Double Tagged

Both 1SG Keith and BillT decided to maim meme me. I think they conspired against me, trying to drag me back into my own blog. We'll see about that! So the rulez are thus... 1. Link to the person that tagged you 2. Post the rules on your blog 3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself 4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs 5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website. 6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up. My six things... 1. As discussed at the Castle, I don't have any kind of cuckoo clock, or anything with chimes, bells, etc. in my house. I can't stand noisy clocks or other noise disturbing my sleep! 2. Like Keith, I hang all of my shirts, sweaters, etc. so that they face in the same direction. Being right handed, I want to grab the hanger and see the front of the item, not the back. 3. At meals I like to take a bit of each item on my plate in each bite - something about balance and symmetry. Unless there's something I really want to cherish, then I save it for last :-) 4. When I travel, I always want to pack my suitcase the night before I am to check out and return home. Doesn't matter how late it is. 5. I love mixing cold cereal together, and keep anywhere from 3 to 8 boxes of cereal open between my own choices and the Hubster's. 6. I love Starbucks, and it's definitely for the coffee. I even buy espresso packs so I can make my favorite mochas when we're at home. Which is funny, since I didn't learn to drink the stuff until I was 25. Before that I drank Mountain Dew in the morning for caffeine. And the six random bloggers I am tagging are ... Sarah Jill Army Sean ArmyWifeToddlerMom Aaron Huntress

Sgt B is boots-on-the-ground

I was so wrapped up in election angst that I missed Sgt B posting! He is now boots-on-the-ground in Iraq, and has recognized he isn't in Kansas (or eastern Washington) any more. Godzilla's fangs are exposed ... hoping for quiet, but ready for the alternative. I'm pretty sure I speak for the Denizennes when I say, we fervently hope it's a boring rotation. With Sgt B and Bill both lounging in Iraq, quiet and boring would suit us just fine! Speaking of Bill - his latest edition of Argghhh-onauts is up. Keep 'em coming, Bill!

Recent activities

Much has happened in the last few weeks, and many miles have been traveled. A few weeks ago, I hopped on an airplane with BCR and headed for Last Vegas and the MilBlogging conference. One of the best things about that weekend was getting to meet so many of my imaginary friends, and to hang out with others once again. In addition to the list below, I was tickled to chat with Francis Marion of Where I Stand again (our previous meet-up was documented here). And I shared tears and hugs with Sarah of Trying to Grok, in remembrance of Mike Reed, AKA Bunker Mulligan, who we lost in 2005. The fact that two people who were meeting in person for the first time could cry over the loss of someone neither had met in person is just one of the aspects of the blogging world that non-bloggers can't really grasp. Last weekend, I took advantage of a business trip to spend a day at Castle Argghhh, home of the Armorer of Argghhh and She Who Will Be Obeyed. I arrived late Saturday night to find a crowd in the kitchen - Bloodspite of Techography, Wendy of Girl on the Right, and Kat of The Middle Ground and Castle Argghhh were already enjoying life mightily, and we all visited into the night/morning. Among the benefits of a day at the Castle is the opportunity to throw some lead downrange with John, and several interesting and fine firearms were offered for testing. John captured the visual evidence, and provides context here and here. I'm traveling again this weekend, headed farther yet away from my PNW anchor. More later!

Belated Birthday fun

A belated Washington chapter meeting of Denizennes was held at the local shootin' range Tuesday night. Bad Cat Robot provided a customized birthday gift, so that I could practice shooting at dangerous predators! Sadly, not all my shots were kill shots, but I think it's safe to say that This predator won't be hurting anyone soon ... heh!

Sgt B has been Busy!

Blog brother Sgt B of The Gun Line has obviously been kicked by his muse. He had left his series on preparation for deployment hanging at Chapter 2: Movement to Training, but he has not neglected his writing, and just needed to kick the blog demons into submission. Today he adds many new chapters in the series - you owe it to yourself to visit and catch up on your reading!

Denizenne Micro-meet

Fellow Denizenne AFSister had to leave the heartland this week, and travel to the awful Pacific Northwest, where all week people have tried to feed her fish parts. *gasp* The Good News it that Bad Cat Robot and I got to meet up with her for dinner last night. As she was in Portland, we scoped out a place about halfway from here to there, and met up near Centralia ... a well named burg. 'Ritas were had by all, and much grinning and giggling ensued as we three caught up on events such as the Milblog conference and such. As always, these quick meetings are over much too quickly, but at least I got to add another Denizenne to my 'Bloggers I've met' sidebar! Of course, the Commander of Argghhh is demanding the photo evidence (see the comments) of this meeting, but he'll just have to wait until AFSis posts the pics. Yep, I forgot my camera. D'oh!

Another Birthday?!

Oh, fark. First I missed SWWBO's birthday (but the Armorer caught it, natch), and then I forgot Princess Crabby's, and was fired again, for the nth time. And now I realize that I didn't get a post up yesterday for Bad Cat Robot's Natal Day. Which is funny - since I took her to lunch at Todai yesterday. (Heh. I don't think even the scrupl's managed to track us down.) In accordance with Denizen gifting tradition, my present to BCR is a personal submarine, as requested to permit her safe exit after tunneling through the earth. Feel free to add your virtual gifts in the comments!

The Cannon in Woodland Park

John of Argghhh posted a pic of a 6-inch gun at the Castle yesterday, and the comment thread implied the device was located somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Sadly, my investigative powers were not up to the challenge, and I failed to track down the little beastie in my searching. He implied that it was a piece from the Coastal Defense system, and it looks like a land-based cannon. The Armorer can be sneaky, however. Finally he noted that he was sent the image, and that it is located along a path in Woodland Park here in Seattle. That was enough information to track down another image of the same device: This cannon was placed along the path in Woodland Park in 1911: Cannons from Admiral Dewey's cruiser, the USS Concord, were placed in a plot on the southwest corner of Woodland Park, now called the War Garden. The USS Concord had a rich history ... (Displacement 1,710 tons; length 244'6"; beam 36'; draft 14'; speed 14 knots; complement 187; armament 3-6", 1-4") The second Concord (PG-3) was launched 8 March 1890 by N. F. Palmer, Jr., and Co., Chester, Pa., sponsored by Miss M. D. Coates; and commissioned 14 February 1891, Commander O.A. Batcheller in command. Concord operated on the New England coast, and sailed from New York 17 November 1891 on a cruise to the West Indies and South America with her squadron, then arrived at New Orleans 27 April 1892 and cruised up the Mississippi River as far as Cairo, Ill., visiting various ports en route. Returning to New York 18 June 1892, Concord made another cruise to the West Indies late that year, and arrived back at Norfolk 6 December. She participated in International Naval Reviews held at Norfolk and New York in March and April 1893, and in June sailed frum Norfolk for the Far East, calling at the Azores, Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said, Bangkok, and Saigon before arriving at Hong Kong 30 October. She cruised on the Asiatic Station showing the flag and protecting American interests until 29 May 1894 when she arrived at Unalaska. She cruised in the North Pacific to carry out the provisions of the treaty between the United States and Great Britain, which empowered her to seize all vessels violating the laws protecting valuable fur seals. She gathered hydrographic information to correct Bering Sea charts and conduct scientific observations of the fur seals. Concord returned to the Asiatic Station in September 1894 and continued to serve in the Far East until returning to San Francisco 3 May 1896. She was placed out of commission for repairs between 27 May 1898 and 22 May 1897. After a cruise to Alaskan waters (1 July29 November), she sailed from Mare Island 8 January 1898 for the Asiatic Station. With the declaration of war between Spain and the United States in April, Concord joined Admiral Dewey's squadron at Mirs Bay near Hong Kong on the 24th and sailed for the Philippines. On 1 May the squadron entered Manila Bay and won the resounding victory that resulted in American control of the Philippines and renewed interests and responsibilities in the Far East. Concord resumed her patrol on station in August 1898, but returned to the Philippines 19 December to assist in putting down the insurrection. Her duty consisted of patrolling the coast to restrict insurgent movements and shipping, bombarding various guerrilla strongholds; and aiding Army operations. Except for a voyage to Guam in March 1900 to deliver stores, and a brief voyage to Hong Kong for repairs, Concord remained in Philippine waters until June 1901, when she sailed by way of Alaskan waters to San Francisco, arriving 28 September 1901. She cruised with the Fleet in Mexican waters, then went out of commission 26 February 1902 at Mare Ialand. Recommissioned 16 June 1903 Concord operated along the North American coast from Alaska to Panama and to Hawaii and Alaska until decommissioned at Bremerton 26 Aurust 1904. Concord was recommissioned again 16 September 1906, sailed from Bremerton 24 December 1906, operated in the Philippines until March 1906, then sailed to China. Until 1908 she remained in the Far East serving at timea on the Yangtze Patrol and as station ahip at Shanghai and Canton. Concord served as station ship at Guam from 2 January to 10 September 1909, then sailed to Puget Sound Navy Yard arriving 11 October, decommissioning 4 November 1909, and assigned as barracks ship for the Naval Militia of Washington at Seattle. She was transferred to the Treasury Department 16 June 1914 and served as quarantine station vessel for the Coast Guard at Astoria, Oreg. Returned to naval custody 19 March 1929, she was sold 28 June 1929.

Castle Denizens Alert

Yes, Castle Argghhh! is having some problems today. The Armorer is working on it behind the scenes, so all we can do is wait and watch. In the meantime, amuse yourselves at some of the other fine blogs on the sidebar.

Fusileers Answer the Call

The Project Valour-IT challenge is on, and it's time to Choose a Side! I am teaming up with the Fusileers of Argghhh, and joining the Army team ... HOOAH! What's it all about? It's about enabling our wounded to heal ... "At that time I had no use of either hand. I know how humbling it is, how humiliating it feels. And I know how much better I felt, how amazingly more functional I felt, after Soldiers' Angels provided me with a laptop and a loyal reader provided me with the software. I can't wait to do the same, to give that feeling to another soldier at Walter Reed." Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss at TC Override Want to be part of something big? Valour-IT's online fundraising competition begins today! Let's see who can raise the most money to help reconnect ourwounded warriors with the world! WHAT: Friendly fundraising competition for Valour-IT. WHEN: October 30th through Veterans Day, November 10th. WHERE: Based in the blogosphere, spreading everywhere else. WHY: Because giving wounded warriors with hand and arm injuries access to a computer supports their healing and puts them back in touch with the world. HOW: Blogger teams will be divided along military branches, with civilians "up for grabs." The lines are drawn by service rivalry: Jarheads (Marines) will be led by Villainous Company Zoomies (Air Force) will be led by Op-For Squids (Navy) will be led by Chaotic Synaptic Activity. Doggies (Army) led by Matt and Jim of Blackfive Non-military bloggers should choose a branch the Army to support. Sign up for the Army team by enlisting at the Project Valour-IT site and click (under Army) "Join". We'll generate links, buzz, and get these heroes some Commo support! Blog and email regularly about Valour-IT and the competition Tell your friends, family and neighbors about Valour-IT Put up these flyers around your community (I put one up at my local Starbucks). So all you bloggers sign up with your choice of service and get the word out. Donate NOW!!! Check the top of the right hand sidebar to see the ARMY team progress. Feel free to click on the Make a Donation button to toss something in the kitty, and help out the ARMY team! It's a tax-deductible donation and eligible for matching funds from companies who do that sort of thing (see: http://soldiersangels.org/valour/irsinfo.html for proof for the cautious). The snail mail address for those who'd rather donate that way (be sure to put ARMY in big letters on the check): Soldiers' Angels 1150 N Loop 1604 W, Suite 108-493 San Antonio, TX 78248 Let's be a part of something big.

Happenings

So, for the few folks who still actually stop by here … Thanks! I've been buried deeply in a work project that I'm trying desperately to finish this week, and have had several family obligations, so blog time has been severely curtailed (obviously!). But I have had some fun recently to relate … The weekend of August 4th I hopped a plane to Southern California to join baby sister, Becky, in celebrating her Natal Day at the Del Mar Racetrack, as mentioned in the next post down. Immediately upon exiting the airport, Becky and I headed directly to Disneyland to partake of both the Magic Kingdom and the California Adventure. They finally shut off the rides at midnight, but no one even tried to shoo the visitors out of the shops, so we didn't end up leaving till about 12:30 am! I hadn't been to the California Adventure, as it was under construction when I moved north in 1997, but I adore the Soaring over California ride … perfect for those of us with no desire to ride roller coasters. Give me a virtual ride any day!! So we stumbled off to bed at 1am, and crawled out again Saturday morning to drive from Costa Mesa to Del Mar. Our ride was slowed by traffic here and there, but at least we didn't participate in any accidents, unlike SOME people I could mention! We arrived at Del Mar around Noon and nailed down our picnic space and pulled out the goodies to start munching and plotting our race picks. Much fun was had, several bottles of … um … Juice were consumed (that's our story, and we're sticking to it!), and nobody bet enough to lose big or win big on the races themselves. All that would have made for a special day, but I had an extra special event as part of the gathering as well. I had buzzed Fuzzybear Lioness before hopping the plane, and goaded her into joining the crazy gang for the day at the track. Yahooo!!! I got to meet another Castle Chick! I had apparently confused her on the location of the infield that we intended to stake out as our own, so once she arrived at the track and came through the infield tunnel, my cell phone rang. Since I had previously configured it with her phone number, helpfully tagged as "Fuzzybear Lioness", I knew who was calling immediately. She was near the exit from the tunnel, maybe 50 feet from me, but facing away. As we talked, I walked towards her and said "Turn around …" – and then I waved Hello … *grin* As all who have met her know already, she is a hoot to spend time with, and made friends very quickly with the rest of the party, including the youngsters in our group (who have been accompanying their Mom and Dad to the event each year since they were born!). We all had a great day, and had plenty of time to visit betwixt the races. At the end of the day, though, we were all ready to head for home. I finished the weekend off with some shopping at Downtown Disney, and a viewing of the new Disney/Pixar movie Cars. If you enjoy light-hearted animation – go see it! Even the insects were cars … bugs, of course … heh! Then it was home for a week of rest at work (Not!). I had some more adventures this weekend, but that will have to wait for another time. If you're looking for something interesting to read, make sure you check out the rest of the Denizens of Argghhh…

BlogShoot Success...

The First Annual West Coast Milbloggers Shootout was a definite success. The attendence was small select, but there was no shortage of fun - as was reported in several places by others in attendence (Hi, John and Maggie!). Of course, the weekend really started on Thursday night, with Bad Cat Robot and I joining the Armorer and SWWBO for a delicious meal at the 520 Bar and Grill, as ably documented by John in his travelogue, part I. The company was grand, and we could easily have stayed and talked all night, except for the whole needing-sleep thing. So we adjourned to recharge, perchance to sleep. On Friday, Beth and John toured the town with BCR's able guidance. Meanwhile, I worked my fingers to the bone so that I could leave on time to grab some edibles (and drinkables) and trundled off to BCR Labs, for the seekrit Friday night meeting of Denizens. In addition to John and Beth, we were joined by Sgt B and Princess Crabby. The chatter was often zany, always fun, and potentially recorded for use in later blackmail by SWWBO, using her 2GB MP3 cube. We may all be in deep trouble!! Too soon, the evening was gone, and I had to get myself home to grab some sleep in preparation for the Shootout. Saturday's events started with a gathering to break our fast at Alfred's Cafe, which was handy since it shared a parking lot with the Bulls Eye range and Gun Shop next door. I planned it that way, of course. Bad Cat Robot and I met up in the parking lot, and were quickly joined first by Echo9er, and then by Heartless Libertarian. We all went into the Cafe to nail down a table and await our tardy blog-buddies. Finally the remainder of the gang arrived, and we were all well fed (lovely food at Alfred's Cafe!) and had consumed more than our normal daily ration of coffee. So we trooped across the parking lot to the Bulls Eye, and scanned the goodies in the Gun Shop. (Whoo Hoo! I found the rubber grips I wanted for my .357 Ruger! Pictures to follow in a later post.) The Armorer tried to find an item among the rifles that would add to an empty spot in his collection, but (not surprisingly) nothing fit the bill. So we made our way upstairs, checked in and selected targets, and repaired to our shooting lanes to perform mayhem against pictures of Barney and Osama Bin Laden. As you can see, John and Sgt B were able to take out the dinosaur with extreme prejudice, and seemed to take great pleasure in doing so. My personal mission for the day was to ensure that Maggie fired at least one weapon. To my surprise, she was coerced into convinced to fire not just one, but three different guns. First my little .22, which is just plain fun to shoot. Later, to my surprise, she was coached on firing the .44 magnum revolver that BCR brought along! Once that barrier was broken, it was a small step to firing HL's 9mm AR, pictured below. She earned her Denizenne stripes, for sure! There was plenty of happy noise-making, and many targets were maimed. Finally it was time for HL to head off to his family plans. The rest of us had another Tacoma stop planned, though. We had to invade the Corina Bakery, which BCR and I had scouted a few weeks ago. Once there, we each selected some delicious (and LARGE) portion of cake or cookie bar to over-indulge in. Personally, I had heard that the Red Velvet cake was special, so I chose to test it out. Delicious, indeed - but I almost went into sugar overload trying to eat it all by myself. (I failed) The good news, though, is that we got to talk with Walt Gaya. We found that he had a gallery showing of his photography, so off we trooped to find the Art on Center gallery (check Maggie's site for details). Walt's photography is very good, and the gallery had other interesting art photography on display as well. A very worthwhile change in our schedule! That was the end of our day time events, and I'll have to tell the rest of the evening's fun later, cause it's past my bedtime. I'm still trying to catch up on what I lost over the weekend ... *grin*!

Happy Birthday, Sgt B!

Actually, Sgt B would prefer this date to be thought of as the natal day of only his current incarnation, with the original birth day being on 10 November, 1775 ... Marines, gotta love 'em! So go slap him on the back and wish him a Happy Birthday, maybe leave something nice in comments to help him celebrate. To get the party started, I'm sending over a few kitties to keep him company! Enjoy, Sgt B ... *grin* Bad Cat Robot and I are doing the Happy Dance, knowing that we get to meet up with Sgt B, and with The Armorer and Lady of Castle Argghhh, and the wild Nor'easter Boston Maggie - and hopefully some other great gun-loving folks - this weekend at the Milblog Shoot! With a Castle Natal Day to celebrate, we should have a fine party!

Save the Date! Milbloggers Shootout / July 15th

What do you do when Milbloggers come to town? When they bring their firearms (sorry Lex), you must go visit the range, of course! Francis Marion of Where I Stand is coming to Ft. Lewis, and the plan is to meet at a yet-to-be-determined range on Saturday, July 15th and do a little shootin'! No specifics yet, but I'd love to hear from the local gunbloggers if you have range suggestions and such. We may even get a few of the Denizens of Argghhh! to travel in for the weekend. Sgt B and 74 are both within driving distance, Whoo-Hoo!!

Looking around

America's Son has wrapped up his Iraq experience to head for home, sharing one last chapter before he says Buh-bye to the sandbox. John of Argghhh selected a few images of today's troops, in which the vets may see echos of the past as well. Lt. K at Wordsmith at War compares Leadership and Parenthood. Good news about our military from Camp Katrina - rescuing people in the Philippines, helping women and children in Iraq, and taking weapons away from the terrorists. Speaking of the troops - check out the latest on Project Valour-IT. There's more good to be done for them, if you can help. I've stayed out of the issue of the Veep's hunting incident, but this take from Mark Steyn is Priceless, as Cassandra notes. AirForcePundit reminded me that Feb. 22nd will be the natal day of our first president, George Washington. Monday's holiday (if you had one ... I didn't) is a contrived date to make a 3-day weekend for some. So, remember to celebrate for real on Wednesday! Also, go celebrate with MSG First Sergeant Keith, since he's moved into his dream role. Congrats, Keith! Some responses from my Meme victims are up : Sgt B and Bad Cat Robot have posted their responses, must wait a little longer for the others. Sgt B is trying out his new pipes ... go encourage him, so he can progress past the wounded goose stage! I must be as big a sap as Sgt Lori, since this post at Confessions of a Military Recruiter caused me to sniffle a little as well. Any of you Milbloggers who haven't yet looked into attending the Milblog Conference on April 22, heads up! Check it out, registration is no charge, and there are some great panelists lined up already.

Gift idea (updated)

Call me a sick puppy, but I love this T-Shirt design! I think it would makea great gift for all the warfighters on my Christmas list. This is the design on the front chest. Be sure to go to the web site and see the main graphic on the back! AND ... Speaking of gifts, I've been giving the gift of Votes for Castle Argghhh in the Best Milblog category as often as allowed. But now that it's coming down to the wire, BillT has offered a TINS in exchange for pushing Argghhh past The Officers Club in the voting. The trick is - we have to get the votes in before he'll tell the tale. Please ... please ... PLEASE go vote for John, Bill and Dusty - you KNOW you want to!

Castle Birthday time!

Today is cause for celebration - two of my fellow Denizens are celebrating Natal Anniversaries. Both Jack of Random Fate and Keith of My Army Life were born on this day, and the Castle celebration is on! Also celebrating a birthday on this date is the United Nations. There has been a lot of scrutiny applied to the UN recently, and at least one blogger has mused whether it was and is flawed on purpose. Sort of anti-Intelligent Design.

Denizens Alert!

Today is another Natal Day celebration for the Admiral of the Castle Argghhh! Moat Fleet. Happy Birthday, Boquisucio!!!! ...and many happy returns! After my past recently on the attitudes of some schools regarding the Junior ROTC programs for high school students, Boq provided some interesting commentary on his own experiences in the program as a youth. As a way to mark his Natal celebration, I offer you these remembrances ... As I stated before, I'm glad to have been a JROTC Cadet. It served me well in gaining self respect, discipline, and leadership traits, which I have carried forward all of this years in the civilian world. For the most part, my high school was just like any other, except that every night I had to shine my brass, and shoes, and prep my uniform for the morning's inspection. Every morning would start with Raising of the Colors / Morning Formation and Inspection. This lasted for half an hour; after which we would fall-out for classes. At noon we would fall-in formation once more and march in units to the Mess Hall... 'nuther 20 minutes formation. For the most part, that was the extent of Martial Activities for the day. There were few exceptions, as we had Leadership Development Classes once every week. This hour a week, was spent studying military history, citizenship, marching and drilling with Demiled Springfield '03's. Those Springfield 03´s were a beaut. They had the barrel plugged, and the bolt-face soldered-in. Other than that, all mechanisms were operational. We had an armory in the basement, next to the indoor range. One of my jobs was to clean and lube them prior to our annual inspections. Did a good job, for our school always got the coveted Yellow Star. What I loved the most was qualifying twice as Expert with Small Bore Rifles at the Indoor Range. Ah, the smell of single based propellant going off in the indoor range. Finally, we had two pass-in-reviews per year, at the Parade Grounds/Soccer Field. For the grand majority of students that was the extent of Toy Soldiering. However I quickly figured out that standing in attention for 50 minutes a day under the Caribbean Sun was no fun at all. For the ambitious amongst us was HQ Company. There, those musically inclined could join The Band. The True Gung-ho could join either the Rangers or the Black Jacks. They would meet every week-end and recreate The Vietnam War at the local jungles and forests. I first tried out for the Drill Team, but flinging at each other 12-lbs. worth of Ashwood and Steel in the form of WWI rifles was not my cup of tea. But then I found out that the Color Guards would always be on the move; a great plus when the rest of the battalion was forced to stand in rigid attention during the semi-annual parades. The kicker was, that The Color Guard would also be amongst the most called upon to cut classes, as every month there would be a civic activity somewhere in the region requiring the flags to be present. Be it the Rotarians cutting a ribbon downtown, or the Governor of the island giving a speech somewhere. Of course, we would Raise up, and then Retreat the Colors at the traffic circle every morning and afternoon. More movement and cutting of classes. When I joined at 9th Grade, I first started by escorting the colors either with a sabre, or rifle, then moved up to carrying the school, then the commonwealth flags, and finally the Old Glory itself. During my senior year, I made it to SFC, being in-charge of my little gang of Color Bearers. BOQ Arise, Castle Denizens! Leave Natal Day for Boq greetings here, or at the Castle. I am off to enjoy visiting friends and lovely weather - good cheer to all!! OOPS - Almost forgot the Present!! Boq - Given your love of language, and mastery of Italian and Latin, I offer a pass to the Vatican Library exhibit. Cheers! UPDATE Note that Fusileer6 posted an update on Project Valour IT today, including a link to the new blog for the Project, hosted by Sgt B. Please bookmark it, link it - and spread the word to keep the project rolling!

What's Happening?

Many fun and interesting things ... First, MSG Keith is now a Grandpa - as his daughter Katie gave birth to a beautiful little girl named Eleanor Louise on Wednesday! Go over to his place and hand him a cee-gar, why dontcha... Congrats, Keith!! Then there's the Blog Crawl ... It started as a bit of a joke because That 1 Guy got somewhat drunk totally wasted one night and typed up this insightful little gem. He then wandered drunkenly around the blog 'hood, leaving a few insightful comments. It sounded like Such Fun, that Contagion suggested the Bad Example and Frizzen Sparks Families should plan a Blog Crawl this weekend! For more details, go here to read all about it. Just a reminder --- If you haven't visited the new digs of FuzzyBear Lioness, then make sure you check out Fuzzilicious Thinking today. She put some thought into the decorations, and hasn't wasted any time in sharing her viewpoints! And one last major announcement for today ... It's the Armorer's birthday!!! Now, we all know what John likes - so go out there and find some nice shiny brass cannon or other fine piece of artillery, and go visit the Castle to leave the link. Or you can leave the link here in my comments, and I'll add it to the post !! To start off the fun, here's a fine gift from JM Heinrichs, because "the Armourer is approaching Senior Status and hearing has become difficult." From myself, I'd like to offer John a nice little mortaretto - small and relatively portable. Happy Birthday, John!!! UPDATE Don't miss the great Redleg tribute and history from Cass at Villainous Company. Bloodspite of Technography has some Really Big Pics linked in celebration. And, of course, SWWBO is delivering the best gift of all -- she is arrving home tonight!

Now THIS is Art...

John over at Castle Argghhh! posted some nice examples of Art of the Liberated yesterday. Today, he has added some new items, and I begged him to let me post them here as well. A great jointy effort between the Armorer and Kat of The Middle Ground And two terrific montages from Bloodspite of Techography Please check out the complete post ... Art of the Liberated, Part II