Strange as it may seem, bushhogging gives me both a sense of Zen and a feeling of accomplishment. It took me years to reach that point, and I was happy to relive it again last week. As a bonus, I had an ongoing interaction with a persistent crow, who turned out to be pretty smart.
Continue reading “Bushhogging”
I’m ready for spring to end. I love the warmth and flowers. I love the world turning green. What am I not loving? The tree pollen with the continual burning and itching in my eyes. The coughing. My plugged nose. When the pollen forms a yellow slick on the pond, you know it’s heavy.
Continue reading “Itchy Eyes”
Yea, we own a Schnupfmaschine (Snuff Machine). What, you might ask, is a Schnupfmaschine? An ingenious little German contraption for shooting snuff up your nose. And why would you want to do that? Well, that story is a little longer, and perhaps a bit nonsensical.
Continue reading “Die Schnupfmaschine”
A little dark humor. When I have stress dreams, they often take place at West Point. It is usually some version of a final exam coming up, and I haven’t studied or been to class all semester (yes, I know that could not happen at West Point, but it is a dream after all).
Continue reading “Stress Dreams”
Well shut my mouth! For the first time, I won a lottery here in Virginia through the state Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Store. My prize? A bottle of Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Old Bourbon for $150. It’s almost impossible to find, and if you do find it, it’s usually over $700 a bottle.
Continue reading “Van Winkle 12 Year Old Bourbon”
Last Christmas Eve, I was talking with our nephew Casey. He mentioned a visit to our home as a young boy, and then asked “Do you remember making cheese fondue at the cabin? That was so cool!” The memories of that weekend, and our ‘70s era burnt orange fondue pot came flooding back.
Continue reading “Cheese Fondue”
Oktoberfest in München, Germany is from September 21 to October 6th this year. Thinking back, I remember our adventures there in ‘87 with our friends Tim and Bobby. Cathy injured her arm on the rollercoaster at the fest grounds and had to drink her liter mugs of bier with one arm in a sling for the rest of the day.
Our old friend Tim and his buddy Bobby visited us in the Fall of ‘87. At the time, we were stationed in Worms, Germany. Upon arrival, they spent a few days at our house*, and then boarded a train to tour parts of Germany, Austria and Northern Italy. Before they left, we agreed we’d all meet at a location in the München Bahnhof (Train Station) eight days hence and go to Oktoberfest together. This was before cellphones, or texts or email so coordination was a bit trickier. Plus, phone calls in Europe, especially country-to-country were expensive and we avoided them unless necessary.
Cathy and I had, of course, visited many bier and wein festivals in Germany over the years. We usually enjoyed the smaller local festivals more than the big ones. To borrow a word from the Germans, the smaller fests tended to be more “Gemütlich”, a word that doesn’t really translate well to English, but roughly means a combination of fun, pleasant, comfortable, friendly and of good cheer. When Tim asked about joining them at THE Oktoberfest, we agreed to give it a go, and would meet them in München.
The München Oktoberfest is huge – part bierfest, part carnival, part party and part madhouse. Last year, visitors consumed over 6.5 million liters (a little over 1.7 million gallons) of bier at the festival. Only bier brewed at the city of Munich’s breweries is served. Anyone who has visited München knows about the Hofbrau Haus, but there are actually five other breweries in the city besides Hofbrau, including: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten. The breweries all adhere to Germany’s beer purity law from 1516, the Reinheitsgebot, which states beer is only made from four ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast.
On the day before our link up, Cathy and I drove to Augsburg, Germany, about an hour outside of München. There we had reservations for a Gasthaus for the next two nights and for Tim and Bobby on the second night. We spent the night in Augsburg and the next morning, took the train to München. At the Bahnhof in München, all of us miraculously arrived at the appointed time. Then it was off to the Fest!
Paulaner was always my favorite München bier, so when we arrived at the Fest Grounds, we made a beeline to the Paulaner tent. Each of the breweries have massive tents that can hold thousands of people. People sometimes hang all day at one tent, while others move from place to place. The only problem with the second option is the tents fill up early and stay packed. Giving up your seats in one tent doesn’t guarantee seats in another.
As we were finishing our first liter at Paulaner, we were trying to decide what to do next. Someone suggested that if we were going to ride any carnival rides, we should do that now, before consuming more bier. We made the ill-fated decision to ride the rollercoaster before going to the Hacker-Pschorr tent.
At the roller coaster, Tim and I climbed in one car and Bobby and Cathy jumped in the next. I should point out Bobby was only a few inches taller than Cathy, but probably weighed 75 pounds more. You might see where this is going.
The rollercoaster took off and rapidly gained speed. At the second corner, it made a sharp left turn and Bobby slid hard into Cathy, slamming her into the right side of the rollercoaster car. When we all got off the rollercoaster a few minutes later, Cathy could not move or lift her right arm without pain. In fact, she could hardly move the arm at all. What to do!?
Well, it turned out Oktoberfest had its very own first aid station with doctors and we visited it (in 2023, over 8,000 people used the aid station during the festival). Still early in the day, there were no patients yet. Cathy got right in, while Tim, Bobby and I waited outside. Eventually she returned with her arm in a sling. They didn’t believe she broke any bones, but had severely pulled the muscles around the shoulder and strained some ligaments. They put her in a sling to immobilize her arm and gave her aspirin for the pain.
What to do now? Of course we headed to the Hacker-Pschorr tent and ordered four biers. As the biers arrived, Cath ran into a slight problem. She’s right-handed and that’s the arm she injured, so she had to drink with her left hand. It sounds simple, but liter mugs are heavy, especially when full of bier. She ended up holding the stein in her left hand and then used her right hand (in the sling) to support the mug from the bottom. It was quite the operation. ;-).
The rest of the day was a fun time, and anyone who knows Cathy, knows she’s a trooper. We made it to a couple of other tents along the way and also ate some great food. I think Cath and Bobby both had the famous roast chicken, while Tim and I ordered grilled ham hocks the size of small hams. I’ve never seen ham hocks that big before or since. They were huge, and oh-so-tasty.
Eventually it was getting late and we caught a train back to Augsburg. It was crammed with other revelers heading out of the city. There were various states of intoxication, but people were all in a good mood – a few were still singing German songs, while others tried to sleep. About an hour later we arrived in Augsburg, and finally made it to the hotel and bed.
The next morning, I woke up and felt surprisingly good. After taking a shower, I heard Cathy call out to me. She was in bed, but couldn’t turn over or get out of bed – her arm was of no use. I turned her over and other than her arm hurting like hell, she was ok. We put her arm back in the sling.
We linked up with Bobby and Tim for breakfast and then the four of us made the drive back to Worms. The next day, Cathy went to the doctor’s office. Diagnosis? Just as the doctor said at Oktoberfest, she had some pulled muscles and strained ligaments. She ended up wearing the sling for two more weeks.
We joked later that rather than riding the roller coaster early, we should have skipped it all together and stuck to the bier tents. It would have been a safer day. 😉
Addendum:
In the summer of ‘87, my folks visited us in Germany. We had a grand time touring Germany, Austria, Northern Italy and Switzerland. One of the highlights was Glacier Skiing at Sölden, Austria and then afterwards, hanging at the Lodge drinking bier, while Cathy worked on her tan.
On our first tour in Germany from ‘79-83, Mom and Dad visited once for a vacation in the summer of 1982. I was a Company Commander in the 34th Signal Battalion at the time and the day we were to leave on vacation with them, the phone rang about 4AM. Cath said, “Don’t Answer it”. I said, “I have to.” She answered back, “Don’t answer it.” I answered the phone.
The call came from Battalion Headquarters and we deployed on an alert for the next three days. While I was in the field, Cath showed Mom and Dad around Southern Germany and the Black Forest. When I returned from the alert, we travelled the next ten days together. Dad understood what happened with the alert and why I had to go, but I’m not sure Mom did.
When we moved back to Germany in ‘85, we didn’t think Mom and Dad could afford another visit. Airline travel was expensive, as was the trip itself. Then, fate intervened. Dad hit 5 out of 6 numbers on a lottery ticket and won several thousand dollars. Never ones to let extra money go to waste, they scheduled a visit with us in Worms in the summer of 1987.
When they arrived, we spent the first few days near Worms and the village of Rheindurkheim, where we lived. In addition to introducing them to local friends, we spent an evening at one of our favorite Weinfests. Everyone enjoyed themselves, or at least that’s what the photos seemed to indicate.
Eventually, we left Rheindurkheim and headed South for the main part of the vacation. I’m not sure why, but Cath and I decided to take our skis along and get some Glacier skiing in, something we’d never done before. Looking back now, it seems an odd decision. Mom and Dad wouldn’t ski, but I’m sure we talked with them about it. In any case, off we went down the Autobahn with the skis strapped on the roof rack of our Saab.
After visiting good friends Jim and Res in Stuttgart for a night, we made our way to the Alps. We planned a drive through Austria, Northern Italy and Switzerland, but started with Sölden, Austria where we would ski. In the 1980s, you could still ski Sölden virtually all year long*.
Glacier skiing is a bit different from regular skiing. You have to hit the slopes early, and most people only ski in the AM. By late morning, the sun has warmed the slope and the glacier starts turning to slush. Also, as the morning wears on, the snow/ice on the glacier tends to become gravelly, not quite ice and not quite snow.
That first night at Sölden, we ate dinner in the little Gasthaus where we were staying. We discussed skiing the following morning. Cathy was thinking about skiing in her bikini and I was up for wearing a pair of shorts. Ultimately, we decided to ski in sweats and jeans. If we fell, the gravelly snow would scrape us up pretty good.
The next day, after an early breakfast of Kaffee, Brotchen, Wurst und Käse (Coffee, rolls, sausage and cheese) we made our way to the slope and were skiing by 7:30AM. We’d told Mom and Dad they could hang at the Gasthaus, but they insisted on coming with us to the ski lodge. Dad took a photo as we headed to the lift.
Cath and I spent the next three hours skiing the glacier and it was wonderful. The piste (ski trail) wasn’t crowded, the snow was in great shape and we were skiing well. Occasionally, we’d check on Mom and Dad who were drinking Kaffee on a picnic table outside the lodge. Dad snapped some pics of us skiing, but for the life of me, I can’t find them. Around 10:30 the snow started getting slushy. By 11, we were through. We started getting wet from the knees down and were tired from the morning’s activities. In the additional good news department, we hadn’t fallen all morning.
We stacked our skis in a rack, joined Mom and Dad and ordered some biers. Cathy stripped off her sweater and jeans, revealing the bikini she wore underneath. In the photo I took of Cath with Mom and Dad, I love the bored/sullen Euro look she adopted. Just another ho-hum day skiing the Alps and catching rays.
We spent one more night in Sölden, before heading for Nauders, Austria right on the Italian border. We’d previously skied a couple of winters there. After a couple of days seeing friends, we eventually crossed into Italy and then Switzerland, having an occasional roadside lunch of bread, cheese and wine. One day we forgot glasses, but that didn’t stop us. ;-).
We worked our way to Davos, where we enjoyed a multi-course 5-Star meal at a restaurant just outside of town. At our hotel that night, we saw fireworks going off in the mountains across the valley. It was the celebration of the Swiss National Day, their equivalent to our 4th of July and pretty amazing. At the time, we had no clue about the importance of Davos or the World Economic Forum. All we knew was that we ate a great meal that evening and then saw a cool light show in the Alps.
Eventually, we returned to Rheindurkheim and other adventures, before Mom and Dad flew home.
It’s funny, I remember many parts of that vacation**, but for some reason skiing the glacier at Sölden stands out. It was only a small part of the trip, but remains firmly in my mind. Maybe it was the fun of the day. Maybe it was the skiing. Maybe it was just the remembrance of my wife soaking up sunshine in a bikini at the ski lodge after a morning of good play. All our days should be so happy.
Addendum:
My friend John told me a story about once taking on a high-level job after his predecessor was fired. He knew the guy (Sandy) he was replacing and asked him if he had any advice. Sandy gave him the usual pablum, and then said “I’ve left you three letters in the top drawer of the desk. If you get in trouble, open each of the letters in turn.”
John took on the job and it was quite a challenge. After about three or four months, things weren’t going very well and he decided to open the first of the letters. He opened it and inside was a single sheet of paper. On it, Sandy had written “Blame your predecessor (me) for the issues. That will give you some more time.”
John thought about it some. He didn’t want to throw Sandy under the bus, but then thought, hell the advice came from Sandy himself and he decided to do it.
At the next board meeting he explained he had uncovered some new issues and they were directly caused by Sandy and his time with the company. The board nodded in agreement and told him to proceed and fix things.
Six months later, things hadn’t improved much. John was getting a bit desperate again and opened the second letter. For the second time, there was a single sheet of paper inside and on it, Sandy had written, “Reorganize.”
John thought to himself, “Of course! Brilliant idea!” And so, at the next board meeting John explained he was reorganizing and this would bring greater efficiency and increased profits. The chairman nodded in agreement and said, “That sounds good John, but let’s get on with it. We’ve put our faith in you.”
Another six months went by and things didn’t get any better. As a matter of fact, they might have become worse. Reluctantly, John decided he needed to open the last letter from Sandy.
For the third time, there was a single sheet of paper inside. On this one, Sandy had written, “Write three letters!”
__ 😉 __
No, not a true story, but I think a funny one. And while not a true story, there is some truth to what people try and do to improve an organization. As a SR VP in a publicly traded company, a COO for a private company, and the Chairman of a small IT Services company, I’ve seen all types of leaders and managers. I’ve never thought the blame game helped anyone and I’ve never been a believer in change for changes sake. Some “leaders” seem to do both.
The cashew I was eating one evening last week cracked a filling and broke a piece off of one of my crowns. Sixteen hours later, I was sitting in a chair at Gainesville Dental Associates with the filling repaired and a temporary crown in place. I don’t think people say it very often, but I love my dentist.
It was about 8:30 or 9:00PM and I was watching some bad TV. I decided to have a snack and went in the kitchen and served myself a half a cup of cashews.
As I sat back on the couch, I popped one in my mouth. It crunched and somehow became totally lodged between two teeth, or so I thought at the time. I tried removing it with a toothpick, and then with floss, but when the floss cut in half three times in a row, I knew something was wrong. I eventually removed the nut, but there was a half gap where a tooth used to be. Strangely, I felt no pain.
I called my dentist’s office, Gainesville Dental Associates, and asked if they could call me back in the morning so we could schedule an appointment to have the tooth looked at. I figured, with luck, they could get me in within the next few days.
Early the next morning as I returned from the barn, my phone rang. The dentist’s office was returning my call. I again explained what happened and was hoping for an appointment as soon as possible. “Just a moment.” the person said, and after a few seconds, “Could you be here at 2:50 this afternoon?” “Of course!”, I answered and thanked her profusely.
That afternoon, when I arrived at the dentist’s they escorted me to the exam room. As I spoke with the tech who was taking X-rays and would be assisting the dentist, I expressed my surprise at receiving an appointment so quickly. It turns out the office runs between 7AM and 8PM (they run two shifts) and they always keep a couple of slots free during the day for emergencies. All I can say is what a brilliant idea – I certainly benefited from it.
The X-rays showed one of my fillings had cracked, AND part of a crown had cracked and separated from the tooth (and disappeared). There was no pain because the crown covered a root canal from years before and hence, there was no feeling in the tooth. The sharp edge of the remaining part of the crown is what cut my floss the night before. That must have been one hard nut.
The dentist came in and we spoke a bit and went over options. Ultimately, we decided to repair the cracked filling and replace the crown. He started immediately.
For the next 1 1/2 hours, the dentist, the tech, and I became buds of sorts. Rock music played in the background and there were bits of conversation. As they were starting to work on the crown they put a small “shield” in my mouth between the tooth and my cheek to help protect the cheek. Of course as time progressed, I kept playing with it with my tongue trying to figure it out, and then trying to decide what it was made of. Finally, I said to the dentist during a break, “What’s the shield made of, plastic or cardboard?” He looked at me and said, “Are you an engineer?” I answered, “what?!”. He said again, “Are you an engineer?”, and I answered, “Well as a matter of fact I am. Why?” He then laughed and said, “My brother’s an engineer and that’s exactly the kind of question he asks!” We both chuckled and talked a bit about engineers and their ways. I told him my favorite engineer joke which he laughed at out loud and planned to tell his brother the next time he saw him. (For the record, the shield is made out of plastic AND cardboard.)
The work continued. They took a mold for my permanent crown and measured for a temporary crown until the permanent crown is ready.
My dentist left and the tech finished putting the temporary crown in place. She then talked about things to do and not do until the permanent crown is in. Chief among the advice – “Do not eat any nuts!”
I’ve been with Gainesville Dental Associates for over 25 years. They’ve been great the whole time. Whether routine cleaning, exams, handling a couple of issues I had, or responding to my plea for help this past week, they’ve always risen to the occasion and done an excellent job. If you live in the Warrenton/Manassas/Gainesville/Haymarket area, you should definitely consider using them. You won’t regret it.
As for me, I’ll be back on August 6th, when they’ll put my permanent crown in.
Addendum:
Live Life Exuberantly 