micky

Mark said "relax for a week or two..." It's been three! Millenium chapters keep right on coming (so to speak) but poor Granger and his fans... Dude! He's in Paris and "We" aren't. Does that suck or what?

I have no personal experience, but the guys I knew who went to OCS in the service went to basic first as I recall.

Mark my words. It's a draught, followed by a dammed flood. And by the way, while in Roses did the purser buy naval oranges?

It was completely intentional, posted by a former seafarer. The pun is the highest form of humor.

We fans of Granger are left to contemplate our navals.

With all due respect, Sir Walter Drake and a clipper ship wouldn't make much of a story. Drake died, I believe, in 1597 and the clipper ship was a 19th century invention! And clippers were merchant ships, not naval vessels, so heavy guns are out, especially given the sleek, narrow hull of a clipper. Micky

Thanks for the "cool." I think we are all liable to regard conservative cultural establishments like symphony orchestras and art museums as having been around for a very long time. Ain't necessarily so, of course; what I know of that history leads me to believe that much of the emergence of such institutions has to do with the decline of monarchy and its associated nobility (in whose courts orchestras and arts were supported) and the rise of the middle class (who could afford a ticket to a concert or had the time for a visit to a museum.) I really enjoy both story lines, but, perhaps, Bridgemont more because I like ships. Micky

Mark, my comment on "the symphony" was based not only on the fact that permanently established orchestras were only beginning to exist when Bridgemont takes place, but also the use of the words "the symphony." I'm not an expert, either and I don't have the necessary reference works here at home, but that same Wiki gives 1781 for the establishment of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra as the earliest. Note that the word "symphony" is not in the name and the orchestra is not in England. The earliest established British orchestra listed in that Wiki is the Manchester Hall

Mark, I'm a little late with this as it's from Chapter 10, and I hesitate to bring it up because youy're generally so careful. But at the date of this story I doubt anyone would know what Granger meant by "like a member of the symphony." There were orchestras, of course, but very few established as ongoing institutions.

I'm going to gently disagree, Mark. I think much of the CAP series is, indeed, implausible, not that I disagree with unlikely. You've suggested the situation yourself, with "...linked together in one family like that." One of the familial twists would go down fine. Two gets a little more doubtful. By the time you add them all up, you've arrived at implausible. So what? Is there a single person who reads your stories who thinks that they could be (not necessarily are) real? That these events could reasonably be expected to actually take place some time some where? If there is, that person needs to get a grip. So what? I don't read either series for reality. The plot twists and turns are fun to follow and well enough done that while unfolding they achieve verisimilitude. That they won't survive dispassionate consideration is also true. So what ? I trust that you write for pleasure; clearly there's no money in it in this venue. We read for pleasure and take pleasure in the characters and the plot developments. If, from time to time, we would like to be one of the characters or share in that life, so much the better. That we might is also implausible. So what? I presume you're getting what you seek out of writing these stories for us, or you'd stop. Lots of people are getting pleasure from your work and anticipate the appearance of every new chapter. That's what counts. Micky

When I posted earlier today, I was reflecting on how long it had been since Chapter 3 posted. Then I discovered that Four is on the site, although I hadn;t seen it on the home page of GA.

I appreciate the effort Mark is putting into research for the historical setting of this story, but poor Granger! Who knew that he could go this long without getting some!

For those of us in Detroit, the group watching the Lions win made this even more of a fairy tale than it already is...until we remembered that it's 1998!!! And Mark did his homework; the Lions did, indeed win by that score against Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving that year. Most of the time, it seems like that was the team's last win. Micky