This England: Exploring Bath

All things considered, we woke relatively rested for our first full day in Bath -- and a beautiful one it was. Rick decided it was a perfect day to rent a bike and go on a long ride. I decided to go into the city. Erika asked in the last post if we had a car available or used the bus. For us, it was the bus -- usually (with a couple of exceptions) a very reliable way to get around the area.

So on this morning, I hustled down to the bus, only to stand waiting and waiting. Finally, I wondered if I might be in the wrong place (or had just missed the one before, which is what I realized had happened). Hope and Anchor had turned their closed sign to open so I crossed back over and asked if I might get a cup of tea and a little advice.

This England -- Welcome to Bath!

One thing we knew for certain when planning our trip. If the cottage we stayed in during our last trip to Bath was still available, we wanted to rent it again and have a longer visit. It was, and we did! (This photo is from my walk in the area.)

At first we thought we might visit Dublin or Edinburgh first. But we decided to spend the whole first week of our holiday in Bath (Midford, actually, about three miles outside the city) and branch off from there. It was a smart idea. (See the travel tips at the end of this post.)

Re-Entry Is Hard!

We arrived home in the wee hours of Friday morning after spending a mostly sleepless night in Detroit with the kids, due to the time change and jet lag (which is still lagging). Finally, around 3:30 in the morning we decided to hit the empty expressways (which was very eerie) and get home. 

Bath, UK

All You Have To Do I Vote -- And Know Who or What You are Voting For

All you have to do is vote. For many of us, absentee ballots have arrived and in many states, early voting has begun or will shortly. Vote for whomever you choose, but remember this.

 

The internet and the media are floating with misinformation. If you are like me, you listen -- and then you fact check. Your favorite news source might be CNN. It might be MSNBC. It might be FOX. Especially in the latter cases, you're hearing one set of info presented with "authority." The authority (including the candidates) aren't always spot-on accurate.

We hear out of context clips. We see ads, some of which may be AI-constructed. We hear sound bites on everything from news shows to late night comedy. A lot of it is clever. (In fact, the late night shows are very clever indeed!). But they still come with a point of view. 

Ask yourself -- "What matters to me?" Is it child care? The economy? Immigration? Democracy, freedom and the future of America itself? The right to make your own choices -- what to read, how to create (or not create) your family? The justice system? Higher education? The list is never ending.

After you ask yourself what matters most -- ask "who will be most able provide it for me?" And then ask, "Is the information I've been following accurate? Have I checked the facts? And if I have, how do I feel about it?"

Maybe you are a lifelong party member. Party support can be based on family history or even the regions in which we live. But if that party no longer serves you, there is no shame in voting for the other party. It doesn't make you a traitor, it doesn't make you a turncoat, it doesn't make you "bad." 

It makes you smart. Because you are voting your values. You are voting for the country. (And guess what -- you don't even have to tell who you voted for!)

Source: Ohio State News

But -- and it's a big but -- do it intelligently. Pick that issue that matters to you most, and then the next one and the one after that. Go to respected fact-check sources, not necessarily those favored by your favorite cable network or news source. (Two of note are FactCheck.org and League of Women Voters, which has links to other respected sites.

And mine them for all they are worth. 

By Peter Max

Because guess what -- there is no candidate that doesn't misrepresent the facts. We heard downright intentional lies. (Yes, Governor Kemp DID speak to President Biden, long before one candidate outright lied and said they hadn't communicated and the White House was ignoring Georgia. And the person who confirmed that was Kemp himself.) And we hear spin, interpretation and mis-speaking. Ask yourself, "Is it significant enough to matter?"

You may not know either -- until you do your homework.

I have been inspired by the courage of those who believe very differently on many issues from the candidate they are voting for and supporting in this year because they are voting their values. Voting for who they must this time. In another four years, there will be other candidates -- maybe even one of them. But for now, they are taking the courageous step of voting for the sake of the country over party. 

They have done their homework. And doing our homework can be exhausting -- but it is essential.

And they might not -- probably don't -- agree with all they know about that candidate. But they know what they cannot, under any circumstances, support. And to protect that, to do the best they can to prevent that from happening, they will vote their key values for this election.

Too many of us find it easy to be sheep -- and I say that for all parties, all people. We get glitter eyes from the brightest, shiniest object. We remember past times through a gauzy lens. Think about gas prices. These days you hear people say "they are higher than they've ever been." That's not completely true.

Fact check, people. Use your internet talents! You don't know what you find what but it might be surprising. and don't forget to factor in inflation. For example, based on gas-per-gallon costs from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics data, in 2021, it was gas averaged at $3.13/gallon ($3.44 inflation-adjusted). Hmm. $3.13 is what I saw on every pump in Lansing, Michigan on September 7. So, I looked at 2018. Yes, it's higher now. By 34 cents. And there's a whole lot more going on internationally now than in 2018. When we're looking back at those days of $1.35/gallon, we're forgetting what that price would be now, that inflation adjustment.

Point is, everyone talks about gas. It goes up and down, like everything else. And rarely, down to "what it used to be." If you get gas prices that are super low, back to prices of many years ago, chances are we are in the next pandemic or another serious national event. Everything costs more than it used too (and more than often, more than it should). But the days of a nickel candy bar are long past -- even at the dollar store.

That gas search led me to the "are you better off now that four years ago?" question. In 2020, the average rate of inflation was 1.2% -- very low. And then came Covid. Portable cold storage trucks turned into morgues, people getting insane advice on injecting bleach and doctors and nurses who couldn't get enough protective gear to safely care for their patients. Perhaps you know people who died.  I did. And others who came perilously close. 

Supply chain issues sent prices and inflation up (the old supply/demand story). It went as high as 8.0% in 2022. BUT -- it's a big but -- in a mere two years, it has come down to 2.53%.

That's just an example. If you can tell me why I pay $2.29 for a dozen large eggs here and the grocery up north sells the same eggs for $3.59 -- apart from greed -- I'd be curious to hear. Either the avian flu is bringing up prices in one market but keeping them down in another? Or is it price gouging?

Much that happens in our lives comes down to choice. I drive an economically responsible car. Not a hybrid or electric -- I'm not that economically responsible (as anyone who knows me will tell you.) But I make a choice. 

People who do not need a truck to haul things about on a regular basis but drive one and complain about gas have no room to do so in my book. Nor does the SUV owner who is a solo person (or even a couple) who are basically going back and forth to work or on a vacation. (If you're hauling around the sixth grade soccer team, a hard-core antiquer, a home woodworker or regularly carting around your merchandise to an art fair or trade show, for example, it's a different matter.) Enjoy your vehicle, ride all you like. But don't complain about gas!

My mileage on my 2016 Toyota. (It'll fall this winter with city driving only into the mid-30s.)

It is a choice. So don't complain when filling the tank costs more.

It's important to look at trends -- not just the past. Trends lead to the future. (And our overall economic trend is a good one.) Yes, we can learn from the past and we must, and yes, our world is fluid. Wars, strikes, natural disasters can affect everyone, not just those in the immediate path. But moving forward is essential.

This election is about choice. We are making a choice as to which candidate we will choose. I will vote for the one I believe will best deliver on choice, freedom, democracy. I will vote for integrity, for facts, for compassion. Those are the values I will vote for.

Other issues popular today -- immigration and the economy to name two, mean a bit less to me. (And I believe the economy is resolving considerably and in time will continue to improve, no matter who wins, with periodic setbacks. That's just life.) 

So, I will vote for the candidate whom I feel best supports those issues and best supports people that most need it -- the under served, the children, those working their hardest and getting by on less than they need -- not want, but need. I will vote for the candidate who will best figure out how to intelligently and compassionately handle issues at our borders and those immigrants already here who have worked hard to establish a new life in a new country after living in danger in their homeland. 

 I will vote for the candidate who will support democracies around the world and not pander to authoritarian leaders and dictators. In the company of our allies, we are infinitely safer than going it alone. And I will vote for one who will preserve our Constitution and protect its values.

I will vote so that Carson and Cameron can read the books they want to read, whether others approve or not, and for those I know who will or are facing issues related to gender, personal relationships or reproductive freedom will have the freedom to do so.

And if I have to pay more taxes, I'm good with that. (Although since I fall nowhere near the $400,000 level, that's not an issue, And if the few people I know who fall into that category of an income well above that (I rather doubt they read this blog) -- well, you SHOULD be paying more. It will make little difference to you -- a trip abroad, a new model of car, an addition to your already lovely home. It could make an enormous difference to others.

You may well have early-voted or sent in your absentee ballot. If you are at the polls on November 5, good for you. Voting is a privilege and it is important to do so. If you have to "hold your nose" and vote against party, please do so. What matters is that you vote. We can't complain if we don't vote! 

And heaven knows, we all love to complain! (Comments are off for this one.)

September Books

September was another "quiet" reading month. But it included two wonderful mysteries and a peek behind the royal curtain.

"The Last Devil to Die" by Richard Osmun

The trouble with Richard Osmun's "Thursday Murder Club" series is that the books are so delightful that one doesn't want to finish them! Yet, they are so good, you keep reading (and reading and reading), turning pages as fast as you can. A true dilemma!

His most recent offering in the series finds the group concerned about the murder of an antique dealer who was a friend of both characters Bogdan and Stephen. The death was apparently related to drugs but the police department seems less concerned about finding Kulesh's killer than it does the heroin that may well have led to his murder. So, detectives Chris and Donna, along with the senior gang at Cooper's Chase, launch out independently and immerse themselves in finding the murderer -- and the heroin.

As always, Osmun's characters are finely drawn -- former spy Elizabeth; one-time nurse Joyce; psychiatrist Ibrahim and one time union organizer Ron, along with the Polish Bogdan and detectives Chris and Donna. So, too, are some of the potential suspects -- art forger Susanna and her partner, Garth and drug dealers Mitch and Luca.

There are many smiles in this book -- there always are in this series of improbable but delightful situations. But there is also great poignancy and yes, a few tears. It is a worthy offering.

(The first book in the series is currently being filmed with Helen Mirren as Elizabeth, Pierce Brosnan as Ron, Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim and Celia Imrie as Joyce.)

"Spare" by Prince Harry

I'll admit I have a fascination with the British royals and have for years. But I decided to wait til I could either get Prince Harry's controversial memoir, "Spare," in paperback, used or on sale. I finally got a copy and dug in. 

For those who neither know (or care) about the royals and the feud between Harry and his brother, William and his father, King Charles, the book has received a lot of notice as a tell-all, filled with horrible stories about his family. I suspect a large percentage of the reason the royals are so upset isn't so much the content in the book but the fact that Harry broke the cardinal rule of "Never complain, never explain" in telling his story. But what results is a candid and intriguing look behind the curtain at the world's most dysfunctional family. 

Harry begins with his childhood and of course, the death of his mother, Diana. At the time he was 12 and in the "suck it up, Buttercup" world of the royals, the grieving process was difficult and complicated. The early chapters of the book reveal how he internalized much of the events of that time, even fantasizing (for years) that his mother hadn't died, but had disappeared to start a new, private life and soon would return for Harry and his brother. (As one who spent a decade working with grieving children about Harry's age at a children's grief center, those stories and emotions ran all too true to form. The difference was, at our center, the kids had a safe place to share those feelings with others experiencing similar situations.)

The second part of the book deals with Harry's experiences in the Army, where he truly found a home and a calling. It wasn't easy -- after many months in Afghanistan, he was pulled because he was considered a target for kidnapping and consequently, a danger to his own team. I found the sections on the army especially interesting and well written and explained.

He also candidly deals with his behavior during his teen and young adult years -- often ill-advised -- including drug use and acting out. And, he makes very clear that his passion for Africa and for service, including his role in creating the Invictus Games, is deep and powerful.

Within the first two sections of the book, it is clear that Harry's issues with his brother went back far into their youth with a good deal of sibling rivalry and "the heir" always claiming power over "the spare." Harry has a lot of anger about this and he tells of numerous events in which he wasn't allowed to work on a project he had interest in, either because William claimed it first or vetoed it. And yet, he always indicates there was a good deal of love between the two, if not always understanding. 

The third section of the book deals with more recent times, including Harry's passion for Africa, his relationship and courtship with his future wife, Meghan Markle, the years of their marriage to date and finally, the couple's decision to leave England for America -- seemingly the nail in the coffin of Harry's relationship with both his brother and father. He makes an excellent case for himself -- along with a desire to serve his father, the King. 

So, of course I have to ask myself, "if you were Harry or Charles, how would you feel about this book (and Harry's controversial interview with Oprah and the couple's Netflix series.)" 

And my answer is, "Get over it, guys." Actually, I have NO idea why Charles is bent out of shape, unless he is being encouraged by William. The words Harry writes about his father (and Queen Camilla) are honest in his point of view -- but absolutely no worse than any kid might think about a parent or step parent when times are tough.

William has a bit more room to be ticked off. Harry was brutally honest in his feelings about his brother -- and they are complicated, based on history, competition and love. That wound will take longer to heal and it will require both parties to let go. Stay tuned, royal watchers.

"The Children Return" by Martin Walker

Martin Walker's character "Bruno," chief of police of the French Perigord town of St. Denis, returns in a well conceived mystery that keeps one involved to the last page. In this outing, Bruno is dealing with three significant situations, and as complicated as it seems, Walker makes them all easy to follow in this information-packed book.

The "children" who return to St. Denis are a young Muslin man with Autism, Sami, who has been away for many years, first at a Muslim school in Toulouse and then -- where? It turns out that he has escaped from Afghanistan where he was forced into making explosive devices for the Taliban. It becomes apparent to Bruno that Sami is also a wanted man by the Taliban, who want to kill him for all he knows about the organization. Bruno, with the help of the Brigadier, must remove and protect Sami from harm, along with his adoptive parents. They are taken to a heavily-guarded chateau where the young man will be evaluated by a psychiatric tribunal to see if he is capable of standing trial as a terrorist. Meanwhile, the Taliban (and the media) are out to get him.

As Bruno negotiates working with the Brigadier, a lovely American diplomat with an FBI background named Nancy, and the three members of the tribunal (while negotiating his own safety), he is also part of a group in the town who have received a letter outlining a potential legacy bequest from a Jewish man who had been sheltered, along with his sister, from the Nazis in World War II. The bequest would fund a project that would, in some way, thank the town for having supported children such as they were, during that time. It is up to Bruno, the mayor and their teacher friend, Florence, to develop a project that will bring this gift to the town.

The third plot involves Bruno's friend, the doctor Fabiola, who is having relationship issues with the man she loves. It appears that Fabiola has a back story, perhaps one involving assault, that is preventing her from moving forward with the relationship. When she reacts negatively to a member of the psychiatric tribunal evaluating Sami, Bruno realizes that perhaps there is more to that relationship than it seems.

The three stories intertwine, revealing new depth to some familiar characters and, as Walker always does, developing into a fascinating mystery with more than a bit of contemporary focus along with a good bit of terrifying action.

I've read many of the Bruno books and this may be my favorite to date. It's well worth a read.

Hopping the Pond!

Rick and I are off for a bit. After my most stressful summer in years (ever?) we hope to get some real R&R in Bath, London and elsewhere in England! Hopefully, I haven't overpacked!

I will probably not commenting or reading blogs much or blogging from "the road." I do have a couple of pre-posts scheduled, including the September book post.

Our agenda (to the degree we have one!) includes theatre, concerts, sightseeing, and meet-ups with some blog friends! (That will be the best!) Maybe even a rugby game if it isn't rained out!

The curtain of the Wyndham Theatre, London

Please stay well. If you are in areas badly damaged by the recent Hurricane Helene, I hope your recovery is going well and that you remain safe. I know many bloggers are in this position and I will try to check in. The same goes for blogger Duta in Israel and others dealing with the war in the Middle East.

Enjoy the beautiful fall colors and I'll be back with loads of photos (probably more than you want to see!)

 

 

(And thank you for all your comments and support about Lizzie. I was so relieved when she returned. To the bloggers and visitors I have never seen comment before, I was especially moved that you came by and took the time to do so. If you have a blog, I will try to visit before I leave; if not, after. Thank you, thank you.)