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

Saturday, July 26, 2014

The 707 is 60

"July 15, 1954, was a Day of  Monumental Change.  Aviation change, that is.  World change.  Today is the Anniversary of that event - an event that changed the course of commercial aviation, the world, and certainly of the Boeing Airplane Company.

It is the 60th Anniversary of the First Flight of the 707 Prototype - the Dash 80.  The product of a bunch of engineers who probably lived in Bellevue, Washington, wore wing-tipped shoes with argyle socks , white shirts with pocket protectors, and carried K & E slipsticks (slide rules.)  They produced a machine that - on a dozen levels - changed the world."----From the site 
Welcome to Trains, Planes, and......  


Roll Out of first 707

The above text and pics are courtesy of the site mentioned.
The 367-80 flew about two months before I was born.
The rest of the story is at the link below. Enjoy.


The Niece's Wedding Part 2

My Niece, Ashlee Luque became Mrs. Michael Quick on the 20th of July, 2014 CE.
Family and Friends from near and far were in attendance.
Missus ORPO crafted the awesome wedding cake as is her custom for kids, nieces and nephews.
Son Pat, DIL Diane and Ashlee


Mrs. ORPO, Her Sis Debbie, Pat and Diane


The Groom, Mr. Michael Quick

The Ring Bearer escorting his mother, my other Niece Stephanie

Brother in Law Hector and The Bride






The I Do's are done. 


Missus ORPO and Diane

Mother and Son


Yours Truly and Missus ORPO


First Dance as Husband and Wife



Father-Daughter Dance


Mother-Son Dance



Cutting The Cake











Sunday, July 20, 2014

The Niece's Wedding

Twas a very nice day indeed.
My Niece, Ashlee became the Bride of Michael Quick.

The outstanding cake was made by Missus ORPO. 

Saturday, July 12, 2014

More than 100 Greek warplanes (including last A-7E Corsair jets) conduct live firing exercise

More than 100 Greek warplanes (including last A-7E Corsair jets) conduct live firing exercise

A-7

SLUF's last ride........................

I was in VA-147, The Argonauts from 1985 to 1987. The Corsair II was one hell of a light attack platform. It was also fairly easy to work on..........except for those bloody autopilot actuators.................


Monday, July 07, 2014

Historic photos brought to life : theCHIVE

Historic photos brought to life : theCHIVE

historic-color-photos-30


Manzanar-6 July 2014

Manzanar
One of our 10 Concentration Camps utilized during WWII to hold approximately 110,000 "Internees" who were Issei and Nesei Japanese Americans.
We were supposed to be the "Good Guys" for crying out loud.
The process was similar to that used by Germany in the "Resettlement" of the Jews and others deemed to be a detriment to Germany but on a much smaller scale. A Jew, no matter how pious or rebellious will see the similarities.
I understand the pretense was under the guise of War Time Security.
Yes, I did use the term, Concentration Camps.
 Taken from Wikipedia: "Manzanar has been referred to as a "War Relocation Center," "relocation camp," "relocation center," "internment camp", and "concentration camp", and the controversy over which term is the most accurate and appropriate continues to the present day."
I did get a bit choked up at times while in the Old Auditorium, now museum..................interperative center.
I simply ask that the reader simply take a look at the pictures and decide for themselves.
























































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)