Month: September 2013

Sitting on the western shore of Lake Michigan, on a bench dedicated to a lady who passed away a year ago (born in my year, 1947), with artist paint on my fingers, I take up the computer as pen to try to project this amazing beauty that Miami and Key West mimic, and sometimes best. The besting part is that one can sit by southern waters 365/24/7 and never need more than a light coat.  Several Wisconsinites have stopped by my bench to comment on my painting and to say, “That light coat you’re wearing… multiply it by 3 for our winters!" With a gesture towards the harbor, they finish with, "This will be ice.” The thought of ice from my cozy bench all the way to the 2 light houses makes me shiver in anticipation.  It will be cold tomorrow I think as we search for a place to sit outside in St. Ignace at the top of the Michigan peninsula where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron.  As a self taught artist, I look at my painting of the lighthouse and think “the perspective is wrong… it’s really not that color… etc” but what counts is trying to receive the beauty and save it.  Everywhere we go (museums, stores, restaurants) we try to support local work.  Like today supporting the Ice Cream Parlor that has been active since the early 1900s as a family business and the Maritime Museum where we visited the submarine Cobia who sank 13 Japanese ships worth about 20,000 tons of enemy shipping. She was restored for the waterfront here.  She is faithfully restored and beautiful and we thank the people of Manitowoc who love her.  When the Cobia stories are told, included is a story about a sailor named Ralph Clark Huston who was killed on the Cobia by Japanese gunfire in a "running gun battle" and buried at sea.  The Cobia was driven into the mud by depth charges by the Japanese ship that sank the USS Losarto, but the Cobia survived. Also celebrated in Manitowoc is the USS Losarto who was built in Manitowoc and sunk by a Japanese ship in 1945. There is a day of remembrance here in Manitowoc, and the USSVI (the convention we just attended) was formed by WWII vets to "remember."  As congressmen men and women debate marching into Syria with our bombs, I wish we would "remember" and stop going to war. … In our tolling of the boats ceremony, we celebrate the lost submariners and say they are “On eternal patrol.”  Well the young man supposedly stayed with the Cobia for lost things are returned, and other mysterious events occur… Let us say thank you young soldiers and sailors. I’m looking up at 2 lighthouses… this is the western end of Lake Michigan and I guess she blows here sometimes to need 2 lighthouses! I tried to paint them… (This was written at sunset on Tuesday evening) … I also watched sunrise and we’re packing to head north around the peninsula on Wednesday morning!  God bless you.

Today (Labor Day, Monday) we say goodbye to the Mississippi and seriously head east to Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  Actually yesterday when we arrived from Rochester into Winona, we took the bridge next to our hotel into Wisconsin for lunch.  We are in a small motel called AmericInn (I feel a little funny about them not spelling out America).  We have a tiny balcony that holds 2 chairs overlooking the Mississippi river.  We sat out there and talked to the many motorcyclists parking below and touring the roads… You can drive a long way up and down the Mississippi on small roads which is nice.  Today we head east to a town on another body of water… Lake Michigan. We met two ladies from the Maritime Museum there who offered to show us their submarine the USS Cobia. Looking back… yesterday we visited the Minnesota Marine Art Museum here in Winona. A small museum with a brilliant exibition that is here from August 6 to October 20 of this year. Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Gospel. The Benedictine Monks at the St John’s University in Minnesota decided to produce an illustrated Bible and chose a brilliant calligrapher and artist out of Wales (Donald Jackson.) If you get the chance… look on the web and even purchase parts of the Bible (it is reproduced in smaller forms than its original and you can purchase for example, Gospels and Acts, Letters, Revelation, ect.) The original is 3 feet by 2 feet when open and it is amazing colors enhanced by much Gold. Images of God and angels are gold… UknowWho is in darkest ebony and purple colors…   Ended the day with a stroll along the Mississippi and will begin today with a short jaunt along the banks of the river before crossing her for the last time this trip headed east.  Love to you and God bless you.

Saturday August 31, was an amazing day. The best! I thought I would stay in the room and "clean up" as the room and every crevice is full of "stuff".  We have collected Navy memories and information paperwork on the next 3 conventions (SFO, Pittsburgh, Reno)… For now, let’s talk about yesterday… We heard music in our room (we overlook Peace Plaza) and Chuck looked out and said, "they’re putting up tents" I looked out and said, "there’s a Jamison tent." Suddenly we realized there are leprechauns and fairies down there, and a band on the stage. Grab a cuppa coffee and out we go. We started listening to music and Chuck said "you need a tee shirt" and it was down hill from there. We listened to a wonderful band, a trio, a couple (all very Irish and with amazing beautiful voices). I had committed to go with several ladies on a trolly that was running especially for us to the Convent at Assissi on the heights.  The founding sister is the one who told Dr. Mayo if he staffed it she would build a hospital in Rochester. He did and she did. St Mary’s is the first of many Mayo buildings. The sisters are committed to working for Peace. I came back and went into a quiet room to watch a DVD on County Cork and ended up buying the DVD.  It is wonderful (did I say wonderful already?). Then I went to Mass for the last time and said goodbye to the big angel in the garden, and back to dress for the banquet.  Rear Admiral Mark Kenny (submarine commander and now in Naval support of counterterrorism and special ops) was our speaker. He gave a few statistics that I still haven’t got completely right… After Pearl Harbor the submarine force represented under 2% of the entire Navy. We headed out into the Pacific and destroyed about 60% of Japanese shipping at great loss; submarine deaths represented 20% of Naval deaths.  We celebrated the WWII veterans and then moved forward through cold war and into the nuclear age… I thought, "these guys here are pioneers and we are still out there…"  Several quotes from the dinner:  "Fortune favors the bold"  Submarines are "lurking where there is trouble… prowling the deep… pride runs deep… operating in denied areas… alone and unafraid."  He said, don’t listen to the stuff coming out of Washington… "don’t lose hope."  To close… in May a Submarine memorial will be dedicated in Washington DC, so don’t be surprised if we disappear North to celebrate that.   In a moment we’ll say goodbye to this convention and Rochester and head east to Winona and the Maritime museum there.  Mississippi River, here we come!  Heading East… God bless you.