28-29 April - Reconnecting with Friends

28 April
We had lunch today with retired Chief Master Sergeant Chuck Leonard and his wife Sherri at a local restaurant today,  I served with Chuck for many years at the 132d Fighter Wing in Des Moines.  Chuck was in Supply and I was in Communications.  After he retired from the military, Chuck and his wife moved to Mountain Home AR, just a few miles west of here. This journey to New England is providing an opportunity to reconnect with many friends, relatives and military brothers and sisters.   It was nice to reconnect with Chuck!

In the afternoon we ventured over to Mountain Home AR to refuel the truck and pick up some basic supplies.  After returning to the campgrounds a long time military friend, retired Command Chief Master Sergeant Russ Brotsky and his wife Roxie arrived.  Russ and I were both in Communications our entire careers until becoming Command Chiefs.  Russ served at the 184th Intelligence Wing at Wichita KS.  They are camping in the same park that we are in.  The Brotsky's joined us at our camper in the evening and we brought each other up to date on our retirements.  Tomorrow morning Russ and I will trout fish with a retired Air Guard First Sergeant who is a fishing guide here in the area, so it will be an early night.

29 April
Heavy rain in the area so the fishing trip is postponed until Saturday morning.  Our fishing guide is Paul Bobby.  He runs a fishing guide service called "GI on the Fly", specializing in trout fishing on the White River here in northern Arkansas.  While attempting to wait out the storm, Paul, Russ and I sat under the trailer awning and talked about fishing and our military careers.  Paul was assigned to the same unit my daughter Jennifer and her husband James were assigned at Kulis Air National Guard base in Anchorage Alaska.

After lunch, the Cubs game was on so we watched it until the rain quite.

Then we headed down to the river to cast a line and see if any trout were biting.  Not so much!  One of the locals was monitoring my casts!

So, with no trout on our stringer, we headed to a local establishment with Russ and Roxie for trout dinner.

Tomorrow we will hopefully get out on the river with the guide to do some trout fishing, but the weather forecast is again not promising.  Doreen and Roxie are scheduled to attend a dutch oven clinic here in the campgrounds.  The registration fee includes instructions on dutch oven cooking, lunch prepared in a dutch oven during the class, and a 4 quart Dutch oven to take home!  What a deal!