It was a gorgeous sunset Sunday evening. Arlene and I had gone out for a bite to eat. It was a nice if a bit cool, early evening. We took a little walk at local wooded area, next to the central school for the city. Though this is less than a mile from where I live I had never explored the area. You end up walking by the river, (The Mystic River though there is nothing mystical about it. It's name is based on an old Indian word.) with an occasional peak at the water through the vegetation. It was actually a very nice spot that I drive by and around every day. I wish I had my camera with me. To that end I suggested we sit on Arlene's porch, which is on the 3rd floor, and view the sunset while sipping on some wine. Well the sunset was spectacular except there was no way to see the horizon. There were houses and trees blocking out most of the horizon. Still it was quite colorful and I think I got some good shots and clips. Unfortunately I went home (conveniently next door) leaving my camera on her dinning room table.
I am still in the middle of adjusting to my new semi retired lifestyle. I still work on a part time basis but it certainly is quite different than working full time. After working full time for the last 45 years (Yikes!) I have to admit to myself that, that part of my life is over. Apart from the obvious aging aspect, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It seems that the biggest adjustment is what to do with all this new free time. If I was rich I know I would do some traveling and not just in the U.S. Well I'm not rich but that doesn't mean I can't travel in a more local area. Having a car makes it possible to reach just about any where in New England within a day. It's what made the discovery of Martha's Vineyard in 2010 special to Arlene and me. But there other places. Western Ma. is all rural, save for a few sizable cities. It's a different world from where I live an yet I can be there in about an hour. 3 hours to cross the entire state. We'd like to go back to Mt. Greylock. It's more like a big hill than mountain. It's what's left of an old mountain range. Still it's about 3400' above sea level and has gorgeous views, especially in the fall. Then there are the other states.
It's all a matter of adapting to a new routine and I am grateful to be able to do this at my age. In two weeks we will be back on the island for a week. I can only hope the trip will be as quick as it was the last time. We left here at 6 a.m. and were at the pier in about an hour. We were to take a later ferry but there were so few people and cars at that time that they let us go on the earlier ferry. 45 minutes later we were on the island. All in about two hours. You have to enjoy the small victories in life.
Two weeks from today we will again be on the island. This is the latest in the year we have been there. There will be little or no crowds. We plan to take a sunset cruise on a sailboat. It will be chillier than usual but that's ok. As long as the weather stays reasonable, it will be a refreshing change from the crowds, traffic and construction that seems to be going on all around.
Alright I'm outta gas and
I'm outta here.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
A few words on 9-11.
I'm sure, especially in the U.S., we all know where we were when we heard the news on 9-11-2001. I was home. A day off. I slept late getting up. About 8:40 I left my bedroom, walked into the living room and turned on the TV. The Imus in the Morning program was on MSNBC. Within a few minutes Don Imus mentioned that something happened at the World Trade Center. Just as with the Kennedy assassination, I along with everybody else was glued to the television from then on. I learned that the two planes that hit the towers originated here in Boston. Then we learned about the crashes in Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. This was, should have been, and is a giant wake up call for Americans. That was a scary day but not as scary as it was to the people who were killed on that day. All innocent victims going about their lives. Travelling for various reasons, business, pleasure. Going to work. Walking down the sidewalk. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was off that day and generally spent the whole day and evening in front of the television.
About 200 people who perished had Massachusetts and Boston connections. Though I did not go out that day it was pretty chaotic around here. Those first two planes flew out of Boston. The terrorists were here first. What happened in New York cast a shadow over what happened here, as it should have. New York is the premiere U.S. city. The attacks happened there. Still it was an uneasy feeling knowing my city played a major part in this event. The city itself happens to be the big city closest to New York City. There has always been the sports rivalry. No matter what the sport. Back to the days when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth the Yankees. That could have been us. But all that is just superficial silliness. That day we all mourned and were angered as Americans. They were on our shores. And of course there were the attacks in Pennsylvania and Washington. They don't get the press or talk that the twin towers get, though they were no less horrific, but I can only comment as someone who was in the Boston area. You almost can't help feel just a tiny bit of guilt because that act started here, at least on American soil. It is a day we can never forget, just like the Kennedy assassination. A day we know exactly where we were and what time it was. We should never forget. I know I won't.
About 200 people who perished had Massachusetts and Boston connections. Though I did not go out that day it was pretty chaotic around here. Those first two planes flew out of Boston. The terrorists were here first. What happened in New York cast a shadow over what happened here, as it should have. New York is the premiere U.S. city. The attacks happened there. Still it was an uneasy feeling knowing my city played a major part in this event. The city itself happens to be the big city closest to New York City. There has always been the sports rivalry. No matter what the sport. Back to the days when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth the Yankees. That could have been us. But all that is just superficial silliness. That day we all mourned and were angered as Americans. They were on our shores. And of course there were the attacks in Pennsylvania and Washington. They don't get the press or talk that the twin towers get, though they were no less horrific, but I can only comment as someone who was in the Boston area. You almost can't help feel just a tiny bit of guilt because that act started here, at least on American soil. It is a day we can never forget, just like the Kennedy assassination. A day we know exactly where we were and what time it was. We should never forget. I know I won't.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Hi Beth! Nothing special..a whine...stuff.
The hot sweaty weather is gone. It has been quite comfortable for the last few days. My sister is doing well though she will still be out of work for another 3 or 4 weeks. My car is holding up well. What the car dealership couldn't fix my regular mechanic did. For $250.00 all they managed to do, aside from taking my money, is fix my sun roof so it worked only one of the two ways it's supposed to work. They never fixed the inside water leak and they told me they would have to charge me $1000.00 just to take my dashboard apart, retrieving the cd's that won't eject was another charge. Well the cd's can stay there for now. Another problem was a slow air leak that couldn't be sealed. This is my first experience with chrome wheels. When the chrome starts peeling off where the tire seals against the rim, it can only be fixed by stripping and re-chroming. Quite expensive, or buying a new wheel. Not as expensive, but still upwards of $600.00. I already have bought one and I realize I will eventually have to replace the rest. The car is a 2008. Mechanically it has been perfect. It rides and handles well and it's pretty quick. It's good looking and it's quiet inside, 'cept when I'm blasting some live Cream. It hasn't given me any problems until this year. So some wear and tear is to be expected. I still have the original brakes.
Apart from some automotive misery, everything is on an even keel. Arlene and I are both looking forward to our little trip to you know where. This is the latest in the year we have gone. We are going late in September into October. We plan to go on a short sunset cruise. That's something we've never done. It's connected the touristy and expensive Black Dog Tavern/Restaurant/tee shirt sweatshirt/caps moguls . If you've ever seen a tee shirt or hat with a black Labrador Retriever on it, that came from the Black Dog which became famous because people like James Taylor and Carly Simon hung out there. The apparently do a phenomenal world wide souvenir business. Who knew? Anyway we've eaten there once and it was fine but pricey. There are more reasonably priced restaurants quite near where we stay. One thing I do know, It will be quiet. No crowds on the sidewalk and no traffic jams. The complete opposite to where I live. There's roadwork, construction, everywhere I have to drive locally, that could include Boston but those times I'll take public transportation. Some of these roads are quite old. There are 4 main roads in my hometown that were laid down in the 1600's.
It can be maddening to drive around here. My near 7 mile drive to work can be pretty quick if I have to go in early. If I catch all the lights I can be there in about 17 minutes. If I have an 8 a.m. or later start it can take 45 minutes to an hour.
We here in the Boston area have the reputation of being the worst drivers in the country. Well that's not true. We're the second worst. The worst are in central Massachusetts. The city of Worcester, pronounced "Wusstah" or "Wusster" if you choose to pronounce your R's. Apart from a local accent I don't know why it's spelled one way and pronounced another, but that's English for you. But getting back to driving, we are bad. That's why Arlene and I are looking forward to the 6 a.m. start from my driveway, for our trip to Cape Cod to catch the ferry. At that time Boston can be crossed in about 10 minutes and if there is any traffic, they're all headed towards the city. We will be taking the car to the island again It allows us to take more with us but storing it in the car. We're staying in a room we stayed in a couple of years ago.
Ohhhh...
Time to eat!
I'm outta here.
Apart from some automotive misery, everything is on an even keel. Arlene and I are both looking forward to our little trip to you know where. This is the latest in the year we have gone. We are going late in September into October. We plan to go on a short sunset cruise. That's something we've never done. It's connected the touristy and expensive Black Dog Tavern/Restaurant/tee shirt sweatshirt/caps moguls . If you've ever seen a tee shirt or hat with a black Labrador Retriever on it, that came from the Black Dog which became famous because people like James Taylor and Carly Simon hung out there. The apparently do a phenomenal world wide souvenir business. Who knew? Anyway we've eaten there once and it was fine but pricey. There are more reasonably priced restaurants quite near where we stay. One thing I do know, It will be quiet. No crowds on the sidewalk and no traffic jams. The complete opposite to where I live. There's roadwork, construction, everywhere I have to drive locally, that could include Boston but those times I'll take public transportation. Some of these roads are quite old. There are 4 main roads in my hometown that were laid down in the 1600's.
It can be maddening to drive around here. My near 7 mile drive to work can be pretty quick if I have to go in early. If I catch all the lights I can be there in about 17 minutes. If I have an 8 a.m. or later start it can take 45 minutes to an hour.
We here in the Boston area have the reputation of being the worst drivers in the country. Well that's not true. We're the second worst. The worst are in central Massachusetts. The city of Worcester, pronounced "Wusstah" or "Wusster" if you choose to pronounce your R's. Apart from a local accent I don't know why it's spelled one way and pronounced another, but that's English for you. But getting back to driving, we are bad. That's why Arlene and I are looking forward to the 6 a.m. start from my driveway, for our trip to Cape Cod to catch the ferry. At that time Boston can be crossed in about 10 minutes and if there is any traffic, they're all headed towards the city. We will be taking the car to the island again It allows us to take more with us but storing it in the car. We're staying in a room we stayed in a couple of years ago.
Time to eat!
I'm outta here.
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