Two Crazy Guys In Milan - Due pazzi ragazzi a Milano

Milan's Awe Inspiring Duomo

Mark and I made a last minute decision to travel to Milan in March 2019.   This was truly a last minute decision.  We had been planning for a year to travel to Bulgaria to meet with our Virtual Tourist friends for their annual Euromeet in June.   Then suddenly Mark had a drastic change in employment  The bank where he works was sold and we had no idea what he employment situation would be for the rest of the year so we put all travel plans on the back burner.  Fortunately Mark found a new job before his current job ended.  He was to start his new job the end of March.  So there was no way we could still plan the trip to Bulgaria in June.  He would have no time accumulated for a vacation and let's face it, it's not good practice to start a new job asking for vacation two months later.  So we decided to take take a brief vacation between the ending of one job and the starting of the other.  But we only had two weeks to make the plans and leave for the trip to make this work.  And how do you plan, research,and book a trip in that short of a time span?  The easiest thing would be to plan a car trip locally.  Maybe the Blue Ridge Parkway, maybe North Carolina's Outer Banks.   Even a flight to the the western US using airline mileage and a rental car would not be too difficult to pull off.    So what did we end up doing?   We went to Milan, Italy.

I always like to name my vacations.   It makes it easy to label the file folders for my photos in my computer.  It gives me an instant reference when thinking about the trip and reflecting on it months  later.  Since this was such a crazy last minute idea I named this vacation Due Paazi Ragazzi a Milano which is Italian for  Two crazy guys in Milan.

When we plan vacations we brainstorm ideas of places we might both want to see, especially places neither of us have visited before.  Many times we mention places to visit and then realize one or the other of us have already been there and we always say "But you have already been there. Let's find someplace we both have not seen."  So I was hesitant to mention Milan at first as I had been there in 2002 long before I knew Mark.   And also Milan is not always the most popular choice of cities to visit in Italy.   I fell in love with Milan on my first visit although most of the guide books warned me there were more exciting cities to visit.  Even at the airport when I was checking in for my flight the woman at the Alitalia ticket counter questioned my choice of visiting Milan.  So it may have been that I was not expecting a lot when I arrived which caused me to be pleasantly surprised.  But I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and have always said I wanted to return one day.  However I was concerned when Mark agreed on Milan.  I knew it would be his only major vacation this year and I did not want him to be disappointed.   I warned him Milan was not Rome or Venice or even Florence.  It was unique to itself and its treasures were not obvious.  You had to walk the street, keep your eyes open and explore the back streets to find the hidden treasures of Milan.  Other than the beautiful Duomo not a lot screams at you Stop Now in Milan.   You have to go find it.  I think this is what sold Mark on Milan.  He loves to walk and explore.  Give him a map and he is thrilled to see what he can discover.

People watching in Milan

We found many churches to visit of course.  However we did not get to see DaVinci's The Last Supper.  You have to make reservations way in advance.  So after two trip to Milan I still have not seen the masterpiece.   Maybe I will get back one day to to eventually see it. Instead I saw lots of interesting people like this romantic couple in the photo above.  The girl is obviously in a romantic mode in this beautiful city and the guy is obviously more interested in his cell phone.   She  has no idea.

I also discovered a new beer which became a favorite.  I have not seen it here at home so I made sure to have plenty while in Milan.

We stayed at a kooky hotel named Allegroitalia Espresso Hotel.  It had a strange subway map motif in the hallway.

Our hotel room had a wine cork screw design on the door.

And the hotel had no morning breakfast which is common is so many European hotel.   But we were not disappointed because they had a free dinner buffet in the evening  instead.  This hotel did everything out of the ordinary.   They had a huge lounge area with the food and also a bar.  There were huge flat screen TV's where we got to watch soccer live.  The employees were encouraged to interact with the guests.  So they watched the games with us.  Ate at the dinner buffet and also played table top and video games with everyone. 

Free food and soccer at 2100 hours in the hotel

Next subject.  Food.  We love Italian food.  It is my favorite type of food  And Mark is Italian so he knows good Italian food.   We loved Rome two years ago.   We had great meals in Rome.  But we both agreed we were more impressed with the food in Milan.  We ate most of our meals in our little neighborhood where the kooky hotel was located.  And we found a favorite bar and restaurant which was on the unusual side also.   It was named Le Biciclette.   Small, ecelectic, and very much a small neighborhood favorite.  We had great food, interesting drinks and laughs with the bartenders.   I love a good Aperol Spritz when in Italy.  But I have never seen one made with an olive and a cherry.  Always just a cherry.  But the bartender added an olive each time and it elevated the drink to a very different and interesting level.

Le Biciclette 

We sat in a rooftop bar near the Duomo on another day for another Aperol  Spritz, this time without the olive.   But look at my view in the photo.  Could there be a more picturesque location for a mid afternoon cocktail?

Other than Aperol Spritz's and Ichnusa beer we also found time for some of our favorite foods in all of Italy.

We could have planned for months in advance.  We could have booked reservations for The Last Supper.   We could have taken hours visiting churches and monuments we found on internet searches instead of just finding them by surprise on our daily walks.  But we would have missed the soul of Milan.  I think this is why so many people do not find Milan to be a favorite.   It's a city with a hidden soul.  It's a city that is waiting for you to take the time to discover it's secrets.   And it was so worth the effort.   So if you are planning a last minute trip and only have two weeks to book the trip do something different.   Discover the back neighborhoods and side streets of Milan.

A room with a view.  The view from our hotel window

Vittorio Emanuelle II memorial in the Piazza del Duomo

Be like the Due pazzi regazzi a Milano, the two crazy guys in Milan.

The two crazy guys at Le Biciclette

Thrilling Cities

Growing up in a small town in a lower middle class family I dreamed  of  traveling and seeing exotic locations.  But I never believed it was any thing more than a dream.   My grandmother never saw the ocean until she was in her late 60's although it was only three hours away from our home town.   I tried to convince my parents to go to Italy and revisit the places my father was in during WWII.  We knew my father was developing early dementia and I thought it would be one last great experience for them.  Instead they never got any farther than those three hours to the Ocean City, Md where my grandmother had finally seen the ocean.

Growing up I watched the James Bond films.  I was thrilled with James Bond and all of the fascinating locations he explored.  I'm not sure what I liked more.  Sean Connery or the beautiful and exciting places he visited.   I thought about those places for years and like my grandmother and parents I never thought I would ever see them.

Photography became my escape.  I had my first camera at the age of eight.  I took photos of my town, of my younger sister, my cousins.  I loved photography.  But I never became a photographer.  Perhaps I should have.   It truly is my passion.   I am just a man with a camera who might get a great shot on a 10 gig chip.  I am reading a book by Ian Fleming called Thrilling Cities..  This brings all of this back to those James Bond movies I saw as a kid.   As an adult I have gotten to see many of those Thrilling Cities Fleming wrote about in his novels and in the book I am reading now.  And I am realizing I will never be that great photographer or that expert on foreign travel.   Or a great writer.  That is my third great passion.  I wanted to be a writer.   I have many great novels buried in my head that I have never written along with the great photographs I have never taken.

Fleming writes in Thrilling Cities "Zurich came and the banal beauty of Switzerland, then the jagged sugar icing of the Alps, the blue puddles of the Italian lakes and the snow melting down towards the baked terrazza of the Italian plains."   My photo above is taken from a plane flying over Zurich and Switzerland headed to Italy.   I could never have described it like Fleming.  I saw it.  I loved it and I photographed it.  Reading his book today I can see his words in my photo. 

I have been to many of the Thrilling Cities Fleming describes in his book.  I'll never have his words to describe them.  I'll never write the great travel blog and take the perfect photo about them. But reading his book today I have discovered a thread that takes me from a little movie theater in 1962 watching the movie from his novel Dr. No that leads me to my travel adventures today.  It's been a long journey.  But I have gotten to travel across that ocean my grandmother finally got to see before she died.  And I have gotten to visit the locations where my father was located in WWII that my parents never got to see.   And today my daughter is writing a novel based on my fathers  war experiences that I never got to write.   So it all goes full circle.  And we all have seemed to fulfill hopes and passions our parents never completed. 

I still have a bucket list of Thrilling Cities I want to see.  Thank you Ian Fleming for sparking that flame inside me.   And thanks to my Aunt Louise who bought me that first camera at the age of 8 which is still my inspiration.   And I am thankful my daughter has been inspired to write about the exploits of my father in WWII.  My oldest daughter is also a writer.  She has many wonderful ideas and journals for stories she wants to write also.   My mother once started a journal with the words "the flowers were in disarray."  She never completed the sentence.   The journal remained empty.    But we all have visions, dreams, hopes and inspirations.  To my two daughter I say :   Follow the dream, take on the fantasy, and follow the inspiration of those who were unable to complete their fantasy and leave a little unfinished work to inspire those who follow behind you.

Thrilling Cities await you.  Don't hesitate to find them.

My grandmother at Ocean City Maryland seeing the ocean for the fist time

Impressions on the Pirelli Tower - From two very different perspectives

Pirelli Tower - Milan Italy - March 2019

I have a very unique relationship with the Pirelli Tower in Milan.  It's important to me for several unique reasons that are important only unto me.   But even without my own skewed opinions it is a remarkable structure in it's own rite.  The construction of the tower started in 1955  I was three years old so it had no significance to me at that time or to my family.  I doubt my parents ever heard of the tower in their lifetime.  It was designed by a group of architects headed by Gio Ponti and Pier Luigi Nervi.  Ponti was a designer and an architect.   He created things ranging from coffee machines and chairs to houses and churches.  Nervi is considered one of the greatest engineers of his time who specialized in concrete structures.  Their combined knowledge and creativity led to the creation of a truly innovative skyscraper.

The most striking aspect of the tower's design is it's slender shape.  With Nervi's technical knowledge it allowed Ponti to design a tower with a very narrow base.   It is supported by concrete piers that decrease in size as the reach up to the top of the building.  The tower rises up from it's small base to a height of 417 feet.  Before it's completion there was no building ever in Milan that rose taller.  At it's completion it was the tallest building in not only Milan but also all of Italy.  Today in Milan alone there are many towers that are taller but for it's time it was a massive achievement.

So why is this tower significant to me?   I was planning a visit to Milan in 2002.  It would be my first trip to Italy.   At that time the Internet was still relatively new to me and I was having fun "surfing the web" and learning all kinds of new things that I never had access to studying before.   I was trying to do some research on Milan for the trip.   In 2002 there were not many true social websites.  But I did find a little Internet site named Virtual Tourist while researching Milan.  And one of the first things I read about was the Pirelli Tower.   I joined the web site and became a member of Virtual Tourist, loving referred to by it's members as VT.   I had no idea at the time though that I would have my own personal story to share about the Pirelli Tower and something I could write about on this new fascinating web page.  My introduction to VT was one of the turning points in my life.  I met many wonderful people from all over the world never realizing that one day many of them would also become personal friends that I would come to know face to face.  Virtual Tourist closed it's web site a few years ago.  It's time had passed  on and other communities like Facebook and Trip Adviser had taken it's place.  But the friends have remained.  And I still see many of these friends from time to  time on a regular basis.  So the Pirelli Tower has a very important emotional memory for me connecting me to that unique communities of travelers and good friends.

I was flying to Milan from Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC.   It was my first time to fly from Dulles.   It was in April 2002.  Six months after the horrific attacks in the United States on 9/11.   As I was sitting in the lounge area waiting to board the plane the TV monitor had a breaking news update.   The announcer asked is this another 9/11?   The Pirelli Tower in Milan has just been struck by an airplane.   Everyone in the lounge went silent and stared at the TV.  I had cold chills watching the news footage.  It did look like a terrorist attack.  And we were flying right into that city.  Nightmares of the aftermath of 9/11 hit me and I was trying to decide if I really wanted to go ahead and fly into Milan on this trip.  After lots of talking and thinking and soul searching my traveling companion and  I decided we were going to go ahead and fly to Milan if the airport stayed open.  But we were nervous.

Pirelli Tower after 2002 air plane crash.  I took the photo on our arrival three days later

The Pirelli Tower sits directly next to Milan's Central Station, it's main train station.  So when we arrived we would we be taking  the train to that station from the airport and we would see the tower upon our arrival.  When we did arrive we had a flight to Venice planned,  We would be changing planes in Milan and headed to Venice for three days before eventually staying in Milan.  There was much talk and speculation about the plane crash we when arrived at the airport in Milan.  But neither of us spoke Italian so we did not know what all was being said.  We did come to understand no one was sure yet what exactly had happened.  It was still less than 24 hours since the crash.

While in Venice the more of the story started to be unraveled.   On April 18, 2002 a Rockwell Commander 112 single engine airplane registered in Switzerland had hit the building.  The aircraft was scheduled to fly from Magadino Airport in  Switzerland to Milan. The plane was piloted by 65 year old Luigi Fasulo.   As the plane flew over Milan the pilot radioed to the control tower at Linate airport in Milan that there was a problem with the retractable landing gear.  The tower began arranging an emergency landing.  There was a mix up in communications from the tower.  The pilot's radio went off with another aircraft saying "No, they told you to land, not me!"  Minutes later the small plane hit the Pirelli tower.  Glass and debris littered the area and immediate surrounding.  Shop windows nearby broke from the vibrations.  The pilot and two lawyers inside the tower were killed.  All total between thirty and forty people were taken to the hospital with moderate injuries.  The nearby Central Train Station, the metro and Linate airport were shut down.   We were flying on to Venice from Malpaso Airport in Milan so there were no delays or cancellations when we arrived later that day.

Three days later when we returned from Venice we walked out of Milan's central station and still saw debris and glass on the street.  There was an active clean up still going on when we arrived.

My photo of the Pirelli Tower three days after the crash in 2002

When we came home I wrote my first travel tip on Virtual Tourist about seeing the Pirelli Tower after the crash.    VT and my written story are long gone.   But the tower and my memories of the day remain.   I was very excited to return to Milan in March 2019.   And very interested to see the building again after it's restoration. 

Larry and the Pirelli Tower - March 2019

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.

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