Verona the city of love

Boat ride from Venice to train station

The boat ride from Venice to the train station started off with a little tension as “we had a train to catch.”  We were denied entry onto boat one because we could not find our masks hidden in the deep deep caverns of one of our suit cases.  We had to wait for the next boat.  Now there was concern that we were going to miss our train to Verona.

Alice rushing to the water taxi from Venice

A child from Germany waiting for the boat

Photo taken from the water taxi to the train station

Enjoying the view

About 30 minutes later we got on the boat and had a wonderful boat ride to the train station.  I so enjoyed the view and took many photos and videos.

Train ride to Verona

When we arrived at the train station in Verona our first goal was to again attempt to resolve our cellular and internet woes. We first found a small KIOSK in the station that was selling CIM cards.  After checking my TMobile phone it was discovered the CIM card would not work on it, probably because it was locked.  We then went downstairs to a Vodaphone store and discussed purchasing a NEW Vodaphone with a 30 day CIM card.  Unfortunately, they did NOT have the properly priced phone available.  We passed and then proceeded to get in the taxi cab to our hotel in Verona.

Train station in Verona

Taxi cab to bread and breakfast

Our taxi cab ride to our bed and breakfast in Verona was a little alarming as we were nearing our destination and could see we may not have been in the best part of town,  In either case, we dropped our bags off at the B&B to check in later when the room was available.

Our B&B in Verona, blocks away from the Colosseum

Lunch in Verona

We had lunch at a wonderful little pizza joint just a few hundred yards away from the Colosseum.  The pizza was simple and the sauce was fantastic.

Time to to to the bathroom,  Again I was faced with walking in on a JOINT bathroom, opened up the door and observed women in the bathroom.  I quickly closed the door figuring I must have gone in the women’s bathroom,  The pizza man turned me around and told me to go in,  Deja vu from my experience in New York when we went to the broadway show Moulon Rouge when a stream of women including Alice walked in the mens room.  So much for privacy.

About Verona

Verona is one of the most popular and beautiful cities in Italy. The city of love, the fictional home of Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet which houses the Torre dei Lamberti and the Verona Arena.

Verona is in Veneto, one of Italy’s twenty regions. It is located 75 miles (120 km) to the west of Venice and very near Lake Garda, the country’s largest lake. The Adige river runs through the city.

Arena

The Verona Arena is one of the most noteworthy Roman amphitheatres in Italy. It is the second largest, after the Colosseum in Rome and it resembles it greatly. During the summer months, the Arena is used for concerts and operas.

The amphitheatre has the form of an ellipse, measuring 498 ft (152 m) in length and 403 ft (123 m) in width. The maximum attendance is 15,000 people.

Verona Walls

"There is no world without Verona walls, But purgatory, torture, hell itself. Hence banished is banish'd from the world, And world's exile is death." Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet" Act III scene III. In the photo, the doors of the ancient city walls.

The Walls and gate of Verona where Romeo was suspected to go through

You were either a soldier or built walls

The Colosseum under construction

Our initial walk around town

Walking around town was an incredible experience.  I was so amazed by the big walls surrounding the city and of course the coliseum. 

The children of Verona practicing their musical instruments

Practicing guitar

Photographic art by Tom Schmuki

Sheet music study by young student

Alice found another Zara

We walked through the center of town and yes, Alice found a Zara store and more jackets she wants to order.  More on this later.  Zara, you have a fan!

Back to the room and rested for a couple of hours

Internet woes continue

Internet and cellular woes continue with very poor B&B reception and little or no cellular connection.  We were unable to read our emails, do our work, and for me continue my blogging and photographic edits.

An evening of Opera at the coliseum

After a short nap we decided to leave for an early evening for dinner and photography.  We walked toward the coliseum and noticed a fully staged choir, orchestra and OPERA singers preparing for a concert soon to happen,  How cool is that?  We listened, observed and I was so jealous of the patrons that would be able to get in, sit down and enjoy the show,  Alice and I discovered the show was FREE but only a few tickets available,  Now we have the tickets in hand and are prepared for an experience of a lifetime.

You must not forget, we listen to opera and classical music nearly every day,  I sang classical and opera in high school and college after receiving a vocal scholarship.  This scholarship was earned by singing 6 OPERA arias all in different languages.  We were thrilled.

The concert included a full ensemble professional orchestra, opera choir, and of course the 2 stars of the show, a male and a female opera singers.

Click this link to view and hear our night at the opera

You can click the following link to enjoy a video of the signs and sounds of the opera,  What a night!

Video link to Opera (2 minutes) - Youtube

Incredible dinner at the Colosseum

After the concert we sat down at an adorable restaurant adjacent to the coliseum.  The food and service was just incredible.  Take a look at some of the food.

Walk home

Our walk home to the hotel will go down as an experience neither one of us will forget.  The path to our hotel room which I was determined to take was not acceptable to Alice.  She simply did NOT feel safe as she observed possible hoodlums lurking in the dark.  Perhaps I missed them.  In either case, there was some tension that took a while to be resolved.

Breakfast at the B&B

The breakfast at the B&B was fantastic and probably our best breakfast to date on this trip.  I am in love with the Italian Nutelo on fresh croissants.

Our final walk about town

After breakfast we knew we had to get as much as we could in before our next train ride to Florence in the afternoon,

Alicia at the Colosseum

Another artist hard at work

These walls are so impressive, and smelly!

Visiting Juliet's home

Our visit to Juliet’s home was on Alices bucket list and I found it to be very interesting and incredible.  Clearly I did not even know that these characters were not just fictional characters by Shakespeare but she actually lived there.  Take a look at some of the photos.

Now it is time for some shopping

I purchased a very nice belt and Alice purchased a tee towel.

Wonderful lunch at tapas

Resteraunt name was: TapaSotto in the heart of the city,  WOW, WOW.  Another great meal.  It seems each small meal “Tapas” the last.  We love to go to a Tapa’s restaurant in the heart of Delray beach called Papa’s Tapas.

After lunch we had to rush home and get a taxi to the train station.  Amazing this is all happening with little art NO internet or cellular connectivity.  The frustration continues.

Train ride to Florence

Alicia getting ready to board the train from Verona to Florence

The train ride to Florence was in “first class” and took about 1.5 hours.  These trains are nothing like the Miami Tri-Rail.  They are clean, big comfy seats, fast and we even got some service of drinks and snacks along the way.  I was again reminded to pull my mask up on my face during the ride.

Just another Tommaso and Alicia day. Ciao

Venice Day 2

Breakfast its different in italy

We had breakfast on day 2 at the same little bakery/restaurant as day 1 which was only a half a block away from our hotel room.  Alice keeps reminding me, Italians don’t look at breakfast the same was as Americans.  It was difficult for Alice to give any kind of “custom” order to our waitress who spoke no english.  I knew her order would come out wrong for the second day in a row.  I smiled at her and told her it would be safer to just point at an item on the menu.  I had bacon and eggs both days with some really yummy pastries.  The “bacon” seemed more like a thinly sliced up HAM.  Our capachino both days was luke warm at best.  Many Italians eat a late breakfast standing up comprising mostly of a pastry and coffee.

Murano Glass - World Class glass blowers

Following breakfast we got on another boat (almost the only way to get around in Venice) to Murano Glass to watch the world famous glass blowers create works of art including chandeliers, glasses, statues, etc.  Truly an amazing experience.  I was wondering why the hotel offered this wonderful trip up for free. 

That’s one hot oven, how about cooking a pizza?

Glass blower creating a glass.

This guy created this horse from start to finish in less than 5 minutes

Finished product… less than 5 minutes and probably sells for $500

There is no such thing as a free lunch

Sure enough after observing the glass blowers do their thing we were then escorted to a huge show room escorted by a private HIGH end salesman dressed to the nines.  Their stuff was amazing, and we were not allowed to photograph nor video the showroom because they were one of a kind pieces of art.  Price range up to tens of thousands of dollars for a piece.  Of course we were offered a 30% discount.  Now I know why the trip was for free.

We meet such nice people on vacation

We boarded our boat with a couple other really nice couples, one from Dubai and the other from Kentucky and or California.  I observed the woman from Dubai with her Canon camera taking photos.  I knew she was very good with how she framed her shot.  We connected on the boat ride home and I think they may even read this blog.

A very nice couple from Dubai, she is a great photographer!

Couple from California on their honeymoon

Off the boat from the Murano Glass blowers and back to the courtyard we went to walk the streets and take photos.

We entered an Art Museum in the courtyard called: Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Venezia

Marc Quinn’s HISTORYNOW (220 - present) surveys the increasing digital interdependence at a vital point in history.

Quinn’s ten year History Paintings project, which upends the grand tradition of history painting bussing recent images of crucial global moments drawn directly from the media, enlarged and painted with oil on canvas, or woven in silk and wool.

Alice was clearly disturbed the the awkward combination of the grandeur of historical paintings and sculptures combined with large paintings that often times either overwhelmed the room or covered up the great work behind them.  Me, I just went with it.  Here are some photos of our experience in the museum.

I am NOT Italian size large

Now it’s time to go shopping for Tom’s T shirts.  Why, because it is all about me.

We located a t-shirt shop we had seen earlier with shirts we both liked very much.  After trying on many shirts, I discovered my body was not the 18 year old Italian stud body the shirts were designed for.  So much for my massive effort to get in shape and loose weight before the trip.  I have found many of my large shirts made in the US are now a bit large on me.  In Italy these t-shirts were small.  A large felt like a small.  Even an extra large seemed smaller than a large.  Now I am motivated to continue my effort to loose some LB’s when I return,

After the shirt shop we continued to walk the street and take photos and videos. 

A beautiful church: S. Franceso della Vigna

We came across a church that seemed closed, with a big drape in the front.  We “snuck” in and took some photos.  A very great and humbling experience for me.  Alice lit a candle and made a wish.  I wonder what her wish was?  I guess you cannot ask, sort of like making a wish when you blow out candles on your birthday.

Gondola Ride, Romance on steroids

It is hard to not notice the gondola’s in all the waterways and canals taking couples and families for the ride of their life.  We had to do this, and it had to be during the golden hour of the Gods.  This was an experience of a lifetime.  Romantic and so breathtaking.  Our captain was so nice.  He was strong like bull.  A perfect muscular body,  I bet he fit into those medium t-shirts that I looked like a whale in.

Some of the things I noticed and learned about the Gondola boat captains.  They were all MEN, no women.  This was a family tradition passed down from generation to generation with the proud muscular Italians providing the TAXI cab ride of a lifetime to the tourists of Venice.  It seems like there were hundreds of them.  While riding our captain chatting and knew almost every captain on all the boats as they passed by us.  What an experience!  Thank you captain my captain.

Our Gondola boat captain

Photographic art courtesy of Venice and our captain

View a video of our romantic gondola ride here:

Dinner at Tattoria al gazzettino

For some reason I have been always hungry.  We started looking for a place to eat dinner after our Gondola ride.  We came across a place that Alice chose.  It was such a great experience.  It started with the owner of the restaurant who reminded me of the “SOUP NAZZI” guy on Seinfeld. The dinner was incredible.  We met a number of very nice couples from the United States and Holland.  They all happily allowed me to take their photos.

Just another Tom and Alice day!

Venice Day 1

Airport in Venice

The airport in Venice compared to the airport in Paris France was clearly a much different experience.  Flying in we could see the town of Venice and the water taxi’s and private boats buzzing down the waterway towards Venice.  Once we landed it was not long before we found our luggage and prepared to leave.  

Internet and cellular woes

Our very first struggle was dealing with internet and cellular connectivity.  Alice has a much stronger need to stay connected with her business and clients.  I was keenly focused on getting my next blog out which meant internet connectivity and maybe cellular services so I could transfer photos and content from my phone to my laptop.

Tmobile and Sprint you get 0 stars

Frankly this was a miserable experience for both of us.  Alice called and communicated with TMobile/Sprint left me wondering how the call center technical support people could actually hold down a job.  All we wanted was a breakdown of the expenses she would be charged by using her phone internationally in Venice  as if she were still located in South Florida. Of course we also needed to know what we needed to do to make it happen. It took 45 minutes before I took over the phone call and dealt with the imbeciles at Tmobile/Sprint.  After working in technology for nearly half my life and in call centers a good portion of that I understand most operators are just trained to READ a SCRIPT and really have no formal technical training.  Very frustrating. Of course at the end of the call they want you to give them a 5 star rating so they can keep their job. TMobile, you are fired.

I had a similar experience myself with TMobile.  We still are not confident what we are going to be charged for cellular phone calls, internet connectivity and or data or data roaming services.  We hope to not see a big huge LUMING bill when we get home.  Any help or advise from my colleagues would be much appreciated.

Boat ride to San Marco

The boat ride from the airport to San Marco - Venice was a lot of fun.  We rode with about 8 other passengers, and the ride took about 30 minutes.  I believe the cost for each of us was about $35.00 each.  It was a lot of fun and gave us a glimpse of the amazing city and area of Venice which is really mostly waterways with man made levy and land. 

Damaged luggage

After departing the water taxi, we lugged our luggage on route to locate our hotel.  We had discovered that somewhere along the trip the airlines had broken or sliced one of the wheels on my TUMI luggage which made it difficult to roll around. Lets see if TUMI’s lifetime warrantee will cover this damage.

Where is our hotel room?

Just locating our hotel room was very comical.  There seem to be really NO street signs or address, but just a bunch of very small alley ways.  I was initially very distracted by the beauty and immensity of the glorious courtyard of San Marco square.

San Marco Square

Considered one of the finest squares in the world and certainly Venice's prime attraction, it is surrounded on three sides by the stately arcades of public buildings and on the fourth, by Basilica di San Marco's riot of domes and arches and the soaring St. Mark's campanile. You will see many photos and videos we took in and around this square as it was basically only a hundred yards away from our Hotel entrance

St Marks Basilica

The Saint Mark’s Basilica

The Saint Mark’s Basilica, the most important church in Venice, and one of the most important and renown churches and landmarks in the world will celebrate its 400th anniversary since it was completed, the way we know it today, in 1617.

The Courtyard very close to our Hotel

The courtyard where it all comes alive and floods every evening during the winter months and high tide

Bands playing in the court yard. Amazing and romantic

Being without cellular connectivity google maps was worthless to us. Since we We asked one of the street vendors where our hotel was… He said, next left.  We took a look down the “next left” and there was nothing that appeared to be anything like a hotel.  We were lost and spent a good amount of time wheeling our luggage around to finally find our hotel which was down an alley way and certainly did NOT appear to be a hotel at all. The name of the hotel we stayed at in Venice was the Bellevue Suites. Now take a look at this door and you will understand why we couldn’t find it.

Our Hotel in Venice, down a narrow alley

Charging our devices dilemma

Now tell me again how we connect to this strange 3 pronged electrical outlet

Once we arrived at our hotel, our next challenge  was to begin charging all our electronic devices that had been depleted along the way including phones, watches, laptops, camera batteries and others.  We had previously purchased 2 converters on Amazon. Neither one of them seemed to work, or was it we just did NOT know how to use them? We were stuck, unable to charge our depleted phones and other electronic devices.  The front desk was perplexed. He even gave us a converter which also seem to not work.  Once we plugged it in, we still determined neither his device nor the devices we purchased from Amazon worked. After discussing this again with the front desk, all units seemed to magically work.  We then began to charge our devices and joined the “free world” of Al Gores invited internet.  Yea, we were in.  A big sigh of relief. What were we gong to do with out charging phone, camera, laptops, etc. NO BLOG and no work.  Yikes. What I finally discovered is that both the Amazon devices and the device provided by the hotel worked, but only worked on a subset of the outlets. The front desk was NOT aware of this problem. How many stars will I give them?

Our first afternoon in Venice

We spent the afternoon discovering this amazing place called Venice. Much of this time was spent in the courtyard just a block or so from our hotel.

Tell me a bit about Venice

Venice, known also as the “City of Canals,” “The Floating City,” and “Serenissima,” is arguably one of Italy's most picturesque cities. With its winding canals, striking architecture, and beautiful bridges Venice is unlike any other city I have ever been to.

Our first night in Italy and date night was spent exploring the city, having dinner and taking photographs. 

Model radar is always ON

In the early evening I noticed a modelesque woman outside a store.  I told Alice, I would love to photograph her.  My WING MAN took over and went and asked her if I could photograph her.  Sure enough she was a model and right in the middle of doing a shoot for Banana Republic.  She gladly obliged and here are some of the photos I took of her.

Beautiful model in Venice

Perfection all with natural light

This young lady was a real pro

The flooding of Saint Marco Square

On our way back home we veered back through the Saint Marco Square only to find out the entire square had basically been flooded.  I guess this happens often this time of the year and during high tide.  The flooding was about 1-2 inches of water and seemed to be seeping out of the “man hole covers” in the middle of the square.  Alice refused to trudge through the water in her favorite new tennis shoes OC, white and comfortable.  She loves those shoes and has been bragging about them ever since we bought then in Delray Beach.  “I must save the shoes says Alice”, as she refused to get her tennies wet.  I smiled and knew she would walk an extra mile to keep her favorite new shoes white and dry. We finally found a long route around to keep her socks dry.  

Flooding in there courtyard

Flooding in the courtyard

At least I kept my shoes dry

Day one in our 1 month vacation of a lifetime is complete.  Just another Tom and Alice day, with no sleep for over 24 hours for me and just less than that for Alice. We are still running on adrenaline.  Maybe soon we will crash!

PeloTom - Biking and Spinning oh my

This blog will be about my experiences with the Peloton exercise bike and their classes. This is a fun read and should tell you a lot about my life!

In preface to my commentary on the Peloton experiences I must give a bit of a background.  I have been riding bicycles since I was a toddler.  A 10 speed bicycle was my main mode of transportation in high school, in college and certainly on my mission for the Mormon church. 

Riding a bike on my Mormon Mission

You have seen the missionaries riding two by two canvassing the neighborhoods in their white shirt, tie and dark pants.  Yes, that was me when I was 19-21 years old.  I remember riding a bike with my companion in Northern California when a car load of HOODS hurled beer bottles at us while we were riding…..screaming “FAGOTS.”  Yes, I was very scared.  Lucky they missed and we were off to our next meeting … out to save the world.  I always loved riding a bike.

Elder Schmuki riding his bike on his mission in Northern California

I have also been riding road bikes off and on in Florida for nearly 35 years now.  I wore the tight biker shorts and colorful jerseys along with the other riders.  I have ridden alone, with groups and even on the Maroone 150.  Yes, 150 miles.  It was during that ride a young teenage rider was run over by a drunk and killed.  It was so very sad.

Road biker Tom Schmuki preparing for a long hard ride with a group of 20-30 riders

Spinning was always one of my favorite classes to take at the GYM… LA Fitness.  I went to spin class 2-3 times a week.  Some front desk people always thought I was a teacher because I looked so fit.  There was nothing like “clipping in” and pushing yourself to the limit in a 1 hour LA Fitness spin class along with a teacher and 30-60 other riders.

So there you have it, I have been riding and spinning nearly my whole life.  It is the one exercise I can still do that does NOT hurt my knees.  It has been decades since I was able to run, before my ACL knee surgeries.

On a bike ride with my kids Allison and Ryan

I purchased a Peloton bike November of 2021 a little more than 6 months ago. The bike was “on sale” about $3-400 less than their normal price. There was no convincing me that spinning was an exercise that I love and would and could do on a moderately consistent basis.

PeloTom, bike in my office calling me every day

Time to get it done on Peloton

After 6 months of riding I have finally reached my milestone of 100 classes.  Just today, I rode for just over 1 hour and burned a record 1,200 calories.  I measure my success by calories burned and the big puddles of sweat accumulated at the base of the bike.  The sweat puddles were never bigger than today.

The Peloton on line class experience

The peloton experience is unique with their on line classes with a gaggle of different instructors who all have their own schtick.  I understand many of the original Peloton instructors are paid well in excess of $100,000 for their teaching.  No wonder Peloton stock has been tanking!  They put together their own music play lists, with all genres of music.  Unfortunately I see no opera or classical. The on line classes are either “live” or playback from a previous live session.  You can view your competition and see how you are measuring up.  I think the whole thing is rigged.  I diligently follow the instructors advise on cadence and power, and often times pushing the upper boundaries of their recommendations. When the class is almost over, I find myself in the 40-45% percentile of all participants which can be as many as 60-70,000 spinners.  I wonder how my numbers can be so bad?  I figure it is rigged.  First you have to lop off all the professional riders who use Peloton to practice for their racing, then of course I need to mentally bifurcate all riders who are younger than 50.  I am 66 years old.  Who am I really competing with?  I wonder what my percentiles would be competing with those over 50, or 60 or even my age of 66?

Instructors bring their personal baggage

The instructors sometime come with their verbal baggage.  Negative conversations from them including 30 minutes about grief of a passing friend.  How about a 30 minute ride announcing their own pregnancy?  Come on peloton, we are there to ride and be inspired.  I challenge you my 66 year old comrades, burn 1,200 calories tomorrow in 85 minutes.  Return and report!

Time to get in shape for Italy

So why the push right now with Peloton?  I am trying very hard to get in the best shape I can before our trip to Italy.  I want to look good, and be healthy.  I want to be able to hold Alice’s hand and walk 10-15 miles each day.

Sample of a class and my stats taken today

A challenge

If you are 50, 60 or even my age 66 years old, I challenge you to burn 1,200+ calories tomorrow in under 85 minutes. Return and report.

A bucker of sweat

Maybe I should be a Peloton instructor?  I may be the first 66 year old man to do so.  What do you think?  I will let you know how many gallons of sweat I donated at the base of my peloton tomorrow morning.

Retail Therapy for Alice - Tri-Rail Shopping to Brickell

I simply must write about our experiences yesterday when we decided to have another “Tom and Alice” day and use our public transportation system to go shopping on Brickell Avenue in Miami Florida.  We had already had such a great experience on our test ride on the Tri Rail Train to the Miami Airport.  

Tom, can we go to Zara in Miami?

It seems Alices favorite store is Zara and the only one to be found is in downtown Miami.  She needed some retail therapy.  Just a few more outfits for our trip to Italy. I figure we may just have to buy another large suit case.

Tri Rail to Miami with some on board excitement

Our trip began with Tri Rail out of Delray Beach.  We headed south to Miami and after a few stops, Alice told me there was some commotion going on behind me.  I did not hear it because I had my ear pods in listening to some Rock and Roll.  Alice told me there was a naked woman in the back.  I soon heard loud yelling, “Get UP!, GET UP!, Wake UP, Wake UP”.  I could not see much because it was behind me, but Alice seemed to have a straight on view of the entertainment for the day.  This lady must have woken up and RAN in the bathroom.  Soon there after the officials, police and others were yelling at her to get up and off the train.  I turned around and she was about 55 years old, with a bikini top on and was lacing her bikini bottoms on.  I could hear someone say I don’t want to see your pu….” I guess I could only describe her as white trash.  She refused to get off the train.  More officials got on the train and it took about 15 minutes for the bikini clad super woman to be taken off the train.  She was telling the officials she had to go to work.  I am not sure where she works dressed in that attire. Maybe she was a life guard… We are pretty confident she was basically out of her mind.  Probably was arrested and spent the night in jail.  

Metro Rail Transfer to Brickell

Off we went to the Metro Rail Transfer Station which is just north of the Miami Airport.  The transfer was very smooth and we were very pleased with the 20 minute ride to Brickell Avenue.  Again I state both Tri Rail and Metro Rail are clean, air conditioned, well kept and properly supervised.  

Metro Rail

Time to shop

After a fantastic lunch at North Italy Resteraunt we were off to our destination.

Zara at the shops in Brickell City Centre

Alice had a great time finding clothes.  I am always amazed in the Zara stores to see all the giddy women who are so pleased with the clothing, prices and fashion at Zara.  No wonder Miss Alice wanted to take a special trip there from Delray to Brickell with a little white trash bikini action along the way.

A little Nikon and Fisheye action while Alice shops

While Alice completed her shopping, I took my Nikon with my Fisheye lens and took a few photos.  I had to hide my camera from the security guards as they seem to stalk anyone with a professional camera asking them to put it away while hundreds of others sit there and take phots with their iPhones.  I truly wonder why the security guards waste their time with this, and when are they going to figure out that iPhones can take incredibly beautiful photos.  Its not the camera folks!

Lets go home

After our shopping we walked back to the Metro Rail Station, I took a few more photos and off we went back to Delray Beach.  The entire ride from Brickell to Delray Beach was about 2 hours.  So here is our breakdown.  Our cost if we would have driven a car: GAS: $30, Parking: $30-50.  Our cost to ride the trains was about $45.00.  The dramatic decrease in stress riding the train as compared to driving a car on I-95 - Priceless.

Another adventure for Tom and Alice.  What’s next?

Italy Trip Planning - my first blog about our trip

Map of Italy

A birthday gift from Alice

It was my birthday last year when I was surprised with Alice’s offer to fly us Business Class to Italy.  Due to her business commitments and scheduling we decided the best time to go would be the month of May.  We finally set our specific dates from May 23rd through June 23rd.  One month in Italy.  WOW! The plane tickets have been purchased and we are flying Air France to Paris, then a plane with 1 hour layover time to Venice Italy.  We are a bit concerned about the short layover time.  We are assuming if we miss the connection, Opps, lunch in Paris and we take the next flight.

I have never in my life flown first class or business class.  I smile at the SNOBS in the front seats as I clank people on the head with my luggage as I am passing by.  Alice tells me they want you to fall to sleep on the plane as we fly over the “big pond.”  Here is a photo of what the business class seats look like on Air France.  Oh Alice, where are you?

Air France Away…

When the lights go out the bed goes down. Oh flight attendant, where is my cognac?

Amenities of flying business class

Some of the amenities of flying Business class on this airline include: socks, an eye mask, a tooth brush and Clarins skin care products. We will be offered a multi course meal designed by a rotating cadre of top chefs. Starters include things like lobster or shrimp, foie gras, hot bread and of course French butter. Alcohol is complimentary. I think we will be drinking wine and a cognac after dinner.

Time to plan

As of September 12th last year (my birthday) we have been planning our agenda.  Alice has been to Italy two times in the past, last time being about 11 years ago.  I have basically never been out of the country except for cruise line ports in most of the Caribbean.  I have never been to any country in the Eastern Hemisphere.  Go figure, my heritage is German and Swiss.  Where do you think I got my blue eyes and blond hair from?  Yes I have most of the features of a handsome German man — NOT.

Alice the master planner

Let me introduce you to a planner…… Alice.  She has diligently spearheaded our agenda including flights, cities to visit, hotels, tours, etc.  Of course she has included me in every decision.  Take a look at the stack of books and brochures Alice poured over to plan this trip.  If I move that stack of books I get the “don’t move those books.”

Just a subset of all the books, periodicals, internet queries (GOOGLE) and of course Rick Steves video series

Lets buy some luggage

Of course we needed matching luggage. I just hope there will be enough room for my Nikon ha ha.

New luggage arrived just in time

Tri Rail test ride

We decided to try using Tri-Rail from the Delray station to the Miami Airport.  In our planning mode we decided today to test the theory.  We love it.  The train takes about 1.5 hours, just a few steps to the shuttle which takes just a few minutes to the airport.  All in it takes 2 hours from the train station in Delray Beach to walking in to the airport and checking our bags.  I highly recommend this!  Here are a few photos of our Tai-Rail planning day:

Cities we are staying in

Venice, Verona, Florence, Naples, Sorrento (Amalfi Coast), and Rome.  

Some of the tours we have already booked

Tours we have already scheduled: Vatican and Saint Peters, Colosseum and underground Rome, cooking classes, Pietrantoni Palazzo Colonna and others.

Ilian Rochev - an amazing artist and talent!

I also plan on meeting my friend and fantastic artist Ilian Rochov in Rome.  I hope to be shown many of his great works.  He is also going to help coordinate a few hours with a model in Rome.

I will be bringing my Nikon mirrorless camera with just a few lenses and flash. Alice is concerned about what fashion to bring, I am concerned about what camera gear to schlep around the country. I plan on taking many fantastic photos and writing and sharing my blogs with those photos as much as I can.  Stay tuned for my next blog which may be the day we leave.

Read all my blogs

You can read all my blogs in reverse order as I have created them. I am always amazed when I run into people who I never knew would read my blogs but have been all along. Just follow the link air the bottom of each blog to the previous blog. This makes me very happy. Support me with some encouragement and you will see some great blogs with photos on our trip of a lifetime to Italy.

Alice's Birthday in New York City 2022

I am a blogger, so I am blogging

I am constantly reminded that my blogs are really a personal journal that I make public. It is very hard for me to gauge the readership on my blogs because I really get NO commentary from anyone either through my website or on Facebook. There also seems no good way to “like or comment” so I am a ghost writer. On occasion I hear from Alice’s friends and find out many of them have read a lot of my blogs.  This blog is for Alice and her friends to enjoy.

I had decided to take Alice to New York for her birthday.  Why?  Well she totally deserves it!  It was time for me to spoil her.  This blog will be mostly about the day of her birthday and other blogs may have more detail on the 5 exciting cold, snowy, rainy, BUURRRRR days we were there.

We decided to pack it in on her birthday.  Of course this was not only her birthday, but was her birthday week and birthday month.  We woke up to classical music which we listen to nearly every morning.  We were staying on the 42nd floor of the midtown Hilton.  Room service started our day with a POT of coffee and a wonderful egg and cheese sandwich.  

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

We had big plans for the day.  The weather was snowy and cold.  Good thing we brought our down jackets, hoodies and gloves as they were much needed.  Following breakfast was a TAXI ride to the MET.  Don’t get confused boys, this is NOT the Metropolitan Opera, NOT the New York Mets.  The MET.  You know the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I had never been, but of course I love art even as much as Alice does.  

Alice at the MET

The ART, the sculptures the HistorY… oh my

We had such a great time at the MET.  For me it was almost information and sensory overload.  We could have spent days there, not 4-5 hours. 

Kids on Social Media

Included here is a photo of a class of students not so interested in the ART but sitting on the bench doing what they do….. SOCIAL MEDIA.  Come on kids, get off the phone, you are in one of the most incredible places in the world!

Students on social media while at the MET?

I had to pull Alice out of the museum as we had other plans for the evening.  We had dinner at HELLS Kitchen right on Broadway next to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre where we had booked our only broadway show…. Moulin Rouge.  Before I discuss the show I digress….

Hells Kitchen on Broadway

Mens room please

During intermission nearly the entire audience (a fully booked house) got up to get drinks, socialize and go to the bathroom.  After taking some photographs I decided I needed to go the bathroom as well.  Alice agreed and headed off to the ladies room.  The mens line was long but moving.  In front of me were two middle aged women, attractively dressed and waiting in the MENS line to go.  I thought, this is weird, but it is New York.  Maybe they are men dressed in drag.  I went with it.  Finally it was my turn at the urinal.  Men to my left and right all doing their business. 

I zipped up and turned around and noticed a line of 20+ women inside the bathroom walking right towards me.  Oh MY.  This was a first for me.  A few seconds later, there is Alice walking by me in the mens bathroom.  I was now in total shock and almost lost it.  I found my way back to my seat, and Alice soon followed.  She had given up because even the mens bathroom line was too long and the curtain call had already sounded twice.  So there you have it, I will never think twice about a woman cleaning person in the mens bathroom while I am taking care of business.  It’s a new world, probably just for me.

I got this from the New Yorker…

Did you know that a recently proposed Indiana law would make it a crime for a person to enter a single-sex public restroom that does not match the person’s “biological gender,” defined in terms of chromosomes and sex at birth. The punishment could be up to a year in jail and a five-thousand-dollar fine. Similar laws proposed in several other states have not passed. These proposals attempt to counter recent moves in many states to allow transgender people to access bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity.

Sorry there are no pictures, but I so wish I had.

Moulin Rouge what a show!

I must discuss the show Moulin Rouge.  First of all, I have seen the movie made in 2001 starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman at least a half a dozen times before.  I have been to many broadway shows before albeit I have not been for well over a decade, this show was a WOW.  The best show I had ever seen.  Every actor, singer, dancer performed flawlessly.  The music, the lighting the props and backdrops were all so amazing.  Remember I was a singer and involved in the theater for many years.  This was OFF the chart.  The show ended with a high energy BANG of fun songs and dancing.  For me this was an experience of a lifetime,

Times Square

After the show we walked to Times Square, and it was just a magical night there.  Finally the weather was bearable and the sights, sounds and people just blew me away.

To top the evening off we walked in to an OLD IRISH PUB and had a nite cap.

IRISH PUB for a night cap

Happy birthday Alice

How is that for a birthday?  Did we pack enough in?  We always say…. “just another Tom and Alice day.”

If I find out some people read this blog, perhaps I will write another one, maybe even more filler on our other days in New York.  Now can someone tell me where the mens only toilet is? If Alice walks in on me I will slap her with a $5,000 fine just to keep my buddies in Indiana happy.

South Beach… not what but used to be

I used to love to get on my motorcycle and rides to South Beach.  The colors, energy, excitement ambience and people were off the chart. 

Deco Drive

Take a look at one of my previous motorcycle rides to South Beach when things were happening.

South Beach as I remember it

Photos of South Beach taken previously

South Beach since Covid

I have visited South Beach a number of times since the start of Covid and I am here to say South Beach is NOT what it used to be.  Even the Harley Davidson ride has changed.  No longer can I cruise Ocean Drive with my GOPro and park my bike near the Ocean to take a few shots.  

No longer is my favorite BAR and entertainment spot Mangos open.  The town is a ghost town.  Many of the hotels are shut down either permanently or for the long term.  The restaurants are not hopping with a buzz of “you have to heat here.”  Gone are the attractive maitre d’s to lure you into their expensive restaurants.  Gone are the fancy cars and HOT motorcycles cruising up and down the drive.  It’s all gone.  

I had expected during the tail end of Spring Break there would still be some excitement to be had.  Nope.  

Perhaps Brickell Avenue is the new place to go.  What do you think?

The attached video is a video I took on a previous ride to South Beach when things were fun and exciting there.  Enjoy!

My new buddies from Arizona

I did have the privilege to meet a very nice family all the way from Arizona. They looked like motorcycle guys. They were enjoying the sun and asked me to come over and take their photos. They were so nice. Here they are:

Current images from South Beach

Images from my visit yesterday. Notice how empty the streets are.

Annapolis our personal tour of the Naval Academy

Our visit to Annapolis and the beautiful and inspiring campus of the United States Naval Academy was awe inspiring with many fond memories will be cherished for years to come.

Retirement Ceremony of Captain Suzanne Lesko

Following our photo shoot of the Retirement Ceremony of Captain Suzanne Lesko on January 14th at the Naval Academy, we had a strong desire to see and take in the sights, sounds and people of this wonderful academy.  We were very happy to hear the Academy provides tours on the half hour.  

For those waiting to see photos from this ceremony and a blog about the ceremony, hopefully this will be coming after photos are selected and vetted by Suzanne.

So, I packed up my camera, and we dressed with all the warm clothes we had brought only to find out we were still very cold most of the time.  You can see from the photos we had down parkas, layers of clothing, gloves, ski beanies and more.  I purchased special gloves for photographers which allows the thumb and index finger to be exposed while shooting.  My finger tips froze nearly off.  So much for being from Denver Colorado and camping out in the Rocky Mountains in sub zero weather.

What is the United States Naval Academy?  In their touring brochure it says… 

The USNA Mission

To develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.

The academy is surrounded by Spa Creek on the East, Severn River on the north and Dorsey Creek one the West and is about 32 miles east of Washington DC.

The Academy Tour

Our tour lasted about 2 hours and was led by a very capable and knowledgeable tour guide who truly enjoyed her job and had tremendous respect for the campus and its history.

The tour started at the Gate 3 entrance and one of our first stops was the statue of the GOAT and the conversations about the history and meaning of the GOAT and the true competition there is between Army and Navy especially regarding the football games.

We then met a couple fine looking cadets who spent a little time with us as the tour guide asked them a few questions.

Our next stop was the Dahlgren Hall which was a great place to see ship and aircraft memorabilia.  Hanging above the second deck is a model of the Wright B-1 Flyer.  You can see my FISHEYE photo here…

Next up was a stop at the Midway and Submarine Monument.

A short walk in the frigid January weather in Maryland to the Bancroft HALL. The Bancroft Hall is the largest dormitory in the U.S.  This dormitory is nearly totally self contained with sleeping quarters, barbershops, dining, etc.  A very impressive building which even my FISHEYE lens could NOT do justice.

We then walked to the Mexican Monument and the tour guide gave us a very interesting discussion on the Herndon Monument. 

The Herndon Monument

A 21 foot tall grey granite obelisk erected in memory of Captain William Lewis Herndon who decided to courageously go down with his ship to see his men, September 12, 1857.  The cadets use this monument for climbing competitions with and without “grease”, with the objective of the first one or team to the TOP wins. There is even a book called: The Herndon Climb… A history of the United States Navel Academy’s Greatest Tradition by Rear Adm. James R. McNeal.

The Main Chapel

Next up was our visit to the Main Chapel.  The chapel was dedicated in 1908 and conducts Catholic and Protestant services and are open to the public.  We even went to a service on Sunday Morning.

Ward Hall

Crypt of John Paul Jones

Following our visit to the beautiful chapel we visited the Crypt of John Paul Jones, one of the greatest Revolutionary War Naval heroes who is enshrined beneath the chapel.  

1845 Coffee Shop

Last up, it was time to warm up and get one of the cups of coffee I ever had at the 1845 Coffee shop.  We were told by the tour guide that President Lincoln entered the campus on that very gate right by the coffee shop.

My takeaways

What are my main takeaways after visiting this beautiful campus?  I was inspired and humbled, and cold.  The cadets in their perfectly fit and ironed garments.  Their dedication and obvious excitement about their career path was ever inspiring.  I think of my father and all the veterans who served and continue to serve this great nation.

I recommend to any and all to visit this campus

Personal Disclaimer: I am a photographer and blogger, not a journalist nor editorialist. I write with my soul. Any information given in my blogs may be my opinion and may contain errors and omissions.

Mormon Mission my perpetual nightmare

It is with much anxiety that I write this blog.  Will I go to HELL for saying my true feelings? I am sure it may offend many, but I believe as my years pass I owe it to myself and my progeny to understand more fully my inner feelings about my experiences in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or known with a nick name of Mormon’s.  

The inspiration of this BLOG is a repeating nightmare I have had for years which I will go into later.  I had this nightmare again last night.

I grew up in Denver Colorado.  My father was a Catholic and my mother a Mormon.  My fathers family were strong Catholics with great aunts that were NUN’s.  My grandfather worked as a janitor in the Catholic Church and died while mowing the lawn at the catholic chapel and school.

Religious tensions in the household

The religious tensions between mom and dad were apparent on occasion.  To marry out of the Catholic Church was an abomination and sin and the penalties were severe.  Catholics baptize their children at birth whereas Mormon’s baptize their children normally at the age of 8.  They called it the age of accountability.  “Accountable” to know right from wrong and act with your own conscience.  My father demanded his children wait until they know what they want to do.  A home teacher convinced us (the children) ALL to be baptized at the same time.  I was 12.  Washed from my sins as a 12 year old I was now ready to start my “sin” register all over again.

Mom and Dad

I was not a normal MORMON boy at all because of my families “partial member” status.  Many Sundays instead of going to church I went golfing with my father.  Of course that was a SIN, my register was already clicking away.  My mother bribed me to go to church by offering to allow me to drive the car and then get an ice cream cone upon return from Tastee-Freez.  I liked the cone with sprinkles on it.  The bribe worked.  My brother and sister were not so easily coerced. 

My Vocal Scholarship at BYU

Just before mid way into my senior year in High School, I was convinced to try out for a music/vocal scholarship to Brigham Young University.  I had to prepare 6 aria’s in all different languages.  I prepared 6 songs with the help of my vocal teacher. A chose songs in Latin, French, German, Italian, Spanish and English.  To this day I can still remember all those aria’s.  A music professor from BYU flew all over the country to hear the try outs of those interested.  I believe there were over 2,500 students who tried out.  Within a month I was sent a letter from the music department saying I have been awarded the vocal scholarship/award.  They had offered it to only 20.  I took this as a SIGN that I should go to BYU.  Prior to this I had not really even considered going to college. Certainly my parents never once encouraged it nor mentioned it.  

Called to serve in Northern California - Sacramento

Off I went to BYU in Provo Utah.  At the time the prophet of the church Spencer W Kimball said, “Every worthy male member must go on a mission.”  There you have it. Call it a guilt trip, obligation or perhaps a twitter in the heart.  I was called to go on the Sacramento California Mission.  My buddies were called to all foreign countries.  They got the exotic fun stuff, I got Northern California.  Yes I was a Mormon Missionary.  I wore black pants, white ironed shirts and a tie, rode my bike hundreds of miles a week, knocked on doors, got beer bottles thrown at me….. All of it.

Some of the rules of the Mormon Missionary:

• Must be with your companion 24/7.  It was a trust thing.

• No girlfriends

• No swimming

• No horse back riding

• No movies

• No newspapers or magazines or periodicals

• No reading books other than the Mormon scriptures

• No motorcycle riding

• Get up at 6:00 am, go to bed at 10:30 am and tell your bosses what you did every 30 minutes

The list goes on and on.  All these rules, were in a book called the “white book” or missionary bible.

You were measured by the amount of doors you knocked on and ultimately by the amount of people you baptized, the very reason you were called on a mission.

Elder Schmuki

I played the piano and sang as often as I could on my mission

Counting the days till you go home

My hundreds of mission peers and companions all could NOT wait until their service was over.  It was like the army but in many ways worse.  You were told what to do and when to do it from 6 am until 10:30 pm every night.  We were given 1/2 day off a week to do our laundry and write letters to our family.  Nearly ALL my missionary peers if being honest could not wait to go back home and continue their life.  They were all counting the days.  You could ask any missionary how many days they have left.  They ALL knew the number.  I did learn many valuable things on my mission, and met many incredible people.  I did however always have the anxiety that this whole thing was wrong to the foundations of the church…

My first real camera purchase on my mission: Olympus OM1

The dream, the nightmare

I will now fast forward to my repeating dream which I have had for decades.  I have this dream at least weekly if not more often.

The dream from hell.  I am NOW on my mission #2, going through the same routines as mission #1.  I was a total disbeliever.  I tried to convince my missionary peers they were making a big mistake.  I tried to set appointments with my mission president and leaders to send me home right away.  I was stuck.  Tears would be flowing, knowing I was wasting my life and my time away.  

My son David

My son David went on a mission to Italy and does not read my blogs.  He is the only one left in my family still attending the church.  He has a wonderful family, but again my experiences and feelings about the Mormon church has caused family tension between us from the moment he as baptized.  I hope he reads this and understands it.  I love him very much!

My son David just after returning from his mission in Italy

I have not been to church for well over 35 years now.  Fortunately the Mormon church taught me wonderful values and work ethic that remain with me to this day.  There are wonderful people in the church, and if you are one of those reading this BLOG, please forgive me for my honesty.   I should have been this honest when I was knocking on the doors in Northern California.  “Hello my name is Elder Schmuki, can I come into your home and talk….”  Why I fell entirely away from the Mormon church 35 years ago may be another blog or never be written.

Who I am

What I know is this.  I am good, I am honorable, I am honest, I am hard working, and I am transparent.  Read my blogs and you will agree.  Some of this may be due to my years in the Mormon church.  Most of it is because this is who I am and who I will be irrespective of influences from religion.  If there is a God, HE knows who I am. I hope my great great grand children read this.

Will my nightmare ever end?

The PGA show and my love for the game of golf

At the show in my IBKul quarter zip

PGA show 2022

The last few days I have experienced my first PGA golf show in Orlando Florida.  I came with Alice to support her in her IBKul world. 

Last year the event was cancelled due to covid.  I have been told this year dwarfs the previous years in size and attendance. So just what is this show all about?   People from all over the world attend to view, touch and feel all products about the golfing world.  Vendors spend lots of money on booths and presentation.  Attendees are typically the buyers for their organizations and clubs. This show is not for personal consumers of golfing products. 

For more detailed information about the PGA show:

PGA Golf Show 2022

Golf fashion show

Here are some photos of a fashion show that I shot during the show

Highlights of the event

• Photographing the Golf fashion show

• Dinner last night at Maggiano’s Little Italy

• The entire IBKul team, so great to work with and be around

• Presentation by Greg Norman

• Cold, rainy and dreary weather in Orlando

My emotions running amuck

So what kind of feelings run through my soul while viewing all the incredible products and meeting some of the greats in this wonderful game?

Most readers of my blog may never know I grew up in Denver Colorado.  I started playing golf when I was about 12-14 years old.  My father introduced me to the game.  I was soon hooked line and sinker.

My years as a golf caddy

I became a golf caddy at the age of 14 at Lakewood Country Club. We had a caddy master and a caddy shack.  We were rated by our caddy master C, B, and A caddies.  Beginners were all rated C.  Have you seen those big bags carried on the tour by the caddies?  Occasionally I would do a double and carry 2 big bags up and down the rolling hills of that beautiful course. Eventually I was rated an A caddy capable of working for a pro.  We had caddy days on the course.  We could play for free on Tuesday's.  The caddy master would watch us like a hawk and if we didn't replace a divot we were out. My "loops" were rich old men driving Bentleys. A “looper” is another name for a caddy. A “loop” was a round of golf. Once my player asked me to hand him the golf bag and proceeded to walk up to the lake and threw the whole bag with clubs in it.  He then walked off the course in a tirade. If you have seen the movie Caddy Shack, you will get the picture. My experiences as a caddy will be with me forever.  I learned so much. 

Here is a real good link on the basics of being a caddy:

The Basics of being a caddy

High School Golf

I played golf on the High School golf team at Arvada West High. I remember I had to pay a quarter to play.  My high school let out at 11:35 am.  Often times I played and walked 36 holes after school.  Played many times in the snow and freezing cold.  I can still feel the sting of the club when it struck the ball when my hands were frozen stiff. I never played in a riding golf cart until after I graduated from college… couldn’t afford it besides I preferred to walk the average of 5 miles a round with a bag on my back up and down the foothills of the Colorado rocky mountains.

Back in the days when I was flexible and could almost play with the big boys

The greatest game on earth

I have loved golf my whole life.  The greatest game on earth.  I had aspirations to become a pro but never had near the ability nor proper training to make it. My lowest handicap was 7 and my average handicap as an active adult golfer was around a 10. 

I have won many club level golf tournaments. Eventually I just threw out a big box of trophies.  Who really cares about my long driving trophies anyway?  No one cared and they were not trophies from professional tournaments. 

To this day I still have dreams at night about being in contention in a major tournament.  When I wake up I sigh in disbelief.  That was just a dream. 

My son Eric, a great golfer

I taught my son Eric how to golf.  We spent most of our time either playing or practicing.  His handicap was about a 2.  For you non golfers that means he seldom shot above a 75. He also had aspirations to become a pro. His senior year in high school Eric became the non Eric.  He broke his arm when he fell out of a golf cart and could not play his senior year.  Soon thereafter he was diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic  and was given less than 10 years to live.  My heart and soul was broken.  He died in his sleep at the age of 28 about 8 years ago.  I have never recovered.  Golf has never been the same to me since. 

For more information on paranoid schizophrenia:

Paranoid schizophrenic

Is there golf in heaven

These are the things I am thinking of as I see all these golfers and products at this show.  Yes, I am jealous and envious. My dream of being a golf professional was just a dream.  I can still see my son Eric hitting his drives long and straight as I watched in pride. Maybe there are golf courses in heaven.  Perhaps my "pull hook" will be solved by the golf Gods and I can enjoy golf again. 

I challenge you to read more of my blogs

You may be entertained and get to know the old golfer, tennis player and photographer just a little bit better. The blogs can be read in reverse chronological order directly from my web site:

Toms Blogs

Annapolis Days 2-4

Thank you for reading my blogs

It seems I may have a few interested readers in these blogs.  I thank you for reading my blogs.  I have written hundreds of blogs over the years.  I consider them more of a written personal journal that some of my friends read and enjoy.  I was very happy to hear my 17 year old son Ryan reads them and enjoys them.  He even told me I was a pretty good writer.  My blogs are normally a one time brain dump rather than write and edit, edit, edit. 

Captain Suzanne’s retirement and celebration

My photo shoot of Captain Suzanne was fantastic including a rehearsal the day before, a dress rehearsal and of course the ceremony, formal photos and post ceremony celebration. Well over 3,000 camera clicks were taken. My Nikon's are breathing a sigh of relief. 

Photos will be carefully chosen and approved and then edited as this was an official event. In the mean time I will be posting and sharing our experiences in this incredible place the two days following the ceremony. 

Our personal time on the campus

The three main themes of the last two days in Annapolis are: the weather, our tour of the US Naval Academy and of course the food and dining. 

I will be posting photos and or videos today taken only on my iPhone and will later add the great photos from my Nikon on this or a later post. 

The weather

No matter how many "layers" we put on it is just cold as a bats a... out there. Most days with  the high was 25 degrees and sitting right on the Chesapeake Bay with wind chill going right through us.  I purchased special photography gloves with holes in the index finger and thumbs.  Didn't work.  My finger tip almost froze off. This native of Denver who's blood has thinned to the tropical paradise climate cannot wait to step into the sandy warm beaches of South Florida. 

Our flight back to South Florida is now delayed twice because of the bad winter storm slamming us and the rest is the east coast. 

The academy tour

This is an experience that should NOT be missed.  Our tour guide was smart, fun and engaging.  Unfortunately she has to put up with 3 very miss behaved children.  Come on mom and dad control those rug rats. 

The tour was about 1.5 hours.  We enjoyed it so much we want back today to visit the campus on our own.  We even attended a Presbyterian service today in one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have seen.  I can't remember the last time I went to church. Photos will be shared later. 

The food

The last 2 nights we stayed in a Historic Hotel in the originally built in the 1700's. The hotel was walking distance from the Naval Academy. The restaurants were all a short very cold walk from our hotel room.    

Harry Browne's

was a great evening dining experience. We did miss Meiomi our favorite Pinot Noir. 

Galway Bay

A really fun authentic Irish Pub

We also enjoyed our whiskey tasters. 

Two breakfasts right on the Chesapeake Bay at the

Iron Rooster.

We are now waiting for a potential 3rd flight cancel and may have to spend the night here. 

Lunch at Cooper Canyon

All I can say is yummy.  Our waitress, Mecca wins the award for best service on our trip.  I wonder if she can de-ice the plane for us she can do every thing else. 

After our long lunch we found our rental car in a snow storm

Annapolis Photography Day 1

On the plane to the photo shoot of a lifetime

My next few blogs will be about our trip to Annapolis Maryland to photograph Captain Suzanne Lesko’s retirement ceremony and celebration.  Suzanne was one of the very few chosen women to be admitted to the US Naval Academy over 26 years ago.  She is a combat aviator who has served in multiple conflicts and multiple contingency operations. I am honored to photograph this very special moment in Suzanne’s life.  Somehow, Suzanne found me from a friend Jennifer Lyn Brande who referred me as a photographer she should consider.  I photographed Suzanne’s retirement party in Doral in November.  I will include some of the photos I took for that event.

A surprising offer

Alice mentioned to me wouldn’t it be cool if Suzanne invited me to photograph the official ceremony in Annapolis.  I agreed, but did not really believe it would happen,  Sure enough Suzanne asked me to photograph this event.  I asked her why she chose me for the event.  She mentioned it was not only my photography but my fathers experiences as a Purple Heart US Navy Veteran in World War II.  

Off we go to Annapolis.  Today we will attend an informal gathering and party with Suzanne and tomorrow afternoon will be the official retirement ceremony and celebration.  It should be epic.  It was difficult for me to pack all my desired photography gear in 2 bags.  I will be missing my strobes and large modifiers that produce such beautiful light.  

Camera Gear

For you photography buffs I will be taking 2 camera bodies: Nikon D850 and Nikon Z6 II.  Lenses include 24-70 F2.8, 70-200 F2.8, 50 and 85 1.8, 35 1.4 and of course my fish eye lens.  For lighting I am bringing 3 Flashpoint 200 strobes, and 3 external camera mountable flashes.  If that technical talk bored you, I will provide excitement later.  I am Mr Excitement!

Following the event tomorrow evening we will be spending a couple extra days to take in the sites and history of this incredible place.

Covid days 9-11

Selfie taken yesterday just after my Harley ride around the block

Covid Day days 9-11: Will this ever end?

On the tail end of my 7-10 day quarantine (the period of time recommended by the CVS minute clinic nurse practitioner), I anticipate getting back to my normal life.

Today is day 11 for me since the day I first came down with the virus which hit me like a whirlwind.  I have been feeling better each day and today I feel about 85%.  Yesterday was NOT so good with Alice.  She came down with a fever and I could see the panic on her face.

The pink sample line means…. test POSITIVE … NOOOOOO!

Harley Davidson ride around the block

I was concerned about my Harley Davidson as it has NOT been ridden for over a month.  I thought the battery may have been entirely gone.  I went to the garage and the bike barely started up with the last click click sound before the battery goes entirely dead.  I decided to ride it “around the block” to charge the battery. I later trickle charged the battery for the entire night.

Feeling confident in my health and a negative COVID test, I took an at home test yesterday at about 5:21 pm.  We ordered the Abbott at home tests from Sam’s club and Amazon.  Unfortunately and to my very surprise I tested positive.  I was so depressed and disappointed.  I have been feeling pretty good now for days, and today I feel even better.  

This morning a beautiful day in South Florida

This morning we sat outside on our new new porch and enjoyed breakfast and the beautiful weather we have.

Breakfast outside this morning with Alice

Covid Day 6 - Alice day ?

Blog Covid Day 6

Yesterday was my official Covid quarantine day 6.

For official information from the CDC on proper quarantine protocol:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html

Alice tests positive and gets treatment

The previous day Alice was so discouraged to find out that her appointment for the Monoclonal Antibody Treatment was cancelled due to no more supply left in the state.  She was told she would be first on the list if and when the next doses arrive.  I noticed her anxiety level raised to a level I have not yet seen.  She knew she was getting sick and had COVID already but had not yet been tested.  

Yesterday morning we scheduled the first available appointment at CVS-Minute Clinic…. 6:45 pm for her test. About 2 hours later she received a message and phone calls from CDR/HEALTH stating they had received some supply and her appointment would be honored.  Off we went to another trip NORTH for her treatment.  My treatment was 1 hour and 20 minutes with 1 hour of waiting after the treatment before they tested and released me.  Alice texted me from the site and told me her treatment today would be by infusion and NOT by 4 shots.  I guess they had NO shot supply left.  The IV would take and hour and then another hour of waiting before testing and release.  I am in the HOT car with COVID waiting this out.  She mentioned this was the first time they had done the treatment this way and most were learning the process.  She discovered the workers were EMT’s and or firefighters.  They were also learning the process and of course were so nice to her as they were to me.

At 6:40 pm I took Alice to CVS, and she enough she tested positive.  It seem her symptoms are cloning mine but about 3 days after me.  Fever, chills, body ache, etc.  She was miserable.  I made her split pea soup.  

Now here we are 2 COVID patients in the same house each feeling sorry for the other.  

My Status

For me last night was the first night in 5 nights that I slept without waking up in a large pool of sweat.  Maybe I have begun to turn the corner.  Now come on Alice, I am rooting for you.  REGENERON, DO your thing!

Alice was told by the EMT’s the Monoclonal Antibody Treatment provide 35-80% more protection than without it and can last from 3-7 months.  For me and Alice- WE WILL TAKE it.  Bring it on.  We will go with the SCIENCE.

CDR Health

For more information on CDR/HEALTH and or to set an appointment, they are open 7 days a week 9 am - 5 pm. Support line: 850-344-9637

www.patientportalfl.com

Covid Days 4-5

My attire during treatment

Blog - Covid day 4-5

I would first like to thank all of those who are either silently reading my blogs or actively giving me feedback, love and support.  I would love to hear from you if you are reading my blogs.  I know that many silently read and provide no feedback.  Trust me it does NOT go un-noticed.

As Christmas approaches the only thing that is really important is our health and happiness.  Who would have thought 1 week ago I would be in this place right now.

I hope my current blogs can HELP those who are or have friends or relatives going through this terrible Virus.  Please understand, I am NOT a doctor, and I HIGHLY advise any and all to get tested and see your doctors if you are coming down with any of the symptoms. 

Monoclonal Antibody Treatment - REGENERON

Yesterday we traveled north the the closest facility providing the Monoclonal Antibody Treatment - REGENERON.  

Here is SOME information on the treatment, but I highly advise your own personal investigation and research including reading all the information on the provided link.

WHAT IS REGEN-COV?

REGEN-COV is an investigational medicine used in adults and adolescents who at high risk for severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.

• treatment of mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19

• post exposure prevention of COVID-19 for those not fully vaccinated or have not built up enough immune response

  • have been exposed to someone with COVID-19

To set an appointment or get more information on this treatment:

https://www.patientportalfl.com/s/login/?language=en_US

My treatment was at 1:30 PM.  I arrived at the facility which was a large gymnasium.  We were hoping we could get Alice in as well as she had set an appointment for the next day as NONE were available.  They wold not allow her in even though she had an appointment there the very next day.  She waited in the car for me.  They told us it would be 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Their timing was almost exact.  After the pre-screening process and taking my vitals I was led to a booth with 2 charming and handsome men …. looked like male models.  I was ready to take their picture.  After providing them with my information they quickly proceeded to shoot my left arm and my belly left of my belly button.  I turned the chair and they repeated on the right side.  I still have the 4 bandaids on my body to prove it.  Within minutes I was asked to find a seat and wait for 1 hour.

The after shot waiting room was very interesting.  Me in my hoodie looking like a sick old hippie from the past.  NO Wifi connection, yet every one was on their phone.  I looked around and found others adorned in their own baseball caps and hoodies.  Many looked totally healthy, some were coughing all the time.  I realized I may have been cursed with the worse visible signs of the virus.  

One hour later and I heard my name.  Cursed with the name Schmuki for 66 years now, I heard it again. This time my name was pronounced with perfection.  They first took my heart rate and temperature, and I saw my temperature barely make 95.  I saw the nurses look at each other in anxiousness.  Then they took my blood pressure on my right arm and my higher number was in the 160’s.  I saw the panic again on the nurses.  I was asked if I had HIGH blood pressure.  I said NEVER.  They then tried it on my right arm and the upper number was around 133.  I saw the relief in their eyes.  I was then released from the facility 1 hour and 20 minutes later.

The Result

Monoclonal Antibody Treatment result as of this morning at 9:00 am are mixed. I felt much better last night but woke up in a puddle of sweat, moved to the middle of the bed, woke up again in another puddle of sweat and repeated again on the left side of the big KING size bed. Another puddle of sweat. I took a shower at about 6:00 am and Alice was right there from the other room changing my sheets.

How do I feel

The worst moment was really the first night. Each day I have felt slightly better, but really no substantial improvement. I feel foggy, sometimes chilled and occasionally achy. I am still scared. Can’t stop thinking about my friend…

What am I doing for treatment?

• Lots of rest, but also trying to get vertical as often as possible

• Monoclonal Antibody Treatment

• Tylenol when I have a headache

• Glutadose - Wellness Bioactive Nutraceutical complex

• Flonax

• Mucinex

• Lots of water

• I am eating less but regular and have not yet lost my taste

BAD News:

Alice clearly NOW has it as she woke up today with some of the symptoms.  She will be getting the treatment today as well as getting COVID tested.  Now I guess Toby the cat will be taking care of us.

Covid Day 3

For those of you who have not already read my first blog post on Covid.  Here is the link:

https://www.thomasschmukiphotography.com/blog/2021/12/19/i-have-covid-no
I am calling this Covid Day 3.  Friday afternoon, three days ago was when I was hit hard with the virus. Who knows what my real start point was or even when or where I was infected.  I am so curious about this because I was tested for Covid exactly 2 weeks ago today, the day before my eye surgery and of course tested negative.  Since my eye surgery 2 weeks ago tomorrow, I have had very little exposure to the outside world.  We did go to Home Goods on Wednesday to purchase some additional items for our Christmas photo shoot in my home studio on Thursday.  
Thursday evening we had a wonderful family of 3 over with 2 beautiful young miniature schnauzers.  After testing positive for Covid, I immediately contacted the family to give them the bad news.  They had just all been tested for Covid that very day in preparation for travel.  They had also had Covid previously.  In any case, I am very perplexed as to how I got it.  I am even MORE perplexed as to how Alice does NOT yet have it.

I am thinking about the faces and vibe going on in the CVS minute clinic where I got tested.  A frustrated MOM could not successfully schedule a test for a family member.  No slots available and was recommended to go other other testing sites.  I remember the eyes and faces of those outside the clinic when I walked out having just been informed about my result.  I tried hard to NOT show my emotions, anxiety and utter disbelief.  I saw faces of anxiousness, sickness and hope amongst those in line.

We were recommended to get one of the the AT HOME tests for Alice.  “Isle 14” we were told.  Unfortunately Isle 14 home test shelf was barren.  All gone.  

I have just scheduled to have Monoclonal Antibody Treatment tomorrow afternoon in Palm Beach County tomorrow afternoon.  Alice has scheduled hers for Wednesday but we hope to get them both at the same time.  

If you are personally interested in this treatment, here is the site:

https://floridahealthcovid19.gov

I heard that was the magic elixir that saved President Trump.  Who knows if that is true, I am sure he had the BEST care in the world, and was very good at keeping his actual diagnoses under wrap.  I am the opposite.  Mr transparent….. Tom.

I have read the Monoclonal Antibody Treatment is NOT nearly as effective against the current strain of Covid-19 as the 2 previous strains.  I am going to get it anyway.

Isn’t it crazy just days ago I was bragging about how many Peloton sessions I had successfully executed in the previous 5 weeks.  I cannot wait to get back on the bike.  Some day you can call me PeleTOM.

Just a few weeks back on my Peloton.

Last night I started feeling much better and had hopes I was over the worst of it.  At about 2:00 am, it hit me again with chills, sweats, coughs, wet covers from sweat, etc.  

Today, we did go for about 1/4 mile walk.  I could not wait to get back in bed.

So there you have it, Covid Day 3.

I have COVID - NO

After been fully vaccinated by Pfizer and a recent booster shot by Moderna I hoped that I had done all the right things to prevent getting this terrible virus.  I watched and observed a good friend die of Covid who had not been vaccinated.  He was in perfect shape, a weight lifter, singers and actors agent.  He talked to me while in the hospital and told me he wanted no one to know.  He was STRONG LIKE BULL he said.  His passing saddens me to the core.

Following my eye surgery nearly two weeks ago now, I have been in nearly total seclusion while my eye was healing.  The day prior to my eye surgery I was tested for Covid.  Two days ago on Friday I was working on editing my first photo from a photo shoot the night before.  It was a photo of Alice who always stands in for me while I am testing my lighting setup.  After editing the photo my head filled with mucus and I began to chill.  I got colder and colder to a level of shaking.

I went to bed.  I knew something was terribly wrong and the C word certainly came to my mind.

Friday night was a night that I will not easily forget.  Chills, sweats, achy body, coughs. At about 4 am I had a massive headache.  I took 2 Tylenol and the headache got better.  

Yesterday morning Alice convinced me to immediately go to a clinic to get checked.  She was nearly convinced I had a bad flu because my symptoms came on so strong. I almost believed her, but my gut told me it was Covid.  At about 9:00 am I set the earliest appointment available at the local CVS minute clinic at 3:40 pm.  We arrived early and I was let right in.  The CVS nurse practitioner said she would test me immediately for both the flu and covid.  Both tests were done by me with a swab up my nose, both nostrils.  Two swabs, one for the flu and the other for Covid.  She told me the test take a while to come back.  She put the tests in individual machines and then began my exam.  My blood pressure was HIGH, but all other vitals including temperature, blood oxygen and others all seemed normal.  She did tell me right away after I told her my symptoms she thought it was Covid.  She said you will not believe how many people I see that had covid.

As she is talking to me I hear a machine sound ….. BEEP.  She looks over and tells me I am negative for influenza A and B.  Now the waiting game for machine number 2 to produce the results.  BEEP.  She looks over at it.  I saw her demeanor change.  She said, “you have Covid”.  I wondered how many times she said that this very day.  I was not surprised but had hoped I had just a terrible flu.

Alice is taking care of me, making me home made soups and checking my blood pressure, heart rate and blood oxygen levels.  The nurse told me it was extremely likely Alice will get it soon.

Last night was a repeat of the first night as I woke up in a pool of sweat in my bed.  I would move from side to side in my huge KING size bed to find a dry spot.  Finally I took a shower at about 5 am.  When I walked out of the shower Alice had already changed the sheets for me.  She must have heard me from the other room while sleeping.

I am on a 7-10 day quarantine which started 2 days ago.  So much for Holiday photo shoots and holiday get togethers.  This year we will be hunkered down.

Here is to HOPE that by being fully vaccinated and boostered I will only be sick and not die from this terrible virus.  That is the reason I took the vaccines in the first place.

I will write further blogs in the coming days…. Hoping some may read it.

The Motorcycle Wave

This blog may interest motorcyclists and non motorcyclists in different ways. 

I have been riding motorcycles ever since I was 14 years old.  As an avid motorcyclist who rides often I am always curious about the motorcycle wave. You non motorcycle people may not know that motorcycle riders wave to each other as you are riding ... mostly in opposite directions. 

I discovered quickly long ago as a proud Honda Gold Wing owner that many Harley owners refused to wave back.  They just have thought that Hondas are not motorcyclists. I was NOT in the club. I thought, “You Harley owners, your such snobs….”  I snickered as I flew past them in my FAST Gold Wing.

I wonder, why riders of convertibles don’t WAVE to each other.  Even bicyclists don’t execute the courteous wave.  

Origin of the motorcycle wave

Just what is the origin of the motorcycle WAVE.  Now it gets interesting.  There are multiple theories:

Theory #1: Arthur Davidson and Williams Harley invented it as they waved to each other on their own Harley’s.  Other’s noticed the wave and there you go…. The reason why Honda Gold Wingers are OUT of the club.

Theory #2: The wave was used as a recognition of military service between bikers.  The gesture V for victory over the Germans.  

Theory #3: Knights in medieval times invented the traveler’s wave.  As two knights approached each other the knights would raise their heavy face shield armor to wave or acknowledge the apposing knight and to determine if they are friend or foe.

Theory #4: The motorcycle wave is just a common bond between the motorcycles.  It is the camaraderie that is felt between us.  We all wonder why others don’t enjoy the freedom of the open rode with the wind in our face and the sound of Bruce Springsteen blasting in our ears.

Imagine a ride on the ocean

Get in my head as I am riding A1A with many motorcyclists passing by.  Here comes another bike.  Will he/she wave?  Who will wave first?  Will they leave me hanging with my lonesome wave?  You know how it feels when you reach out to shake someone’s hand and they don’t reach their hand out. What kind of wave will they give me?  The left hand stretched low with palm forward, the left hand thumb up wave or will it be the left handed salute?  Is that 2 wheeler a scooter?  If so I would not dare wave at a scooter rider.  That would be motorcyclist blasphemy. What do I do when a group of a dozen riders approach?  One long wave, or individual waves for each leather jacket?

To the car drivers of the world, drive A1A, roll your window down, wave to the motorcycle riders passing you by.  I bet you will get many who wave back.  If you wave to other automobile owners, you will get just a stupid is, stupid does look.

Now as a proud Harley Davidson owner, I gladly wave to all motorcyclists excluding scooters.  If I inadvertently wave to a scooter rider, I get the craziest looks from the scooter boys.  

Wave to me next time you see me. 

— Tom