Our first night in Nashville, TN was to see this lovely lady, Loretta Lynn. A living legend for country music. It was also her 85th birthday and they were celebrating it with family, lots of music and fun. We had an added bonus because her sister, Crystal Gale who is a chart topping country artist was also in attendance and is behind her in the above photo. I considered seeing her “a once in a lifetime chance” and it will always be most memorable.
Franklin, TN Civil War Cemetery
Once again John and I visited a Civil War cemetery. History and graveyards are extremely fun and interesting for us and probably one of our favorite places to visit. The below picture was of a graveyard directly across the street from the above pictured one. I would say another thing John and I enjoy is a tree that has character and this one certainly had it. The tree has been around long enough to push up gravestones have been around a couple hundred years.
Franklin, TN
Although we have no pictures of Franklin, TN where these cemeteries are we were enchanted by it. It was small, clean and quaint. Friendly also as we found out when we talked at length to a gentleman who had just moved there from the Silicone Valley with his family.
John and I also blew Nashville up walking up and down the main avenue while listening to music coming out of every tavern, bar and pub there was. I would have to say I had too much fun but that is a story for another time 🙂
John and I have been enlightened by the struggles of African Americans over the last few hundred years on our current trip throughout the states from The Underground Railroad to today’s news stories. Birmingham’s Civil Rights Institute was no exception. The 16th St Baptist Church (seen below) as seen through the trees of the Kelly Ingram Park is where 4 young girls were murdered by an explosion in 1963. Something most of us can remember considering the last person brought to justice for this horrific slaying was in 2002. That in itself is an injustice.
16th Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL
Something I learned and was appalled at was the treatment of children who marched. Below is a monument in which the children who marched in those protests are recognized. Over 500 were jailed at the directive of Bull Connor after he had used water cannons on them. We will never forget his name.
A display in Kelly Ingram Park across from the BCRI
There is no possible way to explain what can be learned here that you wont learn from a text book. At this time in history all eyes were on Birmingham. They were pivotal in how many other cities responded to the civil rights situation.
As with any of our blogs we encourage to read up on all the places we have been. They are fascinating! Please go to http://compositionbyjohn.com and http://facebook.com/compositionbyjon to see all of John’s wonderful pictures and thanks for checking up on our preciousventure.
Some of you know that I started my career as a scientist a very long time ago 🙂 Now Roni and I are driving around America to explore this amazing country. Word gets to us of the “March for Science” and St. Louis is the closest large city that has a march so we decide to participate. The experience was awesome and we hope we have captured a little of our joy in this blog and the links to our pictures.
We arrived two hours early which gave us plenty of time to figure out where to park, lol. The crowd was small at first but vibrant. The chill in the air with the stab of cold moisture and the cooling breeze reminded us of spring back home in Seattle. The first picture I took was of a walking dinosaur, but the first person we spoke to was someone with a captivating sign.
Dan McIntyre, the first marcher that we talked to.
Dan was at the march because of the influence of the younger members of his family and like me, had long since decided he had done too little to support science in the public arena as a young man, so we were both trying to support it now.
As we talked to more people we became very aware of the passion of the marchers and the strong cross currents in the tides of science that were amplified by the current administration.
positive notes
devotion to science and a political messagecoarser words and energizedpointing to the reason for current worries about the health of science
The crowd ran the gamut from young to old.
she will have her PhD in science before longwe hope we will have the energy to march forever 🙂
And the crowds surpassed our hopes for a successful march. The police and march organizers worked well together and everyone succeeded in peacefully marching to express their feelings and passion about the importance of Science in our great nation.
the crowd was stoked by train load after train load of marchers arriving just as we startedthe march was organized well and always peaceful, but marched with a purpose that each felt in their heart
Imagine walking shoulder to shoulder with others all sharing the belief in Science and all it brings to our world. No fake news, no alternative facts, only peer reviewed evidence and sound conclusions to find a cure for cancer, to stop global warming, to feed more people in our world, to entertain us, and so on, and so on. The crowd chants in solidarity, not hateful slogans, but words talking of their belief in Science to continue to lift up the people on this earth.
There will be another March for Science next year, we hope you can all make it to march with us 🙂 Our thanks and gratitude are extended to all who organized the marches across the nation and to all that marched to help our nation remember the importance of Science for our society and our world.
Moton Field in Tuskegee AL where the first African-American pilots trained to join the US Army Air Forces in WW2
Let’s say at the start of World War II you get the brilliant idea of increasing our air strength by training African-Americans to be military pilots in the US Army Air Forces to help fight Germany. You realize that with segregation the rule in those days, you will have to train not only the black pilots, but the black mechanics, black cooks, black maintenance, black logistics, etc. You will have to train the pilots and all their support personnel ! Tuskegee University in AL is an existing all black school that adds curriculum to support the training needed. Now build the buildings in multiple airfields in Alabama to house all the planes, equipment, maintenance for both primary and advanced Flight programs. Despite the racism and resistance by some, they successfully trained the 99th Fighter Pursuit Squadron and went on to creating the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group.
The Tuskegee Airmen racked up impressive statistics in World War II
There were major bumps in the road. At one point Congress almost pulled them out of the war because of some that felt Blacks were inferior. Another bump was a white base commander who created two officer clubs on base, one for whites and one for Trainees (blacks). It took 101 Black officers (pilots) being arrested for refusing to sign a document indicating they agreed with the policy to bring the matter to a head.
Once they reached North Africa, they were relegated to ground support missions until finally the government decided they were here to stay and sent them to Italy to escort bombers dropping their loads on military targets throughout the European Theater. They earned the respect of the bomber crews with more than one requesting their unit to escort them into battle, high praise for fighting units that had proven their mettle.
The North American P-51 Mustang Fighter was their favorite Tuskegee Airmen fighter platform to destroy Axis targets and planes. Note their distinctive red tail.
Before the war, a lot of “White Americans” didn’t think a black man had the aptitude or ability to learn how to fly a modern fighter and shoot down the enemy, the Tuskegee Airmen showed how wrong they were. The African-American pilots and support personnel who served so courageously in the war came home to find an America that had not changed much. But because of their struggles to overcome, it gave hope to many of the black community at home, reading of their successes and cheering them on. Their struggle helped shape and foreshadow the coming racial struggles through the 50s and beyond.
This was another fascinating look back into history for us. We love this country and feel we grow a little more in understanding each time we see brave men and women stand up to adversity to help us move forward.
Thank you for following our blog and please explore many more pictures of our precious venture at http://compositionbyjohn.com or http://facebook.com/compositionbyjohn
April 4, 2017. It just so happened to be the 49th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. We did not intend to be at the Martin Luther King National Historic Site on this day it was just where we landed. We thought that was cool. Right? We didn’t know how honored we were about to be.
Ebenezer Baptist Church Atlanta GA
We strolled around the site and were brought to tears at times and at other times in awe of the story and pictures that we had heard of throughout our lives of this man and the many other courageous people who stood up for what things that should have been God given rights. John and I were somehow taken to the Ebenezer Baptist Church unknowingly and at the perfect time. A service was about to begin. I looked at John and hightailed it up the stairs to the chapel. If a service was about to begin I was going to attend. After all what a chance to be in the pews of the very church that MLK and his father and grandfather had all preached and been reverends in.
Children of MLK Jr, Martin III and Bernice of
I don’t get star struck easily but John and I were so honored to have this opportunity to listen to the words of Martin III and Bernice who had learned so much from this man, their father. We were the second row back and they held my attention so as to inspire me and make me think of how I might be someone who acts and doesn’t just talk.
A display at the Historic center representing the many times he was jailed/arrested for doing standing up for that which is good for all people.
As we travel this great land of America we find so many examples of people in our nation standing up to oppression, to evil people, to what is wrong, not for themselves but for the betterment of all members of our society. We learn so much each time we spend the time listening to their stories and feel grateful our country is honoring them in these National Park Service venues.
Yay, we finally left Florida after four months of winter vacation 🙂 Family visits, visits with friends, exploring the wildlife and beauty of Florida were all excellent ways of spending the time, but we do admit to a bit of Florida winter slothfulness also, lol. Georgia awaits our precious venture now !
First stop in Georgia was the Andersonville National Historic Site. If you are not a Civil War buff you may not be familiar with the prison camp for captured Union soldiers. The image below shows
inside the Andersonville prison, how it might have looked, just imagine men packed tightly in the confines.
a replica of the shelter the men had, but imagine men packed so close together that it was difficult to move about, with no grass and only dust and mud, with every type of insect and vermin crawling over them, exposed to the extreme hot and cold of the climate, and you might have some idea of what the men were put through.
45,000 prisoners passed though the gates of the prison, 13,000 died over 14 months. For a while gangs of men wandered the camp extorting the few comforts or luxuries that some possessed before 6 were hung to reduce the threats.
Now pull back to look at the entire camp and see the small stream that cuts through the middle of the camp.
the small valley in the prison landscape was the stream that ran through it
During some periods, the stream would be bounded by fields of mud so deep that men would be stuck up to their waists while trying to get a cup of water that was drinkable. The Union soldiers pulled water out upstream from where their bodily wastes were deposited into the stream. Soldiers coming to the camp with existing wounds suffered greatly with their wounds a breeding ground for every type of insect and vermin you can imagine. The red dust which turned to a black mud coated every part of their bodies. Food was infrequently made available to the camp, many dying of hunger due to the shortages as the war continued. The tall fence was topped by guard posts and a “dead line” fence creating an area near the main stockade where you would be shot if you entered it. If a guard was feeling mean and tossed bread into this zone, he was looking to kill anyone approaching it.
Now step back further and think that these prisoners of war were not unlike POWs of any war. They all suffered, used courage to survive and endured terrible conditions so that they might feel freedom some day. The Andersonville National Historic Site weaves the story of Andersonville into the complex tapestry of the story of POWs of all wars. Roni and I had tears as we read, watched films, and explored the National Historic Site. It is a truly remarkable story of the sacrifices the men and women of our armed forces have endured for our country.
The National Cemetery at the Andersonville National Historic Site.
Adjacent to the Andersonville prison site is a National Cemetery. When you walk the cemetery you quickly realize that the Union soldiers who died in the prison were buried in mass trenches. The gravestones are too close together for any other explanation. After the war the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton and a former Andersonville prisoner Dorence Atwater worked together to meticulously identify 95% of the graves of the Union POWs who died in the prison.
We live in freedom because so many soldiers have given and sacrificed so much for us. The National Park Service has done a wonderful job in helping all of us to remember and understand these sacrifices at this National Historic Site.
After coming back to our trailer that we left at Scott and Nikki’s while in Seattle, we headed over to the west side of Florida. I lived in the Tampa area for over 20 years so I have some history there. The picture above is of Sharon and myself. I worked with Sharon at Thompson Cigar & Co. and let her know I wanted to get together with her and anyone else who could see me. Being the awesome person she is, she set to motion a wonderful Thompson Reunion sort of speak with current and previous employees pictured below. I love this woman and she holds a very special place in my heart!
Some of the fun and crazy people I worked with which are too many to name
I thought I would throw in the picture below because Craig also is very special to me. He has an awesome sense of humour, a big heart and is kind of a no nonsense guy and anyone in his presence can’t help but smile.
The only guy in the world you have to smile when you meet him !
I have never met a group of people (many are not pictured here that I include in this statement) that just click and years after leaving employment with Thompson or continuing employment still click as if nothing ever changed. I am so grateful for the time I had with each and everyone of them and hope that they all know it.
I don’t have a lot of friends and those that I do are each precious to me. Steve is one such individual who has been my friend since Junior High. I am not quite sure what brought us together to form the bond of friendship, but I treasure it 🙂
Steve at Indian Rocks Beach south of Clearwater FL getting his first walk in the Gulf of Mexico
Steve is a month older than I, a fact I never let him forget. He has been retired longer than I and has been considering a move to a more pleasant climate than the Seattle area. We encouraged him to visit with us in Florida and he took us up on the offer after the New Year.
I took him down to the beaches near Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and the beaches near Fort DeSoto to familiarize him with some of Florida. We dined on the water, explored the beaches, and had a great time. Steve shares my love of walking and we did a lot of it. It was especially nice to walk on the beach with the waves rolling over our feet as we walked for miles.
Exploring the beaches near Fort De Soto FL
We went down to the Tampa Electric Power Plant hoping to see Manatees in the cooling lagoons for the plant. The warm water on a cooler winter day brings them in to enjoy the warmth of the power plant emissions. Unfortunately there were none to be seen but we had a wonderful day.
TECO power plant near Tampa FL
Roni and I were just getting over a cold we caught in Florida and Steve was the unfortunate recipient of the same from our germs 🙁 I think he underwent a bit of culture shock at the idea of living in a tiny home with another couple and sharing a bathroom. The lack of complete privacy was a far cry from his two bedroom condo in Kent that he shares with a cat 🙂
As I write this blog I realize I need to call him. His birthday is today and for a month he will be one year older than I 🙂 We don’t think he has decided to move to Florida but we hope he enjoyed his stay with us. Perhaps he will join us again as we explore the southwest?
After our Christmas in Seattle with the McGarveys, John and I headed over the next day to Spokane to visit my youngest daughter, Haley and the grandbabies, Ayvah and Damien. As with any of my daughters or grandchildren I get giddy in route to see them. There is no feeling like the one of being able to be in the presence of these people who are so sacred to me 🙂 As usual John blesses me with pictures to remember the moments.
Roni, Ayvah, Damien, Haley
We bought a couple presents for Ayvah and Damien. I believe children at their age don’t really remember who gave them what present so they are more for me as the glee in their eye at opening a present is something that excites me!
Ayvah, Haley Damien
It was a wonderful Christmas and I cant wait to see them again. Having my 3 daughters spread across the United States is a bit crushing as I have not had them together all at once in 8 years. I am very hopeful that I will have more times like this one in the next coming years.
John, Ayvah, Haley, Damien, Roni
The above picture was taken on the morning we had to say goodbye. These little ones run me ragged after a few days but I always bawl uncontrollably like I do with all of my children once we are headed down the road. I’m crazy I think! lol Thanks again to John for always making sure we see my girls!
We really appreciate you checking up on us via this blog and cherish your comments. Please visit Johns sites to see more of his very well done portraits. http://facebook.com/compositionbyjohn and
Here it is just past St. Patty’s day and we are writing about Christmas 🙁 This is what an extended winter vacation in Florida will do to you 🙂 Roni and I flew back to Seattle for Christmas and were fortunate to be at my brother Bob’s for Christmas. He and Carolyn are the most gracious hosts you can imagine and we loved our stay with them.
On Christmas Day, all the McGarvey’s in the Northwest and many other of his friends whom we consider family feast at a kilometer long table and we eat and drink Bob and Carolyn out of house and home. The feast is always amazing and the conversations funny, sad, fascinating, and every other emotion you feel when catching up with family and friends after being away for so long.
My brother Bob, our gracious host 🙂
The younger crowd tend to the far end of the table and have the most fun at dinner 🙂
The younger crowd including my nieces and nephews Taylor, Kimmy, and Chris.
The older generations are at the head of the table where you can see Carolyn talking to my sister Patty and my mother to their left cutting her prime rib.
The older crowd 🙂
I tend to sit in the middle because I am much to vain to admit I am old :p LOL. It truly is a blessing for us all to be able to sit together and enjoy each other.
I was shanghai’d into doing my Christmas tradition of creating a playlist of songs spanning the generations at our dinner party members and play “name that tune”. Taylor (niece), Carolyn (host) and Roni won !!! We will have to split that team up next year 🙂
Name that Tune Contest with my brother Ken at the far left
