The American Dream

On our trip to NY last week we stopped by the USS Ticonderoga.  Behind it I happened to glimpse the most etherial home I’ve ever seen.

They were entirely incongruous.

Have you ever heard the story of the USS Ticonderoga?  It is a ship from the War of 1812, and the short version is that it was initially built as a commercial steam boat.  It was then purchased by the US Navy and converted into a sailboat (that alone is quirky enough to catch my attention).  It later went on to lead the way in the US defeat of the British at the battle of Plattsburg, eventually leading to the end of The War of 1812.

I’m not sure what it is about the contrast between this wreck and the beautiful home that strikes me so much.  Maybe it is just the idea that American prosperity is built on a history that most of us barely know, and shamefully don’t appreciate.

It certainly gave me something to think about.