Mostly stamps. Usually US Coast Guard Postal History. Occasional pontificating.
From 1988 to 1990, the USCGC Cowslip moored right behind us, and that was the cause for quite a bit of fun. I served aboard the Red Cedar, a 157-foot coastal buoy tender based in Portsmouth, Va., and the Cowslip was a cactus class cutter. She was 180-feet long and was a seagoing buoy tender.
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I’m a second career teacher and got there through alternative licensure. I’ve never regretted my decision, but I remember quite well one particular day. Day one. I walked into a classroom for the very first time.
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Like many, my first exposure to Robert E. Howard was through his character, Conan the Barbarian. There was a set of 12 books, not all written by creator Robert E. Howard, but I devoured them in days when I was maybe 14 or 15. What was critical was they were a different than Lord of […]
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On the surface, the cover is plain on the front. A stamp. An address. A postmark. It is often … frustrating when someone is actually looking at my collection and they see just that plain jane cover. But there’s more to it, right? The front This is where the interest begins, but you can’t casually […]
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One of the latest additions to my postal history of the Coast Guard collection is the depicted cover mailed by a sailor on the USS Joseph T. Dickman, APA-13. Before the Joseph T. Dickman The keel was laid in 1920 and upon completion of construction, she was the SS Peninsula State, a passenger and cargo […]
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There are three Navy ships that had the name USS Wilkes, after Commodore Charles Wilkes. This USS Wilkes, DD-67, was the second ship to bear the name. It was a Sampson-Class destroy and helped conduct operations throughout World War I. The Coast Guard In August, 1926, the Wilkes was transferred to the US Coast Guard […]
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A few years ago, I made a tough decision to change careers from a profession I loved – journalism – to teaching. Over time, I’ve come to love the profession, especially spending time in the classroom.
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In 1987, the USPS issued a 22-cent stamp (Scott #2259) to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America. It is a nice stamp, multi-colored, and features the images of 14 badges Girl Scouts could earn. For those who worry about such things: Issue Date: March 12, 1987City: Washington, DCQuantity: 149,980,000Printed By: American Bank Note CoPrinting Method: Lithographed […]
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The Coast Guard Cutter Red Cedar entered my life in 1988. I stepped out of boot camp in Cape May, N.J., and reported ten days later. The Red Cedar was a buoy tender, a hard-working, black hull cutter based in Portsmouth, VA. I served on her from 1988 until 1990, when I transferred to Quartermaster […]
Read MoreI was trying to explain to someone the classroom and the financials behind the classroom. I’m not sure they understood. At the end of the day, this topic is my biggest beef with being a public school teacher. I’ve learned the administrators don’t really impact the specifics of what and how I teach on a […]
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