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Lost At Christmas: Part 1 His First Christmas away from home, & His best gift ever. Based on a post by Tx Tall Tales, in 2 parts. Listen to the Podcast at My First time. After my first semester in College, I was eager to go home for the holidays. I was going to school in Rochester, New York, and anybody who'd experienced the lake-effect winters on the Great Lakes would understand my desire to get to somewhere warmer. For me, that somewhere warmer was a long ways away. As a military brat, home was often a moving target, and that winter it was Santiago, Chile, where my father was stationed and where I'd graduated high-school. It was summer in Santiago, and I was looking forward to a pool-party with my old school mates for the Holidays. We didn't have a lot of money, but I was allowed to travel space available on a military flight as a Navy ROTC student. I had to get down to Charleston, South Carolina, and catch an international C1 41 flight that made a loop through Latin America. After finagling a ride to Virginia followed by a very long bus trip down the coast, I finally made it to Charleston AFB. ROTC travel orders in hand, I checked in at the desk, and verified I was on the standby list for the flight leaving on the 23rd. I wouldn't get home until Christmas Day, but better late than never. With pockets nearly empty, a hotel room was out of the question so I slept in the terminal and snacked on the cheapest eats I could get away with. There was a festive mood in the terminal, so many people rushing to get home for the holidays, and I was getting caught up in the feeling, eagerly looking forward to that very long plane ride, first to Panama, then Lima, and finally Santiago. After what seemed an interminable wait, we were an hour away from boarding when I got bumped off the flight by a group of Marines headed to Panama on Active Duty travel orders. I was devastated. The next flight left early the morning of the 26th. At least that one was a huge plane, and nearly empty so I was virtually guaranteed to get aboard, but what was I going to do for Christmas? Looking up at the outgoing flight schedules, I saw a flight listed for Tyndall AFB, Panama City, Florida. "When is the flight to Tyndall headed out?" I asked the airman behind the desk. "In an hour-and-a-half, and it's all but empty. You want on?" He asked, offering some recompense for my last minute bump. I'd lived in Panama City during 9th and 10th grade, and still had some close friends there, many I still kept in touch with. Maybe I could find someone to spend Christmas with there. It had to be better than sleeping in the terminal for 2 more days. "Please," I told him, "but hold my space for Santiago. I'll be back for that flight." I recalled there being a pretty big Greyhound station in Panama City, so I called Greyhound and checked on a bus being able to get me back in time for the flight. They had one, a 7:30 am bus on Christmas morning would get me back before midnight on Christmas. I could easily make the flight the next morning, even if it were delay a few hours. I bought a ticket, using the emergency Am Ex card my parents had given me when I headed off to college. I'd explain the $67.00 to my parents. I called my family in Santiago with the news. It had to be short call because of the expense, so I let them know I had been bumped but would be there on the 28th. I told them I was headed to Panama City, and would be taking a bus back in plenty of time for my flight. My mother cried, and my father told me to go ahead and use the credit card, but to try to keep the expenses reasonable. By the time I hung up I was pretty depressed, but at least I had a plan. Before I could try to contact anyone in Panama City, an announcement was made and suddenly I was on my way to Florida for Christmas, with no place lined up to stay, and practically broke. I was feeling a bit melancholy, but was determined to make the best of it. So there I was, at Tyndall Air Force Base, at 11:20 pm on December 23rd. I was debating who to try first. I had several close friends nearby and I expected they'd all be home for Christmas. After a short internal debate, I had narrowed it down to two. I had always gotten along well with their entire families, and I was still in pretty regular contact with both of them. Mike lived the nearest to me in the old days. He came from a big family, with 6 siblings, including Peggy, who'd been one of my first real deep infatuations. When I had been in 9th grade she'd been a senior, and was pretty and sophisticated. My yearning for her was unrequited, but I relished the idea of seeing her again after four years. She was a college senior, and would probably be home. I knew they'd welcome me, but I was concerned it would be an inconvenience. They did not have a large house, and it was bound to be crowded, particularly with three college kids home for the holiday. On top of that who knew if they had anyone else in tow? Tommy on the other hand came from a relatively well-off family who always lived well within their means. He had an older brother, who was working in Japan and unlikely to be home, a sister, Sheri, just a year behind us in school, and two much younger siblings, who I guessed would be around 9 and 10 by now. They had a spacious house, each kid had their own room, and I wouldn't be putting anybody out if I stayed there. I'd always had a crush on Sheri, but although I'd dated her best friend, I'd never gone out with her. Getting a chance to see her again would be an extra bonus. Feeling nervous and awkward, I dialed Tommy's number from memory, and luckily got him on the first call. If I'd gotten somebody else, I would have really felt uncomfortable. Tommy's answer was unmistakable. He had a funny way of saying hello when he answered the phone, and the sound of his voice took me straight back down memory lane. "Hee-ello," he answered. "Tommy! Guess who?" I asked. I guess my voice must have been similarly recognizable, since he didn't hesitate a second. "Steve-o! What are you up to? Where're you at?" He answered eagerly. It put a smile on my face. Nice to hear a happy, upbeat voice that seemed genuinely pleased to hear from me. "Funny you should ask. It's a long story, but I'm in a bit of a bind. I'm at Tyndall, and stuck here until Christmas Day." I told him. "What happened to Chile, and Rochester?" He asked. "I was on my way home to Chile, when I lost my seat on the plane in Charleston. I couldn't get out again until the 26th, so when I saw an empty plane headed this way, I just hopped on and hoped for the best." I explained. "That's Great!" He almost shouted. "Not great that you couldn't get home, but great that you're here. You want to stay with us? You can have Greg's room, he won't be here, and I'm sure Sheri and Mom would love to see you. The place is kind of 'down' with Greg canceling his trip home at the last minute. Having you here should cheer things up a bit." He did sound enthused, and I couldn't help grinning in reply. "Don't you think you should check?" I laughed. A scream in my ear was the answer, as I heard half of a shouted conversation. "Mom! Guess Who's In Town." "No, Not Greg." "No, Go Ahead Guess." "Guess Again." "Ok, Ok - Steve." "Yeah, Steve Pelland. He's Stuck Here In Town 'Til Christmas Day." "Of Course I Told Him He Should Come Here, I'll Go Get Him." "I Will." "Yes Mom; Yes; I Won't; I Will." I was holding the phone a little away from my head, and almost missed it when he came back on. "Where should I pick you up?" He asked. "The Main Terminal, you know where that is right?" I answered. "Sure - be there in about 30 minutes. Man, this is Great!" I hung up with a big smile on my face, feeling 100% better than I had just 10 minutes earlier. I stood outside waiting for him, and about 20 minutes later the strings of Christmas lights shut off one at a time, as the place closed up for the night. It was dark and quiet, and I started to get nervous again, wondering if this had been such a good idea. I was 500 miles from my flight home and completely at the mercy of old friends. But as far as friends go, I couldn't do much better than mine, and figured at the least I wouldn't be sleeping in a lonely terminal in Charleston for two days, slowly eating my way through my meager funds. When Bob pulled up around midnight, I could see he'd gotten rid of the VW Bug he'd inherited from his mother upon turning 16, and was now driving his brother's old Two-tone Cougar. We spent a minute saying hi, and loading my gear into the trunk, and then we headed back into town, catching each other up on history. When I had first moved to Santiago, I used to write about once every couple of months, as well as call a couple of times a year. In the beginning I'd written Sheri a lot as well. She was one of the most prolific writers among my old friends, and would typically write twice to me for every one I wrote to her. Over the years, that had degenerated into holiday cards and a surprise call maybe once a year. I knew he was attending Florida State, and that Greg had graduated from Georgetown, and had moved to Japan on business. That was about it. Tommy told me all about the old gang, who was in town, who was going to what schools, what people had been up to. I told him a lot more detail about what I'd been up to. "So," he asked, "Got a girl?" "Not now. Thought I had one after the ROTC Christmas ball, but that seems to have been my mistake." I admitted. "Hard to believe. You always had someone. Every letter, every phone-call, just seems like they didn't stay the same all that long." He teased. "I don't know. I had several relationships last pretty long. Two were more than 6 months long." I argued. "Oh! Six Months!" He laughed. "How about you then," I asked in defense. "Still Erin. Almost two years now." He asked. "Shit. What does she see in you? She could do so much better." I teased. "Oh really? Like how?" "Like me!" I laughed. "Right, like that would ever happen! Don't even think about it, or you'll be sleeping in the street." He was laughing as well. "Not if I called Erin I wouldn't," I shot back. I thought it was a great comeback, but it earned me a sock in the arm. We pulled up to his house, which still looked exactly the same, and things were pretty quiet. They used the same window lights, same roof lights, same bush trimmings year after year. It was just as I remembered. Who says you can't go back? "Mom's got to work tomorrow, so I'm sure she's in bed, and you know Dave crashes early, so we better keep it down. We've got lots to do tomorrow anyway." We entered quietly and put my bag in Greg's old room. Tommy stayed and chatted for a few minutes then bid me good night, telling me to sleep in as long as I wanted, as long as it wasn't past 9:00 am, and left me to get settled. Past 9:00? Now I remembered, they'd always been an early-bird household. For me 9:00 am Was the crack of dawn. Tommy and I had breakfast at about 9:30. He was already chiding me for sleeping in and missing the whole family. We had the house to ourselves. He'd been on the phone arranging our day, and once we'd finished the pancakes, we were off to see Mike and his family. Entering Mike's house was the same as it had ever been, but more-so. People everywhere, noise, laughter, roughhousing, it was all taken in stride by Mrs. Frey. We spent a few hours visiting, and getting fed again before we could leave. Mike's older sister Peggy still looked cute to me, but not the amazing creature my memory had somehow stored away. I had to tease her about the Christmas gift she'd given me three years earlier. She'd bought me a Richard Pryor tape, thinking it was Bill Cosby. When I played it for her in my car, she exploded, calling me names and accusing me of vile intent. At the time I had felt bad, confused, angry and a host of other feelings, now thankfully we could laugh at it. When I'd been 16 I'd been somewhat in awe of her, now things were comfortable. Mike's older brother was home as well, with his live-in girlfriend who seemed awfully ill-at-ease, and must have been at least 5 years older than Dan, maybe more. That was a story I'd have to hear more about. The biggest surprise was Alice. She'd been a few years younger than us. I wasn't sure if she was 16 or 17 now, but she was a bombshell. And she was coming on to me like gangbusters. I was really nervous, with her acting all touchy-feely with her mother and Peggy there. I was suddenly glad I had chosen to stay over with Tommy. With a pretty, stacked girl that seemed so infatuated with me around, I'm afraid I might have gotten into a whole lot more trouble than I needed. When we left there Mike joined us, and it was off to see Jack and Russ. They were a year apart in age. Russ had been in our class, and we'd been friendly with him, but Jack, although a year younger was our buddy. We played on the basketball team together, and when Tommy and I formed our first band, Jack was our bassist. At the Chambers house, we once again reminisced, and had to relive our first 'gig'. We had decided to play in the school talent show. With Tommy on piano and Jack on bass, I played guitar. We had a fourth guy on drums we'd all lost contact with. We had played Elton John, Deep Purple, The Eagles, and The Beatles. We had opened with the opening riff of "Smoke on the Water", and had been a hit. We were pretty lousy, but the audience was our friends, our parents and the parents of our friends, and at the end the parents even took up a collection for us. Pretty heady stuff. We'd called ourselves Bronze Myth, and had already designed our first three album covers before we had our first birthday party gig. Jack had been tall then, and had not stopped growing; he was now 6'7" and was attending University of Florida, playing basketball. He reminded me of the time when we went on our first dates together. I had gone with Kathryn Best, easily the most lusted after girl in the whole school, who was in Jack's class a year behind me. Jack, on the other hand, had gone out with our "Valentine's Day Queen", Anne, who was in my class and almost two full years older than Jack. He was always precocious. There had been a third couple with us, Dennis and Suzanne, and Jack broke the news that Suzanne had gotten knocked up, just before I left to go overseas, and she and Dennis had gotten married. There was a huge scandal, but they stuck together, and had the baby. They lived with Suzanne's parents. Dennis was doing alright, working for Suzanne's father. While we were visiting, several friends dropped in, including the aforementioned Kathryn who lived one street over. Kathryn, the stunning brunette who had the body of a 20 year old when she was 15, and had a beautiful face with features that just slayed me. Kathryn, the very first girl I had gotten to Third Base with. She was as pretty as I remembered, and I found out she was going to be attending Mt. Holyoke the following year, which was an odd coincidence since my girlfriend from High School was a sophomore there. Going out with Kathryn, a year younger than me had been a total fiasco. We'd sat together on an out-of-town bus trip and ranked high enough in the pecking order that we got the right hand seat second from the back. These trips were our biggest dates back then. Ours was a small parochial school, and on the bus trips, the athletes, cheerleaders and student fans all rode the same bug. The 30-90 minute trips were like pep rallies on the way out, and like the back of movie theatres on the way back. There were frequent "hand-checks" and the lights would come one as our coaches would walk the aisle, but it seemed like after our wins, the checks would be a little less frequent. Our win at Pensacola was my first real 'make-out' session, as we cuddled and kissed the whole trip home. I even got a chance to play with her breast through her sweater. Less than a week later I asked her to the movies, and we sat in the back with the two other couples, probably both scared spitless and nervous as goldfish in a blender. We'd started necking, which got more and more intense, and my hands boldly went where no hands had gone before. An hour into the movie I was almost out of control, and feverish with desire, and it seemed she was willing to let me do whatever I wanted. If I'd had a little more confidence, or a little more knowledge, who knows what might have happened? As it is, I went pretty far, probably too far, and I was scared to death afterwards. She was the first girl whose flesh I'd touched underneath her clothing. I didn't call her for several days, and even avoided her at school, not knowing what to say. In short I was a total jerk. Everyone thought we should be together, she was the pretty captain of the cheerleaders, with the big boobs, and I was the Big Jock, playing all the sports, while at the same time excelling in school. She was voted "Most Popular." I was "Most Likely to Succeed." However, in this case it turned out she was "Most Slighted", and I was definitely "Most Inept." After waiting several days, amazingly patient in retrospect, she had tasked her best friend Sheri, Tommy's sister, with letting me know that she thought we shouldn't go out. Next thing you know, she was going out with some geeky looking kid, and she dated him for the rest of the school year. I'd changed schools at the end of that year, and had seen her only infrequently the following year, before moving to Santiago. Outside in the backyard, Kathryn and I walked off together and finally had a few minutes alone. "You know Kat, I don't think I ever apologized for being such an idiot, after our first date. I really am sorry." She was quiet for a while. She had a sad little look. "You know, I waited by that phone night after night, crying myself to sleep. I saw you dodging me at school and it broke my heart." "I was young and stupid. I'd never done Anything with a girl before, and could hardly even believe I was with the hottest girl in school. After all the stuff I did, God, I was so embarrassed that I'd overstepped the boundaries, and I had no idea what to say." She sat down underneath the big tree in the backyard and I sat beside her on the circular bench around it. "You could have said something to Jack maybe, or Tommy, and let them tell me. At least let me know that you liked me, or had fun. Something." She looked on the verge of tears, even 3 years later, and I felt even worse. "I know. I kept kicking myself over it. I was so angry with myself and jealous when you went out with Ricky." I admitted. "He was nice to me when I needed it." "But it seemed such an odd fit. He was a nobody; the only thing he ever did noteworthy was date you." I told her. "He lived two houses down. We'd grown up together, and when my heart was broken he picked up the pieces. He could tell something was wrong, and really made me feel a lot better." She confessed. That brought on a short period of silence. It did let me think better of Ricky, who wasn't just lucky or an opportunist. "You know, that was one of the most memorable moments in my life. Touching a girl like that for the first time. I had no idea what I should do, or what I could do, but I kept looking down the row at Dennis and Suzanne, and figured I should be able to do that too. I was in heaven; you were so amazing to be with." I told her, reaching out and taking her hand in mine. Her palm was moist. "You're telling me? You were the big 9th grader with the learner's permit and motorcycle. Big Man on Campus. The guy every girl wanted. And you wanted me. I had no idea what we should or shouldn't do on a date. I was hoping you knew." We laughed at that, remembering the intensity of those feelings. "Given a chance to do it over, I'd have camped out on your doorstep and professed my undying, eternal love the moment you walked out the door." I told her, half serious. "As I recall, you professed your love for me that evening, just before opening the top of my pants." She said with a wicked grin. I'm sure I blushed mightily. "I can't really ask forgiveness, but I really am sorry. Sorry now and sorry then. I fantasized about you for years afterwards, thinking of what could have happened if I hadn't been such a jerk. You have no idea how many of my fantasies you starred in back then." "If only you'd have let me know. Ricky was my first. It could have been you. Given half a chance, it would have been you." She had moved close and was speaking softly. "And this is my punishment. Knowing how bad I fucked up. Seeing you here, as beautiful as in my dreams, and knowing I've screwed up any chance of being with you." I placed my hand behind her head, stroking her hair. "I wouldn't say you'd screwed up Any chance, but you certainly blew that one." We were looking deeply in each other's eyes, recalling strong, painful feelings. I wanted her now, as I'd wanted her then, with a deep burning need, and I leaned forward those last two inches, and captured her lips with mine. She slid forward and melted against me, kissing me with every emotion boiling to the surface. She took my hand and placed it on her incredible chest, and I squeezed her breast, my thumb reliving that first caress of her nipple from so many years earlier. We stayed like that for a couple of minutes, and then broke apart. Her eyes glistened. "I've got a boyfriend." She confessed. I nodded understanding. "If I didn't?" I reached forward pressing my index finger to her lips. "I know. I missed my chance. It's my loss." We just sat side by side a minute, in silence. "You know," she said softly, "what you did to me that night, that was part of the problem." "I know. I'm sorry if I stepped over the line." I said, even now embarrassed at the liberties I'd taken. "No, not anything wrong. What you did to me, how you made me feel. You made me cream my jeans more than once that night. It was the first time I'd ever come. I'd heard about it, but it was almost unreal. Your fingers just drove me wild. It was over a year before another guy was able to do the same." She put her hand between her legs, seemingly remembering that first night. "That makes two of us. I don't know if you knew, but I came in my pants too, and you never even touched me there. By the time I got home I was a terrible sticky mess. I snuck out and threw that underwear away before my mother could find them and ask uncomfortable questions." I told her, laughing. She gave me an odd little look, and then slid around the tree, placing its 3 foot wide trunk between us and the house. She reached out for me, and of course I followed. "Could I, I mean would you mind?" She seemed lost for words. "What? Just ask. I certainly owe you one." I told her. She didn't ask, she just started unbuckling my belt. "I always wondered, and never really had a chance to find out." With the belt open she unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. "I mean, that night, you got to find out pretty much ALL about me, but I didn't; " I lifted my hips and let her pull my pants down a short ways, and then she reached up and pulled my underwear down exposing my fully erect monument to her sexiness. "I knew it, you bastard. Look at that." I didn't have to look. I knew it pretty well. And it was certainly standing tall and making me proud. She took me in hand and stroked me up and down, which after all the discussion and reminiscing was almost enough to get me off. "I just knew it. This should have been my first." She slowly stroked me up and down, and then she leaned over and took me in her mouth for just a second, sucking me deep and then releasing me. That was it. It was too much for me, and I stood up and shot my wad a good two feet out from where we were sitting. She giggled, as she helped me through my release, then pulled my underwear up back over my still dripping cock, and wiped her hand on the front of my briefs, before helping me pull my jeans back up. "If I wasn't tied up, I'd have you paying reparations," she told me as we both stood, and she slapped my hands away from my belt and finished straightening me out herself. "Let's consider it a delayed payoff. If things don't work out for you, maybe we can try it again. Rochester isn't That far from Amherst." Little did I know what the future held in store for us, but that's a different story. We walked back to the house hand-in-hand, laughing at the folly of youth, from the wizened experience of our 18 and 19 years. She had to leave shortly after, as did we, and I kissed her goodbye at the door. Once the door was closed I heard an exclamation from behind me. I turned to Tommy who said, "Now I've seen everything." "Amen," said Jack. "What?" I asked. "After how you treated her after our first date, I was certain you were on her shit-list for life." Jack explained. "Absolutely." Tommy chimed in. "Sheri said that Kathryn fantasized about doing mean and nasty things to you for years. I mean, hell, you did use her pretty bad." "I was a dope. I did some things I'd never done before, and was so embarrassed I didn't know how to even face her. So I screwed up and avoided her. I just made my apologies and we worked things out. I think she understands that I didn't try to be mean; I was just young and stupid. I didn't know what I was doing, and regretted it for years." I told them. "Geez. I always wondered how you could pass on that, when she was so available to you. You really did fuck up, didn't you?" Tommy pointed out. "Yep, not the first time, and I'm certain not the last. But we've buried the hatchet it seems." I answered "I'm just astounded that hatchet isn't in your back." Jack added. We left just a short while after that. We had one last visit to make. Teri Branson was passing through town, and wanted to see us if she could. She was just there for the day, and none of us wanted to miss out on that chance. The summer before 10th grade, I'd practically lived at Teri's. It was football time, and we were doing twice-a-days. We'd have morning practice, then a break so we wouldn't be out all day in the noon-time Florida summer sun. After the break it was afternoon practice. Teri was at our school and I never really knew her until that summer. She lived only a block from Mike, and we had run into her one day out washing the family car. We struck up a conversation, and the rest was history. I spent every football break at her house that summer. Mike didn't play football, but I'd pick him up on the way over there, and we'd hang out. She had a pool table, and a private rec-room with a stand-up arcade game. Her mother would always bring us snacks and drinks. Teri had not been popular, and was new to the school as well. But in a period of just a few months she went from a boyish figured tom-boy, to a devastatingly beautiful teen. Her breasts seemed to almost explode outwards, and once we'd met her mom, we knew where she got it from. She lost some weight, traded glasses for contacts, grew tits, lost the braces, and suddenly this beauty was in our midst, and nobody even knew about her but us. She was our secret. Tommy was going to a different high-school from me and Mike, but we still hung together most of the summer, and we had to let him in on our secret. The closest we'd come to having anything happen was a bizarre game of spin-the-bottle underneath the pool table. Mike, Tommy, me and Teri. Just an excuse for us to take turns kissing her. Her father was being transferred again at the end of the summer. I told her I was going to have a birthday party, and that we were going to play spin-the-bottle, I had hoped she'd be there, but now she was leaving. We were all upset. Tommy suggested we play now, since she couldn't make it then, and we did. It was strange but wonderful. Two weeks later she was gone. We met Teri at the mall, our planned rendezvous. We couldn't miss her; she was the center of a lot of attention. And still gorgeous. We ran up to her and had hugs all around. "I can only stay about 20 minutes," she told us with a pout. "Damn," was all I could say. So the three of us toured the mall, observing all the changes. It had been brand new the year we had been together. We grabbed some drinks, and wandered back outside, our time almost up, and barely even caught up. "Teri, I have a confession." I told her. "I know we acted pretty much like friends, but I was crazy about you. That summer I went home every evening and dreamed of you." "Hell, we all did." Tommy admitted. "We were such idiots," she said. She reached up to my collar and pulled me down for a kiss. Teri stood maybe 5 foot 1, so I had at least a foot on her in height. Bent over I let her kiss me, and I returned it eagerly. Finally she released me. "I was so confused. One day I'd like you, and then the next day you," she said nodding around the group, "and then you. I kept wondering who was going to be my first real boyfriend. I just knew it was going to be one of you. And then it was all over." She looked up at me. "I Still dream about you sometimes." All we could do was laugh it off, and say we'd get together sometime. She was living in Phoenix now, finishing high school, and it looked like she'd be going to Stanford. It was going to be hard to ever make that commute work out, not that she didn't seem like it would be worth the effort. Then her parents drove up. We said hi to her mom (who had been a secret fantasy of mine back then) and then with a last set of hugs it was goodbye to Teri. It was getting late so we dropped Mike back off at his house, driving mostly in quiet. I imagine we were all lost in thought over the quirks of fate and what might have been. For me, it was thoughts of Kathryn and Teri, two incredible opportunities that any teen would kill for, and I'd let them slip through my fingers. We dropped Mike off, but didn't go inside. As it was we were running late, and knew that if we went in, it would be a while before we got out of there. From Mike's it was a 5 minute drive back to Tommy's, but we drove past Teri's old house, just for nostalgia's sake. At Tommy's we were running late. Dinner was going to be at 6:00 pm, and somehow we'd burned the whole day. It was 5:45 before we even walked in the door, and we both wanted to clean up before dinner. The kid's rooms were served by two separate bathrooms, one at the end of the hall, and one off of Greg's room. So I stripped down to my shorts, and went to take my shower. I hadn't expected the bathroom to be full. Sheri was in their, applying the last of her makeup. Fortunately (or unfortunately) she was dressed. When I walked in, she gave a squeal, and came over and gave me a big hug. "I can't believe you're here! You're looking good." She said, stepping back and giving me the once over. "Wow, Sheri, you look great!" was all I could say. She had always been pretty. But the difference between a 15 year old Sheri and this one was night and day. The more mature Sheri was a beautiful young woman. "Thanks," she said, "I'll be out of here in a second, and you can have the place to yourself. I'm dying to talk to you." "I'll be here all night." I joked, stepping back into the room I was using, before my underwear had to undergo any more strain. I sat on the bed waiting, and after just a minute or so she poked her head in and said "It's all yours." She left the door open and walked out the other side of the bathroom. So that was one change at least that I hadn't noticed. Back in the day, this was Greg's bathroom. But since then someone had taken out the linen closet, and the old closet door now opened into Sheri's room. In retrospect it should have been obvious. With Greg away, the bathroom had a lot of stuff in it, although very neat. If I'd opened a cabinet or drawer, I would have seen all the makeup and girl's things. I was using Sheri's bathroom. I rapidly cleaned up and dressed. I was in a bit of a hurry, wanting to still wrap a couple of small presents for my hosts. I had bought several music tapes for my sister as a Christmas present, and decided to gift Tommy with one of them. I also had a photo in a frame for my mom, and decided to make the frame a family gift. It was simple, hand-made by yours truly from apple-wood. After borrowing some paper, tape, and scissors, I was ready to join everyone else just a few minutes later. To be continued in part 2. Based on a post by Tx Tall Tales, in 2 parts, for Literotica

Lost At Christmas: Part 1 His First Christmas away from home, & His best gift ever. Based on a post by Tx Tall Tales, in 2 parts. Listen to the Podcast at My First time. After my first semester in College, I was eager to go home for the holidays. I was going to school in Rochester, New York, and anybody who'd experienced the lake-effect winters on the Great Lakes would understand my desire to get to somewhere warmer. For me, that somewhere warmer was a long ways away. As a military brat, home was often a moving target, and that winter it was Santiago, Chile, where my father was stationed and where I'd graduated high-school. It was summer in Santiago, and I was looking forward to a pool-party with my old school mates for the Holidays. We didn't have a lot of money, but I was allowed to travel space available on a military flight as a Navy ROTC student. I had to get down to Charleston, South Carolina, and catch an international C1 41 flight that made a loop through Latin America. After finagling a ride to Virginia followed by a very long bus trip down the coast, I finally made it to Charleston AFB. ROTC travel orders in hand, I checked in at the desk, and verified I was on the standby list for the flight leaving on the 23rd. I wouldn't get home until Christmas Day, but better late than never. With pockets nearly empty, a hotel room was out of the question so I slept in the terminal and snacked on the cheapest eats I could get away with. There was a festive mood in the terminal, so many people rushing to get home for the holidays, and I was getting caught up in the feeling, eagerly looking forward to that very long plane ride, first to Panama, then Lima, and finally Santiago. After what seemed an interminable wait, we were an hour away from boarding when I got bumped off the flight by a group of Marines headed to Panama on Active Duty travel orders. I was devastated. The next flight left early the morning of the 26th. At least that one was a huge plane, and nearly empty so I was virtually guaranteed to get aboard, but what was I going to do for Christmas? Looking up at the outgoing flight schedules, I saw a flight listed for Tyndall AFB, Panama City, Florida. "When is the flight to Tyndall headed out?" I asked the airman behind the desk. "In an hour-and-a-half, and it's all but empty. You want on?" He asked, offering some recompense for my last minute bump. I'd lived in Panama City during 9th and 10th grade, and still had some close friends there, many I still kept in touch with. Maybe I could find someone to spend Christmas with there. It had to be better than sleeping in the terminal for 2 more days. "Please," I told him, "but hold my space for Santiago. I'll be back for that flight." I recalled there being a pretty big Greyhound station in Panama City, so I called Greyhound and checked on a bus being able to get me back in time for the flight. They had one, a 7:30 am bus on Christmas morning would get me back before midnight on Christmas. I could easily make the flight the next morning, even if it were delay a few hours. I bought a ticket, using the emergency Am Ex card my parents had given me when I headed off to college. I'd explain the $67.00 to my parents. I called my family in Santiago with the news. It had to be short call because of the expense, so I let them know I had been bumped but would be there on the 28th. I told them I was headed to Panama City, and would be taking a bus back in plenty of time for my flight. My mother cried, and my father told me to go ahead and use the credit card, but to try to keep the expenses reasonable. By the time I hung up I was pretty depressed, but at least I had a plan. Before I could try to contact anyone in Panama City, an announcement was made and suddenly I was on my way to Florida for Christmas, with no place lined up to stay, and practically broke. I was feeling a bit melancholy, but was determined to make the best of it. So there I was, at Tyndall Air Force Base, at 11:20 pm on December 23rd. I was debating who to try first. I had several close friends nearby and I expected they'd all be home for Christmas. After a short internal debate, I had narrowed it down to two. I had always gotten along well with their entire families, and I was still in pretty regular contact with both of them. Mike lived the nearest to me in the old days. He came from a big family, with 6 siblings, including Peggy, who'd been one of my first real deep infatuations. When I had been in 9th grade she'd been a senior, and was pretty and sophisticated. My yearning for her was unrequited, but I relished the idea of seeing her again after four years. She was a college senior, and would probably be home. I knew they'd welcome me, but I was concerned it would be an inconvenience. They did not have a large house, and it was bound to be crowded, particularly with three college kids home for the holiday. On top of that who knew if they had anyone else in tow? Tommy on the other hand came from a relatively well-off family who always lived well within their means. He had an older brother, who was working in Japan and unlikely to be home, a sister, Sheri, just a year behind us in school, and two much younger siblings, who I guessed would be around 9 and 10 by now. They had a spacious house, each kid had their own room, and I wouldn't be putting anybody out if I stayed there. I'd always had a crush on Sheri, but although I'd dated her best friend, I'd never gone out with her. Getting a chance to see her again would be an extra bonus. Feeling nervous and awkward, I dialed Tommy's number from memory, and luckily got him on the first call. If I'd gotten somebody else, I would have really felt uncomfortable. Tommy's answer was unmistakable. He had a funny way of saying hello when he answered the phone, and the sound of his voice took me straight back down memory lane. "Hee-ello," he answered. "Tommy! Guess who?" I asked. I guess my voice must have been similarly recognizable, since he didn't hesitate a second. "Steve-o! What are you up to? Where're you at?" He answered eagerly. It put a smile on my face. Nice to hear a happy, upbeat voice that seemed genuinely pleased to hear from me. "Funny you should ask. It's a long story, but I'm in a bit of a bind. I'm at Tyndall, and stuck here until Christmas Day." I told him. "What happened to Chile, and Rochester?" He asked. "I was on my way home to Chile, when I lost my seat on the plane in Charleston. I couldn't get out again until the 26th, so when I saw an empty plane headed this way, I just hopped on and hoped for the best." I explained. "That's Great!" He almost shouted. "Not great that you couldn't get home, but great that you're here. You want to stay with us? You can have Greg's room, he won't be here, and I'm sure Sheri and Mom would love to see you. The place is kind of 'down' with Greg canceling his trip home at the last minute. Having you here should cheer things up a bit." He did sound enthused, and I couldn't help grinning in reply. "Don't you think you should check?" I laughed. A scream in my ear was the answer, as I heard half of a shouted conversation. "Mom! Guess Who's In Town." "No, Not Greg." "No, Go Ahead Guess." "Guess Again." "Ok, Ok - Steve." "Yeah, Steve Pelland. He's Stuck Here In Town 'Til Christmas Day." "Of Course I Told Him He Should Come Here, I'll Go Get Him." "I Will." "Yes Mom; Yes; I Won't; I Will." I was holding the phone a little away from my head, and almost missed it when he came back on. "Where should I pick you up?" He asked. "The Main Terminal, you know where that is right?" I answered. "Sure - be there in about 30 minutes. Man, this is Great!" I hung up with a big smile on my face, feeling 100% better than I had just 10 minutes earlier. I stood outside waiting for him, and about 20 minutes later the strings of Christmas lights shut off one at a time, as the place closed up for the night. It was dark and quiet, and I started to get nervous again, wondering if this had been such a good idea. I was 500 miles from my flight home and completely at the mercy of old friends. But as far as friends go, I couldn't do much better than mine, and figured at the least I wouldn't be sleeping in a lonely terminal in Charleston for two days, slowly eating my way through my meager funds. When Bob pulled up around midnight, I could see he'd gotten rid of the VW Bug he'd inherited from his mother upon turning 16, and was now driving his brother's old Two-tone Cougar. We spent a minute saying hi, and loading my gear into the trunk, and then we headed back into town, catching each other up on history. When I had first moved to Santiago, I used to write about once every couple of months, as well as call a couple of times a year. In the beginning I'd written Sheri a lot as well. She was one of the most prolific writers among my old friends, and would typically write twice to me for every one I wrote to her. Over the years, that had degenerated into holiday cards and a surprise call maybe once a year. I knew he was attending Florida State, and that Greg had graduated from Georgetown, and had moved to Japan on business. That was about it. Tommy told me all about the old gang, who was in town, who was going to what schools, what people had been up to. I told him a lot more detail about what I'd been up to. "So," he asked, "Got a girl?" "Not now. Thought I had one after the ROTC Christmas ball, but that seems to have been my mistake." I admitted. "Hard to believe. You always had someone. Every letter, every phone-call, just seems like they didn't stay the same all that long." He teased. "I don't know. I had several relationships last pretty long. Two were more than 6 months long." I argued. "Oh! Six Months!" He laughed. "How about you then," I asked in defense. "Still Erin. Almost two years now." He asked. "Shit. What does she see in you? She could do so much better." I teased. "Oh really? Like how?" "Like me!" I laughed. "Right, like that would ever happen! Don't even think about it, or you'll be sleeping in the street." He was laughing as well. "Not if I called Erin I wouldn't," I shot back. I thought it was a great comeback, but it earned me a sock in the arm. We pulled up to his house, which still looked exactly the same, and things were pretty quiet. They used the same window lights, same roof lights, same bush trimmings year after year. It was just as I remembered. Who says you can't go back? "Mom's got to work tomorrow, so I'm sure she's in bed, and you know Dave crashes early, so we better keep it down. We've got lots to do tomorrow anyway." We entered quietly and put my bag in Greg's old room. Tommy stayed and chatted for a few minutes then bid me good night, telling me to sleep in as long as I wanted, as long as it wasn't past 9:00 am, and left me to get settled. Past 9:00? Now I remembered, they'd always been an early-bird household. For me 9:00 am Was the crack of dawn. Tommy and I had breakfast at about 9:30. He was already chiding me for sleeping in and missing the whole family. We had the house to ourselves. He'd been on the phone arranging our day, and once we'd finished the pancakes, we were off to see Mike and his family. Entering Mike's house was the same as it had ever been, but more-so. People everywhere, noise, laughter, roughhousing, it was all taken in stride by Mrs. Frey. We spent a few hours visiting, and getting fed again before we could leave. Mike's older sister Peggy still looked cute to me, but not the amazing creature my memory had somehow stored away. I had to tease her about the Christmas gift she'd given me three years earlier. She'd bought me a Richard Pryor tape, thinking it was Bill Cosby. When I played it for her in my car, she exploded, calling me names and accusing me of vile intent. At the time I had felt bad, confused, angry and a host of other feelings, now thankfully we could laugh at it. When I'd been 16 I'd been somewhat in awe of her, now things were comfortable. Mike's older brother was home as well, with his live-in girlfriend who seemed awfully ill-at-ease, and must have been at least 5 years older than Dan, maybe more. That was a story I'd have to hear more about. The biggest surprise was Alice. She'd been a few years younger than us. I wasn't sure if she was 16 or 17 now, but she was a bombshell. And she was coming on to me like gangbusters. I was really nervous, with her acting all touchy-feely with her mother and Peggy there. I was suddenly glad I had chosen to stay over with Tommy. With a pretty, stacked girl that seemed so infatuated with me around, I'm afraid I might have gotten into a whole lot more trouble than I needed. When we left there Mike joined us, and it was off to see Jack and Russ. They were a year apart in age. Russ had been in our class, and we'd been friendly with him, but Jack, although a year younger was our buddy. We played on the basketball team together, and when Tommy and I formed our first band, Jack was our bassist. At the Chambers house, we once again reminisced, and had to relive our first 'gig'. We had decided to play in the school talent show. With Tommy on piano and Jack on bass, I played guitar. We had a fourth guy on drums we'd all lost contact with. We had played Elton John, Deep Purple, The Eagles, and The Beatles. We had opened with the opening riff of "Smoke on the Water", and had been a hit. We were pretty lousy, but the audience was our friends, our parents and the parents of our friends, and at the end the parents even took up a collection for us. Pretty heady stuff. We'd called ourselves Bronze Myth, and had already designed our first three album covers before we had our first birthday party gig. Jack had been tall then, and had not stopped growing; he was now 6'7" and was attending University of Florida, playing basketball. He reminded me of the time when we went on our first dates together. I had gone with Kathryn Best, easily the most lusted after girl in the whole school, who was in Jack's class a year behind me. Jack, on the other hand, had gone out with our "Valentine's Day Queen", Anne, who was in my class and almost two full years older than Jack. He was always precocious. There had been a third couple with us, Dennis and Suzanne, and Jack broke the news that Suzanne had gotten knocked up, just before I left to go overseas, and she and Dennis had gotten married. There was a huge scandal, but they stuck together, and had the baby. They lived with Suzanne's parents. Dennis was doing alright, working for Suzanne's father. While we were visiting, several friends dropped in, including the aforementioned Kathryn who lived one street over. Kathryn, the stunning brunette who had the body of a 20 year old when she was 15, and had a beautiful face with features that just slayed me. Kathryn, the very first girl I had gotten to Third Base with. She was as pretty as I remembered, and I found out she was going to be attending Mt. Holyoke the following year, which was an odd coincidence since my girlfriend from High School was a sophomore there. Going out with Kathryn, a year younger than me had been a total fiasco. We'd sat together on an out-of-town bus trip and ranked high enough in the pecking order that we got the right hand seat second from the back. These trips were our biggest dates back then. Ours was a small parochial school, and on the bus trips, the athletes, cheerleaders and student fans all rode the same bug. The 30-90 minute trips were like pep rallies on the way out, and like the back of movie theatres on the way back. There were frequent "hand-checks" and the lights would come one as our coaches would walk the aisle, but it seemed like after our wins, the checks would be a little less frequent. Our win at Pensacola was my first real 'make-out' session, as we cuddled and kissed the whole trip home. I even got a chance to play with her breast through her sweater. Less than a week later I asked her to the movies, and we sat in the back with the two other couples, probably both scared spitless and nervous as goldfish in a blender. We'd started necking, which got more and more intense, and my hands boldly went where no hands had gone before. An hour into the movie I was almost out of control, and feverish with desire, and it seemed she was willing to let me do whatever I wanted. If I'd had a little more confidence, or a little more knowledge, who knows what might have happened? As it is, I went pretty far, probably too far, and I was scared to death afterwards. She was the first girl whose flesh I'd touched underneath her clothing. I didn't call her for several days, and even avoided her at school, not knowing what to say. In short I was a total jerk. Everyone thought we should be together, she was the pretty captain of the cheerleaders, with the big boobs, and I was the Big Jock, playing all the sports, while at the same time excelling in school. She was voted "Most Popular." I was "Most Likely to Succeed." However, in this case it turned out she was "Most Slighted", and I was definitely "Most Inept." After waiting several days, amazingly patient in retrospect, she had tasked her best friend Sheri, Tommy's sister, with letting me know that she thought we shouldn't go out. Next thing you know, she was going out with some geeky looking kid, and she dated him for the rest of the school year. I'd changed schools at the end of that year, and had seen her only infrequently the following year, before moving to Santiago. Outside in the backyard, Kathryn and I walked off together and finally had a few minutes alone. "You know Kat, I don't think I ever apologized for being such an idiot, after our first date. I really am sorry." She was quiet for a while. She had a sad little look. "You know, I waited by that phone night after night, crying myself to sleep. I saw you dodging me at school and it broke my heart." "I was young and stupid. I'd never done Anything with a girl before, and could hardly even believe I was with the hottest girl in school. After all the stuff I did, God, I was so embarrassed that I'd overstepped the boundaries, and I had no idea what to say." She sat down underneath the big tree in the backyard and I sat beside her on the circular bench around it. "You could have said something to Jack maybe, or Tommy, and let them tell me. At least let me know that you liked me, or had fun. Something." She looked on the verge of tears, even 3 years later, and I felt even worse. "I know. I kept kicking myself over it. I was so angry with myself and jealous when you went out with Ricky." I admitted. "He was nice to me when I needed it." "But it seemed such an odd fit. He was a nobody; the only thing he ever did noteworthy was date you." I told her. "He lived two houses down. We'd grown up together, and when my heart was broken he picked up the pieces. He could tell something was wrong, and really made me feel a lot better." She confessed. That brought on a short period of silence. It did let me think better of Ricky, who wasn't just lucky or an opportunist. "You know, that was one of the most memorable moments in my life. Touching a girl like that for the first time. I had no idea what I should do, or what I could do, but I kept looking down the row at Dennis and Suzanne, and figured I should be able to do that too. I was in heaven; you were so amazing to be with." I told her, reaching out and taking her hand in mine. Her palm was moist. "You're telling me? You were the big 9th grader with the learner's permit and motorcycle. Big Man on Campus. The guy every girl wanted. And you wanted me. I had no idea what we should or shouldn't do on a date. I was hoping you knew." We laughed at that, remembering the intensity of those feelings. "Given a chance to do it over, I'd have camped out on your doorstep and professed my undying, eternal love the moment you walked out the door." I told her, half serious. "As I recall, you professed your love for me that evening, just before opening the top of my pants." She said with a wicked grin. I'm sure I blushed mightily. "I can't really ask forgiveness, but I really am sorry. Sorry now and sorry then. I fantasized about you for years afterwards, thinking of what could have happened if I hadn't been such a jerk. You have no idea how many of my fantasies you starred in back then." "If only you'd have let me know. Ricky was my first. It could have been you. Given half a chance, it would have been you." She had moved close and was speaking softly. "And this is my punishment. Knowing how bad I fucked up. Seeing you here, as beautiful as in my dreams, and knowing I've screwed up any chance of being with you." I placed my hand behind her head, stroking her hair. "I wouldn't say you'd screwed up Any chance, but you certainly blew that one." We were looking deeply in each other's eyes, recalling strong, painful feelings. I wanted her now, as I'd wanted her then, with a deep burning need, and I leaned forward those last two inches, and captured her lips with mine. She slid forward and melted against me, kissing me with every emotion boiling to the surface. She took my hand and placed it on her incredible chest, and I squeezed her breast, my thumb reliving that first caress of her nipple from so many years earlier. We stayed like that for a couple of minutes, and then broke apart. Her eyes glistened. "I've got a boyfriend." She confessed. I nodded understanding. "If I didn't?" I reached forward pressing my index finger to her lips. "I know. I missed my chance. It's my loss." We just sat side by side a minute, in silence. "You know," she said softly, "what you did to me that night, that was part of the problem." "I know. I'm sorry if I stepped over the line." I said, even now embarrassed at the liberties I'd taken. "No, not anything wrong. What you did to me, how you made me feel. You made me cream my jeans more than once that night. It was the first time I'd ever come. I'd heard about it, but it was almost unreal. Your fingers just drove me wild. It was over a year before another guy was able to do the same." She put her hand between her legs, seemingly remembering that first night. "That makes two of us. I don't know if you knew, but I came in my pants too, and you never even touched me there. By the time I got home I was a terrible sticky mess. I snuck out and threw that underwear away before my mother could find them and ask uncomfortable questions." I told her, laughing. She gave me an odd little look, and then slid around the tree, placing its 3 foot wide trunk between us and the house. She reached out for me, and of course I followed. "Could I, I mean would you mind?" She seemed lost for words. "What? Just ask. I certainly owe you one." I told her. She didn't ask, she just started unbuckling my belt. "I always wondered, and never really had a chance to find out." With the belt open she unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. "I mean, that night, you got to find out pretty much ALL about me, but I didn't; " I lifted my hips and let her pull my pants down a short ways, and then she reached up and pulled my underwear down exposing my fully erect monument to her sexiness. "I knew it, you bastard. Look at that." I didn't have to look. I knew it pretty well. And it was certainly standing tall and making me proud. She took me in hand and stroked me up and down, which after all the discussion and reminiscing was almost enough to get me off. "I just knew it. This should have been my first." She slowly stroked me up and down, and then she leaned over and took me in her mouth for just a second, sucking me deep and then releasing me. That was it. It was too much for me, and I stood up and shot my wad a good two feet out from where we were sitting. She giggled, as she helped me through my release, then pulled my underwear up back over my still dripping cock, and wiped her hand on the front of my briefs, before helping me pull my jeans back up. "If I wasn't tied up, I'd have you paying reparations," she told me as we both stood, and she slapped my hands away from my belt and finished straightening me out herself. "Let's consider it a delayed payoff. If things don't work out for you, maybe we can try it again. Rochester isn't That far from Amherst." Little did I know what the future held in store for us, but that's a different story. We walked back to the house hand-in-hand, laughing at the folly of youth, from the wizened experience of our 18 and 19 years. She had to leave shortly after, as did we, and I kissed her goodbye at the door. Once the door was closed I heard an exclamation from behind me. I turned to Tommy who said, "Now I've seen everything." "Amen," said Jack. "What?" I asked. "After how you treated her after our first date, I was certain you were on her shit-list for life." Jack explained. "Absolutely." Tommy chimed in. "Sheri said that Kathryn fantasized about doing mean and nasty things to you for years. I mean, hell, you did use her pretty bad." "I was a dope. I did some things I'd never done before, and was so embarrassed I didn't know how to even face her. So I screwed up and avoided her. I just made my apologies and we worked things out. I think she understands that I didn't try to be mean; I was just young and stupid. I didn't know what I was doing, and regretted it for years." I told them. "Geez. I always wondered how you could pass on that, when she was so available to you. You really did fuck up, didn't you?" Tommy pointed out. "Yep, not the first time, and I'm certain not the last. But we've buried the hatchet it seems." I answered "I'm just astounded that hatchet isn't in your back." Jack added. We left just a short while after that. We had one last visit to make. Teri Branson was passing through town, and wanted to see us if she could. She was just there for the day, and none of us wanted to miss out on that chance. The summer before 10th grade, I'd practically lived at Teri's. It was football time, and we were doing twice-a-days. We'd have morning practice, then a break so we wouldn't be out all day in the noon-time Florida summer sun. After the break it was afternoon practice. Teri was at our school and I never really knew her until that summer. She lived only a block from Mike, and we had run into her one day out washing the family car. We struck up a conversation, and the rest was history. I spent every football break at her house that summer. Mike didn't play football, but I'd pick him up on the way over there, and we'd hang out. She had a pool table, and a private rec-room with a stand-up arcade game. Her mother would always bring us snacks and drinks. Teri had not been popular, and was new to the school as well. But in a period of just a few months she went from a boyish figured tom-boy, to a devastatingly beautiful teen. Her breasts seemed to almost explode outwards, and once we'd met her mom, we knew where she got it from. She lost some weight, traded glasses for contacts, grew tits, lost the braces, and suddenly this beauty was in our midst, and nobody even knew about her but us. She was our secret. Tommy was going to a different high-school from me and Mike, but we still hung together most of the summer, and we had to let him in on our secret. The closest we'd come to having anything happen was a bizarre game of spin-the-bottle underneath the pool table. Mike, Tommy, me and Teri. Just an excuse for us to take turns kissing her. Her father was being transferred again at the end of the summer. I told her I was going to have a birthday party, and that we were going to play spin-the-bottle, I had hoped she'd be there, but now she was leaving. We were all upset. Tommy suggested we play now, since she couldn't make it then, and we did. It was strange but wonderful. Two weeks later she was gone. We met Teri at the mall, our planned rendezvous. We couldn't miss her; she was the center of a lot of attention. And still gorgeous. We ran up to her and had hugs all around. "I can only stay about 20 minutes," she told us with a pout. "Damn," was all I could say. So the three of us toured the mall, observing all the changes. It had been brand new the year we had been together. We grabbed some drinks, and wandered back outside, our time almost up, and barely even caught up. "Teri, I have a confession." I told her. "I know we acted pretty much like friends, but I was crazy about you. That summer I went home every evening and dreamed of you." "Hell, we all did." Tommy admitted. "We were such idiots," she said. She reached up to my collar and pulled me down for a kiss. Teri stood maybe 5 foot 1, so I had at least a foot on her in height. Bent over I let her kiss me, and I returned it eagerly. Finally she released me. "I was so confused. One day I'd like you, and then the next day you," she said nodding around the group, "and then you. I kept wondering who was going to be my first real boyfriend. I just knew it was going to be one of you. And then it was all over." She looked up at me. "I Still dream about you sometimes." All we could do was laugh it off, and say we'd get together sometime. She was living in Phoenix now, finishing high school, and it looked like she'd be going to Stanford. It was going to be hard to ever make that commute work out, not that she didn't seem like it would be worth the effort. Then her parents drove up. We said hi to her mom (who had been a secret fantasy of mine back then) and then with a last set of hugs it was goodbye to Teri. It was getting late so we dropped Mike back off at his house, driving mostly in quiet. I imagine we were all lost in thought over the quirks of fate and what might have been. For me, it was thoughts of Kathryn and Teri, two incredible opportunities that any teen would kill for, and I'd let them slip through my fingers. We dropped Mike off, but didn't go inside. As it was we were running late, and knew that if we went in, it would be a while before we got out of there. From Mike's it was a 5 minute drive back to Tommy's, but we drove past Teri's old house, just for nostalgia's sake. At Tommy's we were running late. Dinner was going to be at 6:00 pm, and somehow we'd burned the whole day. It was 5:45 before we even walked in the door, and we both wanted to clean up before dinner. The kid's rooms were served by two separate bathrooms, one at the end of the hall, and one off of Greg's room. So I stripped down to my shorts, and went to take my shower. I hadn't expected the bathroom to be full. Sheri was in their, applying the last of her makeup. Fortunately (or unfortunately) she was dressed. When I walked in, she gave a squeal, and came over and gave me a big hug. "I can't believe you're here! You're looking good." She said, stepping back and giving me the once over. "Wow, Sheri, you look great!" was all I could say. She had always been pretty. But the difference between a 15 year old Sheri and this one was night and day. The more mature Sheri was a beautiful young woman. "Thanks," she said, "I'll be out of here in a second, and you can have the place to yourself. I'm dying to talk to you." "I'll be here all night." I joked, stepping back into the room I was using, before my underwear had to undergo any more strain. I sat on the bed waiting, and after just a minute or so she poked her head in and said "It's all yours." She left the door open and walked out the other side of the bathroom. So that was one change at least that I hadn't noticed. Back in the day, this was Greg's bathroom. But since then someone had taken out the linen closet, and the old closet door now opened into Sheri's room. In retrospect it should have been obvious. With Greg away, the bathroom had a lot of stuff in it, although very neat. If I'd opened a cabinet or drawer, I would have seen all the makeup and girl's things. I was using Sheri's bathroom. I rapidly cleaned up and dressed. I was in a bit of a hurry, wanting to still wrap a couple of small presents for my hosts. I had bought several music tapes for my sister as a Christmas present, and decided to gift Tommy with one of them. I also had a photo in a frame for my mom, and decided to make the frame a family gift. It was simple, hand-made by yours truly from apple-wood. After borrowing some paper, tape, and scissors, I was ready to join everyone else just a few minutes later. To be continued in part 2. Based on a post by Tx Tall Tales, in 2 parts, for Literotica

During Halloween weekend of 1993, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of three, Cherilyn Hawkley, vanished from Granite Bay, California. Two days later, her body was discovered inside her minivan, less than a mile from the school where she taught fifth grade. In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum and Laura Ingle revisit the case that shocked the community, retracing the timeline, the missing hours, and the single piece of rope believed to have been used in Cherilyn’s murder. With the newly established cold-case team reopening the files, they explore how advances in forensic science and a new round of DNA testing may hold the key to solving this 32-year-old cold case. If you have information about this case, contact the Placer County Sheriff’s Tip Line at (530) 889-7830. Highlights: • (0:00) Welcome to Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum and guest Laura Ingle • (1:00) Laura Ingle recounts growing up near Granite Bay and Cherilyn’s final hours after the school’s Halloween party • (3:30) The van’s location and why it suggests a local offender • (9:30) The rope used in the killing and new DNA testing by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office • (11:45) Cleared suspects: ex-husband, boyfriend, and school custodian • (16:00) Sheryl breaks down potential motives and why the crime does not fit the typical pattern (17:30) The detailed witness sketch of a man driving a white VW Bug • (21:00) Laura describes visiting the school and the plaque that bears Cherilyn’s name • (24:15) Why it’s important to re-examine every witness and every clue, and how uniting the original detectives with the new cold-case team could uncover what was never written in the files • (26:30) Tip line information and closing message Guest Bio: Laura Ingle is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and the host of The Ingle Edit, a YouTube series and podcast dedicated to re-examining unsolved cases through on-scene reporting and firsthand interviews. As a longtime network correspondent, she has covered many of America’s most notoroious crime stories and continues to champion cold-case investigations. Learn more about the case and view Laura’s on-scene reporting on The Ingle Edit: www.youtube.com/@TheIngleEdit Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire. Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a Metro Atlanta Police Department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than 4 decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing. Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023. Social Links: • Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com • Twitter: @ColdCaseTips • Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum • Instagram: @officialzone7podcast Preorder Sheryl’s upcoming book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Lessons in Life, Justice, and Joy from a Forensic Scientist, releasing May 2026 from Simon and Schuster. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Swans-Dont-Swim-in-a-Sewer/Sheryl-Mac-McCollum/9798895652824 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click here to tell us about your favorite car, car story or automotive trivia !Join Doug and Christian on To All The Cars I've Loved Before as they reflect on several epic car museum—visiting the Tallahassee Auto Museum, AACA Museum in Hershey, and more—and dive deep into automotive culture, automotive history, and restoration stories.On this episode of To All The Cars I've Loved Before, Doug and Christian take you on an immersive ride through car museums—from the Tallahassee Auto Museum to the AACA Museum in Hershey—uncovering automotive culture, car history, and restoration stories. Guest Andrew, a volunteer firefighter and paramedic, shares his automotive adventures: learning to drive on a $100 VW Bug, rescuing an East German Trabant, and chasing minimalist beloved cars like a '49 Chevy coupe and the legendary 1948 Tucker. He also reveals how family road trips and creative homemade scooter rods fuel car memories and inspire a lifelong passion for cars.Whether you're an automotive enthusiast or simply love classic cars, car lifestyle, and car stories, this episode delivers insider tips for planning family road trips to top car museums, inspiring tales of automotive experiences and two‑stroke surprises, and a deep dive into the vehicle culture that connects us all. Tune in now and let your love for cars rev to life.New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Please Follow, Like, and Subscribe to be the first to hear our latest content and past episodes - https://linktr.ee/carsloved

What is your earliest memory? That is what Lizz and Kelly are talking about today on The Carpool. For Lizz, it's her and Kelly playing with their imaginary friends who also happened to be big brothers. You always want the sibling combo you don't have. Kelly's earliest memories are of preschool and the spot to be was the peanut-free table. She perpetually had a peanut butter sandwich and was persona non-grata with the cool kids. Does she still harbor a bit of resentment? Don't even ask about the apples...  Kelly is headed off on a family vacation with a Hummer and it got her thinking about cars that no longer exist that definitely should. The internet seems to be ravenous for a Ford Excursion. Kelly and Lizz's big prediction? We could be seeing a new Volkswagen Beetle hitting the market again! Slug bug!  While Kelly is enjoying a vacation, Lizz will be back home working on sleep training Sloan. This leads to a discussion on the pressures of parenting thanks to social media. There are so many opinions coming from us at every angle, how do you decide what is right for you? It's time for a return of mother's intuition!  What were the lessons your parents taught you as a kid? Kelly has two stories her father told her that she refers to daily. This is how she learned to not be afraid to ask questions and that just because something is always done one way doesn't mean it needs to always be done that way.  Before they leave, Lizz has a new random fact of left handed vs. right handed vs. ambidextrous. Kelly has a random fact on vertigo... Well, more like the fact that she has vertigo.  Today's episode is brought to you by Clean Simple Eats. Use code 'Carpool10' at checkout to get 10% off your order. CleanSimpleEats.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an ill-advised foray into AI generated humor, the girls toast another conversation with a large glass of Cheeky Red and an expensively-bittered Old Fashioned, and turn their attentions to getting organized in the face of seed starting chaos, adding some healthy crunch to your winter sandwiches, and painlessly and trendily composting when you don't have chickens, time, or balcony space for a questionable pile of yesterday's dinner scraps. Marianne goes over her trusty Grab & Go method (which she intends to patent just as soon as her workload diminishes), and Leslie feigns not only interest, but intent – excited to do something about the shocking mess on her dining room table that threatens to hang around for several months if harsh steps are not taken. Some seed starting that doesn't require mess, packets or constant chaos is counter-raised alfalfa sprouts – and Marianne tries to make a new convert in Leslie. What Leslie is far more interested in, however, is compost.  And she loves her Lomi. But she's got her work cut out for her trying to sell a Porche to a girl that drives a VW Bug. 

The joy that comes after working hard and designing.

Send us a textThis week on Shock Talk, Junior and Steve are joined by Class 11 desert racer Cameron Brantz to explore the world of vintage VW Beetle racing. They break down the history of Class 11 in off-road racing, the unique challenges of competing in nearly stock Bugs, and Cameron's journey as a racer. From brutal desert terrain to the camaraderie of the Class 11 community, this episode is packed with insight and passion for one of the most iconic racing classes in off-road.

In this compelling episode of Everything is Personal, Host Len May welcomes back George Sadler, a two-time guest, for an in-depth conversation about resilience, community, and the challenges posed by natural disasters. George shares his personal experiences of losing his home in the devastating California fires and how it shaped his perspective on life, giving, and rebuilding. He also sheds light on his efforts to support fire-affected communities by donating over 120,000 cans of water through his company, Drink Gelato. Together, they discuss the importance of compassion, unity, and taking action during crises. Key Takeaways: The Impact of California Wildfires: George recounts losing everything in the 2012 Potrero fire and how those experiences fuel his passion for helping others. Philanthropy in Action: Learn how George's water company, Drink Gelato, has donated over 120,000 cans of water to support fire victims and first responders. Resilience in the Cannabis Industry: Insights on navigating challenges, staying true to your purpose, and the importance of community in the evolving cannabis landscape. Purpose Beyond Profit: Why George believes in giving back, creating jobs, and supporting families within his businesses. Lessons in Humility: From living in a VW Bug to running successful companies, George shares how staying grounded and connected has shaped his journey.

Click here to send a text to Christian and DougAiden (Season 3, Episode 1) shares how he fell in love with a 1972 VW Bug and why it is on his bucket list.Listen to the full episode with Aiden and his dad, Tom and the rest of our podcast episodes at https://linktr.ee/carsloved#vwbug #vwbettle #vwclassicbeetle #vw #carsloved #podcast #everycartellsastory #everycartellsastory #everycarhasaculture #toallthecarsivelovedbeforeRemember to Follow/Subscribe and visit https://linktr.ee/carsloved to find all of our episodes and latest content.

The binz all right double cab is kind of a mystery mostly produced from 57 to 59. The first Sales literature shows up as a special order for Volkswagen in 1953. On this podcast we go through the story of the Binz double cab, the purpose that ignited the creation and a lot of the details and history that went along with this pick up truck that was built essentially for two years. Now there may be more out there that we're built from 53 to 57. None that are on the registry at this point for more information go to the links below. Also, we interviewed my friend and special guest Chris Vuchovic and hear the story of how he purchased his two bins double caps one being a 1957 one being one being in 1958 one being in 1959 Volkswagen went onto produce the double cab in 1959 as the first production year. It's a pretty cool story and thanks to my listener for requesting this history. If you have any history you'd like to hear, or hit me up on Facebook and reach out to me through the website www.let'stalkdubs.com  https://hayburner.co.uk/binz-coachbuilt-history/ http://dropgates.com www.letstalkdubs.com www.vwtrendzmagazine.com www.rosswulf.com  

Wuzzup broskies !! On this exciting episode of the BUG we talk about the Spooky Street Fair that took place here in down town Bakersfield . HUGE shout out to all the vendors that supported this event . We chat it up about the mosquitos here in town , The Weatherman getting too famous and we bring you the Weekly World News !! On the second half of the show we are joined by Rich Bundy !! Rich is the younger brother of infamous serial killer Ted Bundy . Rich tells his side of his story that has never been told. He talks about Ted teaching him how to drive in the infamous VW Bug , the strange visits him and Ted had in prison , How music helped him escape bad times . Rich also brings us 2 new tracks "Without" and "C Major Twist" that we will get to premiere !!

Art and Warren sat down with Forrest Davis of Griot's Motors to learn about growing up as a car guy in the PNW, owning the coolest VW Bug around, and how he became the shop foreman at their world-class restoration facility in Tacoma, WA. 

Origanlly hailing from Boston Mass. A cross crounty trip in a new 1968 VW Bus would change this family hobbies. Moving to California then the meet MR Lee Leighton. The family sarts racing with Rodney Jr. known as "Radical Rod" Dad (Rodney Seinor) gets the itch & Lee sells them a Drag car fomally known as the Pied Piper that would soon become the "Sum Fun" Pro Stock drag bug. Larry the younger brother has a 56 Oval hes driving to highschool. in 1984 he pulls it apart for a restoration. The car never get put back together unitll the early 2000's. Its ultimatly featured in Hot VW's . The Drag car is eventually sold to Collector / enthusiest Russell Ritchie. Its agreat story with history of the 80's-90's drag racing.  Larry latest project is featured in Hot VW's February 2024 "My Hot 56"

Lucky Cat grows up into its big boy pants, we try and determine what a Blokees is, and can you build a VW Bug out of Lego? All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by TeePublic! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Episode 594 – Built To Rule appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

Lucky Cat grows up into its big boy pants, we try and determine what a Blokees is, and can you build a VW Bug out of Lego? All this and much, much more on this episode of TransMissions! Order our exclusive Skybound Transformers #1 comic with cover art by E.J. Su! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by TeePublic! Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact us: Continue reading The post Episode 594 – Built To Rule appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

Brian wants to spend only a few bucks to make his antique pickup truck handle like a sportscar. Candace's hubby thinks she can save a few pennies on gas by coasting whenever possible. And Keller has purloined a street sign to use as a floorboard in his VW Bug. Who will win 'The Cheapskate Sweepstakes' on this episode of the Best of Car Talk?Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalkLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

HOPE CAST - VW BUG by The Journey

Vandals destroy 25 Pink VW Bugs.  Then Twerked on the Hoods of the Cars.

Rev up your engines and get ready to cruise down memory lane with the Bay Area VW Club's very own Dave Saucier. Our sunny Houston backdrop sets the stage for a rich exploration of vintage Volkswagen culture, where Dave, with his infectious enthusiasm, steers us through the club's vibrant history and monthly shindigs. Discover why the '67 VW Bug holds a special place in the hearts of collectors, and if you've ever been bitten by the Bug's charm, this episode is your gateway to understanding what makes these classic cars more than just a mode of transportation.Fasten your seatbelts as we reminisce about the roar of a souped-up VW Beetle on the drag strip and share insider tips for those eager to join the adrenaline-pumping Bug Bash scene. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or a curious newcomer, we've got the lowdown on where to find these timeless treasures and what to look out for before you make the leap. Plus, don't miss the buzz around the 34th Annual Monumental Bug Bash—where the community's spirit shines as bright as the polished chrome on a classic Karmann Ghia.As we cross the finish line of this automotive adventure, we pivot to the essentials of tire care and the unique demands they face. With electric vehicles taking the streets by storm, understanding the nuances of EV tire selection is more crucial than ever. We'll guide you through reading the hieroglyphics of tire specifications and why they matter for your electric ride's performance. Remember to join our weekly live broadcasts for more under-the-hood insights and camaraderie among car aficionados of all stripes.The Original Lupe' Tortilla Restaurants Lupe Tortilla in Katy, TexasSponsored by Gulf Coast Auto Shield Paint protection and more!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.---- ----- Want more In Wheel Time Car Talk any time? In Wheel Time Car Talk is now available on iHeartRadio! Just go to iheartradio.com/InWheelTimeCarTalk where ever you are.----- -----Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast provider for the next episode of In Wheel Time Car Talk and check out our live broadcast every Saturday, 8a-11aCT simulcasting on iHeartRadio, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch and InWheelTime.com.In Wheel Time Car Talk podcast can be heard on you mobile device from providers such as:Apple Podcasts, Pandora Podcast, Amazon Music Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio podcast, TuneIn + Alexa, Podcast Addict, Castro, Castbox and more on your mobile device.Follow InWheelTime.com for the latest updates!Twitter: https://twitter.com/InWheelTimeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/inwheeltime/https://www.iheart.com/live/in-wheel-time-car-talk-9327/https://www.youtube.com/inwheeltimehttps://www.Facebook.com/InWheelTimeFor more information about In Wheel Time Car Talk, email us at info@inwheeltime.comTags: In Wheel Time, automotive car talk show, car talk, Live car talk show, In Wheel Time Car Talk

An unlikely suspect, a news segment, and scratch marks. Two days after Christmas, on December 27th, 1986, 20-year-old Cara Knott was driving back to her parent's home after spending a few days with her boyfriend. Before she left she called her parents to let them know she was on her way.  Cara never made it home. Within hours her family launched a search party and found her white VW Bug parked on an abandoned stretch of Old US 395.  Hours later police found her body in the creek bed under the 395 Bridge. The suspect…was someone no one would have ever suspected. Least of These on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/leastofthesepodcast/ Least of These Discussion Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/288046119723080/?ref=pages_profile_groups_tab&paipv=1 Least of These on Instagram:  www.instagram.com/least_ofthese/ Support the show and get your episodes ad free at: https://www.patreon.com/leastofthesepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 About John Snyder John Snyder is a devoted husband and father of two whose family journey, especially raising a child with special needs, ignited his passion for environmental causes. Not just a champion for a greener Southern California, John is renowned for converting a 1970 VW Bug into an electric vehicle. His commitment deepened when he discovered the environmental impact of traditional burial methods, leading him to advocate for Aquamation—an eco-friendly alternative for both humans and pets. John's inspiring dedication to sustainability and innovative solutions makes him a compelling voice for a cleaner, more compassionate world.About this EpisodeEmbark on an inspiring journey with San Diego native John Snyder, who transforms from a nature enthusiast to an environmental champion. Motivated by his autistic son, John combines family devotion and environmental passion, creating a remarkable 1970 VW Bug powered by Tesla batteries. Beyond innovation, this episode gives an intimate look into a father's quest to create a better world for his child.Explore the world of pet aftercare as John pioneers sustainable farewells with Agape Aquamation, offering a green alternative for our beloved companions. This conversation reveals not only an eco-friendly option but also touches on the profound impact of a child's disability on a parent's life. Through pioneering efforts and bonds with our pets, this episode celebrates resilience, the human spirit, and our collective journey towards a greener future. Join us for a heartfelt celebration of love, loss, and commitment to a healthier planet.Quotes0:11 – I want to bring much-needed awareness to innovative practices like Acquamation, combining my love for family with a commitment to a sustainable and environmentally conscious future  15:06 – I call my company Agape Aquamation because Agape in Greek is love. There are eight different words in Greek that refer to love, but Agape is unconditional love.15:06 – My son, I think, is the closest I can get to feeling that [unconditional love].19:36 – California, specifically, has eliminated gas-burning cars by 2035. One cremation is the equivalent of 10 cars on the road.20:00 – I think that water cremation is the best eco-friendly option that we have access to at this time.Useful LinksInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/snydmann/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-snyder-3485294/The Matrix Green Pill Podcast: https://thematrixgreenpill.com/Please review us: https://g.page/r/CS8IW35GvlraEAI/review

Is this the ultimate Cal-look tribute car. The California look with something that started in the late 60s early 70s in Southern California. For the past few decades, there have been lots of tribute cars and some have gone over the top and some have chased every specific detail down to the last Lucas turn signal. Mark Akullian has been in the Volkswagen scene since he was 13 years old which means over 30 years he's been in the Volkswagen scene. He's no stranger to magazine covers in April 1988 his 1957 beetle was on the pages of Hot VW's magazine. This yeay His 1961 beetle graced the cover of Hot VW's California look issue. That about sums up the goal when building a cal-look car. This car's been in the making for dozens of years with the slow collecting of every part and piece to build what Mark felt was the perfect California look Beetle. 2387 cc engine dual 48 Idas. Custom hand fabricated deck lid, (all steel) to replicate the EMPI fiberglass deck lid from back in the 60s. Porsche 356 brakes and original EMPI steering wheel. Those are those are just a few things, to name the dozens of customizing thats been done to this car to pay the ultimate tribute to the most popular Style that seems to never run out of favor with the crowds. Great story for a great car. www.letstalkdubs.com www.vwtrendsmagazine.com www.rosswulf.com  

Clint shares some incredible stories about his time at the United States Military Academy and his deployment in Afghanistan. He talks about leaving the military and becoming an entrepreneur. But our favorite part of all is the simple and profound advice he got from a wide receiver coach. I hope you enjoy getting to know Clint as much as we did. This is a public podcast, so it's only as good as the people who are willing to participate. If you would like to take part, go to realhuman.io to record your own episode. 

Episode 0309 - New Years 2024, Selling the Bug and That Guy at SEMA. We talk about Lefty selling his VW Bug, "That Guy" at SEMA (You know, the one with an ego and power trip the size of the convention center) and, of course, the goals from last year and for this year.   Show Notes: Episode 286 - Last year's new years goals https://bsquadhotrod.libsyn.com/0286-the-40-coupe-lives-in-the-new-year-2023     Thanks for listening, downloading and subscribing. For questions, comments or complaints please e-mail us at: Hosts@BsquadHotrod.com And if you really want to help us out give us a review in your podcast app.

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Oct. 13. It dropped for free subscribers on Oct. 20. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoAmy Ohran, Vice President and General Manager of Northstar, CaliforniaRecorded onOctober 2, 2023About NorthstarClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: EPR Properties, operated by Vail ResortsLocated in: Truckee, CaliforniaYear founded: 1972Pass affiliations:* Epic Pass: unlimited* Epic Local Pass: unlimited with holiday blackouts* Tahoe Local: unlimited with holiday blackouts* Tahoe Value: unlimited with holiday and Saturday blackouts* Epic Day Pass: access with all resorts and 32-resorts tiersClosest neighboring ski areas: Boreal (:21), Tahoe Donner (:22), Palisades Tahoe (:25), Diamond Peak (:25), Soda Springs (:25), Kingvale (:27), Sugar Bowl (:28), Donner Ski Ranch (:29), Mt. Rose (:30), Homewood (:35), Heavenly (:57) - travel times vary considerably pending traffic, weather, and time of year.Base elevation: 6,330 feet (at the village)Summit elevation: 8,610 feet (top of Mt. Pluto)Vertical drop: 2,280 feetSkiable Acres: 3,170 acresAverage annual snowfall: 350 inchesTrail count: 100 (27% advanced, 60% intermediate, 13% beginner)Lift count: 20 (1 six-passenger gondola, 1 pulse gondola, 1 six/eight-passenger chondola, 1 high-speed six pack, 6 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 2 triples, 1 platter, 1 ropetow, 5 carpets – view Lift Blog's inventory of Northstar's lift fleet)Why I interviewed herI am slowly working my way through the continent's great ski regions. Aspen, Vail, Beaver Creek, Ski Cooper, Keystone, Breckenridge, and A-Basin along the I-70 corridor (Copper is coming). Snowbird, Solitude, Deer Valley, Sundance, and Snowbasin in the Wasatch (Park City is next). Jay Peak, Smugglers' Notch, Bolton Valley, Mad River Glen, Sugarbush, and Killington in Northern Vermont.I'm a little behind in Tahoe. Before today, the only entrants into this worthy tome have been with the leaders of Palisades Tahoe and Heavenly. But I'm working my way around the lake. Northstar today. Mount Rose in November. I'll get to the rest as soon as I'm able (you can always access the full podcast archive, and view the upcoming schedule, here or from the stormskiing.com homepage).I don't only cover megaresorts, of course, and the episodes with family-owned ski area operators always resonate deeply with my listeners. Many of you would prefer that I focus my energies solely on these under-covered gems. But corporate megaresorts matter a lot. They are where the vast majority of skier visits occur, and therefore are the backdrop to most skiers' wintertime stories. I personally love skiing them. They tend to be vast and varied, with excellent lift networks and gladed kingdoms mostly ignored by the masses. The “corporate blandness” so abhorred by posturing Brobots is, in practice, a sort of urban myth of the mountains. Vail Mountain and Stowe have as much quirk and character as Alta and Mad River Glen. Anyone who tells you different either hasn't skied them all, or is confusing popularity with soullessness.Every ski area guards terrain virtues that no amount of marketing can beat out of it. Northstar has plenty: expansive glades, big snowfalls, terrific park, long fall-line runs. Unfortunately, the mountain is the LA Clippers of Lake Tahoe, overshadowed, always, by big Palisades, the LA Lakers of big-time Cali skiing.But Northstar is a hella good ski area, as any NoCal shredder who's honest with themselves will admit. It's not KT-22, but it isn't trying to be. Most skier fantasize about lapping the Mothership, just as, I suppose, many playground basketball players fantasize about dunking from the freethrow line. In truth, most are better off lobbing shots from 15 feet out, just as most skiers are going to have a better day off Martis or Backside at Northstar than off the beastly pistes five miles southwest. But that revelation, relatively easy to arrive at, can be hard for progression-minded skiers to admit. And Northstar, because of that, often doesn't get the credit it deserves. But it's worth a deeper look.What we talked aboutTahoe's incredible 2022-23 winter; hey where'd our trail signs go?; comparing last year's big winter to the record 2016-17 season; navigating the Cottonwoods in a VW Bug; old-school Cottonwoods; rock-climbing as leadership academy; Bend in the 1990s; how two of Tahoe's smallest ski areas stay relevant in a land of giants; the importance of parks culture to Northstar; trying to be special in Tahoe's all-star lineup; Northstar's natural wind protection; who really owns Northstar; potential expansions on Sawtooth Ridge, Lookout Mountain, and Sawmill; potential terrain expansion within the current footprint; last year's Comstock lift upgrade; contemplating the future of the Rendezvous lift; which lift upgrade could come next; the proposed Castle Peak transport gondola; paid parking; the Epic Pass; a little-known benefit of the Tahoe Local Pass; the impact of Saturday blackouts; and Tōst.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewVail Resorts' 2022 Epic Lift upgrade struck me as a mind-bending exercise. Not just because the company was attempting to build 21 new lifts in a single summer (they managed to complete 18), but because that number represents a fraction of Vail's hundreds of lifts across its 37 North American resorts. Vail Mountain alone houses 18 high-speed chairlifts and two gondolas. Park City owns 16 detachables. Whistler has six or nine gondolas – depending on how you count them – and 13 high-speed chairs. You can keep counting through Heavenly, Breckenridge, Keystone – how do you even maintain such a sprawling network, let alone continue to upgrade it?Northstar managed to snag a piece of Vail's largess, securing a four-to-six replacement for the Comstock Express. It was just the third major lift upgrade since Vail bought the joint in 2010, following the 2011 addition of the Promised Land Express quad and the 2015 replacement of the Big Springs Gondola. So why Comstock? And what's next for a ski area with a trio of high-speed quads (Arrow, Backside, Vista), that are approaching that 30-year expiration date for first-generation detachable lifts?Tahoe is also one of several U.S. ski regions coping with a generational crisis of untenable congestion and cost. The culprits, in no particular order, are an over-reliance on individual automobiles as the primary mechanism of ski resort access, megapasses that enable and empower more frequent skiing, a Covid-driven exodus from cities, a permanent shift to remote work, short-term rentals choking local housing stock, and reflexive opposition to any development of any kind by an array of NIMBYs and leaf defenders.Northstar, an enormous and easy-to-access megaresort owned by the world's largest ski area operator and seated in America's most populous state, sits in the bullseye of several of these megatrends. The resort is responding with a big toolbox, tiering access across a variety of Epic Passes, implementing a partial paid parking plan, and continuing a masterplan that would increase on-mountain beds and decrease automobile congestion. Like every ski area, it's a work in progress, never quite finished and never quite perfect, but tiptoeing maybe a little closer to it every year.What I got wrongAbout the relative size of NorthstarI noted in Ohran's podcast intro that Northstar was America's ninth largest ski area. That's technically still true, but once Steamboat officially opens its Mahogany Ridge expansion this winter, the Alterra-owned resort will shoot up to the number eight spot, kicking Northstar down to number 10. Looking a few years down the road, Deer Valley is set to demote Northstar to number 11, once Mt. Fancypants completes its 3,700-acre expansion (boosting the mountain to 5,726 acres), and takes the fourth-place spot between Big Sky and Vail Mountain.About the coming ski seasonI noted that Northstar was opening, “probably around Thanksgiving.” The resort's scheduled opening date is Nov. 17.About Powdr's Tahoe complexI asked Ohran about her experience running Powdr's “three ski areas” in Tahoe, before correcting that to “two ski areas.” The confusion stemmed from the three distinct brands that Powdr operates in Tahoe: the Soda Springs ski area, the Boreal ski area, and the Woodward terrain park. While these are distinct brands, Woodward's winter facilities are part of Boreal ski area:Why you should ski NorthstarThe Brobots won't do much to surprise or interest you. That's why they're the Brobots. Rote takes, recited like multiplication tables, lacking nuance or context, designed to pledge allegiance to Brobot Nation. The Brobots hate Vail and the Ikon Pass. They despise “corporate” skiing, without ever defining what that is. They rage against ski-town congestion and traffic, while reflexively opposing any solutions that would require change of any kind. They worship dive bars, weed, and beanie caps. They despise tourists, chairlift safety bars, slopeside condos, and paid parking of any kind. They are the Brobots.Lake Tah-Bro is a subspecies of Brobotus Americanus. Lake Tah-Bro wishes you weren't here, but since you are, he wants you to understand his commandments. One of which is this: “Flatstar” is not cool. Like you. Real-ass skiers ski Palisades (steep), Alpine (chill), or Kirkwood (wild). But OK, if you must, go see for yourself. Tah-Bro won't be joining you. He has to go buy a six-pack of craft beer to celebrate his six-month anniversary of moving here from Virginia, while tapping out a Tweet reminding everyone that he's a local.It must be an exhausting way to live, having to constantly remind everyone how ridiculously cool you are. But luckily for you, I don't care about being cool. I'm a dad with two kids. I drive a minivan. I drink Miller Lite and rarely drive past a Taco Bell. My musical tastes are straightforward and mainstream. I track my ski days on an app and take a lot of pictures. I am not 100 percent sure which brand of ski boots I own (I trusted the bootfitter). My primary Brobot trait is that I like to ski mostly off-piste. Otherwise you can call me Sir Basic Bro. Or don't. I won't see it anyway – I stopped reading social media comments a long time ago.Brah do you have a point here? Yes. My point is this: I am supremely qualified to tell you that Northstar is a great ski area. It is huge. It is interesting. It has more glades than you could manage if you spent all winter trying. It is threaded with an excellent high-speed lift network that, during the week, rarely has an over-abundance of skiers to actually ride it. You can cruise the wide-open or sail the empty trees. Park Brahs can park-out on the Vista Park Brah.But if you take my advice and lap the place for an afternoon and find that it's just too flat for your radness, simply ask Ski Patrol if you can borrow a pair of scissors. Then cut the sleeves off your jacket and all under-layers, and descend each run in an arms-up posture of supreme muscle-itude. Everyone will be aware of and in awe of your studliness, and know that you are only skiing Flatstar as a sort of joke, the mountain a prop to your impossibly cool lifestyle. Your Instapost followers will love it.Podcast NotesOn Tahoe's competitive landscapeTahoe hosts one of the densest clusters of ski areas in North America. Here are the 16 currently in operation:On Northstar's masterplan Northstar's 2017 masterplan outlines several potential expansions, each of which we discuss in the podcast:On the “My Epic” appOhran referenced Vail's new My Epic app, which I devoted a section to explaining in the article accompanying my recent Keystone podcast. The Epic Pass website notes that the app will be “launching in October.”On Northstar's original brand campaignI couldn't find any relics from Northstar's 1972 “Everything in the middle of nowhere” ad campaign. I did, however, find this 1978 trailmap noting that all-day adult lift tickets cost $13:That's $64.02 adjusted for inflation, in case you're wondering.The Sierra Sun ran a nice little history of Northstar last year, in honor of the resort's 50-year anniversary:On Dec. 22, 1972, Northstar-at-Tahoe began spinning its original five lifts, operating under the motto “Everything in the middle of nowhere.” The first lifts were given alphabetic names A, B, C, and D. A T-chair provided access to mid-mountain from the village. The cost for an adult to ski for the day in 1972 was $8, gear could be rented for $7.50, and a room for the night at the resort was $30. …The 1980s brought further growth to the resort and in 1988 the first snowboarders took their turns at the resort. That year, George N. Gillett Jr., president of Colorado's Vail Associates purchased Northstar-at-Tahoe. By 1992, Gillett had run into financial troubles and lost Vail Associates. Gillett managed to come away with enough resources to form Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc. Gillett's new company focused on real estate development and creating multi-season resorts. In 1996, the company acquired Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe, and Bear Mountain for $127 million, and began developing the Big Springs area at Northstar. …The new millennium brought with it a joint venture between Booth Creek Ski Holdings and East West Partners with the aim to complete the resort's real estate and mountain development plan. The first phase of the project opened in 2004 and included the foundation for the village along with the completion of Iron Horse North, Iron Horse South, and the Great Bear Lodge buildings. The ice rink and surrounding commercial space were completed during this time. Skiers and riders were also treated to new terrain with the installation of Lookout Lift.From 2005 through 2008 work continued at the base of the mountain to complete the gondola building along with the Catamount and Big Horn buildings in the village. Collaboration between East West Partners and Hyatt Corp also began at this time, leading to the Northstar Lodge Hyatt project. The first building was started in May 2007 and completed in December 2008. Along with these came the Village Swim & Fitness center and the Highlands Gondola from the Northstar Lodge to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and neighboring building.In 2010, Vail Resorts, Inc., entered the fray and purchased Northstar-at-Tahoe from Booth Creek for $63 million, and later renamed it Northstar California Resort.On Matt JonesOhran mentions Kirkwood GM Matt Jones once or twice during the pod, which we recorded on Oct. 2. This past Tuesday, Oct. 10, Alterra announced that they had hired Jones as the new president and chief operating officer of Stratton, Vermont.On that deep deep winterWhen I was skiing around Northstar in March, I snagged a bunch of hey-where'd-the-world-go shots of stuff buried in snow:The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 85/100 in 2023, and number 471 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

This week, the one and only Laura Marano joins Spencer on the show! They talk about the surprise celeb who wrote the Austin & Ally theme music, Laura throwing the party of the year with puppies and VW Bugs, Spencer reacts to a story about a high school not letting a queer couple go to their senior walk together, Laura and Spencer guess the Disney throwback song, and so much more! Stream Laura's new album "i may be an actress, but i can't fake how i feel" out NOW on all streaming platforms! Spencewuah: IG / TikTok Laura: IG / TikTok MERCH: https://past-your-bedtime.myshopify.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/imscreaming/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/imscreaming/support

Summary: Join Kiersten as she takes a trip through time with the fossil record of the coelacanth.   For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean   Show Notes: “Coelacanth Fish Fossils, Mawsonia Woodward, 1907,” by Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam, Ali Taher, Mohammad Ahmad, Mostafa Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa. https://issuu.com “The first late cretaceous mawsoniid coelacanth (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia) from North America: Evidence of a lineage of extinct ‘living fossils'.” By Lionel Cavin, Pablo Torino, Nathan van Vranken, Bradley Carter, Micheal J. Polcyn, and Dale Winkler. PLOS ONE, https://journals.plos.org “Fossils of Cretaceous-Period Coelacanth Discovered in Texas,” by Sergio Prostak, SciNews, November 16, 2021. https://www.sci.news “Oldest coelacanth, from Early Devonian of Australia,” by Zeroing Johanson, John A. Long, John A Talent, Phillipe Javier, and James W. Warren. Bill Lett, 2006 Sep 22; 2(3): 443-446; doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2006.0470 “Earliest known coelacanth skull extends the range of anatomically modern coelacanths to the Early Devonian,” by Min Zhu, Xiaobo You, Jing Lu, Too Qiao, Wenjin Zhao, and Liantao Jia. Nature Communications 3, Article Number: 772 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1764 “Ghost Lineages,” by Matt Wedel, 5/2007 and 5/2010. https://ucmp.berkeley.edu   Music written and composed by Katherine Camp   Transcript (Piano music plays) Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife. (Piano music stops) Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I'm Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we'll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating.  This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won't regret it. This episode continues the coelacanth and the ninth thing I like about this animal is its fossil record. Throughout this series I've talked about the fossil's of the coelacanth and how they are sometimes called a ‘living fossil', so I thought we should take a few minutes to look at their actual fossil record. As we have discussed before coelacanths are old. The first coelacanths lived about 400 million years ago in the Devonian period. This was approximately 170 million years before dinosaurs roamed the earth. No matter how many times I say it, it still blows my mind! The fossil record of the coelacanth, just like everything else about this fish, is actually quite interesting. Throughout their long history coelacanths have been thought to be evolutionary conservative which essentially means they haven't changed much, but when we look a litter closer at the various fossils we see a different story. Our modern living coelacanths look like something that swam right out of ancient history, but throughout their existence they have had several body shapes.  Let's look at the Devonian coelacanths. The best known Devonian coelacanth fossils come from the late Middle to early Late Devonian period. There are two early coelacanths that are well known, Gavinia and Miguashaia. These two genuses are considered primitive coelacanths because they are more like primitive lungfish and less like modern coelacanths in body form. What researchers look at to determine these classifications are the skull shape, the fin placement, and the tail.  If we compare the skull shapes, in layman's terms, of Miguashaia and Latimeria (as a reminder that is our modern coelacanth) the Devonian era  coelacanth's skull is broader and shorter, the body is shorter and more stout, and the tail is dramatically different. The Miguashaia tail technically has three parts like the modern coelacanth but the top fin is tiny while the bottom fin is much larger. The puppy dog tail portion of the tail that runs between the two fins sort of curves up a bit. The majority of the tail fin is below the midline and is square as opposed to the rounded tail of Latimeria.  These are the most well known fossils from the Devonian period and they are fully formed enough that they can be placed in the coelacanth timeline based on body shape. But these are not the only fossils found from the Devonian era. There were fossils found in Australia from the early Devonian period suggesting coelacanths are even older than we previously thought. Researchers are hesitating to use these fossils when phylogenetically classifying coelacanths because it's only a lower jaw bone. The existence of a dentary sensory pore in the jaw proves it is a coelacanth, as modern day coelacanths, as well as other fossils throughout the ages, have dentary sensory pores also. Now, there have been approximately 80 species of coelacanth fossils described from the Middle Devonian to the Late Cretaceous. The Late Cretaceous dates from 360 million years to 70 million years ago. In the Cretaceous period, two families of coelacanths are represented through the fossils that we have found. One is Latimeriidae and Mawsoniidae.  A scientific paper published in 2021, discussed the discovery of Cretaceous period mawsonid coelacanth fossils found in the Woodbine Formation in northeast Texas. The reason these fossils are important is that they expand the regional location of coelacanths. These are the first coelacanth fossils found in North America. We didn't know that they lived in the area of North America until these fossils were found. Researchers postulate that these coelacanths got here during the break-up of Pangea, but we need a lot more research before we have any solid theories. One of the things I wanted to know about ancient coelacanths was how big they were. It seems like when we go back in time, animals are always bigger than they are now. Like the dragonflies that used to be as big a VW Bug, sloths that were the size of an SUV, and sea scorpions the size of small sedan. Well, some of the coelacanth fossils that we have found are complete bodies and some have enough bones to extrapolate how big the fish was when they were alive. So we have a range from about two feet to thirteen feet! Our modern coelacanths seem to have settled somewhere in the middle.  Coelacanths were believed to have gone extinct during the Late Cretaceous period. Today we know that's not true, but until 1938 we hadn't seen any or more importantly, we hand't found any younger fossils. The last record we had of the coelacanth came from the Cretaceous period. You may be wondering how this is possible, I know I was when I started researching this episode. I found a great article from UC Berkley that helped me understand what happened to the missing evidence of coelacanths for the last 60 million years.  Lineages are important when studying the fossil record of any living things. Lineages are the unbroken chains of ancestors and descendants. They tell us who is related to whom. A ghost lineage occurs when a line of descent leaves no trace in the fossil record. This is what has happened to our beloved coelacanth. Now back to our question, how is this possible? How come we can't find fossil evidence of the coelacanth after the Cretaceous period. Living coelacanths reside in deep ocean waters near volcanic islands. To create fossils, whatever dies is preserved by layers of sediment and then exposed million of years later. If you are a deep water resident your fossils have to rise above sea level and eventually become exposed in an area where humans can find it, whether through natural erosion or paleontological digging. Well, most fossils are more than 70 million years old, so we haven't found younger coelacanth fossils yet because they're still hidden in the depths of the ocean where our modern coelacanths live.  Coelacanths are considered a Lazarus taxon. A Lazarus taxon is a group of living beings that reappear after a long period during which they were thought to be extinct. The name is based on the biblical story of Lazarus who was raised from the dead. There are typically two characteristics shared by Lazarus taxons. 1- They have a limited geographic range. 2-They live in an area where fossils rarely form. This certainly sounds like the coelacanth to me.  That is all for this penultimate episode of the coelacanth. The fossil record of this majestic fish is my ninth favorite thing about this long-lived animal.   If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change.    Join me next week for the final episode about the coelacanth.     (Piano Music plays)  This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Tyler and Konnery are joined by culture critic Sean Malin to talk about the 80s-infused Transformers spin-off movie, "Bumblebee"! They discuss Travis Knight's leap from stop-motion to live-action, the loaded soundtrack, some REAL bawdy stuff about Transformers anatomy, and so much more on this VW Bug-driving episode of The Friendchise! What's New: Tyler: Air (Prime Video) Sean: The Way Back (Rental), Wanda Sykes: I'm An Entertainer (Netflix) Konnery: Documentary Now! (Netflix), Barry (Max) Check out Sean Malin's work: https://nymag.com/author/sean-malin/

The Hound of Heaven had been pursuing Mike D'Virgilio for many years. But when he was just minding his own business at a gathering, a complete stranger pulled up in a VW Bug, made a beeline to Mike, told him about Jesus, and left. The Good News the stranger shared would change Mike's life forever. If you ever get leery of talking to strangers about Jesus, you will be encouraged by this One80! Helpful Links:Transcript of the showMike's Book, UninventedThe Robe novelJesus of Nazareth Miniseries from the 70s, 40th anniversary editionThe NavigatorsThe God Who Was There, SchaefferHound of Heaven poemMike Explains The Bridge Gospel Illustration Herbie the Love Bug Theme Song. You gotta dance the 70s thing to this one!Chuck SwindollFullerton Free Church Follow One80 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Never miss a One80. Join our email list. Follow us on Instagram.Share One80, here's how!

Gleenobly and Russ talk with returning guests, Ath and their father (Pop!) about Ath's family car--the IROC. They discuss a VW Bug with a stearing wheel issue(???)... and other funny family car stories of the past... Oh the memories! Enjoy!

David Benardo has fond memories of packing close to a dozen friends into a VW bus to go to the first Star Wars film. VWs have been a part of his life, well, for his entire life. His interest in spending less time fixing these classics and more time driving them led him to starting Zelectric, a company that focuses only on classic VWs and Porsche EV conversions. An April Vanity Fair article shone the spotlight on this cottage industry, and we have all the deets! Support us on Patreon at: ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/StusEVU⁠⁠ Learn more about Evolve KY at: ⁠⁠www.evolveky.org⁠ Topics: VW, Porsche, EVs, EV Conversions, VW Bug, VW Beetle, VW Thing, Porsche, Porsche 911, Porsche 912, EV Charging, DC Fast Charging, Tesla Roadster, Tesla, Tesla Cybertruck, Classic Cars

Episode 19 Cheri Jo BatesOn October 30, 1966, 18 year old college Freshman Cheri Jo Bates was brutally murdered on her college campus at Riverside City College in Riverside, CA. She was savagely stabbed and her throat slashed. Her murder shocked the quiet Southern CA city. Residents wondered who would kill the pretty and popular cheerleader. Police theorized that Cheri's killer disabled her VW Bug while Cheri was in the college library and when she came out to leave and found her car disabled, the killer came along acting as a good samaritan and offering help. After gaining Cheri's trust, he led her to a dimly lit alley between two abandoned homes on school property and initiated his attack. 30 days after Cheri Jo was killed, an anonymous typed letter was sent to police & the local press claiming responsibility for Cheri Jo's murder. Police initially believed that the confession letter contained details only the killer could know, but in reality, much of what was in the letter was published in AP news stories about the case. Additional letters would come in Cheri Jo's case 6 months after her murder. This time the hand scrawled letters were sent to not only to police and the press, but cruelly, also to Cheri Jo's father. The Riverside Police locked onto a suspect that they felt was a jilted suitor of Cheri Jo's. He was never identified publicly, but was given the moniker 'Bob Barnett' in online discussions of the case. For years, police were interested in this suspect, but did not have enough to build a case against him. Complicating matters, he moved out of the country. When the suspect returned to the US for a visit, police swooped in and obtained his DNA for comparison against DNA in Cheri Jo's case. It seems that the DNA collected from the suspect did not match DNA in the Bates case. But that did not stop Riverside PD from pursuing a case against their favorite suspect. In 1970, a tipster in Riverside read a story about the infamous Zodiac Killer attacks and letters happening in the SF Bay area over 400 miles North of Riverside. Feeling that Cheri's case may be connected to the Zodiac crimes, the tipster reached out to SF Chronicle reporter Paul Avery asking him to see if the cases may be connected. Avery came away convinced that Cheri Jo's case was connected to the Zodiac case. The state's top handwriting expert Sherwood Morrill agreed that writing on letters in the Bates case matched writing in the Zodiac case. Police however were split on the conclusion. While investigators in the Zodiac case were open to the possibility that Cheri Jo Bates was an early Zodiac victim, Riverside PS dismissed the idea, instead focusing on their favorite suspect. Decades later, Cheri Jo's case and the Zodiac case remain hopelessly intertwined, and both are still unsolved.Was Cheri Jo an early Zodiac victim? Or was she the victim of a jilted suitor as Riverside PD suspects? In this episode, the team dives into the clues and evidence; evidence which contains DNA that's half a century old. Can this case be solved, or is it destined to remain a mystery? Tune in to this episode to find out.To find out how to join us live as we record each new episode of Citizen Detective, follow us on Social Media.Twitter- https://twitter.com/CitizenDPodFacebook Home Page- https://www.facebook.com/CitizenDetectivePodcastFacebook Discussion group- https://www.facebook.com/groups/233261280919915Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/citizendpod/?hl=enYoutube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSgvqIuf4-sEF2aDdNGip2wVisit our homepage: Citizendetectivepodcast.comTo support this podcast on Patreon and gain access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our after-show 'The Scrum' visit Patreon.com/CitizenDetective Continue the conversation about this case with fellow Citizen Detectives over at Websleuths: https://www.websleuths.com/forums/forums/citizen-detective-true-crime-podcast.719/The Citizen Detective team includes:Co-Hosts- Mike Morford, Alex Ralph, and Dr. Lee MellorWriting and Research- Alex RalphTechnical Producer- Andrew GrayProduction Assistant- Ashley MonroeSuzanna Ryan- DNA ExpertCloyd Steiger- Retired Seattle PD Homicide Detective

(04-09-2021) - In our series finale, Randy Kerdoon finished with a flourish! One question, fun answers from previous podcasts (with stuff that never aired, from the cutting room floor so to speak). Bogi & Faye of All Girls Garage talked fast cars, Rodney Allen Rippy about electric cars, Superstore's Danny Guar on remaking Herbie, Larry Dixon Jr on if his Dad would take a ride with him in his two seat dragster, "I Drive a Classic's" Steph Holloway on her top 5 cars she wanted someday, Randy Carlson infatuation on VW Bugs, Charles Phoenix on cars and cakes and Pies oh my, Steve Magnate on top cars he's seen in junkyards. TALKING ABOUT CARS WITH RANDY KERDOON is owned by Randy and his TOO TIRED GUYS PRODUCTIONS, all rights reserved.

Subscriber-only episodeCheers! Log in to your Brave New Teaching Happy Hour account HERE:https://www.bravenewteaching.com/hhmembers (password in email)Join Happy Hour HERE!Support the show

SponsorThis episode is brought to you by Worldpost.ioGet your mail delivered to your home country and receive it anywhere in the word-----------------------------------------Leslie from YouTube's "It'll Be fun."  Leslie moved to Madeira last year with her Husband, Son, and VW Bug.  From Illinois to the island life.It'll Be Fun YouTube ChannelMeetup:March 23rd, 2023 at 6:00 PM we'll be at Scoundrels Distilling in Porto. We're very excited to be in this space. Please note that there will be food and drink for purchase. @johnny_caralho is taking pre-orders for chicken or veggie burritos. His contact info is below. @scoundrelsdistillingco will have beer, wine, and of course proper G&Ts although other spirits are available. The closest metro is Estádio do Dragão and an Uber or Bolt from the city center is normally €3-5. We hope to see you there.https://www.instagram.com/johnny_caralho/+351 912 667 990 AdsJohn McNertney of Green Ocean Global AdvisorsContact John now!john@greenoceanglobal.net415-347-8057greenoceanglobal.netHear John on Episode 13Worldpost.io Get your mail delivered to your home country and receive it anywhere in the wordLusitano Dreams Creative housing solutions for Expats! ExpatsEverywhere CoursesD7Remote Workers Visa (D8)Living in Portugal Guide | Help With Setup & Things to Know ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The guys discuss a new segment, "Shit Georg Kacher Says". Then they weigh in on Adams' trip to Vegas Exotics Raceway and Shelby Museum tour. Steve spots a rather forgettable 1987 Toyota Celica that has become rare-ish. How could the hot-selling VW Golf have ever been a surprising success story? Insider Bertel Schmitt's article reveals the truth and we talk about it. Our special guest Andrew Clark built a 69 Bug into a 330hp turbocharged monster, with the full resto-mod treatment and yet a totally docile looking body. The kickers? He's 38 and did it all in his garage. Right before he built an off-the-grid Transit Overlander Van and an even offer-the-grid company he built that supplies power over ethernet. Is he really just one person? Find out on today's episode!

(04-16-2020) - Back in 2015, Randy's chat with Wayne Carini won a best radio podcast award by the INTL AUTOMOTIVE MEDIA COMPETITION and this was the episode! The Chasing Classic Cars host talked with Randy at SEMA....he says he wasn't the first member of his family to be on TV, what LOT CARS are, and which car got him more dates in high school, a '66 Corvette or a VW Bug! (Talking About Cars is owned by Randy Kerdoon and Too Tired Guys Productions, all rights reserved, check out our TOO TIRED GUYS/TALKING ABOUT CARS YOUTUBE CHANNEL)

Ron starts this episode talking about the 03 Ranger he repaired this week that was somewhat of a mess and didn't match what the VIN said it should be : takes a call on a 99 VW Bug with carburetor problems : takes a call on a 15 Lexus with a P0191 code : comments on an email regarding Chrysler parts and axles. Visit us at https://www.cardoctorshow.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The superbeetle is the last generation of the VW Beetle 1971 -1975. Produced as an evolution to the beam front end the Mcphearson strut front suspension, larger front cargo area & curved windshield were some of the major differences in the model. We go over the histoy of the Superbeetle with Wayne Dean who runs the website https://superbeetles.com Wayne has a history as a contributing writer to VW Trends magazine. His La Grand edition VW Superbeetle is all original 1975. The first year for a fuel injected Super Beetle. we breakdown the year by year production numbers all the way to the end. Check out his other site https://allaircooled.com Support our sponsors  get your own gear made here https://www.ulogoup.com https://vwtrendsmagazine.com https://rosswulf.com Lanny Husseys Custom Cars

Street racing has been going on for years. Recently there has been a resurgence with TV shows like street outlows and 1320 Video. Johnny Osmundson has been making a name for VWs on the no prep steet world. His Strret bug is a 1965 Blue Right hand drive with a 1915 Turbo with a full polished 48IDA on a draw through set up. His 1962 primered drag bug is his first car. The car sat for year then he finallly started to build it for the street. Hes been on 1320 Video & TX2K. He has been representing the VW scene in a major way. His Bug is running fast How fast? 5.30 in the 1/8th @ 136mph. Recently he went on Hoonagans VS it was Hondas V Haters and the outcome was less than desireable.  https://www.letstalkdubs.com/blog/ep-185-johnny-osmundson https://www.letstalkdubs.com/showtime.html My Prison podcast experiance

Season #3    Episode #2  -  Surrounded by thousands of pumpkins, gourds and squash, we chatted at a picnic table on a beautiful September day.  Our podcast, as usual, covered many unpredictable topics – choking on apples, a wet ghost story, “What's on your lip?”, the wise words of Rod Kramer, pumpkin spice is in bed with everything, Foley sound effects, pie versus cake, “How's your dog's poop?”, Dr. Doolizzle, Queen Elizabeth II dies, team sports, 120 mph, and a VW Bug full of Squash.   An easy way to contribute to our podcast is to Buy Me a Coffee through our Tip Jar tab. Thanks in advance.

Pencils out class! Be prepared to show your work with some more complicated criminal relationship geometry in this classic Dateline episode DEADLY TRIANGLE. Good natured surfer Archie is murdered in cold blood in his driveway. There is one clear suspect with some serious dirty laundry in the trunk of his VW Bug. So why does it take 25 years to solve this case? Kimberly and Katie may be in the DARK about that, but Keith Morrison is on the scene in Southern California with his good prosecutor and forensic pals to get into the 3 sides of this story. After so much time will it all come down to a loverboy and his suspiciously dirty big boy pants? Find out in this very special installment of A DATE WITH DATELINE: Isosceles What You Did There Official Description from PEACOCK TV: Detectives reopen a case involving the murder of a man who was part of a love triangle. Keith Morrison reports. Checking out our awesome sponsors is an easy way to support the podcast! Freshen up your summer meal planning with Hello Fresh!! Go to HelloFresh.com/dateline16 and use code dateline16 for 16 free meals across 7 boxes and 3 free gifts!! Send us pics of your Hello Fresh creations! Be comfy and cute in head to toe Bombas! Go to bombas.com/datedateline and get 20% off your first purchase! For every item purchased, Bombas donates an item to someone in need! Mental health is just as important as physical health! Reach out to a therapist now! Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/dateline. We can all use a little (Better) Help! Find out what's going on in your body!! Everlywell is offering a special discount of 20% off an at home lab test at everlywell.com/datedateline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Classic cars are a staple of California culture, but they have a dirty secret – they're gas guzzlers. And with gas prices so high, collectors are beginning to convert their cars into electric vehicles. In this episode, L.A. business reporter Ronald D. White talks about the creative ways that Californians are getting their hands on electric cars.

Oregon Football's leading candidate to be the starting QB at this point in time seems to be Auburn transfer Bo Nix. Though it seems unlikely, could there be ANY path in which Ty Thompson or Jay Butterfield is behind (or under) center against Georgia on September 3rd? One fan wants to know whether or not this "another fake QB battle"--likely alluding to the staff's insistence on playing Anthony Brown in all of 2021. On today's episode of Locked On Ducks, Spencer McLaughlin features multiple mailbag questions from listeners--1 segment being a bit more serious than the other. In all likelihood, barring an all-time showing in Fall camp from Ty Thompson or Jay Butterfield, Bo Nix will line up behind center on September 3rd against Georgia. One follower of the show asks Spencer to compare each Pac-12 team to a car brand...and he happily obliges. With car comparisons ranging from a yellow Lamborghini to a Toyota Tacoma, Spencer has the entire conference covered with the comparisons. Other featured cars include a Chevy Impala, a VW Bug, a Toyota Prius, and a Kia Soul. After much deliberation, one school DOES in fact remind some fans of a certain type of Tesla car...but which program would that be? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you'll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oregon Football's leading candidate to be the starting QB at this point in time seems to be Auburn transfer Bo Nix. Though it seems unlikely, could there be ANY path in which Ty Thompson or Jay Butterfield is behind (or under) center against Georgia on September 3rd? One fan wants to know whether or not this "another fake QB battle"--likely alluding to the staff's insistence on playing Anthony Brown in all of 2021.On today's episode of Locked On Ducks, Spencer McLaughlin features multiple mailbag questions from listeners--1 segment being a bit more serious than the other. In all likelihood, barring an all-time showing in Fall camp from Ty Thompson or Jay Butterfield, Bo Nix will line up behind center on September 3rd against Georgia. One follower of the show asks Spencer to compare each Pac-12 team to a car brand...and he happily obliges.With car comparisons ranging from a yellow Lamborghini to a Toyota Tacoma, Spencer has the entire conference covered with the comparisons. Other featured cars include a Chevy Impala, a VW Bug, a Toyota Prius, and a Kia Soul. After much deliberation, one school DOES in fact remind some fans of a certain type of Tesla car...but which program would that be?Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you'll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ron starts this episode talking about how you never know what's going to come into the shop, and the bunch of Subaru's that came in this week : takes a call on an 05 Equinox that sounds like the starter is not disengaging : takes a call on an 05 Dodge 2500 where the air conditioning on the passenger side seems to be blowing harder and colder than on the driver's side : takes a call on a 99 VW Bug with questions on painting for rust prevention : tells a story about his friend Russell and modifying VW's.   Visit us at https://www.cardoctorshow.com   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  Toccara Karizma is a digital marketing consultant and business growth strategist. She is the CEO of Karizma Marketing, a full-service digital marketing agency dedicated to growing elite eCommerce brands online through email marketing, social media marketing, PPC, SEO, website conversion optimization, and more. Having built her own successful eCommerce business back in 2007, Toccara is now considered one of the world's top eCommerce marketing experts. Her out-of-the-box approach to digital marketing and expertise in the online business growth space is why I've asked her to join me today. The biggest, most critical failure with customers I have a two-fold failure. The biggest failures are taking on clients without the bandwidth, without the support system that I need. We are in demand and are blessed to be in demand. At some points, we want to take on clients when we just don't have the right support team in place. And that's not a fair thing for us to do because when we do that, we don't give them the best results or the best client experience with us. We want to be the Four Seasons of ad agencies. The second failure would be taking any client, especially when you're newer. That was when we failed because we weren't working with a partner that had everything in place. It was kind of like putting a Ferrari engine in a VW Bug. Biggest success with customers I stand for full reporting. When we talk to our customers, it's almost like we're flipping all the ways in which they were mishandled and mismanaged by other agencies and saying, “You deserve this.” We do full transparency. We'll tell you when we're wrong and when we've done something wrong. We want to meet with you regularly and build a long-term relationship. We're always on camera with them. So, it's doing business with people. My son was working on a project at school. (He's in high school now.) He was using a video editing software. I looked up that video editing software's ads because I ran ads, and I realized that they were struggling. They just did not have great customer feedback. I went directly to this company, it's a SAS company, and said, “Can I get connected with your director of digital marketing?” I got the client, and I think it's funny because I had just interviewed someone for my own YouTube.   Michael Cannavo started his career on social media. He was able to infuse his own understanding of viral content, social platforms, and demographic interests into Super73, causing it to accelerate the growth and visibility of the company. As the company grew, so did his social media presence. With 500,000 followers online, Michael has been able to pull back the curtain on what life is like within Super73, how the company has succeeded, and where it is going next. The biggest, most critical failure with customers I think it's a matter of really understanding what they want. Early on, we had this idea of what we wanted to do, and we kept trying to insist to our customers, “Hey, this is what you want. This is the product for you.” We were missing a few key features. We heard that directly from the customers and I think it has really changed the way that we view our products, from designing to prototyping to testing it. We really engage with the customers now. Biggest success with customers We recently released a bike called the ZX. It's not necessarily too remarkable of a product, but it is a perfect product for a demographic that was asking for it for a long time. We really took into account what customers were saying in the comment sections, what they were saying on reviews. That really created something so magical because it was exactly what our customer was looking for. When we released that bike, it was positivity across the board. Everybody was so happy. The customers were happy. Our design team was happy.

Andy and Alyssa read Goosebumps Series 2000 #15: Scream School. Along they way, they discuss new heights of GooseDaddy issues; circling around good storylines without entering them; Doug Jones; postmodern ennui; L.A. novels; Don DeLillo; Harold Bloom's The Anxiety of Influence; awkward snakes; the new VW Bug; British colonial uniforms; #MeToo; Carly Beth's mom; Silver City, NV; the Donner party; the Chicago Bears; non sequiturs; Back to the Future III; Jason X; bad dads; The Stepfather; Frankenstein; Why Are Dads?; father-son team-ups; Frailty; Leatherface; the horrors of repression; cursed films; the X-Files episode, “Hollywood, A.D.”; Dead Set; The Phantom of the Opera; filming on location; Grave Encounters; Sinister; The Bunker Game; father-son rivalries; Jungle to Jungle; Man of the House; Getting Even with Dad; Hamlet; the word “agon”; revenge; The Craft; Oldboy; Vanished; manipulation; The Addams Family; The Best Friend; Hook; dynasties; Oedipus Rex; Saw; The Godfather; patriarchal torch-passing; the Gooseverse horror industry; Peeping Tom; psychological horror; ghost towns; ghouls; Poe's journalism; & the second Red Scare. // Music by Haunted Corpse // Follow @saypodanddie on Twitter and Instagram, and get in touch at saypodanddie@gmail.com