The "Alexandria, VA: Part 3 - The Holiday Boat Parade of Lights" Story

It was an ordinary day. We were heading back into Old Town Alexandria for the "Holiday Boat Parade of Lights" after a short rest in room 107 at the Red Roof Inn. The "We" is Carol and I as well as our friends Jerry and Sue. Spent the late morning and early afternoon at a Scottish Parade and a great meal at the Fish Market followed by some shopping and walking the streets of Old Town. We needed to warm up and check-in at our motel so we decided to call it quits about 3:30 PM. After check-in we watched an hour of football and then prepared ourselves for the cold evening in Old Town. Knew we were going to be outside along the banks of the Potomac River so we put the winter clothes back on again. Found a place to park about two blocks from the waterfront for only $5 for the evening. We parked and were at the waterfront shortly after dusk and decided to grab a quick meal inside the food court which fronts the river. Alexandria's harbor lights up when more than 50 illuminated boats cruise the Potomac River at the historic waterfront. The parade of boats begins shortly after dusk at the Marina at the foot of Cameron Street, behind the Torpedo Factory (more on this place in Part 4). Up to the second floor food court we traveled and found that only two of the vendors were open in the evening. We grabbed a table by the windows overlooking the water and I headed to get something to eat. One stand had Oriental food so I headed to the burger place. Took about 10 minutes before I was waited on and ordered a burger combo and a BBQ combo. I paid and was given a number and told to stand in the line on the other side to pick up my meal. No problem, I thought. In the meantime Jerry and Sue found their way to the back of the order line. The food court was packed by now and with only two stands open, the vendors were ill prepared to handle the customers. I waited over half an hour for my food and by that time Jerry and Sue had just given their order. The I hustled back to the table and saw the parade had already started. Carol and I ate as we watched some of the parade of boats. After we finished I went outside to take a few photos. The wind was picking up and the boats were moving fast, so it extremely hard to take any photos. After a short time I went back in and saw that Jerry and Sue still had not returned with their food. The parade was just about over when they came to the table to eat their burgers. Luckily for all of us, the parade of boats went around a second time and we got to see them while we were outside, right next to the waterfront. Spectacular show!! We walked through Old Town and enjoyed the light show as we found our way back to the car. And, cold as can be! Tomorrow will be a final chance to explore this beautiful city. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Sorry about the boat photos since it was really windy and needless to say, low light. The Old Town photos are better!

The "Alexandria, VA: Part 2 - Old Town Alexandria" Story

It was an ordinary day. The Scottish Walk Parade had just finished and we need to start moving so we won't freeze in place. The "We" is Carol and I as well as friends Jerry and Sue. We have been traveling to Alexandra for a few years now and enjoy the city. It was founded in 1749 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Alexandria is nationally recognized for its abundance of 18th and 19th century architecture, chic boutiques, fine art and antique galleries, historic attractions and award winning restaurants. At noon today we took in one of the attractions, the parade. Now it is time for lunch. Head down the main street, King Street, toward the Potomac River, for an place to eat. Decide on The Fish Market even though Sue doesn't eat seafood. Can't go to a city by the water without having some seafood. Carol and I had a bowl of fantastic clam chowder while I also had a fried oyster sandwich. Jerry had the fish stew and Sue had a plate of french fries. Said she wasn't hungry! The building was really neat. Exposed beams in the ceiling, brick walls and wide wooden floors. Truly something from an earlier time. Time now for a little shopping. We headed to one of our favorite shops, the Christmas Shoppe to try to find an ornament for Jerry and Sue's oldest son. They bought him a kayak last year and wanted a Christmas tree ornament to match. No trouble finding it in this store. The hardest part of this stop was trying to get into it. It was packed. Stopped in the children's store and then realized that all our grandkids were too old for the clothes and toys that were displayed in the store. Made us feel really old, also. The decorations on the stores were beautiful. Reminded us of how they would be decorated in the era they were built. After a few more stops we headed back to the garage where the car was parked. On the way we passed Christ Church which is an Episcopal Church built in 1773. The cemetery next to the church certainly must have people who founded our country as residents. We find the car, pay the $16 fee, check the directions to the Red Roof Inn and head out of Alexandria. After a short rest we will return for our evening adventure. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - photos from the top are: King Street in Old Town Alexandria, VA, front window of the Fish Market Restaurant on King Street which is a block from the Potomac River, display of ornaments in the Christmas shop, Holiday decorations in town, City Hall, and Christ Church which was founded in 1773.

The "Alexandria, VA: Part 1 - The Scottish Walk Parade" Story

It was an ordinary day. Sunday evening. We were relaxing at home in front of the fire after our weekend in Alexandria, Virginia. We visited Alexandria for the first time six years ago with our friends Pat and Dale. Had a great time so we decided that we would make it an annual trip. Traveled at different times of the year, sometimes with friends Pat andDale, sometimes with Jerry and Sue, and one time with both couples. This year we decided that we wanted to go right before Christmas so we could see all the decorations and the festivities that take place at this time of the year. We called both couples, but only Jerry and Sue were able to make the trip with us. We usually stay at the Red Roof Inn near the city so I called and made the reservations. We left yesterday, Saturday, at 8:00 AM, and after a stop for breakfast, arrived a little after 11:00 AM in Old Town Alexandria. Now the hardest part of the weekend: finding parking. Found a place for $4.00/hour (hey, we don't do this very often), parked the car and headed to the center of town for our first adventure: the Scottish Walk Parade. We saw this parade two times before and just loved it. It is a little over two hours long and has more than 100 entries with Scottish clans dressed in tartans and playing bagpipes, dog clubs featuring mostly Scottish type dogs (did see a few French Poodles dressed in Scottish garb), antique cars, and living history units. Also a few politicians thrown in so the Jaguar Car Club could drive them and show off their cars. Well, we missed the start of the parade and the place was packed. Lined three and four deep on both sides of the street. After a few people got too cold (temperatures were in the high 30s and it was windy), we managed to get to the front so I could take a few photos. I was dressed in my long underwear, hooded sweatshirt, wool socks, heavy gloves, and wool cap and didn't mind the cold. Loved the bagpipes and all the people dressed in their kilts. The tunes that they play on the bagpipes are sometimes eerie, but very soulful. At times you have to listen carefully to pick out the melody of the song that they are playing. Group after group from all over region. And we saw all types of dogs dressed in sweaters, elf and Santa hats, and some with kilts. Dogs such as the huge Irish Wolfhounds, Westies, Scotties, Cairn Terriers, Bearded Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs, Shelties, Airedales, Golden Retrievers, 1 Pug, and the 2 French Poodles. Every so often a group of military men dressed in their Scottish Garb with their flintlock rifles would pass. After one group passed I turned my head to see what was coming next and the parade halted for a few minutes. And then ..... boom! Scared the crap out of me. All the men with the rifles, who were only 40 feet to my left, fired their guns in unison. I nearly dropped my camera. The smoke rose as they reloaded, waiting for the next time they would stop. Then, close to the end of the parade we saw "The Kiltie Band of York." The men and women of the group of at least 20 or more wore dark blue hats with red plumes, dark blue dublet, red tartan plaid drapings around their bagpipes and chests, red tartan kilts, plaid knee-high socks with black shoes and white spats covering the shoes and laces. Boy, did they look neat. And, they could really play. Not only that, but the parade stopped as they were in front of us and they continue to play. Then, I looked at the guy in the band that was second in from the end in front of me and thought I recognized him. Yep, it had to be him. I yelled to Jerry, "Look there, isn't that either Al or Art Reist?" We both had them in class in the mid-70's. And it had to be one of them. You see, they are twins, and I had to learn every feature of their face so I could distinguish between then in my class. You can't forget a face after what I went through to learn their features. But, it's been over 30 years since I had them in class. I knew immediately that it was one of them, but couldn't remember which one. Jerry also agreed it had to be one of them. Then it struck me. "The Kiltie Band of York" had to be York, PA which is 20 minutes from Lancaster. It was one of them! They stopped playing and I yelled, "Art." A few seconds later I yelled, "Al." A smile on his face appeared. He slowly looked my way and saw the two of us waving at him. I know he recognized us. We didn't get to talk with him though. The parade continued and we eventually saw the firetruck with Santa which signaled the end. I still was warm, but hungry. Knew where our next stop would be and also knew I would have to make a phone call soon to one of the bagpipers and tell him how much I enjoyed the parade. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs from the top are: bagpipers with the colors, Shetland Sheepdog group, Scottie dog with owner, Irish Wolfhound, Scottish Military Unit that scared me to death, a Westie dog rescue group, a drummer with The Fire Brigade of Greater Baltimore, group displaying "Chessie", the monster of the Chesapeake Bay, Drummer with "The Kiltie Band of York", and former student Al Reist who is a member of "The Kiltie Band of York." PPS - Just got off the phone with Al. We had a great conversation and he wants me to join the band. Says I would have no trouble playing and would love wearing the kilts. Yeah, right!!

The "Have You Been Naughty or Nice?" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just delivered a photo to the Tag Shop in Lancaster. My lifelong friend, Barry, sells my altered Polaroids at his shop near the market in Lancaster city. Just before I delivered the photo I had been at the dermatologist to have stitches removed from a surgery I had a week ago. While there I saw an ad in a magazine for children's socks that don't match, on purpose. Knitted socks that are totally different. They are sold at "Here To Timbuktu", a store near the Tag Shop, so after the delivery I stopped in the store. Sure enough, the socks were on display right inside the front door. I got two sets of children's socks and each was different. Pretty neat idea, and I know my granddaughters will love them for Christmas. Oh yeah, time to shop for Christmas gifts again. I had the grandkids go through toy catalogues and circle what they might be interested in from Amah and Tampah for Christmas. Naturally circled some of the most expensive items as well as items such as Playdough which seems never to go out of style, and stuffed animal which are always popular. What to buy for everyone. Well, I can tell you one thing, I can't write about that yet or nothing will be a surprise. I have a few small items already for my wife. One item, a silver bracelet, we bought while in Curacao on a cruise. She picked it out and then put it away for Christmas. Other gifts I buy for her I have to hide in the basement workroom where I work on stain glass creations and photos. She never ventures into the room so it is a safe place to hide them. Also, she seldom reads my stories, since she tells me, "I'm part of them so why read them again." Well if she would read them, she may know ahead of time what she's getting and where to find it in the house, and then won't be surprised! So there! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Home Occupation Permit" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just wrote a check to Manheim Township to renew my "Home Occupation Permit." After I retired from teaching I decided I wanted to continue working for the school district so I asked the business manager if that was possible. He didn't want to have to continue paying me benefits so he told me I could work in the graphics room and do the printing for the school district if I became an independent contractor. He wouldn't even take taxes off my check. Gee, thanks. I was responsible for putting a certain amount away to pay the taxes at the end of the year. Then I found that I needed to form a company so they had a business name for the check they were going to write me. Decided to call it Woods Printing Services. I also had to get a federal tax ID#. And ...... the business manager told me I would have to buy a $2,000,000 liability policy to work in the school. He said they require all contractors to have this on file if they plan to be working in the school buildings. Didn't tell me how expensive it is to get the policy. Finally took care of all the items necessary and started to put in hours in the graphics room. At times I would do a few jobs on the computer at home to prepare for the next project. Then one day I got this letter in the mail telling me that in order to do business from my home in Manheim Township I needed to have a "Home Occupation Permit." Didn't matter that I was only working on my computer at home fof an hour or so a week, I had to have the permit. Now, who told them I was working at home a few hours a week? Had to fill out a form to get the permit that asked me to draw a map of my property and where I would have parking for customers when they came. Had to show entrances and how handicapped people could get to the business. Holy Cow! Might have been better to sit and watch TV all day instead of going through all this. I finally convinced them of what I was doing and they only required I pay the fee and not make the map. Then, the same time the following year I got the renewal notice. Of course!! Another fee for that year. Well, today I have mailed my tenth payment to the township. All other permits I have displayed in my house like they said I had to in case they came to inspect. I suspect I'll never see them at my front door. They won't know where to park since I didn't line my driveway. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "School Daze: Part 2" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just finished my first project for Hugo Flora. Mr. Flora taught Industrial Arts at Millersville State Teacher's College. I was in his Design I class my first year atMillersville. Did some strange projects during the year, but the one I remember as being the most strange was the initial project. We entered class the first day and were given a piece of construction paper. We had to cut out twenty 1" round circles from the paper. Then we had to drop them from a distance of 3' onto a piece of white construction paper. Where ever they landed we had to glue them to the paper. Then he graded them on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best or an "A". He loved the way mine fell on the paper and I was off to a great start in his class. I excelled at my major, Industrial Arts. Had slightly over a 3.7 GPA for my major, but it was my other classes that brought the GPA down. Had to take a Chemistry class my first semester that I failed. Never took it over again. They let me take a gym class instead. Did great in badminton. Had to take a US History class my second semester. Failed it. Tried again a year later with a better average, but stilled failed it. Took it over again in my senior year, after I was married, and had a "B". Different teacher this time. I did well in my math and language classes and great in my physical education classes. Who wouldn't do great in tennis, bowling, softball, and the badminton course. I had many favorite teachers during my 4 1/2 years at Millersville. All were in the IA department. Mr. Kalfka really got me interested in Graphic Arts. I used many of his projects and teaching techniques in my class when I first developed it at Manheim Township High School. Mr. Eshelman, my wood shop teacher, was ancient and got his tie caught in the lathe one day, but I enjoyed working with wood and learned from him. Mr. Kauffman, the metal shop teacher, was scary and enjoy taking student's projects and beating them with a hammer if he didn't like them. I was lucky he liked all mine! Mr. Yard, my Architectural drawing teacher, wore the same tie every day for 4 1/2 years. Wasn't sure if it had polka dots or just so stained from food and drink that it appeared that way. He was very ruff, but seemed to have a tender mood at times. My all-time favorite college teacher though was Mr. Urban Monical. Tall, skinny guy about six foot tall who taught leather, plastics, photography and weaving. Took them all with him. Had an "A" in everyone of them. His classes would have students for all of the areas in them and he would coordinate a class schedule so he would spend 1/2 hour with every group. The guy was amazing. And, he made his own hand-made Christmas cards every year. I exchanged hand-made cards with him for many years, until he was no able to make them. I used most of his lessons and projects in my classes as well as the time scheduling when I had classes with both graphic arts and photography students at the same time. One of the things I learned most from him was how to budget time. My college days weren't as wild as some students, but I still had a great time and met many great friends. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Real Thanksgiving" Story

It was an ordinary day. Saturday after Thanksgiving. We call it the "Real Thanksgiving", since that is when our family get's together to celebrate turkey day. We are having 19 1/2 people at 1:00 PM for dinner. Our son Derek and his family of 3, our daughter Brynn and her family of 4 plus dog, our son Tad, my mom, my brother Steve and his wife as well as his 2 kids and their families which total 8 1/2, and Carol and I. Should add up to 19 1/2. The 1/2 belongs to Steve's daughter Kelly who is pregnant with her third child. Carol stuffed and baked TWO turkeys yesterday in preparation for today. Total of 21.4 pounds of turkey. She also made the candied sweet potatoes. We carved the turkeys yesterday and put them in a roaster oven and popped them in the fridge overnight. This morning we put the turkey on low, put the stuffing in the Crockpot on low, put the sweet potatoes on the BBQ grill on low, and put Ina's corn in the oven. I peeled the potatoes for mashing and we put them on the stove. Carol readies the gravy and warms the rolls and gets out the cranberry sauce. Everything under control!! Our daughter and her husband Dave and kids Courtney and Camille arrived last night and helped set the table this morning. Other started to arrive at 12:30 PM found a spot in front of the TV to watch Penn State play Michigan State. At a little after 1:00 we gathered around the table for our meal. We all pitched in and said our prayer "God is Great" and we were ready for the feast. Went smooth except for the fact that I told everyone to pass the food counter-clockwise. I was told that that was bad luck, but too late at that point. Dessert followed with pumpkin pie, cherry pie, brownies, ice cream and whipped cream. Then the fun started. Doing the dishes. Some dishes can go in the dishwasher, others not. Silverware has to be hand washed. Most everyone knows the routine and they pitch in to clear the table and clean up the kitchen. Plastic containers are filled for those that want to have the same thing for the rest of the week. And then we sit and gossip .... I mean talk! TV features another ball game by now. Dave is a high school football coach in Maryland and seems to have a former player playing in every game on the TV. Penn State linebacker, Nebraska defensive lineman, Maryland noseguard and defensive back, Stanford noseguard, ..... and the list goes on. We cheer for everyone of his players. And then, just like that, everyone goes home, except Brynn and her family who will go back to Maryland tomorrow. Another historical memory in the LDub family. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs from top are: LDub chopping almost 10 pounds of potatoes, Carol working on the gravy and corn (notice the green bowl - 12/11/09 story), LDub emptying one of the turkeys of the stuffing, Courtney finishing the table settings, and my plate full of goodies.

The "They Did That On Purpose" Story

It was an ordinary day. I had just opened the new Dex4 fast acting Glucose tablets for the second time. The first time was a week ago and the container was so smashed that the tablets were no longer tablets, but powder. Carol ordered the Sour Berry tablets and five containers of Sour Apple wafers for our granddaughter Courtney. She has Type 1 diabetes and uses the tablets and wafers to help elevate her blood sugar when it gets too low. It is a constant battle for her to keep her blood sugar regulated. Injections of insulin a few times a day keep it from getting too high, but if for some reason it gets tool low, and this is just as bad as too high, she needs to eat the glucose tablets or wafers to instantly raise the level. The only flavor that Courtney really likes is the Sour Apple and I believe they are stopping the production of that flavor. We looked in numerous Walmart stores, CVS, KMart, Walgreen's and a small drug store near our house. No sour apple!! Carol finally went online and saw the sour apple and purchased quite a few of them. Paid with a credit card. A few hours later we got a call from California. It was the place we had bought the sour apple wafers. Sorry, we were told, but they no longer can get that flavor. So, Carol searched again and found another place that had them, plus this new flavor, Sour Berry. Maybe Courtney will like that. So she ordered the 5 containers of sour apple wafers and one bottle of the Sour Berry bits. The package arrive in a few days and was totally smashed. Luckily the sour apple tubes were OK, but the Sour Berry bits were powder. Called and they said they would replace them. In the mean time we visited with Courtney and she tried the powdered remains of the bits and said they were great. We are awaiting her visit at Thanksgiving to give her the actual undamaged bits. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "My Doctor Has Lots of Good Magazines ...at least he did!" Stories

It was an ordinary day. Just got back from the insurance company that is two blocks from my house. Had to go visit them to take care of my mom's medical supplemental plan. When Carol got home she asked where I got the neat pen in my pocket. "Oh, this pen," I said taking it our of my breast pocket. "Got it at the insurance company. Had to sign some documents and I guess I forgot to give it back to them. It has advertising on it so they probably wanted me to have it," I told her. She said I'm getting like Jerry Seinfeld's parents. They go to the store and steal batteries. If Jerry's father forgets to take them, then his mother will steal them. All old people do that, they reasoned. Just forgot they had them in their pocket. Then Carol said, "And, what about the magazine laying over there?" Seems I went to the dermatologist a few days ago. Had to have my stitches removed from the latest surgery. She removed a facial tumor which required 26 stitches. My appointment was for 1:00 PM and I arrived five minutes early. Checked in and sat in the waiting room. They have tons of magazines and newspapers. Of course, sometimes you have to wait an hour to see the doctor, and there are six doctors in the practice, therefore plenty of patients, and magazines. I had just got started on an article in Web MD about making your home more elderly friendly (that would be me), when the nurse came to get me. Quick today, of course I made sure I would be one of the first after lunch. I took the magazine with me as I followed her. She took me back to an exam room, had me sit in the chair and started to remove the stitches. I heard about three or four snips of the scissors and she said that was it. I questioned her about why it took so little time if there were so many stitches. She told me that I helped her out when I shaved today. Took the rest out myself. Told me to clean my razor when I got home because it probably has plenty of thread in it. As I was leaving, I asked if I could borrow the magazine to finish the article. She looked at me kind of funny, so I told her I would bring it back the next time I came, which was in three months. "You're not supposed to remove them from the office," she said as she winked and nodded to me. Oh, I get it. It's OK to take it she meant. I read the rest of the article when I got home and quite a few more. Pretty neat magazine. Across the top of the magazine states, "The WAITING ROOM COMPANION Created for Your Doctor's Office." "Hey, I'm taking it back," I told Carol when she got home from work and saw it. "Just like all the others that you said you were returning," was her reply. Am I the only one who borrows things and forgets to return them? I don't think so. There are some things that I do take, but I'm sure they expect people to take them. One of the items are the cardboard coasters that they sit drinks on in restaurants and bars. They put the name of their place on it hoping people will take them. Good advertisement for them. I have quite a few of them from our many travels. Same goes for the little bottles of lotion and shampoo that are placed in rooms you stay in on vacation. I always take my own along, so I figure we're just getting even. I paid for them anyway. Now I have never taken a towel from any place I have stayed. At least not intentionally. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Shocking News! Story

It was an ordinary day. Browsing the web, looking at all the different travel forums that I enjoy reading. Opened Traveltalkonline and one of the titles of the threads shocked me! It read "Gwen's in Anguilla - Fire! Anguilla is an English island off the coast of St. Martin. Has some of the best beaches in the world on it. Shoal Bay East is considered my some as the best beach in the world. Along that stretch of sand are a few beach bars or restaurants. Uncle Ernie's is there as so is Gwen's Raggae Grill. We ate at Gwen's on two of the day trips we made to the island. Brightly painted with yellows and turquoise colors. Beautiful view as you had your lunch and after you could relax in one of the hammocks that hung from the palm trees in front of the restaurant. Well, after viewing the photos that accompanied the thread story, Gwen's is no longer there. Burned to the ground. Seems that a propane tank used for cooking exploded and burnt the structure to the ground. Luckily no one was hurt in the fire. On an island such as this I often wondered what would happen if a structure caught fire. After seeing the condition of most of the emergency vehicles, I wondered if the fire company could get to a fire quickly and have the right equipment to extinguish the fire. In Gwen's case, the structure was all wood and probably very old and no fire company could have prevented it from burning to the ground. Luckily, most buildings are now made entirely of concrete or cement block, so little to burn but the contents. We will miss the old Gwen's. I'm sure that by the time we get there again, a new Gwen's will take it's place. And the hammocks will still sway in the Caribbean breezes. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The " Black Friday of '83" Story

It was an ordinary day. Getting up early to head to Service Merchandise to help Santa buy a Christmas present for our daughter Brynn. She has her heart set on a Cabbage Patch doll. We searched and searched and couldn't find one. Then we saw the ad for Service Merchandise. We also read that the store will have a limited quantity and you can get one if you get there when the store opens at 7:00 AM on Black Friday. 7:00 AM seemed like an outrageous time since the store generally didn't open until 10:00 AM. Well, I got out of bed at 6:00 AM and headed directly to the store. It was still dark. Shopping for a Christmas gift in the early morning hours is crazy. Can't imagine many people doing that. Was the 10th or 11th person in line and knew I was going to get a doll. At 6:45 AM they opened the door and told everyone they were sorry, but they only had a dozen or so dolls available. The moaning began in the back of the line which I couldn't see by now. At 7:00 the doors opened and I hustled in with the rest of the crowd. I had no idea where the dolls were located in the store, but I figured I better follow the rest of the crowd. There they were! A big stack of them. I grabbed two of them and headed to the checkout. Others saw that I had two and weren't happy with me, but hey, I was in line before they were. Headed home and snuck them in the door. Carol was surprised to see me back so early. Shortly after she got up she called her friend Margaret to tell her that we had a doll for her. Her daughter was the same age as our daughter and also wanted a Cabbage Patch doll. We picked out the one that we like the best and gave Marg the other one. That Christmas "Lauren" became the newest member of LDub's family and I had my first and only story to share with you about shopping on Black Friday. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Artists of the World" Story

It was an ordinary day. The "ding" of my computer caught my attention. Another incoming email. This one telling me that Henderson Reece just left me a message on my Facebook page. Checked my Facebook account and sure enough, there was a greeting from Henderson. Henderson is listed under my "Likes" category on my Facebook page. Carol and I met Henderson in 2008 when we traveled to Barbados in the Caribbean. His business is called Batik Art, Barbados. To Henderson, his art is his delight in what he sees and feels, and he attempts to portray his feelings through his art. This last sentence was taken right off his Batik Art Barbados Facebook page. While on the island Carol and I bought one of his beautiful batik art pieces. Batik is made using this procedure:

Melted wax (Javanese: malam) is applied to clot

h before being dipped in dye. It is common for people to use a mixture of beeswax and paraffin wax. The bees wax will hold to the fabric and the paraffin wax will allow cracking, which is a characteristic of batik. Where ever the wax has seeped through the fabric, the

dye will not penetrate. Sometimes, several colors are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps. Thin wax lines are made with a canting, a wooden handled tool with atiny metal cup with a tiny spout, out of which the wax seeps. After the last dyeing, the fabric is hung up to dry. Then it is dipped in a solventto dissolve the wax, or ironed between paper towels or newspapers to absorb the wax and reveal the deep rich colors and thefine crinkle lines that give batik its character. This traditional method of batik making is called batik tulis.

Henderson's artwork depicts his life in Barbados. BeautifulCaribbean scenes in bright colors. His Facebook page lists one customer after another who love his work. There is a photo of Carol and I holding our artwork in his shop. I recently emailed him telling him that we may visit beautiful Barbados in another year. I told he we will be sure to stop to say "Hi" to

him when we arrive. Carol and I have pur

chased artwork from many artists on our trips we take. We have a 3'x5' fabric painting of fish and shells from Hawaii painted by Hettie hanging in our living room. We saw her work and told h

er what we would like and she mailed it to us after we returned home. We have a large acrylic on fabric by Lisa that she

painted for us of a beach scene in St. Martin. We have a seaside watercolor by Antoine Chapon and two watercolor prints by Minguet. But, my favorite is a giclee print of a house in Grand Case, St. Martin painted by Paul Elliott. Truly soft pastel Caribbean colors. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - photosfrom the top are: sample of Henderson Reece's batiks, next photo is from his Facebook page showing a customers' work, Carol and I with Henderson at his studio in Barbados and Carol and I with Paul Elliott in St. Martin.

The "It's Gallery Time" Story

It was an ordinary day. Sunday, 6:00 PM. Park City, the local huge shopping mall, has just closed for the day. Time to set up Grebinger Gallery. Since I started working part-time for Keith at the Gallery in 1999, he has always had a Christmas holiday kiosk at Park City except for last year. Keith was a former student and yearbook photographer at MTHS. For a few years it was a rented kiosk and then the two of us built a large display unit. On each corner of the display we had an 8 foot tall, 4 foot square, hollow unit on rollers that was covered with indoor/outdoor carpet. It was hollow so we could store the extra photos in it. Between the units were carpeted display panels that held more photos. Pretty neat display, but took forever to assemble in an evening. After assembly I would have to put spotlights all around the display. Last year for the first time Keith and his wife Cindy decided not to participate at Park City. The cost of renting the space was growing so high that you needed to sell a tremendous amount of photos just to pay for the rent. Just kept the Gallery in Neffsville open over the Christmas holidays. Well, this year Keith and Cindy decided that they had so much stock from previous years in storage that they would open a much smaller space and try to sell off the stock they had on hand. Keith and about 10 of his friends loaded the carpeted display panels in a rented truck along with the hundreds of photos he has and headed to Park City. I met him there at 6:00 and we began setting up the display. In three hours it was complete except for hanging about one half of the photos. That could wait until early Monday morning. Display looks great, but much smaller. Hoping with reduced prices to sell the majority of the framed prints we have been accumulating for quite a few years. Time will tell. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Photos from the top are: LDub fastening photos to the carpeted display panels at about 11:00 PM, display when just about finished at 9:00 AM the next morning, and early morning before the customers have arrived.

The "Pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving" Story

It was an ordinary day. Thanksgiving in real time. Was up at 6:00 AM. Not to get the turkey in the oven, but to head to school to print the program for the high school football banquet which is next week. It seems it's tough to get in the school and find an open copier to do the job. The program is run on 11"x17" paper and has 20 pages. Very few photos so I just run it on the copier. Have to fold, assemble and trim it. Back home by 10:00 AM with the program finished. Dinner today will be at ourdaughter-in-law's (Barb) mother's house. They have been gracious enough to invite us for the lastfew years. Our daughter lives in Maryland and is having dinner at her house for her in-laws and family. They will arrive Friday evening and we will celebrate Thanksgiving at our house on Saturday with 17 people. We were supposed to pick up my mom at theretirement home where she resides, but got a call shortly after I got home from school telling us she didn't think she wanted to go out in the rain today. I've learned over the past few years that it is better to say OK than to try to convince her that she will have fun if she goes. Years ago Carol's grandmother, Mom-Mom, came to our house for Thanksgiving. She didn't want to, but Carol's dad insisted that his mother come. Fine with us, since he had to convince her and pick her up from her apartment in Lancaster. She was fine until our plates were full of turkey and stuffing, and then sheTHREW UP all over her plate! Reallygross!! Had to clean up the mess, Carol's dad had to take her home, and we had to try to get back to eating with the smell of throw-up in the dining room. Fun Thanksgiving! That's why I don't push my mom to attend if she doesn't want to. Left for our daughter-in-law's mom's (Etta and Bill) house at 12:30 PM for the 1:30 PM dinner. They live in Elizabethtown which is a half hour away. Taking along small loaves of Carol's famous pumpkin bread and a few large loaves for dinner. Barb had told us that we had a pre-dinner show which would include her mom playing the bells, gathering for a song, a reading, and sharing what we are thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day. There were 15 in attendance. We arrived shortly after 1:00 PM and found we had just missed the bell songs. Didn't miss the other pre-dinner activities, though. Everyone was thankful for familyand friends with a few travel thank-you's thrown in. Time to eat. The traditional dishes were on the table along with somewhat nontraditional fare of deviled eggs, sausage stuffing, pickled beets and pretzel fluff. Dessert was your usual pumpkin and apple pie along with small individual cheesecakes in honor of Bill who was celebrating his birthday. I wasn't the oldest one there I found out. Not even the second oldest. A little bit of conversation and TV followed before we headed home. When we got home Carol found she had a text message from our daughter Brynn in Maryland. Seems our granddaughter Courtney, who has Juvenile Diabetes, had been ill in the morning and became dehydrated so Brynn and our son-in-law Dave took her to the Frederick Hospital's emergency room where they tested her and immediately placed an IV in her arm to give her fluids. This happened while she was preparing for over 20 people today for her 1st Thanksgiving dinner ever. The guests pitched in to help while mom and dad took Courtney to the hospital. Brynn was now home to take over the dinner and Dave is staying with Courtney, who hopefully will be home by dinner so she won't miss the turkey. As I'm finishing my story for the day at 7:00 PM, Carol is baking 2 cherry pies for our Saturday Thanksgiving at our house and we are awaiting a call from Maryland with hopefully some good news. We need one more thing today to be thankful for today. It was an extraordinary day in the life ofan ordinary guy. PS - pixs from top are: Carols pumpkin bread, Etta's bells, Etta playing our sing along song, the dinner table (with the hats it almost looks like Christmas), Bill celebrating by blowing out the candles on the cheesecake and Carol's all-time great cherry pies.

The "I Knew I Shouldn't Have Thrown That Out" Story

It was an ordinary day. I just picked up the paper in my drive and was walking into the house to sit and read it. I noticed through the orange plastic wrapper covering the paper the headline, "New owners will reopen Log Cabin". The Log Cabin Restaurant was a Lancaster County landmark and a favorite restaurant of many people in the area for over 50 years. In 2008 Charles DiSantis, the owner, closed the doors of the popular place. It was reported in the local paper that it closed because the main road to the Log Cabin passed over a small creek and to cross the creek you had to traverse a wooden bridge. The bridge was in bad repair and it was going to be removed and replaced with a permanent structure. A time consuming job and the restaurant would suffer for quite some time. So, the owner decided instead to close the restaurant. It was eventually put up for sale, but with little success. It was purchased recently at public auction by two couples for $610,000. One of the couples, Linda and David Eshelman met while employees at the Log Cabin. After marriage they opened another restaurant, but when The Log Cabin became available at public auction, they knew they had to buy it. I'm anxiously awaiting the opening in April. New Year's Eve, 2007, was the last time Carol and I ate there. We went with our friends Pat and Dale for a meal at 9:00 PM New Year's Eve. The place was packed and they were not prepared for the amount of people. The order took for ever to arrive and when it did, the food was cold. A very forgettable evening at one of Lancaster County's finest restaurants. I was so upset with my experience that I emailed them and told them how disappointed I was with my visit. I promptly got a very nice letter in the mail telling me how sorry they were for what I experienced. They gave their reasons, but did say that it didn't excuse how I felt. They were nice enough to include a gift card for another meal. I put the gift card aside to be used for a special occasion. And then I found the perfect occasion to use it. Our 41st wedding anniversary was arriving in early summer and Carol and I would celebrate at the Log Cabin. And wouldn't you know it, just before our anniversary arrived they closed. We were very disappointed, to say the least. I never dug the card out to throw it away until ..... last week. Yep!! Can you believe it? I threw out 3 old gift cards because the places had closed. I sure hope I don't read that the other 2 places are re-opening soon. I'd really be upset then. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "School Daze: Part 1" Story

It was an ordinary day. Checking out my high school yearbook. My graduating class recently held a meeting to discuss our upcoming 50th year reunion. 50 YEARS!! Holy cow, how old am I? Started to look through the book at the photos of the senior class. I remember most of them, but probably wouldn't recognize quite a few of them if I was standing next to them. I'm sure many would not recognize me. I grew a few inches taller, put on a few pounds and lost all my hair from the photo in the yearbook. Then I hit the faculty section of the yearbook and wondered how many of these people are still alive. I know my history teacher, Mr. Hoover is still alive and looks pretty close to his photo in the book. He was in his first year of teaching when I was a senior. He comes to breakfast every so often when the retired teachers eat together. You see, I went back to my Alma mater to teach after graduating from college. I got to teach with many of the same people who taught me. It was awkward at first, but I became good friends with most of them. And now I am part of the retired group who have breakfast once a month. As I start looking again, there is yet another member of my breakfast club, Mr. Hower. He was a math teacher who became principal after I graduated and was my boss for almost 30 years. Still do printing jobs for him. He is secretary of the PIAA (PA Athletic Asso.) and has me do the printing for him. Back to the yearbook. There is "Sheena", my homeroom and French teacher. Miss Nolan looked like Shenna, queen of the jungle. Tall, gorgeous, and blond. And, a photo of Miss Hauck who was my 9th grade math teacher. Used to hit me across the hands with a ruler if I made mistakes. Lucky for me she retired before I came back to teach. Ah, there's a pix of "Warpy" , my gym teacher for 4 years. Never quite sure how he got that name, but he was hated by many. After teaching with Mr. Lewars for a few years, I got to know the other side of him. There's Mr. Miller, one of my favorite teachers. He was my art teacher and occupied the room next to me when I started teaching. Mr. Ehemann was my shop teacher and the reason I got my job at MT after graduating from college. He coached my brother Steve in basketball and really like him. My brother convinced him that I should have a job in the Industrial Arts shop with him. Mrs. Gehman was the high school secretary and after I started teaching I realized how important she was to the school. I printed the graduation programs for years and one year had to redo it 3 times because she kept making mistakes in proofreading. As I was printing it for the third time at 6:00 AM the day of graduation, she brought me breakfast for helping her so many times. Things you remember!! Mr. Robinson, who is another breakfast member and has to be close to 90 years olds, liked to paddle kids. Kept a tally on the corner of the chalkboard. I was never a member of his list, luckily! Mr. Lewis was my favorite math teacher. Limped, walked with a cane and made me love math. I wanted to be a math teacher, but got talked into Industrial Arts, because they would instantly admit me to Millersville State Teachers College. IA teachers were in demand at the time. And finally, Dean who was a shop teacher when I was a student and became close friends when I returned to work with him. He was my department chairman. Dean still has a Christmas Tree stand. Raises all of them himself and still throws the trees on top of cars even though he has to be more than 10 years older than me. Don't know how he does it! Well, time to check out my friends in the underclass section. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs from the top are left: Mr. Hoover and Mr. Hower, Miss Nolan, Miss Hauck, Left: Mr. Lewars and Mr. Miller, Mr. Ehemann, Mrs. Gehman, Mr. Robinson, and left: Mr. Lemon and Mr. Lewis.