Do you get these calls?

For the past several days, I've been getting one or two calls from people (apparently in India based on their accent) telling me they have a new "medical card" waiting for me. At first I just hung up, then after I got a couple more I decided to play along and see what this was all about. Not possible, for the guy named "Mark" apparently calling me from India, could not answer any of the questions I had for him. The toughest for him to answer was when I asked, "Why do I need this card and what will it do for me." He stumbled for several seconds, before I started to laugh and then I hung up. I suppose there are enough gullible people in the U.S. who really like to speak and do whatever business might be desired with "out-sourced" people like "Mark", such they he and others keep calling us so many times. Sad times indeed.

To fly or not to fly

The recent failed (thankfully) terrorist action on the overseas flight from Amsterdam has made everyone aware again, that flying commercially today is not what it used to be. But, lets forget the terrorist-related security aspects of all this, and just look at the way the airline industry has changed over the years. Fewer carriers, fewer flights (especially at smaller airports), greater cost to the ticket buyer, missed flights and lost baggage more common than ever, and an air traffic control network that is taxed to its limit.

I'm definitely not (thankfully) a frequent flyer. But, over the past several years when I did fly long distances (four times to Alaska and once to Arizona), I encountered problems. Missed connections due to airline mismanagement (insufficient crew to fly), changes made to online reservations without notification, incorrect e-ticket confirmation codes issued, and delayed baggage arrival (three times). On top of that, the obvious (and necessary) security requirements and threat level do not make the journey a pleasant one. So, for me and millions of other Americans, the question today is, "Do I fly or not?"

Merry Christmas

Every Thanksgiving it has become an annual tradition in our family, to give each person a Christmas tree ornament of some sort, and for the past three years, I've been given ones based on the popular Christmas time movie, "A Christmas Story". The one I like the best shows the famous flagpole frozen tongue licking experiment. I like it so much, I keep it year around on my work desk, in front of a lamp, which has a ceramic rustic cabin at its base. A week or so ago, I looked at the setup and decided it might make an interesting close-up photo to post here for a Christmas and New Year greeting. So, I took my Canon G11 camera, set it on a small tripod, and presto, "I double dog dare ya!"

Burning Lakes

We've heard lots lately about greenhouse gases. Check out this video for what University of Alaska-Fairbanks researchers are doing. Baby, light my fire!

Just Plain Folks

One reason why it's so nice living in a relatively small community in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Southern Virginia like we do, is the fact that most people around here are "just plain folks". One example of this concerns what happened to me yesterday as I was out trying to clear a path from the house to our mailbox along the driveway, with between 9-10 inches of heavy snow blocking my way.

As I was slowly (and I do mean slowly) shoveling a narrow path along the driveway to the mailbox about 200 feet away, up drives our mailman, David Rea, in a large, well used John Deere tractor, with snow blade mounted on the back. His wife was driving their old jeep behind the tractor, and since mail delivery had been canceled because of the snow storm, both were out in the neighborhood helping those to whom they deliver mail, shovel out. He stopped and said, "Need some help?"

He did not say there would be a cost for this much needed help, but when I asked he said, "Whatever you want to pay is fine with me." While he plowed our long driveway, along with the large paved parking area in the back outside the garage, his wife shoveld to clean up in spots. The above photo shows one large pile of snow he pushed to the end of our driveway, near the back storage shed.

The Rae family is no stranger to us, since David's brother, Steve, had put new roof shingles on our house a few years ago, plus put up new aluminum siding over exposed wooden trim, etc. Also, David sometimes drives his jeep up the driveway when its raining hard, to the parking area by our back porch and garage, and then honks his horn so we can come out to get the mail without us getting wet. He never forgets to shake my hand say say, "How's it going Mister Morgan?"

Here's a family who holds many truly American values that too many others today have totally forgotten. To make ends meet, they all have to work several jobs—but still, they are always willing to share and help others when needed, without asking for anything in return. Like I said, just plain folks.

Deployments you say?

Army Times reports today online the following: In the eight years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, American troops have deployed almost 3.3 million times to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Defense Department data. The numbers, as of October 2009, show that more than 2 million men and women have shouldered those deployments, with 793,000 of them deploying more than once. Specifically for the Army, more than 1 million Soldiers have deployed since the beginning of the wars. These 1 million Soldiers have completed 1.5 million deployment events, with 352,700 deploying more than once. In October, 172,800 soldiers were deployed to the war zones.

Chrome

Google has had the Windows version of its web browser, Chrome, out for some time. Recently, they released a "beta" version for Mac OS (which I use) so I'm trying it out. It's pretty nice and way faster than MS Explorer or Firefox. In terms of speed, it's equal to the Mac OS Safari browser (also a Windows version available). If you're interested in checking Chrome out, go here.

Cleaning out the Basement Storage Area

Slow day for Blog-type news from me, eh—witing about cleaning out our basement. A necessary chore from time to time. This was made possible NOT by me suddenly having a "get neat" urge, but by some heavy rains over the past two weeks that exposed an outside drainage problem dealing with one of our house roof gutter drains failing to channel enough water away from the house. Some minor seepage in a dark corner of a back storage room alerted me to the problem about a week ago, so I spent all day yesterday fixing that problem, which included re-routing the outside drain, plus putting some concrete block sealant around the part of the wall with the seepage.

This work resulted in me having to move a pile of accumulated stuff out of the storage area, such as old computers, monitors, empty boxes, and other assorted stuff I'd been too lazy to toss out before. A couple of trips to the local recycle area, and the dump, and all my stuff was taken care of. Then, I decided to suck up with my shop vac, all the accumulated cobwebs and other debris that had accumulated not only in the back storage area, but throughout my adjacent basement workshop. Once I got into my workshop area, I discovered all sorts of other junk that needed to be carried off to the dump.

So, I feel pretty good right now, what with a nicely cleaned out basement. Now, lets hope I took care of the concrete block seepage problem, that caused me to undertake this somewhat unpleasant home maintenance chore in the first place.

Web Cams

Don't you just love to look at webcams giving live updates from locations that are special to you? I do, and I look daily at the webcams at Michigan Tech in the UP of Michigan where I went to school a few years ago (not exactly correct, "few" that is, better to have written "lots") I digress. Sorry.

Anyway, today I grabbed a shot off one of the (several) webcams at Mich Tech showing construction progress for a new facility being built. Not that such is anything out of the ordinary, but given it's 16 degrees today, with lots of recent snow on the ground, and a heck of a lot more on the way this winter, I kinda like watching engineering work like this proceed regardless of conditions. Hard core folks up there wearing hard hats.

Military Construction Video

Here's an Army video that discusses a portion of the ongoing large construction program with which the Corps of Engineers is involved today. I selected my favorite state, Alaska, as the central focus. The link to that video is here. PS: Give it time to load before viewing.

Keeping Alert

Given the so-called exit strategy in Iraq, coupled with the latest announcement of a troop surge in Afghanistan, there will no doubt be a tendency for troops in Iraq to see their roles as being perhaps less critical as they once were. In my view, commanders and leaders in Iraq are going to have to remain focused on keeping everyone as alert as possible over the next year or so. But, I'm pretty sure they know this already.

I write this only because I remember how lax many became in Vietnam after everyone figured out where that conflict was headed. I'm not saying Iraq=Vietnam. I'm just saying don't get the same "short-timer" attitude many of us Vietnam veterans had back then.

Loss of our WWII vets

I did not know many WWII veterans that well during my time in the Army, but there were a few with whom I became very close. One of those guys, LTC (Ret) Bob Keeler, recently passed away in Tuscon, AZ where he and his wife were living in retirement. He was an enlisted Soldier in the 1st Infantry Division in WWII, and after the war was commissioned into the Army Corps of Engineers, where he served with distinction until retirement as a LTC. He later worked in other capacities before fully retiring.

Bob was one of those people who was always there when help was needed. He was, for example, one of the first members on the Army Engineer Association's Board of Directors while I served as the organizations' first Executive Director. He was one of the first to offer hands-on volunteer help in our staff-limited office, plus made more "new equipment" donations to the AEA than I can remember. Computers, monitors, fax machines, whatever we needed within reason, and did not have the operating funds to purchase, Bob bought the item for us "on him.

After he moved to Arizona in the late 1990s to escape the cold and traffic in Northern Virginia, he made it a habit to call me on the phone after he'd receive his copy of Army Engineer magazine. Sometimes he wanted to ask questions about materials in the issue, and other times he simply wanted to give me a pat-on-the-back for the way it was put together. I'll miss those calls from him, but will never forget the person at the other end.

Hey Bob, if you can read this Blog from where you are up there now, say Hi to good old COL (Ret) "Moose" Albin for me. Moose was another WWII veteran I'll never forget.

Cats are Cool

This is Boots. One of our two cats. After we sadly lost our Alaskan Malamute Mystee earlier this year from age (she was 13 and had a great life), the two cats have, well, taken over. They each have a daily routine, which for Boots, centers totally on being fed. She also is having a ball messing with all the Christmas decorations as they are being set up, especially the lower ornaments on the Christmas tree.

Our other cat, Lucy, is centered less on food than she is on looking for fun. One of her favorite things is to attack the strings on the hood of my sweatshirts, trying to pull them out. She also likes to leap in bed on top of us late at night, jarring one awake with a jolt. Hard to believe how heavy a 15-pound cat can be when landing on top of your stomach from several feet above. Lucy is also my "work buddy" and one of her favorite positions during the day is to be seated next to my work desk in her "rocking chair", watching my every move on the computer keyboard.

Like the title to this post reads, "cats are cool".

Challenges Ahead

Army Times has an interesting article on the sort of challenges to be faced in Afghanistan over the next year or so. It's a bit long, but has some valid points to consider.

2010 and Magazine Content Delivery

I'm no expert, but my sensing is that we're about to enter a time when "paper" hard-copy magazines are going to be slowly replaced by digital versions, read on tablet-type devices, with multi-touch interfaces. I base my opinion on articles such as the one linked here. It shows how Sports Illustrated magazine might be published and read electronically. There is a 3-minute video in the link, that you may want to watch full-screen. It's pretty impressive.

National D-Day Memorial

Earlier this week I took a short drive to Bedford, VA to visit for the first time, the National D-Day Memorial located there. I'm putting together a photo essay about the site, for the Jan-Feb 2010 issue of Army Engineer magazine.

First, I was most impressed by what I saw, and the photos I was able to capture while nice to look at pictorially, don't do justice to actually being there in person. And that's a problem apparently for many—being there. Since its dedication by President Bush several years ago, the private foundation operating the memorial has found it more and more difficult to raise sufficient funds annually to maintain operations as desired. You can help, by visiting the location and paying the $5.00 entrance fee, or making a donation.

I won't go into any more detail here, because I plan to be much more specific in the article I'm working on for the magazine. Point is, for those reading this who are within a reasonable drive from Bedford in Central Virginia, consider a trip to see the memorial during the upcoming holiday season. It's definitely worth the trip.

How much work will get done

I'm not the type person who likes to put things into a "hold box" to take care of later. Never have been, never will be. But, there is a time when it's very difficult NOT to think about other things besides tasks that need to be accomplished. That time is now.

To make my point, I recall the four years I served in the Pentagon on the Army staff (four years almost to the day, and they were long days I can tell ya). The period between Thanksgiving and New Years Day was a time when everything seemed to slow down a bit. Everyone in the Pentagon seemed to have other things on their mind besides work. The closer we got to Christmas, the slower things moved, and then the week between Christmas and New Years Eve everything seemed to sort of stop in place. Not really, because military operations were still ongoing elsewhere, but it seemed there were far less people walking the halls, doing the sort of hectic coordination typically experienced at other times during the year. That was a long time ago, and times have certainly changed. 1970's era Pentagon work was definitely NOT 2009 vintage.

Each year at this time I reflect back to my Pentagon experience, and how everything seemed to slow down at this time of year. Tonight the President is going to announce his new Afghanistan war strategy, and "slow" will not be a word much used for the next several months. But still, it's nice every once in awhile to sit back and reflect on the good things, and take it a bit easier than normal.

Which way to go?

During the Thanksgiving holidays, I had an opportunity to talk with our two grandkids who are in college—the oldest in her fourth year, the youngest in his first. I asked the oldest if she felt what she was majoring in (chemistry and biology) had become more to her than just "subjects and grades". She said it had, and she was excited about what she was learning. She added she often sits around her apartment talking informally with her friends about things as as "genetics". Such never would have happened during her prior years in college, except just before an exam. I thus concluded she has found her direction in life academically, even if it did take her three years to do so.

The youngest was not so confident, and he has apparently realized that being in college is not at all like it was in high school. An "A" in a high school subject, for example, does not necessarily translate to a good grade in college. His first college barrage of final exams awaits him over the next three weeks, and I suspect that fact is weighing heavily on him. The reason for that I think is that "A's" came too easily for him through high school, and he never had to study very hard. The situation is completely different for him now, and that fact has slapped him up side his head—unfortunately just a few weeks before his finals.

Age and maturity have a lot to do with a person's ability to manage challenges such as those faced daily by young people in college. It's how they react to those challenges that guides them later in life. It may take a few of ups and downs before they finally figure out "which way to go", but eventually they will.

Who washed the dishes?

Carrying over from my last entry where I asked the question, "Who will wash the dishes?" after T-Day dinner.

Well, the chores were split. Me and my grandson (19) cleared the table, and our daughter and my wife (the cook) did the dishes. Granddaughters (21 and 17) shouted their support from the background during all these activities. But, task was completed in fine form and we had a great day together. In fact, we ALL sat at the table until almost 10PM just talking. That was the first time we've ever done that with our grandkids. Them getting older and being in college helps a lot in that regard. Lots of interesting topics to share.

Be back here on Monday. Enjoy the FB games this weekend

Who will wash the dishes?

Tomorrow, being that special day where many of us will sit down somewhere, hopefully with friends and family to give thanks for what we have, and then to stuff as much food into ourselves as we can, followed by leaning back in our chairs, and enjoying our surroundings. But wait, there's one more thing. Getting all the cluttered mess off the table, and into the kitchen where the dreaded task of "washing the dishes" begins.

And just who, pray tell, will lead the charge into the kitchen to take on this responsibility? Will it be the cook who did all the hard work to make the meal so enjoyable? Will it be some dutiful family member who feels it's time to show they too can contribute? Will it be a friend who wishes to show their gratitude for being invited to share the family fellowship? Or, will everyone simply sit there at the table, staring down, fumbling with their napkins, moving uneaten bits of food into strange designs on an otherwise empty plate, waiting for someone else to get up first.

Ah yes, this will be the sort of intrigue that novelists everywhere dream to capture in writing, and to answer that age old question bantered about on every Thanksgiving Day: "Who will wash the dishes?"

Congratulations are in order

To Hendricks Motor Sports drivers Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon for taking the top three spots in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. More so, a big "well done" to Jimmie Johnson and his team for winning the cup FOUR years in a row, an achievement never done before. 2009 was indeed a historical year for NASCAR. I enjoyed it very much, and will continue to be proud when wearing the hat you see here, one I've been wearing for almost a year.

When it's nice to be "retired military"

While at our family doctor today for my annual "preventative maintenance" session, I asked one of the nurses hooking up my EKG how she felt personally about the on-going health care debate in Congress and elsewhere. Her quick and emotional response was simply, "It needs to get fixed and fast!"

She told me the health care program she was under (Anthem) was costing her family over $1000 a month, and that "stinks" (her words). She knew I was retired military, and said, "We just want something like you have." She was referring to Medicare + Tricare for Life. She added, "People keep complaining about the government getting too involved in health care, what do they think Medicare is if not "government" already?"

I asked her about the other nurses in the office and she said they all pretty much agreed with her assessment. She said she felt my Doctor felt the same way, but admitted his partner did not. By the way, my Doctor NEVER discusses his personal opinions about anything, so I did not ask his views on the matter. When I came home afterwards I started thinking.

First, I suppose those of us "retired military" ought to be grateful for the military health care we've received in the past, and also happy with post-65 Medicare + Tricare for Life. These are benefits we earned and were entitled to by our service.

Second, the folks working in my doctor's office (and my family doctor himself) are "down home" people I have grown to know pretty well over the past seven years. They do their jobs well and professionally. As such, I respect their views very much. When they say "We ain't happy with the present health care system", then I have to take their views seriously.

Weekend Chores

This weekend I completed taking care of a chore I do not like—removing fallen leaves. I don't rake, I use my John Deere lawn tractor to "mow them in" the lawn. Some say leaves so mulched create problems, but not for me. Saves physical effort and that's my objective. Anyway, my JD has been serviced and placed in temporary storage for the Winter. Any leaves that enter my territory will have to be removed by prevailing winds or not at all.

After I completed my work, I grabbed my camera and wandered about the yard. Spotted this little patch of "color" and shot a close-up view. Nice way to finish work for the day.

You talking to me?

Recently I saw this rather blunt sign on the door of a now-closed bar in Martinsville. I wondered to myself, exactly what is 'neat' dress. Perhaps the owners wanted people about to enter to ask the same question, and then make a self assessment. Anyway, you don't see these kinds of signs around much anymore. "Neat" no longer means the same as it once did.

The Big Chair

Martinsville and Henry County, Virginia was once a major hub for the American furniture industry, including Bassett, Stanley, American,and Hooker. Elements of these furniture manufacturing giants remain today, but no where near what they once were. To quote a September, 2009 article in the Martinsville Bulletin:

"To commemorate this history, the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. moved a 20-foot tall big chair made by Bassett Furniture Industries into uptown Martinsville to honor the area’s furniture heritage. The chair is made of solid ash with a boat-like finish. Each of the back two legs has 56 pieces of wood, and the seat is made of fiberglass with a decal replicating the actual fabric on the Grove Park Mission chair. Grove Park was Bassett’s best-selling style at the time. It weighs 4900 pounds."

I took the photo above during a recent visit to Uptown Martinsville. It is indeed BIG when you stand next to it looking up. The detail in the chair is also impressive. Definitely worth a visit.

Mementoes from the past

Years ago my wife bought an old "printers tray" that once held individual pieces of lead type, used when they were "set" as separate characters in a layout before being printed (say) as a newspaper. She got the tray because at the time many people were using them to hold small mementoes that might be displayed on a wall. The above photo is the largest we have, and it's hanging in our kitchen. It holds many things from our past, that remind us daily of lots of our favorite things.

Our high school class rings are there, as are Girl Scout rings worn by our daughters. The Vietnam War MIA bracelet given to me by a POW that was held captive for six years is there. The cork from a $100 bottle of champagne my wife bought to celebrate my promotion to Colonel is there, as are many items we collected while assigned to West Germany.

The ones usually getting the most attention from visitors are the Nazi-cookie cutter she found in West Germany, and the USSR Army officer's belt buckle she got on a trip she took with several of her "lady friends" to the Soviet Union. There are teeth from a wolf and a moose I found half buried in Canada. And, some of my favorites, decorative lapel pins that designate the wearer as a graduate of an AFRC week-long ski school in West Germany. We still add things to the box when we find something appropriate, and you can see that by the line of stuff on top. The small plastic M16 rifle I found laying on the ground at a tourist site in North Carolina.

We never get tired of looking at the box, and I suppose that's the main reason why we started it in the first place. Our oldest (21) granddaughter has already announced she gets it when we're gone. So, our past will live on through her, and that's good.

Standards

Over the past several years, as more and more demands were being placed on the Army, I have grown increasingly concerned about maintaining "standards".

To put my view in perspective, note that for the last four years of my military service I was engaged totally in training engineer Soldiers during their initial entry training period at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Thus, "standards" were at the heart of what I was then doing (1988-1992). Since then, I've been no stranger to training developments in the Army, and in fact have written numerous first-hand, on site articles about what's going on.

So, today when I read the following comment online, my "concern meter" was raised again. “The Army is caught in a perfect storm,” says Larry Korb, the Pentagon's top manpower official during the Reagan administration. “It's had to lower standards to keep people coming in — and it's made changes to keep people from getting out.”

I agree with this assessment. HOWEVER, let me be clear that I am not implying the Army's initial entry and other training programs are not being executed at the highest level. They are, in my view. The problem is, the Army has had to adapt the best it could, given manpower force constraints, placed on top of constant and unrelenting demands to effectively fight two very difficult wars.

I suppose I am still very much a creature of my Vietnam War service, and thus do not want to see the Army again experience what it did in the late 1970's. On the other hand, I am also reminded that during the last half of my career, we transformed from our sad post-Vietnam days, to an Army that was perhaps the best trained and equipped ever. Looking at challenges today such as those cited by Korb, does not necessarily mean there are dark days are ahead.

Where have all the Superheroes gone?

Too much bad news lately, so I decided to start listening (again) to my old college radio station at Michigan Tech (WMTU) way up north in the UP of Michigan. I like the music they play (mostly) and I especially like the youth-oriented and sometimes totally lame humor the DJ’s broadcast from time to time.

For example, last night as I was listening, a few students in the studio with the DJ were discussing some interesting topics. Like would the comic book superhero Aquaman eat fish? If so, how far would he go when consuming his fishy buddies? Would he eat pizza, for example, with whale meat on it? Endless possibilities for Aquaman.

That got me thinking of some other comic-superhero oriented questions based on today’s environment. Such as: Could Superman find Bin Laden, lurking in some dark cave in Pakistan, simply by using his x-ray vision? Could the Lone Ranger get past TSA airport inspectors when going through security, while wearing his black mask? Would the Incredible Hulk become a contestant on Dancing With The Stars? Given that Batman and millionaire Bruce Wayne are one in the same, could he resist getting involved in all the wall street investment schemes today? And lastly, would Wonder Woman run for President and pick Hillary as her VP candidate?

Ah yes, wasn’t it great back when we were kids, and could grab a glass of milk and a handful of Oreo cookies, and then hide under the covers of our beds late at night, reading about the lives and challenges of our favorite comic book heroes. Fast forward to today when our kids waste hours texting their friends late at night, and in fact for many, ALL night. I suppose our parents felt the same way about our comic book habits back then, as we do about cell phone texting today.

Rambling Thursday

Here are a few thoughts on this dreary day in SW Virginia:

Been raining here for the past two days solid. Almost five inches. Our so-called mild drought is definitely over for 2009 and that's a good thing.

Veterans Day has come and gone and in my mind this year's was one of the most emotional in my memory. Fort Hood shooting had a lot to do with that, but so does the fact we have so many military men and women deployed away from home, and so many recently returned, training and re-fitting to possibly go back. Tough times for sure, but the resiliency of our military is superb.

I tend to stay away from politics on this Blog, but I want to say that in my view it's a good thing the President is taking time before making a decision regarding the way ahead in Afghanistan. We've been there almost ten years now, and any future plans HAVE to be right. Lots of arguments on both sides of the issue, but I ain't takin' sides here.

Remembering ...

Essayons to Army Engineers who are now serving and to all who have served. Veteran's Day 2009.

Hot Dog Stand

According to the sign on this hot dog stand in Reidsville, NC, it serves the best hot dogs in Rockingham County. I couldn't confirm that advertisement because the day I passed by (Sunday) it was closed. The painted colors on the building were really bright, so I wanted to mess with my photo in Photoshop to make it look, well, sort of cartoon-ish.

Is this the best you got for a Blog today, you ask? Yup, that's it.

Fall Ritual

I like this time of year (generally) and look forward to cool temps gradually taking us to Winter. But, there is one thing about the Fall season I do not like—LEAVES, LEAVES, LEAVES.

I no longer rake them, I simply mow them into the grass using my trusty JD Green lawn tractor. My experience is that this makes a nice mulch over the winter to fertilize naturally. One thing I do not do is burn them. Unfortunately for my nose, my neighbors do—profusely, day after day. They do it when it's dry and when it wet. The latter causing so much smoke the neighborhood resembles a WWII battlefield.

But, soon this will be over and then I'll only have to deal with cold and often freezing rain, and maybe snow, which looks great at first but ultimately causes work for me just like my enemy "the leaves".

Senseless

That's all I can say about the tragic event yesterday at Fort Hood.

Wall Mural

Today I took the afternoon away from working on the next Army Engineer magazine, in order to go shoot some pictures with a smaller, hand-size camera I just bought (Canon Powershot G11) which I plan to use to supplement my larger Nikon DSLR. Always nice to have more than one camera, or as many as one can afford.

Anyway, I went to Uptown Martinsville (that's what it's called here, not "downtown" as is the usual terminology elsewhere). I was surprised when I saw a new and very large hand painted brick wall mural that spanned almost one block. The theme was an old circus parade that used to come to town back in the early 20th Century. I got just one of several elephants in a long line.

Thought I'd post one image here. Camera did a great job for me by the way.

Lets call it what it is

Fat. And apparently that often ill-used word describes a large percentage of American youth today. For example, Army Times article included this: "According to the latest Pentagon figures, a full 35 percent, or more than one-third, of the roughly 31.2 million Americans aged 17 to 24 are unqualified for military service because of physical and medical issues. And, said Curt Gilroy, the Pentagon’s director of accessions, “the major component of this is obesity. We have an obesity crisis in the country. There’s no question about it.”

I can attest to this at least where we live, because as I look around town I see an awful lot of people, especially young people, who look, well, fat. Sorry to have to use that word, but it is what it is.

Same Combat Uniform for All?

Read an article today at Army Times online that briefly addressed past moves by Congress to have all services wear the same combat uniform, citing a need to reduce the possibility of friendly fire incidents. According to the article lawmakers have dropped that idea, suggesting services need to "coordinate" better when fielding combat uniforms. Messy prospect in my view.

I agree with Congress thinking in part, however, when the Air Force and Navy come up with combat uniforms that seem to me to be way off mark in relation to what Soldiers and Marines wear, that some sort of mandated standards might be a good idea.

Fall Colors

Not wanting to be one of those few who (assuming they have cameras that work) have not shown off some "fall color" photos. Here's my contribution and it sort of has an engineering relationship, noting the old Civil War era stone bridge pier at Harpers Ferry, WV.

Dreary Saturday Morning

Saturday. Cloudy, drizzle, cool. Overall a morning when I decided not to go on my AM walk. Tomorrow is supposed to be improved weather-wise. As I lay in bed pushing myself to get up (remember it's Saturday) I started thinking about how quickly the days pass the older you get. When I was younger, it seems they went much more slowly. But, that's another story.

A few years ago during a period when I had the "mid-winter blahs" longing for warmer temps and budding leaves, I found a passage on the Internet which I printed out and pasted to my work desk. It reads:

"A most pleasant day will be in the offing for you today, if you can just relax and enjoy yourself instead of trying to steer things into place. Let life tell you what to do and where to go."

That passage has improved my morale many times and it did so today as I sat writing this Blog entry. I also greatly improved my attitude today when I went back and viewed some of the photos I took last June-July when in Alaska. One is shown here. If that setting moon creeping behind that massive, crackled, blue-hued color glacier can't make you thankful for things the way they are, then what can?

Soldiers

I was one for many years, and I have never been prouder of that profession that I am today. Those now serving, and especially those deployed in Afghanistan, are without a doubt the most motivated and skilled warriors I've ever observed, or served alongside. My generation of Soldiers were pretty good, but these guys today really ARE that much better. Resilient, tough, dedicated, and ready to handle whatever is passed their way. They deserve the best leadership, equipment and family support possible.

On Camera

I took this photo during a "caution" at last weekend's NASCAR race at Martinsville. The guy was from a Roanoke, VA TV station (WSLS), recording scenes for the nightly news program. I spend a lot of time watching professional "shooters" at events like this, along with keeping an eye on the event itself. Always fun to see what sorts of "gear" they carry, and then to drool over me not being able to afford same.

Piano Stairs

A new way to get people to exercise their muscles by using the stairs instead of taking the nearby escalator. Check out this video.

Idiots in the Cockpit

The FAA did the right thing today in suspending the flying licenses of the two idiot pilots who flew past their destination by over 100 miles, while not paying attention on the flight deck. Personally, I do not believe their lame excuse about what they were doing; e.g. messing with their laptops. Northwest Airlines needs to fire them and with the loss of their pilot's license, they need to spend the rest of their lives working somewhere mowing grass.

These two guys had tons of experience, and were supposedly very well qualified. This makes me wonder how many other similar people are in charge of us when we are at 37,000 feet, and flying on auto-pilot.

But then on the other hand airline pilot wise, we have the outstanding efforts of the U.S. Airways pilot and crew who landed their damaged plane safely in the Hudson River thus saving all lives.

So, I am thinking the two Northwest dumbos are an anomaly.

Martinsville NASCAR Race

Another race has come and gone. I was in my usual seat. Virginian Denny Hamlin won racing hard against runner-up Jimmie Johnson, so local fans were very happy. Photos show excitement outside the track just prior to start, and the other shows action on the Army car driven by Ryan Newman. He was 7th, but ran up front most of the race, starting from the pole.

Windows

No, this is not a comment about Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system. I don't use Windows any more. But if I did, the new version seems OK. Darn, I'm already off topic.

The "windows" I'm talking about are the subject of many photos I take. This one was shot outside a pottery store I passed by in Harpers Ferry, WV. I find reflections off windows to be especially interesting, but as you can see here, it's what inside that is my main subject for this one. I had a cup of coffee in one of those nice mugs with the big handle, at the B&B we stayed in, and I really liked it. Had I been more observant of the specific items in the window when I took this shot, versus the composition itself, I'd have popped in and bought me one of those nice mugs. I didn't notice them per se until I started processing the digital photo. Anyway, I like the picture even if I did not get a new mug.

Trick or Treat

It's almost time for the knocks on the door with little-ones all dressed up in various costumes, saying, "trick or treat". This small cafe at Harper's Ferry, WV this past week is already ready to celebrate. We played "tourist" there for two days and found it not only interesting from an historical standpoint, but a nice place to see some fall colors. I'll post a few other images later.

Yard Ornaments

Many people have them, some look nice, others look like an item placed out for a yard sale. One thing of interest I noticed while visiting in Flagstaff, AZ is the amount of "stuff" people place in their yards, often to give a "western" look to the place.

Now, I have to say that using the term "yard" is not at all like what I would define that to be here east of the Mississippi. We have grass and mow it. "Yards" in Flagstaff have lots of cinder, pine needles, dry brush, tons of yellow flowering rabbit bush, fire ant mounds aplenty, and of course numerous ornaments such as the one shown above. Overall I liked what I saw, but still felt much of the area was a fire waiting to happen. Awful dry and crispy, given the lack of rain this year.

Wild Horses

During our recent trip to Northern Arizona, we had an opportunity to see and photograph wild horses ranging free on the wild, mostly desolate large Navajo Reservation. This young pony passed right near where we were parked, and I grabbed my wife's Nikon D40 and starting shooting. Note the brand on the rear flank. We were at Canyon de Chelly at the time, and that is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. There is a very interesting story about the history of the massive canyon.

The story tuns sad from 1863 to 1868 when Kit Carson and his U.S. Army troops forced the Navajo from the canyon, destroying their homes, orchards, and livestock. They marched the surviving Navajos 300 miles to Fort Sumner. Like the Jews in the marches in the Holocaust, many of the Navajos died from thirst, hunger, and fatigue- those that survived were prisoners. In 1868 the Navajos were set free to return to their land. Starting over, they regrew fruit trees, began raising sheep, and started putting their lives back together. Today their descendants continue to live and farm in Canyon de Chelly.

Whenever I learn about the ill treatment of Native Americans, by our own government, I am saddened.

Commander in the Field Proves my Point

Reference my most recent post about the delay in making a decision concerning the way forward in Afghanistan. Read this article published today in Army Times. Proves my point.

Decisions Take Time, But...

Sometimes people delay making a decision, because they are reluctant to go with what their gut tells them to do, and thus they tend to often do nothing. I sort of feel this way about the delay we're seeing in making a decision on what to do in Afghanistan. I know, it's a VERY important decision, but as a prior Soldier who was sent to and fro by the Army across the globe for 29 years, I have an impatient side to me. Knowing what to expect is important, and the longer I'm held in suspense the more impatient I become. It's worse for families.

Once a decision is made, we salute and move forward. We may not always like the decision we're presented, but we do our best regardless. That's the way it is and most times we feel just fine because a decision has been made and that's a good thing. So, I'm waiting to learn where we're going to go in Afghanistan. I hope my wait is about to be over. I'm not personally affected, but my thoughts are with so many who are.

More on Flying

I mentioned in an earlier post about the amount of fairly large carry-on stuff people are bringing with them these days while flying. I also wanted to comment on the fact that what I observed during 2009 is that every flight is pretty much full. I also noted that getting an e-ticket is not always as easy as it ought to be, especially if the airline changes your flight itinerary at the last moment. Always a good idea to give yourself time to sort it all out at the ticket counter. This happened to me three times this year. When it worked, it worked great.

I'm grateful I don't have to fly that much. Overall it's a pain in the buttress.

Standin on the Corner

In Winslow, Arizona. A well known lyric in a song sung by the by the Eagles (Take it Easy), and a popular attraction in Winslow today. The second verse of "Take It Easy" is set in the city of Winslow which responded by erecting a life-size bronze statue and mural commemorating the song, at the Standin' On The Corner Park. The statue stands leaning against a lamp post, securing an acoustic guitar between his right hand and the shoe of his right foot. Above his head, a metal sign, crafted in the style of U.S. Route shields, displays the words "Standin' on the corner". The mural on the wall behind the statue is that of a fake storefront, and includes what would appear to be the reflection of a red Ford pickup truck driven by a blonde-haired woman. My photograph above shows all of this.

Back in the 1930's and 40's, the city was a main railway stop for coast to coast travelers, and Winslow also sits astride historic Route 66. During our recent visit, the winds picked up to around 50-60 mph and we experienced the first of several dust storms during our two week visit to Northern Arizona. Cough, hack, yuck!

Inside an Old Barn

Wandering around the grounds at National Historic Landmark, Hubbell Trading Post in Northern Arizona, I looked inside an old barn and found these two horses staring back at me, sort of friendly like. I was transported back in time to the mid 1800's. Still am when I look at this photo.

Air Travel with Carry-On Luggage

One thing I recently observed while flying from Charlotte, NC to Phoenix, AZ and back two weeks later, is the incredible amount of carry-on luggage people are cramming into the in-cabin overhead storage on airplanes these days. I suppose it has a lot to do with checked luggage charges, but come on, people are bringing wheeled carry-ons that rival what I'd need for a week's hike in the mountains!

What this causes is totally full overheads that hardly close. Airline attendants spend a lot of time juggling overhead bags around to make it all fit, plus when leaving the plane, people are passing crap up and down the aisle to get to the owner. A real pain in the rear in my judgement.

My preference is to carry nothing on that won't fit under the seat in front of me. That way, I don't have to worry about not finding enough space in the overhead to place my carry-on. But, I seem to be in the minority these days.

I am SOOOOO glad I don't have to fly that often. It is definitely not as enjoyable an experience as it once was. I remember the times when I flew to Germany and back on a 747 and had an entire center seat section to myself so I could stretch out and sleep. Wonderful days that are no more.

Arizona is DRY

We're back from our two week vacation in Northern Arizona. The trip was great except for our unfortunate car strike with a deer at 6AM on a dark, deserted road to the north rim of the Grand Canyon which caused us to have to turn around and return our rental car to Flagstaff, thus making our hoped for visit to the beautiful north rim a "to do some other time" event. Believe me I've said numerous "thank-you's to God" since the incident, and we were very lucky the car remained drivable enough to get us back to Flagstaff, albeit with no head lights, turn signals or air conditioning. USAA insurance to the rescue.

While I would have liked to have seen the Grand Canyon, my wife was there before so she was not that disappointed. Frankly, neither was I afterwards, because the other sights we saw made my jaw drop. Red Rocks in Sodona, Sunset Crater lava flows, Indian ruins at Watpatki and Walnut Canyon, Canyon deChelly (actually better in some ways than the Grand Canyon), and Monument Valley. Driving through 40-50 mph wind sand storms in the Navajo Reservation was an experience, as was the constant bombardment of "views" almost everywhere we drove. My camera shutter could not stop clicking.

But, as is typical for us older folks, getting back home was the best part of the whole deal. Having been in the extreme dryness of Arizona for two weeks, and mostly being well above 7000 feet in elevation all the time, made us really like living here in SW Virginia with all the humidity.

Pictures to follow when I get the time to sort them all out.

Vacation Time

I'm not going to be blogging for the next two weeks or so. Going on vacation, without my laptop. You have to do that every once in awhile, un-hook yourself a bit from the electronic world we live in. I also have to point out per my most recent post below, that AEA's website will also not be updated until I return. When I return, I'll have all sorts of work to do just to get everything back to normal, but that's my punishment for taking time off. Whatever, back atcha later.

AEA Webpage Alert

In case you noticed, AEA's webpage has not been updated recently, and it won't be until Oct 7th at the earliest. Reason: AEA's host server is going through a major upgrade and it's down until Sep 25th at the earliest, and I'm on vacation until Oct 7th. Yes, I do the updates. So, what you see now is what you will see until everything is back to normal early next month. AEA has no control over server upgrades, it's part of the deal with web-hosting arrangements.

Friday and not much to write

Sadly (or perhaps happily for some) I'm having an especially hard time today getting the creative side of my brain working. Maybe it's the dreary weather, or maybe that side of my brain really ain't all that creative. The easy way out is to find a link online to post, showing when clicked, in full screen video, a room full of people trying to cram as many chickens as they can into a burlap sack in ten minutes. The winner gets to keep the chickens, the others get to clean off their clothing with complementary easy wipes.

So, given my predicament, I'll just close this Friday bit-o-nothingness with a simple shout out, "Go Hokies, beat the Huskers."

What to Photograph?

When I'm out shooting with my Nikon or Panasonic in hand, I have been working to further develop an ability to see things around me that might make an interesting photograph. Some compositions work, most are immediately deleted after I review the result on my camera LCD screen, or eventually find their way to the trash can on my computer after being downloaded. I considered dumping this photo but decided to keep it for no good reason other than I kinda liked it.

As I was walking around an old barn on a nearby farm, I spotted this empty plastic bottle someone had stuck in a crack. Sort of semi-littering; but, at least it was not tossed on the ground for someone to pick up and discard properly. In this regard, young people today have definitely NOT learned that its bad to litter. My generation was constantly reminded by TV and print ads that littering was not a good thing to do. Not so today, and I constantly see the results of it wherever I go. Sad, but true.

Summer is About Over

Soon we'll be asking, "Where have all the flowers gone?" Like these I photographed way up north in Alaska last June.

New Camo Patterns for Combat Uniforms

The Army will soon begin testing in the field two new camouflage patterns to replace that now used on the ACU. The one at the bottom is already in used by Special Forces and Delta Force units in Iraq and Afghanistan, while the one at the top is a modification of the current pattern, by adding a brown/tan color. Which do you prefer?

I hope that when the Army decides which is best, that they stick with it. And, that they dump the velcro patch stuff. Whatever, this ought to be a much more deliberate selection process than what we've seen recently with the current ACU pattern, beret, and the blue Class "A" uniform with white shirt. Leaders at the top make decisions, then those at the bottom voice numerous complaints. Why can't this be a bottom up process?

NASCAR Chase to Championship On

The race last night set the stage for the top 12 drivers who will compete this year for the championship. In that regard, I have mixed feelings. Overall, I'm very happy that the 12 drivers are all people I can root for. One driver that I have never rooted for (Kyle Busch) did not make the cut (he missed it by a mere 8 points) and while that made me shout "Alright!" at first, after I listened to his well said interview after the race, I mellowed my glee a bit.

Not only was he humble (at least he seemed that way and I assume he was being genuine) but he congratulated others involved who made the top 12, especially Brian Vickers. Given the mess they got into with each other earlier this year, I thought Busch's congratulatory comments about Vickers were good. Also, Kyle seems to have matured a lot this year, and now seems to be able to handle defeat as well as he does victory (not counting the dumb thing he did when he smashed the Guitar trophy in Nashville).

Last year Busch was at the top of the standings entering the championship series. Then he nose-dived to last place by totally losing it race by race. This year he still won races (4), but struggled otherwise just to get close enough to have an excellent last gasp shot getting into the top 12. He obviously fell short; but somehow, I think this year on top of last will make him a better racer, and more so a better person.

No, I will not make him one of my favored drivers next year, no matter what he does. It has something to do with the dorky sunglasses he wears I guess. Stupid reason, but that's my story.

Cabin in the Woods

How about living here? Photo taken at Crow Creek Mine near Girdwood, AK. I've been there several times over the past few years and each time I go, I want to stay. But, I ain't gettin no younger, and I'm afraid I'd be hard pressed to be able to chop enough wood to feed the stove during the winter. So, I'll stay where I am, but I can dream.

Hubble Telescope New Photos

Check out some of the new photos taken by the recently improved Hubble telescope in space. They are HERE.

New Army Earplugs

I'm glad to see the Army is coming out with new earplugs for Soldier use. When I left active duty in 1992 we had the "foam" variety that we carried in a small plastic box with chain hooked on a BDU pocket button. They were a pain to use because you had to roll the foam plugs with your fingers so as to reduce the diameter so they would fit into your ear canal. Most times they never went in far enough and thus did a relatively poor job. But, they were better than nothing, which was what we essentially had for the first half of my career. As a result, my high frequency hearing today is not as good as it ought to be.

I learned my lesson, however, and as such today I use hearing protection whenever I'm using loud machinery, like weed eaters, leaf blowers and lawn mowers. I want to keep whatever amount of hearing I have left over from my LOUD time in the Army, from getting any worse. I'd like to get me a pair of the new earplugs the Army is talking about, and see how they work.

iGoogle

I suppose most serious computer users today are familiar with GOOGLE. It's a popular way to search for just about anything online, and is a wonderful tool when doing any sort of research. But, I wonder how many are aware of iGoogle?

In short, iGoogle is a site on which you can put together a "homepage" for your browser, with a large number of "gadgets" and other helpful additions that makes browsing much simpler. You can set up your iGoogle page to contain what you want. In my case I have all the main cable news network news feeds set up, local and other weather forecasts, a direct link to my Gmail account showing my inbox, and date and time with a nice sized clock dead center. Works for me.

You can get started here. Have fun!

Have a Nice Labor Day Weekend

Picture was taken along the shore of Lake Superior in Upper Michigan last Fall about this time. Beautiful place to visit, or live full time for that matter, except during the months with snow and cold from about Thanksgiving through the end of March. Anyway, all of you reading this please have a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend, especially anyone in Michigan.

As for me, I'm staying home. Maybe have a cold one (or two) and go see a movie.

Dwell Time

Years ago if someone used the term "dwell time" it would bring a puzzled look and a quick question–What are you talking about? Today, this is not so. Perhaps this term is one of the most used in military circles, especially during family discussions. Once again, the military is having to face reality that even with "objective" timelines of 18-24 months for dwell time in between deployments, needs on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq are making it next to impossible to always meet that goal-especially in Afghanistan. It seems to me that at some point, something is going to break. When that is I have no idea. The fact that the military continues to do as well as it does is testimony to the quality of the force, but there are limits.

Just my view.

California Fire

Here's a neat time lapse movie of the smoke plumes near LA. Powerful stuff, glad I don't live there.

Summer or Fall?

Today when I walked my morning route it was 60 degrees. Pretty nice for September 1st in Virginia. My mind tells me it ought to be much warmer, but my body is telling me it is almost Fall. Whatever, it's nice and I'll certainly take it. The scenery is also nice up along the Blue Ridge Parkway of Virginia, as you can tell by my recent photo above.

Great City

St. Louis, that is. I took this photo out my hotel room window (Hilton at the Ballpark) a few years ago, just as the sun was coming up over the Mississippi River. The city's downtown area is a great place to walk about, and many interesting sights and activities are readily available. I first got "into" St. Louis while I was assigned at Fort Leonard Wood, about 120 miles south (not a fun drive I have to say, because it seems that the Missouri Department of Transportation is always doing something to I40). Plus, after having driven it so many times, it gets to be a boring and somewhat mind-numbing experience. Listening to KZNN out of Rolla helps me adjust, however.

Some Incredible Aircraft Images

Check this out to see some pretty spectacular photos of aircraft in flight all over the world. Scroll down to see the one taken in Afghanistan, with wounded Soldiers awaiting rescue after an IED went off.

What can you afford? What will you spend?

Here's a somewhat wordy Friday post.

I suppose there are hundreds of thousands of others like me in the U.S. who always are on the lookout for some new item of "gear" or a new technological marvel. Whenever something new is developed for retail, it does not take too long afterwards for other manufacturers to copy the original and offer it at less cost to the buyer. The issue then becomes, buy the original item for more, knowing it's well built and reliable, or get something identical as advertised but from a lesser known manufacturer you know little about, but at far less cost.

Yesterday I was faced with such a situation. Next month my wife and I are taking a trip to Northern Arizona for two weeks. My cameras will obviously go along, given all there is to see and photograph in that beautiful part of the Southwest. However, many of my photographs will probably be taken during sunrise and sunset, so as to offer better lighting possibilities. Shots like those require longer exposures and therefore a good camera tripod will be needed. The one I have is, well, not that good, and it's darn heavy to lug around. So, I decided it's time to get a new, lighter model. The better brands that meet my needs are somewhat costly, but "cost" sometime equates to what you can afford. Still, being sort of stingy with my money at times, I was drawn to bargain brands (made in China) that are exactly the same capability-wise as the more costly versions, but cost less than half of the original, better known brands.

At first, my fingers hovered over the "buy" button for a cheaper but supposedly equally capable tripod model on my online photo equipment retailer's website B&H Photo, but I chickened out at the last minute. Hours later, I went back and looked at tripod models I knew about and trusted and finally pushed the buy button for one of those, thereby paying twice as much, but having more confidence what I was going to get would meet my long term expectations.

I'm fortunate to be able to elect to spend more for something, given I'm able to afford to do so. Others are not so fortunate. Many times, both of us get satisfaction from our purchase and reliability is not a factor. But, I recall the time my wife went TDY to Korea on a business trip (she worked for the government) and she bought me a pair of the top-of-the-line New Balance running shoes from a street vendor at about one-quarter of the PX cost. They looked identical. Until my first AM run, when they got wet, and the poorly glued soles fell off, exposing cardboard beneath. Lesson learned.

Photo Thursday

At one time, this truck was used in the Army's "Alaska Command" per the painted crest on the door. I took the photo near Girdwood, AK. It was parked "on display" at the Crow Creek Mine.

Running Shoes

I wonder how many reading this recall those days in the Army when "boots" not running shoes were required during AM runs (better call them jogs because in formation that's what they were). "Shin splints" were like seasonal colds, everyone had them at some time. If you don't know what shin splints are, you obviously never ran a lot in Army boots.

Today, high tech running shoes rule during physical training. Nike, New Balance, Adidas, Saucony. I've owned them all from time to time. Toward the latter half of my Army career I started to run distances greater than four miles a day, with longer runs on weekends. As such I went through a new pair of shoes in short order, typically 3-4 months. At first my favorite shoe was the top of the line Nike. Later, I switched to Saucony which was extremely comfortable, albeit not as long lasting as the Nike shoes I had worn.

I continued to run for years after retirement, but eventually my knees telegraphed a desire for me to stop running, and to choose brisk walking instead. That's what I do now, almost every day, around two miles or so. My shoe of choice? New Balance. By far the best shoes I've owned. Not only do I wear them during my AM walks, I wear another pair during the day. I decided that the best way to buy New Balance shoes is to do so from one of their company owned stores, instead of getting a pair for less cost at retail shoe stores like Rack Room. My experience is that the Rack Room variety are not as well fitted, nor as comfortable. Perhaps they are "seconds", I don't know.

Anyway, as I sit here typing this post, I'm eating a bowl of cheerios with banana, wearing my New Balance shoes that just carried me along my AM walk. After my shower and shave, I'll switch to another pair of New Balance shoes for the rest of the day.

Thus endeth my running shoe commercial.

Hurricane Hype

For all the hype the media has afforded to now dying Hurricane Bill, I recall those days when media coverage given beforehand to major tropical storms that directly affected the east coast of the U.S. was far less (like with Floyd shown in a 1999 photo above off the coast of Florida).

When Floyd sat off Florida as a CAT 4 storm, headed directly to where we were living near Wilmington, NC, we were about as "puckered up" as one can get. When my wife evacuated the barrier island in North Carolina where we were living, we kissed each other before she drove away from our elevated house about 600 meters away from the ocean, and said,"Farewell house, we'll not see you again."

I had to remain since I was the Town Manager of Holden Beach, NC and my serious work was about to begin. I grabbed my duffle bag of clothing and supplies from our boarded-up house and went to help finish the total evacuation of the island. That evening as we were shutting down the town, I watched large 20-30 foot waves crash over the main fishing pier in the center of the island, and that confirmed our belief that were were doomed to severe destruction. I then went to our off-island Emergency Operations Center with other municipal officials to wait out land-fall and passing of the storm.

As fortune would have it, Floyd lessened quite a bit before it hit us dead on, but the massive storm surge wiped out large portions of the main highway through town and washed away parts or all of several homes. Incredibly heavy and long lasting rains caused terrible flooding all through Eastern North Carolina. The main US Highway 17 between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach was closed in several spots, creating gridlock. Other minor roads were also flooded out. There were 57 fatalities. In all, it was the worst tropical storm to hit the region in years. It was, however, just one of three major storm hits and evacuations we experienced on Holden Beach that year.

So, when I see the media get all hot and bothered recently about Hurricane Bill, I sit back and say to myself, "You guys ain't seen nothin!"

POOR Example of NCO leadership

Army Times reports: “Four soldiers from Fort Bliss, Texas, who are serving in Iraq under Multi-National Division-South have been charged with cruelty and maltreatment of their subordinates, officials announced Aug. 21. The charges were preferred Aug. 19 against Staff Sgt. Enoch Chatman, Staff Sgt. Bob Clements, Sgt. Jarrett Taylor and Spc. Daniel Weber. All four soldiers belong to B Troop, 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment, at Fort Bliss. The men are accused of treating five soldiers in their platoon inappropriately, officials said. The alleged mistreatment consisted of verbal abuse, physical punishment and ridicule of the subordinate soldiers.”

I usually have only great things to say about the Army’s NCO Corps, but this incident made me want to comment otherwise. I wonder if this type behavior is a reflection of the type NCO being produced within the Army over the past several years, in relation to many not being able to attend professional development courses due to OPTEMPO and other reasons. Whatever, leaders of the unit involved caught it and have taken action. Maybe that’s a sign of better things to come.

If convicted, these four people (note I did not refer to them as Soldiers) ought to receive maximum punishment allowed.

Getting Around

There are few places left in the U.S. where there are no roads on which to drive from place to place. In Alaska there are more float planes and other single-engine planes flying than anywhere else in the country. I can tell you from experience that taking off on a river or lake in a single engine float plane, cruising low over the tops of wild forests, and then landing in a very remote location is an experience not to me missed. The neat thing about a float plane once landed, is that you can step out on one of the floats and do a bit of fishing. The plane shown here was photographed near Fairbanks earlier this summer, just as it was taking off.

Speaking of "dog days of summer"

There's no doubt that August in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. can be hot, and this month is typical. Up until the past few weeks, this summer has been cooler than normal and that's been nice. But now, Mother Nature is averaging it all out. So, when it gets hot like this, I look through my collection of photos I took under much cooler circumstances. Here's one such, taken near Portage Glacier in Alaska, south of Anchorage along the Seward Highway.

Uniforms again

Army Times reports: "The hunt for a new camo design follows a growing groundswell of rank-and-file criticism that the current pattern on the Army Combat Uniform is ineffective in the rugged Afghan terrain — and elsewhere."

The Army never learns from its mistakes as far as designing and then fielding uniforms. It's jerk one way and then another, depending on what the present day needs are. Seems to me that no single combat uniform will ever do the job in the field. Too dependent on terrain, etc. Why can't the Army have more than one? And don't tell me that it can't be afforded. How long has it been since the desert pattern BDU has been discontinued?

And don't get me started on the new Blue Class "A" uniform.

We hardly ever had a backyard vegetable garden in the Army

Not that I am any sort of backyard gardener or anything, I am definitely not. Since we retired from the Army I’ve done my part each year to demonstrate that point. I definitely do not have a green thumb when it comes to growing vegetables.

I decided last Spring I was going to expand my vegetable garden, given that those I planted the prior two years were not as productive as I wanted them to be. So, I borrowed my neighbor’s large walk-behind tiller, and spent an entire weekend digging and fertilizing my enlarged plot. I decided to focus on just tomatoes and cucumbers this year, so planting was not that difficult. I then sat back and waited for a bountiful harvest. Alas, that was not to be.

Wet weather in May and June caused the large tulip poplar trees in the backyard to grow larger resulting in less sun for my tomato plants, so they started slowly and looked rather sickly at first. Still, I figured they’d eventually recover. Meanwhile, the expanded garden area that was home for the cucumbers took off like wildfire.

As the summer progressed, so did the cucumber harvest and it was all we could do to eat what we picked. However, the spindly tomato plants looked even more sickly, so I decided to add some Miracle Grow liquid fertilizer; which in the past always gave a needed boost when my plants appeared near death. Not so this year because all I saw was an immediate increase in stem height, with little if any progress elsewhere. Finally, we had a “harvest”: three small tomatoes. At last, the light at the end of the tunnel. Then, enter the absolute worst backyard “pest” in our region of Virginia--a herd of worthless deer.

In one night my sworn enemy (deer) eat all the leaves and budding tomatoes that were struggling to make it. This, even with a wire fence around the plants which was unfortunately not high enough to keep those long-necked critters away. Does this sound like I don’t like deer? You got that right. Only thing they are good for is venison jerky.

So, in summary for this year's growing season, were it not for my neighbors on both sides of us we would not be having any fresh home-grown vegetables this year. Both George and Al (our adjacent neighbors on each side) have, unlike me, green thumbs and whatever they plant always seems to grow well. The photo you see here is one I took yesterday after picking my way through Al’s well manicured, high fenced garden. This is the sort of stuff I wanted to be able to grow!

There’s always next year, and I’ve started planning already. My “new” garden will be protected like Fort Know to keep the grazing deer away, plus I’m going to spend more time reading “how to be a better gardener”. I never had to worry about such things when I was in the Army; but had I done so, perhaps I’d be better at this business today.

Is it ODD or EVEN?

I can't remember which it is (ODD or EVEN) but during the years we lived near the shore in coastal North Carolina, there was a saying that depending on the number of brown pelicans flying overhead in formation, the weather would be nice if there were an odd number, and bad if even. Or was it the other way around?

Whatever, if you're at the beach this weekend, I hope the weather is good regardless of the number of pelicans in formation. By the way, my wife holds the record for having seen the most pelicans flying in formation at one time (51).