Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time the Hickey's moved to Maryland looking for a house to rent. The first one they saw, they said, "Oh my, this one is too small."













The second house they saw, they said, "Oh goodness, this one is in need of repair."















But the last house they saw, they said, “This one is just right, and suits our highly mobile lifestyle.”

















Copyright © 2008 Jonathan Aspensen All rights reserved. No part of this website, nor any of its contents, may be
reproduced in any form without the express written permission of
Jonathan Aspensen.








Monday, October 22, 2007

Vietnam Memorial Wall

Nearly everyone has seen the poster a Vietnam veteran resting his hand on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, and the ghostly reflection of his fallen comrades peering back; the artist’s of this moving piece is named Lee Teter. The fellow leaning up against the Vietnam Memorial Wall is named Jim Williams. He, along with my father-in-law, and a few others, started the VVA (Vietnam Veterans of America) Chapter in Cumberland, MD, and Teter donated this painting to their Chapter as a fund raiser. It was at this Chapter as a guest of my father-in-law that I met, and had dinner with, Mr. Williams.

The other day my wife and I went to J.C. Penny’s to buy me some needed clothes. When I got home I looked at the manufacturer’s tag and shook my head at the irony. My boxer shorts (with their icon depiction of a baseball batter and catcher poised for action) were made in, of all places--Vietnam.


It is now my belief that before our Government drags us into another war we ought to have a “cooling-off” period of no less than thirty years. Then, after that span of time has passed, we can reevaluate our feelings of hostility. After all, who do you want sewing your undies together, an enemy or a friend?


To see this painting by Teter click on the link below.


http://www.vietnamreflections.com/



Copyright © 2007 Jonathan Aspensen All rights reserved. No part of this website, nor any of its contents, may be
reproduced in any form without the express written permission of
Jonathan Aspensen.




Sunday, October 14, 2007

Oysters Bash

Last night you missed one helluva, all-you-can-eat, raw oyster and shrimp bash. I had two goodly sized bowls of shrimp and then I slopped down 31 raw oysters in the half shell. They were gritty, salty, and slippery--slimy, perhaps snotty would best describe their texture. And speaking of fresh--I burped the Chesapeake all night long. My wife once stopped and remarked that the wind must have changed directions because she could smell the ocean breeze. Not so naïve one!