tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post116260550832158328..comments2023-10-30T07:54:27.317-04:00Comments on Allegiance and Duty Betrayed:: Reflectionsjoaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11914891807184694081noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-76353517515302741082017-02-06T19:27:43.648-05:002017-02-06T19:27:43.648-05:00Part 1 seems to have not posted so here it is agai...Part 1 seems to have not posted so here it is again:<br /><br /><b>Clarence Grubbs Obituary and Remembrance</b><br /><br />Clarence was born in 1919 at home in Northern Florida, somewhere in the Jacksonville area. At some point, the family moved to the “turpentine woods” between Jacksonville and Ocala, which is where Clarence grew up. His father had a business harvesting sap from the pine trees and boiling it down to make turpentine for the Navy. In 1995, Clarence and his wife Edna drove my wife and I to the remote area in the turpentine woods to see the house in the woods where he grew up. The house was no longer there, but Clarence pointed out where the well used to be – it was only a depression in the ground by that time – and pointed out a cherry tree that he “planted” by spitting out a cherry pit from the back porch. We both drank from the sulfur spring that he frequented as a youngster. There were no other buildings left in that once thriving community. On that sentimental journey, we also visited a local cemetery where he found the graves of some of his schoolmate. Clarence told me that he and many of his schoolmates carried their .22 rifles to the one-room schoolhouse and stacked them in the corner; The kids were expected to bring a squirrel or bird home for supper. He related how his father had lectured him sternly about the proper use of the gun.<br /><br />When Clarence came of age in the thirties, he and a couple friends set out to walk to New York to find jobs building airplanes for Grumman on Long Island. They slept under bridges and when they were hungry, the ragged band would find a diner and order hot tea for 5 cents. In those days, restaurants always provided condiments and saltines on each table, so the hungry travelers would save the tea bag, and fill the teacups with hot water to which they added catsup and crushed saltines to make “tomato soup”. Somehow they made it to New York.<br /><br />Clarence found employment at Grumman Aircraft and helped build airplanes during the buildup to WWII. This is where he met his future wife Edna, who lived near the plant in Long Island. About that time, Clarence joined the Army Air Corps and learned how to fly. He flew the DE Havilland Chipmunk, PT-17 Stearman, and PT-19. I am unclear of the timing here, but he and Edna were married, and Clarence served in Hawaii for a time, but was not there during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-21880182589510711082017-02-06T19:25:16.293-05:002017-02-06T19:25:16.293-05:00Clarence Grubbs Obituary and Remembrance (part 3)
...<b>Clarence Grubbs Obituary and Remembrance (part 3)</b><br /><br />Clarence finished his Lancair in 1991 and flew it the first time himself. That was no problem for him since he had flown many, many typed of airplanes. It was a beautiful airplane and even won a prestigious Wright Bros. Award, which he flew to Dayton, Ohio to accept. He had the model of the Wright Flyer they awarded him in his living room with a beautiful acrylic cover. He flew his Lancair well into his eighties and joined the Flying Octogenarians Club. He had to sell the plane a few years later after back surgery left him unable to climb up into the cockpit.<br /><br />Clarence and Edna were good friends to me and I miss them both dearly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-91000032420157113232017-02-06T19:23:33.254-05:002017-02-06T19:23:33.254-05:00Clarence Grubbs Obituary and Remembrance (part 2)
...<b>Clarence Grubbs Obituary and Remembrance (part 2)</b><br /><br />(...continued)<br /><br />Still in the Army, Clarence and Edna ended up in Jacksonville, FL. On the sentimental journey to the turpentine woods, they showed us the tiny little house they lived in at that time. Clarence also told me about Edna having an ovarian cyst and not being able to afford the surgery to remove it. In those days, GI health insurance didn’t cover spouses and on a soldier’s pay he just couldn’t pay for the surgery. So he took his .45 to a local surgeon’s house, and pointed the gun at him, telling him “I’m desperate”. The surgeon calmed him down and agreed to perform the needed surgery on the condition that Clarence would assist. The surgeon had a surgical suite in the attic of his house, and that’s where he cut Edna open and removed her ovaries. Clarence related how the surgeon handed the bad one to him and it looked like a large, purple grape. Edna survived, although she could never have children. Clarence paid the surgeon back month-to-month over the next five years.<br /><br />After the war, Clarence and Edna moved to Atlanta and Clarence found a job with Atlanta Shower Door Co. – the inventors of the glass and aluminum shower doors that we all use today. Those were good years for them, I think. Clarence called Edna “Barky” and she called him “Chickie”. During those days, he was a vaudeville performer in his spare time and performed alongside such notables as “Count Basie”. Clarence told me the nickname was a shortened version of “That no-account Basie!” since he never showed up on time. Clarence learned to play the piano. He could do amazing rope tricks and card tricks, some of which he tried to teach me, but I just didn’t have the knack. Edna found a job with Sears, and worked her way up to being a manager. Clarence worked his way up to become the Vice President of the company. He bought a Globe Swift airplane and Edna got her pilots license as well. Clarence was a founding member of the “Flying Rebels”, a group of pilots who would sponsor timed races and fly-out camping trips. The two of them took lots of trips together. Later, Clarence bought a Piper Commanche 250 aircraft. He was always telling me how much he loved that plane, so one time I asked him, “If you liked it so much, why did you sell it?”. He said some guy offered him twice what it was worth, so he couldn’t refuse.<br /><br />After retiring to Titusville, FL and finding himself without an airplane at age 66, he decided to build one in his garage – a Lancair 235. That’s how I met Clarence; We were both building Lancairs in our garages. We became close friends. Clarence was what you would call a gregarious person; He was outgoing and could make friends instantly with just about anybody. He always had a twinkle in his eye and a joke for every occasion. In 1989, the two of us drove my pickup from Titusville to Atlanta, GA to buy an engine for my airplane and to visit some of his old friends. That round trip took almost 20 hours – we didn’t get home until 4AM - and Clarence told jokes and stories the entire time to keep me from falling asleep. <br /><br />Clarence and Edna owned an Airstream trailer, and pulled it with their Cadillac to many Airstream rallies around the Country. During the evening entertainment at those events, he volunteered to do stand-up comedy as “Hoss Beauregard” while wearing a 10 gallon hat. Somewhere I think I have a video tape of one of his performances; It was hilarious and the crowd loved it. On those rallies, they always took along their beloved Norwegian Elkhound Penny – the best trained dog I have ever seen. When Penny passed away, they had her cremated and spread her ashes near the corner of their garage under a little monument they had made.<br /><br />(continued...)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-35971678327691664782015-04-04T19:54:24.887-04:002015-04-04T19:54:24.887-04:00Clarence and Edna passed away several years ago.Clarence and Edna passed away several years ago.John Coopernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1165101418390719552006-12-02T18:16:00.000-05:002006-12-02T18:16:00.000-05:00"I had a pretty good time". Thanks for that one, J..."I had a pretty good time". <BR/><BR/>Thanks for that one, John.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1164326599695643012006-11-23T19:03:00.000-05:002006-11-23T19:03:00.000-05:00gvnr:"But for this..." was a powerful, unsettling,...<B>gvnr:</B><BR/><BR/>"But for this..." was a powerful, unsettling, and thought-provoking piece, but we shouldn't dwell too much on our ending, now should we?<BR/><BR/>Several of my family members are buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale, CA, and having walked around and spent some quiet, reflective hours there, I've looked at a lot of inscriptions on the crypts. I think my favorite is:<BR/><BR/>"I had a pretty good time". That one made me smile.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, the reason for this post is that I just spoke to my friend Clarence (see earlier post), and he told me that he's been back to his "home place" several times since he took my wife and I up there. He was unable to drink from the sulpher spring on the last trip, since he can no longer walk very far due to his bad back.<BR/><BR/>Clarence related that on one previous trip, he had met up with a forest ranger in a jeep and they got to talking about the "olden days" in the turpentine woods. The ranger instinctively knew that he had a gold mine of information in Clarence, and spent the rest of the day driving Clarence and Edna around in his jeep to all the old graveyards and any of the houses that were left - picking his brain all the while.<BR/><BR/>Clarence was still flying up until two years ago, and on one of those trips, flew the ranger all over the area in the Lancair (that Clarence had built by hand at 69 years old). He also gave the ranger a bunch of old "turpentine tools" to go in a museum.<BR/><BR/>Clarence just told me the two of them are "friends for life".<BR/><BR/>Clarence and Edna never had any children because Edna had to have her ovaries removed when she was young. (That is a story in itself. Clarence was in the Army, and back in 1940, spouses weren't covered by GI insurance. Clarence actually had to hold a pistol on a doctor to get him to perform the needed surgery, which the doctor performed in the attic of his home. The doctor got Clarence calmed down and actually made Clarence <BR/>assist. Oh, Clarence paid off the doctor's fee over the next ten years.)<BR/><BR/>Clarence got a little weepy at the end of our call tonight, because the Ranger and I may be the only two people left who know the story of his life.<BR/><BR/>...and what a life it was (and still is).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1163119489076634452006-11-09T19:44:00.000-05:002006-11-09T19:44:00.000-05:00John Kovacs - I'm not sure what to say about it, o...John Kovacs - I'm not sure what to say about it, other than I am sitting here, with tears in my eyes, my vision blurred by them, reflecting upon my own life, my ancestors, my family......my mortality, and whatever might remain in the thoughts and rememberances of those who knew me.<BR/>While researching some members of my family tree I came upon the gravesite of my Great Grandfather and his brother, side-by-side. I asked the sexton about the absence of markers and whether he had any information about "my people". The only thing he told me was that they were in plot #1 and #2 and didn't know who was on what side. I DO sometimes think about things, private things, things that I don't share with others.<BR/>Having "been" is what we all will "be" someday.<BR/>What will be remembered about OUR time here?<BR/>For someday, we will all travel the road to eternity and leave behing the pain and sorrow - and joy of our having been.<BR/>I wonder what it feels like. That last moment.<BR/>(Sorry about the ravings of an old fool)<BR/>God BlessAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162937743137725602006-11-07T17:15:00.000-05:002006-11-07T17:15:00.000-05:00Nice work.Nice work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162937567840075502006-11-07T17:12:00.000-05:002006-11-07T17:12:00.000-05:00This is an inspiring piece of writing! Thank you ...This is an inspiring piece of writing! Thank you for sharing it here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162932202272876292006-11-07T15:43:00.000-05:002006-11-07T15:43:00.000-05:00Beautiful writing Joanie. You have talents in wri...Beautiful writing Joanie. You have talents in writing beyond the political (although the politics is most welcome).<BR/><BR/>This post certainly made me thoughtful about the changing scenes of life.<BR/><BR/>Come back soon !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162928561897092262006-11-07T14:42:00.000-05:002006-11-07T14:42:00.000-05:00Trees have from time immemorial been closely assoc...<I>Trees have from time immemorial been closely associated with magic. These stout members of the vegetable kingdom may stand for as long as a thousand years, and tower far above our mortal heads. As such they are symbols and keepers of unlimited power, longevity, and timelessness. An untouched forest, studded with trees of all ages, sizes and types, is more than a mysterious, magical place - it is one of the energy reservoirs of nature. Within its boundaries stand ancient and new sentinels, guardians of the universal force which has manifested on the the Earth. . . . . Scott Cunningham</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162925635460310362006-11-07T13:53:00.000-05:002006-11-07T13:53:00.000-05:00There's a little bit of John Kovacs in all of us t...There's a little bit of John Kovacs in all of us to one degree or another. Thanks for putting this interesting story here. I enjoyed reading all three of them.<BR/>John Cooper, good stories as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162855664496347662006-11-06T18:27:00.000-05:002006-11-06T18:27:00.000-05:00All three of your wonderful stories made me shed a...All three of your wonderful stories made me shed a few tears!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162854629075765652006-11-06T18:10:00.000-05:002006-11-06T18:10:00.000-05:00My wife and I were returning from Florida to North...My wife and I were returning from Florida to North Carolina a couple of years ago, and pulled off I-95 in Georgia to fix ourselves some lunch.<BR/><BR/>We drove down this side road looking for a place to pull off, open the cooler, and make some sandwiches. We saw an open area with a couple trees and pulled off the road.<BR/><BR/>While fixing our lunch, I looked around and noticed that where we were parked looked like it had been a circular driveway where a house had been. <BR/><BR/>On closer inspection, among the old trees was a <I>huge</I> Camelia bush - 15' tall or more - right next to where we had parked to eat. The plant was full and healthy like it had been well-tended for twenty years or more.<BR/><BR/>I eventually realized that a house had once stood behind the Camelia, and that it had probably been planted by the owners right next to the front door of that long-gone structure.<BR/><BR/>People had lived there, worked in the local community, thrived there, and now were gone, as was their former home. But the Camelia they had planted was still standing tall and beautiful as a lonely testiment to their lives.<BR/><BR/>If there is a heaven, I hope the people who built and lived that home looked down and smiled that some passing travelers noticed their beautiful Camelia, and wondered about their lives.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162849052879139682006-11-06T16:37:00.000-05:002006-11-06T16:37:00.000-05:00Very well written and very thought provoking!Very well written and very thought provoking!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162835081064789452006-11-06T12:44:00.000-05:002006-11-06T12:44:00.000-05:00I've known many John Kovacs in my life and it is s...I've known many John Kovacs in my life and it is sad. They think they have so much when they really have nothing. Even their families would not care if they died.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162833146506476882006-11-06T12:12:00.000-05:002006-11-06T12:12:00.000-05:00That certainly is a beautiful midnineteenth centur...That certainly is a beautiful midnineteenth century farmhouse. If you ever get any photos of the grounds please post them. Thanks for this one of the house. Very nice place!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162792120872132892006-11-06T00:48:00.000-05:002006-11-06T00:48:00.000-05:00I understand now.I understand now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162786889846239372006-11-05T23:21:00.000-05:002006-11-05T23:21:00.000-05:00Dan, here’s a photo of the old farm house. I don’...Dan, here’s a photo of the old farm house. I don’t have one of the actual farm grounds, which is what is most impressive. It’s absolutely beautiful land:<BR/><BR/>http://home.ptd.net/~bigtimbr/FRProfile0/cornerfarm.jpg<BR/><BR/>The current owners have owned it for about twenty-five years, but the land and business itself goes back 175 years. It is a bloodstock agency that specializes in stallion and broodmare prospects. They also sell broodmares in foal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162786040063610432006-11-05T23:07:00.000-05:002006-11-05T23:07:00.000-05:00I thought this was a political website.I thought this was a political website.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162782231103688202006-11-05T22:03:00.000-05:002006-11-05T22:03:00.000-05:00I'd like to see the "beautiful and well maintained...I'd like to see the "beautiful and well maintained" 1831 horse farm at the end of your road. What kind of horses do they raise/breed?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162780877636574282006-11-05T21:41:00.000-05:002006-11-05T21:41:00.000-05:00Interesting connections between stories.This is a ...Interesting connections between stories.<BR/><BR/>This is a good site with lots to think about, you should try to get links from other politics sites.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162776014625205452006-11-05T20:20:00.000-05:002006-11-05T20:20:00.000-05:00Your question isn’t disrespectful at all, and I gu...Your question isn’t disrespectful at all, and I guess it’s really understandable. I should have better explained what I meant. :)<BR/><BR/>My friend is a man who has had a major positive effect on countless people – mostly, but not only, through the positive, role-model example he has set for young people. He was suffering through a terrible illness (which, since then, has been successfully treated and is no longer causing him major discomfort or concern … thank God) and he was taking stock of his life. In the process, he was not recognizing just how powerfully positive his mark has been on the world, and the people, around him.<BR/><BR/>I actually read this story <I>to him</I> in the middle of his longest, and last, period of hospitalization, and we discussed it for quite a while afterwards. I believe that the story, and talking about it, helped him to recognize that his own imprint on this world, and on dozens of people whose lives he has indelibly touched, will last, both directly and indirectly, for generations – that his (entirely unintended) ‘legacy’ is a good, God-centered, and lasting one.<BR/><BR/>(That isn’t to say that the subject of the short story was any less of a man. We know little of his life’s circumstances, except for the end of it ... and beyond. It is just to say that John Kovacs was not as blessed, or as fortunate, as is my friend.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162773747158186732006-11-05T19:42:00.000-05:002006-11-05T19:42:00.000-05:00No disrespect intended Joanie, but how would givin...No disrespect intended Joanie, but how would giving this story to somebody "who was experiencing some serious difficulties in his life" cheer him up? It's a good story but certainly not cheerful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28785049.post-1162773615911612912006-11-05T19:40:00.000-05:002006-11-05T19:40:00.000-05:00Joanie, I agree with some of the other comments th...Joanie, I agree with some of the other comments that you should write more things like this. Your personal ideas about the barn and the tree are excellent and the photos really add to them. It’s true that a picture is worth a thousand words! Thank you for taking the time to put a picture with the stories.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com