The Penn State Mess

After much soul searching, I come down thinking that Joe Paterno got an unfair deal.

That is not to say that I am unsympathic to the kids whose lives were irrevocably injured. Nor, am I saying that Paterno was faultless in his action.

But, what I am saying is that the Penn State Board of Directors treated him poorly.

Here is a man who has given his whole professional life, and ¾ of his whole total life, to this university. Almost single handedly, he has taken this university from virtual obscurity in Central Pennsylvania, to national and international recognition for both sports and integrity. He has brought two national championships to the university, along with one Heisman Trophy winner. There has never been any hint of scandal in his program. He has turned down handsome financial packages and has donated much of his less than market value salary back to the university to subsidize the library. Not, the football stadium, but the library.

And what did the Board do? They threw him to the wolves by unilaterally firing him before the full story had been told. To save face to the country.

All the supposed evil doings are still just charges. Nobody has been convicted. And Paterno himself has not been legally charged with anything.

We, at least I, do not know exactly what the young Student Assistant actually told Paterno about the incident he saw. We only have here say.

Yes, even any breath of ill doing like this bears investigation. I like to think that if I were Paterno, I would have confronted Sandusky with the charge myself and asked him his side of the story. If Sandusky admitted it, I would have gone, with him to the police and settled the matter directly. And, if Sandusky denied the charges, I would still have taken the matter up with the authorities both to clear Sandusky and to clear the whole football program. So far, it looks like Paterno did not do that.

Instead, he simply passed the matter upstairs to his supervisor. That supervisor, supposedly much more familiar with these kinds of things seems to have thought there was not enough evidence to take it to the police. If he thought that, should Paterno have thought he knew better?

Ok, so Paterno took the easy way out. Not a good choice that even he has admitted that he regretted. But, to over rule his supervisors and go over their heads directly to the authorities? When these supervisors thought differently. Wouldn’t that have been insubordination? To go directly to the authorities without discussing it with your boss, would have been going beyond his authority. To go to the authorities, after, going to his boss, after his boss has decided NOT to go to the authorities, would have been insubordination. What was he to do once he decided not to confront Sandusky from the start?

But, lets look at the Board action.

Paterno lives in State College, just minutes from the location of the Board meeting. I think they owed it to him to invite him before the Board to defend his action. To tell them exactly what the Student Assistant told him…To tell them why he did not why he did not confront Sandusky. To tell them what he thought about his supervisors’ decision not to go to the authorities….

They did not do that. Instead, they covered their asses and fired him in the “Best interests of the University”. What about the interests of a loyal employee?

And then after firing him, they did not have the decency to sent their Chairman to tell Paterno of their decision face to face. Instead, they sent a message for him to call them. Him to call THEM. He did, and they fired him over the phone. Then they went on to the media and embarrassed him by firing him publically.

I fully recognize that the Board was in a difficult position. It would have looked bad to the world for Paterno to lead his team out of the locker room on Saturday to a multi million-person audience on national TV as a representative of the university.

Instead, they should have simply suspended him for that one game. (BTW…That idea was first suggested to me by my daughter, Sara) Thereby allowing some breathing room for things to settle out. To find out exactly what the Student Assistant actually told Paterno. To find out exactly what Paterno considered doing. To give him a chance to tell them his side of the whole sordid story. Instead of that approach, they simply threw him to the wolves.

He deserved better.

If the Board is really primarily interested in the integrity of the University, maybe they should give up big time football altogether. One team after another these days is getting caught up in some scandal. Maybe this is the worst. But, without Paterno, some other scandal would almost surely have surfaced by now. Cheating, drinking, bribing…You name it. Without Paterno’s integrity in the future, it is all too probable that one of these will eventually surface at Penn State. But, who wants to bet that the Board will forgo the big bucks that football brings in? If they really want to set the proper “moral” image for the University, they will. That would be their final tribute to Joe Paterno. If we cannot have Joe, we do not want big time football altogether.

I also think about what his son, Jay, should do. As Assistant Coach for Quarterbacks, he is still employed by the team. If he goes out with the team on Saturday, is he siding with the University and abandoning his father? If he resigns, is he giving up his own career? I do not see how he can go out on that field on Saturday and still look his father in the eye. But, that is his decision.

What about the team players themselves? It appears that the majority of the student body overall is siding with Paterno. Probably some, if not most, of the players, also side with Paterno. Where do they owe their loyalty? To the Coach who recruited them? Or to the University that gave them their education? Not an easy choice.

Finally, what about the new “Interim” Head Coach? Tom Bradley has been with the team for years. Frequently “named” as Paterno’s logical successor. Now, he is in the hot seat. What a way to get the job. Can he fire up the team for Saturday’s game? What does he say to them? Win one for the Gipper? Who is the Gipper? Joe Paterno, the disgraced Coach? The Chair of the PSU Board? Tom Bradley himself? Maybe they should win one for Alan Weinstein…….Or maybe, they should just forfeit the game and the Big 10 crown. Hell if I know what’s best for Penn State.

All I know…think…..is that Joe Paterno got a raw deal.

On Playing withMmy Grandson

Can anything be better?

He was just in my lap. Looking all around.

I spoke English and (Broken) Spanish to him.

Who knows if he heard. But, I deluded myself into thinking he did.

Sara mused if he recognized my voice. Oh how I hope he does.

At four weeks, he is definitely developing a personality.

Not yet talking, but, I think, looking around. And..just maybe…responding to me.

Occasionally, his fingers find the vicinity of his mouth.

All of this new to me….and him.

I guess it all happened with Mira and Sara as well. But, that is distant history.

Now, I am experiencing it all over again…And recording it for posterity.

Can there be a better joy in life than witnessing a grandchild’s early days?

I guess Sara and Victor are experiencing the same sensation as parents.

And, maybe, some day they will read this and experience it all over as grandparents.

As my father used to say about grandchildren being the interest on your investment.

Well I made a big, well placed, investment in my children.

Now some of the interest is coming out.

Benjamin Victor Moscoso. Words that bring joy to my heart.

Every period in a child’s…and grandchild’s…. life bring joy. I had, and still have, many with my children. Now the grandchild part starts.

OK…enough for now.

Just a quick note to record my thoughts as he enters his 4^th week.

Alan

On Grandfatherhood

Ok, so I am not the first grandfather in the world. But, it is all new to me.

My daughters brought me great joy as they grew, and now are frequent sources of pride. They are my investments in my future. But, now it is time for the interest on those investments…as my father called grandchildren.

I have seen many of my friends enjoy this state. Some are demonstrative and some are laid back. You can guess which group I am in.

I have held, played with and generally enjoyed being with Barbara’s grand…nibbling, as she calls them. They give me great joy. But, nothing beats my own decedents.

Benjamin Victor Moscoso-Weinstein (as he will be named in Guatemala) arrived at 6:39AM on August 21, 2011. My life has not been the same since.

I got my first peak and hold of him about 10PM after a long wait/trip from Washington. His cute face has been in my memory every since.

It is hard to describe the sense of serenity I have when I hold him. Feeling him breathe, twitch, spread out his arms and legs, yawn are all thrilling.

I dream about the first ball I will roll his way.

About the first walk we take with him holding my hand.

About my first attempt to explain baseball to him, and how rain forms.(Both of which I have already described to him while hr has rested in my arms)

About our first baseball game viewing, in real life or on TV.

About the first Science Fair project we will work on together.

About each of his lifetime milestones….Grade school graduation, Bar Mitzvah, etc. I hope I live long enough to see all of them.

In fact, his arrival has fired up my desire to live …forever.

His arrival has caused me to reminisce about my youth…as I love to do.

That started with my memory of his namesake, my Grandpa Weinstein, Benjamin. The husband of Sara’s namesake, Sarah. Sarah was a short dynamo. Benjamin was a tall, gentle man, with whom I probably never passed a single word as I doubt he spoke much English. My father looked like him and I look like my father. I hope there will be some of me, my father, and my Grandpa Weinstein in this Benjamin.

Thinking about Grandpa Weinstein, made me think of my Grandpa Lipsitz, my own namesake, Abraham, a man I never met, but saw pictures of. And his wife, my Grandma Lipsitz….Mary Lipsitz, Mira’s namesake. I distantly remember listening to afternoon soap operas with her. On the radio. “Just Plain Bill” “Porsha Faces Life”

It is funny, but Benjamin’s arrival brought more memories of my grandparents than of my own parents. Maybe a little grandparently bonding.

Next, I reminisced with Sylvia about the arrival and early childhood of our own children. How our lives changed forever on that night ride to the hospital in Pasadena to bring Mira into the world. And about how much we looked forward to Sara’s arrival to round out our intended two children family.

When the earthquake of August 2011 shook the east coast, we reminisced about the one in California through which Mira blissfully slept through and my father called about in panic.

But, I digress away from Benjamin.

Tonight, after his bris, several feedings (The boy loves to eat…..), and a poop (and diaper change by his father), he fell asleep on my shoulder after a big burp. Talk about bliss. It was thrilling to feel him breathing, occasionally twitching and generally resting on my shoulder. I told him he was great for lowering my high blood pressure better than any medicine I take.

As I write this from my motel room in Bedford, MA, I revel in how very happy I am.

World War III in Asia?

I surely hope not. But, I fear the seeds of what might eventually be called WWIII might be being planted.

Here is my fear.

The last time the world economy was so depressed, worldwide, was just prior to WWII.

In Europe, we had continent wide depression. Worst in Germany, but still widespread over the rest of the continent. Today, Germany seems secure. But widespread unrest exists in Greece, Spain, Italy and even the UK.

In Asia, we had a potential adversary, Japan, who simply did not understand the US as well as they should have….And launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that they thought would simply rock us back on our heels and make us draw inward.

We all know that exactly the opposite happened. The US rose up united in revenge for this attack on our sovernty. And, we entered what came to be known as WWII.

So, what exists of a possibly similar nature in Asia today?

Both the China and North Korea rulers are aging. Their successors are already jockeying for position to succeed them.

The Vice President in China. And the son of the aging dictator in North Korea.

Neither of these leaders knows us very well. Neither has ever met with President Obama, or any other US President for that matter.

After a decade of economic growth, China’s economy is slowing, with unemployment growing. North Korea continues to experience starvation among its people, who depend ever increasingly on China for their survival.

China holds a large share of US bonds and is threatening to cash out.

We know little about their potential new leader, and he probably knows little about us.

What if the new leader decided to take back Taiwan and threatened the US with foreclosure on their bonds if we came to the aid of Taiwan?

(This idea has been broached by many pundits already.)

What if they gave North Korea the go ahead to invade South Korea?

Would the US pull in our horns as the Japanese thought we would do in Pearl Harbor (admittedly US territory)?

Or, would we label this blackmail, and defend Taiwan and South Korea as fortresses of Capitalism against Communist domination of Asia.

Surely, Japan and the rest of Asia would watch our reaction very carefully.

If Taiwan and South Korea fell, would the rest of Asia be far beyond? The old “Domino” theory of the post WWII cold war, might rear its ugly head again.

Combine this with the upcoming US election and the fear of a double dip recession. Like existed in the US under Franklyn Roosevelt in the early 1940’s.

Would President Obama try to negotiate his way out of the confrontation as he did with the Republicans in Congress…To the displeasure of many Americans?

Or…would he prefer to run as a wartime President defending the US against Communist aggression?

I know this is entirely out of character for him.

But, so was sending more troops to Afghaistan.

Would he use this an opportunity to pull troops out of the unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, to send them to Asia? Would he force the Republicans to abandon their opposition to him and rally behind this new war threat? Middle America might think to do otherwise would be treason.

I sure hope he has a clear strategy in mind.

And….has sent Vice President Biden to China to inform the soon to be new President of China, exactly how the US in general and the President, in particular, would respond to Chinese aggression in Asia. EXACTLY…No doubts.

If Vice President Biden can carry this message clearly and directly, but not belligerently, his visit may go down as truly historic. He has the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy to himself and to the Obama administration. I surely hope he does.

For, I feel this is the only path to avoiding WWIII in Asia.

On Going Downhill

When I celebrated my 50th birthday, I began hearing how I was "Over the Hill" and "Going Downhill". At first it bothered me. Downhill seemed some how bad.
Now in my 70's it does not seem so bad.
On a recent walk, I skipped one Metro stop to get on another about a half mile away....All DOWNHILL. Not sharply down hill, but definitely, .....down.
It was a pleasure.... Much better than walking...UPHILL.
I live almost equally distant from two other Metro stops. I consistently walk down hill to one and then, upon returning, get off the uphill stop, to walk down hill back to my apartment.

So...going DOWNHILL is not so bad.

If at 50, people told me I had an UPHILL life ahead of me, I would have been saddened. Imagine facing an uphill life after 50. Not for me.

So, next time someone tells you that life is all "Downhill" from here, just say thanks...I'll take it.

Alan's Choice

Recently, I criticized President Obama for not offering a debt reduction plan of his own.

So, here is what I would have done.

In short, I would have offered the Simpson-Bowles Commission plan, or at least some version of it.

President Obama set up this Commission, unilaterally, after Congressed passed on that option. That, in itself, showed some leadership.

But, after his own Commission came out with their recommendation, he ignored it.

Yes, the plan was quite controversial. It took hits from both sides of the political spectrum. That’s what historic plans do. But, it offered to solve the problem. The Ryan Plan, which came much later, was also controversial. But, Ryan had the resolve to submit it. So, it is now known as the Ryan Plan. I did not like it. But, I respect him for offering it.

Yes, there were things in the S-B Plan that would have hurt me individually. Although, I must admit that I have forgotten the details. But, I remember that NARFE was upset with several elements. I also think it did away with the home loan interest deduction. That would cost me about $7,000/yr/. And hurt the value of my condo.

But, it seemed balanced…And it solved the problem.

Well before the full crisis hit.

If I were in President Obama’s place, I would have called in my most trusted economic advisors and asked them if any tweaks were in order. TWEAKS, I said, not full modifications.

Then I would have decided which to accept and which to reject. I would make that decision, not another committee or Congressional collection. Just ME.

Then, I would have invited the leaders of both houses of Congress to see MY Bill, and asked for them to submit it to their individual chambers for debate, and, hopefully, passage.

It would clearly be MY plan.

If these leaders declined to propose it, I would have gone around them until I found someone in each chamber to, at least, bring it up.

I think the pressure of public opinion would have forced it to be introduced for debate.

Then, I would have taken my show directly to the people. I would have delivered a prime time address. A passionate address.

Then, I would have gone on the road.

I would have staked the full future of my administration on passage of this Bill.

I would have proudly called it the Obama Plan for Fiscal Recovery.

OK, I would have been willing to accept some tweaks. But, not wholesale modifications.

If the Bill passed Congress, of course, I would have gladly signed it.

But, if it failed, or was filibustered, I would have, again, taken my case to the people.

I would have said that I tried and asked the opposition to come forward with their plan.

My (Alan’s) suspicion is that the Republicans would have been forced into proposing something somewhat similar. Something balanced. Something very different than the unbalanced Ryan Plan. Otherwise they would be labeled as uncompromising extremists.

Even if his plan never got passed, President Obama would have had something to run on in 2012. Something he could have said would have pulled the economy out of its malaise. Even if that could not have been proven, it would have looked good to all those unemployed and their friends.

This is LEADERSHIP.

Now

So, what can President Obama do now to recapture the initiative?

Introduce an updated version of the S-B Plan!!!! A version that has the benefit of a year or so to percolate. But, essentially the same plan.

It is too late to submit it to Congress for direct approval. That chance has been lost forever.

But, instead, I would offer it to this select Congressional Committee that has been mandated in the present legislation, as a starting point for their plan. I would make it clear that I would not accept anything from them that was not balanced. This way their plan would have some elements of MY plan. Maybe not MY plan completely. But enough of MY plan that I could claim some pride of ownership.

If this Committee, or some elements of this Committee, refused to come forward with a balanced plan, I would veto anything else they proposed. Yes…VETO it.

And accept the fallback, automaric plan. That is hardly balanced. But, it is the law of the

the land as a fallback.

Then I would see how the chips play out.

If the economy somehow improves through job creation, I would enjoy the glow and run on a "Stay The Course" platform.

I do not think things will improve. If they do not, I could say that if Congress had followed MY plan, things would already be improving.

At least, I would have an economic plan to run on.

That would show leadership. It is not too late.

Obama's Choice

The Dept Extension Bill has been signed.

By substantial majoritew in both houses of Congress.

Yet, it seems NOBODY likes it.

On the right, many are saying that little real debt reduction was included. Surely not enough to satisfy many of them. Whether it really leads to real debt reduction, or not, does not matter. They are just unhappy now.

On the left, many are saying that their principle of tax fairness had been abandoned.

Whether tax modification ever creeps into the final picture, or not, is unclear. But, for now it does not appear to be the case. And the left is mad. Or should I say gravely disappointed.

Even many middle grounders are worried.

Yes, a debt crisis has been avoided. But, at what cost? And for what gain?

The cost may be jobs and the economy.

A reduction in government spending, will have to remove money from the economy.

How much is unclear. But, money produces jobs. And less money costs jobs.

The key on jobs is how businesses will respond to this compromise.

If business people interpret it as a step in the right direction, maybe they will open up and start employing more people.

To be honest, I doubt it.

If you were a small business owner, would you take your excess cash and invest it in more production? Or, would you invest it in less risky places? Or, would you just sit on it and wait? I would just wait. But, then again, I was a salaried employee all my life. How do I know how business people’s minds work.

And, what has been gained by this bill?

Yes, the ability to borrow enough money to keep the government operating, has been provided. There will be no default.

Debts will all be met.

All Government employees will be paid. All who keep their jobs that is….

All retirees, incl. Social Security recipients, will get their checks.

All loan holders will be paid.

Maybe…and this is not clear….theUS will keep its AAA rating

And.maybe…again….interest rates will stay low.

The general public…The Voters next year….Do not know what any of this means. Government officials, and most learned economists were aghast at the prospect of a government default. But, the average person does not understand this at all.

He or She understands if they have no job. Or if their child, or parent, or sibling, or friend, has no job. But, they do not understand much else.

Even the Economists are divided.

Think about how many in the vast middle have a friend, sibling, child or parent with no job. Almost 10% of the population is officially unemployed. And more are unoffically out of work. Think of how this spreads to all their friends, siblings, parents and children. The numbers are probably more than 50% of the population overall. How many of you are in that category?

How will they all feel if further jobs are lost or in jeopardy and government workers, and retirees (incl Social Security recipients), continue to draw checks? Everybody knows someone on Social Security. So, nobody wants them to starve. But, in a me first world, jobs count more than sympathy.

So, how does President Obama come out on all of this?

At this very early moment, I cannot see how he looks good.

His opposition thinks of him as weak.

His base thinks they have been abandoned.

The vast middle??? Well only polls will tell.

But based on the discussion above, they cannot be happy with things.

I think he did not show leadership in a time of crisis. His remarks were muted. He compromised on everything. And he never offered his own plan.

I do not say unequivocally that he was wrong.

Great leaders often have to do things they think correct even if it costs them in the short turn. Only history can tell if compromise was the right path here.

And even history is rarely clear about these things.

So a President has to do what he (Or she, some day) thinks is best.

President Obama made the choice to compromise. I think that is his natural inclination.

Would I have made the same choice?

Well, of course, he knows much more than than I do. I hope......

But, from where I stand now….No….

I would have offered a plan of shared contributions. Some tax cuts, some cost reductions and even some cost increases where I thought investments were needed. All things he vaguely talked about but never offered in a definite plan.

Instead, he left it to Congressional leaders to offer their plans. Eventually, they got one to pass. But, nothing that he can call HIS plan.

That is not leadership.

I think the country needs a President who leads. Not one who compromises.

One who offers his own plan. Not one who relies on others’ plans.

So, will I vote for him next time? Likely…..

There appears little other choice for me.

Even with my doubts, there appears no Republican on the horizon whom I could back.

And several that truly scare me.

But, if a charismatic, truly independent, candidate surfaces. One with creative ideas.

One who puts forward real plans.

I would be open to listening.

I think the Congress will go all Republican next time.

So, if President Obama wins, there will be divided government.

President Obama, will compromise. That is his natural tendency. And in a lame duck term, he no longer has to worry about his base. The end result will be that legislation will move to the right.

Not a good outcome in my mind.

So, why not a charismatic, independent?

If we are to have divided government anyway, why not have an independent thinker?

Does anybody know one?????

And there, President Obama, lies your biggest risk.

If I, a lifelong Democrat, is considering alternatives, can the uncommitted middle think otherwise?

I am unsure what President Obama can do now to recapture the leadership appearance he once showed.

But, he better get started…..

Victor’s Harvard Graduation Week

What a week it was. Seeing Sara pregnant, witnessing Victor’s graduation, then a great weekend in Vermont. Fabulous!!!!! Now some highlights and details.

As usual, Victor, and his family were great. It is heartwarming how the kids love Sara.

I was very proud of myself for not crying when I saw Sara in her current condition. So radiant, so happy….so pregnant. Yikes, it is really going to happen. I will soon be a grandpa…of a NY Yankees fan…… I did not cry then, but I am getting teary now…..

Having us all together again before the graduation was a reminder of the wonderful time we had at Sara and Victor’s wedding when we all met for the first time. It is heartwarming how close we have become since meeting as relative strangers then. I feel we are now just one big happy family.

But, the main event was the next day. I have been to quite a few college graduations in my lifetime. My own (3), my kids’ (3), friends kids’ (many). But none were like this. A Harvard graduation, particularly at the Kennedy School, is a unique pageant.

Finally, it came time for Victor to actually receive his diploma. Alas, I was not well positioned to capture the event, but I got the essence of it. Of course, Victor is not my actual son. That honor goes to Lolita.

But, pride burst out of my chest (and Sara’s, I assume) anyway.

The rest of that day was a bit of a come down for all of us. Barbara and I, along with Sara and V

ictor, attended the all Harvard address by the female President of Liberia, while the rest of the family rested. She is a sterling example of the success of a Kennedy School graduate. Very stirring. On Friday, Olga-Maria and Marianita took off for Guatemala and the rest of us had a nice dinner at the John Harvard Brew House in Cambridge.

The Saturday departure of Hugo, his family and Lolita for New York City, left the rest of us

to go off on our Vermont weekend. Victor drove a tiring seven hours to Smugglers Notch Resort, with stops along the way for lunch (unforgettable ice cream, in Woodstock) And at Quechee Gorge for beautiful views of the Vermont version of the Grand Canyon. Quite impressive.

Barbara’s cousin, Bill Stritzler, owner of the resort, provided us with a fabulous two-bedroom condo.

Bright and early, for me anyway…around 9am, we set off for our day of local touring. We started with breakfast at the Von Trapp resort. Overpric

ed and not very glamorous, but something we had to do being so close to “The Sound of Music” as we were.

Next came a tour of the Teddy Bear Factory near Burlington. This is the first, and still only, place in the US where they make teddy bears. In every imaginable outfit. I thought of Bunny continually. The tour was great, but alas, no samples.

That had to wait until our next destination, the Ben & Jerry’s Ice CreamFactory.

But on the

way, we realized we were near the tour book’s recommended…..”Al’s French Frys.” Yes that is the spelling. Indeed,

they were great. What else would you expect from Al’s?

Early in our trip, Sara remarked that the Moscosos travel to shop and the Weinsteins travel to eat. And eat we did. Even me, who is rarely hungry, ate anyway.

Last stop before dinner was the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory. Being a dairy state, there are many excellent ice cream places. But, there is only one Ben & Jerry’s. The factory is closed on the wee

kend, so the tour was kind of flat. But, we got the full story of how the wh ole thing started and how the stuff is made. And, we got a free sample of their newest flavor. Called the Jimmy Fallon flavor, it was basically vanilla with chocolate covered potato chips and salted pretzels. A combination of ice cream, carbs & salt. Quite good.

In the gift shop, I bought a mouse pad that said…”We came, we saw, we ate….ice cream” The story of our trip.

The B&J visit ended with a stop at the “Flavor Graveyard”, where Barbara found the tombstone of her beloved Ga. Peach. My favorite, Cherry Garcia, is still going strong as the top-selling flavor. V

anilla, the first B&J flavor is still hanging in there at #10. NY Super Fudge Chunk, a long time favorite of both Barbara and me, is #6.

Dinner that night was also memorable. It was with Bill and Viola Stritzler, second cousins of Barbara, whom she had never met before.

They own the resort. It was fascinating to talk with Bill about the resort in particular and the Vermont tourist and food industry in general. I love peeking into other people’s life experiences. He was very open to all my questions. I was very impressed with his people skills, dr

awing Victor and Sara into the conversation by asking them specific, pertinent, questions. Barbara had laryngitis, so I had (!!!!!) to do most of the talking for us. Tough job but somebody had to do it.

When we departed, Bill, seeing Sara pregnant, invited them, and us presumably, to return with the baby for another stay at this family oriented resort. We just might do that.

The trip home started with breakfast with another Stritzler cousin, Suzanne, in Jeffersonville. It was Memorial Day and there was a town parade. It seemed like all 2,000 residents turned out. A truly American experience for Victor.

On the way out of town, we stopped at an antique store. Outside they had a wooden rocking horse that had on it… “Sara and Victor’s baby”. Over much objection from Sara, we bought it for him. A final souvenir of our weekend. I cannot wait to see him on it.

The Cabot Cheese Factory was our last stop in Vermont. Another tour and some more sampling of the product occurred. Good stuff!!!!! It turns out that this cheese is lactose free. So Victor can enjoy it. They are big cheese fans.

Our Tour guide told us all about how they make the cheese

New Hampshire had our final three stops of the trip. The first stop was in Bethlehem, where Barbara’s father was born. That’s Bethlehem, NH, not Palestine!!!!!! It seems that his mother suffered from asthma and had to come to the clean New Hampshire air for the final days of her pregnancy.

On the way out of Bethlehem, we briefly met the son of

Barbara’s friend, Martha Gabriel, David. He was a gracious host. But, we

had to hustle off.

The middle stop in NH was at the time-share I own at the Village of Loon Mountain. I have owned it for about 30 years and only have stayed there once, maybe 25 years ago. Over the years, I have exchanged it for condos all over the world. I was curious to see how mine stacked up. Not very well, in fact. Nice, clean, but quite dreary and very vertical. Three bedrooms on three levels. A

nd no air conditioning. I will likely never stay there. Exchanges will be my use for this. Unless the kids ever want to come for a summer week.

The last stop on our eating weekend was for lobster at Brown’s in Seabrook, NH. Nostalgia for our days in Westford. The lobster is still great….as are the onion rings. Victor and I had lobster while Sara and Barbara had chick

en. Sara prefers chicken and Barbara’s stomach was not up to the melted butter that goes with lobster. Dessert was our final ice cream chance in New England. Mine was a great mocha chip sugar cone. More than anybody should eat, but I was up to the task, with a small assist from Barbara.

We arrived home at S&V’s place around 9:30. Victor drove the whole almost 700 miles. Without his glasses which he somehow lost during the graduation.

The evening ended with pictures of my new, to be, grandson. Sonograms. To be honest, I barely saw much. But, Barbara was ga ga. I will wait for the real thing.

A brief

and inadequate visit to the Peabody natural history museum in Cambridge….and lunch with the kids in a Middle Eastern restaurant, ended the trip.

During my final goodbye hug with Sara, I was finally unable to hold back the tears. Even now my hearts skips a beat as I think about it. This was another “Peak Life Experience” week, as Barbara calls them.

Winter Vacation with AAAAlan, BJ, and the Mick

Three Weeks with Alan, BJ and The Mick. (a play on “Talkin Baseball with Wiiiiillie, Mickey and the Duke”) The Book and the People. Mickey Mantle biography to read and a vacation with Barbara Jane Sirota on the Island of St Martin.

A most enjoyable combination.

Preamble – Dallas for Elizabeth’s Birthday

The outpouring of welcome for us was heartwarming. Barbara’s family has accepted me as their own….And Visa-versa.

It is hard to believe that little Elizabeth is celebrating her 8^th birthday. Always ahead of her time intellectually, she continues to entertain us with her remarks.

And, of course, Rob and Anne were the perfect hosts. The addition of the two grandmothers, Lenore and Eileen, rounded out this wonderful family.

But, now on to the main event, almost three weeks in warm St Martin.

But, wait, one extra stop. Due to bad weather forecast for Dallas on the day of our departure, February 1, we left the night before to stay over in Miami. Good thing we did. Dallas airp[prt was closed for over a day due to ice and snow.

The Miami stop let us relive a bit, Sara’s wedding. Including food at the Jewish deli, Jerry’s.

St Martin – February 1 – 19.

Overall notes about St Martin.

Very friendly natives, from tourist officials and service sales people, to residents on the streets. All smiles and willing to give directions. Alas, some are wrong.. But, their hearts are in the right place.

Speed bumps galore. Nuisances, but necessary to slow down drivers, me included, in towns.

Lots of car washes. Not the automatic ones like home. All hand done ones. Must be a lot of dirty cars here.

Lots of sun, sandy beaches and puffy clouds. Even some warm rain showers.

The water on the Caribbean side gives new meaning to the word aquamarine. The most beautiful color I have ever seen anywhere. Just as scenic as the blue water of the Azure Coast of southern France. I hope the color shows up in my pictures.

Some great, albeit sometimes overpriced, meals, both on the French and Dutch sides. Wonderful French bread, pastries, croissants, hot chocolate and coffee.

And three weeks of reading, but not quite finishing, a biography of Mickey Mantle. Quite an enlightening view of a boyhood hero.

Day 1 Tuesday, 2/1

Arrived late so all we did was get to our room and settle in. B257 at Simpson Bay Resort newly renamed from Pelican Bay Resort. Both the condo owners and the employees objected to the new owners. All of the employees were fired and told they would have to reapply for their jobs….at less pay and with no seniority and few benefits. Their union is suing. Good luck!!!!

Day 2 Wednesday, 2/2

We came here to eat French food. So, day 1 started with breakfast at the local French restaurant, on the grounds of the condo development, “Bon Apetite. A great first chocolate croissant.

Then off to Phillipsburg for our first shopping outing. Really just scouting about. Cameras do not appear to be any great bargains. Oh yes, a French food lunch on Old Street. A favorite from past memories. And, some Belgian chocolates.

Ended the day with dinner at Toppers on the Beach at our resort. Lobster. Fair, but overcooked.

Day 3 Thursday, 2/3

Rental car day. Save, another memory from last visit. Best deal I could negotiate…$170/week, plus $5/day for second driver. But, when we got there, they reduced the price to $162/day, plus half price for second driver. Even without me asking. Now I see on one of the tour maps that they offer a 15% discount. Do I have the nerve to ask for it when I check out? You bet!

Then to Grand Casse for restaurant search. First, lunch at a Lo Lo on the water. Great food at cheap price.

Then, we found an old favorite restaurant, La Marine, had been replaced by Ti Provincale operated by an award winning chef. So, we reserved for dinner at 7:30. By advice of couple we met from Minnasota. Man was an Anderson windows manager. Spent couple hours from about 3 – 5PM on the beach. Cool end of day relaxation. On to Sunset Beach Café for watching sunset. Alas, clouds obscured it.

Day ended with expensive and disappointing dinner at Ti Provincale Alas, his Gold Metal was in 2008. But, the presentation was very impressive. Broad variety of locally caught fish. We had Parrot fish. Light tasting white fish. Only OK and not worth the $100 bill. I knew this was going to be an expensive place.

Day 4 Friday 2/4

Found our favorite French supermarket. Still great. Barbara bought variety of cheeses.

Highlight was a concert by Brothers in Arms at night at Friars Bay. Dirt road to get there. But, we were given free tickets as we reached the front gate. Saved $60. Good thing, because the concert was very loud and not very satisfying to me. But, Barbara liked it. It was an experience witnessing this “happening” with wide variety of mostly French fans across three generations. Lots of cigarette smoking, but no mariuana odor that would be ever present at such a concert in USA.

Day5 Saturday, 2/5

On to our first timeshare condo, a studio apt at Ocean View. We were here last time, maybe even in the very same room, #305. Very simple, but nice patio view of the ocean. Will present great sunset views.

Off to Marigot for dinner on the marina.

But, first ice cream at the Carousel in Simpson Beach. Very creamy.

Walked around the marina in Marigot. We remembered it from last time.

Dinner at ….., where we met nice couple from Cape Cod. He, Dave, had retired from being a lobster wholesaler in Maine. Interesting discussion/education on lobser fishing and wholesaling. Rare example of meeting someone with more interesting career experience than ours. In fact, they never even asked what we did. We got so wrapped up in questions about lobster fishing.

I liked the dinner, good onion soup. But, Barbara was not overly impressed.

But, nice relaxing dinner on the marina with boats and boat people walking bye.

Day 6, Sunday 2/6

Super Bowl Sunday. Number 45. I remember several notable ones.

Number 1 – Green Bay Vs Kansas City. Lombardy won. I remember listening to it on the car radio as Sylvia and I took John Latham to the Phillisburg (Pa, of course) airport. John was a Englisg friend of ours who we met in Falgstaff on one of the MRI field programs. But, I digress.

Number 3 - NY Jets Vs Baltimore. Joe Namath Vs Johnny Unitis. “Broadway Joe” Namath forecast victory against heavily favored Colts. He pulled it off.

Number ???? – NY Giants Vs New England Patriots. Wildcard Giants, under Eli Manning, were long shot underdogs to undefeated Patriots. Miracle catch in late 4^th quarter won for Giants. I watched and rooted from a condo party on one of the islands in the Caribbean.

So, here I am back on a Caribbean island for number 45. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

But, first our day.

Breakfast, including croissant, on our patio overlooking the ocean. Pretty close to paradise.

Off to Baie Orientale. Orient Beach has “Au Naturale” beach at one end. We went to the other end where we had lunch at the Tiki Hut Bar. Beach was beautiful, but too windy to sit on it.

After a stop at our favorite French market, we went to an orientation briefing at the Sapphire Club, next store to our place. We will be staying at Sapphire next week. Very poor orientation, but we got a couple of free fruit punches at the bar. While drinking them, we met an interesting couple from Fresno, Ca (her) and Portland, OR (Him). Both doctors who will be going to his child’s house on….Newark Street, in Cleveland Park on Monday. Small world, indeed.

Finally, the Super Bowl at the restaurant at our place. We entered the pool for five selections, at $2 each. Barbara picked the slots, which included the upper left and lower right. Well, upper left came out to be Packers 1 and Steelers 0. In case you remember, the half time score was Packers 21, Steelers 10, after a half ending touchdown drive by the Steelers. We were rooting for the Packers overall, but the Steelers to score the touchdown that won the half time payoff ($50) for us. Good return on our $10 investment. I pay, Barbara picks, we win. Great combo. Good picking Barbara.

The last time I won such a pool was one time on a time share vacation in the Bahamas, when the slot we picked for Sara won. It was the week of the shuttle Columbia launch disaster. I remember both the disaster and Sara’s winning. But, nothing else about that vacation.

BTW, the Packers won 31 – 25. If they had scored one more field goal, we would have also won the game ending score with one of our other picks. But, alas, we had to settle for just $50. Will spend it (plus another $50) to splurge on a big dinner on the French side.

Day 7 –Monday 2/7

Barbara did water aerobics at our neighboring condo/hotel, called Sapphire. While she was occupied there, I was able to hop on their wifi connection. Finally got a sold connection to allow me to clean out my e-mail.

Started out in the car, to find flat tire. Not totally flat, so it could be pumped up until we could get it fixed at the car rental place. No big deal. Turned out it was a nail that had to be removed and plugged. While waiting, I had an interesting conversation with the manager of the car rental place. He claims he was a banker in NYC, who took a buyout when his bank was bought. Took a Caribbean vacation, during which he met a woman who soon gave him his first child. So he settled here. That child is now 17 years old. Nice story,,,but, is it true or just a dream. Who knows.

Afternoon trip to Phillipsburg to find the tourist office. Alas, not much help. A couple of hours shopping in Phillipsburg. No tour boats in, so it was a leisurely outing. Found a stone for Mira’s bracelet.

Walked a bit on the boardwalk. Cement version of boardwalks in US. Nice views of the Great Bay.

Nice chilling out at the lounge at the Holiday House Hotel. No pressure to buy any drinks.

Finally dinner at their restaurant, Ocean Lounge. Terrific fixed price menu of chicken ceaser salad, sea bass and dark chocolate suffle with ice cream. Add excellent bread, good onion soup, led to our best dinner of the trip so far.

A bit of a stressful ride back from Phillipsburg to our condo on Cupecoy. Probably a 10 mile drive. But lots of oncoming cars with bright lights and narrow, curved roads. But, we made it safely.

Day 8 Tuesday – 2/8

One week in St Martins. We arrived last Tuesday night.

Day started with another relaxing breakfast on our patio. Smoked salmon, French cream cheese, chocolate croissant. Could life be any better?

Then off on our day, alas, not before noon, with a trip to the new Weston Hotel on Dawn Beach. But, not before a stop in Simpson Bay for a couple of croissants for tomorrow’s breakfast and a chicken sandwich for later today. At a French bakery on in Simpson Bay. The sandwich turned out to be superb.

The Weston turned out to be quite new and modern with a very grand swimming pool and beach. The restaurant was charming. We had lunch there. Then spent about a half hour on Dawn Beach. Too windy to really enjoy this very picturesque beach.

On to Oyster Bay Marina for a quick stop to see lots of yachts. Lots of rich people here, with big marinas here, at Simpson Bay and at Marigot, to mention just three.

Last stop was the Tuesday street fair and dinner in Grand Casse. The fair was a mix of food, mostly junk trinkets and jewelry, and a few special things.

Dinner was at La Carraibe Restaurant. I had excellent onion soup and Barbara had
“The best red snapper I ever had”. It was in cream sause with excellent veggies. So, I guess this chef, who is the same one as was once at the best French restaurant in France, that our friends, the Fields love. Not a bad recommendation. It lived up to it.

The evening ended with a good chocolate crepe at another restaurant.

Why do all these entries focus on food? Well, isn’t that what we came here for?

Day 9 Wednesday 2/9

Happy Birthday Sara. Wish you and Victor were here.

Another breakfast on our patio followed by water aerobics for Barbara and e-mail for me. I shoulkd be using the gym at the Sappire. But it is poor and I am lazy. Heck, I am on vacation.

Finally off to Marigo for their Wednesday market. Similar to the one last night in Grand Casse, but bigger and better. Very colorful.

Lunch at Bistro Sur La Mer at the port. Excellent pizza.

On the way home, we discovered a French supermarked called “US Market”. We were cynical, but it had great selection of food.

Dinner was at our Condo development. BBQ Ribs night. All you could eat for $12. Alas, lost on me as I eat little portions. Bob Anderson would have eaten them out of food. We enjoyed a video of a Jimmy Buffet concert on Anguilla, a neighboring island that we are off to tomorrow. The Buffet songs, “Cheesburger in Paradise” and “Margaretaville” brought back memories of a past vacation with the Andersons (both NY and Wa) and the Gemmills. The ribs were great and the company was enjoyable.

Day 10 Thursday 2/10

Happy birthday in memorium to my father. He always joked Sara about her being a day older than him. It is nice to think about my parents once in a while. Wonderful, loving parents they were. But, alas, I digress.

Anguilla day. Off to the ferry from Marigo.

Anguilla was a rather disappointing trip. Heavy sea going over, led to some quisinass for both of us.

Upon getting there, we decided to rent a car to tour the island on our own. As a previously British colony, they have left side roads. And we had a right side driver car. I immediately hit a curb at the gas station and blew out the left front tire. After negotiation with the car rental agency, we settled on me paying for half of a new tire, $50. Ah well, we got a different car with left hand drive. Much better to judge the curbs, although we never saw any others, as this is a not bery built up island.

The island turned out to be very dull. We saw a few expensive hotel and a few nice beaches. One hotel complex was composed of 4 villas. Each accommodating about a dozen or so people. Comes with its own chef. Only cost $40,00 per WEEK. Nice to money. The best views were of Meads Beach from the Frangipani Hotel. Very nice. But, nothing any better than right here on St Martins. The $180 expense, for ferry ride, entry and departure taxes and the car, was definitely not worth it.

Upon returning, we showered and went to eat locally at an Italien restaurant called “La Gondola”. Very good Veal Milanese.

We finished the day at the Casino Royale in Maho. I find gambling a turn off. The blackjack tables are up to $5 minimum and the machines are boring to me. So, I just walked around and looked while Barbara played to penny machines.

Day 11 Friday 2/11

Off to the Butterfly Farm. They were in rare, open wing, form. Lots of different kinds. I will have to go to their site to ID the ones I caught.

Next was a stay on the beach at Baie Orientale’s Gallion Beach. A beautiful, family oriented, beach. Lots of French families. Barbara loved the kids. We spent a lovely 2+ hours on the beach. Even went into the water, but only ankle deep.

Dinner was back in Phillipsburg, at the Greenhouse. They have a lobster Mania on Fridays. $19.95/lb. It is Caribbean lobster, which is almost all tail. Very scrawny claws. We shared an almost 2lb one. A bit tougher than New England lobster, but still very good.

After another trying ride home from Phillipsburg, we tried to find a comedy night performance in Sandy Ground, on the French side. But, alas, we had the wrong night. So, instead we had to settle for Magnum Bar ice cream in our room. Why can we not find these in the US. White chocolate covered ice cream bar. We remember them from England. You would think somebody in the US would either import them, or copy the idea. Hmmmm, maybe there is a business there. Shades of imported llamas from Bolivia. But, you cannot store ice cream bars in your basement storage place. Anybody want to buy about 100 stuffed llamas from Bolivia?

Tomorrow we move over to Sapphire for the final week of our stay.

Day 12 Saturday 2/12

Moving day. This place, the Sapphire Club, is much more upscale than the Ocean Clubs. Very lasrge, elaborate, one bedroom condo. Maybe the most elaborate 1BR RCI we have ever had. But lousy service. Clearly faded glory. The hallway had a stale cigarette smell, which showed a trace in the room. They sprayed to cover the odor, but just barely. 4 Cup coffee maker, no placemats, no pothoders, no dish towels….and little desire on the part of the staff to do anything about it. One staff told us that management is cutting corners on everything.

But, we can live with it. Nice roomy place, two TV’s, one flat screen. Many channels.

Today we looked at the new condo development across the road called Porto Cupecoy. Very new (4 years) and very upscale. Two bedroom units start at about $½ million(2 BR) and go up to almost $3million for a 4 bedroom. Condo fees can be as high as $1300/month. Makes Woodley Park Towers seem cheap.

After that, we explored local beaches. First Cupecoy, where there were some “au natural” bathers.

Then on to Mullet Bay, were we spent a couple of hours, including our first swim, watching a sunset. Alas, clouds again spoiled the view.

We had dinner in a local French restaurant called Montmartre. Where I had my best onion soup so far. Even creamy. Very tasty.but only so-so shrimp fpr Barbara.

We ended the night in a local casino. The best part was a great creperie, where I had what could have been the best nutella crepe I ever had. When we asked him what he was going to do for Valentines Day, the French waiter told us about his girlfriend from Bolivia. She is at the customer service desk at the casino. We met her and spoke a bit about Bolivia. She spoke perfect English. She was from Santa Cruz. Of course, we told her about Sara and La Paz.

Day 13 Sunday 2/13

Off to “Art in the Park” More like junk in the park. But, saving grace was a colorful marching drum group. Variety of ages of kids, colorfully dressed. They call themselves “New Generation”.

A time killing walk through Phillipsburg. Things are rather dull on Sundays there. If I was on a ship with a port stop here today, I would be disappointed.

Saving graces for the day were the evening events.

First a sunset cruise. Free from the Jeff B site. In fact, the only benefit for our $49 annual membership. It was called “Celine” A very relaxing cruise around Simpson Lagoon, annotated by the owner, Neil.

Then on to Grand Casse for our best, albeit most expensive, meal of the trip. At “Le Presseur”, a very romantic setting in an old house. Great presentation and great basting fish. Soup course was a collection of three soups, onion, pea and lobster Bisque. All excellent. The next course was a collection of cold fish, two different lobsters (small) , shrimp and a couple of others. All excellent again. Next course was a selection of four fish, each on top of different mashed potatoes. Again, excellent. Finally, desert. One of the best crème brulle we have ever had, plus a pink, hand made marshmallow. Following the meal, we had a visit by the chef himself. Frank Mear from Brest, France. A nice close to an excellent meal.

Out gourmet friends, the Fields would have loved this place. Our other friends and relative, normal eaters like us, would have enjoyed it completely like we did.

Hopefully, we get to share this experience with some of them.

But, right outside was a crepe stand. Full as I was, I could not pass up a chocolate crepe. Only so so. But a French crepe can never be bad.

Much too much food this night. But, time is running out for French food.

Day 14 Monday 2/14

Happy Valentines Day. The hottest day yet. Surely too hot for the beach, at least during mid day.

First stop was Marigo, where we had crepes for lunch. First savory crepe, seafood. And, of course, a sweet one, but only sugar. Both very satisfying.

The Museum in Marigo was quite informative on the island’s geology, agriculture, sea life and history. Soon I will lnow enough to put up my shingle as a tour guide for the cruise ships. Not a bad way to spend a winter. Even with onloy a little business, I could take my rent off my income tax. Would the IRS buy that?

Valentines dinner at “Temptations” Excellent lamb chops. Not exactly local food, but very good anyway. Nice Valentines dinner.

Day 15 Tuesday 2/15

On the home stretch. Beginning to run out of breakfast things. A bit too early.

Nothing very special today.

Started out getting the suitcase fixed,,in Phillipsburg. Same place as last time. Good to see that some things do not chanhe. Zipper repair. $4. Quite reasonable.

The high scenic point of the day was viewing the Atlantic coast at Guana Bay and Pointe Blanche. Both on the dutch side, even if Pointe Blanche sounds French. The water on this side is rough with wuch white surf and very blue color. Much different from the aquamarine, still water on the Caribbean side.

Dinner was at “Skipjack’s”, a well know sea food place in Simpson Bay. We had their Caribbean lobster. All tail, but VERY good.

Day 16 Wednesday 2/16

Slow day today. Running out of must see sites.

Today it was the Radison Resort on Anse Marcel, way up north. The trip was barely worth it. The high point was the purchase of a spectacular photobook of the beaches from the air. It puts my pictures in proper perspective….Amateur. But, of course mine are not from a plane. But, mine will be available for quick viewing. The ones in the book will have to await a visit to us in Washington.

Dinner again was the rib night at Ocean Clubs. Our dinner mates this time included the warden at a county prison near Albany, NY. Another interesting exploration of that career. His prison had 1,000 inmates. He, the warden earned $80,000. A guard earned $40,000 max.

Day 17 Thursday 2/17

Loterie Farm and Oic Paradise were the main outing today.

As I now remember it from last time, there were vnot much. Lots of green in an otherwise blue and white island is its main feature.

Then a return trip to the Butterfly Farm for several more pictures.

Next, an afternoon on the beach at Le Gallion. Relaxation and a swim. Nice, calm, warm water.

Dinner was at Tropicana on the marina in Marigo. The main dish, a duck sheppards pie, was only so-so.

But, the apitizers, escargo for Barbara and onion soup for me, were superb. And the desert, a chocolate/coffee combination was also great. But, the coup de grasse was the complimentary, hand made, rum. I am not a big drinker. But, this was truly noteworthy. I had two shot classes full. Barbara took due note.

We ended the day with a crepe stop in the….at the Atlantis Casino. Might have been my last crepe stop of the trip. Both the waiter, Pierre, and his girlfriend….. were there. He from France, she from Bolivia. Meeting and falling in love (?) in St Martin. There must be a movie there somewhere.

Day 18 Friday 2/18

Last full day. Started with Barbara’s last water aerobics. Thus, we did not get started until about 1PM. The first stop was the highest spot on the island, called {ic Paradise. Once there, I remember the scenery was hardly worth the climp up for my underpowered car. On the way down, we stopped at Lotterrie Farm for lunch. Another bit disappointing memory from last time.

Spent most of the afternoon on the beach at Bay Rouge, Red Bay. Nice, peaceful afternoon watching the waves and trying (unsuccessfully) to finish my biography of Mickey Mantle.

On the way to our final meal, we finally got to see, and photograph, our first sunset. I fittingly called it the sunset of our vacation.

The final meal was quite an experience. It was back in Phillipsburg at a restaurant called “L’escargot”. The reason we went there was for their floor show…Drag. Quite an experience indeed. We did it last time, so this time was not quite as surprising. The whole experience, dinner and show, blew the budget to the tune of about $190. But, what the heck, it was out last night. We shared a table with a couple from Connecticut. He a neural surgeon and she a nurse. Another interesting career to discuss. We have had many such interesting dinner discussions on this trip.

Day 19 2/19

Getaway day. The only rainy, almost cool, day of the vacation. Good thing we did not have beaches to visit.

After one last crepe at “Zee Best”, we boarded the plane at about 4PM. And sat on the runway for over an hour. It rained a lot during the day. So, planes were stacked up to take off on the one runway at the airport.

Fprtunately, my seat neighbor was an interesting man. Another doctor, but this time an OB/GYN, from Monroe, Louisiana. Couldn’t be much different life experience than that. He was as interested in my career, and life, as I was in his. It made the time pass quickly.

As I write this, I hope we make our connection in Miami.

Return to Dallas.

This time the main focus is the birthday of Alexandra (Alie). Her second one. How considerate of Anne and Rob to have her arrive on the back end of our normal time in the Caribbean.

Rob and Elizabeth were off skiing when we arrived. Gave us time to appreciate Anne and Alexandra alone.

On our last full day there, I was able (by the good graces of Anne) to visit the gravesite and one time home of Mickey Mantle in North Dallas. A fitting end to the Mickey part of this vacation.

Rob and Elizabeth arrive the last night we were there. A nice sendoff.

Home

Well, here we are back home. Lots of mail to catch up on.

Barbara goes to work on Wednesday and I prepare for the start of my Spring tour season.

Back to the real world after a fabulous, albeit expensive, 2011 winter vacation.