A new king

Prince Willem-Alexander will ascend to the throne in the Kingdom of the Netherlands today following the abdication of his mother, Queen Beatrix, who governed for 33 years. Her mother and grandmother before her also abdicated making room for the young to have the honor of serving. 
I actually saw Queen Beatrix in May 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Holland at the end of World War II. She came on her boat to a major canal in Amsterdam to join the festivities which included a massive light show and music from American, British, Canadian and Dutch bands. I recall being impressed with the frogmen who were on her boat. When it dropped anchor in the canal about eight of them were over the side, checking the bottom and the canal. (They brought back memories of the 1960's  when frogmen would check the hull of Polaris carrying submarines as they prepared to leave Pier Bravo at the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek, SC.) When they were finished the frogmen disappeared as quickly as they appeared. The Queen then came out of her quarters into view amidst cheering and applause from the multitudes.
The festive crowd along the canal was so massive and packed together one could hardly move. When someone asked if I wanted a beer and I replied, one appeared in my hand as if by magic.
I had the opportunity to talk that day with some Canadian veterans of WWII. It was they who liberated Holland. One told me he was on the trip courtesy of the Dutch government. "All I had to do was show up at the airport in Canada. I have not been able to spend a dollar since." The Dutch picked up the tab for all the living Canadian veterans.
For about 120 years today, April 30, has been "Queen's Day" in the Netherlands. From now it will be "King's Day." Long live the King.

Having a silent heart attack

It was April Fools’ Day, so when following a stress test my cardiologist, Dr. Matthew O’Steen, said I had a “silent heart attack” sometime in the past couple of years I sat staring at him in awkward silence waiting for the punch line. This is not exactly what a newly married (15-days earlier on St. Patrick’s Day) man wants to hear. When there was no punch line he went on to tell me the stress test revealed this event but he could not put a date or time on it. My mind went back to several incidents over the past couple of years, any one of which could have been a silent heart attack and not just TIAs (transient ischemic attacks) as diagnosed at the time.  Our discussion went on from there and we agreed that in eighteen days he would do a heart catherization and probably put in a stent.  He did this by inserting a catheter through an artery on the underside of my right arm just above the wrist. In the aftermath I began to feel much better than I had in a long time. He subsequently told me my left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was about 80 percent blocked and this is what he opened and where he inserted the stent.  About six months ago I had cut back my daily walk from approximately three miles to two miles. I found myself needing a lot of post exercise rest, including lying down on some days. Even the reduced distance was tiring on many days and I looked for excuses to take a break. At the time I attributed this new feeling to just getting older. Now I know different. My daily two mile walks have resumed and I tolerate them with ease. We may have some other work to do down the line (a second artery has a 70 percent blockage) but for now everything is looking much better. It is a good feeling.

After the Boston Marathon Bombing

A few personal thoughts as the Boston Marathon bombing enters the wrap-up phase.
One of the ministers at the inter-faith service said she did not have an answer for why a loving God allowed such tragedy. I don't either and I doubt that anyone does. We will, however, go on from here as we always do. Those dead will be grieved for, those injured will be cared for and soon our attention will be focused on something else. It is the way of life. Life is for the living ad we ought to treasure every moment. We can expect that loving God to be with us along the way. And so we pray.

Riding a cab in New York City

The New York Times ran a story, April 10, 2013, "Sometimes, Riders Find a Cabby Worth Praising," and invited comments related to the theme. Among those published was one I submitted:

"I was in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, about ten years ago. My wife and I stopped at a restaurant for an early supper. We were the only customers until six men came in and sat at an adjoining table. One of them had recently been in New York City and was recounting the bad attitude of a cab driver. He went on and on and I thought he would have a heart attack. On the way out I stopped at his table and told him I was sorry he had had such a bad experience; that I was the Deputy Commissioner for hack licenses in NYC and when I got home we were going to work even harder on drivers with bad attitudes. I hope he would visit NYC again soon. As we got into our car my wife asked if I had too much beer for dinner. I shrugged and laughingly told her it would give him something pleasant to talk about and take his mind off the bad attitude driver."
(Complete blog here.)

Trees

Over the weekend I was out with some friends on their boat and while looking at the shore and the far away horizon I got to wondering about the stand of trees in the distance. Tall, strong, almost regal. It was not anything unusual, similar sights are visible everywhere. Riding along an Interstate through the low country or in the mountains one sees the same. Off in the distance trees appear uniform in height like an army on parade. So even, so neat-looking. Why is it like this, I wondered? Do trees talk to each other and say “conform, stay in line?” Walk down a busy city street and look ahead as far as you can see and the eye will treat you to a smorgasbord of heights and shapes. Even if you look down a long, wide boulevard, such as in Paris, you will notice differences. There is always someone taller who breaks the continuity of the line. Not so with trees in the distance. Tree tops appear even, more disciplined and I wonder how this comes about. Trees compete for the sunlight to help them grow. It seems they willingly share and not one is hoggish. Is this why on the horizon the line of trees appears so even? Assuredly, I know when you get up close you will notice differences, but looking at the horizon all is orderly and unbroken.

These are just some recent random thoughts I have about trees. I have not given much thought to trees in years, living as I did in a metropolitan area with more asphalt and concrete than greenery. My new home (Moss Creek plantation, Hilton Head, SC) is surrounded by trees, grass and two golf courses. I had almost forgotten how pleasurable it is to look around and see giant oak trees with massive trunks and limbs testifying to decades, if not centuries, of growth. It is, all in all, a most pleasant experience.

Where the danger is

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, in his first major public address since being confirmed, spoke at the National Defense University on April 3 about the threats the United States faces today and tomorrow. Addressing the senior military and civilian personnel pursuing a year of study at the prestigious NDU, including some foreign military officers, he said (in part):


 "The security landscape of 2013 is of a far different character than the world of 1960, or even the world of a few years ago.  *****  The United States is emerging from more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the threat of violent extremism persists and continues to emanate from weak states and ungoverned spaces in the Middle East and North Africa.  
"There also stands an array of other security challenges of varying vintage and degrees of risk to the United States:  the proliferation of dangerous weapons and materials, the increased availability of advanced military technologies in the hands of state and non-state actors, the risk of regional conflicts that could draw in the United States, the debilitating and dangerous curse of human despair and poverty, as well as the uncertain implications of environmental degradation.
"Cyber attacks – which barely registered as a threat a decade ago – have grown into a defining security challenge, with potential adversaries seeking the ability to strike at America’s security, energy, economic and critical infrastructure with the benefit of anonymity and distance.
"The world today is combustible and complex, and America’s responsibilities are as enormous as they are humbling.  These challenges to our security and prosperity demand America’s continued global leadership and engagement, and they require a principled realism that is true to our values."
The Secretary reminded us that "the most destructive and horrific attack ever on the United States came not from fleets of ships, bombers, and armored divisions, but from 19 fanatical men wielding box cutters and one-way plane tickets."
(Emphasis added.)

The entire speech is well worth reviewing.  
(To respond e-mail: arch@archibald99.com.)