she's baaacck!

[wonders]

I retired June 30 and participated in a nice ceremony for retiring civilians. LTG Mullholland presided. Also had a retirement recognition at the library where I was presented with the Superior Civilian Service Award (a complete surprise) and a luncheon at Luigi's Ristorante. Right after retirement I joined my friend Sallie at her summer condo in Chautauqua, New York for 4th of July weekend. We had a couple chances to hear the female Episcopalian Presiding Bishop speak. She was a marine biologist before attending seminary so is a clergywoman with a scientific background.

The trip to Tuscany came in late August. It included two nice wine tastings but was quite strenuous (we stayed in the hill town of San Gimignano) and there was a lot of walking and steps. It didn't help that I tripped entering the Piazza in Florence our first full day of sightseeing and injured my right leg. I was limping around the rest of the eight-day trip und took one day off from sightseeing when the group went to Cortina. Then there was the would-be pickpocket in Assissi, the raging taxi driver (also in Assissi), the restaurants that didn't want to fulfill their commitment on serving water and both white and red wines at meals, and the Italian general workers' strike the day we were to fly home that canceled all flights! Our tour leader worked very hard to get us a flight from Milan the next day (British Air paid for our hotel and dinner and breakfast in Milan) but we had to take a five-six hour bus ride from Pisa to Milan. We had already turned in our large, comfortable bus and were in a cramped bus with no suspension for the trip to Milan. Every time we went over a bump, it killed my injured leg. I had planned to spend two nights in New York City but only got to spend one night there. The hotel where I had made a reservation claimed to have no record of it, so I paid exhorbitant price to stay near JFK Airpot (during New York's Fashion Week.) Even so, I was glad to be back on US soil. Lil, the tour organizaer, will probably never lead a tour to Italy again but will stick with France.

I am staying in Fayetteville, NC for now. The cost of living is quite reasonable and my condo has maintained its value since Fort Bragg is growing with the transfer of FORSCOM and Reserve Command to Fort Bragg from Atlanta area.