lost and found in retirement
The Christmas Lion Christmas was white when I was a kid. It was rare for Northeast Ohio to not be blanketed with a coat of snow. I as probably 5 or 6 years old when a heavy snow descended on Alliance leaving our family homebound. There was to be no Christmas Eve church service or visit to my grandmother’s house. My father owned Jokie’s Café,…
Kolach is certainly on the Christmas tables of Hungarian-American homes. I saw this sweet bread called beigli at Budapest’s Great Market Hall. It is known in most Eastern European homes by other names: kolachi, kolache, povitica, and potica. Americans most likely know it as Hungarian nut roll. This yeast bread roll filled with a sweet ground walnut filling was a holiday tradition on my Hungarian-American…
I battled bad habits most of my life. Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” This points out, there are habits that are good that need to become part of our life. I have worked on moving many of my bad habits to the good habit side over the past 10 years. Resolutions will be in your mind as the…
The aroma in the Plymouth was Thanksgiving. My siblings and I were bundled up like Randy in The Christmas Story, jostling each other in the back seat. The smells of Thanksgiving dinner drifted from the back of the station wagon. Our family was headed to grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving for the Bilcze’s was often celebrated in the rear room of Jokie’s Café. My…
My 2018 bicycle touring season has drawn to a close. Retirement freed my calendar for things that make me happy. Exploring the world on my bike makes me happy. I am a learner, a person who seeks to learn more. My learning experiences are typically about things that intrigue me. There are times when these experiences lead me to learn more about myself. Here are…
Cycling the Florida Keys is high on the bucket list of many bicycle tourists, especially those from the colder, northern states. What could be better than cycling 100 miles surrounded by clear blue seas through tropical landscapes cooled by ocean breezes! My cycling pal Greg and I each planned a bicycle tour to cycle together in 2018. Mine was a 3-day tour on the Ohio…
Last week I set out on my first solo bike tour. It was a time of apprehension and anticipation. I was uncertain what I would find out about myself and solo touring. It was a wonderful experience, something I will do more of in the future. Here is what I learned about life from my week in the saddle. Every day is a new adventure….
Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days of my bike tour. The views cycling Big Savage Mountain are just wonderous with every bend in the trail. At the top of the climb, you are greeted by a spectacular view of the Narrows below into Cumberland. The climb up Big Savage is a challenge, maybe not the biggest, but it is a challenge. With every…