Date: 2009-05-01
From: John Hollow Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

No text message or phone call. New photos posted 04/09/ to 04/12. Tic made phono entries on 4/22 and they are the last pictures. The new pictures are in the middle.May 1, 2009Where did I meet Tic? I served 12.5 (1980 to 1992) years in the AF for; and Tic was my second and most fun supervisor (1981). Every now and then he would take an afternoon, round up the junior officers, rent a 25¢ sailboat at the Navy base, and go out for a ¢sailing working group¢ meeting. I must have been a handful because I would go into his office for guidance on my projects; and he would say ¢what have you done to get me fired now.¢ Ninety percent of the time, he said ¢don¢t worry about it, but don¢t do it again.¢ Another time, he flew into my office mad as all get out. He told me if I every cried in a meeting, my career was over, and flew out. In 12.5 years I never cried in a meeting. I wanted to several times. I worked with some real screamers after Tic. When a civilian engineer and I went on business travel with him to Washington DC, he had us up at O-dark-thirty to see the sun rise over the capital building from the top of the Washington Monument before our 0900 meeting. I survived. However, the civilian passed on dinner that evening and went immediately to bed. I received my first promotion while I was working for Tic. Miss Vickie sent in an Air Force blue cake that matched my uniform blouse perfectly with a giant silver bar on it (my new rank ¢ first lieutenant.) It was great. The silver bar was made out of a hundred or so tiny silver bee bee candies. I was in good shape back then. Today, I would break my teeth on those bee bees.B 2 (he told I can¢t use his childhood nick name any more) was big into comic books. I found this interesting because none of the kids I went to grammar school with were into comic books. He continued to do interesting things: got a full scholarship to college, lived in Japan not once, but twice; and won competition in an ancient Japanese dialect beating out other native Japanese speakers. As far as supervisors go, it was down hill for the next 10 years until I separated with a ¢buy out¢ program when I married my husband Mike, a Navy commander at the time (Skyking). We were married at a justice of the peace. Tic called and left a voice mail congratulating us on our nuptials. Mike is a retired Navy pilot (helicopters). For 10 years I listened to, ¢I have to have a boat when I retire.¢ He retired and bought a small plane. He has a partner, and they share the plane and expenses.   Tic and I have kept in touch. I am the oldest of 4 kids, and Tic is the older (not that much older) brother I never had. I visited the Luna¢s in TX. Miss Vickie and I went to Sweeny and had dinner with Mr James Luna who was in the kitchen making peanut brittle for a church function when we arrived. I met Miss Trish (B 2s wife) at their wedding. So, when Tic called and asked if I would do the journal entries when he can¢t access the internet, I said sure. How hard can it be? Type a few words every evening. Well, it is like anything; until you get organized it is a lot of work. Pictures were the most difficult. He sent a note with his first SD Card (has all the pictures on it) telling me I would have to ¢dummy down¢ the photos before entering them in the journal. I spent about 4 hours trying to do that. All I could come up with is ¢cropping photos.¢ The next call, I tell him all I can crop pictures; and I successfully cropped and posted ¢the crock competition.¢ Total silence on the other end of the phone. ¢Don¢t do anything. I am going to a hotel with internet. I¢ll call you with specific instructions.¢ Well, after working for him for 2 years I developed thick skin. The guy didn¢t want a ¢photographically challenged person¢ editing his precious photos. As for Lumpy, about 5 years ago Tic called and asked if we wanted to go fishing on the Chesapeake Bay with them. Before I could say we would love to join you, Skyking was half way to the car. It was late fall, the last week of fishing until spring, cold, overcast, and we didn¢t catch anything. We were really impressed with Lumpy¢s camera equipment. He is a very serious photographer.   I love the photo he took of the river in Big Bend National Park. On another occasion, Skyking and I were skiing in Park City, UT and we met Tic and Lumpy for nachos and beer. I have not met Miss Kitty in person; but we talk on the phone frequently trying to keep up with Tic and Lumpy.   If you would like to share how you met Tic, Lumpy, or both of them, send your story to ticandlumpy@comcast.net. There will be no editing. Tic does not want to see them before posting. The journal web site does monitor the inputs, so we have to keep them in the ¢family¢ rating. It is Tic¢s journal, and he will be telling his side of how you met, ¢later.¢Have fun (I am having a lot of fun now. I admit the first two weeks were a bit much.),Miss P & B