Tank birthday, 55+ years

[Glenner’sreef]

Yesterday the "Honor Flight" organization invited me along with 50 other Veterans who came on the flight to Washington DC with me to a reunion where they honored us again with a big presentation and band. They read my Army Bio. as they did with everyone else. I didn't realize it but it was televised. We went to a diner this morning and someone pointed out that I was on TV which was playing while we were there.

(Only about 35 Vets showed up.) It was in an air museum where they have about 30 working WW2 air craft including Japanese Zero's and German planes. They even flew a Bi-plane.

A lot of great pictures and a beautiful family. Congrats! And above all, thank you for your service. We should have a banner for recognizing great (separate from reefs) achievements. You’d definitely have my vote. God bless bud.

 

[Paul B]

Thank you Glen. I may have to join the broadcasters union as I was on TV 3 times in the last 6 monthes. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

The band was from the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Very nice.

 

[jtess7]

That’s awesome Paul! We appreciate you sharing your experience all these years.

Joe

 

[Paul B]

Thank you Joe. I appreciate it.

 

[MnFish1]

Nice job/picture!!!

 

[Paul B]

I have a lot more hair algae in my tank now than I would like. It's from the Long Island Sound water that I collect and I can't collect it any more because of the nutrients from all the golf courses and farms around here. If I want to collect NSW now I have to travel almost an hour east to get cleaner water and I don't know how many times I want to do that.

Collecting in the winter shouldn't be a problem.

Where I collect now, the boulders on the shoreline are covered in algae.

 

[vlangel]

I have a lot more hair algae in my tank now than I would like. It's from the Long Island Sound water that I collect and I can't collect it any more because of the nutrients from all the golf courses and farms around here. If I want to collect NSW now I have to travel almost an hour east to get cleaner water and I don't know how many times I want to do that.

Collecting in the winter shouldn't be a problem.

Where I collect now, the boulders on the shoreline are covered in algae.

That is disturbing, isn't it. Definitely not a healthy trend for our natural ecosystems!

 

[Paul B]

No, it's not. The amount of garbage they use on lawns and farms is staggering. Who knows what it's doing to us. I know when I was a kid my cousin had a house near here when it was all woods. There were bugs and especially moths all over the place especially on lights. Now we never see even one. I wonder what happened to them?

 

[Paul B]

My caterpillars that I found on my parsley started to turn into butterflies

 

[vlangel]

No, it's not. The amount of garbage they use on lawns and farms is staggering. Who knows what it's doing to us. I know when I was a kid my cousin had a house near here when it was all woods. There were bugs and especially moths all over the place especially on lights. Now we never see even one. I wonder what happened to them?

Yes, my husband and I worked on a farm when we were dating and some of the pesticides the farmer used were very toxic.
Even now I have noticed a decline in the amount of lightening bugs compared to 38 years ago when we first moved in our suburban home. We have 2 acres and don't treat our lawn but the once field across the street now turned into high end plan homes all treat their lawns. I wonder if that has impacted the lightening bugs.
And then there is the monarch butterflies that are not in my garden anymore. I used to always have monarchs but haven't seen a single one yet this year. Its so sad.

 

[Paul B]

Thats true. We don't even have mosquitoes any more. Not that I like or want them, but what happened to all of them? There are ponds all over this place but I never get a mosquito bite. Should I be happy about that? I am not sure. I agree about the lightning bugs. We also have very few now and rarely do I see a butterfly unless I hatched the thing.

We do still have plenty of ants. Maybe they don't like the taste of insect poison. :confused:

They also fly over here and spray for ticks. I wonder whats in that? In Vietnam they used to fly over us and spray Agent Orange. How did that work out?

 

[vlangel]

Thats true. We don't even have mosquitoes any more. Not that I like or want them, but what happened to all of them? There are ponds all over this place but I never get a mosquito bite. Should I be happy about that? I am not sure. I agree about the lightning bugs. We also have very few now and rarely do I see a butterfly unless I hatched the thing.

We do still have plenty of ants. Maybe they don't like the taste of insect poison. :confused:

They also fly over here and spray for ticks. I wonder whats in that? In Vietnam they used to fly over us and spray Agent Orange. How did that work out?

Wow Paul, I also noticed here is western Pennsylvania that we haven't had mosquitos this summer. My hubby and I sit on our patio and look out into our yard almost every night until dark but haven't been chased in this year by those pesky blood sucker's! I thought maybe it was just an off year but maybe there is something else. Like you, I have no love for mosquitos but I also don't relish the thought that there is something that is altering the balance of nature!

 

[Subsea]

I have plenty of mosquitoes in Austin. We have had a wet winter & spring which has been very good for our gardens here in Texas.

PS. Picked today.

 

[Paul B]

Sub, Keep those mosquitoes in Houston. You can have all of them. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

 

[Subsea]

Sub, Keep those mosquitoes in Houston. You can have all of them. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

Paul,
The one time that I clamed in Long Island Sound, the horse flys were the worst that I have ever experienced. I think we were on he South Fork

 

[redfishbluefish]

Ticks! I was born and raised in Stony Brook (not far from Paul) in the 50's, and we used to have "tick check" every night when we came in from playing. That was when Stony Brook was all farms and cows. I understand the backyard of the house I grew up in is now SUNY Stony Brook University.

 

[Paul B]

That is only about 20 minutes from me. We had a summer house out here in the early 50s and it was all forest.
Where I live now was probably a potato farm or cranberry bog.

 

[dwinston33]

Coolllllllll:face-with-open-mouth::face-with-open-mouth:

 

[Paul B]

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Reminds me of Art Linkletter's "Kids Say The Darndest Things".