After a week off getting up "whenever", today started with the unfortunate necessity of arising early in order to get coffee and a light breakfast prior to catching the ferry to Capri. From Positano the ferry ride is about one hour. Seas were fairly calm today. Capri has seen human habitation since the Stone Age, but became a Roman resort and refuge during the Republic and Empire. Augustus had a large villa there, and in 27 CE Tiberius established himself there and ruled from Capri until he died about ten years later. The Villa Jovis established by Augustus is still a popular tourist destination. The two towns on the island are Capri city surrounding and slightly above the harbor, and Anacapri, high above the sea. But the bucket list item is the Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzura). ... read more

After deciding knee replacement was not critically necessary, decided to head over to Salerno and Paestum. The coast from Salerno to Paestum was the site of the Allied landing in September 1943. The joint British-American assault was designed to keep the Germans fighting rather than replenishing, to keep the German troops tied up so they could not be sentenced to help in Russia, and to give the Allies a route though what Churchill called the soft underbelly of Europe. As Gen. Mark Clark later remarked, "That was some gut". Although some of these objectives were achieved, Italy with its mountainous terrain proved to be a tough slog. The Americans landed mostly near Paestum, including the 36th (Texas) Infantry Division, thousands of whose men Clark pushed into a suicidal attack at the Rapido River later with the ... read more

Awakening at 4 A.M. despite a sleeping pill proved to be a losing proposition, and only lasted through an hour or more of e-mails etc. when next I became aware, it was 11:30, and so breakfast became lunch With added cappuccino. Actually, a glass of Greco di Tufo goes very nicely with cappuccino and spaghetti con agile, olio, y pepperoncini. The heart shape in the milk froth shaped the morning actually early afternoon). the free glass of limoncello may have been a little much for starting that day, but what the heck - it was forced on me. The walk down into the heart of town is manageable, although coming back up was a little more challenging. As always in Positano, the views are spectacular. The hillsides are covered with buildings and terraces for growing lemons. ... read more

I was troubled by me inability to find the origin of the phrase "as long as the grass shall grow and the waters flow" and similar phrases often used in connoting the length of the Ft. Laramie Treaties. Upon my return to Oklahoma, I asked for help from Robert Henry, and as usual he knew exactly who would be able to find the answer. Prof. Blue Clark at Oklahoma City University research this for me and found that the earliest reference is probably from 1818 and was from Andrew Jackson in instructions to Maj. David Haley for a proposed meeting with Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians. It is still widely felt in the Native American populace as being one of the most treacherous phrases used by the man they often consider the worst American President (many would ... read more

Whether as a sacred place to native Americans, or as a geologic marvel, or as a meeting place for close encounters of the third kind, Devils Tower looms large in American culture, and thus constituted our first destination as we departed Gillette. The iconic basalt column rises right out of the plain a few miles northeast of Gillette, and constituted only a small detour from our path to the Black Hills. It is visible from miles away, but its true grandeur and scale can only be appreciated close up. As we drove in, our stop at the entrance yielded a brochure similar to all the national park brochure, but to our surprise the most prominent quote in the brochure was from our friend N. Scott Momaday from his book The Way to Rainy Mountain: "A dark ... read more