Dear List, 42 years ago, today, in the hospital chapel, of the U.S. Navl Hospital in Oakland California, Dixie A. Cummings was married to one John D. Armstrong..................... but let me tell you the "rest of the story"... due to an unfortunate aviation accident I ended up in the U,.S. Naval Hospital, at Oakland, California. Actually I was admitted on April fools day 1964.. I was admitted through the emergency room and shortly thereafter ended up in traction in a bed on the Orthopedic ward.. I'm unsure as to exactly when, one of the ER techs, an Iowa Farmers daughter, playing Nurse in the Navy wandered onto the Orthopedic ward to visit the sailor, named Bill, in the traction assembly in the rack next to me, She was a friend of his wife's and was checking to see if he needed any cigarettes, magazines, etc from the PX.... But this young lady wasn't Bill's wife, and wasn't even married, and so I asked her if she'd like to go dancing with me..... at a local Infamous Road house in Oakland.... she looked at me and smiled, then looked at my chart hanging on the end of my bunk with all the metal frame-works holding all of me in place... smiled and walked away... I thought there was a little extra wiggle in the walk, but wasn't positive at that time..!!! about a week later she came back, ostensibly to visit Bill, and oh by the way - I'd be happy to go dancing with you Sailor, when you get out of traction...!! Ah... it's the old Armstrong Charm, works every time... ;-) In about 3 months time, I graduated from traction, to a wheel chair, to crutches, And came that first weekend the Doctor, in a moment of weakness (no doubt) granted me a pass... The ER technician said she could whip up a picnic lunch, and if I would do the shifting, she could drive my 1963 bright Red, Austin Healy 3000, and we could go on a picnic up behind the hospital....in the Eucalyptus groves. Stop for a moment and picture me, with my right leg still in a cast, on crutches, setting in the passenger seat... She, with the seat moved as far forward as it would go, commanding the steering wheel, clutch and brake pedals, and gas pedal.. When I'd yell shift, she'd push in the clutch, I'd shift to the next gear, and then she'd pop the clutch and stomp on the gas, and we'd go like hell....!!! Oct 1, 1964 in the Hospital Chapel, we were married... About a year later, she told me she had a confession... I didn't want to hear any confessions.. but she proceeded to tell me anyway, that when I had asked her to go dancing, she had gone to the Personnel Office and looked at my record to see if I was married or not.. Finding that I was single (eligible) she hustled back to accept the date...!! So much for the old Armstrong Charm... I had been caught in traction and couldn't get away.. ...!! ;-) Today the woman has a CDL (commercial Drivers License) and can drive anything with an engine and a tranny...!!! (required to drive a school bus in Alaska) but she still gets a little misty eyed when ever she sees a little red sports car with a rag top..!!! She gave me two great son's... and they in turn have given me 3 1/2 grandchildren...!!! (that we know of) June was a good month for the Armstrong boys as most all the kids on this line have been born in March...!!! Except for the Son born on Christmas Eve... :-) .. Grandma is hoping for another grand daughter, but I could care less as long as the child is healthy.. Girls can fish as good as (or gooder) than boys..!!! Sincerely, John D A little SoWest of North and full of wild raspberry juice...

John, That's the stuff of movies! Perhaps... ? Jill in Washington state ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Armstrong" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2006 10:58 PM Subject: [ARMSTRONG] wedding announcement > Dear List, > 42 years ago, today, in the hospital chapel, of the U.S. Navl > Hospital in Oakland California, Dixie A. Cummings was married to one > John D. Armstrong..................... but let me tell you the "rest > of the story"... > > > due to an unfortunate aviation accident I ended up in the U,.S. Naval > Hospital, at Oakland, California. Actually I was admitted on April > fools day 1964.. I was admitted through the emergency room and shortly > thereafter ended up in traction in a bed on the Orthopedic ward.. > > > I'm unsure as to exactly when, one of the ER techs, an Iowa Farmers > daughter, playing Nurse in the Navy wandered onto the Orthopedic ward > to visit the sailor, named Bill, in the traction assembly in the rack > next to me, She was a friend of his wife's and was checking to see if he > needed any cigarettes, magazines, etc from the PX.... But this > young lady wasn't Bill's wife, and wasn't even married, and so I asked > her if she'd like to go dancing with me..... at a local Infamous Road > house in Oakland.... she looked at me and smiled, then looked at my > chart hanging on the end of my bunk with all the metal frame-works > holding all of me in place... smiled and walked away... I thought > there was a little extra wiggle in the walk, but wasn't positive at that > time..!!! > > > about a week later she came back, ostensibly to visit Bill, and oh by > the way - I'd be happy to go dancing with you Sailor, when you get out > of traction...!! Ah... it's the old Armstrong Charm, works every > time... ;-) > > > In about 3 months time, I graduated from traction, to a wheel chair, > to crutches, And came that first weekend the Doctor, in a moment of > weakness (no doubt) granted me a pass... The ER technician said she > could whip up a picnic lunch, and if I would do the shifting, she > could drive my 1963 bright Red, Austin Healy 3000, and we could go on a > picnic up behind the hospital....in the Eucalyptus groves. Stop for > a moment and picture me, with my right leg still in a cast, on > crutches, setting in the passenger seat... She, with the seat moved > as far forward as it would go, commanding the steering wheel, clutch > and brake pedals, and gas pedal.. When I'd yell shift, she'd push in > the clutch, I'd shift to the next gear, and then she'd pop the clutch > and stomp on the gas, and we'd go like hell....!!! > > > Oct 1, 1964 in the Hospital Chapel, we were married... About a year > later, she told me she had a confession... I didn't want to hear any > confessions.. but she proceeded to tell me anyway, that when I had > asked her to go dancing, she had gone to the Personnel Office and > looked at my record to see if I was married or not.. Finding that I > was single (eligible) she hustled back to accept the date...!! So much > for the old Armstrong Charm... I had been caught in traction and > couldn't get away.. ...!! ;-) > > > Today the woman has a CDL (commercial Drivers License) and can drive > anything with an engine and a tranny...!!! (required to drive a school > bus in Alaska) but she still gets a little misty eyed when ever she > sees a little red sports car with a rag top..!!! > > > She gave me two great son's... and they in turn have given me 3 1/2 > grandchildren...!!! (that we know of) June was a good month for the > Armstrong boys as most all the kids on this line have been born in > March...!!! Except for the Son born on Christmas Eve... :-) .. > Grandma is hoping for another grand daughter, but I could care less as > long as the child is healthy.. Girls can fish as good as (or gooder) > than boys..!!! > > > Sincerely, > John D > A little SoWest of North and full of wild raspberry juice... > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Dear John, A hearty congratulations to both of you on your 42nd. I met my "wife to be" at a hospital too. It was at a St. Patrick's Day dance the student nurses held for the crew of a big aircraft carrier anchored in San Francisco harbor, and the enlisted Marines at the Headquarters, Department of the Pacific, also in San Francisco. This year we celebrated our 50th. Nothing speaks so well for the state of marriage like a good wife who doesn't care if her husband can really dance. Sincerely, Bob Armstrong John Armstrong wrote: >Dear List, > 42 years ago, today, in the hospital chapel, of the U.S. Navl >Hospital in Oakland California, Dixie A. Cummings was married to one >John D. Armstrong..................... but let me tell you the "rest >of the story"... > > > due to an unfortunate aviation accident I ended up in the U,.S. Naval >Hospital, at Oakland, California. Actually I was admitted on April >fools day 1964.. I was admitted through the emergency room and shortly >thereafter ended up in traction in a bed on the Orthopedic ward.. > > >I'm unsure as to exactly when, one of the ER techs, an Iowa Farmers >daughter, playing Nurse in the Navy wandered onto the Orthopedic ward >to visit the sailor, named Bill, in the traction assembly in the rack >next to me, She was a friend of his wife's and was checking to see if he >needed any cigarettes, magazines, etc from the PX.... But this >young lady wasn't Bill's wife, and wasn't even married, and so I asked >her if she'd like to go dancing with me..... at a local Infamous Road >house in Oakland.... she looked at me and smiled, then looked at my >chart hanging on the end of my bunk with all the metal frame-works >holding all of me in place... smiled and walked away... I thought >there was a little extra wiggle in the walk, but wasn't positive at that >time..!!! > > >about a week later she came back, ostensibly to visit Bill, and oh by >the way - I'd be happy to go dancing with you Sailor, when you get out >of traction...!! Ah... it's the old Armstrong Charm, works every >time... ;-) > > >In about 3 months time, I graduated from traction, to a wheel chair, >to crutches, And came that first weekend the Doctor, in a moment of >weakness (no doubt) granted me a pass... The ER technician said she >could whip up a picnic lunch, and if I would do the shifting, she >could drive my 1963 bright Red, Austin Healy 3000, and we could go on a >picnic up behind the hospital....in the Eucalyptus groves. Stop for >a moment and picture me, with my right leg still in a cast, on >crutches, setting in the passenger seat... She, with the seat moved >as far forward as it would go, commanding the steering wheel, clutch >and brake pedals, and gas pedal.. When I'd yell shift, she'd push in >the clutch, I'd shift to the next gear, and then she'd pop the clutch >and stomp on the gas, and we'd go like hell....!!! > > >Oct 1, 1964 in the Hospital Chapel, we were married... About a year >later, she told me she had a confession... I didn't want to hear any >confessions.. but she proceeded to tell me anyway, that when I had >asked her to go dancing, she had gone to the Personnel Office and >looked at my record to see if I was married or not.. Finding that I >was single (eligible) she hustled back to accept the date...!! So much >for the old Armstrong Charm... I had been caught in traction and >couldn't get away.. ...!! ;-) > > > Today the woman has a CDL (commercial Drivers License) and can drive >anything with an engine and a tranny...!!! (required to drive a school >bus in Alaska) but she still gets a little misty eyed when ever she >sees a little red sports car with a rag top..!!! > > >She gave me two great son's... and they in turn have given me 3 1/2 >grandchildren...!!! (that we know of) June was a good month for the >Armstrong boys as most all the kids on this line have been born in >March...!!! Except for the Son born on Christmas Eve... :-) .. >Grandma is hoping for another grand daughter, but I could care less as >long as the child is healthy.. Girls can fish as good as (or gooder) >than boys..!!! > > >Sincerely, >John D >A little SoWest of North and full of wild raspberry juice... > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- Sincerely, Bob Armstrong in Houston, TX picture "I have fished through fishless days that I remember happily and without regret." Roderick Haig-Brown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robert E. Armstrong, DVM, MS, member Dog Writers Association of America, author of the veterinary mystery/thrillers, CANIS - paperback, ISBN 0-595-29795-1 or eBook, ISBN 0-595-75078-8 and INDEX OF SUSPICION - ISBN: 0-595-20485-6 Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble Visit my home page at http://home.houston.rr.com/rarmstrong9/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~