Date: 2009-05-23
From: 3 miles north of Marion, VA

To: Happy Hiker Hollow Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

I.II. WOD: Widowmaker - tree limbs which have separated from tree; however, haven't fallen all the way to the ground.III. Report: Hiked to Davis Path shelter last night. It is no longer an active shelter; but does offer a tent platform. The plan is to hike low mileage next several days. I cowboyed the evening with two Hokie MS grads in environmental enngineering, and one grad's father. This am was an easy hike to town, with a huge breakfast at the Barn Restaurant. The hiked off the AT the Mountain Empire Airport, where M&M Air Service landed for a visit. It was good to see SkyKing and Miss P&B again. We went to town and had lunch at the Barn. I had made reservations at the Happy Hiker Hollow hostel and called and got an immediate pickup. took and bath and clothes are in the launndry. Next up is a trip to town for groceries, then dinner. After breakfast tomorrow, a short hike to Partnership shelter, so that I can take a shower and order a pizza. IVV POD: word about Miss P&B in two parts. Part 1 is my 1st assignment to Los Angeles AFB. I was a "senior" Captain, looking to leave Strategic Air Command HQ at Offutt AFB in Omaha NE (a.k.a Awful AFB in OhMyGosh NE) to try to salvage an Air Force career. First notice about LA was the very high cost of living. Next was the base officer grade structure: senior officers slightly under-represented, field grade significantly under-represented, and company grade officers far overrepresented. And, female officers were just getting into the mainstream amnd were not always well respected. In fact, one diminutive female 2 Lt in our office was totally ignored as a viable resource, not given any significant responsibility, and was used primarily as the base social officer. Also, the admin clerical support were usually civilians and typically high school freshout women. Soooo, I had to spend a good deal of my time trying to shoo the young male Lts off the even younger female admins. Obviously, i didm't do too well as not one; but two Mary B's married Lts. Mary B1 and hubby are in Penn and own a number of Red Robin francises. Mary B2 and hubby were operating a successful specialty metals business in Albuquerque at last report. One of my fondest memories is a Hawaian luau party, the Mary B's were in hlua skirts and cocoanut tops, and we formed a Mary B sandwich with me in the middle.... i did a good enough job to get noticed and promoted to MAjor; which brought a school assignment. THe office had a big farewell party for me, and my the secty, KC, performed her last amateur belly dance. Now, KC is not your typical middle Eastern belly dancer. KC is your southern California, tall blonde, and quite statesque. Her performance was sizzling. On the way home. Libra Lade asked me who that wopman was... I couldn't think of a good story right away and remember answering that I had never seen her before.Part 2 After school, I got a shock by being reassigned back to LAAFB in the Plans division. The office had 2 full colonels, two lt colonels, three majors, three captains, two lts and two secretaries as I recall. I ennded up being in charge of the operations planning, and had as a staff one major, two captains and one "Butter Bar" 2nd Lt,now known as Ms P&B. All this with me being the junior major in the bunch. All Ms P&B said previously was trur; but let me add this info. In our first meeting to discuss her project, she outlined and planned to brief her 48 point plan. I think I listened to maybe 12 before I threw her out of the office. Later, I sent her to visit a contractor to get some info on a concept we were mutually interested in. The contractor totally breifed her into an entirely different program. I got that straightrened out with the AF program manager. Later, in an annual budget breifing, I was quite pleased when Ms P&B connected all the dots together and figured out how this program fit within several others. And, I remember the cat fights outside my office door between Ms P&B and oour secretary. however, i always tried to instill in the butter bars that they were commissioned officers in the US Air Force, and should act and be respected accordingly. And I remember being somewhat firm in stating that it was quite unbecoming of an officer to be crying in public, and threw her out of my office again so that she could probably go to her office for some quiet sobbing. We always worked hard and I also believed in playing hard. We did have Friday afternnon SAILWGs (Sailing working group meetings), and if the contractors were involved, FLOWGs (floating working Group Meetings). And i learned early that when you were on temporary duty (tdy), you were paid 24 hours/day and expected to earn your pay every minute. So, during one tdy to DC with Ms P&B and an Aerospace contractor, i informed them we would be going to a Maryland Crab house for dinner. Obviously, these two had never been to a crab house. Ms P&B was in her pink Jackie O suit, and the contractor was in his Brooks brothers best. i was in jeans and t-shirt maybe. i think we went to Pope's Creek in So MD where the crabs are thrown on a table covered in brown butcher paper. It wasn't long before Ms P&B and the contractor were in plastic garbage can liners.And I can'y quit without mentioning the"cake". Libra Lade made an Air Force blue 1st Lt cake with the bar the size of a 2x4, made out of silver bb candy. Ms P&B later advanced to Major and would have gone further had she not accepted an early Air Force retirement offer.Thanks for everything and appreciate your friendship