You “know” you’re in trouble when you check in and get a piece of paper with your key that says:
“Please to be adviced that you may experience momentary changes in water temperature and water pressure in the course of your abolutions.”
When you are the ‘last’ (literally) faucet on the pipe and furthest from the boiler and water line, EVERY @#^* room ahead of you DOES impact you… And those momentary changes?
Try full hot to full cold in about a millisecond… sigh… Talk about doing the St. Vitus dance in the shower!
So…. I get up at 0400 to do my ‘thing’, and wonder out to the smoke pit about 0430, only to find I’m not the only insomniac smoker…
There is a 50ish lady, in bathrobe and I kid you not, PINK bunny slippers with ears; a young couple in their 20’s (obviously newly married), a little (maybe 5’5″) old man with some OLD Navy tattoos and myself.
As usual, people started chatting, turns out the 50ish lady finished the housing pack out yesterday, and she and hubby are heading to Tucson after a 31 year career in the Navy, to a house they’ve never seen! They ‘traded’ houses with an Air Force Colonel about 4 years ago, who was renting their house in San Diego and liked it… Apparently neither of them have ever been to Tucson, but figured it wouldn’t be a bad place to retire 🙂
She did offer a couple of pieces of advice to the young lady, and those were shave your legs, and let him cuddle… LOL
The young couple (early 20’s) were just transferring in from Stateside, and are both active duty, he’s going to a ship, and she’s going to a shore command locally. And at the shaving comment, they both looked at each other and blushed… 🙂 They were grade school friends, and ‘found’ each other again in boot camp, and married in Norfolk where they were stationed before. Both of them want to make the Navy a career, and it turns out both are E-5s and pretty much on fast tracks to get their education and advancement.
The old man turns out to be 92 grew up in Texas (and retired back there), retired Navy Master Chief in the early 70’s, ex-Destroyerman (EM Mate), and over here to see his grand-daughter. He said he was stationed here in 46-47, and plans to show his daughter his old stomping grounds IF he can find them again… He said his wife passed two years ago, and he’s pretty much bored so decided to go see friends while they were still alive, and decided to come see his grand-daughter since he was ‘heading’ West. He was a veteran of TF 38, aboard USS Hickox, and retired out of San Diego as the Master Chief of DESRON Five. He also said he hadn’t been on a ship since he retired, so he was going to get his daughter to five him a tour 🙂
Flash forward to 0800, he and I are standing out in the smoke pit, chatting and smoking when I hear, “Grandpa!” and see a little blonde coming running up and hug him. Turns out his grand-daughter is early 30’s and a Chief herself! Something tells me those two are going to have fun!
Gonna go wash clothes and watch the games… Y’all have a good weekend!
Nice! Have a great weekend NFO!
92 and smoking in the smoke pit. Doesn’t he know smoking is bad for him?
Great post, enjoy your weekend.
Dittios to Keads. Have fun.
Well, it’s already Sunday here, and it’s strange to actually HAVE a day off on the road… 🙂
George- Somehow I don’t think that old boy cares very much 🙂
Thanks for the “slice of life” vignette
You’ve a good one as well!
Ed- You’re welcome!
Guffaw- Tryin…
Quit smoking in 1984 but find smokers to more interesting than most folks. Could be I like their defiance.
Sounds like you found a great group of people. Of course the best stories are sometimes from those random meetings.
Where on earth do you get these stories? I’m sure sorry we couldn’t meet up last month.
Gonna have to set up another blogshoot …
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
WSF- And stupid, to go outside in 30 degrees, just to grab a smoke…LOL
MC- Totally random, I figured I’d be the ONLY idjit out there…
BP- Random meetings of random folks… And I watch and listen…
MSGT- You’re welcome 🙂
Great post!
Stories like make me wanna take up smoking.
Agirl- Don’t 🙂
Sounds like a very interesting group.
Be Safe
Ah yes… I’ve had to do that shower dance in a couple of foreign hotels too. Quite annoying. God speed, NFO. Return to us safely!
Fuzzy- It was, this morning, I was alone, not another soul out there… 🙂
Andy- Tryin… 🙂
Early 30s and a Chief already… geez the Navy promotes quicker than the AF ever did :p
92 and smoking. Reminds me of a friend’s grandmother at 90. Her quote was “I’m still smoking and my lung feels fine.” Notice: singular. Have a great time out there.
What’s one that that will make you squeal like a girl in the shower? Flush, SQUEEEE.
I’ve observed that military service seems more and more to be a legacy in some families. I know of families that had servicemen…and women, in every generation. Usually multiple service men and women.
It’s not so in my family. My Uncle John was in the US Cavalry. He chased Apaches in New Mexico and Arizona and went into Mexico with Pershing.
I went into the Air Force rather than being drafted into the Army. I like to think I would have done the same even without the draft. My daughter didn’t. I don’t think it ever occurred to her…certainly not to my SIL. Of my two G’sons, I doubt my oldest will either. My youngest, however…now that one just might. He has that personality even if he’s only three years old. 😉
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