First installment: Philadelphia Freedom and walking on hallowed ground

"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

— Winston Churchill, late British prime minister

PHILADELPHIA/GETTYSBURG —After traveling 1,200 miles through six states, countless cities and towns, and visiting the country's finest moments in its young history, I remain convinced America is still a good idea.

We visited a world-class city — Philadelphia — and stepped quietly on hallowed ground at Gettysburg, giving this family a refreshing look at our country. 

Taking pictures at Independence Hall and listening to the park service's lecture gave me a whole new perspective about the founding fathers who penned the phrase: "All men are created equal." America has been a tough act to follow after that one powerful and emotional statement was written on that hot July day.

I also understand that our nation is sprinkled with dark episodes. The end of slavery and the pathetic treatment of blacks for another 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln remains an ugly mark in American history. The way we treated native Americans is another travesty for a nation that cherishes equality. And still, America continues to support other nations' oppressors and exploit workers overseas for our own gain and greed.

I guess we still have a lot to learn when it comes to understanding the Constitution and the basis for it — freedom and equality. 

But Americans have the opportunity to change our attitudes and still maintain our values by voting. That is the only way it works in a republic that separates the men from the boys in big-league governments.

I am not a flag-waver who drapes himself in the glory of one of the most powerful symbols on the planet. Those stars and stripes came at a huge cost and were earned through bloodshed, commitment, and a strong notion that "all men are created equal." More than a handful signers of the Declaration of Independence died in poverty after the American Revolution ended.

How many of us would give it all up for an idea that could make the world a better place?

Not many!

When we inserted that phrase in the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, our forefathers believed that the sanctity of all human life, freedom and the greater good were the priorities of a new nation that gave King George of England his walking papers.

America is a work in progress. Our wise framers of the Constitution designed the blueprint for our government that way. We have the privilege of criticizing and questioning our leaders without fear of reprisal. 

It took just four days restore my appreciation for a nation that is experiencing its highs and lows on a violent planet that also faces environmental peril.

There are moments when I think America is falling apart and coming to tragic end due to poor leadership and an endless economic recession triggered by greedy Wall Street and frivolous and cavalier banks. 

Still, a solemn walk through Gettysburg and a tour of Philly restored my faith in this nation.

In the coming days, I will discuss our whirlwind trip during a broiling week in July.

It really is a hot topic.

Games fathers and sons play

AUBURN, Maine - My eyes never leave the board when he makes his next move.

He is a cunning and dangerous tactician who knows how to maneuver his fleet of old battle wagons and carriers and place my ships in harm's way.

I try to stay a step ahead of my son, Anthony, but where ever I direct my battleships and submarines, he is there to meet me  with his intrepid and deadly fleet. 

He doesn't miss a thing.

This is not chess; this is war!

Well, not exactly.

It's a game without the video. No need for technology and the joy stick. You have to use your brain, especially when you send your planes on a mission to knock out a carrier or the other big bastards — cruisers and destroyers.

There are plenty of curve balls along the way as two navies slug it out on the open waters of the Atlantic.

Welcome to "Axis and Allies" — a game where naval tactics and the ability to keep your eye on your opponent and playing cards at the same time means life or death when you begin blasting away at each other.

Take your eye off the helm and just watch him deep-six a key battleship.

A friend of mine once told me fishing isn't really about catching fish. He said angling is about time you spend with someone you love. Sure, reeling in "The Big One" after a 10-minute tussle with a stubborn bottom-dweller is rewarding, but watching my smiling son proudly pulling in his own fish is priceless.

It's true. It is not about the fishing, and hiking isn't about just walking in the woods on a warm summer day. During these moments of leisure, random conversations appear out of nowhere as we cast our lines or make our way along a trail. We reveal ourselves and swap dreams and ambitions on a sandy pond. Our talks cement our relationships as we travel in our tiny universe.

Our big board game that consumes us in a cellar on rainy days keeps my son and I connected and reinforces our mutual interests about history. The hours we spend trying to strafe, bomb, sink or torpedo our fleets is as equally important as our conversations that emerge during a surface battle.

Look, there is nothing I like better than sending one of his battleships to the bottom. I know he takes great joy in deep-sixing one of my carriers.

And we both take pleasure watching our destroyers and cruisers pelt each other with their 10- and 5-inch guns with the roll of a dice.

We are both trying to rule the high seas as we roam this vast ocean, but in between setting our flotillas on a course of destruction, we strike up discussions during these fire fights. No topic is taboo. We share our stories of the past and opinions about the present.

There are a lot of things I could be doing around the house.  

But I know I will never spend these precious moments with Anthony again. I sop up these minutes with my son, knowing all along that the games we play will not continue forever , although I wish they could.