I'm Right Here ...

Where I like to eat in Hanford, CA.
OAFS Photo

I am easing back into posting something everyday. Juvat was concerned that his Medal of Honor posts were not generating enough "hits" as the blog has seen in the past. I told him not to worry. This blog has never been about pleasing the masses in order to generate more "hits."

After all, the vagaries of how Google/Blogger counts visits to these parts is suspect at best. When the daily post gets less than 300 hits (average seems to run around 200) I find it hard to believe that the following graph represents anything approaching reality -

Under the hood screenshot

Sure, a hundred thousand hits one day, under ten thousand the next? Sure, I believe that.

I know there's about a hundred hard core readers out there, you all seem to be here every day, you don't always comment, but I know you're there. Might be another hundred or so casual readers, but it's all grist for the mill. I know you folks like the Medal of Honor posts. apparently the spambots do not. Which is a bonus in my estimation.

So, what am I going to be writing about in the near future? I honestly don't know. I'm going to let the Medal of Honor posts go on, there are six left, with my own offerings interspersed with those.

I have a lot of things on my plate right now. Not things I have (or need) to do, but things I want to do. After all, I am retired.

I did have an idea for a new series the other day, after a sleepless night of trying to put the elements of the story together, I dumped the idea. Hey, it felt like work, I don't do that anymore.

I've acquired a new boardgame or three over the past few months, got another one Tuesday. This was truly an impulse buy. I liked the concept, so I put my money where my mouth is and pulled the trigger. 

OAFS Photo

The game is slightly outside of the norm for me, as it is, to some extent, card-driven¹. Which means that another element of chance has been added, outside of the dice rolls of course. I've played other card-driven games which were actually fun. So I thought I'd give it a try. It also comes with a system for solitaire play. Which I need, as I tend to play these for their historical insight as opposed to being competitive.

As I once told my step granddaughter, I'm no longer a very competitive guy. The Air Force broke me of that habit.

"Wanna get promoted?"

"Well, sure, I just have to be the best at my job right?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. You also need to be better than Sergeant Schmuckatelli over there who is the squadron voting officer, volunteers at the local orphanage, and scores very high on the tests."

"Uh, Schmuckatelli is always off doing his additional duties, we never see him around the shop. How does that make any sense, Lieutenant?"

Never did get a good answer on that one. So competitive I'm not, unless it involves chasing a ball around on a field. And I'm far too old for that sort of thing anymore. (I'm 73, my knees act like they're over a hundred, and don't get me started on my back ...)

Anyhoo, I do play games against other humans, usually my family. Which can be fun.

"Uh, honey, are you sure you want to land there and attack Berlin? You'll need to roll eleven or better for that to ..."

"Yay! I rolled a twelve!"

"Why yes, yes you did. Wanna watch TV or something?"

She's exceptional at boardgames, but we used to have a Mattel Intellivision, think early video game, at which I constantly beat her, badly. Funny how we don't play that anymore ...

Ah well, back atcha soon, I promise.

¹ One draws, or is dealt, cards which dictate what you can or cannot do. Want to invade the Philippines? Better have the right card in your hand. Things of that nature.

Ray Benevidez MOH

 

 

Ok, folks, we've read several posts describing the heroism of the Medal of Honor recipients.  All of them were heros and performed actions "Above and beyond the call of duty."   You may not have noticed, but they're all "air force".  So I decided to throw y'all a curve ball, see if you can find out what it is. 

I certainly haven't read all the citations (yet), but this one is by far the Toughest I have read about.  Oh, did I mention, he's a Texan, born and raised in DeWitt County, southeast of San Antonio.  At 17, he enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard.  In June 1955 (a month that has special meaning to me) he joined the active duty Army in the 82nd Airborne Division.  

His next step was to join the Special Forces.  In 1965 he was sent to Vietnam as an advisor to a regiment of the Republic of Vietnam Army.  On a solo reconnaisance mission he stepped on a land mine.  Doctors told him he would never walk again.

Here's were the Bad Ass comes to fruition. 

Getting out of bed at night (against doctors' orders), Benavidez would crawl using his elbows and chin to a wall near his bedside and (with the encouragement of his fellow patients, many of whom were permanently paralyzed and/or missing limbs) he would prop himself against the wall and attempt to lift himself unaided, starting by wiggling his toes, then his feet, and then eventually (after several months of excruciating practice that, by his own admission, often left him in tears) pushing himself up the wall with his ankles and legs. After over a year of hospitalization, Benavidez walked out of the hospital in July 1966, with his wife at his side, determined to return to combat in Vietnam. Despite continuing pain from his wounds, he returned to South Vietnam in January 1968. Source 

 He returned to Vietnam in January 1968.  Bad Ass indeed.

But, No...He goes back into combat.  He heard a radio call from a Special Forces unit that was surrounded.  He grabbed a medical bag and boarded a helicopter.  When they arrived in the vicinity, he JUMPED out of the helicopter 30-40 feet in the air.  Again,  here's the description of the event.

At one point in the battle an NVA soldier accosted him and stabbed him with his bayonet. Benavidez pulled it out, drew his own knife, killed him and kept going, leaving his knife in the NVA soldier's body. He later killed two more NVA soldiers with an AK-47 while providing cover fire for the people boarding the helicopter. After the battle, he was evacuated to the base camp, examined, and thought to be dead. As he was placed in a body bag among the other dead in body bags, he was suddenly recognized by a friend who called for help. A doctor came and examined him but believed Benavidez was dead. The doctor was about to zip up the body bag when Benavidez managed to spit in his face to show that he was alive.^[6]Benavidez had a total of 37 separate bullet, bayonet, and shrapnel wounds from the six-hour fight with the enemy battalion   Source

 On February 24 1981, President Reagan presented him with the Medal of Honor.  During the ceremony, he stated "If the story of his Heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it."

 

Spot on, Mr President. 

Citation for the award of the Medal of Honor.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

On 2 May 1968, Master Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) Roy P. Benavidez distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions while assigned to Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of 2 May 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters of the 240th Assault Helicopter Company in a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam to gather intelligence information about confirmed large-scale enemy activity. This area was controlled and routinely patrolled by the North Vietnamese Army. After a short period of time on the ground, the team met heavy enemy resistance, and requested emergency extraction. Three helicopters attempted extraction, but were unable to land due to intense enemy small arms and anti-aircraft fire.

Sergeant BENAVIDEZ was at the Forward Operating Base in Loc Ninh monitoring the operation by radio when these helicopters, of the 240th Assault Helicopter Company, returned to off-load wounded crew members and to assess aircraft damage. Sergeant BENAVIDEZ voluntarily boarded a returning aircraft to assist in another extraction attempt. Realizing that all the team members were either dead or wounded and unable to move to the pickup zone, he directed the aircraft to a nearby clearing where he jumped from the hovering helicopter, and ran approximately 75 meters under withering small arms fire to the crippled team.

Prior to reaching the team's position he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head. Despite these painful injuries, he took charge, repositioning the team members and directing their fire to facilitate the landing of an extraction aircraft, and the loading of wounded and dead team members. He then threw smoke canisters to direct the aircraft to the team's position. Despite his severe wounds and under intense enemy fire, he carried and dragged half of the wounded team members to the awaiting aircraft. He then provided protective fire by running alongside the aircraft as it moved to pick up the remaining team members. As the enemy's fire intensified, he hurried to recover the body and classified documents on the dead team leader.

When he reached the leader's body, Sergeant BENAVIDEZ was severely wounded by small arms fire in the abdomen and grenade fragments in his back. At nearly the same moment, the aircraft pilot was mortally wounded, and his helicopter crashed. Although in extremely critical condition due to his multiple wounds, Sergeant BENAVIDEZ secured the classified documents and made his way back to the wreckage, where he aided the wounded out of the overturned aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive perimeter. Under increasing enemy automatic weapons and grenade fire, he moved around the perimeter distributing water and ammunition to his weary men, reinstilling in them a will to live and fight. Facing a buildup of enemy opposition with a beleaguered team, Sergeant BENAVIDEZ mustered his strength, began calling in tactical air strikes and directed the fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and so permit another extraction attempt.

He was wounded again in his thigh by small arms fire while administering first aid to a wounded team member just before another extraction helicopter was able to land. His indomitable spirit kept him going as he began to ferry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed from behind by an enemy soldier. In the ensuing hand-to-hand combat, he sustained additional wounds to his head and arms before killing his adversary.^{[7][note 2]} He then continued under devastating fire to carry the wounded to the helicopter. Upon reaching the aircraft, he spotted and killed two enemy soldiers who were rushing the craft from an angle that prevented the aircraft door gunner from firing upon them. With little strength remaining, he made one last trip to the perimeter to ensure that all classified material had been collected or destroyed, and to bring in the remaining wounded.

Only then, in extremely serious condition from numerous wounds and loss of blood, did he allow himself to be pulled into the extraction aircraft. Sergeant BENAVIDEZ' gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men. His fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.

 Sergeant Benevidez passed away in 1998 at 63.  He is buried in the Fort Sam Houston National Semitary

My primary source for this post is here. Wikipedia is usually a good source for these posts.  IMHO they went way beyond their usual level of detail.  I highly recommend reading it in it's entirety. You might also find the video of President Reagan presenting the MOH to Master Sergeant Benavidez interesting

Peace out, y'all! 

Other Sources you might find interesting

 https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganroybenavidezmedalofhonor.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Benavidez 

https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/medal-of-honor-recipient-profile/roy-benavidez-presevering-to-the-last/ 

 https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/medal-of-honor-recipient-profile/roy-benavidez-presevering-to-the-last/

 

 

Maynard Harrison Smith MoH

 

 Ok, folks, I found this to be an interesting story.  Apparently, heroes aren't always good guys but they can rise to the occasion.

 

On with the story!

 

Maynord Harrison Smith was given the nickname of Snuffy when he joined the Army Air Corps.

 

Source

 No Beans, not that one.

 

 

Source

 

This one!  According to this source, he was a bit of a trouble maker.  Drafted into the Army at 31, he seemed to find his place, although he still had "issues". In an interview with Andy Rooney (prior to Rooney's fame), it was noted that he was "a moderately pompous little fellow with the belligerent attitude of a man trying to make up with attitude what his five-foot-four, 130-pound body left him wanting.” As a result, his nickname (in the modern Air Force call sign) "Snuffy", was bestowed on him. 

 

Suffice it to say when the time came, he arose to the occasion. An excellent retelling of his Medal of Honor mission can be found here.  I'm not going to copy it or try to retell it.  Go! I'll be here when you get back.

 

Wow! Right?   Holy Mackerel, the courage exhibited (and to be honest,  a touch of luck) is astonishing.  

 

The quote "Where do we get such men?" (nowadays "such people”) was from James Michener's "Bridges at Toko-Ri" but  President Reagan made it famous when he used it in a speech.  It was true then, it is true now!

 

 

 Smith's MOH citation

 

 For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty. The aircraft of which Sgt. Smith was a gunner was subjected to intense enemy antiaircraft fire and determined fighter aircraft attacks while returning from a mission over enemy-occupied continental Europe on 1 May 1943. The aircraft was hit several times by antiaircraft fire and cannon shells of the fighter aircraft, 2 of the crew were seriously wounded, the aircraft's oxygen system shot out, and several vital control cables severed when intense fires were ignited simultaneously in the radio compartment and waist sections. The situation became so acute that 3 of the crew bailed out into the comparative safety of the sea. Sgt. Smith, then on his first combat mission, elected to fight the fire by himself, administered first aid to the wounded tail gunner, manned the waist guns, and fought the intense flames alternately. The escaping oxygen fanned the fire to such intense heat that the ammunition in the radio compartment began to explode, the radio, gun mount, and camera were melted, and the compartment completely gutted. Sgt. Smith threw the exploding ammunition overboard, fought the fire until all the firefighting aids were exhausted, manned the workable guns until the enemy fighters were driven away, further administered first aid to his wounded comrade, and then by wrapping himself in protecting cloth, completely extinguished the fire by hand. This soldier's gallantry in action, undaunted bravery, and loyalty to his aircraft and fellow crew members, without regard for his own personal safety, is an inspiration to the U.S. Armed Forces.

 Here's a good summary of the rest of his life. Quite the character!

 

 

 

Lt Jack W. Mathis MOH

 Ok, folks this handsome young lad, if you hadn't noticed is Texas born and raised.  San Angelo to be precise, about 80 miles south of Big Spring, my domicile for about 10 years of my youth.  Big Spring is a next door neighbor to San Angelo and except for one reason which I'll tell you about, he and I could've been friends.

Source

 

He was a bombardier in the B-17 in England. He and his brother had both volunteered to be bombardiers and had gone to that school together.  He had completed 14 missions (of 25 needed to return to the US). On his 15th mission. he was tasked to be the lead bombardier on a mission.

The bombing procedure at the time was the lead bombardier would find the target aim point and when the time came to drop, he would trigger off his bombs.  EVERY other bombardier in the formation would do the same thing, at the same time, when they saw him drop.  

I'm not sure exactly why this was the methodology other than possibly with a hundred or so aircraft in tight formation and a hundred or so bombardiers trying (and literally flying) to get the aircraft in the right position to hit the target.  Mid-airs might be a reason.  

Besides a large flight of B-17's, sometimes several hundred on a mission and up to 8000lbs of bombs each, the tactic of dropping all at once could be very effective, especially if the target was large.

To say the least.

In any case, he was the bombardier in the lead airplane, as the formation approached the target, AAA became very dense and the lead plane was hit. Lt Mathis was severely injured.  His right arm was shattered and badly wounded in his right side and abdomen.  Realizing that the attack would fail if he didn't release the bombs properly, he dragged himself back to his position, found the target and released the bombs.  The rest of the formation followed suit.

Unfortunately, the wounds to Lt Mathis were fatal and he passed away shortly thereafter.

Lt Jack Mathis's brother Mark was also in his squadron albeit assigned to a different crew.  He requested to be transferred to his brother's crew which was granted.

He was killed in action a couple of months later.

Rest in Peace, Warriors! 

 

 

Source

 

Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy over Vegesack, Germany, on March 18, 1943. 1st Lt. Mathis, as leading bombardier of his squadron, flying through intense and accurate antiaircraft fire, was just starting his bomb run, upon which the entire squadron depended for accurate bombing, when he was hit by the enemy antiaircraft fire. His right arm was shattered above the elbow, a large wound was torn in his side and abdomen, and he was knocked from his bomb sight to the rear of the bombardier's compartment. Realizing that the success of the mission depended upon him, 1st Lt. Mathis, by sheer determination and willpower, though mortally wounded, dragged himself back to his sights, released his bombs, then died at his post of duty. As the result of this action the airplanes of his bombardment squadron placed their bombs directly upon the assigned target for a perfect attack against the enemy. 1st Lt. Mathis' undaunted bravery has been a great inspiration to the officers and men of his unit.^[1]'

  

 

Sarge, Where the Hell Have You Been?!?!

OAFS Family Photo

That's my Dad in the photo and my oldest kid brother, The Olde Vermonter, running around the trail of the artillery piece. Said artillery piece being a howitzer, which in those days were measured by the size of the bore and not the weight of the shot. What I refer to as a cannon (or gun, the terminology differs from country to country but I'll let the real gunners weigh in on that), was measured by the weight of the shot, anywhere from the little 3-pounders up to the big boys used for sieges firing shot weighing 24-pounds (and up, I believe).

That photo is from around 1958-60 (or so) at Fort Ticonderoga in Upstate New York (which New Yorkers tell me means anything north of NYC). If you look closely you'll see a pair of legs to the right of the howitzer (ahem, behind it in the photo). That would be Your Humble Scribe, even then knowing to stay out from behind a field piece about to be fired.

Though Dad (today is his birthday, he would have been 98 today) was in the Army, he was in the Signal Corps. His knowledge of the feeding and care of black powder artillery was lacking. One does not straddle the carriage of a cannon (or howitzer, or gun, take your pick) as when fired, that piece is going to roll backwards a few feet (the actual distance depends on the size of the piece).

But you will note that Dad has a handkerchief wrapped around his head. Gunners did do this but the cloth should cover one's ears as those cannon (or howitzer, or gun, take your pick) were noisy sumbitches when fired. So Dad at least did pay attention to paintings of artillery being fired.

I'm guessing the date, The Olde Vermonter, probably knows the exact date as it is no doubt stamped on the back of the photo. Now The Olde Vermonter looks to be four or five years old, maybe as young as three (which would make it 1958) but no more than five (1960). You can't see me (duh) so I would be anywhere from five to seven years old.

We visited Fort Ti (as we called it BITD) a number of times when I was nobbut a lad. A place I truly enjoyed. Haven't been there since 1982 (I think) when we returned from Korea and I learned that a bagpipe competition was taking place there. As was (and perhaps still is) my wont, I packed The Missus Herself and The Naviguesser into the trusty old VW Beetle and off we went to the fort. About 80 miles and an hour and forty minutes by Volkswagen.

It was that day that I learned that one does not travel without providing for provisions and beverages for the crew. That was my thing, hare off into the wild and buy whatever I needed when I arrived at wherever I was going. I don't think The Missus Herself has cured me of that habit completely, though she has tried very hard to do so over the years.

Sigh ...

OAFS Photo

So yeah, where have I been? Well, right here at Chez Sarge is the simple answer. Manning that beast in the previous photo twice a week since we returned from Maryland a cuppla weeks ago. Springtime is no time to let the grass grow as it will, DAMHIK.

But the lawn is once again under control, until the next time I need to cut it.

Lawn mowing aside, I haven't felt like writing as of late. I've been busy reading, playing games on my computer, and hanging out with friends to have any time (or desire) to sit down and write. Today, obviously, being an exception.

Now juvat has gone hog wild posting about Medal of Honor winners, mostly Air Force recipients, but I note that there are a few Army guys sprinkled in there as well. Prior to 1947 the Air Force was, of course, part of the Army. This post series seems to have taken on a life of its own, which is good, those folks need to be remembered. But I daresay juvat's not going to write about all of them. There are over thirty five hundred MoH recipients. I mean sure, that would give me a nice long break from blogging, but ...

Yeah, I don't need that long a break.

OAFS Photo

Another tradition at Chez Sarge is to quaff a brew when the cutting of the grass is done. Found the beverage above in the refrigerator and as it was the only one in the fridge, I drank it. Okay, there was a Guinness, but I won't drink Guinness out of a can unless I absolutely have to, I'm not a barbarian. Okay, I am, but not that big of one. I was too lazy to find my Guinness glass, so Brigadeiro it was.

The brew was most delicious, when I went looking for where I could get more, seems that they don't make it anymore, at least not locally. I do believe The Musician, my youngest kid brother, might have gifted me that brew for Christmas. So woe is me, I may not have that one ever again.

Welp, there are plenty of other beverages I like, so be it.

So yeah, not writing (it was starting to feel like work, something I had to do, and that grated on me) and relaxing to the full extent allowed by law (I guess that means I have to wear clothes). I'll get back to it sometime, probably sooner rather than later, but please, don't hold your breath.

I'm fickle like that.

Be seeing you.

John A Chapman, MOH

Source

As you may have realized with Sarge on Vacation (hint, hint), that when I get writer's block I refer to the USAF list of Medal of Honor recipients for their story. I think those stories are important for Americans to know.  Freedom isn't free.

 

 

 

Well, folks, that's the post for today.  The recipient this time has two different reasons for this posting.  One, he is the most recent recipient of the Medal of Honor and two, as you may recognize from his picture, he's enlisted.  OK, three, one more reason.  

 

 

 

His story is one of the most courageous descriptions of ground combat that I've read.  (Suffice it to say, I read a lot of stories like that.). Given that, I'll shut up and post the data.

 

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, U.S.C., awards the Air Force Cross to TSgt John Chapman for extraordinary heroism in military operation against an armed enemy of the United States as a 24th Special Tactics Squadron, combat controller in the vicinity of Gardez, in the eastern highlands of Afghanistan, on March 4, 2002. On this date, during his helicopter insertion for a reconnaissance and time sensitive targeting close air support mission, Sergeant Chapman's aircraft came under heavy machine gun fire and received a direct hit from a rocket propelled grenade which caused a United States Navy sea-air-land team member to fall from the aircraft. Though heavily damaged, the aircraft egressed the area and made an emergency landing seven kilometers away. Once on the ground Sergeant Chapman established communication with an AC-130 gunship to ensure the area was secure while providing close air support coverage for the entire team. He then directed the gunship to begin the search for the missing team member. He requested, coordinated, and controlled the helicopter that extracted the stranded team and aircrew members. These actions limited the exposure of the aircrew and team to hostile fire. Without regard for his own life Sergeant Chapman volunteered to rescue his missing team member from an enemy stronghold. Shortly after insertion, the team made contact with the enemy. Sergeant Chapman engaged and killed two enemy personnel. He continued to advance reaching the enemy position then engaged a second enemy position, a dug-in machine gun nest. At this time, the rescue team came under effective enemy fire from three directions. From close range he exchanged fire with the enemy from minimum personal cover until he succumbed to multiple wounds. His engagement and destruction of the first enemy position and advancement on the second position enabled his team to move to cover and break enemy contact. In his own words, his Navy sea-air-land team leader credits Sergeant Chapman unequivocally with saving the lives of the entire rescue team. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, and the dedication to the service of his country, Sergeant Chapman reflects the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

Holy Crap!  Talk about LARGE Gonads!   Advancing by himself and destroying a manned machine gun position then turning and doing the same to a second position while severely, and ultimately mortally, wounded. 

AND...this was the citation for the Air Force Cross.  I'd HIGHLY recommend reading the story here.  It took until 2018 for the Air Force Cross to be upgraded to the Medal of Honor.  Suffice it to say, the politics and quid pro quo involved is a bit sickening. 

 I've read a lot of MOH stories.  This one takes the cake.

Source

 

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Boy, no kidding.

"Lord, I don't feel a need to be presented with a situation like that, but if you say so, PLEASE don't let me screw it up!"

I've said a prayer along those lines a time or two under some troubling instances in my day. Fortunately, it was never needed.

Peace out Y'all! 

 

And so it has begun!

February 27, 2026

Ok, Campers, the “fun” has begun! The construction was supposed to start on May 27th but "Things came up". Now it's this week, but...the weather forecast is for rain every day this week. The horse barn construction will begin “as soon as the weather cooperates”. A couple of reasons for the horses first plan. First, the horse area is located on the farthest end of the property from the gate and road. Better to keep them from getting out of the pasture and going partying on the road. Second, they’ve been boarded until now. You’d have thought they’d been staying in the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris based on the boarding fee. But, it wasn't quite that good.

Ok, not even close. 

Yes, Beans, boarding horses is expensive. But they will be free to roam in a much larger area than where they've been cooped up in since we moved here in December.  So...we (and they) have that going for us.

Now that our builder got back from his vacation, the pouring of the slab ceremony will soon be celebrated and construction of our home begun .(Well, when the rain stops. The forecast is for rain the next 6 days. Bummer, Dude!)  Completion date is still "maybe December", but completion is easier to estimate once building has begun. As they get organized with the building teams and their schedules, my Brother's cottage will also be started.  It'll be about 900 sq ft which is bigger than the cottage he was living in on our property in Fredericksburg, so...onward and upward.

At some point, they'll put in my wood shop and Mrs J's sewing cabin and that will be that.  Until we think of something else we "Need!".  

Just to give y'all a feel for the property.  Enjoy!  

 

 

So that's life around here these days. Speaking thereof, tomorrow I'll begin traveling my 72nd turn around the sun.  I have no plans to call it quits. That's up to the guy upstairs.

Thank You, Lord!

Peace out, y'all!