Remembering the children

The Gen Rang orphanage in Qui Nhon, Vietnam was one of the places that brought me joy while serving a year and a half over there. Mostly these children were products of relationships between GI's and vietnamese girls and like the picture above some even had blonde hair and were considered outcasts. After being in country 13 months I went home for 30 days and while there I received donations of clothes that I carried back with me. On the day I was to take the clothes I was amazed that my commanding officer and some of his other officers went with me to see the children.  All this happened in 1969 which seems so long ago but not forgotten. 

My get away place

First of all since I could not find an image of an abandoned bus without the cab imagine if you will the shell of a bus with the top and sides sitting on the ground with no interior like the floor. kind of like an upside down "U" with the back door in place.  

When I was a boy I loved to explore in the woods near my house and one day I discovered this shell of a bus with a lot of growth of weeds in front of it so I cleaned away the weeds and found it to be free of growth inside.  I also found this white plastic 5 gallon bucket which I turned upside down to give me a seat. This became my place to go and find solitude where I could think, dream and be at ease.  I especially liked that I could use it on days when it was raining so I could be dry and listen to the rain hitting the top of my secret place. I miss that old bus but have never forgot how special it was and just wanted to share that important part of my growing up.

Loving on goats

I have traveled to a lot of places that have goats and everywhere I  have seen them they make me smile and feel happy.  I still remember the two I had as a child that I called Lillie & Billy.

Exciting News

Pictured above is my step-daughter Beth with her close friend Beau.  Beth was reached out to by one of the world's largest and most successful companies, Amazon.  There she was a senior at NC State University due to graduate in March of 2017 and they want to talk to her about a position with their company. October 5th they fly her all the way to Tampa, Florida and on the 6th she has 2 interviews and then flies home all on Amazon's buck.  They call her this week and say we want you to work for our company. Will you accept? Of course she said yes and they will be paying her a very attractive yearly salary and in addition she will get a signing bonus that would make you look twice. They will also allow her to graduate and will relocate her within that week after graduating. They will be giving her a list of available locations and she can choose the top three places and they will send her to one of the three. Not many people get an opportunity like this to better their lives in a big way and I could not be more proud of her and our level of excitement is more than we ever thought we could feel. I love her with all my heart and will enjoy watching this fairy tale adventure as it grows in time to come.

Rocky

My constant companion Rocky is not only my pet but a part of me and I don't even want to think about me ever being without him to love me and for me to love on.  Here are some various shots taken over the years since he is around 8 now. Enjoy everyone.

Tastes from long ago remembered

I ran across a journal I had written and had printed it out that ran from November 2000 to March of 2008 and brought back some memories especially in the food category. We lived near the woods so it was often that we would have squirrel on the table.

Daddy would skin the whole animal leaving everything attached and mama would pan fry the whole critter.  Many of you may not be aware of a delicacy that is part of the squirrel and that is his brain. Looking at the head without the skin there is a bone with 4 sections that have a line running down and across and all we had to do is tap it with a spoon cracking the pieces to easily pull the bones away revealing the nutty tasting brain. It was a fight sometimes to see who actually got the treat to eat. 

Another treat that I have not seen in more years than I like to even think about is Guinea eggs.

These eggs were smaller than a chicken's egg but were much more rich in taste and they were a joy to have whenever we could have them for breakfast. I need to see if I can find anyone in this area that still sells them. I can remember my dad liked to crack an egg into a paper cup and put a little vinegar in there and just drink it all down.  I never could do that.

One last item to share in today's blog is something not that many people especially today would think of as something to consume.

This my friends is pork chitterlings which is simply the intestines of the pig, cleaned well and cut up and cooked.  I can say it has been way too many years to remember when I last had a serving of this old treat. Times have changed somewhat but there are items I would recapture in a heartbeat. 

Surprise Lunch With My Grandsons

Yesterday I had a surprise lunch with my 2 grandsons Matt and Kaden at their school and we had the greatest time. I am afraid they both did a lot more talking than eating since they had so much to catch me up on. I will surprise them again real soon. Here are some of my favorite pictures of them that I have saved.

Me through time

Memories to Cherish

Having fun in a restaurant with my grandson Kaden

Mama and Daddy at their home in Rocky Mount

My friend Thu in Vietnam at the Gen Rang Orphanage holding a little blonde hair little girl showing her lots of love.

Being able to spend time with my step daughter Beth when she was younger.

Me holding my 2 goats Lilly & Billy

Me with my constant companion Poochie

My 3 Girls

A fun day at the park with Matt and Kaden

Remembering an Awesome Day

Was back in 1969 and 1970 spending time with the wonderful children at the Gen Rang Orphanage in Qui Nhon, Vietnam. These kids were outcasts being products of American GI's and Vietnamese girls, some even having blonde hair and blue eyes.

I went home for leave and while there I collected clothes for the children and took them back to Vietnam with me. One the day I was to deliver the clothes even my commanding officer and some of his staff went with us to celebrate the children. I think of those children often and was so grateful to be able to spend time with them while I was on duty there.