Le Caillou Napoléon's Last Headquarters (Source) I remember the first time I visited that small farmhouse depicted above, it was either 1992 or 1993 (it's been long enough that I don't remember the first time I visited the Waterloo battlefield). In the backyard stands a small stone building, more of a shed really, which is filled with bone shards, recovered from the battlefield which lies about a mile and a half north of the farm. I remember I felt, something. Looking upon those old bones and thinking that some 178 years before, these shards were once part of young men, from multi ..read more

The RCA Indian-head test pattern (PD) This is a test ... So over the past week we, that is JB and I, presented you with a couple of old Lex posts. The story of Lazlo to be precise, in two parts. I went out to the Wayback Machine and found both of the posts in their original format, still in the original packaging, as it were. So I presented them in that fashion. (Said packaging being admired, if not outright loved, by a number of you Chanters.) Oddly enough, our own boron pronounced the "new format" to be a wondrous thing, easy on the eyes and all that. He could read it while si ..read more

So... There I was, headed into town, Monday, April 15th, a date that will live in infamy.  For, I am the Family Messenger enroute to the Postal Service Office to send the Family share of the National Debt to the Cesspool on the Potomac. If you don't understand that nomenclature, well, we can't be friends. Source (10:45 AM 16 Apr 2024) I noted that the PO parking lot was a little fuller than usual, although it was noonish, so I assumed they were folks picking up mail for businesses or because it was lunchtime and they had time to do so.   Silly me, No, virtually everyone ..read more

OAFS Photo The Missus Herself did decree, Friday evening, that the time for the annual cleaning of the pond at Chez Sarge was upon us. Though the forecast called for rain on Saturday, I was to hold myself in readiness to assist her, should the foul weather abate. Which it did, taking me rather by surprise. I had placed my money on "rain all day," the weather decided, "eff that, the fat bastard needs to get off his ass and get outside." So I did. Discovering in the process, that once again, I'm not as young as I used to be. After all, I'm within hailing distance of the 71st ..read more

(Source) “Why yes, Laz. You were missed. In fact the better part of 5000 people have been looking for you for the last two hours and…(muffled, aside:) Yes, sir it’s Lazlo. Just a minute, Laz - The Skipper would like to speak to you.” All throughout Ready Room 8, Compartment 2-242-0-L aboard the USS Constellation, a warship then at sea in execution of national tasking in the Indian Ocean, junior officers lowered their faces thoughtfully into month-old magazines, staring with a fixed and terrible intensity on single words or even punctuation marks in the text while their asso ..read more

Those who know, know ... So ... A very long time ago (2010 to 2012) I was laboring in exile at my place of employment's Andover, Massachusetts facility. Work was slow at the Home Office, I would travel the hundred miles to that place either Sunday evening or Monday morning, work four ten hour days (whilst laying my head down in a hotel each night) then do the reverse leg of the trip Thursday evening. Made for a long bloody week, I can tell you. While there I discovered blogs, first it was the U.S. Naval Institute's blog, then, probably via a link at that blog, I found Neptunus Lex ..read more

(Source) Nearly ten years ago I wrote about my Great Uncle Robert Bain. At the time I had no idea what he looked like, now I do. (Yes, that's him above. In the photo on the left he bears a striking resemblance to my paternal grandmother.) As Gaza has been much in the news (he's buried there) I decided to use Find-A-Grave to see if there was any more information on him. There was. I was going to post that old post here, as a rerun, decided not to. (It's linked above at the family name.) But I know a bit more about the man now, he died a year earlier than my original research had in ..read more

  Well, that stinks! Yesterday, I was proofing my post for today.  There was a small error in how I wanted a picture and citation to look.  Went to correct it and presto-change-o, the post disappeared.  Tried undo.  No help.  Nothing, Nada,  없음.  Suffice it to say a few bad words were uttered.  So...that is why the v2 is in the title. This was where the error occurred.  I'm not even sure why I had this photo in the post.  But... Source The picture is of  The Big Week" of the Allied Bombing Raids on Germany in WWII.  The ..read more

Robin Olds (Source) Before I begin, the man above is the epitome, to me, of a fighter pilot and a combat leader. If I had to go into battle, it would be with that guy. One of the proudest periods of my life was serving in the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea. His legacy remains. So the drugs are winning the war against the crud, but they're knocking me on my butt. I guess a lot of sleep ain't a bad thing. Just gives me not enough energy to, ya know, get off my butt and do things, like write blog posts. But as they say, this too shall pass. So today, this S ..read more

In Gorodnya - to break through or retreat Vasily Vereshchagin (Source) Bit under the weather on Friday, ear infection, medical personnel consulted, drugs prescribed, taking it easy for a day or two. Gah! (As Beans might say.) I hate being ILL! Anyhoo, one of the Chanters mentioned this song by Mark Knopfler a while back (sorry I don't remember who, I suffer from CRS.¹) I've been meaning to post it here, with the lyrics. You folks know my fascination with Napoléon Bonaparte, this song, to me, is beautiful, and haunting. I almost feel as if I had been there. Literally makes me tear up ..read more