Raising The Flag

Raising The Flag

My Parents’ Beach Home

Long Beach Island, NJ

September 10, 1983

In August 1993, my father was sworn in as a federal judge. To commemorate this great honor, my siblings and I gave my father a 20-foot flag pole for his yard in Beach Haven, New Jersey. We gathered as a family on a beautiful late Summer afternoon for a flag raising ceremony. We staged photos that mimicked the brave men of Imo Jima. We had a few speeches. We stood at attention as my dad began to raise the flag. He had tears in his eyes and was so damn proud to be in American at this moment. We, on the other hand, were filled with joy and silliness and irreverence. As that flag ascended into the skies, we pulled out our kazoos and hummed patriotic songs. Neighbors watched and stood at attention while we laughed our way through our songs and silly ceremony.

I wish for more days like this one.

Here is my dad's thank you note to me:

September 15, 1983

Dear Bridget,

Just a note to again thank you for the flagpole. All things come to he who waits, has again proven correct.

 I feel like Alexander the great when he had no worlds left to conquer. I have no more needs or wants as of Saturday, September 10, what I raise the American flag on the pole to the tune of the battle is in the republic with a full kazoo accompaniment.

 Lots of love always and may we have many years a flag raising together.

 Love,

 Dad

London

London, England

I’ve been to London at least 7 times and I have enjoyed every visit.  It’s a great city with lots to do and see. It’s expensive and I probably wouldn’t want to live there on a permanent basis.  But I will go to London every chance I get.

Here is where I like to go:

A side trip to Bath- this place is right out of a fairy tale

Harrods’ - especially on Boxing Day

High Tea- it’s hard to find a place that serves high tea.  But you must go to High Tea if you are in London.

Piccadilly Circus- there is always something exciting going on at this spot in the world.

Shakespeare and all his cronies

Speakers’ Corner- a lot of people have a lot of crazy ideas.

The British Museum.  I could spend days in here.  I know so many things here were stolen from other cultures. But you really get a sense of the whole of civilization here.

The Henley Regatta- bring a big, ass hat.

The grocery stores- They give out samples of beer.

The Pubs- try a pint of Bitter or Best Ales

The River Thames- take the boat cruise.

The Tate Gallery- this is a pleasant, manageable art gallery.

The Theatre District- There is lots of British theatre to see.

The Tube- Mind the Gap.

Wimbledon- these athletes make the game seem so easy.

Moments Before The Storm

Moments Before The Storm

West Chester, PA

4th of July Weekend

Town is empty.  It's so empty, I can stand in the middle of the street on a Saturday night and take this photo.  The skies tell me that a storm is going to open up any second now.  So I have to make a quick decision;  do I run home and possibly get caught in the storm or do I run in to a nearby bar and have beer and watch the rain beat down on the concrete.  I choose the bar. 

 I sneak in only to find that I am the only customer.  The wait staff stand around and play word games with each other for awhile.  Then slowly, one at a time, they wonder off to check in on all of their social media obligations. I now pull out my phone and bury my head in Facebook. None of us are speaking to each other. We are isolated from each other. And I wonder if I should just run home and risked getting caught in the storm.

Favorite Movies About India

Favorite Movies About India

I love India.  It is my favorite county in the world.  I have visited there three times and I am going to go to India every chance I get.  So when I hear of a new movie about India, I can hardly wait for it to be released. I run to the theatre and watch it.  Sometimes I go back a second time to see.  Then I wait for it to be released for sale and I buy it.  However, I have to admit that these movies often end up in the $5 bin at Walmart quickly after its release.  But I don't care, I love these movies:

• Gandhi- some people have so much more courage than the rest of us.
• Darjeeling Limited- I've watched this movie the most. I think I've seen it 6 times.
• Slum Dog Millionaire- you know it's a good movie when everyone stays for the credits and then claps at the ending.
• Lion- I cried with joy and sadness during this film.
• A Passage to India- this was a stunning movie.
• Best Exotic Marigold Hotel- I loved this movie and wished it wouldn't end.
• Best Exotic Marigold Hotel II- OMG, I loved this one too.  And the ending left me hopeful for a third movie.
• Water- yet another example of abuse to children and women.
• Life of Pi- even though I knew the lion was going to jump out of the water, it caught me by surprise and I just about went through the roof with shock.
• Namesake- maintaining traditions can be a challenge.
• Born Into Brothels- this movie really sparked my interest in photograph.
• City of Joy- this was probably my first introduction in to life in India. And life here can be harsh.
• Victoria and Abdul- I just saw this movie and while it focuses more on England, it does show the queen's efforts to understand a different culture.
• The Last Viceroy- the story of the transfer of power from England to India.  It's a brutal story.

Thank God For The Illegals

Thank God For The Illegals

Carpenter's Point, MD

July 4, 2013

I am sitting on the beach with my neighbors.  They are ranting and raving about Obama and his failed immigration stance.

"We have too many illegals in this country.  And they're taking all of our good jobs," one of them comment.

As they are talking, I look over to their yard.  Six Mexicans are landscaping the area.  It is July 4th and 93F.  They speak to each other in Spanish.  They are sweating like pigs and we are drinking cold beers.

"Thank God for the illegal," I announce.

"What do you mean," my neighbor asked.

"Look, if it weren't for them, you'd have to tend to your lawn today.  But instead, we sit here and drink beer and they work like dogs". 

Nope, Not Me

Nope, Not Me

The Ganges River

Varansia, India

July 2015

I watched these people bathe in this water one day and then the next day, a man brought his herd of water buffalo to this same stop and let them bathe here as well.  The water was filthy. The animals were defecating in the water and people brought bags of trash which were just thrown right in this water, this sacred river.  As for me, I wouldn't even let my big toe touch a drop of this dirty water.

Resting

Resting

On the Beach

Carpenter's Point, MD

October 2008

He dug and dug and dug and then he rested. And when he was completely sandy, he went back to my house and dropped his sandy clothes on my bathroom floor.  I think it took a year to get all of that sand off the bathroom floor. But who cares.  It was so much fun to spend the day with him on the beach.

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Welcome to Philadelphia

Welcome to Philadelphia

Out of Order

I get lots of parking tickets whenever I go in to a city.  Why?  Because of these moments when you finally find a damn parking spot, only to discover that no one is parking here because the damn meter isn't working and the risk of getting a damn ticket is 100-fold more likely.  I don't let this little obstacle get in my way.  I just view it as the price I will pay for hours of parking without worry of running back to the parking meter.

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Smithsonian Magazine

Smithsonian Magazine

I love this magazine. It’s the only magazine I can read cover to cover, spending hours staring at the photographs and longing to get in my car that minute and drive off to the airport to that exotic place I just read about. These articles bring out the wanderlust in me that is insatiable.

My mother used to give me a subscription every year at Christmas time and every year I was grateful because I love this magazine. There was only one problem. I couldn’t part with these magazines even after I had finished reading every article, sometimes more than once; even after I had dropped this magazine in the bathtub which was now a harden blob of paper. I would peel those pages apart and read the articles again. I just couldn’t throw this magazine.

To break me of this habit, I started ripping specific articles out of the magazine and sending them to my friends and family whom I thought would be interested in the articles. This task was becoming expensive and time-consuming. But it didn’t matter because it allowed me to get rid of the magazines piling up in my house. Once a magazine was that about 75% ripped out, I could finally bring myself throw the rest of the magazine out.

 And when my mother died and my Christmas gift stopped coming to me, I finally found myself without any of these remnants of this wonderful magazine. I miss this magazine. And when I see a copy of it in a friend’s house, I must do everything I can to restrain myself from asking, ”Are you finished with this month’s copy of the Smithsonian? May I have it?”   I don’t ask this question. I know it’s my best interest not to start up this little hoarding behavior again. I know I can now only read this magazine in a public library where I recognize that it is not worth a criminal record to accidentally on purpose take some of the back issues (which we all know no one ever reads so what’s the big deal) and quietly and without malice, stuff them in my backpack and walk out, hoping not to be noticed and stopped.

I am sure there is a therapy group for this affliction which I am calling Sufferers of Smithsonian Affection Disorder (SO SAD).

To read more stories, check out:   bkmemoirs.blogspot.com

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