EVENT DATE -- JULY 4, 2016
ROUND TRIP MILES -- A few digits above zero.
Cap'n Baldy here!
I had an impulse to buy a new American
Flag last week. I value flying our nation’s flag at my house and my previous
flag had become very faded and torn. I followed that impulse to buy and I’m
glad I did. That purchase, and the flying of my bright new Stars and Stripes,
made me think of what that flag means to me.
I choose to set aside the disgusting
current political rhetoric and accusations, the incessant frothing of the media
as well as the insane antics of the super-wealthy. I am not wealthy but I do
have treasures because of that flag and the nation it represents. It’s good for
me to remember those treasures at this time. Here are but a few …
· I can vote. I did so in the recent California
primary election and shall do so in the November general election.
· I can choose to worship, or not worship,
as my conscience leads me, without interference from the government. Should I
choose to alter my religious practices, my actions will not be met with penalty
of death…as is true in some other countries.
· I am free to travel without hindrance to
any point within our nation. I worked overseas in a country where this was not
the case.
· My wife and I hold United States
passports that allow for easy travel to many nations around the world. This
privilege has allowed us to prepare for a European trip we’ll be taking in July
of this year.
· I can speak my mind, or not speak my
mind, without fear of government retaliation.
· I am free to grow old with continued
learning and a spirit of adventure.
My list of treasures could go on but I
choose to close it at this point. I must remember that I am an American citizen
not through my deserving. My citizenship is a gift that God, wise visionaries
and risk-takers who sacrificed a lot chose to give to me. I accept that gift
with highest gratitude.
I am an American military veteran. My wife
is also an American military veteran. We are each proud of our service and
consider that service as treasures of our lives as human beings and as American
citizens.
I am aware of many of your treasures from
your lives in our nation. I look forward to hearing about more of them...
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I wrote the above piece for our park's homeowners' association newsletter this month. We hope you enjoy reading it. Summer has arrived ... it has been hot! A few days ago the local temperature hit 102 degrees F! This is a season for birthdays ...
Our granddaughter Laurel has just turned 17 ... her dad is grieving the loss of his baby girl ...
Even UNCLE SAM has to do the necessary chores we all must do!
It is 7 a.m. ... In the grandest of grand style, Goldilocks attains the three-quarter-century mark in her incarnation on this planet... with a FREE breakfast at Denny's with her adoring husband! Facebook pours forth birthday greetings ... free birthday meals are offered by Rubio's Fish Tacos and Troy's Greek Restaurant ... DUDE! This outpouring of love is overwhelming ...
Amid a chorus of low-battery chirps on our smoke alarm system, the flow of love messages continues ... the entire staff at Scripps Rock Dental Clinic send greetings as does our financial planner (excuse me "wealth manager") ...
The Scripps Ranch Fourth-of-July Parade is a TRADITION for us ... after all, we lived in that nearby neighborhood for 42 years...we arrive early and wait for the rest of the family to show up! Goldilocks is on her iPhone receiving more birthday greetings from friends...she's like a kid in a candy store...and rightly so!
Bob, Ella, Teri, Laurel and friend Cameron...OK...we have waited long enough! The Parade can now begin ...
And so the Grand Event unfolds before our eyes ... the horses even have a "cleanup detail" following behind them (male humans, of course)...now, isn't that a classy and considerate touch?
Here comes the band...loud and bright!
A new entry ... the Golden Retrievers Meeting Group...marching in formation!
And...what about this unique item from the San Diego Police Museum? As advertised thereon, the ride in the rear costs $25...the ride in the front cost $15,000!
Our all-time favorite parade group ... a bunch of beer-drinking guys from the neighborhood who do "precision marching" with lawn mowers ...
The Sergeant Major who wheels the Beerbarrow for the rest of the precision marchers ... this, as always, is our son Dan! Notice how he ROCKS that jaw-dropping edgy ensemble of red-white-blue shirt, matching (!) tie, striped shorts and brown socks with sneakers!
A truly cool family gathering at home after the parade ... our friends Larry and Rosalie Barlock supplied that slab of spectacular cake ...
Two beauties at rest ... daughter-in-law Teri and 13-year-old granddaughter Ella ...
Ella with a happy Dad ...
A scrapbook picture of family history ... Ella was 6 months old at that time... the band picture of me would look the same today ...
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We move on to the Pomerado Band Concert in Old Poway Park ... Goldilocks is unreasonably PICKY about the miles we travel on our Golden Year journeys ... she is NOT HAPPY with my flippant "a few digits above zero" entry on the top-mentioned Round Trip Miles! She insists on knowing the EXACT miles from home to Old Poway Park...OK, Goldilocks...8.6 miles one-way! Are you now satisfied, My Beloved?
Our band concert is a Banquet of Americana ... a feast of patriotic favorites starting with "The Star Spangled Banner" and ending with John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" ...
Our daughter Sue and Uncle Sam rock to the music ...
This is Art ...one of our most faithful musical supporters and one of the coolest 80-year-olds I have ever known...he is also Dr. Arthur Morris, retired Professor of Metallurgy at the University of Missouri...
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Our Journey closes, as is appropriate for this day, with fireworks ...
We view them from our front porch ... no crowds, no traffic!
We now close out our account of this Day of Many Blessings ...what a joyful day it is! This is a pretty neat country we live in, is it not?
Stay connected for our next Journey, beloveds...one which will take us a bit farther away ...Budapest, Vienna and Prague!
'Til then...stay well!
Affectionately,
Baldy aka Bob
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