tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61730961773912979162024-03-13T12:30:08.794-04:00Travels and DiscoveriesThis blog was originally created to document the 11,000 mile motor home trip in the summer of 2008 by Frank and Durelle Cloutier. We have decided to keep it going to document our further travels (and even some non-travels)frankcloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09027345531395016651noreply@blogger.comBlogger805125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-7549198576605852152019-11-19T16:04:00.000-05:002019-11-19T16:04:23.217-05:00Signing Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> It has become more than apparent to both you and me over the past year or so that my thrice weekly postings have dwindled away to monthly at best. The reasons are almost equally apparent. It's hard to write a travel blog called <i>Travels and Discoveries</i> when you are doing neither. Also, it is impossible for me to conjure up any enthusiasm to write about a litany of our medical activities. Neither of us would enjoy a medical blog written by one with no medical acumen. I have therefore reluctantly decided to hang up the keyboard along with the keys.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I started this blog 805 posts ago in May of 2008. We were the proud owners of a new, 40 foot Allegro Bus. An appropriate shakedown cruise was decided to be a lap around America. We were not rookies, even then. On three previous Class As and two popups we had well over 300,000 miles under our belts. As we made preparations, it became clear that it was going to be tedious using emails and/or telephones to disseminate an endless series of "safe arrival" messages to family and friends. A blog seemed to be the obvious answer. I thoroughly enjoyed creating those many little snippets of life on the road. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also greatly enjoyed the feedback I got from an assortment of readers.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> My camera may have been a bit intrusive from time to time, but a travel blog without pictures seemed pointless. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> So, this will be the last issue of <i>Travels and Discoveries</i>. I haven't checked to see if I can download 805 posts on to a reasonable number of thumb drives, but I will find some appropriate archive medium. I am not going to attempt to summarize over a decade of adventures here. I will, however, include a few of the more memorable pictures for your perusal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LGNXF3Zx6Q4/XdRIyaKVPzI/AAAAAAAABkk/hjOcyuKtlVoogI93tHP788BjOE9PpT7IQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20080625%2Blate%2Bafternoon%2Bsky.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LGNXF3Zx6Q4/XdRIyaKVPzI/AAAAAAAABkk/hjOcyuKtlVoogI93tHP788BjOE9PpT7IQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20080625%2Blate%2Bafternoon%2Bsky.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">June 2008 The Moorings</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, this is camping!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, we did make it to Alaska.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mt.Rushmore</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Devil's Tower</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Little Big Horn</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Old Faithful</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Up close and personal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crater Lake</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">USAFA</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy Hour in Maine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I'm clearly reaching the limit of pixels per blog, so I'll close with just one more picture. It was taken in May of 2010 on the North Dock Parking Lot at West Point. The chauffeur is the one on the left. </span></div>
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Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-74324494648215907492019-10-18T15:34:00.000-04:002019-10-21T07:39:12.625-04:00Cindy's Vacation in France<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I haven't been travelling for my "travel" blog, but Cindy has...and she's a better photographer. She and her college roommate, Peggy, an MD from Oklahoma, are currently spending a week in northern France. They are flying in and out of Paris, but the touring is mostly in Normandy. In addition to the WWII sites, Cindy is browsing around Perche where, eleven generations before me in 1590, was born a Zacharie Cloutier. Zacharie was truly a patriarch of the prolific Cloutier clan. He had six kids, four of whom lived past 67. He sailed to Nouvelle France (Quebec) and established the name in the new world. If the word Perche strikes a chord, it may be because it is the origin of the Percherons, a historic breed of large horses. Cindy found a plaque in a village church listing the members that made that migration to North America.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The following are some of the pictures she has sent to me, and I thought you might enjoy her travels with me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This is Monet's church.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> A mill with an undershot waterwheel in Bayeux, France</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> A stream in Giverny</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This is the American Cemetery in Normandy. Her caption was, "There are no words."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This is Omaha Beach looking southwest toward Pointe du Hoc. It is hard to imagine climbing those cliffs in the face of emplaced machine guns.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The night before the invasion the 82nd Airborne Division jumped in ahead of the force to secure bridges and such. Trooper Steele's chute snagged on a church steeple in St. Mere Eglise, resulting in his capture. He later escaped and rejoined his unit. Thanks to the French, a replica still hangs there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Cindy took this picture of a cafe window in Bayeux. In that part of the world we still have some allies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The fourth name down is Zacharie Clou(s)tier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This is the famed Mont St. Michel with its monastery. The next two shots were targets of opportunity. One is a lovely windmill. The other is a rainbow over Vernon where they spent one night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I think you'll agree that she takes a good picture.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-22305544902303539042019-09-12T09:51:00.000-04:002019-09-12T09:51:00.769-04:00Sushi Fix<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Tuesday morning was a juggling of doctors appointments for the two of us. For the last stop Cindy and I paid a visit to my pulmonologist. At that point, lunch seemed appropriate. Durelle doesn't enjoy Asian food, and I had not had a good sushi fix in many months, so we found a place in the West Ashley portion of Charleston called <i>Zen Fusion</i>. We sat at the sushi bar, and I asked if they made chirashi sushi which was not on the menu. They did and I ordered one with a miso soup and some sake. Cindy had an excellent serving of sesame chicken.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can see, It is really just a different presentation of sushi. Instead of an individual piece of fish on top of a thumb-sized serving of rice, the sushi chef starts with a bed of rice and then gets creative with an assortment of fish and other condiments. I thoroughly enjoyed it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Durelle and I are going to PT three times a week. Her left leg is bothering her to the point where she, too, now uses a cane for stability.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-15557548714547424172019-09-06T12:02:00.001-04:002019-09-06T15:31:29.288-04:00Dorian<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Well, Dorian has left the building. It will end up bothering Cape Cod and eventually the Canadian Maritimes, and, along the way, providing a Schoodic Moment for all our camping friends in Belfast. In spite of the governor's order, we elected to sit out the storm here in Hanahan, SC. I'll explain our rationale in a moment, but first here's a pleasant sunset picture from our back yard as Dorian departed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> If you look closely you can see that our neighbor's willow tree was partly uprooted as it shed a few leaves into our backyard. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Dorian is a storm name that I'm sure will soon be retired even though it will always remind me that Donald Trump doesn't really know where Alabama is. When Dorian emerged out of the southern Atlantic to hammer the Bahamas, it had sustained winds of 185 mph, gusts up to 220, and a central pressure of 920 mb! That got our attention. Cindy has been assigned to the <i>Post and Courier's</i> "Away Team". That means that she and a co-worker could be relocated to Aiken, SC to put out a post-storm paper using the facilities of a sister paper. So she made reservations for the three of us at an Econo-Lodge in Aiken. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> From the beginning the storm's computer models projected that it would make a right turn before it got to Florida, closely skirt the South Carolina coast and make landfall, if at all, on the outer banks of North Carolina. Much to the dismay of the Bahamas, it slowed dramatically and even stopped for a while. As it churned up the ocean beneath it, it brought cooler water to the surface which began to sap the strength of the storm. Nonetheless, it was still a Category 4 and had to be taken seriously. Governor McMaster reluctantly decided that he had no choice but to order the evacuation of 830,000 people from the Charleston area. It, of course, would be a logistical nightmare even if done early. Starting Tuesday morning all I-26 lanes were westbound from Charleston to Columbia, a distance of some 120 miles. The local TV weather forecasters, while watching the uncertainties, would properly take the conservative approach. When combined with the public service announcements, we were inundated with advice to, "Get outa Dodge!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I like to think that we made a well-reasoned decision to stay. We knew that we were high enough and far enough inland that we didn't have to fear the flooding and storm surge that Charleston proper would see. It would be the winds that would force us out if they became strong enough to threaten residential structures in our area. So, we watched the storm's intensity and the proximity of the projected tracks to the SC coastline. We could handle power outages. We filled the bathtubs so as to have water for flushing and I put a new wick in my kerosene lantern. The winds started to pick up before dawn on Thursday. By afternoon there were a quarter of a million people without power. Ours held on with occasional flickers. The buried power lines in the development helped. At noon there was a gust at the airport of 69mph. That's about five miles away. Then the storm slowly departed leaving everyone with the mixed emotions of, "We dodged another bullet."</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-76003309412416045802019-08-24T12:48:00.000-04:002019-08-24T12:48:34.617-04:00100,000 Miles<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Odometer readings no longer constitute major milestones in the Cloutier household. We put 300,000 miles on the 1960 Valiant and 350,000 miles on four motorhomes. But today, we turned over 100,000 miles on our 2003 Jeep Liberty. That number is only significant because it already had an "unrecorded" 100,000 miles being towed behind those aforementioned motorhomes. Below is a picture of the dashboard that Cindy took as we were stopped for a light in Greenville, SC Friday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Cindy was on vacation and she talked us into a "road Trip' to Greenville. It's about three hours to the northwest of Charleston and is within visual range of the Blue Ridge Mountains of the southern Appalachians. There's a wonderful river park in the center of downtown with a large collection of boutiques and trendy restaurants. There's an ugly piece of art at one entrance to the park with stone benches. Durelle and I sat there while Cindy wandered around the park.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The fun started almost before we had begun. We stopped to fill up he gas tank, but Cindy was having trouble with the pump. The new credit card? Nope. Bad nozzle? Nope again. She took the card and went to the office. I fussed around ineffectively for a while until I found a lever that said, "Lift to pump". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We were not even on I-26 when Cindy and I heard an angry yelp from the back seat. Durelle's coffee travel mug had leaked and deposited a substantial amount of coffee on the front of her shirt. We had to get her a fresh shirt or we'd be using a fast food drive-up window for lunch. It would have been ten miles to go back home, so we stopped at the Walmart in Summerville. Cindy came back with the shirt Durelle is wearing in the picture. She said that the rack said $10.95, the price tag said $5.00 and it rang up for three bucks!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We got to Greenville around 1230. Below are a few of Cindy's pictures from the park.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Durelle's physical therapist had recommended that we eat at "Willy Taco Feed and Seed", so we gave it a try. It was a friendly place with three different areas: sports bar, patio, and inside tables. We chose the latter. Our waitress was Jazz, short for Jasmine. We did not try any of the attractive sounding margaritas, but I had a mug of draft dark Dos Equis. While Cindy had a burrito bowl, Durelle and I both had their Mexican Sandwich. It would remind you of a French Dip except that the "Au jous" was a spicy dipping sauce. Homemade chips covered the rest of the plate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The last shot won't make the cover of <i>Vogue</i>, but it shows Cindy's burrito bowl and me, fussing with my Leica.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> On the way home, not long after getting back on I-26, we started to see the accumulating brake lights that usually presage an accident. There were two cars on the shoulder with significant body work required and, off the road with its nose up against the trees was a nice Dutch Star with its dingy ripped loose. It was a sad scene for those folks who are fondly reminiscent of nice motorhomes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We got home around 1815 to an impatiently hungry cat and a waiting martini glass.</span><br />
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Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-38056279893765134192019-07-12T18:06:00.001-04:002019-07-14T09:51:58.667-04:00Blog Post No. 800<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Most of you know that Durelle is fond of (addicted to?) picture puzzles. We literally have a closetful. The fine old wooden, veneered card table from her folks' house is perennially set up in front of her living room chair. Most puzzles take her a week or so. Yesterday she finished one that took over a month. In the 1000 pieces there were only a very few basic shapes; plus the the picture had several large monochromatic areas. A few years ago Cindy took a very nice picture from the south edge of the Moorings RV Resort in Belfast, ME. It's a wonderful view of the beachfront even though there are no RVs in the picture. One Christmas she sent the picture to a company that would make a puzzle out of it. For Durelle it was the perfect present. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This is the spot where we spent a dozen idyllic summers, so you can image that it is a very special picture. It took real perseverance to finish it. I contributed two (!) pieces.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> You also know that, after Mocha passed, we soon had a replacement pet. Bettsy, that's the correct spelling, was named after Mookie Betts. She is a medium sized, mostly black cat who came from the local animal society. She spends a lot of time in the lap of the lady who feeds her. When Durelle is neglecting the cat in favor of her puzzle, Bettsy will sometimes hop up on the puzzle to help (?).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We are proceeding slowly but surely towards a November move into a senior living facility. We have enlisted the services of a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) who also happens to be the realtor who found us our present place. The "Senior" refers to her clientele not to her years of service. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> In the past 24 hours Durelle got a helpful cortisone shot and I paid a visit to an urologist thus adding another 'ologist to my trophy case.. Cindy accompanies us to most of our medical appointments and is taking an active role in the care and feeding of the two old farts. What a blessing that is!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-44015160913079979582019-06-12T16:08:00.000-04:002019-06-12T16:08:37.663-04:00Health Status<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I have been avoiding this blog for over a month because there does not seem to be a coherent story to tell. Some six weeks ago I elected to start a ten day pain management procedure which uses electrode stimulation of the nerves in the feet and legs. Because it interfered with that feedback process, I had to stop taking Lyrica that had been my only neuropathy treatment for over a decade. That meant a lot of difficulty sleeping. By the time I had finished the first five days, other symptoms appeared. I had zero energy, little appetite, and occasional shortness of breath. I was also retaining fluid. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> So, we paused the "scrambler" procedure and started taking Lasix. I lost weight and my BP dropped down to the 80 over 60 range. We called 911, and Dr. Rieder repeated his catheterization of six years ago. I came home on the 7th and have been moping around ever since. Durelle and Cindy have been taking good care of me as I try not to be too much of a grump. Next week I'll finish up the "scrambler" largely so that I can start to phase back into Lyrica. The BP has recovered at least to the 100 over 70 range. Recovery is slow. I'll keep plugging. </span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-72838724440691802422019-05-10T14:43:00.000-04:002019-05-10T14:43:24.123-04:00Baton Pass <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After spending a few days in South Carolina being as helpful as possible to both Cindy and us, Mark loaded up my old 1986 Corvette, took official possession and headed north to New Hampshire. Thirty three years and 130,000 miles and two, four-day coast-to-coast trips. 120 mph on I-80 between Salt Lake City and Wendover. Pacific Coast Highway and Nineteen Mile Drive. (Check the blog dated 10Feb2015.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I can still drive it and did up until the day I gave it to Mark. I was going to have to give it up eventually, and this seemed like a good time. We are reaching the point where one car is enough. While I can use the Jeep, Durelle will not sit in, much less drive the Corvette. So now our car is a new one...a 2003 Jeep Liberty with 100K on the clock and another unrecorded 100K while being towed behind a motorhome. I've gotten good longevity out of my vehicles. My 1960 Valiant accumulated 29 years and 300,000 miles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Time passes.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-3729816980346997432019-05-05T21:15:00.000-04:002019-05-08T06:58:37.265-04:00CNN Screen Shot<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Would you believe it took a CNN screenshot to get me off my duff and do another blog? My favorite daughter has become a political junkie. She listens to lots of podcasts and is a major league twitter follower. As she is of a more liberal bent than her curmudgeonly father, we find agreement only on the outrageous judgement and character of our twitter-in-chief. She has been diligently going to listen to all of the Democratic candidates as they make their requisite passes through South Carolina on their way to the 2020 campaign trail. Today she went to see Pete Buttigieg. He's one of her favorites, but Elizabeth Warren is probably her first choice. At any rate, one of Cindy's coworkers captured a screenshot of a CNN feed from that event. I thought you might enjoy Cindy "photobombing" the CNN commentator</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Tomorrow Mark arrives for a short week. The four of us are going to discuss our</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> move into a senior living facility in November. We also hope that he'll get to repair the</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> screens on Cindy's porch so that her new kitten, Skyler, can enjoy the outdoors. Of course the old man will always have some computer questions. Perhaps the most momentous event of the week will be Mark's climbing into my old Corvette, taking possession and heading north. The 33 year old car is is fine shape and I certainly hate to part with it. It only has 130,000 miles on it. Time passes.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-46795650859030880452019-03-26T18:32:00.001-04:002019-03-26T18:32:59.770-04:00Spring Arrives<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This is a pleasant time of year in South Carolina. We have been out and about with lunces with friends and visits on the back porch. With the warmer weather we have seen more eagle activity. They don't get much closer than 200-300 feet which is a challenge for a hand-held, long telephoto lens. Below is one of the better ones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> They are handsome birds which provide no end of entertainment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We drove up to Pawleys Island again. This time was for a rendezvous with Maine camping friends at Bistro 217. From left to right: Myrt, Debra, me, Durelle, George and Carol. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We also had a get-acquainted luncheon with other members of the "Founders Club", the handful of folks that have made early commitments to the Atria senior living facility in Mt, Pleasant. We are pleased with the folks...both residents and staff.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-56315691132090284172019-03-18T21:16:00.000-04:002019-03-18T21:16:49.306-04:00Pawleys Island<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I'll just jump right in as if I didn't know how long I've been gone. Today the three of us, with Cindy driving, made a trip up to Pawleys Island to pay a visit to Estelle Anderson and her two daughters, Karen and Peggy. Each year they grab a vacation rental for the month of March. They need no introduction as they have all appeared in the chronicle several times. We had lunch at a local golf club. Here's Durelle and Estelle outside the front door of the club. Estelle is 95.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It's a handsome club, dripping with live oaks festooned with Spanish moss.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> After lunch, soup of the day with a French dip and an IPA, we headed back to the house where the young folks took a walk on the beach. The old folks visited and swiped a few homemade oatmeal/raisin cookies. Here's what the Atlantic side of the spit looks like.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Our trip home was quick an uneventful...unlike the trip up which involved a multi-car accident on I-526 which closed I-526 in both directions and cost us a hour and a half.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> All in all it was a very pleasant day with good friends.</span><br />
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Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-91897359898684539972019-02-09T16:19:00.000-05:002019-02-09T16:19:14.285-05:00Milestone<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> As my father might have said, "Who'd a thunk it?" I turned 80 this week. I guess the original idea was my daughter-in-law, Heather's. With Durelle and Cindy in cahoots on this end they pulled off a complete surprise as four of them from NH showed up on Sunday. They managed to schedule a birthday dinner, some sightseeing, beach, visiting and even a few chores. The Traeger is up and running again! Here's a picture of the crew.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Cindy, of course, is behind the camera. Durelle had to do some extra housecleaning for house guests in the days before the visit without tipping me off. Looking back, there were several places where the surprise was almost blown.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Monday the seven of us had a fine meal at <i>Al di La</i>, a northern Italian place. Tuesday was beach and sightseeing, and they left around noon on Wednesday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> With my travel being greatly curtailed, such get-togethers are precious. Thanks to all.</span></div>
Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-70089157811506699402019-01-28T20:35:00.001-05:002019-01-28T20:38:44.932-05:00Too Big for the Bird Feeders<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We and Cindy have both had a couple of birds of prey up close and personal with our houses recently. Cindy's neighbor said hers was a Red Tailed Hawk. It found an insecure screen panel on her screen porch and busted through. It only took a few minutes for it to find its way out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Later the same week (this morning), one appeared perched on the top of our bluebird house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I thought it was a Cooper's Hawk. Whatever it was, it appears to be saying, "They said that this was a good breakfast bar." Durelle recently cleaned out the birdhouse, so there has not been much activity there, nor will there be with that fellow sitting there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> On a separate note, and, as you know, <span style="color: red;">Betts</span>y has recently joined our household. Today Durelle took a picture of her sharing a rocker with Addie, an American Girl doll that Cindy gave to her Mom many moons ago because Durelle's Mom was named Addie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Go Pats!</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-2253883690903478552019-01-11T16:58:00.002-05:002019-01-11T16:58:51.773-05:00Addendum<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The previous post hurried to "meet deadline", and I went to press without Jurgen's pictures. I have since received a dozen and a half good pictures from him, so I will use them to build an addendum to the blog about their visit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Just for the record, here's where we are, and here's the opening view.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Here are four successive views as you move toward that massive trunk. There's an interesting side story about the big live oaks. In 1989 the US Navy was in the midst of a major overhaul of the USS Constitution..."Old Ironsides". Among many other repairs, several of the curved ribs of that old ship needed to be replaced. Building those curved ribs out of straight timbers would have required some serious joinery. Finding curved limbs would give the restorers two major advantages: hundreds of hours of work would be eliminated, and the single-piece rib would be stronger. Well, along came a gift from the heavens. Hurricane Hugo did major damage to the live oaks in South Carolina. Through some unforeseen connection between the arborist, clean-up crews and the ship restorers the clean-up resulted in many flatbed trucks loaded with large curved timbers heading north to Boston. As a result there is a lot of South Carolina oak in Old Ironsides.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Woodworkers are happy to find a burl to work with because of the swirling grain. They generally range in size from a cantaloupe to a basketball. Here's one the size of a desk or a large coffee table.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">initial suggestio</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n to, "Let's go look at a tree." did not evoke great excitement, But when they saw it, they were truly impressed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> There is another link that ties the two families together over the last forty years. I had purchased a fine, Yamaha, upright, piano for Cindy in 1969 in Colorado. Ten years later she graduated from high school in NH and left for the University of Oklahoma. Mark did not have the interest or talent to inherit the piano, so we looked for a place to sell it. Susan Gobien was (and is) active in the leadership of church music and really needed a piano. So, one icy February day in NH Jurgen and I wrestled that piano out of the house, up the driveway and into a rental trailer for a winter drive to Rome, NY. The first thing Susan did was to call a piano tuner to appease all of the insults the piano received on the trip. We were all relieved and pleased when the tuner said, "I barely had to do a thing. That's a wonderful piano." The piano now resides in the home of the Gobien's son, Andrew where it is in active use today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> It was a wonderful visit.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-56001238126563999342019-01-09T18:36:00.000-05:002019-01-09T18:36:56.782-05:00Jurgen and Susan Gobien<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We are most fortunate to have occasional visitors. I'm surprised that Durelle and I are such an attraction, but perhaps some of Charleston's other attributes</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> contribute. This time it was Jurgen and Susan Gobien. (Susan had a conference :-) ). Jurgen and I go back forty years. If a friend is a person who "has your back", Jurgen and I fit the definition. We were nurturing a young but potentially major program through the military--industrial complex without all of the organizational support we would have liked. We defended ourselves and each other, and often compared notes over a glass (or two) of Guinness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Some things never change.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> We were nurturing a young but potentially large program to fundamentally change the tactical voice network used by fighter pilots attacking ground targets. As you can imagine, there were many factions involved. There was no shortage of oxen to be gored. We succeeded against significant odds and our friendship has endured.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I was a half generation ahead of Jurgen. So, when Cindy was leaving us and we no longer had a use for our Yamaha Spinet piano, I sold it to Jurgen, It is in good hands as Jurgen's grandson is making great use of the piano.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> When visitors have not seen the Angel Oak, we subject them to a trip through John"s Island to see it. Fortunately, today was a good day to see it. Normally the idea of a Live Oak with Spanish Moss does not inspire excitement. This tree is a Charleston icon, and the normal reaction is, "Oh, Wow". The tree is over 400 years old and shades 18,000 square feet. The circumference of the trunk is thirty feet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> You can see the impressive nature of the tree. Here's another shot of the tree with the four of us...thanx, Cindy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> If you are interested you can check the following link. <a href="http://www.angeloaktree.com/">Angel Oak</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-38918187013178369892018-12-29T15:00:00.000-05:002018-12-29T15:00:24.010-05:00Christmas 2018<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Although some traditions remain, Christmas for the Cloutiers is changing. The tree is smaller and the decorations, simpler. There are fewer presents and participants. It is quieter, slower moving and does NOT start at sunup! Fortunately, Cindy is still here to share it. Otherwise we would probably lose almost all the flavor of a celebration.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Before we get to Christmas, I am happy to report that Durelle's GRWS (Golden Retriever Withdrawal Symptoms) are no longer evident.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Christmas Eve has, for a long time, meant a dish of lasagna with salad and garlic bread and this year was no exception. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Our tree is no longer one that would be suitable for the town square. Thankfully, the cat has decided to leave it alone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Although they weren't here,I thought I'd include recent pictures of our two youngest great-grandkids: Madeleine and Anthony.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I hope all you kind folks out in the blogosphere had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a healthy and prosperous new year.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-12572626976578279232018-12-12T08:44:00.000-05:002018-12-14T13:01:53.611-05:00Two "great" grandsons<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This past weekend, from Friday to Monday, we hosted David (32) and Kevin (30) as they were in town to run in the half-marathon on Kiawah Island. If they are not "great" grandsons, there aren't any. They enjoyed the use of the Corvette, but on race day the rain and the alternate parking caused them to return and switch to the Jeep. I noticed today that the Corvette had a full gas tank. I have not yet checked the Jeep. They ran together until the last couple of miles before the finish when Kevin out-legged his "big" brother. They both finished and were happy with their times. I didn't ask what they were.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Since I have neither the mobility nor stamina to position myself at the finish line of such an event, I have resorted to using images provided by Dave that are for sale by a vendor who does. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The following morning (Sunday) they teamed up to make a generous breakfast for the five of us. Can you tell that they are brothers?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The race determined a couple of meals. They night before was a big bowl of spaghetti. Carbohydrate loading is a common pre-race tactic. The pre-race breakfast was just energy bars. Saturday night I grilled some pound and a half ribeyes. I expected them to consume more beer than they did, so I'm going to have enough Yuengling to last me a while. It was a most pleasant weekend, and we could not have asked for a couple of more enjoyable guests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> On another front; our "dip your toe in the water" start of a search for an assisted living facility has stalled out. I'm mentally more ready than Durelle. While I'd like to make the commitment while we are still healthy enough to enjoy the new lifestyle, Durelle is not yet ready to embrace a change of that magnitude. We'll work it out together, eventually.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-76023310100083225192018-11-18T15:49:00.000-05:002018-11-18T21:09:23.861-05:00In Lieu of a Golden<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> As mentioned in the last post, Durelle is having some serious Golden Retriever withdrawal issues. Assuming she eventually succumbs to the persuasiveness of my arguments and agrees to move into a unit of independent/assisted living, only small pets are permitted. Seventy five pounds does not qualify. The compromise was a cat</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> So, Friday, Durelle and Cindy went the Animal Society to find a cat. There were very few adult cats to choose from. They came back with a little (71/2 pound), scrawny, flea-bitten, black short-haired thing whose only redeeming virtue was that he came over and climbed up into Durelle's lap. The pick of the litter she was not. Durelle named her, "Bettsy", and the spelling is intentional.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> She made herself at home with no fuss. She quickly found and uses her litter box and bed. She eats as if she were recently starved, and we think she was. It appears that her coat is cleaning up and filling out nicely. She is well on her way toward being a good looking, well behaved house cat. She's not a golden, but she's just as affectionate. Now all we have to do is get her leash trained so Durelle can take her for a walk.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-73230871601067274232018-11-11T09:24:00.000-05:002018-11-11T09:24:19.057-05:00Goblins and a Ghost <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For decades we have enjoyed sitting outside the front of the house dispensing normally scarce confections to hordes of artfully disguised urchins. Luckily, we live in a neighborhood where it is safe for pre-teens to be walking around after sundown, albeit with a parent lurking in the background. Durelle managed the candy bowl while I handled the camera. Here's a few.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> In addition to these creatures of the night, we had a real apparition (oxymoron?😕) visit us. Durelle now uses her many old golf towels as dish towels. Recently she draped one of them over the lid of the clothes hamper to dry a bit before relegating it to the hamper. When she looked at it the next morning she saw the face of a golden retriever. Granted, she still dreams of goldens, but even a sceptic with a bit of imagination could find the face in the dirty towel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> What do you think?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-5709140520192491952018-10-27T08:57:00.000-04:002018-10-28T09:19:09.014-04:00Status<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> For some reason the entire update in the last posting disappeared when I hit the "Post" button. I'd bet that there was another extraneous keystroke in there, but I won't admit it. I will reconstruct.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I've been waiting for all the lab orders, interpretations, diagnoses and pontifications to be finished before putting together this post, but it has been too long since the last post. I had an incident whereby my resting, automatic breathing rate and depth were not adequate to provide the necessary oxygen. I was forced to consciously breathe deeper. The "urgent Care" doctor, who was excellent, took X-Rays and found fluid in my chest cavity. He prescribed Prednisone, an antibiotic, an inhaler and a diuretic that caused me to lose ten pounds in a week. And, he sent me to a pulmonologist. They, in turn, created six lab orders: a pulmonary function test (PFT), a dye assisted CAT scan, an ultrasound search for blood clots in the legs, blood tests, a stress test and an echocardiogram. The last two are not yet scheduled, and I have not yet actually seen the pulmonologist. So far they have not found a smoking gun. That's no surprise, because I have never smoked.😊 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So, I'm back to normal or as normal as the neuropathy will let me be. Last night I got down on the floor and lit the pilot light in our gas fireplace. I got back up using a kitchen chair. So I still have the minimum required mobility. My maximum walking range is probably a slow, waddling hundred yards. Driving is not a problem because I can do that sitting down. Entering and exiting the Corvette is less than graceful, however. Fortunately, Durelle is a lot healthier than I am.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We have been looking at retirement home facilities with graduated levels of care. We did some significant downsizing when we moved here in 2004, but we still have an abundance of "stuff" that is an impediment to our making the transition. Durelle recognizes the inevitability, but adding some housekeeping assistance here for a while may allow us to delay the big change. Change is hard, and it is harder for the "nestbuilder" than it is for me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I really hated to turn this into a medical blog after ten years of pictures and travels. I knew, however, that there were many caring folks who wanted to know how we were.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Thanks for caring,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Frank</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-17583897755923633032018-10-01T22:02:00.000-04:002018-10-01T22:02:16.453-04:00Pam Anderson visits Charleston<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Now that I've got your attention, it wasn't <u>that</u> Pam Anderson. Durelle's father and Pam's father were brothers, so, it's "cousin Pam". Pam and Jay Anderson live in California and recently made a tour of the right coast to visit family and friends. You'll note from the previous blog that we took them to Husk. The next day they played tourist in our new home town. Jay is a fine photographer so I wanted to highlight his Charleston pictures here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> One of the first places they visited was the famous "Angel Oak". This a four hundred + year old example of a "Live Oak" that is a Charleston landmark usually seen dripping with Spanish Moss. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> From there they wandered downtown to Riley Park for a couple of great shots of the pineapple fountain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jay also had a well-timed shot of a departing cruise ship in front of the USS Yorktown.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The downtown icons did well in Jay's camera, too:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> He even captured a bit of wildlife. </span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QcjgiNIO_2s/W7LQ6uTodZI/AAAAAAAABIk/g43Ap5VEoCI79588FEdKm0nn0dyZg9lnwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="945" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QcjgiNIO_2s/W7LQ6uTodZI/AAAAAAAABIk/g43Ap5VEoCI79588FEdKm0nn0dyZg9lnwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_7728.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> It was certainly a wonderful visit, and we'd love to have them again,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-44530159678393672972018-09-28T08:33:00.001-04:002018-09-28T08:33:36.987-04:00A Visit to Husk<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Durelle has a first cousin who lives in northern California. From time to time they like to make road trips, often to the east coast. Yesterday they dropped into Charleston for a visit and to play tourist. Cindy was off, so she could play driver and tour guide. They did a short tour of a few iconic, touristy spot and ended up back at <a href="http://huskrestaurant.com/home/">Husk</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> In a town full of really outstanding restaurants Husk stands out as one of the very best. The James Beard Award winning chef, Sean Brock, is the guy in charge. You can count on classic southern fare with a little innovation. At our table the entrees ranged from a corn-meal breaded, fried catfish to a surprisingly tasty and tender octopus. Guess who tried the octopus, and, no, it did not taste anything like calamari. I was greatly surprised to order a German white wine </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and get one with a screw cap. It was a nice summery wine, however. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It was nice to get out of the house with good friends. Pam and Jay were very pleased with their lodging at the <a href="http://www.kingcharlesinn.com/">King Charles Inn</a>.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-24459842744670642962018-09-15T18:06:00.001-04:002018-09-15T18:06:06.267-04:00Hurricane Florence<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We decided not to evacuate ahead of hurricane Florence. We were partially packed and ready to go if necessary, Since joining a million person cavalcade departing the coastal areas on roads that can't even handle a rush hour would be a major hassle in its own right, we wanted to be sure that it was necessary. It is true that the SCDOT made all lanes of I-26 into westbound lanes, but that only helped part of the problem. We would be taking 78 to Augusta.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The three scourges of a hurricane are the winds, the rainfall and, for coastal areas, the storm surge. We had to consider all three. In reverse order, the storm surge is the most predictable. The storm surge is a large wave that is pushed by the wind ahead of the storm as it travels over the ocean. When it comes ashore its height is added to the state of the tide at that time. This combined height can be calculated fairly precisely as can the geography of the creeks, tributaries, rivers and bays along the coast. Our portion of Hanahan is far enough inland that prior storm surges had not reached us, and the predictions for this time were equally reassuring. Similarly, we have had major (>10 inches) rain events in each of the last three years without any local flooding.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The remaining wild card was the wind. Even if we stayed dry, I did not want to stay around for any roof-ripping gusts. The track predictions said it would come ashore near Wilmington, NC. It did, and it missed the geographic prediction of five days and 1500 miles before by two miles! By then it was a Cat 1 hurricane, soon to be a tropical storm. It turned southwest and then west passing 50 miles north of Charleston. Since the southwest quadrant of such a storm is the least threatening, we would have a comfortable margin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I must say that Durelle, Cindy and I spent a couple of days looking at the possible scenarios and decided that, as long as it looked like the wind here would be manageable, we should be fine sitting tight. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The center of the storm is now a hundred miles onshore and heading up and around Virginia, so it appears we made the right decision. May we always be so lucky.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-18515297268784070932018-09-15T13:14:00.000-04:002018-09-15T13:14:29.456-04:00Tony Zotos...New Great Grandson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dqaQ6VJKXN8/W502va-o7NI/AAAAAAAABFE/-yLtoIVJxCMwhd1r0c5TKH9cnkyFk2t8ACLcBGAs/s1600/download_20180915_114345_1537026457152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dqaQ6VJKXN8/W502va-o7NI/AAAAAAAABFE/-yLtoIVJxCMwhd1r0c5TKH9cnkyFk2t8ACLcBGAs/s400/download_20180915_114345_1537026457152.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Well, here he is, our first great grandson! That's big sister, Madeleine, doing the honors. Some details are still uncertain as Anthony was born in Sydney, AU on the other side of the international dateline...14th or 15th? I think he was 8 pounds and 21 inches. That picture shows two of our three great grandchildren. Thirteen year old Brielle is in the 8th grade in NH. Mother, Melissa, and Dad, Illia are the proud parents.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> There is the same age difference between them as with our pair, Cindy and Mark. Be prepared for big sister/little brother clashes. Another novelty would be if he were born on the 14th. BOTH my folks and Durelle's parents were married on 14Sep1935 in MA and ME respectively.</span>Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173096177391297916.post-86537997097563712432018-09-07T21:28:00.000-04:002018-09-07T21:28:04.685-04:00Care Package<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Few of you remember the original Care Packages, but they were boxes of goodies that brightened the day wherever and whenever they arrived. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In 1945, the newly formed </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CARE_(relief_agency)" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="CARE (relief agency)">CARE</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">(then the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe) initiated a program to send food relief to Europe, where large numbers of people were at risk of starvation in the wake of</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="World War II">World War II</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. The organization obtained permission from the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="United States">United States</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">government to send U.S. Army surplus</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10-in-1_food_parcel" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="10-in-1 food parcel">"10-in-1" food parcels</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">to Europe. The "10-in-1" parcels had been prepared for an invasion of Japan, which never transpired. Americans were given the opportunity to purchase a CARE Package for 10 dollars to send to friends or relatives in Europe. Packages were guaranteed to arrive within four months. Even when a donor did not know an address of a beneficiary, CARE would find that person using the last address known. The CARE package thus became a "missing person" service in the chaos following World War II.</span><br />
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<a class="image" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-S1207-502,_Inhalt_eines_CARE-Paket.jpg" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="640" data-file-width="800" height="176" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-S1207-502%2C_Inhalt_eines_CARE-Paket.jpg/220px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-S1207-502%2C_Inhalt_eines_CARE-Paket.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-S1207-502%2C_Inhalt_eines_CARE-Paket.jpg/330px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-S1207-502%2C_Inhalt_eines_CARE-Paket.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-S1207-502%2C_Inhalt_eines_CARE-Paket.jpg/440px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-S1207-502%2C_Inhalt_eines_CARE-Paket.jpg 2x" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(200, 204, 209); vertical-align: middle;" width="220" /></a><div class="thumbcaption" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12.3704px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 3px; text-align: left;">
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The content of a CARE Package in West Germany 1948</div>
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The first CARE Packages contained:</div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">one pound (450 g) of beef in broth</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">one pound (450 g) of steak and kidneys</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">8 ounces (230 g) of <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver_loaf" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Liver loaf">liver loaf</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">8 ounces (230 g) of corned beef</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">12 ounces (340 g) of luncheon loaf (like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(food)" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Spam (food)">Spam</a>)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">8 ounces (230 g) of bacon</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">two pounds (910 g) of margarine</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">one pound (450 g) of lard</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">one pound (450 g) of fruit preserves</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">one pound (450 g) of honey</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">one pound (450 g) of raisins</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">one pound (450 g) of chocolate</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">two pounds (910 g) of sugar</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">8 ounces (230 g) of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdered_eggs" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Powdered eggs">powdered eggs</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">two pounds (910 g) of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdered_milk" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Powdered milk">whole-milk powder</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">two pounds (910 g) of coffee</li>
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Later CARE Packages included food for different cultural diets as well as non-food items including tools, blankets, school supplies, and medicine.</div>
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Now that you've had your history lesson, today we received a wonderful Care Package. There was no Spam, but a wonderful hunk of Salami and cheese that will be tried soon. The gift goes a long way to soften the edges of discomfort caused by our not sitting on the edge of Penobscot Bay for the summer. Here's a shot of the package from Morse's Sauerkraut. </div>
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Many thanks to Dick and Eleanor Roth and Bernie and Ann Dunn.</div>
Frank Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715792311396985289noreply@blogger.com0