Walla Walla
Old WWI Photos
31/01/13 09:15 Filed in: Interests
I have mentioned similar information on the blog in past days about World War I. I have numerous books and photo books of the history of World War I, the war to end all wars. There was a recent story about some photos that have come to light about this War. These photos can be accessed here.
Many individuals experiences in that war shaped their future achievements-- C.S. Lewis, Rudyard Kipling, J.R. Tolkien. Novels such as by Sebastian Faulk can give a feel of what soldiers experienced in that troubling time.
Here is a description from C.S. Lewis:
Although Lewis rarely spoke of his war experiences, he did touch on the subject in his 1955 partial autobiography “Surprised by Joy”:
Through the winter, weariness and water were our chief enemies. I have gone to sleep marching and woken again and found myself marching still. One walked in the trenches in thigh gum boots with water above the knee; one remembers the icy stream welling up inside the boot when you punctured it on concealed barbed wire.
Familiarity both with the very old and the very recent dead confirmed that view of corpses which had been formed the moment I saw my dead mother.
I came to know and pity and reverence the ordinary man: particularly dear Sergeant Ayres, who was (I suppose) killed by the same shell that wounded me. I was a futile officer (they gave commissions too easily then), a puppet moved about by him, and he turned this ridiculous and painful relation into something beautiful, became to me almost like a father.
But for the rest, the war – the frights, the cold, the smell of H. E. (high explosives), the horribly smashed men still moving like half-crushed beetles, the sitting or standing corpses, the landscape of sheer earth without a blade of grass, the boots worn day and night till they seemed to grow to your feet – all this shows rarely and faintly in memory. It is too cut off from the rest of my experience and often seems to have happened to someone else.
Many individuals experiences in that war shaped their future achievements-- C.S. Lewis, Rudyard Kipling, J.R. Tolkien. Novels such as by Sebastian Faulk can give a feel of what soldiers experienced in that troubling time.
Here is a description from C.S. Lewis:
Although Lewis rarely spoke of his war experiences, he did touch on the subject in his 1955 partial autobiography “Surprised by Joy”:
Through the winter, weariness and water were our chief enemies. I have gone to sleep marching and woken again and found myself marching still. One walked in the trenches in thigh gum boots with water above the knee; one remembers the icy stream welling up inside the boot when you punctured it on concealed barbed wire.
Familiarity both with the very old and the very recent dead confirmed that view of corpses which had been formed the moment I saw my dead mother.
I came to know and pity and reverence the ordinary man: particularly dear Sergeant Ayres, who was (I suppose) killed by the same shell that wounded me. I was a futile officer (they gave commissions too easily then), a puppet moved about by him, and he turned this ridiculous and painful relation into something beautiful, became to me almost like a father.
But for the rest, the war – the frights, the cold, the smell of H. E. (high explosives), the horribly smashed men still moving like half-crushed beetles, the sitting or standing corpses, the landscape of sheer earth without a blade of grass, the boots worn day and night till they seemed to grow to your feet – all this shows rarely and faintly in memory. It is too cut off from the rest of my experience and often seems to have happened to someone else.
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Classic Cars
08/09/12 10:23 Filed in: Travel
We were scheduled to drive home today. We did not realize that Walla Walla had their Wheelin’ Weekend of classic cars on tap. As we went to eat breakfast and get our bread at the bakery to take home, we waited outside to watch the cars being set up for viewing and most likely, judging. One can see how much they gleam after all the hard work put into their care and restoration.
The Gorge
We are headed out this morning to drive along the Columbia River gorge on the way to Walla Walla WA. I have been along the gorge innumerable times, especially when younger, and did not appreciate the scenery as I do now. It is a geographic and scenic marvel. I am including a photo taken from the Washington side of the river east of The Dalles looking back to Mt. Hood.
