Max Hall

Henry O Flipper Founded in 1802, West Point is the oldest American military academy. When I graduated in 1978, I was the 35,591st graduate. Between 1802 and 1977, there were less than 300 black graduates. Let that…

West Point was founded in 1802. When I graduated in 1978, I was the 35,971st graduate. Between 1802 and 1977, there were less than 300 black graduates … Less than 300. Henry O. Flipper was the first in 1877. As Black History Month ends, I was thinking […] Continue: maxnhall.com/2026/02/24/h...

Eating our Corn! They are eating our corn! They are eating our grass! Illegal immigrant Canada* Geese have flown into America unchecked. They steal our food from the field and there are known gosling abusers among …

They are eating our corn! They are eating our grass! Illegal immigrant Canada Geese have flown into America unchecked. They steal our food from the field and there are known gosling abusers among them. They need to go now. The only good goose, is a cooked […] Continue: maxnhall.com/2026/02/16/e...

Trump and Racism Writing blogs about Trump is like shooting fish in a barrel. It is too easy. Every day he presents new topics to bust him about. I need to choose wisely, so my blog doesn’t turn into just a Trump r…

Writing blogs about Trump is like shooting fish in a barrel. It is too easy. Every day he presents new topics to bust him about. When he posted a video of the Obamas as apes, that was one bit of racism I couldn’t […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2026/02/10/t...

The Walk for Peace Since it started last year, I have followed the Buddhist monks’ Walk for Peace. By the time they end in DC next week, they will have walked 2,300 miles. I knew they would pass through Virginia and …

Since it started, I have followed the Buddhist monks’ Walk for Peace. When they end in DC next week, they will have walked 2,300 miles. I knew they would pass through Virginia and was determined to see them. A few days ago, near Spotsylvania Courthouse, I did […] Cont: maxnhall.com/2026/02/06/t...

Instant Karma With apologies to the late, great, John Lennon, Instant Karma got us … In a good way. It happened unexpectedly last Friday night. Cathy and I, suffering a bit from cabin fever due to our rece…

With apologies to the late John Lennon, Instant Karma got us ... In a good way. It happened unexpectedly last Friday night. Cathy and I, suffering from cabin fever due to our recent sleetapocalypse and frigid temperatures, drove to Warrenton for […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2026/02/03/i...

The Whole Ox It was the night before snowmaggedon, or stormzilla, or sleetapocalypse, or whatever you want to call it. We were lucky and had scored two seats for a Cassoulet Dinner hosted by our local butcher, …

It was the night before snowmaggedon, or sleetapocalypse, or whatever you want to call it. We were lucky and had scored two seats for a Cassoulet Dinner hosted by our local butcher, The Whole Ox. The meal was wonderful and a great way to “prep” for the […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2026/01/27/t...

Philosophy Class During my Firstie (senior) year at West Point, there was a required Philosophy course. I am not sure what my expectations were going into the class, but there were ideas that stuck with me my entir…

During my Firstie (senior) year at West Point, there was a required Philosophy course. I am not sure what my expectations were going into the class, but there were ideas that stuck with me my entire life, including a discussion on God’s existence, or lack […] Cont here: maxnhall.com/2026/01/21/p...

Going After Women You know the Trump Team is in trouble when they start going after women. “Fucking Bitch.” That’s what ICE officer Jonathon Ross called Renee Good after he shot and killed her. Three days later, Dav…

You know the Trump Team is in trouble when they start going after women. F^cking Bitch. That’s what Jonathon Ross called Renee Good after he killed her. David Marcus of Fox said “organized gangs of wine moms are using Antifa tactics to” […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2026/01/16/g...

The Inauguration This Saturday, Cath and I will be in Richmond Virginia with friends attending the gubernatorial inauguration of Abigail Spanberger. We are excited and are looking forward to the event. As a bonus, …

This Saturday, Cath and I will be in Richmond Virginia with friends attending the gubernatorial inauguration of Abigail Spanberger. We are excited and are looking forward to the event. As a bonus, she will be our first female governor […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2026/01/13/t...

GPS and an Old African Saying An old African saying – “GPS tells you the road. It does not tell you there is a hole in the road.”  OK, maybe not an old saying, but we did hear this advice in Africa from Harry, one of…

An old African saying - “GPS tells you the road. It does not tell you there is a hole in the road.”  OK, maybe not an old saying, but we did hear it in Africa from one of our guides. I was thinking about Harry, as someone stuck his truck in our field, blindly[…] Cont: maxnhall.com/2026/01/06/g...

Unpopular Opinion Unpopular opinion: You don’t need a ‘New You’ this January. We’re told every January 1st that we need to reinvent ourselves from scratch. What if this year isn’t about starting ov…

Unpopular opinion: You don’t need a 'New You' this January. We’re told every January 1st that we need to reinvent ourselves from scratch. What if this year isn't about starting over, but about leaning in? I’m talking about perseverance over perfection […] Continue:
maxnhall.com/2026/01/03/u...

I’m guessing you know who he is. I’ll send you a note

A Turning Point It has been a long year for many of us, and yet, I have hope. I believe we may have reached a turning point as 2025 ends. A local Fauquier County MAGA man, as MAGA as they come, has turned on Trump…

It has been a long year for many of us, and yet, I have hope. We may have reached a turning point as 2025 ends. A local Fauquier County MAGA man, as MAGA as they come, has turned on Trump. When someone like him calls Trump “you f^cking piece of sh!t”, you […] Cont: maxnhall.com/2025/12/27/a...

Home for the Holidays Home for the holidays and returning home for the holidays are not the same thing. This year, we are not staying home for Christmas. Instead, we are returning home to where we grew up in Illinois to…

Home for the holidays and returning home for the holidays are not the same thing. This year, we are not staying home for Christmas. Instead, we are returning home to where we grew up to see family and friends. The DRIVE in winter can be a challenge, but […] Continue: maxnhall.com/2025/12/21/h...

Howard and Binge Watching Cath and I have been watching two or three episodes of the old TV show “Cheers” each evening. Cathy recalled it was the same way we watched it in the late ‘80s. We were stationed in Germany and our…

We have recently been watching episodes of “Cheers”. Cathy recalled it was the same way we watched it in the late ‘80s. We were stationed in Germany and our friend Howard sent us VHS tapes with recorded TV shows. We were binge watching before they invented […] Continue: maxnhall.com/2025/12/16/h...

Holiday Cards Cath and I are among the diminishing number of people who send out Christmas/Holiday cards. In our busy digital world, fewer people send them, and among the younger generations, it is almost nonexi…

Cath and I are among the diminishing number of people who send Christmas/Holiday cards. In today’s digital world, fewer people send them, and among the younger generation, it is almost nonexistent. Me? I still enjoy the “old fashioned” exchange of […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2025/12/09/h...

$$ DI$NEY $$ Let’s face it, DI$NEY is America’s Mecca. Almost everyone makes a pilgrimage there at least once in their life. For America, it is proper that the place people would make a Hajj to, is also capital…

Let’s face it, Disney is America’s Mecca. Almost everyone makes a pilgrimage there at least once. For America, it is proper that the place people would make a Hajj to, is also capitalism at its best or worst, depending on your view. Many Americans make […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2025/12/03/d...

Lock him up….

It’s Pretty Simple To me, it is pretty simple. If Hegseth did not give the command to kill everybody on the “drug boats”, then someone else, like Admiral Bradley did. Is Hegseth not guilty of this? Fine, then he shou…

It is pretty simple. If Hegseth did not give the command to kill everybody on the “drug boats”, then someone else did. Is Hegseth not guilty of this? Fine, then he should bring charges against Bradley, or whoever gave the order, and potentially, the […] Cont: maxnhall.com/2025/12/01/i...

Hegseth and Scouting Yep. I was an Eagle Scout. A God and Country Awardee. A member of the Order of the Arrow. It turns out approximately 20% of West Point cadets are Eagle Scouts. As you can imagine, I was shocked and…

Yep. I was an Eagle Scout. A God and Country Awardee. A member of the Order of the Arrow. Recently I was shocked and appalled to learn Secretary Hegseth wants to sever all military relations with Scouting […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2025/11/28/h...

He Does It Best As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I was thinking about family dinners and how they have been affected by our President. The President does something better than anyone else in the world. He …

As we approach Thanksgiving, I was thinking about family dinners. The President does something better than anyone else in the world. He screws up our personal relationships with each other - with our family, friends, and neighbors […] Continue here (Click on Picture): maxnhall.com/2025/11/23/h...

Army Times It is one of my favorite photos from our time in the Army. I say “our time” because that is what it was. I was the soldier, but Cath and I were both a part of Army Life. To me, the picture brings b…

It is one of my favorite photos from our time in the Army … Cath and I were both a part of Army Life. To me, the picture brings back the memories of the great joys, along with the intensity of everything in the Army of the early ‘80s […] Cont here: maxnhall.com/2025/11/18/a...

Beaujolais Nouveau and New Beginnings I know it’s hokey, and I know it’s not fine wine, and yet, I could not resist buying a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau at a local wine shop a year ago in November of ‘24. In the ‘80s when stationed in…

I know it’s hokey, and not fine wine, still, I couldn’t resist buying a Beaujolais Nouveau at a wine shop a year ago in Nov, ‘24. In the ‘80s when stationed in Germany, the annual November release of Beaujolais Nouveau was something we looked for, and […] Cont here : maxnhall.com/2025/11/11/b...

Elections Matter Virginia’s elections on Tuesday were clear in their results. Pundits will discuss the results trying to discern what truths they can. The truth I know is that for the first time in over 30 years, N…

Virginia’s elections on Tuesday were clear in their results. The truth I know is that for the first time in 30 years, Northern Fauquier county where we live will be represented in the House of Delegates by a Democrat - my friend John McAuliff Continue here: maxnhall.com/2025/11/05/e...

Haters My friend, Jennifer, and her husband have three children. She is a hair stylist and has her own shop. You can imagine her shock and horror when she received a work text saying, “… I hope you don’t …

My friend,Jennifer, is a hair stylist and has her own shop. You can imagine her shock and horror when she received a work text saying, “… I hope you don’t recover from that surgery and it f^cking k^lls you you fat f^cking gay white b^tch.” […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2025/10/28/h...

Playing god Each October at Rohan Farm, we have a sign of cold weather’s impending arrival – the day Cathy plays god with the outdoor plants. Which ones come in the house, which are on life support in th…

Each October at the farm, we have a sign of cold weather’s impending arrival - the day Cathy plays god with the outdoor plants. Which ones come in the house, which are on life support in the barn, which are dormant in the garage, and which ones die with[…] Cont here: maxnhall.com/2025/10/21/p...

Ten Years And just like that, a decade has passed. I started this blog ten years ago, on October 19th, 2015. I was 60 then. I’m 70 now. The blog started because of a death*, and a West Point classmate’s admo…

And just like that, a decade has passed. I started this blog ten years ago, on Oct 19th, 2015. I was 60 then. I’m 70 now. The blog started because of a death*, and a West Point classmate’s admonishment to “Live Life Exuberantly.” I have tried to do so, although […] Cont: maxnhall.com/2025/10/14/t...

Falling Acorns This is a good month to be a squirrel at the farm. Acorns are falling like rain and the ground is covered. You hear them hit our metal roof day and night. Sometimes, it is so loud, it sounds as if …

This is a good month to be a squirrel. Acorns are falling like rain. You hear them hit our metal roof continually. Sometimes, it is so loud, it sounds as if the tree threw the acorn at the roof. Old wive’s tales say this is a prediction of a bad winter […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2025/10/07/f...

The Dinner Party I opened the door to the room and the five of them were there. My brother-in-laws, Jack and Don, old friend Tim, Dad, and Cathy’s Dad, Max. All looked robust and in their 50s, except for Max who di…

I opened the door and the five of them were there. My brother-in-laws, Jack and Don, old friend Tim, Dad, and Cathy’s Dad, Max. All looked robust and in their 50s, except for Max who died at 41. Tim looked up from the bar. “French 75 Maxie?” Continue here: maxnhall.com/2025/10/01/t...

Voting in Virginia The election for Governor and other positions here in Virginia is November 4th, but early voting started last week on Friday, September 20th. At 9:45 that morning, I was voter number 54. We are ble…

The election for Governor and other positions here in Virginia is November 4th, but early voting started last week on Friday, September 20th. We are blessed and cursed here in Virginia, with elections Every. Single. Year. This year, the stakes are […] Continue here: maxnhall.com/2025/09/23/v...