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Good morning one and all. So good to have you back onboard Susan and I hope you will continue to be a regular. I think I can speak for everyone one here that we are so happy to hear about your weight loss and will cheer you on to achieving your goal. AT OUR AGE, weight is a struggle for most of us. I know I've lost over 100 pounds in the last couple of years - unfortunately, I've put on 150 pounds to compensate. As far as forgetting, I'm reminded of the story of this couple that started up a conversation with another (senior) couple and the subject of forgetfulness came up. The first old gentleman said, "Yes I used to forget everything until I went to this doctor that taught me how to use association to remember. Now what was his name? The name of a flower." The other gentleman said, "Rose?". The first gentleman said, "That's it!" and then turned to his wife and said, "Rose, what was that doctor's name?" I can relate!!! Unfortunately I can't think of anything with which to associate what's her name. (I hope she doesn't read this!) Diane, I can make the association between Kentucky Fried Chicken and gall bladders too. According to the doctor, fried everything is the reason mine had to come out. I lost 30 pounds after that surgery (and put 35 back on). Well enough boring monologue from this old coot today. Guess I had better go play like I'm working. Hope everyone has a blessed day. Later.

07/22/09 12:09 PM

#711

WOW!!! Someone just sent me one of those slide shows that tugs at your heart strings. I decided to check out the origin of this one and WOW!!! Here's the link. TOMMYS WINDOW.COM Do yourself a favor - you WILL BE BLESSED!

07/23/09 10:28 AM

#712

We are home from one of the more difficult journeys we have ever made. Liz had a wonderful visit with her friend Pat, remembering old times, with lots of tears but lots of laughter too. It was pretty emotional. It is never easy to see two close friends say goodbye, knowing that without divine intervention, they will probably never see each other again this side of Heaven. But only God knows how many days Pat has left. Even though her body is worn out, she has very strong faith and is spiritually ready for what comes next. Thank you for your prayers, and thank you Diane for your kind words.

Gary, it sounds like you and Sherron had a nice weekend get-a-way to North Carolina. I always enjoy seeing beautiful natural scenery and God’s creation… a photographer’s paradise. We have never been to Bat Cave or Lake Lure, but we did visit Chimney Rock about 15 years ago. If you have ever seen “The Last of the Mohicans” (1992) with Daniel Day-Lewis, much of the movie was filmed at Chimney Rock. Beautiful scenery!

Hope that all of you are having a great week!

07/24/09 09:15 AM

#713

Diane Harris (Moore)

Knowing I won't have a chance tomorrow, I want to jump the gun a day early and wish Jesse Allen Bray a wonderful, glorious birthday! Jessie Allen, here's hoping Saturday will be just one day in a several day festival celebrating the day your were born! What a great gift it was for us last September to see you again. Hope this next year brings you even more happiness and good health.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

07/24/09 11:15 AM

#714

ME TO JESSIE, HAVE A GREAT BIRTHDAY.

07/24/09 01:52 PM

#715

I confess I do enjoy Country Music, but don’t you just love the titles of some Country songs? Just two days ago driving through Nashville, I heard of one called…
“If My Nose Was Runnin’ Money, Honey, I’d Blow It All On You.”
(obviously a love song)

I remember years ago hearing of one with the title…
“I’d Rather Have a Bottle in Front of Me Than a Frontal Lobotomy”
(Why is it that every time I hear the word “lobotomy,” I think of Jack Nicholson in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”?)

Just a couple more…
“My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Miss Him”
And last but not least…
“I’ve Got Tears In My Ears From Lying On My Back In My Bed And Crying Over You”
(I once heard that if you play a Country song backwards that you’ll get your truck back, your dog back, and your girl back)

Well, I need to go blow my nose. Have a great weekend everybody… and carry a song in your heart!

BTW… Happy Birthday Jesse!

07/24/09 03:18 PM

#716

Happy Birthday Jessie!!
Since it is quiet around here and Don brought up Country Music, I must share a couple of country music stories. My father LOVED country music. As was his Friday evening custom many years ago, my father stopped by the bank in downtown Valdosta to cash his pay check and then popped into the hotel coffee shop for a cup of joe before heading home. While sitting there enjoying his coffee, he saw Ernest Tubb sitting across the restaurant having dinner. He asked the waitress if she would ask Mr. Tubb if he could buy him a cup of coffee. Ernest Tubb agreed and invited him over to join them. He then asked my father if he would be attending their concert at the armory that evening. My father was planning on attending and said he would be there. Ernest Tubb then said he would dedicate a song to my father. My father thought, sure, he's going to remember me. Well that evening Mr. Tubb was good to his word and announced, "I would like to dedicate this next song to my old friend Alonzo Grice". Needless to say he nearly passed out and this story was repeated many, many, many times through the years. Now - fast forward about 50 years when we moved my father from Valdosta to the Georgia Veterans Retirement Home in Milledgeville. Even though he was only there a little over a month before he passed away, it was probably some of his happiest days. A fellow resident claimed to be Billy Byrd, the guitar player in Ernest Tubb's band. Ernest would be singing along and then say, "Ahhh, Billy Byrd" and be acknowledged with some fancy pickin'. This old gentleman had a few pictures and a guitar that he could pick pretty good but when we researched Billy Byrd online, all indications were that he had passed away several years earlier. When we asked Mr. Byrd about it, he said he never did like the limelight and just had the stories of his death published to keep people from trying to hunt him down. Whether he was THE Billy Byrd or not, I'll never know - but it sure did make my father's final days happier, thinking he lived right down the hall from a Country Music Legend.
Maybe I'll share the one about Hank Williams later.
I hope you each have a very blessed weekend overflowing with GREAT memories. Later.

07/28/09 09:20 PM

#717

Late Happy Birthday to Jesse Allen!

I enjoyed spending a few days @ St. Simons with my children & grandchildren. Even tho I only have 2 sons, it is rare that we are all together. Ate too much good seafood. Especially enjoyed eating @ Mullet Bay and the Crabtrap.

So glad to hear from you again Susan! Hope you are doing well. I hope that you and everyone that can will plan to come to our very informal get-together on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 27!!! Any way you might be in Ga. then?

Don, I am thinking of Liz, Pat and all of you as y'all go thru this time. Thank the Lord for sweet memories!!

Diane, you and Dick enjoy every min. with those precious grandchildren!

Don, Gary, Jim, Kathy -I always enjoy reading your posts. It is a joy to hear from anyone that adds a note now and then!! Please keep it up.

Have a good week. I think of y'all often with love and smiles!

07/29/09 03:01 PM

#718

Thanks Connie, for the thoughts and prayers for Pat and Liz. We are just taking things one day at a time now, and praying that God’s will be done. I'm happy to hear that you had a great time at St. Simon's with your family... and great seafood too! Yum!

I too enjoy seeing the posts from everyone. The more the merrier as far as I’m concerned. And I understand that some folks just check in without adding comments, and that’s fine too. I still worry about posting too much, especially on those User Forums, but I guess I’m just trying to stir the pot a little and have a little give and take... just for fun.

Hey, Jim… I was watching the sports highlights over the weekend, and I saw this guy sink an amazing hole-in-one!!! Did you see it? He landed his drive on the green on the fly and it rolled eight or ten feet, hit another ball on the green, took a right angle and went another eight or ten feet… straight into the hole! I’m sure you’ve probably done that yourself, but I’ve never seen one like that before. Well… my Braves are doing much better since the All-Star break, adding some offense to go with the great pitching and defense, but the Phils are doing even better. Looks like our best shot is at the Wild Card, but I’ll be happy if we make the playoffs any way we can get there.

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone. I’ll hush for now.

07/30/09 09:04 AM

#719

Don, I know how you feel! It seems that sometimes I'm the only one here and others might enjoy it more if I would just shut up for a while. By the way - YOU - were the only person to sign on yesterday. I had an appointment in Gainesville yesterday, so didn't have time to even check in. I wish I had seen that golf shot. Even though I've given up golf, I still appreciate watching a great shot. I guess my feelings were more like Thoreau's who said golf was a great walk in the woods interupted - and I spent a lot of time in the woods. Since I know how much EVERYONE enjoys my stories, maybe ANOTHER golf story will bring a smile to someone's otherwise gloomy day. I was playing at a small course in Virginia Beach one fall afternoon. It was PERFECT! Cool, overcast and no one on the course but us. I hit a beautiful tee shot just short of a semi-hidden water hazard. I walked up to my ball and began to survey my next shot when SUDDENLY there came this gurgling sound from the lake and this black creature emerged from the brackish waters!!! Only the cleats on my shoes kept my feet from moving - the trusty five iron in my hand was ready to deliver an overhead swing....... Once my heart was back in my chest, I was able to see that it was some guy in scuba gear collecting balls from the bottom of the lake. There had been no evidence of his presence prior to his popping up at the water's edge. Needless to say, my knees didn't stop shaking the rest to the round and all future shots went awry - which is where they customarily went anyway, so I'm not sure what my point was. I guess I had better go do some work. Maybe next time I entertain you with the story of when I thought I had killed and inmate with a golf shot. Another heart stopper!!! I hope you all have a blessed day!! Later.

07/30/09 11:07 AM

#720

Okay its raining and I don't feel like working so I decided to bore everyone with my "dead" inmate golf story. I learned (ha!) to play golf at the courses on Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Ala. As many of you might remember, Maxwell was the home for a federal (country club) detention center for those who have committed "white collar" crimes. You may have heard about it during Watergate as it became "home" to several involved. The inmates are "punished" by having to work at the military hospital filing records or cutting grass and maintenance work on the TWO golf courses on the base. There were several holes that had blind approach shots but the previous holes were long and level so you knew if anyone was ahead of you. One day I teed off on one of these blind holes and began my stroll in the direction of my shot. The shot looked good and I anticipated finding it in the general vicinity of the green. As I topped the knoll, there was one of the inmates lying flat on his back just off the edge of the green!!! My heart stopped as I was sure I had made a HOLE IN ONE!!! No - as I was sure I had hit the inmate in the head!!! I ran down the remainder of the fairway to watch the poor guy begin to rouse - from an afternoon nap. My shot missed him by a country mile but I did manage to disturb his beauty rest. It was enough to keep me from making blind shots in the future. I guess I was fortunate enough to spend most of my Navy career around Air Force bases and can confirm that they always build the golf courses first and then put in a runway if there is any money left over. Jim, I'll bet you've got some good golf lies, er, ah, stories!! Later!!!!

07/30/09 11:12 AM

#721

SORRY GUYS BEEN OUT OF TOWN ON BUSINESS. NOT A GOOD EXCUSE BUT IT'LL HAVE TO WORK!
ANYWAY CONNIE, GLAD YOU ENJOYED SAINT SIMONS. ITS STILL A GREAT PLACE TO GO WITH THE FAMILY. THE GOLF,BEACH AND SEAFOOD IS GREAT.
DON, IN 35 YEARS I HAVE HAD 1 HOLE-IN-ONE. IT WAS ON A
PAR 3 HOLE HERE IN EATONTON- 124 YDS. I COULDN'T HIT ANY OF MY STICKS THE REST OF THE DAY. IT WAS A GREAT FEELING.
AND I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED THESE PAST TWO WEEKS OF BRAVES GAMES. THAT HANSON KID IS GOOD!
HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEK FOLKS.
JIM

07/30/09 03:16 PM

#722

Brother Gary… I always look forward to reading your posts. And I really enjoy all your lies… ah stories too. I do love a good story. I thought the one you told about your Dad and Ernest Tubb was a great one!... and the scuba diver that popped up on the golf course was funny!. I’ll bet you almost wet your pants on that one! And I’m still looking forward to hearing your Hank Williams story. I have one I’ll tell one day about Travis Tritt if anyone is interested. Actually, it’s Liz’s story… she knew Travis before she ever knew me. And I really do enjoy reading everyone’s comments… on all kinds of subjects. I wish we could get a little more participation out there. I like to think we’re all family here… brothers and sisters of the Class of ‘68.

Jim… hope you made some money on your trip. That’s a great story about your hole-in-one too! Hey… most golfers never get a hole-in-one. You should be proud! I think I would have been struttin’ too. I think the only hole-in-one I ever got was playing putt-putt. :-) The Braves really have been fun to watch here lately, even though they dropped the last two. I agree…HANSON IS A GREAT ONE! Cool as a cucumber for such a young guy. Maybe Javier Vasquez can get us back on the winning side tonight.

By the way... Connie & Jim...I've never been to St. Simons. Maybe I should go some day. I guess I'm not a beach kinda guy, but I do love seafood!

07/30/09 04:42 PM

#723

Jim, I have only met one other person that ever got a hole in one and I didn't find out about that until he had passed away. They had his framed score card on display at his funeral. I'm glad we learned this tidbit about you before your passing! I love to share an occasional sea story - hope I don't wear out my welcome here with them. By the way, I guess everyone knows the difference between a fairy tale and a sea story. A fairy tale begins, Once Upon a Time, and a sea story begins, You're Not Gonna' Believe This Sh""!! I looked at the up coming August birthdays and you might say it is quite an august group. Okay, okay!!! I know. Shut up Grice and go home! Later!!!

07/30/09 08:44 PM

#724

Gary, I may not have logged on yesterday, but I can assure you I checked the site!! If I am anywhere around a computer, I check it every day (and sometimes multiple times). I love hearing from y'all!! and I'm really enjoying the "stories"!!!

I'm trying to think of any "celebrity" stories--- I don't have anything exciting. When I was in college @ MCG in Augusta, we sometimes went to a club there called "the Kittens Korner" to listen to bands and dance. One night Sonny Jergerson, the quarterback of the Washington Redskins was there and I got his autograph on a Kittens Korner napkin... I still have it (I know that's no surprise to any of you who know I can't get rid of old, sentimental things/junk)..

I know Diane and Dick are enjoying having their grandkids visit!

Hope you all have a great w/e.

07/31/09 08:57 AM

#725

Connie I'm happy to hear you are checking in but I think as Don and I have tried to convey - WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! As far as a celebrity story or a sea story, maybe you can do like this female Executive Officer I had in recruiting did. She would have me come in and tell her sea stories so she could later retell them at a cocktail party. Once she had a few drinks they REALLY became sea stories.
I guess I've kept Don in suspense long enough, so here is my Hank Williams story - You're Not Gonna Believe This Sh** -
My father came to visit us while we were living in Montgomery, Ala. When he go up Saturday morning he said, "You know, Hank Williams is buried somewhere in Montgomery. Let's go see his grave." Its been a long time since I was in Montgomery but back then, you would not believe what a sleep little town it was - especially for a state capital. They rolled up the side walks every evening and went fishing every weekend. Have you ever tried to call a cemetery - on a Saturday - in Montgomery? I knew there was a cemetery just around the corner from where we lived so we started there. As we entered the cemetery we could see the tall spire of a monument on the highest point in the cemetery. I figured that would be appropriate for a Country Music Legend. When we got to this very prominent grave we could see over the entire cemetery and quickly learned that it was the grave of (drum roll) Lurleen Wallace, wife of George Wallace. No Hank Williams markers. My father not to be outdone saw a gentlemen off in the distance tending a grave site and decided to meander over and ask him where Hank Williams was buried. Now how many people just come up to you and ask you where some one is buried? Has ANYONE ever asked you where someone like Hank Williams is buried? Not the state, not the city, not the cemetery but the precise location? After brief introductory remarks, my father says, "I know Hank Williams is buried somewhere here in Montgomery and I would like to visit his grave. Do you know where he is buried?" OF COURSE HE DID!!! HE WAS RAISED WITH HIM! HIS MOTHER TAUGHT HANK IN SCHOOL! You must note, Hank Williams was not born nor raised in Montgomery. We were given the directions to a large cemetery on the other side of town and off we went. Trust me, without such directions you would never find Hank Williams grave. It sits in a very obscure corner of the cemetery under some trees. Although his marker is large it doesn't standout as I recall. So my father got to see where Hank Williams was buried and I had another great expedition and lesson in how the Lord can deliver the desires of someone's heart. (Connie, you can borrow this story if you like.) Later.

07/31/09 10:09 AM

#726

Connie… I liked your Sonny Jurgensen story. Keep that autograph!... It is very valuable! I remember Sonny Jurgensen very well. A great quarterback on some very good Eagles teams (before the Redskins). And he played with another fine player, receiver and kicker Bobby Walston, a GEORGIA BULLDOG before he went to the pros. (Go Dawgs!) When we got our first TV (black and white) around 1957, we only had a choice of three channels, ABC, CBS, and NBC. I got hooked on Roy Rogers, Lassie, Red Skelton… and Pro Football. For some reason they broadcast a lot of Baltimore Colts games (strange I guess for Ty Ty, Georgia). And I became a big fan of Johnny Unitas and the Colts. Around 1960-1963 I collected a lot of football cards and baseball cards…. hundreds of them... and I still have them. I told you I’m a pack rat… just like you Connie. I have some Sonny Jurgensen cards in there too. I got to meet Johnny Unitas a few years ago before he died. He was at a Collectors Show here in Atlanta and I got him to sign a football for me and have a picture made with him. I really didn’t have a favorite baseball team. It was before the Braves moved to Atlanta. But it was the days of Mantle and Maris and I collected the Yankees and everybody else.

Gary… thanks for the Hank Williams story… finally. It really is a small world! My sister and my family were big Hank Williams fans back in the fifties. When Liz and I went to Texas last fall, we took my sister with us to visit her daughter. We drove through Montgomery and stopped to visit the Hank Williams Museum, and then went to visit Hank’s grave. It is pretty prominent in that cemetery. Maybe it has been changed since you saw it. He really was a talented man… a great song writer and entertainer, and he died so young… 29 I think. He just let the alcohol and drugs get the best of him.

Have a great weekend everyone… and BTW… here’s wishing my fellow catfish, Connie a SPECTABULOUS birthday on Sunday. May God Bless You real good!

07/31/09 12:17 PM

#727

MAN I HAD NO IDEA THERE WERE SO MANY BIRTHDAYS IN AUG.
(MUST HAVE BEEN A COLD DECEMBER IN 1948!!!!) ANYWAY, HOPE ALL OF YOU HAVE A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. WE'RE GLAD YOU ARE HERE!!! HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
JIM

07/31/09 12:53 PM

#728

My father would have loved visiting a Hank Williams Museum. He loved visiting any museum for that matter. I guess things do change in 30 years. We left Montgomery in 1981 and haven't been back since. We keep threatening to go back just to see how things have changed. That's always fun and usually a little sad to me. I guess its the same way with old friends. Its always wonderful to see and talk with everyone here but its a little sad too. No offense, but you have all aged a little. I thought it was everyone else showing the signs of aging but this last week I was given the senior discount without having to show my ID! Must be the rain, my cheeks are damp. Connie, if I don't post again before your birthday, I hope and pray it will be a wonderful and blessed day for you and may you have MANY more! Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend. Later.

08/01/09 12:12 AM

#729

It is LATE Friday night and I turned on the t.v. and ran across some wonderful "doo-wop" music on PBS. That great "old" music makes me smile, dance and think of my OCHS years and friends.

thanks for offering to let me use some of your stories..

Don, I would like to see those old football cards sometime!

Can't believe August is here. Boy, the time is flying.

Hope you all have a good w/e!!

08/01/09 12:37 AM

#730

Oh my goodness --- I'm watching the show I mentioned a few min. ago and they just had the original woman that sang Angel Baby. Of course I thought of Pee Wee singing that way back in high school, then again @ our reunion. Amazing how a song can bring back a flood of memories.

Now the Sharrells (sp?) are singing Soldier Boy and Going to the Chapel is coming up.
Here I go down memory lane again...

08/01/09 03:04 PM

#731

Diane Harris (Moore)

Here I am, having the first quiet moment since our kids arrived last week, and I wanted to use it to wish Connie a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I know I won't have a chance tomorrow, Connie, so here's wishing you a wonderful one, sweet friend. Can't wait to have the chance to catch up on all the posts that I see have been entered. That will give me something to look forward to after the sad farewell I dread on Wednesday. Greg and Christy join us tomorrow night, so we will have that rare, rare time when we are all together-just our little family.

Love to everyone!

08/03/09 08:53 AM

#732

PeeWee, I SEE YOU ARE ON LINE! GLAD YOUR BACK. I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND. WE GOT JUST WHAT WE NEEDED HERE, PLENTY RAIN AND GOOD GOLFING WEATHER FOR ME. GOT TO GO FOR NOW. HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE.

08/03/09 02:29 PM

#733