Saw this cartoon in the Wall Street Journal. Very appropriate.
Help on the Way
Hopefully you’ll never need the services of a med-evac helicopter like the one pictured below.
This is one operated by PENNSTAR, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. I’ve seen these helicopters in action. It’s impressive. The pilot’s fly in all kinds of weather and have to land at the sites of car wrecks, train derailments, even other plane crashes. This is difficult duty to say the least. Then there is the pressure of flying with someone’s life in danger, which adds more pressure to an already stressful task.
So, my thanks go out to the pilots, nurses, and staff of this system. Hopefully, I’ll never see the inside of one of those helicopters. But you never know.
Proud Postage
Consistent with my use of fountain pens is my affection for written correspondence. Thus, there is the need for postage and lately I’ve found the stamps produced by the United States Postal Service to be less than inspired. They’re just in a rut; sooner or later they’ll deliver some good ones. In the mean time I have a source for great stamps. Here’s a shot of just a few of them:
Of course, my favorite is the Gadsden Flag in the upper left corner. (That’s the one that says, “Don’t Tread On Me.”) Don’t miss the George S. Patton one in the upper right, either. There are the ones with the American Revolution theme, space exploration, and nautical history. My supplier must have a deep well of these because I send approximately 50-60 pieces of mail to both US and international destinations each month. He’s never run out and I’m grateful.
These stamps are works of art and a sort of time capsule that capture history and the mood of the age. Compared to anemic email with it’s slang, shortcuts, silly animations, these stamps stand tall. And they should. The recipients of my letters and cards frequently comment on how they like the stamps. Drop someone a handwritten note once in a while to show your affection and appreciation. After all, that’s what friends are for.
Single Screw
There are fewer and fewer single screw tugboats around these days. And a captain who knows how to operate them is another rarity. However, there is the legendary Captain Silva, a good friend of mine, and master of most anything afloat, including these old boats with a single propeller and lots of history. Thus, he and I traveled to visit one of the smaller incarnations of such nautical engineering just the other day, a boat he operates from time to time, named the Thomas Brown. This tug was in drydock for some love and affection as you can see below:
The guys are working to reattach the bow fender, which is no easy task given that it has to be bent and pulled fast to the shape of the hull. Here is a shot of stern:
You can see the scale of the hull and that single propeller by comparing both to the man standing on the right. The propeller is about six feet in diameter, which may sound large, but is actually small as things go in these matters. This boat has an engine that develops a mere 850 horsepower. Here’s a closer look at that prop.
It’s all shiny and clean for today. Won’t be long before this boat is back in the water, towing barges, nudging larger vessel to the dock, and roaming the harbor in search of work. The Thomas Brown is a handsome boat, one that features traditional lines that passed down from the earliest of vessels. It’s also the last of a breed. Single screw boats are simply not built anymore. So, when this one is finished, it’ll be lost to the scrapper’s torch. But not yet! There’s still work to be done.
The Bent Page 
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