Thursday, September 18, 2008

Road Trip


Tomorrow my wife and I are headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, along with her cousin, for a week "in the back woods". We're staying in an old 1949 vintage hunting cabin with no electricity or running water, and if you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you may recall me posting some images from there last fall, when we made the same journey. This time we're going to visit not only the cabin itself, but also some "tourist" spots like the Pictured Rocks along the shore of Lake Superior, as well as where we went to college (and were married) at Michigan Tech. In that regard, I plan to get some "Mich Tech gear" to wear (hat, sweats, etc) to complement all the Virginia Tech stuff I already have (our grandkids go to VA Tech). Anyway, while I'm gone no blogging will be possible. See you back here on October 2nd. I'll no doubt have lots of stories to tell and photos to share with you at that time.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Headline News?

At one time I used to exclusively go to foxnews.com for online news and information. Now, I use Google news. To explain why I dumped Fox, here’s a sample of the headlines posted there September 16th. 1. Truth Is Out There: Mysterious Light in Sky Baffles, 2. 'Ant From Mars' Discovered in Amazon Rainforest, 3. Report: Satan Worshippers Killed, Ate Four Teens, 4. Laxative Cupcakes in the Teachers Lounge, 5. Baby Dies After Being Thrown From Racing Car. Get my point?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Looking back…way back






Yesterday there was a change of command between top generals in Iraq…GEN David Petraeus passed command to GEN Ray Odierno. As I was reading about what was said during that ceremony, my mind wandered back to the numerous images I've had sent my way since 2003 when Operation Iraqi Freedom began. This has been a very long war and many things have changed over time, some for the better, some for the worse. And, we've still got a ways to go. Here are some of those images with no captions or photo credit.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Textures


When I go out on a photographic mission, I often look for different "textures" to shoot, like the one shown here. What is it? Well, there was this vacant building in Winston-Salem NC that had a boarded up window, with rusty screen wire and chipping paint. What can I do with such a photo? For starters, it might wind up as a background on a layout I'll do in a future issue of Army Engineer magazine. Keep an eye out for it. If you spot it, let me know.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

September-October magazine

I sent the Sep-Oct edition of Army Engineer magazine to the printers this week. Subscribers can expect to have it in the mail during the first part of October. Each time I prepare a new edition I tend to tweak the manner in which I do layouts, prepare illustrations and so forth. Much of that I learn by looking at other publications and "borrowing" their ideas, or by watching tutorials online, or by reading material in the professional journals I receive. Anyway, just a heads up to let subscribers know what's going on in my "production" department…a department of "one"…ME!

Monday, September 08, 2008

Do they take U.S. dollars in Alaska?

Each time I take a trip to Alaska (my most favorite place ever…I've been three times and am going back again next year) I hear all kinds of stories from true Alaskans concerning the number of dumb questions they receive all the time from us in the lower forty-eight. The one they tell me the most is about the typical tourist asking if stores accept U.S. dollars, and what's the exchange rate. They also ask if credit cards are acceptable "up here in Alaska." Others want to know "what language is usually spoken up here". Now that the Great State of Alaska itself has become front page news as a result of the selection of its governor (Sarah Palin) as the Republican Party VP nominee, I have heard some pretty dumb comments originating from main network news reporters. The one that made me laugh the most came out of the mouth of a fresh-faced reporter the other night who wondered on air if "those in the United States ever heard of Sarah Palin before." I thought to myself "Nope, us Americans never did hear of her." But then it's really no surprise at how geographically challenged most people are today in the United States. For example, my grandaughter in her second year of high school could not tell me the other day exactly where Louisiana was on a map. She's a "all A student" by the way. Aren't our schools terrific?

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Learning from one now serving

My neighbor's son-in-law is now serving with the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, NC and was up here for a visit with his wife and child. I had a brief chance to talk with him the other morning as we both finished our morning exercise routines at the same time. I was most interested if the streets at Bragg are filling up more now than they were the last time I was down there (Soldiers coming home) and he said they were, but nowhere near the way they used to be. He said it's strange looking down Long Street which used to be full of jogging and chanting Soldiers each day at dawn, and seeing much less activity. He's deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan several times since 2003, albeit in multiple 3-6 month stints, versus longer 12-15 month tours. He can't tell me what he does, but did say it's special operations related. He said one thing that really ticks him off while deployed are seeing so many troops essentially working full time in relatively secure areas, hardly going outside the wire, with almost as many comfort and recreational opportunities as back home. He's typically in a rugged field environment with much fewer things of that nature available when he's deployed. I said I remembered the same thing during the Vietnam war when those of us in the field used to complain all the time about "Saigon Warriors" holed up in the city. He also told me he did not like the new Army blue uniform, as well as the black beret. His view was that the Army ought to have left all that alone. I totally agreed with his view. As we went inside our respective homes, I told him how proud I was as an older retiree, of the manner in which Soldiers like him were performing their jobs, under such stressful conditions. He'd earlier said that many of his friends were getting out of the Army because of multiple rotations and their effects on family members, but so far he had no such inclination. I hope he stays in, the Army needs people like him.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Conventions are over

Last night ended the two political conventions. To say I'm glad would be an understatement. I'm not going to get into discussions of which candidate offers the best potential, nor am I going to get into any of the primary issues, nor the challenges we, as a nation, face today. I will say that in my view the political system originally designed to work in our behalf has, over the years, gone off track. In short, regardless who we elect, few important things get done. This unfortunate characteristic of today's politics is present from local to national levels, and usually results in people doing more just to get re-elected, than to make hard choices.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Report on New Orleans

From what I've read in Corps of Engineers releases (written by those "in charge" at the center of action) there have not been and probably will not be any failures of federal levees as a result of Gustav. In short, steps taken by the Corps and others following Katrina have apparently been effective. This does not imply there are no challenges at hand, there are. Damage assessment teams are out and about all along the Louisiana and Mississippi coast and it will be a day or two more before we know more. Still, it looks like the city dodged another bullet, albeit close. Good for the local officials this time, who did the right thing and ordered all to leave in a timely fashion (as compared to Katrina where they did a poor job in my view). Now, we have Ike slogging along to the west perhaps near Cuba and then into the Gulf of Mexico, where it all starts all over for New Orleans and other locations…preparing for potential impact. For us on the east coast, we have Hanna to look forward to this weekend. Busy t-storm season for sure.