The Coffee House

[snowbear]

I went to a "planning session and buffet dinner" with the new Jeep club, yesterday. Didn't get much planning done but the Chinese buffet was pretty decent, though a small variety. The club leader/host bought me dinner as I traveled the longest to get there. Houlton is in the northernest part of Maine, near where I-95 crosses into New Brunswick, Canada. It's a little over three hours drive from home. I'm going to go back up on Friday for round two and participate in a send-off for the local (to them) Special Olympics basketball team who is going down to Bangor for a tournament. The club was started by riding in a Pink Ribbon event a few years back and they are trying to expand beyond Aroostook County. They seem like a nice group of folks.

I passed a scenic overlook which provides what appears to be a good view of Mount Katahdin, our highest mountain and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. I'll go back up in May when the overlook opens. I could see Katahdin on the drive up but only glimpses as the speed limit is 75 mph (120.7 km/h) and in moose country.

I brought the D750 and a few lenses up this trip so I'll wander out later this week. The movers will be here tomorrow so it will take me a couple days to get things arranged, as well as I can without the ML's here. I'll head back to MD in April to check on MLSIL and collect the lawn tractor and kayaks. May start pulling some of MLSIL's things out, as well.

Oooo - coffee is ready!

 

[jeffashman]

Heyho folks! Today we celebrated our 40th Anniversary by going to see the Broadway release of Les Misérables at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Wow! That was an incredible performance. We sat in a balcony just left of stage overlooking the orchestra pit, so we only got to see 3/4 of the stage, but the music and the singing were phenomenal, so we really didn't care. Not sure if I'm getting more sentimental with age, but there were a few parts where "I got a bit of dust in my eyes." Afterwards we went to Maggiano's for a nice meal. Good weekend, but far too short.

 

[cgw]

Heyho folks! Today we celebrated our 40th Anniversary by going to see the Broadway release of Les Misérables at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Wow! That was an incredible performance. We sat in a balcony just left of stage overlooking the orchestra pit, so we only got to see 3/4 of the stage, but the music and the singing were phenomenal, so we really didn't care. Not sure if I'm getting more sentimental with age, but there were a few parts where "I got a bit of dust in my eyes." Afterwards we went to Maggiano's for a nice meal. Good weekend, but far too short.

Live performance, whatever the glitches, is always capable of touching the heart. Post-pandemic, I attended an old friend's daughter's bat mitzvah. The restaurant after-party had a small group with a good piano player. Someone requested the old Kurt Weil arrangement of "Mackie Messer" (Mack the Knife) from "Die Dreigroschenoper"(Three Penny Opera). A very old lady stood up and channeled Lotte Lenya and sang it word for word. My tablemate and I cried. She sobbed, "My God, we're in Weimar Berlin!"

​

 

[snowbear]

Heyho folks! Today we celebrated our 40th Anniversary by going to see the Broadway release of Les Misérables at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Wow! That was an incredible performance. We sat in a balcony just left of stage overlooking the orchestra pit, so we only got to see 3/4 of the stage, but the music and the singing were phenomenal, so we really didn't care. Not sure if I'm getting more sentimental with age, but there were a few parts where "I got a bit of dust in my eyes." Afterwards we went to Maggiano's for a nice meal. Good weekend, but far too short.

Congratulations on 40. MLW and I hit 41 in June.

 

[terri]

Heyho folks! Today we celebrated our 40th Anniversary by going to see the Broadway release of Les Misérables at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Wow! That was an incredible performance. We sat in a balcony just left of stage overlooking the orchestra pit, so we only got to see 3/4 of the stage, but the music and the singing were phenomenal, so we really didn't care. Not sure if I'm getting more sentimental with age, but there were a few parts where "I got a bit of dust in my eyes." Afterwards we went to Maggiano's for a nice meal. Good weekend, but far too short.

I've seen this musical too - years ago in Atlanta. It's guaranteed to choke you up in certain parts. I remember it fondly. Glad you got to see such a great performance!

Happy anniversary!

 

[terri]

I went to a "planning session and buffet dinner" with the new Jeep club, yesterday. Didn't get much planning done but the Chinese buffet was pretty decent, though a small variety. The club leader/host bought me dinner as I traveled the longest to get there. Houlton is in the northernest part of Maine, near where I-95 crosses into New Brunswick, Canada. It's a little over three hours drive from home. I'm going to go back up on Friday for round two and participate in a send-off for the local (to them) Special Olympics basketball team who is going down to Bangor for a tournament. The club was started by riding in a Pink Ribbon event a few years back and they are trying to expand beyond Aroostook County. They seem like a nice group of folks.

I passed a scenic overlook which provides what appears to be a good view of Mount Katahdin, our highest mountain and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. I'll go back up in May when the overlook opens. I could see Katahdin on the drive up but only glimpses as the speed limit is 75 mph (120.7 km/h) and in moose country.

I brought the D750 and a few lenses up this trip so I'll wander out later this week. The movers will be here tomorrow so it will take me a couple days to get things arranged, as well as I can without the ML's here. I'll head back to MD in April to check on MLSIL and collect the lawn tractor and kayaks. May start pulling some of MLSIL's things out, as well.

Oooo - coffee is ready!

Wow! A 3 hour drive- I gotta hand it to you Jeep owners, you're a dedicated group. It sounds really nice!

Maine is a beautiful state. We'll be expecting those pics!

 

[VidThreeNorth]

What I am writing here is my true story, which is a disaster. You might need a drink first:

I have literally lost "more than everything." A very long while back, I had money in the bank and everything was paid off. With nothing on a credit card, I ignored it. Big mistake. Someone got my credit card info and started charging stuff. I was not watching it because I was not using it. I was paying cash for everything. My bank got drained and the bank and my condo mortgage. I could not pay it back because I was essentially retired. Essentially, I have been trying to find new ways of earning money, which is why I started my photography and poetry and readings.

I am about to get evicted (soon). I hope to keep some camera equipment. We'll see.

Anyway, if I "disappear", that's what happened. If you find any of my "readings" links, and you know someone who might enjoy them, or my other YouTube posts, and hopefully that will gain traction and I might end up making some money. I doubt if it will be enough to make a difference, but you never know. Also, I advise people to watch your credit cards. Oh well. Don't feel too bad for me. I'm still alive right now, and reasonably healthy. Take care!

 

[SquarePeg]

Heyho folks! Today we celebrated our 40th Anniversary by going to see the Broadway release of Les Misérables at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Wow! That was an incredible performance. We sat in a balcony just left of stage overlooking the orchestra pit, so we only got to see 3/4 of the stage, but the music and the singing were phenomenal, so we really didn't care. Not sure if I'm getting more sentimental with age, but there were a few parts where "I got a bit of dust in my eyes." Afterwards we went to Maggiano's for a nice meal. Good weekend, but far too short.

I've seen this musical too - years ago in Atlanta. It's guaranteed to choke you up in certain parts. I remember it fondly. Glad you got to see such a great performance!

Happy anniversary!

Many many years ago, in my early 20’s, I was dating this guy who was a stage hand for the Boston run of Les Mis. I must have seen that show 20 times including from backstage, the cheap seats, house seats and everything in between. Still got to me every time.

What I am writing here is my true story, which is a disaster. You might need a drink first:

I have literally lost "more than everything." A very long while back, I had money in the bank and everything was paid off. With nothing on a credit card, I ignored it. Big mistake. Someone got my credit card info and started charging stuff. I was not watching it because I was not using it. I was paying cash for everything. My bank got drained and the bank and my condo mortgage. I could not pay it back because I was essentially retired. Essentially, I have been trying to find new ways of earning money, which is why I started my photography and poetry and readings.

I am about to get evicted (soon). I hope to keep some camera equipment. We'll see.

Anyway, if I "disappear", that's what happened. If you find any of my "readings" links, and you know someone who might enjoy them, or my other YouTube posts, and hopefully that will gain traction and I might end up making some money. I doubt if it will be enough to make a difference, but you never know. Also, I advise people to watch your credit cards. Oh well. Don't feel too bad for me. I'm still alive right now, and reasonably healthy. Take care!

Why are you responsible for false charges on your credit cards? You should not have to pay that.

 

[SquarePeg]

Meant to add that I’m sorry this happened to you.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Many many years ago, in my early 20’s, I was dating this guy who was a stage hand for the Boston run of Les Mis. I must have seen that show 20 times including from backstage, the cheap seats, house seats and everything in between. Still got to me every time.



Why are you responsible for false charges on your credit cards? You should not have to pay that.

True, but to some extent, if I had been paying attention to it, the charges could have been flagged and argued. I made the mistake of not paying attention to it after I had cleared all my debt on it. The idea that it could be used against me in a fraudulent way didn't occur to me, so I stopped watching it. The bank was not invoicing me because the charges were below the level that I would get an invoice. That was because I didn't want to pay for the invoices. That was the unfortunate discovery, you need to watch the invoices for fraudulent charges even when you have not used your credit card for months. Also, prefer to have an account that reports all charges rather than letting small charges go unreported. Better still, don't have a credit card. Unfortunately, my Condo owner wanted to have a credit card to charge for late payment of fees.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Anyway, I just watched another trailer for "When Life Gives You Tangerines", and this one showed a family dinner where a couples parents were invited to dinner. Culturally, it reminds me of some families. I don't think that anyone I new in my parents generation was anywhere near as rude as what happened here:

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[snowbear]

Movers have been here a while. We have boxes everywhere. I forsee a yard sale or thrift shop donations in our future.

 

[snowbear]

So, what's the first thing you do when there's snow on the ground? I go to get a haircut so I can look pretty for my driver's license photo tomorrow.

On the way back, a pickup in front of me (at least 50 feet) lost it and ran into a small SUV going the opposite direction. The SUV rolled onto it's side. After working for, and supporting 9-1-1 for so many years, I got called for the second time, ever, and stuck around to give a statement to the PD. Still a bit of traffic between me and crash and others on that side had stopped. Engine and EMS arrived, but EMS left after a few minutes so I'm guessing no one hurt or refused transport. I heard a ladder truck was enroute, maybe to block the road (taper) but not sure. PD will contact me if needed.

This started as flurries for about 30 minutes, around 10:00 this morning, then started again around 11:30 or 12:00. It didn't take long to develop into a real snow. The movers finished up shortly after it was sticking to the ground (and their ramp).

 

[cgw]

So, what's the first thing you do when there's snow on the ground? I go to get a haircut so I can look pretty for my driver's license photo tomorrow.

On the way back, a pickup in front of me (at least 50 feet) lost it and ran into a small SUV going the opposite direction. The SUV rolled onto it's side. After working for, and supporting 9-1-1 for so many years, I got called for the second time, ever, and stuck around to give a statement to the PD. Still a bit of traffic between me and crash and others on that side had stopped. Engine and EMS arrived, but EMS left after a few minutes so I'm guessing no one hurt or refused transport. I heard a ladder truck was enroute, maybe to block the road (taper) but not sure. PD will contact me if needed.

This started as flurries for about 30 minutes, around 10:00 this morning, then started again around 11:30 or 12:00. It didn't take long to develop into a real snow. The movers finished up shortly after it was sticking to the ground (and their ramp).

View attachment 284872
View attachment 284871

Same view from here early a.m. today. Crappy snowshoeing...Greatly depressed the mob of just-returned robins.

 

[jeffashman]

Happy Monday to one and all! It's 78 and sunny! Thanks for the anniversary wishes!

Sorry to hear what happened to you @VidThreeNorth. I'm guessing laws in Canada are different than here in the US regarding credit cards. Here in the US credit card customers are not responsible for fraudulent use of their cards, at least for the major issuers. I use CC for most transactions rather than debit because the banks are much quicker in dealing with fraud since it's their money at risk. Debit cards are a risk, because it can take months or never for the banks to handle the situation. Hopefully things will look up for you.