D-Day

Our annual D-Day post:

Sixty-nine Seventy years ago today.  My annual D-Day post, first published in 2009...

D-Day

Sixty-five years ago today. All images as captioned in the Life Magazine photo archives.

Tracer fire from many different ships lighting up the night sky over the English Channel during opening phase of D-Day, the Allied invasion of France. (no credit)

American B-26 Marauders with special D-Day markings make a bombing run over Cherbourg around the time of the Allied D-Day invasion of France. (Frank Scherschel)

Aerial view of American troops and tanks coming ashore as landing craft continue to unload on the first day of Operation Overlord, the invasion of France, aka on D-Day. (no credit)

Massive landing and deployment of US troops, supplies and equipment in the days following victorious D-Day action on Omaha Beach; barrage balloons guard against German aircraft while scores of ships unload men & material. (no credit)

Bodies of 8 American paratroopers lie outside the wreckage of their glider near Hiesville, France on the day of the invasion of Normandy, aka D-Day. (no credit)

Chaplin saying mass aboard HMS Scylla, laying at anchor off the Normandy coast shortly after the D-Day invasion of France. (no credit)

As always... click for larger. And spare a thought and a prayer today for those who made the ultimate sacrifice 65 69 years ago. There were many thousands who gave their lives for freedom on this day...

The world will probably never see another military operation like this ever again.  The focus is primarily on the men who scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc and landed on the beaches code-named Omaha, Utah, Sword, Juno and Gold, and rightly so.  But the Allied navies and air arms deserve equal attention, as do the behind-the-scenes logisticians who managed an incredible supply chain; that supply chain was a modern marvel in every sense of the word.  As I said, we'll never see another military effort like this ever again.  Let's hope we never have cause to mount such an invasion, too.

I can't improve on this.

Brain Farts

We has 'em.  So, we're sitting here at the computer doin' stuff and our most recent credit card statement hits the in-box.  I immediately download and open up the statement, bein' the dutiful and attentive sort I AM, and am horrified to see my balance is about twice what it should be.  "WTF?" thinks I... how can this be?  I look a lil closer and see this statement line item:

Aiiieee!  Did I miss a payment?  Why, yes... yes I DID.  My payment was due June 1 and I completely forgot about it.  So we did two things: immediately initiated an EFT transaction to pay the bill (in full, as always), and phoned my credit card provider to see if they would waive that late fee.  We haz success in both endeavors and I'm pleased to report my credit card provider apparently values my trade enough to reverse the late fee*.  They might change their tune at some point in future, however, seein' as how this sorta thing happens to me about once every two or three years.  But we're all good today.

* No, it ain't the Discover card.

What I Should Be Doin' Tommorrow...

I should be attending this event...

... but I won't be there, except for the usual, customary, and somewhat reasonable "in spirit."  I agonized over the decision whether to travel out to Ol' Virginny or not for quite some time, but in the end I decided not to go.  There's a lot of disappointment all the way around but there's understanding, too.  I thank The Deity At Hand for that.

In that same vein... Buck had the UCR farewell events in his place o' bidniz last week and sent me a couple o' pics of the going-away gift his folks presented him.

That's a pretty nifty humidor, complete with an initial load of very high quality cigars.  His gift beats the Hell outta anything **I** ever got when I left a duty station, hands down.  Then again, he's a major and I was a Master Sergeant (at best), so I suppose there IS a bit o' difference in position. 

More Clever Stuff

The rosters for tonight's SCF Game One:

Heh.  An alternative version of both rosters is here.

Let's Go Rangers Roger Wankers!

One o' Life's Minor Irritants

It's the first o' the month... aka "Mother's Day," as in "pay this mother, pay that mother"... so we spent some time today goin' through a couple o' weeks' worth of unopened mail.  This was the end result:

Actionable mail (i.e., file or respond) is on the left, garbage mail (that I neither want nor asked for) is on the right. I omitted all the various credit card applications from the right hand pile as those go directly to the shredder.  The pile would have been somewhat higher had I included those unsolicited letters.

Some folks think I'm strange when I mention I only check my snail mail about once a week or less.  **I** think it's strange that people check their mail every day, given there's hardly ever anything of real significance in there.  I do have one exception, however, and that's when the periodic cigar shipment arrives.  But there's this about that: I always know when the cigars are coming.  As for the rest of it?  Get OFF my lawn! 

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack: Summery!

Nothing sez "Summer" to me more than Spyro Gyra...



We're sure gettin' us some summer today and there's more on the way...

And it ain't even (technically) summer yet.  O, Hell Yes!  Bring it ON!

"Whoa" Is Right

So sez Ed Morrissey about this:

Berghdal is getting a lot of pixels on the milblogs and the press ain't good, at all.  I'm not one who wants to see a hanging before the trial but the sticks sure ain't lining up the way they should in this case.

The Stage Is Set

It all begins tomorrow night... the grand finale to the most grueling championship series in all of sports... East vs. West, the Big Apple against Tinsel Town.



I suppose I should be rooting for the Kings, given as how the Western Conference was "home" to the Wings (until this year's realignment) for as long as I've been a hockey fan.  I just can't do that, though... something in me refuses to cheer for a team from El-Eh.  So let's hear it...

Let's Go Rangers!

More Whiskey Seven

I can't recall an event that received more coverage in the Usual USAF Source than Whiskey Seven's European trip.  Here's another such item:

Air Frame: A World War II-era Douglas C-47 Skytrain (foreground), known as Whiskey 7, flies alongside a C-130J Super Hercules from the 37th Airlift Squadron over Germany, May 30, 2014. The C-47 came to Ramstein Air Base to participate in activities with the squadron, its legacy unit, before returning to Normandy, France, to recreate its D-Day role in dropping paratroopers over Sainte-Mere Eglise, France, on June 6, 1944, as part of the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. (Air Force photo by SSgt. Sara Keller)

It's really hard to find a trash hauler that's prettier than the C-47.  I know I've mentioned this before (in other places) but I'm old enough to have flown in an active duty USAF C-47.  There was a C-47 based at Vandenberg AFB in the mid-60s; my maintenance officer (who was rated) at the 669th Radar Squadron used to fly that bird twice a year to "maintain proficiency," which is code for "keep my flight pay even though I'm in a non-flying billet."  He'd take as many squadron members along on those flights as there were available seats; I went on two or three of those excursions around the local area.  I also flew on several commercial DC-3s when I was a child, as well.  So yeah, this ol' geezer is familiar with the ol' Gooney Bird.

I Hate It When This Happens...

Sometimes I think I throw away more food than I eat.  Case (cake?) in point:

Next stop: the dumpster.  The cake is half the height it was when I bought it last week and there just might be unwanted life forms living in it after sitting on my counter for a week.  I guess I just didn't have that much of a sweet tooth over the last couple o' few.

Oh, well.  Beer Me!

British Auto Nostalgia

The 1962 Earls Court motor show, from an old Pathé newsreel:



Nearly all of those marques are gone now, save Lotus, Jaguar, and Bentley.  Come to think on it, newsreels are gone, too.  That said, isn't the E-Type just about the closest thing there is to sex on wheels?

H/t:  Hemmings Daily Newsletter.

The Sunday Re-Run

What?  It's June already?  Why, yes... yes it IS.  And here's what we were on about exactly six years ago today:

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Detroit 2, Pittsburgh 1

Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg splits the defense of Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Malone during 3rd period action between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals at Mellon Arena, Saturday, May 31, 2008.
(JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/DFP)

One more win—three more chances. And then the 2008 Stanley Cup Final will be history. The Wings can hoist the Cup on home ice tomorrow night, and the chances…statistically… of them doing just that are better than good.

I might have seen a more exciting, harder-fought game than last night’s masterpiece in Pittsburgh, but I don’t think so. The only possible candidate might be the Wings’ Game Four win in the sweep of the Flyers in 1997…but that would be for entirely different reasons, like ending a 42-year Stanley Cup drought. So yeah, that game in Philly was memorable (ed: played in DETROIT. So much for your memory.). But last night? Indescribably Delicious. It began with the Pens scoring their lone goal less than three minutes into the game and ended with the usual desperate, empty-net play of the team…that would be the Penguins… that’s down by a single goal with less than a minute to go. And I was on the edge of my chair for the whole 60 minutes of play… “exciting” is a woefully inadequate term to describe the intensity of this game. And it might have been a little bit too exciting, at times.

For instance: my “Heart In Mouth” Moment… a Pittsburgh 5-on-3 power play that lasted an eternity (1:26 —or 27— depending on who you read), described by Damien Cox in the Toronto Star:

Three days of insistent whining by Michel Therrien about alleged obstruction and a well-timed dive by Sidney Crosby combined to put the Pittsburgh Penguins in a wonderful position to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive.

But the Detroit Red Wings would have none of it.

Instead, they absorbed an interference call produced by Crosby's clever lunge that gave the Penguins a long, 5-on-3 power play in the third period last night, grimly fended off every second of it without allowing a single shot on goal and rode that tremendous effort to a 2-1 victory in a hard-fought, bruising Game 4 of the 2008 Cup final.

[…]

Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall combined to kill the critical two-man disadvantage, preventing Penguin snipers Marian Hossa, Evgeni Malkin and Crosby from getting a truly top-notch chance.

Zetterberg made the play of the game during the penalty kill, saving a sure goal for Crosby into an open net by quickly reading the play and tying up the Pittsburgh captain's stick.

A frustrated Crosby was grudging in his praise of Zetterberg's critical effort.

"He just got my stick," said Crosby. "I don't think he did anything out of the ordinary that somebody else wouldn't do on a 5-on-3."

In Zetterberg's defensive play, of course, lies the brilliance of the Wings, and why they can capture their fourth Cup in 11 years tomorrow night in Motown.

The Detroit Red Wings Henrik Zetterberg kicks away a puck delivered up by Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby during a 5 on 3 penalty play in the third period that goalie Chris Osgood helped kill helping to defeat Pittsburgh 2-1 in game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals Saturday, May 31, 2008 at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.
(MANDI WRIGHT/DFP)

 

Yes. Zetterberg definitely saved the game with that play on Crosby. But there’s something else Mr. Cox doesn’t mention… Here’s Ron Cook, writing in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

A goal by Detroit center Jiri Hudler at 2:26 of the third period went down as the winner. But that's not what beat the Penguins.

The Penguins' power play beat the Penguins.

Everybody is talking today about the 5-on-3 advantage the Penguins had for 1:26 midway through the third period, an advantage they thoroughly wasted. Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg -- of all players -- had the best scoring chance. The Penguins didn't even come close to getting a goal.

If Detroit does go on to win the Cup, that 86-second span will be remembered as the time when the series ended.

Think about that for a moment. Pittsburgh is on a 5-on-3 power play and Zetterberg has the best scoring chance? That should tell you a few things: (a) the Pens’ stars either didn’t or couldn’t execute, (b) Detroit’s penalty-killers —including Ozzie— were god-like, and (c) Zetterberg should be wearing a big red “Z” enclosed in a diamond on his chest instead of The Winged Wheel. A cape wouldn’t be out of place, either, because Zetterberg can almost literally fly. And I think I know how the citizens of Metropolis felt when that guy with the big red “S” on his chest swooped in to save the day. Yep…it was just like that. Only it was on ice. Every single article and column in today’s hockey pages, no matter where they’re written, talks about what NHL.com calls “A Penalty Kill for the Ages.” And that’s not hyperbole, Gentle Reader.

Don Cherry predicts this series will be history tomorrow night. And I gotta agree. It’s in the cards. And this is what I hope we’ll see:

“The Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom hoists the Stanley Cup…”
AP Photo from 1998.

Suh-weet.

Well... June 1st, 2008, was among the last of Former Happy (Hockey) Days and all was well that ended well, even if those Flightless Birds managed to win one more game before losing to the Beloved Wings before a disappointed home crowd in Game Six.  And speaking of losing at home... today... tonight, actually... we'll just have to content ourselves with watching the Hated 'Hawks lose Game Seven of the Western Conference Final at home.  Which will be almost as pleasing and fulfilling.  Yup, "Schadenfreude Я Us," and we just love watching the enemy shed bitter tears o' frustration and woe.

A Quick Update

Remember that Whiskey Seven post I put up last week?  Here's an update:

That's from a U.S. Air Force tweet.  There aren't quite as many troops in the new photo, but the intent is there.  Well done, 37th Airlift Squadron.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack: More Hippie Music

The Moody Blues, c. 1970...

Ride along the winds of time and see where we have been,
The glorious age of Camelot, when Guinevere was Queen.
It all unfolds before your eyes
As Merlin casts his spell.

Ah, yes... Former Happy Days and all that.  That was then and this is now; all that's similar is the fact we ARE sitting comfortably today, wrapped in the warm embrace of sweet memory and brilliant weather (it's 91 big-ass degrees, as we speak... with a gentle breeze).

In other news... we could have put up a "Broadening" post, seein' as how we're smoking a new-to-me stick on this Happy Hour.  The stick is a fat "My Uzi Weighs a Ton" robusto (srsly... see the cigar band illustration at right) and by "fat" I mean a 60 ring gauge... which is fat, indeed.  The cigar is brilliant, the name much less so.  I got this stick as part of a sampler which my good buddy Tim at cigar.com included in my latest shipment and I really, rilly enjoyed it.  That said, I find the name to be sumthin' of an embarrassment.  I'd hate to have to answer this question while burnin' one of these sticks, which might could go sumthin' like this:

Q: What are ya smokin', Buck?
A: Ummm... ahh... never mind.  It's good, and let's just leave it at that.

Yeah... it's like that.  It's a perfectly good... if not great... cigar, which is to say it's an almost perfectly balanced blend, good construction, and knock-yer-socks-off flavor.  Too bad about the name.

Saturday: Clever

I never cease to be amazed by the creativity that's out there.  I also wonder why **I** didn't get any of that.

A Brief Hockey Update

The Rangers won the Eastern Conference series last night, winning game six and beating the Habs 4-2.  Game six of the Western Conference final is tonight and with any luck we'll have a NY - El Eh final (El Eh leads Chicago in the series, 3-2), which begins this coming Wednesday.  A Left Coast - Right Coast Final would be VERY good for the game.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

Squeeze...

Now she's gone and I'm back on the beat
Oh, a stain on my notebook says nothing to me
Oh, now she's gone and I'm out with a friend
With lips full of passion and coffee in bed

Now she's gone, I'm back on the beat
A stain on my notebook says nothing to me
Now she's gone, I'm back on the beat
A stain on my notebook says nothing to me
Oh coffee in bed, coffee in bed

The images in the video are seriously good for us caffeine lovers, especially the ones depicting the brewing of Turkish coffee.  That said, the images don't get to the gestalt of the song... but I suppose that's not too terribly unusual.  We won't elaborate on the concept of "coffee in bed," except to say we've got a few o' those tee shirts... and the memories that go with 'em.

Squeeze, OTOH, is one of my favorite '80s bands.  I came to know them while I was stationed in Ol' Blighty in the early '80s and they've occupied a spot in my heart ever since.  They wrote and performed some of the best pure pop, evah.  Good stuff, Maynard.

It's Hard to Keep Up

I'm still going through the overnight correspondence and took a look at my Twitter feed...

I'm thinkin' more than a few of those 934 new tweets (since I last looked) just MIGHT go unread.

My De Facto Co-Blogger Has Practical Advice for the Day

I'm that far (visualize thumb and forefinger in close proximity) from putting Mia on the masthead.  Srsly.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

Roots music...



I searched... in vain... for the lyrics to this tune but came up empty.  No matter, the lyrics are easily decipherable and there's no annotation required.  That isn't always the case with these ol' blues tunes but it is with this one.  Enjoy!

Whiskey Seven

A feel-good story from the Usual USAF Source:

Gooney Bird's Normandy Nostalgia

Douglas C-47 Skytrain troop carrier aircraft, designated Whiskey 7, lands on Ramstein Air Base, May 26, 2014. Whiskey 7 was the lead carrier of 37th Troop Carrier Squadron that took part in dropping the 82nd Airborne Division near St. Mere Eglise, France during D-Day, June 6th, 1944. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jordan Castelan)

A 37th Troop Carrier Squadron group photo taken in 1944 at RAF Cottesmore, England. The aircraft in the photo is the same Douglas C-47 Skytrain, designated Whiskey 7, that landed at Ramstein Air Base, May 26, 2014.

A World War II veteran C-47 Skytrain flew 3,600 miles from New York to recreate the airdrop it led over Normandy, France, on D-Day 70 years ago. Volunteers flew "Whiskey Seven" from a grass strip in Geneseo, N.Y., hopping from Canada, via Greenland, Iceland, and Scotland, arriving at Ramstein AB, Germany, two weeks later on May 26, according to a base release. In the wee hours of June 6, 1944, Whiskey Seven led the 37th Troop Carrier Squadron—forbearer of Ramstein's 37th Airlift Squadron—dropping elements of the 82nd Airborne Division behind German lines over Sainte-Mère-Église, France. After the stopover at Ramstein, the volunteer crews will drop re-enactors over the same drop-zone for the 70th anniversary D-Day commemoration next week, according to the release. In 1944, unit aircraft flew from RAF Cottesmore, England. Today, the 37th AS flies C-130Js. (See also a New York Times report on flight preparations.)

Let's hope all those re-enactors make it safely to the ground.  We wouldn't want to see one of them hung up on the Sainte-Mère-Église church steeple like the first time. 

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

J.J. Cale...

You told me you didn't love me no more
Yes I heard that one before
Same thing, same news
Treat me like a fool that you can use
Let me tell you, I won't be kind
You can put it right there
Where the sun don't shine

There are some great good guitar licks in this tune, as there are in all of J. J. Cale's work.  It goes without sayin'... although I will say it... that the lyrics get a "Heh," as well.

In other news... today's a maintenance day here at  El Casa Inmóvil De Pennington, which is on-going as we speak.   The dishwasher has finished its cycle and the second load of laundry is about ready to be committed to the dryer.  Maintenance days, such as they are, are few and far between in these parts, aside from the normal daily clean-up and wipe-down we must do to keep things tidy.  I run the dishwasher about once a week (as opposed to daily, in past lives) and do laundry about once every two weeks... depending on when the tee shirt supply runs low.  Tee shirts are the pacing factor here, as we have enough other garments, linens, and towels to last at least a month between laundry episodes.  But, Hey!  This ain't much cuttin' for a cutter, as we used to say.  And it's kinda sorta amazing at how the laundry cycle and the beer cycle matches up.  Serendipity?  I think not.

Why Your Dog(s) Is (Are) Always So Happy to See You

Alternative title: "Shoebox saves my blogging bacon yet again."  Mebbe I should give 'em equal billing on the masthead.

Memorial Day 2014

The President:

PRAYER FOR PEACE, MEMORIAL DAY, 2014

- - - - - - - 

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

A PROCLAMATION 

Constant in the American narrative is the story of men and women who loved our country so deeply they were willing to give their all to keep it safe and free. When a revolution needed to be won and our Union needed to be preserved, brave patriots stepped forward. When our harbor was bombed and our country was attacked on a clear September morning, courageous warriors raised their hands and said, "send me." On the last Monday of each May, our Nation comes together to honor the selfless heroes who have defended the land we love and in so doing gave their last full measure of devotion.

Today, we pause to remember our fallen troops, to mourn their loss, and to pray for their loved ones. Though our hearts ache, we find a measure of solace in knowing their legacy lives on in the families our heroes left behind -- the proud parents who instilled in their sons and daughters the values that led them to serve; the remarkable spouses who gave our Nation the person they cherished most in the world; and the beautiful children who will grow up with the knowledge that their mother or father embodied the true meaning of patriotism. To those we lost, we owe a profound debt that can never be fully repaid. But we can honor the fallen by caring for their loved ones and keeping faith with our veterans and their fellow brothers and sisters in arms. 

The security that lets us live in peace, the prosperity that allows us to pursue our dreams, the freedom that we cherish -- these were earned by the blood and the sacrifices of patriots who went before. This Memorial Day, as we near the end of more than a decade of war, let us never forget their service and always be worthy of the sacrifices made in our name. And today and every day, let us pray for and hold close the families of the fallen. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 26, 2014, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time to unite in prayer. I also ask all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day.

I request the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of the other territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on this Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control. I also request the people of the United States to display the flag at half-staff from their homes for the customary forenoon period. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth. 

BARACK OBAMA 

I do believe this "Prayer for Peace" thing is new this year.  While I have nothing against prayer, especially prayer for peace, I have everything against diluting the circumstances by which we honor our war dead.  Choose another day, Mr. Obama, and leave Memorial Day alone.

What I SHOULD Be Doin' Today

The Thunderbirds are flying... hopefully... out at Cannon Airplane Patch today.  Here's some great historical footage on the 'Birds:



I won't be there today, nor was I there yesterday.  The weather just isn't cooperating, to wit:

Nowcast | as of 1:05 PM MDT on May 25, 2014

 

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue to develop over eastern New Mexico through the mid afternoon hours. Storms will favor Quay and Curry counties though 3 PM...though additional storms may develop along an outflow boundary stretching as far west as Fort Sumner and Roswell. Brief heavy rain...pea size hail and wind gusts to 45 mph can be expected...though a few storms may become severe later this afternoon. Areas likely to be affected through 3 PM include Nara Visa...Logan...San Jon...and Broadview.

More's the pity.  I have reasons other than the weather for not attending, but let's not go THERE.

Star Trails

Via High Fructose Mag...

That's a screen shot of what you'll see here.

Saturday: I Think This Has Been Done Before

Interpreting Joe, is what I mean by "done before," as I seem to remember another effort in this space.  The Usual Source sez this is an old video, so mebbe it's the same one I'm thinkin' about.

Apropos o' nuttin' much... I was in Beautiful Wakkanai By The Sea when Woodstock happened and the Stars and Stripes ran a front page picture of the traffic jam the next day.  "The New York state thruway's CLOSED, Man!"

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack...

... is a re-run.  We heard this tune a couple o' few minutes ago and just knew we'd posted it at some point in the way-back.  And so we did:

Friday, February 19, 2010

Same As It Ever Was, Same As It Ever Was

Which would be part of today's Happy Hour soundtrack:

Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime by hushhush112

You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack

You may find yourself in another part of the world

You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile

You may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife

You may ask yourself: well... how did I get here?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down

Letting the days go by/water flowing underground

Into the blue again/after the money's gone

Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground

You may ask yourself

How do I work this?

You may ask yourself

Where is that large automobile?

You may tell yourself

This is not my beautiful house!

You may tell yourself

This is not my beautiful wife!

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down

Letting the days go by/water flowing underground

Into the blue again/after the money's gone

Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground

Same as it ever was... Same as it ever was...

Same as it ever was... Same as it ever was...

Same as it ever was... Same as it ever was...

Same as it ever was... Same as it ever was...

Heh.  We're just tryin' to be cute.  It ain't as bad as all that.  It might be worse.  (insert big-ass grin here)

"After the money's gone..."  (sigh)

Broadening Our Horizons LXXXII

Another offering from Left Hand Brewing...

We like Left Hand's Milk Stout so very much we figgered most all of their brews would be worthy, so we picked up a sixer of their Sawtooth All-American Ale.  Our go-to guys like this beer a LOT, giving it a "94" rating.  An excerpt from their review:

Taste: A malty brew with caramel, light chocolate, toasted and some biscuit malt flavours. Very firm mouthfeel, medium-bodied. Pleasant fruit flavours follow and mingle oh so nicely with the even malt sweetness and complexities. Hop bitterness is mild, but balances the malt with light citrus and raw hop flavours that linger through to the end. Mineral-like flavours can also be detected. Finishes a bit dry with light grain tannins and faint background chocolate malt.
Notes: A freagin' spot on ESB, and a very impressive ale. I thoroughly enjoyed tasting this beer, and only wish I had more. 

I'm drinkin' my second Sawtooth this afternoon and I have to say that familiarity breeds sumthin' other than contempt.  My first Sawtooth encounter, i.e., yesterday, left me thinkin' the brew was too hoppy for my taste but I don't find that to be true today.  It remains to be seen if this beer will earn a spot in our rotation, but the sticks seem to be lining up that way.

And now it's back out to the verandah to enjoy our moderate temps and interesting Spring skies.

Cool!

This is just about the only GOOD thing that ever came out of Earth Day...



Explanation:

NASA has released a 3.2 gigapixel "Global Selfie", comprising 36,422 individual images stitched into a mosaic representation of the Earth.

The agency explains: "On Earth Day this year (22 April), NASA asked people all around the world a simple question – 'Where are you on Earth Right Now?'" We asked people to answer the question on social media, with a selfie. The goal was to use each picture as a pixel in the creation of a 'Global Selfie' – a mosaic image that would look like Earth appeared from space on Earth Day."

Well, Dang.  I didn't know this was happening, which is the story of my life: a day late and a dollar short.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack: Drop Out

Cracker...

Well I'm not paranoid, there is no conspiracy
But I swear big brothers watching me
Turn on, tune in, drop out, give up, with me

So you're serving aperitifs to the local survivalist militia
In camouflage you're fine but the locals still call you Morticia

Well find a little meadow
high up in the Cascades

Baby we wont ever come down
Turn on, tune in, drop out, give up, with me

Buy a little cabin in the Adirondacks
Baby they'll never find us
Turn on, tune in, drop out, give up, with me

Hand stitch our tepee
Windy East Mojave
Watching for black helicopters

Heh.  I just LOVE the lyrics to this song.  Love 'em!  I've always looked at the Preppers and other strains of the survivalist movement with a mixture of amusement and disdain; Cracker seems to be on the same page as I am.  There are certain aspects of that thinking that ring some bells with me, none the less.  I can't help but think "what if they're RIGHT?"  The optimist in me always prevails, though.  I hope I'm not wrong...

I heard this new-to-me tune in the car yesterday but I was basically "off the grid" at that time (read as: all day), which is why I'm posting this today.

Until They're Not There Any Longer

From the Usual USAF Source...

A-10s Back in Europe

Five U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft pilots taxi on the flightline at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, May 16, 2014. While in Germany, the aircraft will support the ground troops of 15 nations participating in force-on-force maneuver training during Exercise Combined Resolve II. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Gustavo Castillo/Released)

Approximately 100 Air National Guardsmen from the 124th Fighter Wing out of Gowen Field, Idaho, accompanied A-10 Thunderbolt IIs to Spangdahlem AB, Germany, to support the Combined Resolve II training exercise. The US Army Europe-directed multinational exercise is conducted in partnership with 15 NATO and European partners, including Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Solvenia, and the US. It will be May 15 to June 30, according to a May 20 release. "This is an interoperability exercise working on partnership tasks, because this is the way we are going to fight in the future," said Christian Marquardt, Joint Multinational Training Command spokesman. The "A-10s will support ground troops participating in force-on-force maneuver training at the US Army's Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany," states the release.  The mission "is the same mission that we do back home. We provide close air support for friendlies on the ground when they are receiving effective fire from the enemy," said 1st Lt. Kristen Daigle, officer in charge of intelligence. "The A-10s will roll in and try to get the enemy off their back."

I think it was just last month that the A-10s that USED to be permanently based in Germany rotated back to the US.  And now they're back... until USAF retires the whole fleet, of course.  While it's not probable that NATO will go to war against the Rooshians, it sure would be nice to have the A-10s flying against massed armor columns if the balloon DID go up.  That's what the aircraft was designed for, after all.

There Must Be Sumthin' Wrong With Me

I say that coz I really like all these Shoebox rejects.  Like this one:

Hell, I'd buy a BOX of those things.

(Yeah, we're still goin' through the overnight mail.)

Spring On the Plains

You see stuff like this every Spring here in the Great Wide Open...



Beautiful and scary.

A Time To Reap

From the Usual USAF Source...

Air Frame: An MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flight line at Hurlburt Field, Fla., on April 24, 2014. This was the first year the MQ-9 participated in Emerald Warrior, a U.S. Special Operations Command-sponsored tactical exercise designed to provide realistic military training in an urban setting. (Air Force photo SSgt. John Bainter)

We have a few of these out at Cannon Airplane Patch.  I dunno why, but these things always give me the creeps when I see 'em buzzing around.

Speaking of Cannon... The big airshow is coming this weekend, mebbe.  And why do I say "mebbe?"  The weather.

None of us here on The High Plains o' New Mexico complain about rain.  Never, ever.  That said, the timing could be a wee bit better.