I had a great time at Jim and Nancy's this past week, helping them celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.

Check out more Silver Anniversary pictures here. (Click on blue of course)

It's not our silver, but Mary and I share this late August Anniversary week with Jim and Nancy.

Mary,

 Dad drove a 100 horsepower steel-tracked crawler.

This crawler was designed to pull a 155 howitzer.

It also carried up to 6 troops and 24 shells. I am sure it was loud.

It was made by International Harvester.

Dad gave me the book and I have it in Florida.

A picture is attached.

 Love,

Gerald
 

More baseball stuff.  Did you enjoy reading Casey at the Bat above?

In a baseball related story, we had a wonderful Saturday night party for Aunt Marion, Roger and Cyndi each celebrating a birthday this year ending in 0.

When you approach their gorgeous house, you are met with this friendly tree:

That's the septic system I designed functioning beautifully behind it. :)

The three Luigi's named after Grandpa enjoyed the party.

We wondered who sang the song Louie Louie Louie.

This morning Google tells me it was recorded by the group Stories in 1973.

Jon Bon Jovi also recorded it.

It's title is "Brother Louie".

Anyway, while at Jim and Nancy's on Tuesday, I purchased Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick for Allison who is teaching early American History.

I read most of it from the library and loved it. But the pilgrims and especially Miles Standish were quite violent to the Indians.

Anyway, Jim saw this great book Historic Ballparks, 2006, and we decided to get it for the big 0 Saturday night party. 

We looked at it at Jim and Nancy's first, and we shared ballpark stories.  Young Jimmy told his story about Wrigley Field.

He took a tour of it with his family years ago, and when they went to the famed red brick homerun wall, Jimmy "borrowed" a souvenir.

It was a single leaf of green ivy.

He was immediately caught and scolded by the tour guide:

"If everyone who visited here took a leaf like you did, there would be no more ivy on this wall!"

We all laughed.

Anyway, at Jim's, we saw this picture in the book of the Babe (1931) and Willie Mays.  Mays is at Shea Stadium in May of 1972,

watching the game from the broadcast booth,

having just been traded from the San Francisco Giants to the New York Mets.

Anyway, I reminded everyone at Jim's that I met Willie Mays in New York City when I was in college.

As president of our engineering club, I rode down with my structures professor for a conference.

Willie came up to us in the parking garage of the Hilton Hotel, and we chatted.

Mom said: "Yes, and Willie gave you his autograph." 

She had kept it these 33 years.  I had forgotten, and was completely amazed at this Amazin Mays story.

Mom said she would find it, and bring it to the Saturday night party, which she did.

She assured me it was not a present from me to her, and so I took it home, and scanned it into Best Emails this morning.

Anyway, here it is:

Anyway,  we enjoyed looking at the book at the party. Uncle Johnny especially liked seeing the many ball parks he was familiar with.

Liza was concerned that the new Yankee Stadium will turn the historic (1923) present one into a parking lot, and have 4000 fewer seats.

I tried to persuade Liza to get tickets for the Subway series.

She did get us all tickets for a World Series Game in the late 70's, when we all saw present day Yankee pitching coach Ron Guidry win the game.

Anyway, thanks Mom for remembering this autograph.

 Where did you say that Grandpa Luigi had those one dollar bills that he had Mets player Ed Kranepool sign for his grandsons?

According to Frank, Ed came by the train depot in the Bronx where Grandpa worked, and he signed a bunch of ones for him.

Does the signature look like this one I just bought on eBay for $7.00?

Notice how long Best Emails gets when Mary is away, this time in Minnesota.

Anyway, unable to stand properly all my life unless I'm leaning on someone,