Carmichael's Position

Wow… Recorded 45 Years Ago… The More Things Change…

Seriously… Well worth the listen!  Spooky how relevant it rings today!

45 years ago today, this relative newcomer to politics, gave an eloquent electrifying speech that has gone down in history simply as “The Speech”. 

We are at war with the most dangerous enemy that has ever faced mankind in his long climb from the swamp to the stars, and it has been said if we lose that war, and in doing so lose this way of freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening. Well, I think it's time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the Founding Fathers.

Not too long ago two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, "We don't know how lucky we are." And the Cuban stopped and said, "How lucky you are! I had someplace to escape to." In that sentence he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth. And this idea that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power except to sovereign people, is still the newest and most unique idea in all the long history of man's relation to man. This is the issue of this election. Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.

You and I are told increasingly that we have to choose between a left or right, but I would like to suggest that there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down--up to a man's age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order--or down to the ant heap totalitarianism, and regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.

This is not about Reagan, it is about Conservative, Liberty-loving, ideas.  In this speech we can identify many of today’s issues… tell me we’ve learned from history… 

Maybe notsomuch…

Apparently Artists Ain’t Just “Right Brained”

How cool is this?

This guy using wood, rope, cams, pulleys, levers, a scientific calculator, and his mind comes up with this stuff.

HT Rex.

Back From My First Tailhook Reunion and Symposium

As most of you know, a couple of years ago I took on the task of creating, writing, editing, and taking photos for the Tailhook Association’s blog, “The Tailhook Daily Briefing.”  In the two years I have been the editor, the blog has received over a quarter of a million hits and is regularly landed on hundreds of times daily as the number one return on various Google and Yahoo searches.  All very gratifying for me as I try to give something back the some of my greatest heroes, Naval Aviators.

Well, earlier this year I was informed I had been nominated for “Honorary Tailhooker of the Year” for my efforts.  I can never be nominated for “Tailhooker of the Year” as I am not an aviator, nor do I have any traps or cat shots to my name.  (Maybe someday…).  I was honored by the nomination, hell some of the past winners of the award are former Secretaries of the Navy for God’s sake!  Who wouldn’t welcome being included in such revered  company?

About a month ago, I was informed by “Tag” Ostertag (Naval Aviator Extraordinaire … and not just in his mind!) that I had indeed won the award, and that I was expected to be in Reno to receive my plaque at the Saturday awards lunch.  Again, I was floored!  And Honored! And humbled!

Wow…

So come this past September 10th, Ginger and I fly out to Reno, to attend my first (Ginger’s too for that matter) Tailhook Annual Reunion and Symposium.  I am glad I went.

We met up in Reno with my long time friend and fellow Tailhooker, Ken Schoeni, (actually Ken has been a Tailhooker longer than I have).  Ken was kind enough to help me take care of a few awkward logistic issues as I would be unable to arrive until late on Thursday night, and would need our registration materials early Friday Morning as we headed off from Reno to see the Blue Angels perform at the September 11th Remembrance NAS Fallon Airshow.

The Airshow was fantastic, Severe Clear and Beer! No better way to see an airshow! 

After the show, we boogied back in the bus to Reno to attend the Bug Roach Mixer.  A great cocktail party where Hawaiian Shirts and Flight Suits are the Uniform of the Day.  It is a great, cocktail fueled, party where one really has the opportunity to meet and greet the greatest pilots and NFO’s on the planet.

Seriously, I met up with dozens of old acquaintances and made an equal number of new friends at this year’s event.  I ran into a number of folks who are good friends of my Mom and Dad, as well as many familiar faces I had met at the Colorado Tailhooker parties Hans and Kathy Schmoldt have thrown at their ranch in Grand Junction.  Old Home week does not do it justice.

Every night is late night at Tailhook, after the scheduled events everyone regroups at the “Admin Rooms” to continue the camaraderie, the lie story telling competitions, accompanied by various bar games and the obligatory adult beverages!  I’m pretty sure one of the communities was serving up Cubi Cocktails AKA Radford Specials!  Wow, that’ll put hair on your feet!

We returned to our Hotel much much earlier than the young JO’s and somewhat older LCDRs in the crowd, leaving the olympic drinking events to those better able, and wanting… to deal with the after effects of such activities.  Even so it was well after midnight before we turned in. 

The next day after grabbing a few extra winks I headed back to the Nugget (we were staying in the Silver Legacy), but as I hailed a cab, at 10:00am mind you, who should get out but a LCDR and LT I had chatted briefly with at the Mixer the previous evening… they were just rolling in!  And were planning to return to forward battle area by noon!  IN—TREP—ID!

The warm up act before the lunch was the symposium session on “Pushing the Edge of the Envelope” which had current and former Blue Angels on one side pitted against Topgun Aviators on the other!  No better stories to be told than when on the opposing side is the “Oh Yeah?” gang.  I promise to post  few of those tails over at TDB in the future.

Next came the awards lunch, where all sorts of achievement awards were handed to the deserving flight crews, for bombing excellence, missile accuracy, most carrier landings (Traps), 1,000 trap milestones… etc.  And finally the Honorary Tailhooker of the Year.  There were two recipients this year, Mr. Woody Sales, a man who coordinated more Distinguished Visitors tours of carriers this year than anyone else, and insured that countless crewmembers of the USS Roosevelt received free passes to the Ryder Cup Golf Tournament last year!

And then me… 

Wow, what an honor.  I was presented the award by Vice Admiral Thomas Kilcline Jr., Commander, Naval Air Forces, COMNAVAIRPAC, RADM Jay Campbell, Capt Russ ‘Galdis’ Knight

Seriously, I am humbled by the honor.  I love being a Tailhooker, and contributing where I can.  I may not be able to fly for this great nation but maybe I can contribute something on behalf of those who do. 

After the Awards Lunch, the Admiral’s Briefing followed, this is really the event to attend!  It is comprised of a number of Admirals in the Air Navy chain of command, and is the opportunity for a Honest “No Holds Barred” Q&A session of the Navy Leadership.  Cuts to the quick. 

And then the final event of the Reunion is the Formal Banquet.  Where Ginger and I sat with Hans and Kathy, and had the fortune to sit with the CO and XO of VAQ-140 charming men both, and Capt. “Sterls” Gilliam, one of the officers of Tailhook, and one of the most complimentary gentlemen I could have had the fortune of sitting next to.  It made for a great evening of stories and general conversation.

We stayed up late into the morning that night as well, and after Saturday merged into Sunday, and we managed to capture a few hours of shut-eye… not nearly enough… we bid farewell to Reno, and the 2009 Tailhook Reunion, promising to return for 2010’s shindig!

Fish’n the Gunnison

Went camp’n this weekend.  My buddies Scooter and Trevor have a timeshare campsite just outside Gunnison Colorado, right along the Blue Mesa Reservoir.  They asked a bunch of us if we wanted to go fly fishing on the Gunnison and then hole up at their campsite. 

Sure… sounds like fun.

And man was it…  We drove the 186 miles from Denver to the site late Friday night after we all got off work.  Splatting millions of bugs in the process…

Scooter and Trevor had gone out Friday early morning to get things set up at the site, good thing too, cuz Ginger, Clay, Dan and I didn’t make it until about 10:30 that evening.  It’s nice to have friends who will set your tent up for you so you won’t have to do it in the dark.

We enjoyed a couple of ales and the warmth of the campfire as we all unwound from our busy week.  I had forgotten how mentally soothing camping can be.

The next day was leisurely… woke up whenever, then proceeded to drive into the town of Gunnison (about 10 miles away) to grab a couple bags of ice and stock up on Go Juice at the local Starbucks…There’s a limit to “Roughing It!”

After we all enjoyed our caffeine fix we loaded up the truck with our fishing gear and headed for the Gunnison River.  Even Ginger was going to try her luck at fly fishing.  With competent teachers like Trevor and Clay, she was in good hands and despite striking out, her form continually improved and she claims to have had fun.  We fished for about 5 hours, enjoying the cool water running past our legs as we tried to hook the big’un!

 

 

Me?  Unlike my last fly fishing excursion, I did not strike out this time.  In fact I caught the most for the day.  Six!  4 fairly small 6-8” and a couple 10-12”!  Clay laded the biggest at around 15 inches.

After our stint on the river, we headed back to the camp site, got cleaned up, then relaxed and enjoyed some grilled bratwursts and marinated chicken.

After the sun went down we sat around the obligatory campfire and pretty much tried to make each other laugh beer and s’mores out our noses!  All in all, a good way to send a Saturday…  Stepping away from the fire, I looked up to see some of the brightest stars around, one of the advantages of being 180 miles from the nearest city. (The images below were taken with a 30 second exposure, the camp fire adds the red hue to the trees and I hit the trees with a flash light to bring ‘em out a bit in the image.

Indeed a great way to decompress…

More images here [Link]

It’s all About Your Attitude

E-mailed to me from a good friend of mine (and excellent sushi chef!)

Fran & Marlo Cowan (married 62 years) walked into the lobby of the Mayo Clinic and spotted a piano… and then entertained…! He turned 90 in February.

That’s just fun!

Sunday on the Big Thompson

Colorado unquestionably has some incredible scenery, and Estes Park, near Rocky Mountain National Park is some of the most majestic.  14,000 foot peaks surround! 

Three buddies of mine and I took this day and headed to the Big Thompson River that winds its way down from Rocky Mountain National into the great plains of the US to do some more fly fishing before the season escapes us.

I personally got shut out this time… Trevor, Clay and Scooter all pulled a few Brown and Rainbow trout from the river.  Even some decent sized ones this time.  Here’s the obligatory images:

Above, Scooter draws some line prepping for a magnificent cast.  And below is Trevor’s first catch of the day, a nice sized Brownie…

   

And alas Clay (below) was not to be shut out… hauling in a monster 5 inch rainbow!

Hell… Clay’s cigar was bigger than the fish!

And finally YHS… casting once again in hopes to not land another record setting tree, rock or weed… But then again I’m the only Manly one not wearing waders and who didn’t order a nine word cup of coffee this morning!

And to close a few of the Colorado scenery from today…

Y’all ought to try a little Colorado now and again… c’mon in the water’s fine…

Lightning Storm Photography

This evening here at Casa De Carmichael there, as they say in the south… “Came up a Bad Cloud!”

So I did what every other dumbass would do in a One Point Twenty One Jigawatt Electrical Storm… I grabbed my Nikon!  And the aluminum tripod too of course… Hell if you’re going to be a lightning rod, you might as well go all the way!

But alas no sacrifice too great for my readers… all 5 of you!

They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice… uh… yeah… right!

Ya think it might have something to do with, the place ain’t the same after God tasers it?

Hope you like… 

Bat Trick

No, not what happens when Bruce Wayne propositions a prostitute… rather a cool thing to do in the batter’s circle when warming up at a baseball game.

Very cool

Feline Oblivious… or things you won’t see on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom!

Was letting our 11 year old Balinese cat “Pudge” out to enjoy some of the sun we have here in Denver today, when I looked out in the yard and saw this little guy lounging in the newly mown lawn…

Pudge had not yet seen yon interloper chill’n in her territory (a function of her not being able to see over the patio enclosure).  So I connected Pudge to her 30 foot leash… yes we leash this cat, since she is known to explore the entire state of Colorado if left to her own volition!  I then opened the patio gate fully expecting an immediate recognition of the prey in the yard and then the powerful predatory explosion of speed and dexterity from Pudge… I got neither…

Pudge, proceeded to meander, might have been a mosey, out into the grass immediately turning away from the fun to be had with new play toy, focusing instead on performing her best bovine impersonation and chowing down on some new grass.

The “Play Toy” realizing his potential lot in life, and looking for all the world like he had been given a mulligan… was much more in tuned with his situation.

Alas he did what good prey does in the presence of nimble, explosive, grass eating furry pillows… he froze!

Pudge continued with her salad!

So here’s the grand picture:

Shortly after Pudge finished her salad, the sun was beginning to warm up this small sasquatch to the point she decided to proceed toward her favorite shade of the nearby pine.  Yes that same shade the “Play Toy” is enjoying.  Ok this ought to get good now!  I’ve got the camera ready!

Now this next shot may look like Pudge has a bead on the rabbit… nope she’s focused on the pine tree’s shade.

It is not until she crosses the shade’s threshold that the rabbit has had enough and bolts!  “Exit Stage Right!”

Pudge was completely surprised by the rabbit!  Not a clue it was there!  When  “Bugs” bolted, Pudge reacted… only a lot late!  I missed the shot because it happened so quickly but here is the immediate aftermath.

Ahhhh…  The lessons of opportunities lost due to lack of situational awareness.  Better luck next time Pudge… 

516 Months Old!

Yep just passed one of those non-milestone birthdays, This past Saturday we celebrated my 43rd year of being on this marble, so we did what I have often done on my birthday… we headed to Vegas Baby!

Ginger and I met up with a couple of great friends while out there to help us celebrate.  Tim and Maria joined us from Bucks County PA and Bob and Karyn from here in Denver met up with us for a great dinner at Hugo’s Basement! 

I love Vegas, I think the opportunity to get away to the adult Disneyland should be enjoyed by all, there is plenty to do there for everyone Shopping, Gambling, Lounging by the pool, Eating in world class restaurants, seeing great shows, it's all there, and we partook…

We booked our stay in the Wynn, I had heard great things about the resort and wanted to try it out, (Tim and Maria booked there too) but when we arrived Ginger and I learned that we were not actually in the Wynn, but rather we were in the sister hotel “The Encore” where it turned out we were booked in a suite!

SAWEET!

Here’s what our view looked like (I didn’t bring the “Big” camera so please forgive me on the image quality of these today…)

Very nice indeed…  I won’t go into all the nitty gritty details after all “What happens in Vegas… etc…” But I have begun to recognize that I am getting older and that my tolerance for 22 year old juveniles is waning… when they drink they seem to bypass entertaining and leap directly to obnoxious, good thing me and my friends were never like that! ;-)

Places we ate: 

• Emeril’s in the MGM!  5 Stars…! Mmmmmm Yah Babe! 3 words “Banana Creme Pie!
• In & Out Burger!  A must have for we transplanted Californians! Double Double withdrawals are horrendous!
• And a special thanks to Karyn and Bob for introducing us to Hugo’s Basement, located in the 4 Queens in Downtown… yep THAT 4 Queens! in THAT Downtown! Trust me!!! It is like walking though a “Classiness Portal” going from the casino floor with flip-flop clad Ricco Soave's in their “wife-beater t-shits” to the Rat Pack Gin Club ambiance of Hugo’s Basement! To Die for food and service!  The Escargot was superb, my NY steak was perfect and according to Ginger the Chilean Sea Bass was the best she has had in ages!  Thanks again Bob and Karyn, for great food with great company!!!!

On Saturday Tim, Maria Ginger and I went to the Mirage and watched the Cirque du Soleil tribute to the Beatles, “Love”.  Actually “watched” is the wrong term… more like “experienced”.   Great show!  To put it simply… GO!

 

The rest of the time was spent doing the usual Vegas thing… hanging out by the pool, making the girls walk for MILES in their heels just so we could REALLY understand why people DRINK! (BTW…The Wynn-Encore pools serve up a great Bloody Mary!) And losing money at the Blackjack table and Video Poker Machines, where let me tell you, if a 4 card royal flush paid off… I’d be rich!