A very happy Veterans Day....
Burp. I ate my way through
Veterans Day 2017.
There were invites by more than one eateries and I availed myself of a few.
I even received a vet's voucher for a free haircut!
Don't remember doing this before but it WAS the 60th anniversary of my becoming a U.S. Marine.
Living in Charleston back then, my Reserve Unit had merely shipped me down to Parris Island in 1957 on a Greyhound bus.
My lunch on Saturday was at
Chili's, a national chain restaurant that had a special menu to treat veterans.
My plans were to go have a free seafood dinner later so I chose the Old Timer burger. With cheese.
Very fitting...for me.
The restaurant was packed with happy - and hungry - vets and families.
I had no drink or desserts so no check was presented. I handed my server $5 as a tip and hope everyone else did so.
My choice for dinner was
Hyman's Seafood and I saw many G.I. haircuts as I sat at the bar downstairs.
I also saw some salty dudes with no hair.
"Thank you for your service" was heard all around me.
Hyman's offered a free entree up to $20. I chose to enjoy their Crispy Flounder at $18.95.
Along with a Palmetto Amber, the restaurant would not be losing much with the $20 freebie for vets.
I sat next to a nice-looking young couple and when I showed my red former service ID card, he asked if I was a Marine. I replied that I was and found he too was a Marine and his wife was Air Force.
They asked what I did in the Corps and I said my MOS was combat still photographer. They said they knew others with that title and I added Being in 1957-1960, I was fortunate never having been under fire.
Down the bar I saw a man with a David Letterman-like very full white beard.
Have no idea if he actually WAS Letterman but the retired talk show host had to be somewhere and Charleston would have been a good choice.
Hyman's places small brass plaques on tables showing what celebrities had sat there but I don't think they add those to the bar seats.
It was my first time NOT sitting at a table so I was enjoying being among the chattering crowd being seated or stepping inside on a brisk evening, waiting for their names to be called.
Nobody else seemed to think the bar patron was Letterman so I focused on my flounder, hushpuppies and the mac and cheese side.
Oh, and my local craft beer.
I had had my hair cut the day before and my regular barber noted it would have been free the next day.
He suggested I stop by on my way to my Veterans Day lunch and he would give me a voucher for a free haircut, to be used before the end of December.
I have had a beard for a year now so the picture shows me a few years ago, posing in front of his shop.
I usually have my hair cut every 5 or 6 weeks, so I am sure I will use this freebie before the end of the year.
(I am about to shave off my beard so this is a reminder to me of how I will look again.)
Hmmm, I also stopped wearing glasses after successful cataract operations so I won't look exactly like that again.
My evening ended when I stopped by the newest craft beer Brewery -
MUNKLE - and chatted with the Owner/Brewer R. Palmer Quimbly.
He opened a few weeks ago at 1513 Meeting Street Road and stated the only beer he would brew would be Belgian.
"No IPAs here, ever. They are too hoppy and burn your palette."
I mentioned I had been in Belgium, taking a train down from Amsterdam, and had enjoyed my time - and beers - I had in Bruges.
He poured me a tasty Bruges Brun (Brown ale) and pointed out his dog, sitting in the corner, was named Brugges, the Belgian spelling.
He also pointed out items of furniture he had refinished and showed me photos hanging on the wall of familiar Belgian sights and sites.
One included the famed Half-Moon brewery where I had continued my beer education.
I said I had been told there are more than 7,000 beers brewed in Belgium, with a special glass for each one.
"Quite possible," he said, pointing to his large collection of glasses on display.
He added they were here because his wife wanted them somewhere else. not at home.
Next week there will be a stout added to his offerings. I like stouts and porters and the cooler weather is a good time to brew and serve them.
I mentioned I had bought several of the Kwak glasses, with their distinctive wooden glass holders.
I also have a collection of much taller Yard of Ale glasses in similar holders.
They are daunting to clean (breakage) so not used very often.
When
Backstage Deli closed a few years ago in North Charleston near Otranto and Rivers, the owner was kind enough to give me a complete set.
These - including the wooden holders - started with the "
Yard," then the "
Half-Yard", the
"foot" and even the
"toe."
I have not seen the full array in any bar and would hesitate to ask for a "foot" or a "toe" of ale.
Glass displays are just that - something to show - although in Bruges, I did have beer in different shaped glasses.
Travel is so broadening.
I finished my Brown Ale at Munkle and, when I asked for my check, he said
"Thanks for your service" and I headed home.
What comes after a trifecta?
I had four good treats on this year's Veterans Day.
(Click on the links and photos for more details.)
Can't believe it was 60 years ago when I arrived at Parris Island.
I also can't believe I ever weighed only 140 pounds!
Semper Fi.
Labels: Camp Lejeune, domestic pub and brewery crawls, overseas beer tours, Parris Island, Semper Fi, the island of Vieques off Puerto Rico
On a happier note .....
OK, the water is back on so let's move on to more cheerful blog items.
I was late coming to this meme but
Cat Beard gave me something to share with my cat.
They like it when you take their picture.
Even when they are used to simulate a fuzzy beard.
Her tiny nose became mine.
Please notice her curled "Taco Tongue." That was a bonus for the picture.
She likes to please.
My brother Dennis got two fast shots before she squirmed her way outta my hands.
Members of my Photography Group had a busy weekend.
A bunch of us caravaned to Port Royal for a full day down in Beaufort County.
First stop was St. Helena's Island at the
Penn Center.
History, beautiful moss-covered oaks and a nearby church ruin.
Does a weekend start any better than this?
one of the members - Rick Coakley - had the "biggest gun" on this jaunt.
He was prepared for a stop in the Wetlands egret rookery in Port Royal.
Talk about intrusive!
These birds were gathered to nurture their young'uns.
A handy boardwalk brought us close enough to the hundreds of white and tri-colored birds to observe aviary activity with our eyes and cameras.
Even my small P/S was active, using my 20x zoom.
Like most small digital cameras, the viewing screen on the back is difficult to see in bright light.
Larger DSLRs have a nice viewfinder and they can track fast action which was not likely with my Canon SX 260HS.
I had planned ahead though and now had a
viewfinder loupe I hold over the screen.
It has an adjustable lens so I could take off my glasses and concentrate on following the birds in flight.
Also was able to experiment with shooting in "bursts" of 5-6 shots per second as they flapped around.
Our goal for the day was to wander the shrimping boats dock area of Port Royal.
We were fortunate to have
"Phil", a local resident and photographer, join us and help us find areas and interesting targets for shots.
We also had printed out a walking tour for the town.
There was a boardwalk area I missed but members walked up stairs of a 4-story structure for a fantastic view from above.
My GPS was starting to be tired of my lack of knowledge of local geography. I could hear it in the recorded voice.
Many restaurants had signs boasting "Local Shrimp" and I could believe it. I had some later.
Tide was low when we arrived, but by the time we were were seated at
11th Street Dockside restaurant, the boats were bobbing at the piers.
We wandered around and snapped local history and many residents were pleased to pose for our curious cameras.
The restaurant filled quickly with locals and out-of-towners.
I chose to start with steamed peel & eat shrimp.
How could I resist?
Perfectly seasoned and good sized.
A visiting Charleston diner looks at shrimp differently than, say, someone who lives in the Midwest.
When I lived in Kansas City, Missouri, many years ago, there was a local restaurant that featured fresh, live Maine lobsters.
They were flown in daily we were told.
Kansas City also featured "Operas In English."
The planned sunset shoot was thwarted by low clouds that didn't break up. In fact, a storm was approaching Savannah but we did not get any rain, just some short sprinkles.
I drove back to catch a music show at the Pour House. It was to start at 11pm. I stopped for a coffee.
St. Paul and the Broken Bones was touted as having the moves and sounds of Otis Redding.
He and the band grabbed the audience right away.
After just a few bars into his first song, the crowd surged forward and enjoyed every bit of the 75-minute show.
Paul announced, after coming back for an encore, "
That's all the original material we have so we'll do some covers I think you'll enjoy."
He did and we did.
It was his first time ever in Charleston and he had caught a Saturday night starring spot at the PoHo.
I look forward to his next visit.
They'll have more songs then than their initial 4-track EP disk.
Labels: Beaufort, Parris Island, Penn Center, Port Royal, Sea Islands, St. Helena Island, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Wetlands Rookery.
We'll Always Have Parris....Island.
Yesterday I got as close to
Parris Island as I've been in about 50+ years.
One hot and steamy July afternoon all those years ago, I stepped off the bus from Charleston at P.I., stood on the famed yellow footprints and was officially greeted.
Welcomed was not the right word.
At that point, the Marines took over my young life. Well, them and the ever-present sand fleas.
I think my Reserve unit spent about a dollar bus fare to ship me to Boot Camp down in Beaufort County.
But, most of the 16,000 young men (and women) annually arrived at MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) by train and, for many, their first taste of The South was
Yemassee, S.C.
Apparently the train station is still an important part of the small town and a large fading mural depicts the glory days of steam locomotives.
My mother grew up in Yemassee and told me she and her 3 sisters often would wander down to the station - about when the train was due - and enjoy the sight of fit, virile young men trooping from the train and being assembled for the short bus ride to Parris Island.
Yeah, Mom mentioned that.
A Charleston native - even at 18 - knows summer here is hot, hazy and humid so I am surprised I agreed to enter Boot Camp in July.
Fellow recruits from far away places like Ohio and New York also were amazed at my profound stupidity.
After I had signed up and joined the local Reserve unit, I was sworn in one evening in a ceremony downtown at the Gloria Theater.
Today it's known as the College of Charleston's
Sottile Theater but my night there, standing on stage with a few other young recruits, is remembered as the premiere of the new Jack Webb movie called
"The DI."
As we sat in stunned silence, the other newest recruits and I watched a scary, pretty accurate depiction of what we were about to face. Yikes.
(Click on the photos for more detail.) I did NOT take the photo of the friendly Drill Instructors. That came from the internet. My palms still get sweaty when I see just one in uniform.
As a footnote, many years later I met Jack Webb while I was working at Universal Studios. He was shorter - and nicer - than he appeared in the Marine Corps movie.
At least I didn't salute him.
Labels: Beaufort County, Gloria Theater, Jack Webb, MCRD, Old Sheldon Church, Parris Island, Please click http://photo.meetup.com/687., The DI
My wide-screen cat...
As many of my blog readers know, I'm a former Marine and some are aware I have an orange critter who lets me live here.
Wally Jr. is an inspiration and role model .......for
Morris the Cat. Talk about attitude.
When I purchased a 22" wide screen monitor, I wanted a distinctive look for its background image and, because he likes to plop down on my desk - often blocking the screen - he was my first candidate choice. He approves this message.
Because I am an
"Old Corps" Marine, I need to comment on a few things my younger brother mentioned in a long comment to my posting about his being a "Marine For A Day" back in the 1950s.
Dear Brother, we are NEVER called
"soldiers." We prefer Leatherneck, Jarhead, Gyrene, etc or simply Marine. All such titles are capitalized, spoken reverently and with respect.
It's true I brought home a few buddies from the base at Camp LeJeune so they could enjoy a Charleston break - and help fill the gas tank - but they were not "recruits."
A soon-to-be-Marine spending 11 intense weeks of boot camp at Parris Island does not go on weekend leisure excursions unless the entire platoon goes, marching and running in cadence while helpful Drill Instructors make constant shouted suggestions.
Reading his response, I HAD forgotten that we spaced ourselves apart going through the chow line at the mess hall so BOYD written on our uniforms would not be one after the other. I also had suggested that he ask for extra shingles for his SOS.
Ooh-Rah.
Labels: boot camp, chow, Drill Instructor, Garfield, gyrene, jarhead, leatherneck, monitor, ooh-rah, Parris Island, Shingle, wide screen
Semper Fi.
