Sightless people may have a blank stare, but they are thinking all the time.

My dad was of the generation that believed "big boys" do not cry. I grew up in his image. Now, he was a long way from being a hard hearted John Wayne type, but men did not cry in his world. His mother outlived him, but I do recall seeing him red eyed (no tears) when his father died. So, that was the way I grew up. My mom would cry at the drop of a hat but not him. When I cried, as a child, and he saw me, he would just tell me to shut off the waterworks and be a "big boy". He had far better judgement than to say that to my mother. My dad loved me. I am sure that he thought that he was making me a man, and he did. When he died, I sat by my mom and never let a tear grace my eye. I did have this strange tightening in my throat though. He would have been proud.

Almost sixty years later, I find that things have changed. How and just when, I do not know. I do know that somewhere along the way, change occurred. These days, I can tear up at a sad event without a problem. Just why, I have no clue. Maybe enough sad things have happened, so I cannot help it. Most of my life has been exceptionally happy, but we all have sad things in our lives. I have certainly seen plenty of sadness in other people's lives. Maybe we all have a limit to what we can experience and witness before we lose our "big boy" mentality.

Maybe with birthdays we lose some of our inhibitions. I do know that age can decrease the frontal parts of the brain that control emotions. I have seen a lot of stroke victims who have emotional lability as part of their deficit. Some people cry at inappropriate times with other conditions. Maybe it is a combination of upbringing, emotional experience, and mental function. All I know is that it is as it is. I don't worry a bit about it.

If you don't know Machine Gun Kelly, the link above will tell you about him. I am glad the he and my dad never became real buddies.

When military time was over, I moved all to Alabama to get started with the serious business of making a living. Our first house was close (not too close) to a high school with a quarter mile track. One early morning, I put on the big shoes and started doing track mileage. In summer, there were probably 6-10 guys that would show up during an hour. In winter, you just heard a lot of feet hitting the track and heavy breathing. One occasion really sent me in a new direction. There was an ad in a magazine for a running shoe. They were from France and not cheap. I ordered a pair, put them on, and felt like I was floating when I went for a run. They were way too narrow, and the worst shoes that I ever wore after the basketball footwear. Still, they were the lightest shoes that I had ever had.

Not long after that, I was in Memphis for a day or two and came upon a running shoe store of all things. After trying out a few, I bought a pair. Probably Nikes, but who knows now? I took them home and was partially hooked. Why partially? Because a few weeks later, a friend told me that he found street running much less boring that that on a track. HE WAS RIGHT!! From then on, the only time that I ran on a track was to do interval training. About this time we moved about a block away from the track. I started running in the street, and that was that. I had a regular 7 mile out and back course that was along a nice road to and from an industrial park. It was a good mix of ups and downs. On an early morning, I might see a dozen cars.

So, began my serious life as an amateur runner. I soon acquired a painter's cap, a singlet, and some running shorts. My pride (I think they are still in a box somewhere) was a set of "New Zealand Splits". These were next to nothing in weight and were shorts cut up to the waist band. I had no other equipment. Shoes, sox, shorts, singlet, and cap. I later got a cheappo watch for timing. I do not recall when I first ran in a 10 K race. By this time, the running craze had begun. It was probably a friend who told me about races. I should say definitely, that I was never a competitive racer. I began as a LSD runner (Long slow distance) and stayed with that. I remember a friend telling me that on race day, I would run my best time. This was due to the added adrenalin from the excitement of the event. I thought that he was full of it. I knew my times. He was right. I bested my times always on race day. Not a lot, but it got so that if I had not been a little faster, I would have been very disappointed. I found that the "runner's high" was a real thing. It started at about 4 miles at first, but as my distances increased, it took longer to appear.

One physiological fact for me became quickly evident and guided my run routes always. About 4 miles into any run, I began to get a "colon call". Later with marathons, I always had an enema before race day. I probably did this before 10 Ks too (told you I was old). On my daily runs, I was fortunate to be in a lot of undeveloped property areas with lots of trees. A baggie with some toilet paper in it stuffed in a sock worked fine. It was usually dark anyway.

There was a fledgling group of runners in the area, so I went and met with them on occasion. One night a man came over from an adjacent city as a guest runner. This guy was "Mr. Runner" in Alabama then. We started with a 10 K, and then we talked with each other. I found out that in December of each year, there was a marathon in Huntsville, AL. In those days, there were probably 20 or less marathons in the whole country. Two were in Alabama. Huntsville was the best in many ways. It had more recognition and was relatively flat. I started to train for this in March of 1979 (I think). Training advice for marathons abounds today, but in 1979, there was little to none. The only thing besides increasing milage was to add some intervals once a week. Probably, these were of psychological benefit only. December arrived, and I thought I would give it a try. With an empty colon, I drove over to Huntsville, lined up, and got underway on a very nice and cool day.

Today, a marathon is a lot different. Some have activities that last several days before the run. There are all sorts of shorter runs, exhibits, carbo meals, etc. At my first marathon, I could have gone the evening before for a spaghetti supper, and that was it. I passed on the supper because if carbo loading helps anyone at all, it must be the really fast runners. I was not then, and never was, in that group. In Huntsville, after you finished, you got a hot dog and an orange. Of course, I was excited. I had been over a lot of the course already, and I knew that unless I fell, I would finish. At the end of the day, I could say that I was a marathoner. The race was run. At about 20 miles, I met the "wall". The "wall" is a point where your body has used up all the usual muscle energy sources and shifts over to protein as a source. This is not fun at all. I owe a lot of my will power at that point to a rather large Huntsville policeman standing in the road. He was saying over and over, "You are looking great, and it is only a 10 K to go". At that stage, a 10 K seems like a walk in the park. With a further and slower struggle, I made it to the end. I had reached my goal of under 4 hours, had my hot dog (tasted really fine too), and drove back home to soak in a hot tub. Climbing stairs was a challenge for a few days. Going by the book, I skipped a day, and two days later, I ran my regular 7 miles. For a time or two, 7 miles seemed really short.

I continued to run my 35 miles a week and ran in some 10 K races to keep up. Two more Huntsville marathons were in my future. The second one was in the rain, and the only time that I ever got hungry while running any distance. This occurred when I passed a fast food joint. The third and last marathon, I did with a friend who was a first timer. We had made an error in out training, in that we ran a 20 mile course only two weeks before the race. This was not enough time to recover. I ran a few minutes (12 as I recall) over my 4 hours, and I got bored. After that, I stuck with 10 Ks only.

The old knees began to give out, so I retired from running. Three days running and three days crawling around was not worth it.

These days, I am surrounded by runners. Three generations of them and a spouse still pound the pavement in all sorts of races. Equipment abounds. All sorts on improved shoes, orthotics, timing devices, monitors, etc. are a big business. There are even watches with GPS systems built in, so you can find your way home if you are lost. These days, I go as the unofficial photographer, medical support person, general jacket holder, and flunky. If I could run now, I think I would still go with some decent shoes, a singlet, a cap, and my good old New Zealand splits!

Later, I found the sack to contain a nice bottle of Swiss Dole. It is the custom here for each resident over the age of 70 to receive a bottle of wine when Sammiclaus comes each Advent season. I believe that each "round" age year (70,80,90, etc.) you also get a loaf of bread. Tell me that old age doesn't get you any respect!

I have just finished a book entitled "Paris" by Anthony Beevor and his wife, Artemis Cooper. It covers the years between 1944 and 1949. I found a lot of names that I recognized but knew very little about, so I thought of "J". I should say now that she and her husband have both had a share of health problems, and I found her thin and frail but still mentally sharp. Since the last visit with her, we have had an opportunity to visit her old Parisian home in a Paris suburb and could relate to her stories of Jewish neighbors who simply disappeared, the bomb shelter that was in their basement (and remains there today), and the small enclave that was her street. "J" still retains that house, but it will likely pass on for sale after she dies.

It was enlightening and fun to spend an hour or so with her. I started by asking her about Charles de Gaulle and her thoughts about him. From Beevor's book, I had gotten the idea that like him or not, most French people thought of him as a savior and the future of post-war France. Indeed, "J" was a Gaullist of the first order and agreed with me that had it not been for him, France might well have become a communist country. I was surprised to find that "J"'s father, an industrialist, used his factory as a haven for Jews, as well as others, who would have been deported to Nazi camps. By keeping them on as required workers, they were spared scrutiny by the Germans. She said that at first, the tales of concentration camps were not believed, but later it became evident that the stories were true. When the Germans left Paris, there were still a lot of French places, such as Alsace, where military actions took place with the Free French and the Allies fighting together against the Germans.

About this time, after her recovery from her back injury in the OSS "J"'s father wanted her to go to England, where he had business connections, so she spent almost four years in post-war London. In spite of the desolation of blitized city, the young people there had many social events and parties. She had spent some time in England before the fall of France, so she had English as a language already. Apparently, she took one of the last ships back to France before the Germans took the country. She lived in a boarding house in London until another lady invited her to share her apartment. She endured rationing as everyone did, but despite this she had a good experience. Her next journey was, of all places, to Argentina. Her Godmother had properties in that country, so they traveled to South America on a freighter, making many stops on the way. In Argentina, the Godmother's property had been illegally sold to other people, courtesy of a crooked lawyer. This occasioned "J"'s return to Europe.

After all this, she wound up going to Engelberg to get away from the destruction all over Europe. There, she stayed in a hotel owned by her future husband's family, met him, and they have been married over sixty years. They still have an apartment in the village there. She tells me that there are many old photos that she can share with me. I hope to be able to see and scan these for a future blog. To say that "J" has had a historical life is an understatement.

Food is a subject close to our hearts. It would be an understatement of the first order to say that we had wonderful meals morning and night at the spa restaurant. I will say here that our photos are mostly of food or outdoor scenes. Carrying a camera into the "Textilefrei" areas did not seem like a good idea. After breakfast, anyone that needs to eat from hunger must have a serious medical problem. For a typical buffet breakfast, one finds analmost indecent array of food. Huge buffet tables of breads, fish, sauces, cereals, meats, fruit and juices, cheeses, and eggs. We agreed that three days of this was about all we could handle without going home in a smock with guilt about gluttony.

We left home in the early AM, as the dawn was breaking. This trip was to be a first real test of our use of a GPS tracking system, so we listened as our guide, Jill, led us along roads that were at first familiar, but then became unknown. We crossed the Swiss border into France at Basel. As we drove through the Alsatian country, we reached a point where we decided to fore go our point to point instructions to Jill, and let her take us on her own to Saint Quentin. Since we had decided to make this a two day trip to our destination, we had booked a hotel in the city of that name just to be able to say that we had spent a night in Saint Quentin. This was no problem for Jill except for a short stretch just outside of Saint Quentin when some parallel high tension power lines got her a bit bumfuzzled. She recalculated, and we arrived just fine.

We left home in the early AM, as the dawn was breaking. This trip was to be a first real test of our use of a GPS tracking system, so we listened as our guide, Jill, led us along roads that were at first familiar, but then became unknown. We crossed the Swiss border into France at Basel. As we drove through the Alsatian country, we reached a point where we decided to fore go our point to point instructions to Jill, and let her take us on her own to Saint Quentin. Since we had decided to make this a two day trip to our destination, we had booked a hotel in the city of that name just to be able to say that we had spent a night in Saint Quentin. This was no problem for Jill except for a short stretch just outside of Saint Quentin when some parallel high tension power lines got her a bit bumfuzzled. She recalculated, and we arrived just fine.

Jill, our GPS

The hotel/motel was of interest in itself. It was totally automatic. There was a desk person available for a few hours, but check in, meals ordered, and check out was all done by computer. It wasn't a bad spot for a night.

22 April, Friday.

We were up and away from Saint Quentin after a quickie coffee and croissant breakfast. Jill, our GPS assistant, got us through several rest stops and even more toll booths to Bayeux by noon. The French roads and expressways are very nice. Even though there were places with high volume traffic, the pace rarely slackened. Compared to German autobahns, these were much better in that respect. The tolls seem to be well earned. We arrived at The Dean's Manor on the edge of Bayeux, loaded into our room for the two nights before we can get into the apartment on Sunday, met the Chilcott family members (the colonel, his wife, a son, and several grandchildren who are visiting from England), and then decided to find the Hertz rental location, so we would be familiar with it when Carol and Steve arrive tomorrow afternoon. We went to Arromarche later for a look around. The weather was warm and beautiful, and there were a lot of tourists there.

6th June Restaurant in Arromanches

23 Apr Sat

We were out after a light breakfast at the Manor. We went into the village to meet Elizabeth and Bob Castleman. I had not seen these folks in at least 50 years, and it was by coincidence that our paths crossed at the same time in Normandy. We had a nice two plus hour visit and lunch with them. Then we went to the Bayeux train station to pick up Carol and Steve and went to pick up their rental car. After they got settled in at the manor, we decided to go back to Arromarche, so they could see the lay of the land there. We had dinner there again at the 6 June Restaurant before returning home for the evening.

A bit about Colonel Chilcutt. He was deathly ill in the Caen hospital four years ago when we were here. Today, he says he is better than he has been in years. He is ambulatory, lucid, etc., but I doubt he is as good as before his illness. His demeanor would put some off, but I found him to be very knowledgeable about the D-Day happenings and the logic behind them. He can come over as a demanding host, but if one listens and ignores his bluster, one finds him possessed of a very dry wit. He is 77 years old, and his father landed with the British here on D-Day. He has a map room in a large attic over one of the barns that is packed with wall maps, all sorts of air and beach mockups, and several large picture scrapbooks of D-Day original photos. I hope this collection will find its way to a museum some day.

24 Apr Sun

Out to the Bayeux Cathedral where the other three went to mass, while I cruised the village. The processional at the mass was led by several older men, one of whom carried an American flag. They were obviously WW II veterans. After mass, we had a reservation at La Rapiere. This was a treat and likely, the best meal of the many fine meals on our trip.

At La Rapier

Next, we made our way to the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach. Arriving in mid-afternoon, we saw a long line into the new visitors center. We bypassed that and enjoyed the new entrance walk way to the cemetery. This spot is, for me, just like going to Arlington National Cemetery in the USA. There were mobs of people, but there is a hush over the whole place. People walk the paths and go into the rows looking at the stones. The place is kept in immaculate condition at USA taxpayer’s expense, but one does not resent a single dollar used for this purpose. A majority of these heroic soldiers died well before thirty years of age, and one marvels at the loss of such potential for our country. Of course, if you take over nine thousand young men in a general population, you will have some misfits. Perhaps the war saved them from that, but it extracted an ultimate price. Keeping one’s eyes dry can be very difficult.

After a supper of snacks, we all packed it in for the night.

Markers at American Cemetery

25 Apr Monday

Monday was a French federal holiday. The big LeClerc supermarket was closed. I had seen a notice in a grocery in the middle of the village that said it would be open. I drove down, found it up and running, and stocked up on some items there. I saw some jars of duck fat. The French cook with it, so I will take one back home to Sachseln with me.

Returning home, we unloaded the groceries and took off for lunch in Port en Bessin. This harbor town was a favorite from the trip four years past. We honed in on our favorite restaurant and had a sumptuous lunch.

A Plateau of Seafood

After a post-prandial stroll around this pretty village, we took off for another D-Day site at a spot down the road called Longues sur Mer.

Longues sur Mer is at a point on the map labeled “Chaos”. It must have been chaotic on D-Day The battery at Longues sur Mer is an impressive group of bunkers that bear testimony that the Germans knew what they were doing when it came to reinforced concrete in their Atlantic Wall. A forward bunker served as a spotting site so the guns behind them could obtain an accurate range. The broad expanse of flat land between that point and the guns surely cost some major casualties to secure.

We left Longues sur Mer and drove a short distance to Pointe du Hoc. This was the site of a fierce battle against the Germans by the rangers of the US Army. Out of about 200 men, 90 were left able to fight after the capture of the area. To see the cliffs that these men negotiated with cables and ladders while being fired upon by the enemy is amazing. The whole area is reminiscent of a golf course with way too many grass bunkers. The “bunkers” are shell craters from the allied bombing and naval fire before and during D-Day. The capture and neutralization of this point eliminated it as a spotter outpost for the German guns firing at both Omaha and Utah Beaches.

26 Apr. Tuesday

Today was exceptional. We drove to Caen about 40 minutes from Bayeux and spent most of the day at the War Memorial Museum. Caen was the scene of some of the heaviest destruction in the Normandy fighting. The city was virtually leveled. This museum has exhibits starting with the end of WW I, going onward to show how the armistice made life intolerable for Germany, and how this led the population to accept Nazi leadership as their only hope for the nation’s survival. The exhibits then go into great detail with WW II, and then even give a good background to the Cold War after the allies defeat of Germany. It was an impressive visit, and even though we thought we were “Museumed out” for the day, we were very close to the Pegasus Bridge. Off we went with our faithful GPS leading.

Pegasus Bridge was the scene of a significant British result at the D-Day landings. It bridged the Caen Canal and was a vital source to protect against German counterattacks. The Brits used glider landings to place troops on the ground there and capture the bridge. The museum at Pegasus is specific to that operation and was a source of interest, since we knew barely anything of this history.

Pegasus Bridge

27 Apr Wed

We had heard that the museum at the new visitor’s center associated with the American Cemetery was not to be missed. The long lines had discouraged us on our initial visit. We tried to be there for the opening and had no problem. The entrance security is much like an airport, hence the line. This site was under construction on our 2007 trip, but I have to say that this is a penultimate museum of which any American can be proud. I am glad we did this in two segments, since the cemetery itself warrants some time in itself.

We then decided to go on a mission to find Brecourt Manor. This was a topic seen best in the Band of Brothers series on TV and DVD. After a bit of convoluted driving, we did find a spot that the GPS said was Brecourt Manor. About all we saw was the barnyard and a bit of the manor. In the barnyard however, we met two young men whose English was better than our French. One guided me across the road, pointed at a pasture with a hedgerow, and said we were welcome to look all we wanted. The pasture was mined, but this time only with cow paddies. We got an up close look at where the men of Easy Company, 506^th Parachute Infantry, 101^st Airborne knocked out the four big guns shelling Utah Beach. Since our visit, I have learned that there is a monument to Easy Company at Brecourt Manor. We missed this, but I’ll bet we were within a few yards of it.

The Hedgerow at Brecourt Manor

Next, we sought Utah Beach. It was low tide, breezy, and practically empty. Extensive construction is underway at the museum, and it was time to look for lunch. Barbara and I had lunch at a beachside spot near Utah Beach in 2007 on the way from St. Mere Eglise to Utah, so we drove a few kilometers in the opposite direction to find it. The Brasserie Normandie was still there, as it had been four years before. We enjoyed it again.

After lunch we made a quick stop in St Mere Eglise and parted the four of us, so Steve and Carol could see the excellent 101st Airborne Museum there. Barbara and I continued onward to the German War Cemetery near La Cambre where 21,000 soldiers, known and unknown, are buried. This is a beautiful and peaceful spot in contrast to all the mayhem that led these soldiers to be buried here.

German Cemetery at La Cambe

28 Apr Thurs

We explored the map room in the top of a barn at Dean’s manor first. One could easily spend a full day here with all the maps, table mockups, and photo books. Students from military schools over the USA, including West Point used to visit this room for tactical instruction.

The Map Room

After the map room, we made our way to Grandcamp Maisy to explore the German battery there only discovered and opened about five years ago. Though well documented in war records, this site was covered over after the war to use for farming. Aerial Photographs studied by a young Englishman showed its presence and it was rediscovered. Today, it is a work in progress, but in the four years since we first saw it, much has been done.

Maisy Battery

Then, guess what? It was lunch time! We went back into the village proper, and after searching a few menus, found our spot. La Belle Mariniere was a great choice. A small room with two brothers, one the chef, and one the waiter. We had an elegant and tasteful lunch with a reasonable price. certainly a spot worth a return!

A fine Meal

After our lunch, we headed back to the manor so Carol and Steve could pack for their return to Paris the next day.

29 Apr Friday

Today's first order of business was to watch the royal wedding on TV and computers. That social obligation out of the way, I took Steve to turn his rental car in. We went to the station with them to catch the train and saw them off. Although it was somewhat gray and later turned into a drizzle, we decided to head for Juno Beach. Jilly got us to Courseulles sur Mer, the village at Juno Beach It reminded me of Arromanches at Gold Beach. The day was not pretty and after a snack and a look around, we made our way back home.

Juno Beach Monument

30 Apr. Sat.

We slept in awhile, then we got the packing underway. We made a last foray into the village to buy some gifts for people back home and had lunch at La Table du Terroir. It was a memorable experience. The last Norman oysters of this trip were as good as always and the absolute best Tripes al mode de Caen that I have ever eaten, bar none. Barbara's appetizer and pollock main dish were much to her pleasure also.

Tripes a la Caen

Now, we have paid our landlady, said our goodbyes to her and the colonel, and plan an early departure for the AM.

I must admit that for me, it could become a morbid fascination, but only in homeopathic doses. I still think it would be best presented by its own separate channel. Perhaps, something such as The Weird Channel would do.