Some days it pays to meet the postman at the door. Today was one of those days! You see, a couple of weeks ago my brother mentioned to me that he was starting to get back into leather working. At that time, he was working on a black-powder possibles bag for my father that he was tooling the MacKinnon crest into. I mentioned in joking that it would be great if he could make a black Rob Roy sporran for me at some point with a Celtic raven tooled in and then didn't think anything else of it. (Brothers are like that, you know!)

Today a rather large box appeared from where my brother resides and lo and behold, look what was contained there-in; 

This is his interpretation of a Rob Roy sporran! I have to admit, I LIKE IT. The leather is for the bag is smooth and supple and the flap is very stiff. The carving is a celtic raven with my initials stamped into it. This is going to get quite a bit of wear!

The other thing in the box was this huge surprise...




He decided to make a Targe (a small Scottish shield) for me. This this is a very large item and it fits my mammoth forearms quite well. He covered it in a deep red leather and the brad pattern is from a targe found at the battle of Glenlivet See Here The backing is calf-skin and the seam is covered in a strip of the MacKinnon modern tartan. Talk about a gift for a king!

Now I have to decide where to hang this thing and how I talk my wife into letting me purchase that basket hilt sword I have been lusting after.

What a great gift from my brother... I think I will hang onto him for a while yet.

I suspect that I will be wearing the sporran tomorrow and that pictures of my holding the targe and a rather pointy object will be forthcoming!

Our story starts with a little bit of a history lesson. There is a forum that I help moderate that had been sold. The former owner and the new owner were going to meet in Victoria BC to do a little ceremony to mark the hand off of ownership. This in turn grew to a gathering of kilted men and their families from around the world descending on Victoria to take part in this momentous occasion. As I had plenty of frequent flyer miles and vacation to burn, we decided to join this occasion. The trip journal below will take you through what we did day by day.  Of course, if you really want to know what happened, you will have to ask Ruth!

Thursday, 22 October (Atlanta to Seattle)

Today Ruth and I finished packing and headed to the airport for an early afternoon flight. A lot has changed in air travel in the domestic US since the last time I have done it. It seems as if the airlines are starting to charge for checked bags. This took the free tickets I had and upped them to $20 a person simply to check a bag! Wow, what a racket. At least I could pay this online prior to heading to the airport.

Arriving at the airport it was a simple matter of getting through security and then to our flight. Once on board we found out that the airline no longer provides free meals to it’s passengers. You now have to pay for the meal if you want to eat! That is another $25 dollars added on to our free trip. Don’t you just love it?

The flight itself was uneventful and after a short bus ride we arrived at the hotel. The photo to the left is what we got to see out of our hotel window. After our experience on the airline, I felt very fortunate that there wasn’t a charge for opening the window to see the view!

Friday, 23 October (Seattle to Victoria and the big event!)

Bright and early this morning we headed the docks to take the 3 hour passenger ferry across the bay to Victoria. This boat is a fast ferry and travels at approx 35 miles an hour! One interesting thing as we were travelling, the captain stopped the boat to point out that we were in the middle of a pod of killer whales!  They were surfacing on both sides of the boat and it was very, very cool! The photos at the left give you and idea of the ferry we road and some of the scenery we saw on the way. I could of wished for a sunny day as I expect that the views would of been spectacular. But, you take what life gives you and make the most of it.

Once we arrived in Victoria, we got to go through Canadian immigration and I almost got us in trouble when the agent asked why were visiting the country. My answer was “We’re Invading!” The agent did a double take and said “I might have to ask you a few more questions!”  it was a fun exchange after a long boat ride.

After making our way through immigration, we took a short 2 block walk to our hotel, the Royal Scot. Out front we were greeted by Stewart, the large kilted bear that stands guard our front. Our room was a great 2 room suite with a small kitchen built in (which we did not have a chance to use!).

Dropping our bags off, we headed over to the Empress hotel to catch a tour bus that would take us around the island and show us the highlights. This is where the trip got fun as the skies decided to open up and dump on us. Of course, neither of us brought a umbrella to help dodge the rain drops. Eventually, we found a nice little bistro to have lunch and wait for our 1pm tour bus.

During the course of the tour, we had a chance to get off the bus once at this little marina on one side of the island. This is what we saw much of the time we were driving about. Our tour guide was quite humorous and we had a great time. Included in the tour was a new joke about bagpipes that I had never heard before. It goes like this…

“What is the difference between and onion and bagpipes?   No one cries when you shred bagpipes!'”

As a last note on this day, the photo to the left gives you an idea of the type of weather we were dealing with on this day. It was grey, overcast, cold, windy and wet!

The Event

The photos above show the primary reason we went to Victoria. At the top right is the current and former owner of the forum and three of the moderators that keep an eye on things. This was the official hand off from Hank Hannah (in the green tartan) to Steve Ashton (the gentleman in the middle). The other three guys from left to right are Brian, Jamie and myself as the representatives of the moderator group. The photo at the top left is what I wore that evening.

We had over 30 people attend this grand event and a piper was found that played the pipes as we walked to dinner (with the crowds gathering on the sidewalks and in the hotel windows) and then again back to the hotel (where the group shot was taken along with Stewart the bear). After this photo, some of the group headed back to parts unknown and several of us headed to the Bengal lounge at the Empress hotel. A bit of story on this as well, the piper (Nathan) piped us across the city as we walked to the hotel. He then proceeded to pipe us into the hotel and all the way into the lounge where he finished playing the tune he had started. This had the effect of causing every patron in the bar to stop and watch what was going on. What exactly do you do when a horde of kilted Scotsmen and a piper invade anyway?

Heres to you Nathan (shown left)!  You are the man and one excellent piper. I am sure that the jazz band that we interrupted and those hotel guests that were trying to sleep did not mind at all!

I had a great time getting to meet everyone who I only knew as screen names on the forum. I cannot think of a better way to get a group together and we need to consider invading somewhere else next year!

Saturday, 24 October (Freedom kilts, mods meeting and the museum)

Today we had a chance to sleep in a little bit before we met up with the mod-group and the owners of the forum for breakfast. We started at Steve and Bobbies house for a quick gathering and then headed to a local joint for a brunch. Many jokes and stories were shared over eggs and coffee as we all got to know one another. After brunch, Hand and his lovely bride had to head back to the ferry as they started their journey home. The rest of us headed to Steve’s shop to talk business and for both Brian and I to get measured for a kilt. Brian was having one of his former kilts resized (downward! Yay Brian) and I was having one made.

After a couple of hours of discussing forum business and poking our heads everywhere in Steve’s shop, we headed over to the museum where Steve is a docent (see photo left). He walked us through and exhibits and told us what we were looking at. One of the things that I appreciated the most was his discussion on the poles that we mistakenly call Totem Poles. It was quite the story and essentially these poles are erected to tell a story. They are not meant as monuments, just a way to help illustrate a story. Each pole is unique and tells the story of a family or individual and each of the carvings are quite intricate.

The photo to the left here is Ruth and I under a welcoming pole that was created to welcome people to a dwelling. I thought this photo explained well how we felt the entire time we were in Canada. I will NOT share the x rated version of this photo however (unless you ask me very sweetly!)

After the museum we retired to Steve’s place to wait for his wife Bobbie so we could go out to dinner. The photos to the left show some of our group enjoying Steve’s fine selection of Single Malt Whisky and Jamie enjoying his gin and tonic. We had a great time telling stories again and learning of the world travels of some of our members. 

After this we headed to Boston Pizza for a great meal with friends and then Ruth and I bid adieu to these fine folks for the rest of the weekend. I want to take a moment here and thank Steve and Bobbie for the hospitality and also mention what a great pleasure it was to get to meet Jamie and Brian and how much I look forward to working with them more in the future.

Saturday Evening, the stroll

After dinner and our return to the hotel, I decided to take a stroll around the inner harbor. At night, they light up many of the buildings and monuments in the city. I have included a few of them above to give you a sense of the beauty of the place. It was a memorable evening for me to take this stroll. And as I was kilted at the time, I was asked more than once to pose with the tourists that were about. Most were shocked when I told them that “No, I am not from Scotland. I am from Atlanta!” I am sure that stories will be told about this once they return home.

Sunday, 25 October (Craigdarroch Castle and Shopping Day)

Our first stop after breakfast this morning is to Craigdarroch Castle. This ornate mansion was built in the late 1800’s by Robert Dinsmore who made his fortune by shipping coal out of Vancouver Island. The mansion itself was finished after his death and was the cause of quite a bit of controversy. The building had been used as a private residence, a veterans hospital and a music school during it’s life time. It is now in the process of being restored. It was quite the tour and the wood paneling alone made the trip worthwhile. I cannot imagine what it would of been like to live in this building, but it did command quite a view of the surrounding country side.

One of the things Ruth and I like to do when we travel is to go Christmas shopping for our family and friends and this trip was no different. We spend the majority of the day traipsing around the city looking in the shops and generally enjoying ourselves. Not many photos or stories from today as how much can you say ‘We stepped into the shop, looked around, decided not to buy and left” before it gets annoying?

I do have one story though about the photo on the left. I did not even know that Darth Vader played a musical instrument, much less the violin. This guys was quite good and very entertaining.

One other gentleman was also playing a guitar and singing a little bit up the road who was not quite so much fun. To give an example, part of the lyrics we heard was “Love is like a marmoset, it is warm and cuddly, but also eats it’s young”.  Ruth and I both had a great laugh at this one.

Monday, 26 October (Butchart Gardens, the long ferry ride to Seattle)

This day turned out to be one of our most challenging and one of the most memorable. It started off with both of us getting up to breakfast and preparing for the. Our plan was to tackle the Butchart Garadens. We had hoped to take a shuttle from the hotel to the gardens, but as it was off season the shuttle only ran on weekends. This left us with two option. Take a taxi or take the mass transit system. Ruth and I both being adventurous decided to risk the bus. When the desk clerk sent us to the local station, we had no idea of what bus to get on or when it was going to run. Arriving at the bus stop, we asked one of the drivers for help. He planned our route and with two transfers we arrived at the gardens.  The photos above are a SMALL sample of the photos I took there. The gardens were stunning (even if everyone who worked there kept apologizing that it was so drab!). We had a great time exploring the 55 acre park and just being together.

After completing our tour, we got back on the bus for the inner harbor area of Victoria to meet our ferry. Now here is where the story gets interesting. You see, we had about an hour to kill before we had to go collect our bags and get on the boat. During this time we decided to do some additional last minute shopping. During this time, the wind really started to rip. So much so that I was starting to worry that I was flashing passer by’s (you see, I was kilted yet again).

Picking up our bags and checking in at the ferry, we were informed that there was a better than even chance that the ferry was going to be cancelled because of wind. I should of taken those odds as that is exactly what happened. I guess a lesson learned that if the wind is strong enough to lift a kilt, it is strong enough to cancel your ferry.

So, what now? Here we are on an island and the ferry service isn’t going to run. Well the ferry service had this well in hand. Onto a bus we go for a trip north to an auto ferry to cross over to south of Vancouver, down the road to the US border crossing and then into Seattle.

So instead of a nice 3 hour ferry ride and a chance to unwind for the day, it turns into a 6 hour journey arriving at midnight. Oh well, sleep is for wimps anyway!

Tuesday, 27 October (the ride home)

Nothing of note here other than the long plane ride home and the short night before heading back to work again. Now is the time for the ultimate question, “Would you go again?”   The answer is a resounding YES, there is much more to Victoria that I want to see, and the next time I am renting a car!

  Every October for the last 37 years you can hear the skirl of bagpipes and see the colorful parade of tartan as they descend to Stone Mountain park in Georgia and this year was no different. It is the start of the Stone Mountain Highland games and Clan gathering.

In 2005, Ruth and I attended our first games and have made an annual sojourn most every year since then. This is certainly an event I look forward to.

So now on to the story and the pictures.

Saturday, 17 October.

The guys to the left are the group that invaded the mountain with me on Saturday. I am the big smiling guy on left. Next to me is Michael Casanova who was wearing a kilt for the first time and was going to be attending his first highland games. Next in line is Sean who I met at the church and invited to come along with us. Lastly is Bruce is also wearing the kilt for the first time as well as attending his first highland games. I cannot think of a better group of guys to attend the games with!

Our next stop was at a group that called themselves the “Wild Highlanders”. This is a group of historical re-enactors that spend time covering the weapons and lifestyle of the old highlanders. It was not as romantic as the movie “Braveheart”! (as an editorial, a more historically inaccurate movie you could not find!)

The guy on the far left was playing Robert the Bruce and the scary guy on the right was playing a highland chieftain. Both gave very interesting talks of what the life and times were during the period they were representing.

On the left is what we had for breakfast on this day. This is called Scots Eggs and Chips. This is a hard boiled egg that is covered in sausage and oats and then deep fried. I can tell you from experience that these were very popular with the group I took with me.

As part of the highland games is the march of the massed bands. This years band was over 700 members strong. Hearing that many pipes and drums in one place will certainly get the blood boiling.

One last comments about the games on Saturday. It was Cold and it was WET! It misted and rained on us all day and the temps did not get much above 50 degrees. During his remarks at the opening ceremony the Honored Guest, the Chief of Macdonnell of Glengary, took the blame for bringing the weather with him!  I think he was spot-on!

After the games on Friday, I took the crew home and then headed to the German eatery to meet up with a bunch of other folks for dinner. YUM, Sauerbraten for dinner!

Sunday, 18 October.

Sunday dawned at a nice, cool, 38 degrees. Ruth, Michael and I made our way to games field. We got up early so that Michael could try his hand at the heavy events. The photo on the left shows his attempt at the Heavy Weight for Distance (this is a 48 pound weight on the end of a chain and ring).  For his first attempt, Michael did great.

The second event that Michael tried was the caber toss. If there is a single event that people think of when they think of highland games, this is it! To Michaels credit, he was able to pick it up! That is very unusual for a first timer. He was not able to control it for long, but he picked it up!

This young lady is Michael’s mother. The lovely face she is making is because she is trying Haggis for the first time. Most of the others that tried it liked it. Robin, however, was not a fan. I guess that is what happens when you take a Connecticut Italian and make her try Scottish food!. Her son loved the stuff as well as the Scot Eggs and the Irn BRU!  Hmmm, it must of skipped a generation!

To the left is one of the other demonstrations we attended. These were herding dogs that were working trying to get a group of ducks to go over a bridge and then to get the sheep to move all across the field. it was a lot of fun to watch.

The last thing we attended was the march of the clans. Each of the clans that participated at the games marched onto the field at the end of the games to make their presence known. It was an awesome sight was the clans were led into the parade field by the massed bands. At the end of all of the clans marching on, there were more than 1,000 people on the field with their banners and their arms.  It was another stirring sight!

Ladies' and gentlemen!!! Your attention please!  For today only!! Splash_4 industries is introducing the 1/2 electrical failure system at a reduced cost!  That’s right, you can have this wonderful device installed that will kill the electricity to 1/2 your house at one time… All with the flip of a single switch!

Well tell us kind sir, how does this amazing item work? Well, sit back and let me tell you.  All you have to do is flip the switch for heating and air to OFF.  This will immediately kill the power to your entire second floor and refrigerator, all with one single switch. No longer do you have to climb those pesky stairs and search out each individual switch!  Simple turn this amazing device to off and there you have it!!!!

Ok, enough silliness. I know you are all dying to know what in the heck this is all about. So I will tell you. On Friday evening as Ruth and I were settling in for the night we realized it was getting a little toasty in the house. Upon inspection I discovered that the compressor for the A/C was not running any longer. The blower for the HVAC system was working well, but no cool air. Thinking that the compressor had gone out (not out of the question at the end of the summer) I called an A/C repair company out to do a Saturday repair. Figuring there was no sense in running the blower motor I went ahead and flipped the thermostat to off.

After this, Ruth and I walked through the house opening windows and turning on ceiling fans. All of a sudden Ruth yells down the stairs “Did we just lose power?”  Curious, thought I, as the TV was still running and the lights were on all of downstairs. Upon further investigation we realized that if we turned the blower off on the A/C system, it killed the power to the entire upstairs!!  Now this was a little disconcerting! Not wanting to risk a house fire due to a shorted electrical system, we called Mr. Sparky (a local electrical repair company) to come out on an emergency and look at our system.

The tech showed up promptly and started to work. The first this was walking through with us what the problem was. Right after we showed him what was going on, his first words were “You have a backflow problem.” (apparently while ac power flows both directions, the house is wired so it really only goes one way). Heading out to our circuit panel, he took the cover off and tested each circuit as well as the leads into the house.

Deciding everything looked good, he headed out to the main panel next to the meter. Doing testing here he declared “You have a break in your main line coming into the house, we need to call your electrical company to come out and fix it.” So, he placed the call to Walton EMC.  About 30 minutes later, a rather large truck and a crew of two arrived and started their work. First the shut off the power to the entire house and then they went to the service pad and disconnected the service. Next the installed a box that sent a signal down the power lines and followed that with a device that looked like a divining rod that gave a constant tone. Once they got to a spot that the tone beeped at them, they marked the sport and grabbed a couple of shovels. Digging a 2 foot by 2 foot hole about 20 inches down they discovered the main electrical cable feeding the house. Sure enough, there was a break in the line and the two phase power had welded itself together.  In about 15 minutes, they had the cable repaired and the hole filled in and we had power back to the house. Even the A/C was working (remember, that was the cause of the problem?)

All in all, it made for an enlightening  (har har, couldn’t help it!) Friday night!

As a postscript, if you ever need electrical work done. Call Mr. Sparky!!! Thad, from Mr. Sparky, took the time to explain to us everything he was doing even to the point of stopping to draw pictures so we could understand. He would also tell us the cost of what he was about to do before he did the next thing. While he was not cheap (it was an after hours call after all), he was very professional and a joy to work with!

The photo to the left is showing what happens when a bare leg meets the wild rose vines in middle Georgia.  Before you ask, yes, both of my legs, front and back, look like this.

Ok, so the next question is, where in the world did you run into those pesky man-eating vines? If your honestly going to ask that question, let me suggest you go grab a cup of coffee or a diet coke then come back and be prepared to be entertained… Go ahead, we’ll wait.

(insert theme song from Jeopardy! here)

Oh, so your back now? Ok here goes. As many of you know, I was introduced to disc golf a while back. Part of playing this sport is trying new courses all over the city. Some of my favorites are beautiful open park settings with manicured lawns and landscaped rough areas. Just the kind of place for a Sunday stroll. Others have the manicured laws, but the rough tends to be just that, rough. Lastly on some others it does not matter where you throw the disc, it is going to be ugly. I tell you the above to set you up for the tale that is to follow. And it is a tale of masculine stubbornness.

Let’s begin our tale on a Saturday evening. I have just spent the day helping a friends daughter move into her new apartment. Now this was not really heavy lifting, it was just bulky stuff. And since I own a pickup, I was asked to help. No worries at all!! This is followed by meeting a couple of friends at the local disc golf course for a quick round. Heading out to the park we meet up with Nathan and Paul to throw a few around. This particular park (Alexander) is of the second type listed above with the nice manicured fairways and the rough areas being for the most part clean, but un-tended. Anyway, I was playing in my normal disc golfing attire (tennis shoes, short socks, shorts and a t-shirt) and had one throw get a bit off line. This was my first introduction to the blood sucking vine. I got a smalls scratch on the outside of my leg as I reached for my disc. No big deal, wash it off and keep playing with no other incidents that day.

Heading into Sunday we agree to meet up with a few more friends to play another round at Alexander. This time it is quite a big crowd and Bruce, Phillip, Carolyn, Nathan, Paul, Ruth and I. Part of playing with a big crowd is that discs get lost. After 8 people throw it is sometime hard to remember where everyone landed. When one of the discs go missing it takes a team effort to find it. This time the man-eating vines were laying in wait for me. As I was walking into a bush area, one of these things, smelling the fresh blood on my leg, came to life, grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me into it’s clutches where it started attacking my legs again. Only through the bravery and great risk of the group was I pulled free for it’s grasp. This left me with a few more deep scratches.

You would think after that experience that I would of given up for the weekend. But nooooo, I am not that smart. You see there is another course here that I have played twice before and Ruth once. The last time we played this course it was early spring and the trees had just started to leaf and there was no underbrush below the trees. Ruth had never played a tree course before and did not play well that day. So after playing in the trees at Alexander, Ruth decided she wanted to try Fort Yargo again.

(now it’s time for the ominous music to start)

Loading up the truck with the tools of ignorance, Ruth, Paul, Nathan and I make the 30 mile trek to the state park. Upon arriving, it was instantly clear that this was going to be a fun round. The trees had fully leafed and the undergrowth was 6-8 feet tall in places. There was also very little fairway on any of the holes. Of course, I still have not learned my lesson and continue to wear my golfing attire. You know what is coming don’t you?  After successfully escaping their grasp the day before, these vines are out for blood. It seemed as if every hole had another vine snaking it’s way across the fields to reach me. Most of the time I was able to stomp them back into the ground, but they were tenacious.  By the end of the round I felt that I had gone 18 rounds with a young Mike Tyson and felt lucky to get out with my ears still attached.

I do think i have learned a lesson though!  That is, always keep a pair of long pants in the truck to deal with these courses (and a spare can of weed-b-gone might not be a bad idea either!)

Now I admit that I gave blood this weekend and that I will be sore for a few days because of it, isn’t that what makes a good weekend?

First things first, I did not take this photo.  I saw this on a board I frequent called http://www.xmarksthescot.com, which is a board of men who wear the kilt from all over the world.

During one of the discussion about the men who served from the various countries in WWI a gentlemen mentioned that this memorial was visible from out side of his office. The more I look at this photo, the more it stirs the emotions in my breast. I think I could live on the shores of that lake for the rest of my life. To me, this is the perfect place!

It has been a long while since I have included any photos in a blog entry. I expect that this one will make up for it!!

Mike visits Singapore!

During the week of August 16th, I had a chance to travel to Singapore on business. Although I did not have a great deal of time to do the touristy things because of the nature of the travel, I did have a chance to see a few things. I thought I would share some of them here…

The Merlion

Singapore is famous for a few things, but one of the items that stands out in the city is the famous Merlion (a mixture of a lion and a fish). There are two fountain statues in the island nation and the one pictured to the left is the big one. It is rather awesome to behold and, as you can see from the photo, tends to draw large crowds that are visiting the city.

The Singapore Flyer

Pictured at left is the Singapore Flyer. The locals will tell you that this is nothing like the London Eye, but to my eyes, they look very similar. I did not get a chance to ride this beast  (much to my dismay), but maybe on a future trip!

Chili and Pepper Crab

On my last night in Singapore, some of the locals took me to a favorite restaurant of theirs named Jumbo’s Seafood at Dempsey. Singapore is famous for it’s chili crab (foreground) and we ordered additional pepper crab (background) to complete our meal. I have never been a real big fan of seafood, but this stuff was rather tasty!

Botanical Gardens

Singapore is also known for it’s world class botanical garden. The only area of the garden I had a chance to visit was the orchid garden and it was fabulous enough. The orchid is the national flower of Singapore and you will find it growing everywhere on the island. I can think of no other place to spend the hour or so I was granted there.

Miscellaneous city photos.

I won’t say much about these photo’s other than they give you a sense of what the city was like. You can see the national tree in one of the photos if you look hard enough. It is the high-rise crane!  You see them all over the city as the is massive construction going on.

The only way to Fly

If your are going to spend 19 hour in an airplane, there is only one way to do it…. Singapore Airlines business class. Everything from the individual pod that allows you to sleep flat, to the large monitor to the service provided by the cabin crew was first rate. Although I suffered (and am still suffering) jet lag, I can think of no better way to make this trip!

I do not know if the story below is apocryphal or not, but it touched me deeply and I thought I would share.

This is a message an airplane pilot sent to his colleagues after one particular flight:

My lead flight attendant came to me and said, 'We have an H.R. on this flight.' H.R. stands for human remains. 'Are they military?' I asked. 'Yes', she said. 'Is there an escort?' I asked. 'Yes, I already assigned him a seat.' 'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early', I said.

A short while later, a young Army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us. My soldier is on his way back to Virginia', he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words on his own. I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', he said. He then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia. The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendant's voice when he asked me if there was anything I could do. 'I'm on it', I said. I told him that I would get back to him.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had onboard with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and this following is the text:

'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and planeside to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans.
Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.'

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.' Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.

'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His name is private XXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft. When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one. Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of America.

Ruth sent me this quote yesterday. It says in a few simple words what I could not say in an entire novel...

"A veteran, whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve, is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including my life." That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it." anon

In 1868 congress and the president of the United States set aside the last Monday of May as an observance of the men and women who had fallen in service to their country. I think that the order that was signed says it best;

I. The 30th day of May, 1868,is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but Posts and comrades will, in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

We are organized, Comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, "of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers sailors and Marines, who united to suppress the late rebellion." What can aid more to assure this result than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead? We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security, is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.

If other eyes grow dull and other hinds slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain in us.

Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains, and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledge to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon the Nation's gratitude—the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan.

II. It is the purpose of the Commander in Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to call attention to this Order, and lend its friendly aid in bringing it to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith.

III. Department commanders will use every effort to make this Order effective.

—General Orders No. 11, Grand Army of the Republic Headquarters^[1].

Quote

One of the things I have not covered much in this blog is the church that Ruth and I attend. It is filled with loving people who we both consider dear friends. Over the course of the past several years we have seen many changes of which the biggest is the shrinking of the congregation. Families have moved on for various reasons that has reduced our local congregation to about 50 people on any given Sunday.

One of our largest assets as a body is our church building. This was built by volunteer labor and can easily seat 250. With this in mind we have been looking at merging with another local body that was in need of a building. There were two requirements for this other church to have and those were a vital children’s ministry and a pastor.

To that end, our leadership team had been meeting with another group who seemed to fit the bill. Month on month the meetings continued until the time to make the decision was reached. By a large margin, the merger was rejected by our body.

The reason to bring this up is to share my sadness at how a meeting to make the final decision panned out. Many ego’s were bruised and some dearly held beliefs were challenged on things that are not central to the Christian faith.

The core of the belief centers on this; That Jesus Christ was born; was sacrificed on the cross for the payment of our sins, and was raised again after three days and will return. Anything beyond this is trivial in comparison to the central message above. When church members start to place their personal theology above the central message of the cross then divisiveness happens which violates one of the key messages of scripture in John 13:34-35;

If we as believers would keep this in mind when dealing with one another then many of the problems within the church would evaporate. It is my belief that God does not care how we worship Him or how a local body is governed (or even what color my boxer shorts are) as long as we love one another the way Jesus Christ has shown us. It continues to be my prayer that each of us will love God first, love each other second, and love ourselves last.

Wednesday, 29 April

This past week saw my beautiful wife (shown left) celebrate another birthday. What is great about this is that we have been married almost 19 years and she still looks 29 to me. I do not think I will ever get tired of looking at her or spending time with her.

We had a great evening that started with going to a movie (her choice, of course) and then to dinner at a local Italian restaurant. What a great day to spend with my wife!

And speaking of a great person Ruth is, the movie she chose to go see is….

State of Play

While I am not normally a fan of Russell Crowe, this was a very compelling movie with an interesting twist at the end. I really enjoyed the movie and the after dinner conversation that it generated. Well Chosen Ruth.

Friday, 1 May

While today was a busy day at the office with 10,000,000 things going on, I had a dinner engagement scheduled with a friend for after work. Michael is a 17 year old young man that has gone through a fair amount of trauma in his life, but I like spending time with him. Our conversations cover many topics, but many times the conversation will cover how Christians respond to things in the news.  This past week covered gay marriage and the response to tragedy. It was a great evening spent with a great young man who I have the highest regard for.  Once he makes up his mind in what he believes, Michael has a chance to make a great impact on the world.

Saturday, 2 May

Today is the busy day of the weekend and it started early. We got up early and got showered and dressed. Ruth headed off to meet with a lady at church for early morning prayer time while I straightened up the house a little and got ready to meet with friends for breakfast.

After breakfast we all piled into my Avalanche and headed to Fort Yargo state park to play a round of disc golf. The disc golf course is in a heavily wooded section of the park and is very different from where we normally play. On our normal course you would have to make a very, very bad shot to hit a tree. At Yargo, the trees jump in front of your disc with great regularity.

I have to admit (although I will deny it if pressed) that there is something satisfying of hearing a disc thrown with great force hit a tree. The sound of THWACK! Dang!! rang out many times during the course of the round.

The fun really started on hole 17 when the skies decided that they had held on to their water supply too long and the heavens opened up. It made for a rather damp ending to our game (although we finished all 18)

After the game the four of use were hungry and drove into Winder to find some lunch. By accident, we found a great Bar-b-que place on the square. Stuffed full of pulled pork, we lumbered back into the avalanche and the drive home. (Thanks for the great time Paul and Sandy!)

Once home, Ruth and I had about 3 hours to kill before our next event, so quick showers were taken, clean clothes changed into, and then lounge around for a little while.

Later in the evening it was back up towards Winder to meet up with a bunch of folks to celebrate a friends 60th birthday.  It was a grand time a even better to see old friends that we had not seen in a while. Not much else to report but to wish David another happy birthday (now that he is 60, we have to keep reminding him why we are all here!)

Sunday, 3 May

Sunday’s are always reserved for going to church and today is no different. Ruth and I both being sore and tired did not stop of from heading to our local church this morning. It was a good thing as well as I had Emcee duties and there is to be a congregational meeting at the end of the service. I will not say much more other than the meeting was animated with many opinions across the board.  I may or may not write more on this once I finish processing all that occurred.

After church, large group headed to lunch together at our favorite Sunday restaurant Be-Ba’s. This is another Italian place that is incredibly good and relatively inexpensive. It was a great time to gather and discuss the events of the morning and enjoy one another’s company.

After Lunch, Ruth and I met up with a few other folks to toss the discs again at our local disc golf course. If you compare the photo to the left with the one above, you can certainly see the contrasts.

It was a great time Playing with Paul, Sandy, Bob, Gerrit and Connor. The course is much easier and lends itself to having conversations during the round. I was glad to play this course at the end of the weekend to decompress from all else that went on.

As you can tell, we certainly Carpe’d those Diem’s the last couple of days. I think that I am going to need my upcoming vacation to recover from it.

And as a final note, if you happen to hear snoring from wherever you are in the world, please forgive me, I am tired!

Summa Elvetica

I ran across this pdf tale through a friends blog (A Drop in the Digital Ocean) and although I am a fan of this type of fantasy story I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This story is a darn good yarn and morality tale rolled into one. What happens when a good Christian man is asked to determine the fate of an entire species when most of his world wishes him to fail? That is the theme that runs through this book. There are many other subtexts included as well that we can each learn from.

I also agree with my friend that the biggest issue with this novel is that it ends far to soon and leaves too many questions unanswered. 

If you wish to read the story, click on the image to the left and download the story then be prepared to be unable to stop reading it.  I finished it in one sitting with a small break to play disc golf in the middle.

Anyone who has been reading this blog recently knows that I have taken up disc golf. The other day while perusing one of the online retailers, I came across this disc pictured to the left. I cannot describe it any better than the manufacture, so here is a lift from their page….

“Innova has just made the next advancement in disc golf material.  RW-Pro - Rubber Wood!  Rubber Wood is R-Pro plastic (which is a special compound of plastic that features the durability of Pro-Line along with an enhanced rubber grip and feel) with an environmentally friendly WOOD composite that makes the disc firmer and offers a textured grip like the old school Special Edition Rhyno and early Omega Super Soft. By far one of the most eco-friendly discs in disc golf, the RW-Pro has the look and smell of wood. Be the first to purchase this very collectible disc that will help support the 2009 US Masters.  This new blend of material shows how Innova Champion Discs continues to lead the disc golf industry with new technology and material.”

I will say that the disc smells of sawdust and is a little grip-pier than the rest of my discs.  We will see how it flies in the next day or so.

or another title might be “A disc golfing weekend gone bad!”

Before I get into the blow by blow of the weekend, let me just say…… I am one tired and sore old man!  (Whew, I am glad I got that off my chest!)

Friday

Let me start the story by saying I would not normally give up a weekend with my wonderful bride to do something like this. However, as she was going to be in Blairsville for the weekend attending a women’s retreat, I decided to take the chance. So, without further adieu;

After working a full day, I hopped in the truck for the 2 hour drive into the North Georgia mountains to the sleepy little town of Toccoa Georiga (home of the Toccoa Falls College). The plan is to arrive with enough daylight left to meet up with my friend Gerrit and play a round prior to the tournament the next day. Fortunately, I get into town early enough to check into my hotel and head to the course. As Gerrit had played the course before, we spent a good time walking around and chatting while tossing a few discs. The only thing I can add at this point is that it was HOT HOT HOT! Not quite the weather I was expecting in April in the mountains.

After we finished our round, we swung by and picked up Gerrit’s family for a meal at the local Pizza Hut. It was a great way to end the evening.

Saturday

Today is an early start, and it started poorly. When I went out to the truck to open the tailgate the lock was frozen shut. Not from ice, but because the evening before I apparently pulled the key out of the lock too early and I could not get the key back in today. After futzing with it for about 10 minutes, I was finally able to get it back open to be able to get to my discs and to load my meager belonging.

The other thing that happened is that during the round yesterday I realized that the two shirts I had brought were going to be stifling (can you say Dark Blue and Dark Grey on a 90 degree sunny day??) So a quick run to Wal-Mart yielded two new shirts that were the dry-wick technology and were very light colors (white and light blue).

Heading out to the course for a 8:30 am registration and to pick up my disc and then a chance to sit in the parking lot and listen to bagpipes until the players meeting at 9:30. During this meeting the tournament director covered all of the rules for the day including this little gem “Alcohol is illegal in public parks in Georgia and it is against the PDGA rules. Consider this your only warning. If I see it, you’re gone!”. I had never even considered doing this so it was a bit of an eye opener.

The start will be shotgun style so all 95 players head to their respective tee’s. I have the fortune of starting on tee # 23 which is about as far as you can get from the players meeting as is possible. So after a 10 minute trudge to get out there and a few warm up tosses, we are off at the sound of an air horn.

3.5 hours later, at the end of 24 holes, one tired Mike heads back to the gathering area to turn in the score card (I shot an 84, 12 over for the first round) and grab a quick bite of lunch. I had purchased a turkey sandwich and diet coke from vendor that morning and it was waiting for me when I arrived. (yum!)

At 2:20 the second round started and I got to start from hole 23 yet again. After another 3 hours or so, it is back the gathering to turn in the scorecard again (an 86, 14 over this time) and to the awards ceremony.

Even with the heat and bright sun. Even with losing a disc, I met some great folks and had a great time!! I can also say that I will not be playing in many of these because they are very draining, but I expect to do a couple a year.

Sunday

This is the day everyone dreads after doing something stupid. The ‘MORNING” after. I wake up about 4:30 this morning and attempt to climb out of bed. My legs have rebelled, my back is trying hard to stay in bed, my shoulders are refusing to even attempt to push me vertical….. But at the end of the argument my bladder rules the day. As it is only a short walk from the commode to the shower I decide that sleep is for wimps and take a LOOOONG steaming shower to loosen the muscles. It helps, thankfully. Getting dressed for the day proves no problem but then…… it occurs to me…… I have to go DOWNSTAIRS…..  my legs protest again, my knees have declared a general strike and my back decides it wants to go back to bed. Fortunately, the dogs bladders win this time so I gingerly walk down the stairs..

I could go on and on about this, but the rest of the day went very smooth. It also included another 18 holes at our local disc golf course to break up the sore muscles and dinner with friends. All in all, it was a very, very good weekend.

Wow, what a weekend. I have to go back to work today to recover!

Friday 

A week or so ago I received an interesting phone call from a former coworker, Margaret, letting me know that she was coming into town to watch her sister and brother-in-law act in a community theater play. Margaret wanted to know if Ruth and I would be interested in attending with her. Being the gallant sort of man I am, I immediately asked Ruth is she wanted to go. Ruth enthusiastically agreed that this would be a great date night together.

Come Friday night we headed out to the car to drive over to Marietta. For those of you who are not familiar with the Atlanta area, the drive from Snellville to Marietta is around 60 miles. Add into this the fact that it was rush hour and you have a long drive on your hands. With the play starting at 8pm, we intrepid adventurers start our trek at 5pm! 2 hours of bumper to bumper traffic got us to North Marietta in time to find a quick dinner at a great little Italian place.

Meeting up with Margaret led to a bunch of smiles as I was wearing a kilt (pictured left). The audience was not sure whether to look at me or the actors on the stage (the actors won!) The play was great and Margaret’s BIL did a great job as the lead in the play. Ruth and I were very entertained. (Although the star of the show was the florist!)

After the play ended, we headed out to a quick desert and coffee at a local diner. The amazing thing about the diner was that at close to midnight there was a waiting line to get in! The kilt was a hit here to as most folks did not know what to make of the big guy with the big smile wearing it. All in all it was a great, albeit long, evening. We finally got to bed about 2:30 am for a short nights sleep.

Saturday

Today started bright and early at 7am. Ruth and I have a tradition of going to breakfast together prior to her heading to church and today was no different. After breakfast I headed back to the house to prepare for the days events. For several weeks I have been attempting to run a disc golf tournament for my church. Unfortunately every weekend we had scheduled brought lots of rain and thunderstorms. Today was our next scheduled attempt to run this and we had an absolutely gorgeous day to play it. 10 men of various skill levels showed up at 9:45 in the morning to hear the rules and to play a round. Congratulations to Gerrit and John for winning the first annual GCC Missions Disc Golf Event! A lot of fun was had by all and $100 was raised to support world missions.

After the tourney and lunch ended, I came home and grabbed my wife and the two of us went back out to fling a few discs. Ruth had a great game and I had a very poor round. I guess getting a couple of hours of sleep and then already having played a round stiffened me up a little (It has absolutely nothing with the fact that I am not 20 any longer!)

Sunday

You would think that after the last two days that Sunday would be a day of rest. You would be both right and wrong. Sunday is indeed a day of rest where we get to go to a church service with a lot of friends. Today was also special and the pastor of the church we are looking to merge with is speaking.

Today also marked another first in my kilting life as I wore a kilt (shown left) to church for the first time. This was to fulfill a promise made to the young lady pictured with me at the left. You she she is the artisan that hand knitted those wonderful socks you see there. I had promised her that when they were complete that I would wear the kilt to church so she could get pictures of the complete outfit.

A lot of good natured ribbing ensued from the congregation, but I think that Deb was the most pleased of all. All I can say to her is these are fabulous and will get many years of wear (and when do you want to knit a second pair??)

After doing all of this, what does one do on a Sunday afternoon you might ask. It is a simple answer containing three small letters……

Happy tax day to all citizens of the United States of America!

This is the day of the year that millions of Americans have no idea of what it is that they paid the federal government. Think I’m crazy?  Ask someone today what they paid in 2008 income taxes. You’re likely to hear “I didn’t pay anything. I am getting some back!”

Oh the ignorance. You’re government thanks you.