PA Trip, Day 4…….

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Still cold, but sunny until tomorrow. We waited late enough so getting out of NYC was pretty easy and the NJ Turnpike wasn’t bad. Getting into Center City of Philadelphia is like all big cities. Hotel is not as well kept up as some of their properties, although it is older and the staff is friendly. Parking is weird as it is a shared garage, and we didn’t know that for off-loading. Anyway, the kids arrived around 3:30 and we were all pretty tired. Since everyone was good for walking, we all went out for dinner.

Daughter-in-law picked the place, and I am blanking on the name. Nice menu, plus rotating beers on draft. Hubby and son had IPAs, I did chardonnay, and daughter-in-law Angry Orchard cider. Then it was crab cake and asparagus for me, seared scallops and asparagus risotto for Hubby, blackened chicken tortellini for daughter-in-law, chicken quesadilla for son (lots of extra stuff in it), and granddaughter went with the “breakfast all day” option of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. As we were all full, coffee after and only one dessert of iced lemon pound cake (warmed) and vanilla ice cream part went to granddaughter.

Granddaughter and I went down to breakfast this morning while the “sleepyheads” stayed in. We’re off to the Seaport Museum later and then we’ll see. One adventure and lunch per day might be the plan for her. We can watch her though this afternoon and the kids can go out later.

PA Trip, Day 3……..

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The rain did clear and the temperature stayed cold. Not much let-up there although it will be a little better. Wednesday is supposed to be more rain and we’ll probably have to switch plans for tomorrow in order to do the Franklin Institute on Wednesday instead. We’ll see. The drive in yesterday was pretty good and we finally figured out how to use the elevator. While that sounds strange, it is automated in a way that makes sense once you understand it. There are no floor buttons inside the car. You press the appropriate “band” of floors before getting on, tap your key card, then it tells you which elevator to get into. The floor is pre-programmed. And yes, if you make an error, you have to get out and start over. The elevators are fast though.

Anyway, we had a lovely lunch at The Playwright, an Irish Pub, a few minutes walk from the hotel. Hubby did Shepard’s pie and Guiness to be traditional and I had crab cakes and salad with the crab cakes done correctly. For all the good seafood we have in our area, no one makes good crab cakes, Dinner was to be the highlight and it did not disappoint.  There are five Wolfgang Steakhouse locations; the original a ten-minute ride away. With fifteen of us for dinner, it was a boisterous event and Richie arranged for it to be family-style. The seafood tower as starters had prawns, lobster, and lump crab, Then there were the salad and sliced beefsteak tomatoes with thick onion slices. The porterhouse steaks were sliced and three traditional sides served as well. The dessert tray was cheesecake, chocolate mousse pie, key lime pie, apple strudel, and mounds of whipped cream with sliced strawberries. We did beg off the “after party” which allegedly was going to be over with by midnight.

I think we’re having a quick breakfast with just four of us this morning, then back on the road to Philadelphia.

Trip, Day 2…..

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On the upside, we’re seeing friends in the dive world, meeting a few new people, Richie Kohler’s presentations were standing room only, and we sold out of Mystery of the Last Olympian because they didn’t bring quite enough books. That was only by a few and the people who were too late did get a photo with him.

I did meet one of the new ladies at Best publishing and we had a pleasant talk, plus she stashed our coats in their booth so we didn’t have to carry them around. They were doing a good business with selling some of the other books, too; those are the more technical dive type which is what they specialize in.

Our plans to dine out at a recommended Italian restaurant didn’t work out though because the rain and cold were absolutely miserable. It didn’t start letting up until after 6:00 and the wind was still strong as well as cold. Staying in made lots more sense even if the hotel restaurant was limited. Genuine NYC steakhouse is the special dinner for tonight, and not sure what we’ll do for lunch yet. We’ll head out from here around 10:00.

Spring Trip, Day 1……

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This is another of the trips with a lot of movement. We flew into Philadelphia, picked up the car and drove to Seacaucus, NJ for the Beneath the Sea Dive Show. For those who might be new to the Blog, Richie Kohler is famous in the shipwreck world as he has been involved in some amazing adventures. Back in 2015 I co-authored, Mystery of the Last Olympian; Britannic, Titanic’s Tragic Sister. We knew each other a bit remotely before that and became friends in writing the book. He is receiving a well-deserved award tomorrow and when I heard about it, the timing worked in an odd way. The kids’ spring break is a week earlier this year so we are at the dive show today, re-set to Times Square tomorrow for another event, then go back to Philadelphia Monday morning, The kids come up and we’ll be with them until Thursday.

The flight up yesterday was a bit on the bumpy side, but at least we were on time. The weather though is tough; 30 degrees and it won’t get much warmer plus today is going to be rain all day. It’s good to see people and it will be a fun time. We ate here at the hotel last night. Not an extensive menu, but I had grilled salmon and Hubby had pasta Bolongease. We might go out tonight as there are a couple of nearby restaurants that sound interesting. On the other hand, if it is still raining, I expect we will stay tucked in.

Snorkel, Not Scuba…..

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In missing Jan and Feb for diving, yesterday turned out to literally be the only day I could go in March. I was all set and realized my wrist is still a bit “twingey”, and wrestling with thirty pounds of dive gear probably wasn’t a good idea. I am so close to being fully healed, it would be distressing if I messed this up. Snorkeling is a good alternative, although the chop was a little heavier than ideal. Visibility was good though and with the shallow reefs, the sites are good for snorkeling. I did see a turtle swim leisurely past on his way up for air on the first site.

That was the only really special creature, although several of my favorites were split between the two sites. I saw a French and queen angel as well as a couple of rock beauties and a puffer at each site. Barracuda and a nice size grouper, butterfly fish, a juvenile trumpet, midnight and blue parrot fish and the little chromis I always enjoy. There were quite a few moon jellies; some quite small, and the usual array of yellowtail snappers, squirrelfish and so forth. Since timing means I probably won’t try to go out again until the latter part of April, my wrist should be fine by then.

The only other drawback was I thought my 3mm wetsuit was in the dive bag and it wasn’t. The 1mm wasn’t quite heavy enough for the water temperature and it took a few minutes to stop feeling the chill after I went in. That did mean I cut my time in the water to like 30 minutes the first time and only like 20 at the second site. I generally use a 3mm through the end of April, then swap to 1mm, and in late July-mid-Sept, I use the skin. Ah well, at least I did get wet.

Two puffers from previous dives; don;t remember when.

 

Where Did the Week Go……….

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Ah, the usual answer of course with some extra deadlines thrown in and forgetting to check when I did the last post. This week isn’t really any better as I have to line up an interview to ensure I have an article for the paper while we are away. It’s a nice story though – I think – as it is a Barber School which has opened downtown and promises a career in nine months. As anyone who follows the blog knows, I am a big supporter of the trades, or in this case, personal services, that provides a path to at least start on. I hope they also have some data as to hires after graduation.

Anyway, shifting onto the personal writing side, even though I’ve never had a commercial success, there are a couple of paths for writers like me who have a large body of work available. One way is to have some celebrity pick up a book and start talking about it. Not very likely to happen. The other is having a book picked up for film or television which then generally will drive sales. I receive weekly cold calls/emails offering a package about getting more attention for one of my books. In one case, it’s a company I did open an account with and never opted for their service. They recently sent a special offer for a significantly reduced price and since I didn’t publish last year, I thought I might as well have a conversation. That led to me agreeing to do a submission. What I didn’t realize was the offer was actually for five “pitches”, not one. Since each pitch requires about three-four hours to prepare, it has been time consuming. The focus will be my two scuba-themed mystery series. The first two are for Shades of Truth and Shades of Gold, then the first three in the Chris Green series. Those are Deadly Doubloons, False Front, and Georgina’s Grief. (If you’re new to the blog, everything is at https://www.charliehudson.net/books.html) I still need to complete one step to activate the other four and it’s a graphics thing I have to get help with. I can’t say I expect any real success, but as has been my approach all these years, I might as well try.

Two Charter Memberships…….

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I belong to multiple associations/organizations and in two cases, am a charter member. The first one is a bit amusing. I was stationed in Maryland and as usual, received constant requests for donations to things I contributed to as well as many others I don’t. I open a letter one day asking me to become a charter member for the National Museum for Women in the Arts (NMWA) to be established in Washington, D.C. They went on about how there were no dedicated museums to women artists and this would not be part of the National Parks system, but a private museum such as the Phillips. I wasn’t sure if the request was legitimate, but I sent a check and then pretty much forgot about it. I eventually receive another letter about how NMWA has now purchased a building and whatever date they anticipated it would be renovated and opened. Well, that was good to know. When we went back to the D.C. area, we went to the museum for the first time. It was previously a Masonic Temple and has an odd shape. Inside, however, the building itself it practically a work of art; lots of marble and soaring ceilings. Two floors are for rotating exhibits as they have so much art, it can’t all be displayed. One floor is special exhibits and they have had some fabulous ones. The fourth floor is for research and archives. There are rooms for meetings and lectures, a lovely gift shop with obviously great  items and there is a Metro station a short walk away. https://nmwa.org/

The second organization is one I’ve posted about before and I note on Facebook each Memorial Day and Veterans Day. I was stationed in Hawaii when Brigadier General Wilma Vaught made the rounds to tell women about the plan for The Women in Military Service for America (WIMSA) museum. In selecting a site within Arlington Military Cemetery, that ensured it would be easy for people to find. It is h intriguing and a totally different concept than NMWA. The history and stories it contains are varied and inspiring. One of my goals if we ever have an extra couple of days when we visit the kids is to take Amelia to both places, but especially to WIMSA. https://womensmemorial.org/about/

Seafood Festival Time……

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There are moments when timing works in one’s favor. The three big civic organizations remaining here each have a major annual fundraiser event for the various programs to include scholarships. The Rotary Club always held a prime rib dinner and auction and it could get lively. The one gentleman who was really the “star” of it so to speak, finally relocated from the area and no one else quite had his ability to pull it all together. In looking at an alternative, the Seafood Festival in Key Largo was immensely popular, but as it grew, the one-way-in and one-way-out traffic problem of the Overseas Highway became such an issue, the Sheriff’s department wanted a change of location. I don’t know who all spoke with whom, but six years ago, the Homestead Rotary took it on for here. As is often the case, the first year was just okay. They worked through some things and the second year was better, and attendance leaped. That also meant they could attract greater sponsorship to keep their costs down. This weekend is Year Six and if it’s like before, somewhere around 10,000 people will attend. At $10/person, the vendor fees and being the ones who sell bottled water and sodas, and have the bar, you can see how it’s successful.

We will be going this afternoon for the usual photo array for the paper. There is the kids area with activities for younger and older kids, the stage with multiple bands performing, the “L” of food vendors with different types of seafood as well as other offerings such as BBQ, or more snacking-type choices and of course dessert items. The fried donut guy was new last year and I don’t know if he will be back. He was quite popular. I do plan to wear my hat I bought there last year and probably won’t buy anything this year, but I hope the vendors do well.

It is a huge effort in planing and an exhausting two days of work. Everyone involved deserves a lot of credit.

Need That Extra Day……

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I think it’s good we have the extra day in February this year as more tasks seem to pop up all the time. Oh, I did have a boss one time – well, worked for him on two different assignments years apart – who was a Leap Year baby. While being born on April 1st can come with its own set of jokes and being born right around Christmas can cause birthdays to sort of get overlooked, a Feb 29th birthday has to be the most confusing. He, and maybe most, chose to celebrate Feb 28th in the off-years.

And speaking of birthdays, we are once again, by coincidence of timing going to be with the kids and granddaughter not long after her birthday. No present on that day, but will hold off until we see them not quite two weeks after. That way, we’ll combine a souvenir for the trip and birthday present. She’ll have plenty to open on the actual day. We will take care of her for at least one day for the kids to have a, “date day”, and might turn that into two. If so, one day might be “girls only” and let Hubby go off for a photo shoot as we will be in Center City Philadelphia with a lot of great architecture. If we do that, there could be shopping involved to buy a new outfit. The advantage of Philadelphia in late March is the weather might be really nice for the many outdoor things available. If the weather is tricky, there are plenty of indoor options as well. It might not have the magic of Disney, but the Science Center is terrific and there is allegedly a Lego place which of course will be a draw. We won’t make firm plans because it’s too unpredictable and since we will be there on week days, getting into places should be okay without advance tickets.

 

No Scuba This Month Either…….

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In all fairness, I don’t usually have the chance to dive in February and often not January. While the water is colder, I can generally handle that. The issue more often is wind. Hubby has had some really tough days on the water the past three weeks and  was even if my schedule was better, the odds are I wouldn’t have gone out. Yes, those of us who live here do get spoiled. The amusing part is for divers who come from the Northeast or the Great Lakes area consider these conditions to be almost balmy.

Added to the weather aspect, I did take a tumble Jan 6 when I was in a hurry and didn’t notice the uneven paver. My hands were full so when I fell, my right wrists didn’t take the full impact. The sprain was manageable as were the scraps and bruises. It isn’t completely healed though and I suspect trying to wrestle with dive gear for another couple of weeks wouldn’t be a good idea anyway. I am working my way back to being able to do my toning exercises where I use 5-pound hand weights. I do that three days a week with a series of eight different exercises starting with 32 reps per arm, then 34 on the second day, and 36 on the third. I managed four exercises yesterday and stopped. As much as I would like to be completely healed, I know I have to be careful not to push too hard. A friend who was in physical therapy a few times following surgeries was bad about, “if some is good, more is better”. One of the therapists finally convinced him that, no, they set up his schedule for a reason and trying to “do extra” would do more harm than good.

I am grateful it was no worse and am respecting the fact that we don’t heal as quickly as we did in our younger years.