A New Year Has Begun

The Morgan family has been really blessed over the years with good health and wonderful relationships. Since my last posting, we have celebrated another Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.  This year we made an early decision to cut back on the amount of money that we spent on Christmas gifts by having  everyone buy a gift that would be given through the dirty Santa method.  That was totally different for most of us and was interesting to say the least.  Normally it would take hours to give out the gifts and we would not even get to see many of the ones that were given.  This time it was different because the gift had to be opened and was subject to being claimed by someone else.  The main reason that I think it was a success was the emphasis was more about enjoying each other and having a great time with each other rather than how many gifts you got or gave. 

The one sad point was that Steve and Ashley could not join us.  Steve had surgery on the 22nd to correct some disk problem in his upper spine.  This was successful and for that we are all thankful and look forward to his complete recovery.

News years was spent in Grand Bay with  Steve and family since we did not get to see them at Christmas.  We brought in the new year with fireworks and fellowship with family.  I also got to spend some time in a deer stand over the weekend and saw one small 4 pointer, a few squirrels and birds but nothing in the way of big deer.  Maybe that will come later.

While in Grand Bay, we were able to visit Brandi at her new home and was really impressed with the neat home that she bought.  I think it will be a really good place for her and Brandon to start their married life at the end of April.  We are so proud of her and the way that she took on the challenge of getting her loan, finding a nice house, making a good trade and selecting some really nice furniture to complement the house. 

We also got to see Anna in Mobile's Moon Pie New Year parade.  This was our first time to see her in all her fancy dress as an Azalea Trail Maid.  She is such a lovely person and well grounded in her school and other activities.  She has chosen to attend University of South Alabama next year.  I am sure she will do well in college.

Terry and his family were able to join us at Christmas and they had a good time with us.  Joseph and Benjamin are growing up to be fine young men.  Joseph is playing soccer and is active in the boy scouts program.  Benjamin plays soccer in his special league.  Terry and Jan are very active in their new church and seem to be very happy doing work they feel led to do by God.  Terry has also taken on a new position with Cisco that will require him to travel extensively but one that I think will really be good for his future with the company and offer him the satisfaction and fullfillment as he best uses his tallents.

Shelley and David, Brittany, Morgan, PJ and Macy are doing well and are a blessing to the family as we depend on them to help with all that is required here in Laurel.  Mother has had some problems and has taken a couple of falls - so far no broken bones.  She has had some treatment for iron deficiency and may have to continue to do so as her system doesn't seem to produce enough on its own.

Mississippi State University was probably one of the best 6 and 6 teams in the country.  Being in the SEC and in the division with the likes of LSU, ALABAMA and Auburn is a challenge. They did well and went to and won the Music City Bowl in Nashville.  I think the future looks good for them and I am glad that we finally have a good coach that seems to like where he is and hopefully he will continue to remain in Starkville and build the winning team that he should be able to.

Hawaii - Other Activities

Betty and Joe at the top of the Pali Lookout.  The wind is really strong here.

 

 Picture was made from the top of the Punch Bowl, the resting place of many servicemen who served in all the battles.  This is an impressive site and is constantly under maintenance due to the increase in the number of those burried there.



Inside of the Arizona Memorial



 A visit to the Arizona Memorial is very touching. So many sailors died in the sneek attach by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. Oil and fuel still leak from the sunken ship and will for many years to come.


 

Arizona Memorial

Above is a picture from the Hyatt looking down on Waikiki beach.



Beautiful Orchids in the lobby garden of the Hyatt Hotel.

Recent Return to Hawaii

We were fortunate to attend a reunion of the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii in late September and early October.  It was an interesting trip, especially to see all the changes that have occured in Hawaii and more especially at Schofield Barracks - the home of the 25th Infantry Division.  We had Shelley and David Boss and Steve and Ashley Morgan in attendence with us.  Shelley was 2 months old when we arrived in Hawaii in October 1963 and Steve was born there on December 1, 19964.  We were able to take many driving tours of places that we had visited when we were stationed there.  The first thing that hits you when you drive on the island is the slow speed at which traffic moves - many posted speed signs are 35 mph with anywhere from 3 to 5 lanes of traffic. 

At the banquet on Saturday night, I was able to make contact with two of the guys who served with me in the 125th Signal Battalion - both were part of the division photo lab.  These were MSgt Al Batungbacl and Sp4 John Grote.  Al had retired in Hawaii where he operated a commercial photography business.  John became a real CSI phtographer for the LA Police Department.  I am posting a picture of the three of us as we had met at the banquet.

Al is on the left and John is on the right.
After the banquet, we visited in the hospitality suite for about an hour during which time, I was able to share some of the pictures that John and others had made of our unit of the 125th Sig while on training missions on Oahu.  Also, I had some of the instamatic photos that were made in Vietnam in 1966.  They were both surprised with the quality that was still there. 

Other people that I was priviledged to meet for the first time were a couple of WWII veterans.  One was 96 years old and this was his 41st reunion.  The other was Maurice Storck whom I found to be most interesting and just full of fun stories about his life in the Engineers during WWII. 

Not to be left out, Betty got her picture made with the Division rear commander Col. Matt Kelley. 

During our visit to Schofield, Col. Kelley gave an update on the State of the 25th Infantry Division and where all the various units were serving. She looked very pretty and enjoyed having her picture made with Col. Kelley at the banquet.

Below is a picture of the World War II vets. that attended the banquet.  I was really impressed with the number of them who were able to attend the reunion in Hawaii.  See their picture below.

  Storch is 3rd from left and Frank Bohun (96) year old is 2nd from the right.  Frank had many of his nieces and nephews that accompanied him on this trip.  We were on the bus, with them, that took us to Schofield on Friday.  They were really a fun bunch.

 

We attended the dedication of the parade field which was renamed in honor of General Fred Weyand who was our commander in Hawaii and upon deployment to Vietnam.  He was truely a very good commander and supporter of the 25th Infantry Division. Another interesting item that we were able to see was the memorial that had been built in honor of members of the division during all war eras.  This is very impressive and plans are being made to duplicate the memorial at Ft. Benning, GA. 

 

Day Two of New York Trip

DAY TWO OF TRIP TO NEW YORK

After getting a few hours of sleep, it was time for me to get ready for a business meeting with Tempico’s Chairman/Counsel and Avtar Jirh from Enpure Limited of the UK.  This was scheduled as a meeting of convenience because I was going to be in New York.  I didn’t mind using a couple of hours to discuss business and thought it would not affect our trip to the city. 

St. Louis Cathedral

Mary Liggio took charge of Betty while we had the meeting.  They did a little sightseeing and I was surprised that Betty was able to last as long as she did.  Generally she cannot walk too far and has to stop to rest.  Mary took her to see St. Louis’s Cathedral, Penn Station and around Times Square.  The following are a few of the pictures that she took on the walk.

Inside Penn Station

Street View of St. Louis Cathedral

Betty has always been fascinated by the architecture and loves to take pictures when she can. They can only serve as a refresher of the of what she saw but nothing can replace the actual feel you get being there in person

                                              

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Inside is very beautiful

Rockefeller Center

 The inside of St. Louis Cathedral is very beautiful and luck would have it, a wedding was scheduled while Betty and Mary were inside.  We were told that this is very common as many weddings take place there.

We have seen this image many times on the TV but never in person.  It has more meaning after you get to see something in person and visit the places you have only read about or seen on the TV.

                                                

After walking around for a while and seeing some of these beautiful sights, Betty found a place to catch her breath.  She wasn't alone as many others had found the same area to take a breather.

After we had a short rest, we joined Carl and Mary Liggio, Avtar and his daughter for dinner at a private club that was very good and ideal for us to enjoy each other’s company.  Pictured below inside one of the club’s upstairs parlors is our group.  As you can see we are very contented after a delicious dinner.

The Liggios, the Jirhs and the Morgans
in one of the upstairs parlors of the club.

The next day would be the first day that Betty and I would have to do a little exploring on our own.  We did have a good nights rest to help make it with our walking.  I will try to get posted in a few days.  





 

 

RECENT TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY

On June 24^th, Betty and I had the privilege to travel to New York City to participate in an investment seminar to begin on the 27^th.  We had planned to have a couple of extra days to see the city that we had wanted to visit for several years.

We had a travel experience that I hope we never get to experience again.  Our flight out of Jackson, MS left on time (10:45 AM) for flight to Charlotte, NC for connection to LaGuardia to arrive around 4:30 PM.  From our arrival in Charlotte until we arrive in New York, we had nothing but problems. 

When we left from Charlotte, we were sure to arrive on time in New York.  After getting somewhere in the vicinity of New York, we began to circle.  After about 30 minutes, we were informed that we were holding due to severe weather over the airport.  15 or 20 minutes later, the pilot came on the intercom and informed us that we could not land at LaGuardia and no other airports in the area would be able to handle our flight therefore we were returning to Charlotte.  Apparently there were many other planes holding in the area and it would be too long for us.  This was only the beginning to our most unusual flying experience.

We returned toward Charlotte and we met with a surprise.  Charlotte was under a thunderstorm which put us into a holding pattern once more.  About 20 minutes of holding, we were informed by the Captain that we would be diverted to Greenville for refueling since he did not have enough to continue to circle Charlotte until the storm cleared.  We arrived in Greenville where we refueled and waited until Charlotte had cleared enough for us to return.  The pilot said that in his 21 years of piloting, this was the first time that he had been diverted from a diverted landing sight.  Since the crew had completed their limit of flying time, they would not be able to take us to New York.  This caused us to have to leave the plane, get our baggage and try to re-book a flight to New York.

Once we were off the plane and worked our way to the main center court, Betty took on the challenge of getting our baggage while I tried to book us on another flight to New York.  I was having problem with my ATT phone getting connection to the number for rebooking.  Finally I was able to reach an operator who worked to get us out on a flight to Newark that was scheduled to leave in about 50 minutes.  I was able to get our boarding passes while Betty was getting the baggage rechecked.  Boy was she the trooper.  She had to stand in long lines to go back through the process of re-checking and then to go through the security check again.  I was waiting for her and was getting worried that she wasn’t going to make it back to the concourse in time for us to get on the flight.  After calling her several times, she finally arrived and we headed down the runway to the gate area.  Man was that the longest walk – speed walk - that I have ever taken, especially with my knees.  When I arrived at the gate, the time our flight was to leave had changed about 45 minutes.  Being out of breath and heart palpitating it was nice to be able to sit and catch my breath.  It would have been nice to see the change of time of departure while I was still in the main lobby.

As it turned out, our plane was also running behind schedule and was not even at the airport.  When it finally arrived, it quickly unloaded and then we were able to board for our late flight to New York.  When we arrived in Newark and got our luggage, we had to take a taxi to the hotel.  We finally arrived at the hotel around 3 am and thankfully had a good bellman and good desk clerk.  After getting checked in, we got to our room as two tired puppies.  We were blessed with beautiful flowers in the lobby and that made a great impression on Betty.

In my next posting, I will put some of the pictures that Betty and I were able to take during the short period that we now had to be tourist.  I will also tell about our second interesting flight home on the 27^th. 

Mobile County Distinguished Young Women

This past weekend Betty and I attended the Mobile County Distinguished Young Women program where our Grandaughter, Anna Marie Morgan, was a participant.  There were 43 young ladies that were all involved in hope of becoming the representative of Mobile County in the Alabama pagent which will be held soon.

Anna did a fantastic job of presenting the true spirit of this program as we know it from our past experience with the Jaycees when we lived in Meridian, Mississippi and with Betty having served as Mississippi's Junior Miss (the former name of the pagent) a few years ago.  We are so proud of her and the way she is maturing into a beautiful young woman.  Her partents are doing a great job as loving parents and teaching both Anna and Brandi to be good people and to treat others the way they themselves would like to be treated.

Anna was selected as 1st alternate in the pagent, which is really good considering the number of other contestants.  She was awarded several potential scholarships to various schools as well as several cash scholarships. 

Needless to say, I don't have any pictures to post but hopefully I will get one or two soon to add to this blog.

Love Riding My Harley with Training Wheels

Every day that I get to ride, I feel more comfortable with the bike.  Today after church, I took a short ride out the lake Bogue Homa and visited with a couple that also ride bikes.  I met them about 3 weeks ago when I took my first ride out to the lake. 

This coming week, I will again be taking the long ride to Hammond, LA on Tuesday and back home on Wednesday evening or Thursday.  Then on Friday, I plan to ride to Grand Bay, AL and take Brandi for a spin, might even let Steve ride the Harley.  On Sunday, Anna may be able to take a spin also.  The ride to Grand Bay should be interesting since some of the ride will be on 2 lane hilly road (highway 15) but I think it will be a good ride.

I am still debating whether to remove the kit from the 2006 and put it on the 2004.  I really like the '04 model a lot - especially the color.  Both are beauties but there is just something about the '04 that makes me want to keep it and sell the '06.  Oh well, that is a delimina that I will have to solve sooner than later.