07

I was delighted to see the slideshow in this morning's Richmond Times Dispatch of Godspeed's arrival for a week in New York City. She is Virginia's "Sailing Ambassador", and will be visiting several other ports-of-call over the next year, leading up to the huge 2007 celebration of America's Beginning in Jamestown. Humm.. Why do my e-mails sound like I'm writing press releases?

I'm also certain that just hearing the words "Jamestown" and "Godspeed" instantly brings back memories for those of us who went to Stonewall Jackson Elementary...

QUICK! Name all three ships!

The Susan Constant, Godspeed,

and the brave Dis-cov-ery...

Three ships, three tiny ships,

sailing on to great renown...

Sailing half around the world

to build a place called ( pause )

Jamestown.."

Yep, if that's how to name the three ships, by golly you were educated in Virginia in 1957.

Say.. Somebody ask Iris Beeson Coffey ( the, uh, second prettiest girl in my class.. Maybe I'm the only one who knows who number one was.. ) if she remembers walking from Stonewall Jackson to NNHS ( scene of so many momentous events beginning just five years later ) to sing that song in an afternoon concert. I think that red-headed girl played the chimes at the concert..

Speaking of chimes, I enjoyed the stroll down memory lane with the Richard Rodgers Birthday newsletter. "Victory At Sea" was a wonderful ( even in black-and-white ) TV series, and I still get goosebumps hearing the show's opening theme: "Song of the High Seas" The way the violins undulated in endless waves to a crashing of brass, then the da-da-dat-da-dah da-da-dadada-dat-dah-h-h ( or whatever the correct musical equivalent is ) and the sharp repetition of those notes from a shiny glockenspiel..

Ahhh.. The ecstasy of it all..

The only thing that comes close is a line of eight or ten glockenspiels, lined up at Saunders Stadium, chiming out the music to "Giant" on a cool autumn night ..

Which, I don't think, is the same thing as the rat-a-tat-tat from a 9mm Glock on a cool autumn night in Richmond..

And for the record, many years later I ran into that red-headed girl in Leggett at Military Circle. I was with Thalhimer's at the time, doing one of my frequent walk-through and spotted her scolding a small child in the store. I walked over, said her name, then mine. As if she didn't hear me she looked up to explain, "I'm so embarrassed, this is my child, and I've told him to behave in a department store.. -wait a minute.. Bill? Did you say you're Bill Black?"

But, that was a long time ago.

Make sure all the Typhoons in New York and environs come down to the harbor ( I'm assuming South Street Seaport ) to see a piece of Virginia.

Bill Black

Nautical History Advisor to the Class of '66

Bill, you are a hoot! Thanks so much for the timely reminder.

I haven't "da noive" to check to see if my unfortunate delay caused it to be a moment or two too late.....

Hi Cousin Carol. Thanks for the birthday greeting. I spent the day bicycling from Roanoke Rapids, NC to South Hill, VA as the last day of Bike Virginia. Every year they have a 5 day bicycling event in the state, sometimes having excursions into neighboring states.
Yvonne (Peters Hoyle - Hampton HS - '64 - of Northern VA) broke her left wrist about a month ago (bicycling), so we rented her a 3-wheeler, which could be operated without using her left hand. The right hand can steer, apply the back brakes, and change the back 7 gears. We had 2 hot days, 2 days with light sporadic rain, and 1 day with a downpour. The light sporadic rain is actually the most comfortable to bike in. I wonder if there are any other bicyclers in the class? Henry
		Saturday, June 24, 2006, 11:19 AM

WOWZERONI!!! This is a new one on me! Using "class" in the broad sense - as in all of y'all - are there any of you who share this interest with Henry and Yvonne? "Anyone? Anyone?" Thanks, Cousin Henry!


		07/04/06 - NNHS Newsletter “In a chariot of light from the region of the day, The Goddess of Liberty came She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love, the plant she named Liberty Tree.” - Thomas Paine (29 Jan 1737 - 8 June 1809)

Hope All Have A Bang Up Good ... Typhoons Forever AL
This is so cool, Al! Thanks so much! Unfortunately, I'm having trouble convincing most of the pretty graphics to display, so if you get here only to find about ten boxes with a little red "X" instead of what you're "posta" see, check back later. I might have found the Magic Button to push by then.