Poltrack Blog

I was stationed at the Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) in Millington, TN in 1968 which was about 20 miles from Memphis. I attended the AFUN "P" School and AT "A" School studying Avionics. I had classes on various communications, navigation and radar systems. When the training was complete I would get the naval rating of ATN (Aviation Electronics Technician). When i first arrived I had the rating of E-3 and did not have much money. I didn't have a car, I left that behind when I joined. The Navy ran a shuttle to Memphis, an ugly gray bus full of sweaty sailors and Marines. The shuttle dropped off at a USO in downtown Memphis. It was a pretty good venue. On Sunday they USO provided meals cooked by local folks which was better than the food in the mess hall. The USO also provided free tickets for some events and I spent a few Sundays attending matinee performances of the Memphis orchestra.  Most of the time I would walk around the city and t...

After Boot Camp  I received orders to report to the Naval Training Center in Millington, TN. I was going to study Avionics, communication and navigation. I had been no farther south than Washington, DC so Tennessee was quite an adventure for me.  I never got used to staying in a Barracks. At night it was inevitable that the first person to fall asleep was the loudest snorer and rest of us got to hear the symphony. Things were a lot better than Boot Camp, I was able to wear civilian clothes on Liberty and I finally could have a camera to capture these magic moments. I often lament that I did not write a journal. There wasn't much to do after a day of school and Millington didn't have much going on, so we would chat about stuff in the barracks. It would be nice to find out what happened to these folks. Do I look pained? I'm wearing a college jacket but the Navy was nothing like college. Many of my shipmates would spend their Saturday mornings ironin...

I had a school friend who was a competitive target shooter. He invited me to a NRA gun show in Boston in Spring of 1968.The hotel we stayed in was in lock down at night after the assassination of Martin Luther King for fear of rioting. Racial tensions were already high because of forced school busing. Boston was probably spared the rioting due to a memorial concert performed by James Brown which was televised on WGBH to calm the city.  Besides the civil rights movement, there were demonstrations against the Vietnam War. I grew tired of the gun show so I wandered around Boston Common, followed the music to an antiwar protest. 1968 was quite a year. A Lotus Europa on the streets of Boston My flower power moment. Hard to believe that I would soon be on my way to Boot Camp I never got to the point where I would wear "love beads". Boston folks are so elegant. Live music. One guy is wearing a beret One of the speakers who looks the part

When we stay at Cape Cod we make a point of visiting the Bird Watcher's General Store in Orleans. I have purchased several designs of Baltimore Oriole feeders. I've yet to see an Oriole but the feeders are a big hit with the Gray Catbirds.

I am an advocate for Community Colleges. I attended Norwalk State Technical College which morphed into Norwalk Community College . I obtained an Associate Degree in Electronics from Norwalk Tech in 1968 which proved to be a boon when I joined the Navy. Because I knew electronics I was sent to school for a year instead of chipping paint on a ship. After the Navy I returned to Norwalk Tech to study computer programming which landed me a job with Digital Equipment Corporation. If you want to earn a living ATTEND A COMMUNITY COLLEGE. While working for Digital I learned they would pay something for schooling ao I went for my third Associate Degree in "General Studies" at Mount Wachusetts Community College. The GI bill also gave me some money for school. This was a great curriculum, all elective subjects. I studied Nude Figure Painting, Making Things Grow (Botany), Psychology of Self (We had a hypnosis demo), Pottery, Psychology of Death and Dying based on writings of   Kübler...

Who would have guessed that the modern strawberry was born in France. Botanist had gathered a Chilean strawberry ( Fragaria chiloensis ) plant which is white and brought it to France. It  is a large berry but the plant was a female and never fruited. Later a wild strawberry ( Fragaria virginia ) was brought to France and the modern strawberry was born ( Fragaria x ananassa ). Dr. Tom Davis and Dr. Lise Mahoney told this story and other interesting things about our beloved fruit. Dr. Mahoney is working on developing ornamental varieties with colorful flowers. New Hampshire is doing the only research on developing seeds for organic farming. Having seed stock eliminates many of the issues associated with plugs or bare root and also provides a fair amount of genetic diversity. Delicious Strawberries came from Barrett Hill in Mason, NH  Baskets were offered for sale So very good, fresh strawberries, whipped cream from Connolly Brothers Dairy Farm ...

Fifty years ago in July  I arrived at U.S. Naval Training Center in Great Lakes. ILL. The bus pulled up to gates in the middle of night and I remember being herded off and yelled at. It wasn't exactly the same as an orientation week at College. The training ran just under two months and there was a lot to do. The idea was to rework us into sailors and for the most part they were successful. They took away anything we might have brought with us with the exception of bibles and the clothes were wore. We couldn't wash those clothes  and after a while in the summer heat they became quite pungent. This was by design of course and I appreciated getting my brand new uniform. We had the option of shipping our clothing home but most of us just tossed it. There was lots of standing in line and the common chant was "nuts to butts" if you can picture that in your mind. There was some innovation as we were in line in our skivvies. We were ordered to raise our arms and they wou...

The New Ipswich Historical Society has a number of unique items and I spent some time investigating the collection. It reminds me a bit of the stuff I see in the Green Center except it is a lot older. The next open date will be July 14th. Albert Walker's cornet played in the New Ipswich Cornet Band (See photo at end of post) Part of the heliograph that John Preston used to communicate from mountain top to mountain top Protection for Chlorine and Mustard Gas, WWI vintage gas mask Cap from the New Ipswich Cornet Band Why do we have a cap from Massachusetts?  Home remedy for horses and your family. Just the thing for Chillblains WWI The world in 1845 Check out the leather work School Bell The Church fire was so hot the bell melted (photo at end of posting) No details, I wonder if this was used at the 1808 Commemorative Dish Cut Glass Cash Box Dr. John Preston had his own Apothecary (see photos at end of ...