August 2025

Latest disaster: 

Tom Green Co - San Angelo Texas

The tough thing about disasters is that you always know there will be another one. Or several more. Fortunately, we have never suffered one personally and for that we are grateful. When the flood in Texas was first reported, 27 kids had drowned in the rushing waters that rose 24 feet in 45 minutes and crested at 30 feet. That could be twice the height of your house. As I write this, 119 bodies have been recovered and 173 more are missing. Since I never saw anyone in a tree waiting to be rescued I am going to say they are gone also. Probably under 3 feet of mud at the bottom of the river.

When Janice first saw the newscast, she said "You are going to Texas". I didn't say anything, but I knew she was right. Sure enough, the call came and off I went. I was not at the airport yet when the call came in to go to New Mexico also afterwards. While we were in Europe, I probably got a dozen requests to deploy but I am not a disaster junkie, so I keep it to two weeks per year.

Meanwhile, the misery for some here is unbearable. Homes and property are lost for sure but for some, children and grandchildren gone under hideous conditions. Friends, neighbors erased from the face of the earth. Then we show up and gut what remains of their home so they can rebuild. 8 days in Texas in July is VERY hot. Mid 90's was the norm, up to 100 was routine. As this occurred in town, I was not needed as a sawyer as there were no trees to cut. To a large extent, floods kind of all look alike. It's weird driving into town from the airport, where everything looks normal. Businesses are open, traffic is flowing and all looks just fine. Then, you make a turn down a street or two and OMG! Hundreds of homes have water damage. It all depends on the topography. The water levels might be different, but the damage done is similar. Where I was, the water rose to a foot or two. "Is that all" I wondered? Truth is, that that amount of water does almost as much damage as 6 feet of water. 

Water creeps up the drywall and insulation, so we have to remove 4 feet of it from the floor to rebuild. With 6 feet of water, we have to gut the house often having to remove the ceilings also. With less water, all lower cabinets in kitchens and bathrooms have to be trashed as well as doors (mold and warping). With more water, upper cabinets go as well including all hanging clothes. In all cases, all appliances are toast as water has flooded the motors. Sofas and fabric furniture are done. We save homeowners a lot of money by doing the demo and get the house 'contractor ready' but the rebuild is not cheap. Some have insurance, some don't. I am now back home, until the next one...

35 + 35 +5

Someone we know had a birthday this month and turned 35 + 35 + 5. She was minding her own business when all manner of boats, jet skis and the like converged simultaneously on the island from the front, back and sides. I say simultaneously because 24 of her friends disembarked to drop by and say hi! One more was scheduled to fly in, but the weather did not cooperate. The coordination was such that all knew that if they arrived at 11:59 AM, they we way too early, but at 12:01 they were much too late. Amazingly, it went off with military precision and she was gob smacked!

Arrivals

Scotch in hand, ready to rumble

 

 

Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and corn cooked by our own chef.

 

Preparation was quite involved with all food purchased on the sly and bagged in ice chests and brought over by boat with our guests. I brought 12 people over in the pontoon boat alone. Many condiments were cut up and prepared on the back gate of our pickup truck prior to the trip over with them. Ice chests with beverages were packed off island, chilled and brought over with our guests. A surprise party for the record books.

And then...

We were docking when a fisherman was boating by and shouted "Hey, did you see the article in the 'In Flight' magazine about Honey Bee Island"? At first, I thought he was just blowing smoke until he added "It said it used to be a speakeasy". This is a detail that few know about since it dates back to prohibition.  We have not seen or located the article but if on your next flight to Paris, Rome or Hawaii you happen to come across it, please save us a copy.

Poetic justice

A fellow named Steve McNeld posted a photo of himself with his grandmother in a coffin, happy about her death because he would inherit $900,000 from her.

However, after the funeral, he was surprised to find that she had donated her entire fortune to charity and left him a note saying, "My little Steve... I left you your grandfather's crutch and my dentures in my closet. I hope your feet wear out and your teeth fall out so you can benefit from them. Get them before the new owners come home!!!"

Rocket man

So, our 3-year-old grandson got a rocket shaped tent to play in the living room. However, he was verry frustrated that try as he might, he could not get it to fly. He even had his entire family put on their bike helmets and join him in the rocket and demanded that they 'Take Off''. His aerospace engineer father simply could not explain in a way he could understand why he could not.

July, 2025

 

I swear, it's the last time I ever say no to her. Or was it Just a little project accident? You decide. If you ask, she said to say "You should have seen the other guy".

25 and done

Hard to believe, but we have owned the island for 25 years. Naturally, one of the first purchases was a refrigerator. We may be here only 4 months a year but hard winters in an unheated cabin still takes its toll. Our refrigerator still works fine, but prudence seemed to tell us that it is past its due date and smart boys and girls would think of pre empting a problem and replacing it before it circles the drain. If this new one lasts 20 years, I may have already gone down the drain and not need to replace it.

Replacing an appliance, especially one the size of a fridge, is an event when you live on an island. Home Depot doesn't simply show up at your door with the new one, as a barge has to be lined up to pick it up at a dock, ferry it over to the island, get the 380 pound appliance up a small hill, get it in the house, take the old one back on the barge and arrange for a way to get it to the dump, after the freon has been removed by a service. Now you can see why we stalled as long as we could.

We took the doors off the old fridge to get it out the door. Problem was, the new one had water lines for the ice dispenser in the door snake their way through the hinges of the doors. The only way to get it in the house was to dismantle the door frame. Yes, it has been repaired. It took 4 of us, groaning and panting to get that beast up our hill into the house.

All in all, it’s been a good month. I spent several days helping a friend split many cords of wood that he uses to heat his house throughout the winter. 

Then, I helped a couple of friends build an A-frame on one of his islands. Now, all I need is a good hurricane and I will be on my way. My GO bag is packed and I am ready to roll.

Really? Many have been fooled seeing this on the water. It's actually a jet ski with a fiberglass auto body wrapped around it. The fella on the jet ski owns two of these vehicles and accompanies them on a tour of the islands. Every day, we hear him go by (he has a megaphone) giving his guests a run down of features in the area. "On your right, you have Honey Bee Island. You can see the statue of Tecumseth, the waterfall, the flower boat and the little free library and ..."

Only in the Thousand Islands....

A day on the river

First person account of visiting

 Canada, post tariffs

Unless you have just returned from the moon, you have certainly heard of the recent tiff between Canada and the US. Prior to our return, we had read and heard (warned actually) that Americans were not welcomed in many cases, and reports of cars being keyed and punctured tires had occurred.

We braced ourselves, and we were armed to the teeth (figuratively, of course as the 2nd amendment is not part of Canadian culture) as we entered the country. Being hyper vigilant, Janice drove, and I rode shotgun with a baseball bat, ready to beat off the Mongol hordes. (just kidding) I will cut to the chase here, kill the suspense, and tell you unequivocable that in the first 6 weeks that we have been here we have not seen, experienced or noticed any difference from our past visits. We still tool around in our California plated vehicle and boat in our 3 American registered watercraft and have never experienced a problem.

Our Canadian friends are still our friends, and they may well be keeping their political opinions to themselves, as we are. The most visible (and only one to date) outward protest move I have seen is a friend who refuses to buy orange juice because it comes from the US. (Canada's climate does not allow for growing oranges) His choice to boycott US products will hurt, but our $30 trillion economy can probably survive it.

On the national scale, a variety of reactions have occurred. In Alberta, for instance, there is a movement to secede from the country, as a number of folks would prefer to join their counterparts to the south. The Premier (think governor) lowered the number of signatures needed to trigger a referendum from 600K to 177K. 37% of its residents have reportedly given up on Canada. A recent poll found that 47% of them support independence. (Brexit anyone?) This is not the first time that a province has flirted with leaving the mothership. Some time ago, we happened to be in Quebec City (province of Quebec) on the day they voted to secede (or not) from the country. They came within 60,000 votes of pulling it off.

The dream

A few years ago, when I was in my early 20’s, I spent a LOT of time planning the home I wanted to build. I drew elaborate detailed plans and schematics, right down to the placement of outlets, with cost estimates for all materials. It’s great being in your 20’s when nothing seems to be impossible, and you can achieve anything you put your mind to. It was to be an 8000 sq foot (750 sm)  ultra-modern home with a helicopter landing pad and a bedroom with a glass wall underwater to see the fish swimming by, since in my mind the house would be right on the ocean’s edge in Big Sur, California. 

Dream big or go home, I thought. A few decades on, I never managed to build that house, although we do have 3 homes that combined are pushing 7,000 sf (650sm). Slowly, I became more realistic as to what is required to maintain them, not to mention as to how much work it is to simply keep them clean. Then, there was the little issue of money. 

I still have those plans, and I am going to build it. Just as soon as I am resurrected.

June, 2025

 

Road trip!

Last month I wrote that we would be visiting daughter Mandy and family outside of Munich in Germany. We had a great time as usual and enjoyed dining at different beer gardens with their friends.

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Some of the higher end restaurants around here offer sunshades for their customers' cars so they can keep them cool when they return.

Pre departure swim

The transition

Here we go again. Empty our fridge and freezer and get an Uber to the airport, about an hour away for a two hour check in before the flight. Problem is, at the last minute our Uber driver tells us, as is frequently the case in France, the taxi drivers are on strike and are blocking all access roads to the airport. Prudence called for a 6-hour window to give us the best chance to make the flight, and even then, he had to drop us off 1 mile away for us to walk the rest of the way with our roll on as no vehicles could approach the terminal.

It was a great way to start a 9-hour flight in addition to a 6-hour time change to Philadelphia to be treated to a 6-hour layover there for our flight to Syracuse NY. Once we landed, the airport was short staffed, so another half hour’s wait was in order to park the plane, a mere 50 feet from where we stopped. After spending the night nearby, Janice had lined up a chemo treatment and we were on our way home.

Arriving at our friend’s home who gave us our initial ride to the island, (all our boats are out of the water for the winter season) he discovered that his boat battery was dead. After a good recharging we were on our way to an island with no running water, (think toilet, sinks,  dishwasher and washing machine) and all outdoor furniture filling every interior space. OH, and a big storm had knocked out our internet, TV reception and house phone. I know, I know, by now you are thinking “ I am so glad I don’t live on a stupid island!”

Within a day or two I was preparing our pontoon boat to launch in the water. It is shrink wrapped for the winter to keep snow, ice and rain off of it. And most critters. As I removed the plastic wrap I discovered that a racoon had managed to pry an opening, moved in rent free and had its way with our boat. I was facing 172 square feet of poop all over the upholstery and every square inch of the entire boat. I spent two days cleaning feces with mostly great success except for the 3 holes in the fabric he made. 

Best of all, was after an hour of cleaning I lifted the protective cover over one of the seats and out jumps Mr. Racoon, the size of a medium sized dog, scampering off before my very eyes.

The torn upostery is scheduled for surgery shortly.

A few days later, all was up and running, flowers planted, and we are thinking “ Thank God we live on an island! “ It is SO worth it! We would NEVER want to do anything differently.

 Fathers day

So its father's day. Every year, I get cards from one of my daughters for all occasions. She has found a source for cards that is simply outrageous. They are always gut splitting funny, so I look forward to all of them.  I couldn't help myself, so I looked up the company that makes them as these are not your Hallmark variety. They could come from the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" as some are beyond inappropriate.

Here was this year's funny one.     :)

Finally

Over the years travelling throughout Europe, we have visited several WWII gravesites. Each is quite impressive and moving in its own way, from Omaha Beach in Brittany, Draguignant near us on the Riviera or Vimi East of Paris. There are many more all over Europe to visit. This one is high on our list.

May, 2025

 

And the hits just keep on coming...

Just before we left California in February, we had some major (read expensive) work done around the house. Re roofing of the house and workshop, re-sealing a 600-foot-long driveway and 3000 sq ft parking area and a build of a 160-foot-long cement block retaining wall. When we got here, we were finishing the pool and landscaping project when we got word that we needed to re-roof the villa also.

             First part of the roof being stripped

Abject poverty is forcing us to put off our planned trip to visit Scotland to next year.

Meanwhile

Island friends were stopping off in Cannes while on a cruise, so we meet them for lunch and took them to walk the red carpet of the world-famous Cannes Film Festival.

Meanwhile, we took a quick tour of villa Rothchild on Cap Ferrat. 

Then, we had friends Keith and Lisa flying in from Florida for a short visit. Great guests, we have deployed together with Team Rubicon on national operations. 

THE POOL

The pool? What pool? Oh! THAT pool! You mean the one I have been yammering about for the past 3 years? Yes, it's done. As in, really really done. As in the fat lady has sung, showered and left the stadium done. Minor landscaping is still in the works, but very minor stuff left to do.

                             Submerged beach in the foreground, ocean view in the background.

Firepit on upper terrace

As I write this on May 15th, we are off to Manching, Germany today to visit daughter Mandy's family. We first drove to Milan, Italy, then visited Cape Di Ponte, Valdamonica. This is one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the world. 

These are 9000 years old, from the copper and bronze age. A World Heritage Site, it is number 140 on our list of visited sites in 38 countries. Next was a drive through Austria on our way to Germany. We will surely have more to report on next month.

#4 and the "T" word

An important report this month, identified California now being the fourth largest economy (Gross Domestic Product) in the world. That is, if California were a country, it would now be ahead of India, now #5. Just imagine how much better it would be doing if the voters had only listened to me in our last governors election.

Moving around regularly, we are often asked how Americans feel about Trump. Now don't get your panties caught in a bunch, I am not going to pontificate about politics. Less your blood begins to boil, I will not mention the ''T'' word again. I make a point of never revealing my political inclinations so that no one would ever know if I am a clear-thinking Conservative or a Liberal Democrat. The point here, is that no one can speak for a whole country, as it is obvious there are many who favor the president (after all, he did get elected) as well as a number of folks who are not fans, perhaps including you. We find ourselves surrounded by European and Canadian friends and family who are not fans, so as Americans we tread carefully and with sensitivity while many sleep securely under our country's nuclear umbrella. 

While attending service recently, our pastor decided to introduce us as Americans who spend part of the year here. The congregation immediately broke out in spontaneous applause, which is not typically done in a church. I couldn't figure out if it was for Janice putting up with me, or because of my simple wonderfulness. Being Americans here has clearly not caused us any grief. 

In our country's international relationships, just as in our personal relationships, when one party feels the need to recalibrate things, the other is likely to wonder why, since things seem to be just fine as they are for them. Clearly, this will cause a period of turmoil until a 'new normal' is worked out which both sides can live with.  It's time to put your drinking pants on and to not run around with your hair on fire. How's that for being diplomatic?

We are just two weeks away from returning to our island in Canada. We sure hope we are not met with bows and arrows.

Finally...

In our recent travels we came across this display on the side of the freeway. No matter how bright the vehicle colors and flashing warning lights are, people regularly plow into these highway maintenance vehicles - at full speed - parked on the side of the road doing maintenance. This display of over a dozen of them is to make the point to drivers to wake up and pay attention.

April, 2025

 Incoming!

              They were rather fond of the little red one

This month we invited granddaughter Kayla from Oregon to visit, and mom (daughter Cassie) decided to join her. Different people and generations have different interests and ideas in what they want to see and do so we try to roll with the punches. 

Cassie in the mediedeval village of St Paul De Vence

Watching the snowcapped French Alps in the distance

This is 16-year-old granddaughter Kayla taking her first driving lesson in France, starting with learning how to park behind a large supermarket.

This year we will have had a plethora of visitors during our season here and we try our best to get the weather gods to cooperate and make it a memorable visit. This being the spring and the rainy season, we are not always successful. They left with a great experience under their belts, so the visit was a winner. 

Island friends were stopping off in Cannes while on a cruise, so we met them for lunch and took them to walk the red carpet of the world-famous Cannes Film Festival.

Meanwhile, we had a little time to have friends over and get a little more work done around our pool project. It is a lot like being in the army. A lot of 'hurry up and wait'. Nothing happens for quite a while, then a ton happens quickly. Currently, we are in the 'a lot happens quickly' phase. If we don't have a "TA-DA!" picture next month, I will shoot them all. That is just a figure of speech, people, please don't call the police saying I am threatening violence.

It is nice when we have exciting things to report but alas, a lot happens that is somewhat less than completely exciting even if they are important. Like the roof repair to stop a leak. This month, we planted and ran drip irrigation to 65 bamboo trees as well as to a number of massive pots. As seen below, we started the preparation to lay our artificial turf but it won't be done today. Various landscaping is in the works but it won't be finished today. Do you see a pattern here? A lot of gonna's but not done today!

Bamboos along our exterior wall

One of these days, we maybe swimming

Meanwhile, dinner parties are the order of the day so Janice gets to display her considerable cooking skills.