Strange Weather in the Ohio Valley

For those who don't know, our home is very near the Ohio River (Near enough to enjoy but not near enough to get wet in the Spring time when the river gets much deeper). The weather here is different from anything I've ever experienced including my thirty month mission in Sweden.

It gets cold here. Frequently it's colder here than in Utah. In fact it gets down into the teens and below and it literally freezes the moisture out of the air. The picture below is of our furnace exhaust vent that comes out of the side of the house. The air coming out of the house is moist because we have a humidifier running. The other day it was so cold the moisture in the air actually froze into a little icicle.





It also doesn't snow here. It snows some but not much. What we get is "winter mix." It rains even when it is in the low thirties and then turns to ice. It's not sleet or hail. It's just little ice crystals that crackle when you walk on them.

It's all part of the new experience.

Tuesday evening we had Elders Allred and Davis over. Our mission just opened a new area very close to us and I found housing for these elders in a members home. They were assigned on Tuesday as companions and Elder Allred was made a District Leader here in our area. We were already having our missionaries over so we invited the new elders over as well. Elder Davis is from Buena Park, California and his dad is an active LAPD Detective (Greg Davis). Elder Davis just arrived on his mission so we wanted him to feel welcome.

While we were having dinner, the Assistants to the Mission President called Elders Allred and Davis (they all have cell phones). All three of them (Elders Wright, Call and Peay) were out running errands and had to drop off a notebook for Elder Davis so I took the phone and asked if they had eaten. They hadn't so we invited them too. We fed seven elders sort of in shifts and really enjoyed their company. They are all so dedicated they wouldn't stay very long. They all had work to do and went off to do it. We felt really good about the whole evening.

Christmas in Williamsburg

Lady Elizabeth of Merrill (my lovely sister) has made a reasonable request. Herewith is the response. Actually, the first picture, the wreath, comes to you from Montecello, Home of Thomas Jefferson, our country's third president. We also visited the home of our fourth president, James Madison, who is known as "the father of our constitution." His restored presidential home is known as James Madison's Montpelier and is located at Montpelier Station, Virginia. We took no photos there due to restrictions imposed for "archeological reasons." (Truthfully, I think they wanted me to buy theirs.) The remainder of the pictures are from Williamsburg.

Wheelwright Work at Williamsburg

We spent the extended weekend that just went by in Williamsburg. It's not very far so we could drive and therefore travel somewhat cheaply. Especially since gas is well under two dollars now. It was sort of a Christmas present to ourselves.

One of the things I saw that was pretty fascinating was the wheelwright shop at the Governor's Palace. I was able to ask a few questions and gain some interesting knowledge.

A good wheel made by an experienced wheelwright could, if properly maintained, last indefinitely. There was no reason why the wheel should ever fail. At least three or sometimes four different kinds of wood are used.

The hub seen below is one solid piece of American Elm. This wood is used as a hub because it is so difficult to split. Someone decided that since it couldn't be easily split up for firewood, maybe it would be ideal as a wheel hub and it became the favored wood for hubs.



The iron bands are created to pretty careful specifications and just slightly smaller than the diameter of the hub. The bands are then heated and they expand so that they can easily be slid onto the hub. Then cold water is poured on and they shrink up to form a tight reinforcing band. The same method is used to apply the tires when the wheel is completed. The word, "tire" that we use today to describe the rubber tubes on our car and bicycle wheels, is derived from a french word that means something like to hold or bind together (maybe even just tie-er).

Spokes are generally made of oak and are carefully measured to provide uniform length. They are pounded into the hub using a large, heavy mallet and fit very snugly.



The rims are frequently made of ash beams cut into arcs as you see here. They, too, are created using careful specific measurements so as to fit together properly and make the rim of the wheel. Dowels are inserted between each arc to help keep them properly aligned and then the tire (iron ring) is applied which, of course completes the package (almost).




Surprisingly, the colonial wheelwrights had already figured out that using metal bearings made the axle ends last a lot longer. In this picture you see bearings being forced into place. Liberal amounts of axle grease applied at appropriate intervals made some of these whells last for literally hundreds of years.



So there you have today's history lesson.

Before and After Family Room

The four pictures in this post depict our family room. The first (before) and second (after) pictures are looking toward the fireplace. We added a large TV above it which is very easy to watch and enjoy. Also depicted is our new sofa and carpet although the carpet doesn't show up too well here. The drapes are also new additions.


























The next two pictures show the wet bar where we added a new granite counter top and black sink (plus we removed all remnants of alcoholic beverages). Also seen in the fourth picture is my family room leather chair and ottoman strategically situated to watch USC vs Penn State on January 1st, 2009.

Remember Pearl Harbor

Dec. 7, 1941: A day of infamy
Remembering Pearl Harbor

By William J. Bennett and John Cribb • Special to The Courier-Journal • December 7, 2008

Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, began as a serene morning at the U.S. Navy base on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The warships of America's Pacific Fleet rested at anchor. Many sailors were preparing for church or relaxing, and all was quiet at Pearl Harbor.

At about 7:55, a buzz from the sky broke the calm as a dive-bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan dropped out of the clouds. Seconds later, a swarm of Japanese warplanes followed. Sirens wailed as explosions sounded across the harbor and black smoke poured into the sky.

American sailors scrambled to battle stations while the Japanese planes screamed in for the kill. The main targets were several huge battleships moored in the harbor. Anti-aircraft guns roared to life, but they did little good. Bombs and torpedoes hit ship after ship: the Arizona, the Oklahoma, the California, the West Virginia, the Utah, the Maryland, the Pennsylvania, the Tennessee, the Nevada.

Sailors fought to save their ships, their comrades, and their own lives. Much of the California's crew abandoned ship after flames engulfed its stern. When the captain determined the battleship might be saved, Yeoman Durrell Conner hoisted the American flag. At the sight of the colors, the sailors returned to fight the fires and keep her afloat.

The crew of the Arizona had no such chance to save their ship. A 1,760-pound armor-piercing bomb slammed through her decks, and a few seconds later one of her ammunition magazines exploded, shredding the forward part of the vessel. The Arizona sank in less than nine minutes, and 1,177 crewmen lost their lives.

The attack reduced much of the Pacific Fleet to smoldering wreckage. The Japanese planes disappeared into the sky, leaving 2,400 dead, 1,200 wounded, 18 ships and more than 300 American planes destroyed or damaged.

We remember Pearl Harbor to honor the sailors and soldiers caught in the attack, including those who survive today. We recall Dec. 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy," as a solemn reminder that from time to time, our freedom will come under assault.

But we also remember Pearl Harbor for what came after the attack.

The next day, a somber President Franklin Delano Roosevelt strapped his steel braces onto his legs and walked into the U.S. House chamber, leaning on his son Jimmy's arms. There he addressed a joint session of Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Japan.

"No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory," Roosevelt said. "With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounded determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph. So help us God."

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, reportedly summed up the result this way: "I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and instilled in him a terrible resolve." The remark may be apocryphal, but it is true nonetheless.

Stunned Americans regrouped. From Bataan to Anzio to the Ardennes, "Remember Pearl Harbor" became a rallying cry for U.S. troops. Likewise for civilians on the home front, who transformed the nation's industrial and agricultural might to defend the world from tyranny. The wartime labor force included millions of women who traded aprons for overalls to work in factories building trucks, tanks, jeeps, and planes. As the British journalist Alistair Cooke wrote, "The Allies would not have won the war … without the way the American people, with amazing speed, created an arsenal no coalition of nations could come close to matching."

The USS West Virginia became one of many symbols of American resolve. Devastated by bombs and torpedoes, the battleship had settled to Pearl Harbor's bottom. The Navy raised her, rebuilt her, improved her, and sent her back into action. Her big guns pounded the enemy at the battles of Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. On Sept. 2, 1945, when the Japanese formally surrendered, the West Virginia was among the U.S. warships riding at anchor in Tokyo Bay.

Such is the spirit embodied in three words: "Remember Pearl Harbor."

William J.Bennett and John Cribb are co-authors of "The American Patriot's Almanac" (Thomas Nelson, 2008).

Big City Motor Sergeant Does Police Work Too

One bright and sunny day in Los Angeles while I was working as a motor sergeant, I needed to go to the main Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office at Exposition Blvd and Grand Ave near USC. So I climbed on my trusty iron horse at West traffic Division (WTD) HQ and headed that way.

A double homicide had occurred earlier that day, shortly after midnight, in Harbor Division. The shooters vehicle had been identified as to description and license plate number and number and description of occupants, however no arrests had been made yet. Therefore, a BOLO (be on the lookout) was being broadcast every thirty minutes city-wide. I think I heard the broadcast several times and heard it again on the way to DMV. On the way back to WTD, riding westbound on Jefferson Blvd between Hoover Street and Vermont Avenue, the broadcast was repeated yet again. Being a trained observer, I happened to notice that the vehicle in question was right in front of me going the same direction. I also observed that it contained four young men who generally fit the description of the suspects as mentioned in the broadcast.

Several things went through my mind then:
1. These guys might already have noticed a uniformed motorcycle cop behind them and might be getting very nervous about my presence.
2. Nervous young killers might believe that killing again would help keep them out of jail.
3. I didn't want to deal with them since I was alone and there were four of them.

So I made a u-turn (motorcycles are wonderfully maneuverable). Then I went back about fifty yards and made another u-turn. Now I was in position to keep them in view from a safe distance while coordinating a proper tactical response.

"34M30, I have the 187 (homicide) vehicle from Harbor westbound on Jefferson at Vermont in the number one lane. There are four males in the vehicle. I am requesting an air unit (helicopter) and three Southwest units."

A couple of blocks later, more than three (a lot more than three) Southwest units, each with two young, enthusiastic and highly trained LAPD officers in them, made a coordinated traffic stop with a helicopter circling overhead. Any thought that these guys had of shooting their way out were quickly extinguished when they went almost instantaneously from cruising down Jefferson Boulevard on their way to whatever, to looking down the barrels of at least four LAPD shotguns and an even larger number of handguns.

The arrests took place smoothly and no one was hurt.

I have often been asked (carefully and politely) if I ever had to shoot anyone during my nearly forty years as a cop. The answer is always the same. Fortunately it never came to that. But there were a lot of times where shooting was averted because of good tactics and training. The incident described above is probably the best example of that.