Our Trip East - July 2025

 Just got back a few days ago from our trip east. Flew to Connecticut, rented a car and drove to Pennsylvania to visit Leon‘s family for a few days then drove back to Connecticut to visit friends and my family for a few days. Flying is no fun these days, (see recent news) but we grinned and bore it.

 

Connecticut Road Runners

Off to Pennsylvania for Leon's mom's birthday. Some Pennsylvania scenic views.

Connecticut River is scenic - it's not the Rio Grande which is barely a trickle at this time of year.

 

I can’t say that we slept all that well either. Being in different beds is not conducive to good sleep, especially for someone like me who is worse than the Princess and the Pea. 

BUT....Oh, the greenery, the trees, the humidity! The greenery and the tress: beautiful. The humidity, not so much. 

On the way to Pennsylvania we stopped in Massachusetts to visit a friend in Pittsfield. Had lunch at a nice place on Pontoosuc Lake.

 

Lake Pontoosuc

 

Back in Connecticut, we visited my family, mostly cousins. My brother and sister-in-law live in an old colonial house in Connecticut. It is pretty cool, if I do say so.

We did take one day for ourselves to go to the Connecticut shore and have lunch with a friend. The restaurant Kokomo used to be a biker bar under a different name, of course, many years ago. The small beach community of Sound View which was a community of mostly Italian-American cottage owners, went downhill when the bikers took over. The bikers are gone now and they seem to be turning the beach community around and cleaning things up. (You can see Long Island, New York from the beach here and from most of the Connecticut beaches).

You can see Long Island New York from here

The restaurant actually has quite a few palm trees for ambience. And no, palm trees do not grow in Connecticut due to climate change. The tables are on the beach, in the sand, and the experience is quite unique and relaxing. Of course I ordered fish and chips.

A vestige of the Italian American past

 

Speaking of restaurants, we enjoyed eating REAL New England and American food! No burritos, chile or huevos rancheros. Heaven.

Including an authentic GREEK DINER!

And Pizza and "Grinders"

Not the finest example of a "grinder"

Of course SEAFOOD!

Last Day of Our East Coast Trip

I was so exhausted when I wrote this post that I had totally forgotten about it. 

Visiting back east this week and had lunch with hubby and a long time friend at Sound View Beach in Old Lyme CT.

I used to go there with cousins and family when we were young. Mostly Italian American families owned cottages there. Our families used to rent a house for two weeks each summer. Us kids would be in the water till we turned blue. There’s still a carousel there and the place that sells Lemon Ice and other flavors. There were arcades and restaurants that sold calzones and pizza. The donut shop had fresh donuts but you had to get them early because they would sell out by 7am.

This restaurant, Kokomo, used to be a biker bar in the 70s and the whole beach town went downhill from there. Too much rif-raf and trouble. A lot of the businesses closed and the place was deteriorating for years.

In my late teens early twenties I would like going on Mondays because the hair salons were closed and the gay hairdressers would be there in their skimpy bikinis. It was a rather earthy beach.

Now it’s seeing a revival and is really nice. The restaurant even puts in palm trees for the season (no, Connecticut is not experiencing extreme climate change).

We had seafood for lunch and really enjoyed the ambiance. I love the beach and it was a perfect day.

From the Blog January 10, 2012

Let Us Pray

You know, many of us, but certainly not all, are not particularly fond of religion because of the hurt/hate that emanates from so many religions,  religious leaders and adherents.

But we really should start reading the Bible/Scriptures because there is a lot of good stuff in there that these "religionists" conveniently have forgotten or purposely ignored.  We should give them their own words on a platter. 

If you heard about the Kansas congressman who was "praying for Obama" that his days be numbered, the prayer can go both ways sweetie.  Not to mention his other blatantly racist and derogatory comments and emails about Michele Obama.  The man is a disgrace.

Let's take that psalm from the beginning and it could easily be turned against Mike O'Neil himself (or any number of so-called christian politicians) - "let his prayers condemn him".  Imagine Obama praying these words, (Psalm 109):

1 My God, whom I praise,
do not remain silent,
2 for people who are wicked and deceitful
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
3 With words of hatred they surround me;
they attack me without cause.
4 In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.
5 They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my friendship.
6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
and may his prayers condemn him.
8 May his days be few;
may another take his place of leadership.
...
16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy and the brokenhearted.
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come back on him.
He found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,
into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the LORD’s payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil of me.
....
28 While they curse, may you bless;
may those who attack me be put to shame,
but may your servant rejoice.
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.

P.S. I am going through old posts and reverting them to "draft" status with the goal of eventually deleting the entire compendium of blog posts.

This is a Post From 2011! It's Only Gotten Worse

 

Unknown Attribution

This Email has been making the rounds and expresses the "fed-up" attitude of many of us.
But a check on Scopes.com (and some of their additional Links) while not refuting the sentiment and the the basis for it, is also very interesting.

Link especially the interview with Alan Simpson, Senator from Wyoming , Co-Chair of Obama's deficit commission, who calls this [senior citizens] the Greediest Generation as he compared "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats.

Here's a response in a letter from (Fill in the blank) in Montana ... I think s/he is a little ticked off! S/he also tells it like it is!

"Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight..

1. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole for FIFTY YEARS.

2. I have been paying Social Security taxes for 48 YEARS (since I was 15 years old. I am now 63).

3 My Social Security payments, and those of millions of other Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give OUR money to a bunch of zero ambition losers in return for votes, thus bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme that would have made Bernie Madoff proud..

4. Recently, just like Lucy & Charlie Brown, you and your ilk pulled the proverbial football away from millions of American seniors nearing retirement and moved the goalposts for full retirement from age 65 to age 67. NOW, you and your shill commission is proposing to move the goalposts YET AGAIN.

5. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying into Medicare from Day One, and now you morons propose to change the rules of the game. Why? Because you idiots mismanaged other parts of the economy to such an extent that you need to steal money from Medicare to pay the bills.

6. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying income taxes our entire lives, and now you propose to increase our taxes yet again. Why? Because you incompetent bastards spent our money so profligately that you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. Now, you come to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt.

To add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for calling "bullshit" on your incompetence. Well, Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for YOU.

1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during your pathetic 50-year political career?

2. At what age did you retire from your pathetic political career, and how much are you receiving in annual retirement benefits from the American taxpayers?

3. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance?

4. What cuts in YOUR retirement and healthcare benefits are you proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or, as usual, have you exempted yourself and your political cronies?

It is you, Captain Bullshit, and your political co-conspirators called Congress who are the "greedy" ones. It is you and your fellow nutcases who have bankrupted America and stolen the American dream from millions of loyal, patriotic taxpayers. And for what? Votes. That's right, sir. You and yours have bankrupted America for the sole purpose of advancing your pathetic political careers. You know it, we know it, and you know that we know it.

And you can take that to the bank, you miserable son of a bitch..

Political News Palate Cleanser - Netflix

 I've seen the listing for "Queen" on Netflix for months but was never moved to check it out because, to be honest "drag" has never really interested me beyond an occasional show where I've been captive in the audience. 

But over the air TV pickin's are sparse these days and Netflix has become so Ho-hum. Seems like we've seen anything worth watching (Nonnas, White Collar, The Residence, Six Triple Eight, KAOS).

So Leon decided to give the "Queen" a try. It's a Polish TV series of only 4 episodes. Now I admit some prejudice in that I don't associate the Polish culture as being particularly LGBTQ friendly. I grew up in New Britski, Connecticut and, well, the Polish-American culture was a bit foreign to us Italian-Americans and queers. (The setting of the movie reminds me strangely but vaguely of parts of New Britski)

So who would have thought that a young gay father (Sylvester) would have moved from Poland to Paris 50 or so years ago and become a Haute Couture men's tailor and a drag performer.

Sylvester's (the retired drag queen's) granddaughter who he's never met hunts him down on the internet and contacts him without her mother's knowledge because her mom needs a kidney transplant and gets grandpa to agree to donate one. 

Add years of estrangement, a lot of resentment, medical drama, kindness, compassion, reconciliation and "Loretta" - and you have a delightful story with a few happy endings. 

If you need a break from all the craziness and depressing news, I recommend "Queen" - dubbed in English. We watched all 4 episodes in two evenings.

A Day Off

 Took a day off from the monotony of the endless junipers (and bad news) and took a hike with Leon to San Gregorio Reservoir, a lake in Rio Arriba, near Cuba New Mexico. We were hiking at an elevation of approximately 9,400 feet. And my knee was good...no pain and that alone was a miracle. The lake is located in the Jemez mountain range.

There were fields of wild iris (most were just past their prime), lots of wild flowers, fir trees, aspen trees, scrub oak and lot of other green growing things...and NO JUNIPERS! 

(I may have mentioned that where we live there are endless junipers and prickly pear and cholla and not much else. I find the landscape really gets me down sometimes. So it was a treat to have a change of scenery and see a real green forest - very much like our old haunts in Vermont).

Here are a few photos:

Music for Pride Month 2025 - Where Are We Headed?

Something I've not heard before:

 A somewhat obscure song from Queer as Folk "PROUD"

 

With all that's transpired at the direction of the current administration I am not terribly optimistic about the future of LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms. But I will not present you all with my half-baked thoughts on the subject. Just a reminder of where we've come from Before Stonewall.