Army Talk: Fascism

I really regret that I did not have more "Marine Talk" with my Daddy about his experiences in World War II. I could have made opportunities during my teen years and in my twenties and thirties; I didn't.

But in my preteen years when he was my scoutmaster as well as my Dad, when we were rising before dawn some days to get to Noontootly or Holly or Cartecay Creek to try and catch some trout, or into the woods to stalk deer, we talked more. I specifically remember one talk that seemed important to him. It was in his little office off the garage in the our parsonage in Ellijay. We may have been working on that Sunday's worship bulletin. 

He talked not about what he did as a Marine in 1944 and 45, but about why he did it. He spoke pretty frankly about the horrors of fascism and how important it was to defeat it. So though I don't know nearly as much as I wish I did about his experiences in the Pacific (beyond his amateur photography of Ulithi), I do know that he knew WHY he left his beautiful wife and two beloved little daughters to be very uncomfortable and lonesome and risk his life for two years halfway around the world. 

I have beloved kin who likely vehemently disagree, but I truly believe to my bones that, had Daddy lived to this time, he would be as bewildered and disappointed as I am that so many Americans would tolerate the hatred and fascism of the MAGA extremists and their leader. 

I wonder if Daddy read the War Department article pictured above and quoted from in this column by Heather Cox Richardson.

Birdwalking

Late this morning I decided to take a walk to try out my newly downloaded Cornell University "Merlin" birding app. It is free! I had heard of it but hadn't tried it before. On Saturday's walk several of my co-walkers were using it and I decided to try it at my earliest convenience.  I started the walk at about 11:30 a.m. and kept at it till about 1 p.m.  Along the way the Merlin app detected the songs of twenty-five birds. I have never made a real effort at learning bird songs, but maybe this app will help me. The high pitched little squeaks if the Indigo Bunting and the Eastern Towhee's loud and distinctive "TOE!!! we-ee-ee-ee" (some folks say "DRINK - your tea-ee-ee-ee!" may stick with me. 

I wish I could have actually SEEN more of them -- especially the Indigo Bunting (pics are from Wikipedia):

..

and the Summer Tanager...

I know the app is not foolproof, but it was correct about the few common birds that I did get a good look at.

Besides those my list today included the usual robins, sparrows, finches, titmice, wrens, chickadees, starlings, grackles, crows, geese but also: Swainson's Warblers, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Easter Wood Pewee, and a few others. 25 in all.

Neighbors On The Oostanaula

On this gorgeous late spring day, a few of our neighbors embarked from the tree-root landing near our house for a jon boat excursion on the Oostanaula. I snapped a few pictures. 

 

T.R.E.D. Nature Walk

Sheila and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the Mt. Berry Trail with thirty or so fellow ecological enthusiasts on this beautiful Spring day. Our leader was Owen Kinney. The walk was sponsored by T.R.E.D.* Owen did a great job of pointing out all sorts of natural wonders along the way. I will definitely steal a few of his talking points for my walks at Arrowhead. 

We were pleased to see several of our friends along the way, including Rob Innis who took this picture of us...

 

... and two pictures of this bird ...

... that Owen had identified by its call which Owen says sounds like "Peep, You're Weird"

The rest of my photos are from my own iPhone:

I noticed a Great Blue Heron in the pond near the trailhead. Owen talked about what a patient and efficient killer the heron is as it plods about shallow water at the edges of the pond spearing unsuspecting frogs, fish, and even turtles with its huge dagger of a beak.

Several folks, including Owen, used their "Merlin" smartphone app to pick out the calls of several other birds. Other used their "iNaturalist" apps to ID plants along the way.

Owen found an insect gall in a Goldenrod stem and picked it apart.... 

...and passed through the group to show the larva nestled inside.

At the forefront of the group is another friend Marilyn Lindholm (in the green blouse). Marilyn is a fellow member at Trinity United Methodist Church and also a fellow storyteller.

Owen found another example of an insect implanting its offspring in a host -- this time a leaf. Here he shows it to Sheila.

These muscadines have put on a lot of fruit...

... I'll keep an eye on these as they mature!

Woolley aphids on a blackberry cane

This was a fascinating little demo. Owen picked up a Daddy Longlegs by its head. He applied slight pressure to it and it produced an excretion that smelled like chocolate! This is an adaptation intended to repulse predators. No permanent harm to the arachnid!
Here is an article with some interesting Daddy Longlegs info.

On the walk back we noticed that silt from spring flooding was head high in the leaves of this Sweetgum.

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* T.R.E.D. = Trails for Recreation and Economic Development of Rome/Floyd County

Saturday Song: Day-O

 We lost Harry Belafonte recently. What a masterful singer and what an eloquent spokesman for justice, peace, and brotherhood. Here are two videos of Harry decades apart in time. First his iconic Banana Boat Song...

... and then his tribute to Pete Seeger as Pete was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame...

A

Ellie, Oliver & Zeke

My nephew Jonathan with Jessica and their three cute kids stayed with us this weekend as they were in town to celebrate my sister Debi's career as she retires from leading the PALS mothers morning out program at Trinity United Methodist Church. What a treat to watch these joyful children enjoying the play equipment on our back porch and also the pancakes from Sheila's griddle.

 

All three are climbers but Ellie really enjoyed climbing in. the dogwood tree.

Zeke was so sure-footed and agile.

He is a natural model with that easy smile. 

Oliver was very helpful to his little brother often spotting him on the slide.

Oliver also has a big smile but for some reason his eyes closed in lots of my pictures.

Zeke's favorite way to slide is backwards, while Oliver cushions his landing.

What a climber!

Zeke made is own place to eat under the big table.

Wedding Venue?

Our daughter Lillian and her fiancé, Jordan Friedman are planning a wedding for this fall. They haven't yet chosen the site for the ceremony. Today Lillian, with two of her close friends, Hillary Sawyer and Russell Evans with me and Sheila walked around the old waterworks building on Jackson Hill right in the heart of Rome. The city has remodeled the old building into an event center. They haven't hosted a wedding yet.

The old building has several things going for it, in my book anyway.

57 years ago our friend Michael Burton talked the city fathers into allowing the Rome Art League to host a coffee house for young folks in the deserted old building on city property at the top of the beautiful wooded hill off Turner McCall Boulevard above the Oostanaula River. Mike and Carolyn and their friends got busy hanging burlap to cover the rough walls, building a small stage in one corner, collecting small tables, borrowing sculpture from noted Rome artist MacLean Marshall to adorn the space, and recruiting for outstanding folk singers like, ahem, Terrell Shaw, Cleve Burton, Richard Ware, Gary Smith, Tony Baker and others.

Cleve Burton and I were probably singing something like "Ain't No More Cane On This Brazos"

Tony Baker

In the intervening years Jackson Hill and the adjacent Burwell Creek area has become one of my favorite places. So much so that when the city considered in the 2000s the idea of selling off part of the property to developers I helped organize a political action group, "Save Rome's Central Park," to oppose that.

Here are some of our pictures from to day.

 You will find more here:

The Star Spangled Banner

 And here:

The World's Largest Coffeehouse

 And here:

For Gary

And a little, very recently, here:

Christmas and Hanukkah 2022