JSS: Busy Day-- Goodbye To the '03 Malibu

JSS--  Just Some Stuff.

1.  BUSY DAY--  Today, I will be leaving in just a little bit and going to the Fox Lake American Legion for the Tom Grosvenor Marine Corps / Toys for Tots birthday breakfast.  Afterwards I plan on burning leaves and limbs in the yard.

Then, if the weather holds good, there are two Illinois High School Association playoff football games nearby and I plan to go to one.  After that, the Legion is having a band.

2.  GOODBYE TO THE '03 MALIBU--  We were sad yesterday when friends came over to pay for and take title of our '03 Chevy Malibu.  We bought it new and this was the first car where we ever got over 100,000 miles.  The odometer read 145,265 miles.

It is in really good shape, but we figure it is time to buy a new car as the newest one we have is a '11 Chevy Malibu.  (We also still have a 2005 Dodge Dakota and an '85 Firebird.)

We drove the '03 Malibu from Chicago all the way out to Santa Monica, California, from one end to the other of Route 66.

It was a really good car.

We'll Sure Miss It.  --RoadDog

SAYINGS:  "You learn something new every day."  Actually, you learn something old every day.  Just because you've just learned it, doesn't mean it's new.  Other people already knew it.  Columbus is a good example of this.

Tom Grosvenor Memorial Marine Corps Birthday Breakfast for Toys for Tots-- Part 1

This past Saturday, Nov. 4, the Fox Lake American Legion was the site of the 34th annual Tom Grosvenor Memorial Marine Corps Birthday Breakfast for Toys for Tots.  The Marine Corps runs the Toys for Tots.

It cost $7 for breakfast consisting of really black and strong coffee, SOS and scrambled eggs.  You either made a donation or brought along a toy.

I sat with Ben Floyd, one of the original thirteen Marines who met on Saturday, November 10, 1983 at Hoff's Kitchen in Grayslake, Illinois, as a way to get together with other Marines, talk over old times, help Toys for Tots and enjoy the camaraderie.  This annual tradition continues on to today.

Seventy-five years ago, Nov. 4, Marines took the airfield on the island of Guadalcanal and though fighting would continue for another three months, this was a big turning point in the hard-fought battle.

Marine-Backer  --RoadDog

Tom Grosvenor Memorial Marine Corps Birthday Breakfast-- Part 1: Happy 240th Birthday to the USMC

Saturday, November 14th, I attended the annual breakfast at the American Legion Post 703 in Fox Lake, Illinois.

This was to celebrate the 240th anniversary of the USMC and to raise money for the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots.

This year, they had tables for the World War II and Korean War veterans, but I was happy to see several tables set aside for Vietnam War veterans for the first time.

A Resolution of Congress created two battalions of the Corps of Marines on November 10, 1775.  In the 240 years since then, Marines have been action for 90 years.  Also, Marine Corps training facility at Parris Island, S.C., opened 100 years ago in 1915.  Today, Marines also receive basic training at San Diego and Quantico, Virginia.

--RoadDog


NEWSPAPER ERRORS:  It was incorrectly reported last Friday that today is T-shirt Appreciation Day.  In fact, it is actually Teacher Appreciation Day.

Marine Corps Birthday

I'm getting ready to leave to go to the annual Marine Corps Birthday Breakfast at the Fox Lake, Illinois, American Legion, something I've done for the last eight years since they transferred it to the home post.

It is also the kickoff for the 2014 Toys for Tots program.

Lots of scrambled eggs, harsh black coffee and SOS.

This year I may also help out my Sons of the American Legion group who is handling the cooking chores.

The USMC was established on November 10, 1775.

A Proud Organization.