Other Sunsets and Other Things

Hopefully there's no copyright infringement when it comes to titles of posts, but Sarge whet my appetite with that beautiful sunset photo he opened with a couple days ago so I'm stealing his.  With that, I wanted to add to the beauty here at The Chant with some more photos in that vein.  It was an amazing summer in San Diego and places near and far with some amazing sunsets.  

This was out in Colorado, east of Denver.  Colorado is rugged, mountainous, and beautiful, but if you go a little further east, it's as flat as the great plains.  It made for an expansive sunset though.

Sunset from a marina on Mission Bay.  We were taking out a friend's boat to go watch the fireworks drone show that Sea World puts on nightly in the summer.  They've caved to environmentalist pressure and abandoned their fireworks display that was a summer staple for 40 years.  While I miss it, the drone show isn't bad. Take a look if you wish.

This was July in Poipu Hawaii, before Hurricane Lowell tore it up just a couple months later.  These next two photos are of the resort we stayed at:

The main pool looked a lot better when we were there.  You can see it here: Pool

Fortunately they've been working hard and from what I've read, the property is in much better shape, although not fully healed.  Kauai is at the end of the distribution train and supplies and rebuilding materials are slow in arriving, as are insurance adjustors and claim payouts.  There's also a lot of unemployment on the island since the hotels and resorts have fewer guests so less money to employ these people.  We'll probably be back, but not for a few years.  Not because we're worried about the state of the resort, but we tend to use our timeshare points on resorts we've not visited before.  

As an update from my last post, the new windshield on my wife's car seems to be keeping the rain out of course, but the roof repair on our homestead is not expected for a couple weeks.  The company is a little backlogged because of the recent rain- including what's falling right now as I write this.  Unfortunately we are in "El Nino" season and more rain is expected.  A lot more.  That's ok though-   I have a bucket and we really need the rain.  It's been so dry around here since last winter that my skin is currently registering as a medium-grit sandpaper.

 

This is one of our Wasp Class Amphibs off the California Coast last June.  I'll admit to AI helping fix the photo which was taken at speed from the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner.  That train goes from San Diego up the coast and all the way to San Luis Obispo.  It offers some outstanding views of the ocean with some parts of the track having nothing but beach between the ocean and the track.  Anybody taken that train or one of the cross-country routes on Amtrak?  I'm considering adding it to our travel bucket list.  

Check out the Reel and the video:

https://www.instagram.com/reels/De0Lt7YvlRP/

@tisvlad

Jet & Sunset! Carlsbad Airport Departure

@sddiscover

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This photographer has a condo just across from Petco Park so she gets some amazing sunset shots.

From the Bora Bora Yacht Club

I don't remember if I wrote about it, but Bora Bora was top-tier, A plus, premium beauty.  The natural reef and white sand at the bottom makes the lagoon incredibly picturesque.  Unfortunately, the clouds seem to roll in just ahead of sunset so I didn't get that perfect sunset photo I was hoping for. 

I did get this one though which is going to be our Christmas Card so you're getting a sneak peek.  

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I've never been one to get starry-eyed over celebrity culture, nor am I the type to mourn people I didn't know personally. But I do hold a quiet respect for a few great actors. My interactions with the few I've come across have always been low-key: I once shared a cup of coffee with Gene Hackman in the wardroom of the USS Carl Vinson, and while I respected him immensely, I never asked for an autograph or a selfie. Two years later, I crossed paths with R. Lee Ermey on the Nimitz. The ship’s photographer snapped a photo of us, though it's a piece of my history I never got to see.  Tom Skerritt is another one of those actors I quietly respected.  I didn't know much about him personally, but to me, that’s part of why I respected him. So many celebrities today use their popularity—and often the award stage—as a personal soapbox to talk politics, criticize the government, or lecture the rest of us about global issues. Skerritt never did that. He just did his job, playing strong characters with a quiet presence that commanded attention.

I first saw him back in the movie M*A*S*H*, and then of course as Viper in TOPGUN (one word, all caps!). He was also wonderful as a pastor and father in A River Runs Through It, which I thoroughly enjoyed. He was a professional who kept it entirely about the craft.  And with his departure, I think we truly lost a great American.

Enough for today.  Enjoy your Sunday.

On Sleep ...

H/t to Andy N.
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I think I've been looking for that description for a very long time. Disappointment sleep, it's not an extra few minutes of repose, it's knowing that you gotta get up, and soon. It's not like waking up at 3 AM and saying, "Ah, I can sleep another X hours." No, I call that "bonus sleep," where your body thinks, "damn it, I have to get up now" but your brain realizes, "Damn, I can sleep more, deep sleep too."

Nope, waking up shortly before the alarm goes off is very disappointing. It's looking at the clock and thinking, "Damn it, brain! Why couldn't you just sleep right up until it's time to get up?" Nope, it's awakening, knowing that it's not exactly time to get up but it's so close that you might as well get up.

Happened to me damn near every day when I was gainfully employed. When I was younger it wasn't that much of a big deal, now that I'm old and decrepit, every minute counts. Waking up before you have to, usually because nature calls, is a pain in the butt. After all, us old folks are bouncing out of bed every two to three hours anyway.

It's gotten so bad that if I do sleep for more than four hours in a row, I wonder what I missed. "Hhmm, I didn't get up to pee at 0300, I wonder what the weather was like at that time? Was it still raining? When did that stop?"

Ah, the joys of advancing old age.

Friday morning I had to get up so as to go to the airport and collect The Missus Herself on her return from the Far West. (Hey, Korea is west of here distance-wise, we got that "Far East" crap from the Brits. I mean it was closer for them to go east, but not for us colonials!) Besides which, she spent a couple of days at her sister's in Las Vegas, which is also west of my location.

Anyhoo, her flight was supposed to land at 1030 local (it did) so I didn't have to really get up until about 0830. As it's 30 minutes to an hour (depending on traffic) from Chez Sarge to TF Green, 0830 would work, time for coffee, maybe a bagel (which did happen), then shower and shave and head out to pick up mama.

So of course I woke up at 0600. To pee, of course. Returning to bed I checked the time, two and a half hours before the alarm. Perfect!

So of course, I checked The Missus Herself's flight schedule. And my email, and the blog, and then Facebook, and then ...

Damn it! Now it's 0700 and the brain is fully awake. As my old bones scream "Lay down you fool, go back to sleep!" - my brain is saying, "Yum, bagel."

So yeah, rather than log some disappointment sleep, I got up.

A lovely morning, a lovely day, though a bit cool in the 40s, but ...

Okay, I'm not a morning person, I like sunrise as much as the next person, but damn why are they so early?

Anyhoo, mama's home, domestic tranquility is reestablished, and I'm not flying solo anymore. So I'm good, tired, but good.

Carry on, I'd nap but my damn brain won't quit until it gets dark again ...

Sigh ...

Sunsets and Other Things ...

OAFS Photo

The Missus Herself should be inbound to TF Green by the time some of you read this, the early visitors will find her probably still in the air. So the alone time is winding down.

'Bout damn time.

Though I like a little freedom from spousal oversight from time to time, having to be on my own becomes wearisome after a few weeks. I mean where would I be without someone reminding me to put the toilet seat down? My argument that gravity does most of that work falls on deaf ears. Personally I like to keep all hatches sealed, make everyone work so to speak. But as The Missus Herself pointed out, a closed hatch gives mold just the environment it desires. So, having had to keep the facilities clean in her absence, I see her point.

For those thinking, "Come on Sarge, you were enlisted, surely you've cleaned a toilet or two in your days," think again. Squad leader in Basic, and in Tech School, my job was to ensure the dorm was clean, to include the head, not actually, you know, doing the cleaning. On Okinawa we had maids and by the time I got to Korea, we lived in apartments with communal facilities of the most primitive type. Not sure how those were "cleaned." And at work we had, again, maids. So toilet cleaning is a fairly new activity on my part.

I think I did a better job of keeping the domicile tidy and clean this time around, but we'll see what The Missus Herself thinks after she gets home. Not today mind you, she'll be jet lagged, but Saturday?

Have mercy on me.

Now that opening photo was taken Wednesday afternoon as I was putting the trash out. After depositing the bins roadside, I was bathed in this unbelievable bright light as I walked up the driveway. Turning to the west, I saw the sky lit up and the clouds painted as you see above. Yes, much more spectacular in person, photos can't seem to capture what nature really looks like.

Speaking of the sunset, a dear friend of mine recently lost her grandmother. As she left work on Wednesday she saw that same sky. She had experienced a similar phenomenon when her grandfather, this grandmother's spouse, had passed. She took it as a sign that they were once again together. I read it the same way.

Nature speaks, we should listen.

Ciao.

Good News!

 

 

Well Campers, I had a bit of good news Wednesday morning.  As many of you are aware, Mrs J and I were involved in a truck accident on Halloween last year.  Single vehicle, but we were in it.  We'd driven from Fredericksburg to College Station to take our grand kids trick or treating. We were very close to exiting the highway when I blacked out with Atrial Fluctuation.  (Yes Beans, I had been saying Atrial Fibrilation, but my Cardiologist corrected me.)

Anyhow, I blacked out, went off the highway, across the access road and into a gulley.  Unfortunately the cruise control stayed on and we hit a granite rock at 75 MPH.  Totaled the truck but Mrs J was fine with just a bruise from the seat belt.  I was a bit worse off having hit the steering column, seat belt was on, but the steering column was closer.   Anyhow, fractured my sternum and 3 vertebrae in my neck.  That having been said, it would have been very easy for it to have been MUCH worse.

 Into the hospital for a week, a neck brace for 3 months and a suspension of my drivers license as I had blacked out.  

Well...now almost exactly 9 months after the accident, I visited the Judge who had the power to restore my driving privilege.  He listened to me as well as the person from the DMV.  She told him that I should be permanently restricted from driving. C’mon!  It had already been 9 months without a cranial shutdown. Suffice it to say not driving was a huge PITA! Mrs J has a Travel Agent job, I had a lot of Doctor Appointments, she couldn't do both at the same time and I couldn't drive myself.  As I said PITA!

The Judge was a former USAF judge, he and I got along pretty well.  He suggested I take an additional 3 months off of driving and come back then.  Well, the 3 months expired yesterday.  I walked into the courtroom with a folder full of medical reports ,various Doctors reports on my return to health, and DMV reports of what was needed to regain driving privilege.  It was at least a half inch thick.

He swore me in.  Asked what the Doctor had said.  I told him and he said "Well Good! We'll file the paperwork giving you driving permission.  When you receive that, you're good to go. "

So...I hope the DMV gets their act in gear soon. Their rep didn't look to happy about the decision. But....

Anyhow, I should be back on the road soon. Thank you Lord!

Sorry no pictures, not allowed in the courtroom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress, slow but steady progress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ok, Campers, back on the home construction front, there's been quite a bit of progress and a significant set back.  I like to end on an up note, so I'll start with the "Awwww Feces!" aspect.

As you are aware, we have Cabernet and Merlot on our property and have for several years.

No, Beans, no grapes, Horses.

 

 Cabernet

 

And Merlot. 

They've been penned up since we sold our property in Fredericksburg and moved to College Station.  We're getting very close to being able to rescue them and bring them to our new property. (AKA almost a year, the end of October.)  But... There's ALWAYS something! 

We had the barn built and gave him some specific things we needed the barn to have.  One of those specifications was all 6 doors needed to open all the way (AKA ~180 degrees) so that there was enough room to get equipment, horses and hay into the barn without problems. 

Well, the barn itself turned out pretty well, but take a gander below to see where things went wrong. 

 

 

 Yep, that's as far as the doors opened. All 6 of them, the other side of this doorway, the doors to the Horse stables and the exit to the barn from the other side.  The latter is needed to bring a pickup through and carry hay out into the pasture.  The foreman for this aspect of the project said he'd "Never needed to open a barn door all the way."  Wouldn't have been a problem if he'd said that before he started working and after we had told him how far we wanted the doors to open.

Yep, he's been "let go".  Hired another guy who's starting this week.  Mrs J explained in very precise English what she wanted and why he's been hired to finish the project and that payment wasn't guaranteed if the doors didn't open ~180 degrees.   She has a very pleasant way of explaining what she wants.  The first bozo just wasn't listening.

Anyhow, other than that, construction is progressing very nicely.  This was the Main House's status in my last post on this subject. 

I was a bit laid up in bed last week, so didn't get out there until this last weekend.  When I did get back out there, I was pleasantly surprised.

Roofing is being framed. 

The Garage

The front left corner.  Entry is on the left, porch wraps around to the garage.

Front door and porch

South and west porches.

Yes, the porches wrap around the house. We enjoy spending time outside.  We can move to where it's coolish and with a breeze if available.  If not, well...the inside will be pretty nice also.

 

My brother visited us this past weekend.  Got to walk through his cottage which is further along .  Seemed to like it quite a lot and is looking forward to moving in.  We walked through it with our builder and his foreman.  Answered all our questions, admitted to a couple of mistakes (that can and will be fixed) and made some pretty good suggestions.  As we left, a painter had begun painting the outside of the house.  So progress.  Power and water are still on the to-do list, but progress.

 

Builder said Brudda's house should available to live in mid-December.  Ours is still looking at March.  So, it shall be.

 

Peace out, Y'all! 

 

 

 

 

I've Got Something!

 

AI Generated Image

I thought I would jump in from the cheap seats here and help out Sarge and Juvat. Not to worry, no politics today.  I did that recently and don't have the stomach for it today. 

Speaking stomachs, back on October 1st Sarge wrote about how he's been eating well, indulging in a delicious salad. With my cardiologist recommending eating better, I have started eating salads more on the regular. Which is healthy and keeps me regular! However my salads can't just be a basic lettuce tomato and croutons, or maybe a cucumber sliced up in there too, but it needs to be much more varied. I prefer a very colorful and crunchy salad, with croutons and or tortilla chips or those little tiny bagel or pita chips in there, maybe some sliced grapes, cranberries and walnuts, shredded carrots, maybe some grated cheese, and mandarin orange segments. All of that over a base of a chopped salad is my favorite, as I prefer that over chunky lettuce pieces. However, it must also have some protein, and my preferred is some grilled chicken that is still warm, maybe a mesquite filet, chopped up into slices or small chunks. I don't necessarily have all of that in one salad, but the more stuff the better. A tasty colorful textured meal helps me enjoy it and tricks me into thinking it's not as healthy as it is. I realize that adding cheese and dressing takes a little bit of a that healthiness away but baby steps. I like a raspberry vinaigrette and with that some cranberries and some other crunchies are good. If it's some sort of Asian ginger dressing then the more Mandarin segments the better, and the fried wontons for the crunchies. I love a chunky blue cheese dressing, and that requires some apple chunks or slices and some walnuts, maybe a big leafy green like spinach and a spring mix. Anyway, more than you wanted to know about my salad interests but eating healthier has been on my mind.

Eating more salad has got to be cheaper right?  I hope so, as we have been hit with a ton of unexpected bills recently.  First off was a steady leak we discovered after the last big rain we had here when Hurricane Rachel weakened into a Tropical Storm and passed through.  Fortunately we don't need a new roof, just a couple sections of the roof need repairing, but it's still a healthy chunk out of our savings.  Fortunately we can swing it without anything more than me grumbling about it.  

Some car stuff too.  First off, my wife's car needed new tires.  Then her windshield separated a little and that same rain leaked into the cabin.  USAA covered it, but I have a high deductible.  When it rains, it pours, literally.  

Speaking of cars, did you all see the video of Elon musk's latest invention, the flying car? No?  Well here you go!

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That man is the living embodiment of a mad scientist. Ok, maybe "mad" isn't the best description, but amazing and unconstrained is definitely apt. That car isn't exactly practical, and while we don't want the CHP* to become the FAA, it is pretty amazing what he creates. He has transformed space flight, electric vehicles, solar power, and satellite internet access. Whatever he sets his mind to he likely will achieve, and having mostly infinite resources does greatly enable his inventive streak. 

There's been a long-standing joke about flying cars that we were promised.  We've been dreaming about them since the 50's or 60's I'd guess and no one has really delivered, until now.**  To be honest, it's just a concept car and not a production model.  It's filled with compressed air and uses thrusters borrowed from SpaceX tech.  Not sure there's much room for all the rest of the things we want in a car, but he's really good at building, testing, and failing until he gets it right.  He just may have it right already, but it'll be fun to see what he has planned for it next.  Even if we don't get flying production cars, that tech could be useful for safety aspects, preventing rollovers and such.  I guess it is supposed to go into production in 2028, but are we really ready for flying cars?  There's already questions about what agency would regulate it, so my FAA comment, while tongue-in-cheek, isn't that far off.  I expect my finances will regulate it right out of the realm of possibility for me, as it will many others.

It seems Elon's imagination knows no bounds.  He has also been this year's largest donor for political campaigns. I'm glad he's on my side of most issues***.

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I will try not to blow out my flip flop there.

In my last post I mentioned the travel my wife and I have planned; a bucket list to tick off in the near-term before we hit the age that too many of my relatives never got the chance to reach. I was recently informed about a Knights of Columbus meeting we get to attend in the Bahamas next March.  It's due to the work I did last year as California's Membership Director.  I've been told it's more of a reward than a true business meeting, but I'm ok with that, or at least I will be.  Of course my Catholic guilt has interfered with the anticipation of the trip, and I'm thinking of how much charity could be done with the money for it all.  Don't worry, I won't feel the guilt for long.  About 20 State Membership Directors will be attending, all expenses paid.  

Now that I'm not as busy with KofC work, I've had some time to watch some decent TV shows, and a few that aren't all that great.  On the good side of that ledger I strongly recommend 

Slow Horses starring Gary Oldman as the leader of a disgraced group of MI-5 agents, all banished to "Slough House."  After the finale on Thursday, I'll pick up The Diplomat again on Netflix.  Sarge is just starting it, but my wife and I have been invested for a while. 

Another one I really enjoyed was Jackal, based on Frederick Forsyth's Day of the Jackal.  He's one of my favorite authors and while the 90s era movie remake starring Bruce Willis and Richard Gere wasn't very good, this recent adaption into a series is very well done.  If you haven't read the book or seen the original movie from 1973, those too are highly recommended.

Ted Lasso.  Watch it.  Enough said.

As for the not-so-good, a show I really liked for the first couple seasons, but has dropped off quickly is Reacher.  I've read nearly all of the Lee Child books and like the character - a huge former Army MP officer who’s sharp, capable, and always on the move.  The first two season were great.  The third was good, but the 4th has deviated from the source material too much and the story is unrealistic, with Reacher doing things he never would have.  I guess it's been renewed for 2 more season though.  Not sure I'll tune in.  The Tom Cruise movies were meh.

Anyhoo, that's all I've got for today.  Let me know if you've watched any of those and if you plan to watch.

*California Highway Patrol.  Or choose your own State traffic police agency.

**I'm not counting the VTOL airplanes with wheels that have been developed over the past decade.

***It's nice to have a counter to Soros who just funds chaos.

William G. Harrell, USMC Medal of Honor

 Today we'll be discussing William G. Harrell, a United States Marine who earned the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima.  Most of Sarge's readers are Military and Retired Military and as such have a fairly large knowledge about Military History.  The Battle of Iwo Jima was an exceptionally hard battle on a dangerous island that had to be captured by the Marines.  I had always thought so, and when I read through this Marine's "adventure", I came to realize I had NO IDEA how hard it was.  So...Hang on to your seats, here we go.

 

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Master Sergeant Harrell graduated High School in 1939 and attended Texas A&M for the next two years (You know what happened then) and joined the Marines in 1942. After completing training in 1943, he deployed to the Pacific Theater, participating in the invasion of Saipan June 15 to July 9 1944, a very difficult invasion as it was one of the Marine's first.  A lot of hard learned lessons came about.  

He followed that with the invasion of Iwo Jima.  Suffice it to say, it was likely that Saipan was child's play compared to Iwo Jima. 

 While on Iwo Jima, Sgt Harrell and PFC Carter were dispatched out front of their company headquarters to watch for the enemy from a foxhole.  The Japanese started an attack and the PFC's rifle jammed.  Sgt Harrell sent him back to get another.  While gone, the Japanese threw a grenade into their foxhole which blew off Sgt Harrell's left hand.  PFC Carter returned but that rifle also jammed.  Sgt Harrell, thinking he was dying from his injury, ordered Carter to return to the company command post about 20 yards behind them.

Carter left and returned with a second rifle and a stretcher.  While he was gone, Sgt Harrell fought off another charge although the Japanese attack involved another grenade toss which severed his right hand, and also killed the attacking Japanese.  When daybreak came and reinforcements arrived, they found the two were surrounded by 12 dead Japanese .  PFC Carter was awarded the Navy Cross while Sgt Harrell was presented with the Medal of Honor.  

Sounds to me, that both did their job above and beyond (Well above and beyond) the call of duty.

On October 5 1945, President Truman presented him with the Medal of Honor. 

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 The Citation for the presentation of Sergeant Major's Medal of Honor.

 

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to
SERGEANT WILLIAM G. HARRELL
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Leader of an Assault Group, serving with the First Battalion, Twenty-Eight Marines, Fifth Marine Division, during hand- to-hand combat with enemy Japanese at Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, on March 3, 1945. Standing watch alternately with another Marine in a terrain studded with caves and ravines, Sergeant Harrell was holding a position in a perimeter defense around the company command post when Japanese troops infiltrated our lines in the early hours of dawn. Awakened by a sudden attack, he quickly opened fire with his carbine and killed two of the enemy as they emerged from a ravine in the light of a star-shell burst. Unmindful of his danger as hostile grenades fell closer, he waged a fierce lone battle until an exploding missile tore off his left hand and fractured his thigh; he was attempting to reload the carbine when his companion returned from the command post with another weapon. Wounded again by a Japanese who rushed the foxhole wielding a saber in the darkness, Sergeant Harrell succeeded in drawing his pistol and killing his opponent and then ordered his wounded companion to a place of safety. Exhausted by profuse bleeding but still unbeaten, he fearlessly met the challenge of two more enemy troops who charged his position and placed a grenade near his head. Killing one man with his pistol, he grasped the sputtering grenade with his good right hand and, pushing it painfully toward the crouching soldier, saw his remaining assailant destroyed but his own hand severed in the explosion. At dawn Sergeant Harrell was evacuated from a position hedged by the bodies of twelve dead Japanese, at least five of whom he had personally destroyed in his self-sacrificing defense of the command post. His grim fortitude exceptional valor and indomitable fighting spirit against almost insurmountable odds reflect the highest credit upon himself and enhance the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
/S/ HARRY S. TRUMAN 

I'm sorry, but I don't choose to discuss his final passing in 1964.  

 

Sources

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_G._Harrell

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/harrell-william-george 

https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/william-g-harrell