloudy, but the rain missed us again, the yard is pretty much in it's annual "no mow in July mode".

The American Legion game tonight, will mark the end of 3 straight days of no baseball, the longest stretch since the handful of days between Spring District and Regional action back in mid and late May....a double header at the ACME District on Saturday, and then some more rest...I have to say, I am glad to see it wind down. Last season I did about 85 games. This year, counting scrimmages, regular High School season, Tournaments, and the summer games, it appears I will have done at least 100 by the end of July...plenty of work for this 60 year old body. Then a couple of weeks off, and it's on to football season.

Nha Trang July 1969___Getting to work

By the time I had been at Nha Trang a week, I was fully into the everyday workings of Law Enforcement...those workings included how to hide from the brass when I was on patrol duty, when to call for a latrine break mid mornings, and how to BS with the local kids that hung around our gate shacks, and which parts of the C-Rations to give those kids. They always appreciated whatever leftovers we had. One thing about the kids(from those just learning to walk to the mid teens), they may not have liked all of us GI types, but they at least faked it, because they knew, if they even pretended to like us...we would usually give them a snack or something. Sky Cops, for the most part, were softies, at least for the kids.

The first guys I remember working with{those that I can remember their names and faces} were Marcos Payen and Harry Bevan:

http://harrysrantsandraves.blogspot.com/

Marc was from El Paso and has been a federal agent for many years down on that border city...Harry went home after the Air Force to become a Philadelphia cop, and worked with the K-9s at the Philly Airport, although not a dog handler when in Nam.

I also met guys like Bruce Thompson, Tony Niemotka(who sent me yesterday's firing range photos}, Johnny Claflin...and my supervisors, Phil Lange and Melvin Sloan. Tom Johnson was there at the same time as well, and every once in awhile another name and/or face pops into my brain...amazing that 40 years later, that I can have a good amount of recall on those I knew for only a short time. Of course many of us have hooked up via the VSPA, otherwise these names and some of the memories may have been lost forever. Phil just passed on, and I have yet to find Melvin Sloan{who would be in his mid 70s I am guessing}...but in this large world, the amount of old contacts is surpassed only by the number of new friends I have made through the Vietnam Security Police Association:

http://www.vspa.com/

Off to a few hours of painting the trim, shower, baseball, and maybe a few beers to top off the evening....

back later>>>>

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photos--Szack and Beven, Szack(with the gun) passed away a few years ago, Harry Beven is alive and well and on a vacation cruise to Alaska with his wife Anna, whom he married before heading to Vietnam. Horse play was something we did, and probably shouldn't have, especially with the weapons, but we lost nobody despite it all....The second photo is me on Jeep Patrol, and yes, even though it's hard to tell, I was pointing my .38 Special towards the camera{amazing we all survived our tours}, and #3 is Marc Payan, QC Sgt Ky of the South Vietnam Army, and Harry Bevan..maining the main gate at Nha Trang, probably the one place a Sky Cop couldn't screw around, too many brass passing through and eyeballing you. This LE Post you were in the view of just about everybody who passed through Nha Trang.

A Cool July Breeze, Painting Project....and that "Dog" Gone Firing Range at Nha Trang

Well yesterday I started, finally started the outside painting project on the old house....the roof is finished, the gutters and downspouts are done{although the removal of the gutters from the driveway never was completed, so Patricia and I moved those to the side of the garage, out of site for now}, and it was time for me to get at the painting. A project I figure will take me 2 or more months....Could I get it done quicker? Would Patricia be glad to help? The answer to both questions is probably yes....but this is a project I want to do when I want to, take time off when I want, and move at my own pace, one designed for my 60 year old body....which means slow and sometimes steady.

I finished up the Green on the back side of the house, scarped some of the beige trim, and will get with some of the white trim today on the bare facing. The Amish crew put up white facing, so instead of 3 colors, the base green and 2 trims{beige and red}, this time around it will be 3 trim colors, with the added white. I still have to get some more green mixed, and hope it matches pretty close{meaning I will have to make sure that different sides of the house are painted with different 5 gallon buckets of paint{long story}.

Anyway, I'm about 15% done, and that only took 5 hours{using a brush, not a spray gun}....not sure if the rest will go so quick, and I'm betting it won't,

July weather____

53 this morning when I woke up...the A/C has been off all but a few hours for the past week...which is good considering the utility bill was almost $300 last month...THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA and the City of Celina...YOU REALLY DO SUCK! Anyway, a nice breeze and a high of 77 for today....77 for a High? On July 8th? I will take it! Good weather for painting, baseball, and getting in some road work. In preparation for the finish of baseball and the beginning of football season, I figure I needed to get back to walking and push ups, along with some light weights...so that began yesterday as well. Now about dropping those 25 pounds which I was supposed to do this spring ?.....wish me luck, or I'm gonna need it come football and especially basketball season.

That "Dog(s) Gone" Firing Range at Nha Trang, RVN____July 1969

I had been at Nha Trang for about a week. I had been assigned to "A" Flight Law Enforcement, and TSgt Phil Lange was my NCOIC....Law Enforcement at Nha Trang consisted of the following: Jeep Patrol...you drove the streets of Nha Trang AB, issuing tickets{seldom}, checking on the posts being manned by other LE guys, and giving them lunch or latrine breaks...it was basically the "gravy" job of Law Enforcement, and probably every body's favorite. In addition to Jeep Patrol, the grunts of LE also manned gates, including the base Main Gate, entry control points for civilian workers, and some guard shacks sprinkled throughout the base....it was by all accounts, the best job I ever had during my Air Force tour of duty.

One morning a group of us "Newbies", guys who had been in country less than a few weeks, were loaded up in a deuce and a half truck, with a boat load of weapons...Grenade Launchers. M-16s, M-50s, M-60s, hand grenades, etc, and were hauled off to the Firing Range north of Nha Trang City.....this was to be our baptism of fire and quick learn of the various weapons we would be handling in case of a manned attack on the Air Base. I kind of figured, if the VC got past the Green Berets at Camp McDermott, and our Security guys on the perimeter, we LE guys were shit out of luck anyway...but what the Hell? I loved firing these weapons.

After unloading, the dozen or so guys and the handful on instructors set up our "equipment" and began firing at marked targets on the rocks...I remember 2 things from that day that are as clear as yesterday in my mind. The sky was a mass of grey clouds, and it was humid....then there were the "Dogs". Wild feral dogs in Vietnam were not pets by any stretch of the imagination...the carried rabies, they were mean, and they were scavengers. This pack of 6 to 8 dogs of various sizes made the mistake that day of coming into the firing range area, while a bunch of Air Force Security Police guys were learning weapons training and doing target practice...it was the last thing most, if not all, would ever do.

Given permission by the lead instructor...a dozen or so trigger happy Sky Cops opened fire on these local mutts...the dogs never had a chance. Now given the fact I have had dogs all my life and raised Airedales for many years, speaks to the fact that I love dogs...but as I said, these "dogs" were really nothing more that "wolf lite". Did I feel guilty that I joined the rest of the guys in opening up on them? Not at the time, it seemed like the thing to do....all these years later, I probably would not do my share of shooting to kill, but at the time, I joined in....we seemed to enjoy it way to much.

After this I was fully "qualified" to shoot the weapons of choice...however, being in Law Enforcement, I was only assigned to carry my .38 S&W Police Special, and my M-16...but Hell, I did get to ride around in the V-100(See Photo of me leaning up against one at the top of the blog) on occasion...which contained some big guns.

OK, that's it for today...time to head outside and continue the painting project.

back later>>>>

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Photos-The Vietnam shots are from my buddy Tony Niemotka, who was stationed at Nha Trang with the 14th SPS at the same time as me...he arrived a little earlier and was sent home about the time I was heading for Tan Son Nhut{Saigon}. The two photos are among several that Tony sent out yesterday...they show him firing a Grenade Launcher(top) and doing the prone position with .50 cal machine gun....both photos were taken at the same firing range that we "dogged" it a few months later.

And the back of the house after the main green part has been completed...today I will start with some trim before moving on to the area above the kitchen...it will be a roof work day.

Death of a Sky Cop-Larry Dotson

After the first batch of rain yesterday morning, the skies turned sunny and the humidity rose as well. It stayed that way, and by the time I reached the Crestview ball diamonds it was 83 and the sun was shining. Jim R and I had taken a Junior ACME double header, rather than the single Varsity ACME game, for obvious reasons....$100 as compared to $50. We did not get through it....4 innings into game number #1 the clouds circled around and the lightning and thunder put a hold on the games on both fields....we never restarted, the downpour started again about 7PM and we called the contests off....Sam, doing a game at the artificial turf in Celina, got into the 3rd inning when they shut things down. Severe storms were the order for the rest of the evening and overnight. This morning we are facing a mix of clouds and sun, and rain is in the forecast through tomorrow night....topping that off, tomorrow June 4th a high of only 60 is in the cards. Global Warming my ass! Death of a Warrior_____ I first met Larry Dotson in February 2007 when 5 former Air Force Security Police guys that served in Vietnam decided to meet up at the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. Mike Tillman, Wayne DeZarn, Rick Adams, Larry, me, and the oldest son Sam(who I was returning from a RV run to Florida with) met on a cold but sunny day at the Defensor Fortis Statue on the grounds of the museum. I had never met the others in person, we had served on different bases in Vietnam, but we shared a common past, and had conversed through e-mails and opinions on the pages of the Vietnam Security Police web site Bulletin Board. http://www.voy.com/287/ Little did I know that Larry Dotson had a personal story that had been chronicled in the pages of a best selling book by Gary Williams called "Siege in Lucasville". This was the story of Larry Dotson former Air Force Sky Cop, and prison guard at the infamous Lucasville Penitentiary in Ohio, where in April 1993 Larry and others guards were taken prisoners by the gangs that had taken over the facility. "Siege" is the story of Larry Dotson's survival for 11 days of terror at the hands of murdering thugs. Others were not so lucky. The book remains in print and can be found at Amazon and other on-line book outlets. The 5 of us spent a couple of hours together talking shop, and the Air Force, with Sam taking photos of the gang, before we departed for our various homes....Last fall we all decided to meet up again at Dayton, and invite as many other VSPA and non member sky cops as possible. Last Janaury 31st, 35 former Vietnam and Thailand cops gathered at the museum with another 25 wives and friends along for the ride....Wayne, Mike, Rick, yours truly were there...the one of the original 5 not to show was Larry Dotson. Larry's health had deteriorated, and he sent his wishes and his pain in not being able to attend...little did I know just how much he had fallen health wise. I corresponded with Larry via e-mails right up until last week....no health problems were mentioned. Last night while checking my e-mail, after returning from our rain cancelled games, I spotted the note from Wayne DeZarn....Larry Dotson had passed. Details would be coming for services. Larry Dotson, former Air Force Cop and survivor of 11 days of terror at Lucasville has passed on. God Rest your Soul Brother....you were one brave and tough man. Peace be with you and yours. Our ranks are growing thinner, but life moves on. Housing Projects____ I am still trying to get into a frame of mind to start the painting project....Thursday looks to bring a few sunny and no rain in sight days...so maybe I'll start then. I know, I know, sound like procrastination doesn't it....well you are right. The tendon in my left arm(which was torn a few years back in a weekend warrior sports mishap) is acting up...and the pain, although moderate, is a hindrance. So, starting the paint war will depend on just when I'm damn good and ready. Meanwhile Patricia has decided which Amish Crew will do the roof....the price tag? $4100.....gotta do what you gotta do. I can see it now..."Hey, look at my newest investment?" Speaking of investments, Hal called this morning thinking his car is on it's last run....well Hell, what better way to finish up his Masters studies than to have to purchase a newer car, before having a full time job secured? And life goes on...... back later>>>> Photos--A foreign cover of Gary Williams book that chronicled the 11 days that Larry Dotson was held prisoner at Lucasville. February 2007, from left to right at the AF Museum...Larry Dotson, Pat Houseworth, Wayne DeZarn, Rick Adams, and Mike Tillman, Air Force Vietnam Security Cops all. January 31, 2009, Pat Houseworth and Larry's great friend Wayne DeZarn at the Defensor Fortis Statue honoring Air Force Security Police, located at WPAFB and the Air Force Museum.

Rained Out!

The small berg of Mendon, Ohio, received about 5 inches of rain late yesterday afternoon between 4 and 5:30. Celina got very little at that time, but did receive a good soaking overnight.

Mendon is located about 8 miles north and east of Celina in the northeast corner of Mercer County....things started off with a tornado warning, then a large red blob appeared on the radar, and did not move....Mendon sets on the banks of the St. Marys River and reports had roads closed near and along the river, including sections of 2 State Highways. As I watched the radar, the other storms in the Ohio-Indiana area moved along at a steady clip, but the Mendon storm which also included the Spencerville area, stayed put and became a hail and wind storm of significant proportions.

More Rain Storms______

I woke up this morning and a lite rain was falling, and it was obvious that we had a pretty good soaking overnight(although nothing like Mendon)...the radar looked like the Hamler-Deshler area about 75 miles north had received a good share as well. Patrick Henry, where the Baseball District I am working is located between the 2 small towns, and I was prepared to leave at 11am for our 2pm game.....looking at the weather I figured it was less than 50-50 of getting the game in today, so I called ahead and talked with the Tournament Director and he confirmed he was getting ready to make the call...the games would be pushed back a day. Not a bad move, Friday and Saturday both look sunny and in the 70s, perfect baseball weather.

So tomorrow I'll head north, do the first Regional Semi Final between Hopewell-Loudon, and Toledo Christian...then meet up with Tom who now lives about 3 miles from the ballpark, where he trains and cares for the trotters and pacers for his new outfit. Will have a few drinks and supper there, stay overnight at his place before heading home on Saturday. Told Patricia this would put a crimp in my night fishing with Nick on Friday, but plenty of time to get that activity taken care of before summer ends.

Getting ready to paint______

Patricia and I headed to Lima yesterday looking at Lowe's for paint and other items needed for the House Projects...really didn't buy anything(the paint chips from the house were not large enough to test ??)...so back we came and checked in at Menard's. The paint was more reasonable, and Patricia got some seeds she was looking for.

I've got enough paint to start the backside of the house...then will wait for the Amish Crew to do the main roof, before moving onto the sides and upper portions of the house. Hopefully this painting will last another 5 years(the paint is supposed to be good for 15, but with 86 year old wood, and direct sun to some locations of the house, that usually doesn't happen). Either way, it looks to be my last time painting it....at 60 the thought and chore of moving and climbing a large wooden ladder, isn't my cup of tea. But anyway, if the weather cooperates, I will begin the painting process, probably on Monday.

back later>>>>

Photos-(top/left)Norman Rockwell's classic umpires in the rain, from the 1950s. The Paint and Roof Project....although with the cloudy skies it's hard to tell...the porch roof was redone 2 years ago, and now we will have to abandon the 80+ year old slate roof for new stuff...not because the slate is bad, but the wood under is starting to rot from wind, rain, snow, and weather in general, rather that patch it, we figure one more expense might as well be made on the roof, hopefully the final roof work in our lifetime. The ladders ready for me to get the spirit to start the paint work on the back side of the house first....will work my way around counter clockwise...not looking forward to tearing out the Ivy on the top portion of the porch...hundreds of sparrows call this home, and it has become a mess...time for them to look elsewhere.