Rick McBee's Writings
Explore the magic of new ideas and books to read as well as see what books I have written, my favorite photos, my opinions on may subjects, including Science, Africa, the Caribbean, the Civil War, my Book Reviews, and Much More!
Peace Corps 1966 – White Helmets for Peace Corps Volunteers!
As you look at the scrolling page of my blog you will note the young guy wearing the white helmet (that’s the good guy!>)) me.) In 65 – 66 the mandatory rule for Peace Corps volunteers came out from HQ that if the director saw you riding your motorbike without your helmet, it was an automatic ticket home. This was due to the large number of PC head injuries all over the world while riding in the back country on their bikes.
Note the Yamaha 80 I’m riding. One of the best 2 stroke cycles which got me all over Cameroon fortunately with very few injuries over the two year period I was there. I got it about December 66 after saving enough of my living allowance to be able to afford it. My to be wife, Jill, an IVS volunteer got one a month later, having borrowed money from Paul
Diamond another PC since the IVS volunteers got a living allowance that was less than PC. Peace Corps gave us the helmets once we bought the bikes. They took away all the jeeps of the 1963 group because most were run over cliffs and wrecked before the end of 1964. Motor bikes were a better bet especially for the five miles of hell to get down from Buea to Sasse or the 6 miles of path and bush road through Sachsenhof oil plantation through the bush below us to get out to mile seven of the main paved road.leading to Victoria (now Bimbia) I believe they call it after the original Bakosi name for that coastal town.
Here’s that pic. again!
Note the bag over my shoulder! We lives in the south of the country and This is a hand sewn leather bag with a smiling face on it that I picked up in Fulani country up near Ngoundere about half way up the country 500 miles north of Buea where we lived. That’s where I rode my bike over the long July holiday that covered the rainy season in the south.
Here’s another picture I took on that trip north up in the Ndu area of a couple of juju men and their followers. A bunch of fascinating cultures n the country. Check out Cameroon Info Net on Facebook and Wiki’s info on Cameroonian History a great country to visit!
Pear Picking Time!
Already time to look at those Bartlett, Comice, Bosch and other pears for picking if you own a tree. I got over 100 nice pears off my tree today. You can tell if they are ready to pick if you lift the fruit just above horizontal and the stem snaps off the twig. Bosch pears tend to stay on, but most others will pop right off.
Here’s an assortment off my single tree with several varieties grafted onto the same tree. Yumm! These all went into my fridge to allow them to ripen properly without ending up with brown centers. They will easily keep for several months if done correctly.
Here’s a great little pamphlet from Oregon State University Extension service to help you know when and how to pick and store your pears. They are very different from apples.
Check it out! OSU Extension Service paper.
Next Free Kindle Offering of “Rough Enough” Begins next week!
All you CW brothers and sisters who own Kindle apps on you readers, computers, or cell phones!
Here’s the next date for the offering of “Rough Enough,” the nonfiction life story of Richard H. Clow: 
who fought at Petersburg, VA and through to the end of the war with the 56th Mass. Volunteer Infantry. His letters to his sisters enhance the CW reading with his own observations.
Stationed at Fort Hayes, 
Clow’s force moved to reinforce Ft. Stedman just in time to repel Lee’s attack of March 25, 1865 on the point he considered to be the weakest in the Union lines.
“Rough Enough” follows Richard Clow beyond the CW onto the frontier in 1867 where he helped construct, guard and defend Ft. Shaw, Camp Cooke and Ft. Buford in the Montana and Dakota Territories.
Enjoy the read and visit my author website!
An excellent Foundation in Africa to support!
Here’s a great educational and agricultural foundation to support in the Kafakumba area of Zambia. I visited the school two years ago and also met the manager of the farm they write about. This is a grassroots level of working on development and cultural change.Limapela news is here!
See you At Northwest Book Festival!
It’s here this weekend! The Northwest Book Festival in Portland, OR 30th of July, Pioneer Courthouse Square! Check it out! I’ll be there! With three books to sign for buyers! Here’…
See you At Northwest Book Festival!
It’s here this weekend! The Northwest Book Festival in Portland, OR 30th of July, Pioneer Courthouse Square! Check it out!
I’ll be there! With three books to sign for buyers! Here’s my author site!
What time???? 3:30 – 5:00PM
What books???
1. “The Ghosts of Ukuthula!” 
African adventure at its best! Check this site for my giveaway special of kindle versions of this book! 20 Books to giveaway randomly! by 30 July!
also
2. “Rough Enough” 
Follow a real Civil War veteran to the frontier! Boston to Petersburg and Appomattox, then on to Montana, North Dakota and Fort Buford and ultimately the gold fields of Deadwood during the tile of Wild Bill!
3. “Kalahari” Rick’s first book, a retro James bond style book of southern Africa!
Enjoy them all See all three!
See you at the book fair!>)
Book Review! “All Brave Sailors” by J. R. Carr
Just when you thought you knew everything about the 1st and 2nd WW’s. Here’s a book that opens our eyes to the terrors of the deep for marine merchant sailors during the First and Second World Wars! It also bares the horrors of war from the side of the attacker as well whether they be a U-boat captain or a disguised pirate marauder. You’ll want to spend a number of hours discussing the war crimes of Hellmuth von Ruckteschell the captain who, with his quirky personality switches from being the humanitarian captain who rescues and cares for the crews and passengers of the ships he sinks, to the monster who machine guns ships that have surrendered and sends their entire crews to deep. Author Carr follows his British sailors to the bitter end of the war after their harrowing 2700 mile jolly-boat survival of the sinking of the ship “Anglo-Saxon.” This is definitely a heartfelt, well researched tale of the monstrosities of war wreaked upon the merchant mariners and the aftermath. I recommend it to everyone grades 10 through 99.
Don’t forget to visit my AmazonGiveaway site before 30 July (20 free copies of “The Ghosts of Ukuthula” will be given away! Click here to see the giveaway!
Or you can paste in: https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/736a2dbc3e8dc5b1
Giveaway! 20 Free E-books on Amazon!
I have just opened up a giveaway site for my newest book, “The Ghosts of Ukuthula” on Amazon Giveaway!I would expect one book a day to go out to participants each day for the next 30 da…
Giveaway! 20 Free E-books on Amazon!
I have just opened up a giveaway site for my newest book, “The Ghosts of Ukuthula” on Amazon Giveaway!I would expect one book a day to go out to participants each day for the next 30 days, although as you all know these things can go a lot faster than one thinks! Here’s African historical fiction at its best with a lot of action and adventure.
Click here to got to Amazon Giveaway
Odds: 1:250 so that’s pretty good. If you lose the price is still a doable $2.99
If you didn’t click above click here!>)
Both links take you to the same place!
Education – Things we know but still don’t do in our classrooms!
After 35 years of education, some of the obvious points of education seem to be self-evident to me, yet I again find that these tactics are not applied by all the teachers all the time. Here the Australians have republished research findings that the Americans found over 20 years ago yet still have not implemented in all educational situations. Check out the link!
10 Educational Strategies – The Best!
Why is it that we don’t do what we know and have proven will work in our classrooms? Do we allow to much independent tihinking by teachers on what and how to teach?
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