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I don't know about your hometown, but in Denison it is a big deal when Memorial Day rolls around. There is always a parade through the downtown area and just about everyone wants to be a part of the parade. It is an annual event and everyone looks forward to it.
The parade was led by a unit of the Denison Police and the Honor Guard with the colors. The high school drill team (the Stingerettes) are recognized across the state of Texas for their precision and they were no less than perfect again today. The high school's mascot is the Yellow Jacket and the drill team's name is derived from the business end of the Yellow Jacket.
Military vets now and past are the honored ones today.. In the top photo former Grayson County Tax-Assessor Collector John Ramsey shows he still can handle a one-ton carrier. These vehicles were made by Dodge/Ford/General Motors during World War II.
In the middle photo, my longtime friend and former Marine Sergeant Jerry Lover enjoys the ride and waving to the crowd. Bottom photo shows a Jeep...this vehicle was the envy of the Germans in WWII and they tried many times to copy it. The Jeep saw life in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. The HumVee came along to put the Jeep into retirement..
Vietnam Veterans of America were well represented today.. This group in a 3/4 ton vehicle...and in the bottom photo a two and a half ton truck (duece and a half). I have a lot of memories involved a duece and a half...and all of the memories are bad... Great truck though..
Okay,..I guess I have to give ample credit to the Navy... Here a bunch of swabbies wave to the crowd as they try to keep up with the Army floats. I joke but for a while we had a Navy corpman with my Special Forces unit at Phu Bai, South Vietnam until the Army could locate an Army medic for us.
Vintage cars are always part of any parade in this part of the country and everyone loves them. Top photo shows a 1933 Ford 5-window coupe. This car had the original flathead V-8 engine in it and was quite as a mouse when running. The middle photo is a 1932 Ford 5-window coupe with a Chevrolet V-8 engine in it (Nice sounding car). The bottom photo is a 1939 Ford Coupe... The '39 and '40 are very similar in appearance. Check the moveable windshield that can be extended to allow better ventilation in the car.
The Hella Shriners were out in force today...The Shriners do a lot of good work across the country... Helping out people that can't afford good medical/health coverage. The Shriners burn center hospital is also one of the best in the entire country..
For obvious reasons they always put the horseback riders at the end of the parade...but this year a special pooper-scooper truck followed the equine entries and the streets were spic and span within moments of the transgression. First photo shows a good looking bay mare ridden by the red head.
And a special thanks go out to the Denison Police Department for their excellent crowd control and intersection management. It was a good parade and nobody got hurt...What else can you ask for!!
Continuing with my parade of automobiles.. When last I updated you I had a 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado (great car). I put almost 125,000 miles on this car and it ran as smooth and quite as the day I purchased it....BUT little things started to wear out. The motor that opened the hidden headlights for instance. I also developed a short somewhere in the electrical system. Lights would go out in various spots and when I would replace that bulb, another would go out in a different spot. When the rotation got around to the glove box light I let it stay burned out until I traded the car off. This was when I discovered that Oldsmobile did not offer the Toronado any longer. I had owned a 1978...1985...and this 1992 Olds Toronado.
When I started to shop around the dealer told me Toro's were a thing of the past and tried to push an Olds Aurora on me. I didn't like the looks of the Aurora and decided to shop some other brands.
I fell victim to some marketing propaganda and saw a car advertised as 'the poor man's Mercedes.' It was a Mitsubishi Galant.
This is the only positive image I have of the Galant, and that is so only because my beautiful wife is protruding through the sun roof of the car. It ran well and had a lot of pep for a small engine and the interior was laid out in a comfortable manner.... BUT..
We had the Galant for less than a year when Momma told me it had an electrical problem under the dash. I was out on the road in the above truck so I told her to take it by the dealer we bought it from and describe the problem. Maybe it was because she was a woman but she was not satisfied with the results she got from the dealership. The car continued to make crackling noises under the dash and I took it in when I got home. I had a 1998 Chevy Silverado pick-up at the time so we made no demands on the dealer other than fix it. The dealer's shop had the car for two days before returning it to me with the comment, ' We can't find anything wrong with it.' That night we went out to eat and while driving home the floorboard under the dash lit up with sparks and the smell of burning insulation was extremely strong. The next day I took the car to the dealership and gave them the keys. When the service manager asked me what I wanted him to do with it I told him to shove it up his ass. Of course I did take about a five thousand dollar loss on the car, but I could not comfortably go out on the road and have my wife and youngest daughter ride around in something that unsafe.
The local Dodge/Plymouth dealer is a longtime friend and he called me about this 1997 Plymouth Breeze. I bought it and Momma loved it. It would be a car that would give us years of dependable service.
The Chicago Bears of the National Football League announced they will officially retire the number 89 later this year. That is the number worn by Mike Ditka when he played for the Bears.
Ditka played eleven years for the Bears and revolutionized the position of tight end. Previously, tight ends were just another blocker on the offensive line, but Ditka proved he could also be a pass-catching player. He is STILL listed as the most proficient tight end in Chicago Bears history, having caught 316 passes for 4502 yards, and 34 touchdowns. He was the fifth overall selection in the 1961 college draft and was instrumental in the Bears winning the NFL Championship in 1963. Ditka is quick to spread the glory, saying he played alongside such greats as Bill George, Dick Butkus, and Gale Sayers.... but others will tell you Ditka was something special. He was twice named All-Pro and went to the Pro Bowl Game on 6 occasions. After the 1972 season he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, and three years later was sent to the Dallas Cowboys.
This is where I met Ditka, and I watched in horror as he would turn his wrath on reporters after a losing effort on the field. As one who covered the Cowboys, I learned you better be sure of your questions when you spoke to Iron Mike. He played four years with the Cowboys and caught a touchdown pass in Super Bowl VI against the Miami Dolphins. After his playing career, Ditka became an assistant coach to Dallas Head Coach Tom Landry... In the early 1980's his beloved Bears came calling and Ditka was their choice as head coach.
He would coach the Bears for eleven years, winning the NFL Championship in 1985....but Ditka could not understand the attitude of young players in this era. Frequent confrontations with quarterback Jim McMahon and the news media in Chicago finally ended with Ditka losing his job. He would later become head coach of the New Orleans Saints, a time Ditka would call the worst three years of his life.
BUT...this latest honor has nothing to do with his coaching years. The Hall of Fame player will see his number '89' retired this December 9th at Soldier Field in Chicago in a Monday Night Game against the Dallas Cowboys. This game was chosen by Bears management because he played for both, and will be well received by both sidelines. Ditka will become the 14th Chicago Bear to have his number retired.
The 54-man voting committee has announced its list of inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame next January. The Hall of Fame is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and this will be the fourth class to join the auto racing shrine.
The five new members are Dale Jarrett, Maurice Petty, Tim Flock, Jack Ingram, and Fireball Roberts. The names were announced late Wednesday afternoon in Charlotte.
It will mark the third set of father and son to enter the Hall of Fame. Dale Jarrett will join his father, Ned,.. Bill France, Junior and Bill France, Senior, the owners of NASCAR are enshrined,...as are Richard Petty and his father Lee.
Dale Jarrett is a 3-time winner of the Daytona 500 Race and was also the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion. He took the checkered flag 32 times as a driver,..also the very first win for new owner Joe Gibbs when he started his racing team. Jarrett's father, Ned, was inducted into the Hall of Fame two years ago, and he too is a former series champion.
Maurice Petty joins father, Lee,...brother Richard,...and cousin Dale Inman in the Hall of Fame. Maurice was the engine builder for the famed Petty Racing Team, and while driver Richard got the credit for 200 wins in NASCAR races, he was quick to say Maurice was right beside him and deserved as much credit or more.
Tim Flock was one of the early pioneers in the sport. He garnered 76% of the vote this year to gain entry into the Hall. Flock won 39 races and was the series champion three consecutive years from 1952, 53, 54.. His smile and personality made him a favorite in the sport of auto racing.
Seventy year old Jack Ingram is still competing at NASCAR events. He holds the record for more starts at the junior circuit of the sport than anyone. Ingram was the Nationwide champion in 1982 and 1985...and back when it was called the 'Sportsman Series'..Ingram won the championship in 1972..73..74. He is still one of the popular faces among drivers in the garage.
Edward Glenn 'Fireball' Roberts was THE FIRST superstar of the sport of NASCAR. He was a hard-charging type of driver, but his nickname came from the sport of baseball and his pitching prowess. Roberts dominated in the 1950's and collected 33 wins in his career, including the 1962 Daytona 500. Roberts was killed in a crash during the Southern 500 race in 1964.
Congratulations to all of the inductees of NASCAR's Hall of Fame. They will officially be enshrined next January.
Mention the name Robinson and baseball in the same sentence and most people will automatically think of Jackie Robinson and the role he played in breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. I have no gripe with that as I was a Brooklyn Dodger fan until they moved to Los Angeles and turned their backs on Flatbush, New York.
My Mister Robinson turned 76 years of age on Saturday and I deeply apologize for being tardy with this message on one of the greats of the game.
I returned to this country from Vietnam in 1967 and was immediately met with disrespect and disdain at every turn. I actually got spit on upon arrival at the airport in San Francisco. I had eight months to go until I would be discharged from the Army and I spent those months at a remote intelligence base in Northern Virginia. When I traveled to Baltimore to see a baseball game I was surprised to find the Orioles' organization not only granted me FREE admission, but also issued me a token good for a hot dog and a coke.. I have been an Orioles fan ever since.
I have mentioned in previous postings that I was never the big slugger in my youth, but always got on base for the heavy swingers behind me in the line-up. Defense was my game and I excelled at it at second base. While watching Baltimore Orioles' games I admired their third baseman immediately. Brooks Robinson scooped up everything within the same zip code. In the late 1960's and early 1970's Mark Belanger was the shortstop for the Orioles and Brooks would often make plays right in front of him.
Brooks was drafted by the Orioles in 1955 and would spend the next 23 years with the same organization, a feat only equaled by Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox. To say defense was the only outstanding part of the game for Brooks Robinson would be wrong. 1964 would probably be his best offensive season; his batting average of .318 was augmented by 28 home runs and his 118 runs-batted-in led the league. Brooksie garnered 18 of the 20 first place votes that year to win Most Valuable Player in the American League over Mickey Mantle.
Top photo shows Brooks' emotion when Baltimore downs the Dodgers in the World Series as the battery of catcher Andy Etchebarren and pitcher Dave McNally join in. Bottom photo is classic Brooks Robinson...eyes on the ball and tracking it down before the long throw to first base for the out.
Brooks was voted to the Major League All-Star game 15 consecutive years from 1960 to 1974. He retired from the game in 1975 with lofty statistics for others to try and emulate. A lifetime batting average of .267.. 2848 career hits...268 career home runs..and 1357 career runs-batted-in. Brooksie led the American League in fielding percentage 11 times. Upon his retirement, he led all third basemen with a fielding percentage of .971... He played 2870 games at 3rd base for the Birds and is credited with 2697 put-outs during that time. Only 3 players have played in more games than Brooksie.. Yaz played in 3308 games for the Red Sox..Hank Aaron 3076 games for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves...and Stan Musial was in 3026 for the St Louis Cardinals.
Here is a great shot of Orioles Blue-bloods.. From the left, Cal Ripken, Jr... Don Buford...Earl Weaver.. Brooks Robinson....Frank Robinson...and Jim Palmer. It is said baseball superstars usually have a candy bar named after them, but in Baltimore, mothers name their baby boys after Brooks Robinson.
The Orioles retired the number '5' in 1977 and Brooks was a first ballot entry into the Major League Hall of Fame in 1983. He entered the broadcast booth and became part of the Orioles' announcing team to stay close to the team. In September of 2012 the Orioles unveiled a larger-than-life bronze statue of Brooks Robinson across the street from Camden Yards. The statue is also in a classic Brooks pose...
Having caught the ball he is ready for the throw to first base to complete the out. Conspicuous on the statue is the gold glove of Robinson... Did I mention he won the Gold Glove sixteen times...indicative of the best defensive player at his position..
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKSIE.... MISTER 3rd BASE !!
In a previous post I detailed a cruise my wife and I took to Jamaica a few years back.. After leaving Montego Bay we sailed one day and the following morning arrived at George Town, Grand Cayman Island. As the ship neared the coast we could see commercial lights along the shore, and fittingly for us, the first establishment to come into view was a Harley-Davidson dealer.
Yes we were on a Carnival ship... 'the Conquest', and it was a dream. Smooth sailing all the way and no problems to report. When we arrived at George Town there were several other cruise ships there and they park them side by side, and smaller pilot boats come out to ferry passengers to shore. The Cayman Islands were established by pirates several centuries ago, but they play up the pirate theme now. We made arrangements and got to go out on a pirate ship to sail around the cruise ships with the pirate crew in command.
In these two photos you can see my wife fraternizing with the crew of the pirate ship. The top photo is the captain of this band of renegades and in the lower photo she has taken a turn at the wheel as she uses her womanly charms on the helmsman. I fell victim to those same charms many years ago. The water is so clear you can actually see the bottom here, but the captain assured me it was over sixty feet deep otherwise the big ships in the background would be aground.
If Momma can flirt with the crew I figure I can do the same. This is Mary,..a wench onboard to service the crew. Actually she was serving rum to the passengers who wanted to partake. Naturally, she and I got to be good friends immediately and for the duration of the trip. She and her boyfriend worked on the pirate ship, she as the wench and he as a deckhand. This is her boyfriend, Rain, doing a backflip from the yardarm.
Bottom photo is Rain...displaying a smile that captivated all the ladies onboard. We got his email address and sent photos of Mary and he that we took. Nice couple.
We were not the only 'pirate ship' making the rounds and above you can see another ship passing by our Carnival Conquest. In the far right of the photo are several of the smaller boats to shuttle passengers to shore...and naturally they all display the Jolly Roger as their flag. Arghhhh !
The weather in the Caymans was similar to Jamaica and rarely gets out of the 60-80 degree range, but as I said in the posting on Jamaica, they are the direct path of hurricanes coming through the Caribbean Sea.
We did discover Jimmy Buffett's hangout before leaving the island. He was NOT there at the time of our visit and the bartender refused to let me drink on Jimmy's tab. They do mix a mean Margarita there and I highly recommend them.
All too soon it was time to depart Grand Cayman and we had to watch this beautiful island disappear behind us. I can't even attempt to describe this lovely island, but if you are in the market for a cruise destination, this is the place to visit. I can't think of a single negative thing to say about the Cayman's. It was a little bit of heaven here on earth.
