Fort Jefferson

(*Note—the outline for this travel log was drafted on July 26; it just took me a bit to finish it.) I normally don’t get up at 6:00 a.m. on vacation, but I had to be checked in at that ferry terminal by 7:00 so I could board the Yankee Freedom III for a three hour … Continue reading Fort Jefferson

Key West Ghosts

Today was 91° in Key West, one of the hottest days of summer so far (that’s ambient air temperature; the heat index was way higher). So, of course, today is the day I rent a bicycle for the week and decide to pedal over three miles across 90% of the island’s length. I decided to … Continue reading Key West Ghosts

Key West, Day 3

It’s July 24, 2017. I’m on my third day of my retirement vacation down in Key West. I wanted to write during the transit and all, but it was a whirlwind flight down from Norfolk, and I’ve not been letting the grass grow under my feet as it were. The story of my connection to … Continue reading Key West, Day 3

Just Like a Tree

Ok, it’s time to backtrack and fill in the gaps I missed in this travel log due to illness and tragedy. The food poisoning I suffered on May 27 and the tragedy of the fatal parachute accident May 28 gave me more important things to do than write about my travels during Fleet Week. The … Continue reading Just Like a Tree

A Collision of Humanity

So we got on the road in Norfolk, Virginia, at 7:00 in the morning. We took two vans and drove up the Eastern Shore in order to avoid the traffic of Richmond and Washington, D.C. The rain moved in and made it a very wet drive. But, as I told my mom in an email … Continue reading A Collision of Humanity

Start Spreading the News!

Start spreading the news! We’re leaving tomorrow morning from the Navy Public Affairs Support Element East (NPASE East) for New York City. Starting Tuesday the Big Apple is hosting the 29th annual Fleet Week New York, a huge celebration of the sea services that will swamp New York City with enough ships to, well, make … Continue reading Start Spreading the News!

The Good Times: Finding St. Peter

Oddly enough I find the second in my series looking back on the “good times” of my Navy career to be another moment during my time stationed at VQ-2 in Rota, Spain. Increasing the “coincidence level” is that this moment also occurred during a trip to another part of Europe. I have written in my … Continue reading The Good Times: Finding St. Peter

The Good Times: Beauty and the Beast

I make no apologies for writing about the dark things in life. I believe sharing my struggles and my successes in coping will help increase awareness of mental health issues, at least a little. However, my life is not all dark. As I race towards the conclusion of my naval career, I will rest my … Continue reading The Good Times: Beauty and the Beast

Nuovo Inizio

SUFFOLK, Va. (Feb. 20, 2017) - It has been a highly kinetic week at work before this holiday. I’m not merely the chief of production at my command; I’ve taken over as chief of operations too. The assumption of additional responsibilities happened while I was in Naples, so I had to hit the deck plate … Continue reading Nuovo Inizio

Walking the Path of God

(Written Feb. 9) - I'm batting out the notes for these things the day of the event, but then polishing them up after the fact. I don't want to publish lousy grammar...especially as I've spent seven of the last ten years of my naval career teaching writing! Today my multimedia workshop students were cut loose … Continue reading Walking the Path of God