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Trooping the Colour Day, Flag Day and Bourbon Distilled!

June 14th – Trooping the Colour Day in the UK, Flag Day in the US and Bourbon was first distilled!

Today is Trooping the Colour Day in the United Kingdom, as well as, the Official Birthday of the Queen from Wikipedia….

Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment’s colours, or flags, were used as rallying points. Consequently, regiments would have their ensigns slowly march with their colours between the soldiers’ ranks to enable soldiers to recognise their regiments’ colours. Read More

The Martian – Andy Weir

The Martian – Andy Weir – Book 27 of 2015 No 4 of Science Fiction Reading Challenge

One of my resolutions for 2015 was to read more science fiction. It is a genre that I have read and loved in the past  I have read the classics by authors like Frank Herbert, Arthur C Clarke and Robert Heinlein along with authors like David Brin and Orson Scott Card, but  through the years that amount of SciFi that I read dwindles down to almost nothing. I say almost because I have read several boos by John Scalzi. Anyway, back at the beginning of the year I went looking for new science fiction to read and one book that kept appearing on several of the list of the Best Science Fiction was The Martian Andy Weir’s. The Martian became the 27th book I’ve read in 2015, and the fourth in the science fiction genre. Now I know what everyone has been raving about! The Martian is a terrific read!. It is by far my favorite SciFi read of the year and up there among my favorite overall reads!  My current SciFi read Dark Intelligence by Neal Asher is a close second! Read More

A Somewhat Trying, Long……but still great day with Oliver!

Isn’t Everyday with a Grandchild?

So today started off a little shaky, I woke up at a 3 minutes before 6 o’clock, which is about 27 minutes later than I usually get up on a morning that I am babysitting Oliver. As a result, I had to run around feed the cats, make my lunch and gather my stuff, which meant I didn’t have time for a short yoga routine. I was looking forward to yoga, because last week it seemed to do a good job getting me in the mood for a fairly strenuous day with my grandson. The picture at the top of this post gives you all an idea of what babysitting Oliver may be like.His mother posted on my Facebook timeline the other day……Asking: Does this remind you of anyone?? Read More

"Into the Night" with Tony Rice and Friends

Tony Rice – Guitarist Extraordinaire – Born June 8, 1951!

 
Celebrating his birthday today, June 8th, in addtion to Boz Scaggs is the great musician Tony Rice. Tony was born just a few months before me in the year of 1951. Tony Rice is a great guitarist whose solo work and work with brother Larry, Chris Hillman and Herb Pederson (Rice,Rice,Hillman &Pedersen) appear in my library! Here’s some background for those of you who don’t know Tony. From Wikipedia: Read More

“Into the Night” with Tony Rice and Friends

Tony Rice – Guitarist Extraordinaire – Born June 8, 1951!

Celebrating his birthday today, June 8th, in addtion to Boz Scaggs is the great musician Tony Rice. Tony was born just a few months before me in the year of 1951. Tony Rice is a great guitarist whose solo work and work with brother Larry, Chris Hillman and Herb Pederson (Rice,Rice,Hillman &Pedersen) appear in my library! Here’s some background for those of you who don’t know Tony. From Wikipedia: Read More

Battle of Cold Harbor – June 3, 1864

Battle of Cold Harbor

June 3, 1864 -Battle of Cold Harbor and My 2nd Great Grandfather’s Regiment was in the thick of the battle!

On June 3, 1864 one of the most lopsided battles of the American Civil War was fought near the Cold Harbor Tavern close to Mechanicsville, Virginia. The battle actually was fought from June 1 to June 12th. But on June 3rd  the Union forces under the command of Ulysses Grant met the Confederate forces of Robert E Lee fought in one of the bloodiest and most lopsided days of the war. Over 7.000 Union troops were killed or wounded in a hopeless frontal assault against the fortified positions of Gen. Robert E. Lee‘s army in one hour on that day! Read More

Grover Cleveland Marries in the White House – June 2, 1886

Grover Cleveland’s Bride Frances Folsom is 27 years his junior!!

On June 2, 1886 Grover Cleveland became the first US president to be married in the White House and guess what it was kinda’ creepy! At the time of his marriage, Grover Cleveland was a forty-nine  year-old bachelor. The woman he married Francs Folsom was 22 year-old. She was the daughter of Cleveland’s late best friend and law partner Oscar Folsom. Frances, at the time of their marriage, had known Cleveland  from birth. In fact, she used to climb on his knee and call him “Uncle Cleve”. Frances’ father Oscar Folsom died when she was 11. Upon Oscar’s death, Cleveland became Frances legal guardian Cleveland  remained close friends with her mother to the point that many thought Cleveland  would marry her, but no! Instead Cleveland wed young Frances or Frank as Cleveland called her! Read More