New Blog!!!

Hey guys!

I want to thank everyone for the support I get when I blog here! Make sure and keep following along.

Last week I was accepted to be an intern for Congressman Ron Paul. I am very excited about this and hope to contribute and learn a lot. Just to let you know, Neptune Nation will always stay non-political. I feel that here at Neptune Nation we unite because of our love of the water and our views on anything else will never interrupt that.


Thanks again, please, tell your friends (or strangers) to check me out,

Water is Life,

Brett

Travis McGee on Earth

I think there is some kind of divine order in the universe. Every leaf on every tree in the world is unique. As far as we can see, there are other galaxies, all slowly spinning, numerous as the leaves in the forest. In an infinite number of planets, there has to be an infinite number with life forms on them. Maybe this planet is one of the discarded mistakes. Maybe it's one of the victories. We'll never know.

 ~Travis McGee 

A timeless contemplation from A Deadly Shade of Gold by John D. MacDonald.

Tom Toby, Chairman Special Recognition Award at Texas A&M Galveston Research Symposium 2011

Last Thursday I entered a Research Symposium at Texas A&M Galveston. The crowd of supporters, curious spectators, and judges was awesome! I really had a great time telling everybody about my project and answering all the questions, in fact, I wish they would have never stopped! I felt I was really able to relate my experience in dory building whether their background was in business, science, or anything else.

That really was my goal in this research. I wanted to show the relationship between man and boat and how it pertains to everyone. Wooden boats were the vessels that represented man's first experiments with fluid dynamics--whether it be water or air. Scientists got their start by accompanying a ship as a surgeon. In turn they were able to study the flora and fauna of the far reaches of the world. This analogy can follow every specialization because the gap between man and the water was ultimately bridged by a wooden vessel. I had a great time imparting my passion for all things maritime and deeply appreciate my experience.

Check out the poster I won with here!

By the way, check out Tom Toby's new paint!

Thanks to everyone for such kind words and genuine excitement, and special thanks to everyone who has had a hand in the building process!

Water is Life

Brett

Jeremy Smith, Friend and Fellow Marine

Today I learned of some really bad news. A friend of mine from high school and the Marine Corps was killed a few days ago in Afghanistan.

Jeremy and I were on the football team together and we used to hang out on the weekends. He was a year behind me and he joined the Marines the year after I did. Once I joined the Marines I lost touch with a lot of good friends but we stayed just barely in contact even though we had conflicting deployments and we were stationed on opposite sides of the U.S..

It always seems that when someone passes on everybody talks about how special that person was. Who knows if they really were? Well, Jeremy really was special, I can vouch.

I was never personally in combat with him but I knew what kind of guy he was. I knew before he joined he would be an awesome Marine. The guys I knew from the football team who joined the Marines weren't the best players on the football team, but we all had the most motivation and the biggest heart--that's what separates you from the rest. As I write this I am thinking of all our other teammates who joined the Marines. I know some that were much closer to him than I was and I know how upset they must be.

You may not agree with the war, the politics, or the situation, but anyone who has been over there knows that it's about something different. It is about the guy to the left and right of you.

Semper Fidelis