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Cute pictures, Butch, and finally after all these years I get to see you

with a big smile on your face, in the bar, holding Alex. Nice intro to the

US for Tanya, looks like y'all had a lot of fun!

 

http://anyasgarden.com/perfumes.htm Parfums Natural

http://artisannaturalperfumers.com The Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild

http://naturalperfumery.com The Premier Natural Perfume Site Gateway

[Guest guest]

Hey y'all,

 

I've been back in Turkey for a few days .. had tons of crap waiting for

me and had to deal with it .. or at least start to deal with it .. but I

am now officially back for duty. Jet Lag is kicking our butts. ;-)

Easy it is to adjust when one goes back .. but difficult it is to spring

forward .. the US Army recognized this fact years ago.

 

It was a good trip .. I extended it from 6 weeks to 2 months. We

covered 18 states and drove over 7,500 miles without an unpleasant

incident. Alexander charmed the ladies all along the trip .. mattered

not if they looked at him or not .. he would stare at them and smile.

Even the Homeland Security ladies in the airport couldn't keep their

poker faces when he cut loose on them. ;-) Airline stewardesses

swarmed him .. as did the Turkish lady police when we returned to Turkey

via the Ankara Airport. One of his smiling photos is in the list photo

archive now .. took over 600 photos on the trip but put only 24 of them

on the list .. at the following URL .. Title: Butch's 2006 USA Trip

http://health.ph./photos

 

We started in D.C. .. stayed at the Army-Navy Club .. an old tradition

in D.C. Its on Farregut (Damn the torpedoes .. full speed ahead) Square

around 2 blocks from the White House. We visited all of the Memorials

(Vietnam, Korea, WWII, Police) and the Washington Monument .. as well

the International Spy Museum. Also visited Arlington National Cemetery.

I always visit there .. those who have not been there should consider

doing so .. watch the changing of the guard .. proud young troops they

are. Also visited an old friend .. retired general .. in Mount Vernon.

 

We then went to my company in Western Maryland for a while .. then down

to Top Sail Island, NC to visit with another retired officer and his

family. Did a bit of pier fishing at Surf City.

 

Then to Mount Pleasant (Charleston) SC to visit another friend retired

from the US Army. Went out close to the Gulf Stream after King Fish

while there .. later used cast nets to catch shrimp .. had a good time.

 

Then headed out to the AT Shindig in Albuquerque .. I'll post the photos

of that event at a different time and announce it. A good time was had

by all .. we ate lots of good Mexican chow and visited Old Town a few

times (actually, the old Spanish Quadrangle we stayed in was at the edge

of Old Town).

 

Then down to Glenwood, NM (Gila Wilderness Area) to visit another old

friend .. then headed East again to Rogers, AR (Beaver Lake) for another

visit with an old friend. Carl has 13 lake front acres on the lake and

we had a good time boating, swimming, fishing, Skidooing and this and that.

 

Because I have made a decision to move back to the USA in April or May

2007, we then headed up to the Kentucky Lake area of Tennessee. I grew

up 50 miles from there. http://www.kentuckylake.com/kylake/kylake.htm

 

Kentucky Lake is the 2nd largest man made lake in the world. Its over

185 miles long as the crow flies and has over 2,400 miles of shoreline.

Kentucky Dam is one of the largest in the world. Its a great recreation

area. Fishing year round .. http://www.kentuckylake.com/fishing.htm

http://www.kentuckylake.com/gallery/

 

When I get settled .. Good Lawd Willing .. folks who come to visit me

can go fishing/boating .. or lay in a swing between 2 trees .. or sit on

the porch .. and we'll have a beer or a Kentucky Bourbon or a Mint Julep

or a sweet iced tea. They'll eat barbecued chicken or ribs or steaks or

hamburgers .. or deep fried catfish or bass or crappie .. and eat tater

salad and hush puppies .. maybe an apple pie from my trees or a

blackberry pie from the wild bushes I'll harvest. ;-) If I'm lucky

they will be able to walk down to the water .. or at least have a good

view of the lake .. that is what I prefer.

 

On the other side of Kentucky Lake is Barkley Lake ..

http://www.kentuckylake.com/barkley/barkley.htm

 

Between them is Land Between the Lakes .. a popular conservation area.

http://www.kentuckylake.com/lbl/index.htm

 

In any case .. I'll not be over a 15 minute drive to the Lake and I can

tow my bass boat and leave my pontoon at a pay dock year around.

 

I wanna nice flower and vegetable garden .. fruit trees, maybe a small

pond with critters in it .. fish often .. take my family out on a

pontoon boat at least 2 times a week.

 

Am I quitting the EO business? No! At least not through January 2008.

After that time .. I might. Might then take a job if I can get on as

a Game Warden or Deputy Sheriff. Law Enforcement and Game Management I

have many years experience in .. and I like both very much.

 

I'm considering Paris, TN .. Benton or Murray, KY .. maybe a couple of

other small towns around KY and/or Barkley Lakes. We are serious

fer'shur .. left most of our Summer clothing in a large suitcase at my

company in MD. ;-)

 

Turkey has been nice to me for close to 26 years .. 19+ years this trip.

But now I have Alexander to think of .. he turned 6 months old on 5

September .. growing fast he is .. and I don't want to raise him here.

 

I am tired of traveling. I've logged at least a couple of million miles

of air travel during 30 years in the Army and then settling overseas.

Got at least 250,000 just in annual trips back and forth from Turkey to

the USA this past 19+ years. I plan to make one more trip to Russia in

November and then back to Turkey .. then one more to the USA and stay ..

that will do for me. I don't care if I ever travel again except by car

or bass or pontoon boat. ;-)

 

Anyway .. from the Kentucky Lake area we visited friends on the TN-KY

line and then headed south to Conyers (outside Atlanta), GA, to visit

with my kids and another old retired military friend. Then headed back

up to my company in Maryland.

 

A long trip for sure .. Alexander handled it better than we did. ;-)

Little rascal saw 3 countries and 18 states afore his 6th month.

 

Tanya was impressed by the highways and discipline shown by drivers ..

folks in the USA complain but its only because they've not driven in

many of the countries I've lived in.

 

She also loved the Green .. America is GREEN .. except for that stretch

on Hwy. 40 across Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle .. we were in trees

during the entire trip. Reminded her a lot of her home in the foothills

of the Ural Mountains.

 

When one is traveling they do their best when it comes to chow. I'll

say that in my opinion .. the best breakfasts in the USA are Waffle

House, Cracker Barrel and Shoneys .. and I sorta miss'em. ;-) Prices

for buffet type meals in the USA are embarrassingly low .. I'm not sure

how they get by .. maybe on volume. For example, in Clarksville, TN, I

have always chowed down at a Chinese Buffet that offers crab and shrimp

and such .. along with forty eleven other goodies .. $6.99 a person. I

can eat $26.99 in just shrimp. ;-)

 

Again .. it was a very pleasant trip and we had a great time. And .. we

put on a few pounds. ;-)

 

Couple of AT points some folks are probably wondering about:

 

Rose Wax: The producer sold what he had for more than we agreed on ..

probably to the European company who bought his first production of Rose

Absolute. He says he will have more for me in October. We will see ..

I consider his actions less than honorable now because we had an

agreement .. I don't expect much from such people.

 

Rose Hydrosol: I returned to fight with the producers .. their Board of

Governors (mostly politicians) raised the price. Bottom line .. I lost

the argument .. and the product is going to cost twice what I paid in

the past. But .. I am the only one they are selling to this year and

there is (will continue to be) a shortage of Rose Hydrosol from both

Turkey and Bulgaria.

 

The Date of Testing of Hydrosols on my web site is incorrect .. Chris

will be changing it to the new 31 August 2006 test in the next few days.

http://www.av-at.com/hydrosol.html

 

So .. here we be .. ate lots of good chow in the USA .. caught lots of

fish. Visited lots of old and honorable friends .. saw lots of nice

things and finally decided its time to return to the USA. This was the

first very trip I've made outside Turkey where I did NOT look forward to

returning.

 

I'll be replying to a few posts I see in the archive .. shouldn't bother

folks too much cause it seems the list is sorta slow lately. ;-)

 

Y'all have a good one .. and keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch http://www.AV-AT.com