Our Flag - Stars and Stripes

Our Flag - Stars and Stripes

When you fly our flag,

Be it torn or be it tattered,

Weather worn and windstorm battered.

Do not, do not, fly it as a rag.

When displayed don't forget it,

Don't be jaded,

When it flies, don't fly it faded.

Give our flag, the symbol of our nation,

Its earned respect,

Don't dismiss it, don't ignore or show neglect.

When you fly our flag, fly it proud and fly it right.

Keep the colors clean, keep the colors bright.

When flying our flag, fly it smart

Don't fly it only by pole or staff,

Let it fly within your mind

And within your heart.

My Cousin Philip

My cousin Philip sings very well. I enjoy listening to the songs he sings.

Todays world of technology and internet availability enables me to share my likes with anyone that chooses to read this blog.

His brother Jody also has a great voice, their styles are very different. Jody hosts Karaoke at Hunter's Pizzia in Middletown, Ohio as well as at Wild Hogs biker bar.

Philip has placed some of his performances on a site for amateur singers.

I am including a link to one of his songs;

Make the World Go Away.

South Korea Trip Day one

On March 26th, 2010 we, wife and I, took a trip to South Korea with my sister-in-law. She is Korean by birth, U.S. of A. citizen by choice.

Her family, most of, are still located in South Korea. Her name, for us, is Rami. Her Korean name is more difficult for English enunciation. So, she goes by Rami.

She was planning on going to South Korea to visit with her mother and brother. We inquired of the chance of going with her. Rami thought that would be great. So, we did.

We drove from here, Winter Haven, Florida to her place in Missouri. That was a two day drive. However, we did not go straight there. We stopped and stayed at my nephew's in Pensacola, Florida for three days before going on to the Island View Casino in Gulf Port Mississippi. We stayed one night before continuing on to Winona, Missouri where Rami lives.

We spent two nights there before taking her and beginning our trip to Korea. Since the airport was a two hour drive and flight time was 7:00AM, we booked a room at a hotel near the airport where the vehicle could be left for the time gone and have a room reserved for our return. That worked out great.

From 2010 March, 26 Mo-Chi

Anyway we stayed there and was shuttled to the terminal at 4:30AM by the hotel service.

That was the beginning. To hurry up and wait.

From 2010 March, 26 Mo-Chi

During the flight we will cross the International Date line and jump ahead a day. That will really mess up the mental system, as well as dates and time on electronic equipment.

We departed on the 26th of March and arrived on the 27th of March, in the dark of night.

Leaving the airport terminal there was still a 2 hour drive to the home of Rami's brother.

By the time we got to bed we were dragging our luggage and our feet.

Tomorrow will be a new adventure...

Thanksgiving Thoughts 2009

Here we are, another Thanksgiving rapidly approaching. The news from around the world is not much to be thankful for. The news here in the USofA does not offer much to be extra thankful for. With jobs and health benefits being cut-back or totally taken away from those who worked and depended on the contracts and promises made. It does not leave a lot to be thankful for.

We can say, wow or woe, it could be worse, it could be better. It is rarely better when you lose beneficial conditions. Sure, it can be worse and, wow, it is probably going to be.

Can I say there are things to be thankful for? I think so but it has nothing to do with a special day. I can be thankful for our, so far, healthy and reasonable children. I can be thankful for the sun and the light it provides. I can be thankful for all the years food has been on the table and the ability to pay bills. Bills, many of which are not to be thankful for.

Should I be thankful for a country being run by those that do not want to be part of the program they want to provide for us? Should I be thankful for, well, there are so many things not to be thankful for, I shall not try to name.

I will be thankful for the chance to give to some others this Thanksgiving. Having donated turkeys to a couple of needy families lets me be thankful I could. It is a shame it has to be a special time.

I could go on and on but since this may not be read, what would be the point.



Happy Thanksgiving to those that have, as my wishes will not make it so for those that do not.

2009 Dayton/Vandalia Air Fair Parade

On July 16th thru 19th the International Air Fair was held in Vandalia, Ohio. It is on Dayton, Ohio airport property. It has been held there for nearly 3 decades. I lived there for many of the years so close to the site of the Air Fair that I could walk to the entrance. With being that close it was easy to step into and open area and watch the practice flights. Very nice advantage of living so close to the airport, although, the sound of the jets going overhead and nearby gives quite a loud roar. It only last for one week, both the practice days and the actual show.

When the Air Show is in town there is great plans for a parade on the evening before the opening of the gates to the general public. That parade has marched past my front porch for many years, in fact all of the parades have as well as some Vandalia parades at other times.

It is very nice to have a front seat and still be home when it is over. It is a great time to invite family and friends to enjoy the entertainment. Of course it is byob. Drinks and eats are not part of the invite (not for all anyway). The greatest item for the event at the house is the availability of bathroom facilities.

The town fills up with a lot of extra people from neighboring areas as well as many out-of-towners. It has been enjoyable to sit on the porch and watch the people, bumper to bumper, stream past on the way to the show.

There has been many changes that has lowered the numbers clogging the roads. It used to be getting out of the driveway was a major chore for two days. The traffic control has added and changed parking so that much of the traffic no longer goes in front of the house.

I no longer live there but my son and his family do and we happen to be visiting during this last show.

I have an addiction to taking photos and having a digital camera now has lowered my cost and increased my shooting. The video I am including with this will play for 3min and a few seconds more. It contains over 800 individual shots. The viewing is fast and the music is upbeat to match them.

If you have the time and inclination to watch it. I hope you enjoy it. I do.

The individual images of the parade are available on Picasa.

Flag Day in the USofA

June 14, 2009 was flag day, here in the USofA.

In my travels around this nation I look for and photograph US flags as they flutter and flap in the wind. Some are large, some are small. Some are large and flown high on poles some are small, or smaller, and are on businesses and on private homes. To my dismay many are being flown with torn and ragged edges. It seems the pride in flying the FLAG once installed is often neglected. Out of sight, out of mind. Perhaps it is the, I display our colors but have no time to inspect and replace it, or, maybe the cost is too much and will do with the current flag and not think of the disrespect being given it.
A torn and ragged flag could be an honored flag, if it recieved those wounds in battle, or while being flown in a war zone. Those flags can be shown repesct but not by continuing to fly them.
Many of the worn and tattered flags are being flown on city and state properties. That is a sorry situation.

Wilbur Wright High School

Wilbur Wright High School 2009

Wilbur Wright High School located at 1361 Huffman Ave in east Dayton, Ohio opened its doors as a high school in 1940.

I spent four years, 1956 to 1960, in attendance there. I have many memories connected with that school. Most are reasonably good. I managed to go from year to year without having to redo any. I did get really close to it because of American History. However the teacher managed to convince me to pass it or take it again. Whew! I passed with better than usual grade. Fright does much to give cause to action.

I like to think I was at least an average student, in grades if not in spirit. Being permitted to select the subjects in which to be educated in, I chose what was, to me, the easiest. I was not preparing to attend college so I took the required courses and nothing much more. I took art class, all four years, with Mrs. Pound. In my first year she would have given me an A in ink spilling. Other than that I achieved great grades in her class.

Freshman and sophomore years were years I did nothing special. Did not get involved in any extra school activities. In my junior year I woke up and retro selected some courses that I not should have picked at the beginning of high school. If I had not I may not have had the, reasonable, success in income and supporting a family. Education and what the education consists of is important. The school of hard-knocks can teach much but transfer of information by way of school is much easier and faster. Not that I have been instructed the hard way.

Anyway the school is soon to be demolished and along with it the physical icon the students that graduated from there have memories of. There will be no chance to walk the halls and think of all that took place in the years spent there. To look around and think, it seemed much larger then. To remember the dances, the plays, the detention, all those things that affected life. All those important and not so important events that took place in and around the building. Of course the memories will continue until the last graduate has expired.

There is Diana Schwieterman who is working hard at maintaining a memorabilia room and is having to move it from the WWHS building and locate it elsewhere. Diana is power behind keeping WWHS alive with arranging alumnae trips and events. Working hard at maintaining the memory of the school active. Kudos for Diana.