The "'Field of Dreams': Tampah's Loving It" Story

It was an ordinary day.  And ...... I didn't know how much I missed it.  Just sitting in a lawn chair along the 1st base line, watching the coach line the base paths, pull the uneven wire metal screen over the infield dirt to try to smooth out the rough spots, and putting the old cloth bases in place with a hammer brought back memories from some of the best years of my life.  Back in the 70s and 80s, when I coached my kids in both baseball and softball, I did some of the same things, night after night after endless night.  And, I just loved it!!  Never once did I complain about having to go to the ball field for a game or even practice.  Something about the game of baseball that I just can't explain fills my inner being.  The thrill of the competition, the joy of winning, the heartbreak of losing and most important of all, watching the smiles and tears of all the kids I coached all were important to me back then.  Brought me closer to not only my kids, but to my own childhood when I played on little league team after little league team on endless dirt fields throughout Lancaster county.  I was hoping for the day when I could relive it all over again, and today was that day.  Went to watch my grandson play hardball for the first time.  When I first learned that I would miss his very first game of his life, I was disappointed.  Was going to be away on vacation at the time, but I knew I'd be at the first game as soon as I returned.  The evening was gorgeous with bright sunlight, temperatures in the 70s, the sound of kids yelling and the crack of the ball hitting the bat.  Caden has tried other sports in his young life, but I was hoping he would enjoy baseball as much as I did when I was a young boy, and just to see his enthusiasm and smile when he stepped on the field, I know he enjoys it as much as his Tampah.  My sons both played baseball and my daughter played softball and I was privileged to coach all three of them as they grew up.  Caden's dad, my oldest son, was a fine pitcher who earned a full scholarship at a Div. 1 University to play ball and if it hadn't been for an injury, may have been a professional ballplayer.  He loved the game as I did, but was much better than I was.  I was hoping that he would give Caden a chance to play and I wasn't disappointed.  He told me that he can see the look in Caden's eyes, when he talks of baseball, that tells him he has the same passion and love for the game.  Barb, Caden's mother, told me that when Caden wakes on mornings of games, he gets so excited about playing.  What is it about baseball that causes these feelings?  Hard to explain.  Tonight Caden performed very well with hits every time he came to the plate and a few great fielding plays.  At his age level, the coach pitches to the players on his own team.  Late in the game, Derek, my son who is helping the coach with the team, pitched a few innings to the kids.  What a thrill when Caden came to the plate and Derek got to pitch to him.  My wife nudged me and said, "You got to get a photo of Derek pitching to Caden."  Already had my camera pointed at them as he threw the first pitch and Caden lined the ball to the outfield.  Need I tell you the pride I felt as Caden rounded first base, looked at his dad and smiled and Derek yelled, "Good hit!" to his son.  I yelled, "Way to go #28," as I gave him the thumb's up.  Yep, I felt younger and younger as the innings progressed.  Said to my wife, "I think I'd like to pitch a few innings."  Her response, "You wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow!"  Maybe so, but the passion and love of the game is still in this old body and soul.  And ..... I'm loving it!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Check out the photos from the game.    

Caden's "Field of Dreams"

Batting second in the order today.

#28 Caden on the bench with his teammates.

Getting ready for the pitch like his Tampah told him to do.

Fielding the ball and beating the runner to first.

Powering a ball to the outfield off of his dad.

Taking a lead, almost, off of first.

High Fives after the game.

Rounding Third.

Son Derek pitching to Grandson Caden.  Pretty neat!

The "Musical Doctor" Story

It was an ordinary day.  And, where I get some of my information for my stories I know is questionable.  But it seems that it finds me.   Now, if you get offended by almost anything, quit reading right now!  .......  Otherwise, you will get a good laugh from this email that my youngest son, Tad, sent to me when I was feeling bad, and it turned me around in a sec.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  Here goes:

Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music. The iTit will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size. This is considered a major social breakthrough, because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.  My wife now has her name on this list to get a couple of them.  I told her to make sure she gets the Bose System ones and has them turned up to loud, so we can hear them when we are on the beach or in the water while on vacation.  

The "Islands With A Flair" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Opened my email and found a list sent to me telling of the top 10 islands that are on quite a few travelers "want to do" schedules.  I must agree with most of them, and it seems that the #1 island on the list of favorites is the location that Carol and I, along with our traveling friends Jerry and Just Sue, will be off to come fall.  As the saying goes, "So much to see, so little time."  Check out the list with me and see if you can find an island that would suit you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

10. The British Virgin Islands

Perhaps it’s the fact that no one is from the BVI that keeps our users’ interest piqued. The term “belongers” actually exists because there are so few natives. Who’s up for a move?

9. The Dominican Republic

Decadent beaches? Check. Pulsing Reggaeton? Check. Coming home happily drained from rum- and sun-filled days? Check! But if you really want to see what makes the DR tick, take in a baseball game. The locals will love you even more.

8. St. Lucia

It’s obvious why Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott wrote consistently about his native St. Lucia. He called the island his “virginal, unpainted world”, and one cruise through the rustic, unpaved hills and you’ll definitely agree.

7. Grand Cayman

The Cayman Islands are not just the Caribbean’s rival to the Swiss banking system. Our users love that they’ve taken another cue from their European counterpart: a supremely high standard of living.

6. St. John, USVI

Say the words “Virgin Islands” and visions of billowing masts immediately come to mind. Yet, for an archipelago notorious for its nautical nature, there’s a new way to take it in: from your stand-up paddleboard.

5. Jamaica

Compared to the rest of the Caribbean, Jamaica seems to have the best of everything: iridescent waterfalls, dense peaks, vibrant metropolises, world-class cuisine…and who could forget all that culture! No wonder our users can’t get enough.

4. Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda are about twice the size of Washington, D.C., so needless to say, you can cover it in a day. After a trip, you too can call it Wadadli, the local derivative of the Amerindian name, meaning "our own."

3. Aruba

With topography unlike most of the typically lush Caribbean, Aruba is an anomaly: it has wind-whipped desert dunes and the waves to match, so our more adventurous users have the perfect playground.

2. The Bahamas

Variety and ease, it’s what we all want, and with 700 islands and being only 50 miles off the coast of Florida, it’s a given that The Bahamas made number two.

1. The Turks and Caicos

Branson Schmanson, you don’t need to be a British billionaire to have your own island. With only eight of the 40 islands and cays inhabited, this clear winner lets our users hop on a sailboat and claim one … if only for the day.  And, we will be hitting the beach pictured above in a few months.  Can hardly wait!!

The "Woman Without Underpants" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Recouping from vacation.  Just got in about 3:00 AM after traveling back from St. Martin to Miami to Baltimore.  After picking our luggage up at the carousel at BWI we phoned Comfort Suites and they picked us up at the airport and dropped us at our car in their parking lot.  Then the long ride home from the airport to our house in Lancaster.  Wouldn't have been as bad had the rain stopped pelting the car relentlessly most of the way home.  But, we survived and hit the hay as soon as we got in the door.  Pretty stressed out.  Today we had a few chores that had to be done.  I visited my family doctor to check on my shingles and make sure that they weren't infected.  After we talked for a few minutes he said, "Well, let's take a look at what you got."  As I was removing my jeans he continued to talk, "There are basically three degrees of shingles.  The kind where you may have just a few blisters and very little pain, the kind where you have a moderate rash with reasonable pain, and."  It was at this point that he looked at my butt and leg as he finished his sentence. "what I'm looking at right now!  Oh, my!  You do have a case of the shingles."  We discussed what I can do to help myself such as take warm baths in a whirlpool bathtub if possible, rub Neosporin on the areas behind my knee to help the blisters heal faster, and take pain medication when needed.  He told me it may take up to a year before the results of what he is looking at go away.  But, then I may never get total relief from the virus that infected the lower left limb of my body.  Hey, that's enough of depressing news to pass along, so here is what Carol and I did after I got home from the docs.  We went to Costco!  But, just not any visit to Costco.  Here's some quick background info you will need.  After returning from Baltimore Airport early this morning, we dropped everything in our family room and headed to bed.  Carol pulled down her shorts and underpants together and placed them on a hook in her closet before putting her nightgown on for the evening.  Now, you have a picture of that?  Today, after I came home from the doctors and asked if she wanted to pick up a few things at Costco, she ran upstairs and got dressed.  Then ....... while walking around Costco, she felt something slide down her side under her shorts and drop on the floor by her feet.  Her UNDERPANTS!  Not the new pair she had just put on, but the pair that were inside the shorts she had removed early this morning before we hopped in bed.  Can you imagine her embarrassment when, after looking down and seeing them, and then looking around her and seeing everyone looking at her with a pair of underpants at the bottom of her legs.  What to do?  She just picked them up, rolled them into a ball and stuck them in her pocketbook.  Needless to say, I had walked away.  "What must those people have been thinking," she said to me when I returned.  "Probably that you were still on vacation and didn't need them.  No one wears underwear on vacation, remember," I told her. "At least it wasn't me for once who did something stupid."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Where Nothing is Better" Story

Note:  I wrote this story in  August of 2011, before we were scheduled to go to St. Martin the following month.  At times I anticipate what will be happening and write a few stories and keep them in my library so that I can publish them in the future and have more time to relax when on vacation.  A week before leaving for St. Martin, my doctor scheduled me for immediate back surgery and we missed the trip.  Rather than deleting the story, I saved it and am now finally pulling it out of my library to publish.  This is our last day of vacation and most of the story is the same as it would have been back in September.  Only difference is that it is not my birthday, but you can pretend it is when you read this.

 It was an ordinary day. My birthday!  Exhilarating!!  How else can I describe it. And .... Carol and I are at one of our favorite beaches on St. Martin. Got up at my usual time, about 6:30 AM. Spent a little time on the balcony overlooking Orient Bay. We are staying on Orient Beach at Mont Vernon. Our place is at the North end of the beach while at the other end of the crescent-shaped beach, a little over a mile away, is Club Orient which is a naturist beach. In other words, you wear your birthday suit on this strip of crystal white sand. It is our final full day in St. Martin, so I grab the camera and head down to the beach early for a few final morning photos. The beach is unusually empty at this time of morning. But, this is the off season and the start of the hurricane season and some chose not to venture to St. Martin for fear of the chance of bad weather. Water in the mid-80s and the air temperature in the same range. After a few beach shots, I head back to the room for a breakfast of french pastries and fruit juice which I just picked up at Tap 5. Been our breakfast for most of the vacation. Then, off to the beach. I told Carol I would like to visit the South end of Orient Beach for the day. No need to get my bathing suit wet today. This is a clothing optional beach and I think I will choose the optional part. Matter of fact, so might my wife. We hopped in the car for the ten minute drive. Found a parking space behind the last beach bar on the strip and walked the 100 yards to Club Orient. I can still remember the first time that we tried a clothing optional beach. Seems like so long ago. We walked half-way down the naturist section to where it looked fairly deserted and picked two orange chairs in the back row and put our bags and cooler next to them. Felt so strange to take off your suit. After I did, I immediately sat down, checking to see if anyone was looking at me. Nope! And why should I care. After all, everyone else is dressed as we are. And ...... no one seemed to care. And besides, what are the chances you will see someone you know on a beach thousands of miles from home. Within a few minutes others came and then we saw the only textile person (clothed) on the beach approaching us. He was the beach boy collecting money and putting an umbrella next to our chairs. What a job! If I lived here I Would apply for a job like that. Within three minutes he was gone. The sun on our skin warmed us all-over. You need to put suntan lotion on parts of your body that you never had to before. But, the feeling was vitalizing! Almost like you're doing something illegal. But, then you realize how natural it really is. After a few minutes we knew we had to get in the water, since it was getting hot. Why did we sit in the back row? We walked through the gathering bathers as quickly as we could, not taking our eyes off the water. The water felt great. And, no sand in a wet suit when you have to return to the chairs to relax. After an hour or so, it seemed like we were seasoned naturists. I even strolled to the "Perch" (beach bar) for happy hour drinks for the two of us. Most of the other bathers were in their 50s, 60, 70s, and beyond. Since it is our last full day on the island, we decided we would return to the room when the sun is going down. Will make good use of the umbrella to avoid the hot sun. Now, before you condemn us for being a little adventurous, you should give it a try sometime. After all, as one of the t-shirts for sale on the beach proclaimed, "If God intended us to be nude, we'd have been born that way." And anyway, it was my birthday! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs were taken of the yellow umbrellas and orange chairs and Perch Beach Bar before bathers came to the beach.

The "Blending Into The Beach" Story

It was an ordinary day.  On vacation in St. Martin (SXM)!  Not much to do.  Carol and I have a big list of things that we wanted to do while on vacation,  but when we get up in the morning and look at it, it looks like too much trouble to do most of the things.  For instance: we had planed to take a side trip to Anguilla so we could visit probably the most beautiful beach in the world, Shoal Bay East, but why bother when we have beautiful beaches at the bottom of the hill below us and besides it would add another couple of hundred bucks to our trip for the ferry, car rental and insurance, and chairs and umbrella rental; we had planned to take a trip to one of our favorite SXM beaches, Happy Bay, but the walk over the hill and through the woods, with my singles I acquired two days after arriving on the island and the stories of crime that have occurred on the walk have postponed this trip; we had planned to visit the butterfly farm which is only a mile away from our villa, but we were just there last year and ....... well we just never got there; we had planned to take an evening sailboat ride and watch the sun set, but we get back from the beach too late and to have to rush and shower and get dressed ....... hey, we're on vacation; we had planned to take a few trips to the Sunset Beach Bar to watch the planes land and take off, one of our favorite things to do, and we did do it one time this trip, but you know, the photos start to look the same every time we go and the traffic from the French side of the island to the Dutch side can get pretty heavy at times, so why bother; we had planned to visit either Mullet beach, Baie Rouge beach, Friars Bay beach or Baie de Prunes beach, but we never got to any of them because it requires too much effort.  Last year when we vacationed on this island, it rained 75% of the time and we told ourselves that if the weather is nice this year, we would try to do some of the things on the list we had made, but you know what, the weather is nice and all we want to do is have a croissant for breakfast, pack a lunch, grab the beach towel and the "noodle" and head down the hill to the beach right in front of us.  That's the EASIEST thing to do and takes the least amount of effort.  Our next vacation will be with our kids and grandkids and will be hectic and the vacation after that will be with friends to another Caribbean island that we will want to explore on a daily basis, so this vacation is truly a VACATION.  Doing nothing!  Sand Gravity! And, we're loving it!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - No photo necessary ...... just close your eyes and picture your favorite beach and that's how we feel.

The "Cat-Sitter Jinx" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just talking to our daughter-in-law, Barb, via FaceTime on our iPad.  Gave us some upsetting news.  Seems that our cat-sitter, Barb's cousin Lori, became ill two days ago and had to have her friend take her to the hospital where she underwent an emergency appendectomy.  Our son, Tad, who had been visiting our house every morning on his way home from work to feed Otis, our cat, as well a bring in the mail and mow the grass will take over the cat-sitting duties for the next couple of days until we return from our vacation.  Gonna be hard to find a cat-sitter pretty soon after word gets out about the illnesses that can afflict you while cat-sitting at LDub's house with Otis.  About a dozen years ago, after deciding that we would rather leave our aging cats at home instead of placing them in a kennel with all those rowdy dogs, we starting to search for a cat-sitter who, if not able to live at our house, could spend an hour or two every day with the cats to keep them company and give them their meds and feed them.  We asked one of the attendants at our vet's office if she knew of anyone and she told us that she does cat-sitting for several other people.  Leah was a perfect match for us and our cats.  She loved animals and was about the same age as we were, and knew how important our cats are to us.  For about half a dozen years, while cat-sitting for us, she would visit with them in the morning on her way to work, give them their meds and feed them.  If there were any days that she could not do the chore, she would call our son and he would stop and take care of the job for us.  Then, one day, a few years ago, while we were on vacation, she became ill at our place and had to call her sister to take her to the hospital.  She had suffered a stroke and informed us that her work schedule was too stressful and she was going to have to give up her cat-sitting jobs.  We were so upset that Leah would not be able to watch our cats because we could tell they enjoyed her visits with them.  Needless to say, her health was more important than watching our cats.  Shortly after we received Leah's news we were visiting Barb's mother's home for Thanksgiving and happened to mention to someone about our cat-sitter.  That was when Lori told us that she would love to stay at our house and watch our cats.  Seems she owns a home near Harrisburg, PA and works in Lancaster, PA, about a mile from our home.  Staying at our place for a few weeks would be a real treat for her, since she could stay in bed longer in the morning with a much shorter drive.  We thought we were set, until the news we just received.  We're hoping that Lori will still be able to cat-sit when necessary, but if not, it may be tough to find a new one after they hear about what has happened to the previous two.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Sippin' On The Sand" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Visiting Orient Beach on St. Martin.  Beautiful sunny day.  We find a couple of beach chairs and an umbrella, drop our stuff on the chairs and head into the water.  Water is calm and warm and naturally the neatest colors of aqua you will find anywhere on earth.  Then I look up at the wispy clouds and tell Carol to take a look also.  There, running the entire circumference of the sun, is a rainbow.  Bright as can be.  I have seen many a rainbow in my lifetime, but never a rainbow where it never starts or ends.  Truly a one-of-a-kind for both Carol and me.  Beach boy told us it means a perfect weather day, and boy was he right.  Great day for sunning or sitting under the umbrella reading or napping.  We had visited a beach bar by the name of Andy and Cheryl's for breakfast earlier in the morning and had the breakfast special, Pina Colada French toast.  French Toast made with Pina Colada mix in the batter and finished with slices of bananas between the three layers of toast.  Didn't need much for lunch but a few snacks and a drink we had packed for the day.  Then, at 2:30 PM, on the dot, the bell at the beach bar about 75 yards down the sand, rang and rang.  Happy Hour at the Perch Beach Bar.  Two drinks for the price of one!  The cruise ship passengers who were visiting the beach had just left to go back to their ship, but the line still formed quickly.  Willy, the bartender, is kept busy making drink after drink, taking orders in French, English, Dutch, or whatever language you may speak on the dual nationality island in the Caribbean.  I stand in line with about two dozen thirsty patrons, talking and waiting my turn to tell Willy my order.  And, today, the order was for a BBC, and naturally with the BBC came another BBC.  Two fer one!  I head back toward my wife, talking with a new-found friend as we walk, with a frosty drink in each hand, a hat on my head and a smile on my face.  You see, the beach of choice today is the clothing optional "Club O" where a hat and a smile is all that is needed.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - I have included a few photos, but with no photos allowed during beach time, I had to take these at the break of day.

The Perch Beach Bar

Beach chairs and umbrellas waiting customers

The "House Hunters International Exposed" Story

View through opening that I remembered

It was an ordinary day.  Just got back from visiting with David who is the property manager for a series of three properties located on the top of the hill overlooking the cruise ship port on the island of Sint Maarten.  A few months ago Carol and I saw an ad in Caribbean Life and Travel magazine that gave a link to a rental property called Vista Royale.  We visited the site and saw photos and a description of not only Vista Royale, but two other properties that were owned by a husband and wife from New Jersey by the name of Alan and Royce Samit.  Descriptions and photos really got our interest and we emailed the Samits asking for more information.  We told them that we were visiting the island soon and were wondering if we could see what the properties looked like in person.  They returned the email and gave us the name of their property manager, David, and their housekeeper Audrey.  Well, we called David and made arrangements to see the properties today. One was a 3 bedroom house while the other two were condos, one a 1 bedroom and the other a 2 bedroom.  He told me he would give our name to the guard at the entrance to the gated community, and after getting directions, we headed across island to the location.  Wow, talk about steep inclines, this had quite a few that led to the community on top of the mountain that overlooked the harbor as well as the capital city of the Dutch side of the island, Philispburg.  After arrival, David came to meet us and had us follow him to the a parking lot closeby.  We visited the 3 bedroom house first and then headed to the condos which were located next to each other.  As soon as we walked to the entrance steps I knew I had been here before, even thought I knew that wasn't possible.  Ever feel you have seen or have done something that you know you never did, but could just swear that you did?  Exactly how I felt.  As I walked through the portico and down the steps I could remember doing it before.  But where?  Well, we looked first at condo #115 which he told us he owned, but was similar to the one directly across from his.  Condo #114 was occupied and he wasn't sure we could look in it.  As I looked around his condo I said to Carol, "I've been here before."  "Not with me you haven't," she said.  I must have seen it in a dream, I guess.  Anyway, we were able to look in #114 and then went to #112 to take a look at that.  Both had the most fantastic views of the harbor and surrounding landscape.  And, you could see it all by sitting in your infinity pool on the decks of the properties.  Did we like them?  You bet.  As we were leaving, all of a sudden it hit me.  "David, was your property ever featured in House Hunters International?" I asked him.  He got this funny smile on his face and said, "Yes it was.  As a matter of fact I was the one they were going to feature on the show.  I was going through a divorce and was going to buy a property on the island and they thought of using my story.  But, they decided it wasn't the right kind of story for the show and chose the workers from the cruise ship who auditioned also."  Seems you have to audition for the spots on the show.  He went on to explain that ......  "The other couple had already purchased a property two years before, but  their condo still wasn't finished.  They thought they could show a couple of properties as well as the unfinished property they had purchased and make a show out of that.  In the meantime I purchased this property I just showed you and they asked if they could use it as one of the choices for the show.  That's why you probably remember the condo."  "I knew I had seen it before," I told Carol.  She also remembered it now.  The couple featured on the show, Dia who was from Oklahoma City and was a singer on a cruise ship, and Garo, her boyfriend and sound engineer on the same cruise ship visited David's house, another that I couldn't remember, and the place that they had purchased two years earlier in the condo development called The Blue Pelican.  On the show they eventually buy the house they already owned and shortly thereafter, it is finished and you get to see what if looked like furnished.  Some of you who watch the show remember any of this?  I certainly do.  I guess I should realize that this is meant to be entertainment and sometimes you have to MAKE things work out and not hope they do, but having them choose a house that they already own ......... that's going a little to far for me.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

View from David's deck that were shown in the show

View of the harbor

Gate to the Community where the properties were located

The "Tribute to Joel" Story

It was an ordinary day. Stopped at school to check on how the info is coming for the football program that I do every year. I have been printing the football programs for about 25 years now. Used to write all the articles and player bios when I first started, but that job is now done by a parent volunteer to help save on the costs. I stuck my head in the classroom of one of the assistant coaches to say hello and he motioned me to come inside. Classes were leaving out for the day so we had a few minutes to talk. He asked me if I remembered a guy by the name of Joel Shrum who played for Donegal. Joel was a junior the last year I taught school, but I remembered the name from reading about his accomplishments on the gridiron and hybaseball diamond as a junior. One of the top players in his section as a junior. Well, the coach told me he saw on the news that Joel had just been killed in Yemen. Joel was gunned down in his car on his way to teach English to poor students. A group associated with al-Qaida was claiming responsibility for his death, saying he was trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, making him an enemy to Islam and al-Qaida. Joel worked for the International Training Development Centre which was a non-profit, non-governmental organization that has been in Yemen for over 40 years. The organization denied that Joel was trying to convert Muslims. Shortly after his murder, hundreds of youth activists and other protesters in Yemen marched to demand justice for Joel, a 2000 graduate of Donegal High School and father of two young children. His parents said that he went to Yemen in in 2010 to learn Arabic and became passionate about teaching English and business skills to Yemenis. Throughout Joel's life he lived for others above himself. The fact that he was born on Easter Sunday says it all. His mother said he embraced Christianity and devoted himself to helping the oppressed. Since that day when I learned of his death, there have been numerous stories in local and international newspapers calling for justice for Joel Shrum. I recently read a heart-warming story in the Lancaster Sunday News written by Matt Blymier who was a friend and teammate of Joel when they went to high school together. Matt tells how Joel was not only a teammate and friend, but a mentor and brother to many when he played football at Donegal High School in the late 1990s. Joel was as intense on the field as he was gentle and kind off it. Matt tells how he injured his knee in the first scrimmage of his junior year, Joel's senior season. Two hours after the scrimmage the doorbell rang at Matt's house and there stood Joel and a few other players, inquiring about his injury. It was a gesture that Joel didn't even think twice about, but it meant the world to Matt. Joel was a natural leader and his compassion and love for others was evident throughout his life. Matt wrote in the newspaper article that Joel wrote in his yearbook at the end of the year: Thank you for making senior season what it was. I love you brother. That was Joel Shrum. He died doing what he always did, helping others. I never had the honor of meeting Joel in person, but I'm sure I would have been able to tell how special he was if I had met him. People like Joel just ooze passion. Here's hoping he gets the justice that he richly deserves. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "$140.00 Boat Ride" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sea is still and the air is calm.  Slight bit of moisture is dropping from the dull, listless, gray sky.  And, we are going whale watching!  Had been in email contact with Dave H. for a few weeks after seeing a thread on TravelTalkOnline about a new adventure that he has just started with his wife Adriana on the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten.  Through the Nature Foundation Sint Maarten, Dave has offered to take whale watching tours for up to 10 people on Sunday mornings for about a month.  He is donating 20% of the proceeds from the trip to the Foundation and in return Tadzio Beruoets, manager of the Foundation, acts as the whale watching guide.  We arrived at the dock at 64 Welfare Road in Simpson Bay about 8:45 AM not knowing if we were still taking the trip because of the light rain.  The boat is a 27 foot power boat with a fill bimini for shade,  but don't think we will have to worry about the sun today.  At 9:00 AM, Tadzio arrives with some bad news.  Someone broke into the Foundation's headquarters and stole his Hydrophone, which we were to use to "hear" the whales in the water, along with his computer which had years of research in them.  He looked extremely distressed, but agreed that we were heading out on the seas to try and find the whales.  He told us there is a population of humpbacks that are in the waters nearby, and there have been 60 sightings recently of humpbacks and 110 sightings of dolphins.  The whales have traveled here from Greenland to mate and have their calves in warmer waters, and when the calves are strong enough to travel, will return to Greenland.  We head from the docks in what has now become a steady rain, through the Simpson lagoon towards the drawbridge on the Dutch side of the island.  Pass under it and through Simpson Bay towards the open ocean.  We can still see land when the boat slows and becomes still.  Tadzio is pointing at something and we all watch.  Is is extremely quiet, as if the whales will hear us if speak  Very eerie!  Off in the misty distance we can see the silhouettes of the islands of St. Barths, St. Eustatius and Saba.  For me, all I need is the "special music" and a fin or two slicing through the still waters and it would be Jaws all over again.  I sure hope this boat is big enough!!  I'll tell you the bimini has really helped keep the rain off us and our cameras.  False alarm and we continue on.  As we near Point Blanche, we head into the protected territory of the Nature Foundation where no fishing or diving is allowed without special permission.  The skies are starting to brighten and the rain is subsiding as we pass Guana Bay, Oyster Bay and Orient Bay.  Still, no sightings except for the pelicans, frigates, and boobies that call rock croppings home.  We have reached the northernmost point of the island now and will head westward, along the French coast with the English island of Anguilla off in the distance.  It is in this channel that Tadzio tells us that fishermen have made recent whale sightings.  We slow again and watch ....... and watch ...... and watch.  I wonder what would happen if a whale would breach right next to us right now.  Would I be prepared for the photo of a lifetime?  I grip my camera tighter.  No sightings on this calm stretch of open water.  We make our way past Creole Rock, Grand Case Bay, Happy Bay and Friars Bay.  Then someone yells, "There's one in front of us," as we all grab our cameras and start to search the sea.  A large green turtle surfaced just long enough for me to get a shot of its shell and, after seeing us, heads back into the sea.  At least some excitement!  Tadzio is breathing a sigh of relief, I'm sure.  Ten minutes later we head towards Marigot, the capital of the French side of St. Martin, and through the drawbridge, back to the dock.  It has been a dreary, dismal day with the only sightings the turtle and a few flying fish.  I know we are never guaranteed a whale sighting, but it still is a disappointment when all you get is a $140.00 boat ride.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Crossing under the drawbridge on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten

Our guide, Tadzio, pointing out something in the water

Rock formation, home to many frigates

Passing Orient Bay and a sighting of our villa up on the hill above Orient

Small glimpse of a green turtle

The "Plane Crash In Paradise" Story

The curved line shows the path of the plane that crashed

It was an ordinary day.  7:30 AM Saturday morning, May 5, 2012.  When I got up this morning I took my computer outside to the table on the deck and started watching a helicopter, light planes and what appears to be search vessels circling off the coast of St. Martin Area. The area of Orient Beach and Pinel Island are easily visible from the villa that Carol and I have rented this year for our vacation to the Caribbean.  Off in the distance to the left you can see Anguilla and to the right a brief view of Tintamarre Island.  I pulled up the two forums that I read and on TravelTalkOnline (TTOL) there was a thread that had been started about five minutes before that gave a link to a news flash about a plane crash that had taken place early this morning.  I grabbed my camera and stuck the 300mm lens on it and started to watch the planes and boats in the distance behind and to the right of Pinel Island.  According to the latest news report later in the day, a TAI Air Ambulance Service Piper Cheyenne III took off from L'Esperance Airport in Grand Case at 2:39 AM.  It was in the air for about five minutes when the aircraft burst into flames and went down.  Planes taking off from Grand Case airport fly between the small mountains that are directly to our left as we look out over the water.  It must have been shortly after the plane had cleared these mountains that it burst into flames and went down in the waters off of St. Martin.  Seems that a 30 year old tourist from Cyprus, a passenger on the cruise ship "Allure of the Seas", was having chest pains and was transported to the Sint Maarten Medical Center.  While at the Center, he suffered a more severe heart attack and transportation was needed to Martinique, where they could handle his problems.  An Air Ambulance was sent from Martinique and landed at the Prince Juliana International Airport.  Because of mechanical problems, it could not return, so the patient was transported to Grand Case L'Esperance Airport and placed on the TAI Air Ambulance.  Also on the plane was the doctor, nurse and the pilot.  All perished in the crash.  After crashing, a search was set up in the Pinel Island, French Cul de Sac, Tintamarre area.  That is what I can see from my rear deck.  Divers searched for quite some time, but the search was hampered by sightings of tiger sharks in the area.  Eventually they did find parts of the plane and some body parts.  More reports will be available in the future.  Sad day for aviation in St. Martin and for the families of the people killed in the crash.  Hope I don't witness another accident again on this little bit of paradise. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Pinel Island as seen from Villa Jeluca

Search plane and boats behind Pinel Island

Hills that the plane travels through from the airport

The "A Real Pain In The Ass" Story

Partial view of the rear of my left leg

It was an ordinary day.  And, the blisters are starting to pop and the pain is setting in!  Looks really ugly.  I wrote a story a couple of days ago about getting the shingles virus.  No idea who I got it from or how I got it.  But, it got so bad that I visited a clinic in Sint Maarten to see if the doctor had any suggestions to help it go away.  Carol and I stopped in two different pharmacies in the Dutch capital of Philipsburg on the island of Sint Maarten.  Neither pharmacy would give me anything stronger that a pain medicine to take unless I had seen a doctor and had a prescription.  After stopping at the second pharmacy and asking for a lotion to use, the pharmacist looked at my left leg and said she could make an appointment for me if I wanted her to.  Asked her how soon the appointment would be and she said, "Right now.  Only four blocks away.  Clinic by the name of  Mercuur Medical Clinic."  I agreed and she called.  Told me to go over right now and give my name to the nurse on duty.  After a quick walk through the back alleys of the town, Carol and I found the clinic.  One other patient waiting in the lobby when I arrived.  About 30 minutes later a nurse took Carol and me to an examination room about the size of a closet.  Dr. Mercuur came right in and greeted us, sat down at the small desk, and checked the form I had filled out a half hour ago.  Asked what my problem was and I told him I think I have shingles.  "Let's have a look at them," he said.  I stood, unbuttoned my shorts and lowered them so he could see my left side.  "I'm sorry I don't have underwear on, but it hurts too much to have it against the rash," I told him.  "That's OK, I don't wear underwear either," was his reply.  I looked at Carol and she just rolled her eyes.  We saw no medical diplomas or any sign that Dr. Mercuur was indeed a physician, but he did have a stethoscope around his neck.  He looked at the rash that was now over my left butt cheek and the entire distance to my left ankle.  "Yep, that's what it looks like to me," he said.  At this time his cell phone rang and he signaled he was going to answer it.  Talked to someone about visiting the prison sometime in the afternoon, and after about five minutes, he closed his phone and got back to me.  Asked when I first noticed it and I told him about 5 days ago.   "Well, it is too late to give you the oral medicine that would have helped you.  "You need to start that within 48 hours of seeing the rash," he told me.   If only I had known, but why would I have know that anyway, since I never had shingles before and probably will never get them again. Riinnngggg, his cell phone goes again. Answers it and sounds like he is supposed to stop at the store on his way to the prison.  After another 5 minutes he hands up.  "How about some kind of cream that I can rub on the rash to help it heal faster?" I ask him.  He told me that the cream comes in very small tubes and with the amount of blisters I had it would take 3 or 4 tubes and they are $25 each, and I would have to use it 3 or 4 times a day for the duration of the rash.  "OK, what can I do?" I asked.  "Not much except take some pain pills," he responded.  "I am taking Tramadol periodically now for slight pain that I get from the back surgery that I had in September," I told him.  He told me, "That will work well for the pain you will have from this."  "And how long will this take to go away?" I asked.  "Probably a couple more weeks," was his answer.  So, I know that I really do have shingles and there is absolutely nothing I can do for them except take the pain medicine.  I know it will eventually go away and I vowed not to let it ruin the rest of my vacation.  But, since it is all over my left butt cheek and I need to sit when eating and I need to sit in a beach chair and  I need to ...............  And when I sit, my weight caused the blisters to pop and makes my pants look like I wet myself.  Really is a pain in the ass!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Irony of Liquid" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Following a night of torrential flooding on the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten.  Last year we made a visit to our favorite vacation spot about the same time of year and experienced rain on all but five of our 17 days on the island.  Not heavy rain, but enough to keep us off the beaches.  We were hoping that wasn't going to happen again this year and it hadn't, until yesterday.  We were on the beach at Orient when about 2:00 PM the beach boys came by and put all the umbrellas down.  Pointed to the skies to the east and told us the big wind is coming.  Should we stay or not?  Decided to stay and wait it out.  Wrong move!  In about 15 minutes the clouds opened and threw the liquid down on us.  Made it back to the car, but with wet gear.  So then the rain slacked off for a short time and then started again.  Should we go out to eat or eat the leftovers from out restaurant meal the night before.  I wanted to take a chance and go out to eat, but Carol said it was going to rain again.  And, boy was she right.  We are in a villa on a hill overlooking Orient Bay and the island of Pinel.  During the heaviest rainfall we couldn't even see the house directly in front us.  Now, I have experienced heavy rain throughout my life, but never for with the intensity and length that I experienced last night.  For hours and hours it rained so hard we couldn't hear the TV because of the metal roof we have on the villa.  Luckily I was so tired from a full day that I was able to get to sleep, even with the noise of the roof.  Today is nice and sunny with little wind, but when I opened my laptop and started reading a few of the travel forums, I was amazed at the "threads" that existed describing the torrential rains. One writer described it this way: Street in front of the Atrium is at least 3 feet deep!!! Cars floating down the street. Rocks and trash in the water. What a mess!!!! Another entry said: I agree just barely got home to Simpson bay what a mess all the parking lots are flooded Atrium & Flamingo cars stranded all over.  Elaine, a constant contributor to the forum, added this:  Still major flooding all over. Be careful.  Then Jeannie239  posted a link to a weather bulletin:  GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – The Fire Department and Office of Disaster Management (ODM) has been notified by the Meteorological Department of Curacao (MDC) that the country has been placed under a heavy rainfall watch until Friday 6.00pm due to heavy rain showers.  The Fire Dept./ODM therefore advises the population of the South side of the island to be cautious for possible flooding in low lying areas, street flooding and rock falls due to possible persistent heavy rainfall.  The following areas are of concern to the Fire Dept. and residents are asked to avoid these areas during heavy rainfall which causes severe flooding and inundating the areas: Dutch Quarter main road; A.T. Illidge Road; L.B. Scot Road; Zagersgut; and Welgelegen Road.  Well, today is sunny with light wispy clouds in the sky and just a slight hint of a breeze.  The island has been cleansed.  Seems like we got most of the rain in one evening instead of spreading it out over the entire vacation.  As for Carol and I,  we seem to have weathered the storm fairly well except for one major problem.  We have no water!!  How ironic that with that much rain last night, we have no water to shower, drink or flush the toilet.  But, we do have a swimming pool right outside our door that is overflowing with water and will assist with the toilet problem.  Got to stop typing and call the realtor to see what the problem may be.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Kids Say The Darnest Things" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just got a call from my son, Derek.  Seems that his wife, Barb, and son, Caden had just returned from a Cub Scout field trip.  This is the first year that my grand-son has been in Cub Scouts and he just loves it.  A few weeks ago I wrote a story about a trip that he and I took to the police station so he could get a badge for law enforcement.  Well the trip that Derek had to tell us about was his trip to  farm near Mt. Joy, close to where they live.  Derek could not take Caden to the trip because of his shift work, so Barb took him.  The farm that they visited was a dairy farm that had approximately 900 milking cows.  The manure that is produced is used to create electricity for about 200 homes in the area, and the remains of that process is used for bedding for the cows.  When more milking cows are needed, they artificially inseminate the cows and when the calves are born, any bulls are sold while the females are used to replenish the herd.  Caden and the other scouts visited every area of the operation, including the maternity ward of the farm.  Pretty impressive for a young boy of seven years-old.   Derek told us about how much he enjoyed the trip and couldn't stop talking about it.  Then Derek told us that Caden said, "Dad, you should have seen the size of the nuts on some of those cows.  They were the biggest I've ever seen.  Bigger than my head."  Yep, out of the mouths of babes comes some of the most remarkable comments.  Derek knew right away what he was talking about, but Barb looked at Derek, clueless as to what Caden meant.  Then it struck her. I need not say too much more to you, do I?  Except, remember that this is a dairy farm and all are cows.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Calico Joe: The Phenom" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just put the Kindle away after finishing the latest Grisham novel, Calico Joe.  This book is in the same category as A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, Bleachers, and Playing for Pizza; it is not a "legal" story as are most of his novels.  But, as soon as I read the intro on the Kindle, I knew I had to read it.  The intro goes like this ... It is a surprising and moving novel of fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, set in the world of Major League Baseball...  Anybody at all who is a baseball fan, man or woman, will really enjoy the book.  As I have written in a few previous stories, my dream as I was growing up was to be a professional baseball player.  As soon as I put that glove on my hand for the first time as a child, I was hooked!  Didn't matter what team I played for, but the Giants and the Phils were my favorites.  Favorite player?: Willie Mays.  Actually saw him in person a few times when he played in the Eastern League and his team came to town to play the Lancaster Red Roses.  Just knew he would going to be great.  Pictured myself playing 3rd base on the Giants with him in Centerfield.  Well, you know by now that I never realized that dream, but it didn't keep me from hoping the same for my sons.  My oldest, Derek, almost made it.  Pitched for Div. 1 Villanova and was expecting to be drafted by the Giants in late 1993, but a serious injury to the elbow on his pitching arm ended his dream a month before the draft.  Grisham's story deals, in one part, in the summer of 1973 when Joe Castle became a boy wonder for the Chicago Cubs.  The main character in the book, the storyteller, relates his experiences as the son of a pitcher for the NY Mets during the time that Joe is in his rookie year.  Joe got his name, Calico Joe, from a sportswriter who knew he was from Calico Rock, Arkansas.  Needless to say, I will not go into the story anymore that I already have, so I don't spoil it for you if you decide to read it.  In many ways I can picture myself as the storyteller, going through life with a father who is a pro baseball player.  If you love our "Nation's Pastime", you just have to read the book.  As for myself and my lifelong dream, there is still hope.  My grandson just turned seven and is playing baseball for the first time this year.  And, I must say, he is ripping the cover off the ball each time he comes to the plate.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Breakfast in the Buff" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Making a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage links, toast, and juice for Carol and me.  Told her to sleep in an extra half hour while I make breakfast for us.  Couldn't stand to stay in bed any longer because of the pain.  Two days ago, while getting out of the pool at our rental villa in St. Martin, Carol asked if I knew I had a rash.  We arrived on a Thursday, three days ago, and within another day I had this unusual tingling sensation in my right thigh and felt like I may be getting the flu.  I just assumed that I had received too much sun our first day at the pool and it would fade with time.  The next day was when Carol mentioned the rash to me.  She looked more carefully at the rash which was on the rear of me and told me it started in the middle of my back, about waist level, and ran at an angle down my butt to my left leg and then to my knee.  Following my sciatic nerve line.  And, she said it looked like shingles.  Ouch!  I'm on vacation.  Last thing I need right now.  Our last trip to St. Martin had to be canceled when I needed immediate back surgery to help correct the pain I had in my right leg that prevented me from walking.  I don't need another problem, especially while I am on vacation. Carol was familiar with the shingles virus since she had shingles a few years ago and the rash resembled what she had that time.  Shingles (herpes zoster), is a painful rash caused by the chickenpox virus (varicella-zoster).  Shingles is most common in older adults and people who have weak immune systems because of stress, injury, certain medicines, or other reasons. Most people who get shingles will get better and will not get it again.  I just have to hope I fall into the "most people" category.  And soon!!  Being sick on vacation really sucks!  What really bothers me the most is having something touching the rash.  Really adds to the pain.  So, I told her I would have to make breakfast for us in the nude.  Didn't matter to her she said, since she was still going to be in bed.  But then I realized that wearing the bathing suit to go to the beach was going to be a problem.  Immediate solution: head down the hill to the clothing optional beach where you don't need a suit.  Worked perfectly, but sitting on the beach lounger did create a few problems.  Had to lay on my side to keep the rash from touching the beach towel.  When it came time for our evening meal, she wasn't as understanding.  Told me there was no way we could go out to eat unless I put some pants on.  Dr. Carol did some research for me on the web and found that the rash, which consists of many blisters of varying sizes will go away in a few days, but the pain may last for over a month.  Getting my pain under control right away will hopefully prevent any nerve damage that may cause pain that could last for months or years.  Something I really don't want to endure for years.  Personally, I am convinced that with some pain pills, visits to the clothing optional beach and bathing in the salt water will cure me in quick fashion.  If not, I'll certainly enjoy giving it a try, if you know what I mean. And, sorry I have no photos to show you what my shingles looks like.  Carol refuses to take photos of the rash, since she knows I will want to publish them and she said I don't need to have photos of my butt all over the world.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.