April

April is upon us and a busy springtime it has been indeed! But not too busy for me to forget how to appreciate the beauty of Savannah's annual Big Bloom! I hope those of you here are enjoying the azaleas, dogwood, wisteria, blossoming fruit trees, etc. as much as I am – and for those of you far away, well, I am really sorry you're not here! J  I recently connected with our delightful Port Chaplain Andrew E.V. Krey and he invited me to the Spring Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church held at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church near Savannah's containerport in Garden City, GA. As I got out of my car that morning I could hear the container cranes working right across the highway!  Before giving his interesting power-point presentation on his port ministry, Chaplain Krey gave Waking Up Men a nice "commercial" plug as I stood there, smiling big, and holding up the book for all to see – kind of like the gals do on "The Price is Right." Also in March I was invited to the Grand Opening party for the new pilot office/base in Charleston, S.C. It's a two-hour drive each way, but I up and went anyway and I'm so glad that I did. I enjoyed being around the river people there (many of whom are very supportive fans of Waking Up Men) and getting to meet, face to face, people I've only talked with on the phone over the years – especially dispatcher Kathi Legette (I quoted her in the 2nd edition), and also their brand new dispatcher, Lee Ann Ward (already doing a great job).The new pilot facility, built to withstand Category 3 hurricane winds, is right in the historic waterfront area of the city. Both building - and view - are spectacular. There are lots of upcoming activities on my calendar, including breakfast with Gordon Varnedoe and the Continuing Education folks at Armstrong this week, a scheduled talk for the seniors group at First Baptist on Isle of Hope on April 8th, lunch at Savannah's Propeller Club with Chaplain Krey on April 9, being guest speaker for the Tybee Museum Volunteer Dinner on April 15th, and several other talks in May and June that I'll report on as they get closer. And finally, I have revisited my copious notes for my next book and have begun the organizational process and writing of "Kids and Other Pets." Look for it in print sometime in 2010 – if all goes well!