Just got back from our annual trip to the Monterey Peninsula to celebrate my birthday. It was the ninth year in a row. But it will be the last. At 89 the body barely got through this one. I will remember the trip though for a gesture of kindness by a gentleman who collects $10.75 from non-residents who want to enjoy Pebble Beach’s 17 Mile Drive. I said to him jokingly “We used to … [Read more...]
Trigonometry Averts Loss of Airplane
Trigonometry Averts Loss of Airplane By: Michael Lodato On a dark and stormy night in late December 1955 I was on duty at a USAF radar base in north-eastern Italy near the town of Campoformido. Just north of us were the Dolomite Mountains, also known as the Italian Alps, but it was fairly level around our base at an elevation of 300 ft. The cloud cover (ceiling) was at best 1500 feet … [Read more...]
My Meeting With Mohammed Ali
Many years ago, I got to spend about 3 hours (along w several others) w Mohammed Ali. Our TWA flight from Philly to LAX was delayed over 4 hours. Instead of going off to some private place, Ali hung out with us. One guy had a backgammon set and Ali played a game with him. He asked us our names and spoke to us individually. He remembered that mine is an Italian name. He announced that he was the … [Read more...]
Looking Back – Christmas 2017
Looking Back - Christmas 2017 In previous Christmas messages I always looked back on the previous 12 months. This Christmas I’m a little nostalgic and will look back on more of my life than just 2017. Over halfway thru my 86th year I know who I am and conclude that I’ve had a pretty good run at life. So it feels safe to look back. I grew up at the best possible time, a time when the world … [Read more...]