Happy Hour

"IF A LIFETIME CAN BE LIKENED TO A DAY, THEN THIS IS HAPPY HOUR!"
BUCK PENNINGTON

Mother, Mother Ocean

Mother, Mother Ocean, I've heard you call
Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall
You've seen it all, you've seen it all
Watched the men who rode you, switch from sails to steam
In your belly you hold the treasures, few have ever seen
Most of 'em dream, most of 'em dream
Yes, I am a pirate, two hundred year's too late
The cannons don't thunder, there's nothin' to plunder
I'm an over-forty victim of fate
Arriving too late, arriving too late

Yoda

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is."
―Yoda, to Luke Skywalker

Counted the Stars

Counted the stars on the 4th of July
Wishing we were rockets bursting in the sky
Talking about redemption and leaving things behind
I have these pictures and I keep these photographs
To remind me of a time
These pictures and these photographs
Let me know I'm doin' fine
We used to be so happy once upon a time
Once upon a time
But the sun sank west of the Mendocino County Line
And the sun sank west of the Mendocino County Line


""SOME SEE A GLASS AS HALF FULL, SOME SEE IT AS HALF EMPTY, I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHO’S DRINKING MY RUM."
Rumbear

Friday, November 29, 2013

[Updated] If you thought aircraft carriers are immune to rough seas, then watch this: The Aviationist.

This one is pretty cool even if some of it is photoshopped and edited. I do remember seeing "green water" over the bow when I was serving aboard Independence in the mid 1970's. We had some really rough weather on or crossing from Rota, Spain to Norfolk, Virginia at the end of my first deployment.

http://theaviationist.com/2013/11/26/e-2-high-swells/

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Tennessee Teen Wins Igor Sikorsky Youth Innovator Award

Sikorsky Aircraft has given a 15-year-old Tennessee teenager its 2013 Igor Sikorsky Youth Innovator Award and a $1,000 scholarship check for imagining an electrically driven helicopter designed specifically to serve humankind by mid-century.
Vance Hudson (pictured), 15, from Collierville, TN, near Memphis, designed his S-2050 helicopter with a detachable main section that he envisions would allow operators to configure the aircraft rapidly for multiple missions, or deliver modular loads with life-saving resources for those in need. "I came up with the idea for the S-2050 helicopter because many countries can't afford multiple types of emergency aircraft," said Vance. "I envisioned one helicopter that can do many different things, as opposed to a specialist helicopter that sits on the ground until it's needed. One airframe that can serve many different purposes reduces cost and would be able to help people immediately."

Really Smart Kid!
Tennessee Teen Wins Igor Sikorsky Youth Innovator Award
All courtesy of Aero-News Network.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Chanukkah Blessings

To all my followers and friends of Old Retired Petty Officer I give this to you all.

Blessing over Candles
Hebrew MIDI
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe
Hebrew
asher kidishanu b'mitz'votav v'tzivanu
Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us
Hebrew
l'had'lik neir shel Chanukah. (Amein)
to light the lights of Chanukkah. (Amen)
Blessing for Chanukkah
Hebrew MIDI
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe
Hebrew
she'asah nisim la'avoteinu bayamim haheim baziman hazeh. (Amein)
Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time
Shehecheyanu (first night only)
Hebrew MIDI
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe
Hebrew
shehecheyanu v'kiyimanu v'higi'anu laz'man hazeh. (Amein)
who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season (Amen)
The above is from Judaism 101. As it says on there, the page contains the name of God and to please treat it with the appropriate respect.


Sunday, November 24, 2013

Championship Ride: Green grabs Grey Cup

My Saskatchewan Roughriders won the 101st Grey Cup Game over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a final score of 45-23!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes Folks, I am a fan of The Canadian Football League. Having grown up on both sides of the 49th on the Montana and Alberta Prairies it was kind of hard not too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.cfl.ca/article/championship-ride-green-grabs-grey-cup
http://cfl.ca/photo_gallery/gallery/11415

RCAF Snowbirds Flyover before the Grey Cup Game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Cahuilla veteran honored with Bronze Star Medal: From The Anza Valley Outlook

Vietnam War veteran Art Lopez, 64, a member of the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Tribe, received a special honor on Nov. 14. Decades after serving his country in an exceptional way, he was personally presented with a Bronze Star Medal by United States Marine Corps Brigadier General (Ret.) M.A. Johnson, Jr. at a special luncheon held on the Pala Band of Mission Indians Reservation. The Bronze Star Medal is awarded for bravery, heroism, or meritorious service.
Lopez, who was an E5 Sergeant in the Army, said, "I volunteered my entire time in the field, because I didn’t want to come back and have shiny shoes - that’s not what I thought the war was about."
The rest is at the following link.http://www.anzavalleyoutlook.com/story/74782/
Story by Shane Gibson to the Anza Valley Outlook.
Via our fellow Lexican Kanani Fong.

Here we go again..............

At least he had his fly zipped...............................
http://www.navytimes.com/article/20131122/NEWS/311220043/XO-fired-drunken-driving

"Cmdr. Samuel Tanner was executive officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 34, based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va. The firing decision came immediately after non-judicial punishment proceedings, a Navy news release stated. Capt. Christopher Murdoch, the commander of Carrier Air Wing 2, made the decision to fire Tanner, who has been temporarily assigned to the staff of Commander, Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic."

I do believe that Commander Tanner's career is pretty much in the toilet.
Cmdr. Samuel Tanner was fired Friday after receiving a citation for drunken driving.
Cmdr. Samuel Tanner was fired Friday after receiving a citation for drunken driving. (Navy)
All credits to Navy Times.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Dreamlifter at Jabara Airport: Unusual Plane Pr0n

The modified Boeing 747 mistakenly landed at Jabara Airport late Wednesday. The pilot put it down on a 6000 foot runway. 
Nice piece of flying even if it was the wrong airfield. The big deal was getting it off the ground the following day.
The link is to a good sized gallery of the aircraft at Jabara and it's departure.
I will toss in a couple for starters!


Dreamlifter climbing into the soup that was over Wichita on Thursday the 21st.

Dreamlifter at Jabara Airport 1
On the ground on Wednesday night, the 20th.
Spirit Aero Systems had to send a tow tractor to Jabara from their facility on the south end of McConnell AFB on city streets to turn the aircraft around. It required a Wichita PD escort.

http://www.kwch.com/news/local-news/photos-dreamlifter-at-jabara-airport/-/21054266/23083882/-/5py9cm/-/index.html

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Aviators and Pilots

This was at the Neptunus Lex Group on Facebook. Posted by Mr. David Kenneth Ellis.
Funny. Enjoy.

It was stated to me by a soul with good intentions, but not fully understanding the true nature of Naval Aviation, that the Hornet is a superior aircraft to the F-22 based on the fact that the Raptor flares to land.

In his words: "Flaring to land equals squatting to pee."

Thus, being my normal self and always happy to illuminate those to whom the Renaissance was something that happened to other people, I provided the following clarification:

"Any aircraft can perform an on-power carrier approach and land without a flare; it's simply a matter of training versus operational expedience.

The real difference is that the Naval Aviator regularly finds himself rejoining the tightest of spaces as opposed to any oversized strip that'll have him. Which, last time I checked, is where the fun is.

You see, the Naval Aviator has standards as to where he'll park his ego, whereas the Air Force jockey just needs it to lie flat and motionless."


Sunday, November 17, 2013

Beer Blogging 2013-11-17

Got this at BevMo in Palmdale last weekend. The bottle and the label did it.
St. Sebastian. Good Stuff!


Thursday, November 14, 2013

Facebook Fun

Nine things about me....................
Bored. Drinking me some Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA...........................
About me............................................................It does show the imperfections?
9 things about me..................Thanks a lot to my squadron mate from somewhere over twenty years ago..........Tina M. May.............
1. Married to Sharon Naatz Cassel for over 30 years!
2. Dad to Pat, Brian, Rachael and Amanda.
3. Grand Dad to Ricky, Bailee, Lennon, Gianna and Piper.
4. Survived Renal Cell Carcinoma(Kidney Cancer). The procedure is called a Nephrectomy. The left kidney was removed on 21 September 2009.
5. I work for the Air Force............................go figure.................
6. Who I first kissed and when is no longer relevant.
7. I am a Hockey Fan...............The Home Team is the LOS ANGELES KINGS. My long time favorite team is the Canadiens de Montréal.
8. The NFL sucks bilge water.
9. All personal instances from my past are no longer relevant. I survived cancer...............................................................................Still Upright and Still Breathin..........................................................

Monday, November 11, 2013

Kipling-Tommy Atkins..............................

We all know how this feels..................

Tommy

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees! 

Saint Crispin's Day-It fits for Remembrance Day

WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING. What’s he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark’d to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.”
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say “These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.”
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

THE REMEMBRANCE DAY POPPY

From Stormbringer.

ibTHE REMEMBRANCE DAY POPPY/b/i

This is the story of how the red field poppy came to be known as an internationally recognized symbol of Remembrance . . S.L.
Stormbringer sends..............................
Remember

Saturday, November 09, 2013

Morning Ride: California City Municipal Airport Version

As most are aware, I have taken to riding my trusty old, somewhat beat up Walmart Special Mountain Bike three mornings a week for a bit of a distance, preferably over 6 miles. It is part of my exercise plan.............OK, it is the exercise plan. That being said, my Doc says it is a good one.....................
I do haul my Droid RAZR with me in case something happens and I might need assistance.............It also has a pretty fair camera in it. So without further ado, pix from Friday Morning's Ride.................
Fouga Magister

L-29 Czech Trainer

CV-440 Metropolitan with the Trusty Bike

As above

Another one of the Magister
Out here in this little corner of The Mojave Desert, we have unique jets at our little airport. The Morning Ride has become a way of doing some exploring as well.

Monday, November 04, 2013

Frenchy Gets Married

This was at Flopping Aces. It is good, well better than that, OK?
It is outstanding.
By Skook at Flopping Aces.......................
"The trappers north of the Peace River knew each other fairly well, even if we never met. You knew men by their reputations. The traplines were huge and you rarely saw anyone during the winter, except for neighboring trappers. A few were teenagers like myself and others were in their eighties and there were many in between. It was nothing for a trapper to stop in at a cabin and make himself at home until you showed up. The rule was simple, replace what you used, if someone came to the cabin in an emergency and was barely alive, he didn’t want to find a twenty dollar bill and a thank you note."

The remainder of this tale is at the link below.................................Go. Read. You will like it.
http://floppingaces.net/2013/11/04/frenchy-gets-married/comment-page-1/#comment-428140


Sunday, November 03, 2013

Chant du Départ: Changes

From Blog Bud Chris comes this. Sad indeed.............................
Chant du Départ: Changes: ‘We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does. Furthermore, I resolve to do my duty and to live honorably, so help me God.'

Saturday, November 02, 2013

The Russian Rocket gets his number retired.

It is on the NHL Network right now. Pavel Bure was an awesome player! Fast and a sure puck handler!
Amazing reception by the crowd in the stands!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Bure

Outrageous Plane Pr0n: Watch this: How insanely low you can fly a civilian jet liner!


It seems like low level flying in Argentina is not limited to military fighter jetstrainers or cargo planes.
The images in this post were taken on Dec. 12, 2007 when, for the 100 años de la aviación civil argentina (100 years of Argentine Civil Aviation), a Boeing 737-500 “LV-BEO” belonging to the Aerolineas Argentinas performed a really low flyby over the Aeroparque at Buenos Aires.

Watch this: How insanely low you can fly a civilian jet liner!

Friday, November 01, 2013

Beer Blogging Post

Gotdammerung IPA From Stone!
Is Good! I also acquired a Growler this past weekend! Two litres of Smoked Porter Goodness!

I will not go down and tell my children I didn't have the courage, the conviction, the commitment or the character to fight for this country...Don't go home and let your children down~~ LTC Allen West

Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus

‎"Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.("Therefore, he who desires peace, let him prepare for war")" from "Epitoma Rei Militaris," by Vegetius (Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus)