Ben's OCS Graduation

Ben has completed the long road to becoming a commissioned 2nd Lieutenant US Army. He graduated from Army OCS on Thursday June 16th. A proud day for all of us! The process was long, difficult and at times frustrating. He persevered and has now achieved his goal of becoming an Army Officer. Well done, Ben!

Before the graduation ceremony, Ben and Emily spend some time together.

Graduation is over, Emily helps Ben make it official. Removing the "candidate" covers to reveal the 2nd Lieutenant shoulder boards.

A pose with Mom and Dad outside after graduation.

Ben and Emily, a happy moment.

He will be stationed at Ft. Benning, GA for at least a year or more of specialized training. We toured Ft. Benning when we were down there, it's huge. Roughly 900 sq miles in size. There are more buildings and training facilities than I can mention. They even have their own mall and convenience stores. All I can say about Georgia in the summer is it's hot and humid. But I guess he's used to it now after training there for the past few months. Ft. Benning is just south of Columbus. We spent some time touring around Columbus while we were there.

It's got a nice old historic district with typical southern charm.

Old brick streets and pillared houses dating back a ways.

Even some old factory buildings that are still being used.

The old shopping district was interesting, some of the stores were displaying clothing that looked like something that would be worn during the civil war. A lot of good restaurants.

We stopped at this outdoor cafe to have a drink and listen to a street musician. Notice the old brick wall behind us. Looked like the rest of the building fell down but they decided to keep this part.

We had a great time and enjoyed the southern hospitality. Greetings from Georgia!

It's more than a ride

I feel a connection to the world around me when I'm cruising under my own power on 2 wheels. I don't feel this way about any other form of transportation. Winter, summer, cold, rain or humid heat, there something about a good long bike ride that is unmatched. I can go fast enough to cover ground at a reasonable rate, but still not miss anything.

I can look down a long open road and know that it's not just exercise, it's an experience.

I can see the haze over the field as the sun beats down from high over head. I can breath in the humid air and taste the mustiness of the wheat, brought to me by the wind over the field. I can pass some evergreens and smell the pine that immediately takes me back to my time in Colorado when the sent of mountain pine was so wonderful that I never want to forget it. Smells make great memories.

I hear the cry of a Hawk and stop to look up at a pair roosting on top of a pole. They look down on me as if I'm some strange being in this mechanized world.

I can pass a corn field and stop to stare at the dark green color. I might consider it black green.

The road is lined with spent grass and chicory with it's light blue flowers. Every mile has something to give.

And as the occasional car speeds by, I think to myself how thankful I am to be the man on the bike.

Extreme weather

I pulled the zipper on my coat up again, I had already yanked it several times, as if it would somehow magically extend to cut the biting wind and driving sleet that was stinging my face and melting down my collar. I was walking into the wind and it felt like I was being pushed back one step for every 2 steps forward. I was already late for the train, I had to hurry to catch it, they never wait, you can be 3 feet from the door and they will pull away from the station. The mixture of sleet and snow was now melting against my skin and running down behind my coat. I felt wet, odd for such a cold day. And the sleet was rough and wet on the side of my face, like the rough tongue of a dog..........if I didn't know better, I'd think......ughnnnn...what the?....Ahhhh! Reilly! Bad dog! It was a dream! I'm sweating in bed and the dog is licking my face! Gross! What a way to start the day. And it's going to be another hot one too.

Fun at Waterman's

Waterman's Crab House is an Eastern Shore experience that people from all over come for. We have good friends from Pennsylvania that make the trip every year and we gladly join them for and evening of good food, good friends and good music. A prime location right next to the Chesapeake Bay in the town of Rock Hall. Rock Hall is know for it's resident water-men (crabbers and oyster men) and it's community of artists. Seems like an odd mix, but they apparently get along. It's a remote town so unless you happen to be employed there or are independently wealthy, you probably wouldn't live there. But it is a good destination if you want to get more local than just following the crowd to Ocean City.

 You can get a table with a great view of the Bay.

Here is some "good" dancing. The group from PA gettin funky to the Cupid Shuffle.

Ed Note: Writer of this blog makes no admissions, expressed or implied, as to said writers participation in dancing to songs that include the words "Cupid" or "Shuffle" in their title.

And what would a good Eastern Shore joint be with out a game of "Corn Hole" next to the dance floor?

Good Friends. L-R Pinky, Greg, Emily, Irma, Carl (me). We missed our son Ben, Emily's boyfriend who is at Army OCS right now.

Greetings from the Eastern Shore!

Memorial Day Road Ride with Tyler

Monday was really hot and everyone knows that I don't like hot weather. I tend to make that clear to the point of annoyance. On the Eastern Shore of Maryland we can run the heater one day and be turning on the AC the next. So with this past Monday being in the mid 90's, we wanted to get an early start to our long discussed and planned father/son bike ride. Early for us was 10 AM. I was ready to go in my bike shorts, "Wisconsin, Smell the Dairy Air" t-shirt and Red Coleman Cooler helmet. Tyler showed up in shorts and a white button down. He added the helmet after slipping off the pedals and realizing that sneakers on clipless pedals could be hazardous.  We headed out our usual route and encountered little traffic.The air was thick and hot. As I pedaled along, the sweat was quickly forming on my arms but the wind created by our 20 mph speed kept us cool enough. Breathing was a different story and my lungs felt cheated when I breathed in the hot humid air. We stopped once for a picture and were immediately attacked by deer flys. The deer fly is a terrorist. When fighting a deer fly one thing is certain, one of you will die. So being the more intelligent species we did the smart thing, we got on our bikes and ran. Once we got out to the main highway, Tyler said he wanted to see how fast he could go since he hadn't ridden for a while. Although I was trying to keep up, he was quickly putting large stretches of road between us. I'd say he's still got the biking mojo.

That's a Big Moth!

Found on the tree out back. It's a Luna Moth. According to Google.....