Put the Frank E. Evans Lost 74 on the Vietnam Wall …

… so, after my previous post on this subject:

https://jimsthreedot.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/put-the-lost-74-on-the-vietnam-veterans-memorial/

… one of our cats climbed up on my desk and barfed all over the copy of “American Boys” that Louise Esola had inscribed for me to President Obama …

… necessitating that I have her send me another autographed copy for the president …

… and also necessitating that I revise my letter to him.

I did that on January 1st … put together a presentation booklet to send with it … sent the package certified mail … and it was delivered to the White House on January 20th …

… here is the complete presentation that I sent to President Obama:

Front Cover

Letter to President Obama — Page 1

Letter to President Obama — Page 2

10K PR — 32:59.14 — 30 Years Ago Today …

… at the Piggy Bank 10K Run …

… in what I consider one of my two best road races ever …

… took 1st place in my age group (35-39), despite being one of the oldest runners in the group …

… and finished 4th overall in a time of 32:59.14 …

… at an average mile pace of 5:18.50 …

… in addition to a nice plaque …

… each age group winner was awarded … a ceramic Piggy Bank …

This race was self-deprecatingly sponsored by …

… the Brea Police Athletic League.

70th Anniversary!

Today is the 70th Anniversary of the wedding of my parents, Lawrence John Reilly Sr. and Marion Thomas Reilly.

It is a poignant day for Dad, as he has to remember the event without the love of his life, who has been gone for more than two years. Dad is now 90 and, despite some struggles with his own physical health, remains mentally alert.

From the 34 of us who wouldn’t be here without them, here’s to the best parents, grandparents and great-grandparents that anyone could ever hope for.

I Picked Up Nano Today

NANO 4-13-1999 to 12-19-2014

—–oooOOOooo—–

Nano — 2000

Nano — 2005

Nano 2008

Nano 2010

Nano April 13, 2014

Nano December 18, 2014

 

In 1814 we took a little trip…

Reblogging here something by my daughter Larisa Joy Reilly Thomas, posted today on her blog “Roots of Kinship”. Great little family story about one of my favorite songs from my teen years, which took on family significance far exceeding the musical quality of the song!

Despite its rather unusual subject matter, The Battle of New Orleans won the 1960 Grammy for Best Country & Western song and was 1959’s #1 song on the Billboard Top 100 — see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1959

Johnny Horton had several other hits with unlikely subjects, including “Sink the Bismarck”, about the British Navy’s efforts to sink the German battleship Bismarck in World War II; “Comanche”, about the horse Comanche, which was the sole survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn and Custer’s Last Stand; and “North to Alaska”, about the 1896 Alaskan gold rush.

Sadly, Horton was killed in an automobile accident on November 5, 1960, near Milano, Texas. Like several others of my favorite singers (including Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper and Eddie Cochran) he left us too soon.

Thanks, Kiddo, for this trip down memory lane!

 

Roots of Kinship

Battle of New Orleans. By Edward Percy Moran. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons In 1959, Johnny Horton earned a number one hit on the Billboard Charts for the song The Battle of New Orleans.  Written by Jimmy Driftwood, it commemorates the victory of the United States over the British Army at the end of the War of 1812.¹

Today, January 8, 2015, commemorates the 200th anniversary of the conclusion of the battle, fought from December 23, 1814 to January 8, 1815.  It was the last important battle of the War of 1812, occurring after the Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814 (but before the treaty was ratified by both governments in February 1815).²All of this is to set the background of a song that played a significant role in my childhood.  When my father was overseas in the US…

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