Source: Aerograph May 2012
President Harry Nicholson
Sec/Treas Glenn Handlers
This quarterly starts out with the death of Sam Houston. His obituary also has a picture of Captain Sam in Uniform but my system seems unable to copy that picture so I forwarded the obit from the paper to Charlie Jordan who assured me he would run it in the May issue of the Aerograph.
Lloyd Bellinger, shortly after retiring from the USN, started compiling a list of all of his Navy friends and asked for their input to his list. Around 1967 I contacted Lloyd after seeing his list at Point Mugu, CA from a Warrant Officer named Taylor and sent in a few addresses of my Navy friends and each year till Lloyd turned his list over to a group of folks at Lakehurst around 1974 who got together and formed the NWSA I supported him with a few bucks to help with postage.
When NWSA was formed in Lakehurst the first annual gathering of NWSA was to take place at Pensacola FL. The flyer that went out soliciting members to join NWSA dropped first names from Lloyd Ballinger’s list. I wrote a letter of protest to the Secretary at that time about deleting the identifying names from Lloyds list and finally relented and joined NWSA in 1978 or 1979 as I recall attending the annual meeting in 1979 here in Monterey.
Imagine my surprise to once again upon receipt of the Nov. 2011 Issue of the Bellinger list to see all first names dropped. I also see in the Feb. 2012 Issue of the Aerograph if anyone is interested those names have been added to an online version of the B List. It seems a majority of folks feel that hard copy of the written word is on its way out so everyone can be expected to use the online method of communicating within the NWSA. Now I wonder how much longer the NWSA will survive before it is disbanded.
Carl Thormeyer’s Jan. 2012 report showed 5 days below freezing took place at his thermoscreen in his Marina Back yard with one day down to 25 F. Microclimate changes are significant as where I live in Seaside is less than 5 miles as the crow flies from where Carl lives and there were no days that I observed here in Seaside where we had below freezing temperatures. Though I do not keep track of daily temperatures there is only one period of time I can recall where we had below freezing temperatures that lasted 3 nights in a row and that was 31 Dec. 1989 through 2 Jan. 1990 and many water pipes burst those nights when temperatures went to at least 23 degrees F.
Our seasons start 1 July each summer and from July 2011 through Feb. 2012 our temperatures have been below normal and precipitation only 46% of normal. One has to go back into the 1880’s to find a drier 3 month period of Dec.-Feb. than the one we just had. The climate is a changing for sure.
Carl Thormeyer’s report for March shows above normal precipitation. The normal is 2.46 Inches and we had 3.21 Inches. This brings our season up to 60 % of normal. We had 12 days in March with rain, rain showers and drizzle. I heard thunder two days here in Seaside and though it is unusual for thunderstorms to happen on the coast in our area we occasionally get some. Temperatures were slightly below normal which is 53.1 and we had 52.3. It seems the upper Middle West has had a much warmer winter than normal. That seems to be the news from the Monterey chapter this quarter.
Submitted by AGC Zane E. Jacobs USN Ret.
|
Source: Aerograph February 2012
President Harry Nicholson
Sec/Treas Glenn Handler
According to Carl Thormeyer’s climate report, Oct. 2011 was the warmest month since 1993 and Nov. the coldest since 2003 at his area in Marina. Precipitation was above normal for the 2nd consecutive November, though some might not make too much of that as the normal for Nov. is 1.33 Inches and we received 1.96 Inches. Many folks don’t realize our Monterey area is a desert climate as far as precipitation goes. Of course it is not like the Imperial Valley or the Mojave Desert of CA.
In 2008 a growth was discovered in my right eye which is a slow growing form of cancer. Periodic exams since then indicate it has not increased in size and Dr. Char of the Pacific Eye Clinic in San Francisco told me I would probably die of natural causes before it gave me trouble. Last Aug. he also advised me to get the cataracts removed in both eyes; so on 18 Oct. the right eye was cleared of cataracts and 1 Nov. the left eye. Amazing what color comes back to old eyes when those critters were removed. Then on 9 Jan. 2012, one of the eye specialists who examines me twice a year locally told me the growth had diminished in size about 3 Millimeters which was unusual but he had seen it happen before. This reduction is an indication the growth was not malignant.
Walking into the Exchange 7 Nov. who was talking with Forest Williams but Charlie Workman! Charlie and I chatted briefly. He always asks me about Elmer Erdei as Charlie knows Elmer and I were in “A” school together in 1949 and we keep in touch with each other via Pony Express mail as Elmer won’t bend to changing times and still uses an old hand operated typewriter. Elmer keeps me apprised of the violent events happening around Reno as Elmer lives in Sparks. Elmer also generally comes in contact with the Tailhook convention people whom the Navy Pilots still hold in the Reno/Sparks area and that event happened in Sep. right after Labor Day in 2011.
Just before Christmas 1941 I caught a greyhound bus from Vallejo CA to Reno, NV which arrived about 0300 in Reno. I had to change there to catch what was called the stage to Portola, CA where I was headed to visit my oldest sister. Reno at that time was touted as being the “Biggest Little City in the World” and a sign to that effect was posted on the south side of the town as one entered it. Then in 1963 while stationed at NAAS Fallon we drove to Stead AFB to shop at their commissary and Stead was north of Reno near the University of NV. Coming in from the east after passing through Fernley NV a few miles one came to the eastern outskirts of Sparks NV which was famous for John Ascauga’s Nugget casino. We enjoyed a Frankie Lane program at the Nugget and this landmark in Sparks is a couple of miles west of where Elmer Erdei now lives. The Nugget is also two or three miles east of downtown Reno. The place I changed busses in Dec. 1941 on my way to Portola, CA. One thing I recall about 1941, though I was a minor and no minors were allowed in the casino’s, a doorman let me set in a chair near the door where it was warm. I had attempted to pick up some silver dollars which were embedded in the concrete sidewalk outside the casino and was astonished that anyone would plant silver dollars in a sidewalk as an advertisement.
Elmer and I had a brief chat 5 Jan. 2012 during which I learned Elmer is about to become a Great Grandfather as his granddaughter was in hospital and had induced labor today.
There are those who know Gloria has had operations on her left knee and both artificial joints have been the wrong size which over the years has caused her a lot of pain. The fall 2004 replacement operation left her with a permanent limp and I have been known to write that she walked like Festus in Gunsmoke. Elmer Erdei’s 2011 Christmas letter informs me it was Chester who was Marshall Dillon’s sidekick in Gunsmoke that walked with a limp so I stand corrected in that long ago TV program that I liked for entertainment for so many years.
2 Dec., a surprise call was received from Clem St. Louis who lives in Fullerton CA which is SE of Los Angeles. Clem was known to most of his shipmates as Bud and I believe the last time we seen each other was at the 1987 San Diego, CA reunion. Bud dropped out of the NWSA shortly after that. He went on a Hawaiian Cruse in Nov. 2011 and met Dave Sokol who was on the cruise with Bud. Dave Sokol is a long time friend of George Russoy who I knew at NAAS Fallon Nevada from Cuban Missile Crisis days of Oct. 1962 through Deer Season the winter of 1963. Sokol seems to have had a B list along & that is how Bud got my telephone number. During our chat Bud, said he was thinking about joining the NWSA again.
The Monterey Chapter of NWSA has only two social events a year, one in June being a picnic and the Dec. event is not wholly a Weather guesser’s event but a majority of the Well Weathered Wives Club is associated with weather. The past few years has seen Bill & Mimi Schramm sponsoring the WWW Christmas gathering. In Dec. 2010 Bill suggested changing the event to a lunch instead of a dinner as had traditionally been the time of the meeting so 15 Dec. 2011 those who could make the lunch gathered at Rancho Canada in Carmel Valley to enjoy meeting old friends and a noon repast.
Bill’s list is shown here and some are not weather types:
Sam and Helen Sue Brand, Tom and Mary Callahan, Bud Carlson, Don and Margie Edgren, Ron and Peg Englebretson and guests Jim Poland and Gene Tissot, Bob Fett, Andy and Antoinette Goroch, Bill and Dottie Groscup, Glen and Delores Hamilton, Herb and Barbara Hansen, Manfred and Dorothy Holl, Zane and Gloria Jacobs. Jack Jensen, Mary Kalinyak, Barbara Lewitt, Beverly Morford and Ace Trask, Dean Morford, Harry and Patty Nicholson, Marjorie Petit, Bob & Dot Renard, Charlie Roberts, Bill & Mimi Schramm, Bob & Freida Sparks, Carl Thormeyer, Dick and Mary Lou Ward. Ralph Wrenn and Lady Marilyn Cole.
I single out Ralph Wrenn as being my oldest acquaintance in the room as Ralph and I were in his section at FWC Norfolk, VA in the winter of 1949. Next is Dick Ward who in 1971 interviewed me for a Met Tech job with Fleet Numbers OTSR division.
Harry Nicholson mentioned one change of command ceremony where a streaker stole the limelight. I don’t recall seeing that but had heard of it.
A short binnacle list was discussed but the only one I recall was Ken Ruggles who has been struggling with leukemia. Bill Schramm included Jack Pringle who was recovering from having a kidney removed so could not come up for the WWW luncheon. Both Ken and Jack live in the Palm Desert CA area.
Bill also revealed two of our local weather connected folks have passed away this past year. Warren Charles Thompson, born 22 May 1922, died 1 July 2011 at age 89, was a longtime resident of the Monterey area since 1953 and a retired Professor of Oceanography at Fleet Numbers. Then Carol Sue Roberts born 1 Aug. 1945 died. 25 Sep. 2011, wife of Charlie Roberts.
My mention of NAAS Fallon NV brings to mind one of the troops at Fallon when I checked aboard was Dave Bunkin who now lives in Ohio. Dave recently sent me a picture of the Fallon NV Weather crew made in 1962.
|
 |
| Click Image to Enlarge |
|
|
This picture of Dec. 1962 after my arrival from Midway Island. the second day of the Cuban Missile Crisis in Oct. 1962 is minus 2 who for some reason were not in the picture. Chief Russoy had me get a Nevada hunting license the afternoon I checked aboard the base and loaned me one of his 12 gauge shotguns. So about 0430 next morning we were out on the Stillwater Wildlife refuge hunting ducks. Nevada has a lot of good hunting and fishing so George and I enjoyed that sport and kept our freezers full of duck and fish. George walks among our ancestors now. Chipp was still getting by down in Texas way a few months ago and Larry Bolman is still living in Indiana. Of those othersshown in the back row, I only currently know Dave Bunkin.
In deer season 1964, AG3 Fred Rogers and I went hunting as Fred had three small children and another one in the basket at that time. We both got a spike buck.
I gave Fred a quarter of mine as he had more mouths to feed. About ten years later, a small group of AG’s came through the OTSR work spaces at Fleet Numbers in Monterey which was located on the Naval Post Graduate School grounds near the EM club at the time. AG2 Fred Rogers introduced himself as I had forgotten his name. The group was on their way to Diego Garcia. I asked Fred if his wife had survived her fourth birth, as she had been diagnosed as having cancer while packing, and insisted on going full term or at least seven months. Both his wife and child survived.
|
 |
| Click Image to Enlarge |
|
|
Dave Bunkin forwarded the NAAS 1965 Fallon NV weather crew. The picture above as identified by Dave Bunkin and Jack Johnson shows standing AGCS Bill Thompson then AG1 Carl (AKA Jack) Johnson, AG1 Rick Blackburn, AG3 Unk, AGC John Swan.Bottom row Unk Airman, AG3 Fred Rogers, AG3 Davis and AGAN Hopkins or Haskins. Perhaps someone can ID the other two who, at present, are unidentified.
When Bill Thompson retired he just seemed to drop from the face of the earth. I have not met anyone who knew him who has any idea where he vanished. Carl Johnson took a discharge from the USN and a while later joined the USAF. He was in the Air Weather Service in the USAF and retired as a Captain USAF. AKA Jack, Carl lives in CO and does missionary work in SE Asia.
The Dec. Climate Report by Carl Thormeyer shows our area has a normal rainfall in Dec. of 2.74 inches and 2011 only had 0.11 inch which was the second driest of his 25 year records. We also have a normal 49.2 degree temperature and Dec. 2011 was 47 Degrees so below normal.
Submitted by AGC Zane Jacobs USN RET
|
Source: Aerograph November 2011
President Harry Nicholson
Sec/Treas Glenn Handlers
Harry Nicholson wrote 19 July he got a couple bits of news. With the earlier springtime celebration of FNMOC anniversary interest was generated about some of the early names connected with the Numerical application of weather and Captain Paul Wolff was one of the first Commanding Officers of the infant numbers game in Naval Weather. What happened to this pioneer? Well there are some in the neighborhood who knew him and kept in touch. It seems Paul Wolff walked the wind 16 Sep. 2009 less than a year after his wife Margaret died 20 Oct. 2008.
The other bit of news was Captain Sam Houston fell and broke a wrist and a rib. This may have happened in Sam’s Park Lane Apartment.
Carl’s analysis of July weather was what he called benign, with just a tad below normal for temperatures and precip which was all nighttime light drizzle. A normal summer time event on the coast is fog and July had one day more than normal with 9 days of heavy fog.
5 August 2011, Captain Erika Sauer took command of FNMOC when she relieved Captain Jim Pettigrew as Commanding Officer.
August weather was almost 3 degrees F below normal in temps and 11 days of measurable precip with a total of 0.16 Inches which is small but above normal for Aug.
In early Sep, the Oct. issue of Discover has an interesting article on fire, and as much of Texas and Oklahoma were having much warmer and windy weather than normal with wildfires destroying many homes. a little trivia about fire seems apropos.
America’s deadliest fire took place 27 April 1865, aboard the Steamship Sultana. Among other passengers were 1,500 recently released Union prisoners traveling home up the Mississippi when the boilers exploded. The ship was 6 times over capacity which helps to explain the death toll of 1,547.
The Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin was the second deadliest blaze in United States History, taking 1,200 lives – four times as many as the Great Chicago Fire. Both conflagrations broke out on the same day, 8 Oct. 1871.
It seems odd that in 85 years I never heard of the Peshtigo Wisconsin fire, just the Great Chicago Fire and we often hear about the biased news media in the current day.
Sunday, 18 September, while shopping in the commissary at old Ft. Ord, I ran into Charlie Workman. We see each other once in a while in the commissary. Then 23 September, while shopping at COSTCO, I ran into Barbara Lewitt. She is doing OK but like the rest of us has good days and bad days.
Carl Thormeyer’s Marina weather station indicated a normal September temperature-wise with only one day exceeding 80F. Precipitation, mostly drizzle was below normal. As the normal average precip is .28 inches and we got .27 that .01 inch below normal is a miniscule difference from normal.
The first week of October gave us a cooler than average frontal system pass through our local area and gave us rain for a couple or three days. It also dumped almost a foot of snow on the Donner Pass area between Sacramento and Reno on the 5th of Oct.
How many members of NWSA live in Wisconsin? For sure there is one who many in our community must know. Frenchy Corbeille lived in Washington State till about 2005 when he moved back to his home state of Wisconsin. Frenchy is a walker and a bird watcher among other things. From time to time Frenchy shared his outdoor walking experiences with a few friends. I am honored to be among that select group of people Frenchy calls friend. Though not sure exactly when I think it was around 2006 or 2007, Frenchy acquired a pup he named Boomer. It was then Frenchy’s strolls through the woods of each early morning became more interesting. The editor of the Brillion Wisconsin weekly paper happened to get one of Frenchy’s very descriptive messages about an early morning walk and asked Frenchy to write a weekly column for the Brillion Paper.
The articles were titled “Glimpses of Brillion”. The Brillion Nature Center became involved in Frenchy Corbeille’s Glimpses and just this fall published some of Frenchy’s 2009 articles in book form. 11 Oct. 2011 I received my copy of this fascinating view of nature through the eyes of a man who paints pictures with words. The non fiction book, Glimpses of Brillion Vol. 1 sells for 8 bucks plus 2.05 shipping and worth every penny of the investment for those who like to read about the world we live in as seen in Brillion Wisconsin. Am sure Vol. II for the year 2010 will be published later.
There is little news from the Monterey area at this time of year so that winds up this edition.
Submitted by AGC Zane E. Jacobs USN RET
|
Source: Aerograph August 2011
Carl Thormeyer’s monthly climate report for his Marina observing area shows Temperature and Precipitation for April 2011 was rather dry with below normal temperatures much of the month. One exception to that was 1 April with a high of 81 Degrees. Light patchy frost took place 29 & 30 April in Marina. I saw frost in my back yard those mornings here in Seaside.
In June 1991 I retired from my last paying job at Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center which was renamed Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center in 1993. I worked 19 years at FNWC/FNOC and retired at age 65.
19 April 2011 I received an invitation to attend the FNMOC 50th Anniversary and Military Construction Ribbon Cutting ceremony at 0900 this 19th day of May 2011. The skies were overcast and temperatures around 50F at 0900 this morning and I was happy to be wearing a long sleeve shirt and jacket with side pockets to put my hands in. Participants and Military attire prescribed by the Command was Summer Whites. I looked at the Sailors wearing short sleeve white shirts in 50 degree overcast weather and gave thanks the wind was just a whisper. I watched RADM Jonathan W. White who is Commander, NMOC being piped aboard and taking his seat prior to Congressman Sam Farr of the CA 17th Congressional District being piped aboard and wondered if the Admiral would turn blue from the cold. He must have Neanderthal ancestry as he seemed to bask in the chilly weather. Neanderthals of the last ice age through forensic analysis were determined as being highly resistant to cold weather. So I guess any common sense regulations such as Uniform of the Day being with sweater or jackets will not be forthcoming in future such ceremonies.
It has been over 15 years that I had not been on the compound of FNMOC and all the old WW II buildings that were still there in 1991 have all disappeared and many other buildings have sprung up in support of this unique Navy Forecast Center . It is being enlarged by another 14,000 Square feet thanks to Rep. Sam Farr's proposals to congress.
As long as we are on the Monterey climate my first pass through this area was in Jan.-Feb. 1945 for a week or two enroute from the Camp Hood, TX 17 week Infantry Basic course to the Philippines. That was winter time so I did not notice any climate differences. The next time in the Monterey area when summer was involved was when I came from Guam and attended a 5 week Upper Air school in Lakehurst NJ then was sent to the Naval Post Graduate School for duty in April 1954 to install GMD 1-A gear for Met student training. Coming from the tropics to the Monterey weather was a rude awakening as summer never seemed to happen that first year here. The Ocean Upwelling effect on the close onshore temperatures is a shocker to folks who are accustomed to warm weather in the summer months.
According to Carl’s Climatology report May was very cool with well below normal temperatures and slightly above normal rainfall for the second year in a row. Also there were no days of fog where visibility reduced to ¼ mile or less. Colder inland temperatures was the major factor for less fog.
Sunday 12 June came in with a low coastal overcast condition and chilly weather. Temperatures were around 55 to 60 degrees when midday found Keiko & Glenn Handlers once again manning the picnic grill at Archer Park in Monterey for our annual summer picnic gathering. I will list those who attended the picnic as Glenn’s list shows them.
Don & Carol Mautner, Glenn & Keiko Handlers, Erika Sauer who assumes CO of FNMOC in August, Zane & Gloria Jacobs (Gloria felt well enough to make it this year). George & Mary Haltner, Mary Kalinyak, Barbara Lewitt, Dean Morford, Forest and Madge Williams, Harry & Pat Nickelson (thanks Pat for double checking the list to make sure I knew who all was at the picnic), Bill & Mimi Schramm & Mike Gilroy.
Mike was renting a bank owned home in Salinas and it was sold so he was scrambling to find another place to live and was looking at the Pacific Grove area.
Earlier in the month I had talked to Carl Thormeyer who has weekend forecast TV appearances to make and Carl said he could not make the annual picnic as he gets up at 0230 to prepare for his TV forecast on Sunday’s. Retirement for some seem to increase the work load. As all us old retirees can tell you who anticipate such, there never seems to be enough time to do the things we want to do then the lights turn off for us and the next generation advances. The cycle of life in all ways goes on and that is true throughout the Universe.
Carl Thormeyer’s June climate observations show a much wetter month than normal and below normal temperatures. A recent exchange of Egrams with a Hawaiian cousin reveals his family loves artichokes. With that in mind & knowing we are near the artichoke capital of the United States, when I went to the Commissary 2 July I looked at the artichokes and they were poorly looking. The sign said they were frost kissed which some folks prefer & accounted for the frizzy brown tips. I wonder how the chokes became frost kissed as no frost was recorded in June & only short periods of fog with visibility less than 1/4 mile in 4 of the June days. At any rate each of these to me sad sack artichokes were priced at $2.98 each. I wonder what they sell for in Hawaii. An Egram from a cousin who is native Hawaiian shows the chokes are cheaper in Hawaii. Go figure.
Mike Gilroy is having a farewell luncheon toward the end of July so it would appear he is retiring and moving south to the San Diego Area. And that is the way it is the summer of 2011 in our area.
AGC Zane E. Jacobs AGC USN RET
|
Source: Aerograph May 2011
President Harry Nicholson
Sec/Treas Glenn Handlers
Carl Thormeyer's Weather data for Jan. 2011 shows it was warm and dry. The first third of the month was much below normal so the average was just a little above normal. We had less than 50% of the normal rainfall.
The first of my Commissary meetings took place 8 Feb. when on my way out after shopping Dave Barlow was on his way in. We had a nice parking lot visit. If memory isn't too far gone Dave is still working at NEPERF and plans retiring in a year when he turns 66.
Carl's Marina station showed Feb. being divided into two halves with the first half completely dry and the 2nd half quite chilly and wet. Consequently, we had normal rainfall for Feb. with 3.52 Inches, all falling in half as many days, which was exactly the same as 2010 for the whole month. Carl showed snow pellets affecting his area 26 Feb. and I noticed them on the ground just after sunrise in my backyard so this rare but not unique parameter reminds us we do have a taste of snow but not every year.
Carl's Marina station showed March dry and warmer the first half of the month then wet and cooler the last half. The annual precipitation through March of the year is 14.29 In. and with the extended wet half this March our total comes to 15.49 In. which puts us above normal for precipitation. It was near normal in the temperature ranges.Other than the weather there has not been any personal news to report this quarter. I did hear from Frenchy Corbeille who lives in Brillion Wisconsin the change from freezing weather to daytime above freezing allowed the collection of Maple juice from the trees to give them a much greater amount of maple syrup this year than last year.My Feb. meeting with Dave Barlow is the only chance encounter at the old Fort Ord Commissary with those in the weather community. Other friends are met from time to time at my primary shopping area for food.
Zane E. Jacobs AGC USN RET
|
|
