Thanks. And good riddance.

My wife is back from Europe. She came back to a clean house, a son who weighed at least as much when she returned as when she left, and the same curmudgeonly husband she married over twenty-two years ago. The said curmudegeon had even done the laundry while she was away.

While father and son fended for themselves, the wife experienced Europe for the first time. She took many photographs and, while many of her tour companions ate, drank, or shopped, she tried to experience Europe in every way she could.

There is a lot to see and experience in Europe. I've been to England, France and Germany myself, but didn't see much of what might be on most people's 'must see' list. How does one pick from among many hundreds of historic or scenic attractions? One option is to do what my wife did: let the tour operator make the choices.

One of the places visited by my wife's tour was the Kehlsteinhaus, also known as "Hitler's Tea House" or the Eagle's Nest. It was built for Adolf Hitler by the Nazi Party and was presented to him in 1939. A photograph of the Eagle's Nest, taken by my wife, is shown at the top of this post.

It is a beautiful setting, isn't it? Out of context, were visitors to the site not to know the evil of Adolf Hitler, they might marvel at the scenery, wish they owned the property, and then go for tea. Maybe a lot of people do just that anyway. I haven't personally been there, and am not at all sure that I could visit, or even want to. Were Hitler and his minions alive today, and were volunteers sought to man firing squads expressly to ensure their immediate demise, I would be first in line. I would cheerfully put a bullet between the eyes of each one of those sorry bastards, without remorse or any second thought. And then, I would go to tea. Actually, make that coffee. I like it better.

I won't repeat the reasons here why Hitler and crew are not on my 'most admired' list. Anyone who has read my ramblings, here and elsewhere, for any length of time will already know. I will say that I do owe those miscreants one debt: a lasting and immovable disdain for government and for busybodies of any description who want to tell me how to live my life.

So, Adolf, Heinrich, Joseph, and Rudolf, thanks for helping shape my political views. And, may you all rot in hell.