My DH has a friend named Albert. Albert still lives where DH grew up, in eastern TN. DH and Albert have not been close through the past few years, but have stayed more or less in contact. I've never met Albert, I don't think, but DH and he were quite close when they were young.
Well, Albert called DH out of the blue about 2 weeks ago. He has a son in the Navy and Albert had the opportunity to take a tour of his son's submarine, the Hawaii -- not an hour long tour. Albert got to ride the submarine for FOUR DAYS.
DH looked up this submarine on the internet. It's amazing. DH of course was more captivated than I by all the details. I just don't get into ships and structures and stuff as much as DH. It's nuclear-powered. It's supposedly the most advanced submarine out there.
So Albert called earlier this week and left a VM: "Wanted to tell you about my ride on the submarine." DH laughed and laughed at this message, saying, "He refers to it as if it was a ride at the amusement park."
Albert said the main control room was 12 x 30, with 50 screens. 12 men work in there full-time. Headphones allowed them to listen to any section of the sub real-time. Listen to the nose. Listen to the sides, hear the shrimp. Hear the dolphins following the sub.
The sonar is so advanced it could pick up a boat 5,000 yards away. Identify if it were gas or deisel, how many feet long it is. How many propellers were on it.
The sub can sneak up on someone 500 yards away and no one can tell it is there. The nuclear reactor is powered for 37 years. Albert loved telling the details and DH loved hearing them.
Albert was treated with the ultimate respect. He had a blast.
After the trip, they were in Atlantic City and Albert's son said, Dad, let's go to this casino and have dinner. We don't have to gamble, but the food is great.
Albert said he was in the casino and his heart was so sad. You would have to hear this guy tell the story to get the full effect. He has an accent, quite an accent, and it makes the story all the better. While I would love to think my writing can convey the story in the same light, I heard some of the story second-hand, and some by speakerphone, and do not have notes or recordings. But this guy is the penultimate storyteller.
Well, he was in the casino and his heart broke. There were people there with walkers, old people, sad people, desperate people, all feeding the machines trying to make some money. He said, "If they just knew the joy of God they wouldn't have to stay in that casino trying to find happiness."
Albert said he had it set in his heart to enjoy the trip, and he did. But as he was boarding the plane, he asked the Lord, "Lord, are you going to let me take this whole trip and not teach me anything?"
The plane trip was extremely bumpy. Turbulence made the jet lurch and roll. Finally, when they reached their altitude, the trip smoothed out. They were above the clouds and the sunlight was blinding. Albert didn't have any dark glasses and had to pull the blind -- the light was so bright. He felt the Lord was showing him the way here on earth is rough and full of bumps. But the higher you get, the smoother the ride, and the brighter the light.
I just wish you could have heard Albert tell the stories.
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