Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

A Hardy Feast on Fathers Day

It is interesting that “Fathers Day” and “Hardy Feast” are anagrams of one another; that is, each phrase contains all the same letters in a different order.

In fact, the entire weekend – Friday the 13th, Flag Day and Fathers Day each featured a “Hardy Feast.” Patty Melts on Friday, a Seafood Bake on Flag Day and Surf and Turf with Beef Tenderloin Steaks (a.k.a. Filet Mignon) and Salmon Steaks served with a green salad on Fathers Day.

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads, Granddads and Great Grandads out there. If there are any Great-Great Granddads left, then a special shout out to y’all.

15 Jun 2025 by Family Food & Dining Holidays Humor Notions 0

Flag Day 2025

About Flag Day

Flag Day is a national holiday in the United States, celebrated on June 14th to commemorate the adoption of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777. The flag has a rich history and is a symbol of freedom and justice, with its design representing the 13 original colonies and the 50 states. The flag’s colors have specific meanings: red represents valor and bravery, white represents purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

The first flag of this design was carried into battle on September 11, 1777, during the Battle of Brandywine. Flag Day is not a federal holiday, but it is observed nationally, and Pennsylvania recognizes it as a state holiday. The largest Flag Day celebration in Michigan takes place in Three Oaks, which claims to be the nation’s largest Flag Day celebration.

Donald J. Trump, the 45th and 47th President of the United States, was born on June 14, 1946. This date coincidentally coincides with Flag Day, which is celebrated on June 14th to commemorate the adoption of the U.S. flag.

June 14 is also the 250th anniversary of the Commissioning of the United States Army. Hooah!

About our Flags

In the image above, we proudly fly the American Flag on most days of the year. The flag shown in the image was manufactured in the USA by Grace Alley Flags, a company that produces high quality flags available from their website or through Amazon. Their flags have embroidered stars and sewn stripes. No cheap printed colors.

We have recently procured another high-quality American Flag, also produced in the USA, from Alliance Flags, who produce the similar quality as the Alley flags, but cost about three times as much. As of this writing, Alliance is offering a 25% discount across their product line. You may have seen Alliance advertising on TV in recent weeks.

14 Jun 2025 by Holidays Notions Patriotism Something Shiny 0

Operation Overlord 81st Anniversary

Image credit: deviantart.com.

Operation Overlord: A Turning Point in World History

Operation Overlord was the codename for the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France during World War II. It took place on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, and marked a significant turning point in the war. The operation involved a massive airborne assault and amphibious landing on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast.

The invasion was carried out by a coalition of American, British, Canadian, and French forces, with the goal of liberating Western Europe from German occupation. The operation involved over 156,000 troops, 5,000 ships and landing craft, and extensive air support. The Allied forces faced fierce resistance from German troops, but ultimately secured a foothold on the continent. The successful execution of Operation Overlord paved the way for the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe.

After all of the blood treasure lost during the “Crusade in Europe,” it is a damn shame that many of the “liberated” European countries have gone to the hard left and are again flirting with socialist policies that generally have doomed nations in the past. Combine that tendency with the influx of foreign (read Islamist) insurgents to further endanger the citizenry to “intifada.”

We pray daily for the Almighty to temper the growth of the invasion and to restore freedom and for those nations to eject the invaders.

On this anniversary of D-Day, we will be remembering the efforts of the western nations and our USA Armed Forces to liberate Europe from the evils then, and praying for those nations to regain the liberty that they were given by the sacrifice of so many who believed in restoring their freedom in 1944.

06 Jun 2025 by Military Nostalgia 0

Memorial Day 2025

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” – Ronald Reagan

Honoring the Fallen

As we observe Memorial Day, we remember the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy. Their ultimate act of service is a testament to the enduring spirit of patriotism and courage that defines our nation. From the Revolutionary War to the present day, American heroes have fought and died for our country, leaving behind families, friends, and communities forever changed by their loss.

Let us reverently remember them on this Memorial Day.

26 May 2025 by Holidays Military 0

Starlink Mini Performance Report

We live in sort of a low hollow area in our semi-rural desert home with rising terrain to the north and a couple of places towards the southwest. Even under conditions of placing the Starlink Mini dish on the roof of the house, we would have a limited view of the sky. That being said, I did not want to climb up on the roof to put the dish up there, so I placed it on the spa in the Arizona Room (screened-in patio) by the RV Drive behind the house. Due to the limited sky view from the patio, the Starlink App reports the following 3-D graphic of the obstructions the unit “sees.”

The “dish,” in reality, is a planar phased array antenna which scans the sky for satellite signals and plots the areas blocked by obstructions. The App admonishes that the map of obstructions is collected over several hours and should be stable-ish after a while. The map shown has been integrated over the last day or so with the current antenna placement. Blue equals clear sky shot and red is obstructed. The white square is the antenna. I estimate clear sky to be no more than 35-40 percent of the dome. Regardless of the overwhelming obstructions, the system can deliver the performance seen in the OOKLA download rate seen below.

That rate is sufficient to do most internet streaming services, but may not perform as well for interactive gaming or other similar stuff for which we have no need. There is a caveat on the megabit performance shown; the satellite constellation is on the move and the performance (rate) may suffer as things go in and out of range, so some buffering (delays) may be possible.

Another note of interest: during the past few weeks, our Cox Internet Cable has gone down for several hours at a time. With the (approximate) setup shown in the top image, we continued internet service in spite of the outages on the cable.

We should do OK on the road with all of our internet needs as we take off for a nice long RV excursion in a few weeks.

This is not a paid plug, but I notice that the Starlink Mini is on sale for 40 percent off or so ($299 vs $499).

17 May 2025 by Aerospace Cyberspace Notions Rocket Science Technobabble

Armed Forces Day

Take a few moments today, to think about and pray for our military heroes, past, present and future. Pray for their safety, security and success in their efforts to keep America safe and secure. Pray for their renewal and restoration to be the mightiest force in the world, that they might ensure peace on Earth.

Image courtesy of Mark Alexander and the Patriot Post.

In his first annual message in January of 1790, then-President George Washington declared, “To be prepared for war, is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” In his 1793 annual message, Washington said likewise, “If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.”

That is a timeless truth attributed to Roman author Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus’s tract, “Concerning Military Matters” (c400 AD), in which he wrote what is now paraphrased in Latin, “Si vis pacem, para bellum” — “If you want peace, prepare for war.”

Our Founders understood the merits of a strong defense, as all learned men throughout history have understood, but presidents who have neglected to heed the wisdom of that maxim are responsible for the loss of thousands of American military lives when unprepared for war, as was the case with Franklin Roosevelt before World War II.

Clearly, Donald Trump is the strongest advocate of “Si vis pacem, para bellum” since President Ronald Reagan, and our Armed Forces know they have a commander-in-chief they can both respect and trust.

Si vis pacem, para bellum, indeed. If you seek peace, prepare for war.

17 May 2025 by Military Patriotism

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