Yes, I have a soft spot for ships, all ships. That's that Gulf Coast blood in my veins. I was raised near enough to Port of Mobile to hear the tug and ship whistles during the day. I remember working the mid-shift on Pensacola Bay and clearly hearing the bouy bells. My people all worked on ships, built ships, piloted ships, and loaded the ships. Where am I? Nowhere near the water :(. But my the walls of my study are covered in pictures of my favorite scenes of ships, "The Battle of Mobile Bay, Surrender of the CSS Tennessee", "The USS St. Mary's Entering Mobile Bay", my Dads ships, a very large and clear photograph of the heavey cruisers USS Salt Lake City, Pensacola, and New Orleans in Pearl Harbor during World War II. They make me feel good.

David