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"IN MEMORY OF MARY LOGSDON" - IN NOTE SECTION OF CHECK

JULY 21, 2006 - "YESSIREE BOB, BUCKAROOS" Gabby Hayes…

Like the old Merle Haggard song, I too feel like "I've been everywhere, man, I've crossed the desert sands man,….." and quite possibly I have. Well, not really, but I have been to a ton of places. Today Norm and I went to breakfast at "EAT WELL" restaurant in Glendale. On the way back, we saw a Harley dealer, so we stopped in.

The party was in full swing because the gang was celebrating the last day of one of the employees. I asked if that were a GOOD thing or a BAD thing… The diplomatic answer was that his wife got a high paying job in Seattle and that is where they are headed. I talked to some of the folks about the Perimeterrun.info sight, and why I was in town. They all seemed to be a bit disbelieving that I had done this on my Harley and that I had been that far already. I found that just a bit disturbing. Now all you GOOGLE aficionados, listen to THIS statement. One of the employees happens to be a very good Gabby Hayes impersonator, and all quite by accident. His name is Jim. He heard me talking about the run and chimed in that he had been across Montana.

I had been warned that there were areas of Montana that had more of Montana than I had gas tank. I asked him about that. His response was startling and frank. "Naw, there ain't but 150 miles between those towns upere (up there). Ya kin git 150 miles can'tja?" Well, with the gas can on the trailer (thank you Randy Valko for fabricating my design) I think I will be alright. I am leaving Norm's here tomorrow to go find some other folks I met when I was out here with Mary, over four years ago. I have had no luck so far, but haven't given up.

Tonight, Norm and I will go and meet up with Mike Fletcher a, former student and member of the 1st Michigan Colonial Fife and Drum Corps (www.1stmichigan.com)
I will be posting photos, too. But I probably won't be doing that until tomorrow, late. The weather here has been just delightful, and Norm has been the excellent chauffer.   We have been having a good time. I have to tell you this story about Norm. He was, during his tenure at the Road Commission of Macomb County, one of the Senior road design engineers. He, another Engineer (Bob Bunce) and myself became fairly adept at programming Lotus 123, the 80's version of Excel.

Back then, the holiday parties for Christmas time could and did get very over the top. Bunce made some (and still does) powerful punch that packed a …., well you get the idea. Card games would spring up, dice games would be hammered against walls and general carryings on were - for one day a year - tolerated. There was none of the 21st Century thought processs of creating policies about creating policies so that policies about policies would be, and could be, made into policies about policies. (THERE, diagram THAT little gem, Sister Anitia).

I had been sitting watching a card game that had just completed, and I saw Norm headed for the table. I told the guys at the table to just follow my lead, and play along. Norm sat down and asked what the game was that we were playing. I told him that it was "Five's Wild", and sure you can play. Well he sat down, only to endure the most mind bending and logically corrupt card game ever conceived by the mind of man. He was asked to turn all of his cards over. The reason was that he was "four to the left of the dealer". He shrugged and turned them over. One guy took one of his cards, another GAVE him three cards,  yet another folded, another guy threw four chips into the pot and I (as the dealer) declared the guy who folded as the winner of the hand. This of course, meant that Norm had to pick up all of the cards and hope he could get rid of them within three hands or forfeit all of his chips and the chance to play again for another month.

Norm is a very logical person. He went along with this for a couple of hands and finally threw up his own two hands in utter confusion and dismay. Obviously (in his mind) he was the ONLY one who did not understand what was going on. This was unusual for Norm. He understood everything. John Johnson, Ray Mulydermans (who I visited in Florida) and Cyril Hellebuyk managed to keep a straight face as we took turns explaining the intricacies of "Five's Wild". When we were through, Norm had no clue about anything. I think it permanently affected him for the rest of his life. In fact, I am sitting in his front room, here in California, as I write this, watching the home care nurse follow Norm around with a frying pan. (Don't ask - some kind of new medical procedure) I have begged Norm to put the cards down while I am here, but he walks around with them in his hand all the time. I don't get it.

Hmmm. Mike Fletcher is on the phone, so we're making plans for dinner. More tomorrow.