That Annoying Little Sister

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One of the burdens I was forced to endure in my childhood was a pesky little sister. She was insufferable and, at four years my junior, way too young to be any fun. My mother always forced my brother and me to include her in our activities. It was like having an extra shadow. It was traumatic to say the least.

As we all grew older and eventually up, we managed to transform into young adults. The burden became less, and eventually the accidental friendship that occurs amongst siblings took place.

Life happened and we are no longer young. We are also no longer geographically close.

According to Google Maps, we live 1517 miles apart. We don't have coffee together nearly often enough. When we do, it's a delightful time. It is funny how that annoying little shadow metamorphosed into a refreshing visitor.

My sister Leah and her husband are visiting us this week. They are from very northern Minnesota. Their trip to North Carolina fast forwarded their spring to summer.

Today we visited the village of Oriental, North Carolina. It is always a fun place to visit. Today it was even more fun.

There is really no moral to this story. Enjoy your family.

It Is Undoubtedly a Very Small Club

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Of the Lifelong Civilians Who Have Driven An Active Duty Aircraft Carrier Club, or LCWHDAADAC Club for short, I am a member.

Yes, that means I have driven an aircraft carrier. The USS Enterprise, the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, was the vessel. Yes, that is probably one of the coolest things I've ever done.

There was only one problem. I could not stop grinning like a monkey in a banana grove long enough for my daughter to get a picture of me looking cool. Oh, I wanted to be cool. I just could not get over that I was at the helm of a carrier!

You see, I am a boat builder in my other life, my day-job life. I build luxury sport fishing yachts, for the rich and famous, for money. I build rugged work boats, for missionaries working in Haiti, for love. And as a boat builder, to be at the helm of a 95,000 ton warship was akin to holding the Holy Grail. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

These seemingly random dots connect at my daughter, Irene's, Navy service. I have this vivid memory of being on my daughter's ship for three days. They call it a Tiger Cruise. I think that is Navy lingo for “bring your parents to work for a few days.”

Irene has just finished her tour of duty, or contract as they call it, with the Navy, and Gepetka, Prince of Gypsies is dedicated to her.

Really, I am just having a moment of reminiscence here. I hope that all made sense. I also hope you all enjoy the book.