All historical references, especially American history
2018 has been quite a year in the RB49 Universe. We survived just fine, but not without some bumps and bruises. Well, whose life doesn't have some bumps? On January 2, we got a new Grand-Niece, when my nephew became a Dad. She's a cutie, and I'm going to her first birthday party tomorrow. Also …
This week marks the holiday of Chanukah, and the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek desecrators of the Temple. The ancient Jews, fighting for their homeland, were fierce warriors, who were not finally defeated until the Romans did so in 70AD with the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Here are some pictures …
I am currently reading Walter Russell Mead's book God and Gold, subtitled Britain, America, and the Making of the Modern World. In this book, he discusses the role of religion as one of the forces in the making of the Western Enlightenment societies we have today. He says this about the Jews in today's world: …
Ever since I can remember, Smokey the Bear has been telling us that only WE can prevent forest fires. So, who told Smokey that the Prime Directive was to Prevent Forest Fires? Well, since the 1940s, the US Department of Agriculture used him to prevent Human-caused fires. In later years, Environmental Wackos did their best …
Wednesday, July 25 through Monday, July 30, we were again at sea, and you know what that means... Lectures! The weather wasn't conducive to much deck-walking, but I did get a few ocean and cloud pictures. This was the last picture of Hawaiian waters. July 25 speakers were Roger Kimball on "Trump vs The Elites"; …
Continue reading Last Half of the Journey-Hawaii Cruise Travelog-Leaving Hawaii for Mexico…And Home
After the thrilling volcano-viewing session, a nice dinner, and a good night's sleep, we arrived at our last Hawaii stop, the town of Kailua-Kona. Again, the Crystal Symphony had to "anchor out" in the harbor, and we were ferried in on the ship's tenders. It was only a 15-minute ride, and we got a good …
Continue reading Vacation Travelogue-Last Hawaii Stop-Kailua-Kona
We arrived in Hilo just before noon, and the skies were hazy with what had been described to us as "vog", or "volcano fog", caused by the still-erupting volcano on the other side of the island. About which more later. Above is the view from the port side of the ship. Below is the view …
Continue reading Vacation Travelogue, Hillsdale Hawaii Cruise, Days 9 and 10-Hilo and beyond
We normally got up around 8:00AM, so we were able to stand at the rail and watch the island of Maui appear. As usual, it was a beautiful, sunny day. We saw many of these kite-surfers all around the Hawaiian Islands. Lahaina Harbor had a few, with their colorful kites. The Crystal Symphony had to …
Continue reading Vacation Travelogue-Hillsdale College Cruise to Hawaii-Day 9-Maui
Finally, on our sixth day out, we spotted signs of nearing land. I love transportation, and was thrilled to see a container ship on the horizon. We finally saw signs of land. Finally, we rounded the last headland and got our first glimpses of Honolulu. The famous Diamond Head, an extinct volcano that almost stands …
By Day Four, we had gotten well into the routine of morning and afternoon lectures, broken up by an awesome breakfast buffet, walks on the deck when the weather permitted, lunch by the window, and just relaxing in the stateroom. Most of the time, it was too windy and cold on the deck to sit …
Continue reading Vacation Travelogue-Hillsdale Cruise to Hawaii, Days Four and Five
Calling-all-RushBabes 