[PaQSO] Ray

[k3cc at verizon.net]

I knew Ray for many years...  Almost 50 if counting numbers...He was a 
fantastic husband, loved his wife dearly...  Ham radio, CW was his thing.
I never could use his bug...I have a lot of stories but many can't be 
printed....  He visited us one day when our red and black plums were just 
ripe.
Ray was going to make plum preserves... So he started in the orchard among 
the yellow jackets and bees....They never bothered him...But  he
ate as many very ripe plums as he picked....We lived in Kempton, PA about 50 
miles from Ray.....I'll leave it to imagination as to what happened
on the way home...One Thanksgiving, my wife and I had made a turkey and ham 
for Thanksgiving...We had a very large home and a table that
seated 12....and a kitchen table....Someone started on the 2 meter repeater 
and the next ting there was 8 hams and their partners...Ray and a woman
from South America, Bob Wf3h and wife, N3IYX, K3ANS and Hope, and a few I 
don't remember....that came to dinner....What a fun day that was..
If you can imagine abt 10 hams in one place and their wives in with Jean my 
wife...Field Days,  20 meters that was Ray's...  The QCWA worked FD
at Ray's place in Springtown, PA and I remember  my station was in a very 
HOT bread truck...I don't know who got stuck in the
Horse trailer but in was rank.  FD at night  W3LR's wife would bring us hot 
Hobo stew   great food....For some reason a lot of our time was spent 
eating.
QCWA picnic's,  W3OK Picnic's , saturday's picnic just for fun....
In some cases Ray was like a father to me.....and I was that thorn in his 
shoe !

de Skip   K3CC


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