Aloha to the Battleship New Jersey (Part 2)

Battleship New Jersey
Public Domain (link)

Continuing the scouts' overnight encampment aboard the Battleship New Jersey, from it website,

BB62 was built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and launched December 7, 1942- just a year after the Pearl Harbor Attack brought America into WWII.  

The USS NEW JERSEY (BB62) was actually the second ship to be called “NEW JERSEY”, the first being BB16, a turn of the century (19th century) battleship. The first Battleship New Jersey (BB-16) was a Virginia class pre-dreadnought that served from 1906 until she was sunk as a bombing target in 1922. She sailed with the Great White Fleet and served her country in World War I as a training vessel.

NEW JERSEY was decommissioned on February 8, 1991 in Long Beach, California and later towed to Bremerton, Washington where she resided until heading home to New Jersey. She was officially stricken from the Navy list on February 12,1995 but was then ordered reinstated by an order of congress as a mobilization asset under Bill 1024 section 1011.

 

On January 4, 1999 NEW JERSEY was again stricken from the Navy list and IOWA replaced her as a mobilization asset. On September 12, 1999 NEW JERSEY began her Final Voyage home from Bremerton, where she had rested in mothballs for the last 8 years. On November 11th, she arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Since that time, she has been restored, opened and established as an educational museum and a tribute to the brave sailors who served on her during her long and distinguished career. The Battleship New Jersey opened as a Museum and Memorial in October 2001.

This is the panel which allows the crew to turn the ship around .... hands off!

The guide reminded the scouts to obey "no entry signs" ...

... lest the scouts fall several stories down the rabbit hole.  It has a long ladder to allow sailors in the lower levels of the ship to escape quickly to safety.

 Time for lights out ... but not in the officers' quarters!

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter from this week's posts.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about ships - have you visited any or cruised on any?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, February 20, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, February 21.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Washington DC, the White House, and Boy Scout Memorial

 

I hosted several friends from the Book Obsessed Chicks (BOC) (link).  On Saturday, we attended the Washington Romance Writers (WRW) Reader Luncheon (link).  On Sunday, we enjoyed the beautiful fall day with a walk around Washington, DC.  Above is the White House.

We stopped in the White House Visitor's Center.  

I chuckled at this historic photo from August 1945 in which Navy boys join a conga line to celebrate the end of WWII.

We appreciated Jefferson's quote on the Commerce Building.

Walking back to our car, we passed by the Boy Scout Memorial.  From the National Park Service (link),

During the 50th Anniversary Year of Scouting (1959), a proposal was made to establish the memorial on a site in Washington, DC. Lyndon Johnson, who was the Senate majority leader at the time, introduced the measure to the Senate. It was constructed at no expense to the government. The funds were raised from Scout units and each donor signed a scroll that was later placed in the pedestal of the statue. The memorial was eventually unveiled in a ceremony on November 7, 1964. The statue was accepted for the country by Associate Supreme Court Justice Tom Clark, who noted it was his fiftieth anniversary as an Eagle Scout.

The statue itself consists of three figures (pictured at right). Each figure, a Boy Scout, man, and woman, symbolizes the idea of the great and noble forces that are an inspiring background for each Scout as he goes about the business of becoming a man and citizen. The male figure symbolizes physical, mental, and moral fitness, love of country, good citizenship, loyalty, honor, courage, and clean living. He carries a helmet, a symbol of masculine attire and a live oak branch, a symbol of peace and of strength. The female figure symbolizes enlightenment with the light of faith, love of God, high ideals, liberty, justice, freedom, democracy, and love of fellow man. She holds high the eternal flame of God's Holy Spirit. The figure of the Boy Scout represents the hopes of all past, present, and future scouts around the world and the hopes of every home, church, and school and that all that is great and noble in the nation's past and present will continue to live in scouts and through them for many generations to come.
The sculpture marks the location of the first National Scout Jamboree held in 1937.

Do you have any Boy Scouts in your family or neighborhood? One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, October 7, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 18.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Savage Fest

Our church hosts the Strawberry Festival (link) in conjunction with Savage Fest.   From the Savage Community Association (link),

A rich vein of American industrial history flows through Savage, MD. Named after Philadelphia merchant John Savage, the town is located in the southeastern corner of Howard County, Maryland about 12 miles south of Baltimore and 20 miles north of Washington, D.C.

The Savage Bluegrass band kicked off the festival.

My oldest son volunteered with the bounce house.

The goats craved attention at the petting zoo ...

 ... while the pony was happy to munch in the sun.

The Marines served sausages ...

... and puppets entertained children!

Glad to see the effort to conserve natural habitats.

Joshua Barney, a Naval hero from the War of 1812, made a guest appearance.  He was a Baltimore native.

My youngest son's troop hosted a snow cone stand ...

... the perfect treat for a hot summer day!

Does your town host a festival?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 13, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 14, on my book blog at SOS Aloha.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

The Savage Volunteer Firefighters 

Aloha to the Laurel Independence Day Parade - American Legion

 

The American Legion Post 60 (link) invited my son's scout troop to participate on their float during the Laurel Independence Day Parade.

Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam are Legion members ...

... and the American Legion paid tribute to Laurel's hometown hero, Marine Lance Corporal Eugene Mills:

On June 22, 2012, Lance Corporal Eugene C. Mills, III (USMC), was assigned 1st Battalion, 8th Marines Bravo Company, 2nd Marines Division, was killed in action by enemy small fire while conducting combat operations in Sagin Valley, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. LCpl Mills loved his country as much as he loved his family. His life dream was to protect them both, as a United States Marine, at any cost. LCpl Mills, III was the beloved son of Eugene C. Mills, Jr. and Theresa Stea Mills; stepson of Melissa Mills; dear brother of Jacob Mills, Hunter Sterling, Katie Andrews, Jennifer Sterling and Sarah McCormick; loving grandson of the late Henry G. "Pap" and Virginia "Mamaw" Ostman and Peter "Bepop" and Jeannette "Nana" Stea. LCpl Mills, III is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and of course many close friends. 

Come back this week for more pictures from the parade!   

What is the last parade you attended?

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Lady Liberty faced competition from the Liberty Tax staff.  

Scout Camping ...

My youngest son went capming this past weekend.   While the adults slept in tents ...

... the scouts slept in cabins!    

Have you experienced winter camping?

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Vintage Photos from Pearl Harbor

I unpacked a box today and found vintage photos from Pearl Harbor.  

I don't know the date of the photos but the fashions suggest the fifties ... maybe sixties

The girl scouts enjoy cotton candy!

The Boy Scouts march in a parade!

The bugler plays Taps ...

... and the scouts honor those buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, aka Punchbowl, above and below.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Pupukea - Boy Scout Camp

Two weeks ago, my children attended the Boy Scout Camp atop the hill that overlooks Pupukea.  Pupu means "shell" and kea is "white", so it is "white shell".  

It poured during my children's encampment ... so I drove up this past week to take pictures in the sun. 

Speaking of the sun, these jeans, used for lifesaving training, dry out in the akala.

My kids often talk about the trading post ...

... they may buy snacks, while I would buy a T-Shirt! 

I asked my youngest about the Wild Cat Trail.  He replied, "Do you remember my mud coated shoes?  The mud came from the Wild Cat Tail!"  The trail leads to the archery range ... my son earned his Archery Merit Badge!

On the way home, we drove through Hale'iwa ... and spotted this sunflower field.

Did you attend summer camp?

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii