Author: harv1941

Just a summary, I am 84 years of age, retired in July 2013 and settled down to promoting the dangers of bacterial meningitis, which killed my beloved son, Mike in 2009. My wife, Charlotte, and I embarked on an adventure of live aboard cruising, aboard a large Blue Water motor yacht. While our beginning was rather fraught with hurdles, we continued to look forward to the day we moved aboard the Misty Lady and cruise the eastern seaboard and associated waterways. After more than four years of life aboard this Bluewater Motor Yacht, I developed an advanced problem due to interaction with medications and experienced rather frightening balance problems. Therefore, getting on and off the yacht was fraught with danger of falling between the docks and the boat's hull. Walking the docks was also problematic considering that our yacht club docks were all floating docks and my balance problem was a danger during the walk from our yacht's docking slip to the clubhouse or out to the DC Wharf facilities and our car housed in the yacht club's reserved garage. SO, we had to regretfully put the Misty Lady up for sale and move back on shore. We moved on shore, first into a condo apartment in Alexandria, then after two years there, we relocated to the city of Newport News, in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Our original desired location was in the city of Hampton, Virginia, which is the oldest English-speaking settlement in the United States having been established originally in 1610. My ancestors came to this country through this settlement in the mid 1600s and lived in that area for around 100 years before beginning a migration of one portion of our family toward the west. I looked forward to moving back to this area and exploring the roots of my family, both maternal and paternal ancestry, but we found a great house in the Newport News area and became ensconced in the terrific neighborhood of Kiln Creek. My wife, being still actively employed, received a substantial offer in a position with a government contractor firm back up in Northern Virginia. So we put the Newport News house up for sale, receiving and accepting an offer withing two days. We then relocated back up to the city of Alexandria and into another high rise condo. My wife reached a point where considerations for retirement were becoming very important. She indicated that she really didn't want to retire in Alexandria, so once again we began a house search in the Tidewater area, this time in the City of Williamsburg and in a community restricted to 55+ age owners. We found the ideal location, initiated the sale and closing for our retirement home. We then put our condo on the market. Alas, the market was not as robust as before so we had to change asking price a couple of time, but finally the Alexandria Condo was sold. Now we are set to enjoy the great locations found here in the Tidewater/Hampton Roads area, considering that we are history buffs and there are literally hundreds of historical sites in this segment of our nation. Of course living in Williamsburg is the epitome of history living life. So, now we are in our retirement home, in a great retirement type community. A great clubhouse with a fine dining restaurant, a grill/pub, an award winning PGA designed golf course and miles of walking trails. Looking forward to my wife's eventual full retirement and the two of us visiting all up and down the east coast historical spots.

Another Christmas In The Box

Well folks, we made it though another Christmas holiday. Of course we spent it with our close family, kids, grand kids and the newest member, the Grand Dog, Emmi. The Bride and I drove from our home in Williamsburg, along the beautiful Route 71 for the most part of our trip. A very pretty part of the journey path from this part of Virginia up to the Northern Segments.

It is always a treat to the old curmudgeon to spend time with these terrific people. We arrived at my daughter’s home around mid afternoon on Monday and enjoyed some good conversation, catching up on her life. She called out for some dinner and in my idiocy, I opted for a bit of the spicy mexican food. Love me some of that culture food. But pay for it later, with stomach issues, oh well, it was great tasting and we enjoyed each other’s company as we ate. No one having to cook!

The next morning was Christmas Eve, and our tradition is to have my son and his family join with us and my daughter to do the Christmas thingy, and let them spend the actual Christmas Day with my daughter in law’s family. Lots of good food, presents galore and wonderful seeing three of our beautiful granddaughters. Life felt very good all day with such happiness with these wonderful folks, my very close family.

The bride and I took our leave, packing up our bright red suv with our suitcase, and all the treasures we received from our Christmas celebration of gift giving. We gave my daughter a big hug in thanks for her hospitality in providing us housing and meals for our visit and climbed abord Big Read, pointing her nose toward the south and headed home. A good visit again but happy to head home to our comfortable house. The Bride again being the driver and me the commentator/napper. Hey I am quite a large bit over the 80 year mark and deserve to be the passenger along with a couple of short naps.

Oh, one final tidbit. On one of our Route 17 segments, the Bride slammed on the brakes, awakening the old man, to find that we were able to stop before hitting a large turkey crossing the highway. On our right side I was able to observer a couple dozen other turkeys who made it across the highway quicker and the one we almost hit was bringing up the rear of the herd/flock or whatever a bunch of loose turkeys would be called. Evidently they escaped from someone’s turkey farm or fence area. Great reflex from the Bride, and super brakes on Big Red. GM does a great job with their cars and saved us from a big collision with a big bird looking like over 25 pounds.

Anyway, hoping you all had a very Merry Christmas and enjoyed the celebrations. Onward!

Days till Nightmares Start

As of today, Wednesday, December 18th, 2024 we have exactly 33 days until our national nightmare begins. Planning and set up for this period of horrible times has already begun and we will face at least 4 years of the attempted decimation of our social structure, our individual rights and our over 200 years of democracy.

On January 20th, 2025 the Chief Justice of the once actual but no longer, Supreme Court, will administer the oath of office to Donald John Trump and at that point, will usher in our times of ongoing nightmares. One has to simply pay attention to what he and his merry band of clown car occupants have to say to understand that this Heritage Foundation manifesto for the Republic Fascist Party will truly be utilized in the decimation of our once proud and compassionate nation.

Now I am not attempting to do a Chicken little “the sky is falling” routine, trust in the actions and attempted actions from the convicted Felon Trump and his then government flukies were involved with during that previous nightmare of Der Fuhrer’s regime. Frankly, back in the early part of this final year of democracy, when i obtained a soft copy of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 manifesto for the destruction of liberty and justice for all in the good old United States, I was highly concerned, but nothing like what happened this past November when people lost their damn minds, or sat their fat ass on the couch rather than go vote and a declared national danger was elected by one of the smallest margins in the history of presidential elections.

Then I noted that several of my friends, seniors and other retiree folk were making plans to embark to other countries to spend the next four years with head down escapism. One couple I know were already shipping out to Costa Rica and planning to spend the next four years on their motor yacht cruising the Gulf and living in San Jose and Quepos. Others have indicated their preference for Great Britain, and Canada. But the old Captain is not going anywhere, both he and the Admiral are going to stay in our little retirement community with our heads down and pray that that fat slob and his fascist minions don’t screw us over too badly.

So, dear friends and not so dear friends, readers and not so actual readers, until 2029, may we all survive with at least a modicum of our humanity, our democracy, and of course our pension/social security.

As my favorite former SIL says “Onward”

Over the river and thru……

Yeppers boys and girls, the old Curmudgeon’s favorite holiday is upon us. In a couple of hours, the Bride and I will gather some clothes, pack up the gifts bought here in old Williamsburg for family, load up our Big Red GMC Terrain and head north for Thanksgiving holiday with the kids and grand kids. We truly will be going over the river (the York and Rappahannock) on Scenic Route 17, and through the woods (miles of them from Williamsburg and Gloucester, through Tappahannock, to Fredericksburg. ). But not to grandmother’s house, because we are the Grands, and we’re heading to my daughter’s for night rest, then my son and daughter in law’s for the Thanksgiving celebration itself.

The Old Virginian/Curmudgeon is looking forward to this visit, I love visiting my family members who are here in the mid-Atlantic region. We have relatives across the country, including California and Washington State. But the old guy can’t make those trips anymore. Over my career, before I retired, this old guy flew thousands upon thousands of miles in airplanes, and the service got worse as the times when on. Of course the prices kept going up, naturally. Gotta fill those corporate coffers. So, now if we go anywhere, it is mostly by our 24 GMC Terrain or hopefully one day next year by train up to New England/Cape Cod and there about.

Don’t get me wrong, I do get out of the house every now and again. Doctor visits, cancer treatments, and ever so often a visit the hospital for “procedures”. Of course, being Williamsburg residents, on the weekends, we usually head for our favorite restaurant, called “Not Another Pancake House”. Love it, good food, great service, friendly people, and now they know us by our name. Kind of like Norm in the Boston pub!

Living here in Williamsburg is truly a great experience. As some may know, I am a history buff and have been for most of my life. Studied history at university as well. So this area is so wonderful for me, because it is chockablock with history, from Jamestown to Yorktown, Hampton and of course our very own, Williamsburg. We are also a short drive from Hampton which is the oldest continuous English speaking settlement in the country.

Well enough rambling, wish us well as we hit the road on a holiday time. We will be NOT taking the 95 interstate, danger lurking each mile, but mostly one of the longest parking lots in the world.

Bags are packed, medicines and other gear included. Will be putting all in the back of Big Red and probably departing around 10am.

Wish us luck on the road???

Election Day Malaise

Today, this old curmudgeon has a hurting heart for our democracy. The voters have spoken, the ones who voted for the ChristoFascist Regime of Trump and his fascists in the House and Senate, the ones who sat on their asses and voted by idiocy for Trump through their inaction, and those Independents and Democrats who said they didn’t like Kamala. So now you have it, Trump and his cabal, coupled with their manifesto of the Project 2025, have the power unheard of in recent decades. At this point, the Senate is very likely to become a handmaiden for Trump and his Fascist minions. The Supreme Court is already a majority ChristoFascist Trump supporting organization. And at this point it does appear that the House will not only remain in Republican hands, but the GOP may very well drastically increase their majority.

So congratulations USA, and the citizens of this once free country. You have, through apathy/lazy assed attitudes, or simple cussedness, handed our democracy over to the forces making up the authoritarian regime of the Trump Republican ChristoFascist cult.

I have spent my entire life as a United States natural born citizen. Born in a Southern State,yet raised all over the country and internationally as a military brat, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of governments for the people or not. I attended four high schools during my time as a military kid because of my dad’s various deployments. But I was fully exposed and experienced cultures that many only read about in their civics, history, and social studies classes. I was privileged to have this wide set of culture exposure to all aspects of our country, from the worst to the very best. It made me very proud to be an American and a natural born citizen of the United States of America.

Through my varied travels, first as an Air Force dependent (my dad’s Army Air Corps/Air Force career), and then upon my coming of age, enlisting in the Air Force myself, through a significant number of states in this country, as well as times in international assignments both with my father’s career and later with mine.

As a civilian, I was employed as a computer systems engineer for a major aircraft company and was once stationed in the city of Tehran, Iran. It was here that my wife, three children and myself lived for over 2 years in a country whose religious officials exerted a significant influence on the overall government and the individual lives of the citizens/residents of that country.

Through all of my early years, I have felt my country was one that, while needing some adjustments, was among the best of all the nations I had visited or lived in. I was proud of the fact that our government, especially the early congress seemed to be able to come together, debate our laws and promote the best options for our people. Corporations cared about their communities and the influence they held there.

Both of our national parties back then had a good outlook for the people and in most cases legislated with an eye for the benefit of the citizenry as a whole.

The Republican Party during the Eisenhower era was for the most part was an honorable institution, and their party platform closely resembled what the Democratic Party platform was and still remains today. One simply has to use any search engine, locate that early (Eisenhower and earlier) Republican Party Platform, read what it said and they say, WTF? There was numerous statements in the Party of Ike that promoted things like labor movement/unions, equal opportunity, strong support for public education, and the rights of all of the American residents to be protected. Political representatives from both major parties in those days collaborated for the good of the people who voted for them each election period. Sadly no longer.

So we now have a revised Republican total regime that will assume control of our country on January 20th. Parts of this regime are already in place through the once Supreme Court, and soon the Senate, House and Administration will fall under this authoritarian group. Having read most, but not yet all, of the manifesto developed by the Heritage Foundation (identified as Project 2025), I am saddened and fearful for what our country, our people and our very way of life will be adversely affected in the coming four years.

Our once proud democracy is on the chopping block with Trump and his minions holding the axe!

My heart hurts for my country and its people

Where things Stand with US

Been quite a while since I took keyboard in hand and addressed this blog. Sadly I am also remiss in addressing my other blogs as well, but life goes on, I am at 83 still upright and breathing and my life is still looking not so bad.

Where are we now

Back in January of this year, my wife achieved a specific milestone in her life. She gained the status and birthday enabling her to join the greatest group, Senior Citizens, yea HER. During a conversation following her birthday, in our Alexandria, VA condo, she commented that she would prefer to retire, when that happened, nearer the water. Plus, she most assuredly did not want to retire in Alexandria, due to the hustle-bustle, high cost of living, traffic woes, etc. Having started a new senior management position with a new company, there was some concern that she could even consider a return to the area where there were many areas of water, rivers, Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic. In this new firm, she was fortunate in that she was hired with the status of remote/work from home, and as a bonus of having an excellent manager who embodied the very tenent of being the epitome of a strong, vibrant manager style. So it was decided at the end of our multiple discussions that she would approach her manager with the idea of her moving her remote location to the Tidewater area of Hampton, Newport News, or the History Triangle. Her manager agreed with the condition that she would report in person to the office on a reasonably regular basis. So our search for a real retirement location began with the agreement of her company’s management for this remote work location. YEA Us!

A large hurdle presented itself, purchasing a new home while selling our existing one. Remember at this particular time, interest rates were rather high considering where they were when we originally bought this home. It was a Condo Apartment in a very nice building, in a very nice neighborhood, but it was a bit pricey and our monthly condo fees were a tad on the high side for the area. Still we had on our side, the world’s greatest real estate agent! This lady was super, having sold our earlier condo home at a better price than we imagined, then later when we had to relocate back to NOVA, helping us locate and buy the current one and now she would help us sell that same condo apartment while we moved out of Northern Virginia and back to the peninsula area where the water environment was extensive and the cost of living significantly better than the Alexandria/NOVA area.

We located a great community in Williamsburg, VA and purchased a very nice townhouse unit there. But the condo sale was not moving as rapidly as we had hoped. So for the first time in our lives, we owned two housing properties, UGGGGH. We moved into our new house at the end of March, 2024 and our Alexandria Condo finally sold after an additional three months on our books, and even then at a very large reduction from our initial price. Thanks to the high interest rates!!! But it was done, and we were settling into our new retirement home. Ready to avail ourselves of the plethora of history locales in this area. Though I can’t do a lot of walking through these area, I can still get around using a scooter when they are appropriate and available or going to the driving tours of some places. A really great place to live, and to retire in.

What’s the status of my Cancer?

Well so far, I am still holding on. With the move from Northern Virginia and the great oncology team I had there, I had some concern about finding a good cancer specialist in this area. As luck would have it, we found an oncology practice that was connected through a parent company with the oncology group in Northern Virginia. My records, treatments, chemo prescriptions were all immediately available to the new penninsula group and my cancer fight was continued as if I were still with the other practice. Different Oncologist, and nursing staff, but still a practice of highly competent, dedicated professionals.

Just recently one of my chemo medications was changed to a different type. Stronger, and better at the next phase of my cancer program. Cost was considerably higher, but such is the environment of our medical environment and specially the cancer segment. At least the cancer staff for the oncology medications are working to keep me supplied with sufficient samples of the oral meds to get me through the year and my new insurance benefits will roll over making the cost much more acceptable. Oh yeah, the oral medication is a much larger pill and a larger dosage! But with a bit of water, I am able to get it down. Minor reactions, but actually increasing of the severity of the previous medications.

I am not trying to make light of this cancer invasion of my old body. Frankly, it terrifies me since many of my family and close friends have been taken from this life by Cancer. Anxiety, fear and of course depression are my companions quite often. In some months they become almost a daily companion.

But hey! I am still in the fight, I am upright, breathing, mobile, and still alive.

Things have changed though

2024 was a year of change for the Bride and I. She reached the first of the golden age, I was fighting cancer, heart problems, and other old guy stuff. But it was a good year for other things. In January we traded our Buick Envision SUV for another GMC Terrain. Remember, I loved the Buick, but we felt that it was time for a change. So our dark blue suv was changed to a very red suv and with updated electronics including a new approach to our navigation system. The new GMC was a bit larger than the Buick, but it had a smaller, more efficient drivetrain including all wheel drive and a turbo four cylinder engine. A very comfortable vehicle, especially comforting to this old guy when travelling any distance.

Our retirement house was very different from what we were used to. IT was a townhouse, and while we had actually owned a Townhouse style in Leesburg, this one was radically different. First of all it was the largest house we had ever owned standing at over 2200 square feet and three large bedrooms. It is in a senior citizen restricted community that includes a club house, a fine dining restaurant and a pub style cafe in that clubhouse location. There is an 18 hole award winning PGA grade golf course, tennis and pickleball courts, two swimming pools, one outside and one inside. So all in all, a great place for seniors to gather with others of their age ranges. Our house hosts a second floor two bedroom and bath, with a balcony overlooking the first floor. Char’s remote work office has been established in this balcony area. There is sufficient additional space for buffet style tables, a sofa, and other items, including perhaps a third TV. She is sufficiently removed from the rest of the house so her company activity can be conducted without outside interference. And the really great thing about this house is that the price was considerably lower than we paid for any of our Northern Virginia homes, except for the Leesburg house.

Sadly this past month, we had to say goodbye to the last of our four legged kiddos, our little kitty girl Penny left us to join her pals, Jessica, Norman, Dutchess on the other side of that Rainbow bridge. Another grief hole opened in our hearts with her passing and we have decided that there will be no more in our family. At our ages, the pain of loss of these loving little beings is simply more than our aging hearts can stand. So our household will now be bereft of the sounds of those little feet padding around our floors, or their little furry bodies curled at the foot of our beds. But we had their love for several decades, Penny with us for over 17 years before her leaving and Jessica our first furbaby was with us for almost 19 years. Through several moves, Virginia to Texas, back to Virginia, several homes in Northern Virginia, a home in Southern Virginia, and over four years aboard our classic motor yacht, Misty Lady (Dutchess and Penny despised those diesel engines) these wonderful little souls lightened our lives, gave us laughter, love and joy every day of their lives with us. They were not pets, they were family members.

I realize that I have been remiss in my entries to this blog and will try to do better. With the election coming in just a few more days, I will try to make every effort to offer my research results, my humble opinion and of course my old curmudgeon rants in more frequent issues. As our inlaw friend Kate closes her commentaries, ONWARD.

The Right’s Manifesto for Ruling

For several months I had been hearing about something called the Project 2025. But I was unable to gain any clarity or information at all, about what this was, where it was coming from, and who the originators/developers were. Then a few weeks ago, I was attending an online meeting with some of my old military buddies from our Vietnam days and that subject came up in those conversations. When the topic was brought into more focus, it was said that the Project 2025 was a collaborative effort hosted and published by the Heritage Foundation. The information shared at that meetup was that the Project 2025 was essentially a manifesto developed by many folks on the right ideologically, and hosted/authored/directed by the Heritage Foundation. It was described as a set of actions that were to be taken when a Republican Administration gained the White House and there was sufficient support in the Congress for the topics identified in the documentation.

Well, naturally this old curmudgeon was then very highly interested in this Project 2025 and what the members of the Trump Republican Fascist Party had in mind. Understand if you will, the attitude of the Old Virginian, curmudgeon that he is, about further exploring this latest information of the intentions of the ChristoFascist block of our nation. I have made it a horrible, but necessary, task of reading or watching as the case may be, of right wing publications, media venues, and speeches, as much as possible.

Having been a reader of such publications as NewsMax, Townhall, Epoch, the NYPost and other blogs, newsletters, radio broadcasts and as often as I can stand it, episodes of Fox News Entertainment channels. And let me say upfront, that calling up those right wing propaganda venues is tough for this old man. The putrid lies and comments/articles published in them, especially venues like that TownHall rag, are simply generated whole cloth out of the most egregious lies and misrepresentations that has not been seen since the early days of the Third Reich in 1930’s Germany. However, it is must be said emphatically, these publications and media broadcasts are the source of our rabid right winger’s philosophies truly the source of their so called “facts” In just one issue of the Townhall rag this week, there were four minimum assaults on the “liberals” and the “destructors of our America” directed at the Democratic Party and every liberal individual who does not kneel and worship at the altar of their ChristoFascist Fuhrer Donald J Trump.

And it retrospect, it began to dawn on me that I had heard about this Project 2025 in one or more of those putrid purveyors of lies and propaganda.

Eventually, after much searching, Googling, and other search engines, I came across a source for the Project 2025, at the Heritage Foundation website. Turned out this organization brought together some 400 participants to design this ode to theocratic/fascist change to our United States. I eventually found a source for the original soft copy of the entire document entitled as the Project 2025. After reading some of the documentation and of the Heritage Foundation commentary surrounding this document, I then discovered a list of those individuals and groups that were active participants in the construct of this far right manifesto. Among those multi-hundreds of authors/collaborators, were far right propagandists and anti-democracy groups such as Hillsboro Collage (or perhaps it calls itself a Uni now), Patrick Henry University, and a plethora of some of the most egregious rabid agitator-bullshit promoter groups and propagandists fomenting a fracturing of our country and its people. These were the creators along with the head creator, the Heritage Foundation. And frankly, what I read over these online files, scared the crap out of this old man.

A lot of the rumblings I had encountered in my perusals of online media alluded to actions similar to what I found at the site and within the first couple of chapters of the document itself.

I do have a soft copy of this Project 2025, not sure what reaction the right wingers, the RNC or the publisher/author Heritage Foundation might be though, if I were to offer this soft copy via another issue of the Old Virginian’s blog or perhaps on one of my web sites that address various topics of interest.

One will simply have to wait and see if there are any responses, requests for copies, or supportive commentary from any readers (if there are any readers ;-)) who would be interested in obtaining one of these copies.

So, for now, I will go back to my research readings (a sickening chore, but it must be done), to ensure that I follow the advice of men and women much smarter than I, “research your enemies, to know what dangers may lie ahead”. That is why I continue to delve into areas such as Townhall, Epoch, NewsMax, Newsweek, etc. Simply to keep informed of those areas where people are being brainwashed with rabid right wing ChristoFascist propaganda.

As a good friend of our prints at the close of her published commentary: “ONWARD”

Changing Our Lifestyle

On March 27, Char and I made another change in our living arrangements. This all started back in January of this year (2024) when we began to think more seriously about the aspect of retirement for the both of us. See, I had been retired since 2012 but Char had to continue being gainfully employed until she actually reached retirement age. She isn’t there quite yet, but that day is just over the horizon and we determined that we needed to make some real moves toward establishing our retirement environment and so we began to plan for the eventual day that she would give notice to her firm of the intent to retire.

It was painfully obvious to both of us that there would come a time when my being much older and not in the greatest of health, I would no longer be in the picture and she would have to go on alone. We decided that Alexandria was not where we needed to retire, firstly because of this cost of living in that metro area and the need for a more enjoyable locale. Alexandria is part of the Washington, DC Metro Area and as a result is rather crowded and rather isolated for human interaction. For example, we had been in our condo for over a year and had not met or communicated with any of the other residents. Oh we knew the concierge folks on the front desk and the two maintenance technicians. But none of the owners/residents were actually known to us, other than a nod on the elevator.

And so, with our decision made about retirement preparations, we began to search localities that we felt would be a location where we would be near the water, and in an area where the residents overall were more in line with our age and focus. We also wanted to be in an area where we would take day trips to interesting venues, focused on historical or quaint perspectives. This set of ideas causes us to return our attention to the Hampton Roads/Tidewater area of Southeast Virginia. We had no desire to relocate into any of the locations below Virginia and the western areas of Virginia were not of interest either. So we began our focused search for a new, retirement home.

This focus area was primarily on the Hampton/Newport News/Yorktown/Williamsburg area. We initially began our preliminary research in our former neighborhood of Kiln Creek, Newport News. But then a new discussion brought another requirement for our retirement home. We decided to look at 55+ communities, primarily in the Williamsburg area. A request to our Navy Federal Credit Union bought us a local real estate agent who was a participating agent in the NFCU real estate program. Our northern Virginia real estate agent (with whom we had done several housing deals) then vetted the agents from the NFCU program recommendation. Turned out this agent was terrific and within a short time we had decided on the Colonial Heritage community. We visited the community, looked over the facilities available to the residents of this development and toured two of the main home offerings.

On March 27, 2024 we closed on this new 55+ community home, and made arrangements for our moving company to deliver our household goods. We were home again!! Only problem is that we still owned the Alexandria Condominium and therefore now had two mortgage obligations!!

Our hope, and that of our super real estate agent (whom we consider part of our family), was that we would be able to find a buyer for the condo within a relatively short time. Oops, that didn’t happen. Seems the folks who actually were interested in the condo and were not turned off by the asking price, were then turned off by the very high condo fee! Seems that they were not excited about having a mortgage in today’s market coupled with a condo fee of just under a thousand dollars.

So, we paid two mortgage payments until July when a buyer actually placed an offer in our hands. Thank the Lord, we finally had a real buyer and our August outlay would only be for ONE mortgage. Yea US.

Now we are preparing to implement a set of final purchases/installations for our new home in Williamsburg, Virginia, a very historic area and part of the History Triangle, including Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. We are also right next to Hampton Virginia, the oldest continuous English speaking settlement in the North American continent and where my ancestors first came to this continent back in the mid-1600’s. So, lots to see and do,especially for us old history buffs and for the most part, these areas were very accommodating for folks like me who have mobility problems (mobile carts for rent). We are hoping that the family will come down to visit, now that we have a house large enough to accommodate visitors.

Sometime in the mid to late August we will restart our DayTrip activity, with several small historical areas to visit and write about. This activity is where we locate and then travel to the interesting and historic areas to visit, film and write about. So, keep a eye out. We will post in this blog as well as linking into and posting for Facebook. Not sure about the others, we are not familiar with how they operate yet.

So, a new evolving lifestyle change for the Bride and I. New house, new town, and new neighbors. What’s not to like?

Uneducated, Arrogant, just Rude

Have you ever been subjected to an individual who invades your space, cuts you off in traffic or intersection, refuses to allow you to merge at a construction site? Okay what about the person who pushed ahead at the coffee bar order station, or the concession stand at the theater or simply caused you to stop walking because of their actions of cutting you off?

Not sure really why we have become such a rude, insensitive bunch of boobs, over the past few years. I suspect it is somewhat related to the changes that society has moved into acceptable behavior. I am thankfully into my octogenarian age range now and I can clearly remember when our nation was full of people who were considerate and respectful of others. Police officers, military personnel, older citizens all were respected and politely interacted with. Neighbors were for the significant most part, respectful of your property rights, didn’t try to inject themselves in your personal or family business. BUT were there for you when you needed help, or information/advice at your instigation! 

Sadly that is rather rare. I was fortunate a while back when my wife and I purchased a standalone house in a well developed neighborhood. We had four neighbors who introduced themselves to us straight away. Share information with us about the neighborhood, the HOA folks, and where the local service facilities such as supermarkets, decent restaurants, and medical facilities. They clued us in on the golf course that wound it’s way through our development and was connected to a resort, including small hotel, restaurant, clubhouse, driving range, and putting greens. In short, they were open friendly and not intrusive at all. One of the neighbors introduced us to a great handyman who essentially was knowledgeable about our type of house, and the household items that most often required repair, a really super man of all trades just about.

We sold that house when my wife was offered a super position at a great increase in pay and benefits. I am retired of course so our focus is on her career, until her retirement time comes around. So, we sold that house and moved back into the northern part of our state. While much of her work effort could and would be remote/from home, the requirement was also there for physical office time which made a 400 mile round trip from our then house to her office and back simply not even a consideration. So that house went on the market and we purchased a condo home in the northern section of our state. We have now been in this condo unit for almost a full year (anniversary coming up in about 3 weeks), and we have met or conversed with one single person in this high rise condo building. Big difference>? you betcha.

While violent crimes, petty theft, and other criminal activity is found in the area we left as well as the area we relocated to, we felt quite a bit safer in the place we left, than we do in the current abode. Sad huh? Having spent a long career that required several job and location changes, I have lived in rural type areas as well as major city type locales. In my early times, following my military career, I also traveled for the companies where I was employed. Over my career, I accumulated over one million miles on commercial conveyances as well as my own vehicles, but mostly commercial travel (air and rail). In the latter years of my career, the travel by air became more of a trial each successive year. The seating got smaller, more cramped, the refreshments/meals became either totally non existent, or carried a substantial price for a crappy serving. The cost of this travel became quite exorbitant and worth less and less. Finally the day came when I had determined that it was time to hang up the laptop bag and briefcase, swap my dress shoes for sneakers, and my suits for track clothes or denims. So, on July 5, 2012 I joined the ranks of the retired old guys.

As I was the president of our condominium board, I had sufficient tasks to keep busy and engaged. Of course being the head of a condo board is not a walk in the park. Rarely do members of the association contact the board, especially the president, with compliments. It is quite often a compliant of some sort. However, after four years on the board, my wife and I decided to purchase a large motor yacht and become liveaboard mariners. We found an aged one, at 54 feet in length, purchased it outright with funds from the sale of our former condo apartment. At the outset, we discovered adage about BOAT, which refers to Bring Out Another Thousand and we did, many of those thousands. You see, our starboard (that is the Right side of the boat) diesel engine seized up, about two hours after we took possession. We had a very expensive and time consuming replacement of that engine with another one, acquired at a very high cost. So having the boat “on the hard” for almost six months and spending that time in a single room in a local hotel, we finally got the engine replaced, other items repaired or replaced, returned the Misty Lady to the water, and made the two day voyage to our final destination, the Washington, DC waterfront and the Capital Yacht Club where we secured a permanent slip to secure our floating home.

We found the folks who were our liveaboard neighbors to be friendly, helpful, and a wellspring of advice and knowledge about motor yachts and all the warts that come with owning and living aboard. We were overjoyed to be with a group of people who were kind and attentive to their fellow water residents. The attitude of our fellow mariners at the Capital Yacht Club was almost a 180 degree difference in the attitudes we experienced when we left the marina for shopping in a grocery store, or the local shops in the immediate area. Rude, sometimes quite concerning of potential violent reaction, we were inclined to drive across the river to the Arlington Virginia area looking for a more civilized environment. Alas, the area there was not much better. Still rudeness abounded, unfriendly attitudes toward others, and no concern about jumping the line for automobiles and human personage. EGAD, what happened to my great USA of the 50s, 60s, and 70s?

Well now we are ensconced in another high rise condo and have been here for just over a year. Withing over 260 apartment units, we have spoken to none of the residents, but have to the management staff who man the front desk of our condo tower. They are pretty friendly. A couple of days ago, an older Asian gentleman resides on our floor of the building, actually spoke to me on the elevator as we were descending to the garage area and our cars. I was dumbfounded at first, but frankly enjoyed the brief interaction with one of my fellow residents. However, think on this, in over 1 year of residency, this was the first and only conversation with a fellow resident. Maybe it was the cane I use for walking balance in my aged body.

Well, we are in the process to make a change for a more friendly area, but that is a topic for a follow on blog note. Keep checking on us?

And Now it Begins

December 12, was a good day and a bad day. First it was a good day because was the birthday anniversary of my Son Clifton. Born in 1966, he turned 57 that day, gad I am getting really old, my youngest offspring turning 57 years old.

Also that day was a bad or not so good day. Because around 9am on that day, I traveled to the offices (Infusion Center) for the Virginia Cancer Specialist organization whose medical professionals specializing in oncology cases to begin my treatment for prostate cancer. I have been assured that the treatment will not impair me like some cancer treatments do. I probably will not lose any more of my hair, but I may experience some uncomfortable side effects depending on how my body reacts to the cancer drugs they will inject this afternoon and those oral medications that I would be required to begin within a two week span following the first cancer drug infusion. Fingers crossed, as I have witnessed the onslaught of cancer the the effect of the treatments on several of my relatives. Concerned> sure, I would be an idiot to not be concerned. Cancer within my family has been quite frequent and fatal for those who are attacked by this dreaded disease. 

What are my chances? Well the medical folks are upbeat about my procedures and the chemo drugs they are prescribing. They believe the processes they are setting up (my oncology team), will win the day. I am sure that is the impressions from the oncology folks who treated my dad, my brother, and one of my favorite aunts. Nonetheless, they all passed in short order from initial diagnosis until their final breaths. So, anxious, concerned, and yes depressed are pretty strong in the old guy. Hells bells, I was 82 when they diagnosed my prostate cancer and then found that it had spread outward from the prostate to several other areas of this old aging body. Will they be successful or will Cancer claim another of the Hodges clan?

What ever, I guess. My lifelong philosophy has always been to concern myself with things I can fix or change and not to concern with those things that I have no control over. Cancer is in the second category, that while I hopefully have a very solid, professional and knowledgeable oncology team, Cancer is still very much in the forefront of my thoughts every single day.

While side effects and the fact that I am now an official Cancer patient bother me quite strongly, my major concerns are what the financial impacts this Cancer treatment will bring to my family, my wife and myself. While we have a decent, stable, income (I am on Social Security and my wife has a substantial position at her work), the horribly expensive medication and cancer specialist involvement are a grinding anxiety generation and cause me no end of anxious times through out the day. 

Should I lose this battle with cancer, what will I leave behind? Will there still be a crushing medical debt facing my wife and family? I was encouraged to take part in the online fundraising system called GoFundMe and after considerable thought, I decided to attempt that avenue that might provide a fund for paying for these cancer treatments and not leave a medical debt obligation on my wife. 

As we all know, medical bills are a huge reason for personal financial crises in this nation. And frankly only in this nation since every other developed nation has its populations covered under a Universal Health Care program. Would that be the case here, at least I could then focus totally on my cancer fight and not on how we were going to pay for the medications, the infusion costs and the costs of the oncologists and the oncology technical folks. Many in my family and my friends speak to me of this treatment or that treatment all that were successful for their relative or friend. My question is okay, tell me how much those treatments cost and how were the funds to pay them acquired. Social Security and Medicare do not offer a safety net for high cost cancer treatments, and the patient’s out of pocket costs are at least 20% and can range into the six or seven figure obligation for the patient and their family.

This is the link to that fundraiser if one is so inclined to assist/help in this fundraiser?

https://gofund.me/fac343b9

Again, this personal experience now reinforces the efforts and activism that I have been involved with on and off since 2003. That of replacing our commercialized health care system with a universal health care program like the rest of the developed nations have had for many many years. The USA is the only developed nation that does not have a single payer universal health care system in place. As a result, USA residents, and especially most senior citizens are adversely harmed by medical necessities. And it was not for trying, in 2003 the bill numbered HR-676 was introduced to the Congress at their opening by Representative John Conyers and a number of Co-signer/Supporters from the Democratic Party. The legislative bill did not get out of committee, being tabled by the Republicans and their health care industry executives and insurance corporation masters. Each new Congress, Representative Conyers resubmitted his bill to at least two and often to three different committees for consideration and possible move to the House Floor for debate. Each year, regardless of his enhancements, the bill has floundered in committee and not been released to the Floor debate. One would think that with the huge benefit to the American population that this bill would at least get a Floor debate. Finally in 2017, the last edition of HR-676 was posted to these three committees and still did not get out of committee for a full House review and debate. Conyers passed that year and HR-676 essentially died with him.

So here we are, with a GoFundMe application posted to Facebook and several kind souls having contributed to my battle, we are still a very, very long way from having a financial cushion for the cost of my cancer treatment/battle. I frankly am extremely concerned at this point with when my battle will be lost and what the cost obligations will be. Depression, fear, and Anxiety are with me daily, and in my thoughts during the night. My only hope is that either a win or sadly a loss will come fairly soon so that the financial burden is not to great.

So, I will leave this blog entry at this point. As things progress, I may create follow on commentary as to the status of my Cancer. Or, if there appears to be little or no interest in this topic, perhaps I might post on some other mundane topic.

Amtrak, Why we need it

 There is a lot of discussion today regarding the fate of the Amtrak train system in the United States.  Many are for it and many are against it.  Frankly, I am unabashedly for it.  I think that Amtrak should become a national railroad in every sense of the words.

Unfortunately the Congressional Republicans are pushing to cut the federal subsidy that was established when the private rail companies decided to eliminate their passenger rail system and the United States Government created a corporation to acquire and operate the passenger rail system. The federal government, focus on our ineffective Congress, should get fully behind Amtrak, provide full funding to not only keep the trains running, but to improve their rolling stock, and to expand their services to the smaller towns and hamlets in our country that have no reasonable access to public transportation. A major function the federal government should perform is to establish an Amtrak rail network. Currently the passenger trains of Amtrak are significantly dependent on the private rail freight company trackage which impacts the effectiveness and efficiency of our passenger rail system, and this should certainly not be the case.

Some or most of these private (stockholder owned) companies were once in the passenger rail business, but in when they encountered competition with the expanding popularity of air travel, these companies decided there was not enough of a profit center so they began the process of eliminating their specific passenger services. The federal government was very much aware that passenger rail was important to the nation and our people, so the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (later to be known as AMTRAK corporation), was formed, acquiring the rolling stock of the various passenger lines that were being eliminated by the private rail companies.

A brief Amtrak History

Every civilized country in the world (and some not so civilized), with the exception of the United States has a true national rail system.  Passengers in the European countries can move rapidly and comfortably on their trains between Frankfort, Germany and Rome, Italy and points in between.  Many of the rail systems in other nations offer high speed rail systems such as the Mistrale in France. The trains are clean, offer quality services and in the majority of cases are on time.  People pay for these services and the fares off-set the government expenditures this keeps the passenger ticket prices reasonable.  However, and this is important, they do not expect the train organizations to survive on rail fares alone.  Each national system is fully supported by the central government. Whereas the United States
Amtrak system is basically a federally chartered business partially funded from the Treasury Department as directed by the Congress. The entire system is impacted by the vagaries of Congressional malfeasance and biased roadblocks. Yet the folks at Amtrak have made great strides in maintaining and improving the passenger centric services at this large transportation facility. And they have attempted to keep prices within a reasonable ceiling. While prices are actually higher than they should be, a lack of consistent support from the federal government and the right side, do nothing bunch of Congress has caused problems with this system from the start. Yet the folks at Amtrak have made great strides in maintaining and improving the passenger centric services at this large transportation facility. And they have attempted to keep prices within a reasonable ceiling. While prices are actually higher than they should be, a lack of consistent support from the federal government and the right side do nothing bunch of Congress has caused problems with this system from the start and most of those have been financial causing the passenger rail tickets to be higher than necessary.

During a previous Republican administration and the people who make up that administration’s “brain trust” established by the president and vice president determined that the best thing for Amtrak is to pass a large portion of the operations off to the various states. This was presented as a way provide relief for the federal government and lead to better and expanded service.  Bullpucky, no such thing will happen.  One former member of the Republican Party in Congress attempted to push off the idea of selling the Northeast Corridor section of AMTRAK to a private company, simply because that particular subsystem was very profitable.

As for the stupid idea of saddling the states with another financial obligation, just simply another idiotic scheme of the GOP outliers to cut the federal government no matter what damages that action would cost. Our state and local government organizations are already stressed from initiatives passed by the federal government in past administrations and mandated that the states pick up the tab.  It make one wonder who the heck these people are, where they got the idea that the people of the United States want passenger rail services to be relegated to a couple of “commuter service” routes up and down the East and West Coasts.  There are a whole lot of people who don’t live on either of these coasts and they have to travel by private auto many miles to get to a public transportation facility (airport) for their travels.  Even then, because the majority do not live near a major airline hub, they are required to pay an exorbitant air fare to travel in a very uncomfortable conveyance.  And in increasing instances, with very uncaring service providers.

How train travel used to be

When, as a young man in the Air Force in the late 50s and 60s, riding a train was the only reliable method for me to travel from my military assignments to visit parents and family since as a newly enlisted airman, I had no automobile, nor the income to afford to buy one. Traveling by the interstate bus system back then was a good alternative, but was not a comfortable means for long distance travel. so, the rail system of the time (then totally commercially owned and operated) was the way I was able to visit my family. Those trains were well appointed, had full service dining cars, comfortable and good services in the lounge cars and sleeping accommodations were within financial reach of a young Air Force enlisted person. Travel by train was pretty much available for the majority of our states, counties and towns. Even small villages had train stations where one could buy a ticket and the ticket master would notify the rail company who would cause their train scheduled through the town to stop for passenger pick up, even for one or two people! Trains were very available and most places were either blessed with a station or were very close to a location for a station.

But then the airlines noticed a large market in people who were riding the trains and they began to lower their fares to compete with the passenger trains, and people opted to travel by air because it was a faster mode. Passengers on the rails began to drop off, and frankly back then the airlines actually provided a great experience, with decent meals provided at no additional cost, the seats were comfortable with plenty of leg room. Of course that was soon to change. Once the airlines saw their passenger volumes begin to grow, they found several “crises” to justify increasing the price of a ticket, add special fees, the meals were no longer included in your ticket price, and the seating got smaller and closer.

Today of course there really is no competition. The airlines do whatever they wish, impose the most obnoxious fees for the stupidest reasons, their seats are uncomfortable, the bottoms rather hard (thinner cushioning), the leg room is negligible and if the passenger in front of you decides to recline his/her seat back, your tray table slams into your stomach. This simply is not found on the Amtrak passenger cars, seating is very comfortable, there is plenty of leg room and even a foot rest is there. If the passenger in front of you decides to recline, there is no interruption of your seating space. Your laptop on the tray table will still have plenty of room.

Simply stated, Amtrak is a wonderful way to travel in our country and the Congress should do the job that citizens elected them to do, FUND the Amtrak at the necessary level to maintain a viable, comfortable and desirable method of intercity and national travel.

I personally have traveled from the east coast (Washington, DC) to the west coast (Seattle, Washington) aboard the Amtrak rail system and it was a most enjoyable vacation trip including the wine and cheese tasting sessions during our travels.

Frankly, I will only travel by Amtrak and private automobile. Will NEVER take a trip on an airline again. If Amtrak doesn’t go there, I don’t need to go there either.