SEASONS' GREETINGS

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!, Happy Hannakah and Happy Kwanza. I found it very hard to get up any real holiday spirit this year. I am hoping next year will be better. Since I got home from my last voyage, the three months have pretty well gotten away from me. Maybe next year will be better.

I sent out almost no Cards this year and I am sure I missed sending gifts to someone I should have. I think maybe I'll send Christmas cards in February.


for now I am off to Jamaica again and then St. Maarten and the French West Indies. I really will be thinking of all of you. I will send some postcards. They will propably not say "Wish you were here".

Love to all,

Jim

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

As I promised I am posting my plans for the next two months or so.

I'm waiting for the dryer to finish so that I can pack for the next trip, so I can publish my schedule. I have the tickets and most of the trips are already paid for. I will not be taking my computer with me on this trip. It is much too heavy to tote through all those airports and other locations and once I get outside the USA, internet access is doubtful at best.

Nov. 22 WED Drive to Peggy's in Mechanicsville for Thanksgiving
Nov. 24 FRI Return to Virginia Beach

Nov. 30 THURS Take the train to Philadelphia for Army Game weekend.
Dec. 1 FRI Sightseeing in Philadelphia
Dec. 2 SAT Watch Navy beat Army
Dec. 3 SUN Sightseeing in Philadelphia
Dec. 4 MON Return to Virginia Beach

Dec. 24 SUN Drive to Mechanicsville
Dec. 25 MON Christmas
Dec. 26 TUES Visiting
Dec. 27 WED Return to Va. Beach
Dec. 28 THURS Fly to Montego Bay, Jamaica for two weeks at a resort.
Jan. 11 THURS Return to Fort Lauderdale and then fly to St. Martin
Jan. 12 FRI Three days sightseeing in the West Indies
Jan. 14 SUN Two weeks aboard SV Polynesia in the French and Dutch Islands
Jan. 27 SAT Return to St. Martin for sightseeing and R & R.
Jan. 30 TUES Return to VABCH.
Feb. 4 SUN Back to work

I hope everything goes as planned.

SAME STUFF, DIFFERENT DAY

I have been chided by some family members for not posting often enough, but I don't see a lot to talk about. Right now, I'm watching the Mets blow another ball game.

I don't think you all need to know my daily routine. It is not all that exciting. Grocery shopping, doing laundry and running errands. My leg is healed and I'm holding my own working in the Barnes and Noble. James is home but he hasn't been over to see us yet. It occurred to me that I haven't seen him since April, even though we live in the same city. His travels and mine have kept us apart for almost six months.

My next expedition is for the Army football game in Philly on Dec. 2. More about that later.

I will try to post something about once a week until I have something interesting to say. I am planning to go back to the Caribbean after Christmas but only for a month this time and I don't think I'll take this computer with me. Internet access is still very difficult in that part of the world and this monster is just too big and heavy to lug through airports and train stations.

END OF AN ERA

For me, this is the end of an era.

On Sunday, October 1 my Aunt Agnes passed away. She was 101 years old and even though I didn't see her as often as I wanted to in recent years, she was often on my mind. My father was the youngest of a very large family and his older sister were very close and late in my mother's life, she was my mother's closest friend. She never had any children of her own but she had dozens of nieces and nephews and kept in touch with them and their children and grand children and even great grand children. She was a mother to my cousin Pam and assisted many of us with baby sitting and help when we were sick.

She nursed many friends and relatives through major and minor illnesses and even several through the end of their lives. She was retired from the New York Telephone Company where she was an operator. That was in the days when you talked to a person when you picked up the phone and not a machine. She had many stories about those operators when the lifesaver on the line was the telephone company and not a 911 dispatcher and there was only one telephone company.

She was always "up". I never heard her complain and in the last visit I had with her in her apartment in Mount Vernon, she was full of stories and told us what great fun she had over the years. She told us of the speakeasies and parties from years ago. Somewhere there are pictures that my mother had of all my father's and mother's families taken between the wars. One of the things I have to do over the next year is to sort through all those pictures to see exactly what we have.

I am sorry that I can't go to the funeral, but after three months of traveling, I have left too many things undone here at home.

Goodbye Ag. I sure will miss you and wish I had been able to visit more often.

"THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND MEN..."

Now I am in New York, in a place called Fishkill. Before everyone gets upset, the name doesn't mean kill fish, it means Fish Creek in Old Dutch. The names around here tend to be leftovers from when the Indians sold Manhattan Island to the Dutch.

Friday, I went to my niece's wedding in Yorktown Heights in Westchester. It was all very nice and traditional and I really enjoyed myself at the dinners and reception and then hanging around with my family. We only get together now for weddings and funerals and I much prefer the weddings.

I flew down from Maine last Wednesday and that was an adventure that is becoming all too routine. I don't mind flying but going through airport security is becoming a bigger hassle every trip.

I had intended to come down last weekend and visit with my relatives on my wife's side of the family, but I ended up in a hospital in Central Maine for five days. The injury to my shin that I got in Jamaica wouldn't heal and was beginning to look ugly. When I went to the emergency room, I expected that they would give me some medicine and maybe some pills and send me away. They took one look at my leg and the next thing I knew I was in a bed with all kinds of IVs stuck on me. Then I was put in isolation until they were sure I didn't have some exotic bug from Jamaica. So they let me go but when I get home I have to go to my family doctor as soon as possible.

So no visit to Yankee Stadium or Shea. I'm going this afternoon to visit the cemeteries and my Aunt Agnes who will have her 101st birthday on the 22nd. Tomorrow I may go to the old hood in the Bronx, if I have enough courage, and maybe try to look up some of my old friends.

On Tuesday, I am flying home. Summer is over it's time to go home and back to work, if I can get up the energy.

For those who have been following this blog, the adventure will continue, just maybe at a little slower pace for the next few months.

BACK IN THE WORLD

It started at the resort in Negril. The 90 minute flight from Montego Bay to Fort Lauderdale ended up taking 10 hours by the time I got to my hotel in Florida.

It started with getting my luggage to the porter at 9AM to be ready for the two hour bus ride to MOBAY. The bus schedule was moved up to allow time for the new security procedures. The bus still operates on Island time so it still didn't leave so early. Jamaicans are supposed to drive on the left, but I noticed that like the Italians, they prefer the middle of the road, particularly on narrow country roads. That makes for some interesting moments.

The airport at MOBAY was total chaos. The lines to check into flights stretched everywhere and many of the tourists were from countries where line discipline is unknown. I thought there was going to be a riot at one point. Then the line to get through the door to Jamaican emigration stretched about 200 yards. Then get your passport stamped and the to carry on searches. Then there was the shoe inspection. Then they went through my carry on luggage again and made me take off my shoes before I got into the airplane.

The flight was uneventful, but at FLL we had to wait and the blackshirted Border Patrol came aboard and took one passenger off for interrogation. I began to think about old war movies with the German soldiers checking everyone's papers at every corner.

Then when I finally got to the hotel and settled in, dinner was a bar frozen pizza and a bottled beer with no breakfast and McDonald for Lunch. What a comedown, but I had to come back someday and now I've gotten adjusted to doing for myself again.

BACK IN THE WORLD

It started at the resort in Negril. The 90 minute flight from Montego Bay to Fort Lauderdale ended up taking 10 hours by the time I got to my hotel in Florida.

It started with getting my luggage to the porter at 9AM to be ready for the two hour bus ride to MOBAY. The bus schedule was moved up to allow time for the new security procedures. The bus still operates on Island time so it still didn't leave so early. Jamaicans are supposed to drive on the left, but I noticed that like the Italians, they prefer the middle of the road, particularly on narrow country roads. That makes for some interesting moments.

The airport at MOBAY was total chaos. The lines to check into flights stretched everywhere and many of the tourists were from countries where line discipline is unknown. I thought there was going to be a riot at one point. Then the line to get through the door to Jamaican emigration stretched about 200 yards. Then get your passport stamped and the to carry on searches. Then there was the shoe inspection. Then they went through my carry on luggage again and made me take off my shoes before I got into the airplane.

The flight was uneventful, but at FLL we had to wait and the blackshirted Border Patrol came aboard and took one passenger off for interrogation. I began to think about old war movies with the German soldiers checking everyone's papers at every corner.

Then when I finally got to the hotel and settled in, dinner was a bar frozen pizza and a bottled beer with no breakfast and McDonald for Lunch. What a comedown, but I had to come back someday and now I've gotten adjusted to doing for myself again.

Something different

Here I am in Maine! No half naked Toga parties, drinking games or swimming contests here.

There is a lot of boating to be done here, especially with the remnants of ERNSTO going through.

Last week we went to a county fair. I was surprised to see that people still live that way.

We saw the cattle auctions, milking contests, horse races and the giant pumpkin jugding. I didn't know that a pumpkin could weight in at 400 pounds.

On Friday, my daughter Clair and I drove her daughter Claire to Montreal to her college. She is a senior at McDill College. This is the first time I have been in Montreal in 45 years.

My daughter's friendry Fleightrer made his movie "Don't tell a soul" in Montreal. In the outside scenes. Montreal really looks a lot like like downtown New York.

Then we came back on Sat 3 Sept. It was very interesting. Sat afternoon is the time of Flea Markets and Yard Sales.


From Vermont, through New Hampshire and into Maine, it seems that the main industy in New England is to sell your junk to someone else.

Maybe some more tomorro.

EVICTION NOTICE

The day before you have to leave this place, they slip a note under your door with your flight confirmation and bus schedule for departure. This is commonly referred to by the guests as an eviction notice or sometimes "hate Mail". No one that I talked to was happy to leave. This is like the land of the Lotus eaters, that you can just drift along. The decisions are that should I take a kayak or a hobbie cat this morning? Maybe I should go to the dining room for a formal lunch or stay on the beach and have a hot dog or a cheeseburger. Tough decisions!

This trip has been marvelously successful. About two weeks into the trip, I found myself walking down the beach strolling to the reggae beat. Last Thursday night I was the first runner up in the sexy toga dance off contest. I don't know what I did. I was sober. I was only drinking plain iced tea at diner. The guy who won had a body like Mike Tyson in his prime, so I was never going to win that one. I was the local celebrity for at least 36 hours.

Nevertheless, I am back in Ft. Lauderdale and I am sore all over. I have had more good exercise in the last month that the last twenty years. I intend to continue the exercise program when I get back.

Sometime in the next week, I will describe the ordeal of the one and a half hour flight from Montego Bay (MOBAY) to Ft. LAUDERDALE (FLL). I have to think about it, but I think I went through five security checks.

FIDDLER'S GREEN

There is a place where sailors go if they don't go to heaven, because being a good sailor is not the same as being a good christian. It's called Fiddler's Green and it is somewhere in the neighborhood of Big Rock Candy Mountain, which most people have heard of.

The legend is that is a place where the weather is always clear, the winds are always gentle and blowing the way you want to go, the palms sway in the breeze, the rum bottle never runs dry, the women run naked on the beach and there is always steak for dinner and ice cream for desert.

This may not be Fiddler's Green, but it's as close as I am likely to find this side of Davy Jones' locker.

There are thunderstorms most afternoons but they don't last too long, all food and drink are inclusive and you sometimes have to stop the bartender from filling your glass too often. There might not be steak for dinner every night but many nights and there is always ice cream with every meal but breakfast. The food is varied but there is always fresh seafood; fish, shrimp, lobster and the ubiquitous conch. There is usually a joint being carved and a buffet with rice, potatoes, veggies and salad, bread, pasta and desert tables. I even tried the curried goat yesterday. It tastes very good but it is made like oxtail stew with the bone and gristle still in so it takes some effort to eat.

The scale in the gym weighs in kilos, so that is encouraging to someone used to weighing in pounds. Unfortunately, there is about 2 plus kilos more of my than when I arrived.

I think I will probably fly home from Ft. Lauderdale about the 24th to rest, make and mend and plan the rest of the trip. I will leave here on the 20th for Ft. Lauderdale.

Internet access here is slow and expensive but I bought a whole day. If it storms this afternoon I will write another letter and try to send some pictures if I can figure out the software.

FIDDLER'S GREEN

There is a place where sailors go if they don't go to heaven, because being a good sailor is not the same as being a good christian. It's called Fiddler's Green and it is somewhere in the neighborhood of Big Rock Candy Mountain, which most people have heard of.

The legend is that is a place where the weather is always clear, the winds are always gentle and blowing the way you want to go, the palms sway in the breeze, the rum bottle never runs dry, the women run naked on the beach and there is always steak for dinner and ice cream for desert.

This may not be Fiddler's Green, but it's as close as I am likely to find this side of Davy Jones' locker.

There are thunderstorms most afternoons but they don't last too long, all food and drink are inclusive and you sometimes have to stop the bartender from filling your glass too often. There might not be steak for dinner every night but many nights and there is always ice cream with every meal but breakfast. The food is varied but there is always fresh seafood; fish, shrimp, lobster and the ubiquitous conch. There is usually a joint being carved and a buffet with rice, potatoes, veggies and salad, bread, pasta and desert tables. I even tried the curried goat yesterday. It tastes very good but it is made like oxtail stew with the bone and gristle still in so it takes some effort to eat.

The scale in the gym weighs in kilos, so that is encouraging to someone used to weighing in pounds. Unfortunately, there is about 2 plus kilos more of my than when I arrived.

I think I will probably fly home from Ft. Lauderdale about the 24th to rest, make and mend and plan the rest of the trip. I will leave here on the 20th for Ft. Lauderdale.

Internet access here is slow and expensive but I bought a whole day. If it storms this afternoon I will write another letter and try to send some pictures if I can figure out the software.

I WONDER WHAT THE POOR FOLKS ARE DOING TONIGHT

I am not sure what I was expecting to find when I got here, but I am Happier than a pig in a mud Puddle. I was half expecting something like some of the early Club Meds I visited in the 60's and 70's. The huts had thatched roofs, canvas walls only six feet high, dirt floors, army cots and no electricity or plumbing. When you did get down the lane to the "loo", the plumbing was French style. I'll explain that to you some time if you don't know what I mean. On top of that the showers were open air with no privacy. That didn't matter much because the French don't bathe much anyway.

By contrast, everything here is first class. The hotel rooms have everything you would want, including irons, hairdryers and satellite TV's with network news from the states, none of which I was. There is every facility you can imagine. Hobie cats, kayaks, snorkeling expeditions to the reef, wind surfers, unlimited food and liquor around the clock, all included. I am enjoying myself immensely and have finally solved my foot problems so I can get on the Conga line in the evenings. That is as gross as it sounds.

I'm running out of battery so I better post this. If it storms later today I may write more. Otherwise that's all the blog until next week.

I have some pictures from film I had developed in Florida and I'll try to post some if I can figure out how the software works.

JAMAICA RUNAWAY

I wasn't sure if I could post this morning since I didn't have time before I left the hotel. It took me an hour to back this brief case so that everything essential fit and the security point made me take everything out to check the laptop. So since it is out I'll write a few lines before I go through the effort of repacking.

This airport is a madhouse. I used this airport in the past as a way to avoid the chaos that is MIA, but this has to be as bad or worse. I am in the waiting area now and have about a half hour to kill before we go through the torture of embarkation.

Yesterday was a day of rest and recuperation. I did laundry, napped, did some shopping and made up a box of stuff and sent it home. There was stuff that I will never need on this trip and a few souvenirs. I have been very sparse in buying anything since I can get a lot of this merchandise over the internet after I get home. I am still carrying too much but since it is still more than a month before I can get home I think it is too soon to jettison too much.

I thought I was carrying too much until I saw the load some others were lugging. One boy about 9 was pulling a pull behind suitcase that was as tall as he and about twice as wide. Another couple about my age had twocarts of luggage and required a whole team of skycaps. Next trip, I will pack lighter.

It's time now to repack and get organized again. If I can't get online, I will go back to writing a separate letter.

FEET DRY

Well, kind of! We left Miami in a downpour and came back in another. Now the sun has come out and there is a blazing humid heat that makes Maine seem cool. Everything here is airconditioned, but as I go from the heat on the street to another too cold store, taxi or building, I am not sure that is entirely a good thing. My glasses fog up, I get a chill or the Irish sun allergy sneezes as I go from one extreme to another. But I love it, every minute. As I complain, don't think for a minute I'd rather be doing anything else. The alternative would be sitting in my big green recliner dozing over a ball game. Now I have the Mets beating Atlanta on the TV and I'm thinking about where to go for dinner.

Feet Dry is what carrier pilots tell their control when they cross over the beach line. My feet are not only dry but up. They hurt so much. The swimming and the constant motion of the ship and climbing three decks from the dining salon to the observation bridge multiple times each watch did a number on my feet and my leg muscles. I still managed to take the tour of the engine rooms yesterday. I was very impressed, but I was reminded why I wanted to be a deck officer and not an engineer. You can't complain about the heat, because like the song says "It's my own damn fault".

I loved the little trip and it was too short. I really didn't start to unwind and relax until Wednesday and then spent most of Thursday recovering from the exercise and the dancing. Maybe I should go easy on the dancing for the rest of the trip. Maybe next time I'll bring someone along to put sunscreen on my back. That is very important when snorkeling. A t-shirt has an SPF of 0.

I have tomorrow to get reorganized, repack, do laundry, write post cards and rest, then it's off to Jamaica. I do intend to make up a box of stuff to send home. I'm carrying too much stuff I'll never use and I can send some souvenirs home.

I don't know if I can get a connection from Jamaica but I will continue to write my history.

EMBARKATION DAY

Yesterday wasn't as much of a washout as I feared. I was able to get on the beach for a walk and a swim, but I overdid it and now I'm sore all over. I am packing and as usual running late. I think I will have to make this short and post again later. If I read the schedule correctly, I might have some serious waitring time in the terminal.

MIAMI FLORIDA

I guess yesterday's attempt to create a post is lost forever. I will repeat most of what I wrote yesterday when I'm in the mood. Suffice it to say that I had a great visit with Kathy, George and Patrick. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.

Now I am in Miami getting ready to get on the boat tomorrow. My tickets for the Jamaica trip finally caught up with me and I'm good to go now.

Last night I was so late getting here that I had to go to South Beach for something to eat. My initial reaction was super tacky and very expensive, but when I saw the menu and included on the beverage list was "the 2 cents Plain" I was almost homesick.

Today looks like a washout. I was awakened by thunder at 7 AM and it hasn't stopped raining since. I guess I'll take a nap.

JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA

I came back to the hotel early last night to write this blog and found myself wih my head on my chest at midnignt and I hadn't even gotten logged in, so I went to bed.

I had a lovely visit with Peggy, her family, Susan and even had time to go to Lily Dean's fourth Birthday party on Saturday.

I wasn't able to get a sleeper on the train from Richmond. That is one of the disadvantages of doing most of this trip on a last minute, seat of the pants basis. It is also part of the fun. The result was over twelve hours in a coach seat with the legendary bad Amtrak food and beverage service. It wasn't quite as bad as an overnight trip I remember on a third class railroad car in Sicily, but I was 19 at the time and my idea of acceptable accommodations has changed since then. I guess it's all part of the adventure.

Today Kathy and George are going to do a little sightseeing and tomorrow I have a boat received and we are going on the river.

I'm learning how to use my new digital camera and maybe soon I'll be able to add some pictures.

RICHMOND VA DAY 2

Today I went with Peggy, her brood and a friend with her children on a "playdate". It wasn't such an exciting event but the boys are such a delight to be with.

The playdate must be a recent invention of suburbia. When I was growing up in the Bronx there was no shortage of kids of all ages to play with. We could usually get together two nine person teams to play softball or stickball just on my street. Now the houses are so far apart that it's hard to find someone your own age to play with.

We went to Shockoo Bottom in downtown Richmond which was so heavily damaged in the floods two years ago. Its slowly coming back and it is becoming very touristy. There a lot of things for the kids to see and do.

I got my train tickets to go to Jacksonville and Miami. Now I have to worry about hotels.

Tomorrow, all day rain is predicted. We have to figure something to do that will interest us all.

DAY 1 MECHANICSVILLE VA

Ed drove me up to Peggy's house in Mechanicsville today and then had to head back down to the swamp. I enjoyed a nice visit with Matthew, Henry and Meg. They are such happy and beautiful children and have so many interesting toys to play with. Meg is trying very hard to walk. Only a few more days and she will have it mastered.

Ahyone interested in seeing pictures of the Lavinder family can go to their blog at
http://lavinder.blogspot.com/ See if you don't agree with me. Tomorrow we will be touring in Richmond or the some of the battlefield parks depending on the weather.

DAY BEFORE DEPARTURE

I spent the day running around taking care of last minute things. I didn't get everything done but if it's not done it can wait until October.

The trip will start with a trip to Richmond to visit Peggy and Susan. Nothing very exciting there.

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

Maybe I should write myself an OPORDER just like I was still in the Navy. What I have instead is a collection of lists as I run around town making my preparations. The bigest problem is always that everything I want to do seems to take longer than I planned. Ed commented on the fact that most days I am running at least one nap short of my normal routine. Clair threw in the observation that one of the advantages of traveling and living alone is not having to 'splain nothing. If the whole think falls apart I can always go home early and rest and get caught up on my naps.

I don't think I told everyone that I got my cell phone replaced. The number is the same. It will be my main link with everybody while I'm traveling. If you don't have the number send me an e-mail and I will send you the number. I will not put the number in the blog. I am told that it will work almost everywhere I will be visiting but with some very hefty roaming charges when out of the country.

I will try to write something everyday for the blog but I don't know what my access to the web will be so you may see more than one days entry appear at once.

JIM'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

My schedule for the summer.

Today is the first official day of my extended vacation. My plan for the Rest of the Summer follows. Some of this is firm and prepaid and some is more flexible.

July 12 Wed Ed will drive me to Mechanicsville to visit Peggy, Susan and all.
July 15 Sat Take the evening train to Jacksonville FL.
July 16 Sun Arive in Jacksonville on Sunday morning to Visit Kathy and the boys.
July 19 Wed Take the morning train to Miami. Arrive in the afternoon.
July 20 Thurs Unscheduled day in Miami
July 21 Fri Board the S. V. Legacy for a seven day cruise in the Bahamas
July 28 Fri Return to Miami. Go to Fort Lauderdale.
July 29 Sat Unscheduled day in Fort Lauderdale.
July 30 Sun Fly from Fort Lauderdale airport to Jamaica for two weeks at an all inclusive resort in Negril.
Aug 13 Sun Return to Fort Lauderdale.
Aug 14 to 19 Unscheduled time in South Florida. I'm looking for another free tour.
Aug 20 Sun Three free days at a condo in Fort Lauderdale
Aug 24 to 26 Unscheduled time in South Florida.
Aug 27 Sun Return to Virginia Beach
Aug 28 Mon Visit my dentist to see if I can get my store bought teeth installed.
Aug 29 & 30 Free time at home to unwind and change my pack out from Tropical to North Woods
Sept 1 Fri Take the train North to Maine to visit Clair. May stop briefly in DC or
Annapolis. I haven't researched the train schedules yet.
Sept 2 Sat Approximate arrival in Maine.
Sept 4 Mon Labor Day. Traditional end of Summer.
Sept 8 Friday Leave Maine for maybe New York, or somewhere in New England.
Sept 12 Tues Arrive in Poughkeepsie NY for Christine's wedding.
Sept 16 Mon I may try to fit a visit to Claire Bea in Montreal.
Sept 21 Thurs The Equinox, the real end of summer. Time to go home.
Sept 24 Sun First day to start back to work.

This is the first time I wrote this out completely. I sure hope I haven't gotten too ambitious.
Only Time will tell.

VIRGINIA BEACH ODD COUPLE

Ed has moved in and we are doing our little dance around the house. He is my older son and I do love him dearly, but he has a very dry sense of humor which doesn't always sit so well with me. Politically, we as far apart as Al Franken and Rush Limbaugh. Our lifestyles are as different as can be and there will be more of this later.

My land phone is still out of order and I am willing to give it up as long as I have the internet on that line. My cell phone fell in the river yesterday and is as dead as can be. Now I am told that my warrenty does NOT cover water damage! While I will make an issue of this, the only way to get in touch with me is by Ed's cell phone. I'll call you back, some how.

I qualified to take out boats from my boat club by myself. I finished the Coast Guard course and the Virginia state safety course and Ed and I took out a boat on Chesapeake Bay yesterday. We went around the local area and down into the Virginia Beach areas. We were in the Lynnhaven
River, Back Bay and Linkhorn Bay. The back areas of Virginia Beach have about 30 miles of boat channels that we can go through. The only thing we have to worry about is the cost of gasoline.

Tomorrow, Peggy and her Posse are coming to town. They will be staying at the Downtown Marriott to use up expiring bonus points. They will be here until Sunday. We will work out the schedule of events.

Ed has to get some things closed out in DC so he will be gone from Friday to Sunday. James is in Hawaii and apears to be loving it.

I will try to post about once each week until I go on my voyage in July. Then I will post whenever I'm sober, which may not be too often.

Love to all,

Jim(DAD)

LEARNING CURVE

Hey! Answer Girl, there's another phrase for your Blog. After I started this blog, it took me a while to figure out how to make a second post.
I think I have it figured out now and this is it.
My telephone is on the Fritz. I can call out but anyone who calls me gets a variety of busy indications. Sometimes they get a connection, but my phone doesn't ring. I am in a fight with
Verizon about whether this a problem with the house wiring or the switchgear. If they come inside it is a time and material job with a minimum charge of $300.
For those of you with my home and cell numbers, my cell seems to be working and you can send me an e-mail and I'll call you back.
Everyone in my situation handles their problem differently. I handle it by not staying home very much, but if you leave me a message somewhere, I will get back to you.
Tomorrow, Ed should be moving in so I will have at least a part time answering service.
Love to all, Jim

Wandering Mick

The purpose of this blog will be to keep in touch with my family as I travel the world. When my wife was alive, she spent hours on the telephone with my six children, my older grandchildren, various relatives, in-laws, outlaws, friends and relations around the world. Now that she has left me and gone where all the phone service is local, I don't spend a lot of time at home near the phone. I consider my cell phone to be of doubtful use, so this will become my primary means of family communications.