Listen to the Music

We live in an amazing age. Technology has exceeded almost everyone’s expectations and everything about how we work, live and play has been impacted in one way or anther. I write these words in full understanding that one day a few years from now, some younger person will be “thinking” into their blog about how […]

Flight 19

I haven’t thought about this story in years and was reminded this morning about the tragedy of Flight 19. On December 5, 1945, Flight 19, made up of five TBM Avenger Torpedo Bombers left Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale to conduct advanced overwater navigational training. As I began thinking about it, it occurred to me […]

Oh say, can you see (me)?

An interesting thing has started happening with more and more frequency. I am pretty sure it defies the laws of physics, but I am becoming invisible. My wife still seems to see me pretty well (although in most cases she is quite good at not seeing the worst parts of me). But many times when […]

Where are you when they need you most?

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on November 30th at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England. His life would have a significant impact on the entire twentieth century as England survived two tumultuous wars and hundreds of smaller conflicts. Winston came from a long line of military leaders with a prestigious history and he added his […]

Other People’s Leaves

Fall is one of my four favorite seasons. My least favorite seasons of course are almost winter, nearly spring, close to summer, and just about fall. Those four other seasons are full of incomplete expectations and frankly annoy the heck out of many people. For instance, right now is almost winter. Despite the calendar, we […]

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Really.

My Father was a sailor in his youth and grew into a man with a strong faith. He had many things to be proud of but one of the small things he loved was his contribution to the building of the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County California. The amount of money wasn’t all that great, […]

IS THE FOUNDATION STRONG ENOUGH TO LAST?

I was about five years old when my Dad and Mom decided to move us to a new house. I remember going to the building site up on Duncan Station Road and seeing a hole in the ground surrounded by big grey blocks. In the bottom of the hole was cement and they put these […]

The Greatest Submarine Movies Ever

This subject always raises a lot of discussion and controversy. I am sure there are a lot of divided opinions about what actually makes a great submarine movie but they normally revolve around some basic choices. Is it an old movie from back in the day where John Wayne or Ronald Reagan played a critical […]

Something to be truly thankful for

Somewhere in the world tomorrow, men and women will be gathered together far away from home. Some will be keeping a watchful eye for dangerous activity, some will be far below the water’s surface and some will be launching aircraft in support or another mission to preserve freedom. If they are very lucky, they […]

Are you “Value Added”?

In the “lean” world, a lot of time is spent in determining which of your processes are “Value Added”, “Non-Value Added but Necessary” or “Non-Value Added”. There are a lot of definitions for these phrases depending on which consultant is trying to sell a new book this week. I try to keep my definitions pretty […]