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"They call Alabama the Crimson Tide...."
Jun. 5th, 2018 09:30 amEnd of the season Cub Scout picnic on Sunday. This year, they decided to bring it back to Brooklyn.
The troop gathered at Ft. Hamilton army base at the southern tip of the borough. There's a hillside on the base overlooking the ocean, with the Verrazano Bridge in full view to the right. There's a playground area, a basketball court and a picnic area--so.... perfect. After we stuffed ourselves with hot dogs and burgers, the kids lined up to get their promotions to the next level of the scouts. D. is now at the top level of cub scout. (Comes with a new scarf/kerchief with a rad tartan pattern. Really cool.)
It was a bit cool and raw, but with all the stress at work, it was really nice to get away to someplace beautiful and serene.
Why I'm Still Married
Watching our son play, my wife and I had the following conversation. My son had been on duty as an altar server that morning, and the visiting deacon kind of "took over" some of his duties:
ME: Well, if the deacon sat him down, then he's got to listen. That's the order--priest, Monseigneur, deacon, bishop....
P: That's not how it goes.
ME: ?
P: The deacon [here] is a layman. He can do some of the duties of the mass, and give out the Eucharist, but he's not ordained. So it's deacon, priest, Monseigneur, bishop...
ME [smirks]: So anyone can be a deacon. Deacon Jones, Deacon Blues...
P [smirks]: You're going to Jewish Hell, you know that.
ME: The lowest circle, the one for smartasses.
P: I'll be next door in Catholic Hell. We could have date night! Which, you know, is also hell.
We shared a cookie and went back to watching the boy.
******************
Today's historical lesson:
On the hillside, there is a Revolutionary War cannon and a pair of markers explaining the significance of the Battle of Brooklyn. "There was a Battle of Brooklyn," you ask? Well, we don't talk about it too much in the States because (whispers) we lost.
In August 1776, 20,000 British troops hit the shores in Brooklyn in an attempt to cut off the New England colonies from their southern compatriots. They were met by 9000 soldiers from the fledgling Continental Army, led by Gen. George Washington. Washington and his troops--how should I put it?--got their butts kicked. (However, the Brits failed to capture a retreating Gen. Washington--a huge blunder that would cost them dearly.)
The British established a redoubt at the southern tip of Brooklyn that would serve as their base in the area until the end of the war. Ft. Hamilton Army Base was built on the site of that redoubt in 1831--and despite threats of closure in recent years, it's still an active military base today.
**************
If you don't understand the title of this post, google it. It'll make sense.
Related 1970s rock music joke: Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers are on a summer tour together. If they share the stage for a song, does Michael McDonald magically appear (no matter where he is in the world at that moment)?
The troop gathered at Ft. Hamilton army base at the southern tip of the borough. There's a hillside on the base overlooking the ocean, with the Verrazano Bridge in full view to the right. There's a playground area, a basketball court and a picnic area--so.... perfect. After we stuffed ourselves with hot dogs and burgers, the kids lined up to get their promotions to the next level of the scouts. D. is now at the top level of cub scout. (Comes with a new scarf/kerchief with a rad tartan pattern. Really cool.)
It was a bit cool and raw, but with all the stress at work, it was really nice to get away to someplace beautiful and serene.
Why I'm Still Married
Watching our son play, my wife and I had the following conversation. My son had been on duty as an altar server that morning, and the visiting deacon kind of "took over" some of his duties:
ME: Well, if the deacon sat him down, then he's got to listen. That's the order--priest, Monseigneur, deacon, bishop....
P: That's not how it goes.
ME: ?
P: The deacon [here] is a layman. He can do some of the duties of the mass, and give out the Eucharist, but he's not ordained. So it's deacon, priest, Monseigneur, bishop...
ME [smirks]: So anyone can be a deacon. Deacon Jones, Deacon Blues...
P [smirks]: You're going to Jewish Hell, you know that.
ME: The lowest circle, the one for smartasses.
P: I'll be next door in Catholic Hell. We could have date night! Which, you know, is also hell.
We shared a cookie and went back to watching the boy.
******************
Today's historical lesson:
On the hillside, there is a Revolutionary War cannon and a pair of markers explaining the significance of the Battle of Brooklyn. "There was a Battle of Brooklyn," you ask? Well, we don't talk about it too much in the States because (whispers) we lost.
In August 1776, 20,000 British troops hit the shores in Brooklyn in an attempt to cut off the New England colonies from their southern compatriots. They were met by 9000 soldiers from the fledgling Continental Army, led by Gen. George Washington. Washington and his troops--how should I put it?--got their butts kicked. (However, the Brits failed to capture a retreating Gen. Washington--a huge blunder that would cost them dearly.)
The British established a redoubt at the southern tip of Brooklyn that would serve as their base in the area until the end of the war. Ft. Hamilton Army Base was built on the site of that redoubt in 1831--and despite threats of closure in recent years, it's still an active military base today.
**************
If you don't understand the title of this post, google it. It'll make sense.
Related 1970s rock music joke: Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers are on a summer tour together. If they share the stage for a song, does Michael McDonald magically appear (no matter where he is in the world at that moment)?
