Part of the problem with doing family history is that there is so much missing. Kelly and I both had relatives serving in the U.S. Navy in World War Two, and on a wide range of different ships. Kelly had a grandfather that served on the USS Massachusetts (BB-59) during the war, and I had a grandfather that eventually served on the USS Cutlass (SS-478). Interestingly enough, both of these vessels are well-documented, and even more fascinating, both of them still exist.
Tag: history
A new Christmas tradition?
Kelly and I are big Neil Gaiman fans, in case you didn’t know already.
Now we have yet another reason to love the guy. Last year he recorded a wonderful version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: a version in which he reads from Charles Dickens’ own annotated copy, as Charles Dickens, complete with clothes and beard.
When good causes go awry
Good people make mistakes. It happens. No one is perfect. How we acknowledge those mistakes, and how we try to make amends, that is what’s critical to getting along with everyone, especially those who are harmed by our mistakes. It makes a world of difference whether we recognize the harm we sometimes do as individuals, as organizations, and even as nations.
And that is why it truly pains me to see groups that I believe in make bad, even horrible mistakes, and then fail to do the right thing afterward. It is just heartbreaking. And lately it seems like it is one after another.
I think I like Yorkshire
Although Kelly has been to the UK before, I have myself never been there. So I have no idea what I would actually make of anyplace in the UK, frankly. Certainly there is a lot of interesting history to see all over the place.
Still, I think I would like to see Yorkshire. It strikes me as a very interesting place, for a variety of reasons.
A beautiful and storied ship, part two
So like I was saying in my earlier post, I managed to get a pretty-much full tour of the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Cassin Young last Saturday. I took a lot of pictures.
A beautiful and storied ship, part one
As many of you already know, I am a lover of history. Maritime history is especially one of my favorite sub-fields of history, and I love to see historic ships or reproductions of historic ships at any opportunity. I am lucky enough to live in a state (and a region) that has many.
So I went to the old Navy Yard in Charlestown on Saturday, since my back was feeling a bit better and I was feeling up to doing some walking around. And I am so very glad I did, because for the first time ever I got to take a tour of the inside of the USS Cassin Young, one of the museum ships kept there by the National Park Service.
So much going on this past week. Oh, and Happy Halloween!
Perhaps, now that things are finally starting to calm down somewhat (and I am getting some sleep), I can get back to posting regularly on here. It has been an eventful week.
First, a hearty congratulations to my nephew Will, who earned his Eagle Scout rank this week. He worked hard for it, and deserves a lot of credit for being a pretty disciplined young man. He was also fortunate to get a lot of support from friends and family, especially his mom (my sister Liz) and his dad (my brother-in-law Dan). He’ll be off for college next year. Eeek, I am old.
Continue reading “So much going on this past week. Oh, and Happy Halloween!”
Meditations on a “world unmade and remade by war and violence” November 16th 3:00pm
In a tribute to Veteran’s day and the current political climate, The Seraphim Singers are presenting The Short Twentieth Century: Choral Music from 1914 to 1990.
Autumn in New England
It has been kind of strange that we had such a dry, warm September, and there have been some warm days in October too. But I think you can’t deny that fall has finally arrived in Greater Boston.
So… Scotland… I hear you might be single soon…
Wow. Just, wow.
I am amazed, truly amazed, that this movement for Scotland to gain independence may actually succeed after all. The referendum is set to take place this Thursday.
And it is an extremely complicated issue, one that I would imagine the overwhelming majority of Americans (including myself) understand very little, outside of having seen the superb (but historically inaccurate) movie Braveheart.
Continue reading “So… Scotland… I hear you might be single soon…”
The Books are Taking Over... 