= = = = = — Philippines To Acquire Its First-Ever Submarine As It Prepares To Stand Up To China In David Vs Goliath Clash The Philippines has long been engaged in a ‘confrontation’ with China over the control of vast swathes of the South China Sea. The country has finally committed to acquiring its […]

There is an old saying popular in the veteran community. It is simple, just three words to sum up a lifetime. The phrase is not completely appropriate to this morning’s events. We are selling the farm, which refers to Refuge Farm, the delightful little equine property we have owned for nearly 14 years. When we […]

Morning, Gentle Readers! We talked a bit yesterday about some of the Literary Trilogy. The book in question was the Voyage volume of some of the fights between the old government and the new one ushered in by use of the Atomic Bomb. This morning we find ourselves trapped in an old version of the […]

(Pentagon after the jet flew in it). This was going to be part of an odd immersion in a time of transition. It popped up in the process of clearing out an old life’s wreckage of a marvelous and unexpected career in government service. I was looking at the resume of one of the upcoming […]

(This is the Gnome in slightly better days. We are proud he was not abandoned to the elements, since he has been on duty since at least 1908. He will get his lantern back, we swear!). It was a day of rescue, pitting the contents of the Office down at The Farm against the machinations […]

The latest swirl of real estate and literary works showed up this morning. There were a couple boxes containing copies of “Voyage,” the book I swore I would get published in honor of CDR Ed Gillfellin. It is partly his story of the voyage of the last Imperial Navy Battleship to sail the seas. The […]

Latin Lesson: The word ‘solstice’ is derived from the Latin words “sol,” for sun, and “sistere,” meaning “to stand still.” The word ‘equinox’ comes from the collision of two Latin words: “aequus,” meaning equal, and “nox,” for night. Don’t confuse them or Jim Champagne will get irritated. Well, we made it. It happened around 10:58 […]

PRC President Xi and SecState Blinken meet on uneasy terms This is quite a week in terms of Sino-US relations. President Xi of China took the top seat in “candid discussions” with Pacific area players way out west, demonstrating a new assertion of leadership in global affairs. MSM Coverage did not reflect the dramatic demonstration […]

Above is Dad, preparing to go to war with Imperial Japan. Below, a little relaxation on his 80th birthday, most of the wars done. Quite a lot of adventures in between, roaring Navy aircraft and sleek Detroit auto designs. He raised a roaring family as well, and we smile to think of them on this […]