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I scan other blogs on occasion. I use a link called Next Blog that links randomly to other blogs. A high percentage of time the writer usually starts out with "I ain't got nuthin' to write about today, I just don't know what to write. I guess I'll just give some shouts out to my peeps." The writer will then list his or her friends and relate how much he and she loves her or his friends. So I'd like to give much props to Captain Kangaroo. I watched him a lot as a child and the antics of Mr. Moose have a lot to do with how I interact with others today.

I actually have a Captain Kangaroo story. Back in the winter of 1990 I was a young marine. I was stationed in Twenty-Nine Palms, CA (hellhole) and was learning how to be a radio operator (waste of time). The school closed for the Christmas holiday and I went back home to northern Michigan for a week or two.

The day I left to head back to the school (the night before I almost went AWOL, the only time I ever came close to doing that, the communcations school was that bad but that is another story) my family took me to the local airport. After saying my goodbyes and moving out to get on the airplane out of town I passed Captain Kangaroo. I know he has a real name but, to me, he's the captain. We could dwell on the interesting coincidence as this figure from my childhood passed me in an airport as he arrived in my hometown as I was leaving for Twenty-Nine Palms and then Okinawa. If I ever write a book I will have to include a similar passage. What struck was what the good captain was asking the man who was obviously a local representative hired to get this guy to his hotel. The captain said as he walked past me "I hope they didnt lose my luggage. I'm always afraid that they'll lose my luggage." I remember thinking that this is Captain Kangaroo, television star, beloved my hundreds and he's concerned about his luggage? Doesn't he know how small the town is in which he is arriving? They only way his luggage could disappear in this airport that services a town of ten thousand is if someone stole it? Who would ever steal Captain Kangaroo's luggage? Who would want to?

Once I got all that shoved out of my head I had to consider another aspect of this encounter: just what in the hell was Captain Kangaroo doing in Traverse City, MI? Was he in for a motivaitional speaking gig? A vacation? Appearing to children? A sold-out arena tour? What?!