Todays Flowers: Tulips

Just a couple of shots from my front yard, while i was recovering from back surgery.

Todays flowers

Blog your Blessing: "This Day of Days"

Today is the anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, where thousands of Men and Women fought to free Europe from the Nazis. Today, I remember those brave souls who fought and died there to do the right thing. To storm ashore with nothing but their GI shirts as their armor, shows the depth of character that this great generation had. I believe that we are all blessed by their willingness to lay it all on the line and yes they answered the call wether they volunteered or were drafted they did not shirk their duty. They were men and women of honor. Our world owes them a debt of gratitude that hopefully we will not have to see another war like that one ever. So if you know a veteran, thank them for what they have done. Remember this "Day of Days"!

blog your blessing

Skywatch Friday: Wisdom House Pine tree and Sky above

This lovely pine tree graces the grounds of Wisdom house in Litchfield Ct. The sky above it was the brilliant shade of blue as you see and clouds had that white cotton look to them.

Skywatch Friday

wordless wednesday: My Son Chris, 20 yrs old today

wordless wednesday

Happy Birthday Son!

My World: Aerial refueling

As some of you are aware, I am a retired Marine, I was a KC-130 Loadmaster for 20 years and I loved it! This job was a great job as it taught me how to work as part of a crew and it instilled a responsibility in me because everyday i was responsible for the safe operation of a multi-million dollar aircraft and peoples lives depended on me and the other crew members doing their job.

One of my jobs was to act as an observer during aerial refueling, which is an interesting thing to watch, of course it does involve a pucker factor when dealing with helicopters. Of course there are inherent dangers of all kinds, the helo blades could hit the basket or the hose which is bad. the jets might ingest raw fuel into their intakes and auto accelerate which is bad. You might be doing this at night on Night Vision Goggles which takes away your depth perception. The hose may fail to retract properly and then you may have to guillotine it or land with it extended, not fun ! You might have to do this Emcon, which is military speak for Emission Controlled (radio silence!) or Emcon at night on Goggles! Not a lot of fun and not to mention downright hazardous when somebody is shooting at you. There are a ton of other things that can go wrong for sure, a fire in the refueling pod, hydraulic failures of one sort or another, leaking fuselage tank ( big silver tank inside some of the planes), engine failures, and about a million other things that can and do go wrong from time to time.

But when this is done properly it is something to see. I have seen 10 KC-130's refueling a whole gaggle of fighters and it is like watching a well performed ballet or a well executed play in football, the flow of jets in and out of the hoses to all the refueling aircraft seem to be this

well choreographed and well practiced display of men/women and machine.

there are several cool videos on You Tube if you want to see what it looks like for yourself in real time. Watch some of the normal ones then watch the accidents. That will give you a real feel for what can and will go wrong at times.

My World Tuesday

Skywatch Friday: Sunset over Southbury CT USA

you have to love the simple majesty of the sun setting with these wonderful clouds providing the canvas.

skywatchfriday

Wordless Wednesday: Stairs to No Where

wordless wednesday

My World Tuesday: Southford Falls, Southbury CT

MyWorldTuesday

Remembering

Today I remember 3 friends of among the too many of mine that I lost before their time. As some of you know I was a Marine for 20 years and along the way I met some great people, who one way or another touched my life.

Pat Mangan

Pat, from NYC, of Irish extraction, great athlete, Pat was a mentor of mine in the Loadmaster field, as well in life. He was funny, gregarious, He could charm anyone. Pat should have been the Mayor of a town, everyone who met him liked him. We spent time around the world together, in times of war and in peace, we had fun and we were friends. Pat was one of a kind, bold and forthright, smart and funny. Pat was the kind of guy who could find friends in anyplace in the world, between he and I we became friends with owner of a hotel in Crete during our time there in the late 90's and he gave us free reign with the kitchen, and one morning we were making omelets and made to order eggs for the guests staying in the hotel, people from all over, French, German, English, and one guy with his family who was attached to the US embassy in Athens. Needless to say we were a hit with the people staying there. I miss Pat for his love of Life and his friendship.

Pat rests now in Arlington Cemetery. Fair winds and following seas. " The longest road out is the shortest road home" Semper Fidelis




Steven Bryson "Peabo"
Peabo, a great guy, a courtly gentlemen who enriched every life he touched. Funny, smart, kind man, who knew the intricate systems of the KC-130 Hercules like no others. The last time I saw Peabo was 1999 and it was a difficult time for me, I was on detachment to Crete, and I got a Red Cross message notifying me that my Grandfather has passed away, so I was hopping military planes back to the states to go to the furneral, when I got stranded in Rota Spain, I had to wait for 24 hours for the next plane to the states, and of course there were no rooms at billeting so i was faced with 24 hours at the terminal sleeping on the concrete floor, when I decided to go to the PX and get a few things to help pass the time, there I ran into Peabo and his crew who were there on a training mission and would be there for a few days. They asked me what I was doing there and I explained to them, (we were in different squadrons at the time, the Marine KC-130 community is so small, that we all know each other) and Peabo offered me the use of the spare bed in his room and spent the night talking with me to keep my mind off of my recent tragedy. A few years later, Peabo and several other Marines, some I knew and some i did not died in a crash in Afghanistan. Peabo and the others rest in Arlington Cemetery, not to far away from Pat. Semper Fidelis! Fair Winds and following seas!



Mike Hoffman, "Hoffdaddy"

Mike reminds me so much of myself when i was younger, but he was smarter, and not a pain in the A$$ like I was. Mike was a strong self-starter and a dynamic person. He was the guy you wanted on your side in any situation. He loved the Tampa Bay Buccaneers! For awhile it seemed like Mike was following me around, If I was at a duty station, before long Mike was there too. First the C-9's, then 252, then 152, finally after I retired , Mike was at 452, my last duty station, and unfortunatley his. Mike was talented artist, I carry a piece of his art with me everyday, Mike drew the shark that I have tattooed on my right calf. It is a constant reminder of my friend. Mike was a devoted husband and father to his two lovely little girls. Mike is missed by many people, for his laughter, his friendship and that smile, the one with the chaw of tobacco usually lurking somewhere. Mike rests in a military cemetary now too. Fair winds and following seas! Semper Fidelis

A view of the lake and more

skywatch friday

Here is a view Of Lake Candlewood, and the surrounding countryside, and somebodys TV antenna...

What was my mode of transportation until recently

wordless wednesday

Touch

Touch:

Warmth... Softness…
My eyes relax and my temperature rises as she takes my hand …
My heart sighs a happy sigh… My cares fade…
My face smiles and then my heart stars to sing that happy song of love
My muscles relax and my eyes gleam knowing I am loved by her and her touch
Like a wildfire the warmth spreads thru out me and goes all soft in side.
All because of her touch!

onesingleimpression

the night sky and the daytime doldrums

Who would have thought that the night sky in top picture would have produced the the grey rainy day depicted in the lower one. Sometimes it makes me wonder if this is nothing but a cruel joke being played on us...

wordless wednesday: locked gates in a cemetary,why?

wordless wenesday

Fiddlesticks

Walking thru the woods near the Pomperaugh river in Roxbury Ct and I came upon these new fiddlehead ferns emerging from the dead leaves. Remember in this crazy life of ours to look around as you might just see something like this cool sight.

My World Tuesday