Shades of Gray

USS North Carolina BB-55

"I don't see how anyone could do it," she said.
"What?" I asked.
"This," she said, making a large circular motion with her arm.
"Oh, the battleship," I responded and added, "I think someone or some group decided what they wanted in a battleship and then hired a company to design and build it."
We were looking at a diagram of the BB 55, the USS North Carolina, while standing on the second deck of the ship.

All thirty-six thousand tons of the battleship North Carolina sits in the mud at low tide in Wilmington, NC.  It was a crisp April morning when we bought our discount tickets and boarded the iron and steel behemoth.  As soon as my feet set foot on the wooden deck I found myself behind a machine gun pointed skyward. I was in the footsteps of a man who had stood there almost seventy years ago. I could imagine how his eyes searched for a Japanese torpedo plane determined to sink his ship.

Claudette awakened me from my daydream and we walked aft under the enormous 16 inch guns.  Yes, the projectile was 16 inches in diameter.  Near the fantail is a Kingfisher floatplane.  It is perched on its center float much like some giant winged insect.  The North Carolina had two Vought OS2U Kingfishers, which were used for scouting the enemy.  Only one Kingfisher remains on the North Carolina, and both catapults used to launch the aircraft are no longer aboard. I tapped on the aircraft's float and heard that nice hollow ping of emptiness.

I really like airplanes, but what I really wanted to see were the big guns. We were near the aft (rear) gun turret. It's almost  as big as  a two car garage, with three big guns. There was a steel ladder extending from an open hatch.  I had to climb in. It was poorly illuminated inside.  Metal worn bare

Inside the aft gun Turret.

from usage shined in the darkness.  It was like being inside a machine. The mechanisms that moved the barrels of guns were visible as was the machinery which placed the projectiles and black powder into the breech of the guns.  The area was crowded but clean and smelled of machinery oil, and maybe a hint of burnt powder. Each gun is shown is various stages of being loaded. Cardboard cut-outs of men perform the work.

I needed to go below and see where the powder and projectiles were stored.    I extricated myslf from the gun turret and felt my feet firmly planted on the deck. "Here is a way to get down below," she said, standing beside a door marked, "Enter to go below decks." 
We found ourselves in the dining area or mess deck in navy speak.  There is a sameness about the naval ships I've been on. Their passageways, hatches, doors, decks, and compartments are the same.  They are reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon, Enterprise, Serenity and many other spaceships, or perhaps it's the other way around. Following the signs we found ourselves in the Fire Control Department.  Before I  joined the Navy I thought that fire control meant firemen.  Not so! Fire control refers to control of gun fire from the ships' giant guns. The compartment had plexiglas walls. This allowed the visitors to see the giant analog targeting devices used to calculate the targeting position for each of the nine 16 inch guns. These computers were the size of steamer trunks and were truly amazing mechanical devices. However, my cell phone has more computing power. The signs in the passageways pointed the way to the magazines.

There were more ladders before getting to where the munitions were stored.  We entered a circular room where bullet shaped projectiles taller than the man in front of me lined the walls. The projectiles are painted pale blue. Interesting. Could this be because pale blue is the school color of the University

Punch bowl USS North Carolina

of North Carolina?  Through a watertight door we went, and we were standing on the catwalk around a caverous circular room of about thirty-five feet in diameter and at least that depth below us. In the center is the shaft upon which the  gun turret rotates and the elevator for carrying the powder to the gun. We descended via a spiral ladder to the deck to see the powder magazine off to the side. Powder is neatly packaged in one hundred pound bags.

We climbed back to the upper deck to see the dining area again and visited the kitchen a.k.a. galley, the hospital, sick bay, as well as dental office, post office, and ships store.

Claudette raised her head up from the brochure and said, "Did you know there were 144 officers and 2,195 enlisted men including 100 Marines assigned to this ship?"

"No, not exactly, but I know battle wagons like this one had as many men as aircraft carriers," I answered. 

We continued to tour the ship, steering clear as much as possible of marauding teenagers. The crew's berthing area brought back memories.  I remember my rack as being 61 inches long and 21 inches wide. A piece of grommeted canvas was laced to the aluminum frame with a mattress on top. These were before the advent of foam rubber and instead probably used the usual mattress material. I once had the top rack.  There were three men underneath me. It was kind of like sleeping on a shelf. You slid your body in and out.

Continuing our walk Claudette noted, "The officers sure had better quarters," as we looked through the plexiglass wall of a junior officers shared stateroom."Yes, they did, and the senior officers had private staterooms.  Wait 'til you see the wardroom where the officers had their meals!"

But we did not see the wardroom on the USS North Carolina.  It had been converted into a hospitality area to be used for social or business events.  However, the silver punchbowl, cups, and silver tea set were on display. Examples of the ship's china and silverware were there too.

As we ascended the superstructure we were inundated by middleschoolers.  Some were extremely rude and had to be counseled with. The bridge housing  the ship's steering wheel, the helm in navy speak, was fairly crowded with tourists.  I failed to find the telegraph which sent the messages to the engineroom regarding the ship's speed. While in the superstructure we saw the captain's at sea cabin, the chartroom, and CIC, the Combat Information Center.  We found the ladders full of students as we descended to the main deck.  I took a close look at a twenty-five foot motor whaleboat with its small diesel engine.  After some kids stopped playing on one of the anti-aircraft gun tubs I was able to seat myself behind the gunsights and raise and lower the gun with the handcrank.  I blasted every Zero out of the Wilmington sky! 

They call it Gaudy

I banged my head on the ceiling. It was not the first time, but it was the first time I had banged my head on the ceiling of a first century church.  We were in Cappadocia, Turkey, visting an early Christian church. Carved into a volcanic rock mountain, there was a narrow nave leading to an alter. Above it were crude images of crosses carved into the stone, and, of course, the ever present fish symbol.  I was struck by the simplicity of the sanctuary, which was quite a contrast to the  Sagrada Famalia in Barcelona, Spain.

I had never been a big fan of Antoni Gaudi Cornet, the  Catalan architect of the great Spanish church. I remember him from Art Apre. 101, but his designs seemed a bit bizarre to me The shapes were too amorphous, almost organic, and his use of concrete and ironwork seemed crude. I could well understand how we created the English word, gaudy, as a not so glorious comment on his work. But then I traveled to Spain and learned to appreciate, nay enjoy, the work of Gaudi. My appreciation came from the many displays and exhibits at Casa Mila. There I learned that Gaudi based much of his designs on those designs in the plant and animal kingdoms. Also, his style is in some ways a reflection of his heritage.  Gaudi's ancestry was filled with ironworkers, stone masons, carpenters, and other craftsmen. You can see this influence in his work. Gaudi had a unique working method, in that he rarely drew plans of his designs.  He preferred to make three-dimensional models of them.

It was not my intent to visit Basilica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Famalia, more commonly known as Sagrada Familia.  However, due to the urging of the dear sweet lady to whom I am married, I visited one of the most popular World Heritage Sites. We got off the bus and walked a few blocks to the construction site. I say construction site, because the construction of the cathedral started in '82, that was 1882, and it isn't complete yet.  As you look skyward there are eight spires reaching over 500 feet into the brilliant Spanish sky with construction cranes beside them.  It doesn't really make for a "Kodak Moment". There are many people in line. I don't like lines. I think my dislike for lines stems from my time in military service. We wait in line.  After all, it is the Sagrada Familia.

When you enter Sagrada Familia one of the first things you notice is how different it is from other cathedrals. Of course there is the extremely high ceiling in which you envision a cloud. It seems to lack the classic cruciform shape. There seems to be a total lack of sharp edges. The structure seems to "flow" around you.  There is space for 9,000 people.  It is vast.  The giant columns reach for the vaulted ceiling, but before reaching it form branches like those of trees.  And then there is the light. Light beams into the sacred space through stained glass and unstained glass windows. The stained glass images are abstract, stylized like that of all sculpture in the cathedral. The floor and white interior walls are bathed in ever-changing color and interesting shadows. A time lapse video of this would be spectacular! We ventured outside after studying the alter and its crucifix bathed in color.

There are three facades to the Sagrada Familia. The Passion. The Glory. The Nativity.  The Nativity was completed first, while the Glory Facade is yet to be completed. The sculptures and relief carvings are very ornate. Gaudi's love of nature is expressed in the amount of vegetation created in stone and concrete. (I wonder if Gaudi's vegetarian eating habits contributed to his love of plants.) Looking up, we see the eight spires. There are to be eighteen of them depicting the twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ. Christ's spire is in the center and the tallest.  The structure is awesome. But somehow that descriptive term seems to be inadequate.

We enjoyed our visit to Sagrada Familia, and if per chance we visit Barcelona again it will be on our "must see" list.

Wikipedia Photo

New Stuphphffz

I like new stuff but I'm cheap.  I prefer getting the best value. As you know from these blog posts I like to travel.  And because much of it involves flying I am constantly trying to find ways to reduce the amount of baggage I carry. other than baggage, another thing I dislike, although I favor the reason for it, is airport security. I do not hurry well.  And it seems TSA is always hurrying me. My problem is that when I carry my laptop and CPAP machine.   I have to open both before they are scanned.  I don't like this. Both are necessary.  The CPAP for my health and my laptop for blogging, emailing, editing photos and video and so on. One way I have found to lighten the load is to leave my Macbook at home.  I've found that my cell phone, a Samsung Galaxy SIII, with the proper apps can perform all the functions I use my laptop for while traveling.   Wifi is not always available so it's necessary to store posts and other data occasionally. Since I am budget conscious, the hardware and software is the least expensive kind. Dare I call this additional hardware peripherals?

Hardware 

• USB-on-the go  (4 ports to connect USB plugs to phone)
• Roll-up keyboard
• Micro-mouse
• Memory card reader/writer ( I bought one that accepts 3 types of cards)
• Flash drive
• Memory cards

Software AKA Apps

• file manager app

Wireless (Bluetooth) mice and keyboards are available. My archaic versions were about $10.
Since flashdrives and memory cards serve the same purpose you can use either.  I prefer to use my flash drive for such things as movies and the cards for storage.  Also a card reader allows you to down load images or video  from your camera if you don't used the camera in your phone.
The file managing app is a must.  You must have a method for moving files to your storage devices as well as having access to the information stored on cards or flash drives.

This set-up has reduced my carry-on weight considerably as well has presenting a more compact system.

Out of the Night

I remember it as though it were yesterday, when I was a youngster in my second year as a teenager.  I stood on the platform in early November.  The street lamps dimly lit the brick structure trimmed in dark green. I was at the railroad  depot waiting for the train along with my classmates from Northside Junior High School.  As an eighth grade student, I was going on a class trip to Washington, D.C.  My breath turned into steam in the early winter air. The crowd was buzzing with excitement.  And then it appeared, the Southern Crescent. It appeared almost as an apparition. Big, silver, and green with the "pissh" of compressed air escaping.  With the muffled sound of huge diesel engines like a herd of stampeding cattle ready to be unleashed on the prairie.

That was over half a century ago, but today I wished to relive the moment by finding that locomotive.  We arrived at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina, about 11 A.M.  According to the website train rides were available at 11, 1, and 2 respectively. After parking in the large parking lot we made our way into the train station. The station was built in 1898 in Barber Junction, NC, but moved to this location and renovated in 1996.  The ticket agent was quite helpful and gave us a map of the 57 acre museum after pointing out several features. I wasn't particularly interested in a train ride. (We'd ridden the train in Chattanooga  last year.) However, my better half wanted to.  Since this was primarily a "guy stuff" museum I said "OK".

We got our tickets and were waiting for the train when what seemed like all the elementary school children in the state appeared. I was about to voice my displeasure when I saw two tour busses drive into the parking lot, and, yes, they carried children as well. We boarded and went to the very last car, hopefully for a little solitude.  Our hopes were short lived. I don't think they'd taken their meds.  My wife and I did survive the train ride, which would have been more interesting had we been able to hear the guide's commentary about the Spencer Shops.  The museum encompasses the former repair shops of the Southern Railroad.

When we alighted from the train we noted that it was noon and most of the children and assorted parents, teachers, and others had gravitated to the picnic tables in a covered area near a large orange railway car.  As we passed them by we thought we may be able to visit some exhibits with some reasonable amount of quiet.

We saw collection of old wagons and buggies and such before seeing the antique automobile collection. I was surprised to see an old electric car, a 1913 Rauch and Lang, like the one I had seen at The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento.   I had thought they were extremely rare.  It was a nice collection, and I particularly liked the 1939 Ford race car. The little sedan reminded me of the cars I used to watch at the fairgrounds race track in the days of my youth. I liked the cars, but I was really interested in finding that big green and silver locomotive.

We made a dodge around the gift shop to a huge building.  It was a bit bigger than a two bull* Bi-Lo grocery store. This building was one of the biggest disappointments of our visit.  This large building, over 100,000 square feet, was visible only from a small area inside the entrance doors.  There were several airplanes, fire trucks, antique cars, and other forms of transportation, but you weren't allowed to get close enough to see any details.  This was very disheartening.

Next we saw the roundhouse. This surrounds the turntable on one side.  The turntable could turn the locomotives around and allowed them to be stored in various bays in the round house. This roundhouse has thirty-seven bays and is the largest still operational in the United States. I was getting excited.  Maybe the Southern Crescent locomotive was here!  We looked at the giant steam locomotives of the past. Steam power. These behemoths could reach speeds nearing one hundred miles per hour as they hurtled through the countryside on their steel roadways moving men and freight. I really enjoyed looking at the huge engines.  The controls of the engineers were simple in the cabs that operated these monsters, and to think, it was all about boiling water.

There were railcars on display.  Some were the opulent ones from the early twentieth century. Their parlors and bedrooms were like those of grand hotels of that era. There was a hospital car and a mail car as well as a caboose or two. But, alas, no big diesel locomotive. I looked carefully at the passenger cars of the 1950's.  Just maybe, I would find one like I traveled in.  One in which the most beautiful girl in the eighth grade rode.  The seat right behind mine. I think I stared at her for two hundred miles. But, I found no such passenger car.

We found ourselves  in a space with a reproduction of the Wright Brothers Flyer and assorted other exhibits. There was a huge diesel engine from a locomotive there. Unfortunately, it wasn't cutaway so that you could see the inner workings.  There was a piston beside it though. I was surprised at how small it was, about 8-10 inches in diameter. I thought it would have been at least as big as that of a diesel powered submarine.

Through another door we found the restoration shops.  This was about the time **blue million school kids came by. We stuck ourselves against the wall and let them scamper by with the adults in tow. There were about a half dozen locomotives in various stages of repair.  One big diesel was decked out in white and purple stripes.  Atlantic Coast line #501 was built in 1939.  But there was no Southern Railway #6900, the object of my quest.  According to the website it should have been there.  But I guess some things aren't meant to be.

It was a great visit, and we stayed about four hours before heading south., but not before  eating at "The Best Barbecue Place in Spencer".

*In South Carolina there is a chain of grocery stores named Bi-Lo.  Initially all stores had a fiberglass Hereford bull on the top of the store over the entrance. The largest stores had two bulls.  The smallest stores only had a bull's head over the entrance. Therefore, store size was equated to the number of bulls it had.

** too many to count 

A short video I made about steam.

Rythmically Challenged.

I'm not sure when I developed this condition, but I think it's inherited.  I never knew what it was called until recently. Let me tell you about it.

When I was a kid I was always the last one picked for the ball team.  Something to do with coordination. I don't have unusually large feet, but I seem to stumble over them.  I don't really feel alive if I don't have some kind of abrasion on my body somewhere. (Daddy was like that too.) I was never very good with hammers.  Actually, a couple of fingers on my left hand are flatter than those of my right. I would sometimes manage to hit the wrong nail.
I had great difficulty in the Navy boot camp.  We had to march a lot. But when the company had competition drill, I was always sent to sick bay. My company commander would tell me to use my imagination to stay at sick bay until competition drill was over. It is a Navy requirement that a sailor be able to swim.  Swimming requires that limbs be moved in some sort of synchronization.   I had great difficulty with that. Later in life I realized that part of my problem was that I have difficulty determining left from right.  Many times I have given directions to someone who would never reach their destination. Well, let's just say that I should not have been critical of their getting lost.

All of these things really culminated when I, my wife, and my nephew were attending one of Ann Caldwell's Gullah gospel services at the Circular Congregational Church on Meeting Street during one of Charleston's many festivals. Ann was tremendous in showing the uninformed what a church service  of the Carolina low country is really like. She led us through the "Amen" responses and other responses and then  the gospel shuffle. The shuffle goes like this.  The parishioners hold hands and sway left and right to the rhythm of the music. There were about twenty-five people in our row, and twenty-four were swaying to the right, but one was trying to sway to the left.  Guess who?  Ms. Caldwell remarked that I was "rhythmically challenged".  And that was the first time I ever knew exactly what my condition was.

Through the years I've learned to live with my condition though. And there was that one time I really overcame it.  I think it was sometime in the eighties, when I was a U.S. Army reservist.  We were at Fort Gordon, Georgia, for our annual two weeks training.  Part of that training was a certain physical fitness test requiring running. We were finishing the last part of a run, and the whole company was running, actually more like jogging. We were all in sync, in step, one hundred left feet hitting the ground together followed by one hundred right feet hitting the ground together. and mine was one of them.  I was in step. Me. That day, for a few minutes in the Georgia sun, I overcame my handicap.  And it felt good!