Before There was Cinderella Castle - There was Neuschwanstein Schloss in Fussen - Germany

Today is Wednesday - July 11th - and I was supposed to be touring the
Nazi Rocket Works in Nordhausen - what went wrong?

As our train was passing through Munich - Lulu lured me to the
Haufsbrau House - and in a weaker moment - she had me boarding a
train to Fasson. Fasson is small Alpine German village in the middle
of nowhere. As a matter of fact - the train track came to an end
right in the downtown square. We got off the train about 10PM with no
hotel reservation - and our roller bags were creating a racket
rolling down the cobblestone streets. There were about 10 hotels -
and we just started shopping for prices. We stopped at a nice little
place that was 85 Euros and included a great breakfast.

Fassen is cold even in July - in the 40s. We had the heat blasting in
the room. It looks like the normal customers are skiers - the room's
floors were hardwood - and the decorations Bavarian. I was able to go
out in the town square and find some free internet - so I sent out
some mail and pictures.

The next morning we were up early to go to tour "Cinderella's
Castle." First we took a bus - then we took a horse cart - then we
walked the last 1000 yards up a steep hill.

The Neuschwanstein Castle is very pretty in a spectacular setting on
a plateau overlooking the mountains - valleys - lakes - and falls.
Ludwig II build it - in 1859 - but only got to live there for 180
days. He died mysteriously. Since the castle is so new by castle
standards - the condition was excellent inside and out. You would
think that they could come up with a better name than Neuschwanstein
for it. My spell checker cannot get used to it.

Lulu says that Disney used it to model the Cinderella Castle. To me -
a few details were used - but it looks like a completely different
castle. At any rate - we toured the castle for about 1 hour - then
took 2 buses back to the train station - and we were on the rails
again. There are lockers at the train stations where for 3 Euros - we
were able to put all our stuff.

As I type this - we are on one of those real fast trains - ICE -
Inter City Express. It is very smooth - fast - and the inside is
pretty and clean.

Back on track - we are on the way to Nordhausen. We will tour
Nordhausen tomorrow - Thursday - then take the overnight train to
Brussels in time to catch our 11AM flight back to New York City on
the 13th. We just pulled into Nuremburg.

Lucky Lulu - will spend here birthday - July 12th - at the Nordhausen
Mittelworks.

We have been traveling around Europe on first class Eurail passes.
The passes cost $570 each for 3 weeks. You could just hop on any
train - no ticket necessary - change your mind at the last minute -
and just go. There seems to be a train to go wherever you want to go
- when you want to go. We added it up - and we used about $1500 worth
for each of us - if we paid as we went. It is a shame we are using
the pass for only 10 days out of 21. The nice part is - no one checks
your bags for bombs - no taking your shoes off - no one goes thru
your shaving cream and shampoo - no charges for changing your time or
not buying early enough - all they do is look at your VIP pass.

Pictures of the castle will follow shortly.

For more information - write directly to harry@everhart.com

Nancy Was Singing in Austria on "Sound of Music" Tour

Harry told me to write my thoughts while they are still fresh in my mind. We are on the train from Salzburg going through Munich and hopefully will end up in Nordhausen tonight. Harry's big highlight of the trip is to go to Nordhausen where they built rockets with concentration camp labor. Sounds like fun? Well, I must be a good sport and put up with it because he was a VERY good sport for the last twenty-four hours - indulging me in my trip to Salzburg, Austria and a four hour, "Sound of Music" tour. Yes, I know it sounds very hokie and it was. However, seems like everyone on the tour was looking forward to it as much as me.

We got into Salzburg last night around 7 p.m. on the train from Vienna. We did not have a hotel, but that is no problem in European train stations. You see, each station has a reservations desk and they made us a reservation at a four star hotel in Salzburg that happened to have a "last minute special" for 84 Euros (about 100 US dollars.) This included a very nice breakfast buffet. To be sure we did not come all that way for nothing, I also asked for tickets for the "Sound of Music" tour for the morning. Our room was clean and comfortable, but I am longing for American TV much like the kids in the movie, "European Vacation." Six straight days of CNN International is getting stale.

By 9:30 we were on our bus with about 25 other enthusiastic travelers from around the world and our English-speaking (with heavy Austrian accent) tour guide. The point of the tour is this - the movie "The Sound of Music" was filmed in Salzburg so the tour bus takes you to various locations from the movie. We started by driving past the neighborhood where the real Baron Von Trapp lived and it was a very typical neighborhood. We could not drive a 60 passenger bus past this privately owned home, so we took the word of the guide that it was in there somewhere. On to the grounds of a palace (quite a small one - about the size of a large CVS store). On these palace grounds is the gazebo where two scenes of the movie were filmed - where Lisel and Kurt meet and closer to the end where the Baron and Maria declare their love.
Another scene of the children on bicycles was filmed there as well - on a tree lined lane.

By this time I thought Harry would be letting me have it but not so. He was behaving perfectly and snapping a lot of photos. We proceeded on to another pink "palace" that was used as the Von Trapp house - on a lovely lake that was also in the movie. We had to view it from afar because it is now owned by a Harvard University Foundation. Did I mention it was pouring rain? It really didn't seem to matter as it was a wonderful experience seeing all these things. We also saw Maria's convent and the church used in the movie for the wedding (however, the guide said they really got married in the convent.) The church was in a little resort town of Monsee where we stopped for some Austrian struedel and my obligatory Christmas ornament souvenier. Monsee is in the Alps where the famous first scene of Maria singing takes place. Speaking of singing - it's something I don't do much, but I did indulge Harry with singing along on with the piped in music on the bus of "Do Re Mi," and "The Lonely Goatherd" on our way back to Salzburg.

The Sound of Music is one of my favorite movies. It's a good movie to be sure, but also I have some wonderful memories. I saw the movie when it first came out while "vacationing" in Allentown with my cousins Ruthann and Cathy and my Aunt Ethel. We saw the movie in the big theater on 7th Street - the Colonial. The very next day we went into Hess's Department Store and each bought the movie soundtrack album. It think it was three dollars. I recall playing that album almost every day after school in the fifth grade.

Our visit to Salzburg was cut much too short. If we had stayed a bit longer, I would have bought one of those Austrian dresses and had Harry wearing a hat with a feather in the side and leiderhosen. But he was patient enough and I won't push it. On to Nordhausen.

Pictures - Von Trapp House - Maria's Convent - Salzburg - Von Trapp Wedding Church - Lulu writing story on train

Day 8 in Europe

Things are starting to blend together a bit - in the last few days I
have been to Amsterdam - Vienna - Salzburg - Much - now she decides
that we go to Fussen - why - it is the home of Disney's real
Cinderella Castle. We were supposed to be going directly to
Nordhausen to see my Nazi Rocket Works - but she took me to the
Hauftsbrau House in Munich - and after having a one litre beer - all
plans changed.

I am on the train typing this on the way to Fussen - no hotel
reservation - with this eurail pass we can hop on any train we want.
I am sitting in a 6 passenger compartment on the 2 hour train to
Fusson - they are two other passengers in the compartment - so I must
act civilized.

Nancy says that Fusson is one of the most quaint German villages
about as far south as you can go and still be in Germany. It should
be fun - if we find a cheap room. Expect a whole bunch of pictures
that looks nothing like the Cinderella Castle.

We will spend the night in Fusson - go to see the castle - then catch
an early train to Nordhausen. We have to be in Brussels for our July
13th plane back to New York City. I never heard of this Fusson place
before - it was something in the back of Lulu's head - so look out.

Munich is a really nice city - we only spent a few hours there - but
we were there once before about 6 years ago. We just got another
passenger in our compartment at Pasing - only one seat left right by
me. This 2 hours will go quickly.

The sky has cleared up in Munich - clear blue now. I wish iot was
like this for Nancy's Sound of Music Trip.

It is easy to get around in Europe. With these train passes - you
just hop on a train and take an empty seat. When the conductor comes
along - you show him your first class pass - and things are good.

So far - there were no sanfu's - we have not lost anything - missed
any trains - or had to pay a lot of a hotel room. This could be the
first.

Sunday in Amsterdam

European Vacation Update

I am trying something a little different. I am typing this posting on
the train between Amsterdam and Vienna. We are not online on the
train - but I do have power. I made my own adapter with a cheap
extension cord that I brought along. I then got a local plug -
Netherlands/Belgium/Germany - and put it on the extension cord. It is
not a converter - it is just an adapter. You have to make sure your
appliances can run on 220 volt current. Our computer - CPAP - and
shaver - all run on 100 to 240 volts - so it is fine to use with
them. This way I can plug all 3 appliance in at once - in the train
or hotel.

So far on the trip - we have spent the nights of -

July 3 - on the plane over
July 4 - Brussels at hotel
July 5 - Brussels at hotel
July 6 - Brussels at hotel
July 7 - Amsterdam at hotel
July 8 - on the night train (Orient Express) to Vienna
July 9 - probably Salzburg
July 10 - probably Nordhausen
July 11 - probably Cologne
July 12 - airport Brussels
July 13 - flying to New York City

We plan to tour Vienna - Nancy wants to go on the Sound of Music Tour
- is in the Austrian Alps.

Then go to Nordhausen to tour the place where the Nazis made rockets.
They built an assembly line inside of a mountain - they would
assemble rockets - they would go in one side of the mountain as parts
and come out as finished rockets on the other side. they made about
7000 rockets this way. It was all built with Jewish slave labor. It
is said that 6 people died for each rocket made.

Hopefully - we can fit a boat trip on the Rhine River somewhere
between - Frankfurt and Cologne. The boat trip is covered by our
Eurail Pass.

So far the weather has been good. In Belgium is was cool - in the 60s
- some misty rain - and lots of overcast - but that cleared in the
last couple of days. The two days in Amsterdam were sunny - breezy
and 70s. It stays light here until about 10:30 at night. Nancy got up
this morning at 4:30 and it was already light out.

I will send some pictures when I get on a regular internet connection.

We toured the Van Gogh Museum on Amsterdam. There was a tragic figure
- he killed himself when he was 37 - lived in poverty - painted like
crazy near the end of his life - and now everybody is making a bundle
off his paintings.

The canals of Amsterdam are much wider than the canals of Venice.
They remind you more of the Seine River than the canals of Venice.

Two of the nicest things about Amsterdam - besides the marijuana and
call girls - are the large number of neat bikes and scooters. They
even have special separate roads for scooters and bikes with separate
street lights. The bikes are what we used to call - English bikes -
very plain - no wide tires - few gears if any - and no shock
absorbers. They were very basic but durable bikes. Many were
configured with big carriers - carts - baskets - seats. Bikes
outnumbered cars by about 20 to 1. Most of the cars were very small
and had diesel engines - but they ran cleaner and quieter than our
diesels. No wonder cars are so small there - gasoline was $8 a gallon!

We are stopped at Cologne right now - giant cathedral right along
side the tracks. We plan to come back here via a boat trip. We just
crossed the Rhine River - pretty wide here. Cologne looks like a neat
city - we crossed the Rhine 2 times there and now are on a high speed
rail to Frankfort. In Frankfort - we will pick up our night train
with sleeping compartment. Right now we are in a first class
compartment - that seats 6 - but we have it alone.

An Amsterdam report would not be complete without a report about a
trip to a "coffee house." There are 100s of these places - they are
not allowed to sell anything with alcohol in it - but they can sell
marijuana and hashish. Of course - a trip to Amsterdam is not
complete without us going inside. The room in the front is like a bar
- but with everyone sitting around smoking funny cigarettes. Many of
the coffee houses were showing soccer games live. In the back room
there is a counter and shelves full of many different brands of
products. They hand you a menu - and you can pick out single pieces
or packs. Prices ranged from 3 Euros to 90 Euros. when we asked about
them - they were conveniently out of 3 Euro items. The guy was sizing
us up - so I said forget about it - we had a train to catch in an
hour - and I did not want to be "tripping" around Amsterdam like Jim
Carrey - as our train pulled out without us.

9 AM - We slept well in the sleeping compartment. We were served
breakfast in bed. Then the porter broke down the beds giving us more
room in the cabin. We took turns getting cleaned up for the day and
waiting in the dining car. We are pulling into the station - I will
send this message as soon as I find a signal. Austria looks very nice.

We just pulled in next to the real Orient Express - London to
Istanbul train - the one from the book - "Murder on the Orient Express."

Sunday in Amsterdam

Plans have changed.

We went to the train station this morning - could not get the night
train to Munich - but we were able to get one to Vienna - so Monday
will be touring Vienna.

Today - we will tour Amsterdam until 6 PM - then board the train.

It is bright sunny today - about 65 degrees.

More later.

Amsterdam on Saturday - July 7, 2007

I am trying something new. We are having trouble getting on the net - mostly because Harry is too cheap to spend the hotel fee of around $45 for Internet Service a day. So my alternative is to type this blog while offline - then send it via e-mail to my blog. Then went I find a free fleeting signal - I can send the e-mails in bulk.

So - I am typing this on Saturday night at midnight after a long hard day of touring - with lots of walking.

We started about 11 AM when Nancy's conference was over. We are traveling with 4 bags total - 2 rolling suitcases - 1 backpack - and 1 hand bag. We caught the train for Amsterdam and had a good start. At about 1/3 the way - our train broke down - yes - stopped and would not move. Nancy and I have always been bragging about how good the trains are over here - well this one failed. We got out of the train at a small station - had to carry our bags a long way - then caught a local train to Rotterdam - the world's busiest seaport. There - we caught another train into Amsterdam - arriving in town about 2 hours late at 6 PM. 

We took our bags to the hotel room - and went touring. 

Of course - one of the first places we had to go was the red light district. We expected to see a sleazy area - but it was more of an upscale Bourbon Street. Yes - there are working girls in the windows - but they were not painted up like a Toulouse LaTrec posters. Most of the people were middle age gawkers like us. Also lots of men in their 20s with lots of bravado in groups just like dogs.

Another site to see were the "coffee houses" that are allowed to sell you marijuana to consume on the premises. If there was 1 coffee house - there must have been 300 - and they were busy. It is a street scene quite different than anywhere else in the world. If you are wondering if Harry tried any new tricks - the answers are no - and no.

We got to the Ann Frank House late at night - we plan to go back tomorrow to tour the inside.

After that - we took the long way home - part walking - part trolley.

We have a lot to do tomorrow beside touring Amsterdam. We must get our bags to the storage bins at the station before the spaces are all taken - so we must do that before 10 AM. Then we are going to try to reserve a sleeping berth on the night train to Munich. So we will have to be at reservations early at the train station - before we tour. If we can't get the night train - we will have to alter our plans - and just leave the city on any train going toward Munich. Our next few nights are planned at Saltzburg and Fussen - 2 places Nancy wants to see. Then we will visit the "mittelworks" near Nordhausen - the place where the Nazis built the V-2 Rockets inside the mountain. After that - we plan to boat the Rhine River near Cologne - you can use  the Eurail Pass to do that.

Then - we fly from Brussels back to NYC and spend a week there - then home.

It would be great having Drew's iphone over here - we could send e-mail home whenever the phone see a wifi connection. We have been disappointed with the free e-mail service or lack thereof - over here.

All in all - the trip has been pretty good - if we get the night train tomorrow night for Munich - that would be perfect. Amsterdam is really crowded - I hope it thins out a bit for the rest of our trip.

Trailing Spouse Carries Her Bags Around Europe

Lulu had to attend a conference in Brussels, Belgium so the Trailing Spouse had to give up home repair and landscaping for a trip to the Old Country. While you were enjoying the USA on July 4th - I was schlepping all over the continent haul two small suitcases on wheels.

We spent most of July 3rd traveling - first the obligatory trip to Atlanta. It seems one can't even die in Tallahassee and go to heaven without a layover in Atlanta. Then an overnight plane to Brussels. The next morning - 4th of July to you - we wake up - get out of the plane - and rush to a train for downtown. Since all we had was 2 carry on bags - it was pretty easy.

While Lulu spent three days at the conference - I was able to walk the city - go to Waterloo Battlefield - and enjoy the enchanted middle age city of Brugge. But now that the work is done - we have a few days to enjoy Europe.

We bought Eurail passes. With these train passes - for 2 weeks - we are allowed to hop on any train without buying a ticket. I had forgotten how nice trains are over here - on time - clean - quiet - smooth.

The plans are From Brussels to Amsterdam - then an overnight sleeper train to Munich - then Salzburg and the Alps - the Nazi missile factory in the mountain at Nordhausen - a boat down the Rhine River - just to name a few.

During this time - the Trailing Spouse is at his best - trailing his wife with a suitcase and taking pictures.

You might now think anyone reads my blog in the Democrat. After two flights - a train ride - and a walk around Brussels. One young lady stopped me and asked if I was following her. She said she saw me in Tallahassee - then Atlanta - then in downtown in Brussels we literally bumped into each other. Maybe we was stretching it but she said that she reads my blog! After all these years - celebrity status!

Out hotel in Brussels was very nice - but they wanted $45 per night for an Internet connection - so I am out on the streets in a park surrounded by tourists - "cybersquatting" - getting a free internet connection coming out of someone's window. Life is rough being a Trailing Spouse.

Pictures - the folks I met from Tallahassee - Monument to the Battle of Waterloo.

Follow along on our journey - send us tips on things to see over here. Send to - harry@everhart.com - glorified bagboy.

Still in Brussels

I am sitting at a sidewalk cafe in downtown Brussels. Nancy is busy at the conference.

It was funny - a lady from Tallahassee walked up to me and asked if I were following her. she said she saw me in Tallahassee - Atlanta - and now downtown Brussels. She also said she reads my blog. I told her I was on a secret mission covering her life.

The weather is nice here - cloudy - breezy - in the 60s - but no rain today or yesterday.

Our hotel is nice - but I must come out here to a sidewalk cafe to type.

I spoke too soon - it just started raining. Must go.

Bonjour from Belgium

This is the first chance I have gotten to write. I am at the Apple Store in Brussels.

Our flight went well. It was 8 hours from Atlanta to Brussels. We left Atlanta at 6 PM and got here at 2 AM your time - but it was 8 AM here. The jet was nice - a Boeing 767. Both of us slept quite a bit on the way over.

At the airport - we caught the first train into downtown using our Eurail passes. Our hotel is right next to the Central Train Station. We are staying at a Le Meridian for 3 nights.

It is rainy - overcast - about 60. The weather comes and goes - not unpleasant - a little sun - then some rain.

The people are nice here.

We already have had Belgian Waffles with strawbnerries - whipped cream - and drawn chocolate.

When we got to the hotel - we immediately got cleaned up - then while waiting for Nancy to be ready - I fell asleep on the bed - next thing I know she is zonked out too. We probably caught a couple hours sleep there.

I just set the clock on the computer and it is 4:40 PM here. So we lost a few hours there.

It is nice to be wearing shoes - socks- long pants - sweater - for a change. :-)

Brussels reminds one of Paris - but no tower.

More later when I find some good free wireless places.

iPhone - Therefore I Am

Last night I got an email at about 8 PM. It was from my oldest son - Drew. The subject line said, "Check Out My New Umbrella."

When I opened the e-mail - there was a picture of my son - all glassy-eyed - holding up his latest toy - the iPhone.

I guess it is sort of an umbrella - it covers so many things - phone calls - showing pictures - music - videos - text messages - surfing the net - taking pictures. All in one skinny little handful.

His wife, Robin, said, "I am so proud of him - he held out for a full 2 hours."

Like every other Apple user - Drew thinks he is the foremost Apple guru. He has the running shoes with the little chip in them that sends feedback to his iPod - I guess it counts his steps. He has the shiny silver iBook - it just goes on and on.

Normally - I find both of my sons pretty level-headed. Before Drew buys anything - he does extensive research on the Net. He has a sixth sense when it comes to finding great deals.

Drew is a research scientist. He has a bachelor's degree from Duke in chemistry. He then got his PhD in molecular pharmacology from Miami. Now he is doing research on diabetes at Syracuse.

Part of his research includes playing videos to rats. He is studying the effect that sugar has on the eyesight of rats. He puts the rats in this little box and watches how they react to the videos he plays. And guess what the sides of the box are made of - flat screen computers of course.

When it comes to Apples and computer technology - the Trailing Spouse becomes a Trailing Father - a very proud one. Enjoy your latest toy son.

Click Here To See Landscaping Project

Guess Who is Allergic to Bee Stings?

Lulu.

Today we were celebrating the completion of a major landscaping project. In the last couple of weeks - we have removed many trees - installed a new driveway - had the entire property graded - had a sprinkler system installed - mounted driveway lights - had 8000 feet of sod installed - transplanted several trees - had a stone path run to the lake - and stone driveways around the barn.

Lulu decided she would go to Esposito's and pick out several trays of flowers to plant in her new flower beds.

There were plenty of bees flying around the flowers - and one decided to nip at Lulu's foot. She had been stung by bees before - but this time was different. Within seconds - her entire body was covered with hives. I never saw anything like it. Just a couple of week ago she had a bad dose of poison ivy - and now this. She could even feel her throat tighten up a bit.

We called our doctor - and they took her right in. She received 3 shots - steroids - epinephrin - and I forget the third one. At any rate - the hives went right away.

The doctor told her she would have to carry one of those "pens" in her purse in case it happens again. He said usually the second time is worse.

As we drove home - a storm was brewing - so we left the flowers in the back of the truck. What is nice about being the Trailing Spouse is that there is always tomorrow in Florida. Now on our trips - I will have to carry Lulu's bags and her eppy pen.

Last Night We Visited with Bonnie Our Friend from Orlando in 1980

It has been a long time since we saw Bonnie - we spent a year in the same apartment complex in Winter Park/Orlando in 1980. She has 3 kids the same ages as Drew and Keith - so we spent a lot of time together - amusement parks - trips - hotel - and visitng each others' homes.

Bonnie now has a home on Ormond Beach - about 2 miles from Daytona. Bonnie and Nancy were pool and beach bums together - and spent hours on the beach catching up on old times.

Katie - Bonnie's youngest daughter is graduating from nursing school - so we will be in Orlando the next couple of days for that event.


Here are two pictures of Bonnie's home - just across the road is the Atlantic Ocean.

On The Road in Ormond Beach

Today we drove from Tallahassee to Ormond Beach - next to Daytona - via Gainesville and Palatka. We are staying in the guest room of our friends - Bonnie and John. In 1980 - Bonnie lived in an apartment next to us when we lived in Orlando for a year while Nancy got her masters at UCF. At the time Bonnie had 3 little kids - the same age as Drew and Keith. We all used to travel and play together.

Bonnie and John have the sweetest beach house here.

In the next couple of days we are going to see a lot of our old friends.

The Best Part of Living in Florida is Visitors From "BackNorth"

Last week Nancy's sister - Lori - and nephew - Tyler - came for a visit. They flew from Philadelphia to Jacksonville. Nancy picked them up at the airport.

It was just a wonderful visit. They stayed in our guest house. We did a lot of swimming - toured the Capitol - went to museums - went bike riding to the coast - picked blueberries - went shopping - and just enjoyed each other's company. One of the highlights was the jungle cruise at Wakulla Springs where we saw tons of alligators. The water is so clear there that they filmed "The Creature of the Black Lagoon" and "Tarzan" there a long time ago.

Nancy spent the last 2 days with them in Saint Augustine - where they stayed on the beach - toured the town - went to the Fountain of Youth - and Ripley's Museum. After drivng the car onto the beach - they had to catch an early morning flight back home.

We hope they come back soon - especially in the winter. Next time we hope niece Dana comes along. Dana is the closest thing to a daughter that Nancy has. Dana looks like Nancy back when I married her.

Property Tax Crisis in Florida

Try this web page on for size -

http://cgi.flatoday.net/tax2007/search.htm

It is a neat little page that tells you what your property taxes will be if the new "tax laws" pass.

But if you really like gossip - it is so easy to type in your neighbor's name or address and find out what their tax bill is. Yes - you could do that through the county page - but this page is neater. Looking up your neighbor's taxes also show you how screwed up the Florida tax structure is.

As an example - my home has a market value of $231,000 - my tax bill in 2006 was $3319. Under the 3 new plans - my tax bill under the 3 proposals would be - $2356 - $1922 - $2866. Of course one is always happy to see their taxes drop. But when I looked up the taxes on my neighbor's properties - I was amazed at how much less they were paying for houses similar or bigger than mine. North neighbor pays $1494 - east neighbor pays $1425 - south neighbor pays $2007 - and down the street friend pays $596 on a new home but the taxes did not change yet. Only northwest neighbor paid more $3474 because he bought his house one year after we bought ours. Somehow - it does not seem fair for some people to pay more taxes than others on similar houses.

There is a new home being built about 4 blocks form my home - on Merritt Street. It is an excellent location -even closer to campus and Lulu's job. It is 3800 square feet and will cost $440,000. My wife and I decided to buy it. We love the neighborhood but wanted a nice new home. So we had a meeting with the 2 realtors and the builder. We were ready to sign the papers - pick out the colors and appliances. Then I called the county to see what the taxes on the new home would be. I fell out of my chair when they said $7500!

When Lulu and I married in 1971 - we built a cedar house from a kit. We lived in that house for 30 years - it was only 1000 square feet - as a family of 4 we lived in our "dream house" - and finally the kids were gone. Now after retiring and moving to Tallahassee - we are considering a 3800 square foot home. Something is wrong with this picture. Here is a picture of my first dream house - and then my last dream house.



All of the proposed new tax laws would have us paying less taxes - in one proposal out taxes would drop 40% to $1922. Being as a former school teacher - with a salary that went from $6000 to $60,000 in 33 years - I wonder what effect the tax cut will have on our public school system. Schools are expensive to operate - and Florida spends around $7300 a year per student. With that figure - we are always fighting it out for the cellar with Mississippi to see who can spend the least in the nation per student.

Compound our school cost problems with the constitutional amendment that will have a hard limit on the number of kids per classroom - and we have a tremendous financial crunch coming.

I think Thomas Jefferson said this - I am not sure but am too lazy to look it up - Democracy will be over the minute the people realize they can vote themselves a dole out of the treasury. I wish there was a politician out there that would tell us the truth. You can't give everyone these big taxes cuts and offer them all the services we have and want. Someone has to pay the piper.

So - instead of buying a new house - I think the Trailing Spouse will just put another coat of paint on the old one.