Tag Archives: bicycle

24

Aug. ’15

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

I know I am late but things, from time to time, come up that can not be controlled. However, I am committed to continue my blog. There was a night time bicycle ride that had a few streets blocked off that infuriated many drivers. I was at my part-time job, filling in for a person on vacation, and saw the part of the ride that came down Monument Ave. I watched many vehicles making u-turns because streets were blocked off but the bicyclists were elated and having fun. I could not see much but what I could see made me wish I could have been out there. Alas, maybe next year.

We are still having great fun at the White Squirrel with more and more people jumping up to dance. The music is great, the food is good and Steve and Christy will play music in September. So, for the month of September the fun will continue. The room may be small but that is one of the reasons that make it great. I want more to join in. Not to just listen but to eat and dance.

Coming up is another fishing trip out of Virginia Beach, Va. and the casino trip to West Va. For those that do not know, the trip to West Virginia is an overnight trip simply because the horses run at night. This way everyone can take their time gambling and play or watch the horses that night. The last time we went fishing out of Virginia Beach, a lot of fish was caught and a couple of sharks (I kept one to cook the next day). It can not be said that Imperial Plaza does not take wonderful trips and many more are to come. Join in because a second bus can be added to accommodate the overflow of the one bus.

I see Imperial Plaza have many new residents and that is a good thing. There were too many empty apartments but they are filling quickly. I have seen new men and have asked a couple to join us men for ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out). There are many great eating joints, that we go to, that have very good food and we all have fun talking and joking with one another. If anyone know someone that want to go, tell him to sign-up and meet me at the bus. There is one thing that is good. I can drink and leave the driving to the bus driver. The women have started LIFE (Ladies In Full Effect) and they are to go to O’Charlies at the end of the week.

Well, I will close and I am sorry for being late but, as I have said, things come up that will either prevent or make an article late. Hang in there and I will get this out sooner or later (smile). During your retirement, just have fun and don’t just sit around and fade away. Life is short, take advantage of what’s left. I know I will.

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02

Aug. ’15

Activities

It is getting to be more and more exciting at Imperial Plaza these days. Trips, parties, and just plain entertainment that goes over and beyond pure fun. Just can’t get enough White Squirrel on Tuesdays and the Summer Concerts in the auditorium. Let’s not forget the monthly Dinner Dance or the bi-monthly casino trips (I won a little again) and WII bowling. But, would you believe that I still have not named everything on the schedule and there are those that still say there is not much to do at Imperial Plaza.

The other day I talked and talked to a gentleman about going out with the ROMEO group (ROMEO stand for Retired Old Men Eating Out). He and his wife have been here a long time but I can’t convince him to join us or his wife to go out with LIFE (for the women). He is not the only one I have spoken to and I get the same reaction from them. Yet, there is nothing to do here. Unbelievable!!!!

The trip to the Cultural Heritage Museum in Stautan, Va. was really great. I wish we could have spent more time there in order to see more and also not be rushed. What made it even greater was the stop for lunch at Mrs. Rowe Diner. If you want good, down home, southern, fresh (not from a can) food with homemade buns, that is the place to go. The food was delicious!!!! I want to go back just to eat so I guess I will have to drive my wife and I back to the place. The trips are becoming so popular that, at times, a second bus have to be added to accommodate everyone. It’s about time more people started to take advantage of the opportunity to get out and about with very little cost involved.

I am going to miss the Director of Activities. She is leaving for another job. The other day, I told her that I couldn’t express how much she will be missed and I didn’t think someone from the outside could come in here and do the things she have done. I wish her well.

The bicycle races are a month away and they are still working hard on city clean up, etc. This is something that should be done on a continuous basis instead of whenever a larger than large event is coming to town. This is a Capitol City and should always be presentable plus there is always a large event in town. We are always swamped with visitors, yet, we are never ready and, to piggy back onto that, it seem as though the city’s monies flows into the wrong pots. This have been happening for years and the city government still have not learned from their mistakes. By the way, parts of the races will start at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens on Lakeside Ave. and come within a block of Imperial Plaza. Lakeside Ave. and Hermitage Ave. will be shut down during that part of the races. I’ll be out there watching and cheering the racers on. Join me!!!!

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24

May. ’15

Retirement And More

Nachi-No-Taki Falls, Japan

It’s been two weeks since my last “Retirement” blog and I have decided to write this every two weeks. During the off week I will do the “Faith In God Ministries” blog (faithingodministries.net or find it on my facebook page). I’ll do it this way because I am very short on time but I also want to keep doing the blogs. So far, I have found this to be the only solution and if anyone have a better solution, let me know.

Now that it is warm and getting warmer, Imperial Plaza is going to more interesting places. We have just come from Yorktown, Va. (history buffs can look the place up) and will be going to Virginia Beach, Va. for some salt water fishing off the coast. I have fished where they are going many times and nice sized Black Bass are really plentiful this time of year. If the boat captain goes to where the ship wrecks are, there should be a lot of other fish also. This coming Wednesday is a two day trip to the casino at Charlestown, WV. Of course us ROMEO (retired old men eating out) guys have found more interesting restaurants. We have been to the Marine Museum at Quantico, the White House and a few other places. It is restful and a lot of fun when someone else is driving and the cost is low. Retirement is wonderful.

When I was younger I never thought about when I would get older and retire nor what it would be like. It was as if I would never get older or retire. My mind was never thinking that far ahead. Sure, I heard all about saving for retirement and all the other commercials that came with that but it still was something far off into the future, not right around the corner. Well, it’s here and have been for a few years now (boy, time flies) and I want to enjoy every minute of it because tomorrow is not promised. I could run into a bad cop or just keel over, who knows? I made it this far and want to enjoy what is left before it is too late.

Richmond is getting ready for the bicycle races that will be here in September. There will be participants and observers from all over the world. It will also be televised and I plan on watching from the sidelines. I will probably get a better view on TV because it will be covering many miles, through many sections of the city. I want to be in that circle for the time trials and whatever else that happens there. This is a once in a lifetime event because it may not be here next year or again during my lifetime. I love riding my bike so I’ll ride my bike to the races to avoid traffic and parking but I am not the person for competition nor am I young enough. I leave that to the younger guys and gals.

Before I close I just want to say that I want you to enjoy life and, when you decide to retire, enjoy it even more. There are many things out there and all you have to do is get out and find it. There are so many things geared toward people that are retired, even the handicapped. There is no excuse not to enjoy the things that are there. Life is short, enjoy it now.

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18

Apr. ’15

Time For Everything

Finally started riding my bike and I found out, quickly, that I am a little out of shape. It won’t take long to get my body back into shape which will mean I can then explore further out and be out a much longer time, like I used to. It feels so good to be out early in the morning, before a lot of traffic and when it is cooler. I also love to ride until I sweat because I believe it releases a lot of toxins that is in the body. Sweat is good but I must have time to wash the funk away. LOL It also provides a peaceful solitude for thinking.

Now that I am a Deacon, I must have my mind in the right place and think about what is coming up. I must pray and prepare. I believe and have witnessed going from not having any idea about what direction I was going in or what to say to having a revelation that is clear as a bell. Sometimes it is well in advance and at times it is at the last minute. I just let God and God has never let me down yet and never will. That is where bike riding come into the picture. Solitude, peacefulness, exercise and release of toxins gives me insight into what I must do. It also gives me energy to do the multitude of things that is on my plate. I have to take things slower than when I was younger because at my age I must remember that my body tire easier.

Lately the weather have been mostly good and I even had the opportunity to have my car washed. I needed an interior cleaning more than anything else because I am lazy. The exterior is getting more pollen than dirt but the frequent showers we are getting help wash off the car occasionally. Now those little green worms are dangling from their web cords everywhere. It’s just starting and, in a few days, they will be everywhere. I will then have a use for them.

The other day I received in the mail order I made the other night. I now have a Venus Fly Trap. I sat it up and will have to wait a few days for the plants to take hold of it surroundings. When the rest of the pods (I think that is what the little mouths are called) open I will feed it a worm or two. The instructions say it only eats one bug once a week per plant. I have two therefore I won’t hurt the worm population at all. The instruction paper say the plant doesn’t have to eat, it will just be smaller. There are a lot of plants in the apartment and that takes a bit of caring also. Then I have my fish tank.

I must mention that my wife and I went on the Imperial Plaza bus trip to tour the White House and then ate at a fine restaurant across the street from the White House. The President’s motorcade turned the corner, heading back to the White House, while we were waiting for our bus. We didn’t see the helicopter but heard the one man helicopter that landed on the Capitol lawn. What a trip we had and a trip to the Pentagon is being planned. Imperial Plaza always have good trips like ROMEO (check previous blogs to see what that stand for) trips once a month.

Next week the blog will have more things that I hope is interesting for all to read. I should have some stuff concerning what is going on with Imperial Plaza (oh, I forget, Brookdale’s Imperial Plaza). So until the next time take care, be good, stay safe and God bless you all.

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13

Oct. ’14

Football and Exercising

I am into pro-football and my favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys.  Win or lose, I’m with them all the way.  Each team, in the NFL, is lacking something or there are injuries to key personnel or other things I just can’t say at the moment.  I’ve been for the Cowboys from the beginning, when they were first formed.  Believe it or not, I was a Baltimore Colt fan before that.  You can remember black and white television, outside stadiums, Johnny Unitas, Ray Berry, Snowshoe Moore, and, when it rained or snowed, plenty of gooey mud.  Those were some good Sunday afternoons.

I called some of my friends, those that are Washington Redskins fans and detest the Dallas Cowboys.  This is what I said when they answered the phone….”I have only one sentence to say and that is five and one against one and five”.  The Dallas Cowboys, so far, have won five games and lost one and the
Redskins have won one and lost five.  I shouldn’t say more but I have this one thing.  They beat last year’s Superbowl champions and I didn’t think they could do it.  That’s how much I know.

I am getting my exercise the hard way and it’s accidental.  There are two elevators in my building and one was broken, the other day.  To make matters worse, someone was moving in and had that elevator dedicated to the move.  I had to walk the stairs, seven floors, but I’ve walked it before.  It felt really good and I will continue as much as I can and, hopefully get back into some sort of shape.  I have exercise equipment in my apartment and there is a gym in the next building.  I used to use it all the time but, lately, I’ve gotten lethargic.

I don’t even want to ride my bicycle or do my walks.  I just want to watch my pro-football.  Every now and then I’ll watch some college football.  Taking a closer look and really thinking about it, a football fan and exercising does not go hand in hand.  A fan eats plenty of food, on the couch or tailgating, while sitting around watching a game.  Now that is exercise coupled with enjoyment.  At least the eyes and mind gets a great deal of exercise and that includes the voice.

Some people will call me lazy however, as I look at those around me, there is only one other person, man, that is exercising and riding his bicycle.  He is a retired military man also and I guess it is drilled into our heads to stay in shape no matter how old you are or your condition.  There are only three of us military retirees here at Imperial Plaza and all three of us are in better shape than a lot of people much younger than we are here at Imperial Plaza.

Anyway, I will be getting more exercise, trying to get into better shape.  Take care and see you around.

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29

Sep. ’14

Musings

I am having problems syncing my blog with my other sites, such as Facebook. If I don’t fix the problem soon I will go back to my old computer until I get it in order. Then, not only will the people that only come to my blog page see what I have written, the people that follow my other sites will see the blog also.

Imperial Plaza Activities is really getting a lot more on it’s calendar and I am finding it hard to participate in most of it and I find I am spending more money than I intended. The activities doesn’t cost much but it adds up quickly and then you find you are getting close to being broke, if not broke. However, it does not cost as much as when you go it alone or with another outside agency.

I was thinking, the other day (that can be a dangerous situation) and estimated the number of mobile people that live within the four units and I then began to realize that only a very small percentage of the residents participate in anything that happens here. This includes the Townhall Meetings in which only about half of the auditorium (on a good day) is occupied.

It is finally fall, the air is cooler and the leaves are beginning to change. I will have to get more bicycle riding done and do other exercises. My wardrobe is getting smaller and smaller and I mean size, not volume. On my job, I wear dress pants and I don’t like the squeezed feeling I have for eight hours. Since I can’t just leave my pants open, like I do at home, I will have to buy larger pants. I’m getting that old age spread. Back to the gym and cycling.

Have you noticed the new shows on the fall lineup on television? I like to watch pro-football and they have some good shows at the same time the games are on and that include Thursday night. Now I have to watch a lot of shows, on my tablet or laptop, a few days later. I don’t like to do it because of the constant buffering but I guess I will have to put up with it if I want to see the show.

I guess I am now officially part of the government’s Health System because I received a letter saying they will give my specialty care to a civilian facility because they are overbooked. I phoned them and said I had one they can assign me to and to tell my doctor to call me (I even faxed them my records from the place in order to give them a head start). That was a week ago and I haven’t heard from anyone about anything. Oh well, I guess it’s like when you file a claim, hurry up and wait. How long does it take to make a quick phone call and to say yes or no to my suggestion.

See you next time………………;)

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25

May. ’14

Happy Retirement

Thinking about being retired, how long it has taken to be considered retired and exactly what I am to do now.  Such a long wait, such great fun while waiting to retire and now the real fun is to begin.  I have fun having fun and I have fun working.  Which should I do and, most importantly, how much of this so called working fun should I take.  It is important to throw into the equation fun divided by work to equal more than ever fun.  I found the solution and it is as nostalgic as it is fun.  To balance with the things I am already doing I have started a part-time job.  It is working a mid-shift every other weekend.  I have worked too many midnight shifts to even attempt to count.  Being in the military, a cop and private security, working weekends, holidays and midnight shifts was a given.  After a while you forget what day it is, whether it is a weekend or a holiday.  They all seem the same and you don’t care anymore.

However, I will still go on trips.  I will still ride my bicycle all over the city.  I will still salt water fish.  I will still read.  I will still write.  I will still have so much to do and will enjoy every minute of it.  A person never knows when the end is near and a person should enjoy every minute that is left.  Tomorrow is not promised.  All I can say to all of my comrades enjoy life while you can because I am trying to enjoy mine while I have the energy and mobility to do it.

I was contacted by men I supervised in German thirty years ago and what a surprise to get that e-mail.  There is, so far, one that lives close by (if you want to call Charlottesville close by) and we talked on the phone for almost an hour.  We will have to meet and have lunch or something.  As for the other guys, well I will attempt to meet with some of them also although they are in other states.  I hope to get e-mail addresses from some of the other guys.  I really don’t hold out much hope but it would be nice if it happens.

I wish a Very HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY and be CAREFUL with whatever you do!!!!

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17

May. ’14

New Developments

Things have really changed since my last writing.  For those that do not know my background I will say this…..it was colorful and varied and I really enjoyed all of it.  I am retired from the air force and have had many careers since then with another retirement included.

I decided to apply for a part-time job, that was seen in the papers, to have a little extra spending change and to take up the rest of my free time (I know I am crazy).  I have been training all week and will be on my own next weekend.  The job will have me working midnight shifts Friday and Saturday nights, every other weekend.  That’s not bad and it will give me a little change in my pocket and it won’t take up all my time or all my weekends.

The second thing that happened is the message I received from one of my EX-air force comrades.  I had no idea anyone was looking for me and I did not know there will be a reunion of the guys I worked with in Germany.  These were great guys although they were not K-9 (smile).  I worked with these guys as their security supervisor and, if I may say so, we had a great time.  There was always something happening (I should write a book about the things that happened).  There were a few guys that came to North Dakota where I became the First Sergeant.  Again we had some good times together although not as much.  I was invited to the reunion but I cannot go to Chicago because of other commitments during that time frame.

Needless to say, I haven’t had time to ride my bike but I will tomorrow.  The weather will be good and I shouldn’t have anything to do.  RICHMOND AND HENRICO LOOK OUT BECAUSE HERE I COME!!  The temperature should be low (around 75’) and it will have a light wind from the north.  That will be great for riding and Richmond is becoming safer for us on bicycle.  I am glad to be here, in a city and county that is bike friendly and will be more so as time go by.

Not forgetting Imperial Plaza, tomorrow is WII day in the White Squirrel and Wednesday is a trip to the Eastern Shore.  TAKE CARE!!!!  Don’t forget to click “like” and/or “follow”.  BYE-BYE!!!

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11

May. ’14

Warm Weather

I know I am late getting this out but, yesterday, I was at a Mother’s Day/Graduation Celebration at my daughter’s house in Chesterfield.  Her daughter just graduated Richard Bland College (a branch of William and Mary University).  Everyone was there and it was great.  To all the mothers that read this HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY and many more to come.  I hope that you are taking it easy today or, if you are reading this after Sunday, you took it easy and had a great day.  You all deserve it more than I can say.

I haven’t had much time to ride my bicycle because of commitments and the weather.  I know there are riders that ride in any weather, at any time, but I do not.  Mine is strictly a fair weather thing and for exercise.  It is better than a stationary bike and requires many more muscles.  On a two wheeler, a person must maintain balance, go up and down hill, dodge vehicles and obstacles and use almost every muscle in the body.  That is exercise over being on a gym bike.

The people playing the WII on Thursday and Sunday afternoons (ran by my wife, Alba) seem to be having a good time.  I have sat in the White Squirrel drinking draft beers and cheering them on.  A couple of people, which have been there from the beginning, have been absent the past couple of times but the majority is still there and wants to expand.  They are looking great and, believe it or not, it is mild exercise.

Imperial Plaza, as scheduled, went to Maryland Live casino and, as usual, it was great.  I enjoy these trips because I don’t have to drive and it is so relaxing.  This way I can eat, drink alcohol and play without the thought of driving.  The bus still had empty seats although it is usually full.  Maybe people are finding other things to do during the warm weather months.  I understand because I also have so much on my plate that I can’t attend everything I used to attend.  I will try to do better but, as I said a few times before, I will get my bicycling in when the weather allows.

I am asking you to pass this blog on to others as well as my Facebook page and my writings with Yahoo Voices.  Bye-bye!

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03

May. ’14

The Bicycle Races Are Here

Now that the bad weather bought about the real spring it is now the actual time for bicycling in earnest.  I have been out and about parts of these fine locations (we are a few yards from Henrico) and I have traveled both by two wheels and have had lots of fun doing it although my rear end disagree.  The small seat, which comes with the purchase of the bicycle, really does a number on your rear end.  I understand why a lot of bicyclists rise up to ride.

I ordered and received a larger and softer seat for my Schwinn and it feels wonderful.  I don’t know why it doesn’t already come equipped this way.  I guess the company wants a person to spend more money for additional equipment.   I don’t mind as long as it’s something that is necessary.

I guess you have heard about the National Bicycle Championship being held here in Richmond this weekend.  I rode my regular route yesterday, which was Friday, and then headed downtown to check out the time trials.  It was a nice setup and I think the International Bicycle Races, next year, will be pleased with the route.  This year’s contest is on a portion of the track for next year.

There were not a lot of people watching and I am guessing it was because it was a workday Friday.  Today and tomorrow should be much different and have crowds everywhere.  Richmond has something for everyone and that is something most cities can’t say.  In fact there are three or four major events happening at the same time.  Each week there is something different in the area and at Imperial Plaza.

Next Wednesday Imperial Plaza will again go to Maryland Live casino and, of course, my wife and I hope to be there.  It should be a lot of fun and the weather should cooperate.  I expect to lose, as usual, but it is fun eating, trying to hit a jackpot as well as just getting away for a few hours.  That’s what it is all about.

I’ve had a couple people say they don’t know when a new blog is out.  Just look to the right and “follow” or “subscribe” and every time a new blog is posted, you will automatically know.  You may comment or contact me, which ever or both.  Oh, by the way…..FISHING TIME!

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