Book Review: America’s Hidden History
By Charles | May 10, 2008
I am about to finish the book “America’s Hidden History” by Kenneth C. Davis . I have really enjoyed the way he tells the “backstage” part of the story of our country’s exciting history. The stoy about Queen Isabella and the Spanish explorations has given me a new sense of curiosity about Florida’s history. Living in Central Florida my excitement increases when I learn that the Spanish landed about 20 miles from where I live and walked north to St. Augustine. That is just a small part of what this book shares. The stories include characters of our history, some famous and others I’ve never heard of before reading this book. Insights into New England and its plights that our “school book stories” never tell was delightful and reminded me of stories my sister Lee Anne has told me about Rhode Island’s history. It isn’t so much a “revision of history” as much as insightful and gives us what Paul Harvey would say “the rest of the story”. A great example is that I’ve always thought of Benedict Arnold as our country’s worst traitor. The fact is, before his betrayal he was one of the greatest generals of the American Revolution. Davis is able to take us into the mishaps and victories of our great country’s history and throughout the book you will see many things that, had they happened just a little differently, they would have changed history as we know and live it today.
This book is a delighful read, and flows easily so you can take it with you on a trip or just keep it on your nightstand and read a chapter before calling it a night.
(I would give one disclaimer to this author, more so than this book. Kenneth C. Davis has also written other books that I’ve not read and may not read because of reviews given by others. So my review of this work is based only on its content and not its author’s world view.)
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In Summary: 5/09/2008
By Charles | May 9, 2008
On the home front
Over the past few weeks Susan and I have worked on getting the house ready for the year. In February and March, I worked hard to get the lawn green and lush so it is strong enough to endure the heat of the summer. It is looking good so far but it would help to get some rain. Susan has been busy pulling weeds and digging out unwanted plants as well as cutting the azalea bushes back so they can grow back with more leaves. Earlier in the month we had a painting company come and paint all the trim and windows of the entire house. I mentioned to Susan that I could do it myself, but when opening one of the windows that was painted shut, I wrenched my back. Watching these younger men pressure wash, sand, prime and paint I was glad she encouraged me to hire this job out to the pros. Earlier in the year we had a new door put on the back of the house and this past weekend we rented a tiller to dig up the area of the back yard that wasn’t doing well so we can put down some St. Augustine sod. The beds in the back were also cleaned out. Thanks to my son Zach, who was visiting, he took over digging out a tree that had me huffing and puffing. I also put a dent in the 8 cubic yards of mulch that is sitting in our driveway. Ahead is replacing the kitchen windows. They are due to arrive at our local Lowes tomorrow and then we will again allow the professional to install it. After that I think we will take a break, in as much as we can anyway. There is always something to do, and Susan and I both enjoy the yard work.
Working and Waiting
Since my passing the Cisco vendors exam and being certified (CCNA) I have put my resume all over Central Florida by way of head hunters and websites. As of the writing of this, I have not received any inquiries beyond those of the head hunters. On Monday I am going to a job fair in Orlando that is geared to IT and Network technology. I have my resume ready and hope to leave a good impression on as many companies as I can. While I am waiting for the right Cisco job to come my way, I’ve been staying busy with helping a couple of local organizations with their websites. (http://www.parkerspals.org and http://www.geneva-academy.org)
Family & Friends
It seems that having sons in Ohio and two step sons in Florida is always good for a couple of lines on the blog. As I mentioned Zachariah was down last week for a visit. He turned 21 in April and it was great to see him again. While here he gave up smoking, I am very proud of him for having the strength to do this, and pray he continues to be smoke free. He has been dating a lovely young lady from the Parma area, whose name is Brittany. She just turned 18 while Zach was visiting us and we hope this is a great year for her as well. Joshua is finishing his senior year in high school. Susan and I join Joshua’s mom and her family in celebrating this womderful event. We are proud of him in all his accomplishments. Isaac is doing well, and continues in two paths towards his future. He is completing his certification as a flight instructor as he also takes classes at Daytona Beach Community College. He is enjoying the weather as he rides his new Ducatti motorcycle. Brenton continues to work hard in Central Florida, but is investigating the military. His mom and I are very proud of this decision and pray for his future opportunity serving our country.
Susan is in the middle of her internship and has a good idea of what the world of counseling is all about. She sees about 15 clients and is doing 20 hours a week at this counseling center. She will graduate in December and we are very excited about all the Lord has in store for her.
Thoughts: “Not Holding My Breath”
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Still weary of all the political news…. is it just me or has this election process been going on forever? I mean I heard one pundant say that Hillary is actually staying in this race to position herself for the 2012 election. With the way thngs are going, maybe I should be prepping my 10 year old neice to run in the 2030 election. It is my hope that because of all this hype, and stupidity that congress will find another way to run the election process. (not holding my breath)
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I noticed that Global Warming has had a name change and is now “climate change”. Gee, you mean the climate actually changes? When did that start happening? Oh yeah…. since the beginning of time… so when he is completely proven wrong, will Al Gore be asked to give back all the money and awards? (again, not holding my breath)
Here’s hoping all your days are blessed.
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