Mom and Dad’s Wedding License Story
by Robert Morel Dad was stationed on the destroyer, USS Rooks (DD-804) from June 1951 to July 1953. He reported to her as a LTJG in June 1951 at San Diego, CA, they went via the Panama Canal to Newport, RI, where they operated up and down the East coast until April 1952, when they […]
The Carnage of War on a Paper Route
I never served in Vietnam, but I saw the carnage of that war firsthand on my paper route. It was not on the pages of the paper, where most of my generation saw it, but in the wards of the Yokosuka Naval Hospital in Yokosuka Japan where the Navy and Marine wounded from that war, […]
Christmas scenes at the Morels 2011
Here’s a video of the Christmas decorations around the house.
The AMAZING Story of the Making of Rocky
Perhaps you’ve head some of the backstory of the making of the motion picture Rocky, written and starring Sylvester Stallone. I had heard whiffs of this but I stumbled on a series of videos that interviewed Stallone and when I dug down a little more, found an incredible story of perseverance and determination. The videos […]
30+ Years of Volleyball: Time to do other things
It has been nearly 30 consecutive years, on this weekend that I have played, coached and organized volleyball at the Bay State Games (Massachusetts State Olympics). This is the first year in its history that I have not participated and I do miss seeing some of the friends that I’ve made over the years, but […]
A Trip to Mount Holyoke with Charlie Whitcomb
Yesterday, I took a trip out to Mount Holyoke with college friend, Charlie Whitcomb. No, not the college, but the nearly 1000 foot hillside that the college is named after! Mount Holyoke is the western-most peak of the Mount Holyoke Range located in the Connecticut River Valley out in western Massachusetts. At the top are […]
Still, THE Most Incredible July 4 Story…EVAH
Perhaps you’ve heard the tale: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day, July 4th. It was also on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1826. But did you know that James Monroe also died on July 4th and Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4th? The […]
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: 25 Years Later
It’s possible that you have only bits and pieces of the theme song from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This song was also use on Michael J. Fox’s movie: The Secret of My Success. Here’s the entire song: Oh Yeah! This month, 25 years ago, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was released. There was some wonderful and […]
Sports, and life, can hinge on one moment
Sometimes in sports (and life) everything can hinge on just one moment. For the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals it was the late hit on Nathan Horton in game three that knocked him out of the series and propelled the Bruins to win 4 out of the next five games as they rallied to […]
Thoughts on Father’s Day
Perhaps it’s true that you never truly understand your father until you become a parent yourself. Perhaps. My relationship with my own, was a little complicated. My first memory of my Dad was: “Just who does this guy think he is?” You see in the early days, my father was out to sea quite a […]