Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Beer, and going 'round the world


I need a beer, so I’m keeping my promise by posting.


OK, we’re planning to head back to Africa in mid-June (and I’ll give a lot more details in upcoming blogs, but I really do want that beer, and the “blog muse” just isn’t kicking in). As part of it, we’re circling the entire globe!

As to Uganda, my former driver, Kabagambe Swamadu, known simply as Kabs (pronounced like the Chicago baseball team [and, no, not the White Sox]) has invited us back because . . .

He was more than a driver. He kept me safe. And we became really close friends with him and his entire family, both in Kampala and upcountry.

He, not surprisingly, has become quite successful, working with what I believe is an agriculture NGO doing good deeds for his village and surrounding area. Plus, he’s planning to run for Parliament, and by all accounts has a good chance of winning.

He’s a first-rate human being.

We love him, and he loves us.

So, Kabs invited us to see what he’s doing in upcountry Uganda, and we couldn’t say no.


We’re excited because of that, and we'll see lots of other people who were important to us, but also because this trip will take us around the world.

After Kampala, I’m keeping 47-year-old promise to my lovely bride: Taking her Cape Town, South Africa.

Right after we decided to get married, good friend Bob Menaker asked if I’d like to go to Africa with him. “There’s a freighter leaving Booklyn for Cape Town, and we should be on it.” So, Joyce says “go,” knowing that I wanted to – go, as well as marry her. So, I went. Six months later, after touring southern and east Africa, and then spending time picking apples on a kibbutz on the Golan Heights in Israel, I came home and we married. Still are, gleefully!

And still doing Africa, and now “around the world.”

The flight from Cape Town, you see, routes us through Hong Kong on the way back to L.A. So, we said, why not spend some time seeing old friends in China – specifically Li Hong Hai in Shenzhen (just outside Hong Kong), Li Rong and family in Guangzhou, and Li Shuo in Beijing. The three “Li’s” were each selected by me to come to KU (and stay with us in our home) as part of the grant promoting journalistic relationships between the U.S. and east Asia. We obviously became close to them during their stays in Kansas (having coffee most mornings in your pajamas will do that), as well as visits we’ve made years ago to visit them in China.

So, ‘round the world it is with flights from L.A. to someplace in Europe or the Middle East for the plane to Kampala, then the flight to Cape Town, then that Cape Town-Hong Kong-L.A. jaunt. So, ‘round the world in is over 30 days or so. Cool.

Next: Either about reconnecting with David Sendler, former editor of TV Guide and my editor at my first full-time journalism gig, The STRAC Paraglide at Ft. Bragg, N.C., whom we had dinner with recently in Florida, or more about Kabs. Or whatever, depending on my thoughts and how much I need a good beer. Stay tuned.

Monday, November 12, 2018

Promise? I promise!


It’s been far too long, and I know I’ve made this promise (unkept) before. This time, I mean it: I will post at least one each week. If I don’t, I’ve promised myself that I won’t/can’t have a beer until I do post.  (And you know that will be strong motivation, though I’ll likely cheat a bit by drinking a good IPA in the process of posting.)

And, yes, much has happened since my last post some months after our return from East Africa and well before our 2017 move to California (which has proved to be a good one and, thankfully, you’ll be happy to note, we’re not in a fire zone).  Before imparting some exciting news (to be detailed in the next posting about an upcoming planned return to Uganda), I think we should answer this:

Why California, one of the worst states to retire to? And why Clovis, a relatively small town in the semi-arid San Joaquin Valley?

We had decided to move “west,” ultimately settling on California after checking out Nevada, Utah and Arizona, simply to be closer grandchildren, specifically that our son, Ian, and his lovely wife, Andrea, planned having some. (They have since complied, twice.)

We decided on the central valley because the beach was too expensive (and, turns out, too “fire prone”). Same for the mountains. We wanted to be near, not “in,” a big city. So, we checked out every smaller town around Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield, the central valley’s big three.

We looked at:

·         Housing prices (Fresno/Clovis is/was the only area where properties were at “below value”).
·         Universities for culture and sports (Fresno State won the College World Series 10 years ago, and you know we love college baseball).
·         Crime rates (Clovis's is among the lowest in the state).
·         Local schools (though we don’t have kids; our thinking was that if a community spends money on schools, its residents “care” about quality of life, and Clovis has what some say is the best school system in the state).
·         A nearby airport (Fresno Yosemite International modern and close, only eight minutes away).
·         A nice downtown (“Old Town” Clovis is quaint and accessible with a ton of activities, including a year-round farmer’s market, along with good restaurants and micro-breweries throughout the town).
·         Oh, and a Costco (and those who know us know that's important, and Clovis, we happily discovered, has one, and next door Fresno has two).

It's 4 o'clock, so "wine time" (IPA for me) in Clovis. Cheers!
In February 2017, we visited for three days, driving all over and talking to lots of folks. The town was clean and litter-free (there’s a tax to keep it that way) with tree-lined boulevards. People were nice.  Good restaurants. Nice library facilities with a new one on the way. An inviting, walk-able downtown with a year-round farmer’s market. Clovis is "Gateway to the Sierras," so snow is just 30 or so minutes away most months. All was just as we’d imagined. Even better. We were sold.

Back in Kansas, we checked out existing homes online and, once our house sold, which went quickly, we jumped in the car and headed to Clovis to find a house. All the ones we’d put on our list just the day before were gone by the time we got there. So, we  decided to build.

And we’re so happy we did.

All new with state-of-the-art everything, including solar power (which means no electric bill). It’s one-level (no stairs, which is nice for us “old folks”) with “California landscaping” (all drought-resistant plants) and no grass to cut! (First time in my married life that I haven’t owned a lawn mower). And we put in a swim/spa (rather than a high-maintenance pool). I swim; Joyce “spas.”

So, all is fine. We’re loving it here. And we see the kids and grandkids quite often. We do miss friends (but several have visited and others are planning to).  We also miss “weather”. The song is true: “It never rains in California.”

Ah, but there’s that swim-spa, so we do get wet just about every day. Happily.

Next: Back to Uganda . . . and beyond!