Gonna drop some names...LONG

[SQUEAKS]

I have to be the most fortunate person in the world because I have had so much good luck along with the bad. First off no one in my family has lived past the age of 68 years of age. I am 65 so I don't see a lot of time in the future, but while I can I just want to tell the world how lucky I have been.

I graduated from high school in 1959 and enlisted in the US Army and served 8 years in Viet Nam. Some good :D :( some not. I came home and was accepted as a professional firefighter driving a 1000 gallon a minute pumper in the city I worked for Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Next I became a police officer, but was offered a better paying job as a news photographer and reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. I loved the attention and it began a career for me that was amazing.

I got to work with the rich and famous, Bob Hope, Ronald Regan, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Hank Williams Jr. Hawkshaw Hawkins, Little Jimmy Dickins, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, Tom T Hall, Roger Miller and hundreds of professional sports figures like Bobby Hall of the Chicago Blackhawks and Johnny Unitis of the Baltimore Colts at that time. Even Mickey Mantle. My life was filled with professional people who really loved what they were doing.

But the most important thing to me was they never forgot me on holidays birthdays and other times of the year. I still have a scrapbook with many of their cards and letters thanking me for helping them.

Bob Hope once sent me a letter saying" Mr Bob" you are the best reporter I have ever worked with You tell the truth when many others only sensationalize on our fame. Thank You for not misusing anything I may have said without thinking it through". He also sent a very nice greatuity.

Dwight D Eisenhower once paddled my butt for dropping cannonballs off a a bridge in Gettysburg National Battlefield to see if they would explode and took me home to mom who administered almost the same punishment. Of course Dwight's son was with me so he got his butt warmed also. Guess I am the only person who ever got his butt paddled by a US president. We owned the farm next to the Eisenhowers.

I moved to Georgia and worked as a undercover deputy sheriff for 2 years and made dozens of cases with 100 % convictions. I then took over the crime lab at Dalton, Georgia as a supervisor and was able to make many improvements for my departrment.

Then after a short stint as editor of a South Carolina Newspaper I moved on to Florida where I met my wife Grace. The newspaper I worked for wanted me to do a story on her because she was the first female Game Warden in the state. We met on her birthday in April 1990 and we were married in June 1990 and have been together now for almost 17 years. How could I refuse marrying a woman who had a pickup truck, boat and motor and trailer but best of all cooked the best catfish I had ever tasted.

She introduced me to Paso Finos and we were fortunate to get a grandson of Bochica. Since then we have worked every day with our little newspaper to promote Pasos. Grace developed breast cancer in 1995 ane we sold our business and moved to Greenville to have a private secluded place with our horses. Now it is time to move on. We are looking for a small farm in North Georgia to get out of the hurricanes and our place is for sale.

Life goes on for the time being and we hope we can find a place to spend the rest of our lives together with our pets and horses.

Hope I didn't bore ya'll :D

Bob

[Carol Nelson]

Bob...all I have to say is...THANK YOU! Thank you for the years you spent in service to your fellow man...in ALL and so many ways.
And why the heck GA??? Why not the greatest state in the Nation...TEXAS!!! :eek: ;-) :D

[Monty]

:shock: But BOB - how can you make dinner with no gator meat ! ;-)
:roll: Now you made ME feel old - I remember when Ike was the pres !
You have had a full rich , interesting life - and I am sure you will have many more years - you made it this far ! And thank you for being one of those special people that care enough to serve ! It does take a special breed !

[Abejita]

will they still have Armadillos for you to target pratice?? ;-) Gotta keep sharp..if not you are always welcome to come back to PA (in the summer when its warm) and practice on the groundhog population...

[cowboy ed]

bob, thanks for sharing some of your personal history! great stories. you should write a book of memoirs. i would like a copy.

as for being the only person spanked by a president, probably not. oh wait, i was thinking of george washington, but he was the one who got spanked. about that cherry tree.

oh, and that guy from arkansas, he might have done some spanking while he was in the white house...... ;-)

anyway, write that book!

[pasorider]

Bob,
What an interesting life you have led. I applaud you!! Yes, write a book and I want a copy.
As for no one in your family living past 68, I wouldn't worry about that. My husbands family all died before 64., his mom was 46, Dad 56 one brother 42 and 2 brothers 64. He is 71 now, survived heart attack, 5 bypass, brain tumor and numerous stints. He has a defibulator ( which since they put that in has made im feel better) and even though he can't ride anymore, he still enjoys watching me ride and visiting with all our horse friends.
I sure hate to hear you will be moving, as I still think about coming to visit and camp and ride at your place.

[CarolU]

Sounds interesting for sure Bob. A few colorful characters in your history.

Isn't it nice to be able to look back on such an interesting life?

Give Grace a hug for me. I hope she's all better now.

[SQUEAKS]

Abejita

When I lived in Hershey, Pa several of us who belonged to the local sportsman's club hunted ground hogs for farmers and most would pay you a buck each for every one you shot. We often hunted in Dauphin, York, Lancaster, and Lebanon counties and many times for the Amish farmers who used horses to plow with. A horse stepping in a ground hog burrow could easily break a leg.

That brings back a lot of old hunting memories. But I guess I will have to forget the armadillos :D if we move north.

[pnalley]

Bob,
I'm in central Georgia, an we do have Armadillo's. I've only seen one live one. But I have seen MANY road kill.

If we can do anything to help make your transition easier please let us know. We's be happy to help.

[SQUEAKS]

Thanks Paula :D

If we find something near Dalton we still have a lot of friends in that area and Kevin & Cindy Bell our neighbors down here just bought a farm near Resaca. So we will still have some friends from Florida up there. They have Arabians and Cindy and Grace can go riding if we're near their farm.
Cindy won the Olympics in endurance riding and she still goes to a lot of endurance rides.
Besides we like that area and we can go metal detecting for civil war relics.

Bob

[Rusel]

Thanks for the sharing..!!! Very interesting life and lucky dog to find a mate who feels the same as you do about your relationship..!! Nice to know that there are some couples that stick together..!!

Geez... and moving.... just when I was finally getting my trailer together to enjoy one of your parade parties....!!

[motorgypsy]

Isn't it funny Bob that they call us the "silent generation". I always tell people that it's because we DO things instead of sitting around talking about doing things. And you're certainly a prime example of that. May you have many more years of fascinating experiences to share with Grace and may you find a new home you enjoy also.

It's kind of funny because we just got a new small farm in Florida - but we are keeping the one in the SC mountains. Gotta have a place to evacuate!! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[Pasomom]

Bob, Let me add my thanks for all of your unselfish service to mankind. You have indeed lead a very interesting life. I can sure see a book or two would be no problem for you! ;-)

[paintedhorizon]

You know Bob, central SC is the happening place for pasos! Just ask me, Stella, Hast, Motorgypsies, kerry, etc..........!