Newsletter

July/August 2009 - #133

July/August 2009 Alumni Newsletter

Newsletter Highlights!

OOPS!!! The date on the newsletter wasn't the only big boo-boo I made last month. On the reunion registration you will notice that it says "Business meeting and auction open to paid up members only." This is not true. Anyone can attend the business meeting and auction. However, only members can vote on business matters and the next reunion destination. Sorry, about that. In addition, guests are welcome at the Banquet. Good thing that I have Beth out there to read things and set me straight. Unfortunately, these mistakes are happening more often (guess I'm suffering from overload!), but I will always try to correct them if you let me know that I am wrong.

Registration is on page 6 again with two reunion destinations on page 5. Registration form will be in Sept. Newsletter, but it will be the last one, so sign up soon. So far only 7 have sent in registration forms. * Now for the fish story and other things. Ah, but this is a true fish story. For many years now, we have had dry weather and our pond was going down. One of our great nephews caught a few fish in his grandpa's pond and put them in ours. We have watched them survive in the very shallow pond, so shallow that the blue heron walked across it easily and grabbed as many small fish as he could. But the few bass that were in there seemed to survive quite well until....This spring was a very wet one for us (wish it would continue!) with so much rain that the pond ran out the spillway for the first time in a long time. We were elated until....One day Frank went out to look around and came back to the house with this fish which was over 15 inches long. Wow, was he beautiful. The kind you bake. I said, "Where did you get it?" He said, "He's dead. He washed out the spillway and got caught in the pine straw and couldn't get out into deeper water in the run off." Enough to make you cry! But he fixed the pipes draining the pond so nothing else can get out if, and when, it ever gets that high again. Believe it or not, there still are a few fish left, but if it doesn't rain this summer, the heron will be right back eating the frogs and fish. That's life, I guess. Here's the other thing--Frank had to buy a new mower. The belly mower on the tractor has been giving him lots of trouble; he has torn it down 2 or 3 times this last year, but it still isn't right and sounds like an airplane engine--to me. So he decided to get one of those new fangled zero turn jobs. It's cute, but the first time he tried it out, we had a nice zig-zag strip of mown grass. The next couple of passes got better as he got the hang of it; I had to laugh at him going across the yard. It's a doozy to get used to. He said he still tried to step on the gas and apply the brake, but there is no footwork to it at all. Pretty neat.
Lots of stories this newsletter about VP8's homecoming, the pirates, change of command, etc. Usually don't have that much about the squadron. Hope you enjoy.
Great websites: Courtesy of Lee Trotter, video of the P-8A's maiden flight on 25 April 2009 is now posted on a web site at this link: http://www.ghspaulding.com/P-3,%20P-8A%20updates.htm
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2009/06/05/the-65th-anniversary-of-d-day-on-the-normandy-beaches/
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o Reunion 2008 DVD..... (To order, send check for $22 to Ralph Papa at 8393 Grand Messina Circle, Boynton Beach, FL 33472; Gauranteed satisfaction or your money back)