History Lesson Day

I bought a new camera.  Canon Powershot SX 720.  It connects to the Internet to upload photos.  I have had the Sony equivalent before and loved it.  My old camera was good but I wanted a better one.  this one is smaller, has a 40 power zoom and has 24 megapixels.

I spent several frustrating hours last night attempting to connect the stupid thing to the Internet.  It never did.  Now I need to get Andrew to do it for me.

We put up shelves in the kitchen.  Simple task that took 3 hours.  The next night we worked on the ones in the guest bath for 2 hours.  We got slightly better.  So when Suzette comes she can look at something nice.  Charlene won't be able to reach any of them, she is too short, hee hee hee!





On Wednesday I met with my Fiber Group for the first time in 7 months.  When I walked in, they were all surprised to see me!  It felt good to be welcomed back into the arms of creative women.  The theme was blue  and this was Yvonne's piece.  Don't you LOVE it!  And she says, I don't know if this is right, since it is my first piece with this group.  I would say, yes, TOTALLY!

And my wood fiber blinds came in.  It took him all of 25 minutes to install 11 windows.  He should have installed my shelves.



My huge cutting mat came in.  4 x 3 feet.

I think I can cut a lot of stuff on it!










In one of the boxes, Frank came across this set of photos.  My dad was 14 here and my Aunt Edie was 16.  Her face has hints of my cousin Karen.  This photo is of her father who is 21 years old, 7 years older than my dad.  He both brothers were in the US Navy during the war.  Uncle Angelo joined the Navy early on as he was about 7 years older than my dad.  My father followed him,.  After Angelo left, my father joined the local SeaBees unit (Construction Battalions) with the idea he would finish high school and college and go into the Navy as an officer like his brother.  But that didn't happen.  He dropped out of Tulane University to join.

Dad and Aunt Edie

Uncle Angelo

The Naval Construction Battalion was formed in 1942 from the civilian corps prior to WWII as a response to a change in International Law saying that civilian who resisted enemy attacks were classified as guerrilla fighters and could be executed.   So the Department of the Navy created the Construction Battalions that were USMC trained to be capable of constructing whatever the troops needed in any theater.  I always think of the Bridge over the River Kwai.  The first recruits were the men who built the Hoover Dam and skyscrapers in New York.

Aunt Edith and Uncle Angelo

The training center was at Camp Endicott on the Gulf Shore area where my father's family had owned the shipyard.  I remember my father telling me how they  would do training exercises on Lake Pontchartrain  when he was in high school.  He was never seasick.

But when he enlisted in the Navy and was sent to wok n the aircraft Carrier The Saratoga he was seasick for 18 months of his 21 month tour.  they stuck him in the communications room with a bucket and he typed Morse Code messages to the fleet.

I sent them to Jason who is Edith's grandson.  And to Karen, who is Angelo's daughter.  And my brother, who followed my dad Herbie, as a Marine.

Interestingly, I have not heard from any of them today..........oh, just got a message from Karen.  She loved the photos of her dad.  Her son Matt, is big into ROTC and is applying for a commission to the Naval Academy after graduation in May.  Family tradition, I would say!