The Birth of Brandi's Twins [COTW 8/8/11]

[mlee]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

So, it appears the Interim Publisher, (who isn't "taking" the job and is retiring in a month or so), has given me the royal runaround, and thus, I will continue pursuing the information I can. The good news is, they (the fire department) have found the daily logs for all of the years I need to reference. I have already been through the 1984 Central Station Log.... I have a lot of dates and addresses from that year, as well as the chronological order of specific events... within reason....

This "interim" told me about newspaper archive . com, which is a pay service. I'll sign up for it for a month and see how complete it is, if they even have anything I need.

I was informed by another source, the paper gave thousand of micro-fiche plates to guy with a print shop, former mayor owns it... I may reach out to him, as well if they have storage facilities for that much, the Library or the Historical Preservation Society may have printed copies of the papers... Time will tell.... and I have a lunch date with my old training officer.... He has some info for me...

I also received some images from one of my lieutenants who has a scrap book....

In the first image, I'm the young skinny dude performing compressions on a dude who wrecked a big panel van. This was in 1985 I believe, so I was 23 at the time.... The Lieutenant that provided me this image is the guy holding the light box behind me... I started in Kerrville as an FF / EMT, and this was at the time there was no requirement for having any medical certification, but it was in process. We eventually took over EMS from the private provider and had a very progressive and aggressive EMS system...
Attachment 1157658


This image is of those of us that went out in the swollen flood waters of the Guadalupe River when the bus and van were washed off with the loss of 10 lives. We actually saved two teens and the bus drivers wife...


This was in a river section that is normally 10-15 feet wide at the low water crossing, and as we entered the waters in a raft, it was over a mile wide and moving roughly 60 mph in the middle. We worked our way from tree clump to tree clump, as the people escaping the bus and the van were seeking sanctuary in the trees, as were snakes and balls of fire ants. Some of you may have seen news videos of the Army helicopters with perpetrators and PJ's picking kids from trees. There was a news chopper (KENS-TV Chopper 5) pressed into service as well. Mike Rice, the pilot of Chopper 5 said he would work with us in Kerrville anytime anywhere... He came up and attended and assisted with training classes we had for swift water scenarios... He brought the chopper and a camera man and made news stories out of our training classes. We were instrumental in bringing "Rescue 3" (a company out of Sonoma California owned by Jim Segerstrom) to Texas for Swift Water Rescue 1, 2 and Instructor... A number of us taught the initial classes offered in Texas.
We were nominated for the Benjamin Franklin Award for Heroism; though we didn't win the awards, to be nominated is more than enough.... Several million Firefighters in the US and Canada, and there are roughly 10-15 nominations a year... so.... I'm the one shaking hands with the Mayor
Attachment 1157659


I passed the message on to Deb, and yes,if you were an illegal, it would all be catered to you....

Now you can both enjoy all the free time... time for some travel.

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by mlee

Now you can both enjoy all the free time... time for some travel.

Travel is tough with the dogs… There are only two people we would allow to house sit our pups… A close friend that is a dog trainer, and our best friend… So, while Ihave every intention to take Deb on a retirement trip, it’ll probably be spring at the earliest… I want to take her to Jamaica for 10 days to two weeks…

450 lbs of dog….

[mlee]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

Travel is tough with the dogs… There are only two people we would allow to house sit our pups… A close friend that is a dog trainer, and our best friend… So, while Ihave every intention to take Deb on a retirement trip, it’ll probably be spring at the earliest… I want to take her to Jamaica for 10 days to two weeks…

450 lbs of dog….

Yeah, that's why when our last dog died we didn't get another one. Just lock up the house and go and loving it.

Looks like Chevron will be offering early out packages in a couple months and I definitely plan to jump on that. Was going to retire in May but this will be an extra nice bonus to go with it. Lot's of travel already planned. Jamaica will be awesome.

If you ever need a great trusted dog/house sitter I have one. He's currently watching the dogs for the guy who purchased the Z/28 that I originally had on order. You might know Malcolm Perez who has a ZL1 and did all the fancy car photos I've posted over the years.

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by mlee

Yeah, that's why when our last dog died we didn't get another one. Just lock up the house and go and loving it.

Looks like Chevron will be offering early out packages in a couple months and I definitely plan to jump on that. Was going to retire in May but this will be an extra nice bonus to go with it. Lot's of travel already planned. Jamaica will be awesome.

If you ever need a great trusted dog/house sitter I have one. He's currently watching the dogs for the guy who purchased the Z/28 that I originally had on order. You might know Malcolm Perez who has a ZL1 and did all the fancy car photos I've posted over the years.

Re: the early out...

My long term disability company has offered to buy out my account.... So they are offering a bulk settlement now, in lieu of continued monthly payments.

In the paperwork, they offered what works out to almost three years of payments, and documented that my long term disability runs until March of 29, or over 4 more years.... So a loss in value there.... and then the Tax man would take his third as if I made that kind of money annually.... so another over a year worth of payments...

Deb and I discussed, we will pass TYVM....

[mlee]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

Re: the early out...

My long term disability company has offered to buy out my account.... So they are offering a bulk settlement now, in lieu of continued monthly payments.

In the paperwork, they offered what works out to almost three years of payments, and documented that my long term disability runs until March of 29, or over 4 more years.... So a loss in value there.... and then the Tax man would take his third as if I made that kind of money annually.... so another over a year worth of payments...

Deb and I discussed, we will pass TYVM....

Yeah, I would pass too but the lump sum also can be invested to avoid current taxes. I plan to have my 401k maxed out early this year with bonus coming and then this payment.

[SSE 4 2SS]

So this past Thursday, we lost our beloved Abbie… She suffered a rapid onset of Wobblers Syndrome… Initially, she didn’t give any indication of any pain, just an unsteady gait occasionally… She was still active and even seemed a little frustrated when her legs wouldn’t respond as she directed them…

Thursday, my wife Deb was in the laundry, and Abbie was maybe 10 feet away in the hallway, and fell such that she was down with her back legs stretched out behind her, and was still mostly up on her front legs…, and she was crying out in pain… Deb got to her and was able to help her back to her feet then had her lay down, which is where I found them a few minutes later when I got out of the shower… What if we hadn’t been home…

We knew it was time and so I called the Vet, a family friend, and we ended up taking Abbie to his office in my wife’s van. We got her out to walk for a minute, and then she got back in the van. Our vet came out, and sedated her in the car and we sat in back with her, (she was asleep with her head on my lap) as she snored. He came back out after a time and euthanized her, as we all cried… The vet techs, the vet, my wife and I… Abbie was an amazing personality… She was hard to know, but once you were in her circle…

We left the Vets office and drove home to get Shadrach… He sniffed of her in the back of the van and we loaded him up for the trip to the crematorium. It was a tough drive… We will scatter her ashes at the base of one of her favorite pecan trees, on my sis - in - laws 10 acre orchard… Abbie’s happy place….She will be able to chase squirrels to her hearts content…

Love Your Pets, They Love you Unconditionally…

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Wow, cool dogs!! So sad to hear though that you lost one of them. My condolences for you guys. Take care.

[Ashen 6.2]

Oh my. So sorry to read this and for your loss. It's hard every single time. Thats one thing that never gets easier. Again, sorry for the loss and hang in there.

[SlowLS1]

Sorry to hear that Robert, it's tough losing a furry baby.

All we can do is make their time here as wonderful and loved as possible, they are such a short part of our lifetime, but we are all of theirs.

Brian

[mlee]

sorry to hear this Robert

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by 1JEWLDSSRS

Wow, cool dogs!! So sad to hear though that you lost one of them. My condolences for you guys. Take care.

Thanks Wayne...

Originally Posted by Ashen 6.2

Oh my. So sorry to read this and for your loss. It's hard every single time. Thats one thing that never gets easier. Again, sorry for the loss and hang in there.

Thanks Ashe

Originally Posted by SlowLS1

Sorry to hear that Robert, it's tough losing a furry baby.

All we can do is make their time here as wonderful and loved as possible, they are such a short part of our lifetime, but we are all of theirs.

Brian

Thanks Brian...

Originally Posted by mlee

sorry to hear this Robert

Thanks Mike... It's gonna be a long time, but we are doing well....


I did miss one detail, and I'm kicking myself over it....


Abbie had a toe on her right back foot that was amputated about six months ago. One of life's mysteries. It was a middle toe, one of the primary weight bearing toes. She cut her pad, or had something penetrate it, and we fought for months trying to get it to heal. Every time it would heal over, and she was limp free, (which she hardly limped at all anyway ever) it would rupture and ooze /bleed again... It was finally time to have it surgically explored, looking for any foreign bodies... She had X-rays and other scans done showing nothing.


Cancer? Nope...



Nothing was found so with prior approval just in case, the doctors amputated her toe. It was sent off for pathology or histology or whatever.... Nothing found, and within a couple days, other than bleeding around the sutures, she was back to normal.... We had neoprene shoes she wore to keep it all as clean as could be when outside...



I loving her referred to her as the three toed sloth, though she was anything but sloth-like.... Hyper crazy clown is what she was....



So this was a long story to mention why I'm kicking myself... The Crematorium does paw print molds they give to the owners. Like those clay imprints. I thought about it on the way to have them do her three toed foot, and forgot to request it... Maybe just maybe they noticed and will do so, but I forgot to ask... I would keep a three toed imprint on my desk for sure...as her foot made me smile every time I saw it... As it is, her imprint will go on the fireplace mantel with one from Satchmo, who is pictured in my first few posts of this build thread...



Love Your Pets, They Love You Unconditionally...

[SSE 4 2SS]

Well, nine days and counting...

I'm headed to West Virginia, specifically to Ripley West Virginia. I'm going on my Indian, about 1500 miles each way. I'm going to have a custom one-off hand made seat built on a ride in option. I arrive the day before my appointment and drop the bike off, and the tear down begins...

Remove the seat, remove the vinyl, remove most of the factory foam, and then drive back out there the day of my appointment, the 23rd, and start the build up and fitting. The seat will be wider than the factory seat. it will also be more formed to the actual shape of ones backside.

I ordered and installed a "RoadSofa" which had a caveat about the passenger section being wider than the factory seat, but no warning as such that the drivers seat would be 1 1/2 inches narrower. Live and learn... Anyone want a RoadSofa for an Indian Challenger... I'm sure it's a good seat to some, those without substantial neuropathy.... Make you a heck of a deal... It's heated front and rear...

I'll be traveling to Benton Arkansas the first day, staying with my sis-in-law and taking her and my niece and her husband to dinner, unless shes in the hospital delivering her first child.

My second night will be in Bardstown Kentucky. Random hotel.... From there I will push on to Ripley WV. Three nights there as I'm allowing for weather and rain... I prefer not to ride in the rain, so I'm allowing one travel day of potential loss... I'll be stopping at open Indian Dealers along the way to get T-shirts. and traveling to a couple of them Tuesday early before I drop off the bike if weather allows for it....

My return trip will include the first day towards home, heading to Sams' house in Tennessee. I'll spend the night there, and then make my way to Vance Alabama, stopping at a random Hotel, with good reviews.

My last stop for the night before home will be in Natchitoches La. I'll be meeting with a friend I worked with in Brazil, and Mexico whom I haven't seen in 13 or 14 years. About the best crane operator I ever worked with... I did select this stop to meet up with Chris, especially after I was told at the Holiday Inn Express they have a "NO" firearms policy unless you are law enforcement... No problem, no business from me...

When I had to be under a big lift, I wanted Chris at the controls, he and a very select few others.... I could find all kinds of piddly busy work to kill time until Chris came on duty at noon or midnight as the case may be, to make critical lifts, say stabbing a tensioner rod, or even pulling the rod, or installing a complete tensioner, or removing a bonnet door, or stabbing a ram double or annular on the stack...

A few of the less talented crane operators hated me for it, but Subsea doesn't make little or inexpensive mistakes. I wanted the best available working with me.... and I would finagle it so that happened almost every time...

I'm leaving on the 19th, so if anyone wants to meet along the way, give a shout... I was hoping to meet up with Ben W. in LR, but it's not in the cards....

3K miles, 8 days, a sore butt on the way, and a comfy ride on the way back... My seat will have red stitching, slick leather rather than this "carbon fiber," and a backrest from Utopia....

[SSE 4 2SS]

Folks,


If you are the praying type, or if you're not, please offer up whatever you can, a prayer, a good vibe, whatever, for the Victims of the floods occurring here in Texas as well as those across other parts of the U.S.


I had flashbacks to 1987 when the first videos of the helicopters plucking campers from the trees in the wake of this record setting flood.


I was heavily involved in the rescue efforts in 1987, and this hits very close to home.


Thank You for anything you may offer.

[mlee]

Worst disaster to ever hit this state as far as lives lost including many children. So very sad.

If you were to look at the calendar 365 24/7 you could not have picked a worse date/time with the 4th falling on a Friday and the Guadalupe being the #1 vacation spot for 4th of July. Then to happen at night after the big day of festivities and so fast there could be no notifications was horrific. I keep asking why didn't this at least happen any other time, middle of the week or something.

Some things you just can't understand... Just horrific and it continues... Prayers sent.