Seventh Fleet

Umbrella girls

In the Philippines, you pay an umbrella girl $7 to walk around with you and keep the sun out of your eyes all day. It's a good thing because it is very hot and the 'fairway' is mostly sand. The girls wake up early and come to the golf course with their umbrellas. So did I get one...?

Her name is Althea and I chose her because we have the same Birthday.

Umbrella girls. The whole concept makes me laugh.

Umbrella girls also function as stellar ball finders.

Tim and Maricris

Yup, goats.

Today in the bay. Philippines

Those things in the water are CRRCs (Combat Ready Rubber Craft- pronounced "cricks"). They are loaded with Marines and came out of our stern gate about ten minutes before this picture.


Doc Kim and me. On the ship....

Subic Bay, Philippines

Out to dinner at a Korean resturant in Subic Bay

A few shots of the Essex leaving Subic Bay

I like this picture because you can see the Harriers in the distance on the deck (They do vertical take-offs and landings ... you may remember from the movie True Lies).

Ship pictures from Manila, Philippines

Manila in the morning from the ship. That's not morning fog, by the way- that's smog.

USNS Tippecanoe with the USS ESSEX in the background during an RAS (replenishment at Sea).

A better shot of the Tippecanoe. She gives us fuel and food so we can stay at sea longer without pulling into foreign ports.