THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL.

The writing is on the wall according to a just released news report. The largest movement of manpower and equipment in military history is starting to leave Iraq; Brig. Gen. Heidi Brown is in charge of the withdrawal. They are packing tanks to radios out in what will the first step to move 60% of the equipment out of Iraq by the end of next March.

This is time to reinforce due diligence in combat readiness and awareness. You over there cannot be distracted from your normal mindset during these times. Do not become a last day of the war statistic!

________***________

Things back home are still summer based, as bike riders get in their summer trips and rides. Sport venues are busy, and the new casino next to Heinz Stadium is doing just fine separating hard earned money from those who earned it. The Steelers are two and one in the preseason; they beat the Bills on Saturday. The news media is filled with chaos as Washington debates the Health Care issues. There are many summer movies that are well worth a viewing when you get back. Today, I went to see “(500) Days of Summer.” It is a wonderful film, along with other summer releases like “The Ugly Truth” that is grown up romantic comedy. I am confident you will find a film that suits your taste this summer or fall.

_________***________

Regardless of what your interests are, there are still a lot of wonderful things to do here in South Western Pennsylvania upon your return. We are home to two World Championship teams, Super Bowl Champs, and Stanley Cup Champs. The bad news is the Pirates. who are taking a beating this season—there is always the cliché, wait until next year! The football season looks promising, as well as the Hockey season … more reason to look forward to coming back home. Again, with due diligence! There is no room for distraction over there!

I leave you with a few images from a bike ride we did near Indiana Pennsylvania

(CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGES)

Keep your head down,

Henry Hill, Plum Pennsylvania

"ONE DAY I will be QUEEN"

(CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM)

The Westmoreland County Fair began this week, and what a wonderful beginning it was! Although this is one of the largest such events in the state, it still has that small town USA feel, which accurately reflects the community that it portrays. Saturday was Armed Forces Day, a day that you over there or back home can enjoy with all the festivities on them, those with military ID get in free. This county fair is a major supporter of the military men and women who serve their country.

http://www.westmorelandfair.com/

________***________

One of the events that I attended was the competition for fair queen. Since you could not go, I went for you. Visiting with all these lovely ladies was a chore, but what is a boy supposed to do? These young ladies restored my faith in American youth. They were all so All-American, my opine on what that is of course, and their resumes’ were chock-full of wonderful accomplishments.

Emily Gabriel, 17, the 2009 Westmoreland Fair Queen from Slickville Pennsylvania, is a Greensburg Salem High School senior; she is wearing Black & White in the “I will be Queen one day” image, and separately as shown. Emily will represent the county during her reign.

________***________

SPORTS UPDATE:

The Steelers lost their second exhibition game to Washington, 17-13.

________***________

PHOTO ESSAY OF THE FAIR QUEEN EVENT:

ONE DAY ... I will be QUEEN!

Emily Gabriel (L), the 2009 Westmoreland County Fair Queen

The outgoing 2008 Fair Queen

Keep your head down,

Henry Hill, Plum Pennsylvania

WET OLD DOGS AND MEN SMELL TERRIBLE, BUT THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ARE HERE!

(CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

There are a few things that I passionately dislike about summer, out-on-summer-break-politicians, new taxes, divorce attorneys, rotund senior citizens on nude only beaches, and orange-barreled road construction ... and in this order.

Whilst the mid 30's yuppies and retired folks fill the highways, byways, waterways, and the beach summer sand, summer truly belongs to boys. It's falling from a rope swing into the swimming hole time and rafting time and bikini census time. It's baseball time and super-speed-roller-coaster time and flirting in the light of the bonfire time. Exception to such is the former 'boys of summer'. The difference between a boy and a F.B.O.S man is the latter has just aged a bit; the universe of summer knows the difference.

These summer memories may the nice thing that comes to you on some nights over there. Let not the thought that that was then, as all of it is still here I assure you. The humid night air and lightning bugs, the pretty girls who shared the light--and the summer darkness, and even the old swimming hole and fishing hole; it all awaits your return home. Ring me, and I will share my swimming hole with you. This wonderful place is captured in the few images that you see here.

________***________

SPORTS UPDATE:

The rematch of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals ended up the same as the last time they played, which was last February in the Super Bowl . The Cardinals were again spanked like the old cliche.

________***________

Keep your head down,

Henry Hill, Plum Pennsylvania

THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF SUMMER...

Today is the hottest day of Summer 2009, and as such makes this old Boy Of Summer a bore if I continue on this keyboard avoiding the sun and the babes out there. That is not going to happen.
Today is the hottest day of Summer 2009, and as such makes this old Boy Of Summer a bore if I continue on this keyboard avoiding the sun and babes out there. That is not going to happen.

Below you will find a photo essay of summer 2009 as of this week. Capturing the high-speed coasters coming at me blind from around, below and above you was quite the challenge, but a blast to do!

Kennywood Park is Summer! Please find the images below that were shot earlier this week; these are more adult boy images that tell what the park means to such a boy or girl of summer who has had Kennywood indelibly burned into their memory!

I would like to thank Kennywood for the incredible access to do the shoot. They wanted you to know that Kennywood supports you over there!!!

________***________

(Click on the images to enlarge)

________***________

Keep your head down,

Henry Hill, Plum Pennsylvania

Midsummer in western Pennsylvania

(Click on images to enlarge)

Midsummer is unusually cool this year with July being more Seattle-esque than the searing summer heat of Pittsburgh. I had a more Pittsburgh July when I was in Alaska last month! You would find the cooler weather a nice break from the inhuman and torturous weather that you are probably encountering over there I am sure.

There have been announcements that some of you may be coming home earlier than previously planned! Such good news probably spreads fast and those so affected may be aware, if not, I am glad to be the first to inform you.

Pittsburgh is hosting the Forrest Wood Cup Bass Tournament. This is reputedly the richest bass-fishing championship in the world. The winner of this best-of-the-best fishing competition will garner $1 million for his or her efforts! In this outsider’s opinion, that is not bad money for doing something millions of folks do everyday all summer for free…

________***________

Sports Update:

The Pittsburgh Steelers returned to training camp at St. Vincent College on Friday! This is the first step to the process of repeating their Super Bowl run, and defending their title of Champions of the World!

The Pirates have traded just about all of their talent, and are still holding tight to last place … well done Pirates!

The good news is, the Steelers and Penguins are STILL World Champions, making Sixburgh the defending City of Champions!

I hope to have photos of the Steelers in camp at a later date.

________***________

Keep your head down,

Henry Hill, Plum Pennsylvania

________***________

The Jewel of Summer...

The 'Boys Of Summer' won't be seeing much of this, this summer!
It is too cold!

The Jewel of the summer is July, but this year the Jewel is tarnished. To the ‘Boys Of Summer’ this is big news, but in a negative way. They are an elite group that enjoys the sunnier side of things when chasing their favorite summertime activities: Motorcycling, fishing, hiking and camping, and hitting the beach to pursue the wile ‘Surfer Babe.’ This year July has been cool and wet, not a good sign for we hot and sunny day worshipers of summer!

The Meteorologists at AccuWeather, have a name for 2009: “Year Without True Summer” trite, but accurate! According to these prognosticators, July’s low summer temperatures may forecast heavy snowfalls and very cold days this winter! If you are returning home soon, the weather will be quite the change from the July of your memories. Lets hope they are wrong about their dire winter forecast, which I say is partly overcast with a 50 percent chance of failure!

________***________

Deployment Update:

Local troops in the HHD 336 Battalion left on a bus from Highland Park for an 18-month deployment to Iraq. The 72 troops were split into two groups, one left on Saturday, and the other on Sunday.

________***________

Sports Update:

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed their first round draft pick, Ziggy Hood, to a five-year contract! He is going to bring youth and athleticism to the defensive line. This 6’ 3” 300 pound former Missouri player promises to surprise a few teams bringing new blood to the current World Super Bowl Champion Steelers AKA Blitzburg!

________***________

The popular ‘Park Diner’ in Monroeville has been torn down, and now nothing is left of the structure at all. The lot is an empty spot. I shot these images of the diner the day the doors were closed for good, May 7, 2009! Another slice of Americana disappears with the progress of the regress of our economy.

(Click on images to enlarge!)

________***________

Keep your head down,

Henry Hill, Plum Pennsylvania

Summer Loves ... 2009

(Click on images to enlarge)

Yesterday I attended a graduation party of my friend’s grandson, Chris. This was a trip back in time for me to the Summer of ‘68,’ where everything in my life prior was changing like a whirling dervish, a focus point in the middle of my life’s prism that was ready to explode out of the other side in a wide sweeping spectrum of light into the world beyond. High school to the US Navy, innocence to the real world, crushes into real love, and the unlimited possibilities of the future.

Many of you over there have went through these changes that seem to take no time before you are gone and out of high school, and then find yourself over there engaged in your daily struggle to survive and to prevail. Chris is now at that point that we have experienced, as he celebrated his new found freedom of adulthood unbeknownst to him what the next day will bring. His Summer of ‘2009’ is filled with hope, and he is lucky to have a summer love that can share it with him. Summer Loves back home are the subject of letters from over there every day, sometimes summer loves are lost, sometimes they last a lifetime. Either way, that Summer Love from that last summer before the real world will never be forgotten … I am now toasting all of the Summer Loves of 2009! May you never part…

Your mission as has been the mission of all before you, is making sure Chris and others do not have to follow your footsteps into that world of war … may this be the last war fought. May all who have sacrificed rest in peace and we can finally declare the mission is complete. This is the dream, but we all know that many will still fight for their buddies, and go to war for their country. If only that last summer could last forever, so would we!

________***________

Summer Lovers

Chris and Brit

________***________

Sports update:

To the point, the Pittsburgh Pirates … still playing, but not much more.
But, the Pittsburgh Penguins are still the World Champions and caretakers of the Stanley Cup, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are still the World Champions and owners of their six Super Bowl Trophies!!!

________***________

Keep your head down,

Henry Hill, Plum Pennsylvania

This column will be back and running this Sunday ... July 19th

Been fishin' the Russian River in Alaska!
#1 son below is after the Salmon!
So are the huge Brown Bears ... Yikes!