A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day 7-04-02 thru 7-07-02

"A few of FR's Finest" will return 7-08-02

[Mama_Bear]

Celebrating American Independence Day
July 4, 1776




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Have a safe and happy 4th of July

THIS WEEK'S THREADS

07-01-02 Veterans Group 9
07-02-02 JulieRNR21
07-03-02 Lodwick

[Billie]

Am leaving you all for tonight. Great fireworks display outside my window. :) See you tomorrow. Thanks for all the wonderful posts and graphics.

[ArneFufkin]

Great fireworks display outside my window. :)

Ahhh ... the firework show is out your west window Billie. Your husband is rewiring the electrical hub on your porch deck out your window. Happy 4th anyway! LOL Regards sweet lady!

[The Thin Man]

What did you say, BTW? LOL

Ha ha, wouldn't you like to know? I'm not telling.

[JulieRNR21]

Hi, Julie! Sounds like you had an early start on celebrating. : ) Be sure to put cotton in Georgio's ears. : )

What a doting godfather you are......not to worry....my sweet Georgio gets lots of TLC from his Mom.

BTW we both love this graphic you made!

[daisyscarlett]

Sure is great looking over the thread and seeing all the wonderful displays of patriotism and great graphics...Makes my heart swell with pride...It is so good to be an American.....

Aqua-wow that graphic and the National Anthem was wonderful....I love hearing the National Anthem at night...Just love it when I have a radio station on late at night and they sign off with the National Anthem.

Re: Dogs and fireworks. We used to have a lab and he was totally fearless - except on the 4th of July and New Year's Eve when the neighborhood kids had an annual parade where they went up and down the street banging pots and pans and setting off cherry bombs etc. Our social life was interesting then - we had to be home by midnight on New Year's Eve and home by dark on the 4th of July...

[ohioWfan]

Hi, OW, hope your day is a happy one. : )

Thank you! It was a good one! We just got back from a wonderful Independence Day celebration, complete with fireworks.

What a special birthday this is for our great country. I feel such a renewed pride in America this year......it's wonderful!

The only thing wrong with this day was Eric's absence. Do they celebrate the Fourth of July in boot camp? :o)

[daisyscarlett]

Enjoyed your reminescing (sp?) about Gibson and the pitchers of long ago (I was just a very young child at the time of course, lol). I used to listen to Vince Scully on the radio - all the Dodger games- so got to know the National Leaque pitchers so very well. Gibson and Marichial I remember.....Loved the Dodgers when they had Sandy Koufax and Drysdale and the arguments and discussions about who was best. I liked Koufax at first but fell in love with Drysdale later on in his career.....And was a huge Tommy Seaver fan...Ah the good ole days of baseball...

Now I am a Padres fan and as such am required to "hate" the Dodgers but it is tough....

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

I just had the best 4th of July ever!
As you know for months I studied to be a fully qualified radio watchstander at the local Coast Guard base.
In May I passed the Coast Guard test and oral review board
It's the same exact course and test(s) the regular Coast Guard do.
Well I've stood watches, by myself, since then.
But today was the 1st time I was a key element in a rescue of an elderly couple
who's boat had engine failure a few miles out in the ocean.
My duty as radio watchstander includes getting the 1st information (the distress call) correct
so the Coast Guard boat and crew can perform the rescue.
I also handle and log all the radio traffic.
I keep the OOD at the base (Officer of the Deck) informed of all movements.
He then determines if he wants any changes.
If he does I then radio his orders to the Coast Guard boat on scene.
I'm like an "assistant coach" during a big game.
Only it's no game, lives are at stake, of those in distress and those on the rescue boat.
There is no room for error, everything must be done per policy.
It was the 1st time I again served in uniform on the 4th of July while our country is at war.
As a Coast Guard Auxiliary member and Coast Guard trained and qualified
for my duties I legally represent the Coast Guard while I am on watch.
In fact during my watch I am also subject to the provisions of the Unifomed Code of Military Justice.

I also had the chance to stand by for my regular relief (regular Coast Guard) for several hours.
His mom paid a suprise visit to see her son on the 4th.
They had not seen each other for months.

I did nothing extrodinary today.
I just did what I was trained to do.
But it did help me repay my country for my FReedom.

[JulieRNR21]

Not to intrude on your baseball chat but I was a Dodger fan (as a child) when they were still in Brooklyn (If you are too young & missed those wonderful days read 'The Boys of Summer").

My Dad & I went to many games with and it broke our hearts when they moved to LA. We rooted for the Mets for awhile. Anyone remember Marvelous Marvin Thorneberry?

Eventually I forgave them and became a Dodger fan all over again when I lived in LA!

[daisyscarlett]

I am sure Eric missed you and his family - probably the first Holiday he has ever been away from his family....

I don't think they have fireworks in Boot Camp but hopefully they had a special meal - maybe a barbeque...You will have to write and ask him and report back...

Here are some dazzling fireworks, the one on the left is in D.C., the one on the right Philadelphia.

[Mama_Bear]

I did nothing extrodinary today.

Oh, yes you did! Thank you for sharing your wonderful day with us. You know, you are one of my heroes. :-)

[daisyscarlett]

Oh my, I have indeed read Roger Kahn's great book, The Boys of Summer. And I concur with a lot of folks in the literary field who consider it to be the best book about baseball ever written and I know it is the best one I have ever read and I have read a lot of them, all the way from Jim Bouton's (expose hee hee) Ball 4 and the last one I read was George Will's book which he wrote a couple of years ago.

And do I remember Marvelous Marv....You bet I do and a lot of other Mets because I lived in Buffalo and Buffalo was the farm club for the early Mets. In fact, I even went to a game and saw Marvelous Marv on one of his many trips back to the Minors. He was a big draw....

Did you ever go to Chavez Ravine? I'm sure you have....The first time I went there I was so awestruck....

Nothing more American than baseball....If the Padres were in town tonight, I would probably be there watching the fireworks.....

[daisyscarlett]

Tonk, congratulations on your Coast Guard update. I have been following your progress here and there but was on vacation in May and guess I missed that you had passed all those tests you had to take.....Thanks for sharing your awesome and very special day.....

[Mama_Bear]

Mama_Bear, I'm enjoying your patriotic enthusiasm so much today!

Thanks, I think it is infectious. I have enjoyed the graphics and the links and talking with everyone. I've seen some new faces here today too, and that is wonderful. I hope they will come back often.

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[daisyscarlett]

You're back....Billie went to watch fireworks....I just caught up with the thread and saw you had signed out to put something on the grill...

As I noted above, today was very special with everyone posting graphics and music and stories. And then that nice post from Tonk who told us about his "just doing what he was trained to do" today...What a great bunch we have here....

Thanks for this thread today, MB. Enjoyed it immensely and hope you had enough time away to feed your family and friends adequately, lol...

[JulieRNR21]

Did you ever go to Chavez Ravine? I'm sure you have....The first time I went there I was so awestruck....

Sure did when we lived in LA.....it is a beautiful stadium!

My favorite Dodger was Gil Hodges....I actually visited his home....he lived in Brooklyn.

I have a copy of the 'Boys of Summer' signed by the author.

[ohioWfan]

You will have to write and ask him and report back...

I will do that for sure, daisyscarlett! I hope they did something special for them, even if it was something small.

He was excited about learning hand to hand combat today, though. That might have been good enough for him......besides, by the time it was dark enough for fireworks, he was sound asleep! :o)

[Mama_Bear]

Yes, I am back finally. We had a nice barbecue and now I'm trying to catch up with things.

Like Louie's pups, my little Doxie is practically having a nervous breakdown over the sounds of neighborhood fireworks. I am trying to comfort him and type at the same time. Poor thing, he is just having a terrible time. :-(

[JulieRNR21]

Thanks again for this outstanding thread.....I enjoyed popping in today....saw a college production of West Side Story tonight.

Just after the final bows the orchestra played and the performers led the audience in singing our National Anthem....it was very moving to see all those talented college kids singing with their hands over their hearts!

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[Mama_Bear]

Thank you, Angelique. So happy you enjoyed the thread today. Everyone seems so 'up' and happy, it's just been so much fun visiting with everyone and sharing our graphics and links.

This thread is going to continue until Monday morning. Hope to see you here tomorrow. :-)