30 Years Ago This Week
June 6, 2020 Thirty years ago, this week we were in the Czechoslovakia. We were there because in 1989 we took our kids to Berlin to see the wall. Two and a half months later it came down. In 1990 … Continue reading 30 Years Ago This Week
A Shady Resting Place.
May 30, 2020, Sitka, Alaska I don’t like visiting cemeteries. Perhaps it’s a reminder of my own mortality. Or perhaps it was watching my elementary school being built in the summer of 1950. To make room for the school playground … Continue reading A Shady Resting Place.
Up Hill!
May 28, 2020, Sitka, Alaska. Sitka seem a little schizophrenic. Part of Sitka, along with the rest of Alaska, has started to “re-open responsibly” according to the Governor’s directive. And another part is reacting to Sitka’s second COVID case. While … Continue reading Up Hill!
Milkman’s Matinee
May 17, 2020 “When the world should all be sleeping And the melody comes creeping ‘till you want to sway, it’s the Milkman’s Matinee.” Pop loved that radio theme song. It came on WNEW every morning just after the midnight … Continue reading Milkman’s Matinee
Big Hair
May 17, 2020, Sitka Alaska I come from a family of big hair. I was reminded of this after my Aunt Janice died at age 96. In the statistics she was just another old person who died in a nursing … Continue reading Big Hair
Who Was That Masked Man?
May 3, 2020, Sitka, Alaska I would not make a good bank robber. On my walk yesterday almost everyone greeted me by name “Hi Rich” while I was wearing my mask. Only one person, someone I have known for decades, … Continue reading Who Was That Masked Man?
Michio Hoshino Totem Pole Redux..
May 1, 2020, Sitka, Alaska It’s been a while since I visited the Michio Hoshino memorial totem pole on the south side of the Halibut Point Rec. Today was a nice sunny day so I decided to hike down for … Continue reading Michio Hoshino Totem Pole Redux..
Social Distance vs Cabin Fever
April 19, 2020, Sitka, Alaska The instructions are confusing. We’re supposed to shelter at home but are encouraged to go outside for exercise. In spring, when the weather turns nice Alaskans NEED to get outside to crush cabin fever. Sheltering … Continue reading Social Distance vs Cabin Fever
When Does Lent End?
Memories of Grandma April 12, 2020, Easter Sunday, Sitka, Alaska This year Lent started for us on a Thursday. We completely lost Ash Wednesday because of an untimely crossing of the dateline. So, we attended Ash Thursday services on MS … Continue reading When Does Lent End?
He Is Not Here
Matthew 28:6 April 11, 2020, Sitka, Alaska One of the trails I regularly walk was “Easter Bombed.” The shells you see in the pictures were scattered, but scattered carefully. They made my walk on Thursday delightful. They were a message … Continue reading He Is Not Here
Social Distancing…day 2
April 9, 2020, Sitka, Alaska I needed some more practice at social distancing before I really took it on-line. It was a beautiful day to try. I decided to walk along Silver Bay where I would not encounter too many … Continue reading Social Distancing…day 2
Sprung …well sort of.
April 8, 2020, Sitka, AK My quarantine ended last night and I resumed my walks today — at a social distance. When I first got up it was blowing and raining and I thought “no way.” But this afternoon I … Continue reading Sprung …well sort of.
The Quarantine Post
April 4, 2020, Sitka, Alaska As the days go by, I get more nervous. It’s like waiting for the shoe to drop. Will I have traveled through four airports with lines and crowded waiting areas and sitting for hours in … Continue reading The Quarantine Post
Around the World in 80 Days — A Coda
March 31, 2020, Sitka, Alaska We hadn’t planned to go around the world in 80 days but that’s what happened. We left Fort Lauderdale on January 4 and arrived in Sitka on March 24, 80 days later. The first 77 … Continue reading Around the World in 80 Days — A Coda
Penultimate Thoughts
March 28, 2020, Sitka, Alaska Evacuations seldom go smoothly, they’re chaotic, and messy, changing by the hour. I know, I’ve been through several, either as the evacuee or the guy on the other end of the phone trying to organize … Continue reading Penultimate Thoughts
Take Off Your Mask for the Border Guard…
… Your Glasses Too. March 26, 2020, Sitka Alaska. Usually I’m a good sleeper, a short sleeper but a good one. I fall into a deep sleep and 6 and a half hours later my mind is racing with things … Continue reading Take Off Your Mask for the Border Guard…
In Defense of the Aussies
March 23, 2020, Perth, Australia On Saturday I was pretty upset with the Australian officials, changing their minds on us, first we can get off the ship and wait in hotels for flights, then we can only get off if … Continue reading In Defense of the Aussies
A Final Port Call
March 23, 2020, Perth. Australia Yesterday Suzi and I were sitting in a café where each table was separated by a couple of meters watching the hop-on/hop-off bus drive by with exactly three people on the top open deck. I … Continue reading A Final Port Call
A Chaotic Ending*
March 22, 2020, Fremantle, Australia “For the first time in our marriage, when my wife offered me one of her tranquilizers last night, I took it,” said a lap swimming buddy yesterday afternoon as we were working our frustrations in … Continue reading A Chaotic Ending*
Waiting
March 21, 2020, Fremantle, Australia We were lolling along at 12 knots toward Fremantle when all of a sudden Amsterdam picked up speed and started racing along at 22 knots. Captain Mercer came on the horn saying that we were … Continue reading Waiting
Practicing Gratitude
March 18, 2020, Off the West Coast of Australia Last night we crossed another time zone, the last one we will cross on this ship. We’re gone as far “west” as the ship will go. We’re lucky that we took … Continue reading Practicing Gratitude
Chaos Theory
March 16 and 17 2020, in the Indian Ocean off of Australia “…as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there … Continue reading Chaos Theory
The Ides of March Come One Day Early.
March 14, 2020, Cruising off the North Coast of Australia. As the elevator door opened, I heard one of the staff say to a colleague who was holding a box of pencils and pads of paper for trivia “I’m not … Continue reading The Ides of March Come One Day Early.
Ersatz Reef
March 12, 2020, Cairns, Australia Rain, Old Testament rain. The slight rain in Townsville was just the preview for the heavy rains Cairns. We went to Great Barrier Reef HQ in Townsville as kind of an insurance policy. It was … Continue reading Ersatz Reef