Aviation, Freemasonry, Tech nerdery, random musings and anything else that interests me.
Of the 254 counties in Texas, 102 are named for Freemasons. Among them are Stephen F. Austin, Robert Emmett, Bledsoe Baylor, James Bowie, David Crockett, George M. Dallas, Rev. John B. Denton, Jack Hayes, Sam Houston, Anson Jones, Mirabeau B. Lamar, James Madison, Pat Neff, James K. Polk, Sam Ross, Adolphus Sterne, Edward H. Tarrant,…
I’m more inclined to believe it was done intentionally as a publicity stunt, as the purchase price of that wine isn’t anywhere near the $5700 they would have sold it for, and it might have been something in the cellar lingering around too long too. Either way, a funny story here. From NBC: Restaurant accidentally…
Forty years ago, an American man’s man died. There is a long-standing adage in combat arms branches that says “you haven’t had a full career until you’ve gotten an Article 15.” Well, this Vietnam War veteran had his share non-judicial punishments (authorized by Article 15 of UCMJ), racked up 115 confirmed kills and was awarded…
Peter Meyhew, best known for playing the character of Chewbacca on Star Wars, from the original 1977 “A New Hope” to 2015 with “The Force Awakens”, passed away on April 30th, just a couple weeks shy of his 75th birthday. Rest in Peace, Peter. May the Force be with you.
Shown here is an innocuous visitors slip from Masonic Lodge No. 43 in Lancaster, PA. But, look closer. You’ll see that it dates from the fall of 1917 and the signer is Bro. William Howard Taft. By the time that Taft visited Lodge 43, he had already served as President of the United States. At…
Here are some things you (probably) didn’t know Scotland’s best-selling whisky, with sales of 9-litre cases topping 18m last year, has a long and illustrious history. Synonymous with Scotch, the brand is known all around the world. Here are a few things you might not know about Johnnie Walker Whisky. 1) John [Johnnie] Walker began…
Lodge Alley was a street in Philadelphia that ran from the west block of 2nd Street, between Chestnut and Walnut Streets, connecting to Smith’s Alley. As you might have guessed, Lodge Alley was so named because the first Masonic Lodge building in Philadelphia stood at the corner of 2nd St. and Lodge Alley. Today, this…
I’ve been wanting to for some time, but finally yesterday I deactivated my Facebook account. Honestly I’d love to just delete it entirely, but I don’t expect that to be an option any time soon, because of connections with my Masonic fraternity and sharing pictures and moments with my daughter to extended family. I just…
Today in Masonic History Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. passed away in 1932. Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. was an American Broadway producer.Ziegfeld was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 21st, 1867. He began his career in entertainment when his father, who ran the Chicago Musical College, opened a nightclub. The nightclub was less than successful despite Ziegfeld’s father’s…