As I walk I reminisce about times past and people I have known. Years ago three of us were in the same squadron in Civil Air Patrol, Chuck and Doug with birthdays in August, mine in December.

We had a good team. Sometimes we'd be sent out as a ground team, bouncing along in the "bun buster"--a jeep having sprung its springs, over fire roads and rough desert terrain, chasing an ELT. Sometimes we had free time, orienteering to keep our skills sharp.

Other times we'd be in a Cessna, overhead, flying a grid pattern, ears tuned to the ELT frequency, eyes with binoculars scanning the ground for wreckage, skid marks, broken underbrush or limbs.

We were a great team and the commander of the search base would nearly always send us out together. I was the communications officer, HF and VHF radios.

We had energy, we had dedication and skills, we had fun. And how we celebrated when we found survivors!

The other team I remember vividly was the work team at Soto Street. Four of us with birthdays in the three weeks before Christmas; two others in August. You would not believe the energy, drive, and noise level. We talked the wallpaper off the wall.

Sometimes it was trying, as I like to work quietly and, if the task is complex, alone. But most of the time it was energizing and interesting. Just when we would think we had seen it all, some totally unbelievable task would be thrown at us. I loved it, in spite of my boss.

It really makes a difference to have compatible people to work with and a pleasant work environment (which we didn't have, oh well). I wouldn't have survived a job and coworkers that I disliked.

For Chuck and Doug, for Batty and Sherley and Walt and Fernando and Teresa--I am grateful for the time we shared.