Me and Coffee

Coffee helps me enjoy my morning.  I am not sure why, but I have been enjoying plain coffee lately, from the gas station.  I just look around and sit back and sip.  I enjoy it.  

How did I come to enjoy coffee?

I do not have any pictures of that time.  But it all began onboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63).  I can remember being in the space, and pouring my first true cup of coffee.  I did not even put sugar in it.  It was hot.  To hot perhaps.  I just sipped on the coffee.  I did not even know the rules of the coffee pot at the time.  Of course, these were the Navy rules.  For all I knew, I was not supposed to be drinking coffee.  But the ship's crew allowed me to have a cup each day.

I remember all the ports that the Kitty Hawk went to for that underway.  First, we went to Hong Kong.  Hong Kong was an unusual port, because the carrier cannot pull in to Hong Kong.  So, we had to take liberty boats.  Which meant the ship was anchored out.  

The next port we went to was Busan, Korea.  Of course, South Korea was unique, because for the Kitty Hawk, South Korea was a working port.  But I remember going to the Outback in Busan.  I cannot remember what I ate.  I think I also had Tiger Beer for the first time.  Anyone who has had Tiger Beer knows what Tiger Beer is.  I still can picture being on duty while we were pierside in Busan.  I still can see the brow of the ship.  They had to move the brow for some reason.  Or, wandering around Texas Street.  I wondered, "Why is it called Texas Street"?  I did not see much that made me think of Texas.  I remember the mink blankets that were sold.  Or going to the army base, and trying to talk down a vendor for his mink blanket.  

After that, i remember going to Singapore.  At Singapore is a small Navy base.  So, we went there and did laundry.  I remember laundry being a big deal.  They even had pierside laundry services.  Each port was stocked with exactly what we needed.  

The next port we hit was Perth, Australia.  But we pulled into Freemantle.  That was on the west coast of the country, and on the Indian Ocean.  

Well, here I am blogging and I need to get ready for work.