Throw back Thursday: I have always been a lover of trains. I remember traveling on passage trains as a young boy. My family didn't own a car till I was nearly 10. Dad either vwalked to work or took the bus. He some times used the company car. My mom's family lived in Okahoma City area and my grand fathers farm was not far out side south of Norman, Oklahoma. My Uncle Bob would pick us up at the train station in OK City. Most people back in the 1940's traveled by bus or train. I remember the soldiers flirting with my mom on the train when my dad didn't travel with us and my brother an I played in the aisle. A trip to the train station station to watch the trains come and go on a Sunday afternoon in Wichita, Kansas with a movie down town and a stop by the ice cream parlor by the train station there on East Douglas was a good way to kill an afternoon. We had no TV back then just the radio. I miss those old steam passagener trains. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMtN4okRHTQ

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Looking for my great friend Hearten. The gooolies has captured her and drug her somewhere. 

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Yes, we are pretty well settled in now in our new Senior Living Community here in Plano Texas. My house in Waco, Texas has been sold which is a relief. I was off line all weekend and just on a short while on Monday. As Always good to see you, my FRIENDS here. We have had two days of cool fall like weather with a driving rain storm on Saturday and an early morning shower Monday Morning. Had doctor visits today then Wednesday and Thursday this week for my wifes care. Mamma gram for the wife today. Keeping an eyes on a sport on her right side. Recheck in six months. Good to be back though. Love Ron

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 We signed a lease at a senior living community Then every thing excelerated. Move in date became May 28th not Auguest. We sold a few things bust most of our stuff was donated to the Salvation Army and Goodwill with family and friends really making out.  Not much was sold and we reduced our stuff to fit in a two bedroom apartment. We sold our house on Auguest 9th. A MAJOR move for me. We moved from Waco, Texas to PLANO, Texas just north of the central Dallas, Texas area. I am glad in some ways but as in every move like this we were totally uprooted. With my wifes failing health, She has DEMENTIA, it needed to happen for my own sanity of being her care giver. We located new doctors and our two dog are now climatized into apartment living as well.

 As usual I hope all is well with you and your significant others. You all are in my thoughts and I really appriciate all of you my dear friends.

My regrets for taking so long to get back with you all. The time just totally escaped me. It is almost like dying with every thing we have been through with this move. We are 18 minutes away from my youngest daughter and 30 minutes from daughter numer one. Mission accomplished!

Ron

Tags: Moved

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Hi Darlin.

A lot going on in my life these days. My two daughters are wanting us to move up to the Dallas Area to be closer to them in our old age. I just turned 72 on April 3rd and Lady Dianna in 67 on May 27th). We have been looking for retirement communities for SENIORS. We went back to a place that we had previously looked at earlier this year. We had narrowed down our list of probables to 3. We signed a lease yesterday and have been accepted. Probable move in date will be in August. Basicially this means that we will sell every thing that won't fit in a two bedroom apartment as well as our house. A MAJOR move for me. We are moving to PLANO, Texas just north of the central Dallas, Texas area. I am glad in some ways but approhensive in others but with my wifes failing health, She has DEMENTIA, it needs to happen for my own sanity of being her care giver.

We went on probably our last Cruise two weeks ago to Jamica, Grand Kaymans and Cozamel on a 7 night 8 day cruise aboard Royal Carribean Navagator Of The Seas ship. As usual I hope all is well with you and your significant others. You all are in my thoughts and I really appriciate all of you my dear friends.

Ron

Tags: News

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Can you believe how fast these last 6 weeks has gone by. MY GOSH!!

Well another Thanks Giving Holiday GoNE!! For my non American friends--It is a time of celebration when the Plymouth Settlers celebrated the harvest with our native American Indians with a feast and Good will, in about 1623. For us, now, it is a gathering of families--LOTS of food usually Turkey or ham where we all can be GLUTTINS for a day on the last Thursday of the Month of November and we get Friday off work as well except for those in retail sales the FRIDAY after is called BLACK FRIDAY when A LOT of money passes hands begining the FIRST BIG discounts for Christmas shopping!! As for me--I am retired and it looks like my shopping will go toward gift cards-----GET WHAT YOU WANT-----That way nothing gets taken back that don't fit or is the wrong color. I go to two stores --ELECTRONICS for the guys and a big department store for the girls. I usuall get my girls perfume and a BIG cosmetic Deal with purchase of a fragrance! BUT, I have been informed that "DAD---We are still KOOL from last years BIG BUCK stuff!"---SIGH---I am really feeling old now. --SIGH.. My getting that stuff has almost been a tradition for me to beautify my girls. SO!---I hope you are all well and that you have fair winds and following seas this Christmas shopping season---MY LOVE to you all.

RON----

Tags: Thanksgiving

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Hi my friends. This last month has been busy. I just returned last Friday after 9 days at my youngest daughters home in Frisco, Texas. We went there to baby sit our two grand kids, ages 10 and 12, while my son-in-law went to Salt Lake City, Utah to be with his parents. His dad has been given maybe 3 months to live with pancreatic cancer. His mom is in ill health so he, his brother and sister had to get together and plan what will happen, after his dad is gone, with their mother. Their internet connection was down so I was internet blind that whole time. My wife has early onset dementia so I have also had my hands full being her care taker. My car was backed into at the store parking lot and I have been busy getting the ladies insurance to make settlement. I have an appointment to take my car to the auto body shop to get it fixed, a 2012 Honda Accord, on Monday. We did get to the Movie yesterday, Friday Nov 1st, to see the new SCI FI flick ENDERS GAME. A good movie, it opened on Friday. Here in Texas we have had a BUNCH of rain with flooding and car wreaks all over as a result of the Carabean tropical storms blowing up into Texas. People just don't realize that with the long dry spells oil gets on the roads then add water and disaster happens.

I hope all my friends are well and YES I have missed you. I need to catch up with your guest post. I think you all for thanking of me with your post. You are LOVED

Ron

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I want you all to know how interesting my guest post are on my page. There are lots of GREAT pictures and wonderful comments that come a long with your post. Thanks to you all for taking the time to do this as I post some and it does take thought and time to do it. Have a WONDERFULL weekend. I will be off line for about 5 days So never fear I will be back here unless God thinks otherwise.

Love and hugs

Ron

Tags: Pics Comments

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I joined the Marine Corp in December of 1963, about a Month after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. To quote him "Ask not what your country can do for you BUT what you can do for your country."

On New Years Eve, I and about 10 others arrived at San Diego, California and was received by a Marine Corp Sergant who was not happy to see us. I went through Marine Boot Camp in San Diego and Rifle training at Camp Mathews just North of San Diego. I had advanced combat training at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Back to San Diego for radar and radio training where I graduated as the class honor man. Promoted to Private First Class.

Off I went to Cherry Point Marine Air Wing, North Carolina and became a member of Marine Air Control Squadron 7. Around the fall of 1964 I shipped out of Cherry Point at Moore Head City, South Carolina boarded a Troop ship to Spain on Operation Steel Pike 1, the largest amphibious operation since World War II. We was in country at Spain on a NATO training exercise for a couple of months attached to the Fleet Marine force Mediterranean. We had R and R in the Canary Islands for a week. Back to Cherry Point, NC.

I shipped out from Cherry Point, NC in March of 1965 to Okinawa, Japan for 3 months. Promoted to Lance Corporal. Viet Nam geared up when President Johnson said to send in the Marines and there I was in the Pacific on Okinawa so he said SEND THEM! Off I went two weeks later where I landed June 1965 with the first Marines at Chu Lia, Viet Nam which was not much more then a large Fire Base. The day following my arrival I discovered--YES I am in a war when I and 3 other of my friends was coming off the parimenter we came under sniper rifle fire bidding us welcome to the war. I was promoted to Corporal still with MACS 7. I left a year later in June 1966. Chu Lia had become a Major Marine and Helicopter air base. I returned home Via way of Okinawa, Wake Island and Hawaii to El Toro Marine Air Station, California where I went home on leave.

Ten Days after my return from Viet Nam I was married In Wichita, Kansas June 25th, 1966 to Dianna Lynn Pfannenstiel class of 1965 at South High School but she attended Campus High till her last semester of her senior year. I was 24 years old and she had just turned 19. I have two Daughters; Christina (one Grand Daughter age 20) and Cynthia (one Grand Daughter age 9 and one Grand Son age 11).

I returned to El Toro, Calif. to complete my three year enlistment where I was promoted to Sergeant. I joined the Head Quarters Commanding Generals staff. I was offered a commission to Lieutenant to re up for another 4 years but I took my discharge and returned to Wichita, Kansas. In my three years in The Marine Corp I saw a lot of the world and my share of war. It was an adventure ashore, in the air and afloat. I was able to pull myself together and I think I have had a good life with its ups and downs.

I graduated from Central Business College with a degree in Drafting and Engineering in 1968. I became a private pilot around 1970. I became an aero space engineer in 1967 where I worked for Beech Aircraft, Boeing and mostly Cessna Aircraft In Wichita, Kansas. In 1968 I returned to Wichita State University till 1970 majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I moved to Texas in 1986 working for E-Systems in Greenville, TX. In 1992 I came to Waco, Texas working for Chrysler Technology/ Raytheon which is now L-3 Communications. My claim to fame, I would guess, is that I worked on AIRFORCE 1 both the old 707 and 747 aircraft plus some fancy executive aircraft for Brunei and Saudi Arabia, the SOFIA airborne space telescope and some Navy P-3 spy planes and other planes that I would have to shoot you if you found out about them.

During my life I was a very active thespian acting in musicals and plays. I was with the Wichita Children's theater at the Irene Vicars Backer Theater both as an actor and as an assistant director for Sister Ambrozine who was a nun. GO FIGURE A EX MARINE AND A NUN WORKING TOGETER WITH KIDS!!---grins

I retired from L-3 Communications in Waco, Texas on July 31st, 2008. I am now 71 years old as of April 3rd.

I was attending Baylor University here in Waco, Texaas until taking a year off to be my wife's care taker with her having 4 back surgerys since 2009. She is disability retired and is 67 years old today May 27^th. I am a college Junior majoring in Art History with a 3.50 GPA out of a 4.0.

RON

Tags: Marines

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