“This seems to me an ingenious thing, little used, but of great usefulness.”  
From Vannoccio Biringuccio’s book on metallurgy “Pirotechnica” published 1540.   
                                   
When  RV’ing the likelihood of repairs is an accepted part of the journey. Necessitating  the towing  of a vehicle laden with tools and parts. Even the hitch, which attaches the car to our vintage bus, may need mending.

“When you go home, tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow, we gave our today”
-The Kohima Epitaph
 attributed to John Maxwell Edmonds (1875 – 1958)
                   
 “A nation that does not honor its heroes, will not long endure.”
President Abraham Lincoln    

Memorial Day
Ridgewood, New Jersey 
                 
Link to Multi-Media Tribute

“ Rugby is a good occasion for keeping thirty bullies far from the center of the city.”  Oscar Wilde   

 With ten minutes remaining in the National Division III championship game, it was Plymouth State 5 to Furman University 17.   In a stunning turnaround the PSU Norsemen tied  the score .  Grasping the momentum they  emerged victorious a few minutes into overtime with a final score of 22 - 17.

Driving home the adage “Never Give Up”
  

Tournament Images - Slideshow  

2008 National Collegiate – Div 3 -  Rugby Tournament    
Hamilton CollegeClinton, N.Y.

Alan West spent countless hours restoring the1940 Ford Coupe
that he brought to race at the “Monster Mile”.    

 “Land Speed Racing is a unique sport that consists of very determined people who drive specially prepared cars, hot rods, roadsters,  lakesters, motorcycles,  streamliners, and even Diesel trucks ……  Unlike most other forms of racing there’s no big purse money, so these people do it with innovation, hard work and a lot of dedication.”  www.landspeedracerssocal.org

Laurinburg-Maxton airfield
Maxton, N.C.

“Spring - An experience in immortality.”
-   Henry D. Thoreau                               

                             
Testing the Fuji IS-1

    Let the people think they govern and they will be governed.  William Penn                      
   On March 4, 1681, King Charles II of England granted a New World colony to William Penn, a Quaker, as payment for a debt of 16,000 pounds owed to Penn’s father.  Perhaps more likely the king was glad that the Quakers and political outsiders would now have their own colony, far away from England
 Penn, a city planner  envisioned a perfect city, later to be called Philadelphia.  His design was with the citizens in mind.  Including a “Centre Square”. A place where all citizens could “congregate, enjoy the day and create discussion”.   

325 years later, with the restoration of City Hall in progress, Philadelphians continue to live with Penn’s vision.

                                                          
City Hall
Philadelphia, PA

“All wetlands are formed and sustained by the influence of water on land. They are vital to the health of our environment.
Performing the same function for our ecosystem as kidneys do for our bodies, in that they filter and remove pollutants.”              
Florida DEP 
              
Jacksonville, Florida

March 2008   
“Seeking the Invisible Light”
Exhibit of  Fine Art Infrared Photography 
by Kathleen Duxbury 
  
Belcher Auditorium & Gallery  
Ridgewood Library
125 North Maple Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Hours-M-Thurs 9am-9pm ,Fri & Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 1– 5pm
Information – 201-652-2755
Directions

The history that has passed through this preserved City Gate since it opened in 1739, on the north side of Spanish Saint Augustine is thought provoking.
 It provided the only access through the defense line and stood strong through the centuries.
Few places in America have experienced so many desperate conflicts. 
Today you pass through to a pedestrian mall of gift shops and ghost tours.
Saint Augustine, Florida

Hundreds of timber less acres stretch to the horizon heading North on Hwy 130.  So it’s easy to spot the Brown marker, pointing west,  stating  “State Historic Site – Lincoln Log Cabin”
The assumption – “We’re in Illinois – must be Abrahams’”
1850’s history tells us that Abe resented his father, Thomas’ demands that he work the family farm without compensation. So even though he would return for occasional visits, he left the family before Thomas and his step mother, Sarah, moved and built the Saddlebag log cabin in Cole County.
 
 But, in 1893, the original Thomas Lincoln log cabin went missing after it was disassembled, shipped northward and exhibited at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. 
How do you lose a two room log cabin with a connecting walkway?
Did history go up in smoke?
The original “historic” site was vacant until 1935 when the cabin was reconstructed as a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) project.                         
Ah, the CCC now that’s another story I’ll be seeking. 
   
Lerna, Illinois