Friday, August 26, 2011

Well, the BIG trip to the US is about to come to an end. Anh flew home last week but I had to stay here for another couple of weeks to take care of some last minute business. I will be heading back home on Sept 4. It's hard to believe that we did and saw so much in the two months that Anh was here.
After our trip to Alaska, we stopped off in Colorado for about a week before flying to Louisville, Kentucky for my Marine reunion. I always enjoy the reunions though they wear me out. It seems like it's non-stop for a week of getting back in touch with some of the most special men in the world. It's kind of interesting though. People ask what we talk about at the reunions. They wonder if we sit around and tell our war stories. Nope. I never heard one war story this year. We talked about our hip replacements, our prostates, and our Social Security checks. Anh was a big hit at the reunion. She had met several of the
 Marines before when they came to Vietnam on tour
 so she wasn't completely new to the party. She was able to talk to a lot of the guys about what it's like in Vietnam today and helped put some of their minds to rest that the war really is over now. We got all gussied up for the big banquet on Saturday night and I must say we were elegant. The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps was our guest speaker and of course Anh wanted to get a picture of her and the man with all the stars on his shoulders.

While in Louisville, we also had the chance to see our dear friends John and Caroline who live in Bangkok part of the year. They were having an export show in Louisville just before the reunion started. So we got to see the Jim Beam distillery and Churchill Downs together. After the reunion, Anh and I rented a car and drove up to Dayton, Ohio to spend a few days at John and Caroline's farm. It was a wonderful time to relax and enjoy some dear friends. Anh especially loved driving their red "mule" around the farm.

All in all, it has been a wonderful trip. We saw ten states (including Alaska) and was able to introduce Anh to my family. I think she will want to come back again someday soon.