beach:o'clock – Thoughts that litter my mind while living on ISLAND TIME.

The Camino de Santiago

Published on January 2, 2025January 9, 2025 by Island BoyLeave a comment

Last night we completed an initial once-over of our Camino pictures so now it is time to reminisce.

For now, we have gotten pretty settled in at our new place (6 month lease). Our new used car is running pretty good and we are happy with the purchase. We are working our way through the holidays, end of year health insurance renewals, and starting back into weekly beach volleyball games as well as maybe the every Saturday evening ‘beach dancing’ event. Our initial plan was/is to possibly find a home to buy. We have 4.5 months left on the lease so we have some time to see what unfolds with the new year. We really really like southern Florida and especially this immediate area but the prices, though receding a little, are still grossly obscenely high. This truly is the ‘gold coast’! We always have the option to rent for another 6 months or year if we can’t find something we want to purchase but we will not extend the lease in the same place we are at now unless forced too. It is in Riverbend Country Club Golf community so overall it is pretty nice but it is in the extreme NW part of Jupiter. It takes at least 10-15 minutes to get to anything commercial and about 35 minutes from the beach. We did the ‘golf thing’ for over 20 years and our clubs are in storage. We have been and are beach bums so our lives revolve around being closer to the beach/water. We certainly could have way worse challenges to deal with and know we are very blessed so we will wait to see what comes our way! Trust!

Back to the Camino: The pictures look quite good. It was/is hard to capture the difficulty and terrible weather we faced at times mainly because who wants to stop, get a phone out, and take a picture of rain, cold, sleet, wind, mud, etc… During those times our heads were down, ponchos, hats, and gloves on, and we were walking as expeditiously as we could to get to the next village. To look at the pictures it looks like it was a pretty nice trip and comfortable walk (all 800km/500miles). In reality, after about 2 weeks of the walk, I was determined to get done as quick as we could, find warm weather, and vowing to never do such a thing again. Now that time has passed, feet and toes are mostly healed, memories of pain fading and the good memories grow as my overall impression is moderating. I am beginning to remember more of the good & nice…nice people, good wine, good beer, beautiful scenery, and nice walks with Denise where we saw no one for hours (my favorite part).

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There are many ‘paths’ of the Camino. We chose the most popular and one of the longest paths called the Camino Francis. It starts in France in Saint Jean Pied de Port, goes up in to the Pyrenees and crosses into Spain. Eventually the path enters a high plains plateau of vast farmland, finishing back into the foothills of the Pyrenees across Galicia and into Santiago. This is the path made popular by the movie ‘The Way’ starring Martin Sheen.

It is hard to explain the terrain especially in the Pyrenees. It seems northern Spain is all rock, rock, stone, and more rock. Many if not most of the paths were very steep both up and down and there were lots of ups and downs. Going up was very challenging but going down was even harder especially in the wind, fog and rain. Much of the time was spent focusing on your feet and your next step. There were times, especially towards the end that we were walking through ankle deep muck with nowhere else to step to avoid it. Many of these paths were used by the livestock of the local farmers so the muck was also laced at times with manure. I often wondered how even the goats and sheep made it through some areas. The weather played such a monumental impact in our trip.

When we started out we agreed that we had all the time we wanted and we would just enjoy the journey. We didn’t need to push our selves. Many people have short time frames. School breaks, short vacations, etc.. so they do all they can to walk as far as they can each day so they can get done or get as far as possible and then finish the next time they come. Some walk 18-25 miles a day and some have their bags shipped a head so they don’t have to carry them. They have reservations made months in advance for every night’s lodging. We saw many people with bad mass blister problems and even knee injuries who pushed to hard or were ill prepared. We took the opposite approach. We planned on walking +/- 12 miles a day. The least amount we walked was about 8 and the most 19 miles. We walked all 500 miles in 41 days and carried our packs all the way. We rarely made a reservation more then a day a head of us if at all. We knew that if we trusted in God we would be taken care of. We would find beds; we would make it to the next stop; we would find food and drink. It was amazing how many times when things seemed to get very tedious, the weather pretty bad, no beds seemed available, and we were hungry only to unexpectedly find cancellations or an open cafe. A few times a caring Albergue (hostel for pilgrims) manager/owner would call ahead to a friend in the next village and we would have a place waiting for us that was way nicer then what he had or what was the norm. Worrying never made it better or easier. It was just the two of us, no group, no guide.

The weather was projected to be in the 80s with precautions about protecting from the sun during August and September. This seemed to be true up until the morning we left Saint Jean Pied de Port to start our walk. That morning the temperature dropped over 20 degrees and a storm moved in from the mountains. Once we were up in the mountains it was hard to see more than 50 feet due to fog, wind and rain. Most people walk the 18 miles that day to get over the first mountain to Roncesvalles in Spain. Through one of those ‘trusting’ events we ended up securing a cancellation and staying at the lone Albergue which is up in the mountains by itself about half way to Roncesvalles. It was a beautiful place with about 16 beds with great people and great food. It is usually booked solid 6 months out.

We continued on the next day through the weather. At times we worried, but still trusting, as we lost track of the path a couple times due to the weather only to find it soon again without falling off any drop off. I must say that this whole path would NEVER be allowed in the USA. There would be lawyers lined up waiting to sue due to the dangers not mitigated along the way – no barriers, minor or hidden signage, pretty dangerous paths, etc… We are such a pampered society in America.

After Roncesvalles the path was often very very steep and all rock with sharp slabs of slate sticking up from underground, truly fitting for goats. We were often exhausted, shoulders aching, shoes soaked, and beer never tasted so good by the time we stopped for the day. We went through many towns/villages that almost seemed deserted except for the lone cafe/Albergue for the pilgrims. There were ‘Se Vente’ (For Sale) signs on most buildings and homes. Many looked medieval and like they went through a tank battle in WWII but some were also somewhat nice and modern. Farming was definitely the livelihood but it is hard to see how they could grow anything in all that rock.

We also saw some neat towns like Pamplona (famous bull run), Lagrono – capital of La Rioja wine region, Burgos – an amazing Cathedral, León – an elegant city with a rich history (Denise’s favorite big town), Ponferrada – a very large and preserved Knights Templar castle, Sarria – popular starting point for pilgrims taking the shortest possible route and still ‘qualifying’, Astorga – Romanesque bridge and Gothic temple, Gares – picturesque town with Roman vestiges, and Santiago de Compostela – final destination and site of the Cathedral of St. James.

A part of the walk we truly enjoyed was the middle called the Meseta. The Meseta refers to a 180km stretch of the Camino Francés. It lies between the cities of Burgos and León, traversing the flat, hot, and shadeless plains of central Spain. We liked it because it was not only warmer and sunnier but there were miles and miles of rolling farmland. Miles of Vineyards. sunflowers, and olive orchards as far as you could see. Also people seemed to be a lot more scarce and it felt we had the whole plateau to ourselves for hours, miles and days. To us it was very beautiful. We are told a person either loves or hates the Meseta.

After the Meseta we entered Galicia. We loved the wine, the beer and the beef. They are very productive on all three. The food seemed better in this last region. Meals were more creative and flavorful. The downside is that the weather started to deteriorate again as we re-entered the foothills of the Pyrenees. We took a rest day in Leon in a beautiful Airbnb. We really needed the break. It is a really nice city with a beautiful cathedral and history. We finally were able to find a Decathalon store (something like REI) where we bought some new socks and bubble coats to be warm for the rest of the journey. As we put our focus on reaching Santiago the weather collapsed and we were wet. Thank God for our Panama Ponchos!

Reaching Santiago is quite the feeling after 40-50 days of walking, weather, etc…rain or not. Once reaching the city it is still quite a walk until the end of the path at the Cathedral (which is enormous). When you turn the corner and walk into the Cathedral square a pilgrim is most often overwhelmed with emotions. We were overwhelmed also with being soaked! We made it back to our Albergue and got cleaned up and settled in and then headed back to the town center for food and celebratory beverages. What makes this cathedral special? First it is the end of the multiple routes of the Camino. Hundreds of thousands of people walk the Camino each year. Secondly, the remains of Saint James the apostle of Jesus Christ are interred there. The interior is amazingly beautiful and it includes the Botafumeiro.

The Botafumeiro is a famous thurible used at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, in Spain. Its name comes from the Galician language, where botar means “to eject, to throw away, to expel”, and the Latin fume, meaning “smoke”. It is considered a symbol of both the cathedral and the city. The Botafumeiro is especially celebrated for its swinging motion during the Pilgrim’s Mass and other solemn dates, where it can reach speeds of about 60 km/h. This ritual has been taking place since at least the 12th century. The Santiago de Compostela Botafumeiro is one of the largest censers in the world. For certain important religious occasions, like the Feast of Saint James , it is brought to the floor of the cathedral and attached to a rope hung from the pulley mechanism. The Botafumeiro is suspended 20 m from a pulley mechanism under the dome on the roof of the church. The current pulley mechanism was installed in 1604.

It is rare to see the Botafumeiro in use. The day after we arrived, Friday, it was the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, who also walked the Camino, and a Pilgrims Mass. The Cathedral was packed for mass and we got to see the Butafumeiro in use. We saw the eight people who in unison pull on the ropes to initiate its swing and arc. It was very ceremonious and impressive as the video shows.

We were leaving Santiago the next day, Saturday. Our destination was Alicante on the East coast of Spain for some sun, rest, and recovery. Of course our last day in Santiago was all rain, rain, and more rain. We were soaked when we got to the airport. We stripped down, dried off, changed, and threw our Camino shoes in the trash. When we arrived in Alicante it was very late and everything was closed, our Airbnb was not available until the next afternoon, so we slept in the airport…and that is another story for another blog post about the rest of our Spanish adventures.

Again the Camino; I said I would never do it again but now I am finding I miss it (sort of). As we returned back to ‘real life’ and had to deal with all the noise, commercialism, news, societal expectations we heard the Camino begin to call. When on the Camino, at least for us, none of this outside noise existed. It may sound boring but everyday boiled down to the same simple things: 6:30-7:30 wake up/get dressed/pack up; 7:30-8 start walking/breakfast/coffee if available; 10-10:30 breakfast #2; 1:30-3 lunch (usually biggest meal); 1:30-3 secure lodging/shower/laundry; 4-5:30 beer/wine/more food; 8PM bedtime. This was pretty much our schedule every single day. Simple, focused, simple.

This simple and focused way of living becomes quite attractive especially now that we are tossed back into ‘reality’. Everything we owned was on our backs. We depended a little on ourselves and a lot on our God. In reality none of the noise really mattered (if it ever really should). We walked and we trusted and we prayed, and we walked some more. It helped a lot that GOOD beer was about $2/btl, GOOD wine was $4-5/Btl, and food, though often boring was pretty cheap. Our lodging was for the most part anywhere from $8-20/bed/night and most always were small and cheap bunk beds. Some places were quite ruff and some quite nice. Ruff: A few places had no toilet seats, paper towels or soap, one shower and toilet to be shared by ALL (20-30 people both sexes), and mats on the floor. One place said to only consume bottled water. Nice: A few places were as good as any moderate hotel room in a nice city. Many places had 40-180 beds. We met a number of really nice folks along the way – Gabriel, Fr. Gerald, Bitta & Erik, Katrina, Angela, Kim, Thomas, etc…of course we didn’t exchange contact information 🙁 . Next time….

As you can possibly imagine there are many side stories we could share but this blog is probably already dragging on. Stories such as when we made the wrong turn and walked miles and hours off our planned path or when Denise broke my big toe or the 50 year old or so women who dropped their drawers right along side a busy street on an elevated berm to relieve themselves when there was a bit of woods just 15 feet away or the towns celebrating their patron saint holiday or the monastery that had a fountain that gave wine vs water or the many many absolutely beautiful churches and church buildings in villages that have been silent for decades….yes it was an adventure!

All in all we always had what we needed, maybe not what we wanted but what we needed. So if I were to do this again what would I do different? I think I would slow down. Maybe only walk +/- 8 miles/day. Relax more. Drink more wine with people. I wouldn’t be so concerned with reaching the destination. Have more enjoyable weather so we could take more time to see what we were walking through and explore more. It is the journey and not the race. Make the journey the goal vs finishing the walk and ensure I always have my partner by my side. I never would have done the Camino let alone finished without my walking partner.

Do it again? A different path – Camino Portugues? A different pilgrimage – Lourdes, Medjugorje? A trip to the far east – Vietnam, Thailand? For now, I think I will relax at he beach for at least a few more months……

Here is a small selection of pictures from the Camino that flow from finish to start.

Today it became REAL!

Published on July 11, 2024August 16, 2024 by Island Boy7 Comments

We gave notice of lease cancellation, we rented a moving truck, we reserved storage space but today it became real…the airlines tickets are purchased! No backing out now pending an emergency.

Ok you may say, this is not anything new for Ron and Denise. You may not be surprised but what are they doing this time – where, when, why….

The last you heard from this blog we had taken a great trip to Aruba via Cartagena, Columbia. Lately we embarked for Puerto Rico for about a week to visit our friend Margaret. We had a super time, met some fun people, and saw some neat sites.

Well now things are really getting shaken up. We have been living in a condo at a real nice Marina for the last 8 years. At the time we chose to rent instead of purchasing a place especially since our rent was quite low compared to local costs. Since the Condo Association rules only allow for 12 month leases we had to establish a new lease annually. A few years ago we had asked the owner if he was interested in selling the condo and he said ‘no’ since they were going to retire move here from NY. Our plans were to possibly buy a place when we could no longer lease our current condo.

Last August (lease renewal) our landlord said he and his wife were not planning on ‘coming down’ for another 3-5 years so we were set to rent for a while…at least we thought. Two weeks after signing the new yearly lease our owner notified us that he decided to sell the condo. He didn’t really say why but we believe he wanted to take advantage of the greatly escalated property prices. Lucky for us any new owner had to honor the year of the lease. Long story short…that lease expires this September.

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Property prices in Jupiter have gone from stupidly/unbearably high to very obscene. Since Covid all of New England fled the draconian policies of their current states for the free state of Florida. We had been watching the market during this last lease term and didn’t really see anything we wanted to buy. We actually witnessed prices of properties, at least in proximity to the beach area, double in a 6 month period. We really really like the area we live in so we are in a bit of a quandary. So what is one to do…well beside pray! Since we have always been taken care of we said it is in God’s hands and he will show us what to do when the time comes. In the mean time we made some plans.

We decided to ride out the lease, and then pack all our household stuff up and put it in storage, and today it became real as I bought our tickets for Spain. We are going to be gone up to 90 days as that is all that is allowed via a tourist visa anywhere in the EU (see Schengen visa).

So why Spain and what are we going to do? Spain was on our top 5 list to explore and we planned a grand adventure. Have you ever seen the 2010 movie called ‘The Way’. It stars Martin Sheen and is really good. The movie follows and highlights something called the Camino de Santiago. It is a very popular pilgrimage with many routes all ending in Santiago in the NW of Spain. If you watch the movie, which we highly recommend, you will get info on it. You can also search on youtube for Camino de Santiago.

We are going to WALK the same route the movie highlighted called the Camino Frances. We will start in St. Jean Pied de Port in southern France. Our route is approximately 500 miles long. We will go up and over the Pyrenees Mountains and down into Spain. We will follow a well traveled trail through towns and villages ending at the Cathedral de Santiago where St. James the Apostle is interred. You can look up the detail if you are interested or again just watch the movie. One of the towns we go through is Pamplona where they do the running of the bulls (July). There is also a monastery where they make wine that has a fountain that runs wine vs water and you can help yourself. In the end, we are actually planning to walk an additional 50 miles past Santiago to Finisterre on the Atlantic Ocean to a place known as “The End of the World”.. We estimate that this should take us 30-45 days. After that we will head to the south east of Spain to places like Valencia, Malaga, Seville.

So now my opening lines should make more sense. We each have our ruck-sacks packed and ready to go. We have been taking practice walks, upped our gym work out by adding the stair stepper and elliptical machines since we have some severe elevation to climb our first couple days.

A couple things people say or ask is #1) where will you live when you get back, and #2) you should post a blog of your trip.

Our answers, #1) we have no idea where we will live upon return and aren’t going to worry about it. We will know what to do when the time comes. We still desire to stay in this area. We have options like renting again, buying something to live in, buying a used RV to live in for a few years and/or buy a used live-aboard yacht. The yacht seems most exciting. I was thinking of something like a 46’ Hatteras or an older Trumpy. The prices to buy used are reasonable but the price for any local moorage is as obscene as buying property so unless we leave the area that option is probably out. Same thing with an RV. Purchasing used is reasonable but resorts to park the RV are very few here and quite far from any beach. Again we believe we will know what to do when the time comes. We always have been and always will be watched over and will wait to see what God has in store for us.

#2) a Blog? I have a channel on Telegram called https://t.me/rbillockchat that you can join and see some pictures and short observations. I plan on posting to this channel during our trip. You can join the channel if you are interested.

We will certainly miss living on the Marina and a 10 minute walk to the beach but we know a new adventure awaits us and – The Best Is Yet To Come!

Buen Camino

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Going Dutch!

Published on October 8, 2023October 9, 2023 by Island Boy1 Comment

Everyday is an adventure.

There are a lot of places we want to go but Denise has been wanting to go to a certain island she visited from a cruise. After some more research, we ended up ‘Going Dutch’ selecting the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba. We were holding our breath waiting for the arrival of the renewal of Denise’s passport. For the life of me I can not understand why a renewal needs to take more than a week processing time. All they do is automated queries of databases! It finally did arrive in the 10 weeks they said the renewal would take.

We packed our backpacks and took the direct flight (under 3 hrs) from Ft. Lauderdale. We processed through security, immigration, and customs with no issues on both sides. We were somewhat relieved since on our last return flight (Boise, ID) We were retained and I was searched and interrogated for almost 1.5 hours. We barely made our flight. I still wonder if they were training folks since they seemed confused and kept calling for guidance. Oh well, back to Aruba.

Aruba has a somewhat glitzy and glamorous reputation. Don’t let the marketing fool you though. It turned out to be just another island in the south Caribbean, part of the ABC islands off the Venezuelan coast. It was just another island except for the stunningly beautiful amazing beaches, resorts and high-end retail everywhere. For those that want to know, ‘no, I did not get my Gucci on!’ The weather is also pretty picture perfect and it gets no hurricanes. So no, nothing special…ya, right!

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We grabbed a cab and headed to our boutique hotel a block off of Eagle Beach. Eagle Beach has been rated the #3 best beach in the world. Since it was later in the day we opted for a walk along the beach and looked for an oceanfront place for dinner and/or a tiki bar. Coco-Loco is a popular tiki bar and was close by.

Our hotel room had a small kitchen. There was a small swimming pool and they provided nice beach towels and chairs. We decided to pick up some coffee, oatmeal, bread, Goober (remember it is peanut butter and jelly together in one jar), avocados, and some local beer (Balashi or Chill). We do not like all the glitz and glamour so we shied away from the resorts and casinos. We already knew our main objective in going to Aruba was the beaches and the amazing Caribbean waters. That is where we spent 90% of our time.

We were there a week and set part of one day aside to go into town to do the tourist trap obligations. Our usual day consisted of having coffee and breakfast in the room, make some PBJ for lunch, and head to the beach around 9AM. The shore, for a large part has a lot of mangrove trees and then it opens onto the amazing beaches. Where we were staying they had a number of palapas for use (stationary thatched umbrellas) as shown in the pictures. There were many of these up and down the beach at the resorts.

We would get to the beach, pick our palapa, set up our chairs and towels and head for the water. The water was very calm. I would equate it to the calmness of the gulf on the west coast of Florida. It was an easy slow sloped walk into the water. A person could see the bottom well past 6 foot of depth. When we got groceries we also picked up some foam noodles. Each morning would start with a long comfortable float. The high season had not hit yet so the people were sparse except the one day that a cruise ship was in port. On cruise day, about a ¼ mile down the beach suddenly dozens and dozens of beach umbrellas were set up and the cruise buses would pull up and deposit their guests. For the most part they all stayed in their designated area.

Its all about da beach. Don’t get burnt now.

After about 1.5 hours in the water we would get out and head for our chairs and the shade and read. When we got warm we would head back in the water. At noon we would have our packed lunch. We also took a couple walks up and down the very very long beaches. For the most part it was floating, reading, eating, floating, and more reading.

The Caribbean water was so awesome. In Jupiter we get some days where you can see down through the clear calm water but in Aruba this is the norm. One of the fun things we experienced while floating around out there was to look up and see what looked like boiling water heading towards us. This perception was caused by schools of small fish that were swimming and jumping through the water. Some were only about 1/2 inch to a couple inches long. They would swim right up and around whoever was there. It was fun to see this and it happened many times. Of course I am sure they were jumping since they were being chased and didn’t want to be dinner. We could see quite a way out and deep and never saw anything longer then maybe a foot. Another fun fish thing were the jumping/flying fish. Referred at times as pencil fish as they were long and slim. They would also jump and fly through the air for many feet. We saw smaller fish, almost an arms length from us, that would play in the water by jumping back and forth 5, 6, 7 times over a floating mangrove leaf before swimming on. Yes, we were easily amused!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing white powder like sand. It is nothing like the sand we have in Jupiter which when wet sticks to you and it gets hot in the middle of the day. This sand would brush or rinse right off. It was soft and very clean. I can see why the beach had such a high rating. Even at mid-day it was not hot to walk on.

Around 2:30-3, we would have our last float in the Caribbean and then head to our hotel pool. We would then sit out in the sun, pool-side, with a few beers and music for our own happy hour. During this time we would decide where we wanted to head for dinner. Weighty decisions! (pun intended)

There were a number of ocean-front bars and restaurants. We tried different ones. Some even had, with reservations, a special dinner with champagne and linens right out by the surf. Very romantic for the newlyweds.

Surf side dining — Romantic surf side dining.

This is pretty much how we spent our week. We didn’t do any of the marketed tourist activities like diving, scuba, ski-dos, dinner cruises, 4-wheelin, casinos, etc,,, They certainly have pretty much anything you want in order to be parted from your money. For us, as said earlier, our focus was relaxing on the beach. Yes, we traded on beach for another but, hey, each beach is unique. If we wanted all that tourist trap resort stuff we could have just drove down to Hollywood Beach.

Coming home was interesting. It seemed we went through 3 or 4 different security checks and immigration’s, etc.. When we arrived on the island we were told to allow 4 hours at the airport when leaving. I now can see why. The good part is that all US immigration was done in Aruba so arriving home was a breeze.

There is no doubt that Aruba is one beautiful place and does live up to all the publicity but would we go again? I would say we probably would not! Why??? Well we want to go to Punta Cana, Puerto Rico, Jost Van Dyke, St Thomas, Italy, Spain, back to Santorini and Crete, maybe Hungry, etc…. I think you get my drift. Too many places and too little time but if you do want a unique adventure then don’t hesitate to ‘Go Dutch’ to Aruba!

tot ziens (Dutch for “until we see each other again”)

Da-hag (good-bye)

State Department Forbids Us Travel!

Published on June 2, 2023 by Island Boy2 Comments

“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”!

This was the case for us lately. We had a very nice trip planned for a 10 day visit to Cartagena, Colombia. You know, THE Cartagena where Michael Douglas, Danny Devito, and Kathleen Turner went in the movie ‘Romancing the Stone’. We loved Medellin, Colombia when we visited but Medellin is in the middle of the country in the highlands. We wanted to visit Cartagena that is on the Eastern Coast of Colombia in the south Caribbean.

There is a lot of history in Cartagena. There is the old walled city which is the main tourist draw as well as the stretch along the bay on the Caribbean called Playa de Bocagrande. Also south of there is a rustic beach town called Santa Marta that has the Andes rise up behind it. We were also going to go to Santa Marta but decided to just hit Cartagena on this trip.

I spent a lot of time finding some neat boutique hotels in the walled city and some very nice water front condos on Bocagrande. We finally booked our airlines tickets for 2-3 weeks out on Spirit Airlines. They were 3 hour direct flights from Ft. Lauderdale – perfect. No more masks, no shots, no problem. We started to plan what to take as it would be very hot and humid. I bought a new pair of walking shoes as flip flops on cobblestones could get uncomfortable. We were all ready…we thought!

With 15 days until we leave we were notified by Biden’s the US State Department that under no circumstance were we allowed to leave the country and we were to report to their office in Miami but first needed to call to set an appointment. WHAT IN THE WORLD??? I called the number but It kept saying that due to call volume they couldn’t take our call and we need to call back. I called the number probably 15 times before finally getting through about 9PM. The person said due to their volume I can only make an appointment if I was scheduled to travel within 14 days. I said tomorrow will be 14 days…they said fine, call tomorrow.

Over the next couple days I called over and over and over. I finally got through to a person. I was told we could not leave the country and they set an appointment for 7AM the morning we were scheduled to leave. We knew this would not work and felt we were being jerked around. I asked why we could not travel. The State Department person said there is a very good reason and we needed to come to Miami. I was upset to say the least. I said I was a veteran of over 10 years serving this country in the military and we served for the freedom and privileged to come and go. I wondered if maybe this was harassment since I did not have a ‘rainbow’ ribbon today’s military wants everyone to wear. She, the State Dept Rep, said that had nothing to do with it.

They asked if I was aware that Colombia was on the list of countries where travel was not recommended due to crime/deaths. This I previously checked so was ready to address. I asked the person if Cartagena and for that matter Colombia was any less safe, had any less murders than New York City? Response…’well NO’; any less then Chicago? Response…’ah, NO’; what about Seattle, San Francisco, LA? Each time it was ‘no’ but the person said, ‘but those are in the USA’. I told her that was exactly my point.

She said regardless we still can’t leave the country for now and we needed to be in Miami on the morning of June 5^th and plan for the whole day. I again told her that would not work for us since we are scheduled to leave that morning. I asked if we are being held up because we voted for Trump? I told her we are actually registered as Independents though. She said that that didn’t help our cause any but it actually has nothing to do with any voting. She said ‘actually it doesn’t matter who votes for who, we have that all handled now’. I thought I better let that point drop for now.

I was getting pretty mad at this point and told her we are scheduled to leave that day and we need an earlier appointment. If we change our flight we will lose a lot of money. She said that is the earliest available opening at the Miami office and the only other places with earlier openings are in San Juan, PR or El Paso. They have earlier openings. I was angry and said I needed I damn good reason why I can not leave the country when ever I want????

Her response was surprising. She said, ‘oh, you can leave anytime you want. It is your wife who is not allowed to leave’. I said ‘WHAT!!! What possibly did she ever due to not be able to travel? The person on the phone responded, ‘have you looked at the expiration date on her passport lately? See you in Miami. Have a nice day’!

Actually the story above is a bit contrived but for the hassle they make you go through to renew a passport it felt something like this. I called 10-15 times a day, every day for a week hoping for a cancellation so we could schedule an expedited ($$$) appointment that would work. NADA! We ended up paying a bunch to change the flight. Today we mailed the passport renewal papers and it takes 10-13 weeks to get a renewal complete – ridiculous! We had to push our travel time out to late this fall. On the bright side we are not traveling to NYC, Chicago, etc…so we are safe for now.

Time to get back on the horse!

Published on February 7, 2023August 16, 2024 by Island BoyLeave a comment

My palms have been itchy for quite some time. It is past time for a new adventure. Time to hit the road again and see the world. As we begin to hopefully make 2023 full of adventures the question becomes ‘where do we go?’ Ever since our fantabulous Mediterranean adventure in 2019 (a future post) we have been anxious to get on the road again. I would quantify the destination possibilities as either ‘Caribbean’ or ‘Mediterranean’.

Us with a friend, Buz, in Medellin.

If Caribbean, I am thinking of Cartagena and maybe more of Colombia. Also somewhere in Mexico, possibly Cozumel but other options certainly are there. Punta Cana, DR is also an open option. Why these? We loved Colombia when we went to Medellin a few years ago and have heard good things about Cartagena. It has lots of history as a walled city. If we go there we will probably hit a few other spots also. From what we have been told, south of Cartagena there is a wonderful tourist beach area called Santa Marta. Medellin and Bogata would also be worth the trip.

Punta Cana is supposedly a very nice modern beach vacation area in the Dominican Republic. We are curious to check it out.

Fun waterfront Tiki Bar near downtown Cozomel

Mexico is quite different as it has many different places an ex-pat can go and enjoy a great time. I have a friend in Cozumel and we spent time there so we have a comfort level with the place. Cozumel is a big island but over all not so crowded and somewhat relaxing and quiet. I also have a lottery dream of owning a water front Tiki Bar. I saw the place in Coz that I would like to buy and it would be nice to check up on the property.

Boarding in the Paciifc in Panama.

Tulum is another area in Mexico that has really come into its own as a destination as well as the west coast of Mexico like Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara . We also can always take a trip back to Panama and visit friends which is always something we would like to do.

If a ‘Mediterranean’ trip…Denise’s eyes are set on Italy. We also want to do a trip to explore Spain, France, Ireland/Scotland (again), etc…as well as wanting to go back to the Greek Isles especially Kamari,Santorini and Crete.

Decisions decisions…. So our initial target will probably be ‘Mediterranean’ to Italy. If we can swing it maybe we will do a stop in Paris to say hello to Victoire, Hugo, and Baby Paul (we will try but no promises).

Beautiful bay and famous stunning resort of Amalfi,Campania region,Italy,Europe

It is a little stressful to go to new places when traveling. There is always an obligation to go to the ‘must see’ places like Roman Coliseum, Vatican…you know, the famous tourist traps. It is like checking off the boxes on your list. These tend to take up lots of time on a trip not to mention being more costly. Ah, stress…! Where we really like to go are the smaller out of the way towns where the real people live, eat, and work. I know Italy has many of these so we will try to intersperse them between the ‘obligation locations. For us, these places are where the real adventures are found and real memories are made.

It is challenging since there is so much to see and so little time. We would also like to spend some time in Southern France like in the Lyon and Annecy areas (yes more friends to maybe visit). We also want to go through Spain but that may have to be a separate trip since there is so much there to experience. We also may top off this next trip with a stop back in the Greek Isles. I really want to go back to Kamari, Santorini. We also want to spend more time on Crete. Chania was amazing. Another spot or two we are thinking about are the islands of Patmos and Paros. Who knows, maybe we will see these places as part of a future trip that might include some of Turkey.

Edinburgh Hostel

When we do go we will probably follow the same formula as before. We buy one-way tickets with no defined return date or schedule. We stay flexible and adjust our schedule and time table as we go. If we need a rest or really like a place we see about extending our time there. We stay mostly in AirBnBs. Together we have not tried hostels yet but maybe this next trip we will. I stayed a week in a real nice hostel in Scotland a few years back.

We usually take what we can carry (new backpacks are in order) and travel by train, bus, ferry, and air for the most part. Finally, when we see what we wanted to see and we hit that tired point where we just want to sleep in our own bed, we then look for a return ticket home. Last trip that happened after a month on the road. This traveling formula worked amazingly well for our Mediterranean trip. Relaxed, no rushing, no obligations, just comfortable. I plan to write about that adventure soon.

For now we are planning and researching and ruling out the places people have said are more hype than worth the time and expense. We will then start building our must see obligation list and then add in the smaller recommended desired spots. As the itinerary and plan builds we always keep in mind the adages that ‘the only good plan is one that can change’; “no battle plan, survives contact with the enemy”; “when your plan meets the real world, the real world wins”; and relying on plans leads to failure but failing to plan ensures failure. Finally the biggest adage ‘when man plans, God laughs’!

It takes a bit of work to make it all worth while. In the end the most precious resource is time…so many places/adventures and so little time! Chow!

Will you recognize me in Heaven

Published on January 19, 2023March 21, 2023 by Island Boy1 Comment

The other day on our beach walk, at the edge of the surf, Denise turned to me and seriously asked ‘will you recognize me in Heaven’? Wow, she was contemplating some heavy and deep stuff. That is quite the philosophical quandary to drop on a guy just out of the blue. Me, of course my thoughts were on wondering if the guy ahead of us fishing from shore caught anything today. Well that is not quite the same level as her ‘purpose of life’ thinking but fishing is important to some folks also, isn’t it? So trying to buy time to come up with an equally personal and deep response I asked, ‘huh, what did you say? ….Oh, ya, sure I will. If I ever make it there.’ Hey, I never said I was a philosopher! What’s a guy to say?

Heaven? Seems like a good segue into this next item. Some of you know by now that I have picked up a new hobby, a meditative practice. I began making ‘knotted’ rosarys. For you heathens, the Rosary refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church and some other Christian churches, and to the physical string of knots or beads used to count the component prayers. I make the ‘prayer beads’ used when saying the prayer/meditation. I make them and then give them away to people with the hopes that they may help encourage an individuals spiritual growth or meditative practices. I have made and distributed well over 100 rosaries. Do you know anyone who could use a rosary? Just let me know. They are completely free. For me, sitting on the balcony in the warm air with a nice peaty dram of scotch or pint of Guinness and making a rosary is a great time of quiet meditation. Silence is golden?

Ah ha! Another segue? Silence! For about 40 +/- years I have never had a single moment of silence. Since time in the Army I have had a bad case of Tinnitus, ‘the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present’ – or at least they say. Perception? I think they just don’t know how to fix it or what to do so they say it is in your head. For decades I have continuously played music. I eventually found out that they say having a sound in the background helps distract the mind from the noise/buzzing/ringing. Some people that have tinnitus can not even go to sleep without the TV, radio, or a fan running nearby to distract from the noise in their ears/heads. When it is real bad it can cause serious health problems mostly due to lack of rest, severe depression, and even suicide – JUST TO STOP THE NOISE! Well mine has been getting progressively worse so I decided it was time for a re-evaluation at the VA. New imaging showed that I had such a big brain that it was pushing on my ear canals….lol.

Actually, my hearing tests confirmed the hearing loss we knew I had. The hearing loss has gotten slightly worse but OK though for the tinnitus there is no real answer. The specialist did suggest trying hearing aids. They offered them to me before for my hearing loss but I declined out of both vanity and they were a pain when I tried them for a couple weeks and I don’t think the hearing loss is that bad. I told the doctor that I hear adequately but I just need the damn noise to stop once in a while. She asked some more questions about the noise and how I currently deal with it and then said that in the study groups that she works with some of the Vets have found tinnitus relief when using hearing aids. The rational seems to be that the aids present something else in the ear that the brain focuses on vs the noise distracting the brain. Almost like having my own portable ‘white noise’ system. Well I bit the vanity bullet and am trying a new different set of hearing aids. So far what i have noticed is that I never knew the turn signal in the car actually did make a clicking noise (hearing) and I think I am annoyed a little less by the tinnitus noise or at least my brain is focusing on it less. I am on a 3 month trial so we will see what happens in the long run. I guess I can accept thinking that I look older due to a hearing aid vs going crazy with my own internal bells/crickets ringing-chirping continuously. Yes, silence is golden!

Now on to my final topic since I ran out of segues. What the heck have Denise and I been doing for the last couple of years? Well number one has been focusing on staying healthy. Knock on wood…but we can not recall the last time either of us had been sick in well over 10+ years. We do get the occasional allergies but no illness. I guess we have been doing something right. We believe being in Panama and the Free State of Florida made a big difference. The sunshine helped and with covid we did not stay locked down, we were out with people, exercising, partying, and living our lives. We have also now been eating plant-based for over 4 years with the occasional mahi-mahi or grouper tacos. There is an effort and price to good health!

So how do we keep busy? From before 2020 (covid) and until today we have been doing numerous activities. Some of our activities were/are going to yoga 2-4 times a week. We finally quit yoga when I realized that the continuous pain in my back (another Army injury) was being aggravated by doing yoga. Also they got a new instructor that was getting all mystical and chanting about things. We were there for the stretching and exercise and were on guard against these eastern semi-religious practices so it was a good reason to stop. My back has thanked me.

Except for the 2-3 months they tried to close the beaches in Palm Beach County we continued going to the beach 3-5 times a week. Grounding in nature is a great health benefit. When they closed our beaches and Tiki Bars (bunch of fascists!), we would go north to Martin County (30+ minutes) where they were open for business. We continued going to the pool to kick around in the water and lay in the sun about 5 days a week except for the 5 or so months everyone was under the covid craze. Same for the Gym.

Another big thing we continue to do except for a short couple months break is play sand volleyball. We had a big group of people who would come out. We were playing 2-4 times a week. Denise and I were considered the senior players as most of the others are in their 30-40s. Currently Denise and I are down to 1-2 times a week as it is kick-butt strenuous exercise and I need recovery time. Those youngsters can play 3-5 times a week and they pretend it doesn’t phase them.

Denise has found it difficult to get time for her mosaic art but she seems to find a way. Over the last two years I spent time learning to program in Python and learning Linux. I am Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Big Tech free. I wish I would had learned and converted to Linux a long time ago. I have also started back into a few Knights of Columbus activities.

We are also anxious to get back out on a travel adventure. Our short list of next trips are Italy as well as maybe southern France and maybe back to Santorini and Crete. We also want to take a jaunt down to Cartagena, Colombia and Mexico. In the mean time we had a couple great excursions to Key West where we stayed at the Naval Air Station. We also met up with Ann Marie and Carl as well as Arlene and Dean when they left the artic and spent some time in the Free State of Florida. We also have been to The Villages a number of times to visit. We drove up to Virginia for a wedding of one of Denise’s nephews. At the wedding we were able to visit with Katie, Sean, Lisa, Wes (um Wes, … Lisa’s multi-year long distance boyfriend. Wes is a great guy who has proven he can take some good natured ribbing) and visited a few folks along the way including Robbie and Jennifer in Jacksonville and stayed a few days at St Augustine. We recommend a stop in St, Augies if you can work it out. This Christmas we flew to Boise, Idaho and stayed with Katherine and Sean. It was great. They have a nice new wonderful home but it was COLD! Of course most of the USA was under a freeze during that time. We had lots of fun and got to see our first ice hockey game! We couldn’t remember the last time we ever saw snow!

Another fun thing we did this year was participate in the Fort Lauderdale Christmas Boat Parade. It is one of the largest/longest Christmas boat parades, at least down this way. We were able to be passengers on a decorated, lighted and catered boat that traversed through the extensive inter-coastal. There were hundreds of boats even though it was a little chilly that night. Some of the wealth along the water there is mind-boggling. Winning the lottery would not do it. A person would need to win the Mega Millions/Powerball combined but then who would want to live there…not me. All in all it was quite the experience.

In summary. we have been living our life day to day, week to week, staying healthy and having fun. I think this is what we were meant to do. We do not know how long we will live but we want to be healthy until the time comes. We want to come sliding in through the pearly gates on our knees, maybe a little bruised with torn jammers and busted flip flops, but with a big smile knowing we finally made it!

As always, feel free to share or send a comment or question or hide from your children.

Island Time!

Published on January 9, 2023January 20, 2023 by Island BoyLeave a comment

Well I decided to restart my blogging efforts. This time I will use a real website, a real Domain with real security.

I attempted to import my past blog site to this new website. I have not scrubbed it to compare posting for posting to see if everything came across clean so maybe time will tell. There were some errors in the import but so far it seems to be a picture or two. It will take me some time to learn this new website architecture so just deal with it ok!

“What if we knew” 2020 would be a great year for the world!

Published on September 11, 2020March 21, 2023 by Island Boy5 Comments

Almost to the day, 3 years ago, I wrote my last blog that was to end all blogs. Mostly I was writing to myself. People put their thoughts to paper for many different reasons. We always have internal struggles we wrestle with. I think I chose to write to try and understand and deal with some of these internal demons. For some reason I had the urge to try again.

Today is 9/11. Quite the anniversary. I hear many people recalling exactly where they were on this day at that time. They then remember where they were when Kennedy was shot, etc, etc.. We seem to remember tragedies vividly but how often do we vividly remember good/great things – weddings, births, promotions, anniversaries. I think you get the point. Well I want to emphasize that now is a great day to remember. Not because of 9/11. We are on the verge of and witnessing a great event. One most of us never thought we would see in our life times without maybe a nuclear war. Think I am crazy? Did the demons win? What the hell is this event?

We are on the verge of and witnessing PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST! How many of us ever thought that was possible or would be seen without nukes? What am I talking about? Well Israel and UAE have agreed to recognition, normalization, and peace. Today the Kingdom of Bahrain has joined them. All 3 will sign peace agreements on Sept 15th at the White House. This is just the beginning. Qatar and Saudi Arabia will follow very shortly among others. Lastly Iran and the Palestinians will follow suit by the end of 2020. The 4th quarter of 2020 is EXTREMELY historical and we should all look back on its anniversary and remember where we were for such a great event.

Did you ever think you would see this in your lifetime? Without an all out war to end wars? I know many of the young folks don’t have a clue about this. They have not learned our history or world history. This is really amazing if you think about it. 2020 will bring Middle East peace, the US will for the most part be out of the 20 year Afghan war, and almost entirely our of Syria and Iraq without ever stepping foot in Iran. 2020 will end as an AMAZING year for the world. So take time to ponder on the good things happening in the world even as our news tries to make us think the world is ending.

Some of you know that we lost my mom 12/2019. I miss her. I miss a call every once in a while. I miss a visit periodically. But I know she was happy and I know I will see her again much sooner than anyone thinks because how much time do we really have left? I believe a parent’s pride swells when they know their children are living an independent life pursuing their own excitement, adventures, and experiences. I hope to think she was/is proud.

I thought I would share something I wrote in August 2017 called “What if we knew.”

What if we knew,
we only had 1 year,
3 years,
5 years left?
Who would we spend it with?

What if we knew?
What would we change?
Would we live for our heart or 
live for what we felt obligated to others for?
Who would we be standing next to?
Who would we spend it with?

What if we knew?
That no matter what, grown children, parents, sisters and brothers
will love us and each other regardless of where everyone is and
we will see them again very soon in eternity.

What if we knew?
Our life only has one shot,
for mystery, excitement, adventure, experiences.
When it is over, it is over, we can’t do it over.
Then you join family in the after life.
Who would we spend it with?

What if we knew?
Things are not happiness.
More is not better.
Mystery, excitement, adventure, experiences are best not found
in a store or on line.
What do we want to experience?
Where do we want to go?
What do we want to see?
Why are we waiting - 1-3-5 left?

What if we knew?
The most important things to have in life
are what we can carry through St. Peter’s gate.
The best gift I receive is not a thing,
but to know I am genuinely desired, needed, and admired,
for me as I am and not any stuff.
Who would we spend it with?

What if we knew?
For me, I do not want things.
I want, no need, mystery, excitement, adventure, experiences
because I may only have
1 year,
3 years,
5 years left
or at least I need to live as if I only do.
Who do I want to spend it with?

What if we knew?
You can make me know that you want and desire to be right beside me along the way 
as I do you.
We can share and create excitement by actively planing
mystery, excitement, adventure, and experiences together.
We need to hurry as time is short.

What if we knew?
And if we are chosen to be so lucky
maybe we can cross through the gates together
with nothing but the shirts on our backs 
and the experiences in our hearts.
If not, at least we will always be looking forward and never back saying 'if only'.
And we will have many heavenly stories to tell and share as we are
heading towards that final destination as if we knew.

Finally a couple pictures and captions:

**I am afraid I may be heading for hell since God has already placed me in heaven on earth**.

**Sept/Oct 2019 we spent a month walking the Mediterranean. It was an indescribable trip together. She is my morning and night and without her I have no reason to be.**

Blog to end all Blogs!

Published on September 20, 2017January 18, 2023 by Island BoyLeave a comment

We have been back in the USA for 14 months. We are having our 1 year Jupiter anniversary shortly. Jupiter is a great place especially living so close to the beach. It has been a somewhat busy year with a few adventures, most mentioned in previous posts. A leisure life continues to be an adjustment. One of the big reasons we left Panama was that we got bored a lot. There were many reasons for that boredom but some was self imposed. I have been asked if I would go back to Panama. I certainly would but I would also do things differently this time to hopefully overcome some of the reasons we left. There really was nothing like living right on a tropical beach.

Being back in the states boredom is still a challenge. We all get in our routines. Our tastes change. Denise is trying to get back into her mosaic artwork which is quite time consuming. We still do a lot together. We go to the pool for about 1.5 hours 4-5 days a week, we play tennis every great once in a while, and we go to the beach for a couple mile walk 4-6 days a week and/or sit for a few hours and read and/or sit and have a picnic dinner on the beach. At times, I go to the beach myself as Denise is busy. We also do our Tiki Bar/Happy Hour efforts 3-4 times a week.

Denise keeps telling me I need to go and make some friends as our interest at times drift apart and she said I need something to occupy my time so she can have hers. I have met some folks down at the beach but Denise scolded me and said that she meant friends more my age and they should be guys. I guess I will keep trying but I am not to good with the people stuff.

Oh, in case anyone cared, yes we made it through Hurricane Irma. Our area was beat up a bit as they are currently patching the condo roofs with plastic covering and there is still lots of trees and branches down. Some folks were without power for almost a week. The good part is that my favorite bars, grocery stores and gas stations were back on line in a matter of just a day or two. Seems like if you have a generator you are open for business. A lot of folks did suffer a lot though but still nowhere near what those in the islands and Keys did. I am really glad we got a trip to the Keys in earlier this year.

The blog title says ‘blog to end all blogs’. What is that about? Well I think I am going to hang up my blogging keyboard so this is probably it. Denise has said ‘what makes you think anyone is interested in what you are doing anyway?’ She is probably right but I wrote more for me than for anyone reading this anyway. In the long run it is more effort than I think I want to put into it. Actually the pictures is what takes the effort. Also I am planning to scale back my social media presence. I expect to be completely off Facebook no later than 2018. I plan on suspending my account BUT Messenger will still work so you can message, call or video me that way. Why Facebook? Well in my leisure it is so easy for it to become a ‘time suck’ and I am concerned that the Russians are influencing my postings (pun intended for you liberal crazies). I am also concerned with how FB is using and pushing information on us. It is easier to just get out of it and get back lost time. I would like to dump Twitter (@rbillock) also but I have over 15,500 followers and have this retentive guilt if I were to just bail on them. Gosh what an ego! well, I will wait and see.

So you may ask, what do I want to do then? If things were perfect I would travel, a lot. I always wanted to travel and did so starting when I was quite young. My fantasy would be to go and live some place for +/- a year and do that every year for the next 30 years. I think by the time I was 90 I may be ready to slow down. This of course is not reality so I guess I will be in Jupiter for the foreseeable future. If you ever want to come to south Florida to visit you are welcome to come by.

Oh before I leave you I want to pass along my new favorite drink. I temper my intake due to sugar intake since rum is made from cane sugar and sugar is legal poison to our bodies. I recommend Blue Chair Bay Key Lime Creme rum. I pour it over ice in a tumbler and sip away. You can add some other stuff but it is delic buy itself…enjoy!

As always your comments or questions are welcome.

Bon Voyage from probably the final beach:oclock blog post!

See you at the beach…friend!

Giving Denise ‘the finger’ after getting beat again!

Out for an evening of Reggae at Guanabanas on the intercoastal.

Newly hatched Loggerhead making its way to the ocean.

IMG_20170913_114432 — Some of what Irma left for us.

Square Grouper re-opened after leaving a warning ‘Not Here Irma’. #besttikibar

It’s Tuesday, must be time for a vacation?

Published on July 2, 2017January 18, 2023 by Island BoyLeave a comment

We decided to leave our paradise a little while ago for a vacation. This time we choose to go and visit Lisa in Virginia. I had never seen her there and neither of us had seen her latest apartment. Well we tossed a few things into our backpacks and food we didn’t want to throw away into a cooler and headed north. Since Charleston is about 1/2 way we said that is the area where we will stop for the night. The bonus was that our friend Norma lives there. We made arrangements to visit on our layover. It was going to be great to see Norma and catch up. We met Norma in Panama. She was a friend of a friend who became a friend. Cool how that whole friend thing works. Well just before we left to head north Norma contacted us and had to cancel getting together 🙁 . I assured her that I did start to regularly bathe once we arrived back in the USA but she said she doubts that but had to cancel due to other reasons and we definitely need to plan another get together. “Norma, Oh Norma, where did our Norma go?” Hopefully we will see you soon.

We stayed in Charleston anyway and then drove on through to Virginia the next day. Besides getting to see and spend time with Lisa we had a laundry list of other things we wanted to do. It had been at least 30 years since I had spent any leisure time in the DC area. We had a number of old friends and a number of old places we wanted to see. After getting to Lisa’s place and the customary hugs, getting settled in her very nice apartment, meeting her roommate and the mother/daughter gap-fest we next got to go to the iconic Ned’s Irish Pub across the highway from her complex. I think Lisa goes to Ned’s for more than just Seahawks games. With just a slight nod as we came through the door the bar-keep began pouring her favorite brew. It was kind of like Cheers but Irish. The regulars new Lisa. During our trip I went back to Ned’s multiple times.

IMG_20170527_184730 — The infamous Ned’s

IMG_20170527_123027 — Crooked Run Brewery and Señor Ramons

Since someone had to pay rent, Lisa went to work and Denise and I found things to do. Denise brought material to finish up a mosaic wine table for Lisa that she did not get done before we left. After she finished this up we took a day and went into DC. Lisa had a meeting in town so she dropped us off in the monument area. We saw all the old stuff – Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson but also got to see others that were newer like the Vietnam War Memorial, the monument to women in the military, the massive WWII monument, and the impressive Korean War Memorial. We walked to the Whitehouse for a quick greeting ceremony in the Rose Garden and then headed to the Air and Space museum on the green.

IMG_20170601_112902 — Better hurry…they are waiting for us in the Rose Garden

IMG_20170601_101421 — Korean War Memorial

IMG_20170601_103422 — Korean War Memorial

IMG_20170601_102514 — Women’s War memorial

IMG_20170601_102202 — Vietnam War Memorial

IMG_20170601_095935 — George is in the house!

No matter how often you see, it is never old.

Things have really changed. It is a major production to get into the museums. There were long hot lines outside with each person being let in one at a time to go through the metal detectors and wands. We were beat from all the walking and hopped on the Metro Silverline at the Smithsonian Station to head back to Lisa’s for dinner.

Other great activities were that we were able to spend an afternoon with Denise’s brother Joe, wife Trisha and family at their place and then again a final dinner with them before we left. It was great to see them. I myself probably hadn’t seen them in 20+ years. The boys were probably just out of diapers then but now are men working on making it on their own. It was a wonderful visit.

IMG_20170529_172351 — Tricia and Joe (Denise’s brother)

IMG_20170529_172323 — Lisa, Matthew, Michael

IMG_20170529_132347 — Tricia, who is going to eat all that wonderful food!

IMG_20170529_132136 — Joe doing the manly chores.

I also caught up with an old old friend from College days. Chris drove out to meet me at Ned’s and we spent a couple hours picking up right where we left off – drinking and giving each other a hard time. Times do change. Last time I saw him the only women he knew had restraining orders against him and now he is married. Go figure! It was wonderful to get together.

Chris Mitchum — Chris ‘Mad Nueman’ Mitcham

We also met up with an old boss, mentor, friend and his family. I met Lloyd at grad-school when I was in the Army and was soon working for him on North Fort Lewis at ‘Testing and Experimentation Command Board’….don’t ask. He and his lovely wife had two very little boys – at that time. Well Lloyd went on to retire from the Army an 0-5 (he was/is certainly more of a masochist than I was), is now a high level civilian muckity-muck still doing work for the military, the two boys are…well…not boys, and his wife, Chom, is still as lovely as ever. They live way off the beaten path south of DC on a bluff overlooking the Potomac. Their own lil’ Mt. Vernon.

While on our trip they had us come out and go for a cruise on the Potomac with the family. It rained on us for a while which was great because it gave us lots of time to have some drinks and catch up while sitting below on the cruiser. When it cleared we went down river and anchored near Rick’s riverside bar where the water taxi came and picked us up for more drinks and food on shore. It was a great day.

IMG_20170528_163347 — Pole dancing or a SUP paddle?

IMG_20170528_161728 — Definitely not soul train

At Rick’s waiting for the taxi back to the boat.

It just so happened that two days before we were going to head back home Lloyd was having a 60th birthday celebration at their house with lots of folks, a keg of beer, an awesome pig roast and smoked chicken, some wonderful sushi, great kimchi, and all kinds of other food and deserts. Did I say beer? It was another great day with them and I left with my stomach 3 sizes larger than it has been in a long long time. Again it was so wonderful to catch up and we hope to see them in Florida for a beach vacation soon.

IMG_20170603_165839 — I like pig butt I can not lie!

IMG_20170603_182340 — It has been a long time!

IMG_20170603_184141 — Lots of hot air left to blow those out.

IMG_20170528_190649 — The Chef-ette treated us like royalty.

It had been well over a week and Lisa probably was sick of us and was ready to toss us out so we headed home to the beach.

We stopped off in Raleigh, NC to see an ole friend from Panama – Buz. We met Buz on our very first full day in Coronado as he walked into the local fonda for breakfast wearing his USC Gamecocks t-shirt. We became fast friends. Over more than a year we spent many many hours by the roof-top pool well into the night killing unselect brain cells. Buz was one of our close circle of friends we had in Panama. Buz introduced us to the earlier mentioned Carla – Friend of a friend, now a friend…. Buz keeps threatening to come to the beach for a visit and we are expecting him to fulfill that threat.

We have returned from our trip and have gotten back into our routine of daily beach walks and swims in the pool, Friday’s at the Dive Bar, Monday’s at the Square Grouper, a minor league ball game, and a selection of other Tiki Bar Happy Hours. Remember, we are doing all this so you don’t have to. Keep working because we expect to collect our share of social security some day. Also beware, maybe our next spur of the moment vacation will be to your city and you will be expected to party and have fun!

As always, feel free to share or send a comment or question or hide from your children.