E Clampus Vitus.

Today, I wanted to write a post in celebration of a niece whose birthday it is.  (She's actually a leap-year baby, but y'know.)  Vino-niece, La Serenissima's oldest daughter, is a historian so I thought I'd do a quick Napa-history bit in her honour.  How do I possibly connect my niece, history, England, Utah and Napa together?  It could be tricky, but - with the help of an inconspicuous little plaque on the Silverado Trail, north of Yountville, against the fence of a Napa County corporation yard - I think I can pull it off.
I first spotted this modest plaque last year whilst I was stuck in traffic, but I wasn't able to photograph it until yesterday as I drove home from work on a deserted Silverado Trail.  Erected by E Clampus Vitus (ECV), Sam Brannan Chapter 1004, an organisation dedicated to the preservation of the heritage of the American West, the plaque marks the location in the Napa Valley of a World War II prisoner-of-war (POW) camp.  Apparently, the United States aided Great Britain with the detention of a surplus of POWs: Germans some of who, upon release, returned to Germany and then made their way back to eventually settle in the United States.
An interesting little history-factoid, or not?  ECV's motto is, improbably, Credo Quia Absurdum which, roughly translated from Latin, means "I believe it because it is absurd."  Titter, titter.
Happy birthday Vino-niece!

Flying Fortress.

I spent this evening having dinner in a hanger at the Napa Airport with this B-17 bomber parked outside. Looking most spectacular, with the vine-laden Napa hills as a backdrop, this particular aircraft was delivered too late in 1945 to see action in World War II. It has however been on duty ever since as an airborne reminder of a great debt of gratitude we all owe to the nameless men and women who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. Present at the dinner were three WWII veterans looking rather hale and hearty, but sadly very much in the minority. I sat across from Deke...isn't that a great name? (I must admit that sometimes I feel like I'm in a John Wayne film.)
As I feasted on BBQ ribs and beans, washed down with a hearty Napa Cabernet sauvignon, I periodically cast a glance outside to where the Aluminum Overcast was positively glowing in the setting California sun.
Remember, freedom isn't free.