September 06, 2009

A Long Overdue Reunion


Two young men joined the Navy in 1969 with hopes of seeing the world and getting out of their respective little towns. Richard Evans of Norphlet met Glen Allen aboard the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) while both of them were on air conditioning detail. The two men quickly became close friends through various activities on and off ship. Together they graduated from pollywogs to shellbacks when they “crossed the line” and sailed across the equator en-route to Australia. The bonds forged on the Gulf of Tonkin and throughout the South China Sea would prove to last a very long time.

Both Richard and Glen were discharged from the Navy in the early 1970s and returned to civilian life. As many friends do, they continued to write one another and occasionally talk on the phone, but eventually the more than 2,300 miles of geographical separation ended their close friendship.

Richard went on to marry Terri Beaty in April of 1975. The young couple soon had a son of their own to add to their family of four. Terri had two sons from a previous marriage, James and Chad. Richard, remembering his great friend Glen Allen, decided to give his first biological son his best friend's name, Chance Glen Evans.

With the Internet boom in the late 1990s, the world seemingly shrank. Story after story aired on popular television programs of long lost family members and friends finding one another by using this new wonderful technology.

In 2002, Glen decided to post his contact information to the Korean War Project website in hopes that some day his old friend would find it. After posting, he waited eagerly to see if by some chance the Internet would prove to be useful in locating his buddy. Days, weeks, months, and then years passed. Nothing. There's one thing about the Internet. It has patience and hope when we lose ours.

For Richard, the Internet was a great tool for reading about things that were special to him, his time in the Navy. It allowed him to take many trips down memory lane. Reminiscing about old times, Richard wondered what happened to Glen. He wondered if Glen had thought about him over the years. In 2006, Richard happened upon the Korean War Project website, and upon something surprising. He discovered a post nearly fours years old from his close friend from the Navy. A youthful excitement rushed over Richard as he quickly jotted down Glen’s phone number and address.

Over the next several days, Richard called the number listed, but never got an answer. Not knowing if he was even calling the right number, he began looking for other people in the vicinity with the last name of Allen. He called half a dozen Allens but landed no solid leads. A little discouraged, he left a message on someone's answering machine, and went about his daily activities.

In a far corner of the country, another story was playing out. Richard's message was left with a close friend of Glen's sister, who passed the word on to Glen. When Glen received the unexpected news that his buddy was trying to contact him, he was overwhelmed with enthusiasm.

In the Fall of 2006, Glen made contact with Richard. It was the first time the two had spoken in many years! Persistence, patience, and modern technology had paid off. For the next two years, they would spend hours on the phone catching up and e-mailing pictures of their families back and forth.

In July of 2008, they decided it was time to make plans for a face-to-face reunion. The meeting was set for Colorado Springs, Colorado, and would take place in July of 2009. As part of a long-haul motorcycle ride, Glen would travel from Washington, and Richard and Terri from Arkansas. The distance is roughly halfway.
On July 29, 2009, Richard Evans and Glen Allen met for the first time in almost 40 years on the streets of Colorado Springs. It was an emotion-packed moment that brought tears of joy to all who witnessed it, even to the two former Navy men. They spent the next few days catching up on old times, looking at pictures, and getting to know each other again. Richard and Glen continue to e-mail, text message, and talk on the phone regularly. They have vowed to stay in touch, and are already looking forward to visiting one another again soon.


May 04, 2009

What's Been Going On?

I've finally sold the Element, and have two different vehicles in its place.  I picked up two ponies; one old one, and, well, two old ones, actually.  The first pony is a 1991 Mustang GT.  I had a 1993 GT in the late 90's that I absolutely loved.  I parted ways with her in 2000, and have never really been the same since.  A part of me has been missing, so I had to fill the void.



1993 Mustang GT


1991 Mustang GT

The second pony, and love at first site, is a 1977 Ford Bronco.  My introduction to the Ford Bronco (I) was through a good friend who restores them.  We spoke a few times in the past about me getting one, but never really sealed the deal until recently.  I absolutely LOVE this piece of equipment.  I don't really know why, but I do.  Maybe it's the nostalgia.  Maybe it's the rugged engineering.  Whatever it is....I like it.  

1977 Ford Bronco

Like any other project, it's a work in progress.  This beauty is a daily driver though.  It drives very well for a vehicle of this age.  It's equipped with all the niceties you can get on a 32 year old automobile; power steering, power brakes, and an automatic transmission being pushed by a 302 V8 engine.  Recent upgrades before I got it were freshly covered seats, new exhaust, front to back, new tires, paint, and some engine work.

Since I've had it, it's had stock painted bumpers installed, a James Duff hitch, painted dash, new marker & tail lenses, and a few other things.  Future upgrades/updates will include a new headliner, dynamat, wheels, chrome bumpers, and an assortment of other chrome trimmings.  Last but not least, it'll have a vintage air AC unit installed so I can continue to drive it in the summer.  This thing generates some serious heat!

My Mustang will be driven less than the Bronco in order to keep the mileage down.  Did I mention the 1991 Mustang has 37,000 original miles?  I would like to keep that as low as possible for a while to come.  We'll see, though.  Anyway, that's what's been occupying most of my time lately, along with family stuff (Cary rolling her eyes at this point).  I have an ongoing flickr set if you're interested in following along with the progress of the Bronco.  

March 10, 2009

FOR SALE - 2006 Honda Element

FOR SALE - 2006 Honda Element
!!SOLD!!

I spent quite a while making the decision to purchase this vehicle during 2005 and 2006, and have not regretted it one bit.  I've driven it since November 2006, and it has been a pleasure.  The versatility of the Element is one of it's strong points.  I've picked up materials from Home Depot for weekend projects, grocery shopped, and taken trips as far as Birmingham AL.  Regardless of the task, the Element has foot the bill perfectly.  With gas mileage at 24mpg in town, and 28-29mpg on the highway the Element is easy on the pocket book at the pump.

I've met many people in the near 3 years of owning this vehicle who have never actually seen one up close.  Almost every person walks away from it with a different perspective.  At first, they may have been a little critical, but with a closer look, they can see the head and leg room in both the front and rear, feel the comfort of the bucket seats, and envision the usefulness of the roomy inside for whatever they may require.  I'm 6' tall, and when sitting in the back seat, I can not touch the back of the front seats, and have several inches above my head.  The amount of room in an Element is very near an allusion.  So, if you're in the market for a really clean used vehicle that holds its value with the best of them, and you're a little skeptical, give me a call and come see it in person.  I think you'll be surprised at what you find.  Or, if you're already sold on the idea of owning an Element, shoot me an e-mail or drop me a line and we'll talk.

Out of 319 reviews on KBB, average drivers just like me have given the Honda Element 4.7 out of 5 stars!  That is impressive!  So, why would I part ways with something I just spent two paragraphs praising?  Well, I've been bitten by the bug.  THAT is a whole different blog post!

Details Below:

  • 31500 Miles
  • SUPER CLEAN
  • 1 Owner
  • Non-Smoker
  • Honda Ruggedized Floor Mats
  • CD Player / XM Receiver / AUX input / Premium Sound with sub
  • Keyless Entry
  • Cold A/C
  • Power Windows, Mirrors, Locks
  • Tinted Glass
  • Automatic Trans
  • Cruise
  • Tilt
  • 4 wheel anti-lock disc brakes
...and more...


NADA Retail is $16,950
ASking $15,499 OBO

Call 870.310.6682 if you are interested

January 25, 2009

Year End Musings

There is something that happens in the brain at the end of a year.  Thoughts of endings and beginnings seem to creep in, and we become more introspective.  

"What exactly have I been doing the past twelve months?"  
"Have I done anything that really matters?"
"Have I made a difference in someone else's life?"
"Did I improve in areas of my life where improvement was needed?"

Many, many questions have filled my mind the last few weeks just like this.  I'm normally pretty good about evaluating what it is I'm doing, and setting and meeting goals, but lately, I'm not sure my focus has been on what's really important.

I've come to the conclusion, that just like a tire that gets out of balance, my life has been a little out of balance lately.  When a tire isn't properly balanced, it causes the whole vehicle to shake, and become unpleasant to drive.  I think life is very much the same.

As a Christ follower (pardon me for a moment if you're not, while I explain a few things) I believe my wants and desires should fall at least second to Christ, but probably further down the line.  I've heard people say many times to put Christ in the center of your life, and everything else will fall into place.  Well, what does that mean?  What does it look like to 'put Christ first'?  I'm not totally sure I know how to answer that question yet, but I'll see what I can do.

When your car tire is out of balance, a mechanic will put weights on the rim of the tire to balance everything out.  Fortunately for us, there is a machine that tells them exactly where the weights go.  For life, it's a little more complicated, at least in my experience.  If you or someone you know has this all figured out, shoot me an e-mail.  Anyway, I know for sure that for the Christian, Christ has to be first in order to have proper balance.

The ultimate handbook for the Christian is the bible, so I must go there for the answer.  Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep my commandments."  Well that's pretty broad.  In order to do this, we must know what His commandments are.  To know the commandments, we must read the handbook.

I'm one of those people that often gets caught up in the details, and sometimes I forget to look to the horizon, at the end goal.  This causes me to over complicate things.  I'm trying to take a more simplistic view of my daily living this year.  I believe there are three things that will help us know how to keep Christ at the center of our lives.  If we do these three things, then, as we are going, Christ will reveal more of what He wants us to do.

Number one, I think we should spend some amount of time each day reading the bible.  It's a huge book, but just pick somewhere and begin reading.  The first four books of the New Testament are a good start, but don't deprive yourself of the great stories of the Old Testament.  Stay in the Word.  This is very important, and we have to take it on faith that it's helping us regardless of how we feel about it. It's not a matter of legalism, or losing our salvation if we don't read the word, but eventually our Spirit will shrivel to nothing if we don't feed it with the Word.  Just do it.

Second, we should spend time praying.  There are lots of books on the topic of prayer, but at it's heart, prayer is us talking to God, and us allowing God to talk back (through His Word, circumstances, the Holy Spirit, others).  It may seem strange, but it's another one of those faith things.

Lastly, I really believe we should spend time trying to help others.  God's word says we are to love Him with all our heart, and love others as ourselves.  Jesus said caring for others, and loving others was the second greatest commandment beside loving God.  It's something that is very important to Him, so it has to be important to us.

This year I'm going to try to focus on these three things in my daily living; loving God, praying, and caring for others.  I feel like it's a worthy goal, but will be challenging.  I'm human just like everyone else, and would prefer to do things my way.  Trouble is, I've tried it that way, and it didn't pan out well.  God's way is always better.  Here's to 2009.

NOTE:  This post is almost 1 month late.  Duh!

January 24, 2009

Possibilities

January 18, 2009

For Sale - Aluminum Ramp

FOR SALE - Aluminum Ramp - $75 OBO
SOLD
I'm sort of on a roll with spring cleaning around the house, even though it's not quite spring yet. The latest item up for sale is this virtually indestructible folding aluminum ramp.  My intent when buying this was to load my four wheeler in my truck (when I had one) or on my trailer when I wanted to go tromping through the woods, or whatever.  The reality is, I haven't used this ramp but a few times, and I no longer have a truck, so......it has to go.
The ramp is 72" x 40", and has a 1000lb load capacity.  The four wheeler isn't included.  If you're in the market for something like this, give me a shout.  chance.evans [at] gmail dot com.


January 16, 2009

At DDC Waiting

Tanner has a bunch of micro machine type cars and air planes. He is flying them all over the room, and putting them in various spots.

There are little tiny planes sitting everywhere waiting for the doctor.