Icewind's Ramblings

If only so briefly . . . Got Gas . . . Obama did as he stopped in Alaska to refuel Air Force One on his overseas trip to Asia this afternoon. Air Force One, about to land at Elmendorf Air Force Base on Thursday. (Casey Grove/KTUU-DT) President Barack Obama stopped by Alaska ’s Elmendorf Air Force Base this afternoon on his way to a nine-day Asian tour. Obama declared a new, personal milestone: he has visited all 50 states. Oh yes . . . and he held a rally for the troops and met briefly with several families who have lost loved ones overseas in combat.  The base was closed to the public but military personnel were allowed to Hanger 1 for his speech and a time for hand shaking before re-boarding the plane to continue his trip to Tokyo .  Air Force One parked in front of Hanger 1 at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage , Alaska while he meets with military families and gives a speech to rally the troops. Photo by Michael Dinneen/AP You can probably see I am mor...

I have not kept up with the news lately but the times I have had a chance to either watch a news program or a quick look online there have been a couple things that stood out. Veterans Day should not be a sad day. Yet, in the days before America pauses to honor the men and women who have fought for this great nation, the country was forced to note the awful handiwork of two one-time soldiers who dishonored their country and their comrades. The tragedy at Ft. Hood is one that hits hard with these fine men and women serving their country to be assaulted and killed on our home soil in a ‘secure’ environment of an Army post.  I guess it stands to reason when I was sworn in so many years ago the words “against all enemies, foreign and domestic” still rings true, today thirty nine years later. "I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true fa...

November 11 has always had special meaning to me over the years for the un-selfless sacrifice given by our men and women in the military. This year is no exception but with added meaning this year as my daughter Kelly is serving in Iraq right now with her fellow troops and friends. This is Kelly in the cockpit of the C-130 that took her into Iraq.  She rode in a jump seat behind the pilots with one of her other troop.   She has always liked the beach and lives in Fort Walton Beach, Florida with her husband and young son when not on tour.  She has plenty of sand now but not exactly what she is used too. A group of friends I know had another reunion concert recently in North Carolina and from that came one of their songs that has always been one of my favorites. It is a variation on the American Trilogy that Elvis did so many years ago from which the guys with Cullowhee added to give it more impact especially to those of us from the South.  Mike ...

After a slow start to winter and warmer than normal temperatures we finally received our first decent bit of snow yesterday.  It started with the clouds slowly rolling in over the city and warming up just a bit just before the light flakes started drifting onto my deck and yard. We had cooled down over the last week so there was time for the ground to cool down so what little came down would stick and not melt away again.  I guess for most people it sounds odd to say it warms up to snow but when things are super cold it does not snow so much and only after the temperatures moderate a bit does it start to come down. It was nice seeing again the white covering everything and then the sun broke through this morning bringing with it crispness in the light and shadows.  The day waned with a beautiful sunset and the orange alpenglow over the mountains slowly fading into the dusk then darkness. I wanted to continue to fill you in on the master bathroom remodel.  Ye...