We met...

On Sunday, July 28th 2013 there was a meeting of some Hawks Bluff home and property owners. There were about 30 people in attendance; most signed in an attendance sheet while others refused to sign in (???).

Hosts opened the meeting by thanking all and establishing some rules of engagement (i.e. don’t interrupt, cell phones off, bathroom location, etc.) and turned the meeting over to Deborah Short (property owner and local Real Estate Agent) with Mary Newman (property owner and home owner) taking notes…

The general gist for the meeting was for Deborah to share her efforts to date, doors she has knocked on, and progress she’s made. The main general issues are:

• Status of disrepair of the roads and all other common areas;
• The county will not take over the roads because they:
• Were not built up to code (even though they were built by, at the time County Commissioner, Darren Lance)
• Are in poor state of disrepair
• The impact the status of the roads has on the current value of the property and the possibility of re-sales.
• VA and VHA would not consider loans for anybody to buy in Hawks Bluff.
• Impossibility of emergency vehicles to access some home home sites due to the status of the roads.
• Liability we all have regarding these being our own roads (private) in case of accidents
• Promises, explicit or implied, made during the sales cycle which were not, as of yet, fulfilled:
• Lake on Phase I
• Electricity to all lots
• Other amenities
• Implications of these portrayals having also being made in an infomercial by the Van Buren County Mayor at the time.
• Not getting the services our taxes are expected to pay for:
• It was reported that Hawks Bluff contributes $37M out of the total $161M in property revenue the county reports (~23% of the total tax base).
• Police patrol is virtually non-existent
• Vandalism – in some phases – is rampant (street signs being ripped off, mail boxes vandalized, fires being set, etc.) with little or no response/action from the county Law Enforcement agencies.

Note1: Somebody made mention of the name Rita Thomson and her association with the State of Tennessee (Soil Erosion???)… Can whoever brought that name up elaborate by sending Deborah an e-mail with what you know, heard and how to contact Ms. Thompson?

Note2: it was said that the works that were being done in Phase IV by mandate of the EPA were suspended because a home owner complained that the trucks were damaging the roads. Second version of the same fiasco says that the works were suspended because Rocco Toscano had not paid the company doing he works. Neither version makes any sense to me. Does anybody know anything about this?

CALLS TO ACTION: 

FIRST: what is needed from each and every one of us is to give Deborah (an email to DEBMSHORT@GMAIL.COM with attachments - if applicable - will suffice) information on:

1. Why you bought here, promises made left unfulfilled, along with your name, address, phone number.
2. Any example of issues misrepresented in the sales cycle.
3. Pictures of how the property was supposed to look like (from the brochures) versus what it looks like today
4. Any old letter, e-mail or any other correspondence where things were promised but have not been fulfilled (roads maintenance, lake construction, mowing of swales, etc).
5. Whatever you may have, please make it available to her by, if possible, the end of this week as she is having another round of meetings with state and federal agencies next week.

SECOND and last, but not least, please send an email to the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) specifically to Jeffrey.bolden@cfpb.gov with the subject of filing a complaint. Your complaint centers around the fact that you were not delivered the goods and services promised by International Land Consultants and its owner Rocco Toscano when you bought the land here in Hawks Bluff. If you are willing to speak to one of their agents, please state so in your email and include your contact information.

Do your part and stay tuned...

Property Owners Meeting - 7/28/2013 - 4:00 PM - 262 Coyote Trail

Deborah Short, a fellow property owner in Hawks Bluff and local Real Estate agent, has recently had meetings with some TN State officials to bring attention (and eventually find solutions) to the problems left behind unresolved in Hawks Bluff by International Land Consultants - the outfit who sold us the land - and Rocco Toscano, the president of that company.

Deborah has called for a meeting with all interested and able-to-attend property owners to talk about information she needs to further her conversations with the TN State officials (more details in meeting agenda). The meeting is scheduled for Sunday, July 28th, 2013 @ 4:00 PM at 262 Coyote Trail, Spencer.

The problems ILC must resolve (and TN State Officials must be made aware of) are many and various and, among them are these, although this list is non-exhaustive:

1. All common roads are “maintained by the developer until they are dedicated to, and accepted by, Van Buren County, TN” (from page 8 of 20 of the 11/2/2004 Property Report). Many stretches of road are in poor condition, deteriorating increasingly as time goes due to the absence of maintenance, and there been no published plans to turn them over to the county. We need the roads maintained and a date by when they will be turned to the county. 
2. We need full documentation of the reasons why the lake was not built in Phase I as represented during the sales cycle.
3. We need full documentation of exceptions made to allow owners to violate/break represented covenants, such as: (a) Trailers and structures under the minimum 1,200 sf. in some lots, in violation of Point 2 (Size of Dwelling) of the Declaration of Restrictive Covenants; and (b) Physical and visible commercial enterprises operating out of some residential lots in violation of Point 1 (Residential Use) of the Declaration of Restrictive Covenants.
4. “Over ground [electricity] lines have been extended in front of or adjacent to all lots” as stated in page 9 of 20 of the 11/2/2004 Property Report. This has not been accomplished, nor has a date been given by when it will be done; we need a date.
5. Full release of any present or future POA or HOA organization from any and all of these responsibilities/liabilities, should they be left unfulfilled by ILC.

Please plan to attend!

Sunday, the 7th day of April, 2013

This entry was stalled in the hopper since late February… Nothing really new; just still important to me…

Local happenings… A lot happening… The county Sheriff, Grayson Beasley, died of a heart attack on the morning of February 20th; he was 59 and a picture of health (on the outside); condolences to the family. Now there is the issue of succession; according to some county documents, the county commission is to appoint the sheriff replacement to complete the term, which ends in August of 2014; here it goes:

“(b) (1) Vacancies in county offices required by the Constitution of Tennessee or by any statutory provision to be filled by the people shall be filled by the county legislative body, and any person so appointed shall serve until a successor is elected at the next general election, as defined in § 2-1-104, in the county and is qualified; provided, that the candidates have sufficient time to qualify for the office, as provided for in § 2-14-106. The county legislative body shall be required to make an appointment to fill a vacancy within one hundred twenty (120) days of receiving notice of the vacancy unless during that time period there is a general election scheduled in the county and there is sufficient time for the vacancy to be placed on the ballot in accordance with this section. Any appointment to fill a vacancy by the county legislative body shall be made in accordance with chapter 5, part 1 of this title. This subdivision (b)(1) shall not apply to any county that has a metropolitan form of government and a population in excess of five hundred thousand (500,000), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census….”

So, throw your hat in the ring, my friends… Go present yourself to the county commission as a qualified candidate and good luck!

Later we have learned that there are seven (7) candidates being considered for the job (and two more who would like to be considered buck lack qualifications; one of them is suing the county) and that the commission will hear presentations from, and ask questions to, all seven. The commission will make a decision by June (have no idea why it would take so long…)

By the way, on the comment above about throwing your hat in the ring, do not bother if you are not local (several generations) and, if you happen to have a Latin surname, pfff, forget about it! (This is not my opinion; it is something I was told by a commissioner - who will remain anonymous - in a meeting were the topic was being discussed…)

Personal
My third daughter, Alex, turned 23 years old this past February 24th… As luck will have it, Jan was in Atlanta as lecturer in an AKY Business Fraternity conference; I was escorting Jan (as a driver, baggage handler, etc. you know, my usual chores...) and Leah happens to be member of the AKY Business fraternity an was attending the conference. So, when the conference was over, we all gathered at Alex's place and celebrated with a very special birthday girl!

Food for thought:
“The first to apologize is the bravest; the first to forgive is the strongest; the first to forget is the happiest”

- Anonymous

Tuesday, the 12th day of February, 2013

My grandson at 10 weeks old

My grand niece at 2 years old

Personal…
My grandson at 10 weeks old and my grand niece at 2 years old…

Local happenings… Not much happening… Went out fishing a couple of times; the first time I got skunked: not even one nibble! The second time was much better and I caught more fish than I’ve caught in the last five years altogether! Good stuff! Also, while looking for bait to go fishing with (minnows), I finally got to visit the Rock Island State Park: what a beauty! It has cabins for rent, fishing, boating, hiking, swimming. And the river (Rocky River) is just impressive… They built a dam and created a lake; very pretty. However, once you pass the dam, the natural river takes over and the rock formations are impressive; the water rapids are outstanding… Eventually, downstream the river eases up and one can launch boats and go fishing… Worth visiting!

Local Politics. So, I've received no responses to date regarding the duplicity of political entities in the county (Double mayor, double commission and double police force)… I thought this could be a really active point of discussion… I still hope…

Sports. I believe that, in its current form, American Football days are counted…! Here is why: “Brain scans performed on five former NFL players revealed images of the protein that causes football-related brain damage Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy -- the first time researchers have identified signs of the crippling disease in living players” (from an article in The Atlantic this past Feb 4th). And here is the rationale: if they really learn how to diagnose CTE, they will be able to say exactly how common it is for football players to develop it. This is when you start thinking about football and an existential crisis. You tell a parent that their kid has, say, a five percent chance of developing crippling brain damage through playing football, and you will see the end of pee-wee leagues and probably the end of high school football. Colleges would likely follow. Unless they change the sport and make it helmet-less (the helmet is currently used more as a weapon than a protection device), it is bye-bye football… Don’t think so? How common are college boxing teams these days?

Food for Thoughts…
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

- H. L. Mencken

So, keep your mind and eyes open, my friends…

Thursday, the 31st day of January, 2013

Weather. The unusual times started the night of Tuesday, January 29th, at about 7 to 8 PM; watching TV we could hear the wind outside and, since we had been paying attention to the forecast, we were expecting it… The howling got us up at about 2:30 the morning of Wednesday the 30th... We lost power at about 4:30 AM so we went into powerless mode (torches, flashlights, lanterns, candles, etc); I even made coffee the old fashioned way by boiling water on the grill and pouring it directly over the coffee grinds; came out pretty good! At about 7 AM we found out we seemed to have been the only ones in the area not to have power, so we went out to investigate… It turned out that the wind (with gusts of wind up to about 60 MPH) brought down a big tree between our house and DeSalvo’s house; the tree brought down a power line and two posts near DeSalvo’s house. After seven hours, Caney Fork Co-op had two posts replaced, cables re-installed  and power restored. Not bad! We also had a threat of tornadoes in the whole middle Tennessee area including our county; but they did not materialize up here in the Plateau (we are high enough for tornadoes not to like it here…) We have also had a swing of -35°in the last 24 hours… Went from shorts and light sweater to heavy sweats…

Sports. I think they should do away with the NFL Pro-bowl… What a joke… 62-35 was the score of what seems to be more like a full pad practice than a game… Not even an exhibition game… The players have nothing to play for… I believe they get a ‘bonus’ of about $50K to appear in the Pro-Bowl… How can they be expected to play hard to make $50K and risk a contract for $5M? Makes no sense. Do away with it!

Local Politics. Van Buren County has a population of about 5,800 residents; it has a mayor, a county commission, a police force; it levies and collects property taxes and business licensing. Spencer is the only incorporated municipality within Van Buren County and has a population of about 1,800 residents; it has a mayor, a city commission and a police force. It has a utilities department but has no taxing jurisdiction. When one overlaps the two sets (remember Venn diagrams?), there is an intersection data: mayor, commission, police force. These are entities that are duplicated for the benefit of no one. There is nothing available to the resident to the City of Spencer which is not available to those outside city limits; in other words, there is 100% overlap of benefits and obligations… So, there is a set of questions begging to be asked… Why do we need two identical political entities? Can we consolidate and provide better services? What needs to happen to consolidate? Anybody out there in Bluffland would like to take a shot at them?

Food for Thoughts…
“The trouble is, you think you have time…”

- Buddha

So, stay busy, my friends…

Monday, the 3rd day of December, 2012

Hawks Bluff… There have been two reports about things happening around Hawks Bluff… First, it’s been reported that work began in Phase IV regarding the environmental issues cause by poor or inadequate drainage when roads were built… Folks have seen the pouring or rocks alongside some roads… Will encourage anyone to take pictures and post them here… Second, there is a report of intentional fires being set to brushes in Phases I to IV of Hawks Bluff; when contacted, the Piney PD confirmed up to eight fires in the four phases. A friend checked with VBC Sheriff Dept. and they had no knowledge of the fired being happening nor do they have any investigation going; they may – emphasis on ‘may’ – investigate if they have resources available when they receive the report from the State Fire Marshall… I called and was told there was nobody there to talk to me about the fires and, kindly, passed me on to the sheriff’s messaging service where I left a very unambiguous message. I suggest that everyone who can, place a call to any of the following numbers, and inquire about the Hawks Bluff fires to see if we can get any traction on this…
VBC Police Dispatch 931-946-4000
VBC Sheriff: Grayson Beasley 931-946-2118
County Commissioner representing the area: David Sullivan 931-946-2628

Weather… Jan and I moved up here in early 2009. Our first winter was the one of that year and it was rough; it was like being received with all honors. We had our first snow the week before Thanksgivings and – altogether - had about 27 inches of snow, many ice-outs and I remember saying: “Hmmm, they told us we would not get more six to eight inches of snow a year…” Time passed and 2010 came about. It turned out to be yet a stronger winter than the previous one; it snowed before Thanksgivings again; Jan and I ended up buying two snow shovels (one in a store in Cookeville - last one they had, and the other at Sears, on-line). We used them that year often and, had it not been for Danny and his tractor – which he does not own anymore, we would have been snowed bound several times. Ended up with almost four feet of snow that year! Then 2011 came about and not only we did not get any snow before Thanksgivings, we ended up with less than four inches of total snow fall; we did not get to use the snow shovels; we only needed to sweep the front entrance – with a normal brush – once! It was quite disappointing… Now comes 2012; Thanksgivings came and went and no snow yet; we have had, thought, a couple of frosts, but that’s it… Now, I am here hoping very sincerely I am wrong and that we have snow this year back to normal levels. However, I am afraid that things are changing permanently in front of our very eyes and that this winter will be warmer that last year’s… It may be too early to call it but, can you say Global Warming? No? Can’t bring yourself to swallow that one? Too much credit to Al Gore? OK; how about a Climatologically Unstable Environment? Does that sound more politically neutral or correct?

Sports… As the college football season winds down, I will be rooting for Notre Dame against Nick ‘Satan’ and the ‘Tide… I consider the season a successful one for the top Florida teams (Florida (5) & Florida State (13) – and always in that order!) and with a lot of work to do for the top Michigan teams (Michigan (19) & Michigan State (NR)). I notice the decline of top California teams (Stanford (8), UCLA (15) & USC (NR)), and admire the resurgence of Notre Dame. I see, with much chagrin, that ‘Satan’ continues to achieve success in Alabama and wonder, sometimes, is he getting ready to leave the in the lurch, as he has to so many others? On the Pros side, I believe the Lions (4-7) are cooked; they’ve lost their last three games and seem to have no answer for any team they face. The Giants are sitting pretty (7-4) on top of their division and the world is theirs to lose. The Bucs (6-6) are an enigma to me; they show greatness one week and then come unhinged the next; I’ll wait a couple of more weeks to either declare them cooked or put my hopes up. And then there are the Dolphins; they got beat by the Patriots this past week-end and I think they are done, cooked, if not numerically at least psychologically; they’ll also have to wait ‘til next year!

Reading several books at the same time… As I finish them, I will let you know the ones I like…

Food for thought…
“We have never stopped sin by passing laws; and in the same way, we are not going to take a great moral ideal and achieve it merely by law.”

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

So, stay lawful (as long as it makes sense), my friends…

Tuesday, the 6th day of November, 2012

Sports… Mixed weekend… On College Football the Gators won again and that makes the world better; the Hurricanes also on and that was good… On the pros side it was a mixed bag… The Dolphins and Giants managed to lose their games; the Bucs and Lions won their games outright. Good show!

Local… My hunting season is here… Muzzleloader season for deer started this past Saturday and, although I have not been out there yet, I will be going hunting sometime this week… Jan and I decided that, even though as a licensed hunter I am entitled to take 14 deer (11 does and 3 bucks), and we usually consume three deer a year, this season I will try to take four since we’ve found ourselves liking it more and more…

Politics… We’ll be just fine! I am a firm believer that either one of these two gentlemen who may become President will do just fine; I’m convinced they both have the same goal: to make this country better; they only may differ on some details on how to achieve that goal, that’s all… You see, when all is said and done, we have a strong political system with enough checks and balances that would allow not one branch of government to overpower the other two and send the country into mayhem. And if things go really wrong, there are enough tools and mechanisms to change the rules of the game (we’ve changed it twenty seven times in the last 236 years, as needed). What I’d like to see is that, whoever wins, has the support of all 300 Million American to ensure that their policies and ways to govern got the very best of tries; if it works, there will be lots of happy people in this country; if it doesn’t work, we will wait another four years and start all over, as we’ve done it now close to 50 times…

Some trivia for you… The word ‘mayday’ used by air and sea vessels to broadcast imminent disaster comes from the French expression m’aidez – meaning help me – and it is pronounced, approximately, mayday.

Food for thought… “There's never been a problem Americans couldn't solve. We are the world's leaders, and leaders don't fear change.”

 - John McCain, US Navy Officer, War Hero and US Senator

So, stay confident on our future, my friends…

Wednesday, the 26th day of September, 2012

Mike LaPointe is the name of the good person who takes the time, effort and dedication to be mowing around Hawk’s Bluff phase I. Many, many thanks Mike and Brenda! Also, regarding the issue of a business opening on Hawk’s Bluff Phase I, it appears that Paragraph 14 of our covenants grants the developer, for as long as they own at least one lot, the rights to give any owner a release from any of the covenants and a waiver of any violation, if any occurred. Rocco still owns several lots in Phase I, so he has the rights to adjudicate releases and waivers. In other words, as long as the Warners got from Rocco a release from the covenants, the Warners have the rights to do whatever they wants in their lot…

Good grief! This past week of football was simply awful… The Dolphins, Bucs and Lion all lost good games that they should have won; especially the Dolphins missing several field goals and the Lions going for that ill 4^th down were horrible! The only bright light is that, on Thursday night, when nobody gave them a chance, Eli and the Giants dismantled the Carolina Panthers… On the college side, the Gators won (and MSU also won, but only Chuck cares about that) and Michigan lost; Michigan lost to Notre Dame; Notre Dame beat both of them (Michigan and Michigan State); Father Tony could not be any happier… Oh well, there is always next week!

After a horrible week of NFL football, the cork on the bottle was that game on Monday night when the Packers were robbed of a game, plain and simple. I am not a Cheese Head, but that was a felony! Some purists may say that it is the Packers fault because they would have never let the game come to that situation… Well, does that mean that, unless you are winning by several possessions, you have the risk to have the game taken away from you? That’s B. S.!

Fall is here! This past 22^nd we bid good bye to one of the mildest summers we have had since 2008 and, from that point on, we have had glorious weather… It’s been sunny, clear, dry and cool (from 40s to 60s). Not bad!

So Jan and I are trying to incorporate walking into our daily routine… We are rediscovering muscles we forgot we had, and now they come with aches and pains… Ahhhh, the glorious experiences of growing young… We try to walk for, at least ½ hour a day (from our house to DeSalvo’s and back – 1.5 miles door to door) with the plans of increasing it 5 minutes each week until we get to 1 hr.

Recommended book: “Mila 18”, by Leon Uris. Taking as context the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, and specifically, the institution of the Warsaw ghetto, Uris masterfully inserts characters who take us through the struggles of the Polish resistance and the day-to-day life and survival – including romance - in and outside the ghetto.

And now, food for thought:

“None are as old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”  

- Henry David Thoreau

So, stay young, positive and enthusiastic, my friends (it actually costs the same!)

Monday, the 17th day o September, 2012

There has been a question circulating, via e-mail, amongst some of us Bluffites… It has to do with one of our neighbors in Phase I converting their property into a nature farm and opening it up a business. The question has literally been ‘Is anyone concerned about this?’ It includes the link to the mentioned business http://bakermountainfarm.com/index.html.  There have been some answers (six to be precise) with different levels of acceptance or tolerance; no expressed definite concerns at this time. I guess that folks have other more important things to worry about… Personally, I’d rather not see it there since it goes against the Hawks Bluff covenants we all signed and bought into. Others are of the opinion that, as long as the farm is not detrimental to the community and it does not become a nuisance, there’s nothing to worry about. Regardless of our opinions, whether we are bothered (or not) by the existence of the farm as a business within Hawk’s Bluff, there is a danger of precedent setting. If we all passively allow this breach of covenant, one of these days another neighbor/owner may decide to open up a pig farm or an animal hide tanning facility (both stinky as hell!), which are also against the covenants, and we would have lost all moral authority to object. (Sue Taylor mentioned the idea of a brothel… You go, Sue!)

Gators beat Tennessee – convincingly - and Michigan came back to the winning ranks… All is good in the world! The rest is miscellaneous like FSU beating the Little Sisters of Wake Forest or the ‘Canes beating the Blind Saints of Bethune-Cookman, yeah, yeah, yeah… FSU is ranked higher than the Gators; however they have not beat (or have in their schedule) a top 20 ranked team; wassup with that? On the other side, MSU (Michigan State University, for those of you outside if the Midwest) battled with Notre Dame to a painful loss. Father Tony Mulderry is happy (the Irish won); my friend Chuck Burk less happy; oh well. On the Pros side, the Dolphins won (yeah!) proving that miracles do happen, and then very mixed emotions with the Giants win at the expense of my Bucs… The stinkin’ Jets did not play Tebow and lost; serves them right! And later, the Lions lost to the 49ers in a game in which only the 4^th quarter was worth watching since that’s when the Lions showed up…

Ahhh… Dove hunting… Humility at its best… Went hunting and this time there were only two of us: a local kid by the name of Ethan Hillis, 22 years old, he has been hunting since he was two, got his first shotgun when he was five; and then there was I, a guy who started two years ago, never having shot anything on the fly!… He got ten doves; I got seven; very respectable I would say. Ethan graciously gave me his doves; I cleaned them up and now I have available 34bites of dove breast (one breast per dove; two bites per breast). I have to say that my seven doves came on 1 ½ box of shells, giving me a ratio of 36:7 or roughly a ‘batting average’ of .194, mediocre for Base-ball standards, but normal for dove hunting standards, and pretty damn good for me!

So, some marginal right wing extremist, a low-life with a criminal record, produces a homemade movie in which he expresses views offensive to all and especially to Islam believers; he publishes it to the Internet via YouTube. Some small groups in some Islamic countries  launch protests in front of American Embassies and consulates; some particular militia (out of the over 40 known) in Libya decided to do this on the anniversary of 9/11. We lose the ambassador and three other diplomats. Tragic; cannot be allowed; people who are responsible for these acts need to be dealt with swiftly and publicly. And then some amongst us chose this moment of international turmoil to make political attacks; not cool; we fight in-house but we always unite when attacked from outside; ill-conceived and irresponsible leadership. Now, we are all shocked and surprised by these protests; think about this: most of the countries experiencing protests have new democracies. Before the democracies they were ruled and oppressed by ruthless dictators whom we supported for years and decades… Does it come as a surprise to anyone that now, when they find themselves with some freedom and without the US-supported-dictator, some people protests against the US?  As they say on ESPN, c’mon man! It is part and parcel of the whole ‘world power’ gig, and a consequence of the strategy we’ve followed for centuries…

Recommended book (oldie but goodie):”In Search of Excellence” by Top Peters & Bob Waterman. The by-line reads ‘Lessons from America’s best-run companies’. They found that, regardless of the field they operate in, top companies share the same eight basic principles of management

Some weeks ago, in the ‘Food-for-thoughts’ section, I published an anecdotic dialog between father and son regarding how when you break a plate it gets broken forever and, even after you apologize to it, it remains broken. The actual moral of the story is that words and time are two irretrievable dimensions: once past or spoken, they cannot be reverted.  The ensuing recommendation was to think twice before speaking or writing… As time has passed, I’ve learned there are people for whom thinking twice or more times would not change what they want/need to say at all; they cannot help it; they will say it because saying it is the most important thing to them.

And now more food for thoughts:

“I’d rather be happy than right; that’s the key for 25-plus years of wedded bliss”

 - Ice T, the rapper

So, keep our important things in front of you, my friends.

Thursday, the 13th day of September, 2012

And so, Jan and I survived the Fall-Creek-Falls-State-Park-Mountaineer-Folks-Festival-Leadership- Van-Buren-Class-of-2012-BBQ-in-a-Jar-fund-raising-sale on Saturday and Sunday September 8 & 9. Lots of cooking, lots of work (it takes a lot!), lots of fun, lots of laughs, lots of rain (on Saturday), lots of sun (on Sunday), lots of lessons learned. Not lots of, but enough, sales for there to be a profit for the scholarship fund that the LVB Class of 2012 has started! Many thanks to all who contributed to this effort in one way or another; the cause, helping HS Seniors qualified to take college dual enrolment classes but who cannot afford it, is worth the effort!

Football is here, and so are the cheers and the heartaches...  In the college ranks, cheers for the Florida Gators and Michigan St. Spartans (the FSU ‘Noles also won but we don’t cheer for them!), and heartaches caused by the Michigan Wolverines (that loss to ‘Bama and Nick Satan was painful) and the Miami ‘Canes (they would look better playing in Div. III, seriously)… In the pros ranks, cheers for the Bucs (oh yeah!) and the Lions, and then heartaches caused by the Dolphins and the Giants… (I heard the Dolphins would be sent to the European League, if there was still one..!) Rough spot here: cheering for Tebow but rooting against the stinkin’ Jets!

Due to the work at the aforementioned festival, dove hunting and music inventory were put on hold for this past week; but there is this weekend coming up…

All political ads were pulled from the airwaves during this Tuesday, September 11^th out of respect to the solemnity of the date; is shows respect and full understanding of the meaning of the date. Proper statements were also produced showing dignified leadership; well done both sides! However, that did not stop some of the typical characters to come on radio and TV with the insinuation that another attack is impending due to blah, blah, blah… Well, another attack has been impending since September 12^th 2001 and it has not happened; and there are reasons for that! These people would cut their noses to spite their faces; I think many of them wish there was another attack, regardless of the price on human life, just to say they were right… These are the same brilliant ones that, when economics news that affect millions of people in the world come out and are not favorable, start high-fiving each other… Real patriots!

Recommended book (maybe a little too serious): “The Wealth of Nations”, by Adam Smith. The most influential book on economic policy and, by extension, the world’s population material well being. A fundamental foundation for the understanding of Capital and Wealth.

And now food for thoughts:

“If you are not ready to handle the answer, do not ask the question”

 - Anonymous

So, beware of your questions, my friends.

Friday, the 7th day of September, 2012

Saturday, September 1^st was the first day of Dove hunting season… On Friday I got out my shotgun, checked it out; got out my bucket seat and washed (again) the inside cooler and kept it ready for Saturday; last, but not least, checked out my ammo: I had five boxes of #7 shot. READY! Saturday came and, as any other dove hunting day, it was time for expectations, pressure, (had to get, at least, one!) anxiety, humility and last, but not least, lots of fun! Those little birds are about four inches long, have a tremendous eye sight, fly at about 37 MPH, and have an extra-sense that allows them to tell where the sound and the energy is coming from and, therefore, turn on a proverbial dime… If you think you’re good shot, try dove hunting… It is like golf, or bowling: you think you are on top of your game and then you flop! At any rate, I got only two on the first day (the guy that got the most got six!), and I hope to do better next time.

Somebody continues to mow on Hawks Bluff Phase I; almost all of the main drag (Hawks Bluff Rd) has been mowed and, to make things better, all the area around the entrance sign has been cleaned up: the grass and the dead bushes have been cut. A big THANK YOU!

Two projects have been consuming 95% of my time: (a) the planning and organization of the BBQ in a Jar event at the FCF State Park. Much effort has gone into making sure that we are compliant with the Health Department requirement, and that we have adequate coverage for food preparation and delivery during our time at the park. Jan and I cooked, pulled, bagged, stored and transported - and will eventually serve - 250 LBS of pork shoulder (the pork part of BBQ in a Jar). I am hoping for, and looking forward to, a successful sale. And (b) the consolidation of all my music (in electronic/digital format) into a consistent and only source; started out with five different sources in two different computers, with different naming conventions and with about 80 to 90% overlap… My eyes are crossing!

The DNC is over! According the pundits, it was better organized than the RNC. According to me, it was more of the same empty rhetoric both parties and candidates seems to have mastered… One side says that regulations and big government are killing us; the other side said GM is alive and Bin Laden is not… Nobody, specifically, said anything about their plans to fix this mess. Laissez-faire (anything goes with nominal regulations and minimal government) would not work – never has; continue to spend money we don’t have running deficits at record rates would not work either – never has. The answer is somewhere in the middle but there is not enough courage or selflessness (or should I say, stones!) to walk towards that middle ground and meet there! Thank God things are much better here in the mountains of Tennessee! ;-)

Baseball playoffs are almost here, and Football is back... All is good in the world!

And now food for thoughts:

“Man is the most intriguing of creatures… He sacrifices his health to earn wealth; then spends that wealth trying to regain his health. He is so anxious about the future that does not enjoy the present and ends up not living in either one. He lives like if he was never going to die, and then dies without actually having ever lived…”

 - The Dalai Lama

So, keep your priorities straight, my friends.

Friday, the 31st day of August, 2012

T.S. Isaac, as of this writing, seems to be another dandy… Hit Haiti (like kicking a downed man), Cuba, the FL Keys, the South end of the FL Mainland and now will threaten LA, AL, and MS. Then, once a hurricane Cat 1, it was ironic that Isaac hit New Orleans and the SE end of Louisiana precisely seven years to the day from when Katrina did it. Here is hoping the damage is not comparable, but it sounds like déjà vu…

The Fall Creek Falls State Park Mountaineer Festival is coming up on September 7, 8 and 9. The Leadership Van Buren Class of 2012 is having a booth where we are serving a one of a kind culinary experience: BBQ in a Jar! This is a multi-leveled savory journey delivered to you in a mason jar that you get to keep… The Class of 2012 is sponsoring this offering (and working it!) along with LVB Alumni, as a fund raiser for our 2012 class project which is the creation of a scholarship, LVB Scholarship, to benefit Van Buren County High School Seniors who are qualified to attend dual enrollment college classes but not able to afford the costs on their own… So, if you go to the festival and get a little hungry or curious (or both) come by for a treat! 100% of the revenues go to the fund, which is a non-profit organization. Supply is limited and we are there only on Saturday until closing or until we run out of food, whichever comes first!…

RNC: a couple of summary points, from where I sit:

(a)   Ann Romney made a good account of herself on her quest to become a first lady.

(b)   Paul Ryan is a very smart, creative and now imaginative guy; Fox News agrees.

(c)    Clint Eastwood still can make a lot of people’s day.

(d)   We all have gotten the message already – loud and clear, seriously – that it is all Obama’s fault; got it! So, now I need to hear from somebody, anybody, preferably Mitt, how – precisely; no more generalities – he will solve the problems, as identified ad nauseam at the RNC:

a.      Sputtering Economy

b.      High unemployment

c.       Toxic tax codes

d.      Insurmountable public debt & deficits

e.      Crumbling infrastructures

f.        Inadequate/underfunded Armed Forces

g.      Broken health care system

h.      Inadequate education system

i.        Unaffordable Social Welfare systems (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security);

By the way, all that is to be accomplished with, as promised and pledged during the Primaries, lower taxes and higher quality of life for all Americans (not just a segment of the 300+ millions).

I need to hear SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound) propositions!

I hope that my next topic does not stir up a semantics storm; it is only a small difference in colloquialism depending on the origins of your English roots… It has to do with the difference between the use of the prefixes “this” and “next” in date sequences. Some people use ‘this’ instead of ‘next’ to identify the next occurrence of a day; when they say ‘this Monday’ they mean the one coming up next. Some other folks, do not necessarily process this semantics variation, and they protest. These other folks believe that the only time you may say ‘this’ Monday is if today were Monday; otherwise you are expected to say ‘this past’ Monday for the one just past, or ‘this next’ Monday for the upcoming one. Furthermore, when you say ‘next’ Monday, you are referring to the upcoming one and not two over as the other side think… At any rate, as long as they are talking in the same terms and meaning the same thing with the same terms, there should be no problems, right? Yeah, right…

And now food for thoughts:

“I wish you health, love and wealth, and enough time to enjoy them!”

 - Old Spanish toast

So, be generous with your wishes, my friends.

Monday, the 27th day of August, 2012

I know there have always been cuckoos out there, but this one may be a combination of politics and Texas… Take a look:  An elected county judge in Texas is warning that the nation could descend into civil war if President Barack Obama is re-elected, and is calling for a trained, well-equipped force to battle the United Nations troops he says Obama would bring in. He said "...regardless of whether the Republicans take over the Senate, which I hope they do, he is going to make the United States Congress and he's going to make the Constitution irrelevant. He's got his czars in place that don't answer to anybody." Obama, the judge continued, will "try to give the sovereignty of the United States away to the United Nations. What do you think the public's going to do when that happens? We are talking civil unrest, civil disobedience, possibly, possibly civil war ... I'm not talking just talking riots here and there. I'm talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms, get rid of the dictator. OK, what do you think he is going to do when that happens? He is going to call in the U.N. troops, personnel carriers, tanks and whatever." You may ask, is this for real? Sadly, yes! So, please folks, if you have loved ones who are under doctor supervision, ensure that either they take their meds or they stay at home; don’t let them fall to this level of embarrassment!

Now, to something really painful: Lance Armstrong seems to have been just another cheater; I can’t believe it! Another hero, this time a super-hero in the eyes of many including me, has fallen due to being false; he was accused (and decided not to defend himself) of cheating throughout his career; now he’ll be stripped from his seven (7!) Tour de France titles and banned from cycling forever. When I first heard some months ago that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) was again investigating him, I thought to myself: here they go again; leave him alone; he’s never tested positive for anything; he’s the real deal. Now I find myself asking: were his battles with cancer also faked??  I guess this is another evidence of the sociological mantra that has dominated our culture for the last few decades: results is what counts and it really does not matter how you get there. In times gone by - and still alive somewhere, I hope - talent, efforts, discipline, consistency, hard work and knowledge is what used to matter; results were merely a byproduct of all that… Are we really that rotten? Thank God for the likes of Michael Phelps, Alison Felix and Missy Franklin among others who still seem to be doing it the right way… and God help us.

T.S. Isaac, as of this writing, seems to be another dandy… Hit Haiti (like kicking a downed man), Cuba, the FL Keys, the South end of the FL Mainland and now will threaten LA, AL, and MS. It seems to be an irony that Isaac is scheduled to hit New Orleans and the SE end of Louisiana precisely seven years to the day from when Katrina did it.

Staying with hurricanes, 20 years go this past August 24^th hurricane Andrew hit South Florida (south Dade county to be precise) as a Cat 5! The devastation as shown on papers and TV was unbelievable, but it was nothing compared with what one saw in reality. I had the duty and the privilege to go and verify some people who worked for me and lived down there were OK and the devastation was simply indescribable!

Anybody’s got any good news, please?!?!?!?!?

And now food for thoughts:

“A clear expression of virtuosity is to appear to be ignorant in front of an idiot who’s pretending to be smart.”

 - Dr. Louis Pasteur

So, watch out for pretenders, my friends.

Tuesday, the 21st day of August, 2012

The ‘mystery’ mower the first time was Hank Douglas… Hank lives across the street from Hawks Bluff Phase I and is an honorary member of the Hawks Bluff family. He does random acts of kindness. This was one of them… THANK YOU, HANK! Now, there’s been more mowing, this time further inside Phase I and, according to Danny, it is being done my the gentleman who owns the old Suarez house… We were introduced once in the last Halloween party, but (apologies!) I forgot his name…

This past Tuesday Jan and I were trying to weed out the key hole in front of the house, and as I was grabbing a weed between some rocks we have there, a snake came out and latched on to the index finger of my right hand… It took me about ½ second to realize I had been bitten, and then it took another ½ second to become aware that it had been a snake… In the following two seconds, which seemed a lot longer than that, I was able to understand that (a) I was not hurting; (b) I was a little bloody but it was a scratch instead of punctures; (c) upon closer observation, because it was still out like strutting its stuff and looking for business, it was a black non-poisonous snake. Then, and only then, I told Jan. I retreated and it retreated back to the rocks; I came closer to see if there were more, and the snake came out aggressively, and lunged forward to bite again. I retreated and this time it did not; instead it came forward about six feet trying to bite me again.  It was then when either the poison it got from me took effect, or it had a heart attack due to all the excitement because, the next thing I know, the snake is dead! I hope the news is out already on the daily Snake Tribune, that if you bite the big guy on Horseshoe Drive, you die! A little Neosporin took care of business.

Sunday, August 19^th 2012, marked 24 years of marriage for Jan and me... It was a Friday night then, and we were married on the Miami River aboard a vessel owned by Augie Barone, who was a justice of the peace and as such performed the ceremony. In attendance were Augie and his wife and first mate Lee, Nick and Betty Mayer, and us!

Recommended book (getting a little serious): “Games People Play” by Eric Berne, M.D. The basic handbook for transactional analysis, or a study on the Psychology of Human Relationships… You will enjoy it if you’re attracted (as I am) to the dynamics and intricacies of human behavior. Needs to be read twice, at least, to understand certain concepts and the relationships between them.

And now food for thoughts:

“Procedures may be successful, rituals effective, pastimes profitable and, by definition, they are all candid; games, on the other hand, are basically dishonest and the outcome always dramatic.”

 - Dr. Eric Berne

So, stay honest and true to yourselves (don’t play games), my friends.

Tuesday, the 14th day of August, 2012

The XXX Olympiads were magnificent in all respects… London put up a display of originality, innovation, safety and organization second to none. They also did pretty well in their medals count. And the US was the overall champions… again!  I am looking forward to the summer of 2016, to the XXXI Olympiads in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!

32 years ago this past Wednesday, August 8^th, my first born, Clarissa, made me a father; Happy Birthday, my love! She will also make me a grandfather this coming November…!

Someone mowed the entrance to Hawks Bluff, Phase I; I don’t know if it was a paid effort, or by whom, or if it was someone’s personal initiative, and who that someone may be… Regardless, it looks pretty good… THANKS!

…and they’re off! The real race has just begun between the incumbents (Obama/Biden) and the challengers (Romney/Ryan)… The choice seems to be simple and it is also big; and it all has to do with how to move this country forward and continue to be the standard by which all other countries are judged… Unless there is something atrocious/outrageous happening between now and the elections, I will not make any other comments on this subject until then.

Went for a wonderful, and too short, visit to Michigan, Jan’s native land! Landed in Detroit at about 2 PM on Thursday the 9^th and spent the afternoon, and had lunch, with Uncle Buck, a 93-years old relative of Jan’s that is as dexterous with the computer as anybody 40 years younger! Lots of old family pictures and films; many memories for Jan. From there we went to Rick’s house (Jan’s brother) in Southfield, a western suburb of Detroit, and spent the evening, overnight and the following morning with Rick & Pam, their pups Brandy & Metro, and cat Bazooka; good family time; too short! On Friday mid-morning we headed up to Gaylord, MI, about 215 miles north on I-75, to Gary & Dawn Hill’s cottage in Michaywe. There we met with the rest of the ‘high school’ gang and spent a wonderful evening and overnight. On Saturday morning we all saddled up for a ride of about 90 miles going East through beautiful country roads, to Greenbush, MI, on the shores of Lake Huron, to Chuck & Nancy Burk’s cottage; weather was a little wet so we played indoor games (Mexican Train) and ate and drank and watched Olympics. Sunday was sunny and crisp, about 75 degrees; so, several brave souls decided to go swimming in the lake… I’ve never been in water so cold in my life! The water was allegedly 62 degrees; I swear to you it felt not a degree warmer than 30! I cannot describe the eternity that it was to walk into the lake and feel that ice cold water inexorably come up your thighs to eventually freeze your soul! More eating, drinking, and playing ensued until exhaustion! On Monday we drove to the airport and, on our way there, I shared with Jan that, for the first time in years, I was not ready to come home; she agreed! Landed in Nashville at about 6:30 PM. Made it home before 9PM on Monday the 13^th; all pups were well; another successful trip! Many thanks to all out Michigan hosts for their hospitality and for a great time!

Recommended book: “The art of racing in the rain” by Garth Stein. Enzo, a family dog, tells us his story, and that of his master, as seen through Enzo’s eyes…  This is a must-read for known dog lovers, and also for dog lovers who do not know they are yet…!

And now food for thoughts:

“As human beings, our greatness lays not so much in being able to remake the world... as in being able to remake ourselves.”

 - Mahatma Gandhi

So, keep improving, my friends.

Tuesday, the 7th day ff August, 2012

Brian Lochte… What a flop! First, on the 4x100 freestyle, he was given the lead entering his leg, the last one, the gold medal on a platter, and he got passed and beat by the French. Second, on his marquee event, the 200 freestyle, he didn’t show any heart at all and did not medal… My two younger daughters like him because he is handsome and he is a Gator, but he appears ‘yellow’ to me…

OK, what the hell is wrong with us people? We seem to be on our way to become so sectarian and inflexible that we are irresponsibly willing to ignore and put aside – at the first opportunity we have - one the most defining characteristic of who we are: the 1^st Amendment to the US Constitution (a.k.a. freedom of speech)! It started out some years ago when, if you agreed with the doings of certain political party you were a patriot; if you disagreed, you were un-American… The latest installment consuming the National news is this: the owner of a business expressed his personal opinion about a particular social issue in a radio show; let me repeat: his personal opinion! What he did is done daily by many others, as we all have the right to do, publicly and privately. Last month, the President of the US publicly said that he supports gay marriage; last week, a fast-food business owner publicly said he does not; so what? Now, and because we may, or may not, agree with what the business owner said some of us want to condemn and/or outcast him and his business; some of us want to willfully castigate and punish him because we disagree with his opinion/position… What are we, late 1940s USSR (Stalin’s Russia) or 1960s PRC (Mao’s China)? Sit back; take a deep breath; look around and soak it in, and understand that, the moment we punish anybody for expressing their opinion, we are encouraging punishment upon us when we express ours. And we don’t want that!

I asked some weeks ago about opinions regarding the 2^nd amendment and the right to bear arms. I got several; here’s the summary: “There is a reasonable limit to everything. Possession of weapons by civilians for purposes of hunting, sports, self defense are the rights granted in the 2^nd Amendment. Possession of Military-intended weapons by civilians (whether they consider themselves, in a delusional way, the state Militia or not), could not be wrapped inside the 2^nd Amendment envelope.”

It was Jan’s birthday this past Thursday, August 2^nd. She decided to take it easy and we stayed indoors; I cooked her a nice dinner with a little bit of wine and it all turned out just fine… I had bought a cake but she was too full; so we decided to save it for Friday because Alex, her first born (and my 3^rd daughter) came to visit. We had some fine and quiet family time; ate cake, went to the 127 yard sale (got good buys) and she left on Sunday… But before leaving, she managed to lock her car keys inside the car… Called AAA at about 4PM; they showed up at bout 6PM; unlocked the car; and she was finally on her way home, safe and sound!

Food for thought:

Father: “Take the plate and let it drop to the floor”. Son: “Are you sure?”

Father: “Yes… Did it brake?” Son: “Yes.”

Father: “Now apologize to it.” Son: “Apologize?”

Father: “Yes.” Son: “OK; I did it.”

Father: “Is it like before you dropped it?” Son: “No.”

Father: “Get it?”

So, think twice before you speak (or write), my friends…