World Cup 2022 Observations

Watching Croatia win the semifinal, defeating Morocco. Each played marvelously exciting games in their matches. Tomorrow semifinal between France and Argentine.

On the whole very cleanly played games, not as many nasty maneuvers as I’ve seen in past games that began to resemble gladiator competitions. It was said referees were ensuring cleaner games. I did not see a red card played – no players throw off field. But so sorry to see Mexico lose out due to coming up short on the ‘fair play’ standard (how many yellow cards received) and not advancing. The irony is these are the most corrupt games regards how they were awarded and the bribes and underhandedness of Qatar. Yet they have a ‘fair play’ standard for teams? Need to extend a fair play standard to the awarding of the competition.

Tribalism to a degree not seen elsewhere. When did was it no longer sufficient to wear your teams jersey? Now there is an obsession that far exceeds that of even trump election deniers. Bet if they could get away with it some fans would do a sacrifice to appease the football gods to favor their team.

At least this year the semifinals had 2 teams in competition that usually don’t reach that spot. The final game will be the usual suspects: France and Argentina. Spain, Germany, Portugal, and England all got knocked out – love it when the underdogs score. But a handful of countries always make it further; they have the resources, the recruitment training, the big leagues that present stronger, more durable teams at the end. I’m routing for France, do play a great game. Just don’t like Argentina, never did. Really enjoyed watching Modric work that ball across the field.

An awful lot of spitting especially during today’s semifinal. What’s that about? And that horrendous nose clearing with the one finger press. So disgusting!

Note the Saudi and Morocco teams both do a lot of the old style ‘dives’, rolling about on the field. Then they harass the ref when they don’t like the call. Saudi’s seemed worst for committing fouls – different culture, different style.

Foxholes and World Cup is where people find god. So many players crossing themselves, kissing the medals usually around their neck, palms up to Allah. These are too oft players who otherwise display a lack of of morals and values in their lives. But I can imagine that rituals and superstitions afe important for athletes – favorite shirt, lucky shoes, pulling up socks before a free kick.

And the stadium grass is looking pretty beat up. Maybe the desert is not a good setting for turf grass. Wonder what they will look like next year. Who will even remember Qatar in their artificial setting in a year.

Best announcer by far: Derek Rae Might have to start watching Premier League or Bundesliga just to hear his commentary. He outshines his American partners by far. Americans get too involved with statistics, learned from American sports which don’t have much actual play to focus on. Derek gives background color and calls the plays. And he doesn’t suffer from Americanisms in his speech.

On a shallow note, France gets the award for best grooming and uniforms. Oh that dark blue with gold numbers is classy. Among the worst are the stripped Argentine outfits. Too many teams wear a red/green combo and I got confused. So many countries have those colors in their flags but they need to design some new combos so just do something different; doesn’t always have to be flag colors or are your fans too dim to be able to differentiate?

And then there is FOX Sports…clearly under pressure to keep the Qataris happy. They continue their approach of biased reporting, catering to politics of the far right, tyrants preferred. Great example is when the protestor ran across the field with a pride flag and slogans on his shirt. FOX camera stayed on the referee, announcers went dead, think sound might have been turned off. I quickly did an internet search and found it covered in the British papers, with photos. And who controlled the camera at the stadium? Usually a lot of time spent scanning the crowd; this one scanned very little. Didn’t want those empty seats shown. Such biased reporting. But there are other places using the internet to get a full picture. Doesn’t change anything and FIFA will go on being corrupt.

I laughed reading the story about Qatar not getting their money’s worth from David Beckham. They paid him $150 million (yes, million) to promote Qatar. Well he was barely seen at all let alone promoting anything. Press wasn’t allowed in at his appearances, nor were announcements allowed. Serves the government right as they two timed Budweiser with that last minute alcohol ban. And the Saudi’s will have the same experience having signed Critiano Rinaldo for a record contract to play on a Saudi team. He is a has been! And he will fall far from the attention of European media once he’s in the desert. Might be a bit harder for him to hook up with more baby mamas and spreading his seed in a strict Moslem country but that’s a good thing.

I was rather rooting for France – always disappointed when it goes to penalty licks. But from what started as a very disappointing game turned out to be very gripping. Mote that FOX cuts off the award ceremony. Need to tune in to Telemundo.

All said it was one of the more exciting World Cup competitions. Seems the rest of the world’s players are getting better. I also note the teams in general are showing a lot more color. Is this going to go the way of basketball and football with a dearth of white players? It is said race doesn’t determine athletic ability; so what is it then. But Japan did play a very good game this tournament.

World Cup 2022 First Impression

Been watching several of the opening matches involving teams that won’t make it to the next level – but that’s what is the appeal to me. I like these early matches. I enjoy teams playing their hearts out, the excitement of playing on a world stage. But in the early days of streaming I could watch more of the games free online. Now FOX has split between television broadcast and paid cable. Telemundo offers free games via eacok which seems to require you sign up for a basic subscription to get the free 7 days; series lasts longer. Finding I don’t particularly mind watching the replay of matches on Tubi. Added benefit is I can stop and start and reply and needed.

So far France has the best-looking team, sharp, immaculately groomed, all of them. Do players reach some sort of consensus on this? Their uniform is very basic but sharp – navy with gold lettering. Now all the players on all the teams have the same level of fitness; some stuck wearing gaudy uniforms, but individual choice on haircuts and beards vary widely. Not on the French team. They go for tight haircuts, no dread locks or braids or long unkempt hair. And they look all around healthier unlike the very pale looking Australians which is rather a surprise. Thought they were on Bondi Beach all the time.

So what accounts for this difference? Not weather, not race, so that leaves culture. Exactly what is different in France that isn’t part of life elsewhere. I need to ponder this. My direct experience with daily living in France is limited. Let me recall domestic scenes from French movies, the food and drink must play a role. I need to have a fresh croissant every morning (then I need to move possibly to Quebec). Eat less, but eat better? Food for thought – haha.

Also note there seems a lot of minutes added on after each set. So did referees decide to generally allow more stoppage during the game? As many as 6 and 9 minutes are being added in many sets.

Really notice players sweating. But no one is drinking water during a match. Seem to recall the previous World Cup where water bottles were always on the side lines.

But having fun watching. This is the only sporting event I ever watch, every 4 years. Sadly nothing in between. And again this hopes high for England as they always are, but they never ever prove worth the hype. And in the playoffs it will come down to the usual suspects, but it is fun getting there.

Music So Touchingly Beautiful It Brings Forth Tears

Have you ever heard music so touching, so sensitive, so ethereal that tears come to your eyes? It happens, not often, but on rare occasions I am carried off and my mind is clear of all except this music.

At the beginning of the film “The Father’ the lead character is listening to a piece of music that was new to me. It is Bizet’s opera Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) WD 13 Act I, sung by Cyrille Dubois, Je crois entendre encore.

I shouldn’t be surprised as one of my favorite opera pieces is Au Fond Du Temple, same opera. Has a similar quality, especially if you hear it sung by top level opera singers such as Jussi Björling.

I was intrigued by all the music in ‘The Father’ so I pulled out my IPad. No wonder. Much of the score is written by Ludovico Einaudi, another of my favorites. And ‘Casta diva’ sung by Maria Callas also used; magnificent.

And yet another singer with whom I was unfamiliar was discovered in this film: Andreas Scholl singing Handel’s ‘Ombra mai fu”. Ah, what a voice – so pure, so controlled, exquisite. One regret this brings to mind is that I wasted the opportunity, when at German university, to take advantage of numerous opportunities to easily experience first rate classical music. Ah, it was another time, my life was otherwise engaged in the adventures of young adulthood.

And ‘The Father’ is an incredible portrayal by outstanding actors on the story of a father’s progressing dementia. Anthony Hopkin is such a powerful actor. It was not only the music score that engrossed me.

Native Americans in Charge!

I am truly excited that the U.S. has Native Americans in charge at both the National Park Service and as Secretary of the Interior. The New York Times has an article on Charles F. Sams of the NPS. I hope each of the are able to successfully navigate the complexities of government administration.

Maybe there is hope in spite of what is seen with race relations in general. No it will not improve conditions of reservations, it will not undo the numerous treaties consistently ignored by the government, and it won’t undo the genocide perpetrated against natives. But quietly without staged protests, reparations, shouting and chanted they have come to the head table thru their hard work and leadership.

Mr. Sams was sworn in by Secretary Haaland on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The two of them stood where Dr. King gave his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and felt honored. I think it is good to partner with Florida cities to run buses for low-income families to get to the Everglades. All people need to exposure to the national parks so they may realize the treasures of this country that are there for all.

I knew already that staffing was down, clear when you visit and park and don’t see any rangers. Numbers are down 15% over the last decade; visits up 20% plus. What’s wrong with this picture?

But there is $9.5 billion from the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020. Maybe this is the reason so much work was happening on old cabin lodging at Shenandoah. And maybe their will finally be improvements to staff lodging! (Read Nevada Barr to get more insights on the substandard accommodations.)

Is it so encouraging that Native American voices may be heard going forward from the peoples who were forced out of those places. And maybe, in some way, conditions on the reservations can be improved.

Sadness of Nesting Birds

Seems this particular spring is harder on the birds around my yard than previous springs. I know every spring I’d find dead hatchlings under a bird house or below a nest. Once sparrows fought over a bird house and several unfeathered corpses later lay on the ground.

But this year there was the joy of watching various birds explore houses, perching on top, looking in the small hole. Then maybe a different species bird the next day, same routine.

The bluebirds were house shopping very early in the season looking at the flashy boxes but merely perching on top of the bluebird house. Some time later it was actually the bluebird house they were filling with dried grass. It was lovely to see the two birds fly from the nearby trees to the house, and sit on the fence. Clearly their eggs hatched – I could here the tweet of little birds. And the parents had to fight off marauding sparrows.

And the chickadees were also looking for a nest site. Were they planning to take that other bluebird house even though a woodpecker had enlarged the hole?

The wrens take a long time in this process. It seems the male selects a box, fills it with some twigs and sings his heart out hoping to entice a female. When it doesn’t work he tries with a different nesting box. And on it goes.

Plenty of robins around but they’re nests are up in the trees. Generally can’t see them.

Late in spring there was conflict at the suet feeder with a blue jay and a huge crow – could that have been a raven? Fights at the feeder with the blue jay driving off the big black bird. This was the first year I noted the blue jay eating suet. The bird is a horrible pest at the seed feeders.

The blue bird nest was empty; no chirping birdies.Then one afternoon I heard the blue birds sounding the alarm. I got out in the yard in time to see the big bully blue jay fly off and there was a fledging blue bird in the grass, still alive, able to hop under cover. I did my best to keep an eye for any return of the jay. As best I could tell all the blue birds were reunited.

Meanwhile every time I was at the house front I enjoyed watching the wrens feeding their brood. I could hear the hatchings eagerly chirping as a parent entered the nest with a nice fly or grub.

Another day I saw the jay raiding the chickadee box! I don’t know if there were eggs or babies, but some twigs and small nest feathers lay on the grass. Appears to have been pulled out of the house. The chickadees didn’t return.

And a couple days later I drive up my drive to see a blue jay’s front half in the wren house! Horrors! The wrens were in a furry. I quickly got out of the car, too late. There was only silence from the bird house.

And you think that is enough? I went around clearing out the houses. Many birds will have a second clutch. I even took down a wren house that I forgot to clean out last year. There was a complete skeleton of a chick inside! It must have starved. I could even see the individual ribs. So sad.

Then today among the pine trees I found a dead fledgling blue jay. I buried it. It just doesn’t seem to stop. Truly a wonder with this mortality rate that we have any birds, let alone how difficult humans have made their environment.

I like to lay in the hammock under the crabapple tree. I actually observed the robins making a nest over the last couple days. They are also fiercely territorial and cleared the general area of the blue jay anytime it got near and chased the red squirrel out of the tree several times. Yesterday I found a broken blue egg in the grass under the nest. Today, however as I walked thru the yard there lay the entire nest, two broken eggs nest to it. It is a big, heavy nest with a circle of dried mud at the top; but now empty and useless.

Back under the pines I saw another jay fledging, alive, hopped a bit for better cover. There was a small jay nearby, I assume female. Not making a fuss at my presence. Surely aware of the chicks presence. Better to leave them alone.

So I have to use some type of predator bird guard on the houses, making the hole smaller, harder to be raided. Should I give it another go next year? Wonder why this spring was so difficult. Oh yes, I want to find a super soaker for use against the jay – or an airgun, perhaps. I don’t want to kill that bully bird but it has wrecked such havoc on the bird population. It is a disappointment.

Swimsuits – I had no Idea…

Dear Reader, yet another episode of ‘things I didn’t know’. New York Times has an article in Style about why swimsuits cost $250. What!!!! Since when, for who? I remember back in the 1960’s thought a $35 Jantzen swimsuit was extravagant; then it turned out when swimming that blouson top held air like a extra bosoms that moved around to my side. But it was a nice looking orange with a polka dot blouson top (but material too thick and tight). Oh yes I have become one of those old people always going on about what things used to cost.

Well it seems there is a population out there routinely paying $250 and up for their swim attire. Most of that is mark-up, by the designer and the retail store. It is the New York audience I guess. The poor foreign seamstress – is that appropriate to call a sweatshop worker – is lucky to get $3.90 for labor on one suit.

I seldom buy suits as I no longer have access to a lap pool, whose chlorine water wore out suits. My main use now is for kayaking; we sometimes swim afterward on those hot summer days. And I’ve found the best at Lands’ End, a nice two piece where the bottom makes great kayak shorts. Also I need a suit for when my tour has a hotel with pool or in one case had mineral baths. Yes, that suit is permanently stained on the white inside with the iron content in the water at the Azores spa. I’m not upset.

Now I learned something else from this article, something I didn’t necessarily want to know. But I’m gonna share it with you. There is a new category for swimsuits: transwomen who don’t tuck their genitals. Yes indeed there is a designer who provides for that niche market.

Let me stay in the world of the Lands’ End catalogue. My needs are simply. I’m not going topless, the body never lent itself to a bikini, and don’t want to do that much hair removal. And I only need to tuck the fat a bit, nothing else.

Travel – Shenandoah National Park, Again

Really I do need to find a new domestic destination. This is the third trip in one year! The fourth total. But spring is a good time and I hoped to catch either Azaleas or Mt. Laurels in bloom.

Had my dog buddy Sparky with me again. And got to use my toll road transponder for the first time. Yes, it did make it easier, especially as Pennsylvania no longer even accepts cash. I you don’t have the transponder a photo of your license plate is used to mail you the toll fee. Also the transponder affords you about a 40% reduction in toll fees.

It is nevertheless a long drive. 9 hours per online route, including stops for gas, beverages and doggy walks more like 11 hours. Really need to find places for overnights to break up the long haul. Audio books are great tools to make the time seem to pass more quickly but it is a long drive.

Did not pick the AirBNB option this time. Had enough of extra fees tacked on. Last visit I scooped out other lodgings and now used the Country View Motel in Elkton. Pet friendly with a kitchenette and no administrative or service fees. Only a $25 pet fee. It is on Hwy 33, a major road, and very noisy. Otherwise fine.

Trails in Shenandoah are hard: steep inclines and rocky. So many of the trails intersect and share the Appalachian Trails. Lots of hikers ‘doing the AT’. Got better at picking trail sections that followed contour lines and checked out the flora. Tad too early for Mt. Laurel and azaleas were fading. Plenty of wildflowers in bloom, just like back in Michigan. Did become aware of a new invasive tree species: Princess Tree. Of course from China. It was in bloom – couldn’t miss it

Had spectacular lunches spent sitting at the overlooks. It wasn’t busy so could park the car, put Sparky on the long lead and take out my chair to have lunch and take in the view of rolling hills. Pretty quiet also, mostly just birdsong and wind.

It is a hard landscape. While sitting at the overlooks I read my book about Shenandoah settlers, those moved by the park in the 1930’s, oft times forcibly. They had to have been a hardy folk in this rocky terrain walking up and down the hollows. While the landscape was lush, it was hard to make a living. Before the chestnut trees died off locals peeling off the bark to ship out for use in tanning hides. Of course there was the moonshine. Ever enterprise required use of horses or mules or trails or rough roads.

It was while sitting at an overlook, Crescent Rock to be exact, that I saw the plant poachers. The car first got my attention as it stopped to unload two passengers before even getting to the parking area. They had a white plastic bag and immediately started picking and walking into the woods. The car went to park after which a Chinese woman and an American Caucasian man got out and ambled over to join the others in the woods.

Yes I know they were Chinese because they spoke Chinese, loudly. The woman even spoke heavily accented English loudly to the American, Chinese to the older couple who first exited the car. Yes indeed, they were very busy gathering, not mushrooms, but looked like leaves although in one case I saw the Chinese man working to pull up a plant up by the roots. And I have video!

Chinese Plant Poachers in National Park!

They are driving a $60,000 Lexus with Virginia plates and a license plate holder from Lindsay Cars in Metro D.C. And they blatantly steal from the National Park! No one of them even bothered to take in the glorious view at the overlook – they were there solely to forage. Wish I could have figured out what it was; no nettles there, didn’t see wild ginger, just don’t know what leaves they plucked.

Loading Up the Car with Fresh Pickings

There was another couple sitting at the overlook, and 2-3 cars cruised thru. Did not deter these thieves. It was when I moved closer to get a photo of the license plate that I was notices and the car backed up to ask me if there was a problem. Yes I told them; it is illegal to take plants from a national park. The driver, the younger Chinese woman feigned ignorance, she was just a visitor! I told her I would post this online which caused her to furrow her brow. And they left.

Yes I did go to the ranger station. In all my National Park visits I have never seen someone behave so blatantly in an illegal act. Did I film this because they were Asians? No! Would have done same to anyone. And an America was aiding them. The rangers were very interested especially as I had video, license plate, individuals and car. They immediately sent out an alert and all park staff were looking for this gray Lexus to discover what all was in bags in the back! But alas, no success. I queried the ranger as to follow up as they had video with a license plate. It seems they would send a letter. I’m sure they’ve done this before and a letter will not deter them.

My friend in Seattle, a marine biologist, recounted the problem they had on local beaches. Some reasonable harvesting on the beaches was allowed. Then the beaches were discovered by a gang of Chinese who pretty much cleaned out everything they could get. Can’t get anything now.

I doubt my filming them will be a deterrent. And I will not post the tag number online as they can well have unintended consequences. Our national parks are they to protect our natural resources so all people can enjoy them, not exploit and ruin them. Keep that cell phone handy!

Transient Nature of a Crabapple Tree

Look at the glorious branches pulled down by the weight of seemingly weightless blossoms. A couple days of 86 degree temps caused them to quickly burst into bloom.

And then just as quickly the petals fall. I enjoy sitting under the branches to watch the myriad insects on the flowers. Then they are the chickadees also attracted by those insects. There is a buzz, a twitter and gently falling petals. Sunlight filters thru but he light breeze keeps my bench spot comfortable.

Come fall the flowers will have turned to small crabapples. Then come the orioles, waxwings, robins to devour the fruit. But there will still be plenty left come spring as those same birds return famished, stripping the tree bare of the small dried fruits.

Carpe diem. Maybe it is with age that I linger more on the transient nature of life. Aren’t we also but one bud that flowers in a blaze, but in time are gone and forgotten. Perhaps along the way we made some contribution in some way, but maybe not. In the end it is all the same.

The Slap Heard ’round the TV Screen

Oh my. And where is cancel culture now? Smith is black so won’t be cancelled. Isn’t Pinkett-Smith so proud to have more Blacks at the Oscars? There are just so many issues triggered by this assault one doesn’t know where to start.

Smith is a textbook abuser. Rock another foul mothed comedian. And no one asks Pinkett-Smith., likely someone PR people advise to keep quiet. The Smith children, entitled and lucky to have parents who fund their pointless ventures, step into the fray.

Was it staged? A Hollywood prank to boost ratings. Gotta have people talking about you, doesn’t matter how. And we all know no one suffers a downfall from their bad behavior. Just look at Washington D.C. What ever happened to shame? Can’t shame anyone because no one really cares and I’m just constantly amazed as ongoing new evidence of how bad behavior can get. After 4 years of trump how bad can things get, seriously. Sadly, we have come to accept increasingly low standards.

Smith will continue to do movies. Many admire his masculinity. And his friends all just want to share the spotlight. They’re all actors; can you trust what they say?

So we have something new to argue, can put aside for a time whether there is election fraud, vaccines good or bad, worry about Russia (I think that fear is really only in Europe). We have something else to feed the 24-hour news cycle.

But Smith won’t suffer, Rock won’t change his comedy and people will prove they really don’t care, do you? (Did I just quote Melania’s, actually an original from her, as that is beyond her talents.)

Travel – Charleston, S.C. – Pushing Hilton Time Shares

After my visit years back to Savannah everyone kept telling me “Oh, if you liked Savannah you have to go to Charleston, it’s so much better.” Finally got around to the visit. More about the circumstances later.

Coming from the relatively more recently settled upper Midwest, the former Northwest Territories, I love going to places that were the first settlements. So much history every which way. From the structures to the cemeteries, it is all old. But different from that really old stuff in Europe – here is the visible form of American history. It wasn’t my ancestors that walked here but the names we learned of the men who populated our history books (yes, they were only men except for Betsy Ross whose traditional sewing accomplishments warranted her inclusion). Dates noted go back to the late 1600’s unlike Michigan where the oldest structure is an 18th century fort. Settlers only began to stream in the Michigan area after the land was surveyed mostly in the 1830’s (some areas in the eastern area of the state were done earlier). It was very much a wilderness when my first ancestor came in 1892 for the lumbering jobs.

Charleston was crowded, spring break they said. It seemed more crowded due to the tight sidewalks where the average width is less than 6 feet. Walks are cracked, heaved, interspersed with dips for drives, then the grates for trees taking up have the walk. It is treacherous – can’t imagine navigating at night. And the morning after a busy night the detritus of the previous evening liter the sidewalk especially the north end of King St, a student area. Fortunately no bodies. The streets prove much easier but you have to walk around all the Mercedes, Porsches, Lexus; south end of town is clearly quite posh. Can’t imagine what it must be like high season.

Among my favorite places: the Unitarian Church and Cemetery, Fort Sumter. It is a very ornate church with wonderful Unitarian guides. Their cemetery is a marvel. So many descriptions mention is it overgrown, unkempt and the like. No, it is very much controlled abundance; the flora are planted additions, the walkways cleared. It is magical, in death united with nature. A close second is the oldest graveyard at the Circular Congregational Church. Wish I could have gone into the church. And of course I always love the National Parks with rangers who have a passion about their subject matter. So this Fort is where the Civil War battle actually started. Very interesting to see the detailed construction with ground shells used in the mortar. And the slave labor used is elaborated on.

Having toured many castles and cathedrals in Europe where they too often pressed laborers into service they got no mention of their contributions. Have to keep things in perspective: the rich always exploit the poor and powerless.

And just for fun took the Ghost Tours of the South. Oh the stories were a load of BS but the guide was very entertaining! And it was so lovely to see the city at nite, the church steeples lit and picturesque street lamps made for an enchanting setting. Had to stop for a snack so by the time we wanted to head home it was nearly 10 – figured trolleys stopped running and streets were wonderfully quiet. Just as we stood on Meeting St wondering what to do along came a Pedicab. What a wonderful end to a great day – we laughed all the ride to the hotel.

On to the wonders of Charleston! Restaurants were packed. Food was good and I guess what I consider high prices are pretty much the norm. Guess I need to get out there more. Many of the waitstaff we met were from elsewhere. Weather was comfortable but this place much be murder when things get warm; it is pretty much built in a delta, lots of low-lying areas and land filled in. I was surprised at the view from the airplane, lots of streams meandering around to reach the sea. The Old Exchange Building once used their basement area as a dungeon and for storage. Mold had to be a big problem, among other issues. I have to be careful what I store in my own basement in the much drier north!

Would perhaps like to return as there is more to see and experience. It was a 4 day stay but significantly shorted by one day to get there and one day back. The city offers a free trolly system to more easily get around downtown. An interesting aspect is this is a preferred method of transport for local poor people – it’s free, the bus isn’t. So there is this strange mix of black street people and white affluent tourists using the trolley.

Accommodations were at Hilton Homewood Suites Historic District. It actually was quite a distance from the Historic District, but there was the free trolley to get around. And I got a cut rate at the hotel, normally upwards of $234/night, to sell their timeshares. Yes, while eating at the airport Hilton adjacent to Logan Airport, Boston, I had a weak moment and signed up. Had difficulty even finding a location I wanted to visit; no, I’m not interested in Hilton in Hawaii and none of the other big city locations offered. I felt sorry for Greg the old guy trying to find people to sign up; joke could be on me, he probably makes his quota. $340 for 4 days and 3 nights! (I invited a friend to join me and she paid half so I got this even cheaper.)

So now comes the moment of truth, a 11:15 appointment at the new Hilton Liberty Place for the sales push. Our ‘host’ was Tim Caviezel who spent his time getting to know more about us to better determine what we would like. Later we wondered if he thought we were lesbians. Clearly Greg back in Boston doesn’t care about vetting people, just get them to sign up, as from our discussion where I told him I never stay at Hilton’s , I enjoyed National Parks, was single etc. I was not a good candidate. So had to go through the same with Tim after he tried to impress us a couple times with his having played basketball. Neither of us reacted in any way to that; we may have hurt his feelings. I should point out my friend was born in South America, has an accent and is very talkative. Clearly Tim liked her better. Tim also shared that his brother is Jim Caviezel who played Jesue in the Mel Gibson movie about Christ and stated that made him Jesus’ brother. Well my friend and I proceeded to latch onto this for the rest of our stay. For starters she pointed out Jesus didn’t have siblings, and I wondered if his mother was Mary. Oh yes, we were on a roll.

Tim scarcely spoke or made eye contact with me. I should have taken out my phone and scanned the internet. His probing questions got a bit intrusive especially when he asked if my parents were alive (checking on inheritances?) and then when they died! I didn’t answer that and should have taken more offense. I asked whether he had a time share – he did! But with Marriott for whom he previously worked. He really should have lied.

We got a tour of suites available here, very high end. I took a shower gel from the bathroom; didn’t have one at our hotel. He claimed he was a stand up comedian performing in the member bar on site; surprised us as he had no sense of humor. In the hall he pretended to get on the phone and tell someone “Yes she’s here, has the backpack. I’ll bring her downstairs.” To which I replied, “FBI? Good I already have a file there.”

Let’s get down to facts, which Tim rushed through surely as he knew we were a waste of his time. $95,000 purchase price, with $14,000 down payment. Oh he tried to do magic with the numbers compared to what 20 years of vacations would cost; his calculations didn’t make sense. I tried to counter his calculations with my own but he ignored them. He was losing patience. then abruptly got up and told us we were getting the bus to Savannah where we would find something more to our taste, then shuffled us out. But not without me getting my $100 Visa gift card!

We figured he thought I was lying to him when I answers his queries about where I liked to vacation, etc. I was actually telling him the truth – camping, National Parks, Road Scholar tours. Anyway we figured he was pretty much lying to us, but he really is Jim Caviezel’s brother; Jim is a Quanon adherent, so you won’t see him acting much anymore.

And my Taxi to the airport was a Russian driver, Sergey. I asked him only to verify the accent. No reason to give him any grief about the Ukrainian War. Sadly Charleston, as often is the case, has no good trasnport from the airport to the city. I caught a $15 shuttle into town, but you can’t get the shuttle to take you back. Cab was $45. Uber about the same if you can’t figure out the AP.

But Savannah was much easier to walk around, more parks.