Catching up, April 2016

I regret to be posting that my uncle Tony passed away last week.  He was a member of the Greatest Generation.....those who went overseas in World War II to defend our freedoms.  I was aware that he was on board a plane that was shot down behind enemy lines, and spent six weeks in the care of the Yugoslavian resistance.........but I had no idea that he had earned two Purple Hearts.  He didn't tell us that when he was discussing his experience with my cousin Tom and myself when I was in Iowa several years ago.

I also regret not having met him many more times.  He spent his postwar career in the Nebraska Highway Department, while I was growing up in Kansas, Louisiana, Florida, and other places.  He inspired confidence in those that he met, which is a trait that should be much more common than it is today.

Goodbye Tony. 

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I am now over two months into my new job, and the longer I'm there, the more that I enjoy it.  It's challenging to simultaneously develop forty......yes forty.......test protocols simultaneously.  They are almost ready for dry runs.  I see twenty of them being done by close of business on Wednesday and the remainder by the close of business Friday. 

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A really good place to stop off at if you're ever passing thru Tucson is the Triple T truck stop right off I-10 at the Craycroft exit.  This was established in 1950 or so when there wasn't an I-10.  The highway was the old Arizona State 86, which still exists east of Tucson, but used to take travelers from Tucson right to the New Mexico state line.

They're open 24/7/365, and breakfast as well as lunch are served all day.  I was there Friday morning meeting a longtime friend for breakfast, and I had the Cowboy Omelette.  It was devastating in a very good way.........so filling that I didn't bother with lunch.

The chain truck stops are good places to eat, as that there's a lot of competition amongst Love's, Pilot, and Petro to serve home style cooking for those who are on the road for long periods of time. 

TTT, which stands for Tucson Truck Terminal, is an independent, and remains one of my favorite places to eat.

 

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I am really still amazed to be back home in Tucson.  Every time I get to go to TTT or to one of the fine Mexican restaurants here, or to church, or even if I'm driving around, I feel this gratitude about being back home, and it may be a long while before it wears off..........if it ever does.

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I'm still doing yardwork, and the yard is showing signs of getting to where I want it.  It will be an ongoing thing.  If just one cubic inch of the garbage can is empty, it means that I haven't done enough yardwork. 

I also am itching to resume getting my coin collection better organized.  I am itching to buy a box of nickel and sort thru them, and that just might happen within a week.

 

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That is it for now. 

Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat!