Happy New Year

As this year comes to an end I want to thank so many of you for allowing me to share your lives and supporting me through all the change that has transpired during the year.  There are far too many of you to list, but you know who you are.

I hope the New Year will bring everyone happiness and joy in everything you attempt and endeavor to do, it should be an interesting year for us all.

Happy New Year my friends, let us hope our path's cross soon!

Merry Christmas. . .

I admit I'm not one to celebrate Christmas as most of my friends.  But that doesn't mean I don't recognise how important it is for others, nor the meaning behind it.  For me personally, it's just not a time of celebration.

So, for those of my friends who do celebrate this day I simply want to say Merry Christmas to you and yours, the extended families, and all that you hold dear. I share your joy of the day!

May the coming New Year bring all of you joy and happiness beyond your dreams.

Dan

I guess the denial stage is over

It had to happen sooner or later.

I was out running errands and stopped to make a quick purchase for the Hula Hut. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual day of little things to check off the list of items to buy when and if they ever came on sale.

I found the item buried on a shelf behind some other things and made my way to the cashier. I was one happy camper as I made my way to the front of the store despite knowing that I would be standing in a line of Christmas shoppers. Did I mention I hate shopping?

But eventually my turn came, and as I was reaching for my wallet those dreaded words I’ve been avoiding were finally uttered in my presence.

"Thank you, sir, with your senior discount the amount is . . . "

Ah crap.

I guess my denial stage has come to an end.

For years I’ve been getting those unsolicited AARP mailings welcoming me to the "senior" world and offering all kinds of incentives to buy insurance, take advantage of cruise travel, retirement advice, and reverse mortgages. Until today I had convinced myself that they had been meant for someone named "occupant" and had come to me by mistake.

Not anymore.

The truth is that that senior discount actually saved me a few bucks (on top of the 40% off sale price) and I didn’t notice anyone standing around giggling and pointing in my direction like they were making fun of the old man holding up the line. I mean, I wasn’t wearing sandals and black socks or anything else that could have given me away. Perhaps its all the experience etched upon my face?             Who knew?

Personally, I would have liked staying in my state of denial for a few more years and pretending that all that mail, and the other things that come along with the senior label, be put on a shelf somewhere until I was better able to deal with it. But the sad reality is that I should be grateful that I’ve lived this long and take the few things that are offered with some grace.                     OK, I’ll give it a try.

Now, if I can just find a woman who thinks she’s part of the Disney Family I’ll be a really happy camper. You know: someone who charges a flat-rate senior discount for multiple rides and unlimited entries.

For years I’ve been looking for that membership offer to show up in my mail.

What is it about Thongs?

Never let anyone tell you that being in Florida is all about retirement and laying on the beach.

Sometimes it can be downright ugly.

As an example, let me share with you this morning’s experience. I woke in my usual "thank god I’m still here" mood and decided that today I would be extraordinarily lazy and go to the beach for a good (made-by-someone-else) breakfast. After all, this is Florida, why shouldn’t I go to the beach for fresh orange juice, eggs, coffee, and sunshine on a Sunday morning? Solitude in the Sun is good for the soul.

I’ll tell you why. I forgot about our northern neighbors. You know? The ones that are my constant companions from either side of me in the RV park. The Canadians? Not my neighbors specifically, but their cousins, brothers, sisters, whatever. . .they’re freaking everywhere down here this time of year.

Even zipping along the sidewalk on my Segway I have to be careful. Apparently these folks have no concept of a sidewalk, or bike lanes in the frozen tundra to the North. Or at least that’s my impression. I had to dodge cars at every intersection, and I gave up being in the bike lane as too stressful (I have enough gray hair thank you very much!) after one too many close calls. I didn’t survive getting my butt blown up in Iraq to be run down by some crazed northern visitor with limited vision, no ability to comprehend street signs, and is incapable of understanding that the painted bike in the middle of two skinny lanes on the road is not an invitation or license to mow down people using said lane on two wheels. Ugh!

But, I survived the trip, and as an added bonus I didn’t see any of my brothers or sisters in blue trolling the broad walk of Hollywood Beach this AM looking for a half crazed speed demon on a Segway. I’ll take that as an even balance to that point.

I found my magical little beach side breakfast nook exactly where I remembered it. And, the service and food was going along fine.

And then, the tourists started showing up.

Now, let me be clear about a major topic for us (now, part time) residents. We love tourists. If it wasn’t for them coming to Florida there would be fewer jobs, little growth, and we’d all be paying State income tax. Not to mention that in the wintertime the Lotto jackpots go through the ceiling due to all those extra tickets being sold. So, I kind of like the whole tourist thing as a whole. Throw in the occasional New Jersey and New York accent or the European and African dialects, plus the lilt of the Islands, and it adds a nice ambiance to wherever you happen to be.

But what is it about our far northern neighbors? I get the whole "I speak French" thing. Yup, don’t like it much, and don’t get me started on the whole "I have 6 months of paid vacation" thing. What I don’t understand, what I truly do not comprehend, is why on gods green earth they insist on wearing thongs and g-strings to the beach? I mean, people are trying to eat here!

After enjoying my simple, but satisfying, breakfast this morning, I was enjoying my coffee when an "experienced" (I don’t want to call them "elderly" since I’m getting up there myself) couple came walking up the beach with the intent to sit at the next table in the café. The woman was wearing a nice sundress, the obligatory sandal’s, sunglasses and hat. She was fine. Her companion however, was wearing white socks, sandals, a hat, and a thong. No shirt. (Where was that handy  no shoes, no shirt, no service sign when I need it?). Now, this experienced gentleman is certainly of an age where he can choose his own manner of dress. But come on, really? Can someone tell me that a man who looks to be in his 70-80’s really needs to be in a thong? Let’s be clear here. I really don’t want to see a saggy butt in a thong. Thank you.

Now, if this were South Beach, and the thong was filled with say, Brazilian, German, French, Latin, or Italian female flesh would I be so upset? Ahhhh, no, probably not. But that’s another story for another time. Now that I think about it, I see a Segway trip to South Beach in my future.

They have breakfast down there too.

Sitting, annoyed with the whole thing, started me thinking of solutions. And that brings me back to my original point. Others impacted what started as another good day. I certainly can’t yell or scream at everyone who tries to run me down on the Seqway (My little parrot squeaker horn doesn’t seen to have the dynamic impact I had hoped) – (and I’m not allowed to throw ball bearings in the path of traffic when they annoy me!), and I equally have to keep my sense of polite conversation and observations to myself while in a public establishment. But darn it, if we have city ordinances to regulate silly stuff like Seqway’s can’t we at least come up with a creative age-appropriate ban on thongs and g-string bikinis? Men should just be banned from wearing the damn things in public at all. I know you’ll never see my saggy butt in one, but then, I spend almost all my time on the clothing optional beach – another story in and of itself.

Excuse me, I digress.

Women on the other hand should be allowed the comfort that such an item provides. Within decent bounds of course, (albeit politically incorrect to say so) saggy butts on women look no better that on men. Something where equal rights seems to be truly equal.

I’d be willing to volunteer my time to help monitor the compliance part of any such ordinance. I mean, as a native, don’t I have sort of an obligation to make the beaches friendly? I know it would take some dedication and time to observe all the women who come and go on the beach in any given day, but we all have to sacrifice for our Government (or isn’t that the theme at present?), and for the overall good of all our citizens.

All I would need is sun block (to generously offer a helping hand to those in need), a pair of binoculars (to make sure I keep a close eye on potential violators), and a whistle (something in a different tone then the life guards, but useful to draw others attention to a potentially well utilized thong) to make our visitors feel welcome and appreciated. Yeah, I’d be willing to do that.

I feel much better now having expressed myself on this important topic. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to turn around a negative experience and seek a solution that I think many of us would find acceptable.

And besides, my breakfast was pretty awesome up to that point. Retirement is not all fun and games after all, I constantly have to find ways to keep myself busy and mentally challenged.

I'm trying to improve. Really!

It’s been an unusual week for me. But then, I guess there is really nothing unusual about hearing that is there?

During my travels in the last few days I ran into one couple I had not seen in a few years. We were very close at one point in our lives and it was nice to see them. The wife, at some point during our conversation, decided to offer me some advice that I have since found to be very helpful. I wanted to share this with everyone.

You see, her opinion is that I have changed far too much since the last time we were all gathered together and that she is worried that I’m beginning to lose my ability to "socially interact properly with people". Wow. So I asked the obvious question; "what would you suggest?"

While her husband rolled his eyes in the background, she recommended that I get out more, mingle with people, and go out to functions like party’s or public places. She also suggested that I visit historically significant places (she knows I have an interest in History), take pictures, visit with the other guests in those locales, and perhaps pickup souvenirs to take home as a reminder of the visit. Hmmmmmmm. . . Maybe she’s on to something here. Do I see snow-globes and tiny cups or spoons in my future? Ah, nope ….

Later that evening when I returned to my hotel, my initial thought was to simply pull off this darn suit from the funerals and "veg" in front of the cable with a room service pizza and some quiet reflection time. But, the more I thought about her comments, the more positive I became about making change in my life. I decided to act right that very evening by going somewhere significant, perhaps even somewhere that had a historically rich background and where I might have an opportunity to work on my apparently lacking social skills. I have to admit it would be nice to mix with people….at least, every once in a while.

I think I found it. I had forgotten about this little establishment that sits on a main drag in the local area, has a rich history in the local culture, and provides a relaxed environment that promotes verbal intercourse among the guests. I think this place must be an example of what she was thinking when she talked to me earlier. I have to admit that after several hours of soaking in the atmosphere and visually stimulating surroundings, I felt much better. Maybe you’ll recognize this landmark?

==========================

After a restful night’s sleep, it was time to get back on the road. I was feeling very energetic about the previous night’s experience and promised myself that I would try to take every opportunity to better myself from now on. I’m turning over a new leaf as it were.

Later that day, while making my way on some back road to nowhere special (you know about those, right?), I found a little roadside sign advertising a "once-in-a-lifetime" firearm sale and demonstration. Frankly, it was the hand-painted little addition next to it that said "Santa’s Visiting Today!" that made me stop. I mean, if Santa is going to be there, this has GOT to be a place I want to be meeting and socializing with people. Guns & Santa, does it get any better then that?

I wandered around for hours in the endless tables of guns, knives, and knick-knacks. The whole thing was set up in a series of open fields with a ready made gun range laid out, and more guns and rednecks in one place then I’ve seen in a long long time. Santa arrived on a tractor. Which struck me as appropriate given the target audience.

I must admit a certain amount of failure however, because no matter how much I tried, I think just about everyone (3-400 people?) must have known I was an outsider. I drank my beer and ate my hot dog in solitude on a stump in the tree line. How’s that for original?

It wasn’t a complete loss though. I bought a souvenir T-shirt (see below) to mark my attendance at the event and I will, of course, wear it when and if I return to Hollywood. I’m sure it’s going to be the envy of everyone on the boardwalk – I know it will stimulate conversation and open up all kinds of possibilities for me to work on my social interactive skill set.

I’m going to send a note to my friend just as soon as I’m finished here. I know she’ll be proud to know that she’s had such a positive impact on me in such as short period of time. I feel more socially adept now that I’m giving it a chance!

I’ll keep you posted.

Pig Headed? Me?

Some of you that know me well may describe me as sometimes pig-headed.  Personally, I like to think that I'm simply dedicated to what I think is right and wrong, and admittedly, I oftentimes don't bow to the political wind.              Tenacious perhaps?

After listening to feedback about my SEGWAY incident, my intimate encounter with my brothers in blue Friday night, and having come to the conclusion to completely and utterly ignore my older and wiser friend Jim's advice to "just let it go" I decided to research a little of the Federal and local ordinances on the subject. 

Is anyone really surprised?

Fascinating how, when you retire, you suddenly have idle time on your hands that can be put to other uses.  Like annoying your elected officials.

I started by looking at the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), and sure enough, there it was in black and white.  The law not only went into effect during the earlier part of this year, but specifically names the SEGWAY product by name in the law as an alternative mobility device covered under the law.                         Oh my!

Having established this little tidbit of information, I then used the handy contact number listed on the website to contact the Department of Justice, Enforcement Branch, to seek clarification on enforcement of the statue.   My, what an interesting conversation.  The short of it was that yup, the law is in effect, and the City can scream and shout, but the use of a SEGWAY is a Federal issue, not a local one, and banning use would be a violation of the ADA.   I loved the part when the guy asked me if I wanted him to send me the formal filing paperwork to begin a Federal complaint?                         

Nope, thanks, but no thanks.

I then used a little more time to track down the guy who owns the SEGWAY rental and tour operation on Hollywood Beach (where, unknown to me at the time, it is located right where I was stopped the other night). At first I think he was a little put out that I had tracked down his cell phone and caught him working out at the gym, but once I explained what I was researching he perked right up.  It turns out he had had a two year battle with the city over his operation on the boardwalk and had to jump though all kinds of permits, insurance, and changes in city ordinances to start his operation.

Yet, the key to our conversation was an item of information that was a jewel!  He asked me if I knew the Mayor of our fine city, or if I had talked to anyone at City Hall yet?  I had to admit that I had not worked up to it, yet.  Then he dropped the bomb shell.  It turns out that our fine Mayor, running for re-election during the last cycle, had made his way through all the districts and regions, using none other than a SEGWAY as his primary means of transportation.                              Oh, sweeeeeeeeeet.

He provided me with the Mayors cell number, and the name and cell number of his administrative assistant and suggested I call.          Who am I to say no to that?

I contacted the Mayors assistant first - why waste all your ammo at once eh? - and explained what had transpired and asked what can I do to make sure I didn't have any additional problems if I was out riding in the future?  She assured me that there was NO city code denying access for use of the Segway, and asked if she could call the Chief of Police office to make sure they understood - she would be happy to call me back.            Sure, I'm fine with that.   :-))

And so it goes....  Not only did she call me back to confirm that the Chief, and all his Officers, understand the ADA, but one of the Chief's assistants called me to explain that he would be happy to be a POC (and provided his cell number) if such an event happened in the future.      Oh my Oh my.

Earlier this evening, while dining with some friends, I also received a phone call from the councilman of the District where I live.  It seems the Mayors office had called him to explain my issues, and he wanted to "just touch base" to make sure everything was resolved.      Gotta love voice mail.   I'll call him back tomorrow.

I love it when we all come together in peace and harmony.       BUT, I'm still saving the Mayors cell number in my phone if I need it.


With apologies to my wise and dear friend Jim all I can say is;

Pig-headed?   Nope, just satisfied.

I got busted!

BUSTED!!

Well, I had my official welcome back to Hollywood earlier this evening by my brothers in blue, the poo-lice of Hollywood.

There I was cruising down the Hollywood boardwalk on my SEGWAY, earplugs blasting appropriate rock and blues from the iPod, weaving around the old folks in the bike lane, and heading to one of my favorite haunts, when out of the corner of my eye I notice an ATV, blue lights blazing, and what appeared to me to be two rather angry officers waving frantically for me to stop and pull over!  WTF?

Since I couldn't hear a word they were shouting (reference the earplugs above), I figured the best course of action was to stop and dismount before I got "tased" (a rather distinct possibility since you'll remember this is Hollywood, right?).

Soooooo....there I am, getting shouted out by some brother officer, trying to get my helmet off and my earplugs out, and wondering what the heck he's so upset about.

Turns out he and his partner, had seen me "blow by like you were being chased by devils".  (you can't make up a quote like that, trust me)  Apparently they had blown whistles to get my attention, and were more then a little annoyed that I cruised right on by without acknowledging their power and authority. They had been "chasing me" for five blocks - I guess the sand slowed them down a mite.

Come on, really?  One thing led to another, we got into an entire conversation about the Americans with Disabilities Act ( a Federal Statue), City of Hollywood ordinances (which apparently over-ride the Federal Law in their view) prohibiting SEGWAY's on the boardwalk, and ignoring an Officer while in the performance of their duties. . .god save me.  At one point, my brother threatened to call his Sergeant to explain how my bad behavior just wasn't going to be tolerated.   Yep, I'm scared.

In the end, ole "Bill" (name changed to protect the innocent), and his partner and I came to the conclusion that we would all just overlook the whole incident without getting his Sergeant, the Hollywood City Council, my Congressman, or whoever oversees the ADA statues, involved in our little discussion.  

Good choice my new friend.

Our compromise, and yes, for those of you who don't think I'm capable of such an act, I can; was for me to ride one street over from the boardwalk, and when coming out to one of the bars, go s-l-o-w-l-y to avoid running over innocent civilians (I.e. Tourists).

After about 30 minutes of this amazing and bizarre conversation, I jumped back on, plugged in, and zoomed into the night.

Not exactly the warm welcome I expected upon my return to the beach.

I wonder if I have time in my busy retirement schedule to attend any of the upcoming City Council meetings and ask for clarification on this subject?

Anyone have an opinion?

I’ve been very remiss on keeping everyone informed of events during the past 3 weeks or so since I left Texas. I could provide you with a litany of excuses, but why bother; most of you won’t cut me any slack over excuses anyway.

So, let me provide you with some highlights of recent events. For those of you with little or no patience for my tendency to be too verbose, I’ve provided some pictures so ya kinda get the story…you have my permission to skip over the boring parts.

The departure from New Braunfels, and my friends at the River Ranch RV Resort was very much bittersweet. I’ve been there a long time, have good friends there, and honestly hope to return there sooner than later. We went through the normal "be safe on the road", "good luck", and "hurry back" moments while I was unhooking everything. Yet, the memorable moment occurred when I approached the office / exit from the park to find the spouse of a good friend (and his dog) sending me a special message upon my departure. I cracked up and obviously had to stop for a photo opportunity. In a moment of weakness I was mentally trying to figure out where to put her bag and if "Hank" was going to enjoy being in the Hula Hut during the upcoming travels. In the end, reality set in and I remembered the golden rule about borrowing a friends wife and left poor Dovie standing on the side of the park road.

As sad as it seemed, all in all, it was a heckuva way to start the trip!

                                    ==============================

My first stop was at a KOA campground in Scott, LA that evening. Nice place, huge trees, plenty of lake front property, and easy access to and from I-10. Just far enough from the freeway to tone down the noise of traffic. The downside was no Internet or satellite service due to the trees. Heck, I sat outside instead and read, so it was all good commune time with nature.

The next stop was at another KOA campground in Milton, FL, about 35 miles or so outside (East) of Pensacola. The drive over was pretty nice, light traffic, cool weather, and no problems with the rig. Yet, I’ve spent so many trips back and forth on I-10 I found myself wondering if I was ever going to see something new. If and when I come West again, I definitely have to find another route! The KOA there is another huge park with large grass lots, just enough trees to make it pleasant, far enough from the freeway to eliminate much of the traffic noise, and close enough to places if you have to run errands. Yet again, there was little in the way of Internet connection, so I was out of luck.

That evening I got to spend some quality time with another good friend over dinner in Pensacola Beach. A steak dinner, with excellent wine, a superb view of Pensacola Bay from the patio of a top-rated restaurant, and not to mention great conversation with a beautiful woman, is my idea of the right way to spend an evening anywhere. It was a great way to end the days travel. Alas, why is it that it seems lately that all these women are happily married that I’m hanging out with? I can’t remember the last time I would have been willing to drive 100 plus miles, round trip, off my planned route for dinner with a good looking lady and not expect to spend the night in some sort of sexually compromising position. Gawd, I must be getting old. Or perhaps I’ve just gotten more respectful of woman in general. Yup, that must be it. Hopefully, I’ll be forgiven for the unfortunate sexual reference. It was, of course, something that never entered my mind at the time.

Either way Sharon, you’re as beautiful and graceful as ever in both spirit and person, and it was great to see ya!

                                   ==============================

From Milton I moved on with the intention of staying at a KOA Campground around Central Florida where I-75 South and the Florida Turnpike begins. However, as the days travel progressed it became increasingly obvious that I was going to get hit with a serious bit of weather (a spin off of a Tropical Storm in the Gulf) unless I got into South Florida that evening. With that it mind, I picked up the pace a little bit and finally arrived at TY Park in Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale) around midnight – but before the storms had a chance to impact the local area. It was nice to settle in that evening. TY Park is a huge place with concrete pads (65 x 35 feet), a nice view of the public lake with a lighted fountain at night, and a fair breeze from the nearby ocean that gives a hint of the beach. The running / walking track is one of the longest I’ve seen and weaves in and around some of the largest and oldest trees in the area. It’s a great place to visit and I ended up staying there for five days. My only regret is that the place (which is way out of my monthly price range) was sold out from November through May, and once again, the internet service was unavailable unless you drove to the other side of the lake and sat at a picnic bench somewhere close to the office. Not very practical, yet I would recommend that anyone looking for a place to stay in South Florida serious consider the place.

                                   ==============================

The first Saturday night back home my old friend Bonney (Another married lady.  Am I the only one seeing a trend here?) and her husband, were hosting their annual Halloween party and it gave me an excuse to get out in the rain and meet some long unseen work friends and meet some new faces. As expected, I wore not a costume, but what I like to think of as my new uniform. A robe, sun blocking fedora, tank top, white tube socks with sandals, pajama pants, Life Alert panic button around my neck, and my pockets stuffed with medications! I thought I made a striking figure in my new attire, yet the prize for best costume went to some undeserving woman (we’ll just call her "Bernie") wearing a low cut gown and posing as something or another. . .how’s a man supposed to compete with breasts?

                                           ==============================

I finally moved into my semi-permanent site at the Green Acres RV park on November 1^st. Pulling into the park I was reminded just how small these sites are compared to the much nicer and larger lots I had just recently left in New Braunfels. Oh well, I don’t intend to live here forever, so who am I to complain, right? As you can see by the picture below, my neighbors and I are crammed into a pretty small area (the lots are 40x 20). One thing I didn’t take into account, or more honestly didn’t give a lot of thought about, is that ALL of my new neighbors are visitors from Canada who barely speak English, or perhaps just refuse to, and blare French language TV late into the evening. I’m certainly far from bias in my views of our Northern brothers and sisters of North America, yet I admit I find myself flying my US and Texas flags a little longer each day (I even added lights so they can be flown at night), and occasionally give in to the child-like behavior of wearing one of my US Border Patrol or CBP K-9 shirts if I’m outside working on the rig. Hey, I’m just trying to keep life interesting, that’s me.

                                           ==============================

On the second weekend home, I finally got a chance to ride the bike with my brothers from the Iron Warriors Motorcycle Club. It was the first time since 2006 that I’d seen some of them, and the ride up to, and around, Lake Ocochobee, despite the occasional rain, was a great way to get caught up and enjoy the day. The guys took me to a new Texas style BBQ place that served truly good food. The day ended with 282 new miles on the bike, and a renewed connection with the club. My friends Ruben "Pitbull" and Tony "T" and I have never been accused of missing a photo opportunity, so we took a picture outside the diner to mark us all getting back together once again.

                                           ==============================

This past weekend I took a little side trip up to Montgomery, AL to take part in another IWMC event, this time on 4 wheels not the bike. The event was the Regional Presidents meeting and I expected to meet up with our new chapter President from Central Texas (we had started a chapter out there just weeks before my departure) to celebrate our "Alamo" chapter and be introduced to the rest of the regional Presidents. Alas, Greg "Slowhand" our Texas President was unable to attend at the last minute and I ended up representing the club. I have to admit to some "Texas Pride" when I was given back my vest with our new Texas rocker on the back. It’s a special moment when you’re involved in something new. The Southern Regional President, Jim "Rooster" went out of his way to make me feel welcome and was extremely pleased about the new chapter. I was humbled and honored to represent the other chapter members in Slowhand’s place.

At the end of the meeting on Saturday, the local chapters rode to one of the local clubs for a draw down party. Despite weather in the lower to mid 40’s, the turnout was tremendous. The local Alabama clubs had about 65-80 riders and another 2 dozen or so vehicles in a mile long convey on the way to the club. I was truly impressed by the scope, size, and organization of the whole thing.

Needless to say, getting 250-300 off duty cops, fire fighters, wives, girl friends, and straphangers all gathered in some nightclub having a celebration is sure to be a fun experience. And this one certainly was! I can’t count, much less share with you, how many times I was pounded on the back and had to shake off offers for a drink because of that new Texas patch on my vest. Suffice it to say that everyone is proud of our new chapter.

The highlight of the evening, for me at least, was something I learned later is a standard part of one of the chapters in Alabama. There is a chapter there called "7 Bridges" and they have adopted the tradition of singing the Eagles song "Seven Bridges Road" at any club event. I can do it little justice in prose, yet, imagine if you will, 30-40 guys and gals standing in a football style huddle, arms around each other, drinks raised to the ceiling, singing along in harmony at the top of their lungs in the middle of the club. The emotion, the feeling of brotherhood, and the sharing of hopes and dreams, real or imagined, is carried in that song, and in the heart and soul of each of the men and women in that room that night. I was awe stuck standing on the sidelines of such a sight.

http://youtu.be/c-q7Mih69KE go to this link, if like me, you had forgotten how this song sounds.

Believe me when I say, standing in that room, listening to this song, sent shivers up my spine. The picture is my lame attempt at gathering the spirit of the thing, but honestly, the picture does it little justice in relation to the real thing.

                                           ==============================

OK, so pretty much that brings you up to date on some of the highlights of the past few weeks.

Ahead are still many days of getting settled back into a routine (like, what the heck do I do now?), helping my best friend Stephanie with some chores around her new house, and finally, making an attempt to get some resolution on the immediate future. There are so many choices I actually have to stop and think about what to do next.

I’ll attempt to do better on keeping everyone up to date a little more timely in the future. As always, your feedback is welcome and refreshing, so if you have something to say, let’s hear it.

To close, don’t feel too badly about me being stuck down here in Florida for a while. This is one of the views I have steps outside the door of the Hula Hut.

In the meantime, be safe in whatever you do, and I’ll talk with y’all soon!

Pigeon poop

Pigeon poop.

It occurred to me today that everything negative in life can be summed up in those two words. Remarkable, isn't it? Now that I'm semi-retired I have time to reflect on these things.

But it makes a weird kind of sense of you'll just bear with me for a moment or two.

You know how it is, you are in an awesome mood, you're running along having a great day at work, the weather is perfect, you're enjoying your favorite hobby, spending time with your loved ones, whatever, and you come back to your car and there it is; pigeon poop.

The balance of your day is done. Right there. One small, yet heaping pile of pigeon poop has just set the mood for the balance of your day.

Heading to lunch with co-workers? I think not. Headed to the hairdresser for that monthly trim? Not likely. Headed to the grocery for last minute stuff for dinner? Uh no. You see, no matter what you had planned, even if you intend to do it, you'll only be thinking of one thing. Yep. Pigeon poop.

The whole rest-of-the-freaking-day pigeon poop will be in your head. It will consume you.

For most of you, the sane and literate among my friends, you're asking yourself, "why is he going on about this pigeon poop stuff?". Ahhhhhh, you are the few, the good people in life, those who have been blessed with the "ignore the pigeon poop and life will go on" gene. Alas, that's not me.

For some, the solution is a quick trip to the car wash, a handy hose, or tipping that homeless guy standing at the highway bypass a buck to wash the offensive substance away. For some of us, those who shall we say, have some time on our hands, we can devote part of our day to cleaning pigeon poop ourselves.

The point, if I have to make it, is that pigeon poop disrupts life's peaceful and carefully structured harmony; and we can't have that, now can we?

I have a simple solution. As I sat this afternoon contemplating yet another day of semi-retired bliss (without the presence of pigeon poop), I realized that the all mighty RedHead in the sky had blessed me with superior intellect, reasoning, the ability to plan, and perhaps very important in this regard, all my digits, including thumbs. Living in Texas (where gunfire doesn't sound out-of-the-ordinary) doesn't hurt either.

With those digits, I can open boxes (think ammo), clean and service weapons (think 12 ga pump), and reason out my very own solution to the problem of pigeon poop. That manly tingling you get while racking the slide isn't a bad way to earn man credits for the day either.

Once employed to, ah, shoo away the pigeon offenders, I'm pretty sure the lesson won't have to be repeated too often around here.

Unfortunately, even in Texas, I can't apply this solution to all matters in life where someone, or somethings, version of pigeon poop effects my day. But who knows? I may be on to something here.

I can't wait to see what revelations appear to me tomorrow.

Pigeon poop. A scourge we can wipe out together!

Been Down & Out

Well, I've missed a few days after being down with the flu bug since last week.  I just knew I should have made time for that flu shot, but just kept pushing it off.

Anyway, I've used some of that time being confined in the house to do some pre-travel chores, and finished completing some small tasks and modifications that have piled up.  Now they're all done.

Tomorrow the HHHB goes into the shop for it's last appointment (changing out a hydro line for the pumps) before the trip home.  That means that the only thing keeping me in Texas after that is waiting for the Tahoe to be picked up for shipment back to Hollywood. Hopefully that will occur within the next few days.   Frankly, I'm ready to hit the road.

The weather is changing now, today our high is in the 60's and tonight the low is supposed to be in the 40's...not what we've been used to at all, and I took the time to dig out the portable heaters today so that I don't wake up as a partial ice cube in the AM.    Yes, I miss the hot Texas weather already.

More later....I have some catching up to do!

Long Delayed Retirement

Yesterday, October 13th, 2011, I took off my uniform for the last time and officially began my transition leave to being a civilian.  Although my retirement doesn't begin until November 28th I have no meetings, appointments, or scheduled check-ins with anyone related to Army green.  In short, I'm a freaking civilian for all practical purposes!

I'm staying in New Braunfels for a little more than a week more than headed back to South Florida before beginning whatever comes next in life.  And no, I have no idea what that may be. . . Hopefully I'll grow up soon and make some decisions.

The Hula Hut & Hog Barn (can I just say HHHB? from now on?) is almost ready to travel, and frankly, I've been more than ready for weeks now.  I'll be updating daily from now on (what else do I have to do?), and - or more accurately when - I become too boring, please let me know.

Attached is the picture of SGM Dan Thompson, my old USSOCOM boss, at the retirement.  The absolute best guy I've ever worked for in the Army.  Hands down.

It's Up!

Both the flags are up.  I think they came out pretty well.  They're on 12' extension poles so that I can set one higher then the other.

Rain in Texas!

Woohoo. The rain has finally stopped, but man has it been nice these last 24 hours. The storm front came through about 0330 this morning and, although heavy at times, it was mostly just a constant light rain. They said on the local news that the San Antonio area had 4-5 inches of rain from midnight thru 5 pm today. I'm a little north of there, but that seems about right to me. The river, the Guadalupe, however, doesn't look like it raised an inch...they must be keeping what they can in the lake above the dam.

At any rate, the good news is that it gave me an inside reason to clean and reorganize some of my cabinets, pack away some summer stuff, and dig out a few winter items. The Hula Girl is coming together nicely for the upcoming trip, and I have to admit, I'm looking forward to going, not necessarily Florida, but just "going" - the road under my feet and all that nonsense.

Tomorrow I'm scheduled to get new shoes (tires) for Bandersnatch. Another chore being checked off for the move. The list is getting shorter, and I'm actually revisiting some things previously done to see if I have to make any improvement. Gawd, is this what retirement will be looking, doing make work for myself?

I hope it never gets to that. ;-))

The broken wing of the SEGWAY

I've never figured out how it happened, but when I came back here to Texas a few weeks ago, I discovered that one of the wheels on the SegWay had been slashed rather badly.  (picture below)  After it was looked at by the local dealer, I contacted the SEGS4VETS people to ask about help in getting a replacement.  Unfortunately, and completely understandable, thier funds are a little tight, so I ended up calling my Insurance for a claim.  Ouch.  Yeah, you can file a claim, but that pesky deductible gets you every time.   Anyway, the wheel is replaced now (had to order one from Houston).  The sick part?  The damn thing cost more than two of the tubeless tires on my Mini would cost.  Oh well, as soon as the rain stops I'm going for a ride!

Last weekend in Uniform!

Well, I'm starting my last weekend with some chores around the Hut today. The second flag pole is mounted and ready to be weather sealed. I have to get with my TELCOM neighbor to make a list of supplies for adding a telephone box and line (prep for Internet service back in Hollywood), and do some other clean up and pre trip related organization stuff. All in all it should be quiet around Texas this weekend.

Yes, I'll post some pictures of the flags. Soon. I've been lazy about that.

I've also been putting the finishing touches on the travel itinerary for the trip back to South Florida. At this point it looks like the first night around Lake Charles, LA (there's a casino with a campground there), then on to Milton, FL for the second night, followed by somewhere (yup, not known yet) around Tampa, FL, then into Hollywood by 28 November. If that works I'll be home in time for a Holloween party on Saturday night and my first ride with the Iron Warriors Motorcycle Club on Sunday morning. I can't wait to see those guys!

More later as I progress through this getting-shorter-by-the-day things to do list!

The flag is flying!

Got one of the flag kits mounted this afternoon and will wait a couple days before the next one to see if anything unexpected pops up from the installation. I have been known to overlook things in the past. For now, I think it looks pretty good, and "no" it's not a flag from Puerto Rico.

Out-processing continues

I didn't realize the depth of detail associated with retirement from the Military. These past two days, which already feel like a week, have been filled with briefings, pages of documents (some of which I actually had to read), and Army personnel full of self importance.

Yet, I'm getting through it and things are falling into place. Just a couple more meetings, sign a few more forms, and I should be on track to officially leave here after Oct 13th.

I've had no time to work on the Hula Hut - gawd knows I'll have plenty of time starting the end of next week! So, no updates there.

Day one of Army Retirement

Today was the 1st day where I actually started the real, honest to god, retirement out processing. I made it through quite a bit in four hours with just one small hiccup in one department where some moron tried to quote me the old version of a regulation that was updated 2 weeks ago. . .I tried to be to nice. Honest, but after the fruitless reasoning got me no-where I finally lost my temper and gave him the benefit of my many years in uniform. What my NCO friends would refer to as standing him tall. It felt good finally being able to act on something and get some of that emotional baggage off my plate.

I suspect he'll be more careful in the future.

Anyway, I'll continue tomorrow going through the process, it's all downhill from here!

Flying her colors

Spend part of this weekend obtaining a flag set and mounting hardware to add my US Flag to the Hula Hut.  Not rushing the process so did nothing more then modifying the brackets and extension poles, and locating and marking the side of the Hut for the actual mounting.  I plan on sticking to the original verse of "mark twice, cut once" (or drill, in this case).  Hopefully I'll have it complete in a day or two and will post pictures as soon as it is done.

Question of the day? What's my status with the Army, really?

today was interesting. Trying to pin the military down and clear up my status took hours, and no one can really say if I have already been discharged or not. I suppose we'll find out more on Monday. The positive for the day? I picked up the new wheel for the SEGWAY to replace the damaged one, and actually got, had my hands on, the paperwork that shows my total military time as 34 years, 1 month, and 11 days at time of retirement.

Incredible. It feels like yesterday when this started.

Hula Hut in Surgery

Today was maint day for the Hula Hut.  She went without a whimper but, as the photo shows, it was dicey getting her into the service bay - we later measured the clearance as less than 2" between the roof and the overhead door.   Something I'll know to ask about before trying that one again.

Few minor issues, a fluid leak for the levelers and a recall on the brake switch - both of which are scheduled to be fixed before departing back to Florida.  Today was also the first time towing the Mini, or I should say "Bandersnatch" behind the Hut - it was like no weight at all.

Enjoy the pictures.

Still Learning....

Today, I'm spending some time learning how to post pictures, set up folders and start organizing for the future. 

My first challenge for the day?   I forgot where I set up the blog site and it took me an hour of going through the history on three laptops before I could find where I set it up.    Such a dummy!

The Hula Hut!

First of Many. . .I hope

Well everyone, I finally got around to setting up a blog site.  I'm not sure how it will develop, but if you come back on occasion I promise to make it an interesting, and yes, probably on occasion, a boring experience.

Either way, I hope to post pictures, keep different topics up to date, and get your feedback (comments will be allowed) on things you may want to know.

Check back to see what me and the Hula Hut are doing.

Dan