Savannah Trip-- Part 5: Another Museum and Homeward Bound

TUESDAY, APRIL 9

Sadly, it was now time to go home.  I would be once again be taking two flights on Delta.  One from Savannah to Atlanta, then one from Atlanta to Milwaukee.  However, I didn't leave until late in the afternoon so Ed and I went over to the National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force in Pooler, Georgia.

This was one of the major units to bomb Germany during World War II and quite a museum.  Just like the other museums I visited, I'll want to return next trip as there was just too much to see.  We had an excellent lunch at Miss Sophie's Restaurant located on the premises.

I am happy to say that both legs of my return trip home went just like clock work.

So, I will fly once again.

--RoadDog

Our 49th Wedding Anniversary-- Part 6: Some More on That Little Blue Nun and a 'Sharknado'

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25

The actual date of  our 29th wedding anniversary.

Some more on that little bottle of Blue Nun Riesling wine.

At one time, Blue Nun Riesling wine was one of the biggest selling wines in the United States, especially from the 1940s to 1970s.  That was because our servicemen and women stationed overseas during World War II started drinking the wine and when they returned to the States, continued drinking it.  Sadly, as they died, their kids did not keep on drinking it.  That is why it is impossible to find it now.  Even Binny's in Chicago, a huge chain, does not carry it.

Oh well, regular Riesling wine will suffice for us.  And, overall, Riesling is making a comeback, so we can hope that Blue Nun will as well.

Back to the motel and put one bottle in the minifrig and watched what has to be one of the dumbest movies of all time "Sharknado 3."  So bad that it was good.

--RoadDog

Mayor's Fish Fry, Two Legions, Sunnyside Shuffle, Parish Fest and Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12

Liz and I met Glen and Barb at the Fox Lake Mayor's Fish Fry at Lake Front Park.  A great deal for AUCE for $9 for seniors.  Unfortunately, the line for refills was always too long so I didn't get seconds.  Too bad as it was excellent fish.

Afterwards, we all went to the Fox Lake American Legion (across Nippersink Lake from the Lake Front Park) and played 50/50.  They now have pull cards on Fridays where you either pay full price, half price or 50 cents for your drink.  I had two full price ($2 pints), a half price and a 50 cents.

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 13

We went to Sunnyside in Johnsburg and eventually, doing what everyone calls the Sunnyside Shuffle, were able to move from a table to the edge of the bar and finally the horseshoe part, the primo seating and most fun with others.

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 14

Liz and I went to Parish Fest in Johnsburg and enjoyed brats, beer, ice cream and the excellent oompah band Die Musikmeisters.  Then, we went to McHenry for the annual Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive, a tribute to our World War II and Korean War veterans.  Sadly their numbers are getting lower every year so now Vietnam War veterans have been added. Enjoyed the sounds of Bill's Little Big Band.

Afterwards, we went to the McHenry Legion.

Always Something Going On Around Here.  --RoadDog

POINTS TO PONDER:  If you rip a hole in a net, you have less holes than you started with.

About Last Week: A Breakfast, Cheaper Gas, No Blue Nun, Snow Showers and a Shrimp Fry

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12

Met the Magee teachers at Bristol 45 Diner in Bristol, Wisconsin.  It is on US Highway 45 and features some of the best breakfasts anywhere around.  I'm especially fond of the Mediterranean omelet loaded with gyro meat and feta cheese.  I end up with two breakfasts at home afterwards.  Always good to get together with friends I have known since the 1970s.

Got gas on Wisconsin Highway 83, just north of Antioch, Illinois, for $3.08 ($3.07.9) after quite a bit of maneuvering because of long lines of Illinois folks.  Gas in northern Illinois now goes for between $3.50 and $3,60, so this is quite a savings.

Went to Antioch Wine and Liquor store to look for Blue Nun wine.  The owner told me they no longer carry it because of lack of demand, but at one time they could hardly keep it in stock it sold so fast.  This is a special wine for Liz and me as her dad, Amby, a World War II vet, gave us a bottle of it on our wedding day back in August 1973, as we left the reception, in DeKalb, Illinois, and told us to have a drink on him when we got to Galena.  Ever after that, this was or "drink" on our anniversaries.

When soldiers returned from WW II, they started drinking Blue Nun wine from Germany and it became  very popular.

The store did have several other Riesling wines, so I bought one.  Blue Nun is a Riesling wine, so those will have to take the place.  Very close to the Blue Nun taste.

We had snow showers all day and kind of a blustery cold. No accumulation, though.

Met Kevin and Kelly at the Wilmot Riverside in Wilmot, Wisconsin, for a fish fry.  Well, actually a shrimp fry as we all got shrimp dinners.  I usually don't order shrimp because it is of the popcorn shrimp variety which means a really small shrimp covered with a WHOLE LOT of breading.  Their fried shrimp is medium-sized and with a Calabash, N.C., style of breading, which means lightly breaded.

--RoadDog

THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO SAY (From the Orange Peel Gazette):  "I can see your point, but I still think you're strong."

WLS Top 30 for Week of August 9, 2021-- Part 4: 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey'

*  Means climbing the charts.  The number after the artist is how high it got on the Billboard Hot 100 National Chart.

15.  IT'S TOO LATE / I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE--  Carole King     #1    #12  for "I Feel the Earth Move."   Love the piano intro on "I Feel the Earth Move."  Guess some deejay turned "It's Too Late" over and played the "B" side.

14.  UNCLE ALBERT / ADMIRAL HALSEY--  Paul McCartney     #1    Listed as Paul and Linda McCartney.   Quite an oddball song.  I was upset when the Beatles broke up, but then realized we'd be getting at least three times as many Beatles songs.  I didn't much expect anything from Ringo.  Was I ever wrong.  I always wondered if Paul's Admiral Halsey was our WW II Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey.

13.  MIGHTY CLOUDS OF JOY--  B.J. Thomas      #34    Billy Joe Thomas, you know.   Now, you've been to church.

12.  SMILING FACES SOMETIMES--  Undisputed Truth      #3    From Detroit.   Their only Top 40 song.   Keep an eye on "Your Friends."  Maybe not so.  

11.  MAYBE TOMORROW--  Jackson Five     #20    Not one of the their better-known songs and I don't even remember hearing it, but, wow, this is a really good song.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Jealousy, Misery, Envy."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Smiling Faces Sometimes"

Music Deaths: Keith Tippett (Played with King Crimson) and Vera Lynn (Popular WW II Singer)

KEITH TIPPETT, 72

Died 14 June 2020

Pianist/composer.  Worked with King Crimson.

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VERA LYNN, 103

Died 18 June 2020

Singer best known for her song "We'll meet Again," a popular WW II song.  I'll write about her in more detail in my Tattooed On Your Soul: World War II blog.

Movie Scratches: 1917-- Rabbit-- 1917-- Skywalker

Movie Scratches--  Movies I Have Seen At the Theater This Year.

5.  1917--  1-23--  Fox Lake, $6--  Trenches, rats, planes, snipers and the horrors of war.  What more could a guy want?

6.  JOJO RABBIT-- 1-27--  Fox Lake, $6--  A unique movie set in the waning days of Nazi Germany.  Humorous, sad and horrible at the same time.  And, the pretend Hitler.

7.  1917--  1-28--  A day in the life and what a day.  What a way to deliver the mail.  Gives new credence to that old saying about the mailmen and delivery.  One of those movies you just have to see on the big screen twice.

8.  STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER--  1-28--  Fox Lake, $5--  "Rea, I am your grandfather.  You are a Palpatine Sith.  YUCK!!!

Love Those New Seats in the Classic Cinemas Fox Lake Theatre.  --RoadDog


RANDOM ANIMAL THOUGHTS ( From the Orange Peel Gazette) DOG::  "They keep putting the lid down on the big water bowl."

One Great Time Last Weekend-- Part 3: Parish Fest and Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive

SUNDAY, AUGUST 11

We went to Parish Fest at St. John the Baptist Church in Johnsburg, Illinois, something we have done for the last 13 years.  However this time it was the first time that the band New Odyssey had not played in it.  Their guitarist was one of Liz's elementary friends back in Chicago.  This year the band Cirrus Falcon played and did a great job.  They are well known in the Chicagoland area.

As usual, we availed ourselves of the brats, corn on the cob and beer.

Then we drove to McHenry, Illinois, and went to the American Legion on Riverside Drive where our friend Mark was bartending and the members were getting ready for the Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive commemoration where the members of the Greatest Generation are honored for their service in World War II and the Korean War.

That is always a moving ceremony complete with Bill's Little Big Band playing the music of the era, a radio program, speeches, introductions, 21-gun salute, rolling taps and the release of 21 white doves.

Quite A Fitting Honor.  Thanks Greatest Generation.  --RoadDog

World Leaders Honor D-Day Veterans-- Part 6: I'm Not A Hero. I Served With Men Who Were"

The crowd beyond the security barriers loved the planes but loved the veterans even more.  Whenever their images came up on the bug screen, the people cheered loudly.

"What happened to me is not important.  I'm not a hero.  I served with men who were," said Les Hammond, 94, who landed at Juno Beach with the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers.  "I'm very lucky I'm a survivor."

A Moving Ceremony.

World Leaders Honor D-Day Veterans-- Part 5: In Their Own Words and a Fly-By

President Trump read a prayer that President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered in a radio address on June 6, 1944, extolling the "mighty endeavor" Allied troops were engaged in.

British Prime Minister Theresa May read a letter written by Captain Norman Skinner of the Royal Army service Corps to his wife Gladys, on June 3, 1944, a few days before the invasion.  he was killed the day after D-Day.

"Although I would give anything to be back with you, I have not yet had any wish at all to back down from the job we have to do," he wrote.

French President Emmanuel Macron read from a letter sent by a young resistance fighter, Henri Fertet, before he was executed at the age of 16.

"I am going to die for my country.  I want France to be free and the French to be happy."

The ceremony ended with singer Sheridan Smith performing the wartime hit "We'll Meet Again," as many of the veterans sang along.

Then WW II Spitfire and Hurricane fighter plans, modern-day Typhoons and the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows aerobatic unit swooped over the dignitaries and crows of spectators.

World Leaders Honor D-Day Veterans-- Part 4: Germany There, But Not Russia

D-Day saw more than 150,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy in northwest France on June 6, 1944, carried by 7,000 ships and boats.  The Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, was a turning point in the war and helped bring about Nazi Germany's defeat in May 1945.

Wednesday's ceremony brought together presidents, prime ministers and other representatives of more than a dozen countries that fought with the Allies in Normandy.

The leader of the country that was the enemy in the invasion in 1944, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also attended -- a symbol of Europe's postwar reconciliation and transformation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who attended the 70th anniversary commemorations in France has not been invited.  Russia (then the Soviet Union) was not involved in D-Day but was instrumental in defeating the Germans on the Eastern Front.

The ceremony sought to take people back in time, with world leaders reading the words of participants in the event.

World Leaders Honor D-Day Veterans-- Part 3: Two Days of Observances

Mixing history lesson, entertainment and remembrance, the ceremony in Portsmouth was a large-scale spectacle involving troops, dancers and martial bands, culminating in a military fly-past.  But even with all that as well as an array of world leaders, the real stars of the show were the the elderly veterans who said they were surprised by all the attention.  They said they were just doing their jobs.

"I was just a small part in a very big machine," said John Jenkins, 99, a veteran from Portsmouth, who received a standing ovation as he addressed the event.

"You never forget your comrades because we were all in it together," he said.  "It is right that the courage and sacrifice of so many is being honored 75 years on.  We must never forget."

The event, which kicked off two days of D-Day anniversary observances, paid tribute to the troops who shaped history during the dangerous mission to reach beachheads and fight in German-occupied France.

World Leaders Honor D-Day Veterans-- Part 2: The Queen's Remarks

Queen Elizabeth II went on to say:  "The heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten.  It is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country -- indeed the whole free world -- that I say to you all, thank you."

Several hundred World War II veterans attended the ceremony in Portsmouth, the English port city from where many of the troops embarked for Normandy on June 5, 1944.

Many will recreate the journey. with less danger and more comfort, by crossing the Channel by ship to Normandy overnight.  They will attend commemorations Thursday in Bayeux, the first major town liberated by Allied troops after D-Day.

World Leaders Honor D-Day Veterans-- Part 1: "The Wartime Generation - My Generation - Is Resilient"

From the June 6, 2019, Chicago Tribune by Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless, AP.

Queen Elizabeth II and world leaders, including President Trump gathered Wednesday on the south coast of England to honor the troops who risked and sacrificed their lives 75 years ago on D-Day.  It was a triumphant turning point of World War II

Across the English Channel, Allied paratroopers dropped into northwestern France, scaled cliffs by Normandy beaches and charged ashore this day.

It is exceedingly sad that the number of veterans who were there and who fought in the war is dwindling so fast.  Several hundred men who took part in D-Day were there.  All are now in their nineties.  The Queen herself is now 93 years old and a member of that Greatest Generation.

She served as an army mechanic during the war and said that when she attended the 60th anniversary event many thought it might be the last time it was held  "But the wartime generation -- my generation -- is resilient,"  she said.

Just Got Back From Indy 500-- Part 5: "Lady and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines"

Everyone was keeping a weather eye out west, lest we have heavy rain and mess up the race.  This was talked about ever since we got there on Thursday, whether or not there would even be a race and what would happen if it was canceled Sunday.

As it turned out, it didn't rain.

This race is probably the biggest Memorial Day commemoration in the United States.  It is devoted to those veterans who gave their lives in the service of their country.  We had a four helicopter flyover and another flyover by two WW II planes and a jet and another plane while Kelly Clarkson was singing the "Star-Spangled Banner."  No ONE took a knee.

Blackhawk favorite, Jim Cornelison sang "Back Home Again in Indiana."  He sings the "Star-Spangled Banner" for home games.  This is his third year in a row doing it so I'd say he has now taken the place of Jim Nabors singing it.

"Lady and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines."  Pippa Mann was among the 33 who raced.

--RoadDog

A PLETHORA OF TIDBITS:  When actor Clint Eastwood ran for mayor of Carmel, California, in 1986, a major issue was ice cream.  Town leaders had banned the sale of ice cream cones, incensing Eastwood and his supporters.  They won and overturned the ordinance.

The Doolittle Raid, April 18, 1942

From the April 18, 2019, Springfield (Ohio) New-Sun.

The attack was a psychological blow to the Japanese, who moved four fighter groups and  recalled top officers from other combat areas in order to guard Japan from another American bomber attack.

Two months after the Raid, Jimmy Doolittle received the Congressional Medal of Honor from FDR.  Richard Cole received a Distinguished Flying Cross.

After the war, the Doolittle Raiders decided to meet every year until only two remained .  That happened in 2013 and Richard Cole and the other one uncorked a bottle of vintage cognac from 1896, the year of Jimmy Doolittle's birth., for a final toast.  This bottle and the goblets they used can be found at the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

Today, we are saying our final goodbye to the last Doolittle Raider.

Richard E. Cole, the Last Doolittle Raider, Dies

From Wikipedia.

A sad thing as a big piece of American history passed away with him.  But we won't forget.

RICHARD EUGENE COLE

(September 7, 1915 - April 9, 2019)

A career military officer in the U.S. Air Force (and Army Air Corps before that).   He was one of the 80 airmen who took part in the famed Doolittle Raid on Japan on April 18, 1942.  (He died just nine days before the 77th anniversary of the raid.)  In it he served as co-pilot to Jimmy Doolittle in the lead airplane.  (They had the least amount of deck from which to take off that day.)

He eventually reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Cole remained in China after the raid until June 1943 and served again in the dangerous China Burma India Theater from October 1943 to June 1944.  He later served as U.S. Operations Advisor to the Venezuelan Air Force from 1959-1962 before retiring in 1966.

In 2016, he became the last living Doolittle Raider.

A Hero Among heroes.

Richard Cole, Last WW II Doolittle Raider Dies at 103

From the April 9, 2019, Chicago Tribune.

Retired Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole, the last of the 80 Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, who carried out the daring U.S. attack on Japan during World War II, has died at a military hospital in Texas.  He was 103.

A spokesman says Cole died Tuesday at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, but gave no additional details.

The Greatest of the Greatest Generation.

Music Deaths: Freddie Hart, Country, "Easy Loving"

FREDDIE HART, 91

Died October 27, 2018

Had a country crossover hit with "Easy Loving"  )#17-1971)

Born Frederick Segrest in Alabama.  Entered the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II at age 15.

"Easy Loving" won the Country Music Academy Song of the Year award.

All told, on the country charts, he had 48 hits, including six #1s.

Music Deaths: Charles Aznavour, Singer, Songwriter

CHARLES AZNAVOUR, 94

Died October 1, 2018

French singer/songwriter best known in the United States for the songs he wrote "Yesterday, When i Was Young"  (#19-1969) Roy Clark, "If You Go Away"  and "My Way" (#27-1969)  Frank Sinatra.

He recorded more than 1,200 songs in seven different languages.  He was involved in the French Resistance in World War II.

This man, though I have never heard of him before, led quite a varied life.  Check out Wikipedia.