Christmas time

With all the rushing and shopping and checking lists it is always nice to slow down and remember what Christmas is all about.

Noah is a member of The Cathedral Choir of Boys and Adults at the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel, Springfield, MA. On Saturday night they performed A Candlelight Festival of Lessons and Carols at the Cathedral. The Choir performed various works by Elgar, traditional English and French carols, and an African American traditional carol titled " What' cha going call that pretty little baby".

With the lighting of candles and Scripture readings it was a nice way to bring the real meaning of Christmas back to center stage.


Charles Schultz had the same message back in the 1960's when he produced the best Christmas cartoon of all time.

Boston Car Show 2008

I went to the Boston Car Show on Saturday. This was my first chance to see the new 2010 Mustang, and the changes they made to the body. Overall the changes were minor from the 2005+ platform but I'm not a big fan of the rear end of the car. It has been rounded slightly and what's with the black plastic trim? I'm keeping my 2007.


It is fun to look at and sit in car that I'll never be able to afford. Like this ZR-1 Corvette, and this green Porsche.














And the really expensive ones they keep behind the ropes. Can you say Ferrari.

To sleep, perchance to dream Part 2

After four days on the road of not sleeping well in hotels I returned home Friday and had one good night of sleep. I was up early on Saturday to drive out to Noah's to spend the day with him. So I was really looking forward to sleeping in on Sunday morning. Sunday is usually my only day to sleep late and my body was telling me you really need a good rest.

Here's how that small dream was shattered like a sugar sculpture falling off a six story building.

What's that noise I hear? Hmm sounds like a vacuum cleaner, must be dreaming. NO what time is it???? 7:44 AM!!!! and one one my idiot neighbors is doing their best Felix Ungar imitation running the vacuum directly over my bedroom.

"O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!"

Who forgot to throw a log on the fire?

I returned home today after a four day business trip to Alabama and all I can say is I miss the warm weather already. It was chilly in the mornings in Alabama but the sun did its' job, and by the afternoon it was very pleasant.

The folks in Alabama are very happy with the their football team currently ranked number one in the nation.

On this trip our task was to take a physical inventory of lumber and plywood at an off site location for my company. Lumber and plywood is never easy to count because of the size of it. But it is one of those tasks that must be done. It kind of reminds me of what Rumpole used to say about his wife, "She who must be obeyed."

But in these tough times in the lumber business, I'm glad to still be needed to go count wood and that we have wood to count.

Cheezborger Cheezborger Cheezborger

I was on the road last week for business. I was outside of Atlanta Sunday to Tuesday then on to Chicago for the rest of the week. Chicago is a nice city to visit with a nice downtown area, many good places to eat, the lake and the river.




The second shot was taken from the 21 floor of the Hyatt looking down the Chicago river with lake Michigan in the distance. I also liked the older buildings that had character. Here is a shot of the Wrigley Building.
















Here is a shot of the new Trump Building that is just west of the Wrigley Building. It may be me but I don't think it fits into the skyline very well.

But my favorite spot I visited was the Billy Goat Tavern. It was neat to order a cheezborger and get asked "You want a double it's the best?" Cheeps? Coke no Pepsi. You get your cheezborger served on a grilled Kaiser roll on a piece of deli paper, a bag of cheeps, and a coke, pay your $8 and savor the history.

Henry V and Easy Compny

Back in 1599 Shakespeare penned the play Henry V. Within that play was Henry's Eve of Saint Crispin's Day Speech.

I've always found Shakespeare easier to follow when spoken instead of reading his works. If you have the time to listen to the speech, you will hear a simple phase that has been used to describe another group of men 345 years after those word were first spoken in 1599.

This past weekend the History Channel aired several episodes of The Band of Brothers. I always stop and watch. I've read Major Dick Winters book Beyond Band of Brothers. Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division was the unit Stephen Ambrose called the band of brothers. Most of these men are in their 80's or have gone to meet his maker. The living history will fade away so it is a good thing that some of these men have been captured on film telling their stories.

Nothing about war is good, the human stories are compelling history worthy of being remembered.

Fryeburg Fair 2008

I took this past Tuesday off and went up to the Fryeburg Fair in Fryeburg, ME. It turned out to be Senior Citizens Day with those 65 and over getting a free pass at the admission gate. As it turned out I was the the junior member of the three of us that went to the fair. Thus I was the only one that had to fork over the $8 to enter the grounds. But it was money well spent. The Fair is a throw back to the past. Agriculture is king here. Sure there are midway rides and a childrens midway for the little ones. Food to satisfy everyone's taste and whim. But livestock, harness race horses, 400 pound pumpkins, draft horse pulls, tractor pulls, oxen pulls, goats, sheep, cows being milked, arts and crafts contests, you name it, it was here on display.



The team of horses in the photo are pulling 7000 pounds. The teams had 5 minutes to pull and the team who pulls the sled the longest distance wins. The winning distance was 310 feet.

Lucky for me Tuesday also turned out to be antique tractor day. I don't know why, I didn't grow up on a farm, but I really like to see old tractors, both as is and those that are restored.

There were folks from the US Forest Service and the Maine State Forestry Department so for me it was fun to talk to them.

It was a fun day, a throw back to the past and a celebration of today's farmers and others that make their living from the land. As well a life style that looks better to me today than it did when I was studying forestry and hoping to make it my life style.

Old South Cemetery

I took a walk in Old South Cemetery which is about 1/4 of a mile away from my apartment this weekend. It is the oldest cemetery in Billerica, MA. Billerica was incorporated in 1655. The oldest grave I found was dated 1740. The thing that struck me the most after reading the headstones, was the ages of the people when they died were not that young. There were many graves where the people had lived long lifes. The oldest person I found was 92 when she died in 1785.

The grave's of the veterans were also interesting. I found one that was a Civil War vet and the others was all veterans of The Revolutionary War.



Makes one think.

Ponder the egg cream....

I had an urge for an egg cream yesterday. For those of us that grew up in the shadows of New York skyscrapers the egg cream has a magical allure. First I had to find Fox's u-bet chocolate syrup. Lucky for me Stop and Shop carries it. There is something about Fox's syrup that makes an egg cream taste like an egg cream should. Several co-works asked me as I returned from lunch with my prize in hand, "Does it taste better than Hershey's?" My answer, "No it tastes different."

Hershey's is fine for ice cream, but for a true egg cream it has to be Fox's u-bet. On the back of the bottle it has the directions for a New York Egg Cream;
In a tall glass pour 1/2 inch of u-bet, 3/4 inch of whole milk, add carbonated water & mix briskly.

Perfection in a glass.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older that the pleasures of my youth are coming back to me. A few months ago it was hard rolls, now egg creams. Anyone up for a game of stickball?

Wedding Day and Camera Fun

Saturday past my was my niece's wedding day. The weather turned out wonderful after a heavy rain Friday night. For those of you not residing in New England, this summer's weather has been the pits. I pulled out all the stops taking photos. I had my Nikon N80 film camera as well as the new dare I say, Canon A590 IS digital. At times I looked like a Japanese tourist with one camera around my neck and the other in my hand. To top it off on one occasion I also had a cup of coffee in one hand as I was shooting.

I was using Ilford XPS black and white with a orange YA2 filter with a 50mm lens. Bring back memories Neil? Then I loaded the Nikon with Kodak 200 print film switching to my 70 -300 zoom, and had the digital going all the time.

Here are a couple of shots.


I like the look on O'Brian face in this one.
What can he be thinking looking at the bag piper?





The photo of Meghan and her 3 brothers up top
is film.









This shot of Meghan and O'Brian was taken with the Canon digital. I went along with the professional photographer and took a bunch of shots as he was shooting. So as they were looking at him I was shooting away. The photographer was cool about me shooting while he was working. It pays to ask and stay out of the way.

I have about 150 photos to look through, if this keeps up I may have to break down and get Photoshop for the computer.

Vinyl is back

After years of moving my LP collection from apartment to apartment, and a few living arrangements I will not get into, this spring I enlisted my brother-in-laws' help and he build me a cabinet to store my LP collection.

I live in an apartment so I needed to get some headphones since I, unlike some of the other folks that I share the building with, actually do not like to be a pain in the ass.

I purchased a pair of headphones from Good Cans a web site run by the husband of a fellow Boise Cascade employee. Turns out these headphones are great. They are Grado Headphones SR60 made in the USA in a little place called Brooklyn, NY. Highly recommended!!!

So I've been listening to some stuff I haven't heard in years, and tonight I put Paul Simon's Graceland on the turntable. Anyone remember how good that disc is? Recorded in 1986 one of the best, maybe in the top 50 of all time. Discuss among yourselves.

Reading the liner notes I see that Steve Gadd played the drums on some of the tracks, and Ralph MacDonald played percussion on some of the tracks. Steve Gadd is on countless Lp's in my collection he is one of the busiest drummers of our time. Check out his discography. Ralph MacDonald is on the other half of my Lp collection. Ralph is a member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band that's enough in my book, but look at his discography.

Both of these guys have had a huge part in the music world in the past 30 years or more but the average person on the street does not have a clue who there are.

Time pick up some vinyl and read those liner notes!

Monsters Return

Last weekend the Monster Jam show made its stop at Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford Springs, CT. Noah and I went to the Sunday afternoon show, which was preceded by the Party in the Pits.



We had a great time and the drivers were great with their fans as usual.

The shots of the trucks in action where taken in the middle of the grandstand with my zoom lens set at about 150mm to avoid all the mass of humanity that surrounded us. Yes I'm still shooting film.

Noah cracked me up while we were standing in line waiting to get into the Party in the Pits. he said " Even though you are a 50 year old man you are still the best Dad."

Tickets for both of us $25.00
Hat and Shirt $45.00
Sending fun time with my son, priceless.

New Toy

The UPS man delivered my new toy today. It is a Garmin nuvi 660 GPS. This my first stab at using a GPS besides the one time I used one in a rental car. Since electronic devises tend to updated every 3 months, I went a little over the top with the features on this puppy. It is pretty amazing what it can do. Besides directions and maps it can be used as a MP3 player, an audio book player, bluetooth and more. I do not own anything else that has bluetooth, so I'll have to wait on that. This thing has more computing powder than Apollo 11 had in it's Command and Lunar Modular combined!

What's more I figured out how to load some songs on it and downloaded 3 Audio books from audible.com that Garmin threw in. The three books I chose were River of Doubt, which tells the story of TR's last adventure in South America. Never Give In, the speeches of Sir Winston Churchill in his own voice. And A Few Quick Ones, which is about seven Jeeves short stories by PG Wodenhouse. So now I have 20 hours of audio books to listen to in the car.

I live 2 miles from my office which takes me about 5 minutes to drive each way. Doing the math quickly it should take me about 24 weeks to listen to everything.

I guess I'm going to have to find a longer way to get to work because I'm not moving!!!!!!!!!!

Made in the USA

My niece is getting married next month. It is an outdoor party in New England, so changes are it will be a hot and humid day. So I decide to treat myself to some new light weight clothes for the day. I try to buy things made in the United States. In stores it is almost impossible to find anything made in America. Since I have to shop in the short fat white guy department, the pants I purchased were not made in the US. Even the tailor who measured me most likely was not made in America either. I was not to sure what part of the globe he was from.

Growing up all the tailors were first or second generation men of Italian heritage. Except Andy Taylor, who was made in these United States in Mayberry, NC.

The shirts I purchased on line where made in several countries other than the US. I still haven't made a choice on which one I'll be wearing but they are all bowling shirts big and loose. As the invitation states "casual dress, comfortable shoes, ties not required food , drink and merriment to follow"

Comfortable shoes hmmm I thought, I could use some new comfortable shoes. I found some on line made in Minnesota by Footwear by Footskins . To top things off I found a made in the US straw fedora made by the Bailey Hat Company .

I'm not sure if It will made a big difference but I'll keep trying to find more things made in the USA.

Time keeps marching on

You know you are getting older when people that were a big part of your youth, keep turning up dead. Just the other day it was George Carlin, not too long ago it was Harvey Korman. Today I read that Bozo the Clown has gone to meet his maker. Well not Bozo but the man that was behind Bozo, Larry Harmom.



The Firesign Theatre stated it best in the '70's when they released their album "I Think We're All Bozos on this Bus".

It is up to all of us to continue to be Bozos

Catching up with June

I find it hard to believe June 2008 is almost in the history book. I've been on the run most of the month. I started out on June 9th at Yankee Stadium where I met my old childhood friend Ron Marino. It has been about 25 years since we saw each other but after about 3 minutes it felt like it was just yesterday.



This was my first trip back to New York in about 15 years. The subways were still in the same place and I found my away around without a hitch. It is fun to be back in the city and feel the pulse of the street. I took the Amtrak train down from MA. I'm sure the people that were in my car on the return trip were envious of me as I ate my roast beef sandwich from the Carnegie Deli.

Then the rest of the week I was back in Alabama for work. See here for my post about Alabama.

When I returned from Alabama I had to start preparing for a co-workers wedding which I had to fed about 100 people. The wedding was June 21 and it went pretty well. Everyone loved my food and I dodged a bullet by checking one of the ovens after 30 minutes to make sure it was still on-it wasn't.

But I will tell you it was really tough moving on Sunday after being on my feet 12 hours in a kitchen Satarday. My brain says I can do these things but my 50 year old body has another opinion.

I hope July moves a little slower.

George Carlin RIP 1937-2008

The ironical thing that occurred to me this morning when I read George Carlin had died on Sunday was I had his album "Class Clown" in my hand less than a week ago. My brother-in-law had built a cabinet for me to house my 600+ LP's and I was putting the LP's in it after I painted it. Now I was just putting them away in no order and just grabbing them from the stack leaning against the wall, glad to get my floor space back. But then I had "Class Clown" in my hand and stopped and looked at it. I thought to myself you need to listen to this one soon. Now George is gone, but I still have his essence.

The LP is an original 1972 copy on Little David Records number LD1004 with the code 0598 on the edge which was the suggested retail price. I'm sure I got it on sale for $3.99.

On the original artwork printed on the cover to look like a sticker it says:Warning: This Record Contains "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television." Hearing It Could Infect Your Mind, Curve Your Spine And Lose The War for The Allies.

Priceless stuff. And people ask me why after all these years and moves around the country I still have my LP's. There's your answer.

Classic Stuff

But George kept up with the times as well, here is a current stand up.

June 6, 1944 D-Day

Sixty four years ago many young men found their resting place.

Listen to Ike's D-Day message here.

And here is Ike's unused speech that was found by an aide in Ike's shirt pocket.

Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone.


To quote TR
Bodily vigor is good, and vigor of intellect is even better, but far above is character.
- The Outlook,
March 31, 1900

Here is a copy of Patton's speech that most of use have only heard the movie version.

RIP Harvey Korman

February 15, 1927 - May 29, 2008





Hedley Lamarr Pledge.


Not many could do the voodoo that he do so well.

Indiana Jones! I always knew some day you'd come walking back through my door.

I caught Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull early this evening. What fun! Just what you want in an adventure movie. Fantasy, action, suspense and the good guys come out on top. All I have to say about Karen Allen is after 30 years from Animal House to Crystal Skull is wow! Now I remember why I had a crush on her back in the day.

Here a photo from Animal House


Here is a still from Crystal Skull


Now I know this is a professionally taken photo made to make her look her best but you still have to have something to start with. Time has been very kind to Karen. So I am too old at 50 to have a crush again?

Memorial Day

As we approach Memorial Day people have been asking each other what are you doing this weekend? It is the unofficial start of summer, kids are ready to put the school books away and start swimming and playing baseball and other summer games. I tend to keep it a low key weekend. I'll spend one day with my son, eat a couple of hot dogs, watch the races on TV - both auto and horse.

But I also make sure I remember why the name of the day is Memorial. It is easier for me to remember all I have to do is look at the two Purple Hearts in a shadow box that were awarded to my uncle Maynard J. Rogg. Maynard served in US Army, 27th Infantry Division, 105th Infantry Regiment, Company G from some time before the attack on Pearl Harbor until he was killed in action June 18th, 1944 on the second day in the battle for Saipan. I have very few photos of Maynard but was lucky enough to find someone on the internet who also had a relative that served in the same Regiment and shared the photo above. Maynard is in the first row far right. According the caption Maynard was still a private, when he was killed he was a PFC so I'm guessing that the photo was taken in a camp in the US.

Maynard is buried in the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. I have not made it there yet but two co-worked who have gone to Hawaii were kind enough to visit Maynard's grave for me and take some photos.

The National WWII Memorial web page is worth checking out. You can search for people you know or add relatives that served in WWII. Feel free to type in Maynard's name to view an entry.

Enjoy the weekend, be safe and pause a moment to remember.

Interesting List of Books

My friend DeWitt in Atlanta just sent me this interesting list of books. I don't know anything about the web page but the list is interesting, severals book about and written by TR made the list.

Mother's Day observations

Happy Mother's Day to all. Since I have become a parent I tend to observe other parents with their children more. I observe to see if I can pick up a few pointers but most of the time I find myself shaking my head with amazement. Most of us turn to our own mother for help since children do not come with an owners manual. My mother departed this world in 1991 and my son was born in 1998 so that avenue was not open to me. So I tend to fall back on how she kept me out of trouble.

My apartment complex has a range of parents and ages of children. Just today as I was polishing and waxing my car-off topic I highly recommend Meguiar's car care products, they put a great shine on the car- in the parking lot of my apartment. I hear a small child's voice. I look up and see about a 4 year old girl outside my building playing with her scooter. She is outside and I see no adult. Then I hear another small voice and on the deck of a second floor apartment I see what appears to be her brother of about 18 months. The girl is outside playing in the parking area outside the buildings. Being it is Mother's Day most of the parking spots do not have cars in them as people are out paying homage to Mom. But this is the same parking area that I have spoken about in my March 17th post.

I continue to buff my car and the little girl walks around the corner of the building out of sight. Not 30 seconds later a car drives around the building in one direction. About a minute after that a motorcycle comes around the parking lot from the other direction. The girl is out of my sight and out of the woman's sight who now appears on the deck checking on our explorer. It is the last I see of the woman as she returns inside her apartment. Hopefully she found her child in the front of the apartment building.

Now when I was young I know my mother let me play in our yard while she was in the house. But that was 40 plus years ago (ouch). And I also know she gave the Duggan Bread man an ear full after he gave me a ride around the block without telling her I was in his truck. The world is a little different today. Plus this apartment complex has about 150 units spread out in about 10 buildings.

When I am with my son I never let him out of sight and he is 10. Maybe I'm paranoid but these days there are just to many people out there that just do not care about doing the right thing.

Character seems to be harder and harder to find these days, but it may be the most important thing there is. Humans have always been looking for character and been drawn to it. Here are some quotes worth thinking about.

The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.
— Baron Thomas Babington Macauley, English historian and statesman (1800-1859)

Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.
— Theodore Roosevelt, American adventurer and 26th president (1858-1919)

Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses and avoids.
— Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384-322 B.C.)

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet, novelist, playwright, scientist and philosopher (1749-1832)

So today on Mother's Day make sure to thank your mother, she was the first person to set you straight on what is right and what is wrong.

Bragging on the Family

Have to give a big shout out to my niece's fiance O'Brian on his place The Sierra Grille being voted
best Creative American Fare Restaurant by the readers of the Vally Advocate for 2008.

If you are in Northampton, MA check them out.

The Duke and Camelot, and North Carolina

Duke Ellington has been quoted "There are two kinds of music good and the other kind." I just watched Live from Lincoln Center's production of Camelot, and it falls into the good side of Duke's thinking. Many of you know the story of Camelot so I will not not bore you with that. Those of you that do not know the story shame on you. This was a rather good production and I would have loved to have been in Avery Fisher Hall this evening. I have been lucky enough to have been in said hall for several concerts and have always had a wonderful time.

Tonight's performance of Camelot was singular in the fact that the NY Philharmonic was on stage and the performers where right in front of the orchestra.

Christopher Lloyd (Pellinore) was great and Fran Drescher (Morgan le Fey) did not lose her Brooklyn ascent.

My only beef with the production is for what ever reason Mordred was dressed like he was one of the New York Dolls from the early 1970's complete with red lipstick, and high heel boots. I was waiting for David Johansen to come out on stage.


Camelot was I believe Robert Goulet's only Broadway show back in the original 1960 production. Sherry will correct me if I am wrong, but he built his whole career on that show.

As for North Carolina in the title I returned Tuesday the 6th from a short 5 day visit to my sister and brother-in-law's in North Carolina. I needed a little R&R and it was nice to stick my feet in the ocean again. There is something about going to the ocean that is very soothing, maybe because it is so vast it put us in our place.

Funny Stuff

Maybe I am getting old but most of the material being presented by the entertainment world as comedy today just is not that funny. There seems to be a huge void of really well written funny material out there. Lucky for us there are many comedy classics saved on film that still make me laugh out loud.

Here are a few.

The Two Ronnies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz2-ukrd2VQ&feature=related

Rodney Dangerfield

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FPv2toi5og

Jonathan Winters on the Steve Allen Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra5xRCVnv9k

Love the Plymouth.

Ernie Kovacs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URiHb7AE8IE

The Great One and Art Carney

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcU8kNjjIZw

The Great One

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGPCHT_NAus&feature=related

Bob and Ray


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufkBRuXwIHU




These are just of few of the greats of the past. It is worth your time to go explore and find some of your favorites from the past.

Driving in the Bay State

I have been a licensed driver in three states of the union. Over the years I have also driven in about a third of the 50 states. But the drivers in Commonwealth of Massachusetts take the prize as the worst drivers I have had the pleasure of driving with.

I have down loaded the Driver's Manual from the Commonwealth's web page just to make sure the rules of the road have not been updated, but alas the problem is not with the rules. The problem is with the idiots with their hands on the steering wheels.

The rules of the road are pretty clear and in most places people go by them. But up here in the Bay State people tend to be so "nice" that they will just stop when they have the right of way to let you proceed. Just today while I was coming home from the supermarket I experienced someone trying to be nice. In the town center of Billerica the roads have a town center to circle, most of the time it is pretty straight forward. As I sat waiting to make my u turn, yielding to all traffic, someone driving a mini van decided instead of following the rules of the " I'll be nice and let that 1992 Chevy pick-up go first". As the mini van stopped all the traffic behind it stopped. Since I have learned to drive by the rules of the road I wait, then seeing that if I do not go all hell will break out I gun it and make my turn.

It all stems from how people think around here. How will Johnny feel if we tell him he did something wrong. Instead of correcting Johnny when he did something wrong.

South Carolina is number two in my book of bad drivers.

Spare the rod spoil the idiots.

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx

I was putting my books into some new bookcases I bought recently. I tend to read biographies, history, and mysteries set in the period between the two world wars. I think everyone should read the Complete Sherlock Holmes cover to cover, all 56 short stories and 4 novels. As Holmes said "I am an omnivorous reader with a strangely retentive memory for trifles."

Currently on my night stand I have the following books I am working on. My Life in France by Julia Child. The Federalist by Alexander Hamilton et al. Patton A Genius for War by Carlo D'Este. Gettysburg by Stephen W. Sears. Lighting in a Jar by Cot Campbell whom I have had the great fortune of meeting and spending a morning with watching horses workout in Aiken, SC. And last but not least When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops by George Carlin.

Next up is a bio of Benjamin Franklin but I promise to finish at least two of the books I am working on.

General George S Patton Jr. is a figure most people know from the movie Patton. I have always been drawn to him since I was a young boy because my father served in Patton's Third Army in World War II. My father drove a truck in the artillery. The deuce and a half as it was called back in the war. Dad would drive those 2-1/2 ton capacity trucks full of shells and powder for the 155mm Long Tom cannons, from the supply depots up to the guns.


Some where in their drive across France, Patton issued an order that tank convoys were not to be passed on roads. This was a safety issue as the roads were not too wide to allow vehicles to pass safely. My father was ordered to bring 3 trucks full of shells and powder charges up to a battery of guns that was getting running out of supplies and being blown off the side of a hill. As he and the other two trucks raced to get to the guns they rounded a curve they pulled up to a tank convoy plodding along at about 8 miles an hour. After about 5 minutes of driving behind the tanks he did what any native New Yorker would do today in traffic, he went for it.

After he and the other trucks worked their way to the front of the convoy he was about to hit the gas, but he was in for a little surprise. General Patton was leading the convoy in his staff car.
So my Dad being the NCO leading the three trucks was welcomed by Patton with a face to face butt chewing and given a ticket that docked him a months pay for braking the rules. When the General asked my father why he passed the tank convoy and was told that a battery of 155's was getting blown off the side of a hill, he reply was and I'm paraphrasing here " Well you damn well better get going." Dad still had the ticket but also Patton's blessing.

Patton's family has a long military history. Sixteen of his relatives served in the Confederate Army in the War Between the States. His grandfather was killed in action. A great uncle was a member of Pickett's division that advanced the furtherest into the Union lines before being killed. After the war Patton's family left Virginia for California where he was born, although he always considered himself a Virginian.

Patton was a remarkable figure in American History. As a young junior officer he designed the saber used by the Calvary, and in World War I he wrote the first Tank Manual for the US Army.

The pages of history are filled with great personalities we just have to find them. Sherlock Holmes states it well "You see, but you do not observe." We all need to observe more.

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe. Albert Einstein

Human stupidity. There's a concept I have been running into way to much. Take just today for some wonderful examples. As I was leaving my apartment parking lot one of my astute neighbors backs out of his parking space apparently with his or her eyes closed. Based on their reaction I believe this is a daily occurrence. Because the clown never stopped his car. If I did not react like Joie Chitwood the passenger side of my Mustang would have a huge dent in it right now.

Since today is St. Patrick's Day myself and a co-worker had lunch at the Billerica Irish American Club which is about two blocks from our office. Ron had to run into the Post Office to buy some stamps. I waited in his truck and in mere minutes observed enough human stupidity to write a thesis for an advanced degree from your favorite university. The Post Office shares a building with a Mobil gas station that also has a Dunkin' Donuts inside it. On the Post Office's end there are signs clearly stating parking for Post Office business only. The first rocket scientist to pull up, parks in the spot directly in front of the Post Office's door while chatting away on his cell phone. He exits his car, still chatting away and heads directly into the Mobil/Dunkin' Donuts shop.

Rocket scientist number two pulls up in the clearly marked No Parking lane between the gas pumps and the building. He drops his letters in the outside mailbox, jumps into his car and process to back up quickly in front of a car entering the parking lot from the street. He drops it into drive and is off to be annoying to someone else down the road. I figure he is a relative of my neighbor from this morning. Rocket scientist number one has now returned to his car, his purchase in one hand, while the other hand is continues to hold his phone to his ear. Two cars are now waiting for a parking space to go to the Post Office. The person in the first vehicle is now impatiently waiting for our one handed driver to get his car in gear. Hand waving and verbally expressing his displeasure albeit behind closed windows he waits for rocket scientist number one to leave phone still glued to his ear and completely oblivious to the outside world.

Luckily for me Ron returned at this point and we went for a wonderful plate of corned beef and cabbage, and listen to live Irish music for the rest of our lunch hour.

Now with all the humans adding to the shallow end of the gene pool here is an example of real canine brilliantness. "The Amazing Skidboot"

To sleep, perchance to dream

Noah and his mother have come down with the flu so I'll be staying home this weekend while the two of them rest. Mother Nature has seen fit to keep me in my apartment as the rain arrives mid day just as I complete a couple of errands. What better way to waste a few hours on a rainy late winters day but to take a nap. Children never like to take naps. Most of the time the fast pace lives we all tend to live do not allow the time for an afternoon nap. It is one of the more enjoyable endeavors and well worth fitting in to your day.

I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV

I went to the doctor this week for my annual prescription update and blood work. Or as I like to call it fun with chemistry. I current consume three prescription pills a day along with a 81mg aspirin and multi vitamin. I had a message from my doctor on my answering machine Wednesday night telling me to call her on Monday when she will be back in the office to discuss my blood work results. I'll take that as a sign that there isn't any to serious with the results, but I'm sure she will want me to go for more blood tests because something is just not right.

Maybe it is me but with all the advancement in medical science I still think I had better care back when I was a kid. Today I go to a office that has several doctors although I never see any of them except my own. There is a toll collector as you enter the office that greets you and takes your co-payment that allows you to sit in the waiting room. There are a few other folks there working at computers that I'm sure their main task is to communicate with the insurance companies. I tend to make early appointments, just as they open and before the sick people get there, so I can get in and out quickly. A nurse with a lap top in hand calls my name and she pleasantly asks why I'm there as she checks my pulse, blood pressure, and weight. She then brings me into a examination room where I wait for the doctor to arrive with her lap top in hand.
The doctor again pleasantly, says "It has been a while since I have seen you." My reply "I have been pretty health this year", but I am thinking to myself hmmm she must be looking for another boat payment. We exchange a few words, she listens to my heart and lungs and keys in my prescriptions into her lap top. She peers over the top of her screen as says "We do not have a cardiograph on file for you, do you mind if we do one?" I reply sure. She leaves the room and the nurse reappears with my prescriptions and the cardiograph machine. The nurse hooks me up to the machine and says "You are perfectly normal." My reply " There is nothing normal about me." She unplugs me and tells me to get dressed and do I know the way out. I tell her I'll find my way out.

Now lets go back say 35 to 40 years or more. We had a family doctor back then who lived in the same town as we did. He was the old fashion general practitioner. He ran his practice by himself. He was the doctor my mother went to when my sister and I was born. I remember my mother telling the story of the Sunday afternoon when I was born and the doctor running into the hospital with a dirt covered sweatshirt because he was working in his garden that fall day. When you went to his office you would show up in his waiting room and take a seat. Some people had appointments some did not. He keep everyone moving and slipped the no appointment folks in. My Dad would often be one of the no appointment folk that he slipped in, but that is a story for another day. Once you were called from the waiting room into the back you had top billing. One examination room, no waiting, do not take a number, you are the center of attention. After your visit you sat at a desk while the doctor filled out some paper work and proclaimed OK we will see you next time and I'll send a bill for today. Which I remember to be the sum of $8.00 for a office visit.

I know I am dating myself here but I remember being sick and home from school, both Mom and Dad working, and having the doctor stop by the house to check on me. That was when we didn't lock the side door to the house, we didn't start locking the door until I was about 15 years old.

Today's doctors may have more skill and training but I still have not found one I trust more than the first doctor I had back in Valley Stream. I may be a little prejudice but old Doc Hennighan's quick hands saved me from being a blue baby on the day I entered this world with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck twice. Maybe that's why I like a dramatic entrance.

Forgot my banjo

Back from a business trip to Alabama and we had the extra enjoyment of landing in a snow storm Friday. My flights were on time and not canceled so I consider myself very lucky. It did take about the same time to drive home from the airport as it did to fly from Baltimore to Manchester, NH. So after 4 days on the road and arriving home at dinner time the only thing to do was stop for Chinese take out.

The folks in the south are always fun to be around. I feel comfortable when I'm in the south. When we finished our inventory work for the day on Wednesday I proclaimed " Stick the fork in Mildred it's done". One of the gentleman I was working with who knew I was from MA said "You must have been born in the south". To which I replied "Nope, I was born in New York", and we had a good laugh. I agree with the Phil Harris song "That's What I Like About The South"

As I was digging out my vehicles this morning, from the blanket of snow that covered them, my thoughts returned to Dreamland's ribs, red maples blooming, fried chicken, and 68 degrees.

Roll Tide

Come on spring

Big Trucks

Here are a few photos from "The Party in the Pits" from the Monster Jam show. This the the fourth show we have had the good fortune to witness. Big, colorful, loud trucks crashing cars and flying in the air. What more could you ask for. I have to give kudos to Live Nation the company that runs Monster Jam and to the drivers. In this day of ridiculously high admission prices to major sporting events, Monster Jam remains a true value. Five dollars for kids under 12, pretty good for a couple of hours of entertainment. Sure there is the shirts and hats and year books to buy but you can not get into a movie for five dollars.

The drivers are very good with the kids also. Signing yearbooks, taking photos and talking to all their fans at the party in the pits before one show at each venue they appear at. The prima donnas in the NFL, MLB, NBA need to take some lessons.

After we returned to our seats we had time to get some lunch before the show started. Typical arena fare with no place to put anything except your lap. Which was the reason I used a one time use camera for these photos. I didn't want to juggle the SLR, lunch, etc. Get a small digital I hear you saying into your computer screen as you read this. Some day I'll get there. I'll have to bug Neil again for his expert advise on my saunter down the digital path.

Back to lunch. I made a point to tell Noah let's tuck a napkin in your new Graver Digger shirt so you don't get any honey mustard on your shirt. He's all set enjoying his lunch not a drop on his shirt. I take the first bite of my hamburger and deposit a perfect red bull's eye of ketchup on my shirt. As I'm cleaning up my shirt all I can think is how did Ward Cleaver always have a perfectly pressed suit?

Jumping in with both feet.

Here we go in the blog world. What's another babbling fool going to hurt? As for the title, TR is a bigger than life figure to me. We share a birthday. Reading about his love for the outdoors helped guide me to attend forestry college and obtain a BS in Forestry. Just one look at our choices for the highest office in the land and I yearn for TR's character, spunk, and his belief in doing the right thing even if it was not the most popular thing. So with that said what really pushed me into starting this little journey was how I spend last weekend.

I picked up my nine year old son, Noah, on Saturday morning and drove to the Hartford Civic Center (now named the XL Center, which since I'm out of the loop on current marketing have no idea what XL is except the size of shirts that I wear) to watch one of life's simply pleasures. A Monster Truck show! What's not to like 1500 horsepower trucks with 5' tall wheels and no mufflers. We had a ball. I'll post some photos as soon as I get the film developed. Yes I still shoot film.

Now most of you are thinking why would that get anyone starting into the blog world. Ah there's Sunday.

Noah sings in the Choir at St Michael's Cathedral in Springfield, MA and Sunday he was singing at the Diocese of Springfield's Rite of Election. Which I learned is a ceremony that people wanting to join the Church must go through before becoming members. This takes the place of the normal way of your parents having you baptized etc. The choir sounded great and sang an African-American Spiritual which remained me of driving by Baptist churches in Georgia.

As I was sitting there it hit me, Saturday Monster Trucks and Sunday Rite of Election ceremony. From Grave Digger to Cathedral in 24 hours. What a long strange trip it's been.....