An overdue visit with relatives

 I recently returned from my birth town in Alabama. I had not been back to Alabama since my late mother passed in 2007, so after I received an email from her last living sibling, I thought it would be a good time to fly back to see some of the people that helped mold me as a child.

I don't really mine flying, but normally I fly with Nancy. Without her to talk to, I noticed some things Nancy tells me I do all the time. I notice weird stuff or stuff most people don't think twice about.

I always try to get some sleep while flying and that is not always easy. Besides the fly attendant and pilots announcements, there is always the crinkling of paper, the crying baby, talk between the guy behind you or his kicking of your seat, the whooshing of air outside, the inaudible sound of someone watching a movie or playing a video game. And then the passengers rushing to get on the plane and their inpatient rush to get off. The hussle bussle in the terminals, people strolling through, and others running to catch the next flight. The single person sitting in the bar talking on his/her phone, or doing nothing at all, but drinking. I told you before, I am a people watcher. 

But getting back to my visit. I was born, and partly raised on a very rural farm in Northern Alabama. It was not a big fancy farm, maybe 10 -15 acres. Yes, I picked cotton like nearly everyone then. Some of my meals consisted of cornbread and milk, and I helped with many of the chores as I could handle as a 7 or 8 year formally city kid. To go back and visit with my childhood cousins and playmates was great. We shared funny and sad stories from years ago as we enjoyed the famous southern cooked meals. Some not too healthy, but GOOD!

Now that we are all older, some have some serious health problems that hurts me deeply. I wonder if their lifestyle which brought that on, or if it was just in the genes of our family.  Some seem to be doing very well, both healthwise and financially, while other are struggling with both. We chatted about that and so much more for hours, which I loved and cherish that time. All of them are respectful, honest religious, and down to earth people that came from meager means. Definitely blue collar family members. As much as I love them and greatly enjoyed seeing them again, I don't know if I go back to Alabama again. Alabama has a long history of prejudice against any race except white. I noticed that as a child and in this recent visit from the talk of others and some in my family. That disturbs me to the bone. Don't get me wrong, Alabama is a beautiful state and the cost of living is cheaper than Arizona. It is just not where I'd want to live. And not that Arizona is always great either or perfect. Just saying.

So after 4 days, I flew home. Short but good. The final evening there we all (most of us) gathered for a meal at a local restaurant and continued swapping stories. As my son said to me many years ago, "You can pick your friends, but you can not pick your family."  I think I hit the jackpot with my family. They are a great bunch of people. I love them and I will miss them. Take care and stay safe.

The now runned-down house I was partly lived and was raised in.

I see trouble coming

 I try to stay away from topics about religion and politics, but there are some things that need to be said. I consider myself and Nancy as Independents, straddling the party lines, and playing the best of both sides. As we believe everyone should do, just act in the best interest of the majority, not for self-interest. 

As you know, I live in Arizona. A state I love, but is also a very conservative state. A state that is known for a few failed governors, senators and other statesmen. And a lot of that old west attitude. I knew this when we moved here in 1976. But now I see a bit of the ugly side with the upcoming midterm election.

I drive down some of our rural roads and I see banners saying, "F+++ Biden, Trump won" or American flags hung upside down, signifying distress and help needed. I understand people being passionate about the country's affairs and not believing in the present cabinet, but I think there are better ways to do that.

In 2020, (after the election) renowned author Bob Woodward had over 18 hours of telephone conversations with the the past president Donald Trump. Mr. Trump initiated the calls and called Mr. Woodward and would call arbitrarily day and night through ALL of those conversations. Woodward recorded all of the conversations with Mr. Trump's knowledge and permission. In the last phone calls, Mr. Trump stated, " I bring out rage in people and I will continue doing that. I don't know why, I just do." After that conversation, within a few days, the Capitol was stormed by rioters, some with guns, saying the election was stolen. They injured and killed Capitol Police officers and threatened the lives of elected officials. That made me sick. Mr. Woodward categorized Mr. Trump as, "A man drowning in his own self-immersion."

I that final phone call, Mr. Woodward asked Mr. Trump, "Some people say you will never leave the White House, will you?" Trump replied, "I don't know, maybe not." The election was over, Trump had lost cleary after MANY recounts and audits, he lost. His denial fueled his supporters to the point they felt they could force an overturn of the election with violence. 

Many people blame the President and several other office holders for the inflation, the present economy and shortages. Maybe they should be held accountable for some of that, but not with violence and rebelling. Now we have that rage, that I blame Trump for starting, coming out in candidates run for office and making ridiculous and false statements. One senator, governor or President can NOT solve the economic problems we have. The border problems have been going on for decades and maybe centuries. People immigrate for good farming, escape oppression, food, work for money. That will never end. Building a wall will NEVER stop them. They will always find a way around it.

We need candidates who are not out for themselves but who stand up for the people they represent, no matter the color of their skin, women's rights, the ones with mental and physical problems, the LGBT community, and fight against all types of racism. We need to get more truck drivers to work. We need to crackdown of big corporations who increase fertilizer prices on farmers, which causes farmer to rise their prices and cost us more at the checkouts. We need to help Ukraine fight against Russian so our gas prices can come back down. The economy is like standing dominos in a line, you push the first one and rest with fall one after another.

Okay, I have stated the problems and some solutions, but what can you do? First do your homework on the candidates on the ballot. Research them good, and then VOTE! That is your voice. Not with a pack of rebels who storm the capitol, or fly flags upside down or put up banner with profanity. Make your voice heard the right way on November 8th or before with your mail-in ballot. Take care and stay safe.

I know a little about TRAVELING

Fall is definitely upon us. The temperatures are getting cooler, the trees are changing colors and there is not as much sunlight. But we all know that.  "Tell us something interesting Harrold."  

Travel to me is not just going to see your grandparents, or friends, it's going to a special place, maybe some place you have never been, or a place that makes you happy. Whether it is a beach or to the mountains away from people, or to a big city. I like to go  see and experience different ... 'experiences'. Some of you know, Nancy and I have travel all over the world and been to all but one state in the USA. I am not bragging, just lucky to have done that. To me travel and immersing into the local culture. That way I try to understand how and what they think and live. That is exactly what we and another couple did over a period of 2 1/2 weeks.

We did a road trip all through New England in a mini-van, due to all the luggage we took. We started by flying to Boston from Phoenix and began walking the 'Freedom Trail'. If you have never been to Boston and walked the Freedom Trail, you should go. Take comfortable shoes. You walk in many of the steps of our founding fathers. Eventho Boston does not look like the town when the saying "Give us Freedom"  was common. Huge skyscrapers next to historic meeting houses. But that feeling and desire was still there.

I won't bore you with every place we stopped or ate, just some highlights and particular place of interest. Yes, the east coast has MANY lighthouses, and we saw a few. They interest me because of my curiosity about the people who lived in them, living in solitude. The one place I still think about was the Hancock Shaker Village and the basis of the religion. A religion where men and women are equal, but never mix or marry. Everyone works for the good of the community, including ALL farm work. Meals were served separate. Sleeping quarters were separate. Any children were housed and raised separately. Sex was forbidden. They craftsmanship was excellent from handmade brooms, wooden round and oval boxes, to cabinetry. 

The Vanderbilt family was big on building mansions in several places in the USA. One renown was the 'Breakers'. A place with unbelievable technology in the 1840s and opulent ornaments from gold leaf trimmings, to crystal  chandeliers, to marble and granite carving everywhere, to telephones to call for servant service and unbelievable frisco paintings. And they only used it 4 times. The modern day descendent today would be Gloria Vanderbilt, the clothing mogul. Most of these mansions are not lived in, they are museums.

But the real reason we wanted to go to England was to see fall in it glory with brilliant colors and covered bridges over slow moving small rivers and streams. To eat fresh seafood in quaint little fishing villages, to see first light rising on top of Cadillac Mountain in Bar Harbor Maine, to look East over the cold northern Atlantic Ocean and not see any land. And to head the different accents of Boston, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. To drink their beers, see their houses, to see the traffic ... not that was not it. Don't like traffic. But the rest was great. Nancy and I have been to these states, but didn't really slow down to totally see them like this trip. 

I now call myself an Arizonian, due to the fact I have lived here for more than 45 years and will always say this is home. But it is good to get away to see how other people live and think. Try it, it'll open a whole new part of your life. Take care and stay safe.