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I wondered what the future will be like for this young person. Will he travel to fulfil his dreams. Or will he be left only with expectations?
Major Richard "Dick" D. Winters (January 21, 1918 – January 2, 2011) was a United States Army officer and decorated war veteran. He commanded Company "E", 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, during World War II.
Winters parachuted into Normandy in the early hours of D-Day, and fought across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and eventually into Germany. Later in the war, Winters rose to command the 2nd Battalion. Following the end of hostilities Winters was discharged from the army and returned to civilian life, working in New Jersey.
In 1951, during the Korean War, Winters was recalled to the Army from the inactive list and briefly served as a regimental planning and training officer on staff at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Although issued orders for deployment, he was not sent to Korea. After his discharge he worked at a few different jobs before founding his own company and selling farming products.
Winters was featured in a number of books and was portrayed in the 2001 HBO mini-series Band of Brothers by Damian Lewis. He was a regular guest lecturer at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He retired in 1997. He was the last of the Easy Company commanders to die.
Winters enlisted in the army on August 25, 1941, in order to shorten his time in service. In September he underwent basic training at Camp Croft, South Carolina. Afterwards he remained at Camp Croft to help train draftees and other volunteers, while the rest of his battalion was deployed to Panama. In April 1942 he was selected to attend Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. It was there he met his friend Lewis Nixon, with whom he would serve throughout the war in the 101st Airborne Division. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant after graduation from OCS on July 2, 1942.
During the course of his officer training, Winters reached the decision that he wanted to join the parachute infantry. Upon completing training he returned to Camp Croft to train another draft as there were no positions available in the paratroopers at that time. After five weeks he received orders to join the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Camp Toccoa (formerly Camp Toombs) in Georgia.
He arrived at Toccoa in mid-August 1942 and was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, serving under First Lieutenant (later Captain) Herbert Sobel. Company E was also known as "Easy Company" per the contemporaneous Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet. Initially he served as a platoon leader in charge of 2nd Platoon, but later, in October 1942, he was promoted to first lieutenant and became the acting company executive officer, although this was not made official until May 1943. The 506th PIR was an experimental unit, being the first regiment to undertake airborne training as a formed unit. As many of the men had very little previous military experience the training at Toccoa was necessarily very tough and as a consequence there was a high level of personnel wastage. Indeed, of the 500 officers who had volunteered, only 148 successfully completed the course. The enlisted men had it equally tough, with only 1,800 men being selected out of 5,300 volunteers.
On June 10, 1943, the 506th PIR was officially attached to the 101st Airborne Division. Later in the year they embarked on the Samaria bound forEngland, arriving there on September 15, 1943, and disembarking in Liverpool. They then proceeded to Aldbourne, in Wiltshire where they began an intense training program designed to make the regiment ready for the invasion of Europe that was planned for 1944.
It was while Easy Company was based at Aldbourne that the tension and competition that had been brewing between Winters and Sobel came to a head in November–December 1943. Winters had privately held concerns over Sobel's ability to lead the company in combat for some time before this and many of the enlisted men in the company had come to respect Winters for his competence and had also developed their own concerns about Sobel's leadership. Winters has stated that he never wanted to compete with Sobel for command of Easy Company. However, the situation became out of hand when Sobel attempted to bring Winters up on charges for failure to carry out a lawful order. Feeling that his punishment was unjust, Winters requested that the charge be tried by court martial. When Winters' punishment was set aside by the battalion commander, Sobel proceeded to charge Winters with another, separate charge the following day. While the investigation was being undertaken, Winters was transferred to the headquarters company and appointed as the battalion mess officer.
Following this, though Winters tried to talk them out of it, a number of the company's noncommissioned officers (NCOs) gave the regimental commander, Colonel Robert Sink, an ultimatum: either Sobel be replaced, or they would hand back their stripes. Sink was not impressed and several of the NCOs were subsequently demoted and transferred out of the company. Nevertheless, he realised that something had to be done and decided Sobel had to be replaced. Sobel was transferred and given command of a newly formed parachute training school. Winters' court martial was set aside and he returned to Easy Company as platoon leader of 1st Platoon. Despite their personality clash, Winters later stated he felt that at least part of Easy Company's success had been due to Sobel's strenuous training and high expectations . In February 1944, First Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III was given command of Easy Company.
Meehan remained in command of the company until the Normandy invasion, when at approximately 1:15 a.m. on June 6, 1944, the C-47 Skytrain transport the company headquarters section was in was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire, killing everyone on board. Winters jumped that night and landed safely near Sainte-Mère-Église. After having lost his weapon during the drop, he was able to orient himself, collect several paratroopers, including members of the 82nd Airborne, and proceed toward the unit's assigned objective near Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. Without knowing the fate of Lieutenant Meehan, Winters became the acting commanding officer of Easy Company for the duration of the Normandy campaign.
Later that day, Winters led an attack that destroyed a battery of German 105 mm howitzers which were firing onto the causeways that served as the principal exits from Utah Beach. The Americans estimated that the guns were defended by approximately one platoon of 50 German troops, while Winters had 13 men. This action south of the village of Le Grand-Chemin has been called the Brécourt Manor Assault. Aspects of the attack have been taught at the military academy at West Point as an example of an assault on a fixed position. In addition to destroying the battery, Winters also obtained a map detailing German gun emplacements in the Utah Beach area.
On July 1, 1944, Winters was told that he had been promoted to captain. The next day he was presented with the Distinguished Service Cross by General Omar N. Bradley, who was then the commanding officer of the First Army. Shortly after the 506th was withdrawn from France and returned to Aldbourne in England for reorganisation.
In September 1944, the 506th PIR took part in Operation Market Garden, an airborne operation in the Netherlands. On October 5, 1944, a German force launched an attack on the 2nd Battalion's flank, and threatened to break through the American lines. At the same time, four men in an Easy Company patrol were wounded. Returning to the headquarters, they reported that they had encountered a large group of Germans at a crossroads about 1,300 yards to the east of the company command post. Realising the seriousness of the situation, Winters took one squad from 1st Platoon, and moved off toward the crossroads, where they observed a German machine gun firing to the south, toward the battalion headquarters. After surveying the position, Winters then led the squad in an assault on the gun crew. Soon after taking the position, the squad took fire from a German position opposite them. Estimating that this position was held by at least a platoon, Winters called for reinforcements from the rest of the 1st Platoon, and led them in an assault. Later it was discovered there were at least 300 Germans.
On October 9, Winters became the battalion executive officer. Although this position was normally held by major, Winters filled it while still a captain.
On December 16, 1944, German forces launched a counter-offensive against the Western Allies in Belgium. After the 101st Airborne was moved by truck to the Bastogne area on December 18. Still serving as executive officer of the 2nd Battalion, Winters took part in the defence of the line northeast of Bastogne near the town of Foy during what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The entire 101st Airborne and elements of the 10th Armored Division battled about 15 German divisions, supported by heavy artillery and armour, for nearly a week before the U.S. Third Army broke through the German lines surrounding Bastogne.
After being relieved, the 2nd Battalion carried out an attack on Foy on January 9, 1945. On March 8, 1945, following the 2nd Battalion's move to Haguenau, Winters was promoted to major and shortly afterward he was made acting battalion commander of 2nd Battalion, when Lieutenant Colonel Strayer was elevated to the regimental staff. Second Battalion saw little combat after this.
In April the battalion carried out defensive duties along the Rhine, before deploying to Bavaria later in the month. In early May the 101st Airborne Division received orders to capture Berchtesgaden. The 2nd Battalion set out from Thalham, Germany, through streams of surrendering German soldiers, and led the way to the alpine retreat, reaching the town at noon on May 5, 1945. They were still there when the war ended three days later on May 8, 1945.
After the end of hostilities Winters remained in Europe as the process of occupation and demobilisation began. Even though he had enough points to return to the United States, he was told that he was needed in Germany. Later, he was offered a Regular commission, but declined it. He finally embarked from Marseilles aboard the Wooster Victory on November 4, 1945. He was separated from the Army on November 29, 1945 although he was not officially discharged until January 22, 1946 and he remained on terminal leave until then.
Winters was recommended for the Medal of Honour for his leadership at Brécourt Manor, but due to the quota system which limited the distribution of the award to only one per division, and since one Medal of Honour had already been awarded—to Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Cole—the recommendation was downgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. Army's second highest award for combat valour. After the release of the Band of Brothers television miniseries, a letter-writing campaign to have Winters awarded the Medal of Honour began, but so far without success. Currently, Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA) introducedHR 3121 (111th) "To authorise and request the President to award the Medal of Honour to Richard D. Winters, of Hershey, Pennsylvania, for acts of valour on June 6, 1944, in Normandy, France, while an officer in the 101st Airborne Division." The bill has been referred to the House Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
He was discharged from the army and became a production supervisor at an adhesive plaster mill in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1951, he and his wife Ethel bought a small farm where later Winters built their farmhouse and together they raised two children. In 1972, he went in to business for himself, starting his own company and selling animal feed products to farmers throughout Pennsylvania. Soon afterward, he moved his family to Hershey, Pennsylvania. He finally retired in 1997.
During the 1990s, Winters was featured in a number of books and television series about his experiences and those of the men in Easy Company. In 1992, Stephen Ambrose wrote the book Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, which was subsequently turned into an HBO mini-series Band of Brothers. Winters was also the subject of the 2005 book Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers, written by Larry Alexander. His own memoir, Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters, co-written by military historian and retired U.S. Army Colonel Cole C. Kingseed, was published in early 2006. He also gave a number of lectures on leadership to cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
On May 16, 2009, Franklin and Marshall College conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters upon Winters.
Despite the many accolades he had received, Winters remained humble about his service. During the interview segment of the miniseries Band of Brothers, Winters quoted a passage from a letter he received from Sergeant Mike Ranney, "I cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day when he said, 'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?' Grandpa said 'No… but I served in a company of heroes.'"
Winters, a resident of Hershey, Pennsylvania, died on January 2, 2011, at an assisted living facility in nearby Campbelltown, Pennsylvania. He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for several years. Winters had requested a private, unannounced funeral service, which was held on January 8, 2011.
Winters was buried in the Bergstrasse Evangelical Lutheran Church cemetery in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, in a private ceremony. He is buried next to his parents in the Winters family plot. His grave is marked Richard D. Winters WW II 101st Airborne.
Military Awards
Distinguished Service Cross
Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Purple Heart
Presidential Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster
American Defence Service Medal
National Defence Service Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 service stars and arrow device
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
Croix de guerre with palm
French Liberation Medal
Oorlogskruis with palm
Belgian WWII Service Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge
Parachutist Badge with 2 combat stars
Medal of the City of Eindhoven
Supra Boats @Supra_Boats is pushing wake boat refinement "beyond better" with unexpected standard features to elevate your experience on the water. 2013 Supra boats literally raise the standards of wake boat design with innovative features that create extreme luxury tempered by intuitive function. Costly upgrades or simply not available on competitor boats, Supra's standard feature-set reads like an all-time most popular options list. From a completely loaded wakeboard tower to a thumping sound system to amazing driver controls to a torquey surf-optimized engine to a huge expandable ballast system to the wake shaping SmartPlate to a ride unaffected by the platform to a plush resilient interior to the ultimate customization with colored decks and hull to a rock star tandem axle trailer, Supra boats are exceeding the highest expectations with an unbelievable set of standard features inside and out.
Roswell S-Bend Tower w/ Bimini, Racks & Speakers
Supra has high standards even above the deck with the completely loaded S-Bend wakeboard tower or the Pro Edge Tower on the SA350-550. This dual-mount tower is standard on all Supra boats. It was designed to offer advantages in visibility, distinct style and accessories included. As an engineering-driven company, Supra Boats made function priority #1 with the S-Bend and Pro Edge. With smooth low-profile one-person folding action and a patented CAM lock mechanism, these Roswell Towers are equal parts form and function. The “S” shape lends itself to an extremely unique profile and the integrated quick-shade bimini, combo racks, four Polk speakers and interior lighting make it a complete package. The Pro Edge takes standards even higher with a new Bridge Block System for folding the tower without interfering with the driver to get under a low bridge. Hand-upholstered vinyl piece and blue LED lighting accents take the Pro Edge "beyond better".
Designed for optimum outdoor sound and styled specifically for use in a marine environment, 10 Polk Audio MM Series speakers are standard in each Supra boat. A unique tweeter-on-grille design eliminates the traditional tweeter post, resulting in a totally sealed front. With waterproof materials, it will stand up to just about any harsh marine environment while sounding great, thanks to Polk marine certification and Polk technology.
The Clarion deck that drives this incredible sound also leaves the factory in every Supra boat. The Clarion CMD6 marine deck is mounted in the Supra glovebox for ultimate protection. This feature-rich stereo can be controlled from the glovebox location, the driver’s side remote, through the VISION Touch at the dash or the lounge remote in the 22V, SA and 242. The CMD6 offers multi format CD, external USB device and on-deck storage music play as well as full iPOD and iPhone control. Every Supra boat motors off the line ready to rock!
A performance wake boat deserves a performance driver's seat and Supra boats offer one standard. Supra has designed a new racing-style driver's seat with wide high-back comfort that supports a variety of drivers and driving styles. The huge standard flip-up bolster takes your driving experience even higher with a secure comfortable seat that offers perspective and guarantees piece of mind. Want to get even higher? Actuate as much as 4 more inches of E-Boost with a touch of the VISION or the flip of a switch. Adjust it forward and back or simply swivel it around to join the lounge, the Supra Racing Seat is as social as it is supportive.
The Warm-up Seat is standard in all 2013 models so you can extend your day and even your season in a Supra boat. Boating last longer in a Supra! The heated driver's seat radiates comfort with the flip of a switch or it can be programmed as part of your personal Supra Drive Preset. No matter which way you command the Warm-up, the result is a driving experience that is beyond better.
E-Boost Electronic Seat Height
Electronic seat height adjustment or E-Boost is standard on all 2013 Supra boats. The E-Boost Driver's Seat electronically adjusts chair height with the flick of a switch or a touch of the VISION to provide comfortable customizable perspective on the water. Driving with the perfect point of view for you ensures safe worry-free operation of your Supra boat. With a supra you won't be distracted by balancing on a bolster, sitting on your feet or a propping yourself up with a throw cushion. E-Boost raises the luxury, comfort and safety of the Supra Racing Seat to new heights, electronically.
VISION Touch w/ Rider Profiles & GPS Mapping
Harness Supra's powerful performance and refinement with ease thanks to the intuitive control of the all-new VISION Touch dash system. With a tap of your finger on the brilliant 7-inch touch display, manage and monitor everything from Supra's Ride System (SRS) that integrates expandable Flex ballast and wake-shaping SmartPlate and Zero Off speed control to the standard ten-speaker Clarion Polk sound system. Watch full-screen video from a USB or mobile device. Illuminate the cockpit, storage and available underwater LEDs on the quick-touch lighting screen. Even set and recall the perfect driving conditions with new Driver Presets. The Murphy operating system is specifically designed for Supra Boats to offer extreme functionality and ease of use. All it takes is a poke to navigate the VISION, but if you are more comfortable using the 10-button navigation located to the right and left of the screen that is always an option. Customize the look of your VISION Touch with a range of colors and backgrounds and pick the perfect brightness for any time of the day. FInally, at the end of an epic day on the water, let the built-in GPS navigation pilot you back to the dock. The VISION Touch lets you focus on the business of having fun in your Supra boat instead of trying to figure out how to work it.
While other manufacturers concentrate on accommodating only the rider with memorable features, Supra doesn't forget about the driver. Supra Driver Presets offer a host of programmable settings that make a day on the water behind the wheel as enjoyable as possible. Driver Presets have the ability to store as many as 3 boat driver profiles that memorize everything from seat height and VISION display colors to seat heat and available druver's zone climate control. Supra tailors the boating experience to you no matter what your role in the boat.
Supra Zero Off integrated speed control is a vital piece of SRS and typically a pricey upgrade in competitor offerings, but standard in all Supra wake boats. Zero Off runs on satellite input and data from the Indmar Engine Management System. It is based completely on the speed across the surface of the water; therefore, there is no requirement for rider weight, crew weight, KX, PX or even any kind of wind adjustment. You simply touch the desired speed on the VISION and go.
You don't need three hands to drive a Supra. The designers at Supra Boats spend a lot of time on the water. They realize you need a way to increase and decrease your speed without taking your hands off the wheel. Standard on all 2013 Supra boats, the Quick-bump Speed Stick allows you to toggle your Zero Off set speed up or down with just a finger tip. Without loosing grasp of the wheel with your right hand you can use a finger to push the lever up or down to adjust your cruising speed while you're under way.
The new 345 Surf engine from Indmar has been made beyond better less than a year after it won the IBEX Innovation Award. This 345 horsepower, 5.7L engine has not only received a color and graphics change, but it is now standard in all 2013 Supra boats. The oversized oil pan and innovative oil air separator are still the stars of this sequential port fuel injected power plant. It’s these two items that increase the longevity of the engine and improve performance even under extreme wake surfing conditions.
Supra Boats provides wake power and versatility with the Flex Ballast System. This flexible ballast configuration swells to as much as 1950 pounds standard with the combination of three sacks standard from the Supra factory. With nearly a ton of water capacity, wakeboarding’s most popular reversible pumps the Jabsco Ballast Puppy fills or drains the entire Flex system in less than 5 minutes, even underway. But it’s not just about the weight, three quick-connect ballast points plumbed on either side of the engine and at midship make this system completely customizable. If you want to go bigger on the port side to create the perfect left-foot-forward wake, snap in the ballast sacks of your choice and shoot the curl. The versatility of the Flex System still monitors and controls the ballast from the dash even when customized. We don't claim to know what your perfect wake is, but we bring you the tools to make it beyond better.
The Supra SmartPlate automatically adjusts to the optimum position, but it can also be adjusted on-the-fly to refine the shape of Supra wakes. Depending on rider skill level, passenger and ballast weight placement and speed the SmartPlate can be set to a range of positions. Controlled through the VISION Touch or as a setting in a Rider Profile, the angle of the plate will affect the wake shape by changing the running attitude of the boat. While some boat manufacturers limit you to a one-dimensional hull design, Supra allows you to command the flow of the water beneath the boat with the SmartPlate. Typically referred to as a “rider” accessory, the SmartPlate’s intelligent design allows it to bolster performance even outside wake sports. Being able to change the running angle of the boat in the water allows you to fine tune not only wakes, but ride and handling as well. Ever been on the lake on a rough day? You can adjust the SmartPlate to smooth out the ride and increase control. This is not just smart, it’s genius.
PURE Surf (Platform Unaffected Ride Experience)
This standard 2-piece tooled fiberglass platform is the purist of the 2013 Supra line. Through bolted to the transom with new stainless steel quick-release bracketry, this swim platform does way more than just aid water entry. Supra's PURE Surf offers a platform unaffected ride experience with specifically engineered corners. The smooth underside also guarantees the flow of water beneath Supra boat hulls is undisturbed especially at surf speeds and running angles. Standard on all Supra boats, PURE Surf is another Supra Ride System (SRS) component allowing you to create a wake sport experience that is all you.
The new Supra Cooler made by AO, standard in all 2013 Supra boats, is the highest quality removable soft-sided cooler available. The specially engineered liner prevents all leaks and sweating, while the three-quarters of an inch thick, high-density, closed cell foam insulation holds ice for as long as 24 hours in 120-degree heat. The Supra-sized dimensions make this 36-can cooler fit in just about any storage area with ease. The Supra Cooler is removable and branded with "Supra Boats" so it can be loaded in the house and taken on any excursion on water or off. Owning a Supra boat can make you cool, literally.
As resilient as the exclusive Syntec NBT (NANO Block Technology) Vinyl is, conscientious boat owners are still conflicted about walking on it. This is why Supra has added the new Transom Walkacross to all 2013 Supra model sun pads standard. This color-matched tooled fiberglass walkway gives you piece of mind on trips in a an out of the boat. Covered in cushioned Supra no-slip SeaDek, the Transom Walkacross creates a functional, comfortable and safe place whether you're walking or laying across it.
Supra boat interiors are wrapped in exclusive resilient NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl from Syntec. The luxurious colors and plush texture of Syntec vinyl help create an interior design that is as an intricate as it is comforting. NANO Block Technology guards against marks and stains with
While many wake boat manufacturers limit your color choices on the deck and hull of the boat or charge more for dark colors, Supra Boats gives you the choice at no charge. Customize the look of your Supra boat with a black hull and deck or go hot with a Fire Red deck and hull. Or do a little of each with a Fire Red deck and black deck. The choice is yours.
No need to add for the price of a trailer when you purchase a Supra boat. Supra boats come standard with a Tandem Torsion Axle Trailer Boatmate Trailer w/ Alloy Wheels and Disc Brakes on both axles. Boatmate Trailers offer style and performance up to the lofty levels of Supra boats with quality craftsmanship and reliability that deserves to be under a luxury performance wake boat. With standard features likes a swing-a-way tongue, color-matched bolt-on fenders, a self-latching hitch ball actuator, a Fulton F2 trailer jack, a 7-way round tow vehicle plug, a spare tire mount, removable guide poles and a trailer prop guard with rollers. A Boatmate trailer is the perfect match for your Supra boat, both elevate your expectations beyond better.
Supra Boats @Supra_Boats is pushing wake boat refinement "beyond better" with unexpected standard features to elevate your experience on the water. 2013 Supra boats literally raise the standards of wake boat design with innovative features that create extreme luxury tempered by intuitive function. Costly upgrades or simply not available on competitor boats, Supra's standard feature-set reads like an all-time most popular options list. From a completely loaded wakeboard tower to a thumping sound system to amazing driver controls to a torquey surf-optimized engine to a huge expandable ballast system to the wake shaping SmartPlate to a ride unaffected by the platform to a plush resilient interior to the ultimate customization with colored decks and hull to a rock star tandem axle trailer, Supra boats are exceeding the highest expectations with an unbelievable set of standard features inside and out.
Roswell S-Bend Tower w/ Bimini, Racks & Speakers
Supra has high standards even above the deck with the completely loaded S-Bend wakeboard tower or the Pro Edge Tower on the SA350-550. This dual-mount tower is standard on all Supra boats. It was designed to offer advantages in visibility, distinct style and accessories included. As an engineering-driven company, Supra Boats made function priority #1 with the S-Bend and Pro Edge. With smooth low-profile one-person folding action and a patented CAM lock mechanism, these Roswell Towers are equal parts form and function. The “S” shape lends itself to an extremely unique profile and the integrated quick-shade bimini, combo racks, four Polk speakers and interior lighting make it a complete package. The Pro Edge takes standards even higher with a new Bridge Block System for folding the tower without interfering with the driver to get under a low bridge. Hand-upholstered vinyl piece and blue LED lighting accents take the Pro Edge "beyond better".
Designed for optimum outdoor sound and styled specifically for use in a marine environment, 10 Polk Audio MM Series speakers are standard in each Supra boat. A unique tweeter-on-grille design eliminates the traditional tweeter post, resulting in a totally sealed front. With waterproof materials, it will stand up to just about any harsh marine environment while sounding great, thanks to Polk marine certification and Polk technology.
The Clarion deck that drives this incredible sound also leaves the factory in every Supra boat. The Clarion CMD6 marine deck is mounted in the Supra glovebox for ultimate protection. This feature-rich stereo can be controlled from the glovebox location, the driver’s side remote, through the VISION Touch at the dash or the lounge remote in the 22V, SA and 242. The CMD6 offers multi format CD, external USB device and on-deck storage music play as well as full iPOD and iPhone control. Every Supra boat motors off the line ready to rock!
A performance wake boat deserves a performance driver's seat and Supra boats offer one standard. Supra has designed a new racing-style driver's seat with wide high-back comfort that supports a variety of drivers and driving styles. The huge standard flip-up bolster takes your driving experience even higher with a secure comfortable seat that offers perspective and guarantees piece of mind. Want to get even higher? Actuate as much as 4 more inches of E-Boost with a touch of the VISION or the flip of a switch. Adjust it forward and back or simply swivel it around to join the lounge, the Supra Racing Seat is as social as it is supportive.
The Warm-up Seat is standard in all 2013 models so you can extend your day and even your season in a Supra boat. Boating last longer in a Supra! The heated driver's seat radiates comfort with the flip of a switch or it can be programmed as part of your personal Supra Drive Preset. No matter which way you command the Warm-up, the result is a driving experience that is beyond better.
E-Boost Electronic Seat Height
Electronic seat height adjustment or E-Boost is standard on all 2013 Supra boats. The E-Boost Driver's Seat electronically adjusts chair height with the flick of a switch or a touch of the VISION to provide comfortable customizable perspective on the water. Driving with the perfect point of view for you ensures safe worry-free operation of your Supra boat. With a supra you won't be distracted by balancing on a bolster, sitting on your feet or a propping yourself up with a throw cushion. E-Boost raises the luxury, comfort and safety of the Supra Racing Seat to new heights, electronically.
VISION Touch w/ Rider Profiles & GPS Mapping
Harness Supra's powerful performance and refinement with ease thanks to the intuitive control of the all-new VISION Touch dash system. With a tap of your finger on the brilliant 7-inch touch display, manage and monitor everything from Supra's Ride System (SRS) that integrates expandable Flex ballast and wake-shaping SmartPlate and Zero Off speed control to the standard ten-speaker Clarion Polk sound system. Watch full-screen video from a USB or mobile device. Illuminate the cockpit, storage and available underwater LEDs on the quick-touch lighting screen. Even set and recall the perfect driving conditions with new Driver Presets. The Murphy operating system is specifically designed for Supra Boats to offer extreme functionality and ease of use. All it takes is a poke to navigate the VISION, but if you are more comfortable using the 10-button navigation located to the right and left of the screen that is always an option. Customize the look of your VISION Touch with a range of colors and backgrounds and pick the perfect brightness for any time of the day. FInally, at the end of an epic day on the water, let the built-in GPS navigation pilot you back to the dock. The VISION Touch lets you focus on the business of having fun in your Supra boat instead of trying to figure out how to work it.
While other manufacturers concentrate on accommodating only the rider with memorable features, Supra doesn't forget about the driver. Supra Driver Presets offer a host of programmable settings that make a day on the water behind the wheel as enjoyable as possible. Driver Presets have the ability to store as many as 3 boat driver profiles that memorize everything from seat height and VISION display colors to seat heat and available druver's zone climate control. Supra tailors the boating experience to you no matter what your role in the boat.
Supra Zero Off integrated speed control is a vital piece of SRS and typically a pricey upgrade in competitor offerings, but standard in all Supra wake boats. Zero Off runs on satellite input and data from the Indmar Engine Management System. It is based completely on the speed across the surface of the water; therefore, there is no requirement for rider weight, crew weight, KX, PX or even any kind of wind adjustment. You simply touch the desired speed on the VISION and go.
You don't need three hands to drive a Supra. The designers at Supra Boats spend a lot of time on the water. They realize you need a way to increase and decrease your speed without taking your hands off the wheel. Standard on all 2013 Supra boats, the Quick-bump Speed Stick allows you to toggle your Zero Off set speed up or down with just a finger tip. Without loosing grasp of the wheel with your right hand you can use a finger to push the lever up or down to adjust your cruising speed while you're under way.
The new 345 Surf engine from Indmar has been made beyond better less than a year after it won the IBEX Innovation Award. This 345 horsepower, 5.7L engine has not only received a color and graphics change, but it is now standard in all 2013 Supra boats. The oversized oil pan and innovative oil air separator are still the stars of this sequential port fuel injected power plant. It’s these two items that increase the longevity of the engine and improve performance even under extreme wake surfing conditions.
Supra Boats provides wake power and versatility with the Flex Ballast System. This flexible ballast configuration swells to as much as 1950 pounds standard with the combination of three sacks standard from the Supra factory. With nearly a ton of water capacity, wakeboarding’s most popular reversible pumps the Jabsco Ballast Puppy fills or drains the entire Flex system in less than 5 minutes, even underway. But it’s not just about the weight, three quick-connect ballast points plumbed on either side of the engine and at midship make this system completely customizable. If you want to go bigger on the port side to create the perfect left-foot-forward wake, snap in the ballast sacks of your choice and shoot the curl. The versatility of the Flex System still monitors and controls the ballast from the dash even when customized. We don't claim to know what your perfect wake is, but we bring you the tools to make it beyond better.
The Supra SmartPlate automatically adjusts to the optimum position, but it can also be adjusted on-the-fly to refine the shape of Supra wakes. Depending on rider skill level, passenger and ballast weight placement and speed the SmartPlate can be set to a range of positions. Controlled through the VISION Touch or as a setting in a Rider Profile, the angle of the plate will affect the wake shape by changing the running attitude of the boat. While some boat manufacturers limit you to a one-dimensional hull design, Supra allows you to command the flow of the water beneath the boat with the SmartPlate. Typically referred to as a “rider” accessory, the SmartPlate’s intelligent design allows it to bolster performance even outside wake sports. Being able to change the running angle of the boat in the water allows you to fine tune not only wakes, but ride and handling as well. Ever been on the lake on a rough day? You can adjust the SmartPlate to smooth out the ride and increase control. This is not just smart, it’s genius.
PURE Surf (Platform Unaffected Ride Experience)
This standard 2-piece tooled fiberglass platform is the purist of the 2013 Supra line. Through bolted to the transom with new stainless steel quick-release bracketry, this swim platform does way more than just aid water entry. Supra's PURE Surf offers a platform unaffected ride experience with specifically engineered corners. The smooth underside also guarantees the flow of water beneath Supra boat hulls is undisturbed especially at surf speeds and running angles. Standard on all Supra boats, PURE Surf is another Supra Ride System (SRS) component allowing you to create a wake sport experience that is all you.
The new Supra Cooler made by AO, standard in all 2013 Supra boats, is the highest quality removable soft-sided cooler available. The specially engineered liner prevents all leaks and sweating, while the three-quarters of an inch thick, high-density, closed cell foam insulation holds ice for as long as 24 hours in 120-degree heat. The Supra-sized dimensions make this 36-can cooler fit in just about any storage area with ease. The Supra Cooler is removable and branded with "Supra Boats" so it can be loaded in the house and taken on any excursion on water or off. Owning a Supra boat can make you cool, literally.
As resilient as the exclusive Syntec NBT (NANO Block Technology) Vinyl is, conscientious boat owners are still conflicted about walking on it. This is why Supra has added the new Transom Walkacross to all 2013 Supra model sun pads standard. This color-matched tooled fiberglass walkway gives you piece of mind on trips in a an out of the boat. Covered in cushioned Supra no-slip SeaDek, the Transom Walkacross creates a functional, comfortable and safe place whether you're walking or laying across it.
Supra boat interiors are wrapped in exclusive resilient NANO Block Technology (NBT) Vinyl from Syntec. The luxurious colors and plush texture of Syntec vinyl help create an interior design that is as an intricate as it is comforting. NANO Block Technology guards against marks and stains with
While many wake boat manufacturers limit your color choices on the deck and hull of the boat or charge more for dark colors, Supra Boats gives you the choice at no charge. Customize the look of your Supra boat with a black hull and deck or go hot with a Fire Red deck and hull. Or do a little of each with a Fire Red deck and black deck. The choice is yours.
No need to add for the price of a trailer when you purchase a Supra boat. Supra boats come standard with a Tandem Torsion Axle Trailer Boatmate Trailer w/ Alloy Wheels and Disc Brakes on both axles. Boatmate Trailers offer style and performance up to the lofty levels of Supra boats with quality craftsmanship and reliability that deserves to be under a luxury performance wake boat. With standard features likes a swing-a-way tongue, color-matched bolt-on fenders, a self-latching hitch ball actuator, a Fulton F2 trailer jack, a 7-way round tow vehicle plug, a spare tire mount, removable guide poles and a trailer prop guard with rollers. A Boatmate trailer is the perfect match for your Supra boat, both elevate your expectations beyond better.
The Journey so far.
New Model Army played their first gig in Bradford on October 23rd 1980. Its founding members were Justin Sullivan, Stuart Morrow and Phil Tompkins. The threesome had already been together for a couple of years in a number of Bradford bands with other musicians and singers but in the Autumn of 1980, they decided to form a stripped-down three-piece, their music drawing on a wide collection of influences and fuelled by their passions for Punk Rock and Northern Soul. Within a few months drummer Phil Tomkins had left to be replaced by Rob Waddington. The band slowly built up a local following and created a unique style based on Justin's song-writing and Stuart's virtuosity on lead-bass.
In Summer 1982, whispers about this band reached London and they were invited to perform at a couple of showcases. But in a scene hungry for "the next big thing" (the coming "New Romantics"), NMA's fearsome music and northern style did not win over the Major Record Companies and they returned to Bradford empty-handed. Rob Waddington left to be replaced by Robert Heaton, who had been working as a drum tech and occasional drummer for the band ‘Hawkwind‘. Undeterred by the indifference of the Music Business, NMA began to perform more and more around the country and frequently featured as opening act on a series of all-day concerts at the London Lyceum which heralded many of the "Post-Punk" bands. Although this meant traveling for several hours to play a twenty-five minute set for no money, the band embraced the opportunity and their reputation as a live act grew. A first small-label independent single "Bittersweet" was released in the summer of 1983, followed by "Great Expectations" on Abstract Records that autumn, both played frequently on late night radio by John Peel. Suddenly the band had a "Following", people who would travel to every concert around the country to see them.
Early in 1984, the producer of "The Tube", the most important live music show on TV, had seen NMA in concert and invited them to fill the ‘unknown' slot on the programme. Having originally asked the band to perform their provocative anti-anthem, "Vengeance", the TV Company suddenly got cold feet about the song's lyrics minutes before broadcast and asked the band to change songs. It made no difference. Somehow twenty to thirty followers had managed to get into the TV studio and when NMA began with "Christian Militia" the crowd went wild and an electric atmosphere was transmitted around the country. Suddenly NMA were underground news. Their first mini-album, "Vengeance" knocked "The Smiths" from the top of the Independent Charts and the major record companies, who had rejected them less than two years earlier, were now begging to sign the band.
The autumn of 1984 was a time of political turmoil in Britain. After five years of Mrs Thatcher's right-wing government, which had already fuelled so much of NMA's early fury, a final showdown with the National Union of Mineworkers (the strike that had begun in March and had split the country), entered a critical phase and much of Northern England began to resemble a Police State. NMA's last Independent EP "The Price" also featured "1984" a song written directly about the strike and, with their declared left-wing views, NMA's concerts became increasingly intense.
At the end of the year, NMA signed a contract of "complete artist control" with EMI (which included EMI giving a donation to a miners fund). The move surprised many people but the band were already looking beyond the confines of Britain and considered the deal to be the right one. In the Spring of 1985 the album "No Rest For The Wicked" and the single "No Rest" both reached the national top 40, but this success and now relative financial security had done little to soften NMA's confrontational attitude. They appeared on Top Of The Pops wearing T-shirts with a motif reading "Only Stupid Bastards Use Heroin" (a reaction against the fashionable drug of the time).
Then, halfway through the "No Rest" tour, the day after their hometown gig, Stuart Morrow decided to leave the band for personal reasons. Frantic negotiations were made (by a strange unhappy co-incidence, on the very same day as the Bradford City fire disaster killed 56 people at a football match), but to no avail. As a result, Justin and Robert decided to follow up the success of "No Rest" with an acoustic song from the album "Better Than Them" which had not involved Stuart and accompanied it with three specially recorded acoustic tracks, a move of principle which dumbfounded EMI. By the summer, Stuart had been replaced by 17 year-old Jason 'Moose' Harris, whose first gig was at a benefit for the families of the fire tragedy, and the "No Rest" tour continued.
Thatcher's victory over the miners, and by extension over all organised opposition, marked a new political reality. This, coupled with the shock of Stuarts's departure and increasing media hostility, resulted in the band taking an ever more defiant posture, exemplified by a typically fiery performance at the Glastonbury Festival. Then, despite being signed to Capitol Records in North America, all attempts to tour there were prevented when the band were refused visas. Many people, on both sides of the Atlantic, believed that this was for political reasons although this was never possible to prove. Instead, that autumn NMA set out on their first long tour of the European mainland, which unlike many UK acts, they found much to their liking, and later a trip to Japan. The year ended with yet another UK tour in support of a newly recorded EP: "Brave New World", a savage portrait of the Thatcher's Britain and "RIP", an equally furious study of the band's history thus far.
If 1985 had been a traumatic year, then 1986 saw one of the band's many resurrections, with the legendary Glyn Johns agreeing to produce their third album. Though relations between band and producer were often difficult, Justin recalls the sessions as "the biggest musical learning curve of my life". "The Ghost Of Cain" was well received by the critics and audience and many people began to see a band that were capable of developing and changing and adjusting to new realities while still staying true to their own principles; this was a band that were now pursuing their own musical agenda, completely unmoved by the whims of the music industry or the expectations of fans. Outside Britain, their name was slowly becoming known and in December of 1986, they finally made a first short tour of America.
1987 was a year of full bloom. In January, Justin and Robert recorded an album with the poet Joolz Denby. Joolz had been the band's first manager and has remained as a driving force and responsible for all of the band's artwork from the beginning to the present day. She had previously made spoken word albums and a series of EPs with Jah Wobble but it was inevitable that she would collaborate with NMA. The album "Hex" was recorded at the very special Sawmills Studio, a unique place in Cornwall, only reachable at high tide by boat. Although the studio is now well known, at that time it was infrequently used and accommodation was in primitive cabins deep in the woods. From this new setting, and freed from the pressures of "being New Model Army", Justin and Robert were able to explore all kinds of ideas and musical avenues that their experience with Glyn Johns had opened up. Later, they both considered "Hex" to have been one of the creative highlights of their musical partnership, with its strong, romantic soundscapes acting as the perfect accompaniment to Joolz' poetry.
Much of the writing of "Hex" had been done using samplers and the use of this new tool continued to take the band in unexpected directions. That summer they recorded the "Whitecoats" EP with its ecological lyric and mystical atmosphere. An interest in mysticism and spirituality had been becoming more and more apparent in Justin's lyrics (though this was no surprise to those who knew of his family's Quaker roots). The same summer, Red Sky Coven was born out of a group of friends who shared these interests and ideas. It included Justin, Joolz, singer-songwriter and storyteller Rev Hammer and musician Brett Selby. Together, the foursome decided to create a performance based on this friendship, a unique show which continues to tour on an occasional basis.
1987 also saw plenty more NMA concerts, including Reading Festival, a gig with David Bowie in front of the Reichstag in Berlin and a show-stopping performance at the Bizarre Festival at Lorelei in Germany. From time to time, the band added their friend Ricky Warwick as a second guitarist and also enlisted Mark Feltham, the legendary harmonica player who had graced "The Ghost Of Cain" and "Hex" to join them. At the very end of the year and the beginning of 1988, they returned to the Sawmills for two more inspired writing sessions, which laid the foundations for "Thunder and Consolation".
The following months, though, were far more difficult, while NMA chose a producer, another music legend - Tom Dowd - and set about recording the album. It was a long drawn-out process and relationships between band members became increasingly strained, only really maintained by the knowledge that they were making something truly special. "Thunder and Consolation" was finally released early in 1989, striking a perfect balance between the band's fascinations with rock, folk and soul music and Justin's lyrical interest in spirituality, politics and family relationships. The album brought critical praise and new levels of commercial success and the band toured Europe and North America, joined by Ed Alleyne Johnson playing electric violin and keyboards and Chris Mclaughlin on guitar. However, despite the success, relationships at the heart of the band had not really mended and even after Jason Harris left that summer, stresses remained.
By autumn Justin and Robert were back in the Sawmills working towards another album and, in the new year, they were joined by a new (and still current) bass player, Nelson, previously of a number of East Anglian cult bands, and a new second guitarist, Adrian Portas from Sheffield. The new musicians brought a stronger atmosphere to the touring band while, in the studio, Justin and Robert continued to explore different musical ideas. Partly self-produced, "Impurity" was finally finished and mixed by Pat Collier in the summer of 1990. Still featuring Ed Alleyne Johnson' violin, the album was more eclectic than "Thunder" but continued to win new fans and the world-wide tour that followed its release lasted the best part of a year, culminating in a rolling Festival in Germany involving David Bowie, Midnight Oil, The Pixies and NMA.
In mid-1991, "Raw Melody Men", a live album from the tour, was put together and released. It was to be NMA's last album for EMI. Unusually, given the history of the music business, the relationship between band and record company had always remained cordial but had now simply grown stale. There were minor dissatisfactions on both sides and, after lengthy negotiations, it was agreed to simply terminate the contract. NMA's own Management Company also imploded at this time and new management was drawn up. The band was not short of new record company offers and eventually chose Epic, for reasons to do with support in the US.
Although Mrs Thatcher had been ousted by her own Party in 1990 (a memorable night coinciding with NMA's first visit to Rome), the Conservative monolith that had ruled the country for so long remained in power and, against all expectations, won a further election in 1992. Outside Britain though, much was changed: there was recession and instability and a so-called "New World Order" in the wake of the collapse of Soviet Communism and the 1st Gulf War. Already the band was embarked upon a very dark album, driven equally by personal traumas, including Justin's near-death electrocution on stage in Switzerland and the changes in the world around them. Produced by Niko Bolas and mixed by Bob Clearmountain, "The Love Of Hopeless Causes" was not what anyone was expecting. Just as folk-rock, pioneered and inspired in part by NMA, became a fashionable and commercial sound, the band made a deliberate move away from it and straight and into guitar-driven rock music.
Replacing Adrian with Dave Blomberg on guitar, they embarked on the album tour and the European section featured their most successful concerts yet. However NMA's relationship with their new record company quickly deteriorated. Worse still, they found themselves caught in corporate dispute between London and New York, which was in no way related to them. By June, the band found themselves on an exhaustive US tour, in which they had invested much of their own money, with no support of any kind from Epic or any other source. The tour featured many outstanding concerts but it was a bittersweet experience. By the end of the summer, it had been agreed that there should be a year off for everyone to rest and consider the future, while the contract with Epic was quickly terminated.
Justin used 1993-4 to produce other artists (a second collaboration with Joolz entitled "Weird Sister", Rev Hammer's "Bishop Of Buffalo" album and also the unusual Berlin combo, The Inchtabokatables), tour with Red Sky Coven and create another way of performing NMA songs - in a duo with new guitarist Dave Blomberg. Together they went back to Justin's first love - small club touring - and eventually released an album of the live show entitled "Big Guitars in Little Europe", an album, which has proved enduringly popular. Robert's main wish was to spend more time at home with his family, which he was now able to do and Nelson formed a new band "Nelson's Column" which toured England. Ed Alleyne Johnson followed up his first solo album "The Purple Electric Violin Concerto" which had been so successful with a second entitled "Ultraviolet".
After the year was up, Justin and Robert tentatively began work on a new project and in December 1994, the band (with Dean White on keyboards replacing Ed Alleyne Johnson) reassembled to play a short series of concerts. However, the next two years were lost while Justin and Robert, plagued by ill health and personal-life distractions tried unsuccessfully to pin down hundreds of new musical ideas into an album. It became increasingly obvious to both of them (and everyone else in and around the band) that they were now on very different musical paths. In 1997, Tommy Tee who had been the band's Tour Manager in the 1980s returned to take control of the band's drifting affairs. He enlisted producer Simon Dawson to help finish the project and by the autumn "Strange Brotherhood" was completed. Unsurprisingly, it's an album full to the brim with different and contrasting musical ideas while the lyrics range from the politics of the British Road Protest movement (in which Sullivan had been actively involved during 1996) to the deeply personal and sometimes unusually obscure. During the mixing, it was agreed that Justin and Robert would go their separate ways after the tour.
Then, suddenly Robert was diagnosed as having a brain tumour, and though the operation to remove it was successful, any prospect of touring was impossible. So he suggested that his place be taken by Michael Dean, a young drummer who had been working as his technician since 1993. Having watched Robert for some years, Michael was immediately comfortable with the role of drummer and with all other aspects of the band. The "Strange Brotherhood" tour began in the spring of 1998 and, happy to be back on the road at last, for the first couple of months, the band embarked on an ambitious programme of doing two sets each night, a 50 minute acoustic set followed by a full 90 minute rock. The tour continued on and off through to the end of the year.
By now Justin and Tommy Tee had restructured New Model Army's set-up to take account of the changes that the Internet was bringing to the whole music industry. This included making sure that the band owned every aspect of their work, and included their own record label (Attack Attack) to be distributed by different companies in different territories. 1999 began with a review of live shows recorded the previous year and their amalgamation into a live double album entitled "New Model Army and Nobody Else". After this Justin (assisted by Michael) began to write new songs for the next album. This was done quickly and easily for the first time since "Thunder", with Justin claiming to be "reborn as a song-writer." To keep up the momentum, it was decided to self-produce and to record the album in the band's own studio. Again this was done quickly with mostly Justin, Michael and Dean at the controls. (Living 250 and 300 miles from Bradford meant that Nelson and Dave were more occasional contributors for purely geographical reasons). The whole process was very much a reaction to the slow progress of "Strange Brotherhood", with the album given the simple name "Eight" to go with its whole stripped-down approach. It was released in the Spring of 2000 and was followed by more touring.
On October 23rd 2000, the band celebrated their 20th anniversary by playing another two set marathon at Rock City in Nottingham and then three months later, further special concerts in London and Koln which featured four completely different sets spread over two nights - a 57 song marathon in each city attended by over 7000 people.
One of the legacies of the lost years of the mid 1990s was a lot of unfinished material and next, Justin, Michael and Dean worked to finish and assemble this into accessible form, a double album "Lost Songs" released in 2002. Another ‘unfinished' project was Justin's long promised solo album and it was at this moment that he decided to pursue it. Meant to take just a few weeks to record and tour, "Navigating By The Stars" became another marathon. Hooking up with film and TV music producer, Ty Unwin, the first week of working coincided with ‘9/11'. Rather than making a political or angry response to unfolding events, the album's purpose was to ‘make something beautiful in an increasingly ugly World'. The album came out in 2003 to surprised and favourable reaction. At first touring alone with Dean (including a long awaited return to America), Justin was then joined by Michael playing percussion and the threesome bought a large mobile home and set off across Europe. The live album "Tales of the Road", released in 2004 captures their unique sound and stripped-down rearrangements of some of NMA's lesser known songs.
In 2004, an exhibition of all Joolz' artwork for the band plus collected memorabilia was assembled for a touring exhibition. Entitled ‘One Family, One Tribe' it has been on display in art galleries in Otley, York, Bradford and Hamm in Germany and there are plans for more future showings. Meanwhile, the band work began work on a new NMA album, at first focused around Michael's increasing creativity as a drummer. "Carnival" was recorded with producer Chris Tsangerides and mixed by Nat Chan. It's lyrical subjects and musical roots were as usual very eclectic but included many people's favourite NMA track, "Fireworks Night", Justin's emotional response to the sudden and unexpected death of Robert that Autumn. "Carnival" was released in September 2005, but when it came to the tour, Dave Blomberg was unable to participate for family reasons and his place was taken by Marshall Gill, a blues guitarist from Ashton Under Lyne, completing the band's current line-up in what Sullivan calls “the best version of NMA since 1985”.
The Carnival Tour marked another dynamic new beginning for the band, with Nelson sometimes playing as a second drummer, Dean sometimes as third guitarist and Michael and Marshall's energy much in evidence. Such was the sense of momentum and togetherness that for the first time in years, NMA moved quickly on to making another album with major contributions from all members. "High" was written and recorded in five months at the beginning of 2007, produced by old friend (and another production star, Chris Kimsey) and was ‘angrier' than any releases for a while and lyrically very much in tune with current realities.
The "High" tour rolled through 4 continents with the new line up now firmly in tune with itself and Marshall bringing a tougher edge to the band's sound - even managing to re-arrange the classic violin led anthem "Vagabonds" into a guitar led version. This and 16 other songs were released on a new live album, "Fuck Texas, Sing For Us", in November 2008 (the title taken from a chant at the band's New Orleans show that serves as the intro to the album).
The year ended with tours in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the customary December run of London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Koln with the band playing a fiery set of recent material. Remarkably, the band’s main 17 song set featured only two pre-2000 songs, as well as brand new material, a sure sign of the band’s forward momentum - and with their ticket sales up everywhere. Then, at Christmas, manager Tommy Tee died suddenly and unexpectedly. This was a major shock to everyone in and around the band, not only because as he ran all aspects of the band's affairs but also as a major part of the NMA family and history since 1982.
It took a while before the band could refocus but by Spring 2009, they were back in the studio working on their eleventh studio album, “Today Is A Good Day”. Mostly written in the wake of the 2008 Wall Street Collapse (an event celebrated in the white-hot opening title track), it was recorded in the band’s own studio in Bradford with Chris Kimsey once more at the controls. Chris wrote “the NMA 'family business' is back in full swing. The boys sound brave & united.” The album was hailed as one of their very best and the album tour began with a month in North America and went on for a further six months ending with a triumphant return to Glastonbury and other Festivals in the summer.
In the Autumn of 2010, the band celebrated their 30th Anniversary with the release of boxsets, books, DVDs and a full set of retrospective material and set out on the curious and challenging schedule. Promising to play a minimum of four songs from each of their 13 albums (including the two B-sides compilations) over two nights, they performed this marathon in different cities on four continents every weekend from September until Christmas. The final weekend in London was recorded and released in full as a five hour DVD.
After such a hectic year, 2011 was always going to be relatively quiet with the band concentrating on writing material for their next project. Consciously looking for something new after two convincing great rock band recorded live in a studio albums. this is a work in progress interrupted only by a handful of full band shows and rather more of the semi-acoustic Justin and Dean duo concerts. But then, as the year ended, disaster once again struck with a fire, started in the next door furniture outlet, raging through the band's Bradford base destroying pretty their whole studio set-up. No one was injured and the band have remarkably been able to salvage some of their touring gear from inside flight-cases. However, while remaining characteristically upbeat about the future, the band acknowledge that the loss of so much gear and a place to work will delay their plans for 2012. Meanwhile, in the background, BBC/Channel Four diector, Matt Reid, has been putting together a documentary film about the group for release sometime this year.
This is a remarkable band - as hungry and focused as ever, with a continually regenerating audience and insatiable creative ambition.
In this self portrait, I am expressing the trapped, stressed, and semi-overwhelmed side of me. Although it may not seem like it on the outside, there are a lot of things on my plate, which sometimes leads to imbalance and decision making. Featured in my work, I present a level on my head- showing the difficulty of balancing everything that’s on my mind. The shoes that are precariously placed on the level are meant to represent specific aspects of my life that make it so hectic! Such as a soccer and softball cleat, a tennis shoe, school shoes, and a cute, going-out-with-friends shoe. The way the level is unevenly tipping is meant to show the struggle I face everyday with meeting these expectations and making everybody happy- which sometimes takes priority over my personal well being and happiness. The bright and vibrant lighting/colors evoke the positive and upbeat approach that I take on life. No matter how bad the current situation, I try to always look on the better side of things, often using comedy and a smile to cheer others up. Overall, this picture does a good job of helping to show who I am and what I’m all about. I hoping the viewer will easily understand that the shoes are meant to be interpreted as the many facets of my personality. The level on my head is showing that these expectations are always on my mind, stressing me out day to day but also defining my character in the long run.
Boardwalk that connects the Rim Cabins. The Bright Angel Lodge, designed in 1935, has a natural, rustic character, and is a Registered National Historic Landmark.
The Bright Angel Lodge as it appears today was designed and built by famous Southwest architect Mary Colter. The Bright Angel Lodge we see today went through many transformations - originally a hotel, then a camp and finally a lodge. All of its changes were to accommodate increased visitation after the arrival of the train in 1901. Under the direction of the Santa Fe Railroad, Mary Colter’s task in designing a fresh look for Bright Angel Lodge was to ensure more moderately priced lodging than was offered at the El Tovar up the hill.
Colter included local flavor in all of her buildings, and especially here at Grand Canyon she drew inspirations from many local sources. Included in the overall theme of this lodge are a couple of historically significant structures that might well have been demolished without her intervention. The Buckey O’Neill Cabin, originally home to one of Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, and the Red Horse Station, which served as the post office for 20 years, influenced the new style of the lodge and can both be still used by guests today.
Though Colter was influenced by history, she knew exactly what she wanted from her builders. And all of her plans had to be completely followed. Builders who worked with Colter had countless stories to tell about her attention to detail and not settling for anything that failed to match her plans and expectations completely. Step inside to visit the history room and discover the geologic fireplace featuring all of the rock layers of the Grand Canyon, from the river cobbles to the youngest rock layer on the rim. During its construction, Colter repeatedly sent men back into the canyon for more rocks of various shapes and sizes and would step in to make changes herself.
Today the Bright Angel Lodge is its own bit of history preserved for visitors to admire and enjoy. Now more than simply a place to stay, its character is a collection of things that have happened here, and it has many stories to tell. NPS Photo by Michael Quinn.
For more information about staying at the Bright Angel Lodge:
www.grandcanyonlodges.com/bright-angel-lodge-408.html
To help plan your trip to the Grand Canyon visit: www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
Heritage/Ride and Stride weekend was a bit hit and miss, to be expected with COVID, I suppose. But churches next to each other open and closed, or open but with different restrictions or no restrictions.
But a 50% open rate wasn't bad.
I was last here in January, when mist shrouded St Michael and the view. It looked grim.
Fast forward to a sunny September lunchtime, and I arrived with low expectations.
A husband and wife team were clearing the summer growth from the path leading to the porch. I stood still until I was noticed by the wife.
She smiled.
The husband carried on strimming. It was a petrol driven one, and was loud.
He stopped, and I saw he had no ear protection and the motor was beside his left ear. I told him to be careful.
You sound like my wife, he said.
Is the church open, I asked.
It is.
Can I go in?
Of course.
We've had a new carpet paid, nice and red.
Indeed they had.
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This is an enigma! The medieval church, of which the tower with its fine 14th century west window, survives, was destroyed by fire in the late 18th century. The story of the fires is recorded in Hasted`s History of Kent. It was rebuilt by Henry Holland as a classical box with gothic detailing – for instance the vestry lancet – but this was mostly undone by two Victorian restorations which combined to turn the church into a more standard building. The interior is barn like but the fine glass by Barraud and Westlake is all of a date around 1900, though some more recent repairs have been really botched with naïve faces much in evidence. The pulpit is fine work of the Victorian restoration with curving staircase and on the whole nothing jars. It is a building of two periods – each recorded by plaques and boards – and the crumbling ragstone exterior with galletted blocks gives the impression that it is waiting for the next period of change.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Chart+Sutton
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CHART SUTTON.
THE next parish southward from Langley is Chart Sutton, or as it should be more properly called, Chart by Sutton, written in Domesday, Certh.
THIS PARISH is but small, the lower or southern ridge of Quarry-hills divides the upper and lower parts of it, the latter is in the district of the Weald, where the country is low and flat, abounding with broad hedge rows, filled with large and spreading oaks. It is exceeding wet and miry in winter, the soil being a deep stiff elay. At the foot of the hill there rises a stream, which having turned a mill, flows from thence southward across this parish, till it joins the branch of the Medway just above Herefeed-bridge; on and about the hill the soil consists of the quarry-stone, thinly covered with a loam, being exceedingly fertile for corn, fruit, and hops. Just above the summit of the hill is the village and church, with Chart-place adjoining to the church-yard; beyond which northward the soil becomes less fertile, being a hungry red earth mixed with flints, which continues till it joins the parish of Langley.
The mention made in the record of Domesday of the three arpends of vineyard in this parish, ought not to be passed by unnoticed here, this being one of several instances of there having been vineyards in this county in very early times. I mean plantations of the grapevine; for I can by no means acquiese in the conjecture, that Vineæ universally meant plantations of apples and pears, at least so far as relates to this county, where the latter were not introduced at the time, nor for some time after the taking of the survey of Domesday. This opinion is further confirmed by the instance of Hamo, bishop of Rochester, who, when Edward II. in his 19th year, was at Bokinsold, in this county, sent that prince a gift both of wine and grapes, from his vineyard at Halling, near Rochester, the episcopal palace where he then resided. These vineyards being likewise measured by the arpend, the same measure that they usually were in France, shews that when the vine was brought from thence and cultivated here, the same kind of measure was continued to the plantations of them, a measure different from that of any other kind of land. Sir Robert Atkins, in his History of Gloucestershire, has indeed given two instances from records in the reigns of king John and king Edward II. to prove the contrary, which might suit exceeding well with the language of his countrymen, and the bleak county of Gloucester, where the grape-vine had never been seen, and the only beverage was that of the apple and pear, which they had dignisified with the appellation of wine. In my memory there have been two exceeding fine vineyards in this county, one at Tunbridgecastle, and the other at Hall-place, in Barming, near Maidstone, from which quantities of exceeding good and well-flavored wine have been produced. This parish of Chart, among others in the same situation, on the side of the quarry hills, is peculiarly adapted to the planting of vines, as well from the warm and nutritive quality of the soil, as its genial aspect, being entirely sheltered from the north and east, and facing the south on the declivity of the hill.
CHART was part of those possessions given by William the Conqueror to his half-brother Odo, bishop of Baieux, under the general title of whose lands it is thus entered in that record.
The same Adam Fitz Hubert holds of the bishop of Baieux, Certh. It was taxed at three sulings. The arable land is eight carucates. In demesne there is one, and twenty villeins, with five borderers having six carucates. There is a church and eight servants, and six acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of fifty hogs. There are three arpends of vineyard, and a park of beasts of the forest. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, and afterwards, and now, it was and is worth twelve pounds. Alnod Cilt held it.
Four years after the taking the above-mentioned survey, the bishop of Baieux was disgraced, and all his estates were confiscated to the crown.
This estate afterwards became the property of Baldwin de Betun, earl of Albermarle, likewise lord of the manor of Sutton Valence, to which this estate seems to have been accounted an appendage, and it afterwards continued with it, in a like succession of ownership, down to Sir Christopher Desbouverie, who soon after his coming into the possession of it in 1708, on a spot which he had purchased of others, on which there was then only a mean cottage, built for himself a mansion near the church here, where he afterwards resided. (fn. 1) He died possessed of it in 1733, leaving two sons, who both died without issue, and also two daughters, who became their brother's heirs, and on the partition of their inheritance in 1752, this manor was, among others in this neighbourhood, allotted to the share of the youngest, Mrs. Elizabeth Bouverie, now of Teston, who continues owner of it.
NORTON-PLACE is an antient manor and mansion in this parish, though now and for many years since made use of only as a farm-house, situated about half a mile northward from Chart-place. It was antiently the property and residence of the family of Norton, to whom it gave name; and in the south windows of this church there were formerly the essigies of Stephen Norton, who lived in king Richard II.'s reign, with his arms, Argent, a chevron between three crescents azure, on his tabard or surcoat, and Philipott says that he had found in a tournament of the Kentish gentlemen one of this name, in a tabard of the arms above-mentioned, encountering one Christmas, of East Sutton, not far distant, who was in like manner habited in a surcoat charged with his arms, expressive of his name, viz. Gules, upon a bend sable, three wassail bowls, or; which coat was likewise depicted in the south windows of Sutton church. But the partitions inherent to gavelkind, so diminished the patrimony of this family, that in the reign of queen Elizabeth, and afterwards, they were obliged to sell off several parts of it at different times, all which came at length into the possession of Sir Ed ward Hales, created a baronet in 1611, whose grandson and heir of the same name in 1660 purchased of the two coheirs of the family of Norton, married to Denne and Underwood, the seat itself, with the remainder of the land belonging to it, by a fine then levied by them and their husbands for that purpose. His trustees about the year 1670, conveyed it, with the manor of Sutton Valence and Chart before-mentioned, and sundry other premises, to Sir William Drake, of Amersham, with which it was in like manner sold, about the year 1708, to Sir Christopher Desbouverie, whose daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Bouverie, of Teston, after the death of her two brothers, and a partition of her father's estates between herself and her sister, is now entitled to it.
WALTERS-FOLLY, in the den of Ivetigh, now vulgarly called THE FOLLY, is an estate situated in the southern part of this parish, about a mile below the summit of the hill. It was antiently the property of the family of Ivetigh, antiently spelt Evythye, who implanted their name on it, as they did on other lands in this parish, still called by their name; and though the deeds of this estate, which mention them as possessors of it, do not reach higher than the reign of king Henry VI. yet, undoubtedly, they were owners of it long before.
In the above-mentioned reign, however, this estate was alienated by one of that name to Robert Mascall, who died possessed of it in the 4th year of Edward IV. By his will, dated Nov. 25, that year, he willed his body to be buried in the church yard of this parish. He devised 6s. 8d. towards the pavement of the church, and to the leading of it twenty shillings; all his lands and tenements to his wife, for her life, remainder to his son Thomas, his daughter Elizabeth mentioned in it. His son Thomas Mascall resided here, and some years after his father's death sold it to Wm. Lambe, who changed the name of it to Lambden; in his descendants, who bore for their arms, Sable, on a fess or, two mullets of the field, between three cinquefoils ermine, it continued till it was at length sold to Perry, descended from those of Worcestershire, and it remained in that name till the reign of king Charles I. when Mr. James Perry, of Lenham, dying s.p. his three daughters, Elizabeth, married to Mr. Thomas Petley, of Filston; Anne and Mary became his coheirs, and entitled to this estate, which they afterwards joined in the sale of to Walter, who rebuilt the house on it, which afterwards gained the name of Walter's folly; from one of his descendants it was purchased, in the reign of queen Anne, by Sir Samuel Ongley, of London, who gave it, together with an estate called Elderden, lying at a small distance from it, by will to his nephew, Samuel Ongley, esq. of Old Warden, in Bedfordshire, in tail: on whose death s. p. this estate came by the entail abovementioned to his nephew Robert Henley, esq. who took upon him the name of Ongley, and was in 1776 created baron Ongley, of Ireland, he died in 1785, and his son Robert lord Ongley, is the present owner of it.
ALMNERY-GREEN, usually called Almery green, is a place in the western part of this parish, where there is an estate called Haddis tenement, alias Almery, which was for many generations the residence of the family of Hadde, called in antient writings likewise Le Hadde. Robert Hadde lived here in the reign of king Henry III. as did his son William le Hadde in the next reign of Edward I. (fn. 2) At length about the latter end of the reign of king Edward III. this family divided into two branches, of which Robert le Hadde, the eldest son and heir, settled at Frinsted, where his descendants continued for many generations, and the youngest son inherited this family seat at Chart, which remained in the possessions of his descendants, till Thomas Haddys, in the reign of king Henry VII. leaving two daughters his coheirs, Margaret married first Wm. Wright and afterwards Nicholas Harpur; and Catherine, who married Thomas Bidlake, of Devonshire, this house and estate in Chart became the property of his eldest daughter Margaret, who entitled her husband, William Wright, to it; and he, anno 17 Henry VII. conveyed it to Roger Morys, of Ledes, and after some intermediate owners, it came into the possession of Robert Baker, who in 1612 sold it to Sir Edward Hales, bart. The trustees of whose grandson, Sir Edward Hales, bart. sold it with the manor of Sutton Valence, and his other estates in this parish, to Sir William Drake, of Amersham, with which they were in like manner afterwards sold to Sir Christopher Desbouverie; and on the partition between his two daughters and coheirs, these premises were alloted, with other lands in this and the neighbouring parishes, to Anne, the eldest daughter, married to John Hervey, esq. afterwards of Beechworth, who died possessed of them in 1757, and his grandson Christopher Hervey, esq. is now entitled to them.
There is an estate on ALMNERY-GREEN, which was formerly part of the possessions of the priory of Ledes, and most probably belonging to the almnery of that house, gave name to this place. It the remained with it till the reign of Henry VIII. when the priory being dissolved, this estate came, with the rest of the possessions of it, into the king's hands, and was settled by him in the 32d year of his reign, on his new-erected dean and chapter of Rochester, who are now entitled to the inheritance of it.
LESTED is an antient seat, situated on the northern side of the high road leading from Cocks-heath to Langley-heath, near Chart corner.
It was formerly part of the possessions of the family of Potman. who were possessed of other estates in this parish as has been already mentioned and it continued with them till Sir Richard Potman sold it to Simon Smyth, gent. who resided at Buckland, in Maidstone, whose son Simon was of Boughton Monchensie, and had the arms of his family confirmed to him by Camdem, clarencieux, in 1650. (fn. 3). He left a son Simon, of Lested, (fn. 4) whose widow afterwards remarried George Curteis, esq. sheriff of this county in 1651, when he resided here in her right.
In the descendants of Simon Smyth this estate descended down to the Rev. John Smyth, vicar of this parish, and rector of Hastingleigh, who died in 1732, and was succeeded by his son John Smyth, esq. whose widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Smyth survived him, and afterwards resided in it. She was daughter of Ralph Whitfield, esq. major of the Welsh fuzileers, by whom he left four daughters, Felicia, Elizabeth, Anna Maria, and Dorothea, his coheirs, and they or their respective heirs are now entitled to it.
CHENEYS-COURT is a reputed manor here, which appears in very early times to have been called Hadenesham, and to have been in the possession of Sir Robert de Shurland, a man of great eminence in the reign of king Edward I. who leaving an only daughter and heir, she carried this estate, with other large inheritanbe, in marriage to William de Cheney, of Patricksborne, in whose descendants it continued so long, that they implanted their name on it; at length Sir Thomas Cheney passed it away to John Iden, who died possessed of it in the 4th year of Henry VIII. and one of his descendants, leaving two daughters and coheirs, one of whom married Browne, and the other Barton, the latter of them, in right of his wife, possessed this estate, and in that name it continued till it was at length alienated to Heyward, for Rowland Heyward had the queen's licence, anno 16 Elizabeth, to alienate the messuage and manor, called Chenye-court, to John Long, of Tunbridge; after which it passed to Wolett, and thence to Jordan, and afterwards to that branch of the family of Fane, who were earls of Westmoreland, in which it continued till John, earl of Westmoreland, dying in 1762, s. p. this, among his other estates in this county, is at length, by the limitations of his will, come to the right hon. Thomas, lord le Despencer, who continues the present possessor of it.
There is the appearance of an old manor-pound belonging to it; but there has been no court held for this manor in the memory of man.
THE FAMILY OF SPENCER once possessed an estate in this parish, and resided here for some generations; one of whom John Spencer, esq. was of Chart Sutton, and bore for their arms, Argent, a fess engrailed, in chief three lions rampant, gules, at the latter end of the reign of king Henry VIII. as was his son of the same name afterwards. He left two sons, John and Nicholas, and five daughters, who on their elder brother's death s. p. became his coheirs; and in the beginning of the reign of king Charles I. joined with their respective husbands in the sale of their inheritance in this parish, to Sir Edward Hales, bart. it afterwards passed into the possession of Sir William Drake, and then to Sir Christopher Desbouverie, in whose descendants it has continued in like manner as the rest of his estates in this parish to the present time.
Charities.
RICHARD MASCALL gave by will in 1599, for the better support of the poor the yearly sum of 40s. in land in Ashford, vested in Edward Finch Hatton, esq. and now of the annual produce of 1l. 11s.
JOAN MASCALL gave by will in 1598, for the like use, the annual sum of 10s. in land in this parish, vested in Wm. Spong, and of that annual produce.
The poor constantly maintained by this parish are yearly in number about thirty-five, casually about twenty.
CHART SUTTON is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Sutton,
The church, which stands near the summit of the hill, at a very small distance from Sutton Valence, is dedicated to St. Michael.
This church has been twice set on fire by lightning: the first time, a few years ago, when it was fortunately soon extinguished; the last time was on April 23, 1779, about seven o'clock in the morning, when in a dreadful storm of thunder, the lightning set fire to the beautiful spire steeple of it, and in about three hours time burnt that and the whole building to ashes, excepting the bare walls; since which it has been rebuilt from a plan of Mr. Henry Holland, junior, architect, at the cost of more than 1,300l. collected by a brief throughout the county from house to house, and a liberal contribution made by the neighbouring gentry and clergy.
The church of Chart was given to the priory of Leeds, soon after the foundation of it; the tithes of every kind, arising from the demesnes of the lord of the parish of Chart, and also twenty shillings annual pension from the church, to be paid by the hands of the rector of it, for ever, for the maintenance of the infirmary of the priory, being assigned and granted by archbishop Richard to the canons of the priory. (fn. 5)
In the year 1320, Walter, archbishop of Canterbury, appropriated this church to the priory, and then admitted William de Shoreham to the vicarage of this church; at which time he, by his instrument, endowed the vicarage of it as follows: first, he ordained and decreed, that every vicar, for the time being, should receive all oblations and obits according to the altar of the church, which the rectors of it used of old to receive, together with the tithes of wool, lambs, calves, hogs, hay, flax, hemp, mills, pears, apples, milk, milk-meats, sheep, and of whatever was planted and sowed in gardens; and also, that the prior and convent should bear and exonerate all burthens, ordinary and extraordinary, happening to the church, as well in books, vestments, reparations and rebuildings of it, as often as need should require, the procurations of the archdeacon, and other burthens antiently belonging to it, or which might in future be laid on it. And he further decressed, that the prior and convent should assign of the soil of the church, one acre and an half of land, lying conveniently for a dwelling for the vicar, and should build for him on it a convenient house for him and his successors to dwell in, and that they should pay to him and his successors, as an augmentation of his living, forty shillings sterling yearly.
On the dissolution of the priory of Leeds, in the reign of Henry VIII. this parsonage, with the advowson of the vicarage, came into the hands of the crown, and was by the king settled in his 32d year, on his newerected dean and chapter of Rochester, part of whose inheritance it remains at this time.
¶On the abolition of deans and chapters, this parsonage was surveyed by order of the state in 1649, when it was returned, that the parsonage, or manorhouse of the parsonage, consisted of a hall, a parlour, kitchen, cellar, buttery, five chambers, three garrets, one dairy-house, barn and stable, with all the tithes thereto belonging, and the tithes of as much of Suttonpark as lay within the precincts of Chart parish, with a court and barn-yard; the whole being valued at fifty pounds per annum, and let by the dean and chapter, anno 26 Charles I. by lease to Sir Edward Hales, bart. and Sir John Hales, his son, for twenty-one years, at the yearly rent of 13l 11s. 8d. and one good and seasonable brawn every Christmas, but that the premises were worth over and above, upon improvement, 67l. 3s. 10d. and that the tenant was bound to repair and maintain the chancel of the parish church. At which time the vicarage was valued at thirty-five pounds clear yearly income. (fn. 6)
Among the archives of the dean and chapter of Canterbury is a definitive sentence, made at Cranbrook, anno 1400, concerning the custom and method of taking tithes in this parish, made by Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, in a cause of tithes, between the prior and convent of Ledes and John Hadde, parishioner of this church.
Mrs. Elizabeth Bouverie, of Teston, is the present lessee of this parsonage. The advowson of the vicarage is reserved by the dean and chapter, in their own hands.
The vicarage is valued in the king's books at 8l. 12s. 8½d. and the yearly tenths at 17s. 3¾d. (fn. 7) It is now of the clear yearly certified value of 47l. 11s. 9¼d.
In 1640 it was valued at thirty pounds per annum, Communicants, 212.
The Rev. John Smyth, vicar gave by will in 1732, two hundred pounds as an augmentation, to enable it to receive the benefit of the like sum from queen Anne's bounty, (fn. 8) with which a small farm of twenty pounds per annum in Ashford parish, has been purchased for the benefit of the vicar and his successors.
The ibis extends his feet, expecting the water to be shallow enough to be no deeper than his legs will reach. He relies on his vision to correctly assess the depth of the water and the firmness of the bottom - and to detect any alligators that might be lurking. And he expects all of that to happen in milliseconds as he commits to landing. Seems like a lot to expect, doesn't it?
We make plans, but if you get upset when your plans or expectations have to be revised, you will have a very upsetting life.
You have to be ready and able to change your plans and expectations as situations evolve, as they always do. The ability to adjust your trajectory mid-flight is critical if you are to have a happy landing. Make a plan, take off, and adjust what needs adjusting along the way.
We took a road trip this weekend, and accomplished two-thirds of our intended goals. That's not a bad ratio, considering how little actual planning went into it. Some good food, some not so good food, some good finds, and a bunch of shopping at her favorite stores..
Let's just hope it's true what they say about a 'happy wife'...
Tried to recreate the image uploaded 19.3.12 Sally stepped in to play daughter Leah but Adam is the same - but taller - the actual roller is the one next to this but sometime in the last 24 years the handles have broken off! Ah Well..
A shop situated along a narrow lane in Kolkata, India.
Steam slowly leaves the store, its pace opposite to that of the chaotic streets of India. People say that India is either a place you like or dislike a lot. From my first visit, I can safely say that I like India lots (the food, people and atmosphere!).
Almost half of 2014 has passed by and I've only posted a few photos. My resolution is to capture and post at least one photo a week.
Now, I'm almost done with high school. I have a couple exams and less than two months of school left. Senior year has undoubtedly been consuming and I'm glad it'll be over soon.
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
― Albert Camus, The Stranger
From the autumn 2016 trip to Vietnam:
If ever there were a good way to finish up a trip, this particular Sunday in October would be it. Before arriving in Hanoi, I honestly had exceptionally low expectations. A bit like Saigon, if you are to go online and try to look up a list of places to visit – basically a tourist’s stock photography checklist, as it may be – you don’t find much that’s appealing. Well…I didn’t, anyway, and as a result, I had pretty low expectations for Hanoi.
The charm and beauty of Hanoi, however, isn’t in any one particular place. It’s in the experience of the entire city. (I’d say the same for Saigon, but multiply that a few times for Hanoi.) On this day in the Old Quarter in particular, I kept finding myself thinking, “Oh, my God, I shouldn’t be this lucky as a photographer…” Today ended up being mostly about people, with a little food and historical locations mixed in.
As I mentioned in the last set of posting, today would start off a bit sad with Junebug leaving for China a day before I would. So, we were checked out of our room by 6:00 in the morning or so. The breakfast at the Art Trendy was wonderful. Buffet with a mix of made-to-order omelets mixed in. Strong work, Art Trendy, strong work…
When June left, I really had nothing to do since it was still six in the morning and I was temporarily homeless as I had to switch hotels. So…I sat around the lobby for about two hours (possibly slightly awkward for the poor girls working there, but oh, well; I had to sit somewhere).
Around 8:00, I finally dragged my old bones out of the hotel and walked the five to ten minutes down the street to the Aquarius, where I politely asked them to hold my non-camera bag until I come back around 1:00 in the afternoon to check in.
After that, I was finally off with my cameras to enjoy an early Sunday morning in the bustling Old Quarter. On the street where the hotel is situated are a number of restaurants where locals were jammed in to enjoy noodles, steamed buns, and the like. It was wonderful to be among that crowd (though someone tried to scold me ever so slightly for taking pictures of people eating).
Since this was right next to St. Joseph’s Cathedral – and it was Sunday morning – I found my way back into the church where we crashed the wedding the afternoon before and realized that I almost got locked into Sunday mass while walking around taking pictures. So…I stayed. I prayed. And my prayer was answered when I realized the side doors and even the back door were open. (Ok…I didn’t really think I was locked in a church, but it did feel like it a little bit.)
Upon exiting the church, a handful of frames under my belt, I walked along the lovely streets photographing shops and people. At Caphe, I piggybacked on someone else’s photo shoot – it looked like they were doing a promo for the place, or possibly just a personal shoot for five women, though I have a feeling it was the former. At any rate, I was quite pleased with that little set and am presenting quite a few of those here, even if they’re a little redundant.
My ultimate goal with this wandering was to find my way to the Hanoi Hilton. Now, I’m not taking about the hotel chain, of course, but rather the prison that U.S. prisoners of war sarcastically called the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. (This is the prison where Senator John McCain was interred while a POW, and there are one or two pictures to that effect here.)
This prison has a particularly interesting history (and morbid since…well…it’s a prison). It’s about a hundred years old and was founded by the French colonialists around the turn of the 20th century. During the first 50 years of its history, the French imprisoned Vietnamese insurgents and those who wanted independence. In the eyes of the French…renegades (hence the imprisonment). In the eyes of the Vietnamese – especially the current government – patriots and national heroes. If they were truly freedom fighters, then I would probably side with the current government on that one.
The French even had a guillotine installed here and overcrowding was a major problem. There were plenty of escape attempts, and more were successful than you may think, which is a little peculiar.
After the battle of Bien Dien Phu and the ejection of the French from the north (and before the U.S. got involved in the south), the prison changed hands and was under control of Ho Chi Minh. During the Vietnam War, it became one of the main prisons for U.S. POWs, as I alluded to above.
The propaganda claims that the Vietcong were absolutely humane and decent with U.S. prisoners, allowing them to observe their religious rites (Christmas celebrations, etc.), allowed prisoners to smoke and enjoy leisure (board games, basketball, etc.), and claimed they were well-fed.
This is certainly how it’s presented in the prison/museum currently. If you were to go online, though, and try to find a contrary report, you would find that this was all coerced and staged to make it appear as if things were on the up and up. (For anyone curious, per my Vietnamese friends, the general education in Vietnam today is how terrible the French and U.S. were for colonizing and torturing the country and keeping it from its independence.)
So, what’s the truth of what really happened? Who knows? Outside of firsthand accounts, it’s impossible to know for certain and even then, memory can be a tricky thing. I tend to like to say the truth is always somewhere between two opposing viewpoints, no matter what the topic may be.
From an impartial and purely photographic point of view, the prison, currently a museum/memorial, is an interesting place to spend an hour or two. Some of the exhibits seem a bit cheesy, but some are quite tasteful and well done. There’s also an informational video. You’ll have to see this with a bit of imagination (the prison, that is), as at least half of it has been leveled for high rise buildings. At least there’s some tangible piece of it left to visit, including the main gate (Maison Centrale).
After about two hours here at the Hanoi Hilton, I walked over towards the Opera House to get a few daytime shots but, really, to get lunch at El Gaucho. I was looking forward to a proper steak. The prices were astronomical (though justifiable based on what I ate), though I just opted for a steak salad. It was so good I contemplated going back for dinner, but had other plans.
With a happy stomach, I went back to finally check in at the Aquarius Hotel and got my workout huffing up six flights of stairs each time I went out. I relaxed here for a few hours until 4:00 when a dear friend of mine came to town to see me.
Ngan and I had an ice cream at Baskin Robbins right in front of St. Joe’s before heading over to the Temple of Literature. This is a temple dedicated to education and, bless my soul, it’s a place where university graduates come for graduation pictures.
On this particular day – a warm, sunny, late Sunday afternoon – it was packed with college students. And it was beautiful to see that many people happy, full of hopes and dreams, and dressed in either cap and gown or traditional Vietnamese clothes. In short…I had a field day shooting for an hour here.
Around 5:00, Ngan had to head back to school, and I went back to my hotel. I had one more meeting. Hoa, who traveled around Thailand & Cambodia with me in May, flew back to see me this evening. She picked me up at 6:00 on her scooter and rode me all around Hanoi by evening.
She started by taking me to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (which I consider a lot more photogenic in its setting than the Great Gangster’s Mausoleum on Tiananmen Square). This one, at least, was in a parklike setting. At evening, it’s well-lit and you can find people relaxing in the grass in front of it. During the day, you can visit and there are quite a few buildings behind the mausoleum that you can also see.
After a few minutes here, Hoa took me by West Lake – the largest lake in Hanoi, as I mentioned yesterday – and just drove me around for over an hour, it seemed. My impressions that Hanoi (even out of the Old Quarter) seemed to be a good place to live – though I’d be concerned about the air pollution – and people here seemed to be happy. Also…Vietnamese really love their coffee.
We finally returned to the Old Quarter for dinner at one of the famous restaurants she recommended and she treated me to a wonderful dinner. I can’t recall what we ate (the Vietnamese names of it, anyway), but it was nice.
After dinner, she drove me over towards the Opera House and then, finally, we stopped by Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the Quarter and walked around the lake. It was getting close to 10:00 by this time, and I wanted to get back to the hotel to get a few hours sleep before waking up for my early flight in the morning. Hoa came to the airport with me to see me off.
If ever there were a great way to finish a great trip, this was it. I absolutely loved Vietnam – honestly, a lot more than I imagined I would, even with every single person I know who’d ever come here saying what a fantastic country this is – and would gladly come back. This seems to be one of the kinds of countries that you would never get tired of or, if you did, it would sure take a long time. With that, I’ll bid goodbye to Vietnam for now with the hopes that I’ll someday return to this land of amazing food, landscapes, and people.
As always, thanks for dropping by and viewing these pictures. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and I’ll answer as I have time.
Photo of Wahkeena Creek captured viaMinolta MD Zoom Rokkor-X 24-50mm F/4 lens. On the Wahkeena Creek Trail #420. Wahkeena Canyon. Mount Hood National Forest. Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Columbia River Gorge-Area. Cascades Range. Multnomah County, Oregon. Early April 2017.
Exposure Time: 1/5 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/22 * Bracketing: None
Seats at a table / lighted and yet / the expectations by any man / with a beard / are difficult to meet.
There are so many interesting characters on this shot of Norderney tourists who are anticipating their holiday on the island. View large!
The photographer was L. van der Ven who must have been active from ca. 1860 - 1916 and had studios in Winschoten (Netherlands) and Norderney (Germany).
My oldest daughter / ma fille ainée.
It's crazy to feel how much hope you can place in such a tiny girl... you keep on asking yourself "What if she's ugly? What if she's dumb? What if she's bad at soccer? (;o)"
And in the end the answer is always the same: you don't care: she'll always be your daughter.
C'est fou de voir quels espoirs on peut placer dans une si petite fille: on se demande "Et si elle ne devient pas belle? Et si elle ne devient pas intelligente? Et si elle ne joue pas bien au foot?"
Et à la fin, la réponse est inévitablement la même: aucune importance: c'est ma fille.
Hosianna Davids Sohn
1. Hosianna! Davids Sohn
Kommt in Zion eingezogen.
Auf, bereitet ihm den Thron,
setzt ihm tausend Ehrenbogen,
Streuet Palmen, machet Bahn,
Dass er Einzug halten kann.
2. Hosianna! Sei gegrüßt!
Komm, wir gehen dir entgegen.
Unser Herz ist schon bereit,
Will sich dir zu Füßen legen.
Zeuch' (1) zu unsern Toren ein;
Du sollst uns willkommen sein.
3. Hosianna, Friedensfürst,
Ehrenkönig, Held im Streite,
Alles, was du schaffen wirst,
Das ist unsere Siegesbeute.
Deine Rechte bleibt erhöht,
Und dein Reich allein besteht.
4. Hosianna! lieber Gast,
Wir sind deine Reichsgenossen,
Die du dir erwählet hast.
Ach, so lass uns unverdrossen
Deinem Szepter dienstbar sein;
Herrsche du in uns allein.
5. Hosianna, komme bald,
Lass uns deine Sanftmut küssen.
Wollte gleich die Knechtsgestalt
Deine Majestät verschließen.
Ei, so kennet Zion schon
Gottes und auch Davids Sohn.
6. Hosianna! Steh uns bei;
O Herr, hilf, lass wohlgelingen,
Dass wir ohne Heuchelei
Dir das Herz zum Opfer bringen.
Du nimmst keinen Jünger an,
Der dir nicht gehorchen kann.
7. Hosianna, lass uns hier
An den Ölberg dich begleiten.
Bis wir einstens für und für
Dir ein Psalmenlied bereiten.
Dort ist unser Bethphage (2):
Hosianna in der Höh!
8. Hosianna nah und fern!
Eile, bei uns einzugehen.
Du Gesegneter des Herrn,
Warum willst Du draußen stehen?
Hosianna, bist du da?
Ja, du kommst. Halleluja!
(1) zieh
(2) Dorf auf dem Ölberg in der Nähe von Bethanien
gemeint ist hier wohl: Dort ist unser Lebensziel
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Text: Benjamin Schmolck
Melodie: Meinen Jesum lass' ich nicht
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
gefunden in:
Evangelisches Gesangbuch für Kirche und Haus
für Stralsund und Greifswald, 1887
Liednummer 47, Advent
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Benjamin Schmolck,geb. 1672 in Brauchitschdorf (Schlesien), Pfarrer in Schweidnitz, bekannt als Erbauungsschriftsteller, dichtete über 1000 Lieder, zuletzt gelähmt und erblindet; gest. 1737 in Schweidnitz.
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Ein Adventskalender (in Österreich Adventkalender; auch Weihnachtskalender) zeigt die verbleibenden Tage bis Weihnachten.
Er findet sich in den Dezembertagen bei vielen Familien, in Kindergärten oder Schulen im deutschen Sprachraum.
Beispiel eines Adventskalenders
Kalender, die den ganzen Zeitraum des Advent – also vom ersten Adventssonntag bis Weihnachten – abdecken, haben die passende Anzahl von Türchen für das betreffende Jahr (oder vier zusätzlich für den längstmöglichen Advent: Sonntag 27. November bis Samstag 24. Dezember). Der Adventskalender ist heute meist ein „Dezemberkalender“ – das heißt, er beginnt nicht am ersten Adventssonntag, sondern am 1. Dezember.
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An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, whereas others are secular in content.
Today, most advent calendars are made for children. Many take the form of a large rectangular card with many "windows", one of which is opened every day during Advent. In less elaborate calendars, each window opens to reveal an image, a poem, or part of a story such as the Nativity story itself. More elaborate Advent calendars have a small gift concealed in each window, such as a toy or a chocolate item.
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Le calendrier de l'Avent est une tradition germanique née pour faire patienter les enfants jusqu'a Noël. À l'origine, on remettait une image pieuse chaque matin aux enfants, comportant une phrase de l'Évangile ou une incitation à faire une bonne action. Plus tard les biscuits puis les chocolats remplacèrent les images.
Le calendrier a souvent la forme d'une planche cartonnée dans laquelle sont prédécoupées 24 fenêtres qu'on ouvre progressivement, une par jour. On peut alors y lire la phrase de l'Évangile ou y prendre la confiserie qu'elle contient. Depuis quelques années, surtout en Allemagne, on y trouve des petits jouets. Certains calendriers, plus proches de l'idée originelle, n'ont pas systématiquement 24 jours, mais un nombre de jours variant entre 22 et 28 selon le jour où tombe Noël (dont dépend la durée de l'Avent).
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Un calendario dell'avvento mostra i giorni rimanenti fino alla vigilia di Natale. Si tratta di un'usanza molto popolare nei paesi di lingua tedesca dedicata ai bambini per accompagnare il periodo di attesa della grande festa.
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