R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 61

Harmony of the Seas Review — A Mega Ship Behemoth

Ursula and I recently returned from Barcelona, Spain. But we didn’t fly back to the U.S. As you would probably expect from my many travel articles, we cruised back. And what a cruise it was. We were aboard Royal Caribbean‘s ship Harmony of the Seas on its repositioning voyage this past November. This massive ship, with seven separate “neighborhood,” would take us from Barcelona to Port Canaveral, with stops in Málaga, Spain and Nassau, The Bahamas. As Harmony is by far the most impressive sh...

Fun Firearm Friday — A Revolver Week Fraud!

WARNING:
Severe, exceedingly obscure, fascinatingly trivial, yet amazingly fun history lesson follows! Approach with extreme caution.

A Webley Mk VI… or is it?

Webleys are the iconic English military pistol. They’ve been around since 1887, and continued in Commonwealth and U.K. military service until withdrawal in 1970. The most famous of the Webley series was the Mk VI dating back to World War I, all of which were factory chambered in the oddball .455 Webley (most have since been rechamber...

Revolver Week — Ladies’ Day with a S&W Model 60-7 “Lady Smith”

Smith & Wesson Model 60-7 “Lady Smith“

Okay, ladies, admit it. The miniscule revolver pictured above is just so darned cute! Today’s Revolver Week article is on a gun that Smith and Wesson specifically marketed toward women, the Lady Smith variant of a S&W Model 60, change 7. And there’s quite a history behind the Model 60, as it began life as a Model 36 “Chief’s Special” which, as you may have guessed by that name, was designed in 1950 as a small-framed concealable revolver suitable for plai...

Revolver Week — Military Monday with a S&W Model 10-5

Smith & Wesson Model 10-5

Next week we return to travel and travel photograph, but this is Revolver Week. And today we begin Revolver Week with a Smith & Wesson Model 10, change 5. Or, more simply, a Model 10-5. This particular example dates back to 1966-1967. I can say that because of the serial number (see below). The “C” range of serial numbers stretched from 1948 until they ran out in 1967. The range for 1966-1967 are serial numbers C810,533 through C999,999. As such, I guesstimate this o...

Fun Photo Friday — Off-Season Endicott Arm 3

Since this week’s Fun Photo Friday concludes my series on cruising Alaska off-season, I thought I would start off with the sunset photo above. That picture was taken shortly after Ovation of the Seas left Endicott Arm and turned south for our return to Seattle. I’m still contemplating what next week’s series will be, but I’m still leaning toward a week of interesting firearms followed by our trip to Barcelona and our transatlantic cruise returning us to the U.S. Until then, Here’s today’s Fu...

Cruising Alaska Off-Season — Studying Endicott’s Steep Walls

The walls of Endicott Arm are steep. Very steep. And myriad waterfalls cascade down their sheer dropoffs into the cold, glacier-fed waters below. The pictures shown today were taken on Cruise 2 of our back-to-back off-season Alaska voyages. So, the photos you see today were taken on 6 October in bright sunlit conditions.

One of Endicott’s many waterfalls

We also enjoyed these scenes from our Cruise 2 balcony, and I took advantage of the sunlight illuminating the walls on our way into t...

Cruising Alaska Off-Season — Endicott Arm; The Sunny Version

Oh, what a difference a week makes. We’re back in Endicott Arm, headed for Dawes Glacier, but this time we’re under bright sun and blue skies. Which, in my book, makes for much better photography in most cases, unless you’re going for mood. For instance, just compare the shot above with this one from Fun Photo Friday I posted on December 17:

Endicott Arm one week earlier

Even the icebergs and growlers come off looking much more intense in color, and the clear portions of ice positively...

Christmas Wishes

On this very special day
I would just like to say
To followers, fans, and friends alike
That bowl of egg nog do not spike…
…Too much

Merry Christmas, Everyone. And stay safe ! ! !

A Spillane Christmas Carol (Humor)

Time for a repeat of a little more Christmas humor. Below is the investigation into the murder portrayed in yesterday’s poem. A little inside joke contained therein: this story was originally written for a contest that had a 1,500 word-count limit. That was up from a 1,000-word limit the preceding year. So, here is:

A Spillane Interpretation of A Dickens Christmas

It was the best of times, Christmas.  It was the worst of crimes, murder.  She was a store clerk at the Old Curiosity Shoppe.  Her na...

If Edgar Allan Poe Had Written A Christmas Carol (Humor)

Now time for a repeat of a little Christmas humor (tune in tomorrow for the sequel on the subsequent murder investigation, written in the style of Mickey Spillane):

A Poe Christmas

Once upon a snowstorm dreary, through which I trudged all weak and weary,
Past many a quaint and curious number of advertisement lore
I saw the ad, above some wrapping; on the door I started tapping
At first it was a gentle tapping, tapping at the storefront door
I must gain entry to this store, as there was nothing t...