*** Quoting Ward Dossche from a message to Carol Shenkenberger ***

> Good!  Excellent use of the euros there!
WD>  
WD> As long as it lasts ... during the Reagan years it was just the opposi
WD> so between 1977 and 1991 I afforded myself only 1 US-trip. Too expensi
WD> now it is ridiculous cheap.

Well, thats how it works sometimes.  I'm glad you can travel a bit now and
have ¨fun.  There's huge parts of the USA that I've never really 'been to'.
 Like, ¨I've been in NY city (vaguely recall as a kid the huge buildings
and my Mom ¨trying to drive us about) but I've never had a coney island hot
dog.

WD>  
> I do the same sort of thing
> when we hit an asian port like Thailand although I'm not as good at
> making bargains as some.  I actually have several light cloth carryalls I
> use wehn out so I can get it all back home from the ship.
WD>  
WD> Couldn't you just order a lower-ranking newbee with little seniority t
WD> take it home for you "or else..."?

LOL!  Doesnt work that way.  Actually though, for some odd reason the guys
like ¨me and always offer to help out if i look like I need it.

It's probably based in some aspects of just being a nice person ;-)

When one of my sailors got in a horrible mess, I took care of him and his
¨family.  His wife had gotten in an accident (no alcohol involved).  It was
a ¨big legal mess that lasted for 6 months and finally ended with her being
¨deported (leave Japan or go to jail).  We got to Sasebo at the 11th hour
with ¨his wife frantically trying to work out all the hoops.  We'd been out
the past ¨4 months and had only 36 hours in port, then due out another 6
weeks.  

Much as i love my family, this time I spent 16 of those hours getting them
all ¨set up.  Waved 'Senior Chief' anchors as needed.  Household goods
packed next ¨day, Power of Attorny in 15 mins vice waiting a week for an
appointment, that ¨sort of thing.  Lots of little stuff they didnt even
think of, taken care of. ¨Rearranged the plane tickets to allow her that
last day with her husband.  ¨Rearranged his orders to get him to where she
was, 6 months earlier than he ¨would have been.  That sort of thing.  I was
utterly shameless in waiving the ¨anchors as needed .  Even got
the CO to come in at 5am for a call on the ¨military orders to get him to
Chicago soonest (Time difference, have to catch ¨them still at work for
this sort of thing). Grin, I remember the CO's face when ¨I asked him to
come in during that short time.  He'd always said he was forthe ¨crew.  I
told him to 'put up or shut up'.  He just kinda blinked, grinned, and ¨came
in when I told him to for the call.

BTW, I took Charlotte with me as much as possible and there were plenty of
¨'quality' time slots in there.

> falling off his tush but if that's the sty;e there, you have to go along
> with it or he pays the price with his friends.
WD>  
WD> No, but Helly Hansen jacket (my son freaked-out when he discovered tha
WD> my sailing-suit was HH), Tommi Hilfiger hat/cap, Adidas or whatever co

Hilfiger.  Not sure if that's the right spelling but I kniw what you mean
and ¨do not understand that one.  Who the heck is he?

WD> brand shoes, etc...
WD>  
WD> As for baggy-pants, if you want to know my opinion about them then ple
WD> read "Rule 3" from "8 simple rules if you want to
date my teenage daug
WD> ... and these were invented "before" the TV-show:

Snicker, I've seen them.  I agree with them!
                                       xxcarol

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