On the road again.

It's been a long week on the blacktop.  I drove to Lawton,  Oklahoma, on Tuesday, drove to Wichita Falls, Texas, and back to Lawton on Wednesday, returned to Wichita Falls and spent the night with relatives in Flower Mound (a Dallas suburb) on Thursday, and drove back to Pensacola via Shreveport, Jackson, and Mobile on Friday.  The route from Wichita Falls to Flower Mound (a city name that I simply cannot take  seriously) proved precarious at times, as wildfires raged on either side of the highway for much of the trip.  Fortunately, the smoke only caused visibility problems for a brief stretch of road a little west (or east?) of Decatur.

Tati in Paris

The city of Paris is celebrating the work of legendary filmmaker Jacques Tati's work in special exibitions, walking tours, and other related events from April 8 until August 2.  Oh, how I wish I could fly to France on a whim!  Tati, whose work I discovered only within the last couple years (thanks to Martin Luther) and which I now count among my favorite films, shaped his comedies to cast light-hearted but clear-minded criticism upon the technological pretensions of modern life.  His influence on Terry Gilliam's films, particularly Time Bandits, Brazil, and 12 Monkeys, is obvious, though Gilliam, another of my favorites, admittedly works in darker tones.

Festival on the Green - Library Book Sale

Into Great Silence at UWF

The University of West Florida will feature the film Into Great Silence, a critically acclaimed documentary about Carthusian monks in the French Alps, at the UWF Commons Auditorium tomorrow evening.  The film begins at 6:00 PM.  It is part of the UWF Labyrinth Experience, which runs until Tuesday evening.  

UWF Labyrinth opens tomorrow

...and Gabriel Byrne.

How could forget Gabriel Byrne!  He played Uther Pendragon in Excalibur.

Speaking of Round Tables...

As Wendy and I watched the delightful 1981 British b-movie Excalibur last night, we were surprised to discover Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart, and Liam Neeson among the cast!  Excalibur is indeed a silly film, but it's fun, and it must have been a fun movie to make (despite carrying heavy armor around and so forth).  When Helen Mirren accepted her Oscar for The Queen, I wonder if she might have thought to herself, "Yes, this is the pinnacle of my acting achievement, but Excalibur was such a laugh!"

Pensacola Civil War Roundtable meeting tonight

[From the PCWRT press release]

The Pensacola Civil War Roundtable meets tonight at 7pm at the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), located at 6031 Goodrich (Corner of Langley and Goodrich). The meeting is the final in a series of three talks about Gettysburg.

Robert E. Lee and George Gordan Meade shared a goal for the fight that must result from Lee's intrusion into Pennsylvania: Both wanted to assume a strong defensive tactical position and have the other destroy his force with senseless frontal assaults. Meade won, not just because Lee uncharacteristically abandoned manuever but also because Meade was thinking defensively and postioned his army accordingly.

Even though a battle at Gettysburg was not inevitable, the two armies moved inexorably toward that place as though guided by an invisible hand. Meade ordered his corps to move as follows on July 1st:
- The First Corps to Gettysburg with the Eleventh to follow within supporting distance
- The Second Corps to Taneytown or on to Gettysburg or Emmitsburg as circumstances might dictate
- The Third Corps to Emmitsburg
- The Fifth Corps to Hanover
- The Twelfth Corps to Two Taverns
- The Sixth Corps, the largest in the Army of the Potomac, would remain at Manchester, Maryland

Meade thus put two corps at Gettysburg, where Lee's forces seemed to be coming together, and four more in supporting distance, while maintaining the large Sixth Corps in a position to defend on the east as well as to support Meade's ultimate defensive line, the Pipe Creek Line. This proposed defensive line would be atop the 800-1000 foot Parr Ridge, above Pipe Creek, which was 15-20 miles south and southeast of Gettysburg. In his directive known as the Pipe Creek Circular, Meade gave some detail to his thinking on how the army would move to this line. It would be not only a strong defensive position, but would be close to his supply base at Westminster and would also block Lee from Baltimore and Washington.

What if, though, after day one of what would be known as the Battle of Gettysburg played out just as it did, what if, on day two, July 2nd, Lee reverted to the Lee of Second Manassas and Chancellorsville and maneuvered instead of assaulting the strong Union positions on Cemetery Ridge?

What if Lee listened to Longstreet's criticism of the assaults planned on the night of July 1st and boldly split his army, making the kind of move that could achieve what he so passionately desired, a decisive victory over the Army of the Potomac on northern soil?
What if Lee moved his corps quickly, distracting and confusing the Union generals as he had so often in the past?

You'll learn the answers to these questions Tuesday night, March 10th, as we look at the book Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War, by Newt Gingrich and Professor William R. Forstchen

Meetings are free and open to the public. Visitors are welcome.  For more information call (850) 968 6094 or email ronbesser@hotmail.com. 

Dear Tortoise...

Almost Pavement

My brother Josh and I were fortunate to catch Pavement on stage just before they broke up.  It goes without saying that they put on one of the best shows I'd ever seen.  They played the 40-Watt in Athens, Georgia.  Perfect.  We were crushed to hear that they broke up a couple months later.  However, it appears that most of the band got up on stage for an impromptu set at auxiliary man Bob Nastanovich's wedding in Nashville.  While I'm not too thrilled with the current reunion craze, I would love to see SM, Spiral Stairs, and gang bring back that slacker magic.

The Pensacola Historical Society blogs!

Have I mentioned that the PHS now has a blog?  Check it out: Pensacola History Today.

Houston, we have a problem.

Just out of curiosity, where are all my blog posts?  ...  Ah, there they are.  Nevermind.

Touch and Went

Sad news: Touch and Go Records, home to such amazing bands as Slint, Polvo, and the Dirty Three,  is closing shop.

Veterinarians in short supply

Raising a rather urgent alarm, yesterday's Chronicle of Higher Education cast light on a Government Accountability Office report which warns that a shortage of veterinarians may result in the collapse of our nation's food supply and the spread of animal-borne diseases.  

[Image: Dr. Laura Hall, East Hill Animal Clinic, Pensacola.]

A glimpse of the Old World

King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain are visiting Pensacola next week for the 450th anniversary of the city's initial (i.e. failed) settlement.  The royal couple will address the public at noon next Thursday, Feb. 19, from the steps of the T. T. Wentworth Museum in downtown Pensacola.  Finally, our chance to reestablish a monarchy!