Vital Signs for August, 2017. Start Vitamin B12. Cut Flomax in half.

Exciting month for those that are interested in my blood pressure and stuff.

I watched football in the rain. (great grandson Ross and Hurricane Harvey)

John and I drove over to West Monroe to see my great grandson Ross John Newberry play (he is center linebacker) a football game. Harvey, the Hurricane from Texas, was due in West Monroe about game time. Harvey was a little late but arrived in time to soak me, John, and Ross's, Mom and Dad, Joy and David. All of us will always remember the football game in the rain from Hurricane Harvey.

West Monroe enters the field.

Lined up for the kick off. Ross is number 44.

Number 44 is heading for the ball carrier.

David, John, Joy, and the old prune picker in a dry selfie.

Same group in a wet selfie.

Game over.

Terrible score board. We lost 24 to 20. It was a good exciting game otherwise. I think that we were the better team.

I caught Ross for a photo after the game.  I do not think that he was too excited about having his picture taken after losing a game! But he gave me a gracious smile. Thanks, Ross.

Here is a short video of dancing girls.

I attended a lecture on the Red River Campaign.

The lecture was by Dr. Gary Joiner. Gary is a historian at LSU-Shreveport. He is a renowned Civil War expert. He has written 19 books on the subject.

This is the second lecture that I have attended in this series on the Civil War. They are being held in Farmersville. There are two more scheduled.

  

This uniform below is the uniform used by Louisiana Tigers. A crack infantry unit from Louisiana. The last lecture in this series is about the Tigers.

Dr. Gary is a very good speaker. I enjoyed his talk.

The last of the big spenders.

Walter the cook at the Unionville Breakfast will be gone for a couple of weeks. Walter has a way with breakfast. We will miss him.

We are on our own. Thank goodness John Roebuck brought sausage biscuits and grape jelly. Rumors have been that John is very tight with money. But he did not spare any expense. The biscuits and jelly came from Jefferson Corner. And there was a generous amount. Thank you John for your generous contribution. Other people brought donuts.

One person said in a hushed tone "We just witnessed a miracle!"

 

Flat tire in the rain on Christmas Eve.

I was within 1 week of the last day of my 15 year career with Schlumberger. I had decided to leave 24 hour call oilfield work so I could be home more with my wife Jackie and my son Chris who had recently tried (unsuccessfully) to take his life. I consider those 15 years a high light of my work life. I enjoyed that time, except for the hardship that the work put on my family. (7 cities, 20 houses , schools, etc in 15 years} Just as my four children were going through school life.

Per my employment contract I had given six months notice. New Years Eve was my last day. We were living in Coalinga on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. I had a found a job with an oil company in Long Beach. We were looking forward to moving.

I was returning from a job north of Coalinga. I was in the hills north of town and could see the city lights. Bang! went the right rear tire. (Yes I remember which tire it was even after 52 years.) About 5 to 10 miles away was my family. In the front room with a fire going in the fireplace. Toys were wrapped and ready. Jackie's sweet Grandmother (born in Scotland and so proud of her brogue) was there. For many years she was with us every Christmas.

I had a happy thought. (This is the last time that I will change a flat tire, in the dark, in the rain, on Christmas Eve.) I almost whistled while I changed the tire. (the right rear)

I attended a lecture on the Battle of Vicksburg.

The lecture was in the Chamber of Commerce office in Farmersville. Farmersville is about an hour north of my home in Ruston, Louisiana. Farmerville is a hundred miles West of the site of the Battle of Vicksburg. It is now about 155 years after the Battle. The room was full (every seat, a hundred plus people) and several people asked serious questions abut the Battle after the lecture. As a yankee from Southern California I was impressed by this event. I was raised among folks who did not know where Vicksburg was located, or that a Battle had taken place there. I wonder how many people would attend this lecture in Pomona.

The speaker was Terry Winschel. Terry recently retired after twenty years of being the historian at the Vicksburg National Military Park. He is regarded as a leading authority on the Battle of Vicksburg. He has written several books on the Battle.

Farmersville is the Parish Seat of Union Parish. This display of Civil War Artifacts and the lecture series is sponsored by the Union Museum of History and Art. I was given a sticker for attending.

2421 days until the next solar eclipse.

I slept through the eclipse yesterday. Oh well, the next one is April 8, 2024.

This eclipse will be total in Dallas, Texarkana, and Little Rock. Exciting, huh? I hope to stay awake for it. It is only 3,486,240 minutes from today. At the time of the next eclipse, I will be 98 years old. going on 99, on July 20, 2024.

I hope that you will see it with me.

Fun breakfast at the old Unionville Store.

I really enjoy Saturday morning breakfast at the Unionville Store. A bunch of great guys enjoy the work of Walter the cook. I have included a time-lapse video of the breakfast yesterday morning. The video is a 45 minute period condensed to 36 seconds. I am in the black shirt seated on the right. My hair is sorta gray.

My first car and my last car.

My first car and my last car have one thing in common. Both are Fords.

My first car was a Model A Four Door Sedan. It cost me $35. I was supporting myself at the time with a dish washing job. I am impressed that I had $35. Of course my room rent at the time was only $4.50 per month. (pre 1940)

Jim Taylor Ford in Ruston has a Model A like my first car on display in the show room. My Model A was a solid black color. Otherwise it was just like the car in the picture.

My last car is a Ford Fusion. (Bought at Jim Taylor Ford in Ruston.) It cost a lot  more than $35. It does have more leg room, however.

Watch the fish swim! 12 second time lapse video.

Here they are at rest.

Here they are swimming!

Lester Davis, Marine.

I just had a big genealogy weekend. Saturday I drove over to Shreveport and attended an all day genealogy seminar. Sunday, yesterday, I attended the monthly meeting of the Northeast Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Society in Monroe. A seventy mile ride west and a fifty mile ride east from where I live in Ruston.

Lester Davis, Marine (once a Marine, always a Marine!), gave a stirring talk on his time in the Marines at the Monroe meeting. I have attended meetings with Lester for ten years. It was exciting and a pleasure to hear him speak of his time in the Marines.

Lester brought a group of family members. The young lady on the far left is Lester's wife. I sat next to her all day at the seminar Saturday in Shreveport.