February 8th, 2012
Years ago I read a book called “Makes of Distinction”. The book dealt with those skilled in the arts of hand making expensive things. Such as shoes ..Lobbs of London or Berlutti of Paris. Or hats …Lockes of London was a name I remember and I suppose it is now Prada of Rome? Anyway to this list of august makers of distinction we can add the name “Rocky of Houston”.
Rocky is a bootmaker.
Not an ordinary boot maker but a cowboy-boot maker who has crafted boots for a long line of Presidents. Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and both Bushes have all had their cowboy boots made by Rocky. Rocky has flown on Air force One and attended a number of Presidential inaugurations as a guest of Bush Sr. and then Bush Jr.
On every occasion a President asked for a boot to be made Rocky would make a duplicate and here I am holding the duplicate made of Bush Juniors second term and you and clearly see the Presidential seal on the front of the boot. Rockys place is chaotic. Actually that is not a fair description. It is beyond chaotic, it is boot mayhem! But you don’t go to Rockys by accident, you have to know someone who can introduce you. My old rugby days in Texas produced many long lasting friendships and it only took one phone call to an old friend to lead me to Rockys place. To own a pair of Rockys boots is to stand tall.
I have ordered a pair…
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January 18th, 2012
Late last year I made the second of two round the world trips looking at the tea gardens and checking up things generally. Sounds like fun doesn’t it? Actually being on the estates, breathing that wonderful fresh air, touching the tea and talking about the forthcoming crops and quality we can expect really is fun. The travel …UGH!!..the jet lag…really UGH.!! In more refined times it took 3 weeks to get out “East” on a ’steamer’ that chugged its way across the ocean. Now you lock yourself into a long metal tube. Fasten a seat belt and 17 hours later you are among the tea bushes with an old friend that you have known for more than 40 years….I would not change a moment of my life, the good, the bad and the ugly is all a part of my life. But on reflection, if there was one element I could ADD to, it would be spending more time among the tea bushes and on the tea estates. I just love that part of the business. So even after a 17 hour flight I still look pretty happy…………..
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November 18th, 2011
I was recently in China….actually Hong Kong, but that is China now….
It is amazing to me how the cultures of nations define buildings and there is no mistaking a Feng Shui structure. I am told it is a Chinese art and science developed over 3,000 years ago that shows how to balance the energies of any given space to assure the good health and good fortune for people who live in the building. Apparently the large spaces you see are for the dragons to fly through the buildings unhindered, and not disturb the Chi or energy of the building….
Whatever the explanation…it does make for in interesting shot….personally, I would prefer to live in the smaller buildings in front of the high rises…but then again they don’t have holes in them so how do they cope with the Dragons?
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April 13th, 2008
Driving down the highway we see a small figure bouncing along the side of a
large truck. Could it be “Superman”..? We speed up, the figure is dressed
in spandex but it is not “Spiderman!”…
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January 26th, 2008
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January 26th, 2008
At the end of the visit we were made “Honorary Naval Aviators” because we have hooked a landing and been catapulted in to space. Here is Sandy getting her award from Captain Thomas E. Nosenzo, who is the Executive Officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).
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January 26th, 2008
The hanger decks have two large openings to the sea so you can hear and see the ocean pounding by. The planes get 24 hours of maintenance for every one hour of flying. So when they land, they are taken below and immediate are checked out and repairs made. The ship is a constant hum of activity. It never stops. The ship shudders when the planes land and you can feel the jolt of the catapult as it hurls the plane out into the sky.
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January 26th, 2008
This is a close-up of the hook that stops a 44,000 lb plane landing at 190 mph on the deck! It doesn’t look like much but if this thing fails bad things happen.
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January 26th, 2008
The wings of all the planes fold up and when you think of all the pressure those wings must take when they are flying it is quite a feat of engineering. Here is a shot of the inner workings of a wing.
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January 26th, 2008
Here I am making friends with an F18. We were allowed freedom of the vessel. The Only place we were not allowed to go was the Nuclear Department where the reactors were working. The power of those reactors is startling. I looked out at the ocean and it was racing by. I asked what speed we were doing and was told 30 knots. The ship is so large you don’t think how fast that is…but it is really fast and it can go a lot, lot faster. How fast is classified.
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