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Praetorium Honoris

Thursday, June 23, 2022

I'm Back ...


So yeah, that was my morning, afternoon, evening view (well, the light was different each time, but you know what I mean ...) for most of last week.

BTW, today is the first time I noticed the giant light bulb in the foreground. Sorry, I was focused on the water ...

Anyhoo, I had a great time with The Missus Herself, two daughters, one son-in-law, three granddaughters and one grandson. The latter and one of the former shown below. I tell ya, the lad is going to be a proper rocker someday. (Or maybe a fighter pilot like his Dad, Lord knows he's smart enough to be a Nuke like his Mom. Smarter 'n me he is. Though that bar is set rather low indeed.)


I know, I know, I haven't put up a proper post in a couple of weeks. Truth be told, this is the longest stretch I've gone without posting in quite some time.

At first I was kind of worried, I was jonesing to write something, anything. That feeling passed after the first day when I awakened to find this. On the drive down to Maryland (My Maryland), I was a bit concerned as to the possible breaking of the streak, i.e., the consecutive days where we have posted something (damned near anything).

About the time we hit the Delaware state line, I stopped stressing about it. There have even been days when I've contemplated throwing in the towel on this blogging thing, heaven forfend, yes, 'tis true. As juvat has mentioned, it ain't easy doing this every day. Though he did it well, I fear I have overstressed his airframe. Yup, carrying the load for much of the last ten days may have over-G'ed juvat. (As an aside, no juvat, you can't have next Monday off. Scrooge I've been, Scrooge I remain.) Oh yeah, Tuna pitched a couple of innings as well, he's a great relief blogger.

Anyhoo, the lads did well, I'm proud of them. Also feeling rather rested, writing-wise, so here we are.

In the next photo, no, I'm not teaching my grandson to blog, we're looking at pictures of puppies, in preparation for watching the official video for AC/DC's Thunderstruck. Yes, he's a big fan, the Metallica shirt above notwithstanding. Forgot to mention, that's L'il Sweetie on the right in the photo above, LUSH's youngest. Which reminds me, the youngest grandson doesn't have a callsign yet.

Hhmm ...

I'm on dangerous ground here, The Nuke, while she does have a sense of humor, is literally a mother bear when it comes to protecting her progeny.

Good Mom there.


Looking at the photo above, all I can say is, damn, I'm getting old.

The trip to Maryland was not too bad, Waze routed us over the Tappen Zee, rather than endure the sometimes agony of the Cross Bronx Expressway. Spent a bit of time on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut, a road which the only benefit to is no trucks. Other than that, I tend to avoid it, traffic along I-95 in western Connecticut, though it is a colossal pain most of the time, is, at least, a known colossal pain. The Merritt Parkway seems clogged these days with people looking for a driving school, as most of them need it.


All that being said, Monday the 13th of June was the very first time I have actually operated a motor vehicle closer to DC than Annapolis. No fun, no fun at all. Note the map above, once past the "DC area" (whatever that means) I-66 was "OMG, will this effing construction ever fricking end?" NBC, all the way.

I was flying number two on the trip down to Lake Anna, Tuttle and The Nuke have been there the past cuppla summers, so he was flying lead. He led, I followed. No, I didn't close my eyes, though I was tempted at times.

On the way back I noticed this -

Period fence at Manassas Battlefield
(Source)
Saw the signs for the "Manassas Battlefield," of which the above is an example of what I noticed. Old fences, "period" fences if you will. "Cool," I thought.

I mentioned to Lush that her great-great grandfather had been captured at one of the two battles fought in that area. (I never remember which one.) At which point L'il Bit, the senior granddaughter, after a moment of intense calculation, said, "Geez Grampa, you're old."

Yup, my grandfather's father fought in the Civil War (or whatever your particular dogma insists that it be called). So yes, I am old.

All that being said, why Manassas? Why not Bull Run? (Which is what the north called the battles, First Bull Run and Second Bull Run.) The south calls it First Manassas and Second Manassas. As they won both encounters, seems right that they get to name it.

The North seemed to like naming armies and battles after rivers and creeks - the Army of the Potomac, the Army of the James, First Bull Run, Antietam, etc. Whereas the South liked to name armies and battles after places - the Army of Northern Virginia, Army of Mississippi (state, not river), First Manassas, Sharpsburg, etc. Just thought I'd mention that.

Anyhoo, drove through the battle area, didn't stop, not with an almost two year old starting to tire of riding in a car seat. Speed was of the essence.

Anyhoo, I'm back, vacation was good, travel is taxing, can't wait to do the former on a near permanent basis come December.

Really looking forward to that.

And I think Beans is up tomorrow. My return is semi-short-lived, but I am back and will pick up the WWII series soon, I promise. (Sorry to those who don't care for it, but it's my thing, history ya know.)





28 comments:

  1. Well Sarge, you're only old when your mouth starts to make audible noises whenever you move. Then the trick is to remember to keep said mouth shut..........:). juvat and Tuna did very well in pinch-hitting, very good bench strength there. Good to see you survived ........Road Trip!

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  2. "I don't want to be an Elder!" I proclaimed. "Doesn't matter, you are. We have Elders who are young enough to be your cnildren, even your grand children!" Hmmpt. Most of my "wisdom" is having made mistakes and survived to tell the story of why not to do that.

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  3. The grandkids are the glory of the grandma and grandpa. You have a nice tribe there.
    I'm not as tender and gentle with other drivers. I question their lineage and intelligence. Not to mention..... well, lets not. Good to see you made it through the construction. Glad to know you back in the lineup (or are the lineup).

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    1. Oh I do bitch constantly, just not when the wife is onboard.

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  4. Sarge, glad you had a restful time off. The lads did very well indeed - in fact, Juvat may have also free-formed once or twice. Given more time, I expect The Brothers Karamazov to start appearing.

    I do not envy you the drive around D.C. - I have had to travel into it for work once or twice for work and thence to the outer beltway. There are times I would rather go fairly out of my way to avoid such things rather than encounter them; I end up spending about the same amount of time anyway.

    When I think about getting older, the thought by some wag always comes to my mind: It is hell, but there are a great many souls who wish they had the opportunity. It keeps my grumbling to a minimum.

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    1. "Old" is a state of mind, I think that I am young therefore ...

      "Yikes! Do I really look like that?"

      Reality meets perception.

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  5. Good to hear from you again, Sarge. Thanks for posting some reminders that life is precious.

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    Replies
    1. I need to do those sort of posts more often.

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  6. Glad you and yours made the trip and survived intact even if a bit traffic-stressed. I frequently drive over the end of Lake Anna going up to Culpeper. It's probably faster to,take 95 to Fredericksburgh and head west, but I like avoiding 95 when I can. I'll be heading up to NH again in August, plan to avoid 95 as much as possible. I've been going to DC and its suburbs since 1977, the traffic has always been horrible, often due to the idiot politicians not planning far enough ahead, coupled with too many people having learned to drive in Upper Slobovia.

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    1. Yup, 95 is a nightmare, nearly anywhere along its length.

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  7. Glad you had a good trip. Looking forward to hearing the (first-person) tales my uncles used to relate (only when in their cups).
    (BTW: totally off-topic) I notice that Germany is shaking it's sword again (“We will campaign more than ever for the preservation of an international order that is based on law rather than force,” said Olaf Scholz as he concluded promising a major investment that would turn the Bundeswehr into the largest military force among European members of the US-led military bloc, - Huh!)

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    1. Germany has no sword to shake, thanks to years of not fulfilling their obligations to NATO.

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  8. I hope you bought your grandson a Foo Fighters t-shirt for tomorrow! You know, I worry about you pushing yourself too hard with the blog. Is it a streak just because it's a streak? If the thought of not have a post and not having a relief pitcher stresses you out, just know that we'll just come
    back the next day!

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    1. By the way, do I detect some redness in that left eye in that picture, or is it just the angle. Worries me a bit. I don't envy your eye problems.

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    2. Tuna #1 - What's tomorrow? Am I missing something (other than it being 3 months since Taylor Hawkins passed)? I played some Foo for him, he prefers AC/DC, or "You're Welcome" from Moana, he has rather eclectic tastes.

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    3. Tuna #2 - The left eye is good for peripheral vision only and not much else. The glaucoma eye drops cause my eyes to be very red after taking them. I think in that photo I had just finished up the morning session of eye drops (three in the morning, four at night in the left eye, two and two in the right eye).

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    4. I just meant Metallica shirt today, Foo Fighters tomorrow, a whole collection of rock t-shirts!

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    5. Ah, now I get it. You're right, I need to enhance his collection!

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  9. I hated DC traffic when we were stationed there darn near 30 years ago, I KNOW for an absolute fact, being gummint run and all, that traffic has gotten worse in that time.
    No, Sarge, you didn't over-g me. Ran me out of ammo maybe, but I can still turn with the best of them.
    Glad you had a good time with your family. And that looked like a great place to Vacay!

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    1. I highly recommend the area around Lake Anna. Quiet, relaxing, rural but with some great nearby amenities. (Like a really well-stocked Food Lion.)

      Glad to know we didn't Over-G you. 😁

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  10. Glad you're back! Family is fun! Driving? Not so much. My grandfather's dad, and my grandmother's, were POWs in the same camp run by the yankees up North. Didn't know each other at all. Lucky to survive. They were reunited at the wedding reception my grands got married. They had both moved to Texas and both had settled within a few miles of each other. I think that's a great story IMHO. I don't have any wedding reception pictures.

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    1. I don't mind the driving all that much, there are moments though ...

      Interesting story about the granddads, what are the odds? Same POW camp, both survive, then to meet at the wedding of their progeny. 'Merica!

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  11. That map was home for 60+ years. I remember watching the Capitol Beltway being built. Seen 4 (5?) versions of the Springfield Interchange (proof that VDOT engineers use drugs). Use to pick up a pizza in Georgetown and it would still be hot when I got to Springfield. Hell, even remember when the gift shop at Manassas Battlefield sold posters of Lee, Stewart, and Jackson (Virginia's Trinity). Yeah, NO LONGER the place I grew up in. That's why I'm now in The Greenest State In The Land Of The Free.

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    1. Reminds me, we were heading north when we drove by a sign for Brandy Station. Sent chills up my spine. So much history in that area which the modern pinheads are trying to destroy. F**k 'em all I say, history is history, and doesn't give two shits how someone "feels" about it.. Deny Lee, Stuart, and Jackson, you deny America. That is one of the pivotal moments in this Nation's history. Those men lived and served, can't erase them. no matter how hard the Left tries.

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