Through the Years - A Love Story

Tranquilla 2 - From the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley -

A woman knows the face of the man she loves as a sailor knows the open sea. Honore de Balzac

In 1989 after Hurricane Hugo devastated our vacation to Pawley's Island, S.C., upon a recommendation from a friend we went to Tybee Island, Ga.

Tybee Island was very different in those days; it was still very much the "quirky" Key West of Georgia. Although much of that "quirkiness" is hidden behind the scenes now, much of that allure still exists for those of us who fit in.

We had the pleasure and honor of meeting and being befriended by Ann and Jim Knipe, a Pennsylvania transplant couple who have become my adopted parents.

This is their love story and it is a slice of my story about my love of this island, my friends, my wife and my dogs and all our friends that still hang out there.

It is rare in life when we can take the time to stop and reflect and share life and this is a small attempt on my part to do just that.

Below are photos from Ann and Jim's 50th anniversary, they have since celebrated their 60th (and when time permits I will load those photos as well). The photos are set to Kenny Rogers "Through the Years."

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Love, peace and grace, Dr. Darryl

John Murtha's "Pork" of a Monument to Himself at Taxpayers Expense

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- You may remember Congressman John Murtha (D-Pa.). He maligned and bad mouthed our troops even though they have fought for our freedom and liberty and for his "privileges" as a "Congressman" to bring home "pork" of unbelievable amounts (tens of millions of dollars) to an airport named after himself that gets - are you ready for this - 20 visitors a day on the average!

From my friend and fellow conservative Lynn Beckman. See how your hard-earned tax dollars are being spent by the Democrats and the Republicans that "buy their votes" with our tax dollars! It's all pork stupid!

The below link illustrates very graphically how PORK pays off for incumbents. It's easy to see why the good folks of John Murtha's district may well re-elect him. He brings home the BACON!

However, I wish ABC would have translated the dollars spent on this airport into the cost to American taxpayers for each vote the infamous Congressman John Murtha stands to gain from the country's "investment" into the John Murtha Airport. Absolutely staggering to think about this kind of thing going on continually all over the country, year in and year out. Talk about a sea of RED INK !!! By the way, even though Murtha is a Democrat,

I'm not in any way excusing the many Republicans who perpetrate the same crime. They're all guilty and need to be un-elected at the next election, and replaced with fiscal conservatives, regardless of party.

The John Murtha Airport in Johnstown, PA

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7415354

This was on ABC Nightly News a few days ago. The first few seconds is a
commercial. Then it goes into a report on the John Murtha Airport.

Porter Wagoner dead at age 80

When I was a child my parents tuned into the Porter Wagoner Show every evening at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 6 in Paducah, Ky. We sat in front of a black and white Zenith and listened to him and Dolly Parton sing their country music. Well, Mr. Porter has died at age 80. He had lung cancer and spent his final days in a hospice.

There were those who didn’t much care for his twangy voice and rhinestone outfits, however, I was a fan. Maybe it was because I saw people like Porter Wagoner through the eyes of a child that came to believe that if you worked hard enough you could succeed at anything. Like so many that have now left us --- Hank Williams, String Bean, Grandpa Jones, Johnny Cash, Ray Acuff and Minnie Pearl --- each one brought me a special memory and each had their own story that inspired ole country boys born on the wrong side of the tracks like me.

I can’t sing, play an instrument or even dance very well so I never aspired to be a country music star. I tried to take other lost highways to success.

But I liked their music and their humor. Their songs and lyrics resonated in my heart and soul and touched me.

Porter Wagoner loved his friends, fans and family. If there were any doubt his friend’s visit this past weekend would put that to rest:

Country singer and Opry member Dierks Bentley visited Wagoner in the hospice over the weekend and said Wagoner led them in prayer, thanking God for his friends, his family and the Grand Ole Opry.

Rest in peace Mr. Porter Wagoner. You have earned the right to sing in the heavenly choir.

Until next time.

Dr. Darryl
L. Darryl Armstrong
ARMSTRONG and Associates

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