The Defiant Dragoon: 05/01/2005

Memorial Day Reflections . . .

Growing up in Gettysburg in the 1950's and 60's was a unique experience for any youngster in this little historic town. While Waterloo, N.Y. gets the credit for being the first to celebrate "Decoration Day" (now known as Memorial Day), I think it is fair to say that the townspeople of Gettysburg took this tradition to the next level.

In our day, elementary and middle school children assembled with their teachers on Buford Avenue. We arrived at the gathering site ladened with fresh cut flowers (lilacs, peonies, and mock orange were most common) and stood patiently in line until the parade commenced. Participating in this parade was a "big deal" and more than one teacher would remind us that we were continuing a tradition that had started decades ago when Civil War orphans marched the same route to the National Cemetery. Since most of knew that there was in fact a Civil War era orphanage in our town, it didn't much matter if the teachers had all their facts straight or not . . . we just knew that our mission was to strew flowers on all the soldier's graves in a very moving ceremony that was the climax of the day's activities.

I don't remember how many of these parades I participated in over the 10 years or so that I was "eligible" . . . but, probably more than half of them is a good guess. I do remember it being a ritual that I looked forward to each Spring and a very touching experience at the cemetery. The junior high school band would play "Save in the Arms of Jesus", over and over, as we walked the long rows of brave markers and lay the flowers. One got the sense that this was all somehow very much larger than we understood at such a young age . . . I remember how quickly emotions would change from happy - to sad - to happy again during the course of ceremony.

Another memory associated with Memorial Day was my Dad's faithful visits to The Evergreen Cemetery early in the morning of this holiday. We didn't own a car so it was a trek to walk from my homeplace to the civilian cemetery which is adjacent to the National Cemetery. I can't remember ever not going with Dad . . . we'd take flowers and small flags along to decorate all of his ancestor's graves in our family plot. We had a number of Civil War period ancestors in the plot and he'd take the time each year to give me a history lesson about each one of them. It was a beautiful tradition. He always said: "It's important to remember them". Our plot is right up against the iron fence that divides the two cemeteries and I remember seeing the thousands of tiny flags that had been placed on each of them for the big parade ceremony that would occur a few hours later in the day.

Post ceremony activities at home always involved the first cook out of the season . . . looking back, it's funny . . . we had an old round grill on three legs, we snapped dead twigs to build a small fire, and roasted hot dogs. Nothing fancy, just a nice late afternoon in the old back yard.

I recall being sick on two different occassions and unable to march in the parade . . . I remember sitting on my Grandparent's porch and watching the parade go by. They lived at 13 Steinwehr Avenue at the intersection of Baltimore Street and Steinwehr Ave.

It was many years later that I eventually understood the true meaning of Memorial Day . . . having lost high school friends in the Vietnam War, after serving over 25 years in the Armed Forces, and having buried my Dad (a veteran of WWII and Korea). I'm convinced the experiences of my youth elevated me to a higher level of appreciation of what this day means. I'm thankful to have had those experiences in my youth.

A Master Sergeant's salute to a departed Colonel and father . . . thank you and I love you Dad.

Lryics from the 70's that could have been Doo Wop

Two artists in the 1970's whose song lyrics seemed to fit the typical Doo Wop "love song lyrics" mold were John Denvers' For Babe and Skylark's Wildflower. Both songs are easy listening tunes in their own right, but the lyrics are exceptionally excellent . . .

For Babe by: John Denver

I'll walk in the rain by your side

I'll cling to the warmth of your hand

I'll do anything to keep you satisfied

And I'll love you more than anybody can.

And the wind will whisper your name to me

Little birds will sing along in time

Leaves will bow down when you walk by

And morning bells will chime.

I'll be there when you're feeling down
To kiss away the tears that you cry

I'll share with you all the happiness I've found

A reflection of the love in your eyes.

And I'll sing you the songs of the rainbow

A picture of the joy that is mine

The leaves will bow down when you walk by

And morning bells will chime.

I'll walk in the rain by your side

I'll cling to the warmth of your tiny hand

I'll do anything to help you understand and

I'll love you more than anybody can.

And the wind will whisper your name to me

Little birds will sing along in time

The leaves will bow down when you walk by

And morning bells will chime.

Wildflower by: Skylark

She's faced the hardest times you could imagine

And many times her eyes fought back the tears

And when her youthful world was about to fall in

Each time her slender shouldersbore the weight of all her fears

And a sorrow no one hears still rings in midnight silence in her ears

Let her cry, for she's a lady

Let her dream, for she's a child

Let the rain fall down upon her

She's a free and gentle flower growing wild

And if by chance I should hold her

Let me hold her for the time

But if allowed just one possession

I would pick her from the garden to be mine.

Be careful how you touch her for she'll awaken

And sleep's the only freedom that she knows

And when you walk into her eyes you won't believe

The way she's always paying for debts she never owes

And a silent wind still blows that only she can hear and so she goes

Let her cry, for she's a lady

Let her dream, for she's a child

Let the rain fall down upon her

She's a free and gentle flower growing wild.

Cars of My Youth & Cars of My Dreams - AH Bugeye, wires and hardtop, "tricked out".

Cars of My Youth & Cars of My Dreams - 1959 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite (car of my youth)

Amazing . . .

KIDS WHO SURVIVED GROWING UP BETWEEN 1930 and 1970 . . .

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored
lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts, child seats, nor air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We wore shirts and ties, or dresses (if you were a girl), to church on Sunday. You went to church EVERY Sunday as a family, gawd help you if you misbehaved (anyone remember a "skull thumper" . . . when your Dad popped you on the head with his ring hand?)

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and NO ONE
actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread with real butter, drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have PlayStations, Nintendo's, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes, or walked to a friend's house, knocked on the door or rang
the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They
actually sided with the law! If you were naughty at school, the punishment at home was far worse than anything a teacher dished out at school.

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers
and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good. and while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

Interesting Trivia

"Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.

Tomato ketchup was once sold in the U.S. as a medicine.

Only 30% of humans can flare their nostrils.

Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."

All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.

"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt."

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

The only real person to be a Pez head was Betsy Ross.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

Aztec emperor Montezuma had a nephew, Cuitlahac, whose name meant plenty of excrement.

Gotta luv this gal's style!

A middle aged woman went to Wal-Mart service counter and tells the clerk she wants a refund for the toaster she bought because it won't work. The clerk tells her that he can't give her a refund because she bought it on 'special'. Suddenly, the woman throws her arms up in the air and starts screaming:

"PINCH MY NIPPLES! PINCH MY NIPPLES! PINCH MY NIPPLES!"

The befuddled clerk ran away to get the store manager in front of a growing crowd of customers. The manager goes to the woman and asks, "Ma'am, what's wrong?" She explained the problem with the toaster, and he tells her that he can't give her a refund because she bought it on special. Once again, the woman throws her arms up in the air and starts screaming:

"PINCH MY NIPPLES! PINCH MY NIPPLES! PINCH MY NIPPLES"

And doing so draws an even more of a crowd! In shock the store manager pleads, "Ma'am, why are you saying that?" In a huff, the woman replies:

" BECAUSE, I LIKE TO HAVE MY NIPPLES PINCHED WHEN I'M GETTING SCREWED!"

The crowd broke into applause and her money was quickly refunded!

Memorial Day 2005

The Meaning of Memorial Day

The Bivouac of the Dead

The muffled drums sad roll shall beat

The soldier's last tatoo,

No more on life' parade shall meet

the brave and fallen few.

The neighboring troop, the flashing blade,

The bugles stirring blast,

The charge, the dreadful cannonade,

The din and shout are past.

Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead,

Dear as the blood ye gave.

No impious footstep here shall tread

The herbage of your grave.

On fame's eternal camping ground.

Their silent tents are spread.

And glory guards with solemn round

The bivouac of the dead.

No visions of the morrow's strife

The warrior's dream alarms.

No braying horn nor screaming fife

At dawn shall call to arms.

No rumor of the foes advance

Now sweeps upon the wind,

No troubled thought at midnight haunts

Of loved ones left behind.

Your own proud land's heroic soil

Must be your fitter grave;

She claims from war his richest spoil,

The ashes of the brave.

~ Theodore O'Hara

Seifert Mill (East Berlin, PA) about a 1/2 mile from my home and, yes I'm a sucker for old grist mills and covered bridges!

Cars of My Youth & Cars of My Dreams 1960 Austin Healey "Bugeye" Sprite (my first "sports car" was a 1959 Bugeye, painted British Racing Green, and set up to full SCCA H Production specifications)

Cars of My Youth & Cars of My Dreams - MG TF (a dream car)

Two consumer products/services to avoid like a plague are Verizon DSL and CallWave Internet Answering service. After an extended battle with customer service personnel and supervisors, I finally got rid of CallWave. CallWave was of good idea back in the days when I had dial up internet access, but once I switched over to DSL (unfortuantely Verizon was my only local phone service option), CallWave was an obsolete service. CallWave is one of those services that piggy back on to your local phone bill through a private billing agency. When you go to cancel CallWave, you discover it is a near impossible feat to accomplish. CallWave customer service personnel lie through their teeth, offer alternative services, and refuse to honor verbal and written requests to cancel their service. It took nearly 6 months of persistent effort to cancel - coordinating messages back and forth between Verizon, CallWave, the independent billing agency, and the PA Attorney General's Office. Avoid CallWave!!!

Verizon DSL service - intitial installation and "line readiness" are a joke, especially the line readiness ploy. I made the mistake of using the computerized ordering routine. I entered my home phone number and waited about 2 minutes for their program to determine if DSL was available in my neighborhood (geez, I knew it was - several neighbors have the service) and was informed on the following computer screen that it was available. I placed an on line order for DSL. The initial installation package arrived 2 days later . . . no problem, until you get to the installation screen that checks "line readiness" . . . you guessed it . . . my line wasn't "ready". After 3 weeks of "death by conversation with customer service droids", I finally get a call back from a supervisor (incidently, real person contact with Verizon is not easy to establish by simply making a phone call). The supervisor explained to me that they have a "crew" scheduled to get my line ready the following week . . . that's week 4 of this process. I still wonder what took this crew a month to make my line ready and exactly what their mission actually entaled? I did manage to get another "free month" of service out of Verizon for all my bitching, but the damage was done and when my annual contract expires you can bet a cable modem will replace this service!

Real Beer . . .

A fellow beer lover recently asked me to define "real beer" during one of our many discussions on the subject of domestic versus imported beer. While one can agrue the merits of one brew over another, taste, price, etc., I offered him the following criteria:

Real beer comes in kegs or bottles.

Real bottled beer doesn't have a twist off cap.

Real beer doesn't have the words "lite", "ice", "born on", "dry", or "low carb" on the label.

Real beer doesn't have to be ice cold to taste good.

Real beer leaves a distinct foam-lace residue on the inside of the drinking glass.

Real beer usually has a 100 year+ brewery history.

Real beer is seldom "on sale".

Real beer is usually scorned by folks who consume Bud, Coors, PBR, Miller, or worse.

Real beer has distinct character and taste, is never "watered down" or "skunky" in taste.

Real beer is usually "imported".

Real beer is savored not gulped or guzzled.

Life's Journey . . . author unknown

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body . . . but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting: "holy shit . . . what a ride!"

Interesting Illusion

Cars of My Youth & Cars of My Dreams - Studebaker Avanti (one of my dream cars)

If You're a Guy, This is a Hoot!

Men Are Just Happier People

Your last name stays put.

The garage is all yours.

Wedding plans take care of themselves.

Chocolate is just another snack.

You can be President.

You can never be pregnant.

You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.

You can wear NO shirt to a water park.

Car Mechanics tell you the truth.

The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.

You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.

Wrinkles add character.

Wedding dress = $5000 Tux rental = $100.

People never stare at your chest when you are talking to them.

The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.

New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.

One mood, all the time.

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.

You know stuff about artillery and tanks.

A 5 day vacation requires only one suitcase.

You can open all of your own jars.

You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.

Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.

You almost never have strap problems in public.

You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.

Everything on your face stays its original color.

The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe even decades.

You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life.

Your belly usually hides your big hips.

One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons.

You can wear shorts no matter what how your legs look.

You can "do" your nails with a pocketknife.

You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

You can do Christmas shopping for all 27 relatives on
December 24 in just over 25 minutes.

You are never lost, you can always get there from where you are.

You are born with an innate ability to wire electronic devices; ergo, control of the TV remote is a birthright.

No wonder it?s great to be a man!

Cars of My Youth and Cars of My Dreams - 1961 Buick Invicta

(my first really nice car)

Cars of My Youth and Cars of My Dreams - 1956 Dodge (my first car)

Why the Brits Drive on the Wrong Side of The Road

In days of old logic dictated that when people passed each other on the road they should be in the best possible position to use their sword to protect themselves. As most people are right handed they therefore keep to their left. This practice was formalized in a Papal Edict by Pope Benefice around 1300AD who told all his pilgrims to keep to the left.

Nothing much changed until 1773 when an increase in horse traffic forced the UK Government to introduce the General Highways Act of 1773 which contained a keep left recommendation. This became a law as part of the Highways Bill in 1835.

Reasons to travel on the right are less clear but the generally accepted version of history is as follows: The French, being Catholics, followed Pope Boneface's edict but in the build up to the French Revolution in 1790 the French Aristocracy drove their carriages at great speed on the left hand side of the road, forcing the peasantry over to the right side for their own safety. Come the Revolution, instincts of self preservation resulted in the remains of the Aristocracy joining the peasants on the right hand side of the road. The first official record of this was a keep right rule introduced in Paris in 1794.

OK, that explains the UK and France but what about the rest of the world ?

Britain's imperial expansion (all of the pink bits on old maps) spread the keep left rule far and wide. This included India, Australasia and much of Africa (Although many African countries changed to the right later when they became independent).

France also had quite an empire after the revolutionary wars and the keep right rule spread through much of modern day Europe and to colonies such as Egypt. The connection with the USA is thought to be General Lafayette who recommended a keep right rule as part of the help that he gave the Americans in the build up to the war of Independence. The first reference to keep right in USA law is in a rule covering the Lancaster to Philadelphia turnpike in 1792.

But what about Japan ? well in the 1850's Gunboat diplomacy forced the Japanese to open their ports to the British and Sir Rutherford Alcock, who was Queen Victoria's man in the Japanese court persuaded them to adopt the keep left rule.

Very early motorcars followed the principle of a horse driven carriage and the chauffeur was seated in the middle. Once the owners of the vehicles realized what fun they were to drive they wanted their wife/companion to sit with them so the decision had to be made, which side !

The side of the steering wheel followed the tradition in the country so that the first cars (Benz in Germany) were left hand drive as they drive on the right. The major exception to this was that racing cars were almost always right hand drive because it was better suited to circuit racing. In the USA Pierce-Arrow were an example of this and in Europe, most pre 1950 Italian Sports cars are Right Hand Drive, including all pre-1956 Lancia's. Remember also that every Bugatti is Right Hand Drive.

There are only 2 cars with a center steering wheel. The prototype Amphicar and the current McLaren Formula One.

Despite Euro-pressure the consensus is that Britain, or any other Drive on Left country, will never change. Two reasons, traffic density make the switch impractical (the last time it was successfully done was in the 1950's with less than 10% of current levels. The Japanese are the worlds largest car producers, they need to produce vehicles for their own market and need to export so will always produce left and right hand drive vehicles thereby guaranteeing a supply for the rest of the world.

You just knew it had to happen ;)

Photos of Saddam in his underwear spark negative reactions in the Middle East . . . oops, posted the wrong photo :)~

Yamaha "Vino" Scooter

Great for RV camping

A pub in Staffordshire . . .

What's not to like!

One of my favorite places on earth!

WTFIT?

H Production Bugeye

"Bugeye" Sprite (Austin Healey)

Trustworthy and reliable, brand loyality

There are dozens of brand names and products that you could never talk me out of patronizing or purchasing again in the future . . . easily, in my Top 100 Trustworthy and Reliable Brand list are the inclusion of: Toyota, John Deere, Maytag, L.L.Bean, and McCormick (spices).

If I were to develop a Bottom 100 list . . . Nextel, Verizon, Dell, Hamilton Beach, and the vast majority of American breweries would be on it.