Lost and Found

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Romeyn

When I graduated from high school in 1987 I was asked by my parents what I would like as a gift. I told them that I wanted the Civil War Chess Set being produced and sold by the Franklin Mint at the time. The purchase was a subscription. You got the board, which was also the case for the pieces, first, followed by two pieces every month until you had the whole set. It was (and still is) gorgeous! It makes me wish I played chess more than I do, which is pretty much not at all.

Seemingly unrelated (but trust me), I have traveled back and forth between Keeseville and Potsdam hundreds, if not thousands of times. I attended college there. After college I moved back to Keeseville. After a year or so I got a job based out of Plattsburgh but which required that I live in St. Lawrence County. So back to Potsdam I went. This was about 1993 or so. After a couple of years I moved back to Keeseville, eventually leaving that job to work for SUNY Potsdam, moving back to Potsdam in December of 1997.

When I left Potsdam in or about 1995, I had a housemate. We both vacated the apartment at the same time. I recall one last load of stuff being left in the foyer of the house. There was no one else moving in–the house had been purchased and was going to be demolished in favor of a new home to be built. I also recall that one of us was supposed to go back for that last load. I think my housemate thought that was me, and I think I thought it was him. But whatever, I left some stuff there back then. All I remember is a set of weights and a torchiere-style lamp, neither of which I’ve missed. But once in awhile I wonder what else I might have left there and what ever happened to it.

So that was about 1995. I had packed up all my stuff, including over 100 “Star Trek” paperback novels that I had collected and read. They all fit into one rectangular (and heavy!) box, sealed and labeled. Back to Keeseville they went, along with all of the stuff I did NOT forget; and there they have stayed. For 30 years. I just never got around to unpacking them. I moved back to Potsdam in 1997 where I lived for 25 years before (you guessed it) moving back to Keeseville in 2023.

At some point in those 25 years I either wanted to play some chess or I wanted to show someone my chess set. But I couldn’t find it! I looked everywhere and it was nowhere to be found. I remembered that last load of things left in the house on Pierrepont avenue back in 1995 and was both horrified and ashamed to realize that that must be where it had gone. I had forgotten it all those years ago! My parents might not care so much (if I had told them, which I didn’t), but I did. That set was something I dearly coveted and they made it happen. It may seem like just a thing, but to me it represented a grandiose expression of their love and pride for me at the time and I was mortified to think I had lost it not to theft or accidental damage or something out of my control; but to careless forgetfulness.

But never fear: eBay is here!! Yes, if there’s something you want and can’t find, odds are there’s someone out there who has it and doesn’t want it anymore. eBay brings these people together. And eBay brought me together with someone who had and no longer wanted a complete Civil War Chess Set in very good condition. I don’t remember what I paid. Probably too much. But how do you put a price on the representation of parental love and pride? No, this wasn’t the same set they had given me, but it was a Civil War Chess Set. I had one again, and every time I saw it it would remind me of them and all they’ve done for me over the years.

And so, having soothed most of my panic and shame, I buried the rest and forgot about the whole “incident.” Life moved on. I divorced, remarried, left my job at SUNY Potsdam and eventually left Potsdam, moving into the home I now occupy near Keeseville (again). We continue to enjoy this house, but still have some things to unpack. You know, all those “non-essentials” we collect throughout our lives. The things that have been living happily, largely unmissed, in our garage for the last two years. Well, we recently acquired and set up some shelving in the basement which we can use to start unpacking those boxes. A few days ago I unpacked a few of them, including my box of Star Trek novels. As I dug through them, pulling them out five or six at a time, I got to the bottom of the box where sat…MY ORIGINAL CIVIL WAR CHESS SET!

You’ll recall I said I had looked “everywhere” for it. And indeed I though I had. After all, WHY would I bother to open a sealed box clearly labelled “Star Trek Books” when I knew it was ME who had packed and labelled it? If I had also packed my Civil War Chess Set in that box, SURELY I would have included that on the label. RIGHT?!

Apparently not.

So I now have two Civil War Chess sets from the Franklin Mint in Very Good condition. And you know what? I have two sons! Two sons who will each someday have their own Civil War Chess Set as a modest representation of this parent’s love and pride.

Lost, Found, and Replaced!

Climbing Down The Ladder

Posted on September 1, 2025 by Romeyn

[I’ve been writing an revising this post for a couple of months now. But today is Labor Day, and that seems an appropriate time to click the “Publish” button on this one.]

Last year we heard about the rise of “quiet quitting.” Workers get fed up with their jobs, but recognize employment as a necessary evil and resolve to do only what is specifically required of them. Or, as Peter Gibbons said in 1999’s “Office Space”: “…that’ll only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.”

On the surface that doesn’t seem to demonstrate much of a work ethic. But what are we working for? Why do we even have our jobs? For a tiny portion of the work force, jobs aren’t really “work”. Those people have the good fortune of getting paid to do something they love. I have always counted myself among them. But this is not true for most people. Most people have jobs because they need money for food and rent. They are not necessarily interested in advancement or promotion unless that comes with more money. But advancement also comes with more responsibility! And unless you are one of those people who loves their job, more responsibility equates with more stress; and stress causes anxiety, and anxiety leads to being unhappy and/or depressed. And so people who have “had it” with the rat race have decided to run that race as little as possible. They do only what is required and politely decline any new or additional responsibility.

I’ve never been one to do that. As I reflect upon my career I can’t say I was ever overly ambitious. I’ve never had a 5-year plan mapping out my Life or career or tried to figure out “where I want to be.” I never aspired to Leadership or a corner office or to be in charge of anything. I just have always liked making things work and helping people. If there was a situation or opportunity for me to do those things, I usually took it. Sometimes my hand went up with enthusiasm, but more often it went up because nobody else’s did. In “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Dumbledore says to Harry, “It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.” That pretty much sums up my career. I found myself in positions of increased responsibility, culminating at SUNY Potsdam with a stint as Acting Chief Information Officer; not because I ever sought it, but because it was “thrust upon [me]”. And no one was more surprised than I that I apparently “wear it well”.

For lots of reasons which I will not go into here, I decided that my time at SUNY Potsdam was over. An opportunity at SUNY’s Information Technology Exchange Center (ITEC) presented itself and I applied for and was offered a position there. I took the job and looked forward to a position of relative simplicity compared to what I had been doing at SUNY Potsdam. And that’s how it was! For awhile…

I joined ITEC at the height of pre-vaccine COVID. The 2020-2021 academic year was taught from home. Campuses were “closed” to traditional academic operations. The vaccine was found and by the Spring of 2021 campuses were making plans to resume normal operations for the Fall. This resulted in a lot of people making the decision not to return to campus. Some thought it still wasn’t safe. Some, after having spent over a year working very effectively from home had grown to like it and didn’t see the point in going back, and others were close enough to retirement that they didn’t want to bother. These people turned in their notice and moved on. That scenario played out on one of the smaller Community Colleges in the SUNY system and the newly-minted retiree was an I.T. professional with decades of experience and responsibility on the campus. The campus decided to enlist ITEC’s assistance and services in dealing with the transition and I was asked to step in as the campus’ CIO. I’d still work for ITEC, but would be contracted out on a part time basis to assist with the administrative aspects of I.T. implementation for the campus. I’d never done anything quite like that before, but after visiting the campus and talking to all involved, I accepted the responsibility.

The campus is small. The I.T. staff really know their stuff, and the President is highly technical. These things combined to make working with them and the rest of the campus a breeze. I had thought that my efforts would be transitional…temporary. But either I was doing a good job or they couldn’t find anyone better and several years later I still had the job.

My father’s health had been failing for several years. A victim of Lewy-body Dementia, we knew his days were numbered. (We eventually lost Dad in January of 2022.) I was spending most weekends in Keeseville visiting him and Mom and helping out with things as much as I could. Amanda has always loved my hometown and has frequently frequently commented over the years that “we could live here” when we would visit. And so we started casually paying attention to real estate listings. You can read more about that here. In July of 2023 we moved into our new home near Keeseville. We ended up keeping the house in Potsdam for longer than I had intended. We had the luxury of being able to afford to, and it proved handy to have a place to stay when we were in town. But last October we finally sold the house.

I had told myself that selling the house would be a point at which I would sit down and make a thorough review of our finances and our budget. I do that periodically anyhow, at least once a year. We had actually been debt-free for all of three weeks before we bought the new house! And last fall we splurged a little and I bought my first-ever brand new car. As I played with our budget spreadsheet, on a lark I decided to create a calculation that showed me what things would look like if I did not have my job at all. I don’t know what made me do it; probably just idle curiosity. But when I hit “enter,” there it was in black and white: Amanda’s income combined with a modest bit of other income I bring in paid all of our bills with a little left over! Certainly not enough to keep us “in the lifestyle to which we have been accustomed,” as they say; but I sat back marveling at the stark reality that had just presented itself: I DON’T NEED MY JOB!

Wow. That was huge! I checked the math and everything else on the spreadsheet. It all checked out. Then I thought about it. I thought about it a lot. At no point did I consider actually quitting my job. I’m only 56 years old and now’s not the right time for me to consider that for a few reasons. But the realization that you don’t NEED your job is rather empowering. And while I generally love my job and what I do and the people I work with, I thought about the things that caused me stress and/or anxiety. The CIO duties were chief among them. I could write an entire essay (or indeed a book) on how much the world of I.T. in higher education has changed in the last 20 years. The very short version is that Security has sucked all of the fun out of it. There are policy mandates and reports and required processes and procedures. Keeping track of it all would be daunting for any properly-staffed and resourced institution. Unfortunately, SUNY’s not full of those.

And so I began a letter to my chain of command at work, from my supervisor to the top, in which i requested two things: 1) I said I was no longer interested in being anyone’s CIO. 2) I wanted a 20% reduction in hours and pay–I wanted to work 4 days a week. Both requests were granted and I began my transition early this year. A conversation with the president of the campus for which I had been serving as CIO revealed that, for reasons having nothing to do with me or my performance, he was reconsidering the CIO as a Service option. I explained my desire and my decision, which had nothing to do with him or his campus. And so we parted ways amicably, and I still am part of the team that provides I.T. services to his campus and so was able to transition away from the administrative duties easily and move to a more technical role.

And I now work 4 days a week. The hit to our budget has been more than manageable. I am still getting used to having every Friday off. I’ve described this to others as “easing into retirement.” I can’t say how much longer I want to “work” before I completely leave the SUNY system. December of 2026 will be the end of my 30th year as a full-time SUNY employee. That’s something to think about! As I said to my bosses: I realize I have far fewer days ahead of me than are behind me. I’d rather spend more of them spending my money than making it!

So what does that have to do with the title of this post? Well, I am not a “quiet quitter.” I have not decided that I’m “done” but still need my job and so will only do the bare minimum. That’s not who I am. I am instead “climbing down the ladder.” I am working with my employer to shift my duties to things I enjoy and will cause me less stress. (Or, as they call it, finding my “happy place” at work.) They have been very supportive of this. But ultimately, I am doing this for me. I want to be more present in my own Life, not just for my own sake, but for those I love, especially my wife. Being constantly preoccupied with aspects of my career was making that impossible and was not great for my mental health. I’ll always obsess over certain things–that’s just who I am and how my brain is wired. But I’ve taken steps to excise a large chunk of those things, and I do not regret it.

Life is too short to just work, pay bills, and die.

U.S. Virgin Islands Vacation 2025 – Reflections

Posted on August 14, 2025 by Romeyn

I had a lot of observations during this trip. Lots of food for thought. Below are some of my thoughts and reflections about this trip, the island, and its culture. It’s more wondering than criticism. Experience has taught me that things are the way they are for reasons, most of the time GOOD reasons. I like to understand the reasons, and so I think about “cause” a lot.

The people. Everyone was friendly, and I got the impression that it wasn’t just because they were paid to be. The entire island has a laid-back vibe about it. No one seems to be in a hurry to do anything, and everything happens on “island time”. Also, “hi” or “hello” as a greeting (or no greeting at all) doesn’t cut it on St. John. People expect some version of “how are you?” when you greet them. Now, this is one of the most banal things I think two people can say to each other in passing, but if you are ever on St. John, try it! The genuine smiles that erupt are totally worth it. They really care that you asked and each responds with their own version of “I’m good” or “I’m having a good day, how’s yours?” or something similar.

The atmosphere. I said there’s a laid-back vibe. I’m trying to account for it. I didn’t actually, you know, ASK anyone or anything; but since I didn’t and have to guess, I think it’s the heat. Nobody moves fast and I think it’s to conserve energy and not break out in a sweat. I know nothing of the particular physiology of being a dark-skinned person in a tropical climate, but such is most of the population and I can only imagine that average 85 degree heat in bright sunshine takes that much more of a toll on darker skin as far as heat absorption goes. And so they…everyone…move slowly. That’s a complete guess. Maybe they’re all just totally laid back!

The Taxis. The taxis aren’t like the ones in New York City. They’re not like an Uber which is just someone driving around in their own car offering rides. These are big trucks with benches on the back that can haul up to 20 people, depending on configuration. If you’re in a hurry, forget about it. In the “high season” of Winter I’m sure the taxis fill up just as fast as they empty and barely stop moving. But in the off season (now) they mill about like seagulls just hoping for a French fry (passenger) to come their way. Still, they are very organized and share the fares and are generally polite. But if you’re the first one who needs to go where you’re going, they’re going to wait around a few minutes longer and hope to scoop up another fare or two or three before taking off. Besides–if you’re in a hurry and you’re on St. John, you’re vacationing wrong!

The environment. “Paradise”. That’s what some call it. Our resort certainly fit that bill. Manicured grass, palm trees, white sand beaches, a large swimming pool, tennis, pickleball, disc golf, water sport rentals–all the trappings one expects if all one knows of “paradise” is what one sees on TV and in the movies. Our resort was all of that! The employees were there to serve us and they made sure we knew it without asking. If we wanted or needed something, we had only to pick up the phone and ask.

But off-resort? I have to admit I don’t really understand. There were some areas that were “nice” and well maintained. But that certainly wasn’t most of the island that we saw. Anything maintained by the Federal Government / National Park Service was very good. The businesses at Mongoose Landing and generally proximate to the ferry landing at Cruz Bay were good, but just “good”. And everywhere else? I don’t know how to describe it. I want to say “dump,” but I know that’s neither accurate nor fair. Think of a trailer park. Not the well-kept kind, but the kind where the trailers were parked there years or decades ago and have never left and have never been taken care of. Yard work is simply not done, probably because there are no real yards. Everything’s built into or on a hill, and this isn’t the deciduous New York State. Kentucky Bluegrass doesn’t grow here. It’s palm trees and scrub brush that looks like it would kill my weed whacker in under 20 minutes if I tried to use it. But whatever it is, no one seems to even bother trying to tame it. But that’s OK. It’s hardly fair for me to transfer my own preference for cut grass and curb appeal onto a place in which I do not live.

But curb appeal. Never mind the flora, can we talk about the junk and the general state of apparent disrepair evident, well, just about everywhere? It looks like about 60 or 70 years ago there was significant investment in housing and development on the island. But then the developers left and everything appears to have been deteriorating since then. Apart from the homes owned by the obviously affluent, the remainder of the island is covered in what I’ll call hovels. Junk is everywhere. Cars are abandoned by the roadside. Construction debris is everywhere. Ironically, there’s not much trash or garbage. But no one seems to be in charge of removing “things” from the island, and so they just sit where they are. The response to that observation is likely sheer cost. There are tons and tons of scrap metal littering the island in many forms. But it’s probably not profitable for anyone who peddles in scrap to get to the island, collect it all, and get it anywhere where it can be sold. And so it all just stays where it is. Still, you’d think even basic civic pride would have someone organize folks to collect it and pile it all in one place or something! (Afterthought: I’m sure getting walloped by hurricanes every so often doesn’t help this situation! 13 in the last 100 years, including Irma and Maria in 2017.)

But now we’re back to the climate and the notion of “paradise”. The climate probably keeps most people from being too active, as I’ve observed. It might also be what keeps people from organizing cleanup drives. It is also what keeps me from personally branding this place as a Paradise. For a fat man like me it’s just too damn hot! It’s not that I’m completely unfit. I do get some exercise and have a certain amount of stamina. But 85 degree heat and over 60 percent humidity? 5 minutes out in that with any activity at all and I have sweat running off my head and down my torso. It’s not fun, it’s not pleasant, and it’s certainly not paradise. Paradise to me would be somewhere with 70 degree days and low humidity where it feels hot in the direct sun, but you don’t even start to sweat if you’re in the shade.

I’m told that the temperatures in St. John get “down” into the 70s in the winter, when the natives whip out their sweatshirts and toques (we saw some for sale!). But that’s also the height of the tourist season, and I already know I never want to visit this place when that’s going on!

All in all I am glad to have experienced St. John specifically, and the Caribbean in general. It was something I’ve always wanted to do and this wedding gave us the impetus to do it. I want to be clear: we had a fantastic time and are very glad we went! I wouldn’t say “no” to going again some day. But I’m also not thinking of planning my next trip there anytime soon.

U.S. Virgin Islands Vacation 2025 – Day 5

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Romeyn

This morning we slept in just a little and went back to Mongoose Landing for breakfast. Amanda found the Sun Dog Café online. The waitress/bartender was very nice and told us of her time on the island–37 years in various business ventures, and the 2nd oldest bartender on the island! (Apparently someone keeps track of that sort of thing…or maybe it’s just her!)

After breakfast we walked around Mongoose Landing and checked out a couple of shops we hadn’t found the last time we were there. Then we returned to our room and hung out for most of the day. Amanda swam, I napped, she napped. And we started getting ready for the trip home tomorrow–doing laundry, getting organized, etc.

We had our “Last Supper” at the High Tide, which has been our favorite of all the places at which we’ve eaten on this trip. The sunset did not disappoint!

Tomorrow is travel day–breakfast on-resort, then their ferry to St. Thomas and their shuttle to the airport.

Final view from the ferry…

Random shot of our beach resort.

Our Last Sunset

Cruz Bay Architecture

Us!

The High Tide Restaurant

Drinks at our “Last Supper”.

Happy Amanda!

The Parrot Club

A typical Island Taxi

Cruz Bay Palm

Cruz Bay Beach

Sun Dog Café

View of the Wharf in Cruz Bay

U.S. Virgin Islands Vacation 2025 – Day 4

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Romeyn

Wedding Day! The reason for this trip, our step-nephew Garrett’s wedding, took place today. But we decided the rest of the day would be a “nothing” day. The only plan we had was returning the Jeep we rented yesterday. We did that first thing this morning and had breakfast at Cruz Bay Landing, after which we returned to our room and lazed about. Amanda took a nap and read on the balcony. I watched a movie. We went for lunch at Snorkels, the pool/beachside bar on the resort and then returned to our room. Amanda went for a swim and I took a nap and then it was time to get ready for the wedding.

We took a taxi from our resort to The Last Resort where the wedding party is staying for the week (Friday-Friday) and where the ceremony was being performed. The place is amazing! On a hilltop with a great room and massive kitchen, a hillside, multi-tier pool with bar stools built right in so you can sit at the poolside bar. And a gorgeous view of the ocean, the surrounding hills, and that bay below.

The ceremony took place outdoors in the shade of the palm trees around the pool. The bride and groom shared their vows, had their dances, and all the usual rituals one sees at weddings. At dinner time, toasts were made by members of the wedding party. There were lots of laughs and tears. One of my favorite memories will be the bride’s older sister saying to the groom: “I hope you have as much fun growing old with her as I had growing up with her.” (I’m not crying…YOU’RE crying!)

We called for a taxi to take us back to the resort (I’ll talk more about the island taxis in a later post) and are now relaxing before we go to bed. And I’m typing this post!

The Last Resort Villa

The Blushing Bride

My Nephew, Prescott

Kayla (bride) and my sister Kelly.

Dressed for success!

Amanda!

Part of the bridal party.

The deck at the Last Resort

Sunset

Twilight

U.S. Virgin Islands 2025 Vacation – Day 3

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Romeyn

This morning we woke, dressed, and headed in to Cruz Bay for breakfast at High Tide where we had dinner on Thursday. We had talked about what to do today and decided that seeing at least one of the world famous beaches was something we should do. We had not arranged for a rental car for reasons I mentioned yesterday, but in reviewing the taxi rates and the uncertainty of how long we’d be at the beach or anywhere else we decided to rent a Jeep for 24 hours. Since it’s the off season here there was one readily available. We got a 2-seater white Wrangler and headed out for Trunk Bay Beach.

Driving on St. John. Wow. We’d gotten a taste of it in the open-air “taxis”. I should have described these before now. These are all heavy-duty Ford F-350 chassis with covered bench seating in the rear. Some of them have decent suspension still, some do not! Two of them meeting each other on the road can be a harrowing experience, and you definitely want to keep your hands and arms inside! Those drivers are very good at what they do. Me? I am a very good driver, but I’d never driven here before. Narrow roads on very steep hills full of switchbacks that get to the top, and peaks so sharp it’s like getting to the top of a roller coaster. There were times I wasn’t 100% sure there was actually road ahead of me! Oh–and did I mention that they drive on the LEFT in USVI? But the steering wheel is still on the left. If you’re not used to THAT you really have to concentrate at intersections. Oh, and all stop signs are just suggestions, so you really do have to watch out!

We made it to Trunk Bay Beach without incident. Most of St. John is part of a Federal Wildlife Preserve and is managed by the National Park Service. I think this is probably a good thing, as equipment rentals were very reasonable (chairs, snorkel and fins); which probably wouldn’t be the case if such commerce was left to the locals. I am not well-traveled when it comes to scenic beaches. This is my first time in the Caribbean. L.A.’s seaside has underwhelmed me the few times I’ve been there. But this…this was something special! It was everything I’ve ever imagined based on TV and the movies: Clean, white sand; clear, blue water, bright sunshine, and mostly clear sky. And NO PEOPLE. Well, not “no” people, actually. But there were NOT a lot of us there! The off season effect, I guess, working to our advantage. We both took a swim in the ocean. A few hundred feet down the beach was an island with some buoys. I had half glanced at a sign as we were renting chairs and went back to look at it. The buoys are part of an underwater trail guiding snorkelers as they explore the reefs on the side of the little island. I rented a snorkel, mask, and fins and headed out. In contrast to the stark beauty of the beach itself, snorkeling this particular reef was nothing like what you see on the Discovery Channel. It was kind of ho-hum, actually, as far as stunning color and clarity went. The water around the reefs was a bit cloudy and less clear, but I could still se all the way to the bottom in probably 15-20 feet of water. I saw probably 2 dozen different varieties of fish of all sizes, the largest being as long as my leg. There’s a small cove on the small island in which most of the fish I saw congregated. I was able to swim among them as long as I made no sudden movements. It was kind of magical! I did not stay long in that location because there were several pelicans there and they were dive-bombing for dinner in my immediate facility and I did not want to be splash-damaged!

I went back to the beach and Amanda and I enjoyed another swim before deciding to pack up and to exploring for lunch. Since we had the Jeep and could go anywhere we wanted at our convenience we decided to go to Coral Bay on the other side of the island. More winding and scenic roads! Up, down, and around. Coral Bay as a “community” was very underwhelming relative to the bustle of Cruz Bay. Indeed, we drove by the restaurant we decided to stop at twice before realizing that it was “the spot” in Coral Bay for that sort of thing! I’ll comment more about this when I post some reflections when the trip is over.

After lunch we drive back to our resort following a different route (the only other one) and saw even more of the island and the National Park. We had about an hour before we needed to be at Garrett and Kayla’s resort for the rehearsal dinner. Amanda bathed and I took a nap. Then we joined everyone at The Last Resort in Chocolate Hole, one bay over, just a few minutes away. After that we headed back up into the hills to The Windmill Bar which is at almost the highest point on the island with fantastic views of the other islands. It’s on a western hillside and so has views of the sunsets every night. We stayed and enjoyed a few drinks and conversation with Megan the bartender before deciding to call it a night. We had an active day and the sun really saps your energy, especially when you’re not used to being out in it all the time.

We had a bit of an adventure on the way back in that our GPS took us down a long road through some VERY ritzy properties (think Hollywood Hills) but the last half mile or so of which had been abandoned. Had we been able to get through, we would have been right at our resort building. Indeed, we had noticed the abandoned road at the other end when one of the golf cart drivers took us by it. We asked him about it and he didn’t know much about it. But I got my answer! We took a quick dip in the pool next to our building and committed to relaxing in our room for the rest of the evening. In the morning we will have breakfast in town and return the Jeep. Then back to the resort where I think we will spend the day until it’s time for the wedding.

Morning view from High Tide.

Our ride for the day.

View from one of the many lookouts around the island.

Trunk Bay Beach

Swimmers!

My Mermaid Bride

Poolside Bar at The Last Resort

Hillside path to nowhere.

Amanda and Me

The Bride and Groom

Amanda and Me

My sister Kelly and Me

A sunset view.

U.S. Virgin Islands 2025 Vacation – Day 2

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Romeyn

This morning started with Amanda poking me. We apparently had low water pressure and she was wanting to shower and could not flush the toilet. We called the front desk and let them know. They were aware of the problem and working on it. We hung around for a little bit, but still no water pressure so we decided to start our day. We had breakfast at one of the resort restaurants. We then went into Cruz Bay to explore, as things were closing up after dinner last night, and exploring in the dark is no fun anyhow.

We checked out lots of shops including a neat shopping complex called Mongoose Junction. The most interesting thing there was a shop owner who used her cash register as a soapbox from which she schooled her customers on the politics of the day. We learned from her that in the United States there is no such thing as a “penny”. That which we call a “penny” does not have that word on it anywhere. It says “ONE CENT” and is therefore a one cent piece. So noted.

Across the street from Mongoose Junction is the U. S. Virgin Islands National Park Visitors Center. We stopped and looked around there and then headed back to town. I say “back to town”. Cruz Bay is very walkable, at least the area near the water is. The island itself is rather hilly. If not for that and the narrow roads we might have walked the 1.5 miles or so into town. But that would have been both a miserable and a dangerous experience. We are glad we did not rent a vehicle. There’s no place to park except for paid lots which would have cost us about the same as the taxi we have been taking to get back and forth. And golf carts take us around the resort property on demand.

After a morning of shopping and exploring we returned to our resort to check out the big pool. We swam a bit and then hit the poolside bar for lunch. After that we each took a dip in the ocean (on the other side of the bar) and I took some 360° photos. We returned to our room to find that the water pressure was no longer low–it was non-existent! Shortly after that we started getting text messages from the resort informing us that the issue was affecting our entire building and that engineers were working to repair or replace a water line. Amanda napped and I hung out in the semi-private pool for an hour or so.

After relaxing for the rest of the afternoon we went back into town and ate dinner at “The Tap Room” which has food similar to Five Guys, but with more “normal” prices compared to many of the restaurants in the area. We had delicious burgers and drinks. After dinner we went to a minimart and stocked up on some drinks and snacks for the room. We explored a little more and then returned to the resort and had another drink at the poolside bar before returning to the room. Amanda started a load of laundry and I lazed about in the pool again waiting for the moon to rise. It didn’t happen–I must have been out later last night. I got bored and went back to the room where Amanda and I watched the just-released latest episode of “Resident Alien”. And now I am writing this post.

And now I am going to bed! It was a great day! Tomorrow we are planning to return to the High Tide for breakfast, and then perhaps to see one of the beaches everyone talks about. I’ve never been much of a beach bum, but we’re here and that’s what people do, so we’ll do it. Tomorrow evening is the pre-wedding gathering at The Windmill–a hilltop bar with apparently gorgeous sunsets!

Amanda!

The pool at our resort, first thing in the morning.

Walking to breakfast at the resort.

On the grounds of the resort.

More local wildlife – iguanas!

This is the taxi stand at our resort.

Mongoose Junction – a Shopping Venue

AUGH! Flip-Flops of all kinds! #SatansSandals

A view from the other side of our dinner rail last night.

If you like Piña Coladas…

More iguana!

Feet up at the semi-private pool.

Dinner at the the Tap Room.

Nighttime at the semi-private pool.

US Virgin Islands 2025 Vacation – Day 1

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Romeyn

Amanda and I are on the island of St. John, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, for Garrett Frady’s marriage to Kayla Palmer. (Garrett is my sister’s step-son.). We left home yesterday to spend the night in Burlington, VT as we had a very early flight out of Burlington this morning.

We started our trip with dinner at Al’s French Frys, a classic diner in Burlington near our hotel and the airport. It’s a favorite spot of ours. When we got to the hotel, the airport conditioning in the room wasn’t working. Two techs spent about half an hour on it before giving up. We were transferred to a different room.

Our flights were both on time and uneventful. We traveled from Burlington to Atlanta where we had a short layover before traveling from Atlanta to the island of St. Thomas. St. John has no airport, so anyone going there must get there by boat. When we got the the airport we de-planed by stairs. They moved a stairway to the rear of the plane (where we were sitting) and we actually got off before most of the other passengers! We had a bit of a walk to the inside of the airport terminal building–we had to walk nearly around the entire building before we got to the entrance. When we walked in the first thing we experienced was a welcome counter with free shots of local rum. I knew this was going to be a special trip!

Never having been here before, we used a travel agent to book the trip. The travel agent was obviously not one that deals with VRBO and/or AirBnB and so we ended up at The Westin on St. John–a full service resort. The Westin has its own counter at the St. Thomas airport and we were shuttled from there to the St. Thomas Port Authority where we boarded a private ferry owned by the resort that took us to their private dock on St. John. As we got off the boat we were again greeted by staff who gave us rum drinks. (We had each had rum punch at the bar at the Port Authority.) A golf cart took us on a tour of the resort on our way to our room. No, not a room…a small suite. We have a bed, a full kitchen including a dishwasher and breakfast island and full-size fridge, a living area with a couch and a chair, a dining room table that seats 4, and a washer and dryer so we can do laundry if we want. We also have a balcony with a nice view of the hill across the bay, though we can’t see the bay itself. We are up on a hill above the main part of the resort.

After getting settled and unpacked, we called for a cart to take us back to the main lobby where we looked at the gift shop and the deli/convenience shop they have here. We also met with the concierge who gave us some information and advice. After that we took a taxi into town about a mile away where we ate at High Tide, a wharf-side outdoor restaurant in Cruz Bay. We picked a table for 2 at the railing right next to the beach where we had a perfect view of the looming sunset, which happened about 20 minutes after we got there. It was beautiful and amazing. We had coconut curry chicken which was delicious. High Tide serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I know we will be back before we leave!

We returned to the resort by taxi. Amanda caught a cart back up to the room. I walked the short distance to the local market to see about some snacks and toiletries. I walked back to the room. I changed and went to the small pool that is shared between our building and the one next door. I had the entire thing to myself. It had a little grotto/waterfall and a small raft. I floated there for almost half an hour and watched the moon rise over the palm trees on the hillside and did my best not to think about anything.

When I got back to the room Amanda and I watched the new episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds while she worked on her latest cartoon. Now I’m typing this. And now I’m going to bed!

The suite life.

Some of the local wildlife.

The semi-private pool for our building.

More local wildlife.

The High Tide bar and Restaurant in Cruz Bay

A shot of the bar.

My bride and me.

The view from our dinner table. Worthy of a travel brochure, if I say so myself!

Trekonderoga 2024!

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Romeyn

Before you read this post, you need to go read this one if you haven’t already. Go ahead–I’ll wait!

Back? OK. That was 2018. In 2020 I ordered a Cameo video from Jonathan for Amanda and played it for her on Christmas. She loved it.

Last year we moved to the Keeseville area–about an hour away from Ticonderoga, home of (among other things) the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour. Throughout the year they have various Star Trek celebrities visit and you can purchase photo ops, tours, and bridge chats with them. Earlier this year I noted that Jonathan Frakes would be visiting in May. I asked Amanda if she’d like to go and she said yes and so we went!

What can I say? It was incredible! The event was for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; but we decided to just make a day of it on Saturday, which was when our events with Mr. Frakes were scheduled. We got there a little after the doors opened. This was actually a little too early, but the web site warned that there would be lines. (There were, but they came later.) We got checked in and explored the gift shop and museum for a few minutes. We then made our way to the local elementary school where the vendor fair was setting up and where the presentations and round table discussions would be. I scored a complete set of Star Trek Fotonovels–a set of 12 for only $5 each! That’s half of what they go for on eBay. I had a couple of them when I was a kid. My great grandfather would come from New Brunswick to visit. When it was time for him to go home, we would bring him to the train station in Montreal. While my Dad brought him to the train and go him on board, I would explore the station concourse. I found a book store that had these Fotonovels. I think I wore them out from reading them so much! I never saw them anywhere else–I am glad to finally have the complete set!

Amanda bought a figurine of Will Riker. She thought she might like it autographed, but wasn’t willing to pay what was being charged, especially since we already have his autograph (for the price of a stamp!). We attended a talk about the 50th anniversary of the premiere of “Space: 1999” a sci-fi show I watched on CBC when I was a kid.

We made our way back to the tour site and had lunch at a diner across the street. When we were done, there were 2 lines running halfway down the parking lot! One was for the photo op with Jonathan Frakes, the other was for LeVar Burton. We made sure we were in the correct line and waited. We took a few pictures of the 1966 Batmobile, owned by James Cawley who created the Star Trek sets from original blueprints. And oh look–there he is, walking around like he owns the place!

Later in the day I approached James when I saw him standing in the parking lot. As I got close he reached out his hand and shook mine like we were old friends. “Thank you for what you’ve done here,” I said. He smiled and thanked me for being there. Later on Amanda and I both spoke with him. Amanda dropped her Dad’s name and James immediately recognized it, “sure, I know Kevin!” he said.

The photo op was honestly underwhelming. We were herded through the set of the bridge of the original starship Enterprise. Frakes was sitting in the captain’s chair. We stood behind him, the picture was taken, verified, and then we looped around and left the same way we had entered. So that was that!

We had some time to kill before our set tour, so we went back to the school to look around again. At 2:00 we returned for the set tour with Jonathan Frakes, followed by the Bridge Chat. The tour was late to start because the tour ahead of us was still in progress. Author David Gerrold was giving the tour and no one thought to send a chaperone with him. The man likes to talk and was way behind. We finally entered the sets and started in the Transporter Room. It was…small. I knew these had all been built from original blueprints, but I couldn’t get over how small it was! Some of it was due to the fact that there were about 40 of us in the same room. But it was small! But I could tell later when I looked at my pictures that it really was what we saw on TV. Frakes joined us to applause and proceeded to interact with us. He took questions, told stories, and just generally mingled with us. I don’t know what I expected, but this was nice! He was genuine and personable and obviously actually cares about the Star Trek franchise and its ongoing legacy, even if he can’t remember every single thing about it!

As he milled about us in the Transporter Room Jonathan eventually made his way to the control console. There were a couple of museum staff there, but they got out of his way. He had been there last year, but since then the technicians had beefed up the controls so that when you slid the sliders they actually “activated” the transporter! The lights blinked the the sound effects played. Frakes, fiddling around as he was talking, moved one of the sliders and tripped the effects. “NO SHIT!!!,” he exclaimed as he stopped mid-sentence of whatever he had been saying.

“No Shit!”

The tech then explained that yes, it actually “worked.” He tried it again and the look on his face was positively…orgasmic:

“Ooooohhhh…..YEEEAAAHHHH!!!!!!!”

From the Transporter Room we moved through the set hall to Sickbay. During the Q&A there Amanda actually interacted with Jonathan, providing details about a TNG episode that is a favorite of hers (“The Host”) because he was sketchy on the details. The look on her face in that moment confirmed that this gift was totally worth it! She was SO. HAPPY!

We then moved to the briefing room. There was a 3D chess set and other familiar props from the strewn about the table. Frakes sat at the end by the computer console. Amanda was across the room, and I stood next to Jonathan. More stories, more Q&A. And then, as he was making a reference to Deep Space 9 (another Trek series) he instead, in a Freudian slip I’ll never forget, instead said “Deep Throat 9” and didn’t even know it. “Wait…WHAT was that…???” I said, getting a lot of laughter.

Amanda and Jonathan in the Briefing Room

The tour then entered the Engineering section/engine room. Wow. I had been amazed until then, but this set just blew me away! Everything was so familiar!!! And just as I have seen it dozens and dozens of times before.

After that, it was time for the Bridge Chat. Those without tickets were escorted away from the main entrance to Engineering. The rest of us left through a back hall that led to the Turbolift. The doors were slid open and we were back on the bridge! It was ringed with folding chairs. The people who had tickets for the chat but not the tour were already there. We were told to sit anywhere. “But not THERE!” someone laughingly said to me as I braced myself on the arm of the Captain’s chair as I stepped down into the well of the Bridge. Amanda and I sat in chairs right in front of the helmsman’s (Sulu) station, facing the Captain’s chair. Frakes came in and took his seat and we spent the next hour with him. After discussing a few topics and hearing a few stories, I raised my hand. “I don’t have a question–just a personal comment,” I said. “This visit is the culmination of a series of gifts to my wife Amanda. I will make a long story very short, but several years ago I sent you a handwritten letter to an address I found on Google. In it I told you the story of how my wife met you when she was 14 and how all she could say in that moment was, ‘you’re pretty’ and asked you to send her an autograph. You were kind enough to do that and I am very glad that she finally has the chance to meet you again.” Amanda was positively beaming at this point, and gushed, “and you’re still pretty!!”

“You’re pretty too,” Jonathan Frakes said. And the whole room applauded.

We went back to the school to pick up our photograph and took the scenic route home along the lake. It was the best day I’ve had in a very long time!

MUAHS Gift Bag

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Romeyn

I’ve been to Tech Conferences. There are vendor booths with lots of “SWAG” to be had from pens to t-shirts. There are drawings for all kinds of goodies and gadgets. These things are provided by the vendors and event sponsors.

Last night I attended an awards ceremony for makeup artists and hair stylists. there were no booths, but there were gift bags! On our way out we each received a backpack/makeup kit full of product. None of it means anything to me, but I have to wonder how much money is represented by the contents.

Rom's Ramblings

My thoughts, wonderings, and opinions (at the time written) about all kinds of things.