Monday, July 6, 2015

Flying the Flag

So, There I was.....*

Friday Morning, glass of Iced Coffee in my hand (it's Texas, in the Summer, there's enough hot for everyone, cold is better), I've just turned on my computer in route to my usual first stop, Sarge's Blog, for information, political commentary, military history, advice from the Ancients (OldNFO and VX), Gardening, Beer Recommendations and an occasional picture of airplanes.  

But all is not well in internet land, because way down in the System Tray (the official name for the lower right corner of the computer where the clock is stored) is a little icon that will rock my world sending me immediately into Internet Withdrawal.  My network icon says "No internet access."


Yea, verily, I cannot access Mr Gore's fantastic invention.  No amount of unplugging and replugging in any sequence will allow me access.  Just last week, I was accessing, and blogging, whilst being chauffeured to Southwestern Colorado at 85MPH.  My, the elders of the Internet are fickle, what they once granted, can be taken away at the blink of an eye.


What to do?  The Boss, slave driver that he is, is laid up.  Asking for Papal Dispensation to   The Daughter is expecting manual labor from her Pop on Sunday, and the elders will not restore the Internet until Tuesday!  YGBSM.  Cold Turkey symptoms are popping out all over.  How will I vote for my favorite Friday Open Road?  Will Sarge put up a Friday Flyby? What's the weather going to be today?  I'm starting to hyperventilate, when my wife walks in the room.

"What's the matter, Honey?"

"Civilization has ended, we have no internet access"

She lovingly pats me on the head and says "Idiot, go down to the Guest House and access it there."

This is the view as I sit down to compose this week's post.



Now, even laid up, Sarge can come up with an excellent post about Independence Day and the challenges in front of us.  And there are indeed great, even existential, challenges ahead,  Whilst pondering these, the family and I went into town.

There was a parade to watch.


 Leading the parade the color guard from the NJROTC Det at the local HS.  They may not be exactly in step, but they are stepping up under the watchful eye of the Detachment Commander and some active duty folks, only a year or two older than them.

The parade goes up and down Main Street for a total of 4 miles.  Both sides of the street looked the same.  It was crowded.

So, Sarge, the folks in San Francisco or NYC may not be particularly patriotic, but I don't think we need to worry too much.  They're just vocal, but I don't believe them to be the majority.

The Town's first fire engine, still works.
I liked this one for some reason.
Celebrating our heritage

Lots of Whoops from the younger generation on this one.

Public Transportation
Three of these in the parade.  One I turned my back to, one I watched and this one that I clapped and hollered for.
Some local Beauty Queens
Don't know what this is, but I think I want one!
When someone says they're "going green" around here, this is what they mean.
The parade lasted about 2 hours.  Old NFO wanted us to "show the Flag".  We did, with flying colors, any way you want to take that.

It's gonna take a while and it's not going to be pretty, but we'll get through.  But Ben Franklin's quote "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."  is as true now as it ever was.



*SJC

27 comments:

  1. A ripping tale of striving to overcome adversity...

    Sort of.

    Nice parade and great post, Juvat. Sierra Hotel!

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    Replies
    1. I wouldn't say it's been hard, but there were more times when I wanted to look up something and had an "Oh Right" moment than I thought there would be.

      Thanks

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  2. Where hope lives, in the flyspecks in flyover country.

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    1. I can just see them as their flying over in their G-3 (or is it the Lear today, I can never keep it straight). "Look, Rupert, the little people are lined up down the street. Why are they carrying pitchforks?"

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  3. Now THAT's a PARADE!

    Love those old two-cylinder Johnny-Pops. Pop-pop-pop-pop-POP!

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    1. There are some cool things in the parade. Lots of REALLY old tractors and steam engines, classic cars etc. I meant to include a picture of a guy riding a long horn. HUGE animal. Being an A&M fan, I loved the lineup. Directly behind the longhorn was the UT float, a hand pulled replica of the UT tower. Pulled by about a dozen UT folks. Directly Behind the Longhorn!

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    2. Heh. I see what you did there.

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    3. Twas a veritable minefield of Bovine Excrement they had to navigate!

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    4. Kinda like working at the Pentagon neh?

      (Also, FWIW, my alma mater, Colorado State University was, once upon a time, Colorado A&M. I understand Aggies. Kind of. Sort of.)

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    5. Figuratively, yes. The UT bubbas were a bit more literal.

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    6. The Volunteers had a float in your parade?

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    7. You're right PA. As an Aggie Fan, the proper designation for that school in Austin is t. u.

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  4. I got a clue about "Texas Hot" when I went to Houston - in May - to see Shell Oil. You could still feel the humidity.

    Think that was a Packard you admired - good taste! It is a shame what happened to them after the war - "Ask the man who owns one" was their motto.

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    Replies
    1. The manual labor part mentioned in the post was moving my daughter from College Station to Austin. 90/90 degrees/humidity. Why yes, I sweated. A Bunch!

      Yep, it's a nice car.

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  5. I have shared your angst regarding internet withdrawal. On our excursion to Carmel for the fiftieth, the B&B claimed "free internet", but it was not free of troublesome performance. It was (and I find it hard to say this, even now) - INTERMITTENT. Yikes, the next worst thing to none. Perhaps worst, because one's effort to appear sagacious may or may not be received by those waiting with baited breath. The output goes into the dreaded "draft" folder.

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    1. I think you're right on that. Mine was just broke. After I got past my muscle memory habits when I needed information, (click google and start typing), it didn't bother me too much. It's broke, it'll be fixed tomorrow. But with, as you say, INTERMITTENT, it's got to be "will it work THIS time? Did I click the next button or just at it?" Much Worse!

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  6. Regarding your picture "Celebrating our heritage." Are you in Fredericksburg TX?

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  7. You are in a section of the country I wish I could spend more time in. I spent a couple of years with a Seabee staff in Austin and wanted to get over to Frericksburg. Hope to make it one of these days. And how could a parade in Luckenbach be anything less than outstanding?

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    Replies
    1. We enjoy it here. Not sure they have a parade in Luckenbach, but if they do, I'm sure it is spectacular!

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  8. I resemble that, and thanks for pitching in!!! Great pics too!

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  9. Spent a fair amount of time in Fredricksberg while calling San Antonio home. Always enjoyed it there: B&Bs, beer gartens, Nimetz, Hilltop Cafe, Hanger Inn. It was all good. Was that Naval JROTC advisor a "brown shoe?" regards, Alemaster

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    1. Yeah, NFO and finished as CO of a Hawkeye squadron. He's OK and as the only other military aviator in the district, we get along ok.

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  10. It looks like a T-Rex trike and a Aero 3s body kit. About 60 grand for the trike and then the price of the body kit.
    I would be fun to take it through the twisty's, but for that kind of money one could have a Polaris Slingshot and a restored "johnny popper" or two.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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