At Least We Made It

What is it about getting to a cruise ship?  Two of the three cruises we’ve taken resulted in a long, stressful journey.  We learned not to fly the day of the cruise as we did in 2017 (https://lifeexperiences.paulishing.com/2017/01/catching-cruise-ship.html), so for 2024 we decided to be doubly safe and leave the house two days before, stay the night in Indianapolis the night before our direct flight and stay the night in Fort Lauderdale the night before the cruise.  Well, thank God we did because it was quite an adventure.  Let’s start with the drive on Friday.

We left around 3:00 pm for the Fairfield Inn & Suites at the Indianapolis Airport, a little over two-hour drive.  It was blowing snow in Ohio but the roads were clear enough and we made it to the Love’s Travel Stop at Exit 149 in Indiana in the typical one hour.  After getting back on I-70 westbound things took a major turn for the worse.  The snow in Indiana was much heavier and the roads started turning very slick.  In an instant, I saw at least a dozen cars that had slid off both sides of the highway and I began to slow down.  I was following a semi-tractor-trailer and the driver hit the brakes hard.  I slammed down on my brakes and pumped them once before I remembered they were anti-lock brakes then pushed the brake pedal to the floor.  With the semi now stopped all I could do was hope and pray I would do the same before hitting its backend, not that I would have hit it all that hard, but I figured at least a few thousand dollars of damages hard.  The chattering brakes stopped our Infiniti G37x with just a couple of feet to spare.  First crisis averted.

We followed that semi as it miraculously weaved its way through the accident scene and back to the open road.  A few dozen miles later, as the roads continued to worsen, we sought another route and Waze directed us to get off at an exit, head north about one-quarter mile and turn west on a County Road.  When we found that road there wasn’t a car on it, it was unplowed, and we smartly decided that being stuck on I-70 was a vastly better option than by ourselves on an unknown road.  We turned around and got back on I-70 westbound.  Several miles later the traffic began to slow down even more and shortly it was at a dead stop.  We sat there waiting to restart our journey and tried to determine what was going on.  We couldn’t find anything on the Internet to explain the situation but it had to be either a bad multi-car pileup or they simply had to close the road to plow and salt it.  It was frustrating to watch I-70 eastbound rolling right along while we were stuck.  After two hours I began an Internet search to find out how much gas a car uses when idling and turned up an estimate of one-half gallon per hour.  Thankfully I had filled the car up before we left even though it didn’t need it for the two-hundred-mile round trip.  I calculated we had until 4:00 am before we ran out of gas if we let it idle the entire time, which we obviously would not have done in favor of running the heater until it was very warm inside and turning the engine off until we started getting too chilled.  I also called the hotel to tell them we would be late and possibly very late but not give up our room.  Unfortunately, I reached a complete idiot who could not comprehend our situation.  

After two and one-half hours we were elated when traffic started moving again.  After a couple of miles, it was obvious that they had shut down the highway to clear it.  We continued our drive to the hotel at about 40-45 miles per hour, but other than a few slicker spots than others, made it safely to the hotel.  We had planned on a nice dinner near the hotel, but everything was closed down.  Fortunately, we packed a couple of submarine sandwiches that we planned to have on the plane Saturday, but that became our Friday night dinner.  After six and one-half hours the second crisis was behind us. 

We had a 12:10 pm departure time for our Southwest flight to Fort Lauderdale and since we now needed food we decided to get to the airport early.  The deal with the hotel included leaving our car there for five dollars per night and we rode their complimentary shuttle to the airport.  We arrived at the airport at 10:00 am, ate McDonald’s McMuffins for lunch then sat at the gate awaiting the boarding call.  We were among the last people to board the plane because I didn’t understand Southwest’s odd boarding process and figured we would be in separate middle seats for the two-hour trip.  We were totally surprised to find two aisle seats across from each other near the back of the plane and snatched those up.  The flight attendant went through the usual seat belt, air mask, leave the smoke detectors alone routine and we pulled away from the gate on time.  The third crisis began as we pulled back to the gate with the pilot informing us that there was a maintenance issue that had to be resolved.  Everyone deplaned and we sat at the gate waiting for more information.  And waited.  And waited some more.

After a three-hour delay, the airline is required to provide you compensation so we grabbed our $100 vouchers for a future flight.  At 3:30 pm they announced they had a different plane for us, much to everyone’s relief.  We boarded at 4:15 pm and this time we found seats together as the plane was not nearly as full.  After a half-hour wait the pilot informed us that all the banging noises we were hearing were because this plane was originally headed to Orlando and they had to transfer all that baggage to their new plane and get our luggage on board.  Oh great!  Now we have to worry that Southwest will screw that up and we’ll get to Florida and our four bags will not be there.  The last thing you want the night before a week-long cruise is scrambling to buy enough dress clothes, shirts, shorts, bathing suits, toiletries, and suitcases to make it seven days.  The fourth crisis had begun before the third one was over.

We finally lifted off at 5:05 pm, five hours late, but better late than never.  The flight attendant announces everyone gets a free drink and everyone cheers.  The flight is pretty smooth but they never turn off the fasten seatbelt sign, so everyone just ignores that and goes anyway.  We land at 7:34 pm and the third crisis is over.  We headed to baggage claim and started getting nervous when our bags were not showing up.  Finally, they announced our bags would be coming up at a different carousel.  After a few more minutes, our first bag appeared.  Then the second, the third, and finally the fourth.  The fourth, and thankfully last, crisis was averted.  

We grab the first cab we encounter and race to the AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Airport to meet up with the four couples we’re cruising with.  We arrive at about 8:30 pm and while we’re at the registration desk, our dear friend Grace meets us with shots of whiskey.  Bless her heart.  

The only bump in the road Sunday was the weather.  It’s always fun to watch the ship leave port and the land fades away while standing on the deck with a cocktail in hand.  Rainy weather prevented that enjoyment, so we had to move the celebration to our favorite, the Martini Bar!

But at least we made it.

The Best of 2023

This is the thirteenth year of posting about the top ten experiences of the previous year and while it was usual that several very deserving ones were left on the chopping block, what makes 2023 special is the top five are not about some awesome concert, awesome dinner, or flying a helicopter.  They are all family-related events that made the year so great.  As usual, we start at number ten and work our way to the best of the best.

10.  Guest Bartenders

When George’s (the owner of Jorrge’s Restaurant and Cantina) wife had shoulder surgery it left him shorthanded and Elaine and I (and several others) volunteered to take a few nights running the bar while he waited tables.  That consisted mainly of pouring beers and margaritas, making an occasional Old Fashioned or frozen daiquiri, and running the cash register.  When we weren't slammed with orders, we talked with the bar folks, most of whom we knew.  It was great helping a friend in a pinch and giving our tips to the young kids who deliver food and clean up tables.

9.  Biltmore Tour 

We began our early September trip to North Carolina by taking a day to tour the mansion, gardens, and grounds at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville.  The tour is self-guided and the provided headset directs you around and activates its narrative when you get to the next room.  Huge dining rooms, libraries filled with thousands of books, majestic fireplaces, bedrooms so large they make their normal-sized beds look small, and huge handpainted religious rugs hanging on walls are just some of its many splendors.  Below ground, the basement is filled with kitchens, pantries, and the servants' quarters, and the floor below that workout rooms, a bowling alley, and the shell of an old swimming pool.  Outdoors, most of the gardens were past their prime yet still lovely, but the conservatory was overloaded with large, beautiful arrangements.  

8.  ain’t too proud 

Our friends Ralph and Kathy treated us in June to “ain’t too proud” at the Schuster Performing Arts Center, a musical about the life and times of the Motown group The Temptations.  Our seats were awesome situated in the middle of the eighth row.  “The Way You Do the Things You Do”, “In the Still of the Night”, “Shout”, “My Girl”, “Ain't Too Proud to Beg”, “If You Don't Know Me by Now”, “Just My Imagination”, and “Papa Was a Rollin' Stone” were just a few of the dozens of hits performed that evening.  The story of The Temptations, their successes and losses, and the number of members who came and went as the group changed over the years was all new to us.  This was a Broadway-quality production and a delightful evening.

7.  Dinner at Beachcomber

We spent another week in Clearwater Beach, Florida with Albert and Marilou (Elaine’s sister and brother-in-law) in late April, the third straight year we left the cold and dreariness of the Ohio winter.  As is Elaine and my tradition, we had an upscale dinner on the final night, this time at Beachcomber, located on the main drag that is Mandalay Avenue.  It was way more upscale than we thought it would be, a true fine dining experience.  Elaine had the surf-and-turf which she recalls to this day, and although I can’t remember mine (it was probably the sea scallops) I do recall it was also delicious.

6.  March Madness in Greensboro

This is the fourth trip to take in the first and second rounds of an NCAA basketball tournament and the trip to North Carolina also allowed us to see our grandson Griffin.  The Friday afternoon games at Greensboro Coliseum had Xavier topping Kennesaw State by five points and Pittsburgh easily defeating Iowa State by eighteen.  We opted to take in the evening games back at our hotel and we’re glad we did.  Rain and fog made it difficult to navigate back in the daylight and I don’t want to think how awful that would have been near midnight.  We watched the Kentucky and Kansas State from the comfort of our hotel.  Fortunately, the Sunday second-round games were scheduled in the early afternoon and we saw double-digit victories by Xavier and Kansas State.  Nothing gets us into the tournament more than immersing ourselves in the early rounds.

5.  Pat Gets Texas A&M Job

Two years after Elaine’s son Pat took the Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends coach at Duke and moved his family from Indiana to North Carolina, Duke’s Head Coach Mike Elko returned to Texas A&M as their Head Coach and offered Pat the Special Teams Coordinator job.  Getting a position like this at an SEC (Southeastern Conference) school is a huge step up and while once again the family has to move, we’re excited for them.  Driving to College Station, Texas would be over 1,000 miles, double the long enough trip to NC, but flying there, or to Houston or Austin and driving the rest, will result in about the same amount of travel time, still, they just seem that much further away, at least until the next promotion.

4. Josephine Rochelle Dougherty

Everyone says their newborn grandchild is the cutest thing in the world, but when our granddaughter Joey was born on August 29th, she put all others on notice.  She is simply adorable with her big eyes and adorable smile.  She’s one of those babies that sleep through anything including her brother’s big voice and one or more barking dogs.  We made a special trip down to North Carolina to see her and capture pictures of us while she was still so tiny, just over a week after she was born.  We made two more trips over the next two months to see her, marveling at how fast she was growing physically and in our hearts.

3.  Brian and Deborah Get Married

After a twenty-month engagement, Elaine’s son Brian and his fiance Deborah Klopfenstein exchanged vows in March at St. Charles Church in Kettering, Ohio.  We hosted the Rehearsal Dinner the evening before at a private dining room at Figlio’s where they did a splendid job serving our group of three dozen guests.  The reception was held in the Eichelberger Pavilion in Carillon Historical Park, a stunning venue at easily held their 160 guests.  Dinner was provided by Bernstein's Catering featuring charcuterie boards and entrees of slow-roasted short ribs, ricotta agnolotti, and herb-roasted chicken.  The evening concluded with speeches, toasts, and lots of dancing.  

2.  Mike and Leslie Get Married

My son Mike and his finance Leslie Harshman said “I do” in an outdoor ceremony in June at Hidden Valley Orchards in Lebanon, Ohio.  Mike and Leslie have known each other for over ten years, dated for seven, and he finally bought her a ring in 2021.  This was a small, casual but equally beautiful ceremony followed by food and drinks.  All four of our children are now happily married and we couldn’t be happier or more proud of each of them.

1.  15th Wedding Anniversary

We have a wedding anniversary every year (obviously) and I don’t put it on the list, but the 15th seemed so special that I wanted to make it even more so by making it the best of this year’s list.  Elaine and I had a great dinner at Jag’s in West Chester and spent the night at the nearby Marriott.  We have had a great and memorable fifteen years and I love her more now than when we said “I do” at Incarnation Church on January 5, 2008.  So even if our anniversary doesn’t make this list each year, our life together is always the best of the best.

 

The Best of 2022

I’m constantly amazed and grateful for all the cool experiences that come my way every year and 2022 was full of great memories.  Forty-three items made the list last year and culling them down to the top ten had its usual tough calls.  As usual, I’ll start at number 10 and work down the page to last year’s star.

10.  Watching Duke Beat Boston College at Cameron Indoor Stadium

Seeing a game at Cameron came off my Bucket List in 2018 and for reasons that will become clearer below, getting tickets to see Duke play should be easier.  But instead of seeing a non-conference, no-doubt, winter-break game, this one was against in-conference ACC opponent Boston College.  We sat way up in the rafters, but the stadium’s 9,300-seat capacity means there’s not a bad seat in the house.  Duke won a hard-fought game by a respectable sixteen points in the first year of Jon Scheyer being their head coach.

9.  Dinner at Kindred Spirits at The Inn at Cedar Falls

Last fall we stayed a couple of nights in a cabin at Hocking Hills, Ohio, courtesy of a gift we received from my daughter and son-in-law.  Very rustic and scenic with a hot tub that faced out to an empty forest, well except for the occasional deer and squirrel sighting.  The lodge at Hocking had been completely rebuilt after suffering a fire a few years ago.  We hiked a few of the more popular trails including Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave, and Cedar Falls.  The highlight of the trip was our meal at Kindred Spirits, a restaurant that we only were able to make reservations for because it was off-season and we were willing to dine at 5:00 pm.  I had Sea Scallops in Brown Butter Sauce, Rainbow Carrots, and Wild Rice, which was my best meal of the year.

8.  Duke Beats Miami

In most years we see one football game for each of Elaine’s sons, but 2022 ended with three apiece.  We drove to Durham for Duke’s opening game, twice to Valparaiso, went to the Valparaiso game in Dayton, and to Pittsburgh to nearly freeze to death watching Duke play Pitt.  The highlight of the season was flying to Miami to watch Duke beat “The U” 45-21 on a beautiful sunny Florida day.  We preceded the game with a family tailgate party in one of the remote parking lots.  We spent a total of six days/five nights in Fort Lauderdale for our third Florida vacation of the year.

7.  A Week in Clearwater Beach, FL

The last week of April is a great time to hit the beach in Florida.  It’s past the Spring Break season, rates have just come down, and it’s less crowded and way easier to get into bars and restaurants.  But what made our vacation more special in 2022 was the week of perfect weather.  You always plan for at least one rainy day when spending a week, but for the most part, even the clouds stayed away.  Our routine is to sleep in, take a long walk or run, get cleaned up, and hit the beach, made really easy by being right on the beach.  A little sun, a light lunch, and more sun until the beer buds kick in.  Never gets old.

6.  Super Bowl Game at Jorrge’s

Our favorite restaurant, Jorrge’s, is closed on Sundays but with the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl, he threw a party for a group of his favorite customers for the game.  Everyone brought food in and Jorrge provided the drinks on the house.  It's not very often that you’re allowed to bring food into a restaurant much less drink a pitcher of complimentary margaritas and a few shots of tequila.  Neither one of us are Cincinnati Bengals fans, but we cheered along for three quarters before going home.  We know how the Bengals do in Super Bowl fourth quarters.

5.  Lunch at The Holly Inn in Pinehurst, NC

While visiting our grandson in April, we headed down to Pinehurst to see the area where I’ve played many rounds of golf over the years and to find a place to eat lunch.  The Holly Inn has an outdoor seating area where we could get a bite to eat and gaze around downtown.  We ordered a couple of Bloody Mary drinks and they brought out a bucket of fresh, hot, and salty potato chips.  These chips are addictive and while we’re happy to share a mini-size bag of chips from time to time, we continued snacking until none were left.  Amazing I still had room for the Hot Mess burger I had ordered.

4.  Pat Getting Duke Job

When my wife got off the phone and told me her son was going to be interviewed for the Special Teams Coordinator job at Duke University, I was stunned.  I’ve been a huge fan of Duke Basketball most of my adult life, visited the campus on several occasions, stayed and played golf at their Washington Duke hotel and a few years ago went to a basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  It was unreal that he might have a chance to coach there.  After the interview, it took a couple of weeks before they officially signed him and they began their move from Indiana to North Carolina.  His first season ended with an 8-4 record plus a victory in the Military Bowl.

3.  Brian and Deborah Got Engaged on July 4th

We rented a house, the “Grace FitzPatrick”, in West Palm Beach, Florida for a week in July so we could attend a family celebration and have a week of family time.  Brian brought his girlfriend and secretly an engagement ring.  After a few days of trying to decide a good time and place, he opted for a stroll along a boardwalk where he walked her out a pier and proposed with the ocean in the background.  She couldn’t get “Yes!” out of her mouth fast enough as she smiled ear-to-ear.  I just told them congratulations and that “Independence” Day was an interesting choice for getting engaged.

2.  Cog Railway to Pikes Peak

I had last taken the ride up to Pikes Pike in the summer before my senior year in high school and was eager to do it again.  I didn’t know that the cog train and visitor centers had been shut down and completely redone, reopening just a few months earlier.  We bought tickets in advance and opted to pay a little extra for specific seats which allowed us to face forward during the ascent, which takes about a half-hour more than the return down the mountain.  The trip up delivered one stunning view after another with occasional animal sightings.  The summit is about 40 degrees colder than the base station with a stiff breeze making it even tougher to walk around in its thin air.  A minute into the descent, a pair of Air Force jets buzzed the mountain, giving us an oh-so-brief up-close view of their planes.  

1.  Chicago and Brian Wilson at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado

When friends of ours offered us some extra tickets they had to see the band Chicago and Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys at the Red Rocks outdoor amphitheater outside Denver, Colorado, we jumped on it.  We made a five-day journey out of it with the concert being on the last night of the trip.  Heeding the guidance of people we talked to, we took an Uber to the venue which dropped us off at the top where we could easily walk down to our seats near the top.  The view was absolutely stunning with a wall of red rock to our left and downtown Denver in the distance.  The amphitheater is an acoustic wonder and even though we were a fair distance from the stage, the music was loud and crystal clear.  After the concert, we walked all the way down to exit the venue and walked another quarter-mile down to a waiting fleet of taxis that left Red Rocks without a wait.

The Best Of 2021

The continuation of the hopeless fight against the coronavirus once again limited vacation destinations, but that didn’t stop us from traveling to states that were open for fun.  Of the forty-nine experiences that were collected in 2021, over half of them involved restaurants with delicious food, beautiful vistas, or were just quirky, and the best five earned inclusion in this annual collection of memories.

10.  The Sage Room - Hilton Head, SC

You would never run across The Sage Room, except by accident, as it’s tucked on the backside of other businesses and you can’t even find it on Google Streetview.  Fortunately our friends Dan and Grace had been there before and they raved about the food.  The most upscale of the new restaurants of 2021 did not disappoint and after careful consideration of their outstanding menu, I selected their Sage Room Benedict, an 8 oz. filet, poached egg, smashed potatoes, haricot vert, and bearnaise sauce, a beef cheeks appetizer, and Creme Brûlée for dessert.  The cheeks are not some made-up term, it’s literally the cheeks of the cow, once a throw-away after-thought, now a trendy delight.

9.  Nashville, TN

To break up the trip down to Montgomery, AL to see the Christmas Day Camelia Bowl, we stayed a night in Nashville.  We started our afternoon by Uber’ing over to visit a friend at his clothing store, chatted a while, and asked where’s a good place for lunch.  He suggested Edley’s BBQ a few blocks up the street and it was at the top of the best barbeque places I’ve ever been.  The brisket sandwich was as large as it was delicious.  We Uber’d back to Broadway to the heart of country music paradise, first hitting AJ's Good Time Bar, named for country superstar Alan Jackson.  The band at AJ’s was playing familiar, well-known songs from yesteryear.  We moved on to Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, lucked out getting a seat at the bar, and listened to the loud side of country hits.  

8.  Earl's Hideaway Lounge and Tiki Bar - Sebastian, FL

Earl’s is a biker bar, pure and simple.  Dozens of Harley-Davidsons are lined up side by side, many with their owners chatting about their paint job or custom pipes.  Inside are lots of TVs and outside there is a stage that features a string of bands playing favorites to the crowd and the braver souls that like to take to the dance floor.  But what’s most compelling are the people themselves and if you’re a people-watcher, it’s fun to just sit back and watch these happy people go at it.  

7.  Blue Hen Cafe - St. Augustine, FL

One of the benefits of traveling during the lowest of the non-peak season is being able to get into most restaurants as we did at Blue Hen Cafe.  It’s a tiny, locals place open six hours Wednesday through Sunday that usually has a long line of people waiting for a chance to enter.  We waited for perhaps five or ten minutes before being seated, ordered up a cup of coffee, and tried to decide what on their everything-looks-good menu to have.   My choice was a monster-sized sausage, cheese, and egg on a brioche bun that was over-the-top delicious.  

6.  Nokomo's Sunset Hut - Nokomis, FL

You know when you’re in a brand-new vacation place for three days and go to the same restaurant twice because you just have to before you leave, you have found that combination of great food and a good atmosphere that will demand you go back in the future.  Such was Nokomo's Sunset Hut which features two floors with plenty of bar and table seating.  It’s so big that multiple bands are playing in different parts of the restaurant at the same time.  Waiting for a table was going to take hours, so we took a chance, got a drink at the bar, and then stalked out people that looked like they were getting close to leaving.  This is Elaine’s specialty, spotting a likely couple and chatting them up.  They usually offer us their seats, sometimes letting us sit while they’re paying their bill.  Dinner was the best Grouper Tacos we’ve ever had with an unusual, but awesome, side of edamame and black-eyed peas salad.  We stopped for lunch on our way back to the West Palm Beach airport, enjoying an equally delightful meal at a peaceful corner table overlooking Robert’s Bay.

5.  Kayaking

During a trip to Vero Beach, we went kayaking with Elaine’s brother and sister-in-law in the Indian River.  We each selected a kayak, donned life preservers, and grabbed a two-headed paddle.  We carefully launched and made our way through an small access to the river, made a right turn, and headed north.  There was no one else around on this beautiful day as we slowly made our way, in no hurry at all.  Kayaking was a new experience to the ladies and it had been a while since I paddled, so tipping over was a reasonable concern.  To test the depth of the river, I stuck my paddle vertically into the water, and to my surprise, the river was only about three feet deep.  We were greeted by a dolphin that surfaced just a few feet away and the many fish that lept out of the water for whatever reason they do that.   It was an idyllic day filled with light winds, paddling dipping, and beautiful trees, plants, and flowers.   

4. Cytomegalovirus

I was a regular whole blood donor for many years when I worked downtown and the donation center was down the street.  During that time one of the blood center screeners mentioned I had good blood for babies, but never explained why.  I just figured they said that to everybody to entice them to give regularly.   I got out of the donation habit after I had a melanoma removed from my head which necessitated a five-year suspension from donating.  After getting COVID in December of 2020, I was eligible to donate convalescent plasma to assist hospitalized people and perhaps save a life.  That reestablished the habit of giving and early in 2021 I noticed that the donation form I took home had “CMV-” written at the top and highlighted in yellow.  An internet search quickly relieved that this term stood for Cytomegalovirus-Negative, which means I’m one of a small number of people that have never contracted this common virus.  Babies needing transfusions should only receive blood from donors, like me, who have not been exposed to CMV, so I’m really important to the most precious and vulnerable patients.  Now that I know this, I’ll keep donating every eight weeks for as long as I’m able.

3.  Jorrge's Restaurante Cantina

Jorrge’s was a place that was on our want-to-try list for a while, but it wasn’t until July 5th, when our usual haunts were closed did we go check it out, then it quickly became our number one place.  It has to be the friendliest place around, for example, people sitting at the bar will quickly offer to move around when there are a couple of single stools available and we need two together.  At first, we were surprised and thought maybe it was a one-time deal, but then it happened over and over, and of course, we join in the musical chairs whenever we can.  The golden margaritas are great and we typically split a small pitcher, which is good for two each.  Jorrge’s is famous for their “Flu Shot” and one or more usually land in front of us, along with occasional tequila or bourbon shots.  On top of that, the food is the best Mexican in town.  

2.  YouTubeTV

We had long complained about the cost of cable TV, the cable boxes that needed frequently replaced, and the overly complex remote control.  On top of that, we had another HDMI port with our streaming device requiring changing inputs and grabbing one or more other remotes.  That ended one evening when we were trying to watch a Pittsburgh Penguins game and found that channel, and only that one, was badly pixelated and unwatchable.  Searching for a quick solution, I started a free trial of YouTube TV and we watched the hockey game without issue.  A few days later we disconnected all the Spectrum gear and returned it, saving some money and more than a ton of aggravation.  The best part of this move was the consolidation of the many remotes into a single Fire TV remote, one that measures only 1.5 by 5.5 inches, and every button, except one, is used a lot.  We also now get our “TV” on our iPads, smartphones, and computers, bringing the total number of “TVs” in the house to at least nine.

1.  Basement Remodel

Over the last dozen years, we’ve updated everything in the house on the first and second floors, doing all the work ourselves except for the bathrooms and kitchen.  The last rooms to tackle were in the basement and we initially decided to contract it out.  But then we decided to keep the drop ceiling and just replace the tiles, and then decided to ditch new carpeting and install vinyl flooring.  At that point, it didn’t make much sense to use a contractor, as we knew, or could figure out with the help of YouTube, how to do it all and we could take our time.  Starting at the top, we removed all the old ceiling tiles, tied up all the tees that were drooping, cut holes for the can lights and registers, and installed the new tiles.  We painted the top of the walls French blue and replaced the outdated wood paneling on the lower half with white beadboard paneling.  The floors came last, replacing 30+-year-old carpeting with Carbon Gray vinyl flooring.  New carpeting on the stairs was the only part we had someone else do.   A new 65-inch 4K television, a console, and an area rug completed the transformation.

The Best Of 2011-2020

It’s been a decade since I started keeping lists of all the cool experiences that occurred that year, selected the top ten, ranked them, and picked the best of that year’s best.  I thought I would follow the same process for this first “Best of the Decade” list, but I found myself not wanting to rank these, so the list below is simply in chronological order.  I wasn’t too surprised to find that most of this top ten list consist of the yearly number one experiences, however, 2015 and 2017 do not have any, while 2016 and 2020 each have two.

I also found that I wanted to combine some individual experiences and not pick a single item out of an entire vacation, as the collective made them extra special.  Finally, while most of what is written below use the exact verbiage found in the previous blogs, some are new, as I didn’t start writing entire paragraphs until the fourth year, and some are rewritten as needed to tell the tale of a phenomenal decade.  So I’ll jump back to 2011 and start reminiscing.

Oktoberfest in Munich (2011)

The flight to Germany included a longer-than-appreciated stop at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, followed by a ride from the Munich airport whereupon departing the train we were greeted by rain and trying to get our bearings to find the hotel.  But after napping for a couple of hours, a walk, dinner, and a full night’s sleep, we were ready to experience our first Oktoberfest.  We took the train to the Theresienwiese station, followed the crowd up the escalator, and were astonished to find ourselves already inside Oktoberfest, sort of like when Dorothy opened the door and she saw the multi-colored Oz for the first time.  It’s really like a huge county fair with food, rides, and entertainment, and the famous beer-drinking is strictly limited to inside one of the many “tents”, which hold up to 10,000 people, so each is more like a small village.  To order a beer you must be seated at a table and Elaine’s job was to find a party that would allow us to join them, which she was excellent at doing.  Beer is served in one liter (aka “Maß”) mugs and it never took more than a couple minutes to get a refill, as the waitresses moved with German precision.  There was plenty of traditional music, but about every hour the band would play Sweet Caroline or Take Me Home Country Roads and the entire crowd sang along.  We repeated our first visit, on Tuesday, with a repeat on Thursday, taking a day’s break to walk around downtown and visit the famous Munich Hofbrauhaus.  

Chef George (2012)

Aruba is one of our favorite Caribbean destinations.  It’s always hot, windy, and dry, the beaches are gorgeous and the restaurants are a collection of Caribbean, Latin American, and Dutch.  Our favorite restaurant was The Flying Fishbone, where our group ate at tables directly on the beach.  But our favorite meal was from Chef George, the sous chef from the nearby Marriott Resort and Casino.  The ladies thought it would be nice to celebrate their sister’s birthday by hiring a private chef to prepare a meal in our condo.  Chef George and his girlfriend came over for a planning session and an elaborate menu including fish, risotto, salad, asparagus, avocado with shrimp, and garlic bread.  A birthday cake was secretly added later.  For our party of nine, we expected quite a price tag, and when it turned to that point the men figured that would be the end of it.  Chef George wrote, tallied, and gave us the number.  About $330 total.  I had to immediately turn away and mouth “Oh my God!”.  We couldn’t say “yes” fast enough.  Two nights later Chef George and his girlfriend prepared one of the most awesome dinners I have ever tasted.  We all dressed up, drank champagne, then wine, ate as much as we could, then sang “Happy Birthday” and ate cake.  What a night!

Cirque Du Soleil “O”  (2013)

During one of my occasional business trips to Las Vegas, my IBM rep asked if I would like to go to the Cirque Du Soleil show at the Bellagio.  Since I had heard they were excellent, I said yes, not knowing what it was all about.  The show was named “O”, which is a homonym for “Eau”, the French word for water.   What I was treated to was spectacular, a high-flying and underwater production of diving, synchronized swimming, and aerial acrobatics in and over a 1.5-million gallon pool of water.  It was equally stunning and terrifying. The performance ended with high divers plunging 60 feet to a small exposed section of the pool, where a single small mistake could be a disaster.  I’ve never jumped from that high a distance, but the impact has to be thunderous.  This remains one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen.

Ireland Vacation (2014)

Ireland is a beautiful country and I took a week’s vacation with my wife and her sons, all of Irish descent, to The Emerald Isle at the end of June, where the sun rises around 5:00 am and sets around 10:00 pm, making for a lot of daylight.  Aside from a week of perilous driving from the front right seat, on the left side of the road, with a stick shift in my left hand with the only-thing-familiar, left-to-right shift pattern and navigating clockwise roundabouts, here are the top four highlights from a great week.

The Guinness Storehouse tour was interesting and it was capped by learning how to pour a perfect Guinness, tilting the glass at a 45-degree angle while pulling the tap forward, letting it settle for 119.5 seconds (yeah, it's a joke), then topping it off while pushing the tap backward.  Tullamore D.E.W. is my wife’s favorite Irish Whiskey and learning their history and the distilling process was fascinating.  We also learned that “D.E.W”, not Dew as we all thought, stands for Daniel Edmund Williams, who worked for nearly sixty years at the distillery.  Departing from Galway City, we took a 45-minute bus ride and a 45-minute ferry ride to Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands.  Everything on the islands is lined with rock walls, busted out of the ground to provide land for food and housing.  Most impressive were the cliffs, with no barriers to keep you safe, and braving wicked high winds to take memorable pictures. The final day in Ireland was spent traveling to Doolin, a small seaside town near the Cliffs of Moher.  The cliffs were awesome, albeit on a foggy day, but having dinner and listening to real Irish music at McGann’s, a small local tavern, was even better.  

Flying a Helicopter (2016)

My daughter bought me a gift certificate to Cloud 9 Living and my selection was taking a helicopter lesson which included a half-hour ride and some solo piloting, of course, with a certified instructor (Matt) that monitored everything and could take over in a split second. After about forty-five minutes introducing how helicopters function, the purpose of the overhead and tail blades, how to control motion horizontally and vertically, and plenty of safety training, Matt pulled the small, two-seater out of the hanger and towed it to a take-off pad. After performing a thorough outside review and then the inside pre-flight checklist, Matt fired up the engines and we waited while the engines came up to operating speed. We checked over our right shoulder to make sure all was clear and Matt lifted off and moved over to the runway. In what I can only describe as a “Superman Moment”, Matt gunned it forward, then banked right as we climbed. No fear, just the rush of flight as the ground fell away. It was probably the coolest feeling I’ve ever experienced. Once up to our flying altitude and positioned over a highway to follow, I got to fly for about ten minutes, following one highway, then another. After we began our way back to the Batavia airport, Matt demonstrated how a helicopter can glide down without engine power. Disengaging the motor, the helicopter began a gentle, and eerily quiet, descent towards an open field. Matt explained that in an actual emergency landing he would get close to the ground with the helicopter pitched forward, then pull back to stop the forward motion a few feet off the ground. In the final second you’re a rock, but hopefully an alive rock. Re-engaging power, we continued back to the airport, and suddenly we pitched right, then pitched left, the scariest moment (for me) of the flight. Matt pointed to a couple of birds that had passed by and emphasized the importance of avoiding them. Now back at the airport, we hovered over an open field and Matt had me practice trying to hold the helicopter in place about 20-30 feet above the ground. This is much harder than it would appear, and the 10-15 mph wind made it an even greater challenge for this first-timer. Finally, Matt took over, moved us back across the runway to the pad, and landed as light as a feather. The guy is good!

The Ohio State University vs Michigan Football Game (2016)

My son bought season tickets for the OSU football games and offered me the chance to go to the traditional, regular-season-ending rivalry game versus Michigan at “The Shoe” in Columbus. Little did I know in August that OSU would be ranked #2, Michigan #3 and the game would likely decide which team would make the four-team College Football Playoffs. We made it to Columbus by 8:00 am for plenty of pre-game tailgating before the noon kickoff, enjoying several hot Fireball Apple Ciders to stay warm, listening to music at the outdoor HineyGate, and well-positioned on the main way as Urban Meyer and the team made its way to the stadium. We were part of the record crowd of 110,045 fans as Ohio State took an early 7-3 lead, only to give up two touchdowns to fall behind 17-7 and not looking sharp. But the defense stepped up their game and a late third-quarter touchdown left them trailing 17-14 entering the final quarter. A missed chip-shot field goal, Durbin’s second of the day, with seven minutes to go left the crowd stunned. But a three-and-out gave OSU one more chance from their own 18 with 5 ½ minutes on the clock. They made it an even deeper hole following a 6-yard sack on the first play of the drive. OSU got traction at that point, JT Barrett and crew passing and running down to the field before sputtering in the final two minutes and lining up for a potential tying field goal, another chip shot that had the crowd praying and hiding their faces, waiting for either the thunderous explosion of enjoyment or the bitter quiet of defeat. The explosion was heard and we headed to overtime, the first ever since overtime started in 1996. OSU got the ball first, at the opposite side of the stadium we were sitting, and took only two plays, the first by Samuel and the touchdown by Barnett to take their first lead since the first quarter. Michigan responded with a fourth-and-goal 5-yard touchdown pass. They switched ends of the field, now directly in front of us, and Michigan got the ball first in the second overtime. The Buckeyes limited them to a field goal on another three-and-out stop. With Michigan leading by three, Ohio State made a first down on fourth-and-one on a controversial spot by the referees, but I saw it and it was the proper spot! On the final play, Samuel sprinted around the left end for the game-winning touchdown and a 30-27 victory! The place went nuts and tens of thousands of fans stormed the field in joyous celebration! An instant classic!

Cameron Indoor Stadium (2018)

When something comes off your Bucket List, it’s no surprise it becomes the highlight of the year.

I’ve been a Duke basketball fan since the early 1990s and have wanted to see a game at Cameron Indoor for many years, so when my friend and local resident Bob invited me down to see Duke play Princeton in December, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. Cameron is a unique stadium, seating only 9,300 without a bad seat in the house, and looks from the outside a building that could be a church. This year’s Duke team features the most talented group of freshmen in the country, headlined by the high-flying Zion Williamson and super-smooth RJ Barrett, and complemented by floor general Tre Jones and sharpshooter Cam Reddish. After a slow start, Duke blew out Princeton by the lopsided score of 101-50.  The dream has come true.

Celebrity Edge Cruise (2019)

The Edge was the newest addition to the Celebrity cruise line and we enjoyed a week aboard one of its first sailings, staying in an Infinite Veranda stateroom.  Abroad we saw three shows in the Theater, usually starting and ending at The Martini Bar where the bartenders would pour a line of fifteen martinis in a single pour from sixteen interconnected cocktail shakers. The food was very good, but the highlights were the hot dogs and french fries at the Mast Grill.

Our excursion in San Juan was The Food and Culture Tour, and Stephanie guided us through historic districts explaining their significance, while the food portion included island coffee, meat, and cheese sandwiches on a buttered croissant at Cuatro Sombras, plantain with butter and garlic, that we mashed ourselves, served with a side of rice and beans, and a Mojito, at Cafe El Punto, and flan at Vaca Brava.  In Tortola, we took the “Tour to Virgin Gorda Baths” excursion.  A small, open-air bus took us to Devil’s Bay, where we got into the water for a short time, and then we walked paths, ducked under huge rocks overhangs, turned sideways to slink through narrow openings, and navigated the many slippery spots. Arriving at Back Bay, we spent 45 minutes in the water bobbing up and down and being shoved around by the warm waves.  Our favorite tour was America’s Cup Sailing Regatta in Saint Maarten, which pitted two sailboats, manned by us landlubbers against each other in a race.  Our boat, the American “Stars and Stripes” was led by Captain Morgan of Jamaica and his crew of two. My job was being the “back grinder”, where during our into-the-wind changes between port tacking and starboard tacking, I would reel in one of the ropes supporting the main mast’s large sail.  While our boat lost the competition by two lengths, it was an absolute blast sailing in the most perfectly clear blue-green water imaginable.

February in St. Augustine Beach, FL (2020)

Our first attempt at being “snowbirds” was spent in St. Augustine Beach, Florida, where we rented a two-bedroom, oceanside condo for the month of February.  The weather was a mixture of nice warmer days, lots of mostly seasonal days somewhere in the sixties, and a few on the chillier side.  We took a relaxing four days to drive there, visiting friends outside Atlanta one night and not driving too much on any given day.  Adjusting to the smaller confines of the condo, finding the best places to shop, and generally being outside our comfort zone took three days to overcome.  We enjoyed numerous trips into St. Augustine, the oldest city in America, taking tours, visiting shops, going to church, and eating at one great restaurant after another.  We hosted family and by the end could recite the history of the city as well as the tour guides.  The trip home included a night in Charleston, SC, dinner at Husk, and an over-the-top brunch with friends at Jasmine Porch on Kiawah Island.  The final leg, Charlotte to home, was the longest at seven hours, but we were happy to be back in the comfort of our home, not knowing yet that February would be the last normal month of 2020.  The timing was perfect.

Griffin Patrick Dougherty (2020)

I know all grandparents think their grandchildren are the cutest on the planet, but we have lots of pictures to prove that our first grandchild, Griffin, truly deserves that title.  He was born three weeks early, on May 13th, after a difficult pregnancy, which was undoubtedly made even more difficult due to coronavirus restrictions on if and when daddy Pat was allowed to accompany mommy Emma to medical appointments and some really scary trips to the emergency room.  Imagine all the jitters that come with a first child, then amplify that with having to sit in your car waiting to be told what you can and cannot do.  After many weeks of praying to get him a few weeks closer to full term, that beautiful baby boy arrived and jumped right into our hearts.  Since daddy, like many daddies around the world, worked from home most of the summer and fall, he had the unexpected opportunity to fully participate and watch Griffin as he gained weight, outgrew outfits, found his hands, kicked his legs, rolled over, and best of all, developed that cutest smile. 

The Best of 2020

2020 was a different kind of year, to put it kindly.  The coronavirus threw us off our normal game from mid-March and pre-Christmas December had both of us, fortunately at different times, on the couch fighting off the virus’s fever, chills, and congestion.  Like most people, we did a lot of home improvements this year and got a lot of “I’ll clean that out someday” projects off our list.  But it was also a year that featured our most beach time ever, great food, lots of sightseeing, and best of all, some exciting times for our children.  I’ve whittled down the list of forty-six experiences I captured throughout the year, and as I’ve done now for ten years running, picked and sorted the best ten to remind myself, now and in future years, that 2020 was a great year in my life.  Here we go. 

10. Laurie and Rodney Move to Charlotte, NC

It might seem strange to think that your daughter moving seven hours away (from 1.5 hours) would make this list, but I’m happy when she’s happy.  They bought a beautiful home outside of Charlotte where the average January temperature is 51 degrees.  It’s directly on the way to a few of our favorite places, including Hilton Head Island, Charleston, SC, and the east coast of Florida.  We also discovered this year that we can Facetime each other whenever we want.  Not that we didn’t know it before, but we never did it and it took the pandemic to realize that we can regularly chat.  

9.  Wine & Dine Roadster Tour in St. Augustine, FL

The most fun tour we took in St. Augustine was the Wine & Dine Roadster Tour.  Our driver Corley navigated the roadster, carrying ourselves and two other couples through lesser-known streets, introducing us to interesting nuggets of the cities’ deep history.  Along the way, we stopped at five places for food and drink, including the Old City House Inn & Restaurant, Carrera Wine Cellar, The Floridian, Athena Restaurant, and Peace Pie, indulging in tasty plates and yummy drinks, in all more than a meal’s worth.  The tour was interesting, intimate, and an awesome way to feel part of the local scene.

8.  A Great Crop of Tomatoes

After years of sacrificing our backyard tomatoes to squirrels, I finally invented a solution that would completely enclose the plants yet make it fairly easy to inspect and pick the ripe red fruits.  The solution was “stackable cages”, two per plant, each about a two-foot cube.  The lower cube did not have a wire mesh top, the top cube did.  I made each of the four sides out of 2”x2” lumber, then stapled wire mesh sides to them.  This made the cubes reasonably light enough so I could lift the top cube off, pick the ripened tomatoes, and put the top back on.  We harvested, from just two plants, many dozen delicious Better Boy and Beefsteak tomatoes.  After the season was over, I took this first version of the cages to the dump, looking to invent a new-and-improved version in 2021 that will be even easier to use and provide more room so the tomato plants can grow larger.  

7.  Frankie Bones in Hilton Head 

Staying with our friends Dan and Grace for a week, we ate and drank at several wonderful places, but the only one we requested a repeat performance was Frankie Bones.  The restaurant was the complete package, with their service, food, and drinks all being top-notch.  The decor was so visually compelling, portraying a 1960s “Rat Pack” theme complete with period furniture, outfits, and pictures.  Both the Lobster Mac-n-Cheese and Shrimp Scampi were delicious, but that left a couple dozen equally tasty-looking selections to explore on future visits.

6.  Ball State MAC Champions and First Bowl Game Since 2013

The Ball State football program was one of the first to cancel their season due to the coronavirus.  But after other programs, like the Big Ten, decided to reverse their decisions and play, Ball State changed course also, beginning a shortened, six-game, division-only schedule on November 4th.  Following an initial loss at Miami, Ohio, Ball State went on to win their final five games, making them the MAC-West champs and earning them their first trip to the MAC Championship game since 2008, a revenge match against the MAC-East champs Buffalo Bulls.  Ball State triumphed, 38–28, to become the MAC Champions for the first time since 1996.  They accepted an invitation to play the San Jose State Spartans, the Mountain West champions, in the Arizona Bowl on New Year’s Eve.  Ball State started strong, scoring 27 points in the first quarter, and went on to win the game 34-13 for the football team’s first-ever bowl game victory.  

5.  BlockBuster Fitness Equipment

While everyone was impacted by the government-ordered lockdowns that largely failed to halt the coronavirus spread in any obvious way, my son’s personal training business was closed for several months, lumped into the category of “gym”, which it’s not.  While that was a complete loss of income, to both himself and his employees and contractors, fortunately, he had started a second business, BlockBuster Fitness Equipment, a couple of years ago that buys out large quantities of treadmills, ellipticals, weights, etc., which he refurbishes and resells.  Since lots of people wanted to keep up their workouts, demand was very healthy and this business took off.  2020 will end up being his best year so far.

4.  Like Brand-New Fireplace

The last piece of the living room that needed upgrading was the fireplace, its large gray stones looking more outdated as, over the last ten years, the flooring was upgraded, the walls painted, and literally everything else replaced.  We first considered having it ripped out and a new one installed but decided to first try to cover it using white, chalk paint.  That achieved a stunning makeover!  We then sprayed the brass doors with high-temperature black paint, replaced the screens, and completed the project by painting the stone hearth with a hammered white paint.  We continued this unplanned project, replacing the couch, loveseat, chair, and ottoman with much-needed upgrades, then added new paintings, accent paint, area rug, and curtains.  Best of all, for the first time in my life, I have an awesome La-Z-Boy rocker/recliner.    

3.  Lots of Pool and Golf

The summer of 2020 was hot, dry, and full of sunshine, and thankfully when it became apparent that flu season is never a big summertime concern, the pool at Walnut Grove Country Club was allowed to open, with capacity, distancing, and other restrictions like everywhere else.  We enjoyed many hours of basking in the sun, getting our best suntans ever, and cooling off when the kids had to exit the pool for fifteen minutes every hour.  We also took much advantage of the golf course, playing lots of nine-hole rounds, with a golf cart, and each consuming about a half-gallon of water to keep hydrated.  Being out on the golf course, often feeling that we were the only people there, and enjoying the scenery made the world feel normal for a couple of hours.  One change we hope they keep is everyone had to make a tee time every day and time of the week, instead of the previous requirement being only during the peek Saturday and Sunday morning/early afternoon.  Took any concern about how long it might take to get started, we could just show up on time and go immediately.

2.  February in St. Augustine Beach, FL

Our first attempt at being “snowbirds” was spent in St. Augustine Beach, Florida, where we rented a two-bedroom, oceanside condo for the month of February.  The weather was a mixture of nice warmer days, lots of mostly seasonal days somewhere in the sixties, and a few on the chillier side.  We took a relaxing four days to drive there, visiting friends outside Atlanta one night and not driving too much on any given day.  Adjusting to the smaller confines of the condo, finding the best places to shop, and generally being outside our comfort zone took three days to overcome.  We enjoyed numerous trips into St. Augustine, the oldest city in America, taking tours, visiting shops, going to church, and eating at one great restaurant after another.  We hosted family and by the end could recite the history of the city as well as the tour guides.  The trip home included a night in Charleston, SC, dinner at Husk, and an over-the-top brunch with friends at Jasmine Porch on Kiawah Island.  The final leg, Charlotte to home, was the longest at seven hours, but we were happy to be back in the comfort of our home, not knowing yet that February would be the last normal month of 2020.  The timing was perfect.

1.  Griffin Patrick Dougherty

I know all grandparents think their grandchildren are the cutest on the planet, but we have lots of pictures to prove that our first grandchild, Griffin, truly deserves that title.  He was born three weeks early, on May 13th, after a difficult pregnancy, which was undoubtedly made even more difficult due to coronavirus restrictions on if and when daddy Pat was allowed to accompany mommy Emma to medical appointments and some really scary trips to the emergency room.  Imagine all the jitters that come with a first child, then amplify that with having to sit in your car waiting to be told what you can and cannot do.  After many weeks of praying to get him a few weeks closer to full term, that beautiful baby boy arrived and jumped right into our hearts.  Since daddy, like many daddies around the world, worked from home most of the summer and fall, he had the unexpected opportunity to fully participate and watch Griffin as he gained weight, outgrew outfits, found his hands, kicked his legs, rolled over, and best of all, developed that cutest smile.   

The Best of 2019

This is the ninth in my “Best of the Year” series, dedicated to reflecting on the best experiences of the year. Thirty-six items made this year’s list, about an average number, and as usual it takes some time to decide what makes the top ten and even more time to force rank them to select the best of the best.

Without further ado, here’s 2019’s recap.

10. Tour to Virgin Gorda Baths

Our excursion while docked in Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, started with a 45-minute catamaran ride to the northeast island of Virgin Gorda for the start of the “Tour to Virgin Gorda Baths”. A small, open air bus, driving on the always-disturbing left side of the road, started the scenic adventure, taking us to a parking lot for a short walk to Devil’s Bay, where we got into the water for a short time. From Devil’s Bay, we walked paths, through openings between huge rocks while trying to keep our footing in the many slippery spots. We had to duck under rock overhangs and turn sideways several times to get through some very narrow openings before arriving at Back Bay. There we spent 45 minutes in the water bobbing up and down and being shoved around by the warm waves, chatting with folks from our’s and other tours. The trip back to the bus took a much easier, albeit less scenic route, finishing with a return catamaran ride to the cruise ship.

9. NCAA Tournament Games In Jacksonville

The culmination of our 15-day cruise/Florida vacation was attending the first and second round NCAA basketball tournament games in Jacksonville. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Downtown on the St. Johns River, about a fifteen minute walk to VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. When you make plans months in advance, you don’t know which teams you’ll watch, but we’re college basketball fans and there is no better way to get psyched for March Madness than attending the games in person. Seton Hall, Yale, Abilene Christian and Belmont lost their first round games on Thursday, but a couple of them went down to the wire. In Saturday’s second round Kentucky beat a surprisingly scrappy Wofford team by six and LSU downed Maryland by a single bucket.

8. San Juan Food and Culture Tour

Our excursion while docked in San Juan was a food and culture tour, with Stephanie as our guide. She walked us through historic districts explaining their significance, which included a block with a hundred pink umbrellas hanging overhead, a tradition that started after hurricane Maria and its horrific destruction. The food portion included island coffee, meat and cheese sandwiches on a buttered croissant at Cuatro Sombras, plantain with butter and garlic, that we mashed ourselves, served with a side of rice and beans, and a Mojito, at Cafe El Punto, and a flan at Vaca Brava.

7. Lunch at Mango Mangos

We hope to spend a winter month in Florida in 2020, so as we traveled from Fort Lauderdale after leaving the cruise ship and heading north along the east coast, we checked out a few possible areas and it ended up being an easy decision: Saint Augustine Beach. It’s not a spring break destination, not having many hotels, and the main road, A1A Beach Blvd, has minimal thru-traffic, as it’s only useful to access this coastal area. The final selling point was a little Caribbean & American bar/grill a block from the beach named Mango Mangos. We ate a late lunch there both days and their fish tacos are the best. We tried a couple other places, but this is the one we’ll go back to time and again.

6. New Deck, Doors and Roman Shades

The wooden deck was falling apart, the French doors were worn and leaky, and the screen covering doors never worked as well as we wanted. The deck was replaced with two-tone TimberTech composite decking and black railing with lighted caps. The doors were upgraded with a unique venting style that have screens in the bottom and glass that’s raised when fresh air is wanted. To afford more privacy, roman shades were installed over the doors and can be lowered to whatever length desired. While the deck was only extended five feet, the extra space came in very handy for our yearly party, allowing all the food and beverages to be put there, freeing up more space on the patio for guests.

5. Kinzeler Newsletter

Friends of ours own a realty company and wanted to restart a program of mailing quarterly, six-page newsletters to clients and prospects. They had previously purchased a fairly generic newsletter but wanted something better, and I was excited to volunteer my time to design and write its content. We decided what each page would cover, focusing on useful and interesting content covering our community, time and money-savings tips for homeowners, local history, a seasonal article and information on buying and selling homes. Besides satisfying my love of writing, I learned so much as I researched topics to write about. This is a great retirement gig!

4. Digital Filing Projects

Shortly after the beginning of the year and several months into retirement, my previous employer asked if I would be interested in writing an application to save customer purchase orders that arrive in emails to a local share drive, eliminating their need to acquire more filing cabinets. As I had written a similar application before retiring for damage claims documentation, I knew this would be a fun and learning experience. After that one was completed, I was asked to write an application to store invoices after annotating (i.e. stamping) them with vendor, budget and approval information. While the cost of extra filing space was the initial driver, these applications save on paper and printing costs, lost productivity walking back and forth to the printer/scanner, and the time it takes to file invoices and retrieving copies for audits and other business purposes. Besides picking up a little extra spending money for retirement activities, I really love learning and watching an application come to life.

3. Celebrity Edge Cruise

The Edge was the newest addition to the Celebrity cruise line and we enjoyed a week aboard one of its first sailings, leaving out of Fort Lauderdale with three ports of call in the Eastern Caribbean. We had sunny, hot weather all but one day, and we made a lot of use of the running track that spanned two floors and the abundance of deck chairs, never having a problem getting enough for our gang. The Edge featured new staterooms with their Infinite Veranda design that allows the room to go all the way to the edge, merging the balcony with the room. We saw three shows in the Theater, comedian Rondell Sheridan, The Ravons playing rock and roll and Marcus Terell & The Serenades performing Motown delights. The Martini Bar was the highlight of the party scene, spanning three decks, with multi-story, music-synchronized LED lights and bartenders filling a line of fifteen martinis in a single pour from sixteen interconnected cocktail shakers. It seemed like everyone on the ship came out to see the Edge sailing into San Juan Bay, on the north side of Puerto Rico, with its colorful, historic buildings. And if that wasn’t enough, the hot dogs at the Mast Grill were awesome.

2. America’s Cup Sailing Regatta

The final port of call on the cruise was Sint Maarten and we docked at the capital city of Philipsburg on the Dutch-owned, southern side of the island. We boarded a small catamaran for the short trip out to the sailboats where we learned we would be active participants in a racing competition. The crew, headed by Captain Morgan of Jamaica, divided us into two groups, with my wife and I being assigned to the American “Stars and Stripes”, the others to the “Canadian” yacht. My job was being the “back grinder”, where during our into-the-wind changes between port tacking and starboard tacking , I inserted a metal crank in either the port or starboard winch, turned it counter-clockwise until it gave a lot of resistance, then back clockwise many turns to complete the operation. It was about 30 seconds of intense upper body exercise each time, leaving me sweating and breathing hard. A minute or two later the boat would change tack and I was at it again. Fortunately I caught a break during the downwind runs, getting a chance to drink some water and recover. While our boat lost the competition by two lengths, it was an absolute blast sailing in the most perfectly clear blue-green water imaginable.

1. Half-Day Private Catamaran Ride

We traveled to Turks and Caicos in June to celebrate my wife’s youngest sister’s upcoming 60th birthday, staying at the Ocean Club at Grace Bay. It was a great week in the sun and at the Cabana Bar, but the highlight of the trip, and 2019, was a half-day private catamaran ride. Our group loaded onboard at 1:30 pm and the boat visited several islands traveling over beautiful blue-green waters. We had a demonstration of how to remove a conch from its shell and I snapped an up-close picture of a dolphin breaking the water while chasing our boat. But the best experience took me back to my youth. After we headed back towards the Ocean Club, we anchored for a half-hour where we were invited to jump off the boat from its upper balcony or take a curved slide down and get dumped only a few feet. You didn’t have to ask me twice! I was up that ladder in no time and leaped into the water, feeling that long ago, but still familiar rush as you pick up speed before smacking the water. I was a kid again, if only for a few jumps!