Chow time.

Once the reunion gets going, we're on a tight schedule. But we're still in the warm-up mode. Today and tomorrow, there'll be a lot of jaunting out to various restaurants.

A favorite with MUs, former and present, is 

Pulcinella.

I'm hoping to get there soon. Soon like tonight.

This is how it starts.

What I've actually seen around the
hotel so far is a lot of furniture,

This morning I saw David Blakeley from my hotel room which overlooks the lobby. But I wasn't dressed yet, so I haven't talked with him.

I also saw Cecil Strange down there, but haven't met him yet.

While heading out for a walk, my wife met up with David. She told me his wife isn't here yet. David said he'd text me.

I talked on the phone with Terry Chesson. He's coming to the hotel this afternoon, so I haven't seen him yet.

My wife saw TJ in the parking lot, but didn't talk to him because she didn't know who he was. I have spoken with TJ because when I was walking through the lobby, I did know who he was.

I have been to the registration room, but I didn't see any of the Debs because they're not here yet.

This is in no way boring. An NMA reunion is, to me, a lot like Christmas; it involves a lot of expectation and preparation. I've been here for two days, working out a few technical things, resting up, getting ready. More members will arrived today and the pace will pick up even as we await the official start of the reunion.

And there's David down in the lobby again. If I hurry, I'll catch him.

The Daily Poop - SUN18JUN17- A Scenic Drive. Sort of.

My wife and I arrived in Virginia Beach late yesterday. The last leg of our trip, Lewisburg, WV to Virginia Beach, VA was scenic. The scenery I refer to was, essentially, a license plate, VA plate VXR-427, on the back of the car in front of me that I stared at for the two hours it took to travel the last mile and a half before the Hampton Bay Bridge/Tunnel.

I live on the edge of an Illinois town a block from a cornfield. To me, a traffic jam is two tractors plowing the same 600 acres. You can imaging what Tidewater is like for me.

The saving grace is that once an NMA reunion gets going, there's not a lot of driving involved. There's too much going on, too much to do, stories, music, jam sessions, bull sessions. Things can only get better.

Today, wife and I will do some shopping, some sightseeing. Then we'll park the car for the last time until the whole shebang is over.

The Daily Poop - SAT17JUN17 - Last Leg

Leg 2 of 3 took us to Lewisburg, WV. After you've spent the night in a West Virginia Motel 8, you know the rest of the trip can only get better and better.

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I got a voicemail message from JJ Connor who will have to miss the reunion this year. I'll miss his presence, his stories and his incredible memory.

JJ is special to me. He was my first master chief at my first band in my first year as an MU. He still calls me Mullen.

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Today will bring us to Virginia Beach. In on sense, the homeport of Navy music.

In another sense, the scene of the crime.

The Daily Poop - FRI16JUN17 - The Loadmaster

Now that we're retired, my wife and I do more things together. She's coming to the NMA reunion again this year, something she rarely had time for in past years. We' spent the night in a Louisville, KY motel, 1/3 of the way to Virginia Beach for the Navy Musicians Association  reunion. But even though we now have more time to spend together, there's still one thing we don't do as a team:travel

We don't pack the car together. When we're leaving on a trip, the Loadmaster does the packing. There is no helping. There is no advising, critiquing or complaining. It is not a team effort.

Certainly, much discussion takes place. Luggage that will not be needed until final arrival is identified. Things that will come into motels en route are listed. Personal items that must be accessible at all times are set aside.

But when the packing begins, there is no more discussing. There are only orders. The Loadmaster calls for items in the order in which they must be packed.

I learned from the best. John Derby, loadmaster of Navy Show Band West, demonstrated the art, leadership and firmness that can pack the equipment of a nine-piece band into a trailer the size of a footstool.

And, of course, upon arrival in Louisville, my expertise was confirmed was confirmed. Everything we needed for the night was accessible and the long-distance materiel remained undisturbed.

The Loadmaster has very few other marital responsibilities, but he is good at what he does, a vital task that contributes greatly to domestic harmony.

Onward.

The Daily Poop - THURS15JUN17 - Anchors Aweigh

Now set the special sea and anchor detail. All hands make preparations for getting underway.

I'm packing the car and in a few minutes will leave western Illinois, my course set for Virginia Beach for the 2017 reunion of the Navy Musicians Association. It's a three-day, two night cruise; I'm not nearly as fond of driving 18 hours straight as I used to be. Tonight's first port of call will be Louisville, KY.

"Drive faster, Frank; I can't wait to spend a week listening
to you and your buddies rehash ancient sea stories.".

My wife and I will arrive in Virginia Beach late Saturday for a few days of pre-reunion sightseeing. We won't be alone; a number of NMA regulars always show up early.

I hope you'll be there. If you can't make it, I hope you'll come next year. An NMA reunion is a medley of camaraderie, sea stories and music only MUs can understand.

Anchors Aweigh!