Saturday August 31, was an amazing day. The best! I thought I would stay in the room and "clean up" as the room and every crevice is full of "stuff". We have collected Navy memories and information paperwork on the next 3 conventions (SFO, Pittsburgh, Reno)… For now, let’s talk about yesterday… We heard music in our room (we overlook Peace Plaza) and Chuck looked out and said, "they’re putting up tents" I looked out and said, "there’s a Jamison tent." Suddenly we realized there are leprechauns and fairies down there, and a band on the stage. Grab a cuppa coffee and out we go. We started listening to music and Chuck said "you need a tee shirt" and it was down hill from there. We listened to a wonderful band, a trio, a couple (all very Irish and with amazing beautiful voices). I had committed to go with several ladies on a trolly that was running especially for us to the Convent at Assissi on the heights. The founding sister is the one who told Dr. Mayo if he staffed it she would build a hospital in Rochester. He did and she did. St Mary’s is the first of many Mayo buildings. The sisters are committed to working for Peace. I came back and went into a quiet room to watch a DVD on County Cork and ended up buying the DVD. It is wonderful (did I say wonderful already?). Then I went to Mass for the last time and said goodbye to the big angel in the garden, and back to dress for the banquet.  Rear Admiral Mark Kenny (submarine commander and now in Naval support of counterterrorism and special ops) was our speaker. He gave a few statistics that I still haven’t got completely right… After Pearl Harbor the submarine force represented under 2% of the entire Navy. We headed out into the Pacific and destroyed about 60% of Japanese shipping at great loss; submarine deaths represented 20% of Naval deaths. We celebrated the WWII veterans and then moved forward through cold war and into the nuclear age… I thought, "these guys here are pioneers and we are still out there…"  Several quotes from the dinner: "Fortune favors the bold" Submarines are "lurking where there is trouble… prowling the deep… pride runs deep… operating in denied areas… alone and unafraid." He said, don’t listen to the stuff coming out of Washington… "don’t lose hope." To close… in May a Submarine memorial will be dedicated in Washington DC, so don’t be surprised if we disappear North to celebrate that.  In a moment we’ll say goodbye to this convention and Rochester and head east to Winona and the Maritime museum there. Mississippi River, here we come! Heading East… God bless you.
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