PLANNING

The Landlord was quick to promise someone would come by to check the roof. I haven't seen anyone but the roof doesn't leak on a sunny day. Sometimes I think that Chic's Beach operates on Jamaica time.

I don't feel nearly as rich now as I did last week, but it's only money and at my age, you shouldn't put off gratification.

My plans for the Fall and Winter are beginning to come together, although I may have waited too long to make some of my plans, I will find something to fill in the time. I have been told that some of the places and dates I wanted are booked full, particularly at the single rates.

October 11 is the Dean Applebutter festival in Mechanicsville and sometime I will have to fit in a visit to a movie theatre to see "Express", the movie I have heard so much about.

November 15 is the Notre Dame game in Baltimore.

November 27 is Thanksgiving. I have been invited to Peggy's and I intend to be there.

December 6 is the Army game in Philadelphia and our 13th Company mini reunion.

December 25 is Christmas, which is probably at Peggy's again this year although I haven't talked about that yet.

December 27 back to Jamaica to Negril, until Jan. 6. I wanted to stay longer but the resort is sold out. I will look into going to someplace in Ocho Rios, Montego Bay or Runaway Bay. There is not much to see in Negril outside the resorts, which are pretty much the same.

About mid-January I am looking at spending a few days in either Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic.

Then it is off to St. Maarten in the Leewards to embark on the S/V Caledonia, a Canadian barkentine, that is based in Newfoundland but spends the Winter in the islands.

That should leave me in Grenada about Feb. 7. When I get the paper work for the cruise, confirming the debark schedule, then I will look for a place in the down islands to hang for about a week. Grenada, Barbados or Trinidad come to mind. I know that I can get a flight from Barbados to Kingston for the next part of my adventure but I will not be filling in details like that until I get the paperwork for the parts of the trip I already paid for.

Then it is back to Negril about Feb. 18 until early in March. Then I think I'll come home for a few weeks.

My sailing club is looking at early April for the Virgin Islands cruise, but nothing firm yet.

When the plans are set, I will write up a complete schedule for anyone interested.

FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE

Who said anything about getting rid of the van? I have been offered a trade in on the van, but I don't think I want to do that. I am still waiting for the credit union to come through with the check.

Of more immediate interest is the weather. We have had a steady Northeast wind for about six days up to 60 knots. The closest beach is gone, but it will come back later. It always has as the weather changes later in the season.

At the height of the storm my roof started to leak. I didn't realize it until I went to the closet to get dressed to go to work. I had to run the dryer to get dry clothes to wear to work. I spent the morning checking to make sure the closet dried out and the clothes won't get mildewed. I have not been able to contact the land lord this morning, and no one can predict when he might get around to repairing the roof.

PLUS CA CHANGE, TOUT LE MEME CHOSE

I found a car I intend to buy. It is a late model Saturn SL1 just like the one I gave Ed last year but much more recent. It doesn't cost much and it is from the used car division of the Saturn dealership so I think it can't be a lemon.

It has what I want. That is a working A/C unit, cruise control, four doors and a usable, if small trunk. It is also looks like a new car after the dealership cleaned it up. The big thing is that I won't be ashamed to drive and even ask someone to ride in with me.

I'm waiting for the approval from the credit union and I may have the car by this weekend.

A WILD RIDE

Two of my children, and some of my friends, have called to ask me if I am worried about my money. Well, yes and no. The current "crisis" is much exaggerated and politicized. The government must act to maintain liquidity in the market place, a reasonably stable currency and the underlying faith in the capitalist system. The failure to inject sufficient liquidity into the markets in 1929 by the Federal Reserve was one of the things that made the great depression so bad.

On the other hand, the resultant volatility has stopped me from making certain adjustments to my holdings that I had planned for this time of year. And October is traditionally the worst month of the year for the markets. What bothers me about the proposed "bailout" is that there is nothing in it to end the addition of new bad credit to the mix. The president or the secretary should immediately cut of the guarantee of any loan where the borrower does not reside in the property, end new sub prime guarantees and political contributions from any company involved in the "rescue" or their officers. Now I hear that the politicians are taking about adding relief for auto loans and credit card bills. There is more but I don't have time or space to go into it. My point is all the bad things that are included in the current package. It provides relief for many of the people who caused this problem and don't deserve relief.

As for the long term, the Federal government should make money on this package. The loan to AIG is at Prime plus 11 1/2 %. If you can't make money on that, you don't deserve a government job. When Clair went off to college I had to sell stock on the day the Dow was 750 to pay Georgetown. Those who complain because the stock market is down from its high of last year have no sympathy from me. I am still richer right now than I ever thought I would be.

In the long run I think everything will eventually work out AS LONG AS THE GOVERNMENT BACKS OFF AND LETS THE MARKET WORK ITSELF OUT.

While McCain is clueless when it come to macroeconomics he can spot a crook when he sees one. He has been a sponsor of several attempts to reform the system so that this debacle would not happened. These were blocked in the Senate by the very people who are now blaming the republicans for the results. McCain predicted what would happen on the floor of the Senate in 2005. The reform bill never came to a floor vote because of a straight party line vote on a "procedural" issue.

Obama, on the other hand, has a very good understanding of economics according to Marx and Engels and would impose those on the nation.

I fear for the country.

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN

Sunday mornings walking on the beach. I always think of Johnny Cash, a great local favorite. Many of my neighbors can relate to Folsom Prison Blues since they have had many similar experiences. During Monday evening football, most of the non game talk will be about who spent the weekend in the local lockup, but I love the neighborhood.

I've already been to brunch and for a walk on the beach. Not much beach since it's high tide and the wind is from the Northeast right in the mouth of the bay. I think I'll take a nap and watch part of the Redskins and Giants games next door. And then there is the Neptune Festival Airshow (Blue Angels performing) and I might look in on the model train show at the Convention Center.

Thius retired life is sort of difficult but someone has to do it. More tomorrow.

FALL HAS ARRIVED

I said recently that the weather would break about the middle of September and the Fall weather arrived exactly on time. As I was sitting on the beach yesterday, the cloudless warm day began to deteriorate and by the time I left the beach there was a cool wind and overcast and then showers by dinner time. Today there is a steady cold rain and a high temperature in the 70s F. We will have more nice weather later in the Fall, but it looks like this week is out for any outdoor activity. I have to start going to the City Rec Center.

Sooo, it's time to start thinking about my Fall and Winter travels. I guess in October I will be going to Richmond to visit the Deans and Peggy and Sue and their group. Then in November there is the Notre Dame/Navy game in Baltimore and of course Thanksgiving, and in December there is the Army game in Philly and Christmas.

Then after Christmas, I plan to go to Jamaica and then sailing in the Virgin Islands. I have also found a Canadian company that operates cruises similar to the ones the late and lamented Windjammer Barefoot group did. So I may be able to stay down in the Islands for a lot longer this weekend.

GETTING ORGANIZED

Summer is now over and I guess that I drifted through it without doing much. When I wasn't traveling, I just loafed around. The effect has shown on my waist line and my list of things to do.

So today in mid September I am making the resolution to spend less time on the beach or in the bar next door. I have to get busy clearing things out. I still have a storeroom full of stuff that must be sorted through and my apartment is full of junk.

I also have to establish some sort of routine and get back into the habit of regular hours for sleep and meals. For today though, the weather is still to nice to skip the beach and I really want to see tonight's football game and I don't have cable TV. Tomorrow will be good enough for a start of my new program.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEG

It's late and I have to get out for the Great Chic's Beach Pub Crawl, my habitual Sunday night exercise, but I can't let this go without a shout out for the third birthday of Meg Lavinder. It hardly seems like three years since we got the word that she was born. The news made Ellen very happy and that was not a year when we had a lot a lot to be happy about.

Meg has been called "the Tank" because she is large for her age and takes no guff from her older brothers. She is extremely smart and very competitive and will grow up to be a real beauty. I hope that there will be many more birthdays and thaat they will all be as good as this one.

Love,
Grandpa

ACTIVITY OVERLOAD

Last weekend, I had nothing to do and I never got out of the recliner. This week, I have a load of things that I want to do and I can't be in two places at once either. Then, since these are all live events, I can't record them to look at later.

Today there is an art show. a coin show, the annual in the water boat show, a concert at a local pub, and the rescue squad cook out and fund raiser, so I'd better get moving and see how many I can fit in.

FALL BLAHS

I had big plans for yesterday, but I spent the day lying around reading a book. I didn't do dishes or laundry or even go down to check the mail until about 6 PM. I resolve to do better today. I guess I should go look for a job but maybe I'll just go to the beach. there is not much of the nice weather left.

NEW EFFORT

This is a beginning of a new effort to get back in shape and loose weight. I am making major progress in improving my health and fitness. After Ellen's funeral, I was barely able to walk around the block. Now I can keep up with a tour group that walked over half of Italy.

The one thing is that I gained more weight and now I must make an effort to get back to a weight that is easier to live with. I know I'll never have the body I did 40 years ago but I can get to a shape that I like better than the one I see in the mirror right now.

Last spring, I told one of my neighbors that I was trying to get back in shape and he said "Round is a shape". He obviously can live with that, but I can't. That phrase has become a local in joke since many of my friends seem to be able to live with it.

Getting up early and making regular blog postings is part of my program, along with diet and exercise and maybe a regular job. Or maybe not that extreme.

Stand by for progress reports.

FIRST STORM OF THE SEASON

From the way the local TV and Press covered it, Tropical Storm Hanna was going to be the storm of the century. It was only a weak storm by the time it got here and since it went inland, we were on the "dry" side of the circulation and didn't even get much rain. There doesn't seem to be much beach erosion and today is a very nice day.

Since this is the peak of the season, we may not have another scare this season. Suits me! This area usually suffers the most damage in the Nor'easters in Feb, March and April. Hurricanes move fast over cold water North of the Gulf Stream, but the late Winter storms can hang around for a week.

So this week I'm going to look for a job. I'm getting bored and putting on extra weight. There is so little business at the book store that I'm not getting a lot of hours, so I'm turning into a couch potato.

But today is Sunday so I'm off to the beach.

SUMMER'S OOVER!

At least it is here a Chic's Beach. On the Tuesday after Labor Day there is almost a barricade at the corner of Shore Drive and Pleasure House Road that says " Residents and Guests only." I love it! Although it appears that Hurricane Hanna will spoil the first weekend of Indian Summer with tropical rains and gale force winds, there is still baseball, and college and professional football. The bar next store has all the sports channels on cable and satellite and ten screens. I think I can get though this storm.

So where have I been for the last three months since I posted last June? I don't take my lap top with me when I fly. It's too much trouble and since there is no road from here to Jamaica, I am forced to fly.

In June I went to Florida for a week to visit Kathy and her family and the in July I spent two weeks in Jamaica and then returned for James' wedding in early August. Immediately after that, I took of for a Grand Tour of Italy with my Grandson, Patrick. In between times I was too lazy or distracted to pay attention to this blog. I do intend to post more often.

That's enough for today. I have get going because today may be the last chance to ghet the boat out on the Bay. The marina is securing everything for the storm and then the weather usually breaks in mid-September which means keeping the boats up in the rivers.