Good Morning Campers,
It’s Tuesday morning and I’m at home, rather than at Mr. Gray’s normal day job because of a wicked ass headache that gave me crap for sleep last night. When your job involves making decisions that could affect many people’s lives and you are not at 100%, tis best served by staying home and suffering in silence.
My idea behind mentioning that is not to get the well-wishes that I’m sure many of you will send my way, in fact, by the time you read this it will all be in the distant past (I most sincerely hope!) and long forgotten by me. But the reason I bring this up is to perhaps explain the bit of a maudlin mood I’m in and to share a bunch of pictures that Jean sent me that really hit home.
I just got through this past weekend, teaching class to a bunch of Air Force Reserve guys who are all getting activated and sent overseas. In all my classes, my last little speech involves thanking them for their service and their sacrifices that they have voluntarily given and endured for the protection and the safety and security of all the rest of us.
Many of you know that both Lethal and myself have given of our own in the service of our country. I, in my small way, am continuing to do what I can for my boys in blue and I know that Lethal has given so very much more than I have that it grips my heart at times to talk to him when I can hear the pain in his voice from the things that he has suffered over the years.
And then I get these pictures from Jean:
HAVE YOU SEEN ANY PHOTOS LIKE THIS IN THE LAST SIX YEARS?
There were many, many more pictures in the email she sent me and maybe I’ll sprinkle them out throughout the rest of the issue, but my emotional hold won’t let me continue to put them in right now. Well, the answer to the original question, Have you seen any pictures like this over the last six years?, is a resounding no. Any pictures you do see with the current commander in chief are staged and are obviously not the open, emotional pictures you see here.
Now, I was never a huge fan of Bush’s politics, although I wasn’t a big opponent either, but the one thing you have to say about the man, is that he knew how to properly show his affection for his military. From sneaking overseas (yes, sneaking!) to have serve Thanksgiving to the troops…
to doing more with the wounded and disabled vets than any president before or since…
He was the military’s leader. The Commander-In-Chief.
It breaks my heart that the men and women who are now serving, both active duty and reserves, in the Guard and the Guard Reserve, that they don’t have that Leader with the heart of a Warrior to, at the very least, let them know how much they are appreciated. To let them know how much their sacrifices and their service means.
So, if I may, and I know it’s not Veteran’s Day and I know it’s only coming from an ex-Air Force NCO and a current member of the United States of America who is one who benefits from your sacrifice and your service, let me take this opportunity to tell you that there are still people left in our country who DO appreciate what you do. Who are eternally thankful that there are men and women like you, who are standing tall, keeping the watch and willingly putting your butts on the line to stand between us back home and the evilness in this world. Thank you for your long hours, your dark nights, your numbing cold and your blistering heat. Thank you for the sweat of your brow and the lion in your heart.
And thank your families who stand behind you and suffer along with you. Who’s waking thoughts are of your safety and who’s final prayers before bed are for your welfare.
Thank you. From my heart. Thank you.
We have some new Contributors!
Special thanks to : Philip S., Lona T., Karl K., Joe P., and Jon J. So, here’s our list:
That’s 19 Contributions so far. We still have a little time left if you wish to donate, still. And get all the benefits thereof. Please, won’t you please at least consider it?
Now…
I’m not sure that Bill got the desired affect he was looking for.
Winter is coming!
No, not on Game of Thrones, but it’s really coming. Here’s a picture of some of my cooler friends from last years snow extravaganza. Some of you may have remembered that party. It was a really good one!
So sad, and so true.
Yup, makes perfect sense to me. The art of distraction. But, how stupid are we going to stay?
Just another one to keep you reminded. This is the way it SHOULD be.
Ever wonder where the meat comes from on our table. Here’s one of our huntresses. Well, a pencil sketch of one of our huntresses, but it’s a really good likeness.
If you can sympathize with any of these, you’re probably as old or older than I am.
Yup. Got most of them.
I’ve flown all over the world and have met many a fine inflight personnel. This one though, is quite funny:
And here’s another one for my Dad. Papa Dragon Most Senior.
The Gospel According to St. Andrew:
3. It is almost impossible to remember how tragic a place the world is when one is playing golf. — Robert Lynd
4. If profanity had any influence on the flight of the ball, the game of golf would be played far better than it is. — Horace G. Hutchinson5. They say golf is like life, but don’t believe them. Golf is more complicated than that. — Gardner Dickinson 6. If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork as poorly as they do a golf club, they’d starve to death. — Sam Snead
7. Golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness. — William Wordsworth
8. If you drink, don’t drive. Don’t even putt. — Dean Martin
9. If you are going to throw a club, it is important to throw it ahead of you, down the fairway, so you don’t have to waste energy going back to pick it up. — Tommy Bolt 10. Man blames fate for all other accidents, but feels personally responsible when he makes a hole-in-one. — Bishop Sheen11. I don’t say my golf game is bad, but if I grew tomatoes they’d come up sliced. — Arnold Palmer
12. My handicap? Woods and irons. — Chris Codiroli
13. The ardent golfer would play Mount Everest if somebody would put a flag stick on top. — Pete Dye
14. I’m hitting the woods just great; but having a terrible time getting out of them! — Buddy Hackett
15. The only time my prayers are never answered is playing golf. — Billy Graham
16. If you think it’s hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball. — Jack Lemmon
17. It’s good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling. — Mark Twain
18. Don’t play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty. — Harry Vardon
19. Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at either of them. — Jimmy DeMaret
20. May thy ball lie in green pastures, and not in still waters. — Ben Hogan
21. If I hit it right, it’s a slice. If I hit it left, it’s a hook. If I hit it straight, it’s a miracle. — Anon
20. The difference in golf and government is that in golf you can’t improve your lie. — George Deukmejian23. Golf is a game invented by the same people who think music comes out of a bagpipe. — Lee Trevino
24. Reason they call it golf is cuz all the other four-letter words were taken. — Woody Woodbury
And Finally:
25. The No. 1 Golf rule you MUST follow: take the car keys and cell phone out of your golf bag before you throw it into the creek.
Okay, that’s the last one I’m going to share…but it is one of my favorite sets of pictures.
Get down you runt!
Super Turtle, huh? Well, then fly!
Yup. Been there, my friend. Been there.
Terror Alert News
The lady sitting next to them ignores them at first, but her attention is galvanized
when she hears one of them say the following:
Den I come.
Den two asses come together.
I come once-a-more! …
Two asses, they come together again
I come again and pee twice.
Then I come one lasta time.’
‘In this country, we don’t speak aloud in public places about our sex lives!”
‘Hey, coola down lady,’ said the man, ‘Whooza talkin’ about sex?
I’m a justa tellin’ my frienda how to spell ‘ Mississippi .’
$ 10.00 says you’re gonna read this again!
I debated on whether to rant through this Last Word, or to publish someone else’s essay or to do something else…something else won out. Here are some humorous pictures with a message…
Baffling, I know, but true none the less. Don’t ask me why, since it’s the guns that are the problem, not the criminals.
Good question. But, I’m sure we all know it’s the cops that are at fault. Not the Hoodlums, and especially not the parents.
Yeah, because we all know how many problems Rednecks, Christians, Gun Owners and Cops create.
Shame on you for putting that much pressure on your children. Teaching them to behave all the time must have been devastating to their psyche.
Oh, of course! Terribly sorry. We didn’t see the connection. Now that we know that we can tell if your lying….what’s that? How can we tell that you’re lying? Because your mouth is open and you are talking.
And my favorite one by far!…
What a perfect comparison.
Well, did I make my point?
You have the power in your hands. Know who you have to vote for and do so!
Dragon Laffs 
So glad the killer headache is in the past. I just loved all the pictures of President Bush showing his appreciation to our military. He was a Commander In Chief to be proud of. The day Paul was at ground zero on Friday, September 14, 2001, President Bush stood on a pile of rubble thanking all the first responders for their help. You are so right in saying THANK YOU to anyone in uniform, they are keeping us safe with little appreciation shown to them.
You did an ace job on the issue with lots of laughs….loved the Southwest pre-flight speech. So glad to hear we had five more contributions, it truly is our way of saying thank you to Impish and Lethal for the time devoted to each of their issues. I’ll keep making License Plates for your State and name …so PLEASE lets make it the best year of donations for the guys.