R. O. M. P.

When Beth and I lived in Milwaukee, from 2003 to 2006, we actively supported  an organization called R.O.M.P. – Residents for Off-leash Milwaukee Parks. We were very much in favor of having areas in the city where dogs could play freely, without being restrained by a leash, and not be a threat to other citizens. Obviously, while living there, we got on the R.O.M.P. email list.

When we moved to Searsport, Maine, the emails continued despite all my good efforts to have them remove my name. In all honestly, they are not like spam attacks… I’d only get 5-6 emails a year, but it was just enough to put my “undies in a knot” whenever I got one of their news items.

I had resigned myself to reacting only with a big “sigh”, and then hitting the “Delete” button…. until last week.

The latest email mentioned that R.O.M.P. needed more members for the Board of Directors and they were accepting applications for several open positions. I replied with gusto, and listed my address in Searsport, ME.

Shortly, I got a lovely reply from someone named, Amy. She attached a short application form and mentioned they’d love to have me as a Board member, but my address seemed to indicate the travel requirements for attending meetings might be a bit “troublesome”.

I replied to Amy, that I was really only trying to get the attention of ANYONE who could remove me from their  e-mail list. Even though I support their efforts in “spirit”, it would be very unlikely that I would ever move back to Milwaukee…. and I would like to STOP receiving their periodic emails. I told her if she could accomplish this feat I would do three things:

      1)      I would withdraw my name for Board Member consideration

            2)      I would be eternally grateful to her

      3)      I might even be inclined to include her in my will

Amy replied saying she was not in charge of the email listings, but she knew the person that was, and she was fairly certain she could get my name removed. She also indicated she is always delighted to be named in any will, as long as you don’t leave her a cat. She’s a dog person.

I replied, thanking her in advance for taking care of my miniscule problem, and telling her that if I ever decide to add her to my will, it will NOT be to bequeath her a cat. I am a dog person, and don’t have any cats. Dogs Rule!

Only time will tell, but I think Amy will successfully get my name removed from the R.O.M.P. e-mail list, and I will have eliminated one “pesky” internet problem.

Now this wasn’t my biggest internet problem… in fact a lot of them go way beyond “pesky” status… but attempting to become a Board Member seemed to work out fairly well….  So I got to thinking…. I wonder if Facebook needs any new members for their Board of Directors?

Surprise!

Several times in my lifetime I have tried to throw surprise parties for people, and never had much success. This Saturday, however, I was part of the best surprise party ever, at the coffee shop.

It didn’t start out as a surprise party… quite the opposite.

A few weeks ago, we found out that several of the “regulars’ were having birthdays in mid-September. We frequently celebrate birthdays at the coffee shop, and decided to have one BIG party for all the September birthday folk. Karen (Coastal Coffee Co-Owner), Barbara, Martha, “Teacher” Tim, and my brother-in-law, Eric, were those we designated to celebrate their recent free trip around the Sun. Eric lives in the Washington DC area, so we planned the party for a Saturday when he would be visiting us.

I was in charge of the cake, so I went to Tozier’s, our local supermarket bakery and ordered something appropriate. Karen was in charge of getting cards for everyone to sign, and we spread the announcement through word-of-mouth. Nine-thirty in the morning was tabbed as the “bewitching” hour.

I brought the cake in a few minutes before nine, and the crowd of well-wishers began to gather. The “birthday people” wandered in as well…

Just after I brought in the cake, Jim, from Monkton, MD, and his partner, Karen, came in. They were sightseeing and decided to make a pit-stop for breakfast and coffee. He was wearing a Baltimore Orioles t-shirt, so we chatted with him a bit about the plight of his favorite baseball team. 

Well, just before the bewitching hour arrived, in the course of our talking with Jim and his partner, we learned that it was Jim’s birthday. What a surprise he got when we came out with a birthday cake and headed straight toward him. We yucked it up with him about how his partner loved him so much she arranged this whole party JUST for him… and we were all actors… and well paid, at that…. LOL...  She had spared no expense…

When Jim got sufficiently red-faced from humility, we told him he had the good fortune of walking into a “planned” party. We apologized for not having a birthday card to give him, and that’s when he finally believed us, and that we were genuinely delighted to welcome him into our pre-planned event.

Everyone enjoyed cake (and coffee, of course), and well wishes were spread around easily. As the old saying goes, “A good time was had by all”.

For Jim, I’m pretty sure it made his day.

It sure did make ours!

I Never Saw It Coming

This story has nothing to do with the coffee shop, but everyone there wanted me to put it on the blog, so here goes….

I’m “borrowing” this from Bob Lacey, co-host of the Bob & Sheri syndicated morning radio show. Although Bob now lives and works in Charlotte, NC, he grew up in New Haven, and this story piqued his curiosity when he saw the byline from his old home town. Here’s the gist of the news item from the Aug. 26^th edition of the New Haven Register.

A woman texted her boyfriend telling him it was IMPERATIVE that he call her as soon as he got out of work.

He failed to do so.

She hunted him down and found him at his apartment, and a shouting match began.

He wanted to escape her, so he jumped into his car and drove away. She followed, and a high-speed chase ensued. They both went through red lights and stop signs, and bystanders notified the police.

The police finally located the pair at a suburban shopping mall, and she had him at knifepoint.

The police did not take kindly to the knife in her hand and wanted to arrest her. She would have none of it, and got into her car and sped off, and ANOTHER high-speed chase occurred…. through more stop signs and more  red lights.

The police finally captured her and arrested her on over a dozen violations.

She was 82. He was 80.

I never saw that coming… and you probably didn’t either… but it sure seems to tickle everyone’s funny bone when I tell it.

It sort of made me wonder what ticked her off in the first place...  Perhaps he winked at someone he shouldn't have at the Senior Center? ... or it might have been they had a date and he jilted her? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and all that.

I guess “craziness” has no age limit…. and in a crazy sort of way, I’m glad to see them still enjoying the full range of life’s emotions in their “golden years”. I know the “knifepoint” thing was a little “over-the-top”, but whatever got her “started”, I hope they patch it up. The “crazy” gene inside me seems to be saying they just might be very happy together. 

Pedal To The Metal

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Dow Jones  Industrial's are up, the NASDAQ is holding steady, and I have no idea what pork bellies are doing.

According to the “cyclists” market at Coastal Coffee Shop, long-distance riding is way down. 

Last year we had 24 long-distance riders…and by long-distance, I mean they are on a journey of 3 days or more. 

Every year we get a fair share of “day-riders”… folks going from Bar Harbor to Camden, and back… that sort of thing, and we’ve had our usual numbers of them this year, but not so with the longer trekking folks. 

Last year we had 24 long-distance riders, and so far this year – only 3. 

One group, last year,  had 8 riders, and it was really a “merger” to two groups of four. One group left Washington, as in the STATE of Washington, not DC, and headed for Bar Harbor. The other group of four left Oregon about the same time with the same destination in mind. As fate would have it, they bumped into each other (figuratively, not literally), in Ticonderoga, NY. From there they decided to travel together until they reached Bar Harbor. 

They all had 21st century electronic gizmos with them and said they spent the first few hours after they met in New York comparing “apps” to see who had what…. LOL. One gal, though showed me her secret stash of special bicycling maps… several of them... and all of them wrapped in a large elastic band. “Just in case” she said, and smiled. You go girl!

The first long-distance cyclers we got last year came just before Memorial Day weekend. They were 3 men, all over the age of 70, and each year they plan a long distance bike trip from their home in South Carolina. Last year they chose Bar Harbor, ME. They plan their trip all winter, and their wives meet them at their destination, and then drive them all home after spending a few days enjoying their hubbies’ cycling destination. 

This year, however, has been very sparse compared to last year. Only 3 cyclists so far… and with Labor Day weekend only 6 days away, the outlook to “catch up” to last year is not very good. We’ve only seen one older man in his mid-60’s, and a couple from New York City in their early 30’s. 

Mr. “Mid-60’s” (his statement, not mine) is from Ticonderoga, NY. He retired 2 years ago and loves to ride his bicycle. He wants to plan a bike trip every summer of his retirement for as long as he can. Last year, he went to Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, just across the border from Buffalo, as sort of a “practice run”. This year, he picked Bar Harbor, Maine. 

When I mentioned that I was glad the weather turned out so well for him… no rain and very mild temperatures… he remarked that he picked this week after studying the Old Farmer’s Almanac, AND paying $35 for a detailed temperature forecast from a national weather forecasting company. He didn’t care about rain, he said, “I have no trouble riding in rain. It’s oppressive heat that really bothers me, so I try to gather all the temperature forecasts I can get.” 

The young couple from New York City was on a 3 week vacation – 12 days to cycle from NYC to Bar Harbor… a few days of fun and frolic, then on to Burlington VT. From there they fly back home (bicycles and all) to NYC. They both live and work in “The City”, and don’t own a car. During the warm months they ride their bicycles everywhere, and use the subway and bus system in the winter. If they ever need a car, they rent one. 

I was curious how they were able to get the airline to fly their bicycles, and they said it’s not very hard at all… fill out a form, pay a fee, and voila, the bikes fly with you. I asked how they got them from the LaGuardia Airport to their apartment, and they replied, “We ride them. “ Duh, I should have guessed that… LOL….

It’s certainly cheaper than a cab ride… and probably a lot faster, too. 

I Love Aggies

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Texas A&M Aggies.

It started back in the late 70's when my former wife and I took our family to San Antonio, Texas to visit her brother. He was working as an engineer for Pratt & Whitney, and was assigned to a corporate support team at Lackland Air Force Base.

San Antonio is a lovely city, and we had a great visit, but while I was there I heard my first "Aggie" jokes. They were far from complimentary stories about the students who attended Texas A&M University. I felt badly that "Aggies" were being picked on with all those awful jokes, and ever since I've been a "closet" fan  of the Aggies.

Well, last week, a young couple came into the coffee shop sporting two bright, red t-shirts with "Class of 2013" on the front, and "Proud Aggie Graduate" on the back.

"I love Aggies", I shouted, and they seemed as surprised at the exuberant welcome, as I was to see some real, live Aggies in my favorite coffee shop.

They ordered their coffee and a couple of breakfast sandwiches and then sat down to have a conversation with myself, and the bunch of "locals" in the shop at that time.

We learned they met in college, and were married last summer. This summer they both graduated... they both love agriculture... and they both love Texas. Unfortunately, they said, folks in Texas still tell "Aggie" jokes, but not as much as they used to. Progress is good.

They finally revealed how they got to Maine.

When they first met they found out that neither of them had ever been outside of Texas. Then and there, they decided they wanted to visits all 50 states before they died… so they put it at the very top of their bucket list. Maine is state #5. So, they may have 45 states to go, but they are both in their early 20's, so they should be able to make it.


Well, after they left, the cynics in the crowd started with, “I’ve got a buck that says they’ll never make it. Heck, they’ll probably be divorced in 10 years.” It was followed by, “Even if they stay married, my money says that once the kids come, their dream is off.” Someone else chimed in with, “My money says that even if nothing goes wrong, they’ll get tired of pursuing that dream by the time they’re 35.”

Now, if I were a betting man, which I’m not, but if I was, I’m sure the Las Vegas odds makers would support the cynics, and by a LARGE margin. Divorce, kids, and just plain “bored with the idea” have a far greater probability of happening than for them to visit all 50 states.

But, as I said, I’m not a betting man, so my money is on the Aggies to do it.

I told you… I’m a closet Aggie fan… I love Aggies!