The Crucible of War - A Worthwhile Read

I recently finished The Crucible of War: The Seven Years War by Fred Anderson. This history textbook is not a quick read, but moving through it at a steady pace is well worth the effort. Anderson draws out the social and political dynamics of the age that triggered the first global war as England and France fought it out for world dominance.

The book fleshes out what transpired in the pre-revolutionary war period in the colonies, the stirring of unresolved issues, the self-centered actions of a host of people who were seeking more money for themselves and the stumbling of cultural misunderstandings that sowed the seeds for the American Revolution. The book helps the reader to understand that the colonists did seek to revolt but progressively did so because they could not resolve how they viewed themselves and their social standing within British Empire. Anderson nicely shows that the colonists sought to be left alone but the moment they ran into trouble, quickly sought the help of the Crown but were reluctant to pay that help.

One little tidbit I found of interest is that young George Washington and a force of men he lead against the French and Indians in Ohio triggered the war the consumed the two empires and the ultimate defeat of France.

The book not only is of interest in helping the reader to understand the nature and characters that make up modern America but it also shows how America has not learned from its own national experience. Throughout the book I could not help see similarities between the dynamics at play in Afghanistan and Iraq. All too often one is seeing in contemporary American policy and national attitudes the viewpoints of the Crown and the British nobility of the 18th Century. Further all too often the viewpoints and attitudes Americans are seeing in the Afghani and Iraqi leadership and populous today are similar to the attitudes, language and actions held by the colonists in the ten to fifteen years before the American Revolution. In other words, America today is acting in a very similar fashion that Britain did in the 1750-1776.

Storm and Waves

For the last two nights, and throughout yesterday, we have been experiencing rainstorms. A high volume of rain has fallen due to low pressure system that developed just east of the Outer Banks. Following are some pictures from this morning of the waves along the beach by the campground.

Once it stopped raining, people started to move out and about the campground and beach. Notice the large amount of sea foam that the waves are creating.

Ferry Trip and the Gulls

Yesterday we traveled to Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks via two ferries. The first ferry took us from Swan Quarter to Ocracoke Island. We drove from 12 miles north from the south end of the island where Ocracoke Village is located to the north end to catch the ferry to the south end of Hatteras Island and the town of Hatteras. There was a fee for the ferry from Swan Quarter ($30 for us as we are oversized) but no fee from Ocracoke to Hatteras.

I spend some time watching the gulls and managed to get a few shots along the way.

The first picture is not a gall but a pelican of some sort. I got lucking in the second with the bird zeroing in on a bug (note his beak is just starting to open).

Baltimore

This is a picture of Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It is on my list of places to visit this year with my wife.

Last of Pictures From Charleston SC

On the eve of heading out for a week's vacation on the Outer Banks I am posting the last pictures from Charleston SC. The following are from the Battery, an area with large homes for those of significant means.