Bacon's Castle

     I wanted to let all my friends and family know that I came out of my "official" retirement this week and started working as a Historical Interpreter at Bacon's Castle in Surry County, Virginia.  Bacon's Castle is the oldest brick dwelling in North America and was built in 1665 by early Virginia merchant and planter, Arthur Allen.  It is one of only 3 examples in the "New World" of High Jacobean architecture, the other two being in Barbados.  In addition to this unique design and style, the history of the building and the people who lived there reflect the many changes of our country over the last 350 plus years and manifest a fascinating past that mirrors who we have become as a  nation.  I hope you will come see me at Bacon's Castle soon and celebrate our past.  Bring your enthusiasm and a willingness to learn something new.  I look forward to seeing you there soon.

Worlds Collide

 Reinhard Heydrich, one of Hitler's top henchmen in the Nazi regime

Trevor Lawrence,  freshman quarterback of the Clemson Tigers

I love Nazi history stuff and I also love football.  It was inevitable that at some point, these two time consuming passions had some overlap.  Watching Trevor Lawrence masterfully execute the Clemson offense a few weeks ago, his appearance started to nag me with a haunting familiarity. And here is the reason why. I have been reading and watching documentaries about the Nazi top brass for years, especially those closest to Hitler. Last week, it clicked.  Does anyone else see the resemblance?  Let's hope that Trevor Lawrence has a better future than Reinhard Heydrich had when he was in his prime.