Day 23 – Virginia Beach, Virginia

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

It was a brutal two-hour drive from Fort Lee to Virginia Beach on freeways and roads with very light traffic. Most of the freeways on this side of the country appear to be carved our of forests so there’s not a lot to see – just stands of trees on either side of you. And the trees are really, really tall. Guess I should have taken a picture, huh? But, here we are in beautiful, sunny, warm, Virginia Beach.

We’re staying at the Four Points by Sheraton because this is where the reunion is being held. This one is better, however, because we’re not far from Naval Air Station Oceana where fighter jets are flying, making lots of noise during the day. Diane loves it, and I don’t mind at all. We feel protected.

As I was checking in our friends Jack and Nancy, from San Antonio, TX, were just on their way out to eat lunch so they waited for us to get parked so we could join them. We took a slow walk up the street to a Mexican restaurant were I ate my usual Camerones ala Diabla and let me tell you, they were over the top diablo. Very hot. Made my eyeballs sweat.

This is Nancy and Diane. Didn’t get a picture of Jack because he walks too slow.

Lunch was very good. When done, we walked slowly back to the hotel, visiting as we went. Jack had quadruple bypass surgery 10 months ago and isn’t in a mood to push things too hard which is fine with me. Slow is perfectly OK.

The temperature here, at 4:21 pm, is 71 and there are people walking the boardwalk along the beach in shorts and flip flops. There are some surfers frolicking in the waves, too. So, we have entertainment without going anywhere. We’re watching them from the 5th floor of the hotel where the temp is probably 65.

Diane enjoying the salt air and wave noise. this was good until someone, I’m not saying it was guy, lit a cigar up wind (north) from us. Ruined her zen moment.

The view straight out from our porch.

View looking south from the porch.

View looking north from the porch.

This is a 9-story facility but the top 4 floors were damaged by hurricane Matthew so we’re technically on the top floor. Our room is very small but comfy, nothing like we had at Fort Lee. That was exceptional.

While sitting on the porch, minding our own business, this ferry showed up just outside the surf line. When he first showed up he was riding very low in the water, almost to the top of the freeboard along the sides. When he let he was riding about 4-5 feet higher in the water.

It only stayed out there for about 10 minutes, then left. We thought it might be some sort of dredge, moving sand from a nearby harbor and dumping it just off the beach. The more I thought about it, however, the more convinced I blame that it’s not a dredge, but a Honduran ferry transporting visitors to the Virginia coast. I can’t confirm this, however, because we never say anyone jump over the side. But, the boat obviously got lighter, so the passengers must have exited undetected somehow and worked their way in amongst the 20-30 people walking on the boardwalk. They’re very tricky, I’m told, and after having not seen it with my own eyes, I believe it. They just sneak right in, unseen. I don’t think they even wet. It’s amazing.

Now I must reminisce a bit, all the way back to yesterday when we visit Cedric for the last time on this trip. We got him a chicken teriyaki Subway sandwich and a Mr. Pibbs for his supper. He was a little sad to see us go, and we were a little sad to be going, but it was time.

As we drove up to the barracks, which really are barracks at all, but small 2-man condos, we were presented with this interesting sight in the sky. It was very brilliant from, I think, the setting sun shining on the clouds in just the perfect way.

We joked, smiled, and laughed. It was a very good parting visit. Cedric is going to do just fine during his Navy career, no matter how long or short it may be.

When we walked away, back to the car, this sunset greeted us. It was like an omen – Red sun at night, Sailor’s delight. Heard that one?

Tomorrow the reunion starts and runs through the weekend. We’ll be here until Tuesday morning. On that day we must get up about 3 am so we can get the car returned to the airport in time to catch a 7-something flight home.

That’s going to be fun.

Day 20 – Part 1 – Sunny Days Are Here Again!

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

It’s early. We don’t know what the day will bring, but the sun is shining so it can’t be bad. We had a good soaking of rain from the extreme fringe of hurricane Matthew but nothing beyond the capabilities of professional Oregonians to handle. Just a little rain. I say that not meaning to minimize the impact Matthew has had on its journey up the coast of Florida. That was pretty devastating for thousands of folks. Those where we are were fortunate. It could have been far worse.

This is the view from our window, looking almost due south. There’s a bit of a breeze but no rain in the foreseeable future. That means things are looking up for a nice few days in Virginia Beach later this week.

Our friend Nancy, in Georgia, whom I’ve never talked about, had to evacuate her house because it was in the path of Matthew. I don’t know how far she had to go to reach safety, but she is safe. Yesterday she returned home to find that it was OK. Lots of trees down in her area but none hit her house. Just wind-blown tree debris all over the place. We’re happy for that.

Also, cousin Karen from Clyo, GA had to pack up, too. She went to Atlanta but don’t have any updates yet.

The really sad news from yesterday, from a sports perspective, is that the Oregon Ducks were thoroughly dominated by the Washington Huskies 70-21. It was bound to happen eventually. Now I’ll have to shift my fickle allegiance to the winner and root for Washington to make it to the championship game. That will maintain my PAC-12 affiliation but sever my mental ties to the home state team. Second on my list is the Oregon Beavers who won yesterday against California.

Enough about college sports. Lets move on to the NFL. Cam is out with a concussion for tomorrow nights game which means our very own Derek Anderson, who is from Scappoose, will be the QB. We look forward to watching him play. His grandpa lives just around the corner from Diane’s Mom, Jean, in St. Helens. I actually had lunch with him at the St. Helens Senior Center a few weeks ago. Nice guy.

On the high school football scene, St. Helens High beat Parkrose 42-0 at the St. Helens home-coming game on Friday. The boys in appear to have a handle on how the game is played. We go to all the games when we’re home. Same with soccer, as you may have noticed from previous posts.

Everyone who cares will be happy to know that I’ve decided to quit adding sugar and cream to my coffee because my BS levels have been bouncing around a little. Not terribly high, but higher than normal. So, I’m just going cold turkey, back to the way I drank my coffee during my Navy days – black and bitter. Doing this will also lower my caffeine intake because I’ll only drink 2 cups instead of 7.

We haven’t heard from Cedric yet about how his day will go, or if I’ll be allowed to sign him out again. So, we decided that if nothing is heard by noon we’ll head off base to see what’s out there. The sun is shining bright and almost all the clouds have dissipated so exploring should be fun. If we get Cedric, we may be able to take him with us. That remains to be seen. He has duty tomorrow so that will be a free day to explore for us, too.

I’ll end this segment now since I’m not really sharing anything of significance and leave you breathless, waiting for Part 2 this evening.

Stay safe.

Day 16 – Fort Lee, Virginia

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

OK, folks. It really happened. We bailed out of Washington, D.C. and headed south to Richmond even though predictions for hurricane Matthew were not in our favor because it was heading north to meet us.

If you’ve been following this you will already know that our visit to Fort Lee was scheduled to be for one night only so we could visit Cedric. Well, bad weather in the Caribbean required us to cancel our intended visit to Myrtle Beach, SC, and interesting liberty rules on Fort Lee, for brand new military men conspired against us for a quick visit with Cedric.

First, the weather.

If you’ve been watching the news you’ll know that Hurricane Matthew is scheduled to crash right in to Myrtle Beach on Friday and create havoc in that area through the weekend. Because of that, all the lanes on all the freeways on the East Coast from Myrtle Beach south are only going west. All lanes. Because of that we would have found it difficult to buck all that traffic. So, Diane called Hilton and cancelled our visit and was able to wipe the slate clean even though cancellations less than a week before scheduled occupancy result in loss of all money paid, or all points used. The lady Diane spoke with ignored that rule and credited our account for everything we used to secure a spot in the Anderson Ocean Club for the coming week because we weren’t at fault.

Got that?

That was bad news, you’d think, because we only booked one night at Fort Lee and had to cancel our accommodations that would keep us indoors until we head for Virginia Beach on the 12th. After last night we were technically homeless. Where in the heck were we going to stay until the 12th?

We got to the Fort Lee Lodge early, around 2 pm, because it’s really not very far from Washington D.C. We were a bit stunned when we saw the place because it’s quite intimidating due to its enormous size. It so enormous that I could only capture bout 1/4 of it in this photo.

The young lady who greeted me at the reception desk was all bright and cheerful and said our room wouldn’t be ready until 4 pm after checking our name to confirm that we actually belonged there. While I had her attention I asked what the possibility would be for us to extend our stay through the weekend because we’d just been kicked out of Myrtle Beach since the hurricane was going to get real busy there in the next few days. Then I played the “homeless” card.

She looked at her computer, conferred with a co-worker and they shared some conspirational activities, pointing at the screen, nodding, and said they could do that. “When to you want to check out?” she asked.

“Ah, Monday?” I offered, not wanting to push my luck, then pushed it anyway by changing it to, “Tuesday?”

When she kept looking at me, as if waiting for something more in the form of a definitive statement, I became concerned that I’d exceeded the limits of her good will. “Sure,” she said. “We are OK until the 24th when we’ll be fully booked.”

When she said the 24th, I got all giddy and immediately said, “Wednesday! I want to check out Wednesday.” There. A definitive statement.

She still sent me away asking that we return at 4 to check in, so I left. I was happy, smiling, and was excited to share this news with Diane who stayed in the vehicle. She always stays in the vehicle when we check in to a hotel.

During our absence from The Lodge we found the BX, the Commissary, and the Gas Station. Those are places to be familiar with when visiting any military base.

At the BX we discovered the same Philly Cheesesteak sandwich joint we liked on JBAB and decided to give it another try. It was even better. Things were looking brighter all the time.

After eating our sandwiches we drove back to the hotel and parked in the lot where we sat and waited for the clock to slowly tick around toward 4 pm. Finally, at 3:58 we cautiously re-entered the hotel to get the key to our room so we could unload the car.

We made it to the front of the line and a young lady finished with her customer and beckoned me to her station. As I headed toward her the young lady who had helped me two hours earlier said, “No! I’ve got this one!” which kinda surprised me. So, I moved to the left, out of the way, so the Army Captain behind me could move on to the lady who have waved me over.

At the counter, the young lady, whose name I shamefully forgot to get, asked for my Military ID and a credit card. Anticipating this, I had them both in my hand and presented them to her. She got us logged in then stood there looking at her display while conferring with another co-worker who nodded when she referred to something on her screen. The nod was apparently approval for her unspoken query because she hit a key on her keyboard, turned to me and said, “There. I have a room for you on the 7th floor and I upgraded your room. For no charge.” That surprised me because it’s an Army hotel so why would there be upgrades available?

Not having anything clever to say, because I was totally not expecting this, I said, “works for me.”

She smiled and gave me all the stuff people at reservations desks have you sign. I did so, then she handed me the keys for room 7105. It’s a 7 story building so we were on the top floor. Diane’s favorite place to be. No one could dance on our ceilings during the night!

We took the keys and headed for the elevators. They have four of them just off the lobby. We had to dance around some young fellows who were scrubbing the marble floor in the short hall to the elevators. There were six of them. One on a scrubbing buffer, one with a mop, one with a mop bucket, one with a little grout scrubber, and two on either end working folks who were there, I think, to keep any of them from leaving. Kidding, of course. They were all working and very friendly and moved things so we could get to one of the elevator doors without stepping in puddles of soapy water.

An elevator. What a treat. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised because this hotel has 1,138 rooms. That’s true. I asked. I said the place is enormous already but it bears repeating. Just look up 2301 Mahone Ave, Fort Lee, VA on Google Maps then switch it to the satellite view. You’ll see for yourself.

While on the way up in the elevator both of us were wondering just what kind of upgrade we had received, and what kind of room we would have received had we not received the upgrade. It was with bated breath that Diane put her key in the little lock, watched it turn green, looked at me, then cautiously opened the door.

When the door finally opened all the way we were absolutely amazed to discover that our complimentary upgrade was from a regular room, with which we would have been totally happy, to a suite with an actual bedroom and a kitchen area with a large refrigerator, a dishwasher, and an actual garbage disposal in the sink that works. And, it’s got a Keurig coffee maker sitting right there on the counter with a lot of little Keurig cups in a nifty sliding drawer beneath it. How cool is that? It’s just beautiful. We want to live here now, but I don’t think they will let us. I haven’t asked yet.

Anyway, we’re gonna live in style until next Wednesday. Then we have to discover if Virginia Beach is accessible so we can take up residence in an undoubtedly inferior room at some ocean side resort. Whether or not it’s still there after Matthew does it’s work is still up in the air because no one really knows which direction he will turn once he churns up the coast and out to sea when it hits the Carolinas.

OK. That’s it for the room. Now let’s talk about Cedric, the reason we’re here. I texted him, and his Mom, when we saw the sign for Fort Lee.

Then again when we hit the gate.

He finally responded about 5 to say he wouldn’t be able to go on liberty to see us this evening because his Battle Buddy bailed on him. Battle Buddy is an “Army Thing” Cedric said which means no one goes on liberty alone. He was really bummed but got over it when he learned that we were going to be here through the weekend. He can’t see us tomorrow, either, because he has duty. So, we has Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to catch up. It’s going to be OK.

Now it’s time for bed. Diane said.

Day 13 – Part 2 – Arlington & The National Cathedral

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

Although it wasn’t planned, today was very humbling. We should have known that would happen because we’ve been to Arlington Cemetery before. Our primary reason for going this time was to watch the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. If you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing it, you should make a point of doing it at least once in your life.

The best way to get there from the cemetery entrance is to get a ticket for the tram. That way you can tour the entire cemetery and an in-depth narrative about the cemetery history, and where lots of famous people are buried. It’s very interesting.

The tram also stops at The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. It’s on the back side of the amphitheater. There are signs pointing the way. You can’t miss it. Now, look at the below photo and the location I was at when I took it. direction to my left is the path used by the relieving guard and their superior who conducts the ceremony for changing the guard. It’s very precise and very interesting to watch. I took a movie from this location, but can’t make it work on this blog. Apparently I’m not allowed to do that so you’ll either have to go there or check it out on-line by watching it on-line. The link is attached above.

From Arlington Diane wanted to go visit the Washington National Cathedral. We arrived about 3:30 pm to a fairly empty cathedral and we could hear a choir singing. We went to the front so we could hear them better and sat to listen. The music was beautiful. Turns out they were practicing for the 4:00 pm Choral Evensong.

When they stopped practicing the entire choir departed to the back of the area behind the wooden barrier and folks in the audience began walking behind the barrier. Not know any better, we followed along, learning that everyone was welcome. We sat next to the choir seats and followed the program that was given to us upon entering. Soon, the choir processed back into the cathedral from the back and resumed their seats near us and other observers. We were almost part of the service as we had a front row seat.

Near the end of the program the Homily was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Rosemarie Logan Duncan. She delivered a very powerful message about faith. At the end, it was evident that we had been treated to a very special church service. It was unexpected and therefore more special.

The above photo of the stained glass windows are an example of the dozens of similar windows that adorn the cathedral. They are magnificent.

Our GPS system failed us on the return trip and we found ourselves on the way to Baltimore before getting back on track. Consequently, a trip that should have taken less that 20 minutes took more like an hour. What fun. Once back in our room, we ate the rest of the tuna salad I made yesterday and had a bowl of soup with it.

It was a good day. A very good day.

Day 13 – Part 1 – Hurricane Matthew

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

Diane was just watching the news and learned that Hurricane Matthew is going to be one of the most powerful storms in quite a few years and potentially poses a serious problem for the East Coast.

Considering our plans to head south to Myrtle Beach, SC later this week, I’m thinking we should call ahead on Wednesday and see if anyone answers. If not, we’ll find another place to stay. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to drive into a storm like that, but since Diane is driving I’m pretty sure we won’t.

Day 12 – The White House & the Holocaust Museum

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

Although we only visited two places today, it took a lot of time. We we’re on our feet far longer than they wanted us to be on them. Same for knees and hips.

We left our room around 8:30 am and drove directly to the Anacostia METRO station. It really is only 10 minutes away. The parking facility is enormous. So enormous, as a matter of fact, that we had to park twice. Diane parked the first time and I parked the second time. The second parking was to take advantage of the handicap parking spots that are free if you have the handy-dandy card to display. Diane brought hers, so we had it. Using it also got us much closer to the METRO entrance.

Down we went, into the deep dark tunnel …

… where we sought a seat in the crowded waiting area …

… until, finally, one of those 600 foot trains zoomed in for a landing. They come in so fast you wonder how they can possibly stop before reaching the end of the platform. But, they always do.

We boarded and set McPherson Square as our final stop. This required us to switch from the Green line to either the Blue, Orange, or Silver line. It wasn’t actually very difficult but we made it so. Turns out it’s really good to know which side of the track to wait on for the car you want. Thankfully, there are lots of folks around who can answer those questions. Everyone was very kind. It pays to have gray hair.

I was surprised to discover that the McPherson Square station disgorged passengers from beneath this well known facility.

Since we were early for our assigned tour time, we chose to find a likely place to get a bite to eat. Not knowing anything about the area I approached a heavily armed Secret Service agent standing guard by a door into the US Treasury Department and asked if he knew where my friend Jim O’Neal eats when he’s in DC. He said “Absolutely,” and pointed across the street at The Old Ebbitt Grill.

Here he is again, in case you missed him the first time.

We made our way across the street without mishap and joined the throngs of people attempting to gain entry. Surprisingly, since there were only the two of us, we were promptly seated and served. Diane suggest that we share a frittata and move along on down the road. It was a good choice. It was absolutely the best frittata I’ve ever had. It was also the only frittata I’ve ever had and it was delicious. I’m going to buy whatever kind of pan they used to make so I can do it at home. For some odd reason, I failed to take a photo of the food. I always take photos of the food. Except this time. Just trust me, it was really, really good. I’m sure Jim would agree.

From The Ebbitt we hoofed our way down to the spot where vetted tourist are allowed to enter the White House. Turns out there are hundreds of folks who get approved to visit the White House every day and they keep the Secret Service agents busy checking IDs against their lists.

That was the first check. There were two more before we were allowed into the White House area, then there we were.

This was Diane’s favorite. Mine, too, I must admit. It is most definitely a Green room unlike the Blue room …

… that is most definitely not Blue. But, it has a pretty light fixture.

The Red room was a close 2nd to the Green room.

The dining room. Nice table, but I think the room would better represent America if none of the chairs matched, don’t you?

The guys with guns wouldn’t let me go up those stairs.

Then, all the sudden, we were back out side in the misty, humid air.

As we departed down the driveway I spied this Secret Service agent conferring with another one. Having a bad ass like this on my side gives me goose bumps. He’s the only agent I saw that was dressed totally in black. All the others had white shirts under their vests. I figure this gentleman must be one of the stealth versions.

After walking a fair distance away from the White House, we chose to sit for a few minutes to admire the view. It’s really a nice one from this perspective. Then there comes the moment when you must look down, like all old people do, to make sure of your footing, that you don’t step in a hole, or a wobbly brick, and encounter this …

People are basically pigs, I believe. It’s beyond most of them to spend just a little bit of time to police the areas they inhabit, cleaning up the mess they made. We found this especially true when standing in the long line, waiting to gain entrance. I have to add, however, that we didn’t see very many garbage receptacles around town. But, that doesn’t excuse people from not caring enough to find one.

We’d heard on the news that there was a rat problem in the city and leaders were working on a solution to control them. Looks like something controlled this little guy. Had Diane not warned me, I’d have stepped right smack on him. It appears as though he’s been posed equidistant between the two grey bricks. This photo was taken as we stepped into Lafayette Park and both of us found it very interesting that no one found a need to pick remove it.

Perhaps one of these little guys is a serial rat killer

After conferring for a bit, limping on our tired old legs, and sore hips and knees, we decided to go visit the Holocaust Museum. This was one of the incredible views we encountered on the way.

If you haven’t visited the Holocaust Museum, you should. Especially those who are convinced that it never happened. It’s a very sad tribute to some very brave people who were victimized by a delusional world leader. Diane cried during most of our trip through the displays, and movies, but is glad she endured. There were many displays she couldn’t bring herself to view so we passed those by. It’s very graphic throughout and I didn’t take any photos of the displays. It just didn’t strike me as the right thing to do. I didn’t however, take some photos of the serene chapel at the end where people could reflect on what they’d seen in a very calm atmosphere. It was a good ending to a very sad story.

The sign on the wall outside the museum was a good reminder for those who entered.

When we finally rejoined the world it was late. We’d spent almost 3 hours in the museum. Thankfully, there were padded benches throughout where we could sit and rest a bit while trying to comprehend the atrocities that were on display all around us.

We decided to call it a day and head back to JBAB and our room. On the way we stopped at the base commissary so I could get an onion and another case of water. Water because we’d run out, an onion so I could make some proper tuna salad for our evening sandwich supper

By 8:30 pm we were both nodding off so doused the lights and called it a day. A good day. Tomorrow we’re just going to drive around looking at “stuff” and not use the METRO. Arlington Cemetery is high on the list.

Day 8 – Round About Beach Haven, NJ

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

It’s 10:00 am and we’re doing something different today. We chose to skip the trip to Atlantic City in favor of sticking around closer to our room in case we have a nap attack. The big motivator for me was when the bus driver said the reason the trip was so cheap ($10 per person) is that participants are required to stay at least 6 hours in Atlantic City. As the driver, he’s also the enforcer. I guess the reason for that is because someone did some complex calculations that revealed old folks are likely to part with their money if they stayed in the vicinity of casinos for a certain amount of time. Since neither of us gamble, that left the casino buffets which is pretty much the same as tossing money out the window because they promote a reason to eat far more than normal, and eat stuff you’d never try when sober. Even though we paid $20 for the trip, blowing it off is way cheaper than going on the trip. So, we stayed and the bus left.

This is Tom, our driver.

This is George, Ken’s left-hand man for all work done to organize this reunion. They both put in a lot of work to make it happen.

Our home until Thursday.

This is Ken’s car, the one he drove all the way from Ohio. I think the 808 on the side is there all the time, not just when we have reunions. The 808 is significant, of course, because that’s the hull number of the good ship Buckley. The fact that the car is gray is significant for the same reason. I think he special ordered it from Toyota in Haze Gray.

This is the parking lot for the Engleside Inn. It’s crushed oyster shells, I think. If were on the other ocean, that’s what it would be but I don’t know if they allow oysters to grow in the Atlantic.

I’m sitting on our little deck watching the waves roll in, listening to the soothing roar they make when they curl over and foam up. It’s peaceful. A couple of hundred feet off shore I can see the dorsal fins of the porpoises breaking the surface of the water as many dozens of them make their way south along the shore.

I had to stop and think for a minute there, a rarity if you ask Diane, because I’m used to having left being south and right being north when looking directly at the sea. That’s on the Pacific side. But, here we are on the Atlantic.

A big difference between the two coasts that we’ve noted from previous visits, is that Atlantic beaches tend to drop off into the water at a pretty steep angle compared to the gentle slope of Pacific beaches. On the Pacific side it’s not uncommon for us to walk for hundreds of feet before there’s danger of getting our feet wet, but on the Atlantic side when you get to the sand, and were to fall down, you’d be in the water before you quite rolling. That’s almost true.

For some reason there are many residents with dogs staying at the hotel with us. I’m not sure if there’s convention going on or if that’s just what folks do over here. One lady just walked her dog up a path to the beach that has a really nice pole fence defining the walkway and her dog, something I’ve never seen before, stopped and peed on every other post. Both directions.

After we decided navigating stairs from the third floor (no elevator) wouldn’t be all that difficult, we donned our shoes, Diane got the car keys, and we headed for the stairs. Oh, in addition to the shoes, we put on good outside clothes, too. It was the right thing to do. Then we just drove the length of New Jersey’s Long Beach Island. The road, Long Beach Blvd, is 35 miles long and drove the length. Since the summer season is over most of the folks are gone. We were told the year round residency of the island is about 40K but it swells a couple of K during the summer months. The room we’re in lists its maximum rate at $599.99 which is ludicrous and nowhere near what we paid. Vacations in New Jersey are serious business.

Here’re some photos we took during our tour.

The Who Hoo place caught our attention because it’s one of Jennifer’s favorite things to say when something pleases her. We didn’t eat there. Just stopped to take the photo.

Most of the homes on the south end of the island, where we are in Beach Haven, are huge very elegant, and appear to be built for multiple families. Also, they all look new with no signs of aging or degradation. Pretty amazing. We came across some very pretty beach rentals that are apparently part of a club. These are the only ones we found that appeared to be made from cookie cutter plans. The other homes all appear to be custom units with nothing in common except for their huge size and multiple garages.

We stopped for lunch at Kubel’s Too, an iconic restaurant located in Brighton Beach which is just a little north of Beach Haven on the island. We both had fish and chips and believe it was about the best we’ve ever had. The coleslaw was the best, too. A very satisfying lunch.

After all that food we felt the need to take a nap but as we drove the short distance back to our room we kinda rejuvenated and decided to spend some time sitting on a handy bench near the beach. Although it was overcast, it was pretty comfortable sitting there for a long time. Then it started to get chilly, driving us indoors. The following photos depict our view from left to right.

Apparently this is the end of Amber Street.

As you can see, if you’re from the West Coast, the beaches over here a little different both in color and in texture.

Tomorrow is our last day here and it’s been fun. Short but fun seeing all these old guys we’ve come to know over the years. We only see them every two years, but they have become fast friends.

Now, Dancing With The Stars is on so I must quit.

Good wishes to you all.

Day 4 – New York City

Posted on September 24, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

Today was very special because we (Diane, me, and Ruth) rode a train from New Haven, CT all the way to Grand Central Station in New York City. The purpose was to visit the 911 Memorial in Manhattan. To make it more special, Ruth came with us because she’s never seen it in person, either. And, because she came with us, we had a scape goat in case we got totally lost because she lives on this side of the world and we’re just visiting. But, we didn’t get lost.

The first left started at 0740 when we bundled into our rental car and drove to New Haven so we could catch the Metro North line.

Going from Windsor Locks is possible but that would require a trip on Amtrak which is vasty more expensive. It’s like $66 for 3 round trip tickets on Metro North vs. $300 for Amtrak. No contest, really. The drive to New Haven took about an hour then we walked for about 20 minutes to the train station, got our tickets, grabbed our seats, and stayed in them for the next two hours. It was a nice ride and we met some nice folks, James & Millette, who were on their way to The City to celebrate their 27th anniversary. As we talked we learned more about each other and they learned that we were on our way visit the 911 Memorial. Turns out they’ve never visited it, either. For good reason. James works for the city of Darien, CT in public works. On 9/11 he was on an Amtrak with his 3-year-old son traveling to North Carolina to visit his parents. When the 1st tower was hit his train stopped in the middle of the bridge to Manhattan prior moving on to Penn Station. He was provided an unobstructed view of the towers when they collapsed and was stunned the same as every one else that day. He described how scary it was to not be able to contact his wife to let her know he and their son were OK, and that it was 8 hours before he was able to reach a pay phone and call her office. Because of that trial neither of them have found the courage to make a visit down town Manhattan and end their trip to The City in East Harlem. We felt that we had bonded with these folks and gained some good friends during that short ride. Sadly, I did not get a photo of them, but I have these:

When we got to Grand Central, Ruth led us to one of the exits then began walking along 42nd Street. Just before we got to 5th Avenue hunger pangs attacked us causing us to seek someplace different for lunch. We looked around and immediately spied some Golden Arches which seem to be everywhere. Like Starbucks. But, fast food isn’t what we wanted. Ruth spoke to a street person for suggestions about good places to eat and was directed to a place called HTH which happened to be right next to The Arches.

So, off we went.

Inside HTH we were greeted by some very friendly folks who advised us to look around before making a choice. Actually, they didn’t suggest that. We just did it. They didn’t care. The front counter was the source of some incredible looking sandwiches, pre-made and ordered, and the back area was a walk-around counter containing yakisoba, fried rice, shrimp wrapped in bacon, coconut shrimp, lots of other meat choices (but I only focus on shrimp), broccoli chicken, and many other things. Just take what you want then get it weighed at the cash register and pay $8.95 a pound. Sounds expensive but Diane and I ate hearty for less than $20 and I had milk! It was all very good and we highly recommend HTH. I tried to find a web site for them but can’t. We were told it’s a new venue. Awesome!

Once we were all fed and watered, we ventured out, once again, into the New York heat (pushing 90) thinking we’d walk to Ground Zero. But, according to our handy-dandy GPS systems on our phones we learned it was 3.5 miles away. Didn’t look that far on the map, but blocks in NYC are longer than even Las Vegas. So, we began the arduous process of flagging down a taxi so we could experience that aspect of the city. I did it once before, when I as 16, but I can’t remember back that far any longer. So, I needed a refresh.

We flagged and flagged and flagged but the drivers weren’t interested. Then a guy in a Lincoln town car pulled over and offered us a ride. One of those guys who cruise around looking for tourists so they can over charge them. He remained true to that belief by stating a trip to Ground Zero would cost us $45. I scoffed and he asked what I’d be willing to pay him. I said $10. He scoffed back, pulled over to the curb and popped the locks to let us out which I took to mean it wasn’t a valid offer.

Finally, a taxi pulled over to let someone out and Ruth inquired, politely, if he could possible consider allowing us to insert ourselves into the back of his bright yellow Prius for a ride to the memorial. He nodded yes so we got in. It was cozy with me in the middle, and away we went.

The driver, sensing that we were new to The City tested us by heading for the FDR which is on the East Side of Manhattan. We knew, however, that our destination was on the West Side. I called him on his choice so he changed his mind and decided to punish us by driving down every street in NYC where construction seems to be a never-ending evolution. Construction, vehicles triple parked, people walking all over the streets … it was pretty amazing. The result, of course, was that the meter clicked merrily away while we spent a great deal of time just sitting, waiting through each traffic light 2-3 times. That 3.5 mile trip took about an hour and cost $20.80. That $45 offer in a comfortable vehicle began to look pretty good. But, we made it.

The first thing we saw was the new $4 Billion, 350,00 square foot Oculus Shopping Mall. I know those numbers are true because I had to do a web search to find out what the heck it was called. There were no signs – just doors to get in.

Behind me, in the second photo, is the largest Apple Store I’ve ever seen. I suspect I should have taken a picture of it. It’s absolutely ginormous.

We wandered through this incredible structure and were kind of oblivious to our surrounding with the exception of being on constant alert for directions to the nearest restroom. Being old, that’s always our first priority after a long ride, find a toilet. You will be happy to learn that the Oculus has very nice toilets that flush and everything.

The views outside the Oculus are stunning. Words aren’t enough so I’ll just do this:

The memorial pools are located just outside the Oculus and are easy to find. Just follow the crowds, then look for a place where everyone is just kinda standing still. Quite impressive, and far more impressive in person. A very solemn place.

We visited both pools the left Diane in the shade as Ruth and I went on a quest to find a map so we could discover a cheaper way back to Grand Central, like the subway.

Turns out that nowhere in the vast array of information available at Ground Zero is there information about public transportation. So, I asked a couple of NYPD Officers who happened to be handy. They were very helpful, directing us through a maze of construction scaffolding to the nearest subway station. I must make a note here that we all had smart phones on which we could have easily found directions had all three of them not been stone cold dead. We started out the day with them all charged up but taking photos and running Google Maps, we just flittered all that energy away. I actually had a little power remaining, like 7%, but I wanted to keep it in reserve for possible Kodak moments on our return trip. It was distressing, to say the least. I hate being powerless.

This is Ruth pointing out the seat she was going to grab when the subway doors opened up. I believe, however, that no one got off the #4 Train which required us all to stand for the beginning of the trip. I had to stand the entire way, but it was OK. I didn’t fall down. I had an opportunity to get a seat at one stop because I was standing right by one that was vacated. I young man standing in front of it made a move for it, then looked up and offered it to me. I gave it to Diane. Chivalry is not dead in NYC. I was pleased and let him know how grateful I was.

We made it back to Grand Central with no problems or wrong turns and made it to Track 17 about 3 minutes before our train pulled out. It was pretty amazing because getting to METRO North from the #4 Train isn’t a leisurely hike.

We found three seats together and plopped ourselves down, and prepared for takeoff. I opened a souvenir magazine of the 911 Disaster and started thumbing through it when I heard a voice asking if I was prepared to give a detailed dissertation on all the information to which I had so recently been exposed. I looked up and discovered my new friend, Tiffany, who has never seen “Short Circuit”. I explained that she really needs to see it because it was filmed in Astoria, Oregon and the main character’s name is Tiffany. I’m not sure she was suitably impressed with this bit of trivia, but she was willing to continue visiting with me which was excellent.

I learned that Tiffany was in her second year at St. Johns University, in Queens, on her quest to become a Pharmacist. It’s a 6-year program at the end of which she will be christened as a bona fide Doctor. She spends most of Tuesday thru Friday at school then heads home for the weekends Friday afternoon. In high school she was a 4-year Varsity starter soccer player.

I was very happy to have her to visit with and regretted my loss when we arrived at the Fairfield stop where she deserted me. My life was improved by her presence and I have no doubt she’s going to be a huge success in whatever she chooses to do. For some reason she wanted my blog address, so I gave it to her. Therein lies a tenuous thread of contact.

This is the last photo I took before my phone permanently died. It’s looking up the aisle of our train.

On the way home from the train station we stopped to visit Susan & Jay and to pick up Julia who gave us a tour of their home and introduced us to her newly acquired base Fiddle, Jerrie. I was honored that she named it Jerrie, but not sure that she named it specifically after me. That’s OK. I’m still honored. This is Jerrie:

We took her back to Ruth’s where we played Polish Rummy until her father arrived from Boston to pick up at 2300. Then I fiddled with my computer trying to get photos off my phone until I was totally frustrated and went to bed. The hard bed. Where I slept like a baby until 0730 this morning.

There. I’m done.

Day 3 – Windsor Locks, CT

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

Yes. We’re still in Windsor Locks.

Both Diane and I slept very well even though the bed is exactly as hard as Ruth said it was. We thought she was kidding. She wasn’t. Her bed is so hard that we could easily have been sleeping in the driveway. It’s true. I said that out loud this morning and no one, not even Ruth, did not disagree. Still, it wasn’t bad.

Sadly, when I got up (before Diane did) at 9:17 am, Ruth was battling some kind of bug that was playing havoc with her BS levels. She’s a Professional Diabetic with many years of experience and was crashing, trying to get her level back up. Complicating that effort was, no doubt, a bit of foreign debris flown in from Oregon especially for her. It didn’t sit right. After an hour or so she began to improve so Diane and I left the house to drive around looking at stuff, leaving her with strict instructions to rest, which she ignored.

It’s very interesting to drive around Windsor Locks because you never know when you’re going to wind up in another town. And, all the houses are unique and they are not crowded together like all the new construction we see all over the place.

While we were out we stopped by Target to get a prescription Ruth had filled, and Diane wanted to get potatoes to go with the meat loaf Ruth found in the freezer. Actually, the meat loaf was destined for tomorrow, and we were scheduled to go out to dinner with some of her friends this evening. With her not feeling well, however, the better choice was made to stay in and give her more time to heal.

The meat loaf was really great. Ruth said it was originally destined to be meat balls for spaghetti sauce but she changed her mind because she wasn’t sure if we liked spaghetti. After sharing that spaghetti is one of my favorite meals of all time I suggested that the remaining meat loaf could be cut up into meat cubes for the sauce. Something different. I think she thought that might be an OK thing to do.

After dinner Diane retired to the large (15 x 15) screened porch. It’s her favorite room in the house, she said. It is nice sitting out here listening to the crickets and frogs make noise. Very peaceful.

After looking at that photo of the guy with Diane I’m thinking it’s time to just start shaving my head. The problem with that is that’s it’s just that much more hair that I’d have to shave and I totally dislike shaving. Guess I’ll just have to stick with the Friar Tuck look.

Jeopardy is on so it must be time to go back in the house. Need to get to bed early tonight because Ruth declares she’s well enough to make the trip to New York for a look at Ground Zero. Should be fun.

G’nite.

Ahmed, Off to Chicago, A Wedding, Lydia’s Eye, & Golf

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

I just learned that Steph Curry, 2-time NBA MVP has endorsed Hillary as his choice for president.

I don’t know about you, but this is exactly the kind of validation I’ve been looking for to help me make an informed decision about the upcoming election. Though I didn’t know it, I’ve apparently been waiting for a very young, multi-millionaire sports figure to share his favorite candidate with the world so we can all make the correct choice.

Now my research is complete.

Yesterday we had to get up at 0430 so we could leave by 0530 to have Ahmed to the Cinema 7 at Eastport Plaza by 0630 for a bus that didn’t arrive until 0700. He and all of the exchange students were going to the Pendleton Roundup for their first rodeo. Pretty exciting stuff. It was fun watching all of these kids from all over the world mix and mingle as the good friends they have become, and it made me wish, again, for a more peaceful world where adults could do the same thing. Sadly, when some of us get older power becomes a narcotic-like addiction for a small minority that poisons of the large majority. Why is it, do you suppose, that we allow that to happen? It’s really sad. Everyone of us can look to our exchange students for the example necessary to change the world. That is, of course, an opinion. Ahmed will be back next Tuesday to resume his new life as a temporary Oregonian and will probably be wearing a cowboy hat.

After Ahmed boarded the bus, the rest of us, Daniel, Jennifer, Jeran, Diane, and I, sought sanctuary in a nearby eatery for sustenance. Seems like it was a iHop, but I just can’t remember. When we finished eating we learned that Jeran didn’t see the need for a jacket of any kind for their trip to Chicago for Cedric’s boot camp graduation. That required a trip to a nearby Wal*Mart for resolution.

Then we were off to the airport so they could catch their flight to Chicago so they could see this regal looking guy:

Then Diane and I returned home in time for me to join my friends, Larry, Larry, and Howard for coffee at the Kozy. It’s always fun at coffee. You should join us sometime.

After coffee I don’t recall doing anything of significance the rest of the morning, so I must have had a nap. That’s become an afternoon routine for us, it seems, whether we plan it or not. We just nod off for a short period of time, not to exceed 2 hours. The nap was necessary because we had to journey to the McMiniman Road House on Cornelius Pass road to attend a wedding for Jessica and Reece. Jessica is Jewel’s daughter, the one who flew in from Perth, Australia for that purpose. With her intended, Reece. He flew in, too. As did a contingent of his family. The wedding was very nice. The bride was extremely emotional and happy. The groom was solid throughout and walked out with a look of triumphant satisfaction on his face.

Jewel, I probably need not say, but will anyway, was a basket case. Over the top happy for her Jessica and Reece. So, we were, too.

While we were doing all that, Lydia was on a bus to Hermiston, Oregon to play another soccer game against another 6A school. All by herself. And the rest of the team, of course. She said it took 4.5 hours to get back home but it was a happy trip because they won 2-1. They scored their second goal with 6 seconds remaining on the game clock. Good timing. After Lydia got home she went blind in her left eye when taking out her contacts due to an apparent scratch on her cornea. I know how severely painful that can be from personal experience. Since she was home alone, Jennifer asked if we could look in a check her out, so I did. I did it because Lydia also has a nasty cold which Diane would catch in a heartbeat by getting near her. So, it was up to me. I took her to a local eye doc who said the main problem was a bad infection for which she prescribed drops. I got them, dropped a drop in Lyd’s eye then left her to rest in the dark house while I fried up some eggs (over easy) for her. I checked on her again this afternoon and found her in far better spirits. She can open her eye a little now, and she said it’s better already. Still, the drops must go in and she’s taking care of it as directed. While there visiting, I heated up a can of beef vegetable soup for her to ensure she ingesting something. We chatted for a long time while she worked on it. Then I had to leave, giving her strict instruction to text me “911” should she need me for anything. Then she melted my little heart, the way she always does, when she hugged me good nite and said, “I love you Papa.” Before I left I patched up her eye so she wouldn’t have to hold a rag on it all the time.

This morning I was forced to get up early in order to go golfing with the West brothers. I don’t know why it is that I always seem to go golfing with brothers. Unless, of course, I go golfing with Jim. He has brothers but has yet to invite any of them to golf with us. That would be OK. I did pretty good and will definitely be going out with those guys again because I beat them both. I suspect, however, that should we play on a regular basis that we will all fall into alignment and golf at the same level. Since we’re going to be gone for a while, I suggested that they hook up with the Peal brothers to in my absence. Turns out their next day on the course will be this coming Tuesday, the day we fly east.

Now it’s time to quit. My eyes burn.