A Passing and Day 4

I had a very brief, 3 seconds of screen time, Hollywood career. I was in the movie, Gardens of Stone, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and starring James Caan and James Earl Jones. I even attended the world premiere of the movie in D.C. I mention this now because Caan passed away yesterday and it’s on all the news channels. My three seconds of screen time were shot over a very long day at the Fort Myer Chapel in Virginia while I was serving with the Old Guard. Caan and Jones were the only bona fide movie stars I’ve ever met and got to actually hang out with. Caan wasn’t a very nice guy to us mere mortals while Jones could not have been nicer. They had to shut down filming for two days because Caan thew a hissy fit that disturbed a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Some studio execs flew in from Hollywood after the Army withdrew its support because of the incident. Caan was read the riot act and filming continued after he wrote a formal apology. So, my brush with the famous. I’ll always remember him from Brian’s Song.

Day 4 Complete

R.I.P.

I finished up Day 4 of the back yard project this morning by completing the down hill retaining wall. The patio will be level with the top of the bricks. I can actually start seeing what it’s going to look like and how much dirt I’m going to end up lugging up the hill. Still, pretty happy with the two hours of work each day. It’s a schedule I can maintain indefinitely, which is good, as this is going to take some time and effort. Two movies fell to my A-Z quest, each a cop movie but as diametrically opposite as possible: 21 Bridges and 21 Jump Street.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                        

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course