The "Cathouse on Harrington Drive" Story

It was an ordinary day. I had just fed the cats. Seems either Carol or I have been doing this chore since we were married. We have had a few dogs during our life together, but we have always had a cat or two. Or three. Or even four. Our first cat was a long haired Persian cat name Ivy. Black as can be. And then along came Fluffy. Fluffy was also a Persian, but she was different because she had two different colored eyes. One was green and one was blue. Yep, you guessed it. She was white and fluffy. Pretty novel names. I always wanted a cat or even a dog with spots on it so I could call it Spot, but never did have one. Well, Ivy and Fluffy loved to sit in front of our aquarium and stare at the fish. They would sit there for hours and stare. So much that they freaked out the fish and every now and then one of the fish would jump out the top. Just what they were hoping for. We eventually moved into a house in Grandview Heights and purchased a cat for our daughter. She, or maybe it was us, named it Gladys. It was a Lilac Point Siamese and am not sure why we called her Gladys. She was later joined byPete, another Lilac Point Siamese. Carol and I were always sitcom TV watchers and remembered the old Pete and Gladys sitcom so we now had or own Pete and Gladys. Pete was a male who enjoyed exploring. All our cats were house cats, but Pete always found his way into the most troublesome spots. One day I found him walking on the hot water pipes in the basement and he had burnt the skin off his paws. A trip to the vets for treatment and wrapping. The wrapping lasted all of an hour after I brought him home. He didn't care for the bandages at all. On another occasion was watching us make supper from on top of the fridge. Somehow he managed to open the freezer door of the fridge and jump into the freezer section. Luckily for him we needed something out of the freezer shortly after he entered. Gladys eventually died and we replaced her with another Seal Point and named her Gladys. Yep, loved the name. Gladys #2 loved Gibbles Potato Chips. Would eat them right out of your hand. She also would stand on our hutch as we ate in the dining room and reach over with her paw and tap you on the shoulder. Begging for food wasn't just for dogs. She lived to be over 17 years old and was Carol's constant companion throughout her life. A true lap cat. Our daughter had just entered college and was living at home at the time and felt the need for her own cat so she purchased a Himalayan and named him Abe. This is a cross between a Persian and a Siamese. Markings like a Siamese, but with long hair. Carol, not to be outdone, purchased the half-brother of Abe and called him Otis. Otis is a Chocolate Point and is now over 16 years old and still loves his toy mice and laying on you in the morning in bed. Then along came Gunther. He was a Seal Point Himi who roamed our house for many years before passing recently. Gunther was my lap cat. He loved laying in my lap and being rubbed. We have found that cats are more evasive than dogs, but have their own aura about them. They love to play, but are more private. Much easier to care for than dogs. My wife recently saw Seal Point kittens advertised is the newspaper. I thought she was just talking to me, but I just located the ad taped to the side of the fridge. I guess we will be looking for another name. How about Gladys. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs from the top are: Ivy, Fluffy, Pete, Gladys #2, Abe, Gunther, and Otis.

The "An Alarming Experience" Story

It was an ordinary day. Carol and I are on our way with the Lancaster County Corvette Club to York to The Burger King on Rt. 30. We joined the car club a few months ago and find it fun to travel with them to different locations and to enter the competitions they have. We have had our car for a little over a year now and enjoy driving and showing it off. As we enter the parking lot I follow the guy in front of me in the red '78 convertible. Neat car, but not as nice as our '87 bright red coupe. We park next to them and I lock the car, but forget and leave the windows down. We are immediately greeted by the Forbergers who we have parked next to. As we talk, I discover that I have their son in my photography and graphic arts classes at MTHS. Wow, small world. We stick with them and meet a few other couples in the restaurant and order our lunch. After eating we tell everyone we must get back to Lancaster and say our good-byes to everyone. Carol gets to the car first and tries the door. Locked! Then realizes that the window is open so reaches in and opens the door with the inside car handle. Whoop, whoop, whoop! The alarm goes off. So I take the key and place it in the door and unlock the door. Still keeps making the alarming noise. And it is loud! And it is drawing a crowd! What do I do. I feel like an idiot. No, I am an idiot. Why can't I figure out how to get this alarm to go off? Luckily a member of the club see my dilemma from inside the restaurant and runs out to rescue me. I have to get out, re-lock the car, then open the car with the key. SILENCE!! I'm sure I must have been red as a beet. I own a Corvette and don't know how to use the alarm in it. I must have looked like an amateur to everyone inside and outside the restaurant. But, not a single person said a word to me. A few even said that happened to them when they first got their car. What a nice group of people. It was the start of a fun couple of years with many trips, shows, rallies and picnics. And we enjoyed ever minute of it, but will never forget our initial trip with our new friends. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Things You Never Forget About School" Story

It was an ordinary day. Tomorrow is the last day of school for the year and next year I will get to go to a brand new building when I enter my freshman year of high school. I have been in this building for two years now and am ready to move on. I went to Brecht Elementary in the southern end of Manheim Township for six years before I entered the Jr.-Sr. High School. The building I am currently in houses grades 7-12 and opened in 1929 with 26 classrooms, alibrary, gym and auditorium, but with many new housing developments throughout the township, it is so crowded that we have classes in the basement as well as in a neighboring township fire company. Two years ago they started to build a new Senior High School to house grades 9-12 and eventually the school I am now in will be the Jr. High. Can hardly wait. For two years I have had my homeroom in the basement of the school in the cafeteria. I did not have a locker to keep my books and jacket in, so I had to carry everything with me from class to class. I did learn how to manage what I carried to school everyday, so I wasn't loaded with more than necessary. On days when I had gym class I had the added weight of a gym bag with my uniform and towel in it. Last year, in my first year at the school, I had the extra burden of facing the upperclassmen everyday on the school bus and in the halls of the school. The upperclassmen had lockers in the hallway and seemed to always make trouble for the 7th graders, knocking their books out of their hands whenever they could. On days when I had music class, I had to leave the school with my jacket and all my books, walk a block, cross a busy road and enter the Neffsville Fire Company. My class was held on the second floor of the fire hall. Glad I only had music one time a week. Well, it's time to say good-bye to all the memories, bad and good, that I had in the MT Jr.-Sr. High School. I'll be entering a new era next year and will be in the first graduating class that will have spent four years in the new MTHS. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Good Way to Spoil an Evening" Story

It was an ordinary day. We are heading to Grand Case in St. Martin for supper. Grand Case is considered the culinary capital of the Caribbean and had an endless variety of meals. Anything from meals made on an open fire to fine dining in elegant restaurants. Haven't decided what or where we will eat tonight. We enter the north end of the town and travel the narrow street towards restaurant row. Parking is usually at a premium. Wow, right in from of the restaurant Il Nettuno is a parking space. It's one of my favorite places, but we're not sure we are ready for fine dining tonight. We park the car and as we get out I notice the owner is standing in the doorway watching us. We continue down the road on foot and I said to Carol that he didn't look happy I parked in front of his place and we didn't go in for supper. Well, we decided on California Restaurant tonight and after having a great meal, headed back towards the car. "What's this?" I say to Carol as I notice a parking ticket on the windshield. The owner is still standing in the doorway with a smile on his face. I'm positive he called one of his friends at the police department and had them come and ticket my rental. Said on the ticket I parked in a loading area. Carol and I looked all over the street and building for a sign and found none. After calming down, we drove back to our hotel. The next morning I talked to the manager of the hotel and asked him for help. He made a few calls and told me that he doubts I will be able to get out of the ticket. "Where do I go to pay for it?" I asked him. "Police Department is only open on Saturdays for paying parking fines," he told me. "Geez, we have to leave on Saturday," I tell him. "What happens if I don't pay the fine?" He tells me that the fine will be assessed to my rental company and they will have to pay it. If they don't, then the next time I try to enter St. Martin, I will be taken to the police station to pay it, plus another fine for leaving the island without paying my ticket. "Now what do I do?" I ask the manager. We have been going to the Alamanda for a few years now and we have become friends with the manager, so he tells me to give him the money and he will drive to the police station on Saturday and pay the fine. Just how well do I know this guy and can I trust him to pay the fine? And .... if he doesn't pay it, what will happen when I arrive next year? Carol and I talk it over and I give him the $50 plus another $10 for his time and hope for the best. Never heard from the car rental company so I figured everything was OK. And as you might have guessed, we did head back the next year for another visit. As we exited the airport upon arrival, there is a patrol car by the curb. Couldn't believe this was happening. And ..... it wasn't. I just naturally panicked , but didn't need to. The Gendarmes (police in French) were just visiting checking out the new arrivals. We found our name on the cardboard being held by the rental guy, and off we went. It will be many years before we eat at Il Nettuno again, I'm sure. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Trip to the Conch Farm" Story

It was an ordinary day. We were having fun on Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos. One of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. Sand is so soft and white it feels like talcum powder. And it sticks to you like powder when you're wet. Jerry, Just Sue, Carol and I are trying to figure out what we want to do tomorrow. Need a change from all this sitting on the beach and reading, napping and lounging in the water routine. When we arrived, there was a kiosk at the airport that had brochures with all types of tourist places to go. Later that day, when we returned to our rooms, we found the brochures and decided we would visit the World's only Conch Farm. Directions were included in the brochure, so the next day after breakfast we headed to the northeast corner of Providenciales. The roads on the island are terrible. Pot holes up to the rim of the wheel, so if you hit one, you had an awful time getting out of it. Many days we heard tires popping as we drove along the roads. And the road to the conch farm is no different. Really need to keep you eyes on the road and don't try to sight see as you drive. We had read in our Fodor's guide book all about the conch farm the night before and were anticipating our trip to this sight. The conch are raised from eggs to young adults, housed in greenhouse-like structures, then transferred to holding ponds and later ocean holding pens. Visitors are encouraged to pick up and handle the conch at each stage. The tour culminates with a visit with Sally and Jerry, two trained, 6-year-old, full-grown conch who are coaxed out of their shells so guides can point out the very obvious difference between the males and females. Now how cool will that be? We're on the final stretch of bad road now, and as we make the final turn into the lane with the Conch Farm sign, we are greeted with yet another sign. "Closed for Public Tours" - Re-open November 1st. Holy crap! We wasted an hour finding this place and a quarter of an inch of rubber from our tires, and now the ONLY, yes ONLY tourist attraction on the island is closed. And I was really looking forward to seeing all those conch. Oh well, back to the beach. Now that can't be all bad. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Meat and Potatoes" Story

It was an ordinary day. I'm trying to make sure I won't miss any entries into my most favorite meals story. I already typed a story about my favorite desserts, and now it is time for the meat and potato meals. I have listed my favorites, but not in any special order, since I like most all the entries equally as well. Here goes:

1. Oyster Pie - Carol makes her own crust with a recipe she got from a neighbor, then adds the ingredients. Lots of oysters, diced potatoes, onions and some special spices which she will not reveal. When the crust on the top starts to turn brown, it's ready to go. Oh my gosh, is it great! Don't forget to add the applesauce.

2. Chicken Pot Pie - Carol mixes flour, eggs, salt, pepper and water together to make the dough. She rolls it so it is about 1/4" thick and cuts it into two inch squares. She adds that to the stock which is the liquid that she had boiled the chicken in. Cooks until the dough is gooey, adds the chicken pieces and 5 or 6 quartered potatoes and wow, it is great. Need some applesauce on the side.

3. Asparagus Shepperd's Pie - Not especially hard to make, but instead of using vegetables on the bottom of the hamburger, she uses asparagus. Real mashed potatoes on top and in the oven until it gets a crispy top on it. Lots of real butter on top is needed to eat this treat. Meal always tastes better with applesauce.

4. Potato Soup - This is one that I can now make after a few tries. Dice about 8 potatoes and put in a pot and boil until they are soft. Add to the batch after the potatoes are soft, hard boiled eggs, chopped celery, chopped carrots, salt and pepper. Before you are ready to eat it, add a can of evaporated milk. Gives it the white color that you associate with potatosoup. have to eat this with a couple pieces of white butter bread.

5. Chicken Corn Soup - Another one I can make. Boil the chicken in a pot of water. Sometimes I'll ask the butcher for extra chicken fat to make the flavor better. After the chicken is cooked, remove it and take it off the bone. Cut it up and put back in the broth. Add two dozen ears of corn and any worms that you may have found. Also need salt, pepper, hard boiled eggs and a pack of baby lime beans. When you cut the corn off the cob, try to scrap as much of the juice off as you can to add flavor to the soup. Also need a few slices of buttered white bread with this. You know it's good if your nose starts to run. Avoid eating the worms, naturally.

6. Sea Bass - Now this isn't that hard to prepare. Pop on the grill until cooked. But, the part that I like is the sauce that Carol makes. She melts real butter until almost brown, adds tons of garlic and a spoonful of capers. Simmer until brown and pour over the Sea Bass. What a treat. Come to think about it, we pour this over roasted cauliflower, asparagus and almostanything we can. What a flavor.

7. Roasted Vegetables - Carol goes nuts with this one. She will put carrots, squash, turnips, onions, red potatoes, zucchini, peppers, etc. into a pan and cover it with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Into the oven to roast until veggies are soft. A meal in itself.

8. Creamed Peas and Eggs on Toast - One of my childhood favorites from elementary school. Carol will make a cream sauce and put baby peas in it to cook until the peas are soft. She then adds hard boiled eggs to the mixture. Toast some white bread and pour the mixture over it. What a meal. Still love it after all these years.

I could go on and on, but you may want to give one of the above a try. If I can make them, you can also. And ..... I'm really good at eating all of them. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Cheeseburger In Paradise" Story

It was an ordinary day. We were listening to Jimmy Buffet's "Cheeseburger in Paradise" on our CD player in the car and trying to remember the many restaurants by that name that all claimed to be the spot where he wrote the song. We were pretty sure that it wasn't the place in York, PA along Rt. 30E by that name. The restaurant was really neat inside with the Caribbean theme and the really neat drinks, but I'm almost positive that Jimmy would have no idea how to even get to the restaurant. Not only that, the place only stayed open two years before closing for lack of Parrot Heads to eat in the place. I do remember the very first restaurant we visited in Maui, Hawaii which carried the title of "Cheeseburger in Paradise." Now that really was in paradise, but again, he may have visited the place, but certainly didn't write the song there. They didn't even claim that he did. In St. Croix there is another cheeseburger restaurant, but because of problems with copyright and the name "Cheeseburger in Paradise," they changed their name to "Cheeseburger in America's Paradise." They specialized in real American food. We visited the island two times and both times were in the fall. One time I had turkey and all the trimmings. Nah, can't be a place that Jimmy would visit. Now, we have visited many Margaritaville stores and restaurants throughout the islands of the Caribbean, but none claim that he composed any songs at their establishments. The story goes, whether it is true or not, that he actually composed the song on the island of St. Barth's at a snack bar in the harbor town of Gustavia. Neat little town with multi-million dollar yachts moored to the dock. A neat little outdoor snack bar called "Le Select" seems to have the distinction as being where he wrote probably his most famous song. Who knows? I guess Jimmy! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs from top are: Maui's famous "Cheeseburger In Paradise" restaurant in Lahaina, "Cheeseburger in America's Paradise in St. Croix, and Le Select in St. Barths.

The "RGAL Farting Room" Story

It was an ordinary day. I'm laying in the prep room waiting for the doctor. I'm talking to this sweetheart whose name is Jen. She is my nurse who is getting me ready for my colonoscopy. We go over my life history and she explains what is going to happen today during my procedure. She also listens to all my troubles and everything else I can think of to tell her. She must have a dozen other patients she needs to attend to today, but she makes me feel special, like I'm the only important patient she will have today. I change into my gown and socks, ring the bell and lay on the portable table. Shortly she returns and puts my IV in my arm and cuffs me to check my BP and puts the oxygen sensor on my finger. Then Dr. Rosenberg arrives to introduce himself to me. Dr. R. is a Gastroenterologist who specializes in treatment on the stomach and intestines. I personally couldn't do his job or the job of my urologist, Dr. Seiber. Studying the inside of the bottom half of the human body isn't for me, but I have found two of the best at their chosen professions. I met Dr. R. 5 years ago when I had my first colonoscopy. He found a few polyps that time and removed them, but it was necessary to return in five years to have the colon rechecked. He tells me what he will do today and off he hustles to get ready for me. Next, Dr. Goldman, my anesthesiologist, came in and we talked about what I could expect during and after the procedure. Then he wheeled me into a room where he administered the anaesthesia and that's the last I remember until I awoke back in the "farting room." Same room as I was prepped in, but seems that most of the patients are now releasing the gas that they use to inflate the colon for the procedure. And .... I joined in. My wife is by my side now and she notices the noise also. Pfffsssss, pffffssssss. I'm sure the Doctors and nurses hear very little of it since it is just background noise to them, but I chuckle when I hear the symphony of pfffssssses. My personal prep started yesterday when I had to mix this immense bottle of powder with water and put it in the fridge to cool. The bottle contained PEG-3350 & Electrolytes which were to help cleanse the colon. Started to drink it last night about 6:30. Had to drink 8 oz. every 15-20 minutes. It tasted awful. Like drinking salt water. Since I was not allowed to eat anything at all during the day, I at times felt sick in my stomach as I consumed it. My procedure today was a delight after having to drink that entire bottle and sit on the pot to get rid of all it. But, with the help of everyone at RGAL I actually enjoyed my stay with them. Dr. R. discovered no new polyps, but he did notice that I have diverticulosis of the sigmoid colon. He told me that about 60% of all adults over the age of 60 have this condition and I need to be aware of symptoms that may occur if it flares up. Many people have small pouches in the lining of the colon or large intestine that bulge outward through weak spots. When the pouches become inflamed, the condition is called diverticulitis. The most common symptom of this is abdominal pain and a tenderness in the lower left side of the abdomen. It usually is severe and comes on suddenly, but can start mildly and grow over time. Treatment is usually rest, but can be treated with drugs or surgery if necessary. It seems that people who lack fiber in their diet are more at risk for diverticulosis. Well, I'm home now and resting, typing on my computer. I just finished a call to my friend Barry who has been keeping me up to date on his brother who is dying from cancer. He told me today that he is now under Hospice care. "If only he had had a colonoscopy a few years ago, he would be fine today," he told me. "I had one this morning," I responded. Silence on the other end of the line. Then .... "Did it hurt?" And that is why people fail to take care of themselves. They fear it will hurt. I'm typing this to tell you the only bad part of this procedure is drinking some salty water. And, if you treasure life, you'll schedule a colonoscopy with your doctor. NOW!! I'm having another one in 5 years!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs are: bottle of powder and water I had to drink the night before my procedure and photo showing diverticulosis of the sigmoid colon. My own personal colon! Pretty neat, huh?

The "Time to Build the Ark" Story

It was an ordinary day. We are walking the promenade in Cape May. Neat two block area with shops on both sides of the walkway and more shops on side streets. At the end of the two block area is another small shopping mall with more stores. They redid the entire promenade last year because the roots of the trees that shaded the area were starting to break the sewer and water lines. Took some time to get used to the area without the beautiful big trees, but time will help the new trees reach the same status. Carol and I have our favorite shops that we like to walk through and we almost always leave with more than what we came with. We were at the small shopping mall area beyond the church when the cell phone rang. We thought it must be one of the grand kids wondering when we will return. Every year we spend a week with the kids and grand kids at Ocean City, NJ and this day is our day to get away from the hectic routine. But, it wasn't one of the grand kids or even the kids. It was Leah, our cat sitter. She had just arrived at our house to feed the cats and to give them their medicine and found something wrong. Uh, Oh!! It had rained for two days straight at home and my new sump pump which I installed after the last basement flooding had not worked. Well, it worked, but not fast enough to keep the basement dry. When Leah went to the basement to check the kitty litter pans, she found one of them floating by the basement steps. We had water up to the third step from the bottom. So glad I kept up the flood insurance payments. Leah told us she put the kitty litter on the first floor for the cats. And shortly after she did this, she noticed that the water was going down. Since we were returning in two days, I told her I would take care of the basement when I returned. Oh, and another problem she told us. Seems the cabinet in the laundry room fell off the wall. She set it upright and I could re-hang it when I got home. Oh, the joys of going on vacation! Well, when we returned home I bought another sump pump and installed it along side the first one. This one was a giant and when I tested it, it threw the water out of the basement test tank with such force that it unearthed my wife's flowers in the flower bed where the water exited the house. Carpet was ruined and had to be replaced as well as all the drywall needed to be replaced to the level of the water. When I started to remove the drywall, I discovered we had a family of mice living in the wall that did not survive the storm. 6 adults and so many baby mice that I couldn't even count them all. And ..... the odor was terrible. All repairs were luckily covered by insurance and we managed to talk Leah into returning again. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "First 'Real' Job" Story

It was an ordinary day. I was on my way to work at Grants Department Store. As soon as I turned 16 I thought I had to have a job to help pay for the gas and insurance for my 1953 Henry J car. For years I had raised guinea pigs in my back yard on Queen St. and had made enough money selling them to by the Henry J. But, this is my first "Real" job. The first strip mall in the area, The Lancaster Shopping Center, had opened in 1958 and had about a dozen stores. One of them was Grants which was a department store that had one floor for display and a basement for storage. I had a friend who worked there and told me they are always hiring. So as soon as I turned sixteen in September of 1960, I went to the store and filled out a job application. Started the following week. They had me in charge of the sporting goods and the record department. I was responsible for ordering and keeping the shelves stocked with sporting goods of the season and for ordering and keeping the current 45 records on the shelves. Pretty easy job. Or so I thought. I was OK with the sports stuff since I was a pretty good with athletics, but the record part was tough since I had no idea what was popular and what was not. Had to get help from most of my friends with that part of the job. Only worked two days a week from 5 to 9 PM and Saturday from 9 to 5 PM when the store would close for the rest of the weekend. In 1960, Pennsylvania had "Blue Laws" that forbid stores with non-essential services to stay open on Sunday. The idea was to have everyone go to church on Sunday. Later the law was repealed because it was unconstitutional. Made $1.35 an hour which, after deductions didn't give me much. The money I made from my job was used to keep my car on the road and to start to customize it a little. I also used some of it to buy some of the records that I was selling. I had quite a large collection of 45s by the time I left Grants for my next adventure in the retail business. But, that's another story. It was an extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Photo shows some 5,000 people as they watched a parade and listened to speeches at the opening of the Lancaster Shopping Center in February of 1958

The "Her 'Rocks' are out of Alignment" Story

It was an ordinary day. Actually middle of the night. Carol wakes me and tells me something is wrong with her. She is pregnant with our second child and I kind of panic immediately. "What's the matter?" I ask her. She tells me she feels dizzy and half sick in her stomach. I call the Doctor and Carol talks with him on the phone for some time describing her symptoms. After she hangs up she tells me I have to go to the hospital and pick up a prescription. "OK, but what did he say? What do you have?" I ask. Carol replies, "He thinks it's vertigo." "And what is that?" I ask her. She gives me a brief description. I remember when I was in high school hearing about a movie by Alfred Hitchcock called Vertigo, but I had no idea it was an illness. Check on our youngest and off to the hospital for the prescription. Carol takes the medicine after I return and begins to feel better after a short time. Seems vertigo is a type of motion sickness where you feel like you are in motion when you are still. Doctor told her it has something to do with the small "rocks" that are in you inner ear. Somehow she had her rocks knocked around in her ear and it gave her vertigo. She said it gave her nausea and she felt like she had to throw up. She made a trip to the Doctor's office the next day as a precaution, but didn't notice any return of the sickness. Until .... about 30 year later. Carol liked to get up early and jog a few miles around the neighborhood before she showered and got ready for work. Did it for quite a few years after we moved to our new home. One day after jogging she came back to the house and sat on the lounge chair with a glass of water to cool off. I sat down with her before I headed off to work and talked about our plans for supper. Suddenly she didn't look good. She said she was feeling dizzy and had pain in her arm. Called the doctor right away and he said I should take her to the hospital emergency room. Well, I couldn't move her. Every time I tried to help her off the chair she would fall back down into the chair, complaining of nausea. I finally called for the ambulance and they came to take her. She had an awful time getting on the litter, but they eventually got her on it and in the ambulance. I followed it to the hospital and waited until they called me to see her. She was still slightly dizzy, but they had given her some medicine to combat the nausea. Same diagnosis again. Vertigo. Her "rocks" are out of alignment. She eventually went back to see the doctor and he talked to her about a procedure she should try if she notices an onset of vertigo again. Something called the Epley Maneuver. The procedure is as follows:

1. Sit upright.
2. Turn your head to the symptomatic side at a 45 degree angle, and lie on your back.
3. Remain up to 5 minutes in this position.
4. Turn your head 90 degrees to the other side.
5. Remain up to 5 minutes in this position.
6. Roll your body onto your side in the direction you are facing; now you are pointing your head nose down.
7. Remain up to 5 minutes in this position.
8. Go back to the sitting position and remain up to 30 seconds in this position.

A few years later, she did notice what she thought was vertigo returning and immediately used the maneuver. Really worked well. We now are prepared for anything that resembles vertigo in hopes of resetting those "rocks" in her inner ear immediately. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Best Desserts on Earth" Story

It was an ordinary day. I was making a dinette cake. Yep, LDub can cook. Kind of. For years my wife would make dinette cakes for me so that I can put strawberries on it. Sort of like a shortbread or shortcake, but much sweeter. Her own recipe. Well the first time I made it myself. Cooking can't be hard, can it? I waited until Carol came home from work and showed her what I had done. It wasn't as puffy as when she makes them, but it looked good. I think she was impressed, until we had it for dessert with the strawberries on it. Really gross! "OK, show me what you used to make it," she said. I got out the flour, sugar, etc. and lined them up on the counter. "This is what you used?" she asked. Seems I used 10X sugar instead of flour for the main ingredient. "It was white," I told her, "and I know that flour is white." She got out the marker and marked the names on all the ingredients because she knew I was going to try again. And it was great the second time around. Now I make all my own dinette cakes. I got to thinking of all the good desserts that Carol has made for me over the years and composed a list and a little about each dessert. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Chocolate Chip Cookies - Carol used to make them more often, but since I am semi-retired now, I tend to eat more during the day and the cookies would put the weight on me. They are so soft and delicious they melt in your mouth. You can really taste the butter in them. I like them when they are a little undercooked. More gooey that way. Great for dunkin'.

2. Cherry Pie -Carol's speciality pie. On special holidays, when everyone is coming to the house, she will bake an extra cherry pie and keep it hidden somewhere so after the guests have left, we have an extra pie just for Carol and me and maybe the kids. The pie is so sweet and the cherries and crust just melt in your mouth. Starting to get the idea that I have a sweet tooth.

3. Lemon poppy seed cake - My daughter Brynn's favorite as well as mine. The most moist cake you'll ever eat. Almost liquid! I like to dunk everything and this dessert sinks right to the bottom of the milk when you dunk it. The lemon icing on top of the white cake with the poppy seeds in it is remarkable.

4. Sugar Cookies - Yep, another cookie favorite. These cookies are so sweet and moist they are to die for. Add the raisin on the top and I can eat at least 2 dozen with milk before I even notice how much more I weigh.

5. Pumpkin Cookies - Much like the sugar cookies, but made with Carol's famous pumpkin bread. For years she has made loaves of pumpkin bread for presents, because that is what people put on their list as a gift from us. I like the pumpkin bread, but after she makes them into cookies with the caramel icing on them, they're fantastic. Another belly buster.

6. Carol's Apple Dumplings - My all-time favorite dessert which I can eat as a main course. As a matter of fact, when she makes them, we do eat them as the main course. Then you have to have an extra one for dessert. She uses Granny Smith apples and you have to make sure you have all of the core out of it. Lots of brown sugar and regular sugar. An her special gooey syrup for on top of them. Out of the oven and into the bowl. Milk and sugar on top and you're ready to go.

Carol has a few more desserts she makes, but they are recipes that are from relatives or neighbors. The 6 I listed above are recipes she developed herself over the years. She also can make some of the best down home eat'in meals, but that will have to wait for another story. I gotta finish off the rest of the dinette cake first. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Game of a Lifetime" Story

It was an ordinary day. I could hardly wait for school to end so I could get home and head to Hershey with my Dad to see the Harlem Globetrotters. They were playing at the Hershey Park Arena tonight and my favorite player on the team, Meadowlark Lemon, will be there. The Globetrotters combine athleticism, theater and comedy and have three traveling teams. Meadowlark is the "Clown Prince" of one of the three teams. He has been with the Globetrotters since 1954 and I have seen him on TV a few times, but this will be neat, seeing him in person. We don't have the best of seats, but hey, we're at the Globetrotters game. Tonight they are playing the Washington Generals, but of course, that's who they always play. And the Globetrotters almost always beat them. The Generals are the fall guys for the Globetrotters, but also have some great athletes on the team. They just let the Globetrotters perform their routines so the crowds keep coming back. We take our seats and they dim the lights and then .... "Sweet Georgia Brown" starts to play. That is the team's signature song. Here come the Globetrotters!! The game starts and shortly after the tip-off, Meadowlark falls to the ground, yelling in pain. He is taken to the bench where they wrap his arm in bandages, but he is still yelling in pain. It is fairly quiet in the arena. Then someone on the bench asks him what is the matter with him and he responds with, "They bandaged the wrong arm!" OK, now everyone knows what they are in for during the game. A couple more minutes go by and Meadowlark gets fouled. He goes to the line and takes a shot that goes partway and stops and comes back to him. He used a ball with an elastic cord attached to it. More laughs! He goes to the bench for another ball and when he shoots this one it wobbles. The ref grabs the ball and rolls the ball down the court and it wobbles more. Weighted on one side. More laughs! The ref takes that ball to the sidelines and brings another ball back with him. He tries to bounce the ball to Meadowlark so he can take the foul shot, but the ball doesn't bounce. More laughs! All evening this goes on. My favorite was when Meadowlark grabs a bucket from the sidelines and starts for the crowd. Everyone knew it was filled with confetti, but when he reached the sidelines and pretends to trip, the bucket spills its contents into the crowd. And .... the contents was really water!! The crowd went wild! I know I did! The Globetrotters won again and the game was fantastic. The Globetrotters did draw criticism during the civil rights era, but Jesse Jackson came to their defense and said they were a positive influence for the black community. In 1971 Meadowlark was named as the team's coach and in 1978 was picked as the fourth most popular personality in America behind John Wayne, Alan Alda and Bob Hope. In 2001 they retired his #36, one of 5 uniform numbers to be retired by the Globetrotters. For me, I can say that I got to see him play one time, long ago. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "All Too Familiar Pole Dance Club" Story

It was an ordinary day. I'm headed to Big Al's Cabaret on the North side of Reading, PA for a bachelor party for Jeff S. Jeff is getting married next weekend to Janelle H. who is the daughter of one of my best friends, Gary. Gary's family and my family have been going on vacation to the Chesapeake Bay for quite a few years now. His daughter Janelle met Jeff a few years ago and he has grown to be part of the family, so when Gary helped plan his bachelor party, he naturally had to ask me. Gee, thanks Gary! Big Al's is a well known strip club that caters to parties such as the one I am attending tonight. My wife Carol told me to go and have a good time, and that's what I plan to do. I don't drink much, but I'll probably have a few rum and cokes tonight. At first I was very hesitant to agree to go to the party. I'm a school teacher and not sure what the school district would think if something should happen in the club and it was raided and I had my name in the paper for being in attendance. Seems no matter where I go, one of my students or former students will see me and yell out, "Hey, Mr. LDub." It takes close to an hour to get to this place and it is only for people 21 and older, so I guess I'm safe. You know what's coming, don't you? Yep! We park in the lot, walk past security and enter the dark club. Seems girls are swirling around metal poles with next to nothing on. Some have even less than that on! Then ...... "Hey, Mr. LDub." Holy s*^t! I knew it. A former student finds his way over to me and asks how I'm doing. Seems he frequents the club regularly with a few of his friends who aren't here yet. But, I'll know most of them he tells me. Holy s*^t! I try to find the darkest spot in the place behind everyone in our party. Doesn't work though. Security stops to see what we have brought with us. Gary thought it would be wise to bring our own food and buy our drinks there. Well, not the way it works. They sell the drinks for a fairly low price, but expect you to buy the food which stinks and is expensive. Gary got upset and I thought we were going to have another problem. But, it all worked out and we were allowed to stay. Darn! Well, I got reacquainted with a few former students that night and found out all the interesting things that you can do with foam, whipped cream and bubbles as well as a well lubricated pole. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Villa Jeluca" Story

It was an ordinary day. We have just landed on St. Martin, picked up our luggage and our car and are headed to Cap Caraibes Realtor to get our escort to our villa for this year, VillaJeluca. We pull into the lot next to Cap Caraibes and I entered the office. I am greeted by the receptionist who calls for Stephane, our escort and everything guy. We met Stephane two years ago when we rented another villa from the same place and he was of great assistance then. Stephane has us follow him out of Orient Village, across the main road and into the area known as Les JardinsD'Orient Bay. It is a gated community with about 50 villas. Villa Jeluca is on the top of the hill which overlooks Orient Bay and has a fantastic view. We visited this villa last year on our vacation, so we knew what our view was going to be. We could see the neighboring island of Pinel as well as the English island of Anguilla. The hills and mountains of St. Martin were on either side of us. We passed through the gate and headed up the road toward the villa. Planters were positioned on either side of the road to act as speed barriers. And ...... it worked. After about 100 yards we started our climb to the top of the mountain. Steep! Wouldn't want to have to do this in Pennsylvania in the winter when the cold weather came. We finally made our last hairpin turn and our last incline drive and turned into the drive of our villa. Just as we had remembered it. Beautiful, extremely private deck and plunge pool as well as a fantastic interior. House has three bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths, but since we are only using one of the bedrooms and one of the bathrooms, we pay accordingly. Much different than in the states. The living area, kitchen, bedroom and bath has a beach theme. What else could it be? The deck and pool area are phenomenal! And the view! We stayed at the villa for a few days of the vacation and didn't leave. What else could you want? Thefoliage and tropical flowers and vegetation were georgous. Almost too much, because our view of the Bay and neighboring islands was partially obstructed by all the palms and flowers. But hey, we got over it. Pool was about 5 feet deep at the most and we could sit on a step at the one end and read and eat. Perfect. And the bath ....... open the hurricane shutter and windows and you were showering outside. How Caribbean can you get. The house had internet access as well as US Satelite so we didn't miss a single episode of Dancing with the Stars or American Idol. This is our third villa that we have rented on St. Martin, and they seem to keep getting better!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs are from top: entrance road immediately past gate into Les Jardins D'Orient Bay, final approach to Villa Jeluca, Carol admiring the view from out pool, deck and pool area, bedroom, living room and kitchen.

The "Christmas Tree Memories" Story

It was an ordinary day. I was fastening the Christmas tree to the wall. Always did that every year. When I was younger and lived on Queen Street I rode my new bike into the Christmas Tree and knocked it over. Cried quite a bit and Mom and Dad weren't too happy. When I got married and moved out of the house, every year I would anchor the tree so it wouldn't fall down. Not hard to do and it prevents any accidents. I could always picture the tree laying on the floor from when I was younger and didn't want that to happen to my kids. When we lived on Janet Ave. we had hardwood floors so I would drill holes through the tree stand into the floor and screw the tree stand to the floor. Also would attach the tree to the plaster wall with a wire and anchors. Wasn't taking any chances and it certainly wasn't going anywhere. We had cats most of our marriage and they liked to explore the tree from time to time. When we finally moved to our current house I stopped with the screws in the floor, but I still anchor it to the wall with wire. Put permanent screw eyes into the window frames for the tree fastening. A few years ago we purchased this monster tree from my friend Dean who sells Christmas Trees. Short needle tree that must have been 15 feet high and 8 to 10 feet across. It was so big we couldn't get it in or on the car so Dean said he would deliver it for us. Didn't say when though. Later that evening I needed to go to the store and opened the garage door and started backing out of the garage. Suddenly felt like I was running over something. Yep, he had delivered the tree and put it right in front of the garage door. Had to fasten the side I ran over against the wall so you wouldn't see the branches I broke off. And .... the tree was so big that when it came time to take it down, I had to cut most of the branches off before we tried to take it through the front door. Oh, the memories go on and on and on. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS -Pixs from top: Me just before I knocked the tree down on Queen Street, Derek watching me fasten the tree to the wall on Janet Ave. and our huge tree that needed the branches cut off to get through the front door.

The "Varmints in the Tree House" Story

It was an ordinary day. We had arrived at our vacation destination for the summer. Every summer we have been renting a house with the Howry family for two weeks. The Howry's live a block away from us and we attend church together. Our kids and their kids are very close in age and we always have a great time together. This year we are staying in the "Tree House" on the Sassafras River. Gary found the place through a rental agency in Cecilton, MD. Never stayed at the "Tree House" before, but it looks really neat as we pull up to the house. Three stories high, made of cedar wood and stained very dark to blend in to the surroundings. There is a dock about 50 yards from the house where we will be able to attach Gary's boat. Way back in the woods and no other houses within sight. The first floor has three bedrooms and a bathroom. The second floor has a kitchen and living room which overlooks the water as well as another bathroom. A screened porch leads off the living area on the second floor and has a hammock and lounge chairs spread around the floor. The third floor has two large bedrooms and another bath. The two girls take one first floor bedrooms, the two older boys take another one and the two youngest boys take the third one. Gary and Sandy have one of the third floor bedrooms and Carol and I have the other. Can see forever from the third floor. Being that we are back in the woods, we have found that every morning the trash had been raided at night. Tops of the trash cans are taken off and the trash bags have been opened and gone through. Tried to figure out what it might be and after a few nights we figured we wanted to see the culprits. At dusk, all but the wives hopped in Gary's minivan and prepared for the stakeout. About an hour later we heard the noise. Gary had his van pointed at the trash cans, so he turned on the headlights. Wow! A family of raccoons was raiding the remnants of our evening meal. They carefully opened the lids with their "hands" and placed them on the ground, pulled the trash bags out and put them on the ground and started going through them. The lights didn't seem to scare them, but the honk from the horn when Gary hit it by mistake scared the crap out of them. Not long before they were gone for the night. Kids had a great time watching and it provided cheap entertainment for the evening. Also, being back in the woods, we encountered a few other creatures. Later that night, as Carol and I were just about asleep in out third third bedroom, I felt something on my head. Took a good swat at it in the dark and when Carol turned on the light she left out a scream. Seems I had blood running down my head from the gigantic cockroach that had fallen from the ceiling. I crushed it, but it had bitten me and there was blood from the two of us on me and the bed. Sandy heard the commotion and when she came over to our room she also left out a scream. Now everyone was in the bedroom!! And most were screaming. And ..... it wasn't the only one on the ceiling that we saw when we looked back at the ceiling. Found some spray and killed the rest that remained, but the kids were scared to go back down stairs, so we all slept together in the screened-in porch area that night. Headed to the store the next day for more bug spray. Hey, what do you expect in a wooden house in the jungle. We all seemed to adjust to the varmints in the neighborhood, except Sandy. She slept with a shower cap on her head for the rest of the vacation. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Culinary Capital of the FWI" Story

It was an ordinary day. We were walking down the main street in Grand Case, St. Martin looking for a restaurant. The streets are narrow and parking is congested. Cars try to pass going both ways and find it hard to do. Flower boxes line the sides of many of the houses and the stores have colorful names and logos. During the "in" season of December to March, every Tuesday night is Harmony night with a parade, craft stands everywhere and steel drum bands playing all night. Not hard to find a good restaurant, though. Grand Case is known as the culinary capital of the Caribbean. Located on the French side of St. Martin, it features everything from gourmet eating to "lolos". A "lolo" has two connotations it seems. Some say that lolo stands for locally owned, locally operated while other say that the "lolo" is the 55 gallon drum that is cut in half longways and made into a large BBQ pit for cooking. Either way, the "lolos" are a great choice for a meal. There are four bunched together with "Sky's The Limit" and "Talk of the Town" located along the street while the other two are behind them, fronting the water. We have eaten in all of them over the years and find they all have good choices. For about $10 you can get a plate filled with ribs, chicken and fish along with potato salad, mac and cheese, coleslaw, and a Johnny cake. Add a beer or a soda for about $2 and you have a tasty, filling meal. Others prefer the many fine places to dine along the main street in Grand Case. Restaurants with names such as Le Cottage, L'Escapade, Tastevin, Spiga, La Marine and Fish Pot line the mile and a half restaurant row. At one end of the stretch is the Sunset Cafe which is part of the Grand Case Beach Club and close to the other end is California Restaurant. Since Grand Case is on the French side of the island, most restaurant charge in Euros which is the European money system, but many offer their items for the same price in US dollars. Since the US dollar is worth less, those restaurants that offer that deal do well with the travelers from the USA. A few nights ago Carol and I ate at Calmos Cafe which was featured on the TV show "Three Sheets" which is a show about drinking your way across different parts of the world. We saw a segment that featured St. Martin and the Calmos Cafe so we thought we would try it. Located right on the beach, they make their own flavored rum for an after dinner treat. Our waiter for the evening looked almost like our youngest son Tad, so we had a pix taken with him. Neat experience eating on the beach and the raggae band that played after dinner was great, but the meal wasn't anything special. Tonight we have chosen to eat at Il Nettuno, an Italian restaurant owned by a fellow who is from the Washington DC area. The most fantastic spinach and cheese ravioli done in a butter sauce I have ever eaten. But then I have had it many times at this restaurant so I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed. After dinner we walk the street looking at the diners and the stores along the street. Eventually find our way back to the car and head back to the villa. The evening in Grand Case is always eventful and we never leave hungry. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Photos are from top to bottom: Carol along main street in Grand Case, people arriving by boat for their evening meal, street in front of the lolos during supper, chef working his 55 gal drum with ribs, chicken and fish, Carol and LDub with our waiter who looks like our son Tad, raggae band preforming at Calmos Cafe, waterfront tables at Il Nettuno Restaurant and spinach and cheese in butter sauce ravioli.

The "Embarrassing Slide" Story

It was an ordinary day. My mom was taking my brother Steve and me to Brookside. Brookside is a community swimming pool located along the Old Harrisburg Pike, right next to Longs Park. Brookside was opened in 1914 and was a segregated swimming pool. At first it was one large pool, but was doubled in size in 1926 and the name was changed to Brookside Twin Pools. The father of one of my 6th grade friends, Biffie D., owns Brookside so I get to see quite a few of my friends when we go swimming. The one pool is divided in half and has one shallow end and one end that is about five feet deep. Not supposed to dive in this pool. The other pool is my favorite because it has a huge sliding board at the one end which has water that travels up a hose and shoots out at the top to help lubricate the stainless slide. I loved going down the slide, but mom wasn't too keen about me using it. Must have been about 40 feet high and you had to climb a metal ladder to get to the top. Nothing to keep you from falling off the ladder. Back in the 50s, rules and regulations weren't as stringent as they are today. Fear of being sued was minimal and parents were expected to be responsible for the behavior of their children. Brookside had two locker rooms, one for females and one for males. They also had a snack bar for food and drinks which was always a busy place. Well, today my mom is sitting by the pool with the slide watching Steve play in the shallow water. She told me I could use the slide since most of my friends were using it also. Part way down the slide was a joint in the metal sliding board which joined the top and bottom parts of the slide. Never felt it when you went down the slide, but you knew it was there as you traveled over it. The water was about four feet deep at the bottom of the slide and some people would slide down on their stomach. Great fun! I spent the morning on the slide and then we took a break for lunch with food from the snack bar. I think mom just wanted me to take a break or maybe it was her that wanted a break from having to watch the two of us in the water. And ....... as the old wives tale goes, you had to wait an hour after eating before going back in the water. How stupid was that. Well, the hour has passed and I head for the slide with my friends. Mom yelled to me to come over to her. She turned me around and told me I did something to my swim trunks. They were starting to get a tear in them. No clue what from. Told me to be careful. Tried the stomach and back methods of coming down the slide and then sat down for the next try. As soon as I hit the joint in the stainless slide, I knew why my pants looked torn. I felt something sharp! Seems I wasn't the only one who had the tears in their swim trunks. A small piece of metal was working its way loose on the board and tearing every one's suits. Ripped my suit the whole way through. Hey, what 12 year old back in the late 50s wanted all their friends to see their butt? Certainly not me. So our day at Brookside was finished, but so was quite a few others who had towels wrapped around them for the same reason. Hopefully it will be fixed by tomorrow. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pix is from the 20s and I'm not that old, but at least it shows you the twin pools and the suit tearing slide.

The "Shedding a Few Tears on the Canal" Story

It was an ordinary day. My mom, dad, brother Steve and I are riding in my Uncle Paul's 1954 wooden Chris-Craft luxury boat with him and my Aunt Doris. Really neat boat. Made with mahogany and polished to a high shine. Christopher Columbus Smith built his first boat in 1874 and was soon joined by his brother Henry in making wooden pleasure boats. They named their company Chris-Craft in 1924. Chris-Craft is one of the world’s most renowned and universally recognized names in boat building. Some dictionaries even list the word Chris-Craft as a synonym for pleasure boats. Today we are on the Chesapeake Bay traveling up the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Uncle Paul loved to share his boat and always took us for rides when we would come to visit my Aunt and Uncle at their summer cottage in Locust Point, MD. We are traveling slowly along the banks of the canal looking at the houses and other points of interest. Suddenly, the boat jumps slightly out of the water and Uncle Paul seems upset. Seems he hit something submerged and scraped the bottom of the boat and damaged his inboard engine. NOT GOOD!! The boat is only a few years old and I'm sure it cost him a pretty penny. Not what do we do? Uncle Paul's boat has no radio so we couldn't call for help. We started floating into the center of the canal where all the freighters and barges make their way from the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware Bay. By now my mom is crying. And .... here comes a BIG ONE! Uncle Paul seems as cool as can be and tells us that they won't run into us. I'm not sure he has himself convinced. The big ship is getting bigger by the minute. And then, it slowly passes us and there can't be much room between us and the ship. We are pushed back by the wake of the ship. Pretty scary!! Finally a passing boater comes to our aid and tows us back to a marina where Uncle Paul calls the cottage. His brother is at the cottage and brings another boat to tow us home. After pulling the boat onto a trailer, Uncle Paul finds that there is little damage to the boat, but the propeller is ruined. Results could have been MUCH worst had the big ship decided to run into us. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Fair Weather Sprite" Story

It was an ordinary day. We are headed to Ephrata to visit one of my high school friends, Dick W. Hadn't seen him in a few years and found out he lived in Ephrata so off we went. Using Carol's 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite for the trip. Carol got the Sprite as a high school graduation present in 1965 from her parents. They put down the deposit and she had to pay off the car. Pretty neat idea and way to buy your son or daughter a car and make them responsible for the car. The car was a Mark III edition and had a 59 horsepower, 4 cylinder engine. Four speed on the floor with red interior, black top and a beautiful red exterior. Rather small car, but we both fit in comfortably. Not really built for long distances and certainly not built for bad weather. Seems that when it rained the water would splash up on the engine and would drown out the spark plugs, stalling the car. Happened quite a few times, but we were always close to home and we would pull the car to the side of the road, walk home and go back later to get the car. Well we stopped at Dick and his wife's house in the center of Ephrata and after a time saw the approaching clouds. Trouble!! It was starting to get dark and the storm clouds made it even darker. We hopped back in the car and headed back to Lancaster. And then the rains came. And then it happened again. The car stalled on Route 272. I found a neighbor who allowed me to use the phone and I called my parents. They knew the procedure by now. "Where are you?" they asked. After giving directions we waited in the car until they got there. We pushed the car into a parking lot and headed to our place. The following day Carol and I drove our Pontiac back to Ephrata and drove both cars home. The car was a fun car, usually. We eventually sold the car to a student I had in class who rigged up some sort splash shield under the car to prevent the engine from getting wet. Or so he thought! He kept the car for about a year and unloaded it on the next victim. Car still looked great, but it was a fair weather car. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Homerun That Never Was" Story

It was an ordinary day. We are playing in the quarter-finals of the 1959 New Era Tournament. I'm playing for the Grandview Heights midget baseball team this year. We have played a total of 39 games this summer and are hoping for two more after this game. I played for the Schick midget-midget team and the Young Republicans Jr. Midget team, but I am finally playing with friends from my own school. I enjoyed the other two teams because they had some of the best players from the county on them, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing this year with friends from my own high school. I played third base and pitcher this year and ended the year batting .374, second on the team. Third on the team in RBIs as well, but also third on the team in errors. Oh well, still a successful season. Today we are taking on Saint Anthony's Midget Team in the New Era Tournament. This tournament is sponsored by the local newspaper and is for teams that have won their league divisions during the regular season. Pitching for us tonight is a fellow by the name of George Healeyand for St. Anthony, a player by the name of Don Sourbaugh. Last year Don was one of my teammates on the Young Republicans and he helped us win the State Jr. Midget title as well as the North-Eastern US Jr. Midget Title. We each scored a run in the second inning and in the fourth inning to make the score 2-2. No one scored in the 5th and final inning, sending the game into extra innings. St. Anthony's scored two runs in the 6th inning on four straight singles, bringing our team to the bat in the bottom of the inning, losing by two runs. Our team made two quick outs before Donnie walked two batters, bringing George H. to the plate. He followed with a triple down the left field line. We were playing on our home field at Schaeffer Elementary school and the outfield has no fence. George gave it a ride and came in to third base standing. Bob Beitzel, our coach held him at third. Now it was my turn to bat. Bob has me batting clean-up tonight and I hope I don't disappoint him. Bob looked at me and pointed to the outfield. Yeah right, I thought to myself. Well, Donnie put one right down the middle. A fastball, and he can really bring it. I was swinging at the first pitch no matter where it was. I knew from last year that he liked to get ahead in the count and was going to put the first pitch over the plate. Made great contact and drove it well over the centerfielder's head. We had won and advanced to the Semi-Finals of the tournament. One of my biggest thrills in baseball as I reached first base and saw everyone running towards me to jump on me. My only disappointment .......... I only had 1 homerun all season and this surely would have been another. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Clothing Optional" Story

It was an ordinary day. Kind of! We are sitting on the beach at Club Orient. Club Orient is a naturist resort on the northern end of Orient Beach on the french side of St. Martin. Place has been here forever it seems. We started coming to St. Martin ten years ago and it was here at that time. The Club is a resort which has a variety of accommodations situated on or near the beautiful white sand beach that fronts the azure blue Caribbean Sea. For years Carol and I walked the length of the beach in the mornings and often wondered what it would be like to be on a nude beach. We would always see the sign that declared it was Club Orient and that you were not allowed cameras or cell phones on the beach. Well, today we are headed to Club Orient to give it a try. We talked it over and decided that what are the chances that you would meet someone you knew on a nude beach thousands of miles from home. We follow the signs to the parking for day visitors and find a space for the car. After passing the guard station, we walk through the beautiful resort. Villas and chalets are very nice. the grounds are kept immaculate. Soon we arrive at the beach. Yep, this must be the place. Most are nude! But, we were expecting gorgeous, muscular tan bodies. Seems that most everyone is in their 50s, 60s, 70s and some in their 80s. The very few who look younger seem almost out of place. Wow! We will fit in nicely. The chairs are orange and the umbrellas yellow. We find two chairs, pay the "clothed" attendant and decide what to do next. Well, I guess the next thing to do is take off our swimsuits. You can't imagine how hard that is to do when you have never been to a beach where everyone is naked. Off they go and we quickly sit on our lounger. Easy so far. Actually, very few can see us parked in the back row. But, the sun is baking us and we now face the problem of getting in the water. We head toward the water, watching to see if people are staring at us. Nope! They are talking, reading or napping. It's as if we aren't even there. Pretty easy and the 85 degree water matches the 85 degree air temperature. It feels so different without a bathing suit both on the beach and in the water. Kind of like a new found freedom. Something like the bold and the beautiful. No, no, no ........ make that the bold and the old. Now, our next problem. Fish!! All those extra dangling parts which are not covered with textile seem to be bait for the fish. Luckily the water is crystal clear, even at 10 feet, so you can see if you have attracted any fish. It seems that if you talk to someone, protocol says that you should be making eye contact, so when we start talking to a couple in the water we keep this in mind. Their names are Larry and Mimi and are the same age as us. And ...... they live about 40 miles from us. OK, getting too close for comfort. We talk about things old people talk about and part ways. And then we face the next big problem. Time to get out of the water! And after an hour in the water, "shrinkage" is a major problem. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs from the top are: sign on the beach as you enter Club Orient, walk from the car to the beach, aerial view of the resort and beach, and chairs and umbrella at the resort.

The "It has to be a REAL Tree" Story

It was an ordinary day. I was getting the Christmas tree out. Thanksgiving was a week ago and it is now time for the next holiday. Carol and I have been married for over 40 years and we always had a REAL tree. Some were small, some were big, some were shaped really neat while others were flat on one side. But that's OK, since we always put it against the wall anyway. But, they were always REAL. Well, we decided to buy an artificial tree. Weren't going to tell anyone since we always complained about people who had artificial trees. We found this really neat 12 foot tree at Costco. Wasn't cheap, but it really looked like a REAL tree. Had a gadzillion lights on it and came in four parts. Looked like the tree for us. Must have weighed close to a hundred pounds. Took all we could muster to get it in the back of the car. Box just fit in our Mountaineer. Got it home and it did look great. After decorating it and turning on all the lights, it looked REAL. And most people didn't know the difference. Great! Well, Christmas passed and the dreaded day came when we would have to take it down. Carol was OK with leaving it up year-round, but I could hardly wait to get it down. Actually, I am in favor of taking it down on New Years' Day, but I always get outvoted by Carol and the cats, who love to lay under it. They do miss not having the water to drink from the tree stand. The cats, I mean! Pack up all the ornaments and then put the tree back in the box. Now what!! Where so we store the box? Haven't a clue. Won't fit down our basement stairs and the two cars fill the garage. Didn't plan ahead, did we? Then I got this brilliant idea. We will store it above our garage in the storage space. We have stairs in the garage that lead to the storage space and we have other items stored there, but I'm sure we can make room for the tree. Next, how do we get it up there. I had to remove the railing that was on the side of the storage space to keep you from falling off. I then sketched a few ideas and went and bought the parts. I rigged a pulley system to the ceiling of the garage and used nylon straps around the box to haul it to the top .... with my car! Pretty neat idea, if I can say so! Now every year after Thanksgiving I take the railing down, hook up the ropes and haul the tree down from the storage area with the car. Works great!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.