Things I Miss

As the winter approaches this is a good time to reflect on the past and perhaps share some recollections.  This will be a short summary of the things I've experienced and miss because I may never see them again.


I miss German Drivers -- I live in Florida where half the drivers can't look over the steering wheel.  In Florida you don't really have to actually drive on a public road to get  your license.  I know because I had two kids go through drivers ed and they got there licenses without a road test.  The only time they were on the road was when I took them.  Here in Florida, half the people never use turn indicators, and the other half never turn them off so it all kind of evens out.  Living in Germany everyone seemed to know what they were doing, even at 200 km/h.  For example, the only time you were in the left lane of the autobahn was to pass, or if you owned a Mercedes Benz doing 250 km/h.  On top of that they could read all those funny traffic signs.

I know this is Italian, but it is cool

In large groups they were pushy, but on the road I can't think of anyone else I would rather have driving near me.  They were predicable and dependable.  I always knew what they would be doing.  Of course when something did go wrong it went really-really wrong and 200 car pile ups were not unknown.

I miss Norway -- Outside the good ol' USA I think Norway is the place I would like to live.  The countryside is beautiful, the people are friendly, and everyone speaks English.  The only bad part of the country is beer is pretty expensive.  They have this drink called aquavit that is supposedly put in the hold of a ship and sailed around the world to age.  I found it is a wonderful drink on a cold Norwegian winters night, but like vodka it can sneak up on you.  In the summer it is great to sit on a roof top bar and watch the sun not set.

I would like to say I miss Warsaw Poland, I understand it is a beautiful city, but in 1976 when I was there the Iron Curtain was still up and the city was the most depressing place I have ever been.  There were still bullet holes in most of the buildings from WWII and signs up everywhere showing where polish patriots had been killed by the Nazi's.  We were followed around by the Secret Police (who weren't very secretive about it) and no one who saw us would smile or acknowledge our presence.  So unfortunately I don't miss Warsaw.

I miss flying low level 250 feet above the ground on a pitch black night, running down valley's, crossing ridge lines, and generally feeling invincible because you are somewhere no one else  but you and the rest of the crew can be.  I miss planning the complex missions that actually make a difference in someones life.  The MC-130E was the first plane into Iran in 1980, the first plane over Granada in 1983, the first plane over Panama in 1989 and dropped the biggest bombs in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

I miss Singapore, probably the cleanest large city I have ever seen.  I could understand why they caned Michael Fay for vandalism.  A population of 4 million people who all pick up after themselves.  Although I think they go way overboard with concrete.  They had a small park donated to the city by the inventor of "Tiger Balm."  Whoever made all the statues in Tiger Balm Gardens must have had some serious nightmares as a youth.

I miss Americans who can write complete sentences.  Everyday I see college graduates struggle to put complete thoughts into the written word.  OMG w/i 10 yrs ths wil b cmplt sent.

I miss English Pubs.  Generally the food in real restaurants in England had a lot of room for improvement, but "pub snacks" like fish and chips were absolutely wonderful.  A glass of ale and a pub snack goes a long way to explaining why the English are such a great people.  Lousy teeth, but great people.  I especially like their sense of humor.  Live on Monty Python!

I miss Cardigan Welsh Corgi's -- Around here you can find Pembroke corgi's but not Cardigans.  When we lived in England we bought one for 150 pounds.  He was a great dog!  He hated to travel by car, unless he got to drive, but overall he was pretty perfect in most other aspects.  Except for that time he nipped at me and I had to take him to the vet and get his junk removed.  My daughter taught him several tricks and he was a joy to have.  With the little short legs you didn't worry about him jumping up.  Jumping really wasn't his strong suit, although he did run like a rabbit when he got going.

Well that is about enough things to miss for one night.  I hope you all are enjoying the post Thanksgiving withdrawals and the shopping hasn't gotten you down yet.