Dear Folks, My dinner companion Don arrived at my house at 4:50, 5 minutes early and carried in the paper grocery bag containing our dinner in one arm plus a cold six pack of LaBatt Blue Canadian beer in the other hand. After he set them down on my table we exchanged the mandatory hug, I put our grocery bag dinner on the kitchen counter, popped the caps off of two bottles of beer, put the other four bottles in the refrigerator and we sat down at my kitchen table to shoot the breeze. BTW, I offered him a frosted beer glass but he preferred drinking out of the bottle. The first thing I noticed about him was that he looked like he had aged 10 years since the last time I saw him a few years ago. I couldn't believe that he's only 76 to my 73 years. Not only that but I'm in worst shape than he is! It didn't surprise me that we started into swapping sea stories together again. Frankly, I enjoyed listening to his adventures of first when he joined the Army as an enlisted man right after WWII and then after he had received his 4-year college degree in the GI Bill, his remaining service in the Navy as an officer starting in 1951 during the Korean War. He sure knows how to tell a good sea story! I told a few of mine that couldn't compare with his but we did have a mutual discussion of our thoughts about this "new Navy" of ours and our personal opinions of old Captain Zumwalt, Chief of Naval Operations back in the late 60s/early 70s. What a ball we had discussing many subjects including teachers we had in high school--mine in Niagara Falls HS and his in Youngstown HS. BTW, Beth, the best teacher he ever had was his math teacher in Youngstown, Mrs. Geraldine Haskell (born 1891). I know that she's a relative of yours. He still remembers her vividly. Don sipped his bottle of beer more slowly than I did mine but before I popped open my second I put my roast beef on 'weck sandwich in the microwave and heated it up along with only a small serving of French fries. Don told me he wasn't hungry just yet but I told him to just let me know when he was ready and I'd heat up his sandwich. BTW, when he brought the groceries in for our dinner he let me know that two bottles of beer were for him and the other four bottles were for me! Yeh, like right! Like I'm still able to belt down four bottles of beer in any one evening anymore! But more ludicrous was that he had bought three sandwiches, one for him and TWO for me! It's all that I can do to eat one at a sitting. Yet it surprised me that after I had finished the first half, I couldn't resist starting on the second half and didn't quit until I finished it. As a result I stuffed myself on that one sandwich plus about 1/2 of the serving of French fries on my plate and I'm still trying to recover from it. When he popped open his second beer he decided it was time for him to eat then but wouldn't let me heat his sandwich up--it would taste as good to him cold as hot. He carried it over to the table on the plate I got down for him and sat down to enjoy it. I offered him a paper napkin but he declined. He had spotted my paper towel holder on the wall and helped himself. That was a good enough napkin for him. So that's the way our dinner date went. Just two old shipmates sitting over a couple of beers and remembering the way the Navy used to be and enjoying sharing our memories of it. A comment to my sister Norma. you'll be pleased that my house is still warm enough so that I didn't have to cover up my blouse with a sweatshirt to keep me warm. My house did that for me. Sorry to disappoint any of you! I told you in the first place that it wasn't planned to be a romantic evening together. It wasn't, but the two of us certainly enjoyed our time together. Shipmates forever! vee