Luckily my three sons do not mind having me around from time to time.  As a result, Carter and Davis invited me to see The Odyssey on opening weekend at the only IMAX theater in Richmond. Noted for its grand scale, cinematography, its use of new IMAX technology, its star-studded cast, and majestic sweep in storytelling, the film is being touted as a cultural moment in our society. On a budget of $250 million, it is expected to gross over $1 billion worldwide. It has already grossed over $600 million after the first two weekends. So, I am very happy that I was able to participate in this cultural event…

If you are reading this, you are probably a follower of my blog. There are not many of you. At last count, there are 64 of you brave and supportive souls who are subscribed. So you know, I only mention my blog to people that I feel a connection to. I do not want the casual acquaintance to read this. I share too much and expose too much of myself to want most people to read this. Some day – when I actually write a book, people can read most of this. I am not one to look at the stats of my blog – I had to look that…

Happy 250th anniversary to the United States of America from the Republic of Georgia! I am spending America’s 250th birthday almost halfway across the world in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. When the Cold War ended and Georgia obtained its INDEPENDENCE in 1991, the country went through a very difficult decade in the 1990’s. But they got through that period and formed a democracy that leaned heavily towards the west, trying to get to the point where it could get accepted into the European Union.  Croatia (in) and Montenegro (out) are examples of two countries next to each other that I have visited where being “in” changes everything.  However,…

I will spend more time describing these two days because they may have been my favorite two days of the trip. We started Day 3 on the Via Francigena with an early breakfast and began our 14-mile walk from BUONCONVENTO to San Quirico d’Orcia. As we ascended higher on white gravel roads into the hills of southern Tuscany, we encountered lots of cyclists heading in the opposite direction. Most were in groups with a single cyclist here and there. Davis described the scene best when he quipped, “cyclists beyond counting!” During one of our water breaks in a shaded area, a single cyclist stopped near us. We found out that he…

Day 3 of our trip begins our actual pilgrimage on the Via Francigena, starting in Monteriggioni. Unlike the Camino de Santiago in Spain, which gets over 350,000 pilgrims a year, this trail probably gets less than 50,000 per year with an average time on the trail of seven days. As a result, the hiking is more rugged with almost no support stops. So, packing enough water is essential. That said, we did meet three other pilgrims at breakfast this morning – Mikhail and Angelica from Milan, and Larch from Scotland. All three were hiking two segments of the VF, the segments before and after Monteriggione. We met a few other…

EJ, I went back and looked at the last letter I had written to you – thinking that I had written five or six letters since you were born. I had only written two – when you were born and when you were two months old. So, it’s been two years and 4 months since I have written. Where has the time gone?  That scarcity of writing has made me more determined than ever to write to you more often. At some point, you might actually read some of these letters.  And if you do, just know that they were written for me as much as for you.  So, what…

Dear Liza Jean and James, As we left Orlando and headed home, there were several things I will always remember about this trip. And many had nothing to do directly with Disney – licking your paintbrushes while painting your Ostrich Egg; running down the hall to our hotel elevator to push the buttons; how much you loved soft serve ice cream; eating apples like they were your favorite thing in the world; and Liza Jean singing “Everybody Knows I’m a Copperhead, a Copperhead, a Copperhead” again and again. In addition to those memories that bring a smile to my face, I want the feeling I had during our trip to…

Dear Liza Jean and James, Day four of our Disney trip started out with the two of you enjoying apples and peanut butter in bed.  One of the best things we brought with us to Disney was a bag of crisp apples and the best thing we purchased at Disney World was a $4 jar of peanut butter.  These became parts of our breakfasts and snacks – usually the peanut butter served with pretzels or on a spoon.  If Animal Kingdom is all about the Animals and Hollywood Studios is all about the shows, Magic Kingdom is all about the rides and THE CASTLE. Maybe that is why it is…

Wars are not good.  Wars cost a lot of money, are very disruptive to innocent people, and cost lives.  So, there are economic, social and moral reasons to use informed judgement and extreme caution before entering an armed conflict, much less starting one.  Before becoming Vice-President, our current Vice President made the following statements, “America doesn’t have to constantly police every region of the world. Our interest, I think very much, is in not going to war with Iran. It would be a huge distraction of resources. It would be massively expensive to our country.”  In September of 2024, Vance even said that a war between Israel and Iran was…