Looking Back at 2023...

No long look back at the year 2023 as it comes to a close...the few posts I have made thus far this year pretty much tells it ...

No major vacation for me and the wife this year, she spent about 2 weeks with her remaining family in SE Wisconsin this Summer, I took the oldest Grandson down to Space Camp in Alabama in July, then headed to Cedar Key, Florida, before the September Hurricane hit...got a bit of fishing in, some beer drinking, cigar smoking, and a larger part spent doing some Florida outdoor photography. I just couldn't see putting the old Schnauzer Mix Rescue Dog, Cam, in the kennel...he is now 16 and I won't mess with his life end times by sticking him in a kennel, while he can no longer see and is getting old...he eats fine and is aware so he is good to go for the duration.

No major Dual Sport Motorcycle adventure rides again this year, and my riding buddy Nick and I decided to sell the Yamaha TW200s, but after nobody seemed to want to travel to our area to look them over, we are likely to pull them off the market...Hell old or not, we can still ride, and probably will in 2024...



As I posted last week, I did make a somewhat crazy decision to buy another Airedale Terrier Pup...as of today "Millie" is 9 weeks and 2 days old and already 18 pounds and headed towards 70 plus likely...she is about 95% house trained, but still does chew with those puppy choppers...the entire family was here for Christmas Eve and the 2 older grandsons, 12 and 9 got some quality time with Millie...

Top Photo: Millie this morning, taking a nap and back in 2015 Me, Old Blue, Fred and Nick at Canyonlands outside of Moab, Utah...


What will 2024 bring?  

No Idea...as fucked up as that Demented Son of a Bitch is, who knows?  World War III, Martial Law, Civil War against the Leftist Bastards, I have little clue...hopefully the Bastards and his Marxist Administration will be the Hell out of office by January 2025, and the gawd damn borders will be closed. Perhaps we will get lucky and Jesus will return soon...but I think more pain and blood letting will happen before that comes about.

I plan on enjoying what time I have left on this Earth {turn 75 in March}...and sure the Hell don't worry about what may come personally...I worry for the younger family members and friend's kids and grandkids, but as for myself...?  F' It...I have lived on Hell of a life and if it ends tomorrow I'm good.

Top 9 year old Kam and Millie, and his older brother 12 year old Kasyn with the pup...

Back Later, probably 2024, if all goes well>>>

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Airedales {Again}

 

When our last Airedale, Reagan, passed away in 2012 just a couple months shy of 14, we decided no more dogs...  Well!

Along came 2 Schnauzer mixed, rescue pups, courtesy of youngest son and his wife, when the grandsons started coming...they stayed off and on with us for a few years, then after Avery died, we got Cam Dog back a few years ago...he is still with us at about 16 years old.  A kitten came calling about 12 years ago on Christmas Night, she has now been a house cat for those dozen or so years..5 more outdoor kittens were rescued and became Garage/Outdoor cats...2 of them still hang around.

About a month or so ago I got a burr and even though I will be 75 in March, and wife just turned 70, we are in good shape, mostly, despite my {?} Agent Orange related Diabetes II...so I started looking for Farm Bred, non show quality Airedales...yep, crazy I know, what was I thinking?

After looking awhile, and the prices sure have changed since we sold our last litter, back on the farm for around $200 per pup {we started out at $50 per dog up in Northern Wisconsin back in the late 1970s}.  Today's Airedales are fetching anywhere from $900 to $2750 or so, that I could find on the Internet.  I found a farm that raised Large Oorang Airedale pups for $1200 each....and they had a litter born on October 22nd, they would be ready around December 16th...located about 140 miles away near Ashland, Ohio.

I conversed with the couple, the husband's parents and brother had raised Airedales as well...and they were well versed in the non show Airedales.  I ended up putting down the $200 deposit on one of the 7 females in the litter of 10 and was told I had pick #5....that was OK, I know Airedales, wife knows Airedales, and I know most people, unless they have had multiple Airedales, really don't know how to select one, so I was fine with #5...

Last Saturday I headed to just outside the tiny berg of Mifflin in Ashland County...the day was

mostly sunny and nice for mid December and I arrived about a half hour ahead of my scheduled selection time of 11:30am...giving me a chance to check out the parents of my pup as well as the other stud dogs and bitches...including one huge Airedale that was in the 130 pound range.  My original stud dog, Max, was about 100 pounds but this one, name of Boone, makes Max look "average"...Big Dog.  Boone is not our pup's {who wife named "Millie"} dad, Beau is about 90 pounds while momma Jasmine is around 70-75...big Airedales, but reasonable, so Millie won't be to big for the house...unless I miss my guess...at 8 1/2 weeks she is about 14 pounds and growing daily.

Anyway Millie got home Saturday, here it is Wednesday, she is about 80% trained, still pees in the Mud Room, on occasion, by the door instead of letting me know she has to get out that back door...but for the most part she does here business outside and only chewing on things other than her "stuff" is the only other concern, but with less than 100 hours at our place, she is learning quick.

Hopefully she will survive and we will survive over the coming Christmas weekend, with the kids, and grandkids here...after that we should be able to concentrate on getting her trained properly...but after all these years of being sans Airedales, it will still be a challenge.

One other thing, old Cam Dog wants no part of her, he is about totally blind and just wants to eat, sleep, and for her to leave him alone...the indoor cat avoids her, and the outdoor cats despise her and her rambunctious ways of puppyhood...they warn her off, which they need to, because by spring she will be way to large for them to handle.

Turning 100 years old...

 

No not me...the old home aka:  Parsonage 

Built by the First Church of God, the basement was poured in November 1923 as the living quarters for whoever would be the Pastor at that time...among those living here was Pastor and then Congressman, Tennyson Guyer.  The church {Old Church still standing} built a new structure in the late 1980s about a mile north and west, so the church sold the parsonage to Jeff Larmore and his wife at the time, in late 1989 ... When Jeff and ex got a divorce he sold it to me, and we took possession in early June 1995.

The nearly 2000 sq foot structure, including the 2 car garage and kennel, was smaller upon completion in 1924...the kitchen, second small bathroom, and storage "Mud Room" was added in 1945 and the Garage was built in 1990.  In the early and mid 1970s wife and I lived just 2 houses and a block away from the Parsonage, and Patricia loved the way the place looked...so when the chance came, I put some money down, and purchased it, paid it off early and is now ours, with the exception of the damn property taxes which will be going up again soon.  Now we are getting older, and the neighborhood is not what it once was, I could probably get 3 maybe 4 times what I spent to buy it...but, not gonna happen.  I refuse to move at my age, and when I pass on, Patricia, if she feels the need, can do with it what she wants.  If by small chance she should go first...this will be my final spot to live...



The youngest son was 11 when we moved in and now it is just us, with occasional overnights from the grandsons, and Sam when he visits from Chicago...but I'm happy with the way we have kept it up, although the old wood is a pain in the ass to paint every 5 years or so...I've done it 4 times thus far, it will likely need it again within the next two or three years, but I will finally give up the ghost and have that done by somebody younger and with more skills on that roof and ladder.  

For now however it remains the longest, by far {the farmhouse on Coldwater Creek is 2nd at 10 years} of anyplace I have ever remained in...and hopefully it will remain that, after more than 28 years, I have no interest in moving again, if I don't have to...did that way to many times in my first 46 plus years..

Back Later>>>maybe before 2024 

A Day in Cincinnati with the Boys

Youngest son Hal, and the two older grandsons, K~Man and Kam, headed to the Business Day Special on Wednesday to watch the Reds take on the Twins...big game for the Reds, but they blew it late and fell 5-3, wasting a great performance by young Hunter Greene, 14 strikeouts in 7 innings, just one run and 3 hits...but the bullpen blew it in the 8th and 9th...Reds are still in the hunt but cannot afford to lose more than one or two games out of the last 8...starting tonight at home vs Pittsburgh.

The boys, who are home schooled part time and go to a quality Christian School the rest of the week had competed their lessons so we were off...with less school age kids in attendance because of the time of the game, they had access to grab some quality autographs from some of the Reds young Stars...namely Matt McLain and Andrew Abbott ...the also got tossed game balls from T J Friedl the Reds young Centerfielder.  As so happens, T J is the nephew of my post Vietnam Air Force buddy and roommate, the late Jack Friedl...proving once again it's a small world indeed...

Me on the left, with Jack Friedl in the middle and our buddy Bruce Dei...at a November 1971 Wedding in Rome, New York:

 The Reds game will be one of two contests in Cincinnati I will take in, in a 5 day period...Monday night I will take in the Bengals vs Rams on MNF...that won is looking "iffy" for Bengals star QB, Joe Burrow, and the once promising season, which is now 0 wins and 2 loses is on the brink of disaster...Burrow's leg injury could indeed undo the season.

But Hal has season tickets and this is the game I picked out...so off we go.

The {mostly} retired life, as I near 75 years on this planet, is going quite well thank you...

Back with more sometime later...{gotta get those 10 posts in this year} >>>

Jimmy Buffett RIP

 

Just a bit of catching up to kick off September...maybe I'll reach 10 posts for the year of 2023?  Maybe?

RIP Jimmy Buffett...

Let me start off first by saying I enjoyed about 80% of his music, especially in the early years, later years, not so much, but still there were some gems...his political BS?  Not so much, Buffett was a dyed in the wool lefty, albeit, some of those that worked for and with him called him a "Cheapskate" when it came to the all mighty buck.  I will give him credit, despite his left leanings, only a few songs and not much of his concerts were directed at political BS...which kept me listening to his Sirus/XM Radio Station and his music...

I first got turned on to Buffett music early in 1977 perhaps, shortly after "Margaritaville" was released...that became his lone chart hit, and frankly it grew old after awhile, an anthem for his fans, aka: Parrotheads, but hardly one of his better works, IMO...the album however "Changes in Latitude" was filled with some great stuff, including the title song which I always thought was much  superior to  Margaritaville...

Anyway, Patricia and I were married in December 1976, but didn't get out on a Honeymoon until the fall of the year 1977...I had the "Changes" album on the old 8 track player in my new 1976 Jeep Cherokee and played that thing from Celina, Ohio, to the east coast then all the way down I-95 to Daytona Beach...loved that music, I was pretty well hooked...fast forward to the late summer of 1978 and we were living in Wausau, Wisconsin...I was going to Broadcasting School and working weekends at WRIG and WRIG FM...one Friday night I noticed we had received the newest Buffett live LP, "You had to be There"... The station got the vinyl for the AM spinners and the tape for the Automated FM side...I was working the night shift on the Rock and Roll AM, and feeding music to the FM side.  I decided to put the entire tape on the FM Reel to Reel and it was going smooth until I heard "Why don't we get Drunk and Screw".  I almost shit myself, but the deed had been done and I let the entire song and album play...never heard a word from management or the PD, but I never played the entire album again...well not on air.  I grabbed a station copy of the vinyl took it home and still have it in my collection today.

Over the years my Special Needs daughter became a fan of Buffett and his more country and conservative buddy, Alan Jackson, so I have continued to collect Buffett and Jackson LPs and stuff over the years...

Sad to see him go, being just a couple years older than me {December 1946 as opposed to my March 1949}...his politics can die with him, however his music will live on..

My personal favorite single is Havana Daydreaming while Changes in Latitude, License to Chill, and the 1978 Live LP, You had to be There, are my favorite Albums...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30esGx2WHvs  

Here is my Salute to Jimmy "Cigar Smoked a Swirl" from Havana Daydreaming, PRH Smoking one in honor of Jimmy Buffett and Havana Daydreaming...

  

The Eagles of Grand Lake Ohio, Sunrise at Cedar Key, Florida, and catching up...

 

Needless to say I've been a bit lacking this calendar year in posting...I've now passed the 16 year mark since I began this blog back in July of 2007.  Blogging has change since those days and most of the folks I blogged and shared blogs have either passed away or quit all together, and of course my postings, once over 250 per year have dribbled to a scant few posts now and then.

Meanwhile the Summer is flying by, the time always does once you hit a certain age, and that is a proven fact that I can't explain but there are studies...

Time Flies

Anyway the grandson's sports, baseball, swimming, and soccer,  have finished for the summer and I took the oldest one, Kasyn, down to Huntsville, Alabama, for Aviation Camp {he had done the Space Camp portion 2 summers ago} 2 weeks ago.  After dropping him off I drove down to Cedar Key, one of the few "Old Florida" places left on either coast...meaning the developers have not destroyed it quite yet, but of course they are trying.  I grabbed a little $90 a night motel a block from the Gulf for 3 days and nights and did a bit of fishing {too hot to do much of that} and some photography work...drank some beers, smoked a couple of good cigars and had breakfast at a small little place right next door.  I relaxed, but was glad to get back home after picking up the K~man and returning with him to Ohio.


This Fall I have a couple of Football weekends to take in...first off the end of September I will head to Cincinnati with youngest son and use his season tickets to view the Bengals hosting the LA Rams in a repeat of the Super Bowl, this one a Monday Night game, won by the Los Angeles team a couple seasons ago...then in mid October, Montezuma Nick, and I will join oldest son, Sam, at Purdue, as the Buckeyes take on the home standing Boilermakers...then things will start to cool down for the Holidays, and perhaps I will hopefully continue to move about and not sit on my ass so much.

Cedar Key Sunrise over the Gulf>>>>>

Grand Lake Photography...

I finally have adjusted my sleep habits and have been getting up well before sunrise 2 or 3 times a week, getting out to Windy Point on the southside of Grand Lake and taking some Sunrise and Eagle photos...even though my beer consumption has not decreased, my carb and sugar eating habits have and dropping down to 188 {heading for 175} has helped my getting up and out more often.

Below and above you will find some Eagle and Sunrise photos...location is described by numbers...

(1) The Top Photo I took this week, Silent Sam I call this Eagle he can usually be found on the same branch each morning, waiting to fish for his breakfast...(2) This is a Sunrise at Cedar Key, taken a football field from my motel ..Cedar Key on the Big Bend portion of the Gulf is one of the few places outside of the Florida Keys where you can see both the Sunrise and Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico...The Rest?  Eagles ... the top is a Juvenile Eagle chasing off a Mature Female from her per at the Windy Point Bay...the another Juvenile joins to battle with it's fellow youngster. Another Mature Eagle perching in a tree looking for breakfast or just watching the rest of the action and finally a Summer Sunrise at Windy Point...the sunrises have been pretty good most mornings, I gonna have to get out later and see if I can get a great Sunset...

That's it for now, got a board of directors meeting to go to...

Back Later, hopefully sooner rather than much later.

I should mention the photos are taken with the new Canon 100-400 EF 1:4 5-5.6 ll Lens that I purchased in June...never have spent nearly $2000 on a lens or camera, but I figured "What the Hell"?  and did it, and happy I did, I also purchased a lighter Canon 250D camers, not so expensive, but the lite weight combined with the heavier lens makes things easier without a Tri or Monopod...{the lens is pictured at the bottom}

Catching Up

 

Damn, it's been over 2 months...guess the old guy has been to busy chasing around after the Grandson's {Kasyn soccer} Kamdyn baseball}  games...summer swimming matches are started too...putting a lot of miles and gas use on the Jeep Wrangler, but all in all, it's worth the effort, time, and costs...What the Hell, you can't take it with you? 

Kamdyn, the Shortstop on his travel/select 8 year old team is batting around .700, which leads his team and this week is attending his 3rd year of Cincinnati Reds camp...last year he won his age group and earned a trip to Great American Ballpark and a chance to compete vs other Regional winners and other top competitors, after a Reds vs Brewers game...this year it won't be easy since he is among the youngest in his 3rd/4th grade group...but I have no doubt he will give it his all, he is a baseballer...

Kasyn aka:  The K~Man age 11, the oldest of the 3 grandsons, is a taller more lean type and a better athlete, all said, but not quite as gung ho...he scored about 35% of this soccer team's goals and with the spring season, he is now back at swimming, where he excels...


Kruz, the youngest, at just over 2, is waiting in the wings...

Other than that, my Sunflower crop is growing and I expect some blooms soon, a smaller area this year because of the new Generac Generator installed late last Summer...but still should have a good crop, topped off by the Hummingbird favorites, the Mexican Sunflowers...

Went fishing last week at Pearson's Pond, my buddy Rick has his large family on vacation at the Outer Banks, and our old Celina and College Buddy, Clint is watching the spread...so we took a couple of days and went after the Pan Fish and Large Mouth Bass, catching over 100, we released them all...the Bass were not as big as the past years in the pond, but still in the 8 to 14 inch range...the Blue Gill's ranged in all sizes, the Crappie were small..

.

That my spring so far, well except for laying out a small fortune for a new Canon Lens, a ef 100-400 MM, it worked well, so well I figured it was to good for the Canonn Rebel T7 and I upgraded that, although the new Rebel SL3 won't arrive for a couple of days...I have way to many cameras, and likely will see a couple off, at my age, two or 3 is more than enough...I will probably keep one Canon, the Nikon, and a point and shoot for easy carry, along with the pretty good Iphone Camera, that should be more than enough...

So tomorrow, June 21st is the longest day {daylight wise} of the year, it doesn't get dark until after 10pm, which is the way I like it...it's also the first day of Summer, let the season of heat begin...

Back Later>>>

Top and Bottom photos are with the new lens...the swim shot of Kasyn, blue skull cap, winning the 100 meter freestyle last summer is with the older lens, same camera, and the Beer and Bass photo is with the Samsung Phone Camera.

Spring 2024, Baseball, Soccer, and the Grandsons...

A week long spate of almost summer like weather has hit the Heartland since Easter last Sunday...

This has given PRH a chance to see plenty of baseball with middle grandson Kam, then yesterday while their mom and dad {youngest son} were in a wedding in Northern Kentucky, I took oldest grandson K~Man to his teams first soccer game of the season...while wife watched the youngest grandson...

Anyway to update {brag a bit} Kam is doing well on his select team...the team is young and middle of the road, but Kam is a standout Shortstop and doing well in field and at the plate, .714 batting average, 10 runs scored and more than a handful of RBIs, 6 I think as of Friday Night...his team did take a beating from the top team in league play Friday, which is humbling, but also not a altogether bad thing...

Meanwhile K~Man, the 11 year old oldest, has moved on to Soccer season, while waiting for the swiming season to begin...electing to play Rec Soccer, he will be fine, as he proved yesterday...scoring his Springboro teams' first goal, adding another and making 2 passes for assists in the teams 9-0

whitewashing of their Y team opponent...

Kruz the 2 year old got his attention from Grandma, and I got to get some quality time with him post soccer, as we waited for the summer like Sunset to dip in the skies in the Miami Valley...

Tomorrow?  Look for wind, some snow mixed with rain, and a high just a bit north of 40 degrees, thus is April and most of Spring in the Heartland...

back later>>>> 

Turning 74...

 

PRH turned 74 last week on March 16th...I have to admit I never thought I would last this long...the male family genes have never been in it for the long run.  As far as I know I'm the second longest living male in the H family...one uncle lasted 75 years but he had several heart attacks from his 40s and 50s before holding on until 75.

As for me?  I've held on despite having Agent Orange related {so the VA says} Diabetes 2 with related Neuropathy...my visit to the VA in Columbus last month, my BP was off the charts while my Blood Sugar was down to 8.0 from 8.7 last year...the BP?  White Coat Issues, it has been pretty stable in the 115-122 over 65-70 range most mornings, so with meds I am not concerned about it...in fact at 74 years, what the Hell do I have to be concerned about, health wise..I'm on the last days on this planet, whether I make it 1 week or 15 more years...

So I will continue to drink some beers, smoke a few good hand rolled cigars, no cheap shit for PRH, ride the Dual Sport TW200 motorcycle, and anything else that fits my fancy.  Sure I do plan on eating more healthy when I can, drinking a bit less, and drop the 8 pounds I have gained over the last year, and hopefully a few more down to the 180 mark, aside from that?  I plan on enjoying best I can, what time I have left on this earth, until God decides what to do me with...

back later, with a new series, if I can concentrate, looking back on a "Life Lived"...

later

The 1978 "Blizzard of the Century"

 

While the Bengals are back in Kansas City for another AFC Title game vs the Chiefs...we, unlike last year, will opt out of this one...KC is a nice visit, it was great weather and good food and of course the Bengals won...hopefully the same outcome and perhaps a Super Bowl win this time, but that is far from certain...hard enough to beat a good team 2 or 3 times in a row, this would be 4 should the Bengals prevail.

Go Bengals...Who Dey? 

The Blizzard of 78...My Short Story as posted on one of my Motorcycle sites...

Hard to believe it's been 45 years ago this week the Blizzard that crushed the Midwest and New England was kicking ass...wife and I were living in Northern Wisconsin, a dozen or so miles north of Wausau, out in the sticks...while we didn't get the amount of snow that Ohio, Indiana, and much of New England received, the winds made sure what we got was blowing around drifting and piling up. My very pregnant wife was working in Wausau and had opted not to drive that morning to Wausau South Hospital where she was a social worker, I was a DJ a few miles north at WJMT Radio in Merrill, but had the day off. When it was time to pick the wife up I, and the 2 Airedales, left early to see the scenery and drive the remote back roads to Wausau.

A few miles into the drive, I turned and DAMN here was some fool sitting right in the middle of the road...I swerved to avoid him[you couldn't see shit from the blowing and falling snow}and ended up with all 4 wheels off the road in a snow bank...that damn Cherokee would go thru more stuff than the Wranglers I have owned since, loved that thing...but nothing goes when all 4 wheels are off the ground. Turns out the damn fool in the middle of the road was a "roadman" for the school district and was out checking roads, I told him I was stuck, and he looks at me with a blank stare...and as I walked back to the Jeep, the son of a bitch backs up and takes off...leaving me, the Dogs, and the Cherokee stuck...MFer if I could have caught the SOB I would likely have beaten him to black and blue...

What to do, I didn't know much about the road and area I was stuck in, having just moved to the area the year before, but I knew there was a farm house about a mile back and that I was screwed if I didn't get help...so off I jog, leaving the dogs in the Jeep ... I arrived at the farm about half hour or so later...talked with Mr and Mrs Farmer...he had an old Allis Chambers tractor that he said was a power pulling machine...he fired it up, I jumped on the back and down the road we went...the snow blowing in my face {no cab on this puppy} felt like needles in my face...but arrive we did. We hooked up the chain to my rear under carriage and it took only a few seconds to pull me out...Thank God for good hearted Farmers...I offered him $20 it was all I had on me, he just laughed and said, "Do me a favor sometime"{ ... and we went our separate ways...

Me and the pups continued on into Wausau with a story to tell the wife and to repeat for the rest of my days...

Photos from Western Ohio that were in our local rag at the time...I remember mom telling me they couldn't get to the store for 3 days, even in town, while it wasn't as bad in the Northwoods, it did leave me with that story to tell

Top Photo is along I-70 not far from Indianapolis while ...bottom 3 from our local newspaper and the area around and south of Grand Lake...

2023 Looking Forward...

Looking Ahead to 2023...

Here we are almost 2 weeks into the new year...so far I've already taken in a Bengals game vs the Ravens in Cincinnati last Sunday with youngest son who has season tickets...the previous Monday, they, Hal and his Wife, took the managers of their business and some of the spouses to the Bills at Bengals game, they had a full enclosed suite with all the trimmings for a fee somewhere north of $10,000, far north to be exact, turned out to be for about 10 minutes of action, as the Bills defensive back dropped to the turf after a tackle...they will be reimbursed but still what a bummer.  I won't rehash the story, because I'm sure you have seen and read what happen...thankfully, although he will never play football again, it appears that Hamlin will survive his brush with death...

Unlike others I will not say this was from the "Jab", but who really knows at this point? 

What's in store? ... 

Nearing 74 years old, with what the VA says in Agent Orange related D2 along with accompanying Neuropathy, I have to admit, compared to most my age, I feel pretty damn lucky, and still am far more active than most...I, God willing, will turn 74 on March 16th.

January 28th I will head back to Dayton and the Air Force Museum, but this time with son and at least one of the grandsons, to take in the Red's Caravan, where several players and coaches talk and sign autographs...back in the 80s and early 90s I attended the Reds Media Caravan on many occasions, interviewing many of the Reds and having a beer or two with others, including the recently passed Tom Browning and the Hit King, Pete Rose...

My riding and 50+ year comrade, Nick had planned on a Pick Up ride to Florida, hauling the TW Dual Sports down to ride...looks like late January plan has been shitcanned for now, I my go solo in May, but time will tell, meanwhile Nick and I are now looking at a Summer or late Spring run to the Black Hills Area...depending on fuel costs, health, and time...neither one of us is getting any younger...

Wife officially retires today from nearly 40 years of teaching, the last 8 1/2 doing mostly on line teaching, giving her a second income to invest...of course with the Demented Fool, Joe Biden, in charge{we know the SOB isn't really in charge, he's just a sock puppet for his Kenyan Born Master, Obammy and likely George Soros} who knows if any of us will have anything left to invest by year's end? But her 2nd teaching retirement as of now looks good for our future...especially with having every thing paid off and what I bring in from my retirement and other incomes...

The spring and summer will likely see us take a couple of short 3 to 4 day vacations, and she will likely take a 2 week outing to Wisconsin to visit with her family...PRH will stay at home watching the critters and house for that one...we will also see the 2 older boys and their sports, and I plan on taking the oldest grandson, now 11, to a Space Camp in Alabama for a week...giving me the chance to visit with some old friends down that way, who have moved from Ohio to warmer climate...

As I mentioned in the last post, this year's Dayton Vietnam "Sky Cop" Reunion will be shorter, with less activity, and likely the last of these which started in 2007 with 5 of us {2 now passed} on a cold February afternoon at the Museum for Coffee and grew in numbers to near 100 by 2019...I will likely attend the June and September Reunions in Kokomo but won't spend as much time as the old days for sure...those to have changed over the years, and are just not the same...

After September, it's to far in the future to worry or even contemplate what will be forthcoming in the year 2023...I hope to stick around and find out though. 

back later>>> 

Photos:{1} View from son's season ticket seats at Bengals game last Sunday {1-8-2023}, {2} Me and the late, great, Tom Browning, from the 1989 Reds Media  Caravan, {3} Middle Grandson, Kam, at Reds Fest in December, showing off his pitching style for a couple of Reds starting pitchers, {4} Dayton Sky Cop Reunion 2016, this spring will see the 15th and probably last of those...and bottom, Yes, Joe Biden is one Anti American Asshole...

Looking Back 2022, Look forward 2023...

 

2022?  Less Blog Posts than 2021 but a few more than 2019 or 2020...nothing approaching the Glory days of Blogging, when I posted/penned more than 265 stories back in 2008, the first full year of this ... the first 5 years in fact were busy, I often wonder how is it that I even took the time to do that stuff, but I was newly retired and had some time on my hands...what will 2023 bring?  I suspect somewhere between 15 and 25 posts depending on how the again brain and fingers feel.

2022...

My mom passed away in mid January, the 19th to be exact, in Naples, Florida, mentally in good shape right up until the stroke two day prior, she passed peacefully at 97 years 9 months and 5 days...a long and good life indeed.  I had been to Florida the previous October {2021} so I got to see her one more time, and talked to her with my wife and middle grandson, just 2 days before the stroke.  We would hold a celebration of life, drinks and food included, in June, about 150 family and friends showed up...it was a grand time to celebrate her life.

Youngest son Hal and I got a chance to see the Cincinnati Bengals play and win the AFC Championship game in Kansas City...after years of misery, the Bengals finally made the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989...the close last minute lost to the Rams did little to dampen what was a great comeback season.

The rest of the winter was kind of a blur...winter when I was young I didn't mind, I knew how to Snow Ski and keep myself busy...now days in my 70s {74 this coming March}, I despise the long months and short daylight days of winter.  Youngest Grandson turned 1 on my and his birthday March 16th.

With Spring came our first Vietnam "Sky Cops" reunion since the phony COVID Bullshit and lies began, we held the 2022 version, first since 2019 at the Hope Hotel on Wright Patterson AFB and the Air Force Museum the last weekend in April...it went "OK" but I realized that old farts don't drink or stay up late, except for a few of us, like me...I have decided {with very little help for this year} to scale this year's back and likely end the practice...to many folks have passed and to many are aging not so well.

Got to see the two older grandsons do well in their sports throughout the Spring and Summer...Kasyn was a top notch soccer player in both seasons, and had an excellent summer swim season as well.   The middle grandson, Kam, came in first in his age group at the Cincinnati Red's camp in Centerville, thus qualifying for the "Top 10" competition at Great American Ballpark after the Reds vs Brewers game in late September...he also had a great swimming season.   Their combination Home Schooling and Christian Schooling is serving them well...in athletics and academics.

Patricia and I took a quick vacation to Brown County, Indiana, after missing the cabin getaway in 2021...this was in early August...that came in~between Vietnam Reunion visits to Howard County in both early June and mid September...those, like the Dayton Reunion, are not what they once were...sadly.

No Florida trips or Rick Pearson Pond Visits this year either...but the fall was fairly busy..

In early October we headed to Wisconsin for a couple of days, and wife's step mom celebrated her 90th birthday, then a few weeks later I soloed it to the Chicago Bergs and stayed with oldest son Sam for a weekend as we took in the Ohio State at Northwestern game...The Buckeyes won, but not by much over a weak Wildcat squad ...foretelling what was to come, as a loss to Michigan was followed by a 1 point lost to eventual National Champion team, Georgia, on the final night of 2022.

That was 2022 in a quick look nutshell...

2023 will come up in the next post...Stay tuned...