27th Anniversary Trip

Kathleen and I spent our 27th Anniversary in San Diego. It was a fun filled visit with may excursions. Stating with a visit to the Pro Shop at Torrey Pines. The 121th U.S. Open had only concluded three days earlier. They were still working on taking down the U.S. Open facilities.

Torrey Pines After the 121th U.S. Open
Torrey Pines After the 121th U.S. Open
Torrey Pines Press Area
Torrey Pines Press Area

We enjoyed walking the streets of downtown to visit Petco Park. We stopped in the Gaslamp Quarter prior to go to the game.

Gaslamp Quarter Sign
Gaslamp Quarter Sign

Once we arrived we walked the parameter of the park and visited the statue of “Mr. Padre” Tony Gwynn

"Mr. Padre" Tony Gwynn
“Mr. Padre” Tony Gwynn
PETCO Park Padre at Home Plate
PETCO Park Padre at Home Plate

There was this great model of the USS Midway on display at PETCO Park.

USS Midway Model PETCO Park
USS Midway Model PETCO Park
Pacific Soul W. Broadway and Pacific Highway San Diego
Pacific Soul W. Broadway and Pacific Highway San Diego

On our Anniversary we started with an extended visit of the USS Midway Museum. We ended the visit with a personal tour of the area around AIMD IM3 my workspace WC 650. Some of the best part as the catwalk under the angle deck we spent time watching the ocean pass by during non flight ops. It was to noisy in this area during flight ops.

Port Catwalk under angle deck looking Aft
Port Catwalk under angle deck looking Aft
Hatch into WC 560
Hatch into WC 560
View from catwalk outside of WC 650
View from catwalk outside of WC 650

After spending the day visiting the USS Midway Museum we went to Dinner. It was great to enjoy a Five Star meal and service.

27th Anniversary Dinner Ruth Chris Embarcadero San Diego
27th Anniversary Dinner Ruth Chris Embarcadero San Diego
27th Anniversary dessert Ruth Chris Embarcadero San Diego
27th Anniversary dessert Ruth Chris Embarcadero San Diego

We spend five hours walking the San Diego Zoo. Great Zoo and really big and hilly. Many canyons to explore. This is what we felt like after our long walk.

After Hours of walking the Zoo
After Hours of walking the Zoo

San Diego Reunion of USS Midway Sailors

Michael Steward and wife Mary meet Michael Angulo and Kathleen in San Diego. The featured event was to Visit the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum.

The day of our visit was the the return of COVID-19 Restrictions. This limited access to the museum exhibits we could visit and only the Hanger Bay and Flight Deck were open to the visitors. We were approached by a Blue Shirt Restoration Volunteer at the beginning of our visit. He gave us a personal tour of our old berthing area below the Focsle. This area is maintained and used regularly we learned whenever the Scouts visit for overnight stays. So our old racks are still being used.

My old bunk
Large Tube connects to the Anchor locker below.

Elks Lodge 2379 Volunteer of the Year 2019-2020

I was honored on Monday 03/09/2020 at the Annual Lodge Awards Night by Gary Keener our current Exalted Ruler (ER). Gary’s motto as our ER for this past year has been “Elks Inspire”. I was selected as the Volunteer of the Year due to filling in for the normal breakfast chef Jaime so he could support his daughter on Sunday mornings. I had assisted Jaime several times and he is a great teacher. He prepared be for what needed to be prepared for each breakfast service and how to make the special green chili on the grill. I guess Gary Inspired me to be the right person for the job as fill in chef Jaime during this past year. See full list of all Award Winners in the April Nugget starting on page 4.

Latest Visit To USS Midway Museum

Visited the USS Midway Museum with Rick and Darcel Valenta today; 26 August 2018. Great friends that enjoyed the experience with me tell stories about my time aboard so many years ago during my first enlistment. This visit was most rewarding when I learned that my old work center AIMD IM-3 Division W/C 650 has been converted into a learning center just below the Flight Deck. I was able to have one of the Ship’s Safety Officers provide us a quick tour of this recently opened space just below the fight deck and overhanging the bay. I stopped at the information area as we left the the ship and have contact information for the head of Safety. I will try to arrange for a more complete tour of my old work center in the future. The best part was seeing the passageway that I had to clean often that spanned from Port to Starboard on the 03 Deck. It is the site of the forward expansion joint.

My Good Friends Rick and Darcel

 

Rick and I in E-2 Cockpit

Why I am an Aerospace Professional

In 1971 the Blue Angels came to Salinas Municipal Airport and preformed. I was  only nine years old and the Blue Angels were celebrating “25 Years of Precision Flying” . This early exposure to Naval Aviation was one of the catalyst that inspired my enlistment and eight year career as an Aviation Electronic Technician, My ongoing professional existence finds me at The Marvin Group as a Quality Engineer supporting the Marvin Engineering Company Depot that overhauls, refurbishes, and repairs Bomb Racks and Missiles Launchers. I hope you enjoy the scans of the program from the Blue Angels show with signatures from the pilots. This is one of my prized memories.

Front of Program

Inside Program page 1 of 2

Inside Program page 2 of 2

Program back page with Signatures

10th Year Celebration of USS Midway Museum

August 24th Visit

This is my best friend and Lover. Many of you call her Kathleen. We spent about two hours visiting my old home. Long lines for the Island Tour. We have been there before and decided to spend more time checking out the aircraft on the Flight Deck. They have many new aircraft added since the last visit. See below some pictures of the products I now work with in my role as a Quality Engineer in the Maintenance, Refurbishment and Overhaul department at Marvin Engineering Co.

A little disappointed that they have not opened any new spaces. They promised to have the “Midway Theater” and “Combat Information Center (CIC)” opened soon. The Museum was very busy with many visitors, many speaking in their native tongue. That is a good thing for this important Museum of Aircraft Carrier Life. It is one of the most popular destinations in the San Diego harbor.

Some Marvin Engineering Company products were found!

Very rusty BRU-14 holding a torpedo in the internal bomb bay of a Lockheed S-3. It could use some refurbishment.

Here we see LAU-7A/3 on McDonald Douglas F-4 Phantom Pylon

MER (Multi Ejection Rack) on a Grumman A-7 Intruder.

This MER’s are Analog. Note the Step/OFF/Homing switch.With what is left of a “Remove Before Flight” flag

Not sure what type of 30″ rack is holding the MER

This Ejector Rack (EU) needs Overhaul

Thanks Fred Arnold!

Life it great when you know how to appreciate it. Kathleen and myself have been caught volunteering again. This April 7th was the second year I helped with the Santa Clarita Century http://www.santaclaritacentury.com . We were asked to show up at a Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce meeting to plug the event to other chamber members that would be present. We showed up with my Road Bike and wearing matching event T-shirts from a past year’s event. We talked to anyone that would listen about the event and how it benefited the Santa Clarita Child and Family Center that was hosting the mixer. At the end of our hip about the event the typical question was “What do you do?”. Being unemployed I talked about my Technical Services business and handed out business cards.

I handed one to Fred Arnold of American Family Funding and was told when I meet him by someone near by “You need to know Fred Arnold!” http://www.FredArnold.com . A couple of days later I receive an email from Fred asking if I would like to be interviewed at his next radio show on KHTS AM-1220 – Your Hometown Station – Santa Clarita Radio. A couple of weeks later I receive another email with the time and date of the show and was asked for a bio and a couple of questions I would be prepared to answer. Follow is the result of Fred Arnold’s show “The SCV Chamber Business Spotlight”

Thanks Fred Arnold for believing in me!

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