Gloom Despair and Agony On Me - A new travel anxiety for me.

I refuse to be worry.  At least I try to refuse to worry.  Worrying is just wasted time.  We are not promised tomorrow.  So if I spent my last day worrying over something I can't control anyway, I would have lost my last day.   This has become my life's motto.   Yet it's not always easy to be carefree.  Life has it's own agenda and we never know when it's going to throw us into a tail spin.

When I was in first grade my teacher asked us, every single morning, "Did you have your BM today."  I was five years old.  I did not know what a BM was.  My parents never taught me that euphemism.   I still have no idea why she was so concerned about our bowel movements, but every day she asked that question.  And every day I would raise my hand to let her know that I had my BM that day.  I was afraid not to raise my hand.  I was afraid I would get into trouble.  And I was afraid to ask my parents.  Because obviously I was doing something wrong.  Whatever this BM was I was not having one and it sure sounded like I should be.   

Growing up I worried about every thing.  I worried until I would make myself ill.  I worried  when my parents argued.  I worried about my father's drinking problem.  I worried about church and the last days.   I worried about catching that baseball in the outfield at gym class.   None of these things were under my control.  There was nothing I could do about any of them.  Well I guess the BM thing might have been under my control if I had known what it was.  But for the most part I worried about things that I could not change, correct, or avoid.   And it wasted so much of my time.  

It took me until the fateful day on 9/11/2001 to really look at fear and anxiety.  I was in Washington DC working on Capitol Hill when all of the attacks started.  We had no idea what was going on and I was scared.  As many Americans were scared that day.  But what could I do about it?  Nothing.  I had to go back to work the next.  It was awful.  No one wanted to go back into Washington DC that day.  The passengers on the train from Baltimore to Washington were silent.  No one talked that day.  And every one just stared ahead with no expression.   But you can't live with that kind of fear.  I had to step away from it.  And then I realized that I had let fear and  anxiety rule many other areas of my life for too long.  I looked back and realized that much of what I worried about in the past no longer affected me.  So why did I waste my time letting it control me.

Mark and I went on a vacation this month.  We had a wonderful time in Milan and several other Italian cities.  And it was basically carefree.  We looked at cathedrals, ancient ruins, and restaurant menus.  We ate too much and we drank a little too much.  And we really didn't worry about it.  Then on our fourth day in Italy as I got ready to pay for a meal I realized my credit card was not in my wallet.   I was prepared for this.  I had some other credit cards with me just in case something like this would happen.  So I did not worry about it.  When we returned to our hotel room I called the credit card company and had them put a hold on the card so no one else could use it.  Problem solved.   We spent our next three days having fun, eat, drinking, looking at more churches and never gave it another thought.  

We went to the airport for our flight home on Tuesday morning.   Now I am not afraid of flying.  But I do admit I get a bit anxious in the airport.  Until I am through security, bags checked, body scanned, and my shoes back on my feet I am always a little anxious.    After that I usually chill and prepare for the flight home.  About half way across the Atlantic Mark says to me didn't you use that lost credit card to get into the parking lot back in Washington when we left?   And boom!  It happened.  Fear hit me.  I had used a ticketless booth to get into the parking lot.  I put my credit card into the machine and would have to put the same credit card in the machine to exit and pay on our return.  But I didn't have the card!   And I got quiet.  I could not enjoy the in flight movie.  I didn't want my in flight snack.  And I could not go to sleep.   I had to worry and fret about that stupid credit card and getting my car out the parking lot.  I did think it through and decided I could call the parking service when we landed in Newark, New Jersey and find a solution to the situation.

We had a four hour lay over in Newark.  That left me lots of time to make the phone call, have some lunch, and maybe a glass of wine to chill my nerves.   I googled the web page for the parking lot.  I found a phone number and made my phone call.  All common sense told me I was not the first person to have this problem.  So I knew there had to be a solution.  So I just had to  stop worrying about it.  I spoke with a lady at the parking lot.  She had a very thick accent so it was difficult to understand what she was saying.  So I spoke very slowly, and if you know me I never speak slowly.  I told her my problem and asked what I should do.  She said very kindly.  "It's no problem.  Go to cashier and it will be OK".  Now my brain is saying "WHAT?"  No problem.  Yes it's a problem.  I have no proof of when I arrived.  How will they know how much to charge me.  Will I be charged some ridiculous fee for a maximum rate for lost cards?  Would I have to ram through the gate like Burt Reynold in Smokey and the Bandit to get my car out?  I wanted to scream all of these things.  Instead I just said calmly, "Are you sure I will not have a problem.  I have no proof of when I parked in the lot"  And once more she said nicely "It's no problem.  Just go to cashier."

I tried to calm down.  I tried to eat some lunch.  But I was too worried.  So I waited for two hours and decided to call again.  I would get someone else and maybe they could give me a good answer.  I made the call and a very familiar voice answered the phone.  Apparently she recognized my voice also because she said " Sir, it's like I told you before.  It's no problem.  Just go to the cashier."

We arrived in Dulles airport.  We claimed out luggage.  We found the shuttle and we were off to the parking lot.  And I was as upset about this as I was about not knowing what a BM was when I was five years old.  How in the hell am I going to get out of this parking lot without paying some ridiculous fee and get my car out.  Mark was a little concerned also.  We saw no way we were not going to have a problem.  We found our car.  We drove up to the cashier.  I said to the cashier I have a slight problem and explained it to her.  She asked what day did your arrive.   I said last Tuesday.  She pressed a couple of buttons and said $90.  The rate was $10 a day.  We were gone a total of nine days.  So she was correct.  I had to ask though.  How did this work?  How did you know how much to charge me.  Do you just trust me when I said I arrived on Tuesday.  She smiled and no.  We have you on camera when you arrive.  So I just looked at Tuesdays photos and there you were entering the lot.  

So I worried for nothing once more.  I made myself somewhat ill.  I did not enjoy the flight home.  And I didn't eat my lunch.  I had let fear and anxiety waste my time once more.  Now if only that lady on the phone had said "No problem. We have a photo of you arriving." it would have been so much  easier.  So I blame her.  She wasted my day.  It certainly wasn't my fault because I never let fear control me any more.  Right?   Now excuse me.  I think I need to have my BM for the day.  My first grade teacher would be thrilled.

Gloom , despair, and agony on me

Deep, dark, depression, excessive misery

If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all

Gloom, despair and agony on me.

2018 - Not my best year/Not my worst year

I usually do a year end blog sometime in late December or the first week in January.   I am late writing one for 2018.   I almost did not write one for this past year at all.   2018 was not one of my favorite years.   I'm not sure why.   Lots of good things happened.   I was able to travel with good friends.  I met new people and made new friends.   I had no serious health issues.  But still I struggled with 2018.   It might have been the weather.   They say we need a certain amount of sun light to help keep us happy and healthy. We had a record rainfall in Maryland this year with 71.8 inches of rain.   There was at least one-hundredth of an inch of rain at BWI airport on about 4 out of every 10 days. That adds up to 12 or 13 rainy days every month, on average — but in September, it rained on six out of every 10 days. I know a lot of people suffered with depression and anxiety orders this year. I have talked to many who were as confused as I was about feeling so bad for most of the year. Normally the Christmas and New Year holiday week is my favorite week of the year. This year it just seemed to pass by with no real emotion or feeling. Looking back now ten days later I feel like I just missed the entire season like it never happened. We had friends over on Christmas Eve and we usually take a group photo for prosperity. We tried this year. We really tried after six failed photo attempts we all just agreed to forget it. So even the photo to remind me of how bad it was this year never happened. Maybe that is for the best.

Early voting helps with the mood

If not the weather maybe it was politics. Facebook lover that I am , I even stayed away entire days at a time just to avoid reading or hearing any thing about the orange buffoon in the White House. I did not want to hear the lies and praise on Fox and did not want to hear the complaints and arguments of the CNN and MSNBC commentators either. It was just a real ugly year politically until the big Democratic wins in Congress in November. And with all the negativity it has to have affected my mood some what. So I am blaming the weather and Washington DC on part of my dislike with 2018. I started taking vitamin D3 for the lack of sunshine problem and I voted on the first day of early voting in November to take care of the political problem.
Of course 2017 was a difficult year to compete with so 2018 had it's work cut out for it. I had some wonderful vacations in 2017 highlighted by climbing Diamond Head in Waikiki for my birthday that year. It's hard to top that. But I tried in 2018. I had several wonderful vacations. I really can't complain or whine about that. First of all our sister from England, Gillian, come over to visit us and we took a car trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Nashville and Memphis. I also made a wonderful new friend in Margie Sweeney while in Nashville. She is a friend of Marks who moved to Nashville.   

We got to tour Graceland which two of us thoroughly enjoyed. Don't ask Mark his opinion about the tour.

Not the Blue Ridge Mountains this time.  Here we are in Tivoli, Italy

When I upload my travel photos I always create a file and unique name for the trip. In July Gillian met us in Italy for a visit I called Mama Mia I'm In Rome Again. So how could 2018 been so bad when I get to return to Italy? I had traveled to Rome solo in 2016. Mark had been unable to go due a family emergency that year and was unable to go with me. So it was wonderful to return so soon and have Mark with me this time. We walked the streets of Rome. We drank the wine of Rome. We ate the food of Rome. And even took a day trip to Tivoli just north of Rome for a day of beautiful fountains, landscape's and excellent food. I had my favorite dish of the holiday in Tivoli. It was a red wine marinated pasta. Nothing compares to it.

Foodgasms in Tivoli - Red wine marinated pasta

And finally in November we finished up the years travel with a return to Nashville. We enjoyed it so much on our first trip in the spring we decided to return for Thanksgiving weekend. And it was a wonderful trip. My two daughters Katie and Danielle and also Danielle's wife Andrea joined us for family holiday here. And like in Italy we ate, we drank, and we even sang some country music.

On stage at the Ryman Auditorium

The highlight of the second Nashville trip was meeting The Sweethearts of the Rodeo. They are a country music duo from the 1980's the both of my daughters and I loved. Mark has grown to appreciate their music also. We attended their concert at The Blue Bird Cafe and had the chance to meet them in person afterwords. They could not have been nicer and even became emotional when we told them that Danielle and I danced our father daughter dance at her wedding to one of their songs.

Meeting Janis and Christine, The Sweethearts of the Rodeo in Nashville.

As for our trivia team, well lets just 2018 was not our best friend either. We always say we play for fun. But it sure would have been nice to have won a little more often this year. We still met each week in Port Deposit, Maryland at the Granite Run Tap House and did our best. We dressed up for Halloween and wore ugly sweaters for Christmas. And we finished way in the bottom of the group at the end of the season. However in the off season games during the Christmas holidays we placed in the top three on three weeks in a row. So maybe we are preparing for a winning year in 2019.

Barbara and Bonnie from Trivia Team L&B 

So it was not an awful year. Looking back a lot of nice and fun things happened this year. I still will never call 2018 one of my favorite years. Some good friends passed away this year. Some other good friends battled the Big C and other medial issues this year. Mark's Mom's Alzheimer's continues to take her away from us a little more each day. But all in all it certainly was not one of the worst years ever. I am determined to make 2019 one of the good years. It will not be difficult after 2018 to make it much better. So what happened with 2018? Why did it leave me less than thrilled. I'm still blaming the rain and to quote The Beatles, The Fool On The Hill in Washington. But that's just my take on it. Here is to a better 2019. Cheers

To 2019.  Here's your chance

Old Friends/Bookends

My birthday is next week.  I start celebrating the weekend before my actual birthday.  I call it the never ending birthday celebration each year.  As I have grown older it's become very important to me.  I have lost so many friends and family over the years that I really want to celebrate each year that I am still here.  Last year I turned sixty five and I did not want to celebrate at all.  I dreaded that birthday for an entire year.  I did not intend to have a never ending celebration that year.  But my dear husband Mark took me to Hawaii for my birthday last year and I spent the actual birthday climbing Diamond Head in Honolulu.   That was one great way to spend a never ending birthday celebration.  This year I had almost forgotten about my birthday.  I have not been in the best of moods and kind of down about any number of things the past few months.  So the birthday creeped up on me and until my "peapod" dear friend Ona Payne texted me last week about what I wanted to do for my birthday, I really had not thought about it and was off guard that it was so close.  That is what best friends are for.    I have had many best friends over the years.  It seems each decade brings its changes and new friends are made and some are lost.  But true best friends still stay with you in your heart even if they have moved out of your life and on to their own individual journeys.  For my birthday this year I am not planning any trips to Hawaii.  I'm not climbing any mountains.  I am going to take time to remember and reflect on my best friends. 

I am thinking tonight about three ladies.  Three true best friends.  Growing up church was the center of my life.  My best friends were my friends from church.  There was Jill O'Dell and her brothers Jack and Keith.  There was Bobby Smith.  And any number of other good friends who attended the Young Peoples Legion at The Salvation Army in Havre de Grace, Md.  This was our church and our church family.  We were all close.  At times we were best of friends.  At other times we had falling outs and arguments.  It was all typical kids stuff.  We were raised in a very strict church.  And we tested the bounds of that strictness at every opportunity.   I still talk with Jill on Facebook.  And I still love her like a sister.  I know her brother has been ill recently and we have talked about it on occasion and I have promised to pray for him from time to time.   I still talk with Bobby Smith on occasion also.  Although I have to admit I talk more with his nieces and nephews now than I do with Bob.  But I still feel that family dynamic with them from the years past.   These friendships were so important back then and I am so happy to be connected with these people today through Facebook. 

I mentioned three ladies just above.  These ladies would be Penny Williams, Judy Keithley Hopps, and Bonnie Hurlbut.  The four of us had a unique, special and bizarre bond at times.  As a unit we were four very close friends.  On individuals we had unique relationships with each other.  I can't speak for any of them.  We all had our separate and individual bonds.  But I can speak of my personal bond to them.   We shared dreams.  We shared plans.  And we thought we would always be together in one way or another.  We went through good times and sad times together.  We were there when we lost grandparents and parents.  We were there when life threw it's curves at us in our young lives.  But turning sixty six next week I find it only seems like yesterday that we were getting into trouble and laughing and crying together.

Judy, Penny, Bonnie and I sang together in a contemporary religious music group in our church.  My sister Shelley was in the group.  So was my cousin Frank.  Frank played the drums.  Shelley's best friend Diane played the piano.  Judy, Penny, Bonnie and I were the older members of the group.  I don't remember how well we sang but I remember all of the rehearsals and all of those old songs we sang.  It was the best of times. 

I had a terrible car accident when I was 19.  I totaled a 1970 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.  It was identical to the photo above.  Judy and Penny were in the car with me.  Penny was knocked unconscious.  Judy ended up with stitches down the front of her face.  I lost some teeth and had stitches above my eye and my upper lip.  We traveled by ambulance to a hospital  Judy rode in the back with Penny who was unconscious.  I rode in the front with the ambulance driver.  I still can see Judy drawing a peace sign in the fog on the window between the back and the back front window where I was sitting.   We all cried that day and were afraid.  At one time we thought we had lost Penny.  But fortunately it was not that serious.  But we were terrified.   Luckily for her, Bonnie was not with us that day. 

We all talked about renting a big house and moving in together in some sort of commune.  We had lots of ideas and lots of dreams.  This never happened.  But it was a plan.  We even had the house picked out that we wanted to rent.  We had lots of ideas that never came to fruition and probably for the best but maybe not?

Bonnie is another story.  I loved her dearly.  We went to high school together.  We shared our hall way lockers together.    We had a unique bond.  When I got home from school  each day I would call her and we would watch Dark Shadows together over the phone.   I can't explain our friendship.  It was just special.  My father had drinking problems at times and I would go to Bonnie's house to spend the night to avoid dealing with his drinking.  The first time I stayed there it was odd.  Her mother was asleep already.  But Bonnie told me I could use the couch at their house.  When her mother woke up the next morning she found me down there on her couch.  All she said was "Larry what are you doing on my couch?"  She wasn't angry and never questioned me about being there.  She was just surprised.  She told me I could stay there anytime I needed to.  Her mother used to bake cakes for my family and send them to our house over the Christmas holidays.  When I got married and my first daughter was born Bonnie was right there.  She loved Katie almost like it was her own child.  She always said Katie was her little Shirley Temple because of her curly hair.    One time I bought one of those huge wall units that had shelves and a space for your TV.   I don't know why I bought it for because I could not put anything together and this unit came in a big box with lots of screws, bolts and pieces.  I called Bonnie at 11:00 that night frustrated with not being able to get the thing together.  She immediately came over to my house, brought her tools, and we spent the entire night until the early morning hours putting that unit together.   We laughed at times.  We cried at times.  And like all friendships we too eventually grew apart as our life paths moved on. 

Bonnie was not in the car accident that Judy, Penny and I survived.  But she did die in a car accident just before she turned fifty.   When I got the news I was distraught.  I miss her to this day.

The four of us were close.  We all moved on in our individual lives.   Judy is in Texas.  Penny is in Colorado.  I am still in Baltimore. But our memories are still with us.   We all knew each others families.  And we learned from each other parents and grandparents. 

 Penny and I were nursery class students together at Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.  Her mother was the Young Peoples Sargent Major at The Salvation Army. She was my greatest spiritual teacher.  Most of what I learned about faith and religion came from her mother.  My grandmother was our Bible School teacher and our Sunday School teacher.  I can still remember as a pre schooler sitting at a table that only had three legs in Vacation Bible School.  Dear old Miss Maggie McMullen held the end of the table up with her trembling skinny little legs as my grandmother taught us the lesson.  And when we went to color our Bible Story pictures our crayons would roll off the table when Miss Maggie's leg would slip. 

Judy's  mother Margarette and her grandmother "Nanny" taught me life lessons that I will carry with me to my last days.  They were two ladies living alone bringing up a family.  They worked hard, they struggled and they survived with dignity.  I still wish I could go back to their old home and have Nanny tell me "Sit down.  Here's a comic book."   Then I would wait for Judy to come downstairs so we could go out for the day.  If it wasn't a comic book it would be a cat she would hand me.  She loved her cats. 

I miss those days.  I miss my friends.  But they are all still in my heart.  So on this birthday week I call out Judy, Penny, and Bonnie.  I know you all can still feel that bond and that love where ever we all are today.

East Bound And Down - Rest in Peace Burt Reynold

I am at the age when it's not unusual to see favorite movie stars or singers grow old and die.  It's always sad to see a part of our growing up years pass before us.  I was very sad to see Aretha Franklin pass away in  August.   With sadness and just a bit of a smile I saw the photo of her crossed legs and her red stiletto's from the funeral.  And I thought way to go Aretha.  You went out like the diva we all loved you to be.  She was the voice of my generation.  She was an original.   But then today I was having my lunch in a little local bar named, of all things, Dead Freddies and I saw the  news break that Burt Reynolds had died at the age of 82.   It really hit me very hard.  I loved Aretha from a  distance.  But Burt felt like a friend.  He looked down from the big screen with a wink and a silly laugh and you felt like he was talking to you. 

I was living in the Atlanta, Georgia in 1975.  I was in college and saw my first Burt Reynolds movie. It was W. W. and the Dixie Dance Kings.   I saw it at the Steward Lakewood Twin Rocking Chair Cinemas.   I was living in the deep south and here was this movie about the deep south starring this man who was not taking any of it too seriously.  And I immediately became a fan.   I remained a fan through all of his good, bad and indifferent movies.   He remained that friend that I grew up with.   While I lived in Atlanta the Peach Tree Center Weston hotel was under construction.  At that time it was going to be the tallest building in Atlanta.   And to this untraveled young man it was the tallest building I had ever seen.  After the building was completed Burt made one of his better movies in Atlanta and this building was the central character in the movie.  The movie was named Sharky's Machine.  It's a dark movie and not the fun loving Burt I had known.  But I loved the movie.  And today when I watch the movie I still can images of the Atlanta I knew in the 1970's.   And I can see this then new building in all of its glamour. My daughter lives in Atlanta and when I visit we go to the Westin hotel each time and have a glass of wine on the top floor observation tower.  It's all apart of my past that lives with me today.  And Burt is a part of all of that.  He shot the bad guy in that hotel and blew his body out of the window on the top.   And I always tell my daughter that story.  Today my older daughter said we should watch Sharky's Machine over the weekend.  It's that much a part of us. 

Westin Peach tree Center, Atlanta Georgia

While I lived in Atlanta I met my ex wife at college.  We went to the Lakewood Fair Grounds on Stewart Ave and rode on a rickety old roller coaster.  It was scary and looked like it was ready to collapse.   We were married in 1977 and three years later we watched Burt Reynolds take a truck and run into that old roller coaster in Smokey and the Bandit 2.  And we watched it collapse which we had thought it might do when we rode on it.   Burt you have shared so much with me. 

Lakewood Fairground Roller Coaster - Atlanta Georgia

I loved your movies Burt.  I was really emotional when I heard about your passing today.   You were a part of my growing up years and have stayed with me all these years later.  I feel like I lost a part of my youth with you.    I saw Burt at an autograph show two years ago.   He looked ill.     He was sitting in a reclining chair for comfort but he did not look comfortable.   He must have needed the money to sit there and greet fans at his age and in poor health.   He was charging $80 for an autograph and was not allowing any one to take photos with him.  I can understand.  He looked very bad.   He was 80 years old.   But I would have loved to have had a moment to tell him you thank you and how much a part of my life he had been.   However for me $80 was a lot of money.

Me and Beverly D'Angelo at an autograph show

Just across the room from Burt Reynolds was Beverly D'Angelo.  I really like Beverly a lot.  She was charging $35 for an autograph and a photo.  I saved the $45 dollars and went to see Beverly instead of Burt.   We talked.  She was very funny and very kind to her fans.  I asked her to autograph a DVD of the movie Honky Tonk Freeway.  She laughed and told me very few fans bring that one to her for an  autograph.  I told her it was a favorite and then we took our photo.  It was a fun moment.   I'm sorry Burt.   And I truly mourn you today.   I know that if Beverly departs before I do I will feel bad.  I will probably say she was nice and I got to meet her once.   But I won't feel as bad as I did today.   

In Smokey and The Bandit Burt drove a Trans Am to Texas and brought back a load of Coors Beer to the East Coast.   I really hate Coors beer.   I like a real beer.   But tonight I went out to dinner and toasted Burt's memory with a Coors.   It's the least I could after not paying that $80 to meet him.   

East bound and down, loaded up and truckin'

We're gonna do what they say can't be done

We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there.

I'm east bound, just watch ol' "Bandit" run.

. 

Meeting the new Big Jim Walker in Chicago

                                                  You don't tug on Super Man's cape.
                                                  You don't spit into the wind
                                                  You don't mess around with that old Lone Ranger
                                                  And you don't mess around with Jim.

 When I travel music is always a part of my experience.  I either hear a new song that stays in my memory with the trip or I have an old song in my head when I arrive and that becomes  my personal sound track. I first started to notice my habit of creating a sound track for a vacation when I took my first trip to Europe in 1999.   I went to France and was very excited about finally seeing Paris and Marseille.  While there every single day I heard the song Sex Bomb by Tom Jones.  It was playing on radios in taxi's.  It was playing in hotel lobbies.  It was playing in restaurants.  There was no escaping the song.  To this day when I look at my photos from that vacation I think of that song.  I bought a copy of a CD with the song on it during our layover in London on that trip.

Of course in Thailand I had the song One Night In Bangkok in my background sound track when I was in Bangkok.  When we moved on the Phuket I had the James Bond them from Man With The  Golden Gun in my head because that is where part of the movie was filmed.  I had a slight problem when I traveled  to Bratislava and Vienna with music.  I had Gladys Knight in my head singing License To Kill from the James Bond film everyday.   When I returned home and watched the movie I realized I had the wrong Timothy Dalton Bond movie in mind.  The one set in Vienna and Bratislava was The Living Daylights.  But it was for the best.  The theme by A-Ha is a lame theme and License To Kill fit the holiday much better anyway.  While my daughter Katie and I were in Nashville last November the song was Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes by George Jones.  There was so much country music history in the city it just seemed appropriate.

  In the early 1970's to me Jim Croce was "the man."  I loved his music.   From his sad love songs to his humorous story songs they all resonated with me.  When he died I felt as if I had lost friend.  But thanks to old vinyl, CD's and Alexa his music is still with me.    So when I visited Chicago in June 2018 I had his Bad Bad Leroy Brown song playing in my head for most of the trip.  However at the conclusion of the three day trip the sound track changed a little.  I did meet a man that I had best beware of just like Leroy Brown.   But he was taught a lesson just like Big Jim Walker from You Don't Mess Around With Jim.

We stayed at the beautiful Swissotel on Wacker Drive in Chicago.  It was a luxury hotel in a beautiful high rise.  We usually don't stay at over the top luxury hotels but this was a business trip for Mark and his convention was centered at the hotel.  We were on the 37th floor with a beautiful view of the Chicago River below us.

The Swissotel in Chicago

View from the 37th  floor of the Swissotel

There was a doorman at the front of the hotel and a line of taxi's parked in front of the hotel.  When you need a taxi the doorman signals the first taxi in line to drive up and pick you up.   It's very convenient and easy for both the customer and the taxi driver.  First taxi in line get the next passenger.   As we were preparing to go to the airport for our journey home we decided to use the taxi's in front of the hotel for the convenience.  However when we walked out with out luggage there had been a minor accident in the parking area and the doorman was dealing with the minor fender bender.  As we stood there looking around a taxi driver walked up to us and said to us "I am the next in line.  Let me help you with your luggage.  We followed him closely as we were not sure if he really was a legitimate taxi driver or not.  We kept one hand on our luggage.  We get to the curb and he picks up our luggage and puts it into his trunk.  Before he can close the hood of the trunk two other taxi drivers rush towards us yelling "Don't go with him.  Not honest.  Not honest.  Don't trust him."  I immediately asked what was wrong.  He said nothing was wrong and to ignore the other two men.  Then one of the men grabbed our luggage out of trunk and started to walk towards their taxi.  He in turn grabbed it back and threw it into his trunk again.  We were getting a little concerned by this point.   The other two taxi drivers told us he had not waited in line but saw us coming out with our luggage and moved in front of the taxi's that were already in line.   And they kept yelling "Don't trust him."   By this point I did not trust him.  So I went to take my luggage out of his trunk.   He told me "NO.   You are my customer.  I am taking you to the airport."    I said politely as possible that I chose to go with the taxi driver in the front of the line.  When he blocked me a second time from taking my luggage out of the trunk the two other taxi drives stepped forward and took it out for me.  Now here is where Big Jim Walker from the Jim Croce song comes into play.   He thought he was big Jim.  And he was a big man.  He shoved the other taxi drive into the street.  When he did this the second taxi driver raised his fist and  they both started yelling at each other.   But Big Jim was about to learn a lesson.  The three taxi drivers in line all worked together.  One took my luggage to their taxi.  The other two held the first taxi driver back from bothering us.  As we drove away our driver yelled out of his window "If you are still here when I get back I will f*ck you up!"    So just like Big Jim Walker in the song this man was taught a lesson.    And it gave us a great travel story to share.  I just wish we had made a video.

Next time - Take Uber.

As I am editing the photos from this trip Jim Croce is singing in the background.  He's bad bad Leroy Brown and You Don't Mess Around With Jim.

                 

To Helena Hand Basket

We dine out a lot.  We have a lot of respect for waiters and bartenders.  My mother was a waitress at one time.   We have many good friends who are bartenders and waiters.  When traveling we always appreciate the advice of local waiters and bartenders.

We recently took a road trip with our friend Gillian through the southern part of the U.S.   Gillian flew from her home in Manchester, England to meet us in Baltimore.  From here we drove south through Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.    While in Mississippi we stayed at a Casino in the town of Tunica.   It's a very small rural community but it has several very large Las Vegas style casino's.

Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi

Tunica is very near the Arkansas border.  We decided we wanted to spend an afternoon driving to Arkansas.  We were nearby and it would be fun to add one more state to our car trip.  We asked one of the bartenders at the casino if there were any places nearby in Arkansas that would be of interest to visit.  We wanted to drive someplace for lunch the next day and wanted to cross the border to Arkansas.  The bartender had been very friendly to us and gladly gave us some advice.   She told us to drive over to Helena, Arkansas.   She told us there were places we could have lunch and that there was an active blues music scene in the city.   So we trusted her.

The scenic route to Helena

We drove thirty four miles through some of the emptiest landscapes I have seen. We followed US 61 through miles of mud filled empty cotton fields.   There was nothing to see for miles and miles. 

We really didn't mind the boring drive at first.  We were assured there were some interesting places for lunch in Helena and we looked forward to exploring a small town.
   
We found that Helena is located in the eastern portion of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas.  It's located in Phillips County.  And it has a population of 6,323 people.   Had we asked Alexa on my google app she would have said to us "Why in the hell are you going to Helena, Arkansas."   When we arrived in Helena there was absolutely nothing there to see.  We found no place for lunch.  And we did not really feel safe to even stop for photos.  We saw open drug deals happening on the street corners.  

I still have no idea why the bartender sent us to Helena.  Maybe she was still fighting the Civil War and didn't like us Yankee carpetbaggers coming down from up north.  Perhaps she did not appreciate Gillian's English accent.  Whatever it was she did provide us with an interesting afternoon.  We laughed about it after wards.  

After we returned home I did some googling on Helena.  I found out it was listed as the number one worst place to live in Arkansas.  It has a 20.6% unemployment rate.  There is a 1 in 88 chance of being robbed in Helena.  

I was curious about the music scene the bartender had told us about.  I found that there is an annual blues festival in Helena every year in October.  But we found no music in April.   I guess we were just six months too early.   But I don't think we will be returning in October.

No regrets.  The experience gave us a good travel story to share.  We never saw the bartender again.  She goes on my list of interesting people I have met while traveling.  I'm sure she will remember us also and is probably still laughing at the gullible tourists she sent to Helena and back.

The Great Smoky Mountains and the Three Amigo's

Mark, Gillian, and Larry - Newfoundland Gap Overlook - Great Smoky Mountains

Families of choice and extended families are wonderful.  Our friend Gillian calls Mark and I her Bmore Bros.   We think of her as part of our family also.  We first met in person while on our honeymoon in Greece 11 years ago.   Since that time we have had many adventures together.  She visits us in Baltimore frequently.  We have shared family events together.  And we travel together frequently.  She has met many of our local friends.  My daughter in Atlanta calls Gillian her Manchester cousin.  This past April Gillian flew across the pond from England to Baltimore once more and we took a road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. 

I love the Great Smoky Mountains.  I have traveled there many times.  My family spent several vacations in the Great Smoky's when I was growing up.  I took my children there when they were young.   Mark also loves the Great Smoky Mountains, particularly the Gatlinburg area.  So we were very excited when Gillian told us she would like to do a southern road trip through the Smoky Mountains.   Although we are very good friends and have spent a lot of time traveling together we had never really done a road trip together.   And I was a bit concerned how we all would survive ten days in a car together without driving each other crazy.  On an extended  road trip there is always one person who tends to drive the others a little crazy before the trip is over.  I just never realized that person would be me. 

I drove the first day.  Everything went well.  Mark sat next to me in the front of the car.  Gillian sat behind us in the back seat.  I was focused on the road so my attention was occupied with road signs and highways.  Mark and Gillian chatted and looked at landscapes.  The day was pleasant.  The second day Mark drove the car.  I sat in the front seat and once again Gillian rode in the back behind us.  The dynamics were a little different.  I was not as occupied with the road and ended up playing with the radio and changing channels and music frequently.  I think I even sang along a good bit with the music.   Mark and Gillian for the most part overlooked all of this.  We stopped at an Arby's for a quick  lunch and I bought the greasiest sandwich on the menu.   Gillian questioned my choice.  And Mark said I would probably not travel well after eating it.  Of course I paid no attention and then complained the rest of the day about an upset stomach and indigestion while still playing with radio most of the rest of the day.

Day three was a big game changer.  Mark drove once more.  But today Gillian and I switched seats so she could ride in the front and see more of the scenery.   For sixty five years it never dawned on me that I might have a touch of A.D.D.   I was never restless in school.  My teachers never complained about me being hyper or anything.  I sat in the back seat of the car and grew more fidgety by the hour.  I laughed too much.  I told too many jokes.  I complained too much.  And then I realized that I was the pain in the ass of the trip.  The bad part is that after realizing this the more I tried to control it the worse it.  When we finally arrived in Gatlinburg Mark and Gillian could not wait to escape the car.  I won't go into details about the evening activities in Gatlinburg.  I will say I tried to make amends for being so antsy in the car during the day.  I was well aware that I had been a little bit hyper and tried my best to behave better that evening in Gatlinburg. Returning to our hotel after our first evening meal in Gatlinburg we passed several moonshine tasting establishments.   I pointed out the first one but Mark and Gillian did not think it was the best idea.  We were all a little tired and it had been a long day so they were ready to head back to the room for the evening.  When we passed the third moonshine tasting location I decided to go inside with or without them.  They patiently waited for me to complete the tasting.  The samples were only in small thimble like cups.   But after fifteen samples even cups that small tended to take an effect.   Let's just say my hyperactivity in the car was nothing compared to my actions on the walk back to the hotel after the tasting.

The observation tower on the peak of Clingman's Dome

The next day all was forgiven.  We had a fresh start.  We did a wonderful drive and hike through a an area with restored mountain cabins.  Then we decided to go to Clingman's Dome.  Mark and I had both been to Clingman's Dome in the past and both really enjoyed it very much. At 6,643 feet, Clingman's Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi.  The trail is only half a mile.  But there are warning signs that the trail is very steep.  I first climbed the trail at Clingman's Dome fifty years ago when I was fifteen.  Of course there is a big difference between being fifteen and being sixty five.  And I felt everyone of the fifty years difference climbing the trail.   Mark trudged onward up the steep trail while Gillian and I took a moment to rest and catch our breath.  We were sitting on a bench in  a rest area talking.  A man walked over to us and said "Do you mind if I ask a question."  We both said of course not.  So he said to us "Can I ask where your accent is from?" Before Gillian even had a chance to answer Mr. Hyper Active Larry blurted out with a laugh "Oh I have a Baltimore accent."   The man and Gillian both looked at me like I was crazy.   Gillian said "Larry I think he is asking about my accent.  I  am from Manchester England."  Well of course he was talking about Gillian.  .  Later we saw the same man on top of the tower and he once again made a joke about my saying I had a Baltimore accent.  In my defense I have spent so much time with Gillian over the years that I don't really notice any accent.  So of course I thought he meant me!

Larry on the observation tower at Clingman's Dome

Mark and Gillian on the Clingman's Dome trail back to the parking lot

We still had six more days left to our car trip.  We had three days planned in Nashville and three more in the Memphis, Tennessee/Tunica, Mississippi area.  For the most part I behaved myself.  Gillian and Mark did not disown me. We returned home still good friends and have more travel adventures planned together this year.   Please don't judge me.  After all we all know who the real trouble maker is and I will use this photo below in my defense.

Gillian waking Mark up on a train in Germany