Behold my over-the-top, intentionally-cheesy smile! (What can I say? Sometimes life is just too exciting). A month or two ago, I was at a coffee shop I frequent, when a regular noticed that I was reading Citizen Soldiers by Stephen E. Ambrose. He asked me if I’d read any of his other books, in which I replied with spirit that I certainly had, and I listed them. But he asked if I’d read The Wild Blue by said author, and it dawned on me that no, I hadn’t!!! In fact, I totally forgot about the book, and I didn’t own it either. So, with his recommendation, I soon purchased it on eBay for a whopping $4.
And I’m glad I did!! Y’all know I love military aviation stuff, so this has been a very enjoyable book. It’s extremely detailed with a lot of characterization, as Ambrose describes how these young men came to be the pilots of B-24s that flew over Germany in WWII.
And as a tie-in to my blog title, I am indeed wearing stripes. Blue stripes, at that. Blue and pink are a combination that I’ve forgotten make a really cute pair!
It looks like I’m wearing two different flip-flops, but I’m not; the black strap is something I added for extra support on the broken pinky toe foot. Good news though – it’s healing wonderfully! Only a couple more weeks until I can try a regular shoe again (flats for starters!)
Lastly, I have this postcard that is my favorite, and I keep it pinned to a corkboard in my bedroom. It’s very fitting with my current read, and from a graphic design perspective, I find it to be a very gorgeous piece of artwork!
BYE!
The Big Hair Diaries 
First of all, that top looks great on you. Glad your toe is healing up nicely. It sucks that he’s been outed as plagiarizing in all of his books and having inaccuracies. Plus he lied about his relationship with Eisenhower. Dispite all that I still enjoy his books. They’re just a little tainted to me now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
1. Thank you!!! 💙
2. WHAAAAAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel like I have just been told Santa Claus doesn’t exist! I had no idea about any of that! Arrrrrgh!
LikeLike
I noticed how pretty your smile was while holding the book. It isn’t cheesy in the least. I like your stripes and pink. Since you like aviation books, have you read “The Youngest Crew” by Paul Wagner? Paul is a good friend, although I haven’t seem him in a few years, so I don’t know how he’s doing. His book is really good. It’s a little pricey on eBay, but it is available. I have copy somewhere, but I would have to find it. He and my dad were in the 8th Air force in England in WWII. He and his flight crew had an average age of 19 years, and flew around 25 bombing missions over Germany from England. I thought the book should have been made into a movie, but he said he couldn’t any Hollywood types interested in making a movie. I highly recommend the book if you haven’t read it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!! 😀 I haven’t read (or heard of) that book! Wow, the 8th Air Force in England?! That’s spectacular! I did notice in the book how young the pilots tended to be. Amazing stuff! Thanks for the recommendation!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are welcome. We used to belong to the 8th Air Force Historical Society and there were always lots of interesting talks and films. But as all the vets from that time started dying of the local chapter lost its steam. Also, if you are interested in WWII bombers here’s a post on my old T&L blog of a B-25 with Rosie the Riveter’s signature on it: https://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2018/10/maid-in-the-shade-by-rosy-the-riveter. And here you can see a B17: https://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2018/5/inside-looking-out
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, thanks for sharing!! Those are amazing photos of the B-25 and B-17! I’ve always been a fan of WWI planes the most, but there really were amazing WWII aircraft like these that were in a league of their own!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The men had to be tiny to fit in some of those places. I’m 6 feet and had a tough time crawling around in those planes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I checked on Paul Wagner. He died in 2019. He was 89 years old. It’s amazing how disconnected we get in this world where we have so many ways to communicate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so sorry to hear that!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Most of the WWII vets have passed on.
LikeLike
I’m so glad you like reading about this history: it needs to live on! You look lovely in those colors Samantha, and again you made me chuckle with your pithy style and full of humor. And if that’s a fake smile the real one must be amazing 🙂 Take Care kiddo.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much!!! Take care!
LikeLike
That’s so cool that someone in your favorite coffee spot recommended a book you love! I like how the book includes a lot about the pilots themselves in addition to the history. That must make them come alive. The stripes tie-in with your outfit is so fun; the royal blue and black look fab against the light pink. And even if they’re not meant to be a fashion statement, your flips flops are very punk rock! I’m so glad to hear that your toe’s coming along. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!!! I’m really glad my toe’s coming along too, thank goodness!
LikeLike