Changes and Choices | Our Aging Parents (6/27/16, part 12)

I blame the hospital because they let her go back home, after I'd waited a year and a half for something major that would help medical professionals SEE that she's not okay. I've TRIED to make appointments and take her and she's shut me out of everything for the last few years....THIS was the chance for them to notice and they didn't.

I blame the lawsuit-happy freaks who created walls and barriers and obstacles which halt my efforts to help my mother. All the hospital staff and administrators care about is the damn "privacy concerns" and are happy to over and over, block my access to the doctors in the same of protecting themselves I guess.

Sunshine, Seniors and Smiles | Visit to an Assisted Living Facility, part II

We returned to an assisted living facility to visit with residents on Saturday. Some are veterans, a few are shy and not so receptive to coming outside and meeting with us and others loved the motorcycles and even got their pictures taken with them. You can read the post about our previous visit here.

First there's the "ride in", where the bikes gather at a nearby location and then all arrive together at the destination. Of course I am the one on the ground, taking photos as they come down the street.

National Night Out 2016 is Tuesday, August 2nd across Delmarva

From coast to coast each August gatherings of local residents and neighborhood police departments meet and mingle with the goal of getting to know one another and building connections. Tuesday, August 2nd is National Night Out, an event taking place all across the country to encourage you to get out and participate in interactions with your community. Listed below are a few of the scheduled activities being held here in the Delmarva area.

From the official website: "National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live." For more information visit them on Facebook. NOTE: All events listed below are being held on the traditional date of Tuesday, August 2nd unless otherwise noted. Any events with OTHER dates can be found at the end of this post.

Odd and Unusual: the McQuay-Norris Streamliner Vans of the 1930's

Somehow, for some reason, I came across this on Facebook one day. A person by the name of Luis Cesar had posted these photos and I was instantly mesmerized by the unusual style of these vehicles. You can view the entire album on his Facebook page by clicking here. I had to know more. Here is some basic information on these uniquely-shaped automobiles and their history.


McQuay-Norris Streamliner- 1934

This vehicle was created as a promotional vehicle for the Mcquay-Norris Company of St. Louis, Missouri, which manufactured replacement pistons, rings, bearings, and other automotive parts used to rebuild an engine or chassis. Six cars were built for promotional purposes but more importantly they were used as test cars. As such, they were equipped with a multitude of gauges mounted on the dash to monitor the performance of various components. The highly advanced, streamlined body design was constructed of steel and aluminum over a wood framework. The curved plexiglass windshield offers a panoramic view–except to the rear. These vehicles traveled extensively across the U.S. and Canada from 1934 to 1940. The driver sits in the middle of the body, and there is room behind the seats for a suitcase and blowby meter (used to measure how well the piston rings and valves are sealing).

Memories and Postcards of Ocean City, Maryland (Part One)

Memorabilia and advertising featuring local landmarks from Maryland's favorite beach town. I love and collect old postcards, fascinated by the dramatic changes and evolution of our local communities. See below for links to my other posts too!

It Takes a Special Man to be a Great Father

 

Just being a father doesn't make you a great role model or a good dad. It's more than just buying your kids "stuff", it's being part of their lives, days, inspiring them with your actions.

To all the amazing men out there who are dedicated parents, leaders and mentors, thank you. Today we celebrate all that you do.
 

"Life on Delmarva" • #delmarvausa

Visiting Atria: sometimes you realize it takes so little to make people smile

The first time we went was just before Christmas in December of 2014. I didn't know what to expect and since I'm pretty challenged in the arenas of small talk and making conversation, I hung back a bit, lingering on the outskirts of our group. And then slowly but surely, as the senior citizens began to come forward to talk, to ask questions and share their stories, we began to become friends.

Building a Better Community Starts With Each of Us

Don’t like what you see? Volunteer. It's easy to criticize and point fingers but the REAL value comes when other people walk over and say "How can I help?"

• Look on your street and find someone to help out
• Grab some volunteers and give an elderly neighbor a hand with their house
• Form a community watch
• Start an email chain or text message alert system

• Get out each evening and mingle, walk the dog, interact
• Talk to the people who live next door
• Be the place where your kids can go out and ride their bikes
• Invest in sidewalk chalk and start a drawing contest

Tragedy and a Warning Perhaps Not Understood

I'm the devil's advocate and so it's normal for me to view the other side or the side less popular. As a non-Floridian, I'm not sure that signs stating "no Swimming" necessarily translate to, or mean, "Don't go near the water at all". Yes, Florida residents know this but the rest of us do not. To me "No Swimming" means to not go out into the water completely; floating around, diving, etc....but splashing or wading in the shallow edges doesn't appear to be swimming exactly. Yes, it's a fine line, I'm just saying....they were from Nebraska...not sure the seriousness of the situation had crossed their minds.

Vintage Delmarva | Memories of Fenwick Island, Delaware (Part One)

Postcards, matchbooks and advertising featuring attractions of Fenwick Island, Delaware. Located at the southern tip of the First State and bordering on Maryland's popular beach town of Ocean City, MD, Fenwick is a refreshing destination for summer vacations. Many folks enjoy the small town feel and less crowded pace found along the Atlantic Ocean in the First State.

Annual Delmarva Wounded Warrior Escort to Ocean City (June 7th, 2016)

Each June a convoy forms to welcome soldiers to the Princess Royale in Ocean City, Maryland. The busloads of wounded warriors arrive from the city at a staging area in Mardela Springs, and from there they are escorted with honor to the hotel at 91st street in Ocean City. For the next week these families will spend time together, reconnect, relax, and enjoy the seashore.

Event page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/994749127267461/




Looking down Coastal Highway, waiting for the buses to arrive

The lead police car for the escort

The line of motorcycles stretching down Coastal Highway

Deconstructing the Concept of "Art"

Dear World,


It appears that I have one or more complications (because we don't want to call them problems) that perhaps should be cleared up. I'm a little confused about why they need to be cleared up when other people in similar situations (as Sellers of Stuff) don't seem to have the same issues but perhaps the Golden Ticket which I so often refer to as the glue that binds society together, i.e. "COMMUNICATION", is missing. Perhaps some folks misplaced their ticket, or maybe they just didn't realize they needed one or maybe I lost MINE, but regardless there seem to be a large number of individuals in the same boat. We'll call that boat the S.S. Flounder, just to keep things clear.

So, the people currently on board the S.S. Flounder, the same ones who have lost their Golden Ticket, seem to be in a state of perplexed-ness about something I'm involved with. We're going to call that subject "art". Now I know what you're thinking, that maybe the real problem is that ((shhhh....perhaps I'm not REALLY an artist)), and you might be right. But here's the thing; when I began pointing and clicking and taking what most people refer to as "photos", I had to decide what to call those visual images. I kicked around ideas for quite some time, bantering around such phrases as "Creative Formations", "Abstract Visualizations", "Unusual Things Printed Out Masquerading As Photographs" and even "Strange But Odd Representations Of Objects".

A Tale of a Small Business Owner and a Lost Dog

Why does this note begin with a picture of a dog? Well, because this dog belongs to a family, who considers her a very important member of it and are so grateful to have her home.......you'll see in just a bit. But first, to give some perspective about life and community and the people who matter, read about the other side of things....

Today I came across a post via one of the Delaware animal shelters. It was in regards to the article below about a worker being fired for helping a starving puppy, and it really drives home the point of another recent story I'd like to share with you. This is one of the comments which was posted and which I agree with whole-heartedly. And if you've read some of my previous posts you may know that said awful-mart remains on my list of things to avoid. Forever.