We're Back

We've been gone. All over the mid section of our great land. We stayed on Padre Island a bit with my Brother Ed and Shirley pictured below with my bride on the left. We've also been to Denver and back.

This is the view of the Gulf from their guest bedroom. Life is rough. We did have to leave here to play golf every day. There are no spring break kids in this pic but they were there. I told Marilyn she could take one of my shirts and make about 10 swim suits with it. Not to worry. I didn't stare.

much

We toured the USS Lexington that has been decommisioned in port in Corpus. I'll not go into her history as it is readily available online.  The picture below this one shows the list of her actions and battles.  She would have been a major target at Pearl Harbor but had left port a short time before the attack. We've read several stories and one book on her crew and aviators and I can tell you that the bravest men in world served America on her deck.  Some were launched into eternity from her short runway. I recall one pilot who later related that he was dismayed at having left the ship  in such a hurry on the way to battle that he only had 2 cigarettes with him. He decided to smoke them both on the way to the Japanese carrier group they were heading for, because he was sure this was going to be a one way trip. It turned out that he returned to the Lexington.  Their target was so far away that several of the planes ran out of gas and  fell in the water that night while circling our carriers waiting their turn to land.  I urge you to look up the ship on line and see how she got her nickname the "The Gray Ghost."