The bow of the Eagle
Editor’s Note: Because the Austinot’s founder, Eric Highland, is a 20-year veteran of the United States Coast Guard, I was delighted when I first heard the following story. I’m grateful to Richard for sharing his story and aspirations with our community, and for the example he sets for his generation of young Austinites.
This guest blog post is by Richard Barr Dent.
What motivates a high school junior to compete for a ride on one of the last sailing tall ships in the United States fleet?
At four, it shocked me to leave Cincinnati. “Austin is hard,” I told my grandmother. No tree leaves changed colors in Autumn. No snow for sledding in the winter. Luckily, I realized we were only three hours away from the Texas coast. Trips to Galveston, tours of the Elissa, the tall ship that is the pride of Texas, and nights spent aboard the U.S.S. Lexington with my Cub Scout Pack 29 kindled my maritime interest. Before Austin, my only exposure to the sea was the movie Muppet Treasure Island. [Read more…]
The invention of the camera gave us the ability to capture the world around us in fleeting moments of time. Then, few people could afford to own a camera and film was limited. What remains of that era are family portraits, and images of important events and political figures.
A few months ago, if someone had asked me who makes the finest swords in the world I would have replied without hesitation, “the Japanese.” This shows my level of local ignorance.
This is the story of a man who got what he wanted. Mix one part passionate, one part competitive, one part positive, and you get Tom Gimbel.
