Monday Mood: Walkies

On one of my last conference calls before I retired, my replacement pointed out that it was my last call (yea!) A retired Judge from Florida offered advice, get a dog, walking the dog will force you to get out to  walk everyday.  

I didn't get a dog, but I am getting out for daily walkies.  I walk at least an hour every day.  If the weather is mild, I walk outside.  If the weather is nasty, I walk on the treadmill at the gym here at the condo.  If we are out of town, I walk more, much more. 

Walking is simple, one foot in front of the other.  If I couldn't walk, I would roll.  Walking requires little - a good pair of shoes.  I started wearing top of the line running shoes in my early 30's when I was running 1,000 miles a year.  I replace my shoes 2 or 3 times a year, the padding breaks down in them. Most often I buy shoes that are on sale, and don't care what they look like.  Sometimes I buy shoes because I like the look.  A few years ago I spent months tracking down a pair of Nike that I saw in photos, they were released for the Japanese market and had to be special ordered.  

Walking clears my mind. It gives me time to think. It gives me time to figure out the rambles in my mind.  It gives me time to relax. It should be good for my body. A simple rule, if it hurts, change what you are doing.  I vary speed, and surface to stay comfy.  

Sunday Five: Happiness

 1: Most of us live where we live because of family or jobs, have you made a conscious choice of where you want to live? 

2: Have you explored the side streets and back streets where you live to find the hidden gems? 

3: If you could get rid of one thing in your home, that would make you happier, what would it be? 

4: When you are seeking happiness, what do you do? 

5: Have you bloomed where you are planted? 

My answers:

1: Most of us live where we live because of family or jobs, have you made a conscious choice of where you want to live?  The move the Washington DC area was a move to where we wanted to live, the place came first, the job came second. 

2: Have you explored the side streets and back streets where you live to find the hidden gems? A lot of it, this is an ongoing adventure of exploration. 

3: If you could get rid of one thing in your home, that would make you happier, what would it be? Some clutter that I need to toss in my bedroom. (Within my control, what is stopping me?) 

4: When you are seeking happiness, what do you do? Take a long walk. 

5: Have you bloomed where you are planted? Very much so. I am here, I will enjoy it while it lasts. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Summer Memories

I was raised on a funny farm, 80 acres, How big is 80 acres, 1/4 of a mile by 1/2 of a mile. The house I grew up in is still 1.5 miles from the nearest paved road.  It was not the best of farmland, but not the worst.  It needed better drainage, about 1/3rd of it was covered in hardwood trees and impenetrable underbrush. 

My Grandfather bought the farm during World War II, from one of his co-workers at Ford.  My grandfather had bees in the outer suburbs of Detroit, and his parents were living with him and his mother had chickens in the backyard (the house in the city was on a couple of acres of land.) City officials were insisting that he get the bees and chickens out of the city.  Buying the farm in the middle of nowhere gave him someplace to move the bees, chickens, and his mother. 

There were about 50 of the up to 2,100 colonies of bees he and my father kept, on the farm. The chickens were fried for me great-grandmother's funeral. For a few years the family tried farming.  The end of that was a ten acre field of tomatoes and a late season frost. All hands were called on to salvage a couple of acres of the tomatoes in a backbreaking effort. There was an uprising of family members telling my grandfather that if he couldn't tend it himself, to not plant it. 

Often the fields layed fallow. Several years the government paid him for not growing crops on the farm, kind of easy as he had no plan to do so.  From time to time when grain prices were expected to be high, a neighboring farmer would "sharecrop" the farm.  My grandfather would get a share of the net value of the crop for the use of the land.  Rarely enough to pay the taxes on the land, but it was something. 

And this brings me to a summer memory.  The field just outside my childhood bedroom window was best suited to growing hard winter wheat. It was planted in the fall, sprouted to ankle high, then in the spring it rose to waist high, the grain heads filling out (does it bloom, these are seeds) and ripened by mid July into a golden shade, and then the thrill of the combine harvester.  There is a smell of wheat being harvested that is unlike anything else. It is dusty, and vaguely like the crust of a loaf of bread hot out of the oven.  Then there is the joy of walking thru the stubble field of a recently cut wheat field. The stalks are cut about 10 inches above the dirt.  When you walk the stems snap off under your feet. If you walk with your feet in a sweeping motion, the sound and the feel are unlike anything else. That feeling is only once, and goes away after the next rain. I miss that smell, and those walks.  

The last time I walked in a field of freshly cut wheat was in Normandy one August.  I had diner at the hotel, and enjoyed a large bottle of Norman Cider (a surprising experience.) Next to the hotel was a wheat field that had been cut that day.  I wandered about for half an hour or so, then collapsed into bed without taking a shower and washing off that memorable scent.  

100 Tips to Slightly Improve Your Travel Experience: #14 Don't Go Bargain Hunting

Travel need not be overly expensive, and we all have limits.  There have been travel ideas that I decide against, because I just didn't want to spend the money. I have also gone bargain hunting, and you get what you pay for.  

A couple of examples.  On a trip to Denver I went bargain hunting for a rental car.  I spent $50 less and we ended up in a Suzuki Swift (it should be called a Slow) with a three cylinder engine and about 50,000 mountain miles on it.  We drove to Breckenridge for lunch one day, going up the mountain passes on the expressway, I swear the mountain sheep on the side of the road were faster than we were.  

On our Alaska cruise in 2008, I took the cheapest inside cabin.  While others were watch glaciers roll by their cabin, we were in total darkness and isolation (I did sleep really well.)  On this last cruise - I booked a balcony cabin and we really enjoyed it.  

Spend a little more, book the nicer car, the hotel room that is a better fit, the stateroom with the view.  For a once in a lifetime experience, spend a little more. You get what you pay for.  

Thursday Ramble: Things I have Seen Along the Way

A block away from the Palace of the Popes in Avignon is a street filled with shops, many of them catering to tourists. I spotted this and had to take a quick and somewhat discrete photo. I have no idea what is in the bottles, what flavor would these be?  

Imaging that, plant based brioche buns, what else would they be made from, powdered beef? Now if they mean "vegan", as in no milk or eggs, say so.  All bread products are inherently plant based.  For that matter, cows are plant based - and tasty.  

I was down on the waterfront taking a walk.  A family was there with their child feeding the ducks, and the catfish came up to fight with the ducks for the bread being tossed in by the kids.  I kind of know the fish are there in the river, but I never see them.  

I love this bumper sticker.  I should buy them by the dozen, and wait for idiots to park, and then put them on their cars after they walk away.  And I should check my car to make sure no one has put one on my car, or maybe I should have it as a warning. 

It really is a good neighborhood.  Every couple of years, the maintenance golf cart gets new tires, and it sets on blocks by the back gate for a couple of days while the new tires are being fitted.  

My World of Wonders, aka The Wednesday Ws July 10, 2024

What made me smile this week? In the first week of the 2024 Tour de France, Binuam Girmay, has won two stages of.  Girmay is from Eritrea, he is the first black rider to ever win a stage in the Tour de France, the first stage win for the team he is on, and he did it twice in the first week.  His sprint is amazing when he has a nice clean line.  He appears to a gentle sportsman, working his way out front then sprinting.  For too long professional cycling has been dominated by skinny white guys.  Ability, talent, and hard training comes in all colors.  

Where have I been this week?  Home, the gym, the pool, the grocery store, the Grill for dinner with a table full of friends, into the city for a meeting at my former office. 

Who have I traded messages with? My sister, Spo, Mitchell, my nephew, my replacement, my former boss, collaborators on a project, 

What have I been reading? Remembrance of Things Paris, a collection of essays and articles about food in Paris edited by Ruth Reichl - it was fun reading, lots of brilliant writing, and The Three-Martini Playdate by Christie Mellor not really as good as I had hoped.  I have a fresh stack from the library. 

What has me worried? My sister has had a setback. Overmedication and she fell at home, and is dealing with neck and back injuries.  

What is the weather like? Hot, Monday afternoon I parked my car in the shade in a garage, when I came back it was indicating 100 degrees (F), and it is humid.  It looks like it is going to be a long hot summer. 

What am I writing? This blog, an article on retirement plans and reality, a consulting report, and soon a chapter on legal ethics when working with an adult who has experienced abuse.  

What am I listening to this week?  The Tour de France, live coverage starts early most mornings and runs for 5-6 hours. 

What about the photo above? The Condo community hosts a 4th of July parade. This year the parade formed in front of our building (there are four residential towers, a large community center, and a single story residential building that mirrors half of the floor plan of the first tower - it was built as models when the buildings were being started.) This was one of the parade participants. 

Travel Tuesday: New York Public Libaray

These are from a couple of years ago. The New York Public Library is a work of art, well worth the time to wander about. 

 

Monday Mood: Pool Time

My daily routine, wake between 6:00 and 7:00 local time, and turn on live coverage of the Tour de France, start the coffee and have a little breakfast, read blogs with the Tour playing in the background, walk on the treadmill at the gym for an hour with the Tour playing on my Ipad. Have a nice lunch, then go to the pool, lay back, float and watch the clouds merge, build, cover and uncover the sun. Watch for planes and shadows of planes when they fly over the clouds.  

I hadn't laid back and watched the clouds since I was a kid.  The clouds are fascinating to watch. The clouds have personality. Some are soft and fluffy, some look hard. If you watch along the edges you can see them changing, growing, thinning, merging with other clouds. I have not fallen asleep, yet. I have a simple float, two inflatable pillows connected by a mesh fabric bout a yard long. One pillow under my neck, the other under my knees.  Just enough floatation to keep my head out of the water, and my legs from sinking to the bottom.  In many ways the most comfortable pool float I have ever used.  

I set the bezel on my watch, 30 - 40 minutes is my time limit in the sun. I am browning up a bit. Sometimes I talk with neighbors, sometimes it is an entirely solitary event.  I move myself around my using my arms as oars.  

It is very relaxing. I will miss the outdoor pool when it closes in September.  It lifts my mood.  

The Sunday Five: People Watching

 1: When was the last time you sat in a public place and watched the people go by? 

2: Is it rude to take photos of passersby in public places? 

3: How long can you sit still on a park bench? 

4: What is the most interesting part of the photo above? 

5: Has anyone complained about you taking a photo? 

My answers: 

1: When was the last time you sat in a public place and watched the people go by? The end of may in Nimes, I should do this more often. 

2: Is it rude to take photos of passersby in public places? In public, probably not.  I try not to post photos of people I don't know where the person is easily identifiable/ 

3: How long can you sit still on a park bench? About 10 minutes, and I get antsy and want to move along. 

4: What is the most interesting part of the photo above? The hair and the Maserati hoodie make a great combo.  

5: Has anyone complained about you taking a photo?  A few times. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Looms

There was a house on Lake Orion in Michigan when I was a child that had massive windows overlooking the lake. The first summer that we idled by on my uncle's boat the lady of the house was playing a concert grand piano in the window, with the lights on inside. My mother remarked about her being an exhibitionist, turning the lights on to make that she was seen.  The second summer the piano was gone, replaced by a loom, with a warp at least 4 feet wide.  The lady of the house, had the spotlights on, as she worked the loom day in and day out.  

I was entranced. The rhythm of weaving, the art of the pattern, the colors and textures. I could have anchored there and watched for hours. It was performance art, and I was the glad to be in the audience. 

So began my lifelong infatuation. 

When we lived in Kentucky we went a couple of times to Churchill Weavers in Bera.  Churchill had a couple of dozen looms in one large work room, and talented local artists who spent hours creating textile wonders.  One year we bought woven throws for Christmas gifts, I still have one. I don't recall why, but Churchill closed, the space is now an event space.  A sad loss to the art.  

My great Aunt Edith, or little Aunt Edith as the kids called her, I don't' think she ever weighed over 100 pounds, had worked in a woolen mill in England in the 1920's.  She described the steam powered mechanical marvels roaring and churning out fabric by the boatload.  She said she was alway the last one in as the steam whistle blew for shift change, and the first one out at the end of the long shift.  As she put it, "walk to work, and run away from it."  She moved to the United States between WWI and WWII and was housekeeper for the Firestone family.  My father went to stay with her the summer my Big Aunt Edith was born.  Big Aunt Edith passed the 100 pound mark as a teenager and fought with her weight most of her life.  

Someday, I should learn to weave. 

100 Ways to Slightly Improve Your Travel Experience #13 Avoid the airport Taxi Touts

You will encounter taxi touts near the exit from baggage claim in arrivals at many large airports.  They stand there asking, "looking for a taxi?" They are after one of two things, tip for showing you to the taxi line that often is just outside of the door, or the worst, they are leading you to a specific car service, often not a taxi outside, where you will pay more than a licensed taxi cab.  Some of these are licensed private car services, some are unlicensed and unregulated drivers. They charge whatever they want to charge.  Before you get a chance to ask questions, your bags will be in the car, and you will find yourself being helped into the back seat.  Buckle up, you are in for a ride, or at least for a fleecing.  Travel reviews are filled with people who feel ripped off by taxi touts.  

Ignore them, it is easy to fein not understanding them.  Look for the line of licensed taxis outside. Even better, for an official taxi starter.  

I seldom use Uber or Lift. The ride sharing services are regulated differently and the price varies depending on demand, time of the day.  Licensed taxis have a regulated price.  When things are busy, a taxi will be less expensive.  Increasingly in smaller cities, taxis have to be called for, or ordered on an app.  

Thursday Ramble: Happy Independence Day

248 years ago the British Colonies in North America, declared their independence. There are debates on the actual date, when it was the document finished, when it was voted on, when it was signed, and when it was read to the public. July 4th is the date that is celebrated. 

There were reasons for deciding to go it alone.  Political decisions that were being made thousands of miles away, without consideration of the needs of the people impacted by them.  Political systems that empowered the rich, and relied in family connections.  Religious interference with the operation of government.  But mostly it was an economic decision.  It was a brave move, the people declaring independence were doing so from their national identity. 

Back in the mid 1970's, Donald, one of my grandmother's distant. English cousins came to visit one summer.  We visited "Greenfield Village" at the Henry Ford Museum complex in Detroit. Henry Ford collected many things, including the homes, offices and workshops of famous people.  We were in Daniel Webster's kitchen and the docent started talking about Webster's role in the American Revolution and the disagreements with England that led the way. Needless to say, the soliloquy was one side of a complex issue, Donald looked at me and said, "I better get out of here, before I say something I will regret" and out the back door we went.  He was a very educated man, an author, judge, and film producer (his brother wrote and produced porongraphic comedies.) I wish I had heard what he suppressed saying, it has taken me decades to understand that there are two sides. 

  

 

My World of Wonders aka The Wednesday Ws July 3rd edition

Where have I been this week? The farmers market, the gym, the pool, old town Alexandria, the Dentist,  

What broke this week? My Toto and my Peugeot. My bathroom has a Toto toilet, a masterpiece of Japanese design and engineering, except for the flush handle.  The plastic flange that holds it to the tank, failed for the second time since I have lived here.  It is easy to change, and  Amazon stocks parts.  A few years ago I was in Sur Le Table and found a Peugeot pepper mill on clearance sale.  Before Peugeot made cars, they made the world's finest pepper grinders. A few days ago, I twisted it and the grinder didn't turn.  I ordered a new one from Uncle Jeff, when it arrived I dumped the peppercorns out of the old one, thinking I could put them in the new one, a half a dozen plastic and metal parts came out. It was truly broken.  Why did I replace it, the adjustable grind on it is a work of art.  

Who have a talked to this week? Not much of anyone. My Sweet bear. 

What am I watching / listening to? The greatest bike race in the World, the Tour de France is on for the next three weeks. 

What have I been pickling?  I have a half gallon of dill pickles and two pints of pickled golden beets working away in the kitchen. 

HoW is my sister doing? She had a minor stroke at work, and surgery to remove a blockage from an artery in her neck. The incision starts just below one ear, and ends in her cleavage. She is home, doing well, healing, no apparent long term damage.  She looks like the winner in a knife fight in the back parking lot at McDonalds.

What do I think of the Supreme Court Ruling on immunity? Don't get me wrong, I loath HeWhoShallNotBeNamed, he a vile human being and totally unfit to be in charge of anything. The opinion follows hundreds of years of legal tradition, that government officials are immune for acts in the performance of their official duties. This goes back to the English Common Law, of sovereign immunity, and has been the law of the United States since before we were a country. The immunity does not extend to acts outside the performance of duties, ah- like running for office.  Reading the opinion, this controversy is a result of careless charging and overzealous defense arguments. Both sides should have paid attention to the concept of immunity during the first year of law school. The chorus of scorched cats and those celebrating are making the same error of reading individual sentences out of the opinion, and not the conclusions in the opinion (linked above, and fairly well written.)      

 

Travel Tuesday: Avignon - The Palace of the Popes

More of a castle than a palace, Avignon was on my must see list. I booked tickets online ahead of time. Follow the signs there is an underground parking garage under the village.  The exit comes out just across the square from the entrance.  

 

Moody Monday: Doing well

I am six months into retirement, and I am doing well.  We are spending less than projected, even with one kind of expensive trip completed.  I am writing as I wished to.  I am way ahead on my reading for the year, I finished reading the 40th book for the year last week.  I am staying active, walking pretty much everyday.  We have some adventures being planned.  The consulting agenda has been busier than I expected - but I know that is temporary.  I am meeting with my successor in a few days to talk about moving forward on a book project, that I volunteered to edit (I will write one chapter.)  I am having fun smearing paint onto canvas.  

I have noticed that I am mellowing.  I stop and rethink what I am saying, or writing, based on how it will make the other person feel. 

Idiots are still a danger in traffic, but I am much more patient to traffic delays.  An extra 5 or 10 minutes and I will be there just fine.  I always remind myself, I have more time than fenders (or as the brits call them "wings"). 

I was on a conference call with a bunch of older lawyers the other day. One of them said, "people keep asking me when am I going to retire, and I don't think I ever will, I think, what would I do then?"  And while I am happy with my decision, and seldom think, "what should I do today" his decision is right for him. 

People ask for financial advice on retirement.  When should they start pensions, or Social Security, how much can they spend or draw against investments and savings.  There are thousands of "experts" who think they know the right answer. That think that one size fits all. Often if you look at it, it is the answer that generates the greatest fees for the expert. But ultimately, the answer is it depends.  Each person's circumstances are different.  What do you need, what do you want to do in life, and what do you want to leave behind.  Don't take someone's else's answer, think about it and create your own answer.  (This paragraph is a spin off from an article I am writing for the ABA Senior Lawyers Division). 

There are dangers out there, I keep my distance, and don't feed the crazies. Kind of like the snake, leave him alone, and he will leave you alone. 

   

The Sunday Five: Leaving our mark on the world

 1: This Roman Aqueduct has stood for over 2,000 years, should the "I was here" from 1818 be removed? 

2: Have you ever carved your name or initials into the bark of a tree? 

3: There is a trend of covering the back of street signs with stickers or decals, have you ever done this? 

4: The hotel in Dublin had a sticker wall in the lobby, would you have something in your pocket or bag to add the wall? 

5: Banksy, art or vandalism? 

My Answers? 

1: This Roman Aqueduct has stood for over 2,000 years, should the "I was here" from 1818 be removed? I would cover it with glass, and post signs asking people to not deface the stone work. 

2: Have you ever carved your name or initials into the bark of a tree? No. 

3: There is a trend of covering the back of street signs with stickers or decals, have you ever done this? I have not, but I have thought about it. 

4: The hotel in Dublin had a sticker wall in the lobby, would you have something in your pocket or bag to add the wall? I didn't, I had cleaned out the small case I carry before we left home, and left at home and American "I Voted" Sticker.  

5: Banksy, art or vandalism?  If it is done without permission, it is vandalism, it may be artistic, but it may be unwelcome.  

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: You Can't Fool Mother Nature

Iceland is trying to save the Blue Lagoon, I think the bigger concern is the geothermal power plant next to it, that feeds the mineral rich hot water to the Blue Lagoon, and supplies a significant portion of the island's electricity and hot water for heating to thousands of homes.  They have built a berm, a pile of rocks and dirt to try to divert the lava from the ongoing volcanic eruption away from the area. As that has failed they are spraying water on the advancing lava (I am writing this a week before this posts, this may have changed or failed by the time this posts.) Ultimately there are limits on what we can do to control mother nature.  The forces at work in a volcano are stronger than man. 

What is Iceland's back up plan? They are drilling new geothermal wells 20 miles away, with plans for a new power plant moving forward at record speed.  The Lagoon will be harder to replace.  I am glad we took a soak there when we did.  

I was talking with a National Park Ranger who was repairing a boardwalk along the Potomac River the other day.  He said a replacement is planned in two years, and it will be taller and longer to accommodate rising water levels in the River.  He said, in the last 12 months, the average water level in the River has risen by 5 inches.  At that rate it will rise over 4 feet in the next 10 years, most of the Dyke Marsh trail is less than 4 feet above the water level. Massive reconstruction projects are underway to rebuild the marsh, but there is only so much you can do to push back against nature.  The dykes that have been built to rebuild the marsh, will be underwater in five or six years.  

We live on top of the ridge, about half a mile from the River and about 100 feet higher than the river.  The hill is a pain when you are walking up it, but as sea levels rise, we will end up with water view property in a 100 years or less.