"Just what do you do with yourself, now that you are retired?"
Well, this picture says it all. I am really quite busy; and so is Luca. Here we are, carefully maintaining our compliance with the Rules of the Road: "All Vessels at all times (in fair weather or foul, daylight or dark) must keep a proper lookout by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances..." Of course, the radar and AIS indicated that there was not another vessel within many miles and the closest CPA (closest point of approach) would someday be 19.9 nautical miles). But, still...
So, we are on our way to see Hilton Head, and visit with our good friends, the Hartley's. We just had a lovely evening with Stan Chepenik, our very good friend and my former Commanding Officer when I was an Executive Officer on a minesweeper. It was that experience with him in Hawaii, California and on the Puget Sound that caused me to love the sea so much. It is always a special feeling being with him.
The three nights before we were with Bernie Maguire, who told us a story of how he became an honorary member of the West Point Class of '64 (he is the president of the USNA Class of '64). He accepted the invitation from a member of that class to help him "face death" during a fatal illness. We figured that Mike Hartley, also a member of the same USMA class might know the guy and asked Bernie to give us some details. Here is what he wrote for us to pass on to Mike:
Dan Evans has become a good friend of mine over the years. He is the President of USMA '64. His deceased classmate, my buddy from high school, is Ray Jones.
Funny story, Roy Jones was in the other regiment and only knew my friend Ray vaguely. Roy Jones '64 volunteered to visit Ray Jones '64 in Hospice Care on behalf of West Point '64. Roy, 6'5", walked into the Room to see Ray 5' 10" and Bobbie Jones shrieked when she met Roy for the first time. In the quiet room of a dying man, this was unsettling to say the least. I ran to Bobbie and she was laughing. You see, Ray had a weight problem and he was always striving to lose weight. It seems that every time Ray tried on a pair of tight fitting trousers, he always said that the trousers belonged to Roy Jones because the USMA laundry was always getting their laundry mixed up. At the moment he walked into the room Bobbie saw that Ray could never wear Roy's trousers since he was seven inches taller. This was at Ray's bedside when he was 24 hours from death. She told me she could kill Ray right then. Certainly broke the heavy tension in the room.
Great guy!
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