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Michael Boulware

Error on my part: Watterson Baseball Team plays in Akron on Thursday and Canton if they win on Thursday. If they make it to Canton; they play at Thurman Munson Stadium.

Nina Osborn (Rossi)

Nina Osborn (Rossi)

First daylily if the season!  Of course Watterson colors!  Hope to see so many of you at our 60th class reunion!!!

JULY 25th!!!! 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Nina, 

Nice close-up shot of the daylilly in our school colors! A sure sign that summer is coming or is already here.

Jim

Nina Osborn (Rossi)

Yes!!!  Now if could just make myself weed!!😂😂

David Mitchell

Nina,

Thanks for the photo. Gardening is so much fun. I grew tomatoes for years and when we moved backk to Ohio, I added squash and corn. But the racoons got into the corn. Every year for three straight years I would wait till I thought the corn was ready to pick the next day, and the racoons would strip me clean that very night - as if they were reading my mind.

James Hamilton, M. D.

"Where Have All The Young Fawns Gone ?" 

This has been an exceptionally mild winter in Colorado with much warmer temperatures and very little snowfall. I am unsure what effect that has had on the animal populations but there has certainly been a paucity of mule deer fawns in our neighborhood this spring and summer.. Usually by this time there are several sets of individual and twins frolicking in our neighborhood and our backyard.. It seems that all the snowy weather affected Ohio and the East.

That being said, this (probable) one year old female and others still like to rest in our backyard and nibble on what grass made it through the dry winter.

We shall soon be moving back to Ohio - if all goes well - as our house is about to go under contract . Maybe the deer are also vacating their home grounds and are searching for new - or older - areas to live. 

Jim

Michael McLeod

I dealt with an antique printing press arrangment when I had a job in the mail room of the ohio attorney general in downtown columbus. noisier in that print shop than it was at broad and high.

Theresa Zeyen (Kucsma)

Hey, Jim- I'd watch that doe in your yard. She looks pregnant to me. Could be you'll see fawns yet. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Theresa,

Good point!

Will watch for any fawns from her or others.

Jim

Donna Kelley (Velazquez)

You may have read that Pope Leo XIV is visiting Spain this week.  He was in Madrid before spending two days in Barcelona and left this morning for the Canary Islands. Last night he visited la Sagrada Familia Basilica to bless a newly finished tower on the centenial of Architect Antoni Gaudí´s death.  The temple has been 144 years in the making and the latest completion date being mentioned is 2033.  We don´t like to rush things here.

I really didn't feel like joining the tens of thousands trying to get near the church so I am sharing a few of the photos I took from the comfort of my sofa while watching the ceremony festivities on TV.  

Michael McLeod

Thanks for the report from madrid, ms. foreign correspondent!

meanwhile down here in orlando there's no sun like the florida sun, no heat like florida heat. I have to go out my back door and take a half dozen steps to get to the laundry room. That's too taxing for this old codger. Think i'll wait till the sun goes down to do the wash.

Donna Kelley (Velazquez)

Reporting from Barcelona, Mr. McLeod! 

Jim, I imagine that your trained photographer eye has caught the "Tower of Pisa inclination" of the Basilica in the last two photos.  The ceremony and festivities lasted several hours and by the time I snapped these photos I was lying down on the sofa.  Oops!

I´ll take this opportunity to wish a fantastic Reunion to all of you who are able to attend. I wish I could join you but it won´t be possible this year.  In the words of our Pacific NW friend...."Party On"!

David Mitchell

Donna,

Thanks for those gorgeous photos.

James Hamilton, M. D.

Donna,

Thanks for those photos!

Excellent shots of such an historic structure. My favorite was that close-up of the top crucifix. What an historic and beautiful church! 

Jim

David Mitchell

I thought I would use some quiet time like this to continue with my story after we lost both Major Smith and Captain Eddie. Life had to go on after a day of rest.

I had no idea my life was about to change so much and so quickly. The crash left us with two guys (both Captains) who were well qualified as Aitr Mission Commanders (AMCs) but we really needed three as they both had important "day off" jobs.

By this time I was just a 22 year-old Warrant Officer - which meant had no authority to "command". The AMC job was only for senior ranking Captains - guys who were second and third "tour" experience and about 25 to 28 years old. The Majors were usually 30+.

But I did have 12 months experiennce as a Scout Pilot, and about twelve of those days off riding in the front seat of a Cobra gunship (to give their guys a break - they put up more hours than any of our platoons) - plus two days riding co-pilot in the "Slicks" who's mission ranged from being bored silly, to scared shitless - mostly the former.

So guess who became the new AMC?

I was now going to "run" the daily mission (every third day) and be in command of guys who out ranked me - a few by a lot. Here I was sitting in a cokcpit telling guys that out ranked me what to do. I think i worked because of two reasons - 1) they knew me and trusted me and my experience - and 2) because it had to.

But it had it's problems with a few people who far out ranked me and were first timers in my "Backseat".

TBC

David Mitchell

Continued

I was given my first mission on a late afternoon. We almost NEVER began a mission other than mornings and I think this was a last minute call that would be simple and easy. Or so I thought.

 I was to take the Troop up to neaarby Moc Hoa ("muck wha") and help some Colonel insert some troops in a fairly routine drop location. Simple enough. Even with a full bird Colonel giving me directions from my back seat. We somehow managed to drop them on the wrong side of a treeline, and he started yelling his head off at me over the intercom.

As we were atemptig to turn around and re-locate them it had turned dark and we experienced something I had never had before - a hydraulics failure. This is like loosing your power steering, only you are airborne and you can't just pull over and stop. It's simply scary as hell!

So we headed back to the little airfiled at Moc Hoa and me and my co-pilot (forget who) had to (both) stand on our pedals with our backs pushing against our seats and both of us using both hands to wrestle with both "cyclics" and "collectives" to try to guide the ship into a curving descent.

The Colonel kept on raging and started yelling about calling for our "court martial". He simply would not shut up! And his asistant, a young Captain would add a nasty comment or two now and then.

I finally had had enough and sqeeezed my microphone button and yelled something like, "Colonel", when we get down on the ground you can do whatever you want with us, but right now were having a hydralics failure and I want you to shut the hell up and pray we make it down alive." 

Michael McLeod

we were discussing "oh canada," the canadian national anthem.

call it up on line and have a listen.

it is the most pleasant national anthem you'll ever hear. our national anthem is kinda in your face, practically rap music in comparison to "Oh Canada" which is positively snuggly. you could put the kids to sleep with it.

They seriously are the most pleasant people I've ever met.

Worked with a few of them when i was stationed at a nato installation in germany. Krauts on one side, Canucks on the other. Got along great with both having picked up a little german from my mother's side of the family. 

Michael McLeod

I can recall having home grown weed in my wilder college days, Nina.

Nina Osborn (Rossi)

Ahhhh....the good ole days...😂.  I hear it was popular...my kind of weed is NOT popular!!!  back in the 1970's teaching days we had to check the parking lot at lunch...not for cigs... but for kids (high school) smoking pot!!  Kids much quieter after lunch!!!
 

Michael Boulware

I am in mourning: Watterson baseball team lost in the state chsmpionship game to Hamilton Badin 7-2

Michael McLeod

yep too bad. proud we made it to the  final though.

Michael McLeod

I got curious as to whether ohio state ever took somebody's name off a building because of scandal or whatever.

found this:

• The university has received hundreds of requests from students, nurses, and abuse survivors demanding the removal of billionaire Les Wexner’s name from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the Wexner Center for the Arts, and the Les Wexner Football Complex. The protests stem from his past financial and personal ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, as of 2026, the Board of Trustees has kept the names on these buildings, with some reviews remaining under formal consideration. [1, 2, 3]
• Historical Figures: Ohio State has also faced student-led pushes to rename historic buildings like Bricker Hall over the namesake's segregationist past, although no formal requests have successfully stripped names through the official procedure. []

James Hamilton, M. D.

Coffee with a View

After dinner at our favorite eatery on Saturday nights, we often stop by our nearest Starbucks for a cup of coffee. This particular one is but a 5 minute drive from, and on the way home to, our house. It is a nice place with large windows facing west and great views of the Rampart Range, which is part of the front range of the Rocky Mountains.

The baristas are mostly students at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) which is just across the street from this shop, and we enjoy talking with them about what they are majoring in, where they are from, and their plans for the future. Besides, at that time in the evening, the place is mostly empty as many students are studying, on dates, etc.

Jim

Michael McLeod

I'd call that one one heckuva high caffien view, Jim.

Actually with a view like that and the fresh air that comes with it,who needs the caffien?