Month: <span>October 2014</span>

Halloween Witch
Halloween Witch

So today is Halloween, a day for tricks and treaters and candy and costumes. Little kids get to dress in cute little outfits going door-to-door asking for free sugar. Adults lucky enough to get invited to a Halloween party dress up in naughty outfits befitting their age and get free food and booze. All in all, a great day to have a little fun.

Just For Fun

Pine Bush High School
Pine Bush High School

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

I had the distinct experience of attending my forty-year high school class reunion several weeks ago. It was the first reunion I’ve been to, and it brought up a flood of memories and feelings I haven’t dealt with since graduation.

I grew up in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York, attending schools in the Farmingdale school district from Kindergarten until end of my high school sophomore year. In 1972 we moved from Farmingdale to the “upstate” Hudson Valley region of New York. I graduated from Pine Bush High School in June of 1974.

Ron Charest

Musical Interlude
Musical Interlude

OK, so I’ve been out of town (again) this week and just catching up on things at home. It’s a cold Friday morning here in our nations’ capitol. The yard is covered with leaves, meaning at some point I’m going to need to do serious yard work. I think it’s it’s time for a little morning pick-me-up.

Just For Fun

Outward Bound
Outward Bound

Back in 1970 I had just landed my first job as a newspaper delivery boy for the New York Daily News. It was a big deal for me, getting a job at the ripe age of 13, as it meant I had money in my pocket. On a good week when I finished collecting and paid my manager his cut I might actually have as much as $15 profit for delivering 60-80 newspapers each morning, seven days a week.

The first thing I used my new-found wealth for was to invest in a radio cassette tape recorder. I wanted to listen to music and be able to record it. With the wonders of then-new solid-state electronics, all kinds of gadgets were becoming available. So I found a sale on a quirky portable AM/FM/Cassette recorder that was within my budget, and with Mom’s help driving me to the store I became a proud new owner.

Family Stories Just For Fun

Fire Axe
Fire Axe

I had an unpleasant experience last week with a member of the Prince William County Fire and Rescue crew. While I think it might turn out all right, the experience has left me deeply unsettled. On top of several unpleasant experiences Winnie and I have had with county police and public officials these past years, I now have to wonder about firefighters and paramedic personnel.

Prince William County depends upon volunteer firefighter’s for most of the county’s emergency needs. There are twelve departments across the county managed by the Prince William County Fire and Rescue Association. Last week I was put into the position of writing a letter of complaint over the actions of one of their members.

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