A Rosatodi Kinda Day

So Jim got home early today.  Hooray!  I'm really liking this department head school stuff.  Well sometimes anyway.  But I like it today.  It's Friday and he was only gone for half the day.  So now I have him home with me!  

It's a beautiful day today.  The sun is shining and it's something like 78 degrees here.  What to do?  What to do?

I know!  Let's open a bottle of Rosato from our favorite winery.  Ingleside!  Look I'm shamelessly promoting you guys.  So that we did.  The first bottle went down quickly.  That's right I said the first bottle.  When we noticed that was empty we went to the fridge and opened our last bottle of this wonderful stuff.  What can I say we're wineauxs.  Hey it's only two bottles, for you prudes that keep count.

On such a beautiful day a Rosato is definitely in order.  Now what will we do?  We have no more?   I fear I shall cry!  Maria, Bill I blame you both for making such a wonderful product and getting me addicted.  And let me tell you I've been getting everyone I know hooked on this stuff.  And it's working.

Jim says that on our way home we may have to try and stop off at our favorite winery to pick up some more wine on the way back from our house hunting trip.  

I'm posting this just to see who actually reads this.  Our hope is to stop by over the Fourth of July weekend on Sunday.  Don't know who'll be working on July 6th, but don't be surprised if you see or hear from us.  But then again don't be surprised if we don't show up either.  You never know how house hunting and drive schedules will go.

So now I'll sit back and see if I get any emails from any of my old work buddies seeing if this post is true.

Heller

Michelle wanted me to post about this. I'm hesitant. I used to be a very political creature, but now I'd rather not discuss politics. 

Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that owning a firearm is an individual right. Gun control advocates have often said that the Second Amendment is about state militias and not about individuals. The nine judges opposed that view 5-4. If you get a chance read the majority opinion written by Justice Scalia. He makes reading the decision entertaining. Especially, when he takes his fellow justices to task over their views. You can read it here.

I never understood the position of gun control advocates. Why would a government grant itself the right to arm its own military? 

Some would say that they are granting that right to the states. If that's the case why didn't they say "states" in the Second Amendment and not "people." In the Bill of Rights, the term "people" is used in the First, Fourth, Ninth and Tenth Amendments in addition to the Second Amendment. People will argue that in the First, Fourth, Ninth and Tenth Amendments people meant...well people, but in the same breath they'll say that "people" in the Second Amendment means the state organized militia. There is a disconnect there I simply cannot understand. This is especially true when you read the Tenth Amendment where they specify the states.  Justice Scalia doesn't seem to understand that line of thinking either.

The reaction from big city mayors was unsurprising. They warned of dire consequences if this ruling, which thus far only applies to the Federal Government, is "incorporated" to apply to the states. They warned of old west style shootouts. News flash mayors. Only law abiding citizens obey the law. The criminals? They carry guns anyway. Even if guns were somehow banned and collected in the US how long do you think it would take until more guns showed up?

We are living in the same country that can't keep illegal immigrants from crossing our southern border and can't keep obvious illegal copies of all sorts of trademarks, patents and copyrights out of our ports. Guns might be a bit more expensive, but the bad guys will still get them. 

Worse, the good guys won't have them to defend themselves. Worse yet, the Supreme Court has ruled that public safety institutions, like the police, have no obligation to protect an individual. Their obligation is to the community, not the individual. (They ruled this way so that when you're killed while on the phone with 911, your family can't sue the government for failing to protect you. It's harsh. It's sad. But it's true.)

In 1976 Washington DC had 188 murders. 1976 was the year the DC handgun was enacted. Murders in DC spiked during the ban in 1991 with 482 murders. Last year was one of four years where the number of murders were less than the number in 1976 with 169 murders. The other three years were 1983, 1984 and 1985. Given the number of murders it is unsurprising to find DC's population has seen a steady decrease since 1968.  That means the murder rate has actually increased since the handgun ban! Yet, Mayor Fenty is arguing that this ruling will make DC's streets unsafe! See here.  

Chicago has similar numbers. Murders did fall both in sheer number and in rate following the 1981 handgun ban. But then the number of murders and the murder rate spiked again in the early 90s.  That is about the same time we see a spike in DC murders. Both bans had been in effect for a decade or more at the time of the early 90s spike. Both cities had another spike in murders in the late 70s and the early 80s. Only one city had a ban, but both cities spiked. Perhaps there was a reason, other than guns, accounting for the increase in crime? Hmm?

Reslated!

I almost hate to post this and bump the poem, but I'd been been holding back on this one.  As per Jim's instructions.  I've been given the green light and can now go ahead on this topic.  For those of you who don't speak the military lingo, what my title basically means is that Jim isn't going where we thought we were going.  There was a change in his orders.  Originally he was going to the Arleigh Burke as OPS, but as of Monday night he will now be going to the Gonzalez as OPS.  

Same class ship, same job and thankfully same home port.  

I freaked a bit at first.  I feared they would send us half way around the world with house hunting leave only a week away.  What a logistical nightmare that would have been!  But that wasn't the case.  Thank goodness.

All's well that ends well.  For us any way.  And we will know at least one person on the ship that Jim's heading too.  What is it with me and WEPS?

-Michelle

Mending Wall

I can't go a day here without thinking about Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall."

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
'Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows?
But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down.' I could say 'Elves' to him,
But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me~
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father's saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors.

Polo Anyone?

I know the saying is actually tennis anyone, but when have you known me to be normal?  Really?  Saturday Jim and I attended our first Polo match.  For those of you who know me, yes I was within 100 yards of live horses.  Please try not to faint.  There is actually a Polo Club here.  They played a team from Scotland and it was a lot of fun.  Here's a shot of the flags to one side of the field.  There's a lot of green here.  And it's oh so very nice.

It was a great day to be outside.  The temperature was somewhere in the mid 70's and there was a nice breeze.  We brought chairs and blankets.  Plus sandwiches, snack items, drinks and of course adult beverages.  As you can see Jim took full advantage of our friends.  =)    John thought it was funny.  And when Ruth noticed she didn't kill him, so that's good.

We had wondered about how they would referee the game and here's our answer.  The ref was on a horse as well.  There are many intricacies to Polo and I'm sure I don't fully understand it, but I enjoyed it.  I know I was shocked myself.

I figured it would be something I would go to and never again darken the door of.  At least I could say I had done it.  Lots of friends from Jim's school were there.  This is Julie and her daughter Heidi.  My only wish is that I had brought more than one bottle of Rosato with me.  But had only one chilled at the time so no others went with me.  It was quite a hit.  I'll be sure to have more chilled next time.  Plus I've promised to make white Sangria out of Blue Crab Blanc.  

Yep I'm trying to get people hooked on Ingleside while here in Rhode Island.  There was even a bagpipe marching band there to perform.  I never did get the chance to ask them if they were in truly authentic garb.  Sans underwear.  ;-)  Did you really expect me to behave myself.  I didn't cause a scene or say anything.  I promise!

Of course I can't do this blog, show a picture of John and Ruth (even if it is the back of their heads) and not post one of Theo.  Theo discovered that he really liked Gretchen's chair.  Check it out dad I'm a big boy.  Beer me!  Why does everyone keep calling my name and wanting me to look at them?  Geesh!  I did go out to mash divots, but there weren't any to turn.  And no I didn't touch any of the steaming piles.  Yuck!  Did see a bunch of dogs snacking though.  Gross.

Last, but not least you have to see the scoreboard.  USA won!  At the end both teams ride around the field and gets congratulations from the crowd.  I stayed back.  What can I say I'm chicken.  And yes my 'friends' had a good chuckle over that.  But I don't care.  Horses are big and they do have teeth!

How To Spend Your Friday Night

So how should one spend their Friday night?  Hmm.  Why not walk a 5K with some buddies?  That's what I did last night.  Maybe it's not glamorous, but it was fun.  Kinda.  ;-p

Jim actually came with to cheer us on.  That's why there are actually pictures with me in them this time around.    We were the Disney Dames and each had their favorite character on the back of their shirt.  It's hard to tell, but their are five of us.  You can read more about that on my blog.

This is the first person to complete the race.  He cheated though,  he ran it.  ;p  At least we weren't the only ones walking this time.  There were three other women behind us.  And I didn't come in last!  Yeah!  Apparently when there are base events there normally are more walkers.  I found that interesting.  There were even kids in this event.  Plus people with strollers.  Made me think my buddy John and his mini me should have been there.  =)

Jim got a little bored while waiting for me to finish so he shot some pictures of the surrounding area.  Hey you try waiting around for 43 plus minutes with nothing to do.  At least he stayed out of trouble.  This is Gould Island.  If you qualify to sail or use the power boats (I'm not quite sure on this last one) this is one of the markers that they use as to how far you can go.  

This is the Pell Bridge.  We've actually posted this picture before, but it was a nighttime photo and it was a shot from someone else off of the Internet.  It's really tall, but when you drive it you don't really feel like it's all that tall and you do feel pretty safe on it.  I'm not nearly as uncomfortable on this bridge as some of the bridges that we've driven on in the past.

And here's a picture of Karen and I coming around the bend towards the finish line.  And yes that's one of our team mates coming to cheer us on.  Christy had already finished.  She took off like a rocket.  Man she makes mall walkers look like they are standing still!  I have no idea where she gets the energy.  She's a mother of five.  I wonder where she buys her energy from.

This is so you could see your time as you crossed the finish line.  I actually did better than this, but Jim didn't think to snap the photo as I crossed the line.  I'm not complaining.  I'm just glad he was there and that I made my goal of 45 minutes.

After the 'awards ceremony' we went to the O Club for some adult beverages.  But that's a post for another time.  Needless to say we didn't get any awards.  I don't think they like walkers.  Are they anti-walkers?  Is that discrimination?  Okay I'll shut up now.

Chowder Cook Off

Apparently I was remiss in not posting about the Chowder Cook Off on the 7th of this month and have been properly scolded.  I had thought that someone else would be posting about this, but never did.  I don't like repeating myself, because then no one will want to read my blog, but at least with this post you'll get pictures.  Yes, I'm whining a bit here.  So this one's for Colten.  There were a group of four people dressed as pirates wandering around.  The other two were somewhere else when I snapped this.  I wanted the older guy because me made me think of Pops for some reason.  
As you can see they did have a live band playing, which I guess is a good thing, if they're good.  And Schweppes ginger ale was the sponsor.  They were handing out free baby cans of the ginger ale to everyone.  We arrived early so didn't have to deal with too many people.  

As the day progressed more people showed and it got hotter.  We were glad we'd gotten there early to sample the chowders, even though the rude people were already out there in force. I mean how dare we stand in line to get our sample of chowder and then look at them in such a way when they cut in front of us.  Don't we know how important they are?  And this happened a lot! And it was mostly from the forty and over crowd.  I don't ever want to hear older people bitch about how the younger generation has no manners.
There were three different categories.  There was best clam chowder, best seafood chowder and creative chowder category.  Here's a picture of one of the chowder competitor's.  The last category was pretty weird and we only liked one.  We saw a number of our friends.

This is just one of the shots of the crowd.  As you can see, a lot of people stayed near the water in the hopes of cooling off.  Jim took this near the end of the day when the crowds started getting thicker.  This is about the time we realized we needed to leave.  Jim and I both got a bit too much sun and when we headed out there was a huge line to get into the chowder fest.  If you click the following link you can see who the winners were.

Now in order to be truly from the area you have to pronounce it properly.  So drop the r.  Call it chowdah!  Chowdah!  Say it Frenchie!

-Michelle

Why I Don't Shop On Weekends

I don't work, so I figure I normally can get what I need during the week.  I know you're shocked at my logic.  That is unless Jim needs something or I forgot to get it during the week.  Or something breaks on us.  There are just too many people out shopping on weekends and we all know that Jim and I don't handle crowds well.  There's a reason you have to get a permit to carry a gun.  =)

So I had to go to Walgreens today.  Needed some munchies for the movies that Jim and I were going to watch.  Hey rainy days are perfect for sitting at home and just watching movies.  Nobody wants to be out in that.  And we had been out quite a bit on Friday and Saturday, so the animals appreciated that we were staying in.  

I thought, hey it's rainy no one will be out in this and I only need a few little things this won't take long.  Boy was I wrong!  

I didn't even get five steps in the store when an older woman grabs my arm to ask me if I work there.  Huh?  I'm in a grey tee shirt, jeans, my hair is up and I'm smiling.  Do I look like I'm working here?  Most Walgreens employees have blue shirts to identify themselves and normally they aren't smiling.  Ugh!  While checking out an older woman comes up and starts informing the checkout girl that she rang her up wrong.  Apparently you could buy two of something and get $6.99 back.  The young lady took the receipt and pointed out that in fact she had actually gotten $10.99 back.  The woman shook her head and insisted that the cashier did something wrong.  At this point I rolled my eyes and had to say something, which of course made the older woman scurry off.

You're not being screwed over.  Learn to do your math, you're actually getting more back than you should be.  Man some people are too stupid to be out in public.  

Was I harsh?  Maybe.  But this is not the first time I've seen this BS happen and it won't be the last.  Once home I decided that my soda needed an upgrade in order for me to calm down.  At least this time I didn't have anyone cut me off or cut in line.  That might have pushed me over the edge.

I am not going out again today!  You can't make me!

-Michelle

In Soviet Russia the CANs crush you

Well it's official we're on a winning streak. We won tonight 10-4. I went 1-4 with an RBI and a run scored. I also made a horrendous play in the outfield and gave away an out at the plate by swinging at a bad pitch. The other two out were well hit balls to the outfield, at the right-center fielder.

-Jim

24 to 3

Yes ladies and gentlemen that was the score of the softball game for the hubby's team today. The Dented Cans won! Yea!!!   Please note this is not sarcasm. I am really pleased for them.

And it was a gorgeous day for a game too. The sun was shining, but not too brightly. It wasn't too hot, somewhere in the 70's. And for once the wind was calm. I didn't need to bundle up like an Eskimo to watch the game. And for that I'm truly thankful.  

My sweet baboo did quite nicely. I think the shorter bat helped. Even if he did get some ribbing for our $20 bat. He hit four singles and walked once. And hey I saw some of the other guys using that bat too. It's the first win, but the third game. We'll gloss over that though. They got a late start, because the umpire apparently forgot about them. Here's to many more wins!

-Michelle

I had to convince Michelle to post this. My (false) modesty wouldn't allow me to post it myself. 4 for 4 with a walk and a run scored. I don't think I had any RsBI (I know some people write it "RBIs," but the term is runS batted in, not run batted inS.). The bases were cleaned before I got to bat. Not bad though, it means we were scoring runs. We had a bit of batting practice prior to the game, so I think that helped as well. 

I know the bat was a big psychological boost for me. I used to love long bats, but hey, I know what type of hitter I am. I'm not going to hit the long ball, so why go for the bat with the huge barrel. The smaller bat helped me get around quicker and forced me to be disciplined, so I could just pop the ball over the heads of the infielders and infront of the outfielders. I did that three times today. The other hit was a seeing eye single. So I have five hits total this year in 10 or 12 ABs.

Now I know some people (Phil) would say that it wasn't batting practice or the bat and the confidence it gives at all. I'm sure he/they would maintain that going 4 for 4 was a direct result of wearing the Yankees' ballcap I bought outside of Yankee Stadium.

This I do know, until it stops working, I'm using the same bat AND wearing that cap!

-Jim

It's a beautiful day

Today, Michelle and I went on a helicopter tour of the island. Here's a link to our helicopter tour company. It was Michelle's first time in a helicopter, and it was the first time either of us had flown in a general aviation aircraft. 

Here's a picture of the helo. A bit smaller than the CH-53E I rode in as a Midshipman. I didn't want to disrepect Jeff's, our pilot's, aircraft, but I couldn't help but think of the line from Star Wars when Princess Leia first sees the Millennium Falcon, "You came here in that? You're braver than I thought!"

The video of our takeoff.

Here's a picture of the two decommissioned aircraft carriers here at Naval Station Newport. The ex-USS Forrestal and ex-USS Saratoga. Saratoga served in Desert Storm, and Forrestal is the carrier John McCain flew from in Vietnam, until it had the tragic fire.

Here is a picture of Coaster's Harbor "Island" in the foreground and Newport Bridge (Actually, its name is the Pell Bridge) in the background. You can kinda tell from this picture there was some haze. We had a dense fog in the morning. It had burned off for the most part, but over the water you could see the haze in the atmosphere.

John and Ruth's house is down there somewhere:

A picture of Fort Adams State Park:

Pictures of boring. Here's a couple more videos. First is Brenton State Park. The second is a view of most of the Newport Mansions. (One warning and one excuse. The warning: unless you like to hear the cockpit noises of a helicopter, I'd turn down the volume on your computer. The excuse: I was using a handheld digital camera to take the video. It's not gyro-stabilized. It's Jim-stabilized.)

Finally, our landing. Look for the aircraft landing just before we get there. We fly over him as he's taxiing. 

I have to say Jeff, our pilot, was outstanding in his professionalism. Not bad for an aviator. ;-)

Two regrets. If I had been paying closer attention, I could have gotten a picture of our house from the air. I should have taken a picture of Michelle with Jeff next to the helicopter. 

We also got pictures of the old Kennedy compound, Newport Vineyards and Greenvale Vineyards, but I'll save those and other pictures for Michelle.

-Jim