Donde esta Miguel Cintron?

Saturday night we had a nice going-away party for Mike Cintron. He's taking leave this week to pack up his stuff, then he's off to PCO (Prospective Commanding Officer) school in New London, followed by pre-deployment training. Then he's off to his ship, the 110' patrol boat USCGC Adak, WPB 1333. So, we wanted to make sure he got to see as many of his friends from work, school, dance class, etc, before he left. There was smoked pork and chicken, empanadas, homemade margaritas, chips & salsa, curry kabobs, pie... a great spread. And lots of folks made it: the Kesslers, his boss from HQ, Drina and his friends from dance class, etc. Our classmate Jill Malzone, who just started at headquarters, even made it. I think we all enjoyed ourselves.

I'm sorry to see Mike go, since I've enjoyed sailing, biking, and so forth with him while he's been in DC. But Mike has wanted to go back to sea, and his own command is a great opportunity (and a testament to his abilities as an officer). And living near headquarters means every time some old friends and classmates rotate out (Ron Caputo, Heidi Park, Mike), others rotate in (Jill, Dave Kessler, maybe Kirk). I just hope Mike has a good tour and takes care of himself and his crew over there.

It bears mentioning that I just heard from my old friend from Mt. Abe, Steve Schlesinger. Looks like the Army is posting him to Fort Belvoir starting this summer. This is the first time one of my high school friends has moved to the area, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm already planning a barbecue in my head, where I can introduce Vermonters to Virginia Tech and Coast Guard friends. A real "When Worlds Collide" kind of scenario.