How Was Your Fourth?

Another Fourth of July celebration has come and gone. How was yours?

I worked at the hotel.  Lewes, where I work, was packed with Fourth of July revelers. Luckily I found a parking spot at the hotel.  I hate to go in Lewes on holidays because of the traffic, crowds and lack of parking space. I got lucky yesterday because someone in housekeeping had probably just left thus leaving a vacant parking space.

Of course the hotel was full which is good for business and job security. I got lucky again, there were no difficult guests, all the air conditioners worked and no stopped up toilets. I did have one call for a smoke alarm that went off.  The lady in the room overdid it with hair spray which will set off a smoke alarm.  I always have a problem removing smoke alarms but I managed. 

This year Lewes had their very own fireworks on the Lewes beach.  Of course I didn't go.  I've never been impressed with fireworks. I remember the first time I saw fireworks when I was about twelve years old.  It was at Crystal Beach in Maryland. My neighbors on Washington Avenue in Downingtown invited me along with their family (I think they were trying to fix me up with their daughter, who was actually my first date).  I heard a lot about fireworks so I was expecting a big deal. After watching them I thought like the old Peggy Lee song "Is That All There Is?"  To me fireworks are loud and boring. But hey, that's me, I get excited about gardening. 

The weather yesterday was great for the visitors to Lewes for the Fourth. Sunny, hot and muggy; what summertime is all about in Slower Lower. 

The only problem I had was when I left work at 11:20 pm.  I had trouble getting out on Route One, there was a steady stream of traffic exiting Rehoboth Beach, which is three miles south of Lewes. Man oh man, those headlights just kept coming.  Why all that traffic?  Rehoboth also had its own fireworks display. 

One thing I was very thankful yesterday was no one and I mean NO ONE in my neighborhood set off those noisy string firecrackers.  It seems that most of my life there has always been someone wherever I lived who thought that was fun to set off those noisy firecrackers.  As I said before, I never "got" the whole firecrackers thing, even when I was a kid.  Ah, peace and quiet. 

The last time we had those firecrackers go off in our neighborhood here they so scared a little Benji type dog who was visiting with his owners. He ran out on Route One and got run over.  There haven't been any firecrackers in our neighborhood since, thank God. Not only do those firecrackers annoy people, they scare little dogs to death.  I saw a photo of some people who volunteered at an animal shelter to help sooth the dogs during the firecracker nonsense.

Good people, gives me renewed faith in our country at this time of great divisiveness.  

Fourth of July 2018

Our American flag display 1990 on our Pennsylvania property, back at a time when we had a decent president and Congress - oh how we took our indecencies for granted then 

Today, the Fourth of July, we here in America celebrate our freedom from oppression and rule by a despot.

Today, this Fourth is especially important because for the first time our history our freedoms are being seriously threatened by the would be despot who occupies the White House and his Republican enablers in Congress. 

Folks, I cannot stress this point enough, at this time of our two-hundred and forty-two year history as a free country, our freedom is in serious danger of being undermined. As Edmund Burke said:

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

I am saddened today and very worried that our American ideals are being tossed aside to please our Russian adversary, Vladimir Putin. 

Every day, Trump crosses a new boundary of norms.  He bullies and insults our allies. He admires and praises dictators. And now he is getting ready to give Putin the ultimate prize when he meets with Putin in Finland next week, unilaterally lifting the sanctions against Russia.

I think it is time to face the fact that our president, the former reality star, con man and world class lair is in the pocket of Vladmir Putin. 

Today I fear for our democracy folks. And my main fear is that our system of government, three branches that provide a check on one another, has failed. And the elected Republicans do nothing. 

There was the Vichy government in France during World War II.  There was Quisling in Norway during World War II. The Republican leaders McConnell and Ryan will go down in history as cowardly traitors to failed in their basic responsibility of providing a check on our criminal president. 

I just hope our country can survive.

I don't believe in prayers but I do believe that good will eventually prevail.  I just hope it is in my lifetime.

Fourth of July 2017 Musings

Brother John Fourth of July 1954 Downingtown, PA

Happy Fourth of July to all my friends and blog readers!

This morning I was wondering what kind of unique photo I could post to my blog celebrating the Fourth. I could do an American flag gif.  But I've done that before.  Something different Ron.  

Then I thought it's been awhile since I've taken a trip down Memory Lane. In fact I'm long overdue to take one of those trips down Memory Lane via photos. 

This morning this photo of my youngest brother John came up on my Facebook account. Facebook has this feature that reminds me of photos I've posted in previous years. This is one of those photos that I've posted.

I remember clearly when I took this photo.  It was the summer of 1954 at our free apartment at the intersection of Boot Road and Chestnut Street in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. The previous Christmas I had received my very first camera, a Kodak camera.

This is not my actual personal camera but the type that I had that I took my first black and white photos with in the Fifties - Oh I LOVED that camera!

Yes folks, even way back in 1954 I enjoyed taking photos. However, back in those olden times I could only take eight black and white photos at a time and would have to wait a week to ten days before they were developed.  Imagine the thousands of photos I would have if I had an iPhone back then!  But I didn't but I did take a fare amount of photos which was pretty good for a paper boy who only made $5.00 a week delivering papers.  And I spent most of my money on candy and comic books. It's a wonder I had any money left to pay to have those film rolls developed. 

One of the goals I had when I retired was to digitalize all my old photos. I'm ashamed to admit I haven't been that successful in achieving that goal. I think I've only digitalized about 15 to 20% of my old photos. Time to get to work Ron.

Folks, I have to tell you as each day goes by it seems that I fall further behind in achieving goals that I have set for myself. In fact I'm having trouble just keeping up with daily chores. I guess I should worry but I'm not. I just focus on what is important and that is keeping the bills paid, and taking care of Bill. I guess you could say my main responsibility now is "Taking care of Bill and bills."  At least I've been keeping up with my blog which is a major achievement for me.

Happy Fourth everyone!

Fourth of July, 2015

For the first time in my life, this Fourth of July I feel like an equal citizen of this country, the United States of America.

For all of my life (73 years) I have played by the rules.  I went to school and graduated.

After high school I joined the Army to fulfill my obligation as a citizen of this country to volunteer three years of my life in defense of this country, the United States of America.

After my three year service obligation was completed in January of 1963 I left the service because I knew I was gay and I didn't want to live a life of fear of being found out and being discharged from the Army as an "undesirable."  

I would have applied for a job at the National Security Agency, where I worked for two and a half years (in the closet) while I was in the Army.  I could have easily converted my status from Army soldier to civilian government worker at a nice GS rating.  But I didn't because at the National Security Agency, I had a top secret clearance and back in the Dark Ages of the Sixties, gays were considered blackmail material. Thus I left a potentially lucrative career as a government service worker.  Just think, if I had stayed in the closet and had a longtime secure career as a government worker, I could be one of those "Washington D.C. gays" who dominate the Rehoboth Beach social scene.  I would belong to "the club."  But alas, I digress of "would've, could've".  

Instead I got a job.  I won't bore you with the details of all my jobs but suffice it to say I had a mildly successful career first at a hotel, then thirty-seven years in bank operations and now the past seventeen years in the hotel business (again).  What comes around goes around.  

All these years I've worked I've paid my taxes.  I've been a good citizen.  I've paid more than my share of school real estate taxes and income tax to subsidize straight couples and their kids, so they could enjoy the Good Life.

Now this year, for the first time in history, gay marriage is the law of the land.  

For the first time in my life, my seventy-three year journey survival as a gay man, I am now an equal citizen of this country.  Know what I say?  

Better late than never.  

Happy Fourth to everyone!

Me and Bill's "official" 51st anniversary photo - a Selfie!

Fourth of July 2009

A happy Fourth of July to everyone today! Today is one of those wonderful, sunny, breezy summer days that we all wish for on the Fourth. Today was not a disappointment. Unfortunately for me, I have to go into work shortly. I don't mind working as much as I mind fighting the summer Saturday traffic which is multiplied by the Fourth occurring on a Saturday.

Bill is taking me to work because I know there will be no parking for my car in Lewes this afternoon. He stay up late tonight and pick me up at the hotel after my shift ends at 11 pm. This is a real sacrifice for him since he usually goes to bed at 8 o'clock at night. Bill doesn't mind going out of his way for me nor do I mind going above and beyond the call of duty when necessary.

Today as we reflect what the Fourth of July celebrates I am every thankful for the freedoms that we have in this country, imperfect as it is. One day Bill and I will have the same rights and freedoms as our straight fellow countrymen. I can for see that day coming in my lifetime. But until that day comes, I rejoice in the freedoms we do have now. We are indeed fortunate to be living in this wonderful country, the United States of America.

The Fourth

Another year and the "Fourth" is here already. The "Fourth" refers to the Fourth of July celebration. Living near the resort community of Rehoboth Beach, the "Fourth" only means one thing.....stay out of Rehoboth! On Wednesday, on our way to lunch at Zorba's Restaurant on Route 1 in Rehoboth Beach, Bill and I noticed the deluge had begun. The "deluge" refers to the almost solid mass of vehicles descending on Rehoboth Beach and points south (Dewey Beach, Bethaney Beach and Ocean City, Maryland) on Route 1. We live six miles north on the east side of Route 1 in a Ryan Homes development called Covington Chase. I deliberately chose this location to avoid the summertime traffic headaches on Route 1. Wise choice. Each year I am reminded of my wisdom when I witness the wave after wave of cars, trucks and motorcycles heading south for fun in the sun. Located as I am on the east side of Route 1, I can witness but not participate in this annual ritual of the lemmings headlong rush to the resort towns on the Delmarva penisula. From now until well after Labor Day, downtown Rehoboth Beach is off limits to many of us year round residents. Parking, when you can find it, is expensive. Service at the restuarants, when you can find it, is sporadic at best. Since I'm not a beachgoer, there is no earthly reason for me to venture into the circus that is now downtown Rehoboth Beach. While I'm thankful for the revenue these summertime visitors leave in the area, thus supplying jobs for the locals, I'm still glad when summer is over and life can go back to normal. I am reminded of a Labor Day weekend many years ago when I vacationed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I overheard one of the waitstaff say in the restaurant, where friends and I were dining, say "Thank God this is the last weekend THEY are here and we can have our town back." At the time I thought "How rude." Now I understand. Oh I do understand.