Friends
Introducing Ooma
That isn’t her real name, but that’s the way we roll here; are you surprised to hear that Sparky is not my real name either? Anyway, I have been keeping company with a lovely lady who will be known as Ooma here. She is older than I – by about 10 days – and is … Continue reading
A weekend in Naples
If you have been paying attention, you will remember that I had a very good time on my second Princess cruise (PCL2) in December, due in no small part to my congenial cabinmate, Carl, and the friendships we formed with two lovely ladies from Ft Lauderdale, Bobbi and Patricia. When the cruise ended we agreed … Continue reading
PCL2 Day 7: At sea
This was my first cruise with back-to-back days at sea since the transatlantic crossing (TC1). I enjoy days at sea, so there is no problem with having two of them in a row. It just means that I am going to eat more than usual (a fine beef bourguignon for lunch and mahi mahi for … Continue reading
A week in my hometown
Well, close to my hometown anyway. DeForest, when I was growing up in Madison WI, was a little village. Now it is a town with 2 water towers and more than 10,000 residents. My week included a number of social and recreational activities: Dinner with 5 friends from high school at Paisan’s which, in my … Continue reading
Dick, Pete, Dan and Charlie
It has now been over 6 months since Jett’s passing. That hardly seems possible. But those six months of grief have been compounded by the deaths, in just the past two months, of four men who were significant in my life. Dick Vogt was a herpetologist who lived and worked in the Amazon jungle for … Continue reading
The long drive home
I stayed with my sister-in-law Christine the night of the funeral. We played some Hand, Knee & Foot in Jett’s honor. The next day I loaded up the truck with everything left in our storage unit and terminated that contract, then had some pizza with my lovely granddaughter Liliani. Sister-in-law Kim took off her minister … Continue reading
Winter potpourri
This has not been a winter season of great events. Jett has rarely gotten out of the RV for any reason other than to get to medical appointments. We haven’t had any visitors, with the exception of my softball buddies (see previous post) and a quick visit from son Josh, to return Rusty. Yes, Rusty … Continue reading
Spring training, 2020
My old softball buddies from Massachusetts, Mike and Dave, once more came to Florida for Red Sox spring training. As has become our custom, we each hosted one game. The schedule this year: Mike – Phillies vs Red Sox, Thu Feb 27 Me – Red Sox vs Twins, Fri Feb 28 Dave – Atlanta vs … Continue reading
Planting the pups
We have been carrying the ashes of our dearly departed first dogs – Cha-Cha and Grace – around with us on our travels for over a year. Jett says we had to keep them with us until we achieved our 48-state goal, but mostly it was because we never got around to finding a place … Continue reading
High school plus 50
When I graduated from high school at 18 the thought of getting back together 50 years later was like looking into a distant mirror: you couldn’t see the image very clearly and, in truth, it seemed illusory. Now, looking back 50 years, the image is very clear and the mirror seems very close. Those 50 … Continue reading