The answer to this question is by car or RV.

I enjoy being behind the steering wheel as the miles disappear behind me.

First Car

My love of driving began with my first car. I wrote about using it to transit between my jobs in Skokie and Waukegan, Illinois, and home in 1965-66. It was before I joined the Navy. I didn’t count the times I left work and drove the 180 plus miles to visit my mother and siblings, staying a few hours and driving back to my apartment to get ready to go to work. I know I logged several thousand miles between June 1965 and November 1966.

My driving days went limited to a short leave period in February 1967. Though I used my mother’s car while on leave, I recorded only a couple hundred miles visiting old school chums and dating old girlfriends. Then, back to school in California absent a car.

I completed the training in California in November and received orders for more schooling in Pensacola, Florida. I took leave and enjoyed a few hundred miles behind the wheel again. Once more, a plane ride took me away.

My Second Car

Finally, in March 1968 I received my first assignment that was not a school. So I went home in transit and bought a car. It was a 1960 Chevrolet Impala. I was in Washington and needed to get to Chesapeake, Virginia. The trip was enjoyable only in the length of time behind the wheel. It was the first of five journeys between the base and home over the next twenty-two months. Each trip was almost two thousand miles round trip.

Road Warrior

Now that I was a road warrior, I took every opportunity to get behind the wheel and log hours behind the wheel. When I was stationed again in Pensacola, we would drive to Illinois to visit my family or Corpus Christi, Texas, to visit my wife’s family.
Until we lost our parents and several siblings, my wife and I made regular trips to visit family. Since, we have made several road trips to visit cousins, nephews, and nieces.

Miles on the road

I won’t argue that my wife has shared many of the hours behind the wheel while I played passenger. Between us, we put over a hundred thousand miles on each, a Volkwagen Beetle, a Ford station wagon, a 1984 Jeep Cherokee, a 1987 Jeep Cherokee, a 1970 Ford F-150, a 2013 GMC Acadia. In addition, we put over three hundred twenty thousand miles on a 1989 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Those are the vehicles my wife and I owned. Before we married, I put thousands of miles on my original Ford Fairlane and more on my Mom’s Buick while stationed in Corpus Christi. There were more on a 1970 Ford Galaxie, a 1970 Ford Torino, a 1969 Mustang, and multiple rentals for job-related travel. Not as much as a long-distance driver, but clearly over a million road miles.

The Next Million

Though I am retired and passed my seventieth birthday, I still love to spend time behind the wheel on local trips and the annual pilgrimage to Texas in our RV. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten my wife’s concurrence. Still, I hope to log another million miles before my driving days are over.

Share your preference for traveling with me using the form provided I look forward to hearing from you.

First, my wife and I are doing well, sitting out the Covid-19 in a half-opened Maryland.

Summer Time

Covid-19 has affected our usual summer. What do two senior retirees do for the summer? Other years, we would have bowled until early May in leagues. After the leagues, we would use a visit to the lanes to give a reason to leave the house. Sometimes, we would take some of our grandkids bowling on dollar day, so we could also afford to feed them . We mostly stayed home this year.

“Living” at the alleys since 1985 has gained us friends we enjoy being with away from the lanes. We would get together for dinner, sharing our lives over a delightful meal. The lockdown did more than keep us home. It enforced it with the closure of our favorite and not so favorite eateries. The upside is that we will have lots to catch up once we can dine together again.

Bowling in or after Covid-19

The lanes being closed does not disrupt our league participation, not yet. We don’t bowl summer leagues, though I practice several times a month. This year, it might not matter if fall leagues don’t restart. Currently, the base commander is allowing the lanes to open for food service but not for bowling until late August. The re-opening depends on the Covid-19 numbers then.

My fear has to do with league bowlers returning and attracting new bowlers. The men’s league, and most of the others, have a large number of seniors. My wife’s senior’s league requires bowlers to be fifty or older; most are older than sixty. How many seniors will return if the disease is still rampant?

We recruit new bowlers during the summer when they come to practice. This option is not available this summer. Will new bowlers seek a league in September, if the alley opens?

Finally, how much disruption to bowling practices will bowlers accept? Will they wear masks? Would they accept changes to regular schedules to comply with social distancing rules? E.g., bowling every other week, or split shifts? These, and other questions, worry me that my league may not start on time, or at all.

RVing or not

There are other effects of Covid-19. This week found us planning the meals and snacks for a recreational vehicle trip. Decisions based on if any grandchildren were traveling with us. But Covid-19 has disrupted our plans. We will not spend late July with relatives in Texas like we have the past three years.

Instead of making the Texas trip, we have considered a local RV excursion. I suggested taking the RV for a two day trip into western Maryland. We would enjoy some beautiful scenery and the road trip.  The RV would enable us to stay safer, eating, and sleeping in a space we control. We shall see.

Lastly, I am so disgusted with the anarchy seen daily. Laws ignored and federal, state, and local government is abetting the lawless. How, by refusing to confront the criminal segment who have co-opted lawful, peaceful protests. It needs to stop before it goes so far that average citizens feel the need to push back against the lawless themselves. Our leaders need to stop it before it goes too far.

Be safe during these trying times!

I always appreciate comments. Share your thoughts with me using the available form.

My wife, three of my grandchildren, and I visited with David while we were in southern Texas. We were there as part of our RV excursion.

I had the pleasure of spending most of one day alone with him. During our time, he told me of his time in the Air Force. The stories unfolded as he moved back and forth, all around, in his electric motorized chair. More on the chair in a moment.

He told most of the stories in broken parts. David was having trouble remembering what story he was telling. But, with prompting, he quickly returned to the subject.

David goes overseas

I learned that the military planned to send him overseas, but changed the destination several times. With one set of orders, he traveled to a base in the states where he would catch his transport. There, his orders changed, and he remained the winter stoking fires in the barracks. He told me someone had to keep the fires burning, and he was handy.

Finally, he went overseas, to England! A fortuitous occurrence for there he met his wife, Marian Freegard. They remained life mates for 66 years.

Returning to the State

A story he repeated was about his return trip to the states. He was of low rank when it came time to return from England. As such, he was not entitled to transportation for his new family, only himself. (This was common in my early days in the US Navy also.)

I got the impression that he bought airline tickets for the family, but he would travel by sea transport. Before anyone traveled, David was told to cash in the airline tickets. He and his family would travel by sea on the same ship. He told me the name of the ship, but my memory fails me.

David chuckled each time he repeated his family was on the upper deck and ate in the wardroom with the “higher ups.” He found it funny that he was allowed to spend much of each day with them, including eating with them. He has a wide grin as he said “them higher ups down below” were angry about this.

The men of higher ranks he referred to were quartered on lower decks. They were not permitted to spend the same amount of time as he was with their families on the upper decks. I was not clear if his special treatment was because he was being returned home to leave the military. Whatever the reason, this made a good story, and he worked it.

The chair

I mentioned his chair. I don’t think it ever stopped moving while I was there. He worked the controls to take him forward and back, around furniture, in and out the door, and up and down the handicap ramp. Conversation while in motion was his forte.

I enjoyed the time I spent with this octogenarian. David J. Green was a funny, spunky man who seemed to take every challenge with good grace and a smile. That was the man I spent the day visiting.

I would love hearing from you.

Objectives

This trip was the third we have taken in the thirty-two foot class C. Three of our seven grandchildren joined us on our adventure. We had several goals for this excursion.

Prime was to pay our respects at the gravesites of my wife’s parents and brother. This is something we hope to do annually on their birthdays and parent’s anniversary for as long as our health permits. That their birthdays and the anniversary are in the same week makes it possible with one trip.

Getting to the cemetary by RV meant days driving to cover sixteen hundred miles to and the same home. The television and cd player received extensive use by the passengers as my wife, and I piloted through Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisanna, and finally Texas.

Scott, LA

We stayed at the Lafayette KOA Holiday in Scott, Louisanna on the trip down. Our site was near the lake, and we were treated to a beautiful scene as the sun rose. The kids enjoyed a round of putt-putt at the eighteen hole course in a light drizzle.

After a short visit with relatives in Houston, we traveled on to Sandia. We spent nine days camped next to my wife’s cousin’s house. They once had an RV and still had a working electric hookup and dump site. Electric was critical as the air conditioning was essential when temperatures broke the one hundred degrees heat factor for six of the nine days.

At Sandia and Mathis

The grandchildren were not bored. Sunscreen became their best friend as they spent days swimming in the pool with cousins they hadn’t seen in a year. Their good times continued well into the early morning. Reports of their antics mentioned 1 am, and one occasion 2 am with popcorn or other snacks.

We spent much of the time visiting a great-uncle who lives on Corpus Christi Lake. He is 88 years old. Though in poor health, he and I spent hours talking about many things. He spent time in the Air Force, served in England where he met his wife, and of more adventures.

We were reminded that between last year’s visit and this year’s, three relatives had passed–his wife, my wife’s aunt, and her cousin.

Crossville, TN

The trip back had a stop to visit my uncle and cousin in Alba, Texas. They are in their 80’s and having medical challenges. It was a nice visit, although marred by learning that a cousin, son to my uncle, had passed in January. I left wondering if my wife’s great-uncle, my uncle, or cousin would be here to visit next time.

The route home differed from that coming down. We went from Texas to Tennessee via Arkansas. It didn’t shorten the route home but provided different scenery for much of the drive. We stopped one night at the Crossville/I-40 KOA. The campground is two-thousand feet above sea level and has many amenities. The young ones enjoyed the game room with pool and table tennis. The next morning found us relishing the outdoor temperature in the seventies. Such a change after the near one-hundreds of the past days.

Home

Welcomed home by our dogs and passing the children to their parents, my wife and I have spent the last two days recovering. Vacations can be very taxing! Yet, we look forward to another and soon.

Did you take a vacation this year? Care to share it using the comment form? Please do, I would love to hear about it.

I spent over twenty-five years in the United States Navy. It was with disgust and disappointment that I watched some women dubbed “US Women’s Soccer Team” disrespect the country’s anthem and flag. The worst image during the post-game celebration was a player intentionally dropping the flag to the ground. But it impressed me that a midfielder stepped forward to raise it from the ground and carry it away.

Then, I remember my oath and accepted their right to their opinion. I wish, though, my tax dollars had not gone to paying their travel, training, salaries, or bonuses.

I am putting this behind and will show my freedom, freedom to never watch the team play again. Unfortunately, I cannot withhold my tax dollars, else I would.

Now to happier thoughts.

I have blogged about our recreational vehicle. We intended to have a concrete pad poured beside the house when we bought it. Two years later, the RV sits on a six-inch concrete pad.

And we had the annual maintenance performed today. It stands ready for an excursion to where ever we take it.

Is there a novel?

There is a novel, and I am working it. I recently completed a rewrite run-through of all chapters looking for plot issues. I noted plot holes, and this run-through will address those and flesh out locations with detailed descriptions.

The novel is alive and growing stronger.

A moment, please.

I appreciate every one of you who take a few moments of your time to read my mutterings. I hope you will continue to visit, and when the urge occurs-leave a comment. I provide the attached form for when those urges rise.

“It’s over!” I said at the Monday Seniors League banquet. How many times have I uttered those words in May? I haven’t counted, but I am sure it has been at least fifty.

I said them to my granddaughter as we waited for my wife to call the meeting to order. We were at the prize payout for the Monday Seniors League. The league ended last week. I presume I said those words last Monday.

Today was my second such payout. The previous was last year after I retired. I joined the league to fill a team needing a bowler. The team needed another bowler when a teammate died. Since I no longer was working Mondays, I accepted and have bowled with them for one and part of another season.

Age Requirement to Join

The requirement to bowl on the Monday Seniors is the bowler, man or woman, must be fifty years old. There is no upper age limit as evidenced by several bowlers being in their eighties and one turning ninety before we start again in August. At seventy-one, I am one of the younger league members.

Aside from having my Monday mornings free, why would I be happy the season has ended. I have one related to bowling.

Rotator Cuff

I had to take a few weeks free from bowling early in the season. I had a small tear in my rotator cuff which caused severe pain. My surgeon gave me the option of surgery or trying for a natural cure.

I opted to let nature try. I didn’t compete for four weeks. The other part of the process was to come back using lightweight balls and work up to my typical fifteen-pound equipment.

Near the end of the season, I noticed discomfort and think the healing was only partial. The long break should give my shoulder adequate time to heal completely.

Summer Time

Since bowling is an indoor sport, the long break provides the opportunity to enjoy sunny days outdoors. I hope we have more than last year, but they predict rain for the next several days. (Still hoping!)

It provides time to vacation. This year as with the previous will find us RVing to Texas to visit family and friends. Leaving Maryland for even a week or two is a positive morale builder.

The summer, without bowling or soccer training, will be a time for serious time writing. I will continue editing my work-in-progress until completed, maybe this year.

Now you know some reasons I said, “It’s over!”

I would like to hear if you have ever felt the exhilaration that caused you to voice the phrase. Comment form for your use provided.

We are in the last hours of Christmas Day. A week from today we will start a new year, 2019. How quickly the year has passed.

In January, I retired for the second time. The first time was from the United States Navy. The second was from contractor service to a military program. I spent twenty-five years with each. It was a bitter-sweet time, but I haven’t regretted the decision one time.

My wife and I spent Easter with family in Ohio. This was a branch of my wife’s family tree we had recently discovered. The visit was a great time, and many memories created.

I suffered a tear in my left knee’s meniscus chasing a soccer ball at the girl’s team training. In June, I had it repaired, and now the only pain is because of arthritis. (Sucks getting old.)

We spent almost three weeks with my wife’s cousins in Texas. We took our RV and two grandkids on the trip. While there, we visited the gravesites of my wife’s parents and brother. A great time with some sad moments.

I spent another week on a whirlwind trip to visit my cousin in Illinois. We overnighted in Ohio where we spent time with my wife’s cousin, Jennifer. It was a great time with Crystal’s family.

The fall soccer season started in August with training and tournaments taking evenings and weekends. The winter season is underway, and the team trains two nights a week outdoors. We are on break Christmas week.

Bowling leagues started in August also. I made it five sessions before suffering a minor tear in my bowling shoulder. Four weeks rest was the recommendation. I returned to competition using a lighter bowling ball and finally getting back to form. We are on Christmas break this week also.

In my spare time, usually late in the evening, I am writing a novel. I have completed the third revision. It has a long ways to go, but I have time–after all I am retired

So, here we are nearing bedtime on my first Christmas Day after retiring. They asked me at my retirement party how I would spend my time retired. “I’ll find something to keep me busy,” I said. 

Looking back on the year, I succeeded.

How was your year? Tell me something interesting using the comment form.

Missing you

What does ‘missing you’ mean? My wife would say it means not being able to make the call to her Mother when she has a concern. Or when she wants to brag on one of her seven grandchildren. Or being able to take a vacation and sit together talking about the cares and joys of life.  They talked almost daily for the last 30 years. Daily life will never be the same for her since her mother passed Feb 2016.

My wife would say it is not being able to go fishing with her brother. Or sit with him talking cars, guns, grandchildren, work, people they knew or hundreds of shared experiences growing up. He passed April 2016, about 10 weeks after her mother.

At the cemetery

I sat with her today at the cemetery. We sat on a bench monument at the head of her brother’s grave. We overlooked her mother’s grave to the headstone for her parent’s. We shared stories, but mostly I listened. When she cried, I tried to comfort her. I found myself tearing up.

The time came to leave. We stood, said goodbye to her brother and approached the parent’s headstone. My wife leaned over and rubbed the picture of her mother engraved there. “Happy birthday, Mom.”

It is cliché to say “They will never be gone as long as we hold them in our hearts.” The cliché is supposed to make us feel better. But it is a poor replacement for seeing the smile, hearing the laugh, or holding the loved one. It can only soothe the hurt in ‘missing you.”

Me, it has been twenty years since my mother passed. I lost two brothers and my father between October 2002 and October 2003. My sister passed in 2011. Some days, when I am experiencing a success, I find myself reaching for the phone to share it with my mother. To this day, ‘missing you’ touches me.

May they all rest in peace knowing we are “missing you.”

Are you missing someone? Use the comment form to tell me about them.

Vacation to high temperatures

Who takes a vacation to South Texas in July? We hesitate to say it is my wife and I. And we brought two grandchildren with us.

It was in the high 80’s when we left Maryland in our RV. We saw the temperature gradually rise as we drove south. The first night we stayed outside of Knoxville. The air conditioner ran until sleep time. Even with it off, everyone slept well.

The second night found us in Lafayette, LA. We spent the night there. The temperature wasn’t bad, but it was very humid. Sleeping without air conditioning meant wallowing in sweat. Air conditioning became the norm after this stop.

This is SUMMER!!

We spent the third day and night with relatives living outside Houston, Texas. The temperature stayed in the high 90’s the entire visit. A trip to the pool did not cool anyone off, the water was too warm. Grandchildren and cousins were the ones asking to leave, the adults were glad to leave than swelter in the shade.

We reached our destination on the fourth day. It was 105 the day we arrived and passed 100 degrees each day since. Heat indices reached 109 degrees.

“Who takes a vacation to South Texas in July?”

We do it to commemorate the birthdays of my wife’s mother, father, and brother. We will celebrate these and her parent’s anniversary—all between 23 and 31 July.

That we can ignore the discomfort caused by the weather, and enjoy the time with cousins, nephews, and nieces is an added benefit. Catching up with happenings of the last year adds value to the trip.

“Who takes a vacation to South Texas in July?” We do.

Thanks for reading and I hope you will use the comment form to let me know you visited.

Standing in front of the Military Induction Center in Chicago, Illinois at 6:30 am, I had no thought I would retire on 26 January 2018 after 51 years, one month and 28 days. The years either in the US Navy or contracting to Navy affiliated organizations. So ends a phase of my life and the start to another.

I retired all of two days ago, yet I received questions for a week about my plans and feelings about retiring. “Will I miss working?” “How will you keep busy?” “What are your plans for retirement?” “What does your wife think of you retiring?”

Will I miss working? No, I will miss the people but not the stress of the office. The task I was fulfilling has moved from the design, through the development, and into final implementation. I am happy to leave the fine-tuning and adding new capabilities to the incoming staff.

My plans center on family and enjoying life. My two children and seven grandchildren live next door or within a short distance. Other family, my wife’s, and mine are within a few days RV travel. Funds permitting, we will see them. Besides travel, there is a myriad of honey-dos to keep me busy for some time. Oh, almost forgot my woodworking tools are feeling lonely and would appreciate the attention. There is plenty to keep me busy.

Two days into retirement and I haven’t tired of it yet. I suspect I never will. Are you retired? Are you glad? If not retired, are you looking forward to it or dreading the day when you do? Tell me in comments.