New York City Trip Canceled

The view out of my bedroom window at 6:30 am this morning

This is the day I had planned to be in New York City.  The trip was cancelled.

If the trip had taken place, I would be on a bus with my friend Don at this time headed to New York City, instead of writing this blog about the trip that wasn't.

I had decided last week I didn't want to go on this trip.  Did I really want to go to a big city in the oppressive heat and humidity of mid-summer?  No, not really.  I'm having a hard enough time not getting soaked with sweat every time I go out to change the bird baths here.

Earlier this year I planned to get out more.  In May Bill and I took a week off and traveled through the south, visiting his hometown in Georgia and my brother in South Carolina.  On the way back home we drove up through the mountains of western North Carolina to visit my father's birthplace and my paternal ancestral roots.  I have yet to write any blog postings about that very interesting trip.  I took hundreds of pictures and many videos. Lots to share.

This spring I made trips to the Balitmore Aquarium, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. and the Philadelphia Flower Show in Philadelphia.  I enjoyed all these trips but I think it's time to spend more time at home.

The picture at the top of this blog I took this morning out of my bedroom window.  I have a lovely backyard.  In fact I have a terrific backyard.

This is where I'm spending the rest of the year, right in my own backyard.

Me on my deck overlooking my backyard - where I plan to spend the rest of this summer!

Bob and Ron's Excellent Adventure at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

Yesterday my friend Bob C. and I took a senior citizen sponsored trip to Washington D.C. to visit the Smithsonian Institute.  This is a slide show of the pictures and the videos I took of that trip.

To quote a blogger buddy of mine "We had a jolly good time." 

Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.

Me guess where? (and it's not Grant's Tomb)

Yep, that's me with the well known giant phallic symbol of Washington D.C. known as the Washington Monument.  I asked my friend Bob C. to take my picture to "prove" I was there today.  You know how it is with us tourists, we gotta have that picture for the grandchildren to tell them "I was there.!"  But hey, I don't have any grandchildren.  In fact, I don't have any children.  Oh well, I'll post it here on my blog for my blogger friends (that's you!) to show you all where I was today.

Boarding the bus this morning at Delaware Tech in Georgetown

My friend Bob C. and I left early this morning on the Adult Plus bus from the Georgetown campus of Sussex Tech.  They almost called the trip off until I called yesterday to confirm the trip.  When I told them I had a friend who wanted to also attend, they said he "tipped the balance."  Hey, that's the first time that's happened.  Nice to know one has an impact.

"The Castle" at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

This trip was to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.  The last time I visited the Smithsonian was the first summer Bill and I were together.  That would be in 1965.  Wow, a lot has changed since then.  I wish Bill was with us.  He preferred to stay at home.  He doesn't like these senior citizen bus trips.  Me?  I don't care.  The bus was big, comfortable and air conditioned and someone else was driving.  I love it!

Our "Leave the driving to us" bus

We saw a lot today including Julia Child's original kitchen from her PBS show.  It was all so interesting.  I love this kind of stuff.

Julia Child's TV kitchen on PBS

Something else that made me feel good today.  Even thought there were a lot more security measures, it did my heart good to see so many of my fellow American citizens and, no doubt, a few foreigners also roaming around "America's Museum' today learning about the history of our country and mankind.  One day is not enough.

Just can't do it all in one day

My Trip to the Baltimore National Aquarium

The Baltimore National Aquarium

Just got back from my day trip to the National Aquarium in Balitmore.  This is the first time I've been there.  I was mightily impressed.  I took the "Old Peoples' Bus" from Georgetown early this morning.  It is the Adult Plus bus ('Adult Plus' the new politically correct way of saying 'Senior Citizen') but there were actually folks of all ages, even a kid or two (who was well behaved thank God).  

The fabulous National Aquarium in Balitmore and IT IS FABULOUS!

As much as I was impressed with the National Aquarium (and it is indeed impressive), bit negative of the day was the KIDS.  The SCREAMING KIDS.  The KIDS RUNNING EVERYWHERE!  Oh my God, my ears are still ringing.


And the kids wasn't the only problem.  Since we didn't have that many people going this morning (20 versus the usual 45 or so), the organizers decided to take the 'short bus.'  Well, I didn't know what a 'short bus' was but I sure did find out fast.  Here is another name for it:  

SARDINE CAN

The "Short Bus"(aka NO LEG ROOM)

Not a Happy Ron

A sardine can (the way I felt today-squashed)

Now I'm not a heavy guy (163 and losing) but I am tall (6'3") with LONG 93 (36 inseam) legs.  When I got on the short bus and squeezed my long legs into my seat I knew I was in for a very uncomfortable ride. And oh how right I was.  You know how tight the airline seats are in the common class?  Think twice a tight in the 'short bus'.  OMIGOD.  Two and a half hours of cramped torture.  And then to ad insult to injury the tour director says "This is the shore bus, isn't it wonderful?"  Well she could say that because she's one of their little bird like old ladies that weighs at the most 98 pounds soaking wet.  She's maybe 4'9''.  I'm being punished again for being tall.  Then, to top everything else off she says "This bus has seatbelts so everyone please belt up!"  I DON'T THINK SO!  First, I could even find my seat belt but if I did I would put it on anyway because it didn't make any difference the way I was squuzed in my seat!  That bus could have rolled over a dozen times and I would still be in my seat. 

 ARE YOU KIDDING?

The only saving grace of the whole trip was a couple came on late and the only seats left was one next to me and one next to the only other gay guy on the bus who was sitting opposite me.  The gal sat next to him and her hunky boyfriend sat next to me.  So, even though I was stuffed into my seat at least I got to ride hip to hip with a hunk.  

My seatmate and his girlfriend (and my finger at the top of the picture - I still haven't learned how to use my iPhone camera properly)

More about my trip on tomorrow's blog.  As I said earlier, I just got in and I have to decompress from all that screaming and being squeezed like a sardine for five hours.  

I just figured out why they call it a "Short Bus"...it's for SHORT PEOPLE!

More on My Trip to Philadelphia

Street musicians outside the Reading Terminal

Philadelphia, March 8, 2011

Every year now I take at least one trip to Philadelphia on the Old People's Bus (aka 'Adult +" - give me a break) out of Georgetown, Delaware.  

Me and Ted on our way to Philly from Georgetown, DE
(can you tell I took the picture myself?)

I just love visiting my old hometown, the place where I lived during the peak of my gay life, from 1969 to 1980.  I lived in Center City.  I walked to work.  I walked to the bars.  I loved it! I was so lucky because the time period that I came out was also the peak of Gay Life in the Big City.  And I enjoyed it all, believe you me!  Ironically, I grew tired of the scene just as the AIDS crises was coming to fruition a boil.  Back then it was known as GRID (gay related immune deficiency).  The thinking back then was that it was caused by using too many poppers.  I didn't do drugs but I did do poppers.  When I used to go to the after hours club and dance, it was just me and my poppers.  I didn't need a dance partner.  But I digress.

Me back in my bar-hopping days in Phila (yes, I smoked too)

Once a year (and sometimes twice) I take the trip to Philly and have lunch with my old (really OLD) friend Don McK.  Don and I worked together for about fifty years at Girard Bank then Fidelity Bank right in center city Philadelphia.  We endured (and survived) the Merger Disaster of Mellon Bank and subsequent banks (too many to list in this little bitty blog) once we ensconced ourselves at Fidelity Bank, just up the street from where we were 'right-sized' out of our long time jobs at Mellon Bank.  By the way, our old bank is now the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.  I visited there on this trip and was mightily impressed with the transformation from Major Bank in Center City Philadelphia to Major Hotel in Center City Philadelphia.  I'll write about our visit to that beauty spot right next to city hall in my next blog.

Ritz-Carlton Hotel, formerly Girard Bank

In this blog I'm posting a few pictures of my friends who came up with me from Lower Slower.  We had lunch at Woody's Restaurant, one of the few surviving gay bars and restaurants in center city Philadelphia from the Gay Golden Era of the Seventies.  Oh the times I used to have there.

Me and my friends outside of Woody's
Philadelphia, PA

At the top of my blog is a video taken of some street musicians who were performing as I was taking my new friend Ted W. on a tour of the Reading Terminal.  We didn't stay too long in the Reading Terminal crowds because Ted doesn't like crowds.  Neither do I actually.  But we got a flavor of the place.  The Two Man Band outside the entrance to the market was actually quite good too, don't you think?


I made a change to my blog.  You will notice that my music doesn't start up as soon as you bring up my blog.  I get complaints from some of my blog readers that the music annoys them.  It interferes with them reading my blog.  This is from the 'can't walk and chew gum at the same time' crowd.  However, when I take the music off then I receive comments from some of my other regular blog readers that they miss the music.  So I think I've taken the middle ground here.  I've changed the music application so that now the music doesn't start up automatically.  However, if you want to listen to it, just to down the side bar until you see the music application and press the middle button and viola!  The music begins.  I've also put it on shuffle to provide variety in the sequence of music played.  Let's see how this works.

A picture is worth a 1,000 words

I'm off to work again tonight then I have a few days off  in which to catch up on my life here in retirement. The latest?  I have to schedule a colonoscopy appointment.  Boy did that five years ever go by fast!

Adult Plus+

This morning I passed another milestone. I am now officially and Old Person.




A short time ago I hung up the phone after giving my information (and charge card) to join a local “adult” program. In other words, I joined a program of “active adults.” This could be considered euphemism for “something for the old folk to do.”



While I am 68 years old, I have never considered myself “old” (in spite of what I saw in my bathroom mirror every morning when I shaved.) In my mind I am perpetually a 37 year old, handsome, vibrant (if shallow) gay man. Sure, I’ve seen these buses loaded with old people passing me by but I never considered myself “one of them.”



A couple of years ago a friend invited me to accompany him to the Philadelphia Flower Show. I used to live in Philadelphia for many years and still had a friend there. So I jumped at the opportunity to return to my old stomping grounds (where I used to live when I was in my vibrant 30’s.)



The bus left early in the morning from the local community college. As I expected most of the people on the bus were women but they weren’t that old. There was another gay couple who I knew. I didn’t see one walker among the bunch. In fact everyone seemed to be just as “young” as me and just as vibrant and friendly.



The trip to Philadelphia was delightful. I had a super time at the flower show. My friend and I had lunch with my friend who lives in Philadelphia. It was a wonderful day. Hey, I thought. This “old stuff” might not be so bad after all.



However, I was still reluctant to actually join. That would be confirming that I was old. I wasn’t ready to go there yet. At least not until this morning.



A couple of weeks ago my partner (who is 81 years old) received the Adult Plus+ booklet. I took a look through it and saw some classes that I found of interest. I’ve always wanted to learn how to design a web site. They offer that class. There are other classes that I find of interest. I’ve always wanted to learn rudimentary Spanish. They offer that class too.



Then there are the trips. More interest on my part. I could even make these trips myself if I couldn’t get a friend to go with me. I’m not getting any younger so I might as well make some trips before I am either too old or too bewildered to make trips.



Yesterday my friend asked me if I wanted to accompany him to the Philadelphia Flower Show for this year. I thought “why not?” And I thought to myself “Why not join?” Indeed, why not? So I joined this morning.



There was no pain. It didn’t hurt. And I don’t feel any older than I did yesterday. Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing after all. Yes folks, I have yet again crossed another threshold.

Now if I can just keep those ladies away from me. I’m still not a bad looking guy.