RHH's photos

This is the church in the Normandy town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, near the Utah and Omaha beaches, landing sites for the Americans on June 6, 1944, D-Day. The church is famous for the story of the parachutist, John Steele, a member of the American airborne troops whose parachute snagged on the church steeple in the early hours of the morning and who hung there for several hours pretending to be dead until rescued by the Germans and made a prisoner. Many of the other paratroopers were shot and killed as they came down on the town, but according to John Steele's account the German troops did not shoot at him because of the church.

This is the steeple of the church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, a town near the Utah and Omaha beaches used by the Americans on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The effigy is of a man named John Steele of the 505th Parachute Regiment whose parachute snagged on the steeple. He hung there for several hours pretending to be dead until rescued and made a prisoner by the German soldiers in the town. According to his own account they did not shoot him, as they did many other paratroopers who were descending on the town, because they thought he was protected by the Mary to whom the church is dedicated.

Before going to France last summer we were in Northern Ireland and England. While in Northern Ireland we visited friends whose house is near Slemish. Slemish is an ancient volcanic cone, supposed to be the place where St. Patrick herded pigs as a slave after being captured by pirates and sold to an Irish chieftain.

Before going to France we were in Northern Ireland and in England. In Northern Ireland we stayed with our oldest daughter who is a doctor, a nephrologist, in Belfast. She had to work while we were there and we spent most of our time doing odd jobs around her house, shown here.

We visited Bayeux twice, had our evening meal in the city twice, saw the Bayeux Tapestry and on the second visit were able to see the inside of the cathedral.

The second time we visited Bayeux we were earlier and were able to see the inside of the cathedral and take some photos.

This memorial, the Cross of Lorraine, is near the Juno Beach Center, one of the British landing sites on D-Day, June 6, 1944. It marks the place where the Free French troops and General De Gaulle came ashore on D-Day.

On June 6, 1944, this was Sword Beach, one of the British landing sites. Visiting the beach today it is difficult to imagine that it was the site of a pitched battle, the beach filled with soldiers and all the equipment of war and the sea filled with ships of every kind.

Last January we made a two week trip to southern California and Arizona. The last place we visited was the Sedona area of Arizona with its red rock country. This photo was from a loop hike along the Soldier Pass, Brins Mesa and Cibola Pass trails and the formation is known as the Cibola Mitten.