Monday

It is Monday night and I am ready to take another sabbatical. We are preparing to get up at the crack of dawn and go to the airport to begin our nine day Las Vegas vacation.

Our direct flight leaves at 7 am and figuring to be there at least two hours before we will have to get up around 3:30 am.

I was better off when I worked. Then at least I could sleep until 6 am.

Anyway, this is it. I'll write when we are back home again.

Sunday

I have pretty good excuse why I didn't write for a couple of days.

God bless my wife, she doesn't hesitate to come up with road trips that are several miles. She is used to marathon car trips having made many to Florida and back at very short notice.

Anyway she decided that since we had nothing to do why din't we drive up to Niagara Falls and back in one  day.

With my exceptions nobody in the family ever saw Niagara Falls before so we packed up Abigail,  my wife's son, his girlfriend and their dog and took off at the crack of dawn of Saturday.

Seven and a half hours and 460 miles later we were standing at awe by the falls. It was a beautiful day and the place was understandingly mobbed but we always found spots to see the falls and whatever beautiful sights there were to see.

We only saw the American side but that was enough at this time. I visited there once in the 1960s and I don't think things changed much but it was still awesome to see it again.

All this water rushing down affects people. I peed a lot!

We got there around 2 pm and stayed the entire afternoon figuring there was no rush in coming home. The drive home was beautiful. Open highway, no cars, high speed limit. The dog behaved admirably but we still needed to stop a few times so he could stretch his four legs and empty his bladder.

Got home around three thirty am and had no difficulty going to sleep.

Compared to the Niagara Falls Amish Country seems like it is next door.

Thursday

Today we had a very busy day. There was some housecleaning done in the morning then we decided to take a ride into Manhattan and visit the Hungarian pastry shop.

They have good stuff and we haven't been there in quite a while. So, into the car and head to Manhattan. Were lucky enough to find a parking spot and satisfied our sweet teeth (not sweet tooth) with good pastry. This was a fitting finish after yesterday's visit to the semi-Hungarian butcher shop where we bought good Hungarian cold cuts.

My verdict is that nobody make good cold cuts like the Hungarians do.

Afternoon we bought me a small carry on suitcase. Actually we bought one a few days ago but I believed it was too large for a carry on so today we returned it and bought a smaller one.

The previous one  was 24" while the new one is 22" and I think the limit is 22". Jet Blue unfortunately does not give a break on checkin luggage no matter what mode of charge one uses. So, hell with them www will carry our luggage on to the plane.

Eventually we got home, had dinner and settled down to watch some olympics. Time went by fast, it started two weeks ago and it will be over in a few days. I'll miss it because I love watching these different sports.

Wednesday

Today is the 53rd Wedding Anniversary of my besets friend and his wife. This is a fantastic accomplishment by any standard. They are two of the nicest people I know and I am proud to call them my friends.

Him and I grew up together and came to this country together. He worked hard and created a beautiful family that includes two children and a multitude of grandkids.

I was  his best man at his wedding in 1963 and thinking back how much have happened in all that time.

My wife and I wish them both many, many years of health and happiness from here on!

Being sentimental brings up another thing.

Today I had lunch with some former colleagues from the company I retired from. These guys I knew for over 40 years and today we met for a brief lunch. We all are pretty much the same age and it was interesting to se how each is handling the passing of time.

Some still work some are totally retired. Unfortunately the retirees are  retired not on their own volition. Things were slow and they were asked to "voluntarily" retire. None had a choice so they did.

But today it was happy bunch that got together for a Chinese lunch and relived the good old days. We talked about people we lost through there years, asked about some people we lost contact with, talked about our personal lives and other stuff.

We worked together for about forty years. We did know a lot about each other's personal lives so it was not being nosy to inquire.

Once the lunch was over we agreed to meet a year from now again. Back in the good old days we saw each other every day but had no choice. Now we have a choice and once a year is enough!

Monday/Tuesday

I skipped writing last night but not intentionally. Just ran out of time.

As I mentioned earlier next week we are going to Las Vegas and we thought it was time to decide what we want to do while there.

So, last night was the time when we arranged the car rental and bought our show tickets. Easier said than done.

Everything we bought we checked out first at different site because as many a site one checks there are so many different prices. And this ate up most of the night. B the time we were done my creative juices dried up.

But, we secured a few tickets to a few good shows. At least I hope they are good shows. Time will tell.

But sadly, a good Las Vegas institution fell by the wayside. In our previous trips there was a thing called self parking that was available at all the hotels for free. No matter which hotel we visited we just drove there and parked the car and it was all free.

We just found out that since just recently about ten or twelve of the large hotels now charge for the self parking.  Not nice.

But this is America and we just going to have to deal with it.

Sunday

The heat is taking unbelievable heights in New York. 95 to 100 degrees in the shade. That is the norm in the past few days.

Today my wife and I drove into Manhattan to our favorite antique  selling place. We didn't leave early but it was still interesting to see how empty the roads were. Once we got to the location it turned out that only a handful of exhibitors showed up. This is usually set up in an empty lot and that lot was mainly unoccupied.

Our drive back to Queens was just as fast as it was going in the City. It seemed the people either just didn't want to come out or all went to the neighboring beaches.

When we were in Honolulu within one of the major hotels there was a fair sized lagoon. While we were at the hotel's beach we thought we would try the lagoon. It was ice cold. Very few people were in it I guess because of that.

So now whenever I get were hot and sweaty I keep remembering the lagoon in Honolulu.

And you know what? It doesn't help. I still stay hot and sweaty.

Saturday

i used to love the sun and water. I always thought I could live my life on a beach in the shadows of palm trees and nice clear blue waters at my feet.

I used to cook myself under the sun or in the waters with never an problems at all. Regardless that my dermatologist advised me against too much sun I just didn't listen.

Well, this summer I am paying for my stubbornness. I developed a mild skin condition that it seems is the result of too much sun.

It is now the middle of August and I have not been to the beach, yet. And, it doesn't look like I will. Except I was on the beach in Hawaii but that was forgivable. Who goes to Hawaii and skips going to the beach?

In about ten days we are going to Las Vegas and I am sure I will spend a good deal of time in the pool. How else to combat the 104 degree heat? But I will certainly have to protect my face which I will.

In New York lately the temperature climbed over 100 degrees. Psychologically it is killing me not being able to cool myself in the ocean. But I will deal with it since I have to understand that it is for my benefit.

Friday

It is beyond comprehension how we are surrounded with incompetent people who have jobs and getting paid for being stupid.

Today was the perfect example for my outburst.

Case in point: Early this year I returned quite early my 2014 leased Hyundai and bought a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. At the time the dealer assured me they would take care of all the necessary payments, I have nothing to worry about. This was in March of this year.

I found out that nothing was done and this resulted my credit rating taking a huge dive. After back and forth telephone calls it turned out that some was paid but there was still a considerable balance.

They adjusted my credit rating and it just stuck its head through the surface. The dealer swore that they paid it all and nobody understood where the money went.

I called the company today and finally they told me the there was no outstanding balance and my account was to be closed. There were no apologies for the screw up but they did say the credit score would be adjusted in time.

Case in point: I had an argument with AT&T about some outstanding bills. I called them today and it took me over an hour after talking to every idiot on their payroll to finally getting to the point where they promised to send me back statements that would justify their claim.

The upsetting thing was that every time I was transferred to somebody else I was given different responses to my inquiries. I also believe that some of the responders were not even in this country because whenever I pressed for more information they immediately transferred me to American speaking individuals.

And these people have jobs!                  

Thursday

It is unbelievable how much administrative work a little family like ours need. By administrative I mean financial management.

Ever since my wife talked me into paying our bill on line we do nothing but watch the calendar and make sure everything is paid on time.

We didn't choose automatic payments because atlas we want to be the masters of our finances, meaning paying bill when we want them paid and not when the companies want to.

So, today we stayed home to recover from the Amish Country jet leg and also to handle administrative tasks.

We mark on our calendar when payments are due and schedule them accordingly. I have to admit it is pretty neat and extremely accurate. We schedule it, the bank pays and the company acknowledges receiving it. All this without any human interaction.

The only one who comes out on the losing end is the US Post Office because I almost stopped using stamps. They already called me and complained about the loss of business.

I told them, hey this is America, the land of the brave!

Wednesday

This morning after waking up in a decent time we looked at each other to discuss the plans for today. Lacking anything constructive or entertaining we decided at the spur of the moment to return to Amish country where we had such great times last week.

Got in the car and drove out to Pennsylvania's Lancaster County. The places we visited were Bird-in- Hand and Intercourse.

These are two very small and lovely communities loaded with shops and eating places.

Today's agenda was antique hunting since last week we found most of the stores already closed.

Boy, did we hunt!

We visited about seven or more places and bought some very interesting items. Like an old (I hope) coffee grinder, some silver plate, lucky horseshoes, a framed painting, a toy size real cast iron country stove and an old cane latticed wooden chair.

None of these were expensive and they all look very good in our home.

After shopping we went to another Amish restaurant were we ate Amish farm food family style. The ambiance was good, the food plenty and very tasty.

We also bought some organic local fruits and some other stuff from a local supermarket.

The weather was perfect, the rolling countryside is unbelievable as well as the people and the multitude of cows and horses.

The drive home was good and by 8:30 we were back in the old homestead.

Tuesday

I woke at 6:30 went back and woke again at 7:30. At this time I said to myself I snooze a little then I'll get up. Well, when I woke again it was 9:45. Some snooze.

But it felt good. It is a beautiful day outside and it is just perfect for a very lazy day. I am beginning to be very good at lazy days.

My wife had to go somewhere so I was left to fend for myself. What does a man do when he is left to fend for himself? Goes on the computer and makes believe to be useful when in actuality he plays games.

And that was what I did. But it is not very pleasant to be alone at home. Not when I am used to being with her all day.

I know when she returns she will chide me for why didn't I do this or that but hey, I love her and no matter what she will say I know she says it with love.

In two weeks we are going to Las Vegas for a week. Right now we are trying to find some shows we want to see. Since we did see some superb show already the possibilities are really not limitless. We have a few ideas and in the coming days we will make the arrangements.

We will be there for eight days meaning about three or four shows. Since Abigail is coming with us we have to observe the age limitations on these shows. But actually my wife and I are not really interested in raunchy shows just for the sake of being raunchy.

The thing is the more one goes to Las Vegas there is less shows to see unless some really big name happens to be there. Most of the shows are playing there forever and if one didn't care about it at the first place it won'y be interesting later on either.

But I'm sure we'll manage.

Monday

Today is Monday and a new week is starting. Actually that does not mean anything important for me but at least I know it is Monday. It is still pretty hot and that means we have the air conditioners going almost non stop.

Con Edison, our electric supplier must be happy because in the hot Summer months my electric bill really spikes. Can't wait for end of September when the electric consumption will drop.

Today was a very good day. We did absolutely nothing. Slept late, went down to do some food shopping and otherwise just stayed in. I watched a lots of Olympics.

Sometimes after a lots of running around a day of doing nothing is not bad. The fact is that my conscience don't bother me for doing nothing.

Because if I average out this thing then I might get 50% share of doing things because my wife was very busy. She cleaned the house and cooked dinner. And since we share everything I can share in her activities.

Since today is so "active" I will finish writing because I don't want to over exhaust myself!

Sunday

Today is Sunday and it turned out to be a very nice day. In the morning Abigail went over to her brother to spend the day with them which left the two of us alone.

Being a beautiful Summer day my wife and I decided to drive into Manhattan  and go Downtown where the antique fairs are. We were there a couple of times but each times one can discover different things. We spent a considerable time there and came to the conclusion that a bigger collection of junk is difficult to find.

Antique dealers are like car dealers. They cheat and lie. They see a patsy in everybody who stops at their stand. They start at $200 and eventually give it away at a "total loss" for $150. For me their credibility is nil.

But we had a good time. After that we went to Central Park where we met Abigail, her brother, his girlfriend and their dog. We walked around for an hour then we left.

Being a gorgeous day Central Park was filled with people. It was very crowded but was not unpleasant. I have not been to CP for many years and I am not a great fan of CP but I have to admit this time I enjoyed being there.

After we parted company my wife and I drove back to Queens and went to our favorite Polish restaurant for a bite to eat. It was a good bite and when we left we felt fulfilled.

Came home, rested a while then went to pick up Abigail.

End of a nice Sunday.

Saturday

Today we had a very nice day. We met a good friend of ours and his wife and a had a three and a half hour long lunch. We do this about once a month. Our record of longevity is about four hours so far.

We don't eat all this time but we do talk a lot. All kinds of subjects are covered and time really flies. The length of our get togethers kind of limiting where we can go but we found a nice place nearby where we are not bothered.

Tonight we were invited to my wife's son for dinner. He loves to cook and he prepared a very nice spread for the family. There we spent "only" two and a half hours.

Just to set the record strait our lives do not revolve around eating. We actually don't eat a lot. But having a teenager in the house we must provide some kind of a regularity, with eating I mean!

he weather currently is hot and muggy. We don't have strong air conditioning system so I just hope we will be able to sleep. In two and a half weeks we are heading to Las Vegas where currently the temperature is 105 degrees. So we better get used to the heat.

As the saying goes "if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen". This had nothing to do with anything but I figured I write it anyway.

Friday

Now, back to Hawaii. We loved to take long walks. At this time we weren't renting any cars because parking would have cost more than the ordinary rental. So, we walked a lot.

One of our favorite streets was Kalakaua Avenue. This street is lined with high scale stores, boutiques, jewelry stores and whatever else one can buy for a lots of money.

Harry Winston diamonds, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Coach, Hermes etc. Looking at these stores I came to the conclusion that these are not for us plain American tourists. They are exclusively for the foreigners and primarily for the Oriental visitors.

The street is beautiful but it looks like a large caribbean cruise stop with all the stores there. Don't misunderstand, we enjoyed it immensely even though it felt we were in the minority.

The healthy aspect of it was that we walked and walked. Meaning that eating a lot didn't make us guilty because we eventually walked most of it off.

Overall experience of Hawaii is great. There are a lot of  things to see, good food to eat and I find the people very friendly.

I always thought the ocean was wild nd that was what the surfers like but there are areas where the water is calm and very transparent. A snorkelers dream.

Can't wait to get back again, long flight or not.

Thursday

I will suspend the disecting of my recent Hawaiian trip because my family and I had a very good time and I just have to write about it.

Foe a while my wife wanted to go and see the Amish in their natural habitats but we just never got to it.  Last night at the spur of the moment we decided that today we would drive to Amish country and see them.

Up early and drive a little more than three hours and we were in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The places we were at were Bird in the Hand and Intercourse. Yes, Intercourse, PA.

For us the area is just out of a storybook. Rolling, rich farmlands, calm environment. Amish people moving around on horse drawn buggies of different sizes, people working in the fields with horses and mules and many more things.

We took a one hour buggy ride that included visiting an Amish working farm that we enjoyed immensely.

After the buggy ride we went to an Amish restaurant where we had an Amish farm lunch. This was family style serving. Six people sat at a table ad handed the food to each other. The food was great and enormous portions were served up.

After eating we visited a few stores and bought fresh fruits and local wine. Unfortunately all the stores closed at six pm and we were not able to find a nice antique store because of the lateness of the hour. Maybe next time.

These Amish are funny people. They supposed to shun the creations of civilization but when one looks deeper they are all over the place.

Young Amish girls congregated on a corner all drinking Starbuck lattes. On the farm they were milking the cows with milking machines and not by hand even though on the field they are tilling the earth by using horses. On the farm we visited at east one of the farm houses had solar panel on the roof and I am sure there was an air conditioner behind the bushes somewhere.

On the other hand they don't drive except tractors. Still they seem to be very nice people and we had a great time.

Wednesday

To continue on yesterday's account of my Hawaiian vacation here are a few more comments.

Due to the graciousness of my lifelong friend and his wife my wife and I received a champagne/steak/lobster dinner cruise as a present. I have to tell the cruise was fabulous. We were picked up at our hotel and transported to the port where we boarded the ship.

There were three decks for each of the three different level of dining. We were on the top deck. The reception and the entire arrangement was amazing. The ship cruised up and down the south coast of Waikiki where we had the chance to enjoy the sights.

Dinner was great and the show that followed was very nice.

It was interesting that the composition of the guest was mainly Orientals. On our level I think my wife and I were the only Europeans everybody else was Japanese. It felt like a cruise in Tokyo Bay.

But regardless we immensely enjoyed it.

I have to add that the cruise originally was planned for the night of the tropical storm but they naturally cancelled it, notified us and postponed it for the next day.

Unfortunately we didn't have a chance to see a sunset because some clouds showed up just the wrong time.

Tuesday

I am back on terra firms. Not that I left good old terra but I'm back at my home terra firma.

Back from a glorious week in Hawaii. I were in several places in the Caribbean but Hawaii is one of a kind. Before this trip I never felt the urge to visit. I always said it was probably just another American location filled with MacDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

How wrong I was. I didn't see a single KFC. But I did see beautiful nature, flowers in gorgeous colors, palm trees galore and all kinds of lush tropical vegetation. The people were friendly (the locals, not the tourists) and the sights were unbelievable.

Our flight was aa eleven hour non-stop flight from New York but it was worth not to waste time on transfers. Left NY at 7:30 am got to Honolulu around 1:30 pm. Not bad! We still had the rest of the day.

The weather was exceptional except on Sunday we were hit by a drenching tropical storm. The rain was so heavy that even pizza deliveries stopped and we were stuck in our hotel with no food. Imagine, we are here in paradise and we are going to bed hungry.

We had some preplanned trips and we also had time for ourselves. Walked a lot and had the chance to get to now your area which was pretty much the center of Waikiki.

The trip back home appeared to be longer because we left in the afternoon, flew through the night and arrived at NY around 6:30 am. This was when later jet lag kicked us. But now we are ok and ready to plan the next Hawaiian vacation.