IS THIS THE EMERALD CITY? - Nope it’s DAVENPORT.

Davenport, Iowa or as some of the locals call it “Da - port - of- Ven”. Now I must admit that I never saw “Ven”, nor any street signs pointing to such a place nor did I really hear any of the locals use that name, but it could be, so don’t be so quick to say -“Oh sure, Da port of Ven! Yeah - Really! You are such a nay-sayer! It could be true!  

OK then, the City of Davenport is a neat, clean and friendly albeit a small city. We drove in around 6:00 pm on Saturday night and there was still a lot of day light. Now for a Saturday night the place was not jumping but there was life. Davenport, like many cities along the Mississippi has gambling and casinos in boats which are tied up to waifs and docks. I guess being on the river lessens the need to force the crying losers back to shore, since you can just give them a good shove, and into the moving Mississippi they go. I didn’t gamble, having earlier met that roving census taker and as already in the hole for $75.00.  But Davenport is more than a city on the banks of a great moving river and bad luck, it has academic laurels of scientific excellence which are competed for between local St Ambrose College, a small Catholic liberal arts college and Palmer College. You never heard about Palmer!          Lynn and the Mississippi in back 

Apparently you are not well read or educated, huh?  

                                                                                                                        

Mr. Palmer, or Doctor as he referred to himself without degree or training, originally founded, discovered or just simply made up chiropractic medicine here in Davenport. It‘s like acupuncture, with no pins, no science and no four to five thousand years of cultural history supporting its conclusions about human health and healing. In one of the window of the school where Dr. Palmer, assumed his degree and title, and where he allegedly did his studies and reached his conclusion, there is a picture of the good doctor looking more like a wild man from some far off land or the missing link or an old hairy guy who touched one of those electric gadgets that makes your hair and beard stand out straight from your head. He was really lovely, a man to whom I would trust my health. Anyhow Palmer, the school that is, since I don’t know where the good doctor rests, is located in Davenport and is one of the locals point of pride. 

Yes, that and the Mississippi, one which I can’t understand its support and success and the other may have been a mere gift of happen-stance by a geography textbook publisher which referred to the river by name and may have confused the location of the "Quad cities" which are now five.  But that’s Davenport for you, filled with it’s two self appreciated items of pride!

    We checked into the Radisson and fortunately got their last room. Busy weekend huh? Our room was interesting to say the least. It was designed for octogenarians who needed to hold on to a stability bars just to change their minds. There were more bars in the adjoining bathroom than a lot of prisons have to control vicious inmates. Oh well we had a room - bars and all, Ok, Ok, so i did find the stability bars helpful when getting in and out of the tub, on and off of the can and putting my pants on and basically getting around the room. Now at night, it was rough. With the light out, banging into one tubular bar and then jumping back into another  kind of like a pin-ball machine with out lights but with plenty of metal bell sounds! 

   We went for a short walk, found a nice restaurant, The Wood fire Grill, next to The River Music Experience. Actually you could be at both at the same time, if the door to the restaurant was left open as it was often. Mom and I had a good dinner. I had prime rib, my favorite - don’t tell my cardiologist! After our meal we strolled went back to the hotel, not wanting to be on the empty streets of Davenport after sundown, Empty that is, except for some off-key folksingers practicing and a few elderly couples arguing where they parked their car. I’m sure glad Lynn and I are not like them, By the way, where is our car?

The following day was Sunday, got up and went to have breakfast, walked over to the downtown Catholic Church, Saint Anthony’s. Now Florida was admitted as a state into the Union in 1845 and St. Anthony’s was already founded in - 1838. Ok so your not impresses, but I was. I met Mom taking her morning walk on my way back. It was she who found the plack saying that Dred Scott also passed through Davenport while still the property of some physician No, no, not Dr, Palmer. Apparently Dred’s owner was connected with the US Military as a physician. He may have been the man that Dred Scott sued to try to become a freed man once he got to the non-slave state of Illinois? I’ve got some research to do! Oh well we are on the road again - this time we are heading south towards New Orleans and Robin, eventually but we do have some intermediary stops. Will I see you at the next chapter?

LEAVING CHICAGO AND HEADING WEST OR LOOKOUT IOWA - Here we comes!

Next phase of this fouled up and late edition of our trip.------Tommy had given us superior insider directions on how to get out of Chicago - a simple way. I think he was being kind to his mother and apparently had heard about my driving talents. Now although Chicago certainly has its share of major highways and interstates, it needs them. It has millions of tons of freight that passes around, through and into it as well. The “working city” as Studs said of the third largest US city.(Although they still haven’t changed the name of the Second City Comedy Club and theatre.) On our way into Chicago, we got into to a traffic jam which was probably less than five miles long but it took nearly an hour and half to get through it. In an attempt to miss that experiences going out, Tom gave us his secret directions through the western suburbs - their traffic and red lights. I initially thought he was getting even with me for some recently unearthed but previously repressed memory, but driving through the “burbs” allowed us to see the horizontal layers of Chicago’s ethnic infusion. Initially the commercial warehouses with various European family names, proudly displayed even if in the need of repainting followed by Afro-American communities and their kids and shops touting groceries, clothing and music then the more recent Hispanic community with their bilingual signs, artistically shaven young men, kids and omnipresent religious respect for the virgin of Guadalupe. Each reminded me of calm ocean waves, which brought the newest American to this place , after the previous waved settled in.to the shore.

Oh well enough of my “Ain’t it a Great Country” social philosophy along with the fact that three my Grandparents and one of Lynn’s were also waive riders. Onward to Iowa!

As we left the urban areas of northern Illinois, it was amazing. Farms - no, not just pretty little “Grandma’s Farms”, these were enormous and flat. Oh there were farm house and building and silos but there were miles between these signs of the presences of humans. As we spoke, Lynn noted that it was easy to see why folks that came from this kind of life style and environment were believers in hard work, starting early and ending late as compare to those who support and/or receive the benefits of socially concerned program in the cities. In the farm belt, you work to eat, to live and it appeared to be real hard work.

I found it interesting that although there were acre after acre, nothng was actively being grown. There were miles and miles of corn stalks that had been cut with in a foot or so of the soil, and the rest of the stalk was left in the field after the corn had been picked last fall. I am guessing that the corn farment were still no assured that ther would not be another freeze to damage any new crop, if they were planted “just a little bit to early”.

By the way Northern Illinois has an unusual procedure, they do a road side census. No really, as we were buzzing along, one of these census takers, as I call them, encouraged us to pull over and respond to some questions like -.“Did you know that you were going 82 mph? Is there a reason for not going the posted 65 mph? Did I have a valid driving license? Was the address on my license, my present address?” Actually there were other questions but I can’t remember all of them but at the end of his census, the local official gave me a certificate. Really, a certificate, which by the way he told me that not all visitors with out of state license get. I guess coming from Florida and all. What is odd is that although we received this special certificate, I have to send it back in a month with a check, I guess that the state of Illinois is not doing to well financially since they don’t have enough certificate for others and need some public charity from we “outer staters“! Actually the “census taker” made a suggestion that he would taken cash to help us out since he knew how troublesome it might be to sent as certifies or cashier’s check. I thought that that was a kind sentiment but told him not to worry, I’d do it first things when we got home. What a sweetheart, huh? (This is not a joke - it happened!)

LATE EDITION (A) - SORRY!

WELL HELLO AGAIN! SORRY FOR BEING OUT OF TOUCH but did you consider that it might have been your computer‘s fault? No, not you! Always my fault, huh?


Well we have been busy traveling but you knew that already. However my computer skills are not great and I ran into a little trouble! Well lets see where have we been.

We left Chicago three day ago, Oh and by the way our leaving was not event less. No, Tommy nor Keenan didn't put up any fuss about us leaving, nor did Tom or Susanna complain about that either. Actually, and I may be wrong, but I sensed that they all had at look of - well how about “Thank God they’re leaving!” Now that I think of it, they seemed to be planning some sort of celebration for later that night and after we left - I don’t know what holiday it was - but in Chicago, do as those Chicagoians do! I guess?

The night before we left, we were taken out by Susanna and Tom to a wonderful dinner in only one of the great number of wonderful restaurants in Chicago. I think that you could go to that city and keep a fork in your hand and never regret that you had it with you - hour after hour. Our food and the conversation was so great, that I have forgotten the name of the place but it was great too - did I say that already?. After dinner, Tom drove all of us to Mother Hubbard's where Jud works and we were given a special table and free drinks. No bad for a cheepo like me! The Blackhawks were in a playoff series for the Stanley Cup and they won in over time - The crowd was rowdy and supportive of their Blackhawks - it was lots of fun. By the way I guess you now know that The Blackhawks did win their following game, and are in the Stanley Cup finals. Well we were tired, so we left even befor the overtime was over. I was still sad to say goodbye to Jud but hopefully I will hug him again and again in the future. Hey, Jud, read that Alan Alda book and go to or back to some acting school - you are a natural. I’ll pay if you guarantee Mom and I front seats in your first starring role!

The next day, Saturday, Susanna had to report to the McCormack Center for some work at a convention of restaurantures, so off she went early and befor anyone else was awake except the family’s insomniack, me. Hugs, kisses and Good-bye-good byes! She is one hell of an asset to our family.

Tom, always being the good father had made plans to go to the Fields Museum of Sciencxe and Industry, I had a secret idea that since that museaum is near the University of Chicago, I would sneak over and get a Tee shirt saying something which could imply that I was a graduate. You see, the university is well respected for the teaching and development of conservative economic theories and theorists, and me wearing one of their shirt, I thought, would be a a real act of public sarcasm. Well Lynn kept telling me that South Chicago where the Universit is located was a real bad and dangerous neighborhood like the Visigoth hung out there or something. Well I must admit that having not brought my broad sword or ax, I have reconsidered and will e-mail in my order.

The Fields Museaum of Science and Industry is a real unique asset in the Chicago community. Tom had planned that we and the boys all go there and become educated as well as give the boys something to do outside the house during the morning. So after breakfast, we went. Let me tell you, this place is spactacular! It’s spacious. Look it up if you don't believe me! There were kids of all ages running around from exhibit to exhibit - some of the kids were Grandma's age - I sat on an assigned bench and tried to read. There was however a cyclone and lighting display which repetatively blasted off and scared the "readability" out of me! But the boy’s were enjoying everything. We eventually did , although I was a little shell shocked, returned home and began to pack since our plans were to get on the road (again) by 1:00 pm. Well in order to get on the road(again) and to put the bags in the car, we had to open the car. Yeah, well there was a problem! Mom pushed the door release button on her keys - Opps ! Nothing.- Pushed it only about a dozen more time - same result - or better said no result! Car Doors locked and Mom had left the actual door key back - well let say it was sucure on her dresser in Miami- Yeah! MIAMI!

Well never one to accept defeat, I thought since we had no commitments and therefore limitless time, we could push it for the rest of the vacation, but after a half of a city block - I thought that a personal visit to a local cardiologist should be added to our travel plans. No, we didn't push - Lynn would help so we called AAA - You know for fellows who had a drinking problem earlier in their lives, those guy from AAA are really knowlegable and helpbul. Mom did find a secret key tucked in her “Wizz Bang” decoder keep change and we were able to physically open the car doors and then the hood and Eureka - there it was - OUR DEAD BATTERY! The local AAA came along goosed the battery warned us against traveling with out going to a Toyota dealer and having it checked out but we knew better. I mean I don’t know about which end of a screw-driver to hold on to, and Lynn had the same quality of technological insight when it come to hammers or similar tools. So off we shoved - no dealership and no problems as of the time of this writing!

I’ll write more later today but we are in Biloxi and we are leaving for New Orleans latter, I still have fourteen dollars and some old buttons to donate to the Beau Rivage casino. By the way numbers 14 and 27 paid off last nigh, how come the rest of your birthdays are not coming through - I down $80.00

Frrday - Next to the Last day in Chicago

Well, today is Friday May 21st. Actually since we are in a Mid-West city and they are applying something called a ""different time zone, It may not be be Friday where you are. But anyhow and what ever day it is or will be, we are leaving tomorrow (Saturday?- maybe). 

We saw Jud last night and I hoped to see him again but now I have been told that last night was our good-bye.  Some how I missed that deadline so I think that I will force the famuily to drop bye  Mother Hubbard's and say good bye - I know a bartender, who works there, so maybe I'll buy a round or two of free-ones for the family.  Aren't I such a giver!

Today we took Kennan, Tom and Susanna's youngest child to a wonderful Chicago Children's Museum.  Kids all over and then some - I think that the local teachers are filling their end of year class days with field trips Bottom line it was fun and Nainai (Chinese for Grandma) seemed to enjoy herself as did Keenan,  Downtown Chicago is enormous and has sky scrappers whose upper floors were not viewable due to the low hanging clouds.  But it really is big and filled with beautiful buildings.  Lynn and I hare seriously thinking of coming up for a few month in the summer.  It is over run with great schools and cultural events  and wonderful restaurants- but the first chilly wind - I'm Miami bound!

Tomorrow we will leave after lunch and drive to Davenport, Iowa - Yeah, you're right Mrs.V has never been to Iowa.  After Iowa we hope to make it to Hannibal Missouri, home of Mark Twain. Actually his name was Samuel Clements, but he could never spell it correctly, So he adopted the navigational answer to " How deep is it?" ----- "Marktwain"  I'm not sure that the word or words ever meant anything but at least the sailors on duty could yell something back without cursing or sounding dumb!  I mean how would a Mississippi River steam boat Captain have reacted  to a "HUH?" or What'ja say? So how much more am I going to write?  MARK TWAIN!  Write some more tomorrow  maybe!

Chicago - 2nd Day

This morning as we did yesterday, we went to our Grandson Tommy's pre-school classroom  to meet his teachers and see the environment.  Frankly Tommy is doing better than a certain Grandfather of his.  Yesterday he got three "Happy faces" - Pretty good huh? Well if you are not impressed - how many happy faces did you get?  Here is an extra photo of "TD Jesue - He is not my grandson but to others are Tommy and Keenan.They are part of our Chicago family and they are great to be with. By the way the weather is great alsdo - sunny and in the seventies!

Chicago 1st Day

As you may know we made it to Chicago yesterday afternoon and because I was dragging, I didn't do any writing last night, so make believe that you got yesterday's news paper today or another way to look at it is that you subscribe to  - The Miami Herald!

 

Before we got to Chicago and Susanna and Tom's family and home, we stopped in South Bend, Indiana and Notre Dame University.  Really was impressive even in the cold and rainy weather. I am guessing that the regular classes had already ended for the  Spring semester since there was a lot of construction going on and very few students - also most of the tee-shirts at the book store  were heavily discounted. Some other comments about the book store, books are expensive, huh? The titles certainly reflect the academic beauty of a university. If the topic which the test book generally undertook as assume  "A100", what ever that could be, the books according to their author's comments and title and sub-titles and chapter headings and cover notes on the dust jackets deals with the limitless divisions of "A100" and the prior, present and future implications and cultural influence on the society as it was, has been and will be until next year when the author and interestingly the class' professor of the particular course will write a follow-up version of the text so that the incoming student who must take this course to graduate will now have to buy a new test and the kids with last years version are left with a limited function of a doorstop or a consumer of space in a land fill. Colleges seem to have gotten allot more concerned with the gathering, testing  and dispersing knowledge.  I guess the collegiate aims of Beer, Buds, Girls and draft deferments have fallen to a lower priority then it was for one of us in this conversation.    

Lynn and I walked the ND campus and no joke we must have walked for 5 miles - at least that's my opinion.  Much of the building, although stately, look ed very new. Everything was orderly and spotless. We went to find the stadium,- the Home of the Fighting Irish, but there appeared to be no fight in them, it was inactive or we must have frightened  them since we were Noles and they haven't done so well against us in some of their recent events! Anyhow we walked and walked, and at one point I thought that Lynn was looking for a Catholic priest to give me the last rites since I was breathing hard and trailing farther behind with no possible hope of catching up. Of course we saw a lot of the campus and it was impressive.  There is the mosaic which is commonly referred to as "Touch-down Jesus" which is on the outside of their library and faces the football stadium.

 Well that was it for Notre Dame, we have some more pictures but I'm not to good at combining photos and the blog

So we went off to Chicago and visited with our grand children.  Today, we were able to go with Keenan to a local city kid's park filled with young kids, infants and their nannies. Tonight for dinner, Lynn and our son,Tom made dinner.We are having black beans, rice and churasco - I'm telling you I have been morphed in to a traveling but true Florida Cubanaso!

Good Morning from the suburbs of Newton Fall, Ohio

Yesterday we beat the area know as "Four Corners" which is where four western states join at one point and therefore you could be in four states in just a short time. We, yesterday were in Five States - count them and weep! Ok so it took us  +/- eight hours.  But here they are - Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsyvania and Ohio.  Yep, I'm such a good husband and even Lynn impressed with my "Getty-up and Getty-along" - This is another first for Mom's geographic hunger! This westward moving stuff must be in her blood - "Wagons Ho!" 
We had lunch with Chip and Dara and the babies, opps! - Ava is not a baby. Afterward we all hurried to our respective cars like it was the beginning of a Daytona 500.  It was raining so we each had to hurry.  In fact it rained all day but it was still drivable.  We went from lunch to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and visited the national park.  The weather beat us back so we didn't see very many authentics things except two over weight national park rangers.  In fact the route to Harpers Ferry was rather indirect in that we really did repeated some of the route to get there: Once the GPS advised to go to the left at an intersection and we drove throught some beautiful farming country but it brought us back to the same intersection where the directions were revised - go right! I think that the local may have thought we were straglers from John Brown's raiders and wanted to confuse us - they did! By the time we found the National Park display area, we were confused and tired.  Maybe that what happiened to JB and his gang, when they finally reached the armory (somewhere in the National Park, I assume), they were so thanksful to have found something, they raised their hands to God in praise and the locals thought that they were surrendering or something - took them into custody and to bad for John!
Last night we had hoped to reach Pittsburgh but were able to go for another hour +/- and got into Ohio. Nothing against Ohio but a few more "0" in its name would not have lessened it's significance. ( Sorry Sen. John Glenn!) We stopped at a Holiday Inn Express near a place that the local call a town. Newton Falls, Ohio!  Truely one of the smallest places next to Tallahassee that I have visited. We regestered for $29.00 dollars ( Don't I wish!) and planned to go to dinner  so we aske the two ladies at the front desk - Bob and Billie.  They gave us direction - first go east out side hiyar - out front then make a U-turn and come back west, you'll pass our driveway  and don't take the first left but you wanted to go a piece and then go left! ( This is probably the only injunction to "Go Left" ever heard in Ohio's history.) Actually we went to a couple of place for dinner.  No it is not that we were hungry which I was, but the first place was a "italian" pizza place",  I mean how bad could the folks of Newton Falls screw up pizza!  Well for beginners the spelled it "pissa", (Now those "SS" may have been backward "ZZ", I don't know! but the thing that clinched the dal for Mom and I was that you could have a drink with you "pissa" but the food was served on the first floor and the "suds" were served on  the second. I was to thirsty and tired to enter the Newton Fall's dinner olympics.  We reconsidered and went to the other "Italian" restaurant of NF.  No as competitive as the first choice since they served wine at the table of your choice and where the food was going to be served. Being wine connseurs, we chose the "red" over the "white", and "cold" over the "warm" - those being the selections.  Intersetingly the Itailian resteraunt Numero Dui' was owned by a Greek family. Should have known!  The Mama was the boss, her son was the cook and the son's wife was the waitress.  Actually the waitress was a talkitive sweetheart, she had come down from Cleveland or somewhere to invite the present cook to her prom and now they are a Greek Authodox husband and wife- no kids yet!  I was gong to explain the "birds and the bees" but Mom kicked me under the table!
 Today we hope to get to South Bend and thereafter Chicago to see the family.  By the way Maryland and Pa. are filled with Civil war site of historical note - we should plan a "Civil War trip" with my Grandchildren and their parents ( if the grands invite you) - I mean real Civil War sites - we need to get prepared to put down the "Tea- Partiers" - one way or another! 

Travel is so exciting!

As the title of this entery indicates - Travel is so exciting! This morning as an example of this topic, I sat in a Jiffy Lub.  Oh sure I just saw you yawn - but this suburb of Washington, DC is as cosmopolitan as you can get.  The fellow who waited on me looked hispanic to me so I broke out in my pigeon spanish - actually even pigeons can't understand me!  Well the fellow looked at me as said - "What?"  His father was an Irishman and his mother was from India.  While waiting for the oil change and a few other but experience modifications, there was a fell also waiting with me but he was wearing a hospital coat with an caduesus symbol. Obviously this guy was a doctor - WRONG! He was a geologist who teaches at George Washington University.  He came initially from Venezuela, Unfortunately his wife got ill and they didn't have any insurance at the time - so the hospital waived much of the costs-He inturn now serves as a volunteer once a week.  The young lady who checked me out and to who I paid $$$$$$ had a jacket on which had "Domingo" in the name space -  Nope wrong again! She was fair skinned Afro-american who has been given a new chance by the manager and the crew.  We are about to go and have lunch with Chip, my son in law who was fishing this past weekend with his Dad and brothers which gave Lynn and I a chance to visit and "babysit" some what?  Good time!  After lunch we are going to W.Va. and Harpers Ferry and then north-west towards Chicago.

May16th - Notes about 14th and 15th

        Well, as Santa was told in my last message "there is a Virginia" and it is lovely but not exactly like Florida.  After making our planned first landing at Dara and Chip's house, ( Our daughter and her family's home in Vienna Virgina ) we kinda of unpacked and enjoyed Cal and Ava, our grandchildren.  Needless to add, we are keeping these two.  Our daughter told us about a party which a fellow lawyer and neighbor was having and invited us.  I have never been know to miss a Party - so we all went.  No joke there are so many interesting people in the world.  We met a fellow who was born in London, lived in Switzerland, France and a few other places that I have forgotten and who now works at  the internation office of Marriott Hotels in DC in some high level administrative position, another guy, who was the lawyer and had gone to Catholic University and studied communicatons law (Two Catholic lawyers in one place - kind of makes you worried, huh?), a third guy, whoes name was Hart, was a University of Maryland graduate as was his wife, and is working with some semi or wholly secretative group which is concerned with internet security.  Not penny-anti stuff - but international expinage and terrorist internet incurrtions.  He was so deep and thoughtful that I corraled him for most of the evening.  He and I carried on a conversation for a lot of the late evening.  Nothing dealing with state secrets or the likes but still what I would say was heavy duty topics - the determination of the crediability and reliability of various on-line information sites, the trustworthyness of online information, the effect of the non-war times of the eighties and ninties on that generation view of the world and how to react to a more war like times ( NOW), the tea-partiers and their willingness to accept, believe and pass on information which at best can only be understood as mis-information as connected to a potential racist reaction to our President. 

Sorry but these people were so intersting I really got lost in their ideas and my miscommunications and questions.  WOW!  How blessed was I - Oh and the food was good too as was the Mexican beer!

But the one thing that occurred which I felt was odd and fearful - there we were on a mid-May, reasonably warm night and out of the sky came - not rain  or  super-man but ICE!  Big chunks or car damaging ICE!  As we were driving to the party it began.  "Bang, Boom Bamb" loud and strong - hitting the car and expecially the  windows and the moon roof - Grandpa doing what Grandpa's do best, kept saying "Isn't this interesting! All the while seeing other cars pulling off of the highway and stopping, as these chuynks of Ice slamed agains anything that the wanted to like a kid who was tossing rocks at anything he wanted after loosing his temper!  Photo below was our host's deck post Hail storm! 

Hallelujah!!!!

May 14th - 2:30 +/- pm    "Yes Santa, there is a Virginia!"  First goal reached! Thank God.

Breakfast at Feyetteville

Good morning, just returned from Breakfast.  Now we are a large country and there are lots of people. so meeting folks from all over isn't strange,  Well next to us sat two nice looking and very athlethic young women. One wearing shorts with "NOLES" printed on them and the other had a tee shirt with "UM" on it.  Kind of scary, huh?   Here sit Lynn and I - I graduated from FSU and Lynn from U of M - weird! They too were traveling to Virginia and their home.
There was one "rather small" incident - you see at this Doubletree, they have an "All you can eat buffet", knowing that there were no more of Cuban sandwiches in the cooler, I figure I would not limit my caloric intake since I was not sure when or what I would have to eat the rest of the day.  Initially, I thought that I would just look over the options - there were both cold and hot choices. My logic was that I would go for the "cold" stuff first since they looked like they had lower calories - still watching my weight ( as it goes up!)  Anyhow, to the cold side I go - a container of yogurt with fruit - healthy huh?, glass of orange juice - still on theme! And then I go and get a bowl as I approach three different dry cereals, each one in some see throungh or at least a somewhat opaque if not clear plastic dispensors.  Now besides making the choice with regards to which of the three cereals I was gong to eat, I had never used these plastic machine like dispensors. Oh well how hard could it be - I mean I met some of the locals and they all seemed well fed, so here I go!  Bowl placed properly under the shoot and my other hand on the release handle. OH NO! AS I pushed down the release handle, beleving that it would only release one bowl full - WRONG!!! My mistake was apparent but my sneakers weren't.  All over the floor and my sneakers, and much of the immediate area was covered with granola.  Healthy Granola!!! The machine again beat the man - apparently the released handled has a reverse option so that you could just get what you needed and leave!. Opps!  I, on the other hand, didn't know that reversiable opotion and now had enought cereal to feed much of the needful world - that is if they didn't mind my sneakers or the rug.  Oh well I'd like to write more byut we are about to sneak our of the hotel before they bill us for the extras at breakfast. 

First Day on the Road

Thursday has come and gone, we made it to Fayetteville, NC. Our odometer statrted at 12012 drove tthrought Fla. and Ga., stopped for home packed lunch at rest stop just north of Ga./ S.C. line,  Not bad, I would have complained about the dogs but three of them beat me and complained to the ranger about me first.  Heck I saw them peeing in the bushes how did I know that was not a universal allowance after all we were in South Carolina.Thank God for Lynn. She bought me a Cuban sandwich before we left Miami so the withdrawn from our community would not be as painful.or cold We drove in excess of 715 miles. We shared driving - so far we have not had ( to many aqrguements). We hope to be in Vienna Virgina at a daughter's (Dara and Chip's) home with Cal and Ava some time this (Friday) afternoon. See you tomorrolw - if anyelse is watching or reading!  Is there any one out there - am I all alone? The hell with it, I'm having fun!

My last meal!

          Tonight, Wednesday - May 12th -  is my last night.  Having not heard from the governor, I will sleep in my own bed for the last time for the next +/- three weeks.  The Warden ( aka Lynn/wife ) didn't even ask me what I wanted for my last meal!  We had vegetarian frittatas  and a side of cooked radishes - Um  -  um   good!  But as my late heroin, who died of clogged arteries used to say, "Where is the beef?"  The beef is, that there wasn't any - That's my beef!  Oh well I'm not sure that these vegetarian meals will really lengthen my life or if, like jogging, it just makes it seem to be longer and longer and longer!
        Tomorrow we are off - well as some of you have noticed - I've been a little off for a while, so what's new?  Someone said that instead of measuring the miles that Lynn and I travel, I should measure the strength of our marriage - mile after mile. Heck, I figure we are good for a few miles at least after all I'm bringing my harmonica and I hope to get some serious practice in during the trip.  If interpersonal problems do develop, I will not need an "Odometer", but maybe an "OH Damn-her" to evaluate the strength of the relationship - Hey I think I that have out smarter her, I have a role of dimes in the pocked of my shorts and she confused. She thinks that "I'm delighter to see her!" If I call any of you, please don't reject the call since I may only have been given one and that one is all I'm getting from the local sherriff.  I don't know the law in the states that we plan to visit so have mercy on my incoming call and accept it!  Well it time to go to bed and lay there fully awake through out the night, excited about tomorrow - which I am.  God bless and I'll see you or you will hear from me sometime around the end of May. (Hopefully) Tom Valerius

It's about "Lift off"- Ok so maybe it's " Back Out" of the driveway.

All things are good with us. Our health is good but the South Florida summer heat is rising up with a climatic vengeances. It was not that long ago that I was publically complaining about the “freezing cold” or in other words – 60’s in the morning. Well no matter, justice is being served, it has been in the low 90’s in the late few afternoons already. I am already getting my complainer’s vocabulary out to discuss the hot weather with who ever pays any attention to me.

Here’s some news! We are going on a trip next week which seemed like an adventure initially, but is loosing its gloss as the start day approaches. As you may know, we are blessed to have kids and grand kids all around this country. Dara’s husband, Chip is quite an outdoorsman. Coming from western Massachusetts, hunting and fishing was a recognized way for a guy to show that he was a guy. He and I have gone fishing a

couple of times when the kids visit. Notice I said “fishing” and not “catching’, but anyhow, it has always been a

memorable and fun time. Ok, back to the un-ending tale, Chip, his brothers (2) and their Dad ( Al - a good guy) are going fishing for a week end up somewhere in the N.E. and my Princess daughter, Dara seems to need help with her heavy load of two kids. Actually I am not sure that she didn’t rig it so that I would have an opportunity to see our grand children – thanks D.

Bottom line, Lynn agreed to go up for three or four days and help out. Initially I hadn’t planned to join in, but the grand children are fun and I had not been assigned any duties or choirs, nor did I volunteer for any, so I figured I’d go along also. Anyhow, Lynn had planned to drive up as she has done before so I said OK = I would also go and possibly help out with the driving or at least a lot of it. Notice the limitation I have placed on my involvement – some driving, but lots of sitting and napping and playing with our grand kids. Well out of no where an idea struck me, it happens to the unemployed insane retirees often – strange and self deprecating ideas! Since we were already planning to be around 1200 to1300 miles away from Miami, why not driver afterward to Chicago to see our son Tom and his wife and family as well as Jud – it is only another three to four hundred miles. Good idea, I was told by a caring wife, mother and grandma. Men are stupid! Did you know that? We let our mouths open to say anything – just so we can retrieve a kind word in exchange. “Good idea”, or a “That’s wonderful, Honey!” or how about – “Boy, that’s smart”. I like that last one best, but it’s not in current use a lot.” Well, not being one to be out done, I threw in South Bend, Indiana ( Home of the Fighting Irish – I think the Lord went to school there or something?) How considerate of me, I thought. Lynn had never seen the campus or the statute of “Touchdown Jesus”, so there with my mouth opened. waiting for a returning kind word like an over sized Labrador puppy, another shoe fell. You see my wife, Lynn has the geographic need to visit every one of our fifty states before she goes or the country falls into the hands of the brain dead Tea-Partiers or in light of some of their ages and urinary retention problems – the “Pee-Tartiers” and since Lynn had never been to West Virginia, we ought to go there, I was told. Ok it really is not to far out of the way, so we also plan to hit Harpers Ferry, West Virginia on our way to Notre Dame and Chicago. I only hope that the

good citizens of Harpers Ferry treat us better than they did the late John Brown and his gun needing abolitionist friends back in the 1860’s when he came to their town just “to borrow a rifle or two” which were to be used in over throwing the government or at least putting the fear of God in the slave owners. He got caught, there was a Civil War, I guess you’ve heard about it, North wins!

Once when and if we get to Chicago and spend some Grandpa and Grandma time with Tommy and Keenan, and, OK - Tom, Susanna and Jud. We will aim at New Orleans and Robin after three days with the Valerius’ of Chicago. Well, we don’t aim good! You see, Lynn, West Virginia seeking Lynn, hasn’t been in Iowa either. You already know about the family secret: her fifty state addiction. So we will visit or stay in or get jailed in Davenport, Iowa. Trying to be fair, I must admit that I have thrown in a stop over in Hannibal, Missouri. Mark Twain came from there and I really do like his artful, humorous writing. I hope to get his signature on a newly published copy of Tom Sawyer, but since he was born in the year that Haley’s Comet crossed the universe and also hasn’t been seen since it came through again in 1910, my hope for brilliant old man’s autograph may not materialize. Oh well – Haley today, gone tomorrow! I guess I could always get one of the locals to sign the book as if they were Mark Twain, who would really know – you would tell anyone would you – OK I’ll get you an autographed copy also.

Back to the drive from or to Hell! After my prospectively frustrated search for the real Mr. Twain, we

will continue south to Jonesboro, Arkansas. Why, you ask? What great historical event or great literary personality resides or resided there, God only knows or the Jones’ of Jonesboro may, but there is little to give it notoriety except Mrs. V. hasn’t been to Arkansas yet but we will on this trip. Eventually and sadly after the BP oil spill may engulf many of the bayous’, we will reach New Orleans and the mouth of the great Mississippi River. The area, where Andrew Jackson, the eventual first territorial governor of the newly acquired (Ok stolen from Spain) territory of Florida, fought the British in one of the last battle with Britain on our continent. Sadly and historically, the battle was fought after the treaty was already agreed to and sign in Paris. I guess the internet was down that day or no one e-mailed Old Hickory. Any how we will be there with Robin, and if any new skirmishes break out, I’ll try to let you know quicker that Jackson was informed.

After visiting with Robin, I have proposed that Lynn and I make some personal contributions to the hurricane drenched and oil soaked Gulf coast, we are stopping at Biloxi, Mississippi to see which casino is collecting for the cause. After we count our winning or find a charitable ATM machine, we are off to Gainesville, Florida – Yes, I know the Home of the Enemy for we. FSU graduates. Hey, I promise that I wont demonstrate even one Seminole Chop. You I need to know them to beat them, so we are sneaking into Gainesville for one night and then Home to Miami. Or as Dr. King said – “Home at last, Oh thank God Almighty, We’re home at last”.

By the way, if you didn’t know Triple A is still providing those “Trip-tics”. You know, where you go in to your local AAA office and tell them about your plans and they route you through every small town and road construction site between where you are and where you are going to be or at least what to get. Frankly I should not be so harsh, the lady I spoke with was a kind and what appeared to be generous person as I could tell, except I didn’t speak her native language. (Joke - my Spanish is coming along – “See” or it “Si” ?). Really she was very helpful, in fact so was her assistant, a young muscular fellow with a push cart who was kind enough to take the pamphlets, books, posters, maps, magazines and the 2 for 1 coupons plus my thirty seven volume trip-tic to the back of my car. No kidding it wasn’t that bad loading the material, after the first hour and half we got into a rhythm – I said how about putting it here – and he put it there or where ever I hadn’t pointed. Well as the sun was setting, we finally finished and I tipped him a quarter knowing how those incoming undocumented people never really work hard anyway- do they?

Are you tired, I am and I haven’t even began the 3500 +/- mile trip yet. Oh well this letter will serve as a future warning, not to encourage me to write to you anymore, since apparently anymore I can’t write any less than I do. BEWARE: After the trip, I may have the need to report the results – quarter mile by quarter mile - and the great time that we had and are going to have with our family. God bless and Oh by the way, I may set up a Blog – whatever that is? I have a few days to learn what it is and how to set it up and use it – so if I succeed, I’ll let you know how to contact us via the BLOG – aren’t you excited? – yeah right!

Your friend and part of our big family, Tom and Lynn Valerius