Veterans' Day 2026

Remembering a veteran who served 80 years ago: my Dad.

Pictured below, third from the left.

He volunteered during WWII to serve as a Chaplain even though he was married with two children. He felt he needed to do his part and reached out to the brass in the Pentagon in charge of Army chaplains to make his case for enlisting.

He served from 1944-1947 first in New Caledonia then Fiji Islands before being transferred to Fort Ruger in Honolulu, Hawaii.

I don't know the occasion for the photo. Obviously everyone else has been awarded some trophy.  Maybe he did the awarding but I just don't know.  By 1946 he was in Hawaii where my Mom and older siblings got to join him.

This and That

 What a relief I feel after the Blue Wave!  Don't you?  It's like tRump has been deflated by this election that showed he is not the emperor he thought he was.  

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At our polling place we passed out I Voted stickers created by elementary students.  Here's the one I wore once I voted.

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Sunday, Dan and I attended the film screening of two old silent movies at the Newport, NH Opera House.

The Opera House is on the second story up a long flight of steps. It's also used as the Town Hall.  Lots of old wood.  Photo below doesn't do it justice.

The silent movies: "Van-ar-chy" and "Where Are Your Husbands?" were created by Billy B. Van who once lived in NH.  Filming of both of these silent comedies took place in nearby towns.  Members of the audience could recognize some of the locations specifically the houses even though they were filmed more than 100 years ago.

The screening included a newsreel of the times. So fears of anarchy and women's suffrage were front and center at the time of these silent films.  They were wonderfully preserved.  A pianist and a sound person accompanied Van-ar-chy and had recorded the accompaniment for Husbands.

These are the only two films by Billy B. Van in existence.  The Van-ar-chy one was recently discovered in Japan by happenstance.  Most films of this era disintegrated because of the type of recording.

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Scenes from our walk last week along the Sugar River rail trail.  This one included a covered bridge.

If the rain holds off today we may take a walk in Vermont, just across the Connecticut River from us.

WE DID IT!

The Contrarian

The New York Times

The Washington Post

MSNow

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Dan and I stayed up until midnight last night.  First we thought we'd watch just a little of the returns on CNN, say to 9:30.  Then it was until 10:00, then 11:00, but it was after midnight and so many of the races had been called, control of both house of Congress had been taken by Democrats that we realized that 

"WE DID IT!"

America took back decency, goodwill, concern for those in need, open arms to immigrants and said no to corruption, hate and evil that has embodied the tRump administration.

This morning as we listened to Morning Joe and other commenters we both cried tears of joy.

Anyone else have the same response to this magnificent outpouring of repudiation of tRump?

In NH we elected the first openly gay senator.  Stunning victory for Pappas.

Though we still have a Republican governor who squeaked by she is going solo because our state house has flipped over to a Democratic veto proof majority!  Thank goodness. 

Don't you feel so much better this morning? I sure do!

P.S. Thank you to commenters across the waters who sent congratulations early this morning as the news hit your countries.

 

If You Didn't Vote Early, Then Vote Tuesday