Thank our veterans - all gave some - some gave all.

I would like to call your attention to a current activity regarding the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11/2001. A group of California firefighters have launched their “Ride for 9-11” cross country cycling event.

The riders are trying to raise money for both the Leary Firefighters Foundation and the Wounded Warriors Project. Check out their website to read more.

RIDE FOR 9-11

We are a team of firefighters that will be cycling across the United States to honor those whose lives were lost 10 years ago on September 11, 2001 and those who continue to fight for our freedom and safety.

The Ride For 9-11 will commence July 24, 2011 in Hollywood CA and end in New York City at the FDNY Firefighters Memorial on September 9, 2011.

By the way, the Never Forget Tribute counter (seen in the right sidebar) is on schedule to surpass 75 million hits by 9-11.

We celebrated with beef tenderloin (filet mignon) steaks on the grill and a nice quiet dinner on the patio. Last night, we saw the fireworks from Sunset Park just to the west of us, followed by some awesome summer monsoon thunderstorms in the area.

Ramirez proposes a slight modification to the pledge of allegiance.

Happy 4th of July weekend everybody. Light posting to follow.

Several times during the year, the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce places American flags in the historic downtown area and along the two main drags through town. Today, Flag Day, we ventured out for several errands and were delighted at the patriotic display. This image was taken along East Wickenburg Way (US 60) near old downtown looking west. Click on the image to enlarge.

Never forget the sacrifices made by our fathers, brothers, mothers, and sisters in liberty. Amen.

I thought it would be nice for the summer and our upcoming July 4th celebration, to put some patriotic decorations out. I got some bouquets of plastic flowers the other day with a red, white and blue theme and placed them around the base of our new mailbox. Very Pretty, don’t you think? Click on the image to enlarge.

From Mark Alexander at The Patriot Post

It is notable that Veterans Day shares the same anniversary date as the signing of the Mayflower Compact in 1620. That simple document, after all, is the taproot of a great nation, now a shining beacon of Liberty, which owes its very existence to the toils and trials of generations of American Veterans.

From the cold winter winds at Valley Forge in 1777 to the deadly terrain of the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan today, generations of American Patriots have stood fast in defense of Liberty and at great cost.

I am certain I will never meet a seasoned war Veteran who is fond of combat, but to a man, every Patriot concurs with John Stuart Mill’s timeless note on the subject: “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

I am equally certain that these Patriots, like millions of others since the 1789 founding of our Republic, have honored their “sacred oaths” to support and defend the Liberty enshrined in our Constitution, against all enemies foreign and domestic.

God Bless our veterans!

Just in time for Patriot Day 2010, our Never Forget Tribute just ticked over 65 million views.

Buck Up for Wounded Warriors will be having a car show and riding their motorcycles in a police and fire-escorted 9/11 parade in Prescott, AZ today. Visit their site for details.

As we have done for several years, we are again honoring our 9/11 victim, Mark Zeplin and all the victims of Islamic Terrorism:

Damsel and I are very proud to be able to honor Marc Scott Zeplin on the eighth anniversary of the Islamic Terrorist Attacks against America on September 11, 2001 and to be part of the 2996 Project. This is the fourth year we have posted about Marc Scott Zeplin.

“Zep” is what his friends called him. Zep was one of the 2996 victims who perished in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Marc Scott Zeplin, age 33.

Place killed: World Trade Center. Resident of Harrison, N.Y. (USA).

Marc Zeplin worked in the World Trade Center offices of Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services company. Reading what Marc’s friends and family have written about him, Marc was well-liked and respected by peers, friends and others who wrote words about him following his death.

The following is from Zep’s tribute at the memorial site that his company set up to remember their employees that were lost in the attack:

Date of Birth: January 12, 1968

Department: Equity Sales

A group of friends named and registered a star in the heavens in memory of Marc Zeplin. How fitting as he was a star in the eyes of so many.

Successful as an equity trader, he formed close relationships with his clients but he was foremost a family man. Marc was very caring and devoted to his wife Debra, sons Ryan (3 yrs old) and Ethan (10 months), parents, sister and in-laws. He adored his children and treasured the time he spent with them. Marc was very proud of the new home he and his wife built in Westchester and enjoyed the change from urban to suburban living.

Raised in Long Island, Marc attended Oceanside High School and the University of Michigan where he also continued to earn a master’s degree in the acclaimed business school. Marc’s first career calling was sports casting. He loved sports of all kinds and enjoyed broadcasting games in Michigan during his college years. However, when he returned to New York, he found immediate employment in the financial world and soon after started at Cantor Fitzgerald where he became a partner.

Marc was truly a “master of the word.” He knew how and what to say in order to put you at ease, make you laugh or help you resolve a problem. Marc loved people. He had many friends and demonstrated a zest for living life to the fullest. He was tops in every way. He even worked at the top. The right position for so many years unfortunately was wrong on only one day - September 11, 2001.

— Debra Zeplin and Leora Zeplin, Marc’s Wife and Mother.

Please join us today as we remember Marc Zeplin and the rest of the victims of those attacks, and please, NEVER FORGET.

We enjoyed our hybrid* BBQ ribs for the Fourth of July Holiday entreé. Damsel prepared steamed cauliflower, Mediterranean pasta salad and baked beans as side dishes for this tasty treat. Click on the image to enlarge.

*Hybrid refers to the way we prepare them. After we cut the rack into two halves, they go in the crock pot slow cooker along with two six ounce cans of apple juice and one six ounce can of pineapple juice, salt and pepper to taste (we don’t use salt). They cook on high for two or three hours and are then transferred to the grill where they get browned while basting with Damsel’s homemade barbecue sauce.