Posted by
Stinger on Saturday, August 05, 2006 4:58:39 PM
When my son...referencetone.com...started a blog about a year-or-so ago, I checked it out daily, and would harrass him when he didn't post. Sorry, JJ...it's a lot harder than I thought to be faithful to a laptop.
I'm back from a wonderful, albeit hot, 19 day trip to the east coast. Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey and Maryland. Coudn't post on the road, because I couldn't locate the URL for my posting place...or whatever I'm supposed to call it. Too bad, because I had a whole bunch of wonderful experiences that would've worked well, but are too lengthy to lay down now. Lobster in Maine...spending the night in a really OLD house in horse country of NJ...and crabbing on the Rhode River, off the Chesapeake Bay, south of Annapolis. But here are the best two...
1. Being guided around the National Air & Space Museum in DC by my three-and a-half year old grandson. What energy...bouncing around in the crowds like a pinball gone mad...and he actually KNEW what he wanted to see, and where it was...especially the Museum store. Next time we're back there, I need to take him to the Museum's auxillary location out near Dulles Airport. It's huge, filled with large aircraft...a B-17, Concorde, space shuttle...dozens more.
2. Attanding services at the Naval Academy Chapel with my bride and a good friend who had never seen the place. The Chaple is an impressive place, oozing history and the presence of thousands of USNA grads. The stained glass behind the alter shows Jesus walking on the water...appropriate for a naval place...and reflects that the glass is the gift of the Class of '69. That would be 1869. Another stained glass window shows a newly minted Ensign, in full dress...choker...whites, receiving his Commission. But in this case, it's the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18.
Although the choir was made up of the brand new class of Plebes (Class of 2010), and hadn't had much time to rehearse, their voices were strong and powerful. At every service in the Chapel, the Navy Hymn (Eternal Father) is sung. But as my friend pointed out, in that place and in these times, it has more meaning. Hard to sing without a tear forming in the corner of my eye.
But to me, and I think now my pal, the most dramatic part of the service is the beginning and the end. At the start, the colors are presented by a Color Guard, and at the end, the colors are retreated. During the academic year, when the enire Brigade is present, the Color guard presents five flags...the US flag, the Christian flag,the Navy flag, the Marine Corps flag, and the Naval Academy flag. For the summer, with plebes-under-training doing the work, only the American flag and the Christian flag are presented. But what's impressive is that as the flags approach the alter, and stop, all flags, including the Stars and Stripes, are dipped. I like that.