Remembering

 If you were an Armor of Caverly Officer in the70s or 80s, there were three places woven into the knowledge base of those who served.  Grafenwoehr in Germany, Camp Casey in Korea, and Area 5 North at Fort Knox.

I didn't know Belle when I was a soldier.  We met after I had retired.  I was reminiscing tonight about the times I spent at Knox and she commented that the next time we were in Kentucky, we needed to take an extra day and visit the post.  Knox is no longer the home of Armor and Cavalry, it is now some sort of Finance Center.  I pulled up Google Maps and started looking for places that were instrumental during my younger years.

My basic training barracks is gone.  The place where I billeted the company I commanded is gone. The housing area where I lived has been bulldozed. The one place that the Army could not bulldoze is still there.  Area 5 North, a maneuver area thoroughly revied by everyone who spent miserable weeks on that piece of ground.  The scars are still there and can be seen from space.

That is one small portion of it.  A platoon-sized maneuver area where I spent many a miserable day learning the trade.  About four grid squares in total, Big enough for a young officer to screw up, mire his tank, learn to recover it.  a joyous place of mud and cold and diesel fumes. Did I mention mudholes? Fond memories.

This was only one small portion of the training area, which encompassed several dozen square miles.  Still it seemed that this portion is the one I recall most vividly.

Winter is Back

 Awoke this morning to a chilly north breeze, requiring that I break out the flannel.  Yesterday, the high was close to the 80s.  Today, the high will stretch to make 50.  Belle has turned off the AC in the house and has lit the heater. We're expecting a frost tonight.

I know that up north, the Midwest is facing a severe winter storm.  My thoughts are with y'all.

We're in the slack time between Christmas and the New Year. 2026 is going to jump off busy, and I'm enjoying the down time. It's time to consider the piddling projects that are best done in the wintertime.

Diamondback and Wood

 Couple of months ago, I started looking for my binoculars.  I, at one time, owned a nice Japanese binocular. Back in the 80s, I paid about $100 for them. They went with me to the woods, and to the training fields.  10X, bright and clear.  The last time I recall suing them was on a deer lease in LaSalle parish, sometime after the turn of the century. I can't lay hands on them now, they seem to have gone away.

On Thanksgiving, I ordered a new set.  This time it is Vortex Diamondback.  For a bit over $200 from Optics Planet. They came in yesterday after Optics Plante's deplorable shipping methods.  We found them shortly after dark last night when checking the mail.

I was sitting on the back patio, playing with them, when I noticed what I thought was a planet in the southeast sky.  About 8:30 pm.   Sure enough, it was Saturn.  I could see the rings plainly through the lenses.  Neat!  They seem to have good glass at a fair price.  Not as good as the Steiner binocs with the artillery reticle, but good enough for my uses.

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Surfing the YouTube, I happened to see the noted English physicist Brian Cox talking about astronomical things.  He was saying that gold and diamonds are fairly common in the universe, but somewhat rare on Earth.  He thinks that one of the rarest things in the known universe is weed. Earth is the only place in the solar system that has wood, and he suspect that it is uncommon in the broader universe.  Interesting.

NO MAN’S LAND | Louisiana Public Broadcasting

This is interesting.

Louisiana is a blend of cultures.  Many people recognize the Cajuns in south Louisiana and the Creoles of New Orleans, but it is more than that. Western Louisiana represented a clash of cultures, from the Spanish, the French, the native tribes and the early Americans.

For a time in the late 1700s until the early 1800s there was a strip of ground that was not claimed by anyone. Under a gentleman's agreement where no government encroached and separated the land that Spain claimed and the land that the US claimed.  This became known as the Free State, or the No Man's Land.  Yet people lived there and because of the absence of government, banditry flourished.

This is the story of those people.

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas morning, Belle and I are alone.  Not by chance, but by design.  We had our family celebration yesterday and today we're kicked back, enjoying life and a quiet day. For myself, I'm processing the carcass of the turkey for a gumbo this weekend, and trimming the remnants of the ham for snacks the rest of the week.

Lots of leftovers.  I won't cook this week, unless I want to.  This morning I stumbled on this video where the guy is telling us the difference between country ham and everything else.  I like his production style, so I thought I'd share it.

Y'all enjoy the rest of your day.

Dispatchers

 Ya gotta love a good dispatcher.  As a long-time street cop, we depended on dispatchers to tell us what was going on, and those folks could make or break a shift, simply through their ability to communicate and their knowledge of what we needed on the ground.

I worked the road before data links in the vehicle.  I didn't have a computer, only a radio. I couldn't see patrol notes or call volumes. All I knew was what the dispatcher told me.

So we come to this little lady, who professes to being a dispatcher.  And that's funny, right there.  Go ahead and click on it.

I never knew anyone who kept and alligator in his shop, but I did know one guy who kept a big, nasty gnarly cur in his shop.  During the day, the dog slept on a cushion in the office. During the night, the dog had the run of the place. Sometimes the owner would come in in the morning and find blood on the floor near an open window.

The yeast rolls are rising in the oven, and I have a ham in the smoker.  Family will start showing up closer to noon.  Y'all have a Merry Christmas.

Smoking a Bird

It's the 23rd, which means that our Christmas celebration is tomorrow.  It's been a busy season so far, and I haven't really gotten into the spirit but that will change soon enough.

Belle and I have for years hosted a Christmas Eve lunch, where we cook big and have family and friends over.  This frees up the kids to do whatever they will on Christmas Day.  It works for us.  Today, I have a bird in the smoker.  The smoker is running about 240F and I'm not going to mess with it.  The smoke is coming out of the seams of the box, and I have learned to trust the process.

One of my favorite carols is Allson Kraus and YoYo Ma playing the Wexford Carol.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

Trip Around The Sun - Martina Mcbride Jimmy Buffett

Well, I've done it again. By my count, this is 72.