deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

American Samoa. The unincorporated territory in the South Pacific Ocean. There are five main islands and it is the southernmost US territory. Almost the entire population is bilingual speaking English and Samoan. The history of American Samoa includes that unfortunate word: ‘Colonization’. Basically in 1900 the US began to understand the strategic advantage of having…

I do wonder what it is about Mackinac Island that draws Michiganders back over and over? It takes a boat ride to get there. There are no automobiles on the island. There are horses pulling people and supplies and defecting in the streets. The only way to get around the island is to hike or…

The Republic of Serbia, a part of my collection with a personal connection. Serbia is a landlocked country in Europe that boarders Hungary; Romania; Bulgaria; Macedonia; Croatia; Bosnia and Montenegro. People have inhabited this land since the Paleolithic age. The USA has a mere 244 years of history, this land has thousands of years of…

The fifth smallest, by land area, tenth least populated state: New Hampshire. A beautiful state in the Northeast. New Hampshire was the first colony to say to Great Britain, ‘ya, we aren’t a part of you anymore’, which they did in January 1776. If you have never seen this state in the fall, you have…

Basque Country, also known as The Basque Autonomous Community. It is the home of The Basque People. Therefore it is not exactly a country, more of a specific constellation of people. It is located in the Western Pyrenees straddling the boarder between France and Spain on the coast of the Bay of Biscay The Basque…

And Tony is 94 years young.

The People’s Republic of China. Beyond any political or governmental tensions, I fly the flag to demonstrate our love for the Chinese People. Four yeas ago right now we were in Beijing with our beloved daughters. The flag was another contest sponsored by a committee. After a culture and history of thousands of years, in…

In my vast collection of flags, this is the perfect flag. The North American Vexillological Association ranks it as number 1 in the USA. The state flag of New Mexico. (In Navajo: Yooto’ Hahoodzo) New Mexico was founded in 1610, long before the US. It is a mountain state that is part of the area…

The Kingdom of Norway (the official name of Norway.). This familiar Nordic country in the north of Europe is bordered by Sweden on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. The country was established in 872 so it has been a continuous country for 1,148 years. It is where the Vikings come from.…

After working full time for 50 years, I considered who had been my ‘best’ boss ever. It was Major David N. Boyd (The gentleman sitting down in the photo.). [I am the one on the far left – Lieutenant Gary L. Flanders] I have thought about why I would rank Major Boyd (now he insists…