Hi Steve and all the TowerTalk gang,
Thanks for remembering me. Yes INDEED! I'm BACK! There is just so much to
tell. What follows is the briefest of descriptions of my "endless summer
TowerTalkian vacation."
Forty-three days on the road... driving almost exactly 10,000 miles and
covering about twenty states was quite an experience. Writing it all up and
posting it (somewhere... but not likely here on TowerTalk) will be a
magnificent labor and one I'm really looking forward to doing. I have my own
web page that is just starting construction so it'll probably be there, in an
in-depth article appearing along with some of the magnificent photos we took of
TowerTalkians and their antennas in 6 x 7 cm. format.
The absolute highlights of our "endless summer" trip were visiting with
TowerTalkians... especially Jack Goforth, K4IBP (of exploding toilet story
fame) and his lovely wife Rose. They really rolled out the Red Carpet for us
and showed us around Nashville in a fashion that was not to be believed. More
marvelous hosts one could NEVER hope to find anywhere in the world! What an
absolute joy to have their friendship. The dinner meal we shared at Nashville's
pre-eminent French restaurant overlooking the city and the setting sun will
linger forever in our memories... and on our waists.
We also had the very great pleasure of meeting L. B. Cebik, W4RLN, and his
lovely wife Jean, N4TZP for lunch, along with Jack, who got to meet L.B. for
the first time- even though they are practically next-door neighbors! ( Yes!
TowerTalkians.... L. B. "is a real person" and every bit as warm, friendly and
intelligent as his postings would have led you to assume. In case there ever
was any doubt about his humanity... I can now let the world know that LB
prefers duplicating his breakfast meal for his lunch meal. See... he's really
like the rest of us!
On the other side of the country we were hosted by Morris Fisch, WB2WGR and his
fabulous wife Marcia... old friends from NJ who have retired to Silver City,
NM. Morris and Marcia took us everywhere it was possible to visit....
including a hike across the border into Mexico. Marcia documented our every
move with an incessant volley of snapshots.... so much so that I was afraid to
move for not having my new body position recorded for posterity.
With Morris and Marcia we attended Bolivian native music concerts, visited the
Anasazi Cliff dwellings in the Gilla National Forest and took a fabulous tour
of the bottom of a Phelps Dodge open-pit copper mine. We were so enraptured by
the Anasazi ruins trip that we missed our scheduled meeting with Lew McCoy,
W1ICP... who we previously ran into on the street and in a Silver City Mexican
restaurant several days before. Morris is on his way to becoming a TowerTalkian
if he isn't already here. Again, more marvelous hosts we could NEVER hope to
run into anywhere in the world. They really went the "extra mile" for us-
putting us up in their home, and we appreciated all their hospitality immensely.
Pushing on to Phoenix we had hoped to rendezvous with Stu Greene, WA2MOE but as
fate would have it, Stu was called out of town on a personal emergency and we
missed him. We did stop at his home briefly to do what I called a "drive-by
shooting." I took a picture standing beneath Stu's magnificent Wilson tower and
stacked array and we left the sweltering heat of Phoenix to photograph the
rocks, canyons, pastoral valleys and lofty mountains in the rest of Arizona,
New Mexico and Utah.
Indeed, photographing the scenery was to be the major focus of our journey. By
the time we finished, we had exposed hundreds of rolls of film and probably
spent as much money on film and processing as we did on all the rest of the
vacation expenses put together. So what else would you expect of retired school
teachers and professional photographers?
Just before we headed back East we dropped in on TowerTalkian, Mary-Francis
Bartels, KI0DZ ( of TowerTalk limerick fame) and her husband Marty, KB0VQK. We
toured the Bartels' rabbit farm and their solar array that powers their meat
storage facility. We also visited the fabulous Bartels image scanning facility
(for getting your pictures digitized) and then Mary-Francis introduced us to
her multi-talented friend Jan Medley, KB0WQT and we all enjoyed a great lunch
together.
Perhaps, you have no idea what it means to travel thousands of miles from home
and to be warmly received by people who you've been carrying on endless
humorous (and serious) dialogues with via e-mail, and, who consider you "old
friends." For us it was simply a "dream-come-true!" I guess stuff like this has
been going on at the Dayton Hamvention (and others) for years... but this trip
was so much more special- because it was "up close and personal."
To list all the places we visited and fascinating things we've seen would try
the patience of most readers here, but I did want to mention briefly in
passing.... The VLA in Socorro, NM, (Yes! The same one seen in the movie
"Contact"... which you absolutely must see! ), the Albuquerque, NM Balloon
Festival, the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH and the Cessna Aircraft Factory in
Wichita, KS where we nearly bought a plane... but we didn't like the colors of
the one's coming off the assembly line.
As Yakov Smirnoff told us personally in Branson, MO on the last leg of our trip
home... "What-a-Country!!!" is a gross understatement when it comes to
describing what we saw on our little trip. Most Americans have no idea of the
wonders that await them... and of course.... everyone else does speak a funny
kind of English and it seems that everyone DOES love Country Music.
As the weeks go by I'll be writing-up some of the interesting and humorous
insights this memorable trip has held for us. Since I realize this kind of
thing is, at best, only vaguely peripheral to the interests of TowerTalkians-
I'll post it on my own web site as soon as I get it off the ground.
And to answer the most burning questions of all.... Yes! There is such a thing
as "life without e-mail" although the withdrawal symptoms are a bitch to go
through. And of course... living, eating, sleeping, shopping and traveling with
the same woman, twenty-four hours a day for forty three consecutive days... is
NOT MY IDEA OF HELL ON EARTH! Joyce, N2REE, my lovely wife.... is a fabulous
traveling companion and great navigator! I couldn't have even begun to have
made this trip without her.
It's GREAT to be back... and Yes! I WILL behave myself.... for a little while
at least.
Hi to Y'all.... and special thanks to Steve and Bill for having me aboard
again... and for providing the world with such a great ham forum.... for Towers
and Antennas and... such... and especially for the warm and friendly place
TowerTalk has been to meet such interesting "real people." It's enriched my
life immensely!
73 to y'all,
Roger, K2JAS
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