Beijing, China
July 8th

“He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true Man”
Mao Zedong

After a great sleep and wonderful breakfast we left for a full day that included a visit to the Great Wall of China. After spending about an hour in morning traffic, where the massive scale of Beijing grows with each drive, we were off to a shape museum/shop. Along the way we watched as brand new buses and cars shared streets and highways with older, well worn bicycles and other more inventive and interesting modes of transportation.

Not sure what to call this vehicle

Upon arrival were given an information session on the history, quality, and workmanship of jade by Linda our tour guide. She was a turn task master and I was reprimanded a few times. Afterwards we were “allowed” to shop in the State owned jade store. For communists the Chinese are quite good at capitalism!

Jade craftsman at work.

After stimulating the Chinese economy we went to the burial tomb of the Ming Emperors. It is located a short drive from Beijing. It was located in a valley that was chosen for its Feng Shui. The person chose the location due the fact that valley protect one from winds that “take away good spirits and bring bad ones”. The location was also chosen because it had a couple of rivers flow through the valley and rivers bring good things to an area. The tomb was beautiful.

On the way out of the tomb and on to the bus we were met by the usual throng of Chinese wanting to sell us bobbles, trinkets, and commemorative crap. As I walked to the line of kiosks a woman wanted to sell my some I heart China T-Shirt. I pointed to my belly and stated, “Too big, too big.” I disregard and keep moving on thinking my ploy of no correct size is going to dissuade her. Well as soon as I say this she tear off behind her kiosk screaming something in Chinese to her merry band of T-shirt hawkers. Well she then pulls out a XXXXXL-Shirt, no exaggeration. She had obviously dealt with Americans before. So the she grabs my arm starts pulling me towards her stand. I am trying to walk back to the bus which she interprets as ploy to drive down the price of this mammoth T-shirt. So as I walk up the steps on our bus the old lady rears up her hand and spanks my ass. Well this scene sent our group into hysterics. I had not laughed that hard in a long time. They lady herself was not all that mad because she was smiling and laughing also. Odd story but a good time.

After touring the grounds of the tomb we convinced the tour guide to allowed us to walk a one mile stretch along the way to the burial palace but slightly off the road. The walk way is known as the Sacred Way. It is a fantastic one mile promenade that is lined on both sides by massive stone statues that are around 450 years old. The whole group did not go because it began to pour rain. As for me I of course went. Rain never hurt anyone and really I did not come to China to stay dry. Ironically enough the rain and its accompanying mist gave the walk a rather ethereal quality. The rain also made the venue quite desolate besides our reduced group. The stone structures comprised of warriors and animals. For example as you walk down the path you pass directly between two elephants standing up. A few yards down you pass between two elephants again, only this time they are kneeling. This effect is done to give the effect of animals bowing to the emperor as he passes by them. A little wet; but well worth short walk.

Ming Tombs

After our stroll along the Sacred Way we went to lunch. We enjoyed a couple of toasts with 112 proof sorghum “schnapps”. It was not smooth as hoped. Maybe it was wrong to take a couple of shots before heading to climb the Great Wall. We shall see. The group had fun. All of us are an odd and fun group; I count myself as one of the typical characters.

You want me on that wall; you need me on that wall. Ever since we studied China in K-Dog’s(Mr. De Marco) Honors World History class my sophomore year at Erie Prep I wanted to see and climb the Great Wall of China. (For those scoring at home it took four days in China to use a Prep reference) The rainy day subsided and although quite misty it made for a much cooler hike. The temperature drop was much appreciated by this chubby guy. The Great Wall is even more impressive in person. The fog and mist greatly reduced visibility but did nothing to diminish accomplishment. It was an extremely hard hike up the Wall. The portion of the Great Wall that we visited offers two hiking options. The majority of our group, me included, took the harder but more rewarding choice. Foggy mist literally rolled past us on the higher portions of the wall. After a short pause to rest my legs and curse my lack of healthy choices the last fifteen years we began our descent which was different but no less difficult than the climb up. Once I reached the bottom I enjoyed a well deserved Tsingtao beer. The experience of hiking the Great Wall deadened the aching pains in my knees and calves.

That is quite steep

Pete Down! Pete Down! Give me wings and beer, STAT!

The group then took in a performance that was described to us as the Chinese version of Riverdance. It was called the Legend of Kung Fu performance. It was part martial arts, part ballet, part Broadway, and part folk tale. It was entertaining all the way around.

After the performance we enjoyed a Peking Duck dinner and then fell asleep moments after returning to the hotel. Tomorrow we leave Beijing behind as we take a flight on China Express Airlines to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang Di.

Link to photos from Day 2 in Beijing

Beijing, China, July 7th

The train ride was extremely uneventful, which is a good thing. Jet lag is still a slight problem. Went to bed at 8:45pm and woke up at 4am, with only waking up once in the night. Once I woke up I watched the countryside roll by. It was rural and lush. In a weird way it reminds of the Polish countryside. Green fields with simple structures and people working their tails off. The train was delayed into Beijing so we had to grab breakfast at a KFC. Yes, you read that correctly, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Ironically it is right across the street from Tiananmen Square. Breakfast was not “a bucket of yard bird” but chicken patty somewhat akin to Chick Fil-A.

Walking through Tiananmen Square I was awestruck by the fact that I was walking where all the protests and protest backlash occurred twenty years ago. Wow, twenty years ago, I am getting old. Second, the size and scale of the actual square is hard to describe. Everything in China is so massive and beyond the scale of anything I am used to. Driving through the city all you see is huge apartment buildings. We drove around the city for almost an hour and a half in total at different time during the day and the amount of high rise apartment buildings is staggering. The city is in total preparation mode for the Olympics which are about a month away. It reminds me of when I was getting ready for finals in college. Everything is going to get done, not sure how, but it always did. Same thing for Beijing. In the last year they have added over 17,000 public buses and 70,000 new cabs. Another observation riding around in the bus is the fact that although bikes still play a prominent role automobiles have exploded over here n the last few years. They say that 1,000 cars are purchased in China…, EVERY DAY! You do not really see any old cars on the road. I am not sure how the roads will handle it.

Anyway back to Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen translates to “Gate of Heavenly Peace”. The gate itself is what I took so many pictures of. The Forbidden City is massive; it is the world's largest surviving palace complex and covers 72 ha. It is a rectangle 961 meters from north to south and 753 meters from east to west. It consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms. We walking over three miles and really did not see the whole place. Dragons are everywhere. Dragons enjoy a distinct role for the Chinese. If a dragon is shown with claws only an emperor can have one that displays five claws. Think of it like generals, the more claws the higher the rank. I also took a lot pictures of rooftops with a string of animals on them. The more animals the more important the building is, with nine being the most animals that can be shown.

On the way out of the palace we ran into some school kids who were on the way in. They asked to take pictures of us so we returned the favor. They were thrilled to take pictures with guys like me, read chubby, and the African-American teachers in our group. It was fun. Everyone is so nice and receptive. The west has made their mark here. I saw hundreds of NBA t-shirts and only half were Houston Rocket/Yao Ming related.

I will post more later. I have to run.

Here is link to even more photos.

I will try to indentify the pictures once we get dd the road.

Beijing, China
July 7th continued

After lunch we went to see the Olympic Village. I guess I should first talk a bit about the food and lodging. For anyone worried that I am roughing it here, do not. The food has been excellent, all Chinese style which varies by region. We are staying at some freakishly nice places. The two hotels thus far have been four and five star places. So despite some hot days and lots of walking we are treated vary nice. In fact we have a baggage service to transport our main luggage to and fro so that all we really have to carry is a backpack. The two most famous and impressive venues are the Olympic Stadium or Bird’s Nest and the Aquatics center, the Water Cube. Both are impressive but the Water Cube got more of my attention. It was built with no pillars and the structure gets it form from the “water cells”. The whole Olympic Village is a massive work center. The Bird’s Nest was only finished two weeks ago.

The Bird's Nest
The Water Cube

After seeing all of that, the group went to visit the Emperor’s Summer Palace. It is actually larger in square acres than the Forbidden City but most of it is a lake. The whole grounds are quite lush. There are trees and flowers everywhere. Which is stark contrast to the treeless Forbidden City, due to the fact that the Emperors literally did not want anyplace for attackers to hide behind. After strolling through the gardens amongst the flowers and trees we took a cruise in a dragon’s ship around the lake. It was great to be on the water, sitting, and getting a seaside view of the Summer Palace. One of the more ridiculous things we saw was the marble ship that the Dowager Empress Cixi commissioned to have built. The money was supposed to go to build a navy so that China could defend itself, whoops.

Lilly pond near the lake at the Summer Palace.

Another view of the lake and "part" of the Palace Grounds

After the Summer Palace but before dinner we went to Longtan Park, or Dragon Park in Beijing. Longtan Park is a public park which has walking paths, several playgrounds, and a lake. The park was relaxing and beautiful. We walked around for a while and generally watched people, many of whom watched us. They were preparing for a dragon festival which comes from an old folk custom that commemorates the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. Numbers such as nine and five play such a huge role in the cultural psyche of the Chinese people. I got to watch this older couple either play this game or do a dance, maybe both at the same time. Here is link to the video of it. It looks like table tennis meets tai chi.

At the end of the night we went to our very swanky hotel the Plaza Royale Hotel for a sorely needed shower and much needed sleep.

Shanghai, China, July 6th

First full day in China. Jet lag stung a little but for I almost slept through the entire night. Since we were both up early my roommate and I went for an early morning walk around the hotel this morning before breakfast. The dichotomy of Shanghai is astounding. The pictures you see in the on the link at the bottom of the page are from a walk basically around the block. We went from a four star hotel at the main intersection to people cooking in the streets in about thirty feet. Everyone we saw was extremely nice and had smiles on their faces. Yet, when you turn onto the next main street you see nothing but skyscrapers with Starbucks on the ground floor. You can contrast the pictures of the side streets to the pictures along Nanjing Road which makes the Manhattan and the Miracle mile in Chicago a bit envious.

One of the most funny, brilliant, and enjoyable things Paul, my roommate, and I saw was the UPS …... fan fest, for lack of a better description. To escape the heat, more on that later, we ducked into a mall and saw throngs of Chinese, mostly young packed around demonstrations being done at a UPS booth in the main part of the mall. You could have your picture taken, play a delivery video game, and watch UPS toys load and transport other toys all while dance and techno music cranked in the background. By the way we did all of the things and attracted a rather large crowd, apparently a chubby American is fun to watch.

We spent the day mostly walking around the modern sights of Shanghai. There is not much left of the old stuff and what is left is going to going away soon. This is troubling but understandable considering the a lot of the old stuff was put there by foreign powers who had forced there way into China ports by getting them addicted to Opium. So know the former concessions are now areas where foreigners spend tons a money in China. In fact a few of us decided to forgo shopping for a beer at the Paulaner Pub in the Old French Concession of China. I realize that the previous makes little sense but it is none the less true. That’s where the picture of me and the decidedly ungermanic beer girls came from.

The Yu Garden was also beautiful as advertised but still quite crowded. After the Yu Garden we watched a demonstration of silk making. (I got a few videos so check them out on my Picasa Photo site. After a great lunch, the food is great; we went to a Confucius Temple. It was awesome. The temple had the Analects of Confucius carved on the temple walls. The phrase I took a picture of reads, “Confucius says.” A pretty common phrase.

After dinner we slid over to the over to the train station to take the over night train to Beijing. I can not describe the amount of people at the train station. The massive scene of humanity was unlike anything I had ever seen at a train station, ever. The sleeper train was very nice. It is a non-stop train and only comes to about $75 dollars. I think I was in bed for about ten minutes before I fell asleep.

A couple observations. One, I was totally impressed by cosmopolitan Shanghai. Its development is unlike anything I have ever seen. I am not sure what I expected to see but Shanghai makes New York City look like …, Memphis. I also wonder will happen to the people in the side streets. They seem like their time in the city is running out. Second, Shanghai reached 38.5 degrees Celsius which is about 102 degrees Fahrenheit which incidentally broke a one hundred and fifteen year record for the city. And lastly…, thank god for Gold Bond. Enough said.

Link to photos of Day 2 in Shanghai.

Shanghai, China

Yesterday, a day that was both long and short left me in a fog. We arrived in Shanghai after a 15 plus hour plane trip, direct from Atlanta, at around 2 in the afternoon. After a quick trip through customs and a bus ride downtown I found my self on the rooftop patio for with a beer by 5pm. (Time wise I am 13 hours ahead of Memphis, or Central Standard Time) The flight went much better than I thought. I fell into a rotation of movie, stretching, and then an hour long nap.

We met in the lobby of our extremely nice hotel, HengSheng Peninsula International (four stars!) to head over to the Bund of Shanghai for dinner. Shanghai is a city of anywhere between 18 to 22 million people. The government really wants it to supplant Hong Kong as the financial capital of China. The sky line is more impressive than Manhattan. There are skyscrapers as far as the eye can see in any direction.

So far the people in my group seem great. Everyone is pretty excited about the itinerary and the stuff we will see and do. And after doing some research into the places that we are staying the trip seems to be pretty first rate. I crashed last night around 9:30pm and then woke up around 5ish this morning. Today we have a pretty full day on our plate. We will explore Shanghai in more detail. First we are going to the Bund, then head to the Yu Garden, and then finish with Xintiandi before we take an overnight sleeper train to Beijing.

Upon our arrival to Beijing we will go to Tiananmen Square, Imperial Palace (Forbidden City), the Summer Palace, and then after checking into our hotel, the Plaza Royal Hotel, we will attend the Legend of Kungfu Performance.

Here is a rough map of our group’s travels while in China. (Link)

Pete Panda Bear…., out.

Shangahai, China

I will write more later but I have arrived fine in China. Shanghai is very hot but beautiful. The flight was long but worth it. I will update when I can. We will tour Shanghai a second day Sunday and we take a night train to Beijing. Pete Big bear is now Pete Panda Bear!

Looks like we may have some issues loading photos up to the blog.

Here is a link to a group of photos from the first day in Shanghai

DC Recap - June 23rd to June 27th

Haven’t updated in a while so here is recap of the rest of the time I was in DC. Once SPS kicked in things got real busy for me in Washington.

Monday, June 23rd

Here is a recap of SPS’s day on the ropes course in the woods of Virginia. (Link to Recap). After we got back I taught the first of my case studies in the late afternoon. The case study was on “Lying in Government”. It was ten mini cases meant to introduce students to the case method and look at when/if it is ethical to deceive people while in varying types of public service. Incidentally, I think that the SPS Class of 2008 has at least five ids with perfect board scores, yet another very sharp group. Although looking forward to China I will miss not seeing this group all the way through the month long program. One of my co-workers and fellow history department mates at the “H”, Doc. Barnes, stopped by to observe the program.

The handwritten appeal from Gideon v. Wainwright that won the right for legal representation for defendants unable to afford their own attorneys

After the case study Ryser and Micah picked us up and we jetted to Rockville to a nice restaurant called Addie’s. Doc had a drink with us and heard some “Grubby” stories. Grubby is yet another moniker of Pete’s youth in Erie, Pa. She could only stay for a drink so we dropped her off at the Metro and we continued or loud conversations and story telling. It was great meal and time.

Tuesday and Wednesday, June 24th and 25th

The days were extremely packed with case studies and the prep, research, and adjudication of the Supreme Court Case, District of Columbia v. Heller. For the story of the days academic activities check out the links here and here. Sorry for the laziness but there is no need to recap twice in two different forums.

New Nationals Park in in southeast DC.

Thursday, 26th

I slept in a little today and strolled into the office around 11ish. The students were busy with other case studies. They also were buzzing from the Supreme Court decision of the case they worked the previous day. Here is the story link. After the day in class activities the group made our way down the National Mall for a walking tour of the monuments. It was a good time.

World War II Memorial

Group pic with the Lincoln Memorial in background.

Once the kids were back on the bus I slid over to Norm and Virginia’s place to wait for Brittany to get in from Memphis. Once Britt got picked up from the airport by one of her friends in DC, for those questioning my chivalry I had no car in DC, we went to Clyde’s in Chinatown for a bite to eat and a couple of drinks.

Friday, June 27th

I had a full load today. In the morning the students and I went to the Spy Museum. The students seemed to have a good time. The museum is a BIT commercial but still an enjoyable and educational experience. After a return to Albans and lunch we read and discussed the Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize winning series about the scandal involving the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. For more info NPR has a good series of stories about the subsequent issues after the story broke. The students were appalled by the stories and findings. It should be noted that story although certainly damaging to the Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs really shows the effects of the massive and crippling bureaucracy and how it hurts everyone involved. After the discussion we broke the kids into groups to make recommendations for both short and long term solutions. Ironically they students’ ideas were quite similar to the official findings. Here is an executive summary to peruse if one has the time. The great thing is that the students will get to meet one of the authors of the series of article, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dana Priest. (Pictures of that meeting)

If you want to folow the rest of the events of the program follow the blog on the right of this page.

Photos of the program.

Washington, DC

The students arrived on Sunday. It is always exciting to have new group. The check in was a slow and gradual process. Once everyone had arrived they got there school IDs and unpacked. A few of the staff, me included, were responsible for grilling the food. We grilled burgers, sausages, and some hot dogs. The students mingled amongst themselves and faculty. This year’s event was in the Gregory Courtyard. In addition to the usual student and staff introductions we were entertained by some live bluegrass and blues music. It was a nice event.

The beginning of the check-in process

The sweet musical stylings entertain the group

The students mingle

Washington, DC

After a late rising, the gang assembled at Cantina Marina in southwest along the DC waterfront for some lunch. The sipped cool drinks and enjoyed some great food to the smooth rhythms of some steel drums. We watched the Euro2008 match between Russia and the Netherlands.

Belly up to the bar!

The steel drums, they Jamaica me crazy

The lads then shifted our attention to our own games. Norm, Fran, and I along with Sanko and the Sharon posse went to our nation’s front lawn the National Mall for a furious match of Bocce. (History and Info) After an initial butt kicking the in the first match the boys form Sharon, PA took honors in the second match before leaving for the Nationals game.

The Reds have it
Fran using the "Paducah Plop"

It is a game of inches

The crew

The remaining players returned to “Club Norm” for snacks, drinks, and more corn hole. The corn hole matches were dominated by Norm until Kelly handed it to him in convincing fashion. She was even able to toss four straight corn holes in one turn.

The Capital building at dusk on the way to Norm's place

Pete turned it in relatively early due to fact he actually had to work the next day. The students arrive and SPS begins.

Washington, DC

Made my up to the Albans today for a staff meeting this morning. It was good to see the old staff and meet the new ones. They are a great faculty and better people. We worked/caught until early afternoon. After leaving the Albans I slid downtown for a much needed nap.

When Norm and Virginia got home we headed over to Arlington for Sanko’s 40th birthday celebration at the Quarterdeck. I have been lucky enough to A, get to know Sankt through Billy and Norm over the years, and B, go to his birthday the last two years. Great timing! We gorged ourselves on Crabs and other seafood delights. I good time was had by all. I was able to catch up with many of the DC crew I have gotten to know over the years.

Sanko recieves the gift of adult diapers

The Crab Fest pre-meal

Happy 40th Sanko!

After the “Crab fest” the bulk of the group returned to Norm’s porch for conversation, spirits, and corn hole.

View from Norm's condo patio

If you would like to view more photos of summer shenanigans.

Washington, DC

I arrived in DC this afternoon, love the direct flight, around 11:45am. I ran into a professor from my days at Rhodes who was also on the flight. Dr. Nelson was heading down to UVA for symposium on the American Presidency, one of the areas of his expertise. We had a nice discussion as we waited for our luggage. After I snagged my luggage I took the Metro to Albans to finish the last of my paperwork for the program. Once I finished with that I hung out in the office helping with a few last minute items then I went to go meet Norm and Virginia at there place downtown.

The kids do not arrive until Sunday so I have a few to days to take in the fun of DC before I have to actually “work”. After I dropped off my stuff at Norm’s I walked down to Billy’s office to meet up and walk over to “our” softball game. This summer marks my fourth year with the Ugly Mugs. For better or worse for the Mugs I am only playing in one game due to my crazy summer schedule. In the year since I have played the team has apparently been busy. The team fan base includes a few more toddlers and even one on the way. To copy a phrase heard earlier in the evening, “Apparently a few couples “pulled the goalie” and the team expanded.”

In the end, Pete took the mound and the loss as the Ugly Mugs went down 13 to 8. We played on the mall which made for better views and worse playing conditions. One nice thing was that the President’s Marine Corps band was playing about a hundred yards away so we got to hear, “From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli as we were at bat.

View of the mall from the ballfield

Billy at bat

Despite the loss the several members of the Ugly Mugs were ease their sorrows with a few beers and several mini-burgers and pizza rolls our sponsor bar. Even little Isabella, Billy and Mandy’s first daughter was able to join us for a brief appearance. Norm, Rex, and I stayed for a few more beers to dissect the game and develop strategy for future games.

Isabella gives me her best "Blus Steel" look.

Norm and retired to his abode to play a few games of “corn hole”. Due to his numerous corn hole expertise I was only able to manage one win that night but since it was the last game of the evening my spirit was buoyed.

One of the few times I scored a point

Memphis, TN

I have been working on an application for a study tour of Japan and China in this fall. It seems like a great program, specifically because it would allow my students to partner up with students in China and Japan. The application was long but it was worth the effort. The program would not cost me or the school a dime, the students would benefit, and I would get to travel:)

The rest of the week I got ready for DC and just caught up with friends. Weiss, Brittany, and I went to Soul Fish Café for dinner. It is one of my favorite places that I do not get to enough. It has one of my favorite sandwiches, the Cuban. Very yummy.

Heading to DC for little over a week to visit friends and teach at the St. Albans School of Public Service. The last three summers I have worked with that program and this year they were nice enough to have teach for a week before I head off to China.

Group photo of SPS at Meet the Press

View of St. Albans School

Memphis, TN

Quick updates on the goings on of Pete. It was great to see Brittany when I got back from the road. She made a great dinner for me. It is going to be tough when I go away to China.

The week back in Memphis was spent sleeping in and hanging out. Some of the highlights were a trip to the new Blue Monkey downtown. I love the new Monkey; it has been a long time for the place to open/re-open. When the old downtown Monkey burnt down it was sadly missed. I love Beale Street but it can be over the top at times. I love the feel of the new Blue Monkey. Brittany and I went with a couple of friends and had a great time.

It is sometimes better not to ask

After spending some days vegging out on the couch watching TV and reading up on China. Later on in the week we went to the rooftop party at the Peabody. It was a beautiful night and we all had a great time. I went with Brittany and some of our friends. I ran into one of my old students from my first year at SBA. She finished her Masters and started working as a counselor at Youth Villages, my old workplace. I guess I am getting old.

Hanging on the rooftop at the Peabody

View of Autozone Park from the roof of the Peabody

The weekend was spent hanging out with friends. Brittany and I hung out Truk and Kath and had a good time catching up and just shooting the breeze. On Saturday we grabbed some ribs at the Rendezvous and then some drinks at Silky’s. I was good spending some time with the old gang. I love my summer of travel but I do miss spending time with my friends in the summer.

Tusky enjoying a drink at Silky's

Tim Russert Passed away today, he is one of my heroes.

My heart is heavy for your family.
Let the Q and A begin in heaven
God Speed Mr. Russert.

What irony. On the weekend in America when we honor our nation’s fathers we lost a great example of one. As a history teacher and follower of politics, Meet the Press is one of my favorite TV shows. Tim Russert’s preparation and execution of the Question and Answer for the weekly news show was unparalleled. During a time when politics have become more partisan than any time in recent history, Mr. Russert was the epitome of even handed and fair minded.

In both of his books and more importantly in his daily life the love of being a father to his son Luke, and loving his father, Big Russ was perfectly clear. I have been blessed to be able to have seen first hand in the Washington, DC bureau the filming of two episodes of Meet the Press with Tim Russert with students from St. Albans School of Public Service. On both occasions Mr. Russert took time to answer EVERY question these bright young people had for him. It was clear from each and every response he gave that he took his job very seriously and loved every minute of it.

As much as he enjoyed talking about politics there was a gleam in Mr. Russert’s eyes when he would talk about his family, specifically his father and son. Both times I heard him speak he talked about how during his preparation for the show he would ask questions his dad would want to know. He learned his values from his Dad, a WWII veteran with a 10th grade education who worked two jobs, trash man and truck driver.

Mr. Russert was everyman, which is why so many people tuned into his show. The stories he told in his fantastic book, Big Russ and Me, helped me more deeply appreciate my father and grandfathers. I feel honored to have met him. Mr. Russert would always make time for the kids of the program I worked with, a program where young people were spending a month in Washington, DC to study and learn about public service for our great country. One of the students once asked Mr. Russert what advice he gave his son as he went off to college at Boston College. The response he gave was simple as it was sage. Here is what Mr. Tim Russert, late moderator of Meet the Press, Buffalo Bills fan, husband, son, and father told his son, “Study hard, laugh often, and never lose your honor.” Advice we can all live by.

Mr. Russert, Happy Fathers Day. Let the questions and answer sessions begin in Heaven.

John Stephany Jr.

Here are some links to some posts I have done related to Russert.

Atlanta, Ga

While the rest of the family went to earn money and return to contributing members of the nation’s economy I watched the Today show and read the paper. Now for those worried about my sloth some ways I did contribute. I took Amy’s car in for an oil change and tire rotation. Owen picked me up we ate some Mexican for lunch. When the car was done I rolled over to an area of Atlanta called Little Five Points to walk around and explore.

After work I met Owen at the house and we picked up Emily and Amy and went for a walk in Piedmont Park. The park has a very interesting history. It seems that in this park the historic college rivalries of Georgia/ Georgia Tech and Georgia/Auburn were born with early games in the park. It even has ties to New York’s Central Park. We had a very nice walk around the park and then grabbed some dinner at an eatery near the park.

Peidmont Park in downtown Atlanta.

Owen, Amy, and Emily

Around 8:30 in the evening Owen and decided to head over to Home Depot to buy a shed for their back porch. The place closed at 9pm but luckily for us there is one Home Depot for every three square miles in Atlanta, OK slight hyperbole but there a lot of them. We founf the one he wanted and bought it. Slight problem was the fact that there was no way the box was gong to fit in Owen’s Forerunner. So being the problem solvers we are we took all the parts out of the box and shoved them in the back of the car. They did not exactly fit but we were able to get them to the house with only moderate risk posed to the great Atlanta community. It was one of the Rubbermaid shed so we were able to put it together in two beers.

Dangerously packed auto.

Engineering greatness.

Another great visit with Owen and his expanding family. Woke up on Tuesday morn and walked over to a coffee shop, sorry Tusky and Baruch, near the MARTA stop near their neighborhood. I then took the MARTA to the airport and back home to the “M” town.

Erie, Pa to Atlanta, Ga

Travel day. Woke up in Erie, Pa and hit the highway for the Akron/Canton airport. Dad was nice enough to give me a ride to the airport. We had a nice chat on the way. Although I do spend a lot of time with the rents it is nice to get some quiet talking time in with the old man. The flight was quick and pleasant. I was heading to Atlanta to hang out with my old college friend and roommate, Owen and Amy, his wife, along with the newest member of the family, nearly four month old, Emily.

When I arrived in Atlanta I made my way to the MARTA, Atlanta’s mass transit rail system. It was easy to find and use. An added bonus is the fact that MARTA drops me off less than a mile from Owen’s house. I knew there was change in the air when Owen picked me up at the station and his backseat contained a baby seat. I guess we are all growing up.

Once we got to the house I got to meet Emily. She is cute as a button. An added bonus was the fact the Owen’s Mom was there. Not only was it good to see here but it allowed Owen and Amy to go out for the night without a specific time restraint. Every time I get to Nashville I try to stop at her house for a visit. They have put me up for the night to numerous times to count. I even stayed there with my Mom for a few weeks when I was recovering from bad wreck over a decade ago, (Has it been that long?)

Emily, chllin' with Dad.

Nan and Emily sporting their shades

We had an awesome night. The first stop was at Charles and Angie’s house, college friends, to have dinner and watch the Belmont Horse race. Big Brown had a chance to win the Triple Crown, but greatly disappointed and finished in dead last. He had been hurt recently so it was not a total shock. After watching the horse race we went to see the Atlanta Braves take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Turner Field. Although the hometown Braves lost, it was a fun game. We had great seats and Chipper Jones, who is solidly hitting over .400 hit a home run to the delight of the home fans.

Turner Field

After the game we went to a downtown bar in the Glenn Hotel. The hotel has a rooftop bar that had a spectacular view of downtown Atlanta. Angie had read about a few weeks ago and she and Charles highly recommended the spot. We had a great time telling old stories and filling each other up on new ones. These folks in Atlanta are some of my favorite people. The all are just so genuine.

The rooftop bar atGlen Hotel.

The gang hangs out on the roof.

After we dropped of Charles and Angie the rest of us went to our favorite (mine and Owen’s, not so much Amy’s) late night dining establishment, Krystals. The K Burgers worked their magic and sleep ensued, A great time with great people.

Sweet, Sweet, Krystals..., mmmmh!