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I must confess that I am subject to a certain melancholy at this time of year. For as far back as I can remember.
Summer is over¹, when I was a kid it meant the end of freedom, the end of fun. It wasn't really, but that's what it felt like.
That was driven home today when The Nuke sent me a photo of her first born (Roberto) posing for his first day of school picture. Technically his school started yesterday, but he was ill and had to stay home. Of course he was happy about that.
I get it.
Now I am free as a bird. No school, no work, no worries (for the most part). So why this melancholy?
Tradition I suppose, habit maybe, but it's there, it's real, so I'll just roll with the punches.
Sorry for the short post, I don't have too much to say (because of the melancholy no doubt). I have a couple of John Blackshoe posts I'll share over the weekend. They look good.
It's also been a while since I shared a Robert Gale video. This is a good one. In light of the recent passing of Duke Cunningham² I thought it appropriate to look back at the air war over Vietnam. Mr. Gale has two Vietnam air warriors with him in this video.³ Give it a look.
¹ When school starts, summer is over. You cannot argue otherwise with me.
² Don't bother commenting on Duke's career post-Vietnam. Take your politics elsewhere.
³ I have another of his videos I'll share soon. I haven't watched it yet.
Badgers, on the other paw, do our Happy Dance, as Septober is only two weeks away!
ReplyDeleteOkay. You've got that going for you.
DeleteRegarding the end of Summer Sarge, long range weather quesses are showing low sixties for the daily highs next mid-week. Excellent choice on the video!
ReplyDeleteWe're in the 70s next week. Temperature-wise, there is no threat of disco returning ...
DeleteSarge, Summer for me growing up was largely as you state when school started, but in my mind it was always the first or second week in September, when our hometown had their fair. That was the end for some reason; it was only Autumn after that even though the heat had another month or so to run.
ReplyDeleteMy brain refused to accept going to school in the summer, so school = autumn.
DeleteJust the way I'm wired I guess.
We normally have our highest highs in late August. This year it was July and we're running high 80's instead of high 90's. Blessed cool air has started, yay.
ReplyDeleteCool is awesome.
DeleteSounds like y’all are describing winter in Texas with your 80’s and 90’s. I may have to come visit sometime to chill out.
ReplyDeleteJust sayin’!
😉
juvat
Just don't wait until November, might be too chill!
DeleteSeptember/October and spring are my my favourite times of the year here in the south of England. Summer was unbearable with heat/humidity and a severe drought. At least we now have some much needed rain.
DeleteRetired
I'll second that for the south of New England as well!
DeleteMy folks used to send me away for the summers - with older cousins who made my life hell, just 'cause they could - get away with it.
ReplyDeleteI was overjoyed getting back so I could get into all sorts of whatever with my buddies (my age): go fishing in the creeks and lakes, hunt rabbits with a BB gun, play football without getting knocked on my Aunt Fannie all the time, usw
just breathe in the cool, crisp autumn air
I do love the taste of fall.
DeleteSarge,
ReplyDeleteFinally got enough time to watch that video. F'IN EXCELLENT! I didn't make it into combat, but in my early years all my Superiors were vets. Learned a lot flying with and against them (I was frequently a movie star), but the debriefs were outstanding. That's where most of the learning occurred.
Watching this I felt like I was in a debrief with Ed Rasimus. So Thanks for posting it.
Well done!
juvat
Mr. Gale and his team do a great job with these videos.
DeleteYou start talking about wrestling snakes and there is going to be an intervention. I love the Fall and always have. I very rarely returned to school so it never bothered me all that much about that part of the end of summer and of course it was a way of getting to know more of the natives of whatever weird place we were living in this year. 30 years in SOCAL got all the sense of seasons knocked right out of me and living on the beach didn't help since I would go to the beach any time I felt like it which was most days.
ReplyDeleteWho is talking about wrestling snakes?
DeleteThanks for posting the video, Sarge.
ReplyDeleteI feel now, that we were woefully unprepared Mid-Summer of 1965, when they fragged us for someplace North. The whole thing actually was a rushed affair, probably thanks to Mr. MacNamara. It wasn't, IMHO, until Colonel Olds, in 1967, brought some brains into the thinking about what the heck (stronger term mentally) we were doing.
My Squadron CO and Flight Commander were both F-80 guys in Korea and they taught us how to do what we really needed to do. Unfortunately, it took several missions up North to get the hang of it.
I feel that those we sent over out of our RTU were much better prepared.
Fuzz, D4
It's a time that needs to be remembered.
Delete