Can terror cause this?

If terrorists get their way, could our capital look like this?

If this happens, will your retirement investments survive?

Do you have enough savings to get you and your family past this type of event?

Wouldn’t you rather have gold in your retirement fund, instead of valueless paper stocks, at this point?

Pray for America. The terrorists won’t stop until our Capital Rotunda looks like this!

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2009 TDI Diesel Jetta

There has always been a lot of press over the Toyota Prius. It gets around 45 m.p.g., is a hybrid that runs on gasoline, and “looks” the part of the Green Movement Car: Like a suppository.

If you are in the market for a new car, let me point you toward the 2009 TDI Diesel Jetta. It whips all over the Prius. It looks like a real car, not one with those stupid half wheel covers over the rear wheels, it gets BETTER mileage, and diesel burns cleaner than gasoline. It is also much more affordable than the hybrids. Hybrids do well around town, but actually get worse mileage on the highway than most non-hybrid cars! Yes, diesel is more money per gallon, for now, but the price would have to be more than double the price of a gallon of gas before you would lose on the diesel deal.

TDI stands for Turbo-Direct Injection, and is the technology behind the powerful and efficient motoring under the hood. In todays economy of high oil prices and economic worries, don’t blame the oil companies! Read my blog entry here, for more on that. Instead, be smart, drive safe, and give the new TDI’s a chance, from VW.

Honestly, though, I don’t think people are very affected by the high gas prices, yet. Actions speak louder than words, and people are still passing me on the highway like I’m standing still. Until they all slow down, I don’t believe anyone really cares about the price of gas. Quit belly-aching about it. Quit calling for oil companies to give up all their profits (6.8% last quarter for Shell Oil. By the way, where should their profits be? 3%? 1%? Should they work for free? Who gets to decide the amount a company makes? If you answer anything other than: “The Market”, then I have some serious questions for you! If Ford made 6.8% profits, no one would care, but if Shell makes that, everyone is up in arms!)

Slow down and buy a TDI Jetta, and enjoy the savings!

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

Carbon Belch Day

I came across a great website today: Grassfire.org. It’s on the conservative, “correct” side of the Global Warming hysteria. More and more people are buying into the garbage that is global warming, and they only do so because they hear so much about it in the media.

More and more scientists are giving up on the idea that global warming is man made. Even the Czech President Klaus wants to debate ‘Algore’ over the fallacy that is global warming. Of course, Gore hasn’t taken him up on the offer. Of Course! Klaus has written a new book worth reading: Blue Planet in Green Shackles. Environmentalism and the belief in global warming has become the new faith of secularists and it is really sad.

The arrogance that it takes for one to believe that we can somehow destroy what God has produced in a planet we call Earth simply by living out our daily lives is beyond absurd. Michael Crichton has said it best, in my blog entry here.

Anyway, Grassfire.org is suggesting that on June 12th, we all participate in Carbon Belch Day, a day to leave some lights on, go for a long drive, and use some energy, for the sake of doing so. I love it!

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

Blocks and Mortar

We have been getting some water in our basement during heavy downpours and we think that it is party due to the fact that two of our basement windows sit at exactly ground level, like the picture above. With a wooden frame, these windows probably allow some water to flow around them, and into the house. Part of our “Major Landscape” project is to backfill dirt up against the house in an attempt to keep rain water flowing away from the foundation, instead of toward it.

This Major Landscape project has been ongoing for over a year and continues with the efficiency of an Interstate-highway project: Slowly. We can’t backfill dirt up against windows, so before we could do that, we had to put basement window “wells” around two windows, and then planned to close off two others. The wells are in place and now, finally, the last two windows are filled in with cement block. The final stage will be to back fill dirt up to the house and then plant some greenery and mulch around it all.

There are five remaining basement windows that are only single-pane glass and sit in rotting wooden frames. The plan is to also remove these and replace them with glass block. Not only is glass block more sturdy, but much safer against break-ins. We didn’t want to put glass block in the two windows we filled in with concrete block because they would be behind dirt.

I started Saturday with the full intention of simply kicking back and taking the day as easily as possible. However, Laura encouraged me to get the project going before I headed off to Hong Kong. “Good idea!” I thought.

It started off easy, like it always does, with tearing out one of the windows. The frame was tough, but I got it out. Then the going got rougher when I tried to take out the second frame. I huffed, and I puffed, but the frame would not blow down! I finally got a circular saw and cut that dude in several pieces, being careful not to catch the blade on the concrete the frame was sitting in. Finally the second frame came out and off to Home Depot we went, to get the cinder-blocks and mortar.

We got the wrong kind of block on our first trip, and had to return . . . Then, with the proper tools in hand, we began our project of laying concrete block and mortar. Tackling this was interesting because neither I nor Sweet Pea had done this before. How hard could it be, anyway? I already knew that proper stacking of the block should be staggered, where one block sits not directly above the one below it, but off set by half the width of the block. However, I had decided that doing that would mean cutting the block in half, and with one chisel, wasn’t interested in aesthetics.

The mortar was hard to mix in the wheelbarrow, but we managed. We started using a spade tool to spread the mortar, but we soon realized that we were not skilled enough to get that to do what we wanted, so we resorted to using our hands to spread the mortar in just the right places. Unfortunately, the mortar wouldn’t stick to the sides of the blocks like is should. I guess we mixed it wrong, but when we wanted it to stick to the vertical side of the block, it only fell off when we went to place the block in position. This was very frustrating because with the block in place but with no mortar in the vertical “seem” we had to squeeze and maneuver the mortar into place with our fingers -- both painful and time consuming (not to mention not proffering a very professional look).

About half way through the project, I saw a label on the mortar bag that said, “Warning! Irritant -- Keep out of eyes and avoid skin contact.” Arrr! Could this get any worse? (It does) I decided not to tell Laura, because the damage was most likely already done and I didn’t want to scare her away -- I still needed her help! The final steps were to add one block in sideways, so that the two holes in the block would go through the wall. I needed two holes, one for a dryer vent, and one for a future bathroom vent, and I didn’t want to have to chisel those out later. That block when in behind the water heater, and it was hard to get to it. Wrenching my back, I got it in. Twenty years from now, when I need back surgery for $30,000 will the filled in windows be worth it? Sure.

I then installed the two dryer vent tubes and louvers, and attached the dryer to the vent tube. It is nice to vent the dryer outside now. The hole for the future bathroom vent has a towel in it, to give us some insulation until the bathroom in the basement project is complete.

Finally, we painted the block with water-blocking paint, and put tar, or bull tar, or pitch, or “black mammy” or whatever you want to call it, along the bottom of the windows and along the basement wall and patio outside, to prevent water from finding its way inside.

All in all, it was a fun, but sweaty and stressful project. It’s one of those that needed to be done, but also feels great to have behind us.

Now, remember how I said that it couldn’t get any worse, but does? That night, we both woke up with our hands so dry and stiff, we couldn’t move them! We had to put hand lotion by the bed to keep them moisturized. Even today, as I type this, skin is peeling off my fingers, as the remaining chemicals burn through the skin layers . . . fun times! Next time, I need to take my brother-in-law’s advice and always use latex gloves. I need to buy a box of 100 and use them anytime I’m using caulk, expanding foam that sticks to ANYTHING, glue, paint, or yes, even mortar!

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

Political Compass

From The Political Compass:

“There's abundant evidence for the need of it. The old one-dimensional categories of 'right' and 'left', established for the seating arrangement of the French National Assembly of 1789, are overly simplistic for today's complex political landscape. For example, who are the 'conservatives' in today's Russia? Are they the unreconstructed Stalinists, or the reformers who have adopted the right-wing views of conservatives like Margaret Thatcher?

On the standard left-right scale, how do you distinguish leftists like Stalin and Gandhi? It's not sufficient to say that Stalin was simply more left than Gandhi. There are fundamental political differences between them that the old categories on their own can't explain. Similarly, we generally describe social reactionaries as 'right-wingers', yet that leaves left-wing reactionaries like Robert Mugabe and Pol Pot off the hook.”

Take five minutes and see where you stand on the Political Compass. Click on the image up top to go to the website. On the main page, there is a link at the top left of the page to start your quiz.

It shows that I’m: Economic Left/Right: +4.75
It shows that I’m: Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: +2.97
Meaning: Authoritarian Right (and so are most world leaders, like Thatcher and Hitler!)

OR, take The shortest political quiz (literally 30 seconds) and see where you sit. It shows I'm conservative.

Brave? Post your own results at TobyLaura.com in the blog section!

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

Cool House

This is the model home that my sister and her husband, Katie and Scott, are going to be building! It’s an amazing house and they should be breaking ground soon. Click the picture above or here, to see more pictures of this amazing house!

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

Flying Together

With my departure to Cathay Pacific being eminent, Laura and I wanted a chance for me to be the captain of one of her flights here at Chautauqua, where I would fly her as a passenger. Once I go to Cathay, I won’t be a captain again for a long time, so we didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

Laura has flown a lot since she has met me, but never with me being the one flying her. So, I bid to work a Saturday, where she could come along. I got a trip that left Saturday afternoon and simply went from Columbus to Orlando, and then back to Columbus. The flight left about 5:00 p.m. and we got into Orlando around 7:00 p.m. and then back into Columbus around 10:00 p.m. It was a fun little out and back trip that not many people get to experience. It was certainly fun.

As always, there was a little bit of drama. The flight was booked full from Columbus to Orlando and it didn’t look like she, flying standby for free, would have a chance to get on board. I thought, “Great. I’m working Saturday, just for this experience, and now she won’t be able to go!” Well, luckily, one person didn’t show up and she got the last seat! I showed her a little bit around the cockpit, and my copilot was nice enough to take our picture a few times.

She sat in the last row, row 18, and got a window seat. The flights down, and back were both smooth and uneventful. I flew the leg down to Orlando and had a very smooth landing! I was nervous, though, because with the wife in the back, you want to be as impressive as you can, and of all the landings, this was not the one to mess up, or crash it on real rough. We touched down on runway 35 right and it was “buddah” (butter).

She was also able to get a seat on the way back as well. Good thing -- I didn’t want her to have to buy a hotel room for the night. The co-pilot flew us back and overall, it was a real fun time. It was really cool to be flying Laura in the back. It really added a new meaning of importance to my flying. It was a special time for us and a neat experience I will remember for a long time.

To see pictures, click here, or the picture of us at the top of the page.

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

Spring Beauty

I took a few snapshots of our backyard this past week, with the spring blossoms. Click here or on the photo above and tell me what you think.

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90 and Counting!

Click here or the picture of my grandparents for a photo gallery of pictures from Pawpaw’s 90th birthday bash!

Bill Sweaney served in WWII, has a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, a Silver Star (an award that is second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor), many memories, a great family, lives in a paid off house that he built in 1950 that sits in a quiet neighborhood, and is now 90 years old! He is living a charmed life; a blessed life. God has been very good to him and I am privileged and honored to be his grandson.

Laura and I were able to fly down to Texas to participate in the celebration, as not many people get to see 90. He is still healthy, for the most part, and we are so proud of him.

My aunt Sharon put together an amazing display of all his WWII memorabilia, including a hand-made knife his father made for Army soldiers, European money, a Nazi flag and uniform, pictures of Pawpaw during the battle of the Bulge, awards, his induction letter telling him he needed to report for duty in the Army, and more.

It was all an amazing time, and it was great to see all the family members for the event. He has lots of friends from over the years, and many people stopped by. It is a true testament to how one has lived their life by how many friends they have -- and how many show up for parties and funerals. Bill Sweaney is a generous, loving man that has lots of friends, because he has lived his life as a servant. A person with few friends needs to reevaluate how they live but Bill is not one of those people.

One of these days, Pawpaw will take with him to Heaven many stories and priceless memories from WWII. He will leave behind an amazing record, from owning his own heating and air conditioning business, Air Rite, to the family that he has. But for now, we are so proud of him and glad to celebrate, once again, a huge milestone in his life: 90!

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

Grandpa Cline

My grandfather on my father’s side has passed away. He was certainly older, at 84, but his passing was a surprise to everyone, including my grandma, Alice.

He had been in the hospital for not feeling well, and was seen and then released. He died in his house, that night. He had fallen over on the way to the bathroom and ended up in heaven. We are certainly sorry to see him go, but we are also glad that he is no longer suffering. He was losing his memory and mind and wasn’t able to enjoy life like he should. When my dad had visited him that day in the hospital, my grandpa didn’t recognize him, which is sad.

My dad has taken it hard, but is so happy that he knows for sure he will see him again in heaven. My dad wrote a great blog entry about my grandpa here.

I was able to have a few days off in my schedule, so it worked out well that I could be down in Texas with my family for the funeral. It was the next day, after the funeral, that I left for Atlanta to meet Laura there for our continued trip to Savannah for vacation. I’ve been behind keeping up this blog, through funerals, vacations, back to Texas for birthday celebrations, and working. So it has been fairly crazy, to say the least.

Funerals are never fun, but when someone knows who God is, and where He fits into our lives, funerals can be as much of a celebration as they are sad. For Christians, they are always bittersweet times. I look forward to seeing my grandpa again someday.

For photos of the funeral, visit our Photo Albums page here, or click grandpa’s picture at the top of the page.

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

We made it home

Sleeping in the Hampton Inn wasn’t so hot because I saved 20 bucks by getting two full beds instead of a king sized bed. Man, we are used to sleeping on a queen, and when we squeeze our way into a full, it doesn’t make for good sleep.

Needless to say, we woke up at 7 a.m. pretty tired. That was also the earliest we’d gotten up all week! We headed to the airport and had no troubles. We got to sit in first class together out of Savannah to Atlanta, and then we got to sit together on my own airline from Atlanta to Columbus. It was good times, good memories, and we can’t wait for the next vacation!

You can see the photos of our vacation on our Photo Albums page. Check it out and enjoy.

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

Downtown Savannah

Instead of returning home on Friday, we did decide to stay one more day in Savannah. Vacations are fun and there was just no way we wanted it to end. Staying one more day delayed the inevitable, but there was more we wanted to see and do.

There is always so much to do in any one area, we’ve decided that when we go on our next vacation, we won’t plan to be there for any less than a week. We thought we’d be bored after a while in Northeast Georgia and that we’d have to fill the time with sitting on the beach. We were wrong and couldn’t have been farther from the truth. We needed more time.

So today, we started off by gathering some sand from the beach. We like to save sand from all the different places (beaches) we’ve been to. Then we headed downtown to see the Savannah Botanical Gardens. We thought it would be some large professional place. It was pretty, but it was just two older ladies taking tips and spending a lot of time asking me about how to set up a web site for their place! I had told them that we had a hard time finding out information and that a website would give them a lot more visibility.

We saw a water moccasin in the pond out by the rose garden! Laura was skittish after that. The flowers and roses were certainly beautiful, though.

Then we headed to the 8th Air Force Museum. There were lots of planes, war memorabilia, and facts to read and see. There was a nice chapel in the back of the museum with stained glass of different WWII images. It was very cool.

That afternoon, we took a stroll through downtown Savannah and saw some of the beautiful homes that sit near parks and old streets. Laura’s dad is a fan of the novelist Flannery O’Connor, so we saw her house as well.

We ended up in a Hampton Inn for the night and dinner at Longhorn’s Steakhouse. It was a great day topped off by a great dinner!

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

Last day or maybe not.

There was an original plan today to go Kayaking. But, you know how plans go. We decided, because it was our last day, just to sleep way in, eat breakfast whenever we wanted, and then head down to the beach for as long as we wanted.

So, that’s just what we did. It seemed that every time we had something planned, it was in the middle of the day, where we’d have to leave the beach. We would just be settling into the sun and then it would be time to do the dolphin tour or head to downtown, etc. So we just stayed on the beach. Of course we look like lobsters, but who cares?

When we first arrived, we bought some food, so I’ve been having coffee every morning, and making bacon and eggs. Laura will have it sometimes, but she is very easy: a glass of chocolate milk. Her breakfast is simple and will sustain her small frame until lunch. Needless to say, the whole notion of ‘breakfast in bed’ changes dramatically when one only has a glass of chocolate milk for breakfast!

Have you ever tried to cut a frozen pizza in half, while it is still frozen? Without a very sharp knife, I don’t recommend it. Frozen pizza’s need to be cooked from a frozen state, so I guess we could have thawed it, cut it, re-frozen it, and then cooked it, but for lunch, we were a little too hungry for precision like that. I just started hacking away and parts of it crumbled onto the floor. Why cut it in half in the first place? The house has no oven, just a cooktop! There is a toaster oven that we used, but it was so small, I had to cut the pizza in half. I guess the price of a range over a cooktop is too great for the owners of this place.

I’m guessing that any beachfront property is going to be expensive to buy, even if it is small like this place, because of the potential returns of renting it out and the view, of course. We saw a house down the road that was 4 stories: Parking on the first level and living on the next three. Kitchens on two levels and an elevator for the floor changes if you are unable to do stairs! Wow. The cost to rent? $4,000 a week. If that is split between four families, like in a reunion or get together, then that doesn’t sound to bad, but then again, who gets the top level bedroom with the jacuzzi tub and sunrise view over the water? Better bring your boxing gloves.

While on the beach, I saw something that amused me. Two guys were walking along, and one held a large conch shell. As he was walking, he put the conch shell up to his ear to see if he could “hear” the ocean. He probably couldn’t hear it over the roar of the real ocean 20 feet from him! Why would someone try to listen to the fake ocean when the real one is right there? This question has a lot of theological implications as well, like, why do we turn to our own wisdom when God is right there to help us? Why do we try to solve our problems on our own when He is offering His help right next to us? I’m reading a book this vacation, called: I don’t have enough Faith to be an Atheist. It is a great read, and it is attacking the idea that comes so naturally to us here on Earth: That we can do it on our own. We don’t need God. It obliterates the ideas that Atheists have come to hold onto so dearly and I can’t wait to finish it so I can be even more ready to do what 1 Peter 3:15 says we should all do: Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence . . .

We cooked pork chops tonight for dinner and they were great. We had mashed potatoes, green beans, and corn too. It was quite the feast, and I dare say, it was nearly as good as going out and spending $50 bucks on dinner.

We took a long walk along a pier that extends out from the southern tip of Tybee island. It was nice to be over the water and feel the breeze from the cool Atlantic. There were lots of fisherman (fisherpeople -- come on Toby, it’s 2008) along the pier, looking down to see if they had caught anything. I was surprised how many people were fishing around the island: near bridges, over bridges, off piers, and so forth. Some of it may have been recreational, but by the look of the people doing the fishing, I think they were doing it partly for regular meals . . . I could be wrong, and hopefully so.

Going back home, we saw a boardwalk that disappeared toward the water. It was dark now, and we could only see by the lights of the distant hotels and the stars. We followed it, as the roar of the ocean grew more thunderous as we walked. After a minute, we arrived at the soft sand and could just make out the view of the waves in the light of the starry evening. The gentle rush of the waves was almost enough to put me to sleep. Silhouetted against the night sky was the shape of a bench swing for two! We walked over and swung for a while, watching the waves roll in. Directly overhead was the large red planet of Mars, and we could see the Big Dipper and the North Star above us as well. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. We didn’t want to go home. Paradise is just too relaxing! So, we are staying in Savannah one more day, just to do it. Will that be it? Will we go home after that? Who knows? Good night . . .

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

Looking for Dolphins

After a while on the beach, we headed out for a dolphin tour, to see if we could get a little closer to these shark-killers. “Captain Mike’s Dolphin Tours” sounded good enough for us, so we paid our cash and headed out!

Ah, there’s not much better than the salt air in your face, the sounds of waves crashing, the hum of a diesel engine, the hopes of dolphins leaping out of the air in front of you, the warm sun on your shoulders, the gentle rhythm of the ocean under you, and the raspy voice of a tour guide. “Huh,” you say? “Everything was good until that last one.” Yeah, I know. Our very nice tour guide was a sweet lady, but probably smoked 20,000 packs too many. Oh well, show me the dolphins, right? As long as this three hour tour didn’t end up like Gilligan’s and I saw a dorsal fin or two, I’d be happy.

Actually, it was a fun time, and we saw an old lighthouse and lots of dolphins. They are pesky creatures, though. They don’t hold still, they splash your expensive camera lens with salt water, and they torment photographers by doing this arching, humped-over motion (porpoising) so that once you see them and lift your camera to your face, they are gone! Now how nice is that? I told Laura to tell them to hold still, but she wouldn’t do it -- she just chuckled at me! If you want pictures of dorsal fins or an ocean wave that seconds earlier had a dolphin in it, just let me know -- I have plenty on my hard drive to share with you!

Come on Flipper, just show me your eye! Or at least, stand up on your tail fin and go backwards through the air by standing on your tail, like you do at SeaWorld! Oh well.

Dolphin tours, like whale tours (sometimes whale tours are known as Toby Tours! Seriously, click the Toby link for some fun!) are usually best with the camera left in the car. See them, enjoy them, and remember them. I used a long telephoto lens: 200 mm, and the dolphins were still small in my pictures. So, imagine what they look like in some disposable camera or digital point and shoot. You’d have to get out a microscope to look at the little speck in the middle of your picture! Besides, they are gone by the time you aim and shoot your picture anyway. My advice is just go and enjoy it -- and then buy a postcard of a dolphin to show your friends. I mean, hey, who doesn’t know what a dolphin looks like, anyway? Take your cameras to SeaWorld, but not on an ocean tour.

Afterwards, we got some ice cream at the Sugar Shack. Since I’m not watching what I’m eating because I’m on vacation, hence, the Toby Tours link above, I wanted to go all out and get a banana split. If I’m going to eat a bunch of calories, I might as well eat A BUNCH of calories! Well, to my heart’s chagrin, but my triglyceride level’s glee, they were out of bananas and thus not serving them. Laura and I went with our old stand-by: chocolate for her, mint chocolate-chip for me.

Later, we saw the lighthouse we visited the other day, this time at dusk, and then rented the movie: Hitman. Good action, terrible acting.

Tomorrow’s plan is to follow the advice of the Eagles band, and “Take it easy.” We might go kayaking, we might sleep on the beach. It’s vacation, so who knows!

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com

The Beach and Downtown

Today was a beautiful day. Sunny, clear skies, but a little breezy. It rained off and on yesterday, but today was gorgeous. It was nice to be outside, however, it was just chilly enough that it took some getting used to when getting in the ocean, instead of just leaping right in.

I frolicked in the waves while Sweet Pea observed from the warmth of the sandy shore. We took it easy today, just hanging out by the water, soaking in the sun, and doing whatever we wanted.

In the afternoon, we headed back to the Fort Pulaski, because we weren’t able to see everything that we had wanted to because it had started raining. We saw another civil war reenactment by a southern soldier discussing the building (and then destroying of) the fort we were in. He was fascinating to listen to, as he slowly and purposefully spoke each word.

Robert E. Lee as a young officer, designed a way to drain the swamp that Ft. Pulaski was built upon. The Union army, stationed a few miles away, on Tybee Island, couldn’t penetrate the masonry walls of Pulaski. There was a large stalemate -- with 10,000 Union soldiers on the beach, and less than 350 Southern soldiers in the fort. (Alamo, anyone?) As a side note: I’m a Texan -- and I’m now upset that my spellcheck on this laptop doesn’t recognize the word Alamo. Disgusting.

Anyway, I digress. The Union soldiers were safe because anytime canons were fired at them on the beach from the fort, they just hit sand and nothing happened. The Southern soldiers were safe because nothing was breaking down the walls of their fort.

An interesting side note for any Buckeyes. The volunteer telling us all this asked if anyone was from Ohio. We “raised” our hands, a little bit. He said to us all, “I don’t mean to offend with this next joke.” “Cool” I thought -- looking at my wife! He told us a joke about General Sherman -- Born in Lancaster, Ohio and the nemesis of both Atlanta and the entire South.

As Sherman was ravaging and burning Atlanta, he wanted to take some time out and go see Stone Mountain, and take a little break (and see the laser light show!) When he got there, there was a southern soldier at the top of the mountain, screaming down to him, “Sherman is a sissy!” Well, the General didn’t take to kindly to this, so he asked for ten brave soldiers to go and “take care of him.” A few minutes later, everyone heard a lot of gunfire, and then silence, and then, that same southern soldier was hollering away at Sherman again! This was unacceptable! Sherman said, “This cannot be allowed to happen. I need 150 brave men to go up there and get rid of this pest.” So, 150 brave Union soldiers climbed up the mountain to get the soldier. A few minutes later, Sherman could see all 150 men walking back down the mountain, single file, with their hands on their heads! When their leader came up to the General, Sherman asked, “What happened?” The soldier replied, “Sir, it’s a trap. There are two southern soldiers up there!” I think everyone but Laura was chuckling! Maybe not.

But back to Fort Pulaski. A Union officer asked if he could use their newest weapon, a rifle canon, to attempt to break down the walls of the fort. Since the larger canons had no effect on the wall, his superiors felt like he would be wasting his time. Nevertheless, they allowed him to fire at the fort with the new, smaller canons. He and his men fired three rounds a minute, every minute of every hour, for thirty hours! Do you know what happened next? Can you see where this is going? The smaller rounds are what did the trick, and the southeast corner of the wall of fort Pulaski was breached. The first round to go through the wall skipped through the open courtyard and missed the gunpowder room by just a few feet. 40,000 pounds of ammunition and powder were stored in this room and if it had gone off, everyone inside fort Pulaski would be dead.

The moment that wall was breached, the U.S. got out of the fort building business. See, masonry walls were no longer good enough to protect soldiers. The lessons learned that very hour have guided our military strategy into WWI, WWII, and on. After that, we dug into the ground with trenches and bunkers were built, instead of forts, because the tremendous amount of sand in front of them is what can absorb the shock of mortar rounds and canon fire, not bricks and concrete. The Union army was safe on the beach with sand protecting them, but it was only a matter of time before the masonry of fort Pulaski would give up its secrets and precious cargo it held inside: Southern soldiers. History is fascinating . . .

After the the fort, we headed downtown to see what Savannah looked like and get something to eat. We walked around the planned downtown of Savannah and took in several parks and shops. We ate outdoors, at one of the many outdoor restaurants and had some great Italian food.

I haven’t sweat a drop -- the temperatures have been in the high sixties to high seventies, and the humidity has been below 20% so far. What a great week. Tomorrow, we’re headed out to see some Dolphins . . .

To post comments and more, visit TobyLaura.com