Horseshoe Bend- AZ

Horseshoe Bend
Page, AZ
June 2018


We took a raft down the Colorado the day before and floated right around this beautiful, iconic bend.  So today, Clay asked me if we could go see the bend from the top.  Of course we could; we came all this way, let's make the effort.

Shit, I was so damn sorry I agreed to to this.  I told Clay to go ahead of me because I would be so much slower than he could even imagine. So off he ran and I started my slow, laborious waddle up the hill.

As I got to the top of the hill and realized that I now had to go down a hill almost twice as long, I wanted to cry.  Going down wasn't going to be the real problem.  I worried about getting my slow, sorry ass back up that hill.  But I took off anyway. And OMG, it was a effort. But it was worth the effort.

L

L

Some of my thoughts and memories and things:

• Lauren- my youngest niece.
• Love- the purpose of life.
• Long Beach Island- my family had a home on this island from 1974- 2005. It was hard to give up our house.
• Louisiana- I've only been to New Orleans and I know there has to be more to this state than that wild place.
• Lion In Winter- a giant of a movie in the 1960s.
• Lillies of the Fields- movie from my childhood.  I thought Sidney Pointere was stunning in this movie.
• Lillies- I have hundreds of day lilies and Asian lilies in my garden.
• Lilacs- we had a tree right outside the kitchen and it's fragrance would fill the house.
• Loveladies- a sweet, little town on Long Beach Island.
• Leonard Cohen- I tend to like people's covers of his songs more than I like his rendition of his songs.
• Llanarch Country Club- our family belonged to this club and my dad made us take golf lessons even though none of us showed any interest in this boring sport.
• Longwood Gardens- PA- Roaming through these gardens is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
• Lenape Park- PA- this was a pathetic amusement park that had sad rides and very few customers.  We went here on a field trip every May in junior high school.
• London, England- I've been here several times and every visit was great fun.
• "Love and laughter is all I'm after." - my mantra
• Lake Ontario- Canada- My friends had two houses on this lake.  A whole group of us would visit for a week.  We ate, drank and laughed too much.
• Lenore Brenella- my high school classmate whom we all assumed died before our 25th reunion.  We lamented her passing but then discover at our 30th that she had recently died.  I am not sure when she died. She was very smart. But demons surrounded her.
• Lager beers- Nope, I like an IPA, a pale ale, a stout or a porter.
• Lox and bagels- when I go to a brunch buffet, I always have this to eat.
• Lehigh River- I went white water rafting down this river and it scared the shit out of me.
• Lum's Pond- DE- I kayak here.
• LL Bean- ME- it's open 24 hours to accommodate travelers' schedule.  They have great things but they are too damn expensive.
• Loas- on my bucket list.
• LeVante Brewery- PA- my new neighborhood brewery.
• Luxor, Egypt- 2010-- I saw lots of homage paid to kings here
• Lake George- NY- 1991- I was here for a week but I vaguely remember it.
• Lake Ontario- Canada- My friends used to own two homes on this lake and a group of us would descend on the place for a week and do nothing but eat, drink and talk.
• Latvia- 2013- I spent an afternoon here.  I spent all of my time trying the liquors of the region. I think there were three or four different kinds, all of which were not appealing to me.
• Le Bec Fin Restaurant- PHL- this place is so expensive for my taste. The dessert costed $35.
• Les Miserable- NYC, PHL, LON- I love the music of this play.
• Liberty Bell- PA- it's cracked.
• Lagunita's brewery- I loved this place. They make delicious beer.
• Lemongrass soup- YES. This is a comfort food taste.
• Lincoln Center, NYC- my friend used to be the first trumping for the NYC Ballet and I would go to shows to listen to him play.
• Lions and tigers and bears- I want to see them in the wilderness only. I hate to see them in zoos.
• Lounging around the pool- I like to do this but I worry about being in the sun for any long period of time.
• Lifelong Learner- I hear this term all the time.  People speak as if they make an effort to be a lifelong learner.  But really, do we have any other choice than to be a lifelong learner?  Doesn't life kick us in the rear end every day and teach us a lesson?
• Lincoln Memorial- DC- A massive structure to honor a massive influence on this country.
• Lion King- London, England- I loved the puppetry and the music in this play.
• Little Italy- NYC- Of course, a great place for Italian food.
• Little League Baseball- Williamsport, PA- the local people cheer against any 12 year old player who is not American. I finally got to see a game in August 2018.  It was great fun.
• Loving Vincent- 2017- a spectacular movie.
• Love City Brewery- PA- this place just opened up in Philly and they look like they are going to be very damn successful.
• Lobster- I like but I prefer snow crab legs.  I think they have more taste and are less expensive.
• Lobster Rolls- ME- my go-to food when I am in this part of the country.
• Long Man's Cave- China- massive sculptures are carved out of rock.
• Long Trail Brewery- VT- a great pace to spend the afternoon.
• Licorice- I love this candy but I gave up sugar so I don't eat it anymore.
• Liver and onions- NO, No, No, a thousand times NO.
• Liverwurst sandwiches- I will not eat this food. But I like pate.
• Lady Bird Johnson- I think this was a strange name for a strange First Lady.
• Lima Beans- I don't like these either but not as much as liver.
• Lasagna- Yes, but not too frequently.
• Little Neck Clams- I could eat them all damn day.
• Louvre- Paris, France- it would take days to get through this massive place.
• Luray Caverns- VA- 2010- how do people discover caves?  I would be so afraid to explore on my own.
• Libraries- I love to sit in a library all afternoon.  I particularly like the ones where the librarians don't feel a need to shush people.
• Loyalsock High School- PA- I was a guidance counselor here from 1981 to 1984.
• Lycoming County- PA- I lived here form 1981 to 1984.
• Long Nv- My Chinese name: Dragon Lady
• London- a great city to visit.  I've been there several times and I want to go several more times.
• Las Vegas- 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022- a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. I went here a few times.
• Loud- People say I have a loud voice.
• Laugh- apparently, my laugh is very distinct and people, lots of people, comment on it.

The Letter "Q"

Q

Some of my thoughts and memories and things

• Quentin- my nephew, the youngest of my sister's five sons.
• Quiet- I am more loud than quiet
• Quirky- I've been called that.
• Queer- when I was growing up, this term meant "odd" and I used it all the time.  I think it is a perfect word to describe certain people and things.  But I can't use this word anymore.
• Queens and Kings- they don't hold my interests.
• Q-tips- I love them.
• Quaaludes- a lot of my friends took these pills when I was in high school.  I was afraid of street drugs then.  Now, I would consider trying one but they are no longer on the market.  Opportunity missed.
• Quill Pens- too messy, same with fountain pens.  Just give me a ball point pen.
• Quebec City- 2015- I spent Christmas here and it is a lovely city.
• Quaint- as in a quaint little town.  This transfer in to a boring little town after two days.
• Quilts- my sister collects quits and is always trying to get me to buy some with her.  But I don't want to waste any time being careful with my blankets.  I want my blankets to keep me warm.  If I want artwork, I'll buy art work.
• Quakers- Philadelphia, my home town was started by William Penn, a Quaker.  There are many Quaker schools around here and this religion least bothers me.
• Quantity vs quality- I too often go for quantity, particularly at Chinese buffets.
• Questions- I have a lot of them.
• Quotes- I collect those quotes that speak to me.
• Quacking- I have a house near a river so I hear lots of ducks quaking.
• Quadruple Bypass Surgery- I heard it's painful. And every time I have an irregular heart beat, I fear that I need this surgery.
• Quincy Jones- I like some of his music.
• Quantum Leap Theory- I don't know anything about it.  Maybe I should reads something about it.."
• Quaint- when used to describe a small town, this usually translate in to "a boring town
• Quincy Market, MA- it's a fun place to spend an afternoon.
• Quinine Water- I am always in search of quinine water because I am told it prevents malaria and I travel to too many countries that have malaria and I hate the medication.
• Quitter- I can be a quitter but mostly I hold on because I can be so damn stubborn.
• Quarandine- March 16, 2020. The whole world shut down for the Covid pandemic.
• Quitter- Sometimes I am a quitter and sometimes I am too stuburn to quit even if it means I am losing.
• Qatar- I have been to the airport and I am in a constant debate as to how to pronounce the country.  Does it ryhme with guitar or is it "Cutter?"

So Much Diversity In The World

So Much Diversity In The World

Half &  Half Options

Brought to Us By Guinness

What a wonderful world we live in today; there is so much diversity in the world. I always thought a Half and Half was my own option. But I was wrong.

I love to drink a Half and Half.  So I was so happy when I found this board at a bar.  I jumped on the opportunity to drink my two favorite beers: IPA & Guinness. I ordered the Black Smith with great enthusiasm.  But I was disappointed. I really couldn't distinguish the two tastes. Maybe it was the bartender's pour. But I may just stick to my Half & Half. 

Black and White

Black and White
Another Obsession of Mine


I am drawn to the contrast of black and white.  I once took a basic design class at Drexel University in 1974.  We only worked in black and white and for Christmas that year, I only gave back and white gifts.

Edit

Hard liquor

Hard Liquor

No Thanks

• I don't drink much hard liquor.  I am a beer drinker and I like to gulp my beverage so I can't drink hard liquor or wine.  I get too damn drunk when I do.
• 
  
• I had a run-in with gin in 1973 and the smell of that poison still makes me sick today.  I was showing off on my first night of college and I drank about a 5th, straight up, all by myself.  I weighed about 120 lbs at that time and I didn't feel well the next day.  And my room mated were worried that they had a crazy person on their hands.
• 
  
• I had a run in with Blackberry Brady in 1978.  That is off my list of options.

• 
  
  I had a run-n with Grand Marnier in 1979.  That is off my list of option
• 
  
• I like a margarita every once in a while.  Sometimes I like it on the rocks and other times I like it straight up.  Sometimes I order it with a salt rim and sometimes I don't.  and when I do have one with salt, i usually remove all the salt after the first sip.  I don't know why I bother to order it with salt at all.
• 
  
• I do like White Russians but they are evil.  They are too fattening, too sweet and too easy to drink.  So it is too easy for me to have too many, too soon and then I have a serious problem.
• 
  
• Sometimes, I like an Irish coffee but lately, they have been too sweet for me to drink.
• 
  
• I buy those little 2oz bottles of alcohol and keep them in my freezer.  I have 30 of them in there now.  I bring them to parties from time to time and randomly give them out.  it's a great way to start a discussion with strangers. We compare alcohols and trade them and rate them.
• 
  
• I can drink a Mojito every four years. 
• 
  
• I own shot glasses but I never use them.
• 
  

• I don't do shots anymore.  I did when I was younger but those days are long gone.  The recover period is days now.

MN, IO, and WI

MN, IO, and WI

Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin

A Road Trip

April 13-16, 2018

Each year, I go to a state I have never visited.  I fly to a major city and rent a car and take off for four or five days to places unknown.  I didn't visit a new state last year so I had to visit two this year.  I also decided to tag on a third state since these places are so remote to me. So I mapped out a route and thought for sure that winter would be passed but this time but I was wrong. I was deep in to a  painful winter weekend.  I was under prepared for this cold weather.

• It snowed all damn weekend. And it rained and sleeted and had high gusts of winds. Driving was a dangerous challenge.
• Visited Pulpit Rock Brewery.
• Stopped in at Toppling Goliath Brewery.
• Went to the Karst Brewery.
• Crossed the Mississippi River from Wisconsin to Michigan and it was a thrill.
• Crossed the Mississippi River from Iowa to Wisconsin and it was also a thrill.
• Ordered a subscription to HuLu because I was so damn bored in my hotel room.
• I had an order of potato chips that were covered with three different cheeses and then came with a side of Gorgonzola cheese spread.  It's great to be in cheese country.
• I thought I would see more dairy farms and cows. I saw miles and miles of farms but they didn't seem to be dairy.
• There are thousands of fields of farms that melt in to the horizon.
• Visited the Grumpy Troll Brewery- WI
• The towns were few and far between and the populations were so small that there was very little commerce.

Unfinished Business- Because of the challenging weather, I saw very little of this area.  I still need to: 

• Walk down Main Street in Mount Horeb to see all of the trolls.
• Visit the frank Lyod Wright house in Wisconsin.
• Take a boat ride down the Mississippi River.
• Wander around Madison.

Just Wait Til 3

Just Wait Til 3

Yet Another Coping Quote of my Mothers

School Days

1961- 1973

In hindsight, I feel sorry for my mother for all she had to endure as she raised the 7 of us.  My dad worked as a lawyer and then taught at two local college in hopes of getting some sort of tuition relief when we all started college.  So he was busy and my mother was left to fend for herself against all of us.

She loved school days.  They were her sanctuary moments of freedom from constant demands and stupid comment and sibling bickering. She loved these moments alone.

So when one of us announced in the early morning that we were sick, panic would set in.  She would do everything to convince us that it was all in our twisted little heads.  We were fine and this moment of nausea would shake off as soon as we found ourselves, safely seated in our dreary classroom in our dreadful school.

If we persisted that we were sick, she would bargain with us, "Just give ti a try.  Go to school and if you aren't feeling better by 3, I'll come get you."

School ended at 3:15 PM.

I Used To Be A Buddhist

I Used To Be A Buddhist

1976- 1978

The End of My College Years

I used to be a Buddhist, sort of.  I was moving away from the Catholic Church and I thought I should make an effort to replace my spiritual responsibilities with something else.  So I found Buddhism.  I must have been studying about comparative religions and the 4 Noble Truths spoke to me.  So I read up as much as I could.  I tried to understand the differences of the different sects.  I tried to figure our the sound of one hand clapping and other koans. And then I realized I wasn't any more committed to this lifestyle than that of my catholic culture or any other organized religion.  And now, 40 years later, 

I just found about a dozen old books on Buddhist mediation and koans.  And I am packing them up and mailing them off to my former student who just graduated from college.  He is going to spend 9 weeks in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand.  Maybe he can explain the sound of one hand clapping when he returns.

Basket Ball Try Outs

I Tried Out for the Basketball Team

And that was a big mistake

Merion Mercy Academy

10th Grade

1970-71 Season

Helen made me do it.  She just moved in next door and was going to start the new school year with me.  During the summer, she made me practice shooting baskets in to the loop in her back yard.  We played Around The World.  We took shots from marked, designated spots on the driver way.  By the end of the summer, I was making many of my shots.

So when December rolled around, Helen signed the two of us up for try-outs. I went reluctantly and I think a few classmates laughed when they saw me come out of the locker room.  They all knew I was a gym  flunky.

Practice started and I was outplayed and wasted people's time.  And I was exhausted, out of shape and humiliated. I became invisible on the court and no one even thought of passing the ball to me.

I finished practice and left in a quandary. I didn't want to continue and no one really wanted to see me on the court because I was a burden to the process. But we had a "no quit" culture at our school. If I quit, i was an even bigger loser. Since it was Friday and we didn't have practice again until Tuesday, i had time to come up with a plan.

And as luck would have it, I found a solution: coincidentally  I ruptured my ear drum. That left me with pain and dizziness but it was worth it.

My mother asked my doctor is I should give up basketball and he thought I would be fine once the vertigo went away.

So on Tuesday, I arrived at practice at 4 with a fake sincerity and lots of glee.  I told the coach that I had ruptured my eardrum over the weekend and the doctor told me I couldn't play but I didn't want to quit the team.  I told her that I realized I probably wasn't going to make the team.  But quitting wasn't an option.  I would sit on the bench until cuts were made.  She was so moved by my sense of commitment that she cut me that day.  I was free to go.  I was so damn happy.

As for Helen, she got cut at the end of the week as well.

1971

1971
Woodbine Avenue

Overbrook

Philadelphia, PA

My age: 15- 16

School- Merion Mercy Academy- 11^th grade.  I was so much more interested in my friends than I was in my academics. Consequently, I had a few troubles with my teachers. 

I didn't take Chemistry during the school year because I didn't want to push myself that much.  But one of my classmates told me that I would never get in to college without a chemistry class.  So I asked my parents if I could go to summer school for this course.  This request annoyed my parents as they had just paid a hefty tuition fee for my 11th grade, private education.  So I had to pay to take this course.  I took the course,  I really struggled.  I got a C and that was a gift.  And years later, when I looked at my transcript, I discovered this course never made it on my transcript.

Work:

• I babysat for $1/hour.  Sometimes I would have five or six kids to watch.  I had to get dinner ready and clean up afterwords.  This was a shit job.
• During the summer, I volunteered as a candy striper at Lankenua Hospital.

Music- my older sister, Kathy, introduced me to her world of music.  We began buying albums together so we could increase our meager collection.  Albums were $3.

• o   Blue – Joni Mitchell
• o   Tapestry- Carol King- this was a stunning album.  Every song was a hit. I listened to it repeatedly.  I took my album over to Helen Dougherty’s house and her father recorded it for her on his reel to reel tape recorder.  I was stunned because didn’t know this was even possible and I couldn’t believe how thoughtful her father was to do this for her.
• The Papa and The Mamas- The Mamas and the Pappas- this is the first album I ever bought and I still have it.

I listened to lots and lots of songs:

• o   "Maggie May"- Rod Stewart- OMG, I love this damn song.
• o   "Joy to the World" Three Dog Night
• o   "Indian Reservation"  Paul Revere & the Raiders
• o   "You've Got a Friend"  James Taylor
• o   "Ain't No Sunshine"  Bill Withers- I always like to hear this song.
• o   "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves"  by Cher
• o   "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be  Carly Simon
• o   "I Don't Know How to Love Him"   Helen Reddy
• o   "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"  The Temptations
• o   "Knock Three Times"  Tony Orlando and Dawn- I hated this song.  I hated it.
• o   "Me and Bobby McGee"  Janis Joplin
• o   "Brown Sugar"  The Rolling Stones
• o   "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"  Joan Baez- this is not her best song.  And I don't really want to hear it anymore.
• o   "What's Going On"  Marvin Gaye
• o   "Signs"  Five Man Electrical Band- a stupid song
• o   "She's a Lady" Tom Jones
• o   "Temptation Eyes"  The Grass Roots
• o   "If" by  Bread- this song was too sappy fro me.
• o   "Mercy Mercy Me "by Marvin Gaye
• o   "One Toke Over the Line"       Brewer & Shipley
• o   "(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story"  Andy Williams- this movie was a big, big hit so this song was as well.
• o   "Wild World"  Cat Stevens- I loved Cat Stevens when I was in high school. I stopped liking him after he made some anti-American comments right after 9/11.
• o   "Watching Scotty Grow"  Bobby Goldsboro
• o   "Lonely Days" Bee Gees- this was before their disco faze.
• o   "If I Were Your Woman" by Gladys Knight 
• o   "I Am...I Said"  Neil Diamond
• o   "The Wedding Song (There Is Love)"  Paul Stookey
• o   "Here Comes the Sun"  Richie Havens
• o   "One Less Bell to Answer  The 5th Dimension
• o   "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors
• o   "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"  Bee Gees
• o   "If You Could Read My Mind"by Gordon Lightfoot
• o   "Mr. Bojangles Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
• o"Proud Mary"   Ike &Tina Turner
• o   "Beginnings"/"Colour My World"  Chicago

Movies

• Bananas
• Brian's Song
• Fiddler on the Roof
• The French Connection
• Harold and Maude
• Plate
• Red sky at morning
• Support your Local Gunfighter

Books- we started reading American literature in high school and I found this genre to be so much more interesting than old, British classics. Now I find the books I read in high school to be so damn old and outdated.

Travels- nowhere.

News Events

• The voting age was lowered to 18 and I could hardly wait to vote.
• Kevlar was released in the market.  I would not hear of this material until 2002 when my sister, who worked for DuPont, gave me a sheet of this indestructible material.
• India and Pakistan are at war over Bangladesh.
• Cigarette advertising is no longer allowed on the television.
• Qatar became an independent nation from England.  I won't hear of this nation until 2017 when I take Qatar Airlines to Nepal.
• Charles Mason received the death penalty which never comes to fruition.  He stayed in prison until he died in 2017.
• Apollo 14 is launched and we have become blase about space travel.
• Pierre Trudeau became the Prime Minister of Canada and all I know of him was how handsome he was.
• The Pentagon Pagers are released and everyone is angry.  People are angry at the leaker and people are angry at the government.
• The NASDAQ become public but I don't have a clear understand of this moment.  I have no money to invest.
• Green Peace steps in to the news on a regular basis.
• Idi Amin takes charge of Uganda and he is portrayed as a crazy, black man.
• Over 60% of the American people are opposed to the Viet Nam War which infiltrates our news and our homes every night.  And there does not seem to be any ending sight.

Family and friends

• My grandfather is diagnosed with lung cancer and I am devastated.
• I am old enough to get my driver's license but I don't even consider it as I am too afraid of this responsibility.

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

 or  bkmemoirs.wordpress.com

The Letter "B"

The Letter "B"
Some of my memories and thoughts and things:

BIRD

• Baltimore- Fels Point, the waterfront, Heavy Seas brewery, The American Visuals Arts Museum- favorite places to visit.
• Beer- my favorite beverage.
• Boston- I went there in 1978 for the first time and I have been make a few more times.  It is a great city.
• Brian- my youngest brother, the youngest of the 7 of us.
• Barak Obama- I met him in 2015.
• Bengali Tiger- I saw one in Chitwan, Nepal - 2017
• Bette Midler- I've seen her three times in concert and she is vulgar, funny and full of life.
• Blue Jays- the hang in my yard and I welcome their beauty.
• Breakfast- my favorite meal to eat out. However, I rarely eat breakfast in my home.
• Baboons- they are nasty animals.  I ran in to them in Africa.
• British Museum- this is one great museum.  It's too bad so much of its artifacts were stolen from other countries.
• Bhutan- December 2017
• B

  

  Bliss

  logging- I blog every day.  I think I have 11 active blogs.
• Bird feeders- I have several in my yard and I get lots of birds.
• Beth McIlhenny- my college friend.  We stayed friends for 10 years and then I lost contact with her.  This was my loss.
• Beach Haven, NJ- my family had a home here from 1974 to 2005.
• Beatles- the greatest musical band of all times.
• Bill, my brother-in-law
• Bill- my friends- Brown, McRae, Atwell
• Books- I have a shitload of books.
• Broken nose- My nephew smashed in to my face and broke my nose.  My mother realigned it and it hurt like hell.
• Bus ride across country- it was dreadful- Philadelphia, PA to Tucson, AZ
• Barry Goldwater- I was raised by R I am grateful for the epublicans and my father wholeheartedly supported Goldwater as a presidential candidate.  Years later, this guy is viewed as a kook.
• Bermuda- 2009
• Brandywine Jr. College- I went there as a freshman for the 1973/74 academic year. This school set me on a course for academic success.
• Bahamas- sat on the beach all day and drank pina coladas.  It was a lovely way to spend a day in January- 1994
• Bananas- my favorite fruit in my smoothies.
• Booze- I can't drink anything but beer.  
• Birds- I love to watch birds.
• Boats- I am obsessed with the idea of owning a boat, even though a friend of mine told me BOAT means "bring out another thousand."
• Bullshitter- many people tell me I am a bullshitter.
• Blue- my favorite color
• Bartons- our next door neighbors
• Blue herons- my favorite birds
• Blue Ball Monkeys- yes I saw them in Tanzania- 2016
• Brothers- Jimmy, Chris and Brian
• Blue Booby birds- They hang on Galapagos Islands- 2003
• Burma- I am not going to call it Marmynar, under protest.  This country is on my bucket list.
• Basketball- the only sport that O can watch with interest but I have to know the players or it doesn't hold my interest.
• Beijing, China- Feb 2012
• Bliss- a huge, wired female sculpture in San Francisco, CA
• Babies- they make me nervous.
• Backslope Brewery- MT
• Bar Hygee- PA- they served mostly sours and they are now closed.
• Bethlehem Brewery- PA- a great place
• Bog Turtle brewery- PA
• Blue Bell Brewery- FL
• Boxcar Brewery- PA- I liked this place but it just couldn't make it.
• Brickwork Brewery- DE
• Bru Brewery- CO
• Batman- one of my favorite TV shows when I was 10.
• Blue eyes- my eyes- My niece was teaching English in South Korea to young children. When I went to visit her school, one of her students crawled up on my lap.  We were almost nose to nose and the little girl exclaimed, "Teacher, she has sky blue eyes just like you."
• Baltic Sea- we passed some sweet little fishing villages- 2013
• Barnegat Bay- my family home sat on the edge of this beautiful bay.
• Bering Sea- we sailed in to St. Petersburg.
• Brandywine River- PA- I learned to kayak on this river.
• Bikinis- the last time I wore one was in 1973.
• Bras - I hate wearing a bra. It’s so confining I love that moment at the end of the day when the bra comes off. I feel free at last, free at last free, at last.
• Bacon-My nephew told me that women tend to grossly underestimate the quantity of bacon that should be prepared for breakfast.
• Bangladesh- I taught leadership skills to college women in Dhaka in 2019.
• Barbie Movie- OMG, I loved this movie.
• Barbados- the first overseas trip after the pandemic- January 2022
• Blondes and Brewnettes Brewery- PA- they offer a nice variety of beers.
• Bluefooted Booby Birds- I saw them in Galapogus. I loved them.
• British Museum- I know they stole everything from everyone else.  But this is stillone great museum.

Nixon Resigns

Nixon Resigns
August 8, 1974
Watching It All Unravel on TV
Long Beach Island, NJ

I was at the beach house with my family.  My parents had guests for the weekend, Jerry and Doris Rich.  They were all very rigid republicans and loved Nixon.  "He is a man's man", Mr. Rich thought. For weeks, my father espoused that Tricky Dick was being framed by the ugly Democrats.  He hadn't done anything wrong.  All of this would blow over and we would move on to the next hurdle. I believed my dad.

But news from the day before indicated that something BIG was going to happen today.  We stayed glued to the TV and waited to see how this man was going to be vindicated.

And then he came on the screen and the look on his face said it all.  And then he began to speak and quote his dead mother and Abraham Lincoln.  His speech was disjointed and sad. He looked beaten. I thought he was going to cry. His voice trembled.  He never admitted any guilt.  Instead, he claimed he was taking one for the team so that we could all move on from this distraction.

The longer he spoke, the more obvious it was that he was no longer fit to hold this office. His mental capacities were damaged and showing.  And so we turned off the TV and sat quietly for a few minutes, in sorrow, disbelief and confusion.