Indian River, MI to Detroit to Lima, OH
Saturday, July 28

Keri and I were pretty much all packed up last night so getting away was pretty easy. We met the rest of the Kerr family at Paula’s this magnificent diner round the corner from our cabins and close to the highway. During a quick but filing breakfast we did the last bit visiting and said good-byes. It had been way to long since I had last seen this part of the family. HAVE to do this more.

On the road again. “Old Grey”, my Honda, headed down US-75 to Detroit to drop the sis off at the airport; were she caught her flight back to Chicago. It was great getting to hang with the sis for the last few days. I’m glad she is soooo happy in Chicago, but I really miss having her around. We drive each other nuts at times but nobody else “gets” each other better. I particularly enjoyed Keri’s literal dance moves, yes I said dance moves, choreographed to her Barry Manilow and power ballad laden iPod. Great entertainment on the drive through Michigan. A successful drop off was made to DTW and Pete was solo again.

I stopped off in Findlay, OH to get gas and snap a couple of photos of Findlay University. My grandpa Steph briefly attended here before his dad, my Great-Grandpa George got him a job in the mill. That seems crazy now by during that time a job at the mill was tough to come by and pretty much guaranteed you a good job with a solid wage for the rest of your working days. Findlay is a nice little town and had cheap gas, $2.56. Did you ever think someone would read a sentence like the previous one and have it actually make sense?

University of Findlay

Once I got into Lima Grandma and Grandpa Kerr took me and Aunt Nancy for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Aunt Nancy is actually Grandpa’s younger sister and technically my Mom’s aunt but she has and always will be Aunt Nancy to me. The place was packed but the wait was not bad. I had a tasty Prime Rib. It was so good to see everyone. We were all pretty tired so after returning home and catching up we all called it a night. I really needed a quiet evening and got it.

The Strugeon River

Bonfire Fun
Grandparents and Lilly
Jimmy, Lilly, Brian, Scott, and Erin

Indian River, MI
Thursday, July 26th and Friday, July 27th

I can gloriously report little action happened these two days. The previous statement is by no means anything derogatory, in fact the polar opposite. The mornings entailed late sleep in times punctuated by large hearty northern Michigan breakfasts with family and friends. Everyone is free to do what they please each hour of the day. I napped more in the last week than I had the previous two months combined.

I spent Thursday afternoon reading by the Sturgeon River and then catching up on this journal. I grabbed some excellent pizza at a place called Vivio’s. Keri and I went out with our cousins Erin and Bri, their husbands Scott and Jimmy, Scott’s parents, and Bri’s daughter Lilly. The conversation was hilarious and we all had great time. Scott’s order was screwed up which allowed Bri to channel her anger and the rest off us to lovingly mess with Scott. After pizza we scored some killer ice cream and then we all hung out around the campfire shooting the breeze. I’ve been doing more laughing than usual the last few days and that’s a lot for anyone who knows me. I can not begin to explain how nice everyone is up here. Yes, the people of Indian River but especially Erin and Bri’s cousins on their Mom’s side. Although we are essentially cousin tag a longs from the other side of the family, you would never know it by how well we are treated.

Friday, was unofficially dubbed Manfest 2007, with the bulk of the rainy day spent playing Texas Hold’em. I doubt this will shock anyone but I am quite lousy at cards. Although my skill is low my enjoyment is high and therefore like playing. The stakes were high, $5 each. I was out first and therefore had the job of getting pizza. This is a task I am well suited for. These are my people in this part of the country; they really know how to eat. Big portions, lots of carbs, and plenty of butter.

This past week in Michigan has been the perfect way for me to end my summer and begin the drive back to Memphis. I’ll be taking the drive in stages. The only certainty is Lima, OH for a visit with my Grandma and Grandpa Kerr and others from my mom’s side of the family.

Indian River, MI
Wednesday, July 25th

I slept in till 9am then met my Aunt Linda and Uncle Gary for breakfast at this great spot around the corner from the cabins we stay in. The living quarters break down like this. “Adults” stay at the Stargate Motel up the Road and “young people” stay in cabins along the Sturgeon River. The terms in quotation marks are not well defined and very open to interpretation.

After breakfast I napped, because as many of you know eating breakfast is hard. I woke around 1pm and prepared for a day tubing excursion. Then I napped. I woke up and went to Paula and Kent’s house a ways up the road, actual directions given, had dinner. It was a glorious cookout spread with your basic charred fleshes and lots of nummy fixins's from the other food groups such as bread, dessert, and snack food groups. After dinner I went home and napped, if you are wondering a definitive trend has developed.

After the nap we had a costume party. Each night in the cabins along the river there is a goal or theme. One night each year there is a costume party. The theme this year was movie characters. The costumes can not cost over ten dollars to assemble. There were some great costumes. Some of the better ones were Spiderman, the Reno 911 police department, Baby from Dirty Dancing, Joe Dirt, and Tom Cruise from the volleyball scene in Top Gun. I went as “the Dude” from the movie, the Big Lebowski. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Between the napping, tubing, cook outs, and costume parties my decision to come up here was a sound choice.

Amherst, OH to Ann Arbor, MI to Indian River, MI
Tuesday, July 24th

I was on the road again after a very pleasant morning conversation and coffee session with the Volberts. If I had stayed any longer I would have to be treated for a caffeine overdose. I took off north as I hit the ninth state of my summer journey. I occupied the drive catching up on podcasts of the NPR show Fresh Air. I listened to six episodes with topics such peace efforts in the Middle East, the Supreme Court, national health care, and the adoption of Chinese girls by American parents. All of them extremely informative and the time passed by quite quickly.

I stopped in Ann Arbor, can’t resist the siren call of a college town, for lunch. I ate a little dive called the Red Hawk Lounge. It was a pleasant meal and then I went to a park in downtown Ann Arbor and took a cat nap on park bench. For those in the worry wart camp I was drawn to the location by college students doing the same thing. It was quite refreshing.

After the nap I was back on road to Indian River which is at the very tip “on the hand part” of Michigan. If you take your flat right hand and put it palm up that represents Michigan minus the Upper Peninsula. If that is your “map” of Michigan then Indian River is the crease of your middle finger closest to the tip of your hand. I was first exposed to Indian River through when my cousin Erin, daughter of my mother’s brother, got married here last year. Unbeknownst to me, Erin’s mom family, the Daubenshires have been coming to Indian River for well over twenty years. Keri and I had a ton of fun here last year so we came back. I got her around 6pm and I within three hours I was on a night tubing cruise down the Sturgeon River. This family knows how to get things done. All who left on the cruise returned, just not in the same shape.

View from the cabin

Cousins with their daughters on the swing

Erie, PA to Amherst (west of Cleveland), OH
Monday, July 23rd

I woke up this morning and headed over to Calvary Cemetery to visit my Grandpa’s gravesite. I said a prayer, shed a couple tears, snapped a photo and took off. He was a great Grandpa, I was blessed with two. In a society where many people do not get to know their grandparents, I was able to grow up with both sets being an integral part of my life. This is and increasingly diminishing part of American life.


After that I went over to Grandma Steph’s place at St. Joseph’s home. St. Joseph’s is this cozy independent living retirement home. She loves living there. I know the place well because my high school practice field sits behind it. My high school is in downtown Erie and therefore land locked, many of practice fields were scattered around the city. I remember that during practice the folks from St. Joe’s would set up chairs outside the fence and watch practice. During the hot practices our coaches had us take water over to our fans. I remember one lady who would all yell, “Get um boys!!!” as we took off in the team bus to our games.


I had a great visit with G-Ma as she shared stories and remembrances. Her mind is sharp as ever, as evidence of the nearly completed crossword puzzle that my visit interrupted. We talked about family and travels. A great example of hoe cool the adoption story of Christopher and AJ from last post is that my G-Ma Steph says that the little ones are one of the reasons she feels she is still living at 90 years young. Another reason this is a great story is that because my recently deceased Grandpa Steph was an only child and really did not like it at all. As a result family was very important to him and my Grandma Steph. Well as tribute to him his family now number five sons and daughters, fifteen grandchildren, and now three great grandchildren with another on the way. We live across the country and we all keep in touch. I hang out with my cousins who now live in Memphis. My cousin Greg, who has sailed around the world, is staying with my sis in Chicago before he sets sail on another adventure. We are family not just in name but spirit as well. No bad for an only child.

After my visit I went back to Aunt Sue and Uncle Dave’s house for a nap and laundry. Aunt Sue was nice enough to make chocolate cookies for my drive to Cleveland. I took off and had an uneventful trip to my Godparents, Len and Jean Volbert, who live just west of Cleveland in Amherst, Ohio. Mr. Volbert was the head basketball coach at Lima Central Catholic and coached football with my Dad when got hired by LCC out college. They basically too care of him. Whenever I get near Cleveland I try to stop for a visit. When I got there we went to dinner at Outback. I updated them of my travels and caught me up on their family things. We always have a pleasant visit. Each time I visit I get let in on a new story of my father’s early career or the courtship of my mother. The stories remind me of my early days at SBA. As a testimony to Mr. Volbert’s impact as an educator and coach he still gets invited to all the class reunions from the days he was at LCC.

Erie, PA
Sunday, July 22nd

Another relaxing and fun day in the home town. I got up and met G-Ma and Uncle Billy for 9am mass at St. Jude. I typically like to hit the home Parish, Blessed Sacrament, but G-Ma Steph likes St. Jude, so when you are 90 years old you get to basically do whatever you want. It was a solid sermon, increasingly rare these days. After mass we joined Matt, Aunt Sue, and Uncle Dave, for breakfast at Perkins. There was great conversation while we all happily stuffed ourselves.

The Bixby Bowl or as locals call it “the house that Steph built”

Don’t all grade schools have their own football field with a field house?

After breakfast we all took our separate ways. I headed to the Jack and Judy Bestwick’s to visit. They are the parents of Amy whose family I stayed with in Virginia a week earlier. As I mentioned in an earlier post our families go way back. What I did not mention is that during his coaching days Jack was widely considered the best football coach in the area. He is in every local and state Hall of Fame possible. His teams at Fairview High School were some of the best in area history. What is noteworthy is that Fairview was not some blue collar school district that was featured in the movie, All the Right Moves. It was an affluent school district. Mr. Bestwick was the ultimate motivator; he got everything he could out of a demographic of athletes who stereotypically are not the most motivated.

I had wonderful and legendary coaches growing up, who I learned a lot from. But I learned how to coach from watching Mr. Bestwick when I tagged along with my dad to their practices. Coaching skills from practice organization to breaking down game film were gleaned from those early years. All that being said, Jack and his wife Judy are even better people and are great friends to my family. At their house we hung out and caught up as we watched Sergio Garcia give up the British Open championship to Padraig Harrington of Ireland. My guess is that a few pints of Guinness were consumed in pubs of Ireland in celebration, not as the Irish really need another excuse to enjoy their most famous export.

Auditorium Entrance
Main entrance

I spent the rest of the day floating around Erie. I took a lot of pictures. Most were of my old grade school, Blessed Sacrament, and of course Erie Cathedral Prep. I also went down to dock located on the Bay of Erie. I enjoyed a couple of pints of Mad Anthony Ale, a local Erie brew named after US Army General Anthony Wayne who was stationed at Fort Presque Isle, which later became Erie, during the Northwest Indian War. It was one of the fantastic Erie summer days. The summer weather in Erie as good the winter weather is bad.

Sailing on the bay

One of the random pictures I took was looked like a small wooded lot. What you did not see was this place was “Harvard Lot”. I grew on Harvard Road and this lot was no longer than a hundred feet from my house. On that hallowed field epic athletic battles took place. We played some waffle ball there but the field was mostly used for football and in my neighborhood there was only tackle football not this silly touch variety. What made the battles there particularly legendary was the fact that to score a touchdown you did simply go one length of the field. One field length was simply a first down. We usually played three to four lengths of the field for a touchdown. What does that mean? No breakaway touchdowns. If you got away from someone they could rest a second and have a chance to get you on the way back. We played in all weather. The best games were after the first snowfall. It was fun because you could see blood stained snow.

There is no telling how many games were played here in the years of my youth. You learned to defend yourself by giving and taking hits. I guess the difference between youth then and now is that we regulated ourselves. There was no league that our mommies and daddies would run. You played because you wanted to play. This made a better athletes and better people. Off the top of my head there were at least seven kids from our five block radius who played some sport in college in the years I lived there. Although degrees don’t necessarily make the man but more impressively my friends in the neighborhood tallied; One PhD, two JDs, and four Masters Degrees. I could not imagine growing up in another neighborhood and being anywhere close to the same person I am today. Incidentally, the wooded part of Harvard Lot became an excellent area for harmless make out sessions with girlfriends as that equally perilous game stole some of our attention in later years.

Erie, PA
Sunday, July 22nd

I met the rest of the family for dinner at Hoss’s to celebrate Dena’s, my cousin Jeff’s wife, Birthday. This was a lot of fun as the family engaged in our typical self deprecating humor. We ate a ton and laughed more. What was great was the fact that Dena and Jeff got their real present a couple of months ago, their son AJ.

In the last two months both Jeff and Dena and Julies and Mike before them adopted children. Folks these two kids are cute as the day is long. And more importantly two young kids got to go two loving families who desperately wanted children. This is how it is supposed to work. I’m not even going to touch the political aspect of abortion, the fringes of both sides make confuse rather than help, but in a perfect world this is how it should work. Two birth moms loved their kids so much they realized that someone else was better able to raise their kid. Because of their loving choice to have their respective babies, two kids get a better life and two couples get to be parents. So many people want kids. There has to be a better way to figure the whole abortion thing out than the politicians are doing now. I am critical of both sides of the argument. I see how happy my cousins and their families are right now. The cool thing is that both of these guys, AJ and Christopher, get to grow up and share their extended families and their own adoptions stories together.

Most of the clan at dinner
Dena feeding AJ
Christopher Boam

Erie, PA
Saturday, July 21st

I woke up and went to my cousin Matt’s softball tourney. The tournament was the Pennsylvania modified pitch softball championship. If you were wondering, modified pitch rules in essence state that the pitching can be as fast as the pitcher can “bring it” but the are limitations to their motion, which limits the spin and therefore decreases the difficulty of the pitch to hit. He plays with a bunch of guys who vary in age from Matt, who is 18, to guys in their early forties. It is pretty competitive and fun to watch. The tourney was double elimination and all the games were going to be at two fields on the east side of Erie.

Every town has their direction driven demarcations of what is the good and bad parts of the city. Most of them take on a pejorative of some sort. Well in Erie that is the “East side”. Well that is the “old neighborhood” for my family. Now mind you when my dad was growing up the east side was simply the blue collar part of town where most of the folks were only one or two generations removed from a trip from Europe. They all had great manufacturing jobs at the machine shops, steel mills, and of course the paper mill, which was the largest employer in Erie and where all of males in family worked for at one time or another. Well as those jobs went away the neighborhoods suffered. My first residence in Erie was the house that my parents rented from and eventually bought from my grandparents. Over the last few years their have been some attempts to revive the area but with the mill gone and little prospect for solid jobs that is a difficult task. We moved from the east side when I was in the first grade.

After the first game I went to visit with my cousin Jules and her husband Mikey Boam. They were having a garage sale so we just kind of hung out for about an hour before I went back to the east side to meet up with Aunt Sue and Uncle Dave for lunch. On Aunt Sue’s excellent suggestion we went to a place called Clancy’s on East Avenue. The place dates back to the 1800’s. The wood work is excellent and the ceiling has the old school tin tiles on it. There was tons of great stuff on the wall. The original owners were German and then eventually through different owners it became Clancy’s. The current owners are friends of the family. Mr. Lundstrom is about my dad’s age and he bought about fifteen years ago when the paper mill shut down and he like thousands of others lost their jobs. Mr. Lundstrom’s dad worked with my Grandpa Stephany at the mill. The three of us shared a pitcher and had sandwiches. I chose the pizza sub. Although certainly not unique to Erie, Pa this culinary delight is certainly done quite well here and Clancy’s version is certainly no exception. Mr. Lundstrom came out from the kitchen and hung out for a while as he and my uncle Dave shared stories of life on the East side and the mill days.

A picture of Clancy's from the early 1900's

Clancy's today

After our lunch we went to Matt’s next game which was played at Roman Blaszczyk Field. Not sure who this was but it shows the heavy Polish influence on the east side of Erie. The group that had it dedicated to Roman “let’s buy a vowel” Blaszczyk was the Moniuszko Club of Erie, one of the many polish clubs on the east side. Matt’s team lost a close game where the umpires lost control of the game. The team, Parker Pools, is sponsored by a woman named Shirley who in addition to keeping the book provides a substantial food spread after each and every game. Her husband passed away years ago and the team has become “her boys”.

Evidence of the Polish influence on Erie's east side

Shirley and "her boys"

For dinner, yes more food, I had a heated combination sub from Theresa’s Deli. A visit to Erie that doesn’t include a stop here simply did not happen. One time I risked missing a flight out of Erie to grab a combo sub. I was eating it during my layover in Detroit and a guy came and asked me, “Are you from Erie?” I responded affirmatively and he subsequently said, “That has to be a Theresa’s sub, man I haven’t had one of those in years.” Suffice to say the sammies are good luvin’. I took a “nap” for a couple hours. Not really sure you can call it a nap when you go to bed at 7pm. As requested Aunt Sue woke me up around 9:30pm so I could over to another cousin’s house, Jon and his wife Lisa. They just moved into a new house about a week ago and it is quite nice. They are expecting their first child in January. I have to say that all of my cousins have married people who are over the top, sick, twisted, hilarious, and really out of control. They REALLY fit in well with out family.

Washington, DC to Erie, PA
Friday, July 20th

I knew it was time to leave DC because as I was ready to walk out of room the maintenance crew knocked and said that they needed my bed. Talk about closure. I grabbed some coffee from the cafeteria and hit the road. The drive is relatively easy, especially with the PA turnpike. It amounts to about five and a half hours. My iPod was on the fritz so I listened to CD’s and talked on the phone. Both items helped me pass time on the road. The last three years that I have left DC I have felt like I did not thank people enough. Realizing that although my work schedule was quite busy I was able to get to do a lot of things and see a great deal of people. I regret not getting out to Graham’s house, I could have spent more time with friends, and there were a lot of people I did give proper good byes to. Nobody is perfect, especially me, who at best is interestingly flawed.

Why do people put crap like this in/on the back of their cars?

Upon arriving in Erie, the town of my youth, I headed to the McGarrey’s Oakwood Tavern in my old neighborhood. In addition to having the BEST Reuben’s known to man it was also the location to countless end of the season parties from youth baseball, football, and basketball teams. The beer is cold and cheap and the food is great. Besides the reuben sandwich, it almost pains me to write that, the perch sandwich is the next most well known menu item. I met my Uncle Dave, the father of Alexis, Buff, and Matt the other Memphis Stephanys, for a beer. It was decided to have a small cook out at their place. I picked up Grandma at the family catering place and went to Uncle Dave and Aunt Sue’s for burgers and Smith hot dogs. If in the next few posts that relate to Erie you sense a gastrointestinal theme you are right. When one gets back to Erie there are certain spots and foods that must be attended to. The weather was quite mild in fact I was chilly outside for the first since last April in Memphis. We had a great time catching up.

Random Post - Warning very immature!!!

Topic - Poop Dollar
This is easily the most immature activity I engaged in the entire time I was in DC. For anyone who knows me…, I loved it. What does it entail? As the name implies the two necessary ingredients are poop and a dollar bill. The third ingredient is implied, a group of idiots. Here is the game as described and demonstrated to me. A strategic location is chosen for its proximity to drunken people walking home and the ability to watch the location in stealth. The pile of dog poop, preferably large, is placed in rather plain view. A dollar bill is placed/wedged on top of the pile of dung so the currency can not move unless altered by drunken human greed. The dollar bill obscures the view of the dog poop so all that the drunk sees is the dollar. A location frequented by drunken walkers is key because their senses of judgment and smell are weakened. When the drunk picks up the bill the group jumps out, points excitedly, and yells at the top of their lungs, “POOP DOLLAR!!! POOP DOLLAR!!!” and runs away before the victim realizes the implications of the fecal stained transaction. It is quite juvenile and quite fun. Who taught me this? All I will say is that is was not Norm. I would have guessed him also.

For anyone who wanted a visual

Washington, DC

Wednesday, July 18th
I rode back into town with Ryser. It only confirms to me that if I ever move to DC I will not live in the suburbs and taking it up a notch, probably will not own a car. Nothing against the burbs I just do not have the patience for traffic. After returning to Albans I began packing in earnest. I had to catch up on laundry and pack in two ways. I needed to pack stuff that I will not touch again until Memphis. I also needed a bag that I will operate from for the next two weeks. I did not do that at the beginning of the trip and it caused me some problems.

After getting stuff ready I took the Metro’s Orange line out to Fairfax to meet with the old family friends. Amy is the daughter of my parents’ best friends in Erie, the Bestwicks. Amy and her husband, Marc and their two sons Jack and Evan live in Virginia out past Dulles Airport in Aldie, VA. Our two families go way back to when my Dad taught German and coached football for Amy’s Dad. Our family’s relationship continued even though my dad left teaching twenty seven years ago. We have taken family vacations and spent numerous holidays together. Amy picked me up from the metro stop and we headed out to their house.

Besides hanging out with the whole family one of the most fun things was going to Jack’s baseball practice with Marc. One of Jack’s baseball leagues has a great way of handling early baseball. The kids are only one year removed from T-ball so their skills are not that developed. What they do is take the kids, 30 are signed up to with only 20 to 25 showing up on regular basis, and they split them into two groups on two fields. Different dads run drills with the groups and then they play a very informal three inning game. The kids rotate positions and everyone gets to hit. It is so rational that I was sure what to do. There was not any of the over the top parent competitiveness that usually accompanies youth baseball. I jumped in the fray and ran the infield drills for one of the groups. It was a blast. I really miss coaching baseball and that age seems natural to coach. The kids seem to have the most fun, which IS the whole point.

Evan and Jack prepare for the morning commute

When we returned home we had a fantastic meal. I am so spoiled. After eating and hanging out Jack showed me how to play the Wii video game, it was a lot of fun. I only briefly got into video games in high school, not really my style but if I had one I could get used to a Wii. In the end I’m way t cheap to buy one of those, besides it would cut into my beer drinking time. Unacceptable. Marc and had a few beers and shot the bull. It was a great visit, so glad I did it.

Thursday, July 19th
Marc gave me a ride to the Metro and headed back to Albans. I loaded up the car with everything except a day bag for the drive. It is weird not knowing if I will be back at the program next year. I suspect I will.

I then took the bus down to Adams Morgan/U District to meet Todd for a few beers. He has a great little place right off the bus line. We went to Stetson’s, a great little dive around the corner for a few beers. I have really enjoyed getting to know Todd he is fun guy. He is coming through Memphis in about month on a cross country trip. My guess is that a few beers will be consumed. Norm met me there and Pete was handed off to the next bar hopping partner.

The patio bar of Local 16

Norm and went basically next door to a place called Local 16 for supper. Another great meal was consumed along with a few beers. The place has great atmosphere, especially its rooftop bar and patio. My idea for an early take off quickly and realistically went the way of the Do-Do bird. From Local 16 we went downtown to meet Bannach and Fran at Rocket Bar for shuffle puck and drinks. It was a great send off from DC.

When you get a chance to wear a fake mustache you do it.

The shuffle puck master at Rocket Bar

Washington, DC

Sunday, July 15th - Tuesday, July 17th
Rather than try to update each day I’m going to try to catch up on the goings on of Pete since the School of Public Service has ended. The rest of the wek is coming

Sunday, July 15th
After a rather lazy morning and day for Pete the faculty and staff got together for a program debriefing in the afternoon. The goal is to go over all the information from the exit interviews that were conducted on Friday. The session went well with some great suggestions for next year. After the session there was cook out in one of the courtyards of the St. Albans. The cook out included steaks, brats, burgers, corn, and potato salad on the side. The cookout was a great way to end the program.

Monday, July 16th
Spent the day lounging around DC. In a way it seemed like two days. I woke up this morning around 5:30am and drove down to the Lincoln Memorial to watch the sunrise. Yes, I know a bit cheesy but it was well worth the early wake up call. It is nice to be there when it has virtually no other people. Sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, watching the sun rise, while drinking a cup of coffee, awesome. I went back to Albans pretty soon after sunrise to beat any traffic and went back to bed.

After knocking around I met Norm, Virginia, Fran, and Norm’s Mom and friend fro a couple of drinks at the Hotel Monaco in downtown DC. The Monaco is where Norm and Virginia’s wedding will be. It looks like a great place for a wedding and the location is ideal. After drinks we went back to Fran’s, a block and half up the street, for dinner. Fran outdid himself. The menu; steamed mussels in a tarragon cream sauce, broiled potatoes, and crab cakes. The food was scrumptious. We hung out and had a few drinks. Another great night.

Tuesday, July 17th
Tuesday was a great day. Woke up late and spent the morning drinking coffee and reading the Washington Post. After seeing Amelia, a fellow SPS staff member, off for the summer Todd, Hilary, Melissa, and I went to lunch at the Tombs down in Georgetown. I went there earlier in the summer for beers and wanted to eat there at least once. I made quick work of my roasted turkey club with red onions and avocado. We saw Melissa off as she headed back to Richmond, Va.

Hilary dropped me off at the Metro where I timed my meeting with Ryser perfectly to head to her and Micah’s place in Germantown, MD for dinner. While Ryser and Micah did a conference call for a project they are working on I went to the grocery to pickup Micah’s supplies for the meal. I followed Micah’s orders and chopped some stuff up and then got out of the way. The menu; Cucumber Soup, served chilled, BBQ Burgers, a Ryser family recipe, and homemade strawberry and rhubarb pie with ice cream. The crust was made with about a stick of butter. Got to love the French style cooking. Billy and Amanda drive out to have diner with us. The food was incredible. I am quickly becoming very spoiled in the culinary area of my life.

What I enjoy the most about my month stint in DC is getting to do precisely this stuff. I get to hang out with two of my best friends from high school. We have known each other over twenty two years. I always leave DC wishing I had more time to hang out with all of them. On top of all that both Ryser and Billy married incredible people. They do not come much better than Micah and Amanda. Days like this are why I look forward to DC and miss it when I’m gone.

Washington, DC
Saturday, July 14th

Mixed emotions. This is really the only way to describe the day. This morning kids started leaving as early as 6:45am and the last one left around 6:30pm. The difficult thing for the students is that the process takes so long. Every couple of hours someone else left. If everyone just left at once then it would have just been one tramatic experience not a series of then. In the end it was time for everyone to go home. Although I enjoyed every minute of the program I was looking forward to having time to myself without a schedule or students to supervise. I was sad to see the kids go. They were a special bunch.

Each time that I finish a program like this one I always wonder whether if it will be my last time. This was my third year with the program and I have learned a great deal. I have a great deal of time before I have to decide anything one way or another but I need to figure out if I will beack next year. The nice thing is that they definitely want me back. Why not, I love DC in the summer and learn something new each year. I get to see friends that I normally do not see and on a regular basis. On the other hand what else is out there? Is there another program that I can do? Maybe I just need to spend a summer doing nothing. Other teachers do that, why shouldn’t I? Maybe travel. We shall see.

Here are some programs that I am interested in doing. I also may try to take a class, the H offers summer endowment money for study. Maybe I can find something like a program or class, either way a shorter time out of town or the country. If anyone is aware something like that let me know.

Seeds of Peace

Fulbright-Hays Program

Glimpses of China

Washington, DC
Friday, July 13th

For all of you paraskavedekatriaphobics this is a bad day, so I wish you all the best. It only seems fitting that today we took the students to see Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix. Why see a movie? The students who have been working particularly hard this past month needed to relax on their last full day of the program. I have too shamefully admit that this was my first theater watch of Potter film and really the first time I have watched one through in its entirety, lots of HBO starts and finishes. I really enjoyed it. The hard core Potter fanatics stated the movie was OK but like most of them it does the book no justice. There are limits because of the Rowling’s book mammoth size.

The rest of the day they will be packing and cleaning up their space. While this is going on the staff will conduct an exit interview with all the students in order to give the program a proper evaluation. It is always important to see what did and did not work so changes can be made were necessary. I wish more schools/programs did this in order to get a true view of how they were doing. Their were a few typical responses such as more free time and one ridiculous that stated that we should have cable TV and video games available. In the end the overwhelming responses were positive. One girl stated that she learned more in this month than she in her last three years of high school. She felt her high school robbed her. I’m not sure if that is because her high school is that bad or SPS is that good. It probably is an even measure of the both.

SPS 2007

In the evening we had our final dinner and graduation at the Cathedral College of Preachers which is located on another part of the Close of the National Cathedral. It hosts various religious programs and is quite beautiful. It was a fantastic dinner. The students and faculty gave thanks and toasts to each other. We then watch a slide show set to music done by the director. There were plenty of oohs and ahhs, a good deal of laughter, and a few tears shed. It was a very nice way to end the program.

Walking into the Cathedral College of Preachers
Walking up the steps near the National Cathedral

The final dinner

The students were given free time after the evening program. Most went to Thomas Sweets a great ice cream spot in Georgetown. The kids like it because it gives them a place to hang out. Al of them were home by curfew, midnight. It is a testimony to the kids at this program that the biggest discipline problem was a student playing too many online games at night and falling asleep in class. (We unhooked the router at midnight each night) Guess which kid that was. Judging from Friday evening’s goodnight session tomorrow is going to be a very emotional day for many of these kids.

Washington, DC
Thursday, July 12th

It was an early wake up call in order to be on time. Today was Capital Hill Day. Over the last three weeks the students have been calling and e-mailing their Representatives and Senators in Congress to schedule appointments for this day. The goal is get a meeting that amounts to more than a simple photo opportunity. They usually discuss an upcoming bill, an issue in their district/state, or to advocate for a cause of their own. You should see these seasoned, for at least four weeks, young people work their magic.

The whole group was meeting with Senator Evan Bayh (D) – IN around mid morning. Most of the student’s individual meetings were later in the day. Three of the students had meetings first thing in the morning. I took these three on the Metro down to the Hill. The kids got a kick out of being recognized by someone they had met earlier in the program when we were switching lines on the Metro. A young Dub, Niamh O’Keefe from Dublin, of the Washington in Ireland program, recognized the students. We ended commuting with her because she was also heading to the same place one of the kids for her internship, the Cannon Office building on the Hill. They thought being recognized was “cool”.

Capital Building on a sunny day

I went with the two Houston girls from YES Prep to their morning coffee with Kay Bailey Hutchinson R – TX. I’m not a big fan of hers but they did say coffee and I needed a fix. There were many other constitutes there so we figured it was a photo op cattle call. The girls were a bit disappointed but they were good sports and waited in line for their photo with the Senator. There sweet smiles belied their confidence though. After the photo one of the girls held the Senators hand after the hand shake with both of her hands and asked about the immigration bill that Hutchinson recently voted down. She stated in a quick as 30 second sound bit that she and her mom are citizens of the US but they both learned about how the US government works from her legal but on citizen father. Hutchinson was clearly not pleased with the question. She smiled and began to move on but the girl said again, politely but definitively, “What should tell I my father?” She had no response. This is what it’s all about. I was not proud, I was inspired.

The Yes Prep girls before the handshake.

After I got the students oriented to the different Senate and House Office buildings I headed over to the Rayburn Office Building on the House side of the Capital for some coffee and the Washington Post. The rest of the SPS students were coming around this time and I would hang out there for anyone who needed directions. As young can probably guess from the above story, the students did not any help from me.

I left around 1pm to meet Norm for lunch. We went to this little carry out taco place about a block from the Capital Building called Taqueria Nacionale (Review). It was awesome and cheap, by DC standards. We took the food and ate under some trees on the grounds of the Capital Building. It was a beautifully moderate day, even a bit chilly in the early morning, so the scene was quite relaxing. I took the metro back to school and took a nap. Yes I know that coffee and lunch do not seem nap worthy but remember the euchre from the previous night and it might make sense. Ok, I am lazy and wanted to nap. It was a good one also. I woke in a pool of drool and did not know where I was for what seemed like a five minutes.

View of National Mall from the Capital Building

After my nap it was time for my last game for the Ugly Mugs of the season over in Anacostia. We played quite uninspired softball. The Mugs managed to pull out an 8 to 7 victory over a very bad team. Oh well, the mini burgers and pizza rolls more the made up for the largesse on the softball diamond

Washington, DC
Wednesday, July 11th

The morning went slowly for me. The topic de jour was Hurricane Katrina. The day follows the basic SPS curriculum. Introduce the students to the topic, give them a crash course in the basics, process it in class, and then let speak to experts. First they met with Bob Muse, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Minority General Counsel, who spoke with them about the Katrina investigation in the Senate. They then heard from Todd Miner, who was contracted to coordinate relief efforts fro displaced persons in Arkansas in the months that followed the Hurricane. Todd is the program manager for SPS and St. Albans faculty member. When Todd was hired to do relief work he had just returned from a stint with the Peace Corps in Mali and FEMA put an all call for recent Peace Corps alums because they felt they would be uniquely qualified for that work.

All dressed up.., with some place to go.

The lads chatting up the Ambassador of Guatemala

I helped the faculty and staff get ready for the Ambassador’s Dinner that SPS was hosting later that evening. The ambassadors from Tanzania, Moldova, Guatemala, and Malaysia were guests for the evening. We worked on preparing the students to give toasts and proper protocol for each individual Ambassador. I prepared a four page brief on each country and a bio of each guest. When the guests finally arrived the students did a wonderful job of making conversation and having talking points in conversations. The meal consisted of asparagus, a seafood risotto, Chicken topped with crab meat, and some great cheesecake for dessert. I sat with some students and the Ambassador to Malaysia, Her Excellency Dr. Rajmah Hussain. She is a career diplomat. She had a great sense of humor. She was an advocate for her country while politely answering each question the students posed, even the one about the use of capital punishment as a penalty for drug trafficking.

His ExcellencyJose Guillermo Castillo Villacorta of Guatemala

My table with the Malaysian Ambassador

After we put the kids the bed, I can not believe I can actually use that phrase, we hung out on a quasi secret patio of the school that has a great view of the city. We played Euchre till pretty late but we were the only two teaching faculty that were there were done teaching so who cares.

Washington, DC
Tuesday, July 10th

Today I taught my last class of the summer. I still have dorm responsibilities but the classroom duties are over. I will miss that part. The best part of teaching is the sharp kids, they do all the reading and they actually discuss with each other what going on. The word engaged is a definitive understatement. The other part of the way we teach the case study that I truly enjoy is NO GRADING!!! I do not know anyone in education who really likes that aspect of teaching. I could truly make a case that the giving grades is a true impediment to education. That’s a rant for another day.

The case study that I taught today was Hurricane Katrina: Responding to an “Ultra-Catastrophe” in New Orleans. In essence of the case goes into the lead up to Katrina heading to New Orleans the preparation, or lack there of, for the hurricane, and how various NGO’s, city, state, federal agencies worked together to respond to the crisis and its aftermath. It is an excellent case to shed light on the failures and successes of inter and intra agency cooperation in the face of a national disaster. I think anyone who followed the events can guess the overall grade for interagency cooperation. Contrary to popular belief there were some examples of great work. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Coast Guard’s search and rescue operations evacuated over 60,000 people who were stranded in and around the city. I loved teaching the case.

The United States Naval Academy

The students headed to back to Annapolis to visit the United States Naval Academy. After a tour they met with Dr. Stephen Wrage, who teaches military ethics at the Academy. He discussed the Captain Rockwood case in Haiti. He is quite good and he was brought in to teach at the academy specifically to deal with ethics issues. His class is now a required course there. The students had favorable things to say about his presentation.

Here are some photos from Busboys and Poets

I did not go with the students. I took care of housekeeping duties and then went to a bookstore in the Shaw district of DC called Busboys and Poets, 14th NW and U Street. I came here on the recommendation of Bill and really enjoyed the place. Where the other bookstore, Politics and Prose, centered on Politics and Public Policy, the focus of Busboys and Poet’s collection specializes in the poetry and specifically the African-American story. One of the performance rooms is named for Langston Hughes. It is more coffee house than bookstore. Either the way the place has a great feel. It acts as an anchor in a neighborhood that is historically a cultural lighthouse for blacks in the US. Howard University, a historically black college is right around the corner. The neighborhood is one of the most rapidly changing, for the better, but it is coming at price. Gentrification is a major problem. Many of the longtime Shaw residents are being forced out as the property taxes rise astronomically. This place helps preserve the culture and improves the neighborhood at the same time. If you ever in DC it is a must visit.

More Photos of the Coffee House

The Langston Room of Busboys and Poets

Washington, DC
Monday, July 9th

Today we were busy from tap to buzzer. In the morning the case study was, The Accidental Statesman: General Petraeus and the City of Mosul, Iraq. Eve though I was not teaching this one I sat in on the classes. The case centers on 101st Cavalry led by Gen. Petraeus in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. At 58 pages it is the longest case study but I think it is by far the most interesting. The case centers on how the mission of the 101st Cav changes very quickly from that of fighting to that of state building.

Petraeus and his troops have to rebuild and in most cases, build from scratch, the infrastructure in Mosul. He had to balance the ethnic and religious tension in the area. That is quite difficult considering there are ethnic Kurds (two factions), Sunnis, and Arab Shiites. The case details the painstaking manner that Patraeus and his staff design and enact structures that enable the different groups mentioned above by into the rebuilding of Iraq. Patraeus’ people are quite impressive at doing tasks that they were NEVER trained to do. The incident that sticks out in my mind is in the inventing of an election process they were translating 7th grade civic textbooks into Arabic to try some sort of democracy education. In order to have balance among groups competing for power in the new Iraq Patraeus named the process (s) election instead of a pure election. Things ran quite smoothly until the de-baathification under Paul Bremer’s directives. I could go on for a long time; it’s a long case study. Gen. Patraeus is now the Commander of the Multi-National Force (MFN-1). Check out his biography and this article in Newsweek about him and is plans. I think that the plans in Iraq were lost early but the only thread of chance has is this guy. I just hope that the administration lets him cal the plays. When they, Rumsfeld and others, got in he and his troop’s way in Mosul things fell apart pretty quickly.

General Patraeus

The next speaker was David Aufhauser, who currently is the General Counsel for Global and American Affairs at UBS but was the general counsel for the Department of the Treasury. His topic was on fighting the financing of terror. He spoke at length about the role finance plays in terrorism. The talk was extremely informative. He and the students willingly short changed their lunch time for extra Q and A. On a side note the book Aufhauser told them all they must read to begin to understand the situation in the Middle East is a book I use a great deal in my world history class, Islam, A Short History by Karen Armstrong. That makes me feel good about my research and materials for my class. I have also included a link from testimony that Aufhauser gave at a Capital Hill Middle East Policy Council.

The students heard from Stuart Holliday, Ambassador and Alternate United States Representative in the United Nations for Special Political Affairs. In plain English, he is like the US Ambassador to the United Nations. I did not hear the talk. I took off some time to get some coffee and do some reading, which morphed into a long power nap. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful.

In the evening the students heard from Rob Knauer, an Albans alum, and Marine Corp Infantry Captain who served three tours in various parts of Iraq. The students loved his talk and they were obviously quite informed after the previous two days curriculum. Capt. Knauer was a last minute addition; it is amazing how many speakers we get. I learned more about Iraq and terrorism in the last three weeks than I did the last three years, and I read a lot to try and keep up.

Marine Capt. Rob Knauer