Medal of Honor

His citation reads, in part, "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Major Bruce P. Crandall distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism as a Flight Commander in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)." 

The full text of citation tells the dispassionate details of a commander who completed 22 flights under relentless enemy fire to evacuate 70  wounded soldiers.

There is a distinction between the celebrations of Veterans Day and Memorial Day in this country. Veterans Day honors all military veterans and celebrates their service. Veterans day coincides with Armistice Day as we noted in a previous blog post (see Armistice Day by J and L). Memorial Day honors those who died while in military service. Those who payed the ultimate price. Because of men like Major Crandall, (later promoted to Colonel) we have fewer men and women to honor on Memorial Day -- and for that fact, we, their families and fellow countrymen, are eternally grateful.

Memorial Day began as Decoration Day after the Civil War when soldiers, Union and Confederate (albeit on different days), decorated the graves of their fallen comrades. During this same era, the Medal of Honor was established by an act of law by President Abraham Lincoln, calling for the awarding, in the name of Congress, of  a US Army Medal of Honor and US Navy Medal of Valor to soldiers who "most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action." Since its inception, the Medal has been conferred upon more than 3,400 men and one woman (Mary Edwards Walker), including the youngest recipient, Willie Johnston, who was 11 when he earned this distinction, and one president (Theodore Roosevelt for his service with the Rough Riders).


Though Memorial is just around the corner and we all owe a great deal to those brave men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice we can not help to mention those who have received the highest medal in the land.

As we spoke with Colonel Crandall,  what struck us was his great sense of humor and his humility. This man who saved dozens of fellow soldiers while taking an unbelievable amount of enemy fire thought little of it.

"It was my job," was all he stated simply. "Anyone in my position would have done the same."

We're not sure of that but we're glad, just as those families who received their loved ones back after the battle were glad that men like Colonel Crandall was there looking out for them.

These recipients - we made the mistake of saying they had won the MOH and were instantly corrected by Colonel Crandall who stated that he received it, not won it.

"No one in their right mind goes into battle to win a medal. We go into battle to protect our brothers and sisters in arms - I received this medal and cherish it in the memory of those who never made it home. It's not mine - I'm just the caretaker."

With the day over, we returned home in almost silence with thoughts of this man who shared a horrific time in his life with them and were humbled to have met such a hero. Of course, they wouldn't tell Colonel Crandall that - he would have laughed and said he wasn't a hero.

This we could argue.

On that day in November 1965, a young man flew into harm's way without a thought about his own safety. It was such a privotal and brutal battle, that his story was later made into a film starring Mel Gibson, entitled 'We Were Soldiers.'

The battle was so desperate a film was made

So, in this latest blog J and L swept up both Memorial Day and Veteran's Day - that's okay, In out pages all these self-sacrificing individuals don't get the attention they deserve by keeping the United States free.

Each branch has its own medal

A Tale of Two Towers

A Dickens of a Tale - by J and L - that's J there in Sacramento

 It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . .

When Charles Dickens penned that immortal opening for his work A Tale of Two Cities - which by the way is still the number two best seller in fiction of all time only overtaken by Don Quixote - he was writing about Paris and London during and after the French Revolution.

London's Tower Bridge

But we're blogging about the two cities of London and Sacramento.

We just like Dickens and when we get the chance we mention his name. Besides, what he wrote 159 years ago could be taken to the be the world as it is in 2017.

Sacramento's Tower Bridge

That's it for judging present society. We're not political. 

What do both these cities have in common besides being capital cities? They both boast a tower bridge. Seriously, they are referred to as Tower Bridge both in England and California.

Coincidence? We think not!

Sacramento's bridge moving skyward supported by the two towers

London's would open at an 86 degree list supported by the two towers

The tower  at the Tower Bridge - Sacramento

London's bridge opened in June of 1894 and Sacramento's not until December of 1935. The similarities are both span a busy river - the Thames and the Sacrament River. They each rise when large ships need to pass beneath by means of engines hoisting sections of the bridge - London's by two equal bascules or leaves which move up at an 86 degree arc and Sacramento 's by using a vertical lift actually moving a larger section of roadway straight up and out of the way of boat traffic. Boat traffic has the right of way over foot or vehicle traffic on both he bridges. Both contain two large towers which act as anchors for the sections being lifted. And they each are and still are marvel of engineering.

Sunset in Sacramento by the Tower Bridge

The differences are many but here are just a few. We hate to admit it but London's bridge is much larger and has more people and vehicle traffic moving across the bridge than Sacramento's annually. London's is more iconic since it has been seen in thousands of films, television shows and photographs and Sacramento's can't even come close to the number. It took an act of Parliament to decide to build London's where it only took an act of a few county government employees in Sacramento to decide to replace the existing bridge at M Street,

London's is not falling down but . . .
then Sacramento would be the number one spot to go!

Just seems so cool to have an Act of Parliament in lieu of a bunch of city planners. There are other differences but the point is made.

Both capitals have great bridges spanning rivers where a bunch of people cross daily to go here and there.

One thing Sacramento doesn't have to worry about though is no one confuses the name of the Tower Bridge with any other bridge. In London, frustration reigns when tourists point to the Tower Bridge and say, "Lookiee there - it's the London Bridge!"

We can only imagine Londoners dropping their cup of tea and smashing scones on their foreheads when they hear that statement.

Our hearts go out to our English cousins. 

And then there' this  - - - 

Not only does Sacramento have a Tower Bridge but an artist who likes to hang out on a major highway during the night. !
We wouldn't recommend dating him - just saying.

Super Bloom 2017

Even doggies like flowers

It's blooming flowers - no kidding -- like magic in the Southern California deserts!

The usual brown and seemingly lifeless appearance of the deserts (of course, we know that's not true since we've written about the vibrant life of the desert before) have truly sprung to life this spring.

From the desert sunflowers to ghost flowers, from ocotillo to Canterbury bells and beavertail cactus, the desert is now a carpet of beauty. So much so that people from around the world are traveling to Southern California to witness first hand this phenomenon. March came in like a bushel of roses -- okay, perhaps not, but there are literally billions of blossoms blooming.

And most people believed it was only Disneyland or Universal Studios which could cause such a mad rush into the southern section of the most populous state in the union.

Park Ranger Bier loving the blooming

According to a recent Southern California Public Radio spot called "California Deserts in' Super Bloom' thanks to a Wet Winter" the host, Mandalit del Barco spoke of the beauty of the deserts because of the vast amount of rain California has received.


During the radio interview Anza-Borrego park ranger Steve Bier stated, "I'm looking at a whole field of this bluish purple phacelia. And in this foreground of the Coyote Mountains, that's nothing but poppies going 5, 6 miles up-canyon."




The reason for the sudden blooming of beauty is due to the fact California had been locked into a drought for five years, but the end of 2016 and especially the beginning of 2017 the heavens opened up. Inches upon inches of rain pummeled the state from the border of Mexico to the border of Oregon. The wild flower seeds had lain dormant for years waiting for the right opportunity to come along.

And came along it did - just in Anza-Borrego State Park alone during the winter months of 2016 over six inches of rain fell which is generally how much the park gets in an entire year. No matter, the seeds were ready and willing to sprout.




Reference the stubborn seeds, Bier told Barco that some of the seeds may have lain undisturbed for decades if not even a century - of course this isn't exact but the park's best guess according to their biologists. Some of the areas which received the heavies rains had not experienced a drop from ten to twenty years.



It isn't just the low lying deserts but throughout Southern California - Temecula, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, and many other areas. They're coming up roses. Well, not roses but the fields are blooming.

The bloom is not over for a few more weeks and the lower deserts bloom a bit more quickly since the temperature is warmer and the same superbloom will be coming to the higher deserts where it is slowly warming up. Making a perfect growing season for the dormant seeds. Antelope Valley, the Mojave Desert, and other High Desert areas will be having quite a show coming up in the next few weeks.

Mother Nature is an odd sort and not one to second guess. A seed buried in the sands of a most inhospitable climate for half a century and then in a blink of an eye they sprout causing a sea of unbelievable color and beauty could be called a miracle.



We decided to keep this short as always a picture tells a thousand words. We believe you will agree with us that millions upon millions of little miracles happened and is happening in the far out reaches of the Southern California deserts.

Go on out - if you happen to be in the area - and take a moment to stop and smell the wild flowers.


Death Valley in bloom