Our Promise To You:

Politics is such a dirty business; I always feel the need to shower after talking about it.

'Twould be lovely to ignore it; unfortunately, we do so at our peril.

The truth is your freedoms are being abrogated by Washington's Uni-Party...all those <rich men north of Richmond>, regardless of whether they identify as an elephant or a jackass.

So what are you going to do about it?

As our Declaration of Independence states:

1) God gave us rights: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness;

2) We institute Government to secure those rights;

- and -

3) Government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed.

And that, kind reader, is where we come in:  giving our consent via voting in elections.

Our job as responsible citizens is to tune in!

Hold your nose if you have to, but be informed so you can make a good decision.

The quality of your life - and the future of your country - depends on it.

In happier news, it's St. Patrick's Day...

...and we're going to party like it's March 17th!

Because, you know, it is.

A word to the wise:  avoid green beer; your insides will thank you.

Stick to...

-or-

...in moderation, of course.  Slainte!

And whate'er ye do, durst ye not forget to sing <Danny Boy> wi’ your muckers.

In the photography department, I had pictures developed from my Reto 35mm, Brownie/Hawkeye 126 film, and Brownie/Starflash 127 film.

A few of the Reto 35mm pics:

I told him to stay out of the picture, but would he listen?

it's aht...y'know, nature and stuff

cool, serendipitous effect of the camera lens and sun angle

love the <shadow play>

Some from my Hawkeye 620 film camera:

Karen made that wrap for modesty's sake...love the gold belt

all 6'6" of #3 son after breakfast at the Grille

next time I'm going to hold the camera still when I click the shutter

practice makes mediocre in my case

And a few from my Starflash 127 film camera:

1st pic taken with my Starflash

gotta hold it still when pressing the shutter!

a favorite shot with all my cameras...I just like that stuff

my financial advisor reviewing the books

It's official; I need to stop buying vintage cameras.

If you won't 23 skidoo, I guess I'll hafta do it for ya:

hickory golf knows no season

when my drive landed here I said I couldn't do it again if you paid me a million dollars...

...now I'd like my money, please.

I warned you!  didn't I warn you?  you know I warned you.

not sure how, but he actually sleeps like that.

for the first time I can remember, it appears Spring really has sprung early

And speaking of Spring, here's a reminder from God's Word:

"For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land..."

  - Song of Solomon 2:11,12

later, mcm fans...

Reflections...

Benjamin in Afghanistan

...on Freedom.

I like that picture...my soldier son trying to get some rest in the desert but still fully armed, ready to do his duty when called.

For a stark contrast, here's some of what I got to enjoy in the cool of the morning today:

We live in the city, but it's been a quiet, peaceful morning...birds chirping, squirrels scampering around the deck for peanuts, a beautiful view of lush greenery and vibrant flowers.

At first blush these two environments - armed conflict in a foreign desert vs peaceful beauty at home - appear to be radically different, disconnected realities.

But they are related in one vitally important way:  the first makes the second possible.

Without the sacrifice of our service men and women through the ages, those of us at home would never be able to enjoy the fruits of freedom.

Freedom is a God given right, but it must be defended by our soldiers.

President Reagan said it best:

<Memorial Day>

So on this Memorial Day we pause to remember and to give thanks for the brave men and women who gave their lives for our freedoms.

A heartfelt Thank You to service men and women everywhere.

God bless you.

Happy Independence Day...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

And with those words a new nation was formed, predicated upon a belief in God Almighty and devoted to the concept of freedom for all men.  That they were completely committed to this radical concept is evident by how this great document was concluded:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

So they did...most of them did in fact forfeit their lives and their fortune, though fate has correctly preserved their sacred Honor.

We celebrated this most radical concept and sharp departure from the norm of history - which has traditionally been one of tyranny, poverty, and harsh oppression - with fireworks, food, and family fun.

But I wonder how many people truly stopped to give thanks for the precious gift of blood bought freedom...

As Dwight D. Eisenhower opined, "History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid."  May we be strong and brave in the constant fight for our freedoms!

We enjoyed a beautiful time of backyard rest and relaxation -

- and then at night we sat out and watched fireworks going off all around us...

...no need to travel, fight the traffic and crowds...the show was everywhere in our neighborhood.  A good day.

In the "ain't this fun" department, the Qwerkywriter Kickstarter project was fully funded and then some on July 3rd:

This modern keyboard based on a manual typewriter look and sound will go into production, and within a year I should be getting 4 of them for my contribution to this project.  How cool is that?

Today, July 5th, is my dad's birthday...

...he would be 93 years old had he lived, but he passed on at age 69.  I've often wondered what it was like the day he was born in New York City back in 1921...there's a story there somewhere.

Later, mcm fans...