One Last Time

March 12, 2012

Big E sets out on her last deployment. Hard to believe we’re set to retire a nuke boat but then again I served on floating fuel tanks (yes, carriers used to actually burn fuel oil for power) and came home smelling of “boat” – that lovely mix of oil soot, jet fuel, hydraulic fluid, and […]

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Non Sibi Sed Patriae

March 11, 2012

Not self but country. The unofficial moto of the United States Navy, it is inscribed over the doors of the chapel at the Naval Academy. Our departed friend lived it. Over the last few days his silence has been deafening but out of that silence has risen a celebration unlike any I’ve known. Tributes and stories, […]

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Crazy Buggers

March 9, 2012

(Feb. 20, 2012) SEALs and divers from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team (SDVT) 1 swim back to the guided-missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN 727) during an exercise for certification on SEAL delivery vehicle operations in the southern Pacific Ocean. The exercises educate operators and divers on the techniques and procedures related to the delivery vehicle and […]

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Don’t Blink

March 7, 2012

I chatted with him just the other day. He was whining about early briefings and weather cancellations but he knew he still had the best job ever. Lex is gone. His wit, wisdom, and humanity. The blog is silent. His books, for there would have been many, unwritten. He truly had a gift that he shared […]

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Lost in the Noise

February 25, 2012

What you probably haven’t heard regarding the recent Koran-burning scandal is that the holy books had been defiled by Muslim detainees using them as extremist message drops. The Korans were in the prison library of a US base for all to use. This is not a case of US soldiers arbitrarily deciding to burn Korans […]

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Flag Etiquette

February 16, 2012

I like and respect Governor Christie, which is something I can’t say about most politicians these days, and I enjoyed some of Whitney Houston’s music back in the day but the Governor’s decision to order the US flag to half staff in her honor is wrong. I’ll probably get flamed for this but Whitney doesn’t […]

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More Digital Irony

February 7, 2012

I’ll agree that we’re a bit too wired these days, the younger generation especially. There’s no telling how many injuries, deaths even, are accounted for each year by people so engaged in their smart devices that they do something stupid like step into traffic. The other morning I got an email from a guy who […]

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VSTOL

January 11, 2012

Helocopters or vectored thrust – not sure which I trust least!

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Merry Christmas

December 24, 2011

Ready or not, you’re done. The traffic has been insane and the shopping even worse so I hear. It’s time to settle in, enjoy family, and remember the true reason we do this every year. Merry Christmas to all!

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Reconfiguring

December 12, 2011

My hosting provider tells me it’s time for the annual check so in an effort to clean things up a bit and save a few bucks, I’ll be dropping the old domain name where the Wood Shed was originally loaded: ambrosephotography.net.  It’s a domain I really don’t use any more, my photography needs are handled through […]

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