Tropical Storm Beryl has almost broken every rule relating to tropical storms. First forming off the East coast in May, then heading southwest instead of northeast and finally heading directly west into Jacksonville, Florida. The storm has become strongly than expected with wind gusts now up to 75 mph. As of 5PM, the storm was about 50 miles off shore and moving 10 mph toward the Northern Florida city.

Meredith Galante wrote for Business Insider the top ten countries in the world with the best quality of life. The Office For Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) factored income, housing, education, jobs, community, environment, health, work balance, safety, etc. Here are the top ten best places in the world to live:

1. Australia
2. Norway
3. United States
4. Sweden
5. Denmark
6. Canada
7. Switzerland
8. Netherlands
9. New Zealand
10. Luxembourg

For West Point, the Naval Academy and Air Force Academy this was the first graduating class where LGBT Americans were allowed to graduate out of the closet. Suddenly it was just fine to take a same sex date to the dances, parties and ceremonies. LGBT graduates could participate fully with full equality. Amazingly, despite all the end of the world predictions from anti-gay forces, the world didn't end and life just proceeded as normal.

Here is a great article on how life has changed at the Naval Academy!

One of my favorite annual rituals at any of the academies is the "Plebes Climb". At the Naval Academy the freshman class has to climb a the greased Herndo obelisk in order to replace a sailors hat with their new officers hat. BuzzFeed.com has some wonderful pictures of this fun tradition. Enjoy.

Memorial Day by Joyce Kilmer

"Dulce et decorum est"
The bugle echoes shrill and sweet,
But not of war it sings to-day.
The road is rhythmic with the feet
Of men-at-arms who come to pray.
The roses blossom white and red
On tombs where weary soldiers lie;
Flags wave above the honored dead
And martial music cleaves the sky.
Above their wreath-strewn graves we kneel,
They kept the faith and fought the fight.
Through flying lead and crimson steel
They plunged for Freedom and the Right.
May we, their grateful children, learn
Their strength, who lie beneath this sod,
Who went through fire and death to earn
At last the accolade of God.
In shining rank on rank arrayed
They march, the legions of the Lord;
He is their Captain unafraid,
The Prince of Peace . . . Who brought a sword

Seems like we just celebrated New Year's and here we are in the land of grilling grills, riding lawnmowers and putting on tanning lotion at the beach. When in my youth, there was a certainty that upon getting older time would slow down. After all, look at how slow senior citizens walked. Instead, the time just flies by at a greater speed! Seems like us seniors are building a momentum to make the transition that will propel us to that mysterious "other side."

However, indeed summer has arrived with all its blessings and curses. As my friends have evacuated New York for the beaches and countryside, I have taken a few moments of absolute joy in recollecting my childhood summers on the farm.

Instantly my mind is flooded with images of lightening bugs covering the fields, the damp sweaty humidity while working during the day, the swims in the irrigation ponds and the approaching thunderstorms cutting a swath through the fields from the west. My family lived off the crop that was in season and that meant marvelous dishes like baked tomatoes, tomato sandwiches, corn on the cob, fresh peas, string beans, beets, potato salad, baked potatoes and of course, homemade ice cream. For a while we even made all of our root beer right there at home.

My Grandfather Grove (Buzzard Bait) had a huge garden. Dad would bring the plow in May and dredge a big patch for Grampy's garden. Not sure why it was called his garden since he had us do all the work while he sat on the cesspool giving us orders! After it was plowed I had a hand-pushed cultivator and with hard sweat, pushed that damn thing up and down until every lump of dirt was broken up.

Grampy had six rows of flowers, then lima beans (for which we had to put stakes in the ground with string all over them), corn, strawberries, tomatoes (nothing better than a Jersey Tomato) and other summer goodies. The local farmers would always give us a huge burlap bag of potatoes which we kept in the cold dark cellar. Grampy would grow our own lettuce and squash. All summer long the rows had to be cultivated and hoed by hand.

But the ingredients made for exceptional family picnics in our massive yard under the tall trees. The tables would groan under the sheer weight of the food and especially the desserts with homemade cake, pies and ice cream.

The evenings usually ended with the entire family playing a huge game of hide and seek. One time I hid in the shoot of a pea harvester and got stuck. This was a moment of great family legend as they threatened to turn it on and dump me out of the top of it. My brother and sister took great joy in banging against the side of it. At least I won the game of hide and seek.

Summer was also a time of eighteen hour work days that were expected from owners of the farm. Promised bonuses never materialized but the family always seemed to forgive the owners in almost a plantation mentality. What I choose to remember are the smells, the sense of family, the fresh vegetables and fruits, the sound of approaching storms and the coolness of the night air as the family gathered on the front porch.

That was magic.

When King George VI died in 1952, Princess Elizabeth immediately was proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon and Pakistan! However it wasn't until over a year later that the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was held. On June 2, 1953, the first televised coronation of a monarch anywhere took place with a worldwide audience.

Actually the government and the Queens advisors were against televising the event but the Queen overruled them all. Here is a wonderful video taken sixty years ago this coming week!