There would be plenty to talk about this morning under normal circumstances, but we agreed that things have changed. We had contemplated going ahead with the touching story we laughed about at the Belmont Farm’s Farm-to-Flask happy hour the night before. It seemed appropriate at the time, but thankfully the artwork took unenhanced labor, and […]

The MWSA has published their Anthology of military themed writings for 2021. Socotra House Publications is proud that our entry to a very talented pool of authors is included! Vic generated a marvelous little tale of how the Swamp really works, as he reports to the Navy’s Office of Legislative Affairs and discovers he is […]

Amid all the other chaos of American life this week was an account of a small but significant event: a former USS Midway (CV-41) crew member returned to his favorite ship, courtesy of East Coast member Pat Alderman. His return would have been “above the fold,” in the latest edition of the Scuttlebutt, but rightfully […]

A shipmate sent along a remarkable link to a set of pictures I had never seen before. They are images of the weapons used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and delivered by B-29 long-range bombers operating from Tinian Atoll in 1945. At one time classified “Top Secret,” they now open a window on horror as a […]

(A picture of the living family, circa 1977. The balance has now shifted to the other shore. Bill, Betty and now daughter Ann are getting it prepared for our reunion, when it comes. Angie the White Dog will ensure there is exuberance in the life everlasting). I rose this morning at the usual bridge from […]

It is a lovely cool morning in Virginia’s Piedmont. The blue skies of heaven have a slight tinge of dust down near the horizon line. There had been a plan to tell a story this morning about some of the happenings on The Hill, but reality intruded with a call from family traveling on a […]

We had a joyous New Year’s day down on The Farm. Many folks across this broad and fertile land managed to pass it by without a great deal of emotion. The Writer’s Section at Socotra House took it with aplomb. There used to be a party held by the Office of Management and Budget people […]

I almost put “2022” in the date above, because at the stroke of midnight last night we entered into bold new temporal territory: we have left the sodden wreckage of Fiscal 2021 behind, and entered into Fiscal 2022 without a budget! But of course I am getting ahead of myself, just like the Budget. Here […]

In one of those moments that informs us that the World is Not actually Ending (tomorrow) the Congressional baseball teams will gather late this afternoon for the annual bipartisan (but fiercely divided) baseball game. In one of the more poignant aspects of this amazing week, Rep. Steve Scalise will take the field despite having been […]

OK, It’s Tuesday in The Big Week. It is pretty cool to be here in the Piedmont. The skies are a pale blue, with strands of pale cirrus clouds way up there, and evidence that humans have done the pre-flight inspection, loaded a cargo of high-value stuff and some assorted people, and are already hurtling […]