W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, July 30, 2025
a monarch stops for a nibble a long the lake. Grayling, MI, Saturday July 26, 2025 6:39 PM EDT
My wife replanted the garden along the path from the driveway to the cottage this summer and the butterfly bushes are already receiving visitors. Spotted this monarch enjoy a nibble this past Saturday evening.
My late mother-in-law loved monarchs. Every time I see one, I think of her and think she’s visiting and checking on us.
Today is going to be a great day, especially when there is someone watching over me. Today could be a million and six times better than yesterday, but I am going to take it as it comes. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, looking around and paying attention to nature’s beauty – sometimes it’s a sign.
Today’s sign of the week is from the streets of Amsterdam. There are bicycles everywhere in Amsterdam, everywhere. My wife warned me to pay attention to the bike lane and I came close a couple of times, but I learned quickly – stay out of the bike lane and look left AND right when crossing it.
the sign reads, Moped not Allowed, but it really means you are in the bike lane, move to the right.
I had only been to Amsterdam once before this trip, it was when I was four in 1966. My dad had taken a six-month long assignment and moved us to Paris. My memory of our time in Europe is pretty limited. I do remember we flew from Houston to Amsterdam on KLM with a stop in Montreal. Somewhere I may have slides my dad took from our time in Europe.
Amsterdam is much easier to navigate than Paris or London. Amsterdam is smaller and one-eighth the size of Paris in terms of population but the trams and metro are easy to use. Also, there are fewer automobiles. The city is very walkable especially when you pay attention to the bike lanes.
Below is a clip from Ted Lasso, season 3 when Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) discovers the bike lane.
Though our time in Amsterdam was short – three full days. We packed in quite a bit, much of it I am still processing.
But I did learn, be careful in the bike lane.
Today is going to be an amazing day. I am on the move again, this time to the lake and back Sunday. There are twenty days remaining in summer break and I am going to make and each an every one of them count, just as I have with the previous fifty. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, reading the signs and being careful.
W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, July 23, 2025
This is going to be the last post from Europe. It has been fun and we’ve seen and visited some amazing places in London, Swansea, Paris, and Amsterdam and places in between.
Me in a selfie with Van Gogh’s ‘Almond Blossoms’ in the background
We visited five art museums while we were exploring Europe. I saw lots of paintings, drawings, and I saw several of the thirty-five known Vincent Van Gogh self portraits. Neither of us created the selfie, it was around long before either of us. We just did it. Many years ago my friends ribbed me for the one-eyed selfie I would use with my social media posts.
One of the things I learned while wandering the museums and looking at paintings is that often the artist wasn’t painting a painting, they were practicing their craft. Yesterday, we arrived at the Vincent Van Gogh Museum to see the collection. I learned even more about Van Gogh while we toured the collection, then I found this – Vincent Van Gogh and the self portrait.
Seen at the Musee D’Orsay in Paris… Tuesday, July 15th
Seen at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, July 20th
Sunday, while touring the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, I was feeling a little silly and thought I’d capture me with Vincent Van Gogh so I took a selfie, with a selfie. I did it again yesterday.
The first selfie with a selfie
My second selfie with a selfie
Self-portrait, Vincent Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, July 22nd
It’s the one-eyed selfie! Actually, the photos are edited to show more of Van Gogh’s work than the original photo.
“The only time I feel alive is when I’m painting.”
Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)
I read the quote in the Van Gogh Museum and it made me think. Really think. It was sad really, he was brilliant, creative, and deeply troubled. There are so many of us who look like we’ve got it together. I think sometimes making the days count helps me focus on the times when my days were a minus, not a plus.
These past couple of weeks have been awesome. Today we fly home, tomorrow morning I will awake bright-eyed and bushy tailed at three or four in the morning and spend a couple of days getting over the jet lag of a seven hour time change.
Today is going to be an amazing day, so I’d better jump up, jump in and seize the day. I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, unpacking, and putting away my suitcase. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, reflecting on being better every day, even a little bit.
It’s Monday and I am in Amsterdam. We were in France a week ago celebrating the 14th of July Fete National with a flyover in the morning and fireworks in the late evening.
The flyover screams past us marking the first of 39 planes
After the flyover, we rented a car and drove to the countryside.
Reminiscent of Monet’s haystacks…the countryside was beautiful
When my wife visited my parents in France in ‘97, my father and Juliana rented a car and took us to country. We visited Normandy our first weekend and then they took us to the Champagne region just northeast of Paris. It’s was a short drive of about an hour and half, just past the recently opened EuroDisney. My dad took us to the Aisle-Marne American Cemetery near Chateau-Thierry.
Juliana and dad were very much in love. It’s easy to see, looking back as I grieve. She took dad’s death hard and I am not sure she ever got over it. When we released dad’s cremains in 2010, she saved some and kept it close. We discovered it when we packed up their home and sold their house in Oxford, Mississippi a few years ago.
We saved it for the time we would disperse Juliana’s ashes. Last Saturday, we reunited Juliana and dad when we dispersed her cremains according to her wishes in the Mumbles in Wales and we reserved a small portion of Juliana’s cremains to take to where dad was in France.
So Monday morning my wife and I took off. It was a relaxing drive after we escaped the Parisian traffic and my wife remarked that we chose a good day as many people were off the streets because of the holiday.
We exited the highway where Maps told us to and switched to two lane roads through farms and small towns which were the battlefield in World War I. The battle line was very close to the French capital and the French army gave up a stiff fight to stop the advancing German army after the Germans invaded France to begin WWI. The battle lines remained for most of the war from September 1914 until the spring of 1918. The Americans joined the war the year before, but were not prepared to join the fight until 1918.
The first major battles for the American forces were in the region. In the late spring of ‘18 the Germans mounted an offensive which came close to breaking the lines had it not been for the marines and American forces fighting back. It is in this battle that the Germans nicknamed the marines “Devil Dogs” for their ferocity and steadfastness in holding the line and it stuck.
The entrance to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery
The Marine Memorial in Belleau Wood
The woods where we dispersed dad fifteen years before on the edge at the memorial.
My dad served in the Marine Corps for three years – 1953-56. He was fortunate to never see combat and served the entire time stateside. I believe that is why he wished to have his cremains spread here.
My wife and I walked around and I showed her where I remembered where dad was and then I walked out into the woods and re-united the two. I dropped a pin with my iPhone and shared it with my brothers in hopes that one day one of us or all of us will get back here.
We got in the car and drove to the the cemetery, but our afternoon took a turn when my wife suggested we take a right at the church and we drove down a narrow lane to discover a small American Museum and the Devil Dogs Fountain. Click the link to learn more – Why United States Marines Drink from a Fountain in France.
It was a wonderful side trip.
On the train ride from Paris to Amsterdam I worked on the video below, I think it tells the story well. Please take a moment to watch. Thank you.
I signed the guest register and walked among the headstones. I took four photos of fallen Americans. There are 2,294 more, 250 of them still unknown.
It was peaceful in the country. I believe my dad and Juliana are at peace. I know I am.
My wife and I drove to Chateau-Thierry hoping to find a cafe or restaurant to find a bite to eat but were disappointed to find the town closed for business due to the holiday.
It was a wonderful day and it certainly counted. Today is going to be an amazing day, too. But I have to jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, remembering my parents and all they taught me.
W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, July 16, 2025
I can’t believe it’s Wednesday, again. A week ago I was stumbling around on a couple of hours of jet lagged sleep through London. Since then we’ve been around London, traveled by train and car to Swansea and back, taken the second to last train to Paris, and tromped around the French countryside and several iconic places around Paris.
A lamppost on the Pont Neuf, Il de la Cite, Paris, France, July 15, 2025 9:21 PM
We are having fun and getting a lot of walking in. The weather has been beautiful.
I am usually the early riser in the family, but this morning I awoke to an empty apartment. My wife had gotten the jump on me and gotten out while I slept late, much later than I usually do.
fifteen minutes later, Il de la Cite, Paris, France, July 15, 2025 9:36 PM
When the body speaks, I should listen.
Last night after a full day of touring, we rode the Metro back to where we are staying. We stopped to sit on one of the benches along the Pont Neuf. It was peaceful even with the traffic below on the river, the busy road connecting the Rive Droite with Rive Gauch, and the pedestrians going home, going out, or simply enjoying a moment outside as the day came to a finish.
It had been a full day.
We’ve done so much since my last post Sunday night. Monday we traveled to the countryside and explored then Tuesday we explored the city. I have so much to share, but I need time to process everything – moments and images.
Today is going to be another full day, I know it and I can feel it. Today could be a million and six times better than yesterday, but I have to jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the days COUNT, one day at a time, especially when I am on vacation.
How do you ‘vacation?’ Full throttle, slow and easy, or as it goes?
Our trip caught up with us on Friday. After two days of sight-seeing, we were spent.
I was able to finish sign of the week before breakfast, even after promising myself I’d have it ready to go ahead of time.
Over breakfast we decided to make it a ‘museum day.’ We ended up taking the underground to Bond Street and then walking to the Wallace Collection near Marlylebone, where we had been Thursday. As we walked, I recognized some of the places we had passed the day before and I was thankful the museum was air conditioned. After viewing the first gallery together – paintings and other art work from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, we separated. My wife went upstairs, to explore and I explored downstairs and te the collection of English armor.
The tile and statue are reproductions inspired from the Near East – reproductions of the tile are in the restrooms..
The armor opposite the chair I took a break to rest my eyes…
I was able to sit quietly and people watch in one of the chairs set aside for visitors like me.
When my wife was finished, she texted me and went to find her. We talked next steps and decided to visit Ottolenghi, the restaurant we had enjoyed the day before for a ‘petit repas,’ order it to go, and enjoy it in al fresco. The server recommended a small shaded neighborhood park close by and we found it after a short walk.
The park was the ideal location to enjoy a bite to eat , people watch, and talk about what we wanted to do with the remainder of the day – our last FULL day in London. In the end, we decided to return to the hotel, take a short nap, freshen up, and decide about dinner afterwards.
The short nap and freshening up did wonders for our perspective and we decided to enjoy the local culture of an English pub. On the recommendation of the concierge (and a fellow America) we chose a pub nearby the hotel. It was an excellent recommendation. I ordered the Scotch egg (below) and fish and chips, and my wife had the Beef Wellington, the house specialty. All of it was delicious washed down with a pint or two of the local beer.
We finished the evening at Hyde Park listening to Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts finish their set. We were back at our hotel well before midnight.
Saturday morning we woke early, it was a traveling day. After breakfast we returned to the room to pack before catching a ride to Paddington Station and the train to Swansea.
Before we left, I asked the concierge if there was a mailbox close by and he point ed at one I had walked by at least two times without noticing. You would’ve thought I would have noticed something so large and RED! I mailed the post cards we had written.
We had a date with the Great Western Railroad to celebrate Juliana.
My father and Juliana lived in England for less than a decade in the from about 1976 to 1983 before relocating to Paris. During our summer and winter breaks, my brothers and I would visit them though we always we went separately I went by by myself and my two brothers traveled together. Juliana and my father lived in Reading which is a bit more than a half hour train ride from London through Paddington Station. I remember traveling through Paddington to Reading and back during my trips – sometimes with them or by myself, then using the underground to get around the city. That was a long time ago and my to Reading and England was Christmas break of 1982 when I was a junior in college.
In the late 70s British Rail introduced these engines which traveled 125 mph, they still do…
The countryside west of Reading farms and less people
Our trip to Swansea would take us to Reading and Bristol, Cardiff, and terminate in Swansea where we would meet up with my brother and his wife and Juliana’s English family.
Saturday was for traveling, then gathering with family to honor Juliana and dad, and that is for another story.
Today has been an amazing day, it too was a travel day. Swansea to London, the the Eurostar to Paris. It’s been a whirlwind of a day, though I don’t know if it could top Saturday. That is for another post.
Today would have been Juliana’s 91st birthday. I know she was with us yesterday, likely wondering what all the fuss was about.
At the moment, I am traveling south from Lille to Paris at 186 mph (300 mph) and I had better wrap up this post before we arrive at Gare du Nord and begin the French portion of our trip begins. I have already jumped up, jumped in, and seized the day. Today has counted in so many ways – by car and rail and so much more. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, even when I am posting at 10:40 PM (local time).
When was the last time you posted late in the day?
It’s Friday and this week’s sign comes from the tunnel connecting terminal 1 at O”Hare International Airport to the C gates. It was at the bottom of the escalator after my wife and I descended. Yes, we fly for LOVE.
LOVE – pass it on. O’Hare International Airport, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 3:16 PM
There was another at Pass It On billboard at the opposite end of the tunnel, buy I was already on the up escalator when I noticed it.
Our flight left a bit late, but we arrived on time Wednesday morning.
Other than the hiccup of losing my credit card in the taxi when we arrived at the hotel and then being re-united hours later when Roy came back to the hotel and returned my credit card our first two days in London have been great.
The rising moon as we get closer to Europe.
Wednesday
I remember traveling from the states to Europe when I was young. My dad always told me no naps, just do things and then go to bed early. Once we had the credit card sorted out, we were on the move.
We did mostly tourist stuff. The Tower of London and a boat ride on the Thames back to Westminster and the tube back to our hotel was what was on the itinerary for the day and dinner at Dishoom.
We started at the Underground station in South Kensington near our hotel.
Fifty years ago, when I was here with my stepmother, Juliana she took us to the Tower of London. She was so patient with us. I can’t imagine what it might have been like for her; going from no kids to having three boys aged 13-12-10. I know we weren’t an easy group, but she handled us like a pro. We were blessed to have her.
When my wife and I were planning she asked me what I ‘wanted’ to see and the Tower of London and a picture with one of the Yeoman Warders as on my list.
the three of us – London 1975 – Warren, David, a Tower Guard, and me
Me, fifty years later and a different Yeoman Warder…
And I wanted the see the poppy exhibit. It was beautiful.
We finished with dinner at Dishoom, an amazing Indian restaurant my wife has raved about since her trip with her sister almost ten years ago. It was delicious.
Once we go home, I followed my dad’s advice. I was out.
Thursday
We had breakfast at the hotel and planned our day. We decided to visit the Westminster are and take in the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, then walk to Buckingham Palace. We figured we would decide what was next, later.
The underground leaves the South Kensington station.
After many trips to England in the 70s and 80s I had never ridden in a double decker bus until today
We arrived a little bit past half past nine, but the sundial was off due to daily savings time. Nature knows the time, always.
Westminster was bustling with activity and we walked with the crowd to see Parliament and Big Ben, then set out to visit the Westminster Cathedral. But Big Ben must be taken in from afar.
Big Ben was cooperative for my ‘selfie’
Afterwards, we walked to the Buxton Memorial Fountain. But alas it was closed for renovations. However, we found a lovely bench along the Thames in the shade and discovered a New World import or hybrid. The leaves are similar to the maple and the tree had a spiny pod dangling from the branches. We were curious so we searched it on the internet. The source of the tree is unknown, but botanists believe it is a cross between the Oriental Plane and the American Sycamore and soured by the great Colombian Exchange. Click here to read more!
The London Plane trees provided lovely shade for us the entire afternoon.
We decided to forgo a walk and took a bus, my first ever trip on a double decker bus – we rode up top. However, up top is quite warm and there is little air flow on a warm summer day – temperatures in the late morning were already hovering in the upper 80d (30C+).
We arrived closer to Buckingham Palace and began walking toward the palace until we came to Royal Mews. My wife decided she wanted to go in and I passed and planted myself in the shade opposite the Royal Mews. It was fun people watching while she enjoyed the tour. We both enjoyed our time!
We were already very close to the palace and walked toward the Queen Victoria Memorial and fountain, alas it too was turned off.
It was lovely to walk around the in the sunshine and we found a lovely spot in the shade before I snapped an ‘Susie’ before we headed off on our next stop – shoe shopping.
You can deduce whom is who…
The roads were clogged and most of our trip was to the shoe shop, by we walked along a tree-lined road – yes, London Plane trees provided shade for entirety of our walk.
It took the two of us a while to arrive at the shoe store via bus and foot.
After the shoe store, my wife took me to a a place she and her sister had eaten for a late afternoon bite. It was delicious.
A shared plate – salmon with dill sauce, roasted cabbage, eggplant with yogurt, and a turmeric tossed roasted cauliflower
the view from my seat, a beautiful sunny day
After exploring and shopping (me patiently waiting) we were spent and returned to the hotel to regroup.
It was an easy ride home, though I panicked at one stop and thought i had misread the map, but I didn’t. London transport is as easy as I remember it.
After re-grouping and freshening up, we ventured out for a late night bite to eat, sorry no photos.
Yes, we fly for LOVE!
It’s Friday and our last full day in London. Today is going to be an amazing day, possibly a million and six times better than yesterday so, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, walking back in time in the present, and remembering why I am here.
I’ll be trading my summer office for a hotel room, park bench, or cafe somewhere or someplace.
‘Cause I’m leaving on a jet plane,
I remember when this song was popular. It was 1970 and we were living in Venezuela and preparing to move back to the states. I can remembering hearing this song playing on the record player in our home as my mom packed the house before the movers arrived to load everything to return the states. We weren’t much help – me aged 8, and my two brothers aged 7, and 5; likely more in the way than a help.
Jet travel was new and novel, and probably very expensive. But for an eight year-old, it was a wonderful experience and lasting memory. It was a propellor plane to Caracas and jet plane to Miami, then another jet home to Houston. Even today, when I smell diesel exhaust which smells similar to jet exhaust, it takes me back to those early days of jet travel.
my mom – 1966 Paris at Orly, watching planes with us
Funny, but I am not alone. Every year when I teach the unit on smells and particles, the students make a list of smells they like and don’t like and we compare as a class. Invariably, there is always at least one kiddo (or more) who says they like the smell of diesel exhaust for the same reason; it’s usually a boy.
‘Cause I’m leaving on a jet plane,
Today is going to be a great day, it could be a million and six times better than yesterday. So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Still need to finish packing and taking care of things around the house. Making the Days Count, one day at a time going back and forward all at the same time.
It’s Sunday morning and I am starting the day in the summer office. It’s cool for the moment, but today’s forecast calls for afternoon temperatures to reach a high of 93 (34C).
The Arizona weekend began with an early Saturday morning flight to Phoenix, renting a car, grabbing a bite to eat on the recommendation of a friend before finding the right spot for my ‘signature picture’ which I share with my brothers and a few friends. It’s a silly picture, but fun.
St. Louis – July ’23
the first ‘bad picture’ Seattle – May ’23
on the way to Sunday’s game, Phoenix October ’23
I had to find the ‘right’ cactus, Arizona September ’23
My hotel was within walking distance to the stadium, and I paced myself in the heat. Chase Field has a retractable roof, the first of its kind when it opened in 1998. The roof was closed because it was 100 degrees (38C) late in the afternoon before game time.
The Astros won Saturday night’s game 1-0 (nil) and clinched a playoff berth as did the Diamondbacks with a Chicago Cubs loss. I walked home and grabbed some tacos for dinner at the hotel.
Sunday morning, I woke early and planned the day. The hotel I was staying was architecturally cool. It was constructed in the 1930s and had been a bank before being converted into a hotel and legend had it that the penthouse was once inhabited by Alfred Hitchcock.
coffee Sunday morning in the hotel lobby…an impressive Art Deco building from the 1930s
I had a breakfast date with a fellow blogger, Ingrid from Live, Laugh RV: Our Next Chapter. She and her husband were originally from Chicagoland not far from where I love before moving west, then retiring and deciding to live the RV life. Ingrid’s posts left yearning for travelling in retired RV lifestyle from one location to another while exploring and enjoying being outdoors. Her photographs were always stunning. It was wonderful to meet Ingrid in person, and we were never at loss for something to say over breakfast. After breakfast, we took an ‘ussie’ and I headed back to the hotel to pack and get ready for the last game of the season.
Ingrid and I after meeting for breakfast, October 1, 2023
On the final day of the season, all baseball games begin about the same time Sunday afternoon. I arrived when the gates opened found my seat behind the Astros dugout in hopes of seeking out my favorite player, Maurico Dubón.
Last week I jumped into the deep end of the pool and created a new feature for my blog. My decision might have been premature, on the way home Saturday I drove around searching for signs, I didn’t see any, but I haven’t past the church since last week and I decided to take a different path with the sign of the week post, so hang on this week’s sign is from 2023 and there is a story which goes along with it and I have been looking for a way to tell it. WARNING – this is likely to be a LONG READ and I am breaking the post into two parts.
This week’s sign comes from Arizona when I was there for MLB stadium number 28, in September 2023.
Every MLB stadium has signs like this posted around the stadium and smaller ones close to the field. In recent years, stadiums have put up netting along the infield to make being a spectator safer. It’s a good thing, but if you go to the stadium, you do have to be paying attention foul balls often make it over the net and baseballs are hard and there are no screens in the outfield to protect fans. Continue reading Sign of the Week – Warning (part one)→
Saturday morning we woke early, it was a traveling day. After breakfast we returned to the room to pack before catching a ride to Paddington Station and the train to Swansea.
We had a date with the Great Western Railroad to celebrate Juliana.
