PARADISE JAM

Where does the time go? Now that I am almost fully retired having worked my last scheduled day way back on October 12, I thought I would have an abundance of time but so far that has been far from the truth.  I fully intended to have this post up on Monday or at the very latest Tuesday of last week but as you can see that didn't happen. But better late than never as they say.

Earlier this year a series of hurricanes passed through the Atlantic Ocean devastating Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  Recovery has been ongoing and as a result the annual Paradise Jam College Basketball Tournament scheduled each year for the Virgin Islands had to be relocated to the mainland United States.  Tournament Officials decided that the 8-team tournament would be held at the 9,000 seat Vines Center on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Jordan Strawberry

When I found out that the tournament would be played basically in my back yard I decided that it would be a great opportunity to see my Wake Forest Demon Deacons play along with 7-other teams. I called the morning that tickets went on sale and reserved my seat for the 3-day, 12-game event.


The team that I saw play has no desire to play defense and have trouble guarding their own shadow. The offense is ragged and unorganized. The only thing this team does consistent was run down the court and jack up shots from the out side. To me it is ridicules that a team with at least two 7-footers doesn't make any effort to get the ball inside to them. 

Former ESPN Basketball Analyst Andy Katz was assigned to do the streaming video broadcast and said several time during the weekend that Wake Forest was capable of righting the ship and making the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. But with every lose the hole gets deeper and that opportunity is less likely.

Houston Head Coach
Kelvin Sampson

When all was said and done, the Deacs  dug a deeper hole and lost two of the three games they played, loosing to Drake and Houston, while winning against Quinnipiac. We are not even out of November yet and this basketball season is already in the crapper for Wake Forest.  As much as I want too I can not  make myself like anything about this team. I really think that this teams will struggle to win a single game in the Conference this year. It's going to be a long winter in Winston-Salem.

While I was not impressed with any aspect of the Wake Forest Team, I was impressed with both Colorado and Mercer who just happened to play for the Championship on Sunday.  Both teams are extremely well coached and fundamentally sound in all aspect of the game.  I really like the fact that both teams move the ball well and can score both in the paint and from the outside. Neither were the tallest team in the tournament but they both ran plays designed to get the ball to their big men who had the opportunity to score in the paint.  By demonstrating the ability to score inside their guards opened up and was able to score from the outside. 

While I don't think either Mercer or Colorado will make it to San Antonio, I do think both will probably make the Big Dance and neither is a team that I would want to see in my bracket come March.

THE TOMBSTONE TOURIST - CALVARY CEMETERY, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

In 2010, while traveling to the NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City, I took a day to visit some of the historic cemeteries of the St. Louis, Missouri area.  Earlier in day I visited Bellefontaine Cemetery, and then moved to the adjacent Calvary Cemetery.

Calvary Cemetery is a Roman Catholic Cemetery that is operated by the Archdiocese of St, Louis. It is about 470 acres and is the final resting place of more than 300,000 people.

In 1849 a cholera epidemic struck St. Louis and more than 4,000 people died. The fear of another epidemic prompted the City of St. Louis to pass an ordinance which banned the creation of any new cemeteries. During this time, most of the cemeteries within in the city of St. Louis were either full or nearing capacity.  As a result, the Archdiocese of St. Louis purchased Senator Henry Clay's "Old Orchard Farm" which was originally located a few miles north of the city. The farm became the site of Calvary Cemetery, which opened for burials in 1854.

My first stop in Calvary Cemetery was at the grave of General William Tecumseh Sherman.  General Sherman was one of the most notorious generals of the Civil War and is know for his "March to the Sea," where is basically practiced a scorched earth policy of burning and destroying every thing in his path. In the days following General Lee's surrender at Appomattox, General Sherman pressed the last remaining Confederate Army under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston through North Carolina.  The final battles of the Civil War occurred near Durham, North Carolina. In late April 1865, Sherman and Johnston met at Bennett's Farm near Durham, North Carolina to discuss the terms of surrender.  After agreeing to terms, General Sherman accepted the surrender of more than 60,000 Confederate Soldiers, more than at Appomattox and the largest of the War.

William Tecumseh Sherman

  In the years that followed,Sherman and Johnston became close friends, and when General Sherman died in 1891, Johnston served as a pallbearer at Sherman's funeral which was held in New York City.

Following the Civil War, Sherman continued his military service and was appointed to the rank of General of Army. He moved his command to St. Louis so that he could direct the American campaign again the Indians on the western frontier. On November 1, 1883, Sherman stepped down as commanding General of the Army and retired from military service on February 8, 1884 and moved to New York City where he lived the rest of his life. General William Tecumseh Sherman died of Pneumonia on February 14, 1891. Following a funeral in New York City, his body was transported to St. Louis where he was laid to rest here in Calvary Cemetery.

Powhatan Clark

Calvary Cemetery is also the final resting place of Medal of Honor recipient  Powhatan Clark, who graduated from West Point in 1884. Clarke was a Second Lieutenant in the Buffalo Soldiers, 10th Calvary stations at Fort Davis, Texas when on May 3, 1886 he and his fellow soldiers came under attack from the Apaches at Pinito Mountains. During the attack, Lieutenant Clarke rescued Corporal Edward Scott who was wounded and lay in open ground. For his actions, Lieutenant Clarke was awarded the Medal of Honor.  His Medal of Honor citation simple reads:

"Rushed forward to the rescue of a soldier who was severely wounded and lay, disabled, exposed to the enemy's fire, and carried him to a place of safety."


One of the more interesting monument in Calvary Cemetery is dedicated to the four Nez Perce warriors who traveled to St. Louis in 1831.  During the Lewis and Clark expedition, the explorers relied on assistance that they received from the Nez Perce. As a result of the friendship the explorers established with the Nez Perce people, four of their warriors traveled more than 2,000 miles to visit Leggins, No Horns On His Head, Black Eagle and Speaking Eagle met with William Clark a few days after they arrived in the city.  Shortly after their meeting with Clark, the warriors became ill and Black Eagle and Speaking Eagle died in the city, while No Horns On His Head and Rabbit Skin Leggins left the city and are though to have died on the way back to their home in the Pacific Northwest. Black Eagle and Speaking Eagle were buried in St. Louis. In 2000 their graves were found and in 2003 this monument was erected at their grave site here in Calvary Cemetery.
St. Louis. Upon arrival the warriors found it impossible to communicated
and had to rely on hand gestures to communicate, so no one really knows the purpose of their visit. The four warriors, Rabbit Skin

Dred Scott

Another of the more notable graves in Calvary Cemetery is that of Dred Scott who was the subject of the famed Dred Scott Decision in 1857. Scott and his wife Harriett were slaves, owned first by the Peter Blow who later sold the Scott's to Dr. John Emerson who was a surgeon in the Army. Emerson's army service require them to relocate quite often. The finally settled in Missouri, near Jefferson Barracks and in 1846, Dred and Harriett attempted unsuccessfully to purchase their freedom. I was then that the Scott's began exploring legal means to obtain their freedom, which eventually lead them to sue the United States.  The case made its way all the way to the United States Supreme Court which ruled in a 7-2 decision written by Chief Justice Roger Taney, that negro, whose ancestors were imported into the United States, and sold as slaves" whether enslaved or free, could not be an American citizen and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court, and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories acquired after the creation of the United States. Following the Supreme Court Decision, Dred and Harriett were eventually sold to Taylor Blow, the son of their original owner, Peter Blow. Taylor Blow granted the Scott's their freedom on May 26, 1857. After obtaining his freedom Dred Scott worked as a porter in a St. Louis Hotel, until he fell ill in early 1858.  Dred Scott died on September 17, 1858 from the effects of tuberculosis. 

Tennessee Williams

My final stop in Calvary Cemetery is at the grave site of Tennessee Williams.  Thomas Lanier Williams was born on March 26 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi.  After graduating from college he moved to New Orleans where he would become one of the most notable playwrights of the 20th century.   While in New Orleans, he changed his name to Tennessee Williams, simply because that is where his father was from. On March 31, 1945, his play "The Glass Menagerie," opened on Broadway and two years later "A Streetcar Named Desire," earned him his first Pulitzer Prize. In 1955, Williams won his second Pulitzer Prize for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Tennessee Williams died on February 25, 1983.

The rain and cold hampered my visit and I decided to cut it short and head out and find some lunch and hope that in the afternoon the skies would clear and the temps would climb.  Here is a short video of my visit to Calvary Cemetery.

PLANNING AHEAD

While I really like being spontaneous and just traveling to see what is around the bend. But sometimes you really have to have a plan and today the planning for my 2018 NCAA Tournament Vacation started coming together.

Every year since 2001 I have attend the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament as various locations throughout the country. Some years I have stayed close to home, traveling to places like Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina. Other years I venture a little farther to places like Dayton, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee and Greenville, South Carolina. 

Every year has been a new adventure. He is a list of the tournament sites that I have visited over the years:

2001 - Greensboro, North Carolina                                    2010 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
2002 - Greenville, South Carolina                                      2011 - Charlotte, North Carolina
2003 - Birmingham, Alabama                                            2012 - Greensboro, North Carolina
2004 - Orlando, Florida                                                      2013 - Kansas City, Missouri
2005 - Nashville, Tennessee                                               2014 - Raleigh, North Carolina
2006 - Dallas, Texas                                                           2015 - Charlotte, North Carolina
2007 - Winston-Salem, North Carolina                             2016 - Raleigh, North Carolina
2008 - Birmingham, Alabama                                           2017 - Greenville, South Carolina
2009- Greensboro, North Carolina

As you can see for the past 4-years I have been staying close to home. So in 2018 it will be time to hit the road and head west. When I first looked at the 2018 Tournament sites, one location immediately jumped out at me. So in March 2018 I will be hitting the road and heading to Dallas Texas.

Up until today, it had kind of been up in the air as to where I would be going for March Madness, as in the past, I had pick a tournament site only to have that site come up with very limited or no tickets available for public sale. Most years I have received and early buy access code for the NCAA which allows me to buy tickets before they go on sale to the General Public.

I received my early buy access code this morning an was able to log into the American Airlines Arena - Ticketmaster website and about about 20-minute I was able to select and purchase my 2018 Tournament Tickets.

After purchasing my tournament tickets, I went ahead and reserved my hotel room. As I said before, I am a fan of hotel reward programs and my preferred hotel is the Choice Hotel Brand (Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn and Quality Inn). In the past it has really paid off to make my hotel reservations early before they raise their rate based on a special event. 

When making hotel reservations I always go through the CHOICE HOTELS WEBSITE where I can check the rates and reviews. Before making a final choice and confirming my reservation I also check the reviews on Trip Advisor. If the hotel get excellent or exceptional reviews on both sites then I go ahead and finalize my reservations. 

One thing about travel reviews. If a review is too good then I tend to throw it out as it is more than likely written by the hotel or a friend of the hotel management. I also tend to throw out extremely bad reviews because they are written by someone who has an ax to grind or is basically just a totally unreasonable guest and wants to make matters worse than they actually were.  I do contribute reviews to both sites and I never write a review while I am angry or upset. I always wait until I calm down so that I can be reasonably objective.

The hotel that I selected for my Dallas Tournament Stay is located about 5-miles away from the American Airlines Arena, for less than $100 a night.  The one thing that I don't like about this years tournament in Dallas is the Games are Thursday - Saturday which means my off day is Friday and I will have to deal with Dallas Traffic when exploring. But it does give me an extra day on Sunday to explore the downtown area around Dealey Plaza where I want to return to The Sixth Floor Museum and visit the sites associated with the Assassination of President Kennedy.

Another reason that I wanted to go to Dallas is that the Final Four is also in San Antonio and while I don't have Final Four Tickets I can attend some of the fan events around the area that are associated with the Final Four.

My plan is to spend about 3-4 weeks touring around Texas. This will be my first major trip since I retired and I don't plan on having much of a schedule. The only place that I have to be is in Dallas for the Tournament in Mid-March. The rest of the time we will just see what is around the bend.

A HAUNTING EVENING

Over the last several years a bunch of haunted houses have popped up in the area around Halloween. Each year there seems to be more and more. Each claiming to be bigger and better than their competition. 

One of the first in the area was the Major Graham Haunted Mansion near Fort Chiswell in Wythe County. The mansion was the home of Major David Graham who fought for the 51st Virginia Infantry during the Civil War.  The mansion was the center piece of the 6000 acres plantation owned by the Graham Family. 

Legend has it that Confederate officers held secret meetings in one of the rooms in the attic, which is known as "The Confederate Room."  The mansion has a dark history that that includes murdered slaves, imprisoned servants and ghost stories. 

One of the ghost stories centers around a man who were murdered by slaves on the Graham property. Before the the Graham Mansion stood on this site, a cabin belonging to Joseph Baker stood here. In 1786 Baker was murdered by two of his slaves. A few days later the slaves known as Bob and Sam were hung from a hickory tree that still over looks the mansion property. Legend has it that Bob and Sam still roam the property today and may have been seen inside the mansion. The completer story of  The Murder of Joseph Baker can be found here.

The haunted legend of the Graham Mansion is known far and wide and in 2012 "Ghost Hunters"

visited the site and officially declared the Mansion and surrounding area as "Haunted."

For the past several years the Haunted Graham Mansion has been one of the areas most popular Halloween attractions.  The 45-minute tour features props and live actors who set about to scare visitors as they make their way through the mansion and adjacent buildings.

Every Friday and Saturday Night in October more than 2,000 people a night pay $20 a person to take the scary tour through the Major David Graham Mansion. This year a couple of friends an myself were among the visitors. 

THE ROAD TO RETIREMENT - PART 2

Well, things are moving along toward my impending retirement and the day is getting closer that retirement will become a reality.  I have worked for the Commonwealth of Virginia for 43-years, beginning my employment with the state directly our of high school in 1974. This has been the only full time job that I have ever had, so it is only natural that second thoughts about this decisions have surfaced.

When something has been apart of ones life for such a long period of time, it is hard to just walk away from the stability of a regular pay check. But there were a few other thing that I considered other than the regular hours with a pay check. The first thing that I know that I am going to really miss is the people that I work with. Since 2008 I have been the supervisor of communications and I have been really lucky to work with a great group of people. I am truly going to miss the daily interaction with these people who I genuinely respect, like and enjoy being around.  These folks have become friends and I am going to miss seeing them on on a regular basis. I am not going to sugar coat things, this is my number one concern and the thing I anticipate missing the most.

The second thing that is giving me second thought is boredom. What am I going to do with all the extra time. Not having the structure of having to drive to the office ever day is going to be a tremendous adjustment. I have never been one to sit around and do nothing. I have to be active and have to be doing something.  I am fortunate to have a variety of interest; photography, hiking, rail-fanning and travel are just a few things that I enjoy. 

I am also very fortunate to enjoy my on company and have no problem being able to amuse myself. Photography is something that I have enjoyed for a number of years and have been lucky enough to sell and have some of my photos published.

I am very lucky to live in the State of Virginia, which is one of the most history areas of the United States.  I love history and I love to travel.  I am not going to sit hat home day in and day out. Day trips along the back roads of Virginia with just a picnic lunch and a camera will most likely take the place of the daily trips to the office.

Several years ago my doctor suggested that I lose some weight. It seemed that years of a less than healthy diet and sitting behind a desk had taken its toll and my weight had swelled to an unhealthy state. Lifting weights and the added cost of a gym membership did not appeal to me. But I knew that I had to get active and drop some weight. 

It was at that time that I discovered the joys of walking. It's a free form of exercise and something that I could do most anywhere. So I began walking for exercise, starting out with only a mile or two a day for about 30-minutes. But I soon found that I actually enjoy walking and increased my pace, and stamina.

I found that I looked forward to my daily walks. I am lucky to live in an area that features a number of places like the Huckleberry Trail, Bisset Park, and Pandapas Pond where I can get get in my daily walks without it becoming bored.  I have come to enjoy walking so much that I usually take my camera long, which allows me to combine two loves.

Also I am very lucky that residents of the Town of Christiansburg enjoy free access to the Recreation Center. So on days that the weather prevents me from walking outside, I can get my daily steps in there. The rec centers features and 8th of a mile track and a few pieces of fitness equipment. So spending an hours or two at the rec centers breaks up the boredom of a rainy day. Finally, I live close enough to the Blue Ridge Parkway that on days I am feeling particularly adventurous I can tackle one of the many hiking trails.

Finally, a few years ago the Roanoke Transportation Museum brought a historic steam locomotive back to life.  After sitting in a museum for more than 20-years the J-611, Spirit of Roanoke roared back to life. On the day that she returned to Roanoke under her own steam, I drove to Danville and photographed the ole girl at several locations as she made here way back to the Star City after undergoing extensive repairs at the Spencer Shops.

I manage to "chase" her from Danville to Bedford grabbing some great photos along the way.  During this "Chase" I met some great folks who introduced me to something known as "railfanning."  Over the past few years I have developed an interest in photographing trains, especially the Norfolk-Southern Heritage Units.  Living in an area rich with rail heritage, I have found that I enjoy visiting such popular railfanning locations as the Historic Montgomery Tunnel, The Christiansburg Grade in Shawsville and the coaling tower at Vicker Switch. For whatever reason, I find it quite relaxing to sit at one of these location with a good book waiting for a passing train to come by. Like I say it doesn't take much to amuse me.

I will be able to occupy my time once retirement set in. So those second thought have been push to the side.

So where do I stand as I continue marching down the Road to Retirement.

On September 12, 2017, I drove to Richmond and met with my Personnel Office and officially completed and submitted my retirement papers to be effective January 1, 2018.  Due to the unique way the State of Virginia does it pay periods, my last official day of employment will be December 24, 2017. Quiet a Christmas present that I am giving myself.

On October 10, 2017, I submitted my application for Social Security Benefits. I have decided to draw my Social Security Benefits in order to supplement State Retirement Income, which will allow me to NOT draw on my personal investments, allowing them to hopefully continue to grow.

Finally, The State will only pay me for a small amount of my leave. I will be loosing a large amount of sick leave as the state will only pay me $5000, but I am not one to use sick leave when I am not sick. Even though I am losing a large amount of sick leave, I am not going to lose my vacation. So in order to get my leave down to where I can get paid for the maximum, I found that I had about two and a half month of leave that I will need to take before December 24, 2017.

So on October 12, 2017, I worked my last scheduled shift.  Over the next two and a half months, I will only have 6-days that I can work without losing any leave.During those 6-days, I plan on wrapping up some pending projects and turning my duties over to the other two supervisors.

Over the next several weeks, I will be adjusting to the leisurely pace of retirement while still drawing a full pay check.

The march toward retirement continues....