Recent Posts
Ghost Casting
We had a formal announcement of autumn last week, with the first ‘winter’ storm – heavy rain and high winds. Typically, the first ones arrive in November. Even without the storm, the season is upon us. We had the…
A Reminder of Autumn
My favorite season of the year is autumn. There are things about September and October that no other months have. Much of that has to do with the changing light as the sun’s movement is farther to the south; the…
Why the Mystery Meat?
Images from meal trays aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) are shocking. Consider the one above. A piece of meat that looks like a long forgotten slice of Steak-Umm’s; a glob of something that may be refried beans; and…
In Memory of Those Who Left Something Behind
Yesterday, the tides and winds were accommodating, and I decided to visit Sunrise Beach Park for two-handed casting practice and seeing if there were any passing fish I might entice with my fly. Sunrise Beach is northeast of downtown Gig…
Smoke Season
The local Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 137 yesterday due to regional forest fires. That reading put it into the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” range, and is the level that smoke from the fires begins to be frequently smelled by…
John Mearsheimer Speech at NATO Summit
John Mearshemier, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, gave a speech to the European Parliament a few days before the July 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye. Mearsheimer examined the conventional…
Don and Melania Buchanan
Another day, another outrage. Yesterday, Trump announced he had “requested” FIFA overturn a ‘red card’ ruling against Folarin Balogun of the U.S. World Cup Soccer Team, enabling him to play in today’s game against Belgium. Balogun had been ejected in…
Lifetime Skills for a Resilient Person
If you are facing the uncertainties of living and working in the coming decades, you have legitimate reasons for fear. That is true if you have already spent a number of years working; are just entering the job market, or…
USS Liberty
The USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was attacked by Israel on June 8, 1967. During the attack by Israeli jet aircraft and torpedo boats, 34 American sailors were killed and 174 were wounded. The first focus of the attack was on the…
Learning Curve
As I wrote in a post last year, I decided to learn spey casting, which uses a two-handed fly rod with water anchors (and no backcast) to cast a fly. There were a number of reasons for wanting to learn…
