Today is the day I pay homage to my grandkids. Let's start on the west coast with Sean Ross Tully, son of Bonny Sue Butler (nee Ross). Sean is not only a pro surfer but an accomplished artist. Just last month he had a showing in a California art gallery and sold nine of his paintings. Now he has been commissioned by a real estate developer to supply some of his paintings for his private collection which he plans to hang in a new Toronto hotel. Prior to all this Sean has had his picture on the cover of "Longboard Magazine" and a critique of his paintings in "The Malibu" magazine. Next on the west coast, a new CA arrival, Hannah Ross, daughter of Joel and Barbara of Virginia. Hannah recently graduated from NYU and has made her way to California. She is an accomplished photographer and she deigns one day to work in the film industry. She does plan to continue her education at UCLA. And granddaughter, #2, Katrina Ross Schilling, is also in California working for Harley Davidson as a motorcycle mechanic! (Dad, Bobby, is a crack sales rep at a Harley in Virginia). Katrina recently graduated from Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix, AZ. She is quite a beauty and no doubt one day will own a Harley Davidson store!. Final grandchild is Adam Ross, Joel and Barbara's son. He is an outstanding computer graphics wizard and at present, I believe, he resides in D.C. If you need that kind of work you can reach him at Ross Graphic Design www.rossgd.com. He did a masterful job designing my book cover, MEMOIRS of a TAIL GUNNER. If you would care to see that design go to http://stores.lulu.com/norrho1.
Click on the bottom title if you would like to learn more. As for Rhoda and me, today we ran out trying to find a new spaghetti pot for our new glass top stove. The pot we had took forever to boil water, and never did get there. We tried another pot at Walmart, and had to return it...water didn't boil. Now we have two pots bought at Home Goods and we'll see if we have more success. I guess this stove doesn't heat up as well as the old stove we had. The heat is still tough here. You can fry an egg in our parking lot. Well, hope you're all well. Now I'm going to chill out andwatch Tiger Woods in the PGA.
Went to see the "Bourne Ultimatim" this evening and it was entertaining and suspenseful. Lots of action and lots of very nice cars destroyed. Of course Matt Damon put on his Superman cape when he leaped from tall buildings, jumped off a bridge into a river and survived every time. After the movie we went to Nathans in Boynton Beach and a hot dog dinner with fries and a beverage. Elegant dining and comfort food. Speaking of food, I really should go on a diet, but it's difficult to lose weight when your legs won't let you exercise and your metabolism is down to zero. So, when you're 83 I figure you have a right to enjoy yourself now and then even it's an ice cream cone. Following our dinner, we went to a neighbor's place a few doors down and played Canasta until 10 p.m. which it is now. Time for bed. Hope you're all well and having fun.
Wow...A neighbor emailed me this morning and said I should type "Memoirs of a Tail Gunner" on GOOGLE. So, I did and to my surprise, amazement, and delight, there were several links to my book published at Lulu.com! If there is anyone out there foolish enough to buy my book, I suggest they click on "Norman's Store" and then on the book selling for $60.33. That's the 6x9 372 page version. That comes out to $.16 a page. I wouldn't buy it myself. But it sure is pretty. The other version is a 8x11 hardcopy...good for the cocktail table but not very good to bring to the doctor's waiting room. I have been re-reading the book myself, and I can't believe I wrote it. It's weird, but it reads like someone who is not me wrote it. It's not half bad and the poetry at the end is really good...in my educated opinion. And if it gets boring, you could always just look at the pictures. So much for the book. Now, I've embarked on a new project...my blog. I don't even know what a blog is. I'll have to look it up in Webster when a new edition comes out. Every day new words are added to the language. It's getting much harder to do the Times Sunday crossword puzzle. Well, it's another very hot day here in South Florida, so Rhoda and I are going to a cool movie...the Bourne something or other. Then after to some elegant dining at Nathan's for hot dogs. Following that, to a neighbor' s place for a hot Canasta game.
Wow! I got up this morning to check on my ING IRA and found that I made about $600 yesterday because the stupid DOW went up over 100 points! And then I went to my blog, and lo and behold I had not one, not two, but three comments!! One from a former student, one from my dear friend, Coach, and one from my dear cuz, Gary who vowed to keep reading MEMOIRS because he owed it to me! Well, you out there, keep the comments coming. I like to read as well as write. Also, I'm trying to throw in a picture on my blog, and when I figure out how to do it, you'll see it..... Have a great day. "Doc", Cuz, nrr, Red Baron.
Right now I believe my 4 Amazings are on a ship cruising Alaska. The Amazings include my son, Joel; my daughter, Robin; and my twins, Bobby & Bonny. All of these "kids" are now over 50 and all are very close and all are successful. Joel spent his career in the CIA and is now working for Basis Technology.. Robin retired from the Marine Corps as a Lt. Colonel. While in the Corps she was appointed as an Assistant Secretary of Labor in the first Bush administration. After her retirement she was appointed by Jeb Bush as the Executive Director of the Florida Dep't. of Veterans' Affairs. Following that, she was apppointed as an Undersecretary of the Dep't of Veterans' Affairs in D.C. She was the overseer of all the National Cemeteries in the country. She was also responsible for the construction of the South Florida National Cemetery. Sister Bonny has had a successful dog grooming business in California and twin brother Bobby is a crack Harley Davidson Sales Rep. I am extremely proud of all of them, and I revel in the fact that they will all be together once again on this Alaskan cruise.
Well, I've finally written a book. It's an autobiography titled, "Memoirs of a Tailgunner." Now people might think this is all about war, but my WWII experiences are only one part of this book. It has 372 pages...which is alot to fill up with words...but I've had a long and eventful life. Actually, I feel that I've had 7 different lives...each new one beginning or ending with some kind of traumatic occurence. Now, you might ask why the title points toward a war experience and not something else...perhaps "Memoirs of a Teacher" or "Memoirs of a Thespian" or "Memoirs of a Dad", etc. The fact is that my experience in a war was the biggest influence in my life, and so the title.
Now, I'm happy to say that the manuscript has been published and can be purchased only on the web at http://www.lulu.com/. Actually it's two books. The
addenda contains most all of the poetry I've ever written, and I have had that portion of the book published separately under the title, "ADDENDA a Book of Poetry." I have sent a copy of MEMOIRS to each of my children, to my friends and former colleagues Bernie Shulman and Phil Bergovoy; to Geri, my wife Rhoda's sister and also her brother, Barry. The book is pretty expensive...except for the poetry book which is only priced at $12. It took me 13 months to finish the manuscript which I typed on the computer. If I had to use a typewriter, I don't think it would have ever been done! Buy my book! You won't be sorry.
