The "Tournament Time For Our Grandson" Story

The field at "In The Net" Sports Complex.  In left field is a tall
black wall that reminded me of the wall in Boston.  Click to enlarge.

It was an ordinary day.  Second day of a week-end baseball tournament held in Palmyra, Pennsylvania at the "In The Net" Sports Complex.  My grandson Caden is part of an All-Star team from Lancaster, Pennsylvania that was entered in the tournament that also featured teams from Maryland and New Jersey.  The tournament was for players 13 years of age and under and was held after most other leagues had finished for the summer.  It was a two day affair with the first day used to "seed" the teams and the second day used for a "lose one game and you are out."  The fields that were used were regulation 90 foot basepath fields; same size as major league baseball.  

Caden takes the throw to make an out at 1st base.

Caden spent the entire year playing on a field that had 75 foot basepaths with a pitching rubber set at 54 feet from home plate.  For the tournament the pitching rubber was 60 feet 6 inches or 6 feet, 6 inches further from homeplate.  Quite an adjustment to make when you are playing against other teams that have used the longer distance all summer.  Caden was selected as a thirdbaseman, firstbaseman and a pitcher for the team known as the "Slingers".  The first game was Saturday morning and one of Caden's teammates this past summer started the game, but yielded to Caden in the second inning.  Caden pitched the third, but was replaced by another boy the next inning.  

Caden started the second game of the day on the mound.

Players at times are saved for later games since they may throw only a certain amount of pitches to prevent their arms from being over- worked.  The Slingers lost the game 7-6.  The second game was to be in the afternoon so Carol and I headed to a restaurant for lunch and a drive around Hummelstown, PA where the first day's games were played.  We made a visit to the Indian Echo Cavern to see what it was and decided to make a trip back with friends on another day.  Arrived back at the field and watched Caden's team win by over 10 runs.  He got to play 1st base and 3rd base for most of the game and had a few hits in the big win.  Today we arrived in Palmyra just as the game was to begin.  Caden was playing 1st base to start the game and again was moved to 3rd base during the game.  

Caden drives the ball to the right-center field fence to
drive in a few runs in the second game of the day.

He drove in a few runs with a blast to the fence in right-center which was about 370 feet from home plate.  The team won and proceeded to the semi-finals two hours later.  Caden started on the mound and pitched three innings leaving after giving up 1 unearned run.  The game went back and forth and the Slingers lost 4-3 to be eliminated from the tournament.  He got to meet and play with a great bunch of young men who will end up playing against one another next year in the 14 and under age level bracket in Lancaster County, PA.  And...they will once again go back to the 75 foot basepaths and shorter distance from the mound to home plate.  Since all the boys will be taller, weigh more and be more skilled, the competition should be more intense.  Caden is hoping to be on a team that may win the local end-of-the-year tournament and perhaps play once again on an All-Star team as he did this year.  I'm sure Carol and I will be in attendance at most of his games cheering him and his team to victory. Thank God for Grandkids!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Riding His Mower To Scheetz" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My friend from State College, Pennsylvania, Jere, and his wife Sue, had been visiting for the weekend.  Spent the day yesterday walking around Chesapeake City, Maryland before having a meal at the Chesapeake Inn.  Spent the evening talking about our lives and headed to bed early.  Jere and I have been lifetime friends who met in 1st grade at Milton J. Brecht Elementary School in Manheim Township.  We quickly learned we lived close to each other and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.  While waiting for our spouses to get out of bed this morning we spent some time looking at the local Sunday News and watching TV.  As I was channel surfing I came upon one of our favorite TV shows, "Mysteries at the Museum" which stars Don Wildman who is quickly becoming a star on documentary television.  The show takes you across the United States, exploring the vaults of our nation's museums.  Some of the most interesting events and most unusual items are viewed and talked about at length during the hour-long show.  

The library scrapbook depicting the trip across
two states for a visit by the Straight brothers.

Today we visited the Lauren, Iowa Public Library on Third Street were we found a big scrapbook of newspaper clippings and photos that talked about a 73 year old fellow by the name of Alvin Straight who had not seen his estranged brother for many years.  His brother, who lived in Mount Zion, Wisconsin, was in poor health and not expected to live long.  So, Alvin sets out on a journey across Iowa and Wisconsin to find his brother before he passes so he can make amends with him.  Naturally, all this is documented in the scrap book at the library.  Jere and I sat there amazed at the story of Alvin Straight as it unfolded in front of us on the TV screen.  

The trip from Laurens to Mount Zion.

Alvin was a diabetic who also suffered from emphysema from years of smoking.  He managed to live on Social Security, but no longer had a driver's license since his eyesight was bad.  

Alvin on his riding mower with trailer.

So, he decided to make the trip on his riding mower, towing a trailer behind him to carry his gear.  His tale is not only told in the library journal, but as a book and movie also titled "the Straight Story."  My story today is not to tell you about the TV show Jere and I had watched, but about what happened after the show ended.  As we sat talking, I looked at Jere and began to devise a plan to get him to his local Scheetz Gas Station every morning, as he used to do, for a cup of coffee.  Jere has had vision problems for many years and is now not supposed to drive...a car...anymore.  Nothing had ever been said about not driving a riding mover!  His dear wife, Sue, does drive him to Scheetz quite often, but she wouldn't have to be inconvenienced every day by getting up at 6:00 am to drive him to get a cup of coffee.  

The cover of the book which was also
made into a movie of the same name.

He could hop on his riding mower, head the 100 yards to the corner intersection, cross with the light and drive the remaining two blocks along the walk to the Scheetz.  Problem solved!!  We looked at each other and I could see the wheels turning in his head just like the guy who had to drive across state lines to see his dying brother.  That morning, after breakfast, Jere and Sue returned to State College as always.  But, I just know that sometime in the future I'll get a call from him telling me about this trip he took to Scheetz on his riding mover.  And, I'm sure Sue will have to start a scrapbook to document the trip. Someday on TV someone will be listening to Don Wilder's son telling the story about "the Herr story"!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "I Pooed, I Pooed!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Yelled to my wife from the first-floor bathroom, "I pooed. I pooed!!"  The last time I remember screaming the same words from the bathroom was over 70 years ago when I did much the same thing after going to the bathroom for the first time in the potty-chair rather than in my diaper.  The excitement couldn't have been any greater than it was today, for you see I was having a problem passing anything excepts liquids for over a week.  Main reason was I was only taking in liquids.  I had no appetite and was eating very little.  And, most of the fluids I was getting were from the IV bag running to my arm next to the hospital bed I had occupied for three days after suffering through my 4th back operation.  The sip of cold water and ice chips I was offered did help somewhat.  I ate next to nothing while in the hospital and it was much the same thing after returning home.  About 7 days after my last solid food at a restaurant in the neighboring village known as Mount Gretna, I knew I had to at least try to eat once again.  But, that wasn't until Sunday, August 12, when nearly a week after my last meal when I had cherry baked oatmeal for breakfast, a dessert for lunch and Carol's famous Spam, Mac & Cheese with stewed tomatoes for our evening meal.  Within a few minutes I could feel something churning and it wasn't long after that I began my parade of gas trips to the downstairs bathroom.  But, nothing solid was on the move.  Carol suggested a laxative, but I told her I had already consumed an entire bottle of stool softeners and my problem was that I had nothing in me to come out.  The week of heavy pain meds certainly didn't help either.  And then...on another suspected gas trip to the bathroom, it happened.  

And, boy did it happen.  I yelled to Carol to get the plunger for it seems I had stopped up the toilet!  She was more than happy to open the line and get me back to normal once again.  Now, I just need to continue to eat to keep the cycle going.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Help...I Need Somebody, Help...Not Just Anybody! - Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The nurse in the cubicle next to me was asking the fellow in his early 90s if he wanted to wear his leg with the sneaker or the leg with the dress shoe.  I'm thinking...just give him one...please, just give him one...all he has to do is sit on the pot and take a crap!  It was the same thing at least half a dozen times every day and every night.  And then the clean-up followed.  And to top that off, all the food he was eating was going down the wrong tube in his throat which lead to terrible coughing and spitting.  All day and all night.   At least by the afternoon of the third day they had figured out why it was happening and corrected it.  The poor guy had been in an automobile accident and since he had not been wearing his seat belt, suffered quite a few injuries.  Luckily the gal and her young daughter who were in the other car were not injured seriously, at least according to all the family members who came to visit him.  And, I mean ALL the family members.  And...he had a BIG family.  Many of them stopped to wish me well, but all I wanted to do was sleep, since I had little chance to do so during most of my time in room 7903.  After two nights of the torture I begged the poor nurse to let me go home.  She said I still had a catheter in me and I couldn't leave.  "I'll pull it out if I can go home," I said to her.  "Please, just pull it out!!"  And then, a short time later, it happened...she pulled it out!!!  She had checked and the doctor had told her that if I could pee on my own I could go home.  She did tell me that it may take half a day or more for me to be able to pee, but at least I would be home for bedtime.  It was 8:30 AM when she released the catheter and within two minutes I was in the restroom tying to pee.  A minute later I brought out a plastic cup I had found in the bathroom that had about a half inch of alleged clear urine in it.  She looked at me suspiciously, and called the doctor.  He too must have been suspicious since he ordered a scan to see if I still had anything in my bladder.  The nurse held up the scanning device and said, "I just don't know how you did that.  You have nothing in your bladder.  Start packing!"  I had just had half-a-day of back surgery, but there was no way possible I was staying any longer in that hell-hole of a room.  Now, I must admit that I had all the nurses on my side after seeing what I was going though, but the nurse was still amazed.  She told me to call my wife, get dressed and she would take care of the paper-work as quickly as possible.  For anyone reading this you know how long that can take, but by 11:00 am I was at home watching "The Price is Right."  All I can say is my nurse was a real sweetheart.  I know their job is hard, especially with having to put up with patients like be, but she really was trying to help me get out of one really miserable position.  And, boy, did I appreciate it.  "Thank you dear from the bottom of my heart!!"  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - And, one last time...the Beatles with "Help!" I sure needed it!!
   

The "Help...I Need Somebody, Help...Not Just Anybody! - Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Nurse Paul has just made another entry into my online chart that is visible in the computer in front of me.  Paul is listed as the head nurse while John is listed as the assistant nurse on the chart.  Two other assistants, Ringo and George are also listed on the chart in front of me.  These four gentlemen have been assisting me with my recent back surgery known this time as Posterolateral Fusion.  It consists of placing a grafting bone between the transverse processes of the two vertebrae to be fused in the back of the spine.  The transverse process is located on the top side of the vertebra.  To perform a fusion, bone graft must be used.  This may be taken from the pelvis/hip area by my surgeon, Dr. Keith Kuhlengel, with help from is assistant Sandra Moffitt from Lancaster Neuroscience & Spine Associates.  I attempt to learn everything necessary for my surgery, but the professionals are the ones who carryout the procedure and are the ones I trust with my life.  Additional cadaver bone may be obtained from the bone bank or bone graft substitutes (such as hydroxyapatite) may be used.  The advantages and disadvantages of these different options have been discussed and I've heard them call the procedure a few other names as well, but I'm almost positive these names aren't official names for the procedure.  Throughout the procedure, diet, brace structure activity, wound care and pain management are all discussed with me.  Yesterday a staff of one female nurse and a few female assistants were performing the same duties as what the gentlemen are doing today.  The female staff was much better looking and their hands were much more gentle than the staff today, but their names weren't as interesting as the group today.  Now, I must admit that I added the "Ringo" name, but the other three names were exactly as I have typed them.  When I first saw Paul, John and George, I knew exactly who was missing.  It was over 60 years ago that four guys with the same names made a tour of the USA and captured many awards for their musical talents.  Today these fellows in front of me are capturing my attention for the talents they are performing on me.  I'm almost sure that today's Paul can't sing as well as Sir Paul McCartney, but I'm equally sure that Sir Paul can't change a catheter or an I/V drip with the skill of the handsome young man in front of me today.  Whether you list either group as John, Paul, Ringo and George or Paul, John, George and Ringo, you still come up with the same names and the same talents; whether it be today or back in the 1960s.  My today Paul knows what he is doing and I trust his skilled hands and knowledge with my life.  Just as with my first three back surgeries, medical technology has advanced past my wildest dreams and imaginations.  The pain pills are much stronger and have to be controlled well, but these guys and gals are doing a great job.  Soon I will see the results of what has been done and will share it with you.  Until then, I'll just sit back, allow the Oxycodone-Acetaminopheh 5-325 to take affect and  listen to the music....It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "As Time Goes On..." Story

It was an ordinary day.  No...Wait!  Certainly isn't ordinary!!  I kept telling people I would return from my fourth back surgery just as quickly as I returned from my first three.  They told me that I'm now older and that my body can't take the same pain and suffering that it once did.  Boy, where they right.  I can't even find a comfortable position to sit and type.  Maybe it was the fall I took last night when I forgot to turn on the light in the middle-room bedroom and fell against the wall, slipping into the chair that broke my fall.  So glad I put that chair there years ago.  I just knew back then that someone would fall in that room and the chair would block their fall.  Little did I know it would be me.  See, Jere, there really was a reason for that chair in that spot.  And the soft bedspread that was thrown on top of it was also a really neat idea.  Why didn't I think of that when I did it a few days ago.  So, I told my wife about my fall as we sat around the TV this morning.  "What, I can't believe you didn't hear it!" I said to her.  She never sleeps that soundly when we sleep together.  "Well, did you hurt yourself?" she asked me.  "Were you wearing your brace like you were supposed to be doing?"  "I fell because it was dark and for some stupid reason I forgot to turn on the lights.  Therefore I couldn't find my brace," I responded.  "But, you know, as I fell into the chair, that really was my first thought...that I forgot to put on my brace.  And then, when I hit the soft comforter, I was so glad it was there."  Well, I could go on and on, but I still haven't found a comfortable position...so I will stop typing and find a place to lay down.  It was another extraordiary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Most Expensive Disease In America" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Getting my breakfast when all of a sudden I realized I needed a dish for my cereal.  Took me a second or two before I remembered which cabinet held the bowls.  Reached for the bowl and closed the door.  Then it struck me.  Why did I have to think that extra second or two for something that I reached for most every morning.  Is something wrong with me?  Filled the bowl with cereal and milk and sat down on my recliner to watch channel 847, Philadelphia Sports.  So, is it time to reevaluate my health and the fact that I turned 70 a few years ago?  Opened my MacBook Air and began to read my emails as I ate my cereal and listened to how the Phillies did yesterday.  Yes, I can still do three things at the same time!  Haven't lost it yet...I hope.  As I checked my email I came upon an email titled: "These 9 behaviors could cut your dementia risk by 35 percent".  Wow, talk about timing.  Must have been a reason why I opened my email no more than five minutes after my few seconds of forgetfulness and found this posting.  Began reading it and realized that just about every one of the 9 behaviors I have under control.  Only one that I knew I had to correct, but my health just wasn't cooperating at the moment.  So what are the things I can do to help prevent, or at least slow down, my chances of getting dementia.  First of all, dementia is how we describe symptoms that impact memory and lead to a decline in cognitive performance in our daily lives.  Yep, that couple of seconds longer it took me to remember where the bowls were located might be a starting point.  The most common cause of dementia is the brain disorder known as Alzheimer's.  There are 47 million people currently living with dementia which includes about 5 million Americans.  It is the most expensive disease costing close to $215 BILLION per year.  That's more than double that of cancer or heart disease.  And worst of all...it takes just as big a toll on the caregivers of those who suffer from dementia.  In a little over 30 more years the number of people with dementia is expected to triple.  How depressing is that!  But, there is some good news.  Leading medical guys and gals got together and came up with 9 ways to cut my risk of getting dementia.  I guess you realize that the older you get, the greater the chance is that you will develop dementia, so here are the nine things that the medical people recommend that you do to slow down your chances of developing dementia.  

1. Have your hearing checked and get hearing aides if you need one.  Hearing loss, even mild hearing loss, can be a big reason that people develop dementia.  If you can't hear your brain begins to shrink which is a direct cause of dementia.  Hearing aides reduces that risk.
2. Never stop learning since "cognitive reserve", or a person's resistance to assaults on the brain, is necessary to stave off dementia.  The higher your education level, the less likely you will develop dementia.  
3. Stop smoking since it degrades cardiovascular health.
4. If depressed, seek out treatment to help lower your dementia risk.
5. Manage your high blood pressure to reduce your risk of neurodegeneration which contributes to dementia.
6. Try not to be socially isolated.  It is said that you need a cognitively enriched environment to keep the brain in good health and you get that enrichment by socializing.
7. One of the biggest causes of brain damage is obesity since it is linked with reduced blood flow to the brain which leads to dementia.  Try to maintain a healthy body weight.
8. Keep your blood sugar in check.  Having too much sugar in your blood stream means more sugar in your organs including your brain.  That will lead to dementia.  Needless to say, those with diabetes need to carefully monitor their blood sugar.
9. Finally, exercise, since it is believed that to protect your brain you need to be active which cuts vascular risk and increases the growth of nerve cells that are related to memory.

I tend to fall short in the exercise category, probably due to my bad back which hurts the more active I am.  Now, this list is just the beginning.  More research is being done to better understand the causes of dementia.  Only problem so far is that the biggest dementia risk, age, is inescapable.  When they can slow down aging, they will solve the problem.  Don't see that happening in my lifetime.  For now, I just have to hope I can find the bowls in the morning for my cereal and in the evening for my ice cream. Hey, start working on your list!   It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Deep, Dark World Of LDub" Story

Foreword:  I feel like I've left you down.  It's been years since I missed posting a story on two consecutive days.  So what's up?  Seems I've had my fourth back operation.  I will return to my surgeon next week and at that time will tell you what he had to do to try and stop the numbness in both my left leg and foot and my right foot.  So, for now, you will have to read stories I wrote in preparation for my surgery.

It was an ordinary day.  Checking the stats and comments that are part of the Blogspot website.  Whenever I care to, I can see how many readers I might have during a day or see the comments that people may leave on any of the stories I have written during the past 8 years.  What I enjoy looking at the most are the Pageviews by Countries that tell which countries may be visiting my blog and how many there might be each day.  It was about two years ago that I had quite a few visitors from Russia on a daily basis.  It was about the same time that there was a big stink that the Russians were meddling in our Presidential election.  

One of the pages I can view on Blogspot.  This
page shows how many visits I had on a specific day.
It amazes me all the different countries that visit
on any particular day.  At times I have to look up
where the country is located on a map.

I had a few hundred Russians reading my blog that had nothing to do with anything political.  At least that's what I thought.  But, as soon as the election had taken place, the readers stopped visiting.  Well, it has begun once again.  Yesterday I had 503 Russian visitors and the day before it was about half that number.  This morning's newspaper had a story telling that Facebook recently revealed that Russian meddlers produced approximately 800,000 posts between June 2015 and August 2017.  Not that big a number in the total realm of things, but still a number that caused concern.  Most of those posts were to spread misinformation, especially in swing states.  In my home state of Pennsylvania as well as Wisconsin and Michigan, only 107,000 votes would have been enough to have changed the result of the Presidential election.  Facebook estimated that more than 70 million users were exposed to Russian propaganda.  Now, what does that have to do with my blog?  Absolutely nothing, I guess!  Or does it?  What should I do?  Call the local police?  Call the FBI pr CIA.  And, how does one go about doing that?  And, should I care?  I'm at a loss as to why the Russians all of a sudden have returned to reading my blog.  Could they be practicing their English?  Are they just interested in the local culture and the Amish and Mennonites that live in Lancaster, or are they searching for something hidden in my story that I'm not aware of?  I guess I'll see how far this goes and if they continue to visit my blog until the mid-term election.  Maybe the deep, dark world of LDub will be exposed soon!  Time will tell.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "We Call Him Big Bob!" Story

Big Bob

It was an ordinary day.  Carol opened the back door and called out, "Big Bob, time for breakfast!!"  After a few minutes she does it again.  And, again!  "No Big Bob today," she says to me.  "Someone else has a better breakfast than we do I guess."   Big Bob is a big tabby who looks to be ancient.  He has survived winter after winter and although he really shows his age, still seems to show up when he is hungry.  We guess that he has quite a few offspring in the surrounding area with our most recent addition, "Snickerdoodle" being one of them.  And, when we also claimed "The Gray Lady" from our back porch last January, she was found to have six kittens in her when we had her spayed.  Our guess was that Big Bob was the culprit who impregnated her.  But, Big Bob looks helpless as well as hopeless.  

Breakfast on the rear step.  He very seldom takes his eye from us.

The poor guy wanders from home to home looking for a handout.  We think he makes use of the small shelter we have at the top of our rear steps or maybe the insulated shelter I built years ago in the rear of out outdoor Tiki Hut.  One day, recently, Big Boy walked down our rear steps to eat the food we had put out for him and rather than sit next to the dish, stretched from the step above to reach the dish.  

Eating on two steps.  He makes everything hard.

For those of you who do not like cats, you just wouldn't understand why we continue to feed this old guy, but we hate to see him die of starvation.  There are others on our street who feel the same, but also those who hate that we feed him.  I can see both sides of the equation, but just can't bring myself to leave a starving cat without something to eat.  When he needs a meal, he will sit on the steps and stare at the back door.  Upon seeing us opening the door, he scurries to cover under the trees above him, only returning to the food dish when he hears the door close and the lock click.  He hasn't lived this long without being careful.  

He does groom himself at times.

Some day the weather will get him or someone will trap him, but until that time we will call out for him.  He is one of God's creatures just as the two indoor cats that we have claimed from out back porch.  He could possibly be the father of one or both of them!  So, when he sits starring at the back door, we will open the door and yell, "Time to eat, Big Bob!"  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Age Of The Soda Fountain Jerk" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading that the American soda fountain shop and the profession of being a "soda jerk" came about in 1874 with the invention of the ice cream soda.  Ice cream became an edible morale symbol during WWII when each branch of the military tried to outdo the other in serving ice cream to its troops.  Then in 1945 the first "floating ice cream parlor" was built for sailors in the western Pacific.  Finally the war ended and dairy product rationing ended.  America could once again celebrate its victory by serving ice cream.  A "soda jerk" was someone who worked at a soda fountain and used to swing the soda fountain handle back and forth when adding soda water to a fountain beverage.  They prepared milkshakes and other treats using drink mixers that feature spindles and agitators to fold air in for smooth and fluffy results served in tall glasses.  Soda Jerks were charged not only with preparing delicious treats, but with entertaining them as well.  I can remember a few of the soda jerks who worked the counter at the Lancaster Train Station in the 1950s and 1960s.  They seemed to have a knack of putting on a show as they made ice cream sodas for the customers.  I can still remember sitting at the counter and hoping a customer would come in and order an ice cream soda so I could sit and watch the soda jerk make one of the special treats they offered.  As for me, I was happy to sit on the round stool with my cherry coke and spin around until I was told to drink the coke and get out of the place.  

The soda fountain at the Lancaster Train Station.  It still
remains, but doesn't look like this anymore.

I recently read about the soda jerk lingo that was used as shorthand for calling out orders at many soda fountains.  Lingo such as:  Black (cola), Bottom (ice cream in a drink), Brown (root beer), Bucket of (several ingredients combined), Cha (chocolate), Concrete (a milkshake so thick it can be turned upside down and not drip), Cow juice (milk), Crash (cookie crumbs), Draw one (coffee), Draw one from the south (strong coffee), Dust (malted milk powder), Egg Cream (a chocolate soda with a dash of milk), Fizz (a scoop of sherbet or sorbet), Van (vanilla ice cream), White cow (vanilla milkshake), Winter (whipped cream), Yip (an ice cream soda blended in a drink mixer).  After I got married, Carol and I moved to the Grandview Heights neighborhood in Lancaster County.  We had three children and I enjoyed taking them to the neighborhood Lemin's soda fountain run by the father of one of my students I had in my high school Graphic Arts class.  The owner did a good job of making ice cream sodas for my kids, but not with the flair that I had remembered from years before at the train station.  Some things are always better the first time when you are more impressionable.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Can You Hear Me Now?": Part III" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking on the phone with an agent from my insurance company.  I have had Erie Insurance since I turned 16 and began to drive.  My wife and I have had Erie since we have been married.  Auto, Home Owners, Catastrophic, etc...we have them all with Erie.  And, they have been remarkable with claim payments, large and small, over our 51 years of marriage.  So, I thought I would make the call and see if they would pay for my hearing aides that my cat, The Gray Lady destroyed when I left them on the kitchen counter when I went to work.  

How can anyone get mad at this gal?

Big mistake on my part!  She is still a kitten and super inquisitive and these two small pieces of plastic that may have been beeping at her were too much to ignore, so she grabbed them and beat them to death with her claws and teeth.  My call to my insurance agent was to see if they were covered by insurance.  I was asked if I would be willing to give a recorded statement over the phone about what happened and I said, "Yes."  After a few minutes of answering questions I was asked to tell how they were destroyed.  Wasn't long before I got the bad news that they weren't covered if destroyed by my pet.  I know I could have said otherwise, but what I said was the truth, so I now have to find a way to get new hearing aides and not break the bank.  Miracle Ear had given me a price of about $5,000 for electronic aides that I could operate with the use of my iPhone.  I had tried them before, but didn't like them.  Then, while sitting in the dentist's chair, I told my story to my dentist about having my hearing aides destroyed.  He suggested I try Costco, since he has had good service and success with the hearing aides he got there.  Later that day I placed a call to Costco and talked with someone in the hearing aide department.  A day later I was talking with Heidi who administered my hearing test.  After about thirty years of having hearing aides, I knew the routine by now and the test went as expected.  She told me my loss was very similar in both ears and asked if I wanted the type that fits behind my ear.  I had them years ago and found that every time I took off my hat or glasses, my hearing aides became dislodged.  Told her I wanted an aide that would fit in my ear.  So, I was fitted with two hearing aides and told to walk around the store for 10 minutes to see how I liked them.  I loved them!  The clarity I heard was greater than my old hearing aides.  She gave me an appointment to pick up my new hearing aides and I am now getting adjusted to hearing different sounds once again.  Now, all I have to do is remember not to allow my hearing aides out of my sight or out of my ears unless they are in my plastic pouch.  The Gray Lady hasn't seen them yet, but I'm positive she will try to silence them if she ever finds them unattended.  And, the best part of today's story is the fact that my new hearing aides are about half the cost of any aides I have ever purchased.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Can You Hear Me Now?": Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished my shower, shaved, brushed my teeth, put my hearing aides in my ears, dressed and headed down the stairs with my two cats behind me.  I knew exactly what they wanted so I grabbed two small cans of food, fed both of them and grabbed a muffin for my breakfast.  After eating I posted another story on my blog, read the morning paper and grabbed a piece of fruit to take with me to my job for the day.  Today I was working at the high school where I taught for many years.  I still print their in-house printing requests during the summer months when there are no students in the building.  Running the offset press can get noisy, so before I left the house I thought I better remove my hearing aides and leave them at home rather than take them out at school and forget them when I head home at lunch.  I placed them on the kitchen island as I have many time in the past.  Sounds simple...right!  By noon I was on my way home and after walking in the garage door sat in my recliner to relax a few minutes before getting something to eat for lunch.  I was listening to the local news and realized I could hear the TV better if I put my hearing aides back in my ears.  About the same time my wife was gathering small pieces of something off the floor near me.  

Our very inquisitive and active kitten, The Gray Lady.

She said our female cat, Gray Lady, must have been playing with the seashells that are in a dish on the kitchen table and broke one on the floor.  Showed me the light brown pieces as she headed to the trash can.  Well, do you have any idea as to where today's story is going by now?  I got out of my lounger, headed to the kitchen counter to gather my hearing aides and didn't see them.  Ah! I must have left them in my office.  Not there!  I headed upstairs with this awful feeling coming over me.  Not in the bathroom either.  Now I was really concerned.  When I got back to the kitchen I got down on my hands and knees and began my search.  Opened the pantry door and there in the corner was one of my hearing aides.  Sort of!  It had been chewed in half and the battery was missing.  Close by, under my wife's recliner, was the second hearing aide.  The pieces she had picked up a few minutes earlier were the exact same color as my hearing aides.  The second hearing aid still had the battery in place, but most of the electronics were hanging out the side of it.  I finally managed to gather four pieces from the two of them.  They were totally destroyed!!  The easy thing to do would have been to yell at Gray Lady, but what good would that do.  After all she is still a kitten and a very inquisitive one at that.  

The remains of my hearing aides.

My mistake was when I put them on the kitchen counter where she had access to them.  I must admit I was planning to have them either reconditioned or buy a new pair, since I purchased them eight years ago and they were in need of repair.  I went back to Miracle Ear where I purchased them and asked Patrick, the owner, if the cost for reconditioning was still the same.  He asked to see them and when I poured the half-dozen parts onto the table in front of me he began to laugh.  "Guess I'm going to need a new pair!" I said to him.  We talked and I made an appointment to have my hearing tested once again and I left.  A day later I was in the dentist's chair having my yearly cleaning and checkup when my hearing aides became the topic of conversation.  My doc told me he loves his hearing aides and suggested I try Costco.  He told me the cost and I was interested.  I know the quality service I had in the past at Miracle Ear, but hearing aides are expensive...real expensive...and if I can pay less, on a retired teacher's pension, I just can't say no until I find out more.  Stay tuned as I weigh my options and make my final decision!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Can You Hear Me Now?": Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Trying to listen to the sound that one of my cats makes, but just can't seem to hear it.  My wife tells me of the sound that Snickerdoodle makes from time to time, but I have never heard it.  Seems the constant ringing I have all the time in my ears drowns out the very subtle noise he makes.  Our other cat, Gray Lady, is a very vocal little gal and her constant noise is easy to hear, but I am deaf when it comes to Snickerdoodle.  The ringing in my ears is known as tinnitus and I have experienced it since the early 1970s when I was the rifle coach for the high school where I taught.  At the time I didn't realize the constant sound of rifle fire was dangerous to my hearing, but I guess I should have known better.  I really have no one to blame but myself, but that doesn't make my hearing return.  I'm not quite sure how to describe the ringing other than to say it is a very high pitched, constant noise that accompanies me every where I go, night and day.  It is the source of my hearing problem and one of the main reasons that I need hearing aides to hear better.  The pair of hearing aides that I had from Miracle Ear did mask the sound somewhat, but its like the little dark mole I have on my arm that gets less noticeable in the summer when my skin darkens due to suntan...the noise will never go away.   For some who have tinnitus, the sound may be different than what I hear.  It may be a buzzing, roaring, clicking, humming, pulsing or even a hissing sound.  And, for some the sound may go away from time to time.  Luckily my chronic condition doesn't cause me to lose sleep or affect my everyday routine.  What it does do is make it harder to hear people, including my wife.  My tinnitus is a result of damage to the cells of my inner ear.  The tiny, delicate hairs in my inner ear move in relation to the pressure of sound waves.  This movement triggers the release of an electrical signal through my auditory nerve to my brain.  The brain normally interprets the signals as sound, but if the hairs of the inner ear are damaged, bent or broken, such as mine are, they release random electrical impulses to my brain, resulting in tinnitus.  Tinnitus can occur for many reasons such as head trauma or a concussion, head or neck injuries, side effects from medication, a problem with the joint where the lower jawbone meets the skull or as in my case, from a constant loud noise.  Those who wear earbuds all the time and listen to loud music will almost certainly get the same thing I have.  There is no known cure.  You just have to find a way to cope with it.  For me, I have been able to ignore it in most instances, but it does make it harder to hear those speaking to me.  That is why when I recently lost my hearing aides to my stupidity, I knew it was necessary to replace them.  I hope that this story may help those with tinnitus know that you really can cope with the constant ringing by using hearing aides.  Hope you give it a try.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Making My Summer Job Easier" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Finishing up my summer printing jobs at the high school where I used to teach and still do the in-house printing jobs.  The past few days has been rather humid in the print shop which creates problems for running the printing press.  The humidity caused the paper to curl which in turn causes feeding problems.  One summer about a thirty-five years ago the print shop was moved to a nearby vacant house the school district owned so the wing where the print shop was located could be upgraded.  The old house had no air conditioning and the fans that were used created as many problems as they solved.  I asked for a few window air conditioners, but that wasn't a high propriety for the school district.  It did make me wonder what printing companies years ago did to solve the high temperatures and humidity problems that could occur in summer months in the north as well as year round in more southern locations.  Just when was air conditioning invented?  It was in 1902 that a young man by the name of Willis Haviland Carrier was given the job of finding a solution for a printing company in Brooklyn that was having problems with the high humidity that caused expansion and contraction in its paper supply on the press.  They couldn't get the registration on their four-color printing press correct.  

Mr. Willis Carrier

The young mechanical engineer made schematic drawings for what would be the first successful air-conditioning system.  Mr. Carrier had just recently graduated from Cornell University and was working for the Buffalo Forge heating company.  The system he devised that year formed the basis of the air conditioner that is in use today.  Air was forced through a filter of a piston-driven compressor where it was pumped over coils that were chilled using coolant.  The cold air was then expelled into a closed space using a fan, cooling the room and stabilizing the humidity.  Oh, if I had only known that the year I had to print in that house.  I could have rigged a device to help with the humidity.  

In this artist's drawing, Mr. Carrier starts the engine that
will drive the world's first modern air conditioning system.

Yes, I know air conditioning  had already been invented... but the school district didn't want to put a Carrier air conditioner in the old house.  The impact of air conditioning can't be overstated.  I'm used to living in an air conditioned house in the hot summer months and while on vacation in the Caribbean I love to be able to leave he beach and head to a nice cool room.  And, as for running the press the past few months, I'm just glad the air conditioner worked for the majority of the time.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "Paper Or Plastic" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Cleaning the kitty litter in my basement.  We have two quickly growing kittens and find it necessary to have two litter pans for them.  I clean them ever evening and at times Snickerdoodle, the male member of our family, will accompany me to the basement and lend a hand in the cleanup.   As I am working on one of the pans he will sit next to it watching and then reach over the side with his paw as if to tell me he wants to help.  I naturally have to compliment him on the job he is doing.  He tilts his head and gives me an approving look.  Does he really know what he is doing?  As I clean the litter I usually use a paper grocery bag to place the cat elimination (that's what Google calls cat pee and poop) into so I don't add another plastic bag to the local landfill.  The paper bag will eventually deteriorate while the plastic bag will not.  Now, when I finish reading the newspaper, I take it to the garage where I place the weeks papers into a plastic bag.  

I place my newspapers in a plastic bag.

The plastic bag filled with newspapers will eventually be recycled and perhaps the plastic will be used once again in another product.  How do you use plastic and paper bags?  Are you environmentally friendly or doesn't it matter to you that you may be destroying the earth we live on by not recycling properly?   A few days ago I read a story about the use of plastic straws.  Seems we Americans use about 500 million plastic straws a day!  Wow!!  That number is based on research conducted by an enterprising 9-year-old Vermont boy.  That's billions and billions of straws a year.  And where are they going?   My wife Carol and I have been traveling to the  Caribbean island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten for almost 20 years now and in the past 5 or so years have had to take our own disposable bags with us to the grocery store when we shop.  For islands such as this one, the use of plastic bags, bottles, straws, etc. was killing fish and other water creatures at an estimated 100,000 marine animals a year.  Reducing the use of disposable plastic is an important topic of discussion for many countries throughout the world.  What can be done.  Many Caribbean islands are requiring the use of reusable canvas shopping bags.  At least they are trying their best to solve the problem that is affecting their islands.  In China a ban reduced plastic bag use by two-thirds during the first year while Ireland added a fee for plastic bags which reduced their use by 94%.  

Is this you on your way home from the grocery store?

In my home state of Pennsyl- vania, a state Senate bill is sitting on Gov. Tom Wolf's desk that would forbid cities and munici- palities from banning or taxing plastic bags.  Democratic Governor Wolf said he plans to veto it.  Cities such as Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Erie and even Lancaster's western neighboring city of York have spoken out about the bill.  One House Representative said a ban on plastic bags would cost hundreds of jobs in Centre County, the location of a large plastic bag producer.  There are 14 such facilities in the state employing 1,500 people.  In Lancaster there are large quantities of plastic products that find their way into the sewer system.  When Carol and I go to the grocery store I ask for paper bags to pack the groceries.  

Does your street look like this on trash day?

I know I should be using reusable canvas bags, but what would I do to clean up the cat litter?  Before long they will probably be making reusable cat litter bags!  There is another drive on in central Pennsylvania to ban plastic bags altogether.  Lancaster city will soon vote to promote and utilize reusable bags for just about everything.  Boy, I can see quite a few new canvas bag businesses popping up in Lancaster.  My favorite candy store, Miesse Chocolate, has eliminated plastic completely when it found a type of recyclable bag that suits its needs.  Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year.  Each of those bags takes hundreds of years to decompose.  And, you use it for how long...maybe an hour or so.  What a waste of landfill space.  I am as guilty as anyone for my use of plastic, but I am now trying to do my part to eliminate the use of plastic products.  I'm sure I will not live long enough to see the total banning of plastic, but as long as we do our best, I will die happy.  And, I will be buried in a disposable paper box and not in a plastic casket.  How about you?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "Movie Theaters Coming Full Circle" Story

It was an ordinary day!  Just got a message from my grandkids at the Jersey Shore telling me there was going to be a movie on the beach later in the evening.  Didn't know what movie, but they thought it was a neat idea.  Not sure how they were going to project it outside, but I'm certain it wouldn't be like it was back in 1894 when Charles Francis Jenkins projected a motion picture for the first time in the United States.  

Charles Francis Jenkins' Phantoscope.

He used something called a Phanto- scope to project his film which featured a vaudeville dancer performing a Butterfly Dance.  Jenkins and his partner Thomas Armat, who lived in Richmond, Indiana eventually modified the device to project films in a temporary theater at the Cotton States Exposition the following year.  The Phantoscope was purchased by Thomas Edison who changed the name of the device to the Vitascope.  

Edison's Vitascope.

With his new Vitascope he began to show his films in New York City in 1896.  Edison began to sell his Vitascope and on July 26 of the same year the first motion picture theater opened on Canal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Three months later Mitchell Mark, who had purchased a Vitascope from Edison, opened Edison's Vitascope Theater in Buffalo, New York.  Admission to the 72-seat theater was three cents.  

Old-time movie theater.

In 1897 in Washington, Iowa the State Theater opened and still remains open today making it the oldest continuously operating movie theater in the world.  In 1903 The Great Train Robbery, which was 12 minutes in length, was one of the very first famous movies.  In 1905 a movie theater was opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania named the Nickelodean which set the style for thousands of Nichelodeons, Gems and Bijous across North America.  One of the first feature films, The Birth of a Nation, was shown in 1915 and forced theaters to increase their prices to ten cents.  Movie revenues increased tremendously in the next 10 years with larger theaters that had giant screens and stereophonic sound.  Movie chains developed and air conditioning was placed in theaters.  

Getting ready for a movie on the beach.

Most of the movie chains were connected to movie studios such as Paramount, Warmer, Loews, Fox and RKO.  Then in 1948 the chains were broken up by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in an anti-trust case.  Starting in the 1940s and into the mid-50s when I was a teenager, the job as a movie usher was coveted.  Good wages and a chance to see all the latest movies was a big draw for being an usher.  Today's multi-screen theaters don't employ as many ushers, spending money instead on upgraded seating and equipment.  And now my grandkids tell me about sitting on the beach to watch a movie.  Wow, sounds like the movie theater has come full-circle.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Say It Ain't So! Story

The Young Republicans in 1957.  LDub can be seen in
middle row on far right.

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in the newspaper that the #1 sport for viewing in the United States is professional football.  That just can't be!  Can it?  I just assumed baseball was #1, but that's because I love baseball and grew up playing the sport.  Spent many a day on the grassy plot next to the Lancaster Train Station as well as the blacktop parking lot behind my house on North Queen Street playing baseball with my friends and my younger brother Steve.  

Grandson Caden making a delivery.

When I finally got to play organized ball at the age of 12 I never looked back.  Was fortunate enough to be on a team called the Young Republicans that captured the State Jr. Midget Title in 1957.  I began coaching baseball in the mid-1960s and coached a team that won our local Midget Tournament before I finally decided to sit back and watch other fathers enjoy what I had the chance to do for many years.  Today the sport in Lancaster is still just as popular with kids of all ages enjoying our National Pastime.  My grandson just finished his first year in the 14U (under 14 years old) and even though they weren't champs in their league, they still had a great season.  

Abner Doubleday.  Does this look like a person
who may have played baseball?  I think not!

It seems that everywhere you look in Lancaster there is a baseball field with kids playing on it.  It was said that Abner Doubleday invented the game in Cooperstown, New York in 1839, but it seems that is only a myth.  Seems that Mr. Doubleday was rather averse to out-door sports.  He really didn't even live in Cooperstown in 1839 when he was supposed to have invented the sport.  Didn't even mention it in any of his 67 diaries.  After some investigating, I was able to find that there wasn't just one person who invented the sport.  It seems to have evolved from a series of European stick ball games with the rules being changed over time to get what we know as baseball today.  

The start of baseball years ago.

If you wanted to give credit to one person for the game of baseball, Albert Cartwright could be known as the "Father of Baseball" since he drafted a set of rules in 1845 that became the basis for the modern game.  The first recorded game was played on June 19, 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey.  Mr. Cartwright's New York Knickerbockers defeated the New York Nine 23-1.  It wasn't until the 1920's that baseball became a popular spectator sport when Babe Ruth starred for the New York Yankees.  

Waxed stithes on a baseball.

Other stars such as Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson and my all-time favorite Willie Mays followed and a national pastime was born.  Perhaps the reason baseball is no longer #1 in some people's eyes is the fact that baseball is becoming more a science, with sabermetrics, defensive switches and exit velocity on most every play.  Stats and data are killing the game.  I did find a few interesting stats I thought I would share with you:  6'11" is the height of the tallest player in pro baseball history (Jon Rauch who was a pitcher and played for seven teams from 2002 to 2013); 108 being the number of stitches in every baseball; 88 inches of waxed thread used to stitch each ball; 768 is the combined number of career home runs for Tommie and Hank Aaron who hold the record for most homers between brothers;

Grandson Caden and son Derek, player
and coach, follow the ball.

June  6, 1939 was the date of the first recorded Little League game when Lundy Lumber beat Lycoming Dairy 23-8 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and one more interesting fact that baseballs are rubbed with Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud before being put into play in Major League baseball games.  A few people who played Little League Baseball whom you might know are Joe Biden, George W. Bush, Kevin Costner, Steve Carell, Danny DeVito, Rudy Giuliani, John Grisham, Mark Harmon, Kurt Russell, Tom Selleck, Dick Vitale and even Julia Stiles.  Hey, I do like to watch football and even basketball, but to me Baseball will always be #1 to me.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Show Must Go On!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Viewing the Facebook page "The Lancastrian" and came across an old photo taken in 1915 of a building located on West King Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  A small sign above the main door says "Family Theatre With The Best and Latest Moving Pictures."  

In the left corner of the photograph can be seen the date that
the photograph was taken; 1915.  The location says West King
and Water Streets, but I believe the building fronted on King St.

A few Facebook comments all said they never knew the place existed in downtown Lancaster.  I too never knew of this theatre on West King Street.  I became more interested in the photograph when I Googled the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus that was advertised on many signs in front of the theatre.  I assume that the circus was appearing in the theatre and all those outside the entrance were either gathering to see the circus or perhaps protesting against the circus being in town.  More and more people added comments to the photo on Facebook with one interesting post a map of the downtown area showing where the Family Theatre was actually located.  It was billed as the Family Theatre - Biograph & Vaudeville.  Biograph referred to a motion picture company founded in 1895 that was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition releasing over 3,000 short films and 12 feature films during the silent film era.  Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish and Lionel Barrymore were a few of their most prominent actors.  

The Family Theatre can be seen on the far left.  The far
right would be Water Street where the railroad traveled.

The theatre was located, according to the map, from 222-226 West King Street.  I was born 29 years after the photograph was taken and I do not remember ever seeing the Family Theatre.  I was interested in the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus and after Googling it found that the circus began as the "Carl Hagenbeck Circus" in 1844 and in  1907 was purchased by Benjamin Wallace.  Hagenback was an animal trainer who used the rewards-based animal training method instead of the fear-based training method to train his circus animals.  Wallace was a livery stable owner who eventually bought out Hagenback's circus.  Two years before the photograph was taken the circus lost 8 elephants, 21 lions and tigers and 8 performing horses in the Great Flood of 1913.  

Poster from the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus.

Then a few years after the circus appeared in Lancaster, tragedy struck again when an empty troop train collided with the circus train causing a fire to break out due to the kerosene lamps on the circus train.  An engineer on the troop train had fallen asleep and ran into the rear of the circus train.  86 people died and another 127 injured.  Ringling Bros. as well as Barnum & Bailey lent equipment and performers to Hagenbeck-Wallace so "the show could go on."  A few famous performers in the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus were Joe Skelton, father of Red Skelton, Emmett Kelly the famous clown and Hoot Gibson, a famous rodeo performer.  I seem to find out more and more about the town in which I live that I never knew existed in the past.  Fun to discover more about the history of the town of Lancaster which was the largest inland city at one time in the United States.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Vignettes From The Past" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Surfing the web when I came across the Parade Magazine site that had, as one of their featured stories, "Unedited photos captured from the past."  Interesting photos that after seeing all of them thought I would share some of my favorites with you.  I have chosen only those photos that are old enough to no longer have copyright protection.  The photographs are interesting and probably never seen before, but should be.  A great way to explore our past, visit with icons of pop culture and gain insight into old practises and important historical events.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Norma Jeane, aka Marilyn Monroe, in 1943.  She is 17-years-old in this photograph.  She was highly insecure even though she was a sex and beauty icon.  She was a life-long stutterer.

The last male Northern White Rhino on earth.  His name is Sudan and his forlorn look is due to the fact that he probably knows he is the last of his species.

19th century shoe making.  Once upon a time shoes were made by hand and one at a time.  A shoemaker was a valued member of the community.  How many shoemakers are left in your town?  

This poor little girl was a sideshow act in a circus when she was 13-years-old.  She was known as the "Four-Legged Girl from Texas".  She was born a dipygus which means her body axis split while it was developing and she grew two separate pelvises positioned side by side.  She had four legs.  How sad to think this nice young girl had to be a side show in a circus.  She might have been your child had she been born at another time in history.

1900 Soldiers.  From left to right they come from: Britain, USA, Australia, India, Germany, France, Austria, Italy and Japan.  

A real entrepreneur!  A young man selling lemonade in Berlin, Germany.  He had made a portable dispenser.  Not something you would picture taking place in the 1930s, but kids were innovative in every era.

I love this photograph of Albert Einstein holding an Albert Einstein puppet in 1931.  I'd love to have a puppet of myself!

Just a beautiful sepia photograph of a young girl in Italy taken by photographer Domenico Riccardo Peretti Griva in 1920.  He was a leading photographer in the pictorial movement.

1935 train workshop.  Steam locomotives were first developed in Great Britain during the early 19th century.

The 1916 U.S.S. Franklin which was used as a training ship.  It shares its name with a fictional starship in the film Star Trek Beyond (2016).

This guy is a professional "rat catcher."  They scoured the sewers of Europe in search of vermin and received money for each rat killed.  Today we have pest control companies, but this is a bit neater.

This was an early dating site.  These bachelors of the 1800s are looking for a very special lady to make their own.  Photo was taken in Montana.  How might they do it today in Montana?

These women were not to messed with in 1889.  They may be pioneer women or the precursor to Annie Oakley.

Any idea who these four gentlemen may be?  They are John, Paul, George and Ringo on holiday in 1963 while still in England.

A beautiful garden portraiture of a Parisian woman enjoying a special moment.  May be because of the several cannabis plants growing in the background.  This photograph was taken in 1910.

A Polynesian girl surfing in Hawaii.  Photo taken in 1967.

Roller skating in Berlin in 1910.  Roller skates made their debut in a Berlin ballet performance in 1818.  They were patented the following year by a Frenchman named M. Petitbled.  It wasn't until over 50 years later that roller skating became popular.

You have to recognize his guy as Alfred Hitchcock.  Here he is serving tea to Grace Kelly on the set of "Dial M for Murder" in 1954.  The next year she met Prince Rainier of Monaco and became his bride.  Can you imagine leaving Alfred for him!