home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Path: sparky!uunet!pipex!bnr.co.uk!uknet!dunaad!ah
- From: ah@dunaad.co.uk (Alan Hunter)
- Newsgroups: rec.arts.books
- Subject: Re: Impromptu
- Message-ID: <C06np4.5H2@dunaad.co.uk>
- Date: 1 Jan 93 16:12:38 GMT
- References: <1i0bacINNbqj@morrow.stanford.edu>
- Organization: Dunathad
- Lines: 36
-
- The RABworm said:
-
- After a morning's sail out into San Francisco Bay in a fresh
- breeze and myself suitably wrapped up in foulies,
-
- between first footings we skipped up to The American Monument. This is a
- 50ft phallic symbol erected at the top of crumbling 300ft cliffs, above
- the atlantic with views across to Northern Ireland. The wind was around
- 7.5 with gusts up to Force 9ish (when 18 stone men start to move sideways
- involuntarily), but a clear day for all that. Spume everywhere, breakers on
- all the overfalls. The monument remembers the Tuscania and the Otranto
- which sank here in February and October 1918 respectively, built by the
- Americal National Red Cross, with a personal (stone) wreath from Woodrow
- Wilson. The Tuscania sank with around 250 US servicemen. At the bottom of
- this monument is inscribed, without attribution:
-
- On Fame's eternal camping ground
- Their silent tents are spread
- While Glory keeps with solemn round
- The bivouac of the dead
-
- It may sound like McGonnigle in warm wet San Fransisco, but its curiously
- affecting when you're there and the weather's bad. There was a Glaswegian
- sitting in the shelter of the monument, accompanied by two girls, one
- Aberdonian, one German. He had his Christmas present in his hand, a
- maginificent three part flask with a choice of Brandy, Schnapps or Rum. I
- chose brandy.
-
- Alan
-
-
- --
- Alan Hunter
- Johnson Hunter Ltd
- Isle of Islay, Scotland
- A.Hunter@dunaad.co.uk fax: +44-496-2336 voice: +44-496-2286
-