125 Pounds of Gear - Second Lieutenant in the House

Over thirty years ago we vacationed around Victoria on Vancouver Island - across from Vancouver, British Columbia. While there, we toured a replica of Anne Hathaway's home; she was William Shakespeare's wife. I remember our tour guide telling us about the meaning behind some Olde English sayings that we use today. A notable one was the "pitter patter of little feet" which back then referred to the sound of wooden elevated clogs that were attached to the bottom of shoes to keep ones' feet out of the swill that was often on floors - so particularly the sound of women's feet pitter-pattering while doing their tasks in the house, and not the sound of the little feet of children running about.

Our bedroom is upstairs in the house, so we don't regularly hear the sounds of our youngest son the Ensign who has been living with us this summer while he has performed his temporary duty after graduation

and while waiting to report in October to begin his flight school. It is pretty much the same for his company-mate who already has begun The Basic School at Quantico for Marine officers, but who often comes to our home on weekends to get some sleep, eat, and do his laundry. He stays in our first floor guest room - the one with the sign over the door indicating it is for Second Lieutenant

Mahuna - but sleeps in a lot (kind of like Plebe year all over again). Both are pretty well mannered, and do a good job of cleaning up after themselves. But this week had a new twist - week-long field training in torrential rains necessitated him taking his gear to a car wash for hosing down before coming to our place. His equipment was then laid out across patio chairs and table to dry out. We understand when fully outfitted with gear including armor, weapon, and ammunition - a marine weights an additional 125 pounds. It is hard to imagine how one walks quietly over hill and dale, and through brush thickets and down trails.

Needless to say, Saturday morning I woke up to the sound of rain falling and immediately remembered "rain/Jason's stuff/outside." Primal instincts kicked into gear - my wife and I jumped out of bed, dressed quickly and dragged everything into the house so the drying process wasn't a total loss. Later at breakfast, our Junior Officer called it situational awareness - me, I think it is a vestige of still being a parent, even though the four kids (plus a marine) are all grown up. As for Jason - he was still asleep; quite aware of his surroundings: peaceful environs and hopefully sweet dreams.

In a few weeks we will for sure be birders with an empty nest. And in a modern sense - will miss the sounds of the pitter patter of little feet. No matter how large the souls of the shoes.

Turn in the Weather, Season

I heard on the news while driving to work yesterday, that the D.C. schools open in two weeks - the 312th day of the year. Straight-forward reporting that gives a clue that the summer in winding down, as well as the little things like the HVAC on Georgetown East Elementary School occasionally turning on after being off for the summer recess; comments on a local radio talk show about an upcoming interview with the District's superintendent of schools; and so forth - all tell-tale signs that summer is on a downhill slope. Our garden is showing similar signs of decline - many kinds of flowers have passed their prime, so the gold finch are spending as much time on them eating as on the finch feeder - cone flower, black eyed Susan, and sunflower.

The impatiens and spearmint plants are still in flower, as is the Rose of Sharon shrub - and with them, some new pollinators have appeared as well. This morning I saw a Pearl Crescent butterfly (a), a yet- to-be-identified bumble bee, perhaps Bombus bimaculatus (b), and a Sphinx Moth (c). All persistently going from one flower to the next. There was also the same butterfly I
saw last week - I just haven't been able to get a picture yet and make a positive identification - larger than the pearl crescent, but with somewhat similar coloration. This morning there were also Herring Gulls flying far over head, even calling as they passed by. A murder of American Crows were in the tree across the backyard fence squawking as they do, until I got too close and the flew off down the back of the row of houses in our neighborhood, and then back again. There was a House Wren on the fence between our house and our neighbors, along with some invertebrates clinging to the tree next to the fence.

The nice weather outside, the casual watering and weeding around the garden; a quiet Saturday afternoon walking around and looking for sights I haven't noticed before; barbecue for the Navy ensign and Marine second lieutenant who are here the weekend - a nice way to think about the summer starting to come to an end.
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Travel Schedule Quiz

I have three significant work trips over the next three months - not including vacation to the Central California Coast where I will make a serious attempt to try and figure out sea birds. I usually have no time to do any serious birding with my schedules on these kinds of trips, but it is fun to imagine what it would be like to sit around for a couple of days and just spend time looking. Given the three options in the neighboring panel, guess the order of the trips and match the appropriate field guide:

1. China (a)          
2. Argentina/Uruguay (b)
3. Hawaii (c)
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The answer is a fact error found earlier in this blog entry.

Modern Marvel - Zapper

Fluorescent glow,
Attractant lure.
In the dark,
Bright white flashes,
Simultaneous cracks of sound -
Like snapping whips.
One 'squeto after another.
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When putting up with the high-pitched sound of wings vibrating near ears, palms swatting almost aimlessly through the air, and then unnoticed bites that leave itchy welts behind... there is nothing like
the sweet revenge of electric currents running through two metal surfaces with a small gap in between that is just the right size for a mosquito's body to complete the circuit - the Flowtron Blacklight Bug Zapper is just the right device to deliver with satisfaction.

It was such a nice evening, that we had to eat out on the patio. We had learned from my brother-in-law that if an air fan is put out near the table, the mosquitoes will leave you alone. I also set up the bug zapper on a hanging basket crook, but since it was still

fairly light outside, there were few victims while we sat around the table. When the after-dinner conversation with our house guest wound down and the sun setting, the device went into full action. Even after retiring back into the house, we found pleasure in leaving the patio door open with the screen in place - just to hear the sounds of arching electricity - the sizzle of electrons running through moistened organic material as it was deconstructed.

The zapper we bought suits our needs, but if you have extra cash to spare, and are really into high-technology contraptions, there are even more sophisticated devices such as the MT-350 Flowtron Mosquito PowerTrap Plus where "Vacuum action draws the biting insect pests into a removable collection tray where they dehydrate and die for fast, clean and easy disposal." As advertised: Mosquitoes are Attracted to PowerTraps... Instead of You! All of this has been carefully researched I am sure, to ensure the menace of the dreaded mosquito is abated - in the comfort of the backyard.

Update's UPdate

Here is a quick report on the status of Jamie Moyer from CBSSPORTS.com per the previous post.
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Moyer avoids surgery, aims for 2011: Though Phillies SP Jamie Moyer has given up on the idea of pitching again in 2010, he told MLB.com he likes his chances of pitching in 2011 after a second

opinion from noted orthopedist Lewis Yocum earlier this week convinced him he doesn't need surgery.
"He's optimistic with rehab this thing can heal and heal properly," Moyer said. "I like his thinking. ... If I had surgery, it's a year, year and a half where I can't do anything. That puts me at 48 1/2, 49 [years old]. What's the liklelihood of pitching? Where am I going to find a job? But if I rehab and rehab diligently and give it time to heal -- and then prudently start rehab and take my time with it -- I'm ready to go [by Spring Training]."
(Updated 07/29/2010).

Injury Report
Elbow - 15-day DL. Out for the season (Updated - 7/29/10)

Fantasy Analysis

Moyer has a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and a strained tendon in his left elbow, which would be a significant injury for anybody, not to mention a 47-year-old. Then again, Moyer isn't your average 47-year-old. The soft-tossing left-hander has continued to succeed at the major-league level despite his advanced age and even looked like a viable mixed-league option at times earlier this season. Still, he has a difficult road back. You can obviously cut him in seasonal formats. (Updated 07/29/2010).

Season Update

Since my last post about Jamie Moyer at the beginning of the month, there have been three losses, an upward creeping earned run average, and now this - not good news for my favorite pitcher. Also, my oldest son and his family went to a Mariners game in Seattle last week - Boston beat my team in 13 innings. On top of all that, he and his family were all decked out in Red Sox fan garb. This is definitely not a good week in baseball for me.

Phillies' Moyer Not Ready to Call It a Career Just Yet

It's uncertain whether the 25-year major-league career of Jamie Moyer ends here. Until doctors present him with a full diagnosis next week, Moyer doesn't want to speculate publicly about his future. However, when asked, the 47-year-old pitcher said he was indeed holding out hope on making a return this season.

"That's my goal," Moyer said at his locker before Friday's game. "But again, without having a full diagnosis, I think it's only fair [to wait]. I think that's the competitor in myself, that I want to pitch. But if my arm doesn't allow it to happen, then it's not going to happen.

"But right now, I believe I'm going to make some sort of - I don't want to say 'comeback,' but I'm going to make some sort of an attempt to be able to get out and pitch competitively."

After throwing 18 pitches in the first inning Tuesday in St. Louis, Moyer was replaced by Drew Carpenter, who had been recalled earlier that day from triple-A Lehigh Valley.

On Friday, Moyer said he didn't feel anything unusual prior to Tuesday's game, other than the day-to-day aches and pains players normally endure. Moyer was put on the 15-day disabled list with sprained ulnar collateral ligament and strained flexor pronator tendon in his left elbow.

"I didn't really feel I had a major concern about anything at that point, up to that start," he said.

Moyer will undergo further tests to determine the severity of the sprain. He said Friday that he's not sure when a prognosis will become available or when testing will be complete. However, he said it's possible he will hear from doctors sometime in the middle of next week.

On Thursday, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Moyer's "going to be out quite some time."

Moyer's MRI exam on Thursday showed injuries. Surgery remains a possibility. He underwent two operations during the off-season, neither to his pitching elbow, and returned with a clean bill of health, working his way into the Phillies' rotation.

Through 19 starts this season, Moyer went 9-9 with a 4.84 ERA. He becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

Moyer said he feels the need to fulfill his contract and work toward putting himself in a position where he could return to the mound. And while the possibility looms that he's perhaps played his last game, he doesn't want to concede that just yet.

"It's one of those situations where you don't want it to have happened," he said. "But if it happens, it happens. There's nothing I could do. I can't turn back and change anything. The injury's the injury. You live with it. I really feel I can look myself in the mirror and know that if that was my last outing, then, you know what, so be it. I've given it my best and I've really enjoyed my career. But at this point, I'm not looking at that being the case."

By Mario Aguirre

Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted on Sat, Jul. 24, 2010 

Rest of Sunday

This Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly (Battus philenor) was in our yard this afternoon. We figured it must be butterfly season with all of the different species that are showing up in our yard (there was another 
one that was too quick darting over different parts of the yard, and away before I could get my camera - maybe a Tawney Emperor). When driving, it is common now to see Eastern Tiger Swallowtails everywhere - noticeable in that I can even see them crossing streets and the freeway. There were four hanging around for a while on our butterfly bush - glad we planted it this past year.

Family: Parnassians and Swallowtails (Papilionidae)

Subfamily: Swallowtails (Papilioninae)

Identification: Upper surface of hind wing iridescent blue or blue-green. Underside of hind wing with submarginal row of 7 round orange spots in iridescent blue field.

Life history: Adult males patrol likely habitat in search of receptive females. Females lay batches of eggs on underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed in small groups when young but become solitary when older. Wintering is by the chrysalis.

Flight: In the East and California, adults fly primarily in late spring and summer, but the butterfly is commoner in late summer and fall in the South and Southwest. Where lack of freezing temperatures permit, adults may fly continuously. In lowland tropical Mexico they may be found in any month. 

Wingspan: 2 3/4 - 5 inches (7 - 13 cm).

Caterpillar hosts: Pipevines (Aristolochia species), including Aristolochia californica, A. serpentaria and others.

Adult food: Solely nectar from flowers including thistles (Cirsium species), bergamot, lilac, viper's bugloss, common azaleas, phlox, teasel, azaleas, dame's-rocket, lantana, petunias, verbenas, lupines, yellow star thistle, California buckeye, yerba santa, brodiaeas, and gilias.

Habitat: A wide variety of open habitats, open woodland, and woodland edges.

Range: Rare stray to Canada (s. Manitoba). Tropical lowlands south to southern Mexico.

Conservation: Normally not of high conservation concern, although states at northern limits have listed under state law. These listings are of dubious value where species is not a permanent resident.
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Exerted from: Butterflies and Moths of North America. Access by clicking here.

Links Through Time - Memorials

Because of the hot weather outside this afternoon, I was surfing in doors and happened onto the Los Angeles Times Website that 
remembers each Californian who has died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was Googling to see if a friend of mine who died in the summer of 1971 and was buried in the Visalia Cemetery was recorded online, and came on this July 15, 2006 entry. When I saw the name and the face of the father my heart sank - the father was a year ahead of me in high school, I think we played sports together - the son was 21.

After reading the obituary, I went back to the Times' site California's War Dead, and clicked two entries to the left (the next day, July 16, 2006), and came on a soldier who had gone to Corvallis High School - in the town where we consider home in Oregon. I remember reading about him and having this same feeling now as when I read about earlier casualties from Oregon when we lived there.

Then two more clicks to the left, and a Marine from Clovis. I sensed I knew of this casualty, too - July 29, 2006. When I read his obituary, it was mentioned that the funeral service had to be held in a larger church than his own, New Hope - that was a church we attended in the early 1980's when we lived in Clovis. The Marine was the third casualty from his high school's class of 2001 (1). The reason I thought I knew about him was I had read in the Annapolis Capital newspaper a couple of years ago that two brothers from Clovis had been killed in the wars - both were from that same church. As it turned out, the two were different from the Clovis Marine I saw above - still, the two were brothers (November 4, 2004 & August 22, 2007), and that is now seven from the same high school, and three from the same church. A third brother who enlisted with the second brother after their other brother was killed, witnessed the crash of the Blackhawk helicopter that took his brother's and 13 others' lives. Like a Private Ryan, he had to leave service as the sole survivor.

I checked a few more dates in both directions of the sites I list above, but the names were not familiar - only the names of the California cities they were from. That made sense, I wouldn't have thought that a random hit on a Website I wasn't looking for would also be within a couple more clicks - no more than a couple of degrees of separation - from people I may know, or others I could know who live with heart aches that must be so very deep.

I think I have done enough surfing the Web for today.

A search engine that shows all of the fallen in the two wars can be found clicking here.
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(1) More recent report of the casualties in Clovis found by clicking here.