"Uncle Clarence" and "Aunt Hattie"

(You will have to forgive my rambling and possible poor grammar, it is late!) From my earliest memory until around the age of 10 I lived beside a small country store named Taylor’s Grocery. However it was more than a country store, it was an information hub for those who lived around Plymouth. The owners of the store were Clarence and Hattie Taylor, but to me they were “Uncle Clarence” and “Aunt Hattie.” Now “Aunt Hattie” was always “Aunt Hattie,” but to most people, “Uncle Clarence” was “Bulldog.” They had a daughter named Bertie and she helped take care of me when I was a kid. Now you may ask, “Why in the world are you rambling about this tonight out of the blue?” Well, I will tell you. Tonight I went to the freezer to see what kind of goodies we had, and what should I see, but Brown Mule popsicles. Brown Mule popsicles are vanilla ice cream coated with a hard chocolate shell and was my FAVORITE snack at “Uncle Clarence’s.” It was even better if I could have a chocolate drink too! As I sat down and savored every bite, I thought about all of those days I spent hanging out at the store. I would watch all the “old” farmers come and go but not until they had sat down and talked for a while. It wasn’t the items in the store that were the attraction; it was the sitting area to the right as you walked in the store that was the focal point. One of the areas to sit (and I call it that because I don’t know what exactly it was) was a spring type cot with a thin cushion located right and in front. I can still hear the squeak as people would sit down and get up. I also remember a stove against the right hand wall that heated the store. Now, any one and everyone were welcome to sit anywhere, but you DID NOT sit in the rocking chair in the corner. That was “Bulldog’s” chair. Now don’t get me wrong, he was not mean about it…. as a matter of fact, I cant remember him ever being mean, but it was just understood. Some people would sit there, but just as soon as “Bulldog” was through waiting on customers, they got back up and let him have his chair. To the left of the door were the goodies and the cooler that held my Brown Mules. Against the wall was the drink cooler with glass bottles and tops that had to be pried off with the opener built into the drink box or by a hand opener. My family, like most around, had a charge account at the store. It was a pad with our name on the spine, and I was allowed to charge my snacks and drinks. This was also the place I had my first “job.” I was paid a quarter to pick up the drink tops that “Uncle Clarence” would throw out the back door when he emptied the drink box bottle opener bin. They were thrown there to fill in the holes in the driveway. I mean, who needs rocks when you can have Sunkist, Pepsi and Mountain Dew in it’s place. I remember picking up those tops, getting my quarter from “Uncle Clarence” and then I would head home. One day, I saw him take all the tops I picked up, and throw them right back out. It was not until later that I realized that he had me pick up those tops just so I could have something to do. He threw them back, just so I could have some more the next day to pick up…and of course fill in the holes. So as I sat back and ate my Brown Mule, all these memories came flooding back. So I raised my Mule to you, “Uncle Clarence” in tribute to a great man and all the other great men that helped form so many memories of my childhood.

Bill Askew Motors

(The following are my memories and are told as truths. Your memories may vary) Spending time back in my hometown of Plymouth always brings back old memories. Whether it is time on the river, eating at Little Man or riding by the ball park, the memories flood back into my mind at every turn. I was able to spend the night at my parents last night in order to leave this morning for a hunting club work day in Beaufort County. Driving down Highway 32 I passed a house I have passed many times in my 44 years. It was the house of Bill Askew, a used car dealer there in town. Now when I say he was a used car dealer, he was not the stereotypical used car dealer. As I remember, he was always eager to help and if you had a car in mind, he would either find it for you or let you go with him to “the sale” to be able to pick out your own. His used car lot was a piece of property adjacent to his house that was always lined up with 5, 6 or 7 cars. To my recollection, every car my parents and I had until I graduated high school came from Bill Askew. I can see him in my mind, sporting his gray “G.I” haircut, sitting at the counter on the green bar stools working out a deal on a “new” car for our family. Today, however, there were no cars, no customers and no building where he kept countless records of sales and what not on that lot. Mr. Bill passed away sometime back and I am sure that I have passed by since, but today the emptiness of that lot seemed to strike me. Its not like there are no places to buy and sell cars anymore, Plymouth has Feyer Ford that will sell you a new or used car but Bill Askew was the “old school” used car dealer. The man that would buy a few cars to resale and put a little extra change in his pocket. There are very few of these “home used car lots” left around. These lots have given way to the big dealer in small towns...much like other small businesses. So tonight, here is a toast to Bill Askew Motors...used car salesman and memory maker for a little boy in a small town.

I am a proud father....

I have known many happy times in my life, but never have I dared to rank them. Each one is as special as the other depending on the situation. I had another of those moments tonight. As most of you know, hunting is a family heritage and I have tried to pass that along to my sons, Evan and McCoy. McCoy has had some success hunting but has never taken a buck. Tonight, that changed. He had asked to go still hunting one day this week but we could not go Monday so today I went by to get him from school on my way home. We hurried home, packed up and left for the woods. A friend of mine, Jody, had told us that we could hunt a spot that he had picked out and cleared. Now, that is a good friend. We got settled down and waited….and waited…and waited. We killed time thumb wrestling, of which I won all, but it is getting harder and harder. We watched squirrels and laughed about nothing at all.

About 6:05 or so, McCoy saw a deer in the shooting lane and said “Daddy, it’s a doe.” I looked at it and told him that it was not, that it was a buck and to get ready to shoot him. I told him to relax and put the cross hairs behind his shoulder, although I am not sure if I was trying to calm him down or me! He fired his shot and I saw the deer buckle and leave the lane. I knew he was hit, but did not know how bad. I usually would want to give a deer about 30 or 45 minutes before I go to look for him, but the sun was setting and I had to go find him. We found the blood trail and tracked him through the woods for a short while by flashlight. We stopped once and McCoy told me he smelled something and then told me to turn around and the deer was lying not 15 yards from us. What followed afterwards is unexplainable. We high fived, fist pumped and knuckle hit while I laughed with excitement…again I think more so than he. I got the four-wheeler and brought the deer home to show off to everyone I had not already sent a picture message to!

I can not thank my friend, Jody, enough for allowing us to take advantage of all his hard work. Only those fathers that have gone through this can identify with my feeling of pride tonight.

I AM JOINING THE MARINES: PART FOUR

The early days are starting to catch up to me, but every minute is worth it!
Today we were up in time to catch the recruits doing physical training (PT). We arrived before they did and could hear then marching in the dark to our location. That in itself was impressive as the darkness was broken by the uniform footsteps of about 200 or so recruits. As the sun came up, we could hear cheers and bells ringing in the background as tomorrow’s graduates ran their last before they became Marines. We quickly moved along the road to see them all run by. It was impressive to see these young men and women who had just endured 12 weeks of boot camp with the culminating event of “The Crucible” come by with all smiles as they knew that in just one day all the hard work would be rewarded with each of them being Marines!
Once we left the cadet run, we made our way to the recruit barracks where we were given a demonstration by the drill instructors (DIs) to what the recruits would see the first day assigned to their barracks. Again, out of respect and tradition, we were not allowed to take videos but I can tell you that I had chills all over me as they went through their routine. I am so impressed with the DIs dedication. They are up before the recruits (about 3 am) and up long after the recruits are in bed. To the drill instructors, their role is more than a job. They are preparing these young men and women and transforming them into what will become a warrior. Also, along the way, they transform them into great men and women. Evidence of their effectiveness is that, even after only two days, our DI has a group of teachers marching in formation and filling gaps and “covering” where there is an absence without being told! That is a great accomplishment…she should get a promotion!
After lunch we were able to see certain phases of “The Crucible”*, the last and I dare say the most intense of the entire recruit training. As these weary eyed recruits completed each task, you could see the weeks of training had paid off. No longer was the DI yelling at them, but they had become that “big brother” and “mentor” to the recruits. Teachers could do well to learn from these DIs. Even in “I gotcha” moments where the DI can blast a recruit, they also take the time to explain to them what was done wrong, why it was wrong and the correct way to do the task.
The day was completed with a little time on the range firing the M16A4. That was really fun; however, I could have shot about 100 rounds. It is a wonderful weapon with little to no recoil. Everyone had a great time with it and the instructors were very patient with all of us during our briefing and shooting.
Tomorrow we leave, but even though I am ready to get home, I will miss the atmosphere and camaraderie I have experienced down here. It is a whole different life in Parris Island!
*You can look up The Crucible for the Marines on youtube.com to get an idea of what they go through

I AM JOINING THE MARINES: PART THREE

My new saying on my bad days teaching will be, “Smile, I could have been a Marine!” Today has shed a new light on any “bad day” teaching I may have. I have always respected people in uniform; however, I have found a new respect for anyone who decides to become a Marine. I will give you a run down of our day:
It began at O 600 when a pretty young lady stepped onto our bus and began yelling out orders to the top of her lungs. Of course we did not get it correct, no matter what she told us. We stood on the famous “yellow footsteps” while we were told everything we needed to know which we quickly forgot. I can tell you I felt physically sick as I stood there thinking what a new recruit must be thinking at this point in their enlistment. I know I am leaving Friday, but THEY know they are there for 12 weeks. We then marched “quickly” into the receiving room where we were “briefed” as to what a new recruit would expect within the first week after arriving at Parris Island. Afterwards we marched “quickly” (that was the new phrase for the day…everything “quickly”, which means faster than you are doing it!) to another building where we were briefed and received once again. Of course, we were yelled at the whole way because we could not follow the orders given to us or even stay in a line.
We were allowed later to shoot the M16 A4 at the simulator. I think I am hooked now, because I want one!! I scored 115 out of 120 and was pretty proud of myself until one lady in our group shot a perfect score. Tomorrow we shoot the real thing!
Leaving there, we went to eat lunch with some of the recruits. The recruit I was able to eat with was from Rocky Mount and had graduated from South West Edgecombe in 2009. He explained to us that he had attended college but could not really find his niche or what he wanted to do. He and his mom didn’t really get along after she remarried so he moved in with his grandma and eventually joined the Marine Corps because there were no other opportunities. I was touched as I saw this young man speak with words way beyond his years. By his own admission, the Marine boot camp program had made him a better man and person. He told us, as many of us around him were in tears, how he had made contact again with his mom, even though he did not think their separation was “his fault”, but because it was the right thing to do because SHE was HIS mom and he should do it. WOW…talk about making sound decisions and having respect! We bid him farewell and good luck in his months before his November graduation. I think the biggest thing I have taken from today is that the Marine Corps doesn’t just make great warriors, they make great men and women first!
Next in our day was a trip to the “Leatherneck Station” and the “Confidence Course”. While there we were given a Marine martial arts and a Pugile stick fighting demonstration. Afterwards, we were able to get in there and fight with the instructors. I was so happy and proud when I was the first to score a point against one of them. However, I think the only thing I accomplished was to make him mad! The next point was earned by him after he blocked my “bayonet jab” and proceeded to hit me HARD on the left side of my head! Even with the helmet and padding, it still rocked me a little. The master instructor ended it there with all three of us laughing and a friendly pat on the back. I was later impressed as the instructors gave us demonstrations on how to navigate the various obstacles on the Confidence Course.
We finished the night with dinner at the Officer’s Club. It was very nice but the most interesting part was the bar attached to it. It is called the “Santini Bar” because scenes from the movie, The Great Santini were filmed in the bar while the movie was made at Parris Island. The bar is full of memorabilia from different companies that have their own plagues around the bar. In the back is a brick wall where you can throw bottles against to break them…a Marine tradition. There was no filming or pictures allowed in the bar out of respect for them.
Today has been a great day and my respect for these men and women has grown tremendously!

I AM JOINING THE MARINES: PART TWO

Today was a day full of driving…and driving…and driving.
We left this morning a little after “0 700” because true to form, teachers have a really hard time going by a schedule…much to the dismay of Captain Prather. We drove to Charleston, SC to eat lunch, stopping only once at a rest stop. It really wasn’t that bad. I have never been this far south in South Carolina and it is beautiful here…except for the rain. Once we arrived at our hotel in Beaufort, we had a little down time until 500pm. (1700) We then loaded the bus and made our way to Parris Island to eat dinner. I had the privilege to sit with Captain Prather and learned a lot about him. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Captain Prather was a pilot in Iraq before he was given the job he has now in the recruiting office in Raleigh. He is now medically unable to fly because of hearing loss. He is a very interesting Marine.

Once at Traditions, one of the dining halls on Parris Island, we were briefed by the base PR man and he also told us that the Marine Drill Instructors had a “special” surprise for us tomorrow morning. He also told us that the bus is leaving at o 550 tomorrow morning. After a wonderful dinner I walked through the hallways of the dining hall looking at pictures from Parris Island’s past. It was neat to look at the history of the base. Before I left, my dad told me that my grandfather was at Parris Island in the mid 40s. I found a picture from that time period and thought about how it may have looked when he was there. It was kind of neat. I then went through the hall taking pictures of the memorabilia hung around. As we left, we were given some great gifts…a leather attaché bag, a USB drive, Marine Corps DVD and a draw bag to carry our things around tomorrow. We all came back to the hotel to get ready for our early morning.

Going to hit the sack now….O 430 will come early!

I AM JOINING THE MARINES: PART ONE

…..Don’t worry mom, it’s only for a week.
My trek began this morning at around 10 am as I made my way to Raleigh to meet up with the Marine Corps representatives. At check-in, I received my packet, my room mate assignment and was “ordered” to meet back down at 6 pm to be briefed about our agenda for the night and morning. Captain Prather let us know what the Marines could do for our students and told a few stories about some recruits that we would see. We were told that we would be able to see a graduation on Friday….that sounds exciting. One thing that the Captain told us is that when we reach Parris Island tomorrow, we will be assigned our guides and they are all drill instructors. He also kind of smiled when he said they had a little something special for us when we got off the bus. Now I have seen Full Metal Jacket and if we have a man like R. Lee Ermey yelling at us, I am going to freak out!
After our briefing, we headed down to the restaurant downstairs to eat dinner…on the Marine Corps of course. It was fun talking to other educators from all over the state while we had dinner. We leave tomorrow morning at 7 am (or as Captain Prather said, “O 700) to board the bus headed to Parris Island which will take about 6 hours. WOW! I better get to bed…it’s going be an early morning. I will post more tomorrow night!