malta

today we are in Malta. haven't gone ashore as yet. our excursion, a taste for Malta, doesn't begin for another 1 1/2 hours. we were at sea all day yesterday. a most welcome relief. the sky and sea are so blue, it's almost magical.

Sat we were at Rhodes. it was OK. I was a bit nervous about climbing down the 300 steps from the Acropolis there so Debbie and I walked the city of Lindos. very nice and saw an interesting pic of a breakfast item. (Jennie will get a kick out of this pic).

then Sunday to Santorini. didn't have a scheduled excursion and John Baird, Katie & John Schumacher (Louise was a bit under the weather, too much rich food I suspect)went and walked on our own. what a town and even more spectacular was the view, incredible! 3 ways up the 1,100 feet almost straight up to the city; walk, John Baird; tram, nobody and donkey. yes the rest of us were on our respective asses. the ship's brochure described the donkeys as nasty, smelly beasts; but on we went, a few more pics are included.

we had lunch, 2 bottles of wine. Katie and Baird had beer. the view was breathtaking and pics and words fail to describe it properly. a trip back definitely in order. only Debbie took the tram down as the rest walked. there was no way in hell we were going to take those donkeys down!

tomorrow is Mt Aetna and Thurs, Capri. Friday we then go on to Venice while Mother and Daddy fly home.

so far a fabulous trip with more to come

egypt

Alexandria and Cairo were amazing. weather was great but knowing that in July and Aug when it's easily well into the 100's would have been unbearable. lots of history that's really, really old. and I'm talking 2500-2000 b.c. Now that's old!

Alex is without doubt the filthiest place I've ever seen. and squalor, unbelievable. traffic was horrendous as took quite a long while to get out of town. the countryside (about 3.5 hours to Cairo) was equally as amazing.

Cairo, about 17-18mm people, was incredible. particularly after we got to the hotel, the Four Seasons (Debbie said that she was never leaving.) rooms looked out over the Nile. Food was fantastic; and you will not be a bit surprised that the drink has been delicious. had to try the water pipe (Walt will appreciate). had the apple flavor, which was surprisingly mild (a pic should be attached) John Schumacher had the peach which he said was terrible!

we went to the pyramids and Sphinx. also very old. have included a few pics. and yes, we did ride a camel. a pic is also included. now we all look all smiles but let me tell you that was not always the case.!. will have to describe that more in detail later.

have also attached pic of the Sphinx.

this has been an incredible experience and we have all thoroughly enjoyed it and each other's company.

tried to post yesterday but couldn't upload pics. probably more tomorrow as all day at sea. interestingly enough have not even opened kindle.

cruise

has been great so far. the flights were easy and able to sleep quite a bit on plane. weather has been fabulous and seeing things never thought would have had opportunity to see. had pocket picked outside of the Acropolis. guide had been a soldier who had some police training. he said they would only take cash as the credit cards were too hard to use. they would then leave the wallets around holes in the walls. we filed a police report and before we knew it, wallet with cards were found. gladly gave up the cash for the other things. elieve me, jack had never tasted so good that eve.

Mother and Daddy's suite is amazing. at least as big as our video room. i hope I've attached a pic which really doesn't do it justice. needless to say, we can all comfortably sit and enjoy a beverage or a bunch of beverages and nibbilies brought by John, the butler.

I also have tried to attach a copy of all of us at the top of the acropolis.

tomorrow off to alexandria and then cairo. hope to post more after that trip.

have to sign off now as time to get dressed for cocktails. man this is rough!

tagged

Well been sometime. And would probably continued if my wonderful daughter hadn't gotten tagged. and she got tagged by our wonderful daughter-in-law.

Have to admit that I'm feeling quite festive, being tagged and all. Think this is some new age kinda thing. One who is tagged must respond on his blog. Hell, I may even get a myfaceplacespace thingy. Then again, maybe not.

At any rate, here I go

What was I doing 10 years ago? Man, I cannot remember 10 minutes ago much less 10 years. We were living in Charlotte. Jennie was @ Auburn. Joseph getting ready to graduate from high school. I was working @ Suntrust (ugh) and Debbie @ Cedalion (tough). Mark had, or was getting ready, to ask for Jennie's hand in marriage (good boy!). Thinking about getting a new jeep so could give Joseph mine. I don't think we had traded that pig of a Jaguar as yet. Prettiest car I ever had but, man, what a piece of.....

5 things on my to do list today
1. run errands. My usual deal, grocery, bank
2. kickboxing
3. recover and this one takes care of the last 2

5 snacks I enjoy. anything that goes with Jack Daniels
1. pretzels and cheese
2. olives
3. spicy 3 pepper hummas
4. smoked salmon
5. baby carrots and ranch dressing (trying to get healthy)

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire...
1. give a bunch of $ to kids
2. give a bunch to my sisters
3. set up 2 charitable foundations. 1 for children (any purpose) 2. for children health
4. buy vacation homes. big enough for lots of visitors. beach house, ski house.
5. travel all over on a private jet. and do the cruising thing. visit Amara & Clifford in Phuket (will do that anyway)

5 bad habits...awww hell no. this could take some time
1. stubborn. pig headed.
2. road rage. guess Jennie does come by it honestly.
3. judgemental
4. eat way too much
5. there are those who say I drink too much. and to those, I say... see # 1

5 places I have lived
1. 3600 Abbott Martin, Nashville, TN (parents house. they still live there)
2. 2800 Abbott Martin, Nashville (grandparents house. lived in the apt over the garage which was subsequently remodeled)
3. Dallas, TX man that place was hot.
4. 605 N. Pine ST., Charlotte, NC 4th Ward. great neighbors. 2 doors down from AlMikes (a fabulous pub)
5. 432 209th Ave NE, Sammamish, WA. now this is the deal.

5 jobs I have had...
1. Davis Cabinet Co. Sanded bleach off furniture as it came out of furnace.
2. Repo man. First American summers during college. chased around front yard by a rather large woman carrying a kitchen knife while trying to get her son's car.
3. Investment manager First American
4. bond salesman, # of shops
5. sales Curtiswood Capital

there you have it. would reach out for others if I knew who had a blog.

Pissed offedness will return

Time for a new blog don't you think?

Many topics, many topics.

The Seattle Port Authority not allowing Christmas trees so as not to offend anyone? "We're here to promote peace and harmony." Quote from the deputy managing director of the airport. There will be decorations this year, trees, fabrics and garlands, but nothing with religious ties. The displays will "reflect the Pacific Northwest environment and our diverse community." "We want our passengers to have a sense of celebration and comfort as they travel through our airport."

Just for those "green" rascals. The display will be made from recyclable cardboard tubes, biodegradable cotton material and acrylic ice.

Now I'm at peace and in harmony. Pissed off though.

Oops not so fast.

What about the North Carolina man who found an amputated leg in his smoker? (Wonder how Crawdaddy would feel if he found that in one of his grills?) He refused to return it as he wanted to build a museum and charge $10 for people to view the limb.

The leg belonged to a fellow who had it amputated after a 2004 airplane accident. He put it in the smoker which was kept in a rented storage space. The contents of that space were auctioned when the bill wasn't paid. No clue as to why he put it there to begin with.

Now I'm not sure which one of the fools is a bigger idiot. So much for peace and harmony.

Oh, by the way, this dispute was settled by a TV judge in favor of the amputee. Maybe a tad of peace and harmony.

What about this?

The man who had his girlfriend arrested for assault. She bit his bottom lip off while they were kissing. The lip was found on the floor but was, sadly, not able to be reattached. (John Boy and Billy's Lipless now has serious competition.) No clue as to how this has turned out. Not sure I really care.

No peace and harmony there.

And finally.

I've been on jury duty this week. Haven't been chosen yet which is not too surprising. But after observing the potential jurors and listening to their questions, I hope none of us has to be judged by these "peers".

While leaving the courthouse today, I stopped in the men's room. After standing in line for a few minutes, my turn arrived. OK no problem, but then in the occupied stall next to me, a cell phone rang and was answered. A conversation (seemed like a business call but couldn't be sure; makes no difference) ensued as if no one else was around and continued after I had flushed. Kinda made me want to flush many, many more times but there was a line behind me.

Now that's just not right! People please think about your surroundings before answering a damn cell phone!

You'd think one could find some semblence of peace and harmony in a restroom.

Guess I'm just going to have to meander up to the grassy knoll for peace and harmony!

various ramblins

It's been awhile. Just not in the mood to get lathered up lately, not even about the guy who discovered a leg in the grill he'd purchased and refused to return it to the guy who put it in there. But just spend a few hours on our interstate system, and that'll do the trick.

Of course, I write about those who think the left lane is their private lane for driving. Did they ever notice or care about the signs that indicate that "slower traffic keep right"? Guess not, or then again maybe they don't think they are slow, dumb and stupid.

In years past, I drove to work at a time in the early morning when there was no traffic (and I mean no traffic). People would actually get onto the interstate at that time, automatically get in the left lane and drive the speed limit with no one else around. I guess it was to get into the proper lane for the exit 5-7 miles ahead (which in their defense was to the left).

I as always taught to get around the car I was passing as quickly as possible. Around being the key word here. That means, pass and get back into your original lane. If passing a number of cars (or just 1), don't drive to the point of significantly slowing those behind you in that lane. Get up to a decent speed (OK maybe not 100, but you know what I mean), get AROUND em and GET OVER. What's difficult about that?

There was a minivan in the left lane last week, doing about 70, maybe 75 downhill, maybe 60 uphill). Had a bunch of cars behind who were slowly advancing by passing on the right. Took a bunch of miles, and I got my chance. Went around, noticed that the driver was on a cell phone (more about that later), got really puckered, rolled down the window and showed a gesture of my dissatisfaction. I hope those following me gave the same gesture as no effort was made to get to the right lane, in spite of no one in that lane.

The best comment I ever heard is from Fierce Chipmunk Hunter who has stated that anybody who gets passed in the right lane should have their license revoked. Doesn't matter if you're doing 100 or not. Away it goes!

Now to this cell phone business. I have nothing against using the phone while you're driving but you damn well better be paying attention to what you're doing. And if you ain't, I hope you don't hurt anybody else when you roll the car, rear-end, side-swipe, or wipe-out somebody else. And that you get an ass-buster of a ticket. (And I'm not, at this time, going to discuss the inappropriateness of using a cell phone in a restroom. Maybe never as this is just wrong, wrong, wrong.)

And to the people who leave shopping carts in the parking lots. Are you just too damn lazy and inconsiderate to walk, at most, a few more yards to put the thing in an appropriate spot. I've even questioned some with that very statement. Sadly only to receive a blank stare or "I found it here" from the woman putting her infant in the car seat while leaving one of those car-like carts smack in the middle of the parking spot next to her. I actually got a "yes" from one.

Come on people, let's all get a bit more considerate and think of others while driving, yaking on a cell phone or abandoning a shopping cart.

This just in. A newspaper columnist expressing surprise, SURPRISE that his senator voted for some pork project. Seems that she was voting for boats that neither the Navy nor Coast Guard wanted. Did, however, go to a company whose executives had made campaign contributions. I think this columnist needs to come to grip with the real world.

Enough ramblins for the time being. Until later

we elect these people for this????????????

In the "you're kidding, right?" category. By the way this was on the FRONT page of the newspaper.

The city council voted to allow miniature goats to be kept as pets. Due to the tireless efforts of the "Goat Justice League (who can make this up?), their attributes as human companion, milk maker and "weed whacker" justified the unanimous vote. The councilman who sponsored this vital legislation was quoted " one small step for man, one giant leap for goatkind."

Here's the deal: A local resident and "outlaw" goat owner, president of the Goat Justice League (still cannot get over this), a distinguished group of 100 members sought this change in the old law after her neighbor alerted the city and complained. During a hearing, testimony was presented by "animal lovers, advocates of urban sustainability and children". (you know I can see animal lovers, but children???? And I'm not even going to go there on those advocates. Advocates of WHAT exactly?)

Well after, I'm sure, much debate, thought and deliberation, this was approved as long as the goats are licensed and dehorned. (Who wants a horny, old goat running around? Couldn't pass that one up!) IN ADDITION, male goats have to be neutered (good idea for the continuation of the species) as they give off a rather musky scent which some find offensive (hurray for the anti-musky goat smellin league). They also have to be kept on a leash to protect park vegetation and sidewalk gardens, but they can be lent to others for grazing purposes.

It's good to know that our elected officials are SO busy with these weighty matters. Holding hearings and what-not. Don't want to waste valuable time and effort with more mundane topics as EDUCATION, INFRASTRUCTURE and such.

But not to be outdone, another councilman wanted to grab the spotlight as he proclaimed "Why stop there? Why not sheep, llamas...? I think there is an argument that there are greater heights to be achieved with urban sustainability."

Now these guys are showing serious political potential! They should definitely try for a more national position! But then again, why replace the fine ones' we have now?

Have a nice day!