Today we celebrate Columbus Day in honor of Christopher Columbus, who sailed the ocean blue in 1492.  Some four hundred years later my grandfather crossed that same ocean, coming from a German-speaking settlement inside of Russia near the Black Sea.  As it happens, all four of my grandparents came from the same general area in Russia.  My guess is that many of our grandparents and ancestors crossed that same ocean. So thank you, dear Christopher Columbus, for leading the way.