Barbershops?

   If you ever find yourself in the Philippines and your hair is a bit shaggy, take an afternoon and find a Barber Shop. What a great way to spend some time.
   First you get the nice hot bath followed by a great massage. Every muscle in your body is beat into submission even to the point where you can't walk for at least three hours. As you sit recuperating, they bring you a nice mixed drink. Ahh! 
   Then it's time for a pedicure. Yup, rock star treatment. Any callouses? They take care of that too. Then in walks the gal who does the manicure. Yup, nice and slow with lots of conversation.
   then you head for another private room where you get your hair sculpted and your face shaved. Then you must choose from about 200 different aftershave concoctions. Life can be so difficult.
   One more dip into a hot tub and if you feel able, out on the street and hail a Pedicab home.
   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book To Waltz with a White Horse.
  Good Reading,
Ron

Cover design and formatting by COVERSAREUS.COM

Politics

   Sometimes we become a bit flabbergasted at what some call politics. These elected officials give us all heartburn and some a bad case of diarrhea. But look around. It is indeed unique.
   Of all the countries around the globe, there are very few leaders that stand for election. In some of the countries of South America, election by the people is soon followed by a turn to a dictatorship. Hugo Chavez is a good example of this. When a newspaper wrote about his power grab, he shut them down.
   So even when we just can't stand another politician, think of the alternative.
   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book To Waltz with a White Horse.
  Good Reading,
Ron

Cover design and formatting by COVERSAREUS.COM

Drugs

   In my book "To Waltz with a White Horse" we see the battles that Sarge goes through trying to stay off drugs. That was a long time ago, but the problem of drug abuse is quite pervasive in our country.

   Like most of the people in Minnesota, we've been affected by drug abuse. You can go into the store to buy a quart of milk and the chances are good that you'll see someone under the influence of drugs.

   Young people are under constant pressure to try drugs and a high percentage of them do try it. They think they can walk up to the devil and kick him in the ankle. They may get away with it a couple times, but sometimes even a single try can leave them wanting more and more.

   So watch your kids and know where they are at all times. Try hard to be the parent they so desperately need,

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book To Waltz with a White Horse.
  Good Reading,
Ron

Cover design and formatting by COVERSAREUS.COM

Chupacabra?

   Here in Northern Minnesota, we hear tales of critters so big and mean that they eat lumberjacks for breakfast, dinner and supper. Some people report seeing big hairy critters that look a lot like their mother-in-law but few have the guts to say such things out loud.
   A couple days ago, a woman found a critter dead along side the road. It wasn't like anything she'd seen before so she reported it to the authorities. She described it as being white skinned with long nails and a large tuft of fur on its back, and having an odor similar to her ex-husband but refused to go into details.
   So if you're planning a vacation here, bring a gun.
   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book To Waltz with a White Horse.
  Good Reading,
Ron

Cover design and formatting by COVERSAREUS.COM

Chow

   As an old GI I remember the extreme high quality of the food in the mess halls. On my first trip there so many years ago, I remember thinking that the place was appropriately named. It was a mess. We ate things that would kill weaker men, but I guess we survived.
   One of the worst things I ate was Minestrone Soup. It was always served on Fridays and contained all of the things we wouldn't eat earlier in the week. Then there was the mashed potatoes. That one should have been served with a straw to drink it. Peach pie. The old joke was that if it tasted like putty it was peach. If it tasted like glue, it was apple. Funny how they all tasted the same.
   But there was one thing the military cooked that everyone loved. S.O.S. Creamed beef on toast or the more common phrase "S__t on a shingle. It was widely known that nobody ever died with a gob of that in his gut.
   For many years I tried to make that stuff but never even got close to getting it right. Maybe if I reenlist.  
   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book To Waltz with a White Horse.
  Good Reading,
Ron

Cover design and formatting by COVERSAREUS.COM

Walter Reed Army Hospital

   In just the last few weeks, one of the most prestigious US Army hospitals closed its doors. For many years this hospital served the needs of the nation's military. At any given moment dedicated medical professionals care for the worst of the war wounded. 
   Sure the future needs will be taken care of, but I see it going the way of NASA and our getting out of the space program. 
   The bottom line is money, not the lack of it, but the government wanting to spend those funds on their other interests. The sad part is that once they lock the door on these places, they will never unlock them. They're gone forever.
   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book To Waltz with a White Horse.
  Good Reading,
Ron

Cover design and formatting by COVERSAREUS.COM

EX GI's ...... Never Happen!

    Today I heard that the United States lost another 31 troops in Afghanistan. These men were fathers, brothers, sons and darned hard working soldiers willing to give up their lives for their country.

   To all of us who served in the military, these were our brothers. It's not as if we're ex-soldiers, because there is no such thing. Once a GI, always a GI. 

   To all who love these men I say "Thank you for your sacrifice."

   But the time has passed where these troops are needed. Now is the time to bring them home with honor. Let's protect our own borders, not those of a country half way around the globe who 

neither deserve our help or want it.

   Stop in when you get home GI. I'll buy you a beer.

   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "To Waltz with a White Horse" at  Amazon.com and www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book To Waltz with a White Horse.
  Good Reading,
Ron

Cover design and formatting by COVERSAREUS.COM

Canoe Camping

   One of the best part of long canoe trips is the quiet and the slow pace. If you think you've seen it all in nature, get into a canoe and plan on at least a week alone. You don't need much for equipment.

   The first two days you'll be fighting the urge to cover a lot of river, trying to see it all right now. Take your time. You need to keep a straight course, but that means only paddling once in a while. Sometimes you can move along quite well by just dragging your paddle and turning the blade back and forth to steer. 

   If this is unfamiliar water, keep an eye and ear tuned to the river. Sometimes a rapids can appear in mere moments putting your skills to the test. If you can't see the end of the rapids, pull into shore and take a walk. You might just save your life. Impatience is your worst enemy.   

   Along toward late afternoon, start looking for a place to spend the night. Any small opening will do. If you wait too long, you could find yourself in the dark, hanging onto a branch with your fingers crossed. 

   A small meal cooked over a reassuring fire is certainly one of best parts of the trip. A good book read by firelight is an experience you'll never forget.

   A tent is pretty nice sometimes, but sleeping under an overturned canoe isn't too bad either. A small piece of plastic sheeting weighs very little and if it siorms, it's worth its weight in gold.

   So leave your Lazyboy recliner behind. There's adventure waiting.

   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "To Waltz with a White Horse" at  Amazon.com and www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book To Waltz with a White Horse.
  Good Reading,
Ron

Cover design and formatting by COVERSAREUS.COM

Chasing the Sunset

    For many young men, heading out across the wide Pacific Ocean was the beginning of an adventure not soon forgotten. Sitting in a crowded aircraft with other men, you soon started looking for something to help pass time. 

   Looking out the window for hour after hour turned up little to excite the imagination. Once in a while you'd see a boat of some kind but as high as we were, it could have been an island or a coconut.

   Then it dawned on us that as we traveled west, we were chasing the sunset. Now that's not something we'd done before. Hour after hour, the sun sat on the very edge of the horizon. For those of us who still thought the earth was flat, the whole thing was spectacular.

   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "To Waltz with a White Horse" at  Amazon.com and www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book To Waltz with a White Horse.
  Good Reading,
Ron

Cover design and formatting by COVERSAREUS.COM

Heroin

   In the book "To Waltz with a White Horse" I write about one man's addiction to heroin. He went from an every day Army Sergeant to an addict in just a week. Before he knew what was happening, he was a regular user.

   Many good troops in the Vietnam era came home with addictions. The main reason was that they thought they could twist the devil's tail a time or two and get away with it. Most were young men who thought they were invincible. Nothing could hurt them.

   We saw these young warriors come home in buses, planes and body bags. Some made it but many would sell their soul for just one more hit.

    You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "To Waltz with a White Horse" at  Amazon.com and www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book To Waltz with a White Horse.
  Good Reading,
Ron

Cover design and formatting by COVERSAREUS.COM