EUREKA!

Lord am I a busy bee... Among other things I have been figuring out how to create accounts on Facebook and LinkedIn and have been adding photos and personal info there. Have also been adding groups to my Flickr account and editing my now all-boring-but -original photos as I slowly get a handle on my digital camera. Had to replace the Lithium batteries and deleted all but the most recent stuff so I can focus on my Mom and Beach House projects. Recently dug up a photo of me at the de-commissioning ceremony of the OHSU Library Card Catalog back in 1989 when we went on-line. I am in full Hippie mode with long hair and beard. I will be posting that to a site on Flickr specifically dedicated to card catalogs. Talk about a niche!
Have not been neglecting my history project on cultural confrontation with the Muslim world in 17th century Europe. Been trying to get more and more info on German regimental commanders DEFENDING Poland rather than INVADING it. The data base is growing, but as it is in Polish, it is for leisurely Sunday and Holiday translation down time. My new Polish dictionary is getting a work-out, along with my existing German, French, and Hungarian.
Just bought and Italian dictionary as well. This will help me with data I have been finding about Italian commanders fighting the Turks in Hungary. The Pope sent 3 expeditionary forces to help Kaiser Rudolf against the Turks there during what was called the "Long War"(1593-1606), in 1595, 1597, and 1601. All the commanders seemed to the be the nephew of some Pope past or present. They all spent the last 20 years fighting religious wars against Turks, North African corsairs, or Dutch and French Protestants.
Got a new doozy of a factoid in the How-in-the-heck did-he-find- THAT? corner. Some of this stuff just comes whizzing out of left field so to speak. Like about 6 months ago I was trying and trying to dig up something on the commander of the Courbon Dragoons fighting Turks in Greece for Venice c. 1687. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Then all of a sudden I got a hit in a history of Venetian Opera, of all places. Way, way down in the small print is a dedication of an operatic piece to one Nicolas Grimaldi, Marchese de Courbon, Lt. General of All Light Cavalry of the Most Serene Republic of Venice. That's the family that runs Monaco.
Today's masterpiece of What-the Heck concerns a Scottish mercenary by the name of Andrew Goldie-Gowdy, who was running amok in Hungary and Poland in the 1650s. After fascinating little tidbits here and there, which had his name spelled variously Andreas von Gaudi by the Germans or Andras Gaude by the Hungarians, I finally got his back story where? In a history of Certified Public Accountants!! Zounds! That's it for now. Duty calls.....