Sunday October 30, 2011

The alarm goes off at 0655. Nancy and I get up and head to the MAC. We both swam for 45 minutes. We stopped back home to pick up Missy and AJ and head to Meijer's. I filled the Taurus up and gas was $3.44 per gallon. Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs for breakfast. In keeping with a Scott family tradition I took my Sunday afternoon nap. After the nap I took a 2.25 mile walk. Nancy is fixing ham and potatoes for dinner. Tonight we will walk over to the corner of Cambridge and Pontiac to show AJ a great Halloween display. I got my 30 in today did you?

Saturday October 29, 2011

Nancy and I get up about 0630. Nancy said she was really tired and would not be going to the MAC. Missy and AJ were just getting up when I was getting ready to ride my bike to "Bill's". I decided to wait so we could all go out for breakfast. I stopped by the Kava House for some coffee and to read the papers. Nancy called as I was finishing my coffee so I headed home. We all piled into the Taurus and headed to Bill's. Bill's was not very crowded so we did not have to wait. In fact I have never waited at Bill's. After breakfast Nancy and I took AJ to Meijer Gardens. The Gardens had a lot of pumpkins on display. It was turning into a bright sunny day. When we got home it was still to wet to cut the grass so I took a short nap. At 1530 I started cutting the grass and was done by 1730. I do not think I will have to cut the grass again this year. Nancy fixed sloppy joes for dinner. We all enjoyed the meal. After dinner AJ and I carved a pumpkin. I think this is the first time I have carved a pumpkin since the 80s. It actually turned out ok. It is on display on our front porch. I watched for the fifth time the Bourne Identity on TV. I really like this movie. I headed upstairs about 2300.

Friday October 28, 2011

Friday and my big question today is "will the rain hold off so I can cut the grass". Today Missy and AJ are coming for Halloween. We do not know exactly what time they will leave Ohio so the dinner plans are on hold. It was really dark when I headed to the MAC. I am always worried when I pedal in the dark, especially in the morning when folks are in a hurry getting to work. I performed my morning routine at the MAC without a hitch. It was just starting to rain when I got to the Kava House. I read the WSJ and DFP and I found nothing really important to report. After a quick lunch I headed upstairs to work on a project. Missy called and said that they would not be leaving Ohio until about 1700. That means that Nancy and I will go out for dinner. About 1700 we get in the Taurus and head to Panera Bread on 28th Street. After dinner we head to Kohl's. Nancy gets 30% off today. Missy and AJ arrived about 2300. Nancy and I managed to stay awake until their arrival. AJ headed right to bed and Missy and I stayed up and watched the 2300 news and the first part of Jay Leno. I thought Jay Leno was funny.

Thursday Ocotber 27, 2011

Today is suppose to be another dark gloomy day. At the MAC I did my row, run, swim routine. The WSJ was loaded with articles on the EU's debt deal. I checked on my itouch about 1200 and the stock market was going up. In todays mail I received a flyer from the owners of the Ambassador Bridge. This bridge is privately owned and goes from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. The bridge spans the Detroit River. Canada wants a new bridge located down stream from the Ambassador Bridge. NAFTA has created a lot of truck traffic between Canada and the US. In fact I think Detroit is the busiest border crossing. The new bridge would be wider and have better connections to existing freeways. One of the raps on the Ambassador Bridge is that it dumps a lot ot trucks on Windsor's surface street creating big traffic jams. The new bridge would be a toll bridge like the Mackinaw and Blue Water Bridges. Canada would put up most of the money. The new bridge is supported by the MI Chamber of Commerce the Unions and most major newspapers. I think the new bridge is a great idea. The flyer said I should call my State Senator and tell him the new bridge is a waste of money. I don't agree so I emailed my Senator and told him to support the new bridge. Enough already on the bridge, Bob! After lunch I headed upstairs to my office to continue checking a set of bridge plans. I also caught up on my emails and banking business. My SS check came in on Wednesday. I want all you young folks to keep working and paying into SS so I can keep spending. At 1730 Nancy and I headed to Great Lakes Shipping for dinner. After dinner we headed to the GR Art Museum to listen to a lecture and look at a display by an artist who also taught at UW, Madison. It was a very good lecture (and short). But what was so amazing about the speaker was that he was 90 years old. The museum served snacks and Nancy and I spent about 2 hours there. I then watched some TV while I read the GRP. I like the new TV show "Person of Interest". I did watch some of the World Series but went to bed before the sixth inning. I guess I missed a great game.

Wednesday October 26, 2011

Today is easy Wednesday. I start by pedaling to Bill's for their pancake breakfast. It was pitch black when I left at 0715. I can't wait for DST to end. I don't like to pedal in the dark. After breakfast it was still dark and gloomy but I decided to go on a bike ride. I headed east towards Reeds Lake. I rode around the lake and my speedometer said I had pedaled 11 miles. I had to mail some packages so I walked to the PO. I had a quick lunch and then did some reading while I waited for the sprinkler man to come and drain our system. He arrived at 1330 and it took about 20 minutes to complete the draining. I spent the rest of the afternoon in my office working on an excel template. This evening Nancy and I are meeting the Horlings, Hal and Karen at Red's in Rockford for dinner. Everyone was on time and we spent the next 2.5 hours eating, drinking and talking. It was great. We got home at 2100 and I quickly read the GRP before going to bed.

Tuesday October 25, 2011

The weather man last night it would not rain until late this afternoon. Liar, Liar! I walked outside at 0700 and it was raining. I put on my rainpants for my ride to the MAC. Today I did the row, run, swim routine. It really started to rain when I got about 1/2 way to the Kava House. It was free refill day at the Kava House so i got a small coffee and had it refilled several times. The WSJ had several articles on the EU problems. I wish Greece would just sink into the Mediterranean. Why do all the GOP candidates keep shooting themselves in the foot? Despite my low opinion of the President I do think his decision to bring the troops home from Iraq was the right one. Now I hope he brings them home from Afghanistan. After lunch I headed upstairs to my office. I spent the entire afternoon working on my computer. I spent some time working on an Excel worksheet. It has been awhile since I used Excel so I had to spend some time refreshing my skills. Tonight we will watch NCIS and read the GRP. I hope to read an article in Vanity Fair on the problems in CA. I guess Arnie did not solve many problems. Tomorrow I will check on getting my DNA run.

Monday October 24, 2011

We had a heavy rain last night. In fact we had a lot of thunder. I was glad Ms P was not here. I was up at 0610. I followed my normal Monday routine. You can tell the political season is upon us because there is a lot of strong talk in the MAC's locker room. I pedaled to the MAC in the dark but when I left for the Kava House the sun was out and we had blue sky. I read both the WSJ and DFP. It is hard to find a consensus on what the economy will do in the next 6 months. I am an optimist. I would like to see interest rates go up. My CD's are only getting 0.5%. After lunch I checked my email and then took a 3 mile walk. It was a great day for a walk. Last nights rain seemed to bring out the reds on the maple trees. After the walk I wrote a note to Lucas on the toy Trabant I bought for him. I also wrote an article for the OHNA newsletter on our street lights. Tonight we will watch some TV, read the papers and I hope I am in bed by 2130. I hope everyone got their 30 in today.

Sunday October 23, 2011

The alarm goes off at 0655 and Bob and Nancy get ready for our swim. We both swam 1250 yards. After the swim we headed to Meijer's for our weekly food supplies. I filled the Taurus up and gas was $3.39 a gallon. Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs for beakfast. After breakfast I read some of the GRP and then headed upstairs for a nap. After the nap I took a 3 mile walk. Nancy is fixing some salmon for dinner tonight. We will watch 60 minutes and then head to bed. It was a back to normal Sunday. In yesterday's blog I mentioned attending the CEC school in CA. I did not tell how I got to CA. I picked up a small Renault car from an OCS classmate in Detroit and drove it to Alpena. After a very pleasant two week in Alpena I loaded the Renault up and headed to Minneapolis, MN. I drove north from Alpena, crossed the bridge and then headed west on US2. I spent the night in Rhinelander, WI and then noon next day I pick up two fellow Ensigns In Minneapolis. We each had a sea bag with all our gear. I had purchased a roof rack and we got all the bags on the roof. We then left MN and headed to San Diego. The other two sailors were assigned to Destroyers out of San Diego. We shared driving and planned on driving straight through. The Renault was not a big car and it was grossly underpowered. Max speed was 60 mph. We did not stop except for gas. When we got to Yuma, AZ we decided that we were going to reach CA on time so we stopped for a hot meal and beer. After dinner we got in the Renault and drove the rest of the way to CA. When you are 23 everything is possible.

Saturday October 22, 2011

Saturday morning and of course it is breakfast at Bill's. It was in the 30s when I left for Bill's. It was also pitch black. I had their pancake special. After breakfast I put the bike rack on the C2 and headed to Millennium Park. The sun was out and it was a perfect day. I had two deer run across my path and also saw several muskrats. The Park has just finished paving several new paths and I had fun exploring them. The Park is also building a new bridge across Maynard and it looks line it should be completed by next spring. When the bridge is complete we will be able to pedal for miles without crossing a road. I rode for 24 miles. When I got home I had a quick lunch and then a shower. I took a short nap. At 1730 Nancy and I headed to the Longhorn for dinner. We met the Namy's. We had a great dinner and since the Namy's had just come back from a trip to Italy we had a good time taling about our vacations. After dinner we came back to our house for dessert. Nancy fixed cookies and an apple crunch. It was great. I finished the evening watching some football on TV. I watched part of the MSU/UW game but did not see the last play.

Friday October 21, 2011

The weather people said the rain has stopped but it was misting on my ride to and from the MAC. Today completes my first full week since our high calorie Eastern Europe trip. Push ups and chin ups are harder when one is carrying 10 extra pounds. Hoever, I did survive the week. I did end up at the Kava House and read both the WSJ and DFP. I try to read as fast as I can but it still takes about 60 minutes to read the WSJ. I think I understand the money problems in Europe and I do not see an easy solution. I see that our leaders are giving us folks on SS a raise. Do we really need one? After a quick lunch I started running some errands. My first stop of Costco where I bought two wool/polyester blend long sleeve tee shirts. They might keep me warm on my cold weather bike rides. Costco every once in a while has great bargains on men's clothing. My next stop was Gander Mountain to get some wool ragg socks. They did not have any. I guess my only supply is LL Bean. Finally, I stopped at Master Cleaners to pick up all my winter wool coats and jackets. I think I am now set for cold weather. We attended the OHNA's monthly TGIF. I always enjoy attending these functions to find out what the neighbors are doing. 50 years ago October I was attending the Navy's Civil Engineering Corps Officer's school. In Port Hueneme, CA. This school was not too hard. In fact it was kind of fun after OCS. We got out of class about 1500 and then we spent the rest of the day enjoying the many great athletic facilities the Base had. We went swimming, played racketball, and even had a touch football team. It was great to be an Ensign in the CEC of the Navy.

Thursday October 20, 2011

I still am suffering from jet lag because I was wide awake at 0600. It was pouring pain when I was ready to leave for the MAC so I put on my rain suit. It was also pitch black but in addition to my bike lights I bought a light that fstraps on top of my helmut. It also has a rear view light. Motorists should be able to see me. I did the tri this morning. On the swim portion the stroke I used was the breast stroke. It is easier on my shoulder. It was raining hard when I was ready to leave so instead of going to the Kava House I stayed at the MAC and read my newspapers. After lunch I cleaned out my sweater drawer. I was surprised how many nice sweaters I had on the bottom of the pile. I paid some bills and walked to the Post Office and mailed them. I am getting my 30 minutes in are you? Nancy had a wine and cheese party this afternoon. She got home about 1800. Instead of going to Great Lakes Shipping we headed to Costco to get some supplies like peanut butter, vitamin D pills, etc. I had a slice of pizza for dinner. We watched a little TV and then at 2100 headed to bed.

Wednesday October 19, 2011

The Danube River Cruise continues: Sunday October 8, We arrived in Belgrade, Serbia while we were eating breakfast. At 0900 we got in our bus and headed on a tour of the city. Belgrade is the capital of Serbia and has a population of 1,275,000. We toured the Tito Museum, St. Sava Church and then walked through the old part of the City. Belgrade is just recovering from all the troubles they had in the 90s and although there are some really nice sectons it looked depressed. Serbia's main religion is Russian Orthodox. At 1800 the boat left Belgrade and headed to Croatia. Just a comment on the Ottomans (Turks). The Ottoman Empire either controlled or marched through all the countries we visited. Their influence in Eastern European history is immense.. This winter I plan on reading more on the Ottoman Empire. I am using Goggle's new format and I cannot find a spell check. I am using my 1956 Webster's Dictionary but I cannot catch everything. Please overlook the misspelling. Monday October 10, 2011: We are docked at Vukovar, Croatia. Vukora was nearly destroyed by the Serbians in the early 1990s. Today we departed at 0900 for a tour of Osijek, Croatia. We visited an elementary school that is supported by Grand Circle. The children in the school put on a program for us. It was really very good. The one thing I noticed was the dress of the kids. They were wearing the universal kid's clothing of jeans, Tee shirts and Nikes. The same outfit worn by the grandchildren of the tour group. Nancy and I and three other couples had lunch with a local family. We had the local fare and got to talk to the family. The folks in this town had to leave because of the 1990 war. They were gone for about 8 years and when they came back their home was destroyed. The home we visited had been rebuilt. They had state of the art windows and all the appliances were new. I was surprised that they burned wood. Their property was long and narrow. 50' x 400'. They had a great garden with fruit trees. They also had chickens and rabbits. It was interesting. As we moved up the Danube each new country seemed more prosperous than the last. Croatia was no exception. The main religion in Croatia is Roman Catholic. Tuesday October 11, 2011: The boat sailed overnight and we reached Kalocsa, Hungary in the morning. It was an easy day for Bob and Nancy. We spent the morning in the boat's lounge reading our books. In the afternoon we walked around the town of Kalocsa. Kalocsa is a town of about 18,000. We liked our walk around town. Cobblestone streets and very old scenic buildings made the walk very pleasurable. Wednesday October 12, 2011: We arrived in Budapest at 0630. After breakfast we went on a tour of Budapest. Budapest was the highlight of our trip. The city has a population of 1,700,000 and is loaded with old historic buildings and churches. The architecture was spectular. Pesta is located on one side of the Danube and Buda is on the other. Today we were berthed on the Buda side. The tour last until 1300. After lunch Nancy and I walked along a 1 mile pedestrian mall. We especially liked their covered marketplace. It is kinda like Clevelands "Westside Market". After another great evening meal we listened to a lecture on Hungarian traditions. Thursday October13, 2011: Nothing was planned for today but Nancy and I had a very special day. Melissa's college roomate, Adri, lives in a suburb of Budapest. Adri picked us up at 0930 and took us on a walking tour of Budapest. Adri is very knowledgeable about the architecture of Budapest. We walked into buildings like the Four Seasons Hotel and Adri would point out their unique features. We enjoyed walking through the old Jewish secition of the city. Adri showed us several old buildings that were being restored. We stopped at the National Museum and walked through their section on the History of Hungry. We had lunch at the oldest cafe in the city. We had a typical Hungarian business man's lunch, complete with a glass of Hungarian beer. It was a very pleasant lunch. We got back ot the boat about 1330. After spending several hours relaxing, Zolton, Adri's husband picked us up and drove use to a small suburb of Budapest for dinner. We were met by Adri and their two children. The restaurant, I think, was a typical small town eatery. It had about 10 tables. We had what I would consider a typical dinner that a Hungarian family would have on a night out. Zoltons and Adri's live style is not that much different than a professional couple in the USA. The kids were typical youngsters with interests similar to our grandkids. Eddie the son recommended that I get my grandson, Lucas, a toy Tarbant car. The Tarbant was manufactured in East Germany during the Soviet era. It had cardboard components and was the laughing stock of the auto industry. However, the model car is a must have for six year old boys. Nancy and I enjoyed our time spent with Adri and her family. The are a lovely family. Friday October 14, 2011: Today is our last full day on the tour. At 0900 we got in our bus and took a tour of Szentendre. Szentendre is a thousand year old town famous for its 18th century architecture. We ended the day with the Captain's Farewell Dinner. The cook's pulled out all the stops. It was great. We said our goodbyes to our boatmates. Saturday October 15, 2011: Travel day. We got up at 0230 and headed to the airport. Our flight left at 0615. We stopped in Amsterdam and got into Chicago about 1400. We got the C2 and headed for home. We arrived in GR about 1800. Saturday October 16, 2011: We had jet lag so getting up at 0700 was easy. We swam for 30 minutes and then headed to Meijer's for groceries. I took my afternoon nap and even went on a 3 mile walk. I fell asleep before 60 Minutes and woke up about 1.5 hours later. We were in bed early. Monday October 17, 2011: Back to normal. I did every thing at 50%. In the afternoon I mowed the grass. I hope it is the last time this year. After dinner I fell asleep watching TV. Another early night. Tuesday October 18, 2011: I did my row, run, swim routine. I spent a lot of time at the Kava House reading my papers. In the afternoon I got my winter wardrobe out. I took my wool pants, sweaters and coats to the dry cleaners. Nancy attended a OHNA meeting in the evening. Wednesday October 19, 2011: Today I attended Breakfast Clubl. The speaker was GR's Police Chief and he gave a presentation on the terrible shooting in July. Seven folks were shot and killed and the Chief played the 911 calls and showed the videos that were captured by the cameras mounted on the police cars. They had a wild car chase through GR. It was very interesting. After the meeting I got the C2 serviced. This afternoon Nancy is working at the Gardens and this evening she is working at a Volunteer Dinner. I will not see her until about 2100.

Tuesday October 18, 2011

Nancy and I just completed a River Cruise on the Danube. We started in Bucharest, Romania and ended in Budapest, Hungary. It was a great trip. We had a slight change in schedule because of a severe drought in Eastern Europe. Water levels were so low that we had to start further upstream from our origninal schedule. We spent two nights in Bucharest instead on one. This means we spent one less day on the river boat. Grand Circle, our tour guide, did a great job adjusting the program.

So I won't repeat myself I want to say that the food on the River Boat was great. I put on 9 pounds. Breakfast was buffet style. They had all kinds of breads and fruits. Eggs were served at every breakfast. Our coffee cups were always being refilled. Breakfast was from 0700 to 0900. Lunch was a sit down affair. We had soup then the main dish and dessert. They always had a salad bar for those so inclined. Dinner was more elaborate. We started with a shrimp cocktail then we had soup, the main course and of course dessert. Wine was served with dinner and they kept our glass filled. I did not deny myself anything. No wonder I put on 20 pounds.

I liked the way the our boat was configured. Our rooms were small but we had plenty of storage space. The boat was 410 feet long and 38 feet wide. It draught was only 5 feet. The wheelhouse was able to go up or down. This allowed the boat to go under low bridges. There were about 150 folks on our trip. I think Nancy and I were the youngest couple. We had folks from all parts of the USA. We had the opportunity to talk with most of our mates. It was very enjoyable to spend an evening leisurely talking and eating with our boatmates. Dinner was usually served at 1900 and last about 100 minutes.

Our trip started on Monday October 2. At 0900 we loaded up the C2 and headed to Chicago. The trip to Chicago was uneventful. We parked in an economy lot and had to take a shuttle and tram to get to the terminal. We very flying on KLM. We did upgrade our economy seat to economy plus. We wanted more leg room. The plane left Chicago at 1600 for Amsterdam. It was an 8 hour flight. We spent about 2 hours in Amsterdam and they flew to Bucharest. We arrived in the the early afternoon on Tuesday. We were taken to our hotel, a modern Howard Johnson. The hotel was very modern and I thought quite nice. We were served a buffet dinner and then headed to bed.

Wednesday October 5: After a buffet breakfast we boarded our buses and headed to the City of Constanta on the Black Sea. The tour group was divided into four groups of about 35. They always had four buses. Our tour guide for the entire time was Reka. She was very knowledgeable. We drove through what I considered some very fertile farm lands. The land was flat with few trees. The Villages we passed through looked very poor. We arrived at Constanta about 1300. The City is a summer tourist mecca. We saw large hotels on the Black Sea. We had lunch at a very large hotel. The beach at Constanta was sandy. Nancy took her shoes off and test the water and said it was warm. Several folks went swimmming. On our long trip Reka told us about Romania. Romania has a language that is based on Latin. In fact it is very similar to present day Itilian. The citizens are mostly Roman Catholic. Bucharest is the largest city with a population of over 2,000,000. It also the capital.

Thurday October 6, 2011. After breakfast we piled into our buses and took a tour of Bucharest. The City has many dreary Soviet era aparment buildings. It was very depressing. We did stop at several interesting landmarks. After the City tour we headed west. On our trip on the boat we passed through many small villages. All the villages looked very poor. We got to the Boat about 1800. The boat was docked at Calafat, Romania. We had our first meal aboard the boat. It was great and everyone was happy we had finally had a chance to unpack.

Friday October 7, 2011: During the evening hours the boat crossed the Danube to Vidin, Bulgaria. My first impression of the Danube was that it was not very big and not blue. This morning was took a walking tour of Vidin. The town had cobblestone streets, interesting buildings and I thought it looked like a typical small river town. The town was going through hard times.

After lunch of soup, Monte Cristo sandwich and ice cream we headed to our buses. We were going on a Tour of the Legendary Fortresses of Bulgaria. The fortresses were located in an area that looked like the landscape in Byrce Canyon in Utah. We climbed up to the top of the fortress and the view was spectualar. We took many picture. The Turks occupied Bulgaria for a long time and the forts were used to keep the Turks at bay. Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic alphabet and the major religion is Orthodox Catholic. We returned to the boat to a great meal and then we watched a local Bulgarian group perform a folk dance show.

Saturday October 8, 2011: Saturday was an easy day. The boat sailed all day. We passed through two massive locks on the Danube. We also passed through the most scenic stretch on the Danube. Massive rock formations were on both sides of the river.

This ends our first week of travel.

Sunday October 3, 2011

Friday September 30: The last day of September. It has rained all week. The weather people are predicting rain for this afternoon. This means I cannot cut the grass. Friday morning and I followed my normal routine. I enjoy reading the WSJ and how all the business pundits are confused about what will happen next. If they are confused what about the rest of us? I really think that the average person who has a job is more worried about their favorite ball team than either the economy or politics?

After lunch I ran several errands and started getting my clothes out for our upcoming trip. For dinner Nancy and I headed to Brann's for a salad. We got to Brann's about 1730 and were surprised at how crowded it was. Were the folks waiting for the Tiger game? If they were they would probably be wasted by gametime at 2030.

Nancy and I watched some TV and even the start of the Tiger's game. After the rain delay was announced I headed to bed.

Saturday October 1, 2011: The sun is suppose to shine all day. In fact on my pedal to Bill's the sun's reflection off my mirror blinded me. It was in the 30's this morning so I had to dress warm for my ride.

After breakfast it was still too wet to cut the grass so I ran some errands. I started cutting about 1100 and finished by 1400. After the yard work I took and shower and then a short nap. I did watch some of the Michigan game.

For dinner tonight Nancy and I headed to Panera for a bowl of soup. Whenever we go to Panera I see mostly old folks and college students. We did stop at the Apple store to see if our Apple toys are wired for 220V. The answer is yes.

I watched the first half of the UW/Nebraska game. I really didn't have a favorite. My high school coach was an icon at Nebraska. Steve attended UW. I went to bed at half time.

Sunday October 3, 2011: This morning Nancy and I swam only 30 minutes, 1000 yards. After the swim we headed to the Cheri Inn for breakfast. I had hot cakes and Nancy had Eggs Benedict. It was very good. After breakfast I finished packing. Nancy and I are getting good at packing. Our bags for a two week trip each weigh 30 pounds. Take that airlines. My biggest worry about taking an extended trip is that I will forget a charging chord. I walked over the Gaslight Village to mail a bill. I also bought a beer for tonight. We will watch some TV and then head to bed early. We are taking the C2 to O'Hare. Nancy is worried that cars are not safe at the long term parking lots. We have parked at O'Hare before without a problem. How about them Lions.

Remember every day you must spend 30 minutes outside. Keep a good thought.