If Wishes Were Fishes....

If wishes were fishes I would have wished for Travis and family to be with me at the picnic my ex-brother-in-law (I guess he's now an outlaw) had over the weekend....he has a little place on the barge canal that is a perfect bachelor pad/party central....it's at a place on the canal that widens out and you would think that your on one of the finger lakes with the views that you get from his front window and the dock....as you can see the bartender was a little short but he made up for it in his friendly attitude and his willingness to listen to all your problems....thankfully he didn't have to throw anyone out....I hear he's one tough dude....we all had a great time and being the gentleman that I am I took a picture of someone else's fish instead of mine...of course mine was bigger but I don't want to brag....the dog.. a young lab named Sally was a riot she learned to swim on the spot...when my sister first threw in the stick and said.."fetch" the damn dog almost drowned...she went in over her head and realized that she'd better do something quick or she would be fish bait...she splashed and sputtered but in about ten minutes she was fetching like a pro....I don't think I've ever seen a lab that didn't know how to swim...I hope I don't see one again...it wasn't a pretty picture watching her damn near drown...it was funny as hell... it just wasn't a pretty picture...

Yep...I wish Trav could have been with us...he sent me some pictures of what he's doing over in the desert....training the troops just like he was back in California....man I can't get over how good he looks..although he better be using more suntan lotion...he looks like a ripe tomato...boy I wish I was twenty something again...Hell I'd be happy with 40 something again...the only shade he gets over there is when he puts his hand over his eyes....and it's about 110 degrees most of the time....I see that he did find the place where they hide the beer...Well he deserves a cold one now and then...well maybe the best he's going to get is just below the boiling point....hey...beers, beer...He says he thinks he might have some allergies...I guess there is a lot of mold growing in places like the air conditioning in the barracks...and he is being treated for congestion because of it...maybe the beer will help...

He sure looks like he's in charge in some of these shots...I still think the Air Force should use him as a poster boy...look at that handsome face and those rippling muscles...and that look of authority...even if they don't make him a poster boy...I'm still very, very proud of him and all the young men and women who serve without complaint and do their best to give back to this country something in return for living in the greatest nation on earth....

Til Next Time

Semper Fi

Monk

I Hear Summer's Swan Song and the Beginning of the Snow Bird's Gentle Melody In My Ear...

As promised a few shots of the family gathering....it's the first one we've had in a few years...it was lots of fun and the weather co-operated as well....the best shot is of five generations represented by my mother..my sister Donna...her daughter Chirsty...her daughter Ashley...and her newborn daughter Madeline named after my mom...We all had a great time playing volleyball..my side lost twice..thru no fault of mine of course..by that time all the old farts were so tired we could hardly breath....after some rest and food we got a little batting practice started...My son Kevin's kids are all into sports and are very good at it....Kevin pitched and we all took swings at the ball...emphasis on "swings"....I surprised myself and actually hit some major league shots over everyones's heads...well maybe not major league...more like local picnic league...my daughter-in-law Dianne actually did pretty well for herself....look at that form...she had some good hits...for a girl... as my grandson said.....Ah...the male chauvinist lives on...some of us still cling to the hope that all is not lost...that we can still open doors, still say hello with a head nod, and still have hope that not all women want to be 100% equal if it means that men will stop treating them as ladies and adoring them for their kinder, gentler ways.....however more and more women relish their right to unequivocal equalness...I actually had a women sneer at me as I held the door for her...as if, with that one look.. she was saying, "Yeah..what generation are you living in pig, I can handle this door and anything else, without your help"....I hope the day never comes where all women feel the same way...I don't think it will happen...most women like the added attention as long as it's with respect....they just won't admit it out loud...

I got word from my friend Richard down in sunny and hot Englewood that I had missed Pioneer Days a local event and parade that salutes the founders of the town....one of the events they have are cardboard boat races and I'm amazed at the detail of some of these craft....as you can see most of them don't make it to the finish line...hell most of them don't make past the point of impact with the water...some people must have a lot of free time on their hands to come up with something like this pirate ship...I hope it won...it would be ashamed if it sunk at the starting line...

Suzy's daughter and daughter in law both had babies in the last two weeks...here is one of them I think this one is Grace...she is now ahead of me in the grand kid count...but I'm not worried...I've got six kids she only has three...in another few years I'll be swamped in curtain climbers...aren't grand kids great...you get to feed them and play with them and then give them back to mommy and daddy to take care of until you want to play with them again....

Travis sent me some great pictures of his new duties in the desert...he's still training people on weapons and getting them qualified on the range...but get a load of the range...its like the Air Force just dropped them in the middle of the desert and stuck a few lights and little else in the sand dunes....he was in the desert at Edwards but at least that desert had some scrub cactus and other scenery...I'd hate to wander to far from this range... even a few hundred yards and you would never find your way back if the wind was blowing....Travis is settling in and looking forward to his duties and the chance to get some more on line education in his free time...doesn't he look like the perfect poster boy for an Air Force ad...that's my boy...please keep him and all of our service men and women in your prayers.....

I finally heard from Kyle...he is registered in school in Cheyenne Wyoming and will be majoring in conservation and wildlife management...he sounds happy and content and he is doing very well in school...swears he will get a 4.0 average...way to go Kyle...I sent a book to his English teacher who requested one after Kyle bragged about it...I hope she's not disappointed....Kyle only sent me one picture...a few friends and he visited a nearby gravel pit turned into a park...looks like a very beautiful place...they had a good time...he has some good friends out there that seem to be looking out for him...I've heard that Wyoming people are some of the best at making people feel welcome...I guess that's true....

Guess that's it for now....I will be getting a mention in the Rochester paper about the book and the upcoming book fair at our local library...my publisher is still shooting for the end of October for book two....that will be great!

Til Next Time

Semper Fi

Monk

Summertime and the Living Was Easy....

Well it's officially over....what a great summer...very little rain, lots of sunshine and I accomplished my goal of getting book two finished...it looks like it was a pleasant summer for Teddy as well....not as thin as he was back in the day....probably can't swim any better either...His new book will be out soon...."No Question About It...I did It" ....those voters in Mass. sure are loyal....it just goes to show that money with power can buy anything....enough of the political commentary....real life is much more interesting than the fabricated one some people live....

Had a family picnic over the holiday week-end but I haven't downloaded the pics yet so I'll just catch up on some stuff...

Went on a "Love Boat Cruise" with Suzy last week....well it was billed as a "Jimmy Buffett Sunset Cruise" down a few miles of the barge canal...but it was fun and entertaining...the singing was provided by a Jimmy Buffett non-look alike...but he was very good....he even sneaked in a few non-Buffett songs on request....got a few good shots in and around Pittsford, NY...

Speaking of money buying anything....Here is a very nice "hole in the water to pour money into"...as they say is the definition of a boat.....

As promised I finally got a shot of Jim and Ruth Chapmen...the nice couple I met at breakfast at the airport several weeks ago...they were enjoying another beautiful day with their family...We got to see some different planes land for a bite to eat and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.....

As I mentioned in my previous posting I visited Travis before he went to the desert and we had a great week...Got to spend lots of time with Dakota and got to see Edwards Air Force Base...My daughter in-law.. Shannon..cooked some great meals...As I have mentioned..Travis is a combat arms instructor and a damned good one at that....I got to sit in on one of his classes and even got to fire the M-9 pistol and an M-16....we had the M-14 in Vietnam and it I had a choice it still would be the M-14 it was a great rifle and saved my life more than once....

Well time to go....til next time....to my friends, family, and fans....God Bless...and say a prayer for everyone serving in the armed forces today...they defend your freedom and the right to be free for everyone......

Semper Fi

Monk

"A Passion for Cookies and a Crew Full of Rookies"

I hope Jimmy Buffett doesn't mind me borrowing his lyrics...but I couldn't help thinking about those words after saying good-bye to my son Travis in California....He left today for the desert and will be gone for six months..I got to spend a week with him and family and I'm very glad I did...We all hope to keep in touch...he has a phone card with 3000 minutes and his laptop....I hope one or the other can be used where he's going....As I have said before...he is an expert Combat Arms Instructor and will be doing that job over there....I'm hoping he will be out of harms way....The picture that his wife took a few months back is so poignant that I thought I'd show it again...to remind everyone not personally involved in this conflict....that there are brave and honorable men and women looking out for their freedom... and for freedom and the right to be free for others around the world...When they pass through that door.. sometimes for the last time.. on their journey to defend freedom...leaving family and loved ones behind..it is one of the saddest and proudest moments of a parents life...God Bless and Godspeed my son....

I'll be doing another post in a day or so...with more summer fun.....and book updates

Til Next Time..

Semper Fi

Monk

Lazy, Hazy and Crazy Days of Summer....

Suzy and I went out for a relaxing Sunday breakfast at the airport only to be surprised by two events that took place at our meal....First...as we took our seats under the shade of one of the tables with umbrellas...we were approached by another couple who thought we were just leaving and wanted the table as well...we invited them to join us and introduced ourselves...Jim and Ruth Chapmen were their names (I didn't get a picture of them but I will if I can this week and replace this beautiful sunflower that I couldn't resist) and as it turned out Jim had been in the Marines in 1964...a few minutes into the conversation this blog came up and I mentioned that I had started it back in January on a lark and was now firmly hooked on continuing my stories...Suzy spoke up and said " Tell them what else got you into bloging"...being humble as I am I hadn't mentioned the book and wasn't going to unless asked....so I said that I had written a book and that was also a good reason to have the blog....Jim asked what the title was and when I said "Monk's War" he excitedly said "I've read that book, my daughter bought it for me on Amazon, I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting and loved it"....To meet a stranger and have them know you by your book was an amazing experience for me...I was just as shocked as he was...It felt good to hear him speak well of my writing and if I never have the experience again I will still be glad that it happened at least once in my life.....What a thrill.....

The next breakfast surprise was not a pleasant one but still an interesting event...we got to see a Mercy Flight chopper land to take an accident victim to the hospital...the women had fallen from a bike and they suspected that she had a broken neck....the airport was the closest safe place to get the ambulance and the chopper in the same place and even though it was a sad occasion it was some additional Sunday excitement that was unexpected...

My grandson Alex had a 15th birthday party and we all had a good time getting most of the kids together in one place....it's getting tougher as they get older to be able to see them all in one place...a few weeks ago when Travis was home on leave was the first time in two years that we had them all together....We had a good time and judging from the amount of cake and ice cream they wanted me to eat...(see picture).. I assume that they think I'm not fat enough...I went a little overboard this year...instead of the usual money in the envelope from grandpa...I got him a real radar gun that he could use to get the speed of his and his teammates pitches...I thought it was a good surprise....they put it to the test right away but not on baseballs...they went outside and got the speed of bicycles, people running, Frisbees and even the speed of my son Ryan's punches....everything except baseballs...I hope it lasts until he can get to the ball field with it.....

Every week I play a little Texas Hold'em with some friends...This past week I was surprised to see a friend of mine... Jeff..reading my book as we waited for the tournament to begin...I had given him a copy earlier and he said he couldn't wait to read it....Thanks for making my day Jeff...even though I didn't come in the money...I think he did...I'm glad someones lucky in cards...I'm not complaining...I'm lucky in so many ways that sometimes I think I don't deserve it.....

My son Ryan got a new jeep and a new job since the last report....He is now an official member of the Rochester Police Department....one of the finest in the country... and I couldn't be happier for him...he's been trying to land a law enforcement position for over a year....with a degree in psychology you'd think it wouldn't be that hard...he is a very intelligent and caring young man and Rochester should be glad to have him....I'm very proud of him as I am all my children...he is a volunteer fireman and trained EMT as well.....He said he had a hard time getting his "game face" on for the ID card....He was so happy he just couldn't stop smiling...Instead..in this picture when he should be smiling it looks like he's been practicing that "hard ass" look....Good Luck Son and God Bless...

I took Andy, Kelsey and Suzy out for supper at a little sandwich shop in a local plaza..we were pleasantly surprised by the beautifull garden right next to it in the parking lot....It gave the whole experience so much more than just eating in a strip mall....I know what your thinking...supper in a strip mall...nothing like treating the ones you love to a cheap meal....this mall sandwich shop was anything but cheap...you know the ones I mean with all the fancy names for what amounts to be nothing more than a grilled sandwich...it cost me 50 bucks for three sandwiches and a salad....but the flower garden was nice......somebody has to pay for those flowers...

I play horseshoes every Monday....tough life Huh?.....My brother Terry runs a small league at the local Moose club....A great organization by the way...you should check it out....only six teams get to play at once and its a three game match...so the rest have to wait their turn on the deck...this gives the teams in the pits a built in cheering or jeering section depending on how many friends or enemies you have on the deck....We have a great time and some have a better time than others...but they get a free ride home and their keys back in the morning.....

Two parting shots.....Of course no blog entry would be complete with out a picture of the world's most beautiful

baby...Dakota..whom I will be visiting next week in California....before her Dad...Travis... gets to go to the dessert for six months....

and a final shot of one of my neighbors...Dave...just before he rolled this baby over....I was laughing so hard I didn't get a picture of him upside down....he sure is quick for an old guy...he is trying to restore an old wooden canoe and I guess it needs more work...or he needs more practice....

Until Next Time...

Semper Fi...

Monk