Not much going on/Dog Tags

3:40PM

Worked in Greenville this morning, board meeting at noon...not much going on, Sam took off for another RV run to Florida this morning...Bushnel, located south of Ocala just off I-75....meanwhile I sit resting my back...which feels somewhat better, but still a long way off from being back to normal.....no games until Thursday, so perhaps I can get back to near normal before then....and a tournament rec league double header is on for Sunday.....did a DH yesterday, and wasn't much help to my partner...he ran, I walked...add that to the 90+ heat(another record high for the date as is today), and it was not enjoyable...to hot to even think about smoking a cigar on the front porch or back steps....did down a few beers, to dull the back pain, but it was back this morning...spine is bent like a freaking pretzel.

Add the back to the heat outside, not a heck of alot to do as far as working out of doors....so, I'll prepare to watch the Indians-Yankees playoff game tonight, then part of the Dallas-Buffalo NFL contest before hitting the hay.

{how would you like this one today? Photo was taken in front of dad's and his brother's gas station....Uncle John was going through his middle age crisis back when he purchased this one(he was about 45 or so)...the photo was taken at South Venice, Florida, in 1961.....and my 1968 issued Dog Tags from the Air Force....you get two, I managed to keep one, after having it stuck in the parent's garage, I reclaimed it about 15 years ago after realizing that although I did not like military life, I was proud of it, and the guys I served with...after all, at least we didn't duck out to Canada, and have to live with that shame}

Back!

8:10AM

Last Sunday I was up and taking pictures, drinking coffee, and getting ready for my Football Double Header....today, I'm up drinking my first cup, and wondering how the heck I'm gonna do a double header with my back completely out of wack...sad part is, I don't even know how it came on.

I officiated Thursday afternoon, no problems, had a slight back ache on Friday....and all of a sudden it has turned into a full blown softball size pain in my lower middle back...we are talking walking straight up, no bending no running, not much of anything....I feel bad for my officiating partner Dale from Coldwater(you only use 2 refs during regular season in Rec Football)...he's going to have to do the majority of work, too late to get a fill-in...will take a couple of IBs and hope for the best...the drive to Greenville will not be fun the next 3 days, starting tomorrow, either, unless this loosens up.

It' been many a year(1993) since I had major back problems following my 2nd major motorcycle wreck in 1987. I had about 6 years of serious issues, without surgery I made it back to normal, with only an occasional problem these past 14 years....this is the third time since March I have some back issues, both went away in a few days...hopefully this one will as well, will try to rest it after the games today, with no other football scheduled until next Thursday, the 11th.

Folks that have never had serious back issues, do not realize how debilitating they can be...and not much you can do for them, except rest...and that is not in the cards for a few more weeks for me.

My Friend Monk is being laid to rest in Alabama today....God be with you buddy.

prh

Monk

4:45pm

I was informed a short while ago that my friend and VSPA(Vietnam Security Police Association) member Ron Calvin Pope passed away this morning...."Monk" as he was known by all of his VSPA brothers was a one-of-a-kind good Ol' Southern Boy with a heart of gold, and a deep respect for Veterans, God, his country, and our strengths, weaknesses, and differences.

A great friend he was, even though I only met him once, I corresponded with him several times a week via e-mails and several phone conversations. Monk had a love for 60s music, and liked to try something new on occasions.

About a year and a half ago, Monk decided to ask the association, via our public bulletin board, to name their favorite music from our times, those times being our Air Force days...when all was said and done, Monk burned off a CD, and asking for nothing in return sent that 5+ hour wonderful set of music from the 60s and early 70s to any association brother who would request it...free of charge. I decided to ask Monk for a copy, but felt I had to offer something in return.....we finally decided to trade his CD for some Cincinnati "Sky Line" Chili....so I packaged up a few cans and Monk sent me the CD which I still play today....he and a buddy of his, fixed up the Chili....

I remember him calling and asking if I had eaten the canned Chili and what I thought of the Chili....I stole an old line from "Crocodile Dundee"...."Well, the canned stuff, taste like shit, but it won't kill you"....Monk laughed and agreed that the Cincy Chili was a little different.

Thanks Monk, you probably never had a thought on how many guys respected and loved you....you will not get a chance to feel their pain at your passing,....God Bless you friend, and God rest your soul.

This one's for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRyKg5xMaXA

prh

{photos-Thanks to Dan Vison, Bill Paddock, Randy Stutler, and Charles Penley for supplying photos to me, mine of Monk are still locked away on a old hard drive....two of a younger Monk at Tan Son Nhut(he's in the jeep in the fuzzy one)....and a couple of more recent shots, one on the campaign trail, and one at the Valdosta Reunion 2005}

The Return of Summer

12:55PM

I am not a believer in man caused Global Warming, I spent 20 years in Environmental Health work, and have seem my share of bullcrap spewed out by so called scientists...most are left wing socialist types with an agenda...that agenda is to lay guilt on Americans, and get their own piece of the pie...that pie is the US Taxpayers wallets.

Now even though I don't believe in man made climate change, there is no doubt that the climate is changing...my educated guess is that it is just in the natural cycle of things. When we moved back to Ohio in 1962 from sunny south Florida it was cold, damn cold, lots of snow, and 5 months I didn't enjoy....once moving back to Ohio in 1980(for good, I guess), the winters were pretty much the same...lots of cold temps, and lots of snow....can't say the same today. My wife bought me a good quality snow blower a few years back...I don't think I've used it more than a dozen times in the past 7 winter seasons....which is all right by me, I don't get a thrill out of that at times necessary activity. So I am convinced the weather is warming, take a look no farther than today, October 5th...record high of 90 degrees, with no cool down in sight until the middle of next week.

Last nights 8th Grade football game at Elida was more proof...about 85 degrees at game time(5pm) and I dropped the sweat to prove it...the home team Elida dropped my hometown kids, Celina 42-6...the two schools play tonight in what has been dubbed the WBL Battle for the Basement...the Varsity teams are both 0-6, and this could be the winner's only victory...Celina will probably prevail, only because they have played their opponents closer...and if they win tonight, the local Bulldogs may actually win a couple of games.

Anyway, the heat is back on....and as much as I dislike full blown winter, I am ready for some 65 to 70 degree days, which probably won't happen, we'll probably drop right into winter.

10 years ago

____________Actually it was 10 years ago in August... in 1997(but since it feels like August why not?), that the family first went to that "Freak Show" called Key West....always a spot for writers and so-called artists, Key West these days has become a dropping off spot for the world's freaks of nature...but we still enjoyed it. After spending a few days in my old home of Venice, we headed south to the Keys...I actually want to show the boys, at that time, 15 and 13 years old what a show Gay Old Key West was. They got their eyes opened to a different culture, and had a good time...The heat in August in Florida is always something to behold, especially in south Florida. We stayed a couple of days, got some good photos, bought some quality cigars at the now burnt down Key West Cigar Factory. The family had a great time for a couple of days...we then headed up I-95 to Daytona Beach and then Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame...all-in-all, with stops at Monmouth Cave(Kentucky), Venice, Key West and Daytona(Florida) the Chesapeake Bay Bridge(Maryland), and finally Cooperstown, it was our first long family vacation, and still(at least for me) ranks up with the best.

{photos-the family at the "southern most point"....sunset at the docks of Key West....and sign shots of the tourist bar Sloppy Joe's, and my favorite bar in KW, Captain Tony's...the last I heard the Captain Tony Taransco(sp?) was still alive and kicking at 93 years old.}

If you've ever or never been to Captain Tony's.....Jimmy Buffet sings about it in his "Last Mango in Paris"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT-2P031WJA

prh

The Old Man

11:20AM

Final football officials meeting last night, had a get together at the Van Wert Pizza Hut after the meeting....the season is moving along fast, I'm at Elida(west Lima) tonight for an 8th grade game with the local Celina team. After that bout a month to go....then it's back to some RV driving until baseball season in March.

Still not feeling up to par....not bad, but not up to full steam....Record setting temps for today and tomorrow, near 90 in west Ohio....must be Global Warming...lol! {if it is, bring it on, I'm not looking forward to January, unless the temps might be in the 60s, that I can deal with}

Stan Houseworth(1917-1972)

The old man was larger than life, or so it seemed to me and others...a gentle giant of a man, whom you would want as a friend rather than being on his bad side...I seldom saw his temper...he left mom to do the dirty work of discipline on us kids...Mom says his excuse was he was afraid he would hurt us if he dished out the discipline....good excuse old man, and lucky for Mike and I, he never did the corporal punishment thing....sometimes I think, maybe he should have.

Stanley Wayne Houseworth was born on December 10, 1917 in Scott, Ohio, he passed away on Christmas Eve of 1972, suffering a massive heart attack, and dying on the way to the hospital. I was in New York state at the time, really never got to say good-bye.

Not only did mom pass out the discipline, she actually had to keep the family finances in order, dad was never out of work, but he worked the jobs he wanted, and was not real good at taking orders{no doubt who I got that from}...so he wore many hats during his 55 years.....from his Army Air Force days in WWII until his final job with the City of Celina at the power plant, dad had many a job...mainly he was a mechanic, owned gas stations in both Florida and Ohio, he also drove cement trucks, worked construction and others, but his favorite non paying occupation was fishing, and in his early days hunting....as he grew older he took up antique collecting, and collect he did.....in his last 10 years that was his claim to fame, the man knew antiques, and mom still has the collections these days.

After dad died, mom never remarried, she had opportunities, but saying after 27 years, being only 48 years old..."One marriage was enough for a life time".

I was 23 when dad died, so I got to know him well, Mike was 26, Marty 20, so we all got to know him pretty well...the youngest sister Kelly was only 10, so she was raised basically by mom...the rest of us were off on our own by that time.

Stan was a good man, could he have worked harder? Hell yes, but he lived his life his way....whether it was in Ohio or in Florida....dad was not a drinker{Mike and me must have that off the Irish side of the family?}...but he did smoke those damn cigs until his first heart attack at the age of 49....the damage had probably been done, but he never touched one after that.......hard to believe he has been gone 35 years this Christmas.

prh

{photos various photos...Dad with his 95 lb Jew fish in 1956, Venice Jetties, Florida...dressed up in his sailor suit in 1920....with Grandma and his brothers in 1928 after his dad's(Sam Houseworth) funeral...with his dog Blue, sometime in the 1920s...and as a Sargent(on the right) with a couple friends from Scott in 1943}.

The Story of Nelson and Mary Ann Houseworth

{note: This entry was originally ment to be posted in my family genealogy blog:
http://israelhouseworth.blogspot.com/
but I posted it in the wrong place...out of sorts? However, I believe the Black Swamp information is of interest to all...prh}

Nelson S. and Mary Ann Houseworth, first cousins they were, married on July 12, 1859, in Delaware, Ohio. Much of my early research failed to find a maiden name for Mary Ann, after a trip to the Delaware County Library in 1999 I discovered the reason may have been because their last names were indeed the same....Houseworth. I believe that Mary Ann's last name was omitted because of confusion by authorities or possible family embarrassment(although cousin marriages, even first cousins, were more common back in the day). The wedding photos/portraits posted earlier were sent me by a cousin Bessie Okray, a descendant of Cora, one of the children of Mary Ann and Nelson.

Mary Ann and Nelson and the 7 children born in Waldo, moved to Blue Creek Township, Paulding County, Ohio, in late 1872.....4 more children(including my Grandfather Sam) were born in Paulding County over the next 8 years.

OPINION

___________"I believe that Nelson and several other Houseworth families and Felkey cousins moved to southern Paulding County because the Great Black Swamp was being cleared and they saw the opportunity for cheap land and new jobs. The Family settled in Blue Creek Township where the 4 youngest children were born.

Nelson contracted Typhoid Fever and died in the long since gone town of Follmer(one of the Houseworth daughters married a man named Michael Follmer)...the location of Follmer, just north of what is now Haviland, is no more than acres of farmland in Blue Creek Township.

Nelson is buried in the Blue Creek Township Cemetery(stone photo shown earlier), records also indicate that William(died age 3) and oldest son Alonzo are also buried there, but I found no stone for either. Mary Ann was living in Tipton, Ohio, several miles away from the cemetery in June 1896, she passed away that September, but I have no record of where she is buried.

Blue Creek Township is located along the northern border of Van Wert County in south central Paulding County....it is located on the southern edge of the Great Black Swamp, in the 1800's when the swamp was being cleared, Blue Creek Township was indeed a harsh, wet, mosquito infested environment(it is possible that 50 year old Nelson died from the Typhoid caused by that very environment, we will never know).

For excellent information on the swamp go to:

http://users.ipfw.edu/zeppp/Nature/swamp.html

photo: Much of the Great Black Swamp of today looks like this....

Out of Sorts

1:15pm

I've been our of sorts for the past couple of days...started late Sunday afternoon after finishing up my Rec League football double header...smoked a cigar and had a couple of Miller Lites, and have not felt quite right since then(first hand smoke from the hand rolled torpedo?...I think not!)...but did get my gigs in at Greenville and did a Freshman football game at Coldwater last night.....whatever it is hopefully will pass in short time.....

In the meantime say a prayer for an old friend of mine from the Vietnam Security Police Association:

http://www.vspa.com/

go to the public bullentin board for more on Monk........

Calvin "Monk" Pope from the small town of Ashland, Alabama, was visiting his brother in Washington State last week, while at the airport for his return trip, Monk suffered a major heart attack...he is in ICU at a Yakima, Washington, hospital.

Monk is not only a great man, he is a good friend, we have swapped Classic 60s rock CDs(he burns them) for Classic Cincinnati Chili(I buy the stuff in cans)....I got the better of the deal.

Monk, like me, was stationed at Tan Son Nhut with the 377th Security Police Sq....however, I arrived from another base in Vietnam(Nha Trang) about a year after Pope had returned to the states....Monk was one of the guys that had to fight to defend the base from being overrun by "Charlie" and the NVA during the TET Offensive....Monk served on Charlie Flight(Overnight) in Charlie Sector(base perimeter)...I served on Charlie Flight from late December of 69 through June of 1970....he was there from Dec 67-Dec 68...the men that served that time with the 377th had a little more action than those of us that followed:

Tan Son Nhut(which included the Saigon Airport) was attacked by zappers from the VC and NVA in late January 1968....you will remember it as the great TET offensive...of course the liberal media will claim that is what lost the war for the US...but the truth be known, throughout Vietnam, we kicked their asses from here to there.....two things lost the Vietnam war for America(whether we should have ever fought there is for another discussion)(1) Gutless politicians and (2) A population, unlike their fathers before them, not willing to do what had to be done to destroy the enemy....you can't fight a war not to win, you have to destroy those that would kill you, not play nice(I am afraid we will see the same thing in the war on terror, only this time, the results will be much worse for the US).

19 men died at Tan Son Nhut that night, including four from the 377th SPS...those men were at the beginning of the assult, Bunker 0-51 in Echo Sector(Echo is were I served from Dec 69 through March 70). A boat load of VC and NVA regulars paid the price for those men's lives, with their own.

Get better soon Monk, my prayers are with you.

A tribute to Monk's home state:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHsDa9_HSlA

Update on Calvin "Monk" Pope...the VSPA has been informed that Monk was taken off life support this afternoon....God Rest Your Soul Monk, you were a good man and a true warrior.

{photos...Bunker 51 where 4 Airman of the 377th lost their lives 31 January 68/Dead VC/NVA stacked and ready for the dumpster Tan Son Nhut 31 January 68/My first Night as a Buck Sgt(E-4 NCO) Tan Son Nhut 1970} Note: Photos of the dead VC are not ment to offend, but war is not pretty or nice, no matter from which side you view it.

prh

Sunday Morning Coming Down

7:40am

Left all the windows open last night, and it is cool in the house this morning....even though warm today, the Air Conditioner is all but shut down for the year.....but if it gets humid, I'll crank it back on...great thing about central air, even in a house built in 1923 with full basement and upstairs....it cools off pretty quick.

Mowed mom's yard yesterday..double header football to officiate in town this afternoon...no Bengals today, they get to play Monday night at home, against the best team in football(or so it appears) the New England Pats.

Will take the Dodge in tomorrow, oil change, tire rotation, and a check in the rear brakes....making a dragging noise, probably a loose caliber....but I don't like the medal on medal sound.

I try to make it a point to not get too political on this site...but there are some good ones(blogs) out there that tend to fire up the radical left....which is good, anything to get the We Hate America crowd's blood pressure rising is a good thing.

Here are two.....if you are the PC type, you may want to avoid:

http://www.nicedoggie.net/2007/

http://rightfromthehip.blogspot.com/

Pretty nice sunrise coming "down" this morning...just shot this from the bay window overlooking my jeep, the basketball hoop and looking towards town.

Johnny Cash singing the title of this post:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMXSTiCNnss

Enjoy the remaining weekend......Buckeyes win, Gators lose, so it's already been pretty nice.

prh

Van, Bikes,and other Vehicles

7:55AM

Sitting here with my 2nd cup of "joe" before 8AM....I have my XM Radio on in the back ground, and "Hey Jude" is playing....I never was a big Beatles fan but liked some of their music...actually the flip side of this 45 "Revolution" was more to my liking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf-Q2rDd6Tw

If you are into music, college sports, baseball, old time radio, news talk, and your local stations suck, I recommend XM at $12 a month it is a godsend on my RV trips across the states....I also get plenty of use out of it at home.....the receivers are reasonable, I'm not a fan of "pay anything" but since my wife gave it to me as a birthday gift....guess I can't complain. Alright...it's O.C. Smith..."Hickory Hollers Tramp":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUYdXDutjxo

OK...enough of that flash back stuff....Jr High football at Wayne Trace against Edgerton yesterday...the home teams losing 28-8 but the game was close until the final 4 minutes, actually WT led until late in the first half....weather was nice for football, about 75 and drying out...but the damn gnats and other biting bugs were in full force up in Blue Creek

Township....the birth place of my dad and my Grandparents:

http://israelhouseworth.blogspot.com/

Nothing going on tonight, so probably go shopping with Patricia and re-stock the basement fallout shelter(no not fallout from bombs, fallout from the coming global crisis)...always a good idea to keep a few months or longer supply of necessary items/water/food.

Vans, Bike, and other Vehicles through the years

______________________________________

Wonder if all can remember the vehicles of their lives, especially after reaching the so called "golden years"?...I doubt it, but I've had my share:

58 Ford Fairlane, 60 Ford Falcon, 62 Falcon, 63 Renault, 64 Dodge Polaris, 63 Plymouth Belvedere, 68 Mercury Cyclone, 70 Dodge Charger, 73 AMC Hornet, 74 AMC Hornet(both Hatch Backs) 76 Jeep Cherokee, 87 Trans-AM, 60 or so pick up trucks(Toyota extended cab my favorite), and today my Jeep and the 94 cherry Dodge Intrepid, that I bought from mom when she decided to buy a new ride last year.....add 25 others I can't remember plus my 1977 Buick Land Yacht that sits in my garage(only 61,000 original miles)....yep I've had a bunch.

Sorry to say many are only a memory...nary a photo of some, and of course some, I'd just as soon forget.

But today I will mention a little green van and a couple of bikes:

The 1960 Ford Van was a favorite...picked it up at Coldwater, Ohio, for about $300 bucks back in 1974...used it to haul my dirt bikes and other things around during my half assed hippy days...it worked well for that, had a bed, only 2 seats, and plenty of room for storing large quantities of beer cases when me, Jim Olson, and Mike Schilling headed for Florida in June of 75. The old van was with me for only a few years...but those years were at the height of my post Air Force pre College Hell raising fun...if I remember correctly, we hauled 30 cases of beer from The Red Door(where I was manager) to Florida for our 10 day trip to my old home town of Venice, then Busch Gardens, Disney World, Daytona Beach, and on to Myrtle Beach, SC......we were out of beer by the end of the Venice portion(about 4 days in) and had to re-supply...didn't think anybody could drink that much 3.2(low beer) but we did.

Favorite Bikes......I was a late arrival to the world of Motorcycles, didn't get my license to ride until 1974 at the ripe old age of 25....I continued to ride until after my second major wreck(one that would mess up my back for almost a decade) in 1987. First bike was an off/on road 250cc Kawasaki. My all time favorite was a fast ass 1978 Yamaha 650 that I purchased back in 1981....this thing wasn't real purdy, but it could run...the odometer topped out at 140, and I buried that on more than one occasion.

My final ride was a 550 Suzuki...I was now in my late 30s and with 3 kids decided to slow down....until some old fart pulled right out in front of me...hit the passenger side rear of his car, did a 360 over the trunk, landed ass first, and smacked my helmeted head(back first) on the concrete road....I usually didn't wear a helmet, but, it was a slight rain, and I donned it...lucky for me. I survived, but it messed up my back for years to come...I should have sued the guy, but that is just not me...I got some money for the bike, and paid with pain for years....no complaints though, you can't change time....It was actually good for me, I started a workout regiment that I still use(although not a gung-ho)...it turned me from a soft 38 year old, to a much stronger 40-50 something....as they say....Every cloud has a silver lining....and that was the lining of my cloud(wreck).

prh

[photos...the Van...The 650 Yamaha...The 550 Suk with Sam and Hal aboard in 86....me at Daytona Beach with the "Arrive Stoned" Van in June of 75]

The Air Force years...Hot and Cold

2:20pm

Finally cooled off, got Mike to the VA in Columbus and back...he got to see his newest granddaughter and oldest daughter Lori(a nurse herself, so she can help consult on his Health questions).

Football(Jr High game at Wayne Trace)...tonight, little cooler, but the rain is gone....the change to fall is beginning, some leaves changing and even falling off some trees.

Hey! Not much going on...........

Speaking of weather changes

__________________________

The weather I experience in the Air Force ran the gamete...hot, dry, wet, cold, snow, blizzards, humid.....

Started out in late June(1968) at Amarillo, Texas....hot and dry for the 7 weeks...at San Antonio for the next 6 or 7 weeks it was hot, humid, and wet. Dover, Delaware, nice fall, windy, wet, and some snow for the winter...back to Lackland(San Antonio), hot, hot, hot(June 1969)...Nha Trang from early July 1969 through December 1969...hot and humid, but missed the Monsoons. Post Christmas in Saigon(Tan Son Nhut) until June 29, 1970....hot, some wet, and did get to enjoy the Monsoons...then onto the lovely Rome, New York....August 1970 was nice....but that was it. I think we actually had measurable snow in June of 1971...the first winter(70-71) we saw over 300 inches at the base.

The good news was, I learned how to Snow Ski, and I learned how to cliff dive(from 50 cliffs) in the short summers....off base was great, on base "humping" those B-52s and KC-135s in January was not exactly sweet duty.

But, I did see, and experience it all(weather and otherwise) during my 4 year stint.

prh

{photos: Basic Training at HOT Amarillo 7/68...French Bunker @ Nha Trang HOT 9/69...me at WARM Waikiki, Hawaii April 1970...The Tan Son Nhut Monsoons...May 1970...My 1970 Charger BURIED in Janauary 1971 at Rome, New York.}

The Family-Florida Years

The Family in Florida: top from right to left...Mike and Me with our "weapons" at Manasota Beach, Englewood, Fl....sister Marty 1956 in Venice....Grandma Wilda Houseworth(1883-1975) with Marty 1953....Mike, Marty, and me at the Blanton Collier Museum in Sarasota 1956...Mug shot of the family Stan(1917-1972) Peg and the 3 oldest kids in 56....

Mike and our old mutt Brandy...a Red Bone Hound mix...who was killed by a rattlesnake while protecting the yard one night....she took care of the snake first...me, Mike, and Marty , on a Flyer bike...bottom right...Me and Nick the Beagle with dad's cache of weapons in 1961.....

The South Venice, Florida 66(at various time ESSO and Gulf) service station owned by Dad(Stan) and his older brother John Houseworth(1915-1990)

Me looking pleased to be holding the newest member of the family...Kelly, who was born in Venice in 62......

Finally, Me and the girls, Marty and Kelly in the summer of 63......