A Visit With Hank
Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away
>As Hank mentioned I was pushed for time. It had been a long day, and longer day the day before. After being up all day we left out of Jacksonville towards Ft. Jackson S.C. at about 8 p.m. last Wednesday night and arrived aound 1 a.m.. Got to bed around 2:30, got up at 5:30 to get ready to go meet our bootcamper Maria for Family Day. Met up with her, spent the day doing various things such as her showing us around the base a bit and hanging out at the PX. It was a dreary day and what saved me was the fact that we all took a 1 hour nap in our Blazer while it rained. At 6 p.m. we attended the luncheon for her company, during which she regaled us with "bootcamp stories" which had be completely in stitches. Afterwards we had to return her to her barracks, and we beat feet back to our hotel. Knowing that it was getting late I gave Hank a call fiquring that we'd at least be able to get a short Meet and Greet in the hotel lobby, and to give me a chance to give him that Yankee 2100 brace. Come to find out he also had had a long day, rising out of is snuggly bed at 2 a.m., so I was certain that it would be a short visit.
He gave me a call once he arrived and I came rushing down. Upon entering the lobby I see a guy standing outside looking in thru the glass doors. I just knew it was him, and sure enough it was. After a two second "Hi, I'm Hank/Todd He said "Jump in, let's go to my house I'm only 10 minutes from here"!
Once we arrived at his home I met is geogeous cat Dragon, and his lovely wife, than we went straight down into his basement shop. Now, don't let Hank's "My humble shop" fool you. He has a smallish, yet very well stocked and organized shop in the basement, which is the true definition of a Galoots Cave. Very very nice with a small room off of the main room which he uses for metal working and wood storage. We did a little tool fonding of which he has many real nice goodies, but we got so engrossed in conversation and laughter that the tools kinda' fell off to the wayside. I think we hit on everything from current threads on WC, politics, religeon, hunting, solving World problems, etc, etc, that TWO hours whizzed by in about 10 minutes!! A truly fantasticly wonderful evening.
I, like Hank, would also would like to say Thanks to WC and Ellis for making our meeting possible. There are few other places where two people who've never before met can meet and carry on like long lost buddies as we did. Truly remarkable indeed.
No worries about "returning the kindnes" Hank. I am thrilled that 1) you did'nt already have a brace like that, and 2)that you liked it so much. I derived my pleasure in gifting you that, and that my friend is more than enough for me.
I know you must of been well tuckered out during our visit, but I had a GREAT time and hope to be able to do it again in the near future.
Todd O.