Thomas, are you okay? For those of you wondering what I mean, Thomas lives in or near Ellicott City, Maryland, the wonderful old town that suffered such severe flooding a few days ago. If you have not seen the photos of the devastation, it is horrific. They received six inches of rain in two hours that wiped out most of the historic downtown. The town was also an early railroad hub, and there is a wonderful B&O Railroad Museum there. I have not heard as to whether or not it sustained damage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb3JGfGrqU4

Ellicott City's original name was Ellicott Mills, and it was here that John Surratt, Jr. received an education at St. Charles Borromeo before leaving upon the death of his father in 1862. Google Wikipedia for St. Charles Borromeo College in Ellicott Mills, Maryland, and you will get a full history. So, who was Saint Charles Borromeo? See the following:

Charles Borromeo, the son of Count Gilbert Borromeo and Margaret de Medici, the sister of Pope Pius IV, was born on October 2, 1538 at Lake Maggiore, Italy and educated in the Benedictine abbey at Arona. When his uncle became pope in 1559, he named Charles a cardinal and appointed him as his Secretary of State and the administrator of the see of Milan. Charles was not yet a priest and he was not ordained until 1563. He became a vigorous administrator, active in the last session of the Council of Trent. He oversaw the writing of the catechism, breviary, and missal called for by the council. He reformed his diocese, instituting seminaries for the training of priests and many other innovations. Once he became a priest, he dedicated himself even more strictly to religious matters, praying and studying long hours. Many opposed his reforms; at times his life was threatened. Throughout he remained determined. He died the night of November 3-4, 1584 in Milan after traveling on apostolic visits throughout his diocese. He is the patron of learning and the arts, including music for he loved to play the lute and the violoncello. He was canonized in 1610; his feast is November 4.

In finding this information, I also found lots of Saint Charles Borromeo institutions in the U.S. as well as a Catholic medal issued in his name as a patron of learning and the arts. Makes me wonder about that Catholic medal that they took from the body of John Wilkes Booth... Could it have been a gift from the Surratts due to Booth's role in the arts?

Now, after that history lesson, back to my original question: Thomas, are you and your family okay? Please let us know if you have access to this forum.

(08-01-2016 11:57 AM)L Verge Wrote:  Thomas, are you okay? For those of you wondering what I mean, Thomas lives in or near Ellicott City, Maryland, the wonderful old town that suffered such severe flooding a few days ago. If you have not seen the photos of the devastation, it is horrific. They received six inches of rain in two hours that wiped out most of the historic downtown. The town was also an early railroad hub, and there is a wonderful B&O Railroad Museum there. I have not heard as to whether or not it sustained damage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb3JGfGrqU4

Ellicott City's original name was Ellicott Mills, and it was here that John Surratt, Jr. received an education at St. Charles Borromeo before leaving upon the death of his father in 1862. Google Wikipedia for St. Charles Borromeo College in Ellicott Mills, Maryland, and you will get a full history. So, who was Saint Charles Borromeo? See the following:

Charles Borromeo, the son of Count Gilbert Borromeo and Margaret de Medici, the sister of Pope Pius IV, was born on October 2, 1538 at Lake Maggiore, Italy and educated in the Benedictine abbey at Arona. When his uncle became pope in 1559, he named Charles a cardinal and appointed him as his Secretary of State and the administrator of the see of Milan. Charles was not yet a priest and he was not ordained until 1563. He became a vigorous administrator, active in the last session of the Council of Trent. He oversaw the writing of the catechism, breviary, and missal called for by the council. He reformed his diocese, instituting seminaries for the training of priests and many other innovations. Once he became a priest, he dedicated himself even more strictly to religious matters, praying and studying long hours. Many opposed his reforms; at times his life was threatened. Throughout he remained determined. He died the night of November 3-4, 1584 in Milan after traveling on apostolic visits throughout his diocese. He is the patron of learning and the arts, including music for he loved to play the lute and the violoncello. He was canonized in 1610; his feast is November 4.

In finding this information, I also found lots of Saint Charles Borromeo institutions in the U.S. as well as a Catholic medal issued in his name as a patron of learning and the arts. Makes me wonder about that Catholic medal that they took from the body of John Wilkes Booth... Could it have been a gift from the Surratts due to Booth's role in the arts?

Now, after that history lesson, back to my original question: Thomas, are you and your family okay? Please let us know if you have access to this forum.

Laurie, Jim Garret notified me of this post. Sorry it took me this long to see it. I've had access to the forum this whole time. I am fine. I live off of Route 40, which is a safe distance from Main Street. I was in New Jersey at the betfair.com Haskell Invitational, a prep race for the Breeders' Cup Classic, when the flood hit. Luckily, my neighborhood was not flooded and I have donated money to the town. Thank you for your concern. I am perfectly fine. As for the museum, despite receiving little damage, will be closed along with Main Street until further notice.

Main Street will reopen to pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic this month! While sidewalks will be closed, I hope I can use the street to practice driving. Why you may ask? After years of procrastinating, I obtained my learner's permit last month. The motive for me to obtain my permit was a job opportunity in St. Louis which I applied for and am still awaiting my fate. After 46 years, John Scully retired from the announcing postion at Fairmount Park racecourse, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. I put my name into the mix. The state has significantly cut the race days at Fairmount in the past decade to just 41 in 2017. If the schedule is like last year, and if I'm the announcer, We will race Tuesdays and Saturdays May-Labor Day, and Fridays in June and July. TVG will cover the Tuesday cards. I will post updates on my Lincoln assassination Youtube channel when it is ready to launch. As of Today I haven't heard from Fairmount. Still crossing my fingers.

We wish you well, Thomas.

Best of success, Thomas!

Thomas, you have a couple of exciting irons in the fire. Best of luck with the job and the YouTube channel. If you still have an ecess of water hanging around, please send it to me in SOCAL. We are thirsty. Anita

I have learned Zenyatta, Songbird, and California Chrome all sent in recs for you!

Good luck!

Vicki and I visited Fairmount in the 1970s - at that time it had harness racing.

Good luck Thomas. I've been through there. Interesting area. It can be a little dull during the off season, especially Jan- April.
Some good Italian restaurants in the area. Be sure to see the giant catsup bottle.

http://www.catsupbottle.com/

(10-06-2016 04:06 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  I have learned Zenyatta, Songbird, and California Chrome all sent in recs for you!

Good luck!

Vicki and I visited Fairmount in the 1970s - at that time it had harness racing.

Britney Eurton says good luck from TVG

Neat photo of Vicki in the 1970s!

(10-06-2016 09:16 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Neat photo of Vicki in the 1970s!

Thanks, Eva, but she doesn't like horse racing!

Roger, did you read my Twitter page Haskell weekend?

Gene, I drove through Colinsville once, it's just a water tower.

Anita, we don't have an excess of water. Sorry.

Thomas, I usually don't look at Twitter much, but I promise to check yours out on the Breeders' Cup dates (November 4 and 5).

So this happened:

https://twitter.com/BreedersCup/status/7...4341348352

That's great!