Hellllllooooo Houston!

Our welcome to Texas was wet!  And when a Washingtonian tells you this, they're serious!

We rolled in as the torrential rains rolled across the plains.  There were times the rain was so hard, and the standing water so deep, times that we were in nearly white out conditions, so much so that we had to pull off for safety's sake.

But, there was a reprieve.  Just miles outside the Houston City limits, the sun shone through the clouds, and (sounds of harkening horns) all was beautiful.

This visit was planned, but the delay in getting there was not, so our initial contact was not available and we ended up going to the wrong ... right ... station.

Station 8 had no idea who we were, as Station 93 was waiting for us.  But we will happily revisit both of these on future tours!  What a great group of Heroes ... all!

The first pictures will show you how the ride in went.

More to follow ...

Enjoy!

lj & the road crew

PS ... Hope y'all are happy down there, I keep looking for Blue Bell Ice Cream, to no avail.  ( ;

Comments

Sadly, I have had to turn off the comments section of this journal.

For those of you who have caught the "issue" comments, you already know why.

For the rest, I apologize, and if you have comments you would like to leave, feel free to email them to me: H2HHeroes@aol.com  .... Along with contact info, and I will find a way to add them to the appropriate posts.

Liz

Lotsa fun in Lafayette

K, there are still over several thousand (!!!) photos to go through to complete this journal.  Sigh.

Thank you Joe for making this one possible!  Great seeing you again.  More to follow.  (After the eyestrain resolves.  lol)

lj & the road crew

Oh, by the way, Rookie is not speaking to you now.  Go figure.  ( ;  ROFL!!!

Next Stop, New Orleans

Leaving the heartbreak of Gulfport, and the outlying beach towns, heading to New Orleans, we were all dreading what we would see next.

New Orleans was a special city to my family, we spent many memorable times here.  Like the rest of the world, we watched the devastation of the levees breaking during the Hurricane Katrina crisis nearly 2 years ago, so there was a sense of impending heartache for another Gulf Coast city lost.

But while there was obvious signs of the flooding, and destruction as we drove in to the city, we did not see the devastation of the Parishes so severely ravaged by the flooding. 

The French Quarter, for the most past, was intact.  Still, Canal Street, Bourbon Street, and so many others, felt changed.  It was obviously different ... So many businesses closed, so few tourists wandering the streets, and a feeling of needing to be more aware of our surroundings, than I had ever felt before.  Even the locals advised us to be cautious.

The parts of the city I remembered, were still there, and show every intention of coming back stronger.  There is a definite sense of resurgence, though they face a formidable battle.  And the very thought of another big storm heading their way, is numbing.

The one thing that was not destroyed was the spirit of our New Orleans Heroes at Firehouse 29.  This was a first year stop, Bo actually did this stop with me.  Even better, we ran into familiar faces.  The two I remembered most were on duty, and as awesome as ever!  It felt like family, and they most certainly looked out for us.  Kathy and Kelly really loved the people we met here, and it was good watching them experience the Big Easy for the first time.

Will share more after the postings are up ...  But for now, as they say in N'awlins -- "Laissez les bon temps rouler" ... Let the good times roll!

lj & the road crew

ps -- Got to go to the Cafe Du Monde for beignets & cafe au lait ... and ... got a muffuletta from Central Grocery ... felt a lil like some good ol' lagniappe, ya know?  ( ;

God Bless Gulfport

Aside from seeing the cavity that is Ground Zero, this was without doubt, the toughest stop.  A true heartstop.

This was home for a period of time when my son was just a little guy.  He learned so much about respect for his elders, and he learned more real life civic lessons than any other time in his life until he went into the military.

Bo's school is gone.  The apartments in which we lived, no longer exist.  Those old memories are kept in our hearts ... and those are broken still.

A large part of me wants to be on the Gulf Coast, helping them bring it back.  And any approved group that would like to tell what they're doing and what they need, to do just that ... Send us the info and we'll print it here,  For instance, you can actually buy the Gulfpart Fire shirt, and the funds go directly to them.  We'll get a contact to post for you.  Hey, I bought one ... they're nice!

Coming back here was hard.  I had no real idea what we would see.  All of us had heard so much about New Orleans, but none of us had any idea of the utter devastation the gulf residents are still dealing with as they try to piece their lives and their homes back together.

More, much more will be written about our visit to Gulfport, but as you look at the photos and see all the empty spaces, realize that this is along the beach highway.  Nearly every lot was filled with a beautiful, historical southern mansion home.  Now there are vacant lots and trailers and occasional signs of rebuilding.

Just looking at the pictures, the lump is back in my throat.

This is one of the most heartfelt Bad*ss series we've ever taken.

Liz, Kathy & Kelly

Much heart in Mobile

We got to Mobile just before sunset ... which is a beautiful there, over the water.

This was a big visit, with media, and 2 stations involved.  So there a lots of pix here too.

Again, something in the water must have made them all giddy and goofy during their down time.  Whatever it is .. we'll take a case!

Words after pix are up.

( ;

lj & the road crew

ps ... Rookie says he has tinnitus after this one.  Hmmm ...

Seein' stars in St Petersburg

We had not heard from our St Petersburg heroes, and they were still on the tour schedule, so we crossed our fingers and figured if it was meant to be, it would be.

I told Kathy & Kelly that the only shot we had, with it being so late, was if we ran into them on a call ... and we did!

We didn't want to wake any of the other guys ... but this was just fine.  And quick ... they were off on another call.

Thanks guys!

lj & the road crew

Kickin' it on down to Key Largo ...

By way of Miami ...

Okay, so Key Largo wasn't on the map.  But sometimes, you just have to break a few rules, ya know?

S...., we just missed our southernmost right turn, and, ooops!  lol

This was a quick stop and a lesson in Geography for us.  We thought we were gonna get to the furthest point in the southeast.  No one mentioned Key West ... sigh.  Guess we'll have to try on another tour!  ( ;

Will tell the rest with all the others.  But for now, enjoy the pix from a most beautiful part of our country.

lj & the road crew

Brevard County -- Fun in Florida

Here are the pix from one of those stops that keeps us laughing the whole time.  (Thanks Spike!)  Must be something in the water on the Atlantic border in Florida.

After all the pix are up, this is one of those stops that will require some wording for it all to make sense.  Or maybe I'll let you make your own captions ... could be fun!  lol

Posting nearly every picture, because it's too hard to decide which would go away. otherwise.

Thanks for sharing the great sense of humor ... again.

lj & the road crew

PS -- The Coffee-mate preference would be the Vanilla Caramel flavor.  Neener!  Goofballs.  ( ;

Jacksonville's Fort Apache

This was a surprise additional stop, courtesy of the Pirates.  There are a lot of similarities ... Which means we had a LOT of fun with these guys, too!  Thanks, Donny!

Photos are done ... Words to follow after all the pix are posted.

And with that, it's off to Brevard County

lj & the road crew

Back to the photos ... Columbia, SC

There were well over 800 pics taken here.  This is an every year stop for us, so we feel very comfortable with our Columbia Heroes.

I will post them after I edit, and whittle them down to about 300 ... You wish you were me, eh?

BTW, that "Eh" is for our Canadian Ambassador, Kevin.  A speedy recovery buddy!!!

Words to follow ... Pictures are up!  Got to get to Florida next.

PS ... Don't want you to think we led Kelly around by the nose ... but go to the last group of pix (umm, around 315 ought to get you close) and you can make up your own mind.  Hehe  ( ;

This is about the time that the goofiness set in for us.  Maybe it was the Moon Pies and Yoohoo's that we got after our Piggly Wiggly visit.

lj & the road crew

Down time

K, it has been a lonnnnnnnnng four years, and unless someone knows something I don't, we will be doing this together for more years to come.

So, I am taking advantage of a few days for myself.  Call it a mental health break, or a mini vacation ... whatever you like.  Just don't expect me to call you back for a week.

Love ya all, and I will continue to get the journal up after some rest.

PS ... If you try to find me, look north.  Waaaaaaaaay north!

( ;

lj 

***

Okay, so I made it back and am getting back to the grindstone. In case you haven't figured it out, "Waaaaaaaay North" of here, was & is, Alaska.  And it couldn't have been timed any better.

As the the plane took soared, so did the temperatures here at home.  I love the Pacific Northwest, but not as much when the mercury hits the 90's and beyond.

There are a lot of artists living up north, and driving through this region, it was obvious ... as was a great sense of humor.

I had one of the best lattes (outside of Starbucks) that I have ever had, at the Cafe Cups.  You should check this place out, the artwork alone would be great ... But the food really stands out!.

Speaking of Starbucks ... Once again, that old e-mail came up, and it was another opportunity to share how much Starbucks has supported our Troops by donating coffee through their various stores, and great baristas.  Lakewood & Tacoma Starbucks have been outstanding, and continue to donate coffee that we continue to ship.  They also made sure we had great coffee to keep us alert on the national tour, again.  They support our troops, and we support them!

All the food was great, and the choices are more abundant than you might think.  Alaska is not what you might remember from Northern Exposure.  sure, there are a lot of small villages and communities, and things are not as plentiful as we have down here.  But the are not remote and isolated and outdates, by any means.  To name a few, they have Fred Meyers, Safeway's, Gottschalks, Target, the major fast food restaurants we know ... and ... they have halibut tacos, and sushi, and realllllly fresh fish and chips.  They have current movies, even if the movie theater is not what we are used to, there is a small town charm to seeing a movie in Homer, Alaska.  **BTW, Knocked Up is a hysterical movie!  Really wrong, in a right kind of way.

There are beautiful views, and you can get lost in the scenery.  Flowers grow everywhere.  But be aware of what you are smelling, touching, or picking.  There is a photo of a plant with white petals on a long leafed stalk ... avoid this stuff!  It's called Cow Parsnip (or Pushkey), and though it has medicinal uses (& native Americans have been known to eat the stuff), it is a mean plant to play with.  My eyes felt like they were on fire after taking some photos of flowers in a field.  And apparently it can give you more fun than you can have playing with mettles.

And so glaciers, and the beaches (Yes, they have them -- but there sure weren't any bikinis out there!) were a perfect break after the national tour.  And I was not going to do anything but relax & enjoy it all.  This was a wonderful vacation, just too short.  But aren't they all?

I didn't take my computer, and kept my phone off.  But I couldn't turn off the part of me that felt it would be a complete waste of a golden opportunity, to visit our heroes to the north.

The trip took me to the Kenai Peninsula, a beautiful place.  There were eagles overhead, puffins in the water, horses filled many fields, and signs warned that Moose could be crossing the road ... But the only one I saw was in a distant meadow on the way back to the airport.  Guess I'll have to go back.  Oh, dang!  ( ;

The sun never really set, the last pictures are not edited at all, they were taken at nearly midnight.  It stayed like that til about 3:45am.  In one, you can make out the lights along the Homer Spit.

It got down to the 40's, but watching the weather channel reading record high temps back home, forty was good!

I got to visit the Homer Fire & Police Departments, the Alaska State Patrol in Anchor Bay, the (1 day away from opening) Kasilof Fire Department, Soldotna's Central Emergency Services, a Policeman (who is also a firefighter/EMT) at the Anchorage Airport & even ran into more Alaska State Patrol at the airport.  Score!

About a day into the trip I'd set a goal of getting a Bad*ss shot from Fire, Police, EMS, and State Patrol in Alaska ... Mission accomplished!

Thank you to all of the fine first responders who stepped up to represent for their hometowns on this quick trip into our Last Frontier.  

It was asked several times if we will bring the tour to Alaska .. and don't think I'm not trying to figure out how to do just that!

In the meantime, we're counting on you all to spread the word throughout Alaska, so that we get lots of shirts for all of the deployed troops from your hometowns! 

Remember, Shirt Drive kicks off September 11th (Though you can start now) and the deadline for us to get them down here, is Valentine's Day (Feb 14th).

Thank you all!  Guess hearts have to be pretty warm to live in such a cool climate!

( ;

lj

PS ... To the Commissioner: Our mascot, Chief, is proudly wearing your pin. ( ;

Shine on, Charlotte

Post in progress ...

Diggin' on Durham

Post in progress ...

Norfolk ... Niiice

Post in progress ...

Chief and Rookie were feeling a little of the stress of the road by this time, and the guys in Norfolk helped them "work out" their differences.  (No worries, it was not loaded.)  They got things patched up, and survived the rest of the tour with no further incidents between them.  Hey, it was a lonnnnnng trip.  Even Kelly was getting a lil cocky by this time and had to be reined in ... She was a good girl (for the most part, after this ... hehe)  ( ;

Doing Dover

Post in progress ...

Pure enjoyment at the Pentagon

Post in progress ...  (But, a wonderful stop!)

More of Fairfax Day

There were a lot of stops, and so, a lot of pix as well.  Three cameras, three versions of all the events of a really fun day.  (Thanks Joel & John!)

More after all the postings ...

lj

Fun with Fairfax Day - Pt 1

Sooooo, we think we're keeping from hurting Joel's feelings by not sharing the high ladder visit.  Duh!

Joel got me again.  And I should have known.  Last year he said we were going to stop down for a visit to the fire boat ... he didn't say we were going out on the fire boat.  We had a blast then, and I should have known that he didn't just have a ladder in mind.  lol

So we followed John from 40, over to the County of Fairfax Police Helicopter Unit!!!  No way!.

Before we went up, we were treated to a great breakfast made for us all, by the flight crew.  Who knew they could cook, too?!  So now before we were to go up, we had full bellies.  So, I got ready ... 2 Dramamine!  I'd been a flight attendant, so fixed wings were no issue ... but just the thought of helicopters made me queasy.

Kathy and Kelly were ready to go, though they made sure to have the lil bags handy.

And so we were up and away.  And it was the smoothest, coolest flight I have ever experienced!  The smiles and expressions on Kathy & Kelly's faces registered that they felt the same.

We wore headsets, and as we flew over the Potomac, and the monuments, and so much more, it was all done in a very professional manner with the coolest guide you could imagine.  As something would come up, the pilot or the co-pilot would advise us what was about to appear on either side of the craft.

We snapped photos that we will cherish forever, and for parts of it, I videotaped.  As the tour was going on, and the tape rolled, all I could think of was how cool this was going to be to see the sights and hear the narration with the whir of the blades overhead.

When I was able to view the footage I felt like a complete idiot.  lol  I had not realized that the narration was happening inside the headset.  Yet another Duh!  But hey, the footage is way cool anyway!

And the Dramamine worked great, although I don't think I needed it, in retrospect.  The flight was so much smoother than you would ever imagine a helicopter would ride.  So it was all good.

We landed after the flight, but there was a little "oopsy" for Rookie and he was somehow a victim of a rail landing on his midsection under the helicopter.  Oh no, Mr Bill!

Luckily the crew was right there over him.  They pulled him into the bird and flew him off to Fairfax General for treatment.  We don't know what happened for the period he was away from us, and we were aware of RULE #5 ... but hey, they're pros, right?

We had to head over to the first of our visits on "Fairfax Day", but we were assured that Rookie would join us after he was treated.

Fairfax Local 2068 had arranged our visit, and had a full day planned.  We were looking forward to it after doing much the same last year.  You get to visit a lot of the houses and meet a lot of their folks ... and I have never met one I didn't really like!  That still holds true, by the way!  (Fore all 3 of us)

So it was that our first house was 29, where media was set up.  Fairfax Fox 5's Sarah Simmons did a great job, though it did seem it was mostly about me.   As Kathy said, this time the Mom in the story was her ... as her son is deployed to Guantanamo, and mine is home now.  Credit should go where it is due!  ( ;

Kathy and Kelly should both get a lot more notice and credit for all of the hard work they did behind the scenes to make this the successful tour it was.  Sadly, it is my mug in most of the pictures,  since they were the ones with the cameras.  And you hear my view of the tour, as I write the journal.  But never doubt that this was a team making this all happen!

Kelly did most of the photographs you are viewing, she was our rear window gal - making sure I didn't cut anyone off, or make a bad move that would have gotten us hurt.  Kathy was the one who made all the calls to the departments across the country to get the stops set up, and was responsible for dealing with difficult navigation situations while I was freaking out in the big city interchanges.  Kathy also took photos, and stood in for me for a couple stops when I was just too out of it to make sense (More about this in a minute). 

I want to thank them both for all of their hard work, and for putting up with my random crankiness ass the miles got long.  They are both troopers and should be applauded!!!

Meanwhile, back at the 29's ... It was an interesting arrival.  As we pulled in to the rear of the station, the helicopter flew low-level, overhead.  Apparently though, no one had told the station that this was going to happen.  So the bay doors were wide open, the bay was spic & span clean with long tables cloth draped and covered with beautiful Local 2068 signed by all of their members.  (Can you see this one coming?)

Firefighters came out to see what was going on.  It was raining lightly and the blades whipped up the leaves and dirt from outside to the inside.  Firefighters inside ran to keep the tablecloths from flying away, and brush away the leaves.  As they watched the chopper, the side window opened, and Rookie flew earthbound, landing with a thud.  Luckily, the C02 bottle broke his fall.

The firefighters looked both confused and bemused seeing this small package tossed out by the police with a message about wanting to be a HazMat tech.  We explained all as we did the presentation.

This was the second of three "Eagle Honors" this year.  And they earned it.  Fairfax has really stepped up ... as did the first recipient, another FFD, Framingham FD.

This was also the stop where we met up with Joe from AOL Journals Editors.  They had been working with us to get the fixes done on this Journal, and we truly appreciate all they did to make this work for us, so that you can still cut & paste your photos.  Thank you Joe, you rock!  BTW, Joe did a write up in his Journal as well, hopefully he'll add the link to it in the message block.  Hint, hint.   ( ;

Of all of the Fairfax stops, this group was by far the most reserved.  Probably because of the onsite media.  Firefighters get grief for getting caught on camera as it is, and when you throw us into the mix, you know they're gonna get ribbed more for it.  Don't mistake that for disinterest, or that they didn't play with us.  They were great, and we respect the way they handled themselves!  Salute!

A quick lunch, (a few yawns) and we were off to the next stop!  Thank you guys for making the official presentation stop, perfect!

lj & the road crew

**The link for the news story is ... http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=3BCDC7CB727E76B8BC4E719F2CD93334?contentId=3389079&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

 

 

Fun with the Fairfax Forty

Dinner time found us in Fairfax County ... Great place to be!!!  Remember ... RULE #1:  If you are invited to stay for a meal with the first responders, and time allows, you do it.  It is usually great food and it is always great company.  No exception here!

Besides, how can you not feel warm & fuzzy, when the big reader board at the station has a welcome message on it for all to see.  Nice touch!

I had been to this station before.  Last year, JeeNee and I visited this house before it was even opened.  They asked us to come back this time, and I'm glad I was able ot, and share it for the first time, with Kathy and Kelly.

This is a beautiful house, they have done it justice.  The equipment is shiny and new, and plentiful, and it is filled with some truly fun people!  They are ornery, too ... which we like.

While we took group shots, an extra house member showed up, standing taller than all the rest.  We were surprised that they would have such a hirsute member.  Who knew?  lol  So we did the pictures and had to rock the glasses.

The magnet on the hood of the car was signed when one of the guys asked if he could sign the car.  Now Hertz has been pretty accommodating, letting us put stickers on the car itself this time.  But we thought that might be taking advantage of their generosity to H2H.  So we let him sign the tire and assured them they would be the only ones allowed to do so.  He had lots of supervision accomplishing the task.  And in the end, he did a great job, and they were indeed the only ones to sign the rig.

So we all went inside for a great dinner and dessert ... but the hijinks were just beginning in Fairfax. 

RULE #5: Never leave your Mascots unattended in the station.

There is a reason for this.  So, dinner was done.  We were sitting back relaxing, and visiting, when the overhead speakers came on.

"Rookie Bear is missing!  Please help in the search for Rookie Bear."  Kathy, Kelly, & I just looked at each other and laughed.  The firefighters were laughing and obviously in cahoots with each other in this effort.

Now this house is huge, and Rookie is a small guy.  So they gave us hints.  they advised us to go back in our memory through the tour they had given us when we first got there.

So, logic told us to go to the hose tower first.  It was like playing with the kids in school.  They were creative and a lot of fun ... not that Rookie might agree.  hehe

Poor Rookie!  ROFL!  We looked up and sure enough, there he was - hanging from the hoses, several floors up!  He was vacuum sealed in a clear plastic bag, with the message "I want to be a HazMat Tech" on yellow tape around his left leg.  There was a small C02 bottle in with him so he could breath.  You have to love these guys!  Of course, one of them suggested it was Chubaka that did it.  But who knows when RULE #5 is broken.  Sigh ... LOL

Rumor has it that Kelly went on at least one call that night, but by this time time the road was catching up with me, and after doing late night journal/photo editing, I was out like a light.  Kathy was sawing small zzz's, getting beauty sleep, so I don't think she rode either.

We were all happy with the visit, and looking forward to the next morning when there was a surprise for us.  All we'd been told was to be ready in the morning, and we'd have breakfast when we got there.  Joel had sent an earlier email asking if any of us were afraid of heights, so we didn't want to tell him we had been in the 118 foot bucket in Holland, Michigan.  Didn't want to spoil any plans, ya know ...

To be continued ...

lj & the road crew

Making memories at Mologne House

Saturday found us at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  It only took us an extra hour or two to get there from the hotel after getting the mapquest directions that sent us to Alexandria.  Sigh.  Did you know they have one there, too?  Neither did any of the locals we asked when our GPS announced we had reached our destination and all we saw was a McDonald's.

So we reprogrammed and headed off for DC, or somewhere thereabouts.  It was like we were in the Bermuda Triangle, trying to get the GPS to get us to the right place.  And we hear we're not alone.  Must be all the military/official "stuff", eh?  (That one was for Kevin!)

In any event, we got there, and found the hospital parking lot nearly empty.  We were concerned that the planned Walter Reed closing had happened early and we had not heard about it.  But no, it was just a Saturday afternoon, and the main hospital is a weekday op apparently.

But our visit was for Mologne House, to visit troops.  We have done this before, and loved getting to talk to each of them.  We do not go inside and visit the wards.  We do not normally have cameras onhand (unless the troops ask).  And we usually go in unofficially, just as family.

This time it was a little different.  This time we walked headfirst into a luau!  BAE was doing their part for troop morale ... and doing it well!  There were rainbow colored leis around the necks of all the participants, and there were smiles all around.  Music played in the background.  Tables were filled with food and beverages. 

Representatives were there from Soldier's Angels, as well.  This is a great group, so very supportive, and we have applauded and supported their continued efforts for our troops!

The troops were having a great time ... Everyone, including us, was having a wonderful time, in fact!

We gave out the shirts people had signed for these Heroes,  We had shirts from Fallen Family members, school children, department shirts, Kasey Kahne's (NASCAR #9) donated shirts, and ... the ladies from Hooters of Tacoma had covered shirts with sweet messages for our wounded Heroes.  Hmmm, seems those Hooter's shirts went pretty quick!  But all of them were well received and taken with the same respect with which they were given.  (Thanks to all of you who sent these shirts with us, for the smiles you let us share on your behalf!)

Some of the troops posed with their shirts, and we are honored to share their smiles with you.  A lot of the photos on the internet that are taken at WRAMC, and Mologne House show all of the wounds of these heroes.  We choose to show their smiles, their pride, and their hearts.  It is for them to decide with whom they share anything.  We send our prayers to each of them and their loved ones and send every wish that they return to their homes as soon as possible.

We always remember the words of a Mologne House troop who advised us last year, that, "For every Fallen Hero you see on the news, there are 15 of us who you don't see.  We will all come home home one day ..."  PLEASE remember these brave men and women who have given so much in their service to their our country.  Make room for them upon their return, and remember their sacrifices.

lj & the road crew

DC Fire -- Is hot!

We got to DC in the early afternoon, and had time to kill before we could check in to our hotel.  No worries, it was all set up for us to visit DCFD again.  This time it was a stop with Truck 3 Engine 16 ... First due to the White House.  (Thanks Allan & Joel!)

These guys were great!  They had little heads up of our arrival and we got off to a slow start.  But like so many before them, they came around and rose to the occasion with ample revelry!

We had fun here.  The first part of the stop was to introduce them to the program, then they got us down to the monuments.  We ambled around in the heat, trying not to look too much like tourists as we checked out some pretty amazing statuary.  And there's a bunch o' "nekkid" in them thar monuments ... Not sure why.  But seriously, there is some incredible art on nearly every corner.  And when you take the time to really look at the architecture, it is awe inspiring.  Hard not to look like a tourist though, when you looking up and pointing and snapping photos.  But then, we were not alone in those actions.

We decided to trek all the way back to the station.  Okay, truth be told, we could never figure out the bus line to get us back<SPAN id=sp-36 title=" snack, Mack, knack, nock, neck, knacks, snacks" style="BACKGROUND: url(undefinedimages/bg_spellingErr.gif) yellow repeat-x left bottom; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; COLOR: #000" _backupTitle="null"> - and we sure were not about to call and admit defeat.  Sigh.  We paid for our pride with blisters though, so I guess all's fair.  ( ;

Once back we were thrilled to ride with the DC guys.  We took turns, and had a blast whether we were out or staying behind chatting.  Kelly did a couple runs, and I hoped on one that was a "white powder call" ... turned out to be nothing of significance, but I am confident that if there ever was a real need for this roll out, they would be well prepared.  It was fun to feel like action photog for the call.  And I thank the firefighter who kept me from being arrested for taking pictures onsite ... 'course that would have been another photo op.  lol  Just kidding.  I leave the arrests up to Kathy and Kelly!  ( ;

These guys are very personable and made the day fun.  Once the Iraq'n'Robin glasses came out, it was on!  We really got to watch them play.  We even did a quick photo op outside the White House, with and without glasses.  It was all for Troop morale ... and we'd have to say DCFD stepped up!

Salute!

lj & the road crew

Hellloooo Baltimore County!

Baltimore County ... Good to see you!  (And a special thank you to Rico & Yogi for this one!)

We pulled in after dark, but you could still see the heart here.  A number of the guys were out on a call when we arrived, but once back, we all settled in to the comfy chairs and got to know each other a little bit.

We heard stories about some of the silly things that have happened to the guys.  During the evening, and the next morning, a couple caught us privately and shared stories that I'm sure we'll remember long after the tours have stopped.  They shared stories of deployed friends and loved ones ... They recounted losses.  It was like every visit, and it was unique - like every visit.

But don't think that this was a sad visit.  We laughed hard.  We heard stories of "kitchen geckos", and other silliness.  We picked on the guys, and shared a great breakfast with them.  "Buffalo" was a crack up, and apparently a huuuuuuge fan of our Rookie ... at times, they were inseparable!

Kelly was loving riding with the guys on calls, and Kathy and I were loving the sleep!  Baltimore marked our halfway point on the tour.  It was a blur and a nonstop slideshow all at once.  We would mention something that happened in Michigan, and it felt like that had been months before.  At the same time, it was flying by.  Weird.

The guys put a great wash on the car for us.  And I even got some great cologne for the road.  I smelled purty all day!

Baltimore, you guys were great.  We will definitely accept the come back invite, and see you on a future tour! 

Now start that shirt collection.  Wonder who will send more ... Baltimore County, or City?

Thank you all sooooooo much.  Great visit!

lj & the road crew