From 30,000 Feet

During my recent flight across the country, I took these photos with my cell phone camera from my window seat. I estimate I was somewhere over the midwestern part of the United States.
I thought it was odd to have part of the land covered by snow and the other part snow-less at least from my vantage point.

Later on the flight, I noticed perfectly formed round landmarks. They look like crop circles, but they probably have something to do with farming. Does anyone know? One even looked like it had eyes.

- Karen

Wednesday Hero

Spc. Ross A. McGinnis
19 years old from Knox, Pennsylvania
1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
December 4, 2006


His mission was to patrol the streets of Adhamiyah in northeast Baghdad and find a place to put a 250-kilowatt generator that would provide electricity for more than 100 homes. But it's a mission he wasn't able to accomplish.

Shortly after Pfc. McGinnis's convoy left the compound, and less than a mile from FOB Apache, an insurgent standing on a nearby rooftop threw a grenade into the sixth, and last, Humvee. "Grenade!" yelled McGinnis, who was manning the vehicle's M2 .50-caliber machine gun. He tried to deflect the grenade but it fell into the Humvee and lodged between the radios.

"McGinnis turned and looked down and realized no one in the truck knew where the grenade was," said Capt. Michael Baka, his company commander. "He knew everyone had their doors combat-locked and they wouldn't be able to get out."

Instead of jumping out of the truck to save his own life, like he had been trained to do, McGinnis threw his back against the radio mount, smothering the explosive with his body. The grenade exploded just as Pfc. McGinnis covered it. The blast filled the vehicle with black smoke and debris and blew the driver's door and right passenger's door wide open and blew the machine gun off its mount. The explosion hit McGinnis on his sides and his lower back, under his vest. He was killed instantly.

The other four soldiers in the Humvee suffered relatively minor injuries.

On the morning of December 4, 2006, before his convoy had left, Cpt. Baka has signed a waver promoting Pfc. McGinnis to Specialist and he was posthumously promoted to E-4.

For his heroic actions on that day, McGinnis was awarded the Silver Star and was nominated for a Medal of Honor which he received on June 2, 2008.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Toy Story Becomes a Reality

If you watched the cartoon "Toy Story", you will enjoy these characters. "Pizza Planet" in the cartoon was a restaurant and at the Disney World's Hollywood Studios amusement park, this fantasy place has become a reality.
Click here to check out its menu.

These Army men cartoon characters are working hard to have the roof and Scrabble board covered.

- Karen

What's Your Make-Up

Disney World has a booth where you can choose to have your face painted into a certain character of your choice. Which one do you fancy?

I think I would choose #3 for that superhero look.

- Karen

Block Party Bash

This is the start of the daily street parade at Disney World's Hollywood Studios.

They are about to unleash the party.

What pops out is a singing Army man from the "Toys Story" cartoon.

Dancers are jumping from square to square of the trampoline. They look like they're having fun. I guess when they say "Disney is the happiest place in the world, it's not only for the visitors.

I'm a big "Toy Story" fan so this is right up my alley.

I'm a big "Monsters Inc." fan too. I can't help but smile as these characters go by.

These "Antz" have a permanent smile on their faces.

This huge walking stick character on stilts could be in intimidating, but kids were crowding around him.

- Karen

Two Wednesday Heroes

Sgt. Kelly Keck
34 years old from West Liberty, Kentucky


Secretary of the Army Pete Geren congratulates Sgt. Kelly Keck after presenting him the Purple Heart.

On September 13, 2008, Sgt. Kelly Keck, a combat medic serving in Afghanistan, was wounded while trying to aid his fellow soldiers who's truck had just been struck by an IED. "I stepped off the road to try to get to the side of the truck, and the next thing I know I hear a loud boom, and I'm laying on the ground," he said. Sgt. Kelly had stepped on a land mine. He was flown to a field hospital in Jalalabad where he ended up loosing three fingers on his left hand and his right leg below the knee. "It was quite an ordeal," the soft-spoken soldier said.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.



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This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Brat

Sgt. Patrick Tainsh
33 years old from Oceanside, California
Troop E, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment
February 11, 2004


Five years ago today, Sgt. Patrick Tainsh sacrificed all as the mounted unit he
was part of was hit by an IED in Baghdad. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze and Sliver Stars saving the lives of his commanding officer and other soldiers before succumbing to his own wounds. Also killed in the attack was Pfc. William C. Ramirez from Portland, Oregon.

On Veteran’s Day, 2007, Deborah Tainsh, Sgt. Tainsh's mother, attended a school in Columbia, Georgia, and shared a story she had written called "A Boy Named Patrick."

Here is part of the story :

…a little boy named Patrick who loved football, beaches, surfing, and
skateboarding, and especially reading. Patrick watched his dad be a Marine for
over twenty years. During this time Patrick kept reading not only surfing and
skateboarding magazines, but history books, too. One day when Patrick was a man, he told his dad and best friend, “I want to do something that will make a
difference in the world, I’m going to be a soldier.” And so he did. And in 1999
he went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for boot camp and then went to Fort Polk,
Louisiana where he worked and trained hard to become a United States Army
Cavalry Scout. Then in 2003 Patrick had to say good bye to his mom and dad
because he had to go fight a war in Iraq to protect his country, friends, and
family from terrorists and to help fight for the freedoms of the boys and girls
in that country where they and their families were treated very badly by their
country’s leader. Patrick once wrote a letter to his mom and dad telling them
that he cried for the children because they were hungry and he didn’t have food
to give them. He said he couldn’t understand how a country’s leader could treat
the people so badly and make them live in such dirty conditions with trash and
wild dogs everywhere. And so Patrick's mom and dad keep a photo in their living
room of Patrick surrounded by Iraqi children.

You can read the story in it's entirety here.

Sgt Tainsh came to the military later than some, but rose through the ranks fast. In his last letter to his parents, Sgt Tainsh shared his thoughts about his mission. And in 2006, Sgt. Tainsh's mother wrote a book called Heart Of A Hawk about her son's life and her and her husband's struggles since their son was killed.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Where Dreams Come True

Entrance to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida which houses half-a-dozen theme parks.

With only one available day in the area, we decided to visit Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park which used to be called MGM Studios. This 122 feet tall Sorcerer's hat is at the center of the park.

Although we were there off-season, I was happy to see the economy did not deter people from visiting the park. Our 1-day admission price was almost US$80 per person.

- Karen

Fitness is for the Birds

Dear Readers: I will be out of town for a week. Thank you for your patience. I hope to have even more photos when I return. Take care!

Along the walking pathway of the San Francisco Bay is a fitness trail with signs to show people different exercises.

In this instance, I saw pigeons hovering by this fitness sign. Does it look like the pigeons are doing a knee lift as suggested by the sign?

- Karen

The McDonald Train

I noticed this very unusual McDonald's restaurant in Barstow, California's bus station.

As you can see, part of the train is attached to the main McDonald's restaurant.

The interior of the train has been made into a seating area for McDonald's customers.

To read more about this interesting station's history, click here. I also read that the same McDonald's was badly damaged in 1986 when a car at the drive-thru window caught fire and in 1997 a gunmen shot several customers including killing a young child. Hmmm, I did not know about its sordid history until I started my research to write this post.

- Karen

Wednesday Hero

Gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch


In 2003, Sgt. Popaditch, along with 1st Tank Battalion, rolled into Baghdad from Kuwait at the start of the Iraq War. They had just taken the city and the tank that Sgt. Popaditch was in had rolled up to a 40-ft statue of Saddam. I think we all remember that statue. Popaditch was given a cigar by a fellow Marine and as he smoked it an AP photographer snapped a picture of him.

Fast forward to April 7, 2004. Sgt. Popaditch's wife was vacationing with their son when she received a phone call informing her that her husband had been injured in an attack. The turret of his tank, that he was situated in, had taken two direct hits from RPG's. He fell through the hatch to the floor of the tank. As he struggled to his feet, he began to shout orders to his men but go no response. He then realized that the attack had caused him to go deaf in both ears. But that was only temporary. He then reached up and felt that his head was wet and knew it wasn't good.

In the aftermath of the attack, Gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch had lost his right eye. And because of that he now proudly wears a prosthetic eye with the Marine Corps. logo embossed on it. On November 10, 2005 Gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for heroism in combat. He also has a book out titled Once A Marine.

You can read more about Gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch here and here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Bit O' Denmark in California

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Solvang is a city in central California and is re-created to look like a Danish town. Several of the shops and restaurants in the area have windmills like this one.

I have never been to Denmark, but I imagine this building looks very similar to the real thing. If anyone knows, I would love to hear from you.

Imagine yourself having coffee and a warm, sweet Danish pastry here.

- Karen

Danish Phone Booth

While vacationing in Solvang, California, I noticed this unusual looking telephone booth.
Solvang founded in 1911 by Danish teachers is modeled after a Danish community complete with Danish bakeries and restaurants with a taste of Denmark.

I guess this telephone is no longer in use. Does the telephone booths in Denmark really look like this if they still exist?
If you look around your community, public telephones are a thing of the past.

- Karen