Spring break in Gettysburg & DC

I've been wanting to do this for awhile.

One of my "to-do" things after I retire was to

visit Sarah and see some Civil War battlefields. 

This was trip #1.

Left on a Tuesday and drove to Gettysburg. I tried to save a little money, so I chose a cheap hotel. This one worked. The Budget Host.

My Budget Host room (#108)

Good: Location. Very close to the battlefield; right across the street.

Not so good: It was like going back a few decades.

But, it was $50 a night, so...

Wednesday was battlefield day. First, I went to the Visitor Center and saw the movie. And the cyclorama. And museum. All very nice. 

Visitor's Center

Cyclorama

Then I did the self-guided CD auto tour.

Lutheran Seminary

Where Gen. Reynolds was killed

From the Angle, towards Pickett's Charge

Bloody Angle

The Copse of Trees

From Little Round Top

Wheatfield

 Thursday, I checked out and went to downtown Gettysburg before I went to DC.

Train station, where Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg

Train station

Wills House, where Lincoln stayed the night before the Gettysburg Address

Then, I headed off to DC, to visit Sarah.

The first thing we did was go to lunch at Union Market.

Union Market

I had a brisket sandwich that might have been
THE BEST SANDWICH EVER!

Lunch

Where THE SANDWICH was made.

[At this point I'm not going to write about the return trip to Gettysburg to get the iPod I left behind.]

And we had dinner at Brookland's Finest. It was a nice evening to eat outside. And I had great company.

Brookland's Finest

The next day we went downtown to see the cherry blossoms. They were at their peak, but it was kind of a crummy day.

Then we hit the National Zoo, mostly to see the pandas.

The big cats were neat too.

Dinner at Eat First.

I love this restaurant!

That evening, we went to see:

at E Street

The next day, we drove to Manassas to see the battlefield there. We did a walk with the Ranger at the site of Day #1, and the self-guided car tour for the rest.

Day #1 site

Stone House

Cannon ball in the Stone House wall

Railroad Cut

Sunday, my last day in DC, we went to brunch at Kramer's.

Brunch @ Kramer's

 That was my trip. It was very difficult saying goodbye to my sweet daughter, but I got to spend three days with her. 

I miss her a lot.
I'm gonna do this again.

P.S. I need to include a pic of Sarah's roommate Bug. He was excited to see me.

It's the "Last Day".

Today is the last day in the longest chapter of my life. It's my last official day as an employee at MSU.

My last office on the 5th floor CAS.

Yeah, I've been on vacation since mid-December, but ever since then I've been saying "I'm on vacation." After today, I'm retired/unemployed.

I've been working steady since the summer after 8th grade, when I started working in the record store. After that I worked on the Ford assembly line, in a warehouse, as a telemarketer, and as an aluminum siding applicator. And, since I was 20 years old, I've worked full-time making TV.

When I started, I was the youngest staffer. When I left, I was the oldest.

[Note: I was an employee at Broadcasting Services longer than anyone. My 44 years is a record.]

Even before that, I worked. I had a paper route, I mowed lawns. One year I sold Christmas trees.

That's done. Over.

(Actually not, since I will contract with WKAR to produce "QuizBusters" in the fall.)

It's with mixed feelings that I have come to this place. I look forward to the freedom that retirement brings, but there's still a feeling of loss.

This morning, I went to Erickson Hall, where I started at ITV on January 3rd, 1972. The place looks nothing like it did then. But, I could still feel a sense of place.

Used to be the ITV front door.

The WKAR quonset is gone.

I will still visit Comm Arts, where I spent 34 years. Maybe tomorrow, as a "visitor".

Welcome to retirement!  *sigh*

Getting used to retirement.

I think the hardest part is realizing that there's a lot of time.

When I was home on vacation, I would think of things to do. But sometimes I'd think "I should have done (insert activity here) today, because there won't be time to do that later."
Now, I have to remind myself that there's plenty of time to do that tomorrow, or next week, or next month (or whatever). The meaning of time is different.

But I have to start doing things. I was kind of busy last week, doing errands and small projects that had to be done. Even this past Monday, a couple of days ago. Now, not so much.

Retired dude. Clueless.

I go to the store because I can. Maybe get one or two things for dinner either because we need them or just to think that I've accomplished something.
I do a little cleaning. I make dinner. watch a little TV.
Read. (I do like that I can read during the day.)

That's okay for this week. Not next.

I need to start moving more; walking at least. I need to find a cause (I'm thinking of looking into being a reading tutor.)

I need to figure out this retirement thing.

The ITV Reunion. (A belated post)

I started working for ITV at MSU in 1972.

Thankfully, I keep in touch with some of the folks who were there then. Everyone but me has moved away and gone on to done wonderful things.

Me, Chris, Paul, Tim, Jesse

Me, Dawn, Chris, Jean, Paul, Tim, Peg, Nikki, Jesse

We occasionally have a get-together. It doesn't happen very often, and not everyone can come, but they are special just the same.

Dawn & Chris Pruszynski

Chris was a P.A. when I started, and got promoted to P/D soon after. He knows a lot about old records, and of course television. His wife Dawn is about the sweetest person I know.

Paul & Jean Witkowski

Paul was a P/D when I started, and I was always impressed by his technical thinking and off-beat sense of humor. Jean seems to be the sane one in the family.

I don't have a picture of Jesse & Nikki Arnet, but they're in the group photo. For awhile, I would guess Jesse and I were best friends. We both went through some tough times at the same time, and I think that we helped each other.

Then he moved to the Virgin Islands. The good news is that he met Nikki there, and it seems to have worked out. I love them both.

At the Muhlbach's
(Back) Jean, Nancy Muhlbach, Dan Brodbeck
(Middle) Chris, Paul, Bob Muhlbach, Margaret Brodbeck, Nikki, Jesse
(Front) Dawn, me

So, we got together for a dinner (Jesse, Nikki, Tamsyn & me), a pre-game brunch on Saturday, a get-together at Bob Muhlbach's house (after the game) and some of us went to Sunday brunch.

Tamsyn left Friday night to visit Sarah in DC.

Sunday brunch at Kellogg Center
(Back) Jesse, Nikki, Me, Dawn, Chris
(Front) Paul & Jean

These reunions don't happen often enough. I miss these people.

A Fall TC weekend

I had three things to do this weekend:

1. hang up the kayak
2. cover the air conditioner
3. see how the property looks after they got rid of the trees damaged in the storm

Did that stuff.

Also went to the Farmer's Market.

Took some pictures.

Boardman River

West Bay

Boardman River

Saw a movie.

'The Martian" in 3D

It was a beautiful Fall weekend.

It's a parade!

I finally was in the MSU Homecoming Parade (with WKAR).

I had kinda been in it before, when Sarah was in the EL Marching Band. Every year, I found some excuse to stay away, but I figured this year (being my last) I would go ahead and do it. I had contacted the Curious Crew kids to be in the parade, and I would have felt a little guilty not being there.

Curious Crew

Curious George and ShaDonna were there too.

I had planned on walking, but there was an empty seat in the bread truck so I figured...why not ride?

So I did.

Maybe I'll do it again next year.