Dave and Kathy's Anniversary Spoon

This is the other carving that I have been holding back in posting because it was a gift and I didn't want to spoil the surprise. I really don't have much to say about the spoon itself, but I'd like to say a little about the parties who received it.

My wife and I threw a big party this past June for our 40th wedding anniversary and invited Dave and Kathy, the spoon recipients, and a bunch of other folks, too.

Dave and I had gone to the same university. We had studied, laughed and had run car rallies together. I remember vividly the night that he introduced me to the "Tummy-buster", the biggest and best hamburger in the state of Ohio!  Great eatin', but I'm not sure the place is still there now.

Dave was one of my groomsmen at our wedding, but after that we went our separate ways, Dave to the Army as an Officer and me to industry as an Electrical engineer and later (briefly) as an Air Force enlisted man. We lost track of one another, but about 4 or 5 years ago, on a whim, I decided to Google his name to see what I could find. Sure, enough, there he was! Google managed to kick up an obscure memo with his e-mail address.

So I sent the typical  profound sort of e-mail inquiry that this sort of situation requires.  You know the type.  They generally sound like: "Golly Gee Whiz, are you're the Dave "so-and-so" that graduated from the University of "so-and-so" back in 19XX and drove that rundown, white Corvair?"

In typical "Dave" fashion he quickly responded with, "Why yes, I am...but...uh...you're not going to try to sell me Amway products now, are you?"

Ah, it is so good to know that some things never change. :-)

Although we live many miles apart, we have had some really great times together. Kathy and my wife share quilting and Grandparent experiences while Dave and I have had a chance to share some of our military experiences. A couple of years ago, I was able to show him the site where I spent the majority of my Air Force time "way back when".  At the time it was a classified location, now it is just another, non-descript, semi-abandoned, government building enclosed by a chain link fence.

The same day he showed me where he had been in the Pentagon on 9/11. Had the plane been a little bigger or flying a little faster or the building a little less robust or his desk in a different part of the building, he wouldn't have been around to do that.

I created this spoon in their honor.

Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary,
Dave and Kathy!!!

'Til next time...keep makin' chips!