Love and Other Drugs: DON'T SEE IT!

Well, it was a rainy afternoon and we got sucked in by the trailers on TV, thinking this movie would be a funny and different romantic comedy.  Boy, were we wrong.  Right  from the start, it bored you, from the opening scene, like most of the movie, a cliche, with the two brothers, one successful, the other just having lost his job.  Of course, he then becomes a drug salesman, using his powers of seduction, to seduce doctors and receptionists, to peddle his wares.  On the way, he happens upon Anne Hathaway, an artiste, of course, in the trendy loft apartment, and she just happens to like sex, lots of it, with Jake.  It's as if the filmmaker could not think of anything to do other than film them screwing.  O, yes, I forgot about the idiot brother, a loser, like George in Seinfeld, only not funny, egregiously gross, to the point where you wondered how the filmmaker could think it was funny.  Without him and his antics, the movie might have been palatable...maybe.  O, yea, Anne has Parkinson's disease, incurable, and Jake eventually must decide whether he can love a women with this illness, or take the 'dream job' in Chicago, live the cool life, and be successful.  Of course, he just happened to meet the husband of a women who had had Parkinson's for years...his advice, ditch her while you can.  This of course lengthened the movie, unbearably long as it was, as he had to fight his guilt and conscience  Eventually, the good little angel surfaces and he flags down her bus (she accompanies elderly to Canada to buy drugs), like Dustin Hoffmann in The Graduate or  Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentlemen.  All's well that ends well, as they live happily every after in their loft, drinking wine, hugging, kissing, and of course, screwing. I looked at my watch an hour into it and could not believe we had another hour.  We had no interest in the characters and the only thing I wondered is if Hathaway would die in the end.  Fortunately, she didn't, so I did not throw the shoe in disgust,  At least the filmmaker had some scruples.  Don't see it!

Rainy Morning at the Lake

It was pitch black when I got up, around 5:30, and I could hear the rain hitting the windows and roof, not an attractive first morning at the lake.  I turned on NPR, read my emails, got the paper, and browsed the web until the sky began to lighten, about 7:00, though sunrise is not till 7:25.  It's now 8:00, Evie's up taking a shower, and it looks miserable out, lake rough, skies gray, wind howling, rain pelting the front windows.  I had hopes of kayaking but will probably have to put those on hold for a  few days, as this weather is only supposed to get worst, colder, with snow coming over the next three or four days.  Welcome back to Chautauqua Lake.

We are heading off to Wegman's this morning, stopping at the library, and picking up our held mail at the post office in Ashville.  It looks like a good day to sit around and drink tea, read, or watch a good movie on TV.

Richmond, Indiana to Lake Chautauqua

I have been up since 6:00 and have been sitting in the lobby of the Hampton Inn, enjoying their breakfast buffet, reading the various newspapers on line, watching CNN (no Fox News for some  reason), letting Evie sleep in, as we are in no great hurry, or rather, I am trying to not be in a hurry.  We arrived here last night from KC, about a 9 hour drive.  We ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut, and just relaxed, enjoying our pizza, watching TV, and going to bed early.  It's another bright sunny day, supposed to be the same at the lake, though it looks like rain and snow are arriving late week, which I admit looking forward to.  From Lee's Summit to Richmond, Indiana, it took 9 hours, 565 miles.

We had a wonderful ten days with Tom, Mary, and the kids.  They are wonderful hosts and the kids are a delight to be around, always happy, ready to do something.  We were the slugs this time, not wanting to venture out much, just staying home and enjoying the kids, football and basketball game, and relaxing with family.  I feel like I gained five pounds because we ate so well, as usual, when we visit our kids for an extended time, the same as Chautauqua.  We feel the need when we get together  to eat well, to have great meals, which is wonderful but after awhile, we all long for a simple meal, something healthy though I am sure I will be over that idea in a few hours.  Turkey day always means filling up with goodies, not pressure of presents, not let downs, disappointed expectations, just family, good food, and being with each other...the best.

We arrived home just after 3:00, though we cut off Interstate 70 at Springfield/Wittenberg exit RT. 4 and then took RT 68 north to Urbana, stopping at the Rothchilds farm on Rt 36 just east of the town.  It was much bigger than we remember, when we stayed at their house, probably 20 years ago.  We went in looking to see if any Rothchilds were around and found they had sold the company for 20 million around 7 years ago.  Actually, that sounds familiar now that I think about it but I must have forgotten.  I knew they will trying to pull away from running the company.  Besides the factory, there's a great gift shop, gourmet food and gadjets.  I picked up a latte/hot chocolate maker, some of their jellies, and a few other items Evie wanted.  It was one of the nicest kitchen shops we have been in, so it was fun.  We then drove though farmlands, to Ohio Wesleyan and back on to Interstate 71 and home.  I have to admit it's always nice to get home, to our house, the lake, the woods, the environment of Chautauqua.  We are lucky to live here.

Today is also Halle's birthday, so Evie's on the phone talking with her now.  It is hard to believe she is six and a kindergartener.  The grandchildren are growing up too fast. It's now 4:30 and already starting to get dark, as the winter solstice nears.  The far shore is lit by the setting sun, some of the house windows reflecting brightly, like spotlights, as the lake shimmers and darkens.

Heading Home from KC

A quiet morning, only me, as I think about our 8 hour drive today, to Greenfield, IN, about half way to the lake.  It looks like a sunny day and though Chautauqua may have had lots of snow, it's supposed to be sunny there tomorrow, so I hope the drive will be easy.  We hope to be off b 9:00 at the latest, I just hope the family is up by then.  Marlena will be for sure, but I don't know about the rest, just kidding.  Evie just got up and Marlena should be up soon, no doubt with her Thanksgiving Journal in hand.  Tom and Mary went to the Plaza last night to have dinner with friends, and we babysat and watched Matilda with the kids, then Nick and I watched Kansas play Arizona, a good game.  We went to bed before the game was over though Nick stayed up to watch the end.

Yesterday afternoon was a day of drama.  Evie came down with  bladder infection, very uncomfortable, so she went off to the walk in  clinic at CVS but was turned away because they don't treat anyone over 65.  So, we had to go to a walk in clinic, 15 minutes away, to get seen and get a prescription, from a vending machine, of all things.  Then, when we got home, I could not find my wallet, so after 15 minutes of looking and calling stores, we found it on the bedside table, covered by an edge of the bed spread.  A relief.  Not much fun for a couple of hours, but all's well that end's well.  Evie feels much better this morning, so we are going to take off in awhile

Yesterday I received a digital copy of the article I wrote for NBA Turkiye, in Turkish obviously.  I like the fact that they included various pictures that I sent to them, of my team mates from the seventies and our visit a year ago.  I imagine the translation itself may leave a  lot to be desired.  They are sending me a copy but it will take a few weeks to get here, no doubt.  I keep thinking of things I could of said because I worry that my friends may misinterpret my words.  I also wish I had mentioned the work that Ahmet does with the young at his camps and gyms for the inhabitants of Gokturk.  That's what comes with actually writing something to be published, that someone may take it wrong or disagree with what you said.  If I ever write something else for publication, I better get used to it.

Cloudless Saturday in Kansas City

We all slept in a bit this morning, getting up around 7:30.  As usual, Marlena was up and at it, working on her Turkey Journal, while sitting on Evie's lap.  She decided to have her Turkey go with us on our excursion to the creek, and drew of picture of this.  She then finished her paint by numbers picture, one which she had been working on for the past week.  She is amazingly patient and careful, not in a hurry, which is unusual for a 7 year old.  Both she and Evie got the frame ready, then placed the painting in the sunlight to dry.  Mary worked on picking out pictures to download, and Tom and I looked for a movie for tonight on Apple TV.

Our dinner last night with the Burlingames was great, the tenderloin done just right, the cauliflower quiche rich, almost too much so.  I enjoyed talking with Mike Burlingame quite a bit, as he is an interesting guy, with lots of interests.  They got here about 6:00 and left around 10:30 because by that time, after beer and wine, we were all getting tired.  Nick and Peyton, the Burlingame's son, also had a good time, though they spent a good part of the night downstairs playing games on TV.

We have not been very energetic here for some reason, not venturing out to do things other than go grocery shopping or retail shopping.  We did go exploring our first day to Longview Lake, where we found what looked like some good walking trails, but we have not been back since. It's a beautiful day again, though from the weather report, Chautauqua may be getting up to a foot of snow today.  It does not look as though it should bother our trip home on Sunday and Monday but I will keep an eye on it.  I cannot believe we missed the first major snow fall at the lake. Both Evie and I enjoy the falling snow, being snowed in for part of a day, perhaps a day, but that's it.

Black Friday in Kansas City

Marlena was up early, hiding from me when I got up at 7:00.  She immediately went to get her journal and finished it before anyone was up.  He turkey ended up returning home, falling asleep, and that's how the story ended.  When everyone else got up, we started watching Ramona, the movie, on TV, a different way to spend a morning.  It looks like a spectacular morning out, with the sun so bright we need to close the shades.  I am not sure what is on the agenda for today, other than getting ready for the Burlingame's coming for dinner.  Tommy bought a great looking tenderloin from Costco, and he actually covered it with kosher salt last night.  Today, we make the port wine sauce and Evie is going to make a cauliflower and onion quiche. I sometimes wonder what we would do if we didn't have great dinners to get ready.  Clearly, we all enjoy good food and the prepping is fun, especially with the grandchildren around to help.

It's 11:30 and Nick has just gotten up...that boy can sleep, catching up from during the week when he has to get up and leave by 6:45.  The kitchen has been busy, getting ready for tonight's dinner, putting together the various sides, appetizers, and main course.  Tom and I have already been to the store picking up some groceries we needed, and both he and Mary have worked out on the tread mill.  Once we get done with prepping, I hope Evie and I can go for a long walk, since it's such a nice day, sunny and brisk, perfect for a walk.

Watching TV this morning, with all the news shows covering the early shopping mania, I have to admit I am disgusted by it all, as if the only thing we are good at anymore as Americans is shopping.  It's like a national past time, a kind of therapy, to go out and spend, spend, spend, and accumulate things that you don't really need.  When bored, instead of reading a book, going for a walk, or finding something useful, we jump in our car and shop.  I don't exclude myself from this disease, though I hope to cure it sometime soon.  I know talk like this is not good for the economy or so we are told, but if our welfare depends on people shopping for most of the junk they don't really need, then we are in trouble, and need a new paradigm, what that takes into account 'living simply but well,' with out the need to accumulate stuff.  I have to admit part of me doesn't want to spend the money, the other part is buying things for people that they don't really want or need, and the final part is just tiredness of shopping, of looking for the present that you rarely find that's perfect and thus, you settle on anything. Bah Humbug describes my present mood,

Reflections on a Basketball Life in Turkey in the 1970's

Besiktas Teammates, 2009

Besiktas, 1975

Turkish Champions, 1975

When I got my teaching job at Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey in the spring of 1970, I was living in Honolulu, Hawaii, halfway around the world, and I had no idea how this would change my life. Like most Americans, Turkey was just a name on the map, exotic and unknown, just west of the ‘civilized world’ of Europe. All I knew about Istanbul was gleaned from a National Geographical magazine, with pictures of Robert College and the Bosporus. That and the thought that I would be living in Europe was enough for me.

Four months later, I found myself debarking from a 747 with my family, at what appeared to be a used warehouse, old, run down Yesilkoy Airport in 1970. We were met by a fellow teacher, dumped our bags into a 1950 American car, probably a Chevrolet, and set out for our home for the next seven years, the Robert College Campus in Arnavutkoy. Though teaching brought me to Turkey, and I loved my students and teaching experience at RC, the opportunity to play basketball for Besiktas and represent Turkey in a number of European Cups changed me more than I ever could have imagined.

Before I talk about Besiktas in the 1970’s, let me fast forward for a moment, to the fall of 2009, when I returned to Istanbul for five weeks, for the first time since 1977 when I left Turkey. Istanbul of the 1970’s was like something out of a Charles Dickens’ novel, crowded streets, decrepit buildings, aged yalis, masses of villagers, freshly come to the ‘city’ from the East. Shacks of gecicondu filled the hillsides along the Bosporus, as Istanbul was beginning to change, from a city of two million when I arrived, to one of almost 20 million today. It was a city that I grew to love, mostly for what it lacked: television, suburbs, supermarkets, shopping malls, Bosporus bridges, name brand products, family cars, modern transit (mostly buses and dolmus), and tourists. I loved it for its people, their hospitality, it’s outdoor markets (I would shop at the Besiktas market every Saturday), the bakkal (Mehmet, in our village, who would save us Sana when there was a shortage), the bread, the Bazaar (with its rugs, kilims, copper, and jewelry), the still green, undeveloped Asian side and of course, the magnificence of the city of Istanbul, what I considered the best kept secret in the world, a city without skyscrapers, of slender, pencil-like minarets, framing the evening sky. This was the city I knew and loved. Imagine my shock when I returned in the fall of 2009…the city was unrecognizable. Suddenly the city of Dickens had become something out of a futuristic novel, as seemingly endless cities of high-rise apartments, office buildings, and superhighways filled the once green hills along the Bosporus, the city streets packed with traffic to rival that of any great city in the world. No more dolmus’s, but trams, no more bakkals but chain stores, no more densely packed streets with small shops, but malls, like Istinye, which rival any in the West. Now cruise ships filled the ports, tourists roamed the city, new hotels dotted the landscape, and restaurants were filled till all hours, and Beyoglu, lived once again, with Turks and tourists alike, eating and drinking, listening to music. Turkey had joined the 21st century and Istanbul had become one of the great modern cities, for better or worst and now faces the daunting problems of any developed nation: environmental concerns, population growth, and the modern politics of polarity.

The beauty of playing basketball in Istanbul in the 1970’s was that most of us played because we loved the game. For a few, perhaps a Zeki Tosun and later an Erman, basketball was their only job. But for the majority of the players on Besiktas, for Ates, Hursit, Battal, Fehmi, and me, we all had day jobs. And the beauty of basketball at that time was that it was not ‘big time’ like today’s sports, where every hour of the day is spent planning, practicing or playing the next match. For us, we had an hour and a half practice three times a week, perhaps four if we had a big game on Saturday. It was manageable and fun, a respite from our workday. No one practiced twice a day, every day of the week, like many college and pro teams do in the States and Europe today. I consider myself fortunate to have played at this time because basketball was fun, and I played for the joy of it, not the money. I assume an Allen Iverson plays for both: his love of the game, his reluctance to give it up and, of course, the money. I envy him the cash but feel sorry because he will have missed the days when basketball was not as serious, where it was still a ‘kind of play,’ unlike today where it often means big money, for both players and teams. How he fares in Istanbul is problematic. If he has grown up, if he no longer needs his posse, he will do well. In other words, if he has grown up, he might thrive with Besiktas. Certainly, he will be the hub of the team, the celebrity, and a place in which he thrives. But whether he adjusts to life in Istanbul, so different from the life he’s been used to, one has to wonder. There’s no doubt he’s at the end of his career; whether he can keep it alive for another few years is the question that will be answered in the next few months. I wish him well

Like any new experience, the first year is the most memorable. I remember playing basketball one afternoon my first month in the RC college gym, when a Turkish player, Ates Cubukcu, asked if I would be interested in playing for Besiktas. I really had no thought about playing; in fact, I didn’t even know there was a basketball league in Turkey. Eventually, because of him, I met with other players, team managers, and obviously, other teams had heard about ‘the American basketball player,’ so I talked with a couple of other teams as well. But I liked Besiktas, especially the players, all who seemed friendly and really wanted me to play for Besiktas We celebrated my decision to play for Besiktas by going to the Cicek Pasaj, indulging in the traditional Turkish fare: raki, garides, arnavut ciger, and kororci, all new to me but the Cicek Pasaj became one of my favorite eating spots in the city.

For the first eight months in Istanbul, I had no car so each evening, around 5:00, after a day of teaching, I would walk down the hill from our apartment on the RC campus in Arnavutkoy, wait for a dolmus, and take it to Taksim at dusk, with the sounds of the muezzin in the air. I would then walk to the Spor ve Sergi Sarayi change in the chilly locker room, and practice with our team. Then, around 8:00, we would take a quick shower and head home. I still recall the walks back to Taksim with teammates, stopping to buy chestnuts from the vendor, or a tost and ayran or boza from the kiosk. Then, waiting in line for the next dolmus, I headed home to the village and a 15-minute walk up the RC campus hill. It still remains what of my favorite memories of Turkey. This all changed when I got my Volkswagen Van, but I still miss those days of dolmuses, walks to Taksim, the smell of chestnuts on a fall evening.

Most of our practices, to my surprise, were much more training than playing. We did lots of endurance drills, sprints, exercise without the ball, which to me seemed like a waste of time but that was the coaching philosophy when I arrived, not that the coaches were not good. Cavit, Aydan, and Battur were certainly successful, the equal of coaches in the States. I can remember a friend, in his 30’s, who played for Kurtulus telling me that they did duck walks at the end of every practice! Anyways, as the years changed, practices changed, too, and by the time I took over as player/coach, strategies were beginning to change. My major contribution, I believe, was to bring what I called the motion offense or the passing game to Turkey. Up to that time, most teams had set plays, which they worked on and tried to run in the game. I became a passionate devotee of the motion offense through Bobby Knight. When I brought it to Besiktas, I was met with some resistance, but eventually, as time went on, the players became more comfortable with moving without the ball, trying to help your teammate get open, and reacting depending on what your teammates did. Today, teams seem to have both set plays as well as a motion offense, but back then, it was a revelation.


My first game for Besiktas was unforgettable, to put it mildly. As I mentioned earlier, I was a fairly naïve, apolitical American, knew little about Turkey, and just wanted to teach and play basketball for Besiktas, a team and fan base I knew little about. Thus, I was really excited to play my first game. As we ran on to the floor, to a packed Saturday night crowd of mostly male fans, I was met by chants of ‘Yankee Go Home! Yankee Go Home.” Needless to say, I was flabbergasted and had no idea why they were chanting, why they considered me a Yankee. I just wanted to play basketball. After the game started, the fans got into the game and stopped harassing me. I did just ‘ok’, and we lost that first game. After that night, the chanting rarely happened, but I will never forget this rude initiation to playing in Turkey. And I might add, by the end of my tenure, the fans were calling me Mustafa, cheered my every move, and had clearly taken me to their hearts as one of their own. Perhaps my proudest moment occurred during a European Cup match when the Greek team came to Istanbul. As the Greek team was introduced, they were booed loudly. And, of course, when Besiktas was introduced, we were cheered but the loudest and longest cheer was saved for when I was introduced. That remains a great moment, the knowledge that I had become Tom Amca”, an adopted Turk.

As for Americans playing in Turkey, I was not the first but I was the only player who played more than one year for the same team, Besiktas (I played for seven). Each year either a Fenerbahce or Galatasaray would recruit another new American player, usually a fringe player or renegade because they would have been playing in the ABA if they were really good or Italy, where the real money was. I remember the first year when the American player for Galatasaray supposedly had a problem with the law in the states, though it may not have been true. Usually, the Americans were black, from intercity backgrounds, with not much interest in Turkey, Istanbul, other than playing basketball. I had little contact with them, perhaps because I had a wife and three children, and they were single and hung out mostly in discos or clubs. I do remember Willie Williams because he played for Galatasaray the year we beat them in our final game for the Turkish Championship in 1975. He was actually a good guy, easy going and fun to be with. The previous year he had sat on the bench with the Boston Celtics, so everyone was talking about this great NBA player who was coming to Galatasaray. I had heard this story before and I considered myself the best American playing in Turkey, so his coming really motivated me, to not only outplay him but also win the championship. We played each other early in the season, and our duel was a stalemate and to be honest, I don’t even know who won. But our final meeting was going to be for the championship, and I wanted this game more than any I had played in, for the fans, for the team, but also for my pride. For the three weeks prior to the game, with Williams and Dogan, Galatasaray’s great guard in my mind, I would go out on the plateau behind our school after basketball practice, and run laps around the track, in the dark, mentally and physically preparing for the match. When we eventually met, I can only say that I was so ready that I can hardly remember the game, especially the first half where I played in a zone, the only way I can explain it. I felt as if I couldn’t miss, everything seemed effortless, time slowed, and I ended up with 19 points at halftime as we had a huge lead. I eventually ended up with 24 points and we won the first and only Turkish League title for Besiktas. It was a great win for the team, for our fans. And although I don’t remember it, I still have a copy of the newspaper, with a picture of my teammates carrying me on their shoulders around the Spor ve Sergi Sarayi, a memorable night.


Some may wonder why I coached for a year and a half, eventually relinquishing the coaching reins to Battur. For me, the dilemma seemed to be this: if I played really well, my coaching and the team strategy suffered. If I worried about coaching and team, my playing suffered. This went on until I realized that the team needed me more as a player, and having someone else coach would better for the team and me. It proved to be a good move because I enjoyed playing for Battur.

At various times during my seven years, the Besiktas team ended up having a camp outside of Istanbul to get ready for a big game, the season or the European Cup. We trained once in Manisa, once in Bolu, and once in Plovdov, Bulgaria. Our first camp, in Manisa, was the most memorable, perhaps because it was my first year. I had never really been in a small Turkish town before, so for me, it was a window into a culture in Turkey. Most afternoons we would practice, but in the mornings and evenings, we were free to roam the town, see if there was anything to do (no), and spend time in tea houses sipping chai and playing tavla or konken. For many of the men in this town, it seemed that’s all they did. We were not really recognized by the townspeople except for the few fanatical fans, who would come to all our practices. The highlight of the day was to attend an outdoor movie, in the center of town, watch films in Turkish and eat pumpkin seeds, a true art form as I discovered. For me, it was an interesting sojourn and look at Turkish life, for my teammates, it was an exile from the big city. Bolu was much the same, though there was no town nearby, we hardly saw the lake, and all we did is practice and sleep in our motel. I do remember one thing about our stay, the fact that Bolu was known for its cooks and it was the first time I tasted kaymak (a thick (cream from a water buffalo). Because I was so enamored with, I was served it with every meal, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Istanbul, 1974

One of the most memorable moments of my career was also the scariest. We were playing bitter rival Fenerbahce and my wife and three children, all under six years of age, came to watch a game. As usual, it was a heated contest, with fans insulting each other. It was midway through the first half when there was a commotion in a corner of the Besiktas stands where my family was sitting. Smoke began to rise from the floor and it looked like a fire. The fans, without thinking about themselves, immediately picked up my children and passed them upwards and back, from fan to fan, until they were safely in the corridor. It was an amazing thing to watch, my children being passed like dolls to safety. Interestingly, the fans knew this was my family, that I would be worried, and immediately took action to make them safe. Only in Turkey!

My most disappointing loss was in the European Cup, to Romania, by one basket.  If we had won this match, we would have ended up playing in a four-team tournament with Italy and Russia, which would have meant two things, a chance to eat and shop in Italy (leaving Turkey was like one big shopping trip for the team since Western goods were hard to come by at that time in Turkey). In fact, whenever we flew out of Yesilkoy, the entire team would give me their dollars to hold, as the limit was 200 dollars per Turkish citizen. I still have Czech crystal that I bought in Bucharest. The other reason for wanting to win was to visit Russia, while it was still the Soviet Union.  Anyways, we had gone to Romania, played pretty well, but fell apart in the last few minutes allowing them to beat us by at least 15 points, meaning we would have to win by 16 points in Istanbul to move to the next round. Unfortunately, despite the home stadium, the rabid fans, the referees (who were wined, dined, shopped for by the team managers), we won by only 15 points, on a last-second shot, failing to advance by one basket, a terrible loss for our team and fans. Turks are nothing if not fanatics about their national teams and we let them down.

As a good but not great basketball player in the States, I grew and matured as a player in Turkey. Most of my career, I was unselfish, considered myself a team player, enjoyed passing as much a scoring. But in Turkey, it was clear I was expected to score and a lot, as I soon found out.  And I could, I discovered, as I led the league in scoring the year before our championship season and set the single-game scoring record of 69 points, which I held until Erman broke it about ten years later. One of the unexpected benefits of playing, I discovered, was that this ‘unknown’ basketball player from the US became a celebrity in Turkey, recognized as BJK’s Tom, from Istanbul to Trabzon to Adana. This I never expected though I have to admit I enjoyed being recognized. I attribute my celebrity to two things: one, television had just been introduced to Turkey in 71’ or 72’ and everyone watched it, even if there was only one channel, even if it was a Besiktas basketball game. Thus, I became a familiar face and, of course, I played for seven years. Secondly, I was easily recognizable, a tall, exotic, wild looking b-baller, with an Afro, beard, and slightly turned up nose. Clearly, I was not a Turk and I stood out where ever I went.

My teaching also benefited from my playing for BJK.  My students were always asking me about our team, came to our games, and followed the team avidly.  Some played for the BJK genc team, and I was lucky enough to coach many as well. What I remember most, however, was during my first year, when Robert Academy was still an all-boys’ school.  On Tuesday afternoons, the entire Lise II class would meet in the lecture hall for testing. Whenever it was an English exam, I would head towards the lecture hall and as I entered, I was serenaded by 100 Lise II students singing, Boom Ba Lachey, Boom Ba Lachey, Boom Boom Boom. Siyah, Beyaz, Champion. What a way for a hodja to be welcomed to an exam! I still keep in contact with a number of those students, all who played basketball at RC and in Istanbul: Sami Basaran, Muharrem Kayhan, Hasan Teoman, Refik Soyer, and Serdar Aral, now all successful businessmen and professors.

My only major regret is never having learned Turkish.  I made excuses that I was too busy that first year, with both teaching and playing but I could have found the time.  I just did not realize how important it was until too late.  This lack made it more difficult for me to fit into Turkish society. And my teammates were mostly that, teammates, and we did not socialize much off of the court.  For one thing, all of them were single, and I was married, with three children, thus our interests did not intersect. We would occasionally go out to dinner with their girlfriends, or would we would have the team over to our house for dinner, for a barbecue, or even one time, for New Year’s Eve when, to our surprise, one of my teammates brought a TV.  Because television had just arrived, no one wanted to be without a television on New Year’s Eve.  But because of the language and cultural barriers, it was difficult to become fast friends.

I do vividly remember my friendship with Ismet Badem during my first year. He was very interested in getting to know me, and we always hung out together on trips, though he could only speak Turkish and me, English. He invited us to his tiny apartment for dinner, a couple months after the birth of his first son, Bircin. Despite the small apartment, modest appliances, his wife had prepared a wonderful guvech for us, and their hospitality was unmatched. Both were excited to entertain us, and we had a great time. We reciprocated, of course, but felt a bit like the ugly American because their apartment could have easily fit into one of the thirteen rooms in our apartment. Clearly, as an American at that time, we were fortunate, living on a hill overlooking the Bosporus, in a huge apartment, with a maid, a car, and a lovely campus for my children to grow up on.

When my wife and I returned to Istanbul in the fall of 2009, we had no expectations, no plans, just hoped we might see some of my teammates, some friends, and generally reacquaint ourselves with a city we had not seen in 35 years. How wrong we were. Within 24 hours, Besiktas teammates Ates, Fehmi Sadikoglu, Ahmet Kurt, and Faruk Cagan had all called, having somehow gotten the number of the apartment we were staying. And that more or less set the tone for our stay. We got together numerous times as a team, and with individual players and their wives, most memorably the entire team met at Ahmet Kurt’s restaurant in Gokturk, our second night in the city. Though we had not seen each other in 35 years, it was as it had been a week. We immediately were great friends once again and spent the night laughing, telling stories, catching up on our lives, our children, and for us, grandchildren. Captain Ates took over our lives and would call almost every day to see what our ‘program’ was. If we had nothing planned, he planned something for us, taking us to shopping malls, to restaurants, shopping, to visit other sights in modern Istanbul. It was great to see Battal again, the heart of our Besiktas team and Fehmi, still coaching and passionate about basketball, just like he was when he was a younger, chasing officials off the floor for making a bad call. Few in my life have matched Fehmi in their love of the game, of coaching, especially young players. I was able to attend one of his matches, where, fittingly, he was playing Hursit’s Besiktas genc team, another teammate from that championship year.  Faruk was the playboy of the team, so it was fun to see him settled, married, with a son but just as much fun as ever.  And, finally, I got to see Zeki Tosun, who managed to come to a dinner in Sariyer, only because I was going to be there.  It meant a lot to me to see him again because he was such a great player and person. Our five-week sojourn in Istanbul ended with my being honored at halftime of a Besiktas game, for my ‘contributions to Turkish basketball.’ All my teammates were in attendance as were many older basketball fans, writers, and officials. It was another memorable day, one I will never forget.

With Hasan In Gocek

We also got together numerous times with some of my former students from Robert College, spending time in Gocek with Hasan, Cunda with Sami, Selcuk with Muharem, and Ali Can, Serdar, and Ekber in Istanbul.  We loved seeing them as well and their hospitality was unmatched.

Dinner With My Former Robert College Students

We will never forget how wonderful our return to Istanbul was, and the hospitality of all our Turkish friends overwhelmed us.  We felt as if we had no way of repaying their graciousness but we were somewhat consoled by the fact that this is the Turkish way.

Kansas City Thanksgiving

I was up early, around 6:00, to a cloudy, cool morning.  Made the coffee, let Bella out of her cage, and spent an hour browsing the adds, so many that you need the entire morning to go through them, not that I need or want anything, though they certainly are there to tempt you, with the idea of a 'deal', something we all have difficulty passing up.  Evie was up by 7:00, Marlena shortly there after, and she immediately got to work on her Thanksgiving Journal, where she writes from the point of view of the turkey,  She enjoys it, obviously, and just finished drawing a picture to match.  She has the turkey finding away to escape its fate with the help of her dog, Bella.  Mary got up around 8:00 and Tom just came downstairs, about 8:30.  Evie is fast a work on the turkey, cinnamon rolls, dressing, all the makings for today.  I hope to get a good walk in this morning before Rose and Frank come about noon.  We plan on eating a bit early, around 4:00.  Lots of football today, as usual, though none of the games are of great interest though, no doubt, we will sit in front of the tube and watch them, a turkey day habit, as if there is nothing else to do.  I wonder what would happen, what the afternoon would be like, if we just turned off the TV and forced ourselves to talk with each other.  I am sure we would play some games like BananaGrams and spend some time talking.  Because of the TV, I find I have rarely had time to really talk with Tom's father in law, Frank.  We turn the tube on and that's it till we doze off after the turkey dinner.

We had a great meal, as usual, and I am still full, of turkey/mashed potatoes/stuffing and football.  We are sitting here, playing Apples to Apples, Marlena's favorite game.  Frank and Rose left after the games, around 7:00, as Rose had a cold and wanted to get home.  Her brother, Michael, was also here for the day, a nice guy who works as a technician for Lucent.  We see him once a year, either at Christmas or Thanksgiving.  We did take pictures before everyone went home, though it was a hassle as usual, to get everyone together though the kids were more accommodating then my son, Tom.

We heard from both Beth and Jill, Beth was deep frying a turkey for the first time, and Jill was having al the Bissell's over for the first time, some 30 deep.  She seemed to have everything in order and didn't seem too stressed when we talked.  I am sure both turkeys were great, as it was here.

Morning with Marlena

Marlena and I have been up since a bit after 7:00, as I struggle to read my computer and juggle Bella and Marlena tries to write her Turkey Journal.  She is usually the first one up, some its fun to sit with her and listen to her talk.  Like me, she seems like a morning person.  We looked through her school directory and she pointed out the kids she knew.  Then, she got her journal, told from the Turkey's point of view and started writing in it.  She has quite an imagination, and she writes well, of course.  After finishing a page of her journal, everyone else got up, and now she is  coloring a picture to match her journal, and it's not quite 8:00 in the morning.  We are off to the Plaza this afternoon, to shop and eat out, an outing we manage every time we are in KC.  It's an amazing place, filled with great shops and restaurants, with a southwestern architectural theme, making it really attractive, with Spanish style architecture.  Unfortunately, I just heard thunder, and the rain is pelting the windows, a result of the warm weather moving in after yesterday's cooling off.  Let's hope it clears up for our trip to the Plaza.

Tom and I ran to the grocery store, picking up last minute items for Thanksgiving and Friday, when Tom and Mary are having the Burlingame' over for dinner.  We made it in record time, and then headed down to the Plaza to shop and eat dinner at Houstons.  I have to say I have had it with shopping already; I don't even want to walk into a store because I don't want anything and don't want to buy anything.  We walked around for about an hour or so, then went and had a very good meal at Houston's, a great restaurant right on the Plaza.  I had a great burger and beer, and Nick had the ribs, which he loved.  On the way home, Evie made us stop and CVS to pick up candy, nutty buddies, and ice cream, just what we needed after a big dinner.  I have to admit the kids were happy.  Another game is on and no movie is available that we all might like.  Evie is working on the turkey right now, making sure things are ready for tomorrow and it's only 8:15.  A foggy, rainy day outside but we had fun nonetheless.

Decorating Cookies for Thanksgiving

I was up early, just missed Nick, but got my fix of Morning Joe (without the Joe) and the web.  At 10:30, I went off and got an oil change, then came home and Evie and I walked the neighborhood for about 45 minutes.  Before the oil change, I dropped Evie off at CVS and I went to the local coffee shop, to answer my email and get caught up with reading.   I guess grandparents' night was great; Marlena took over, showed Evie just about everything, like it was her school.  Every there seems to love Marlena...what's there not to love, right.  It's nice to see her so confident, outgoing, enjoying school and the adults that are part of her life.  Quite a change from that shy little girl from a couple of years ago.

She's brought a friend home, Erika, after school, and they will be decorating cooking with Evie.Marlena had a friend over after school and they decorated cookies with Evie, something that has become a tradition.  Even Bobbie, Nicks friend came over to decorate as well.  The girls enjoy sprinkling lots of sugar on the cookies, and the star and snowflake were the most popular shapes.  i think we have pictures from years past of the cookies, but this year, we have yet to put them on a plate.  Evie usually makes the cookies in Chautauqua, so they are ready to be decorated when we get to the kids' homes.

Nick, Tom, and I went to the basketball game last night, watched Duke beat Marquette, and part of the K-State defeat of Gonzaga.  It was a nice night to go downtown, which was packed with fans, as were every available restaurant and bar.  It looks like a thriving area, all because of the spectacular Sprint Center.  Tom mentioned it was the busiest center in the country, being used most weeks, if not days.  We sat just one side of Duke fans, mostly alums dressed in blue, and among the K-State fans, dressed in their purple.  They seem just as passionate about their basketball as Kansas fans.  The people in front of us, a family, parents in their 50's, daughters in their 20's, were up and screaming, singing the fight song, die hard fans.  We had good seats, about 15 rows back,  behind the bench.  We got back about 10:00, so Nick did not get to bed till 10:30 though he was up and out of the house by 6:50.



We had lemon chicken for dinner, Tom's favorite, and watched basketball most of the night.

School Day in KC

I just walked Marlena to the school bus at 8:30, along with Bella, just like I do with Marisa in Darien, though we walked Hayden and Halle to their school in October since they live too close for a school bus.  Nick heads off before 7:00, so he is up early and out the door before Marlena even gets up.  I am back to my routine of surfing the net and watching MSNBC, something I have not done for awhile because I usually listen to NPR at the lake.

Last night I went with Tom to his basketball game at the Raytown Baptist Church, a mega church with wonderful facilities, a great gym, a work out center, a coffee shop, and a mini restaurant, all attached to the huge church, one of the largest in KC I am told. The league seemed to be more of a reaching out, as I doubt if the players, mostly black, belonged to the church.  Tom's team was sponsored by USA-800 and was made up of his employees.  They were a combination of young black players and older, slower white guys who could shoot.  It was a different league in some ways, as it was definitely a 'church league.'  Before the tip off, the two teams gathered to say a prayer and at half time, the teams sat together and one player from each team addressed the gathered players, I assume about their life and Jesus or something like that.  I was too far away to know for sure, but it seemed that way.  The nice thing about it was their was less competition, more friendship between the teams, though they did not mind 'putting it to each other,' when given the chance.  Tom seemed to enjoy the exercise, running, doing some rebounding, but leaving the scoring to the younger set.  Before we went to the game, we all went to Buffalo Wings, Nick' favorite place.  We have been their before; it's more of a sports bar, with probably 15 tvs all playing various football games.  It was a good day for KC as the Chiefs beat Arizona fairly easily.  We ended the evening watching parts of the Music Awards, mostly the Black Eyed Peas and Pink.

Tom's getting home early today and we are going to head off to the Sprint Center late afternoon as he has tickets to a college basketball tournament.  At 6:30, Duke plays Marquette and at 8:30,  Kansas State plays Gonzaga, two really top flight games.  It will be the first time I will have seen a top ten college team in action.  Nick's going as well, so we will probably come home early as he has school tomorrow.

We just got back from an attempted hike at Longview Lake, a couple of miles from Tom's house.  We could not find the trails, walked a bit, then found out we were on the wrong side of the lake.  So, we stopped at a new shopping corner, near Longview Lake and college, bought a coffee, and drove over to the other side of the lake to see what was available.  There does seem to be some trails but lots of access seems closed down for the winter, which is silly because it would be a great place to walk, hike, or even cross country ski in the winter.  We measured how far it would be to walk up to the coffee shop, about 1.6 miles but a lot of ups and downs, a good work out to be sure.

Kansas City Sunday

I'm up about 6:40 and we have to be on the road by 8:00 if we want to get to Nick's game at 9:00  Unfortunately, his team is pretty weak, so they had a tough time of it last night, as the team pressed the entire game, making it difficult for Nick's team to get the ball across court.  He has two games today and I hope the team's are weaker or it will be a long day for him and us.  Just let Bella out on a leash, as she seemed out of sorts, did not want to just settle down on my lap, but rather paced around, as if she missed the rest of the family, which is probable.  It's supposed to be unseasonably warm, perhaps in the 70's but now it may also rain.  It does look gray outside at this time, though it may just be from the sun not having risen yet.  It's strange to not have a view each morning, of the trees, lake, vista towards the hills.  Basically, I am enclosed in the house, and if I open the blinds, I get a  view of houses and back yards one way, the street, drive ways, the other.  I guess I will take Chautauqua.

We watched both of Nick's games, the first they won and was fun to watch, the second was a foul fest and they seemed tired as they lost to the same team they played on Friday night.  We came back to the house and watched the Chiefs beat Arizona, another lazy day, though it was very warm outside.  None of us felt much like being active; hopefully, tomorrow, we can get in some walks and get back in a routine of doing something active each day.  We are going to Wild Wings for dinner, and Tom has a game at 7:00...no one wants to attend as we are gamed out.

A funny story about Nick's game which Mary told us this morning.  After Nick's team lost their second game, quite badly, Rose came up to Tom and said: "You tell Nick he played a game because I know all you will do is criticize him."  Today, she seemed to have 'mother in law's regret' as she texted Mary to tell Tom she was sorry for what she said.

Kansas City morning

Up about 7:00, Kansas City time and I am trying to get in a bit of writing before Bella wants out of her cage.  She will take all of my attention when I let her out, so I am putting it off for awhile.  It looks like it's going to be a great weekend, sunny and warm, even into the 70's tomorrow.  Tom's got tickets to a college basketball tournament on Monday, so he, Nick, and I will go see Duke play Marquette and Kansas State will play Gonzaga in the Sprint Center downtown,  It should be fun.  We got in around 4:00 yesterday and Tom was home around then too, with ribs and chicken from Jack's Stack House, the king of rib places in KC and it was really good.  We then went off to Nick's game at 8:30; his team lost in the last minute, ahead most of the game, which was too bad.  It's a new team for him, with a different coach, a woman who seems pretty good though perhaps too intense.  When last week Tom told her Nick might have to miss a practice because of a soccer game, she said, "That's unacceptable."  Welcome to serious basketball.  Off to get Bella.

Went off to Nick's practice at 10:30 and while he practiced, we had our traditional trip to Costco, for Thanksgiving goodies, mostly Turkey related.  We then came home and Tom made chili for dinner, and we laid around most of the day watching Ohio State on the tube.  I guess I am still worn out from the trip because I don't have much energy.  It's been a nice day, in the 50's but none of us budged much though Evie just went off to the park.  We have another game tonight at 8:00 for Nick and two tomorrow.  

Effingham to Lee's Summit

It's 7:30 central time, and I am sitting at the breakfast bar at our Hampton Inn, letting Evie sleep in a bit.  It's an overcast day though not too cold, in the 40's, as Fox News plays on the television.  Why is it on whatever public place I visit, from motels to doctor's offices, to airports.  We ate last night at the bar of the Lone Star Steak House, the same place we ate last April when we met an interesting trucker. This year it was a salesman for Western products, like belts, hats, etc.  He was from Louisville, Kentucky, and has 23 salesmen under him who are responsible for the US.  We talked about basketball, at first, as he knows both Louisville and Kentucky b-ball pretty well.  He then told us all about himself, how he races stock cars on weekends, with his brother, how he started up a western store, now run by his mom, in Louisville, how he helps us his stores by keeping up on the new products, especially on what products are popular in what part of the US.  Rhinestone belts, for example, are big in Texas and Oklahoma, but no where else.  A certain square toed boot in popular in Texas but no in the rest of the States.  He also talked about how he used to know the owners of Justin boots, until it was bought out by Warren Buffet.  He was immaculately dressed, with cowboy boots, jeans, cowboy hat, belt and what looked like a small cross in his left ear.  Hes divorced and has been doing this, selling western goods, since his youth, for about 30 years.  So, our goal to have a good meal and get to know someone at a bar, something we used to love to do, happened as we had hoped.  He was a really good  guy.  We were exhausted after the long drive and a few beers, fell asleep about 9:30 local time.  I didn't even feel like seeing how Jack Reacher was doing in the latest, protecting the Vice President.  Six hour drive today, should be at Tom and Mary's in time to see the kids off the school bus.

We stopped off at a country western place called Kleinschmits, just off of Rt 70 in Higginsville, a place recommended by the western dealer last night.  It is an amazing store, with 30,000 pairs of boots, or there abouts, and all kinds of western wear, thousands of pairs and kinds of jeans, shirts, belts, you name it.  We actually spent an hour looking around an Evie bought a pair of Arita hiking boots for 90 bucks.  They really look stylish as well as function and are water proof.  I was tempted to buy a pair of boots, but the ones I tried on were not that comfortable, and I know little about a good boot other than it can be very expensive.  Some of the western shirts were pretty nice but none quite seemed what I wanted.  I guess I am not a cowboy.  We arrived at Tom's around 4:00 which was just right.

On the Road Again: Chautauqua to Effington, IL.

Up before 6:00, as we are taking off for Kansas City today to spend a week with Tommy, Mary, Nick and Marlena.  It's dark, without a trace of light, as the sun doesn't rise till 6:55. Fortunately, it's not too cold out, about 40 degrees, so we won't have any snow on our trip, enshallah.  We are planning on stopping in Effington, IL, about 600 miles, ten hours from here, as Evie doesn't want to drive in the dark and we have stayed there before.  It also has a quite nice steak house next store, with excellent food, from burgers to steaks.  Tomorrow, then it will be about six hours to Lee's Summit.  I am not looking forward to the drive but am looking forward to seeing the family, especially Marlena's grandparents' day on Monday, our first ever.

We are relaxing at a Hampton Inn, after almost ten hours on the road and 600 miles, a dull, boring ride through middle America, occasional farms broken by crossroads, of truckstops, motels, and restaurants, with huge signs sticking out like necks or trees on a wasteland, signaling a place to eat or stay.  We c ould be anywhere in America.

Windy, Gray and Blustery Morning

A really unattractive morning, gray, heavy winds, actual waves on the muddy gray lake, as the weather certainly seems to have changed.  It's so shallow over by Leonards and Theissens that waves are rolling in, with small white caps.  I was off early  this morning, sort of , to get a blood test in Lakewood, around 8:30, then I got my first Starbucks in months, hit the bank, picked up some books at the Lakewood library for our trips West, put a hold on our mail and checked the tires.  It's now 10:30, around 40 degrees outside, and I have to finish my article for the Turkish NBA magazine and send it off, finish packing, work out later in the day at Turner Center, and look for a book on CD at the Smith Library.  In between, I will finish my Jack Reacher novel, tie up any financial ends, like paying bills, and wait for tomorrow, when we head West to Kansas City.  The weather is changing; I just hope not too much, as I don't want to fight rain, sleet, and freezing rain, which is a possibility.  This gives you some idea of how we fill our days, with small tasks like this,  Not to exciting but enjoyable, not having to go off and work, doing what you want, filling your day with mundane tasks so it seems like you are very busy.

Kind of a wasted day, as we got organized for our trip, and before we knew it, it was 5:00 in the afternoon.  The only physical activity was picking up down branches from the wind; I filled three large garbage cans full of branches and twigs, a result of the 40-50 hour winds.  I also went to the library, taking books back and getting some for our trip.  The wind has died down a bit, no more branches and I have sent off my article to the Turkish NBA magazine and also some pictures.  We see what happens.

At Sixes and Sevens

For some reason, I am not relaxed this week, most likely because we are heading off to Kansas City this week. I am looking forward to it, for sure, but I am beginning to think that anything that interferes with our routine, with living here at the lake, unsettles me.  It's now almost 10:00 in the morning and Evie's making cookies for our trip to KC.  I have settled on a date for my ablation, Thursday the 20th of January, which allows me to enjoy the holidays and yet get it done.  Not much to prepare for other than taking coumadin for the prior three weeks.

Last night Evie has her Ladies of the Evening gathering, at one of the ladies house in Chautauqua Shores.  She seemed to enjoy it, though playing Xmas trivia was not exactly her cup of tea.  Mostly, they sit around and talk and share stories, many it seems about the wives dissatisfaction with their retired husbands, who tend to sit around and do nothing but watch TV.  It seems like they are not shy about sharing their opinions and attitudes, even in front of others.  Next time they are going to take a personality test, something they have done previously and liked.  I guess they all thought it was very accurate and the person who shared it with them is a Pastor, Wendy Heinz, and she tends to use it quite often and feels it''s really helpful and useful.  It sounds like the dynamics are interesting as well, as Jane is their with Stan's new wife, Anne, and her mother, a very outspoken women.  I guess Anne and her mother are also very frank with each other.

Instead of sitting home last night, with Evie gone, I went to the James Prendergast Library in Jamestown to a lecture by a distinguished professor from Fredonia SUNY on Nietzsche's "God is Dead" passage from his writings.  There were about 50 people there, mostly my age or there abouts, and it was quite good  Instead of lecturing, he elicited our responses to the text, using our thoughts and ideas as a well to unpack the text.  He was very accessible, congenial, listened well, and yet helped explain what Nietzsche meant, where his thinking takes us.  Most of the audience was interested and asked good questions.  I did force myself to respond two or three times, but then felt like I was showing off, so I basically sat back and listened, wondering if people like to her themselves talk or were really trying to understand at the talk.  I agreed with most of what the lecturer had to say, and especially Nietzsche's belief that we ought live in this world of uncertainy, avoiding the trap of routine, complacency, the easy road as it were, of avoiding action/doing and its consequences, often pain.  He believes to be alive we must act, do, search, constantly seek truth, understanding, and never sit still.  It's an ideal, no doubt, one even Nietzsche was unable to accomplish.  Yet the ubermensch is someone we should all try to copy, as he strives toward truth, creation, and understanding.  Clearly, he sees religion as a palliative, something that offers answers to questions that really don't have answers, and it stands in the way of achieving his goal of constant change, of growth, as if once you understand something or an idea, it can stand in the way of further understanding unless you jettison it.  Humankind can never live without religion because for most it solves life's major questions: what to believe, how to act, and what happens when we die...an its real virtue is that if its God's word, there's no argument with it..there's certainty.

It's late afternoon, nasty out, gray rainy, the lake rough, the wind howling and we love it.  It's a great afternoon to sit, reading my 2nd Jack Reacher book, Echo Spring, much better than the first.  We did get an hour walk in this morning, as we drove into Mayville to the Webb Trail, an abandoned railroad track that runs East West and connects with the Overland trail.  It winds between various properties, none looking very prosperous, a half hour out, a half hour back.  Then, we stopped at the Lighthouse, got a chicken for dinner, and have taken it easy the rest of the afternoon, as its too wet to do much outside and we are a bit tired of organizing inside, other than packing for our trip on Thursday  Time for some Turkish tea and back to figuring out how Jack will get out of the latest dilemma.

Darkness at 6:00

I was surprised how dark it was when I got up, and I have been used to brilliant clear mornings, where off in the distance, I could see light building,  I walked outside and there were stars out, not as bright as other mornings, but visible.  And now, about a half hour later, a pink gash just above Tom's Point lights the sky, then dark clouds, then a clear sky just above our trees. The lake too is shrouded in black, just beginning to become visible, with a swath of light.  It was 31 degrees when I got up, another nice day with high in 50's.  Not much on my plate for the day, at least as in my mind.  Let's see what Evie has in store.  Actually, I do have to revise my piece on playing basketball for Besiktas.  The editor asked for around 1500 words, and I have 4000 so far.  A bit of cutting is needed.

It's now 7:00, Evie's up early, and the sky off in the distance is slashed with pink, making the lake in front of our house pink with its reflection.  Every morning is different, though I am running out of words to describe it each morning.

Rippled Lake, Western-like Sky of Pink/Gray/Orange

An unseasonably warm morning, as I arose at 6:40 to partial light, partial clouds and what looks like a day of changing weather.  The wind has picked up, the lake has wrinkles, and I sense a change coming, perhaps rain later in the day.Today's sour dough bread day, so I fed my starter last night, left it out, and its doubled in size. ready to go.  I hope to start early, as we need about 10 hours total to finish the mixing, two risings and baking.  We are going to the Mc Clure's at 5:30 so it needs to be done by then.  We have not baked in the last week and i miss it, the steps, the smells, the final product.  We have yet to make the perfect loaf but we are getting better.

Sunny November Morning after seeing the film INCEPTION

It's amazing to wake up late, for me, around 7:30 and walk downstairs to a living room filled with blinding light from the sun.  I finally figured out why it's so different from the summer...no leaves on the trees, a clear sky, and a change back to Greenwich time.  I cannot even sit in the living room unless I face the fireplace its so bright.  I also could not get on the Net, a real disaster as I found, as if I had woken up in a foreign place. I did not know what to do with myself; NPR was not enough as I needed my fix, just like coffee and caffeine, of email, Facebook, Wall Street Journal, Hurriyet, and the New York Times.  Finally, I just pulled the power cord to our everything, waited five minutes, rebooted the entire system and voila, i am back on.  What a relief and a discovery to find how dependent I have become on my fix each morning.  A bit disturbing to see how dependent I have become.

We had a good time last night, starting with really good Mexican food at Taco Hut, in downtown Jamestown, right across the street from the Reg Lenna theater.  We had been there a couple of times about last night the food was especially food, chicken flautas with a white garlic sauce for Evie, and a fried taco for me.  Ron and Linda also had good meals; for Evie and I, our bill was 18 dollars, really reasonable.  The film, Inception, was as I expected, very difficult to follow, though reading the review had helped.  What surprised me was how like a video game, like Call of Duty, the film was. Supposedly it was about our dreams, about planting or stealing ideas from our minds, without our knowing it.  Christopher Noland, director and writer, imagined this journey as a shoot out, chase, you name it.  Thus, the film was filled with lots of action, violence, car wrecks, and destruction.  It did keep our attention, perhaps cause we wanted to make sense of the plot.  Ultimately, I think, the realization came that we were not going to make 'complete' sense of things, just parts.  The end, where we suddenly cut back to the beginning, where the journey begins, with them on a 747 mimicked the wakening from a dream, which we all recognize.  I don't think I would want to see it again but I am glad I saw it.

Venus...morning star

I was up by 5:30, went outside to a brilliant sky of stars, especially in the southeast, a brilliant planet Venus, off over Tom's Point.  I could see the Big Dipper, up over our house, and what looked like the Milky Way.  It's amazing the stars are so bright, at this time in the morning.  It's now 7:45 and once again, I have to move to another chair, as the sun reflecting on the lake is so bright I cannot read nor work on my computer if I face the lake.  It looks like another beautiful day, like yesterday, with highs in the 60's, the Indian summer I have been waiting for.  This morning's Post Journal had an interesting article about winter spear fishing on the lake in the late 1880's.  According to the archives, the lake froze in 1888 in October, and there were over a thousand fishing shacks on the lake, with the largest fish speared weighing over 46 pounds.  They clear a 2 foot hole, put the shack over it, climb into it, keep it as dark as possible so they will be able to see the fish, float a decoy to lure the fish upward, then spear him.  Sounds easy in the paper but I am sure it's difficult.  That year they caught so many fish that the summer yielded very little success for the fisherman, which forced them to set up dates for Spear fishing, even going so far as to outlaw it for a couple of years. It sounds like it was more successful than using a fishing rod but I find that hard to believe.  The next year the lake froze for only 3 days during the fishing season.

When I woke, it was frosty outside, hovering around 32 degrees.  Now, it's 38, as the day is warming up because of the sun.  We are thinking about going out for dinner at Taco Hut, in downtown Jamestown, then seeing the movie Inception at the Reg Lenna Theater, but I cannot find out if it's showing for sure,  The paper says yes, the website says no, only tomorrow, Saturday night.  Why can't anything, even going to a movie be easy.

After we rearranged the living room for about the tenth time, we went for a hike in the Dobbins Woods Nature Preserve, a 60 acre plot about ten minutes from here.  We like it because of the combination of pines, especially small hemlock forests and other trees.  The pathways were strewn with brown leaves, covering up the dampness and the paths as most if not all the trees had lost their leaves.  Because the trees are so close together, they have narrow but very tall trunks, with the tops only spouting leaves.  Anything below the 20 feet line either has died off, from like of sunlight, or never grew in the first place. Some of the older pines have dead branches that rise up perhaps 50 feet, the top then green with pine needles and cones.  Obviously, at one time, there was more sunlight for the lower branches but as the nearby trees matured, they blocked out the light.  The walk is fairly short but pleasant, about 35 minutes, following a man made path.  In one area, what we call the cathedral of hemlocks, a huge tree had fallen over the path, and we noticed a dead deer right near it.  I cannot believe the tree fell on it, but it was right next to the tree.

Later, we went for a kayak ride over to Long Point, paddled to the marina, then back, a pleasant ride over but on the way back, the setting sun was so blinding that you really could not see a thing, only a  vague outline of the nearing shore.  A few more boats were on the lake fishing because of the spectacular weather, sunny and in the low 60's.  It's supposed to hold through Sunday I think.

Ron and Linda are coming over at 5:30 for a beer, before we head off to Taco Hut and the movie Inception.  I hope we are not too lost in the plot, despite the cheat sheets.

Steam Rising on a Chautauqua Lake Morning

It's 7:15, I've been up since 6:00 and the sun has just risen over Tom' Point, blinding me as I sit writing.  The morning is clear, with the exception of steam/fog rising from the warm lake. It rises maybe 20 feet above the lake and appears to be moving slowly, from right to left, then disappearing as it slides towards Long Point.  I ought to kayak now, but I'm to comfortable here, with NPR, my coffee and my MacAir.  Today is supposed to be another beautiful day, the kind I expected in October, sunny and warm, almost like summer.  High's will be in the 50's, so we will be spending the day outside. The lake is so blinding at the moment that I have to move to another chair...the entire surface towards Tom's point looks like an enormous light bulb when you look at it closely.  Never have I seen the lake so blinding., a result perhaps of a brilliant clear sky, a placid lake surface, and rising sun.  Today, I hope to organize the garage, so I can park my car in it for the winter.  Lots of stuff will have to be thrown out or put up in the attic.  Why is it so difficult to throw out something or give it away.  We have  a push mower in the garage that we have never used but I am sure Evie won't let me throw it away because she might want to use it sometime next summer.  That's the story we tell ourselves, that keeps us from getting rid of stuff.  I have an entire closet full of sport coats and dress shirts that I should get rid of but...I might need them some day! Simplifying one's life is more difficult then it seems.  We just have to get over the idea of our desire to  have 'things,' whatever they are.  We don't need much but life (advertising) tells us we need everything...like a MacAir.  What we need, individually and as a nation is a new meme (mind set), one of simplicity, happiness with what we have, an aversion to want or accumulation.  It might not be good for the economy, but it will be good for the world, the environment, the diversity of life.

Today has been a spectacular day, just a hint of cool in the air, a great day for working in the yard (Evie did cut Leonard's grass), and getting everything organized in the garage for winter.  It took me most of the day, taking everything out, sweeping it out, deciding what could  be thrown away, what could be put in the attic, what could  be left outside under a tarp, and then putting everything back.  In the late afternoon, as the sun was beginning to set, the lake was a slight pink, tinged with blue, absolutely calm, hardly a ripple, as it had been all day.  It's very unusual to have little if any wind, especially the entire day, but today was one of those rare days  When it got dark, we came in, organized dinner, and I cooked lamb chops outside, to go with roasted potatoes and cauliflower, a great dinner.  We watched a couple shows of  The Good Life, then back to Jack Reacher, in my Lee Childs novel.  A great day.

Warm (40 degrees) and Overcast

Well, I have been up since 7:00 and it's now 9:30 and I have accomplished very little, other than sitting here at my new MacBook Air, perusing various websites, like checking on the reviews of the movie Inception, which I hope to convince Evie and the Mc Clure's to go see this weekend at the Reg Lenna theater in downtown Jamestown, the old, refurbished theater in the city.  The movie is very difficult to follow, one of those where you are not sure what is happening, whether it's real or a dream, or both.  Clearly, we will all have to read a review ahead of time if we hope to follow it.  Other than that, I have caught up on email, read the NYtimes, the local Jamestown paper, some of my Inspector Lynnley mystery, checked Facebook, and begun my blog for the day.

Although it's been a lazy morning and Evie feels as if she has a lot of organizing to do(when doesn't she), we are going kayaking since it has become such a  beautiful morning, a brilliant blue lake, slight ripples, with Canada geese (unfortunately) dotting the surface. Once again, it looks as though we may be the only boats on the lake...wonderful as it feels like it's our lake.

A funny story---NBA star Allen Iverson just signed with my old team. Besiktas, in the Turkish League for 2 million dollars.  When I read this story, I put it on my Facebook page, suggesting, ironically, that this is 'Besiktas's greatest coup since signing Tom Davis in 1970 for 1600 liras(about a thousand dollars).  About an hour later, I got a reply from the Editor of Turkey's NBA magazine, wondering if I would write an article about my experiences playing in Turkey back in the 70's.  It's amazing how quick communication is, how things travel around the world, something I put on my Facebook elicits a response within and hour and I reply, saying I would enjoy writing something.  A different world from our family growing up in Turkey with no television, no radio, no internet, no cell phones, no phone calls literally except on campus.  It was a good life!

Just got back from a bike ride at the CI and a visit to the Smith Library, picking up an other Lee Childs thriller, Gawande's The Checklist Manifesto, and Skippy Dies, a new well reviewed prep school novel set in Dublin.  It was another great day for a ride, especially through the CI at this time of year, little traffic, only construction workers.  It's 5:00 now, the sun is beginning to set behind us, turning the sky over Bemus Bay a soft pink.  The lake is still calm, as there has been little noticeable wind, a relief.  We are off to Ron and Linda's for a beer, then wings at the American Legion, a Wednesday tradition when they are up here.  Evie got home from the doctor and has a sinus infection...what else...more antibiotics and steroids.  She has had this on and off for a year, so it's strange that he suggests it's an infection, not just sinuses.

Foggy and Tired

Awake at 4:00, up by 5:15, it's going to be a long day. We had a great time last night, going to Jamestown Community College to watch the sectional finals in girls' volleyball. It's a areal experience in small town Western New York. Both teams and all the fans were white, so different from most of the US (perhaps not Darien). It seemed as if the entire town had turned out, with lots of grandparents watching. Both teams had one really good player, the one who was set every ball if possible, and could really put it away. It made me want to go find volleyball teams for Hayden, Halle, Marisa, and Marlena. It's so much more exciting than soccer, I am sorry to say. Randolph won in four, rushed the floor, jumped on each other, and will move on. We then went to the Seezurh House for dinner, burgers and fries for me, Evie a chicken sandwich.

 This morning I finally was able to download all my entries from my Istanbul journal on to my Blog. So now I have that saved and I an begin editing it and adding pictures, something that should keep me busy the rest of the year. It's still too foggy to kayak, so we will probably head off to the store, then come home and work in the yard and clean out the garage, getting it ready for winter and storing the Honda.

For whatever reason, we got nothing done during the afternoon; Evie actually went upstairs to take a nap(no luck) and I spent close to 45 minutes on the phone with Apple Help, setting up my printer, figuring out how to export pictures from Iphoto to my Picasa website.  I also ordered an external hard drive so we can burn dvd's or cd's, or play a dvd on the computer, what of the functions missing from the new MacBook Air, alas.  I was impressed by the help; I will no doubt use it more often when I get stuck on something, rather than spending hours trying to figure it out.

Frost in the Morning

An amazingly beautiful day, with frost on the ground and car windows when I arose, about 7:00 to a partially lit sky, compliments of the change back to Greenwich time.  Then, the southeastern sky began to turn pink, the sun rose bright orange over Tom's Point, and it became to bright in the living room to read the paper or work on my computer, unless I moved to another chair.  We had planned on going for a walk to the Audubon Society, about 45 minutes from here this morning.  But the lake was like glass, so we went out kayaking for about an hour, on a lake like a piece of  glass.  No a soul on the lake but us, we kayaked over the Long Point, then along the shore north, then headed back to just beyond the campground, to Magnolia, then home.  It was glorious being out on the lake, slight shimmers of wind, the lake marked by sight ripples, or off in the distance, patches of absolute calm, smooth, as I mentioned, like a pane of glass.  We are off to the Audubon for a walk as it's beginning to warm up a bit, in the low forties as i write.

We drove about 35 minutes to the Audubon, south of Jamestown.  It's an interesting place, a modern building, with exhibits, shops, meeting rooms, and 160 acres of woods and ponds, with three or four groomed walks, for hiking for cross country skiing in the winter.  We decided to become members, then went for our walk.  Much of the trail is grass in sunny areas, leave covered paths in the woods, and in wet areas, they have put wood chips, so you are not walking through water.  I love walking through pine forests the most, dark, with light playing on the vertical spines of the trees, paths covered with pine needles, and sunlight, bright and inviting, as you near the end of the forest.  The ponds seemed quite shallow, with lots of dead wood, reeds, and Canadian geese, honking and causing a commotion.  About half way through our walk, we sat on a bench, in the sun, overlooking the largest pond, ate pbj sandwiches, apples, and Swiss cheese, and basked in the sun for about 20 minutes before continuing.  The walk, if you don't stop, would take about an hour, as it's just over 2 miles.  On the way home, we stopped at Ecklof Bakery, which has been in Jamestown for at least 50 years.  I thought I might be able to get some sour dough starter, but they don't make sour dough bread there any longer.  They had amazing looking pastries, very northern European, but  the breads with mediocre, at least the loaf I bought was.  It was soft like Wonder bread, tasteless, which is hard to believe for a bakery that's got such a good reputation.  We got home about 2:30, had some of Evie's soup for lunch, and took a nap, as we were both tired from the morning.  At 5:30, we are going off to Jamestown Community College's gym to watch a local girl's volleyball team play for the state championship.  It should be fun to be part of the hysteria of the school and town, as they are always supported by everyone in the town.  Back to Jack Reacher!

Winter's Bone: A movie

We watched this highly recommended movie last night and loved it.  Set in a depressed, rural part of Missouri, it follows the difficulties of 17 year old Ree Dolly, her attempts to find her missing father, Jessup, a meth dealer, and is helped by her Uncle, Tear Drop.  The photography is stunning, a picture of what life must really be like in poor, white rural America, depressing indeed, like something out of Walker Evans depression photos.  The movie almost, at this distance, seems like it's been filmed in black and white.  The young actress who plays Ree steals the film, so real is she, along with her younger brother and sister.  The setting seems so perfectly white trashy that I wonder if it's real or made up, from the trash, junk cars, abandoned metal parts, outside the homes and trailers, to the inside, a mess with dishes still to be washed, clothes to be picked up, windows to be fixed, beds to be made, littered with kids or the elderly, passive and emotionless.  Even the out doors is later fall, early winter, stark, treeless, and gray.  Ree must find her father to save the follow homestead, put up as bond by her Daddy.  We soon realize he's mostly likely dead, a result of his being a snitch, and Ree must some how prove he's dead to save the family and her land.  The most terrifying scene revolves around her finding her Daddy's body, along with three other mountain women, in a swamp.  Needless to say, though the setting and story is depressing, the acting, the tenderness of Ree towards her siblings, the final integrity of her uncle and the mountain people, saves the movie and keeps it from just being another depressing movie.  When it was over, Evie and I both felt drained but also content, knowing that there are still great movies out there, that it's depiction of the underclass is about as close to reality as you can get with out actually living the life.  All Americans ought to see this movie, see how people struggle to survive, and many if all have a part worth admiring.

Day Light Savings Time Sunday

Today used to be Evie's favorite weekend because it gave us an extra hour at the lake; now, since we are retired, living here full time, it's just another day.  For me, it's a morning of dim light rather than darkness, as the clock has moved back an hour.  When I got up, a bit before seven, the sky over the Power Boat Club had a brilliant slash of bright pink/orange just over the hills.  A few minutes later, a beautiful mass of puffy pink clouds, gray clouds, just above that area.  Now, an hour later, the sky is just a boring gray, no pink, little if any contrast, between the sky and lake, like a black and white photograph.  It does amaze me how little we pay attention to the natural world when we are busy working.  We get up, rush through the day, planning for work, getting to work, working, coming home, always in a rush, a hurry, with things to do.  Now, that I have very little I 'must do," I pay attention to the world around me.  For example, it's shocking how far south the sun rises at this time of year.  It's being doing it since the beginning of time, but I have just noticed it in the last month, how extreme it is.  And yet it has done this outside my lake house window since when we bought our house in 1981.  And since we have a bird feeder, we have paid great attention to the wildlife at various seasons, how it changes, depending on the season.  The same for the lake, as soon the bufflehead ducks will appear on the lake, rather than the mallards.  They are black and a brilliant white, a sharp contrast to the drab mallard females.  I feel lucky to have such a view out my window, as I am able to see for many unobstructed miles, across the lake, then the hillsides on the other side of the lake.  In most suburban homes, you look out your front window at the street, the other three sides at your neighbors house, unless you are lucky enough to live in the woods, like the Albarrans, but their isolation from neighbors only holds true in the summer.  Come fall and winter, neighbors' home sudden loom through the skeletons of trees, surprising us with their appearance, especially the first time it happens.

We went walking at the Institute about 11:00, a beautiful day, crisp and clear with very little wind.  The CI seems really quiet, as we hardly saw a person as we walked, though the Hurlburt Church was crowded, or so it seemed from all the cars.  Later, around 2:00, I went for a bike ride over at Bemus, starting around the bridge, riding down the lake road to Long Point Park's beginning, then back, a bit shorter than usual because it was windier than I thought.  I am now home, it's warm and cosy in the house, and I'm ready to make some Turkish tea, perhaps read or watch a  bit of football.  Evie has been organizing, trying to decide where to put what, what to throw out, which is a never ending battle, especially since we have so little storage.

We finished the day, since it was still sunny and warm, with a kayak ride across to Long Point, along it's edge, then back to Wells Bay.  As we came back, a  gentlemen from a house we had always admired, came out of his house as we paddled his way, and yelled hi, have you come to visit.  We paddled in closer, introduced ourselves, and found out he lived there full time with his wife, their names were Rollie and Jane Kidder.  He's a life long resident, I think, a semi retired  business man, seemingly very involved in Jamestown, especially the Robert Jackson Center.  We had a fun talk, about grandchildren, living up here during the winter, and made a promise to get back in touch and get together.  It would be neat to make friends with another couple, as we branch out with our acquaintances.

Pasta and meatballs for dinner, a two episodes of "The Good Wife," who, I don't think will be good for long.