50 years ago

At age 3, I must have been a heavy weight according to mother's caption on the picture. I've never been able to lose that pudge! Just seeing this old photo makes me smile. My Dad was an awesome guy and I miss the crap out of him. Nuf said.

By the Sea at Sunset

This one has been around awhile but worth reading again....

Written by an Australian Dentist

To Kill an American
You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is. So they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!!!)

'An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, Arab, Pakistani or Afghan.

An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans..

An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than inAfghanistan . The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

An American is also free to believe in no religion.. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American lives in the most prosperous
land in the history of the world..
The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence , which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous.. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.


When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!


As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan ..
The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty , welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America


Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001, earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.
So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world.. But, in doing so, you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

Plimoth Plantation Part Two

The Wampanoag Homesite is located on the banks of the Eel River. The replica of the 17th-century Wampanoag village depicts how they lived along the coast during the growing season; planting their crops, fishing and hunting, gathering wild herbs and berries for food, and reeds for making mats and baskets.




a mishoon - the Wampanoag word for boat - using fire as a tool to hollow out a tree.



The staff in the Wampanoag Homesite are not role players. They are all Native People - either Wampanoag or from other Native Nations - and they are dressed in historically accurate clothing, mostly made of deerskin. They speak from a modern perspective about Wampanoag history and culture.




There are different kinds of homes including a mat-covered wetu, the Wampanoag word for house, and a bark-covered long house or nush wetu, meaning a house with three fire pits inside.




The Eel River

Plimoth Plantation Part One

The 17th-Century English Village is a re-creation of the small farming and maritime community built by the Pilgrims along the shore of Plymouth Harbor. In the Village, the year is 1627, just seven years after the arrival of Mayflower.





My friend and I weren't able to determine what this big ball o'wood was or why anyone would stack wood in this manner.









The actors were dressed in full Pilgrim costumes and even spoke Olde English.




Even here, in the midst of the 1700's we were not immune to the visiting Walmart shoppers. Really? You actually thought that you were dressed okay when you looked in the mirror this morning?

The Fort - very impressive!




A list of what one must have to make the trip from England and join the colony.





These two "kids" were very entertaining and very friendly!