25 years gone…

Not that I’m a forward looking man. Pondered yesterday this monring… 

Got hung up pondering a very surreal recollection from times past.

Arriving at Frankfurt International Airport – Poliezi with Uzis at the top of the escalator. McDonald’s that served beer with their big macs. a bus ride through twisty and turny country roads to get myself to my first duty station – Hahn Air Base, West Germany.

Then the 26th was a Friday, and as it was the beginning of summer I recall it being late but still light while I checked into the dorm.

Pursued the advice to ‘stay up as long as you can’ and took in the hospitality – believe I had an offer to go out on the town; pretty sure I demurred until Saturday night.

18 years old and king of the world. even if the world is both much larger and much smaller than I ever guessed.

If I haven’t rambled about the awesome time I had overseas, well – I blame my dedication to other people’s expectations! that and the threat of jail time for breaking my word to be quiet for ’88 years’ (I really should poke the DOD re: really? 88 years??)

I’d hate for it to go down on my permanent record.

Germany- a different place in a different time. Fun weekend leads into fun day at the ‘office’ – not having any clue how to operate the phone; meeting Andy & Charlotte, fine friends who’d make my time at Hahn quite memorable and fun. Yet again finding myself in the odd spot of being part of the show, but not really – kinda over to the side, near the back. where high school kids who didn’t drink beer or smoke anything were during the mid-80s. Kinda near the bikers, except I was the one near the safety equipment. Odd.

Joe Allen (I believe) wondered what a Spanish 208 was going to do assigned to a 205 job slot, but in time I ended up with a white Scirocco from (I believe) a fellow Ruby, I rented a car and rolled over to Frankfurt for their car show in the fall (September I would have to guess) – there was a nice Ferrari on display.

It’s the red one – in the center, kinda. wow I take bad photos from time to time!

wow – just lost at least 30 minutes to perusing pics of Hahn Air base – woot. all has changed, the past is gone, memories linger, stories to be told by wise elders who remember and recall – we did magic.

so long ago.

ciao,

s.

“Keep Calm and Carry On” or “Keep Calm … and Cupcakes!”