August 8 – Fredericksburg, general update
August 29 – HVAC, update, Allie in Minneapolis
September 7 – DC for NSO Declassified show
July 16
I had a fine solo trip in early June to Cleveland, Toronto and Pittsburgh, which in turn spawned two lengthy dives into Pittsburgh’s history, Part 1 focused on pre-1800 years and Part 2 on post-1800. Working on these posts deterred me from making journal entries but now is a small chance to catch up.
Barb and I have largely lain low in the house, or in Barb’s case at the Cattail pool for most of the summer. We’ve had several cycles of heat waves that made it unpleasant to be outdoors and a lack of rain which meant the lawn hardly needed tending during the heat – a small bonus. I have been watching a great deal of sports on TV as we’ve gone through Wimbledon, the Euro and Copa soccer matches, and lots of baseball. My joke is that I’m in training for the Olympics which will start in about 10 days. For the time being, my TV viewing will slow down slightly as the tennis and soccer are done and the O’s are slightly less compelling since they’ve been on their worst losing streak in several years. But soon will be the British Open golf tournament and the Olympics from Paris so I will be occupied through most of August.
We’re getting excited about our trip to Ireland in September. We’ve now paid for it entirely so it better happen on schedule. I’ve been watching a helpful Great Tour of Ireland series on Great Courses that covers many of the sights we will see. I’m hoping it doesn’t spoil the trip for me and I also hope I don’t fall asleep as readily in the real locales as I do during the lectures.
We’ve also made initial plans and put down deposits for a river cruise from Basel to Amsterdam in October 2025 with Mary and John. We’re glad to finally have some travel buddies, assuming John actually retires between now and then. Fingers crossed that this trip works out and we might line up future trips with them. In any case, the cruise should be decent and we will stay a few days after in Amsterdam. When I get back from Ireland I will also turn attention to planning a California trip for the spring of 2025. That will keep us reasonably busy.
Allie has survived her June bridal gauntlet. During the month she had a bachelorette weekend in Puerto Rico, a different one in Las Vegas, a work conference in New York, a wedding in western Massachusetts and a weekend with friends in Rhode Island. She’s looking forward to a breather and some time for herself.
Barb has been dealing with all sorts of aggravating medical issues, from arthritis flare ups all over her body to a broken crown that might require a new implant. She’s been trying to get a referral to a specialist to hopefully get at the root of the arthritis troubles but so far she’s just seeing several therapists. She’s very creaky in the mornings and wary of overexerting herself. We both hope it gets better and/or she finds a good course of treatment. Right now it’s very annoying, more for her but partly for me.
Speaking of annoying, I suppose I need to say something about the election and the general state of the world. It’s not great. Biden had a terrible first debate performance a couple of weeks ago and is still suffering from the fallout, pushback and general hand-wringing in the Democratic party. At the moment he shows no sign of getting out of the saddle or handing the reins to anyone else. Meanwhile, we are experiencing peak-Trump with his coronation underway at the Republican convention, having survived an assassination attempt last Saturday and getting the news on Monday that his documents case was tossed out in Florida. If Trump didn’t already have a messiah complex, he does now.
I’m still not personally doing much of anything to fight the threat of Trump and his cronies, although I did for the first time make a political contribution to Biden and to Angela Alsobrooks for her Senate campaign in Maryland. I am now subjected to daily emails from both requesting more donations. I’m sure I will give more but these endless solicitations are the mark of a grubby, broken system. I hold out hope that things are especially dark at the moment and a general tide will swing back toward Biden and the Democrats but that’s based on little more than wishful thinking.
August 8
The power of wishful thinking in my last post was confirmed a few days later when Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris. It was like a cloud lifting and there was suddenly new energy throughout the Democratic party and its supporters, including me. In the ensuing few weeks things seem to be getting better, with polls getting much closer but still a disturbingly strong level of support for Trump. Nevertheless, at least now it’s a race and I like the Democratic chances.
Kamala just yesterday announced the choice of Tim Walz as running mate. He was a true unknown – I’d never heard of him until a couple of weeks ago – but he’s already exuding a likable midwestern Dad energy that seems like a welcome antidote to Trump and J.D. Vance. Here’s hoping their momentum continues to build. The Democratic Convention in a few weeks might actually be fun to watch.
We are more than halfway through the Paris Olympics and so far kudos to France for pulling off an excellent event. Kudos also to NBC and Peacock for streaming all sports making it easier to find the things you want to watch rather than NBC’s heavily Team USA curated main programs. I’ve enjoyed peacefully watching tennis, surfing, sailing and even some equestrian events to leaven the relentless focus on USA swimming, gymnastics, basketball and track exploits.
While all this is going on, our house continues to show its age. Our annual A/C maintenance check revealed that the cooling coils in the basement are well rusted and probably leaking coolant. That set us on the course of investigating replacing one or both of our A/C units, a significantly costly hit. I consulted with our neighborhood brain trust of Mark and Marv and got a bit of advice but it looks like we will plunge ahead with replacing at least the basement unit. The brain trust, however, warns that before long we can look at replacing our water filter system, well pump, roof, and who knows what else.
Meanwhile, the pull-cord on our kitchen window shade popped and it feels like time to replace the shade rather than try to repair it. The shade guy was here today and we’ve ordered a new one. Just another check to write.
Last weekend I drove Barb down to Fredericksburg for a retirement party for Valarie, one of her former DC colleagues. She had a good time and got some fun pictures even though she didn’t know a lot of the people.
While she was at the party, I went to the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg national park and visitor center. It was a miserably hot day so I spent about an hour in the visitor center and another hour taking a driving tour. I learned quite a bit about a battle and era I knew little about. Most surprising for me, I didn’t realize that Fredericksburg had been occupied for the Spring and Summer of 1862 by the Union Army but they left when the battle front shifted toward Antietam. In December of that year they were back but fought Lee at the Battle of Fredericksburg, one of the bloodiest losses for the Union. The Sunken Road was the scene of much of the carnage as the Union sent wave after wave to attack the well-fortified Confederate position.
I still have a lot to learn about the Civil War, if I ever get so inclined, and many more battlefields to visit. Similarly, this visit to Fredericksburg reminded me of the Goodloe Plantation in Spotsylvania County a few more miles to the south. Maybe someday I will make a more detailed search.
Sue, Laurie and I had a good discussion together at yesterday’s Scattergories time, catching Laurie up on Sue’s trailer repairs and her very happy time visiting with Jill and family. We also discussed Len and her current situation. She has rehabbed remarkably well from hip replacement but is now back in Anna Maria’s home and sliding back into depression and lack of food. Sue reports via Len that Anna Maria may have found some sort of assisted living facility that Len could transition to based on her Medicare status. More to be determined but it’s really up to Len…but best to do something while she is moderately mobile. Sue is entertaining possibilities of Len joining her at Keri’s but Laurie sensibly advised to check with Len first. That’s where we left things for the moment. Stay tuned.
August 13
On the morning of Friday, August 9, we lost power due to Hurricane Debby which by the time it reached us was a mild, very wet tropical storm. We’ve certainly withstood far more severe winds and rains in our years in Maryland but somehow this storm knocked the power out for more than 36 hours, by far the longest outage we’ve experienced in more than two decades. Our new battery in the basement kept our lights on, refrigerator and freezer running, our well and sump pump working without a problem. That doesn’t mean we didn’t have plenty of anxiety as we waited for the power to come back on at any minute, particularly as Friday day stretched into Friday evening.
We were in better shape than most of our neighbors. I got into an all-day group text discussion with Ron, Mark, Marv (who was in Chicago but still an eager participant) and Ron (who I still don’t know for sure but I think is Marv’s neighbor). We compared notes and complained extensively about BGE.
I ate too much through the ordeal. On Wednesday evening, I went to Asian Court with the idea of getting something that would also work for leftover meals through the impending storm. I ordered Triple Delight pan fried noodles but with shrimp only. I had seen someone else get the dish a while ago and thought I’d try it, hoping Barb might like it. I also ordered Szechuan string beans, just in case. The restaurant gave me a free wonton soup and the salted crispies that work too well as a snack. I filled up on the soup and crispies and about a quarter of the beans then had little room for the huge bowl of noodles and shrimp once it came. I took most of it home. On Thursday, as Debby approached and the Maids booted me out of the house, I went to the EC Diner and had a patty melt for the first time this year. It was guilty-pleasure satisfying and really all I needed for the day, but that didn’t prevent me from having Chinese leftovers that night. I set up two screens to watch both baseball and Olympics. I felt fully overindulged. That’s probably why the gods decided to knock power out the next morning.
On Friday, with the weather clearing, the power out and no microwave to reheat things, Barb went to the pool (where she could get a hot dog) and I went to Rosie’s Deli to stress-eat a chop cheese sandwich which I’d seen featured on the HoCo Foodies Facebook group. It was decent but I realized too late I should have ordered it with hot peppers. I ran some errands on Route 40 and stopped at Glory Days to watch the gold medal soccer match between Spain and France, nursing a glass of cider for an hour. In the afternoon I came home and set up a hot spot from my phone so I could watch more Olympics on my iPad which worked well enough.
As evening approached and it seemed unlikely we would get power, I decided we should get a hotel room for the night. I reserved a room at the Homewood Suites near APL. When Barb came back from the pool we packed our bags and headed to the hotel. While on the way, Marv texted that he got power back at his place and the BGE website said a crew had been dispatched to fix our outage. I decided that things were looking up and we probably wouldn’t need the hotel room after all. We got to the hotel right at 6pm and the front desk clerk was kind enough to cancel my reservation for no charge. Heading back home, Barb wanted something light for dinner so we stopped at the Niko Japanese restaurant where she had some soup and shumai while I had a salmon skin roll.
We got back home to a dark house and learned that BGE evidently determined that the crew needed specialized equipment to deal with our outage so it turned out we wouldn’t get power back that night. I made do with my hot spot and iPad while Barb turned in early. Fortunately there was enough power for us to get showers and when I checked the battery it still seemed more than half charged. Sleeping without A/C or TV was a little like camping out and neither of us were very comfortable but we fitfully made it through the night.
On Saturday, Barb went to her morning aerobics class then returned to the pool as soon as it opened. I wanted to see the women’s final soccer match (USA vs Brazil) on a big screen and checked if either Ron or Mark wanted to join me. To my surprise, Mark did so we went to Walkers. I had a good time with him and had more food than I needed: deviled eggs, half a hot shot pizza and more cider. I brought half the pizza home to have the next day for lunch.
Coming home from Walkers, I spotted a bunch of utility trucks gathering along Rover Road which finally gave us a clue about where the outage was located. There was still no update on the BGE website. I watched the men’s gold medal basketball game (USA vs. France) at home. Steph Curry put on an astonishing display of three point shooting in the final three minutes to pull out the win. I finally understand what all the fuss is about him.
After the game, I went for a walk by the worksite and spoke briefly with one of the BGE guys. It seems some trees brought down power lines that likely affected our neighborhood. I didn’t know we even had any above-ground power lines on our grid but so be it. They indicated the repair might be completed in an hour or so. Two hours later I went back just as they were actually nearing completion. Once the job was done I confirmed with Barb, Ron and Mark that we all had power. Finally! I got a nice shower and ate Chinese leftovers for dinner, much relieved.
Our ordeal was over but the eating was not quite done yet. I watched baseball and the Closing Ceremonies in the afternoon (two screens needed) while Barb was at the pool. We then went out to Hot Pot Hero for a celebratory dinner. In all, I gained about 5 pounds through my stress-eating weekend. I’m hoping I may quickly shed them as we get back to normal. I have an appointment with my doctor at the end of the month to see how I’m doing. Hoping for a good report.
Once the Olympics and my unofficial summer break were all over, I was faced with the obligation to get things back on track in my little world. I did some shopping and errands on Monday, yard work on Tuesday, and spent a chunk of Wednesday deciding what to do about replacing our basement HVAC system. I signed off on a contract with Environmental Systems to replace our aging unit. Another mildly stressful decision made and chunk of money spent.
I decided to write Fred Banner, who installed our battery, to let him know we weathered the outage well but also to nudge him to get me an electrician so we can refine the circuits under backup and to also get me a solar panel quote. He finally responded that he will get to it…soon. We’ll see.
Over the weekend, Allie celebrated her one year anniversary of dating Jimmy. I note that mostly for posterity. No pressure on her.
I spoke with Laurie on Tuesday in lieu of scattergories (Sue was at a doctor’s appointment). Laurie is headed soon to scout prospective locations in Asturias, particularly Villaviciosa…the oddly named Vicious Villa. I hope she finds something she likes. That more or less gets us caught up. Til next time!
August 29
We got our new HVAC system installed on 8/23, hopefully giving us reliable heat and A/C for the foreseeable future in this house. We will need to eventually replace the attic system but I’m hoping that with light use it will last at least several more years. Hopefully this is the last of major appliance replacements in the house for this year. We still need to eventually replace the refrigerator and stove, I suppose, but we’re hoping that can wait until next year.
Last week was the Democratic Convention in Chicago, introducing the shiny new political commodities of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. It went about as well as could be hoped. Just as we were in peak Trump mode a month ago after the Republican Convention, this is more or less peak Kamala. It would be nice if her momentum could keep rising through the election; that seems unlikely but not impossible. For the time being there is a sense of actual hope in the air.
After watching a fair amount of politics last week, this week I’m back into a mode of watching too much sports: the US Open tennis is on for 12 hours a day, the Yankees are in DC losing two games to the Nats so far and the O’s are in LA playing the Dodgers. That means the TV has been on from noon until 1am with games I’m actually sort of actively watching. It’s frankly too much even for me. I’ve hit a kind of late summer wall of overindulgence. It’s getting to be time to turn off the TV and actually do something semi-productive like write or read or go someplace interesting. Getting to be…not quite there yet.
Our Ireland trip looms large on the horizon in 3 weeks. I’ve lately watched too many YouTube videos about travels in Ireland. There have been a few good ones and a lot of crap and I’m hard pressed to distinguish one from another…much less find the good ones over again to show to Barb. I know I’m risking being glutted with information and preconceived notions about the trip rather than just going and enjoying the experience. I’m kind of trying to tune out just as Barb’s entering the window where she wants to tune in and learn more.
In terms of writing, I finally made it through 2009 and started on 2010 in my photo archive. I’ve also made some headway with my year as a VISTA for FIRST. That’s something, I guess, though my forward momentum has slowed to a crawl. I tried fixing my Duncan and Garbutt family trees but remain flummoxed by the TreePress program – I’m not sure how I ever got it to work in the first place. The data for most of the family is still sitting there but I can’t get it to link into actual trees.
I visited my doctor today and got a good readout on my current status with Wegovy. I’m up to 1.7mg dosage and will soon graduate to the final level of 2.4mg. I’ve lost about 25 pounds in 5 months and would like to lose at least 25 more over the next 6 months, if possible. My health feels better, it’s easier to run around a pickleball or tennis court, and clothes fit better. Appearances notwithstanding, I’ve lost about two inches around my waist and one inch on my neck. That’s not too bad but I need to keep going..
Allie had a big trip to Minnesota this week for a Lume/Mando SummerFest blowout at the home of the owner, Shannon Klingman. The festivities included performances by James Taylor, Steve Martin and Martin Short (after John Mayer had to cancel), and food provided by TV chefs Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, and a catering company. Allie was assigned to Guy Fieri, though evidently that amounted to little more than telling him she lived near one of his restaurants in Boston. We got a few photos but we’re waiting to get a full report on the festivities. The staff also went to a Minnesota Twins baseball game and got to sit through a tornado warning. We hope Allie had a great time and had a fruitful opportunity to hang out with her far-flung co-workers.
September 7
I went to DC yesterday to see the National Symphony Orchestra Declassified program at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. I bought a ticket about a week before when I found that Yasmin Williams was playing in her only DC-area show, just as she has a new album, Acadia, coming out. The Declassified series is sort of a Boston Pops concept where the orchestra plays a few short pieces and backs a variety of popular musicians, in this case Williams, singer songwriter Madison Cunningham and Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas. Musician Ben Folds hosts the series, calling it a “gateway drug” to expose a wider audience to the orchestra and to expose the orchestra to more contemporary music and artists.
Before the show, I stopped at a new DC food hall, The Square, and enjoyed a variety of tapas at Casa Teresa and the adjacent Jamon Jamon counter. I enjoyed a Gilda, txistorra, anchovies, grilled chicken, bread with tomato, and cheese, washed down with a sangria and a cider. I got a ham and cheese sandwich on a long pencil-thin roll to go for a late night snack and the next day’s lunch. At DC prices it cost a lot more than in Spain but it was very enjoyable as a splurge.
I wandered the Kennedy Center grounds and discovered the Center’s new Reach theater space near the Mall. There was an interesting musical/video installation showing a cascading collage of living images accompanied by an unending wash of music. Inside the foyer, I found Yasmin Williams hanging out in casual civilian clothes with some friends. No one else seemed to recognize her; I was too shy to interrupt them so I just stalked for a while.
There was a free performance by a local jazz group, the Heidi Martin Quartet, which had a laid back lounge appeal.
The show was followed by a live band karaoke session where audience members took over the microphone to prove what a difference a real professional singer makes – I ran away from that very quickly. All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening, one that made me long for a DC getaway weekend sometime relatively soon.
On a separate entertainment front, I’m beginning to wonder whether Taika Waititi might be a higher being of some sort. It seems that he’s got a hand in quite a lot of what I’m consuming at a cultural level, and I enjoy quite a lot of it even if some of it is baffling, silly or not very emotionally satisfying. Cases in point: he is a producer or contributor to a number of things I’ve seen relatively recently: Reservation Dogs, Time Bandits, Our Flag Means Death, Next Goal Wins, and JoJo Rabbit, along with many projects I haven’t seen yet. Now he’s doing a Star Wars film, I hear. Is this all one person?
I’ve just finished season 3 of Reservation Dogs and have come to really enjoy and admire the series. I think I need to sit and binge the whole 3 seasons over again to better appreciate the intricately weaved story lines. What started as an odd Indian reservation cross of Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me with Quinton Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (which I’ve never seen) has grown into a sprawling multigenerational, multicultural saga told with humor, oddness, good spirits, some great cultural nuance and winning performances. Credit really goes to the main series showrunner, Sterlin Harjo.
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