Smarter Than A Fifth Grader (Or A Seventh Grader)

Yesterday my grandson Liam was over for the day and he recited the following conversation:

"How much are M&M's?"

"50 Cent."

"That's Ludacris!"

I said, "Hey, I know. M&M, 50 Cent and Ludacris are rap artists (and I use the term 'artist' loosely)."  He almost fell off his chair because his grandfather knew this.  Just to show you, I'm as smart as a seventh grader!

Another Day of Making Travel Arrangements

Spent another day making travel arrangements for our May/June trip.  This will be a 21 day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Amsterdam, Netherlands and then we will go to our daughter's villa in Tuscany for a week before we head back home.

The cruise arrangements had already been made. In fact, we made the booking while on our Panama Canal cruise over Christmas and New Years. The reservations made today (and part of yesterday) were to get to Tuscany and then to London for stand-by flight to Miami.  If you recall other travel arrangements I have described you recall my number one travel rule - if I'm paying, use the cheapest airline!  Probably the cheapest airlines in Europe are either RyanAir or EasyJet. RyanAir, an Irish airline, unfortunately wouldn't get me to I want to go so its EasyJet.  We have flown EasyJet before on our trip last Summer from Basel, Switzerland to London.

The cruise ship arrives in Amsterdam too late for the EasyJet flight to Italy (actually to Milan) so we will spend a day and night in Amsterdam.  I booked a night at the Ibis Hotel near the Schipol Airport in Amsterdam.  We stayed there a few years ago following a transatlantic cruise.  The cruise ship line (Holland America) will provide a shuttle from the port to the airport. From the airport the hotel provides a shuttle. After checking in we will probably take the train into the city.  The next morning we will fly out of Amsterdam.

EasyJet is probably on a par with some of the budget airlines in the US but they are real cheap.  I mean real cheap. British Air has flights from Amsterdam to Milan for $220 per person; EasyJet does the same route for about $48 per person.  That's why I love EasyJet.  Of course there are some drawbacks.  For instance, there are no reserved seats.  Get there early if you want an aisle seat.

We leave Amsterdam at 9:30 AM and arrive in Milan at 11:10 AM.  Our daughter's villa is closer to Pisa or Florence than to Milan but EasyJet has no flight from Amsterdam to Pisa.  As a result we have to get from Milan to Florence so we will take the train.  Next step, make train reservations.  (The tickets will be sent to us by mail.)  We will leave Milano Centrale (Milan central station) at 2:15 PM and will arrive at Firenze S M N (Florence central station) at 4:00 PM.  This is $75 per person for second class and for a less than two hour ride second class is all you need.  At the Florence train station our daughter and her family will pick us up.

We will spend about eight days at Castello di Casole and then have to think about going home.  Because we want to fly first class (or business class) to Miami and don't want to pay for it, we have to get to a European city serviced by American Airlines.  The best chances are Paris and London so will EasyJet get us there.  There are EasyJet flights from Pisa to both Paris Orly and London Gatwick so we opt for London.  Make reservations with EasyJet and we will leave Pisa at 2:40 PM and arrive at Gatwick at 3:50 PM. 

We're in London at Gatwick airport but to get to Miami on American Airlines we have to get to Heathrow airport.  That means a coach (bus) ride of about an hour and a quarter. It's not that bad. We've done it before.  

We're at Heathrow in the afternoon but the direct flight to Miami is in the morning so we need a place to stay for the night.  The Park Inn Heathrow is at the airport so I make reservations there.  We stayed there last Summer when on our way home from or ocean cruise/river cruise trip.

Now the only thing we need to get home is open space on an American Airlines flight to Miami.  Last Summer Nancy got a seat in First Class. I ended up in Business Class.  I know, it's tough. 

 

Seneca Falls No More!

The Village of Seneca Falls was the site of the 1848 Women's Right Convention attended by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott and other movers of the women's rights movement. (Rochester's Susan B. Anthony did not attend the convention in Seneca Falls but attended the Rochester women’s rights convention held in August 1848, two weeks after the historic Seneca Falls Convention, and signed the Rochester convention’s Declaration of Sentiments.)  Apparently the Village of Seneca Falls may be on its way out according to the Democrat & Chronicle. By a vote of 1,142 to 1,037 the voters of the village voted to dissolve their municipality that has been in existence for 179 years.  Although there are some absentee ballots to be counted, it is possible that the village will be dissolved at the beginning of 2012. 

Johnny Antonelli vs Billy Allen

In 1948 there was a terrific high school baseball pitcher in Rochester, NY  named Johnny Antonelli.  Antonelli, in his senior year at Jefferson High School pitched five no-hitters and was actively scouted by major league teams.  But there was another ace high school pitcher that year and that was Billy Allen who pitched for West High School.  A number of people were of the opinion that Allen was as good or better than Antonelli. I, an unbiased observer, was in that group. Ok, so he lived on Flint Street down the street from us.

That year the Boston Braves were looking at both pitchers and decided that if Jefferson High and West High would play each other at the end of the high school baseball season they would sign the winning pitcher.  The game, played at Red Wing Stadium on Norton Street, was a sell out.  I don't recall the final score but do remember the winning team - West High School and Billy Allen!

So the Braves signed Billy Allen but also signed Johnny Antonelli.  Two high school baseball phenoms from Rochester went to professional baseball in 1948. Antonelli went on to play for the Braves and the Giants (both New York and San Francisco) and retired in 1961. He returned to Rochester and ran a chain of Firestone Tire stores in the Rochester area.

What happened to Billy Allen?  Billy never played in the major leagues and spent a number of years in 'D' league ball in the south. After that I don't know but for a while Flint Street had a star!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all, Irish or otherwise. I have the distinct honor of being named after the saint and also my great-grandfather, Patrick M. Eagan.  When I was very young I was not always pleased with the name chosen by my mother and father.  Being called Patty was not always appreciated to a six or seven year old.  Eventually I came to realize that I, and all Patricks, had something unique - everybody in the Western world (and probably portions of the Eastern word too) celebrated a day dedicated to our name.  One of my Italian friend when I was in my teens tried to argue that Josephs in the world were just as proud of their namesake as those named Patrick.  My question - how many celebrate St. Joseph's Day (March 19) other than the Italians?

After skipping two generations after my great-grandfather with no Patrick Eagan, my father and mother started it again when they named me. I, in turn, named my eldest son Patrick and he named his son Liam Patrick.  Let's hope that Liam Patrick will continue it.  (Listen up, Liam!)

Cozumel and Cayman Islands

Yesterday we were in Cozumel for the day. I, Roberta and Alexandra went kayaking and snorkeling while Nancy laid by the pool aboard the ship.  During the afternoon we did our usual Bingo session. Both Nancy and Alexandra won. The previous day Alexandra and Roberta won. Today Nancy won twice this morning. Not a bad day.

Today we were to stop on Grand Cayman but the weather (waves and wind) was such that were not able to stop. Tenders are necessary to go ashore from the ship so all the activities on shore were canceled. However, that meant more Bingo! Besides the Bingo we competed in a scavenger hunt were able to win third place. Not bad. Getting better right now for a cocktail party.

Costa Maya, Mexico

Today we are in Costa Maya, Mexico and will stay here until about 8:00 PM. Roberta and Alexandra are taking a catamaran ride, Sam (a/k/a Tucker) is touring the ship and Grandpa and Nana will probably walk into the small village nearby. As you can see from the photo Nana is enjoying herself!

Yesterday, a day at sea, we played trivia three times and bingo in the  afternoon. Came pretty close on the trivia sessions, didn't even come close in bingo and even farther away from winning in the casino! Maybe today will be our day.

Aboard the Liberty of the Seas

We are on the Liberty of the Seas and heading south to the Caribbean Sea. We left Boca for Miami about a half hour after Noon and arrived at the parking garage about 1:45 PM. Shuttle to the pier and checked in.  Had lunch with Roberta and Alexandra as Sam was unpacking. We wandered around the ship. It certainly different than the ships that we generally cruise on. The Liberty has about 4200 passengers and the Holland America ships we generally go on have about 1300. In a minute we will be heading for Martinis and then to dinner at 8:30.

Packing For a One Week Cruise

We are just finishing up packing for our 7 day cruise that starts this afternoon.  We have decided that we know how to pack for a one month cruise (or even a two month cruise) but are clueless packing for a one week cruise.  Our daughter and her two kids were able to pack everything in roller cases (those that will fit in the overhead bin on an airplane).  We have a huge suitcase and a stuffed garment bag! What are we doing wrong?

In May we will be taking a three cruise to Europe and stay another week and a half before we come home.  I suspect that we will have the same amount luggage then as we have for today's cruise!

The Eruvim in Boca Raton and Rochester

There is an interesting article in this morning's New York Times, A Jewish Ritual Collides With Mother Nature, dealing with eruvim.  You probably ask, "What the heck is eruvim?"  An eruv (eruvim is the plural) is an enclosure around a community within which Orthodox Jews may carry objects on the sabbath.  The eruv extends the boundary of one's home to the entire eruv. The boundary may consist of walls, wires and posts.  It is important for Orthodox Jews to know the boundary of the evru.  The Wikipedia article on Evru notes, "Without an eruv, Torah-observant Jews would be unable to carry keys or tissues in their pockets or push baby carriages on the Jewish Sabbath thus making it difficult for many to leave home."  The Times article describes the havoc wreaked among the orthodax community as a result of the recent blizzards in the northeast.

There is a Eruv in the Boca Raton area near our area (although we are not included in the Eruv) and I have noticed a wire strung from street light poles along Glades Road.  The Boca Raton Eruv area is this:

The Eruv for Rochester, NY is as follows:

A list of eruvim can be found at Wikipedia.

Rochester's 54th Regiment in Elmira, NY POW Camp

The following is extracted from "The Elmira prison camp: a history of the military prison at Elmira, N.Y," by Clayton Wood Holmes. It is the first instance in Holmes' history of the camp that he mentions the 54th Regiment from Rochester. The 54th left Rochester toward the end of July 1864 and would be there until November of that year as guards.

THE second month of the prison camp's existence opens with a list of about 4500 prisoners, enough to comfortably fill the barracks. During the month 5195 prisoners arrive and the prison is congested. The entire camp not occupied with buildings is covered with tents. The prisoners poured in so rapidly that it was utterly impossible to keep pace with the rapidly increasing demands made in every direction. While hospital buildings were being rushed as fast as possible, the enfeebled prisoners became sick so fast that adequate care could not be given, much as every one desired to do it. A calm and reasonable consideration of the facts gives the best answer to the unreasonable charges made on all sides, by the South, that the effort was not made to properly care for the prisoners.

The following official communication explains conditions at the beginning of August:

Headquarters Draft Rendezvous,

Elmiraa, N. Y., Aug. 3, 1864. Brig.-Gen. L. Thomas,

Adj.-Gen. U. S. A., Washington, D. C. General : Since my last report I have the honor to state that 5000 prisoners of war have arrived at this depot and are quartered in barracks and tents at Barracks No. 3. All recruits, substitutes, and drafted men have been transferred to Barracks No. 1 excepting deserters, who are confined in the guard-house. The latter will be transferred as soon as the guard-house is completed at Barracks No. 1. The 54th Regiment N. Y. Militia, numbering about 350, arrived here on the 27th of July to serve as guard over prisoners of war. This regiment, with the six companies of the 16th V. R. C. [from Allegany Co., NY], furnish about 700 men for guard duty at the prisoners' camp. At Barracks No. 1 there are 200 colored drafted men and substitutes, organized into two companies, armed and equipped, doing guard duty there. Thirty of these are detailed daily as a patrol guard inside the enclosure at prisoners' camp. I have just received notice from Major-General Dix that two more regiments of militia from New York City will be ordered here for duty, and it is probable that they will arrive here to-night or to-morrow.

Owing to the number of troops to arrive here suddenly it became necessary to direct the quartermaster to lease some ground next to the prisoners' camp for an encampment, which I respectfully request may be approved. The new hospital is completed and occupied. The general condition of the post is excellent.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. Eastman,

Lt.-Col. U. S. A., Commanding Post.

The continued arrival of prisoners swelled the number so greatly that Colonel Eastman began to get nervous because the guard was so small. He made a telegraphic appeal for reinforcements. Two batteries of artillery, A and B of the 1st Battalion, Light Artillery, N. Y. N. G., arrived on August 3d from Rochester, 66 men and four guns. The 77th and 98th regiments State Militia also arrived. Plate No. 12 shows the artillery camp on the right, and the 54th N. Y. Militia on left. This camp was on the south side of Water Street, west of the enclosure. On the 16th of August, the force guarding prisoners consisted of the 28th [Brooklyn], 54th [Rochester], 56th [Brooklyn], 58th [Livingston County], 77th [New York City], 98th [Erie County], 99th [New York City], and 102d [New York City]regiments of N. Y. Militia, Batteries A and B, 1st Battalion N. Y. Light Artillery [Rochester's Union Grays], and six companies of the 16th V. R. C.

An Interim Cruise

It has been almost two months since our last cruise and almost three months until our next cruise.  The next one is a three week cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Amsterdam, NL.  We have decided that five months between cruises is too long so we have booked a one week cruise in the Caribbean.  Our daughter booked a cruise during her kids' Spring Break so we decided we'll take our Spring Break and go along.  So we're off a week from Sunday.

Tiger Wood - Role Model?

All of the news channels keep reminding us that Tiger Wood will be apologizing at 11:00 AM for his terrible actions.  I ask, "Who the hell cares?"  Apparently some folks do but I ask, "Why?"   A number of people were asked their opinion on the apology and why it was important.  An interesting one I heard was, "It's important because Tiger is a role model for our young."  Huh!  Let me remind you, the man makes a living by hitting a little ball by a stick.  Let me repeat - the man makes a living by hitting a little ball with a stick!

UPDATE: I was just clicking through the channels and find that right now Tiger Woods was giving his apology.  This was not just on the cable news and tabloid channels but it was also on ABC, CBS and NBC.  Just another example that I am absolutely correct when I say that 'we are a nation of morons!'

The Spotlight Obituaries?

I was born and grew up in Rochester, NY so I still follow what's happening in Rochester even though I have lived in Florida for the last 40 years.  Probably every other day I read the on-line version of the Democrat & Chronicle and one of the first section I read is the "Irish Sports Page" (a/k/a the obituaries).  I think I got that from my mother who always read the obits first.  But, I digress.

When one goes to the D&C obituaries, the left most column is titled Spotlight and following are some of the obits for that day.  Why are these obits spotlighted?  Are these written better than others?  Are the pictures better than others?  I'm lost. Can somone help me out?

The Blizzard of 1966 (or Maybe 1967)

The current blizzards plaguing the middle Atlantic and northeast states remind me of a big storm in New York State that I lived through.  I thought it was the big storm of 1966 that happened in January of that year but it must have been in 1967 or 1968.  At the time I was living in Rochester and in December 1965 I had gone to work for IBM.

I was attending a class at the IBM Education Center in Endicott, NY but was home in Rochester for the weekend.  On Sunday it started to snow so I started the drive to Endicott early in the afternoon.  Because of the snow I thought I would take the NY Thruway to Syracuse and then go south on Interstate 81 to Binghamton.  (Endicott is just west of Binghamton on Route 17.)  Unfortunately, the snow storm got worse and the Thruway was closed so I had to find another route to Endicott.  I got off the Thruway pretty close to Waterloo and headed south on Route 96.  On Route 96 it just got worse as I went south.

When I got as far as the Seneca Army Depot in Romulus, I had been driving for probably four or five hours.  It was terrible and I could not see very far ahead of me on the road. Passing the Army Depot I spotted a car off the side of the road in a ditch and noticed it was a family with kids in it.  I stopped to help them and they said that they wanted to go back to the last town.  They got in my car, I attempted to turn around ended stuck in a ditch on the other side of the road.  Just great! The family I tried to help got a ride from another motorist going back north.  I stayed in the ditch with the headlights and heater on.

It seemed an eternity that I was in that ditch but it was probably only an hour or an hour and a half.  A road-grader plowing the road came by, pulled me out of the ditch and told me to follow him on to Ovid, a town about 25 miles north of Ithaca.  I tried to follow but the snow was filling in between myself and the road-grader.  He stopped and suggested that I park my car on the side of the road and I could ride in the cab with him to Ovid.  He told me not to worry about my car because they knew it was there and nobody would hit it.  (Yeah, right!)

I rode in the cab of the road-grader to a gas station in Ovid where I and a number of other folks stayed for Sunday and Monday night.  On Tuesday the stranded motorists, myself included, were able to sleep at the homes of a number of local families.  On Wednesday my car was towed into the gas station and the  engine was steam cleaned of all the snow.  In addition to the snow, the driver side of the car had been caved in by (what else) a road-grader!  Another car that had been abandoned was worse off than mine.  That car was pushed down a hill. I was still able to drive the car so I proceeded south to Endicott. 

That was the saga of that snow blizzard.  To this day I can still remember how uncomfortable it was trying to sleep between two folding chairs in the gas station in Ovid.

Rochester's 19th Ward: When Was it Created?

In an earlier post, Rochester, NY's 19th Ward, I described that area of Rochester and how its boundary differs from that of the current Community Association.  Since then I have asked myself, when was the ward established? Searching the City Directories give us a fairly good idea when that happened.

Between 1891 and 1892, the city took portions of two other wards, the 8th and 15th, and created the 19th Ward.  It took that portion of the 8th Ward from Genesee Street east to the middle of the Genesee River and that portion of the 15th Ward from Genesee Street west to the Erie Canal  to create the 19th.  The 19th Ward and these boundaries lasted until about 1967 when the city wards as political entities no longer existed.

As an aside, that area west of Genesee Street that was part of the 15th Ward was previously a part of the Town of Gates.  It was annexed into the city in 1874 and at that time the City Charter was amended to reflect the new city boundaries.

Nana and Alexa

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Originally uploaded by pjeagan2001

Yesterday we went down to Fisher Island to see Julie, Bill and the kids. We hadn't seen Alexa (and Will) since before we went on our Christmas vacation/cruise. Boy, is she getting big.

Saturday Afternoon at the Madison Theater

Probably once a month or so my wife and I will see a Saturday or Sunday afternoon movie at the Muvico Theater on Airport Road. Being seniors, we pay the same as our youngest grandchildren - $6.50. Such a deal!  But I remember the Saturday afternoon movies in Rochester when I was growing up.  The Madison Theater on Genesee Street.  The building is still there at 300 Genesee Street but it is no longer a theater. 

The Saturday matinee at the Madison was a real bargain, although I'm not sure that I realized that at the time.  Admission was $.16 - that's right, sixteen cents!  And for that you got two feature films, cartoons, coming attractions, news and a serial.  That was a bargain.  In addition, there may be something like a yoyo contest.  Can you imagine a line-up like that today?  I don't think so.

Pronunciations

The United States has been carrying on a war in Iraq since 2003 and at the least the promoters of that war should pronounce the name of that country correctly.  It is not 'Eye-rack' with the emphasis on the second syllable but it is "I-rak' with a short 'I' and the emphasis is on the first syllable.  The same is true of Iran.  It is not 'Eye-ran.'  It is 'I-ran' and and the emphasis is on the first syllable.

Along the same lines, don't confuse the people of Afghanistan with their currency.  This morning on the news I heard Secretary of Defense Gates refer to the people of Afghanistan as the "Afghanis."  The people of Afghanistan are Afghans and the currency of that country is the afghani.

Now I feel better!

Hazel's Sweet Shop (a/k/a Mike's)

On Genesee Street in Rochester and right across the street from West High School was a soda shop.  Even the name on the fron of the building was Hazel's Sweet Shop, everybody called it Mike's.  In that same block was (moving south from Hawley Street) was Connor's Drug Store, Red & White Food Store, Decker's Card Shop, a Dry Cleaner Shop and Mikes. Looking at the 1929/1930 City Directory I find: Ballagh, John, druggist (probably preceded Connor's); Flickinger Stores, Inc., grocers (when I worked at the Red & White Flickinger delivered the goods for the store); Spector, Charles, tailor (probably preceded the dry clean shop); Poulis, Michael, confectionery.

So, after all these years I finally know Mike's last name.  On page 1205 of the same City Directory is listed the following:

Poulis, Michael (Hazel), confectionery, 488 Genesee, h[ouse] 352 do

So Mike and Hazel lives just up the street on Genesee St.  In addition, Mike probably had a brother named George (with a wife Helen) that also had a sweet shop on Monroe Ave.  It is amazing what you can find from old City Directories!